July Southwick Congregational Church UCC. 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 July 2018 Southwick Congregational Church 488 College Highway P.O. Box 260 Southwick, MA Return Service Requested Nominating: Pastoral Relations: Roxanne Cook Church Office Hours: Tuesday thru Thursday 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM Friday 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM Pastor s Office Hours: Tues & Thurs 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Church Office Phone: Susanne s Office Phone: Website: Office Facebook: www. southwickucc.org southwickucc@gmail.com Southwick Congregational Church UCC Staff: Interim Minister Rev. Dr. Susanne Hayes Choir Director/Organist Roberta Kowal Bell Choir Director Patti P. Wood Office Administrator Lyn Casey Custodians Matthew Kowal & Maria Lempke Southwick Congregational Church United Church of Christ 488 College Highway; P.O. Box 260 Southwick, MA VOLUME MMXVIII No. 7 The Good Newsletter of the Southwick Congregational Church Rev. Dr. Susanne Hayes, Interim Minister Please join us Sundays for Worship Service 9:30 AM Mid-Week Service Thursdays 6:30 PM Website: www. SouthwickUCC.org United Church of Christ Southwick, MA DATED MATERIAL PAID Permit No. 309 Southwick, MA US Postage

2 2 3 MISSION STATEMENT 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 Sunday Worship service at 9:30 AM Thursdays Midweek Service 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 will be open Tuesday thru Thursday from 8:00 AM~1:00 PM & Friday from 8:00 AM~12:00 PM Lyn will be away from July 4-16th. Office hours may vary during that time. Rev. Susanne s Hours Rev. Susanne s Hours are Tuesday & Thursday 10~12 PM Rev. Susanne will be away from July 23-29th. All Church Meeting Sunday, September 9, 11:00 AM Church Refreshment Schedule July Sign up in Old Fellowship Hall 1st week If your last name begins with A - D, please bring something to share 2 nd If your last name begins with E - H, please bring something to share 3 rd If your last name begins with I - R, please bring something to share 4 th If your last name begins with S - Z, please bring something to share If there is a fifth week, the church committees will bring the refreshments. Reverend s Reverie One of my very favorite scripture lessons comes from the gospel of John, which is also my favorite gospel! It says this: Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself, so that where I am, you may be also (John 14:1-3). In this lesson, Jesus packs so much information and so much love that I can t help but rejoice in His words! And it s not because Jesus is talking about the afterlife, as much as it is because Jesus is making promises of love and comfort to all of us! Everywhere! And Jesus promises make me feel really good, and really warm, and really fuzzy! Let not your hearts be troubled, coming from Jesus, makes me believe that I should pay more attention to him, and not be so worried about everything that I have no control over. It s so easy for us to carry around a heaviness in our hearts. But Jesus tells us that we can all be relieved of such heaviness, if we would only listen to Jesus, relax a bit, and believe in all He says! You believe in God, believe also in me, says Jesus. And do you know what? That s so easy to do when we think about Jesus life on earth, and what He accomplished for all of us. When we look at Jesus, we can understand an awful lot about our God. We can see God through the way Jesus lived, and loved, and cared about us, while he dwelled upon this earth. And we can believe that this also is the true nature of God! In my Father s house are many rooms. Wow! Jesus seems to be telling us that there is a place reserved for each and every one of us in God s Kingdom. Yes, we will be with God! Yes, we will even see God! Jesus words are getting more and more exciting as we go along!

