committee chairs [email protected] april 2018€¦ · babies that were so well behaved through...
TRANSCRIPT
Church Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Friday 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM Church Office Phone: 413-569-6362
Website: www. southwickucc.org
Office e-mail: [email protected]
Facebook: Southwick Congregational Church UCC
Staff: Interim Minister Reverend Dr. Susanne Hayes
Choir Director/Organist Roberta Kowal
Bell Choir Director Patti P. Wood
Office Administrator Lyn Casey
Custodians Matthew Kowal & Maria Lempke
VOLUME MMXVIII No. 4
Buildings &
Grounds: Craig Perras [email protected] 413-652-1615
Christian
Education: Brittany Perras [email protected] 413-455-7417
Deacons: Patty Banasik Diane Orson
[email protected] [email protected]
413-237-4717 413-265-3253
Finance: Patti Wood [email protected] 413-977-2524
Flowers: Roxanne Cook [email protected] 413-569-6364
Fundraising: Patti Wood [email protected] 413-977-2524
Library: Sonya Murray [email protected] 413-221-0406
Memorial Gifts:
Karen Brzezinski [email protected] 413-569-6816
Missions: Donna Sullivan [email protected] 413-569-3356
Music: Joe Sullivan [email protected] 413-569-3356
Nominating:
Pastoral Relations:
Roxanne Cook [email protected] 413-569-6364
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Southwick Congregational Church
United Church of Christ 488 College Highway; P.O. Box 260
Southwick, MA 01077
The Good Newsletter of the
Southwick Congregational Church
United Church of Christ
Southwick, MA
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Please join us Sundays for…
Worship Service— 10:00 AM
Mid-Week Service—Thursdays 6:30 PM
Website: www. SouthwickUCC.org
April 2018
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Don’t forget, you can read the weekly sermon on our website:
www.southwickucc.org on the page: “From the Pastor”
Ministry and Outreach
Call for Pastoral Care:
If a member of our church community knows of anyone who is ill, hospitalized, grieving, or
moving to a senior living facility — please be sure to advise the church office. We want to respond with caring support. Call the church office at 413-569-6362 or
email at [email protected]
Worship Schedule
Sunday Worship service at 10:00 AM Thursdays Midweek Service with communion at 6:30 PM
Ecumenical Service at The American Inn on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM
Office Hours
The Church office is open Monday thru Thursday from 9:00 AM~1:00 PM & Friday from 9:00 AM~12:30 PM
All Church Meetings
Second Sunday of the month following the service.
All Church Committee Refreshment Schedule April — Finance Committee
May— Mission Outreach
Southwick Congregational Church
is a faithful Christian presence in the
community of Southwick since 1773, and
we look to the future. We are a diverse and
loving congregation, joyfully serving, teaching,
and sharing with one another, according to the gifts we have
been given.
Mission Statement
I can say that one of the things I am truly
grateful for is the
opportunity to serve as your
pastor for six years. There
have been some amazing
times - we’ve had a lot of
fun together and there have
been tears of both joy and
sorrow. And I wouldn’t have
missed a single moment!
I remember especially the baptisms – the sweet little
babies that were so well behaved through what must seem to
them like a bizarre gathering. And the baptisms of teens and
adults have a special place in my
heart as they come to Christ fully
aware of the commitment required
of them, as Paul wrote to the
people of Corinth, "Do everything
in love." The sun always seems to
shine through the tall windows of
our church at these times, bathing
those being baptized in light.
As you all know, I’m very
fond of my time with our church’s youth, and they’ve been so
kind to me even though they must sometimes think of me as a
silly old guy. But they let
me go walk (and get lost
in) the corn maze with
them, participate in lock
downs and scavenger
hunts, and wear my Star
Trek uniform and other
equally silly costumes at
our Halloween pumpkin
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From The Pastor
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carving events. They represent
the future of this church, and they
are terrific!
And oh, our wonderful church
dinners - which I still cannot
attend without saying a little
prayer of thanks for our wonderful
Barbara Kovisto. We are blessed
with truly gifted cooks and bakers
at this church who have helped
make me more “robust” than I should be!
