The Signpost. UCC Disaster Relief. February 2018 VOL. 45, NO. 02. February 11, :00 a.m. - Noon

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1 The Signpost February 2018 VOL. 45, NO. 02 The Bolton Congregational Church, United Church of Christ 228 Bolton Center Road, Bolton, CT ~ (860) ~ The vision of the Bolton Congregational Church UCC is to be true to the model and example set by the early Church of the Apostles, in our own time. February 11, :00 a.m. - Noon In Chandler Hall Includes sausage, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and orange juice Your Free-will donation supports the Church School s Lenten Mission Project: UCC Disaster Relief **Gluten-Free Pancakes Available** February is MACC Community Food Pantry Month. That being the case, the Missions Board was hoping everyone could swing by the Chandler Hall Market after the 10:00 service each Sunday this month. There you will find the Chandler Hall Market shelves stocked with food items (and other goods) that the Community Food Pantry needs and if you buy those goods there, every $1.00 you spend will be amplified by a power of ten through the power of Foodshares network of perishable and non- perishable food providers. So for every $5.00 you spend at the Chandler Hall Market, you will be empowering the Community Food Pantry to purchase $50.00 worth of groceries to line their shelves. If you find $10 in the pants you put on Sunday morning, that can enable the purchase of $100 in groceries that the food pantry can then get to families that need them. The Chandler Hall Market employees are friendly and the checkout aisles move quickly. Stop by and help us to grow, by a factor of ten, our shopping dollars - - all with an eye toward feeding the over 1,000 people who shop at the Community Food Pantry each month Lloyd Pedersen Board of Missions

2 From the Pastor Since not everyone was able to make it to the annual meeting, some highlights from my remarks: One- On- One Meetings. Over the course of 2018, I d like to have individual meetings with as many of our active members as possible simply 45 minutes or so with no other agenda than to get to know one another better. It ll take me a while to organize and get through our whole list, so feel free to call or me to set a date and time: (cel); pastornicolette@gmail.com. Managing Change. Throughout 2017, we experienced big and little changes. For every change we experienced, there were some people who loved it and others who disliked it. Though one of your top priorities (according to the CAT survey) was to make the changes necessary to welcome children and families, when asked how much change would be needed to achieve your goals, a full 36% of respondents indicated none, no change. There is tension in this. If we have so many likes and dislikes and different tastes and things that speak to us spiritually and things that rub us the wrong way, and some wanting to embrace change and others wanting things to stay the same how can we possibly be one body? Scripture tells us that our diversity is a gift from God, and that we are called to be different together, each with our own skills and passions and preferences and shortcomings, so that we all may remember how deeply we need one another to do God s work. When you react to changes either positively or negatively I want you to think about three questions: 1. Why did this change happen? If you don t know, ask. 2. Who does this change benefit? If you don t know, ask. 3. Is my dislike a personal preference or something more? By engaging in these questions, we move beyond our individual selves, and remember that we are a part of a greater whole. Giving Feedback. I continue to welcome your feedback, both positive and negative it helps me understand you and the church better. When you do so, however, please refrain from using the phrase, too Catholic. Having never been Catholic, I have no idea what you mean. Further- more, much of our worship is rooted in ancient traditions, roots that we share with the Catholic Church. Much of the way you worshipped before I arrived could have been labeled Catholic, but it is also Congregational, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, etc. Please try to find other, more specific ways, to describe why you like or dislike something. Personal Change. I know that change is hard, because it almost always includes some amount of loss. Yet, change also opens whole new worlds of possibility. Reg and I are about to experience a big change as we prepare to be licensed as foster parents. We are terribly excited we ve wanted kids for a long time. However, we know that having children is going to drastically change our lives. There will be some loss, and definitely it will be hard, however we are excited to see whom God brings into our lives. Worship Schedule for February Sunday, February 4 ~ 8:45 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Message: Jesus: Living Water ~ Rev. Nicolette Siragusa Sunday, February 11 ~ 10:00 a.m. service Only Sixth Sunday after Epiphany Guest Worship Leader ~ Rev. Kent Siladi Ash Wednesday, February 14 4:00 7:00pm Prayer Stations Lent is the 40-day period of preparation before Easter, in honor of Jesus 40 days of preparation for ministry in the desert. It is a time of spiritual reflection and growth, and begins on February 14 th, Ash Wednesday. The church will be open from 4-7pm with prayer and reflection stations for those who want time and space to reflect on that day. Scripture, prompts, and other materials for contemplation will be available at each station, and Pastor will be on hand to offer ashes to those who wish to receive them. Sunday, February 18 ~ 8:45 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. First Sunday of Lent Message: We Grieve ~ Rev. Nicolette Siragusa Sunday, February 25 ~ 8:45 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Second Sunday of Lent Message: We Serve ~ Rev. Nicolette Siragusa Lenten Bible Study John s Gospel Lent is an opportunity to deeply engage our faith practices. This year, you are invited to a personal time of reflection, scripture, and prayer. The gospel according to John is an oddball gospel, containing different stories from those in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (though there is some overlap). Reading guides are available at the church with suggestions for daily or weekly scriptures to pace your reading, but of course you may read at whatever pace works for you. In addition to the guide, those of you who wish to discuss the week s readings are invited after services on Sundays to gather in Chandler Hall and sit together at the table labeled Bible Discussion Group. Your conversation will be led by the group (not by the pastor). Of course, pastor is always available to answer your questions, and she will provide questions to help frame your discussion.

