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The Meetinghouse News The First Congregational Church of Madison

November 2019

Reflections from the Senior Minister

Writing for the November Meetinghouse News in October challenges me. I already feel the shortening of days; or better still, the lengthen-ing of nights. I want to be able to hold on the light for as long as possible. It is perhaps one of the unspoken graces of Thanksgiving is that it serves as a reminder of the blessings that fall to us as the rhythm of lives enter into a slower, quieter time. As many of you know, our celebration of Thanksgiving goes back to the community history has come to call the Pilgrims. Most were members of a church in the small Yorkshire village of Scrooby in the north of England; and they came to the New World woefully unprepared for the life that awaited them. Half of them starved to death in the first winter of 1620; and by the fall of the following year, they were overjoyed by the simply blessing of being alive. That they were alive had a good deal to do with native populations of Wampanoag. And if William Bradford’s account of it is to be believed, 90 Wampanoag joined 53 surviving Pilgrims in October 1621, to celebrate and give thanks for the blessing of their first harvest. Thanksgiving has been formalized over the years into a national holiday, but gatherings and occasions inviting thanksgiving are as old as Christian faith; and in the more ancient Jewish tradition, formal occasions for giving thanks to God abound. For most of human history, thanksgiving festivals involve the gathering of the harvest; as both a blessing to our material lives, but an acknowledge that our very lives are a gift sustained by God’s abundance. Giving thanks is an affirmation that there will be another year, a further extension of the blessing of being alive. Every culture has evolved some way of recognizing that there is something beyond the limits of human capacity that provides for the possibility of life; and for its opportunities for flourishing. And so every community gathers to give thanks, to look back at the year past—at the blessings to be celebrated, and the disappointments to be acknowledged and given their proper place as well. And at the heart of it all, for people whose faith is rooted in something beyond themselves, is an ongoing commitment to offer a part of ourselves to the work God does to sustain our lives, and our life together. We know that the harvest may be an expression of divine blessing, but we know as well that we a share in it as well; a responsibility for caring for the resources that give us life and afford us the opportunity to live into another year. As we come into this season of Thanksgiving, it is perhaps helpful to consider what we have, what we have been given, what we have to offer out of gratitude for the blessings poured out into our lives. And may each of you find the grace of God in your lives. Peace, Todd

November Worship Calendar November 3 10:00am All Saints Sunday Rev. Sarah Vetter preaching November 10 10:00am Rev. Todd Vetter preaching Litany for Veterans Day November 17 10:00am Geronimo Desumala preaching November 24 10:00am Rev. Todd Vetter preaching Reign of Christ/ Thanksgiving Sunday Healing Prayer after worship

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Healing Prayer is offered the last Sunday of every month. Come to the

chapel after worship Sunday, November 24. Members of the healing

ministry will be there to greet you, ask you simply, “How can we pray

for you?” and share in a time of prayer, laying on hands if you wish. Let

yourself be surrounded by caring souls and held in God’s loving pres-

ence through prayer. You are also welcome to come and sit for awhile

in the peace of the chapel. Or, if you would like prayer at any other time, please let Rev. Sarah

know and we will arrange to pray with you at a convenient time and place.

Rev. Sarah Vetter Minister of

Community Life

Family Date Night –November 23 Come spend meaningful time together! We will share a meal and then

break into individual family units for a guided activity designed to play-

fully build skills of self-expression, listening and loving one another.

All expressions of family are welcome!

Saturdays 6 – 8 pm

Nov 23; Jan 11; Feb 8; March 14; April 18; May 9

*To attend, register a week ahead with Rev. Sarah Vetter at svetter@fccmadison.org

Do you like to knit? Join our Prayer Shawl Ministry!

Help us wrap people in the warmth of God’s love. We give our prayer

shawls away to offer the blessing of felt love and care during hard times

and celebrations. Prayer shawls communicate with color, texture, weight

and the time spent creating them that the recipient is thought of, cared

for, wrapped in love and woven into our community. Let Rev. Sarah know

if you would like to be a part of the prayer shawl ministry.

FCC Book Club

You’re Invited! Thursday, November 14th at 1pm in the Church Parlor.

