June/July 2008

 

Dear Friends,

 

Though it feels like fall as I write this, summer is here.  I am looking forward to “opening day” of the farmer’s market here in Canterbury and in Sanbornton.  I can already taste the fresh strawberries and want to relish each one.  I want to savor these precious summer days.

 

Yet summer can get booked up fast with family visits, get-togethers, and other commitments.  Before we know it, we will be gathered at the Open House on September 11 to register our children for another church school year.  We’ll say, “where did the summer go?”

 

Time has a way of slipping by us.  That is why it is important, as Dr. Kirk Jones says, to cultivate an intentional “savoring pace.”  Jones, Professor at Andover Newton writes, “…a savoring pace is not just negating or minimizing life’s hurried pace; it is the celebration of life and paying more attention to it….To savor is to taste or smell with pleasure, to relish, to delight in …For me, the savoring is in the physical slowing, but just as much, it is in the revelatory showing within the slowing…Savoring pace challenges our frenzied pattern of paying attention to more with a gentle yet persistent appeal to pay more attention.”  (Rest in the Storm, by Kirk Byron Jones, p. 55-56)

 

At the end of one summer, he recalls the grief that overcame him when he realized it was time to get back to his usual frenetic schedule of ministry and teaching.  He decided to carry the savoring pace of summer into the rest of the year.   He became aware of how often he is his own worst enemy and started to come up with savoring pace statements like:  “sign a peace treaty with conditions you cannot control” or “joy is an inside job.”

 

Dr. Jones reminds us that we always have the power to control how we respond to life’s circumstances, even when life feels out of control.   We can approach our “to-do” list with a calm and peaceful heart.  We need not push so hard.  We need not take on so much.  We can learn to be aware of our “spiritual speedometer.”  

 

Perhaps this adaptation of Psalm 23 by Toki Miyashina can help:

 

The Lord is my pacesetter, I shall not rush.

He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals,

He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity.

He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind,

and his guidance is peace.

Even though I have a great many things to accomplish this day,

I will not fret,

for his presence is here.

His timelessness, his all-importance will keep me in balance.

He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity.

By anointing my head with the oil of tranquility,   

my cup of joyous energy overflows.

Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours,

for I shall walk in the pace of my Lord,

and dwell in His house forever. 

                                                (Rest in the Storm, by Kirk Byron Jones, p. 70)

 

May you enjoy a “savoring pace” this summer and always!

 

Faithfully,

Patrice

 

Summer Worship Schedule – Summer worship begins on Father’s day, June 15.  Worship will be at 9:30 a.m. through September 7.  If you would like to help provide music during worship, please contact Michelle Chapman.  Remember that July 20 is the Old Home Day Community Worship Service at the First Baptist Church at 10:00 a.m.

 

Save the Date!  Thursday, September 11 will be the Church Open House at 6:30 p.m. 

 

Carbon Challenge Team Update – We're the first! Our church is the first in New Hampshire to officially take the carbon challenge!  So far 15 households have agreed to participate. Six families have logged onto the NH Carbon Challenge web site and pledged to lose more than 52,000 pounds (that's 26 tons!) of CO2. We are half-way toward our goal of losing 100,000 pounds. 

 

So, log-on today at www.nhcarbonchallenge.org and select “Take the Carbon Challenge.”  Be sure to select Update My Challenge at the end to save and register your work. In the Community Challenge box, click on “Sanbornton UCC” so we can track our carbon savings.  Great work everyone! Thank you!

 

Book Group Discussion – The book group meets every third Wednesday from 6:30 – 8 p.m.  All are welcome to join in!  The next meeting will take place on June 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Barbara Akerman.  Watch the bulletin for information about the next book selection and July meeting location.

 

Prayer Shawl Ministry – The prayer shawl ministry meets every third Tuesday from 1:30-2:30 p.m.   The next meeting will be on June 17 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. in the craft room at Woodside, Taylor Community, Laconia.  All are welcome to join us – please speak with Karna Feltham, Bobbie Lauterwasser, or Patrice if you are interested.

 

Summer Sanbornton Seniors Dinner Schedule –

All are welcome.  Dinner at 12:15 p.m. 

            June 8 – First Baptist Church

            June 22 - Congregational Church

            July 13 – Second Baptist Church

            July 27 – Congregational Church

            August 10 – Second Baptist Church

            August 24 – Congregational Church

 

DEACONS

 

Like you, I'm sooo glad Summer is nearly here.  For me, it's an opportunity to relax, take a break from so many commitments, spend more time outdoors, and to just "kick back".  We do that at church too; committees often meet less or don't meet at all, our schedule changes, and our choirs take a well deserved break.  That's where you come in.  If you have provided summer music in the past, or if you haven't and would like to give it a try, we would love to hear you from you!  Please see me or Patrice if you would be willing to share your music talents, or know someone who would.  Thank you.