3 About Reverend Kent J. Siladi... On Sunday, February 11, The Reverend Kent Siladi, Connecticut Conference Minister of the UCC, will be our guest worship leader. Rev. Siladi began his ministry as Conference Minister of the Connecticut Conference, UCC, in July of Prior to that time, he was the Conference Minister of the United Church of Christ in Florida for six years. He was on the Conference staff of this Conference for 10 years, serving as a Regional Minister. He served as a local church pastor for sixteen years in two churches of the Connecticut Conference (Brookfield and North Guilford). Rev. Siladi has been involved in all of the settings of the United Church of Christ. He has served in the local church as pastor, in the Association setting as a chairperson and member of a Committee on Ministry, in the Conference setting as staff and in the national setting as a participant in the UCC History, Theology and Polity Network. He chaired the General Synod 25 Nominating Committee and was the host Conference Minister for General Synod 28 in Tampa. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Cornerstone Fund. He is the Treasurer of the Council of Conference Ministers. He is one of the writers of the UCC Affirming Faith Confirmation curriculum and has written for various faith- based periodicals. He served as the co- chair of the Search Committee that selected the Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer as the General Minister and President of the UCC. As Conference Minister his primary responsibilities include offering a ministry of leadership and relationship, communicating the mission and ministry of the Connecticut Conference, providing programmatic and Conference staff oversight, assuring business and financial oversight and representing the Connecticut Conference to the wider church. Rev. Siladi is a graduate of Nasson College and Yale Divinity School. Please join us in welcoming him on February 11 th at the 10am service. Church School News Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Daryn Kagan This year, Lent will begin on February 14 th. As is custom, we will have a pancake breakfast to support our Lenten Mission Project. This year the children have chosen UCC Disaster Relief. With all the natural disasters that we have seen recently, the children really wanted to do something to help the families affected by these devastating events. Our pancake breakfast will be the Sunday before Lent this year, February 11, For a free will donation you can help us raise funds for those affected by hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, mudslides, and wherever else the UCC helps disaster victims. The children will also be holding special bake sales on March 4 th and 25 th and all the proceeds will go to the Lenten Mission Project. Back by popular demand is our Paint Night event to be held on March 3, 2018 from 6pm- 9pm. This year the event will help support our Lenten Mission project. On Sunday, January 28 th, the Board of Christian Education distributed surveys. These surveys asked questions to help us understand how to better serve our adult church members through adult Christian education programs. If you have not filled out the survey as of yet, please do so. If you did not receive an Adult Christian Education Survey at church and would like to fill one out please me and I will send one to you. Have you noticed the bulletin boards in the education building? Please take a moment and look at them. Each board represents different lessons that the children have learned, as well as a bulletin board that has our Church School Schedule and other special events on it. Coming soon will be our Lenten Mission bulletin board to keep you informed about our Lenten Mission Project. Jessica Romeo Director of Christian Education Your Stories Told LIVE Mark your calendars Storytelling resumes January 18 th and will continue monthly on the Third Thursdays at 7pm in Chandler Hall throughout the year: February 15 Love March 15 Betrayal April 19 Freedom May 17 Fire Please contact Pastor Nicolette to participate or go to Signup Genius at: storytelling Communion Class for ALL Ages Sunday, March 18 11:30-1:30pm Want to learn more about Holy Communion? Come and learn something new, or remember something that you have forgotten. Rediscover the meaning behind this ritual in a hands- on class. Lunch will be served, graciously provided by the Board of Christian Education Please sign up by calling the office or notifying Pastor Nicolette, and please indicate if you have any dietary restrictions.

