What’s Going On

Crawford Memorial UMC is collecting clothing for the Malden Warming Center, Dwelling Place, the homeless on Boston Common (if Covid allows), and possibly other area shelters. We ask that you donate only winter coats, winter hats, and gloves/mittens in new or like-new condition…we are donating clothing that gives dignity. Please bring in your donations by January 9. Clothing can be left in the church lobby or in the bin on the front porch. Contact the church office (office@crawfordumc.org) if you have any questions. Thank you!

With services and live music both indoors and outdoors this Christmas Eve,
we hope you will join us wherever and however you feel most comfortable:

5:00pm Service of lessons and carols, indoors and
streamed live on Facebook and YouTube
6:30pm Community-wide Carol Sing outdoors,
on our front steps (dress for the weather!)
NEW!  7:00pm Outdoor service, back by popular demand!  NEW!
30-minute service of lessons and pre-recorded music
10:30pm 30-minute concert of Christmas selections
by the Occasional Brass Quintet
11:00pm Service of lessons and carols, indoors and
streamed live on Facebook and YouTube

All are welcome! Please wear a mask to help keep everyone safe.

Our Christmas offering this year will be donated to two of our favorite charities: Mission of Deeds and the Woburn Council of Social Concern. You can donate with a check or cash in person, through our website here, or by texting CrawfordXmas to 44-321.

Our annual Holiday Faire will return on Saturday, November 13. It will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and will feature many favorite offerings from over the years: Crawford’s Famous Apple Pies, the Scrumptious Cookie Bar, baked goods, holiday decorations and other items not found in local stores in the Christmas room, gift ideas, handcrafted goods, vintage jewelry, white elephants & books, toys, and holiday items. This year’s breakfast & lunch snack bar will still feature favorite soups, apple crisp, and more, but all items will be takeaway only — no dining in. Proceeds from the faire will benefit Church operations and ongoing missions.

In preparation for our Blessing of the Saints service this weekend, we need volunteers to help locate the graves of Crawford founders, family, and friends. Randy has compiled a list of names and the reported locations of their grave sites. We need help finding each of the graves and marking them with butterflies in advance of our service on Sunday. Volunteers are asked to meet at 11:00 a.m. this Friday, at the flagpole which stands at the entrance to Wildwood Cemetery (34 Palmer Street, Winchester).

If you can help out, please sign up.

We will hold our annual Blessing of the Saints service at 10:00 a.m. on October 31 at Wildwood Cemetery, beginning at the Mason family monument. After a brief liturgy, we will walk the grounds to bless the graves of Crawford’s founders, friends, and loved ones buried there. We need your help building our list of Crawford “saints” who are buried at Wildwood. Those on our list include founders of the Methodist church in Winchester, more recent members of Crawford Memorial UMC, and many in between. If you have loved ones buried in Wildwood who are connected to Crawford in any way, please send their names to us here, then plan to join us on the morning of October 31 to help us bless them all.

Sunday is our second annual Blessing of the Animals service, outside, under the tent. We will still celebrate communion together, pray, and sing; and our furry, scaly, and winged friends will pray, sing, and share the peace, each in their own tongues.

Our prayer time will include moments to remember the holes in our hearts left by pets who are gone from us too soon, to honor animals that serve in public safety and wellness, to mourn the loss of species, and to celebrate those who have taken on the difficult work of animal rescue, shelter, and care.

For a message, we will hear the moving story of Joseph, Peter Hobson’s therapy dog, whose memory is honored with one of the memorial trees that line Church Street. If you doubt the healing power of animals, you will change your mind after hearing from Peter.

So bring your critters, big or small. “If you can control it, you can bring it.” Let’s recognize and bless the animals together. See you Sunday at 10:00 a.m.!

We are please to announce that Pamela Chatterton-Purdy, wife of former Crawford Pastor, Rev. Dr. David Purdy and accomplished artist will display her collection of icons she created to commemorate the events of 9/11. You can read about Pamela’s art in this article, recently published by The Cape Cod Chronicle.

The exhibit will be open to us and the general public as follows:
Saturday, Sept. 25, 1:00-4:00pm
Sunday, Sept. 26, 11:30am-3:00pm

Come visit us at our booth during Winchester Town Day, Saturday, September 18. We have plenty to share – our missions, pet blessings, free buttons, and more. Pastor Anne and members of the congregation will be there to greet you and answer any questions you might have.

Crawford friends and members – please join us and help share Crawford with the Winchester community.  If you would like to help out in our booth please sign up.

In Faith After Doubt, Brian D. McLaren, a former pastor, postulates that questions of faith and doubt are not “the enemy of faith, but rather a portal to a more mature and fruitful kind of faith.” His model for faith development has four stages: Simplicity, Complexity, Perplexity, and Harmony.

Crawford will be reading the book with the entire New England Conference, culminating in four Zoom sessions with the author.  You can read all about it on our Adult Study page.