NORTH STAR NORTH STAR FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UCC COME TO WORSHIP. Gathered Since Serving, Welcoming, Growing in Christ

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1 NORTH STAR FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UCC Gathered Since 1730 Serving, Welcoming, Growing in Christ COME TO WORSHIP Ministers of the Church All the People Senior Minister Rev. Emilia Halstead Director of Music Mr. William Metevier Church Secretary Shelley Westenberg Treasurer Linda Baines Financial Secretary Carolyn Andrews Custodian Allan Glines North Star Editor Linda Sims 177 North Main Street Concord, NH Phone: Website: Summer Office Hours: Monday - Thursday: 9 am - 1 pm July 6 Worship at 10:00 am Summer United Worship (starting July 13) is at 9:30 a.m. 1

2 NOTE FROM THE PASTOR The LORD delights in those who honor him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. -- Psalm 147:11 Greetings Beloved in Christ, I can hardly believe a month has gone by since I started my ministry here at First Church! Time does indeed fly when one is having fun. I want to extend a huge thank you to each of you for your understanding and patience during this transition period! I am SO delighted to be living in Concord (yea!) and no longer commuting 3 hours a day! I ask for your continued patience as I learn my way around and get settled into the community. Learning a new community is such a joy for me! I love spending time walking around and finding all of the wonderful little nooks and crannies that people who drive by Concord on Interstate 93 never get to see. Every new corner and street holds another delight waiting to be explored. I guess it is for the same reason that I love exploring my faith with and in God. Every time I turn around, God surprises me with something new, either about myself or the world around me. One of the important gifts that God has given me in my ministry is my clergy community of practice. The members of my group have helped me to remember to take time to look at the small details, like the palm of my hand, and to also look at the big vision that God has in store for us all. two words that you chose guide you in your ministry. Well the two words I chose were inspire & hope. I quickly teared up as I realized my heart s desire for my ministry was staring me in the face. It has always been my desire to inspire hope in everything I do. Hope is my favorite Sunday of the Advent season and it is my nearest and dearest friend on my faith journey. As I say often, there is always hope. What are you hopeful for? What is your soul s deepest yearning? When you spend time in conversation with God, do you share that deepest yearning? Remember, even on the darkest night, the moon and stars shine bright. This July, whether you are near to Concord or far; whether you are attending worship on a Sunday morning or simply enjoying the beauty of Creation; whether you spend time looking at the small details or looking at the big picture make sure you carry hope with you always. May you carry the Light of Christ in you, Pastor Emilia Last year, our leader purchased for each of us two small, metal seashells. But rather than selecting who got which shells she mixed them up, laid them face down, and then had us take turns picking out the shells we wanted. After we picked our shells she told us, Each of these shells has a word engraved on the inside. My suggestion is to let the 2

3 Hope is the thing with feathers - (314) By Emily Dickinson Hope is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I ve heard it in the chilliest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me. NOTE FROM THE CABINET Summer days are upon us and the temptation is to kick back and enjoy the lazy pace. At church, while some of that feeling can be appreciated, there are things that have to continue in spite of what month the calendar is indicating. Bills need to be paid and pastoral visits made; plans for worship services and lots of other activities all continue. Before we know it September will be here. New members will be accepted during the worship service on July 6 th. Among those who have expressed interest in becoming members of First Church are Pastor Emilia and her partner, David Adams. How wonderful it will be to add their names to the ranks! Please join us and witness this occasion and welcome not only them but other new members to our church family. As we accept new members, the Cabinet s need for a Church Clerk is accentuated. Records need to be updated to include the newest members. One of the responsibilities of the Clerk, a very important function for our church, is to maintain an accurate list of membership and changes to that list. Please consider speaking to me or to Pastor Emilia if you think you might be willing to take on this position. Plans have begun for the next Quarterly Meeting which will be in September. The date and details will be announced and it is hoped that you will plan to attend. And so as the work of the church continues, it is hoped that you take time to enjoy the beauty of summer and join us for United Summer worship! Everett Sims Cabinet President 3