Now our time together and my ministry here is coming
to an end. This beloved community has a wonderful spirit
and a deep and abiding commitment to our Lord Jesus
Christ. I believe it is destined for great things in the future,
and I can’t wait to see what God
has in store for you.
With great love,
Pastor Bart
Fare Thee Well Bart
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Day by day we must not forget
Our Lord’s messenger will be riding off into the sunset.
We wish him well and that he
With our Lord will be shielded from any jeopardy.
Please recall in the days ahead, Pastor Bart,
Your past friends still proclaim:
“How great thou art!”
~Jim Babinski
Pastor Bart, Thank you so very much for
providing us with such inspira-tional words during our weekly services. They are lasting and
will remain in our hearts forever. We will miss you.
May God Bless you and your family.
~Pam & Joe Rovelli
Farewell Reverend Bart from your Deacons: It is with mixed emotions that we bid you a loving goodbye, Rev. Bart. We are sad to see you go. We will miss your Texas drawl, your wonderful sense of humor, but most of all, your thought-filled and inspiring sermons you gave us each week. We also feel proud to see you pursue a new congregation, knowing that they are get-ting a very special minister. We wish you the best and please know that we hold you in deep admiration. ~Sincerely, Board of Deacons.
Dear Pastor Bart~ I will keep it simple....
THANK YOU for your love & support over the last
6 years. I wish you well in your new
endeavors and I will miss you!
~Patti
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From the Office
URGENT HELP NEEDED: 2018 Church Directory: PLEASE look for your name and then email (or call) the church office with corrections and updates: [email protected]
Thank you all for your kind accolades during my annual evaluation.
The Office will be closed Monday, April 23. Please plan accordingly.
March 11, 2018
The meeting was called to order by Moderator David Breton at 12:08 pm. Dawn Turgeon offered an opening prayer. David asked if there were any questions or concerns regarding the Minutes of the Annual Report published in the Gold Dome. Seeing none, a motion was made to accept the Minutes, which was seconded, and passed unanimously.
Minister’s Report: No report.
Pastoral Relations Committee: Roxanne Cook stated the commit-tee has not met but is planning an Exit Interview with Pastor Bart short-ly and a first meeting with the Rev. Dr. Susanne Hayes as our interim minister after she comes on board.
Deacons: Dawn Turgeon (March Deacon of the Month) reported 3 members present. The group met on Thursday, 3/8/18, and is planning to meet again on 3/15/18. They welcomed a new deacon to the com-mittee, Eric Nitsch. The group reviewed the deacons’ duties. They are considering having a chairperson or co-chairpersons for this year ra-ther than the current Deacon of the Month being the Chairperson of the Month. They discussed visitations with shut-ins and members who are hospitalized after Pastor Bart leaves. They want to be involved in outreach calls to members we don’t see much of anymore. There will be a 6:30 am Easter Sunrise Service here at the church on 4/1/18 with a continental breakfast to follow led by Flo Pitoniak and assisted by Patty Banasik. The 10 am Easter Service will be the Flowering of the Cross Service. Both services will offer Communion. The Deacons ex-pressed their desire to be part of the new Search Committee process once that is begun.
Mission-Outreach: Roxanne Cook reported 3 members present. Donna Sullivan is the group’s new chairperson. Roxanne informed the members present that on 3/18/18 at the Southwick High School there
All-Church Meeting Minutes
Continued on page 12
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April
Emily Pitoniak April 2
Melissa Day April 11
Wyatt Baker April 12
Melanie Nitsch April 15
Barbara Day April 20
Dennis Day Jr April 22
Selwyn Williams April 26
Andrea Warriner April 27
Frank Wolak April 28
Betty West April 29
If we’ve missed a birthday, please let the church office know!
