Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
First Church of Christ, Congregational in East Haddam
TIDINGS
Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager January/February 2016
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Letter from Laura…………………...…..1&3
Mark your calendar, Birthdays..……….2
Lyman pies, other church events…….3
Loving Spoonful, Weather note……...4
Fellowship Forums, Choir, Quilting,
Harvest House………………………………..5
Giving Tree, Back Pack Ministry……....6
Christmas tea update, Fuel Bank up-
date………………………………………………..7
Prayer Chain, Book Club………………....8
Stewardship Campaign……………………9
Sanctuary, Simply Smiles, Membership,
Directory update…………………………….10
Food Bank, Fuel Bank, Clothing Bank
MMG…………………………………………….11
Online Mailing List, New email, From
The Editor……………………………………....12
Loving Spoonful……………………………..12
Calendars. (hard copy only)…….13 & 14
Young at Heart………………...inside page
Lectionary Series …………..outside page
A LETTER FROM LAURA
“Be a change if you wish to see a change in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
Dear Friends, Happy New Year to you all! As you read this, I am writing from Kerala, India. As some of you know, I was invited on a mission trip through the Franciscan Family Apostolate (http://franciscanfamilyapostolate.org). The FFA is a local faith-based organization founded in 1971 as a charity inspired by the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Their mission is centered in India and helps the poorest of the poor with food, housing, education and training. Their as-sistance is offered the regardless of religion, race or ethnicity giving all those in need the tools necessary for a life of dignity.
I have travelled here with my father so it is a particular meaningful journey to share this with him especially in this holy season of Epiphany. Epiphany literally means, “a showing”. Here in Kerala, God’s presence is revealed in showings of unexpected kindnesses from people living in the midst of terrible suffering. Each morning after prayer and breakfast, we travel with the Canossian sisters to families living in dire conditions. With grace and dignity, we are in-vited in and offered cups of Chai tea. No matter how poor a family may be, hospitality is shared with big smiles. I have brought crafts and toys (thanks to God’s Garden supplies) and hope to play catch with the children and say a few words in Malayalam, one of the lan-guages spoken in Kerala: “Hello! “Namaskaram!” Along with too much luggage (!), I carry with me your well wishes, prayers and blessings from our church community. The words Je-sus shared with his disciples are also in my heart: “Come, you that are blessed by our God, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me cloth-ing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you vis-ited me.’ (Matthew 25: 34-36). This essential teaching is the Good News of the gospel, which our church lives out with such energy and generosity. ( cont’d on pg 3)
Page 2 January/February 2016
Coming Events January 17th, Fellowship Forum, Pastor Laura shares notes, photos and videos of her mission trip to Kerala in Southern India.
January 17th, the Youth Group will have a New Year Pizza Meeting, following the Fellowship Forum
January 24th, Book Club, following worship. January 31st, Fellowship Forum led by Mike Seaver on the topic of Recovery, Healing and Grace. February 6th, 1 0-2, Paul Nager, Print-making 101:A beginning workshop on printmaking. Bring a bag lunch. $5 mate-rial fee. February 10th, Ash Wednesday Healing Service, 7:00pm. February 12th, Valentine’s Day Acous-tic Coffee House, 7:00pm. February 17th, Lenten Bible Study Be-gins, 10:30am-11:30am. Date TBD, Youth Group February Bowling
Happy Birthday!
January
1—Betsy Barney
7- Wayne Lombardo, Michael Sewell
9 - Allison Ballek
14– Nicholas Kinsman
18– Brittany Lombardo
19– Scott Feulner
20– Sharon Fritz
26-Brenda Collis
February
8 - Susan Kinsman
9 –Justine Cancryn
10– Kathy Lisowicz
11– Kathy Sewell, Kathy Guidi
18– Anita Ballek
20– Nadine
Lisowicz
21– Karan
Conover
Page 3 January/February 2016
(Cont’d from pg 1) Looking ahead at this coming year, we can see the continuing road of faith unfolding before us. As we turn our First Church calendars to the coming winter months, cooks are busy making soup for the opening of Loving Spoonfuls on January 5th. Likewise, God’s Garden is gearing up for the second half of our school season and our youth group is making plans for fellowship and service opportunities. Other church events are listed in this issue as well. May we continue to see glimmers of God’s face in all we meet, wherever the road of faith may take us! Blessings all around, Laura
Lyman Christmas Pie Fundraiser We sold Lyman Christmas Pies, this year, as a fundraiser through the same company that sells Butter Braids. Unfortunately it wasn't as successful. We started selling pies before Thanksgiving and I'm not sure that we were in the Christmas mood. We had less participation from the congregation than we
have with the Butter Braids. We sold 62 pies and had a profit of $211.13. Due to the lack of success we will not be selling pies next year. Many thanks to everyone that sold pies and to those who bought pies!
