January 2016 - Center Church – South Hadley, Massachusetts

CHURCH AT THE CENTER
2016
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
“CENTER CHURCH”
United Church of Christ
One Church Street
South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075
(413) 532-2262
email: [email protected]
website: centerchurchsouthhadley.org
Welcome to Center Church where we roll up our sleeves to deepen our faith, extend
God’s abundant love and justice, and where laughter and tears are sacred.
Ponderings
Mary pondered. Pondering is a lost art just like ironing handkerchiefs, just like letter writing, just
like the art of negotiation and compromise. As I write this I have to frankly say I do not have
much time to ponder except in the car. I shut off the radio, resist the temptation to turn on an
audio book and ponder. If you see me driving, you may even catch me talking aloud with no one
else in the vehicle.
In this next year I plan to ponder more because I always walk away with a gem of an insight
about community, the world, or myself. My vision for 2016 is to ponder together about refugees,
racism, climate change, our faith and compassion.
Already some are pondering together on such subjects. Let me share a few comments from the
Confirmands. When asked if they believed in miracles all did. Then when asked to explain a
miracle a thoughtful young lady said, “It’s in the small things of life. Actually I experience
miracles just about every day!” When asked who Jesus was, one young man piped up, “The Son
of God.” I asked what does that mean? He responded, “That he was God’s messenger to all of
us.” The Confirmands warm my heart.
In March and April a professor from MHC will be conducting interviews with her students at CC
between a parent and child on the topic of compassion/acting in a moral way.
Only a widening of hearts and minds comes from pondering. I invite you to ponder with us in
worship, study, and outreach.
Pondering, Lori
Watch for information about a new Loomis Bible Study coming later in January
The Annual Meeting of the
First Congregational Church of South Hadley Massachusetts,
aka Center Church, will be held on February 7th 2016
at approximately 11:30 AM.
Business shall include, but not be limited to, the hearing and acting upon reports of appropriate
church committees and teams; hearing and determining the budget for 2016; approving
recommended changes in the revised Constitution and other matters relevant to the church
body. All members of the church are encouraged to attend this meeting.
A light lunch will precede the meeting and childcare will be available.
The 2015 Budget Report and the 2016 proposed Budget will be available January 24th.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you hear the Good News?
(literally!)
Jesus healed many from diseases and distress. He said to his disciples, “Go and tell what you have seen
and heard: The blind see, the lame walk, the sick are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, those
who need it most have God’s saving hospitality extended to them.”
Luke 7:22-23 (edited)
For many folks who wear hearing aids, young and old, hearing clearly in a very large
room, like an auditorium or a church sanctuary, may be very difficult. For some, this
becomes frustrating enough that they no longer participate; others pretend that they
can hear and just grin and bear it. Either way, it diminishes the quality of life for the
hard of hearing.
Technology to help is burgeoning these days. Hearing aids are becoming more sophisticated.
Electronic equipment that sends sound directly to one’s hearing aids is becoming more available
and less expensive.
Our church’s sanctuary sound system now includes one such technology, called a hearing loop
(induction loop). This is a metal wire that has been run around the 2 center sections of the
sanctuary, underneath the carpet, and is connected to our existing sound system. Anyone sitting
in one of these sections (i.e., inside the loop) whose hearing aid has a tele-coil (T-coil) can then
hear directly through their hearing aids. Basically all hearing aids currently manufactured include
this T-coil; estimates are that 80% of all hearing aids in use today have this capability.
The hearing loop, installed by Hearing Loop Systems of Connecticut, based in Bridgeport
(www.hearingloopsystemsofct.com), cost about $4,600. A group of Center Church members has
provided the funds, and invites you to join them in covering the total cost for the project. You
may make a contribution directly to Center Church, designated “hearing loop system.”
As a church, we know that we are called to provide extravagant hospitality to those who seek to
travel with us on this journey of faithful living. How better to extend that hospitality than to
enable the Good News to be heard!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Refugee resettlement is a hot topic in the international news, shaping public
opinion. But refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia have been living in the
Pioneer Valley for many years. These families face many challenges, and their
stories are inspiring and thought-provoking. Please join Anita Sarro and Lori for a
conversation on the process of resettlement, the work of local agencies, and
experiences of refugees who have resettled in our towns.
January 17th following worship in the chapel. All are welcome.
Center Church PROMISED LAND
“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep.”
Wake up!
That’s our January theme in the Promised Land. We’ll be reading and talking about John 11: 144, in which Jesus learns that His good friend Lazarus has died. What does Jesus do? He
weeps, because He is human. And then he calls Lazarus back to life, because He is divine!
What about us? Have we fallen asleep a bit this winter? Are we forgetting that our existence is
a wondrous miracle? Are we not trusting God to provide for our needs? Are we becoming
distracted by material things, or bickering amongst ourselves and judging our neighbors?
