Hilltopper. Welcoming Susan Scribner to ASUMC! Bruce Bradshaw

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1 Hilltopper JULY/AUGUST 2017 Welcoming Susan Scribner to ASUMC! When Kelley s husband, Tim, moved to Indiana, she announced that she would resign as our Administrative Assistant after her son, Elias, graduated from high school, giving us one year to hire another Administrative person. During the year, many people asked if we were going to replace Kelley. I gave some thought to that question and wondered, How can we replace Kelley? What would an interview to find someone like Kelley be like? I imagined an interview question: You are late for work, but you decide to stop at a shopping plaza to buy a few things. While you are walking through the parking lot, you notice that a dog is locked in a car and all the windows are closed. You are appalled that someone would lock a dog in a car and you are concerned that the dog might suffocate. What would you do? If we want replace Kelley, the correct answer is: I would run through every store in the plaza to find the person who owns the car and tell him or her to unlock the car and release the dog; I would also reprimand the person for jeopardizing the dog s life, and then I would arrive at work an hour late, and spend the next 20 minutes grieving about the dog and ranting about how people treat animals. Arlington Street UMC 63 Arlington Street Nashua, NH Rev., Pastor Pastor s Cell: (603) Inside this issue: A message from Bruce Bradshaw, Pastor Bob Larmouth for the Finance Committee Public Supper Schedule Summer Worship, Bruce Bradshaw An Amusing Evening, Vacation Bible School, Heather Davis Guest Musician Stephanie Hollenberg, Bruce Bradshaw I decided not ask that question; it was unfair. The interviewee would probably give an answer that she or he thought we would want to hear rather than what he or she would actually do. The interviewee might also have responded by asking, Are you trying to hire an Administrative person or are you looking for the next St. Francis of Assisi? I decided that we could not replace Kelley; we would have to find someone who brings another set of gifts, abilities, skills and values into the position. We found that person in Susan Scribner. When we advertised the position in the Telegraph and on Craigslist, the high number of responses we received surprised me, and I was astonished by the range of people who applied. They included a few people in their 70 s who wanted to supplement their retirement incomes, a woman who was looking for her first job after being released from prison, a few college students interested in part-time work, and several people in their 50 s whose careers ended prematurely. When I read Susan s application, I intuitively knew she was the favored candidate. Her resume was formatted effectively; it contained no errors, and her professional and educational experiences were significant. When I invited a few candidates for interviews, I gave specific instructions about the process, and planned to eliminate the candidates who did not follow them. One instruction was to call me to arrange the interview. I did not want text or messages; I wanted to assess the candidates telephone skills. Susan called; I was surprised that other candidates sent text and messages Continued... 1

2 During the interview, we learned about Susan s experience, knowledge, skills and values. She graduated from Rivier College and started her career teaching French in Merrimack and Nashua. After she was married, she and her husband, Kyle, had two children, Sophie and Colin. As their family life was just beginning, Kyle, who never smoked, was diagnosed with lung cancer. After a courageous four-year fight, Susan became a young widow. She has supported her family with a variety of Administrative and tutoring positions, but defines her primary responsibility as being an only parent, making her children the first priority of her life. After Sue began working with us, we have been pleased by her dedication to the position, and impressed by how quickly she is learning the methods and procedures of our church. Her major challenge is going to be organizing the various forms for the church conference in December, and we are confident that they will be in perfect order. Working with her is also delightful. N.B.: Some of you have asked about Susan s hours. She will work four hours each week until Labor Day, and eight hours during the academic year. However, the scheduling of her time will vary. The work requires her to be in the office at different times, and she has commitments to her children that she needs to meet, and a host of variables defined my schedule. If you want to contact the church, the best option is to call me at ; you can also text or , bbasumc@gmail.com. You can also Sue at ssasumc@gmail.com. Summertime, summertime First off, thanks to everyone who helped make the last public supper in May a success. In fact, the entire supper season was well-received. When the dishwasher does not break and enough volunteers show up, the suppers are truly a fun-raiser. As I write this the summer season has officially arrived. School s out, flowers are blooming, grass is green and everyone is planning their summer activities. Living in New England, we look forward to summer since we really don t have a spring season. Pastor Bruce often comments on how we all scatter for the summer vacations, cook-outs, outdoor activities, etc. While enjoying the summer, we need to remember that our church is still here throughout the summer, and we need to care of it for 12 months of every year. So, have a safe and happy summer but please don t let your church become lonely. Of course, I d be remiss if I didn t ask you to remember to keep your personal giving up to date. The costs of running the church do not take a vacation. Thanks again for all that you do for ASUMC. Bob Larmouth for the Finance Committee 2

3 ARLINGTON STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Fellowship Hall 63 Arlington Street, Nashua, NH Handicapped Accessible Telephone: www: asumc-nh.org 2017/2018 PUBLIC SUPPER SCHEDULE SATURDAYS 4:30 PM 6:00 PM SEPTEMBER 16 OCTOBER 21 NOVEMBER 18 MARCH 17 APRIL 21 MAY 19 ROAST BEEF Mashed potato, carrots, string beans *CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE Boiled potato, turnip, carrots ROAST PORK Potato, carrots, green beans, applesauce *CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE Boiled potato, turnip, carrots ROAST PORK Potato, carrots, green beans, applesauce ROAST BEEF Mashed potato, carrots, string beans SERVED FAMILY STYLE All suppers include bread, beverage and dessert Adults $10, Seniors $9, Children $6, Under 5 free * Corned Beef & Cabbage Supper- Adults $11, Seniors $10, Children $6, Under 5 free 3

