Herald. The Pilgrimage. From Our Pastor. What do ashes mean?

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1 The Pilgrimage Herald Church Office Phone: FAX The Church of the Pilgrimage Congregational-UCC 8 Town Square Plymouth, Massachusetts The Rev Dr. Helen Nablo, Pastor helennablo@8townsquare.org Rev. Gary L. Marks Pastor Emeritus Volume LXXXVII No. 2 Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-3:30pm February 2018 From Our Pastor This year Ash Wednesday, the official start to Lent, lands on February 14 th -- Valentines Day. If Ash Wednesday hasn t been your thing you might think again this year, as our short service will have an emphasis on Love. Maybe you will elect to receive ashes on your head, maybe not but come and receive the invitation of Lent to live fully aware of God s deep love. Our service that night is from 7-7:30 pm in the sanctuary. There will also be drive by ashes available on Town Square from 7:30 to 8:30 that morning, and those who come to Bible study that morning may also receive ashes if they so desire. Our Wednesday night soup suppers and program have a theme around Being a Learning Congregation. The deacons brainstormed some things we might further educate ourselves about, and we have a great slate of speakers and offerings. Wednesday, February 28 th, our focus will be Addiction. Speakers from local Recovery Centers (TBA) will present and lead us in conversation. We all know people who have this struggle, and it may be a struggle for some of us personally or within our families. Come and learn more. Wednesday, March 7 th our focus will be Forgiveness. This Fall Reverend Doug Showalter gave a wonderful presentation at Women s Guild. Many of us said it kept us thinking long after it was over. Come and learn more. Wednesday, March 14 th, our focus will be Dementia, and how to relate and support people we know and love who struggle with dementia. Reverend Rosemary MacKay will share her expertise and lead us in conversation. Come and learn more. There is a simple hymn, a spiritual, that sings Lord make us more loving, until we meet again. Our Lenten approach this year is all about that. We are all a work in progress, and hopefully our journey of Lent will enrich us as individuals, and as a congregation too. Come and join us! And, as always, feel free to invite a friend. What do ashes mean? Ashes symbolize our mortality, our living in awareness that we are God s creation and our time on earth is limited. In this way, ashes can be an invitation to live more fully for the time we have on earth. Ashes also speak to repentance, our turning to God in awareness of our sinfulness, acknowledging the ways we have fallen short. In this way, ashes remind us to live dependent on God s grace.

2 And the Survey Says In December, the Congregation was invited to complete a survey asking everyone s opinion on our church today and where God might be calling us to go in the future. Sixty-five people filled out the survey and returned it for tabulation. Some of the highlights: Respondents said that our beautiful and uplifting worship and music was one of their top favorite things about our church. Also mentioned often were our support of each other, our local mission work and our ability to help people grow in their faith. They also agreed that the church is most fun when we are together...and especially when working on a project, chatting during coffee hour or participating in a fund raiser. There was also clear consensus that respondents feel God s presence most during Worship especially with the music and Helen s sermons. Respondents also felt God s presence when they received help, or helped another member, during a time of need. At the Leadership retreat on February 3rd, we will take a look at the results from the entire survey and plan next steps. This includes the critical questions concerning what we feel called to do in the future. Stay tuned for more information in the March Herald. Women s Retreat News Saturday February 10 th there will be a planning meeting and general hanging out session held at Kiskadee Coffee House on Court St. at 10 am. Prior to that, if the weather is agreeable, folks will walk at Nelson Park starting at 9 am. Come for one, or come for both! Our Retreat planning hasn t moved along all that much yet, but we do have the wonderful Rosemary MacKay leading us in reflection! Our theme, Companions on the Way will be based on the Road to Emmaus story, Luke 24: Registration forms will be available by mid-february. The date of the retreat is April th and we live in hopes of the possibility of a beach walk this time!! For those who didn t join us last year, there is both an overnight option and a day option. We encourage everyone to do the whole retreat, but realize the day option may work better for some. Look for more information in the March Herald too. Confirmation Class for February and March Confirmation Class will meet twice in the month of February. On February 4 th our topic will be What is Worship? On February 11 th our topic will be Who is Jesus? Confirmation mentors are encouraged to set up an interview with a church member to take place in the next month or so. Also Lent begins on February 14 th with Ash Wednesday and attending the Ash Wednesday service at 7 pm that night could be a good way to get an extra service in. In March, there is a need to change the evening class originally scheduled for March 4 to Sunday March 18 th. This will be an evening for mentors and students together, once again meeting at Pastor Helen s home on 2 Manters Point, with the meeting taking place from 5-7 pm. Our thanks to Tony Cotta for being a chaperone for the Craigville Retreat! 2