We don’t live in Jesus’ time, so we can’t see that miracle of the raising of Lazarus. But we DO
live in Christ’s time! Christ is here to wake us up! We can be at peace, constantly (really,
truly!) if only we shake off our spiritual sloth and allow Christ to show us the way.
Amen!
What’s In Store?
We’ll be
service.
project.
mind as
working on a short play and a new song for the January 31st Intergenerational Worship
For our Outreach work, we’ll be sketching plans for our upcoming “Little Free Library”
And for our Coffee Hour Craft this month, we’ll keep the smaller members of creation in
we make bird feeders.
Thank you!
The Children’s Christian Education Committee is so grateful for all the support we receive in the
Promised Land. We wish you all a blessed New Year!
Youth Group and Confirmation
The Youth Group has begun meeting on Sunday mornings during worship with
their new leader Claire Houston – read about Claire in the “Getting to Know You”
article later in the newsletter. Though they have met only a couple times in
December the Youth are ready to head into the new year renewed!
Upcoming Confirmation dates: January 24 11:30am – 1pm Other beliefs; February 10 Ash
Wednesday Worship 6:30pm; February 21 11:30am – 1pm Tough Questions/Relating your
Faith; March 11 and 12 – Retreat at Berkshire Retreat Camp Becket; March 20 11:30am – 1pm
More Tough Questions; March 24 Maundy Thursday worship service 7pm; April 17 11:30am 1pm Write and complete Faith Statement.
NOTES FROM CHURCH COUNCIL
At the December meeting, Bill Giles gave a presentation about improving the hearing
capabilities of the sanctuary through the instillation of what is known as “a loop”. This can be
installed in the center sections of the sanctuary and be ready for use within a very short time
period. The project was enthusiastically endorsed by council members.
Lori worked with the council on an exercise to help with the possible formation of a church
logo, which has been encouraged by her work with the Progressive Renewal program.
News from the Trustees for January 2016
January is always hard because we don’t yet have the final 2015 year-end figures before writing
this. We are hopeful that our final 2015 figures will be positive, a note that Lori sounded in her
sermon most recently. We have been the recipient of several recent unexpected contributions,
for which we are most grateful. And as we said in December, we want to recognize those teams
which were able to “underspend” their proposed 2015 budget allocations, thankful that a number
of other regular expenses have not been as large as originally anticipated, and thankful as well
for all of you who have been faithful pledge fulfillers! We are awaiting the December reports at
our January meeting with a positive outlook that we will have brought the anticipated deficit
down to a reasonable amount. Stay tuned.
We have some very caring members to thank who have gone over and above their regular
financial contributions to help with the preliminary work on one of the smaller sanctuary
windows; and also Thank You to Bill and Lorain Giles (and others as well) who proposed and
have made contributions for the new hearing loop which is now installed and operating in the
center two sections of the sanctuary pews. Please let us know how it is working for you. Lori
had mentioned to us that she is getting our message “out there” via Facebook and Instagram in
addition to the regular church website. Do check that out if you have a chance.
The 2016 budget continues to be a work in progress. As John Anz has said, it is still not yet at
the goal that the Trustees had set back in the fall. But we are hopeful and trust that our needs
will be met. As the year ends, we would be remiss if we did not especially thank Thia Jubinville
for all that she does for all of us on a weekly basis in the church office, but also for the reports
and record keeping that she does for the Trustees each month. It is much appreciated!
Cindy Morrell, secretary
Stewardship Team
Stewardship ~ Our Leap Year Is Nearly Upon Us!
In this season of giving, and of peace and love and light, we would like to take this moment to
thank our entire congregation for the support, love, and leaping ability shown during our pledge
campaign. We are nearly at our goal in order to help meet the many needs of Center Church
and our community, and pledges are still coming in and pledge dollars are still growing.
If you still have a pledge to present, please do. We still - and will always - need your support.
We wish you all the joy, peace and blessings that this season brings for you and your family and
for the New Year before us.
Your Stewardship Committee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks you, Activities team, for being such wonderful hosts for the
December coffee hours. During January, the Outreach team will be our
hosts. This team is responsible for programs that promote human welfare and
justice, seek peace, and build community. It exercises this responsibility through
research, education and activities that engage the church with its neighbors in
surrounding communities and around the world. The team raises money and
allocates budgeted funds for mission disbursement. It administers the Peterson Fund
awards, which are given for educational purposes. (culled from the revised
Constitution).
Present members of the Outreach Team are: Del Borah, John Hoffman, Don Sibley,
Stephanie Strand, and Eric Tipton.
Outreach Partners of the Month
“Hearts to Hands to Hope”
Christmas Gifts Project In December, the Outreach Team and other members of the
congregation joined in with many other volunteers in a project that was organized by the United
Methodist Church to distribute Christmas gifts to 46 less fortunate children in South Hadley.
Volunteers collected names, donated money, selected, wrapped, and delivered gifts. The
Outreach Team hopes this project also delivered a message of hope and joy during the
Christmas season. We also hope to grow this project, start earlier, and involve more people
next year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you to everyone who knitted, shopped, and cleaned closets for this year’s Mitten Tree!
