OCTOBER 2018 Pastor Rev. Dr. Marlayna The Newsletter of the First Parish Church Congregational The Church Bell Then [Jesus] took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me. (Mark 9:36-37) Over the summer, for one of my vacations, Paul and I went to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where my mother grew up, to visit relatives. My cousin Susan and I decided to throw a family party for her niece s 10 th Anniversary (I officiated at the wedding in 2008.) We invited everyone we could think of who lived in the area our one remaining aunt, all of our first cousins, their spouses, children, step-children and grandchildren with a few in-laws thrown in--and, amazingly, even with just 2 week s notice, 34 people RSVP d that they would be coming! The day of the party, Susan and I sat down with our spouses and went over the RSVP s, just to refresh our memories of people s names. We said things to each other like, Janet s granddaughters, what are their names again? Monica and Melissa? No, I think it s Maddie and Marissa. (They actually turned out to be Madeline and Mallory.) What about Danny s boys, which one has the tattoos? (Daniel had tattoos; his brother Patrick did not.) Worried that I could never keep everybody straight, I suggested to Susan that we pick up name-tags at Publix, but she nixed the idea, as did Paul, who jokingly said something like, Hey, this is your family, you really need to make the effort to memorize their names. He was right, of course. And if I needed any confirmation of that, it was the smile on 10-year-old Mallory s face when I called her the right name :).
PAGE 2 THE CHURCH BELL OCTOBER 2018 After the party, I thought about how relatively (no pun intended) simple it turned out to be to remember my family members names even the ones I don t see all that often. I put the party RSVP list in the notes app of my phone, and I grouped them together as families. Even put in some notes about tattoos, glasses, spouses, etc. It really only took a few minutes to review the list, and I was good to go. And then I thought to myself, this is why church directories are so important! We all use the analogy, Church is like a family! but, just like in my extended family, it can take some effort to remember people s names and figure out who s who. The church office recently sent out an email asking folks to update their church directory picture. If you haven t already done so, please email office.fpchurch@gmail.com a recent picture of yourself and/or of your family. It doesn t have to be a formal portrait just a selfie is fine! The main thing is that the picture is enough of a close-up that the faces are visible. Our church directory is one tool we can use to learn each other s names and help each other feel seen and welcomed and valued as children of God in our family of faith! Blessings, Rev. Marlayna Date Scripture Theme(s) Sermon Title Oct 7 I Corinthians 11:23-26 (not lectionary) We are called to share our bread with people all over the world Oct 14 Not lectionary Reaching New People [Rev. Paul Nickerson preaching] Oct 21 Mark 10:35-45 Jesus calls us to serve and feed Oct 28 Mark 10:46-52 God s Mercy Extends to all Communion Sharing Mutual Service Seeing Clearly
Christian Ministry Coordinator Jessica Skidmore In September I attended the Church Fair at Gordon College. This is a yearly event that happens at Gordon College. This is a great opportunity to meet college students as well as other church leaders in the area. I met several students who asked for us to contact them with more information about our church. I asked Marlayna to follow up and email these students. In addition, two more Gordon students showed interest possibly being an intern for our youth group program this year and have been attending church for a few weeks now. One of the girls Erica Williams has agreed to be our intern! Her main responsibilities will be leading the second youth group and helping out with other CE programs when needed. Please make her feel welcome! Jen Powers and I also decided to get the floors in the Sunday school cleaned, stripped, and waxed prior to the Sunday School year starting. Clean Pro did an excellent job. We also got rid of some of the rugs in the Sunday school rooms and went to Glovers to get new ones. The kids have certainly noticed the difference and we are working hard to keep our Sunday school a happy and clean learning environment for all. The two youth groups will be combined when going on fun outings. In September we went to Russell Orchards and ate our fill of cider donuts and played with all the animals. It was a great time! Our next youth group event for kids in grades 6-8 is going to be Friday October 19 th and we are going to do the corn maze at Connor s Farm in Danvers! We are looking forward to October 14 th where Paul Nickerson will be leading a Soup & Conversation. This is an event that is open to the entire congregation. There will be a signup genius for people to donate, bread, soup or salad to contribute to the lunch. Please spread the word! Sunday November 4th after worship Reverend Marlayna will be having a Blessing Station at the town s Bark Fest at Masconomo Park. The congregation is invited to go home and get their animals and then bring them to be blessed. Rev. Marlayna and members of the vitality committee will be leading this blessing. All are welcome to attend! If you are interested in volunteering with the Sunday school or youth group on Sunday mornings please email me @cedirector.fpchurch@gmail.com and I will add you to the list! Happy Fall! Blessings, Jessica Skidmore
PAGE 4 THE CHURCH BELL OCTOBER 2018 First Parish Church Youth Group Beginning October 1 The annual First Parish Church Harvest Food Drive helps our neighbors who are struggling to feed their families. Every year our congregation responds generously to the call for food donations to stock the pantries at Beverly Bootstraps and The Open Door. The canned goods and non-perishables that are collected during our Harvest Food Drive assist families and individuals in Beverly, Manchester, Essex, Gloucester, Essex, Ipswich, and Rockport. The Missions Committee, Youth Group, and Sunday School are all cooperating in this important effort. All through the month of October we will be collecting non-perishable food items and on Sunday, October 28th the youth of the church will bring the donations to the altar for a blessing before items are delivered to the food pantries. Items can be dropped in the Chapel conference room, brought to Sunday school or Youth Group or left in the Narthex.
