The Evangel The Congregational Church of Westborough, United Church of Christ Westborough Massachusetts "Open Doors - Growing Faith!

Transcription

1 PASTOR S LETTER The Evangel The Congregational Church of Westborough, United Church of Christ Westborough Massachusetts "Open Doors - Growing Faith!" Volume 39, Issue 1 January 23, 2019 I am assured that time is a constant. One minute is always 60 seconds long. I would argue however that there are times when one minute seems like an hour and times when we are certain it is mere seconds. I learned at an early age that time is after all, relative. My time with you has just begun and yet it seems as if I have been here a while. So much has happened in this short number of weeks. It seemed all too short that just as we were saying hello, we were also saying goodbye to Rev. Elaine. Your time with Pastors Paul and Elaine lasted years. It may seem as if that time has now flown by. Isn t there a song We don t know what we got till it s gone? That is often the way of things. When you see young adults coming home from college, you may ponder how they grew so fast. Where did the time go? That certainly is how I look upon our 3 children, now grown adults. One just turned 35 this week. It is true as well when you look back at a time of pastors serving. Where did the time go? Time is so fleeting. We cannot control time, any more than we can control the weather. We cannot make it go faster when we are waiting for a diagnosis, or waiting for the red light to change, nor can we slow it down when we are enjoying a peace filled day off. We can however learn to be more mindful of those minutes that will soon pass us by and look for the blessings as they sweep past. We can learn to watch the time with an appreciative eye for the butterflies and rainbows. I certainly appreciated the time with Rev. Elaine even though it was only days. Our lives are filled with blessings. Our days are filled as well and so is this church. God is so good to send us so many. Sometimes we are not as mindful and time and blessing pass us by. Sometimes we fill our minds and hearts and s with what is wrong in the day, that we miss the good right in front of us. I wonder if we can help each other in the time we have to become more mindful, especially of the good. Perhaps together we can take notice of the blessings we have received and give thanks. This church has been blessed in so many ways. I am just beginning to uncover them from your stories and I am eager to see how God will bless you in the days to come! We will grieve from time to time as people move from us and that deserves its own amount of time. It will be important not to rush this. We also know that the blessings from God will continue. As we pause to look back and appreciate, grieve and learn, may we look ahead with a thoughtful heart eager to see what God will have in store for us as we journey together. I look forward to serving you in this journey of appreciation, learning, exploration and blessing. Peace always in Christ, Rev. PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO JOIN US HERE FOR WORSHIP!

2 A Note from your Pastoral Associate, Pete Graham Sometime in the late 1950 s, folk icon Pete Seeger received a letter from his publisher begging him to stop writing protest songs and focus on more marketable fare such as his previous hit, Good Night, Irene. Pete thought, I can t write the kind of song you want. You gotta go to somebody else. This is the only kind of song I know how to write. Frustrated, he sat down with a tape recorder and some words he d copied down from an extraordinary old book, and began to improvise. Fifteen minutes later he was finished and he sent the recording off to his publisher. A week later he received a response: Wonderful! Just what I m looking for. It turns out that this is a song that we have always been looking for. In the years since Seeger first set tune to words, the song has been recorded by dozens of artists (most famously the Byrds in 1965), in many languages, and is known all over the world. Its lyrics are said to be the oldest ever to be featured in a top ten hit. The beautiful little poem from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes has reverberated in the human spirit generation after generation for thousands of years: To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven (KJV). With the coming of a new year, we can t help but consider the changing of the seasons, the phases of our lives, and the very nature of time itself. What a funny predicament we humans find ourselves in: to remember a past but to be powerless to change it or relive it, and to know there is a future but be unable to know what it will be. We remain forever in the present but always aware of its place in the ever-turning passage of time. And yet with every pairing of opposite experiences listed, the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that we have agency. That is except the very first pair ( a time to be born, and a time to die ). We can t control these things. Every other experience of time involves an action that can be taken: a time to seek, and time to lose; a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to keep silent and a time to speak. It is not our job to control time. Rather, we are to be aware of time, to note its passage, so that we will know when the time has come to act. But it is also our job to find joy in the passing of time and our in present tasks. The latter half of the chapter, less well known and written in prose, tells us: I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in their toil (3:12-13). Our awareness of the passage of time is the gift that allows us to appreciate the past, feel joy for the present, and have hope for the future. It reminds us that there are things we can t control and things we can. It compels us to action. Shortly before he died, Pete Seeger was asked in an interview what he would like to be remembered for. He made up songs, Pete answered, that persuade people to do something, not just say something. In the year ahead, do something. Your ability to change the world by your actions is a gift and a responsibility given to you by God. A time for love does no one any good if someone isn t there to do the love. Make 2019 your year of doing. It s time. 2

