I don’t make bets, but if I did, I would

bet that one question will be asked more

than any other on Welcome Sunday.

“How was your summer?” This is

always a popular question when we see

each other again after summer has

separated us for a week or a couple of

months. Of course, by the time we ask

the question, the most appropriate

answer could be, “it is over.” Once

September arrives, along with its flurry

of activities, it can be hard to remember

if there ever were any lazy days of

summer. And, I know as well as you do

that the arrival of the Messenger from

Second Church is just one more sign that

summer is indeed over.

“How was your summer,” is also a safe

question, because everyone had a

summer, even if summer is their busiest

time at work and they never actually got

a vacation. It is a bit riskier to ask

someone, “how was your vacation?”

Although, if you didn’t know, that is the

question that people want to have

answered. No one actually wants to hear

how your work went in the summer!

So, my vacation was wonderful! It was

wonderful to be away with my family,

which included my mother, and that is a

great blessing for me! We were

tremendously blessed to travel on an

extraordinary trip to the Mediterranean,

and see places that we have never seen

before! What was my favorite place,

you ask? I loved Naples. We all loved

Naples. In one day, we toured Pompeii

and traversed the Amalfi Coast, perching

high on the cliff of Positano for an

unforgettable lunch overlooking the

gorgeous blue waters of the sea. It was

unbelievable. Really. But one of my

very favorite parts of Naples was Gianni.

Gianni (like Johnny, but with an Italian

flair) was our guide. And he was a very

good guide. He could tell us all about

Naples, and could navigate those

dangerous cliff roads such that we barely

noticed quite how treacherous they were!

Gianni was fun and funny. His smile

could charm anyone. He teased the kids,

and I mean that in the very best way

possible. He was their buddy. He

chatted about his studies and we even

talked about politics, theirs and ours!

And while Gianni was very informative,

and he certainly could be a big kid, what

was most endearing was that he could

speak so honestly and tenderly about his

life, including the death of his older

brother when he was just 18, a decade

ago.

A few minutes after meeting Gianni, we

had become fast friends. And there is

nothing like visiting your friends in a

foreign country, right? So, one of the

reasons we loved Naples so much, and

we all agreed that it was our favorite stop

(all of us, can you imagine!), was

Gianni. He allowed us to see the place

he loved through his eyes, just as he

allowed us to know the brother he lost

through his heart. We loved Naples

because Gianni loved his home, not that

he saw it through rose-colored glasses,

but particularly because he didn’t.

continued on page 2

The Reverend Laura A. Gronberg, Pastor

A Letter from our Pastor

Inside this issue:

Fall, 2012

The MessengerThe Messenger

Church Council 2

Welcome Sunday 3

Treasurer 3

Widening the Welcome 4

Trustees 6

Membership 7

Sunday School Registration 7

Stewardship 8

Music 8

CGT 8

Sunday School 9

LCS 10

Women’s Bible Study 10

ONA 11

Youth Group Activities 11

Welcome back to a new Church

Year! The Church Council has been

meeting during the summer in

preparation for coming events. The

Church Calendar for the year was

created at Council’s meeting on June

12th. It may be found on the Church

Website. We have a very exciting

year ahead of us.

I want to thank the Personnel

Committee for their work in

rewriting the Church Employee

Review Process. Many hours were

put into this project. Church

employees will now receive formal

feedback regarding their work on

behalf of the Church during their

annual review. The process includes

the reviews of the Youth Director,

Sunday School Superintendent,

Secretary, Sexton, Organist, Director

of Music and Communications

Coordinator and will include input

from appropriate committees. The

Council approved the process and the

Employee Review Form at its

meeting on August 14th.

The Church Council recognizes the

need to re-evaluate our By-Laws.

They were adopted May 25, 1982 and

have been amended fourteen times.

Sections of the by-laws are

ambiguous and have areas with

conflicting directions. The Council

plans to convene a committee to

evaluate by-law models and present

to Council objectives for new or

revised by-laws. If you are interested

in serving on this committee please

contact me for more information. To

assist us in our evaluations, I will be

attending a full day workshop on

“Discipleship: A Model of Church

for the 21st Century” in Franklin on

October 27th.