PAGE 5 THE CHURCH BELL OCTOBER 2018 Birthdays October 10/04 LUMSDEN, MARY 18 WOODCREST ROAD MANCHESTER rasc84@hotmail.com 10/07 KOZYREV, ERIKA 46 RAYMOND ST MANCHESTER 10/10 STEFANOVICH, ETHAN 61 FOREST ST MANCHESTER 10/15 ARNTSEN, ELLA 20 WOODCREST ROAD MANCHESTER 10/15 SKIDMORE, JESSICA 16 APPLETON PARK APT. 2 IPSWICH cedirector.fpchurch@gmail.com 10/19 ROUINE, DEBORAH 4 MICHAEL ROAD BEVERLY MA 01915 debrouine@gmail.com 10/21 GOUNDREY, ALASTAIR 45 MAGNOLIA AVE MAGNOLIA MA 01930 10/22 BAKER, CHARLES 114 SCHOOL ST MANCHESTER 10/24 HESLOP, WILLIAM 34 NORWOOD AVE MANCHESTER will@heslopfamily.com 10/25 CALANDRA, CAISI 7 WINDEMERE PARK MANCHESTER 10/26 CARRASSI, SHEILA 19 VINE ST MANCHESTER scbythesea@comcast.net 10/26 FEUERBACH, MARYJO 5 HAROLD ST MANCHESTER maryjofeuerbach@gmail.com 10/28 BOTHWELL, SAMUEL 121 PLEASANT ST MANCHESTER Your hardworking Nominating Committee Clockwise; Anne D Angelo, Penny Lapham, Mary Lumsden and Marianne Round Sam Peterson has achieved his Eagle rank. A Court of Honor will be planned for a month or two from now to which all are invited. Attached is a photo taken at the board of review. Note the huge smile on Sam s face.
Church Council A Special Meeting of the Congregation was held on September 16 th to vote on a proposed ByLaw change. After a good discussion a vote was taken to approve the changes which reduce the Pastoral Search committee to 7-9 people with minimal requirements or restrictions. In addition to the letter the Warrant for the meeting, with the details of the proposed change, has been made available in the Bulletin. Essentially the change will streamline the selection of the Pastoral Search committee and will produce a Committee of a more reasonable size. On Tuesday September 25th, the Council ratified the Church Profile and the make up of the Pastoral Search Committee. Note the Council will now meet on the 4 th Tuesday of the month, a change from recent practice of meeting on the 3 rd Tuesday of the month. Executive Committee The Executive Committee met soon after the ByLaw change passed at the September Special meeting to review and discuss the slate of candidates for the Pastoral Search Committee. We were blessed with an abundance of candidates so some difficult decisions were needed. The list was presented to the Council for review and approved at its 9/25/18 meeting. The list will be available in the upcoming bulletins and attached to this newsletter. The Executive Committee has begun work on a strategic plan building on the goals stated in the Vision statement that was approved by the Congregation at the June Annual Meeting. As always please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, concerns or suggestions for the Council or Executive Committee. Peace and blessings for the Fall season, Your Moderator (and chair of the Executive Committee), Nancy Peterson Diaconate Greetings, You will notice reserved signs on some front pews; these are for the youth that the deacons, as well as many others, welcome to every Sunday worship service. This intergenerational and interchurch worship is an opportunity to praise God together, build new relationships and help dissolve our two church logistical divisions. Amen! Please connect with the youth, the future members and leaders of the church! We are planning an October retreat for the deacons to pray, delve into scripture and plan worship activities for the year ahead. If you have an idea for an activity, please share it with a deacon. Susan Parker
Daily Lectionary Mon., Oct. 1 Psalm 140 Esther 4:1-17 1 Peter 1:3-9 Tues., Oct. 2 Psalm 140 Esther 5:1-14 1 John 2:18-25 Wed., Oct. 3 Psalm 140 Esther 8:1-17 Matthew 18:6-9 Thurs., Oct. 4 Psalm 26 Job 2:11 3:26 Galatians 3:23-29 Fri., Oct. 5 Psalm 26 Job 4:1-21 Romans 8:1-11 Sat., Oct. 6 Psalm 26 Job 7:1-21 Luke 16:14-18 Sun., Oct. 7 Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Psalm 26 Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 Mark 10:2-16 Mon., Oct. 8 Psalm 55:1-15 Job 8:1-22 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 Tues., Oct. 9 Psalm 55:1-15 Job 11:1-20 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 Wed., Oct. 10 Psalm 55:1-15 Job 15:1-35 Matthew 5:27-36 Thurs., Oct. 11 Psalm 22:1-15 Job 17:1-16 Hebrews 3:7-1 Fri., Oct. 12 Psalm 22:1-15 