Upload
south-church
View
231
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
South Church Hartford's Newsletter
Citation preview
Annual Church Meeting
“Home For The Holidays!”
The concert was advertised
as a benefit to raise funds to
support Governor Rell’s
“Home for the Holidays”
initiative to bring nearly 700
of Connecticut’s National
Guard troops preparing to
deploy to Iraq and Afghani-
stan home for a 10 day leave
to spend the holidays with
their families. Just prior to
intermission a free will offer-
ing was taken and thanks to
the generosity of those in
attendance, and the commit-
ment of South Church to at
least match the amount col-
lected, we were able to pre-
sent $6,000 to the National
Guard Foundation to help
them in their efforts to bring
these troops home for a holi-
day visit. It was recently
announced that the required
funds have been raised and
these families will all be able
to celebrate the holidays to-
gether. Praise God!
The Annual Church Meeting of the Second Church of Christ in Hartford, South Congregational,
will be held at the church at 277 Main Street, Hartford following the morning service on Sunday,
January 31, 2010. The purpose of the meeting shall be to review and vote on the annual budget and
the recommended changes to the By-Laws defining “Active Membership” and “Leadership Qualifi-
cation” requirements.
The meeting will be held in Gray Hall. Lunch will be provided prior to the annual church meeting.
Second Ecclesiastical Society
Second Ecclesiastical Society of the South Congregational Church at Hartford is called for 9:30 am
on January 31, 2010 in the Bryant Room of South Church.
All members are urged to attend.
Janet H. Wallace
Clerk of the Society
Issue No. 14
Jan/Feb, 2010
In this issue:
Page 2 Pastor‟s Corner
Page 4 Outreach &
Missions
Page 6-7 Spire Lightings
Page 9 Birthday‟s
Points of interest:
SCC now has a
Defibrillator
Facility Update
The Bed Fund
PAGE 2 THE TORCHBEARER
Pastor‟s Corner Submitted by: Pastor Adam Söderberg, Senior Minister
I Wonder as I Wander
Someone recently said to
me, “I have an old Bible
that is falling apart. What is
the proper way to throw it
away? Just putting it in the
garbage doesn’t feel right!” I
wondered about that as I
wandered throughout the
rest of the day. I didn’t
really know. What I discov-
ered after some research
was that there is no
“biblical” way to dispose of
an old, damaged, or ruined
Bible, as the Bible itself
does not address this ques-
tion. It is, therefore, a mat-
ter of personal conviction.
It is important for us to un-
derstand that it is not the
paper, binding, and ink that
are “sacred” or “holy.” We
should not allow the printed
Bible to become an object
of worship or an idol in it-
self. It is the Word of God
that is holy – not the mate-
rial it is printed on. The pur-
pose of the Bible is to teach
us about Jesus the Savior
and the salvation He pro-
vides and to point us to
worship Him with all our
heart, soul, mind, and
strength. The paper and ink
of a Bible are merely the
means through which God
communicates His Word to
us.
It does seem, however, un-
comfortable to simply
throw away a Bible. I imag-
ine that would have to be
the absolute last resort.
Some old Bibles, if rebound,
would be “as good as new”
and could then continue to
be used or given to some-
one else to use. Sometimes
even when an old, tattered
Bible is given to someone
who does not have a Bible it
can be a tremendous bless-
ing. Some people keep old
Bibles as family heirlooms
and pass them down to chil-
dren, nieces or nephews to
remind future generations
of how committed to God’s
Word their ancestors were.
There are many such op-
tions and all are worth
prayerfully considering.
Ultimately, however, if a
Bible is genuinely damaged
to the point of being unus-
able, it can be discarded. In
no sense will discarding a
Bible invite God’s displeas-
ure. There are those who
prefer to burn a Bible (as is
done with the American
flag) rather than placing it in
the garbage but neither
method is right or wrong. In
fact, there is a story of a
person who threw a Bible
out with the trash. The next
day a garbage collector saw
the Bible and removed it
from the trash, began to
read it, and placed his faith
in Jesus Christ as Savior. So,
you see, God can use His
powerful Word to testify of
Him, even from the pages
of a Bible that has been dis-
carded.
I would suggest that before
you dispose of your Bible
take a moment to thumb
through it checking for
notes or family history. If
that Bible had been handed
down to you we should be
aware that many people re-
cord significant family
events, like births, mar-
riages, and deaths in their
family Bible. You may want
to preserve this information.
In the end, on one hand it is
sad to see an old and tat-
tered Bible barely being held
together by string and glue.
On the other hand, how
wonderful it is that a Bible
was so well-used that it
couldn’t handle the fre-
quency with which pages
were turned and the binding
was creased. I guess it
should be a goal of us all –
to use our Bibles so much
that modern printing meth-
ods cannot withstand our
interest in reading and
studying God’s Word. How
God would rejoice at that!
