SEASIDE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 2017 AUTUMN NEWSLETTER HAPPY THANKSGIVING & A JOYFUL ADVENT TO YOU! Dear Covenanting Partners, Members, & Friends of Seaside UCC, Since our Spring Newsletter, our Congregation has flourished during a jam-packed summer on MDI and through a remarkable period of growth in our mission and ministry. As we celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday and look forward to the promise of Advent, we find ourselves in the midst of our annual Stewardship campaign. As our Trustee, Steve Richards, reminded us on Sunday November 12, each of us is challenged to examine our relative abundance as we imagine how we make the most of our talent, time, and treasure in support of our mission of tending to the outward journey of practicing love and justice in the world. I know that in my own life and the life of our family, this Seaside Faith Community centers and inspires us at a time when our nation is racked with political discord and reeling from human-made & natural disasters. Worship together on Sunday morning, a Saturday morning Congregation Retreat, sharing a bowl of soup at an evening gathering, spending time with our loved ones & friends at Sonogee or the Seaside-sponsored Village Market, and reaching out to our Outreach Partners are just some of the ways we live out our faith life in and from this place. With this Newsletter and more regularly in our Sunday Bulletins, on Facebook, and the Web you ll read more about what Seaside is up to in the five areas central to our Pastoral Plan: Buildings & Grounds, Faith Formation, Pastoral Care, Outreach, and Worship. While each of these ministries is on the rise, we welcome the participation of everyone. As we often say We Welcome All Who Welcome All! So as you read along, please consider the ways you might join with us as we pray with our actions in the world. In preparing for Worship the week before Thanksgiving, I came across this reflection on the UCC webpage: The wealth or abundance of our lives is a gift, not just a given. That is, no more than with life itself do we have this as something we can earn or deserve. It is not entitlement, but blessing in which others are meant to share, (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). During this Holiday Season it is my deepest wish that you will find a way to share your abundance through this Seaside Faith Community and that your gifts will keep the promise of Christmas alive in all our hearts. Faithfully Yours, Joe
On November 11, Joe was honored to officiate the wedding of new seasonal Seaside UCC Members Mark & Rebecca Falbo at the Abby Chapel FAITH FORMATION ~ Sunday School: What an exciting summer we had at Seaside UCC! During late summer and into this autumn, our class focused on thankfulness. With all of the unfortunate events taking place on our earth, we took this time to reflect on what we have, and what we are so thankful for. Water coloring appreciation cards at the gardens, passing reflection stones and gathering together to ground ourselves has all been a part of our morning lesson. Please tell your friends, family members and neighbors about our lovely program for young ones. We are currently averaging between 6-10 children every Sunday. This winter we hope to add more children to our class and begin lessons with biblical stories, relating them to our daily life, and using art and performing arts to make fun and educational play. Our children will lead a special Children s Christmas Program at the Union Church Northeast Harbor as we also celebrate the Baptism and 1 st Communions of our friends and a mom or two here at Seaside! ~ Jordan Mercer Left Pic: Sunday School at Thuya Gardens Worship Service Right Pic: Deacon Cindy Minutolo facilitates a Children s message of SHALOM during Worship in the Parish Hall FAITH FORMATION ~Adult Scripture Series: Seaside s new Adult Faith Formation Scripture Series has proven a wonderful opportunity for members of Seaside UCC to examine the Hebrew & Christian Scriptures from the particularly lens of our denomination. Led by new Covenanting Partner, Hannah Podurgiel, and Seaside Pastor Joe Cistone, we meet at 9am the second and fourth Sunday of every month to read through the week s scripture and reflect upon the devotion provided on the back of our weekly bulletin. Please join us when you are able and contact Hannah to learn more. Adult Formation Scripture Series
