The Federated Church of East Arlington

The Federated Church of East Arlington Meditation, Meanderings and Musings from Pastor Kathy email: ksclark58@yahoo.com Cell 733-2162 Parsonage phone: 375-2427 May 2018 Inside This Issue The word sabbatical comes from the Hebrew word sabbat which we refer to as Sabbath. It is intended to be a time of rest and study and play just like the intention for the Sabbath every seventh day but for an extended period of time. As I am about to embark on my first sabbatical after ten and a half years here at the Federated Church I recognize how much gratitude and hope I am investing in these two months that will begin on May 14 and finish on July 16. The deep gratitude that fills me is for this church and all of you who are blessing me with the gift of this time apart to read and travel and be on retreat and spend time with loved ones. I am grateful that so many of you are willing to take on tasks in my absence and there are still opportunities to help out. The work of church will continue with the hosting of the Shires Marathon(5/20), Celebration Sunday(6/3), the annual outdoor service at the Grange Pavilion (6/17) and the Summer Lunch Program which will begin its 10 th year of feeding hungry children on June 19 th. I am also grateful for the gifted women and men who will lead worship and preach on the Sundays I am away. One hope is that I will use this gift of time away to be more present to the sacred all around me. Often in the day-to-day busyness of meetings, writing, conversations, service, preparation, and worship, there is a tendency to take for granted the beauty and deep meaning in the lives and environment that are fill my life. I plan to document my time away through photography. A personal goal is to take at least one meaningful photograph (and probably many more) each day that captures the concept of the Divine presence. Many of you have asked about my travel plans. They include a 3-day retreat at a convent in Maine at the beginning and another 3- day retreat at a different convent in Connecticut at the end of the time. Inbetween, Roger and I will be spending 15 days out west, beginning at Yellowstone National Park and ending on the Washington and Oregon coasts. The last week of June will be a much dreamed of trip to the country of my grandfather and great-grandparents birth, Croatia. What will make this weeklong journey extra-special is that it will be with my mom, Selene, my 2 sisters and 5 of my nieces. We will be staying in a home overlooking the Adriatic near the city of Split. A number of other day trips are in the works and, of course, the list of books I would like to read may be a tad bit unrealistic but I will give it my best shot. During this time apart I would ask your prayers and please be assured you all will be in mine. May this time moving from spring s blossoming to summer s abundance be filled with joy and peace, dwelling in the blessing of the Almighty. In hopeful gratitude, Kathy Financial Secretary s Report Church Attendance Church Council Birthdays & Anniversaries Helping Hands Fellowship/Coffee hour Altar Flowers Lectionary Readings SW Assoc. Prays for churches Worship and Ministry Mission and Outreach Church dedication 4 Freedom Festival Prayer Shawl Ministry Adventures in Reading Grange Breakfast Lists need names Northshire Marathon Yoga for everybody Summer Lunch SW Association Annual Meeting David s Harp Narrow and Deep Electronic Giving Website News From the Office Clipboards Need Names Arlington Area Food Shelf May Calendar Blanket the World with Love Please submit your articles for the June 2018 issue of the newsletter by May 20th Thank you for your anticipated cooperation! 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 12 12 12 13 14

Page 2 The Federated Church of East Arlington Report of the Financial Secretary, Sandra Grover 2018 Congregational Giving Budgeted: $ 65,000.00 Congregational Giving Received 1/1-4/25 $ 5,183.50 Building Use 1/1-4/25 $ 1,705.00 One Great Hour of Sharing $ 543.61 Thank You! Church attendance (including children) 4/1 21 Sunrise Service 65 10 Children Easter 4/8 39 4 Children 4/15 19 0 Children 4/22 34 3 Children 4/29 42 1 Child Our Church Council The beginning for May will be a start of a fresh restart of spring. I have finally seen some daffodils!! Our pastor will start her sabbatical on May 14 th and Fred Kerner has worked on all aspects of worship and ministry. Dunlap Hall is freshly painted inside and the windows have been replaced and we can now open them for our great Vermont air. The steeple will be painted in very late spring! The website is almost finished, can t wait to see it. The TV for the sanctuary is ordered and will have a cabinet built for it by Olavi and Mary. The Church and Bailey Hall have replaced 143 light bulbs to more efficient bulbs! Olavi is working on replacing all the lights in the chandeliers in the sanctuary. Did you ever think we had that many lights?? The Council has finally finished a lot of projects that have been in the works for a while. We would like to thank all the people who have helped in getting these done either by donation or time spent doing them. Thanks and peace to all Sue Congdon Chair Susan Congdon Treasurer Alyson Grzyb Clerk Tammy Lang Ex Officio Pastor Kathy Clark Building & Grounds Charlie Jenks 1. Olavi Wirkki 2. Education Anne Marie Webber 1. Bernice Gaudette 2. Fred Kerner Finance Brian Allen 1. Herb Taylor 2. Raebeth Hitchcock Worship & Ministry Fred Kerner 1. Linda McDevitt 2. Phyllis Warren Missions & Outreach Sandy Grover 1. Wendy Bahan 2. Jen Rosenthal

