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The Evangel The Congregational Church of Westborough, United Church of Christ
Westborough Massachusetts
1724-2016
"Open Doors - Growing Faith!"
Volume 36, Issue 7 Aug 31, 2016
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
All of our Sunday services are at 10 AM, and there is
nursery care and Sunday School for kids up through
the 8th
grade. The kids are in church for the first 10
minutes or so, and then they go to their special session.
Everyone is invited to join us for coffee hour after the
service downstairs in the vestry (or fellowship hall)!
SUNDAY, SEPT 4TH
COMMUNION SUNDAY– LABOR DAY SUNDAY
We will celebrate the Sacrament of Communion today,
and Rev. Elaine S. Gaetani will be preaching.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 10
TH
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS
PRAYER WALK
Join us for a special blessing of the animals at 4 PM on
the front lawn! All animals (including stuffed) are
invited! Then all animals (and people) are invited to
join us for our prayer walk!
SUNDAY, SEPT 11TH
WELCOME SUNDAY AND PICNIC!
We will begin another exciting church year today! The
choir and Joyspring will return, and Wendy Reardon
has all kinds of surprises ready for the kids and youth!
Pastor Paul will be preaching on Mark 1:16-20 as he
begins a worship series, Follow Me. There will be a
big picnic after the service on the front and side lawn-
invite a friend, family member of neighbor to join us!
SUNDAY, SEPT 18TH
We will continue our kick off of the new church year
today, and Pastor Paul will be preaching on John
15:12-17, and the center of the community of Jesus.
SUNDAY, SEPT 25TH
The bells will be playing this morning, and Pastor Paul
will be preaching on Matthew 5:43-48 and how to live
out love.
PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND
NEIGHBORS TO JOIN US HERE FOR WORSHIP!
PASTOR’S COLUMN
It is with profound excitement that I look forward to our
“Welcome Sunday” on Sept. 11th
! Several of our music
groups will be sharing with us, our supremely talented
director of children’s and youth ministries Wendy
Reardon has all kinds of surprises ready for the kids for
this year, and we will have a great big picnic directly
following the service on the front lawn! This will follow
our “Blessing of the Animals” the day before on Sat.,
Sept. 10th
at 4 PM on the front lawn, followed by a prayer
walk. Please be thinking of a friend of family member
that you could invite along, and plan to be with us for this
very special weekend!
Our church’s vision statement is “Open Doors-Growing
Faith!” Our doors will be open in so many ways this fall,
welcoming new faces among us and reminding all of us
that these open doors are for us, no matter how tough our
week was or what anyone else may think of us. No
matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome
here! And we are also a church of growing faith. This
fall, we will be talking about prayer, and focusing on the
many different ways that you can grow in your prayer
life. In the midst of the crazy world we live in right now,
wouldn’t you like to draw closer to God? Figure out how
to talk to God better? Find more peace and joy and hope
in your life? Then come join us! There will be all kinds
of small groups for you to join this fall to grow in your
own faith.
Looking forward to seeing you this September!
Faithfully yours,
Pastor Paul
PRAYERS & CELEBRATIONS
Bereavement: Chris and Charlotte Bramley and their family as they mourn the loss of their granddaughter, Sarah; Steve Swets and family upon the passing of his father Dr. John A. Swets on July 6th; the Newton family on the passing of their beloved Aunt Pauline Drake.
Continued Prayers: Carol Norton (friend of Sue Menzel); George Reimann; Jim Oliver (Judy Oliver’s son); Christopher Bramley; Jane Kruse; Julie Harris (Marge Butcher’s sister-in-law);Ted Jaworski’s mother Gina and his sister, Liz; Edna Christensen; Dick Birch; Helena Engberg
Coleman House: Jean Hall Beaumont: Shirley Hero; Norma Plummer; Jack Thompson; Edna Christensen; Shirley Foss Kindred Health Care: Bea Ladner
Celebrations: Betty Gray and Ted Jaworski welcomed a new granddaughter, Karleigh Lynn born on June 24th to Jamie and Jeff.