 

Our church will be providing our next meal at Bread & Roses on July 14th.  We had a wonderful time in May, and had a record number of guests in attendance.  I'll plan the meal, you just have to show up and be ready to work.  We get there around 3 and we're done by 6.    Please let me know if you would like to help provide this important ministry for our church.

 

Michelle Chapman

Deacons Chair

 

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

 

Our Family Fun Night on May 3rd, co-sponsored with the Peace and Justice Committee, was a great success.  The Undercroft was filled to maximum, and the spaghetti dinner was delicious.  Everyone had a marvelous time.  We are very grateful to JaeAnn Rock for her superb leadership in taking on this project. The children watched and discussed a video, The Rotten Truth.  Our gratitude is extended to Mary Ruth Scott, who at the last minute, stepped in to facilitate the video/discussion and the games for our children.   And of course our kitchen cooks and servers did a wonderful job.  This event most certainly needs to be repeated again.

 

The final Sunday for church school was on May 18th at which time music awards and bibles were presented.  Many families brought their own picnics and we gathered outside to enjoy being together.  This was followed by an ice cream social provided by Liz Merry and Trail Mix.  Thank you so much, Liz.  Flowers were given to our children and all those involved with children.  Shirley Strauch did a superb job in organizing this.  The flowers were beautiful.

 

Quiet bags will be provided in the sanctuary during the summer for our children to enjoy.

 

Karna and Shirley will be organizing our supply closet, recruiting teachers and deciding on the set up for classrooms for fall.

 

Our open house in the fall will be held on September 11th.  This is when our children register for Church School and we enjoy an evening together.

 

The Christian Education Committee will be meeting again on June 8th right after church.

 

Karna Feltham

 

FIVE POETS READ AT THE CHURCH

 

Five local poets will read selections from their works at the church on Friday evening, June 13, beginning at 7 p.m. Refreshments, a book sale and signing will follow the program.  The poets are Tess Baumberger. Lynn Chong, Dudley Laufman, Gail Morrison, and Jackie Simon. The program is free and open to the public.

 

Tess Baumberger began writing poetry as a child growing up on a family farm in eastern South Dakota.  Then, as now, themes and images from the natural word play an important part in her work as both poet and Unitarian Universalist minister.  Tess has been a featured poet both here and in California, and has poems in the NH Poetry Society's recent book, The Other Side of Sorrow:  Poems of War, Conflict, and Peace.

 

Lynn Chong teaches writing at Plymouth State University. She earned an M.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire with a creative thesis of three short stories. She has studied writing at Goddard College and at Iowa University’s Fiction-Writers’ Workshop. Her poems have been published in Poet & Critic, Poetry Magazine, New American Review, N.H. Times, and Centripetal. She writes something new every week, motivated by her weekly writing group. Her poetry is inspired by nature, her students, her grandchildren, and by public and political events.  She is a committed peace activist.

 

Dudley Laufman of Canterbury, who received the 2001 New Hampshire Governor’s Arts Award for Folk Heritage from Governor Jeanne Shaheen, has been a musician, poet and dance caller for over fifty years and a leader of the Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra since 1966. Since 1986, he and his wife Jacqueline Laufman, who has illustrated a number of his books and broadsides, have been playing together as Two Fiddles, touring widely throughout the United States and Canada.  They have also created an online press, Wind in the Timothy Press, which publishes works by Dudley Laufman and other poets.  Dudley Laufman’s poems have been published in several books and over sixty magazines. His writings, including his books and broadsides, are listed on www.laufman.org and www.windinthetimothypress.com  The books include, among others, Walking Sticks, Mouth Music, Smoke Screen and Other Poems, and new, The Stone Man.

 

Gail Morrison has a baccalaureate degree in English and education and holds a juris doctorate degree earned mid-life from Franklin Pierce Law Center. Gail served as a representative in the New Hampshire Legislature from 1976 to 2000 and then returned in 2004 to represent Belknap District 2, which includes Sanbornton. She operates Agree Mediation Services. Gail has written verse since childhood. Her poetry has been published in an anthology, Ad Hoc Monadnock, but she has not seriously pursued publication to date. Her poetry is inspired by nature and particularly her love of the woods and gardens.

