THE GOOD NEWS FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF PELHAM. From The Pastor s Desk. An Open and Affirming Congregation

Transcription

1 FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF PELHAM An Open and Affirming Congregation From The Pastor s Desk About us. 3 Main Street / PO Box 847 Pelham, NH Phone: uccpelham@gmail.com Like us on Facebook! Sunday Worship 10:00 A.M. September June 9:30 A.M. July and August Child Care and Sunday School Office Hours Monday Friday 9:00 A.M. 1:00 P.M. OUR CHURCH COVENANT We covenant one with another to seek and respond to the Word and Will of God. It is our purpose to walk together in the ways of the Lord, made known and to be made known to us. We hold it to be the mission of this church to be witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all the world, while worshiping God, and striving for truth, justice and peace. As did our ancestors, we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead and empower us. We pray for the coming of the Realm of God, and we look with faith toward the triumph of righteousness and eternal life. FROM HARVEST TO GRATITUDE November, in my opinion, marks the quickest change of seasons for us. It seems that summer has been hanging in with the weather we have been having, but we know, as hearty New Englanders, that the snow shovels are at the ready! It is not uncommon to shovel in late November around here. But the quickness of the change in seasons should be a reminder for us to be ready for change. Moving into the Harvest Season, we are called to move from a place of Harvest to a place of Gratitude. I think that is a great lesson for our faith understanding. We can look back at our Pilgrim forebears, see the struggle for survival and then the celebration of their hard work and God s blessing with help of the Native People to survive. They did so with a Harvest celebration Thanksgiving, offering God their thanks moving from Harvest to Gratitude. (cont. next page) Staff Rev. Bill Ferguson, Pastor (revbill819@gmail.com) Shannon Sprague, Office Admin. (uccpelham@gmail.com) Tom Seniow, Music Director (tomseniow42@gmail.com) Sue Howard, Organist (carolynshoward@comcast.net) Laurie Perrone, Sexton (lauriehink4@juno.com) Page 1

2 As we enter the official season of Thanksgiving, we are once again reminded of our own call as people of faith to be thankful all year-round. We begin anew this time each practicing an attitude of gratitude. How do we do that? November Sundays remind us; - November 5 th we remember ALL SAINTS SUNDAY remembering Church members and loved ones who have passed away in the past year; - November 12 th we offer special prayers for our Veterans and those who served. - November 19 th is our Annual STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY and THANKSGIVING SUNDAY. We ask you to contemplate your support for your church in your giving so that we may continue to be an example of God s Grace and love to all who enter our church home. - A THANKSGIVING BRUNCH will follow, bring a Thanksgiving Brunch item to share after church, there is a sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall. - November 22 nd, Wednesday Night, we celebrate an ECUMENICAL THANKSGIVING SERVICE at 7 PM at St. Patrick s Church, along with the Pentecostal Church. - November 26 th after Church, we decorate the Church for Advent and Christmas with our HANGING OF THE GREENS. - And then on Sunday December 3 we enter the Advent season once again. Changes of seasons, from Harvest to Gratitude. It is one thing to feel gratitude; it is another to actually express it. American Poet Henry Van Dyke once wrote, Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse. In other words, Thanksgiving is turning our feelings and our faith into practice, into real words and actions. As people of faith, we are called to count our blessings and feel grateful; we are called to express our gratitude, through our words and actions, in our daily living, worshipping God and sharing our blessings with others. I have always been grateful for this congregation and all the ways you help me express my gratitude to God, through worship and prayer, through our learning and relationships, through so many opportunities for service! So this Thanksgiving, let s count our blessings as we change from Harvest to Gratitude, giving thanks with words and actions, faith and living, to God the giver of all good gifts. Happy Thanksgiving! RB DISASTER RELIEF For continued updates and latest information about the efforts of how your United Church of Christ is responding to the recent disasters, go to to see where your generous donations are making a difference! THANK YOU AGAIN for supporting our Disaster Relief Bucket Drive. Every single package of wipes, bottle of detergent and clothes pin makes a difference! Page 2

