October 2008
Dear Friends,
It is good to be home.
Our trip to
The highlight of our time on
The shape of our days on
If you would like to learn more, please join me on
Thursdays, beginning on October 16, from 5 - 6 p.m. We will read “Listening for the Heartbeat of
God” and model our time in much the same way Dr. Newell led our sessions on
I also encourage you to please plan on signing up for one or
more of the Vision 2008 forums that are being offered. The first forum will take place on Sunday,
October 19 after worship. These forums
provide an opportunity for us to listen to each other and listen for how God is
calling our church to live and serve together as a community of faith. Each forum will focus on a different aspect
of our shared life together. Watch for
sign-up sheets in the undercroft and let us know your plans to attend. Your participation is very important – we
need to hear from you.
We too, walk a pilgrimage together, in the steps of our spiritual ancestors, who also struggled with what it means to love as Christ taught us to love. Our covenant is to keep walking together, knowing that each of us carries God’s light within us. We love and respect each other through all that life brings our way, knowing that we are stronger when we journey together than when we are apart.
Peace and strength for the journey!
In Christ’s love, Patrice
October at Sanbornton
Congregational Church, United
October 5: World Communion Sunday, Neighbors in Need special offering. Worship at 10:00 a.m., Rev. Patrice Ficken, preaching.
October 6: Deacons Meeting, 4:30 p.m.
October 8: Church Council Meeting, 7 p.m.
October 12: Worship at 10:00 a.m. We will celebrate the music of British composer, Ralph Vaughn Williams in honor of the 50th anniversary of his death.
October 15: Book Group Discussion, 6:30 p.m. at the home of Barbara Akerman.
October 16: Spirituality Group, 5 – 6 p.m., church undercroft
October 19: Worship at 10:00 a.m.. Stewardship campaign kick-off.
Our music will honor the memory of Ned Dahl, a beloved friend
of our congregation.
Vision Forum #1: “The Experience of Worship” 11:30-1:30 p.m.;
please sign-up to attend. Soup and bread provided.
October 21: Prayer Shawl Ministry, 1:30-2:30 p.m. at Woodside, Taylor Community
October 23: Spirituality Group, 5 – 6 p.m., church undercroft
October 26: Worship at 10:00 a.m.; Rev. Patrice Ficken, preaching;
Seniors Sunday Dinner, 12:15 p.m. in the undercroft
October 30: Spirituality Group, 5 – 6 p.m., church undercroft
(Please see website
calendar for complete list of events and meetings)
Spirituality Group to
Resume in October
The Spirituality Group will resume on Thursdays beginning on October 16, from 5 -6 p.m. and ending on November 20. Our focus will be on the book “Listening for the Heartbeat of God,” by J. Philip Newell. I have ordered books and will make them available to participants. If you are interested in joining us, please contact me at patricebf@comcast.net.
Patrice
MODERATOR’S MUSINGS
What
a lovely September we have had. It was wonderful to welcome Patrice back as we
started
our
Fall activities. And what a great ‘start’ is has been! After my last several ‘Musings’ in which I
thanked
folks for their work on the Old Home Day parade and then a ‘big’ thank you to
those
who
helped with the marvelous day we shared at Frank Baker’s
another
‘thank you’ is in order for everyone who helped organize the 2008 version of
our Open
House!
It was another terrific evening and also
launched another year for the Junior and Senior
Choirs.
And the year is just getting underway! Lest I forget, there is one more group that
started
their endeavors...the Organ Repair Team. Thanks to everyone who joined that team,
which
still has a number of sessions to go before our beautiful church organ is
completely
healed.
It
was obvious at our September Council meeting that the pace of church activity
is not going to
slow
down. I encourage you to check out the revised bulletin board in the
Undercroft. Many of
the
committees now have a spot to post their news. Plus, there is a new Church
Calendar on
which
all upcoming activities will be posted. Check it out!
I
particularly hope you will keep tuned in to the upcoming ‘Vison’ sessions that
are being planned
by
Barbara Akerman and her team. Discussion
groups are planned for October, November and
January.