We were delighted to bring the beautiful mittens, scarves, and hats to the Neighbors Helping
Neighbors Food Pantry in South Hadley Falls, to be given to local residents who need them. The
dozens of coats and other warm weather items donated were brought to St. Jude’s Thrift Store
in Holyoke, where people on very limited budgets can purchase them for a dollar or two – and
often even less than that. We appreciate the busy hands that made all this outreach possible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Center Church members get a tour of the food pantry after
bringing in donations. Del Borah also presented a check for
$500 from the church to pantry director Kathy Camp.
The South Hadley Food Pantry, located at 30 Carew Street in
So. Hadley Falls could use some more volunteers to help accept
and organize donations and prepare groceries for clients. Their
operating hours are Wednesdays, 12:30 – 3:30PM and 6:00 –
7:00 PM, and Saturdays, 10AM – 1:00 PM. For more
information, call 530-8240.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 11th is recognized by the UCC as Human Trafficking Awareness day. From the UCC website:
"Trafficking in persons is a crime against humanity and ultimately a sin. Human trafficking
denies the values of human life, exposes victims to serious health risks, endangers the mental
well-being of victims and impedes the ability of victims to reach their full God-given potential. As
Christians, we believe that every human being is created in the image and likeness of the divine
Creator, of God."
Modern day slavery is an enormous problem. You may feel there is nothing you can do to help
fight human trafficking - but you are mistaken! The US State Department offers advice on its
site on how we can be part of the solution, including avoiding purchasing goods that are likely to
have been produced by child and/or forced labor. There is also a fascinating interactive site that
helps us determine what our "slavery footprint" is.
Shrimp has been in the news lately. A new Associated Press investigation found shrimp
produced through slave labor in more than 150 stores and restaurants across America. The
linked article includes names of slave-tainted food brands and supermarkets that sell them. If
there's a supermarket you frequent on the list, you might contact the business, tell them why
you're not buying their shrimp, and ask what they plan to do to keep slave-produced products
off their shelves.
We can all take small steps to help end the scourge of human trafficking. A phone call, an
email, a change in buying habits, and spreading the word - it can all add up!
Getting to Know You – January 2016
Welcoming new staff members
Robert “Bob” Farman and Claire Houston
Robert “Bob” Farman joined the staff in October 2015 as our sexton,
replacing Gayle Kenneson. Here’s a little bit about his background. Bob grew
up in South Hadley, graduated from SH High School and was a member of the
Falls church for many years, as was his family. He joined that church, as
many of us did at that time, in eighth grade. At one point, he served as the
youth advisor. He has two older sisters, who both live nearby in Holyoke.
Bob is uncle to one niece and five nephews and 11 grand nieces and nephews.
He received an A.S. in communications from Graham Junior College in Boston
where he had gone directly from high school. He sold radio ads for WSPR for
a few years, then joined Friendlys as a retail management trainee and worked
his way up through several other departments covering a wide variety of the
Friendly operations. He spent ten years as a special project coordinator,
covering recycling, waste management, logistics, catering, and parking in
addition to other areas. He also spent time at Big Y and Shop-Rite for 26 years. Over the years, he
has taken courses in industrial management and others as well at HCC and STCC. Last spring, he
began work as a crossing guard for the Chicopee schools. He owns and manages property in Holyoke
and serves as an elected resident trustee at Doverbrook Condominium in Chicopee. He says he does
about 60% of the cooking for their monthly dinner. While you will probably not find him on Sundays,
you can find him most mornings working around our buildings. Bob says he enjoys reading, going to
the Cape when he can, collecting political memorabilia and rooting for the Yankees. Please feel free
to stop him and introduce yourself.
Claire Houston, MHC ’19, started working with our youth just recently. She
was born and raised in Hopewell Jct, NY and was baptized and confirmed at
Fishkill Reformed Church, in Fishkill NY. Since they didn't have an active youth
population, she went to Hopewell Reformed Church for Youth Group in the
evenings, and helped lead it later on. She has been very active in her church,
helping teach Sunday School classes, helping out with children’s choir, and
giving occasional children’s sermons. Claire has an older sister Elaine and a
younger sister Joanna. Her graduating class from Poughkeepsie Day School
was 38, setting the record for largest graduating class in school history! Some
of her courses there included astrobiology, deaf culture, and black holes and
time warps. She participated in chess club and American Sign Language club.
Her summers have been spent as a camp counselor and a Digital Cookie intern.
