Meetinghouse Monthly

Transcription

1 Meetinghouse Monthly Volume 15/Number 6/June 2014 Upcoming Special Sundays June 1: June 8: Children s Sunday Heritage Sunday; Senior Pastor Candidate preaching; Special Congregational Meeting following worship June 15: Beach Services begin at 8:00 am at Greenwich Point (Plan to join us on Sunday mornings at the beach - weather permitting. Communion served every Sunday. If the beach service is cancelled due to inclement weather, a notice in red will be posted on our website by 7:30 am and a white piece of paper will be taped to the sermon sign on the church lawn. The 10 am worship service will continue in the Meetinghouse every Sunday throughout the summer. ) Call to the Congregational Meeting - June 8 And meet our Senior Pastor Candidate! See pg 5 & inside back cover. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Youth Groups in June...2 Speaking Pastorally 3 MusicNotes/Moms Group/Bible Study 4 Report of Search Committee Search Committee (cont)..6 From the Parish Nurse Parish Nurse (cont)/kettle Quilters....8 HomeFront/Book Corner.. 9 Church School Church School (cont)...11 RR Questionnaire/June Assignments...12 Soup Kitch/Confirmation/Archives...13 Women s Fellowship Women s Fellowship Board Rummage Room/Office Volunteers..16 Birthdays/Life Events. 17 Hunger Walk/Preschool Meet Candidate/New Members...19

2 Have a question? Please Donald Haviland at donaldh@fccog.org or visit our website at Visit our Photo Gallery to view event photos: 2 The Meetinghouse Monthly

3 Speaking Pastorally By: Rev. John Collins Dear Friends, No one has greater love than this, to lay down one s life for one s friends ~ John 15:13 This past Monday, Memorial Day, I stood at the monument just across the driveway in our cemetery to conduct a brief ceremony of remembrance for veterans who gave their lives in service to our country. The monument had been placed just after World War I to remember four young men from Old Greenwich (then called Sound Beach) who had died in that conflict. In addition to the monument, four small oak trees were planted. Those trees now tower over this side of the cemetery. At the ceremony I spoke about two men. The first was a friend of mine from years ago whose name was Joseph McCann. Joe owned the florist in Pennsylvania where I worked as a teenager and one day he began to tell me about serving in the infantry in France during World War I. He told me the story of being separated from his unit and, while trying to get back, coming across a German soldier who was also lost. He said that holding their rifles at the ready, they simply looked at each other, nodded, and went their separate ways. He told me that his entire life had rested on that very delicate moment. But both young men, frightened and lost, acted from the deeper reaches of their humanity and allowed the other to live. The second man I spoke about was Captain Clifford Henry of Old Greenwich. I never knew him because he was mortally wounded in the Battle of St. Mihel in France in His family brought his body back home and his grave is marked by a large, rough-hewn stone at the end of the driveway on the Sound Beach Avenue side of our cemetery. I often pause by Clifford s grave on my way to the train station. The gravestone says that he graduated with honors from Harvard University and that he was 22 years old when he died. Each time I stand there I feel the tremendous futility and waste of war. This bright and accomplished young man s life was cut short by a senseless war, and all that he could have contributed to this world was lost. When I think about my friend Joe and when I stand in front of Clifford s grave, I feel deeply the crucial importance of the mission of our church. For almost 350 years this congregation has stood as a beacon of humanity and God s love to a world that desperately needs our message and our service. To raise children who in crucial moments will choose love over hate, and to raise awareness of the sacrifices made in the past so that we can enjoy lives of freedom and prosperity in the present, these are just two important ways that we live the message of Christ here at First Church. As this congregation opens an exciting new era of ministry, it is crucial to hear the echoes and wisdom of those long gone heroes upon whose shoulders we stand. John The Meetinghouse Monthly 3

4 Musical Notes 4th Annual Summer Sings! Do you miss singing with your choir during the summer months? Come as you are from 7:30-9:30 pm on the Wednesday evenings listed below and, within two hours, we will have shared in an energized rehearsal and an instant performance of great choral music. Music will be provided. Hospitality, refreshments, and fun are all included. Suggested minimum donation of $5 per person to assist in defraying costs. The format for the evening is for the first hour to rehearse sections of each work, take a small break, then perform the work/s for ourselves and any others who are observing. No stress, no strain.just a love of singing and learning something new or singing an old favorite. No sign-up necessary. Just come ready to sing. All performances are held in the air-conditioned Meetinghouse. Non-singers are also welcome to enjoy the evening at around 8:30 pm for the performance part. Our dates and works are: June 18 ~ Solemn Vespers by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart July 30 ~ Requiem by John Rutter August 27 ~ Zadok the Priest by G. F. Handel, and Te Deum by F. J. Haydn For Moms of Very Young Children Join us in June If you have a baby, toddler and/or 2 year old, join us for this last opportunity until the Fall to meet and relax with other moms and their young kids. The group will meet on Friday, June 6 from 9:30 10:30 am in Room104. For more information, contact Kristen Jacks at kmj33z@yahoo.com or call her at Bible Study in June Bible Study will meet in June! We'll continue on with the story of David and the Psalms on June 1 and June 15 discussing this proto-christ figure and all his triumphs and failings. While we've just about run out of Psalms that are explicitly tied to certain scriptures there are others that specifically say, a Psalm of David, and we can learn from them because they are songs of hope, grounded not in wishful thinking or platitudes, but reality. In addition, we'll prepare for the fall series on the Parallel Gospels. Led by Rev. Dan England 4 The Meetinghouse Monthly

