First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ 1361 State Rd. Eliot, Maine 03903 ECHO JANUARY, 2011 Get your ECHO electronically Check out our Website at: www.congchurcheliot.org and read your ECHO online. Please let the office know if you no longer need hardcopy e-mail to: firstcongchurch@aol.com Members and Friends! All are invited to the Church Annual Meeting Sunday, January 16, 2011 Potluck following worship. Meeting following potluck at 12:30 SUNDAY EVENING Hymns, scripture, discussion And prayer 6:30 PM We are meeting every Sunday Evening at 6:30 PM with Rev. Mike Denney
A Page From The Pastor The moose fell off the tree and I didn t pick him up. From where I was sitting on the night of December 26 th, I figured he could stay beneath the tree for a well deserved after-christmas rest. Not unlike what I was doing. I was stretched out on the living room couch but after the labor and joy of Christmas, I could just have easily been sprawled out under the tree, which was still twinkling with holiday cheer despite my declaration of exhaustion. I had a complete understanding of why that moose ornament had taken a dive for the carpet. Besides, wouldn t he soon be going back into the box for another year? We re done with Christmas right? Pack us up with the moose and the tinsel, the good cheer and the deep love we felt as we raised our candles and sang Silent Night? Is Christmas over or is it just beginning? Giving birth to a child is one thing but bringing up that child to maturity is quite another thing. It is a long term commitment a huge challenge and a great joy. It is not unlike raising up a church! The Christ child is born in our hearts but how are we going to make him a reality in our everyday living? Christmas Eve worship was breath taking but now we must feel our bodies fill with the breath of the Holy Spirit, get up off that Christmas couch and take that holy light out into the world. We must share that Christmas glow all year long, with friend and neighbor, with stranger and even with ourselves. And what a light it is to share! There are great sparks of possibility all around us at First Congregational and my heart is warmed by the fire that is burning bright. Is yours? Do you feel the spark of potential and promise? Do you see the star in the sky that the Magi followed and feel the pull to continue the faith journey? I know that you have the spark within you because you are a child of God. In the light of the New Year, I am inviting you personally to unwrap the gifts of time and talent that God has blessed you with. I am encouraging you to share those gifts with our amazing church. You may not have frankincense, gold or myrrh to bring to the baby in the manger, but you can give of yourselves and nothing is more precious. So even while we rest in the mystery of the baby birthed in Bethlehem, and give our tree ornaments a few more days of glory, let us be energized in the Christmas light that we share and go shine in the world! See you in church!
FOOTPRINTS Our Church Address is: 1361 State Road Eliot, ME 03903 Church phone number: 439-1105 For January SOUP Macaroni & Cheese Paper Products There is a real need for food or money as they are getting more families every week. Thank You everyone! Remember to pick up items on sale when you are shopping. HOSPITAL STAYS Please notify the church office (439-1105) if you, a family member, or a friend is in the hospital or nursing home. Then, Rev. Hoffman can visit them. PASTOR S CONTACT INFO Rev. Beth Hoffman Cell #603-620-5348 Home phone: 603-332-0997 Email: bhoffman@metrocast.net WEBSITE Our church now has a website: www.congchurchelot.org The ECHO is available from the website. If you are willing to get your future copy from the website, saving us printing and postage, please e- mail the office at firstcongchurch@aol.com Thank you. WWW.congchurcheliot.org January 2011 3
