In September 1620\, a small s hip called the Mayflower left Plymouth\, England\, carrying 102 passengers embarked on a journey to discover the New World. After a treacherous jour ney lasting 66 days\, they arrived near the tip of Cape Cod\, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month la ter\, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay\, where the Pilgrims\, as th ey are now commonly known\, began the work of establishing a village at Pl ymouth. Throughout that first brutal winter\, most of the colonists remain ed on board the ship\, where they suffered from exposure\, scurvy and outb reaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passeng ers lived to see their first New England spring. In March\, the remaining settlers moved ashore and began to harvest with help and alliance with Nat ive Americans of the area. This alliance tragically remains one of the sol e examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.
\nIn November 1621\, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved succ essful\, Governor William Bradford organized a three-day celebratory feast \, now remembered as American’s “First Thanksgiving”- although\, it is arg ued that the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term “Thanksgiving” at the time. Historians also argue that the Pilgrims had their first true thanksgiving in 1623\, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drough t. In the second half of the 1600s\, thanksgivings after the harvest becam e more common and started to become annual events. George Washington\, the first president of the United States\, proclaimed the first national Than ksgiving Day in 1789 and it officially became an annual holiday in 1863.\n
Although Thanksgiving has hist orical roots in religious and cultural traditions\, it has long been celeb rated in a secular manner as well. Thanksgiving is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have. Presently\, it has become a day for fam ilies and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often inclu des a turkey\, stuffing\, potatoes\, cranberry sauce\, gravy\, pumpkin pie \, and vegetables. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity\, an d communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fo rtunate. Parades have also become an important part of the holiday in citi es and towns across the United States.
\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-1866@greenwoodschurch.com DTSTAMP:20220810T234508Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:Holiday CONTACT: DESCRIPTION: DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20191224 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20191225 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=12 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christmas Eve URL:https://www.greenwoodschurch.com/event/christmas-eve/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:\\n\\n \\n
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week and is an important Christian festival around the world. It falls on the Sunda y before Easter Sunday and is therefore\, like Easter\, a moveable feast ( i.e. a religious celebration or observance which does not occur on the sam e date each year). Western Christian churches often refer to Palm Sunday a s ‘The Sunday of the Passion’\, while Orthodox Christian churches may call the festival ‘The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem’.
\nPalm Sunday is a commemoration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem\, coming in pe ace and riding on a donkey. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem coincided with the Jewish festival of Passover. He was met by crowds of followers and suppor ters who lined the road into the city and waved branches cut from palm tre es. They laid palm fronds on the road and even laid down cloaks for Jesus to ride over. This entry into Jerusalem fulfilled the Old Testament prophe cies promising that God’s Messiah would enter the holy city and go to the temple.
\nPalm Sunday church services typically start with a process ion of churchgoers carrying branches (often of willow or pussy willow) and palms. The service may include a Dramatization of the Passion. Small cros ses\, each made of a single palm frond\, are blessed and distributed to ev eryone in the congregation. Additional crosses are kept until the followin g year when they are burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday observance s. A few churches also maintain the ancient tradition of distributing smal l biscuit-like cakes\, called Pax Cakes\, which are marked with a lamb as a symbol of peace and goodwill. Palm fronds may be used as altar and other church decorations. Children often play a prominent role in Palm Sunday s ervices.
\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-3411@greenwoodschurch.com DTSTAMP:20220810T234508Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:Holiday CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:What is Good Friday?\n\nGood Friday\, the Friday immediately pr eceding Easter Sunday\, commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Ch rist\nGood Friday (from the meanings “pious”\, “holy” of the word “good”) is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). The holid ay is observed during Holy Week on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday\, an d may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Black Friday\, Holy Friday\, Great Friday\, or Easter Friday\, though the latter correctly refers to the following Friday (the Friday in Easter Wee k).\nGood Friday is a public holiday in many countries but not in the Unit ed States. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200410 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200411 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Good Friday URL:https://www.greenwoodschurch.com/event/good-friday-2-2/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;http://www.calendarpedia.com/when-is/images/good -friday-jesus-christ-crucifixion.jpg\;255\;220\,medium\;http://www.calenda rpedia.com/when-is/images/good-friday-jesus-christ-crucifixion.jpg\;255\;2 20\,large\;http://www.calendarpedia.com/when-is/images/good-friday-jesus-c hrist-crucifixion.jpg\;255\;220\,full\;http://www.calendarpedia.com/when-i s/images/good-friday-jesus-christ-crucifixion.jpg\;255\;220 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:\\n\\n \\n
Good Friday (from the meanings “pious”\, “holy” of the word “good”) is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorat ing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). T he holiday is observed during Holy Week on the Friday preceding Easter Sun day\, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Black Friday\, Holy Friday\, Great Friday\, or Easter Friday\, th ough the latter correctly refers to the following Friday (the Friday in Ea ster Week).