3 On to my favorite verse in this whole lesson! If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? Why is this my favorite? Because I hear Jesus saying to us, I m telling you all of this because it is true! I m telling you all of this because you can count on every word I utter. I would never tell you something that I could not back up with the reality of God s Kingdom! I would never tell you anything that would mislead you. I would never deceive you. If it were not the truth, would I tell you all of these things? Of course not! Because - I AM the Truth! And when I go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself, so that where I am, you may be also. More words of joy! More words of assurance! More words that we can absorb into our spirits, and always count on, because Jesus said them! Can you imagine Jesus coming to you, and all of a sudden carrying you to a place that you re not so sure about? Can you imagine Jesus carrying you in His arms, like a small child, and taking you with Him to a place of sheer joy and wonder, that you have yet to see? Can you imagine how you might feel, with Jesus taking you to the place where He resides? It s indescribable! It s unimaginable! But it s breathtaking! Do you believe in all of these words of Jesus? I know I do! And each of these words puts me in a place of pure amazement and delight! For if it were not so, why would Jesus have told us these things? And because Jesus says it is all true, I have no doubt in my mind that we will always be cared for by God. Now. Tomorrow. Forever. ~Rev. Susanne, Interim Minister Don t forget, you can read the weekly sermon on our website: on the page: From the Pastor Pastoral Care: Your joys and concerns are of the utmost importance to our community of faith, and pastoral care is offered for any and all personal and spiritual situations that might arise in one s life. Please call the church office at or southwickucc@gmail.com if you would like to speak with our pastor. 4 5 Committee Communications See back page for chair contact information Buildings & Grounds: We are still looking for keys. If you have a church key, and you have not yet done so, please call the church office. Nominating: Still looking for volunteers for this committee. The Board of Deacons is inviting all members of the congregation to form the Search Committee to begin the process to find our next pastor. If you are interested please speak to a Deacon. Missions: Our Community Day/Vendor Fair here at the church will be on September 15th. Each church committee is asked to donate a basket of "goodies" for a raffle. You are needed...to help. We had a great end of year All church Committee Meeting night. Both Christian Ed and Finance Committees have some new ideas for the fall. MOST IMPORTANTLY~ We need to support Christian Ed!!! Please say yes and volunteer to help with Sunday School and or Nursery! The more people that help out, will lighten the load! Please, Please consider how you might help out!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Missions and Outreach Committee would like to send care packages to those members of our church who are serving in the military. There will be boxes in the narthex for donations. The following is a list of suggested items: -foot powder; -energy bars; -shaving lotion; -gum; -lens cleaning cloths; -sunscreen; -bug spray; -beef jerky; -throat lozenges; -lip balm; - baby wipes; -powdered drink mix; -travel size mouth wash; - snack containers of pretzels, chips, nuts, etc Also, in order to mail these packages, we will need addresses for those serving. If you could give that information to one of the committee members, it would be much appreciated. Thanks so much for your help.

4 6 7 July 28 ~ August 4 ~ August 18 ~ Sept 2 ~ Sept 15 ~ Sept 20 ~ Coming Events Picnic In the Park Sean Uliasz 2nd Annnual LobsterFest Takeout Dinner Clothing Drive Fall Schedule Resumes (10 AM Service) Community Day Potluck Dinner This year we will be collecting soft goods only: Clothing, Shoes, Bedding, Towels, Accessories: Handbags, Totes, Leather Belts, Wallets, Jewelry Contact person: Patti P. Wood Date: 8/18/18 Time: 9-12 Location: New Fellowship Hall Drop off Days/Times: Tues 8/14 thru Sat 8/18, 9 am to 1 pm, and Friday eve 8/17 from 4-7. ALL ITEMS MUST BE IN GOOD, CLEAN & SELLABLE CONDITION. I will need help getting all that is collected to West Springfield. Please put all soft goods in plastic bags. Thank you in advance!!!! ~Patti P Wood Picnic in the Park with Sean U. July 28th at 6pm. Bring your supper, blanket & chairs and listen to some wonderful music!!! FREE to all Invite your friends! Sean Uliasz is a very talented keyboard artist, from our lovely town of Southwick! He often plays at our church during the summer If you missed him last year, don't miss him this year!!!!! Saturday August 4, 2018 Southwick Congregational Church College Hwy TAKE-OUT ONLY PICK UP TIMES 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 Plan a lobster party! $25.00 Each Paid reservations by July 27 th Call (413) Payable to: Southwick Congregational Church Boiled Lobster with Drawn Butter Corn on the Cob Coleslaw Baked Potato Home Baked Brownie

5 10 11 Happy July Birthday Joanne Ela July 2 Faith Carpenter July 15 Dave Gunn July 15 Judy Wheeler July 22 If we ve missed a birthday, please let the church office know! Summer Music Thank you Thank you from the bottom of our strawberry heart to all who made the Strawberry Supper a huge success! We had 30 helpers over the two days to serve a full house! What wasn t eaten on Saturday was sold after church on Sunday! ~Roxanne Cook *Roberta is on vacation these Sundays July 1* Joyce Paggen Jack Yourous - guitar/vocal July 8* Sean Uliasz Sean Uliasz - Piano July 15 Patti Wood - Handbells July 22 Lyn Casey - Vocal July 29 Terry Putnam & Eric Nitsch August 5* Jean Haughey Joe Sullivan & guest group August 12* Sean Uliasz Jack Yourous - guitar/vocal August 19 Mike & Steve Pitoniak Guitar/Vocal August 26 Geoff Gould - guitar/vocal September 2* Ron Shepard Ron Shepard - Organ Executive Committee Meeting Minutes June 14, 2018 The meeting was called to order by David Breton, Moderator, at 9:02 p.m. Moderator position is open. The meeting was adjourned at 9:14 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Patty Banasik A Steward is a person who takes care of precious property which is not his or her own. Stewardship is not primarily about money or giving but about being good managers of the gifts we have been given in trust. At the heart of Christian Stewardship is understanding the difference between a possession and a trust. When we view something as a possession we think of it as mine; when we view it as a trust, we recognize that rather that it being mine, it is simply mine to take care of. It s about investing those gifts of time, talent and treasure to benefit works of love and justice in the world not holding and hoarding but passing on with gratitude. But Stewards don t just protect holdings, they are also expected to develop them to put them to good use so they produce a yield (Ref: Parable of Talents, Matthew 25:14 30). Christian Stewardship also grows out of gratitude. Sharing what we have been given in trust with others is putting them into the service so they can reward others. The recipients, in turn, can then also be grateful for the gifts they receive - gratitude works as the gift that keeps on giving. And you may have noticed that the giving, grateful folks around church are those wearing the biggest smile. ~Virgil From Our Members Serving in Our Military Congratulations to Lt. Tyler Arnold United States Air Force, in announcing his engagement to Alejandra Casio Brito of San Antonio, Texas. A September wedding is planned. Tyler is the Grandson of Joyce Arnold. Happy News!

