THE COMMUNICON - uccpeterborough.org...Louise Fredericks passed away on May 4, 2016, also at Summerhill Assistant Living. Among her many activities, she was active in the Women’s

THE

COMMUNICON JUNE 2016 Union Congregational Church, UCC

Peterborough, New Hampshire

Bob’s Byte

Then the LORD answered me and said:

Write the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so that a runner may read it.

For there is still a vision for the appointed time;

it speaks of the end, and does not lie.

If it seems to tarry, wait for it;

it will surely come, it will not delay.

— Habakkuk 2:2-3

I have been watching the news and feeling discour-

aged at times. I have to wonder what is going on in

the world. Endless wars, economic suffering, debates

over bathrooms, terrorism, political posturing, and

countless other issues leave me feeling exhausted

after watching the evening news. I find myself won-

dering what it is all about, and perhaps more im-

portantly, what should I do about it.

Theology is where I often turn for guidance, but even

theology does not get at the reality, because theolo-

gy is largely philosophical and intellectual. The place

to look for guidance is really in ethics, which asks the

question, how do we live what we believe? How do

we respond to the world around us? How do we live

out our faith? As a community of faith, how do we

respond to the deep needs of the world?

To answer this question as a community, we may

need to consider our vision. We may need to consider

how God is calling us to live our lives in response to

these issues. And if we understand how God is calling

us, if we can discern together the vision God has for

us in the world, then we can share the vision with

others.

It does not seem like anything we could do would

make much of a difference in a world so divided and

broken. If the solving of the world’s problems were

left to me, there would be no hope; if it were up to us

as a community of faith, there would still be little

hope; and even if were up to all humanity, I would

not feel hopeful — but there is Good News. We do

not work alone. God has a vision.

If God is at work in the world, then perhaps there is

hope.

Martin Luther King Jr. is quoted as saying, “The arc of

the moral universe is long, but it bends towards jus-

tice.” This is actually a shortened version of a quote

from nineteenth-century theologian Theodore Parker,

who predicted the inevitable success of the abolition-

ist cause this way:

I do not pretend to understand the moral uni-

verse; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches

but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve

and complete the figure by the experience of

sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from

what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.

Believing God has a vision leaves me hopeful that the

ugly caterpillar may someday emerge as a beautiful

butterfly!

See you in church!

Bob

2

Please Keep in Your Prayers Many people feel supported and blessed by our con-

tinuing prayers. Please remember to keep the follow-

ing people in your prayers.

Carl and Marilyn Britton

Ruth Comerford, friend of Deb Hanson

Leo Curley, Sarah Holgate’s father

Lisa and Patrick Foley

Jim Kinhan and his family

Katherine, friend of Carele Mayer

Lynn Nelson

Alfred Whitney

Joe Wilson

and everyone in our church community

To add or delete names from this ongoing prayer list,

please contact Martha CB in the office (at 924-3272

or [email protected]) by the 20th of the month.

To make a prayer request for the weekly worship

bulletin, please contact the office

by noon on Wednesday.

Thank you!

Worship This Month

June 5

1 Kings 17:8-24

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon: Back to Life

June 12

Galatians 2:11-21

Luke 7:36 - 8:3

Sermon: Sins and Sinners

June 19

Children’s Sunday!

The children and youth will lead this service!

June 26

2 Timothy 4:6-18

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon: Shhh, It’s a Secret!

Summer Worship Hours

Union Congregational

Church will have worship

services at its regular 10

a.m. time slot through the

month of June.

But starting on July 3, wor-

ship will start at 9:30 a.m.

We’ll follow this schedule

through September 4. Please

see “Lemonade on the Lawn” on page 3. (On Sep-

tember 11, we’ll return to our regular 10 a.m. time

for Sunday worship.)

Our office hours will remain the same throughout the

summer: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through

Friday — except for the fourth Monday of the month,

when office hours will run 2-5 p.m. But please see

“Office Closings This Summer” on page 3.

In Memoriam

Our condolences and prayers go out to the families

and friends of two longtime church members.

Betty Avery passed away on May 3, 2016, in Sum-

merhill Assisted Living. Her long and active life in-

cluded time spent with her husband as missionaries

in Turkey—and volunteer work in the elementary

school in Antrim, New Hampshire.