In His Service,
“...the Lord is come, let earth
receive her King!”
Being awarded custody of
her five grandchildren was a
blessing and an enormous
responsibility that this
grandmother accepted with
determination. Hopeful that
being close to family would
make it easier, Ms. Rivera
relocated to her son’s home
in East Hartford. As the
apartment quickly became
overcrowded, trouble with
the landlord was imminent.
With nowhere else to turn,
Ms. Rivera arrived at South
Park Inn in August of
2008. Quickly the children
were enrolled in school and
Ms. Rivera worked closely
with South Park Inn staff to
begin to find somewhere to
live.
Pushing together beds in
one of the dorms, the family
used their time at South
Park Inn as constructively
as possible. Ms. Rivera
bought only essentials, and
put as much money into
savings as she could afford
each month. She arranged
necessary medical care for
her nine year old grand-
daughter, who suffers from
a heart condition. The kids
worked hard in school,
learning English and teach-
ing their grandmother
words each night. It took
ten months but the Rivera
family has their own place.
It took longer than expected
but Rafaela’s sheer will for a
better life for her grandchil-
dren made the wait worth-
while. The children have
adjusted well to their new
school and the family is
happy and healthy.
The Triumph of Rafaela Rivera
THE TORCHBEARER PAGE 3
The B.L.A.S.T. youth group
is gearing up for another
exciting year. Though this
year is coming to a close,
the past couple month have
been a time of new begin-
nings for the group and for
myself. We have been
meeting each Friday night
for the past two months and
have had a great start.
That great start includes the
first marking of my fist trip
with the group
which took
place on No-
vember 20th.
The group left
for Providence,
RI from the
church that afternoon at
four o’ clock and returned
at 7 o’ clock… the next
morning. The event was the
Word of Life Su-
p e r B o w l .
Though it was
an over night
event there was no
time for sleep. The night
began with a hockey and a
youth rally which was fol-
lowed by hours bowling and
crazy gym games, with a
little pizza here or there.
The group certainly had a
B.L.A.S.T.
We will be closing out the
year with a Christmas party
on Dec. 18th and look for-ward to many more new beginnings in 2010!
YOUTH MINISTRY
South Church has pur-
chased an Automatic Exter-
nal Defibrillator (AED)
with installation and training
scheduled in January 2010.
The American Red Cross, a
leading trainer in AED’s
nationally, is actively in-
volved in increasing public
knowledge of AEDs and
helping individuals and or-
ganizations implement an
AED program. They will
be working with us to build
our program.
In addition to
several church
members and
staff volun-
teering for
AED training,
they will also
be trained in
First Aid and CPR.
Thank you to everyone who
volunteered
for this
program.
Once train-
ing in com-
pleted and
the volun-
teers are
certified, a
l i s t o f
names will be posted.
There are still a few open-
ings so if you are inter-
ested in volunteering con-
tact the Church Administra-
tor @ 860-249-8627.
On November 27th the dea-
cons sponsored and evening
of pizza and jazz. All those
who came out were treated
to an evening great fellow-
ship and first rate entertain-
ment from the Keaon
Brown Quartet. The Keaon
Brown quartet features the
talents of our own Keaon
and Lomar Brown. The
evening opened with a won-
derful dinner put on by the
deacons and the guys closed
out the evening with a su-
perb show. I think I can
speak for all who attended
by thanking the deacons for
their hard work and the
Browns for sharing their
talents.
Totally Jazzed
Submitted by: Jonathan Parker, Youth Ministry Leader
Submitted by: Jonathan Parker, Youth Ministry Leader
Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Submitted by: Leslie Watkins, Church Administrator
PAGE 4
Well, winter is here and
with it the holidays, a special
time for sharing with family
and friends. Here at Manna
we like to share some of
that special time with our
clients; welcoming them
with warmth & kindness
and offering along with our
smile a gift pair of gloves or
socks, a coat or a hat, or
even a gift card. I have al-
ways believed that “giving is
receiving’’ and the good
feelings that come with
helping poor working fami-
lies stays with you all year!
For Thanksgiving, we were
able to distribute 172 turkey
baskets. We wouldn’t have
been able to reach that
number without the kind
donation of turkeys and
other meal items from
South Church. Working
together, we were able to
make a real difference in the
lives of some of our needi-
est neighbors. Again & al-
ways, Thank You!
With the Thanksgiving holi-
day and basket distribution,
the food pantry was in op-
eration for just 3 weeks dur-
ing November…but we still
managed to serve 196
households - 230 adults, 175
children, and 50 seniors for
a total of 651 individuals.
