CHURCH AT THE CENTER

October 2018

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH “CENTER CHURCH”

United Church of Christ One Church Street

South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075

(413) 532-2262 email: centerchurch@verizon.net website: centerchurchsouthhadley.org

ALL ARE WELCOME AT CENTER CHURCH ON THE COMMON, AN OPEN AND AFFIRMING UCC CONGREGATION,

WHERE THE SPIRIT OF GOD STIRS US TO EMBRACE OUR DIVERSITY, DEEPEN OUR FAITH IN JESUS, SHARE OUR TEARS AND LAUGHTER,

AND EXTEND GOD'S ABUNDANT LOVE AND JUSTICE INTO THE WORLD.

Greetings from Italy

Sending enthusiastic love to all and tenderness to those

who need comfort. First pic we are eating lunch at place

that made pizza- in Naples. Assisi is the second pic, then

Pompeii where culture met up with paganism,; two on the

right were at the Vatican Ciao -Lori

THANK YOU! To the 16 people who came out to landscape the

Church in September. It was a joyous time with eager hands. We are so full of gratitude for everyone who helped and for the dedication to ensure the beauty of the church grounds.

The Granby/South Hadley CROP Walk is Sunday, October 14th at 1PM. This is a four mile walk that begins and ends at the Granby Commons. In addition to being a great cause, this is a beautiful fall walk. (Fingers crossed for nice weather!)

We're once again inviting everyone from Center Church to walk as a team. This means we'll have one envelope for everyone's donations, whether from the walkers, from friends and relatives, or from Center Church donors who stop by the CROP Walk table at Coffee Hour. We hope this makes it more convenient for folks to participate, as we'd love to have Center Church well represented.

If you can participate, please sign up at Coffee Hour. If you can't participate, a donation would be gratefully accepted. CROP Walk supports local and international hunger relief efforts, with 25% of donations helping our neighbors who are living with food insecurity.

Thank you for supporting CROP Walk.

Fall Bible Study We will resume our Bible Study at Loomis (residents and non-residents of all ages are welcome). Soon we will nail down what apartments we will be using. If you haven’t attended, you are welcome. Our numbers are anywhere from 5-13. If you haven’t even read the scripture, you are welcome. We will gather on the following Thursdays at 10:30am.

October 11: More on Luke 16: 19-31 October 18: Matthew 25:14-30 October 25: More on Matthew 25:14-30

ALL SAINTS DAY On All Saint’s Day, November 4th we will lift up the names of those who have died in the last year. In celebration of their life we read their names along with a brief description for those who have died from Nov 2017through October 2018. If your loved one has died, please send in a few sentences about him/her to be read by Rev Souder and a deacon. If you wish to include a family member or a friend,

we invite you to do so. Please send in the names/descriptions by October 30th.

Facing The End of Life…..Center Church is partnering with Cooley Dickinson Hospital and The South

Hadley Council on Aging on October 17th , for a discussion with professionals on issues regarding the end of life - yours, a loved one’s, a friend’s. All are invited to attend at the Council on Aging – 45 Dayton Street SH - from 10-11:30am

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in American, Pioneer Valley, is reaching out to local faith communities to ask that we gather supplies for two local women’s shelters that offer a safe haven for women and families that are in abusive situations. Moms has received wish lists from YWCA of Springfield and Womanshelter/Compañeras in Holyoke, and we will be putting a couple collection boxes by the church entrances for the month of October. If you would like to help, the list of needed items is at the bottom of this article.

Of course, men can be victims of domestic violence, too. If you know of a man in an abusive relationship, please let him know there are resources. You might wish to refer him to www.malesurvivor.org.

WISH LIST FOR WOMEN'S SHELTERS:

Women’s clothing in all sizes, including sweatpants, sweatshirts, leggings, pants, sweaters, fleece jackets, shirts, winter boots, bras, panties, pajamas, and winter jackets. Pajamas for children

New wash cloths/bath/dish towels & potholders New sheets/blankets/comforters —full & twin & new pillows Mops, brooms, cleaning & laundry supplies & pots & pans Diapers (1-6 months) & baby wipes

Hair care item for ALL types of hair Kitchen utensils Valances for kitchen windows Bottles & sippy cups Paper goods & trash can liners (13 gal) Bus passes GIFT CARDS to: Target -Wal-Mart, J. C. Penney, Stop & Shop, Sears, & Family Dollar

PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE IN YOUR PRAYERS

Situational:

Betsy Bergen, home

Shelly Granger

Martha Guild’s father, Curt Guild

Audrey Heaphy

Tom Hazen, hospitalized

Eunice Howes’ friend, Sarah Boynton

Lucio Perez, in Sanctuary in Amherst FCC

Nancy Perman’s father, George Harris

on Hospice

Cayden, born premature

We keep those serving in the military in our prayers.

