COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

Transcription

1 First Parish UnitedChurch f Christ (Cngregatinal) P.O. Bx 228, 176 West High Street, Smerswrth, NH Rev. Mark Rideut, Pastr Church Office: (603) An Open & Affirming Church firstparishsmerswrth@myfairpint.net COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS Spnsred by First Parish Church UCC Hsted by Teattaller These Cnversatins will be held ver 8 weeks n Fridays frm 5-6 PM. The gal is t bring a diverse grup f cmmunity members tgether t talk abut issues that affect ur family and friends, in a safe and cmfrtable setting. Cnversatin tpics: February 10 February 17 February 24 March 10 March 17 Living in a wrld where peple d nt understand ne anther r ur faith. LGBTQ peple and faith Questining yur gender identity and faith A teenager and faith Scial Media and faith It s that time again when we will be taking applicatins fr the 2017 First Parish Church Wmen s Fellwship Memrial Schlarship, given in memry f all lng time members f the First Parish Wmen s Fellwship. Applicatins will be accepted if ne will be r is attending an undergraduate r graduate curse f study at an accredited tw r fur year cllege, university r career technical schl. In rder t be cnsidered fr the schlarship, the applicatin must be cmpleted and returned t the chairpersn. Applicatins will be available in the narthex and must be returned by May 7, 2017 t the schlarship chairpersn. Carl Cummings, Chairpersn 6 Bennett St. Smerswrth, NH March 24 March 31 April 14 Parenting diverse families (tw mms, tw dads) and faith Accepting diversity and faith Knwing yur neighbr and faith Please jin us fr sme great cnversatins ver a cup f

2 Dear Ones: L e n t w i l l b e g i n n A s h Wednesday, March 1 st. Fr sme, starting this seasn in wrship sets the tne fr the days t cme. Fr thers, the sacrifice f letting g giving up smething fr Lent brings a fcus nt grasped at any ther time. Of curse, giving up smething that becmes a true sacrifice, meaning it has an edge r pinch, r bite that leads t intentinal change this, I believe, is where Lent can really be used with meaning fr Gd s purpse. S, what am I ging t d in Lent? I plan t take each day and take ne hur f each day, and declutter my ffice. Yeah, right! I knw it seems impssible, and I m trying nt t g dwn that rad. I really want t enter int the discipline f time and intentin t make sme decisins, and let g f sme f the stuff that I have cllected ver many years in ministry. I m kind f lking at this as weeding the garden f my ffice in rder t let the gd seed take rt. Right nw the weeds have wn, and I just shake my head. I want t feel nce again the jy f this place f faithful study, learning, Spirit-filled creativity. I believe this is pssible, fr with Gd, all things are pssible! I ve revealed way mre than I d be inclined t d in a newsletter, but I figure, if I name my expectatins fr myself, maybe I can nudge yu t d the same. Will yu? Easter jy will, I pray, find my ffice landscape much different than the view frm tday. Mre imprtantly, I am wanting t feel the deep jy f having unburdened myself in rder t better embrace the transfrmative blessing f new life revealed in the Risen Christ. As the jurney cntinues ~ let us walk tgether in Gd s light. Peace, Pastr Mark Adult Study fr Lent Pastr Mark is putting tgether a Lenten Series that will use the lectinary readings fr Sundays in Lent. Participant preparatin will include reading the fur bible readings fr the cming Sunday s wrship. We will delve int themes being raised, discern hw the Spirit is inviting a particular directin in life, and bradly invite deeper reflectin fr ur Lenten jurney. There will be a sign-up, infrmatin-resurce packet and study lcatins fr bth mrning and evening sessins. Mrnings: at the Church in the Chapel, Thursdays 3/2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 4/6, Evenings: at Rgers Pizza, 869 Central Avenue, Dver, NH [enter by lwer level dr] [Mndays 3/6, 13, 20, 27, 4/3, 10] D yu have a hbby, skill, simply enjy ding smething and wuld be willing t ffer what yu enjy ding as an enrichment t Middle Schl r Elementary Schl aged children? The Smerswrth Yuth