March 22, 2015 Volume LV Number 6 The Congregational Church of Laconia United Church of Christ 18 Veterans Square Laconia NH 03246-3425 (603) 524-0668 towertidings@laconiaucc.org (603) 273-0065 fax www.laconiaucc.org Senior Pastor: Associate Pastor: Office Manager: Church Staff Rev. Dr. Warren H. Bouton pastor@laconiaucc.org Rev. Paula B. Gile paula@laconiaucc.org Chris Rawson chris@laconiaucc.org Words from Warren As I write this on St. Patrick s Day it s snowing again! But as the flakes fall I have to remind myself that joyfully it s March!! Soon the snow will be melted away and the daffodils will be out. Before we know it the tulips will be blossoming and my guess is that more than a few of us are already making plans for planting our gardens. March is a month of hope waiting to be born and of looking forward to new life sprouting all around us. The worst of winter is over! Spring is just around the corner! Treasurer: Director of Music: Sexton: John Kreitler treasurer@laconiaucc.org K. Robert Bengtson Chuck Laurent As Lent progresses and Easter draws near it is my prayer that the hope of this season and the dawning joy of Christ s love will fill the dark corners of our world and melt away the doubts and fears, the anger and the tears that hold us back from living to our fullest potential. We are a people of hope and resurrection. New life (like spring) is always just around the corner. In faith, Warren 1
A Note From Paula A group of 15 adults will be leaving from this church on a mission trip next month to a Lakota Native American community in South Dakota. They will be serving at a mission called Re-member, in Pine Ridge SD. They have been preparing by watching videos together, and reading books about the Lakota people. I thought this would be a good time for all of us to begin praying and thinking about the journey our brothers and sisters in Christ will be making. Below is a Blessing song from a book Betsy Kelly gave me a book called Sacred Journey The Journey of Fellowship in Prayer. The journal is filled with Native American stories, poetry, and prayers. The book closes with this Blessing Song by Christine Hodil, We come from the Earth to give our blessings upon the Earth, To bring our joy across the waters of the world, of the world. We come to bless the children. We come to bless the elders of the world. Heart is our home. Mind is our home. We come to bring the blessings of the Earth. Salvation starts and ends with the heart. Salvation comes with each bless-ed person s mind and heart together. We come to bring our freedom to this blue and green planet. To bring the salvation of love, of love of many colors in this world. The blessings pour from the great freedom of the sky Of the earth, the fire, the water, the air, and all relations here. The heart unifies the spirit of the Earth Of the precious life abounding here with all of us. We come to bring the blessings all through all the dimensions, All the dimensions of life. The subtlety is sound, The preciousness give light, The harmony of all the spheres comes before us now. We come, we come, we come, we come, we come together now. We come to bring the peace of our minds. We come to bring the peace of our hearts. We come to bring the blessings of the Earth. March 20 th @ noon Local Organists: Lenten Organ Concerts Bob Bengtson Phil Breton Kevin Chamberlain Elsie Ivester Larry Leonard Bob Narducci Vickie Wood Parrish March 27 th @ noon Richard Gress Interim Assistant Organist St. John s Episcopal Church, Exeter Good Friday Concert April 3 rd @ 7 p.m. at Sanbornton Congregational Church, Combined Choirs of Laconia and Sanbornton. Performance of the complete Fauré Requiem. Stan Brallier and Dave Frost are soloists. 2
