Covid 19 memorial
Christ’s Lutheran Church in Woodstock, will host an online memorial service for those who have died since the Covid 19 precautions have been put in place on June 30 at 7 p.m. The service is part of a larger project titled “In Memoriam,” which will include the installation of handmade crosses on the church lawn to remember and honor the deceased. The goal of the project is to provide a space for grief as well as hope in life and love which the Christian tradition believes are eternal.
“This is an incredibly difficult time to lose someone, whether to the virus or to other causes,” said pastor Sonja Maclary. “Social-distancing precautions necessary for the preservation of life and health make grieving more difficult. Many parts of grieving are communal: gathering by the bedside, attending wakes and funerals, etc., but these have all either been limited or prohibited in the past several months. In Memoriam seeks to bridge these gaps caused by social distancing and provide a sense of community, support and meaning.”
Christ’s Lutheran Church has been practicing building bridges to maintain social connection through LiveStreamed worship services on the church’s Facebook page as well as prayer groups and coffee hours on the video conferencing site Zoom. However, the church has also sought to keep a lively visual presence in the community. This began on Palm Sunday with a banner on the church door and has extended to art displays on the church lawn.
“We recognize that even though people are not gathering, they are still here. They are still passing by the church. These are opportunities to remind people, especially now, that with God there is peace and hope; that life is stronger than death,” said the pastor.
Parishioner and artist Julia Santos-Solomon, who lost four members of her family to the virus, sees the combination of a prayer service with a public art installation are particularly meaningful. “Art plays a huge part in our healing process,” says Santos-Solomon, who also created a mural on the church’s parish hall titled Woodstock Visual Peace. “In Memoriam explores an alternative way to honor the dead. This project’s intention is to humanize and honor the loss of our loved ones.”
Community members are invited to submit names to be remembered in the online worship service by emailing the church at beacon@christwoodstock.org. (Please include In Memoriam in the subject line.) Crosses with names of the deceased will be added to the church lawn as they are received. The project is supported by an action grant from Thrivent Financial. For information, contact the church at 679-2336.
Onteora budget vote
Onteora will vote on a $58-million budget for the school district next Tuesday, June 9. There are three candidates for three seats, Laurie Osmond, Bennet Ratcliff and Emily Sherry. Local school districts are sending paper ballots through the mail, with any vote returned by Tuesday, June 9 at 5 p.m. counting.
The 2020-21 $57,938,542 budget proposal represent an increase of $535,044, or 0.93 percent. The local tax-levy increase in the budget proposal is $1,117,748. The budget proposal includes a $20,000 line for library support.
Ballots cannot be opened until after the June 9 deadline.
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