Dear friends and neighbors,
As the ice and snow and chill of winter come on this week, the air has a different smell to it. The colors of leaves and grasses stand out against the snow that falls, and melts, and falls again. I invite you to pause, and look around, and take a moment to thank the Lord for our lives, our community, and the chance to love and serve each other in God’s name.
We continue to offer a ministry of sharing food and supplies with neighbors who are still struggling because of the covid19 pandemic. We thank God for the chance to be part of Abundant Life Health & Healing Ministries, and for all the growers, cooks, markets, and volunteers and neighbors who make this ministry possible.
At the same time, this winter we hear God calling us closer, to deepen our faith and put the work of our hands and hearts together for the sake of healing: healing for our grief from the losses that weigh heavy on our hearts; healing our community and the violence of racism and anger and mistrust that ravage us; and healing for the land, the creatures and ecosystems that God created to sustain life on this planet, but which we often carelessly neglect or despoil.
Healing work is together-work.
We can’t do it without God, and we can’t do it without each other.
Our together-work this winter, and into spring, includes the following ministries. As you read, I wonder: What sounds like God inviting you into something life-giving? How can you help? (you can let us know by contacting the person listed at the end of each section)
Reviving Holy Spirit’s Community Garden
We dream of times when this small piece of God’s Kingdom will offer beds for neighbors to grow their own food. We dream of working together, young and old, and discovering companionship while weeding and tending and delighting in what grows when we plant the garden in the spring. The team is looking for folks interested in helping make plans for spring planting and looking for local grants.
Contact: Anna ajic.ajic@gmail.com
Reflecting on the Gospels
Like honey on the tongue, God’s Word is sweet. And like a banquet, it’s wonderful when savored and shared with others. Gathering to read, reflect, and pray about the Scriptures together is how we grow in our faith and understanding of God’s living presence among us, and we come to see how God is healing us and others for the sake of new life.
Sundays from 10:00 – 11:00 AM in English (virtual on Zoom: or at the church when possible)
Mondays from 7:00 – 8:00 PM in Spanish (virtual on MessangerChat: https://msngr.com/kqzxnwgyxshb)
Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 PM in English/Spanish (at the church, when possible)
Nature Trail and Prayers
We are slowly re-creating nature trails in the woods behind our church building with a vision of connecting more deeply with the land as God’s Creation and offering it as a space for spiritual refreshment, ecological education and healing.
Contact: Stephanie saemberley@gmail.com
Grief and Loss Healing Services
Loved ones dying, public violence against Black and Brown neighbors, lost work and homes, our life rhythms and plans shattered by the pandemic, accepting that children are routinely stolen from their families as part of past and ongoing political and social power-projects: individually and collectively our souls and our bodies need many opportunities to pause, reflect, bear witness, and seek new narratives for living.
Contact: The Rev. Audra Abt (holyspiritgreensboro@gmail.com)
Affordable Housing
We’re cultivating partnerships with an affordable housing developer and local agencies to hone a vision for how some of the land our church stewards can bless our community and be used to address a serious need for safe and affordable housing. The Holy Spirit is opening up opportunities to engage with more of our neighbors and build community ties that can bear fruit for ministry discernment and neighborhood transformation.
Contact: The Rev. Beth McKee-Huger (bethmckeehuger@outlook.com) or The Rev. Audra Abt (holyspiritgreensboro@gmail.com)
In all these ministries, and indeed in all we undertake, we’re trusting that God will direct us, sustain us, and heal us through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s Spirit of new and abundant life.
May grace and peace be with you, in the name of Jesus Christ
Rev. Audra Abt
Holy Spirit, Greensboro 