DFCC WEATHERVANE WORDS FROM THE MINISTER. CONGREGATIONAL MEETING SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 11:00 am Immediately following Worship Service MAY 2013

Transcription

1 DFCC WEATHERVANE DAYS FERRY UCC 50 Old stage Road Woolwich, ME MAY 2013 WORDS FROM THE MINISTER As I write this note, Pentecost is much on my mind. Pentecost marks the birth of the Christian church. On Pentecost 2000 years ago the Holy Spirit descended upon one hundred and twenty Jewish followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. The Spirit s power enabled them to proclaim the good news so persuasively that three thousand people came to faith in Christ and were baptized that day. (See Acts 2:1-21.) Today many are uncomfortable about the Holy Spirit. We have a hard time describing it... her... him... whatever. Where does it come from? Where does it go? What does it do? Should we be afraid of it? Will it cause us engage in the odd behavior we see on TV in very enthusiastic, Pentecostal worship services? The Scriptures provides us with answers to those questions. First, the Gospel according to John tells us that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus after he ascended. John uses Greek to name the Holy Spirit the Paraclete. There is no single English word that captures all the meanings. It could be translated as Advocate, Enabler, Comforter, Helper. Inside this issue: Boards & Committees 3 New Members 6 Members in the News 8 Music 10 That ancient statement of the church s belief, the Nicene Creed, says that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is an eternal part of the Trinity but comes to us, proceeds, from God and Jesus. As for where it goes, Jesus says (John 3:8) that the Holy Spirit is like the wind and goes where it will. Paul wrote about the Holy Spirit in his letter to the church in Rome in the middle of the first century. He called it a spirit of adoption (Romans 8:14-17). It is not to be feared. It is not a spirit of fear or of slavery. By the Holy Spirit we are children of God and thereby heirs of God s glory with Christ. The Holy Spirit is present with us to guide us and comfort and strengthen us. It is true that Pentecostal churches (e.g., Assemblies of God, Church of Christ, and others) have historically valued what they see as evidences of the Holy Spirit such as shouting, ecstatic movement of arms and legs (including dancing), speaking in unknown tongues and other behaviors that good Congregationalists might find disconcerting. However, there is no agreement among Christians that the Holy Spirit must arrive in such fashion. For most of us, the presence of the Holy Spirit comes much less dramatically in prayer, fellowship, worship and sacrament. Special dates of interest: Trustees meet Thursday June 6 at 8:30 a.m. Church Council meets June 2 at 11:30 a.m. In my ministry I teach and preach and counsel that we must not live our lives out of fear. And that is the message that Paul shared with the church in Rome. We are to live out of faith and joy that we, like Jesus, are called to ministries and missions that are sometimes hard. But the Spirit goes with us. The Holy Spirit helps us to live con- CONGREGATIONAL MEETING SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 11:00 am Immediately following Worship Service

2 Page 2 DFCC WEATHERVANE WORDS FROM THE MINISTER (continued) Day s Ferry Congregational Church is living confidently and joyfully. We are learning and practicing how to listen and how to speak with one another in ways that are loving and honest and build up the church. The church faces challenges, some of which involve changes in policy or in our usual way of doing things. We need not be afraid to discuss such matters. Indeed, talking together in our covenantal way is a powerful way of vanquishing fear, anxiety and anger. Paul Althouse, our Music Director, is leading us in working to strengthen and draw more folks into our music ministry. He and other church leaders are talking with the congregation as we consider how best to repair our existing organ and what, if any, additional musical instruments might make our worship more faithful and joyful and engaging. See the write-up in this newsletter from our Board of Christian Education. We seek a teacher/leader for our Sunday School program this fall. This is part of our invitation to the larger community to come and worship and learn with us. Thank you, Kat, Linda, Jean and John! Our Board of Christian Outreach has actively raised money to support the Food Bank. They have been impressive in getting folks in our church to sign up to walk and run to raise money to support Habitat for Humanity. Thank you Linda, Howie, Paul, Jennifer, Christa and Joan! Our Board of Trustees is working hard to help the church meet its ministry and mission goals, reminding all of us that we must increase our giving this year to support our more ambitious commitments. They have arranged for signs on area roads to direct folks to our church. They are planning and contracting for the construction of a second bathroom at the Church. They are acting to reduce or make more efficient our expenditures on fuel, insurance, and operation of our trust funds. Thank you Bob, Stuart, Doug, Dan, Nancy, and Richard! Our Board of Deacons has been developing a policy to maintain the church as a safe place in which to worship and learn and fellowship. Each member will have received a mailing of their draft policy and covenant to guide us in dealing with registered sex offenders who may want to participate in or join our congregation. Please plan on participating in the special church meeting on June 16 to vote on adopting this policy and covenant. In the days leading up to that meeting, please pass along your questions and comments to me and our Deacons. Thanks especially to Annie Miller for assimilating and massaging a very large quantity of material from the denomination, other churches, our UCC Insurance Board, and elsewhere into documents that are readable for the church to consider. Thank you Annie, David, Sue, Susan, and Andreas! This year, 2013, is a year in which I and the congregation considering how best to grow the church, both in numbers and in the depth of our faith. Despite the loss of several of our beloved members last year and despite a long and rough winter, our worship attendance on Sunday morning is stable, averaging, through April, the same as last year, forty-three. Attendance at Lenten and Easter worship services was strong, and our worship has been faithful, joyous and uplifting. The church will schedule another Church Forum this fall to discuss building from this base and growing the church spiritually even as we try to grow in attendance and membership. We need to share our faith and our joy. We need to reach out to neighbors and friends and invite them to church. We do that not because we are obsessed with numbers, and not because we need to pay church bills. We do that because Jesus tells us to go into all the world and to make disciples of all nations and to feed God s flock. (Matthew 28:19, Luke 24:47, John 21:15-17) Let us pray and let us work to be faithful to Jesus commands. Peace, Alan

