June/July Newsletter 2017
Congregational Connections
Concerts on the Common
Very soon it will be time to load up the trailer and heat up the grill to cook hot dogs! The concert season begins on Wednesday July 7 and will continue through the August 23 (30 for rain postponements – 8 concerts total). Many helpers are needed for set up, food preparation, serving and clean up, and BAKERS to satisfy the hungry crowd. Squares, brownies, cookies, muffins, etc., packaged to sell for 50 cents or $l.00 works best. The concert goers come early to pick their favorites and are so disappointed if they miss out! We’re hoping for a season of great Wed. weather (fingers crossed), but please remember that if the concert is postponed because of bad weather, it will be held on Thursday evening. Concerts begin at 6:30 PM all season.
We begin to load the coolers and the trailer starting at 4PM (for those who can come early), then move over to the Unitarian Church lawn to set up and start the coffee pot and begin popping corn. Many concert goers arrive early to have their supper (or dessert) before the concert begins. We can never seem to be ready early enough! At least 4 or 5 servers are needed once the concert begins and especially at intermission. The grill and popcorn machine need constant attention, as well as 1 person to handle the money box. Once intermission is past we can gradually begin to put some things away, then load the trailer again and move back to the Congregational kitchen to pack up, restock and clean up.
If you are able to help in any way PLEASE let Cindy know what is the best time for you, AND be sure to leave your phone number so she can call you in case of bad weather. It looks like a really great season of concerts – so come, enjoy and have some fun with us as we help to support our church through the summer months. It’s such a great way to meet-and-greet those in our community and hopefully make some new friends in the process. THANK YOU sooooooo much!!
Member Dues Requested ASAP
Click here for more information
As we noted in last month’s newsletter and in the weekly bulletin, the church pays $20.65 to the UCC Association and Conference Dues. We ask individual members to pay as they can towards these dues, separate from the pledge to this church. We hope to send a check to the Association by the end of June and receipts by then would be most appreciated. Checks can be made out to First Cong. Church with notation “UCC Dues,” put in the offering plate. Thanks so much.
A Note From the Pastor
Grace and peace to you, my friends. This greeting is often used by Epistle writer Paul as he writes to the churches he founded. He often continues with praise and thanksgiving to God for the community, and prays for God’s sustaining action in the community. I have been more conscious of praying for the community of FCC, both in thanksgiving, and for sustaining action and inspiration from God. I offer prayers in my private prayer time as well as in our time together. I also lift up prayers constantly on behalf of people suffering, within our community and around the world. I pray for our government, its leaders, that we live out the values of true justice and compassion. Sometimes it feels like my prayers fall on deaf ears. Have you ever felt like that? Your heart and soul are full of trust and hope, and you keep turning to God, only to have your hopes dashed, only to see people continue to suffer or to lose even more. You may wonder, as I sometimes have, what is the point of prayer? Does it work? Does God listen? Does God care?
Peter Marty
I was inspired by an essay in the April 12 issue of Christian Century, titled “Prayer without answers,” by Peter Marty. He suggests that we alter the way we talk about prayer by eliminating the use of the word “answer” from our references to prayer outcomes. I like that idea. I always have mixed feelings about saying or hearing that “God answered my prayer.” Though it can be inspiring to hear / talk about God moving in people’s lives, there is something about the idea of God answering some people prayers but not others that doesn’t sit right with me. Marty points out that when we think about prayers as something to be answered, it makes prayer about self-interest. He says that prayer is not so much about us, nor even about God as responder. It is, rather, about relationship – give and take and sharing of company with God. The greatest benefit of prayer, he says, is intimacy with God. The purpose of prayer is not to have our requests “answered,” but to know God, to enjoy God. Of course there is nothing wrong with sharing the desires of your heart and soul in this relationship, to let God know you want this church to flourish, you want this broken world to be healed, you want your loved ones safe and well. You would share such desires with anyone you are close to without necessarily expecting them to “answer” them.
I love the quote Marty includes from Robert Farrar Capon: “Prayer is just talking to someone who is already talking to you. It is listening to someone who is already listening to you.” God is always present and available, already engaged with us, just waiting for us to tune in, to remember, to reconnect. As we build this relationship, as we get to know God and enjoy God, we might find that the desires of our hearts and souls shift. We might find ourselves wondering less about how God can help us and more about how we can be used by God. As we seek to know God, we might discover that God sees things differently than we do, might want different things for us than we want. That can be scary. We may feel nudged to let go of long-cherished ideas and dreams. Perhaps God is not as interested in any particular church / institutions thriving as God is about the spread of divine love and mercy through the world. God might not be as interested in our material comfort as we are, and may not even see illness and death as the tragedies we do. God may not care at all whether the United States continues as the wealthiest and most powerful nation, but only that she love her neighbors as herself, even neighbors with different cultures, religions and values.
I believe God loves and cares about us, cares about the desires of our hearts even when they differ from God’s will. I encourage you to develop a prayer practice, to let your mind wander to God in good times and bad. Ask for what you want. God may not grant it, but God is listening. God will work in your heart and in your life, strengthening you, uplifting you, affirming your worth and beauty. I pray for you always. Will you also pray for me?
Blessings, Pastor Doreen
Bible/Book Study
All groups will be on hiatus for the summer. The Monday group has wrapped up, the last Wednesday group is June 7, and the West Side Group will finish the week of June 5 (exact date and time TBD). All groups would love to welcome new participants when we start up again in the fall. The Monday group will host a series of video lectures on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) at the church. No commitment required. Hope to see you then!
Women’s Assoc. Installation & Luncheon, June
Spencer Country Inn
June 7, 12 noon, Spencer Country Inn. Cost is $20.00 – reserve with Judy Ivel,892-3321 (Seafood Casserole or Chicken Pot Pie), pay Nancy Desautels- (16 Brookside Dr.,Leicester 01524) checks to be made to FCC Women’s Association.
Pick-Up Choir, Sunday, June 11
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:
• Attend a mid-week rehearsal (day and time TBD). Bob will teach us an easier anthem as well as a simple introit and benediction.
• Attend the Sunday morning “warm up” at 9:00 on June 11. 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, June 4, and we’ll see you at rehearsal !! Thanks, Your Music Committee
New Church Photo Directory?
It has been decades since the church put out a photo directory, and those who have been here awhile know how wonderful they are to have and to keep, to look back on and remember. The technology has come a long way since we’ve had one, and much of the planning can be done on-line, with photography done at the church. But we need someone to coordinate with Lifetouch to make this happen. If this is something that calls to you, please let Pastor Doreen know.
The Arsenault Family
LFC Church Directory 1986
Worcester Fellowship
We are scheduled lunch providers for June 18. Please look for the food donation sign-up sheet beginning 6/4, and please, please come help assemble lunches on the 19th. Thanks so much for your support of this wonderful ministry. As always, people are welcome to join in lunch and worship on Worcester Common beginning at 1 p.m.
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.
– Prayers of thanks for the deacons of FCC who made Lent and Holy Week so special with Souper Bowl Tuesdays, Maundy Thursday service and Good Friday Open House.
– For Sue Moroski on the loss of her friend Judy Careau who passed away, as well as Judy’s family.
– For the Children’s Church program, that it continues to nurture our children and volunteers, that it become a beacon for other children in the community.
– For FCC that it continues to listen and respond to God’s call, that people encounter Christ here, in worship, in service, in each other.
To include an article in an upcoming newsletter, contact:
Brielle MacDonald at
508-353-3338 or briellemacd@gmail.com