\nGood Friday is a public holiday in many countries but not in the United States.
\n\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-73450@www.greenwoodschurch.com DTSTAMP:20220810T234508Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:Holiday CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:What is Easter?\n\nResurrected Jesus and Mary Magdalene\, by An tonio da Correggio\, 1543\nEaster is the oldest and most important festiva l of the Western Christian year\, celebrating Jesus Christ’s resurrection (rising from the grave) following his crucifixion on Good Friday. Easter S unday is the culmination of Holy Week (but not part of it)\, and the first day of Eastertide. Easter marks the end of the 40 days of Lent. Easter Su nday (or simply Easter Day) is the first day of the Easter Week which ends on Easter Saturday.\nChrist’s resurrection forms the basis of Christian f aith as it demonstrates Jesus to be the Son of God\, and symbolizes his co nquest of death.\nThe Easter Story\nAccording to the Gospels it was at sun rise on the first Easter Day – the 3rd day following Jesus’ death – that t he women who followed Jesus found the great stone blocking his tomb had be en rolled away\, and the tomb empty. The Gospel of John (20.14-16) relates how Mary Magdalene meets Jesus by the tomb\, but does not at first recogn ise him\, taking him to be a gardener. Finally realising that he has indee d risen from the dead\, as he had promised he would\, she runs to tell the disciples the good news.\nThese events fulfil the prophecy that ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men\, be crucified\, and three days l ater rise to life.’ (Luke 24.7).\nEaster is related to the Jewish festival of Pesach (Passover).\nHow is the date of Easter calculated?\nEaster is a ‘moveable feast’\, which means that its date is not fixed in the calendar \, but is instead calculated according to the lunar calendar\, formalised in Ecclesiastical date tables. It is based on the date of the vernal equin ox. In AD 325 the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter always falls on th e first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the verna l equinox. The date of Easter Sunday can thus fall between March 22 and Ap ril 25. The date of Orthodox Easter (also known as Pascha) as celebrated i n Eastern Christianity is the same as Easter in some years\, but differs i n other years. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20200412 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20200413 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter URL:https://www.greenwoodschurch.com/event/easter-2-3/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;http://www.calendarpedia.com/when-is/images/east er-resurrected-fesus-and-mary-magdalene.jpg\;258\;327\,medium\;http://www. calendarpedia.com/when-is/images/easter-resurrected-fesus-and-mary-magdale ne.jpg\;258\;327\,large\;http://www.calendarpedia.com/when-is/images/easte r-resurrected-fesus-and-mary-magdalene.jpg\;258\;327\,full\;http://www.cal endarpedia.com/when-is/images/easter-resurrected-fesus-and-mary-magdalene. jpg\;258\;327 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:\\n\\n \\n
Easter is the oldest and m ost important festival of the Western Christian year\, celebrating Jesus C hrist’s resurrection (rising from the grave) following his crucifixion on Good Friday. Easter Sunday is the culmination of Holy Week (but not part o f it)\, and the first day of Eastertide. Easter marks the end of the 40 da ys of Lent. Easter Sunday (or simply Easter Day) is the first day of the E aster Week which ends on Easter Saturday.
\nChrist’s resurrection fo rms the basis of Christian faith as it demonstrates Jesus to be the Son of God\, and symbolizes his conquest of death.
