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THE CRIER

September 2019

The First Church in Marlborough,

United Church of Christ

37 High Street

Marlborough, Massachusetts

www.firstchurchnet.com

Dear Saints of God at First Church, As many of you know the month of August did not necessarily work out the way I had planned it to. With eight funerals in just six weeks, including three in a row – it was definitely not something I was expecting or want to repeat. But for all the pastoral anguish and pain and sympathy I feel for the fami-lies of those who lost their loved ones, there is another element to all of this. Many people came up to me and told me that I spoke beautifully and movingly. I appreciate the compliments and support – but it made me pause. You see, without false modesty I really believe that I am only doing what any minister and a Christian is supposed to do: testify with all my heart, and all my mind, and all my strength to the love of God that we have in Christ Jesus. I find it humbling but also very motivating that the simple truths of our Christian faith can resonate so deeply with people – even those who are not the most churched or the most devout. The three simple facts we testify to every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper – or as we call it “the mystery of our faith”: Christ has died, Christ is ris-en, Christ will come again – have to power to heal, to comfort, to inspire, to renew. Mine and your mis-sion is to give witness to it – in the best way we can, in the milieu we find ourselves, in the times we are given. A good way to start is to begin by prayer, and what better place to begin than with the Lord’s Prayer. So, beginning on Sunday, September 15 I will start a six-week sermon series on the Lord’s Pray-er. The “Heidelberg Catechism” our UCC testimony of faith will be our base – but I am looking forward to learning with you all more about that great prayer. I hope you can all join me – and begin the new church year by exploring it together. Prayer is important. In the past six weeks daily morning and evening prayer (of different fervency and length) have grounded me and helped me not burn out. I am particularly fond of the Saturday even-ing prayer from the 1989 “New Zealand Prayer Book”:

“Abide with us o Lord, for it is toward evening and the day is almost over;

abide with us, for the days are hastening on,

and we hasten with them; abide with us and with all your faithful people,

until the daystar rises and the morning light appears, and we shall abide with you forever.

Amen.” Yours in Christ, Pastor Kaz

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Worship, Thoughts, Thanks & Welcome 2 UCC Roots & UCC Daily Devotionals 3 UCC Daily Devotionals 4 News from the World 6 Fellowship, Pies & Rummage Sale 7 Matchmakers Corner, Choir & Outreach 8 News from the UCC 9 September Calendar 11

WORSHIP, BIBLE AND PRAYER

SUNDAY WORSHIP

Sunday, September 8 at 10:00am Recovenanting Sunday Sunday School Begins

Sunday, September 15 at 10:00am

Worship Service ~ Pastor Kaz Lord’s Prayer sermon series

Sunday, September 22 at 10:00am

Worship Service ~ Pastor Kaz Lord’s Prayer sermon series

Sunday, September 29 at 10:00am

Worship Service ~ Pastor Kaz Lord’s Prayer sermon series

BIBLE STUDY

Tuesday Bible studies are held at 10:00am and 7:00pm with Pastor Kaz in classroom 7.

PRAYER

Finding Your Prayer Style ~ Topics will include the following: What is prayer? Why is it im-portant? What are the different kinds of prayer? How to overcome obstacles to prayer? What are the different styles/approaches to pray-er? Wednesday evenings in November at 7:00pm in the Temple Room. For more information, email Rob Knox (bobknoxious@gmail.com).

TELEVISED WORSHIP

WMCT-TV Marlborough Comcast Ch 96, Verizon Ch 33

Sun., Wed. & Fri at Noon Saturday at 9:00 am

Our Thoughts and Prayers The First Church Family lost several members and friends this past month and we wish to extend our heartfelt sympathy to: Cliff Fenton and family on the passing of his wife Shirley; The family and friends of Bill Provencher; The family and friends of Olive Kozak; and Mary and Bob Steeves on the passing of their son Sheldon.

PASTOR KAZ OFFICE HOURS

Pastor Kaz ‘office’ hours are Mondays at the Coffee Loft on Lincoln Street

from 9:00am - Noon (or feel free to call him for an appointment at other times).

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Tuesday and Thursday 8:00am –2:00pm Wednesday 9:00am—3:00pm

PASTORAL CARE

To notify staff of personal concerns, illnesses, hospitalizations, or deaths; to pass along a prayer request; or to arrange homebound Communion please contact Susan in the

church office at 508-485-6297, or any Deacon. If you have a pastoral emergency please

contact: Pastor Kaz (203-781-6372).

