April 2016 - Williston Federated Church

thE-Steeple
April 2016
Bridge Pastor ~
Rev. Kurt Shaffert
Assistant Pastor ~
Rev. Charlie Magill 879-6238
Lay Leader ~ Sally Metro
Ministers ~
The People of the Church
Church Office Administrator ~
Sally Nowotarski
Music Director ~
Martin Hain
Organist ~
Carolyn Pillsbury
Choir Accompanist ~
Cindy Thurston
Nursery Caregiver ~
Michelle Davis
Sunday School Coordinator ~
Karen Allen
Youth Ministry ~
Ashley Dubois
Address:
44 North Williston Road
Williston, VT 05495
Church Office:
(802) 878-5792
e-mail address:
[email protected],
Website:
www.steeple.org
Inside this issue:
A Few Easter Memories
The Rainbow Quilt
Church Membership
Womens Book Club
A Word from Karen Allen
Memorial Service Esta Brayton
Men’s Breakfast
WFC Needs You
Birth Announcement
Listen, Silent Prayer
Visiting Pastor
Kids4Peace Summer Camp
Jump Silent Auction
Meg Frenzen’s Experiences
Kids4Peace Bio
Calendar
Easter Sunrise Service
Budget Figures
Santuary Storm Windows
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A few EASTER MEMORIES
For Easter my mother would always curl my sisters hair for church. She would put her
wooden handled ,metal pronged curling iron in the open flames of the kitchen stove to heat it. When it
had the right sound of Pisst-Pisst when she touched it with her wet fingers she knew it was ready. The
problem was that when she curled around my sister's ears she would sometime burn then. But that was
the kind of mother's we had in those days--if they had to burn your ears on Easter to curl your hair they
would do it. I still remember the sound and smell of the curling process. Bill Skiff
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As Director of Youth Ministries during the 1990’s, I had the honor of orchestrating the
Easter Sunrise Service with the youth each year. First at Gert Urie’s and then at Tony and Susan
Lamb’s. Despite the vast musical talents in our church, cold mornings sometimes silenced Dave Bristol’s saxophone and left us with only our vocal chords to greet the son-rise.
Snow, rain, sleet, and sometimes even sun. I was often astonished that we could get 10 or so youth
to gather in the cold and dark to be ready to deliver an inspiring message to our congregation. It still
amazes me to this day that we entrust the youth of our church with such a solemn message. We did
goofy skits (who can forget Sam Frueh as a donut eating weatherman Tom Messy-er?), serious sermons (What if Jesus was resurrected today?) and heartfelt gatherings.
One year Susan and I visited my mother in Florida during Easter and attended a sunrise service on
the beach, wearing shorts, in our bare feet. That was infinitely pleasing, but nothing compared to the
warmth we shared on those cold Easter mornings in Vermont. Dann Van Der Vliet
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One year I bought all the grandkids (9 at the time) different colored caps from the dollar
store to wear for the Easter egg hunt. An adult gathered the kids all in the bathroom with the door
closed while we adults hid the eggs. That year I put macaroni and stones in most of the colored plastic eggs. A few had money in them. In the end everyone received a bag of goodies and coins. It never
failed that all 150 eggs would not be found and we couldn't remember all the places we hid them.. A
few days /weeks later they would be found at different times by the adults. Ginger Isham
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The Rainbow Quilt
by Nancy Stone
As a symbol of hope and renewal, a paper quilt was hung in the Fellowship hallway, with
squares in which each person could write about how this faith community is important....how it inspires us to follow Christ, and leads us to be better because we worship and work together,
It awaits your unique hand-writing to express why or how This Church is important to you. You can start with a verb and write one word or several. Perhaps children can write
or draw in the bottom rows. It doesn't have to be completed by a deadline; you can think about it
and do it in the future. But, to be complete and effective, it needs your participation.
Imagine how powerful these affirmations will be when read by new pastors or
guests, and how healing they may be for each other.
This is a dynamic church. We have different opinions; we have different talents; we have different experiences; we have different hand-writing styles. The quilt will reflect all of those things but,
just as with the quilting bees of olden times, it will reflect a meaningful fabric of community while
also binding us together in God's love.
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Are You Interested in Church Membership?
Pentecost Sunday, May 15, is traditionally a day to welcome new members.
