March The Good Newsletter of the. Southwick Congregational Church. United Church of Christ. Southwick, MA

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1 Southwick Congregational Church Committee Chairs Board of Deacons: Melissa Day, , Buildings & Grounds: Eric Nitsch, , Christian Education: Ashley Greco, , Finance: Jodi Potts, Library: Jodi Potts, Memorial Gifts: Karen Brzezinski, Mission Outreach: Patty Banasik, Music: Melanie Nitsch, March 2016 Southwick Congregational Church 488 College Highway P.O. Box 260 Southwick, MA Return Service Requested Church Office Hours: Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Pastor s Office Hours: Tuesday through Friday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Church Office Phone & Fax: ; Pastor s Study: Website: southwickucc.org The Good Newsletter of the Southwick Congregational Church United Church of Christ Southwick, MA Office southwickucc@gmail.com Look for us on Facebook: Southwick Congregational Church UCC Staff: Minister Reverend Bart Cochran Choir Director/Organist Roberta Kowal Bell Choir Director Patti P. Wood Administrative Assistant Elaina Lempke Custodians Matthew Kowal Florence Pitoniak VOLUME MMXV No. 3 Minister: The Rev. Bart Cochran Please join us Sundays for Worship Service 10:00 AM Mid-Week Service Thursdays DATED MATERIAL PAID Permit No. 309 Southwick, MA US Postage

2 Dear Friends, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. - Exodus 20:8-11 We work hard during the week and when the weekend comes, we deserve a rest. In the scripture above we see that the Sabbath day (or Day of Rest) is mandated by God. To live in this world, most of us have to do some form of work. We work for survival and for some comfort in this life. We create, we grow, we provide and all of the work which we undertake can give us a sense of worth and of accomplishment, but do we take time to enjoy the fruits of our labor? On a most basic level our bodies need rest. We relax and sleep to gather physical energy so we can begin again. How we relax in our waking lives is really a matter for the individual. For some of us it means something as simple as a nap or perhaps simple attention to one s body through exercise or yoga. Whatever the level of attention we give our bodies, the main point is to give our bodies attention and care. We also need mental and emotional relaxation. Watching the game on T.V. may help us unwind. Maybe we do relaxing work such as a hobby. I have known people in my life that find relaxation by restoring an old car or gardening. These activities, while they may tax our bodies some, give us the mental and emotional relaxation that help us center ourselves and clear the clutter of the daily grind. Mental, emotional and physical relaxation is important to our overall health and peace of mind. But true Sabbath doesn t stop there. We must now turn to our spiritual well-being. In a biblical understanding of Sabbath, our day of rest also means spiritual enrichment. This is more than simply attending a service of worship. Spiritual enrichment means being able to Utilities & Insurance Ted Orson spoke that there were no changes and a motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to accept the proposed budget. Other Melissa Day spoke that the church portion of the mediation costs were paid from the Board of Deacons Fund. The remainder of the mediation costs were paid through a grant from the Western Mass Conference of the UCC. A motion was made to accept the proposed 2016 budget as amended, which was seconded, and passed unanimously. New Business Karen Brzezinski asked to have biographical information on new members published in the Sunday Bulletin and Gold Dome in the future whenever we have a New Member Sunday. Karen is also asking for a Letter of Appreciation to be sent to Betty West as our past assistant treasurer recognizing all her past contributions and hard work. Patti Wood led a discussion about changing the Annual Meeting to a warmer time of year. It was mentioned that this is a fiscal decision but everyone did like having it on a Sunday following the worship service with the usual pot luck luncheon. Dennis Day made a motion to change the By-Laws of the church to state: The Annual Meeting shall take place in February of each year on a date to be determined at the January All-Church Meeting, for the hearing of reports, for the election of officers, adopting a budget, and the transaction of any other business. This motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Pastor Bart welcomed David Breton as our new Moderator and thanked Patti Wood for filling in temporarily. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to adjourn the 243 rd Annual Meeting at 1 p.m. All in attendance joined hands for the singing of Blest Be the Tie That Binds.