On September 23rd, following our

church service, a meeting will be held

to update the congregation on the

“Widening the Welcome” Capital

Campaign projects. Following

church on October 14th, a Special

Congregational Meeting will be

held for votes on line-items not

previously approved.

The Church Council has a position to

fill on the Nominating Committee.

Please call or email me if you are

interested.

Bob Was, Moderator

(978) 887-5660

Moderator@secondchurchboxford.org

Council

PAGE 2 THE MESSENGER

We often speak of Second Church as

a home. Welcome Sunday has a kind

of homecoming feel, too! Wouldn’t

it be wonderful to welcome a friend

to tour your home, your church

home, just like Gianni did for us with

the Italian countryside! You could

even choose friends you’ve just met!

Can you imagine what a gift it would

be if you introduce them to this place

that you love, and allow your friends

to get to know our church through

your eyes? There is no view which is

better, than seeing a place through

the eyes of someone who loves it!

You could be informative, telling

your guests where the bathrooms are

(and warning them that they are kind

of creepy), and you could be like a

big kid sharing that yes, the

Children’s Message is your favorite

part of worship, and you could even

be honest and tender, sharing how

you really love this church for the

love it shows at the hardest moments

of your life. If you dare to share this

with one friend, imagine how many

people will come to love this place,

because you have allowed them to

see it though your eyes, and know it

through your heart.

And we promise, they will feel right

at home, because we’ll probably ask

them, “How was your summer?”

And they will know we already treat

them like part of the family!

In faith,

Laura

A letter from our pastor

continued

Total Contributions through 8/31/2012 $146,621

Loose Plate 5,098

Other Income 27,015

Total Income: $178,734

Total Expense ($207,053)

Net Income / Expense ($28,319)

Jean Bruns sent out combined Annual Pledge and Capital Campaign Statements at the end of June. If

you did not receive a statement and felt you should, please email Jean Bruns at jeanbbruns@gmail.com.

If you have any questions or concerns about the church’s finances, I am usually in the office on Tuesdays

or you can email me at: treasurer@secondchurchboxford.org.

Our assistant treasurer asks that you please write separate checks for pledges and capital fund payments. There can be

confusion when two payments are made in one check.

Welcome Sunday, September 9, 2012

Treasurer

to supporting the needs of our brothers and sisters in our

neighborhood and around the world, we are also

COLLECTING BACKPACKS ON WELCOME

SUNDAY. Bring a new or gently used backpack and we

will distribute them to Community Giving Tree and

Centro Buen Pastor in the Dominican Republic. Share

widely the gifts of God.

Worship commences at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary and is

followed by great food and fellowship on the front lawn

with even more special “WELCOME SUNDAY”

activities! Learn about all our committees and support

organizations. At “Welcome Sunday” we also commence

our rich and stimulating youth education programs for all

ages from pre-K to High School. Also, our youth group

programs will soon schedule their hugely popular

activities, retreats and mission trips.

Remember to BRING YOUR BACKPACKS and

include your entire family in Second Church’s warm and

welcoming Christian educational programs.

Alan Benson, Diaconate

The summer has flown by

and it’s time to kick off the

Church year with

enthusiasm and renewed

commitment to worship! It

is also back to school time

for our children. We’ll

soon see students eagerly

waiting for the morning

school bus, laden down by

backpacks full of

knowledge and notebooks and new pens and pencils. On

Welcome Sunday we invite all students to attend morning

worship with your families and BRING YOUR

BACKPACKS. During worship, children will be asked

to come forward with their school backpacks, a symbol of

the learning and growing they will do this year, and the

entire congregation will bless and honor the hard work

and industry of our students as they take a new step in

their journey of lifelong learning.

There’s more! An opportunity for the entire

congregation to participate! As a church family dedicated

PAGE 3 THE MESSENGER

Widening the Welcome-Transition Team

THE MESSENGER

We are only months into our three year Widening the

Welcome capital stewardship campaign and already much

has been accomplished. Contributions of nearly

$282,000, representing more than 40% of the amount

pledged, have been received. Architectural drawings for

the lift addition have been obtained. The Park House roof

replacement and chimney repairs have been completed.

The broken steeple railing has been removed. Our

consultant fee and campaign expenses have been paid.

After paying all those expenses and some monthly

mortgage principal payments, we have campaign funds

available of more than $187,000. Thank you to all who

have contributed to date and worked on the capital

campaign projects.

