November 2013 Newsletter
Congregational Connections
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Strawberry Hill Fair
November 9 9-2 pm
Help Needed – Sign-Up Today
The final push is on and we will need all kinds of help setting up on Friday and in so many areas on Saturday. There is a sign-up sheet in Russell Hall outlining specific tasks, so please take a look and see what block of time you might be able to give to an area. If you won’t be at the church before the fair, but would like to help out, please contact Marie Frascolla at 508-892-0038 and let her know when / how you can help. Here is a reminder of the areas that need coverage: Kitchen/Cafe, Farmer’s Market, Baked Goods, Holiday Decorations, Silent Auction, Busy Fingers, Tickets for Gift Baskets, Toys and Games. We need people to staff these tables and to provide breaks to others staffing them. We need helpers in the cafe. If you have items to donate, please contact Judy Ivel. Speak to Marie Frascolla about Gift Basket items. See you there!
Church Fair Raffles
For those of you who took solicitation letters for the Raffle Table to various businesses: Please turn in all donations to Judy Ivel as soon as you can. We want to cross those completed off the list and be ready to hand it all over to Sue Morowski in plenty of time for her to be organized for Fair Day. Thanks a bunch.
Halloween Candy
If you have Halloween candy left over from the holiday and you want it out of the house so you don’t eat it all yourself – why not donate it to the Country Store to be sold at the Fair. Please give those donations to Len Ivel or Ron LaPointe who will (consume! -no, no, no) sell the candy the day of the Fair.
Swaddled in Love Clothing Shop This free clothing shop will be open the day of the fair.
All donations (other than food / baked goods) must be in by Friday, November 8.
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Advent Readers Needed
The first Sunday in Advent is December 1. Each Sunday during Advent we light a candle in the Advent wreath and reflect on a particular theme. I am looking for volunteers for each of the 4 weeks of Advent to come forward as a family, individual, or friends to light the candle and say a few words about a particular theme. I warn you that it involves more than reading something pre-written, but I am excited to work with you in adding your own thoughts – a few sentences – to the ritual. Participants will be given a book of Advent devotionals by the Still Speaking writers to share (1 book for each week). Please contact me, Pastor Doreen, if you are interested.
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Woman’s Association Meeting: Wed, Nov 6, 2012 at 12:00 noon
The Woman’s Association meeting will be held at the church. After a brief meeting we will be setting up for the fair. Please bring with you any finished products you have for the fair. Only baked goods will be accepted the day of the fair. Dessert will be provided. We are looking for help in staffing the clothing shop. A sign up sheet will be available at the meeting.
Our next meeting will be Dec. 4th at Mechanics Hall. Stay tuned for details. Marie Frascolla, Pres.508 892-0038
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Friday, Dec 13 from 5-10 p.m.
A Christmas Open House at the Parsonage
A Note From the Pastor
Grace and peace, friends. In last month’s note I wrote a challenge to you to engage with me in conversation about justice issues. I invited your to share your thoughts on the idea, and promised to share them here. So here they are: That’s right. I heard nothing back. I’m not sure what that means. Can I assume that there are no strong reservations about the idea? Perhaps people did not know what I was talking about, and so didn’t know how to respond. Perhaps no one reads these notes. Perhaps you meant to respond, but kept putting it off until, whoosh, there goes another month. Perhaps you are concerned about going public with your thoughts. On that front, I offer the option of anonymity. As with the Hot Topics box, you have the option of sharing your ideas without claiming them as your own. I will not publish anything that violates the ground rule of respectful dialogue. If you wish to respond in writing anonymously, you can drop something into the offering basket, or the mail. If you don’t mind my knowing who you are, but prefer not to be identified in the newsletter, you can e-mail me or call me. Meanwhile, I’m going to go ahead and start presenting justice issues.
First up is the issue of economic justice. As I mentioned last month, justice issues are complex. I posed the question in my head as, “Why do some people receive so much more income, and others so much less?” But that question doesn’t get at all the issues of economic justice. When we talk about justice, we must look at the institutions of our society. It is not just about an individual person’s income. Economic institutions determine how each person earns a living, enters into contracts, exchanges goods and services with others. I’m a fan of the TV show “Downton Abbey,” in which an important story line is what happens to the family estate when there are only female children. Females were not allowed to own property, so other arrangements had to be made. Access and opportunity to wealth and income were limited at that time and place, and there are those who would assert there are still institutional barriers to wealth and income. Proponents of economic justice focus on legislative action because that is what it takes to change the institutional barriers. One area of focus is tax reform.