May 2018 Page 3 May Birthdays 8 Vic Lampron 9 Kathy Maddaloni 10 Ruth Salter 12 Karen Underhill 14 Lynn Friberg 17 Landry King 19 Kathy Frost 21 Sharon Davis 25 Rick Daniels 27 - Nicholas Ritchie May Anniversaries 12 Vic & Michele Lampron Lay Reader: Council Member: May 6: Usher: Karen Underhill Communion Servers: Greeter: Michelanne Sylvester May 13: Usher: Ginny Wilkins Greeter: Karen Underhill May 20: Ushers: Greeter: Ginny Wilkins May 27: Ushers: Ginny Wilkins Greeter: Linda McDevitt Altar: Raebeth Hitchcock Sunshine: Raebeth Hitchcock May Helping Hands Fellowship/Coffee Hour May 6: May 13: Brian Allen May 20: May 27: Ginny Wilkins May 6: May 13: May 20: May 27: Altar Flowers Phyllis Warren Southwest Association, UCC Prays for their Churches Each week one of the churches in the Southwest Association, UCC, will be prayed for by the other churches in the association. May 6: Peru Congregational Church May 13: Pittsford Congregational Church May 20: Grace Congregational Church, Rutland May 27: Congregational Church of Rupert Lectionary Readings for May May 6: Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17 May 13: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19 May 20: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-25 Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26-27; 16:4-15 May 27: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29 Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17

Page 4 The Federated Church of East Arlington Worship and Ministry The main issue that is facing us at this time is coverage during Pastor Kathy s sabbatical. At the present time we are covered for all of the days but 2. May 14 Sabbatical begins May 20 Shires Marathon hymn sing under a tent on our green space. May 27 Betsy Miller, licensed minister June 3 Celebration Sunday June 10 Our church family is asked to pray about giving a 2-3 minute talk about your spiritual journey, Father s Day, or any way God is leading you. Contact Fred Kerner if you are interested. June 17 Ecumenical Service at the Grange pavilion to kick-off the Summer Lunch Program followed by picnic lunch (bring a dish to share). June 24 Karen Underhill July 1 Jane LoBrutto, licensed minister July 8 Fred Kerner, lay speaker July 15 Wendy Savery, licensed minister July 17 sabbatical ends Other major need during sabbatical is a group of members to step up and be available for home and hospital visits. Fred Kerner, chair Mission and Outreach The Mission and Outreach team continues to be available to consider requests that come into the church. Our March offering to One Great Hour of Sharing totals $543.61. Thank You. Mother s Day is May 13th. This Mission and Outreach Team would like us to Blanket the World with Love through the Church World Service (CWS) blanket appeal. We can honor or remember our mothers by giving $10 per blanket (checks to Federated Church; blanket in memo). Mother s Day cards will be available for gift giving. We are thankful to be able to help people with utilities and camp scholarship. Sandra Grover, chair Wendy Bahan Jen Rosenthal All are invited to the dedication of the newly rebuilt First Baptist Church of South Londonderry after their devastating fire. Saturday, May 19 2:00 5:00 p.m.

May 2018 Page 5 On July 20, 2018, the 4 FREEDOMS FESTIVAL presents RING 4 FREEDOM. RING 4 FREEDOM is a unified bell ringing at across towns large and small in the state of Vermont, to signify and honor the Four Freedoms; the first ever event of this kind will take place at 4:00pm Eastern, for 4 minutes. The full fes val outline of details may be found here: www.themillvt.com/4freedomsfes val/ And inspira on for this fes val is outlined below... another wonderful story in our state's history. In June 1941, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued their Atlan c Charter, in which they described four essen al human rights: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. At home, in Arlington, Vermont, the legendary ar st Norman Rockwell was inspired. Rockwell was too old to enlist, but he wanted to make a statement in pictures why Americans were sending their boys to war. His wife suggested he paint the ideas, not the words. One night, Rockwell a ended an Arlington Town Mee ng. One of his neighbors (a very likeable farmer) stood up and spoke. Everybody in the room disagreed with the man s opinion, but no one interrupted. A er all, in America, everyone has the right to Freedom of Speech. Norman was, once again, inspired! He decided to illustrate The Four Freedoms in everyday American scenes, using his Vermont neighbors as his models. The Saturday Evening Post published The Four Freedoms, and long before the term was used, the images went viral. The four pain ngs became iconic images. By 1943, the U.S. Treasury was broke, and the Allied Forces were struggling across the Atlan c. Because of the images popularity, the Treasury Department asked Rockwell to go on tour with his original Four Freedoms pain ngs and sell war bonds. At a me when the war was going against the Allies, those pictures raised $133 million dollars (The equivalent of $1.7 billion today.) That influx of cash changed the course of the war and history. And it was all because a Vermont farmer stood up and spoke at a town mee ng!

