From the Minister
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ~Mark
16:15"
Greetings to you my friends in the name of Christ,
So where did you meet God this summer?
Perhaps I met God in the byways, highways, and sky ways. Have I told you about
my fascination with Great Blue Herons? Almost daily this spring and summer I've
seen Great Blue Herons. I found them at the water's edge in Carver Pond in Bridgewater,
along the banks of the Concord River, and in rather predictable flight patterns
from Bridgewater to Needham to Waltham to Bedford to Billerica. They are truly
amazing birds.
My first encounter with a Great Blue was in 1974. I was walking in the woods
with a friend when this huge bird flew right over our heads under the tree canopy.
I fell to the ground and was quite sure that a Pterodactyl had just flown over
me. Two decades before Jurassic Park came out I felt that I had stepped back
into prehistoric times. My friend laughed at me but from that moment my fascination
was born. For years I never saw another one, and then I would have an occasional
sighting, but this year I have sometimes seen more than one in a day. The Audubon
society says that they have made a great come back and we have over 700 nesting
pairs in Massachusetts.
So during my commute, while I kept my eyes on the sky as much as the vehicle
in front of me, I heard an interview on NPR with a paleontologist. He said that
dinosaurs did not go extinct; birds are the heirs of dinosaurs. Pterodactyls,
Great Blue Herons-I have been vindicated. And that made me think that my encounters
with these majestic creatures connect me way back in creation. Or perhaps God
is reaching out to me from the beginning of time. Jesus said, I am the first
and the last, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. Somehow I
felt that this summer. I'm not sure that I preached the gospel to all of creation,
but I do know that creation preached the gospel to me.
I look forward to hearing about where you met God this summer. The energy is
building around the exciting plans for the program year and we will have many
opportunities to worship together, study together, talk together, and break
bread together. See you soon.
Grace and peace in believing,
Katherine
At Home Bible Study
The Bible
The Bible can be intimidating. It's big and thick, and mine has gold gilding
on the edges-or at least faded gold gilding. Much of the gilding has been worn
away, or melted by snowflakes, raindrops and tears. The children love to hold
my Bible and proudly carry it upstairs to worship for me. They carry it reverently
and know that it has a special place in my heart and in our lives as Christians.
But what exactly is this book that we hold as holy, yet approach with trepidation.
First the Bible is a library composed of sixty-six books. And like a library
it has different types of literature. There is history, law code, drama, song,
poetry, letters, and narratives of Jesus' life (gospels). And most importantly
it is our library-reminding us of who we are and whose we are.
UCC pastor and writer, Tony Robinson, writes, "Our heritage in the United
Church of Christ has been, along with other churches of the Protestant Reformation,
to take the Bible with a deep seriousness… The Bible is not a dead object, lying
there passively for us to study and analyze. It's alive, the living word of
God, ready to smack us upside the head with judgment and grace."
I understand Scripture as the narrative of God's journey with God's people.
It reveals God's self to us, and in turn reveals our own true selves, helping
us to live as our best selves as we journey in God's story. Lillian Daniel,
who is also a UCC pastor and writer, shares that, "We take the Bible seriously
but not literally. In our tradition, we take it so seriously that we take the
time to study the social and historical context in which it was written… We
believe in the Bible so much that we think it deserves our best questions. We
believe that the Bible is the opening of a conversation in which God is still
speaking… we are part of a life-changing conversation that will go on forever."
In the tradition of our congregational polity we have theological diversity.
We embrace the saying, "in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty,
in all things charity (love and compassion)." The essentials we hold are
the importance of Scripture and the commitment to the person and works of Christ.
Engaging with our Scriptures becomes essential to our development as Christians.
I highly recommend The Bible and the United Church of Christ, written by the
UCC Writer's Group, from which these quotes were excerpted. It is available
online at UCC.org. Hard copies will be available
in my office shortly-let me know if you would like one. And lastly I recommend
that you procure a Bible translation that makes sense to you. If you would like
to discuss the merits of different translations stop in and see me.