Continual:

Emily Bangs-Orsini (at Mt. St. Vincent)

Chuck Blakney

Luke Bradley

Marjorie Buschner

Wayne Cowan

Daniel Dempsey

Tim Garrett’s friends David Drummond &

Sterling McAndrew

Muriel Graham

Lou Hamilton

Jane Hazen

Phyllis Lacoste

Hector Reyes

Anita Sarro’s son Michael in need of a transplant

Jill Therrien, Linda Wolf’s niece

Ruth Thornton

In October, Promised Landers will continue to learn about the Book of Genesis Birthright and Blessings story of twin brothers Esau and Jacob. The activities planned on the theme of blessings are boundless and our new Deep Blue Rotation curriculum lays out an engaging and hands-on plan that includes science and out reach and much more. Please note that your child is bringing home letters each Sunday that connect your family with the curriculum. If you’d like to give feedback on the new curriculum, I’d love to hear it. Please email me at mguild219@gmail.com

Martha Guild CE Director

The Center Church youth have been busy! We began a new series titled "Keeping the Garden", and have been learning about our role as Christians in caring for the Earth. We had an awesome carwash and youth gathering with a great turnout and lots of laughs! Thanks to all who came to wash cars, or to have their cars washed. We will be spending October continuing through our series, while we also begin the moving process to our new youth room! We're also in the process of planning a lock-in, so be on the lookout for that!

Looking forward to seeing all of you this month!

Claire & Emily

Thank you, Membership team and Adult CE team for being our hosts at coffee hour during September. Thanks are also extended to the Children’s CE team for the ice cream that they served to celebrate the opening of the Promised Land for this school year. During October, the Children’s Christian Education team will host coffee hours. This team is responsible for teaching and developing programs of Christian faith and practice for the children from birth to confirmation. They also coordinate with the youth

program when planning and sharing some activities. The team works in conjunction with Martha Guild, CE director, the youth directors from Mount Holyoke College and the senior pastor. Members of the team are: Helen Gage, Avery Lapis, Randy Purinton, Garnette Sherry, Sarah Smith, Janis Sokop; and Jennifer Weeks.

CHILDREN’S CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Youth Group

A couple more Italy pics for space filling.

“God moments in Florence”

The trustees met on September 11 to hear various reports and make financial decisions. On the financial front, we should stand at 67% of the budget for income and expenses and amazingly we had 67.6% for income and 67.2% for expenses. We are pleased that our pledge income is right where it should be but our building upkeep and utilities (especially our gas bill) continue to be very high and we are monitoring that one very closely as the heating season will be upon us shortly. Lori reported that we had recently received a surprise gift of $10,000 which we have put into our account until our next meeting. We also received a gift of stock which will be placed in the miscellaneous income line. Once Adam Suska has completed all the outside work on the stained glass windows, we are hoping to have a rededication of the three rose windows and these others as well. Stay tuned!

We have been dealing with some unwanted bees living in the ground near the Park St. entrance to Fellowship hall and are still working through issues on a couple of our older doors. We have a couple of items to fix after the buildings were recently inspected too. And we have an upcoming furnace inspection in October. There are also a couple of items which need to be taken care of on the second floor for the Center Nursery School. We are continuing to work with the Safety Task Force on making the 3rd floor of the Lancaster Wing secure for our children. We approved the purchase of four “go bags” and an additional set of walkie-talkies in connection with that. We are exploring purchasing several ceiling fans for Fellowship Hall to help with the heating of that room especially in the late fall, winter and early spring. There has been some issue with a musty, moldy smell in our entryway so you may have noticed a dehumidifier placed across from the drinking fountain to work on that but we are also planning to have the carpets on the ground floor cleaned too. Lori wanted to thank everyone who came to the church on September 8 and helped to clean up around the outside of the buildings. We will be working on an erosion issue which is happening at the front of the sanctuary on the Park St. side and hope to have that fixed some time in October. And of course, the month of October brings the start of budget planning for our 2019 church financial year. Cindy Morrell, secretary

The Council met on September 5. John Anz led the meeting as moderator pro-tem. Rev. Souder opened the meeting with devotions. She asked about our observances of art here at Center Church. Remarks included: our building’s architecture, the artwork of Dorothy Cogswell on view in the chapel, the diverseness of our Columbus Day Fair, our sanctuary’s peaceful beauty with its rose windows and the candlelight service on Christmas Eve.