THANKS

We would like to thank Pastor Kaz for all of his support during the illness and passing of our son Sheldon, for his home and hospital vis-its, his kindness, and for the funeral and grave-side service he performed. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the many members of church who sent cards and kind words, brought us baked goods and meals, called, prayed for us, and provided countless rides for us to see Sheldon and to do errands. Mary, Bob and Melanie Steeves

WELCOME!

Please welcome our new interim organist, Yunhee Kim who officially joined us on Sunday, Septem-ber 1st.

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UCC ROOTS ~ REMEMBERING OUR HISTORY

She Answered a Call that Seemed Impossible Contributor: Barbara Brown Zikmund

It was South Carolina in the 1930s. The young woman was always inter-ested in ministry, but she was told that it was impossible for a woman to be a minister. Yet some people encouraged her. She went to church. She stud-ied her Bible. And she was inspired by a black woman who preached in a nearby African American church. At age eighteen Murdale Cameron Leysath (1924-2013) went to New York City and worked in a Settlement House. A few years later she went back to South Carolina and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology. From 1945-1948 she worked as a social worker. Yet her sense of calling to ordained ministry persisted. In 1950, she met a Vermont for-

ester (Elwin Leysath). They married and moved to Rutland, VT, joining Grace Congregational Church and becoming part of the United Church of Christ. Murdale Leysath enjoyed the flexibility of her new church and she sought to reclaim her call to ordained ministry. Her problem was seminary. How could she be ordained without a seminary degree? In spite of that barrier she was encouraged to enroll in the Layman's School at Lancaster Theological Seminary in PA dur-ing the summers. The UCC Conference minister in Vermont created a curriculum for her and lined up tutors to coach her. The Women’s fellowship raised money to underwrite her travels. Finally, after ten years, in 1965 the Conference declared its desire to ordain her. As a pastor she helped several local churches unite and expand their mission. She chaired educational pro-grams for Vermont. She served on the Conference Board. Knowledge of her energy and leadership spread. In 1977 Murdale Leysath became Associate Conference Minister in northern Michigan. From 1982 to 1989 she was Conference Minister of the Minnesota Conference, becoming the first female Conference Minister in the United Church of Christ. Her story is something to celebrate.

Wrapped Around a Rock by Talitha Arnold “Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. Psalm 71:3-4 (NRSV)

Pinyon trees are the Methuselahs of northern New Mexico. The sturdy, compact trees live about 450 years. Some make it to a thousand—quite a feat in a land with average rainfall of 10 to 18 inches. Pinyons also sur-vive desert heat, bone-chilling cold, thunderstorms, flash floods, and wind. Moreover, some pinyons don’t have the sense that God gave geese. You see them clinging to the side of a canyon wall or atop a mesa, un-protected from the elements. Yet still they last. How do they do it? Simple. They wrap their roots around the biggest rocks they can find and hang on for dear life. Pinyon tap-roots are 20 feet long, but unlike the roots of trees in less harsh regions, pinyon roots seldom grow straight down. Instead they curl around rocks solid enough to hold them against the storms. Whoever wrote Psalm 71 probably never saw a pinyon tree, but they knew what you need to survive in de-sert places and times. “You are my rock,” the psalmist wrote. “Rescue me from the wicked, the grasp of the unjust and the cruel.” Give me something to hang onto in the storm. Psalm 71, like a pinyon tree, invites us to consider what our lives are wrapped around. When the storms come, what do we hold onto? Prayer ~ Rock of Ages, help us pray our way back down to you. Help us remember to wrap ourselves around your love and hang on for dear life. Amen.

