October Newsletter – 2011
CONGREGATIONS CONNECTIONS
OCTOBER 2011 ISSUE
STRAWBERRY HILL FAIR
NOVE 14TH – 9AM TO 2PM
The Woman’s Association is busy planning this year’s Fair to be held on Saturday, November 14, 2011 (2nd Saturday!) from 9 AM to 2 PM, and are looking for helpers in all areas including setting up prior to Fair day, working on a particular table or area the day of the Fair, or being part of a clean-up crew after the Fair is over.
So far the following tables will be included and if you have a particular interest in any area or would like to help out in general, please speak with those listed below or the Fair co-ordinators – Judy Ivel, Cindy LaPointe or Marie Frascolla.
• GIFT BASKETS: (Marie Frascolla & Ericka Snay) Marie puts together themed gift baskets from donated (new) items. Popular gift basket themes are: home cleaning and laundry, food or dinner, children or babies or pets, sports, or seasonal / holiday-themed. Please have basket item donations in by Oct. 15. After that, please check with Marie (508-892-0038).
• BUSY FINGERS: (Ellen Orsi, Ann Orsi, Karen Doe) Here we accept anything sewn, knit or crochet. Suggested items include: scarves, mittens, hats, baby sweaters, blankets, etc.
• TOYS & GAMES: ((leader needed) We happily accept donations of toys and games in good condition for younger children.
• SILENT AUCTION: (Judy Ivel, Robyn Desautels) We invite donations of high quality items such as antiques, sports memorabilia, luxury services, fine art and quality collectibles. No white elephant type donations please.
• HOLIDAY DECORATIONS: (Cindy LaPointe, Nancy Desautels, June Kelley) Are you crafty? Put your hands to work on Fall/Thanksgiving items and Christmas decorations, ornaments and gifts. “Nearly-new” items will be offered as well.
• BAKED GOODS: (Nancy Tashjian) You don’t have to start baking just yet, but we hope to get visions of sugarplums and cookies, cakes, pies, fudge, brownies and breads dancing in your head. Bakers and consumers are invited to participate.
• COUNTRY STORE: (Len Ivel, Ron LaPointe) Donate items such as pumpkins, winter squash, etc., to our market table. We also accept homemade jams and jellies, beans and other non-baked food items.
• LUNCH ROOM: (leader needed) Serving lunch and other goodies to a hungry crowd throughout the day.
• RAFFLES: (Sue Ann Morowski) Businesses are solicited for items or gift vouchers to be raffles the day of the Fair.
• BOOK ROOM: (leader needed) Books are available for sale in the Book Room in the Sunday school wing.
If you have other ideas or suggestions we would love to speak with you about them, and all donated items will be eagerly and gratefully accepted.
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Heating System Update
The good news is that work has begun on the transition from oil to gas, and should be completed by early November. The challenge is that the church will have no heat or hot water for a few weeks. Please dress yourselves and your children warmly when you come to the church.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Family Sunday with Pot-Luck Lunch and Games
October 9 starts a new year of regular family-friendly fellowship events. Join us for a delicious lunch spread, and a fun afternoon of games. If your last name begins with A-L, please bring a side dish or dessert to share. If it begins with M-Z, please bring a main dish. We’ll switch for the next event on November 6. And if you forget, or aren’t able to bring something to share, please stay anyway. There is always plenty of food and plenty of fun. Bring a game you love, or try a new one. Hope to see you there.
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Note from the Pastor
This morning in bible study, the conversation turned to the risks people took at various times in history to claim and live out their faith beliefs. The group wondered if they would have been able and willing to stand fast in the face of threats and persecution. We wondered if and how people take risks for their faith today. I wonder if a certain element of risk, or at least sacrifice, serves as a glue, adhering people more firmly to their beliefs, or a magnifying glass, focusing and emphasizing them.
In the Book of Revelation, chapter 3, verses 15-16, Christ’s message to a church (one of seven messages to different churches) is this: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Is this true of many churches today, that they are neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm in their passions and activities, in their living out of the Gospel?
As I looked over the articles being prepared for this newsletter, I became uneasy, worried that too much was being asked of people – contribute food, contribute money, contribute labor and time. Things that are offered as invitations – Come sing! Come and enjoy one another’s company as we work and walk for good causes! Come join in an opportunity to ease or end suffering! – can be felt as endless demands. I wanted to soften it, make sure people don’t feel overwhelmed or burnt out. But I thought of our conversation in bible study, and wondered if I was looking to keep things at room temperature when God might be calling us to turn up the heat.
And so I leave these invitations alone. It is wonderful to see so many ministries operating at FCC, so many ways for people to express their values and skills and passions. I also trust that people will stay attuned to their own rhythms. Jesus had times of prayer and rest integrated with his teaching and healing ministries. He was willing to let people care for him as well. Follow his example. Give whenever you can in whatever way you can. Push yourself a little bit further than you think you can go. Step back and rest when you need to. Reach out for support and comfort regularly, whether you think you need it or not. And – for sustenance – pray, pray, pray. With the furnaces out of commission for a while, we need all the heat that living a faithful life can bring!