4 Prayer Shawl Ministry The Board of Christian Education Presents: PAINT NIGHT MARCH 3, PM $35 per painter IN CHANDLER HALL We are a dedicated group of knitters meeting on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. year round in the parlor. Our next meeting will be on February 26, Anyone can make a request as a gift of caring, comfort, or for the joy of a celebration. There is never a charge. Sometimes we take on special requests to knit other items of need and we enjoy the change. We do appreciate your generous support and donations of yarn, needles, and money. Visitors are always welcome at our meetings...we enjoy teaching new knitters and we will continue to support your learning ongoing. It is a social evening...you can come anytime, no commitment. Dot Lessard From the Flower Ministry... The flower ministry has had much fun creating the winter wonderland you see in church. We are beginning to collect decorations that can be reused and changed as the season changes. If your heart is moved to do so, please consider making a contribution towards these purchases. THANK YOU. Karan Bycholski Covered Bridge Warren, VT You MUST pre-register at: Then click on Travel Calendar Proceeds from the event to benefit The Lenten Mission project: UCC Disaster Ministries The Men s Group held their first meeting of the year on Thursday, January 25, in Chandler Hall. After a lively discussion from 11 to noon, four of us went to see the movie 12 Strong, which was enjoyable. It was the consensus of the group that we would meet once a month on the last Thursday of the month through April, starting at the same time (11:00am) and meeting at the same place in Chandler Hall, around the fireplace. So mark your calendars and join us The next meeting dates are: February 22 nd, March 29 th, and April 26 th. We ll decide at the April meeting if we want to continue into the spring or summer. Following our next meeting, at noon, Ed and Lee are looking into showing a movie for those who want to stay. If you plan on coming for the meeting and the movie, bring your lunch ~ Tom Mortimer

5 Crafters The Crafters and store volunteers had a great three days during the Festival of Trees... meeting many new visitors and seeing old friends of the Store. Many never knew we existed. One lady saw some of our items online and requested one of our vintage Hallmark ornaments, only to be disappointed to find that it was not there, because it had been stored away. She was delighted when we made sure that she was able to have that ornament as a special Christmas gift for her husband. It might seem to be a little late to be writing about the Festival of Trees to all of you, but being a part of that celebration, we must say, how pleased we were with the continued excitement and talk about the event throughout January as the crafters, store volunteers, and guests met each Tuesday. We watched, listened, helped, and conversed with all of the individuals from the various charities and businesses as they removed their trees. We also had the opportunity to light the trees that were still there each Tuesday and continued to enjoy that good feeling of Christmas Everyone that we spoke to was very excited about the event and planned to attend the next Festival. Also in January, four ladies from the Manchester Garden Club paid us a visit. They had been out to breakfast at Our Place Restaurant in Bolton, and the owners told them about the Church Store. We wondered how Our Place knew about us. We found out from Pastor Nicolette that they were one of the Festival of Trees donors that a Thank You was sent to and that she had enclosed one of Chuck s CDs as she knew that they knew him. They were delighted. We were to to think that they remembered us, and the Store. The Festival of Trees was a wonderful event for the church and community. It brought together charities, businesses, churches, and all of the people in our community. It helped us to get better acquainted with one other. It was a great idea. Lots of work, but what a great community service it was Thank you to everyone who made it happen. Don t forget to stop by the Store on Sundays or Tuesdays... We are now putting out our spring items. If you have not browsed our greeting card sections, please do. Our cards are a real bargain compared to those at other stores. We have many handcrafted and stamped cards made by one of our crafters, Barbara Dean, as well as many other types of cards. Our cards sell between 25 cents and $2.00. We have handcrafted cards packaged at 2/$1.00 and all occasion cards packaged at 10/$1.00. We have cards for all holidays and at the moment are featuring Valentine s Day cards. If you send out a lot of cards throughout the year, you could save a lot of money here while supporting your church s mission programs. HAPPY VALENTINE S DAY Lynn Ralston Caregiver Collective February 27 th at 7pm Are you caring for a loved one a spouse, a parent, a sick relative and want to share some of the joys and struggles of doing so? Our next gathering will be on February 27 th at 7pm in Chandler Hall. Happy Valentine s Day ~From All of Us on The Signpost Staff Holy Week Save the Dates March 25 th Palm Sunday, 8:45am & 10:00am March 29 th Maundy Thursday, 7pm March 30 th Good Friday, 7pm April 1 st Easter, 6:30am sunrise service, 8:45am, & 10am