Louise Fredericks passed away on May 4, 2016,

also at Summerhill Assistant Living. Among her

many activities, she was active in the Women’s Fel-

lowship and supported our church Community Sup-

pers. Her service will take place on July 21, at a time

and location to be announced.

We always thank God

for all of you and continually

mention you in our prayers.

— 1 Thessalonians 1:2

3

Communicon Summer Schedule

Our next issue of the Communicon

will be a combined July/August

issue, due out early in July. Our reg-

ular monthly publication schedule will

resume with the September issue.

For the July/August issue, please

send all articles/announcements for

church events and activities sched-

uled from June 1 through August 31 to the office at

[email protected] by June 20 at noon. Thanks

very much!

Office Closings This Summer

Although the office will be open most

weekdays this summer, Martha CB,

our administrative assistant, will need

to use the room privately for profes-

sional development days so that she

can take tutorials online.

The office will be completely

closed from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30

p.m. on the following dates:

• Tuesday, July 19

• Tuesday, July 26

• Tuesday, August 2

Please plan ahead to make copies, pick up papers,

drop off materials, and so on, at the office only after

12:30 p.m. on those dates. Thank you!

Please

Do Not

Disturb

On April 24, four new members joined our church. Pastor Bob welcomed (left to right) Anmarie Wilson, Sasha Daler, Carol Crocker, and Mike Crocker.

Our Special Guest Luncheon

One of the most heart-

warming events during

our church calendar year

is the Special Guest

Luncheon in May! This

year was definitely no ex-

ception!

Over ninety guests en-

joyed the appetizers,

lunch and dessert, and

then perked up for a sing-

a-long with Carele and

Mary Ann.

Many thanks to everyone who worked to make this

lunch very special! And it was our 51st year of host-

ing it!

— WF Steering Committee

Christian Service Committee News

Once again a huge thank you goes out to

everyone who has contributed to One

Great Hour of Sharing and the Blankets

and programs! We have (to this date) raised

$775 for OGHS and $287 for Blankets+!

What a generous group! Thank you!

Lemonade on the Lawn Is Coming!

Starting on Sunday, July 3, our

worship schedule for the summer

shifts to 9:30 a.m., followed by re-

freshments outdoors. For details and

to host a week of “LOL” — Lemon-

ade on the Lawn — please contact

Alex Inglis at 924-8651.

Calling All Women of the Church ...

Circle June 21 on your calendar so that you'll be pre-

pared to attend the Women's Fellowship Annual Meet-

ing at 7 p.m. in Fellowship Hall! A lively program is

being organized, and there is always superb refresh-

ments. See you there ...

— WF Steering Committee

4

Summer Special Music

Here is our line-up of Special Music per-

formances during worship services this

summer. We are grateful for our sum-

mer soloists! If you know of someone

who would share their musical gift for

the two open slots, call Holly Sanders

at 924-3748.

June 19 Lizzie Grisafi & Brian Luciano

June 26 The Singing Men

July 3 Open

July 10 The Traversing Hospice Choir

July 17 Simon Chui

July 24 Suzanne Schoel

July 31 The Singing Women

August 7 Open

August 14 Dotty Graham & Dick Chamber-

lain

August 21 Stuart Stocker

August 28 Lin Van Allen & BethAnne West

September 4 Dick & Holly Sanders

Reaching Out to Community Residents … with Music

The June 13 annual meeting of the Monadnock

Chapter-American Guild of Organists will be held at

our church, beginning with a short program of organ

music for the benefit of the Plowshare Farm residents

and those attending the final community supper. This

is a great outreach for a population of residents who

may not have the opportunity to attend organ music

events. Confirmed players are Dick Boutwell, Jeff

Fuller, Carol Hamilton, Pamela Quirinale, Mary Ann

Fleming and Bob Johnson. The program will be inter-

active and informal and will run from 6:30 to 7 p.m.,

followed by the annual meeting. The program is open

to anyone attending the supper or those who want to

stop by to listen.

Save the Date!

If you’re going to miss

your church friends this

summer, just look for-

ward to the Welcome

Back Church Picnic! Put

the date of Sunday,

September 11, on your

calendar! Don and Mary

Ann Fleming are welcoming everyone to their home

in Hancock for an afternoon of food, fun and conver-

sation! More details will follow in the July/August

issue of the Communicon.