Cnnectin, an after schl prgram wuld like t hear frm yu. Yur willingness t teach and share with these children helps them t learn, while encuraging a wide range f interactins n a lt f levels. Sme ideas: knitting/crcheting, sewing, wdwrking, painting, drawing, share abut different cuntries, types f wrk, petry, writing, and n. Speak with Pastr Mark wh can tell yu a bit mre. Lgan Thmas, brn 2/17/17 t Try & Kim (Cazeault) Shurtleff, grandsn f Paul & Sherry Cazeault. Big brther Clin welcmes his new brther! May Gd s blessing be n this family. Change Directin New Hampshire was rescheduled due t weather. It is part f a natinal initiative designed t change the culture f mental health in America. S that all f thse in need receive the care and supprt they deserve. On Tuesday, March 21, 6PM at Smerswrth High Schl, 11 Memrial Drive, Smerswrth, retired Chief NH Supreme Curt Chief Justice Jhn Brderick will discuss this campaign, why it is imprtant t him persnally, and explain the five signs f emtinal suffering.

3 IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS Lucille Berry, Studley Hme, 15 Eastern Ave., Rchester, NH Bertha Carr, Rckingham Cunty Nursing Hme 117 Nrth Rad, Brentwd, NH Bb Philbrick, Berwick Estates, 75 Prtland St., S. Berwick, ME Drthy Blaisdell, Janet Giffin, Drthy Strms, Wentwrth Hme, 795 Central Ave., Dver, NH and all wh are residents in lng-term care and assisted living facilities in ur area. ASH WEDNESDAY WORSHIP, March 1 st, 7PM, will be held here at First Parish United Church f Christ, with ur friends f r m t h e B e r w i c k U n i t e d Methdist Church. First Parish UCC and the UMC, Berwick, have shared Ash Wednesday fr many years. Cme, jin in this time f fcused reflectin n Scripture, Praise, Prayer and Reflectin. CANCELLATION POLICY Yes, we ve had t d this befre! The weather can, and des change. When at all pssible, wrship WILL take place. But, shuld the decisin be made t cancel wrship and/r Sunday Schl, every effrt will be made t have this infrmatin available by 8AM Sunday n radi statin WTSN 1270 AM, AND televisin statin, WMUR, Channel 9. Every effrt will be made t leave a message n the vice mail at the church [ ]. Please understand that if the church lses pwer, vice mail may wrk; it still may mean that the church des nt have electrical pwer. These decisins will be made taking int cnsideratin the present r anticipated weather, traveling cnditins and whether r nt Pastr Mark [and thers] can get ut f their driveways! Please use cmmn sense in yur decisin t drive n a snwy Sunday! Craig Breden [health] Eric Burgess [health] Jinny Burgess sn Gerri Cannn [healing] Dan Gaudreau [healing] Sue Bucher s nephew Bea Gardner [healing] Steve Gardner [healing] Rev. Bill Hamel [health] Elaine Mavrikis [healing] Shawn Ricker [health] Steven Ricker [health] Cnnie Ricker s sn AND nging prayer fcus during these days: Fr ur Carrll-Straffrd Assciatin Churches, and specifically in March we pray fr the First Parish Church, Dver, NH and their pastr the Rev. Mike Bennett. That Gd will bless and guide ur Cnference Minister, Rev. Gary Schulte, and Assciate Cnference Minister, Rev. Richard Slater Fr thse wh are living with cancer; thse wh are living with mental health cncerns, and thse wh supprt them as they walk pathways f healing. Faith frmatin ministries fr all ages - fr building strng faith fundatins Wrking tgether in cmmunity t address addictin t drugs, and anything that takes away frm whleness in life. In the seasn f Lent, may the 40 days befre the Day f Resurrectin prvide pprtunity fr prayer, reflectin, mindful meditatin with an utward expressin f justice living, lving kindness and humility. Thse serving in the Armed Services and in supprt capacities arund the wrld. Peace in ur wrld; harmny in ur relatinships. The UKAMA Partnership between the United Church f Christ in Zimbabwe and the NH Cnference UCC. Cntinued invitatinal ministry and missin here at First Parish United Church f Christ: invite, include, invlve in the gd news way f Christ. Christian Sympathy is extended t the family f Katherine Kay Phyllides, wh passed away n 2/6/17, aunt t Elaine Mavrikis. May the deep peace f Gd surrund this family.