What do we do next? Do we use all funds now available

to pay our mortgage debt and save the monthly interest

that we now pay? If we want to construct the lift addition

next summer when the use of the church building is

minimal, do we save the funds now available to make

sure that we can pay construction bills when due? Should

we pay the mortgage now but obtain a bank line of credit

to cover lift addition expenses due before sufficient

contributions are received? These are questions that the

Trustees have been dealing with in past weeks.

It has been difficult for the Trustees to establish a

timetable for paying our debt and completing approved

projects because of uncertainty when pledges will be paid.

Some contributors are paying their pledges monthly or

weekly as their sacrifices make funds available.

However, other contributors indicated that they would

pay in annual installments or from accumulated funds. If

those contributions are made sooner (for example, near

the beginning of each payment year rather than at the end

of that year), we can complete projects sooner. If you

have flexibility in the timing of paying your pledge,

please consider early payment.

On September 23, following worship, an informational

meeting will be held at which the Trustees will present

their proposed timetable for the debt repayment and

capital campaign projects that we have already approved.

Please plan to attend. No formal votes are planned for

that meeting. However, a congregational meeting is

scheduled for October 14, following worship, to vote on

any matter, such as taking out a line of credit, which

requires the approval of the members of the Church.

PAGE 4

As of July 31, 2012, the financial status of the capital

campaign is as follows:

Pledges made: $696,979*

(*This number is $5,000 lower than reported in the spring

Messenger in order to correct a reporting error)

Receipts:

Loans Forgiven $ 26,396

Expenses Donated 10,346

Contributions in 2012 245,249

Total Receipts $281,991

Expenditures:

Debt reduction (loans forgiven) $26,396

Campaign expenses donated

(including 2011) 10,346

Campaign expenses paid 2,938

Consultant fee 29,500

Lift project 7,356

Park House roof 15,564

Steeple project 800

Mortgage principal 1,993

Total Expenditures $ 94,893

Available Funds: $187,098

Your continuing support of Widening the Welcome is

greatly appreciated. For questions or comments about the

capital campaign, please see Sharon Glass or Bob Yeaton.

Widening the Welcome……. PAGE 5 THE MESSENGER

Steeple Railing Repair, thanks Dennis!

The Park House gets a new roof!

Summer Worship

PAGE 6 THE MESSENGER

Trustees

roof and repaired/rebuilt the two chimneys. The

work includes a 25 year warranty from the shingle

manufacturer. The cost for this project including the

building permit was a little over $15,000.

Steeple Railings and Finials:

A crane and crane operator was needed for half a day

($800) to allow Dennis Kent and Barc Beahm to

remove the remains (a safety hazard) of the steeple

railing. They were also able to take measurements

necessary to build a replacement for the railing.

Wayne Graham is reviewing their measurements with

the hope of building a replacement using tubular

aluminum. The aluminum will be powder-coat

painted white for a significantly more permanent and

maintenance free replacement solution. This is an

ongoing project; however the safety hazard has been

eliminated.

The Trustees expect to discuss the status of additional

Capital Campaign Projects with the congregation at a

series of meetings during the early fall of this year.

III. OTHER PROJECTS OF NOTE:

While there were many smaller projects during the

summer including the completion of a Church-wide

generator project (watch- no more power failures),

plans to pressure wash the exterior of the Park House,

and one worthy of note just happened before this

article was due to go to press. Our apologies to the

Bissell family and particularly to Janelle and her

husband Jordan, for the failure of the bell rope as

they attempted to ring the “wedding” bell after their

marriage. Could not have happened at a worse time,

but rest assured it will be replaced before Welcome

Sunday.

Board of Trustees:Barc Beahm, David Benson, Sharon

Glass, Dennis Kent, Maureen Miller, Rick Pierce, Jeff Rice

Summer Projects Update

I. COMPLIANCE PROJECTS:

As a public building (Sanctuary, Parish Hall &

Classrooms), Second Church is required under the

Massachusetts State Building Code to have periodic

safety inspections for the purpose of receiving a

Certificate of Compliance. Based on a review by the

Boxford Building Inspector and the Boxford Fire

Department the following mandatory projects are being

completed over the summer months:

Calculation of Church Occupancy & Egress Capacity:

David Stuhlsatz of Royal Barry Wills Associates, Inc. has

calculated the egress seating capacity for the Sanctuary to

be a total of 345 persons (300 for the main level and 45

for the balcony level). Standard occupancy formulas

result in a slightly greater number of persons (353),

however the size of the egress (the swinging doors for

each isle at rear of Sanctuary) result in a reduction to a

total of 345 persons.