4 NOTE FROM THE DEACONS Happy summer everyone! The sun s out and the mercury is climbing, which means it is time for our joint services with South Church. Beginning 13 July and through the end of the month, we will be meeting at South Church, and then in August, the services will be coming to First. All joint services will be held at 9:30 AM. We look forward to seeing our friends! Thank you for giving, as this program is very important and helps ensure CWS buckets are available for immediate response after disaster. Sara Nichols and the Board of Missions One of the older traditions of this church is ringing our bell before the service. We are looking for members who would be interested in this task. If you are interested, please contact Jon Murphy. Have a good summer! Jon Murphy for the Deacons NOTES FROM THE BOARD OF MISSIONS The cleanup bucket for Church World Service is patiently waiting in the assembly room to be filled. Perhaps you have read or seen the news about the Nebraska tornadoes. It is in situations like these that CWS is ready to help. We can do our part by filling buckets to be handed out to those who need them. The items which are still needed for the bucket are: 100 ft.( or 2-50 ft.) clothesline one pair work gloves 3 scouring pads 2 pair latex gloves 12 oz. bottle concentrated liquid cleaner (like Lysol) 3 sponges 12 clothes pins 25 oz. bottle liquid disinfectant ( like Dawn dish soap) 28 bag roll of heavy duty trash bags (30-45 gallons). FOOD PANTRY We have been very busy as usual in the Pantry, with more and more people coming in for help with their food needs. We are so pleased that this church is able to help so many of them, not only with food, but also with clothing. If you are like so many and have found that the closet shrank your clothing over the winter, or just have no need of last year s summer clothes, bring them into us and let someone less fortunate take them home with them. Children s clothing is always needed too, as are hygiene products. Also, please collect and drop off brown paper bags when you have a chance! Thank you for all of the help you give to your food pantry. Linda Strand and the Food Pantry Volunteers 4

5 FIRST CHURCH NEW MEMBER/JAZZ SUNDAY JULY 6 "Proclaiming Our Unity!" as a conference; as a region; and as a denomination. Event registration opens August 25th. Watch for a link to the registration website via the NHCUCC Weekly News or at the NHCUCC website and check back frequently for updates and additional resources. Rev. Emilia Halstead and her significant other, Mr. David Adams, will be joining the church on July 6 th. This service will also feature jazz music by Tim Wildman and band and Communion will be celebrated! New Hampshire Conference Annual Meeting October 25th 8:00am-4:30pm Grappone Conference Center This is a powerful day, full of fellowship, worship, essential business of the Conference, and a chance to meet and talk with other members of the N.H. Conference and the wider United Church of Christ. This year, we will be hosting the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, the Rev. Geoffrey Black, as well as the Conference Ministers of the five New England Conferences for a panel discussion on the state of the UCC regionally and at the national level. This will be a truly unique opportunity, and one not to be missed! The theme is 5 FOURTH TUESDAY PRAYERS Start in August Pastor Emilia invites you to join her in the Chapel on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 1:00 in the afternoon for some quiet meditation time. Her wish is that you make a small pocket of prayerful quiet in your day. Whatever it is you feel the need to pray about, bring it to the Chapel and release it to God. The first Fourth Tuesday Prayer session will be held on August 26!

6 Sign seen recently in the gift shop at Concord Hospital: Hello. This is God Birthdays in July Cathy Lord, 7/2 Kevin Fanny, 7/4 speaking. I will be handling your problems today. I will not be requiring your help. Caeleigh Jennings, 7/5 Carolyn Andrews, 7/5 Abbie Andrew, 7/9 Billy Taylor, 7/11 Rev. David Travers, 7/11 Barbara Carlstrand, 7/12 Ruth Ordway, 7/19 Christine Nichols, 7/22 Sheila Lugg, 7/28 Joan Wiggin, 7/31 PRAYER CONCERNS & PASTORAL CARE If you or someone you know is in need of prayer and would like their name included in our Sunday prayers or put on the church prayer list, please contact Sally Kelly (salking2@yahoo.com) or Pastor Emilia (pastor@concordsfirstchurch.org, e.halsteadoo7@gmail.com or (603) ). If you would like a member of the Pastor's Aid Visitation Team to visit with you, please contact Barbara Carlstrand (603) The Prayer Circle asks you to keep in prayer the following members and friends: Miriam Callahan David French Ginny Gove Elizabeth Hardy Rose Kachadoorian Dot Riley Nancy Sanborn Janet Smith Julia and Milton Tasker Gertrude Taylor 6