Blessings, Pastor Doreen
************************************************************************************************SSunday Sunday School News
Our year began with lots of smiling faces! We have 22 children registered so far and expect to see some more as the fall sports wind down. We also have 3 who are attending but have not yet registered, so if you have not filled out your child’s registration form please see one of the teachers or Religious Education committee members to do so – this information is very important even if your child has been attending regularly.
Due to the increase in our Sunday school this year we plan to restructure some of our classes. The classes will be as follows:
• Pre-school and Kindergarten will remain the same with Angela Shea as their teacher, 1st – 4th will become 1st – 3rd with Chris Cathcart teaching, and 5th-8th will become 4th – 8th with Jim Cathcart teaching. We currently have only one 8th grader so he will have the option of being a student helper with the younger kids as needed. This change will bring our middle classroom size down a bit as we have a big group this year!
• Our Nursery has the following registered kids: Natalie, Ethan, and John
• Our Boz Kids (Pre/K) class has the following kids: Gabrielle, Zoe, Jillian, Lillian and Ben L.
• Our High Pointers (1–3) class has: Liam, Alex, Ayden, Kiley, Sammy, Ava, Abigail, Jenna, Zavier and Zena
• Our Kingdom Kids (4-8) class has: Tristin, Ben C., Caitlin, Andrew, Alexei, Tyler, and Nida
We expect this year to be lots of fun for the kids and hope to plan more get-togethers for the kids in addition to Sunday School such as outings and possibly a “Lock In” (sleepover) in the church with Pastor Doreen and Chris for the older kids!
I would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to the RE committee for all of their help with registration. You all made it so much easier for me this year to focus on the kids which is where my focus should be – I look forward to working with all of you in the upcoming year. Your show of support means so much to me.
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Pick-Up Choir – Sunday, October 9, 2011
Choir
If you love to sing but can’t make a commitment to becoming a full-time choir member, then our Pick-Up Choir is perfect for you! All voices are welcome, both women and men. And knowing how to read music is not necessary!
Here’s how it works:
1. Attend rehearsal Wednesday evening Oct. 5 (specific time negotiable). Bob will teach us an easier anthem as well as a simple introit and benediction.
2. Attend the Sunday morning “warm up” at 9:00 on Oct. 9. Choose a choir robe, and you’re ready to go!
It’s a small amount of time for a HUGE amount of fun! Please join us!
Give your name to Bob, Cindy or Jackie by Sunday, Oct. 2, and we will see you at rehearsal!!
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UCC Connections: Mission 1
The UCC Commission for Stewardship and the Commission for Mission & Justice Ministries are inviting Massachusetts Conference churches to take part in 11 days (Nov. 1-11) of living faithfully by participating in Mission 1 – a shared effort to feed the hungry and confront food-related injustice.
The goals of MISSION: 1
• In 11 days, the United Church of Christ will collect more than 1 MILLION ITEMS OF HEALTHY FOOD and other household items for local food banks and outreach services.
• In 11 days, the United Church of Christ will make an extra-special push to gather on-line contributions of more than 111,111 DOLLARS for Neighbors in Need, offerings that will be shared for hunger action purposes with agencies of justice and compassion throughout the United States.
• In 11 days, the United Church of Christ will offer more than 11,111 LETTERS to Congress, asking our government to reform U.S. foreign assistance in a way that more effectively benefits hungry and poor people worldwide, helping to provide a major final push to Bread for the World’s 2011 “Offering of Letters”.
On August 29, 2011, the UCC expanded the Mission:1 goal to include a church-wide appeal to raise more than $111,111 to aid famine-stricken Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
For 11 days in November, our UCC motto and Jesus’ prayer “that they may all be 1” will become a focused, concerted mission emphasis across the whole United Church of Christ to educate ourselves and one another about food-related policy issues through sermons, seminars and conversations; to advocate on behalf of hungry people at home and around the world; to raise money for hunger-action purposes; and to share bread – and tuna, and peanut butter, and vegetables, and cereal – with our neighbors in need.
FCC Participation
We’d like to focus our efforts particularly on the collection of healthy food items for our local food bank. Beginning immediately, we will count the items donated through November 13. What multiple of 11 can we shoot for? Will ten families be able to donate 11 items between now and November 12 for 110 items? How about 20 or 30 or 40 families for 220, 330 or 440 items? Dare we shoot for 1100 or 1111 items? We’d love to include participation by our friends and members who live too far away to bring items to the church. If you make a donation to your nearest food pantry, please let us know by phone or e-mail how many items you contributed. I don’t want to encourage an over-focus on quantity over quality, so feel free to contribute fewer items that may be pricier. Eleven people bringing 2 items is the same as two people bringing 11 items. Tell your extended family, your friends, neighbors and co-workers about the drive (and about our church!). People love to be invited to make a positive difference in the world.
