Midwinter 2009

Eliot Oak
will be conducting a forum after
church on February 8. MICAH
is involved in a variety of issues
and projects on both the local and
regional level and would love to
have more people involved. If
you are interested, please let me
know, or just drop by on the 8th.
This is, of course, a time when
many of us are thinking about
social action.
These are interesting and exciting
days, after all. On January 20th,
just one day after Martin Luther
King Day, Barack Obama was
sworn in as President of the
United States. It was a moment
of such historical significance
that even many of his political
rivals anticipated being there at
that moment. I know that many
of us are excited, too. Of course,
this doesn’t mean that
Inauguration Day marked the end
of racism or the advent of world
peace. All it really indicated was
a change of governments. There
From the Minister
Candidating Week: an overview
Things are always pretty quiet in
January here at Eliot. After the
great expenditure of energy
through the holidays, we often
take a step back to breathe and to
collect ourselves. Even our
worship services reflect this to
some extent. We are all feeling a
little more reflective as we gather
ourselves for the remaining days
of winter. Still, as you look
through your newsletter you will
see that there is plenty to do. The
Eliot Church continues to grow
in membership and in spirit
during this time and it would be
great to see you a part of it!
Of particular note, perhaps, is the
presentation by Metropolitan
Interfaith Congregations Acting
for Hope (or MICAH) an
interfaith community-organizing
group that we at Eliot helped to
found a few years ago. The new
lead organizer, Michael Brown,
Midwinter 2009
Mark your Calendar (see
inside for details…)
February 1, 12:30PM
West VA Work Camp Kickoff
at Memorial Hall
February 8
MICAH forum after church.
March 1, 2PM
Anne Hooper WebbConcert at the church!
March 7, (Memorial Hall)
Our “hot and spicy” Auction
and Chili Competition!
March 8, 2PM (Memorial
Hall) Womenʼs Club
“Interview with Ann Nesbitt”
The Eliot Church
45 Eliot Street
Natick, MA 01760
On December 14, 2008, our Church unanimously voted to become an Open and
Affirming Church. Here Randy Glidden, Sue Kennedy, Parish Committee
moderator Fred Pasche, and Donna Tetreault stand next to the Eliot Church Open
and Affirming Statement.
www.theeliotchurch.org
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is a tremendous amount of work
to do. There will be missteps as
well as successes. As we go
about our various tasks this
month, it is worth a moment or
two to pray for this country and
for those who have been called to
serve it. It is also important for
us to keep engaged with the
issues, even though the next
election may seem far away. Our
political leaders will need both
our support and our questions in
the times ahead.
Eliot Church to
host West
Virginia Work
Camp Kickoff
The kickoff meeting to
launch into this year’s
annual ecumenical
service trip to the
Our Eliot Sacred Harp Singers at Natick’s
Epiphany Concert, January 4, 2009
Cabell/Lincoln county
work camp in West
repairing homes to make them
Virginia is soon approaching on
warm, safe, and dry, this trip is
February 1st! Will you join the
an opportunity to meet youth and
team?
adults from all over the country,
and to reflect on service and faith
Every year, youth and adults
in a transformational week of
Yours in Faith,
from Natick (and all over the
Christian ministry. This trip will
Adam
country) travel to West Virginia
be one of the most moving of
PS: I hope to see you on March 7 at
in the middle of June to serve,
your life! Learn the true
our “Mini Auction & Chili Fest”!
grow, and love. In addition to
meaning of serving others, and
just how drastically that can
change YOU!
The Eliot Church is a community church in
the Christian tradition, with ties to
both the Unitarian Universalist Association
and the United Church of Christ.
Visitors of all faiths are always welcome.
Further information on the Eliot Church
can be found at www.theeliotchurch.org
Every year of work camp
consists not only of the trip to
West Virginia to serve, but of
fundraising and community
building prior to the trip. At this
kickoff meeting, we’ll not only
give you some information about
the work camp itself, but
information about the fundraising
and community building that
we’ll be doing prior to our
departure in June. See you on
February 1st at 12:30pm!
