Dear Friends,

The Israelites wandered through the wilderness for 40 long years. Sometimes, after a year of interim work, churches feel like they've been in the desert for decades, too. But soon we'll be completing the exercises in self-study that have been our focus for the past nine months. Then we'll start moving more deliberately toward the "Promised land' of your new future.

The moderator, deacons and trustees are scheduled to meet soon to begin the process of choosing a Search Committee. According to the bylaws, they're charged with choosing seven people. Once this committee is formed, it will meet with the acting area minister, choose a chair, and then start working on preparation of the lengthy church profile. These steps usually take several months. Then it's on to preparing for interviewing by establishing selection criteria, conducting a "mock interview," and listing the vacancy inside the UCC. Finally comes the process of reviewing applications, arranging interviews, and hearing likely prospects preach -~until finally a person is unanimously selected to recommend to the congregation. You'll all get to meet that person for a Candidating Sunday, at which time you'll vote on "calling" that person to become your settled pastor.

When can you expect the Search Committee to finish? It's impossible to predict because there are so many variables. But certainly our goal is to have a settled pastor here for the start of the '08-'09 church year.

Each of you can help. You can help by praying for the work of the committee and by respecting their need to maintain confidentiality. (They can inform the congregation of their general progress, but they won't be able to discuss any particulars about candidates – even with me.)

Meanwhile we'll continue to do what we've been doing - worshipping, caring for the sick, educating, building stewardship, doing mission, and strengthening areas that need to be shored up. Of course we'll also continue to work on letting go of the past and trusting God's presence in the midst of change.

Blessings,  Sharon

Welcome to Our New Area Minister

Rev. Carol Atwood-Lyon has been named Acting Associate Conference Minister for the Andover and Essex Associations. She will begin -serving on September 10 on a half-time basis.

Carol's part-time appointment reflects a conference decision to reallocate resources. She replaces Rev. Michael Penn-Strah.

Carol's references describe her as a caring pastor, a team player, and a strong administrator who always includes others in planning. She is also described as both innovative and respectful of New England tradition.

Carol is a native of this state and has served this conference for 15 years. She has also served in NH, Ct, and Ohio. She has a breadth of experience in churches ranging from 100 members to over 1200. She's held positions as pastor, co­pastor, associate, and minister of Christian education.

Carol earned an M.Div. from Princeton Theological School. She and her husband Fred, a retired UCC pastor, live in NH. Her interests include singing, painting, music, and needlework.

According to Rev: Jim Antal, Conference Minister and President, the search for a settled area minister will get underway soon. It is expected to take 12-18 months.

Our new conference minister can be reached through the conference office in Waltham at 781-890-1444 or through her email: mailto:atwood-lyonc@macucc.org.

Come, Learn the Story

Many people say they don't know the Bible very well but can't: find time for Bible study.

To help everyone acquire a basic understanding of Scripture, Rev. Goss will soon begin a series of "rand sweep" sermons.  Come get familiar with our Book – Genesis to revelations – to learn what it says, means, and means to us.

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Check Out These Opportunities to GROW .

"The Christian Practice of Testimony" will be the keynote address at the 208th Annual Meeting of the Ma Conference on Sept. 29, Rev. Lilian Daniel, Sr. Pastor of First Congregational Church in Glen Ellyn, Il, will speak.

On Nov. 19 Rev. Tom Long of Candler School of Theology, will speak in Shrewsbury on the Christian Practice of Testimony as part of the Conference's Pastoral Excellence series.

On Sat., March 1, Martha Grace Reese will present a workshop based on her acclaimed book, Unbinding the Gospel, a study of mainline Protestant evangelism. We're invited to build a team of five or more people to read the book and attend the Workshop.

On April 12-13 the conference will host Rev. N. Graham Standish, presenting highlights from, Becoming a Blessed Church.