Thanks to friends like you,
we will continue, in 2010, to
put food on their table,
dress properly for the win-
ter season, and hopefully to
be able to give their children
the attention and gifts they
deserve every day and, espe-
cially on the holidays.
On behalf of MANNA As-
sistance & Advocacy we
wish South Church a
blessed Christmas and
Happy New Year!
MANNA Assistance & Advocacy Submitted by: Rosa Santiago, MANNA Program coordinator
Saturday, December 5th was
a very special evening at
South Church. The Taubl
family performed a benefit
holiday concert in our meet-
ing house, but the event was
really much more than an
evening of beautiful music.
During the course of the
evening the Taubls beauti-
fully wove into their pro-
gram many of the various
mission and outreach pro-
grams we support. Repre-
sentatives from many of the
agencies were present at the
concert and were both rec-
ognized for their good
works and available to an-
swer questions about their
programs during intermis-
sion. Among those attend-
ing were representatives of
Artists Collective, Faith-
Care, FoodShare, Habitat
for Humanity, Hands on
Hartford, Salvation Army,
and South Park Inn.
Each year radio station
WTIC 1080 partners with
the Salvation Army in a
fund raising campaign called
the Holiday Store which
runs for about two weeks
before Christmas. This year
Pastor Adam appeared on
air with Ray Dunaway to
announce that South
Church would be making a
$5,000 donation to this
year’s campaign and issued a
challenge to other houses of
worship and faith communi-
ties to match our donation. During their on-air ex-
change Pastor and Ray
made it clear to the listening
audience that South Church
is alive and well on Main
Street.
Thanks to the generosity of
South Church members and
friends, we were able to
send 42 shoe boxes to Sa-
maritan’s Purse for Opera-
tion Christmas child. A
special thank you to the
South Church Women who
helped with the final assem-
bly of the boxes and to
Renee for delivering them
to the drop-off location in
Bloomfield. For next year,
we are thinking of trying
something a little different
for this project. People can
still take boxes to fill them-
selves if they wish, but we
are thinking of putting to-
gether a list of items to be
collected each month and
having an “assembly party”
in November to put the
boxes together. More to
come on this in the next
issue.
On January 23, 2010 South
Church has the opportunity
to provide a snack to the
workers on a Habitat for
Humanity project in Hart-
ford. We are looking for
volunteers to bake or assist
in the delivery of food that
day as well as financial con-
tributions to offset the cost
of coffee and beverages.
Thanks to June Hodges for
volunteering to oversee this
very worthwhile event.
Please see June if you can
help with this project. We
hope to be able to do more
of these events in 2010.
Looking ahead to 2010, we
hope to be able to do more
hands-on outreach but in
order to do this we need to
have a group of volunteers
ready, willing, and able to
jump in to assist. A box
had been placed on the ta-
ble in Robinson Lobby for
your input to our future
mission and outreach pro-
grams. If there is a specific
program you would like us
to consider or if you would
like to sign up to volunteer,
please drop a note in the
box or contact me directly if
you wish. Writing checks is
important to enable us to do
the things that need to be
done, but it takes “hands-
on” efforts as well. So
please consider signing up
to help do the Lord’s work.
Remember the Mission
Train we introduced a few
years ago? We need more
passengers on board to keep
the train rolling on.
My sincere thanks to all
who have helped in our ef-
forts during 2009. May you
all experience the hope, joy,
and love of this blessed
holiday season. Wishing
you all a very Merry Christ-
mas and a happy and
healthy new year.
Submitted by: Susan Elphick Outreach & Missions
“…our mission‟s work should be
much more than just „cutting checks‟...”
