Jackson Community Church

Summit, Spirit, Sky: connect to community and creation!

Lent & Easter

Mar 8-13, 2022 w/ JCC & around town

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Calendar, Home, Lent & EasterTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lent @ JCC, Council mtg, voting @town polls, library book discussion, chair yoga returns, fitness classes, Mtn Top Music concerts, Angling presentation, Birds of the Year, Jxn School Bd, interfaith, youth faith formation, worship, music around town!

TUE, Mar 8th – SUN, MAR 13th
Second Week of Lent

TUE, Mar 8

  • VOTING in several communities: Jackson & Bartlett included.
  • Community Resource: BLACK MOUNTAIN
    Downhill ski events & conditions: https://www.blackmt.com/events
  • Community Resource: JACKSON SKI TOURING
    Info and Trail report: https://www.jacksonxc.org/trail-report/
  • CLERGY LUNCH
    12:30pm • Zoom
    Local clergy convene for conversations, ecumenical event-planning, and peer support. Rev Gail attends.
  • Community Event: CHAIR YOGA RETURNS!
    9:15 am  (and every Tuesday through March) • Zoom
    Registration Link. If you’ve previously registered, you do not have to re-register.
    Please have weights,  tennis ball or small rubber ball and a strap. We will as a group explore upper body strength, stretching the full body and lower body strength and flexibility.  Since this will be Anjali’s first class since her injury, she will be taking it slow yet you can always increase the challenge or slow it down to fit your needs for the day.
    Here is the zoom registration link.  
  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
    • 10am-7pm • Jackson Library
      Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
    • 2-5pm • Bartlett Library 
  • Community Event: BOOK DISCUSSION – Finding the Source
    4:30pm • Jackson Public Library
    email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
  • Community Event: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Wildcat Tavern: Hoot Night with Jonathan Sarty • 6-8:30pm

WED, Mar 9

  • FITNESS CLASS with Laurie McAleer
    9:30am • JCC Parish House
    Free. Gentle fitness and stretching customized to your needs. Appropriate for all ages and abilities.
  • Community Event: A YEAR of BIRDS (Whitney Community Ctr program)
    7pm • Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82106172744#success
    What birds can you expect to see each month of the year? Take a trip through the seasons with Lori Jean Kinsey, Executive Director of TMCC, looking at what birds you can anticipate seeing each month of the year. Owls in January, Warblers in May, and Hawks in October. There’s never a dull month in the year of birds!  If you have questions or need help signing up please contact Katie Reardon from the Friends of the Whitney Community Center/Oversight Committee: whitneycommunitycenter@gmail.com or 603-969-9428. All programs are free and sponsored by Friends of the Whitney Community Center/Oversight Committee
  • Community Resource: BLACK MOUNTAIN
    Downhill ski events & conditions: https://www.blackmt.com/events
  • Community Resource: JACKSON SKI TOURING
    Info and Trail report: https://www.jacksonxc.org/trail-report/
  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Red Parka: Jon Sarty • 5-7:30pm
    • Wildcat Tavern: Simon Crawford • 6-9pm
  • COUNCIL MTG
    7pm • Zoom link and password required.
    Leadership meeting to review fiscal, governance and mission-based decisions of the church.

THURS, Mar 10

  • Community Resource: BLACK MOUNTAIN
    Downhill ski events & conditions: https://www.blackmt.com/events
  • Community Resource: JACKSON SKI TOURING
    Info and Trail report: https://www.jacksonxc.org/trail-report/
  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
  • ** CANCELLED due to Dotti’s recovery from ski accident ** ZUMBA with Dotti Aiello  **
    Contact Dotti Aiello for more info: dottiaiello@gmail.com
  • Community Service: WAY STATION SHIFT
    All Day • Way Station, 15 Grove St, No Conway
    Volunteers open day resource center for showers, mail pickup, grocery distribution, more.
  • Community Event: STEVE ANGLER: Fishing NH’s Secret Waters (Tin Mtn Conservation Center) 7pm • Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84279279862
    Learn about Fishing New Hampshire’s Secret Waters and the brook trout they hold with author and North County Angler owner Steve Angers. Steve will talk about fly tackle and tactica to catch wild brook trout in some of New Hampshire’s most beautiful and remote locations.
  • Community Event: JACKSON SCHOOL BOARD MTG
    7pm • In-person
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Wildcat Tavern: Rafe Matregrano • 6-9pm

