OCTOBER See inside for updates from Capital Campaign, pictures from Homecoming and mark your calendars for events coming soon!

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1 27 Church Street, PO BOX 284 Mattapoisett, MA (508) mattapoisettcongregationalchurch.org OCTOBER 2018 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Pastor s Page 2 News & Notes 3 Missions 4 Capital Campaign 5 Stewardship 6 Homecoming 7 October calendar 8 See inside for updates from Capital Campaign, pictures from Homecoming and mark your calendars for events coming soon!

2 The other day, in the woods behind the parsonage, a single yellowed leaf wafted down from some lofty bough. Here we go! To be sure, the rest of the forest looks as verdant as it did a month ago, but that single yellowed leaf drew my attention to other signs of seasonal shift: edges of the massive ferns curling into brown; the slowing of the grass growth; cool breezes through the open windows. We are sliding into autumn. Yippee! At church, we are back in the sanctuary to worship. The choir is back in the choir loft. Children are back in Sunday school. Bible Study is starting October 1. The annual Stewardship campaign is underway. While many of the best things in life are a constant, I like the fact that other things are seasonal. These things have a beginning, reach a peak, and then recede, at least for a time. Knowing these things aren t forever helps us get the most out of them. For example, the season of Advent, in advance of Christmas, helps us appreciate the spiritual discipline of preparation and anticipation. The season of Lent, in advance of Easter, gives us an opportunity to reflect on the state of our spirits and the soul of the world in light of Jesus message of sacrifice and self-giving. Most of us probably wouldn t want to plumb those spiritual depths constantly (there are those people who are called to that discipline), but for the four weeks of Advent and the six weeks of Lent, we can each appreciate the growth it offers us. Right now the church is in Stewardship season in which we intentionally consider how we support our congregation in various ways, including financially. As parts of the church community, each of us is called to participate in its vitality. The church ultimately belongs to Christ, and the grace of God is absolutely free to everyone. But for the church to be an instrument God s gifts, it takes considerable effort on our part. It takes significant energy, money, commitment, love, positivity, connection, and a host of other things. It s up to us to provide that. That s what stewardship is about caring for Christ s church so it can be an instrument of the free grace of God. Over the summer, your church s leaders have been in conversation with judicatory (denominational) ministers in the United Church of Christ about other seasonal matters of our congregation. You ll be hearing a lot more about this in the days and weeks ahead. Generally speaking, like many other organizations, every church goes through seasons and cycles. Each season is best honored when the congregation emphasizes certain of its gifts. One season may call for additional programming, while another might require us to focus on our hospitality, for example. Each season requires that all of us be able to come together and work together in healthful, joyful ways. In November, Rev. Dr. Claire Bamberg, will spend a weekend with us teaching us about natural seasonal cycles and how we might best use our gifts so we can keep our church healthy and continuing to be a vibrant presence in our community for generations to come. Meanwhile, some among us are undergoing seasonal shifts in our personal lives: preparing for retirement, sending children off to college, welcoming new babies and anticipating baptisms, facing the loss of loved ones. One of the things I like about seasons is that it s an opportunity to experience God s movement and God s fidelity in new ways. In whatever season you find yourself today, may you know that you are in the caring hands of a loving God who created you as a unique individual to be a light in this world. Autumn blessings, Rev. Amy Lignitz Harken Open Table is alive and happening on October 12. Please join us! October 12, 2018

