September th Anniversary Celebration. Linda. InSPIREation:

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1 September 2014 The First Congregational Church Princeton, MA Organized 1764 Present building erected 1838 InSPIREation: And then, with humble relyance, and entire dependance on the Assistance of his Grace and holy Spirit therein promised for them, that in a sense of their Inability to do any good thing, do humbly wait upon him for all, we do thankfully lay hold on His Covenant & Solemnly enter into Covenant with God & with one another according to God. ~Excerpt from Church Covenant signed on August 12, 1764 Greetings, As I looked over the original church covenant I saw references to the church state. This understanding of a seamless bond between church and state existed throughout the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It would be another thirteen years before the name was changed to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and another fiftysix years when the Commonwealth became the last state in the Union to disestablish the church/state bond. Despite being a life long Congregationalist, I do not long for a return to those good old days when one had to be a member of a church in order to vote, among other requirements. What I do long for is a return to the Blue Laws that prohibited all sorts of activities on Sunday. Critics claimed they were an antiquated relic left over from our Puritan heritage and truly some of them were. But the idea of Sabbath is as old as Creation and we have exchanged the holy for a fruitless pursuit of leisure at best and an endless endeavor to complete chores at worst. I pray this will be a year when we begin to evaluate this exchange in our own lives. When my sister visits we like to travel around to visit different ice cream places. One of our recent stops was at a shop in Winchendon. I won t name it because the ice cream was just plain awful. Oh, it was creamy but the flavors were artificial; rather than the promised pistachio and walnut, there were ground bits of something that might have been remnants of nuts. It made me wonder whether folks claiming to be spiritual but not religious, had experienced religion as bland: full of artificial flavor but not much substance. As we enter this new church year it might be a good time to examine once more what we are serving. I know I will be doing my best to create opportunities for joy and wonder at the possibilities for new life when we commit ourselves to entire dependance on the assistance of God s grace. Blessings, Linda 250th Anniversary Celebration On August 31st we celebrated the 250th anniversary of our founding as a gathered church with a special service of worship at 11:00am followed by a delicious dinner prepared by our wonderful cooks. During the service our Paul Revere chalices, donated by Moses Gill in 1796 and usually housed in the Worcester Art Museum, were on display. We had hoped to use them for the service but the conservator warned us that they have been treated with something that might poison us! It is almost unimaginable to fathom the courage and determination our forebears had as they strived to build a community in this beautiful but rugged land. On page 3 of this Spire is a copy of the covenant signed by men who became founders of what would become The First Congregational Church of Princeton. The language may be arcane and the lack of women s signatures annoying, but what impresses me is the acknowledgement of complete dependency on God by the founders.

2 Reunion Sunday September 14 10:00 am We will push the restart button on our church year on September 14. Because Rev. Linda will be away on the 7th, we will celebrate Communion on Reunion Sunday. In this fast changing world we continue to seek new ways to encourage faith formation for all generations; this will be a time to see what our monthly intergenerational service will look like. Hospitality Dinners This month s hospitality dinner will feature make your own tacos and will begin at 5:30pm on Monday, September 15. Anyone who would like to help with preparation can come at 5:00 pm--we have a great crew of cooks in training! The dinner is open to all, just let Rev. Linda or Janice Herrin know how many will be attending. Food for Thought Luncheon Luncheons will resume on September 17 at 12 noon. Anyone who is eligible for an AARP card is welcome to attend! Come and enjoy delicious food and delightful company. Happy Anniversary Brian & Diane Hobbs 9/8 Tom & Peggy Meyers 9/22 O Neill & Beth Mazyck 9/29 Member News Congratulations to BJ Markel on his graduation from Wentworth Institute of Technology. Living with Loss As long as I kept moving, my grief streamed out behind me like a swimmer s long hair in water. I knew the weight was there but it didn t touch me. Only when I stopped did the slick, dark stuff of it come floating around my face, catching my arms and throat till I began to drown. So I just didn t stop. ~ An excerpt from The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver The group is open to anyone who has experienced loss and who may wish to walk with others on the journey. We meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Church Parlor. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. ~Chinese Proverb Ride for a Reason ~ To benefit Interfaith Hospitality Network The Ride for a Reason will take place on Saturday, September 27, 9am in West Boylston, starting and finishing at another IHN network congregation, the First Congregational Church of West Boylston. The routes are 5, 15, or 30 miles. High-schoolers and adults should have no problem with the 15 mile route (or 30 if they train a little). Younger youth and children could easily do the 5 miles as it is all on the rail trail and completely "off road." The latter is a 2.5 mile out and back, so really you can make the ride/walk/stroller push as long as you want it to be. As a pastor of one of the IHN network congregations, I have been challenged to raise pledges for this very worthy cause. Here s my problem--i don t ride a bike and the ride is the day of the Town Wide Yard Sale so I will need a surrogate rider. I also will commit to walking the 5 mile Rail Trail route in West Boylston on Sunday afternoon, the 28th. If you are willing to be my designated rider and/or are willing to pledge, there will be a signup sheet at church or you may me: revlindamichel@gmail.com. Happy Birthday O Neill Mazyck 9/7 Paul Belculfini 9/9 Michael Milenski 9/9 Robert Michel 9/10 Anthony Belculfini 9/12 Benjamin Sigler 9/16 Mary Bisbee 9/17 Connor Hoague 9/20 Frederick Abbott 9/21 Bruce Rollins 9/23 Suzanne Wiggins 9/24 Bethany Gove 9/27 Claudia DeLaRoche 9/28 Chris Nichols 9/29 Women s Group The Women s Group is open to all women of the church and their guests. We meet on the 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30pm for a potluck and stimulating conversation. 18th Annual Town-Wide Yard Sale Saturday, September 27, :00am-2:00pm, Rain or Shine September 17 is the deadline to register for the yard sale. Registration forms can be downloaded from the church website: We will be having a sale here at the church as well if you would like to donate some items. Important: we do not accept electronics or VHS tapes. We need helpers to make this a successful fundraiser! If you can help with set-up on Friday, or with sales and/or clean-up on Saturday please contact Jane Rudman in the church office at To help with lunch at the church: Judy Breen Please donate an hour or two of your time. Thanks!