UCC ‘stillspeaking’ DAILY DEVOTIONALS

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Tick Tock by Phiwa Langeni When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. …you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. - Leviticus 19:33-34 (NRSV)

At my new school back in third grade, I vividly remember approaching peers on the playground and asking if I could join their game. I was met with one of the most dreaded phrases of my childhood: Tick tock, game locked. That meant they didn’t want to play with me. That was the law of the playground to protect the scarce resource of playtime. Once it was spoken, I couldn’t argue. I had to find some other place to play, also losing playtime as I did. Unfortunately, this mindset didn’t remain on the playground. Though it plays out differently in various set-tings and circumstances, our scarcity-based society thrives on exclusions. We create separations based on our sexual orientations, pigmentations, national originations, gender identifications, political inclinations, educations, or other iterations of human variations. Our biblical ancestors too were a people who were quite familiar with being outsiders. Even so, situations of comfort made them forget about their own hardships as aliens. When they had plenty, they guarded in-stead of sharing. Like them, we work hard at getting and keeping what we’ve got at any cost. Sometimes we’re so focused on doing things right that we forget to do the right thing. I’m personally grateful for those few rule-challengers in third grade (and beyond!) who went against culture to welcome me. It’s through them that I was able to thrive and be the best third grader I knew how to be. Prayer ~ Help us realize you have more than enough for all of us. Embolden us to act toward the day we can proclaim: Tick tock, nothing locked! Amen.

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Holy Advocacy by Matthew Laney Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” - John 14:15-16 (NRSV) In seminary I received a new, very expensive vocabulary. Peculiar words like hermeneutics, eschatology, soteriology, and heuristic were common vernacular. My favorite bit of seminary-speak is paraclete. It’s found in John’s Gospel as a term for the Holy Spirit. Paraclete means “advocate.” Jesus says after he is gone, he will send the Holy Advocate to guide the underdog disciples through dangerous times. At Pentecost, it happened. The Advocate sent them out of the house and into the streets, speaking new languages, boldly advocating for the vision of a man killed as an enemy of the state. That was risky enough. Then the growing number of Christ-followers advocated for each other by divesting themselves and holding property in common. The church, from the start, was designed to be a risk-taking, multi-lingual, advocacy organization. I love advocacy and activism, but I’m not always motivated to do it, mostly because I’m doing just fine. Among those who do not enjoy as much privilege and comfort as I have, letting things stay the same is more risky than advocating for dramatic change. Fortunately, the Holy Advocate has something much bet-ter in mind than comfort. It strives for equity, equality, justice and peace—in other words, for the kingdom of God. Prayer ~ Come Holy Advocate! Sweep me out of the house and into the streets to speak a new lan-guage and tear down old walls.

UCC ‘stillspeaking’ DAILY DEVOTIONALS

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UCC ‘stillspeaking’ DAILY DEVOTIONALS

A “Grown Folks’ Conversation” by Kenneth L. Samuel “You must love the Lord your God and obey every one of God’s commandments. Listen! I am not talking now to your children who have never experi-enced the Lord’s punishments or seen the Lord’s greatness and awe-some power. ... They didn't see how the Lord cared for you time and again through all the years you were wandering in the wilderness until your arrival here. ... But you have seen these mighty miracles!” - Deuteronomy 11:1-7 (TLB)

As a young boy, I would often watch my mother conversing with friends and relatives. Every now and then, she would turn to me and say: “This is a grown folks’ conversation.” That was my directive to leave the room. Usually, I couldn’t care less what was being discussed, but whenever my mother said that the conver-sation was for grown folks only, it always made me wonder what secrets the adults were hiding from us kids. Deuteronomy 11 is a grown folks’ conversation, addressed to those who had lived through Israel’s forty-year exodus out of Egypt and entrance into the Promised Land, when they had seen God do many great things. They had witnessed the superpower of Egypt. They had worshipped on Mount Sinai, witnessed miracles in the desert, and been sustained and satisfied in dry places. Yet, Deuteronomy 11’s conversation could not be limited to grown folks only. For if the people were going to remember God’s deliverance and keep God’s commandments, the grown folks of Israel would certainly have to open up and share with the young folks of Israel. All of the agony and ecstasy, all of the joys and pains, all of the misery and miracles would have to be recounted over and over again if those who were not there were going to honor and perpetuate the faith of their ancestors. What conversations about life, love, and freedom are we keeping from young people today? What firsthand testimonies are we reluctant or afraid to share? The life of our faith and the life of our nation are dependent upon "grown folks’ conversations" that must not be limited to grown folks. Prayer ~ Gracious God, we thank you for all that we know, by our own exper ience, of your love and power. Now enable us to share with those who may not understand, simply because they have never been told. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Big-Big! By Phiwa Langeni “God, your God, is immense and powerful and awesome. God doesn’t play favorites, takes no bribes, makes sure orphans and widows are treated fairly, takes loving care of foreigners by seeing that they get food and clothing.” - Deuteronomy 10:17-18 (The Message) The Zulu word for God is Nkulunkulu, which roughly translates to “big-big.” Though I’ve known this word my whole life, until recently, I’ve never stopped long enough to recognize the wisdom embedded in that common word. Deuteronomy, the book of reiterated laws, operates in the power of repetition. It repeatedly recalls the ten laws cast in stone to help people (re)engage them in various real and tangible ways for their current situa-tions. In this part of the world and at this particular time in history, we could certainly take a page or more from this book of repeats. We are in need of repetitions and reminders that God is not just big, but big-big! Big-big enough to not be swayed by the pr ivileges and random circumstances of one’s birth. Big-big enough to rule without personal gain. Big-big enough to fair ly treat parentless children and people without economic stability. Big-big enough to lovingly care for foreigners, making sure they’re fed and clothed. Big-big enough for all of us to have what we need—and more! Prayer ~ Keep reminding us that you’re immense, powerful, and awesome, Big-Big God. Help us experi-ence your abundance in all of who we are, so we don’t block others from your blessings. Amen.