3 Time, Talent and Treasures Our Annual Time, Talent and Treasures Auction will feature a ham dinner with all the fixings, door prizes, raffles, silent auction and live auction to be held on March 16. Dinner begins at 5:30 pm, live auction at 7:00 pm. Make your reservations early. All are welcome to come to dinner and/or auction Bring your family and friends for a fun time. Look at our church website more information including the flyer, donations and reservations or contact Cathy Sampson ( ), Kim Engle ( ) or Debby Porter ( ). Deacon s Notes It s hard to believe that January has already come and gone and Lent will be quickly upon us this year. Ash Wednesday is on February 14 th and there will be many opportunities for worship and fellowship between then and the celebration of Easter on April 1 st. Here is an idea of what our Lenten offerings look like this year. Ash Wednesday - Plans are being made for two opportunities to receive ashes. Please watch the Sunday announcements for specific times and places. We will be continuing our simple, yet meaningful, soup suppers and discussions in Allerton Hall. These will be held from 5:45pm - 7:30pm. on Wednesday February 28th, Wednesday March 7 th and Wednesday March 14th. More information on the topic to be discussed each week will be forthcoming. March 25 th 8:00am- Palm Sunday Communion Breakfast in Allerton Hall. March 29 th Maundy Thursday Service with Communion in the sanctuary at 7:00pm March 30th Good Friday to be announced April 1 st EASTER SUNDAY 3 services Sunrise Service Cole s Hill Family-oriented pageant service in sanctuary Traditional Easter Service in sanctuary 11:00am The Deacons continue to actively support our outreach ministries including a Ministry of Writing, a Ministry of Meals, the Visitation Committee, a Prayer Chain (cotpprayers@gmail.com), and a Communion Ministry team who would be honored to serve Communion to those of you who now find it difficult to attend church. If you are aware of anyone who would benefit from any of these ministries, please let a deacon or the church office know. We also want to remind our congregants that there are several hearing devices available from the Deacon-in-charge on Sunday mornings that may benefit those who are hearing impaired and copies of the sermon are available on the marble table in the upper vestibule. Hope you can find time to join us for all or some of our Lenten program and service offerings. Men s Bible Study Men s Bible Study will meet on Tuesday, February 6 th at 7pm at the Cotta residence (3 Fuller Way, Plymouth). We will be discussing Matthew Chapter 8. All men are welcome. For further information please contact Jim Hammond ( ) or james.gonfishin@gmail.com 3

4 Music Notes, by Rick Dower Stephen & Susan Lindsay Congregation members who attended the Epiphany service at the John Robinson Center on that cold January 7 a few weeks ago had the pleasure of hearing Susan and Stephen Lindsay lead the choir and congregation in a version of the traditional Irish song The Rising of the Moon. The Lindsays also played tunes on flute and guitar for the Introit and Postlude. The intimacy of the space and the infectious joy of the tunes warmed the hearts of all gathered there. Susan Lindsay was raised in Plymouth. She nourished her love of music and developed her talent for playing saxophone in Plymouth public schools. Stephen Lindsay learned to play guitar in Ireland by the informal tradition of observing other musicians and teaching himself to imitate their riffs. He traveled around Ireland for several years with his close friends singing ballads in pubs and developing his repertoire. Stephen moved from Dublin, Ireland, to Boston in the 1990s and brought a rich array of Irish songs with him. When Susan and Stephen met in 1994, they bonded instantly over music. Susan had studied jazz saxophone in college, and, inspired by her experiences in the Boston Irish culture with Stephen, she took up the Irish flute. Soon, they began playing together in venues in the Boston area. They have been playing music together professionally since Their long friendship and musical partnership eventually bloomed into romance. Susan and Stephen moved back to Plymouth in 2001, and were married in our church by Gary Marks in Their daughter, Annie, was baptized at the church in 2006, and son, Liam, was baptized at the church in Susan became a member of The Church of the Pilgrimage around that time. Susan spent several years teaching in the music department at Bridgewater State College and two decades as a writer and editor. Today, in addition to her professional playing, Susan is an instrumental music teacher in the Plymouth Public Schools. There she is passing on to another generation of children the inspiration that she received many years ago. Stephen pursues music professionally in the evenings and is a carpenter by day. He recently started his own business, Fort Hill Builders, with a colleague and friend. We are grateful to benefit from the richness that their musical talents have brought to our church. 4