WORSHIP ~Music Ministry: Music is one of the important ways we hear God talking in our lives and Seaside is blessed with a vital music program. Through the longtime leadership of Jackie Davidson, Retired Pastor David Stillman, and the expanded participation of Guitarist Tim Searchfield and Chorister Debbie Thompson, our singing is increasingly diverse and engaging a broader cross-section of our faith community. We are currently developing a Congregational Song Book that reflects the inclusive and progressive nature of our faith. Our music program welcomes all and we hope you will consider joining us on Sunday morning and our Service of Candlelight & Carols on Christmas Eve, at 4pm in the Union Church, Northeast Harbor. WORSHIP ~Shared Ministry from MDI: Seaside UCC is part of a wider family of UCC Congregations on MDI, the Sunrise Association, and the Maine Conference of the UCC. Building upon our 2017 Shared Lenten Series (Seaside will host the Maundy Thursday on March 29, 2018, at 5:30pm in the Northeast Harbor Parish Hall) we gathered together to welcome Maine Conference Minister, Deborah Blood, on November 5. Deb challenged us to imagine new ways we might respond to the Spirit at work on MDI through the shared ministries and programs of our respective Congregations. Photos from our November 5 th Shared UCC Congregations of MDI Worship & Potluck with UCC ME Conference Minister, Rev. Deborah Blood at Bar Harbor Congregational Church, UCC. Our local Pastors and Lay Leaders meet monthly with the Rev. Ken Brooks of Southwest Harbor, to nurture our partnership and proactively plan for the future. These meeting are open to everyone with our next gathering in Seaside s Parish Hall over lunch, from 12-1:30pm, on Tuesday, December 12. An essential aspect of shared ministry is the way we come together to share our gifts each week and throughout the year. At our Congregational Retreat on October 21 at the Abby Chapel in Seal Harbor, those gathered expressed their hopes and dreams for our life together. A follow-up Retreat is being planned for early 2018. In the time since, we have rejoiced in the many ways old and new members of this Congregation have stepped forward to facilitate Worship, staff our Sunday School program, prepare our weekly Coffee & Conversation time after Worship, visited the homebound, and in innumerable other ways. Special thanks to our Deacons Karen Pinkham (Chair), Cynthia Andrews, Gayle Gray, Cindy Minutolo and Greeters Shirley Beccue, JJ Cistone, Steve Richards, Jeannie Taylor, and others for all they do to make our Worship together possible.
OUTREACH ~Mission Partners: For the past six years, Seaside s Outreach Committee has formalized and expanded our parterships with a number of local, Maine-based, and international partners. We are particularly proud of our monthly collection for the Bar Harbor Food Pantry; our recent winter clothing collection for wreathe pickers with Mano en Mano; our annual Christmas Giving Tree for children affiliated with Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine (AFFM); our Back-Pack collection to anonymously benefit children & families at Mount Desert Elementary School; and, our Easter commitment to the Next Step Domestic Violence Project. In addition, a number of our Mission Partners from Hospice of Hancock County and Island Connections to IPM (International Partners in Mission) and a University of Maine Mandela Fellow from Ghana visit with us during Worship and share the important impact we are making in their ministries. Our Outreach Committee has led us in hosting the Northeast Harbor Village Market and selling Equal Exchange Fair Trade Chocolate, Coffee, and Tea at each market. To learn more about the work of our Outreach Committee and join us in one of our upcoming learning &/or service opportunities please contact Chair, Cinnamon Catlin- Legutko, or Vice Chair, Jan Moore. Lots of helpers & friends at Seaside s Fair Trade & information table during the September Village Market OUTREACH ~Soup With Substance: An exciting new program in 2017 of Seaside UCC is our monthly Soup With Substance Lecture Series. Over the past six months we have focused our learning together on topics of particular interest to our Congregation and its members: Environmental Justice, Immigration & Refugees, Interfaith Relations, Racial Justice and the Rights of Women & Girls. Our speakers have come from organizations including the Abbe Museum, A Climate to Thrive, the College of the Atlantic, ILAP (Immigration Legal Advocacy Project of Maine), the International Rescue Committee, and the Women s Health Center at Mount Desert Island Hospital. We are particularly grateful to our presenters, all those who have helped with soup & salad preparation, and new Covenanting Partner, Steve Anastasia, who has provided bread for each program!