\nAccording to the Gospels it was at sunrise on the first Easter Day – the 3rd day following Jesus’ death – that the women who followed Jesus found the great stone blocking his tomb had been rolle d away\, and the tomb empty. The Gospel of John (20.14-16) relates how Mar y Magdalene meets Jesus by the tomb\, but does not at first recognise him\ , taking him to be a gardener. Finally realising that he has indeed risen from the dead\, as he had promised he would\, she runs to tell the discipl es the good news.
\nThese events fulfil the prophecy that ‘The Son o f Man must be handed over to sinful men\, be crucified\, and three days la ter rise to life.’ (Luke 24.7).
\nEaster is related to the Jewish fe stival of Pesach (Passover).
\nEaster is a ‘moveable feast’\, which mean s that its date is not fixed in the calendar\, but is instead calculated a ccording to the lunar calendar\, formalised in Ecclesiastical date tables. It is based on the date of the vernal equinox. In AD 325 the Council of N icaea decreed that Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox. The date of Easter Sunday can thus fall between March 22 and April 25. The date of Orthodox E aster (also known as Pascha) as celebrated in Eastern Christianity is the same as Easter in some years\, but differs in other years.
\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-3269@greenwoodschurch.com DTSTAMP:20220810T234508Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:Holiday CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:Significance of Thanksgiving\nThanksgiving (also known as Thank sgiving Day) is an important federal holiday\, celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving precedes “B lack Friday” and is traditionally a holiday to give thanks for the food co llected at the end of the harvest season.\nHistory of Thanksgiving\nIn Sep tember 1620\, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth\, England\, carrying 102 passengers embarked on a journey to discover the New World. A fter a treacherous journey lasting 66 days\, they arrived near the tip of Cape Cod\, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hud son River. One month later\, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay\, whe re the Pilgrims\, as they are now commonly known\, began the work of estab lishing a village at Plymouth. Throughout that first brutal winter\, most of the colonists remained on board the ship\, where they suffered from exp osure\, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayfl ower’s original passengers lived to see their first New England spring. In March\, the remaining settlers moved ashore and began to harvest with hel p and alliance with Native Americans of the area. This alliance tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists an d Native Americans.\nIn November 1621\, after the Pilgrims’ first corn har vest proved successful\, Governor William Bradford organized a three-day c elebratory feast\, now remembered as American’s “First Thanksgiving”- alth ough\, it is argued that the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the ter m “Thanksgiving” at the time. Historians also argue that the Pilgrims had their first true thanksgiving in 1623\, when they gave thanks for rain tha t ended a drought. In the second half of the 1600s\, thanksgivings after t he harvest became more common and started to become annual events. George Washington\, the first president of the United States\, proclaimed the fir st national Thanksgiving Day in 1789 and it officially became an annual ho liday in 1863.\nTraditions of Thanksgiving\nAlthough Thanksgiving has hist orical roots in religious and cultural traditions\, it has long been celeb rated in a secular manner as well. Thanksgiving is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have. Presently\, it has become a day for fam ilies and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often inclu des a turkey\, stuffing\, potatoes\, cranberry sauce\, gravy\, pumpkin pie \, and vegetables. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity\, an d communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fo rtunate. Parades have also become an important part of the holiday in citi es and towns across the United States. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201126 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201127 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving Day URL:https://www.greenwoodschurch.com/event/thanksgiving-day-2/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://i0.wp.com/greenwoodschurch.com/wp-conten t/uploads/2018/11/Thanksgiving-Postcard-1000x673.jpg?resize=1000%2C673&ssl =1\;1000\;673\,medium\;https://i0.wp.com/greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/u ploads/2018/11/Thanksgiving-Postcard-1000x673.jpg?resize=1000%2C673&ssl=1\ ;1000\;673\,large\;https://i0.wp.com/greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/uploa ds/2018/11/Thanksgiving-Postcard-1000x673.jpg?resize=1000%2C673&ssl=1\;100 0\;673\,full\;https://i0.wp.com/greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/uploads/20 18/11/Thanksgiving-Postcard-1000x673.jpg?resize=1000%2C673&ssl=1\;1000\;67 3 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:\\n\\n \\nIn September 1620\, a small s hip called the Mayflower left Plymouth\, England\, carrying 102 passengers embarked on a journey to discover the New World. After a treacherous jour ney lasting 66 days\, they arrived near the tip of Cape Cod\, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month la ter\, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay\, where the Pilgrims\, as th ey are now commonly known\, began the work of establishing a village at Pl ymouth. Throughout that first brutal winter\, most of the colonists remain ed on board the ship\, where they suffered from exposure\, scurvy and outb reaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passeng ers lived to see their first New England spring. In March\, the remaining settlers moved ashore and began to harvest with help and alliance with Nat ive Americans of the area. This alliance tragically remains one of the sol e examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.
