April 2014 Newletter

CONGREGATIONAL CONNECTIONS

Preparing for and Celebrating the Good News!

Please join us during Holy Week, continuing the walk with Jesus all the way to the cross and right past death to the blessing of Resurrection.

Palm Sunday Worship on April 13 will begin with a palm procession, just as Jesus’ last week began. The liturgy will follow the arc of that week, right up to the his death on the cross, and the entombing of his body.

Later that week, we will give even more attention to his last days. We will hold a modified Passover Celebration with a Seder meal hosted by the RE Committee, in Russell Hall on Thursday, April 17 at 6:00 p.m. The meal will be followed by a Maundy Thursday worship

service at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. We will share the bread and cup, as Jesus did with his disciples the night of his arrest, and we will tell the story of that arrest with a Tenebrae liturgy.

On Friday, April 18, the deacons are hosting a time of quiet reflection with seven stations to engage you in prayer, in thanksgiving, in reflection. The Sanctuary will be open from noon through 8 p.m. Drop by at 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.

On Sunday, April 20, we will celebrate Easter by freeing the Alleluia’s, which were put away during Lent. 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.

Easter Flowers

Each year we offer you the opportunity to order flowers at reasonable prices for Easter that will be used to decorate the Sanctuary on Easter morning, and then can be taken home to give away or enjoy. There is a wide selection, including lilies, mums, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths in several colors and sizes (except the lilies are white and the daffodils are what they are). You may dedicate the flowers in memory of someone or in honor of someone, and this will be noted on an insert in the order of worship on Easter morning.

Order forms will be available beginning April 6, either in the order of service or in Russell Hall. Or you can contact Marie Frascolla at 508-892-0038.

A Note from the Pastor: An Easter Message

Those who shared a reflection on Lent during the season each received a book of Lenten devotionals put out by the UCC. I wanted to share the passage on Easter with a wider audience. This is by Rev. Anthony S. Robinson.

Resurrection is a word I like. In the Sunday papers and on TV there are “Easter Bunny Specials.” Soft, sweet and safe.
Resurrection is not safe. Resurrection disturbs, shatters, surges – a rushing mountain stream shooting between boulders, power than cannot be stopped. Resurrection is a word I like.
On Sunday morning they thought he was safe – safely dead and buried, over, done, finished – finally. The One who put the question, the One who spoke the promise, the One in whom a new creation came near, the One who said “Follow me,” was dead and buried, safely.
Bring on the bunnies, flowers, candy, sports, spectacles and other safe substitutes for LIFE.
Resurrection is a disturbing word, which says, we’re never safe from God, from the new, from life, from love. A disturbing, hopeful, shattering word – Resurrection is a word I like.

I love this devotional because of the paradox it highlights – the difficulty we have of recognizing the truly good news of Resurrection as good news. I love how it names the things we are willing to be content with, but that are mere substitutes for the LIFE God offers us. Christians assert that Jesus came, taught, ministered, was killed, and was resurrected in order to save us from this substitution for life. Some will say it did not work, and we don’t have to look very far to see support for that assertion. People treat each other horribly, often. The amount of suffering and injustice is mind-boggling. And yet we Christians hang our souls on the belief that it did work – Jesus did save us. So what to make of all the death and destruction that continues? Theologians assert that it is an “already – net yet” salvation. It started in Christ and its completion is promised and certain, but is still in process. Hence we have the opportunity to participate in it. We get to seek out Resurrection life. We get to bring it to others. For all the horrible ways we treat each other, we can look for the acts of incredible kindness and sacrifice.

I recently read an interview with Jeff Bauman, a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing. He had stood right next to Tamerlan Tsarnaev and held his gaze for several seconds. He knew something was very wrong. He saw coldness in those eyes. He says he knows in a way he never knew before about evil in the world, and yet he also knows more about grace and kindness and goodness than he ever knew before. He said for bad thing done, there are dozens, perhaps hundreds of good things.

The disturbing, shattering, surging force of the resurrection has the power to carry us past being disturbed and shattered and into the only place we are truly safe – the kindom of God. And we don’t have to die to our physical bodies to get there, we only need to die to this substitute for life – the flowers, the candy, the sports and spectacles. How is Resurrection surging into your life, and into the life of First Congregational Church?

Happy Easter to you all. Pastor Doreen

I will return to the exploration of justice issues in the May newsletter. If you have an idea for a topic, please let me know.

Super Saturday Reports

Diana Butler Bass Super Saturday presentation from Mass. Conference UCC on Vimeo.

