September 2011 Newsletter
We Have a Nursery Care Provider!!!
I am so excited about this addition to our church. Cassandra (Cassie) Thorburn is 17 years old, lives nearby and has tons of experience working with babies and toddlers. She comes highly recommended and is very enthusiastic. I’ve been told that little ones take to her quickly, and she will be a consistent presence for these youngsters who so need stability.
Families can bring children up to and including age 3 to the nursery before worship, or when the older children go to Sunday school. A copy of our Nursery Policy will be given on the first drop-off or on request. Nursery care will be provided every Sunday (except Christmas) beginning September 11. Occasional cancellations may occur due to illness or other circumstances.
Worship and Fellowship for All Ages
First Congregational Church values worshippers of all ages, and we want everyone who comes to feel welcomed by our community, no matter what age. To this end, children stay with their families for the beginning of worship each week. Most weeks, they will depart for Sunday school lessons after the Children’s Message, about 10 minutes into the worship service. One Sunday per month, they stay for the entire worship service. We usually schedule a pot-luck lunch and family games fellowship event on the same day. These Family Sundays typically are scheduled for the first Sunday of the month, when Communion is celebrated, and children are invited to participate in the sacrament. If you have questions or concerns about this, please speak to Pastor Doreen. The first of these Family Sundays will be October 9, then November 6 and December 4.
Harvest Fair – Sat, Sept 17 – Rain or Shine
Apple Crisp Booth-Harvest Fair Sept 17, 2011 – Cindy, Carol, Debbie & Nancy
We will be selling Apple Crisp and Ice Cream again this year on the common, and popcorn and soda from the church lawn. There will also be a yard sale table along the side of the church with items left over from the Music Committee yard sale in May.
Friday afternoon/evening (the 16th) we will be making the Apple Crisp in the church kitchen with anticipation of that wonderful aroma that fills up the whole church the day of the fair.
If you can help out either day (or both) or if you can spend just an hour or two at one of our sale areas, we would be extremely grateful. If the weather is as wonderful as it was the last two years we will need many hands to get through the day. It’s a great event – hopefully you won’t miss it!
A Note from the Pastor
September 11, 2001: I had stayed at my parents’ house the night before, and was rushing off to my counseling job at Mt. Auburn Hospital when my mother told me that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers in New York City. “What a terrible accident,” I thought. I figured it was a small, private plane whose pilot had a heart attack or something. I figured the Tower itself wouldn’t sustain too much damage. At that time I rarely listened to the news in the car, and this day was no different. I put on a favorite music tape and made my way to work. My first client was waiting for me, and asked if I’d heard about the planes hitting the twin towers. I was shocked – more than one?! We got through the session and I then joined my colleagues and waiting clients around a t.v. in the lounge. I wanted more than anything to go home and hug my children, then just ages 7 and 9. Fortunately I was able to make it an early day and be with them shortly after they got home from school. I was so glad to receive an e-mail from my church inviting us to gather and pray, light candles, and listen together for God’s Word of hope and comfort.
As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, we are invited to reflect upon the impact these events had on our society, our personal lives and our faith lives. I’m not quite sure what questions to ask to guide this reflection, but hopefully the Spirit will guide me. Here goes. Did these events challenge your belief in God when they happened? Did they strengthen it? Where was God present for you in that time? Where did you feel God’s absence? Did you feel called to understand more about what happened? Did you want to learn more about Islam? Were there other actions you took – join a peace march, reach out to families more directly affected, reach out to support military families when the war started, join the military, etc? Is there anything you started then that you continue with in some form today? How did this affect your willingness to hear and follow Christ’s ministry of compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love?
Those are just a few questions to ponder that go beyond where you were when you heard. There are many more that I haven’t thought to ask, but are important none-the-less. I invite you to share your questions and thoughts with me, and I will try to find a way to work them into worship or a discussion on Sunday, September 11. If you cannot join us in worship that day, feel free to share with me anyway. And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
Blessings,
Pastor Doreen
Outdoor Labyrinth Walk and Lunch – Sat, Sept 24?
If you are interested in joining Pastor Doreen for an outdoor Labyrinth walk followed by lunch and conversation at a restaurant, please let the pastor know ASAP. The walk will be in either Fiskdale or Hubbardston. Details will be decided once interested parties step up.
Strawberry Hill Fair – Sat, Nov 12 from 9-2 pm
Please let us know if you can help in any way: posters & advertisements, set up, table relievers, or kitchen. Let’s use our gifts. Many hands make the job a lot easier.