\nIn November 1621\, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved succ essful\, Governor William Bradford organized a three-day celebratory feast \, now remembered as American’s “First Thanksgiving”- although\, it is arg ued that the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term “Thanksgiving” at the time. Historians also argue that the Pilgrims had their first true thanksgiving in 1623\, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drough t. In the second half of the 1600s\, thanksgivings after the harvest becam e more common and started to become annual events. George Washington\, the first president of the United States\, proclaimed the first national Than ksgiving Day in 1789 and it officially became an annual holiday in 1863.\n
Although Thanksgiving has hist orical roots in religious and cultural traditions\, it has long been celeb rated in a secular manner as well. Thanksgiving is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have. Presently\, it has become a day for fam ilies and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often inclu des a turkey\, stuffing\, potatoes\, cranberry sauce\, gravy\, pumpkin pie \, and vegetables. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity\, an d communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fo rtunate. Parades have also become an important part of the holiday in citi es and towns across the United States.
\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-2966@greenwoodschurch.com DTSTAMP:20220810T234508Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:Holiday CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:What is Easter?\n\nResurrected Jesus and Mary Magdalene\, by An tonio da Correggio\, 1543\nEaster is the oldest and most important festiva l of the Western Christian year\, celebrating Jesus Christ’s resurrection (rising from the grave) following his crucifixion on Good Friday. Easter S unday is the culmination of Holy Week (but not part of it)\, and the first day of Eastertide. Easter marks the end of the 40 days of Lent. Easter Su nday (or simply Easter Day) is the first day of the Easter Week which ends on Easter Saturday.\nChrist’s resurrection forms the basis of Christian f aith as it demonstrates Jesus to be the Son of God\, and symbolizes his co nquest of death.\nThe Easter Story\nAccording to the Gospels it was at sun rise on the first Easter Day – the 3rd day following Jesus’ death – that t he women who followed Jesus found the great stone blocking his tomb had be en rolled away\, and the tomb empty. The Gospel of John (20.14-16) relates how Mary Magdalene meets Jesus by the tomb\, but does not at first recogn ise him\, taking him to be a gardener. Finally realising that he has indee d risen from the dead\, as he had promised he would\, she runs to tell the disciples the good news.\nThese events fulfil the prophecy that ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men\, be crucified\, and three days l ater rise to life.’ (Luke 24.7).\nEaster is related to the Jewish festival of Pesach (Passover).\nHow is the date of Easter calculated?\nEaster is a ‘moveable feast’\, which means that its date is not fixed in the calendar \, but is instead calculated according to the lunar calendar\, formalised in Ecclesiastical date tables. It is based on the date of the vernal equin ox. In AD 325 the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter always falls on th e first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the verna l equinox. The date of Easter Sunday can thus fall between March 22 and Ap ril 25. The date of Orthodox Easter (also known as Pascha) as celebrated i n Eastern Christianity is the same as Easter in some years\, but differs i n other years. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210404 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210405 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter URL:https://www.greenwoodschurch.com/event/easter-2/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;http://www.calendarpedia.com/when-is/images/east er-resurrected-fesus-and-mary-magdalene.jpg\;258\;327\,medium\;http://www. calendarpedia.com/when-is/images/easter-resurrected-fesus-and-mary-magdale ne.jpg\;258\;327\,large\;http://www.calendarpedia.com/when-is/images/easte r-resurrected-fesus-and-mary-magdalene.jpg\;258\;327\,full\;http://www.cal endarpedia.com/when-is/images/easter-resurrected-fesus-and-mary-magdalene. jpg\;258\;327 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:\\n\\n \\nEaster is the oldest and m ost important festival of the Western Christian year\, celebrating Jesus C hrist’s resurrection (rising from the grave) following his crucifixion on Good Friday. Easter Sunday is the culmination of Holy Week (but not part o f it)\, and the first day of Eastertide. Easter marks the end of the 40 da ys of Lent. Easter Sunday (or simply Easter Day) is the first day of the E aster Week which ends on Easter Saturday.