On Saturday, March 1, two carloads of people from FCC went out to Ludlow to attend the Super Saturday Event put on by the Massachusetts and Connecticut Conferences of the United Church of Christ. Attendees were asked to give a little report, since the goal was to get information and ideas to benefit our church. We’ll keep thinking about how to implement some of these things, and engage more and more of you in the challenge of growing this Body of Christ. Thanks to all who attended, and to those giving reports.

From Carol Mulrain:
One of the workshops I attended was titled, Producer-Prompter-Preacher-Prophet. It sounded good from the introduction but was definitely geared more towards ministers. Unfortunately, I did not come away with any helpful information for our worship service.

The second workshop was Called to Care. The leader discussed the many steps to creating a culture of care in your church. She said caring is at the heart of our faith; we ARE called to care. So how do we proceed? There is a program that the UCC has developed to prepare people for a caregiving ministry. I don’t think that our church needs something like that at this time, but we can certainly utilize some of the principles.

The first step is to locate the needs of the people then act on them. For instance; preparing a meal, helping with transportation to a doctor’s visit or grocery shopping. There is something EVERYone can do, regardless of age or physical capability. Can you make a phone call or send a card or even just sit with someone who could use a little company? Maybe you could trim a shrub or mow a lawn. Caring only requires that you do something out of love or compassion for another person. We care about each other at First Congregational Church. What can we do to show that caring? By acting on it. LOVE is an action word!

From Mary Ellen Brosnihan:
One workshop I attended was called “Recovering From Our Cultural Additions” where they discussed how the way we think is influenced by how we were raised. It was similar to the 12 Steps of AA. We are powerless over our problems. Let go and let God. Share your problems with a group/person, such as your Pastor or members of your church or a close friend. The Churches need to teach their “Flocks” or “Members” to concentrate on the present moment and not look back. Learn from experiences. Don’t wallow in past memories. Focus on the here and now. Make amends to people you have hurt by words or actions. Learn to listen, and do not judge. If you share a problem, it lightens your load. Bottom line…we are all people, with cultural ideas, but we need to work as one body, to help, share, and support each other and our communities.

From Quentin Lewis:
I attended two conferences at the UCC Super Saturday Conference, and I thought both of them were very interesting and informative. The first was about online communication and social media, and it described the ways that churches can increase their contact with their congregation as well as the general community with an online presence. This includes having an up to date and relevant web site as well as timely and active social media presence.

Tips & Tools for a Robust Web Ministry from Mass. Conference UCC on Vimeo.

It turns out that many churches found the connection with their own congregation was a lot bigger use than they had thought because it served both the snowbirds who winter elsewhere as well as those new to the area scouting around for a church to call their own. The one interesting take away I found at the conference was the idea of getting others in the church involved in the web and facebook publishing, and that it might be an excellent way to involve the younger church members who are already naturally attracted to these communications medium like ducks to water.

The second session I attended was titled “Ministering in small groups”, and it was excellent. It talked about how small groups might be the perfect way to get new people in the church involved because it can sometimes feel overwhelming to join an already existing group where everyone else had formed, normed and performed years earlier and they often find it difficult to do this alone.

The idea of always “starting new ministries” anew was one way to always make things fresh and easy to join. For example, rather than have an old established bible study go on and on, you would “finish” the one going on currently, and then announce that a new one will begin and invite everyone to join that. It feels more inviting to the new member, and it will then feel like the introductions made are not being done for just the new people. I also found the various vendors at the conference were also a joy to talk to, and they covered all sorts of areas. All in all, it was a great conference!

The Passion of Jesus, Art and Worship:

Sunday, April 13, Worcester Art Museum

Join First Church in Marlborough and Pilgrim Congregational Church in Southborough for a unique experience during Palm & Passion Sunday.

At 3 PM we will go on a guided tour of Passion & Art through out the centuries.
At 4 PM we will gather at the Chapter House of the WAM where we will listen to the Passion Narrative, writings of mystics on the Passion, as well as sing some traditional Passion hymns.

The amazing Graham Boswell will be playing the cello for us. Rev. Julie Cedrone and Rev. Kazimierz Bem will be leading the worship. All are welcome – admission prices for the WAM are: $14 Adults, $12 students & seniors, $6 ages 6-17.