5 Report of the Senior Pastor Search Committee ith a sense of great joy and thanksgiving, the Senior Pastor Search Committee is pleased to W announce that we have an outstanding candidate, Rev. Richard S. DenUyl, Jr., to recommend as our next Senior Pastor. Most recently, Rev. DenUyl (pronounced den-isle ) served for 20 years as the Senior Pastor at The United Congregational Church of Little Compton in Rhode Island. Over the past 15 months, the Search Committee engaged in a search process beginning with the development of a Local Church Profile based on input gathered from the congregation. We conducted a national search utilizing UCC resources, as well as a targeted mailing campaign that included an informational brochure about First Church. Over many months, we reviewed approximately 50 Ministerial Profiles, listened to countless sermons, arranged telephone, Skype and in-person interviews (some two or three times) and carried out extensive reference checks. Throughout the process, we prayed for guidance to discern God s will for us in our search for new leadership. After an exhaustive (and exhausting!) process, and relying on God s grace, we unanimously selected Rev. DenUyl as our candidate to be the Senior Pastor of our church. Richard, age 56, was born in Arizona and grew up in Michigan. He earned his B.A. in business and religion at Hope College in Holland, MI and his Masters of Divinity at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. After seminary, Richard worked for several years as a psychological crisis counselor for three towns in the New Haven, CT area. He started his ministry at Westhampton Presbyterian Church, NY as a youth minister and then served at Norfield Congregational Church in Weston, CT as an Interim Associate Pastor before being called to be Senior Pastor at The United Congregational Church of Little Compton, RI in After leading the church in Little Compton for 20 years, Richard felt a call for a new challenge in a larger church. Rather than secretly looking for another position, he chose to notify his congregation of his desire and pastored them through his eventual departure in July After a post ministry sabbatical, he spent his time writing and searching for a new church. Richard met his wife, Barbara, at Hope College when they were students. She attended medical school at Northwestern University while he was at seminary and then did her residency at Yale. Currently, Barbara is a pediatrician with a practice in Massachusetts. She is looking forward to relocating here. Richard and Barbara have a daughter, Sophie, who just completed her freshman year at Barnard College in Manhattan. All three, Richard, Barbara and Sophie, enjoy running, skiing and sailing their boat, Grace, on local waters. Richard will bring many gifts to our church. He is a strong preacher, possesses a compassionate spirit and is known for his pastoral care for families in crisis and grief. During his years at Little Compton, he grew membership, increased stewardship, built the endowment, and led two capital campaigns to replace the church organ and refurbish all the church buildings. Continued on next page. The Meetinghouse Monthly 5

6 Continued from previous page Report of the Senior Pastor Search Committee The congregation in Little Compton was quite diverse. Year-round members included local lobstermen, tugboat captains, college professors and a Supreme Court judge. The number of members swelled during the warmer months with seasonal visitors and retirees, many from the greater New York and Boston areas. While the demographics of the year-round and seasonal members were very different, their views were not: everyone we talked with loved their church, loved Richard and was moved by his sermons. We look forward to talking with you about our wonderful interactions with Richard. We hope you will make every effort to take advantage of the opportunities to meet Richard and Barbara in an informal setting over the weekend of June 7-8 (details can be found on the inside back cover of this issue). Richard will preach his Call Sermon at that Sunday morning worship service which will be followed by a congregational voting meeting. We believe that God has led us to this exciting moment in our ministry and look forward to growing together as a faith community with Richard as our spiritual leader. Thank you for the privilege you have given us. Sincerely, The Members of the Search Committee Rick Derr Pat Mendelsohn David Alfano Frosty Friedman Olga Hartwell Kristen Jacks Paul Olmsted Rick Woodman Call to a Special Congregational Meeting A special meeting of the Congregation is hereby called for Sunday, June 8, 2014 following the 10:00am Worship Service. The meeting will be held in the Meetinghouse: To hear and act upon the recommendation of the Senior Pastor Search Committee to call a new Senior Pastor; And to transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting. Kathy McLennan 6 The Meetinghouse Monthly

