FOCUS - NeedhamUCC3. On October 20, after worship, we will discuss the book Great Tide Rising:...

The Congregational Church of Needham September 2019 FOCUS

FOCUS September 2019

Homecoming Sunday!Sun. Sept. 8th

Guatemala-hosted Brunch following WorshipDear Friends,

I hope you all had a chance to get away this summer for at least a little rest, relaxation, and restoration with those you love, with nature, and with God. I look forward to hearing about your journeys, whether here at home or far away. But what a fall we have in store at the Congregational Church of Needham, United Church of Christ!

Of course it all begins with our welcome back, kickoff, homecoming, rally day Sunday--whatever you want to call it--September 8, with worship back in the sanctuary at 10am and an all-church brunch, courtesy of our Guatemala Partnership families, to follow. Personally, I’m calling it our 160th Annual Grand Opening Sunday because we’re not praying for God to make us the oldest church in town but the liveliest. As part of this service, we will offer a Blessing of the Backpacks for kids (and anyone else who carries one), so bring yours to worship.

This fall marks the 400th anniversary of the introduction of the chattel slavery of Africans to colonies that would become the United States of America. In worship on September 15 we will commemorate this solemn occasion and reflect on the shadow of racism, the “original sin” of our nation, that hangs over us still and hinders our growing together. I also hope you will make plans to join me for a special area wide “May We Forever Stand” commemorative service September 20 @ 7:30pm at the Greater Framingham Community Church. I believe it’s very important for white folks to show up for this service and show our commitment to anti-racist work.

Our congregation has been sending two delegations a year to the village of Santa Maria Tzeja in Guatemala for more than 30 years. We will celebrate this extraordinary program of accompaniment and partnership in worship on September 22. Rev. Maddie Foster, the first clergyperson from our congregation to travel with the Guatemala

Partnership, will preach on her experience there this summer. Afterward, we’ll gather to hear more about the state of our relationship and ways we can continue to deepen our work together at the semi-annual Report-Back.

September 29 will be a day to face together the hard truth of our current climate emergency and look for God’s amazing grace, even now, in actions we can take to mitigate the crisis, care for our neighbors already experiencing its devastating effects, and plan for a better future together. Vince Maraventano, executive director of MA Interfaith Power & Light, a faith-based non-profit working on these issues, will be our guest preacher in worship and guest teacher afterwards. (See page 2 for more opportunities from our Environmental Ministries Team.)

AND NOT LAST AND NOT LEAST… After our regular morning worship, Rev. Maddie and I will be formally installed in our new(ish) roles in this congregation by the MetroBoston Association of the UCC in a special service of installation October 6 @ 3pm. Our families will be here, along with many other special guests, including our extraordinary guest preacher, The Rev. Day McCallister of First Church, Somerville. PLEASE clear your calendars so you can come mark this important occasion in our life together as a congregation.

Looking forward to sharing all this and more with you, in Christ,Rev. John


Opportunities for PrayerFrom the Prayer and Care Team

In response to the tragedy of the recent gun violence in El Paso and Dayton, we will be starting a weekly prayer group on Thursdays at noon, with the exception of the first Thursday of the month. You are invited to bring a bag lunch; we will eat together, and then pray. It will be an opportunity to pray for our country, our world, our community, individuals asking for prayer - to come together to share with God what is in our hearts. We will start on Thursday, September 12, from noon to 1:00 in the Library. We hope you’ll be able to join us!

FOCUSContributions are welcome.

Please submit materials by e-mail to office@

needhamucc.org.

Oct. issue deadline: Tues.,Sept 24th

Rev. John MacIver GageSenior Minister

[email protected]

Rev. Maddie FosterCE & Youth Director

[email protected]

Valerie BeckerMusic [email protected]

Danielle JurdanAdministrator

[email protected]

Cindy SullivanOffice Assist & [email protected]

Rev. Dr. Paul ClaytonPastor Emeritus

The Church [email protected]

Jackie Allen, Moderatormoderator@needhamucc.

org

The DeaconsSue Cotton, Chair

[email protected]

Pastoral Relations Committee

[email protected]

To provide feedback about any aspect of the church,

[email protected]

Over the last several years, we all have learned more than we ever could have imagined or wanted to know about how our human activity affects the climate of the world in which we live to the detriment of all God’s creation. Scripture says, “When one suffers, all suffer” (1 Cor 12:26), and we now understand this to be true on a planetary scale. We now understand that being “good stewards” of creation isn’t an optional add-on to our Christian faith, but a core part of “loving our neighbors” in the world, as we love ourselves and love God.

