As I write this, my son and his family are getting ready to leave for China where they will pick up their new daughter and sister, Lily Grace Johnson. My grandsons, Jeremy and Jonah, are excited about seeing the Great Wall and Sean and Melissa just can't wait to get to the orphanage where Lily is waiting to be adopted and taken on her 14 hour flight home.
Sean sent me an itinerary and all kinds of email addresses and phone numbers that are halfway across the globe. I remember as a kid digging a deep hole in the ground because my brothers told me if I dig deep enough I can dig a hole to China. And now China is just an internet connection away. What a new world this has become!
Everywhere you go, people are connecting with one another over cell phones and pagers not to mention faxes and emails. Why, we can even watch live stream videos from the space station. It seems that our technology has brought us to a place of instant communication and connection.
The wonder of it all is that so many of us still feel a disconnect. Could it be that the prime connection for us to our Creator is at the heart of who we are and what we do with our lives? As we prepare for the Lenten journey again, we prepare to walk the walk of our Savior, Jesus Christ: through the wilderness, to the places of betrayal and denial and finally to Golgotha. Our connection with God is at the base of all other connections.
Our connection with God informs how we will connect with one another, with compassion or with apathy? Once we make that vital connection with God through our Savior and we know that nothing can separate us from the love of God, then we are more able to make human connections based on our faith in the goodness of all creation. Trusting in God helps us extend trust in others. May the warmth of God's love carry you through the winter cold and keep the coals of compassion burning in your hearts.
Only by grace,
Pastor Katrina
From the Attleboro Area Council of Churches
Thanks for everyone's support of Souper Bowl Sunday. The Foods n' Friends Soup Kitchens of the Attleboro Area serve hundreds of families, thanks to you!
The Annual Meeting of the Attleboro Area Council of Churches was held on January 27th. A panel discussion on faith and peace was held and a buffet dinner served.
Watch for the upcoming Labyrinth workshop on March 22nd. This will be you opportunity during Lent to walk the Labyrinth as Christians have done for centuries.
From the Southeast Area
A Clergy Retreat will be held Feb. 3 and 4 at the Craigville Retreat Center. Pastor Katrina will be attending. An in-Care Retreat was held at Iris Haven in Plymouth on January 28th. Kelly Thibeault and Pastor Katrina attended, learning about the Enneagram.
Mark your Calendars for MAY 3rd for THE COMMA- A Faithworks Festival to be held at Hanover High School. This will be a special gathering of UCC church folk from all over the state, hosted by the churches of the Southeast Area--That's us! There will be workshops and a great Worship service featuring a choir of 200 people. Our UCC President, John Thomas, will be preaching. Pastor Katrina is designing all the fabric banners and artwork. Dave Fontaine helped design the logo for the event. It promises to be a great day!
From the Massachusetts Conference, UCC
March 3: Teaching the Word: Many ways to Worship, at Worcester, .8;30-3 pm.
April 19-26: Mission trips to Washington, DC and North Carolina.
FAITH YOUTH INSTITUTE--at Andover Newton Seminary, July 12-19.
From the Stewardship Committee:
The final figures from the Fall Campaign are 38 pledges amounting to $37,164. Thanks everyone! What a great time we had at the first Pot-Luck supper and karaoke night. You should have heard our Moderator singing to his bride, "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You." Move over Elvis! And how about Pastor Katrina's rendition of the Supremes, "Stop, in the Name of Love"? Dale Scott joined Ed for a moving portrayal of Kenny Rogers wannabees. Come join us for the next pot-luck supper with karaoke on Feb. 15th- yes the day after Valentine's Day. This one is booked for adults, so we can sing those mushy tunes. Bring a casserole, salad or dessert to share and if you have any karaoke tapes/CD's, bring them along too!
News from the Confirmation Class
We've been study Theology, especially the Trinity. Next we will study the Bible and then talk about the Church. We also meet once a month to work on our chasubles. We are looking forward to our retreat at Craigville in March.
Lenten Plans:
Ash Wednesday: March 5, 7 pm
Adult Education: "Spirituals"--March 12,19,26, April 2 and 9 by looking at songs like, "Were you There?" and "I want Jesus to Walk With Me". We will talk about our own spiritual journey. We'll meet in Maxcy Hall from 7-8:30 pm each Wednesday.
Walk the Labyrinth on March 22nd.
April 13 is Palm Sunday and First Communion Sunday for our Kindergartners.
Easter is April 20th!
"A Letter Home from Seminary"
I actually don’t have much new to tell you all since my last letter. My next semester doesn’t start until the end of January, so I’ve been enjoying some nice down time. I’ve registered for 3 classes this semester, so I’ll be at school two days a week instead of one. I’ll be taking my first preaching class which I am excited and nervous about at the same time. I’ll also be taking a class called “Christianity: Liturgical Year”, where I will learn more about the holidays, seasons and patterns of the church year. The third class is called “Pastoral Approaches to Illness and Dying”. Now I know how helpful you all are, but lets not have any sickness or dying on my account! Thanks for all your continued encouragement and support.