The marriage of Mark Kenneth Kim Petersen (son of Sally and Bob) to Anna Gwen Slilver on July 17 at Arapahoe Basin in Keystone, CO.
Michael & Stephanie welcomed Shiloh Andrew (3 weeks early!) on 8/28. Alleluia! He has done proud grandparents, Betty Gray & Ted Jaworski.
You can place prayer concerns on the church’s email distribution list at [email protected]. To add or renew an ongoing concern, please call the church office 366-2000 or [email protected].
FARMER’S MARKET IN HOPKINTON
Every Sunday afternoon through the summer and fall, Hopkinton hosts a Farmer’s Market on the town green from 2-5 PM, and different organizations serve as welcomers to those who come. On Sunday, Sept. 18th, we as a church will be hosting a booth at their Farmer’s Market! If you would be available to help, please be in touch with Kathy Reynolds at [email protected]. Thanks!
SMALL GROUPS COMING THIS FALL!
As part of our emphasis on “growing faith”, we once again will be having numerous small group opportunities for people this fall. Starting in both late September and October, we will have numerous opportunities available, so watch out for more info! We hope that we will have 7 groups going this fall with 70 adults participating!
SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
One group will be our Sunday morning Bible Study, at 9 AM on Sundays, starting Sept. 11th. We take a half hour look at our sermon Scripture for the day, and always have an insightful conversation! We are done at 9:30. Please plan to join us!
LINDA HARTLEY RETURNING AS
OUR PASTORAL ASSOCIATE
Anne Marie Holloway, the student from Boston
University who was supposed to be our
student minister this fall, has chosen not to
come to our church. She instead will be
serving as a youth minister and student minister
at the UCC church in Norwell. We wish her
well. After Anne Marie chose not to come be
with us, we did get in touch in our Student
Minister from last year, Linda Hartley, about
returning. Linda was excited about that
possibility, and will be our Pastoral Associate
this year, assisting in worship and small group
leadership. She will be with us on average for
3 Sundays a month, as she will spend one
Sunday a month with her home church in
Rhode Island. Welcome back Linda! She will
join us again for the blessing of the Animals on
Sept. 10th!
SOUND AND LIGHT PROJECT
For those of you who haven’t heard, our Sound and Light project has been fully funded. We met our goal of $25,000! Thanks for all your contributions from church members, Trustees, Music Committee, Memorial Gifts and Women’s Fellowship. We are truly blessed!
“WELCOME WIRELESS”
A "Guest Wi-Fi" network has been set up within the church building to provide easy-to-use wireless Internet access for those attending services, and others who use our facilities. Dubbed our "Welcome Wireless," this is akin to the free Wi-Fi offered at Panera, Starbucks, etc., and is envisioned as a way of demonstrating our "Open Doors.”
Here are the details:
• The name of the network (that will show up on smart phones, for example) is "Welcome2CCW."
• This network uses the church's Verizon network service, but is securely separated from the "office" network used by the church staff. • The network is secure, and uses industry-standard AES/TKIP encryption for any data and messages that go across the network. All contemporary wireless devices support this. • In order to join (use) the network, each user must go through a one-time process of entering the security password. For this network, the password is "CCWnetrulesROK".
• This password was chosen for its clear implication that those who wish to use the network agree to follow the "Congregational Church of Westborough Wireless Network Use -- Policy for Access to Wireless Network and Internet." These "net rules" will be posted in the Vestry and available through the church office. Also, they will be sent to “eNews” subscribers.
• The network name and password will appear in a very short note in each Sunday Bulletin and Evangel.
At this point I will be the primary “IT guy” for the Welcome Wireless. If you have any questions about the network, or problems using it, text me at (508)-439-3030 or send email to [email protected]. Tom Morgan
MISSIONS
MISSION OF THE MONTH
Coming in September our church’s Mission of the Month will be
“Helping our Neighbors”
We will be bringing Food Pantry items to address the folks who have needs feeding their families. Then the last Sunday in September, the 25th, we'll have a special offering collection called "Neighbors in Need" that is collected across the United Church of Christ.
