August 2018 · 4 ozs. unsweetened chocolate 1 can evaporated milk Fill the lower pot of a double...
Transcript of August 2018 · 4 ozs. unsweetened chocolate 1 can evaporated milk Fill the lower pot of a double...
August 2018
Middlebury Congregational Church United Church of Christ
The Green 1242 Whittemore Rd. Middlebury CT 06762
203-758-2671 www.middleburyucc.org
FROM THE PASTOR
Based on the weather of late, it seems summer has most definitely
arrived. I have been enjoying the opportunity to walk on the
greenway, and now that things have slowed down a bit at church, I
have been making a dent in the pile of books I want to read but
have not had time to read.
I just finished the book Everything Happens for a Reason and
Other Lies I’ve Loved by Duke Divinity School professor, Kate
Bowler. Bowler is a scholar of the prosperity gospel movement (in
a nutshell they believe that good things happening mean God’s
favor and bad things happening means God’s disapproval), and the
book is a memoir of her life once she is diagnosed with stage 4
colon cancer at age 35. It is a beautiful, moving, and sometimes
quite funny read. I certainly recommend it.
While I thought the entire book was wonderful, I think the best
part might actually be the appendices. There, Bowler includes a list
of helpful and unhelpful things to say or do when someone is
experiencing something terrible. Many of us have a hard time
knowing what to do or say when a loved one is very sick or
experiencing a terrible loss, and sometimes, in trying to make
things better, we can inadvertently be entirely unhelpful. So, in
case you do not end up reading the book, I am going to go through
some of the things on Bowler’s list because odds are we are going
to face situations where knowing these things will be useful. Plus,
one of our roles as church is to help each other bear burdens, so
hopefully some of these will help us do that better. (This is not
particularly summer-y, but it is useful.)
Things not to say:
1) “Well, at least…” (e.g. “at least you have a beautiful
family”)
Good things do not cancel out the awful things. Do not
minimize when people are going through something awful.
2) “God needed an angel”
This one personally drives me nuts. It is not even how
angels work. The traditional teaching of the church is that
angels and humans are totally different species that were
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FROM THE PASTOR continued . . .
created separately for separate purposes. We do not turn
into angels when we die; just like we do not become
goldfish upon death. We simply go to heaven as human
beings. Plus, I do not believe the Lord is offing people to
fill angelic position vacancies in heaven. That seems
theologically problematic.
3) “Everything happens for a reason”
If you are in the midst of tragedy, you do not want someone
to give you their theories as to why this terrible thing has
happened.
4) “When God closes a door he opens a window” (My
addition)
This just does not even make sense if you think about it.
Doors are not the same as windows, and what good is a
window anyway if you actually needed a door? Also, I do
not believe God is actively willing our tragedies to just give
us different opportunities in life.
Things to do:
1) Offer to bring food or bring a gift
As a church, we seem to have the bringing food angle
down.
2) Acknowledge that the terrible thing someone is going
through is actually terrible and difficult
3) Silence
Sometimes the best thing to say is to say nothing at all. You
can listen and offer companionship, and usually that is way
more valuable than anything that could be said. If you want
a biblical example, in the beginning of the book of Job,
when Job first experiences tragedy, Job’s friends go to see
him. The text says: “They sat with him on the ground for
seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to
him, for they say that his suffering was very great.” (After
that, the friends make things worse and start trying to give
Job reasons for his suffering, but at the beginning they do
exactly the right thing.)
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FROM THE PASTOR continued . . .
There are more things that Bowler mentions, but really those
things, and pretty much every good way of supporting people, all
boil down to letting people going through something terrible feel
what they feel without trying to explain it away or minimize it. As
the apostle Paul says in Romans 12:15 “rejoice with those who
rejoice, weep with those who weep.”
Now, now I certainly hope your summers have more rejoicing than
weeping, but when those times for weeping come these things can
be a good starting place.
Peace,
Katrina Manzi
Minister
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The Sunday School Scoop
Vacation Bible School preparations have kept us all quite busy this
summer! You will soon see the church transform as we decorate
many rooms to follow our theme, Rolling River Rampage. Despite
the need to postpone the week, we have had a steady registration
and hope to get a few more before the deadline. We can’t wait to
“experience the ride of a lifetime with God!”.