All Church 11:00 AM
Historical Society Roast Pork Dinner
April 8 ~
April 26 ~
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
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In Memoriam
Dear Congregation, I wanted to extend my sincerest gratitude for the beautiful reception you held following my Sister-in-law, Susan Sanders’, funeral service. Your support and assistance during a very difficult time was deeply appreciated. Also your wonderful meal, and especially your kindness, was recognized by all that attended and I am so proud to be a part of this loving congregation. Sincerely, ~Dawn Sanders Turgeon
Dear Members of SCC, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the beautiful funeral service and wonderful reception you held for my daughter-in-law, Susan A. Sanders. She was very special to our family and we appreciate all that you did in service to her memory. Sincerely, ~William Sanders
Susan Sanders 10/16/56—2/13/18
Mary Currier 3/3/37—3/2/18
Daniel A. Cunningham 10/12/73—3/18/18
Husband of Melissa Cunningham Son-in-Law to David Breton
Nephew-in-law to Roxanne Cook and Patty Banasik
Brother-in-law to Sonya Murray
Patty and I would like to thank the congregation for your love, prayers, and kindness during our mother’s illness and passing. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful church family who have become cherished friends. Blessings, ~Roxanne Cook and Patty Banasik
Florence Warriner 3/19/13—2/27/18
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Stewardship Journey
Stewardship exists in multiple forms. At Church, there exists a Musical stewardship, Financial steward-ship and the stewardship of Caring. This message focuses on Car-ing, as practiced by Florence Warriner.
Florence was a fount of quick wit, happiness and the joy of giving. Her often-heard refrain was, “I don’t know why I’m still here; God must have something for me to do.” And there was, her mission was to bring joy to people, to be a source of rejoice-fullness.
She gathered small stuffed animals, tended to their needs and put them on the front desk at her Samaritan Inn home with a sign, “Free, Take One!” Her joy was watching big guys choose one, hide it in their jacket and wander off. Over the years, her menagerie of perhaps a thousand animals would find a good home.
Her caregiving staff loved their “Miss Florence;” they would ask “Can I get you anything?” “A man,” was her retort. “How is your new bed?” they ask. “Ok for one, I haven’t tried it for two!” Humor was her hallmark.
Florence enjoyed travel; she was in Mexico several times in the 1930s. Her dad once had to wire her money to get home. She and Bill, a Navy Corpsman, were in Hawaii on December 7, 1941 where they witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Throughout her 105 years, her Fountain of Joy stemmed from her precepts of life:
Give yourself something to look forward to,
Make new friends at every age,
Don’t complain; express appreciation,
Let others care for you when the time comes,
Enjoy misbehavior – it keeps you out of bars,
There’s no need to exercise or watch your diet in old age,
Potato chips were her unabashed indulgent joy.
The Joy of the Gift is the joy of the Giver. Joy expands and is contagious, especially in the retelling. Joy, like Love, never ends.
~Virgil
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All-Church Meeting Minutes for 3/11/18 (cont)
will be clothing drive drop-off from 11 am – 1 pm. Patty Banasik is gather-ing info for a new Missions group project. Past Community Days the group has sponsored & held in September haven’t had much of a response so they are investigating combining it with a Vendor Fair to attract more peo-ple. The One Great Hour of Sharing special offering was held today during our morning service.
Finance Committee: Patti Wood reported 4 members present. Patti volunteered to be Chairperson. The committee will have an annual perfor-mance review with our office administrator, Lyn Casey, in the next couple of weeks before Pastor Bart leaves. The group gave its approval for Lyn to attend the 50th Annual Secretarial Conference for the UCC held at Craigs-ville Conference Center on the Cape in early June. Office coverage will be provided. Ted Orson will represent the Finance Committee at the negotia-tion meeting with the new Interim Minister. Ted also mentioned that he is investigating having a Payroll Service handle the church’s monthly payroll and the group agreed it was a good idea and asked Ted to get the infor-mation.
Treasurer’s Report: Since Ted Orson was away on vacation he was not able to put together our monthly financial report yet, but he does not see any major deviation in our income and expenses or any major surpris-es. Roxanne brought up that as church treasurer, Ted Orson, is not a vot-ing member of the Finance Committee, so the Finance Committee brought forth a motion to designate Ted to represent the Finance Committee on the Negotiating Committee which was discussed, seconded, and passed unanimously.
Buildings and Grounds: Craig Perras reported 3 members present. The committee did not vote on a chairperson yet so Craig will continue to act as Chairperson until they do vote. They discussed removing a tree next to the parsonage. The fire inspection has concluded which brought up some issues regarding batteries that need to be replaced in Fire Exit signs, some door issues, and bathroom vents that need to be re-vented to the outside. Also, Maria, one of our custodians, has been having trouble with the church vacuum, and after a failed attempt to repair it, it was decid-ed to authorize the purchase of a new vacuum. Lastly, EverSource has submitted their report and everything is finalized with the church’s energy study.