3 May 2013 Page 3 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION BOARDS and COMMITTEES The Board of Christian Education has been conducting an advertising campaign to find a Sunday School lead teacher for the fall months. We will be reviewing resumes at the end of May. Here is our job description so that you may pass it along to anyone you think would be interested in this job. Day s Ferry Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Woolwich, Maine, is seeking a Sunday School Leader for Sunday mornings from Sept- Dec 29, Time commitment is 5-7 hours per week. Lesson planning and teaching children from 5-10 years old. Experience in Christian Education and dedication to children. Background check and 3 formal references are required. Please send resume and letter of interest to: dfcc.ce@gmail.com For more information please visit the church website Please submit resumes by Saturday May 25, Meanwhile, the Sunday School is wrapping up another year with the official last day of class June 9th. Linda, Paul, Kat, John and Jean would like to thank everyone who worked with the kids throughout the year, including Christa Seaman, Andreas von Huene, Sally Davis and Chloe Carmer. Forgive me if I forgot others who may have helped. We invite others in the congregation to join in the fun when we start up again in the fall. Although there are no classes in the summer, the classrooms are available for use by parents and care-givers who may bring kids to church in the summer months. Adult Bible Study continues to meet on Tuesdays at 10 am at the church. Please feel free to join in at any time. The discussions are currently focused on the Book of Matthew. It is not necessary to have been to the previous sessions. Just come as you can and be ready for interesting and fun discussions. The Board of Christian Education DEACONS The Deacons, particularly Annie Miller, have been working on the development of a Registered Sex Offender Policy. A physical mailing has been made to all members of the Congregation. If you did not receive this mailing, please contact Annie Miller. The Congregational Meeting is called for June 16, 2013 at 11:00 AM, immediately following the Worship Service. The meeting is called to discuss and approve the proposed Registered Sex Offender Policy. All members of the Church, both Covenant and Parish are permitted to attend and to vote. We hope you will attend this important meeting. Bob Allen for David Miller

4 Page 4 DFCC WEATHERVANE BOARD AND COMMITTEE REPORTS (continued) TRUSTEES Our work for improving the facilities to the Church continues. Second Bathroom Bids have been received and a contractor selection has been made. Construction will commence in the next few weeks. This bathroom will be located in the basement, directly underneath the existing bathroom. It will contain the usual fixtures as well as a changing table. Church signs. After a long delay and plenty of Red Tape, new signs have been installed by the Town of Woolwich, giving directions to Day s Ferry Congregaational. Doug Hardy spent many long hours unraveling the red tape and should be thanked for heading up this important project. Church Painting We expect that the painting of the upper portion of the steeple will be completed by the end of June. Financial Our income from collections is very close to our expectations for the middle of May. Alan reported that our attendance is roughly 40 + parishioners per Sunday, on a par with However, the budget for 2013 is higher than for 2012 and in order to meet this budget, we project that the average collection per week should be $ Throughout the spring months, this figure was not realized, but since Easter, we are gaining. Richard Seaman has taken over as Church Treasurer. CHURCH WORK DAY SATURDAY, MAY 25, :00 am Window Cleaning Sorting out Coffee & Snacks Overall Brightening up Painting Touch-up

