November 2011 - South Congregational Church
Transcription
November 2011 - South Congregational Church
Our Mission is to be an inclusive community of faith that preaches the word of God, teaches the love of Jesus Christ and reaches out to all through the Holy Spirit. An Open and Affirming Congregation Inside this issue: Words from Rev. Whiston Christian Education News Did You Know Thank You Note Interim Financial Committee News Quo Vadis Sunday Worship 10:30 am (Nursery Care provided) Sunday School Classes 10:30 am Hymn Sing Sundays (last Sunday each month) 10:15 am South Congregational Church United Church of Christ November 2011 Words from our Minister Stewardship Sunday, November 13 Stewardship is far more than finances; it is faith-based at its very core. From the Old English word 'styward' stewards were entrusted to care for resources for the good of the wider community. It is no coincidence that most churches conduct their Stewardship Campaigns in the fall, reflecting the spirit of the harvest and returning to God a proportion of the bounty from the fields. We too return a portion of our bounty and wealth to God, a practice I have long preached and followed; proportional giving to my church. Many have asked, 'what shall I give...what shall I make for a pledge to support South Church in the coming year?' One healthy goal put forth by our United Church of Christ is the 5% practice or one dollar/week for each one thousand dollars of income. While this may initially seem 'more than I can afford,' it is a goal that many have found can be achieved in incremental steps. In this way, our budget becomes more than a financial document but truly becomes a theological statement on both the 'income' and 'expense' columns. This is who we are and is a road map of our desire to extend the love of Christ to God's people. Charles HANGING OF THE GREENS Faith communities often gather to welcome the Advent Season, joining hands and efforts to reflect the beginning of a new church year as well as to strengthen the bonds of shared relationships. This year South Church will celebrate the "Hanging of the Greens" with a variety of activities on Saturday, November 26 from 10:00am to 12 noon. (You will note that this is the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend as Advent begins that Sunday.) Several activities for which we both welcome and need you will be going in simultaneously. Church Interior - Preparing the sanctuary for worship; hanging all the wreaths, candles in the windows, artificial tree, hanging the Moravian star, mitten tree and the like. Church Exterior- Bringing out and putting in place the Nativity Scene outside the church front door area. Community House- Families will be making Advent wreaths to take home as well as creating Christmas decorations-downstairs. Others will be assembling our South Church Advent devotional booklet - upstairs Then, we conclude with a potluck luncheon at 11:30. Bring your favorite left-over turkey dish. Imagine the creativity! It is planned for all ages and abilities, indoors as well as outdoors - good food and good company. All this brought to you by the Worship Task Force. A Message from Christian Education by Kelly McLaughlin Each week in Church, one of my favorite moments As of this printing, our Community Middle is right after the Children’s Message when one of School group and our High School Youth our beautiful children carries the candle down the aisle will have gone to Pumpkin Valley Farm toward the back of the sanctuary. No matter how many on the evening of Friday, October 28th to times I see it, I am touched by the seriousness with navigate our way through the corn maze. which each child performs their duty and the pride in We will bring our flashlights, patience their faces as they lead the children off to Sunday and laughter as we twist and turn in the School. I think that many of us see this as the point in LARGE maze shaped like a lobster. If you the service when the business of worship begins for the know of ANY interested youth who would adults. In reality, it represents the same thing for our like to join us in our youth group outings, children. Like their parents in worship, our children please let me know. join together in prayer and song. Like their parents in worship, our children listen to Bible verses, albeit in story form. Like their parents in worship, our children gain understanding of God’s lessons, although their Our children will have received their Bibles sermon takes the form of varied and fun activities. on Sunday, October 23rd during our church Lastly, like their parents in worship, our children service. This year, prior to this Sunday, I met participate in an offering of gifts. with our third and fourth grade children on Friday, October 21st to look at their Bibles We ask our children to participate in an offering with them. We highlighted some favorite because it teaches them the scriptural principal of passages, made bookmarks to keep our giving, and because our faith values outreach to places, read some Bible stories together and others. Each year, the Sunday School class donates their offering to a special cause. Sometimes these