April 2018 Circuit Rider First Congregational Church of Lebanon 588 Exeter Road ~ P.O. Box 125, Lebanon, CT 06249 www.lebanonfirstcong.org We seek to demonstrate God s Spirit through worship, witness, and ministry to the needs of the people in the church and the community. Rev. Dr. Robert J. Wright, Jr., Interim Pastor Nancy Magnuson, Secretary Pastor s Office Phone: 860-642-2557 Office Phone: 860-642-6179 Cell Phone: 860-942-7239 Email: Lebfirstcong@att.net Email: revrwright@gmail.com Church Kitchen Phone: 860-642-7000 Derek Waldron, Director of Music Email: WaldronsStudio88@gmail.com Teresa Bielecki, Website/Facebook Coordinator Email: teresabielecki@yahoo.com Margaret McCaw, Moderator Michelle Kersey, Clerk Email: colgate62@yahoo.com Phone: 860-642-7411 Phone: 860-642-6232 Keith Kersey, Chair of Board of Deacons Tim Fields, Chair of Board of Trustees Email: rkkersey@charter.net or rkkersey@gmail.com Phone: 860-642-7849 Phone: 860-642-7411 Cell: 860-377-5309 Karen Ziel, Co-Chair of Brd. of Christian Education Barbara Clark, Co-Chair of Brd. of Christian Education Email: karenziel54@gmail.com Phone: 860-933-8257 Phone: 860-917-9541 Amy Kirkpatrick, Chair of Board of Outreach Phone: 860-642-5567 Our Prayer List Joyce Cady John Champe Helen Champe Joan Dutko David Fields Betty Forrest Jim Forrest Norma Geer Judi Larsen Janet Lewis Fay Morehouse Ellen Pelkey Norma Peterson Barbara Rodman Chet Ryan Ruth Tilley Lucy Todd Nancy Schwartz Neil Whitehead Fred Wright Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ... ~1 Peter 1:3
Pastor s Corner It s Holy Week; I dare say the very holiest seven days of every year for us, as Christians, as people of faith who maintain the belief in a crucified and Risen Savior known to us and loved by us as Jesus Christ. This year, as perhaps you ve noticed, Easter arrives on April 1st, known and treated by many as April Fool s Day. The pranks of the day will begin with us hosting the Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30 on a frozen, snow-laden earth, on the Green with no green visible. Our only hope is in a glorious sunrise to make this Fool s Day observance worth our foolish efforts to be here, probably more bundled up as though for Christmas rather than spring s Easter. I ve joked that perhaps we ll have yet one more nor easter as nature s prank on all of us. But in the days leading up to Easter Sunday, the holiness of reliving the passion story begins on Thursday s dusk with the Service of Tenebrae and a reenactment of the Last Supper. There s no sermon, only the sacrament. Yet everyone who makes the effort to attend is moved, often to tears, as the gospel of Mark s accounts of Jesus journey to the cross are read by some of our deacons. One by one, the candles on the communion table are snuffed out to symbolize the darkening of the world as Jesus is betrayed, taken prisoner, mocked and beaten, denied by his closest, deserted by his followers, and handed over to be crucified. Then, on the following day, known as Good Friday, we will gather again to focus on his final life s journey, his trek through the holy city s streets to the hill called Golgotha, there to be crucified, humiliated, and mocked still more. All of these horrid happenings have become holy; and that s no April 1st humor. No, all of this inspires our holiness as we recognize in the Lord the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Please come; the honor of your presence is requested. The time of our Holy Week Services are listed below. With God s blessings, Bob Lenten Schedule (All services at our church unless otherwise noted.) March 29th March 30th April 1st Maundy Thursday Service ~ 7:00 p.m. Good Friday Service ~ 2:30 p.m. Easter Sunrise Service and Breakfast ~ 6:30 a.m. Easter Service ~ 10:00 a.m.
