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

Transcription

1 The Evangel The Congregational Church of Westborough, United Church of Christ Westborough Massachusetts "Open Doors - Growing Faith!" Volume 38, Issue 1 Jan 24, 2018 WORSHIP SCHEDULE All of our Sunday services are at 10 AM, and there is nursery care and Sunday School for kids up through the 8 th grade. The kids are in church for the first 10 minutes or so, and then they go to their special session. Everyone is invited to join us for coffee hour after the service downstairs in the vestry (or fellowship hall)! SUNDAY, FEB. 4 TH COMMUNION SUNDAY SOUPER BOWL OF CARING TAILGATE PARTY We will celebrate the Sacrament of Communion today, and our youth group will be collecting money to help the hungry as part of the nationwide Souper Bowl of Caring effort! There will be a tailgate party after church to prepare for the Patriot s big win! People can also sign up today for the all-church retreat! Rev. Elaine S. Gaetani will be preaching. SUNDAY, FEB. 11 TH MARDI GRAS SUNDAY This is the last Sunday before Lent begins, and Pastor Paul will be preaching. You can sign up for the allchurch retreat after the service. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14 TH 7PM ASH WEDNESDAY We will gather in the Chapel to begin the Lenten season with a service of the imposition of ashes and Communion. SUNDAY, FEB. 18 TH FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT We will begin our Lenten sermon series this morning, and Linda Hartley will be our preacher. SUNDAY, FEB. 25 TH SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT We will continue our journey through Lent in the sermon series Holy Vessels this morning, and Rev. Elaine S. Gaetani will be our preacher. PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO JOIN US HERE FOR WORSHIP! PASTOR S COLUMN I remember with great fondness the church retreats that my church in Foxboro used to have in January at a hotel in Newport, RI. We pretty much took over the whole hotel, and all of our kids would play together in the pool and get to run around the hotel, and our youth were able to hang out and do all kinds of activities together, and our adults enjoyed the chance to spend time with each other and also visit some of the tourist sites in the area. It was so different from the usual church retreats-everyone always looked forward to going back again! We hope to do something similar on Friday night, Mar. 23 rd - Saturday, Mar. 24 th this spring! We have reserved a block of rooms at the Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott in New Bedford. We will head down the Friday night, and have an evening reception at the hotel with snacks at 7 PM, and the pool will be open until 10! Then we will join together for a buffet breakfast Saturday morning, have a time of devotions afterwards, and then all of us will head out to do various service projects. Lunch will be on our own in New Bedford, and the afternoon will be free to visit some of the sights, such as the National Park, the Whaling Museum, or the fishing fleet. There will be activities for kids and youth going on all day. Then we will all come together again for a celebration dinner in the evening, and be done by 7:30 PM so everyone can head back. Our theme for the weekend will be Holy Vessels, our Lenten theme, as we all seek to be used by God through our brokenness to bring wholeness into our world. We will have a table downstairs in Fellowship Hall after church on Sunday, Feb. 4 th, 11 th and 18 th, and the hotel has given us some great rates, so please join us! If money is an issue, we will also have scholarships available-please speak to Pastor Paul, Rev. Elaine or Wendy Reardon. We re going to have a great time! Faithfully yours, Regular Office Hours Pastor Paul Monday & Friday 9am 1pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9am 2pm