Music Committee: Joe Sullivan reported 5 members present and he was voted the new chairperson. Joyce Paggen was designated as the liaison for the committee to keep Lyn Casey in the loop about the musical activities of the church. The sanctuary piano is scheduled to be tuned. The group discussed the organist’s fees for weddings and funerals and sug-gested the fees for our hall rentals need to be looked at. The church office needs to be clear on these fees. The group will continue to hold their monthly meeting following Coffee Hour on the 2nd Sunday of each month. Next month they will begin looking at the Summer Music Schedule.
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Library Committee: Sonya Murray, our new church librarian, will meet with the past librarian, Joyce Arnold, to review the library “rules”.
Christian Education: Brittany Perras reported 4 members present and Brittany is the new Chairperson. She will be Lyn Casey’s liaison for the committee. The group wants to actively staff the church’s nursery for every Sunday and will be working on a sign-up schedule. All nursery staff will need to be CORI checked and there must be two staff in the nursery at all times when children are present. They would like to have a speaker installed in the nursery so the Pastor’s sermon can be heard. There will be an egg hunt for the Youth Group. They discussed Palm Sunday, the pos-sibility of having Vacation Bible School this summer, and they want to de-velop our Youth Program so that there is outreach into the community.
Fundraising Committee: Patti Wood mentioned possible fundraisers: a Terrarium Night (possibly 5/19/18), a Mattress Sale fundraiser, and/or a Wood Sign fundraiser (Sonya Murray will investigate dates for this one).
Nominating Committee: Patti Wood has a few names to bring up for approval at the Executive Committee meeting to follow.
Memorial Gifts: No report.
Flower Committee: Roxanne Cook reported the palms are ordered for Palm Sunday, the Easter shut-in flowers will be available for delivery on Palm Sunday, the cut flowers for the Easter Flowering Cross have been ordered as well as the Easter plants for the altar.
New Business
Patti Wood wishes to discuss changes to the current way our after-service coffee hour is organized. She expressed her thoughts that the current way of having committees take turns for a month at a time places a lot of bur-den on our already overworked and understaffed committees. One sug-gestion to be further discussed is to have the 1st Sunday of the month han-dled by anyone in the church with a last name beginning with A-D, the 2nd Sunday for names E-H, 3rd Sunday I-M…..etc. Any other suggestions are welcome. Patti also wanted to let church members be aware that there is a new business in town – Social Day Care for Seniors – the seniors would need to be dropped off and picked up, and the owner would provide day activities, snacks, and lunch.
Respectfully submitted,
Melanie Nitsch, Clerk
The meeting was called to order by Moderator David Breton at 12:52 p.m.
Patti Wood from the Nominating Committee brought forth two names to be voted on:
Sonya Murray – Mission Outreach Committee
David Howes – Finance Committee
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes March 11, 2018
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#15 Southwick Historical Corner
In Massachusetts during the early 1800’s a Congregational Church could not survive without a Congregational Society. Prior to the new meetinghouse the Congregational society was handled by the town of Southwick. After the new meetinghouse was dedicated, John Mills, a lawyer in town, helped organize the new Congregational socie-ty. John Mills was the first senator elected from Southwick in 1824. He was very involved in all aspects of the town and pol-itics so he was able to influence the Congregational Society to be set up to run successfully for the next 100 years.
The Church ran into a few difficulties with the new Congregational Society being overly involved in who ministered the church. As we have mentioned in the past, Reverend Calvin Foote was the minister of the church through this transition. On May 26
th, 1830 Rev. Foote was dismissed
by the Congregational Society. Reverend Mr. Elbridge Gerry Howe was installed on February 28, 1831. He was very well received and successfully led the church for one year. It is not known why, but the society dis-missed Rev. Howe at the end of this period.