Women’s Association Upcoming Schedule

• Wednesday, April 2nd at noon at the church – It’s Hat Day ! Wear a hat and gloves – prize for the best hat! Hostesses for dessert & coffee/tea are Norma Dodge & Nancy Tashjian. We will be helping with preparations for Bunny Day at this meeting! Ellie Latham & Judy Ivel are working on a slate of officers for the upcoming year. If you would like to serve in any way, please speak to Ellie or Judy.

• Wednesday, May 7th– Lunch out at noon at Pine Ridge Country Club, 20 Pleasant Street, North Oxford. We will be ordering off the regular lunch menu while enjoying views of the golf course. Great food & wonderful conversation. Please let Judy Ivel know if you’re planning on attending so she can call in the final reservation. Also, June Kelley and Judy Ivel are planning next year’s monthly activities. Let them know if you have something you’d like to propose for a meeting.

• Wednesday, June 4th – Lunch out & installation of officers at the Old Mill Restaurant, 69 State Road East, Westminster, MA. We will leave from the church parking lot around 11:00 a.m. for a noon time lunch at this wonderful old mill built in 1761. You don’t want to miss this gathering. The setting and food are just wonderful. We will be carpooling – drivers for this trip will be: Marie Frascolla, Judy Ivel, Cindy Lapointe, Norma Dodge, Nance Desautels & possibly June Kelley. We want everyone to feel that they can go even though it is a bit of a ride. The Old Mill staff were so accommodating. We will be ordering off the lunch menu and have a Small private room. Judy Ivel will be taking names and coordinating the rides.

Amen………….OR MAYBE NOT ?? by Robert Shauris

For quite some time I have been faced with a conundrum; to Amen or not to Amen at the end of hymns! Most hymnals published since the 1970’s have not used amen at the end of hymns. So, to solve the question of the Amen I ask for your help. In this article I will present a brief history of how the amen came to end hymns in the Protestant tradition and the rationale now used to omit these very same amen’s from hymns today. I will ask that you have the final AMEN on this issue by letting me know your preference.

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE USE OF “AMEN” IN HYMNS – Singing Amen at the end of hymns, for many, is second nature. For this reason it might be interesting to note that this was not always the case, in fact, it was not until the 1800’s that Amen at the end of hymns first appeared in hymnals.

The hymns of Martin Luther, John Calvin, Isaacs Watts, and Charles and John Wesley did not originally include an ending Amen. In America in 1640 at Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Puritans published the Bay Psalm Book, the first book of any kind to be printed in British North America. John Wesley’s Collection of Psalms and Hymns (Savannah, GA, printed in Charleston, SC, 1737) is another early example of hymnals not using amen.

In 1861 the “new” edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern was printed in England is one of the earliest examples of a hymnal making use of Amen at the end of hymns. This hymnal was highly influenced by the Oxford movement (An English movement from 1833 – 1845 which examined how the Church of England could reconsider its relationship with the Catholic Church in matters of theology and liturgy) and its compilers had a strong interest in Latin (Catholic) hymnody. Psalms and certain hymns in Latin hymnals that ended with a doxology (Glory be …world without end) ended with amen. As a result amen was appended to all the hymns in this book, and subsequently in all the hymnals issued by Congregationalists and Presbyterians and soon crossed the pond and wound up in New England.

TODAY: Erik Routley, one of the foremost hymnologists of the twentieth century, wrote in his book Church Music and the Christian Faith (1978): “Now consider what a patchwork of misunderstanding and anachronism all this is. Singing amen after post-Reformation hymns was unknown before about 1850. There is no older precedent for it, it was in any case an error, and those who initiated it have long repented of it. ”

As has been noted, no major American hymnal of any denomination uses amen at the end of each hymn. Contemporary composers writing hymns, for the most part, do not end with amen. The question for us is, when using hymns from the Pilgrim hymnal, do we continue to end with amen or do we follow contemporary practice and drop the amen? Please share your thoughts in the “Hot Topics” box in Russell Hall.

Worcester Fellowship Annual Sock Hop Fundraiser!

Saturday, May 3rd

Come dance your socks off! Time is 6-8:30pm. Suggested donation: People who own a home AND have a job $25 to $50 per person;People with a rented home AND/OR a job $5 to $25 per person; People without a home or without a job $1 to $5 per person.

Please check our web site for more details. www.worcesterfellowship.org.

Hope to see you there! (To carpool with Doreen and Quentin, speak to Doreen by April 26.)

Blanket Fund Thanks!

by Nancy Desautels

I would like to thank everyone who helped to make this year’s Blanket Drive for CWS a success once again. This year we collected $615 for 123 blankets. God Bless you All for your Generosity.