FRI, Mar 11

  • NEW: FITNESS CLASS with Laurie McAleer
    9:30am • JCC Parish House
    Free. Gentle fitness and stretching customized to your needs. Appropriate for all ages and abilities.
  • Community Event: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
    Black Mtn, Jxn
    Downhill ski events & conditions: https://www.blackmt.com/events
  • Community Resource: JACKSON SKI TOURING
    Info and Trail report: https://www.jacksonxc.org/trail-report/
    • Register now for Programs: 603-383-9355
    • Friday Sliders & Gliders: Jan – mid-March
  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
    • 2pm-5pm • Jackson Library
      Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
  • C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATION
    5pm • Zoom link and password required.
    Bring your adult beverage and your curiosity for a conversation about our sacred texts.
  • Community Event: MAJESTIC CAFE CONCERT – Mike Hathaway, Jon Deveneau, Brian Hathaway (Mountain Top Music)
    7pm • Majestic Theater, Conway Village
    Info & tickets: https://mountaintop.ludus.com/index.php
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Wildcat Tavern: Al Shafner • 6-9pm
    • Shannon Door: Marty Quirk • 6-9pm
    • Red Parka: The Big Picture • 8-11pm
    • Shovel Handle: Bobby Sheehan • 6-9pm
    • Black Mountain: Candie Tremblay (Après Ski) • 3:30 to 5:30pm.

SAT, Mar 12

  • Community Resource: SPRING FEST: Mt Washington Valley Adaptive Sports
    Morning • Attitash
  • Community Resource: BLACK MOUNTAIN
    Downhill ski events & conditions: https://www.blackmt.com/events
  • Community Resource: JACKSON SKI TOURING
    Info and Trail report: https://www.jacksonxc.org/trail-report/
  • Community Resource: LIBRARIES
  • MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Red Parka Pub: Riley Parkhurst Project • 8-11pm
    • Shannon Door: Scott Baer • 4-6pm / Marty Quirk • 7-10pm
    • Wildcat Tavern: Al Shafner (Apres Ski)  8 3-5pm / Jonathan Sarty • 6-9pm
    • Black Mountain: Swamp Dog (Après  Ski) •  3:30 -5:30pm.

SUN, Mar 13

  • INTERFAITH GATHERING
    8am • Old Red Library & Zoom (Zoom link and password required)
    Join us for poetry, prayer, and conversation.
  • WORSHIP
    10:30am • (zoom & in-person – Zoom link and password required.)
    • Music by Alan Labrie
    • Message by Rev Gail Pomeroy Doktor
  • MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Red Parka Pub: Mitch Alden • 4-7pm
    • Shovel Handle Pub: Rek’lis Duo • 5:30-8:30pm
    • Shannon Door: Sheehan & Holden • 6-9pm
    • Black Mountain: Scott Baer (Après  Ski)• 3:30-5:30pm.
  • Community Resource: BLACK MOUNTAIN
    Downhill ski events & conditions: https://www.blackmt.com/events
  • Community Resource: JACKSON SKI TOURING
    Info and Trail report: https://www.jacksonxc.org/trail-report/
    • Register now for Programs: 603-383-9355

Sun, Mar 6: OPEN PRAYER

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Lent & Easter, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , ,

Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you.
— Matthew 7:7

As we open ourselves to the presence of God, let each Sunday be an opportunity to experiment with different forms of prayer. What follows is prayer based on the practices of Julian of Norwich, a woman of faith who documented her visions and reflections. Hers were the first words written by a woman and published in the English language.