3 Since our expenses are already reduced to a minimum, we need to increase our revenue. The Parsonage rental has been a great help to our income we lost our long-time tenants and it has taken a while to re-rent the parsonage but we currently now have tenants. Ted wishes to thank Julie Chase and many others for all their help. Ted entertained questions on the published weekly collections that have recently appeared in the Sunday Bulletins. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to accept the Treasurer s Report. Review of 2016 Budget Minister and other The slight increase in the minister s salary is contractual. Motion was made to accept this section, seconded, and passed unanimously. Office & Administration Budget is level funded. Our new secretary, Elaina Lempke, is doing wonderfully. The new Xerox copier is much more efficient, but also more expensive to run, but we have less outside printing costs. Discussion around a future copier contract. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to accept this budget. Music Committee Patti Wood and Roberta Kowal were excused from this part of the meeting. Roxanne Cook made a motion to increase the Bell Choir Director s salary from the proposed $500 to $2,300. This was seconded, followed by much discussion among the group. The committee spoke about their desire not to increase our budget by over 13%. A new motion was entertained to amend the first motion amount to $800. This was seconded and passed by a majority show of hands. Christian Education also level funded motion made and seconded and passed unanimously to accept proposed budget as is. Maintenance Eric Nitsch was Buildings & Grounds spoke about their plans for projects to the church to be funded through Memorial Gifts. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to accept the B&G proposed budget. take stock of ourselves in the large portrait of life. This is not spiritual work, this is the Day of Eternity. It is as close to Heaven on Earth as we can get. We work, but like God on the seventh day we take stock, we develop relationships with those we love. We rest from spiritual growth to enjoy our spiritual selves! As an example of spiritual enrichment, during the season of Lent we strive to grow in our faith and spiritual lives; we study scripture, we pray, we question our long held beliefs. We strive to gain ground on the paths of our spiritual quest for truth and love, but at the end of Lent we celebrate Easter; the Sabbath of Sabbaths! We enjoy the gains we have made and we take pleasure in simply being a child of God! We take pleasure in our families and our community and our church. We celebrate and wrap ourselves in the warmth of God s love. Striving for personal growth is a wonderful thing, but if all we do is work then we can miss the joy of our lives! We work for a reason and the reason is Sabbath. In other words, the Sabbath isn t mandated by God for the week but rather, the week is created for the pure joy of the Sabbath! Yours in Christ, Pastor Bart

4 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION On Sunday, February 14th the Youth Group held their annual Valentine s Day bake sale at coffee hour. A big thank you to all who purchased goodies and everyone who participated in making goods. The Youth Group raised over $200. ANNUAL MEETING THANK YOU to all that attended the Annual Meeting! We had 41 members, more than we have had in several years! I think if it had not been so bitter cold, that we may have had more! THANK YOU again to all the committee members that stayed on for another year, or chose to move to another committee...and Thank you to all the new members that have joined the committees...we WELCOME YOU! 243 rd Annual Meeting Southwick Congregational Church United Church of Christ February 14, 2016 The meeting was called to order by stand-in Moderator Patti Wood at 11:50 a.m. An opening prayer was led by Pastor Bart. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to dispense with the reading of the Call to the Annual Meeting. A count was taken around the room with 41 voting members attending a quorum is 15. The Moderator entertained a motion from the floor to accept last year s Annual Report which was seconded and passed unanimously. The Music Committee respectfully asks to add Lorraine Leveille s name to their report as a former voice choir member who passed away in 2015 and is very sadly missed by all. Nominating Committee Report Chairman Patti Wood brought forth the following additions to committees: Moderator David Breton Deacons Robert Lempke Buildings & Grounds Craig Perras Christian Ed Flo Pitoniak Mission Outreach Roxanne Cook Music Brittany Perras, Lee Zinnack, & Diane Jennett Finance Elaina Lempke Board of Ushers Robin Sklarski A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to accept all new names to the committees. Treasurer s Report Ted Orson, Treasurer, spoke about how we fell about $20,000 below our anticipated collections vs. what we paid out. Ted felt this was okay for last year because we have had some profitable years recently. Going forward, most committees are level funded and the 2016 budget is essentially the same as Ted stated we need approximately $2,000 per week in collections to maintain this facility and meet our expenses and this is not happening currently.