Council shared some results from reviewing the Church’s website. It was agreed that some minor changes and removing wording should be made. Dates need to be monitored and revised. We need a designated person to be responsible for future updating.

Team reports consisted of: Activities is ready for the October 6-8 Columbus Day Fair (new three-day format). Deacons reported that Margaret Sawyer will be preaching on October 28 about the sanctuary movement. There are three confirmands signed up for classes. The Deacons are hoping to have more hymn-sings, possibly once per quarter. It has been suggested changing the order of worship once in a while to say the Lord’s Prayer before the children attend Sunday school. This would provide an opportunity for them to learn the prayer. Membership has placed the new “All About Us” booklets in the pews. Outreach has agreed to hold more monthly vigils on our front lawn. CROP Walk is scheduled for October 14 with Granby. Stewardship has slated November 11 as Stewardship Sunday. Trustees requested that team budget requests be in by October 1.HR and Pastor/Congregation Relations are developing a new evaluation for Center Church. They have asked teams to submit any suggestions. During the Pastor’s Report, Lori stated that Super Saturday is in Framingham on October 20. She will be volunteering for the Habitat project in our area. There has been an issue with some hate mail aimed at Center Church. It has been reported and forwarded to the proper authorities as a “safe guard” toward any future threats. It was MSV by the Council to take $152 from unrestricted memorial funds for the purpose of purchasing a new outdoor sign, welcoming Mount Holyoke students to our congregation.

David C. Morrell, clerk

News from the Trustees for October 2018

Notes from Church Council

The Outreach Team presented a check for $500 to Cathedral in the Night, an outdoor Christian community in Northampton on the sidewalk in front of First Churches on Main St. It is in this location specifically so that everyone can feel welcome, no matter if their clothes are dirty, their body smells, or their shoes

have holes. Many of the Cathedral in the Night community members are experiencing homelessness and poverty, and they find this to be a very accepting and loving place. A short, participatory Christian service is held at 5 pm on Sundays, where community members can add onto the sermon or lift someone up in prayer. After the service, a dinner is served, usually prepared by a local church who "partners" with Cathedral in the Night for that Sunday. This is a great time to chat with the community members and learn about the struggles they face. The Center Church Youth Group has partnered in the past and loved their time there. I was so moved the time I went with the Youth Group that I wanted to get more involved, so I am currently interning for Cathedral in the Night this semester. We would love for Center Church to volunteer more with Cathedral in the Night, so if anyone is interested in being a "Cathedral in the Night Liaison" for Center Church (ex: plan the meal, oversee cooking, help bring it to Northampton, attend the service, and serve), please talk to Lori! -

Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of this offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to UCC churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. This year, special consideration will be given to projects focusing on serving our immigrant neighbors and communities. Center’s Outreach Team has donated $150 to this effort on behalf of our congregation.

Habitat for Humanity is an organization familiar to many here at Center as some years ago the church took an active role in supporting a major building project. For those new to this effort, Habitat is an ecumenical organization dedicated to building

affordable homes for and with individuals and families of limited incomes. Prospective owners qualify for a home by falling within income guidelines, demonstrating stability, receiving financial guidance and investing sweat equity by helping build their homes alongside other volunteers. A home is sold with an affordable mortgage and all mortgage funds repaid are reinvested into more affordable housing. This year, an exciting new project is starting as an Interfaith Build, which will try out a new building approach partnering with a Vermont modular home company and the MA Department of Energy Resources to build 3 zero net energy homes in Northampton. The Outreach Team will be bringing you more information all fall. Be on the lookout for news and ways to be a part of this life changing undertaking!

Center Church has responded in a number of instances to the current refugee crisis ranging

from collecting household items for New Americans to financial assistance when a recently

resettled family’s home in West Springfield was destroyed by fire.

