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EPISTLE
Bradford Congregational Church UCC Bradford, VT (802)
222-4034
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Dear Church Family,
T. S. Eliot began his long poem, The Waste Land, saying April is
the cruelest monthmixing memory and desire. April is a transitional
time between winter
and summer. It is an interim time.
I love April. The
wildflowers are coming
out on the woods floor:
bloodroot, hepatica, trout
lilies, trillium and all the
others. Birds are
returning. Their glorious
morning chorus is surging. Buds are swelling. Most of the biting
and stinging
bugs have not yet emerged. The earth is joyous and alive.
And yet, April can indeed be cruel. We can wake up excited to go
out into a warm
day and instead find several inches of new snow.
Memory and desire mix and make us yearn for things to be
otherwise. The
yearning makes the birth of the new season feel painfully hard
and slow.
That is how the children of Israel felt on their long journey
through the wilderness
toward the Promised Land. It is why they accused God and Moses
of being cruel.
It was human nature for them to feel that way. Moses had to
remind them to look
APRIL, 2015
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beyond the merely human to all Gods gifts that were sustaining
them every step of the way.
Jesus suffered a hard stretch in the wilderness, too, as Lent
reminded us. He
modeled the same survival technique as Moses. He turned back to
God every time
he was tempted to despair or take an easy way out.
Miracles happen when we keep turning to God. Angels came to help
Jesus in his
wilderness. The Israelites found manna, they found that God
guided them with a
pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, they found themselves over
time becoming
stronger and more united.
Memory and desire can make us yearn for the interim time in our
congregation to
be over. We long for the idyllic summer of full pews, a full
choir loft, vitality and
growth. We may feel discouraged and tempted to drop out until
that summer has
come. Yet, as T. S. Eliot says, April is breeding lilacs out of
the dead landstirring dull roots with spring rain. Patience and the
eyes of faith help us see it happening and help us endure.
We can speed the arrival of the longed for summer in our
congregation by looking
to God as Moses and Jesus did and finding the guidance and
strength we need.
Turning to God helps us let go of attachment to our own will and
let Gods will unfold in its own time and way. It enables us to put
our focus where it needs to be:
loving God and loving one another
wherever our path may lead, and
participating in the process of
transformation.
April may be cruel in ways, but I
wouldnt miss it for the world. It is so exciting to be part of
the
changes that are happening. There
is gardening to be done. The
ground needs to be prepared and
opened to rain, air and light. It
needs fertilization and the planting of seeds. There is much
work to do so that
summer may bring the harvest of our dreams.
Thank you for your participation in this interim time. You help
the coming of a
new era every Sunday that you come to worship. You speed the
future beauty and
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bounty of this congregation every time you participate in the
process of
envisioning, healing and renewing that the Church Councils
Steering Committee and the Diaconate are leading.
In the meantime, the birds are already singing! Our
faithful choir and great organist are making beautiful
music every Sunday. Fruits are already abundant! The
congregation is loving and supporting one another and
offering Sunday School and community dinners and food
shelf donations and programs for spiritual nurture and
social justice.
I hope you will savor this interim April. I hope you will
use this Eastertide to fill yourself with the light of Christs
resurrection, a light that is already at work bringing new
life to you and to this church we love.
Love, life and light,
Tom
Among those who were lifted up in prayer in the past month:
Ren Millican Marcia Tomlinsons sister-in-law Clark Stever
Margaret Staples sister Melissa Gerry Michael Caldwell Christine
Nye Dan Perry, Sr. Marcia Tomlinsons sister Peg Clafin Margaret
Staples
Lee Morinto Shirley Stever Kim McFarland Allen & Barbary
Stahl
Terry Sweitzer Sam Martin Amy & her children Maxine
Burgess
the owner & employees of Britton Lumber
Our sympathy and love to the family and friends of
Anita Bean
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Lectionary
Readings
for
April
April 5, 2015
Easter Day
*Acts 10:34-43
or
Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
or
Acts 10:34-43
John 20:1-18
or
Mark 16:1-8
Second Sunday of Easter
April 12, 2015
*Acts 4:32-35
Psalm 133
1 John 1:1-2:2
John 20:19-31
Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2015
*Acts 3:12-19
Psalm 4
1 John 3:1-7
Luke 24:36b-48
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2015
*Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23
1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2015
*Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:25-31
1 John 4:7-21
John 15: 9-17
* During Eastertide a reading from Acts is sometimes substituted
for the Old
Testament lesson.
