A Message from the Pastor

Transcription

1 Joyfully welcoming all, we seek to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ 259 Shore Dr A Message from the Pastor Dear Friends, I am THRILLED! After just 2 Sundays of sign-ups, we are closing in on SIXTY folks coming to our Catch the Vision Dinner on Friday, October 27. Like last year s gala, it is going to be a great evening. What s on the docket? First of all, our Celebration Team is preparing a delicious FREE meal. If you have the same spiritual gift as I do (food consumption), you will definitely not want to miss this one! Another highlight? We have searched far and wide to procure 2 star presenters to dispense the ever-popular Mashpee Congregational Crazy Awards". These luminaries will astound and amaze you as they banter while unveiling the 2017 awards. Categories in the past have included such prestigious honors as Most Likely to Be Late To Church Award, Best Hugger Award", as well as certain categories not suitable for print here! What will the categories be for 2017? You ll just have to come and see. Providing the entertainment for the evening is professional storyteller, Cyndi Maybeck. I have had the good fortune of hearing Cyndi on a couple of different occasions in large group settings. She is TERRIFIC. A dedicated Christian, she knows how to weave stories with flare and meaning. She will have you thinking! All of this is in addition to the unveiling of The Dreams of Our People - - the hopes and aspirations of our church s wonderful bevy of teams. And, if that is not enough good news, please know this: THERE IS STILL TIME TO SIGN UP FOR THIS WONDERFUL EVENT! In this Sunday s bulletin, there will be an insert. If you have not yet registered for this premiere evening, simply fill out the slip and drop it in the offering plate when it is passed. It is as simple as that!

2 As has been our custom, we will begin with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. with dinner to begin 45 minutes to an hour later. It may be just a hunch, but I wonder if the writers in Scripture had Mashpee Congregational Church in mind when they penned the words of Hebrews 10:25: together Forsake not the assembling of yourselves Yours with sincerest gratitude, - - Steve The Rev. Steve Youd, Pastor October 15, 2017 Worship: 10:00 a.m.: The Rev.Steve Youd, preaching Our Theme: Perseverance Our Question: Perseverance. Life throws so many curveballs, why do we even TRY to persevere? Why NOT just throw in the towel? Why NOT just wave the white flag? We ll talk about that, and more, during our sermon time on Sunday! Sermon: Perseverance: Steady as She Goes Scripture Reading: James 1:2-4 Music: Anyway Choir Upcoming Events Sat., Oct. 14: Pumpkin delivery at 4:00 p.m Wed. and Sat.,: Stephen Ministry Training continuing Wed., Oct. 18: Handbell practice at 5:45 p.m. and choir at 7:00 p.m. Thur., Oct. 19: Pie Team meeting at 9 a.m. at the church. All are welcome. Fri., Oct. 27: "Catch the Vision" dinner at 5:30 p.m. Sun., Nov. 5: New members' class begins at 11:20 a.m. New Members' Class If you are interested in becoming a member of Mashpee Congregational Church, please contact Steve Youd. A new class will begin on Sunday, November 5, at 11:20 a.m.

3 Primer on the Boys and Girls Club I listened in church on Sunday and heard that Birgit Nelson s request for help in preparing healthy snacks for members of B&G club received no volunteers to help nada, zip, zero! To say I was shocked is a gross understatement! The Club was our first local mission program. It is now over ten years old and was, far and away, our most popular mission program. So, what happened? I asked at the last church Council meeting. Not that long ago, 4 church members showed up EVERY Friday and prepared dinner for 130 members. So, what happened to the members that were disappointed if the roster was filled by the time the sign-up sheet got to them? Now, the request is for a couple of people to go to the Clubhouse kitchen and prepare snacks once a month! Not a single person volunteered to help with a little mission work!! What I heard was that not everyone in the church knows about the Cape Cod B&G Club shocking as that may seem to some of us. So, here is some background: The Clubhouse is located behind the police station or behind the elementary schools of Mashpee, so members can walk to it when school is over. It was founded in 1995 with the help of many town residents and the Clubhouse was donated by Robert and Myra Kraft, Mashpee residents. It serves over 130 children each day with study time, athletics and craft programs. There are teen programs each Friday evening. It is an extremely active institution in our town. When our Founding Minister, Jim Scovil, made his way around Mashpee, he met with Ruth Provost, the Executive Director of the Cape Cod Boys and Girls Club and learned she had a dream to send kids home every Friday with a warm meal, as it could be the last good meal for a few days. She could fund her dream but needed cooks, so Jim simply volunteered his church to cook every Friday. So it began - four people would arrive at 3:00 p.m. Friday and prepare Mac & Cheese, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Broccoli, Chicken and Ziti, etc. and walk out the door at 5:00 to a standing ovation from the 130 or so kids who enjoyed our cooking! We did that for several years. Today, Ruth does not have a big enough budget to cover the food any more, so our mission program diminished to once a month and, in 2016, it had to be reduced to a snack preparation when members arrive from school. The snack must be healthy, not junk food, and it must be prepared by 2:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. MCC will find a way to cover the expense via donations or the discretionary funds of the church. That s our commitment for now if we can get someone to help! If you could see the smiles on these hungry little faces, I know you d sign up. So, please, the next time the sign-up sheet comes around, won t you please reconsider and help make our little neighbors happy and healthy. For a little effort, the reward is great. I could ramble on and on, but I m off to help Birgit Nelson prepare Pumpkin Bread for the kids this week!! Brad Sweet, Vice Moderator Pie Team About a month ago, the Pie Team held an extra hour after church to explain the things we do. We are most appreciative for the many of you that joined us for that discussion. Next Thursday, October 19, at 9 a.m. we are holding one of our regular pie meetings at the church. Normally, we hold those meetings in one of our homes, so we won t need to heat or cool the church. But, we are holding this meeting at the church in the hopes that anyone more interested in what we do would be comfortable coming.

4 Mashpee Village Mashpee Village has again asked us to provide refreshments for their Senior Stress Relief Day on Wednesday, October 25. This is a program that provides chair massage, awareness stretching and reflexology for their seniors. Gudrun Turner and I are happy to go to the Village and set this up. We would ask that some of our members bring "coffee hour type treats" to the church that morning. Sunday's Service Missed one of Steve s sermons or want to share it with someone? Steve s weekly sermons are on our church website. Simply go to mashpeecong.org and click on SERMONS". It s as simple as that! Don't forget that Mashpee TV broadcasts Sunday's service at 9:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. on channel 99 each Wednesday. Please feel free to me, martygallo@comcast.net, We will have a sign-up sheet available on Sunday. Thanks so much for considering this request. The seniors in Mashpee Village really appreciate our help. Martha Prayer Concerns People dealing with the devastation from the fires in California Lisa Berrettieri, friend of Cindy Cooke, in need of prayers Corrine Olson, friend of Cathy Bonnett, spine surgery Mike Petchel, father of Cathy Bonnett s daughter-in-law, prayers for strength and comfort Robert Parris, Patti Thompson s father, continuing battle with cancer Gordon Vanderbrug, successful knee surgery, recovering from pneumonia Marcia Willard, successful foot surgery, recovering at home Karen Richard, home after a successful rehab David Evans, hospice/palliative care at home, successful stent surgery, receiving cancer treatment The Called To Care Team Team Leader - Joyce Abbott at Team Members - Bonnie Barrett - Sue Johnson - Birgit Nelson Prayer Requests Call the Church Office at Steve's office hours: Generally, Steve is in Mashpee on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Contact Steve to arrange a visit. Cell: pastor@mashpeecong.org Scripture Readings For those who enjoy reading the daily lectionary and scriptures: Click Here

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