Belleville Congregational Church An Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ MISSION OF BELLEVILLE CHURCH Centered in the inclusive love of Jesus Christ, we seek to be a welcoming, affirming, and healing congregation. Led by the Holy Spirit, we are inspired to grow and be renewed through our sharing of our gifts. Strengthened by God s love and guidance, we strive to serve with compassion those in need, both near and far. Please join us for worship, Sundays at 10am in the Fiske Chapel. Rev. Ross Varney leads worship. Children experience a mixture of worship with family and classroom time. Refreshments and fellowship follow after the service. Whoever you are, wherever you are on life's journey, you are welcome here! Visit our website at http://bellevillechurch.org Our new e-mail address office@belleville-church.org 1
CONTENTS Calendar 3 Pastoral Ponderings 4 Roots Concert with The Seldom Scene 5 Bible Exploration & Service Club 6 Easter Lily Order Form 7 Men s Fellowship Dinner and Women s Coffee & Conversation 8 Happy Birthday 9 Adult and Youth Choir 10 Newburyport Choral Society Spring Concert Voices of America: 11 Thrift Shop /Rummage Sale & Silent Auction 12 Ushers & Scripture Readers 13 Coffee hour 14 Contacts 15 2
2019 CALENDAR Sun Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat 7 10am Worship in the Chapel 11:15 Youth choir 14 10am Worship in the Chapel 11:15 Youth choir 21 10am Worship in the Meetinghouse 11:15am Youth choir 28 10am Worship in the Chapel 11:15am Youth choir 1 2 9am Worship & Education 8 7pm CODA 15 7pm CODA 22 7pm CODA 29 7pm CODA 9 7pm NCS 16 7pm NCS 23 7pm NCS 30 7pm NCS 3 6pm Men s Fellowship Dinner 10 9-12 Thrift Shop 7:30pm Stewardship & Finance 17 9-12 Thrift Shop 7pm Executive Board 24 9-12 Thrift Shop 31 9-12 Thrift Shop 3 4 5 6 9-1 Rummage Sale & Silent Auction 11 1pm Bible Exploration 2pm Chair Yoga 6:30pm Choir 18 1pm Bible Exploration 2pm Chair Yoga 6pm Potluck 7pm Last Supper Service 6:30pm Choir 25 1pm Bible Exploration 2pm Chair Yoga 6:30pm Choir 12 13 9-12 Thrift Shop 9am Women s Coffee & Conversation 8pm Roots Concert with Seldom Scene 19 20 9-12 Thrift Shop 26 27 9-12 Thrift Shop 9am NCS
Pastoral Ponderings by Rev. Ross Varney Dear Friends, Easter is very late this year, in fact about the latest it can possibly be! I researched the formula again, and found that Easter is scheduled for the "first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Since March s full moon was the 20th and the equinox was the 21st, that makes for a long wait until the next full moon and its subsequent Sunday! Bottom line: April 21 is about as late as you can get for Easter! "Is this important?" you may ask. It just seems capricious of the sun and moon to play games with our Easter plans! Or it seems irrelevant if Easter comes in late March or late April. Yes, except for one thing: If this year s Easter is a few weeks later than the average date, the probable warm weather may very well affect our celebrations. I remember Easters with snow on the ground, and I remember too many years of trying to play guitar with frozen fingers! A few of us joined East Parish and Central for several years near Salisbury beach. People huddled together with winter hats and mittens on, while the more sane ones were sleeping in! Many years we have worried about the outdoor parts of Easter, whether sunrise worship or egg hunts. Yet Easter is meant to coincide with springtime, as is the intention of the Jewish Passover Festival. So. this year, we have the blessing of a warm springtime for both Passover and Easter. There will be more flowers in bloom, and more time to be outdoors. We have the blessing of nature exemplifying the spiritual truth of rebirth, of new life after death and decay. What we see in nature we transfer to the human journey and the human spirit. It may be easier to have faith in Resurrection Spirit when we see it all around us in the world of nature. What a lovely coincidence we have this year! May we see and feel and experience Resurrection as we observe and the new life blossoming all around us and remember the triumphant life of Christ. He is risen and so are we as we follow him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let s invite friends and get ready some full-throated Hallelujahs. Yours in constant faith and Easter hope, Ross 4
The Seldom Scene, in Concert, on April 13th Belleville Roots Music presents The Seldom Scene, a bluegrass band, in concert at the Belleville Stage, 300 High Street, Newburyport on Saturday, April 13th at 8:00PM. Tickets are $30 in advance/$35 day of show/$10 children 18 and under. The Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland. The Seldom Scene has been instrumental in starting the progressive bluegrass movement as their shows include versions of country music, rock and even pop. What does it take for a bluegrass band to remain popular for nearly 50 years? For The Seldom Scene, it s taken not only talented musicians, a signature sound, and a solid repertoire, but, also, a sheer sense of fun. The Seldom Scene features musicians, Dudley Connell/guitar, vocals, Lou Reid/mandolin, guitar, vocals, Ron Stewart/ banjo, fiddle, Fred Travers/dobro, vocals, and Ronnie Simpkins/ bass, vocals. Refreshments and beer from the Riverwalk Brewing Company will be available. 5