Joshua 1:1-9 (NRSV)
"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the
Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, "My
servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and
all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the
Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon
I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness
and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates,
all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall
be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all
the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you;
I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for
you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore
to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous,
being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant
Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to
the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book
of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate
on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance
with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way
prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you:
Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for
the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
|
Thoughts for Reflection
This passage reminds us that Moses never made it to the promised land. It was
Joshua who was called to lead the Israelites. The closing of this passage gives
us great comfort-"do not be frightened of dismayed, for the Lord your God
is with you wherever you go." Ask yourself, how am I aware of God's presence
in my life? We live in an anxiety producing time, does this knowledge help reduce
our anxiety?
Notice that God's message to Joshua also began on a reassuring note, saying
"I will not fail or forsake you."But then God commands Joshua to be
strong and courageous, and just in case the point wasn't strong enough God tells
him to be strong and very courageous. Ask yourself what God commands of you.
Where do you need to be strong? Where do you need to summon courage? When you
summon your strength and courage how do you feel God's presence.
Yankee
Doodle Weekend
|
|
Come Celebrate
Yankee Doodle Weekend
with our
NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER
Saturday, Sept.
17th, 5:00-7:00 PM
.
1st Congregational Church
Dale Hall
18 Andover Rd.
Billerica,
MA
Adults
$10.00, Children $6.00.
Hotdogs and chips also available.
To
order Dinners to Go, call the church at 978-663-8433 Mon.-Fri.
(9:00a-1:00p). Dinners to Go may be picked up Sat. during the
dinner or Sun. Morning 11:15-11:45am.
The church is wheelchair accessible.
Mark your calendars and plan to bring your friends to this delicious
supper.
|
Please Help!
We will be needing help Friday morning, September 16th to prepare the
vegetables and throughout the day on Saturday September 17th for setting-up,
hosting and/or serving. Please contact MaryAnne @ 978-667-4239
Durand2@comcast.net) or Lynne @ 978-663-4727 (Hildreth4@
comcast.net) to offer your help or sign up on the Dale Hall bulletin
board.
This is a church event to serve the public and it takes many hands.
You do not need to be experienced. We offer on the job training!
Also, if any one would like to sponsor a family or couple by providing
tickets to attend the dinner, please see one of us.
|
Rally Day
Sunday, September 18, 2010
Come one, come all-join us for our fall kickoff! Come back to church
this fall and celebrate a new year of promise! Our worship service will
feature special music.
Following the service there will be a cookout, games for all ages and
more special music! You and your family will not want to miss it.
Those who are able are encouraged to park in either the O'Connor Hardware
parking lot or in the lot next to the professional building on Andover
Road during the worship service in order to leave space in our parking
lot for the picnic. Carpooling to church is also suggested. If you have
trouble walking, please know that you are certainly welcome to use our
own lot.
Hot dogs and hamburgers will be provided but please bring a salad
of any kind for the buffet table.
Please invite your neighbors and friends to join us for this joyful
homecoming Sunday.
Want to help us?
Please see sign-up sheets by the doors to Dale Hall!
|
Continuing
& Special Events with Katherine & Office Schedule:
Wednesday Morning Worship with Communion
Come and be uplifted as we gather in the Chapel to worship God, hear Scripture,
and celebrate Communion. The service will run from 7 to 7:30 am, followed by
a light breakfast (or at least a cup of coffee to go!) More
Info.
Bible Study
6-7 PM on Tuesday evenings
10:30 AM on Thursdays
Spirituality Groups
7-8:30 PM, 4th Wednesdays - Spirituality Group
Church Office Hours
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 1 PM.
Stewardship
Committee
Visitors
to our Church who come from other Massachusetts UCC congregations often comment
on our strength and vitality. They are impressed with our minister, the music,
the missions program, the number of children and the number of infants. We
are a strong, vital congregation, except for our finances.
If you have attended a congregational meeting in the last few years, you have
heard the story. Pledges and miscellaneous income such as rentals fall well
short of the general operating budget. In the last few years, we have had
to draw about $50,000 to $60,000 out of our investments to balance the budget.