3 PRAYERS & CELEBRATIONS Bereavement: Roland Regnier and family upon the passing of his mother; the Keeler family on the loss of Mom & Nana Dottie Keeler. New Prayers: Joan Gates; Betty Barclay (broken foot); Serena Leiser (back surgery) Continued Prayers: Joshua Nichols, grandson of Richard Nichols; Cathie Achorn s sister Linda Polatka; Jeffrey Bramley; Dick & Linda Birch; Anna Gavel; Ron and Nancy Clark s daughter Melissa Dickinson. Beaumont: Carroll Hoffman Kindred Health Care: Bea Ladner You can place prayer concerns on the church s distribution list at eprayers@uccwestboro.org. To add or renew an ongoing concern, please call the church office or westboroucc@verizon.net Evangel Distribution Changes In an effort to be more environmentally sensitive and more cost effective, we would like to maximize our use of electronic distribution. In order to save money, churches often try to use bulk mailing, which requires duplicating and mailing out a minimum of 200 copies. With more and more people utilizing , our numbers have dropped. We are glad to mail out copies to those who do not have access to a computer. Will you help us streamline our mailings? If you wish to continue receiving a paper copy through the mail, please contact the church office at so that we can adjust our mailings. If you are willing to change to an electronic copy and we do not have your address, please contact the church office with your preferred address. Thank you for helping us to be better stewards and still reach everyone with the great things going on here at our beloved church! PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY CALLING ALL KNITTERS! As winter sets in it's time to pull out those knitting needles and crochet hooks. We need to replenish our supply of prayer shawls and cold, snowy days are the perfect time to knit. These beautiful shawls are like a giant hug for someone who is hurting. If you need a pattern, please let me know. We will plan to bless the shawls in early spring. Completed shawls can be left at the church office where Lisa will put them in the box for blessing. Thank you for giving your time and talent to this special ministry. Pam Faustine WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP Monday, February 4, 2019 Pot Luck Supper & Chair Yoga with Latha Radhakrishnan 6:00 Dinner A-L Bring a Salad, M-Z Bring a Main Dish Program Committee Bring a dessert ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission for the month Valentine s Day Packages Attention: Parents of College Students & Active Duty Military Again this year, the Women s Fellowship is going to send Valentine s Day packages to our college students, and those in the military away from home. All who have a family member who grew up in our church and is currently either a scholar attending an institution of higher learning, or is on active duty, please be sure to let me know their current mailing address* or APO/FPO address. If you put it in writing it helps reduce mistakes. * If they live in an apartment/house rather than on campus, it would be helpful to know. Also, if they are commuters and/or have 3

4 any known allergies, please let us know. We can customize! Please Donna Morgan at as soon as possible If you have a relative (niece, nephew, grandchild, etc.) who is not a member of our church family, we d be glad to send them a package but will need to ask for a donation to cover the postage (approximately $10 if they are attending a school in New England). Please let me know as soon as possible we need to plan and shop. Sunday, Feb. 3 rd will be the absolute deadline. PARISH LIFE The Famous Pancake Breakfast Join us Sunday, Jan 27 after church for our annual Pancake Breakfast where you will enjoy pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit salad, juice, coffee and pastries. For more information, call Cathie Achorn at Looking Ahead: Progressive Supper, March 23 rd HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE PLEASE HELP! Due to declining health, relocations other departures, our numbers are shrinking. WHAT WE DO: The Hospitality Committee was officially established with the blessings of the Board of Deacons in October (Hospitality had been on-going long before that, but without formal organization.) This Committee is composed of volunteers who are willing to cook 4 and deliver a meal to a church family or individual, when there is a need, which is usually the result of illness or after surgery. We were a fairly large group; usually, a volunteer is seldom called more than once per month. There is no pressure if your schedule does not allow participation at the time you are called upon. This is such a win-win situation; the recipients are so very grateful for the help and nutrition which hastens their healing process, but you, the Lord's servant, also feel His blessings from having extended this act of kindness. WANT TO JOIN? There is no initiation or entrance exam! And did I mention? no meetings! It only involves cooking and delivering a meal to a family or an individual, ON OCCASION. Please call me to sign up or if you would like more information. Our church family has been blessed for many years, and hopefully, with your help for many more. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. WHEN YOU NEED A MEAL: Please Call Betty (508) In the meantime, we are updating our Hospitality Committee list of volunteers. This is a list of people who are willing to cook and deliver a meal to a church family or individual, when there is a need, which is often the result of illness, or after surgery. Volunteers are usually not called upon more than once per month. (no pressure is you schedule does not allow participation at the time.) Some new members have expressed an interest in helping. Please call or Betty Gray bzgray@aol.com if you would like to be added to this ministry Another way we are looking for some sporadic help is as follows: IF you are available to provide transportation for a church member, ON OCCASION, please indicate by circling Call Me below. This typically is for a doctor s appointment or for a ride to church on Sunday morning. Call Betty Gray THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO HELP OTHERS IN YOUR CHURCH FAMILY. PS there are no meetings!