         According to writer Grace Ji-Sun Kim, “Julian of Norwich (1343–1416) suffered severe body pain and it was during her illness that she received visions that she wrote about in Revelations of Divine Love. She believed that if she welcomed her body’s sensations with openness, then she could open herself to the presence of God in a way that is less mediated by the mind.”

         Kim continues, “Julian wrote, “The fruit and the purpose of prayer is to be oned with and like God in all things.” She said that we should take a few minutes to let our heart and mind’s attention sink deep into our body, to remember our being’s inherent oneness. She used simple body postures to pray to God.”

         During this season of journey, doorways to heaven abound. We carry them within ourselves. When you attune yourself, and ask, what is opened to you? May the prayer below help you achieve openness and vulnerability in the presence of Holy Love. — Rev Gail 

         ————————————————————————————

BODY PRAYER

Below is a prayer practice created and used by the Order of Julian for hundreds of years. It can be used anywhere and is accessible to people in almost any physical state of health:

  • AWAIT (hands at waist, cupped up to receive):
    Await God’s presence, not as you expect, hope, or imagine, but just as it is in this moment.
  • ALLOW (reach up, hands open):
    Allow a sense of God’s presence (or not) to come and be what it is, without meeting your expectations.
  • ACCEPT (hands at heart, cupped towards body):
    Accept as a gift whatever comes or does not come. Accept that you are not in charge. Accept the infinity of God’s presence, present whether or not you are aware.
  • ATTEND (hands outstretched, ready to be responsive):
    Attend to what you are called to, actions that God invites you to from this stance of openness.

I doubled-down when praying … thinking to myself that if I prayed enough I could change the ways of nature, even change the ways of God. But that is not how prayer works in our lives… I began to find confidence in the notion that prayer, though it may not be … directly influencing God, would continue to positively change the nature of myself. … We must remind ourselves that when we pray … we do so not because we ask something of God. But rather, we pray to put ourselves … into God’s hands, free at God’s disposition, vulnerable, listening to the Divine’s voice which speaks to our most honest self.… Body prayer is our entire being praying, which is what God requires of us. — Grace Ji-Sun Kim

Sat, Mar 5: OPEN BODY

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Lent & Easter, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , ,

My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped. — Psalm 17:5

In this season, we renew our walk along the Way. We journey through the world with our human bodies. Though we also nurture healthy thoughts and emotions, it is our body that communicates the incarnate journey to our mind and heart. Our bodies are wired, by nerves attached to receptor cells, to transmit signals that conduct information to our brain. In this way, our body teaches and guides us.

         We know that throughout life, our bodies change. That the signals alter. We may have challenged eyesight or difficult hearing. Even how our bodies move may change. At different ages, we may move confidently and quickly or more intentionally and carefully. Our bodies change, and so does our experience of the world.

         What does the world say to you, when you pay attention as you move through it? Do you pause and listen, hearing bird song or river rush or traffic rumble? Do you look up and around and notice new things, such as the sunlight falling through the branches, or the satellite passing through the starry night sky, or the roll of clouds over the peaks? Do you walk steady on your feet, because the earth is bare and safe, or step gingerly, striving for balance after thaw-and-freeze cycles that lay down treacherous ice? Do you sometimes tiptoe or dance, instead of walking? Do you walk backwards or whirl in a circle? Do you change the way you move in the world, surprising yourself and others as you do? Do you, if you’re able, lay down on the ground and look up at the sky? 

         Are you able to move independently through the world, or do you use assistance, from a hiking pole or cane to a walker or chair? How does this different way of moving alter your perception? How does it change the way others perceive the world, because they know you and care about your experience?

         What do you say to the physical world, by how you are present as you live within its environs? Do you put on skis, snowshoes, spikes, or boots, and immerse yourself in the elements? Do you pick up litter or clear the trail when you’re out walking, hiking, skiing, or snowshoeing, to make it better for the next traveler? If you’re driving, do you minimize errands or bring along a friend to conserve fuel and steward energy and resources? Do you take a detour to visit a new neighborhood or appreciate and explore a different scene? Do you shovel or plow snow for your neighbor as well as yourself, to reinforce communal care and connections? Or does someone do these things for you?