5 Guild News-March Meeting On Friday, March 9 th at 1:00pm we will meet in Allerton Hall. Our program will be Early Plymouth Weddings presented by Donna Curtin, Director of the Pilgrim Hall Museum. It will be interesting to compare wedding customs of 1620 to those of 2018! Bring your own wedding photos and/or stories to compare and share! Attention Newcomers! We want to invite you to a two-part gathering to learn more about the church. The first will be Sunday, March 18 th following worship and the second on April 8 th (the Sunday after Easter) after worship. Mark your calendars.letters with details will go out in late February. From our Director of Christian Education, Jenny Healy February is healing month in Sunday School; we read the stories of Jesus healing those who come to him- a touch on the head, a clutch of his garment, a man being lowered on his mat through the roof of a house, mud and spit smeared on the eyes of the blind (the kids LOVE that one!). Would that I had an ounce of that healing power, to touch Emmaline's eyes and have her sight be restored, to touch the heart of Sarah and make her feel whole, help her to know in every ounce of her body that she is beautiful and beloved, deserving of that unconditional love of God and capable of being a bearer of it. And though I do not have that power, I know that the love I can channel though my hands and heart can be a powerful agent of change, to at least bring comfort where they may not be able to heal. And so can yours. That is what I want more than anything for our children to learn. After a month of Matthew 25-when I was hungry, you fed me, when I was sick, you took care of me, when I was a stranger, you welcomed me- after a month of learning that and doing that, I feel this urgency for our children know this to the very core of there little beings. to know that they are charged with all of these things, that it is both a joy and a responsibility to be able to fulfill this mandate, knowing how God fills our own needs. Every day I am met with ways in which the world is in need of so much healing. War in Syria, climate change related havoc in Puerto Rico and elsewhere, dreamers having their dreams dashed, racism in our government and its institutions and in us, sexual harassment. YIKES! I better stop. But when I get overwhelmed by this list, I come back to this saying I discovered somewhere along the way: Do not be daunted by, the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now. Love mercy now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to ignore it. -The Talmud I pick up the scissors, and we start a blanket. I drop the chicken in a pot and make soup. I whisk the cream into the sugar and cocoa and the pudding is begun. God loves us. And it is up to us to show the world what that looks like. The proof is in the pudding. -jenny NEWS from CE February is Blanket Month! In Sunday School we will makes blankets for Project Linus, an organization which distributes security blankets to children in need, children in the hospital, children who have lost their homes to fire or natural disasters, children who need to be separated from their families for safety reasons. This is an endeavor that the whole church can get behind. If 5

6 you sew or knit, feel free to make and donate a blanket or two. If you don't, make a trip to the fabric store and buy us some fleece (we can never have too much fleece!). Love feast: The first Sunday of the month, the children will start in worship, be dismissed to go downstairs with a blessing, enjoy a Love feast together, then rejoin their grown-ups for communion. The Love Feast, as well as indulging in sweet buns and hot chocolate, is a time to celebrate God's presence in our connections to one another. Don't miss it! Game Night and Potluck: Saturday Feb 10, 5 PM. Bring your favorite dish to share, your favorite game to play and bring a friend if you like, someone who could use a night out, some good food and some excellent company. This is for everyone, not just those with children in tow! RSVP to jenny at jennycotp@gmail.com or CommonArt and Lock in: All young people of confirmation age and up are invited-see insert! February Flowers Notes February 4: With love honoring our grandchildren Haraden, McKenzie, John and Emmeline. Given by Dottie & Neil Bottomley. February 11: In loving memory of Tom Hyslop. Given by Alice and their daughters, Bonnie and Sarah. February 18: In loving memory of my granddaughter, Tracey Nickerson Brown. Given by her grandmother, Billie Courtney. February 25: In loving memory of Harold and Dorothy Strassel, Roy and Doretta Seese, and Harold Tissot. Given by the family. John and I would like to thank everyone for the cards and many, many prayers that have kept him going through his cancer treatments. They worked! Although he will have to be monitored for the next 2 years, he has opted (with his surgeon s consent) not to have surgery at this time. There are not enough words to express the gratitude we feel for belonging to such a faithful, loving church family. May God bless all of you. Linn & John Peterson Hear Ye, Hear Ye! It s time to create a new church directory! If you are interested in serving on the committee, please contact Debby Porter at debp_50@yahoo.com or Ellie Reinhardt at efreinhardt@gmail.com. 6