Events at Other Churches Sunday, January 17, 1-4pm, “The Church and the End of Racism” United Congregational Church of Tolland, UCC 45 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT To register please call or email Rev. Judy Medeiros at [email protected] 860-875-4160, or go to our website www.ucctolland.org. Cost of the workshop is $10. Monday, Jan. 18, 3:30pm-Join us for the sixth annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., cel-ebration at Faith Congregational Church UCC in Hartford. This year's guest preacher is the Rev. Dr. Susan K. Smith of Columbus, Ohio. This service of celebration is a highlight of the year. Join us for this time to remember the legacy of Dr. King and to embrace the future with hope. Location: Faith Congl. Church, 2030 Main St., Hartford
Page 4 January/February 2016
Loving Spoonful Snack Bar
The Loving Spoonful Snack Bar will be open Tuesdays star ting 1/5/2015 from 12 noon – 5:00 pm. This time overlaps the hours for the EH Food Bank and EH Clothing Bank. Volunteers are needed for the afternoon shift, 2:00-5:00. The morning shift 11:00-2:00 can also use people to fill in as needed. We’re also in need of soup chefs, bakers, donations of beverages and monetary donations to purchase grinders each week. Sign-up sheets will be available in the fellowship or you can contact Patti Lombardo, [email protected] or evenings at 860-873-9835.
Thank you for your help and support. Together we’ll offer our community assistance to get through the winter months.
Winter is coming!
Please be careful as you drive in bad conditions!
Watch Channel 3 News Station for any Cancellations of Worship Services and
meetings.
If in doubt, don’t go out!
Page 5 January/February 2016
HARVEST HOUSE
Our next date to host the meal is February 7, 2016
Help is needed to cook, bake and serve.
Contact Patti Lombardo for information or if you would like to help.
Fellowship Forums
January 24th -Pastor Laura shares notes, photos and videos of her mission
trip to Kerala in Southern India. The Youth Group will have their New Year Pizza Meeting following the Fellowship Forum. January 31st -Fellowship Forum led by Mike Seaver on the topic of Re-covery, Healing and Grace.
Notes from the Choir Loft
Music for the winter months will be provided by Lynn Rossi on
Jan 3rd and Feb 7th. Sue Merrow, Margaret Charney and Bud
Haines will fill the other Sundays. If anyone can help with Musi-
cal accompaniment for Sunday services, please call Margaret
Charney at 860-537-3323.
The Choir will sing an anthem on Feb 7th with Lynn Rossi accompaniment, so come and
join the choir! Call or see Margaret for more details.
Quilting on Tuesdays
Quilting sessions will continue on Tuesdays from 9am-12
noon. We will be working down stairs, so that we can also staff
the Loving Spoonful kitchen. Come join the fun of multi tasking!!!
Page 6 January/February 2016
Outreach Christmas Giving Tree Update
Board of Christian Outreach wants to thank everyone you helped make our annual Giving Tree
a success once again. This year we provided 60 gifts for 26 individuals
in the Middlesex Area.
We thank you for generous support.
Fill A Back Pack Ministry
I was released and you welcomed me . . .
Fill A Back Pack Ministry
First Congregational Church in Guilford introduced us to their efforts to assist women re-entering the communi-ty from prison. Their efforts include Mart’s House in Hartford offering housing to women who have asked for support while re-entering the community, workshops building self-esteem, education fund and backpacks with a collection of personal hygiene items that are given to women upon release from York Correction Institute and much more.