We will also have Neighbors in Need offering envelopes in the bulletins on November 6 and Nov. 13 in addition to our regular NiN offering on World Communion Sunday, October 2. If you are interested in the letter-writing aspect of Mission 1, please speak to Pastor Doreen, or go to the UCC website, www.ucc.org, for more information.
Ending celebrations: Nov 11
A national service of blessing will take place at 4 p.m. (ET) on Friday, Nov. 11, at Old South Church in Boston, UCC, and will be webstreamed live at ucc.org.
If anyone would like to attend the service, please speak to Pastor Doreen, or you can watch via your computer. We will also hold our own service of blessing and celebration on Sunday, Nov. 13, announcing local and national tallies.
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Worcester Fellowship Lunch Ministry – Oct 30th
Making Sandwiches for Worcester Fellowship
FCC is scheduled as lunch providers for the Worcester Fellowship on Sunday, October 30. We are so grateful for the eagerness with which the food donations come in and the helping hands gather.
Please indicate what you would like to contribute on the signup sheet that will be out on October 16 and 23. People are most welcome to join Pastor Doreen and Quentin in attending the worship service at 1:00 p.m. behind Worcester City Hall. It is a joyous and inspiring experience.
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Thin Places: A Christian Spiritual Formation Retreat: Oct 14-15
The UCC Mass Conferences is offering this overnight retreat at the Conference Center in Framingham on October 14-15, 7 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.. A few of us attended a similar retreat last January and had a wonderful experience. I highly recommend it. The cost is $90, but you can speak to me if you are interested and the cost is a hardship. A flyer will be posted in Russell Hall, and you must register by October 7. For more info or to register on-line, go to www.macucc.org
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CROP WALK 2011 – Oct 16th
As the nights get shorter and summer fades into fall, families begin settling back into the routine of school and sports. The thoughts of the upcoming holidays are in the back of our minds and on every store shelf. While holidays are meant for happy times with friends and families, the reality of many people still laid off, and indicators that 1 in 8 people are going hungry, show that holidays aren’t necessarily good times. So please step up and join me for the Leicester Crop Walk on Oct.16th.
Walkers can register on-line at www.churchworldservice.org, under the group for FCC Leicester. This four- mile walk provides funds to send food to those in need, and a portion of monies raised stays right in town for the Leicester Food Bank.
If walking isn’t your thing and you would still like to help, you can donate by seeing me, one of the other walkers, or by going to Cropwalk.org. The Leicester Team is an ecumenical effort with people from several churches. Details about time and location will be coming soon. Thanks for your support.
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Operation Outreach Afghanistan
In September and October we will be collecting donations of school supplies for the children of Afghanistan. Robyn Desautels will be mailing them through the military, for support of the soldiers project Operation Outreach. There will be a box in Russell Hall for you to deposit any donations you would like to make.
Right now school supplies maybe on sale and it would be a good time to pick a few up. The guys in the military would be grateful for anything you can do. The following is a list of school supplies that are needed:
• Pens, pencils, crayons, markers, erasers, pencil sharpeners, children’s scissors
• Small notebooks, children’s books, glue sticks, small rulers, paper, small backpacks,
• Games, small toys, loads of 2 gallon plastic freezer bags
In the coming months this Operation Outreach focus will shift with the weather to clothing, coats, shoes and blankets. So you might keep that in mind as you prepare for winter and find that your children have outgrown last year’s winter gear. Thanks a bunch.
Click Here for more information
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HARVEST FAIR UPDATE
Harvest Fair 2011 – Apple Crisp Booth
What a wonderful fall day was shared on September 17th ! The common was busy all day and our Apple Crisp booth was visited by many people who said they were so anxious to return this year for another bowl of our delicious Apple Crisp & ice cream. What a great compliment! We had great helpers all day and although we didn’t sell out completely our profit, so far, is $826.50.
Likewise, Ron, Quentin & Neil were busy all day selling Popcorn & Soda on the corner of the church lawn and the popcorn machine popped non-stop all day long! Their profit was $251.00.
Together we raised over $1,000.00 for the church, plus a check was received for $200.00 from the Harvest Fair Committee for use of our building for the Art Show and Quilting Demonstrators plus use of tables in the Town Hall.
Bonnalee set up the yard sale again this year and sold handmade items from the Busy Fingers table and leftover items from our spring yard sale which benefitted the Organ Fund. She collected $61.00 for the Busy Fingers (Woman’s Assn.) and $76.00 for the Organ Fund.
To everyone who worked on Friday putting together the Apple Crisp and on Saturday throughout the day — THANK YOU — a job well done !
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Schedules – Deacon
10-2 Len Ivel & Ron LaPointe (Communion)
10-9 Neil & Carol Mulrain (Baptism of Shea Family and Stephanie Orsi)
10-16 Ann Orsi & Quentin Lewis
10-23 Chase Orsi & Deb Entwistle (Baptism of Chloe Canning)
10-30 Nancy Desautels & Len Ivel