THE TORCHBEARER PAGE 5
On Saturday, October 24th at 9:30am, the FaithCare Wellness Center held an Outreach and Fellowship Breakfast, hosted by South Congregational Church. The goals of the program were to increase awareness about FaithCare and the Wellness Center. We also hoped to recruit support a n d p a r t n e r s h i p s (monetary, supplies, re-sources, manpower, etc…) for the ministry. It was also a time for fellowship among our volunteers and support-ers. Over 20 individuals were in attendance, comprised of present volunteers, future volunteers, church and or-ganization leaders, nurses, medical, dental, and college students, a singer, and a performer (John Taubl), a m o n g o t h e r s ! After an opening prayer, a scrumptious breakfast pre-pared by Renée Söderberg and George Flonnes was served in the Gray Hall. A take home packet was dis-tributed to each attendee, which included: a Wellness
Center flyer, the Wellness Center introductory docu-ment, a flyer for a benefit concert by the Taubl family, a FaithCare letter from Dr. Schnatz about current tran-sitions and the cancellation of the banquet this year, a Wish List letter, and a sur-vey that allowed us to ob-ta in contact/church/organizational information as well as allowed attendees to sign up to participate in the vision and ministry of
FaithCare in various ways. During breakfast, a stand-alone slideshow ran with images from the Wellness Center and from Commu-nity Health Fairs, and invit-ing attendees to reach out to the community with us. This was accompanied by worship piano music by the l a t e K i m R i l e y . To start off the program,
Marcia Nahounou, a singer and Research Assistant at the University of Connecti-cut Health Center blessed us with an amazing song. Sherry-Ann Brown and Aisha Castater introduced everyone to FaithCare and to the FaithCare Wellness Center and current needs, using a slideshow presenta-tion, the Wish List letter in the take home packet, and testimonials from the out-reach on 10.10.2009 at the First Cathedral Wellness Fair. We shared with every-one that $10 pays for a sin-gle cholesterol screen for a needy individual in Hart-ford, and heart disease is the number one killer in America/the world. All attendees were asked to consider donating their time, their resources, their money, or supplies, or all of the above to further the cause of Christ, and the vision for the Wellness Center as it reaches out to t h e c o m m u n i t y . This was followed by a Q & A section, during which everyone asked questions,
made comments, and had a healthy discussion about ways we can all work to-gether to serve. The morn-ing ended with a tour of the Wellness Center. Attendees were excited and impressed with what God is doing, and are very inter-ested in partnering with us in several ways. Some even gave donations on the spot! Thank you and God bless, S h e r r y - A n n B r o w n 8 6 0 - 9 6 1 - 2 0 1 4 [ c e l l ] Student Director of the FaithCare Wellness Center FaithCare Hartford Chap-ter Community Outreach C o o r d i n a t o r http://www.faithcare.net/W e l ln e s s _ Ce n t e r .h t m “God calls us to live in ways that will make a difference and be an inspiration.” Z a c h H u n t e r “The real danger for pro-fessing Christians is not the more glaring sins but a slow death of vision, daring, and courage.” - J.B. Phillips
FaithCare Breakfast Submitted by: Sherry-Ann Brown, Student Director
“…heart disease is the number one killer in America and the world...”
We were able to reach out
to twenty-four individuals
and/or families this year
with our Thanksgiving Bas-
ket ministry.
Thank you to all who do-
nated the foodstuffs and to
the Deacons who coordi-
nated the effort - especially
Barbara Bradley and
Carolyn Ford.
Thank you to Deb Robert-
son for heading up our
Christmas Giving Tree
Ministry again this year.
Sixty-five children will re-
ceive something under the
tree this Christmas because
of your generosity. More
importantly they will know
that someone loves them.
Thanksgiving & Christmas Outreach
The Spire Will Be Lighted In Loving Memory Of...
PAGE 6 THE TORCHBEARER
January 1
Dorothey F. Meyerhardt
by her family
on the anniversary of her birth
- - -
In gratitude for
all that South Church has meant
by one of its members
January 2
Mary E. Archibald
January 3
Anna Zacharevitz
by her family
January 4
Margaret Higgins
by her family
January 5
Lillian Brancieri
by the late Pasquale (Pat) Brancieri
on the anniversary of her death
January 6
Dr. Peyton H. Hoge
January 7
Raymond Derick
by his family
on the anniversary of his birth
- - -
Edward Niver, my brother-in-law
Joan Zito
- - -
Richard Charles Jarvis
by his father, James H., sister Wendy
And brother CDR James V., retired
on the anniversary of his death
January 8
Mrs. Francis Atwood
- - -
Hans F. Meyen
by the Gianopoulos Family
January 9
Roy D. Bassette
January 10
Arnold Dunphy
by his late wife and children
on the anniversary of his birth
- - -
Arnold Dunphy
by the Leonard Diamond Family
January 11
Agnes and Valentine E. Burr
by their daughters, Ruth Stannard and
the late Mildred Jarvis
January 13
Ellen Hill
on the anniversary of her birth
January 15
James W. Maxwell
by his family
on the anniversary of his birth
January 18
Dr. Henry David Gray
by his family
on the anniversary of his birth
- - -
Norma Sloan Heineman
by her family
January 19
Emelia M. Kilby
by her family and The Sewing Ladies
January 20
Mildred S. Goodrich
by the Merris Family
on the anniversary of her birth
- - -
Mildred S. Goodrich
by her family,
Ronald and Jean Goodrich
on the anniversary of her birth
- - -
January 20
Dorothy Leet Perkins Johnson
by her children
on the anniversary of her birth
January 21
Kenneth L. Howland
by his family
on the anniversary of his death
January 24
Richard Charles Jarvis
by his father James H., his sister
Wendy, and his brother James V.
