February 8, 2015 Volume LV Number 3 The Congregational Church of Laconia United Church of Christ 18 Veterans Square Laconia NH 03246-3425 (603) 524-0668 towertidings@laconiaucc.org (603) 273-0065 fax www.laconiaucc.org Senior Pastor: Associate Pastor: Office Manager: Church Staff Rev. Dr. Warren H. Bouton pastor@laconiaucc.org Rev. Paula B. Gile paula@laconiaucc.org Chris Rawson chris@laconiaucc.org Words from Warren Recently, I ve had the joy of reconnecting with a number of cousins whom I haven t seen in years. It s not like there was ever a rift in the family. It was just a matter of geographical distance (east coast/west coast) as well as busy lives that led to years of silence. But then, I sent a note to let family members know of a change of address for my mother and suddenly I was overwhelmed with friend requests on Facebook as well as phone calls and notes from all over the country. It s been wonderful. Treasurer: Director of Music: Sexton: John Kreitler treasurer@laconiaucc.org K. Robert Bengtson Chuck Laurent 1 We all have people we care about who are at a distance, sometimes it s geographical, but often the distance is emotional or because of hurt feelings. Think about the people in your life. Is there someone who could use a kind word or a note of apology? Is there a person with whom you d like to reconnect? Take a moment pick up the phone, search for them on Facebook, or send a card with a positive, loving word. Life has its challenges as well as joys and through it all it helps to know that there are people who love and care for us always. In faith, Warren
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What is the Bible? Beginning Feb 16 every other week for 5 weeks we will be exploring the Bible. Whether you know a lot about the Bible or hardly anything at all join us. There are two opportunities Monday afternoons from 1:30 to 3 p.m. or Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m. There is a book available after church from Paula or in the church office for $10. Each gathering there will be about 12-18 pages of reading in preparation. Scholarships are available for the books. Here is a short welcome that the book offers; The Bible. Just hearing the word makes some people sing and other people cringe. For some it conjures up images of crusades and inquisitions and preachers shaking their fists at unrepentant sinners. For others it evokes feeling of comfort, joy, warm memories of Sunday School songs and church pageants. Still others respond with an eye to the culture, recognizing the hole that would be left in art, architecture, music, and literature without the rich base of stories and imagery in the pages of the Bible. So what s the deal Come explore with us! It s not too late to join our first gathering is Feb. 16, due to the snow storm! Get your books from Paula or the office. New Members If you are interested in becoming a member of the Congregational Church of Laconia or would like more information regarding membership please plan to attend a gathering in the Youth Room following our 9:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday, February 15 or speak with Warren or Paula at your earliest convenience. At the gathering there will be an opportunity to ask questions and learn about the Congregational Church of Laconia. Worship and Meeting Cancellations On those snowy Sunday mornings or on a night when the forecast calls for ice have you ever wondered whether things have been cancelled or if you should venture out to attend worship or that committee meeting at church? Before you start the car check out the WMUR Closings tab at: http:// www.wmur.com/weather. We are listed as the Congregational Church of Laconia so check the alphabetical listings under C. You can also visit our Facebook page Laconia Congregational UCC. We will do our best to keep you safe and informed! 3
Prepared to Serve A Great Way to Spend a Saturday!! Spending a Saturday at a conference of any sort, never mind a conference focusing on church-related topics, was never high on my list of favorite ways to spend any part of my weekend. However, I decided to give it a try some years ago and signed up for several workshops at Prepared to Serve, an event hosted by the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ. I was a Deacon after all, and it seemed like a reasonable thing for a Deacon to do. In spite of myself I was into full "I will tolerate this" mode that Saturday morning, and off we went to spend a perfectly good weekend day at workshops and worship. REALLY? $40. The schedule and registration information is available in hard copy in the church office and in the narthex of the church. The schedule and instructions for registering are also available at the NH conference website: www.nhcucc.org/ ConferenceMinistries/PreparedToServe. A great turnout from our Laconia church will make the day even better. Try it out! I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Muff Kruse No one could have been more surprised than I to discover this gem of a conference, rich with opportunities to learn, to grow, and to be inspired. No longer am I conflicted about spending a Saturday at Prepared to Serve. These days my only conflict, if you will, is choosing which of the sessions I will attend - there are so many that intrigue me. As a member of this church's ad hoc Open and Affirming Committee, I opted for as many sessions about how to approach the process of becoming a welcoming congregation as I could squeeze into the four break-out session schedule. There were many other equally appealing workshops on a wide variety of topics, ranging from the environment to how to involve young people in worship to managing the aging process. The Prepared to Serve conference will take place on Saturday, February 21 at Pembroke Academy, in Pembroke, NH. It takes about an hour to get there. The cost is 4 Women s Book Group Our next book selection is The Yellow Eyes of the Crocodile written by French author Katherine Pancol. It was named Best Novel of the Year in France and is a thoroughly enjoyable read. We ll meet on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. in the Parish House for the discussion. Contact Nancy Hemlin or Diane Tinkham if you need a book or have any questions.
