Posts from 2023 (Page 2)
From The Pastor’s Pen
While walking with churches facing the uncertainties of the future and asking where God is calling them to be present in the midst of that future, it is increasingly clear to me that it is imperative for us to be a people of Resurrection Faith.… Resurrection Faith is living with the constant awareness that all of this (every aspect of our being as humans walking this planet and as members of the church) was originally God’s project. It is surrendering…
FAITH FORMATION AT HOME
FAITH FORMATION AT HOME The following is written by Traci Smith, an ordained minister, mother of three, and author. Traci’s passion is helping families find times for connection and spiritual nourishment amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. What began as a quest to help her own family has provided valuable insight for thousands of others. Traci believes faith practices should be fun, easy to fit into daily life, and accessible to all. Faith at home is a journey.…
Adopt A Bill
As another way to raise funds for the church, the Trustees are suggesting that some people might want to Adopt a Bill to ease the strain on the church budget. The idea would be that you would select a bill and reimburse the church for that item. Below are a few suggestions.
Summertime!
Summertime! How do you spend it generously? What comes to mind when you think about summer? Here’s a little summer playlist we put together that spans the decades and musical genres! Regardless of the decade of music or genre you enjoy to give you those warm and sunny summer feelings, it can be a time of the year for the church when it’s people may be less connected to the church. Church school is out, people go on vacations or out…
From The Pastor’s Pen
The Oxford dictionary online defines Tradition as “a long-standing custom or belief that has been passed from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.” The Merriam Webster Dictionary describes “tradition” as a. “an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior;” b. a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable;” c. the handing down of information, beliefs,…
Proportional Giving
……SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT! Our church is a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC), which has several geographic divisions or conferences. Our conference is the Southern New England Conference of the UCC (SNEUCC). In 2017 the SNEUCC passed the following: “Proportional Giving (PG) replaces a Local Church’s giving to Conference and National UCC through Membership Dues and OCWM Basic Support. Instead, the church’s PG contributions are based on its historic giving level in relation to its Total…
Special Worship Services in May and June
In the next eight weeks, our congregation will have many reasons to celebrate and give thanks. Below are highlights: Growing our Faith with Debbie Gline Allen in the Pulpit—May 21 Debbie Gline Allen serves as a Minister of Faith Formation on the Conference’s Faith Formation Ministry Team. She also serves as the administrator of the SNEUCC Faith Formation Leadership Program. Debbie is joining us in worship at the request of our Deacons, Christian Education Team, and Pastor Stacey. Her leadership this Sunday…
Multi-Language Speakers Needed
Creative Assistance and Multi-Language Speakers Needed for Pentecost Pastor Stacey is seeking individuals with two different skillsets—the ability to speak another language and/or creative inclination. She is working on a special plan for Pentecost Sunday to celebrate that miraculous moment when the wind blew; the Holy Spirit descended as a dove; and all of the people could understand each other, even though they continued speaking in a variety of languages. Assistance with this service will range from the translation of components of the service…
Building and AED Updates
From the Trustees and Safe Church Committee… BUILDING UPDATE Safe Church and the Trustees have been working to update procedures and ensure safety aspects of our church building are in order. In recent weeks, the emergency button system was tested, the building inspected by the fire department and the kitchen by the health department, and the AED was serviced. AED The AED is now in working order. The Trustees have contracted a service provider for the device to ensure that it…
Have You Considered Teaching Church School?
Christian Education hopes to recruit four additional teachers for Church School. This will allow for a rotation to be established for our main teachers so that everyone has a couple of Sundays each month to be in worship. We will be running a “training” for those interested in how to use the curriculum and engage children and youth in a one-room classroom model at their age levels. Maybe you are interested in helping but would prefer not to be a lead teacher.…
Christian Ed
Recommended Resources for Families These resources were written by Rev. Sarah Griffith Lund the Senior Pastor at First Congregational United Church of Christ (Indianapolis, Indiana) and Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice for the National United Church of Christ. Through vivid and powerful storytelling, Blessed Youth: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness with Children and Teens will remove the barriers of stigma and shame associated with mental illness in children and teens. Readers will know they are not alone and be…
Worship Live Streaming
The Deacons and Pastor Stacey have been discussing the merits of returning to providing our worship services online through YouTube and/or Facebook. We are hoping there are a couple of volunteers in the church willing to learn about how to do this and help us make it happen on Sunday mornings. We have learned that live-streaming reduces the necessary work after worship, though adds a bit of coordination for our staff before. Pastor Stacey is able to teach anyone who…
OUR FATHER’S HOUSE CLOSES
As you may have heard, Our Father’s House will no longer be providing services and shelters for the unhoused people in our communities. This is due to a change in funding. Our Church has supported Our Father’s House through monetary donations as well as donations of various supplies. These donations were always greatly appreciated. Since the shelter has closed the Women’s Fellowship will no longer be collecting your donations. The donation container in Fellowship Hall will be removed. Thank you…
From The Pastor’s Pen
Friends, As we are stepping into the Transitional work of this Interim time, I will be sharing a series of articles on the directions, trends, and concerns facing churches today. The following is one such article. Blessings on your exploration and thank you for having me beside you in your journey of becoming. 7-Things to do When a Church is in Decline… by Ron Edmondson ON February 12, 2020 1. Evaluate What is going wrong? Why are fewer people attending and…
Transition Team
What is a Transition Team? Why are we using one? A few years ago, as the formerly three Conferences initiated ministry as one, the National UCC released a new profile to be used in Congregations. This new profile is structured to be a self-assessment of the church and to correlate with the work typically taken on during Transition Periods in congregations and traditionally led by Intentional Interims. The goal of the Congregational Profile in being designed for self-assessment is that…
Worship Live Streaming
The Deacons and Pastor Stacey have been discussing the merits of returning to providing our worship services online through YouTube and/or Facebook. We are hoping there are a couple of volunteers in the church willing to learn about how to do this and help us make it happen on Sunday mornings. We have learned that live-streaming reduces the necessary work after worship, though adds a bit of coordination for our staff before. Pastor Stacey is able to teach anyone who…
Seeking: Honest Questions For Deeper Faith
Lent begins on February 22 with Ash Wednesday. This year’s lectionary for Lent offers us many stories of Jesus encountering people who are seeking: Nicodemus comes to him in the veil of night, he approaches a Samaritan woman at a well, he heals a man born without sight. In these stories, each person is seeking a new beginning, a different life, a deeper faith. What unfolds is an exchange filled with questions and exploration. Often, an unveiling occurs—assumptions are disrupted,…