7 From the Communication Beyond Words by Sue Asselin, RN June is National Aphasia Awareness Month. Over one million people nationwide are affected by aphasia, a language-processing disorder that impairs a person's ability to speak (expressive aphasia) or their ability to understand speech (receptive aphasia). Aphasia manifests itself differently in different people, but generally the individual's intelligence is intact. It is often caused by a stroke or head injury, but can also accompany some forms of dementia. Memory loss and dementia are related to but not the same as aphasia. It s complicated to decipher the causative relationship, but aphasia accompanies some types of dementia. In 2011, the Stephen Ministry hosted Maureen Matthews, RN, PhD (pictured here) to speak at their retreat. Dr. Matthews offered wonderful insights on how congregations can embrace, support and show God s love to those with Alzheimer s disease and other types of dementia, memory loss, and aphasia. Since then she has returned several times for Second Hours and other informal talks. Alzheimer s spoken here is one theme that Maureen Matthews uses to open up the dialogue about all kinds of dementia, so that people will get more comfortable discussing this common concern. Dr. Matthews has concentrated her work on the individual diagnosed with dementia, especially in the early stages, and identifying what can be done to support them on their journey. In 2006, she founded To Whom I May Concern, an interactive theater project created by men and women who have recently been diagnosed with a progressive brain illness such as Alzheimer s. The project s primary purpose is to support the dialogue between people with dementia and those who accompany them. There is a live performance of To Whom I May Concern happening in Stamford on June 5, details highlighted later in this article. It s important for us to try to put ourselves in the diagnosed person s shoes, to shift our perspective. To be honest, if we re blessed with a long life, we all will one day be more vulnerable, and perhaps require more patience, kindness, and understanding from others. When we encounter a person with communication difficulties or compromised mental function, we can empower them by offering respect, patience, and acceptance. Specific tips for speaking to aphasic individuals can be found on the Wellness bulletin board in the hallway just outside the Lounge. Indicating with gestures and offering choices are generally helpful techniques. But just looking into an individual's eyes may be the most meaningful exchange there is. It says "I'm not afraid to connect with you." If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an accepting smile must be worth a million. We can empower someone by sincerely looking past the barriers for the person within. Please come see me in Room 203 if you want to discuss things further. Some helpful resources are: National Aphasia Association offers resources for people with aphasia and their families. Dr. Maureen Matthews Early Stage Memory Loss Support Group, and the unique theater project, To Whom I May Concern. Stamford Counseling Center is home to Dr. Matthews Early Stage Memory Loss program. Greenwich Adult Day Care has an Early Stage Memory Loss Couples Support Group as well as Mastermind, a program to exercise the mind. Greenwich Hospital s Center for Healthy Aging offers comprehensive geriatric assessments and caregiver support groups. Artists for Alzheimer s is an organization that links artists of all kinds to people living with Alzheimer s disease, using artistic and cultural experiences as keys to unlock creativity, create new memories, and enrich lives in new, yet fundamental ways. Alzheimer s Association Continued on next page... The Meetinghouse Monthly 7

8 Continued from previous page...from the Parish Nurse See the Live Performance of To Whom I May Concern Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 7:00 pm FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 42 Cross Road, Stamford, CT People with Alzheimer s and other dementias share stories of how they live, laugh, and love! You might be surprised! You will be moved! You won t think about dementia the same way! *This is a must see for anyone who knows a person with dementia: spouse/partner, child, grandchild, pastor, healthcare professional, neighbor. A lively discussion follows every performance. For more info visit: towhomimayconcern.org or call (203) Sponsored by The Stephen Ministry of First United Methodist Church To Whom I May Concern is a nonprofit organization. Kettle Quilters Go Digital! The Kettle Quilters at FCCOG had their first meeting Monday, April 23, The records indicate that the ladies worked during school hours, brought a sandwich and put a kettle on for tea at noon. They used to stitch in Room 303 (now Craig s office) and sometimes had two quilts on frames in that space. The name Kettle Quilters came from making a cup of tea at noon. The quilters started by quilting for each other and for anyone for a modest price. This quickly grew into making quilts for the Women s Fellowship Antique Shows from 1974 to New England antiques dealers displayed their wares but the highlight of the show was the raffle of the handmade quilt. Other community benefactors have been the Perrot Library and Hill House. Since 1991 the Women s Fellowship has raffled a quilt each spring at the Annual Meeting and Luncheon. The annual antique show is gone, but proceeds from the raffle funds, and The Rummage Room profits are still allocated to, charities to support the needs of women and children. Now it is time to get the photo albums into our digital library. At this writing, the Women s Fellowship raffle quilts are already included on the FCCOG website. Soon to follow: quilts for pastors and staff - marking anniversaries and departures, baby quilts and This year s quilt raffle winners, Elizabeth and Joe McLoughlin other community benefit projects. You may know many of the quilters featured in the photos. Over 180 quilts have been made in the 40+ years. Watch for updates in News You Can Use on the website. We meet every week on Monday mornings and Tuesday evenings in Room 203. Best to give a call to Inge Thalheim at as we slip into a modified summer schedule. We always welcome new stitchers. Try us - you may like what we do and get hooked! 8 The Meetinghouse Monthly

