March 2011 Newsletter
Congregational Connections March 2011 Issue
Bunny Day
Saturday, April 16th
Spring time is coming! It’s time to prepare for BUNNY DAY and we need your help again this year to get ready for Peter Cottontail’s Easter Party. The date this year is Saturday, April 16, 2011 and if you can help in any way, large or small, we would be most grateful.
DONATIONS & HELPERS NEEDED
Donations Needed:
We are collecting baskets, stuffed animals, small toys, books, games, etc., for our basket raffle…..all for children ages ten and under. Also, plastic eggs filled with soft, pre-wrapped candy. If you need plastic eggs to fill please let us know and we will provide them for you. We would like to keep track of how many eggs we have collected so that we can judge how many each child will be able to take home with them. Just place a note on the bag or box to indicate how many eggs are included.
Helpers Needed:
There will be a sign-up sheet available at coffee hour for you to let us know what days and times you would be able to assist with decorating, working on a craft table, selling raffle tickets, serving coffee, and helping to keep the children safe when they go outside to collect Easter eggs. We need many helpers to take care of the children the day of the hunt.
Donations Due By:
Please return all donated items by Sunday, April 10th, so we can prepare the baskets and be ready for the Easter Bunny !
THANK YOU in advance for all your help……..and THINK SPRING !!!
Lenten Offering: Envelopes Enclosed
Enclosed with this newsletter you will find an envelope addressed to the church. This is for those who are interested in making an offering to the church in honor of Lent and Easter.
The act of “giving up” something for Lent can be as simple as forgoing that morning latte to make a contribution to the church or other service organization, or it might be spending time helping someone in need. However you honor this sacred season, may its blessings surround you.
A NOTE FROM THE PASTOR
Greetings of peace to you, friends. I am excited to begin my second Lenten/Easter season, the most sacred of our Christian calendar, with you. It is a season rich with symbolism and meaning, and many themes that resonate with our own lives can be mined from its riches. The season of Lent is intimately connected with Easter, two sides of the same coin. When we think about fasting during Lent, it is in connection with the abundance of life that Easter brings. When we focus on service to others during Lent, it is connected with the life-giving gift we received from Christ through the resurrection. When we think about a reflective journey through the deserts of our souls and our world, it is connected with the ultimate truth that Jesus has made a way home for us, God’s Easter people. This year, the theme that resonates for me is that of journeying.
You might recall that in the February newsletter I wrote about needing to take our church on the road, establish an interested, caring presence in the community to see how we can feed some of the spiritual hunger out there (if you don’t recall, please check the website at leicesterfcc.org!). So I will take this opportunity to start on a journey this Lent. I will need to consider what to bring along with me, what to leave behind so I am not overly burdened. I’ll want to have some idea of my destination, but not be so focused on it that I miss the interesting things along the way, nor take shortcuts instead of facing challenges. Is there a journey that is calling to you in this season, a new path beckoning or some mysterious inner terrain you’d like to explore? Let’s join together to start the season, taking courage and sustenance from God and each other.
You can join us for the Ash Wednesday service on March 9 at 7:00 p.m. and the Labyrinth Workshop on Saturday, March 12 from 1-3 is a wonderful spiritual tool with its symbolic journey. If you have never experienced the Labyrinth, I hope you will come and try it. It is free to friends and members of FCC, which is you if you are receiving this newsletter. Invite some friends to join you.
I’ll update you on my journey in next month’s newsletter, and will be anticipating the glorious homecoming celebration of the Easter resurrection.
Blessings, Pastor Doreen
Please hold in your prayers members and friends of our church family who are dealing with medical issues, financial strain, family complexities, isolation, loss and transition. Deb Arsenault is recovering from surgery. Ellie Skagerlind is finishing up medical treatments, and Helen Rancke and Doug Ponton deal with on-going medical issues. Let’s pray for speedy and full recovery.
If there are others you wish to add to the prayer list, please contact Pastor Doreen.
Sunday School Update
by Chris Cathcart
Hi Everyone!