4 Encouraging One Another In Worship Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. As I think of the Apostle Paul s encouragement to the Christians in Rome to live sacrificially for the welfare of their congregation, I wonder whether he had summer church attendance in mind. Could he have said, in view of God s mercy, please make every effort to attend worship on Sunday, despite the temptations to sail your boats on the beautiful Tiber River or to take a lovely walk along its shores your attendance is essential to the worship of the community. On the morning of a recent beautiful Sunday, I thought, This is low church-attendance weather; we will have a beautiful day, but our worship will suffer. Then I found a few articles on some church websites that offered strategies to increase attendance during the summer. As I read them, I asked, Are these strategies or gimmicks? I really don t care what we call them; they imply an effort to persuade people to do what they would rather not do, but that is not what worship is about. God does not respond to strategies or gimmicks, and neither should we. God offered himself to us through Jesus Christ, and we offer ourselves to God and to each other in worship. Worship is a congregational experience----and, on beautiful Sunday mornings, it is a sacrifice, if not the cost of discipleship. But worship without sacrifice and discipleship devalues the grace which God has showered upon us. 4

5 An Amusing Evening at Muse On June 29, a group of aspiring painters from ASUMC spent an evening at Muse Paint Bar (MPB) to cultivate their talent. The MPB gives painting lessons by instructing their students to follow the master, who leads the students through the steps of replicating a sample painting. The sample that evening was titled: I love you to the moon. As we followed the various steps to replicate the masterpiece, we realized that ASUMC has a range of artistic talent, and it seems to run in families. For example, the Labrie family had a few representatives, and each of them had talent. The paintings by Sue and her friends, Janet and Patty, were impressive, as was that by Betty, her sister-in-law, and Bob expressed his gift for going his own way, painting a Fourth of July display while the rest of us were trying to paint a crescent. Then we had the Stafford Sisters, Su and Laura, with their sister-in-law Dorothy. We often think of the Staffords as singers, but they have considerable painting talent. We also had people whose talent dazzled us, despite their quiet reserve. They include Leanne Royston, whose painting spoke for her talent, and Alice Locke who focused diligently on mastering the art. Then there was Deb Sherwood, who brought her friend, Denise. While they usually speak through photography, they also expressed their creativity in their paintings. Finally, we cannot forget the young talent among us. Heather brought Annalise and her friends who expressed the joy of creativity, reminding us of Jesus teaching to become like children; be joyful in the vulnerability of creativity. And, of course, some of us were not so anxious to put our creativity on display, feeling vulnerable and perplexed when the paint just did not behave as we expected. The next Sunday, Mary and I went to the Boston Museum of Fine Art (MFA); as we looked at the great masterpieces of art, we wondered: How did they ever get the paint to behave? We tried, but maybe the MFA is a few steps from the MPB. We thank Deb Sherwood for organizing this event. We all had a good time. 5

6 Shine for Jesus Vacation Bible School ASUMC ran a three day Vacation Bible School program entitled "Shine for Jesus" from June We were blessed to have around 30 children and many adults participate once again this summer. We learned about how God created the world and separated the day from the night, how Jesus is the light, and how his light is inside each one of us so we shouldn't be afraid or hide it since his Word lights our path. The three day event consisted of prayer, Bible stories, activities, games, snacks, crafts, and songs. We celebrated together with lunch on Friday. Thank you to the families who participated, volunteered, and who sent supplies and donations for VBS. We were also able to offer donations to the family whose house was destroyed in a fire, and they appreciated the generosity. Go forth and let your light shine in our community! Heather Davis 6

7 Stephanie Hollenberg is coming to ASUMC Every once in a while, someone suggests that we should have different styles of music, especially during the summer when we have guest musicians. This summer, we will do just that. Stephanie Hollenberg will lead our service on September 3 with music from the Taize and Iona Communities, which raises a few questions. First, Who is Stephanie Hollenberg? and What are the Taize and Iona Communities? Let s start with Taize and Iona. Taize is located in France and Iona is in Scotland; both are ecumenical Christian communities, somewhat like monasteries, that serve thousands of people each year who visit them for spiritual renewal through worship, music, prayer and meditation. Stephanie has visited both of these communities several times, and leads congregations in worship with music from them. You can find samples of Taize music by searching for Taize on Youtube.com. But who is Stephanie Hollenberg? Stephanie is a young woman who I first met in 2008 when I visited my daughter, Amy, in Colombia. She and Amy spent a year in that South American country with a Christian mission program, and they have stayed in touch with each other since then. A few years ago, Stephanie moved to the Boston area where she studied opera and is attempting to launch a career as an opera singer. When Tony invited us to recommend musicians for the summer, I thought: I wonder whether Stephanie would come? When I invited her, she said, I am planning to spend the summer in Italy, France and Ireland, and will return on Labor Day weekend. When she added that she will participate in the Trentino Music Festival, I had no idea what she was talking about, but the people at the Trentino Music Festival have probably never heard of us. Then I told Stephanie that a visit to ASUMC would be an excellent capstone on her tour; we are the second largest United Methodist Church in the second largest city in New Hampshire. Stephanie agreed to serve us on Sunday, September 3. She will lead us in singing new songs, and I am looking forward to having her with us. I hope you make every effort to attend this service. If you want to learn more about Stephanie, you can read her website at 7