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NEWS FROM THE WORLD

MEMBER CHURCH NEWS ITEMS: CLIMATE ACTION, JOINT STATEMENT ON HONG KONG AND EFFORTS TO BRING PEACE TO SOUTH SUDAN CHECK OUT THE BLOG DETAILS ON THE BELOW TOPICS AT: http://wcrc.ch/blog ~ General Secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches urges for peace in South Sudan.

~ Students from the United Church of Canada join the Climate Strike!

~ The United Reformed Church in London decided to divest shares from fossil fuel companies!

~ Joint Statement on the Hong Kong Democracy Movement from the Forum for Peace and Security in North East Asia.

~ The Got Lunch! program of the United Church of Christ provides meals for 500 children in New Hamp-shire!

~ Italian protestant churches express their willingness to host refugees in a letter to the President of the Euro-pean Parliament!

~ Eglise Protestante Unie de France is celebrating the 500th birthday of the French reformed theologian, Théodore de Bèze on 1st of September!

~ In Argentina the Conference of the Congregational Presidents met to discuss the current state of the church and to create a new project plan.

~ De Protestantse Kerk in Nederland is organizing a youth visit to Israel and Palestine in 2020!

~ The Synodial Council of the ECCB visited the College of the Evangelical Church in Palatinate in Speyer and Landau.

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FELLOWSHIP

Following a July and August respite, Wom-en’s Fellowship will kick off it’s monthly meetings with a Potluck Supper in Parish Hall on Tuesday, September 10th at 6:00pm. All are welcome, both Women's Fellowship members and non-members. Please bring some food to share. Joan Beauchemin and Janet Yurkus will be the hostesses. President Laura Lane will conduct the business meeting which will open at 7:00pm with Pauline Wills giving the devotions. At 7:30pm our featured speaker will be Chelcie Martin, daughter of the owner of Honey Pot Hill Orchards in Stow. Chelcie will enlighten us on the history of the farm which has been in her family for four generations, their produce, and what they have to offer to visitors and consumers. The program is open to the public, so come and enjoy free of charge.

Men’s Fellowship will hold their September meeting on Sunday the 15th at 11:30am.

The September Spaghetti Sup-per is Wednesday the 25th from 5:00-6:30pm. Prices are $6.00 per person and $18.00 for a family of four or more. This dinner price in-cludes spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread, dessert, hot and cold drinks.

CALLING ALL PIE MAKERS !!! The Bake Room at the Meetinghouse Fair will have

more pies this year, fresh and frozen, with your help. After the church service on September 15th, get your coffee and meet in Room 9 to learn more and make

plans. Please bring your ideas as well as your favor-ite pie crust and apple pie recipes. Donated pie plates are appreciated as well. Thank you, Marian

