October 2015 THE SPIRE The Congregational Church of South Dartmouth United Church of Christ Reverend Douglas Stivison, Pastor Sharing Our Gifts I love the King James Bible phrasing of Paul s observation, that we are each of gifts differing. It is such a poetic way of speaking of our individuality. We are of gifts differing. We each have our own collection of gifts, talents, skills, and life experiences. We see this basic truth at work in our church every day. Within our congregation we have individuals who have immense gifts and talents for music, gardening, teaching, knitting, leadership, planning, financial management, hospitality, and organization. We have individuals blessed with the personal gifts of faith, hospitality, friendship, and nurture. Among us we find energy and enthusiasm; wisdom and judgment. We embrace the cautious and the courageous, the visionary and the practical. Our church not only celebrates our wide range of gifts differing, we also offer a rich array of opportunities to share these gifts in ways that enrich every facet of our life together worship, fellowship, outreach, education, and proclamation. We have all learned that in most things in life, we get out of something pretty much in proportion to what we put into it. Personal relationships, learning a foreign language, or sticking to an exercise plan the principle holds true that the benefits we derive from an endeavor is a function of how much of our time, talent, and attention we give to the process. We have many different ways in which we can use our different gifts and talents to not only enrich the life of the church, but to enrich our own lives as well. When we share our time and gifts and talents with other people, we both strengthen existing friendships and make new friends as well. When we teach, we also learn. Our church presents each and every one of us with a wide range of opportunities to share our gifts. Some opportunities such as serving on our boards and committees ask us to make a serious commitment of time and energy. The church could not function without the people who make this deep commitment and level of contribution to the life of the church. Joining the choir, teaching Sunday School, serving as a Deacon, working with the Green Team, knitting with the Prayer Shawl Ministry, visiting shut-ins with our Care-Giving Team, and all the events of the Woman s Guild and Outreach Ministry quickly come to mind. We also have many opportunities to share our gifts that do not require the same level of recurring commitment yet that offer rich rewards for our participation. Signing up to prepare and serve after-worship fellowship time does not require a continuing commitment, yet it offers a wonderful hands-on opportunity to share your time and talent to foster the quality of our shared fellowship. Even a single Sunday is doable for most people. Please consider signing up to provide and to serve fellowship hour. Consider signing up with a friend to work together on a Sunday fellowship time. It also makes a particularly good multigenerational family enterprise. We have many experienced hands who are happy to help show you the way things are done. We always welcome more adults who can make the commitment to teach Sunday School on an on-going basis as well as to be a willing substitute teacher. We can always use an additional hand to help, too, with the Crib Room. Our safe church policy requires a background check for these positions but that is a quick and simple process. Please consider, too, reading the Scripture on Sunday. All ages and voices are welcome and it is a particularly easy way to dip your toe in the water of expanding your participation in the life of the church. Musicians, too, can share their special gifts in many ways. The most obvious, is to join the choir and attend the Wednesday night rehearsals during which the choir not only learns new music but shares laughter and friendship as well. We also have opportunities to join our special festival choirs to sing only on Christmas or Easter. These festival choirs require participation in only two rehearsals. We all love our sacred space and our lovely church building. But to maintain our historic building we always have projects both small and large that can use the skills of handymen and handywomen. Both our Green Team and Property Team welcome willing hands ongoing as well as for one-time-only specific project. We are of gifts differing. I invite you to consider how you want to share your unique talents in any facet of our shared faith journey that we call the Congregational Church of South Dartmouth. Grace and Peace, Doug
Page 2 Fellowship Ministry Events The Fellowship Ministry has put together a calendar of activities from now through June 2016. We re hoping that you will put these on your own calendar now, even just as tentative plans, and then participate in as many as you can. You can sign up now for the October and November events: Saturday, October 24, evening: Dine Around Sunday, November 15, starting at 1:00pm: Nature walk with refreshments (location TBD) Sign up for either or both events after Sunday service or by emailing peter.cryan@comcast.net (you can also call Terry Cryan at 978-509-8780). We ll provide all the information and details by email or phone and in the Sunday bulletin. 2015-2016 CALENDAR October 24 Dine Around November 15 Nature Walk December TBD January 23 Dine Around February 10 Ash Wednesday Chowder Supper March 19 St. Patrick s Day Potluck April 16 Dine Around May (date TBD) Tentative: Your Theatre production of an Agatha Christie mystery June 4 Dine Around June (later date in June, TBD) Buzzards Bay Brewery Please join us for a great year of fellowship. And we would welcome new members to our planning committee we meet monthly at one of our homes and have a fun evening planning! Fellowship Ministry Terry & Peter Cryan Lee Murray Linda & David Neilson Outreach News Sunday, October 11 will be the annual Neighbors and Need collection. The funds donated this year has been designated for UCC ministries of compassion and justice throughout the US with 1/3 of the total going to 20 UCC congregations on Indian Reservations. The need for volunteers at Sister Rose s continues. The next opportunity is Thursday, October 29. The volunteers need to be available from 9AM-1PM at 636 Purchase Street across from Pilgrim United Church in New Bedford. Signup sheet is in the lower Social Hall. If you are free that morning, give it a try. You are given good instructions and make lots of sandwiches along with good conversation.