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Christian Ed
We had great Sunday School
attendance in March, and the kids
listened to stories, made projects,
and even ate matzo crackers as
they learned about Easter and the
events that are commemorated
during Holy Week. The month
culminated with Palm Sunday,
where the children helped read the
scripture and passed out palms
during the service, as well as hosting the coffee hour.
Also in March, we purchased new movie equipment using
money bequeathed to Christian Ed by Jane Munson, along
with funds raised at our Valentine dinner. The c hurch now
has a new flat screen TV, a sound bar, a Blu-ray & DVD
player, as well as a cart to store them all on. We tried
them
out for the first time at the community dinner, and the kids
enjoyed watching a movie after they'd eaten. We look
forward to more movie showings in the future!
CHURCH COUNCIL NEWS
Finally on March 5th we were able to find 11 members in
attendance at 7:00 PM so
the meeting was able to accomplish its business. First thanking
all for attending
and then accepting the scarce minutes of the three monthly
meetings held without a
quorum. December 4th, January 8th, and February 5th.
Robert Taylor is mailing out an informational Stewardship letter
to be followed up
by the Pledge Letter. If you have already received it please be
prompt as unless
pledges improve we will be in deep hole.
The Diaconate will be printing our own Bulletins when the
present supply runs out
in May.
Christian Ed purchased new movie equipment with income from
supper. Children
also purchased food for the food shelf.
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Perrys Oil Service has installed a temporary above ground tank
because of problems with the underground which cant be repaired
until ground thaws. Trustees have contracted with Randy Hoyt for
repairs to steeple.
Steering Committee has installed charts on vestry wall for
everyone to view and
add colored dots indicating agreement or not. Hope all will
complete.
Because April 2nd is Maundy Thursday service the monthly Church
Council
meeting has been moved to the 9th.
See information on Bradford 250 Celebration in following
minutes.
All Officers, Boards, and Committees annual reports must be to
Barb Joslyn and/or
Dan Perry before April 15th.
(([email protected];[email protected])) or
by letter.
Daniel Perry, Moderator
(following are the minutes)
The Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ
Bradford, Vermont
CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES
March 5, 2015
Present: Rev. Tom Kinder- Interim Minister; Charlotte Welch-
Assist Treasurer;
Gloria Fox-Treasurer; Rob Taylor-Finance; Dan Perry II-Assistant
Moderator; Dan
Perry III-Trustees; Barbara Joslyn-Clerk; Carole
Taylor-Diaconate; Marcia
Tomlinson-Asst. Historian; Janice Larabee-Nominating Committee,
Usher &
Flower Committees; Jim Perry-Diaconate
.
The meeting opened with us reading the Covenant together and
Rev. Kinder
offered a prayer.
Approval of February 5, 2015 Minutes:
A motion was made by Carole Taylor to approve the February 5,
2015 minutes; seconded by Gloria Fox and approved by unanimous
vote.
Approval of January 8, 2015 Minutes:
A motion was made by Marcia Tomlinson to approve the January 8,
2015 minutes; seconded by Jim Perry and approved by unanimous
vote.
Approval of December 4, 2014 Minutes
A motion was made by Gloria Fox to approve the December 4, 2014
minutes; seconded by Carole Taylor and approved by unanimous
vote.
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Treasurers Report:
...................................... Treasurer requested
$12,000 from the Katrina Munn Memorial Funds for this years budget
for the music. This should defray the deficit.
...................................... Treasurer would also like
to have the church pay back the $4000 borrowed from the Wild Game
Supper funds to help defray
costs. Game Supper funds are to only be used for repairs to the
church, not
for the churchs budget.
...................................... Question of how the
Katrina Munn funds are used. These funds were set up to be used for
the music section of the Churchs budget.
The treasures report will stand approved until audited.
Rob Taylor Finance Committee:
He and Rev. Kinder are preparing the informational stewardship
letter. Rob will e-mail it to the Clerk (Barb Joslyn) who will mail
it out to church
members by March 15th. It will be followed by the annual pledge
letter and
pledge card to be mailed by the end of March.
Marcia Tomlinson-Asst. Historian:
See this months Epistle with the corrected February article
about Capt. Trotter, from a Bradford Authors Viewpoint.
Jim Perry-Deacons:
Pre-printed bulletins will run until the end of May; we will
then use our own.
Monetary assistance: o $100 to the Bradford Food Shelf; $25 for
gas @ Perrys Oil Service o $1196 balance.