3 Special Church Happenings NOVEMBER 1 st ALL SAINTS DAY All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1 or the first Sunday of November. The ancient church set aside such a festival day to remember martyrs and saints not honored on special days. Today, we often celebrate not only historic figures of the church, but the company of all those baptized who we have known and revered. By remembering those of the past, the church is inspired to live faithfully as Christ's disciples in the present. In this service, the congregation remembers those who have died in years past. During the litany, members may name those remembered. NOVEMBER 19 th STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY WHAT WILL YOU BRING? NOVEMBER 22 nd -ECUMENCIAL THANKSGIVING SERVICE Wednesday Night, at 7 PM at St. Patrick s Church, along with the New England Pentecostal Church. An annual tradition, we join together for Worship celebrating the beliefs we have in common; Love, peace and fellowship in Christ s name. Join us! NOVEMBER 26 th -HANGING OF THE GREENS after Church, we decorate the Church for Advent and Christmas. Time to pull out the Wreaths, the Garland, the decorations and symbols of Advent as we prepare for the Advent and Christmas seasons. Page 3 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH

4 FIRST FOLKS Dave Hennessey, his brother Mike in hospice care. Tim Duggan, Shawn s brother, placed in hospice care. Sam Blanchard for making Eagle Scout! Scott Farnsworth for the birth of his first grandchild. Angele Diack s nephew, Jonathan Marick, hospitalized with an infection. Rebecca and Rick Cummings on their marriage on Oct. 10 th. Residents of Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida recovering from hurricanes. CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS AVAILABLE! Please contact the Church Office if you would like to purchase an ornament. They are $25.00 NOMINATING COMMITTEE TIME Have you ever served on a Church Committee? Many of our members have done so and have commented on the way their faith in God is lifted and strengthened with the opportunity to serve. - Members of the Diaconate serve to ensure our worship and our Care for our members is forefront in our hearts and minds each week. They also oversee our Called to Care program. - Members of the Trustees care for the Physical needs of the church and Parsonage, ensuring that God s house is in order and up to the standards we desire. They also help guide our Stewardship Committee. - Mission Committee members strive to offer opportunities to give and to serve within our church walls and beyond. - Christian Education members acknowledge that teaching our Children and Youth and Adult members about our faith is an important building block for our faith. They help supervise Youth Groups and Adult Education programs. - Church Delegates represent our Church with the United Church of Christ on the State and National level, connecting us with the wider church. There are so many opportunities to serve. Please consider volunteering this upcoming year if you are asked to do so. It is vital we have your donation of time to continue to grow in the knowledge of and service to Christ. Page 4

5 Committee News From the Stewardship Committee The wealth or "abundance of our lives is a gift, not just a given. That is, no more than with life itself do we have this as something we can earn or deserve. It is not entitlement but blessing in which others are meant to share Deuteronomy 8:17-18 We are excited about our upcoming Stewardship year! Did you know that Stewardship is so much more than just your financial donation to the church? It is all encompassing and truly the umbrella of everything we do here! It also includes your time, your talent and of course, your treasure. There is so much you can do as a Steward of First Congregational Church of Pelham. We have some wonderful guest speakers coming up who will be sharing their personal stories of Stewardship. We are preparing to celebrate our time of pledges, dedication and commitment to our Church. The Theme of Stewardship in the UCC this year is Journey to Generosity, The Way of Jesus. We are planning a Thanksgiving Themed Brunch on Stewardship Sunday, 11/19/17 directly after church. There is a sign-up sheet on the Stewardship board in fellowship hall. Saturday, November 11 th From the CE Committee Hard to believe we are already in October! We will soon be finishing up our first rotation where the Sunday School kids learned about Joshua and the Wall around Jericho. Rotation 2 will be starting October 22 nd and we will be learning about Samuel and Hannah. For anyone that was not able to be at Church on the 8 th, the church kids voted on the top names submitted for the Sunday School Piggy Bank. The kids decided that their piggy bank should be named NAME. The kids will be putting their offering into NAME during a Time for All Ages. We are doing this as a way to remind the kids where their offering is sent each week. Youth Group has also started their meetings. We had a whopping 20 kids in the Sr. High Youth Group meeting. Attendance at Jr. High was smaller but the group still had a great first meeting! The confirmation class also had their information meeting after church on October 1 st. This year s confirmation class will have 10 students. We are looking forward to another great year filled with new perspectives and spiritual growth. Lastly, the CE board is planning this year s Trunk or Treat, which will be taking place on October 28 th from 4-6 pm at the church. We hope you can come down and join us! Page 5

