THE VINEYARD Newsletter of The Lockport United Church of Christ 98 East Avenue - Lockport, New York Open to God s Spirit, we reach out in Love to the World and invite All to journey with us An Open and Affirming Congregation April May 2019 Holy Week Worship Schedule Palm Sunday ~ April 14-10:30 am Holy Week begins with our Palm Sunday service. Our morning worship will center on this theme, led by Rev. Martin Hamann, who will be with us for all the Holy Week services. Maundy Thursday ~ April 18-7:30 pm Our journey through Holy Week continues with a Maundy Thursday service in the Chapel. Always a moving worship experience centering around the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. Easter Sunday ~ April 21-10:30 am The events of Holy Week culminate in the glorious celebration of Easter Sunday on April 21. Our worship service will include the sharing of Holy Communion. Easter Breakfast Before the Easter worship, you re invited to join us for breakfast. We will be serving juice & coffee, with a variety of breakfast items. Breakfast serving begins at 9:00 am. In This Issue * Dinners *Food Pantry Collection *Easter Offering Pg. 2 *Good Friday Services *Order Easter Plants *How to Reach Us Pg. 3 *The Search Begins Pg. 4 *Spring Tea & Raffle Pg. 5 *Spring Luncheon *Those Who Serve *Financial Report *Church Cemetery Pg. 6 *Birthdays & Anniv. *UCC Offering Pg. 7 *Adult Study *Church Picnic *Church Council *Shut-ins Pg. 8 Church Calendars Last Page
Dinners for April & May Our Lenten, Simple Prayer dinners continue each week. We have 3 more in April. Each week there is a Hearty Soup and a Vegetarian Soup, with bread and crackers. Assorted Desserts & Beverages. April 3 23 Bean with Ham Cream of Broccoli & Cheese April 10 Turkey vegetable with Noodles Lentil April 17 Taco Soup Potato & Corn Chowder An envelope is available in this newsletter for your Easter gift to the church. It may be placed in the offering plate on Easter, or any other Sunday, or mailed to the church. Extra e n velopes are available in the church narthex. Checks should be payable to Lockport UCC. Thank You! (If you are receiving this online, with no envelope, just include a note with your check that it is your Easter donation.) Then our regular community dinners will resume on the 4 th Wednesdays. Dinners will be held on April 24 & May 22 Dinners are served at 6:00 pm. They are free and open to anyone in the community. If you have any questions, or would like to lend a hand, speak to Edna Stubbs. (751-9895) Palm Sunday Food Pantry Collection On April 14 we will be collecting your donations for the local food pantry during our morning worship service. These will help give someone s family an Easter dinner. (If it s too hard for you to bring a bag of food to the church, a donation of money works, too.) THE VINEYARD A publication of The Lockport United Church of Christ 98 East Avenue Lockport, New York 14094 (716) 433-2545 Editor: Cyndy Corrieri (716) 772-7602 ccorrieri@rochester.rr.com The Vineyard is published bi-monthly to keep members and friends informed of programs of the church and news of its people. Submissions Welcome Deadline for Next Issue: May 19, 2019 The Vineyard Page - 2 April - May 2019
Good Friday Services There are no plans to have a community Cross Walk this year. If you would like to attend a Good Friday service, some churches in Lockport will be offering one. Emmanuel United Methodist will hold a service at 12:00 noon. First Presbyterian and First English Lutheran will both hold services at 7:00 PM. Order Your Easter Plants Please help us decorate the sanctuary for Easter Sunday by ordering one or more plants for the altar. Memorials will be printed in the Easter bulletin. You may take your plants home after the Easter morning worship service. (Checks should be payable to Lockport UCC.) Plants will be ordered April 3, but we will have extras available. There are forms to order in the church narthex, or call Cyndy at 772-7602 Plants available are: Easter Lilies, 6" pot (5+ blooms) - $12.00 ea. Mums, 6" pot - $11.00 ea. - yellow, white, purple, assorted Tulips (no color choice), 6" Premium - $9.00 ea. Daffodils (yellow only), 6" Premium - $9.00 ea. Hydrangea, 6" (3 blooms) - $23.00 ea. - pink, blue, assorted Check Out Our Website Our complete newsletter (in COLOR) as well as lots of other great information is available on our website. Check it out at: lockportucc.com If you would like to receive your newsletter via e-mail, just send your e-mail address to Cyndy at ccorrieri@rochester.rr.com It s a quick and easy way to get your newsletter, and it will save the church money. How to Reach Us Church Office 98 East Ave. 433-2545 lockportunited@roadrunner.com Secretary/Treasurer Cyndy Corrieri phone: 772-7602 e-mail: ccorrieri@rochester.rr.com Just a Reminder If you re admitted to the hospital, please register your church affiliation as Lockport UCC. If you would like a visit, a call to the church office is appreciated. The Vineyard Page - 3 April - May 2019