9 HomeFront Lenten Offering Project by First Congregational Church Helps Elderly Woman HomeFront (Stamford) was one of the recipients of this year s Lenten Offering at First Church. HomeFront is a community-based, volunteer-driven program that provides FREE home repairs to low -income homeowners, thus enabling them to remain in their homes with an improved quality of life. Thank you to the following volunteers from First Church who joined in on HomeFront Day on May 3 and spent the day painting and making minor repairs to the home of an elderly woman (Josie) in Old Greenwich. This is what community is all about! (See more pictures at fccog.org/photo-gallery.) Annette Bergh Mary Ann Duff Marti Easton MD Espinoza Ivan Golodinksii Judy Goodchild Donald Haviland Catherine Lepoutre Clem Lepoutre Daniel Lepoutre Eliza Lex Gary Lico Fred Lorthioir Nancy McConnell Dorothy Mueller Gary Miller Tamara Ng-Yow Paul Olmsted Harlan Reynolds Wendy Reynolds Jake Schinto Daryl Smith Elaine Teeters Jan Thalheim Mark VanDermeer (Project Captain) Miles VanDermeer Leslie VanDermeer Ben Velishka Stephanie Woodman Avery s Book Corner for June An older book, but still one rich with meaning, insights and inspiration is this month s pick - Original Blessing by Matthew Fox (author of The Cosmic Christ). Everyone is a mystic or artist until our culture, religion or education drives this out of us. Original Blessing is an empowering and necessary book, which leads us back to our own creativity and that deep, ecstatic center which resides beneath any fear of death. It is a hopeful book which guides us to rejoice and celebrate the uniqueness of our existence. Written in a lively, scholarly prose, it makes a strong case for a home-grown mystical tradition thousands of years old. An important, challenging work highly recommended. The Meetinghouse Monthly 9

10 Children s Sunday Worship and Celebration June 1 The Good Samaritan - Who is my Neighbor? This is a special worship experience followed by a special Coffee Hour; a time for our entire congregation to celebrate our children, their teachers and the community we all share! Communion will be served Children will participate in the liturgy Everyone can help build the Flower Cross 3rd Graders receive Bibles Thank you to teachers Farewell to our graduating high school senior teachers Displays of Church School projects and lessons learned this year Fun & cake at Coffee Hour!!! This summer, Church School will be at the 8:00 am Beach Service. Children 5-10 years old will gather as a group to learn some of the beach stories from the Bible, explore God s creation on the shore or just chill out on the sand. Younger children will be able to participate with a parent or other older chaperone so we can have one-on-one coverage for them. We will have sand pails, sunglasses, bandanas and lots of other fun stuff to keep us busy while we learn. Bring your children so we can sing, read books to each other and play games. When the Communion is served, we will join the larger group for the end of the service. See you at Tod s Point starting Sunday, June 15! Then June 22 and 29, July 6, 13, 20 and 27, August 31 and Sept 7. P.S. There will be Child Care only at the 10:00 am service during the summer. 10 The Meetinghouse Monthly