\nChrist’s resurrection fo rms the basis of Christian faith as it demonstrates Jesus to be the Son of God\, and symbolizes his conquest of death.
\nAccording to the Gospels it was at sunrise on the first Easter Day – the 3rd day following Jesus’ death – that the women who followed Jesus found the great stone blocking his tomb had been rolle d away\, and the tomb empty. The Gospel of John (20.14-16) relates how Mar y Magdalene meets Jesus by the tomb\, but does not at first recognise him\ , taking him to be a gardener. Finally realising that he has indeed risen from the dead\, as he had promised he would\, she runs to tell the discipl es the good news.
\nThese events fulfil the prophecy that ‘The Son o f Man must be handed over to sinful men\, be crucified\, and three days la ter rise to life.’ (Luke 24.7).
\nEaster is related to the Jewish fe stival of Pesach (Passover).
\nEaster is a ‘moveable feast’\, which mean s that its date is not fixed in the calendar\, but is instead calculated a ccording to the lunar calendar\, formalised in Ecclesiastical date tables. It is based on the date of the vernal equinox. In AD 325 the Council of N icaea decreed that Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox. The date of Easter Sunday can thus fall between March 22 and April 25. The date of Orthodox E aster (also known as Pascha) as celebrated in Eastern Christianity is the same as Easter in some years\, but differs in other years.
\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-154363@www.greenwoodschurch.com DTSTAMP:20220810T234508Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:Holiday CONTACT: DESCRIPTION:Significance of Thanksgiving\nThanksgiving (also known as Thank sgiving Day) is an important federal holiday\, celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving precedes “B lack Friday” and is traditionally a holiday to give thanks for the food co llected at the end of the harvest season.\nHistory of Thanksgiving\nIn Sep tember 1620\, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth\, England\, carrying 102 passengers embarked on a journey to discover the New World. A fter a treacherous journey lasting 66 days\, they arrived near the tip of Cape Cod\, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hud son River. One month later\, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay\, whe re the Pilgrims\, as they are now commonly known\, began the work of estab lishing a village at Plymouth. Throughout that first brutal winter\, most of the colonists remained on board the ship\, where they suffered from exp osure\, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayfl ower’s original passengers lived to see their first New England spring. In March\, the remaining settlers moved ashore and began to harvest with hel p and alliance with Native Americans of the area. This alliance tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists an d Native Americans.\nIn November 1621\, after the Pilgrims’ first corn har vest proved successful\, Governor William Bradford organized a three-day c elebratory feast\, now remembered as American’s “First Thanksgiving”- alth ough\, it is argued that the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the ter m “Thanksgiving” at the time. Historians also argue that the Pilgrims had their first true thanksgiving in 1623\, when they gave thanks for rain tha t ended a drought. In the second half of the 1600s\, thanksgivings after t he harvest became more common and started to become annual events. George Washington\, the first president of the United States\, proclaimed the fir st national Thanksgiving Day in 1789 and it officially became an annual ho liday in 1863.\nTraditions of Thanksgiving\nAlthough Thanksgiving has hist orical roots in religious and cultural traditions\, it has long been celeb rated in a secular manner as well. Thanksgiving is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have. Presently\, it has become a day for fam ilies and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often inclu des a turkey\, stuffing\, potatoes\, cranberry sauce\, gravy\, pumpkin pie \, and vegetables. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity\, an d communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fo rtunate. Parades have also become an important part of the holiday in citi es and towns across the United States. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211125 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211126 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving Day URL:https://www.greenwoodschurch.com/event/thanksgiving-day-2-3/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://i0.wp.com/www.greenwoodschurch.com/wp-co ntent/uploads/2018/11/Thanksgiving-Postcard.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1\;15 0\;150\;1\,medium\;https://i0.wp.com/www.greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/u ploads/2018/11/Thanksgiving-Postcard.jpg?fit=1000%2C673&ssl=1\;1000\;673\; 1\,large\;https://i0.wp.com/www.greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/uploads/20 18/11/Thanksgiving-Postcard.jpg?fit=1280%2C861&ssl=1\;1280\;861\;1\,full\; https://i0.wp.com/www.greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Than ksgiving-Postcard.jpg?fit=1600%2C1076&ssl=1\;1600\;1076\; X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:\\n\\n \\n
Thanksgiving (also known as Thanksgiving Day) is an important federal holiday\, celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving precedes “Black Friday” an d is traditionally a holiday to give thanks for the food collected at the end of the harvest season.