5 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION WE RE ON A Sunday, January 27th we will be celebrating all of the missions that our church supports and volunteers time, talents and energy! There is so much that we are so passionate about let s take time to reflect, pray, sing and make music! Our faith has produced many works and together we can do much more. As we celebrate our current mission projects, we will dream of what more we can do! We know together, through Christ we can do all things. CONFIRMATION 2019 FAITH EXPLORATION: Discover Explore Practice We will begin with defining religion faith spirituality and start to contemplate what that means to each one of us personally. ~ DISCOVER ~ We will learn about 6 major religions being practiced in the world today; Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. We will compare, contrast, question and search for answers. ~ EXPLORE ~ We will be visiting several different houses of worship, temples, museums and galleries. Students and mentors will have an opportunity to experience different forms of worship and culture through food, music and art. ~ PRACTICE ~ Our focus will turn to the ministry of Jesus and the birth of Christianity as a religion, a faith, a way of life. We will focus on service projects and retreats lead and planned by Confirmands and their sponsors. CONFIRMATION Program will conclude with a study of The Congregational Church of Westborough and The United Church of Christ. All participants will be invited to confirm their faith and each youth will be invited to become a member of the church at completion of program. INFORMATIONAL MEETING There will be an informational meeting in the Chapel on JANUARY following worship. We will talk more about what we will be learning and experiencing, and discuss scheduling. This program is being offered to: ALL high school students who have not yet been Confirmed ~ students who were Confirmed this fall before completion of 2nd year ~ AND students who may have already completed Confirmation and want to explore faith and spirituality further! High school is a time when we question our faith is God real? Can I believe any of this? Why go to church, can t I just be spiritual?let s ask questions, do some research and exploration, and find out together! ****************************************************** SOUPER BOWL OF CARING: Transforming the time around the Super Bowl into the nation's largest celebration of giving and serving led by youth! Youth have the ability to serve and should be given opportunities to lead their communities in helping others. Please join us for our 7th Annual Tackle Hunger Campaign & Tailgate Party on Super Bowl Sunday FEBRUARY 3rd following worship. 5