I’d like to begin by saying a big Thank You to the following people: Chase Orsi, Ann Orsi, Tom Shea and Debbie Arsenault! They all agreed to be my “Wacky Character” for this half of the year. Chase unfortunately never got to play the part with all of the snow and car troubles! But I want to say thank you for being available and I would love to have him join us again next year! Ann is our current character – Ima Bummer – she is teaching the children that having a bad attitude makes everyone around you have one too and that having a good attitude makes everyone around you have a good one too! Ann is having a ball with her character and so are the kids!
Angie is showing what a wonderful asset she is to us as she teaches the children with such love. We are so blessed that she decided to teach and I look forward to working with her and forming a lasting friendship as well.
Jim has been teaching his kids about inclusion and that everyone should have the opportunity to know God’s love. He also has been covering God’s Awesomeness. Be sure to keep your eyes out for a project they have been working on to show you what they think about that topic!
There is a list of Sunday school needs in Russell Hall for anyone who wishes to fill one. There also are some postcards in case you’d like to volunteer for next year in any capacity. We have needs of all kinds so please consider this and fill out a card!
God Bless You All,
Chris Cathcart
UCC Connections 
We are so fortunate to have three people from FCC attending the second Super Saturday Workshops on March 5 – Jim and Chris Cathcart, and Quentin Lewis. The fall meetings were so informative and helpful, I can’t wait to hear what they have to share this time. Be sure to look in the April newsletter for an update.
Discipleship / Membership Continuum
This is our last entry on the Discipleship / Membership Continuum that has been a focus in this column since the fall workshop (see previous newsletters for more info on the models). Here are the final three items from the spectrum assessment tool. You are invited to think about where you see FCC on these continuums, where would you like to see us, and how could we get there. Consider, on a 5 point scale these aspects:
- “Giving” means stewardship of God’s blessings. … to …. “Giving” means paying dues and balancing the budget.
- Ministry is centered on Christ; the pastor shares the functions of ministry with lay members, all of whom are able to make Christ’s presence real through compassion, love and service. … to … Ministry is centered on the pastor; she feels affirmed by being needed as the spiritual center of the church, and the members feel affirmed by the pastor’s attention.
- Mission happens both within and beyond our church. … to …Mission is done by church members for people in need outside the church.
Please share your thoughts and questions with each other and/or with me (Pastor Doreen).
Membership Information Session:
Sunday, March 6 during Pot Luck Lunch
If you are not yet a member of FCC and are interested in exploring this possibility, please come to this information session. We’ll sit together at the pot luck lunch to share stories of our faith journeys, learn more about how the church works and about our denominational connection with the United Church of Christ, and discuss what it means to become a member.
Anyone interested in this information but unable to attend the session should contact Pastor Doreen. Current members of the church are welcome to stop by the table and share about your role in the church.
Moment for Mission:
Focus on One Great Hour of Sharing
One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) is one of the five collections taken by the United Church of Christ to support the denomination’s Wider Mission. This particular offering supports international programs of health, education and agricultural development, relief and refuge assistance.
Smaller churches such as FCC are wise to focus much of their outreach efforts on local need where we are able to be more hands on and develop deeper connections with people nearby. FCC does this well with its involvement in the Food Bank, Worcester Fellowship, the blanket drive and more. By contributing to OGHS and the other denominational offerings, we here in Leicester have the opportunity to participate in overseas missions as we follow Christ’s call to give food to the hungry, clean water to the thirsty, clothing to the naked, care to the sick, and welcome to the refuge and stranger. We also follow Christ’s call that all churches work as one body. Here is one story of OGHS funds making a difference:
Pakistan Flooding: Months have passed since the beginning of the devastating floods in Pakistan. “The loss remains incomprehensible, especially for those who repeatedly witnessed a series of hardships over the past decade, including other floods, earthquakes and civil conflict,” noted Church World Service/Pakistan staf.
Mehr Nisar, a 50-year-old widow from Punda Balla Village shared her story of loss. “I lost my husband in the earthquake, and I was living in a pre-fab shelter with my son after that. This has now been destroyed as half of the land under the shelter was washed away.”
There are many more stories like Mehr Nisar’s, but because of OGHS gifts and others from the international community, CWS staff were able to distribute 16,540 food packages, benefitting 91,200 people. Temporary shelter supplies, household goods, medical supplies and 500 tents were also made available.
