PASSAGES. The Congregational Church of Goffstown We are a member of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference

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1 APRIL 2015 FREE PASSAGES The Congregational Church of Goffstown We are a member of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference All ready to heat things up! Ever wonder what the basements and furnaces look like in our Sanctuary, Stark Hall or the Parish House? In the photo above, taken last fall, Joe Langeberger and helper replaced the Parish House furnace and installed a new one that is much more efficient. After a winter like this one its a good thing we were prepared to heat things up! Thanks to God for your faithful stewardship in the care and upkeep of our buildings and grounds. Let us continue to be grateful for all He has given us. This spring we will spruce things up and prepare for the summer months. If you would like to lend a hand, there are many jobs big and small. Please come to our Spring Clean Up day on Saturday, April 25th, 8am-noon!

2 Pastor s Letter Pastor Letter April 2015 Visible Unity If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (1 John 1:6) I have been greatly encouraged to see the number of covenant members of our church, and our regular weekly attendance, steadily grow. The two greatest reasons that newest members of our church family regularly give, for joining us, is Jesus and you! They have been attracted to our church because they see the value we place on God s Word. We come together each week not for entertainment, politicking or speculation, but to hear the Word of Christ proclaimed from outside of us to all of us. The right preaching of the Word is one of the distinctions of an authentic church and one that our church s leaders and members understood as crucial to its health. Visitors to our church quickly discern, and often remark, on the centrality of the Word in our worship, not only through the preaching of the Word, but by its prominence in our reading, singing, confessing and praying. We re a Christocentric, Word- centric church. First time visitors to our church almost always remark about the presence of Christ among our assembly on Sunday morning. They mention how they saw Christ in you, the love you have for one another and how alive you are. What s the reason for this? See above! You re like this because of Jesus and because of the work God is presently doing in you, through the faith He s given each of you. One of the best Nive minutes of each Sunday morning, for me, is the Nive minutes before the start of the service, when I see the body of Christ assembled, glad to be with one another and to worship the living God. That s a testimony to the other 75 minutes of our worship together before God. Sam Allberry said, We express our invisible unity with all believers in the universal church through our visible unity in the local church. The New Testament never envisioned or prescribed for the church to be you and Charles Stanley on Sunday morning, or just Jesus and you. It assumes Christians will come together as a church (1 Cor. 11:18). It assumes we will not forsake the assembly of ourselves together, as is the manner of some (Heb. 10:25). The church came together for worship, in the book of Acts, on the Lord s Day. At this point, I could tell you that attending church is like taking your vitamins, exercising or eating well, and that if you don t, you re spiritual health is at risk, which is true. I could list all the benenits of never missing a Lord s Day service, which would serve to heap up guilt and place your eyes on the consumer you. But the opposite, God s grace, is what motivates church attendance. You ll only be motivated to put Christ Nirst because you know the truth of His Gospel.

3 Pastor s Letter continued That kind of motivation only happens if you ve put your faith in Christ alone and yielded to His lordship over your life. It only happens if you ve experienced that truth as the Holy Spirit has changed you from the inside out. It only happens if, increasingly, the greatest desire of your life is no longer other people or other things, but Jesus! And that desire radiates out into all you are and do. It radiates out in your desire to attend worship each Sunday and forsake all else that tugs on your affections. Yes, that means you desire and prioritize it over Sunday sports, leisure and sleeping in. Corporate worship is not only an incredible privilege, but also communing with the saints before the majestic throne of the One who saved you, and called you into His body. Grace fully, Pastor Bob Mission of Hope, Haiti (MOH Haiti) As an organization following Jesus Christ, MOH Haiti brings life transformation to every man, woman, and child in Haiti. Mission of Hope was founded in 1998, and continues to serve Haiti daily by meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the Haitian population. MOH Haiti s desire is to serve the nation of Haiti, and see lives changed. Their passion is to see the hopeless find hope through Jesus Christ, and empower future generations through education to bring their country out of poverty. Mission of Hope s primary efforts are focused on: Church Advancement, Educational Development, Orphan care, Health Care, Nutrition and networking between specific Haiti churches and a North American Churches. On May 2nd to May 9th Marilyn Nolan and Grace Donison (along with Marilyn s daughter Julie and Grace s classmate Jaylea) will be going on a Medical Missions Trip with MOH Haiti. This is an exciting adventure for these four ladies and will be part of a life transformation for all. Pray for Marilyn, Grace, Julie and Jaylea as they prepare for the trip and that the Lord will use them in special ways. We at the Congregational Church of Goffstown can help by donating medical supplies that can be brought down to Haiti as part of the medical mission s services. A donation box has been set up at the back of the church through the end of April to receive specific supplies that you can donate, if the Lord places it on your heart. See list of specific supplies needed in last months Passages or bulletin inserts from the past several weeks. Thank You, Jim Donison

