THE MEETINGHOUSE MESSENGER

Transcription

1 The First Congregational Church in Stoneham THE MEETINGHOUSE MESSENGER January 2018 United Church of Christ First Church Acolyte Installation Upcoming Events: Jan. 7 Three Kings Sunday & Merrie s Retirement Coffee Hour! Jan. 21 Church Council at 11:30 am Feb. 4 Souper Bowl Luncheon We are an open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ Congratulations to TJ, Avari, Molly and Caleb on their official installation on December 3 rd!

2 The First Congregational Church in Stoneham 1 Church Street Stoneham, MA (fax) Come Worship with us! Sundays, 10:00 am Staff of the Church Rev. Meredith Allen, Pastor Joyce Simpson, Music Director Leonard Levine, Sexton Sara Thompson, Church Secretary & Messenger Editor Heidi Bilbo, Sunday School Superintendent Lynn Haddad, Treasurer First Church is on TV! Couldn t get the service this week? Loved the sermon so much you want to hear it again? First Church services are rebroadcast all week! The schedule and channels are as follows: Comcast users: Channel 9 Verizon users: Channel 34 RCN users: Channel 3 6:30 pm am 2:00 pm 11:30 am Messenger Deadline The deadline for the February 2018 Messenger is January 19 th. Please leave all submissions in the Messenger box in the office, or them to the church office at firstchurchstonehamma@gmail.com. Notes from Joyce Keep your eye on the bulletins and future Messengers for the date that Easter Cantata rehearsals will start! Happy New Year!! January If you would like to be added to the Birthday List, please the church office. 1 Anthony Catalano, Jr. 2 Britney Fucci 4 Nancy Sawyer 4 Paul Checca 8 Fred Baumann 8 Heidi Bilbo 8 Albert Savage 9 Rebecca Allard 9 Marge Dearth 14 Natessa Storm 14 Brendan Tripp 15 Dawna Wierzbowski 16 Claire Melkonian 18 Ryan McGrath 19 Paula Auterio 19 Robert A. Dearth 20 Jill Anderson 26 Carol Giadone 27 Bert Johnson 27 Dariel Thompson 30 Renee Muise 30 Susan Machnik 31 Karen Tripp

3 Books & Chocolate Group We alternate our books with a movie, sometimes related to the book we have last read. We meet on Mondays, book discussion evenings begin at 7:30 and movie nights begin at 7:00 pm. Here is the schedule for this year: January 15 - "Saturday Evening Girls' Club" by Jane Healey February 19 movie March 19 - "The Red Coat" by Dolley Carson April 23 movie May 21 - "The Stars are Fire" by Anita Shreve June - field trip, date and destination to be determined Please join us the more the merrier! If you wish you can bring something simply chocolate (no home cooking required!) to share and your tea mug! We meet in the church parlor, very comfy. All the books can be borrowed from your library. Food Pantry News Here is our list of Items of the Week for the month of January. Please remember to pick up these items when you are grocery shopping. Please do your part to help stock our pantry for those in need in our church community and in Stoneham and the neighboring communities. Peanut butter Pancake mix Coffee Hot chocolate mix Pasta sides Please drop these items in the colorful crates outside the Sanctuary. Message from the Diaconate: Winter is here and chances are we will start to see snow falling. If services are cancelled this winter due to a snowstorm, the cancellation will be reported on WCVB (Channel 5) and WBZ- TV (Channel 4). Please check these stations before coming to church during a snowstorm. If there are any questions, please reach out to a member of the Diaconate. A Thank You note from Joyce A HUGE thank you for all the help given by our church family for the Christmas Cantata! There were so many people - bakers, set up crew, cleanup crew, children s choir, ushers, Lenny for cleaning- It takes many hands and all are appreciated so much. Thank you!!

4 A group of lovely ladies following the December 3 rd Christmas Cantata Thank you for your generosity from everyone who gave me gift card, money and cards for my granddaughter Kathryn Wall. She is still at CT children s medical center. She has many ups and downs to this point. We are still hopeful she will be able to go home for xmas, but not really sure. Continue your prayers for her return to good health. My son, Christopher and daughter-in-law, Christina, thank you also for your support. -Donna Wall Craft Group Our Craft Group is busy creating items for the Spring already! We meet on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 am until noon in our room below the sanctuary. We will meet on January 9, 16, 23 & 30, depending on the weather. We have tea and refreshments. No special skills are required. Drop in anytime and check us out. Thank you for continuing the over 50 year tradition of donations to City Missions. Your generosity has helped nearly homeless families have a blessed Christmas. Your kindness and generosity reached the hearts of many individuals this Christmas. Kim Savage ~ On behalf of the Missions Committee

5 A marvelous time was had by all at the First Church Christmas Fair

6 Celebrate The Beloved Community Jan. 15 All First Church members and friends are invited to celebrate the vision and values of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Monday, Jan. 15 at the Boys & Girls Club. The program, including music, dance, food and inspiration begins at 10 a.m. in the Boys & Girls Auditorium at 15 Dale Court. At the celebration, the MLK Planning Committee will honor Stoneham resident and activist Doreen Moore for decades of outstanding service building the beloved community, a phrase Dr. King loved. Mrs. Moore opened the first Head Start program. Then, for 42 years she was the director of the Leslie Country Day School. An activist in education and community mental health services, she was instrumental in founding Our Place and After Hours, programs benefitting underserved adults and children. Most recently she has guided the MELD arts group in building the arts in Stoneham through grants to Stoneham Schools, the Boys & Girls Club, the Stoneham Theatre, and the Stoneham Classical Concerts, hosted by First Church. Several First Church members participate on the MLK Planning Committee, including Rob and Kathy Bardell, Ben and Becky Jacques, Rev. Merrie Allen. Thanks you to the many hands who helped prepare and serve food Friday and Saturday for the church fair. I couldn t have done it all myself, besides it is more fun working with some remarkable people. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can t wait for another opportunity to work with many of you again thanks a whole bunch! Donna Wall

