What’s Going On
Last Hope K9, April 5
Last Hope K-9 will hold an adoption event at Crawford on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Last Hope K-9 rescues dogs from high-kill shelters and places them with loving foster families who give them love, attention, and the medical attention so many of them need, until they can find their “forever” homes. Visit https://www.lasthopek9.org/ to learn more about the organization and the dogs that are up for adoption. You can also apply to adopt online. Learn more about the adoption process, here.
Vigil of Love and Support, March 30
On the eve of International Trans Day of Visibility, please join your neighbors and friends at a special VIGIL OF LOVE AND SUPPORT for our Trans Community:
Sunday, March 30 at 4:00pm
Woburn United Methodist Church
523 Main St., Woburn.
This event is being hosted by Pastor Bill Hoch of the Woburn United Methodist Church. Additional sponsors include Woburn PRIDE, LexPRIDE, Know Your Neighbor Woburn, WMHS Spectrum Club, Woburn Welcomes, and Mystic Valley NAACP.
Additional Faith Leaders taking part include Rev. Derek White (he/him), North Congregational Church, Rev. Raphaela Mueller (she/her), Montvale Congregational Church, and Rev. Emily Hamilton (she/her), Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
MUSIC to be provided by:
JOHANNA TULLOCH (she/her)
Lead Singer, “Trophy Wives”
ANDREW GIORDANO (he/him)
Singer, Broadway Actor
TODD THIEERAULT (he/him)
Piano Accompanist/Music Director
Hear from guest speakers including Lead Speaker, Dr. AC Goldberg (he/him), Intersex/Transgender Professor, Northeastern University, and Internationally recognized Trans Activist and Thought Leader and others, including:
Lizebeth DeSelm (she/her, they/them)
Chair, Melrose Democratic City Committee:
Former Melrose School Committee Member
Billie Bee (she/her)
Writer, Carographer, and Leader of the
Sleepy Cities Club Trans Support Group
Siobhan Mazor (she/her)
Member of Kahai B’raira
Secular Humanistic Jewish Congregation
Noah Mammino (he/him, they/them)
Spectrum Club, Woburn Memorial High School
Prayer Service of Solidarity
The New England Conference of the United Methodist Church has planned an online prayer service for those looking for ways to show solidarity with our immigrant neighbors during this harrowing time. The service will be held on Thursday, January 30 at 7:00pm via Zoom. We will “pray for our immigrant neighbors, who are particularly vulnerable at this time. Following the prayer service we will share information on the current policy changes initiated by the Trump Administration and how they impact our neighbors and our ministry.” Leaders will also offer some best practices for how to be in ministry with those who are vulnerable, and take questions.
If you’d like to take part, see more details and register on the NEUMC website, HERE:
UMCOR Responds to Fires in LA
In this email, sent on Monday, January 13, 2025, Pastor David Arruda, Disaster Response Coordinator for the New England Annual Conference, shares a bit about emergency response efforts underway to help those displaced or otherwise affected by the wildfires in CA.
“In partnership with Methodist churches, UMCOR set up relief centers that provided evacuees shelter, food, and essential supplies. Volunteers, guided by compassion and solidarity, offered material aid, an empathetic ear, and comforting support to those burdened by loss…Congregations worked tirelessly to deliver donated items, prepare meals, and offer their buildings as temporary shelters, exemplifying the true spirit of Christian compassion.”
Read the full email HERE.
He also says, “for those of you who feel moved to support these vital efforts, donations to UMCOR’s U.S. Disaster Response and Recovery fund directly aid such ongoing projects. DONATE HERE..
Cradles to Crayons at Crawford
We are happy to partner with Winchester Girl Scout Troop 77025 by serving as a collection site for their service project collecting new and gently used clothing (all sizes, all seasons, all types) for Cradles to Crayons! Cradles to Crayons is a non-profit organization that aims to eliminate children’s clothing insecurity — the lack of access to appropriate, affordable, and adequate clothing. By the end of their fiscal year in late March, they are on track to distribute 400,000 packages to kids across the Commonwealth living in families at/below 200% of the federal poverty level ($62,400 for a family of 4). Donation bins are outside of the church’s front doors. Please put your donations in the bins outside, where they will be collected regularly by the scout leaders. Do not leave them in the lobby outside of Gifford Hall. Drop offs will be accepted through Jan 26.