Items needed for the fair:
• Sewing & knitting
• Christmas decorations
• Silent Auction
• Bake table
• Country Store
• Toys (in saleable condition)
• Luncheon
• Book room
o Raffle items and Raffle baskets – it would be greatly appreciated if you could get the baskets to Marie Frascolla by October 15
Thank you,
The fair committee:
Judy Ivel 508 892-3321
Cindy LaPointe 508 885-9875
Marie Frascolla 508 892-0038
Woman’s Association Meeting – Sept 7
September 7th at Russell Hall. Time is 12 noon. Dessert & Coffee/Tea will be provided. Did someone say Blueberry Buckle? Yum!
We will be working on finishing some Fair projects for the Holiday Decorations Room and creating a craft pillow kit for the Busy Fingers Room. So, you will need to bring: scissors, tape measure (if you have one), scrap yarn all colors & weights (variegated included). We will be cutting approximately 36- 40 inch lengths of yarn – so this is a good way to use up tiny balls of left over yarn. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Any questions regarding this meeting contact Judy Ivel (aka Gimpy) or Marie Frascolla (aka Mega Gimpy).
From your Religious Ed Director
Classroom clean-up is cancelled for Sept. 17th as I mistakenly planned it on the day of the Harvest Fair. If anyone is available during the week please contact me at christine_cathcart@yahoo.com or call 774-318-8057 to plan a day. Otherwise I will be at the church during the day (I am not sure which days yet) the week of Sept. 12-16.
The RE Committee will meet after worship on September 4. If you cannot make it, please contact me to plug in to help on registration Sunday, September 18.
Being a Generous Church ~ Together!
by Ellie Latham
The Stewardship and Mission & Justice teams of the MACUCC Conference had a regional breakfast, on June 4th at the Evangelical Congregational Church of Westborough that Deb Entwistle, Ken Latham and I attended about increasing generosity in a church – within and beyond the local congregation. Two hours was not nearly enough time to cover the wealth of information we received in our packets! Teams from 14 regional churches came together for a common goal: to exchange and obtain ideas on involvement of missions and stewardship in our churches. Here is some of what we learned.
Some of the mission & justice issues we face as a society include homelessness, environmental degradation, crime and punishment disparities, racism, homophobia and discrimination, and economic oppression. As a church, as bearers of God’s good news, we are called to work together with organizations and faith communities to offer direct services to alleviate immediate suffering AND to address and remedy the causes of such ills. The UCC offers opportunities for mission and justice work in all these areas.
Environmental Ministries offers discussion groups, workshops, and worship resources to raise awareness and recommend actions. The Restorative Justice Task Force reframes crime as primarily an injury to human relationships and our Covenant with God, and, secondarily, a violation of secular law. It seeks to change the focus from punishment to the restoration of relationships and healing for the victims. The Task Force of Race & Justice offers conversation and consultation for churches that are open to exploring subtle or unconscious racial bias for healing, that they may better embody the beloved community.
The MACUCC Conference adopted the first Open and Affirming (ONA) resolution within the United Church of Christ in 1984. The Open and Affirming Task Force provides guidance and assistance to local churches considering a commitment to the intentional welcome of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people. The Mission Partnership Committee oversees global partnerships. And last but not least from the Mission & Justice Team, the Jubilee / Economic Justice focuses its efforts on economic justice issues such as the crippling debts of poor and developing countries, promoting Fair Trade products with Equal Exchange and sponsoring an annual consciousness-raising delegation to poor and developing countries of the global south. For more information about any of these ministries, go to the UCC website, www.ucc.org.
Stewardship! Wow, we learned so much about the meaning of stewardship. It’s not just about asking people to pledge to the church. It is inspiring a spirit of generosity in God’s children that goes beyond the church budget. And it is a team effort! The Stewardship Committee at FCC is very small, just 1 or 2 people for the last few years. And though they do a great job letting us know how important it is to give, there’s no way such a small group can do justice to this ministry. My hope is that more people will become involved with stewardship efforts, and we’ll be talking about this more over time. Perhaps you are someone who enjoys writing thank you notes. This helps people know that their gifts are appreciated, and that’s part of stewardship. Perhaps you are so excited about your faith, your involvement in the church that you would want to share about it. Testimonies are a part of stewardship. Perhaps you have been involved in the church operations for some time, and have special insight to share about how FCC’s resources are used. Transparency and accountability are important elements in stewarding.