The annual need for the backpacks is about 75. The Guilford Congregational Church collects donations and fills about 35 per year and asked for assistance from area churches to fill the balance. We responded to this request and partnered with the Guilford Congregational Church to provide backpacks for women newly re-leased from York Correctional.
On December 6th we were joined by members from the Guilford church and women who have been the recipi-ents of the backpacks, live at Mart’s House and those that work with them to support their re-entering ef-forts. They shared part of their experience and we blessed the three bags we completed along with others from Guilford church.
Our support of this ministry can make a difference to women who re-enter the community with only the clothing and few possessions they leave prison with. Our system doesn’t prepare them for re-entry, which makes these programs essential for their future success. We’ll continue to support this ministry with filling more back packs for this spring.
Page 7 January/February 2016
Christmas Tea Update
We had a fun filled Christmas Tea. The weather was unseasonably warm, but the sun was shining and the
people were out and about. Our Pennywise shopping room was hopping with young shoppers and the wrap-
ping elves were kept busy. The kids, also, had the opportunity to make a pinecone reindeer. Photos were tak-
en with Santa, cookies were decorated and consumed. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cookies were served
throughout the day. Cookies were also available by the pound. Adults shopped the White Reindeer table, the
handcrafts table and bought tickets for the Teacup Auction.
We collected $ 1701.98 to be divided 50/50 to the East Haddam Fuel Bank and East Haddam Food Bank.
Fill the East Haddam Fuel Bank Saturday!
Saturday November 14th from 9:00am to Noon members of First Church braved the cold winds and held a town wide collection to Fill the East Haddam Fuel Bank. We covered six locations - East Haddam Transfer Station, Grist Mill Market, Nathan Hale Plaza, Two Wrasslin’ Cats, Shagbark Lumber & Farm Supplies and First Church and in just three hours, collected $1001.34. With additional donations received by mail or at church, our total amount collected was $1,196.34. The East Haddam Emergency Fuel Bank was established in 1977 by the East Haddam Public Health Nursing Board and the East Haddam Council of Churches, neither of which exist today. First Church (First Ec-clesiastical Society of East Haddam, Connecticut) volunteered to act as the sponsoring charity for this fund and continues in that capacity. Dr. Karl P. Stofko, former treasurer of First Church and clerk of the Board of Public Health Nursing Board of the Town of East Haddam in 1977, has acted as treasurer and manager of this fund since its inception. It is important that we continue to support the EH Emergency Fuel Bank and will hold a 5th Sunday for Fuel Collection on Sunday, January 31st. Start collecting your spare change now. Last season the Fuel Bank assisted over 50 members of our community. The goal to fill the Fuel Bank for this winter season is $15,000.
Thank you for your continued support. Margaret Charney, Karan Conover and Patti Lombardo, First Church Board of Christian Outreach
Page 8 January/February 2016
In the Spirit Book Club with Laura
The book selection is “The Fifth Gospel” by Ian Caldwell
The discussion date is January 24, 2016, following Worship.
Please join us! No sign up necessary!
Prayers, Joys and Concerns The Prayer Chain is one of the Ministries of First Church. If you would like to pray with this group, there is a sign up sheet in the Fellowship Hall.
For more information please contact Barbara Bernard at [email protected] or call 860-705-8842.
Please pray for………..
Bob and Laura Johnson, LuAnn, Marilyn, Bill, Eileen Carney, Will, Lillian Sewell,
Stella, Nancy, Marie, Helen, Suzanne, Rosa, First Church, Glen Landers, Li-
sa, Georgianna, Beverly, Jean, Randy W, Wayne, Dorothy, Pauline, Karen
Z, Patty, Liz, Baby Emma, Emitt, Patrick, Beth, Paul, Joanne, Sandy, Kim, Emma,
Mike, James, Cindy, Emma's Friend, Laurie N, Amanda, Joe, Tommy, Debi, Susan
G, John, Mark, Linda, Irene, Jennifer, Robert, Glendoris, Carol & Hank, Bates Fami-
ly, A bride, Alex & Eloise Kelly Ruhe, Kenny, A Dad-Perley, Cindy, Dominic
Board of Membership Stewardship Campaign
Mark Your Calendars: Stewardship Campaign begins Feb. 14, 2016
“Open Your Hearts to the Possibilities” (God has in store for us)
It is hard to believe that our 2015-16 church budget year is halfway through. The Board of Membership Resources would like to thank everyone who pledged their support, which enabled the Board of Trustees to revise our budget and fulfill some of our “wish list” -- to increase the paid hours of Pastor Laura and to enable our Music Committee to hire musicians for some of our wor-ship services.