The theme for 2016 is "This we believe" and connects the issue of child hunger to the work that UCC congregations are doing to serve their community and address injustice. Grants are being given to local congregations that are able to do as a 2014 group did in developing in the area of Reading, PA (near where our church Youth Work Camp went this summer) program to plant fields of potatoes that helped feed about 20,000 households from their "faith based farm ministry."
WESTBORO FOOD PANTRY SEMI-ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE
During four weeks, Sunday, September 11 through and including Sunday, October 2 we will be conducting our semi-annual food drive for the Westborough Food Pantry. The Pantry can give only non-perishable, packaged and/or canned items to our clients. Outdated items must be discarded. At this time of the year donated food is in short supply and so help is truly needed.
Here are suggestions for our mission:
Sept. 11th - BREAKFAST Items Sept 18th – LUNCH items Sept 25th - DINNER. Last! Oct. 2nd…what else? DESSERT. These are just suggestions - do feel free to do your own thing. (Tomato products and canned fruit can always be used.)
Food is distributed on a weekly basis to clients and also on Thanksgiving. Last year, 2015, the food pantry served 125 families with an average of 101.5 families coming weekly. Recipients received an average of 26 pounds a week for a single person and 79 pounds for a larger family. Included in this is frozen chicken or hamburger and fresh eggs.
In addition to individual food donations, corporate food donations were received from Cumberland Farms, Stop and Shop, and Roche Brothers. The Hudson Food Bank and the Regional Food Bank in Worcester were also a big piece of the supply chain. Last fall our Congregation did this for the first time and contributed 420 pounds of food. The total contributions by all were 160,900 pounds. Every little bit counts. Thank you very much for your past efforts.
Isaiah 58: 7 “Share your food with the hungry”
DISMAS HOUSE DINNER
Dinner with the residents at Dismas House is on the first Thursday of every month. Our next dinner is Thursday, Oct. 6th .
How can you get involved? 1. Help prepare a meal for 15 to 20 people. 2. Donate a grocery card that can be used to help
shop for food. 3. Come along and join us as we share great food
and fellowship with the residents! For more information please contact Karen Hutchinson at 508-870-1782, [email protected] or chat with her during fellowship hour!
CHURCH SCHOOL
THANKS TO OUR SUMMER STORY TIME MENTORS! Thank you to our Summer Story Time volunteers! All of us in Christian
Education appreciate the time, talents and love that you shared with our Sunday School children this summer. We hope that you had as much fun learning about our faith story as they did!
IT’S TIME TO COME
BACK…
SUNDAY, SEPT. 11TH!
I hope that everyone had a great summer! Although I’m sad to see summer winding down...I’m looking forward to our Church School year together, with great anticipation! We have an awesome year planned. This year will be an adventure full of discoveries, challenges and new experiences!
Sunday, Sept 11th will be our program
“launch” day! Our theme for the year will be introduced and our journey will begin, so make sure you are there!
Between now and then, returning students should be on the lookout for their “end-of-summer” packs in the mail. In the pack, you will find a “clue” for you…can you guess what our focus will be?!?!
*New students/families who would like a pack can email me at [email protected] and I will send one to you!* I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on September 13th! Now would be a great time to invite friends to join you, invite your friends and neighbors! It’s going to be an awesome year!!! Peace-Wendy
4TH ANNUAL BACK-TO-SCHOOL MISSION!
On SEPTEMBER 11th we will launch into our new Church School program year and our outreach efforts! Please bring new Back-to-School
supplies to donate to local area students in need. This is our 4th annual Back-to-School mission! Please pick up a little extra for your neighbor; notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, binders, backpacks, etc.
DON’T FORGET…Saturday, September 10th
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS @4pm!
Followed by a PRAYER WALK.
ALL REGISTRATION FORMS are on our webpage. You can print them out and bring them with you on Sunday.