7 CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR JULY SUMMER UNITED WORSHIP SCHEDULE (All Worship starts at 9:30 am) JULY at South Church July 13 United Worship Begins: Rev. Emilia Preaching July 20 Rev. Jed Preaching, Rev. Emilia on vacation July 27 Rev. Jed Preaching, Rev. Emilia on vacation Monday, Tuesday & Thursday: Mondays in July: Sunday, July 6: Monday, July 7: Monday, July 14: Wednesday, July 16: July 16-31: Food Pantry: 9:30-11:30 am Counting Committee 9:00 am New Member/Jazz/Communion Sunday Staff Meeting: 10:30 am Spiritual Directors 12 pm Trustees 6:30 pm Pastor Emilia on vacation AUGUST at First Church August 3 Communion Sunday: Rev. Carlos Preaching August 10 Rev. Carlos Preaching August 17 Rev. Emilia Preaching August 24 United Worship ends ************* COFFEE HOUR SCHEDULE The Women s Guild will have the responsibility of finding people to do the coffee hour for the month of AUGUST 7

8 News from the Congregational Library & Archives My Country Tis of Thee - To most of us these few words bring back memories. Perhaps the memories are from a 4 th of July celebration as we sang this beautiful anthem and saluted the flag with family and friends. This patriotic song was written by Francis Samuel Smith while he was a student at Andover Theological Seminary in Andover, MA. Who would guess that this anthem, also known as America, would be sung for the first time in 1831 on the steps of Park Street Church - just steps from the Congregational Library and Archives in Boston. Today, Park Street Church (Park Street) is an integral site on the famous Freedom Trail. Each summer, Park Street opens its doors to over 50,000 visitors from all 50 states and over 30 countries. Founded in 1809, Park Street was involved in many social reform struggles including the Antislavery and Civil Rights movements. Prison reform began in this church, women's suffrage was strongly supported here, and some of the first and most impassioned protests against slavery were delivered inside these hallowed walls. On this site a young William Lloyd Garrison delivered his first major public abolitionist speech on July 4, Garrison's Four Propositions, introduced at Park Street: The "colored population" of America should be freed, given an education, and accepted as equal citizens with whites. Park Street is on the move to make this world a better place. Home to some of the first Protestant missionaries to such far-away places as the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), the Park Street community continues its commitment to help those in need right here in Boston and in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Whether working in the areas of business development and technology in Central America, medical aid in the Middle East, or property renovation in the Czech Republic, Park Street invests its resources to meet the physical and emotional needs in under-served areas. Those resources might fund a basketball academy in Central Asia, a prison outreach program in South Africa, or initiatives to help marginalized residents in Boston. Their Pray, Serve, Go, and Give model offers opportunities for many to practice faith and social justice hand in hand. As we head into summer, and toward Independence Day, let us salute our freedom and the noble mission of serving others in God's name. Our joyful hearts today, Their grateful tribute pay, Happy and free, After our toils and fears, After our blood and tears, Strong with our hundred years, O God, to Thee. -Additional verse for My Country Tis of Thee, written to celebrate George Washington's centennial in 1889 Above all others, slaves in America deserve "the prayers, and sympathies, and charities of the American people." Non-slave-holding states are "constitutionally involved in the guilt of slavery," and are obligated "to assist in its overthrow." There is no valid legal or religious justification for the preservation of slavery. 8