6 Together, as One A UCC Conference Focus Group For those of you who may not know, there is a new UCC Conference presently being discerned. It all started back in 2014, with shared programs between the three conferences: Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Boards of each conference voted to form a new Conference In January At the joint annual meeting, voters in June 2017 voted in support of pursuing a unified Conference. Since then, joint meetings have been held to further explain how this might come about, developing the purpose, vision, and a mission statement. I attended a focus group in Rocky Hill on January 20. The purpose of the focus group was to bring together clergy and lay congregants to share their ideas about this resolution. Over 200 people have signed up to attend these focus groups. There were approximately 50 people at the one I attended. The facilitator, Jim Schunurbusch, from St. Louis, invited the group to define what a conference is and what its purpose is. Several people came forth with their thoughts: resource help, organizers, search and call, programs, crisis intervention, connection with the world, news articles, and collective best practices, were several that I recall. Seated at tables of four, Jim then asked that participants imagine the purpose, the role, and the support of a new tri- state conference and what it might be called. Each table responded with what had been discussed. There is still, in my mind, great concern about losing the central office, making resources limited, and financial matters (i.e., endowments and budgets). These items are yet to be worked out. There was much discussion about concerns of support for the local churches and pastors. My group made a proposal that Rhode Island, having the most financial difficulties and only 30 churches, be made an Association attached to either CT or MA. I think CT has six associations, each with their own regional minister, that seems to work very well. This idea brought more comments than others. A few groups came up with names for the new Conference, such as the Conference of United Community Churches of New England (CUCCNEW). The acronym brought some smiles. The statement put forth by the three Conferences says that the uniting covenant of the three Conferences is: Living the Love and Justice of Jesus. It also declares the following values as essential to our shared ministry together : We understand the local church exists to make disciples of Jesus, and we welcome all people unconditionally to share in this calling. We commit to making God s love and justice real by loving our neighbors, children, and all of creation through our collective work, such as seeking racial, economic, environmental, and LGBTQ justice. We believe God calls us to bring new life as agents of change, and so we embrace and encourage adaptive and transformative leadership wherever the Body of Christ is gathered. We encourage local congregations and varied ministry settings, inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit, to form covenant partnerships with all who work for the common good in their local communities and throughout the world. It is my understanding that there will be a vote at the Joint Annual Meeting in June There is much work to do and many feel that there is not enough time to solve all the issues. Personally, I am not in favor of the merger because there are too many concerns about the implementation. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Feel free to ask me questions, and I will do my best to answer them. Ginny Wickersham Our Joys and Concerns Birthdays Trip B.; Andy S.; Brenda M.; Chris P.; Aiden (11 th ); Jim B. s daughter, Emily (33 rd ). Anniversaries...Heidi P. s parents (56 th ); Randy & Arlis B. (45 th ); Greg & Sharon W. (35 th ). Other Joys...Scott B. married on 12/31 in Los Angeles; Trip B. s surprise birthday party; Ruth & Richard T. are back home; spending time with family; Arlis B. home from Denver; Jake B. s new job; Trip s prayer; Gwen M. s creativity; Lori B. retiring; Tom M. singing with daughter, Samantha; Catanese family expecting grandchild; Lynn family expecting a grandchild; the Women s March; music in our church; flower display; Deb B. s son s new job with FBI; Deb B. s granddaughter s college acceptance; our Stewardship Board; Tom & Laureen M. s daughter, Shannon s baby shower; Trip B. s therapy pup available to all; joy to be in this church community. Hospitalized, Ill, etc...linda B. s mom; Helena T. s sister. Concerns Traveling mercies; getting through storm; Valerie K.; families who struggle with addiction; Patty F.; Pam B. and family; Phil D. recovering from surgery; Ed B. s cousin, Bert; friends going through rough times; lack of water in South Africa; military personnel; losing parents; Samantha L. s loss of pup; Pam B. s mom in nursing home; flu season; the deaths of extended family members and friends; babies in NICU. Bereaved Mike Kiefer & family, upon the death of Mike s dad; Jim Clark upon the death of his brother; the family of Margaret Managgia; Corenda Haugh upon the death of her aunt; Pastor Nicolette s friend, Felicia, upon the death of her sister; the friends & family of Frank Horton. Other...3rd anniversary of Ed. B. s friend, Sandy Lane s passing.