11 Church School Teachers Find out why these and other seasoned teachers keep coming back to teach our children while they consider Bible stories, life lessons and being in community. We would love to have you join the team. You CAN do it, too! Chris Schoen (3 s & 4 s) Margot DeRiemer (3 s & 4 s) Daniel Lepoutre (K/1 st ) Sarah Schneider (2 nd ) Peg Wentworth (3 rd ) Cara Olmsted (3 rd ) Fred Laffan (4 th & 5 th ) Greg & Kimberly Kuppenheimer (4 th & 5 th ) Gillian Woodman (4 th & 5 th ) Stephanie Woodman (4 th & 5 th ) Fred Lorthioir (2 nd ) Anne Pfetsch (Middle School) Lori Romano (Middle School) Yevgeniya Golodinskii (3 s & 4 s) Confirmation If you have a young person who will be in the 8th or 9 th grade or older next school year and you or they are interested in the Confirmation process, please contact either Mark Montgomery or Rosemary Lamie to express your interest or ask any questions. There will be a parent orientation meeting on Tuesday, June 17 at 7:30 pm and we want to be sure to notify everyone who may be interested. Mark and Rosemary s Notes From Nashville For four days in May, Mark and Rosemary attended the Faith Formation conference where they heard nationally known leaders in faith formation for children, youth and the entire congregation, including Phyllis Tickle, an octogenarian who is younger than most of us, and wiser! Also, Ivy Beckwith, who grew up in CT and has ministered in several areas of the country, including New Canaan, and Brian McLaren. The presenters talked about the importance of telling the story, not only from the Bible, but our own life stories, our faith journey stories. Their messages have many implications for our congregation s quest for more meaningful, relevant and inspiring experiences in worship, in faith practices and in our life together. We welcome our new Church School Task Force Members We are pleased to welcome Nishani Naidoo (mother of Kareena and Devan), Shauna Dellascenza (mother of Amelie and Lola) and Dorothy Mueller (mother of Victoria Mueller Bradford). The Church School Task Force is a group of parents of current and former Church School children who support the Church School program every Sunday by providing assistance to teachers to help them find materials and supplies for their morning lessons and also helping with baby and toddler care when necessary. The Task Force also brings special events to our children and families, including the Advent Craft Fair, 3 rd Grade Bible Breakfast, Easter Saturday egg dyeing and Search the Church Holy Week event. The Meetinghouse Monthly 11

12 The Rummage Room Questionnaire: Who is in charge of The Rummage Room? The Rummage Room was opened in 1964 by The Women s Guild of The First Congregational Church of Greenwich. After a few months the Guild changed its name to The Women s Fellowship. Today The Rummage Room Board, under the direction of the Fellowship, meets monthly to oversee the operation of The Rummage Room. The Board hires, oversees, and directs The Rummage Room Manager, Maria Drieghe, who manages a paid staff of four Assistant Managers - Connie Fauci, Nancy Hamilton, Veronica Klinka and Betty Shopovick. Maria started as a volunteer in 1995 and, due to her obvious talent and work ethic, became an Assistant Manager in In 2000 she became a Co-Manager with Debbie Stickney and then rose to full Manager in Maria is in charge of day-to-day management. Her talents include keeping all 60+ volunteers happy and fulfilled. She and Nancy Hamilton design the award-winning shop windows. She keeps the stock current and organized. In short, Maria is the backbone of the operation. The volunteers, many not from the church but from the community at large, enjoy the happy atmosphere and the sense of having fun while doing good. Next question - check here next month for the answer: Where does the money from The Rummage Room go? Memorial Service: Dick Peebles - June 1 Chris Cantwell - June 8 Barbara Norrgard - June 15 Carolyn MacLea - June 22 Paul Olmsted - June 29 Beach Service: Betsy Kreuter - June 15 Elaine Teeters - June 22 Chris Cantwell - June 29 JUNE Responsibilities and Assignments Coffee Hour Committee Host: Music Committee Deacon Assignments: Invocation - Paul Olmsted Hospital Notes - Bobby Hopkins June 1 Communion: Dick Peebles - Capt Steve Pierson - Set up April Condon - Set up Bob Small - Set up Pam Grunow - Set up Barbara Norrgard - Clean up Luis Angel-Lalanne - Clean up Mary Fike - Clean up 12 The Meetinghouse Monthly

13 Soup Kitchen Volunteers Making Food to Feed Our Neighbors and Friends Thanks to Mary-Ann and Gordon Assing and friends for preparing the chili in May. Volunteer Calendar: June: The Coit Family July: OPEN - Volunteers Needed August: Patrice and Nicole Anibel and friends Sept: Donald Haviland and Youth Group To sign up your volunteer team, contact Tom Mahoney at fccoghungermission@gmail.com. Older Sermons and Bible Study Audio Files In order to free up disk space on our website server, the sermons and older Bible Study audio files are now available on the cloud. * Links to those sermons are on the Sermon Library page, All links on the Bible Study Past Discussions, , now point to the cloud as well and can be accessed from our website: *The 'cloud' is a real buzzword these days, but what exactly is the cloud, how does it impact what you do, and is it anything really new? "What's the cloud?" "Where is the cloud?" "Are we in the cloud now?!" Basically, in common usage, the cloud means the internet...it just means that the data is not on your computer s hard drive or, in the case above, not on our website. The data is now being stored on the internet so it doesn t take up space on our website. Welcome to our New Members! 2014 Confirmation Class Eleanor Armstrong Garnett Elizabeth Winslow Grellier Sloan Williams Jacoby Samuel Richard Jenkins Caroline Wilson Keller Daniel Curtis Lepoutre Tyler James Shaver Alison Hope Tedford Megan Rose Tedford Charles R. Teeters The Meetinghouse Monthly 13