Parish Hall Stove Hood & Duct Cleaning:

ASAP Fire & Safety Corp. has cleaned and inspected the

Parish Hall stove hood and duct. The inspection was

conducted in accordance with state and federal fire codes

governing each service and ASAP has provided a

compliance sticker to be placed on the hood for the Fire

Dept. to witness.

Emergency Lighting & Lighted Exit Signs:

A total of 19 new emergency lights and lighted exit signs

have been installed and hard-wired in the Sanctuary and

Parish Hall.

Second Church Fire Protection Report:

Prescott Smith of SOS Security Systems has agreed to

provide an inspection report of condition and listing of all

Church building fire protection devices. The work will

include the replacement of all smoke detectors over 10

years old (estimated to be 10). SOS will also provide a

NFPA approved report detailing system recommendations

per NFPA Code.

II. CAPITAL CAMPAIGN PROJECTS:

Park House Roof & Chimney Repair:

Olympic Roofing (Topsfield) has replaced the Park House

THE MESSENGER PAGE 7

Register for 2012-2013

Sunday School

Register now! Registration

forms are available on our

website. Hard copies of

registration forms are

available in the church office

or see Tina de la Cruz, Sunday

School Superintendent!

Perhaps you have been wondering if it is time for you to

affirm your relationship with God and with Second

Church by exploring membership. Whether you have

been coming for months or for years, this is a good time

to consider joining! When you are ready to explore

membership, we invite you to participate in our

membership gatherings, held in the fall and in the spring,

which provide an overview of our church's beliefs and

ministries. The gatherings provide an important

opportunity to begin to creating relationships with others

who are considering membership. These gatherings will

take place on October 11th and 18th at 7pm at the home of

Fred and Laura Gronberg. The next new member joining

will take place on October 28th in worship. Please call or

e-mail the church office for more information or to

RSVP.

Exploring Membership

At Second Church, we are blessed to have members and

non-members, known here as friends, participate in the

life of the church. All are invited to attend worship

services, participate in our many adult, youth and

children's educational opportunities, and join in our

fellowship and service activities.

People carry memberships to the Museum of Science or

to a local gym, to the Bar Association or to WGBH. We

are members of our alumni association and our PTO.

Some of these are places of which we asked to be a part,

and others are organizations for which we paid to be a

part, and still others managed to put us on their

membership rolls without us even knowing we wanted or

needed to be! Memberships in these different

organizations carry a variety of benefits and

responsibilities.

Membership in a church is different than these other

memberships, though. The church is the body of Christ in

the world, therefore being a member of a church affirms

your claim to be a part of the body of Christ, and

celebrates your relationship as a child of God.

Membership in a church is less about benefits and

responsibilities, and more about a covenant relationship

of loyalty and commitment. At our church we affirm that

every time new members join our church, we become

wholly and holy new body of Christ. We all grow when

individual members join, and we commit to growing in

faith together!

THE MESSENGER PAGE 8

Save the Date, October 28, 2012 Ministry Expo

The Board of Christian Stewardship is planning a

Ministry Expo after worship on October 28th as a

culmination of this year’s Stewardship appeal.

The purpose of the Expo is to showcase the future plans

and visions of the various ministries of the congregation.

The format will be much like that of a trade show, with 6

or 7 stations in various parts of the church. Groups of 10

-15 people will visit each station along with a tour guide

from Stewardship, to view a short presentation at each

stop. Let’s learn about and celebrate the wonderful

ministries of our congregation! We will wrap up the expo

with a festive coffee hour hosted by Stewardship.

We look forward to sharing the details of this year’s

appeal over the next several weeks, but in the mean time,

save the date for our Ministry Expo!

Board of Christian Stewardship

Music will be booming this fall at Second

Church!