6 All-Church Meeting Minutes June 14, 2018 The meeting was called to order by Moderator David Breton on June 14, 2018 at 8:04 pm. Rev. Susanne offered an opening prayer. The Moderator made a motion to accept the Minutes of the May 16th All-Church Committee meeting as published in the May Gold Dome this was seconded and passed unanimously. Minister s Report: Rev. Susanne presented the new brochure for the church. All agreed the word Parish" should be changed to Church as this is the terminology this church uses. Lyn s position is Office Administrator and needs to be changed in brochure. Copies will be made to hand out at Saturday s Strawberry Supper. Sunday June 17, the graduates will be recognized during the service. The use of a microphone during announcements was discussed. Most people expressed they did not feel comfortable using one. Rev. Susanne mentioned she will need to leave the church for a minimum of 1 year once a new Pastor comes aboard in order for there to be a smooth transition. Rev. Susanne will also submit her vacation schedule to the deacons, pastoral relations and finance committee. She had strongly suggest that Flo Pitoniak fill in as part of her schooling and training. All concerns/ problems should be brought to the attention of the Pastoral Relations committee before addressed by Susanne. Rev. Susanne asked that the congregation not let anyone sit by themselves during coffee hour. Pastoral Relations: Roxanne Cook reported no meeting has taken place. Deacons: The Deacons met on May 31st and had 5 members present. Candidates for the search committee were discussed. Patty will sent out an to committee chairpersons to see if there are interested people that can represent their committee in search for a new pastor. June 14th, there were 2 members present and the prayer list was brought to our attention. As discussed in previous meetings, the prayer list will be purged to members only once a month by Lyn. Lyn will need to be notified if someone needs to be added. October 21 is Laity Sunday, a discussion was held, more information in September. Mission-Outreach: Donna Sullivan reported there were 2 present. The Nehemiah House has invited anyone to come and have lunch and see the facility. September 20th, there will be a pot luck with people from the Nehemiah House. Missions will be collecting items to send to members of our church who are in the military. A list will be available in the future of items needed. They will need addresses for all the members listed on the prayer list. Community/ Vendors Day is September 15, all committees are to put together a basket for the raffle. Finance Committee: Patti Wood reported there were 4 present. David Howes will represent the finance committee on the pastor search committee. Patti will get with Melanie and discuss Lyn s vacation. The committee will meet with Kevin Green from Westbank to review the church's finance and investments. They are also looking into policy and procedure manuals for the committees. Stewardship and the growth of the church was discussed, how to connect with the new people of Southwick and Welcome to Southwick envelopes Treasurer s Report: Ted Orson reported that there are some computer issues that did not allow for a financial report tonight. We are doing better than last year. September he will have a full detailed report. Roxanne Cook informed us that the Search Committee for a new pastor will have an expense report to submit once the committee is formed. Buildings and Grounds: Craig Perras reported that there were 3 present. Craig reported he would join the search committee for a new pastor. There is a tree at the parsonage that need to be taken care of. The committee is in the process of reviewing the fire inspector's report to make sure we are compliant. Gutters need to be cleaned. Bathroom vents need to be cleaned by a plumber. June 23rd is the annual clean-up; sign up with Craig. Music: Joe Sullivan reported that they met Thursday, June 7th due to Music Sunday on the 10th and there were 4 present. Music Sunday was fantastic. They will be doing the calendar raffle in November. The summer music schedule is complete but July 29th is open. Thank you cards will be given to those helping this summer. The committee will be doing an Italian basket for the Mission s raffle. Library: No one present Christian Education: Brittany Perras reported the committee met on Sunday the 10th and there were 4 members present. Christian Ed is putting together new registration forms for the fall. There will be a re-structure of Youth Group and Sunday School. Youth Group will be more for special events. Children will be grouped by age in order to engage the child. Nursery volunteers are needed for the summer. There will be no VBS at our church this summer but there is one in Westfield. August 25, there will be a youth outing. September 9th Sunday school begins. Kirstin will be in charge of Sunday school; she will use the book we presently have. Looking to update the website for the youth. Fundraising: Saturday June 16 - Strawberry Supper Saturday August 4-2nd Annual Lobster Feast. The price this year is $25.00 Saturday August 18th - Clothing Drive. More information to follow. Nominating: No active committee Memorial Gifts: Karen Brzezinski reported that she redid a CD which was due and interest rates are very low. Karen reported there are funds available for refurbishing the kitchen, she needs to contact the families for their consent. Flower: Roxanne Cook has nothing new to report. New Business: We all thanked David Breton for being our moderator. David responded by saying it was his pleasure. He stated he joined this church because the people were friendly and welcomed him. The meeting was adjourned at 8:58 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Patty Banasik