The United Nations Refugee Agency reports that the number of displaced people is at its

highest ever, even surpassing post World War 11 numbers. Global conditions such as poverty, violence, and

natural disasters have led people to seek asylum in other countries.

Outreach Partners of the Month “Hearts to Hands to Hope

To learn more about this human crisis, the Outreach Team seeks to understand the United States immigration

process and to listen to respected people close to the situation. An invitation has been extended to Rev.

Margaret Sawyer, a minister in the United Church of Christ, to speak/preach at our Sunday service on October

28th. Rev. Sawyer worked with migrant communities in California for a period of time. She lives presently in

the area with her family and is an organizer for the Pioneer Valley Workers’ Center in Northampton. One of

the leading forces in the formation of the Interfaith Solidarity and Sanctuary Movement, she works tirelessly

on behalf of men and women who are in danger of deportation.

Rev. Sawyer will be speaking on the role of faith in her work.

The Granby/South Hadley CROP Walk is Sunday, October 14th at 1PM. This is a four mile walk that begins and ends at the Granby Commons. In addition to being a great cause, this is a beautiful fall walk. (Fingers crossed for nice weather!)

We're once again inviting everyone from Center Church to walk as a team. This means we'll have one envelope for everyone's donations, whether from the walkers, from friends and relatives, or from Center Church donors who stop by the CROP Walk table at Coffee Hour. We hope this makes it more convenient for folks to participate, as we'd love to have Center Church well represented. If you can participate, please sign up at Coffee Hour. If you can't participate, a donation would be gratefully accepted. CROP Walk supports local and international hunger relief efforts, with 25% of donations helping our neighbors who are living with food insecurity. Thank you for supporting CROP Walk.

For those individuals who have asked how they might respond to Hurricane Florence and the Lawrence gas

explosion, here are two reliable channels. Both are UCC disaster response entities in which 100% of your donation goes to actual relief efforts. You may go to the website listed, or send a check to the desired address, with a note in the memo line specifying the disaster you wish to support.

https://transactions.ucc.org/CampaignForm/UCChrist/emergency_usa or make checks payable to United Church of Christ, with "Emergency USA Fund, _disaster name__” in the memo. Mail to: United Church of

Christ c/o Financial Services office, 700 Prospect Ave., Cleveland OH 44115. Funds raised beyond those needed to fully respond will be directed to other emergency relief in the US.

Our MACUCC Conference has set up a Gas Explosions/Fires Response & Recovery Fund. All of these funds will go directly to responding in Massachusetts to support our clergy and churches in their own recovery efforts and those in their communities. You can send checks to MACUCC, 1 Badger Road, Framingham, MA 01702 with “Gas Fires Response” in the MEMO line.

Stewardship News & Events - Come to the Table - Sunday, October 21st

The Stewardship Team will be launching a fall season full of events, initiatives and communications for the entire Center Church congregation. It begins with an all-church gathering after service on October 21st. On that Sunday, we invite you to ‘Come to the Table’ for a gathering and light luncheon in Fellowship Hall to celebrate the year ahead at Center Church. Teams and church leaders will join the Stewardship Team in presenting their own visions for the coming year. There will also be questions and conversation for all who attend and opportunities to be heard and to inform team activities. Please make plans to Come to the Table and join us in participating in the future of our Center Church community on Sunday, October 21st.

Peace & Blessings,

The Stewardship Team (John Anz, Gretchen LaBonte, Brian Lapis)

Stewardship 2018

Come one, come all…there’s something for YOU!! Maybe you can help by baking something for the

homemade bake sale…or maybe you would like to work behind the scenes setting up or taking down the tag

sale. Whether you want to help with the selling of the items, or if you want to browse and purchase….please

plan to join us for this major church activity. To be sure, it’s fun, it’s work…..it’s good Christian Fellowship

and it helps with our church’s financial needs. So PLEASE SIGN UP, for at least one and hopefully more

times when you will be able to help make this the best Columbus Day Weekend Fair ever! Please note, this

year for the first time we are starting our sale on Saturday, October 6th . This will also be the day we offer our

wonderful café!