7 Ecclesiastical Council for Peter Johnston At the request of the Quincy Point Congregational Church (444 Washington St, Quincy, MA) the Pilgrim Association will gather for an Ecclesiastical Council at 7:30pm on Thursday, February 8, Installation of The Rev. Lawrence Gipson At the request of Old South Union Church (25 Columbian Street, Weymouth, MA) the Pilgrim Association will gather for an installation meeting and worship service at 2pm on Sunday, February 11, Installation of The Rev. Leanne Walt At the request of UCC Congregational Church of Norwell (460 Main St, Norwell, MA) the Pilgrim Association will gather for an installation meeting and worship service at 2pm on Sunday, February 25, Alice s Ordinary People: Screening & Discussion with Filmmaker Craig Dudnick Saturday, February 3 rd at 1pm in the Otto Fehlow Room of the Plymouth Public Library (132 South Street, Plymouth, MA) Alice Tregay s Story ~ Ordinary people effecting extraordinary change for human rights. Five decades of fearless activism and the continuing relevance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the ongoing fight for justice for all. No registration necessary for this free program. Refreshments provided by Brookdale Senior Living of Plymouth. The library is fully accessible; please let us know if you need special accommodations to attend. For further information call Tom Cummiskey at , TTY or visit our website at for our calendar of events. Winter Worship in the JRC 7

8 February Calendar Events 2018 February 3: February 4: February 6: February 5: February 7: February 8: February 10: February 11: February 12: February 13: February 14: February 18: February 19: February 20: February 21: February 21-22: February 22: February 24: February 25: February 26: February 27: February 28: Leadership Retreat, 9:15am, JRC Great Room Worship with Communion, 10am, this is Scout Sunday and the love feast Confirmation Class meets after worship. Men s Bible Study, 7pm, Cotta residence Monday Meals of Hospitality, 11am, Allerton Hall Choir Rehearsal, 7:30pm, Sanctuary Nominating Committee Meeting, 8:30am, Steve Triffletti s office Walking Group, 9am, Nelson Park Game Night & Potluck, 5pm, Allerton Hall. Worship with a baptism, 10am, Good Samaritan Offering received Coffee and Conversation Confirmation Class meets after worship. Monday Meals of Hospitality, 11am, Allerton Hall Board of Christian Ed Meeting, 6:03pm, Marks Room Gospel and Current Events Covenant Group,7pm, the JRC Living Room Church Council, 7pm, Marks Room Drive by Ashes, 7:30-8:30am Town Square Ash Wednesday Service, 7pm, Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal, 7:30pm, Sanctuary First Sunday in Lent, Worship at 10am Church Office closed in observance of Presidents Day Monday Meals of Hospitality Herald Deadline Choir Rehearsal, 7:30pm, Sanctuary Youth Group trip to Boston and Lock-In Missions Committee Meeting, 7pm, Marks Room. Memorial Service for Gordon Campbell, 10am, Sanctuary Worship, 10am Flower Committee Meeting, after coffee hour, Marks Room Monday Meals of Hospitality, 11am, Allerton Hall. Board of Deacons meeting, 7pm, Marks Room. Lenten Soup Supper with a focus on Addiction, 6-7:30pm, Allerton Hall Choir Rehearsal, 7:30pm, Sanctuary Looking Ahead: March 4: Blanket Sunday March 16: Time, Talent and Treasure Auction March 17: MACUCC Super Saturday March 29: Maundy Thursday March 30: Good Friday 8

9 Pajama Storytime MLK Jr. Day of Service with our UU Neighbors Parents Afternoon Off 9

10 ! Thank You Jenny and Matt for Parents Afternoon Off From our Membership & Evangelism Committee Let s all wear our name tags to church! Whether you re a long-time member or new to our congregation, name tags help all of us from being embarrassed by not remembering someone s name!! We would like to enlist everyone s help in welcoming our church visitors. If you don t feel comfortable engaging in conversation with someone you don t know, please seek out a Membership Committee member who will be wearing a blue name tag. They will be looking forward to speaking with visitors and introducing them to others. These membership ambassadors are eager to help visitors and newer members find their way to coffee hour and to feel welcome and comfortable in our church!! Welcome to the following new members who joined our church in March and June: Dennis and Joanna Albers; Lynne Athanase; Audrey Martinelli; Gary Sturgis; Barbara and Dean Anglin-Rizzo; Courtney Derwinski; Kevin Leet; Lee McCullough; and Rose Wagner. We are pleased to have them as the newest members of our church family!! 10