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REPORT: Pastoral Search Survey and Interim Process

I want to take an opportunity to update you on the Pastoral Search Survey and the interim process. There were a total of 136 respondents to the slightly over 200 surveys that were sent out or personally picked up. This is a great response as surveys go. The tabulated survey results have been received and a group is assisting Rev. Dr. Goss in gleaning material from the survey. Things that we learn from the survey will help in crafting our Church Profile. The Profile is eventually what is sent out for prospective ministers to review and see if they would be a good fit for our settled pastor. The results of the survey will be distributed in the coming weeks and will also be discussed in the upcoming Cottage Meetings.

This next step in the interim process will be to invite people to gather atspecified homes to discuss certain questions about First Congregational Church in Billerica. The Cottage Meetings are being scheduled by Mary Anne Durand and Phyllis Jennings. See related article on the next page for the dates and times and information regarding the locations and what will be happening at those meetings. Please try to attend if you can.

One of the next steps is the formation of the Search Committee. I am working with the' Trustees and Diaconate to help establish this very important committee. There are many things to consider in deciding who to appoint to it. This most likely will be a 9 - 12 month commitment, requiring the ability to meet weekly and at different times during the week, and being required to travel on Sunday mornings for "neutral pulpits". The be effective, people on the committee need to have demonstrated commitment to the church, be good listeners, maintain confidentiality, be cooperative and work well in a team environment. That's a tall order but the importance of this committee can't be over emphasized. The work of the Search Committee has a definite bearing on the future of our Church.      

We will continue to keep the Congregation updated on the many proceedings during this interim period.

God Bless,

Ed Reinecker, Moderator

Survey Says ... Good Answer

Now is your opportunity to dialog with others in First Congregational DCC about the survey results 'and what they mean for the future. Help refine the vision and direction of your church. Rev. Goss has planned a series of "Cottage Meetings" to discuss the survey results / core values/ and the vision for the church as part of the process of developing a church profile to send to prospective ministers.

You are invited to attend a meeting even if you did not fill out a survey. Six dates/ locations have been scheduled. More can be added if needed. Due to space restrictions, please sign up for one meeting on the sign up sheet outside of Dale Hall or call Phyllis Jennings, 978-663-8193. (not the host of the meeting)

Tuesday, September 18 7:00-9:00 Jennings' 29 Talbot Ave, N. Billerica (w/c accessible) (978-663-8193)

Wednesday, September 197:00-9:00 Durands' 27 Simonds Farm Rd. Billerica (978-667-4239)

Tuesday, September 25 1 :30-3:30 Mary Rounds' 396 Boston Rd, #402, (978-663-3932)

Sunday September 30 1 :30-3:30

Monday, October 8, 7:00-9:00, Lovegrove, 11 Kensington Drive (978-667-3596)

Sunday, October 14, 1 :30-3:30

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To the FCCB Congregation,

The Deacons and Trustees have jointly initiated a monthly Executive Leadership meeting that is open to all of the officers and committee chairs (or committee representatives, if the chair is unable to attend) of the church. This group will be reviewing and working through issues facing our church that are outside the scope and responsibility of anyone person or committee, especially issues related to the Interim period and preparations for the search for a new pastor.

These meetings will not replace the existing Executive Cabinet meetings, but will be held in addition to them. Some months, the Executive Leadership meeting will be cancelled as the Executive Cabinet meeting will supersede it.

It has been requested that any person who attends these meetings as an officer or a committee representative commit to attending these meetings regularly, so that the group remains stable and the work can continuously move forward, without reviewing introductory items 'at each meeting. Minutes from these meetings can be made available to any interested member of the church. One of the goals of this meeting is to improve communication within the church while moving ahead with the work of the church.

While these meetings are open to church members to observe if interested, this group requests that any member(s) with comments/questions/agenda items propose these outside of the meeting, for consideration at a future meeting. These items should be submitted to our Moderator, Ed Reinecker. This is done in consideration of time management and to keep the focus on specific goals and actions. Some of the issues that this group will be focusing on are:

-Visioning work
-Survey work (reviewing results and communicating these to the Congregation)
-Setting up "Cottage meetings" to discuss survey results
-Walking in the Way consolidation

Thank you and God Bless,

Ed Reinecker, Moderator
Reverend Dr. Sharon Goss, Interim Minister
Bruce Hildreth, Senior Deacon
Christa Brown, Chairperson, Trustees
Joanne Pendergast, Chairperson Trustees
Jenny Carmichael, Senior Deacon

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Nehemiah 10:32 -  Once a year we will each donate a small amount of silver to the temple of our God.