Taking that amount out of investments, particularly when some of those funds
are restricted is not sustainable in the long run.
We do not have an immediate crisis, but we will have one if we do not begin
to work on the problem soon.
So what will it take to bring us back into balance? I will talk in terms of
proportional giving. Proportional giving is a Judeo-Christian tradition. An
early example is Jacob promising to give a tenth of all that he receives back
to God (Genesis 28:22).
Our 2011 budget for general operations was a little under $230,000. General
Fund income coming from sources such as building rentals holiday offerings,
loose offerings, and the Yankee Doodle dinner was a little over $20,000. So
the amount that needs to be covered by pledges is around $210,000.
We do not often ask what the income of the congregation is. We did ask in
2007 when we put together our profile when we did our last ministerial search.
Not everyone who answered the questionnaire responded to this question, but
for those who did, the results were:
Household Income Percent of respondents
Under $25,000 - 12 %
$25,000 - $49,999 24 %
$50,000 - $74,999 22 %
$75,000 - $99,999 23 %
$100,000 - $149,999 14 %
$150,000 or more - 5 %
This
would indicate that for those who responded, the average household income
was over $70,000. At the time the average household income in town for Billerica
was $91,000.
So what is the income of our congregation? We have over a 100 pledge units,
and assuming there is one pledge unit per household, a conservative estimate
would put the income of the congregation at over $7 million. This congregation
could achieve financial sustainability if every pledge unit would contribute
about 3 percent of its income.
I would ask that you do two things in preparation for the annual stewardship
campaign.
First calculate what proportion
of your income your 2010 pledge is.
Second, imagine what we could
do if a substantial portion of the congregation would give a tithe (10 % of
income).
Andrew Jennings for the Stewardship
Committee
FCCB BY THE NUMBERS
Offerings:
| Date |
General FD |
Outreach FD |
Deacons FD |
| July 31 |
$1886 |
$110 |
$15 |
| August 7 |
$1471 |
$108 |
$11 |
| August 14 |
$194 |
$88 |
$100 |
| August 21 |
$870 |
$36 |
$20 |
| May 22 |
$3735 |
$501 |
$87 |
Our average weekly General Fund expenses are $4370. Thank you for your continued
prayers of support and financial stewardship to support the work of the Church.
Trustees
This summer, the Trustees have been working on determining which way the
church may go forward with the management of the church's investments. We've
met with two financial management groups and have another meeting scheduled
for early September. We will keep you informed with our progress. This work
was been initiated based on the hard, diligent work of our Investment Committee
and their recommendations. We are also reviewing a proposed socially responsible
investment policy that was recommended and will keep you updated on that as
well.
We will begin work on preparing next year's proposed budget. We request that
all committees submit their budget requirements as soon as possible for inclusion
in this proposal. Please leave a copy in the Trustees mailbox.
Your ongoing comments or suggestions are welcomed. Please place a written
note in the Trustees mailbox along with your idea(s) to correct any issue.
If there is a project you would like to see completed or that you would like
to complete as a group please let us know.
Notes from the Diaconate
The dedicated Deacons welcome everyone back from Summertime
fun.
We would like to thank Jerry Simmons, April Goss-Baker, Sheila Vitali, Deb
Botham, George Simolaris and Joe Bowker, and any others who partook in reading,
singing or any other participation in any capacity. We thank you for helping
make our worship experience wonderful.
The weekly Wednesday morning worship will begin on September 14 at 7:30
AM 9 (Please note the time change)
SEPTEMBER 11
We will be holding a special remembrance service on September 11, as well
as joining in a town-wide memorial observance. The FCCB will toll the church
bell in remembrance of the lives lost in the tragic events of September 11.
If you would like to be a bell ringer, please sign up in the Dale Hall.
Following our 10 AM Remembrance Service, you are invited to proceed to the
town common for a town-wide observance. From the common we will move to the
lawn in front of the St. Theresa's. Following the observance, we will partake
in a collation at St. Theresa's fellowship hall. If you would like to contribute
to the collation, please sign up in Dale Hall.