Winner of the Asian/Pacific Award for Literature, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is Novem-ber’s book selection. Forty years after the internment of Japanese families during WWII, their be-longings are discovered in the midst of a Seattle Hotel renovation. With the opening of a parasol, Ja-mie Ford’s nostalgic novel begins a tale of first love versus family loyalty. Email Lori Charette at lchar@comcast.net to reserve a copy of the book.

CROP Walk 2019

Thank you all who walked and

donated to raise money to

fight hunger here in Madison

and abroad!

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Wednesday Bible Study

10 am and 7 pm

Join us to read and engage scripture. No experi-

ence with the Bible is necessary. All questions,

comments and thoughts are more than welcome.

Join us as often as you wish or as you schedule

allows. See Rev. Todd for more information.

The fall study season will commence

Tuesday, October 1st, at 8:00am to

9:00am in the Parlor. Coffee will be

available. This semester we will be re-

viewing and discussing the acclaimed

seminal PBS series on World Mytholo-

gy. “The Power of Myth” with inspira-

tional scholar James Campbell & veteran journalist Bill Moyers. This

six episode series touches on topics as diverse as World Religions,

marriage, the virgin birth and pop culture. Filmed at George Lucas’s

Skywalker Ranch and the NY American Natural History Museum.

Reviews describe the series as: “Fascinating” - The New York Times,

“Compelling” - The Wall Street Journal, “Stirring & Elevating” - The

Los Angeles Times. Check the Adult Ministry Notice Board for more

information, updates etc.

November Youth Dates

Youth Group—Sundays Nov. 3 & 17 @ 5:30-7:00 pm

Confirmation—Sunday November 10 @ 5:30-7:00 pm

OWL (Our Whole Lives) for grades 7-9—Sundays Nov 3, 10, 17 from 12-2 at North Madison Congregational Church

Everyone is welcome!

Up to all things good in Sunday School!

It’s been just over a month since I joined all the kids downstairs for Sunday School as part of my supervised ministry for my Master of Divinity program at Yale Divinity School. It’s been a great joy getting to spend time with the youngest members of our congregation. Though it has taken a little bit of time getting up to speed in the transition, we’ve managed to have a lot of fun in the meantime!

A memorable highlight from our lesson plans includes baking churrascas, a quick bread from Talca, Chile, for World Communion Sunday. (Perhaps some of you were gracious enough to try it and lived to tell the tale!) That same Sunday, a number of our youth volunteered to help distribute communion alongside our Deacons. They did an incredible job and looked so very proud while taking part. Thank you to the servers that day for looking out for them!

And finally, taking advantage of whatever nice weather we have left in the season, we took all the kids out on a nature walk so that they could discover all that God has in store for us in this miraculous world. The middle schoolers were treated with the opportunity to journal their findings through photography. Look out for those photos soon!

In the meantime, thank you to the many adults who have given of their time on Sundays to be with the kids as volunteer teachers, particularly: Debbie Edwards, Julie Belcher, Kristen Skoniec-zny, Lianne Latorre, Aime Freeman, Alise Ferency, Adam Hubley, Linda Maniatty, Ella Dreier, Dashana Kyttle, and Cynthia Tañón-Santos. I am so grateful for your dedication and patience dur-ing this season of transition, making sure that our kids experience an abundance of love and care all the while. If teach-ing Sunday School is of interest to any of you, please do reach out to me at gdesumala@fccmadison.org. -Geronimo

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Here’s where to get the latest scoop on what’s happening musically in the church! For even

more information, call Nathan at: (203) 245-2739, ext. 14.

NEXT HANDBELL ROTATION

Join us as we learn music to play in church the Sunday before Thanksgiving!

This is open to anyone twelve or over, and the dates are:

• Wednesday, October 30th, 6-7 pm—rehearsal in balcony

• Wednesday, November 6th, 6-7 pm—rehearsal in balcony

• Wednesday, November 13th, 6-7 pm—rehearsal in balcony

• Wednesday, November 20th, 6-7 pm—rehearsal in balcony

• Sunday, November 24th—play in church

Please contact me if you are interested in playing—I hope to hear from you!

