April Southwick Congregational Church. United Church of Christ. The Good Newsletter of the Southwick Congregational Church

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1 Buildings & Grounds: Christian Education: Deacons: Craig Perras Brittany Perras Patty Banasik Diane Orson Finance: Patti Wood Flowers: Roxanne Cook Fundraising: Patti Wood Library: Sonya Murray Memorial Gifts: COMMITTEE CHAIRS Karen Brzezinski Missions: Donna Sullivan Music: Joe Sullivan April 2018 Southwick Congregational Church 488 College Highway P.O. Box 260 Southwick, MA Return Service Requested Nominating: Pastoral Relations: Roxanne Cook Church Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Friday 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM Church Office Phone: Website: www. southwickucc.org Office Facebook: Southwick Congregational Church UCC Staff: Interim Minister Reverend Dr. Susanne Hayes Choir Director/Organist Roberta Kowal Bell Choir Director Patti P. Wood Office Administrator Lyn Casey Custodians Matthew Kowal & Maria Lempke The Good Newsletter of the Southwick Congregational Church United Church of Christ Southwick, MA Southwick Congregational Church United Church of Christ 488 College Highway; P.O. Box 260 Southwick, MA VOLUME MMXVIII No. 4 Please join us Sundays for Worship Service 10:00 AM Mid-Week Service Thursdays 6:30 PM Website: www. SouthwickUCC.org DATED MATERIAL PAID Permit No. 309 Southwick, MA US Postage

2 Mission Statement 2 3 From The Pastor Southwick Congregational Church is a faithful Christian presence in the community of Southwick since 1773, and we look to the future. We are a diverse and loving congregation, joyfully serving, teaching, and sharing with one another, according to the gifts we have been given. Worship Schedule Call for Pastoral Care: Ministry and Outreach Sunday Worship service at 10:00 AM Thursdays Midweek Service with communion at 6:30 PM Ecumenical Service at The American Inn on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM Office Hours The Church office is open Monday thru Thursday from 9:00 AM~1:00 PM & Friday from 9:00 AM~12:30 PM All Church Meetings Second Sunday of the month following the service. All Church Committee Refreshment Schedule April Finance Committee May Mission Outreach If a member of our church community knows of anyone who is ill, hospitalized, grieving, or moving to a senior living facility please be sure to advise the church office. We want to respond with caring support. Call the church office at or at southwickucc@gmail.com Don t forget, you can read the weekly sermon on our website: on the page: From the Pastor I can say that one of the things I am truly grateful for is the opportunity to serve as your pastor for six years. There have been some amazing times - we ve had a lot of fun together and there have been tears of both joy and sorrow. And I wouldn t have missed a single moment! I remember especially the baptisms the sweet little babies that were so well behaved through what must seem to them like a bizarre gathering. And the baptisms of teens and adults have a special place in my heart as they come to Christ fully aware of the commitment required of them, as Paul wrote to the people of Corinth, "Do everything in love." The sun always seems to shine through the tall windows of our church at these times, bathing those being baptized in light. As you all know, I m very fond of my time with our church s youth, and they ve been so kind to me even though they must sometimes think of me as a silly old guy. But they let me go walk (and get lost in) the corn maze with them, participate in lock downs and scavenger hunts, and wear my Star Trek uniform and other equally silly costumes at our Halloween pumpkin

3 carving events. They represent the future of this church, and they are terrific! 4 5 Fare Thee Well Bart Dear Pastor Bart~ I will keep it simple... THANK YOU for your love & support over the last 6 years. I wish you well in your new endeavors and I will miss you! ~Patti And oh, our wonderful church dinners - which I still cannot attend without saying a little prayer of thanks for our wonderful Barbara Kovisto. We are blessed with truly gifted cooks and bakers at this church who have helped make me more robust than I should be! Now our time together and my ministry here is coming to an end. This beloved community has a wonderful spirit and a deep and abiding commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe it is destined for great things in the future, and I can t wait to see what God has in store for you. With great love, Pastor Bart Day by day we must not forget Our Lord s messenger will be riding off into the sunset. We wish him well and that he With our Lord will be shielded from any jeopardy. Please recall in the days ahead, Pastor Bart, Your past friends still proclaim: How great thou art! ~Jim Babinski Farewell Reverend Bart from your Deacons: It is with mixed emotions that we bid you a loving goodbye, Rev. Bart. We are sad to see you go. We will miss your Texas drawl, your wonderful sense of humor, but most of all, your thought-filled and inspiring sermons you gave us each week. We also feel proud to see you pursue a new congregation, knowing that they are getting a very special minister. We wish you the best and please know that we hold you in deep admiration. ~Sincerely, Board of Deacons. Pastor Bart, Thank you so very much for providing us with such inspirational words during our weekly services. They are lasting and will remain in our hearts forever. We will miss you. May God Bless you and your family. ~Pam & Joe Rovelli