6 Every dollar AND Food donation collected through Souper Bowl of Caring will be donated directly to Dismas House and Project Just Because, Hopkinton. Hunger and poverty have a negative impact on individuals and the communities in which they live, yet there is joy in serving and giving to those in need. The excitement and energy surrounding the Super Bowl can be used to engage young people in service while producing lasting hope for all people. Souper Bowl of Caring is dedicated to tackling all of the issues that exist in our communities, including poverty, hunger and homelessness. Did you know? * 48 million Americans live in poverty? * 1 in 7 Americans face hunger every day? * More than 630,000 people in the United States are homeless? * 23% of those struggling went to college? * 16 million children live in food insecure households? 2018 THE SOUPER BOWL OF CARING RESULTS: $8,165,439 Cash and Food items collected 3,811 Participating Groups 2,586 Charities Helped 1,237,037 food items 4,164,621 lbs. of food ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join Us in Shepherd Lutheran Church, Saturday, February 9th. We will be joining our friends from local churches and parishes in packing non-perishable foods to be donated to those in need in our community. Everyone of all ages are welcome! Please see Wendy or send an wendysreardon@yahoo.com. When we serve others we serve God :) 6 ALL CHURCH RETREAT! SAVE THE DATE! DESTINATION: MARCH 29th ~ 31st NEW BEDFORD Serve Explore Grow Together! GROCERY CARD SALES Grocery Shoppers: Be sure to have a grocery card in your pocket for those last minute items at Stop & Shop, Roche Bros, and Price Chopper. Purchase a grocery card on Sunday, stop by the Church office, or add your name to our delivery list. We ll be ready for you! Or contact Karen Hutchinson at or millarhutch@aol.com or Nancy Quimby at or nquimby11@gmail.com or Sally Petersen at sbpetersen4@gmail.com and MISSIONS DISMAS HOUSE DINNER Dinner with the residents at Dismas House is on the first Thursday of every month. Our next dinner will be Thursday, Feb 7 th. How can you get involved? 1. Help prepare a meal for 15 to 20 people. 2. Donate a grocery card that can be used to help shop for food. 3. Come along and join us as we share great food and fellowship with the residents! For more information please contact Karen Hutchinson at , millarhutch@aol.com or chat with her during fellowship hour!

7 CHANGE OF ADDRESS Fran & Susan Whitten 44 Jasper Street Scarborough, ME WORDS OF APPRECIATION Dear friends, Thank you for the lovely poinsettia plant. It is a nice reminder of my many years in the floral business and all of the decorating for church fairs and pageants. Best wishes for a successful year during this time of transition. Sincerely, Jane Kruse ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you so much for your thoughtful gift. They are indeed special as they were part of the worship service. Harriet & Bob Markert. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ina Donahue would like to thank the flower committee for the beautiful poinsettia. And a special thank you to the anonymous person who delivered it all the way to Littleton. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was visited by the Carolers and it was the highlight of my week. It is a lovely group with families and so many people that I know. I also received the poinsettia and it is gracing my kitchen table. Thank you to those who participated. Even though I no longer can attend church services I keep in touch with the news in the Evangel and on . Happy New Year to everyone. Love, Nancy Walker ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Friends, Many thanks to the carolers who came to my home in the pouring rain to serenade me with Christmas music. They added joy to my holidays. Eleanor Myers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Congregational Church of Westborough, Thank you for believing in our Achievers! Because of your gift, Fiends of the Children-Boston will be able to support 138 of Boston s highest-risk youth with long-term, professional mentoring this year. Your generous holiday collection of $ will go directly to building resiliency and better outcomes 7 for our children and youth-whom we call Achievers because we know how much they will accomplish! Sincerely, Yi-Chin Chen, Executive Director ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Congregational Church, On behalf of the Pastoral Counseling Centers of MA and the many folk it benefits, we give heartfelt thanks for your donation of $1, this month. What a wonderful surprise! Thank you so much, Mary Taber ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Friends at the Congregational Church, Thank you for your recent donation of $ to Dismas House. We appreciate your generosity and goodwill towards the Dismas family. Best wishes in the New Year, Colleen Hilferty, Co-Executive Director ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friends at the Congregational Church of Westborough, Happy New Year! Thank you for your generous year-end donation to Heartline. You are making a lasting difference in the lives of Haitian mothers, children, and families. We can t thank you enough for your kindness and compassion. It s a joy to partner with you in our shared ministry of investing in Haitian families. With Gratitude & warm wishes for 2019, Ashley Leonard & Heartline Family. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear friends at Congregational Church of Westborough, Thank you so much for your love and support for Agape Spiritual Community. We are fortunate to have a community of faith that believes in what God s unconditional love is doing here, in this place. We are indeed grateful! Your financial support provides the resources to do great things at an through Agape, such as dinner churches, small groups with contemplative practices and reaching out to those in need in Waltham and beyond. Thank you for your generous donation totaling $1000 in With Gratitude, Matt Carriker and Soo Laski

