FIRST CONGREGATIONAL, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST BENZONIA MI From the Interim Pastor July 2017 Dear Members and Friends of First Congregational Church We hope by now that everyone is aware that we have called Patty Higgins as our settled minister. This is very exciting news. We are not completely sure when she will begin her ministry here. Mainly, there are housing details that need to be worked out. She is also planning on being ordained at her home church in Maine. We will keep you posted on her schedule. Patty received a grant to attend the United Church of Christ General Synod as an observer. This is a great opportunity for her. The Synod, which takes place every other year, begins this week (late June) and is being held in Baltimore. I m sure Patty will have much to say about this important meeting. And speaking of meetings, the Disciples of Christ also have an assembly every other year. It will be held July 8-12 in Indianapolis, and Jennifer and I will be attending. It will be a change for us to catch up with many old friends and participate in the ongoing business of the church. There are many things happening in the life of the church in July, including the 4th of July parade and a trip to the Beach Bums game. Watch for information. We will also be housing a youth group from Georgetown, Kentucky later in July. They will be doing some volunteer work coordinated by the Benzie Senior Resources. Tim Murtaugh
JULY BIRTHDAYS 8 Dennis Richards 8 Cynthia Schnarr 9 Jared Milks 12 June Deering 13 Carl Nespor 16 Darlene Gray 22 Nancy Call 24 Neil Nugent 25 Hannah Rodriguez 29 Tiana Gould 29 Lynn Stephens 30 David VanHammen 30 Anna Butts 31 Aaron Hickey JULY ANNIVERSARIES 1 John and Rosemary Abbett Brenda Case REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS Nancy Reynolds David Neiger Judy Herban Ruth Blacklock Kay Fischer Gary Brouwer Andy Wagner Rosemary Miller who is at The Pines Helen Pickard, Pat Forrester, and Hal Bruning who are in Traverse City Family of Mickey Austin Family of Tom Kennard Family of Doc Wagner Family of Mary Hopkins Family of Pink Rearick FLOWERS If you would like to supply flowers, please sign up on the sign posted on the bulletin board, and indicate who the flowers honor or memorialize. You may then bring in your own flowers or donate $25 to the church to make the arrangements with a local florist. Page 2 UCC SISTER CHURCH OF THE MONTH As part of our continuing efforts to work together as a community of faith, in worship we pray for UCC churches in our United Northern Association. You are invited in May to pray for the ongoing mission and ministries of First Congregational Church of Charlevoix. A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR JULY VOLUNTEERS COFFEE NURSERY JULY 2 Deacons Chris Stone JULY 9 Potluck Linda Jenema JULY 16 Sarah Circle IV Helen Dewey JULY 23 Linda Jenema Sara Moorhead JULY 30 Soul Sisters Carol Dye HEAD USHER Mike Jones
Page 3 BEACH BUMS AND TAILGATE PARTY JULY 28th @ 5:30 Please join us for a tailgate party at the church at 5:30 before carpooling to the Beach Bums game. We will gather at the church at 5:30 to enjoy hot dogs or brats and some other goodies. Afterwards we will carpool up to the Beach Bums game to cheer on our favorite team. The tickets are free! Please invite your friends and neighbors. There will be a signup sheet on the bulletin board so we will know how many to count on. WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP NEWS The Attic Treasures sales total was $1,287.00. This is a big part of our funding for all of our projects each year. Over 30 people gave their time. Many thanks to all of you who worked and to those to donated. It was greatly appreciated. It was so nice to have some of the men help with the heavy lifting! SEARCH COMMITTEE NEWS We want to be sure that everyone has heard the news! At our service on Sunday, June 4th, our pastoral candidate Patty Higgins led us in worship. At the congregational meeting following the service, a vote of the members present was taken (by paper ballot). The outcome was positive. Patty Higgins was welcomed into our church family as our new settled pastor. Patty and her husband live in Maine and will be arriving in Benzonia sometime late July to mid-august. We will keep you informed as plans progress.
Page 4 SPECIAL THANKS & INVITATION Benzonia Public Library wants to thank members of the congregation who made financial gifts, including bequest and memorials, to the library. Someone in your family may have made one of these gifts in years past. Most of those funds were saved waiting for the day that building renovation was begun. That day arrived three years ago when Mills Community House Association began building the tower stairway. That caused some changes to the library floorplan, and the library Board of Trustees took it from there. During the winter months of recent years, workers have bustled about the library giving the space a much needed facelift. The basement stairway was removed, creating space for a computer nook. A separate area for teen books was created. Paneling was removed, and walls were resurfaced and repainted. Bathroom showers were removed, and the public restroom was made accessible to those who are mobility impaired. Lighting was updated to brighten up all the rooms. The unusable fireplace was given a new face and an electronic fire. New carpet was installed throughout. New, more functional shelving was installed. Staff room was insulated and totally remodeled. We are especially proud of the remodeled Children s Room. It also received new paint, flooring, lighting, shelving all the basics but the extras are what make it special. Murals drawn and painted by local artist Glenn Wolff fill the spaces above the bookshelves on two walls. A puppet theater, cozy window seat, imagination station, and a kid-safe computer provide educational entertainment. An oversize chair allows parent-child reading time. All-in-all, this is a delightful space for children. We thank all those who over the years have had faith in our community library and provided monetarily for its continuity. We hope they would approve our stewardship. Please come to see the 2017 version of Benzonia Public Library! We open at ten a.m. daily except Sunday.
July 2017 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fourth of July Parade 8-12 Zonta (Barn) 8:30 Men s Breakfast @ Papa J s 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 (Potluck and Informational Meeting) 11:00 Commodities Distribution 7:00 Council 4:00 Deacons 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 5:00 Trustees 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 5:30 Beach Bums 30 31
First Congregational Church, UCC 901 Barber Street, P.O. Box 234 Benzonia, MI 49616 Phone: (231) 882-4922 F I R S T C O N G R E G AT I O N A L CHUR C H, UCC B E N Z O N I A, M I C H I G A N Dr. Timothy Murtaugh.......Interim Minister Chris Stone...........Treasurer Mary Rodriguez..............Financial Secretary Jerry Slater...Church Moderator Carolina Jones...Christian Ed Coordinator Rose DuFrane..........Custodian Mary Ellen Wagner..Organist Office phone: 231-882-4922 Office hours: Monday Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Office Email: secretary@benzoniacongregational.org http://www.benzoniacongregational.org Our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/benzoniacongregational