Holy Week Holy Week begins with our Palm Sunday service on March 29 th. This service highlighted by the distribution of palms, honors Jesus triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. Traditionally, it is a service of excitement and expectation as we remember the crowds welcoming Jesus with a carpet of cloaks and palm branches. Our commemoration of Holy Week continues on Maundy Thursday, April 1 st when we will gather in our sanctuary at 7:00 p.m. for a Service of Communion and Tenebrae. On Good Friday our sanctuary will be open for prayer from 12 noon to 3 p.m. At 7:00 p.m. our Chancel Choir and the Senior Choir of the Sanbornton Congregational Church will join together in Sanbornton for a presentation of the Fauré Requiem. The experience of Holy Week continues with our Easter Vigil that will take place in our sanctuary from 3:00 p.m. on Friday through 6:00 a.m. on Easter morning. A sign -up can be found in the Pleasant Street entrance to the church. Holy Week will conclude as we celebrate the joy of Easter on Sunday, April 5 th. The celebration begins at 6:30 a.m. with the Ecumenical Sunrise Service at the Weirs Beach docks. The rejoicing continues at our Easter morning service at 9:30 a.m. Please join us for all our events during Holy Week. Easter Vigil This year s vigil will be held on Friday, April 3 rd at 3 p.m. to Sunday, April 5 th at 6 a.m. in the Chapel of our Sanctuary. The Vigil symbolizes the time of watching and waiting from Good Friday until Jesus resurrection early Sunday morning. It is a contemplative and gentle time for meditation and reflection with soft music playing, devotional books nearby, a lap robe if needed and an opportunity to add to our Lenten Journal. The sign-up sheets will be available in the narthex before and after Sunday services March 15 th, 22 nd and 29 th. During the Vigil the Sanctuary will be open throughout the daylight hours for those wishing to come and sit for a while. Contact Claudia Wright, or Florence Merrill with any questions. Final instructions will be forwarded to the participants Monday, March 30 th. Worship and Meeting Cancellations On those snowy Sunday mornings or on a night when the forecast calls for ice have you ever wondered whether things have been cancelled or if you should venture out to attend worship or that committee meeting at church? Before you start the car check out the WMUR Closings tab at: http:// www.wmur.com/weather. We are listed as the Congregational Church of Laconia so check the alphabetical listings under C. You can also visit our Facebook page Laconia Congregational UCC. We will do our best to keep you safe and informed! 3
Attention to the Women of our Church: The NH State Women s Fellowship Spring meeting will be held in East Derry on Saturday, April 18 th with registration beginning at 9:30 a.m. The theme for the day is RECHARGING OUR SPIRITUAL BATTERIES. The guest speakers will be the Rev. Dr. David Reynolds, Replenishing Spiritual Energy; and Debbie Gline Allen, Recharging our Singing Spirits. The program will end around 3:00 p.m. The $12 registration fee includes coffee and rolls in the morning and lunch. A white elephant table will be set up too, so bring any items for that. Proceeds will go for scholarships and helping our student from Haiti. Your registration is due by April 10 th and your check is made out to NHCUCC Women s Fellowship and mailed to Trudie Bergeron, 46 Nantucket Place, Greenland, NH 03840. Diane Wells or Margie Kreitler can tell you more about it, and there are registration forms available in the office or in the church. I hope we can have a good group going and we will arrange car pools nearer to the day. Diane Wells Advent Calendar Ornaments There are still a few ornaments awaiting the sewing hands of interested individuals. These ornaments come with full instructions, and all the equipment needed to complete them. We need the completed ornaments back by the end of August. If you are interested, please call Pam Kyle (who has all the ornaments at her home) at 524-0887 or Bobbie Thomas at 524-2758. Lunch & Learn This year s Easter Offering will benefit the Dorcas Fund. The Dorcas Fund is used at the discretion of the office staff to assist those from the community or from our congregation in times of need, after other means of assistance have been exhausted. Examples of payments made from the Dorcas fund include heating oil and electric bills. Are you curious about the country of Myanmar (Burma), come and see some pictures of Diane Wells adventures and educational experiences during her time in that country in January. Come to Church Hall on Tuesday, March 24 th at noon. Bring a sandwich and we will have coffee and tea and water for you. See you on the 24 th and bring some friends. 4