4 From the Office 6 7 April URGENT HELP NEEDED: 2018 Church Directory: PLEASE look for your name and then (or call) the church office with corrections and updates: southwickucc@gmail.com Thank you all for your kind accolades during my annual evaluation. The Office will be closed Monday, April 23. Please plan accordingly. April 8 ~ April 26 ~ All Church 11:00 AM Historical Society Roast Pork Dinner All-Church Meeting Minutes March 11, 2018 The meeting was called to order by Moderator David Breton at 12:08 pm. Dawn Turgeon offered an opening prayer. David asked if there were any questions or concerns regarding the Minutes of the Annual Report published in the Gold Dome. Seeing none, a motion was made to accept the Minutes, which was seconded, and passed unanimously. Minister s Report: No report. Pastoral Relations Committee: Roxanne Cook stated the committee has not met but is planning an Exit Interview with Pastor Bart shortly and a first meeting with the Rev. Dr. Susanne Hayes as our interim minister after she comes on board. Deacons: Dawn Turgeon (March Deacon of the Month) reported 3 members present. The group met on Thursday, 3/8/18, and is planning to meet again on 3/15/18. They welcomed a new deacon to the committee, Eric Nitsch. The group reviewed the deacons duties. They are considering having a chairperson or co-chairpersons for this year rather than the current Deacon of the Month being the Chairperson of the Month. They discussed visitations with shut-ins and members who are hospitalized after Pastor Bart leaves. They want to be involved in outreach calls to members we don t see much of anymore. There will be a 6:30 am Easter Sunrise Service here at the church on 4/1/18 with a continental breakfast to follow led by Flo Pitoniak and assisted by Patty Banasik. The 10 am Easter Service will be the Flowering of the Cross Service. Both services will offer Communion. The Deacons expressed their desire to be part of the new Search Committee process once that is begun. Mission-Outreach: Roxanne Cook reported 3 members present. Donna Sullivan is the group s new chairperson. Roxanne informed the members present that on 3/18/18 at the Southwick High School there Continued on page 12 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Emily Pitoniak April 2 Melissa Day April 11 Wyatt Baker April 12 Melanie Nitsch April 15 Barbara Day April 20 Dennis Day Jr April 22 Selwyn Williams April 26 Andrea Warriner April 27 Frank Wolak April 28 Betty West April 29 If we ve missed a birthday, please let the church office know!

5 In Memoriam Dear Congregation, I wanted to extend my sincerest gratitude for the beautiful reception you held following my Sister-in -law, Susan Sanders, funeral service. Your support and assistance during a very difficult time was deeply appreciated. Also your wonderful meal, and especially your kindness, was recognized by all that attended and I am so proud to be a part of this loving congregation. Sincerely, ~Dawn Sanders Turgeon Dear Members of SCC, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the beautiful funeral service and wonderful reception you held for my daughter-in-law, Susan A. Sanders. She was very special to our family and we appreciate all that you did in service to her memory. Sincerely, ~William Sanders Mary Currier 3/3/37 3/2/18 Daniel A. Cunningham 10/12/73 3/18/18 Husband of Melissa Cunningham Son-in-Law to David Breton Nephew-in-law to Roxanne Cook and Patty Banasik Brother-in-law to Sonya Murray 10 Susan Sanders 10/16/56 2/13/18 Patty and I would like to thank the congregation for your love, prayers, and kindness during our mother s illness and passing. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful church family who have become cherished friends. Blessings, ~Roxanne Cook and Patty Banasik Florence Warriner 3/19/13 2/27/18 11 Stewardship Journey Stewardship exists in multiple forms. At Church, there exists a Musical stewardship, Financial stewardship and the stewardship of Caring. This message focuses on Caring, as practiced by Florence Warriner. Florence was a fount of quick wit, happiness and the joy of giving. Her often-heard refrain was, I don t know why I m still here; God must have something for me to do. And there was, her mission was to bring joy to people, to be a source of rejoicefullness. She gathered small stuffed animals, tended to their needs and put them on the front desk at her Samaritan Inn home with a sign, Free, Take One! Her joy was watching big guys choose one, hide it in their jacket and wander off. Over the years, her menagerie of perhaps a thousand animals would find a good home. Her caregiving staff loved their Miss Florence; they would ask Can I get you anything? A man, was her retort. How is your new bed? they ask. Ok for one, I haven t tried it for two! Humor was her hallmark. Florence enjoyed travel; she was in Mexico several times in the 1930s. Her dad once had to wire her money to get home. She and Bill, a Navy Corpsman, were in Hawaii on December 7, 1941 where they witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Throughout her 105 years, her Fountain of Joy stemmed from her precepts of life: Give yourself something to look forward to, Make new friends at every age, Don t complain; express appreciation, Let others care for you when the time comes, Enjoy misbehavior it keeps you out of bars, There s no need to exercise or watch your diet in old age, Potato chips were her unabashed indulgent joy. The Joy of the Gift is the joy of the Giver. Joy expands and is contagious, especially in the retelling. Joy, like Love, never ends. ~Virgil