Check out the Sunday bulletins for more information.
Your
Stewardship Committee is already into their planning stages for the upcoming
Stewardship/
Pledge drive. Committees are preparing their budget requests for Finance
Committee
review for the 2009 Church year.
One
last item - As we all know, after each Sunday church service, there is this
special time of
fellowship
in the Undercroft, enjoyed by young and old alike. As if by magic, there always
seems
to
be some ‘goodies’ we enjoy with this time of sharing. Well, it is not magic but
folks willing
to
step up and have something available. My thanks to the Committees which, at a
recent
Council
meeting, agreed to take a month at a time and be sure those ‘eatables’ are on
the table.
Thank
you, and Enjoy !!!
Peace to all, Wally
Strauch, Moderator
THANK YOU
Perhaps you sent some lovely flowers or sent a card or two.
Perhaps you placed a call to say, “Today, we thought of you.”
Perhaps you knit a pretty shawl to wrap her in your care,
Or maybe you sat quietly and said a little prayer.
Perhaps you made some yummy food or decorated a table.
You did something for us all, however you were able.
No matter what it was you did to send your gentle touch,
Forever grateful we will be. It meant so very much.
On behalf of the family of Kelly Elaine Nickerson Brazzo, please know how much your thoughtfulness and kindness, prayers and gifts meant to all of us. During her courageous battle with leukemia,
Kelly was never alone.
With love, Kim E. Bossey
VISION FORUMS
The Vision 2008 planning committee is arranging for three forums to be presented in the next few months. A brief review is given below of each forum. Your participation and discussion is necessary to make this worthwhile for everyone. You are invited to sign up for one or more of the forums. Sign up sheets will be on the table in the undercroft. Please let us know if you need child care and also be sure to take the list of discussion questions to reflect upon in advance of the meeting.
Forum #1: October 19 following worship from
Forum #2: November 7 (Friday) from
Forum #3: January 2009 – exact date and topic to be announced. Time
will be from
If additional topics and events come up that require discussion, they can be arranged. Since there is a hard working Building committee already in place there will not be a special forum for that. We need at least 10 participants per forum to make this effort valuable for all.
A summary of our gatherings will be reported at our annual meeting at the end of January. Ideas raised in the forums will be given to the appropriate committees to consider action.
What an exciting time in the life of our church! We may be small but a lot is going on and you can help to make it better. Please come!
Shirley Powers for the Committee
PLANS FOR 2010 WOMEN'S CELEBRATION SAVE THE DATE
United
In 1980 during the Annual
Meeting of the New England Women's Fellowship Presidents, five women had a
dream. That dream was to reach out to the women in the pews, to involve
them in learning and sharing about their faith. The dream was realized in
1982 when the first CELEBRATION, WEAVING THE FABRIC OF OUT FAITH, took place in
CELEBRATION VIII---TOGETHER
BUILDING BRIDGES offers exciting opportunities for discovering and
understanding differences. Topics such as Race, Immigration, Sexuality,
Economics, Generational differences, and Worship Choices will be
examined. Plan to join us to make new friends and re-establish old ties
with people from
SENIOR OUTREACH
Since 1997, a group of church
members have been driving disabled seniors, in their own cars without charging
any fees, to medical appointments and shopping.
From 1997 – 2000, we worked under the auspices of Neighbor To Neighbor
in
Hearty Sunday Dinners for Seniors
is the other major program of the Senior Outreach Committee. Our church hosts a
dinner on the 4th Sunday of most months. The First and
Rea Alkema and
CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER
This is a wonderful church. Members of the congregation have always supported one another by visiting those who are homebound, in hospitals or confined to nursing homes. Members have also visited and brought meals to those at home with temporary illnesses or a variety of other problems. A “visit” does not necessarily mean a chat in someone’s kitchen or parlor. It can also be an invitation to lunch or a drive or some other social activity. Last year the Deacons announced a project titled “Called To Care” to ensure that all the formerly active members of the congregation, who can no longer get to church, will know that they are still a valued part of our church family. The Deacons also wished to provide some coordination when meals are desired. If you signed up with Called To Care last year to visit and/or to cook meals, but did not attend the meeting after church on September 21st, please call me or speak to me at church to let me know if you are willing to continue as a volunteer with the project. Anyone else who is interested is also welcome to participate.