\nIn September 1620\, a small ship called the Mayfl ower left Plymouth\, England\, carrying 102 passengers embarked on a journ ey to discover the New World. After a treacherous journey lasting 66 days\ , they arrived near the tip of Cape Cod\, far north of their intended dest ination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later\, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay\, where the Pilgrims\, as they are now commonly known\, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth. Throughout t hat first brutal winter\, most of the colonists remained on board the ship \, where they suffered from exposure\, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers lived to see the ir first New England spring. In March\, the remaining settlers moved ashor e and began to harvest with help and alliance with Native Americans of the area. This alliance tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmon y between European colonists and Native Americans.
\nIn November 1621\, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest p roved successful\, Governor William Bradford organized a three-day celebra tory feast\, now remembered as American’s “First Thanksgiving”- although\, it is argued that the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term “Tha nksgiving” at the time. Historians also argue that the Pilgrims had their first true thanksgiving in 1623\, when they gave thanks for rain that ende d a drought. In the second half of the 1600s\, thanksgivings after the har vest became more common and started to become annual events. George Washin gton\, the first president of the United States\, proclaimed the first nat ional Thanksgiving Day in 1789 and it officially became an annual holiday in 1863.
\nAlthough Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cult ural traditions\, it has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well. Thanksgiving is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have. Presently\, it has become a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey\, stuffing\, potatoes \, cranberry sauce\, gravy\, pumpkin pie\, and vegetables. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity\, and communities often hold food driv es and host free dinners for the less fortunate. Parades have also become an important part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United Sta tes.
\n END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-1836@greenwoodschurch.com DTSTAMP:20220810T234508Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:Greenwoods Community Church Event CONTACT: DESCRIPTION: DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190811T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190811T113000 EXDATE;TZID=America/New_York:20171217T103000 EXDATE;TZID=America/New_York:20180318T103000 EXDATE;TZID=America/New_York:20181216T103000 EXDATE;TZID=America/New_York:20191215T103000 EXDATE;TZID=America/New_York:20200315T103000 EXDATE;TZID=America/New_York:20220206T103000 GEO:+42.057667;-73.319976 LOCATION:Greenwoods Community Church @ 355 Clayton Rd\, Ashley Falls\, MA 0 1222\, USA RRULE:FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=SU;WKST=SU SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship Service URL:https://www.greenwoodschurch.com/event/worship-service/ X-COST-TYPE:free X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://i0.wp.com/www.greenwoodschurch.com/wp-co ntent/uploads/2021/08/GCC-Welcome-Bullet-Points-2.jpg?resize=1000%2C563&ss l=1\;1000\;563\,medium\;https://i0.wp.com/www.greenwoodschurch.com/wp-cont ent/uploads/2021/08/GCC-Welcome-Bullet-Points-2.jpg?resize=1000%2C563&ssl= 1\;1000\;563\,large\;https://i0.wp.com/www.greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content /uploads/2021/08/GCC-Welcome-Bullet-Points-2.jpg?resize=1000%2C563&ssl=1\; 1000\;563\,full\;https://i0.wp.com/www.greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/upl oads/2021/08/GCC-Welcome-Bullet-Points-2.jpg?resize=1000%2C563&ssl=1\;1000 \;563 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:\\n\\n \\n
\n
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:ai1ec-3185@greenwoodschurch.com
DTSTAMP:20220810T234508Z
CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:Greenwoods Community Church Event
CONTACT:Jane Tant\; (413) 229-8560\; janetant@aol.com\; www.greenwoodschurc
h.com
DESCRIPTION:
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190815T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190815T203000
GEO:+42.057667;-73.319976
LOCATION:Greenwoods Community Church @ 355 Clayton Rd\, Ashley Falls\, MA 0
1222\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
SUMMARY:Core Team Meeting
URL:https://www.greenwoodschurch.com/event/core-team-meeting-2-2-3-7-4-2/
X-COST-TYPE:free
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\nTo call this a “service”
is already complicating something simple God has placed on Pastor Trip’s
heart. If Sunday morning refreshes and refuels you – praise God! This is
NOT something to feel any pressure to attend. This is NOT another “servi
ce” to check off on any to-do list. Again\, that defeats its purpose. refresh & refuel is\, simply\, for anyone who need
s a little more refreshing and refueling on Sunday. Please join us for a
time to linger in worship and prayer.
