What’s Going On
Bloomin’ 4 Good
Flowers can make someone’s day, brighten a room or spread a smile… now they can fight hunger too. Every $10.99 Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet with the red circle sticker sold supports a hunger organization local to the Stop & Shop in which it was purchased. Crawford’s Micro Pantry was selected by our Winchester store leadership as the August beneficiary! We will receive a $1 donation for every $10.99 Bloomin’ 4 Good Bouquet purchased at the Winchester Stop & Shop (695 Main Street, Winchester, MA) during the month of August. Learn more about Stop & Shop’s Bloomin’ 4 Good program here.
Ending food insecurity is an important mission of Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church whose members serve dinner regularly at The Dwelling Place in Woburn, and have been longtime supporters of the food pantry run by the Council of Social Concern. They opened their first micro pantry (the first in Winchester) in June 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges it created for both those in need and the organizations that had to limit their assistance in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. In February of this year, an Eagle Scout project completed by Kenny Xu (Troop 507) provided a sizable expansion of the pantry. It’s now large enough to include both shelf-stable food products and essential personal products. And occasionally, fresh produce from our garden. (Learn more about Crawford’s micro pantry and other missions and ministries here.)
Easter At Crawford
Join us on Easter Sunday, April 17, for any or all of our services and celebrations:
- 6:00 a.m. Sunrise Service around the fire pit (weather permitting, otherwise inside)
- Easter breakfast immediately following the Sunrise Service in Gifford Hall
- 10:00 a.m. Worship Service in the sanctuary, featuring live music by the Occasional Brass Quintet
- Easter Egg Hunt for the kids immediately following the 10:00 service
Read Pastor Anne’s Easter greetings here.
If you can’t join us in-person on Easter, you can join us via the livestream on our Facebook page or YouTube channel. And you can download a copy of our Easter Sunday bulletin here.
Join Our Palm Sunday Parade
Come one, come all to our second annual Palm Sunday Parade, this Sunday, April 10. The parade will step off from the front of the church at 9:30, led by a New Orleans brass band. We’ll share palms and joyful music with our neighbors, and return to the church in time for our 10:00 worship Service. Palms will be provided, dogs welcome! (See a special canine invitation from our newest team member, here.) You’re also invited to join us for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday (multiple services, details here.)
Crawford’s Chili Cookoff is Back!
We’re thrilled to announce the return of Crawford’s Chili Cookoff this April 23, benefitting New England Justice For Our Neighbors (NEJFON). Enjoy a variety of chili recipes — from sweet and mild to burning hot — and vote for your favorite by donating to a worthy cause! All proceeds benefit NEJFON — a faith-driven ministry providing immigration and legal services, education, and advocacy.
We look forward to hearing from two lawyers from the Northeast Justice Center, an important partner of NEJFON, on Saturday. Claire Maguire and Molly Curley will share with us about their work documenting immigrants and refugees on their path to legal residency in the U. S. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; Claire and Molly will speak at 6:30, after everyone has voted for their favorite chili; and winners will be announced before the event ends at 7:00.
Think you have the best chili in the land? Enter the competition. Click the “ENTER” button below for more information and to sign up. Are you not a chili cook, but want to help out? Click the “VOLUNTEER” button below to help out with set-up or clean-up, or by providing cornbread, salad, dessert, or beverages — all essential to making this event a success.
Do you care about immigrants’ rights? Love chili? Or just want a night off from cooking? Bring your family and friends to the cook off on:
Saturday, April 23
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Chili served until 7:00 p.m. or whenever we run out.
Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church
34 Dix Street, Winchester, MA
Download a copy of our 2022 Chili Cook-off Flyer here, and share it with your friends!
Update on Afghan Resettlement
The Afghan family we’ve been fundraising for, has settled into their new home and they are very appreciative of all that has been done for them by the Winchester Interfaith Committee. Members of the Neighborhood Support Team are working hard to meet the family’s needs, both in terms of support and home furnishings. Their apartment is a tight fit for seven people, but they have identified a few specific items that would be useful and appreciated: If you’d like to help, here’s list of items that would make them more comfortable in their new home:
- A standing coat rack for front hall
- A thermos carafe for tea that holds 8-10 cups
- 3 covers for pans that are 8 inches, 10 inches and 12 inches
- 6.9 qt. cast aluminum Caldero (Dutch oven) with lid ($20 at Target)
- A large outdoor toy bin
- A free-standing outdoor bike rack
- Bike locks
If you have any of the items to donate, please take a photo of the item(s) and send it to Reva Shapiro at revashapiro-at-gmail-dot-com or 908-229-6336. (If you are willing to purchase any of them, please let Reva know that as well.) If the item meets their needs and hasn’t already been donated, you can deliver it to one of two drop-off locations in Winchester or Arlington. We will keep this list updated to the best of our ability… thank you!