She worked with the team that put out the program allowing girls to sell Girl
Scout cookies online. Just this summer, and by the time she started her internship, sales were just
ending for the season, so she helped analyze data from the sale (she made an over 700,000 line
spreadsheet!), and conduct a case study with her local council. She wrote up a report, and presented
at the National Product Sales Conference in Grand Rapids, MI over the summer. She got the
internship because she was a long time active Girl Scout, and the woman running the program was a
former coworker of her dad’s. Claire has jumped into MHC and is active in several organizations,
including the English handbell choir, best buddies, intervarsity Christian Fellowship and the multifaith
council. In her spare (!) time, she likes to spend time with friends, volunteer in the community, color
in fun geometric coloring books (she just got three more for Christmas!), watch Netflix, read, listen
to music, etc. Other little known facts about Claire: (1) she is a HUGE cemetery nerd (friends make
fun of her as they all drive past cemeteries and she wants to stop and look at them); (2) she says
she has an “unhealthy obsession” with LEGO's, robots, and Zebras; and finally (3) her MHC friends
have nicknamed her "Most Like a Muppet," but she’s not sure why.
We welcome them both to the staff!
Cindy Morrell
OUR STORY
The preservation of our aging church edifice is fast becoming a priority. In order to attract
preservation funds, I have been asked to compile “our church story” for inclusion in any future
applications. What follows is “our story.”
Our church story begins with the early settlers
from Hadley MA, petitioning the General Court
in Boston (1727) to grant them permission to
settle in the South Precinct of Hadley. Once
allowed, the settlers were to build themselves a
meeting house and hire a “learned and orthodox
minister” to lead them. The first meeting house
was begun in 1732 hence the beginning of over
280 years of being “first on the common” in
South Hadley, MA! The building became the
center of all religious and political life for the
new settlement. The congregation voted to
enlarge their house of worship and built the
second church in 1761 just east of the common,
relocating the first meeting house to its present
location (now called the Yarde Tavern) to just north of the common. That building is considered
one of the last remaining (intact) original meeting houses in the United States. We then went on
to build three more houses of worship on our present site.
In the mid-1830s, Mary Lyon, founder of the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, visited South
Hadley and was “charmed” into deciding to locate her seminary nearby our church. It was due to
the villagers’ enthusiasm for such an establishment that on January 23, 1835 they gathered with
“energy and spirit” and raised a total of $8,000 (on the spot) for its construction! Further into
the building’s construction, the people of the village raised an additional $5,000! Female
students moved in to the seminary for classes on November 8, 1837. Our church, known then as
the “village church,” and the seminary had close ties from the start. With the addition of the
students into our congregation, a new church was built and dedicated on January 5, 1845. Mary
Lyon and her trustees contributed $3,000 to its construction. Miss Lyon, in gratitude for the
support of the church, presented what is now called the “Mary Lyon Bible” to our congregation.
It is now a cherished “relic,” having been rescued from two destructive fires! Over the years we
have remained steadfast supporters of what is now called Mount Holyoke College. Our minister
Hiram Mead’s wife Elizabeth Storrs Mead became the first female president of the college (18891900) and has the distinction of being the first female president of any college in the USA! We
are proud of our Mount Holyoke College connection!
Two churches burned to the ground, the third in 1875 and the fourth in 1894. Our present 120
year old building was dedicated in January 1895. We have had a varied and exceptional history
throughout our 280 years! In the 1730s-40s, we participated with Jonathan Edwards in the
“Great Awakening.” In the mid-1700s, Chileab Smith (Mary Lyon’s great-grandfather) petitioned
the General Court in Boston to separate taxes from church tithes. This case became the
precedent that opened the way for the historic Separation of Church and State legislation of
1834! Noah Goodman, a member of our congregation, was a representative (1774-75) in the
Provincial Congress. In 1780 he became an active representative to the General Court of Boston.
He attended the Constitutional Convention in Boston where on January 9, 1788, he was one of
17 “yes” voters (from Hampshire County) to ratify the U.S. Constitution! We founded the
Hampshire Missionary Society in 1804. 1819 we started our Sunday school program, one of the
first in the nation. We named ourselves the First Congregational Church of South Hadley in
1827. Mary Lyon opened her female seminary in 1837. Our minister John M. Greene (1868-70)
helped Sophia Smith to establish Smith College in Northampton, MA. In 1921, Center Church
women are allowed to vote! In 1965, our minister Rev. James L. Lancaster (1953-69) traveled to
Washington DC, as part of the Holyoke Council of Churches, to participate in an appeal to
“protect Negro voting rights.” Our ministers, Rev. Carlos Avila (1975-89) and Rev. Gustave
Peterson (1990-2006) helped to found Nueva Esperanza, a vital Holyoke, MA community
Hispanic organization for social justice and housing. Center Church voted to allow same gender
marriage ceremonies in our sanctuary on November 21, 2004.
We have been affected by our nation’s wars. We became involved with the abolitionist
movement through John Brown, who was a resident of Springfield, MA. We were a “stop” along
the “underground railroad” helping fugitive slaves escape to freedom in Canada. During WWI,
WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War conflicts in which some of our members participated,
some even giving their lives to the various causes. The congregation voted to send New
Testament Bibles to our troops during the “world wars.”