Job 18:1-21 Hebrews 4:1-11 Sat., Oct. 13 Psalm 22:1-15 Job 20:1-29 Matthew 15:1-9 Sun., Oct. 14 Job 23:1-9, 16-17 Psalm 22:1-15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31 Mon., Oct. 15 Psalm 39 Job 26:1-14 Revelation 7:9-17 Tues., Oct. 16 Psalm 39 Job 28:12 29:10 Revelation 8:1-5 Wed., Oct. 17 Psalm 39 Job 32:1-22 Luke 16:19-31 Thurs., Oct. 18 Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b Job 36:1-16 Romans 15:7-13 Fri., Oct. 19 Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b Job 37:1-24 Revelation 17:1-18 Sat., Oct. 20 Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b Job 39:1-30 Luke 22:24-30 Sun., Oct. 21 Job 38:1-7 [34-41] Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45 Mon., Oct. 22 Psalm 75 Job 40:1-24 Hebrews 6:1-12 Tues., Oct. 23 Psalm 75 Job 41:1-11 Hebrews 6:13-20 Wed., Oct. 24 Psalm 75 Job 41:12-34 John 13:1-17 Thurs., Oct. 25 Psalm 34:1-8 [19-22] 2 Kings 20:12-19 Hebrews 7:1-10 Fri., Oct. 26 Psalm 34:1-8 [19-22] Nehemiah 1:1-11 Hebrews 7:11-22 Sat., Oct. 27 Psalm 34:1-8 [19-22] Job 42:7-9 Mark 8:22-26 Sun., Oct. 28 Job 42:1-6, 10-17 Psalm 34:1-8 [19-22] Hebrews 7:23-28 Mark 10:46-52 Mon., Oct. 29 Psalm 28 Isaiah 59:9-19 1 Peter 2:1-10 Tues., Oct. 30 Psalm 28 Ezekiel 18:1-32 Acts 9:32-35 Wed., Oct. 31 Psalm 28 Ezekiel 14:12-23 Matthew 20:29-34 Link for monthly lectionaryhttps://www.macucc.org/ lectionary Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. commontexts.org. Used by permission. This resource may be reproduced by congregations for their own worship and educational activities. Provided by the Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ made possible by Our Church s Wider Mission Basic Support and Fellowship Dues. Meeting, Monday, Oct. 29, 6:30 PM at Liz Loomis home, 34 Bennett St, Manchester. We continue with a new selection; Educated by Tara Westover. An unforgettable memoir in the tradition of The Glass Castle about a young girl who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling homecanned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag". In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father's junkyard. Please RSVP to loomisliz@hotmail.com or 978-704-9722.
First Parish Church, Congregational 1 Chapel Lane, P.O. Box 187 Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944 Address Correction Requested Dear Friends--I hope you will join me for worship as well as Soup and Conversation on Sunday, October 14th. The focus will be on how churches around the country connect with their community and reach new people. We will talk about the best practices of growing churches, what your Vitality Team is currently doing, and how you can get involved in this process. Less than 10% of people in New England go anywhere to church; there are great opportunities for congregations that will reach out and make a difference. I look forward to seeing you. Blessings, Rev. Paul Nickerson
Search Committee Announcement As you know, First Parish will soon begin the process of searching for a new pastor. As per the new bylaw, the Executive Committee has met and reviewed the names of church members who volunteered to serve on the committee. They put together a slate of 7 people to serve, following the criteria agreed to by the church council. Criteria included regular church attendance, positive outlook, good listening and synthesizing of information skills, not being shy about speaking up in meetings, keeping confidences, and looking to God for guidance. Church Council discussed and approved the recommended slate, which reflects a balanced mix of ages, gender, family contexts, and theological perspectives, who have a shared commitment to the future of our church. The slate is, in alphabetical order: Marty Farmer Lauren Gudonis Mark Heslop Allison Moir-Smith Richard Smith Bruce Warren Bethany Woods The committee s first task will be to meet with our Area Minister, Rev. Wendy Vander Hart, who will describe how the UCC search process works. Once the search starts, it will likely take six to nine months to come up with a recommended candidate. The candidate will be announced and invited to come for the weekend and meet the congregation. He or she will lead worship and preach on that Sunday, after which the congregation will vote on his/her candidacy.