Welcoming
and Name Tags
Our motto is "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." In an effort
to be more welcoming, your Deacons are asking everyone to wear name tags.
Although you may have been around for a long time and feel that if we don't
know you by now, then shame on us, but a newcomer meets many new people and
will be much more comfortable if we make it easy for them to remember us.
It also gives us the chance to see their name in writing so that we may welcome
them by name which will reinforce our memory.
We would like to ask those entering to please wear their name tags, and to
encourage those who have no name tag to make one for the day and put in a
request for a more permanent, designed as you like, name tag. Andrew Jennings
will provide the permanent one.
The Name Tag Board has been moved to the downstairs hallway for easy access
for the majorities who enter through the back or side door. For those who
prefer to pick up and leave their name tags at the front door, a tray will
be provided until we see how much room will be needed to hold them. Thank
you for helping us to live up to our motto.
The
Outreach Committee Report
When we completed our Outreach meeting on June 12, we had $2.73
remaining in the Outreach budget. Since then, we've received 93 requests for
charitable contributions (not counting our monthly commitment to the U.C.C.
Conference.) The reasons are obvious. Charitable giving is down and requests
for assistance are up. Your Outreach Committee faces the same circumstances.
Less money has been pledged to us and we are receiving less money than that
which was pledged. So here is what we are doing (after our usual careful scrutiny.)
We direct help locally and to our surrounding area, next to within Mass. and
then within the U.S. Yet we are aware of the desperate needs beyond our borders
(we are xenophobic) and of God's call to care for all of God's people so we
see an obligation to make some response to the needs of the world. We welcome
your input as we establish priorities.
Pantry Collection
Although people were traveling and although our 1st Sunday of the month collection
was looking pretty sparse, people have been dropping things off when they
can. So our monthly total for July was 73 items and for August was 97 items.
The FCCB pantry is well stocked so members of the congregation should avail
themselves of our abundance as the need arises.
Thanks to the Vacation Bible School Children
The Outreach Committee wishes to express our thanks to the staff and the children
of this summer's V.B.S. Not only did they study about hunger and food production
but they also raised $100 and presented us with a check to be used by an excellent
hunger fighting organization - the Society of St. Andrew. They gave us this
money on July 19th and it was on its way to the Society on the 20th. We are
grateful and this money will actually provide 1 ton of food to hungry people.
New Volunteers
We've been very pleased to learn that a couple of people have come forward
to volunteer to serve on the Outreach Committee starting in 2012. This is
wonderful in so many ways. It gives people a chance to select where they'd
like to serve, to look around and say, "Hey, I could do that". It
might avoid being asked to serve in an area where one might prefer not to
serve. It makes the life of the Nominating Committee so much easier. And it
gives committee members a chance to "take a sabbatical", serve somewhere
else, or remain on a committee in a position with less responsibility. Volunteers
coming forward are a sign of a vibrant church.
Did You Know That:
1. Pantry use by seniors has more than doubled in the last 10 years.
2. 8 glasses from bottled water cost around $1,400/year. The same amount of
tap water will cost you less than $1.00.
3. Americans spent $17,600,000,000(that is 17.6 billion) on pet food in 2009.
Bob Miner on behalf of your Outreach Committee
Religious
Education
Letter to Congregation and Parents
Dear Congregation and Parents of Sunday school children,
The RE Committee hopes that you had a healthy, fun and restful
summer and welcomes you back for another great Sunday school year.
We wanted to update you with an exciting change to the Sunday school
program this year. As many of you know, after many dedicated years
of commitment and service, Pat Rogers has retired from her position
as Director of Christian Education. We have been blessed with her
years of devotion. In the spring we began the search and interview
process to hire a new Director of Christian Education. We will continue
our search this fall, and welcome Bob Slack as interim Director
of Christian Education. We are fortunate to have such a gifted and
dedicated individual offer his service to the Sunday school program.
Please welcome Bob as our interim Director of Christian Education.