on the anniversary of his birth
January 30
Herman F. Robertson
by his family
- - -
Mr. & Mrs. Melvin E. Thomas
by the Thomas Family
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
February 1
H. Clifford Forbes
by Helen Hurlburt
February 2
Ruth Donelson Warner
by her nieces, Dorothy Fisher Flagg and
Eunice Fisher Trevitt
on the anniversary of her birth
February 3
Mary Stuart Hoge
- - -
Antoinette Clark
by her sons; Steve, Gene, Jon & Brian
and their families
on the anniversary of her birth
February 4
Jane Nellis Case
by her late sons, Dr. Jarvis D. and
Carroll Buron Case
- - -
John A. Taylor, Jr.
by his family
on the anniversary of his birth
February 5
Helen Lindberg Tracy
by her friends
February 8
Chesleigh Bittner
by his wife and family
The Spire Will Be Lighted In Loving Memory Of...
THE TORCHBEARER PAGE 7
February 9
Marion Livingston Johnson
by her daughters and son-in-law;
Beverly and Frank Diamond
Elaine Johnson & Shirley Johnson
on the anniversary of her birth
February 12
Carmela and Nunzio Rottino
by their children
February 14
SarahGrace “Jaye” Jarvis
by her husband, James H. Jarvis on the
anniversary of their engagement
- - -
John and Virginia Derohanian
Happy Valentine’s Day
Mom & Dad
Love, Mark, Suzie, Barry & family
February 15
Leslie Bingham
by Rena Bingham
- - -
Richard Gorman
by his children
on the anniversary of his birth
February 17
Anna and Anton Erickson
by their granddaughter,
Mrs. Vincent Santangelo
- - -
Lori Niver, my sweet little niece
by Aunt Joanie and Uncle Joe
on the anniversary of her death
February 18
Virginia Derohanian
on the anniversary of her death
Love, Mark, Suzie, Barry & family
- - -
Dr. George N. P. Mead
February 19
Anna B. Judd
by her late husband,
Edwin B. Judd
February 21
Edward B. Ames
by his son, Edward B. Ames, Jr.
on the anniversary of his birth
February 22
Rev. John Whiting,
first pastor of South Church
- - -
Sandra Bailey Igielski, a dear friend
by Shirley Johnson &
Elaine Johnson
on the anniversary of her birth
February 24
Kathleen Elizabeth Dobbin
by her parents,
Sylvia and Owen Dobbin
- - -
Tom Stewart
by the Stewart Family
on the anniversary of his birth
February 25
Florence Arnold Gager
by her family
February 26
Sadie B. Saich
by Mrs. Richard B. Saich
- - -
Virginia Sexton Hanks
by her husband, the late
Stedman Hanks, and daughters,
Beverly Beckwith & Elizabeth Hanks
February 27
Jack P. Nelson
by his late wife , Elena
February 28
George M. Hotra
by his daughter
- - -
Louise Daniels
by her late daughter,
Cynthia Anderson and family
- - -
Gertrude Morton Hurlburt
by her late daughters,
Mrs. Barbara H. Brooks
& Helen H. Hurlburt
- - -
February 28
Mrs. George A. Ray
by her family
on the anniversary of her birth
- - -
Ted Tolman
by his wife, Ann
- - -
Florence Bryant
by South Church Women
In observance of…
February 22
340th Anniversary
of the founding of South Church
by the late
In observance of…
February 22
340th Anniversary
of the founding of South Church
by the late
Dr. Henry David Gray
PAGE 8 THE TORCHBEARER
Al-Anon/Alateen Family
Groups is a fellowship of
people whose lives have
been affected by someone
else’s drinking, usually a
family member or close
friend. There are numerous
groups all around the world.
Here in Connecticut there
are approximately 260
groups. These groups meet
in different towns, on dif-
ferent days, and at different
times, so it is fairly easy to
find at least one meeting
that is reasonably conven-
ient. Most meetings are only
open to those who are being
or have been affected by
another person’s abuse of
alcohol. This allows us to
share our experiences, our
hope and our strength
openly and honestly with
each other.
The LDC/Office here in
the church i s A l -
Anon/Alateen’s official lo-
cation for business and legal
purposes. While our pri-
mary task is to sell confer-
ence approved literature to
our members and interested
outside parties, we also an-
swer phone and mail inquir-
ies about meeting locations,
speak with people who want
to learn more about our
program, and store our col-
lected memorabilia and
items used for various
events such as our conven-
tion and area assemblies.
We enjoy visitors and are
hope people will stop and
say hello and learn more
about us.
When our fellowship voted
to establish the LDC/Office
here it was for a 3 year trial.
On Saturday, November 7,
the Al-Anon/Alateen As-
sembly, consisting of all the
meeting groups in CT, met
in Gray Hall and voted to
continue this office indefi-
nitely.