For over 280 years we have had a vast and rich history. We’ve housed many meetings
(preliminary village/town meetings) and church gatherings for the community and the state. We
have welcomed many distinguished speakers from all over the world to our pulpit. Our members
have participated in government offices (local, state and national) voting on a variety of lifechanging issues. We are proud to have Representative John Scibak in our midst. It is our fervent
hope to continue our legacy for generations to follow.
David C. Morrell, Center Church historian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lori Souder and Lorain Giles invite you to participate in an
All-Church Read
We are proposing Being Mortal, by Dr. Atul Gawande, a surgeon at
Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and professor at the Harvard School for Public
Health and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Gawande has, in recent years, begun to question--in his own work and in our culture-our society's longstanding medical practices and customs around death and dying. This book
is, according to a New York Times book review, Dr. Gawande's "personal meditation on how
we can better live with age-related frailty, serious illness, and approaching death."
Dr. Gawande examines these current medical practices and societal customs, and leads the
reader on a journey through difficult conversations and decision-making--in hospice care,
nursing homes, geriatric clinics, and in his own family.
This book is rich and provocative, and lends itself to discussion and reflection. Which is
exactly what we will offer at the conclusion of the All-Church Read--a couple of opportunities
for structured conversation, most likely in March. More on these plans later.
Through the Odyssey Book Store, we will be buying multiple copies of the book and offer
them at a 20% discount (around $21 each). They will be available by mid-January. You may
reserve a copy in advance by submitting this sheet to the Church office or by signing-up on one of
the sheets outside the church office and in Fellowship Hall.
I would like to purchase _____ book(s). Name ___________________________
Tell Me the Stories
Happy New Year to all! This month I’ve picked four hymns (carols actually) I wrote about
almost 10 years ago and then another three which I have never written about.
O Come, All Ye Faithful (NCH 135, PH 132) was originally written in Latin and consisted of four
stanzas. It is possible that it was composed in France in 1743 by John Francis Wade. Wade, a
Roman Catholic layman in England, had left England because of religious persecution and gone to
Douay, France. There he supported himself by teaching music and copying musical scores at the
Roman Catholic College and Ministry Center. It was originally thought that he had just discovered
the hymn but now, because they have found “seven original hand-copied manuscripts…all bearing
Wade’s signature,” it is really attributed to him. He began it with Adeste Fidelis, Laeti triumphantes.
This Latin carol was brought back to England after his death by the other English Catholics who had
fled to France and eventually translated, about 100 years later, by Frederick Oakley, an Anglican
minister. He had first translated it for his church, Margaret Street Chapel in London, and began it
with Ye Faithful, Approach Ye, but that translation didn’t catch on. He converted to Catholicism
several years later and came up with the translation we use today. The hymn tune, “Adeste Fidelis,”
comes from the first words of the original Latin text meaning “be present or near, ye faithful.” Later
research seems to indicate that Wade actually wrote the music as well. The hymn that we sing today
has been translated into more than one hundred languages.
The second carol, Angels From the Realms of Glory, (NCH 126, PH 117) was written by James
Montgomery and appeared first in December 1816 in The Sheffield Iris, the newspaper where he
worked. It is said that, after Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley, “no writer has made a greater
contribution to English hymnody than has James Montgomery.”
His parents were Moravian
missionaries who went off to Barbados while leaving their six year old son in an Irish Moravian
settlement. After their death, he went to school in England. He did not do well in school and so was
apprenticed to a baker but that didn’t go well either, so he left and moved to Sheffield, England and
began working for a newspaper. At age 23, he was appointed editor and remained so for thirty-one
years, where he championed many causes over the years and was thrown into jail twice as a result.
He was also a champion of “the cause of foreign missions and of the British Bible Society.” What we
sing as the carol today first appeared as a poem in the newspaper. Later published in Montgomery’s
Original Hymns, it was known as Good Tidings of Great Joy to All People. The hymn is considered by
many to be one of our finest Christmas hymns. Montgomery wrote over 400 hymns in all, including
According to Thy Gracious Word. The tune for this carol is called “Regent Square” and was composed
by Henry Smart. An organist and composer, Smart was blinded later in life and this carol was written
during that period. It was composed for a new hymnal being produced by the pastor of London’s
Regent Square Presbyterian Church, hence the name.
The third carol was Hark the Herald Angels Sing (PH 120, NCH 144). It is one of Charles Wesley’s
more than 6,500 hymns. Written during a time when the English parliament had banned carols, this
is today said to be one of the four most popular hymns in our language. The melody, by Felix
Mendelssohn, was composed in 1840 but the hymn setting we know was composed by William
Cummings around 1857. Wesley’s original version had ten verses! The hymn’s words tell the Bible
story through poetry. It exposed everyone - men and women, cultured and ignorant, rich and poor to the Christian story from beginning to end, that they “might be led into truth by the gentle hand of
melody and rhyme.”
Back in 2007, Who Would Think That What Was Needed (NCH 153) was new to us here at Center
Church. The text was written by two men, John Bell and Graham Maule, both part of the infamous
baby-boom generation, in 1990. It is based on parts of Isaiah, Matthew and Luke, and focuses on
“the surprises that Christmas brings,” bringing a different perspective to our more traditional carols.