He will be working closely with Rev. Katherine and the RE Committee,
as we plan our upcoming year.
As we continue our commitment to providing an encompassing Christian
education for our children that inspires learning and worship, we
are faced again with the challenge in finding teachers and assistants
for the fall school year. We are thankful for all the past assistance
we have received in managing the Sunday school program. Without
the support of dedicated individuals, who volunteer their time,
we would not have a Christian education program for our children.
We are asking for assistance from the Congregation to carry out
our commitment to support the educational and spiritual growth of
our children by assisting the Sunday school program.
We are presently in search of teachers for K/Grade 1, and Group
Sunday School for grades 5,6,7, and 8, every other week. The curriculum
is easy to follow and user friendly. We will also be looking
for substitute teachers, classroom helps, hall monitors and nursery
assistance if you cannot teach, but would +still like to offer some
assistance.
Sunday school resumes on September 18th on Rally Day.
Registration forms can be found on the church website. Please contact
Bob Slack with any questions at 978-663-6697.
Teacher orientation will be on September 11th at 11:30am
in the Ladies Parlor. Curriculum and teaching information will be
issued and CORI forms to be completed. If you cannot attend the
meeting, please contact Bob Slack (978-663-6607) or the RE Committee:
Katie (1-603-305-6290), Dawn (978-262-9927) .
The FCC requires CORI checks on any individual working with children
in the Congregation. This program was implemented last fall. It
is based on the guidelines of the UCC. This program is a common
practice in the public school system and is intended to ensure the
safety of the children. For more information or questions, please
contact Rev. Katherine Adams or The RE Committee.
Pilgrim Fellowship
We have exciting plans for Pilgrim Fellowship (PF) this year as
well. We are thankful for all the hard work that Deb MacEachern
has done developing the PF program. Cindy and Craig Giardina will
be leading PF this year. The kickoff meeting will be on Sunday,
September 25 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.
Pilgrim Fellowship DATES: Fall 2011
|
Date
|
Event
|
|
Sun Sep
25
|
Kickoff
PF meeting 7-8:30 pm
|
| Sun
Oct 2 |
PF
7-8:30 pm |
| Sun Oct 16 |
PF
7-8:30 |
| Sun
Oct 23 |
PF
7-8:30 |
| Sun
Oct 30 |
PF
7-8:30 |
| Sun
Nov 6 |
PF
7-8:30 |
|
Sun Nov
13
|
PF
7-8:30
|
| Sat
Nov 19 |
PF
Lock in (Sat-Sun) |
| Sun
Nov 27 |
Babysitting
& Angel Tree (after church) |
| Sun
Dec 4 |
PF
7-8:30 |
| Sun
DEC 11 |
PF
7-8:30 |
| Sun
DEC 18 |
Christmas
Caroling w/Family Life |
|
Aim
Hi
Meetings:
Third Thursdays in except January, 12:30 PM
Next Meeting: Thursday, September 15, 12:30 PM
We thank Donna Ricarte for her service and
dedication for the past several years as the chairperson.
Just remember to support our servicemen. Addresses are listed below to use,
as a short note or card to them is always appreciated.
|
The current addresses of the service personnel
overseas are:
Ryan Allen
25 FS
PSC 3 Box 4308
APO AP 96266 - 0043
Blinn, Mark P.F.C.
Loc # 1718MCCES
Box 786253
29 Palms, CA 92278-8253
Cpl Shane Q. Gallagher, USMC
3rd Reconnaissance BLT
Alpha Co
Unit 36180
FPO AP 96602
|
Information men or women in the service can be given to
June Orne at 603-883-6721 (june62123@aol.com,
or Gerry Healey at 978-658-8871 (GerAngell@aol.com).
Notes from the Music Committee
Consider participating in the music ministry. Senior choir
rehearsals are set to begin Sept. 23rd at 7:00. Junior choir will start
rehearsing in early October at 9:30. Occasional vocal or instrumental offerings
are always welcome. Just speak to Brendan or Rev. Katherine. It is spiritually
fulfilling- just try it and you'll see.