5 Stewardship News Last month s Gold Dome discussed Stewardship Pledges received for Comparison of Pledges for 2016 with those for 2015 shows a decreased number of pledges (80 vs 82) and a reduction in the amount pledged ($86,200 vs $92,600). A similar trend was noted when comparing 2015 Pledges with those of Expenses are headed in the opposite direction. Expenses during 2015 averaged $11,646 per month or $139,754 for the year. Income from rental of the parsonage and fellowship halls, fund-raisers and thrift shop sales yielded an average of nearly $1800 per month. Stewardship must provide the difference ($ $1800) or $9850 per month if we are to operate in the black. Except for January, monthly Stewardship receipts, seen below, underperformed expenses resulting in a net loss of ~ $21,000 for the year. The 2016 budget approved at the annual meeting on February 14 is essentially level-funded and currently projects a net operating loss of ~ $30,000 for the year. Budget expenses have been minimized to the extent possible; whatever you can do to reduce or eliminate the budget shortfall is gratefully appreciated. My goal is still to have all committees full and there are still a few slots open! Please stop and chat with me, tell me what you do, what you like (or don't) so we can find the right spot for you. All Church committee Meetings are held the 2nd Thursday of each month. The committees meet from 7pm till 8. Attendance at any committee meeting by anyone not a member of the committee must have the previous approval of the chairperson. Then all of us meet at 8 for a general meeting, including any Church member not part of a committee. After this meeting ends the Executive Board meets. Please share your thoughts, concerns, suggestions, ideas with any of our committee members...we are your voice! Moderator~ David Breton* Treasurer~ Ted Orson Assistant Treasurer~ Julie Chase Deacons~ Melissa Day, Dawn Turgeon, Bob Baker, Barbara Gunn,* Diane Orson, Robert Lempke* Buildings & Ground~ Eric Nitsch, Joyce & Shirl Hamilton, Dan Warriner, Buddy Vecchio, Craig Perras* Christian Ed~ Ashley Greco, Sue Fox, Audrey Baker, Susan Sanders, Samantha Winiarski, Flo Pitoniak* Mission Outreach~ Patty Banasik, Andrea Warriner, Valerie Eastwood Cochran, Roxanne Cook* Music~ Melanie Nitsch, Joyce Paggen, Lynn Coach, Brittany Perras*, Lee Zinnack*,Diane Jennett* Finance~ Ellie Bates, Julie Chase, Ted Orson, Jodi Potts*, Beth Studer*, Elaina Lempke* Flower~ Barb Machietto, Roxanne Cook UCC Delegates~ Ellie Bates, Julie Chase Church Librarian~ Jodi Potts* Pastoral Relations~ Samantha Winiarski, Roxanne Cook, Dennis Day, Diane Orson Patti P Wood, Nominating Committee *Denotes New Members See you March 10th!

6 Easter Flowers If you would like to have an Easter Plant placed in the Church for the Easter Service, please fill in the order form below and return it to the church office by Friday, March 18 th. Plant prices are as follows: Lilies, Tulips, Daffodils & Hyacinths - $10 each Hydrangeas - $20 each Name What was the best advice you were ever given? My father, every morning as my brother and I went off to school always said, Be good. Be careful. Do good work. The latest book or movie that made you laugh out loud? The TV show that always cracks me up, even in reruns, is The Big Bang Theory. What achievements are you most proud of? I m good at my job. I m proud to be an Aunt. I consider myself to be a good friend. I m a good cat mommy. What do you like best about Southwick Congregational Church, UCC? Having parents who are also ministers my whole life, it was difficult thinking about becoming a member of a church where they weren t the ministers. Then, in 2001 I started coming here. It felt like the churches my parents had, especially in PA. It s the people. It s the ministers. In memory of Kind of Flower(s) Amount $ If you prefer to purchase your own flowers, check below and use this form for your memorial information. It must be in the church office by March 18 th to appear in the bulletin. Also, if you bring your own flowers, they should be in the church by March 23, ( ) I prefer to purchase my own flowers.