2 PRAYERS & CELEBRATIONS Bereavement: Family and friends of our beloved long time member Polly Howard upon her death on Dec. 26; The Keeler family on the passing of Kevin Keeler s Aunt Kathy; Carolyn Bent and family on the passing of her niece, Taylor Ann Carroll. New Prayers: The Fitzgibbons family; Jessica (friend of Bonnie Rossi); Joan Clancy (friend of Paula Davis). Continued Prayers: Lois Gray & family (sister-inlaw of Betty Gray); Michael Newton; Andrea Domeij (Ina Donahue s daughter-in-law in FL); Pari (friend of Cathie Achorn and Angela Caron); Tom Morgan s niece s husband Dave. Coleman House: Jean Hall Beaumont: Shirley Foss 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 WORSHIP THEME FOR LENT IS HOLY VESSELS During the season of Lent, we will be using the theme Holy Vessels, and our key Scripture verse will be St. Paul s words in Second Corinthians 4:7, But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We will be reflecting on how God uses our brokenness to bring wholeness to the world. Our decorating of the sanctuary will reflect this theme. Please join us! MISSIONS HAITI MISSION TRIP Our church has built a powerful and life-changing relationship with the ministry of Heartline in Haiti over the past few years, and we will again be sending a team to visit! This year, we will be leaving Mar. 10th and returning Mar. 19th. It will be a travel experience that will change your life, so if you are interested, please speak to Mike Lawler, Art Sharkey, Rev. Elaine, or Megan Huber. Thanks! 2 HABITAT WORK DAY FEB 3 RD Saturday, February 3, 2018 is our build day with Habitat for Humanity. We will help rehab a building into affordable homes for four families. The building (originally the Gale General Store) is located at 33 Main Street in Northborough, MA adjacent to Trinity Church. Skilled, unskilled, semi-skilled we can use all varieties. The signup sheet is in the vestry on the Missions table. Habitat has requested no more than 12 volunteers. The work day starts at 8 a.m. and ends around 3:30 with half an hour for clean-up. If you can t work on the site, you can still help by preparing lunch for the construction volunteers. Our help is needed and appreciated so let s make like Jesus and be carpenters with big hearts! Questions, call Pam Faustine at or Doug Wales at (508) Thank you GIVING TREE PROJECT Our 2017 Giving Tree Mission was a HUGE success! Words cannot express how thankful I am to our congregation and local communities for all they do to make sure all children have a special Christmas morning. Well over 300 packages were distributed this week by many busy little elves. Whether you were a shopper or a wrapper, a giver or a deliverer, your gifts of time and treasure are truly appreciated. YOU are what makes this great mission possible and for that we THANK YOU!!! A special thank you to Bonnie and Lisa in the Church Office for taking on extra work to help us out during a very busy time. Merry Christmas Blessings to you all from the Missions Team. May you all experience the Peace, Hope, Joy, and Love this blessed season has to offer DISMAS HOUSE DINNER Dinner with the residents at Dismas House is on the first Thursday of every month. Our next dinner is Thursday, Feb 1 st. 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!

3 SMALL GROUPS DURING LENT We have many different small groups planned during Lent, including a Marriage Alpha course, Hopkinton Bible Study, Emmaus Discipleship study, Men s Bible Study, and more, so please watch out for more information! fun, laughter, beauty, scripture and song! Thank you to our students who ranged in ages from preschool through seniors in high school, and numbered more than 50! Joyspring along with Angela Nabakka and Belinda Roy set the stage for worship as we awaited the birth of Christ! WALK TO EMMAUS PROGRAM Thursdays: March 1 to April 26 7:00-8:00 pm (no meeting Maundy Thursday) Saturday: April 28, 9:00 am 2:00 pm While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and walked with them. - Luke 24:15 The Walk to Emmaus is a spiritual renewal program intended to strengthen the local church through the development of Christian disciples and leaders. Our walk is comprised of fifteen talks by lay and clergy on the themes of God's grace, disciplines of Christian discipleship, and what it means to be the church. The course is wrapped in prayer and meditation, special times of worship and celebration of Holy Communion. The Emmaus course in Christianity moves church members to new levels of openness and commitment as Disciples of Christ. People reexperience the gift of God's love and emerge from the Emmaus course with a desire to pass that love on to others. The experience strengthens persons' conscious union with Jesus Christ as the embodiment of God's grace, truth, and compassion. This a 10 week program with a culminating retreat for all participants. For those that wish to participate in this moving experience or have any questions about the program, please contact Lori Fox at lfox1776@gmail.com CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Thank you to our all of our students and families for an amazing Christmas pageant. We were truly blessed with a night filled with The Magi cast did an incredible job memorizing their lines and acting with emotion and confidence! CHRISTMAS PAGEANT OFFERING The Christmas Pageant Offering, along with the proceeds from The Great Pie Challenge pie sale, will be donated to Friends of the Children Boston and Troumaca & Cane End Government Schools in St Vincent, via Hands Across the Sea, the two schools that our Youth Group Mission Trip Team volunteered in last summer. 3