The holidays are often a
very difficult time for fami-
lies dealing with an alco-
holic. Our web site:
www.ct-al-anon.org lists
meetings throughout the
state as well as some basic
information about Al-Anon
and Alateen. We also have
a 24/7 answering service
that can supply callers with
meeting times and locations.
That number is 1-888-825-
2666.
Al-Anon / Alateen
Church Closings
2010 Holidays (Church Office Closed)
Friday, January 1
New Year’s
Monday, January 18
ML King Birthday
Monday, February 15
President’s Day
Monday, May 31
Memorial Day
Monday, July 5
Independence Day
Monday, September 6
Labor Day
Monday, October 11
Columbus Day
Thursday, November 11
Veteran’s Day
Thursday, November 25
Thanksgiving
Friday, November 26
Day after Thanksgiving
Friday, December 24
Christmas Eve Day
Monday, December 27
Christmas Day
The church office follows
the Hartford Public School
Board of Education for
closing and delays in in-
clement weather. If the
schools are closed or de-
layed, the church will be
closed or delayed as well.
Listen for closings and de-
lays on radio station WTIC
1080 am or WFSB, Channel
3 TV. These stations also
post the information on
t h e i r w e b s i t e s :
w w w . w t i c . c o m ,
w w w . 9 6 5 t i c . c o m o r
www.wrch.com.
Special Services
Funerals
Ruth Peterson 11/12/09 (Karl Hahn’s sister)
Thomas Higgins 12/22/09
Weddings
Emily Merris & Adam Bryers 12/12/09
Submitted by: Sue Guilford
“…holidays are often a very diffi-cult time for fami-lies dealing with
an alcoholic.”
THE TORCHBEARER PAGE 9
January/February Birthdays
January 4
Elaine Johnson
January 5
Gerald Hancock
January 6
Chris Savery
January 7
Carol Lockard
January 9
Shelly Casiano
Carl Williams
January 10
Rena Bingham
Arline Rich
January 14
Barbara Stebbins
January 15
Tony Marzano, Sr.
January 24
Phyllis Arnold
January 27
Juanita Irvine
February 1
Barbara Bradley
February 5
Jean Doll
February 8
Jackie Wyman
February 12
Linda Conner
February 14
Ginna Miller
February 20
Nora Dunphy
February 22
Elfriede Zitani
February 26
Marj Weidlich
February 27
John Magnee
“I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will
experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.”
~ Ecclesiastes 8:15
CHURCH COUNCIL MEETINGS
Your Church Council
meets every 4th Thursday of
each month @ 7:00 pm,
however, the January meet-
ing will be held on the third
Tuesday, January 19. The
meetings are held in the
Bryant Room and all church
members are invited to at-
tend.
Note: Meeting changes will be
noted in the Sunday worship
bulletin prior to each meeting
with proper notification.
Wondering what’s happen-
ing to our building?
During 2009 your Church
Council approved the repair
of the Westside sidewalk
and curb; the clean-up of
the Memorial Garden
(Phase 1 and 2); replace-
ment of pneumatic controls
with digital controls for the
air-conditioning and
heating systems; re-
pair/replacement of
broken heating pipes
in the MANNA por-
tion of the church;
repair of a crack in the
boiler under the Meet-
ing House; purchase of
shelving for the Archive
Room (former Bride’s
Room); energy audit
for the entire church -
replacement of lights,
installation of sensors
in various areas, reduc-
tion in cost per kilo-
watt hour.
The cooling tower replace-
ment unit work will begin
early 2010 and should be
completed by spring just in
time for summer services in
the Chapel. Another 2010
project, to be discussed, is
replacing the brownstone in
front of the Meeting House.
FACILITY Submitted by: Robert Jones, Church Council
PAGE 10 THE TORCHBEARER
Where in the World is Pastor Adam?
Were you aware that on
October 5, 2009 severe
floods hit Messina in north-
eastern Sicily? Twenty three
people lost their lives, thirty
-five are missing and five
hundred twenty lost their
homes. South Church is
proud to recognize Tina
Marzano for organizing a
successful fund raiser Pas-
tor Adam attended on No-
vember 21st at the Casa Mia
Restaurant in Hartford
which raised significant
funds to help those most in
need. Well done Tina!
The Artist’s Collective held
an Open House on No-
vember 22nd where Pastor
Adam was able to present
to Ms. Dollie McLean, the
Board of Directors and
gathered guests, with our
$5,000 gift for 2009.
On November 25th Pastor
Adam and Leslie Watkins
presented Gloria McAdam
(President of FoodShare)
with our $10,000 donation
and got a tour of their new
warehouse. What an opera-
tion! The literally “tons” of
food that they distribute to
the hungry in Connecticut is
absolutely astounding!
