Feb/March 2018 Newsletter
The First Congregational Church of Leicester
Congregational Connections
Ash Wednesday Service:
February 14 at 7:00 p.m.
Please join us for this time of quiet reflection and worship to start of the sacred season of Lent. Includes Communion and Ashes.
Lenten Lunches are On!
Once again, we will be hosting FREE Soup Lunches every Tuesday in Lent (Feb. 20-March 27) from 11:30-1. If you are able to provide soup for any of those date, please contact Doreen (pastorfccleicester@verizon.net or 978-846-6498). We also welcome donations of dessert or bread / rolls, as well as set-up, clean-up and town crier duties. And please come enjoy the soup!
Holy Week
Maundy Thursday: Service of Communion and Tenebrae
Thursday, March 29, 7:00 p.m. Come hear the story of Jesus’ Passion – the events from his last supper through his crucifixion and burial. READERS NEEDED. Please contact Doreen if you are willing.
Good Friday Stations for Reflection
Friday, March 30. The deacons are once again hosting a time of quiet reflection with seven stations to engage you in prayer, in thanksgiving, in reflection. The Sanctuary will be open from 3 through 7 p.m. Drop by any time, stay as long as you like. I am confident you will find it moving, and will draw you into the gift of Jesus’ great love for us.
Easter Sunday
April 1.
Come celebrate the Good News of Christ’s resurrection. The Sanctuary will be adorned with spring flowers and it will be a joyful occasion. Please join us if you can, and invite a friend or family member. It’s a great season to share the good news.
.
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Worcester Fellowship Lunch Providers – Sun, Feb 25
Please look for the contribution signup sheet in Russell Hall beginning February 11 if you wish to donate lunch supplies. Many helping hands are needed to assemble the lunches on Feb. 25, so please join in. All are welcome to join us for lunch and worship on the Common behind Worcester City Hall beginning at 1 p.m.
Women’s Association: February 7
Wednesday, February 7 at noon at the church to catch up after the holidays, and wrap up from the Fair. The March meeting is also on the 7th at the church, with program still to be decided based on availability. We hope to have Peter Swanson presenting a movie about the making of the Rose Window at the National Cathedral. If not in March, then in April. The alternative is a talk on our church history with the Lennertons. Hope to see you all!
A Note from the Pastor
Grace and peace, dear friends.
How fitting that this year the season of Lent begins on a day set apart for love. We often associate love with stars in our eyes, putting our best selves forward to impress our beloved, with finding our happy ending. But the love that Jesus models for us and calls us to is based on something deeper and truer. It starts not with hearts and flowers, but with humility, as we acknowledge to ourselves and to God our failings and weaknesses. On February 14 we will be having our Ash Wednesday service, a time when we are reminded that “[we] are dust, and to dust [we] shall return” (Gn 3:19). For me, the dust does not symbolize insignificance nor uncleanliness, but source, i.e., the ground of our being. In the Creation story of Genesis 2, God uses the earth (adamah – red soil) to form a being, then breathes life into him. This is God’s pure creation, before we humans began to have our own ideas about what was good for us and what we wanted. This is before humanity was corrupted by the destructive forces of arrogance and greed and the illusion of separation. Lent invites us to reflect on where we have gotten off track, how we have forgotten the good ground from which we were created, forgotten that our life was breathed into us by a loving Creator who had a plan for our good all along. Lent is a chance to remember that in our beginning is our end, and in our end is our beginning. From the dust our bodies came, and to the dust our bodies will return. Our breath, our Spirit, is of God, and to God our Spirit will return. It is a message of comfort that God knows the truth about us even when we forget.
Humility may not be a very romantic word, but it does more to foster right relationships than any Hallmark card. The word derives from the root humus, which means “earth,” indicating a sense of groundedness. In Christianity, we are humble before God, recognizing Divine authority. We recognize our own limitations, and we acknowledge and value the gifts of others, giving them due honor. As Rick Warren puts it, “it’s not thinking less of yourself; humility is thinking of yourself less.” It is the opposite of pride and self-interest. I remember my father talking about how marriage is not a 50-50 proposition, but 100-100. Each person needs to go all in, not waiting to see how much the other person will do. God has already taken that step, to go all in to show love, generosity and mercy to us. God continually reaches out, inviting us to join in the dance of kingdom living. God knows the way, and it is not in the illusion of earning our way, of impressing the right people. It is the way of humility, knowing ourselves not as islands unto ourselves, but as deeply connected to God. It is recognizing the forces within us and outside of us that block our way, and offering those up to God for healing and transformation. May you take the opportunity this season of Lent offers to get ready for new growth, for rebirth, for resurrection.