A big thank you to everyone who has donated supplies for VBS
this year. Our program would not be able to run without your
support! A final wish list is included in Church Life. We are also
looking to borrow items related to the theme such as life jackets,
oars, and camping equipment. If you have something you’re
willing to let us borrow, please put your name on it and drop it off
by Saturday, August 4. Items can be picked up after 12:30 pm on
Friday, August 10.
We are also busy planning for our upcoming Sunday School year.
Classes will officially begin on Sunday, September 16. I’ll reach
out to teachers at the end of August to begin our schedule for the
fall. If you’re interested in adding your name to our list of
teachers, please let me know.
Happy Summer!
Valerie
THE CHARLES P. LUCKEY SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The Charles P. Luckey Scholarship Committee is pleased to award
scholarships to the following students from Middlebury
Congregational Church:
Sarah Kwashnak
Gregory Pelletier
Brittany Romaniello
Megan Romaniello
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Bible Study
Starting after Homecoming (September 9th), Pastor
Katrina will be hosting a bible study on the 1st and 3rd
Wednesday of each month at 7pm. (This will be like
Soup and Scripture from this past Lent except without
the soup. Soup will likely make a return in Lent, so fear
not.) If you have ideas for scripture or topics you’d be
interested in discussing, please email Katrina at
In most churches, the summer months are quieter, with fewer
activities and meetings. But behind the scenes, your church staff
and leadership are doing important planning for the coming year.
As part of your Music Ministry team, I’ll be doing preliminary
music planning for fall, winter and even spring. A big part of that
is selecting choral music for our choral anthem each week. But I’ll
have some feedback from the choir to help me.
Our choir took part in an interesting exercise on the first Sunday in
June. Each person at rehearsal was given a list of all our anthems
since November (when David and I joined your church staff). They
were asked to add comments and particularly indicate which pieces
they’d like to repeat during the coming year.
The responses were quite interesting. There was a great deal of
consensus among the 15 people present. I was surprised to see the
same favorites over and over on choir members’ lists.
But after a bit of reflection, my surprise faded and my appreciation
for our choir members increased. We have a group of very
different individuals, but they, as a group, always seem to sense
when we’ve “hit the mark” and have sung exceptional praise.
And I’m reminded again that choirs are such excellent models for
church life. We have a group of different ages, abilities, attitudes
and tastes. But when we work together to a common purpose, we
know we can create something extraordinary to the glory of God.
Blessings,
Donna Obarowski
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The Deacons' Bench
“Happiness, not in another place but this place… not for another
hour, but this hour.” – Walt Whitman
For many of us summer is a time of happy memories. Whether it’s
in your own backyard or places far from home, time to spend our
days as we choose is always the hidden gift!
As a child, there were endless opportunities to explore. It always
seemed a little more carefree when we had longer days to spread
around a little adventure. We’d wade in the river by the house just
for the sheer joy of feeling the cool waters swirl around our
barefeet. There were baseball games in the backyard, popsicles to
eat, bicycles to ride, foods to grill, fireflies to catch, and trips to the
lake to delight in.
This summer we made some sweet memories of our own right here
on The Green. The return of our “Sundaes on Sundays” fellowship
provided us plenty of time to relax, catch up, and spread a little
happiness with whipped cream and a cherry on top. So many of
you have asked for the home made sauce recipes we used so I am
including them below:
This is my grandmother’s Hot Fudge Sauce recipe:
Grandma B.’s Hot Fudge Sauce
½ cup butter
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
4 ozs. unsweetened chocolate
1 can evaporated milk
Fill the lower pot of a double boiler half way and bring to a boil.
Melt chocolate, butter, and salt together in upper pot. Add the
sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition.
Gradually add the evaporated milk, a little at a time and continue
stirring until well mixed. Serve hot over ice cream. Extra sauce
maybe stored in refrigerator and reheated in microwave.
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The Deacons' Bench continued . . .
Here is Erika’s world-renowned salted caramel sauce:
Erika’s Salted Caramel Sauce
2 cups granulated sugar
12 Tablespoons room temperature butter-
cut into cubes
1 cup heavy cream- room temperature
1 tsp flaky sea salt
Heat sugar in large and tall saucepan, stirring frequently, until
sugar is completely melted and reaches 350* on your candy
thermometer. Be careful, this is as hot as lava.
It will be completely melted and golden brown.
Remove from heat and add butter cubes. It will bubble up high
along the sides of the pan, be careful!