Schedule of Times and Events

Sunday Sept 23rd Set up tables after Coffee Hour

Saturday, Sept. 29th 8AM - Put boxes on appropriate tables and start setting out items

Mon – Fri Oct. 1st – 5th Stop in during Office hours and set out items for tag sale – arrange on tables

Saturday, October 6th- Sale begins 8am – 3pm CAFÉ OPEN Come for an hour or Come for the day

Sunday, October 7th- After morning worship, Tag sale open for members of the Congregation ONLY UNTIL 1PM WHEN WE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC UNTIL 4:00 PM.

Monday, October 8th- ALL DAY - 9 A.M. to 2 P.M BARGIN DAY!! .

CAFÉ (GREAT FOOD)….BOOKS….TAG SALE JEWELRY …. COLLECTIBLES …. TOYS

BAKE SALE

Tuesday – Friday October 9-12th Stop in during office hours and pack up some of the items that did not sell.

Saturday, October 13th- 8am – 11am CLEAN UP DAY!! Finish packing up items and take down tables.

Please help us with these tasks that go into making the fair a success. Many hands will make light work.

Please let us know when YOU can help by filling out the form on the following page – or let Bobbie, Karen or Thia know …and THANKS!

SEE YOU AT THE FAIR!

Columbus Day Fair 2018

We Need YOUR Help!

Much of our success for the Columbus Day Fair is because so many hands help out before the fair, fair

day, and after the fair!! PLEASE help……every person’s effort is needed and appreciated!

So…please fill out the form below and get it to the church office (form will be in the Sunday worship bulletin too)…. or just speak to Karen Anderson or Bobbie Ayers, or leave your name with the church office and we’ll contact you.

Thank you ahead of time! Please sign up for MORE THAN ONE TIME – We need your support!!

Name: _______________________________Telephone # ___________________ e-mail address: _________________________________

I will be able to help: (check ALL that apply)

_____ Stay after worship on September 23rd and help put out folding tables (less than an hour)

_______ Help put boxes on tables during week before the fair (Monday – Friday during office hours)

_______ Set up on Saturday, September 29th (start at 8am)

_______ Provide baked goods and/or fudge to be sold at the fair

Help with the emporium (tag sale and books) (Check ALL that apply) ____Sat. Oct 6th 8am-10:30am_____ 10:30am -1pm ____ 12:30-3pm ____ ____ Sun. Oct 7th 12:30 – 2:30pm _______ 2:30 – 4:00pm ________ Lunch will be provided for volunteers

_____Mon. Oct 8th AM 9 – 11 am ________ 10:45 am – 12:15 ______

PM 12:15 – 2:00 _________ ALL DAY__________.

_____ Help pack things back into boxes during the week after Fair (Wednesday – Friday office hours)

_____ Help with breakdown (clean up) Sat. Oct. 13th

8am - 10 am ____________ (Please consider helping with this VERY important task!!!)

Help with the café: Saturday October 6

_________Preparation morning. _________Selling 11am – 2pm

Summary of Fair times

Saturday October 6th 8am – 3pm Sunday October 7th 1pm – 4pm

Monday October. 8th 9 am - 2 pm

Tues – Friday Honor system shopping

Sat. Oct. 14th - Breakdown and cleanup 8am

Getting to know you – Julie Burke and family And her brother Rev. Chris Mereschuk

Julie Mereschuk was born and raised in Canton, CT and, graduated from high school there. She had a dog and one sibling, brother Chris. They were active in their local Congregational church. (it turns out that Kate Hoffman and her family also grew up there!) She graduated from St. Michael's College in VT with a liberal arts and English degree. Originally planning to be a teacher, she got into the legal field after college instead. She worked as a legal secretary/assistant for several years in Hartford before taking a job at a law firm in Springfield after meeting Steve. She also spent time as a daycare teacher’s aid and first grade paraprofessional. She met Steve Burke in 2004 through Match.com. They got married in 2006 and lived in South Hadley until 2009 when they moved to West Springfield. Julie says that she misses the small town community feel of South Hadley and would love to return someday!

Steve grew up in Holyoke in a large Irish-Catholic family and is a math teacher at Holyoke High School. They have two daughters, Annabelle, 10 (5th grade) and Madeleine, 7 (2nd grade), both currently at the Tatham School in West Springfield. When Annie was born in 2008, Julie took six months off from work (a paraprofessional at the time) and then returned to work as an editor and transcriptionist for InfraWare in Springfield, which provides documentation services to court reporting, insurance, legal, and medical clients around the country. She has been there ever since.

