THE CHURCHMOUSE. From the Pastor The Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza SETTLED!!!... SETTLED...???

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1 THE CHURCHMOUSE Newsletter of The First Congregational Church, Canton Center, CT July/August 2018 From the Pastor The Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza On June 10, our congregation voted to call the Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza as our Settled Pastor. She has been with us for three years, the past two as our Designated Pastor. Going forward, Rev. Brenda will be considered a full-time pastor, with time-off considerations having been adjusted to reflect her new contract with us. She will be taking an abbreviated sabbatical for the month of July. Please see further information in this newsletter about summer schedules for staff. SETTLED!!!... SETTLED...??? Never did I think there would be one more settled pastorate in my future, until things took shape toward that very thing here in our church over the past few months. You know the old saying, "Never say never!" Or, to put it another way, let's not pretend we always know what will, or should, happen in every situation, long before we get to it. If God is still speaking, and if we're still listening, then new possibilities are going to arise and we are called to do our best to claim them when they seem to have our name on them. I am excited about this opportunity that has claimed us here at FCCC! I know how much congregations -- and, well, human beings in general -- like the sound of "settled." I know how much we often wish to never again have to deal with a transition, a change, a something new and the adapting it asks of us. But in this case, "settled" doesn't mean "changeless." It means we have agreed to partner together in ministry for some time to come, not that we have agreed to lock everything into cement right now. Since the gospel is a living thing, since the Spirit is a living thing, since we are living things, and since the church is a living thing, we will have to keep working at the way forward to make sure it all remains alive in us, that we stay creatively open to new challenges and opportunities as they appear in ever new contexts and times. There is, by definition, "a holy unsettledness" in being disciples of Christ. There always has been. So, that's us: the unsettled settled ones, or, if you prefer, the settled unsettled ones. Either way, the same bottom-line things are still what matter: faith and hope, love and justice, compassion and mercy, in and for God's world. I am happy to be in this ministry with you all. Faithfully, Rev. Brenda

2 The Churchmouse Page 2 Deacon s Bench Charlie Hammond WORSHIP MINISTRY As we commence our summer services, in July at the Canton Center Church and in August at the Canton Community Baptist Church, the time will change to 9:30 am. Remember that our Lord and Savior does not take time off. He is with us twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. So as we journey through our vacation days and trips, remember that the Lord will be at our side. When a situation should arise, say a prayer for it is healing and helpful. Always remember that a smile, a hello greeting, brings happiness to everyone. Until we all gather together at our Canton Center Church in September, may God s love be with you. The Summer Days Are Come Again The summer days are come again; Once more the glad earth yields Her golden wealth of ripening grain, And breath of clover fields, And deepening shade of summer woods, And glow of summer air, And winging thoughts, and happy moods Of love and joy and prayer. The summer days are come again; The birds are on the wing; God s praises, in their loving strain, Unconsciously they sing. We know who giveth all the good That doth our cup o erbrim; For summer joy in field and wood We lift our song to him. Amen Samuel Longfellow, , alt

3 The Churchmouse Page 3 WORSHIP MINISTRY Don t forget to bring back some water, for our service on Sept. 9 th! Wherever your travels might take you this summer, or, if you will be enjoying your own home, please bring a small amount of water from where you have been (a lake, an ocean, a stream, a puddle, a faucet.) for our Gathering Sunday service on September 9 th. In a special ritual that day, we ll combine all those drops of water and let them remind us of all the streams of life that combine to make up God s creation, and to make up our church. Small vials are available at church to take for this purpose. Worship in July and August Shared with the Canton Community Baptist Church July services at Canton Center Church August services at the Baptist Church, 125 Dowd Ave., Canton Summer services are at 9:30 a.m. July 1 July 8 July 15 July 22 July 29 Sacrament of Communion The Rev. Gordon Bates, guest pastor Sacrament of Baptism The Rev. Mary Louise Howson, guest pastor The Rev. Robert Henderson, guest pastor The Rev. Robert Henderson, guest pastor The Rev. Mary Louise Howson, guest pastor For pastoral care needs during Rev. Brenda s absence: If you should need pastoral care during the month of July, when Rev. Brenda is on sabbatical, or from August 12 through 26 when she is on vacation, please contact the church office, or the Deacons listed here, for assistance in connecting with other local clergy who are covering: Kristen DiMattia, Church Office Manager Deacon Dave Heyer heyercd@sbcglobal.net Deacon Darryl Haberern Darryl.haberern@gmail.com