found where the Lord’s Prayer is located in are local organizations with which the children are the New Testament. We ate a simple supper familiar, such as the Animal Welfare Society of together and sat by the fire at my home while Kennebunk. Sometimes they are organizations that we had a chance to explore our new Bibles. help children and their families in other parts of the world like UNICEF and Heifer International. It is a special experience to see a young child trying to Church School Fun decide between the gift of a chicken or a goat. By Beth Gachowski Please consider helping your child bring a weekly Our Father who does art in heaven, offering to Sunday School this year. The amount Harold be thy name. What?! We have of a child’s offering is not important (pennies are been working in Sunday school to make the welcome), but rather that they have the opportunity to Lord’s Prayer part of the children’s lives in a participate in the joy of giving. In Deuteronomy 16:17, meaningful way. Our goal is not only for the we read that “Every man shall give as he is able, children to learn the prayer so that they can according to the blessing of the Lord your God.” participate in our church services more fully I think that applies to each child as well. but also that they understand the message of the prayer. To that end we have repeatedly read the story of how the Disciples were ! taught the Lord’s Prayer . We have done er nni f e J played games that involved the words to the ou nk y Tha prayer. We have played charades and pretended to call God on the phone. We have done cooking projects involving “our daily bread”. In all of these activities the children had a lot of fun, supported each other and The beautiful bulletin board about prayer in the downstairs learned what it means to pray. Hopefully you will be hearing more young voices join the hallway of the church was completed by Jennifer Merry, a member of the Board of Christian Education. If you haven’t congregation when we say the Lord’s prayer. had a moment to take a look, there are many prayers that you can take home with you. A Thank you Note Dear South Church Friends, Norman and I are very grateful for your loving support these past few months. Your cards, notes, and thoughtfully planned dinners truly nourished us—body and soul— during the difficult days of my father’s death, and some serious complications with Norm’s illness. With each act of kindness we were reminded of the goodness of God, our connection to one another, and the presence of the Holy Spirit with us. What a blessing it is to be part of the South Church Community! Many Thanks, Judy and Norm Merrow A special invitation to our children.... Stuffed Animal Sunday on November 20 ! Bring your favorite to be part of the Children's Message that morning. Spaghetti/BINGO night coming up! Come and join us for all you can eat spaghetti, garlic bread and salad on Friday, November 4th from 5:00pm to 6:00pm at the Community House. At 6:00, we will play BINGO and give away prizes that our high school youth have collected from area businesses. Dinner is $5.00 per person, $20.00 per family and each BINGO game is $1.00. We will play about 10 games of BINGO. All proceeds from this evening will help our high school youth get to Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, MS for our mission trip in January. Thank you to Scott Baker for his generous donation of spaghetti, sauce and sausage. As we go to print, details are being finalized for an ecumenical Community Thanksgiving Service. Stay tuned through weekly announcements in the Sunday bulletin or give the office a call, 967-2793. A mission trip to the Gulf Coast is in the works for January 14-21, 2012. In the past several years, we have participated in the Katrina Recovery effort in New Orleans. This year, our efforts shift eighty miles to the east; to BackBay Mission in Biloxi, MS - an outreach program of our United Church of Christ since 1921. We have spaces for up to 18 participants and already a number of adults and our high school youth are preparing to go. Please let Rev. Charles know by November 20 if you wish to participate. A brief information session takes place after worship on that date. You will see enclosed is a year-to-date interim financial statement. You will note that our pledges are significantly lagging. Remember, that we voted a deficit budget at our annual meeting based upon a pledge goal of $251,000 and $219,000 received at that time. Central Board has voted to gratefully receive the gift of a memorial bench to be located on our rivergreen from the family of Linda Broughton. A long time member of South Church, she was active in many groups including the Deacons, Women's Association and Fellowship. Linda joined the church in 1990. Christmas Poinsettias -While it might seem early in the season, forms will be out in a couple weeks by the office door for those wishing to provide a poinsettia plant for worship or for one of our homebound members. Sarah has more information in the office. Circle of Giving Shop ~ Coming Again this Advent The Outreach Board is busy organizing the Circle of Giving Shop’s second season. Given the