Foster Memorial Church, UCC 1791 Wilbraham Road Springfield, Massachusetts God is still speaking

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1 Foster Memorial Church, UCC 1791 Wilbraham Road Springfield, Massachusetts Office Telephone (413) Pastor s Study (413) Office Hours: Tues., Wed., & Fri., 9a.m.-1p.m. fostermemorial@msn.com Web: Facebook: Foster Memorial Church Minister: Rev. Barbara Schenk Choir Director & Organist: Frank Jackson Administrative Assistant: Erika Davila Childcare: Eneidamarie Gonzalez WE ARE AN OPEN AND AFFIRMING CHURCH ALL ARE WELCOME! We are a joyful, welcoming, inclusive, and supportive community of Christ followers, eager to shine God's love by connecting people through partnerships and service that foster peace and hope in our neighborhood, wider community and world. God is still speaking FOSTER MEMORIAL CHURCH, UCC THE CHRONICLE December 2018 Dear friends, Time is flying and we re almost in Advent. This season is about waiting and preparing for Jesus to be born, once again, into our hearts and into the world. These are certainly troubled times, in our nation and in the world. May these words by Madeline L Engle serve as a source of comfort, strength and joy for us during this holy season: God did not wait till the world was ready, till nations were at peace. God came when the heavens were unsteady and prisoners cried out for release. God did not wait for the perfect time. God came when the need was deep and great. God dined with sinners in all their grime, turned water into wine. God did not wait till hearts were pure. In joy, God came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt. To a world like ours, of anguished shame, God came and God s light would not go out. God came to a world which did not mesh; to heal its tangle, shield its scorn. In the mystery of the Word made Flesh, the makers of the stars was born. We cannot wait till the world is sane to raise our songs with joyful voice, or to share our grief, to touch our pain. God came with love. Rejoice! Rejoice! The deadline for submitting articles or announcements for The October issue of The Chronicle is December 14 In Christ, Barbara

2 DECEMBER EVENTS Sunday, December 2: Christmas Fun, following worship and coffee hour 1 pm QUARTER AUCTION Everyone had a great time at our Quarter Auction on November 2. Thanks so much to Lori, all of our helpers, vendors and supporters! A great church and community event lots of fun! We raised over $1800 for the church s ministries! Tuesday, December 4: Lifeline Screening all day Sunday, December 9: Gray House gift collection Caroling at the Wellington: 12 noon 1 PM Saturday, December 15: 2 PM A Service of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love Sunday, December 23: Christmas Pageant during 10 AM worship service Sunday, December 24: 7 PM service for all ages TENZIN PANCAKE BRUNCH Thank you to Dick Pond, CE team and friends, our youth and everyone who came to eat! We raised almost $300 of the $ needed to sponsor Tenzin for one year. It was a delicious brunch! POINSETTIA SALE Poinsettias will be sold after worship on Sunday, November 25 & December 2, in memory or in honor of loved ones. The flowers must be paid for at the time the order is placed. The cost is $20.00 for a 7-inch pot with gold foil for white or red poinsettia. Please contact Sue Blanchard or Anne Cesan at with questions. The proceeds from this sale help us to provide flowers periodically through the year for Foster folks for special occasions or needs. Thanks to everyone for your support! Page 2 Page 11

3 CHRISTMAS FUN! Sunday, December 2 Noon 1:30 PM December 3 Charles Rososky 10 Frank Jackson 11 Holly Payne 14 Pastor Barbara 18 Mike Naglieri 31 Donna Griffith 31 Keith Walker If you would like to have your birthday or anniversary included in The Chronicle, please the office at fostermemorial@msn.com or call the office at NEW ADDRESS: Skip and Dotty Koszalka recently moved to Westfield. Dottie wrote us a note, which includes the information that they were in the process of transferring their church membership to a local church. During the past 35 years as members of the church, we have made many wonderful friendships. The church has been a very important part of our lives, which we will truly miss. Their address: 58 Modena Circle, Westfield, MA We will miss them and wish them many blessings in their new home and church home! Come join us to make your own ornaments, gingerbread houses, crafts and cards for the season! Light refreshments will be provided. Free fun for all ages! ******************** Saturday, December 15, 2 PM at the church Please join us for a Service of Hope, Peace, Joy & Love The Christmas season doesn t always feel like The most wonderful time of the year if we re experiencing grief, hardships or have concerns about our communities, nation and world. Come join us as we acknowledge the complications of this season with quiet reflection, prayers and songs of the season. This is an uplifting service, offering comfort through God s hope, peace, love and joy. Following the service will be a time of fellowship and refreshments. Page 10 Page 3