14 Women s Fellowship Women s Fellowship Annual Meeting and Luncheon The Women s Fellowship held its Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Wednesday, May 14. The winners of the handcrafted version of the classical Log Cabin patterned quilt were Elizabeth and Joe McLoughlin, aunt and uncle of new member, Rebecca (Becky) Toohey (see photo on page 8). They were thrilled to win the quilt raffle after buying tickets for many years! Women s Fellowship extends its gratitude to the Kettle Quilters who created such a beautiful one-of-akind keepsake for this 44th annual quilt raffle! The Women s Fellowship voted to approve the recommendation of the Allocations Committee to distribute $161,600 to charitable organizations. The incoming slate of board members was also voted on favorably (see the next page for a complete listing). Thanks go to Laura Erickson, outgoing president. Nights Off Women s Group Weather permitting, Nights Off will gather down at the beach (Tod s Point) on June 16 at 6:00 pm. This is a great time to socialize and catch up with your friends (old and new!). Please bring a snack to share and whatever you would like to drink. Look for the group at the first picnic table after going around the point past the Yacht Club and the sailing school. All women of the church are welcome to come and, as always, please feel free to bring a friend! If you have any questions or to be added to the Nights Off list, contact Shirley Flierl at or FBTworld@aol.com. Entertainment was provided by Stefanie Kies and her band. Stefanie s creativity and love of The Rummage Room (celebrating 50 years this October) were on full display as she cleverly revised the lyrics of many favorite songs to celebrate The Rummage Room, and Manager, Maria Drieghe. What fun! Thanks to all who helped to make this such a wonderful and celebratory event! FCCOG Ladies Daytime Bridge The year's finale will be held in the Auditorium on Monday, June 2. We will have the final playoffs with competing couples paired with those closest in cumulative scores since September. Lunch, favors and prizes will highlight the day. Now is the time for any lady couples to sign up for next year s monthly play. Arrange for a partner and call Lu Baldwin at or at bobalu827@gmail.com. Naturally, those who played this year will have preference. There will be no play scheduled until September. 14 The Meetinghouse Monthly

15 The Women s Fellowship Board Nominating Slate for President: Anne Pfetsch Vice-President: TBD Secretary: Car Westbrook Treasurer: Kathy Riley Program: Barbara Norrgard Committees: Allocations: Co-chairs: Cynthia DeRiemer and Melanie Garnett Michaela Fossom (2015) Donna Hascher (2016) Laura Erickson (2017) Cynthia De Riemer (2015) Bobbie Hopkins (2016) Olga Hartwell (2017) Tina Birkic (2015) Melanie Garnett (2016) Virginia Richards (2017) Nominating: Shirley Flierl, Beth Press, Mary Fike and Laura Erickson Rummage Room: Marcia Livingston, Chair Susan Tedford and Erna Olson, Co-Treasurers Nancy McConnell, 50th Anniversary of The Rummage Room Chair Ginny Breismeister - Staff Liaison Lynda Elliott (2015) Prill Meyer (2016) Marcia Livingston (2017) Persis Alden (2015) Janet Blasburg (2016) Beth Rollins (2017) Tommie Starkweather (2015) Mary Jo Watson (2016) Lynn Robertson (2017) Special Interest Groups: Bridge: Pat Geismar and Kathy Riley Hats Off: Debbie Berner Quilt Raffle: Beth Press and Cara Olmsted Nights Off: Shirley Flierl Kettle Quilters: Inge Thalheim Fundraising: Sue McCalley Representative to CT Women s Fellowships of UCC: Barbara Norrgard The Meetinghouse Monthly 15

16 News from The Rummage Room 191 Sound Beach Avenue, Old Greenwich; Calendar for June 2014: Monday, June 2: Manager Maria will have several categories of clothing and other items on sale through Saturday, June 7. Sunday, June 15: Happy Father s Day to all our wonderful Dads & in loving memory to those who are gone. Congratulations to The Rummage Room, Allocations and Nominating Committees for 2014/15 (see page 15 for a complete listing) Special Thanks to: The 50th RR Anniversary Celebration in October 2014: Chair, Nancy McConnell, ably assisted by Manager, Maria Drieghe and The Rummage Room Committee. News from the RR for the Sunday Bulletins & RR articles for The Meetinghouse Monthly: Mary Jane Penwell Maria's Wish List for June: Items for Father's Day; wedding dresses, dresses for both the mother-of-thebride and the mother-of-the-groom; bridesmaid dresses, wedding accessories, tuxedos and shirts for the groom and groomsmen; good jewelry; handbags; bikes; and items, clothing, jewelry and accessories for the August Grand Re-Opening Day. Shopping Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Donations Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:30 am to 4:30 pm and Friday-Saturday 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. When everything is coming your way, you are probably in the wrong lane. Office Volunteers Needed First Congregational Church is seeking a few summer volunteers for its receptionist position! Can you spare a few quiet summer hours working in air-conditioned comfort to answer the phone and greet visitors? If so, please call Senior Administrative Assistant, Donna White at ext. 14. M/F - an equal volunteer opportunity - we look forward to hearing from you! 16 The Meetinghouse Monthly