PASTORAL CARE: Our Congregation has participated in the lay-led worship services at Sonogee for over twenty years. Four times a year, two or more of us spend half an hour on a Sunday morning at the nursing home, reading scripture, singing hymns, and greeting and praying with the residents. It s one of the most important things we do to reach out to our neighbors on the island. The next time we are scheduled to lead worship at Sonogee is Sunday, December 17. If you would like to be a part of this ministry &/or visit the home- and institution-bound, please contact one of our Deacons. ~ Deacon Cindy Minutolo BUILDINGS & GROUNDS: Seaside UCC is blessed with endowment earnings, remarkable Worship spaces, a modern Parish Hall, and green spaces. Our new Buildings & Grounds Committee Larry Legutko (Chair), Katrina Carter, Kay Graves, and Tim Taylor works alongside Lee Maldonado (Church Administrator) and Josh Jibson (Custodian) to ensure that Seaside s property is well maintained and meets the mission requirements of our faith community. Over the past six months we have re-painted/stained many of our spaces, rebuilt the historic stone steps to the Union Church, cleared away overgrowth at Wadsworth Park, mulched around the Parish Hall, placed new GFI outlets in the Union Church, and cleaned around the Abby Chapel and its neighboring Valentine Building. As we have re-branded our Congregation in 2017, we are especially grateful to David & Holly Burr for their remarkable generosity in providing new signage and a beautiful perennial bed in memory of David s parents. Pictures from our beautiful weekly Friday morning Faith Walks Seaside UCC Volunteers Helping out on Main Street during the MDI Marathon, October 15, 2017 FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, Seaside UCC, & ON THE WEB AT seasideuccmdi.org. Special thanks to Shirley Beccue for her remarkable design & management of our Congregation s website! Contact Us Telephone: 207-276-5521 Email: officeseasideuccmdi@gmial.com or Website: seasideuccmdi.org Church Administrator: Lee Maldonado Church Office Hours: Monday & Tuesday 8:30 1:30 and Thursday & Friday 8:00-2:00
SEASIDE UCC P.O. Box 555, Northeast Harbor, ME 04662 SEASIDE UCC 2017 AUTUMN NEWSLETTER Please Join Us For the Following: December 17, 2017, 10am Special Children s Christmas Program Join us for a new annual tradition, our Children s Christmas Worship Program. The children and grand-children of Seaside UCC will be singing Christmas songs and helping to lead our Worship Service in the Union Church, Northeast Harbor. Please join us as we also celebrate the Baptism and 1 st Communion of a number of children and adult members of our faith community. Our morning will conclude with a potluck luncheon. Hope to see you there! December 24, 2017, 4pm Christmas Eve Service of Carols & Candlelight Once again this year, Seaside UCC will host a Christmas Eve Worship Service of Carols and Candlelight on Christmas Eve. We will be reading from the Nativity Story and sharing much loved holiday hymns. If you are interested in participating in this service leading singing, reading from Scripture, &/or assisting with Communion please contact Jackie, Karen, or Joe. January 28, 2018, 10am Worship & 12pm Seaside UCC Annual Meeting with Potluck Join us after Worship and a light potluck lunch for our Annual Meeting in the Abby Chapel, Seal Harbor. A formal meeting notice and related materials shall be mailed after the New Year. Our Worship that morning will include a ritual blessing of all those Covenanting Partners, Committee Members, and Officers of Seaside UCC along with approval of our Annual Budget. Join Us! Contact Us Telephone: 207-276-5521 Email: officeseasideuccmdi@gmial.com or Website: seasideuccmdi.org