3 CONGREGATION NEWS & NOTES Sunday, October 28 is Remembrance Sunday. During this service, we celebrate family members and loved ones whom we have lost during the year. If you have a loved one whose life you want to celebrate with us, please contact Tina in the church office as soon as possible. So, What Did You Think? Fall is upon us and we are back in the sanctuary for worship. Summer worship in Reynard Hall was a little more casual hopefully a little more cool -- and we mixed it up a bit: We greeted each other with a handshake, hug, or good morning! before taking our seats after the Gloria Patri. We had a brief prayer song after the pastoral prayer. Coffee and water were welcome during worship. The minister didn t wear a robe. Two of the morning messages were delivered by people from the congregation. ( you probably noticed a few other differences as well ) Cresting the Wave of Change Please Save the Date: November 3 & 4, 2018 So, what did you think? The Deacons would love to know, as would the Worship Team (Phoebe Girard, Nancy Braitmayer, Nancy Perry, Rev. Amy Lignitz Harken and Music Director Michelle Gordon). Share your experience with those who coordinate worship services! Bible Study of James Scheduled Monday evenings The letter of James has much to teach us about following our faith in the world today. James gave us such phrases as: Faith without works is dead. Be doers of the word and not merely hearers. The tongue is a fire. Are any among you suffering? They should pray. You do not have because you do not ask. Our Stewardship scripture comes from this Biblical book, which is also the basis for the current sermon series. If you d like to delve more deeply into this scripture, please be part of a Monday evening Bible study, meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Media Room in the church basement. Park in the Barstow Street parking lot, and enter through the Barstow Street door. We ll met Oct. 1, 15, Nov. 5, 12. Please call the church office to sign up for this free, casual, discussion-based class facilitated by Rev. Amy Lignitz Harken. Registration is not required, but we d like to know how many to expect! Join Rev. Dr. Claire Bamberg, for a variety of opportunities for sharing and learning More details to follow shortly. Please be sure to add this to your calendars Adult Scripture Readers Wanted If you d like to read scripture on Sunday morning, please contact Rev. Amy Lignitz Harken. Sermon recordings are now available on our website! Click here or go to Click on WORSHIP, then SUNDAY SERMONS and click the sermon you would like to hear!

4 MISSIONS September 21, 2018 Mattapoisett Congregational Church, UCC PO Box 284 Mattapoisett, MA Dear Members of Mattapoisett Congregational Church, UCC: On behalf of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ, I offer gratitude for the contributions you have made and will be making to the wider church this year. Because of your generosity, churches are more vital, their covenant bonds to one another are stronger, and God s love and justice are extended farther and broader. Thanks again for joining with the other congregations of the Massachusetts Conference in our shared mission and ministry. Below you will find a statement of your church s wider church contributions from January 1 to August 31, This statement DOES NOT include Fellowship Dues As always, please do not hesitate to be in touch with me if I can be of any other assistance to your congregation. Yours in Christ, Rev. Jonathan New Associate Conference Minister Stewardship & Financial Development Date Fund Received 1/29/2018 SP-Neighbors in Need $ /29/2018 SP-One Great Hour of Sharing $ /25/2018 BU-Our Churchs Wider Mission Basic Support $2, /4/2018 BU-Our Churchs Wider Mission Basic Support $2, /30/2018 BU-Our Churchs Wider Mission Basic Support $2, /30/2018 SP-One Great Hour of Sharing $1, $9, BACK TO SCHOOL Once again missions is collecting school supplies for both Carlos Pacheco and CEDC (Community Economic Development Corporation). Items needed include: pens, pencils, colored pencils, markers, notebooks, scissors, glue and glue sticks, rulers, and for the teachers: Kleenex, hand sanitizer, hand wipes. Even backpacks can be distributed. Plastic bins will be in Reynard Hall. Also missions will be getting CORI forms for those who volunteer at Carlos Pacheco. See Sue Grosart for forms. We wish to extend a big THANK YOU to our friends at Pilgrim Church in New Bedford for hosting our church on Mission Sunday! It s wonderful to share the love of Christ together. NOVEMBER IS NEIGHBORS IN NEED MONTH. This offering gives us a chance to help nationally and globally through our church joining our larger congregation and Church World Service. Truly the body of Christ working together to help those in need. More details next month.