The Board is looking ahead to our next budget year, which begins July 1, and what “wishes” can be fulfilled with your generous help. It all depends on our Stewardship campaign. The campaign begins on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, and will run to Palm Sunday, March 20. The theme this year is “Open Your Hearts.” The Board of Membership Resources will also host the Lenten Pot Luck din-ner on Feb. 21 to talk about our church budgeting process and why your pledge is so important.
In anticipation, we are offering the following Q & A:
Q: What is a pledge? A: A pledge is a good-faith promise of what you can contribute financially to the operation of the church. It can be a designated amount weekly, monthly or annually.
Q: I give what I can each week. Why is it important that I pledge? A: Thank you for your contribution. It is much appreciated. A pledge is important because the Board of Trustees uses the anticipated revenue to determine the church budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. It is the key ingredient in deciding what we can afford to spend – and what wishes we can fulfill. Trustees are required to present a balanced budget to the congregation --expenses cannot exceed anticipated revenue.
Q: My pledge is a personal decision and I am not comfortable with everyone knowing what I give. Who sees my pledge form? A: The pledge forms are seen and tallied by the Financial Secretary (Michael Sewell) who reports to the church council the total number of pledges and the amount pledged. He does not disclose individual names or pledges.
Q: My income is variable. What happens if I cannot fulfill my pledge? A: While a pledge is a good-faith promise, life is unpredicta-
ble. If your personal circumstances should change and you cannot meet your pledge, you can contact our Financial Secretary to
make an adjustment.
Q: I am not a member of First Church. Can I still pledge? A: Yes. Pledges are gratefully accepted from members and friends of First Church.
Q: I am a member of First Church. Do I have to pledge? A: As a member of First Church, you have agreed to help participate in and support its ministry. To maintain active, voting membership in the congregation, you need to provide some financial support. While a pledge is the best way to do so, it is not required.
Q: My circumstances have changed and I would like to give more. Am I limited by the amount that I pledged? A: No. Please give as you are able. But if you find that you can regularly give more than you pledged, please contact the Financial Secretary to make an adjustment to your pledge so the amount can be counted toward anticipated revenue.
Q: Isn’t February a little early to start thinking about July? A: No. We need to have a budget in place before the fiscal year be-gins July 1. To help the Trustees develop a spending plan and options to present to the congregation, we need to have a clear pic-ture of revenues. This is a good time to get started.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact a member of the Board of Membership Resources: Andrea Pascal, Kathy Sewell, Susan Kinsman and Susan Merrow, and plan to come to the pot luck luncheon on Feb. 21.
Open your Hearts to the Possibilities…..
Page 9 January/February 2016
Page 10 January/February 2016
Simply Smiles Coffee is Back at First Church!
We are excited to announce that we are sell-
ing Simply Smiles Coffee again! Proceeds
from your purchase supports Simply Smiles, a
non-profit organization dedicated to provid-
ing bright futures for impoverished children
in Oaxaca, Mexico and on the Cheyenne River
Reservation in South Dakota. For each 10
ounce bag sold, $10 provides three full meals
for a child in need. $1 from each bag sold
goes back to our outreach programs. Buy
your Simply Smiles Coffee during fellowship
time or contact Patti Lombardo at 860-301-
0736 to place an order.
From The Sanctuary Committee
Seventeen poinsettias graced our sanctuary
on Christmas Eve! They were a beautiful ad-
dition to our lovely old meeting house.
There will be forms in the next issue of Tid-
ings for Memorial Easter Plants. Watch for it!
We would like to have flowers in church on
the 2nd Sunday of the month to honor the
birthdays/anniversaries of that month. If you
can contribute either funds or flowers, see
Kathy Sewell. You can still sign up to bring
flowers in at anytime.
Board of Membership
The members of The Board of Membership Resources are Susan Kinsman, Sue Merrow, Andrea Pascal and Kathy Sewell.
There are still open positions on all boards and committees. If you would like to volun-teer, please contact one of the ladies above.
The Family Photo Di-
rectory is here! Most
of them have been
distributed. If you
had your picture tak-
en and did not re-
ceive one, please
contact Kathy Sew-
ell.
There are a lim-
ited number of directories available for
those who did not have their picture taken.
Contact Kathy if you would like one.
Page 11 January/February 2016
East Haddam Food Bank
The Board of Outreach is accepting
non-perishable food items each week. You
may place your donations on the stairs to
the high pulpit in the sanctuary.
Toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning sup-
plies, toiletries, cake mixes, canned frosting
and birthday candles are always appreciat-
ed.
Questions? Contact Karan at
The East Haddam Clothing Bank
The East Haddam Clothing Bank is locat-
ed on the lower level of the church. You
may enter through the back entrance. The
hours are the 1st and 3rd Tuesday after-
noons from 2:30 –5:30pm. You may drop
off your clean, gently used clothing on
the last Tuesday of the month. As there
isn't any storage space available, they ask
that you bring seasonal clothing only.
The Monday Morning Guys
The Monday Morning Guys are a group of gen-
tlemen who love this church and lovingly
maintain it. Their numbers are getting smaller
and they need some new blood!
Are you retired?
Do you work 2nd or 3rd shift?
Do you have a couple of hours on Monday
mornings?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these
questions, call one of the gentlemen named
below;
Larry Fraser, Don Osalza, Don Messmer,
Roy Butler, Joe Dawson
East Haddam Fuel Bank
We were able to raise money for The East
Haddam Fuel Bank at 2 fundraisers this Fall
please see the two articles on page 9.
Please note that the 5th Sunday for Fuel will
take place January 31, 2016.
You may contribute at anytime by sending a
check made out to First Church of Christ, PO
Box 445, East Haddam, CT. 06423. Please note
EH Fuel Bank on the memo line.
Many Thanks for your
Generosity!
The winter months are finally here! Stay
warm by joining us for worship and for
our many events happening in January
and February!
Please note the list of activities on page
2. Details were not available for all of
them when we went to press, but they
are on the calendar! Watch for details/
sign up sheets.
You can contact me at
The deadline for the March/April 2016
Tidings is February 15th.
This is a good advertising tool for any
events coming up!
Blessings, Kathy Sewell
Join Our Online
Mailing List
Receive (optional) subscriptions of:
weekly Word & Worship Notes, Prayer Chain
updates, Tidings and Severe Weather Alerts for
worship cancellations.
Help us save paper and reduce printing and
postage costs.
How to join?
Did you receive this newsletter by way of email?
Great! You’re already signed up.
Visit FirstChurchEH.org and enter your email
address under “Join Our Mailing List” in the
right column.
Visit our Facebook page and click on “Join
Our Mailing List.”
Scan this QR Code right now with your tablet or
smartphone.
Our mailing list is never shared or sold. We may, however,
occasionally pass along an offer from affiliated organiza-
tions that we think you may be interested in.
Our email has changed!
Please note that the general church email
address has changed from
to
Page 12 January/February 2016
Inside page January/February 2016
For the Young and Young at Heart
Valentine’s Day Feb. 14, 2016
Epiphany Jan. 6, 2016
First Church of Christ, Congregational
499 Town St
PO Box 445
East Haddam, CT 06423
Tidings
January/February
2016
Lectionary Series Contact us Church Office Phone Number
860-873-9084
Our Pastor
Rev. Laura Fitzpatrick-Nager at
Tidings Editor
Kathy Sewell at
Church Email address
Church Website
firstchurcheh.org
Like us on facebook
facebook.com/fccceh
February
7– Ex 34:29-35
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)
14– Romans 10:8b-13
Luke 4:1-13
21– Gen 15:1-12, 17-
18
Luke 13:31-35
28– Isa 55:1-9
Luke 13:1-9
January
3– Palms 147:12-20
John 1:(1-9), 1-18
10– Palms 29
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
17– 1 Cor12:1-11
John 2:1-11
24– Palms 19
Luke 4:14-21
31– 1 Cor 13:12-31a
Luke 4:21-30