 

Jacqueline Simon (Jackie Simon Colthart) has published poetry and short fiction in magazines as diverse as Redbook and Ploughshares.  The Redbook story was shortlisted for the National Magazine Award for Fiction; other stories have won a PEN Southwest Discovery Prize for Fiction and a Creative Artist Award from the Cultural Arts Council of Houston, the city that is her winter home. She lives with her husband and a Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog in Ashland, NH, where she is working on a book of poems about New England wildlife, for children and the adults who read to them. She teaches at Rice University.

 

Diane Farrell

 

FAMILY FUN

 

Seventy adults and children enjoyed a recent Family Fun Night at the Church.  Two church committees, Christian Education and Peace and Justice, hosted the event.  The adults watched a slide presentation in the sanctuary on ways to reduce household carbon emissions.  The Peace and Justice Committee is working to make the church a “green church.”  Two workshops on the topic have been held; a recycling program has been established; and 11 families have pledged to take the UNH Carbon Challenge to lose 10,000 pounds of household carbon emissions.

 

In the United States half of all the greenhouse gas emissions come from household heating, electricity and motor vehicle use. Even small changes in our living habits can make a big difference.  For example: drink tap water instead of bottled water; replace incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs; keep your tires properly inflated; drive at or below the speed limit; drive fewer miles; use low-flow shower heads and shower in less than five minutes; wash laundry in cold water; line dry your laundry instead of using a dryer;  put electronic devices on a power strip and turn off the strip when the devices are not in use; turn thermostats down 2 or 3 degrees in winter; have an annual tune-up of your heating system; stop junk mail (use CatalogChoice.org).  Members of the Peace and Justice Committee and Dana Nute of Sanbornton served as a panel that commented on the slides and interacted with the audience.

 

Downstairs the children were shown a film from the Children’s Television Workshop. The film, called “The Rotten Truth,” took the children on a visit to the “Museum of Modern Garbage” and to the world’s largest landfill.  They learned what happened to the 2 million pounds of garbage produced in the United States alone each year.  After the film the children played a card game with cards that had pictures of different items commonly found in trash. The children had to identify each item and decide if it could be recycled as paper or plastic or glass or was not able to be recycled at all.

 

When the activities were over, and after a blessing by Rev. Patrice Ficken, a delicious spaghetti dinner was served. Huge helpings of spaghetti topped with a thick, rich red sauce were gobbled up by the hungry participants amid much talk and laughter. There were apples and Oreo cookies for dessert and fruit punch for a beverage. The program was held from 4 to 7 p.m. The three hours raced by. Jae-Ann Rock of Tilton organized the event assisted by other members of the Christian Education Ministry Team: Karna Feltham and Shirley Powers of Laconia; Sarah Harbrook, Susan Long, Mary Morris, Mary Ruth Scott and Shirley Strauch of Sanbornton; and Marg Whedon of Franklin; together with members of the Peace and Justice Committee: Sheila Dion and Cheryl Elliott of Belmont; Fred Ficken of Canterbury; Lee Hart of Laconia; Sharon Richardson of Northfield; and Susan Garner and Marty Merry of Sanbornton.

 

Barbara Ackerman

 

THANK YOU

 

Potted plants recently placed around the church grounds have been given by Harmony Grange#99 with grateful thanks for the use of the facilities of the undercroft for our meetings, programs, and projects.

 

On Tuesday August 5th at 7:00 p.m. the Grange will hold an Open House to celebrate its 125th Anniversary (1883-2008).  All are welcome to attend this special event for awards, history, displays, and refreshments.

 

Richard Currier, Master, Harmony Grange #99

 

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY

 

The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on the third Tuesday of each month, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., in the Craft Room at Woodside.  We currently have about thirteen people knitting shawls.  While we are knitting, we keep in mind those in need and at the same time enjoy our time with each other.  There are those who are learning to knit and those who have not knitted for years.  Our shawls, when completed, are blessed at our meeting and then sent out to recipients.  They are varied, from simple knit to original designs.

 

We have provided six shawls to someone in need, one shawl for the rocking chair in the sanctuary, and two prayer squares for two servicemen in Iraq.  The Prayer Squares are small enough to be kept in the soldier’s pocket.  He can reach for it to find consolation in the fact that we are praying for him.  A card is attached to all shawls and prayer squares that has a prayer on it for healing and comfort.  We also have about four shawls in inventory to be used when needed.

 

We welcome new participants.  What a wonderful time for mothers to come with daughters!  I bet there are some girls out there who would love to learn to knit. We will be meeting throughout the summer.  If you are interested in joining us, please contact either Karna Feltham, or Barbara Lauterwasser.

