FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF BENZONIA UCC

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1 FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF BENZONIA UCC Hello Fellow Sojourners, June 2018 Time. Time is holding my attention as of late. How time flies when we re having fun. Jim Croce, Time in a Bottle, If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I d like to do Henry David Thoreau, Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. Where has the time gone? In New England we are very fond of Time and tide wait for no man. (the earliest known record is from St. Marher, 1225: "And te tide and te time þat tu iboren were, schal beon iblescet.") Time. I was called here on June 4, This building was dedicated June 2, What has happened in those time spans? Besides all the adventures that I had in coming here, I have learned quite a bit of this community. You welcomed me and mine with a list of favorite things to do. I have kayaked the Betsie River and Crystal Lake. I survived the Dune Climb. I love the walk about at Old Indian Trail and Old Baldy. Moomers toasted coconut and almond ice cream makes a wicked good hot fudge sundae. But more than that I have learned how much each of you cares about the other. You each have stood beside some one as they have encountered sickness, bumps and bruises of all kinds. You approved the use of this building and offered your time to help address the homelessness here in the winter. In my first four months I presided at five funerals. You poured out your stories and memories. You poured out your love for and with those that mourned. We have baptized and confirmed two teenagers and welcomed four new members. I have heard about the love going into the Memorial Garden. I hear about the dinners that have gone on in the fellowship hall and the mission trip visitors that you have met in the barn. I have heard what has touched your heart the most. You have shared what has caused you to breath deep into the life of the church. You have shared some of the past bumps and how were they resolved, or not. I would love to hear more of those stories. They are at least 50 years deep. Life here is rich. You have showed over and over again your love for each other in following the path that Jesus set before us. You continue to answer God s call. Time. Time is holding my attention as of late. Psalm 46:1 Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is a time for everything, a time for every activity under the Heavens And we hear over and over how much time Jesus will be with us; a short time, forever. Excited to see where the next 50 years (okay realistically 20 years for me) in this building take us. See you along The Way, Pastor Patty

2 JUNE BIRTHDAYS 5 Doug Joy, Sr 8 Harold Case 9 Alan Appelhof 10 Virginia Kilburn 15 Bob Ward 16 Mercedes Smith 18 Roger Vance 21 Mitchell Webb 21 Pamela Carlson 21 Kathy Neveu 24 Noreen Henry 25 Ethan Webb 28 Chris Stone 29 Victoria Joy Helen Dewey Nancy Reynolds Ruth Blacklock Pat Forrester Helen Pickard Hal Bruning REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS Family of Carl Nespor Church of the Month: Alpena Joan Cooper Pete Moss Jared Mieko Crowell Eric Atkinson UCC SISTER CHURCH OF THE MONTH As part of our continuing efforts to work together as a community of faith, in worship we pray for UCC churches in our United Northern Association. You are invited to pray this month for the ongoing mission and ministries of Alpena UCC. FLOWERS JUNE ANNIVERSARIES 8 Lee and Chris Stone 14 Mary and Mary Thompson 22 Roger and Phoebe Vance If you would like to supply flowers, please sign up on the sign posted on the bulletin board, and indicate who the flowers honor or memorialize. You may then bring in your own flowers or donate $30 to the church to make the arrangements with a local florist. THANK YOU TO OUR JUNE VOLUNTEERS COFFEE NURSERY What is BIG Sunday? BIG stands for Bring In Groceries; groceries brought in on BIG Sundays are donated to Benzie Area Christian Neighbors (BACN) to help provide a meal to those in need. BIG Sundays are the first Sunday of every month as are Holy Communion Sundays and are a great way for us to share the love and feast of communion and community. JUNE 3 Deacons Mary Rodriguez JUNE 10 Sunday Chris Jones JUNE 17 Chris Gehring Barb Brian JUNE 24 Linda Joy Kris Richards HEAD USHER: Earl Schopp