We are thankful for all those who offered their musical gifts for the various
summer services. This has become a great time for stretching our vision
of worship.-
Phyllis Jennings
NEXT
MEETING
WEDNESDAY
September 14, 2011
12:30 P.M.
We hope that you were able to find rest, joy and renewed energies.
Some of our homebound family were able to enjoy some festivities and some
others are making transitions in their lives. We will miss our good friend
Earle Merrow.
Our committee is open to anyone who would like to share their
time with any of our homebound members. We also welcome ideas for how we can
better serve our homebound family. If you are interested in joining us or
is you would like someone to visit or call you, please do not hesitate to
call Rev Katherine or one of your shepherds. Barbara George, 978 667-7335
or Audrey Schwartz (978 663-3239). You are welcome to speak to any of our
Shepherds: Dennis & Betty Blanchette, Pat Hefler, Glenda Lovegrove, Andrew
Jennings, or Ruth Boutilier.
United Church
of Christ News
Challenges, opportunities, seen at 21st Annual Meeting 6/18/2011
By Tiffany Vail, Associate for Communication, Massachusetts Conference,
United Church of Christ
Changing Lives was the theme of the 212th Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts
Conference of the United Church of Christ, and it was a theme that resonated
throughout the day-long event held Saturday, June 18 at the Sturbridge
Host Hotel & Conference Center.
"The state of our Conference is about becoming a new creation,"
said Minister and President Jim Antal. "Becoming a new creation is
both the greatest opportunity and the greatest challenge that our Lord
Jesus Christ offers us as disciples."
And the day was indeed one of challenges and opportunities:
Tornadoes
Attendees saw a slideshow of the devastation of the June 1 tornadoes -
devastation that was literally just a few miles down the road from the
meeting and that has left hundreds of families without homes. Bob Marrone,
Pastor of the First Church of Monson, UCC, and Ian Lynch, Pastor of the
First Congregational Church of Brimfield, were presented with prayers
shawls and both said a few words about their experiences. Both of their
churches have responded to the tornadoes by becoming beacons of hope in
their communities, turning into outreach centers that are providing those
in need with constant hot meals, supplies and support while they begin
the task of recovery. Members of the Conference Board of Directors and
staff visited the two churches on Friday.
"Just like on Pentecost, the violent wind that moved through God's
people has moved us from placidness to hit the streets with a message,"
Lynch said of his church's outreach effort. "God's people are preaching
in the center of Brimfield, and heeding the words of Saint Francis, they
are using words only when necessary."
Conference churches were invited to take up special collections
for tornado relief, and the initial wave of donations was taken during the
Annual Meeting offering. Dozens of churches also brought cards and posters
offering the people of western Massachusetts their support.
Find out how your church can help now: www.macucc.org/tornadoes.
(The slideshow shown at the meeting is also now available on this page)
NEW: $48,000 collected for tornado relief - see
related article
NEW: Article on where the money collected for tornado relief will go - see
related article.
Conference Budget
Delegates approved a $2.5 million Conference budget that required difficult
cutbacks to avoid a large deficit for 2012. Those cuts include eliminating
the position of half-time Associate Conference Minister for Evangelism &
Renewal Paul Nickerson, who will instead do consulting work for the Conference,
and eliminating the position of Hispanic Ministry Coordinator Cesar DePaz.
The budget also reduces the support for the Masachusetts Council of Churches
from $54,300 to $30,000.
In addition, delegates approved reducing the amount of Our Church's Wider
Mission Basic Support that is passed on to the national setting of the church
from 55% to 53%. The percentage had previously been reduced from 60% to
55% in 2009.
Treasurer Walter Kreil explained that the Conference was facing
a $211,000 deficit in the 2012 budget if it did not take such drastic actions.
"There was no good or easy options for eliminating a
deficit of this magnitude, and your Board prayed and struggled at length
over how to respond," Kreil said. "The proposed balanced budget
comes at a considerable cost."