Holy Week and Easter 2022
It may seem as though we just entered the wilderness of Lent, but Holy Week will soon be upon us. Mark your calendars… we hope you will join us for some or all of our services/celebrations during this most important season for the church.
Palm Sunday, April 10
We will again parade with our palms through the neighborhood, led by a lively New Orleans brass band. Gather at the church at 9:30 a.m. for the short parade. (Palms will be provided.) We’ll end up back at the church for the start of our Palm Sunday worship at 10:00 a.m, including more special music from our choir, organist, and the Occasional Brass.
Maundy Thursday, April 14
We will gather around the fire pit (weather permitting, otherwise inside) for a service of Holy Communion and Tenebrae at 7:00 p.m. Update: The weather forecast is for rain, so we will meet inside for worship at 7.
Easter, April 17
- 6:00 a.m. Sunrise Service around the fire pit (weather permitting, otherwise inside)
- Easter breakfast immediately following the Sunrise Service in Gifford Hall
- 10:00 a.m. Worship Service in the sanctuary, featuring live music by the Occasional Brass Quintet
- Easter Egg Hunt for the kids immediately following the 10:00 service
Ash Wednesday Service Details
Why Ashes? Joe Iovino delves into the subject in an article he wrote for UMC.org in 2015:
“One Wednesday a year, sometime in February or March, you notice people at work, school, or elsewhere with a smudge on her forehead. Then you remember it is Ash Wednesday and they must have received the imposition of ashes. This practice we use to mark the first day of Lent may seem odd. People go to church mid-week to have a cleric place dirt on their foreheads.”
Read his article here.
This year, our service and imposition of ashes will be conducted in-person, in the sanctuary at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome! The service will also be streamed live on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
The 17th Century Comes to Crawford, Sunday, February 27
On Sunday, February 27, Crawford will welcome Agnes Coakley and Nathaniel Cox – founders of In Stile Moderno – who will provide music for our service of worship at 10:00 a.m. All are invited to join us, whether in-person or via our livestream on either Facebook or YouTube.
In Stile Moderno is an ensemble for early music, which Coakley and Cox founded in Basel, Switzerland in 2012. Named after the “modern style” of music which emerged in Italy around 1600, the ensemble is dedicated to music of the seventeenth century, and combines fidelity to historical performance practice with a drive to make early music accessible and relevant to modern audiences. Both as a lute and voice duo and in larger formations with cornetto, organ, voice, and plucked instruments, In Stile Moderno has charmed audiences with their engaging performances of seventeenth-century music in Boston, Vermont, and New York, as well as in concert series in Switzerland, Germany, and France.
Their next concert, “Stay, Time: Lute Songs of John Dowland,” will take place on Saturday, March 12 at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Watertown, MA. Please visit instilemoderno.com for more information.
Saturday Morning Walks During Lent
The word “wilderness” is found 300 times in the Bible. Jesus spent 40 days there before starting his ministry. Our faith practice reflects this by entering into 40 days of what we call Lent for reflection and preparation before the celebration of Easter. We thought this might be a great time to reflect on creation and our relationship to it. We will host a walk each Saturday in Lent, beginning March 5 and ending April 9. We will meet on the Sturgis Street side of Horn Pond (our local “wilderness”) from 8am to 9am for these walks. No need to sign up—just show up!
New Fundraising Goal for Resettlement
The Winchester faith community, including Crawford Church, has formed a Neighborhood Support Team to sponsor and assist an Afghan family in relocating to the Arlington area, where relatives already live. They are a young couple with five children. We thought we might have six months to prepare for their arrival, but we learned on Tuesday that they are arriving this week.
We’ve found temporary housing for them in New Ipswich, NH, for a month. The search for longer-term housing and other resources to support this family as they acclimate has just begun. Ascentria Care Alliance of Worcester, a social service organization, is leading and supporting our local effort. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to help an Afghan family.
2/15 UPDATE: New Fundraising Goal
The Winchester Interfaith Committee on Afghan Resettlement now has a better understanding of what it will cost to support the Afghan refugees coming to our area and has raised our fundraising goal from $25,000 to $36,000. The good news is that the committee has already received donations totaling approximately $10,000. To donate, checks may be made out to Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church, indicating it is for Afghan refugees, then mail them to 34 Dix Street, Winchester, MA 01890. You can also donate by texting CRAWFORDCARES to 44-321. Or donate online here – Click on Pledge or Donate Now, choose Other, and specify Refugee Aid where indicated. The firt $8000 in donations made through Crawford Memorial UMC will be matched 100%.
Volunteers welcome!
Volunteers will also be needed to assist this family as they acclimate to their new home and life in the states. If you are interested in learning more about what is involved, let us know via our contact form.