Thursday afternoons at 12:45pm in the parlor. Feel free to bring a lunch. C l u b Will meet on Tuesday, April 2 at 1:30pm. We will begin setting up for the April 6 th Rummage Sale and Silent Auction. 6
Order Form The details: The cost of each plant is $9.75 (cash or check made payable to Belleville Church). Payments may be put in the collection plate, flower coordinator s mailbox or mailed to the church office. Please attach a completed order form to your payment. The deadline for orders is Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019. Order information: Number of plants: In honor of: In celebration of: In memory of: Given by: Please check one of the following: I will take the plant(s) after the service. Please have the plant(s) sent to a shut-in, nursing home etc. Questions: Please contact Shirley Locke at 978-317-8647 7
Men s Fellowship Dinner Wednesday, april 6 th Gather at 6pm, dinner at 6:30pm Women s Coffee and Conversation Saturday, April 13 th from 10 11:30am, in the parlor. NOTE TIME CHANGE 8
April MAY 2 Lynn Varney 8 Robert Gandolfi 5 Kelly Burke-Anderson 8 Chapel Allard 9 Wyatt Allard 9 Hans Erwich 12 Lynne Hangen 12 Jean Mantarian 15 Sue Heersink 12 Tayla Ipbuken 15 Petey Conway 12 Alexa Cedolin 18 Nancy Canali 13 Daryl Fay 20 James Gorman, Jr. 14 Martha Kelleher 21 Donald Jay 16 Jen Lovejoy Gandolfi 23 Nancy Tsakirgis 22 Carol Beauparlant 26 Tim Conway 26 Tess Schmidt 27 Nancy Lewis 30 Norma Dean 30 Mel Woodman 31 Amy Schmidt 9
Thursday evenings at 6:30pm Youth choir rehearses Sunday mornings after the 10am Worship service. 10
Newburyport Choral Society 2019 Spring Concert: Voices of America Where: Belleville Congregational Church, 300 High St., Newburyport Dates: Sat. & Sun., May 4 & 5 Time: Sat. 8 p.m.; Sun. 4:00 p.m. Cost: Adults $22; Seniors/Students $20; $25 at the door* The NCS Spring Concert Voices of America will celebrate the contributions of outstanding American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. The concert will feature Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Aaron Copland's Old American Songs, and the New England premiere of a new work by contemporary composer Andrew Maxfield. Through the inspiring music of these composers, our audience will be connected to different dimensions of the best of the American spirit. The choral society s 135 singers, 2 professional vocal soloists and orchestra will be conducted by NCS Music Director Dr. George Case. *Advance tickets recommended. General Admission doors open an hour before the concert. For tickets and information, visit newburyportchoralsociety.org. 11
BELLEVILLE THRIFT SHOP OPEN WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS FROM 9AM TILL NOON. & Silent Auction Saturday, April 6 th, 9-1 12
USHERS April May 7 Gail Gandolfi 5 The Degiovanni Family - communion 14 The Dean Family Palm Sunday 12 Gail Gandolfi & Carol Beauparlant 21 Easter Sunday TBA 19 Jean Kirkpatrick & Mile Conaway 28 Audrey Clarkson & Mardee Beauparlant Ron Schmidt & Rory Schmidt April May 7 Bill Silsby 5 Joe DeGiovanni 14 Shirley Locke - Palm Sunday 12 Gail Gandolfi 21 Easter TBA 19 Lynn Varney 28 Sue Heersink 26 Nancy Smith 13
April 7 Sue Heersink, Dorothy Williamson & Diana Bondar 14 Sue Wolfendale, Norma Dean & Kathy Raywood Palm Sunday 21 Lynn Varney, Jean Kirkpatrick & Martha Kelleher Easter Sunday NEED VOLUNTEERS!! 28 Lori Wiswell, Kelly Burke-Anderson & Steve Wiswell May 5 Audrey Clarkson, Mary Lou Tyler & Marion Spark 12 Mother s Day -Bill Silsby, Ben Heersink & James Gorman 19 Amy Schmidt, Pam Ellis & Diana Bondar 16 Memorial Day - Potluck 14
Belleville Congregational Church An Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ 300 High Street Newburyport, MA 01950 978-465-7734 bcchurch@worldpath.net bellevillechurch.org Newsletter Submissions Do you have an article that you would like to include in the monthly newsletter? Church Staff & Contact Information Pastor Ross Varney 978-462-4899 Office hours: Tuesday 11 AM 12:30 Wednesday & Thursday 10:30 AM - Noon; or by appointment. If so, please submit your article to the church office by the 20th of each month. Thank you! Church Office 978-465-7734 Valerie Gates, Office Administrator Office hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Church Email: bcchurch@worldpath.net Website: www.bellevillechurch.org Andrea DeGiovanni, Organist & Music Director James Gorman, Sexton Church Officers Moderator: Kelly Burke-Anderson Clerk: Kathy Raywood Treasurer: Jim Samuelson Collector: Norma Dean Memorial Fund Treasurer: Auditor: Members-at-Large (Ex. Board) Shirley Locke & Ben Heersink Contact Persons Board of Fellowship & Outreach: Martha Kelleher Board of Worship & Education: Gail Gandolfi Board of Stewardship & Finance: Bob Locke, Acting chair UCC Delegate: 15 Sunday School Coordinator Flower Coordinator Hospitality Coordinator Audrey Clarkson