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Aging and Senior Care Community Resources in Duluth

The following are resources that can help seniors and their families understand all the programs that can help pay for senior care:
Joan Martin
Community Outreach and Senior Advocate
(800) 289-4983
Caring.com is a leading senior care resource for family caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses and other loved ones. We have been featured by AARP, The Administration for Community Living, The National Legal Resource Center, and Forbes, as well as referenced by many government agencies and organizations across the Internet.
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Last week’s reminders

WEEKLY REMINDERS:

Last week's worship is now available in video format here: https://youtu.be/XNUcYmtSXow
My apologies that it's not much to look at, as I'm still working out the formatting, but the audio is clear. And sorry for the delay. It seems my old computer is not a big fan of new technology. Little by little, we'll get this right!

Staying Connected!

In this time of separation, we are collecting messages to be shared with your fellow church members! Send your thoughts and greetings, joys and concerns, by email or phone. We'll compile these messages and send them via email (and I'll print out copies and deliver them to those without email)… Send notes to Pastor Paul: pastorpaulvanantwerp@gmail.com / 218-349-0143 or to the office: office@unitedprotestantchurch.org / 218-626-2570. Let those you love know how you're doing, and that you are thinking of them.

Here's a few updates for this week:
-John and Doris Toman say hello! They are doing fine.

-Our sympathies to Cathy Dale and family. Her sister-in-law, Kathy, was hit by a vehicle and killed while walking with her husband Tom (Cathy Dale’s brother).

-Dick and Sue Linde say "Miss you! Stay safe, and get out for a walk! Oh, and Dick says "about one more week before he goes crazy!"

Helping One Another
For those in need of assistance of any sort in this time, there are a great many resources our church and community can provide. We'll do our best to keep track of these. If you need a hand (or know of somebody who does) send a note to Pastor Paul or the office. You are not alone.

Offering
The majority of our income here is based on the offering we receive on Sundays. Without meeting, there is concern that we will significantly diminish our financial resources. We kindly ask that, if possible, you continue to contribute as you would during worship. You can mail any offerings directly to the office at 830 88th Ave West, Duluth, MN 55808. Unfortunately, the bulk of the church’s operating expenses will continue even while we are forced to suspend services – insurance, utilities, etc.

Toward Sunday

Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." – John 11:44

In one of the meditations I practice as I walk and pray (and talk to myself and frighten passers-by who think "creepy man talking to himself!), I imagine God's presence as a wide open field, or range, with endless space where I may wander and explore. Think of driving through Montana or Wyoming as an example. Then I picture the places where, in all that wide open space, I build for myself (or others try to build for me) various fences, barbed wire, and boundaries–things intended to keep me isolated, or separate, from all that God offers. Some are of my own making: "I'm not good enough…or smart enough…or strong enough…or willing to take that risk or work that hard." Others appear from social convention, rules and regulations, norms. "People here don't behave like that! We expect you to be like the rest of us. Don't be too radical, nor too extreme!" Still others, I'm hardly aware I've created until God gives me the gift of seeing them, such as the grip of frustration, or anger, or sorrow. How many ways my horizons are limited by these fences I create all around me! And how great is a God that routinely gives me the tips and tricks to tear down the boundaries that keep me from full relationship! (Cue the western swing music: "Give me land, lots of land, lots of starry skies above…don't fence me in!").

Well, it's nothing quite as amazing as the raising of Lazarus (this week's Gospel), but those last words in John's eleventh chapter this week got me to thinking about the many times and many ways I have felt raised and healed and unbound and able to let go from a similar simple expression from Jesus. Sometimes I snap out of my boundaries by hearing a message that is blunt, and to the point… something like: "Ok Paul, enough already!" And sometimes it takes deliberation and time, creativity and patience, and a whole lot of gentle encouragement from Him.

But I tell you friends, when I hear Jesus say it…my heart and soul listen, and I rejoice. I breathe a deeper breath and think a clearer thought. I am a little more complete as a person than I was before.