The group that met on the 21st discussed what they had learned as they took part in “Called To Care.” All agreed that the most important gift a visitor can give is active, receptive, non-judgmental listening. This is listening without offering advice, trying to solve problems or acting as a substitute for family. It goes without saying that whatever a visitor hears must be kept strictly confidential. Most of our visitors fit their visits in between other activities.
You will find a “Called To Care Visiting Calendar” on the table at the bottom of the stairs in the Undercroft, together with a list of the persons who are homebound or in nursing homes. The Calendar is a small black notebook which when open displays a week at a glance. Please write your name and the name of the person you visit on the lines under the date of the visit, in the Calendar. You may record your visit either before or after it takes place. If we each check the book for the week ahead when we are at church, we will be able to spread our visits out more equitably. Of course visitors will be visiting their special friends, but we hope they will try to visit others as well. It is important to call ahead to be sure a visit is convenient unless you know the person you are visiting well enough to be sure that a drop-in visit will be welcome.
The important consideration in support that involves meals is to know whether meals are wanted, what kind and how much. If you signed up or are willing to provide meals, you will be called by a Deacon who will give you that information. If circumstances make it difficult to provide a meal on any given day, you should feel free to say so.
Let’s all work together to make sure that the members of our church who have given so much through the years know they are still an important part of our congregation, and that the rest of us know that in times of need our church family will be there for us.
Rea Alkema for the Deacons
PEACE AND JUSTICE
COMMITTEE
With the September Community Open House over and the
Committee's "poster-board archives" safely stored in the Merry's
barn, the P. and J. Committee will finalize the next four months' plans at
its October 5th meeting. October's focus will be on the first word of our
On Nov. 1st, Lee Hart will join members of the C.E.
Committee at South Church in Concord at a Conference, called by the NH
Conference of the UCC, on children and adults working together to save the
environment. We will present the history of how we became a
Our focus for December will be "Remembering the Homeless.” We will be partnering with the Missions Committee in holding a memorial service for the homeless, the living and those who died in 2008, on Sunday, December 21st, the longest night of the year. There will be some visual assistance for imagining and "feeling" what a "homeless home" might be. We will be inviting the community to join us. We invite your participation in gathering material as we plan this memorial service.
On Friday, evening, Jan. 23rd, we will be screening a powerful and illuminating film called "The Bible Tells Me So” on homosexuality. The film contains many stories about families and answers many questions. Dessert and coffee will be served. The film is 90 minutes long and well worth your time. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and to discuss the film. Patrice and eight church members who have seen this film recommend it highly.
Lee Hart, for the Peace and Justice Committee
REPORT ON THE 2008 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE
On June 13, 2008, the New
Hampshire conference of the United Church of Christ at its annual meeting in
Wolfboro, spoke up and adopted a resolution in support of the elimination of
torture. In addition to stating that "any and all use of torture is
totally unacceptable," the resolution calls upon the New Hampshire
Conference UCC to endorse and joining the national religious Campaign Against
Torture.
Also in that day, there were
many speak outs regarding the resolution by the Annual Meeting Planning
Committee (AMPC) to move the meeting to the Waterville Valley Conference Center,
at least for 2009 and possibly for the following two years, and for the meeting
to be held on Saturday May 16 - Sunday May 17, 2009. A vote was taken and
this resolution was passed.