6 From The Diaconate When the Pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock, their leader was Elder William Brewster. He was the spiritual leader of that devout band of Christians, although he was not an ordained minister. At that time, the title of Elder was synonymous with the office which we now give the title "deacon." The Pilgrims' pastor, John Robinson, had not come with them to the New World. Some deacons have come to know such heavy responsibility when their church has been left without a pastor. At such times of transition, our understanding of the church leads us to look for leadership within rather than without. The Role Of Deacons In Congregational Churches, Dr. Michael P. Halcomb The word "deacon" means servant, or one who serves. Every church needs those willing to stand on the front line as spiritual leaders. As we serve in the ministry of the church, we represent the members, or Laity in ministry. In addition to modeling the Christian faith at work, deacons have a vital responsibility to enlist, encourage and equip others like themselves to be the church in mission. Our members can help us serve God and each other in the following ways; - Acolytes We are looking for children from grades 3-6 to help us start our Worship services. Please use the sign up sheet in Fellowship Hall or see any Deacon before Worship. - Greeters If you would like to greet, please see any Deacon following the Sunday service. This is a great way for you to meet your fellow members. You can sign up for one time or multiple times. - Altar Flowers If you would like to purchase flowers for the altar, please contact Shannon at the office. You are welcome to take the flowers after Service or ask a Deacon to donate them to a shut-in. - Name Tags We are encouraging everyone to wear their name tags on Sundays. If you need a name tag, please let Shannon know. - Friendship Books Speaking of names, we encourage everyone to please sign their names in the black books in the pews, pass this book down to your pew neighbor, and then pass it back to the center aisle. While you do this, take a look at the names of those sitting with you! In other churches, we have heard of our black books used less as attendance or contact logs, but more as friendship books so everyone can get to know each other so read a new name and say hello! - Church Directory Our Church directory continues to be available on the Church website, and was just updated with many of our new members. Click on About Us from the list on the home page, and then scroll down to the bottom to a viewing link. The Directory is open to ALL our church family, even if you are not a member. All are Welcome! PS: If you need (or forgot) the password to access, ask any Deacon or committee member (we never write it down!). If you haven t already done so, please consider adding your (or your family s) picture to the directory! Transportation to Church Needed? If anyone has a need for transportation to church or a church function (e.g. church dinners/suppers), please contact the church office or a Deacon. Prayer List / Prayer Requests - Please help us keep the prayer list current by using the Prayer Requests sheets in the pews, which can be filled out then handed in during the Offertory. One can also specify on the sheet whether a phone call or visit from Rev. Bill is needed. Names typically go on the prayer list for a three-week period. Worship Coordinators & Greeters for November -Jeremy Tondreault & Ken Andrews; Greeters: CE Committee The next Diaconate meeting is November 14 at 7PM. As always, please contact a member of the Diaconate with any questions, comments, or suggestions. Diaconate Co-chairs Bob Diack can be reached at bob.disck@siriusdecisions,com and Chris Bulkley at Christopherbulkley@gmail.com. Page 6

7 From The Mission Committee Special thanks to church members, youth group kids, and the community for providing their time, talent and treasure needed to produce 64 Disaster Relief Clean Up buckets. These were delivered to a church in Bow, NH on October 2 nd and then were shipped along with many other buckets to a Church World Service (CWS) distribution center. From there, they will be distributed to any of several hurricane and other disaster sites across the country and the islands where CWS and the UCC Disaster Relief programs are providing support. One mission project we don t mention enough is food donations for the Pelham Food Pantry. On Communion Sundays, the first Sunday of the month, we deliver the food you all donate to the Pelham Food Pantry. Consider this a reminder to bring a couple canned goods or other non-perishable food to church on Sunday, November 5 th. Our October delivery totaled 40 ½ pounds of food. Let s see if we can steadily increase that number as we approach the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. One simple way is to add a few small items to donate on your shopping list for the lavish spread of incredible food you are planning for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Our November hands-on monthly mission projects are -Monday, November 6 th we work at the Wish Project in Lowell from 6pm to 8pm. Leave church at 5:30. -Saturday, November 11 th we help at the Nashua Soup Kitchen from 8am to 10am. -Monday, November 27 th we provide and serve a meal to guests at the Lazarus House homeless shelter in Lawrence. We leave the church at 4:30pm and serve the meal at 6pm. If you are interested in volunteering at one of these mission projects see the sign-up sheets in Fellowship Hall or ask a Mission Committee member for more details. We realize the grocery bill for a meal this size is significant so reimbursement is available if you need help with the cost but are willing and able to initially get the ingredients and cook the meal. Our Christmas Gift drive kicks off in November. This year our drive will support children s Christmas gift wishes and needs from the NH Department of Health & Human Services and from the Pelham Good Neighbor Fund programs. We need to deliver the gifts to the NH DHHS program by December 4 th and the Pelham Good Neighbor program by December 8 th so we need to get started right away. We ll put the gift wish tags out in Fellowship Hall as soon as we get the lists from these programs so we all have plenty of time to shop. We are making an effort to keep better records of non-money donations and volunteer hours at our recurring mission projects and other special projects our committee coordinates. We will use a simple form to note a few key pieces of information which will help us tally all the support our church members provide above and beyond financial donations. If you are involved in a church group doing some kind of mission work or collecting items to be donated to a community organization or project we would like you to let us know with these forms. We ll use the information collected to build a profile of the work our church does outside of worship and report the totals each year in the annual report. Watch for a clipboard with the new forms in Fellowship Hall. We are blessed to make a difference in the world through your generous support. Submitted by Dan Murphy for Your Mission Committee Page 7

