Notes from the Diaconate

We all hope you have had a full and rewarding summer.  The weeks between spring and fall; between the end of one school year and the beginning of another all carry us at a rush.  Coming together again will mean sharing of summertime experiences and ideas for accomplishments ahead of us.

Our summer Sundays have progressed through a series of memorable events.  It's beyond the scope of this short article to paint a picture of them all.  Perhaps while you share time after the service in Dale Hall you can ask your friends to bring you up to date on some of these. There have been multiple baptisms, several weddings, and a renewal of wedding vows.  The musical portion of the ministry has included dance, a duet, songs “A cappella” (Italian “at chapel” or Latin "From the chapel/choir"), Russell Lovell was our organist for two weeks.  While our minister was on vacation, the Mission Committee offered a service with Bob Miner in the pulpit.  Rev. Linda Reilly led us on communion Sunday in August. Each of these are only markers for some of the exceptional events of summer.

There has been rewarding work going on for the deacons. We've seen the Pastor's Study redecorated. There are books and accumulated items from the past to be redistributed for future use and to make space for the tools of our coming full time minister. We're actively recruiting for additional members of the Nominating Committee, who will, in turn, be looking for your help in filling positions to support the church's imminent and ongoing effort. We are continuing to consider our processes for special services: weddings, baptisms, and funerals, we haven't published new policies b ut we have been educating ourselves on the intricacies of insuring these events best support your needs. A Rally DAy o September 21st has been fully endorsed by the deacons. During that Sunday's service, the Senior High Sunday School class will share from their experiences of their mission trip to Colorado. The coming weeks are rapidly filling with the events and challenges that will be our future memories.

This short page couldn't do justice to the summer we've shared but we hope it sharpens your anticipation for our future together.

“For I was a stranger and you welcomed me,” Matthew 25:35  

As of this writing, we’ve received 61 profiles and have heard & read many, many sermons. They have come from all ages, nationalities, experience, genders, sexual orientation, theological beliefs and physical abilities, as well as disabilities.  Some are possibly a very good match for us.  Some don’t fit our profile very well, and a there are a great many in between.  Several of the promising candidates are new to ministry although they have considerable life experience.

We have had four good 1^st interviews so far and are looking at a couple more possibilities.  We have been contacting references, and trying to visit a service of worship of some of our prospects.  We are also planning to do a 2^nd interview with at least two candidates and may even have 3^rd interviews, in order to discern further who will be the someone we can all enthusiastically recommend as having the skills that this church indicated it needs for the future.  Once that decision has been made, an invitation to accept our call will be made, and if accepted, a contract agreement will have to be worked out.  Then we will be scheduling a time to present this candidate to the congregation and sending out notices to inform you of such.   

We appreciate the effort many of you are making to help us put our best foot forward as we show prospects our church and prepare to welcome one.  As committees renew their efforts this fall, we hope you will be preparing a report that can help a new minister get to know you and what your committee is doing.   (Our Search committee prepared a committee biography to send to ministers we interview.  It has our pictures and a short bio of each of us.  You might consider making one up of your committee.)  If you have questions you would like us to ask a prospect, before we recommend a specific candidate to the congregation, please share them with us soon.

Individual parishioners could be thinking of ways to be welcoming; such as gift baskets, friendship bread, etc.  We have very much appreciated your patience and confirmation of us as a committee.  As always, we are willing to hear your input. 

  --Lynne, Phyllis, Larry, Diane, Denise, Jeremy

 
Trustees

No report this month. 

 


Congregational Relations

 

No report this month. 

 

 

 

Mission Committee Report

The Mission Committee has continued to meet during the summer.  We’ve sorted through multiple requests for donations and made only 2 bequests.  We’ve contributed $600.00 to the Chacocente Project (moving families from the dump outside Managua , Nicaragua and providing them the skills to become self sufficient).  We’ve provided $250.00 to the Fellowship of Reconciliation (an Interfaith Organization that opposes injustice and places its members literally between innocent citizens and those who would do them harm).

BILLERICA PANTRY

This congregation just won’t let up.  Despite the number of people who are on vacation, you’ve continued a high level of contributions.  Our collection total in July was 82 items and in August 158 items.  Who knows what our collections will be once everyone returns from summer vacation? Thank you for what you are doing for the needy in our community.

RECYCLING/CONSERVATION

We continue to work with the trustees to advance the issues of recycling. It is our plan to strategically place recycle bins for paper, recyclable cans & bottles, and refundable cans & bottles … in classrooms and around the church.  We will also schedule energy audits to provide the trustees with the information they need to make our church more energy efficient.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED

The conference establishes 3 fund-raisers each year and the first of those is the Neighbors in Need with a collection on October 5^th.  Through this fund the United Church of Christ seeks to be a prophetic voice to those in power through hunger action, policy advocacy, and peace ministries.  This expression of a commitment to ministries of justice and peace raised over 1.4 million dollars last year.  One third of the funds raised goes directly to the Council on American Indian Ministries and less than 6% goes to administrative costs and promotional materials.  Please prayerfully consider this program. 