When:
Through January 26
Where:
Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church
34 Dix Street, Winchester, MA
What:
New or gently used clothing, winter coats, and shoes
New PJs, socks, and underwear
Celebrate the Gift of Christmas at Crawford
Please join us on Christmas Eve
We will celebrate with a service of lessons and carols at 5:00 p.m. and again at 9:00 p.m. Both services will feature a retelling of the age-old Christmas story, singing beloved carols, and special music by Occasional Brass and Strings.
And, as is tradition here at Crawford, we invite you to join us in a Christmas Carol Sing-along from 6:30 to 7:00pm in front of our church, led by our Chancel Choir member, Kate Frisoli, and accompanied by members of the Occasional Brass. Caroling is outdoors so do dress for the weather!
Bring Your Baby Jesus
Throughout Advent, we have spent time talking about the characters found in a typical nativity scene and offering blessings over a different categoy (the beasts, the angels, the shepherds, etc.) each week. We invite you to bring the baby Jesus figure from your home nativity with you to either Christmas Eve service for a special blessing.
Disaster Response Training Survey
“In response to the recent series of disasters throughout the United States, there has been a significant increase in interest in the New England Annual Conference (NEAC) offering Early Response Team (ERT) and Volunteer in Mission (VIM) training. These trainings represent an excellent opportunity for individuals to develop essential skills that contribute positively to disaster response and relief efforts within our communities.”
Does this sound like something you’d be interested in? Learn more and complete the NEAC’s survey HERE (by January 12, 2025).
Unite With Light, Winchester
Sunday, December 8, is Winchester’s 6th annual Unite With Light (rain date: Sunday, December 15). Members of Crawford will gather after our Sunday morning worship service to assemble the luminarias, and again in the afternoon to place them along the retaining wall on the Church Street side of the building and light the candles. While casting a lovely glow, the luminarias have a greater purpose than just beautifying Winchester. The proceeds from the sale of luminaria kits are donated to a charity of the organizers’ choosing. Crawford’s 100 luminaria kits for this evening and another hundred for Christmas Eve were purchased with a generous donation by a Crawford member. All proceeds raised by Unite With Light-Winchester this year will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of MA & RI, helping to grant wishes to children living with serious, chronic illnesses. Learn more about Unite With Light – Winchester and see photos from past events on their facebook page, HERE.
Christmas Music for Everyone
Many of Crawford’s musicians are members of other choirs, orchestras, and so forth. And at this time of year many of those organizations are performing concerts of Christmas music you might enjoy. Here is a short list of upcoming musical events at which you’ll find one or more Crawford member. Those Crawford musicians invite you to join them for one or more of these upcoming performances. Click on the links below (in red) for more information.
Just added: Compaq Big Band Concert at City Winery… two shows on Sunday, Dec. 22! See below!
Copley Singers Holiday Concert Series
Multiple dates and locations
Irish Tenors Christmas Concert
Multiple dates and locations
Celtic Woman White Christmas Symphony Tour
Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, MA
Wednesday, December 18, 7:30pm
Hancock Carillon and Morning Glory Ringers Christmas Concert
Hancock United Church of Christ, Lexington, MA
Friday, Dec. 15, 10:30am and Sunday, Dec. 1, 3:00pm
Compaq Big Band Christmas Concert
City Winery, Boston, MA
Sunday, Dec. 22, shows at 3pm and 7:30pm
Meet Bishop Bickerton
On July 22, the Council of Bishops announced that as a result of the General Conference’s decision to reduce the number of active bishops from 39 to 32 in the United States, effective September 1, most US bishops will serve multiple annual conferences. (See the Council’s announcement here.)
The New England and New York conferences will remain separate conferences, but will be combined into a single episcopal area, led by Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton. Bishop Bickerton met with delegates from both conferences at the 2024 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference which concluded on July 12. You can read a summary of that meeting here.
We welcome Bishop Bickerton and look forward to working with him in the years ahead.