North Falmouth Congregational Church, UCC 155 Old Main Road/PO Box 403 North Falmouth, MA Return Service Requested Dated Material

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1 North Falmouth Congregational Church, UCC 155 Old Main Road/PO Box 403 North Falmouth, MA Return Service Requested Dated Material The Sandpiper is a monthly publication of the North Falmouth Congregational Church, UCC. The Reverend Nancy W. Strickland, Interim Pastor (508) ,

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3 The Sandpiper North Falmouth Congregational Church, United Church of Christ Dear Friends, Pastoral Page Something is different! There is a change in the atmosphere where ever you look. No I am not referring to the mall decorations or even the songs about Rudolph on the car radio, fun as that is. There is something else afoot and we have a time to prepare, to ponder, to anticipate. We have time to hope, to seek peace, to find joy, to know a love that will never let us go The season of Advent has begun. It is actually the beginning of the church year so Happy New Year! Advent is a time of preparing for the birth of Christ one more year. And each year we are different and so is this time. Why not take the time to consider how you might intentionally spend this time? How can you enjoy the season without being overwhelmed by the demands of it? A big question. Perhaps the following poem by Ann Weems, found in her book, Kneeling in Bethlehem, might offer some clues: In each heart lies a Bethlehem, an inn where we must ultimately answer whether there is room or not. When we are Bethlehem-bound we experience our own advent in his. When we are Bethlehem-bound we can no longer look the other way conveniently not seeing stars not hearing angel voices. We can no longer excuse ourselves December 2018 & January 2019 by busily tending our sheep or our kingdoms. This Advent let s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that the Lord has made known to us. In the midst of shopping sprees let s ponder in our hearts the Gift of Gifts. Through the tinsel let s look for the gold of the Christmas Star. In the excitement and confusion, in the merry chaos, let s listen for the brush of angels wings. This Advent, let s go to Bethlehem and find our kneeling places. On the way to Bethlehem, there are songs to sing, stars to dream of, words of hope and faith to explore. Let us do that together in our worship and fellowship times and find our own kneeling places. In love, Pastor Nancy Sandpiper 1

4 Advent and Christmas Worship 2018 Dec 2 First Sunday in Advent Expectation Light Candle of Hope 10 a.m. Intergenerational Worship and Holy Communion, Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25, 1Thesalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-36 Dec 9 Second Sunday in Advent, Zechariah s Song: Preparation Light Candle of Peace 10 a.m. Worship and Church School Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 1: 68-79, Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3:1-6 Dec 16 Third Sunday in Advent John the Baptist: Call to Faith Light Candle of Joy 10 a.m. Worship and Church School Zephaniah 3: Isaiah 12:2-6, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18 Dec 20 ECCUMENICAL BLUE CHRISTMAS SERVICE West Falmouth Methodist Church 6:30 p.m. Dec 23 Fourth Sunday in Advent Mary s Song: Promise Light Candle of Love 10 a.m. Worship and Church School Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 1:46b-55, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45 Dec 24 Christmas Eve Light Christ Candle 5 p.m. All Ages Christmas Pageant 7 p.m. Candlelight service of Lessons and Carols, Isaiah 62:6-12, Psalm 97, Titus 3:4-7, Luke 2:1-20 Dec 30 First Sunday after Christmas 8:30 a.m. Contemporary Service, Holy Communion 10 a.m. Intergenerational Worship 1 Samuel 2:18-20,26, Psalm 148, Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:41-52 Jan 6 Epiphany 10 a.m. Intergenerational Worship and Holy Communion Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12 Jan 13 Baptism of Jesus Sunday 10 a.m. Worship and Church School Isaiah 43:1-7, Psalm 29, Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3: 15-17, Jan 20 Second Sunday after Epiphany 10 a.m. Worship and Church School Isaiah 62:1-5, Psalm 36:5-10, 1Corinthians 12:1-11, John 2:1-11 Jan 27 Third Sunday after Epiphany 8:30 a.m. Contemporary Service, Holy Communion 10 a.m. Worship and Church School Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6,8-10, Psalm 19, 1Corinthians 12:12-31a, Luke 4:14-21 WINTER SOUP EVERY THURSDAY AT NOON Sign up in the Covenant room to bring your favorite soup! In addition, during Advent, come to a quiet place and enjoy some soup for the soul: OASIS IN THE OVERWHELM Stay after soup from 12:30-1:15 for a new adult information opportunity. The days leading up from Thanksgiving to Christmas can get quite hectic and overwhelming. Take time to center yourself on the true meaning of the season with scripture, readings from our 2018 Advent Booklet, and reflection with church family and friends. Find a place of calm and peace. Lisa Allen and Pastor Nancy will share leadership for these four sessions, November 29, Dec 6, 13, and 20. Sandpiper 2