THE THRIFT SHOP We are Not accepting any more articles. Thank You! We will start again in March Thanks to everyone who contributed items and those who have helped work in the Thrift Shop. HAVE YOU RETURNED YOUR PLEDGE YET? Linda Gove, wishes to let every one who pledged in 2010, know that she will provide them with a general accounting of pledged money given, for income tax purpose if they so desire. Call either Linda (439-3856) or Tyler (439-2790) or the church Office and one will be made available. FLOWERS FOR CHURCH Remember the church and your loved ones on birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Sign up for a Sunday soon. The sign-up sheet is at the rear of the sanctuary. If you would like to have some flowers in church on Sunday morning, Linda Gove is willing to get flowers for you if you call her. If you have any questions contact, Flower Chairperson, Linda Gove, 439-3856. LADIES CIRCLE On December 1st, 20 ladies met at 11:30 for a wonderful lunch provided by Paula Caswell and Sally Hartford. Our lunch was hidden in a stack of four Christmas boxes! Very unique idea, as usual. We were very pleased to have Pastor Beth and her mother, Faith, join us. Our regular meeting was at 12:30, followed by our Yankee Swap. Secret Pals were disclosed and new ones chosen for the coming year. Unwrapped gifts for the Maine Youth Center were brought in and will be taken by the Eliot Lions. Carole Shirk needs blunt scissors, washcloths, hand towels, nail clippers, and notebooks for the Mission Kits. We are now busy sewing the cloth bags for the School Kits. Craft Group will be taking a break until we have our Pot Luck Supper on Monday January 3 rd at 6 PM. Our next meeting will be on January 5 th at 11:30 with soup provided. Jane Spinney and Sally Hartford are hostesses. Canned soup for Footprints should be brought in and will be added to those brought in by the church. At our January meeting each member will have a chance to share a bit of their story so be thinking about what you will say. Jane Spinney WWW.congchurcheliot.org January 2011 4
Jan 2 USHERS Tyler/Jane Spinney 9 Mike/Carrie Wayburn 16 Karen Davis Brian Sanborn 23 Doris Grover Mary Seibert 30 Carole Shirk Karen Davis Birthdays Jan 1 Christy Wanager 6 Nancy Hardy 13 Paula Caswell Todd Donhauser Dick Pruett 21 Doris Grover Rachel Gove Sarah Caswell Geoffrey Berg 31 Janice Bowden ANNUAL REPORTS It is time once again to think about writing your annual report. Each board and committee in the church must submit one before the Annual Meeting on January 16 th, 2011. Please turn them in to the office as soon as possible, as they are needed to be in our booklet for the meeting. Thank you. THANK YOU To all those who call and visit our elderly and shut-ins. To all those who contribute to the Mission Kits continually To all those who choose to worship with us each Sunday. Those that bring in food for Footprints every month. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! To Al Morin who did the majority of the work to build the new wall to create a new office for Pastor Beth! Thank you also to Jeanne Morin, Russ McMullen, Mark Hoffman, Karen Davis and Jan McMullen for helping with building the wall, moving electrical wiring and phone wires, painting, moving all the books and bookcases to the new Library, shampooing the carpets, etc. etc. etc.! A job well done and a comfortable space for our new Pastor to work! The next Ham and Bean Supper will be January 22, 2011 from 4 to 6 PM. Adults $9.00 Children under 12 $2.00 Children under 5 are FREE WWW.congchurcheliot.org January 2011 5
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS We stayed very busy during advent preparing for "The Present is the Future". The cast and the choir got to know each other and really worked together as a team. Many hands & many hearts went into this production. Both performances went well and we were very pleased to have 60 people come to the 2nd show! Thank you to everyone who helped set up, serve & clean up the refreshments. Special thanks to Dana & Donna Tobey for putting together such a wonderful production. Thank you to Nate Orr, Sam Henriquez & Rachel Gove for making the Christmas bulletin board. Thank you to everyone who purchased a Christmas wreath. We had a record breaking 57 wreaths to make this year! Special thanks to Laurie Hair who has taken on this challenge year after year and her helpers - Linda Downey, Loretta Downey, Vicki Koch & Jeannie Morin. The berries & holly were provided by Deb Crosier. Sonya Quinn has taken on the job of staffing the nursery. Please consider volunteering - we need you! The nursery will be used by infants & toddlers. There are toys, books & comfy chairs for cuddling babies & reading stories. Please help us grow the church by providing this service. We will have 2 Sunday school classes as of Dec 26th. June Brackett, Debbie Crosier, Joan Donhauser & Sonya Quinn will rotate as the teachers. Both classes will be following the same lesson topics. This month we will be studying Jesus' early life, John the Baptist, the disciples, the Golden Rule, the Lord's Prayer & more. Many of you have offered me ideas, books & items for my class. I would encourage you to do the same for the older class