17 J U N EBIRT H D AY S 06/01 Richard Haviland 06/01 Shirley Flierl 06/01 Ann Simpson 06/01 Peter Tufts 06/01 Virginia Bonsal Nickell 06/01 Lara Bennett 06/02 Carol Dinmore 06/02 Susan Wilder 06/02 Dwight Delmhorst 06/02 Meg Savin 06/02 Ian Sotzing 06/02 Mary Beth Davidson 06/02 Ingrid Thalheim 06/02 Olivia Hartwell 06/03 Adolph Clausi 06/03 R.Ford Barker 06/03 Sam Willard 06/04 John K Stewart 06/04 David Chidsey 06/04 Sarah Fountain 06/04 Caroline Shaw 06/04 Cameron Fennell 06/05 Joyce Nye 06/05 Harlan Reynolds 06/05 Josiah Low 06/05 Alida Meyers 06/05 Patti Provoost 06/05 Mary Olsson 06/05 Meghan Allen 06/06 Natalie Jean Frenz 06/06 Maggie Houseknecht 06/06 Hanna Snyder 06/06 Jack Molloy 06/06 Brielle Quick 06/07 Joseph Mallory 06/07 Gordon Assing 06/07 Ruth Lubbers 06/07 Robert Jacks 06/07 Rebecca Toohey 06/07 Cameron Schimenti 06/08 Janet Clausi 06/08 Charlee Tufts 06/08 John Teeters 06/08 Eric Larrabee 06/08 Elizabeth Urban 06/08 Meredith McLennan 06/08 Henry Van Roden 06/09 Barbara Kneen 06/09 Paul Johansen 06/09 Cynthia Dow 06/09 Sean Doyle 06/09 Marcus Lotufo 06/10 Prill Meyer 06/10 Alan Chidsey 06/10 Amanda baker 06/10 Margaret Silsby 06/10 Hailey Mikell 06/11 Erna Olson 06/11 Giselle Goh 06/11 Fischer Hogan 06/12 Persis Alden 06/12 Donald Friedman 06/12 Debbie Bocchino 06/12 Amanda Sisley 06/12 Olivia Brindak 06/12 Georgia Grellier 06/13 Beverly Silliphant 06/13 Ellen Perelli-Minetti 06/13 Peter Griffin 06/13 James Cofer 06/13 Laura Angel-Lalanne 06/13 Catharine Sotzing 06/13 Megan Lovallo 06/13 Lauren Lovallo 06/13 TJ Lepoutre 06/13 Zachary Agovino 06/13 Ksenia Fortunato 06/13 Jessie Velishka 06/14 Richard Grellier 06/14 Sarah Bradley 06/14 Lara Olmsted 06/15 J Robert Carey 06/15 Becky Jewett 06/15 Nancy Palamarcuik 06/15 Frederic Delmhorst 06/15 Julie Olsson 06/15 Olivia Berman 06/15 Chris Keller 06/15 Madeleine Phillips 06/16 Robert Bailey 06/16 Susi Orbanowski 06/16 Polly Barten Gordon 06/16 Walter Bloes 06/16 Brendan Loughman 06/16 Bradley Davis 06/16 Alexander Pratt 06/17 Christopher Harris 06/17 Colleen Alfano 06/17 Pamela Riggs 06/17 Kate Phyfe 06/18 Brook Urban 06/18 Eduardo Healy 06/18 Mia Simonsen 06/19 Juliana Pugliese 06/19 Max Dakin 06/19 Charlie Ryckman 06/20 Betsy Pulitzer 06/20 Charles Baker 06/20 Corey Bloes 06/20 Francis Claps 06/21 Steve Fusaro 06/21 Lauren Windels 06/22 Allison Frenz 06/23 Claire Webber 06/23 Donna Tagliarino 06/23 Jackson Toohey 06/24 Paul Brindak 06/24 Keeley Kriskey 06/24 Devon Kennedy 06/24 William Dempsey 06/25 Jean Watkins 06/25 Nancy Fountain 06/25 Joseph Rogers 06/25 Heather Almy 06/25 Sarah Schneider 06/25 Jessica Aselin 06/26 Kaca Enquist 06/26 Sheila Tolmie 06/26 Wynn Watkins 06/26 Jennifer Sproule 06/26 David Pastore 06/27 Sybren Hoekstra 06/28 Pam Koob 06/28 Beth Rollins 06/28 Irene Savage 06/28 Millicent Armstrong 06/28 Kevin Molloy 06/28 Jason Bacon 06/29 Chris Lange 06/29 Nate Braddock 06/30 Rob McCready 06/30 Kip Meyer 06/30 Clifford Meyer 06/30 Carter Simko L ife E vents: Baptisms Jackson Everett Toohey, son of Rebecca A. & Patrick D. Toohey Angie Doreen Alfano, daughter of Colleen Sheehan Alfano & David F. Alfano Deaths Robert Schroeder If you would like to save paper, go green and start receiving the Meetinghouse Monthly via , please contact Barbara Wilkov at barbaraw@fccog.org or ext. 24. The Meetinghouse Monthly 17