Page 6 The Federated Church of East Arlington Adventures in Reading This report is taking place in early April. Already I ve received 4 reports for the 2017-2018 Reading year and looking forward to receiving the remaining reports by June 1st. Recently I reviewed the items in my jewelry box. I found I had saved an interesting article found several years ago a message onj what we can learn from the episode of Noah s Ark. Thus, I pass it on to you. HAPPY MOTHER S DAY REMEMBER OUR VETERANS Prayer Shawl News Saturday, May 19, 2018 11:30 a.m. Bring your knitting, crocheting, or needlework and join the fun. Also bring your lunch - coffee and tea are provided. We pray that God will continue to bless this ministry, its participants and the shawl recipients. Janet S. Wilson Coordinator Noah s Ark Author Unknown Everything I need to know about life...i learned from Noah s Ark. 1. Don t miss the boat. 2. Remember that we all are in the same boat. 3. Plan ahead. It wasn t raining when Noah built the Ark. 4. Stay fit. When you re 600 years old someone may ask you to do something really big. 5. Don t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. 6. Build your future on high ground. 7. For safety s sake, travel in pairs. 8. Speed isn t always an advantage. Snails were on board with cheetahs. 9. When you re stressed, float a while. 10. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. 11. No matter the storm, there s always a rainbow waiting. GRANGE BREAKFAST Sunday, May 20, 2018 7:30 9:30 a.m. The Federated Church of East Arlington Bailey Hall Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, biscuits, home fries, juice, coffee, tea.

May 2018 Page 7 Northshire Marathon The Federated Church is the location for: Saturday, May 19 4-6 p.m. the participant s packet pick-up 5-7 p.m. pancake dinner Our Church Family Needs Help These lists need names: Sunday School Ushers Fellowship Time Altar Flowers Altar Communion Servers Sunday, May 20 9-11 a.m. water and bathroom stop Yoga for Every Body: May 9, 1:00 3:00, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bennington, 108 School St. sponsored by VCIL. Jane Schaeffer from The Yoga Place will be instruc ng this class for people with disabili es, their caregivers and allies. The Yoga Place believes that yoga is an adventuresome method for exploring and expanding our inner view of ourselves and our percep on of our interconnectedness in the world as well as a method for strengthening and bringing flexibility to our bodies, our minds and our spirits. Most importantly, we believe that life is good and that prac ce on the yoga mat offers us opportuni es to open to new, more joyful ways of living our lives off the yoga mat. These are scent and chemical free events. To register, for more informa on or to request accommoda ons or an ASL interpreter, contact: Lynn Mazza at VCIL, 802 442 1876, lmazza@vcil.org

Page 8 The Federated Church of East Arlington Summer Lunch Arlington, Sunderland, Sandgate How can I help feed hungry children here in our community? The Arlington/Sandgate/Sunderland Summer Lunch Program needs your support. Here are some ways you can help: Volunteer to assist with the program. We need help picking up food at Aldi and Clear Brook Farm on Tuesday mornings. We need volunteers who will help pack bags of food on Tuesday mornings at Fisher Elementary School. We will need one me assistance moving items to the Fisher kitchen during the week leading up to the first day which is June 19. We also want to do some cooking demonstra ons during pick up mes so if you like to share your love of cooking using fresh summer produce this might be your big chance. Provide individually wrapped snack items from now through August. A list of suggested items is currently being compiled think healthy and yummy! Offer financial support and/or consider organiza ons that you are a part of from which we could request a dona on or maybe that group would like to do an event with Summer Lunch being the beneficiary. We get no state or federal or town money just private dona ons. It costs approximately $4,000 to run the program for the summer and all the money goes directly toward the purchase of the food. Our goal is always to have enough money to con nue the program for the next year. Think about families in Arlington, Sandgate or Sunderland who would benefit from weekly bags of lunch fixings for their children throughout the summer. Applica ons are distributed through Fisher Elementary, Sunderland Elementary, Happy Days Playschool and AMHS. Are we missing some household you know with hungry children? Offer your prayers of support. Please speak with Pastor Kathy or Sandy Grover if you have ques ons or need addi onal informa on or want to get involved. On behalf of the dozens of children who will be fed this summer, thank you!