4 Missions Ministry News Carenet Pregnancy Center Baby Bottle Collection now through Mothers Day, May 10th & Annual Walk for Life on Saturday, May 9th Carenet Pregnancy Center in Manchester, one of our church sponsored ministries, would like us to SAVE THE DATE and support them through their annual walking fundraiser which takes place in downtown Manchester beginning at Veterans Park on Saturday, May 9th. The Carenet Baby Bottle Collection is taking place now. A large baby basket is set up in the fellowship hall to collect the baby bottles that were handed out at worship on March 22nd. Please fill these up with your spare change and return them by May 10th. We are also collecting disposable baby diapers - all sizes. These can be left in the fellowship hall baby basket along with the baby bottles. Please speak with Amanda Woods for more information or for an empty baby bottle. Joni and Friends Family Retreat Camp Volunteers Needed Are you interested in par/cipa/ng in a mission trip, but aren t quite ready to leave the country? Do you have compassion for those in the disabled community? Do you have a week to give in either June or August? If you answered yes to any of the previous ques/ons, perhaps volunteering at a Joni and Friends Family Retreat Camp is something you should consider. The Camps are held right here in Greenfield, NH June 8-12 and August STMs (Short Term Missionaries) are matched up with either an adult (June) or a child (August) with disabili/es for the week, to be their friend, giving the gip of /me and love. Opportuni/es are also available to serve in a program area assis/ng with art, music or recrea/on. For more informa/on, go to or talk with someone who has served: Claude or Connie D anjou, Laurie Hambleton or Ann Beltz. Spring Church Cleanup Day Saturday, April 25th 8am- 12noon Fellowship together for lunch at 12noon following the cleanup! Projects and plans for Church and Parish House Grounds include general cleanup aper the winter, raking, cleaning out garden beds, spreading mulch, digging out some well rooted plants (this will require strong backs) We will wash all of the windows in the Parish House. In Stark Hall we will clean the surfaces of our white tables, work in the kitchen with Kathy Sargent sor/ng out, organizing and cleaning appliances, cupboards and all areas. In the Parish House Basement we will build a workbench and reorganize shelves now that our new furnace has been installed. We will need trucks to make a few trips to the transfer sta/on (not as many as last year!) Please speak with Marilyn or Dan Nolan for more informa/on

5 Risen by Kalila Brooks It started out a tearfilled day They started out towards Jesus' grave They had seen Him die on that awful cross Now they mourned the friend they lost Through their tears they began to say "Who will roll the stone away?" They arrived and saw the tomb was empty They thought, "Who's stolen our Lord's body?" They saw an angel and he said "Why search for the living among the dead? I tell you, He is once again living Go tell His disciples that Christ has arisen!" Tears turned to joy when they heard this good news Death wanted victory, but Jesus refused They ran back home to share what they'ed heard "Jesus rose from the dead? That's just absurd!" Still, Peter and John went to go see And they found He had risen, He'd risen, indeed Because He has risen, we can rise again, too Once we die to our sins, by His grace we're made new So this Easter Sunday, please, spread the word Who's defeated the grave? Christ, our glorious Lord! Alleluia! Christ is Risen!!! The Lord is Risen Indeed!