4 MARCH LECTIONARIES Ash Wednesday - Purple March 1, 2017 Jel 2:1-2, r Isaiah 58:1-12 Psalm 51: Crinthians 5:20b-6:10 Matthew 6:1-6, Mar. 2 Mar. 3 Mar. 9 Mar. 14 Mar. 20 Mar. 22 Mar. 23 Mar. 24 Mar. 28 Kaleigh Richer David Arseneault Priscilla Chellis, Kelsey Cnley Becky Scribner Gail Day Dug & Kelly Whitten Rbie MacRae Genevieve Allen Dn Whitten, Susan Sargent, Jamie Cnley First Sunday in Lent - Purple March 5, 2017 Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Psalm 32 Rmans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 Secnd Sunday in Lent - Purple March 12, 2017 Genesis 12:1-4a Psalm 121 Rmans 4:1-5, Jhn 3:1-17 r Matthew 17:1-9 Third Sunday in Lent - Purple March 19, 2017 Exdus 17:1-7 Psalm 95 Rmans 5:1-11 Jhn 4:5-42 Furth Sunday in Lent - Purple March 26, Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-15 Jhn 9:1-41 Remember, e v e r y c h u r c h activity is an pprtunity fr YOU t invite, include and invlve smene wh yu knw int ur shared life here at First Parish Church. Yu are the face f First Parish Church! In Praise f Diversity Plymuth Cngregatinal United Church f Christ celebrates its 25 th anniversary as an Open & Affirming Cngregatin. One part f their celebratin is the crdinatin f an art exhibit in their sanctuary. They have invited each Open & Affirming church in New Hampshire, that wishes t participate, t select an art piece made by a member f their cngregatin. These art pieces will be displayed in the Plymuth Church sanctuary. An entry frm and details are psted n the Narthex Bulletin Bard. The entry frm fr the exhibit must be submitted by the artist by April 1, Art pieces must arrive in Plymuth between April 22-24, There will be an pening receptin n April 29, There is a weekend f celebratin being planned ver May 5, 6, 7, 2017, including an invitatin fr all ONA churches t sing in a Cnference-wide chir n May 5 th. Details fr this will be channeled thrugh ur Chir Directr and Music Cmmittee. Heads Up! Are yu anticipating a hspital visit? Did yu knw that due t natinal privacy laws, hspitals are nt allwed t call yur cngregatin t let them knw yu are there? S, if yu knw yu are ging t be in the hspital and want t let Pastr Mark knw, please cntact the Church Office [ ]. Of curse, emergencies cme up, s please feel free t call Pastr Mark at hme [ ]. If yu find yurself in the hspital unexpectedly: 1. YOU need t clearly request that Pastr Mark be called and, 2. YOU need t request that yu d like t see the hspital chaplain, wh CAN call Pastr Mark and let him and ur Church cmmunity knw yu are there. We want t surrund yu with lve, supprt and care. But we cannt d that if we never find ut yu are ill r needing/wanting a visit. Wentwrth-Duglass Hspital and Prtsmuth Reginal Hspital have a chaplain n staff. Frisbie Memrial Hspital has a netwrk f vlunteer chaplains. The key is cmmunicatin!