MUSIC NOTES ♫
NOTES FROM CLAYTON
Oure Pleasure Singers will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, September 18th, in the sanctuary. The concert, dubbed "A New Day," will be the first under new director Clayton Heidbreder. The 16-voice choral group, based in downtown Attleboro, was founded in 1983, before Heidbreder was even born.
The concert is open to all and no ticket pre-purchase is required (a $10 offering is suggested). It will include compositions that span centuries and genres, both sacred and secular, including madrigals and anthems and love songs and a lullaby. The traditional OP "Feasting Table" (food and fellowship) will follow the presentation.
NOTES FROM THE BELL LOFT
The Festival Ringers (9th grade to 99) are very excited to start up the new church year. Our first rehearsal will be on Tuesday, September 6, from 7:30 to 9 pm. We still have positions open, so if you are interested and would like more information please call me at 508-341-8239 or just come to a rehearsal in the bell loft. Playing beautiful music and making new friends--what a great combination!!
The Parkman Bells and Chimes (Kindergarten to 8th grade) will start in October on a date to be determined soon. We meet in the bell loft on Sundays right after Sunday School, around 11:30 to 11:50. Sunday School will end @ 11:20 so a quick snack is important! If you have any questions please see me after church or call me at 508-341-8239. It is truly amazing to watch these young musicians make music!
- Sue Menzel
PARISH LIFE
“Welcome Here Picnic”
We will kick off our church year and Sunday School on Sunday, September 11th at 10AM! Please join us right
after Church on the side lawn for our annual “Welcome Here Picnic”. Bring desserts and salads. Beverages and main dishes will be provided by Parish Life. There will be activities for children and adults of all ages. If you would like to help out with the activities/games, set up or food prep please call Cathie Achorn at 508-380-8671 or [email protected]. Upcoming Events:
Look for info on our Annual Halloween Party for all ages in October (now it is on the calendar for Oct. 22nd, but check the next Evangel for more details.
There will be another Christmas Caroling party in December.
2017 will bring a Pancake Brunch, a Progressive Supper and much more, stay tuned…..
GROCERY CARD SALES
2016 Goal: $10,000 YTD Sales: $ 5,115.25
How does the Grocery Card program work? We buy grocery cards in bulk from Stop &
Shop, Roche Bros., and Price Chopper at a discounted rate. We sell the card to you at face value. For example, if you purchase a $100 Stop & Shop grocery card, you will be able to purchase $100 of groceries at Stop and Shop. At the bulk rate, we only paid $95 for that card. The $5 becomes our profit. This fund raiser supports the operations part of the Church budget. For the year 2016, we have made a commitment of $10,000 to the budget. If you do the math, you will see that we will need to sell $200,000.00 in cards to fulfill our commitment to the budget. Less than that and we have a line item deficit. So don't stop now! Thanks! Of course, we will (and do) deliver!.Contact us: Karen Hutchinson at 508.870.1782 or [email protected] or Nancy Quimby at 774.249.4431 or [email protected] or Sally Petersen at [email protected] and 366.5169.
WORDS OF APPRECIATION
The Westboro Food Pantry thanks our church for its $300 donation. **************************************************** Mary Taber, Executive Director of the Pastoral Counseling Centers of MA thanks our church for its recent donation of $400 and its continuous support. **************************************************** A Note from the Newtons:
We want to thank you - our amazing church for allowing Mathieu-Newton Sotheby, Int. to use the front lawn to build a child’s playhouse – through Habitat for Humanity and giving the Veterans’ children who are well deserved. This sweet child has 2 Military parents and was very happy when she saw her “Frozen” playhouse. The Sotheby crew & family members – painted – cut wood – put on roofing and made sure this young child had “Frozen” dolls – toys – a chair and a wand, ring & crown. Thank you to Habitat for Humanity and all who baked – painted, hammered and made this a perfect house for a pretty little Princess. Jean Newton on behalf of Mathieu-Newton Sotheby International.