4 The Churchmouse Page 4 Worship MINISTRY Music Notes Mary Lou Keefe, Director of Music SUMMER SUNDAY SOLOIST SERIES June 17th Paul Stansel-vocals You are Mine David Haas June 24th Jennifer Connolly-vocals, Bob Oswald-guitar, synth & percussion As One Palz July 1st Jerry Alonzy-vocals Anthem (from the musical Chess) Rice/Andersson/Ulvaeus July 8th Judy Robinson-vocals His Eye is on the Sparrow Charles Gabriel arr. Mark Hayes July 15th Jim Todd-vocals Marching to Zion Isaac Watts July 22nd Baroque Ensemble Marianne Rannenberg-recorder, Bob Oswald-guitar, Claire Byko- percussion, Mary Lou Keefe- harpsichord. TBA All music except hymns. July 29th Jerry Alonzy and Judy Robinson, vocal duet The Prayer Carol Sager/David Foster Please enjoy the summer months and hope to see all of you in the fall. The Senior Choir will be starting rehearsals on Monday, August 27 with September 9 as the first Sunday. The Bell Choir will begin rehearsals on Thursday, September 13 with a listening session.

5 The Churchmouse Page 5 FAITH FORMATION MINISTRY NEWLY DEDICATED BUNNELL ROOM On June 17, we dedicated one of our church school class/meeting rooms to the memory of Ned Bunnell, who passed away in May of Along with his wife Geri, Ned taught the Junior Youth Fellowship (Gr. 5-8) church school class in that room for many years, with a faithful, passionate and joyful heart for ministry with youth. A plaque bearing words of dedication and a wonderful photo of a smiling Ned now hangs in that room. Please stop by and see it, as we remember Ned s gifts that so faithfully enriched the life of our church. -- BPF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Well the church school year is through and we ended on a great note! Our CE team thanks all of the volunteers that we had throughout the year, as well as all of our program families. Your children and families help our program thrive so thank you! A special thanks to: Nora Baumgart Neil Jamieson Heather Neumann Andy Rees Simon Baumgart Curt Johnson Bob Oswald Vicki Rees Hollace Bristol Casey Levine Kristin Oswald Grace Robinson Ann Buckley Leanne Mailman Kathy Pickrell Judy Robinson Geri Bunnell Diane Mankowski Anna Poleyestewa Cliff Walker Claire Byko Katie Mankowski Julia Poleyestewa Cindy Webb Stacey Cote Karen Needham Dina Raimo Jessie Webb Carole Fisher Church School will start up again on our Gathering Sunday, September 9th, where we will come together for the kick off of the 2018/2019 year. We look forward to many fun events, activities and worship experiences in the fall! Have a great summer! Sarah Pradhan, Director of Faith Formation

6 The Churchmouse Page 6 COMMUNITY OUTREACH MINISTRY Thank you to all who donated books and soccer balls for Asante Sana in Tanzania Canton Churches served breakfast to the Canton High School Class of 2018 Our annual celebration took place on Thursday, June 21st with approximately 100 students. Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers and many volunteers from local churches. We cooked 32 pounds of bacon and approximately 200 pancakes. Congratulations to the Class of 2018!

7 Page 7 The Churchmouse FELLOWSHIP/INREACH MINISTRY WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS! It was our great joy to welcome the following into membership on June 10 th : Bryan and Leanne Mailman, who live in Canton with their daughters Emma (age 4) and Maegan (age 2). Bryan is a Special Education teacher at Canton High School, and Leanne is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with Applied Behavioral Strategies, out of Woodbridge, CT, working with children with autism and their families. Connor Treadwell, son of Joe and Kim Treadwell and brother of Ryan, is graduating from Canton High School this month and will be attending the University of Connecticut in the fall, pursuing a Biology/Pre-Med track. Stacy Kesl, who lives in Canton with her husband Michael and their children Crawford (age 8) and Madelyn (age 6). Stacy grew up in the Avon Congregational Church. She is the Executive Director of Middlewoods Assisted Living of Newington. PRIME TIMERS Save the date: September 12th The Prime Timers will be visiting Lost Acre Orchard. (more information to come) THANK YOU to all who participated in the STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL in any way. The berries were beautiful. Everyone was so helpful. The parish hall was full of laughter as we visited with and helped the many people who attended our festival. As usual our members and friends stepped up and created a friendly atmosphere on such a beautiful day. Thank you to those who helped before, during and after the festival. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Donna & Charlie Hammond