4 MISSION/OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES Throughout December, we collect hats, scarves and mittens for children; youth and adults that are put on our Mitten Tree. These are donated to Gray House, Rebecca Johnson and Open Pantry s Loaves and Fishes. On December 9 (Please note date change) we will collect gifts for children and youth through the Gray House. Please bring UNWRAPPED gifts. Especially needed this year are gifts for newborns including mats and toys and gifts for teens, including New England sports team hats etc. and cosmetics etc. We are also continuing to collect new and gently used coats and jackets for all ages to be distributed to Gray House (babies-preschoolers), Rebecca Johnson (school aged) and Loaves and Fishes (adults) CHRISTMAS PAGEANT Our children and youth will offer our annual Christmas Pageant during worship on Sunday, December 23 during our morning worship. We ask that children and youth make every effort to be at church for rehearsals during God Time throughout the month of December. Life Line Screening, a leading provider of community-based preventive health screenings, will offer their affordable, non-invasive and painless health screenings at our church on 12/4/2018. Five screenings will be offered that scan for potential health problems related to: blocked arteries which is a leading cause of stroke; abdominal aortic aneurysms which can lead to a ruptured aorta; hardening of the arteries in the legs which is a strong predictor of heart disease; atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat which is closely tied to stroke risk; and a bone density screening, for men and women, used to assess the risk of osteoporosis. Register for a Wellness Package which includes 4 vascular tests and osteoporosis screening from $149 ($139 with our member discount). All five screenings take minutes to complete. In order to register for this event and to receive a $10 discount off any package priced above $129, please call , text the word circle to or visit SUMMARY FINANCIAL REPORT In an effort to keep everyone informed as the year progresses, the Executive Board voted to publish a summary financial report in each edition of the Chronicle based on the Treasurer s most recent report. The summary report of Income and Expenses as of October 31, 2018 is as follows: % of INCOME: 10/31/2018 YTD Budget Budget TOTAL RECEIPTS $14, $127, $167, % TOTAL EXPENDITURES $11, $119, $173, % Page 4 YTD DEFICIT/SURPLUS $8, $5, n/a Page 9

5 EYE TO THE SKY During this Holy Season, let s remember: If we need to cancel worship or another special event during the winter season, we will post on Channel 3 and Channel 22. We will have an outgoing message on our church office voic ( ) if worship or major event is cancelled. For smaller meetings, please contact the Chair. Thank you. PLEDGES FOR 2019 Thank you to everyone who has made a financial pledge for the year to come. Thank you to Alice Kempf and Bob Loesch for offering Stewardship Moments during worship. Every pledge is greatly appreciated. If you need a pledge card, please call the office at or pick up a Stewardship Letter and pledge card in the narthex on Sunday morning. ANNUAL REPORTS Please mark your calendars: The date of our Annual Meeting is Sunday, January 27 after worship. Written reports are due in the church office by Wednesday, January 2. We really appreciate everyone getting your reports in on time so we can have the typed reports ready. Thank you. Mrs. Louise Bushey Wingate at Springfield 215 Bicentennial Hwy #408 Springfield, MA Durham and Jean Caldwell 15 Ashland Avenue Mrs. Pat English 25 Van Ness Street Springfield, MA Mrs. Marilyn Melelu c/0 275 Munsing Street Ludlow, MA Donald & Mary Scott Wingate East Longmeadow 32 Chestnut Street East Longmeadow, MA Stan and Jeanne Millot 68 Fallston Street Janet Senecal 106 Maebeth Street Claire Tatro 158 Woodlawn Street Springfield, MA Mrs. Ruth Nicolson 46 Puritan Circle Mrs. Eunice Clayton 214 Forest Hills Road Springfield, MA Mrs. Dorothy Staples 111 Mayflower Road Springfield, MA Page 8 Page 5

6 FOSTERIANS AFTERNOON FOSTERIANS The Afternoon Fosterians will be meeting at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, December 19 th, for a luncheon and fun gift swap. All women are welcome! EVENING FOSTERIANS The Evening Fosterians will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12th for a Christmas party. We will be collecting small gifts for our confined members and friends. We will also have a gift swap ($10 value suggested) All women are welcome! PHOTO DIRECTORY Thanks so much to everyone who were able to have their photograph taken for our new directory. Special thanks to all who served as hosts. If you missed this opportunity, please speak to Pastor Barbara to have a photo taken or to submit a photo. SALE OF PURITAN ROAD HOUSE With a great deal of patience and goodwill on the part of the Montoya family, the sale of the Puritan Road house was finally completed with the Church retaining a right of first refusal on a future sale of the property. After payment of closing costs as provided in the Purchase and Sale Agreement, the net recovery for the Church was just under $127, The plan for use of the proceeds of the sale is to invest them and then transfer the earnings on that investment into the Church s general funds to help support the budget as necessary. The Finance Committee and Endowment Committee will meet to decide where the money should be invested, and which group will be responsible for overseeing that investment going forward. The church currently has funds invested in several Vanguard mutual funds and also in United Church Funds, an investment program managed by the UCC. Both of those programs as well as other investment vehicles will likely be considered. A special thank you is given to Alice Kempf who did an enormous amount of work to get the sale completed and to Jim Cummings and the Board of Trustees for their work as well. CAROLING Everyone is invited to join us for caroling on Sunday, December 9 after coffee hour. We ll carpool to the Wellington at 11:45 a.m and return around 1 PM. Please join us! Page 6 Page 7

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