Hopkins

WOMEN'S FELLOWSHIP FALL 2019 RUMMAGE SALE FUNDRAISER

The Fall 2019 Rummage Sale sponsored by the Women's Fellowship will be held on Friday night September 27th and on Saturday morning September 28th in Parish Hall. SET UP & DROP OFF HOURS SELLING HOURS THURSDAY, SEPT. 26th 9:00am - 6:00 pm FRIDAY, SEPT. 27th 5:00pm - 8:00pm FRIDAY, SEPT. 27th 9:00am - 3:00pm SATURDAY, SEPT. 28th 9:00am - NOON $5.00 BAG SALE ALL SATURDAY MORNING! Fill a brown paper grocery bag provided by us and pay just $5.00 for the contents. Stop by and shop for some great bargains on children's, men's, & women's clothing & acces-sories, footwear, sporting goods, housewares, linens, home décor, books, toys, games, puz-zles, and miscellaneous items. We welcome all other donations but unfortunately we

CANNOT accept the items noted below FOR SAFETY OR HEALTH REASONS: NO SHARP KNIVES NO CAR SEATS NO CHANGING TABLES NO HIGH CHAIRS/BABY SWINGS NO BASSINETS/CRIBS/ANYTHING A BABY SLEEPS IN NO BED PILLOWS NO MATTRESSES NO COMPUTER PARTS/TELEVISIONS NO LADDERS NO LARGE FURNITURE/LARGE RUGS NO APPLIANCES LARGER THAN A MICROWAVE OVEN Volunteers are welcome to help set up on Thursday and/or Friday, or help pack up the unsold goods at noon on Saturday. Any window of time you can donate will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

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OUTREACH & COMMUNITY

Our Father’s Table (OFT)

Please join us on September 17th from 4:00pm—6:00pm if you can help make part of the meal, help to serve, or just spend time with the guests who come for dinner. First Church provides this meal in downtown Marlborough each month where we have between 40-50 guests join us for dinner and fellowship. We’d love anyone who wishes to do so, to come join us in this community outreach pro-ject. If you are interested in doing so, please contact Carol MacEwen (508-481-0623).

Katy Mahoney Backpack Program

Feeling so very happy and grateful. 91 (ninety one!!!!) backpacks were delivered to the Marl-borough Educational office on Tuesday, August 13th. Thank you to all who donated by either shop-ping or giving funds to buy the packs and school supplies. Special thanks to the Marlborough Ea-gles for donating 20 backpacks. Hugs and thanks to Tammy Ducey for shopping with me, and Gary Hollis, Laurel Hill, Carol McEwen, Pastor Kaz and Sue Pellerin for their help in delivering the back-packs. Your generosity and support of this program helps children start their school year off with the tools they need to participate in class.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Liz Mahoney

MATCHMAKERS CORNER

Our By-Laws state, “The core of the church is the congregation”. The congregation then participates as Church Officers, on Church Council and the five Ministry Groups. And guess what? You are the congrega-tion, both members and non-members. Coming to First Church makes you part of our family and so much happens in this family and I know there is a part for you to play in helping this family grow. In this issue of Matchmakers Corner, I need to focus on Church Council as it is the hub that ties the worship ministries together. In our Ministry Model, there are 5 ministry groups; Worship, Mission and Outreach, Spiritual Formation, Parish Life and Stability. Within each Ministry, a Facilitator is selected to become a ‘point person’ to sit on the Church Council (alongside 3 members-at-large) providing updates on what is happening in their Ministries and to help shape the needs of the congregation within Council. Right now, Church Council is looking for one member of the church to be a part of the team. The Church Council’s objectives are to facilitate communication between the ministry teams and to determine and inter-pret policy decisions. Over the years, Church Council and the ministry facilitators have been engaged in up-dating the bylaws, the 350th Anniversary and most recently, the Emergency Action Plan which is getting closer to completion. Right now, we need to fill one of our three member-at-large positions. This is a 3-year commitment (we meet monthly except July) and you won’t regret it! If you are a member and are interested or you have any questions, find our current Chairperson, Lori Hannay or seek me out after service. Here to serve, Andy Dunn, Council Vice-Chair.

JOIN THE CHANCEL CHOIR!!

Have you ever thought about joining the choir? Now is the perfect time to try it! You don't need to have a beautiful voice or read music. You just need to like to sing and have fun. We rehearse on Thursdays at 7pm starting September 5th. Contact earmsby@gmail.com or call 215-480-6847 for more info.

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“Got Lunch!” Feeds 500 kids in New Hampshire community this summer ~ by Connie Larkman A community collaborative in New Hampshire anchored by a United Church of Christ congregation is delivering groceries to local families every week over the summer, ensuring 500 chil-dren have access to healthy food.