It’s the song that brings ultimate hope t o so many – often in the midst of life’s most challenging moments. Amazin gly\, the song was written in mere minutes by MercyMe lead singer Bart Mil lard. In reality\, those lyrics took a lifetime to craft.
\nAlthoug h he found faith at a young age\, life wasn’t easy for Bart. He leaned in to an active imagination and his love of music as escapes from a troubled home life. As he grew older\, Bart turned to football in hopes of somehow connecting with his abusive father. But a career-ending injury – combine d with the vision of a teacher who saw unlimited potential – set Bart on a musical pathway.
\nChasing a dream while running from broken relati onships with his father and Shannon\, his childhood sweetheart\, Bart hits the road in an old\, decrepit tour bus with his new band MercyMe – named for his grandmother’s favorite expression. With the guidance of a grizzle d music-industry insider\, the band begins a journey none of them could ev er have imagined.
\nDirected by the Erwin Brothers (October Baby \, Moms’ Night Out\, and Woodlawn)\, I CAN ONLY IMA GINE stars J. Michael Finley\, Madeline Carroll\, Trace Adkins\, Priscilla Shirer\, with Cloris Leachman and Dennis Quaid.
\nA gripping remind er of the power of forgiveness\, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE beautifully illustrate s that no one is ever too far from God’s love… from an eternal home in Hea ven.
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Small Town Summits are small\, local\, affordable gatherings of Ch ristians who long for God’s glory to spread throughout the small places of New England. We welcome pastors and lay leaders\, men and women. Partneri ng with The Gospel Coalition New England\, our Summits provide support\, t raining\, encouragement\, and connection for New England churches beyond t he urban centers.
\nMuch of New England lies beyond the cit ies. Therefore\, to reach this region for Christ many gospel workers must minister in the small places. We want to encourage and equip these faithfu l ministers. We don’t disdain the big conferences in the big cities with t he well-known speakers (we attend and benefit from them). But our Summits are a bit different. We intend to go small: small conferences in small pla ces for small-town Christian workers.
\nIn common parlance\ , the term ‘summit’ describes a gathering of leaders for the purpose of ma king significant decisions. Our Summits gather pastors and ministry leader s within a State or region. We learn from one another as we pray and plan for gospel advance. We worship together\, eat together\, talk together\, l earn together\, and pray together.
\nThe goal of Small Town Summits is to see the small places of New England filled with healthy\, m issional\, gospel-centered churches and Christian workers\, for the glory of God.
\n“Small Town Summits are gatherings for small-town pastors and ministry
leaders\,
\nby small-town past
ors and ministry leaders.”
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Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/small-town-summ its-massachusetts-tickets-41538148721.
