August 2014 Newsletter
CONGREGATIONAL CONNECTIONS
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Church Picnic at Stiles Lake:
Sunday, August 24th (weather permitting)
Come and share a fun afternoon at the lake. Spend a few hours having fun in the sun (and shade), and visiting with your church family. All are welcome.
Date: Sunday, August 24th
Time: After worship – Noon until…?
Please Bring:
• Swimsuits, Towels, Swim Shoes (or old sneakers-for tender feet), Life Jackets for the children.
• Something to share: Snacks, Salads, Casseroles, Veggies, Fruit, Desserts, etc.
Hamburgers and Hot Dogs will be provided! Please let Cindy LaPointe know when you have decided what you would like to bring for menu planning, and about how many will be coming. For directions, or if you have questions, call Cindy & Ron LaPointe at 508-885-9875. Hope to see you there.
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Paints Night
You know you’ve always wanted to…. express yourself artistically. “Paint Nights” are increasingly popular events, and we have the opportunity to host one here at the church. An artist leads the session, providing supplies (canvas, paints, and brushes), the painting subject, and guidance. The church provides atmosphere, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages. You would pay $30-35, could byob, and bring home your finished masterpiece. We would need to have enough interest to make this a worthwhile event. Please let Doreen know if you would be interested, and if so, whether an evening during the week or on the weekend would be best.
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Grounded Summer Worship by Pastor Doreen
A few people have stopped by to join me, to sit enveloped by the natural sounds of the Leicester Common before worship. Lawn chairs, prayer books and a bible are set out each Sunday (weather permitting) by 9:35. For me, it is a reminder of the connection of what goes on inside the church, and what goes on outside. What might it mean to you? Come join me and find out. I ask all participants to please respect that this is a time of quiet, and refrain from chatting.
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Save the Date!
The Harvest Fair is coming up quickly
Please mark your calendars for Saturday, September 20 for the Town Harvest Fair. The church is used for many activities and exhibits, and we will have our own spot on the Common to serve the community and raise some funds for the church. Lots of help will be needed Friday evening and all day Saturday.
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Pastor’s Note
Grace and peace to you, my friends. This summer I have taken on a new professional challenge – supervision of a student minister. He is serving at another church, so I don’t get to observe him in action, but we meet each week to talk about his ministry. It has been a great opportunity for me to wonder and reflect about ministry, about why church matters, and the theological principles behind what we do in and on behalf of the Church. The theological term for thinking about what Church is (or ought to be) is ecclesiology. Christianity sees Church as the Body of Christ, and it consists not of buildings but of people. You don’t go to a church, you become part of a church, and when you do, you are the Church. So what does it mean to be the Body of Christ in the world? Buildings can be important as a central location to bring people together to be the church, but it is important to understand how to be the church apart from the physical building.
Dave (the student minister) and I have been talking a lot about how churches can be welcoming to people who are unsure of their beliefs, or hold beliefs that differ from traditional Christian teachings. Can we do this and still maintain a clear identity as a Christian church? When are we called to encourage questions – or different spiritual paths and practices – and when are we called to delineate core Christian doctrine? I am thinking about these things also as we develop our new program of worship and spiritual nurture (see article on A New Thing). I will always welcome questions. I think they are crucial to a mature faith. I think it is deeply true that not all questions can or ought to be answered. We don’t appreciate the gifts of mystery enough. I also think it is important for a church and its leaders to be clear about their beliefs, while allowing for the legitimacy and worth of other beliefs. But even more important than clarity of belief is clarity of action in the ways we follow Christ.
The United Church of Christ Statement of Faith holds that “God calls us into the church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be servants in the service of the whole human family, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ’s baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory.” It’s a great guideline for how to be church. Churches work to follow the ways of Jesus, who sought to reconcile people with God, with each other and within themselves. They are called to serve the world in some way, helping to bring beauty, truth, or justice more deeply and widely. Churches need to let people know that they are loved by God, and that mercy and new life await them. Churches ought to offer the chance to come together regularly to be fed at Christ’s table that we be sustained and energized for this on-going work. Churches need to point out the forces in our world that seek to disrupt our connection with God, or our recognition of the belovedness of others. We need to offer not just instruction, but models and inspiration of a different way to live. You can see there is nothing about living without questions or doubts, nothing about demanding blind acceptance of doctrine or tenets.