First, Junior choir will now meet on

Saturdays. Parents and I will collaborate

on the best time of day. Second, we

would like to start a church

band. Several people have expressed

interest in this activity, so if you would

like to join, please contact Sandi Nason at 978-771-

2217. Our student leader will be Taylor

Hussey. Students are welcome. This is not just an adult

group.

Senior choir will still meet Thursday nights at 7:30 pm

and would be delighted to welcome new voices. Bell

choir will continue on Sunday mornings at

8:45 am. Consider adding your talents to our many

musical groups this fall.

Sandi Nason, Music Director

Community Giving Tree’s mission is to

provide gently used clothing, baby

equipment and new necessities such as

school supplies and toiletries to low income

children in Essex County.

VolunTEENs Rock!

Over the summer, Community Giving Tree ran smoothly

thanks to over 40 teens who volunteered to make sure

kids had plenty of play clothes, moms had strollers, and

new babies had a safe crib to sleep in.

Camps that Care

These summer camps sponsored collections of

backpacks, supplies, and funds to support our back to

school program. Hundreds of children are now prepared

to attend school thanks to their generosity.

Brooks School Day Camp

Camp Menorah

Ipswich River Day Camp

Masconomet Cheer Camp

Boxford Parks Program

Middleton Recreation Department

First Church Boxford Vacation Bible School

Community Giving Tree

Stewardship Music

Thank you to the local libraries for collecting items and

Five Below in Danvers for supporting our program.

Saturday Donation Drop Off 9am-12pm

September 15, October 13, November 17

We will gladly accept your donations of baby equipment

and children’s clothing on one Saturday a month in

addition to our regular weekly drop off on Tuesdays,

Wednesdays, and Thursdays 9am-12pm. Volunteer on a

Saturday as a family, or drop your teen at 9am to

participate in community service.

Never Volunteered? Come to the Volunteer Information

session Wednesday, September 26, 9:30-10:30 am at

Community Giving Tree and learn how you can get

involved in our growing mission.

The Toy Fair is coming November 3rd!

Fantastic bargains on gently used toys on Saturday,

November 3rd from 9am-1pm. Perfect timing for the

holidays. Toy Collection, Saturday, October 27, 9am-

noon at Topsfield Fairgrounds or CGT.

Sunday, October 28, 1pm-4pm at Topsfield Fairgrounds

All proceeds benefit CGT’s programs!

Additionally, on Welcome Sunday,

Reverend Laura will hold a Blessing

of the Backpacks. All school-aged

children are encouraged to bring their

backpacks with them so that they

may be blessed for the new school

year. Families may also bring gently

used or new backpacks to donate to

other children who need them. It

should be fun to see the backpacks in

all different styles and colors piled

together as we celebrate the start of

school and pray for a successful year.

The following Sunday, September

16th, Christian Education will be

hosting a Sunday School Open House

to show the newly re-done classroom

spaces of the Park House and talk

about our future plans for updating

the classrooms, and discuss our

curriculum plans for the year. All are

welcome to stop by and ask us any

questions about how CE works at

Second Church and what makes up

our Sunday School Program.

Third Graders can look forward to

getting their Bibles (October 14th)

and joining in the Bible Basics class

this fall (October 15th, 22nd, and 29th)

and Fourth Graders will be invited to

join the Joyful Feast Program starting

in February.

Sunday School Registration has now

begun. There is a link to the

documents that need to be filled out

for each child on the church website.

You can stop by the Church Office or

see meet once Sunday School begins

to get a hard copy. All children,

infant – high school, who will

participate in Sunday School need to

be registered. Contact me if you

have any questions or concerns.

I hope you will join me in getting

excited for this upcoming school

year. So much has been planned and

It is so exciting to start up a new

school year! When the nights start to

turn cooler and there is a crisp breeze

in the air, I can’t help but get excited

about pencils, bulletin boards, and

lesson plans. I know not everyone

would agree with me, but as someone

who always knew I wanted to be a

teacher, the month of September

kicks off my favorite time of year!

This year, I get even more September

excitement with the start of a new

Sunday School year. Summer

Worship in the garden is wonderful,

but there is something special about

the first few Sundays in September

when the Sanctuary is abuzz with

children laughing, toddlers escaping

their pews to walk up and down the

aisles, and crayons scribbling over

the Children’s Bulletins in each pew.

Welcome Sunday is September 9th

and it will be a very exciting day!

