A Federated Church of the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church An Open and Affirming/Reconciling Congregation Monthly news for members & friends from Niantic Community Church March 2011 Tidings A Lenten Quiet Day & Labyrinth WaLk….. With Wendy Lyons Saturday, March 26 from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. What is a quiet day? A time to discover what God has to offer us in times of silence. No preparation or spiritual “expertise” required. It is not necessary to bring anything, but a notebook and pencil are useful if you want to record some of your thoughts. Some people bring their own Bible, or even some knitting if keeping their hands busy makes them more relaxed. Between brief reflections guided by Wendy, will be silence. In several areas throughout the church, small altar areas will be set up along with spiritual reading material, mandalas for meditation and a labyrinth for walking. Light refresh- ments and beverages will be available in the kitchen throughout the day, and at 1:00 everyone is in- vited to stay for a non-silent „brown-bag‟ lunch (brought from home). It is recommended that partici- pants stay for the entire program in order to get the most out of the experience, but if you must leave early, please depart in silence. This program is free and is sponsored by a grant from the Culpepper Foundation.
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Tidings March 2011
A Federated Church of the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church
An Open and Affirming/Reconciling Congregation
Monthly news for members & friends from Niantic Community Church March 2011
Tidings
A Lenten Quiet Day &
Labyrinth WaLk….. With Wendy Lyons
Saturday, March 26 from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
What is a quiet day? A time to discover what God has to offer us in times of silence. No preparation
or spiritual “expertise” required. It is not necessary to bring anything, but a notebook and pencil are
useful if you want to record some of your thoughts. Some people bring their own Bible, or even some
knitting if keeping their hands busy makes them more relaxed. Between brief reflections guided by
Wendy, will be silence. In several areas throughout the church, small altar areas will be set up along
with spiritual reading material, mandalas for meditation and a labyrinth for walking. Light refresh-
ments and beverages will be available in the kitchen throughout the day, and at 1:00 everyone is in-
vited to stay for a non-silent „brown-bag‟ lunch (brought from home). It is recommended that partici-
pants stay for the entire program in order to get the most out of the experience, but if you must leave
early, please depart in silence. This program is free and is sponsored by a grant from the Culpepper
Foundation.
Tidings March 2011
2
Get Ready for Worship!
Follow the “Preparing for Sunday”
link on our website homepage
(nianticcommunitychurch.org):
you will find the scripture readings
for the current week, a brief de-
scription to set them in context, a reflection on
passages, and a prayer starter.
It‟s a great way to spend time with God‟s Word,
— and since those passages are (usually) the basis
Meeting the third Thursday of each month from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Bring a bag
lunch and writing to share, or arrive at 11:30 and get your creative
juices flowing with a writing prompt. All genres and levels off ability
are welcome. Please call Parish Life Ministry for more information. Fa-
cilitated by Community Minister, Patty Chaffee.
History Quiz & Trivia
On January 16th 2011, Ruth Watrous Beckwith passed away. Ruth was not only our church’s oldest member at 104, but held the longest membership. She joined the Niantic Methodist Church January 16th 1921…exactly 90 years a member. Some people have asked who have the honor of the longest church Membership. Christian Bayreuther joined the Methodist church in 1942. Wilbur Beckwith joined the Methodist Church in 1944. There are many people who have attended our church for 50 or more years, but some did not actually join the church until later. The question this month is: How many people can you name that joined the church in 1961 or earlier. (There are 13 of us).
From the Parish Nurse Marie LaTourette
Pistachios - It might seem surprising that a little pistachio contains phytosterols - a substance that blocks your body from absorbing choles-terol. A small handful of pistachios daily may help your arteries from clogging, keep your blood vessels clean, your heart healthy and strong. Good fats like olive oil can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Save the Date: Parish Nurse Symposium, Wednesday - April 27, 2011 in Derby, Connecti-cut. The keynote speaker is Thomas Moore. Everyone is welcome, last year it was $60 pp including lunch. Call Marie 860-739-0733 if in-terested. Patty and I will go. Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been different. Oprah Happy St. Pat's Marie
Tidings March 2011
4
Parish Life Ministries Committee NED RUETE
Soup and Soul is coming up. Dominic Crossan's The
Greatest Prayer falls neatly into 7 parts, so Soup and
Soul this year will start on Ash Wednesday and
run through Wednesday of Holy Week. Books are
available in the Church Office. For $22 you get 7
meals and 7 conversations – a real bargain, espe-
cially if a couple shares one book!
After a five-year hiatus, we are once again hosting a
workshop on Gifts and Grace at the End of Life.
Check out the ads for Gifts and Grace and Soup and
Soul elsewhere in Tidings.
We are also planning to have a quiet day featuring a
labyrinth walk, meditative opportunities, and other
forms of Sabbath. It is planned for Saturday, March
26.
Opportunities to Serve: We are looking for co-
chairs for Operation Love/Funeral Receptions. There
is a lot of good information on how to do this, and a
lot of talent to help out, we just need a couple of peo-
ple to coordinate. Congratulations to our former co-
ordinator, Cindy King, who was promoted to Vice
President! We want to send goody packages to mili-
tary units that include folks from the Niantic Com-
munity Church family – members, extended family,
and friends. If you know someone serving in harms
way, please let us know. And we are always looking
for people to bake, cook, organize, and help out with
our activities. Call any member of PLM or the
church office.
Women's Retreat is almost here. The
retreat will be April 1 - 3 at Camp
Wightman. Please join us for fun, re-
laxation and renewal. See Carol Dono-
van, Ocean Pellett or Ellen Ashburn to
sign up. The cost for the weekend in
$120.00 ($60.00 for Saturday
only). Scholarships are available,
please talk to Pastor John.