With Stewardship Sunday coming in October you will be given the opportunity to pledge monies to the General Fund, Missions Fund or the Building Fund. The General fund is used as the main operating account for the church. Salaries of the Pastor, Music Director, Church Secretary, Organist, Janitor and others are paid from this. It is also the account we use for paying the electrical and heating costs. The donations to the Missions Fund helps the Missions committee with their projects such as the food pantry, meals for shut-ins and projects benefiting those less fortunate in our country and abroad. The Building Fund donations aid the major repairs of the church building such as the window project. This fund was originally established to aid the repair of the steeple.     

As always we thank you for your continued support. The following is a summary of monies received in May, June and July.

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SEPT. 2007

FOOD PANTRY ,

During the summer, members of the congregation have continued to donate to the food pantry. Our July contribution totaled 106 items and a check for $10.00 and August contributions totaled 92 items. We begin our regular 1st Sunday of each month collection, September 2, and ask that you bring your contributions that day and place them in front of the lectern.

CONTRIBUTIONS IN YOUR NAME

We want you to know that we research every request for funds and turn down many more than we accept. In your name, we gave $1,000.00 to the Chernobyl Children's Project, $250.00 to the Carroll Center for the Blind, and $300.00 to Janeen Davis, a member of our church, toward her support for her work with a Christian outreach program called the Navigators.

RESIGNATION

We accepted with regret the resignation of Walter Sprague who has been a faithful participant on our committee for the past 2 years. .

FARM BILL

This church sent 61 letters to congress lobbying for a farm bill that is both smaller and more just. That legislation is still pending.

KANSAS UMC

We have begun to establish a dialogue with the Kansas United Methodist Church to which you so generously donated for their rebuilding effort. We received a note now posted on the Missions bulletin board plus a phone call from their Pastor, Gene McIntosh. He spoke eloquently and appreciatively about Christians 2,000 miles away and from a different denomination reaching out to people we did not  know to offer a helping hand.

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Religious Education Information

The RE committee has been busy this summer recruiting teachers for the upcoming school year. We are still in need of help in some of the classrooms as well as parents to sign up to be hall monitors. We are looking for 4 adults to work in the nursery. We need to have 2 adults each week to cover the nursery. We are also in need of helpers in pre­school/kindergarten. We are combining many of the classes this year but may need to split them if the numbers are too large. Pre-school and Kindergarten will combine for some activities then break into separate groups for others. Grades 1 & 2 will combine, grades 3 & 4 will combine and grades 5,6, 7, 8 will also be combined. This year we will have a high school class led by Barbara Daverin and Brent Davis, more information will be sent to those of that age group. We are also planning to start a children's choir which will meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30 prior to the start of church. Children's choir is expected to start in early October, more information will be sent home once the date is finalized. PF will also continue with Deb. MacEachern who will need assistance. If you can help in any way, please contact Pat Rogers (978) 663-8121 or Phyllis Jennings (978) 663-8193 your support is critical to the success of our program.

Sunday School Calendar for the fall:

Sept 9 Teacher training 11: 15 in the parlor

16 - Teacher dedication and the start of Sunday school. Sunday school registration will take        place in the parlor beginning at 9:30. Registration form is attached. Children go upstairs with their families and are released after teacher dedication.

23 - Children go up for children's sermon then are released to their teacher's for class

30 - Children go directly to classroom

Oct 7 - Communion, everyone goes to church with their family and then children are released to their teachers for class.

14 - Children go up for children's sermon then are released to their teacher's for class. Sunday school Fire drill.           .