Sunday School starts and all the kids

will get to move up to their new

grades. Pre-K through 2nd grade will

be following the Lectionary and

learning the same stories as the adults

in worship through crafts, song and

dance, and story-telling. Workshop

Rotation will be starting a study of

people from the Old Testament

including Deborah, Jonah, Isaiah, and

others while also talking about Psalm

23 and connecting the Psalm to the

bible stories they will be learning.

The Middle School will start off the

year in their new classroom space, a

much needed place of their own, and

they, along with High School, will

have new opportunities in Youth

Group led by Betsey and other peer

and adult leaders. Nursery will also

start on the 9th and continue every

Sunday throughout the school year so

that parents can come and worship

knowing that their infants and

toddlers will be well cared for.

Sunday School PAGE 9 THE MESSENGER

so many plans continue to be made to

make this a wonderful year! If you

are interested in volunteering to help

our Sunday School program as a

teacher or assistant at any time during

the year, please let me know. We are

always looking for more leaders for

our children.

Tina de la Cruz

Sunday School Superintendent

Mum Sale Welcome Sunday

September 9, 2012

Following Worship

Proceeds to

benefit the youth

mission trip

next summer, 2013.

1/$6.50

3/$18.00

Thank-you to Mr. Paisley of

Paisley’s Farm for supplying us the mums at a

wholesale price!

Ladies Charitable Society would

like to welcome any newcomers to

our group and let you know that

we have some interesting

prospective programs for the

congregation.

The Apple Festival will be soon

upon us and the pie making will

occur on September 14th. It is an

all day affair in the Parish Hall.

October 10th will be a 2:00

pm meeting in the Park House sun

room followed by a visit to

Windrush Farm at 4:00 pm to

observe a therapy session .

A Message from Women’s Bible

Study member Nancy Taylor:

I joined Women's Bible Study almost

1 year ago for a number of reasons. I

was finally retired so I had

Wednesday mornings free, and I

wanted to get to know the women

who participated in WBS in a light

different from the usual church

"business" meetings we all attend. In

addition, I was hoping to broaden my

knowledge and explore new views in

order to enlighten my faith journey. I

am so thankful that I made this move.

I have not only discovered a group of

faith inspired women, but have also

enriched and expanded my religious

beliefs beyond anything I ever

imagined.

The study this past year has been

DVD driven. A myriad of religious

concepts and thoughts are shared by

leading religious authorities via

video. Based on and around scripture,

these ordained and lay leaders

share their spiritual journeys and

stories often focusing on how we are

called to lead our lives in a Christ-

like way today. The discussions that

follow are somewhat facilitated

though full group participation in all

aspects of co-discovery is the

norm. The group is not always in

agreement; the discussions are

always thought provoking. Each

individual is encouraged to analyze

and incorporate ideas and tenets into

their own personal faith based

journey. WBS meets Wednesday

mornings in each other's homes from

9:30am to 11:30am. Attendance at

every meeting is helpful in the

l ea rn ing/d i scuss ion p roces s .

However, we realize that that is not

a l w a y s p o s s i b l e . E a c h

week's study can stand alone.

WBS will be announcing a get

together opportunity after church

early this fall to explore aspects of

this ministry with you. We look

forward to greeting you and hope

that you will be as excited as we are

to start this new church year

of exploration and discovery. We will

make the announcement of that

get-together via our church bulletins,

enews, word-of-mouth, etc. ~ or call

us....

WBS members include:

Eveyln Barden, Winifred Bowersox,

Madeline Celletti, Marge Hildebrand,

Liz Kretsch, Leslie Levenson,

Maureen Miller, Betty Obernesser,

Nancy Taylor, Dolo Tighe and Susan

Young.

"Meeting together, working

together, learning and

laughing together, the women

of Ladies Charitable make a

difference in our community

and world as we reach out to

serve those in need while

helping to ensure that our

faith and church remain a

vital force in our time."

Mission Statement March 2006

Ladies Charitable Society

PAGE 10 THE MESSENGER

Women’s Bible Study

November 7th will be a 10:00 am

session of crafts for all interested

members, and Stone Soup lunch at

noon, (bring a contribution for the

Stone soup pot), at the Park House.

On Friday, November 30th, cookie

preparation and setup for the

Boutique will be all day at the Parish

Hall. The Boutique is on Saturday,

December 1st.