Maule actually has an architecture degree from Glasgow Univ. and they are both part of the Iona
Community of Scotland. The two men have worked together for more than 15 years as “colleagues
in youth ministry.” Even though we may not be familiar with the hymn’s words, everyone knows the
hymn tune “Scarlet Ribbons” to which it was set. Although it is listed as an English traditional
melody, it is felt that credit should really be given to Evelyn Danzig, a Waco TX native, born in 1902.
The tune and its original words were popularized by Harry Belafonte. Interestingly, Evelyn started
out her career as a pianist for radio shows.
Now to the other three somewhat newer hymns. First, Hope of the World (NCH 46, PH 398) is set in
our hymnals to two different tunes, although the PH one lists the NCH hymn tune as an alternate.
And the PH setting has five stanzas, while the NCH has only four and has updated wording.
Originally published in Eleven New Ecumenical Hymns, it was indeed listed with the two hymn tunes.
The hymn was created in 1954 by Georgia Harkness for the 2nd general assembly of the World
Council of Churches to reflect its theme of hope. Harkness, a Methodist minister, taught at several
colleges and seminaries including Mount Holyoke! She also wrote many books. The hymn tune
“Ancient of Days” was originally composed for another hymn by that name and written by John
Jeffrey in 1886. It was originally named “Albany” for that NY city was celebrating its 200th birthday
then. Jeffrey was an Englishman who succeeded his father as a church organist in Plymouth,
England but later moved to the US and taught both in Albany and Boston.
O Loving Founder of the Stars (NCH 111) comes from an original Latin hymn that was sung at daily
vespers in monasteries during Advent. A 9th century Swiss manuscript was the basis for the hymn,
but sources say that the words may be even older than that. There were originally seven stanzas to
the hymn and we have five of them. The melody of “Conditor Alme” contains just six notes of what
is called a syllable chant. It was originally titled “Ambrose” because it was thought that Saint
Ambrose wrote the text but has now been matched with the Latin text instead. The melody was
actually sung by post-Reformation Protestants with a variety of texts, and J.S. Bach even used it in
some of his organ works.
I have a feeling that the final hymn, Jesus, Jesus, O What a Wonderful Child (NCH 136) is one of
Pastor Lori’s favorites. It comes from the African American tradition with its strong rhythmic
character, and you could also hear Larry having a good time with it that Sunday. But…it can also be
done without any accompaniment. If you remember, it has only one stanza, but it can be sung
multiple times as it talks about Jesus’ birth - softly, loudly, any way you want. The hymn tune
“Wonderful Child” was arranged for the NCH by Jeffrey Radford. Jeffrey has been music director of
the largest congregation of the UCC (in Chicago) in the US.
Cindy Morrell, Associate in Music
Resources used: Robert McCutchan’s Our Hymnody (1937); James Moffatt, ed. Handbook to the Church Hymnary
(1927); Robert J. Morgan’s Then Sings My Soul, Book 1 (2003); Kenneth W. Osbeck’s 101 More Hymn Stories (1985),
Amazing Grace (1990); Robert J. Morgan’s Then Sings My Soul (2003); and The New Century Hymnal Companion,
ed. Kristen Forman (1998).
*******************************************************************************
The final numbers are in! Our net profit is $435.37 with $290.00
going to the Operating Budget. Everyone told us the pies were
delicious and – GREAT TIMING! This may be an annual event so let
us know what you think. All suggestions and comments are
welcome. A HUGE THANKS to Corinne and Eliot Chartrand for the
donation of the apples. And another HUGE THANKS to the pie team: Estelle Anderson Lynne
Bertram, Linda Laderach, Norma Monet, Bernice Strong, Joyce Tomlinson, Ruth and Mike
Thornton and Linda Wolf.
My thanks and blessings for a successful event!
Karen Anderson
********************************************************
Thank you to all the folks who supported and helped with the
Play it Again Santa Fair. A special BIG and WELL DESERVED
Thank you to Karen Anderson for all her time and the creativity
she gave to make it a success. As of this date our gross is just over $1600.00
Catching up with the Howe’s
Hi Thia,
We are enjoying our time in North Carolina, although we still have lots of boxes to unpack. We
are still using dining room chairs in the living room as we need to buy a new living room set of
furniture, along with a master bedroom set to go with the new mattress set we have. But we
don't want to rush in and buy something that we may not like in the long term. We have found a
master bedroom set we like made by the Amish that I think we will purchase, but not sure on
how long it will take to actually get it. We are getting situated in our neighborhood. Just about
everyone on our street has at least one dog so our Lucy is making new friends. Ruth is walking
her a lot and both get good exercise because there are so many hills in our community. I hope
to start sharing the walking duty, but just can't seem to find the energy required to do so -- but
I will start soon but start slow. The most frustrating part of the moving process is finding new
doctors as just about everyone that people have recommended as doctors are not taking new
patients. I finally found someone who can be both Ruth's and my family doctor, but can't get in
to see her until the last week in December.