This led to an unsettled period between the church and the Congregational society. Membership was at the lowest it had ever been since member-ship levels had been tracked (1773). As of January 1, 1836 there were only thirty-four members listed, twelve males and twenty-two females. There was also trouble for the society in raising funds to pay a minis-ter and operate the meeting-house.
~Martha Johnson
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Potholes
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that
we should walk in them.” ~Ephesians 2:10
We all know the jokes about roads in New England and
their potholes, but for me it is the road of good intentions that
is full of the nasty buggars. I have so many good intentions
when I wake up, or when I head home after work, or as I head
into the weekend. And yet, I tend to fall into the potholes of life
and keep. Putting. Things. Off.
Why? What do I get from procrastinating? Am I afraid of
accomplishment? Success? Or failure? What will be waiting for
me after I finish one project? Another and another and
another. But that’s life, isn’t it. Am I waiting for someone else to
fill and fix these potholes? I may be waiting for a long time.
I have to take care of the potholes in front of me, yet…
I do not have to do it alone. This is where my relationship with
God comes in. God is always present, always there waiting for
me to ask. He even finds ways to remind me I am not alone:
friends, songs, rainbows, animals, and yes, potholes.
Have you ever seen the beautiful Glacial Potholes?
There are some nearby in Shelburne Falls, MA. These are
made by little pebbles being swirled inside large boulders for
years and years by glacial activity and water. This creates
gorgeous works of art—some large enough to explore.
Could it be my procrastination is not a pothole in the road
in which I will get stuck, but rather an area for me to explore
and see how beautiful a creation God has made?
~Evelyn Dean Casey
Sun Mon Tue Wed
1 EASTER
Sunrise Service 6:30
Continental Bkfst
Communion
Service 10 AM
Coffee Hour
OA 3:30
2
Office open 9-1
3
Office Open 9-1
Bell Choir 6:30
Boy Scouts 6:30
4
Office Open 9
Cub Scouts 6:30
Voice Choir 7:00
8 9
Office open 9-1
10
Office Open 9-1
Bell Choir 6:30
Boy Scouts 6:30
Girl Scout Leaders
11
Office Open 9
Cub Scouts 6:30
Voice Choir 7:00
15
Worship Service 10
Coffee Hour
OA 3:30 PM
16
Office open 9-1
17
Office Open 9-1
American Inn 6:30
Bell Choir 6:30
Boy Scouts 6:30
18
Office Open 9
Cub Scouts 6:30
Voice Choir 7:00
22 EARTH DAY
Worship Service 10
Youth Group 10:15
Coffee Hour
OA 3:30 PM
23
Office Closed
24
Office Open 9-1
Bell Choir 6:30
Boy Scouts 6:30
25
Office Open 9
Cub Scouts 6:30
Voice Choir 7:00
29
Worship Service 10
Coffee Hour
OA 3:30 PM
30
Office open 9-1
Worship Service
Youth Group 10:15
Coffee Hour 11:00
All-Church 11:15
OA 3:30 PM
Wed Thu Fri Sat
Office Open 9-1
Cub Scouts 6:30
Voice Choir 7:00
5
Office Open 9-1
Fair Share Co-op
Midweek Service
6:30
6
Office Open 9-12:30
Henrietta’s Open
OA Meeting 6:00
AA Meeting 7:30
7
Henrietta’s 9-1
Office Open 9-1
Cub Scouts 6:30
Voice Choir 7:00
12
Office Open 9-1
Midweek Service
6:30
13
Office Open 9-12:30
Henrietta’s Closed
OA Meeting 6:00
AA Meeting 7:30
14
Henrietta’s 9-1
Office Open 9-1
Cub Scouts 6:30
Voice Choir 7:00
19
Office Open 9-1
Midweek Service
6:30
20 Gold Dome Articles Due Office Open 9-12:30 Henrietta’s Closed OA Meeting 6:00 AA Meeting 7:30
21
Henrietta’s 9-1
Office Open 9-1
Cub Scouts 6:30
Voice Choir 7:00
26
Office Open 9-1
Historical Society
Dinner 5 PM
Midweek Service
6:30
27
Office Open 9-12:30
Henrietta’s Closed
OA Meeting 6:00
AA Meeting 7:30
28
Henrietta’s 9-1
Don’t forget the
All– Church Meeting on the 8th