6 All-Church Meeting Minutes for 3/11/18 (cont) will be clothing drive drop-off from 11 am 1 pm. Patty Banasik is gathering info for a new Missions group project. Past Community Days the group has sponsored & held in September haven t had much of a response so they are investigating combining it with a Vendor Fair to attract more people. The One Great Hour of Sharing special offering was held today during our morning service. Finance Committee: Patti Wood reported 4 members present. Patti volunteered to be Chairperson. The committee will have an annual performance review with our office administrator, Lyn Casey, in the next couple of weeks before Pastor Bart leaves. The group gave its approval for Lyn to attend the 50 th Annual Secretarial Conference for the UCC held at Craigsville Conference Center on the Cape in early June. Office coverage will be provided. Ted Orson will represent the Finance Committee at the negotiation meeting with the new Interim Minister. Ted also mentioned that he is investigating having a Payroll Service handle the church s monthly payroll and the group agreed it was a good idea and asked Ted to get the information. Treasurer s Report: Since Ted Orson was away on vacation he was not able to put together our monthly financial report yet, but he does not see any major deviation in our income and expenses or any major surprises. Roxanne brought up that as church treasurer, Ted Orson, is not a voting member of the Finance Committee, so the Finance Committee brought forth a motion to designate Ted to represent the Finance Committee on the Negotiating Committee which was discussed, seconded, and passed unanimously. Buildings and Grounds: Craig Perras reported 3 members present. The committee did not vote on a chairperson yet so Craig will continue to act as Chairperson until they do vote. They discussed removing a tree next to the parsonage. The fire inspection has concluded which brought up some issues regarding batteries that need to be replaced in Fire Exit signs, some door issues, and bathroom vents that need to be re-vented to the outside. Also, Maria, one of our custodians, has been having trouble with the church vacuum, and after a failed attempt to repair it, it was decided to authorize the purchase of a new vacuum. Lastly, EverSource has submitted their report and everything is finalized with the church s energy study. Music Committee: Joe Sullivan reported 5 members present and he was voted the new chairperson. Joyce Paggen was designated as the liaison for the committee to keep Lyn Casey in the loop about the musical activities of the church. The sanctuary piano is scheduled to be tuned. The group discussed the organist s fees for weddings and funerals and suggested the fees for our hall rentals need to be looked at. The church office needs to be clear on these fees. The group will continue to hold their monthly meeting following Coffee Hour on the 2 nd Sunday of each month. Next month they will begin looking at the Summer Music Schedule Library Committee: Sonya Murray, our new church librarian, will meet with the past librarian, Joyce Arnold, to review the library rules. Christian Education: Brittany Perras reported 4 members present and Brittany is the new Chairperson. She will be Lyn Casey s liaison for the committee. The group wants to actively staff the church s nursery for every Sunday and will be working on a sign-up schedule. All nursery staff will need to be CORI checked and there must be two staff in the nursery at all times when children are present. They would like to have a speaker installed in the nursery so the Pastor s sermon can be heard. There will be an egg hunt for the Youth Group. They discussed Palm Sunday, the possibility of having Vacation Bible School this summer, and they want to develop our Youth Program so that there is outreach into the community. Fundraising Committee: Patti Wood mentioned possible fundraisers: a Terrarium Night (possibly 5/19/18), a Mattress Sale fundraiser, and/or a Wood Sign fundraiser (Sonya Murray will investigate dates for this one). Nominating Committee: Patti Wood has a few names to bring up for approval at the Executive Committee meeting to follow. Memorial Gifts: No report. Flower Committee: Roxanne Cook reported the palms are ordered for Palm Sunday, the Easter shut-in flowers will be available for delivery on Palm Sunday, the cut flowers for the Easter Flowering Cross have been ordered as well as the Easter plants for the altar. New Business Patti Wood wishes to discuss changes to the current way our after-service coffee hour is organized. She expressed her thoughts that the current way of having committees take turns for a month at a time places a lot of burden on our already overworked and understaffed committees. One suggestion to be further discussed is to have the 1 st Sunday of the month handled by anyone in the church with a last name beginning with A-D, the 2 nd Sunday for names E-H, 3 rd Sunday I-M..etc. Any other suggestions are welcome. Patti also wanted to let church members be aware that there is a new business in town Social Day Care for Seniors the seniors would need to be dropped off and picked up, and the owner would provide day activities, snacks, and lunch. Respectfully submitted, Melanie Nitsch, Clerk Executive Committee Meeting Minutes March 11, 2018 The meeting was called to order by Moderator David Breton at 12:52 p.m. Patti Wood from the Nominating Committee brought forth two names to be voted on: Sonya Murray Mission Outreach Committee David Howes Finance Committee

