Church Bell. Pastor Rev. John Hughes. May First Parish Church on the Village Green

Transcription

1 First Parish Church on the Village Green May 2015 The Newsletter of the First Parish Church Congregational Church Bell Pastor Rev. John Hughes Noticeable Change Have you noticed what has happened? Someone was saying to me, It seems as if we passed from the frigid winter into the glories of summer! While the exuberant expression makes it point, perhaps May and June will have surprises to alert us that we are still in springtime and we must wait for the glories of summer. What a difference the beauty and warmth of these days has made in people s lives; what a difference in their dispositions. It is not only the bulbs that have burst forth but also people s outlooks as well. Have you stepped outside and breathed deeply, taking in the glories of the day? Have you felt your stress disappear or at least seem unimportant in the midst of new life? This Friday, May 8 th will mark the last Bible Study Class preparing people for the weekly lectionary - - the announcement of the final class was met with protests from the group, Why can t you continue through the summer? I explain to the group that weddings and baptism now consume my time - - as a new season of celebration bursts upon our church - - they continue to protest in spite of explanations. Our adult classes, book groups, classes on Prayer, Bible Study, Soup & Conversations, and discussion groups deliver the same effects as the weather. It is a chance to rest, reflect, and replenish - - let the stress melt away - - and restore new life. We are grateful that our souls come alive continually. Thank you to everyone who has participated so passionately in our group offerings. I look forward to celebrating baptism (beginning on Mother s Day), a full season of weddings (which continues through the fall), Tuck s Point worship (June 14 th ) and our summer worship hour at 9:00 a.m. (Sunday, July 5 th through Sept. 6 th ). Rev. John G. Hughes

2 PAGE 2 CHURCH BELL Christian Ministry Coordinator Priscilla Duda MAY 2015 Yea it s May!!!!! FPC has been bustling with activities lately and the feedback has been wonderful, if you see a need for a program let me know and I will see what I can do. I challenge everyone to look over the following programs and choose at least one to attend I think you will be presently surprised that almost every program has something for every age. They are programs that interested several of you so come, visit with friends, enjoy some fellowship and leave with a warm feeling that you are lucky to be a part of such a wonderful church. Hour of Tranquility Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30 PM First Parish Congregational Church opens its doors for all to visit. Stop by after your train ride home, as you head to pick up your child, before shopping at Crosby s or even heading out to dinner. Take a moment for yourself to relax, listen to beautiful music and reflect on all that is going on around you. I promise that if you stop by for even a few minutes you will leave feeling as if you have been on vacation for a week it is lovely! 10 Best Ways Has concluded its sessions for now, thank you to Judy Haley for guiding all through this wonderful program. Please me any thoughts on the program so that we can continue to grow. The Art of Prayer Concluded this month as well with Maren Tirabassi sharing with us different types of prayer often prayers come from experiences throughout the day and Mirin helped us organize how we can pray many different ways. The program was so educational that I hope to bring her back for a Soup and Conversation next year. Book Group April 27 th we met to review All the Light We Can Not See at the beautiful home of Lauren Gudonis. We all enjoyed hearing the different opinions of the book, what stood out, what shocked us etc The evening was once again a wonderful night of fellowship please join us June 1, 2015 at Mary Ellen Cook s home at 23 Harold Street. The book that we are reading this month is Caleb s Crossing. We meet at 7:00pm and again all are welcome! Soup and Conversation April 26 Larry Kirby visited with us during soup and conversation and everyone that

3 attended -68 people thought it was a wonderful afternoon. Larry shared with us stories from his time in the service that were simply amazing. Thank you Larry for taking the time to come and visit we all enjoyed it so much! May 31 We will have Vin Terrill, Henry Lapham and George Nickless visit with us all about the history of the FPC Steeple and clock We hope that many of you will join us and learn how truly special the upper section of our beautiful church is! I continue to look for any feedback and suggestions as I learn the ropes of this new position within First Parish Congregation. If you have a program that you would like for me to look into please give me a call or send an and we will see what we can do! If you have any questions, concerns, or comments please contact me at cedirector.fpchurch@verison.net Happy summer, Priscilla Duda