Blessings to you all!
Kelly
Thank you to my Church Family:
I can't tell you how grateful I am to you all for a most generous Christmas check. I am so blessed to be your pastor and teacher. God sure knew what he/she was doing in bringing us together! Thank you all for your donations and your continued support of my ministry.
Only by grace,
Pastor Katrina
On our prayer list:
Barbara, Ethan, Elizabeth, Irene, Nora, Michelle Hirsch, Jackie Chamberlain, Jeff Charron, Marion Andreason, Adelle, Jimmy & Michael, Dr. James Dooley, Frank, Jack Thimo, Blance Rawson, Jane Doe, Danny, Betsy McCarthy, the Malcolm family, Sue and Nick DiGiralamo, peter Schwende, Barbara Pardi, Ben
Wong, John Midura, Jean Santsaver, Alan England, Lise Beaudoin, Janis Narjolis, Cathy hager, Bill Hewson, Lori Vallevona, George Robinson, Irene Hobbs, David Hemmingsen, Gabriel Pelletier, Vita Corbett, Don Bailey. And our shut-in members: Dottie Greene, Marion Horman and Norm Johnstone.
Welcome to the Mission Corner:
Dedicated to Serving Christ
The "old" members of the Missions Committee wish to welcome the new members to the Missions Committee! We are looking forward to a busy and productive year and hope to complete more projects than ever. Our meetings are on the second Sunday of each month after worship; the more members that can stay to make plans and decisions, the more we will be able to accomplish.
Christine Pandozzi
For the Missions Committee
Christian Education Corner
The CE committee is very busy planning for the upcoming Lenten season. We’ve got lots of plans in the works from now until May. We will be starting a Lenten mission project soon in which each Sunday school class will be choosing an animal to sponsor through the Heifer Project.
We’ll have several activities for the children to learn more about how their animal can help another family. Each class will also have several opportunities to raise money for this wonderful cause. In April we will be taking a trip to the Heifer Project farm to see first hand how the Heifer Project works.
Communion Class will start in March. All children in the K-1 class will be learning about Communion with Pastor Katrina. If your child is older than grade 1 and hasn’t gotten to take the class, they are more than welcome to join in. Please see Kelly or Pastor Katrina for more information. Sunday, February 2nd, is Boy Scout Sunday. If you are a Boy Scout, please be sure to wear your Scout uniform to church. Tuesday, March 4th will be our Mardi Gras Party/Pancake Supper, we’ll give you more details as we get closer.
In closing, I’d like to thank all the people that helped out with the Christmas pageant and all of our other holiday projects. As they say “many hands make light work”, and my hands appreciated every bit of help we got.
Thanks for all your support!
Kelly Thibeault
DID YOU KNOW ????
Ed Clavette found a shield shaped plaque in the schoolhouse with the names of W.W.II Oldtown servicemen. I believe that this was from the Oldtown Men's Club. They used to meet in the schoolhouse and hold card parties there before the church took it over in the sixties. The shield is now mounted downstairs in the dining room. Check it out.
During the W.W. II years there was a large white Honor Roll that hung outside the front of the church between the two front doors under that large window. It had screw on slats with the names of man and women from this community, not just the church, and as they left for service their names would be added to the board. As I recall there weremany. Bob Greene recently found a snap shot of it with my brother, Curt Jolly, on one side and Bob Anderson, who then lived three houses up from the church, on the other.
I remember as a little girl there was a siren mounted in our steeple during the war toalarm the people of air raid warnings. These were called “black outs” and everyone had to turn off their lights. The men of the village would meet at the church with their helmets and other gear. They were called air raid wardens. They would be checking to make sure no homes had light showing so enemy planes could spot land marks. When the danger was over the siren would once more wail to sound an all clear. It was a very scary time and I always remember feeling safe when it sounded. I also remember the head lights on vehicles had the upper half of their headlights either painted black or blacked out with black tape. I still have my Dad’s air-raid helmet.
Carolyn
Services on Tape
We record our Sunday Services, so those who could not attend can share in our worship. Call the church office at 695-1713 if you'd like to borrow a tape.