Add the cream very slowly and stir constantly until combined.
Add salt.
Pour into jars.
Good luck!
Take a little time this summer to make some happiness in your
own places wherever they are. With a nod to one of my favorite
troubadours, Van Morrison, “Smell the sea and feel the sky, let
your soul and spirit fly!”
On behalf of the MCC Board of Deacons,
Ellen Aronheim
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From the Mission Board
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BACKPACKS FOR
EDUCATION Again this year, we will be collecting much
needed backpacks and school supplies, for
Wellmore Behavioral Health in Waterbury.
Below is a list of items needed.
Children UNDER 7 Children OVER 7
Backpacks Backpacks
Paper #2 Pencils and erasers
#2 Pencils and erasers Pencil sharpeners
Pencil sharpeners Pencil boxes or pouches
Pencil boxes or pouches Pens (red, black, blue)
Crayons Heavy Duty 3 ring binders
Rulers Paper
Child Safe Scissors Spiral Notebooks
Glue sticks Assignment pads/Planners
Pencil sharpeners Index cards
Washable markers Calculators
Composition Book Rulers
Pocket Folders (with prongs) Pocket Folders (with prongs)
Pocket Folders (without prongs) Pocket Folders (without prongs)
Tissues Tissues
Dry Erase Markers (black & colors) Dry Erase Markers (black &
colors)
Paper Clips
All items must be brought to the church by 9:30 am Wednesday,
August 8th.
Upcoming Dates in SEPTEMBER to Remember!
Sunday Service @ 10:00 resumes - 2nd
HOMECOMING SUNDAY - 9th
Sunday School Begins - 16th
Bible Study - 19th
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CHURCH RECORDS
DEATHS
Betty (Soule) Thelin on October 15, 2017
Marion Makepeace on June 1st.
The Deadline for
September Church Life:
August 15th @ 9:00 a.m.
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Hollywood called, they are looking for you!!
It’s the return of the MCC Talent Show-opening at a theater near you.
So, dust off your unicycle, tune your ukulele, practice your piano or untangle your tutu...there’s a place for you on our stage!
When: October 20, 2018 Where: MCC Social Hall
We know that our church family is a wealth of some conspicuous and many concealed talents. Now is the time to showcase them all. We need YOU to put your best foot forward (even if they’re both left feet)...so we can celebrate the joy and wealth of talent that is ours!
We’ll have more information on sign-ups, practice times and event information at our Homecoming picnic on September 9, 2018. You can also call the church office at 203-758-2671 or Ellen Aronheim at 203-758-9676.
We can’t wait to share the stage with you this October !!
Join the MCC Book Group
August 23rd at 7:00 pm
In the Parlor or weather permitting on the Green
August’s Book:
Color Me
August 2018
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
1
5:30 Prayer Group
7:00 AA
2 10:30 AA
7:00 Boy Scouts
7:30 AA
3
4 10:30 AA
5 10:00 Worship @
St. George’s
Final VBS Set-up
6 9:00 – 12:15
Vacation Bible School
7 9:00 – 12:15
Vacation Bible School
12:00 AA
7:00 Yoga
7:30 AA
8 9:00 – 12:15
Vacation Bible School
5:30 Prayer Group
7:00 AA
9 9:00 – 12:15
Vacation Bible School
10:30 AA
7:00 Boy Scouts
7:30 AA
10 9:00 – 12:15
Vacation Bible School
11 10:30 AA
12 10:00 Worship @
St. George’s
13
14
12:00 AA
7:00 Trustees
7:00 Yoga
7:30 AA
15
5:30 Prayer Group
7:00 AA
16 10:30 AA
7:00 Boy Scouts
7:30 AA
17
18 10:30 AA
19 10:00 Worship @
St. George’s
20 Reg. Office Hours Resume
9:00 – 3:00
21 12:00 AA
7:00 Yoga
7:30 AA
22
5:30 Prayer Group
7:00 AA
23 10:30 AA
7:00 Boy Scouts
7:30 AA
24 11:00 Memorial Svc.
Marion Makepeace
25 10:30 AA
26 10:00 Worship @
St. George’s
27
28
12:00 AA
5:30 Mission Brd.
6:30 Church Council
7:00 Yoga
7:30 AA
29
5:30 Prayer Group
7:00 AA
3- 10:30 AA
7:00 Boy Scouts
7:30 AA
31