–   Bob Miner

Religious Education

Welcome back! We hope everyone had a fun and restful summer. We are looking forward to another great year.

Sunday school will be starting on September 14th. Registration forms and the Fall Schedule for Sunday school can be found on the church website or can be obtained from Pat Rogers in the Sunday school office. The Teacher training meeting will be on September 7th at 11:30am in the Church Parlor. Thank you again to those who have made commitments to teach this year.

We are still in GREAT NEED for teachers and parent helpers for the nursery, PreK/Kindergarten and grades 1 and 2. The curriculum is easy to follow and the teachers co-teach by alternating Sundays. In order to continue to run the Sunday school program for our children, we need your help. Would you consider dedicating some of your time? Please contact Pat Rogers 978-663-8121 or Lynn Gaudet 978-667-2008 if you are interested. 

We will also need volunteers for hall monitoring to maintain the safety of our children. A sign up sheet will be posted on the Sunday school bulletin. Please consider signing up for one Sunday as a hall monitor.

Children’s Choir practices will resume on September 28th. Practices will be on Sundays from 9:30am to 10:00am in the Chapel. All children who are interested are welcome to join. For more information, please contact April Goss-Baker 978-670-6035.

This year the RE Committee and I have decided to try a new approach to having the youth of the church get more involved, as well as their families. We would like to see this group grow in their faith while participating in activities outside the regular Sunday school classroom. Activities will include fun field trips and community service projects.

In order for this to work, I will need help from the parents of the youth as well as the RE Committee. The youth will be meeting two or three times a month and a lot of the activities will be parent/child or family related.

Our first meeting is scheduled for Sunday, September 21st from 11:30am to 1:30pm in the church parlor. Please join us with ideas that you would like to participate in over the coming year. I’m looking forward to meeting and sharing ideas with you. Please be advised that you do not have to be an active member of the church to join the youth group. Feel free to invite a friend to the meeting who you think will enjoy participating in this youth group.

If you are unable to attend the meeting but are still interested in joining the group, please feel free to give me a call at 978-670-5768 or e-mail me at ddmac@comcast.net.

Yours in Christ,

Deb MacEachern

Stewardship Committee

Dear Members and Friends:

The Stewardship Committee has planned the annual campaign and celebration Sunday is scheduled for October 19^th.  On that day we will once again ask you to bring your faith promises forward in the service.   Forms will be mailed at least one week prior to October 19^th.  We are asking for your support of the ministries of this church.   Please return your promises as quickly as possible this year as we are approaching a time when we may have a new settled Pastor. 

 The Church will not hold the annual Harvest Fair.  It was voted at the Spring meeting to have a dinner with raffles and entertainment.  This was decided because many of the members of the various committees are feeling burnt out and they needed a rest for this year.  The fair will be re-evaluated for next year.  It will stay in its usual time slot of the first Saturday in November.  Please keep the date open. 

I will be stepping down from the Stewardship Committee effective immediately to pursue Graduate studies.  It has been my pleasure to serve you as Chairperson of this committee for more than one year.  The committee is short on members and could use your help.  If you would like to help the committee through the annual campaign please contact me at your earliest convenience.  

Thank you to the committee members Don Lovegrove, Dave Rappoli, and Shirley Sprague for all your hard work.  

Faithfully yours,
Sheila Vitali

 

Aim Hi

Our first meeting of Aim-Hi will be September 18 AT 12 NOON .  Aim-Hi meets once a month on the third Thursday.  We always welcome new members.

Our annual bake sale will be October 5 following the church service.  We appreciate all bake good donations.

Aim Hi has been sending our love, prayers, and Thank You packages to several young people serving overseas. We encourage the congregation to use the addresses below and send a short note or greeting card to these young people while they are away from home. It means so much to them and their families.

The current addresses of the service personnel overseas are:

If anyone in the congregation knows of other young people who are serving our country overseas and feels comfortable providing us with their addresses, please contact Aim Hi through June Orne at 603-883-6732 , (june62123@aol.com. or call the church office at 978-663-8433 .)

--Donna Ricarte & June Orne

 

Notes from the Music Committee

The Music Committee would like to thank all those who provided music and dance during worship throughout the summer. We also look forward to welcoming our choirs back this fall. We encourage anyone who might enjoy singing to join the senior or children’s choir. There are no auditions.

We are actively searching for someone to fill the choir director position and will keep you informed. Meanwhile, we thank Elliot Brown for taking on that task.

Watch for more information about an organ concert to be played by Roger Mansen on Sunday afternoon, September 28.   He is a representative of the organ company and will be demonstrating its capabilities.  The concert will be followed by a collation sponsored by Music Committee.  

