April 2016 Newsletter
Notice of an Important Meeting!
Sunday, April 3, at 11:30
At the annual meeting in June, 2015, Pastor Doreen presented an idea she asked us to consider during the upcoming months. Those of you who were present at that meeting may recall her proposal for reducing her position from full-time to three-quarter time pastor. She explained her reasons behind the proposal and possible benefits for our church as well as herself.
At Doreen’s request, the Pastoral Relations Committee is organizing an informational meeting on Sunday, April 3, at 11:30 in Russell Hall. Doreen will be there to answer questions (we know you will have many!) and to fully explain how this would work and when this reduction would begin. After her presentation, she will leave the meeting to allow us private discussion together.
In the meantime, we members of the PR committee will be the “ears” listening to your opinions and will be available for those who want to talk to us. You might even see a temporary return of the “Hot Topic” box!
Pastoral Relations Committee: Norma Dodge, Ellie Latham, Jackie Henderson
Let the Easter Season Continue! April 6 & 10
There is still time to take in a performance of The Christian Community Choir presentation of Raise the Crown: A Musical for Easter, by Deborah Craig-Claar and David T. Clydesdale, under the direction of Kathleen Hosterman. Though none of the performances will be at FCC, three of our own member are singing, and it is worth going out of your way to hear the choir. April 3 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in East Brookfield; and April 10 at Overlook Masonic Home in Charlton. All performances begin at 3 p.m.
Hope for Housing Grocery Cards
It costs you nothing extra, and 5% of all purchases goes to help the homeless. Cards are available for Big Y, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Shaws, CVS and Panera. Checks for the purchases are made out to Hope for Housing. Just e-mail Doreen if you would like to purchase any cards.
Christianity 101: April 10
Meets April 10 after Fellowship time in the Pastor’s study. All are welcome to come join in the conversation on Christian belief about what happens after you die, among other things.
Blanket Drive ~ Thank You
A Heart Felt Thank You to all who contributed to another successful blanket drive this year. Through your generosity and caring hearts our total this year is $630 for 126 blankets. God Bless You All.
A Note from the Pastor
Grace and peace, my friends. While preparing this month’s newsletter, I found myself at a loss for a topic for this Note. I turned to Facebook, reaching out for ideas and inspiration. One suggestion was to talk about the idea of turning the other cheek, which she thought would be particularly relevant in this year of presidential campaigning. What does this phrase mean to you? What are you saying when you say that you will turn the other cheek, or advise someone else to do so? Does it mean that if someone strikes you once, you should turn and let them get a whack at the other side of your face?
This phrase is attributed to Jesus in both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. These Gospels share many of the same stories, but they are often told in different contexts or with different emphases. Luke’s focus seems to be on loving your enemies, while Matthew’s context for the phrase is about not resisting evil.
Luke 6: 27-31 – But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Matthew 5: 38-42 – You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Is there a difference between them for you? I see more similarity than difference. To me, they both say in effect that we ought not have enemies. If someone treats us like an enemy, we are to treat that person like a friend. If someone is trying to take something from you, don’t let them – give it to them instead. It is teachings like this that remind me how far I am from the Kingdom!
But I wonder if we can all get a little closer to the basic idea of not making enemies of people who look, act, think and vote differently than we do (even if they are members of our own family). Can we share our opinions without insisting that we have the best or only way to understand things? Can we avoid calling people who have different opinions stupid or evil, even if the name-calling just goes on in our heads? Can we admit that just because we don’t understand the other perspective, it doesn’t mean that perspective isn’t valid in some way to some people? Perhaps one way to keep things from escalating is to own our feelings. Instead of labeling someone else as “dangerous,” we can say, “I am afraid.” Instead of calling someone “a liar,” we might say we are confused about where they got their information, or that the information we have differs from what was said. It is easy for us to make assumptions about the qualifications and motivations of the candidates, but none of us are mind-readers, nor have we walked their journeys. Can we try instead to see each and every one of the candidates (and their supporters) as beloved children of God, our own brothers and sisters?