18 HOLD THE DATE! Greenwich / Port Chester / Rye CROP HUNGER WALK SET FOR OCTOBER Mark your calendars! Sunday, October 5 is the date for the 2014 CROP Hunger Walk. This is the seventh annual hunger walk in the Greenwich, Port Chester, Rye area. Walk headquarters and starting point is the Second Congregational Church of Greenwich. After an easy two mile walk through downtown Greenwich, walkers will finish at Christ Church on East Putnam Ave. All funds raised will help support the work of Church World Service and two local hunger agencies, Neighbor to Neighbor of Greenwich and Carver Center of Port Chester. We can all be proud and grateful that our local walks have made significant contributions to these worldwide and local organizations, but hunger and poverty persist and the need is pressing. So please make every effort to get involved. There will be more details about this event in the July/ August issue of the Meetinghouse Monthly. In the meantime, you can learn more about hunger walks by going to crophungerwalk.org or cwsglobal.org. First Church Preschool There are still a limited number of spots available in our 3 and 4 year old afternoon preschool program (12:30 3:00 pm), as well as in our Pre-K program (9 am 2 pm) for the school year. Our Pre-K program is designed for children who are eligible to start kindergarten but would benefit from having additional time and individualized support in growing, learning, and developing before starting. Please contact the Preschool for more information or to register. Contact Information: First Church Preschool, 108 Sound Beach Avenue, Old Greenwich, CT ; darlak@fccog.org 18 The Meetinghouse Monthly

19 Senior Pastor Search Committee Come Meet our Senior Pastor Candidate! Join us during the weekend of June 7 and 8 to meet the Senior Pastor Search Committee s recommended candidate, Rev. Richard DenUyl, Jr. Richard, his wife, Barbara, and daughter, Sophie are all looking forward to meeting our church family. Everyone is welcome adults, youth and children! Saturday, June 7 8:00 am to 10:00 am: Pancake Breakfast in the Daniels Center (hosted by the Church School Task Force) 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm: Ice Cream Social in the Auditorium (hosted by Women s Fellowship) Sunday, June 8 10:00 am: Call Sermon during the worship service 11:00 am: Congregational Meeting followed by Coffee Hour N E W M E M B E R S Lina Gao Elizabeth and Ford Barker Elizabeth (Liz) Fox Fiona Venema The Sippel Family Rebecca Toohey The Dellascenza Family The Meetinghouse Monthly 19

20 Children s Page The First Congregational Church of Greenwich Nonprofit Organization 108 Sound Beach Avenue U.S. Postage PAID Old Greenwich, CT Stamford, CT Phone: Permit No Fax:: The First Congregational Church of Greenwich Ministers: The Members of The First Congregational Church of Greenwich Interim Senior Pastor: Rev. John W. Collins, jcollins@fccog.org Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry: Rev. Mark D. Montgomery, revmarkmontgomery@gmail.com Associate Pastor for Communication and Adult Education: Rev. Daniel B. England, dengland@fccog.org Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care: Rev. Avery C. Manchester, amanchester@fccog.org Director of Music: Dr. Craig Scott Symons, craigs@fccog.org Director of Family Ministries: Rosemary Lamie, rosemaryl@fccog.org Director of Membership: Ginny Breismeister, ginnyb@fccog.org Director of Communications: Barbara Wilkov, barbaraw@fccog.org Parish Nurse: Susan Asselin, RN, susana@fccog.org Director of Preschool: Darla Kohler, darlak@fccog.org Pastors Emeriti: Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Stiers and Rev. Sally Colegrove Director of Music Emeritus: Dr. John Stansell For My Father I love you because you are: F A T H E R HAPPY FATHER S DAY! 20 The Meetinghouse Monthly