While many agree that tax reform is needed, the type of reform needed is hotly debated. Some say the tax structure should be less progressive and others say it should be more progressive. (Progressive means the percentage of income paid in taxes is higher the more you earn. Flat means everyone pays the same percentage). The UCC Justice and Witness Ministries advocates tax reform measures that answer Christ’s call to care for the poor, the hungry, the sick. They assert that: “Religious community organizations struggle to meet the needs of the many people who lack food, shelter, health care, jobs, and other essentials. But these faithful efforts inevitably fall short. The needs are just too great. In a nation of 310 million people and a world of over six billion, only government – of, for, and by the people – has the potential to raise sufficient resources and put in place the structures and institutions that can fill our unmet needs and provide for the common good.” They assert that an equitable tax system is: 1) progressive, requiring higher income households and corporations to pay a greater share of income in taxes than lower-income ones; 2) without loopholes, havens and other arrangements that can be used to shield income from taxation; 3) neutral, that is, does not create incentives for particular behaviors except when those behaviors are explicitly intended as a goal of public policy; 4) adequate to raise sufficient funds to meet social needs and promote the welfare of all; and 5) redistributive, shifting income from rich to poor to reduce income inequality and enhance the common good.
So what do YOU think? Do you believe there are still institutional barriers to economic justice? Do you think changing the tax laws can reduce or eliminate barriers? Do you agree that some problems and suffering are too widespread for individual / community action and require government intervention? Do you think those who earn more ought to pay a higher percentage in taxes? Do you think there are too many loopholes and havens that allow people to pay less than they “ought?” Do you think the common good is served by redistributing wealth? Do you think we ought to be concerned with the common good as Christian, as citizens? Try not to give a knee jerk response, or talk about issues other than economic justice. If there is a different issue you’d like to see discussed, please let me know and I will introduce that another month.
And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I give thanks for each of you who is willing to read, to ponder, and open yourselves up to these questions. I give thanks for each who is moved to respond. I give thanks for those who have other things on their minds, who have no time to read these articles, who wish I would just stop already. I give thanks for all that we share together in faith and love.
Blessings, Pastor Doreen
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The Leicester Food Pantry
At St. Joseph’s Church, 759 Main St., Leicester. Open Tuesdays 5-7 p.m. In preparation for the upcoming holidays, the Food Pantry is especially in need of: boxes of stuffing mix; pumpkin quick bread mixes; 1 lb boxes of chocolates, bags of Lindt candy, Christmas candy; monetary donations (mailed to P.O.Box 333, Leicester).
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The Great Green Bean Challenge Has Been Met And
Exceeded By 54 Cans!!
The green beans were collected for the local food bank to make up Thanksgiving baskets. We started late (October 6th) and the notice did not make the newsletter. Despite those drawbacks, we accomplished the goal in 3 weeks!
I would come before church to count the cans and update the congregation only to find more cans down in Russell Hall that had arrived in between that time. Way to go First Congregational! YOU ARE INSPIRING!
Are you ready for your NEXT challenge? We have 4 Sundays to collect 150 1# canned hams to fill baskets for Christmas. I know this is a pricier item, but we can do it. I have seen the hams at Ocean State Job Lot for around $3.34. You bargain shoppers probably know where to find them even cheaper. Anyone who would rather give a donation towards this goal is more than welcome and I will purchase the ham for you.
God is still speaking through our church and its ministry. Let’s speak with a LOUD ROAR!
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Collector’s Report by Ellie Latham
Loose Offerings Envelopes/Pledges Neighbors in Need Total
9-29 $ 37.00 $965.50 $1,002.50
10-6 $ 49.10 $728.00 $115.00 $ 892.10
10-13 $120.00 $482.50 $ 20.00 $622.50
10-20 $136.90 $665.00 $ 20.00 $821.90
Totals $343.00 $2,841.00 $155.00 $3,339.00
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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 Leandra, a friend of Kelli Mulrain, who recently moved to a nursing facility for medical care.
– For the family of Dan Colby in their loss of Dan on Oct. 27. Dan is Angela Shea’s uncle. May they find comfort in memories, and in the care of loving friends and family.
– For the Cathcarts on the loss of their beloved dog Pip
– For Florence, cousin of Nancy Desautels, who just received a diagnosis of breast cancer, that her treatment be effective and as gentle as possible, and that she is upheld in love on this journey.
– For David, friend of Nancy Desautels, who continues to deal with complications related to his Stage I Diabetes.
– For Teresa, Doreen’s sister, who has been struggling with infections and fever
– For Kay Loudon and Union Church of Christ in Ludlow, prayers for blessings on their joint ministry, celebrated in a Service of Installation on October 27.