We are being welcomed into the Congregation at First Church UCC of Ashville. For example, they
have a group of members that take visitors and new members out to lunch every Sunday after
worship services. Their morning Bible Study meets Sunday at 9:15 (the Service is at 10:30) has
15-20 attendees and we are participating in it. The church is in a transition stage as its senior
pastor of 19 years has decided to move on. In any event, we have been made to feel welcomed
and look forward to officially joining the church sometime in January. The church also has a
meditation group that meets at night but I have not made it to one of their meetings yet, but I
try to meditate for 15-30 minutes a day. We have also signed up for a 10 day spiritual
pilgrimage to the island of Iona in Scotland in June of 2016. There will be 16 members from our
church, 14 of them women which is fine by me!
Our family is getting together in Nashville for the Christmas holiday. We have rented a house for
a week and have bought tickets to a Christmas concert by Vince Gill and Amy Grant. Have
sought some input from the kids as to menus, but the are all pretty busy. And Sarah got
engaged last Saturday -- aiming for a Fall 2016 wedding but it may be pushed back due to
unavailability of wedding venues. Adam will be joining us for Christmas. He even called and
asked for our blessings before he proposed!
Ruth is still working hard to get things done by the
end of the year. She had to drive into Charlotte on
Monday for 3 days of meetings there and will be
traveling all next week. We have planned to go to a
very good restaurant to celebrate her retirement.
I have attached another photo of our house which
shows our very steep driveway. We can't seem to
get away from such driveways, but at least we
finally have a 2 car garage!
With love, faith, and hope!
Richard
FELLOWSHIP HALL
STORE…
Open year round for your
shopping convenience
Check out our gently used
items for sale
03 Susan Lovelace 04 Thia Jubinville 06 Anita Sarro 09 Rich Buckley Randy Purinton 14 Nancy Bozek 15 Madeleine Burke David White 17 Jean Lacoste 25 Rookie Tipton We have an assortment of
Winter treasures
awaiting you NOW.
Please plan to submit any article or notice for the next
Church at the Center by the deadline date of January 14th.
This is a busy month in the office! Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!
Thanks !!!!!!!!!!
centerchurchsouthhadley.org
Your website for all things Center Church
THE MINISTRY AT CENTER CHURCH
Ministers:
Senior Minister:
Minister Emeritus:
Christian Education Program
Children: Stephanie Strand
Youth:
Claire Houston
Adult:
Randy Purinton and
Betsy Bergen, Team Chairs
Office Administrator:
Sexton:
All Church Members
Rev. Lori J. Souder
Rev. Charles P. Blakney
Music Program
Organist:
Larry Schipull
Choir Director:
Cheryl Cobb
Associate in Music: Cynthia Morrell
Cynthia H. Jubinville
Robert Farman
The two center sections of
.
the sanctuary
are now
equipped with a hearing
loop. Turn on the T-cell
in your hearing aid and sit
in one of these sections
for better hearing
PLEASE submit
your annual
report
as soon as
possible!
It has been our tradition to try and hold
Sunday morning services ….even in
inclement weather. That will continue
to be the procedure. In the event that we
are open, your safety is our prime
concern and we ask that each of you use
your good judgment as to whether to
attend the morning worship service.
Feel NO GUILT at staying home during
a storm!!
At any other time when a church related
activity needs to be cancelled, it will be
up to the chair of that activity to notify
members. If it is an all-church activity
such as a potluck, the chair of the
committee is asked to consult with the
Senior Minister
Jan 12, 2016
deadline!
thanks
from Thia
On the first Sunday of each month,
please bring any of the following items to worship:
Canned vegetables
Dried Pastas
Peanut Butter
Canned fruits
Rice
Jam/Jelly
Spaghetti sauce
Cereals
Soups
Canned beans
Juices
Tuna Fish
Crackers
Meals in a can
The monthly offering is used for direct appeals to Center Church
and for donation to local food pantries.
Our gifts are extended to the hungry and the poor - those who need them most!
Food offerings may be left inside the Church Street entrance at other times.
Thank you for your compassionate response!