as it is much appreciated! We are taking orders for Super Bowl Subs & need your order by January 30th. John & Debbie Crosier are leading this yummy fundraiser once again to benefit Religious Ed. Extra order forms are available. We are excited about the new year and hope that the changes we make as we adapt & reorganize to suit our needs are all positive ones. We try to teach the Sunday school that we are a church family and that we need to respect each other, share what we have & work together. God loves us no matter what, Jesus is our friend & is always watching over us and that we need to give our best gifts (talents, behavior, etc) to our church & to the world. Wouldn't our church, community, nation & planet be better off if we all did that? Sheryl Goodnough (ksg@metrocast.net) WWW.congchurcheliot.org January 2011 6
What does it mean to become a member of First Congregational Church of Eliot, United Church of Christ? Perhaps you have been worshiping with us for awhile and want to make First Congregational your spiritual home. Perhaps you feel God is calling you to deeper commitment. If so, we would like you to prayerfully consider becoming a member of our family of faith. What makes membership different from being a visitor or a friend of First Congregational Church? Everyone is invited and welcome at First Congregational Church no matter if you join in Sunday worship as a visitor, friend, or member. Members, however, verbalize their commitment by entering into covenant with other members. It s part of our UCC heritage. A covenant is a living promise to be in relationship and to be about God s work in the world. No longer simply a visitor, you seek to share in covenant with others, to welcome other visitors, and seek an even deeper journey into faith. What is asked of me as a member? Our covenant underscores the beliefs and the commitments we share a way of discipleship and faith. Members also join together to discern God s future for our congregation by the right to vote in congregational meetings. No longer a visitor and simply receiving an extravagant welcome, you also are called to offer your prayers, your presence, your talents and contributions. In some ways, you move from being a guest to sharing the gift of being a good host to others. How do I become a member? Let Pastor Beth or one of the Deacons know that you are considering becoming a member. Share your questions and hopes, ideas and concerns and together we can take the next steps toward membership. If you have not been baptized, we will more carefully discuss Baptism. This is the entry rite, a sacrament, into the Christian faith. Through the pouring of water, we are washed in Christ s love and presence and join with Christians all over the world into a community of faith. You will then be invited to a worship service, when we shall share together in our UCC Statement of Faith and will covenant together to care for each other and the work of the church. During the worship service, a friend in faith will introduce you to the congregation and we will prayer together for your journey with Christ. You will then be asked: Do you promise to participate in the life and mission of this family of God s people, sharing regularly in the worship of God and enlisting in the work of First Congregational Church as it serves this community and world? Then you would respond, I promise with the help of God. It is a wonderful and exciting opportunity for us to celebrate your faith and the growth of our church. If you are considering joining the church family in the form of membership, we are excited for you and we are excited for us. As your journey of faith continues- so does ours. Let s walk together! WWW.congchurcheliot.org January 2011 7
Annual Epiphany Concert Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 7:00 PM St. Mark s United Methodist Church on Government Street in Kittery. This is a wonderful celebration of the choirs of the churches of the Kittery-Eliot Clergy Association and joyous occasion to follow the star that led the Magi to Bethlehem. ALL ARE INVITED AND ENCOURAGED TO COME AND SHARE IN THIS TIME OF FELLOWSHIP SNOW CANCELLATIONS If a church event is to be postponed or canceled due to snow or other emergency it will be announced on television on channel 6WCSH (Portland). The notice will also be posted on our website and on the church voicemail. Also listen to WTSN1270 AM. We hope to be able to do this by 8:00 AM for any regular Sunday morning service. If you are ever uncertain about the traveling conditions or you feel the roads