Hello friends,
With a heavy heart, I wanted to share with you the news of our friend John Burrill’s passing earlier this week.
John and his wife Sharon were part of the Newman community for many seasons, and their love and light and family made an impact on the church that still continues to shine.
As shared in his obituary, “John was a proud member of the former Pawtucket Congregational Church, serving in countless leadership and volunteer roles during his more than forty years of membership. His faith was a consistent theme throughout his life and was very important to him. John’s passion for music and singing lead him to join the church choir and ultimately perform with the Providence Singers for a brief time.”
There will be more stories and remembrances in the days ahead to honor and celebrate John. With visiting hours and funeral services on October 14, I know we’ll be able to shine some of John’s goodness back to the Burrill family, and each other, in this time of loss.
This Sunday, we’ll welcome Rev. Peter Lovett back to Newman Church to lead us in Sunday worship and communion services.
After our 10 a.m. worship service, there will be a break for local folks to head home to pick up their pets for the outdoor Blessing of the Animals service as we celebrate St. Francis Day with our animal companions. Those for whom it would be logistically challenging to bring their pets to worship are invited to bring photos or stuffed animals to be blessed as placeholders for our animals!
As the Israelites learned in the Exodus scripture that we will read this Sunday, even in the midst of dislocation and disorientation, we can celebrate and take comfort in the things that sustain us — individually, and perhaps more significantly, as a community.
Traveling together,
Sam