3 SOUL SISTERS AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION On Sunday, May 6th, the Soul Sisters hosted a Spaghetti Lunch. We are grateful for Carol Dye and her delicious spaghetti and everyone who played a part in the successful day. A Free Will Offering was collected to assist in funding the Great Lakes Regional Youth Event which Malia Jackson and Liam Jones, along with Pastor Patty, will attend July 5 July 8. Our congregation overwhelmingly supported this effort and $655 was collected. We are blessed with generosity and love. In the afternoon of the same day, the Soul Sisters also hosted a Life Expressions Décor Fundraising Sign Party. Under the direction of Joanne Bartley, the creativity was off the charts. We were able to donate another $245 towards Malia and Liam s trip. Thank you to everyone who came out and joined in the fun. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION During the month of April, the Sunday students collected returnable bottles/cans and donated the money to their classmate, Carson Case, and the Crystal Lake OM Team. Through the generosity of the congregation, they were able to present a check for $ WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP The Attic Treasure Sale will be held on June 23. You may start bringing items in Sunday the 17th and leave them in Miss Cornel s classroom. There will be a signup sheet for workers on the bulletin board. We will start setting up in the evening on Thursday, June 21. If you have any questions, Linda Joy will be helping to oversee this project, along with Joan Cooper. Carol Dye will be preparing a lunch for the Bridge Club on June 18 and will be needing help with the prep work, serving, and cleanup. Please keep these dates in mind; both are money makers for the Fellowship. CIRCLE I Circle I had a lunch meeting at the Cherry Hut in May. The next meeting will be in September. The time and place will be announced in August. We want to remind everyone that we will be doing our nursery schedule for next year in August. If you are not currently helping with this and would like to volunteer, please contact Chris Stone. FROM THE TREASURER We are in good shape financially but at the present time, our monthly expenses are exceeding our monthly income. We do have a couple of savings accounts available to use if necessary.

4 UNITED NORTHERN ASSOCIATION The UCC governmental structure is an ascending model. The local church is the final decision maker concerning any issue. The next level is the association. We are the United Northern Association, consisting of 14 churches: Alpena, Atlanta, Benzonia, Brutus, Cadillac, Cheboygan, Clare, Harrison, Gaylord, Manistee, Northport, Old Mission, Onekama, and Traverse City. Sometimes we wonder, what is the function of the association? It provides a vital link facilitating communication between Conference and Synod and the local church. The UNA duties include: Biannual meetings featuring pertinent topics for thought and growth Hold licensure of clergy and monitor boundary training (classes are open to both clergy and laity) Sponsor seminary students in discernment (provide $500 scholarship each year) Help to cover cost of clergy candidate s psychological profile before ordination ($1500) Help select 2 Association delegates to General Synod Provide support and monitor new church starts (New Wave in Traverse City) Offer grants to local churches to launch new programs (Service Seed Money Grants) Provide a quarterly association newsletter Host workshops and trainings If you have any thoughts or questions concerning the UNA, please feel free to contact me. I will do my best to find answers to your questions and pass on any ideas you have for the UNA. Cath Kelder, your UNA delegate ( ) WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS We are so happy to announce that on May 20 we welcomed several new members. Sharron Smith comes to us from the Owasso area. She is building a new home on Crystal Lake and will surely enjoy this area a lot. Welcome, Sharron! We also welcome Melanie Bredbanner. Melanie, you may know, is our Nursery Teacher. Melanie also has two lovely daughters that we often get to see in church. Welcome, Melanie! Sara Moorhead also joined our flock. Sara, as you may know, has been singing the Psalms for us and also sings in the choir. She is also spearheading our recycling and composting effort. Thank you and welcome, Sarah! And last but not least is our very own Patty Higgins! Patty came to us from Maine and is our teacher and pastor, a most welcome new member in our flock. So when you see any of these new members before church or at coffee hour, take a moment to get to know them better and welcome them.