4 SOUPER BOWL OF CARING TAILGATE PARTY FEB 4 TH! Youth will be hosting a tailgate party during coffee hour, all food & drink is FREE w/a donation of a non-perishable food item. This will be our 5th year participating in the Souper Bowl and our 5th year supporting The Westborough Food Pantry. The Souper Bowl of Caring utilizes Super Bowl weekend in America to mobilize young people to fight hunger and poverty in their local communities. Its vision is to transform Super Bowl weekend (the weekend of the first Sunday in February) into America's largest youth-led weekend of giving and serving. 100% of the money and food is then given directly to local charities of the group's choice. To date youths have raised more than $135 million in monetary and food donations! FAITH FORMATION IN FEBRUARY Our curriculum will focus on what happens to Jesus and His family after the Nativity narrative and How do we know it did happen? We will research to Biblical accounts and non-biblical, science, archeology, excavation and other resources. Students will experience hands on activities, culinary classes and challenges to enhance our lessons as we prepare for this year s Lenten journey! YOUTH GROUP IN FEBRUARY Our New Year s celebration meeting had very engaging conversation, from which many interesting topics were discussed! We will be focusing on a few subjects that seemed to interest everyone in the group, The Politics of Inclusion, 13 Reasons Why 13 Reasons Might Not Be a Good Idea and How Do We See Ourselves?? Which brings us full circle with our year s theme of, I AM. (Topics of interest; transgender issues, race, women s equality & strength, opioid epidemic and teen suicide) As always, discussions will be age/group appropriate and member driven the kids lead us in the direction that they want to go. We will be planning our 2nd Annual Youth Group Lock-In too! MEETING DATES IN FEBRUARY: Feb. 4th - Souper Bowl Tailgate Feb 11th - Topic Meeting Feb 25th - Adventure Outing! TBD by Claire, our Epiphany winner! PARISH LIFE Upcoming Events & Dates. *Feb 4 th - Progressive Supper Sign Up starts. Call Cathie Achorn or to camachorn@aol.com (See flier at the back of the Evangel) *Feb 17 th 7PM Bowling at Sawyers Bowladrome in Northboro. A fun night for all ages. Bring the kids along! *March 1 st Deadline to sign up for Progressive Supper. *March 10 th - Progressive Supper *April 8 th Special fun coffee hour after church *May 12 th Fun Night (TBA) *June? Stay tuned (TBA) Please note: Always check your enews or church calendar for changes in this schedule that might occur do to church conflicts. MUSIC NEWS FROM THE BELL LOFT Can you believe February is just a week away? Here's the February rehearsal schedules for both choirs. Chimes and Bells: Sunday, Feb 4, 11 & 25 upstairs in the Bell Loft from approximately 11:20 to 11:50. Festival Ringers: Tuesday, Feb 6, 13 & 27 in the Bell Loft from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Please bring a calendar! 4

5 WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP Monday, Feb 5 th Make Your own Ice Cream Sundaes 6:30 Social Time 7:30 Ice Cream Sundaes followed by special surprise entertainment All women are welcome. Babysitting is available if you reserve ahead. Call Cathie Achorn 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. To have a package returned will not only add an expense (usually doubled because it has to be re-sent), it will prevent them from getting it in time for Valentine s Day. * 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 any known allergies, please let us know. We can customize! Please Donna Morgan at DKMNM@aol.com as soon as possible 5 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. 4 th will be the absolute deadline Looking Ahead: March 5, 2018 Pot Luck Supper A-M Bring a main dish N-Z Bring a salad/veggies Program Committee bring a dessert GROCERY CARD SALES 2018 Goal: $8,000 YTD Sales: $ Our card sales came very close to our goal for the budget in 2017, and thanks to the generosity of Bob Brown, we were able to write a check for the total amount of $8,000 to the general operating account. We thank those members who always buy cards, and encourage all of our members to consider their participation in this win-win program for our local grocery stores, and our church. Stop by our table after worship on Sundays or contact one of us and we will deliver them to you. Karen Hutchinson at or millarhutch@aol.com or Nancy Quimby at or nquimby11@gmail.com or Sally Petersen at sbpetersen4@gmail.com and

6 CHANGE OF ADDRESS Change of phone number: Carolyn Bent (508) (this will be unavailable from the phone company) Change of Norma Powell WORDS OF APPRECIATION Thank you for the lovely flowers. What a blessing they are, having graced the chancel. We cherish their message. Good Wishes to All, Harriet & Bob Markert Dear Church Staff: I received the beautiful poinsettia yesterday and it brightens my kitchen. Also, I really loved having the carolers and Pastor Paul come and sing to me last week. There is nothing like Christmas music and season. Thanks to everyone and have a happy holiday. Love, Nancy Walker ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The family of Polly Howard wishes to express our thanks to you, her Congregational Church community for your continued care, visits, meals, and prayers over the past year. She cherished you, and we, her family are deeply grateful for you. Thank you, Pastor Paul Sangree for everything. God s blessings to you. Lenore Howard (Polly s daughter) Thanks to everyone who helped with the best Evergreen Christmas Fair. From Greeters at the door to the wreath makers, bakers, decorators, gingerbread makers, chefs & bottle washers, jewelry and craft makers & sellers, organizers, artists, the furniture movers, the kid s fun people to the cleaner uppers at the end. We are so thankful for the fun and fellowship! Love & Appreciation to you all, Cathie Achorn, Sandy Horton and Linda Borglund. 6 To the Wonderful Ladies at the Congregational Church of Westborough, I love how kind you have been to me during this hard time I ve been through. I ve missed so much not being [there] these last few Sundays, especially during Christmas, I ve missed so much. Sincerely, Patricia A. On Behalf of all of us at Abby s House, we want to thank you for your generous contribution of Clothing and ornaments. 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 # CONTACT INFORMATION Pastor Paul Sangree, Senior Pastor phsangree@gmail.com Rev Elaine S. Gaetani, Pastor of Spiritual Development revelaineg@aol.com Wendy Reardon, Director of Children s and Youth Ministry wendysreardon@yahoo.com Clayton Heidbreder, Minister of Music Claytonlh1@gmail.com Sue Menzel, Handbell Director westcongmusic@gmail.com Linda Hartley, Pastoral Associate lhartley@ants.edu Church Office Phone 508/ General Church WestboroUCC@Verizon.net Church web site

7 Treasurer s Report Introduction: The goal of the Treasurer s Report is to provide the congregation a way to stay current regarding the budget status of the Church. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Bob Petersen, Treasurer 2017 Budget YTD Budget as of 12/31/17 7 YTD Actual as of 12/31/17 YTD Last Year Missions Total income $34,700 $34,700 $45,380 $45,745 Total Expenditures $34,879 $34,879 $42,630 $45,744 Over/Under -$179 -$179 $2,750 $1 Comments/Concerns: - No concerns at this time Church Operations Total income ** See Notes** $381,963 $381,963 $369,325 $359,976 Total Expenditures $381,963 $381,963 $375,109 $359,931 Over/Under $5,784 $45 Notes: - While the budget for pledged income for 2017 was $288,855, the actual pledges for 2017 were $267,145. The difference between the actual pledges in 2017 and what was budgeted for pledges in 2017 was $21,710. This difference was what prompted me to forecast a $20,000 to $23,000 deficit for much of Comments/Concerns: - GREAT NEWS wonderful support by the congregation. - As a result of your contributions in November and December, the deficit for 2017 was $5,784. Your contributions for 2017 exceeded pledges by over $16,000, resulting in the significantly reduced deficit. - We still have challenges ahead of us in 2018, however, Church leadership is working hard to minimize impact in 2018 and to ensure a more balanced 2019 budget. - Details regarding the 2018 budget will be presented for review/approval in the Congregational Meeting to be scheduled in February. Points of Interest/Information: Church Savings Account Activity: - Balance (01/01/17) - $372,354 - Investment (08/23/17) - $50,000 (Gift from Shirley and Jack Hero) - Withdrawal (10/18/17) - $17,000 ( 2017 budget withdrawal) - Withdrawal (11/21/17) - $19,280 (Repair for bay window at 7 Church St) - Withdrawal (12/28/17) - $16,700 ($3,500 for 7 Church lead paint abatement, $13,200 for expected deficit) - Reinvest (01/17/18) - $7,400 (Reinvest assets not needed for 2017 deficit). - Balance (12/31/17) - $424,460 (Includes $7,400 to be reinvested) - Investment gains for 2017 were over $47,000 (roughly 12.8% gain) Respectfully, Bob Petersen, Treasurer