X-COST:$25 X-TICKETS-URL:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/small-town-summits-massachusetts -tickets-41538148721 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:ai1ec-3239@greenwoodschurch.com DTSTAMP:20220810T234508Z CATEGORIES;LANGUAGE=en-US:Community Event\,Special Event CONTACT:Geoff Drury\; GDrury@drurypatz.com DESCRIPTION: \nDescription\nChristians in New England are Struggling. We wo nder if the Gospelcan really make a difference here — the least churched\, most post-Christian region of the country. But we know nothing is impossi ble withGod. In fact\, Scripture tells us that He“is able to do immeasurab ly morethan all we ask or imagine!” (Eph. 3:20)\nSo\, what can you imagine ? On Saturday\, October 19th\, we will explorewhat it looks like for ordin ary churches to become missional whole-lifedisciples in the places He send s us throughout the week—in ourworkplaces\, in our schools\, in our neighb orhoods—on oureveryday“Frontlines.”\nOur keynote speaker\, Neil Hudson\, b rings a wealth of wisdom gained by working with hundreds of leaders\, both in the UK and around the world\, who want their churches to become whole- life disciple-making communities. He is a gifted speaker\, author of Imagi ne Church (IVP\,2012) and Scattered & Gathered (IVP\, 2019)\, and a pastor for more than30 years. He understands first-hand the challenges and oppor tunities ofleading a local church in a post-Christian context.\nWe will al so hear from local leaders who have been pursuing this visionin New Englan d over the past several years. And we will give you timeand space to proce ss the implications for your own unique context.\nSo whether you are a pas tor or lay leader\, you are invited. And don’t forget to bring your leader ship team!\nIndividual: $30 each\nTwo or three: $25 each\nGroups of 4+: $2 0 each\nLuncheon included\n\nTickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/imagine -forum-new-england-featuring-neil-hudson-tickets-69650896707?mc_cid=25f24d b9d7&mc_eid=e2c80acab4. DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20191019T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20191019T143000 GEO:+42.162447;-71.365644 LOCATION:Primavera Ristorante @ 20 Pleasant St\, Millis\, MA 02054\, USA SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Imagine Forum URL:https://www.greenwoodschurch.com/event/imagine-forum/ X-COST-TYPE:external X-WP-IMAGES-URL:thumbnail\;https://i0.wp.com/greenwoodschurch.com/wp-conten t/uploads/2019/10/Imagine-Forum-1000x539.png?resize=1000%2C539&ssl=1\;1000 \;539\,medium\;https://i0.wp.com/greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2 019/10/Imagine-Forum-1000x539.png?resize=1000%2C539&ssl=1\;1000\;539\,larg e\;https://i0.wp.com/greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Imagi ne-Forum-1000x539.png?resize=1000%2C539&ssl=1\;1000\;539\,full\;https://i0 .wp.com/greenwoodschurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Imagine-Forum-1000 x539.png?resize=1000%2C539&ssl=1\;1000\;539 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:\\n\\n \\nChrist ians in New England are Struggling. We wonder if the Gospelca n really make a difference here — the least churched\, most post-Christian region of the country. But we know nothing is impossible withGod. In fact \, Scripture tells us that He“is able to do immeasurably morethan all we a sk or imagine!” (Eph. 3:20)
\nSo\, what can you imagine? On Saturday\, October 19th\, we will explorewhat it looks like for ordinary churches to become missional whole-lifedisciples i n the places He sends us throughout the week—in ourworkplaces\, in our sch ools\, in our neighborhoods—on oureveryday“Frontlines.”
\nOur keynot e speaker\, Neil Hudson\, brings a wealth of wisdom gained by working with hundreds of leaders\, both in the UK and around the world\, who want thei r churches to become whole-life disciple-making communities. He is a gifte d speaker\, author of Imagine Church (IVP\,2012) and Scattere d & Gathered (IVP\, 2019)\, and a pastor for more than30 years. He un derstands first-hand the challenges and opportunities ofleading a local ch urch in a post-Christian context.
\nWe will also hear from local lea ders who have been pursuing this visionin New England over the past severa l years. And we will give you timeand space to process the implications fo r your own unique context.
\nSo whether you are a pastor or lay leader\, you are invited. And don’t forget to bring your leader ship team!
\nIndividual: $30 each
\nTwo o
r three: $25 each
\nGroups of 4+: $20 each
\nLuncheon included