8 Greetings Volunteers and Bakers, Thank you all for supporting Saturday s blood drive in honor of Corinne. We had an amazing day! Overall, 113 donors entered health histories. There were 15 deferrals and 7 power reds for a total of 105 units of blood making this one of our most successful blood drives to-date! There were a lot of factors that made this event extra special from visits from the Westboro police and WHS hockey team, some particularly brave first time donors, and the many family and friends that came out to donate. We also broke the 1000 th donation milestone early on in the day, which is an incredible achievement, and a real testament to the community s love and support for Corinne. These blood drives would not be possible without your help. Your extra efforts to provide delicious treats for our donors and staff, greet donors at registration and take care of them at canteen, and even pull double-duty as blood donors are sincerely appreciated. Your support and care helps make these events truly impactful. Thank you! Kaity Lawler CONTACT INFORMATION Rev. Sue Remick, Interim Pastor revsuerem@gmail.com Wendy Reardon, Director of Children s and Youth Ministry wendysreardon@yahoo.com Joe Stillitano, Interim Minister of Music Josephmstillitano@gmail.com Sue Menzel, Handbell Director westcongmusic@gmail.com Peter Graham, Pastoral Associate petegrahamiam@icloud.com Church Office Phone 508/ General Church WestboroUCC@Verizon.net Church web site PCC of MA The Pastoral Counseling Centers of MA, with a main office at 7 Church Street, Westborough have a long history of providing counseling to all persons seeking healing, wholeness and renewal. We work with individuals, couples and families offering a holistic approach that focuses on all aspects of a person's life. We also offer several support groups including care-giving, divorce and mid-life groups. To inquire further, please call Mary Taber at Office Hours Mondays: Closed Tue & Wed 9-2 Thurs 10-2 Fri 9-1 8

9 ~ February 2019 ~ 3 COMMUNION Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Worship & Faith Formation Souper Bowl of Caring Tail gate 11:30 Deacons/Kerygma 5:30 GSA/Vestry BSA & GSA Scouts PPRC - Pastor Parish Relations Committee TPC - Teaching Parish Committee PCC Pastoral Counseling Center FOC Financial Oversight 4 Valentine Box assembly/chapel 6- Women's Fellowship Pot Luck/Vestry 7:30 AA/Nursery Whitney Place Service 10:30 Beaumont Service 11:15 Willow's Communion 7- Festival Ringers/Sanctuary 7- Trustees/Kerygma Church Office Hours Monday Closed Tuesday - Thursday 9am-2pm Friday 9am-1pm 6 9:15 Called to Care/Library 10:30 Staff Meeting 7- "The Well"/Chapel 7:30 JoySpring/Sanctuary Fannie Forbes Room in use 7 9am Playgroup/Nursery 1:30 PCC/F.F. 5- Dismas House Dinner College Valentine Box s Assembled/Chapel 8 9 Meal Packing at Lutheran Church Worship & Faith Formation Special Coffee Hour Annual Fiscal Meeting/Vestry 2:30 GSA/Vestry 11 9am PCC Board/Kerygma 7:30 AA/Nursery 7:30 Troop Comm/Kerygma Festival Ringers/Sanctuary 13 9am Weaver's Guild/Vestry, Kerygma, classrooms 7- "The Well"/Chapel 14 Happy Valentine s Day 9am Playgroup/Nursery 1:30 PCC/F.F :30 GSA/Vestry Worship & Faith Formation 6:30 GSA/Kerygma Mission Committee/Kerygma 7:30 AA/Nursery Festival Ringers/Sanctuary 20 EVANGEL DEADLINE 10:30 Staff Meeting 7- "The Well"/Chapel 7- Cabinet/Kerygma 21 9am Playgroup/Nursery 1:30 PCC/F.F pm Friday to 10am on Sat. Girl Scout Sleepover Worship & Faith Formation 2:30 GSA/Vestry 5:30 GSA/Vestry 25 7:30 AA/Nursery Festival Ringers/Sanctuary 27 EVANGEL PUBLISHED 7- "The Well"/Chapel 28 9am Playgroup/Nursery 1:30 PCC/F.F. 4:30 GSA/Vestry Choir Rehearsals: Sundays: 11:15 K-8 th Kids Bells & Chimes Tuesdays: 7:00 Festival Ringers Wednesdays: 3:30 Journey Home Singers 6:30 Chancel Choir & 7:30 JoySpring 9

10 The Congregational Church of Westborough United Church of Christ NON-PROFIT ORG. 57 West Main St. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Westborough, MA WESTBOROUGH, MA Change Service Requested PERMIT NO