21 - Children go up for children's sermon then are released to their teacher's for class

28 - Children go directly to classroom

Nov 4 -  Communion, everyone goes to church with their family and then children are released to their teachers for class:

11 - Children go up for children's sermon then are released to their teacher's for class

18 - Ingathering, (food collection for the food pantry) Children go up for children's sermon then are released to their teacher's for class.

25 - Children go directly to classroom.

Dec 2 - Communion, everyone goes to church with their family and then children are released to their teachers for class. Start of Advent

9 - Children go directly to classroom

16 - Children go directly to classroom

22 -  Rehearsal for Christmas Pageant

23 - Christmas Pageant

30 - No Sunday School

Jan 6 - Communion, everyone goes to ,church with their family and then children are released to their teachers for class.

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Sunday School Starts September 16

New this year will be a combined 5,6,7,8 grade class with projects to be chosen by the students.

High School students are invited to meet during church starting Oct. 7 to develop a mission program with the goal of supporting a mission trip.

For musically inclined children, a children's choir will begin rehearsing at 9:30, right before Sunday School starting in October.

Regular classes will be available for three year olds and above using the curriculum which most have found engaging.

Please fill in the Sunday School Registration Form for our use in placing your child, so that we may better serve you and your child.

Attention: Junior and Senior High

Come, join Pilgrim Fellowship every other Sunday evening beginning in September... for fun, fellowship and service!

Start up meeting for Junior PF (with parents) is Sunday, September 23rd 5:30-7:30pm.

Senior PF's parent meeting will be Sunday, September 30th 6:30­8:30pm. We hope to see you then!'"

Confirmands!

May 20, 2007

Taylor Federchook
Caitlyn Hubbard
David MacEacherna
Kathryn Norman
Ryan Warner

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Looking for a Way to include God in your marriage?

Find out how on a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend! Marriage Encounter is 44 hours where married couples can get away from jobs, kids, chores, and phone 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 two UCC Marriage Encounter weekends will be held on October 26-28, 2007 and November 9­-11, 2007 at the Four Points Sheraton in Meriden, CT. For more information or to register, contact Lynne ,and Bruce Hildreth at 978-663-4727 or Hildreth4@comcast.net.

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THE FAIR IS COMING!

THE FAIR IS COMING!

CRAFTERS: Hope you've been crafting like crazy this summer in the cool, comfort of home. If anyone has a neat idea for something we can all do (easily), please let us know. We'll be having a few craft days at church in the coming weeks (TBA). Let's have fun!

WHITE ELEPHANT NEWS: We'd love to have any items (except clothing and electronics) you may have to donate to our WE room. Please make sure all items are CLEAN and in good condition. You may bring them to church beginning September 30th and leave them on the stage in Dale Hall. If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Reinecker.

We will hold a general Harvest Fair meeting on Sunday, September 16th after church. Please make sure to send someone from each committee" and organization to discuss the plans for the fair.

Thank you,

Liz and Dennis

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Flowers for September

September 2 - Given in loving memory of Leonard J. Brown from his wife, Barbara.
September 9 - Given by Mr. & Mrs. Richard George and family in loving memory of Arthur and Gladys Barnard.
September 16 - 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 23 - 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.
September 30 - (Open)

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

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PASSAGES

Funerals

August 13, 2007 Lydia K. McAdams

August 16, 2007 Richard Young

August 17, 2007 Nancy Eunson

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Weddings

June 23, 2007: Stephen A. Lewis and Theresa M Maillet

June 30, 2007: Christopher M. Wesinger and Margaret Elizabeth O'Connor

July 14, 2007: Joseph Robert Gravel and Jessica Gwen Levitre

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Baptisms

May 27, 2007: Madison Dakota Boudreau Nicholas John Piazza

June, 24, 2007: Skylar and Tucker Broughton Brendan Michael Bulmer Arianna Marie and Nathan MatthewRappoli

August 26, 2007: Madison Paige Geisser

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Revised drawing originally made by Earle Merrow after Alison's 10th year at FCCB.

CONGRATULATIONS, ALISON!