4 PAGE 4 CHURCH BELL MAY 2015 SS NOTES I cannot believe that our Sunday school year is coming to an end and all of our children will soon be moving up to a new grade! I hope all are ready for the changes and looking forward to next year! Looking ahead we will join together on May 17 th to celebrate the many volunteers who are the reason our program is so successful we will thank them for their help this year and for all that they do. On May 17 th we will also recognize the 4 th grade class who will receive a Bible from First Parish Church, please make sure your 4 th grader is here to receive this wonderful gift! We will also recognize the seniors who will graduate on June 5 th we wish them the very best next year and hope they know they are always welcome here at First Parish Church Congregational. Looking ahead I hope everyone had marked their calendars for June 23, 24, 25, and 26 th from 1:00pm 3:00pm to attend the VBS that I am working on. It is a wonderful program called Everest and will involve laughter, fun, snow, crazy snacks and more. Please save the date and invite friends it will be a blast and a great way to start their summer!! Contact me if you have any questions or would like to save a spot! Thank you to Nancy Peterson, Holly Potter, Jen Powers, Sara DeOreo, Nancy Garvey, Julie Hindes, Sara Holch, Annie Greenleaf, and Chip Price for all of you time this year. I would like to thank the following students who are always helping me out. Thank you to Lizzy Klebart, Natalie Koopman, Connor Duda, Abby Powers, Nathan Duda, Megan Peterson, Colton Tosi and Tyler Duda. I cannot express enough how much I appreciate you willingness to help out at any time. Thank you for all of the dishes you did this year, the plates you cleared, the programs you made successful and all of your smiles. First Parish Church is so lucky to have you around!!! I hope to see everyone on the 17 th and at VBS. Have a safe and happy summer, and thank you again for supporting our programs. Priscilla

5 Youth Director Emelia Attridge Youth Group meetings in May Middle School Youth Group is meeting in the Youth Room from 10:00-11:00 AM on Sunday, May 3, and at Singing Beach on Sunday, May 10 (weather permitting). High School Youth Group will be meeting for Game Night on 5/3 from 4:30-5:30 PM in the Chapel. Congratulations to our graduating seniors! Seniors are invited to be recognized on Children's Sunday, May 17. Join us to congratulate them! Emily Callahan Meghan Conway Jonathan Decker Tyler Duda Michael Fuca Cameron Holley Mariah Litka Courtney MacDougall Elizabeth Ranger Vacation Bible School is coming in June! Looking for summer volunteer experience? Youth who are interested in volunteering as counselors for Vacation Bible School should contact Mrs. Duda by ing her at