Loft-y Thoughts ~ April 2018 It is April the month of showers. Somewhere in my still unpacked boxes of memories, there is a suncatcher (window ornament) of a little girl with an umbrella. The story, as told by my mom, is that way out west in the beautiful farmlands of America there were long periods of drought and endurance. The farmers and their families would go to church to pray for rain. The young girl in the suncatcher is the only one to bring an umbrella. The story ends here and I guess we can imagine the ending for ourselves. Over the years, many hours of mine have been spent in prayer, not always in the formal setting of a church, more likely when behind the wheel of my car. It seemed at those times to be similar to a confessional, where we can talk one-on-one with the One we have been taught to listen to. Much of that time, a thought might enter my mind, as the sun rises or sets, or when twilight comes to draw us into sleep. Sometimes a word spoken by a friend or a shared private moment when one discloses a physical or emotional problem, needs to be taken care of when prayer begins and we ask for the patience of an answer. The sun shines, warmth envelops us, and we breathe in and out slowly ready to move ahead. You know that I am not in Kansas anymore, Toto. My view of church is from a distance, but I can picture Sunday morning worship service actually where everyone sits in the pews, the choir, the usher, the participants for that morning. It comforts me to know it is still a vital, worshipping community of caring people. I like to believe in that and them, and the little girls who pray for rain and carry umbrellas. I love the faith they exhibit. And I thank God. I have so much to say thank you for. Weather brings change, and change can be good. But don t forget to carry an umbrella! Happy Easter. Just a Note, Jean Souter April Birthdays 4th ~ Jesse Soileau 5th ~ Tim Fields 9th ~ Neil Whitehead 10th ~ Kayla Osga 11th ~ Izabella Garceau 12th ~ Danielle Boisvert 18th ~ Cecilia Wilkosz 21st ~ Marilu Randall 29th ~ Amy Hopkins 29th ~ Peggy McCarthy
All Church Spring Bazaar April 28th 2018 Time: 9:00 am-2:00 pm Breakfast Goodies & Light Lunch will be prepared by Food for the Soul Church Venders - (open to Members and Friends) are invited to setup a table and sell their wares. Church Committees and Boards are invited to setup a table and raise money for your organization or missions. Bake Sale Fair Trade Items Raffle Baskets Church made items Inspired by South Africa Round Robin Crafters Donations needed for two Themed Rummage Sales - How does your Garden Grow? New or used garden / lawn items. Clean out your garage or garden shed and pass it on. Suggestions Garden Tools, Watering cans, Pots, Seeds, Lawn furniture, Yard Games, if you can enjoy it outdoors that s what we would like. Colors of Spring - New or gently used items that are the colors of spring. Pinks, greens, yellows, blues, & whites. Suggestions Table Linens, Napkins, Vases for fresh flowers, yarn or crafts, if it reminds you of spring or the lovely warm days ahead that s what we would like. Everyone is encouraged to participate. Any questions please contact Janet Lewis, Tracy Kelley or church office From your Hospitality Committee We have placed a sheet on the divider in the Fellowship Hall for anyone that wants to sign up to help host a Sunday or wants to have a cake for a special event birthday, anniversary, etc. The name of the person in charge of that Sunday is at the bottom of the sheet. You can contact them for any help you might need. We appreciate any assistance for this time of fellowship. Easter Egg Hunt ~ April 1st The Board of Christian Education invites all children in fourth grade and under to our annual Easter egg hunt on April 1st. Please meet at the back of the Fellowship Hall following the service. Bags will be provided. Bible Study Weekly Bible Study meets Wednesday mornings at 9:30 in the Memorial Room. Everyone is welcome to come and join in the lively discussion and the deepening of our faith, as well as, our relationships with one another. Please plan to attend as we seek to deepen our faith together.