Around the Mountain Organ and Choral Festival

The Monadnock Chapter-American Guild of Organists, in collaboration with Keene State Col-

lege, the NH American Choral Directors Association, and the UCC Church in Keene, will pre-

sent the Around the Mountain Organ and Choral Festival on Saturday, August 6, in Keene.

Singers are invited to register for the afternoon choral workshop, “The Choral Experience,”

presented by Dr. E. Wayne Abercrombie, or the organ workshop, “Articulation and Registra-

tions,” presented by William Ness of the Worcester AGO. Both instructors will use examples

from the Faure Requiem, which will be rehearsed and then presented in an evening concert.

Dr. Margaret Harper from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth will welcome partici-

pants. An invitation letter, registration form, and artist biographies are on the “Events” page

at www.monadnockago.com and the bulletin board in the choir room. (Or get them from Mary Ann Fleming.)

Early deadline participant registration for $40 is June 15. After that date the registration is $60. Concert tick-

ets will be available at the door for $10.

Hello from the Sunday School

The children and youth are working diligently to cre-

ate a meaningful and fun Children's Sunday service,

so please join us on June 19 to recognize their hard

work upstairs all year long. Also, there are still spaces

available to join us on June 12 for worship and sum-

mer camp at the Horton Center in Gorham. We will be

carpooling so please sign up on the sheet by the Sun-

day school bulletin board. We meet at the church at

7:30 a.m. and depart at 7:50 to ensure that we ar-

rive before the start of worship at 11. We expect to

return after a full day of activities and fun around

6:30 p.m. Thank you very much for your support!

5

6

ONA Update

For over a year and a half, the ONA Core Group has been meeting as a small

discussion group, attending UCC conferences on Open and Affirming issues,

leading conversations, and most recently facilitating Deep Listening Sessions.

Fifty-two church members and friends have participated in Deep Listening

Sessions, sharing stories and feelings about difficult subjects in a setting of

trust and confidentiality. For many it was an opportunity to express opinions never expressed before and a

chance to know ourselves better. We all benefited from a chance to prayerfully consider the needs and con-

cerns of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community. We include in this report to the

congregation an overview of the responses to our Deep Listening prompts.

Phase II of the ONA exploration will be in the form of panel discussions. Three panels will present and lead

discussion on the following dates:

September 18: Family Members. Panel will include Cindy Woods and Ruth Nace

October 23: Local Professionals

November 13: L, G, B, T, and Q people

These panel discussions will be preceded by a simple soup and bread luncheon after morning worship ser-

vice.

— The ONA Core Group: Martha Dahl, Alex Inglis, Holly Sanders, and Phyllis Scott

Responses to Deep Listening Sessions

1. Tell a story about when you first became aware of same-sex relationships.

When we were young, several of us had a family member, relative, neighbor, or family friend who we knew

was LGBTQ. Others of us learned about LGBTQ people by chance, and recalled that the discovery made us

feel strange and unsettled. Adults would be talking about a gay person; or we saw a same-sex couple to-

gether at an unguarded moment. At school there was gossip and name-calling. Children became aware of

clues such as dress and hair style. We saw LGBTQ people in movies or on TV. For some, LGBTQ people were

first encountered on holiday or at camp; at boarding school, college, a first job; or in the service.

In some cases, we saw LGBTQ people accepted and living a relatively normal life. In other cases, we heard

about angry opposition from family; censure from clergy or church members; firings at work; violence; sui-

cide. In many cases, learning that someone was LGBTQ was the unsettling discovery of a secret. Here was

an important part of someone’s life that we had not previously known about. We worried, knowing that

LGBTQ people were especially threatened by AIDS.

2. Tell about a personal relationship you have with a LGBTQ person, or a time you were surprised

to learn that someone is or isn’t LGBTQ.

People told of a sibling who is LGBTQ, or one of their children, a niece or cousin. Others spoke about a best

friend, a minister, a coach or fellow athlete, a mentor, a roommate, former students, a gay couple at church,

and two teachers at school who were a couple.

Sometimes it has come as a surprise to learn that a person we know is LGBTQ; there had been no clues. But

many of us also emphasized that if a friend, family member, or colleague is LGBTQ, that is not a big deal. We

do not think of them as fundamentally different.

