The Zoo is a fine place to make new friends! Let's all go together on Saturday 2/15 at 11am to meet our Western pals and to meet the new pandas. We've reserved group tickets for entry at 11am. Please RSVP to Erin to let us know you are coming.
Cuba Trip Supply Drive
In February, Pilgrims, NYAPC, and Immanuel Pres members are visiting our partner church, Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana-Reformada de la Habana! This means it is time to start collecting supplies to bring with us for the trip, to share with our neighbors in Havana. Our Cuban friends have been living in incredibly difficult conditions, with extreme limits on basics like food, soap, and medicine. We have the opportunity to share our abundance with the First Presbyterian-Reformed Church of Havana. This year we have created a shopping list through Target. All goods will be shipped directly to NYAPC where we'll later gather to pack into our suitcases for the trip. (Shipping address: NYAPC Cuba Partners, 1313 New York Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005) This year the biggest needs are powdered milk, over the counter medicines, and batteries. There are also options for vitamins and toiletries.
If you prefer to purchase outside of the online list or at another store, you can shop for the same items at any local store and bring donations to church on Sundays through 2/16. You can view/download/print the requested items list for local shopping here.
Along with the supplies we are soliciting used suitcases for trip participants to hand-carry all the donations on our flight to Havana. We also welcome empty/used pill bottles! First Havana (re)uses the bottles when distributing the various medicines.
All donations are used to stock First Havana’s medical clinic and “store,” all provided at no charge to church members and the local community. Please help us bring these items to our Cuban friends by buying online or leaving donations at the front desk! This is a wonderful way to show how much New York Avenue supports First Havana’s many local missions. If you have any questions please contact Mitch or Erin. Thank you for your support!
Lent Worship Planning Meeting - 2/10
On Monday 2/10 at 6:30pm we'll gather in the Bird Room at Pilgrims to plan worship for Lent together. Come with your ideas, come with your questions, or just come and let's figure it out together. No experience or skills required. Hope to see you there!
Congregational Meeting - 1/26
The Session of Church of the Pilgrims has called for the Congregation's Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 26th immediately following worship (about 12pm). You will be able to participate both in person and online. And yes, there will be special snacks! We hope you can be there!
Visit to Friendship Place's Welcome Center - 1/25
We’re going to visit the Friendship Place Welcome Center (4713 Wisconsin Avenue, NW) on Saturday 1/25 at 10am. Bring some disposable hand warmers to share and come and learn all about Friendship Place’s programs!
January Soup Night - 1/22
We’re making soup to share with our neighbors! Come to the Bird Room on Wednesday 1/22 and help chop and simmer all the good stuff to make meals to share on Sundays at Open Table. See you in the Bird Room at 5pm (or whenever you can make it!).
Issues Among Us - 1/16
On Thursday, January 16th at 6pm we'll got together to the Studio Gallery to see Beauty Behind Bars: The Transformative Power of Art in Confinement. The exhibit presents a collection of evocative, poignant and beautiful pieces created by incarcerated artists, each a powerful meditation on resilience, hope, and the human capacity for change. This groundbreaking exhibit allows audiences to see beyond prison walls into artists’ lives, shaped by reflection and the quest for connection through their enduring creativity. Curated by a formerly incarcerated artist and a public defender, this exhibit strives to affirm the humanity of incarcerated artists and demonstrate art’s profound and curative roles in the lives of people who have lost their freedom. Each piece challenges stereotypes and the all too unforgiving narratives about incarcerated persons. They bear witness to the transformative and redemptive power of art, even in the most inhumane of conditions.
The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and the Returning Citizens Assistance Network (RCAN), which is a group of twenty congregations in Washington, DC that assist PDS clients who are currently or formerly incarcerated.
Campfire Christmas - 12/19
Are you ready to sing silly Christmas songs around the campfire, roast some marshmallows and engage in general holiday fun? Bring yourself on over to church on Thursday 12/19 at 6pm for a little Campfire Christmas. We’ll have hot cocoa and s’mores fixings. If you want to bring some cookies, or your guitar, or your favorite Christmas song saved on your phone, that would be wonderful! Come after work, stop by for one song, stay all evening and sing until your voice gives out, whatever works with your schedule! It will just be nice to spend some fun holiday time together!
Thursday 12/19 at 6pm