5 Men s Fellwship Greetings, We had ur last meeting n Saturday, February 11th. Welcme t ur new member Bruce Rbbins, wh recently jined First Parish Church. The big cnversatin during breakfast was the New England Patrits Super Bwl win ver the Atlanta Falcns, in dramatic fashin, cming back frm a 21 pint deficit t win in vertime. As usual, Tm Brady wn the M.V.P. award and put Deflate Gate t rest. Als n the sprts frnt, the Bstn Celtics are ding well again this year, and Cach Brad Stevens will head up the Eastern All Stars. We are already rganizing the Wmen's Breakfast in May fr Mthers Day. We are planning smething a little different this year and it shuld be a gd time as always. We als talked abut having ther area Church Grups jin us fr breakfast and get mre recgnitin in the cmmunity. Try t get the wrd ut abut First Parish Church and maybe draw mre members int ur Cngregatin. Anther idea was a blck f events fr the children this summer. Maybe a Rally Day at First Parish, a Sft Ball turnament, Field Trips, and s n. As always, we welcme any suggestins r cmments yu may have t keep ur grup active. Our next meeting is scheduled fr Saturday, March 11th at 8:30 in the Church Hall. Feel free t jin us fr the best breakfast in twn and bring a friend. Submitted by Dave Hamel fr "Da Bys" A Gentle Reminder: * Sunday Bulletin annuncements/infrmatin needs t be in writing t the Church Office by MONDAY, r, yu may it directly t Debbie Hall at kenanddebhall@cmcast.net * Mnthly Newsletter items MUST be submitted by the 3 rd Friday [OR as nted in the mnthly newsletter calendar]. Earlier is better! directly t Debbie Hall at kenanddebhall@cmcast.net Written items may be left in the pcket n the cpy rm dr as well (just let Deb knw!). * Mnthly calendar dates and times are submitted directly t Priscilla Chellis at prchellis@cmcast.net * Updates n birthdays, anniversaries may be sent t Luise Watman at lcwatman@cmcast.net Nte: If yu serve n a cmmittee, please cmmunicate directly with yur Cmmittee Chair if yu are unable t attend a scheduled meeting r event. LENT BEGINS. The 40 day seasn f the church year, Lent, begins n Ash Wednesday, March 1 st. We will gather fr wrship HERE with ur friends frm the United Methdist Church, Berwick, ME. Wrship begins at 7PM. The 40 days that fllw becme an pprtunity, a pssibility, a definite set aside time, fr Gd, and Gd alne. Our Lenten jurney is a parallel f the 40 days f Jesus in the wilderness. As we reflect n ur lives, this will prepare ur hearts fr Easter. Our jy n Resurrectin Day is persnal, it is brn in cmmunity transfrmatin as disciples f the Risen Christ. Lk int Scripture, spend time in prayer, be a part f weekly wrship n Sunday and then t put int active respnse the edge, the places where changes in daily life bring depth t yur spirit, all guided by Gd s Spirit. T help with yur Lenten preparatins, Lenten Devtinals will be available in the Library area beginning n Sunday, February 26 th. FAITH FORMATION Thank yu t all wh prvided sups fr the sup lunchen. We had a wnderful selectin t chse frm! Thank yu t thse wh stayed and enjyed the sup and the fellwship. We all left t head ut int that wintry day with warm tummies and warm hearts! One hundred and nine dllars was raised t be put twards ur dnatin t Operatin Smile. Registratins are nw pen fr Hrtn Center. The infrmatin will be n the Bulletin Bard dwnstairs in the Sunday Schl hallway as sn as we get it. Yu can g t the Hrtn Center website if yu want mre infrmatin, r see Sue Vllkmmer. Easter is rapidly appraching and nce again we have a wnderful Palm Sunday Service planned that will incrprate the children. The children will be the fcus f the service, and we will nt be asking anyne t talk! Of curse, if they wuld like t they may take a scripture reading!! Please plan t have yur children take part in ur service. Palm Sunday is April 9, and we wuld LOVE t have all the children with us!!