3 The Covenant August 12, 1764 We whose Names are hereunto Subscribed (Inhabitants of Princetown) apprehending our Selves called of God into the Church State of the Gospel: Do first of all confess our Selves unworthy to be so highly favoured of the Lord, and admire his free & rich Grace which calls us to hereunto: And then, with humble relyance, and entire dependance on the Assistance of his Grace and holy Spirit therein promised for them, that in a sense of their Inability to do any good thing, do humbly wait upon him for all, we do thankfully lay hold on His Covenant & Solemnly enter into Covenant with God & with one another according to God. We declare our Serious belief of the Christian Religion as contained in the Sacred Scriptures (acknowledging them to contain the whole revealed Will of God concerning our Faith & Practice) heartily resolving to conform our Lives unto the Rules of that Religion as long as we live. We give up our Selves unto the Lord Jehovah, the Father, the Son, & the holy Ghost, the only true and living God and avouch him this Day to be our God & our Portion forever. We give up ourselves to the blessed Jesus, who is the Lord Jehovah, and adhere to Him as the Head of his people in the Covenant of Grace, and rely upon Him as our Prophet, Priest, & King, to bring us to eternal Blessedness. We acknowledge our everlasting and indispensable Obligation to glorify God in all the Duties of a Godly, Sober, and Righteous Life; & particularly in the Duties of a Chh State and a Body of People associated for an Obedience to Him, in all the Ordinances of the Gospel: And we thereupon depend on his gracious Assistance for our faithful Discharge of the Duties thus Incumbent upon us. We engage (with dependance on hiss promised Grace & Spirit) to walk together as a Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Faith & Order of the Gospel, so far as we shall have the same revealed unto us: conscientiously attending the publick Worship of God in his House (in praying to him, Singing his praises, & giving reverent attention to his Word Read & Preached according to his Institution, in Communion one with another, and watchfully avoiding all Sinful Stumbling-Blocks & Contentions, as becomes the Lords People in Covenant with him. At the same Time, we do present our Offspring with our Selves unto the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant, for the pardon of our many Errors, and praying that the glorious Lord Jesus, who is the Shepherd would prepare & strengthen us for every good work, to do his will: working in us that which shall be well pleasing in his Sight: To whom be Glory forever & ever, Amen. Tilly Littlejohns *Joseph Rugg Elisha Wilder Joseph Norcross Ebenezer Jones Timothy Mosman Abel Ray Peter Goodnow Samuel Hastings Robert Keyes Samu Bixby Joseph Gibbs Abner How Abijah Moore Samuel Mosman Calem Mirick Joseph Haynes James Mirick Noah Norcross Stephen Brigham *Joseph Rugg s name was erased in the original document.

4 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday September :00pm Boy Scouts (Parlor) Office closed :30-11:30am Spinning 14 Reunion Sunday 5:00pm Hospitality Dinner :00pm Preschool CPR training (Parlor) 12:00pm Senior Luncheon 17 7:00pm Deacons :00am Spire Deadline 11:00am Memorial Service :45am Council 22 Autumn begins 6:00-8:00pm Girl Scouts :30-5:00pm Brownies 7:00pm Living with Loss 25 6:30pm Women s Group 6:00pm Yard Sale set-up 26 8am-2pm :30pm Girl Scouts Deacons Meeting The Deacons will meet on September 11 at 7:00pm in the Church Parlor. We will be looking at upcoming worship services for the next few months. Anyone having suggestions should speak to Rev. Linda, Debbie Cox or any of the Deacons. Church Council Church Council will be meeting on September 21st at 11:45am. Save the Date - Super Saturday! October 25, 2014 ~ 8:00AM to 3:45 PM Keefe Regional Technical High School 750 Winter Street Framingham, MA Join hundreds of pastors and lay leaders from across two Conferences for worship, dozens of workshops, forums, networking and a marketplace. Presented by the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Conferences of the United Church of Christ. We need to register early to have our choice of workshops! Contact Rev. Linda for more information.

5 Rev. Linda Michel Office Tel: 978/ RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Org. Prsrt Std Ltd U.S. Postage PAID Princeton, MA Permit No. 2 The First Congregational Church of Princeton United Church of Christ No matter who you are, or where you are on life s journey, you re welcome here.