Mr. J. Ronald Terwillger,
Chairman and CEO of
Trammell Crow Residential
– who recently made a $5
million gift to establish the
ULI Terwillger Center for
Workforce Housing; a simi-
lar $5 million gift to the En-
terprise Foundation; and a
$100 million gift to Habitat
for Humanity – was the
featured speaker at the
Hartford Area Habitat for
Humanity held a 20th Anni-
versary Celebration held at
the Town and Country Club
on December 2nd which
Pastor Adam attended.
South Church has sup-
ported Habitat for Human-
ity for years giving $5,000 in
2008 and another $5,000 in
2009 toward the building of
the House of Abraham as
well as hosting refreshments
and prayer at worksites
throughout Hartford.
Captain Jeff Bache and
Pastor Adam appeared on
WFSB TV 3’s Better Connecti-
cut morning show with
Scott Haney on Decem-
ber 4th to promote the
Christmas concert featuring
the Taubl family. You can
see the clip at: http://
w w w . w f s b . c o m /
video/21825772/index.html
At the December 5th
Christmas concert Pastor
Adam welcomed our emcee
for the evening Jerry Kris-
tafer and presented gifts to
Doug Sudell, CEO of
Hands of Hartford; John
Ferucci, Executive Director
South Park Inn; and the
Rev. Rob Swanson Execu-
tive Director of FaithCare.
Gloria McAdam, Dollie
McLean, and Major R.
Douglas Hart joined us as
well.
On Monday December 14th
at the WTIC 1080 AM Sal-
vation Army Holiday Store
in Avon, Ray Dunaway
interviewed Pastor Adam
live on the radio as he pre-
sented the South Church
donation of $10,000 to the
Salvation Army and chal-
lenged other churches to
match it.
On December 18th Pastor
Adam appeared with Brad
Davis on WDRC at Augie
& Ray’s in East Hartford
where he was able to pre-
sent him with a check for
$2,000 in support of the
U.S. Marines “Toys for
Tot’s” campaign. South
Church put him over the
$15,000 mark!
And, finally, on December
29th Pastor Adam delivered
a gift of $2,000 to the Open
Hearth in Hartford.
Where will he be next?
“Wherever He wants!” Pas-
tor Adam says, “Here I am
Lord, send me!”
God Bless The Parents Who Drugged Us
After reading in the newspa-
per about a Meth-lab found
in the adjoining county a
friend asked me a rhetorical
question. “Why didn’t we
have a drug problem when
you and I were growing
up?”
I replied, “I had a drug
problem when I was young:
I was drug to church on
Sunday morning. I was drug
to church for weddings and
funerals. I was drug to fam-
ily reunions and community
socials no matter the
weather. I was drug by my
ears when I was disrespect-
ful to adults. I was also drug
to the woodshed when I
disobeyed my parents, told a
lie, brought home a bad
report card, did not speak
with respect, spoke ill of the
teacher or the preacher, or if
I didn’t put forth my best
effort in everything that was
asked of me. I was drug to
the kitchen sink to have my
mouth washed out with
soap if I uttered a profanity.
I was drug out to pull weeds
in mom’s garden and flower
beds and cockle burrs out
of dad’s fields. I was drug to
the homes of family,
friends, and neighbors to
help out some poor soul
who had no one to mow the
yard, repair the clothesline,
or chop some firewood;
and, if my mother had ever
known that I took a single
dime as a tip for this kind-
ness, she would have drug
me back to the woodshed.
Those drugs are still in my
veins and they affect my
behavior in everything I do,
say, or think. They are
stronger than cocaine, crack,
or heroin; and, if some of
today’s children had this
kind of drug problem,
America would be a better
place.”
God bless the parents
who drugged us.
THE TORCHBEARER PAGE 11
Hartford Hospital Free Bed Funds
When you are admitted to
Hartford Hospital, or are
attended to in the Hospital’s
Emergency Department or
in a Hospital clinic, you will
be subject to a number of
different charges. Some are
covered by Free Bed Funds;
others are not. The Free Bed Funds do not cover all costs associated with your care at the Hospital.
THE FREE BED FUND
WILL COVER THE
F O L L O W I N G
CHARGES OR COSTS:
Hospital Costs
All costs of the hospital
related to your hospital stay,
including your room, use of
specialized medical equip-
ment, the costs of radiology
and pathology tests, includ-
ing the costs of technicians,
nursing and other care giv-
ers, but not including the
charges of the radiologists,
pathologists, surgeons, anes-
thesiologists and any other
attending or consulting phy-
sicians.
Most physicians at the Hos-
pital are private attending
physicians who are not em-
ployees of the Hospital, and
their charges are not cov-
ered by Free Bed Funds.
Occasionally, a Hospital-
employed physician may be
brought in to consult with a
patient, and his or her
charges will be covered by
Free Bed Funds.