In response to eliminating funding in the area of Hispanic
Ministries, the Board of Directors announced a new fundraising effort to
support those ministries outside of the Conference budget. Lisa DePaz, who
has worked closely with her husband in the program, expressed confidence
in that effort, announcing "the best is yet to come" for the ministries
currently active in Jamaica Plain, Lowell and Worcester as well as Everett,
Southbridge and Lawrence.
More: Treasurer's Report, the 2012 Conference budget in detail and supporting
Financial Reports.
More: macucc.org/hispanicministries
Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Endowment Capital Campaign
The Conference is also facing the expiration of the Sustaining Pastoral
Excellence grants from the Lilly Endowment, which have funded an innovative
program of New Clergy Groups, clergy Communities of Practice and Continuing
Education for clergy developed over the past 10 years.
In response to that loss, this Annual Meeting marked the kickoff
of a $3.5 million Sustaining Pastoral Excellence Endowment Capital Campaign,
and Associate Conference Minister Andy Gustafson announced that $610,850
had already been donated or pledged to the campaign.
More: www.macucc.org/excellence
State Women's Fellowship
Delegates also approved a bylaw change that resulted in the dissolution
of the Massachusetts State Women's Fellowship. Proposers explained that
the role of women in churches has evolved so much and that there was no
longer a need for a separate fellowship dedicated largely in part to training
them for leadership roles.
"Women are now involved in all aspects of our churches,"
said Martha Crawford of the First Parish of Westwood.
No freedom from change
In his remarks, Board of Directors Chair Dick Harter challenged delegates
to think about how much their churches have already changed over the past
10 years.
"God does not promise freedom from change or freedom from challenge.
God does not promise freedom from tornadoes or economic dislocation. These
are real. These are with us, Harter said.
"But, God does promise to care for those that respond to God's call.
We, you and I, are heirs of this promise here in Massachusetts. We have
been called, and gathered into churches from the Bay to the Berkshires.
These gathered communities are precious to God, and precious to us. But
they are not unchanging."
Submitted by Andrew and Phyllis Jennings, Delegates to
State Conference meeting.
From Your Go-Green Task
Force
4 of 10 Easiest Ways to
Cut Your Energy Use in Half
Save 9%
WASH CLOTHES IN COLD, LET THEM AIR DRY.
Washing clothes in cold water gets them just as clean as hot, and cuts
your washer's energy use in half. Drying your clothes on an outdoor
line or indoor rack can save around $100 in energy costs every year.
Taken from GreenAmerica.
Your
GO-GREEN Fall Helpers
Sept. = Nancy & Mike Romanik
Oct. = Alex Montanez
Nov. = Terry Lewis
Dec. = Terry Lewis
You may wish to thank them and help out by:
1. putting only clean paper in the small blue recycle
bins ( kleenex, paper towels etc.)
2. depositing refundable cans/bottles in 1 of the 3
large blue refundable containers located in the parlor, near the
soda machine & outside the upstairs kitchen
3. placing clean returnable bottles, cans & containers
in a green or blue recycle bin located in the upstairs kitchen
or in the downstairs parlor
- Linda Miner on behalf of your Go Green Task Force
Recycling Guidelines
|
Material
|
What
to Recycle
|
How
to Prepare
|
Do
Not Include
|
| Paper |
Newspaper
& Inserts
Magazines
Junk Mail
Catalogs
Office paper
Glossy paper, etc.
|
Place
in paper bag or place in recycle bin. |
DON'T
use plastic bags to hold any recycling
NO soiled paper |
| Cardboard |
Corrugated |
Flatten
& cut no larger than 30"x30" & no thicker than
8"
Tie or tape
Remove all packing & liners. |
NO
pizza boxes
NO soiled material
NO milk or juice cartons |
|
Paper
& Cardboard go together
|
| Plastic |
Containers
1-7
Food & beverage containers
Detergent bottles
|
Rinse
clean & remove lids
Labels OK |
NO
plastic bags or shrink wrap
NO styrofoam |
| Glass |
Jars
& bottles (all colors) |
Rinse
clean & remove lids
Labels OK
|
NO
broken glass
NO Pyrex/ceramics
NO window glass |
| Metal |
Aluminum,
steel & tin cans |
Rinse
clean
Labels OK |
NO
other metal items
NO aerosol or paint cans
NO aluminum foil or pans |
|
Plastic
- Glass - Metal go together
|
Flowers:
September, 2011
September 4 - Given in loving memory of Leonard J. Brown from
his wife Barbara.