8 From The Trustees So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. Acts 6:2-4 We have a new copy machine in the Church office that now has color copy capability. We are still paying for each and every copy so if you do not have a big copy project, please continue to use the smaller copier that is available in that room. Should you need color copies, Shannon and RB have the code to allow you access to that. Also, Nate Sprague is installing our new phone system in the office. We look forward to being able to leave individual voic messages for RB, Shannon and possibly Joe Calabro as well. Stay tuned! Lots of updates! +Christian symbol+ Crown A crown, of course, symbolizes royal authority. As a Christian symbol it represents both Christ as King of kings (Revelation 17:14, for example) and the eternal life promised to Christ s followers: Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life (Revelation 2:10, ESV). BIBLE QUIZ LAST MONTH S ANSWER How many times does Jesus say we should forgive others? A. 7 B. 70 C. 77 D. 70 x 7 E. C or D, depending on the translation THIS MONTH S QUESTION Page 8 After Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown, bound, into a blazing furnace for refusing to worship false gods, how many men did King Nebuchadnezzar see walking around in the fire? A. None they were all dead B. Three unbound and unharmed C. Four and the fourth looked like a divine being D. Too many to count

9 In Our Church Community Women s Fellowship On November 5 th, Women s Fellowship will hold a SERRV sale after church. Come and check out the beautiful items made in Third World countries where the workers receive a fair wage for their work. Think Christmas as you visit the table. In December, we will have a potluck Christmas party at Debbie Schneider s home in Tyngsboro, MA on the evening of December 12 th starting at 6PM. All of the women of the Church are invited to come. More details to follow. Oour next meeting is on October 24 th at 2PM. CONFIRMATION CLASS We welcome our 2018 Confirmation Class members: Grace Sprague Zaira O Leary Robbie Sauer Stewart Withrow Kenny Pawlowicz Megan Molettieri Camryn Shawver Connor Michaud They will be meeting after church on Sundays during the Confirmation program. We would like to thank our Youth Groups for helping to package and prepare the DISASTER SERVICE BUCKET project. With their help, we completed 64 Buckets! A great example of Mission in the local church! Upcoming meetings OCT 22 nd Jr HIGH RAKE AND RUN 1 PM. If you would like your lawn raked, please let RB know. Our Jr High team will be raking and running! As one of our Service Projects, we will find a house or two that needs some of our help and rake their leaves then run away! OCT 22 nd SR HIGH 5:00 PM BOWLING AT Brunswick Lanes. Cost $15 for 2 hours of Bowling including Shoes. We need to be there by 5:30, please be on time. OCT 29 th TRUNK OR TREAT will be held in the Parking lot at 4 PM. Decorate your family Car and bring goodies to share. After, the Youth Groups will hunker down and watch a Halloween movie in the dark, if you dare! DID YOU KNOW: Our Youth Group Members are volunteering to read Scriptures on the last Sundays of each month? Page 9

10 JOIN US! Thursday, November 16th, :00 PM Adult Education Page 10 BIBLE STUDY THURSDAY, NOV. 2, 7 PM Last month we begin building our knowledge and relationship with Moses. We learned the Where? Who? When? We discovered that Moses had human characteristics just like us; humility, lack of confidence at times, doubt and fear. Most of all FAITH! Come join us for week 2 as we continue learning about Moses. All are welcome! BEING MORTAL: The Ethics of Medicine and What Matters in the End. Based on the book, Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, this educational presentation will preview the FRONTLINE PBS episode of Being Mortal and then be lead in discussion of ethical issues related to medicine and decisions that matter in end of life planning. Following the Video, we will join in discussion about: The benefits of having conversations about End of Life care and what s important to them How to begin to have conversations about their goals of care Initiate conversations about what s important to them. Special thanks to our Called To Care Team for sponsoring this great event! There will be a potluck soup supper at 6PM with the presentation of the video following. Please bring something to share!