6 MISSIONS Please jin us n Sunday, March 12th, fllwing wrship, fr ur Chicken Dinner Lunchen. The cst f the Lunchen will be $5.00/persn r $20.00/family. The mney will be dnated t three lcal wmen's shelters: Hpe n Haven Hill, Lydia's Huse f Hpe, and Sber Sisters. Remember the Fd Pantry bx that is lcated in the Narthex. The Fd pantry prvides meals fr many families, and yur dnatins are gratefully appreciated, especially during the winter mnths. The cllectin f clean, label free, brwn medicine bttles is n-ging. There is a cllectin basket in the Narthex. Please see Pat Whitten, r any member f the Missin Cmmittee with any questins. This summer the Missin Cmmittee wuld like t include a dnatin in the Zimbabwe Shipping Cntainer. We will have mre infrmatin as we get clser t the date. We will be cllecting shes and sneakers-these can be used, but in gd cnditin and have all their laces, T-shirts, clth/material fr sewing, sccer related sprting equipment, balls, and jump rpes. ALL ARE WELCOME! SUNDAY SCHEDULE Sunday Wrship - 10:00 AM Sunday Schl - 10:00 AM Fellwship Time Fllws Wrship Hly Cmmunin is celebrated n the first Sunday f each mnth. Ministers: The Peple f the Church Pastr: Rev. Mark A. Rideut Christian Educatin Crdinatr: Susan Vllkmmer Mderatr: Richard Whitten C-Clerks: Patty Cte & Debbie Hall Treasurer: Linda Farrell Assistant Treasurer: Richard Shepherd Organist/Chir Directr: Bette Daley Newsletter Team: Debbie Hall-Editr, Priscilla Chellis-Calendar, On Sunday, March 26, First Parish will be cllecting the special ffering, One Great Hur f Sharing. OGHS enables the UCC t reach peple and cmmunities affected by disaster, displacement, r pverty. Paul's letters remind us that as members f the church, we are s clsely cnnected that we think f urselves as parts f ne bdy. The New Testament refers t fllwers f Jesus, nt as Christians, but as family-brthers and sisters. Many churches live this ut when smene is ill, in murning, r facing a crisis. Yu shw up. Yu are there with yur casserles and cards, yur hugs and prayers. Yur acts f kindness allws yur brthers and sisters t knw that they are nt alne. When we see the latest tragedies n the news, we ask, "Where is Gd?". We knw the answer, Gd is there, in the midst f thse wh are hurting. Christ cares fr peple wh suffer and says He is s present in them that when yu feed the hungry, care fr the sick, welcme the stranger-yu feed, care fr, and welcme Christ. Their needs might seem different than thse f the peple yu wrship with, but yur tangible gifts declare the same message-i am here. By reaching ut t thse wh suffer frm natural disasters, war, r pverty yu let them knw that they are nt frgtten. Even when the need seems far frm here, by acting tgether as the bdy f Christ, we are able t be there fr members f Christ's family. Please cnsider prayerfully, n March 26, as we cllect ur special ffering fr One Great Hur f Sharing hw yu can help.

7 WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP OPEN & AFFIRMING Our Spring Fling Fair, which will be held n April 1st, is ging t be here befre we knw it! We need peple willing t be at the different tables, dnatins fr baskets and the tables, and desserts fr the fd table. If yu are willing t help with any f these, please let either Kathy Latchaw r Deb Hall knw. We enjyed prviding the refreshments fr Music Abund! What a wnderful prductin! The first Tuesday mrning f each mnth, we stay after the wrkshp and have lunch tgether. It is a time when we plan activities, wrk n a prject and just have an pprtunity t chat with each ther. Cme jin us! Plans are being made t have Priscilla Chellis teach a class in making felt cactus. There will be a sign up cming sn. All are welcme. The Wmen s Fellwship meets n Tuesday mrnings frm 9-11AM and Wednesday evenings frm 6:30-8PM and bth grups are wrking n a variety f items. Why dn t yu cnsider cming t ne t see just what is ging n? Yu culd even bring a friend with yu. Our fairs help us with ur pledge f mney fr ur church and, t d this, we need yur help. S please cnsider where yu culd help r what yu culd dnate s we can make ur Spring Fair a success. Gratefully, Katherine Latchaw I hpe yu are all enjying the last few days f winter as spring is surely cming! At least that is what I am telling myself. The cmmittee has been hard at wrk preparing fr and hsting ur Cmmunity Discussin events at Teattaller in dwntwn Smerswrth. The intent f these events is t bring a diverse grup f cmmunity members tgether t talk abut issues that affect ur family and friends in a safe and cmfrtable setting. We have been very pleased with the turnut fr ur first tw sessins and the flks at Teattaller have prvided us with a great venue. I hpe yu can jin us. The schedule and address are listed n the frnt page f this newsletter. We are als wrking n a series f lectures/talks which wuld cver diversity n a brader scale. Fr example: religius, racial, ethnic, mental health, etc. We hpe this will help us better understand "wh is ur neighbr" and help them better understand us. Thrugh this shared understanding, I am cnfident we will develp a much clser bnd as a cmmunity. As we wrk t embrace and welcme diversity we will als cnnect thse wh are seeking faith and want t share in the Gd News with ur church. Let s cntinue the discussin! We tried t make ur prcess and jurney t becming an Open and Affirming church very transparent and inclusive. We need t ensure the same as we live ur Open and Affirming statement. Hw d yu think we shuld cntinue the discussin? What d yu want t talk r learn mre abut? We wuld lve t have yu be part f this discussin. Is there a tpic that yu feel yu passinate abut and wuld like t wrk n r that yu want t knw mre abut? We wuld be happy t discuss further with yu. Thank yu, The Open and Affirming Cmmittee Geff & Nancy Day

8 MUSIC ABOUNDS Thank yu t Bette Daley, Patty Cte and everyne wh helped make Music Abunds a wnderful shw. A special thank yu t all f the perfr mers. Everyne did an utstanding jb! SPAGHETTI SUPPER Thank yu t everyne wh helped with the January supper, and a special thank yu t thse wh ffered last minute. We had sme cancellatins due t illness and ur list f vlunteers was already skimpy. Several peple answered ur call fr help. We are s grateful t everyne wh helped befre, during and after the supper and als fr the scrumptius desserts! We were all busy mst f the evening and ur week-end s ttal was $711. Our next supper is March 25th. Patty and Marc Cte will be away this mnth, s please cntact Debbie Hall ( r ) if yu have questins, wuld like t help r need t cancel. Since they will be away, we will need sme extra hands during the supper! We are always excited t get new vlunteers. The jbs are easy and we are glad t help yu learn. Anther way t help is t make a dessert fr the supper pies, cakes r smething gey!

9 Our Sr. Deacns (Marc Cte, Craig Breden and Jhn Cummings) and Allen Strms wrapped up their final mnth. The Sr. Deacns prvided us with an excellent meal - thank yu s much! Kathy Latchaw, Debbie Hall, Laurel Curtis and Sharn Siris jined us as new Deacns in February welcme! Pastr Mark cntinues t have his cmmunity ffice at varius settings. The purpse is t be visible and available in the cmmunity. Maybe yu might jin him fr cffee smetime and help share the Gd News. The Deacns cntinue t wrk n several initiatives. These are: Lent - Lent begins in March and we are beginning ur preparatins. Here is the high-level schedule f events. Ash Wednesday n March 1 st at 7pm we will be hsting wrship with the Berwick United Methdist Church. Palm Sunday - Sunday, April 9 th. The children will be participating. Hly Week begins n Palm Sunday and ends n Easter Sunday. We hpe yu will make the chice t be present in wrship with yur family. Palm Sunday Cantata Hsted by St. Ignatius f Lyla Parish Maundy Thursday Thursday, April 13 th Gd Friday Friday, April 14 th we are cllabrating with the Berwick United Methdist Church. Easter Sunday, April 16 th The sunrise service will be held at 6am at the American Legin Hall n the crner f Cnstitutinal Way and Washingtn St. in Smerswrth. We are cllabrating with the Tri-City Cvenant Church and the Berwick United Methdist Church. Pastr Mark wuld be happy t bring Hly Cmmunin t hme-bund members and friends. Please cntact the Church Office ( ) t setup a time. Upper Rm we receive 10 large print cpies f the Upper Rm publicatin. Please feel free t take a cpy and return it when yu are dne. Deacns Duties Learning Cmpnent: each meeting we are reviewing ne f the majr duties that the Deacns perfrm. The purpse being t ensure we all understand the task, can make any necessary imprvements and update dcumentatin. We reviewed and discussed the mnthly breakdwn f Diacnate activities. The purpse being t ensure ur dcumentatin is current. Street Sign w/ changeable letters: t imprve ur cmmunicatin with the cmmunity. We are cllabrating with the Fd Pantry n this initiative as we will be submitting a jint applicatin. This mnth we are putting tgether the layut f the signs n the prperty. The purpse being t have a clear narrative and picture s that the City f Smerswrth is very clear n what we are ding and the required variances. (Cntinued n next page)

10 DIACONATE cntinued Visitatin / Outreach by Deacns: The purpse f this utreach is t make a persnal cnnectin: in persn, by phne r nte, t indicate wh we are as a Deacn, and if there are questins, call; and invite them int deeper invlvement. Church Vitality Team: We are trying t place emphasis n inviting peple beynd ur church t any planned activities/events. This is an area f significant imprtance and we wuld lve t hear yur ideas n hw we can reach new peple. It is smething the entire cngregatin shuld cnsider hw they can be invlved. We need t be pr-active - what are yur ideas? Rev. Mark shared a Stuff that Wrks prvided by Nickersn Caching. It is a list f creative ideas that we might leverage. Church Access and Security: The Deacns cntinue t discuss the security f and access t the church. We have created a draft plan, will be reviewing it with the Church Cuncil and Trustees and will share it with the cngregatin next mnth. Nte: Please nte that we d plan t implement a lcked dr plicy during wrship service and ther activities. We will prvide advance ntice prir t implementatin. Smerswrth T-Ball: The Church will be spnsring a Smerswrth T-Ball team nce again. Please keep this n yur radar fr next spring! If yu have questins, cmments r cncerns fr the Diacnate please feel free t cntact ne f the Deacns and we will d ur best t help. Geff Day, fr the Diacnate BOARD OF TRUSTEES FINANCE & STEWARDSHIP At the January 29th Annual Meeting the Cngregatin apprved the Budget with a prjected deficit f $27, In 2016 the Cngregatin apprved a budget deficit prjected at $20,500 and we ended the year with a $7,500 deficit. The larger deficit fr this year is due t the decreases in ttal pledges and prjected lse cllectin. The Trustees have wrked hard t try and minimize expenses - ur prjected expenses are the same as and even thugh we face fiscal challenges - ur Church Family always finds a way t help minimize ur deficit - whether thrugh deficit reductin dnatins, dnating their time at fund raising activities thrughut the year r adjusting their financial cmmitments t help when they can. An example f hw we are blessed is frm ur Church members wh have left dnatins t First Parish - we have just received a generus gift frm the estate f Al Lika. The Trustees are als in the prcess f discussing hw best t utilize a very generus gift frm the estate f Gerge Janets. The Trustees cntinue t manage all the different pieces f ur shared jurney tgether here at First Parish and if yu ever have any questins please feel free t cntact us. With thanks fr yur cntinued supprt, Gregg Furnier ( ), Rbin Hamel ( ) and Ken Latchaw ( )