The Membership Committee is planning to do that this year for any who wish to join the church. An information meeting will be held after worship service on Sunday, April 10 for those who have an interest.
Membership in our Williston Federated Church involves a ceremony during the worship service including a
commitment to support the church with your prayers, presence, gifts, and service. Persons may join the
church as United Methodist, United Church of Christ, Associate, or Affiliate. Please contact our Assistant
Pastor Charlie Magill ( [email protected] ) or members of the committee if you would like a folder of information and/or have any questions.
Committee members are Carol Bouchard, Jean Bing, Ruth Magill, Vicki Trueman
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WFC Womens Book Club and Pot Luck!
This month we will be reading “Lots of Candles Plenty of Cake” by Anna Quindlen
a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction, and self-help
bestseller lists.
From childhood memories to manic motherhood to middle age, Quindlen uses the
events of her own life to illuminate our own. Along with the downsides of age, she
says, can come wisdom, a perspective on life that makes it satisfying and even joyful.
Candid, funny, moving, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake is filled with the sharp insights and revealing observations that have long confirmed Quindlen’s status as
America’s laureate of real life.
The date and host will be provided in the upcoming bulletin.
Also, just in case you want to get a head start; Mays selection is
“What Alice Forgot” by Liane Moriarty an Australian author of six internationally
best-selling novels, Three Wishes, The Last Anniversary, What Alice Forgot, The
Hypnotist's Love Story and the number 1 New York Times bestsellers, The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies.
In “What Alice Forgot” Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and
pregnant with her first child.
So imagine Alice’s surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym and is whisked off to the hospital
where she discovers the honeymoon is truly over — she’s getting divorced, she has three kids and she’s actually 39 years old. Alice must reconstruct the events of a lost decade, and find out whether it’s possible to
reconstruct her life at the same time. She has to figure out why her sister hardly talks to her, and how is it
that she’s become one of those super skinny moms with really expensive clothes.
Ultimately, Alice must discover whether forgetting is a blessing or a curse, and whether it’s possible to start
over.
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A Message from Karen Allen ~ Thank you to all the kids who made the
Easter service so special. The junior choir was wonderful! Thank you for your musical
gift. The search for the "Alleluia" scroll is always fun. And it looks beautiful at the front of
the church.
Derek did a great job helping to plan the children's time. Thank you to all you wonderful
kids! Our church is truly blessed to have you and your families in our community.
A special thank you to Logan and Dylan who (with Paula's help) made a special spread for
coffee hour on April 3. They wanted to share their culinary gifts with everyone. Make sure
to thank them!
We will have regular classes on the 10th, 17th, and the 24th. The Education Committee has a meeting on the 12th
at 6pm.
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Is scheduled for 11 AM at the Stowe
Community Church on Saturday April
16th. Friends are invited.
There will be light refreshments after the service.
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Memorial Service for Esta Brayton
Men’s Breakfast Notice:
The men of the church meet on
the fourth Wednesday morning
each month with breakfast served at 7:00 am.
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WFC needs you!
There are many opportunities to serve on the various
church committees. As we transition to an interim pastor, it is important that all
our committees continue to be strong and active.
If you're not currently serving & would like to, please speak to a member of the
Nominating Committee: Rebecca Dubois 658-2865, Donna Goodheart 878-7613,
Carol Bouchard 862-7400 or Sylvia Maloney 878-8998. Committees include: Official Board, Board of Trustees, Music & Worship, Education, Membership, Missions & Social Concerns, Finance & Pastor Staff Relations.
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CONGRADULATIONS on the birth of
Indira Margaret Moran, born April 1 weighing in at
9# 9.5 oz and 23 inches long.
Granddaughter of mike and sara moran
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Listen, Silent Prayer and Bible Reflection ~
A time of silent prayer and reflection
may offer an opportunity to experience that
warming and potential growth in a new way;
therefore the following group extends a
‘special invitation’ to join the gathering.
The group meets on Thursday mornings from
8-9am.
The group joins together in silent prayer, followed by
the sharing of responses to a few Bible verses. Silent
prayer is practiced during the first 20 minutes. The method called Centering Prayer will be practiced by
some in the group, others will practice whatever form of silent prayer or meditation they choose. Anyone is welcome to come once a month, once a year or once. If you would like to join the group and are
not on the email list, or you are interested in listening/silent prayer group …. please contact Donna
Fellinger so you can be informed of any changes in schedule: [email protected] or 802355.1700.