8 Page 8 The Churchmouse SUPPORT TO OUR MINISTRIES Scrip is an easy way you can help raise money for the church by buying gift cards for everyday expenses like groceries, gas, clothing, restaurants and gifts. It is literally fundraising while you shop! The best part about Scrip is that you pay for exactly what you get and the church makes money by purchasing the gift cards at less than face value. You can also order scrip online. Simply set up an account on and enter our church s unique enrollment code, so your rebates get credited to us. Add gift cards to your cart and either pay by check or through an automatic withdrawal from your checking account. For more information on how to sign up online and get our enrollment code, see Casey at the scrip table. The scrip website is also a great place to get additional information on the Great Lakes Scrip Center and all the organizations they have helped fundraise - over 48,000 of them in the 23 years they ve been in business! The Scrip table will be open every Sunday in July during coffee hour. We ll be placing orders just as needed in August, since we won t be having Sunday service at Canton Center. You can call or Casey with your order, or use a form in the Scrip box located in the church office. I ll check that weekly. Thanks for your support, and keep scripping! TOGETHER AS ONE: CONNECTICUT, MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND UCC CONFERENCES VOTE TO COMBINE At the Tri-Conference Annual Meeting of June 15-16, held in Springfield, MA, the CT, MA and RI Conferences of the United Church of Christ officially voted to combine as one new conference in the future. A vote at the Tri-Conference Annual Meeting of 2017 had authorized the development of a plan. This year, the plan was formally adopted, by separate vote of each of the three Conferences. (In Connecticut, the vote was 86% for the new plan). Since under UCC bylaws the formation of a new conference has to be ratified by General Synod (the national body of the UCC), this proposal will come to Synod at its next meeting in the summer of 2019 and is expected to be ready for implementation as of Jan. 1, In the meantime, between now and then, all operations and functions of our CT Conference are expected to remain as is. Going forward, there will be a legal sense in which each of the three historic conferences remains in existence as an entity, as there are legalities around the endowments of each. But functionally and programmatically, we will be one new conference structure. As of now, neither the final name of the new conference nor its staffing structure is known, although it is anticipated that there will eventually be one Conference Minister. Nor is it known at this time where one or more conference offices in Connecticut will be located. Representing our church as voting delegates at the Tri-Conference Meeting were Hollace Bristol and Rev. Brenda. Casey Levine also attended, as part of the CT UCC Disability Ministries Team.

9 The Churchmouse Page 9 OUR MISSION STATEMENT We gather as a welcoming community in worship, learning, service and fellowship to embody Christ s message of love, compassion and justice. Joining faith with action, both within and beyond our church, we strive to build a community that serves all. Our Deepest Sympathy God is still speaking!!!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Our sympathies are extended to the family and friends of : Dorothy Ann Clark who passed away on May 24, 2018 Visit our website at Listen to recorded Sermons and Music from worship services! Follow us on STAFF SUMMER SCHEDULES Rev. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza will be on sabbatical for the month of July and on vacation from August 12 through 26. (Please see page 3 for information on guest pastors in July and coverage for pastoral care needs). Mary Lou Keefe, Director of Music, will have Monday and Friday hours. Sarah Pradhan, Director of Faith Formation, will be available by . Kristen DiMattia, Office Manager, will be on vacation August 6-10.

10 The Churchmouse Page 10 JULY 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Missions 9:00 am Worship & Communion 9:30 am Worship & Baptism 9:30 am Trustees 7 pm Council 7 pm Worship 9:30 am 22 Worship 9:30 am Worship 9:30 am 30 31

11 The Churchmouse Page 11 AUGUST 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Missions 9:00 am Worship 9:30 am at Canton Community Baptist Church Deacons 6:30 pm Worship 9:30 am at Canton Community Baptist Church Trustees 7 pm Council 7 pm Wedding 3:00 pm Worship 9:30 am at Canton Community Baptist Church Worship 9:30 am at Canton Community Baptist Church Sr. Choir 7:00 pm

12 The First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) 184 Cherry Brook Road P O Box 133 Canton Center, CT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID AVON CT PERMIT NO 426 **Change Service Requested** The First Congregational Church 184 Cherry Brook Road, PO Box 133 Canton Center, CT Office (860) Kristen DiMattia, Office Manager office@cantoncenterchurch.org M-F 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Pastor (860) Rev. Dr. Brenda Pelc-Faszcza pastor@cantoncenterchurch.org Organist/Director of Music: (860) Mary Lou Keefe music@cantoncenterchurch.org Director of Faith Formation: (860) Sarah Pradhan ce@cantoncenterchurch.org We are on the Web! Visit us at: