Pulpit Supply and the Search Process

Transcription

1 THE VINEYARD Newsletter of The Lockport United Church of Christ 98 East Avenue - Lockport, New York Open to God s Spirit, we reach out in Love to the World and invite All to journey with us An Open and Affirming Congregation February March 2019 Pulpit Supply and the Search Process Rev. Martin Hamann will be with us to fill the pulpit through February, and perhaps into March. (His biographical sketch is below on this page.) The Church Council is working to find the best person to serve as our extended supply minister during this transition period. Soon, we will be forming a Search Committee to lead the process of finding a permanent pastor. In this effort, we are working with a new person from the New York Conference of the UCC. Rev. Gary Ferner will be assisting us with this search process. A letter from Rev. Ferner follows on the next page of this newsletter Rev. Martin W. Hamann was born in Western New York, and received graduate degrees in Theology, Psychology and Clinical Social Work. Following an early entrance into ministry at area churches and churches in Washington, D.C., he embarked upon a career in Healthcare which included Clinical Practice, Education and Administration. Later in his career, he reentered ministry and has served various area churches as an Interim/Supply pastor for the past 15 years; including Trinity Gold, Kenmore UCC, St. John s, Strykersville, Epiphany, St. Stephens-Bethlehem and most recently St. Peter s UCC in West Seneca as interim, and numerous Churches in the area for supply. Rev. Hamann and his wife (Sandra) reside in Clarence Center, New York, is a member of the Committee on Ministry for the Western Association of the UCC, and is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at a local College. In This Issue *Rev. Ferner Letter Pg. 2 *Souper Bowl *Lent Begins *Council *Cemetery Pg. 3 *Coat Drive *Our Web Site *How to Reach Us *Shut-ins Pg. 4 *Simple Fare *Tea Results *Adult Study *Those Who Serve Pg. 5 *Stewardship *Covenant Share Offg. Pg. 6 *New Church Officers *Financial Report Pg. 7 *Birthdays & Anniv *OGHS Offering Pg. 8 *Girl Scout Project *Youth Mission Donations Pg. 9 *Spring Tea *Church Losses Pg. 10 Church Calendars - Last Page

2 To the Saints at Lockport UCC, Peace and greetings to each of you! My name is Rev. Gary Ferner, from the NY Conference of the United Church of Christ, and I will be walking with you on your Pastoral Search Process over the next few months. I have recently been in touch with Cyndy Corrieri so I can get up to speed on where Lockport is in the search process. Here are some things I would like to share with all of you: When a congregation goes through a transition like you have, especially when they have had a relationship with a pastor for 38 years, there can be some powerful feelings of loss, upset, and anxiety. This is true for the staff, the boards and committees, and the general membership of the congregation. New York Conference United Church of Christ During these transition times, it is especially important that the congregation find ways to stick together. Worship, fellowship, mission projects, all provide opportunities to be the church. While the pastoral leadership may be in transition, the things that make church the church are not in transition. Pledges are still needed, budgets are still made and followed, offerings are still collected, boards and committees still meet, worship still happens. Basically, our call to feed the hungry, visit the lonely, and do the things we are called to do as followers of Jesus don t change, even if the position of Pastor is not yet filled. After a settled pastor has left, it is very common for a church to experience some membership turnover: individuals and families may choose to leave a congregation at this time for any number of reasons. This is not a reason to despair! This is a natural process of pastoral transition, and every church not only survives the transition, many find a renewed sense of energy and purpose with new leadership. This is the time for Lockport to pull together, empower your search committee to seek out your next pastor, and keep your hearts open to the power of the Holy Spirit working in each of you. I write this letter to you in a spirit of hope and prayer. Hope that each of you can find ways to contribute to the stability of Lockport UCC even as you are searching for a settled pastor, and I offer a prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide your next pastor to you in due time. I look forward to working with you and your congregation on finding the right pastoral leader for this time and place at Lockport UCC. Blessings, Rev. Gary Ferner, Conference Ministry Associate, UCCNY The Vineyard Page - 2 February - March 2019

3 On SUPER Bowl Sunday, February 3, we will be accepting donations for the SOUPER Bowl. Our kids will be at the door following worship that morning with soup pots, ready to collect your donations. Church Council will meet on February 10 & March 10 following the morning worship service All money collected will go to the local food pantry. Lent Begins on March 6 Our Church Cemetery The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which falls on March 6 this year. We will observe Ash Wednesday with a Service of Penance and Holy Communion in the chapel at 7:30 P.M. Lenten services will then continue each Sunday through March and April, leading up to Holy Week and Easter. Daylight Saving Time begins on March 10 THE VINEYARD A publication of The Lockport United Church of Christ 98 East Avenue Lockport, New York (716) Editor: Cyndy Corrieri (716) ccorrieri@rochester.rr.com So, before you go to bed on March 9, remember to move your clocks ahead one hour. If you forget, you ll be the first one at church that morning! The Vineyard Plots in St. Peter s Cemetery are available for $800 each. If you would like to purchase plots, just call Dan Holler at and he will be happy to help you with that. Page - 3 The Vineyard is published bi-monthly to keep members and friends informed of programs of the church and news of its people. Submissions Welcome Deadline for Next Issue: March 17, 2019 February - March 2019

4 February 10 On Sunday, February 10, we will be collecting your donations of Gently Used Coats for needy people. Coats can be for children, women, or men. They will be given to the Salvation Army, who tells us that they have been getting requests for coats this winter from people who need them but cannot afford them. Check Out Our Website Our complete newsletter (in COLOR) as well as lots of other great information is available on our website. Check it out at: lockportucc.com If you would like to receive your newsletter via , just send your address to Cyndy at It s a quick and easy way to get your newsletter, and it will save the church money. Best Wishes to Our Shut-in Members LaVerne Rongo Briarwood Manor 1001 Lincoln Avenue Lockport, NY Linda Grimble Millie Wilson Elderwood Old Niagara Rd. Lockport, NY Mary Bennett Naomi Dice Heritage Manor - 41 Lexington Court Lockport, NY Glenn Tall - Mary & Dave Wintersteen Lockport Rehab & Health Care Center 909 Lincoln Avenue - Lockport, NY How to Reach Us Church Office 98 East Ave lockportunited@roadrunner.com Secretary/Treasurer Cyndy Corrieri phone: ccorrieri@rochester.rr.com Just a Reminder If you re admitted to the hospital, please register your church affiliation as Lockport UCC. If you would like a visit, a call to the church office is appreciated. The Vineyard Page - 4 February - March 2019

5 Simple Fare Dinners for February & March Our monthly community dinners will continue on the 4 th Wednesdays. Dinners will be held on February 27 & March 27 Dinners are served at 6:00 pm. They are free and open to anyone in the community. If you have any questions, or would like to lend a hand, speak to Edna Stubbs. ( ) Victorian Tea & Raffle Results In December we held our annual Christmas Tea & Raffle event, and it was another success. We made a profit of $2, for the church! This busy day is only possible because of all the great help we get from our members. Making & serving the food & tea - donating baskets to the raffle - selling raffle tickets - distributing baskets to winners - greeting guests - washing dishes and cleaning up at the end of the day. All these things are essential, and we say a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in any way! Discussion Group resumed sessions in January, meeting each Thursday evening at. We are currently doing a 9-week study of the Book of Acts. Then for Lent, we will do a series entitled Parables From the Backside. If you d like to join us, please let Cyndy know so we can have study materials prepared for you. Tuesday Bible Study The Tuesday morning Bible study group meets each week at 10:00 am. Members of the group lead a discussion of the lectionary scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday. Those Who Serve Nursery Staff Bobbi Gritzmacher &??? Cookies Coffee Time after Sunday worship February??? &??? March Ann Dodge & Linda VanderWeide Greeters February Jill Driskel & Dave Hague March Linda Layer Shower for the Church On March 17 we will have a shower for the church. Our cleaning supplies are depleted, and with your help we can re-stock without adding expense to the church budget. What we need this time is paper towels and garbage bags - large trash bags and tall kitchen bags. Thank-You! (??? means that we need another volunteer) Liturgists February March 3 - Edna Stubbs 3 - Nancy Sy 10 - Nancy Bowes 10 - Edna Stubbs 17 - Sam Corrieri 17 - Ken Klino 24 - Bobbi Gritzmacher 24 - Nancy Bowes 31 - Sam Corrieri The Vineyard Page - 5 February - March 2019

6 We greatly appreciate the support of our members and friends who have responded to our 2019 pledge drive. Thank you for your commitment to the church! A total of $30,110 has been received in pledges or gifts to date. This is down by about $16,500 from our 2018 pledge drive response, and falls quite a bit short of the $55,000 pledge goal in our 2019 budget. We need ALL of our members to help meet our goal, so if you have not yet responded, please consider doing so, and return your pledge card as soon as possible. (Extra cards are available in the narthex or by calling Cyndy at ) 2019 Pledge Envelope Boxes Pledge envelope boxes for 2019 are available in the narthex. If there is not one there for you, and you would like to use envelopes, we would be happy to supply you with a box. Please see Nancy Bowes or Cyndy Corrieri. Envelopes are for your convenience and ours, and you do not need to have made a pledge to use them. Offering for the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ Just as our church finds finances and budget issues a constant concern, our New York Conference of the UCC finds itself in a similar situation of financial woes. When money is scarce, they have to cut services to the local churches and cannot carry out all the ministries they would like to engage in. The New York Conference relies solely on its local churches for funding. Finding themselves in serious need of money, they are asking the local churches to participate in this special offering. UCC Covenant Share allows the New York Conference to provide many and varied services to the churches, laity, and ministers of the UCC throughout the state of New York and beyond. Assistance in finding a pastor, leadership education, justice advocacy, youth ministry, church revitalization and planting of new congregations are among the many ways they promote the growth of the UCC in New York. * * * * * Lockport UCC will be participating in this special offering by making this opportunity available throughout February to our members who would like to support our NY Conference. If you would like to make a donation to the Covenant Share Offering please do so at any time throughout February. Just place your gift in the offering plate on any Sunday, or mail it to the church. Special Offering Envelopes are available in the church narthex. Please make your check payable to Lockport UCC. The Vineyard Page - 6 February - March 2019

7 New Church Officers Elected Our Annual Congregational Meeting was held on January 27, with reports of all officers and committees shared. The slate of officers for 2019 was also elected. Copies of these reports are available If you were unable to attend, copies of these annual reports are available in the foyer of the church, or by calling the church office. After reading the reports, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact someone from the Council or the committee in question. Financial questions may be directed to Cyndy Corrieri at We are available for your questions or comments at any time throughout the year Officers & Committees Moderator - Ken Klino Clerk - Edna Stubbs Financial Secretary - Nancy Bowes Treasurer - Cyndy Corrieri Historian - Bobbi Gritzmacher Church Council: Sue Cruickshank Bobbi Gritzmacher Kevin O Conner Melody Zuercher Sam Corrieri David Hague Suzanne Wilson Nominating Committee: Marlene Westcott - Linda Layer - Tom Zuercher Parish Pastoral Relations Committee: Linda Layer - Sue Cruickshank Suzanne Wilson - Jill Driskel Installation of Officers These officers will be recognized and installed in their offices during our worship service on February 10. In the interest of keeping the congregation informed, the Church Council has opted to publish a thumbnail sketch of our church finances in each newsletter. General Fund Summary November 1 thru December 31, 2018 Income from Pledges & Offerings 13, Fund-raisers Gift from Estate 3, Other Income Total Income 16, Total Expenses 8, If anyone has questions at any time about our finances, please feel free to contact me. I am always happy to speak with you. Cyndy Corrieri, Treasurer ccorrieri@rochester.rr.com Lynda Gomesky has donated $3,000 to Lockport UCC in her will. We are very appreciative of this gift, and that Lynda remembered the church in her final giving. The Vineyard Page - 7 February - March 2019

8 6 Scott Mietlowski 7 Marayna Ferrari 9 Makenna Hoste 11 Dianna Allen 20 Ray Boyer 26 Nancy Young 1 Patricia Hall 2 Michele Le 4 Remington Mietlowski 5 Kelly Mullaney 9 Ken Klino, Jr. 11 Beth Holler 13 Marlene Westcott 17 Nancy Bowes 19 LaVerne Rongo 28 Diane Kowalski 30 Jill Driskel 31 Phyllis Richardson Anniversaries March 1, Beth & John Granchelli March 3, Marlene & Tom Westcott Just as you did it to the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40) God is most tangibly present in this world where people hunger, thirst, lack adequate clothing and shelter, and are sick or imprisoned. Christ claims people who suffer as family members. Christ is so present in them that when you feed the hungry, care for the sick, welcome the stranger you feed, and care for, and welcome Christ. When you give through OGHS to those who suffer from natural disasters, war, or systemic poverty, you let them know you are here. One Great Hour of Sharing is the Lenten Offering of the United Church of Christ that supports disaster, refugee, and development actions. In a world where communities are being displaced by the catastrophes of war, famine and natural disasters, the church is called to reclaim the spiritual discipline of solidarity. The church is called to stand in solidarity with these refugee communities as they seek to move beyond the trauma of displacement and toward a new life of well-being and promise We will be accepting your donations to One Great Hour of Sharing throughout the month of March. Special offering envelopes will be in the church narthex, or you may mail your gift to the church. Please make checks payable to Lockport UCC. The Vineyard Page - 8 February - March 2019

9 Girl Scout Mission Project The Girl Scout troop that meets at our church on Thursday evenings is beginning a mission project that they are asking our members to help with. They will be collecting pull top ring tabs to benefit the Ronald McDonald House charity organization. This organization provides lowcost, sometimes free, housing for families of children receiving treatment at children s hospitals around the country. The girls have set a goal of collecting 500 pounds of tabs over the next 5 months. Remember, pull tabs are not only on pop cans, but on many other types of cans, such as vegetables, soups, snacks, etc. All of them are OK to save and bring in. Sunday School Mission Donations The young people of our Sunday School class have chosen 3 organizations to be recipients of their annual mission donations. The UCC Christmas Fund A donation of $100 was made to this fund. One of the United Church of Christ s major giving projects to support retired clergy and church workers who need a helping hand. The Salvation Army A donation of $100 to support the work of the Salvation Army s soup kitchen to feed hungry families right here in our own community. Heifer International A donation of $150 to purchase a Tredle Pump to bring clean water for drinking and farming to a community that has no source for clean water. Heifer provides materials and training to teach sustainable farming, helps farmers gain access to markets, and programs to educate and empower women. So please save your pull top ring tabs and bring them to the church to help the make their goal. The Vineyard Page - 9 February - March 2019

10 Victorian Tea & Basket Raffle Planned for May 4 The date for our annual Spring fund-raiser has been set and we are working on the details and planning. So mark your calendar! It s not too early to be thinking about raffle baskets! Watch for sales and start collecting items when you see a good deal. Doris Lewis died on January 20 th. We send our sincere condolences to the Lewis family. Be my valentine... Be my valentine... Be my valentine... Many of you will remember Rev. Charles Lamb who was with us to preach on the first two Sundays following the departure of Pastor Hall. Sadly, Rev. Lamb recently passed away. Below is the notice of his passing, distributed by the New York Conference of the UCC. The Reverend Charles Lamb passed from this life to the next on Wednesday January 23rd surrounded by those who loved him, including his wife Betty. He was 84 years old. Reverend Lamb, ordained by the Christian Church (s of Christ) was a pioneer in ecumenism. He was passionate for Christian unity and championed the cause of a union between the s of Christ and the United Church of Christ. He advocated for the unification of the UCC and DOC in Western New York resulting in the "Western New York Area of Churches in Covenant" (a DOC/UCC union) where ministers of each denomination could obtain "Mutual Standing" in the western area. Reverend Lamb served several congregations including the East Aurora Christian Church and became the s Regional Minister of the Northeast Regional Conference. He was recently honored by the officers of the Christian Church (DOC) of the USA and Canada where a memorial fund was created in his name: The Charles Lamb All Saints Fund. Reverend Lamb was a respected and admired wise elder of the church much loved by s and UCC alike. The Vineyard Page - 10 February - March 2019

11 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY February :30 am :30 am Council :30 am Simple Fare Dinner 6:00pm 28 Samaritan Pastoral Counseling meets by appointment

12 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY March 2019 Samaritan Pastoral Counseling meets by appointment :30 am Ash Wednesday Service 7:30 pm :30 am 11:30 am Council Simple Fare Dinner 6:00pm :30 am 31