5 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN Mattapoisett Congregational Church 27 Church Street, P.O. Box 284 Mattapoisett, MA September 19, 2018 Dear Church Members, As we head into the fall season, we wanted to give an update of the progress we have made on the A Welcome Home capital campaign. We have accomplished a lot in the past two years that we can all be proud of! The primary goal of the campaign was to make the church more accessible for all members. The installation of the three-level lift at the wheelchair-accessible entrance was a significant improvement that provides access to all levels of the building. We also installed a lift to the choir loft so that the choir can safely go back upstairs and we can again hear Michelle play the organ. The third lift at the Mechanic Street parking area is in the works now. The foundation is in for the enclosed structure that will house the lift and new stairs into Reynard Hall. The Mechanic St. parking area will be regraded and resurfaced to allow two handicap parking spaces as well as enabling all other spaces to have proper access to the new entry. We expect the work to be completed by the end of the year. The final accessibility project will be renovation of the link hallway bathrooms. We were hoping to have these completed by now but were unexpectedly delayed by the permit process. We decided to wait until the spring/summer of 2019 to proceed with the bathroom remodeling project as that will be the least disruptive. Other projects completed with campaign funds are Windows replaced in Reynard Hall; New insulation in Reynard Hall and Sanctuary; New kitchen fire suppression system, cabinets and counter top; Upgraded fire alarm system with modern sensors; Replaced gutters on north side of link connector; Sanctuary improvements including removal of front and side pews, remodeling the sides of the pulpit to create wider, safer steps, new carpeting and glass safety panels in the choir loft, and new wheelchair spaces. We expect that all projects will be fully funded by campaign proceeds. There is no way any of this would have been possible without the amazing generosity of our congregation and members of this community. With everyone working together, we will make our church a lasting and central part of our religious and town community. Blessings from the capital campaign committee and all leaders of this church. OCTOBER DEACON OF THE MONTH Bob Field Family Feud returns to MCC on November 9! Mark your calendar for this fun night! More details coming soon!

6 STEWARDSHIP THIS IS WHAT WE DO But, be doers of the word and not merely hearers.james 1: STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN GROW, GATHER, GIVE October is going to be an exciting month at Mattapoisett Congregational Church as we enjoy the changing of the seasons, anticipate the upcoming holidays and worship with our beloved community of faith and fellowship. This fall we also will experience 4 special Sundays where we will reflect on How we Grow (9/23), How we Gather (10/7), How we Give (10/14) and How we come together as Stewards of our church community for today, tomorrow and forever on Stewardship Sunday (10/21). As we prepare to make our pledges and gifts, please give thought to what our church does and is during the course of a year and what it personally means to you. For some it is all about the fellowship and community, for some it is about helping others through Missions. For some it is about the glorious music and for some it is about Christian Education and youth. For some it is about the pageantry of Christmas and Easter services and for some it s about maintaining and improving our beautiful and accessible buildings. For some it s about life s various passages and for some it s a touchstone that always signifies home. For all it is our mission to live and demonstrate the Good News of Jesus Christ by being Attentive to God s word, Welcoming to and inclusive of all of God s people, Responsive to the needs of God s world and Supportive of one another. On October 21 st there will be a reception in Reynard Hall, right after worship service, to celebrate the success of our 2019 Stewardship Campaign together. Along with delicious food there will be some surprises and fun that your Stewardship Committee has cooked up. It s a can t miss event. See you there! THIS IS WHAT WE DO THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP We are mislead into believing that generosity is about giving things away: it s not, it s about freeing yourself up, of sharing and in return, being shared with. The more we give, the more we get back, but not in a case of immediate reciprocity: the returns we gain are offset in time and space. The payback is a community within which we are a valued and engaged member, and a community to which we can turn when we need help or support. Generosity is a small price to pay for that. Julian Stodd

7 Homecoming 2018 at Ned s Point

8 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat am Communion/Worship 6:30 pm Bible Study 8 9 OCTOBER pm Deacons 10 5 pm Trustees 5:30 Missions Open Table Doors open at 4: am Worship 15 6:30 pm Bible Study pm Gen Council Mercy, Meals and More Super Saturday am Worship/Stewardship Sunday reception am Visitation Comm am Remembrance Sunday/Worship REGULARLY SCHEDULED FUNCTIONS/ MEETINGS IN THE CHURCH BUILDING Catelli Dance School Monday 2:30-6:45 Tuesday 3-6:30 Wednesday 3-8 BS & CS Troop 53 Tuesday 7 pm Pack 53 First 3 Thursdays of month 6 pm Mattapoisett Woman s Club: Third Thursday at noon AA: Thurs, 9:30 am ACA: Mon. 6:00 pm Sat 10:00 am WomenSpirit Last Wednesday of the 5 pm