April is here – alleluia! – and we are still basking in the joy of a radiant Easter Sunday: that transcendent Hallelujah chorus from our choir! That gaggle of children leaping after an explosion of butterflies – a reminder of Spirit’s surprising, transformative power! That remarkable cohort of new members infusing new life into our midst! Flowers and hope, everywhere.

This coming Saturday at our Next Steps Retreat, all are invited to come dream and scheme together with church leaders about specific ways we might continue to live into this vibrant next chapter of life as the First Parish in Lincoln. One of our central strategic themes, put together by our Strategic Planning team, is to celebrate and communicate all that’s happening in the life of our church and why it matters… and so, in the spirit of Eastertide, I thought I’d keep those Alleluias (“praise God!”) coming and lift up some celebrations in the life of our congregation.

It’s our hope to include a list of celebrations or fun facts in every Parish Newsgoing forward (in fact, the idea for something like this emerged at a ParishCommittee meeting discussing the Strategic Themes!) Our working title for this feature is “Did You Know?” Do you have an anecdote or number to celebrate? Please submit to communications@fplincoln.org.

DID YOU KNOW?
Celebrating fun facts & signs of vitality in the life of FPL

• We had likely over 350 people worship with us on Easter Sunday (53 at Sunrise, 247 at 10am + 53 devices online)!
• We have 20 Mentors signed up for our new Partakers prison mentoring program, who have begun visiting mentees at MCI-Shirley.
• We have 6-8 people who have already volunteered with Lexington Refugee Assistance Program (LexRAP), and have helped with daycare and housing applications, tutored in English, provided playcare for kids, and delivered groceries.
• By latest count, we currently have about 85 children and youth (ages 0-18) engaged in FPL programs (including OWL)!
• In March, we hosted a nourishing Spring retreat for 35+ people, with yoga, special music, and writing – the crowd included a 4-month-old and a beloved nonagenarian!
• This week kicks off our annual Stewardship campaign, led by our fabulous Generous Giving team, who broke records last year with our most successful annual pledge drive to date! When we all pitch in from the heart, the sky’s the limit.

There’s so much to look forward to and celebrate together. Happy Eastertide, Happy Spring, and Alleluia indeed!

See you in church,
Kit & Nate