6 Ministry of Discipleship News Praying the Names of Jesus Prayer is.how would you answer this question? I imagine each person has their own particular understanding of what it is, how you do it and what it accomplishes. At its heart it is an intimate conversation between a believer and the Creator of the universe who has loved us enough to save us from our sin through His Son Jesus Christ. I invite you to a 6 week journey of drawing closer to God by spending time discovering more about the Lord Jesus by looking at 6 of His names found in the New Testament. We will be using Ann Spangler s book, Praying the Names of Jesus as a guide. We will meet at noon and again in the evening at 7pm in the chapel in the Parish House. For more information you may call me- Becky Ford at # Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested, so I can get the books. Thanks, Becky For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O LORD my God with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86: Classroom Updates Our classrooms all throughout the Parish house and annex continue to be spruced up! Thanks to Ed and Shelly Williams the Matthew room, where the youth group meets each week, has been painted and cleaned up. Also the classroom upstairs at the top left of the staircase has been cleaned and painted thanks to Dan and Marilyn Nolan. The Preschool-Grade 2 class will be relocating from the sunroom to this new classroom space. Vacation Bible School- Camp Kilimanjaro Kids camp Planning is underway for our summer kids camp scheduled for August 3rd - 7th. Teachers are still needed for the Pre-school, Kindergarten, 1-2 grades and 3-4 grades. If you feel God calling you to this important outreach ministry to our community, please speak with director Chuck Karpf or Teacher Coordinator Ann Beltz. The leadership team will meet again on April 12th. Resurrection Morning Sunrise Service & Breakfast The annual Resurrection morning Sunrise service will take place at 67 Shirley Hill Road out in the farm field on Sunday, April 5th at 6:00AM with breakfast following in Stark Hall between 6:30am and 7:30am. The all you can eat buffet prepared by Kathy Sargent and crew will fill any appetite. Any donations received go directly to support the Matthew T. Paul Memorial Scholarship fund. We encourage you to please join us at both the Sunrise Service and the Easter breakfast.

7 Congregational Care Friday Night Fellowship at the Bekkering s house, at 27 Sandy Pond Parkway in Bedford on the 2nd and 4th Fridays, April 10th and 24th. Please join in for an evening of food and fellowship at 6:30 pm Call Dean and Candace at for more information or directions. Women s Monthly Breakfast, Saturday, April 18th 9:00am-11:00am Stark Hall Dining Room Join in with other women of the church for this special time of sharing life, prayer, devotion, and craft making. Please bring along a breakfast dish to share with others. Speak with Marilyn Nolan for more information. Health and Wellness Ministry Registered nurses Marilyn Nolan and Catherine Conley have been accepted by CMC as Parish Nurses and are in the process of forming a Health and Wellness ministry as part of our Congregational Care ministries, with more details to come. Please pray for them and the church leaders as we discern the shape of this ministry and formally launch it in the coming months. Meanwhile Kristie Himsel is interested in starting a faith based running club to meet once a week at Stark Hall. Please let her know ( or kpalestino@gmail.com) if you are interested! April Birthdays 4/1 Pam Fenton 4/12 Bob McKenney 4/28 Amanda Woods 4/2 Kalila Brooks 4/16 Cheryl Anderson 4/29 Sarah Conley 4/5 Dianne Pike 4/19 Olivia Himsel 4/30 Len Stuart 4/6 Kirra Morency 4/25 Jeremiah Cullen 4/7 Jan Moyer 4/28 Norene Rash 4/7 Sue Stuart 4/28 Mary Wojdylak Hello from the editor: Thank you for looking at our monthly Newsletter. Please check out our for up- to- date sermons, calendars, & much more. Also, check out our church Facebook page at facebook/conggoff for a weekly preview of the sermon and current notices and events. If you would like to share an item for the May Passages issue please submit your info via to cat.conley@comcast.net by the deadline of Friday, April 24th. We will be folding the Newsletter on Thursday, April 30th at 9am in the Parish House chapel. Please join us if you can. As we grow together in the Lord, may His grace be upon you, Catherine Conley

8 The Congregational Church of Goffstown 8 & 10 Main Street Goffstown, NH THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF GOFFSTOWN 8 & 10 Main Street Goffstown, NH Tel: (603) Web Site: CongGoff.org pastorgoffcong@gmail.com Facebook: facebook.com/conggoff 9:15am-10:15am Adult & Children s Sunday School 10:30am 11:45am Worship Service Coffee, Snacks & Fellowship