SUNDAY, NOV. 10th, 3:00 pm: “AUTUMNAL DANCES”

Music at the Meetinghouse is excited to welcome cellist Julie Ribchinsky as she

performs Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suite in D Minor for solo cello as well as

Tangos by Carlos Gardel, Omaramor by Osvaldo Golijov, and works by other

composers. Cellist and Professor of Music at Central Connecticut State

University, Julie has played here at our church several times, and I will be

playing with her for Bach’s Gambe Sonata in G Major, a fun and lively piece.

This concert will also feature a new work by June Whitin with guitarist Nicholas

Cutroneo. The event is completely free to the public and is not to be missed!

SUNDAY, NOV. 17th, 4:00 pm: SHORELINE CHORALE

Under the direction of Russell Hammond, the Shoreline Chorale will present a

concert entitled, “Let the River Run: Songs of Faith, Hope and Joy.” Music to be

presented includes works by Ola Gjeilo, Joan Szymko, Craig Hella Johnson and

many more. The Chorale will be joined by guest choir Guilford High School

Voices under the direction of Rachael Allen, a past director of the Chorale.

Requested donation is $15-20. For more information, visit their website at

shorelinechorale.org.

SUNDAY, NOV. 24th, 4:00 pm: INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING

Choirs from a number of local faith communities will be gathering for this

special annual event as faith leaders help present a beautiful and meaningful

worship service for Thanksgiving. It has been a while since we have hosted one

of the services, and we expect to have upwards of 75 voices join in song as we

thank the Creator for all our many blessings. This is a free event, and a free-will

donation will be collected to support a local charity.

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Organ Restoration Update

This past week has been a very exciting week. All the construction, wiring, and testing—called “proving out”—

has been completed, and half a dozen workers from the A. Thompson-Allen Organ Company have been

carefully putting all the organ pipes back in their places. For the first time since Easter, the organ is whole

again! There are still some issues that need to be worked out, and as I write this update, those same half-

dozen folks are in the sanctuary right now, chasing down every little problem to correct them.

It will probably take a little while for everything to be absolutely, 100% sorted out as the pipes settle down and

get reacclimated to the pipe chamber again. As I mentioned during the last update, they will need to be tuned

several times since they have been resting on the balcony pews for so many months during the heat and

humidity, and they’re slightly out of whack. Other little issues will no doubt need to be ironed out, but that’s

only to be expected with a project of this magnitude.

Fortunately, though, while the organ is in the very last stage of tweaking, the balcony is now completely clear

and is available once again for worshippers to sit up there on Sunday mornings! It has been unavailable all

this time while pipes, crates, and equipment have been resting on the balcony pews. Just yesterday, Wally

went upstairs to neatly arrange the hymnals and give everything a good cleaning and vacuuming.

The next newsletter will have the final update and will also give details for a re-dedication concert. I can

assure you, it will be a big one! In the meantime, here are a few more pictures:

Nick Thompson-Allen, co-owner of

the A. Thompson-Allen Organ

Company, works on putting the pipes

back in their places. While other

workers help lift them into the

chamber, Nick is the only one who

positions the pipes. He is very

particular about how they should face

in order to produce the best sound.

Fun fact: Nick’s father, Aubrey, who

started the company, used to be a

patient of Wally Stone’s father, a

dentist!

More pipes reinstalled in the

chamber! Each pipe gently rests on

top of tapered wooden holes where

air passes through them to make

them sound or “speak.” To keep them

from falling over, they are tied to

wooden supports which also enables

them to be removed easily for

maintenance. The larger, wooden

pipes have “slides” that can be moved

up and down to tune them. There are

about 1,000 pipes in this chamber and

1,547 in total.

One of the many crates carefully

packed with organ pipes. These are

Clarinet pipes that were shipped

several months ago to Christopher

Broome, and organ reed pipe

specialist in Massachusetts who

restored all the reed pipes on this

organ (Tuba, Clarinet, Oboe,

Cornopean). He worked to make

them all sound a little clearer and

created new “tongues” to allow them

to stay in tune for much longer

periods of time.

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Peace. Joy. Hope. Love.

Poinsettia Dedication Form (Please print clearly all information)

It is a tradition at FCC to decorate the Meetinghouse with Poinsettias for Christmas. You may pur-chase one (or more) using this form. Be sure to indicate whether you wish to take the plant home with you, after the 10:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service, or that the Deacons may deliver it to someone in our community in need of cheer.

