January 25, 2015 Volume LV Number 2 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 Our Annual Meeting is this Sunday and it will be a full meeting from voting on our proposed 2015 budget to electing officers and committee members. Additionally, we will hear a report from our Faith for the Future team and consider two important resolutions directly related to our building projects. It is a significant day in the life and future of our church and I hope as many people as possible will attend. Treasurer: Director of Music: Sexton: John Kreitler treasurer@laconiaucc.org K. Robert Bengtson Chuck Laurent For me, our Annual Meeting is also a day to remember and to say thank you to all of the wonderful folk who have made the past year a good one. And so allow me to say thank you! Thanks to each and every one who has rolled up their sleeves, served on a committee, attended worship, offered a prayer, shared your gift of music, contributed to our operating budget or Faith for the Future Campaign, knit for Stitches of Love, provided food for a reception or a coffee hour, not to mention all those who have quietly shared 1
their love, faith and service in the name of Jesus Christ. Thanks for everything! Ours is a wonderful and faithful church. It is an honor to serve with you. In faith, Warren P.S. All are invited to attend worship at 9:30 a.m. this Sunday! There is only one service on the day of our Annual Meeting! New Members If you are interested in becoming a member of the Congregational Church of Laconia, United Church of Christ or would like more information regarding membership please speak with Warren or Paula at your earliest convenience. A Note from Paula This past Sunday morning we sang the hymn, Thank Our God for Sisters, Brothers in worship. It is a hymn of Christian unity. The first line in the second verse is still ringing in my head this morning (Tuesday) Praise to God for congregations, keeping faith with Christ as guide; Many tongues of many nations, song and service unified. We don t all think the same, belong to the same political party or have the same passions; but we all do try to be faithful people following Christ s teachings as our guide. It is such a joy to serve alongside so many gifted, talented and passionate people sharing Christ s light and love in the world. As I write this I am feeling so very grateful to be a part of this church and community. I would be remiss if I didn t express my appreciation for the choir and the bell choir who add so much to our worship time together. Thanks to all! So many differences all united as one in Christ Praise GOD! Blessings Paula 2
Sunday School Update Sunday School touches the lives of our children in more ways than we know. Before Christmas Betsy Kelly sent me this picture (on right) of her grand-daughter Grace and a picture she drew on a white board. Betsy said: Grace did this completely on her own on a Monday. That's Moses on top of the mountain, and the people waiting down below. Translation: "Moses went up the mountain to get the 10 commandments." Our youngest children continue to learn the stories of the Bible through the Worship Center curriculum. This is our third year using this curriculum and we can see from Grace s picture the stories last in the children s heart and mind beyond Sunday morning. Many of our members have helped to make this curriculum possible by using their woodworking and creative talents to create the pieces necessary to demonstrate the stories of our faith. It all is brought to life by our faithful and creative storytellers, Diane Lockwood and LuAnn Mussari Geltz, aided each week by Polly Towle who lovingly assists and supports the teachers and the children. The 4 th 9 th grade class continues to thrive using the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum under the talented and dedicated leadership of Diane Tinkham and Jean Clarke. Thank you to all to share in sharing our faith with our children. 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
Educational Ministries Committee Needs You! Do you enjoy seeing the bright and smiling faces of children at Church? Do you appreciate it when one of our youth participates in the service or talks about future plans and ideas? Do feel a deep sense of joy and wonder as you see a child grow and change from week to week and year to year? Do you ever see a young adult in church and suddenly remember when he was Baby Jesus in the Christmas Pageant? The members of the Ed. Min. value every opportunity for our children and youth to be a part of our Church community. We work closely with Rev. Paula Gile to organize the educational needs of our Church and select and support our teachers. We are responsible for offering opportunities such as Horton Center, Vacation Bible School and weekly Sunday School classes. We meet on the second Monday of the month to plan, discuss and brainstorm ways to encourage involvement in our Church community. We need one additional person to join our committee and it could be you! Please speak to Paula Gile or Diane Tinkham if you are interested or have any questions. Prepared to Serve Saturday February 21 st, 9 3:30 at the Pembroke Academy in Pembroke The New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ holds a wonderful time of worship and learning each year. It is only $40 for the day and it includes lunch. You can choose from a large number of diverse offerings for workshops. Workshops on spiritual practice, a wide variety of justice issues, serving food safely at large gatherings, praying with art and financial practices! There is something for everyone! Go online to learn more and to register at www.nhcucc.org or call the office for more information. 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. 4
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. Sweaters Traveling to India Pictured above are 28 sweaters knit by Stitches of Love for the preschool children in the crèches of Help-Kids-India. This batch of sweaters was given directly to Ann Peck when she visited in November. This is an ongoing project with the goal of having another 22 sweaters completed to mail to Ann in the springtime. 5
Call to Annual Meeting The Congregational Church of Laconia, United Church of Christ, is calling all members to attend the 190 th Annual Meeting of the Church on Sunday January 25 th following our 9:30 a.m. worship service. We will be voting to approve various nominations to committees, the Church budget proposed for the current year, and we will recognize members for special service, review reports, and have an update on our Faith for the Future Capital Campaign which will include a presentation from the Campaign s Building Team. Additionally, we will be voting to approve a resolution to utilize our endowment funds as collateral for a shortterm bridge loan to continue the Capital improvements of our Faith for the Future Campaign. We will consider and vote to approve a lease/easement agreement with the City regarding parking spaces within our new Site Plan. We will also entertain any other business appropriate to come before this meeting. What is the Bible? Beginning on Feb 2 and running every other week for six 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 (beginning Feb 2) from 1:30-3 p.m. or Monday evenings (Feb 2) from 6:30 8 p.m. There is a book available after church from Paula or in the church office for $10. For 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! 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 2/2 2/8 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