Inspired by the recent work of our Open and Affirming Ministry Team to update our ONA covenant, EMT hopes to do the same with our church covenant and add wording that recognizes the sacredness of our planet Earth and our call to care for it. To prepare for a fuller discussion of that proposed change (to take place later in the fall), EMT is planning a three-part reflection series for our congregation in September and October. We hope you will join us for these educational and spirit-filled events:

1. On September 15, after worship, we will screen the National Geographic documentary, From Paris to Pittsburgh. The film reports and reflects on the effects our climate emergency is already having in various communities across the U.S. and how these communities are working to use more sustainable solutions to mitigate further disastrous warming of the earth. Check out a fuller description of the movie from Forbes Magazine at https://bit.ly/2UiCiRu. A light lunch will be served.

2. On September 29, in worship and after, Vince Maraventano, MDiv, Executive Director of Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light (a faith-based organization helping congregations and communities address climate change) will preach and then lead a discussion regarding the climate emergency we are already experiencing and how our values and commitments and faith as a church can guide our response, locally and globally. Light refreshments will be served.

3. On October 20, after worship, we will discuss the book Great Tide Rising: Toward Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change by Kathleen Dean Moore. Moore is a philosopher and nature essayist who weaves philosophy, ethics, science and nature into a compelling narrative about the interconnectedness of all living things as she encourages us to “rage against the dying of the Earth.” Some copies of the book will be available for purchase before the event, so get one and start reading now. Light refreshments will be served.

Environmental Ministries Team News...earth stewArdship for our lives today...


‘WELCOME BACK’ BRUNCH ON SEPTEMBER 8THGuatemala partner families in our church are once again hosting a Welcome Back Brunch for the entire congregation on Sunday, September 8th, in Linden Hall, following worship. Please join us for delicious goodies and lots of good fellowship. (Those wishing to contribute food items should e-mail Val Kistler at: [email protected].) AUGUST DELEGATION ‘REPORTBACK’ - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 11:30 AM, LINDEN HALL Following the church service on September 22nd, please join us in Linden Hall for a lively presentation by travelers from the recent August delegation to Guatemala, led by Caryl Johnson and Bill Garret. The group will share photos and highlights of their trip to our sister community of Santa María Tzejá. If you are considering

joining a delegation or would like to witness the partnership’s impact on both our communities, don’t miss this opportunity! Light refreshments will be served. FEBRUARY 2020 DELEGATION SEEKING TRAVELERS. SIGN-UP NOW!

Brenda Metzler and Fred Moder are looking for youth and adult travelers to join them on the church’s upcoming delegation to Guatemala (February 12-23, 2020). Don’t miss out on this transformational trip that will be Fred’s and Brenda’s last as delegation leaders. Total cost is approximately $1,500,

including airfare. Sign-ups will close as soon as the delegation is filled (or at latest by late September/early October), as airline tickets must be purchased early due to competition from school vacation travelers. Please contact Brenda or Fred ASAP with your interest/questions: [email protected] or [email protected].

FISK METHODIST NATICK SUPPORT WEEKSEPTEMBER 1-7

JOIN US AS WE PUT TOGETHER A MEAL FOR THE 4 FAMILIES5 ADULTS AND 10 CHILDEN AGES 3-14 WHO ARE WITH FAMILY PROMISE NOW

Go to the link below for all volunteer opportunities and sign ups https://www.cervistech.com/acts/console.php?console_id=0002&console_type=event&ht=1

Our next Support Week will be Thanksgiving Week 11/24-30Over the past year, 23 folks (20 from our church) joined one of the 3 tours of Family Promise’s ’new’ Day Center that our congregation hosted. Many of these folks then participated in a Training and are now volunteers.

Fall 2019 Volunteer TrainingsSept. 3 FPM Day Center 6 Mulligan Street, Natick [email protected] 7-8:30 PMSept. 19 St. Zepherin Church 99 Main St., Wayland [email protected] 7-8:30 PMOct. 1 FPM Day Center 6 Mulligan Street, Natick 7-8:30 PMOct. 17 Temple Shir Tikva 141 Boston Post Road,

Wayland7-8:30 PM

Nov. 5 UU Area Church 11 Washington, Street, Sherborn

7-8:30 PM

Nov. 21 FPM Day Center 6 Mulligan Street, Natick 7-8:30 PMDec. 11 FPM Day Center 6 Mulligan Street, Natick [email protected] 7-8:30 PM

Let’s get a group together to attend Family Promise’s festive and meaningful evening of great music and outstanding food tasting from local restaurants and breweries.

https://e.givesmart.com/events/dy7/

For more information on any of the above please contact [email protected] 781 363-1810

familypromisemetrowest.orghttps://www.facebook.com/FamilyPromiseMetrowest/


FELLOWSHIP & ADULT ED

COMMUNITY DINNERS6-7pm, Sept. 3, Oct. 1, Nov. 5

Dinners coincide with monthly Baby Basics Diaper distribution. Volunteers are welcome to help with set up, cooking, serving, visiting, eating and cleaning up with our Baby Basics families. Please contact Diana Conroy ([email protected]) if you are interested in helping out.

THURSDAY SOUP LUNCHNoon -1pm, Sept. 5, Oct. 3, Nov. 7

Monthly luncheons will start on September 5th at 12 noon in our Library. Further dates are as follows: October 3, and November 7. All are welcome – bring your friends and neighbors!

CANCER SUPPORT GROUPDay TBD 9:15-10:30am

Our Cancer Support Group is currently choosing the day that works best for everyone to meet. We will announce in the bulletin and the October FOCUS the day that is choosen, You can also contact Rev. Maddie ([email protected]) for more information. Come, if you need an extra hug or prayer said for yourself or a family member.

PRAYER GROUPNoon, Sept. 12, 19, 26 Oct. 10, 17, 24, 31

The Prayer and Care Team will be starting a weekly prayer group on Thursdays at noon, with the exception of the first Thursday of the month. You are invited to bring a bag lunch; we will eat together, and then pray. It will be an opportunity to pray for our country, our world, our community, individuals asking for prayer - to come together to share with God what is in our hearts.

MEDITATION GROUP11:30am, Sept. 22, Oct. 13, 27

The meditation/mindfulness group will be meeting twice each month after the church service. The group is open to everyone, no prior experience needed. We will explore various types of meditation practice, including mindfulness. If you’ve ever been curious about meditation or mindfulness come and see what it’s all about. If you have any questions feel free to call or email Sue Findlay, 781-455-8056; [email protected]

QUESTION MORE REFLECTION GROUP

Sundays at 9am - Small Conference Room

Join Rev. John on Sunday mornings before worship to engage the questions of our faith and our questions about our faith. We’ll start with some of the questions this congregation submitted for our “Instant Sermon” event last spring. This is not an educational series but a weekly conversation group. We’ll publish the week’s question in the Friday email, so feel free to join in as the Spirit moves.

IMMIGRATION WITNESS 2 - 3pm, Sept. 29, Oct. 27, Nov. 24, Dec. 29

The last Sunday of each month from 2-3pm, we gather with others from around the area at the ICE Detention Center in downtown Boston to let our immigrant neighbors incarcerated there know they’re not alone or forgotten. This is a very easy way to make a personal connection to an issue that’s in the news every day. The hardest part is getting there, so we carpool from church @ 1:15pm. Wear closed-toe shoes.

“ PARIS TO PITTSBURG” MOVIE11:30am, Sun. Sept. 15

EMT is bringing the big screen to Needham UCC! We will screen the National Geographic documentary, From Paris to Pittsburgh, which covers the effects that climate change has had in various communities across the U.S. and how these communities are working to use more sustainable solutions to mitigate further warming of the earth. Join us after worship for a light lunch and the movie.

RIDE FOR FOODOctober 6th

On October 6th members of our church will participate in the annual Ride for Food. We are riding as our own team under the umbrella of the Needham Community Council. The monies raised will be given to area food pantries, including the Needham pantry.

FELLOWSHIP EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE FALL 2019 MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

• October 6th - Installation of Rev. John MacIver Gage and Rev. Madelyn Foster• October 26th – Trunk or Treat!• November 2nd – Dance Party Church Fundraiser• November 17th – Youth Group Thanksgiving Dinner• December 1st – Advent-Palooza!• December 8th - Christmas Concert • December 8,15,& 22 - Advent Program with Rev. John


Call ing all Singers!Please join us this season as we sing for Sunday Services and also as we prepare for our Annual Christmas Concert. You can join us for rehearsal and Sunday Service or can come to our rehearsals for our Christmas Concert and sing in the concert on December 8. Featured this year will be “Uns ist ein Kind geboren” – translation - “Unto us a child is born.” It has been attributed to Bach but is now believed to have been composed by Bach’s predecessor at St, Thomas Church in Leipzig. Join us as we learn this beautiful work along with more traditional carols!

Please see our rehearsal schedule below.

September – December 2019All Sunday mornings are at 8:30 am

Please check call time Nov 7, 21 and Dec 4

Thursday – September 5Sunday – September 8Sunday – September 15Thursday – September 19Sunday – September 22Sunday – September 29

Thursday – October 3Sunday – October 6Sunday – October 13Thursday – October 17Sunday – October 20Sun. – Oct. 27 & Christmas Concert Rehearsal – 12:45 – 2:45

Sunday – November 3 – Daylight Savings Time & Christmas Concert Rehearsal – 12:45 – 2:45Thursday - November 7 – 7pm call time Sunday – November 10Sun. – Nov. 17 & Christmas Concert Rehearsal – 12:45 – 2:45Thursday – November 21- 7pm call timeSunday – November 24 & Optional extra rehearsal for Christmas Concert 11:30 – 1

Sunday – December 1 Wednesday – December 4 – 7 pm Concert Dress rehearsal Sunday – December 8 – afternoon onlySunday – December 8 – Concert – call time 2:15pmSunday – December 15Sunday – December 22Monday – December 24 – Christmas Eve – call time 8:20 pmSunday – December 29 – you have the morning off – We will do a carol sing!

Happy New Year!!!!

NEW! Trunk-Or-Treat

EventSaturday, October 26

5-7pm

First off, you may be asking yourself, “What in the world is a Trunk-Or-Treat?” It’s when church members decorate the trunks of their cars so neighborhood kids can come trick-or-treat from trunk to trunk around the parking lot for a fun and safe Halloween experience. And, wow, does our church have a FANTASTIC parking lot for it!

What a gift we can give to the kids and families in our community. We’ll have lots of treats (and not all of them need to be sugary), simple games, a “costume catwalk” walk-off for the kids, and a “best trunk” contest for the cars. BUT WE NEED YOU to make this happen. We need at least 20 cars decorated with all the wacky, spooky, but not so very scary Halloween imagination you can muster to pull this off.

If you need more info, please contact either Rev. John ([email protected]) or Rev. Maddie ([email protected]); and PLEASE consider signing up.


“Question More” Reflection GroupSundays @ 9am

Inspired by the graphic above by cartoonist David Hayward (aka @nakedpastor), we’ll gather Sunday mornings before worship to engage the questions of our faith and our questions about our faith. We’ll start with the ream of questions this congregation submitted for our “Instant Sermon” event last spring, like “What is sin?”, “Can you be a Christian and not believe in the resurrection?”, and “What should we know about forgiveness?” Again, this isn’t so much an educational series as a conversational one. We’ll publish the week’s question in the weekly email, so feel free to join in as the Spirit moves.

Pastor’s Weekly Coffee HoursTuesdays, 10am - Noon

Not every conversation with a pastor has to be a formal, serious, sit-down one-on-on. Sometimes you just want to get to know each other better. So Rev. John will be holding regular coffee office hours in the café section of Volante Farms at 292 Forest Street every Tuesday from 10am-Noon. If you’ve a moment free, drop by for some informal conversation and fellowship in a relaxed setting. (And don’t worry, if you’d like to have a more private pastoral conversation, just drop Rev. John an email or call him at the office to set up an appointment.)

“May We Forever Stand”Sept. 20 @ 7:30pm

For 400 years, “Black communities have demonstrated remarkable resiliency in the face of cruelty, terror, and systematic oppression. African Americans have not only created pathways to survive but, in many instances, to thrive.”

From Rev. John: “PLEASE MAKE PLANS to join our neighbors for this special event Friday, September 20 @ 7:30pm at Greater Framingham Community Church. I believe it is essential that, as white folks, we also find our way to this hard, holy moment in humility, solidarity, and hope. I will be there.”

1154 Great Plain Avenue1180 Great Plain Avenue

Needham, MA 02492-2202

T: [email protected]

On the web at needhamucc.org

Congregational Church of Needham UCC

stamp

address

THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF NEEDHAMUNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST1154 Great Plain AvenueNeedham, Massachusetts 02492-2202

On the twitter @needhamucc

Men’s Fellowship Breakfast, Sunday, Sept. 15

On Sunday, 9/15, the Men’s Fellowship Breakfast will welcome all church men to breakfast.

The Men’s Breakfast brings men of all ages and persuasions together in the Library on the 3rd Sunday of the month before worship in honest and lively discussion touching our faith and our lives in today’s complex world. We welcome men of all ages and accommodate those with scheduling challenges. Arrive at 8:15 AM for fellowship and breakfast or by 9:00 AM for the discussion.

Contact: John Baldwin ([email protected]) or Rob Dunlavey ([email protected]) for more information.

ONLINE CALENDAR!!!You use Google Calendar to keep track of your appointments and your family...guess what...the church does too!! And we’ve created a Google Calendar for YOU of all church events, meetings, Worship schedules, Youth Activities, Music events and rehearsals... Want to take a peek? The link is https://calendar.google.com/calendar/b/2?cid=Y2NuZWVkaGFtY2FsZW5kYXJAZ21haWwuY29t

FOCUS - NeedhamUCC3. On October 20, after worship, we will discuss the book Great Tide Rising:...

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