5 Confirmation class news On Sunday January 6, the Confirmation Class and mentors will be recognized in the worship service. In addition, they will meet together for about 45 minutes after worship on that day. This year s confirmands are Tom Heino, Angelica Oshman, Sarah Oshman, and Hope Oliveira. The mentors are Lisa Allen, Bill Martin, Leslie Murphy, and Carolee Packard. Co-teachers for the class are Lisa Allen and Pastor Nancy. Ruben A. Alvez wrote, Hope is hearing the melody of the future; faith is dancing to it today. The real Christmas gift, for which Advent is the process, is learning to hum hope, learning to dance the divine. December 16 th,carol Sing Followed by a Swedish Julbord 12/06 Connie Gawarkiewicz 12/12 Brian Latimer 12/14 Kayleigh Sanders 12/19 Adrienne Ovian 12/20 Roberta Markham 12/23 Helen Sievert 12/25 Katie Weldon 12/25 Nancy Wilson 12/28 Delaney Clements 12/29 Ava Gray Sandpiper 3

6 Christian Education College Care Packages Thank you to everyone who contributed to the College care packages. They were filled to the brim and I m sure our students were very happy to receive them. 01/02 Thomas Heino 01/06 Eleanore Scavotto 01/06 Patricia Peterson 01/08 Jan Deacon 01/10 Gladys Hoke 01/11 Chuck Teixeira 01/12 Pat Anderson 01/12 Robert Bock 01/13 Martha Rosewell 01/13 Jackson Weseman 01/14 Marsha Martin 01/15 Thomas Gawarkiewicz 01/16 Michael Ovian 01/20 Toby Ryan 01/21 Caroline Scavotto 01/21 Candace Teixeira 01/24 Maia Ledwell 01/25 Lois Kristiansen 01/28 Trevor Tivey Holiday Potluck A good time was had by all at our holiday potluck. Thank you to everyone who brought the delicious food. Some beautiful decorations and gifts were taken home. It was a nice way to welcome in the Christmas season together. CE Crew in charge of the Giving Tree Sandpiper 4