7 Southwick Historical Corner END NOTES #17 Happy Summer! After Reverend Fletcher was dismissed from the Southwick Church, Reverend Henry Cooley was selected to lead the church. He was a strict disciplinarian and led the church with a belief in following righteous behavior as indicated in the church records. Church records mark Reverend Cooley as the most fanatical of leaders. He was ordained December 1846 in the home of Mr. Enoch Doane. This was located where the Consolidated School now stands. Interestingly he was the first minister of the church to have a yearly vacation as part of his contract. The history of the Southwick Church states Rev. Mr. Cooley s six year stay here was as stormy as Rev. Mr. Fletcher s had been placid. (33) He had members of the church suspended for slight offenses and even had some members excommunicated! Rev. Cooley was dismissed on January 31, 1853 because of his outlandish ways. ~Martha Johnson 50 th Annual Church Secretaries Conference I would like to thank the church for providing me the opportunity to attend the Church Secretaries Conference in Craigville, MA. The theme: Celebrating 50 Years of JOY Jesus, Others, You reflected the Conference s 50 year anniversary and how it has focused on JOY. This was my first time attending and I feel I fit in well with the great mix of retired and current secretaries. Many remembered Sabine fondly and asked how our church was doing. There were many denominations represented including UCC, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, and Catholic. There also seemed to be a pretty even mix of those who attended a different church and those who worshiped and worked at the same church. The conference began with its annual Yankee Swap, which helped us get to know one another. During introductions, we gave our name, church and then described our Swap item which was to reflect our favorite holiday. I brought a Joyce Hamilton quilt to share my love of Thanksgiving and it was stolen several times before finding a final home. I received a key ring for my work keys after my first choice Pumpkin Apron was stolen from me. On Monday our guest speaker was Rev. Eric Stroshine from the First Congregational Church of Hanover who talked about the ABC s of Dementia and How to Communicate with Someone Living with Dementia. I had seen the brains of Alzheimer s patients when I was a research scientist, but this talk showed me more about the depression, how the body deteriorates, and how dementia affects everyone, not just the patient. The best deterrent to dementia, and depression, is positive social engagement. So I ask, what can we, as a church, do to engage those we haven t seen in a while? Rev. Eric also talked about keeping a positive spirit. People with Alzheimer s are in the moment, so find out what is going well, right now. What makes life worth living, in this moment. Tuesday morning we worshipped in the Camp s Tabernacle led by a minister who lives at the Retreat center. She spoke a bit about our 50-year anniversary and also about how being a parish secretary is a ministry and a calling. We may be the only Bible a person reads. At this conference, we had two opportunities for giving. First, we brought lots of diapers in support of a program at the Cape. Second, we collected an offering to go to the program where Rev. Eric volunteers in support of Alzheimer s families and patients. It was a wonderful experience to meet other people who are called by God to care deeply for so many people. To meet them in an atmosphere of support, love, laughter, and song made it that much better. ~Lyn Casey P.S. This conference has already proven to be a resource for us at Southwick Congregational Church as we ask for insight to a possible event in our future.

8 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Communion Service 9:30 AM 8 Worship Service 9:30 15 Worship Service 9: Office open 17 Office open 8-1 American Inn 6:30 pm 4 Independence Day Fair Share Co-op Midweek Service 6:30 12 Midweek Service 6:30 19 Midweek Service 6:30 6 Henrietta s Open OA Meeting 6:00 AA Meeting 7:30 13 Henrietta s Open OA Meeting 6:00 AA Meeting 7:30 20 Gold Dome Articles Due 2 Henrietta s Open OA Meeting 6:00 AA Meeting 7:30 7 Henrietta s Henrietta s Henrietta s Worship Service 9: Office open 8-1 Rev Susanne away Rev Susanne away Midweek Service 6: Henrietta s Open OA Meeting 6:00 AA Meeting 7:30 28 Henrietta s 9-1 Picnic In The Park w/ Sean Uliasz 29 Worship Service 9: Office open 8-1 4