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May 2018 Page 11 Narrow/Deep Quinn G. Caldwell "The Lord said to [Moses], Enough from you! Never speak to me of this matter again! Go up to the top of Pisgah and look around you to the west, to the north, to the south, and to the east. Look well, for you shall not cross over this Jordan." - Deuteronomy 3:26-27 As I get older, I find myself sometimes hyper-aware of the narrowing of possibilities for my future. It's not popular to say, but it's true: as time goes by, so do certain possibilities for what you're going to accomplish in your life. You make some choices that actively close doors that aren't likely to open again; other doors just sort of slowly swing shut on their own when you aren't looking. Of course, you might still become famous for doing that thing that only people half your age are supposed to be able to do, but... probably not. Moses feels you. All that time, effort, patience, leadership, years of wandering then God slams the door in his face just this side of the promised land. And you thought it was hard to realize you're never going to get on Drag Race. One way to look at this is as a narrowing, a series of no's closing in on either side of you. Nobel Prize? No. Major League baseball player? No. Another way to look at it, though, is as a deepening. The universe of possible yeses shrinks for each of us as time goes on... but that just makes time for us to dwell in the yeses we do have more fully. Now that it's (probably) too late for you to become President, you can spend more time in the garden, become your town's rose expert. Now that becoming a doctor and curing cancer is (most likely) off the table, you can spend more time with your kids, really find out what makes them tick. Your real world yeses may be more mundane than your old dreamy no's, but that doesn't mean they don't contain deep worlds of challenge and delight. Listen: it is not given to you to do everything. It is not even given to you to do most things. But the things that have been given to you? Do them like you're parting the Red Sea. Do them like you're bringing water from a rock to save a people. Do them like they've been handed to you from a column of fire and smoke on a mountaintop. Because there's a fair chance they have been. Prayer God, let me walk through the doors still open to me with grace and faithfulness. And if any have been shut to me unjustly or against your will, give me the power to kick them down. Amen. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Quinn G. Caldwell is a father, husband, homesteader and preacher living in rural upstate New York. His most recent book is a series of daily reflections for Advent and Christmas called All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas. Learn more about it and find him on Facebook at Quinn G. Caldwell.

Page 12 The Federated Church of East Arlington We, the members of the Federated Church of East Arlington, declare ourselves to be an Open and Affirming and Reconciling congregation. With God s help, we include all persons in our fellowship, embracing and celebrating differences of gender identity, marital status, age, mental and physical ability, and sexual orientation, as well as racial, ethnic and socio-economic background. We welcome into our community everyone who seeks to share in the work and worship of the church of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Consider automating your regular donations with our new electronic giving program. The Federated Church of East Arlington relies on the financial support of the congregation and donations electronic giving offers an easy way to give on a recurring basis. Visit the church office for more information or go to our webpage at www.federatedchurchofeastarlington.org or scan the qr code. Thank you! FROM THE OFFICE If you know of a prayer request to add or change in the bulletin, please let the office know by Thursday. Arlington Area Food Shelf 287 pounds collected. 2018 WEBSITE NEWS federatedchurchofeastarlington.org If you would like to add anything (pictures, articles) to the website or have suggestions, contact Sue Wirkki, 375-9471 sue@wirkki.org Like the Federated Church of East Arlington on Facebook. CLIPBOARDS NEED NAMES Choir Ushers Communion Servers Fellowship/Coffee Hour Altar Sunshine Flowers Ride Share Sunday School Share the Love We are a family, we love each other, we need each other, we are loved by God.

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The Federated Church of East Arlington 102 Ice Pond Arlington, Vermont 05250 802-375-2548 federatedchurch05250@gmail.com www.federatedchurchofeastarlington.org Visit us on Facebook The mission of The Federated Church of East Arlington is to welcome all, follow Jesus Christ together, and live God s Word with compassionate service. May 2018 Newsletter Mother s Day Blanket the World with Love through the Church World Service (CWS) blanket appeal. We can honor or remember our mothers by giving $10 per blanket (checks to Federated Church; blanket in memo). Mother s Day cards are available for gift giving. These CWS blankets provide comfort in many communities hit by disaster, and in shelters or agencies assisting those experiencing hard times here in the U.S. and around the world. Summer Lunch Program Begins June 19th Snacks needed Please bring individually wrapped healthy snacks and put in the box in Bailey Hall. The children are very grateful!