7 Southwick Historical Corner # Potholes In Massachusetts during the early 1800 s a Congregational Church could not survive without a Congregational Society. Prior to the new meetinghouse the Congregational society was handled by the town of Southwick. After the new meetinghouse was dedicated, John Mills, a lawyer in town, helped organize the new Congregational society. John Mills was the first senator elected from Southwick in He was very involved in all aspects of the town and politics so he was able to influence the Congregational Society to be set up to run successfully for the next 100 years. The Church ran into a few difficulties with the new Congregational Society being overly involved in who ministered the church. As we have mentioned in the past, Reverend Calvin Foote was the minister of the church through this transition. On May 26 th, 1830 Rev. Foote was dismissed by the Congregational Society. Reverend Mr. Elbridge Gerry Howe was installed on February 28, He was very well received and successfully led the church for one year. It is not known why, but the society dismissed Rev. Howe at the end of this period. This led to an unsettled period between the church and the Congregational society. Membership was at the lowest it had ever been since membership levels had been tracked (1773). As of January 1, 1836 there were only thirty-four members listed, twelve males and twenty-two females. There was also trouble for the society in raising funds to pay a minister and operate the meetinghouse. ~Martha Johnson For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ~Ephesians 2:10 We all know the jokes about roads in New England and their potholes, but for me it is the road of good intentions that is full of the nasty buggars. I have so many good intentions when I wake up, or when I head home after work, or as I head into the weekend. And yet, I tend to fall into the potholes of life and keep. Putting. Things. Off. Why? What do I get from procrastinating? Am I afraid of accomplishment? Success? Or failure? What will be waiting for me after I finish one project? Another and another and another. But that s life, isn t it. Am I waiting for someone else to fill and fix these potholes? I may be waiting for a long time. I have to take care of the potholes in front of me, yet I do not have to do it alone. This is where my relationship with God comes in. God is always present, always there waiting for me to ask. He even finds ways to remind me I am not alone: friends, songs, rainbows, animals, and yes, potholes. Have you ever seen the beautiful Glacial Potholes? There are some nearby in Shelburne Falls, MA. These are made by little pebbles being swirled inside large boulders for years and years by glacial activity and water. This creates gorgeous works of art some large enough to explore. Could it be my procrastination is not a pothole in the road in which I will get stuck, but rather an area for me to explore and see how beautiful a creation God has made? ~Evelyn Dean Casey

8 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 4 1 EASTER Sunrise Service 6:30 Continental Bkfst Communion Service 10 AM Coffee Hour OA 3: Worship Service Youth Group 10:15 Coffee Hour 11:00 All-Church 11:15 OA 3:30 PM 15 Worship Service 10 Coffee Hour OA 3:30 PM 22 EARTH DAY Worship Service 10 Youth Group 10:15 Coffee Hour OA 3:30 PM 29 Worship Service 10 Coffee Hour OA 3:30 PM 2 Office open 9-1 Office open Office open Office Closed 30 Office open Bell Choir 6:30 Boy Scouts 6:30 10 Bell Choir 6:30 Boy Scouts 6:30 Girl Scout Leaders 17 American Inn 6:30 Bell Choir 6:30 Boy Scouts 6:30 24 Bell Choir 6:30 Boy Scouts 6:30 Cub Scouts 6:30 Voice Choir 7:00 11 Cub Scouts 6:30 Voice Choir 7:00 18 Cub Scouts 6:30 Voice Choir 7:00 25 Cub Scouts 6:30 Voice Choir 7:00 5 Fair Share Co-op Midweek Service 6:30 12 Midweek Service 6:30 19 Midweek Service 6:30 26 Historical Society Dinner 5 PM Midweek Service 6:30 Don t forget the All Church Meeting on the 8th 6 2:30 Henrietta s Open OA Meeting 6:00 AA Meeting 7: :30 Henrietta s Closed OA Meeting 6:00 AA Meeting 7:30 20 Gold Dome Articles Due 2:30 Henrietta s Closed OA Meeting 6:00 AA Meeting 7: :30 Henrietta s Closed OA Meeting 6:00 AA Meeting 7:30 7 Henrietta s Henrietta s Henrietta s Henrietta s 9-1