Questions? Email Mike
Micalone [email protected]
or email Matt Carriker at
[email protected]
Minister: The Rev. Adam Tierney-Eliot
Music Director: Dr. Stephen James (508) 620-1626
Worship Services: Sundays at 10:00 AM
Communion: First Sunday of the Month at 10:00 AM
Church School Classes: Sundays at 10:00 AM
Minister's Office Hours: By appointment - call
Church Office/Study at (508) 653-2244
Memorial Hall (508) 652-9010
Moderator and Parish Committee Chair: Fred Pasche 508/405-2632
Treasurer: Elaine Hayes 508/653-9098 Asst. Treasurer: Regina Wolf-Fritz 508/653-3237
Clerk: Victoria Pasche 508/405-2632
Nominated Committees
Deacons: Elaine Early 508/655-0503
Nominating: Jacqueline Brodnitzki 508/6532195
Appointed Committees
Buildings and Grounds: Rich Miche 508/3081712
Canvass: Rosemary Driscoll 508-653-0615
Endowment: Ben Bailey 508/655-6914
Ministry: Deb Streeter 508-650-1467
Finance: Bill Brodnitzki 508/653-2195
Parish Committee: Fred Pasche 508/405-2632
Religious Education: Molly Campbell
508-655-3017
Housekeeping: Aileen Zogby 508-655-6279
Membership: Jacqueline Brodnitzki 653-2195
Music and Arts: Randy Glidden 508-653-7624
Outreach: Barbara Bailey 508-655-6914
Strategic Planning: Bill Seymour 650-0720
Women's Club: Mary Ellen Ames 653-7066
Doss Frazee 781/237-9519
Sunday, February 1st; 12:30pm1:30pm, at John Eliot Memorial
Hall, 40 Eliot St., Natick
The West Virginia Work Camp –
A week of service, faith
formation, community building,
and Christian ministry
The Eliot Oak
Editor: Tod Dimmick [email protected]
Circulation: Felicia Nadel
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Eliot Oak
Anne Hooper Webb, Sarah
Arneson & George Kern to
perform at Eliot Church
Natick, MA— Anne Hooper
Webb, Sarah Arneson & George
Kern will perform on Sunday,
March 1, 2009 at 2:00 pm at the
Eliot Church, 45 Eliot Street (Rt.
16), Natick, MA. The program
will include works by Beethoven,
Joseph Marx, and Handel. Anne
Hooper Webb’s first visit, in
January 2008, was so popular
that this second concert was
considered a necessity. A
reception will follow. The
suggested donation is $15.
Anne Hooper Webb is a freelance violinist in Boston,
primarily affiliated with the Pro
Arte Chamber Orchestra of
Boston and the Boston
Philharmonic. She is on the
faculty of the Rivers School
Conservatory, the New School of
Music and adjunct professor at
Eastern Nazarene College. Since
1987, she has performed annual
violin recitals dedicated to The
Hunger Project. She has played
with the Camerata Academica of
Salzburg, the Symphonieorchester Graunke (now
Münchner Symphoniker) of
Munich, and the orchestra of the
Festival dei due Mondi, in
Spoleto, Italy. As Scottish
fiddler, she was winner of the
1993 and 1998 U.S. National
Scottish Fiddling
Championships. She has
performed and acted as music
director for numerous concerts of
Scottish music and dance,
produced by the Boston Branch
of the Royal Scottish Country
Dance Society (RSCDS Boston).
The March 7 Auction
needs you!
What do you get when you
combine our auction with our
chili competition? A Hot and
Spicy Auction! We need
1 Auction items. Please
contact Barbara at
[email protected] with
info about your donation.
2 Chili Entries! To enter the
chili cookoff, contact Tod at
[email protected].
Stay tuned - more to come!
Women's Club!
One of the highlights for the year
for the Eliot Church Women's
Club is the joint program
sponsored by the Natick
Historical Society, the Bacon
Library Friends and the Women's
Club. This year it will be held on
Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m. in the
John Eliot Memorial Hall. It will
feature an interview with
Henrietta Nesbitt, portrayed by
actress and playwright Beth
Goldman, who served as
Housekeeper and Cook for the
four Franklin D. Roosevelt
administrations. All are welcome.
Refreshments will be served.
Craft Day “Staff” keep things moving!
Membership
If you are interested in joining
the church, or have questions
about our church community,
please contact Rev. Adam
Tierney-Eliot at 508-653-2244 or
Jacqueline Brodnitzki at 508653-2195.
Elves, reindeer, and
helpers all pose for the
camera at the craft
day…
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The Christmas Pageant!
The 2009 Oldtown
Calendar is Going Fast!
The church still has a limited supply
of Oldtown Calendars, If you don't
have your copy yet, please send in
your order form today, or order
online at www.oldtowncalendar.org.
Don't forget, this is not only a
gorgeous, unique calendar for your
wall, but the net proceeds support
the work of our Church.
The 2009 Oldtown Calendar
features the work of many
photographers from Natick and
surrounding communities. The
calendar is a fundraiser for local
nonprofit organizations, including
the Bacon Free Library, Mass
Audubon's Broadmoor Wildlife
Sanctuary, The Morse Institute
Library, The Center for Arts in
Natick (TCAN), The Natick
Historical Society, the Natick
Community Organic Farm, the West
Virginia Work Camp, and of course
the Eliot Church, which organizes
the entire project.
And the audience in the luxury box…
The 2009 Calendar has been
sponsored by two local businesses,
Faith Casler Associates and Belkin
Family Lookout Farm.
You can get your copy of the
calendar at the church parlor, or go
to www.oldtowncalendar.org.
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