Emergency Room Costs
The Emergency Room staff
physicians are employees of
the Hospital, and the costs
of their care are eligible for
coverage by the Free Bed
Funds. (Services provided
by private attending physi-
cians, including those con-
sulting with Emergency
Room physicians, usually
are not employees of the
Hospital, and their charges
are not covered by Free Bed
Funds.)
Clinic Charges
All charges for care in a
Hartford Hospital clinic,
including use of specialized
medical equipment, the
costs of radiology and pa-
thology tests (including the
costs of technicians), nurs-
ing and other caregivers are
covered. Attending physi-
cians are private practitio-
ners and their charges are
not covered.
Other Outpatient Service
The cost of outpatient sur-
gery at Hartford Hospital,
including use of specialized
medical equipment, pre-
scription drugs (only if dis-
pensed from the Hospital
pharmacy).
All non-physician outpatient
services, including those at
the Helen and Harry Gray
Cancer Center, including
the costs of chemotherapy
and radiation therapy Air
ambulance (Life Star) costs.
THE FREE BED FUND
WILL NOT COVER
THE FOLLOWING
CHARGES OR COSTS:
Ambulance charges (other
than Life Star). The ambu-
lance company will bill you
separately for these.
All physician charges, ex-
cept the charges of Hospital
emp loyed phys i c i ans
(Emergency Room, some
consultants). The physicians
at Hartford Hospital are
private practitioners, and
charge for their services
separate and apart from the
bill for Hospital costs. Phy-
sicians include among oth-
ers:
• Attending physicians
(whether at the Hospital
or in their offices)
• Surgeons
• Anesthesiologists
• Radiologists
• Consulting physicians
Physical, occupational or
vocational therapy charges,
unless rendered while you
are in the Hospital.
Nursing Home and home
health care following inpa-
tient or outpatient care at
the Hospital or a Hospital
clinic.
Note: To apply for Free
Bed Funds please forward
your Hartford Hospital
bill to the Church Admin-
istrator for submission to
Patient Accounts at Hart-
ford Hospital for pay-
ment.
Submitted by: Leslie Watkins, Church Administrator
We are trying something
different at our Church
Meeting in January. After
worship there will be a
luncheon in Gray Hall to
be followed by the busi-
ness meeting also in Gray
Hall.
Please join us!
As this newsletter was go-
ing to print we received
news that our Moderator
Andy Higgins and his
wife Lois lost their son
Tom Higgins to cancer
on December 17th. We all
offer the Higgins family
our deepest condolences
and keep them in prayer.
Keaon Brown was re-
cently accepted to Temple
University! He’s not com-
pletely sure as to whether
he will attend or not yet
but it is quite an accom-
plishment to even be ac-
cepted by such a great
school! Congratulations
Keaon!
Congratulations to Sam
Nash (Danielle Wyman-
Nash‟s husband) on his
promotion to the rank of
Sergeant. Danielle is the
granddaughter of Mo and
Jackie Wyman, daughter
of Maury and Laurie
Wyman and was married
here at South Church June
28, 2008.
Tidbits
PAGE 12 THE TORCHBEARER
New Year‟s Resolutions?
The practice of making
New Year’s resolutions goes
back over 3000 years to the
ancient Babylonians. There
is just something about the
start of a New Year that
gives us the feeling of a
fresh start and a new begin-
ning. In reality, there is no
difference between Decem-
ber 31st and January 1st.
Nothing mystical occurs at
midnight on December
31st.
The Bible does not speak
for or against the concept of
New Year’s resolutions.
However, if a Christian de-
termines to make a New
Year’s resolution, the ques-
tion is what kind of resolu-
tion should he or she make?
Common New Year’s reso-
lutions are: to quit smoking,
to stop drinking, to manage
money better, and spend
more time with family.
Many Christians make New
Year’s resolutions to pray
more, to read the Bible
every day, and to attend
church more regularly.
These are fantastic goals,
however, in the end these
New Year’s resolutions fail
just as often as the non-
spiritual resolutions, be-
cause there is no power in a
New Year’s resolution itself.
So, what sort of New Year’s
resolution should a Chris-
tian make? Here are some
suggestions: (1) Pray for
wisdom as to how to fulfill
the goals God gives you; (3)
Rely on God’s strength to
help you; (4) Find an ac-
countability partner who
will help you and encourage
you; (5) Don’t become dis-
couraged with occasional
failures; instead allow them
to motivate you further; (6)
Don’t become proud or
vain, but give God the
glory.
“Commit everything you do
to the Lord. Trust him, and
he will help you. He will
make your innocence radi-
ate like the dawn, and the
justice of your cause will
shine like the noonday
sun.” (Psalm 37:5-6; NLT)
Happy New Year!