Page 3 Guild Luncheon Sunday, October 18 th at 12 noon Please join us at our Guild Luncheon. Destination Soups will be catering our luncheon and our guest speaker will be Elizabeth Lane. The cost will be $5.00 and reservations are required. Please sign up in the lower social hall or contact Linda Paradise at llparadise@comcast.net or the church office. "Every Mile Every Mother: Running for Maternal Health with Every Mother Counts" - Elizabeth Lane from Westport, will speak about her work with the New York-based non-profit initiative, Every Mother Counts, and her experiences running the 2014 New York Marathon, 2015 Mount Kilimanjaro Marathon and the 2015 Chicago Marathon with Team EMC. Founded in 2011 by Christy Turlington Burns in response to her own labor complications delivering her daughter, Every Mother Counts is a maternal health organization that links mothers to providers of essential care by addressing three barriers to maternal health: Transportation, education and supplies. Elizabeth has been fundraising for EMC for three years - raising awareness and funds primarily through organizing and running races. Last spring Elizabeth traveled with Every Mother Counts to run the Mount Kilimanjaro Half-Marathon and witnessed first-hand EMC's impactful work -- a tremendous highlight to what has become a life-changing journey. To learn more about Every Mother Counts work and their current initiatives please visit www.everymothercounts.org. If you would like to support Elizabeth Lane and Every Mother Counts as she runs the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon, please visit her fundraising page: https://www.crowdrise.com/everymothernyc2015/fundraiser/ elizabethlane2 100% of your donation to Every Mother Counts will go directly to their portfolio of programs around the world to ensure that mothers get the care they need. Holiday Fair - Meat Pie Order - November 14, 2015 Large @ $15 each = Small @ $5 each = Make checks payable to: WOMEN S GUILD Available for pick up on or before Nov. 14 th at 11:00 am Name: Phone Number:
Page 4 Douglas Cederberg - Religious Education Religious Education News: The Gift of Charm I have been influenced over the years by a littleknown French philosopher of the twentieth century, Gabriel Marcel. I won t go into much detail about him, but I must say that he has given me a framework and concepts for understanding human existence in a profound way. He worked for the French Red Cross during World War I, undertaking the daily task of informing families that their loved one was killed or missing in action. Being with these families who were facing death, grief, and anxiety in unimaginable ways opened his heart and mind to the deeply valuable meaning of each human being and his/her relationships with others. In this article I want to share his description of charm as a spiritual aspect of a human being who is living with authenticity and the effect this has on others. One writer summarizes Marcel s concept of charm this way: Charm is essentially the capacity of a really alive person to shower life around. Such a person stimulates, refreshes, and renews those she comes into contact with simply through her personal presence. A person with charm is so genuine and full of life that the person who comes in contact with her experiences the freedom to just be himself, to relax and feel valuable, to feel a surge of joy and refreshment. Charm is a spiritual dynamic that captures others in its power. We who gathered recently to hear Renate Hamer tell stories and play her music were totally captivated by her charm. She visited our Youth Fellowship on September 20, and the wide gap between her age and the age of our middle and high school students vanished because of her charm. Even the squirmiest students among us sat still and hung on her every word. I came away with the conclusion that for all the so-called value of acting cool around children, cool is no match for charm. Each student was refreshed and enlivened as a result of contact with her that day. Each student came away feeling valuable simply for being her fellow human being. Renate has lived a full life as a genuine and humble person. She could have read recipes from a cookbook and we would have been charmed. It wasn t just what she said but how she said it and who she is that held us enthralled. We had planned her visit down to the last detail, believing that if everything was under control, then the event would be a success. Therefore, when one hitch or another popped up before and during the meeting, we immediately sought to bring things under control. Now I chuckle about it all. It was not our managerial abilities that captured the day, it was charm. We all were cleansed in a shower of authentic human life. How wonderful! If education is about lessons learned, then we had a real religious education that day! Perhaps our Department of Religious Education at the Congregational Church of South Dartmouth has found what it is that we all so deeply need CHARM. Pastoral Concerns Doug Cederberg Please don t forget to call or email the church office with information on any hospital admissions or other pastoral concerns. Regarding the sharing of announcements of death, this will be up to the family in consultation with Pastor Doug. As we try to be respectful of individual and family wishes, please let us know how you would like this information shared with the congregation. Thank you for helping us stay in tune to the needs of our church family.