Advent Calendar Ornaments 2015 Believe it or not it is time to find out who might be willing to make ornaments for the Advent calendars to be sold at the Christmas Fair in November. We distribute the ornaments in Feb. and they are to be completed by the first of August. We supply the materials, patterns, instructions, etc. If this is your first time we will gladly help get you started. For those who have helped in prior years, we hope you will do so again. Please call Pam Kyle (524-0887) or Bobbie Thomas (524-2758) if you re interested. It s a fun project and the funds received go to the Church budget through the Christmas Fair. Let s Make This Fun With construction of the Faith Bridge during Spring and Summer, there will be no Rummage Sale. We need a substitute fund raiser (or two or three) to make up this deficit in our projected budget. We can do some creative thinking and volunteering to head up a project..auction? wreathe sale? Easter candy sale? Yard sale? Christmas cards? Put on your thinking caps and offer volunteer arms and legs to make this happen. In the meantime, Pat Masters says she has room in her basement for rummage that you need to get rid of now. Peg Petrie, Moderator 2015 Photo Directory is in! Hands Across The Table An ecumenical endeavor, HATT is providing a free community meal every Wednesday in the Parish Hall at St. Andre Bessette. Our church family is responsible for providing three of the Wednesday evening meals. The dates for this year are: Feb. 11, April 8 and Oct. 14. Many hands make light work please join us in reaching out to offer a free hot meal for those in financial need, in poor health, or in need of fellowship and support, as well as the homeless and the elderly. Many families with children attend regularly. The Membership Committee received the 2015 Photo Directory in the mail this week. If you had your photo taken by LifeTouch or submitted a personal photo to the committee, you can pick up your copy before or after the 9:30 a.m. service. After Sunday morning, copies will be available in the church office. Copies are limited to one per household. If you did not have your photo taken, we anticipate distributing additional copies as requested. The Membership Committee will be using the remaining copies to help new members get to know our congregation and match faces to names and names to addresses, phone numbers and emails. Thank you for your support. 5
Francis - The Congregational Church of Laconia Outreach Committee has been sponsoring Francis, a young man in Kenya for two years. Francis is one of the students who participates in One Life Africa s program that Linda and Ted Tunnicliffe s daughter and son-in-law run. Below is a portion of a letter to us about how he is doing: Francis Munyao Muteti Graduation Year: 2016 School: Kabaa High School Update December 2014: Francis just completed form 2 and is spending the school break at home in Mathare slums with his parents and 2 siblings. His favorite subject in school is geography. This year, Francis was voted class prefect by his classmates and is responsible for maintaining the discipline of the students. In addition to this, Francis was involved in Journalism club. His greatest challenge was his mother being sick. Despite all this, Francis continues to serve God. He is a member of Christian Union at school and was named Treasurer. Francis is grateful for the chance that has been given to him as a member of OneLife, "My schooling has been simple and I have no stress because school fees are cared for." In the future, Francis wants to study aeronautical engineering and give back to his community by helping the needy and, especially, street children. He wants to provide basic necessities, such as food, clothing, and shelter, to these groups. Francis quietly said, "I want to remove poverty that is hanging over my community." Friday Night at the Movies: Feb. 6 at 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Gilford Public Library, Potter Hill Road, lower level. The second in a series of movies on the Oglala Lakota of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, we will be watching Incident at Oglala produced by Robert Redford and Michael Apted. The film details the 1973 stand-off between federal agents and activists of the American Indian Movement. This 2-hour documentary includes eyewitness interviews, reflections and follows the events leading up to the Imprisonment of Leonard Peltier. All are welcome to attend. Popcorn and drinks will be served. If you would like to receive emails about the Lakota including reading suggestions, movie trailers and website links please email Jean Clarke at clarkefamiy@metrocast.net We are blessed to be able to sponsor this wonderful young man. 6
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T O W E R I D I N G S The Congregational Church United Church of Christ 18 Veterans Square Laconia, NH 03246-3425 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 67 LACONIA NH Friendly Kitchen An Outreach Ministry Salvation Army Lunch (every other month on the second Friday). Coordinators: March 13 - Diane Tinkham May 8 - Nancy Barth July 10 - If you are willing to help with a meal call the monthly coordinator. 8 Tower Tidings Publication Schedule Deadline @ 5 p.m. Issue Date 2/16 2/22 3/2 3/8 3/16 3/22 3/30 4/5 4/13 4/19 4/27 5/3 5/11 5/17 5/25 5/31 6/8 6/14 6/22 6/28 7/27 8/2 8/24 8/30 9/7 9/13