Why choose Silver Lake? Silver Lake is a place to Summer 2018 at Silver Lake Conference Center Summer Camp for grades 4 through 12. find your voice. grow roots. become a leader. experience God s unconditional love. Join us for an Open House May 20th Calendars are available on the desk in the church foyer. Register on-line at silverlakect.org. Thank You! The Board of Outreach and the Deacons served dinner at the First Baptist Church in Willimantic on Thursday, March 8th. Thank you for your donations of baked goods and fresh fruit for dessert. We served around 50 gracious guests. Save these Dates ~ Please save these dates for this year s dinners at the First Baptist Church in Willimantic. We will be serving dinner on May 30th, August 29th and October 31st. Shifrin Family Dinner With your help, the community raised nearly $6300.00 for the Shifrin Family. Thank you! Helping Sutherland Springs Rebuild Our congregation will be sending cards of concern and a donation of $200.00 to the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas. First Baptist is rebuilding their sanctuary and their lives after a tragic mass shooting in the fall of 2017. Please remember them in your prayers as they move forward in their faith. Fair Trade Market Products On every fourth Sunday of the month, Fair Trade Market Products will be available for purchase during Coffee Hour. Stop by our table and see what s new. Stock up on your favorite chocolate bars before summer. Chocolate products will be limited during the summer time. Holy Joe s Café is a Coffee House Ministry for UCC military chaplains and troops in the Middle East. Chaplains invite U.S. Service Members into a safe and informal place, a coffee house, where they can receive spiritual care and good coffee. Congregations can support the ministry project by sending Equal Exchange coffee to the military chaplains through the Wallingford Congregational Church. A donation jar and more information will be on the coffee table on Sunday.
Pastoral Search Committee Update The Pastoral Search Committee would like to announce the unanimous election of Reverend Doctor Stanley William Sencabaugh as the new settled pastor of the First Congregational Church of Lebanon. Following the worship service on March 18, 2018, at which he preached, Reverend Will (as he likes to be called) was voted in at an all church meeting. He and his wife, Julie, are looking for a house in Lebanon and will be moving from their current home in Deerfield, MA, to Lebanon in time to begin preaching here on June 3, 2018. Both Will and Julie are excited about this new chapter of their lives and the PSC committee is equally excited about this new chapter for our church. We would like to thank all who were able to attend the tea, luncheon, and/or breakfast prior to the service on the 18th. We hope that you found that time valuable and were able to chat with Reverend Will. We would also like to thank the many people who helped make the candidate weekend go smoothly. Many thanks to Nancy Magnuson, Linda Wagner, Linda Wallace, Jorge and Evan Dias, Ted Colwell, the Food for the Soul Committee (Geri McCaw, Tom Boisvert, Vanessa Coutu, Jim Gillespie, Jorge Dias, Dawn Drum, and Phil, Lyn, and Bryce Johnson), Tracy Kelley, Jody Waldron and the Flower Committee, the Trustees (with special thanks to Tim Fields), the Deacons, Karen Ziel and Maggie McCaw. We would also like to thank the original pastoral search committee (Linda Wagner, Janet Barton, Ken Beaudoin, Vanessa Coutu, Jim Gillespie, Audra Holmes, Sara Olearnick, Chet Ryan, Hailey Tompkins, and Phil Ziel) again for laying the groundwork for the current committee. When extending gratitude, there is always the possibility of leaving someone out, so we apologize in advance if we inadvertently forgot to mention someone. Lastly, we want to express our appreciation for all church members who were able to attend and participate in the voting process which finalized the election of Reverend Will. In faith, Ellen Bauwens, Teresa Bielecki, Priscilla Donnelly, Amy Hopkins, Phil Johnson, Skip Kuzel, Don Lavoie, Edna Pelto, and Mark Tollman (Tom Boisvert, alternate) High School Senior!! This is a great time to start gathering information for the Scholarship Application. Think about your activities in the Church this spring and previously. Application forms are on-line and there are copies in the basket on the desk in the church foyer. If you have any questions, please, contact a Deacon.