Marcia Tomlinson March Deacon of the Month
Jim Perry April Deacon of the month.
Easter information: o Asked Church Council to change the date of
the monthly meeting
from April 2nd which is Maundy Thursday, to April 9th.
o Good Friday, April 3rd, the church doors will be open although
there will be no service.
o Palm leaves will be distributed by the children on Palm
Sunday. o Sunrise service with the Methodists.
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Pastoral Care (before/after a minister leaves): o If you are an
active member, go to Rev. Kinder first. o If you want to talk with
another minister, talk with Rev. Kinder first;
he will contact the other minister.
o For funerals, see Rev. Kinder who will then negotiate with
another minister that you might want to have.
o Karen Lipinczyk is not eligible for pastoral concerns or
duties until after our new minister (not the interim minister) has
served for two
years.
Bridget Peters-Christian Education:
New movie equipment has been purchased; Patrick Peters will set
it up this weekend (March 7th/8th).
Trip to Hannafords for Food Shelf shopping with the Sunday
School last week in February.
March 29th, Palm Sunday, is 5th Sunday of the month. The
children will participate in the service and then host coffee
hour.
The children are going to decide how to distribute $130 from the
Valentines Dinner they are leaning towards an animal shelter. Once
they decide, we will organize a trip to deliver the donation in
person.
Dan Perry II Trustees:
With Joe Button away, there have not been too many meetings.
Planning is in the works for the clock/steeple renovations. We
have received some funds and we have decided that Randy Hoyt from
Tunbridge, VT will
do the work he had the lowest bid for the job.
With the ground frozen right now, a temporary 275 gallon fuel
tank has been set up on the north side of the church. Perrys Oil
Service donated the tank until after the work is done to replace
the buried tank. The clerk will send
out a formal thank you to Perrys Oil Service when the work is
done.
Reverend Kinder:
Talked about the work of the steering committee regarding the
charts that are up on the walls in the vestry. The charts are
awaiting responses from the
church family. Members of the Church Council have been asked to
start the
response process before they leave tonight.
Two areas of concern that the Deacons will oversee are: 1) the
need for healing, and 2) how we deal with conflict issues.
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I am talking with Methodist minister, Jordan, about Sunrise
Service and will get the word out.
We will also have a Maundy Thursday service and will get the
word out on that as well.
Carole Taylor, Deacon:
Nothing additional to report.
Janice Larabee Nominating Committee:
There are several positions that need to be filled for the
coming year: o Moderator; Assistant Clerk; Auditor; Trustee (maybe
Janice Larabee);
Diaconate; Music (Janice Blake off for one year); Inter
Church
Council (Storme off; but she is our only member at this time so
we need 3 spots filled; Flower-needs 1 spot filled; Ushers (Janice
Larabee
on/Charlotte Welch on- Note: Charlotte already helps every
Sunday).
Bradford 250th Celebration: o May 25th Rogers Rangers Encampment
by NAPA o Dedicating the memorial that is being moved from the
Memorial Field
to the Flagpole in the center of town.
o May 25th: Luncheon chaired by Martina Stever/Janice Larabee
Wants our church to donate hamburger, hotdogs, rolls (salads
made by church members), 2 grills and someone to man them. The
meal is by donation and all but 10% will come back to the
church.
o September 26th is the Ball; can the Hymn Sing be changed to
Sunday afternoon?
New Business:
Charlotte Welch reported that Scott Welch is close to getting
our website simplified. He needs to know some Wild Game Supper info
so to put it on
the site Charlotte will contact Julie Porter or David McLam.
Motion: Marcia Tomlinson made a motion to change the date of the
April 2nd (Maundy Thursday) Church Council meeting to the following
Thursday,
April 9th. Seconded by Gloria Fox and approved by unanimous
vote.
Motion: Marcia Tomlinson made a motion that the church donate
hamburger, hotdogs, rolls for the Bradford 250th Celebration on May
25th. Charlotte
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Welch seconded the motion and it was approved by unanimous vote.
Janice
and Martina will let us know how much.
The next meeting will be held Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 7:00
pm.