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On April 17 Pastor Kurt will be in Philadelphia and our church will
be participating in the 'Pulpit Exchange' of the UCC conference.
Reverend Katherine Arthaud will be leading the worship service on
that day.
Katherine graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1986 and was
ordained in 2001. Currently she serves churches in Westford and
Fairfax. She lives in Charlotte and is a Guardian Ad Litem in the
Chittenden County Family Court.
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Kids4Peace Summer Day Camp
The Vermont Interfaith Day Camp will be held Monday-Thursday, July 18-21 in Burlington; the cost is $150.
Open to youth currently in 6th grade, the campers will be Christian,
Jewish and Muslim Vermonters; next year we will host youth from Jerusalem & Palestine.
Join us this summer for exciting interfaith learning. Campers will learn
about the three faiths and have a chance to visit houses of worship in
the Burlington area.
We will also learn skills that help us to be peace builders, and explore ways that we can improve our local community through faith-based social action.
Specific details will be forthcoming but you can save the dates or register on-line at K4P.org, following the link
to Vermont Summer Day Camp. Scholarship information is also available. If you have questions, call WFC
church member Nancy Stone at 879-0243; she'll be the camp art teacher again.
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About Meg Frenzen Our Distinguished Speaker at
the Womens Breakfast
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Kids4Peace News
submitted by Nancy Stone
My, oh, my, how things have changed with Kids4Peace!
Because Williston Federated Church has been so supportive of this organization, and I am entering my
8th year as art teacher for the Vermont chapter, I shall try to summarize all the recent developments that, to
be honest, have had our heads spinning in amazement!
When Kids4Peace first began, the intent was to give children respite from the violence in Palestine and
Jerusalem by bringing them to a 10 day summer camp in the United States where they could feel safe and
nurtured. The kids were 10-12 years old of Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths; they and their chaperones
were supported by U.S. kids and staff, also of the 3 faiths. It's important to know that in the beginning, there
was no thought that the friendships would continue after camp or even that the program would last more than
a few years.
Now, after 14 years, more than 1,800 youth, parents and volunteers have participated.There are 10 K4P
chapters including those in the U.S., Jerusalem and Canada. Four more are forming, including one in Lyon,
France. Kids gather not only in camps but in chapter year-round programs. Our Vermont alumni campers
have chatted on Skype with friends in Jerusalem and in the U.S. during our 2-3 annual retreats. We staff
members have also built deep friendships as we make plans on-line and meet at camp.
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K4P now recognizes the need for a new vision because of a climate of violence, xenophobia and discrimination, both there and here. Camp will still have plenty of fun, sports, art, music and friendship but with an
added emphasis on faith-based social change. We will equip youth to draw upon their religious traditions to
promote interfaith cooperation, resist violence, contribute to the end of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and
advance greater justice and peace across the world.
Here are some recent dramatic changes:
The Kids4Peace office has moved to Washington D.C.
USAID awarded K4P $100,000 as an investment for the Jerusalem program to bring people together to share
stories and work on issues of common concerns while promoting peaceful co-existence.
Big news: For the first time, youth from U.S. chapters will have an opportunity to go to Jerusalem in 2017.
Sixth graders in the U.S. will attend local chapter interfaith camps before adding the global aspect in future years. (Jerusalem chapter 6th graders will also have their local camp.) It would be so wonderful to have
a youth from our church attend camp. It's very affordable at $150 this year and it's in Burlington for only 4
days; kids go home at night. On Monday July 11th, we'll meet at the Islamic Society of VT in Colchester; Tuesday is at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue; Wednesday is at Cathedral Church of ST Paul; and Thursday is
service learning and a community project.
Go to www.k4p.org/chapters/Vermont for stories & photos from camp and the application form.
Seventh graders will have an International Camp with kids from the Middle East: it will include deeper
interfaith engagement and expanded sessions about self-expression, understanding conflict, dialogue and
nonviolence...and lots of summer camp fun.
Eighth graders will have a national camp with alumni coming from all U.S. chapters; the emphasis will
be on Identity, justice, and religious sources of peace.