Page 5 Church Council News The Council met for their monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2015. There was much discussion on several important issues. Highlights include: The council learned of a generous bequest from the Huidekoper estate. While the exact amount is not yet known it appears that it will be a substantial sum. Doug Cederberg gave a presentation on a possible mission trip. His proposal is to stay closer to home this time than in previous trips. There are projects and needs throughout the Greater New Bedford community and Doug suggests we explore the possibility of a week of activities right in New Bedford saying it makes sense to involve ourselves with a place that is geographically close by but far away in terms of life circumstances. A service project encourages relationship development and strengthening. We would be able to see the fruits of our labors and have points of reference as we travel through the community as a visual reminder of the project. It would be a multigenerational mission. The Council was enthusiastic about this type of mission trip and voted to have Doug proceed in exploring a 2016 mission trip in New Bedford to take place after school adjourns for the summer. Finance noted that the budget development is in process. The congregation will vote on the budget at the October quarterly meeting. Kevern Joyce reported on recent problems regarding building security. The most serious was the theft of the Church s TV. Kevern and members of Property want to anticipate and avoid potentially risky situations because they would feel personally responsible if a breakdown in security led to a dangerous situation for a congregant. Council spent a good deal of time discussing our relationship with AA. Pastor Doug reminded us that many AA members are here out of their own volition, and we are performing a ministry; he hopes that there is a way to keep AA as a part of our ministry. Council identified three possible options: 1) end our association with AA; 2) accept groups with a smaller number of people; 3) talk to AA staff again. Council voted to take a middle course by discontinuing the large Friday group (which is generally attended by more than 75 people) and revise guidelines for the two smaller groups. Council will continue to discuss a policy on building usage by non-church groups. Gale Litchfield shared results of the Nepal earthquake special offering: $700 from Outreach, and $994 from the congregation. Sister Rose s soup Kitchen continues to have openings for volunteers. The annual Neighbors in Need offering will be collected on October 11, and the week following. New for Advent this year we will have a mitten tree. Mittens will go directly to shelters or Dartmouth schools. Next council meeting: Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Page 6 Outreach News This is the time of year when Outreach makes decisions about how to allocate church funds to worthy non-profits in the community. One of the responsibilities of Outreach is to make decisions about how to use a percentage of church offerings to support non-profit organizations doing important service work in our community and beyond. We try to spend church funds wisely and where they will have greatest impact. As always, we welcome all suggestions from the congregation about which organizations should be considered. To make a nomination please contact Pam Joyce at pamaram@comcast.net. Or complete the questions below and drop them in the collection plate or church office. Thank you! Name of nominated organization: Any contact Information you may have (name, phone, website): Specific program, if any, in the organization that you feel deserves particular attention: Proposed amount to be allocated (optional): Why this giving opportunity is important to you: Is there a specific connection to our church? (optional): Your name (optional): Please note, we have large print bulletins, as well as, large print hymns available for you every Sunday in the narthex. Please feel free to pick up a copy as you enter church worship or ask for one. Stay Informed! Find us at: Congo Church Website http://congochurchsd.org Provides a link to general information about the church, calendar events, church happenings, Spire Newsletters, and more And the best way to stay informed come to worship on Sunday mornings!