Julie first started attending Center Church, back in 2007, because she was looking for a church that would be a good fit for her UCC values and where she could raise her daughters. She has served two terms on the CE committee and volunteered in both the nursery and the Promised Land for several years before serving for two years as the "Littles"* teacher for the younger students and assisting Martha Guild. She’s happy to have been so involved in her children's faith formation at such young ages, and is now enjoying getting involved in other aspects of worship and church and seeing her children continue to grow in this church family. Julie joined the church in 2011 as an associate member.

Outside of work, Julie’s interests are reading, music, yoga and walking, baking, supporting her daughters’ school activities, and caring for their many pets, which include two dogs and three guinea pigs! Some people may notice the guinea pigs occasionally coming to the church to visit Chelsea K. upstairs in the nursery, who gives them their manicures every few months! Steve’s interests include cooking, sports, video games, and word/math puzzles. As a family, they enjoy traveling to the Cape to visit Julie’s parents who are retired there now. They also enjoy checking out local interests such as the Springfield museums, taking trips to Atkins Farm for cider donuts, and going to the movies together. This past June, they took their first family trip to Disneyworld.

Julie’s brother, Chris Mereschuk, has preached several times at our church. Chris has been an ordained UCC minister since 2007 (theology degree from Andover Newton). He lives in Northampton with his partner, Sarah, and his daughter, Izabel, age 10. He has served churches in Hartford and Glastonbury, CT and New Orleans, LA and most recently, Haydenville, MA. He is about to begin a new position as the settled pastor at Faith United Church in Springfield.

* In case you are curious, as I was, this class started out as a class for preschoolers and early elementary ages and currently serves ages 3 – 7.

Cindy Morrell

Getting to Know You - October 2018

From our August hymns, here is one which has not been written about previously. We (He) Who Would Valiant Be (NCH 495, PH 371) has been updated just a bit from the original PH hymn wording. The text was written by John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress in the mid-1600s, which he wrote while in prison (about 12 years) for preaching without going along with then current church doctrine. His words followed a discussion in P.P. Part II between Mr. Great-heart and Mr. Valiant-for-truth. Bunyan was a tinker by trade and was an Independent Baptist Church minister in England. He was also an advocate for congregational singing! Charles (C. Winfred) Douglas composed the tune “St. Dunstan’s” in 1917. An American by birth, Douglas is considered “the greatest Protestant authority on Gregorian music during his lifetime.” The tune’s name came from the town where he lived and he composed it while taking the train into NYCity from there. An ordained Episcopal priest, he was also a teacher, lecturer and music editor of two Episcopal hymnals. God’s Actions, Always Good and Just (NCH 415) was one of our September hymns. It was based on a German poem written by Samuel Rodigast in 1675. He had written it to comfort an ill friend who, when he recovered, composed the tune for the words. Rodigast was German scholar, who both taught and served as a Berlin school rector. The words were translated by Madeleine Marshall in 1992. Severus Gastorius composed “Was Gott Tut” which was the first line of the German text. The tune was used by J.S. Bach later on. Gastorius was a cantor in Saxony in the mid-late 1600s but other than being Rodigast’s friend, there does not seem to be much else known about him. I Heard My Mother Say (NCH 409) was another September hymn which I have not featured before either. This is one of the many African American spirituals which appear in the NCH. It is also perhaps better known as Give Me Jesus. As with many of these hymns, it talks about finding comfort, freedom, liberation through Jesus during all the stages of one’s life. Jesus was considered the slaves’ “most reliable friend”. The hymn tune “Give Me Jesus” is not attributed to anyone in the NCH, but the arrangement we sang was harmonized by Joyce F. Johnson. As you may remember, it begins each stanza with what could be done as a solo and then is followed by the chorus (congregation, group) singing the answer in rich harmonies. Johnson created a number of new arrangements (8) for the spirituals for the NCH and she was a member of the hymn committee. She has also been a faculty member at Spelman College in Atlanta.

Cindy Morrell, associate in music

Resources used: Handbook of the Church Hymnary, ed. James Moffatt (1927); Ronald Thomson’s Who’s Who of Hymn Writers

(1967);The New Century Hymnal Companion, ed. Kristen Forman (1998).

