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TITLE: Building Maintenance Assistant

PURPOSE: To assist in providing maintenance services for the church grounds and interior maintenance required by Building Maintenance Supervisor

ACCOUNTABILITY: Reports to Director of Operations as direct supervisor; accountable to the Pastor as head of staff

HOURS: 8 hours per week, flexible schedule

PAY: From $17.00 per hour, based on experience

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide assistance in the growing season to water the plants in the front of the church, mow the lawn and trim the lawn and the bushes.

Provide assistance in shoveling and salting the sidewalks on Summer and Favor Streets as necessary, making sure that there is a safe walkway to the street at both the Summer and Favor Street entrances to the church.  

Provide custodial, maintenance, and repair tasks as facility support, per agreement with the Building Maintenance Supervisor.

REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant must have knowledge of tools and their application and experience in building maintenance and repair.

August 3, 2021

Beloved Eliot:

As July rolls into August and we prepare to start a new school year still living in the shadow of COVID-19, I have noticed a sense of weariness hanging over me and many others. Most of us had hoped and expected that things would be back to normal by now.  Needless to say, they are not, and we are tired: weary of illness and death, exhausted by constant change and uncertainty, nostalgic for the best parts of “the way things used to be.” 

Have you followed the Olympics this summer? When I heard that Simone Biles withdrew from the team gymnastics competition, I first felt a little critical, wondering whether she let her teammates down. I’m no gymnast, but as I watched Simone warm up on Monday night and take her first, hesitant vault, it was quickly clear that her decision to withdraw was not only right and safe for Simone but also right and good for the team. As she made her way to the locker room, I felt a wave of awareness and recognition wash over me:

Rest is not only for the ones who are tired. It is good for everyone around us, even for the earth itself.

God rested after six days of work to create the world (Genesis 2:2).

God commanded the people to rest (including servants and livestock) every seventh day  (Exodus 20:10).

Jesus invited his disciples to “Come away to a quiet place and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31).

Summer is often a time of rest, recreation, and renewal. But if you’re still feeling exhausted, I invite you to join me in some intentional, soulful rest for the last few weeks of summer. I will not preach a traditional sermon until after Labor Day. Instead, I will offer three Sundays of guided meditation that is restful, creative, and even playful. I will also take two Sundays off, one for vacation and one for study leave, when I intend to fully disconnect from email and social media so that I can reconnect with God and my own soul. During this time, Mark Dayton will fill the pulpit at Eliot. 

I have filled this mailing with some resources for those of you who worship at home so that you can participate fully on Sunday mornings. You’ll also find a few extra things to help you take a sacred pause. I hope the practices offered during worship this month will help you connect with God and with your own soul. I also invite you to reflect on what you need to give rest to your body and spirit after a strange, difficult, and exhausting year. If you need permission to ask for those things: permission granted. Rest is what God wants for you.

With grace and peace,

Pastor Heather

Poem

Click here to read “For One Who Is Exhausted, A Blessing

Playlist

This YouTube playlist includes the music we will sing in worship during August as well as other hymns and songs that remind us of God’s invitation to “Come unto me and I will give you rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28).

Article: Rest Is Holy

This article by Sandi Villareal in Sojourners magazine explores the biblical invitation to rest and invites us to challenge notions of busyness and productivity that are so prevalent in our culture and economy.

For August 8

Click here for a Visio Divina devotion

For August 15

Click here to download a pdf you can use at home to pray in color.