These are some of the things I have pondered, along with Christians through the centuries. Paul’s letters to the earliest Christian churches were full of advice and admonitions about how to be church, what practices built up the body, and which tore it down. As the movement expanded from a sect of Judaism to welcoming Gentiles, they struggled with similar questions of what was central to being part of the movement, and what was open to variation and/or debate. I invite you to reflect on these questions as well. What is important in belief and practice in being a Christian? What is the role of the church? What does it mean for a church to be welcoming? What do you question about the Christian faith? I would love to get together with you to hear your thoughts, so please drop me an e-mail or give me a call (pastorfccleicester@verizon.net / 978-846-6498.
Blessings, Pastor Doreen
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams
in the wasteland. – Isaiah 43: 19
Imagine this: It is the end of the weekend. You spent Saturday shuttling the kids to their games, running errands, cleaning the house, etc. Exhausted and needing a break, everyone sleeps in on Sunday morning. You get up at your leisure, eat breakfast together, read the paper. The day passes before you know it, and now it’s time to make sure homework is done and start preparing for the week ahead.
The weekend was fine, but it feels like something is missing. Maybe you didn’t get to sleep in, or spend time together on Sunday. Maybe it’s just been more running around. And reading the paper, while it keeps you up on what’s happening in the world, doesn’t feed your spirit. In fact, it brings you down and stirs up a sense of hopelessness for this world.
And then you remember – early this evening there is a gathering at church! Yes! There is plenty of time to get there, and there will be plenty of time to get home for dinner and the evening’s preparation for the week. The whole family gets in the car and off you go. It is a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere – no need to get dressed up. You walk upstairs – not to the Sanctuary, but to the gathering room to the side. You all join the circle, lighting a candle, appreciating the music that marks your entry into sacred space. The service is different – more engaging, contemporary music. People get to share as well as listen. People wonder together about where and how God is working in our lives. And after about 30 minutes of worship, there is a break for “class.” Each person gets to choose – join the structured discussion (sometimes with a short video) or join in creative expression (drawing, painting, writing, clay/playdough). The classes can see each other, and people can check in with each other as needed. After 30 minutes or so, everyone returns to the circle for a closing blessing before departing. You head home with your family with a sense of peace and a feeling of hope, ready to live and carry the good news into the week ahead.
This is the vision of the RE Committee, on behalf of the church. We are developing a new way of nurturing faith development. We might even have to rename the RE Committee, because we are not doing “religious education.” What we hope to do is spiritual nurture and faith formation for all ages. No more will children be shuttled out of the Sanctuary on Sunday morning to go to a classroom for a lesson. We will make special efforts to welcome children in worship on Sunday mornings, with activity packets made just for them, and children’s messages that help them connect with the worship theme and sermon each week.
AND we will offer Creative Worship and Faith Formation for All Ages twice a month – the 2nd and 4th Sundays, at 5:00 p.m. It is geared towards families with children, but is open, and hopefully meaningful, to everyone. This will be a place to explore your beliefs, to develop spiritual practices, to strengthen your connection with God, your own soul, and each other.
The new program will begin on September 28, and we hope you will check it out. We are looking for a catchy name for the program, which would be followed by the description in bold above (or something similar) as we promote the program. Your suggestions and feedback are welcome. Here are a few that have come in so far: Spirit of Light Worship, Spirit at Play Worship, Creative Faith Worship, Free Spirit Worship.
And if you have no feedback on the name, and doubt you will attend, please, please pray for us in this new thing. Thank you.
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LGBT Justice Issues – Further Responses
Dear Friends,
The last of my Justice Issues columns, LGBT Justice, continues to elicit responses. My mother, Geri Cullen, worked very hard to put her thoughts on paper, and I believe what she says is worth sharing. Also, Kay Loudon had a response to an issue raised by Chris Cathcart, which questioned the need for congregations to declare, through a structured process, that they are Open and Affirming. With all the back and forth of this conversation, I wonder if this is a topic we might be ready for face-to-face conversation on. Please let me know if you would want to / be willing to participate in a conversation about either the Open and Affirming Process or religion and LGBT justice.