NEW ADDRESSES
James and Holly McClung 2 Benjamin Drive Westborough, MA 01581 Angela Newton 90 Washington Street, Apt. 3 Quincy, MA 02169 Marketa Rosecka-Vilime 16C Mayberry Drive Westborough, MA 01581 Brett Borglund has a new email address [email protected]
BLOOD DRIVE – SEPT. 19TH
Blood Drive in Honor of Corinne Sciarappa
Monday, September 19th
2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Congregational Church of Westboro
57 West Main Street
Our church is teaming up with The American Red Cross to host a fifth Blood Drive in Honor of Corinne
Sciarappa on Monday, September 19th, 2016 from 2 - 8 pm in the Vestry. Corinne was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer last year and is now beginning her sophomore year at Westborough High cancer free thanks to Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana Farber, and Blood Donors like you. Corinne has become a big advocate for the Red Cross and wants to continue sharing her message about the importance of donating blood. This blood drive will also be held in special honor of Leah Davis, a 5 year old student of mine who is currently undergoing aggressive treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital for brain cancer. During her treatment Leah has had countless red blood and platelet transfusions. You should all be proud to know that over the course of the first 4 drives, we have collected enough blood to help save over 1,000 lives! Our vestry will be bustling again on the 19th. If you would like to volunteer please email me at
[email protected]. Baked goods would be most gratefully accepted. Thank you! Please help us spread the word about this important community event! Appointments are preferred. To schedule your appointment, please visit redcrossblood.org (sponsor code Corinne) or call 1-800-RedCross. If you would like to help out at the drive, please email [email protected]. Donations of baked goods would also be appreciated! If you have eligibility questions, you can call 781-461-2210
AROUND THE CHURCH
CHURCH WEBSITE
Now on our website – listen to past sermons! The Church Website is your website! Use it to shown friends and inquirers what our Church is all about. For your needs, use it to see or find: upcoming events, meeting times, Service Bulletins, the Evangel, the Committee List, past sermons, sign up/Green Slip forms and to submit a prayer request. If there is something you would like to see on the site, send an email to Ted Jaworski, Church Communications Officer, [email protected]. We are also looking for people to join the Social Media and the Communications Teams. If you would like to learn how to do social communication in today’s on-line environment, or just want to contribute to our Church’s social presence, email Ted. The tools are simple and fun to use. Things we are working on include:
Website revision update – new features
that make the site more attractive and
easier to use
Website Picture refresh – if you have
good photos of a 2014 or 2015 Church
activity email them to Ted
More interactive use of Sermon audios
on the website
News Letter sign-up on the website
Church Communications Plan - how to
use the media outlets
Church “how to” for Facebook and
Join us to help and learn.
VIDEOS OF CHURCH SERVICES
Videos of many of our church services and events can be viewed any time over the Internet "on demand" through the web site of Westborough public access TV, www.westboroughtv.org: use "Show Search" to find programs with "Congregational" in the title.
AROUND TOWN
One of the "Pay it forward" projects planned as a celebration is a drive to collect mittens for the needy. The goal is 300 pairs to coincide with our 300th birthday. My friend and committee member Michele Conway is the committee's contact for the Westborough places of worship. There will be collection boxes in other places around town as well ie: the schools, and the library. Mittens can be handmade, or gloves and mittens can be store bought (children and adult). Keep an eye out for the mitten snowman collection box and help warm someone's hands and heart. Michele has patterns available. Her contact information is: [email protected]. Thank-you and God bless. Jean Newton
(AVPCC)
The Pastoral Counseling Centers of MA, with a main office at 7 Church Street, Westborough, have a long history of providing counseling to all persons seeking healing, wholeness and renewal. We work with individuals, couples and families offering a
holistic approach that focuses on all aspects of a person's life. We also offer several support groups including care-giving, divorce and mid-life groups. To inquire further, please call Mary Taber at #508-366-4000.
CHANCEL FLOWERS If you would like to grace our Chancel with flowers on a Sunday morning, please sign the flower chart in the Vestry. Flowers are given in memory of, in honor of, or for a special occasion. Please call Carolyn Bent at 505-393-7809 with questions.
*HOSPITALITY If you would like to be added to this committee, please contact Betty Gray, 366-1039.