It has been a pleasure being associated with FCCB as the Church Office Administrator for 25 years ­

working first with Linda Roberts and then Dennis Bailey (as full time ministers); Brad Pusey, Ruth Duck and Roger Brown (as interim ministers); Bill Fleming and Linda Hey; (ministering during DCB's sabbatical) and the approximate 10 student ministers, and now most certainly, Sharon Goss.

So many thanks, with great appreciation, to Christa Brown and the Trustees who hosted and organized the celebration of my 25 years. It was great to see all my "Barbara" friends, the Aim Hi'ers including my faithful friend, Audrey, and all of the rest of you who stayed after church or came over for my party. Thank you to the FLC, who worked the kitchen and thank you all for the gifts, "goodies" as well as the wonderful cake.

Love, Alison

CIRCLE OF FRIENDSHIP

The Circle of Friendship will meet Monday, September 17: at 6:30 PM in the church parlor.

We will have a pot luck supper and make plans for the upcoming year. We would like to increase our membership so anyone interested in joining us, please come.

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LAY SHEPHERDING

Next Meeting :Monday, September 17, 1 :30 P.M.

We invite anyone who is interested in serving our homebound members to join our group. We are presently exploring ways to best serve and to whom we need to serve. Any comments are appreciated. You may bring them to our next meeting or speak to any of our present shepherds who are: Donna Bailey, Betty & Dennis Blanchette, Christa Brown , Alberta Hamilton, Pat Hefler, Mildred McCauley, Audrey Schwartz or Barbara George.

Barbara George

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AIM-HI

Aim-Hi's next meeting will be Thursday, September 20 at 12 noon. We always welcome new members, if you would like to join us, please call Donna at 978-663-4043.

Our annual bake sale will be September 23. We would appreciate receiving any baked goods. Please wrap and label them. If the product contains nuts, please write this on the label. Money from this sale is used to send "Thank You" packages to those serving overseas.

Don't forget to purchase tickets for the "Kitchen Basket Raffle" on Sunday morning, September 9, following the service, Yankee Doodle weekend, September 15 and 16,  and at our Bake Sale on September 23. The winning ticket will be drawn that day. Thank you for your support.

We are accepting knitted and crochet mittens to sell at the fair.

Aim Hi has been sending our love, prayers, and "Thank You" packages to several young people serving overseas. We encourage the congregation to use these addresses 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.

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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 address, please contact Aim Hi through June Orne at 603-883-6732, (email: mailto:june62123@aol.com). or call the church office at 978-663-8433.

Donna Ricarte & June Orne

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CHOIR: Calling All Singers

Choir is about to begin.

We practice on Thursday nights at 7:30 in the Sanctuary. No need to try out.  Everyone is welcome. All you need is a love for music.

Come Give Us a Try!!

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Notes from the Music Committee

The Music Committee has been working hard this summer to bring you a diverse and enjoyable music program.  We have been busy brainstorming ways to provide new and interesting music that the congregation will enjoy.

We are exploring all the possibilities, including having guest vocalists and instrumentalists as well as trying to bring back our Christmas and Easter Cantatas.

We are asking that you fill out the Music Survey.  The survey will also be printed in the Sunday Bulletins during the month of September if that is easier for you.  You can leave the survey in the Music Committee box located downstairs by the side door.

The committee has also started investigating options on ways to either fix or replace our organ.  Since the organ sits in the Sanctuary, which is not climate-controlled, it is again in need of serious work.  We realize that the church spent a large amount of money to repair the organ approximately 10-12 years ago and whatever we do to this organ, we will most likely continue to have the same problems every 10 to 12 years.  Liz and Elliot have agreed that maybe it is time to investigate a different solution to the problem at hand.  We will let you know when we have more information as to what our options are.  In the meantime please understand that some of the organ stops are not working properly and bear with us.

The committee is also looking into replacing the choir robes.  Our current robes are in sad shape and the time ahs come to think about replacing them for robes that are easier to maintain as well as robes that breathe better.  We will most likely conduct a Butter Braid Coffee Cake fundraiser this fall to help offset the cost.  Look for more information to follow.  If anyone would like to make a donation to the Choir Robe Fund, you can see Liz, Elliot or any choir member.