5 BEACH BUMS Mark your calendars! The Deacons are once again sponsoring a Beach Bums game for all our neighbors and friends. This year we are going to try a different time and go on Sunday, July 15. The Sunday games start at 5:05pm so it will get out a lot earlier in the evening. We will have a tailgate party at church beginning at 3:30 and then carpool up to the game. Mark your calendars and invite some friends! ATTIC TREASURES SALE Our Once-A-Year Gigantic Yard Sale Saturday, June 23, beginning at 8:00am Benzonia Congregational Church Featuring collectibles, household and kitchen items, some furniture, tools, toys, and more! If you have clean, usable items that you would like to donate, bring them to the church beginning on Sunday, 17 (please not before there is a wedding the 16th). If you are interested in working on this project, there is a signup sheet at church. Proceeds from this sale will help Women s Fellowship with their charitable projects throughout the year. Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support. THANK YOU NOTES Thank you for opening the church for our Love INC program. Blessings to everyone in the church! Thank you for making your church available to us; you made it possible for our foster children s family to receive training from the Lord. Thank you so much. You are a blessing to let Love INC and volunteers help people. Monday Night Love INC Group Dear Members and Friends of First Congregational UCC Benzonia: Thank you for your gifts to Chicago, United, and Eden Seminaries! Thank you for investing in the leadership of the United Church of Christ...and for supporting theological education as a vital part of your ministry. Kiely Todd Roska, Director of CUE Seminaries Pastor Patty, Our Church Family, and the Women s Fellowship: A big thank you to all! We want to thank everyone for all the prayers these last few months for our dad and family. It has been a long few months and we appreciated all the thoughts and prayers coming our way. Thank you for the beautiful cards and kind words on the passing of my dad it meant a lot to us! Sending you many thanks. God Bless You All! Sharlene & Bob Patterson and Family All of our thank you notes are posted on the bulletin board for you to read and enjoy!

6 June 2018 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 9:00 Moms in Prayer Racial Justice Training in Harrison, MI 5:30-7 Kiirtan BIG Sunday 7:00 AA 10:00 Yoga 7:00 WAA Yoga/Meditaion 7:00 AA 9-10:30 AA 5:00 MRT 7:00 NA 9:00 Moms in Prayer 8:30 Men s Papa J s 7:30 Choir Youth Sunday Taco Lunch 11:00 Commodities Distribution 7:00 AA 10:00 Yoga 7:00 WAA 7:00 AA 9-10:30 AA 4:00 Deacons 5:00 MRT 7:00 NA :00 Bridge Club Luncheon 5:00 Trustees 7:00 AA 10:00 Yoga 7:00 WAA 7:00 AA 9-10:30 AA 5:00 MRT 7:00 NA Attic Treasures Sale 7:30 Choir :00 AA 10:00 Yoga 7:00 WAA 7:00 AA 9-10:30 AA 5:00 MRT 7:00 NA 7:30 Choir Community Calendar St. Croix Falls, WI High Chamber Choir & Jazz Band w/ Benzie Co. Comm. Chorus: June 11, Frankfort UMC Benzie County Community Chorus: June 23, 24, 25 and July 8 & 9, Benzie Central High Auditorium

7 First Congregational Church 901 Barber Street, P.O. Box 234 Benzonia, MI Phone: (231) F I R S T C O N G R E G AT I O N A L CHUR C H OF BENZONIA UCC B E N Z O N I A, M I C H I G A N Patty Higgins Pastor Chris Stone Treasurer Mary Rodriguez Financial Secretary Mary Ellen Wagner..Organist Andy Wagner...Sound Technician Rose DuFrane Custodian Samantha Mullet..Secretary Melanie Bredbanner..Nursery Staff Jerry Slater...Church Moderator Carolina Jones...Christian Ed Coordinator Office Phone: Office Hours: M F 9am 12noon Office secretary@benzoniacongregational.org Our Website: Our Facebook Page: