February 2019—Supplement The Judea JournalThe Judea Journal · Update (continued from page...

Pastoral Search Update

February 2019—Supplement

The First Congregational Church of Washington, Connecticut, An Open and Affirming Congregation of the UCC

The Judea JournalThe Judea JournalThe Judea JournalThe Judea Journal

By the Rev. Cheryl Anderson, Pastor

Farewell… from Pastor Cheryl

These days, as I run into people

around town, they are sometimes

surprised to see me. “Didn’t you

retire? I thought you left already!”

So, I invite them to the Service of

Farewell on February 24th and tell

them that the moving truck won’t be

loading until March 18th. It is

getting closer every day and I am

feeling a mixture of excitement and

grief and often having trouble

finishing a thought or remembering

why I walked into a room.

However, the excitement I feel

for this congregation as the pastoral

search committee gets close to

announcing their candidate for your

new Pastor, is unmixed. As the

search process draws close to a

conclusion, let me review the process

so far and what is coming next.

It started when I announced my

retirement date, with an invitation

to the whole congregation to serve

on the search committee that was

forming. A wonderfully appropriate

mix of dedicated members who

represent the mix within the

congregation stepped forward to

serve.

Next, you all elected the

committee at a quarterly meeting

and commissioned them in a Sunday

service.

The new search committee

invited and reminded (I didn’t say

“nagged”) you all to participated in a

Feb 3 - 10:00 am Worship Svc**

Feb 10 - 10:00 am Worship Svc*



Feb 24 - 3:00 pm Service of

Farewell for Pastor Cheryl

* Sunday School and Childcare Available

Worship Schedule

February

Birthdays 5

Calendar 5

Council’s Corner 3

From the Pastor 1

Memorials—Steeple 7

Pastoral Search 1

Sunday Morning Support 6

Upcoming Events 4

In this issue:

For this is the message you have

heard from the beginning, that we

should love one another… We know

love by this, that Christ laid down

his life for us – and we ought to lay

down our lives for one another.”

1 John 3:11, 16

Dear friends, this is my last

Judea Journal message. My final

Sunday as your Pastor will be

February 24th. Our morning

service on the 24th will be planned

and led by our Youth, and give the

young people of our church and me

the opportunity to exchange our

blessings and farewells. Inaya

Shariff will be confirmed at the

morning service as well.

Our official Service of Farewell,

with the whole community invited,

and lots of music planned, will be

at 3:00pm on the 24th, followed by

a reception in Weresbe Hall. The

last few days of February, I will be

finishing moving 22 years worth of

books and children’s sermon

objects out of the pastor’s study to

ready it for a new occupant.

Years ago, sharing tea with

Father Ficks over at St. John’s, he

said that we were just conductors

“Farewell” cont’d on back page

“Update” continued on page 2

(Continued from page 1) Update (continued from page 1)

The Judea Journal

church-wide “Holy Cow”

congregational assessment to help

them get a clear picture of the

congregation’s, personality,

preferences, and theological

stance to help them prepare the

church profile that possible

candidates would see.

Once the profile was drafted,

everyone had an opportunity to

read and comment. Changes

were made and the final profile

was accepted at the next

quarterly meeting.

Once the profile was posted on

the United Church of Christ job

listings, the committee started

receiving profiles and setting up

interviews with possible

candidates. This part of the

process is necessarily confidential

because many of the applicants

would be currently serving a

church and if the church knew

that their pastor was

interviewing at another church, it

could compromise their

relationship unnecessarily.

Once the committee identifies

a candidate they feel best

matches our congregation, if the

candidate feels the same way and

they come to an agreement about

the terms of the call, we will all

receive information about the

background of the candidate and

a notice of a “candidating”

weekend. A gathering will be

planned for everyone to meet the

candidate and that person will

also lead worship on Sunday.

Immediately following worship,

the candidate will be escorted

over to the Parish House and a

special congregational meeting

will be convened in the Meeting

House to discuss and vote on

whether to call this candidate as

your next pastor.

It is highly unusual for a

search committee’s candidate to

be rejected, but it has happened

at other churches. As Dimitri

said at one of the congregational

meetings: “If the candidate they

present doesn’t meet with

congregational approval, then

they haven’t done their job

correctly.”

Once you all call a candidate,

that person will need to give

notice to their current church, if

they are serving one. Letters of

Call usually include the

requirement of a two-or-three-

month termination notice; so

there is likely to be a bit of a gap

between my departure and your

new pastor’s arrival. During that

time, there will either be a

“bridge” pastor hired or the

Deacons will be arranging for

supply preachers to fill in each

Sunday.

So be watching for the two-

week notice required by our by-

laws, and plan to take part in the

candidating weekend. I am as

much in the dark as you all are,

except that every time I ask one

of the search committee members

how it is going; I hear how excited

they are by the candidates they

have met, and that they would be

personally delighted with any of

their final candidates. So, I’m

certain that you and I will be too.

The Light at the End of the Path

I was going to start it with ‘tunnel’ but I thought that was too negative and narrow. We have not

been in a tunnel, rather a lighted path toward the next bright future for this church.

The Search Committee is close to announcing their candidate choice. This is after over a year of

working together to select the best candidate to shepherd our congregation.

We have tried to keep everyone in the loop with the process, through announcements in church, the

bulletin, the Judea Journal (online and print versions) and Quarterly meetings. Some of the process

(candidate particulars) is confidential, but we have tried to keep this entire process as inclusive and

transparent as possible. Most church bulletins have had the smiling faces of the Search committee with

contact information on the back, so that questions and concerns can be heard.

So WATCH for the announcement of the candidate and the candidating Sunday where you will get

The Council’s Corner

Rev. Cheryl Anderson, Pastor

Carrie Loyd, Christian Ed Superintendent

Jesse Ofgang, Organist

and Principal Musician

Kathleen Sauvageau, Bookkeeper

Karen Esslinger, Admin. Assistant

Al Trowbridge, Sexton

Ministers: All the Members

Www.FirstChurchWashingtonCT.org

Council Members

Cheryl P. Anderson, Pastor 860-868-0569, ext 11

Trish Grinnell, Moderator, 860-799-0190, moderator@

Tony Vengrove, Vice-Moderator/ Stewardship,

860-799-0054

Michelle Gorra, Treasurer, 860-868-7852, treasurer@

Millie Johnson, Christian Ed, DCE@

Dave Werkhoven, Deacons, 860-868-0054

Steve Wadelton, Finance, 860-868-9822, finance@

Jim Esslinger, Missions, 860-919-5207

Alecia Evans, Music, 860-868-2864

John Lintner, Personnel, 860-868-0019

Lee Parsons, Trustee, 860-946-7798

All official church emails ending with an @ are followed

by our church domain: firstchurchwashingtonct.org

Feb 2019

Pastor Cheryl works Wednesday through

Sunday. Daily schedule varies based

on congregational needs.

It is best to call or email for an app.

[email protected]

Church Office Hours

Karen - Mon and Wed, work from home

Avail. by phone and email 1 pm—5:30 pm

Tue and Thur, in the office 9 am—1:30 pm

[email protected]

Kathleen Sauvageau - Wed 9 am - 2 pm

[email protected]

Main Phone: (860) 868-0569

Board of Deacons:

Dave Werkhoven, Chair 860-868-0054

Sue Elliott 860-567-3768

Judie Gorra 860-868-7023

Wayne Hileman 860-868-7235

Dan Lovallo 860-561-6949

Susan Loyd Turner 860-868-0868

Terri Tibbatts 860-350-1919

Ellen Willert 860-605-7902

The Light (continued from page 2)

to meet the person that the Search

Committee has chosen to present to the

congregation for selection as our new Pastor.

Great appreciation and gratitude go out

to the members of the Search Committee and

all the work they have done and still

continue to do for the church: Dimitri

Willert, Chair, Scott Brady, Emelie Burl,

Judie Gorra, John Lintner, Cara Michalski,

John Turner, Dave Werkhoven.

Thank you,

Trish Grinnell, Moderator

Year-End Giving Statements

The end of the year donation statements have been

emailed or sent to everyone who gave to the church.

If you did not receive one or you feel there is an error

or you would like a printed copy, please contact

Kathleen (Bookkeeper@...) or Michelle

(Treasurer@...) [email protected].

The Judea Journal

Miscellaneous Announcements

You are invited to Celebrate with us ... Sunday, February 24 at 3 pm On Sunday, February 24 at 3 pm, We will host a special service to ‘decommission’ Pastor Cheryl and

allow the other ministers in the area to honor her time with us. There will be a reception afterward in

Wersebe Hall of the Parish House. Church members and the community at large are all cordially

invited to attend this culmination of 22 years of her time with us.

To offer your assistance with the reception, or for more information, please contact Trish Grinnell, our

Moderator.

[email protected] Or phone: 860-799-0190

Compassionate Communication - Ongoing - 2nd Wednesday of each month at

6:30 pm in the Parlor

Compassionate Communication, or Non-Violent Communication as taught by

Marshall Rosenberg, is a way of communing with yourself and others to foster

more understanding and better outcomes for everyone.

Although the group has been meeting for about a year and a half, newcomers are welcome. Please let

us know if you plan to attend (860-868-0569, x10). There are some ground-rules the group has

collectively established and we ask that you make an effort to learn and practice. For more

information about the concept, read: Non-Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg, and check

out the resources we have available on our website at:

www.firstchurchwashingtonct.org/compassionate_communication

CELLO RECITAL Honoring Pastor Cheryl! – Saturday, February 2 at 4 pm

The recital by cellist Mary Costanza will take place in the Meeting House. Accompanied by pianist Ray

Pierpont, Mary will perform an all-French program, including works by Offenbach, Saint-Saens and

Franck.

The recital is being presented as a tribute to the Rev. Cheryl Anderson, who is retiring after 22 years as

pastor of First Church. Admission is by free-will offering, and all proceeds will go towards the pastor’s

moving fund. Everyone is welcome!

Youth Service - Sunday, February 24 @ 10 am

Our Youth Group has cooked up a surprise for Pastor Cheryl on Sunday for her last regular Sunday

morning worship service. If you enjoy the creativity and energy of our youth services, plan to come and

celebrate with them.

Conversation Café: Environmental Concerns

WHAT: Moderated discussion aimed at gathering ideas for environmental focus and action by this

church over the coming months. Please choose to join us during coffee hour and have your voice heard.

WHEN: Sunday, February 3, 11 AM (During coffee hour)

WHERE: Church Hall

WHAT: Facilitated discussions

REGISTER: Contact the church office for more information or if you plan to attend.

[email protected]

To access an online calendar, visit Www.FirstChurchWashingtonCT.org

Please let us

know if we

missed anyone

so that we may

update our

database!!

Contact Karen

in the church

office

2018-19 Quarterly Meeting Schedule

3/31/19—Next Quarterly

and 6/9/19 — Annual Mtg

Council Meetings:

2/21 3/21 4/11 5/16 6/20

Youth Group Calendars are In!

There are still a limited number of Youth Group 2019 wall

calendars available!

Just $20 each and the proceeds will go to an environmental charity of their choosing.

Feb 2019

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

10 am - AA Meeting

6 pm - NB Pot Luck

Supper

2

4 pm—Cello

Recital

3

10 am Worship w/

Communion

1 pm Comfort

Shawl Project

4 pm SingOutCT

4

5

9:30 AM - AA

Noon - 7 pm—

Momix Rehearsal

(PH)

6:30 PM– NB

Divorce Support

6

4 pm Yoga

7

8

10 am - AA Meeting

6 pm - NB

Pot Luck Supper

9

10

10 am Worship /

Chancel Choir

11 am Teen Talk

4 pm SingOutCT

11

3:30 pm - Girl Scouts

(PH)

12

9:30 AM - AA

12:15 pm -Rotary

6:30 PM– NB

Divorce Support

13

4 pm Yoga

5:30/ 6:30

Compassionate

Communication

14

15

10 am - AA Meeting

6 pm - NB

Pot Luck Supper

16

17

10 am Worship

1 pm Comfort

Shawl Project

4 pm SingOutCT

18

19

9:30 AM - AA

6:30 PM– NB

Divorce Support

20

4 pm Yoga

21

6:30 pm Council

Meeting

22

10 am - AA Meeting

6 pm - NB

Pot Luck Supper

23

24

10 am Worship

3 pm Farewell

Service and

Reception

25

3:30 pm-GirlScouts

26

9:30 AM - AA

12:15 pm -Rotary

6:30 PM– NB

Divorce Support

27

4 pm Yoga

28

FebruaryFebruaryFebruaryFebruary

February Birthdays

7 ....... Inaya Shariff

8 ....... Conrad Weeks

9 ....... Dimitri Willert

10 .......Anne Marie Davenport

18...... .Abbie Gorra

20 ...... Susan Jahnke

22 ...... Judie Gorra,

Leslie Lintner

& Sarah Osborne

24 ...... Susan Loyd Turner

28 ...... Andrew Grinnell

Drew Werkhoven

Worship Support Ministry

The Judea Journal

The Communion server marked with an asterisk is assigned to bring the bread.

If you are scheduled and cannot do it for some reason, please make arrangements

for a replacement and then notify Karen in the church office.

DEACONS OF THE MONTH: DAVE WERKHOVEN AND ELLEN WILLERT (FEB)

DATE USHERS &

GREETERS

WORSHIP

ASSISTANT

WELCOME

ANNOUNC’M’TS NURSERY

SUNDAY

SCHOOL

COFFEE

HOUR

FEB 3

COMMUNION

Dimitri Willert, MariLyn Roze,

Dave Werkhoven and Al Trowbridge

Dan Lovallo Dan Lovallo TBD Carrie Loyd

Judie Gorra and Shirley

Downs

FEB 10 Alyssa, Caroline, and Lee Parsons

Carole Glintenkamp

Judie Gorra TBD Carrie Loyd

Michalski-

Lewis and

TBD

FEB 17 Jack and Jane

Boyer Trish

Grinnell Dan Lovallo TBD

Carrie Loyd Molly Leonard

FEB 24 - 10 AM Michael and Abigail Gorra

Kate Vengrove

Wayne Hileman TBD Carrie Loyd

Youth Group

FEB 24 - 3:00 PM

SERVICE OF RELEASE

TBD TBD TBD N/A N/A Council,

Deacons & Congregation

COFFEE HOUR HOSTS ARE NEEDED for dates marked “OPEN”.

Hosts are responsible for setting up the large table in Wersebe Hall as well as the coffee/tea

table, putting out snacks (keep it simple). Then hosts responsible for cleanup afterwards.

(This can also mean that hosts can recruit help from others in that effort!) Please sign up on

the list(s) on the bulletin board in Wersebe Hall (near the kitchen) or email or call the office

(860) 868-0569.

If you are new to hosting, ask about the guidelines document posted on the board and also

on our website! Or contact one of our Deacons for assistance. (See page 3 for a list.)

Silver Lake Conference Center Registration Is Open!

Find the 2019 summer program (for grades 4 through 12) brochure

online and register at

silverlakect.org

Flowers and Steeple Lighting Memorials

Www.FirstChurchWashingtonCT.org Feb 2019

Flowers

Feb 3 In celebration of Estelle Bronson's long life and service to

First Church and her community, given by the Bronson Family

Feb 10 In loving memory of Tom Kaczynski, Sr., given by Karen and Jim Esslinger

Feb 17 OPEN

Feb 24 Given by David and Sarah Low for their grandpa, Rick Faubert

Steeple Lighting

Feb 3 OPEN

Feb 10 OPEN

Feb 17 OPEN

Feb 24 OPEN

Flowers are $70 per week. Steeple Lighting is $25 per week.

