Lakeside Involved will look different this year, but there are still many opportunities for ministry to our community during this time and many ways for each of us to be involved.  Instead of focusing on one day of service, normally the first Saturday in November, families or small groups of Lakeside friends will work together during the month of October and into the first week of November.  Masks and physical distancing guidelines will be required for all friend group activities, whether inside or outside.  For a list of Lakeside Involved projects, a brief description of each, and the group leaders, click the "Projects" button to the right.  We will not have signup sheets this year but are asking that you or your family unit call, text or email the leader of the project(s) in which you’d like to participate.  If you have any other questions, you may contact Carol Taylor, Dorrie Wright or Deborah Wright, this year’s coordinators.  Lakeside Involved will culminate on Saturday, November 7, with a tailgate picnic celebration and s’mores.

An important part of Lakeside Involved is our Red Cross blood drive. Because of the pandemic, blood donations are not what they usually are at this time of year. The Red Cross has assured us that each donor will be screened for Covid-19 symptoms, required to wear masks, and asked to follow all safety precautions. Donor stations will be sanitized after use and the entire space will be kept clean. Please register to offer this life-saving gift by clicking here. 

Lakeside's Youth & Children will gather each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. on the Labyrinth to kick-off our fall activities with a time of kid-led worship.  Masking and social distancing will be observed. This year's theme, "Near & Far: Sharing Christ's Love Wherever We Are" will help us to learn about ways we can live out our faith close to home and with people everywhere.  We will get to know missionaries who are from NC and serving all around the world, learn more about the cultures and people they serve, and participate in Bible studies and mission projects to help us live out our own faith each day. 

Join us on Tuesday, November 10, as we meet by Zoom and discuss the book, Apeirogon by Colum McCann. Mary McAdams will facilitate our discussion. Please email Deborah (deborahwright@embarqmail.com) so we can add your email address to the Zoom invitation list.

The year 2020 has caused us to reimagine how we do things day by day.  We are trying to reimagine  heARTw♥ rks for at least the remainder of this year as well.  We continue to stay in touch with our families and have purchased some much needed headsets and calculators for our kids to use during distance learning.  Some of our parents have asked us to consider virtual tutoring via Zoom, so we’re going to give it a try with a small group of students and volunteers.
    Jason Reynolds’ powerful young adult novel, Long Way Down, spans sixty seconds and is focused on a moment of decision for a teenaged boy named Will.  In the time it takes Will to ride down an elevator, he must decide whether or not he’s going to avenge his brother’s killing.  As he steps off the elevator, the book ends with one final question posed to him, “You comin’?”  Our heARTw♥rks kids–we all–are faced with many choices, and the decisions we make can be minuscule or life-changing.  There are some trips we need to avoid and other journeys that are well-worth taking as we travel along.  Please keep our heARTw♥rks families in your prayers as we adventure together while apart this year.

    The Meditation Group meets periodically in the sanctuary.  Focusing on one thing, your breath, can shape how you move through the world and redirect your thoughts.  When life seems so out of control, start with the things you can control.  Start with yourself: your body, your spirit, your mind.  For information, email Amy Shortt at ashortt1975@gmail.com or call the church office at 252-446-0126.  All distancing and sanitizing precautions observed.