Meanwhile – food for thought:
From Geri Cullen: Dad and I are so proud of you for bringing out LGBT issues. God made all people. My brother told my parents about 40 years ago that he was gay. We were worried because gay men were being killed. My brother’s friend was murdered and stuffed in a closet. My brother is sweet and loving. My parents knew he was still their son, still the same person, and loved and accepted him, and the people in his life. I have a grandson who is gay and I want him to be accepted just as he is. You can’t know what people are or what they think, and gay people shouldn’t be treated differently than anyone else. It is not contagious. We all came into the world the same way, and we all go out.
Kay Lantman Loudon
From Kay Loudon: I read with interest each issue of the Congregational Connections. I especially enjoy the Hot Topics section and I commend Pastor Doreen and the congregation for the courage to tackle such sensitive and timely issues. As you might imagine the column about LGBT issues was of particular interest to me. I am glad to say that I am in agreement with the opinions expressed. It is Christine’s comments that I feel I must respond to.
I totally agree with Chris that, in a perfect world, no church should ever have to make a statement proclaiming that LGBT people are welcome in Church. It should be obvious that all are welcome and all anyone has to do is enter the doors of the First Congregational Church of Leicester and they will know that it is a welcoming and loving place full of welcoming and loving people.
But, we do not live in a perfect world and the fact of the matter is there are many Churches where LGBT people are NOT welcomed and accepted. Almost every church I know has a sign out front that says “All Welcome”. Unfortunately, Gayle and I know from personal experience, that we are not welcome in ALL Churches. The papers, news reports and internet are full of reports everyday of Churches where LGBT people are not welcome. Many churches have emotionally, spiritually and even physically wounded the LGBT community. The simple fact is that many in the LGBT community are fearful about entering an unknown church without assurance that they are actually welcome AND accepted for who they are and how God made them. The main reason that a church like FCC Leicester should become ONA is to tell the LGBT community that they will be welcomed and accepted BEFORE they walk through doors. An ONA sign or symbol OUTSIDE the Church tells the LGBT community that it is OK to walk in without fear. I pray that the day will soon arrive where such signs and symbol of welcome for the LGBT community will not be needed and to use Chris’ words, “It will just be a given.” Until that day comes, I urge you to consider becoming an ONA church.
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Worcester Fellowship Lunch Providers
Sunday, August 31st
Lots of supplies and helping hands needed to assemble lunches for the Worcester Fellowship ministry of food and worship for housed and homeless people of Worcester. There will be a sign-up sheet beginning August 17 for food donations, and we will gather in Russell Hall right after worship on August 31 to assemble bag lunches. All are welcome to join in lunch and worship behind Worcester City Hall beginning at 1 p.m.
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Motion on Missions – Update
At the Annual Meeting a motion was made to add a budget line item to fund outreach giving. There was lots of discussion, and questions, and ultimately those who made the motion and seconded it decided to withdraw the motion, to explore more thoroughly the issues raised. This is an important and complex issue, and I commend especially Ken Latham for the action he has taken on this issue, and all those who shared so thoughtfully at the informational meeting on June 1 and at the Annual Meeting.
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Bible/Book Study
All groups are on hiatus for the summer. The West Side Book Group (Thursdays, 6 p.m. in Spencer or N. Brookfield) has decided to meet just once a month to discuss a book that was read by all participants. We welcome new members to all groups beginning in September. If you would like to join the Thursday group, please read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert by mid-September. Check out the September newsletter for information on all groups.
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Hope for Housing Shopping Cards
We have been invited to join with Christ Episcopal Church in supporting this worthy program. Hope for Housing is a non-profit program developed by the Interfaith Coalition to Prevent Family Homelessness. By simply purchasing cards for stores that you already frequent, you can make a difference. The stores donate a percentage of the purchase price to Hope for Housing, and it costs you nothing!