7 Family Cooking Day We will be cooking for the Village at Cataumet and the Habitat build on Sunday, January 20 at 4:30pm. Remember to bring a friend! Christmas Pageant Would you like to participate in our Christmas Eve Pageant. All ages, kids through adults, are welcome. The pageant has the potential to be a great shared experience between parents and children. Would you like to be shepherds together? Or maybe your children have all grown up but you would like to be a part of a meaningful intergenerational activity. We invite everyone to share the fun on this special day. We will be practicing after church on Sunday, December 16 and 23, and Saturday, December 22 at 10:00am. Save the Date On Sunday, February 18, we will begin our annual pen pal program Sunday, January 6, Epiphany Intergenerational Service 2018 Holiday Fair a Great Success!! The weather was perfect for November when we opened the doors for business Saturday the 10th at the 9 a.m. It was cool so people would want chowder, but not really rainy so people would want to come out to shop and enjoy our lobster roll lunch. I think the sun might have even shone down on us for a while. After a prayer by Meg Tivey our circle of volunteers opened the doors to let the earlybirds in. Thank you to all who helped in any way to make this fair happen, especially to Carolee Packard, Myrna O'Hara, Laura Murphy, Marsha Martin, Jan Finton and Rin Morway who were crew leaders and put in so many hours before the doors even opened to get everything ready. Their crews worked to get things sorted, cleaned, baked, priced and displayed in time for the fair even though the election was in the Cov. Rm. all day Tuesday the week of the fair and we couldn't really set up until after the YMCA people left Thursday afternoon. Even though the fair seemed very early this year we had many shoppers throughout the day. The kitchen tried something new this year with two sizes of Lobster rolls, (a mini and regular ) and two sizes of chowder ( cup & bowl). Left overs were sold after church and all was gone in short order. The baked table hit an all-time record high of over $900 for fair day, so many of you took the time to bring in baked goods for sale. Thank you all, it was great seeing so many things to choose from. Thank you to the Thrift Shop volunteers for saving the good stuff for us for Attics Treasures and all of you who gave items for either the Attic Treasures or Holiday rooms. The Kitchen Crew again was in super high efficiency mode as usual. Thank you to the workers who kept the Thrift Shop open during the fair hours. Thank you to all the people who donated things for the rooms, baked goods table, Silent Auction and luncheon. The church is most appreciative for all your hard work as this is one of our two biggest fund raisers each year. A huge thank you to Linda Thomas for not only making and donating the beautiful quilt but for her gorgeous wall hanging and two lovely knitted pillows that were all in the Silent Auction. The following people and businesses helped by volunteering their time and effort, donating $$, donating food for lunch or donating Silent Auction items: Laura Murphy, Rachel White, Jean Davock, Missy Fox, Marge Marshall, Jean Sawyer, Marcia McLaughlin, Kay Clark, Eleanore Scavotto, Jan Finton, Lee Finton, Katie Weldon, Myrna O'Hara, Joyce Kenneally, Marsha Martin, Linda Thomas, Adrienne Latimer, Pam Oliveira, Susan Rowitz, Karin LaPenn, Rin Morway, Kay Clark, Meg Tivey, Don Packard, Pam Fernsebner, Betsey Woodley, Carolee Packard, Bill Martin, David O'Hara, Ray Rowitz, Winthrop Frame, Ken Evans, John & Sandy Checklick, Hank Bertsch, Talk of the Town Diner, Ghelfie's Candies of Cape Cod, Pocasset Hardware, Ryan Family Amusements, Roche Brothers Supermarket, Christmas Tree Shop, Sandwich Glass Museum, Sea Crest Beach Hotel, Lobster Trap Restaurant /Fish Market, Stop & Shop Supermarket, Shaw's Market, Windfall Market, Please forgive us if we left your name out. Thanks to Myrna O'Hara and Carolee Packard for pulling this fair together once again to get everyone in a Sandpiper 5

8 festive Holiday spirit. Thanks goes out to Joyce Bock & Rin Morway for organizing the Thrift Shop tables of antique dolls, Hummel figurines and more. Thanks to the pre-fair sorters and pricers (You know who you are.) Also a big thank you to anyone who helped carry things after church with the Sunday before the fair or the Sunday after the fair. We appreciate that very much. Hope you all get to go to all the other Holiday Fairs held around town this season and thanks for shopping at ours. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and Christmas. Spring will be here before you know it Many thanks to Jean Davock and Marsha Martin for the lovely Cornucopia Advent 2018 To our sisters and brothers at North Falmouth Congregational Church, grace and peace to you. Betsy & Joyce part of the ever efficient kitchen Crew! As a sign of our unity in Christ Jesus, we give to you the Bethlehem Peace Light. The Bethlehem Peace Light, a flame from the perpetual fire housed in the grotto at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem that marks the place of Jesus birth. It was brought to Waquoit from Bethlehem through scouting organizations. Every year, the light is distributed throughout the world, and now, it shines at North Falmouth Congregational Church. May this flame remind you of God s light and love born to us this day and every day. Advent Peace to You. Your sisters and brothers in faith, Waquoit Congregational Church So many baked goods to choose from this year! Thanksgiving at NFCC Sandpiper 6