The meeting was closed with a prayer and adjourned at
8:10pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Joslyn
Church Families from Long Ago Part II The Clarks
According to Rev. McKeens History of Bradford, little was known
of Joseph and Sarah Clark, two of the original seven members of our
church in 1810. They
were among the early inhabitants of Bradford Joseph born in 1747
and Sarah in 1759. They were members of the first Congregational
Church under the pastoral
care of Rev. Gardner Kellogg. In fact, Joseph was one of the two
men (the other
Edward Clark of Haverhill, NH) to build Bradfords first meeting
house (now the Old Church Theater). The contract/bond was signed on
April 23, 1793 as voted at
the Freemens meeting on September 2, 1788. Rev. Kellogg served
for fourteen years as Pastor of this church the one and only pastor
of the Congregational Calvinistic Church of Christ, Bradford,
Vermont. He was paid with 20 cords of wood if needed and a
200-pound settlement in land. He was ordained in the new church on
September 2, 1795 and continued his ministry until his resignation
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1809. Soon after his resignation the church voted to form a new
church with a
more orthodox creed.
Rev. McKeen does go on to say that when he first arrived in
Bradford and had no
home of his own, he boarded with the Joseph Clark family in
their home on the
Lower Plain about one and a quarter miles south of the center of
the village. He
described it as a comfortable cottage which the Clarks had
occupied for a long time
and that it was probably one of the oldest houses in the town.
It was in good
condition when he wrote his book in 1874. He had a little
chamber hat looked out toward the polar star.
Rev. McKeen says that Joseph Clark was generally styled as
Deacon Clark although he was never regularly so constituted. He was
active in religious affairs
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and for a time officiated at communion services. He was
selectman in 1792 and
was later excommunicated from the church. Joseph married Sarah
Mussay and
they had a large family:
1) Moody Clark, born August 31, 1796, married Susan Richards
March 20, 1797
and died April 9, 1843 and she died May 31, 1850. They had seven
sons and three
daughters.
2) Laben Clark, born July 19, 1778, became a Methodist minister,
was employed in
the last years of his life as the financial agent of Wesleyan
University in
Middletown, CT where he died in 1868.
3) Joseph Clark, Jr., born September 6, 1780, was a farmer and
mason, was a local
Methodist preacher. He remained on a farm a few rods from his
fathers farm and was very active in Methodism on the Lower Plain
before the church was built. He
died February 22, 1849. He was twice married: first to Fanny
Aspinwall who died
in 1826 and second to Susan Bond of Corinth who died April 7,
1847. They had no
children but adopted a niece, Miss Bond.
4) Edward Clark, born July 6, 1784, moved to New York state,
married, and died
there.
5) Hannah Clark, born February 6, 1787, became the second wife
of David
Morrison of Fairlee whose first wife was her sister.
6) Sally Clark, born July 9, 1789, married David Morrison of
Fairlee. She died
leaving three sons.
7) Samuel Clark, born July 30, 1791, lived in Bradford a while,
then moved to
New York state and died there.
8) Betsy Clark, born April 10, 1794. She died at home.
9) Gardner Kellogg Clark, born February 28, 1796, graduated from
Union College
in Schenectady, NY, studied for the Gospel ministry and was
ordained and
installed as pastor of a Presbyterian Church in Preble, NY,
married and had
children. It is believed that he spent some of the last years of
his life in the service
of the American Home Missionary Society. He died in Saratoga,
Minnesota on
March 19, 1870.
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Joseph Clark, Sr. died in December, 1835 and his wife Sarah died
May 31, 1850.
They and some of their children are buried in the Upper Plain
Cemetery in
Bradford.
Historians Note: Its interesting that two of our churchs seven
original members had problems within our church. Joseph Clark was
excommunicated; Deacon
Daniel Moore in 1824 had a problem. This is what Bernard Craft,
long-time
member says: In January 1824 Deacon Daniel Moore and Benjamin
Underwood refer boundary line to committee chosen by the church,
Deacon Moore to avoid
abiding by the agreement reached, sells his property to his son.
June 1824 Rev.
Grant Powers of Haverhill called as mediator, and he proposes
that the church buy
the land that is in dispute which Underwood agrees to sell for
$5.00 but does not.
October 1826 Council of Four Churches called, Bath, Piermont,
Orford and
Corinth. Moore and Underwood sign agreement but in April 1827
Underwood
dropped from membership and October 4th Moore resigned as
Deacon.
Our first seven members:
Joseph Clark excommunicated Nov. 23, 1829 Sarah Clark Died March
18, 1833 Daniel Moore Died Jan. 1851 Anna Moore Died May 1824
Pamelia Kidder Died Kingsbury, NY Deborah White Ret. To Piermont
August 1814 Euphema Morse Died Fe. 17, 1841
I guess things really dont change! Every generation in our
church has its joys and concerns. I would like to find out if the
Clark cottage still exists on the Lower
Plain. Any ideas??