The choir will be back from t heir summer hiatus on  September 9^th.  We will have our annual Welcome Back get together on Thursday September 6^th at 6:00 P.M. in the Sanctuary.  Instead of a pot-luck dinner this year, we will have a dessert smorgasbord.  This means less clean up for us and more time to catch up with all the people we haven't seen all summer.  We would love to see some new faces join us this year.  This is your golden opportunity to have dessert for dinner and get on the new robes!!  You'll also get to meet some new friends and have fun in the process!!  We are a hard-working bunch but we love it.  There is no try-out required, and even if you think you can't sing, we will welcome you with open arms!!  The other perk to singing with us is that you will always have a reserved seat in the Sanctuary.  Come give us a try.

I do believe that is all the news from the Music Committee, but as soon as I drop it off to Alison, I'm sure I'll think of something I forget.  Till next time.......

Sincerely,

Cindy Bliss
Chairman of the Music Committee

Music Survey

Please take a minute to print and fill out the Music Survey and drop it off in the Music Committee's box. It will help the Music Committee to better serve the members of our congregation through the music program.

20th Annual Meeting - Part 1: Mass. Conference, United Church of Christ

Cromwell, CT June 22,2007

This year the annual meeting of the Mass. Conference was held in Hartford, in an effort to connect with the National Synod. The

National meeting started there the following afternoon and continued several' days. Your delegates to MACUCC were Bob Slack and Phyllis Jennings. Phyllis (and Barbara Daverin) also took in some of the Saturday "Synod in the City" events. There will be a second section of the -MACUCC business meeting on September 29.

Worship was woven throughout the business meeting. Passages from Paul's letters to churches of his day gave instruction to our current work. A relatively minor bylaw change, nominations, and. the budget were passed. The major item of business, re­structuring the conference was introduced with voting to take place in September.

For some time the number of UCC members has been shrinking in Massachusetts and the income to support the conference has not been covering expenses. A year ago 4 % staff positions were cut and two area offices closed. Coming before the conference is a plan for using the existing resources to try to "nurture local church vitality and the covenant among our churches". The plan is called" A Still More Excellent Way". It calls for more sharing and connection among churches and especially laity. The conference will focus on adult faith formation, leadership development, and prophetic witness. The move is from area ministers assigned to an area of churches, to a more specific expertise based function. Their role will be to develop leaders in the areas, both clergy and laity. There will be opportunities for anyone who would like to become more involved in sharing what works in our church with other churches.

The conference gets most of its income from fellowship dues and from Basic Support (Our Church's Wider Mission). The 2008 dues will be $16.00 per church member. This money supports the resources to guide the pastoral search process, stewardship and mission interpretation, education, communications, leadership development, etc. : all the areas of church life for which we might want ideas.

Synod in the City was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the United Church of Christ from it's predecessor denominations including congregational. We saw some of the art of a Chinese Christian artist who was led to Christianity and it's peaceful goals through seeing and learning about religious art. We sampled some of the myriad resources available through the National office and related church connections. We heard Bill Moyers, John Hockenberry, and Barack Obama. They were each more inspiring and more eloquent than I can encapsulate. The thread running through each speaker's testimony was that Jesus's imperative to feed the hungry, aid the sick, visit the captives, welcome the stranger, etc was what drove each to work for the betterment of humanity. They each charged us within the church to not just pray and be pious but to be actively working and speaking out against injustice and poverty and all the other ills of the world. They referred to the tradition of the UCC and her predecessors as being a progressive force for good. Through the people of our church God is speaking and moving and working still.

For more details about any of this see me, Phyllis Jennings

Lantern Notes

THANK YOUI

To Edna McDewell, Barbara George, and Audrey Schwartz for their help in the "delivery" of the Summer issue of "The Lantern"!

NEXT LANTERN DEADLINE: SUNDAY - September 23

This newsletter will include all "happenings" and events for the October and Fair News.