Name:________________________________ Phone:_________________

Please print my dedication as follows:

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Please check one of the following:

__ I wish to pick up my plant after the 10:00 p.m. December 24th Worship service

__ I prefer a Deacon to deliver my plant to someone in need of cheer

Please make your check of $10.00 (for each plant) payable to:

The First Congregational Church marking it “Poinsettia.”

You can drop this form with your check in the offering plate, bring it by the office or mail it.

Forms and payment must be in the church office by December 2nd

Ye Olde Meeting House Christmas Fair

at the First Congregational Church of Madison

November 9, 2019

9:00am-2:00pm

Christmas Ornaments, Baked Goods,

Raffle Baskets, Jewelry, Toys, Books,

Gold Elephant, Café, and a visit from Santa

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We are thrilled to welcome New Members!

Jonathan, Tiffany, Harrison, Owen and Samantha Sweet have lived in Madi-son a little over two years. Harrison and Owen attended Daniel Hand High School and currently attend St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH. Harrison is a senior and Owen is a junior. Samantha is in sixth grade at Polson Middle School, after attending Brown and Island Avenue Elementary.

They moved East for Jon’s job and for their boys to play East Coast ice hock-ey. Samantha enjoys art, music, and playing lacrosse. Jon works as the Di-rector of Marketing for the Asset Management Firm Syntax Advisors. Tiffa-ny manages Sequoia Partners, a property management company and is also an actress.

They enjoy the outdoors, hiking, biking, skiing, and the beach. They previ-ously attended St. Cross Episcopal Church in Hermosa Beach, CA and Christ Church in Telluride, CO.

Jan Crawford is almost a life long resident of the shoreline (Clinton and

Westbrook). She has lived in Madison for 14 years. Jan is a retired CT edu-

cator and adjunct professor who volunteers at the Guilford Community

Center and is a member of the Madison Women’s Club. She has been

attending FCC for a year and is very impressed by the friendliness and non-

pretentious atmosphere, as well as the loving care she has received.

Frances Hall has lived in Madison for 69 years. She is retired and volunteers and writes articles for the Madison Histori-

cal Society. She enjoys swimming and exercising at the YMCA, bike riding, gardening and sewing. At FCC, Fran has re-

connected with people she knew in school and made new friends.

Suzanne Sale was immersed as a child in Madison with her grandparents, visited as an adult, and moved here full time

in 1987. She graduated from Cornell University-NY Hospital School of Nursing with an RN, BSN. Suzanne has 4 adult

children and 6 grandchildren. She enjoys the outdoors and physical activity, hiking, walking, working out, reading and

music. Suzanne is active volunteering and still engages in nursing at times.

Kayla, Larkin, and Teagan Campbell have lived in Westbrook for 7 years.

Kayla is from Killingworth and Larkin is from Norwich. They enjoy going

to the beach, hiking, boating and travelling. Larkin and Kayla own a re-

modeling company together. Kayla is also a realtor. Their daughter,

Teagan is 11, and they have a baby due in January.

Sue Hermonat has lived in Madison for 47 years. She is a retired educator having taught at the Brown Middle

School for 28 years and continue to tutor students in specialized reading, language arts, and math. She loves to

garden, read, and knit. She has four children and seven grandchildren which are very special to her.

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This newsletter is

available on our website

and via email. If you

would prefer an

electronic version to a

paper copy, please let

the office know.

mainoffice@fccmadison.org

Sunday Worship

10:00 a.m.

In the Meetinghouse

Communion Served

First Sunday of Each

Month

Our Worship Service is

broadcast on

Madison Access TV

Channel 18, Sunday at

12:00pm and 10:00pm,

check their listings.

Sunday School

Children begin worship

in the sanctuary and

then are invited to

move to Sunday School

classes after a Chil-

The First Congregational Church

of Madison

26 Meetinghouse Lane, Madison, CT 06443 Overlooking the Green

The Meetinghouse News November 2019

The Rev. Todd C. Vetter Senior Minister

The Rev. Sarah Vetter Minister of Community Life

Phone: 203-245-2739 Fax: 203-245-3341 E-mail: mainoffice@fccmadison.org Website: www.fccmadison.org Facebook: First Congregational Church of Madison, CT Church Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday - Friday

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