6 Birthday Page 05/01 WILKINSON, SHIRLEY 5A PEELE HOUSE SQ MANCHESTER 05/03 HATCH, KAREN P.O. BOX 143 MANCHESTER 05/05 BACHMAN, FRAN 13A THE PLAINS MANCHESTER 05/08 BERGER, GWENDOLYN 102 OLD ESSEX ROAD MANCHESTER 05/12 WARNOCK, LYNANNE 41 SUMMER ST MANCEHSTER 05/13 GENDRON, CHARLIE 112 SUMMER ST MANCHESTER 05/20 FRANKLIN, LANEY 17 NORWOOD AVENUE MANCHESTER 05/21 CURRY, SALLY 12 HIDDEN LEDGE RD MANCHESTER 05/21 DEOREO, SARA 6 BROOK STREET MANCHESTER 05/21 GRAYDEN, WILLIAM 266 W SEAVIEW DR MARATHON FL /22 LEHAR, MARGARET 14 CROOKED LANE MANCHESTER 05/24 FEUERBACH, TASLA 5 HAROLD STREET MANCHESTER 05/25 POWERS, ABIGAIL dkpjfp@verizon.net 8 STORY ROAD MAGNOLIA 05/25 WILSON, SOPHIE patricia@thinking-tools.com 12 CROOKED LANE MANCHESTER 05/26 LEARAGER, STACEY schuhler@comcast.net 2 MACHAIN WAY MANCHESTER 05/26 MAHAN, OLIVIA 7 PURITAN RD WENHAM 05/26 PRICE JR, ROBERT cprice@vpg.com 38 EVERETT STREET BEVERLY FARMS 05/29 KOOPMAN, NATALIE P.O. BOX 522 MANCHESTER 05/31 LUMSDEN, DAVID david.lumsden@siemens.com 10 KNIGHT CIRCLE MANCHESTER 06/02 TOSI, COLTON juliemtosi@gmail.com 3 BUTLER AVE MANCHESTER 06/03 SAWYER, JOHNATHAN 17 ESSES ST APT 3 BEVERLY MA /04 PICK, AVA suepick1@me.com 27 LINCOLN ST MANCHESTER 06/06 DECKER, MARK rmarkdecker@hotmail.com 11 PICKERING ST #2 ESSEX MA /10 DRISCOLL, PAUL dsravenew@gmail.com 111 CHEBACCO RD S.HAMILTON MA 06/10 THOMSIN, KATHRYN lthomsin@hotmail.com 140 SCHOOL ST MANCHESTER 06/13 CONWAY, MEGHAN conway.bysea@verizon.net 110 PINE ST MANCHESTER 06/17 BOTHWICK, JAMES bothwick.k@gmail.com 7 BOARDMAN AVE MANCHESTER 06/17 BOTHWICK, JORDAN bothwick.k@gmail.com 7 BOARDMAN AVE MANCHESTER 06/17 WOOD, DANIEL kids32@verizon.net 14 SAVILLE RD GLOUCESTER MA 06/19 SHAW, GRAHAM jen.coles@verizon.net 62 NORWOOD AVE MANCHESTER 06/20 BARTLETT, SYDNEY captaindusty@verizon.net 60 BEACH STREET MANCHESTER 06/20 BUDDENHAGEN, MILES jsbuddenhagen@aol.com 102 HESPERUS AV MAGNOLIA /20 WALKER, ALISON walkerali@comcast.net 3 SALT MARSH LN GLOUCESTER MA 06/21 KIRBY, LAWRENCE lfkirby@verizon.net 340 SUMMER STREET MANCHESTER 06/22 NEWMAN, SHAWN shawn200226@yahoo.com 16 OLD COUNTY RD GLOUCESTER MA 06/23 ERDMANN, TYLER shannonerdy@comcast.net 1 BLUE HERON LANE MANCHESTER 06/24 HUGHES, KYLE grandetheft463@aol.com 2 ORCHARD LANE MANCHESTER 06/27 MCCOLGAN, EDWARD 26 HIGHLAND ST GLOUCESTER MA 06/27 SHAW, LYDIA jen.coles@verizon.net 62 NORWOOD AVE MANCHESTER 06/28 POTTER, VICTORIA markpotter555@gamil.com 15 NORWOOD AVE MANCHESTER 06/29 HALGREN, NANCY nanwh@hotmail.com 35 CENTRAL STREET MANCHESTER 06/29 WARREN, NICHOLAS indywarren@gmail.com 16 BROOK ST MANCHESTER 06/30 DEOREO, MICHAEL sara@deoreo.com 6 BROOK STREET MANCHESTER 06/30 KNOX, JEANNE jeanneknox1@comcast.net 12B PICKETT ST BEVERLY MA /30 NICKLESS, JUNE georgejune@comcast.net 124 BRIDGE STREET MANCHESTER

7 PAGE 7 CHURCH BELL MAY 2015 Each Wednesday Evening An Hour of Tranquility in our sanctuary 6:30 PM 7:30 PM As a way of giving back to the community, we open our candlelit sanctuary for anyone seeking a place of tranquility to enjoy peaceful music and private meditation. All faiths are welcome to join in this space. The Care Team Ministry Have you shared the experience? Our Care Team provides meals, rides, & visits to sustain families in our Church Community through times of illness and loss. If you would like to become involved with this wonderful support system please call; Sheila Kafer , smkafer@comcast.net Or Janet Groth at , janbythesea244@gmail.com Save the Dates: Women s Fellowship Monday, June 8 at 6:00 PM Worship at Tuck s Point Sunday, June 14 at 10 AM

8 A Face Lift for our Church s Clock At the Manchester Town Meeting on April 6, voters approved the funding of several projects recommended by the Community Preservation Committee. Among them was the restoration of the four clock faces in the steeple of our church. The amount approved is $48,200. Our church qualified for this funding because it was Manchester s former Meeting House during much of the first half of the 19 th century and it is on the Federal Government s list of National Historic Places. As you can see from the nearby picture, the clock faces (one on each side of the steeple) are in poor condition. The clock faces and the clock mechanism (which still functions today) were acquired and installed in the steeple by the Town in Work will start in May/ June. Diaconate We deacons wish to thank all those whose united efforts made the services during Holy week so special. During our last meeting John Feuerbach presented the treasurer s report. We applauded his efforts to simplify accounting reports in line with the church s new accounting system. In order to better accommodate the committee members schedule the deacons are now meeting on Tuesday evenings before communion Sundays at 6.30 pm (instead of Thursday evenings). We will hold a Church Cleanup Day on Saturday, June 13 beginning at 9 AM. Volunteers are welcome to join whenever they can spare an hour or more to make our Church shine. Contact us Phone: Ext. 1 Website: office.fpchurch@verizon.net

9 April 27, Larry Kirby

10 Worship Schedule Sunday, May 3 rd Communion Scripture: John 4:7-21, John 15:1-8 Sermon: Commanding Pruning Shears Hymns: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You God s Eye is on the Sparrow At the Font We Start Our Journey Sunday, May 10 th Mother s Day, Baptism Scripture: John 15:9-17 Sermon: Love One Another Hymns: Called as Partners in Christ s Service Christ, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor Alleluia! Gracious Jesus! Sunday, May 17 th Children s Sunday, Baptism Children s Choir: He s Got the Whole World in His Hands Kum Ba Yah Sunday, May 24 th Pentecost Sunday Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-21 Sermon: Spirit for All Hymns: Crown with Your Richest Crowns Eternal Father Strong to Save Hail, O Festal Day! Sunday, May 31 st Rev. Donna Spencer Collins Scripture: John 3:1-17 Sermon: TBA Hymns: Holy, Holy, Holy Holy God, We Praise Thy Name God Our Author and Creator

11 Daily Lectionary Daily Lectionary Scripture References May 2015 (Year B) Fri., May 1 Psalm 22:25-31 Amos 8:11-13 Acts 8:9-25 Sat., May 2 Psalm 22:25-31 Amos 9:7-15 Mark 4:30-32 Sun., May 3 Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 22: John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8 Mon., May 4 Psalm 80 Isaiah 5:1-7 Galatians 5:16-26 Tues., May 5 Psalm 80 Isaiah 32:9-20 James 3:17-18 Wed., May 6 Psalm 80 Isaiah 65:17-25 John 14:18-31 Thurs., May 7 Psalm 98 Isaiah 49:5-6 Acts 10:1-34 Fri., May 8 Psalm 98 Isaiah 42:5-9 Acts 10:34-43 Sat., May 9 Psalm 98 Deuteronomy 32:44-47 Mark 10:42-45 Sun., May 10 Acts 10:44-48 Psalm 98 1 John 5:1-6 John 15:9-17 Mon., May 11 Psalm 93 Deuteronomy 7: Timothy 6:11-12 Tues., May 12 Psalm 93 Deuteronomy 11: Timothy 6:13-16 Wed., May 13 Psalm 93 Deuteronomy 11:18-21 Mark 16:19-20 Thurs., May 14 Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 47 or Psalm 93 Ephesians 1:15-23 Luke 24:44-53 Fri., May 15 Psalm 47 Exodus 24:15-18 Revelation 1:9-18 Sat., May 16 Psalm 47 Deuteronomy 34:1-7 John 16:4-11 Sun., May 17 Seventh Sunday of Easter Acts 1:15-17, Psalm 1 1 John 5:9-13 John 17:6-19 Mon., May 18 Psalm 115 Exodus 28:29-38 Philippians 1:3-11 Tues., May 19 Psalm 115 Numbers 8:5-22 Titus 1:1-9 Wed., May 20 Psalm 115 Ezra 9:5-15 John 16:16-24 Thurs., May 21 Psalm 33:12-22 Genesis 2:4b-7 1 Corinthians 15:42b-49 Fri., May 22 Psalm 33:12-22 Job 37: Corinthians 15:50-57 Sat., May 23 Psalm 33:12-22 Exodus 15:6-11 John 7:37-39 Sun., May 24 Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-21 or Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Romans 8:22-27 or Acts 2:1-21 John 15:26-27; 16:4b- 15 Mon., May 25 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Joel 2: Corinthians 12:4-11 Tues., May 26 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Genesis 11:1-9 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 Wed., May 27 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Ezekiel 37:1-14 John 20:19-23 Thurs., May 28 Psalm 29 Isaiah 1:1-4, Romans 8:1-8 Fri., May 29 Psalm 29 Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 8:9-11 Sat., May 30 Psalm 29 Isaiah 5:15-24 John 15:18-20, Sun., May 31 Trinity Sunday Isaiah 6:1-8 Psalm 29 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17 Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. commontexts.org. Used by permission. This resource may be reproduced by congregations for their own worship and educational activities. Provided by the Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ made possible by Our Church s Wider Mission Basic Support and Fellowship Dues.

12 First Parish Church, Congregational 1 Chapel Lane, P.O. Box 187 Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA Address Correction Requested June 7 Following Worship Sunday, May 31 Vin Terrill, Henry Lapham and George Nickless History of the FPC Steeple and Clock Following worship Salads and soups always welcome Contact Priscilla ext 3 or cedirector.fpchurch@verizon.net To donate or with questions