are unsafe, please stay home and know that you are in our prayers and we will look for you next week. Reception of New Members- January 9th Would you like to learn more about the United Church of Christ and explore what membership is all about? If you are interested in becoming a member of First Congregational, United Church of Christ please, speak to Pastor Beth or Senior Deacon, Richard Donhauser. We will be receiving new members during worship on January 9 th. Youth Group! Our new fellowship and service group for youth, grades 3-8 is off to an amazing start! Our Jingle Jammie Jam was full of elfish fun and we got to hang out with old and new friends. We also showed off our Christmas spirit even as we showed off our fine pajamas. Our next event will be Friday January 28 th 6-9 PM. Come and invite your friends too! Activities will be a surprise but we will of course have pizza! Current Advisors- Kirsten Berg, Alaina Goodnough, Gabe Hoffman and Pastor Beth. Parental Support- Jeff Pelkey We are always looking for supportive adults. If you have a call to serve God in this way please let the youth team know. WWW.congchurcheliot.org January 2011 8
Go ahead and respond! Christmas Eve Worship was filled with an incredible amount of music and there were many times during the service that silent admiration and appreciation didn't seem to be quite enough. Several times I looked up from the chancel and I saw hands about to come together as if wanting to applaud. Do we clap? Is it okay? This isn't a concert after all, it is worship and maybe someone will be offended. The Sunday after Christmas I happily shared that I too was inclined to clap. Not because it was a nice performance but because the musical offerings struck a chord deep within me and had helped me to have a deeper connection with my God. The gifts of the musicians had helped me to worship more fully and I felt an impulse to praise God with my applause. As I told the congregation, we are not an audience, God is! Clapping, lifting our hands in praise, nodding our heads in affirmation, sitting in quiet reflection, saying Amen, alleluia, or praise God, are all other ways in which we can fully live into our time of worship. If it connects you to God and to fellow worshippers then it is welcomed! It is encouraged! Don't clap out of obligation or embarrassment. Move in and with the Spirit because something has compelled you to respond that way. God enjoys your enjoyment whatever form that takes. Picture Directory Production is Underway Smile as we begin working to create a new Church directory! We will be collecting your contact information and taking your family picture this next month. Mark Hoffman will be set up in the library after church each month in January and asking you to smile for the record. To make things go smoothly, there will be a sign up sheet outside the library so you can reserve a time slot. He will also have evening hours if this is more convenient for full family gatherings. Please encourage everyone to come and have a picture taken for our new directory. There are lots of new faces and lots of great familiar faces and our pastor needs some help in getting to know everyone. This is a great start! Musical Thanksgiving A big thank you for some of the wonderful gifts that have been recently enjoyed in worship by some generous people. Dana Tobey, Gabe Hoffman, Lisa Marshall, Chris Lanzara, Lydia Hoffman, Terrin & Courtney Thomas and Colleen Beausoleil are just a few of the musicians who have blessed our congregation. Thank you one and all! WWW.congchurcheliot.org January 2011 9
SUPER BOWL SUBS FUNDRAISER FOR THE EDUCATION BOARD! PLEASE SUPPORT THE EFFORT WITH YOUR ORDER NAME TEL# NUMBER OF SUBS: TOTAL: Subs will be $5.00 each and all orders must be prepaid. All orders may be picked up at the Parish Hall on February 6th at 11 AM *The subs will be made with ham, salami, provolone cheese, tomato pickles, red peppers, onions, black olives, oil, salt and pepper. (*Special orders are deletions only. for example: No onions). For more information call Deb Crosier 439-8686 or Sheryl Goodnough 324-7802 Jan. COFFEE HOUR 2 Liz Futturrer Carolyn Bogh 9 Jane Spinney Vicki Koch 16 Annual Mtg. Potluck Lunch 23 Joan Wade Dottie Edson 30 Marcia Goss Sheryl Goodnough Feb. 6 Doris Grover June Brackett 13 Nancy Hoyt Joan Donhauser 20 Laurie Hair Loretta Downey 27 Sue Beattie Mary Siebert *If you cannot do Coffee Hour on your given day, please try to swap with someone a week or two before or after your date. Thanks! WWW.congchurcheliot.org January 2011 10