Women's Christian Service Association (WCSA) will sponsor a rummage sale on Sat., Apr 9, from 9 - 12. Items needed are clothing, linens and bedding, shoes, toys, sports equipment (except skis) household and kitchen items. Please do not bring computers, typewriters, furniture, rugs or anything heavy. More information will be forthcoming at a later date. For questions, call Doris Beebe.
Save the Date
Sunday, May 1 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm
Enders Island in Mystic
Gifts and Grace in Life's Final Days an opportunity to prepare for end of life issues
Purpose: to begin a plan that will help us "get our
affairs in order"
Stay tuned for more information. This retreat is spon-
sored by the Parish Life Ministries Team
Contact person: Joanne Moore
Tidings March 2011
5
From the Community Minister
One Tuesday toward the end of each month
around 7:00 p.m., I pack up a white handled
basket lined with blue and white striped fabric
and head toward the Fellowship Room. I pass
brass bells and young people, parents and
teachers along my way. I hear activity in the sanctuary as peo-
ple practice singing to our Lord and others, conversing about
what they‟ve been up to.
But when I get to the Fellowship Room with that special basket
everything going on outside, is forgotten. It‟s time to work on
my prayer shawl. For more than two years I have knitted, not
purled, but knitted regularly with the help of a delightful group
of women. Judy S. even provided me with the yarn and needles.
I should preface this by saying, I don‟t really know how to knit
and I certainly can‟t purl, but they make me feel like I can. So I
go there with my basket, begin with a prayer led by Jane Barth,
and I knit something that will one day comfort someone in
need. I‟m not sure when my prayer shawl will be complete, but
I‟m shooting for some time in 2011. One thing I know for sure,
is that it will have been created with lots of love, prayers and
good intentions.
While I‟m there each month, I learn a lot about what is going on
in the lives of the other ladies in the group, and the lives of
those who couldn‟t make it. They are with us in spirit. If you
care to join the prayer shawl ministry at NCC, they welcome
anyone….I‟m a perfect example. And they will even teach you
to knit and fix your mistakes when you inevitably make them.
In the end when you‟ve knitted your first shawl, you will have
made a blessed gift for someone who one day, may need to feel
God‟s warmth wrapped around their shoulders. And your shawl
might be just the thing that gives it to them.
If you can‟t join us, but would like to knit at home and send a
shawl in, that‟s okay too. The Prayer Shawl group meets the
fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Please join us.
Peace & Blessings,
Patty Chaffee
Community Minister
History Quiz Answer
Here are the members:
Ellen Ashburn Florence Barth
Sara Bayreuther Doris Beebe
Catherine Daboll Helen Dey
Linda Helvig Liz Kuchta
Jeanne McNeil Bob and Marie Pierce
Judy Sleights and
Iva Thomas
Member News
A message from Diane Blair: "It is with sadness and joy that I am
writing to have my membership at Nian-
tic Community Church transferred to the
First Congregational Church of Sharon
MA. Over the past year, I have been
finding myself attending church and
church activities here in Sharon more
often and feel that it is time to join this
church to continue on my faith journey.
NCC will always have a special place in
my heart as the people there helped me
through some of the most difficult times
of my life including the death of my
mother, and the loss of my job. As well
as helping me grow in my faith. This
does not mean that I will be ending all
ties with NCC as I will still
be participating in the book discussions,
worship on occasion and attending the
Women's retreat. I want to thank the
members of Niantic Community Church
for the love and support that has been
shown to me. I love all of you and al-
ways will."
Tidings March 2011
6
What is DAT? Well D.A.T. is the time during wor-
ship when children younger than 5th grade are in-
vited to join a group in the multi-purpose room for
multi-age activities including music, art, drama,
and games generally coinciding with the lectionary
scripture for the day. Children and youth 5th
grade and above are invited to stay for the dura-
tion of worship and participate, however, arrange-
ments can be made for older children to help vol-
unteer with the younger children as needed. If you
Howard Christensen thanks our Pastor John and the congregation for the cards, phone calls, flowers, and visits that he received during his recent hospitalization and recuperation. Your prayers and thoughtful acts of kindness are ap-preciated.
Help Needed!
The Communications Committee is
looking to recruit some creative and
tech-savvy person to help with our
church website update and revitaliza-
tion. The importance of this form of
communication cannot be overstated since the web-
site is often an introduction to who we are as a
church. Our website needs to be user friendly, at-
tractive and inviting in order to help people realize
how important it is for them to be members at NCC.
Creatively, we would like to see a uniformity of mes-
sages that would tie the website in with the colors
and design theme of our newly approved church
signs and other appropriate images of life in our
church. We have ideas but we need your help with
implementation. Maybe this is work you can apply
toward a college credit or internship. If you are in-
terested or know someone who might be, please call
Spring Cleaning?
We want your jewelry!
In an attempt to avoid a Jack Frost Bazaar all-nighter
in November, we are asking that jewelry be donated
earlier in the year. So as you are spring cleaning, and
you come across any jewelry you are ready to “move
along,” please label it for the Jack Frost Bazaar, and
leave it in the church office.
Thanks so much! Jeanette Woodworth
Tidings March 2011
8
Church youth collect canned goods
on “Soup-er Bowl” Sunday.
New Acting Director of Religious Educa-
tion and Youth Ministry, Amy Agles,
prepares to update the bulletin board.
Sue Basham fills in for church secretary
Judy Snitkin, who was not feeling well on
this day.
Tidings March 2011
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Niantic Community Church 170 Pennsylvania Avenue Niantic, CT 06357