Tell Me the Stories - October 2018

CENTER CHURCH IS “BORN” OCTOBER 3, 1733

In the early fall of 1733, the hopes for a new village settlement were realized. Residents from “over the mountain” had been trying since 1727 to settle the land “south” of Hadley. Once permission (with three requirements) was granted by the General Court in Boston, Hadley families, who had been the recipients of allotted acreage, in 1732 began constructing the (1) required meetinghouse to seat at least 40 members. Another requisite (2) was to engage and settle the services of “a learned and ordained minister.” The third necessity was to provide a suitable home which was built, and still

remains on its original site, as part of the Sycamores. To this day, it is called the Rawson House and can be visited as part of the Sycamores Museum.

Once the meetinghouse (constructed on the Common and now called the Yarde Tavern) became a reality in mid-1733, a minister was sought and a suitable abode was provided. Thus, on October 3, 1733, Grindall Rawson was chosen and ordained a Reverend for the new “2nd Church of Hadley.” Reverend Rawson had graduated in 1728 from Harvard like his minister father before him. His father was a classmate of the influential theologian Cotton Mather. Grindall Rawson’s ancestors were clerics. His great great grandmother’s brother was the Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In our church history, it is recorded that the newly-formed church and its members had became disenchanted with Rev. Rawson. On February 25, 1740, the members voted with the following words: “it is the desire of this precinct that the Rev. Mr. Rawson be dismissed from and lay down the work of the ministry among us.” Rev. Rawson ignored the vote and continued his preaching. On January 12, 1741, it was voted to not give him his usual salary or a cord of wood. He kept on preaching. On March 20, 1741, it was then voted that “Mr. Rawson is no longer our minister…we expect he will refrain from any public acts in that office in the future.” He was later advised by a council to cease preaching but he continued. At this point, he was locked out of the meetinghouse! Another 15-member committee was ordered on October 30, 1741, to “put him forth from the meetinghouse.” On Sunday morning, Rev. Rawson entered the pulpit and commenced preaching. A deacon rose and warned him not to officiate. Again, according to historical accounts, “he began either reading a psalm or voicing a prayer. At this point, a group of men took him bodily from the pulpit and carried or dragged him from the building having to gag him with a handkerchief to stop him from speaking.”

By 1761, Center Church had moved the first meetinghouse (now Yarde Tavern) to its present spot north of the Common and built the second of three more meetinghouses on our current location. Once Rev. Woodbridge took over as our second minister, he endeavored to shape Center Church into a more loving and constant “force” in South Hadley.

It has been 285 years and, even though we got off to a bit of a shaky start, we still continue to be “First on the Common” spreading the word of Jesus. Through our community outreach programs, our vigils, our fundraising activities and spiritual guidance from Rev. Lori Souder, we remain strong and vibrant. Happy Birthday Center Church!

David C. Morrell, Center Church historian

From the Church Historian

THE MINISTRY AT CENTER CHURCH

Ministers: All Church Members Senior Minister: Rev. Lori J. Souder

Minister Emeritus: Rev. Charles P. Blakney

Christian Education Program Music Children: Martha Guild, Simone Jacob Organist: Larry Schipull

Chelsea Korzeniowski Choir Director: Cheryl Cobb Youth: Emily Carle, Claire Houston Associate in Music: Cynthia Morrell Adult: Randy Purinton and Betsy Bergen, Team Chairs

Office Administrator: Cynthia Jubinville Sexton: Robert Farman

01 Virginia Constant 02 Cindy Morrell 04 Olivia Cordes 06 Kayla Narey 08 Lorain Giles 09 Shawn Hall 13 Nancy Hall 14 Jane Ting 17 Julie Burke 18 Sarah Howe Anna Wood 20 Audrey Heinrichs Randy Hyvonen 27 Fletcher Smith

Join Us! Learn and Review Classic Social Dance Steps! With Jeannette LoPresti

Thursdays beginning September 13th in Fellowship Hall (off Park Street)

First Congregational Church of South Hadley***

6:30 pm to 7:30 pm $5 per person per class

Couples and Singles Welcome!

Contact Corinne Chartrand for more information 413 219-6563

***September 27th and October 4th at the South Hadley Library at 6:30 pm

Our Food Pantry is running very low – if you would like to make a contribution, now is a great time!

On the first Sunday of each month, please bring any of the following items to worship:

Canned vegetables Canned fruits Cereals Soups

Dried Pastas Rice Canned beans Tuna Fish

Peanut Butter Jam/Jelly Juices Crackers

Spaghetti sauce 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!