Page 7 A Village Prays Marcia K Hathaway It s finally here! Ten years of our collected e-prayers are in print at last. The book, A Village Prays, by Marcia K Hathaway is available for pre-order by emailing Kathy Pappas. KMPappas@comcast.net. Books can be signed (hopefully) and purchased on Sunday, November 8 following church or at the Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 14. These prayers are a true record of ten years in the life of our Church as well as a mirror on the larger community. They make great keepsakes, gifts, and prayer resources. The price is $14. a copy plus tax.($15. Total) A portion of the proceeds will be donated to our scholarship fund. If you cannot be at church on November 8 or 14, be sure to pre-order a copy. There will be another book event at Barnes and Noble in the near future, but the hope is to provide copies first to those in our congregation who have lived these stories. Adult Religious Education Event The Saints of Padanaram On All Saints Day, Sunday November 1, we will hold a class for all interested participants, following the morning worship service. Barbara Bedell will present a slide show of the plaques and memorials that are in our building and on our church grounds. All Saints Day is the most fitting day of the year to do this, and so we shall. As the scriptures say, We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). Barbara will tell the meaningful stories of the people memorialized in our church and point out where their memorials are located among us. Please mark your calendars and make every effort to attend. It will be a blessing for you! Choir Rehearsal Wednesday 7:00 to 8:30 pm Sunday 9:15 am Save the Date Women s Guild Holiday Fair November 14th
Page 8 Kevin and Jennifer DaPonte (10 years) October 15, 2005 Albert & Hazel Bosworth (61 years) October 16, 1954 Deborah and John Czorny (30 years) October 19, 1985 Jeremy & Anne Whitney (54 years) October 22, 1962 Joseph and Ruby Ormonde (30 years) October 25, 1985 Wedding Anniversaries are listed in the Spire every five years for the first 50, and then each year thereafter! Pastoral Concerns: Pease don t forget to call or email the church office with information on any hospital admissions or pastoral concerns. September Flowers Given By: September 13th Jane Goulet in memory of loved ones. September 20th Steve, Cecelia and Stephanie Roberts in memory of Our Parents. September 27th Jim and Lea McBratney in loving memory of Lea s parents, Mary and Carol Ventura and her brother, Ray Ventura.
Page 9 The Congregational Church of South Dartmouth October 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 AA 7 pm LSH Rummage Sale 5-7 Rummage Sale 9-12 4 10am Worship Family Worship World Communion 5 Boy Scouts 6 7 7-8:30 Choir Rehearsal 8 AA 7 pm LSH 9 AA 6 pm LSH 10 11 10am Worship Neighbors in Need Collection 12 Columbus Day 13 7pm Ministry Meetings 14 7-8:30 Choir Rehearsal 15 AA 7 pm LSH 16 Wedding Rehearsal AA 6 pm LSH 17 Wedding 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 10am Worship Guild Luncheon Boy Scouts 7 pm 7pm Council Meeting 7-8:30 Choir Rehearsal AA 7 pm LSH AA 6 pm LSH Dine Around 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 10am Worship Congregational Meeting 11am Boy Scouts 7-8:30 Choir Rehearsal CCNS Halloween Parade AA 7 pm LSH CCNS Halloween Parade AA 6 pm LSH Calendar Subject to Change
Rev. Douglas Stivison stivison@earthlink.net Church Telephone: 508.993.6676 Robin Lake, Office Administrator congochurchrobin@comcast.net The Congregational Church of South Dartmouth United Church of Christ 17 Middle St., PO Box 80608 South Dartmouth, MA 02748-0608 http://congochurchsd.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Holiday Craft Fair November 14th Preorder your meat pies! (Order form enclosed) The Spire Newsletter is available in paper form. If you would like a copy mailed to your home please let us know at 508/993-6676 or at congochurch@comcast.net or leave a note in the church office.