I have long wanted to tweak Jesus’ message here, making it mean something I am more comfortable with, especially the part about offering your cheek for another slap. But I believe these teachings are based on Jesus’ deep understanding of who he really is, and who we really are. And what we truly are makes our material possessions, our reputations, our egos, even our physical bodies far less important than the connections we have with one another and with God. To make someone an enemy for the sake of any of those things completely misses the mark and takes us off course from the Kingdom. Jesus’ knowledge of this truth was what allowed him to live as he did, and to die as he did. He knew that this truth was what set him free. Will we let ourselves be freed as well? What a tremendous opportunity for practice we have!
I am always interested in your thoughts about these notes, and open to your ideas for topics, so please do share.
Blessings,
Pastor Doreen
SPECIAL MEETING NOTICE: April 17
To all members and officers of the First Congregational Church of Leicester
On Sunday, April 17 there will be a special meeting of the church. The meeting will be held in the Sanctuary immediately following the worship service.
Purpose: To vote on adding $2000 to the budget for the Pastor’s Health Insurance coverage.
Special Meeting Rationale: The minister’s compensation package voted on at Annual Meeting in 2015 set health insurance coverage at $3000. This number was determined by looking at actual expenditures over the past few years. The amount budgeted when Doreen began serving was $9000, and a family insurance plan was contracted by the church. When Doreen switched to her husband’s health insurance, the church voted $5000 for coverage, which would reimburse Quentin for the difference in cost between an individual plan and a family plan, plus allow some coverage of deductibles and co-pays. The amount actually spent was much less than this. In 2013 it was recommended that Doreen receive a raise, which was accomplished by decreasing the health insurance coverage by $1000 and adding that to her salary. The amount budgeted for 2014 continued at $4000. Since the amount actually spent was around $3000, the 2015 budget reduced it further to $3000. However, medical costs for the family have been quite high this year, with over $3000 in expenses submitted on top of the premium reimbursements. Doreen requested an increase in the budgeted amount, capped off at $5000, for the 2015-2016 budget year.
Bible / Book Study
Wed 10:30 am: Meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month in the Pastor’s Study. We explore the bible passages that will be preached on Sunday morning. Open to new participants any time for as many sessions as you like.
West Side Group: The group meets in North Brookfield to discuss a book that all have read. Our current book is When Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Harold Kushner. The discussion meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 22 at 3 p.m. The group is open to anyone who wants to read the book. Contact Doreen for location, or for help ordering the book. There is still plenty of time to read it and join us.
Women’s Association: April 6th at 12 noon
It was mentioned that we could use a meeting to regroup for the springtime. So there is no entertainment/speaker planned for this month. We will discuss plans for the rest of the year which should include a service project. So bring your sandwich and enjoy the camaraderie of all the wonderful ladies here at church.
June Kelley had a wonderful idea for next month – so far it’s a go with the date May 4th. We’ve invited Dianna Provencher (Selectwoman) and owner of Little Bit Farm here in Leicester. She also works for the County and is requesting some vacation time in order to be with us. We have not heard the definite okie dokie yet. Dianna is an avid Bee Keeper and has wonderful products she sells from the Farm. It is also spring at the Farm and she will talk about all the new seedlings they are growing this year. Dianna is also the driving force behind the Leicester Farmers Market – we are delighted she is interested in speaking to us about their Farm. She will bring some of her wonderful product that will be for sale. Hoping to see you all at these meetings.
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 hands. May this simple practice fill you with peace and hope.
• For our church, that we may discover and embrace the direction in which God is steering us.
• For Cynthia’s friend Sandy, who has Parkinson’s and will be starting a series of three surgeries to help increase her mobility.
• For Cliff and Jan Albrecht. Cliff fell last month and suffered lots of bad scrapes and wounds. Jan’s rehab for hip surgery was slowed by an ankle injury.
• For Paul and Geri as they deal with the changes of aging and the loss of close friends.