Sharing Your Gifts  

Gift of Hospitality

Share their 'gift of hospitality'! We need volunteers to prepare and clean up the coffee, juice, and light snack for our social hour after church.  Our committees have been so busy that we would like to take some of the responsibility off of them. Directions for preparing the coffee are posted in the kitchen.  There are no regulations as to the type of snack required.  A list will be posted near the kitchen for individuals to sign up on specific dates.   

Gift of Writing and Technology

Do you have a  'gift of writing & technology'?  If so, you could work  from home writing and sending information about church happenings to the local newspapers and cable so that the community can see what an awesome church we have.  Some of these may be written by committees and only need to be submitted to the media.

Sometimes commitment to a committee is impossible, but people can find time for a single event.  Please help us out.

Lay Shepherding

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday Sept. 17 , 12:30 P.M.

 

We hope  that summer was kind to all of you and you have found rest and  renewed energies as we embark on a new  fall season.  Our shepherds   have   found  some of our homebound members  quite contented with life’s challenges, while  others  struggle to fine comfort.  We  try to be a little be  a little source of caring  to them on their journey.   There are so many ways that this  service can be provided, and we always welcome NEW IDEAS  and NEW MEMBERS.   If you have ideas or are interested in joining our group, please contact either Audrey Schwartz  (978-663-32390 or Barbara George (978-667-7335.

 

PASSAGES: Births, Baptisms, weddings and Memorial Services

To be married September 20:  Lauren Spencer and Patrick Corbett.

 

 

 

Marriage Encounter

Give your kids the best gift they can get - parents with a great marriage! And all you have to do is attend a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend! Marriage Encounter is 44 hours where married couples can get away from jobs, kids, chores, and phones-and focus only on each other. If you'd like greater depth, growth, and enrichment in your relationship, you'll like the difference a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend can make! The next Marriage Encounter weekends are October 17-19 and November 7-9, 2008 at 4 Points Sheraton, Meriden , CT. A quick response is encouraged. For more information or to register, contact Bruce & Lynne Hildreth at 978-663-4727 or Hildreth4@comcast.net.

United Church of Christ News

 

The Annual Meeting of the MA Conference will be held November 1 at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Worcester .  Focused on “The Congregational Way and Spiritual Discernment,” it will be of particular interest to those who lead church meetings. 

 

After conducting a review, the IRS has concluded that the UCC did not violate tax laws when it invited Sen. Barack Obama to address the denomination’s General Synod in June of 2007.  The UCC defended itself by establishing that Sen. Obama was there as a member of the church, not a candidate for office.   

 

This fall the UCC will run a 30-second television ad that seeks to raise denominational awareness.  It features a  young girl reciting  the familiar “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple…, with an emphasis on the message ”all the people.”  The goal is to raise at least $350,000 to support a two-to-three-week run.  You can view the add at ucc.org/allthepeople.

 

“Immerse Yourself” is the chosen theme for the next General Synod, to be held next June in Grand Rapids , MI .  The theme reflects the water-rich environment of the setting and emphasizes our baptismal covenant with one another.  In calling for sacred conversation on the topic of race, Rev. John Thomas, UCC president, cites two reasons we are apt to avoid it.  One is we no longer think it necessary.  The second is we lead lives separated from the evidence of urgent need for a national dialogue on race.    The United Church News has been recognized by Associated Church Press as one of the best of its kind.  It has a circulation of 206,000.  (Subscriptions are free to church members.)

 

Flowers: September

Sept. 7- Given in loving memory of Leonard J. Brown from his wife, Barbara Susan Brown.

Sept. 14 Given by Mr. & Mrs. Richard George and family in loving memory of Arthur and Gladys Barnard.

Sept. 21 – Given by June Orne in loving memory of her husband, Laurence, and in honor of the brave servicemen and women serving in the armed forces.

Sept. 28 – Given in memory of Bruce and Mary Bates, Minnie Altman, Kenneth Bates and Jessica Bates by Sandy Bates and family.

On the piano, flowers are given by J. P. and MaryAnne Durand in loving memory of Paul and Madeleine Durand.

On the lectern, flowers are given in loving memory of Leonard Barrett from his loving daughter, Edna and her husband,
Michael Battcock and family.

If  you’d like to donate flowers any Sunday,please call Jeannette Rohnstock at 978-663-6804 .

Thank You's from Sharon

Thank you to Alex Montanez and Jenny Carmichael for their help in getting the minister's office set back up after recent redecorating. 

Thank you to John Beaton for all his work in getting the furniture moved out so it could be painted and recarpeted. 

Thanks to the Trustees for arranging updated wiring.

Thank You's from Alison

THANKS TO Audrey Schwartz and Edna McDewell for their help in the delivery of the Summer issue of The Lantern!

Thank you and love,
Alison

Next Lantern Deadline: Sunday, Sept. 21

The newsletter written and mailed the week of September 21 will include October and fall news.