5 MAY 2013 Page 5 OUTREACH FOOD BANK & SOUP KITCHEN Howard Bliss reports that the Bath Area Food Bank received $17,828 plus 752 pounds of food during the Alan Feinstein Matching Grant. How much the BAFB will receive is yet to be calculated by the Feinstein organization. Day s Ferry donated $625, which will be matched. The Postal Food Drive on the weekend of May 12th was also successful. About 3100 pounds of food was collected for the Food Pantry. The Soup kitchen served 546 meals in the last month. They are currently looking for a new manager. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY WALK/RUN The Annual Habitat for Humanity Walk and run was held on May 4th (Run) and May 5th (Walk). This was another great success. Linda Wood reported that our church raised $2038 a new record. Runners were: Walkers were: Balt von Huene who won in his age group Roxanne Althouse fastest in her age group Jeremy Althouse Jennifer Oddleifson and a friend Doug Hardy, Linda wood Nancy Coffin and two of her daughters, Andrea and Nancy Joyce Pye Congratulations to all of the members of Day s Ferry who ran and walked.

6 Page 6 DFCC WEATHERVANE NEW MEMBERS Rev. Baughcum, Marty Glaubitz, Susan Parker On Sunday, February 2, 2013, we officially welcomed Marty Glaubitz as a covenant member. Marty was born in Montclair, NJ and has been the very lucky husband of Livy for over 45 years. They have two sons, Christopher and Martin, two grandsons, Gray and Sam, and are currently living under the firm paw of their third golden retriever, Schooner. Marty is a graduate of the University of Delaware and received his Master s from Southern Illinois University in Higher Education. After retiring and living in New Jersey all their lives, Livy and Marty moved to Bath in Marty has worked as an administrator at Educational Testing Service and later in the field of physical therapy after returning to school twenty years ago. He is a Vietnam veteran, serving in the Army as an officer in the Medical Service Corps. Marty enjoys traveling, music (voice and cello), reading, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and bicycling. He has been an avid Orioles fan since 1954! Marty also sings in the choir as a Tenor. BAPTISM Frank Carlton Petz, born March 5, 2012, was baptized on Sunday, March 31, His parents are Frank and Abby (nee Parker) Petz. Frank Carleton was born March 5, 2013

7 MAY 2013 Page 7 NEW MEMBERS Susan Parker, Sue and Dick Seaman, Rev. Baughcum, Jean and Jim Plummer Jim and Jean Plummer were married in 1962 by Congregational Minister Rev. Cowles and began teaching that year at Gardiner Area High School. Both of their educational careers were in secondary class rooms and administration. Jean had her longest tenure of 33 years at Washington Academy in East Machias. Jean and John were members of the First Congregational Church UCC of Waterville and also were members of the First Congregational Church of East Machias. All three of the Plummer s daughters graduated from Washington Academy, two went on to graduate from Bates College. Their oldest daughter is a DVM married to a MD, and lives next door to them in Brunswick. The Plummers have four grandsons who are involved in swimming and skiing. The family is a six generation resident of Wallace Cove in Milbridge, Maine. Sue Seaman was born in Mt. Holly, N.J. and raised in Moorestown, N.J. She graduated from Oberlin College (Art Education major) receiving her MAT degree from Rhode Island College (Art Education, with her thesis in Art Therapy). Sports have played an important role in her life (synchronized swimming, swimming and diving; water sports; kayaking; basketball; cross country skiing; bicycling; and walking. She has counseled practitioners in a variety of therapeutic settings. She continues her art, with a focus on pen and ink note paper, photography; and several art mediums. Her volunteer services presently include the Maine Maritime Museum where she is a greeter. In prior years she taught Sunday School, served as a Deacon (two churches), and sang in a number of Choirs. Dick Seaman was born at Oberlin, Ohio. A graduate of Oberlin College (Economics major), he earned an MA at Western Reserve University (Education). He has also completed post graduate study in various organizational development and therapeutic settings. An AFROTC graduate, Dick spent two and one-half of his three Air Force years at Loring Air Force Base in the County. Virtually all of Dick s career has been in higher education (Office of the President and Advancement work) with a special emphasis on fundraising, alumni relations, and public relations at Oberlin, Brown University, Skidmore College, Bowdoin, and Western Maryland College. In 1998, he was recognized as the Professional of the Year by District Two of CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education). He has held a wide range of volunteer positions, and is an avid sports enthusiast. Dick and Sue were married the day after their college graduation in This is their third residence in Maine. They spent summers in Oakland, ME for 49 years before selling the family cottage when they bought their present home in Bath. They have had three children (including Paul of DFCC congregation) and they enjoy seven grandchildren. They just recently adopted a dog (Lucky) from the Coastal Humane Society in Brunswick.