*AUDIO VISUAL REQUESTS Please let Tom & Donna Morgan 366-0358 know at least one week in advance if you have AV requests of church services or events.
*HOSTING COFFEE HOUR If you would like to host, please sign-up in the Vestry or call Suzanne Arpante at 366-7812.
*SUNDAY BULLETIN DEADLINE Submissions for Sunday’s bulletins must be received by 10 AM the preceding Wednesday.
*THE EVANGEL DEADLINE The next issue of the Evangel will be published on Sep 28. The deadline is Wednesday, Sep 21 Copy received before deadline is appreciated!
CONTACT INFORMATION
Pastor Paul Sangree, Senior Pastor [email protected]
Rev Elaine S. Gaetani, Pastor of Spiritual Development
Wendy Reardon, Director of Children’s and Youth Ministry
Clayton Heidbreder, Minister of Music [email protected]
Sue Menzel, Handbell Director [email protected]
Peter Graham, Seminarian
Doug Uhlman, Dir. of Men’s Ministry [email protected]
Rev. Matt Carriker, Mission Pastor for
New Church Start [email protected]
Office Administrators
Lisa Coffey [email protected]
Bonnie Rossi
[email protected] Church Office Phone 508/366-2000
General Church email
Church web site
www.UCCwestboro.org www.facebook.com/TheCongregationalChurchofWestborough
The Vision and Strategy Team is getting ready to begin the Appreciative Inquiry process at The
Congregational Church of Westborough! Thank you all in advance for your interest and
willingness to participate – and the prayers and encouragement you have already provided! These conversations, with as many members and friends of the church as are willing to spend this
time, will help us synthesize what is our church’s collective identity and vision, both now and in the
next 5 years.
After watching the presentation this spring, several people had some great questions for us, about
the process, why we’re conducting interviews instead of sending out surveys, and so on. The
process we’re following is called “Appreciative Inquiry” and the questions (there are only 6!) are
specifically designed to have all of us reflect on the experiences and interactions that we value
and that enrich us as being part of our church, and also (hopefully) inspire us to envision new
ideas and new directions together.
We did not make this up, we promise. Appreciative Inquiry is a process designed for
organizational change that has four basic principles, and which is a growing trend within the UCC.
Its purpose is to hear from every voice in order to:
Carry the best of the past into the future
Harness the power of imagination and dreaming
Create a blueprint for change that integrates the past and the future
Begin the remodeling by matching resources with interests and abilities
As part of our preparation, we have met with other churches in our area who have been through the
AI process and have learned some great lessons and insights from them. The biggest one is how the
results of these conversation can and will become part of our church’s common vocabulary. The
things you share with us in our conversations are absolutely going to have an impact on how
we talk about ourselves and our church going forward.
So, what’s next? Starting in September, we will begin inviting individuals and groups to
participate in the interview process, and we will also be hosting “drop in” interview times before
and after our Sunday church service. These will continue throughout the autumn, at which point
we will start looking for patterns of feedback as part of our data analysis.
We will share out highlights and “ah-ha moments” along the way – and will be sure to talk a lot
about what we’re learning in the process. Your experiences – and the experiences you’re praying
for – are all part of the collective vision for our church. We are looking forward to hearing your
voice!
Congregational Church of Westborough Interview Guide
How long have you been associated with the Congregational Church of Westborough? _______ 1. First, we’d like to know something more about you. What do you love to do---both in and outside of church? 2. Can you recall a time when you or people from Congregational Church of Westborough reached out and cared for people in the wider community that left you feeling proud? 3. Can you tell me about a time when you most felt God’s love and presence in our church? 4. What is it about your church that you most value? What is the single most important thing that your church contributes to your life
5. If God gave you three wishes for our church, what would they be? a. b. c. 6. Is there anything else about the Congregational Church of Westborough that you would like to tell me?
The Congregational Church of Westborough United Church of Christ NON-PROFIT ORG.
57 West Main St. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Westborough, MA 01581-1928 WESTBOROUGH, MA PERMIT NO. 37
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