9 CHRISMONS Again this year the Altar Committee has decorated the sanctuary for Advent and the Christmas season. The white and gold ornaments on the tree and wreath are called Chrismons and were handmade by the ladies of the church back in the 1980s including Ellie Hodge and Sally Eldridge who are still members of our church community. The original Chrismons were developed in 1957 at a Lutheran church in Virginia as a decoration appropriate for a church Christmas tree as opposed to the colored lights and secular symbols being used at that time. The Chrismons are Christian symbols made in white with gold decorations. Chrismons cannot be bought or sold; they can only be made to give in love and in celebration of Christ s birth. The NFCC is very fortunate to have these beautiful symbols of the true Christmas decorating our sanctuary. Carolee with one of the two gorgeous wreaths she made for the front of the Sanctuary doors The Crèche and Sanctuary Wreath Sandpiper 7

10 From the Pastoral Search Committee The Search Committee meets every Tuesday evening, with the exception of the third Tuesday of the month when Council meets. The Search Committee is carefully reviewing each profile as they arrive and are presently setting up first interviews with candidates with whom they are interested. The Advent Wreath UPDATE ON PASTOR NANCY S CONTRACT Pastor Nancy s contract was renewed last June for six months until December 31, At this time the Deacons and she have agreed to renew it again to June. June 2 will be Pastor Nancy s last Sunday at NFCC. There is every reason to believe that a new pastor will be arriving around that time. Updates from Rev. Saramaria Allenby I have been continuing in my role at Gosnold at Cataumet as the Spiritual Care Advisor providing services that range from Sunday devotionals, and praying with the body, meditation and many wonderful spiritual practices that have a broad range from forgiveness, hope, love, connection, courage and honoring the body to name a few. Marsha hanging the window wreaths Carolee arranging the swag from the choir loft My services have expanded to include Emerson House (for women) and Miller House (for men) both extended residential homes in Falmouth as well as Gosnold in Centerville which is a partial hospitalization program. I am very excited to be stepping out with my services and practices as well. I lead groups at Wellstrong in Falmouth, a gym that is free for clients in early recovery. I am also going to begin providing a devotional service (much like the devotionals I lead at work) Saturdays in the Sanctuary twice a month at 4:30pm beginning in December. This is a new and exciting venture that will include music, written prayers, and reflection on a topic such as hope, love, reverence, and beauty to name a few. The first dates and topics are: December 22 nd - on light and January 5 th - on hope. I will also offer praying with the body and communion. I am calling this new community of practice EVOLVE :A community for healing and Sandpiper 8

11 wholeness where God s grace embraces our brokenness with radical hospitality healing one story at a time, one person at time, one relationship at a time in a community of practice. CHURCH USAGE STEWARDSHIP OF OUR BUILDING Just as we as individuals are stewards of our finances we need to ask are we being good stewards of our building. Are we using our building, sharing our building and treating our building in a manner that is showing God s love out in the community? We above all are a house of worship. North Falmouth Congregational Church provides a place for weekly reflection, prayer and community worship. Our building is a gathering place for learning and sharing with each other and the bigger world. How we share our building is a reflection of God s love for all people. We have Recovery groups that meet here regularly, a wonderful kitchen used for distribution of meals to the elderly and homebound, fellowship meals are prepared here and meals for a transitional shelter are also prepared here. The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts use our building as do many Village Associations. The educational wing is used for much needed childcare. Building use is a mission of our church. TAKING CARE OF OUR BUILDING: Being good stewards also involves taking care of our facilities and the surrounding property. Are we keeping our physical buildings in in good repair, clean and welcoming, and comfortable for those using the buildings? Are our walkways, entry ways, and parking lots safe walking spaces for all? Do we have clutter under control? Are the heating systems in good order, and do we have emergency backup for our systems? Yes, many of the above questions and issues involve financial funding but they are also a reflection of how we care for the physical gift entrusted to us. Use of our building is a Mission of the church and a sharing of God s love with the outside community. Sandpiper 9

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