THE BEACON â May 10, 2015 - First Congregational Church, United
Transcription
THE BEACON â May 10, 2015 - First Congregational Church, United
First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ T H E B E A C O N VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 MAY 10, 2015 Deadline for the next BEACON is Thursday, May 21, 2015—Send entries to [email protected] The Church Office is open Monday—Friday, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Looking Ahead in Worship PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE For those who live without sufficient food, water, shelter, or safety; for veterans and those in active service; for peace and peacemakers; for areas in strife around the world. Prayers for Patrick Miller, at Falmouth by the Sea. Prayers for Maxine Wright, in hospice care at the South Portland Nursing Home; Prayers for Ruth Cline, recovering at home; Prayers for Herb Strom, recovering at home; May 17 Seventh Sunday of Easter—Confirmation Sunday 8:30 a.m. Chapel Worship 10:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship with Confirmation, Meetinghouse Choir and Sunday School. Fellowship time follows in Guptill Hall. 5:00 p.m. Pot Luck Dinner 6:00 p.m. Folk Worship May 24 Pentecost Sunday 8:30 a.m. Chapel Worship 10:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship, with Meetinghouse Choir. Cindy Maddox will give the message. Fellowship time follows in Wright Pavilion. May 31 Trinity Sunday 8:30 a.m. Chapel Worship 10:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship with Meetinghouse Choir and Sunday School. Cindy Maddox will give the message. 11:30 a.m. Annual Meeting June 7 Second Sunday after Pentecost—Founders Day Children’s Sunday 8:30 a.m. Chapel Worship with Communion 10:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship with Communion and Meetinghouse Choir. Fellowship time follows in Guptill Hall. 11:30 a.m. Elders Luncheon Church Office Hours: 8:30 a.m.—4:00 p.m. Phone: 207.799.3361 Fax: 207.799.4095 E-mail: [email protected] FINANCIAL UPDATE At its May meeting, the Church Council considered the many suggestions offered by the Congregation during our Winter Town Hall Meeting. Several of those suggestions included various fundraisers; and after much discussion, we agreed that we need to be mindful in considering where to spend our energy. Specifically, we decided we do not want to compete with the schools and sports teams as they conduct car washes and bottle drives. On the flip side, we do want to follow the interest and energy for ideas as they arise. For example, having a table at the Cape Elizabeth Family Fun Day is a way for our church to have a presence in the community. (See the article by Holly Culver below to learn more.) We also put out a basket for donations at coffee hour and may soon have a vase for spare change donations. So we are continuing to consider and implement the ideas that we think meet our fundraising criteria. If you have additional thoughts about stewardship, we are always open to hearing your ideas. Thanks for your creativity and your generosity. ~ Elinor Redmond FAMILY FUN DAY Often considered the “unofficial” kickoff to summer in Cape Elizabeth, Family Fun Day is a nonprofit event that encourages and supports the numerous groups and organizations from the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth area. This year this fun event will happen Saturday, June 13, with a rain date set for Sunday, June 14. This event will be a day of lighthearted pleasure with games, food, music and possibly fireworks in the evening. The day starts out with a parade at 10:00 a.m. and continues down the parade grounds in Fort Williams. Our church has been invited to participate in the day and we are looking for your thoughts and volunteer commitment to make our presence fun and worthwhile in connecting with the community at large. Some ideas we have are selling water balloons and orchestrating a related game or selling cotton candy and cookies. Please contact Holly Culver (767.9072) if you would like to help with the planning or would like to volunteer. THE EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY theme for May is Breakfast. CHILDREN’S MUSEUM & THEATRE OF MAINE On those rainy summer days, don’t forget that our church has a membership pass to the Children’s Museum & Theatre! Church members may use this pass for free admission to the Museum for up to six people (in one group) per day. Please call or stop by the Church Office to reserve the date that you would like to visit the Museum and we will issue a pass. For information about Museum activities and hours, visit the Museum web site at RUMMAGE SALE Thank you to my volunteers and all involved in the sale on April 25. We made $2,300 for our budget!! Special thanks to the men that helped move and carry the tables, as we could not have done that without them. We now have our thoughts on the October sale, so start saving your “stuff,” as we need a lot to make a lot! ~Prudy Wiggins VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 Page 2 STEEPLE LIGHTING May 10—in loving memory of James Corbett Otis, by his son Jim, daughter Kathy Hollis and their families. To light the steeple in memory or celebration of loved ones, contact the Office at 799.3361, or e-mail [email protected] ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ MEMORIAL/CELEBRATION FLOWERS May 3—in loving memory of Dorothy Jean Mills, from her son Chris Mills. May 10—In loving memory of Frank Potenzo from his wife Bea Potenzo and children JoAnne Freeman, Frank J. Potenzo, Jr. and Anthony J. Potenzo. May 17—In celebration of the six young people confirming their faith today, from Carolyn Foster. To remember or celebrate loved ones with flowers on the altar, contact Dana Wiggins [email protected] STEEPLE DEDICATIONS Our