Christmas poinsettias were given in honor of
the following special people:
Karen Anderson and Bobbie Ayers
for the many ways they contribute to the life of our church
Her beautiful and loving family by Ruby Carver
Their family and friends, past and present by Jean and Bob Hazen
Chloe, Lucy and Cora Hough
by their grandparents Cindy and David Morrell
Grandma Hamilton by Chloe and Aaron Sabbs
The Thornton Children by Ruth and Mike Thornton
Her friend Annie Denison by Joyce and Jim Tomlinson
Christmas poinsettias were given
in loving memory of the following special people:
Carl E. and Mary A. Abbey by Robin Abbey Murphy
Carl E. Abbey, Jr. by Robin Abbey Murphy
Richard Anderson by Estelle and Karen Anderson
Their parents, Helen and Howard Ayers, by Barbara Ayers and Nancy Lutes
Janet Bresee by Barbara (Bobbie) Ayers and family
Morris W. Baldwin by Lori Souder and Winston Baldwin
Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Bangs by Emily Bangs and Chris Orsini
Her husband, Bill Baston by Carolyn Baston
Robert MacDonald Bertram by Lynne Bertram
Warren Bock by Joy Bock
Max and Margarth Bock by Joy Bock
Richard and Phebe Dickinson by Joy Bock
Marian and Virgil Hussey by Cheryl Hussey Cobb
Liliana Marie Cordes by her parents Suzanne and Wayne Cordes
Liliana Marie Cordes by her sisters Olivia and Izzy Cordes
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert S. Crossland by their family
George and Evelyn Edge by Evelyn Simpson and Nancy & Shawn Hall
Their parents, Pauline & Ernest Goodwin and Helen and Lewis DelPlato
by Bryan Goodwin and Joan DelPlato
Lawrence A. Graham by Nancy, Barry, John and Sam
Larry Graham from his 6 great grandchildren
– Eliza, Davis, Jack, Ava, Liam and Lily Simpson
George Halkyard
by Eileen Halkyard, Thia, Kate and Laura Jubinville
Charlie Hamilton by Lou Hamilton
Charles F. Heaphy by his wife and family
Donn Worth and Kathy Follo by John and Kate Hoffman
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Hooton by Donald and Grace Hooton
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Reyer Jr. by Donald and Grace Hooton
Kevin Huebner by the Huebner girls
Fred Morin by the Huebner girls
Ralph E. Johnson and Mr. & Mrs. William T. Duncan by Charlene Johnson
Ralph C. Lutes by his wife, Nancy and family
Their parents by Cindy and David Morrell
Her husband Frank by Betty Odell
Her daughter Susan by Betty Odell
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Orsini by Emily and Chris Orsini
Stan/Dad by B J, Doug and Leslie Prouty
Janice Robertson by the Robertson family
Ginney Russell by Bob Russell
Their Grandparents, Charles Hamilton and Frederick & Mary Sabbs
by Aaron and Chloe Sabbs
Harriet and Bruce Skipton by their family
Mr. Navinchandra Shroff by Dr. and Mrs. Hitesh Shroff and family
Joanne , Arvo & Elizabeth Solander by Nancy Solander Miller
Her parents, Ernest & Donna (Burnett) Stache and her brother Richard
by Janet Stache
Fred Strong by Bernice Strong
Ruth and Herman Bock by Bernice Strong
Douglas Teece by Jennette and Eric Teece
Her parents by Jennett Teece
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Theroux by Donna Theroux
Warren Bock by Ruth and Mike Thornton
Her parents, John and Dorothy Orlowski by Joyce and James Tomlinson
Chester L. Towne by his daughter Debbie
Chester Towne by his family
Helen and Peter Tuttle by Elizabeth (Tuttle) Claver and Randy Tuttle
Ann and Richard Williams by Wendy Williams
Community Event
BAG THE COMMUNITY- For the past 5 years, the community of So. Hadley has chosen to celebrate
Martin Luther King's National Day of Service by collecting food to restock the shelves of Neighbors Helping
Neighbors, the town's food pantry. Last year, the drive collected over 3,700 pounds of food and toiletries.
This collection provided Neighbors Helping Neighbors with 40% of their stock for the year.
Sue Brouilette, chair of the event, said this year's drive is supported by a grant from the Massachusetts
Teacher's Association (MTA) and sponsored, in part, by the South Hadley High School faculty, staff, and
students, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire Towing, Republic Services, and the Big Y.
What makes this drive unique? On Saturday morning, January 16, 2016, about 60 assorted cars, vans,
and trucks will head for South Hadley High School for an orientation about how to safely ensure that each
home in the district they are assigned to is safely and appropriately "bagged". After coffee and a question
and answer session, they are assigned routes and teams and leave the school to begin their drop offs. The
baggers are middle and high school students, as well as Mount Holyoke students being welcomed to the
town and college.
On Monday morning, January 18, 2016, the teams assemble at the high school for a second orientation on
how to collect the bags and what to do with them when they return to the high school. While they are out
collecting their bags, another group of volunteers is in orientation learning how to sort and label the
incoming bags.
Last year, approximately 6, 500 residences were "bagged" and over 37,000 pounds of food and toiletries
were collected for Neighbors Helping Neighbors, the community food pantry.
We would like your help in publicizing this event and also, on January 9, 2016 at 10am, the committee will
show the film "A Place at the Table" and discuss food insecurity and community action. The film will be
shown at the South Hadley Public Library on Canal Street. We also need volunteers for driving, bagging,
sorting, and runners.
For more information or to volunteer, please contact Sue Brouilette at [email protected] or
413-535-8861. Thank you, again, for your partnership in this community wide event!
Tanya Kopec