Got Lunch! Laconia, housed in the Congregational Church of Laconia and led by the Rev. Paula Gile, associate pastor, is a 10-week program that was created in 2011 to feed school-aged children in the community over the summer months.

"Two things really stand out for me about the Got Lunch! Laconia program," said the Rev. Gordon Rankin, New Hampshire Conference Minister. "The first is the depth of the need. The program provides food to the families of all the children who receive free or reduced lunch in the school system. In Laconia that is around 60 percent of the children in town. The second thing that stands out to me is the depth of the support for the response." This year that response includes local businesses, other religious institutions, an area grocery store chain and a partnership with the region's agricultural cooperative. Got Lunch! Laconia also involves more than 200 vol-unteers for 2019, a number that has grown steadily in the nine years since Gile and the community launched the ministry.

"I got here in December [2010], my first call out of seminary. The first week I was here I was asked if I had experience with a summer lunch program," Gile said, noting that she had worked on one previously in Ver-mont on a very small level. "People loved the idea of this delivery system. The first year we had 300 kids and 70 volunteers, 80 percent of whom were church members. This year we are feeding 500 kids with 240 volun-teers, 20 percent who belong to Congregational Church of Laconia."

The Got Lunch! Laconia procurement team picks up food for the program at the food bank in Manchester, N.H. They start stockpiling supplies beginning in January, making the hour drive every other week until the beginning of June, when they go every week through mid-August. Each Sunday and Monday from June through August, Got Lunch! Laconia volunteers report to the church a few hours at a time. After worship on Sunday, a group sets up long rows of tables downstairs in the church hall. Those work stations fall under the supervision of Mary Sorrell. "I retired from my accounting job and read about this in the paper," said Sorrell, a volunteer from the commu-nity who has been with the program for about seven years. "I wasn't really looking for something to do, but my neighbor was a volunteer. I came with her, and the rest is history."

Sorrell started bagging groceries for delivery. She's now the Sunday set-up coordinator–handling the paper-work that involves the count of bags that need to be packed and delivered to Laconia families on each of a dozen different routes every week. One set of paperwork notes how many people are on each route. Another describes the products to be packed, so when the volunteers come in Monday morning everything is ready to go. The next day, bright and early, the bulk of the work begins. Farmers drop off fresh vegetables purchased by the program, which are bagged up at 8 a.m. Got Lunch! Laconia also provides dairy vouchers redeemable at Vista Foods so families have access to milk, eggs, cheese or yogurt. By 8:30 a.m., between 60 and 120 vol-unteers go to work to bag up the rest of non-perishable items, assembling a week's worth of food for each child.

"Grandparents love to bring their grandkids here," Gile said on Monday, Aug. 12. "I bet we had 110 people packing today. At least 30 of them were kids." Continued on next page

NEWS FROM THE UCC

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Jacob Marshall, 17, has been volunteering since he was 9, first coming with his grandfather and his sister, Chelsea. Even though he no longer attends Laconia Congregational, he said he's always here, filling in wher-ever he's needed – from bagging groceries, to running them out to drivers, to parking cars. "I really enjoy it a lot. I love to do community service," Marshall said. "I have also encouraged my cousins [who are] 10 and 14 to join us, along with some people from my high school in Concord, N.H. We do this every year."

Diane Tinkham, a member of the UCC church, has been involved eight of the Got Lunch! Laconia program's nine years. She now oversees the allergy bags operation with a team of three. "As someone who has food allergies, we figured out how to do it efficiently and safely for the families," Tinkham said noting they can accommodate the four most common allergies —peanut butter, tree nuts, gluten and tuna. "We do sun butter, chicken instead of tuna. Special pasta for gluten free families, gluten free bread. We are precise about getting the right modifications."

Being careful to get it right includes packing the products in bright red bags, each prominently labeled with the names of the families. All the grocery bags are color-coded. In addition to the red bags labeled for kids with food allergies, there are blue bags for one-child families, and green bags packed for two children. So, a family with five kids, for example, is provided with one blue and two green bags every week.

"It's organized chaos here on Mondays," said the Rev. Neil Wilson, senior pastor. "But everyone knows ex-actly what they are doing. We've got six rows of tables, several different stations where the food is organized and bagged for delivery. What's neat about it is different groups or businesses from the community will come in and man a station to be part of the effort. It's amazing to watch."