11 Kindness Rocks Project We launched our church as a Kindness Rocks Project by creating a garden of kindness to share with our community. Thank you to all who participated in sharing words of inspiration and kindness. Take one if it means something to you! Share one with a friend in need of a little inspiration or add one to the pile and join us in spreading kindness! TAKE ONE SHARE ONE LEAVE ONE INSPIRE OTHERS BE KIND! Our work although is not done! We will need to continually replenish the rocks, not only here at the church, but at other gardens that are going to be established throughout Pelham. Please feel free to add inspirational/kind rocks to the garden at any time. A supply of rocks and markers will be at the church for your use, or if you see a rock in your travels that inspires you, be creative and add to the pile. Any questions please feel free to contact Maureen at cmsne@comcast.net Page 11 WEDNESDAY EVENING NOVEMBER 22 nd 7 PM ST. PATRICK S CHURCH Join us for our Annual THANKSGIVING ECUMENICAL WORSHIP SERVICE. This year we will gather at St. Patricks Church at 7 PM with members of St. Pat s, New England Pentecostal Church and our members for an evening Thanksgiving Worship celebration! Join us as we practice our Faith and Hospitality with our Community.

12 Beyond The Church Walls by Shannon Sprague We recently heard a great Sermon by our Pastor about justice and righteousness. Justice being the quality of being just, impartial, or fair" and righteousness being acting in accord with divine or moral law. I recently served 2 weeks on a jury for a criminal trial. As you can imagine, these 2 words were not only at the forefront of my mind, but in truth, essential in reaching a fair verdict. Even The Turkey Wants Out!! Time to Thank, Time to Share Thanksgiving is a time to share. A roasted turkey stuffed with care, potatoes, yams and buttered rolls are passed around in festive bowls. But first we thank our God above and share with others his great love. The dish served last is always best a slice of pie for every guest. MaryAnn Sundby Page 12 The Sermon specifically referenced a bible teaching about how although God may provide us with all the conditions needed to live a good life, making good decisions, if we do not act with justice and righteousness we may end up with less than desirable results. Of course, there are many other factors at play when making good decisions and experiencing the resultant outcomes, but let s focus on these 2 for a moment. Although jury duty is not a direct mission of our Church, as a practicing Christian steeped in our Church s beliefs and values, it was my responsibility to show up each day in this manner. Justice and Righteousness a necessary accessory much like my new autumn scarf! Meaning, I was provided with the proper conditions (court room, evidence, bailiffs, the Judge, attorneys, testimony, witnesses, deliberation time, 11 other collective minds, lunch ) to make a fair and just decision. We needed to be impartial, fair, peaceful and act based on criminal, moral and for me, divine law. I believe I have a responsibility, as a member of this Church and follower of Christ, to act in this manner no matter where life takes me. Thank God I m a practicing Christian because there are LOTS of times that I don t get it right. So, what do I do? I come to church, listen to the Sermon and scripture, share in fellowship and fill my cup. I use this time to be with the conditions that I need in my life so that I am supported in making righteous and just decisions. Although jury duty was not directly related to Church, I was lucky enough to learn Spiritual lessons from my experience. It was a give and take. Where will you use your conditions to help when making just and righteous decisions in your life, beyond these church walls?

13 Christ is not only a remedy for your weariness and trouble, but he will give you an abundance of the contrary, joy and delight. They who come to Christ do not only come to a resting place after they have been wandering in a wilderness, but they come to a banqueting house where they may rest, and where they may feast. They may cease from their former troubles and toils, and they may enter upon a course of delights and spiritual joys. Jonathan Edwards Pelham Good Neighbor Fund REQUEST FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE-If you are a resident of Pelham and are looking for assistance with heat, electricity, food, rent and other household expenses, please call one of the following telephone numbers. Your call will be held in strict confidence or visit us on our website at To make a monetary donation, you can make a credit card donation on line through the same website at or you can send us a donation by making your check payable to: Pelham Good Neighbor Fund, P.O. Box 953, Pelham, NH All donations are tax deductible since we are a non-profit 501(C)(3) charitable organization tax: ID# Page 13 DON T FORGET TO CHECK OUR WEBSITE and Facebook Page (First Congregational Church of Pelham) for information about your Church & activities.