Taylor Home Communion We will be hosting a pre-easter Communion Service at Ledgeview at the Taylor Community at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 26 th. We hope that those who can t make it to church as often as they would like will be able to come to this time of worship and fellowship with your friends. If you need a ride to get there call the office and leave your name and we will help you get a ride. Bill Bell and Diane Wells will play a cello duet and accompany the hymns of the season. Caring Connections Potluck with a Purpose The Open and Affirming Committee invites you to join us for a Potluck with a Purpose on Friday, March 27 th at 6 p.m. in the Church Hall. What is the Purpose of this Potluck? It s all about building and strengthening relationships while we explore further what it means to our congregation to welcome people, wherever they are in life s journey. So, we invite you to share not only your recipes, but also your ideas and experiences with your tablemates. You can sign up on Sundays at coffee hour, or call Kathy Giovanni at 366-5881. Memorial Spring Plants for Easter Sunday If you would like to donate a spring plant for the Sanctuary on April 5 th you will need to: 1) Order from a local florist or purchase the plant yourself. We ask that plants be in no larger than 10 pots. 2) Contact Chris in the Church Office with your memorial information to be printed in the bulletin. And, 3) be sure that your plant arrives at the church by 5 p.m. on April 3 rd. Another option for those who don t want to order a plant on their own; the Altar Guild will have In Loving Memory offering envelopes available on the literature tables in church and in the office, you may leave a donation in memory of someone to be used to purchase plants by the Altar Guild. (If you use this option you can not pick up a plant after the Easter service.) Please drop these envelopes into the offering plates or leave them at the Church Office. 5
March Forth for Literacy!! Reading Changes Lives!! We are in the midst of a month-long children s book collection - have you made a contribution? We are receiving cash donations and new or gently used Elementary level books to be distributed to Laconia Got Lunch families this summer. Book collection boxes are located at each entrance to the Church and downstairs in Church Hall. Browse through the boxes and you ll see wonderful books that may spark warm memories of childhood reading. Perhaps you will donate a book that will help a family build their own special reading memories! Adult Bible Study, - What is the Bible? The last two sessions of the Bible study will be March 30 th and April 6 th. Two sessions are offered come to either one. Monday afternoons from 1:30-3 p.m. or Monday evenings from 6:30 8 p.m. Summer Outdoor Ministry Opportunities Horton Center is our church s summer camp program for children, teens and adults. Set atop Pine Mountain overlooking the Presidential Range, Horton Center offers a unique setting that continues to inspire and energize people of all ages and backgrounds. Dedicated to building a community and exposure to the natural world, there are lots of outdoor recreational opportunities including: archery, caving, hiking and rock climbing as well as traditional camp activities. In addition, Horton Center encourages campers to think for themselves, make good decisions, and connect to creation and to God. Sample weeks: Getting Started (a half week for entering grades 3 5); Senior High Hut to Hut (teens entering senior high school); and Lighten up, Loosen up (adults). To learn more go to www.hortoncenter.org or speak to Jean Clarke, Horton Center Ambassador (clarkefamily@metrocast.net or 455-9702). 6
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T O W E R I D I N G S The Congregational Church United Church of Christ 18 Veterans Square Laconia, NH 03246-3425 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 67 LACONIA NH Upcoming Coffee Hour Hosts 3/22 - Property & Finance Committee 3/29 - Membership Committee 4/05 - Council (Easter) 4/12 - Music & Worship Committee 4/19 - Outreach Committee 4/29 - Parish Activities Committee 5/03 - Ad-hoc Group 5/10 - Diaconate 5/17 - Educational Ministries 5/24 - Property & Finance Committee 5/31 - Membership Committee 8 Tower Tidings Publication Schedule Deadline @ 5 p.m. Issue Date 3/30 4/5 4/13 4/19 4/27 5/3 5/11 5/17 5/25 5/31 6/8 6/14 6/22 6/28 7/27 8/2 8/24 8/30 9/7 9/13 9/21 9/27 10/5 10/11