Eris, Historian
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Our church is on the bottom right spring in Bradford long
ago!
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Good Morning Kenneth L. Samuel
"I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up, and hast
not made my foes to
rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast
healed me. O
Lord, thou has brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept
me alive, that I
should not go down in the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints
of [God], and give
thanks at the remembrance of [God's] holiness. For [God's] anger
endureth but a
moment; in [God's] favour is life: weeping may endure for a
night, but joy cometh
in the morning." - Psalm 30
I think I've been hearing the refrain of Psalm 30:5 all of my
life. I've heard it
proclaimed with powerful conviction from the pulpit and I've
heard it beautifully
intoned in the melodies of gospel songs and anthems. There is
perhaps no other
Psalm that offers as much faithful hope and blessed assurance as
this one:
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning."
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I had always understood "morning" to be the daybreak that God
sends after the
nighttime of our misery and suffering. I believed that joy would
surely come when
daylight appeared, and we could finally see our way out of the
trepidations and
tribulations of the night. Then, late one night, I received a
call, and when I
answered the phone, the caller said to me, "Good morning." I
looked over at the
clock and it was 12:07 a.m. It suddenly dawned on me that
morning comes to
most of us not at daybreak, but at night.
And since joy comes in the morning, joy must come when we
realize that our new
day dawns at night. Joy comes when we understand and believe
that dark times
and dark situations cannot prevent the fulfillment of God's
promise and progress
in our lives. Joy comes when we celebrate the fact that even in
darkness, God is
still moving us toward better days.
Though my daylight may not yet have appeared, I am now moved to
joyfully
pronounce to myself and to others: "Good morning!"
Prayer Dear Lord, even in the darkness of our circumstances,
help us to realize that you
have already brought us through the debacles and depressions of
yesterday and
days gone by. Now help us to find joy in knowing that the new
day of our
salvation has already begun. Amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church,
Stone Mountain, Georgia.
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Saturday, May 2nd, in our church,
the North Country Chorus,
with the St. Johnsbury Academy Hilltones, the St. Johnsbury
School Childrens Chorus, pianos, percussionists, flutes, and
soloists,
all under the direction of Alan Rowe,
will present Carl Orffs CARMINA BURANA
Click here for a taste of this masterpiece you may not realize
you already know!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXFSK0ogeg4
Carmina Burana translates as Songs Of Beuren, and refers to a
collection of early 13th-century songs and poems that was
discovered in Beuren in 1803. The name has
Latin roots Carmina means songs, while Burana is the Latinised
form of Beuren, the name of the Benedictine monastery of
Benediktbeuren in Bavaria.
The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreverent, and
satirical. They were written principally in
Medieval Latin; a few in Middle High German,
and some with traces of Old French or
Provenal. Some are macaronic, a mixture of
Latin and German or French vernacular.
Twenty-four of these poems in Carmina
Burana were set to music by Carl Orff in 1936.
The other two NCC Carmina performances will be at the Littleton
First
Congregational Church on May 1st at 7:30 pm, and at the St.
Johnsbury South
Congregational Church on May 3rd at 3:00 pm.
Tickets may be purchased at the door, or better yet from
Catamount Arts.
Details at http://www.northcountrychorus.org/events.html
Among those who were lifted up in prayer in the past month:Our
sympathy and love to the family and friends ofLectionaryThird
Sunday of EasterChristian EdCHURCH COUNCIL NEWSThe Congregational
Church of the United Church of ChristApproval of February 5, 2015
Minutes:Approval of January 8, 2015 Minutes:Approval of December 4,
2014 MinutesTreasurers Report:The treasures report will stand
approved until audited.Rob Taylor Finance Committee:Marcia
Tomlinson-Asst. Historian:Jim Perry-Deacons:Bridget
Peters-Christian Education:Dan Perry II Trustees:Reverend
Kinder:Carole Taylor, Deacon:Janice Larabee Nominating
Committee:New Business:The next meeting will be held Thursday,
April 9, 2015 at 7:00 pm.The meeting was closed with a prayer and
adjourned at 8:10pm.Church Families from Long Ago Part II The
ClarksEris, HistorianOur church is on the bottom right spring in
Bradford long ago!Details at
http://www.northcountrychorus.org/events.html