Confirmand Witness:
During our Stewardship campaign, several folks were asked to tell about what Oldtown church means to them and why we should support the church. Last month you read Jonathon's statement. Now it's Katie King'sturn:
The Definition of chuch is as follows..."A building for public, especially Christian worship, Public divine worship in a church; a religious service." Although behind this definition lies so much more. Church means so much more then just a building you are forced to go to early in the morning when sometimes you really wish you were in your comfy bed sleeping late. Church is the place you go when, you know that nothing will suddenly change, and where the people will always love you, no matter was your reputation is somewhere else. At church it doesn't really matter what you look like or who you are, because its the heart that people are attracted to not your store brand clothes. No matter how crazy and hectic this life may be especially for teenagers, if they go to church there is at least once steady rock in there life, and one place that they can be the true them, one place that they can call their sanctuary. The confirmands of Old Town Church would also like to thank the whole congregation for supporting them every step of the way, and like to let every person who has helped, know that we appreciate every penny you have donated to our wonderful retreats, or even our Chasuble Sundays. We want to tell you how happy we are for knowing we are part of this congregation. Thank you for letting us be part of this glorius family.
Katie King
February Birthdays & Anniversaries:
February 2 / Denise AchinFebruary 6 / Christian Harrop
February 7 / Sandra Goeller
February 15 / Missy Badger
February 19 / Jack Kennedy
February 24 / Kevin Goeller
February 25 / Ruth Adams
February 27 / Nora Kingman
Virginia Hall
Ronald Gaouette
February 28 / Lauren Rich
FROM THE MODERATOR
We have just concluded our annual meeting, and in reviewing the reports of 2002 one can see it has been both busy and successful. I wish to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the Committee members of all committees, the church Officers, and the unseen service givers like Tom Wright, the Scotts and the Beaupres, and Allison Dyer, who makes this newsletter possible. Thanks to Conrad and Dot Morel for their custodial work, and to Frank and Debbie Nyskohus and Dave Fountain for making our coffee hour special. And thanks to all who participated or supported each project, supper, fair and service here at Oldtown. Thank you all, you make us Church.
This past year I have been acting as both Moderator and chair for the Trustees. The annual meeting considered and accepted several changes to our Constitution and By-laws, proposed by the By-Law Study Committee and by a proposal from a member. The By-Law Study Committee had been working on the update of these documents since the middle of 2000. The changes this revision produces is the redefinition of the Church Committee, creation of a Building & Grounds Committee, creation of a Stewardship Committee (we had been operating with an Ad Hoc committee), the addition of 3 At-Large Members to the Church Committee, and the dissolving of the Board of Trustees. We expect these changes to help make our decision-making process more efficient. I appreciate all the help and support I received as acting chair and look forward to supporting our new committees and organization.
We have another active year ahead of us. Our next Church Committee meeting will set the calendar of events, like fairs, suppers, family events and projects. Speaking of family events, I had a great time at the Pot Luck Supper we had on January 4th. The food was wonderful, and the group karaoke was fun. Yes I did get up and do a few solos. We have another one coming in February, perhaps you'll join us.
My prayers and best wishes go to all the officers and committees who have been elected for this year. It is an honor to be working with you and serving our Lord. God bless this congregation.
Edmund Clavette
Moderator
S.O.S. S.O.S.
SHORT OF STUFF, SHORT OF STUFF!
S.O.S. S.O.S.
SAVE OURSELVES, SAVE OURSELVES!!!
Old Mother Burch went down to the church to check the inventory for the Fair.
But when she got there the closet was bare !
(well almost)
She peeked on shelves and then in boxes.
First she looked high and then she looked low,
until at last there was no place to go!
Remember the ‘002 Fair and then that
Stone Soup Wreath Sale?
Oh my, that made our stock look pale!
What to do? What to do?
Easy folks, it’s up to you.
Let’s start now for ‘003
and help to fill our good old tree.
We need ornaments and decorations, mittens and knittin’s----lots of hats
Sewing, quilting, painting, and crafting
this and that.
And last don’t’ forget that not-so-silent auction---we’ll be happy with any concoction!!!
So much for being a poet huh? I just shouldn’t get sick, but that’s what I was thinking in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep!!
HOW TO HELP:
Please don’t venture in that closet alone. You would die of shock at all the boxes of supplies and other stuff in there! If you are a knitter or crocheter and you would like some yarn, we have enough to open a small shop on our own. There are many containers full so don’t buy any just speak to someone who can show you where it is and help yourself. There is also some material for sewers or quilters. Bags and boxes of all kinds of trims, ribbons, and laces. So put on your thinking caps and let’s get started. We are really down to bare bones, especially in the Christmas department.
Men..we need you too! Maybe you can make some wooden things or maybe you have other talents.
If you’re just not a crafter or doer, then maybe you can keep your eyes peeled for little items in your travels that you think others could make. Lynne Sias recently brought us a whole box full of good ideas from her church in N.H. Thanks Lynne!
Carolyn
DEACON'S CORNER
Our Advent season seemed especially meaningful this year. Two particularly special Christmas moments come to mind. Lisa Hadley, John and Joyce Shepard's daughter, joined us for Sunday worship and graciously shared her gift and offered a marvelous solo--the loveliest voice some of us had ever heard A second moment came during our beautifully peaceful Christmas Eve candle light service when a large number of the congregation came forward to light a candle for/or in memory of loved ones.