7 Salvation Army Toy Drive Dear Members and Friends of First Church, This year I had 29 families 64 children that needed help at Christmas time. The overwhelming response by the outpouring of love and generosity that came from each and every participant was heartwarming. When the parents of these children came to pick up their packages, it was worth every minute spent coordinating this large undertaking. Both mothers and fathers were crying with joy. If I asked for an outfit, sometimes I would receive 2 or more. A big thank you to all of my donors: members and friends of First Congregational Church, Purpose School, Robinhood School, Lois Torri, Lund Dental, Nicole Nial, Congress Street Neighborhood, Linda O Leary and The Derby Sports Bar in Everett. Thank you to everyone that participated in this joyous outpouring of love and help. Blessings to all, Lorraine Savage, Welfare Secretary for Salvation Army THE CHRISTMAS FAIR We decide to hold the fair a month later than usual this year. Unfortunately it snowed! Those who attended the fair and roast beef dinner had a lovely time, with delicious pies, luncheon and a wonderful dinner menu. The Fellowship Hall was decked out in seasonal attire and many commented on how lovely it looked. Regrettably we had very few volunteers to help set up and clean up. If there is to be a fair next year there will have to be some major changes and more folks willing to help. All the proceeds are not in yet, so we do not have a final figure. The day of the fair we received a generous donation of furniture which will be sold on craigslist to benefit the fair. The total amount will be in the February Messenger. Respectfully, The Fair Committee Bette Biggio, Donna Wall, Lorraine Savage, Kathy Bergstrom & Kim Savage

8 Poinsettias Given by: The Agustoni/Lumb Family The Barry Family Judi & Steve Catalano & Family The Daly Family Jan Droz & Family Jan Droz & Family Shirley Gibson & Beverly Roche Shirley Gibson & Beverly Roche Valerie Giovanni Bea Griffin Karen Nelson Karen Nelson Max Santamaria Caleb & Molly Sawicki Barbara Severance Joan Snyder Sara Thompson Sara Thompson Marian Towse Marian Towse The Whittaker Family In Memory of: Joseph Agustoni Ruth & Italo Macchia, Lynn Herron, Frank Barry Michael & Clara Rolli Loved Ones Michael & Clara Rolli Loved Ones Loved Ones Loved Ones Loved Ones Bertha & Leslie Griffin Peggy Gorman Pearle & Win Nelson Grandfather & Uncle Matt Gramps Chuck Severance Parents & Brother Steve McManus John Piskadlo Dan Towse Christine Towse Pauline Whittaker Lorraine and Kim Savage display the ditty bags and boxes of collected items that were picked up by Seafarers Friend in December. The project was a joint effort by our Sunday School and the Missions Committee, and was tremendously successful! Joyce s daughter Becky works her magic on the Sanctuary!

9 Pastor s Corner My dear friends, Egad, there have been so many lasts over the past few weeks! Last Deacons (CE, Trustees, Missions...) meeting, last visit to the crafts ladies. Last Community Dinner, last classical concert, last Christmas Eve together. I ve felt a pang of melancholy every time, and I ve wondered how retirement can be so great when it entails so many difficult goodbyes! I deeply appreciate the many kind words and hugs we ve exchanged. Even our silences have felt full! And I ve decided that all this sadness at our parting ways is actually a positive thing. Because you and I have been a great team! Not perfect, mind you; no one s perfect on this side of the Jordan. But we ve worked well together to build up our church, this precious branch of Christ s Body! We ve strengthened our sense of what it means to be Christ s people with God-given influence in the world think about what our becoming ONA or putting solar panels on our roof, for example, declares about what we believe. We ve strengthened our role as meetinghouse for the community. The Purpose School, the Iglesia Adventista, the Tamil church, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, self-help groups, businessmen, and concert goers meet regularly beneath our beautiful spire. Every relationship builds bridges with the whole people of God. And we ve strengthened our landmark building as we ve refurbished it from top to bottom, all with an eye to being green. Go, us! Now let s install that new bathroom and finish replacing the windows! I thank each one of you who has been part of our shared journey. Whether by your presence at Sunday morning worship, your prayers from afar, or your donations of funds, goods and talents that empower our mission to the world, by God s grace you are making a difference. You certainly have made a difference in my life. I am so much richer for having known you and served in ministry with you! I leave with sadness, yes, but also with a heart overflowing with gratitude for who you are and for the promise you embody to continue to bear Christ to the world! May God bless us all in the New Year May we scatter seeds of light for one another, trusting that our Light will always lead the way! And may God watch over us while we are apart. God s deepest blessings on you! Merrie

10 First Church in fresh snow under a gorgeous blue sky ~The Meetinghouse Messenger January 2018~ The First Congregational Church 1 Church Street Stoneham, MA Telephone: Fax: firstchurchstonehamma@gmail.com Office Hours: Mon-Fri. 8:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM Staff of the Church Rev. Meredith Allen, Pastor Joyce Simpson, Music Director Leonard Levine, Sexton Sara Thompson, Church Secretary & Messenger Editor Heidi Bilbo, Sunday School Superintendent Lynn Haddad, Treasurer