enthusiastic response from last year’s grateful shoppers we are anticipating another exciting season! The shop, open during the fellowship hour each Sunday of the Advent Season, will offer both meaningful giving and convenience through gift donations to carefully selected charitable organizations. These organizations address a variety of issues including hunger, poverty and education. Gift cards are available which have a brief description of the organization and inform the recipient that a donation has been given in their name. Last year, 60 gift donations were purchased for family, friends, colleagues, business associates, teachers and others. These gifts totaled nearly $3,000.00, going to eight organizations working both locally and globally. Nominating Committee will begin its work to seek individuals to fill our boards and committees in the new year. Would you like to assist in this process? Do you have special skills and interest that might serve the church well and strengthen the casue of Christ? Do let Rev. Charles, Cindy Brockway (chair of Central Board) or Kathleen Chapin (vice-chair of Central Board) know of your interest. Thank you. Recent additions to the library F/SHA Shaffer,Mary Ann The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society F/STO Stockett,Kathryn The Help 220.8/SWE Swenson, Allan Foods Jesus Ate and How to Grow Them 252/KIN King,Martin Luther Strength to Love 615.8/DEV DeVaul,Gary et al Champions...Plus:the spiritual journey of organist Mark Thallander 974.7/STE Stewart,James B. Heart of a Soldier 976.3/ROS Rose,Chris 1 Dead in Attic:after Katrina The library committee members encourage you to borrow books , but please also return them in a timely manner so that others may enjoy them. The Fellowship Committee is in need of more members. This committee oversees the weekly Sunday coffee hours, and plans social gatherings throughout the year. Members take turns greeting and setting out food and coffee service (the more members, the less often it’s your turn!) and attend monthly planning meetings. It’s a low-pressure, fun way to serve your church. If you would be interested in joining us, please speak to one of us: Lois Dennett, Jo Dillon, Sue MacCachran, Trish Mason, Ted or Liz Baker or Rev. Charles. From the Trustees: As part of the Strategic Plan that was approved at last year's Annual Meeting, the Trustees were charged with the task of "developing additional financial support through more intensive use of our facilities." We have been focusing our attention in this regard on the Community House. We have continued to see increased costs for maintaining this property at the same time that we are seeing decreased usage, both by the church and outside groups. The Community House has always been an asset to the community with space being available to groups for a small or nominal fee. In addition to serving as an asset for Community Outreach, the Trustees feel that this building could also be used as a means to provide revenue for the church. We have been developing plans that would allow and encourage rental of the facility for private functions. Many of you attended one of the two recent informational meetings that were held concerning changes in the Alcohol Policy for the Community House that this new rental effort would require. While we felt that those in attendance were generally in favor of allowing for these changes regarding alcohol use, we felt that the questions that were raised required us to bring forth a more complete proposal to the congregation. We are in the process of putting together a presentation that we feel will address the whole scope of the proposed rental plan, including some Community House renovations to the main room and to the entry. You are encouraged to attend one or both of the following Informational Meetings to learn more about our plans. Both sessions will be held in the Community House. Sunday - Nov. 6 following the morning service Tuesday - Nov. 8 at 7:00 PM Seafarer’s Friend “Ditty Bag” Mission Seafarer’s Friend is “an interdenominational faith-based ministry to the maritime community in New England,” primarily serving seafarers of foreign vessels. Ditty Bags, part of a longstanding tradition of the Seafarer’s Friend, are small fabric sacks containing items for the seafarers to use while aboard ship. Each year hundreds of ditty bags are given out to sailors at Christmas time, “conveying love, concern and compassion of the church to the men and women at sea.” The Christian Education committee is once again making Ditty Bags a hands-on mission project for the Sunday school children to participate in this year. Our goal is to fill 25 bags, about enough to supply the sailors of one ship. Below is a list of common items needed for the bags. We welcome your contribution of whatever items you wish, in whatever quantities you wish. If you are unable to shop but would like to contribute to this mission, we would be happy to receive your monetary donation and shop for you! All donations need to be received by Sunday, November 13th so bags can be assembled by the children for delivery to the Seafarer’s Friend by early December. Knit hat Packs of