Your gifts to OGHS are used on average every 2.5 days to respond to a disaster. Around the world, around the year, OGHS changes lives.
Donations to OGHS
This newsletter includes an envelope for Lenten donations. If you would like to enclose a check specifically for OGHS, please note that on the check itself and use the envelope to return this donation. Or if you regularly attend worship, look for the OGHS collection envelops in the pews over the next few weeks. Thanks so much for your generosity and care.
BUNCH BALL
I thought you might enjoy this reflection by Anthony B. Robinson, shared on the Still Speaking Daily Devotional e-mailed by the UCC. Pastor Doreen
“Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.” from 1 Cor 12: 12-20
Reflection by Anthony B. Robinson
When I coached six- and seven-year-olds in soccer, I noticed their default style of play was “bunch ball.” Everyone ran to the ball, forming a swirling scrum where shins were kicked, kids wailed and the ball went nowhere. When the ball did squirt out of the pack, there was no one there to get it.
My mantra as a soccer coach became, “Play your position,” which is not as easy as it sounds. It means you have to know what your role is and you have to trust your teammates to know their position and play it. That means not rushing into someone else’s part of the field just because the ball goes there. When kids on a soccer team got this, it had the quality of a revelation.
In many congregations we also play bunch ball. We seem to think that everyone needs to be in on every decision and everyone has to have the chance to express their opinion on every matter, often second-guessing those to whom a task or decision has been assigned. We sanction our congregational bunch ball with words like “participatory,” “congregational” and “inclusive.”
Paul spoke of the church as a body, the Body of Christ, and suggested that the different parts (people) had different roles. When we forget that, the body gets sick. He urged people to play their part and respect others, allowing them to play theirs.
I know I’m mixing my metaphors (team and body), but the idea is the same. Play your position. Avoid congregational bunch ball. Trust others to play their part. Because, after all, when we’re caught in the congregational scrum, we tend to lose sight of the goal: being part of God’s mission of saving lives and repairing a broken world. Prayer: When I am tempted to rush into someone else’s part of the field and take over, help me play my position, my part in the Body of Christ, that your mission may be served and that you, Jesus, may be glorified. Amen
About the Author
Tony Robinson, a United Church of Christ minister, is a speaker, teacher and writer. His most recent book is Changing the Conversation: A Third Way for Congregations. Read his weekly reflections on the current lectionary texts atwww.anthonybrobinson.com/ by clicking on Weekly Reading.
Communion Visits
Just a reminder that I will gladly bring Communion to people in their homes who have had trouble getting to church. Ideally this would be on the first Sunday of the month, when Communion is served in church, but I would also bring it at other times if people feel the need or desire.
If you or someone you know might be served by this ministry, please contact me, Pastor Doreen by the Thursday before each Communion Sunday, or with a day’s notice Monday through Thursdays.
Deacon’s Schedule
March:
6th- Neil & Ron
9th- Len (Ash Wed)
13th- Deb & Carol
20th- Nancy & Len
27th- Chase & Ann
April:
3rd- Carol & Quentin
10th- Ann & Neil
17th- Nancy & Len
24th- Chase & Deb & Ann
BLANKET DRIVE UPDATE
As of February 20th we have collected $360 or the equivalent of 52 blankets. We will continue to accept money through March for anyone who would like to contribute and has not had the opportunity to do so. Checks made out to Church World Service or Cash may be given to Nancy Desautels or Ann Orsi , or checks may be mailed to the church.
2010 FAIR UPDATE
Our proceeds for the Holiday Fair Totaled $4,240.54. CONGRATULATIONS to All who worked SOOOO HARD to make it a success.
Laughing Corner
Noah’s Ark : Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah’s Ark .
ONE: Don’t miss the boat
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark .
FOUR: Stay fit. When you’re 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you’re stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.
Collection Report
JANUARY 2 $1,393.00
9 708.83
16 735.00
23 572.00
30 1,627.00
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TOTAL $5,035.83
Offering envelopes are always available for anyone who would like to make use of them. I like them because they are a tool to help me budget every week.
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Congregational Connections
Deadline for the April edition is Tuesday March 22.
Please, please get your articles in to Brielle or Pastor Doreen by this date