Ninth graders will participate in a new, signature program: the K4P Global Institute begins with an eightday intensive program in downtown Washington, DC, where participants will meet with political, religious
and public policy organizations; interact with inspiring leaders and grassroots activists; and practice skills in
political advocacy, religious leadership, grassroots organizing and media engagement.After their eight days
in Washington, Jerusalem youth will accompany their American peers back home, for visits to local chapters. Over the next weekend, youth will speak to religious and community groups, visit cultural sites, and
share their stories with the media – as ambassadors of peace. This will be a very special opportunity for US
chapters to host our most passionate and articulate youth from Jerusalem, in order to begin new conversations about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and interfaith cooperation in American society. The focus is on
faith-based social change, advocacy and public leadership.
Tenth & eleventh graders will be able to attend the Leadership Camp outside of Brattleboro, VT. The
issues to be covered include politics, diplomacy, human rights, arts & culture and education. These older
teens will practice skills and explore vocations since they are ready to take more active roles in their communities.
In conclusion, it has been, and is, an exciting journey of Hope with amazing kids and staff of the 3 Abrahamic faiths. You can learn more about Kids4Peace, its international programs and blog postings from kids,
parents and staff by going to www.k4p.org.
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In conclusion, it has been, and is, an exciting journey of Hope with amazing kids and staff of the 3 Abrahamic faiths. You can learn more about Kids4Peace, its international programs and blog postings from kids,
parents and staff by going to www.k4p.org.
Our Executive Director, Fr. Joshua Thomas explains:
Kids4Peace remains an interfaith youth movement. We are committed to fostering trust, understanding and
friendships among youth of different religions and cultures.
Our program changes are driven by a single goal: to prepare all our youth to be agents of change and influential leaders for peace.
We are a grassroots movement. We believe that everyone has a part to play. And together, we will help to
end the conflicts that tear our communities apart. Together, we will build a future of peace with justice for
all the children of Jerusalem and the world we share. This is our work ahead.
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Easter Sunrise Service
At Lake Iroquois
My favorite memory of Easter is every year when 60-75 folk gather at the Lamb house overlooking Lake
Iroquois at 6:30 a.m. for a sunrise service led by the youth of the church.
Regardless
of the weather the greetings are always warm although sometimes it seems that folk prefer to bring a
warm dish to cuttle up with as well as to share.
It is wonderful to see young and not so young alike worshiping so early in the morning.
Almost as important was the food and fellowship afterwards.
HAPPY EASTER
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Our Sanctuary Storm Windows
A note from Jeff Fellinger, your friendly,
neighborhood window restorer-guy. With warmer temperatures now upon us, isn’t it nice
that the sanctuary windows can be thrown open on Sundays and worshipers can be bathed
in lovely breezes?
If you wish to open and/or close the sanctuary storm windows this summer, please take
note of the following: - Only the sanctuary window units have functioning storm sashes.
The hallway and staircase storm windows are not operable.- The storm sashes that do function are quite HEAVY. Lift firmly under the metal lip at the base of the storm and the
sashes’ spring-lock pins will lock into their first position about 2 inches up. The springlocks can then be released by pulling inward on the finger holds and the storm raised further, or lowered back down, from there. - IT IS THE LAST BIT OF LOWERING THAT IS
POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS. The sash fit into a U-channel along the bottom edge of
the frame when fully closed. The spring-locks disappear into this channel. Therefore, remove your fingers from the spring-lock holds prior to lowering the sash that final 2 inches
or they will get pinched! Ask for help if you are unsure of the windows’ operations….or are not feeling strong! It’s a good idea to
keep the storms closed when the windows are not in use….They help protect the historic sash from sun, wind
and water! Many thanks for being cautious when enjoying your beautiful church windows!
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Projected Revenue
January 16, 2016
Budget
Actual Revenue
January 16, 2016
Projected Revenue for
July 2015 – Jan 16, 2016
Budget
Actual Revenue
July 2015 – Jan 16, 2016*
$14,892
$16,090
$101,284
$78,964
Difference
$1,198
($22,320)
Budget Figures for January 2016
*Message from the Finance Committee: The budget figures above represent the differences
between the budgeted projected revenue from plates and pledges, versus what has actually been
received. However, during the period of July 2015 – November 2015 the Church operated without a pastor. The savings in the pastor salary is approximately $23,600. Additionally, there is a
savings of $6,600 in health insurance costs. Total savings represent $30,200. The savings are
not reflected in the budget figures above. If you have, any questions please see Craig Metz, or
Barb Bristol.