In addition to the openings above for flowers, there are also flower memorials available for an

assortment of dates in 2019. If you have a particular date or dates you wish to sponsor flowers

or steeple lighting at any time during the year to honor or remember someone or special event,

please contact Karen in the church office to check date availability. Call (860) 868-0569 or

email to: [email protected]

DEADLINE for CONTENT SUBMISSIONS for

the March—April Journal is February 21 If you have something to be included in this issue, please send EARLY!

Dedicate flowers or the beautifully Dedicate flowers or the beautifully Dedicate flowers or the beautifully Dedicate flowers or the beautifully lit church steeple in honor of a loved lit church steeple in honor of a loved lit church steeple in honor of a loved lit church steeple in honor of a loved

one this February!one this February!one this February!one this February!

To review safe church policy, find the link in announcements on the home page or in weekly e-news.

Or borrow one of the printed copies that will be available on the left octagonal table in the Parish House

hallway.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact a member of the committee before

February 15. After that date, the committee will work to formulate a revision to be distributed for re-

view and then voted on in the next quarterly congregational meeting on Mar 31.

Committee Members: John Lintner, Carrie Loyd, Emelie Burl, Millie Johnson, and Pastor Cheryl

Safe Church Policy - additional review period prior to revision

[email protected]

Farewell... continued from page 1

6 Kirby Road - P.O. Box 1285 - Washington, CT 06793

Phone: 860-868-0569 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.firstchurchwashingtonct.org

Prayers for self and others: www.firstchurchwashingtonct.org/prayer.php

The First Congregational Church, UCC

on a train. The train was

running before we got on board

for a time and will continue to

run with a different conductor

when we get off the train.

In all the Protestant

Christian denominations that I

am familiar with, including ours,

pastoral ethics dictate that when

a pastor leaves a church, he or

she is to sever all ties to the

congregation and not provide any

further pastoral services for

church members again, unless

invited by the new settled pastor.

Former pastors are even expected

to un-friend former parishioners

on social media. To maintain any

pastoral relationship with former

church members would threaten

my continued standing as an

ordained minister within the

United Church of Christ.

When Scott and I began

talking about my retirement a

couple years ago; we knew that

we would have to get out of town

– for at least a year – to give the

new pastor opportunity to get

settled, develop relationships,

and bond with the congregation

without my continued presence -

however unintentionally –

interfering with that process. I

will be thinking of you all next

July at Green Fair time, but I

cannot come.

Recently, I was asked

whether I would return to

Washington – perhaps to do a

funeral or a wedding for a family

whose pastor I had been for 22

years. My response was “only if

the new pastor invites me.” And I

explained that times of deep

emotion, times of loss or

celebration are opportunities for a

pastor to really bond with a

family and with the community.

There are people in Washington,

who are not even members of this

church – some, because they are

Jewish, Roman Catholic or

atheist – but because I did the

wedding of one of their children;

they have taken me into their

family and even support the

church financially because of

their relationship with me. So

your new pastor needs to be able

to build that sort of relationship

with you and with this

community.

When I thought about

retiring in Washington, I realized

that the only role I have ever

played in this community has

been as Pastor of the

Congregational Church – so

everyone in town knows me first

– and maybe only – as the Pastor

of the Congregational Church.

Members of Salem Covenant

Church, and Our Lady of

Perpetual Help, and of the

Greater Washington Coalition for

Jewish Life only know me as a

Pastor. To a great extent, Scott

has a separate identity, but he is

also known and often introduced

as the spouse of the pastor. So

creating a whole new identity for

ourselves, once I retire, is going to

be a lot easier in a new place.

Our relocation to Portland

will make it easier for this church

to move into a new future and it

will make it easier for me and

Scott to make new friends and

build a new life. It will certainly

make it much more convenient

for me to sail and contra dance.

Because I am retiring, rather

than leaving to serve a different

church, the rules are slightly less

strict and I am hoping that when

you are traveling to Maine, you

will stop in Portland to see us.

I hope to see you in church

this month!

February 2019—Supplement The Judea JournalThe Judea Journal · Update (continued from page...

Documents

Transcript of February 2019—Supplement The Judea JournalThe Judea Journal · Update (continued from page...