Friends, in this time, many of us feel those fences present, obscuring the freedom of our horizons. But as always, we can focus on our scarcities (what we don't have), or our abundance (all the good surrounding us). As I said near the closing of last week's sermon: Look around you… there in your home—in the space you have created day by day. Look out the window to the change in seasons, what God creates day by day. Look around and welcome it.

I've heard stories in the past week of wonderful cooking and baking, of much needed organizing and overdue repair, of reading good books, mending the clothes (and learning to sew!), long telephone conversations with distant friends–I've even heard that this time of isolation has made people feel more connected because they never could justify all the time for friendships previously in their busy lives!

I'm pretty sure it's fair theology to say that God will never limit our horizons, nor "fence in" our faith. I'm also pretty sure that if we feel held back, or "bound" in any way, turning to God, and listening for the guidance of Jesus, is a sure way to expand our horizons and help us be the people God hopes that we will become.

So, here's your homework: send me a note or leave me a message (contact info above in the "Staying Connected" paragraph) and let me know how you are embracing what God has given you, here in this time when so many others struggle to see beyond the limitations. …And if you're struggling, well, give me a call about that as well! It'd be nice to chat.

Keep in touch, Pastor Paul

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Weekly Reminders (March 22-28)

Not much to report on our usual weekly activities, as all gatherings are cancelled, but here's a few notes on Church to share:

Staying Connected
In this time of separation, we are collecting messages to be shared with your fellow church members! Send your thoughts and greetings, joys and concerns, by email or phone. We'll compile these messages and send them via email (and I'll print out copies and deliver them to those without email). Send notes to Pastor Paul: pastorpaulvanantwerp@gmail.com / 218-349-0143 or to the office: office@unitedprotestantchurch.org / 218-626-2570. Let those you love know how you're doing, and that you are thinking of them.
Helping One Another
For those in need of assistance of any sort at this time, there are a great many resources our church and community can provide. We'll do our best to keep track of these. If you need a hand (or know of somebody who does) send a note to Pastor Paul or the office. You are not alone.
Offering
The majority of our income here is based on the offering we receive on Sundays. Without meeting, there is concern that we will significantly diminish our financial resources. We kindly ask that, if possible, you continue to contribute as you would during worship. You can mail any offerings directly to the office at 830 88th Avenue W., Duluth, MN  55808. Unfortunately, the bulk of the church's operating expenses will continue even while we are forced to suspend services – insurance, utilities, etc.
From Pastor Paul:
   Clarice and I were looking up a song today…she had heard it recently and asked me about it. My ears perked up and my tail started wagging for she mentioned words that I knew well! (And now poor Clarice can't get through a day here without me bellowing the words everywhere I go.) The song is best known as "How Can I Keep From Singing?" but it's often found in hymnals by the first line: 
My life flows on in endless song, above earth's lamentation
I hear the sweet, though far off hymn, that hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear the music ringing 
It finds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing?
   According to my two-bit research, it was written by Robert Wadsworth Lowry in 1868. It was embraced by the Quaker faith after the Civil War, and after entering public domain can now be found in countless recordings in oodles of versions. The one I have in my head (and keep pestering Clarice with) is a version from Pete Seeger, but here's a version from A Capella Academy (Students 12-18) in Los Angeles: https://youtu.be/nDmaZBX1Tew .     
   It's a song that frankly tells us that no matter what the world might throw our way, nothing can take away our hope, nor the song in our hearts, as people that know and feel God's presence. Or, as the lyrics sing:
What though my joys and comforts die? My savior still is living.
What though the shadows gather 'round? A new song Christ is giving.
No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that Rock I'm clinging.
Since Love commands both heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?
   Friends, we can't gather now, but that doesn't mean we cannot sing. We can't recite the Lord's Prayer in  unison, but that doesn't mean we cannot pray. We cannot lift up our joys and concerns in our time of worship, but we can still share our thoughts and faith and love to one another.
   To "that Rock" we truly still cling. When we cannot sing together, we sing for each other. When we cannot pray together, we pray for each other.
Now, more than ever, "Keep in Touch!"
Pastor Paul
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Cancellation of Services