Here’s the process: ask Doreen to be included on the e-mail list. You will receive an e-mail each Tuesday of available cards. If you wish to purchase cards that week, respond to the e-mail by Thursday. Bring or send a check for the cost of the card by / on Sunday, and pick up your card at church. If you can’t make it to church that week, the card will be held until the next Sunday, or contact Doreen to make other pick up arrangements. It is anticipated that as of August 10, the following cards will be available. Please check and see if this is something you can easily integrate into your shopping routine.
Panera $10 and $25; Big Y $25 and $50; CVS $20; Shaws $25 and $50; Stop & Shop $25, $50, and $100; Hannaford $25 and $50. It is possible to get $100 cards for Shaws, Big Y, and Hannaford, and it is also possible to get $10 cards for CVS and Hannaford (with about 2 weeks’ notice)
Click here to learn more about this program on line
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From Your Stewardship Committee – August 2014
Out of gratitude for God’s gifts and trusting God’s enabling power, we have received the following faith-promises / pledges to the church for this current fiscal year; a total of
17 pledges to the church totaling $29,214.00 and 7 pledges to missions totaling $1,042.00.
Deb Entwistle and Ellie Latham
“… all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen. 12:3b, NIV)
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Collector’s Report by Ellie Latham (as of 7-22-14)
Loose Offerings Envelopes/Pledges Special Totals
05-18 $ 27.00 $ 885.50 $ 400.35* $1,312.85
05-25 $ 56.00 $ 379.50 $ 435.50
06-01 $ 91.00 $ 529.00 $ 79.65 * $ 699.65
06-08 $ 42.00 $ 973.00 $1,015.00
06-15 $ 83.00 $ 313.00 $ 32.00 ** $ 428.00
06-22 $ 77.00 $ 513.00 $ 590.00
06-29 $ 33.00 $ 973.00 $1,006.00
07-06 $ 28.00 $1,027.00 $ 10.00 ** $1,065.00
Totals $ 437.00 $5,593.00 $ 522.00 $6,552.00
Stop Hunger Now
**OGHS / MACUCC
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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 Keith Desautels and Anna that they will be in their new home by the end of August, four months after the fire.
– For Rick, and friend of Nancy Desautels, who is cancer free but now fighting staph pneumonia.
– For Edie Henderson, that God continues to watch over her and give her family strength
– For Peggy, Ellie’s daughter’s mother-in-law, whose health is declining
– For Suzie, Ellie’s daughter’s sister-in-law, whose cancer is spreading. She remains optimistic.
– For all those suffering with depression, disabilities, and health issues
– Please pray for Peace
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Mass Conference 215th
I had the distinct pleasure of attending the meeting on June 13th. John 14:12, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and in fact, will do greater works than these …” Quite the challenge, yes?
We opened with worship, introductions, appointments, and elections. There were also “Testimonies to Knock Your Socks Off”, one of which came from FCC Northampton. They hold an outside prayer service every Tuesday at 2 pm. The time coincides with President Obama’s weekly national advisory meeting. In the evening, there were presentations on the budget and United Church Mission proposal, and the keynote address by the Rev. Yvette Flunder.
Saturday began with hearings and forums and I attended the forum on the United Church Mission proposal and the Conference Budget proposal to gain a better understanding of these items and how they affect our church.
Later that morning, the budget was voted on. This was broken down as: OCWM Basic Support will be 47% or approximately $994,000 staying with the Conference and 53% or approximately $1,200.000 going to support National and Global Missions and Ministry. Dues were set at $18.10 per church member. These were voted on and passed.
A resolution of witness regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was introduced but will not be voted on until 2015. Also, the United Church Mission proposal was presented. This changes support to the Conference from membership giving to percentage giving. This will not become mandatory for a few years. It was voted on and passed. I abstained.
There was a celebration of the life of Andy Gustafson. He was the Association Conference Minister for Stewardship and passed away a few months ago from brain cancer. Rev. Kelly Gallagher was installed as the new Central Conference Minister.
I found this weekend to be spiritually uplifting and recommend that everyone attend at least one meeting. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to see me and if I can’t answer it, I’ll get one.
In peace and friendship,
Ken Latham, Delegate
Annual Meeting