Sunday, September 9: Welcome Sunday Mum Sale

immediately following worship. Help sell mums and

carry them to cars.

Sunday, September 23, 11:30am: Worship planning.

Help plan for the worship service for the following

Sunday based on our mission experiences in Cherryfield.

Sunday, September 30: Mission Trip Worship Service:

Mission Team should be there by 9:00am.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MISSION TRIP: September 15-

16. We will be working with the City Mission Society of

Boston. We leave early Saturday morning to assist with a

community meal at the Pilgrim Church in the Uphams

Corner section of Dorchester. After, we will have another

outreach project before heading to Wollaston

Congregational Church in Quincy where we will cook

dinner and host guest speakers. We will sleep in

Wollaston and worship with their congregation. Please

see the Middle School Mission packet for more

information.

Open and Affirming

PAGE 11 THE MESSENGER

“Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors”

The Open and Affirming Committee is enthusiastically

and thoughtfully responding to the charge we were given

by Council a year ago – “to educate the congregation on

what Open and Affirming means, and how it relates to our

church community.” As we continue our own prayerful

reflection and education, we have introduced the subject

to our congregation through our Joys, Concerns,

Questions and Suggestions boxes and feedback forms, a

worship witness, and our June 3rd Fellowship hosting.

We have met regularly over the summer to review your

feedback, plan congregational events, and discuss a

variety of educational and spiritual resources. At this

point, we plan on hosting a light supper/screening/

facilitated discussion on the film Anyone and Everyone

on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24. Further details will be provided

through E-News and the Bulletin. In the meantime,

please check out our church website at

www.secondchurchboxford.org and follow the Open and

Affirming link. If you have any joys, concerns, questions

or suggestions as we continue on this journey together,

please don’t hesitate to fill out a (or another) response

form and deposit in one of our ONA boxes or mail it to

the church (c/o Open and Affirming Committee), use our

new email address (ona@secondchurchboxford.org),

speak to us in person, or call/email any of us individually.

We sincerely look forward to hearing from you and

seeing you at our upcoming activities.

Peace and blessings,

Evelyn Barden, Mel Buttaro (chairperson), Madeline

Celletti, Liz Kretsch, Betty Obernesser, Mike Tighe, and

Susan Young

September Youth Group Activities SENIOR HIGH KICK-OFF: September 22-23,

Senior High Youth including the Confirmation class, are

invited to monkey around together at Monkey Trunks in

Saco, ME. Monkey Trunks offers 48 challenges that

include swinging beams, tightropes, rolling logs, hanging

tires, cargo nets, 3 zip lines at up to 700 feet long and a

35foot high giant swing! You will challenge yourself as

well as work together as a team. With 5 levels of rope

climbs, there will be something for everyone. After, we

will go to the cottage of Betsey Guest-Natale on Square

Pond in Shapleigh, ME for swimming, BBQ, s’mores and

stargazing! Sunday morning, after a hearty breakfast, we

will be back at Second Church for worship. Please see

permission slip for specific details including cost and

what to bring. (scholarships available) A 2012-2013

Emergency Release form (found on the church’s web site)

will be required.

Cherryfield Mission Participants save these dates:

Saturday, September 8: help load and unload mums

from Paisley’s for our mum sale that will benefit the

2013 Senior High Mission trip. E-mail Betsey at

youth@secondchurchboxford.org and let her know you

will be there. Time TBD.

173B Washington Street P.O. Box 508 West Boxford, MA 01885

SECOND CONGREGATIONA L CHURCH OF BOXFORD

Phone: 978-352-2127 Website: www.secondchurchboxford.org E-mail: office@secondchurchboxford.org

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”

Non-Profit Org.

Bulk Rate

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Boxford, MA

Permit No. 2

Calling all Students!

Join us in our

Blessing of the Backpacks!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Bring your backpacks to church!

All students are invited to bring their backpacks to

worship on Welcome Sunday. We will bless our

children and the learning and growing they will do

during this school year!

Additionally, we will be collecting backpacks to be

shared with students who cannot afford to purchase

their own. These, too, will be blessed, and then given

to Community Giving Tree and to our partners at

Centro Buen Pastor in the Dominican Republic!

Bring a backpack to donate!

Return Service Requested