 

Karna Feltham

 

MISSIONS

 

A special “Thank You” to everyone who gives so generously to our Local Hunger Relief efforts, on the first Sunday of each month.  Your food and cash donations benefit both the First Fruits Food Pantry and the Bread & Roses Kitchen each month.   We are always looking for new ways to serve the needs of our community.

 

We have all been overwhelmed by the natural disasters that have struck both Myanmar and China.  For years the tradition of our church has been to collect donations with accompanying dedications for Blanket Sunday on Mothers’ Day and for Tools of Hope on Fathers’ Day.  We are changing this a bit this year by offering a Disaster Relief collection from now through Sunday, June 8th, with accompanying dedications and memorials, which we hope to list in the bulletin on Fathers’ Day, June 15th.   We are also monitoring Church World Services, International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Doctors Without Borders to determine which agencies actually are getting aid through to the needy people in Myanmar and China.  We appreciate your prayerful and generous participation.  As soon as we know what other needs may be (i.e. hygiene kits, first aid kits, etc.) we’ll begin organizing collections and shipping as needed.         

 

We are excited to see how the Lord will lead us this year and to what service we’ll be called.  Please help us to listen for that calling.  If you see a need or have an idea for service, please talk with a member of our committee.

 

 Committee members:  Patsy Wells - Chair, Ann Emerson-Knott, Edna Hansen, Gail Meinhold,

                                    Harriet Mitiguy, and Tracy Woods.

 

MERRIMACK ASSOCIATION

 

The Rev. Jeffrey Stevens was installed as pastor and teacher in an inspiring service at the Franklin Congregational-Christian Church, United Church of Christ on May18, 2008.  Gail Meinhold and Shirley Powers attended as representatives of the Sanbornton Church.  The Rev. Robert Curry gave the installation prayer and Conference Minister, Gary Schulte preached the charge to the minister and to the congregation.  Already Rev. Stevens is becoming active in the community and helping to renew the Twin Rivers Clergy Association.  A delicious buffet supper was served in the reception hall.

 

On June 8, 2008 an Ecclesiastical Council to examine Duane Bailey leading to ordination in Christian ministry will be held at the South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Concord at 2:00 p.m.  All are welcome.  Light refreshments will be served.

 

Shirley Powers

 

OLD HOME DAY

 

The Old Home Day celebration will take place in July this year, on the weekend of July 18, 19 and 20, in Sanbornton Square.  The Sanbornton Farmers’ Market and an Open House at the Historical Society’s Lane Tavern, both from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, July 18, will start off the weekend. There will be tours and an Art Exhibit in the Tavern. When the Farmers’ Market closes, people may picnic in the field with their own food or buy barbecue that will be supplied while Mr. Phil, Sanbornton’s resident magician, puts on a performance.

 

On Saturday, July 19, there will be a Photography Exhibit at the Library; Open House and tours of the Lane Tavern with light refreshments from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; local Sanbornton vendors, exhibitors and demonstrators of crafts such as blacksmithing, spinning and weaving, plus children’s activities and games, in the Market Field from 11a.m. to 3 p.m.; and a parade at 1 p.m. through the Square.  At 3 p.m., the Market Field will close and activities will move to the historic buildings on Meetinghouse Hill. The Police Department will stage a canine demonstration; Rachel Swain will lead farm games for families; and there will be music in the Gazebo. There will be a chicken barbecue at the Library from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by an Olde Time Variety Show, put on by the Historical Society, at the Town Hall.

 

On Sunday, the traditional Town-wide Union Church Service will be held at the First Baptist church of Sanbornton at 10 a.m. followed by a dinner and entertainment. Throughout the weekend the Chase Taylor Revolutionary War re-enactors will have an encampment in the Square and there will be an ongoing Cribbage Tournament.

 

Diane Farrell

 

CONSIDER THE EARTH

 

It’s the mountains and the valleys, the forests and flowers;

It’s the sky overhead, and the summertime showers.

It’s the storehouse of waters, the source of our food;

It’s the fish and the sheep and the giant redwood

It’s the place of four seasons it’s day after night.

It’s an empire of beauty. It is here there is life!

Who but the Lord could give sunshine and soil?

Who but He, gave us oceans and oil?

Think of the atom, the wind and the rain.

Think of His gifts of colors and grain.

What price would you pay for the coo of a dove?

And how would you value a young mother’s love?

Where but on Earth are there children and air?

Where but around us, a planet to share?

The earth is the Lord’s, with riches unmeasured;

The home where we live, a world to be treasured.

We can spoil it, or keep it, as a land full fair

For we are His stewards; His earthe is our care.

 

FROM THE HISTORIAN……..submitted by Milly Shaw