The Search Begins Our Search for a new pastor will be officially underway as of March 31. On that day, we will be taking the first step by electing a Pastoral Search Committee. Two days later the committee will meet to get organized and make plans about how to proceed. The committee will be working with Rev. Gary Ferner, a representative from the New York Conference, who will provide us with resources and advice about the process along the way. One of the first tasks for the committee will be to develop a profile of our church which will be shared with potential candidates. We will be inviting all of you to be part of a self-study process that will identify our church s imagination for the future and our pastoral needs. This vision will be an important part of our church profile, so we hope that every member will participate and take this opportunity to share their views. Once our profile is prepared, our Conference will advertise our open position to UCC clergy across the country. Then our Search Committee will read ministerial profiles, screen candidates, conduct interviews, check references, and eventually select a candidate who will be recommended to the entire congregation. Our goal will be to elect, in a unified way, a new pastor whose gifts God can use with us and among us for the sake of the Gospel. This is an exciting time for our church! A time for new possibilities and envisioning our future. During this time of searching, we will continue to be the church with worship, fellowship, Bible study, fund-raisers and mission, while we care for and support one another as we always have. We invite you all to share this journey, as we discover what new thing God will do in our midst. The Vineyard Page - 4 April - May 2019
Victorian Tea & Theme Basket Raffle Saturday, May 4 Noon to 3 pm We re coming down to the wire for our annual Spring fund-raiser, and we need your help to make it a successful event! We will be here on Friday, May 3, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm to set up. Baskets and food items may be dropped off then. Theme Baskets Needed It is helpful for us to have the raffle baskets ahead of time, but must be brought in by the day before the event at the latest. Our goal is to have over 100 baskets, so please consider donating a basket or gift certificate. Spring & Summer themes are good, but may be any theme you like, and should contain new items valued at about $25 to $30 each. Please use clear cellophane to wrap it, rather than colored bags. We have bags available for 50 each. A tag listing what s in the basket is also very helpful. Once your baskets are ready, they can be brought to the church at any time. Money is Helpful, too! If you prefer not to assemble a basket, a donation of money will be appreciated just as much. It will enable us to shop and make one for you. Please give your donation to Cyndy, or just place it in the collection plate. Food and Helpers Needed We will be needing donations of food for the buffet tea, such as sandwiches and desserts. A complete list of the items needed will be in the narthex, or you can speak to Edna Stubbs (751-9895) about what to bring. We will also be needing helpers on Friday and Saturday to set up, serve, work in the kitchen, clean up, etc. There will be a sign up sheet for that, too, or let Edna know when you will be able to help. Reservations If you have a large group coming, and would like to reserve a table for the tea, please call Edna. (751-9895) Buffet Style Victorian Tea Served Continuously Throughout Tea sandwiches, scones, breads, desserts, and more Free Will Offering for Tea Buffet Large Variety of Theme Baskets to be Raffled Raffle drawing begins at 3:00 pm (Need not be present to win) Tickets: sheet of 25 for $5 or 5 for $20 Please see Cyndy Corrieri (772-7602) if you have questions about baskets. The Vineyard Page - 5 April - May 2019