beautiful steeple is a local landmark and a celebration of our faith. It is even more beautiful when it is illuminated in memory or celebration of those we love. For many, many years, the suggested donation to light the steeple has been $25. Beginning July 1, we are increasing the suggested donation to $35 to help defray our maintenance costs. We do have postcards with a picture of our steeple that can be requested when you make a dedication. You can also purchase a postcard for 50 cents. SAM ACTIVITIES Our church has formed a new group called “SAM.” If you are 55 or over, please join us in our activities and fun. We are SENIOR ADULT MINISTRIES! We hope you will participate and say, “SAM, I am.” The annual 90th Birthday Party will be held on Thursday, May 21. Those turning 90 this year and those over 90, will receive an invitation. If you don’t receive one, it is because we don’t know your age. Please call the church office and tell us. Those younger than 90 are encouraged to attend and celebrate with us. For those younger than 90, the cost is $10 for the lunch and birthday cake. Ninety year olds and their guest attend for free, so please RSVP and tell us you’re coming. Thursday, June 4—SAM meeting at 1:00 p.m. in 2nd/3rd grade classroom above the church office. CHILDREN’S CUPCAKE CONTEST—JUNE 7 The contest will be held during Coffee Hour on Children’s and Founders Sunday. FALL SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER SIGN-UP Please see Anne Fuehrer if you would like to help out or be part of a teaching team for a particular grade. DISCOVERY CENTER PRESCHOOL We are in our last month of school and are grateful for our wonderful families. We are excited to announce that we have two openings for the fall. ~ Kathy Jones, Director VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 Friday, June 12—leave for a trip to the “Ewe With a View” sheep farm in Paris. We will stop for lunch in South Paris, then travel another 15 minutes to visit with the sheep and chickens. We hope to have lambs, as it’s fun to watch them frolic and jump. Please RSVP by June 8 so we can organize transportation. Wednesday, June 17—meet at church to go to lunch at Ken’s Place on Pine Point Road in Scarborough. RSVP by June 12. Thursday, June 25—at 11:00 we’ll leave for lunch at Cole Farm Dairy in Gray. RSVP by June 22. If you enjoy 60’s music, put August 26 on your calendars. We will be going to a matinee performance at the Arundel Barn Playhouse to see “Beehive: The 60’s Musical,” with songs like Downtown, It’s My Party, Respect and others. We are no longer SAGES, but SAMS. Please join us. Page 3 Dream Initiative Update The members of our Dream Initiative Implementation Team have been hard at work. Here is a quick update of where we stand. We are pleased to announce that our new Communications Coordinator is our own Tess (Wiggins) Gionet. Much of her professional career has been working in the field of social media, marketing, and communications. Plus, having grown up in this church, she already has a wonderful awareness of who we are. Tess is a perfect fit, and we are thrilled to have her guiding our efforts. We are currently interviewing for the Director of Youth Ministries and hope to have a decision soon. Stay tuned! Our sub-committee for the game room has been painting, organizing, and gathering materials for this great addition to our children’s program. We will have a grand opening within the next few weeks. We are still working on researching video equipment, and still trying to work with an audiologist to improve our sound quality in the sanctuary. We hope to make progress on both areas this summer. And finally, see below for the first announcement of our art contest. As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me. I would be happy to hear from you. ~ Cindy Maddox IMAGES OF THE DIVINE ART SHOW—October 17, 2015, from 1:00 PM - 4:00 p.m. Announcing the Images of the Divine Art Show, funded by the Dream Initiative! The First Congregational Church UCC invites the entries of all artists from the church and the wider community wishing to exhibit original paintings, drawings, photographs and prints in its first art show. Entrants are encouraged to interpret the theme - Images of the Divine - in their use of light, color, form, figures or pattern. The show is open to students, amateur and professional artists. A panel of three judges will award cash prizes in the following categories: Middle School $100 High School $250 College/Art School $600 Amateur/Professional $600 Registration forms with show guidelines will be available July 1st at fccucc.org. If you have questions about the art show, please feel free to contact art show committee members Mary Anne Wallace, Leslie Gatcombe-Hynes, Debra Honey, Tim Honey, or Cathy Counts. VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 Page 4 FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 301 Cottage Road South Portland, ME 04106 Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Portland, ME Permit No. 944 (207) 799-3361 Post Office Time Sensitive Newsletter OFFICIAL CALL TO ANNUAL MEETING The members of the First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, are hereby called to meet on Sunday, May 31, 2015, following the 10:00 a.m. service of worship for the following: 1. To receive the annual reports of the Officers of the Church, the Minister and Staff, Boards and Committees; 2. To elect Church Officers, Council and Team members for the 2015-2016 program year. 3. To vote on the nomination and election of Elders; 4. To hear and act upon any other business which may properly come before the Church. Janet B. Butler, Clerk MUSIC NEWS There are still several openings for soloists on Sundays for the month of August. (June and July are filled.) Please see Shirley Curry if you are interested.