September 11 - Given in loving memory of Arthur and Gladys Barnard
by Richard and Barbara George and family.
September 18 - 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.
September 25 - On the altar: Given in memory
of Bruce and Mary Bates, Minnie Altman, Kenneth Bates, and Jessica Bates
by Sandy Bates and family.
On the piano: given by J. P. and Mary Anne Durand in
loving memory of Paul and Madeleine Durand.
On the lectern: given in loving memory of Leonard Barrett
from his loving daughter Edna and family.
If you would like to donate flowers any Sunday, please
call Jeannette at 978-663-6804.
PASSAGES: Births, Baptisms, New
Members, Weddings and Memorial Services
Baptisms
Sean
Michael O'Connor, July 17, 2011.
Hailey
Grace Romanik, July 24, 2011
Zachary
Shostak, August 8, 2010
Funerals
Mildred
Faria, June 30, 1011
Florence
E. Roderick, July 27, 2011
Earle
F. Merrow, August 12, 2011
HELP WANTED
|
Help!
We
are looking for a few good men and women who might like to help
with one-time or occasional tasks. We know that some people are
unable to commit to a committee, but that they understand the need
for many hands. See if you have some time to offer for one or another
of the tasks below.
- Telephone
duty on Sunday mornings from 9:00-10:00 am to answer any questions
or take messages. Please sign up on Bulletin Board across from
Pastor's office.
- Nursery
room aides during church service.
If you love little ones, the sign-up list is near the nursery.
- Volunteers
to assist with the Sunday school program for next fall.
We are looking for teachers (weekly or every other week),
substitute teachers, classroom helpers, hall
monitors and nursery coverage. Anyone who would be
interested, please contact Sunday School Superintendant Bob Slack,
or the RE Committee..
- Organizational
tasks involving books,cabinets, shelves, bulletin boards, etc.
There is no time limit. This could be done on your own schedule.
See Rev. Katherine for suggestions.
- Providing
coffee/tea/cold drinks for Sunday morning coffee hour. (See
Bob Miner if you'd like to help..)
- Providing
a snack for Sunday morning coffee hour. Sign up on the list
beside the kitchen door for a specific week. Suggestions /directions
are posted.
- Posting
newspaper notices of upcoming events and sometimes articles
in the Religious section of the Lowell Sun and Billerica Minuteman.
This is a job that can be done from home via the Internet. Speak
to Rev. Katherine.
- Membership
Database help. A lot of work is needed to maintain our database
and keep the data current. If you have simple computer skills
and some time to help out, speak to Lynne Hildreth.
Please help.
Alas, there is no monetary reward, but you will have our heartfelt
appreciation and, of course, many stars in your crown.
|
Thank
You's and Notes
FROM ALISON
Thank you to Audrey Schwartz, Barbara Reinecker and Barbara George
for their help in the collation and mailing preparation of the September
issue of the Lantern!
Lantern Online or by Email
The Lantern is on the web each month in its entirety and Joe Bowker
has also volunteered to email the newsletter to anyone who requests
it. To reduce our mailing costs, if you would like to read it on line
at http://www.firstcongo.org
or have it emailed to you, please let me know.
You can also read the Lantern on Facebook. For information on accessing
it there, please go to
First Congregational Facebook
Page.
If you are willing to read or receive your Lantern on line, would
you please send Alison or Lynne Hildreth an e-mail or you could mark
your okay on the pewpads.
Next Lantern
Deadline: Sunday, September 25, 2011
The newsletter written and mailed the week of August 22nd will include
the news for the last week in September and the entire months of October.