Spring Luncheon Once again this Spring the Women s Guild would like to invite members and friends to gather for our annual luncheon. (Men are welcome, too!) It will be held on May 15 th, 12 noon, at the Fieldstone Restaurant. We will need to make a reservation, so please let us know you re coming by signing the sheet in the narthex, or by calling Cyndy at 772-7602. Please sign up by May 5. In the interest of keeping the congregation informed, the Church Council has opted to publish a thumbnail sketch of our church finances in each newsletter. General Fund Summary January 1 thru February 28, 2019 Income from Pledges & Offerings 6,431.70 Other Income 435.00 Total Income 6,866.70 Total Expenses 5,444.19 If anyone has questions at any time about our finances, please feel free to contact me. I am always happy to speak with you. Those Who Serve Nursery Staff Bobbi Gritzmacher &??? Cyndy Corrieri, Treasurer 772-7602 ccorrieri@rochester.rr.com Cookies Coffee Time after Sunday worship April Sue Cruickshank & Jill Driskel May Edna Stubbs &??? Greeters April??? May Nancy Sy (??? means that we need another volunteer) Liturgists April May 7 - Nancy Sy 5 - Ken Klino 14 - Nancy Bowes 12 - Bobbi Gritzmacher 21 - Sam Corrieri 19 - Nancy Sy 28 - Edna Stubbs 26 - Nancy Bowes Our Church Cemetery Memorial Day is coming up. It might be a good time to think about purchasing a cemetery plot. Plots in St. Peter s Cemetery are available for $800 each. If you would like to purchase plots, just call Dan Holler at 433-1385 and he will be happy to help you with that. The Vineyard Page - 6 April - May 2019
1 Edna Stubbs 2 Mary Wintersteen 4 Susan VanderWeide 5 Naomi Dice 13 Tammy Dodge 19 Nolan Dodge 23 David Mullaney 30 Beverly Yotter 3 Susan Hagenbach 3 Don Henning 5 Elaine Babcock 6 Audrey Woolson 7 David Brandl 8 Beth Granchelli 13 Erin Bowes 15 Jean Haylett 18 Laura Liebovitch 18 Roland Holler, Sr. 18 Linda VanderWeide 25 Kim Rongo 26 Brandon Le 27 Ashley Pike 31 Mary Bennett 31 Lucinda Hohle HAPPY ANNIVERSARY April 20, 1985 Debra & David Mullaney Strengthen the Church UCC Offering Each day, visions and dreams are created in the hearts of many in the United Church of Christ. Through the Strengthen the Church offering, they can become a reality. As God calls our congregations to be church in new ways, your gift will plant new churches, awaken new ideas in existing churches, and develop spiritual life in our youth and young adults. Because of this offering, many more will hear the good news that God is still speaking. Strengthen The Church (STC) is a special mission offering to re-imagine and build the future of the UCC. Shared at the conference and national levels, STC largely supports youth ministries and full-time leaders for new churches in parts of the country where the UCC voice has not been heard. We will be accepting donations to the Strengthen the Church offering throughout May. There will be offering envelopes in the narthex at church, or just mail your gift to the church. Please make checks payable to Lockport UCC. Happy May 12 The Vineyard Page - 7 April - May 2019
Discussion Group continues to meet each Thursday evening at. In April and May we will be finishing up a series entitled Parables From the Backside. Then we will do a short study of the book of Ecclesiastes, before we break for the summer. If you d like to join us, please let Cyndy know so we can have study materials prepared for you. Tuesday Bible Study The Tuesday morning Bible study group meets each week at 10:00 am. Members of the group lead a discussion of the lectionary scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday. To Our Shut-in Members LaVerne Rongo Briarwood Manor - 1001 Lincoln Avenue Lockport, NY 14094 Linda Grimble Millie Wilson Elderwood - 104 Old Niagara Rd. Lockport, NY 14094 Mary Bennett Naomi Dice Heritage Manor - 41 Lexington Court Lockport, NY 14094 Glenn Tall - Mary & Dave Wintersteen Lockport Rehab & Health Care Center 909 Lincoln Avenue - Lockport, NY 14094 Looking Ahead... The date for our summer picnic has been set for August 4. We will be at Veteran s Park in Gasport again. (Details in our next newsletter) So plan to join us! Church Council Meeting Dates The Church Council is scheduled to meet, following the morning worship services, on: April 14 and May 12 No, Peter Cottontail was not an apostle. The Vineyard Page - 8 April - May 2019
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY April 2019 1 2 Search Comm 6pm 3 Dinner 6:00pm 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dinner 6:00pm 11 12 13 10:30 am 14 Palm Sunday 11:30 am Council 15 16 17 Dinner 6:00pm 18 Maundy Thurs Worship 7:30 pm 19 20 21 Easter Sunday 9:00 am Breakfast 22 23 24 Dinner 6:00pm 25 26 27 10:30 am 28 29 30 31 Samaritan Pastoral Counseling meets by appointment 1:00 pm Search Comm
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY May 2019 Samaritan Pastoral Counseling meets by appointment 1 2 3 10 am - 5 pm Tea Set-up 4 12:00-3:00pm Tea & Raffle 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 10:30 am 12 11:30am Council 13 14 15 Spring Luncheon 12:00 noon 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Dinner 6:00pm 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31