3. Are there stereotypes that you find inaccurate or unjust?

Some recalled situations where people drew false conclusions about a person’s sexuality, based on stereo-

types about how gay people walk, talk, etc.

Many of us emphasized that putting people into categories is dangerous. When LGBTQ people are judged in a

negative way, the expression of this judgment is sometimes done rudely, and in public.

7

8

Ee-ei-ee-ei-oh-my!

What do you get when you

combine a group of children,

pictures and information

about animals and how kids

can help others in the world,

plus a budget of $500?

You might be right if you an-

swered Old MacDonald’s

farm. However, these children discussed and made

some great choices that will benefit several families in

communities that need help. The children’s shopping

list includes seven flocks of chickens, one goat, two

rabbits, one sheep, and one beehive and will be pre-

sented to Heifer International reps in June. All of

these choices will provide necessary food, milk, fur

for clothing, and pollination, not only on a one-time

basis, but for a lifetime for multiple families.

Anyone wishing to see how the Heifer Farm trains

people to care for these animals is welcome to travel

to Rutland, Massachusetts, with us on Sunday, June

19, after church. A light lunch will be available for

travelers, along with the regular munchies for church-

goers at coffee hour. The sign-up sheet is located on

the wall by the Sunday School bulletin board, or con-

tact Mary Ann Fleming. We sincerely thank everyone

who supported the fundraising efforts through the

Super Bowl Subs event last February!

Please Donate to the Yard Sale!

Do you have stuff you

need to clear out from

your attic? Your garage?

Your basement? Your

closets? We want your

stuff! The UCC yard sale

is Friday, June 17 (5–

6:30 p.m. for $5 admis-

sion) and Saturday,

June 18 (8 a.m. to 1

p.m.). Donations can be

dropped off at church starting Tuesday, June 14, at

1 p.m., or you can call Dick Loudon to arrange for

pickup of large items.

We also need helpers — lots of helpers! Please add

your name to the sign-up sheet on the Church News

bulletin board if you can help with set-up, help work

the sale, or help with clean-up.

And we need plants for the accompanying plant sale!

If you're starting seedlings, dividing perennials, or

taking cuttings from houseplants, we'd love to have

anything you can share.

Thank you so much for your help with this, one of

our biggest fundraisers of the year. This is a great

way for all that stashed-away stuff to do some good!

Paint Night

Several church members and friends enjoyed the spe-

cial Pentecost theme of the May 10 Paint Night.

Left to right: Anmarie, Suzanne, Sarah

The next Paint Night is Tuesday, June 14. at 6:30

p.m. Class size is limited to twelve, and the $10 fee

covers the cost of materials.

To register, contact the office at 924-3262 or send an

e-mail to [email protected]. Join the fun!

Thanks so much …

to all our bakers, decorators, sign makers, transport-

ers, setter-uppers, sellers, take-downers, and buyers!

And a huge thank you to Judy DeWitt, our Lead Cup-

cake, for masterminding UCC's Cupcake Corner at this

year's Children & the Arts Day. We're thrilled that we

raised $1,081 to help balance the church budget!

9

Bible Studies Every Wednesday

Adult Bible studies are led by Pastor Bob every Wednesday from 10 a.m.

to noon in the church parlor. We are working our way through the Book of

Acts, the continuation of the Gospel of Luke. It is the historical account of

the early church and includes some wonderful stories. Please feel free to join

us!

This group reads the text and then discusses the passage, looking for ways

we might understand how God is working in the world around us and in our

lives. There is no prior knowledge needed, and you may come to all or any of

the sessions.

We will discuss Acts through June, and then take the summer off.

Union Congregational Church

Income & Expenses as a % of Annual Budget

January – April 2016

33% of Year

Union Congregational Church

United Church of Christ

33 Concord Street

Peterborough, NH 03458

COMMUNICON June 2016

Vol. 62 No. 6

Union Congregational Church

United Church of Christ

33 Concord Street

Peterborough, NH 03458

Minister: The Rev. Dr. Robert Marrone

[email protected]

Worship Service: 10 a.m.

Nursery Care Provided

Church Office: 924-3272

[email protected]

www.uccpeterborough.org

Editor: Martha Carlson-Bradley

Proofreaders: Karen Loudon and Sharon Smith

Silent Squad Support Team:

Janet Brown, Randy Brown, Carolyn Peacock

Deadline for July/August issue: Noon, June 20