7 Member Spotlight Member Spotlight profiles a church member, family or group the goal is to share and learn more about each other. This feature is sponsored by the Missions and Outreach Committee contact Patty B., Andrea, Sally or Valerie if you d like to contribute a profile, or have suggestions! Our featured member for March is Beth Studer. Beth loves all kinds of movies, as well as musical acts as diverse as Donny Osmond and Alice Cooper! She is very active here at SCC and currently serves on our Finance Committee. Tell us a little about your background? I was born in Harrisburg, PA. We lived in Newport, PA then moved to Coopersburg, PA. In 1973 we moved to Fairfield, CT. I went to college at Western CT State University and majored in Criminal Justice. In 1984 I moved to Madison, WI and worked in retail briefly, and then had a bunch of part time jobs. Landed in the insurance industry (health, life, disability, etc.) and have been doing that since. In 1990 I moved to MA for work and I ve lived in Westfield, MA since Tell us a little about your family? My father was ordained as a UCC minister in 1956, my mom in I have one brother, David, a wonderful sister-in-law and three adorable and wonderful nieces. And, my kids, the ones with 4 legs & whiskers, my cats, Amanda and Butchy. Favorite Movie: Depends on my mood. Classics like Bringing Up Baby. Comedies like Monty Python & the Holy Grail or Young Frankenstein, Star Wars, Star Trek, anything with Johnny Depp. Favorite pastime/hobby: Zumba. Travel. Coloring. Being with friends and family. Tell us one thing most people would be surprised to know about you? I ve flown in a hot air balloon. Also, I have a picture of my Dad and me with Donny Osmond. We had a chance to meet him and see a performance a number of years ago. On the flip side, I collect swords and have seen Alice Cooper in concert about 5 times! Eclectic taste in music and art Favorite sports teams: My favorite sport is ice hockey and my favorite team is the Philadelphia Flyers. I also like football but my team is the Cowboys. So as not to offend any MA people my favorite baseball team is the Red Sox. My favorite basketball team is the Celtics. News From the Office Member dues for the year are $19.10 per member. Checks/cash can be sent or brought to Southwick Congregational Church, 488 College Highway, P.O. Box 260, Southwick MA Paying member dues helps the church defray the cost that the UCC bills us for membership. CONDOLENCES Our deepest sympathy to the family of Barbara Miffert who passed away on February 6, HENRIETTA S THRIFT SHOP Your help is needed! Henrietta s needs a volunteer to run the store Wednesdays however the day of the week and hours are negotiable. Please remember this is a year-round fundraiser for the church that made approximately $3,000 last year! Please contact Joyce Hamilton if you are interested. Happy Birthday! Linden Ela March 7 Lynn Coach March 7 Florence Warriner March 19

8 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Bell Choir 2 March Midweek Service 4 Office/Thrift Open OA Meeting 6 PM Girl Scouts Sock Hop 6:30-9 PM AA 12 Step 7:30 5 Thrift Shop Open Southwick H. S. Dinner 4-6 Communion Service 10 AM Coffee Hour 11 AM OA Meeting 3:30 PM 7 8 Bell Choir 9 Office Open 9 1 PM 10 Midweek Service All Church Meeting 7:00 PM (Missions) 11 Office/Thrift Open 9-1PM OA Meeting 6 PM AA 12 Step 7:30 PM 12 Thrift Shop Open 13 Worship Service 10 AM Youth/Sunday School Coffee Hour 11 AM OA Meeting 3:30 PM Office Open 9-1 American Inn Service Bell Choir Fair Share Delivery Midweek Service 18 Office/Thrift Open OA Meeting 6 PM AA 12 Step 7:30 PM 19 Thrift Shop Open 20 Palm Sunday Service 10 AM Coffee Hour 11 AM OA Meeting 3:30 PM Bell Choir Maundy Thursday Service 8 PM 25 Office/Thrift Open OA Meeting 6 PM AA 12 Step 7:30 PM 26 Thrift Shop Open 27 Sunrise Service Easter Service 10 AM Food Pantry Collection Youth/Sunday School Coffee Hour 11 AM OA Meeting 3:30 PM Bell Choir Midweek Service