In just about an hour, hundreds of colorful bags are taken out to the delivery drivers who usually get back to the church between 11 a.m. and noon. "The drivers are our ambassadors to the families," Gile said. "Some drivers develop nice relationships with the kids and ask to be drivers for the same route so they can see 'their kids.' Members of the Advisory Board who manage the families getting their deliveries also interact with the families."

The UCC church is the program's fiscal sponsor. The community collaborative is run by an advisory board of six members, five from the church and one from the community. Most of them have been with the program since its inception. Got Lunch! Laconia is not a non-profit, so it allows the board to apply for grants. "Our first year we applied for the 'UCC Make a Difference Grant,'" Gile said, "which really helped us get started in those early years."

Gile said it costs $130 to feed one child for the 10 weeks of summer. The money is raised through those grants, fundraising events, raffles and donations. Got Lunch! Laconia, she said, also gets tremendous support from the schools.

And the work doesn't end after the last week of the program, Aug. 26. In September the advisory board con-ducts surveys—one for volunteers and one for the families. In October, they close the books after paying all the summer bills. They write grants in November then break until January, when the process begins again.

"The commitment of the people who are on our board, they are so organized and open to suggestions," Tinkham said. "We have hundreds of volunteers because they make everyone feel needed. It's amazing to be a part of. It takes place in our church but is truly a community event. It's really a great way for fellowship." "It's like family," Sorrell said. "These people that I didn't know – I really didn't know anybody when I started here. Now we're like best friends. We banter back and forth, but everybody just jumps in and gets it done. I miss them over the winter."

Got Lunch! Laconia has helped 18 other programs like it get started by sharing how they do what they do.

"This, for me, is what love of neighbor looks like," Rankin said. "It is when we say, 'I see you, I see your need and I see that we can make a difference.' The people of the Congregational Church and the wider town of Laconia are saying that loud and clear."

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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 10:00am Worship with Communion

2 Labor Day BBQ

3 Rivers Edge 7-10pm

4 Rivers Edge 7-10pm

5 Rivers Edge 7-10pm

6 7 Early Risers 6:45-8:30am NETF Class 9:30am-12:30pm

8 10:00am Worship Recovenant Sunday Rivers Edge 1-4pm

9 Pastor Kaz Coffee Loft 9am-Noon Scouts 6pm Bells 7pm

10 Bible Study 10am & 7pm Women’s Fellowship 6pm

11 One Step at a Time Grief Support 6:30-8pm Trustees 7pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm

12 Chancel Choir 7pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm

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14 Early Risers 6:45-8:30am NETF Class 9:30am-12:30pm

15 10:00am Worship Men’s Fellow-ship 11:30am Pie Makers 11:30am Rivers Edge 1-4pm

16 Pastor Kaz Coffee Loft 9am-Noon Scouts 6pm Bells 7pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm

17 Bible Study 10am & 7pm Our Father’s Table 5pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm

18 Deacons 7pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm

19 Russ G. Discernment group 5pm Chancel Choir 7pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm

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21 Early Risers 6:45-8:30am NETF Class 9:30am-12:30pm

22 10:00am Worship Rivers Edge 1-4pm

23 Pastor Kaz Coffee Loft 9am-Noon Scouts 6pm Bells 7pm Council 7pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm

24 Bible Study 10am & 7pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm

25 Spaghetti Supper 5:00-6:30pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm (classrooms until hall cleaned up)

26 Chancel Choir 7pm Rummage Sale Setup and Drop off 9am-6pm Rivers Edge 7-10pm (classrooms)

27 Rummage Sale Dropoff 9am-3pm Rummage Sale 5pm-8pm

28 Rummage Sale 9am-Noon

29 10:00am Worship Rivers Edge 1-4pm

30 Pastor Kaz Coffee Loft 9am-Noon Scouts 6pm Bells 7pm

12

SUNDAY WORSHIP

AT 10:00AM NURSERY CARE AND

SUNDAY SCHOOL

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday: 8:00AM—2:00PM

Wednesday: 9:00AM—3:00PM Thursday: 8:00AM—2:00PM

CHURCH OFFICE PHONE:

508-485-6297

CHURCH EMAIL: office@firstchurchnet.com

CHURCH WEBSITE: firstchurchmarlborough.org

First Church in Marlborough (Congregational)

United Church of Christ 37 High Street

Marlborough, MA 01752-2344