Gum Bandana/Handkerchief Deodorant Chapstick Comb/Brush Heavy weight socks Nail clippers Deck of cards Hard candy (Individually wrapped) Bar soap (Individually wrapped/large bar) Heavy-duty shoe/boot laces Toothpaste Toothbrush (Individually packaged) THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT ! SOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UCC Interim Financial Summary January 1, 2011 - September 30, 2011 Actual Budget Difference INCOME Pledges - Member Non-Pledged Offertory Endowment Adams Fund Maintenance Miscellaneous Gifts Other Income (Rentals, Weddings, etc.) TOTAL INCOME $ 136,002 4,854 17,843 26,250 19,400 8,123 $ 212,472 $ 170,804 3,000 13,125 26,250 12,750 2,250 7,138 $ 235,317 $ (34,802) 1,854 4,718 (12,750) 17,150 985 $ (22,845) EXPENSES Salaries & Wages Benefits Building Maintenance Buildings Central Board Christian Education Diaconate Fellowship Insurance Library Music Newsletter Office Outreach Professional Fees Utilities $ 109,938 48,356 16,214 8,625 267 3,011 5,922 358 13,836 191 3,134 918 4,163 17,067 16,803 $ 108,503 50,270 22,500 7,847 325 2,800 5,631 420 13,550 300 5,288 833 4,947 22,500 1,125 17,200 $ 1,435 (1,914) (6,286) 778 (58) 211 291 (62) 286 (109) (2,154) 85 (784) (5,433) (1,125) (397) TOTAL EXPENSES $ 248,803 $ 264,039 $ (15,236) INCOME MINUS EXPENSES $ (36,331) $ (28,722) $ (7,609) Excerpts from Committee Reports for September Central Board Meeting Fellowship Committee “Dine With Nine" will happen October 21, with about 30 people participating. Women’s’ Association Craft Fair arrangements are well in hand. All spaces are taken and there is a waiting list. Set up will be on Thursday morning, December 1 at 9.am and we would love to have help, especially muscle power. Clean up will be on Saturday, December 3 after 4pm when the fair closes to the public. We would especially welcome some stalwart help then. Please volunteer your services to Ellen Howes, Morven Troost or any other Women's Association Committee member. The Christmas Tea will take place on Tuesday, December 13 at 1pm. Senior Moments, always popular, will provide entertainment. Invitations will be sent, as always , to other area churches. If you would like to bake, or help in other ways, Sue MacCachran will be happy to hear from you. The bulb and pecan sale is ongoing. October 23 will be the final Sunday to place orders. Distribution will happen on Sunday, November 13. Trustees (Bonnie Tahan) The Trustees voted to recommend the 2012 Budget as submitted from the various boards and committees. The total amount is $347,819. This figure reflects an increase over last year of approximately 3.4% which is mostly attributable to higher fuel and insurance costs. We were pleased to see that this budget included a 3% raise in salaries, an option that had been cut from the 2011 budget. A new chandelier has been hung in the vestibule and the two fixtures in the lower level are being rewired and are expected to be back in place at the end of the month. New upholstery on the furniture on the upper level will complete the vestibule renovations. We have made arrangements with the Maine State Prison for this work to be done in its upholstery workroom. We have been told that this may take several months to complete and are working on providing some temporary seating arrangements in the meantime. A Word from the Chair of Central Board In the next month, we are going to be called to do our part. Stewardship letters are going out in early November. The nominating committee is just forming. Those of you who serve on a committee – I applaud you. For those of you who serve as chair of a committee, I give you a standing ovation. WE are the church. WE are the church within the community. Each time we respond to a request for help, in whatever form, we are living out the true meaning of serving God. As you meet and greet other members of our church, please encourage them to take part. We are all busy, over-stressed, over-worked and under paid. We all are trying to work through this economy. But if we each do a little, the return is greater than the gift. One dollar, one meeting, one host, all makes a difference, and spreads the load for all of us to carry. Thank you for all that you do. Let’s encourage others to do their little part, not as a chore or a burden, but thankful for the gift of being part of something greater than themselves. South Congregational Church United Church of Christ PO Box 414 Kennebunkport, ME 04046 Phone: 207/967-2793 In the fall of the year, we pause to admire Nature’s incredible beauty as the leaves of red, gold and orange travel gently to the ground around us. This majesty of autumn beckons us to observe, appreciate and seek the Almighty in our daily lives. We are on the web www.southchurchucc.org The deadline for submitting newsletter articles is the 15th of each month by emailing to: [email protected]. Created by Martha Larkin, our beautiful “Quo Vadis” mural in the church library holds biblical and historical references. “Wither thou goest.” Where are you going in your relationship with God? Art is what we make of it, how it moves us. It isn’t meant to be perfect., but it can be timeless.