7 Hymnal Update Why the Language of our Hymnal is Important The language of our hymnal reflects the values of our congregation, conveys those values to the community, and teaches young members what we as a congregation believe in. We know that language changes over time, and as the hymnal search committee continues its work, we will seek a hymnal that uses language that is up to date and makes all who use the books feel they are included in the message of the hymn. Fear not - the hymnal committee is a fairly traditional group who loves the old favorites and are not looking for a hymnal that dramatically changes the words or style of the hymns we sing. However, the committee also recognizes that our hymnal must convey that our congregation welcomes all worshippers, no matter who they are or where they are on life s journey. Our red Pilgrim Hymnal categorizes a number of hymns, including Were You There, Let Us Break Bread Together, and Go Tell it on the Mountain, as Negro Spirituals. The intention was to help people become aware that some of their favorite hymns were not European in origin. However, we now recognize the word negro as a word of oppression, evoking slavery, racial segregation and discrimination. The impact of using such a word is spiritual harm to people of color. Newer hymnals use different, more affirming language. Similarly, the intention of using language like brotherhood was to evoke relationship that extended beyond blood ties. People who grew up learning in English classes that mankind included all people may read hymns that use words like sons and brothers as inclusive. However, the impact will be different for folks who have gone to school more recently or been in work environments that promote gender equality. Masculine language is no longer considered neutral and the impact of using it feels exclusive to many people. Newer hymnals use diverse images for God and language that includes all humanity, replacing masculine terms like brothers with more neutral terms like kin, or adding sisters. Finally, the intention of hymn writers was to help people deepen their faith and understanding through contemporary language alongside poetry. However, as language has evolved, the impact of certain archaic sentence structures is that unfamiliar songs are hard to understand. You may have heard the joke about the child who came home from Sunday school and told his parents that he sang a hymn about a happy cross- eyed bear, referring to the hymn Gladly the Cross I d Bear. Newer hymnals will include new hymns with easy- to- understand language alongside old favorites. Please feel free to contact any member of the hymnal search committee if you would like to share your thoughts. Their contact information is below. Gwen Marrion Gwen Marrion gmarrion@snet.net Andrea Sauer sauerct@att.net Beth Mortimer b.mortimer@comcast.net Barbara Maheu wmaheu@comcast.net Rick Bulach bluechiptl@aol.com Ben Davies bdavies2303@hotmail.com Pastor Nicolette pastornicolette@gmail.com Mary Lou Prescher From the Heart Just wanted to share with you a few things that have taken place since the end of December and the start of the new year: Several individuals and families within our Adopted Family Program received your non- perishable, personal items, gift cards and paper product donations. These items can be the difference between medications needed and also simply day- to- day support that is so appreciated and needed. Please keep these items coming, especially paper products, cereals, snack items, and soups (even low sodium items). Hats, mittens, gloves, socks, and blankets...all needed and all still being donated as fast as we receive them Thank you so much for your help with our hat and mitten drive and with our Squares of Care program to help create blankets 30 brand new pillows were donated to Covenant to Care and to Communitas so thank you for your help with our Pillow Care program We are getting ready for our next Senior Bingo Night at Woodlake and could always use help with donations of shower gels, hand & body lotions, small stuffed animals (beanie baby size), tissues, and extra prizes. It is always a special night We are also preparing the next Creative Card mailing and appreciate the handmade cards, pictures, and stamps to keep this program going every month Last but not at all least, we are teaming up with Adam Daniels of CT Valley Orthodontics as he heads back with his team of volunteers to Guatemala. They will be headed back in March to construct and teach safety to many with their Stove Project. Adam started by volunteering his time as an orthodontist to help with dental work and ended up seeing a major need due to unsafe cooking conditions and created a stove that can be used indoors where no one would be hurt through the simple act of cooking. From the Heart is collecting inflatable soccer balls, and very lightweight toys for Adam and his volunteers to bring to the children. If you would like to help us fill goodie bags, they need to be lightweight due to flight limits. We welcome simple items like stickers, plastic spin tops, balsam airplanes, very small stuffed animals, bandanas, etc. Help us bring smiles and fun from American to children and families in Guatemala as Adam and his team make a hands- on difference in many lives...we hope to just supply a little fun and perhaps a good sported game of soccer if you can find inflatable soccer balls Please check out our new From the Heart website: Thanks for all that you do Laura Ann

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