         Let us consider how we move through the world. Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese monk who developed the practice of engaged Buddhism, often taught, “When we walk like (we are rushing), we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the earth… Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.” In other words, create a tender relationship between yourself and the environment.— Rev Gail       

         ————————————————————————————

Sometimes I need
only to stand
wherever I am
to be blessed.
― Mary Oliver

PRAYER for WALKING
— Thich Nhat Hanh Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Bring the Earth your love and happiness.
The Earth will be safe

Fri, Mar 4: OPEN SENSES

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Lent & Easter, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , , , , , ,

I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
— Psalm 121: 1-2

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them? — Psalm 8:6

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from God comes my salvation.
God alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
 — Psalm 62:1-2

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;
 for you are my refuge.
— Psalm 61:2

To receive the gifts of the world around us, and the revelation of Holy Love as part of creation, we are invited to open and attune our senses. Additionally, becoming attentive with our senses may also improve our perceptions with regard to relationships with other people, and even self-care.

         For instance, in Mt Washington Valley, we’re surrounded by mountains. Our lives are bounded by peaks and valleys, notches and cliffs. When we look toward the horizon, we read it through the heights and depths of the landscape. Light breaks over it, sinks behind it.

         For some folks, witnessing that grandeur and changing beauty is enough. The journey is taken with the eyes, and how it tugs the heart and mind along on its journey.

         To gain a different perspective, we can travel up those slopes. Or walk down them. The steps along the way also mater, since it’s the journey that shapes us. Yet the destination delivers its own gifts.

Summits promise a chance for respite. They serve as a reminder and opportunity to set ourselves apart with time and distance. To create space to collect and center ourselves. To focus. Or to let go .

Seeking out such places also gives us a sense of proportion. We are in the presence of elements larger than ourselves. More eternal. The mountains may not be altered when we take journeys over and among them, yet they change us. 

Remember that self-care and spiritual wellbeing include break time. Like Christ choosing to leave behind the crowds and take time to pray on the mountain, we can follow this model. Removing ourselves from daily needs and demands. Putting aside schedules and deadlines. Permitting ourselves the chance to grow quiet, whether it’s during the walk up and down the mountain, or lingering at the top, or even observing from some distant spot and gazing out at the vista that the mountain offers.

Pastor and hiker Noah Van Niel suggests the following practice. Choose a Psalm. A few scriptures are offered above, but nature appears in many of them. Read through a few options before resting to look at the mountains or traveling outside into the mountains. Select one psalm excerpt and carry it with you. Also keep this list in mind: trees and plants, the heavens, sky, path, wings, rocks, mountains and valleys, water, storms, animals. Contemplate how the sacred verses connect you to creation. When in the journey do the words come alive for you? When does the Psalm speak most clearly to you? When you are reminded of one of the words, pause and reflect: linger in that moment, that experience. How does the verse change the way you feel?

We are invited to find a time and place to be in the presence of ourselves. We are especially guided to also keep company with the unlimited and eternal: Godself.— Rev Gail     

         ————————————————————————————

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. ― John Muir

Prayer is a mountain; you have to climb it. — Prophetess Triza

PRAYER from MOUNTAIN as SANCTUARY & INSPIRATION
– excerpt from statement by Martin Luther King, Jr.
I just want to do God’s will … to go up to the mountain.
And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land.

PRAYER If MOUNTAIN Is ADVERSARY
— excerpt from prayer by Terra Blakemore
Lord God, give us this mountain and the knowledge, wisdom, understanding, patience, and strength to climb it, overcome it … We thank You for every mountain, circumstance, fear, and adversary You help us climb … and overcome in the power of Your Holy Spirit, Your awesome might. We thank You for every word of comfort, encouragement, correction, and instruction. We thank You for grace, mercy, forgiveness …

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