8 4 COMMUNION 9- Bible Study ~ FEBRUARY 2018 ~ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 10- Worship & Faith Formation Souper Bowl Tailgate Party 11:30 Deacons/Kerygma 2:30 GSA/Vestry 5:30-7 GSA/Vestry 5 6:30 Women's Fellowship/Vestry 7-8 Men's Group/Chapel 7:30 AA/Nursery 6 10:30am Whitney Place Service 11:15 Willow's Communion 7- Festival Ringers/Sanctuary 7 10:30 Staff Meeting/Nursery 1 2:30 PCC/F.F. Dismas House Dinner 8 2:30 PCC/F.F. 4:30 GSA/Vestry Habitat Work Day 8AM-3:30PM in Northboro Confirmation Class to Lutheran Church Meal Packing Mission Bible Study 10- Worship & Faith Formation 2:30 GSA/Vestry 5:30-7 GSA/Vestry 7-8 Men's Group/Chapel 7:30 AA/Nursery 7:30-9 BSA Troop Comm/Library 7- Festival Ringers/Sanctuary 7- Trustees/Kerygma 9-Weaver's Guild/Vestry, Kerygma, Classrooms 9:30 Called to Care/Nursery 7- ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE 2:30 PCC/F.F. 4:30 GSA/Vestry Parish Life 7- Bowling at Sawyer s in Northborough LENT I 7- Festival Ringers/Sanctuary EVANGEL DEADLINE 2:30 PCC/F.F. 9- Bible Study 10:30 Staff Meeting/Nursery 6-7 Confirmation Class/Kerygma 10- Worship & Faith Formation 7- Cabinet/Kerygma Christian Ed Meeting Music Committee/Choir Room CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED 7- Mission Comm/Kerygma 7-8 Men's Group/Chapel 7:30 AA/Nursery 25 LENT II 9- Bible Study 10- Worship & Faith Formation 5:30-7 GSA/Vestry 26 2:15-4 GSA/Vestry 7-8 Men's Group/Chapel 7:30 AA/Nursery Festival Ringers/Sanctuary 28 EVANGEL PUBLISHED 10:30 Worship Planning Choir Rehearsals: Sundays: 11:15 K 8 th grade Children s Bells & Chimes Tuesdays: 7:00 Festival Ringers Wednesdays: 3:30 Journey Home Singers, 7:00 Chancel Choir & 7:30 JoySpring BSA & GSA Scouts PPRC - Pastor Parish Relations Committee TPC - Teaching Parish Committee PCC Pastoral Counseling Center FOC Financial Oversight Committee 8

9 Dear Church Family, February 4, 2018 For where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them Matthew 18:20 A sense of community is cited over and over as one of the great aspects of our church. Thanks to our dedicated Parish Life Committee and strong support and attendance by the congregation, we re excited to offer a varied list of opportunities this year to get together and meet new people. We hope you ll join us as often as you can! One of the most enjoyed activities for years has been the Progressive Supper. So, it is back by popular demand on Saturday, March 10 th. Even if you ve never joined in, please consider this one! It s a great way to spend time in a smaller setting with several different groups of people. Here s how it works: You ll have Appetizers at one home (6:00-7:00 PM) Then proceed to Dinner at another home (7:15-8:45) And return to the church for dessert (9:00-?) All with a different crowd at each location! Please sign up soon as it takes a bit of time and effort to coordinate who goes where. Sign up by March 1 st after church or by ing or calling Cathie Achorn at or at camachorn@aol.com. Please also indicate if you are willing to host appetizer, dinner or dessert. The responsibilities are: Appetizer Hosts host approx people at your home and provide 2 or 3 simple hors d oeuvres, beverages and a name tag for each person Dinner Hosts host approx 8-10 people at your home and provide the main dish and beverages Dinner Co-Hosts responsible for a salad and/or vegetable dish, rolls take to dinner host s home Dessert Hosts responsible for bringing dessert and helping make coffee, set up at church (at 2:30PM on Saturday afternoon) and clean-up kitchen and vestry after the event Regards, Your Parish Life Committee, Cathie Achorn, Nancy Cook, Cathy Purcell, Linda Borglund, Steve and Diane Lindberg, and Sandy Horton 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