Blessings,
Pastor Doreen
In Our Prayers
Never underestimate the power of prayer. You are invited, as you read this, to add your prayers for those listed. Take a moment to breathe in God’s Spirit, and channel your good will and hopes to each person or situation named. You might imagine them surrounded by a healing light, or held in God’s hand. May this simple practice fill you with peace and hope.
For those in nursing homes with no family or friends to visit them
– For Tommy Casamassa, Sue Morowski’s nephew being treated for cancer
– For the homeless and those living on the edge
– For Andrew, Doreen’s son, as he continues his travels in Southeast Asia
– For FCC’s discernment on becoming an Open and Affirming church
– For FCC’s spiritual growth and vitality
UCC Connections
Super Saturday
Join hundreds of delegates, pastors and lay leaders from all over Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for a day of worship and workshops.
Saturday, March 18 from 9 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. at Minnechaug Regional High School, Wilbraham, MA.
See the Mass Conference website (www.macucc.org) for information about workshops offered and to register, or ask Pastor Doreen for a flyer. Cluster Meeting
Tues March 20 at FCC Spencer, 6:30-8 p.m.
In an effort to continue strengthening the covenant between churches, the association, and the Massachusetts Conference the Rev. Kelly Gallagher along with the Association Board of Directors will be continuing the initiative that was well received last year. Our vision is to have at least 2 to 3 representatives of churches invited attend these meetings. Ministers are also welcome to attend. Those in attendance will be able to ask questions regarding church issues. The Board and Rev. Gallagher will also inform the church representatives how the association and the conference can help the churches with their mission. New programs that are being offered by the conference will also be shared. Invited to this meeting are Chaffin, FCC Holden, FCC Leicester, FCC Paxton, FCC Princeton, FCC Rutland, FCC Spencer, First Church Sterling, FCC West Boylston.
If you are interested in attending, please let Doreen know.
From the ONA Team
We have written and talked about why we think it is important for the church to consider becoming an Open and Affirming church, and have asked you to join us in this discernment. We have begun the process, but we may not have been clear about what it means to be an Open and Affirming (ONA) church. ONA is a designation of the United Church of Christ which gets registered with the UCC ONA Coalition. To be registered with the ONA Coalition as an ONA church, the church must draft and vote to affirm a covenant that welcomes people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions into the full life of the church. The covenant must include, but does not need to be limited to these categories. The covenant might include a statement of why this welcome is extended, and/or may specify the aspects of church life that are included. Here is one example: Safe Harbor Family Church, a congregation of the United Church of Christ, is created to provide a place for all people to worship God, serve God and humanity, and grow in faith and fellowship. All persons are created in God’s image and are loved, valued, and blessed equally by God. This community of faith is an open and affirming congregation who seeks to welcome all persons, including those of all races, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, family structures, faith backgrounds, abilities and economic circumstances. All persons are invited to fully share and participate in leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities, blessings and joys of our church family. More samples can be found at www.openandaffirming.org.
Once the covenant is affirmed by a congregation, they register with the Coalition. The church is then added to the registry of ONA churches. People looking for a progressive church that is truly welcoming to all people might then be able to find our church. Each church decides for itself how to promote its ONA status. There is no requirement that a rainbow flag be flown, or that the ONA designation be put on our printed materials or website. The team’s hope is that FCC will be proud to take this stand of love and hospitality, and will want to let our neighbors know. But for now, we are excited to wonder along with you whether God is calling FCC Leicester to make this covenant and affirmation of welcome. We hope you will join us for our education and discussion events. If you are not on the pastor’s e-mail list, or don’t come to church regularly, but are interested in these events, please let the pastor know.
“Pastoral Performance” evaluations
The PRC is pleased to report that, as of Sunday, January 14, we had received 15 completed “Pastoral Performance” evaluations. We sincerely thank those respondents for their time and opinions. However, if you were unable to submit your evaluation in time, don’t worry. Council has agreed to extend the deadline through the publication of this newsletter issue. You may either mail your completed survey to the address listed on it, or hand it to Ellie Latham, Sue Olivo, or Jackie Henderson at Sunday morning worship. We look forward to hearing from you!
To include an article in an upcoming newsletter, contact:
Brielle MacDonald at
508-353-3338 or briellemacd@gmail.com