Stewardship involves more than a sermon and a letter once a year asking you to give. I’m thinking now about how to shine a light on the generosity of spirit that lives at FCC and how to weave it more firmly into our identity and actions.
Conclusion: It was asked at the seminar, “What is the mission of the church? Not your church, but the Church!” The answer: To join God in building the Kingdom of Heaven. We were asked to consider social justice, to ponder what God is calling us to do. Take action … do something! Change the system, the world,.. something! A church is not a family, it’s a community. “Money follows Mission” was the motto of the day! Isaiah 58: What is the fast I choose? In other words, what is God calling us to do? Maybe it’s some of the issues on mission & justice we all face, which again include: homelessness, environmental, restorative justice, race & justice, open & affirming, mission partnership, or economic justice. Choose one … or two … but choose.
We look forward to sharing much more information with you in the near future.
UCC Massachusetts Conference Super Saturday – Sat, Oct 1
This is the third Super Saturday sponsored by the Conference. It is a day full of workshops, worship and fellowship. This one will be held at the Mass Bay Community College in Wellesley, MA. The workshops are full of great ideas for strengthening our church. If you are interested in attending, please see Pastor Doreen as soon as possible.
Registration deadline is September 19. The cost will be covered or subsidized (depending on how many are interested) by Pastor Doreen’s ministry budget. If you’d like to know more about the workshop choices, check out the Conference website at www.macucc.org.
Bible/Book Study Resumes!
All are welcome to join in these engaging explorations of scripture and spirit.
• The Monday evening group begins its gatherings on September 19 at 7:00 pm We will be reading The Gospel of Thomas. Contact Pastor Doreen for location, or if you need help getting the book.
• The Wednesday morning group will meet the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 10:30 beginning September 21. We will start with the Book of Esther, chapters 1-3.
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Your Opinions Matter!
“Reviews should be a regular, predictable part of the congregation’s life…a process providing believable feedback.” – David R. McMahill in “Completing the Circle.”
The Church Council wants to know! That’s why we’re looking for volunteers to take part in an evaluation process to begin on October 2. This evaluation will not be in the form of a paper-and-pen checklist, but rather an open discussion of the effectiveness of the various ministries comprising our worship. Group size will be limited, so please let us know ASAP if you’d like to participate in this first one. Evaluation discussions will be held periodically, so if you don’t get into this one, there will be other opportunities.
Communication is key, so let’s move the ideas, praises, complaints, etc. from our coffee-time chats to a forum which could really make a difference. The discussion will take place after worship, from 11:30 to approximately 12:45. If you have questions and/or you’d like to take part, please give your name to Chris Cathcart, Carol Mulrain or Jackie Henderson.
Pledging and Privacy
Each spring the Stewardship Committee sends out letters and pledge cards asking members and friends of the church to commit to some financial support of the church. This support is for the ministries of the church, but more importantly, is an opportunity for people to express, deepen and live out their faith. There are a few things that are held in tension in the pledging process. The people in the church responsible for creating a budget need some information about the income we will receive. The people in the church who manage the finances of the church need to keep track of contributions. Church members and friends want to know that their presence and participation in the life of the church is valued regardless of whether or how much they contribute financially. And the pastor is interested in the spiritual and overall well-being of people connected to the church.
When someone closely connected to the church does not pledge, I wonder if they are expressing some discontent, or if they are struggling so much that even a small pledge is a hardship, or if they have resentments about being asked to pledge. Our decisions about pledging have meaning, as do our decisions about how often we attend church, in what ways we serve, whether we participate in Communion, etc. This is not to imply that people “should” do certain things, but I am in the business of exploring meaning and purpose. I’m interested in what people want to express and what they want to protect. I would like to talk with people who choose not to pledge.
And so I ask the Stewardship committee to let me know the names of people who have pledged. I do not ask and do not know the amount of anyone’s pledge. That information is known only by the Stewardship chairperson (Deb Entwistle) and by the Collector (Carol Mulrain) who tracks all contributions to the church. The Church Council is given only a total amount pledged for their budgeting purpose.
My hope is to talk to people who are not on the list of pledgers. My goal is not to strong-arm or embarrass you into pledging, but to understand what it means to you, and to check in with you about your experience of FCC. I would also love to talk to the people who do pledge, about what it means to you and about your experience of FCC. Conversations about money can be difficult. I know it is hard for me to pick up the phone or approach someone face-to-face and ask about their giving. But I think it can also be very important and enriching (pun intended). I trust the Spirit will be present and guide these (private) conversations. May it be so.
Pastor Doreen