Dear Friends in Christ,
 
As the coronavirus situation continues to worsen, state and local governments are urging that all gatherings of people be cancelled. It is with very heavy hearts that the congregation has made the decision to cancel all services at this time in order to safeguard the health and wellness of all our friends and members. Below are a number of resources and suggestions on how we may stay healthy in mind, body, and soul, and continue being Church together, even as we are forced to separate.

 
First, for yourself and others, please take precautions to stay healthy while we all work to minimize this health crisis.
 
  • Stay away from gatherings when at all possible.
  •  Minimize shopping trips to the necessities.
  • Wash your hands often with both soap and water. When soap and water are unavailable, use hand sanitizer with a high alcohol content.
  • Use this time at home for things you enjoy and which enrich your life .
    • Go for a walk
    • Spend time with your pets
    • Read a book (we know a good one!)
    • Call or write friends, family, and neighbors  
Though we cannot gather in worship and fellowship, we are still a family of love and care and support for one another, and can each do our humble part to keep the spirit of connection alive and shared.
   
Pastor Paul will be sharing a sermon, delivered at the Church on Sundays at our usual worship time, which will be offered as a recording and corresponding essay form. We will share these through our email list, as well as on our Facebook site.
   
And as always, we are available and willing to share. Pastor Paul can be reached via cell phone at 218-349-0143 or email pastorpaulvanantwerp@gmail.com.  You can also call the office to set up a time to chat with Pastor Paul.  Karen Robnik, the council moderator, is available for any church questions or concerns you may have.  If you have any concerns you’d like prayers for, we have prayer chain plans in place as usual. For any of the above, please call the office at (218) 626-2570. If no one is in at the time you call, please leave a message. Messages will be checked frequently.
 
But more importantly, we encourage each of you to reach out to one another and check in, even if you suspect that somebody else has done so. The more we share, the more love is expressed…and maintaining that shared love is what is most important at this time.
 
The church will also be sharing regular email messages and posts. You are encouraged to contribute as well! Please send any message you’d like to share with fellow members (joys, concerns, well wishes, sources of comfort and inspiration, pictures, jokes, etc.) to pastorpaulvanantwerp@gmail.com or to office@unitedprotestantchurch.org. We will consolidate these messages and share them in a digest form on a regular basis.
 
Also, as many of you are aware, the majority of our income here is based on the offering we receive on Sundays. Without meeting, there is concern that we will significantly diminish our financial resources. We kindly ask that, if possible, you continue to contribute as you would during worship. You can mail any offerings directly to the office at 830 88th Avenue W., Duluth, MN  55808. Unfortunately, the bulk of the church’s operating expenses (insurance, utilities, etc. ) will continue even while we are forced to suspend services.
 
As a further note, our church leaders are working diligently to provide resources for “direct deposit” for folks that cannot attend but are still interested in giving offering. We are still at least a month away from implementation, but as soon as that resource is available, we will share that information with you.
 
We will keep everyone posted as soon as anything changes and services can be resumed, but in the meantime, remember that we are still one united family in friendship and in Christ. Faith and fellowship remain, even if we cannot congregate. We need one another for friendship as well as support. We love one another!
 
Stay healthy, friends, and God bless!
United Protestant Church in Morgan Park 
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Wednesday Meals Cancelled Until Further Notice

With the ongoing concerns about covid-19, the congregation has made the difficult decision to suspend Wednesday night meals until further notice. As things progress, we will be continuing to evaluate and make decisions as a group. If a decision is reached to suspend any other church gatherings, we will be informing friends and members as early as possible.

Be well, everyone!