8 Page 8 DFCC WEATHERVANE MEMBERS in the NEWS Many of our DFCC families are celebrating graduations this spring! Spencer Gray III, son of Spencer and Elizabeth Gray, is graduating from Milton Academy in Milton, MA. He is headed to College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME in the fall and is interested in environmental and marine sciences and studies. Zach Leighninger, son of Rev. Janet Leighninger, will graduate from Hyde School. He will attend University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in the fall majoring in Business and Marketing. Roll Tide! Willa Oddleifson, daughter of Charlie Durfee and Jennifer Oddleifson, is graduating with honors from Scripps College in Claremont, CA with a BA in History with a minor in French. She plans to be a nanny for a family in Germany (the mom was an exchange student many years ago and lived in Woolwich!) while looking for a teaching position in an international school. Cole Paiement, son of Tom Paiement and Maret Hensick, has graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He would love to work with a company that makes and designs climbing equipment since that is his reigning passion. Jackson Parker, Jr. graduated from Wentworth Institute in Boston with a Masters Degree in Science and Construction Management. Jackson will continue working for Reed & Reed. Melanie Quill, daughter of Kris and Paul Quill, will graduate from Rochester Institute of Technology with a BS in Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonography. She is currently working in Buffalo and studying for the ultrasound boards. Josiah Josh Reed, son of Tom and Kathleen Reed, graduates from Deerfield Academy. He will continue the family tradition and attend Colby College. Sue and Rick Snell are celebrating two graduations! Jared Snell graduates from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a BS in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Biochemistry. He will be employed by Hollingsworth & Vose in Groton, MA. His sister, Sarah Wiley, graduates from the University of Southern Maine with a Master s in Education elementary education and special education. She is seeking a teaching position in K-5 or special education. Tom Stenquist, son of Sandy & John Stenquist, graduated from Maine Maritime Academy with a degree in Marine Systems Operations. He is now studying for his Coast Guard License Exam. Following the exam, he is heading to Baltimore in July to attend the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association's Calhoon Engineering School for a 3 week certification course, which will help him obtain additional certifications and put him in a better position to start shipping with MEBA's contracted companies

9 MAY 2013 Page 9 MEMBERS in the NEWS The Schooner Wyoming The Wyoming sculpture at Maine Maritime Museum in Bath recently received its six 120-foot tall masts. The sculpture evokes the largest wooden sailing ship ever built in the US. Our own Andreas von Huene was co-leader of the design team with Joe Hemes of South Portland. Reed & Reed installed the foundations for and then erected the masts with Tom Reed and Jack Parker on site during the installation. The Museum will host an Open House and Wyoming Mast Dedication on June 1 st from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Schooner Fare will provide music and admission is free. Many in our congregation have been involved with this important museum over the years

10 Page 10 DFCC WEATHERVANE MUSIC On Sunday, May 19, there was a discussion as to the direction of our Music program with regard to our musical instruments. The first topic covered was what should we be doing to maintain our current Harmonium (Reed Organ). The instrument is a venerable and important part of our Church and many of us are concerned about it s health. It requires cleaning and tuning to bring it up to fully playable condition. A second topic was whether we should consider a second organ, possibly a wind blown pipe organ to allow our Music Director to be able to play the large amount of organ literature available. The Harmonium, a one keyboard instrument, does not lend itself to the tonal capabilities that a pipe organ would have. Points of discussion revolved around the placement of a wind blown instrument and how such an instrument would fit into our sanctuary - what style could we integrate that would preserve our space. We might also consider a digital, electronic instrument. It would be easier to integrate into our space and offering more capabilities for the cost. A full report of this meeting will be given in the next newsletter. Editor A special thank you to our newsletter editor, Bob Allen. Thank you for volunteering to write our quarterly newsletters!

11 May 2013 Page 11 GUEST MUSICIANS The Gospel Choir from Bowdoin College presented gospel music during the service on April 23rd. The Choir consisted of 8 students, 6 young ladies and 2 young men.