Each day we had a worship and
communion service. Martin Copenhauer preached and Reggie and Kim Harris
were in charge of the music. The Friday offering was to relieve the
suffering of the Burmese people who survived the cyclone, and will be wired
from the UCC Southeast Asia Bureau to a Church World Service Worker who is in
We experienced the sounds of
sanctuary, discovering the power of music to teach our souls at deeper
levels. We explored sounds for prayers, meditation, and worship. We
went through the entire worship service and found that even though we were all in
UCC churches, the order of the worship service was completely different.
For example, we say our peace to each other before the service starts and
others say their peace at different times during their services. We were
told about meditational harp music for all occasions and where we can get
it. Jane Wilson Hively lives in
At this time I would like to
thank the people in the church for electing me as a delegate. I thoroughly
enjoyed my experience as your delegate.
I would also like to mention
that it was brought up that some of the delegates from the churches ought to be
in the 18 to 30 years of age group, if possible. Something to think
about.
STEWARDSHIP
The goal of our Stewardship ministry is to help God’s people (our congregation and beyond) grow spiritually in their relation to God and Jesus. The kick-off for this autumn’s program begins on October 19, with the theme “Growing the Spirit.” Visuals and active experiences will be highlighted each Sunday until Celebration Sunday on November 9th. On that date we will pledge our money, time and talents as the spirit moves within our hearts and souls for continuing the work of our church here and abroad. Your participation will make these Sundays more meaningful. Please join us for worship.
Shirley Powers for
Stewardship
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
COMMITTEE
The
Classrooms were set up, curriculum was displayed and registration forms were available to register the children. It was a great time for fellowship and fun. Refreshments were delicious.
Classes began on September 14th. Our teachers for this year, so far, are Shirley Strauch, Preschool/Kindergarten; Polly Fife and Jonathan Marchant, Grades 1&2; Kara Downes and Mary Morris, Grades 3 & 4; Sarah Harbrook and Kaylah Barton, Grades 5 thru 8. Substitutes so far are Karna Feltham, Barbara Akerman, Tracy Wood and Sally Wood.
We have the potential of five toddlers in our Nursery and we are continuing to solicit volunteers to care for them.
The Committee is reviewing Cokesbury’s new curriculum, Rock Solid, for possible use in all classes for the winter term. Currently, only the younger children are using this curriculum.
Our Fire Drill Procedure and our Allergy Policy have been reviewed by the Committee with minor changes made.
Our children will be participating in the UNICEF collection again this year.
Mary Morris,
An Advent Workshop is being planned for Saturday, November 15th, from 4-7 p.m. There will be craft tables set up and a light pot-luck supper of various soups and breads will be provided. There will be a sign up sheet for those wanting to attend and also for providing food. This will be an intergenerational event. Sue Long, Karna Feltham, Shirley Strauch, and Sarah Harbrook will be the lead people for planning this event.
Submitted by Karna Feltham for the Christian Education Committee 9-08
HISTORICAL TIDBITS
Ordination Day,
After serving for thirty-five years, Rev. Joseph Woodman
wrote a letter of resignation as first minister of the Congregational Church of
Sanbornton, on
The day of his ordination was
Sanbornton was at that time a place of considerable enterprise, and center of trade to a circle of towns around. On pleasant summer mornings, people were seen on their way to the stores from distances of ten and twelve miles, with butter and cheese and fresh-laid eggs to barter for tea and coffee and sugar and calico and snuff. The meetinghouse was well-filled on the Sabbath with a congregation of sober, earnest and intelligent men and women, coming from all parts of the town, and none were more constant than those who drove five miles up and down these invigorating hills. How full those great square pews used to be, morning and afternoon, summer and winter! Many of us remember what a merry sight it was to us children, at a more recent period when, on bright cold winter days, the congregation poured out from that old meetinghouse, in which there had been no fire save what our mothers and grandmothers brought in their little foot stoves, and packed themselves by families in their ample sleighs, single and double, and went down the hill to the music of their many bells, in long procession, at a rate of speed which made it plain that the horses were as glad as the children who had sat shivering on the cold hard seats, that meeting was done.”
Rev. Abraham Bodwell served the church forty-six years.
Milly Shaw, Historian