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Newsletter of Barrington Congregational Church United Church of Christ
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Church Office Hours are Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm and 1:30 - 4:30 pm unless otherwise noted.
Thurs, Nov 30
3 - 5 pm Brendan's Community Office Hours, The Coffee Depot in Warren
Sun, Dec 3
Advent 1 / World Aids Day
10 am Worship Service with Communion, Church School
After Worship Sing and Celebrate Choir rehearsal, Room 6
11:15 am – 1:15 pm Confirmation Class, Room 9
Mon, Dec 4
11 am Bereavement Group
Tue, Dec 5
11 am Staff meeting, Dale’s office
Noon Senior Luncheon, Fellowship Hall
7 – 9 pm Knitting for Others group, Barbara Wuth’s house
Wed, Dec 6
7 pm Deacons meeting, Library
7:30 – 9 pm Choir rehearsal, Vestry
Thurs, Dec 7
Noon Women’s Faith Group Christmas Lunch, Trafford Restaurant
3 pm Lay Visitation Meeting, Library
3 – 5 pm Brendan’s Community Office Hours, Coffee Depot
6 – 7:30 pm NAMI Family Support Group, Room 6
Sat, Dec 9
Outside use of Fellowship Hall
Sun, Dec 10
Advent 2
10 am Worship Service with extra music from the choir, Church School
After Church School Sing and Celebrate Choir rehearsal, Room 6
Mon, Dec 11
10 am - 5 pm OWL Class, Library
7 pm Buildings and Grounds meeting, Vestry
Tues, Dec 12
11 am Staff meeting, Dale's office
1 - 2:30 pm Memory Impairment Support Group, Library
7 pm Church Council meeting, Room 6
Wed, Dec 13
6 - 8 pm Feasting at Fireside, Parsonage
7:30 - 9 pm Choir rehearsal, Vestry
Thurs, Dec 14
3 - 5 pm Brendan's Community Office Hours, The Coffee Depot in Warren
Sun, Dec 17
Advent 3
Christmas Fund Offering
10 am Worship Service with Sing and Celebrate Choir, Church School
11:15 am - 12:30 pm Pageant rehearsal
12:30 pm JYG and SYG Caroling and Christmas Party
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The deadline for information to be included in the next eBridge is
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Deadline for 2017 Reimbursable Expenses
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The end of our current fiscal period is December 31st. If you have any invoices or expenses that you need to be reimbursed for, please fill out vouchers (which must be signed by the leader of your ministry team) and send them to the church office, with receipts attached, a.s.a.p. Vouchers are available from a folder on Pat’s desk in the church office.
Expenses turned in after Mon, December 11th will be charged to next year’s budget!
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Candle Lighters and Readers needed
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Advent Candles Lighters needed - including for this Sunday!
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Dale and Brendan are looking for people to read the short liturgy and light the Advent candles on
Sundays, December 3rd, 10th, & 17th at 10 am, and on
December 24th at the 10 am, 5 pm & 10 pm services. Volunteers should contact Rev. Dale Azevedo a.s.a.p. at (401) 246-0111 x 103, or
dale@bccucc.org
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Readers needed for Christmas Eve 10 pm service
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Several volunteers are needed to read scripture at the 10 pm
Christmas Eve service
of Lessons and Carols. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Rev. Dale Azevedo at (401) 246-0111 ext 103 or
dale@bccucc.org.
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The new weathervane is up!
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On Tuesday, November 21st, some repairs were made to the supporting structure and the new replacement weathervane was installed on top of the church steeple. This marked the culmination of the church's 300th Anniversary celebrations. Many thanks to the following who made it all happen: The 300th Anniversary Committee; Paul Dennis, chair of Buildings and Grounds, who oversaw the entire project; Dave Ferro of Ferro Weathervanes who made the replica; American Aerial for providing the crane; Michael Catanzarro of Catanzarro Painting for making the arrangements and operating the crane; Abby Ashley for taking photos of the installation; and finally to those who made donations that made it possible to commission and install this new weathervane. Be sure to check it out as you go by. Additional photos can be seen on the church's Facebook page
www.facebook.com/bccucc
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'Tis the season for giving
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Purchase gifts from SERRV - order deadline is Sun, Dec 3rd
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The deadline for SERRV orders is
Sunday, December 3rd.
Helen Schall will have catalogs and order forms in coffee hour that day (at the piano). You can also see the items available at
www.serrv.org
and then e-mail your order (by Dec 3rd) to
helenschall@hotmail.com - be sure to
include item number and description. O
rdering through the church will save you shipping charges and provide financial support for the 2018 Service Trip.
SERRV is a nonprofit organization with a mission to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide. Learn more at
www.serrv.org
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The mitten tree will be up in the narthex this Sunday to start receiving your donations of warm hats, gloves, scarves, and mittens etc - both purchased and hand-made - for children, youth and adults of all sizes. Donations should be made
by Sunday, December 17
th
so they can be given to Amos House for distribution at their annual Christmas Dinner.
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Mission & Justice’s "Giving Tree" will be in Fellowship Hall this Sunday with envelopes for your donations of various amounts to apply to gift cards to supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations, utilities, toy stores, shopping malls, etc. The gift cards will be given to the
Women's Resource Center to help the families there afford the necessities, and also allow the women to have money to purchase gifts for their families and themselves. Donations need to be made
by Sunday, December 17th. Contact Lory McCoy at
lsnadymccoy@gmail.com or 247-2599 for more info or with questions.
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Haitian bracelets for sale - OneEggHaiti Fundraiser
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Colorful bracelets made by Haitian women will be sold at coffee hour during December. The proceeds will help feed a child in Haiti an egg a day, an incredible source of protein that is important for cognitive and physical development. The RIC UCC Haiti Task Force is partners with
OneEggHaiti
to provide much needed protein for undernourished Haitian children in schools and orphanages. The bracelets make excellent Christmas presents!
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A message from Dale and Brendan…
“During the weeks of Advent you will find in the pew racks an envelope marked “Staff Christmas Gift.” We are blessed to have wonderful people working here who give more hours to our church than expected or are compensated for. We therefore invite you to join with us in giving them a gift during these holidays. Your gifts will be divided up among six different people; Christine and Pat in the office, Andrea our CE Coordinator, Marina at our organ, and Paul & John on the custodial staff. Each staff person will receive this gift according to the number of hours they work. Thank you ahead of time for your generosity.”
Checks should be made payable to BCCUCC and mark the memo line 'Staff Gift'. Thank you.
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Shop thru AmazonSmile and raise money for the church!
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When you shop online at Amazon, if you log in through
AmazonSmile,
every eligible purchase you make on Amazon will raise 0.5% of the purchase price for our church. To learn more visit
http://smile.amazon.com
and choose ‘Barrington Congregational Church’ as your charitable organization.
Each quarter we receive a donation from Amazon, and all you have to do is start your Amazon shopping at AmazonSmile. Thanks to all who already do this.
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Senior adults are invited to a Christmas Luncheon on
Tuesday, December 5th in Fellowship Hall at noon. We would also love to include any of you who are not seniors, but are free that day. Please join us. You can sign up at coffee hour this Sunday, or contact Beth Buckley at 401-247-0324 or
elizabethbuckley21@msn.com. If anyone needs a ride, it can be provided – just be sure to let us know. You will not want to miss this festive event to kick off the Christmas season!
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Women's Faith Group Christmas Lunch
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The Womens Faith Group next meets for their Annual Christmas Lunch on
Thursday, December 7th at Noon at
Trafford Restaurant, 285 Water Street, Warren. Those wishing to attend should RSVP to Jane Tonn at 289-2349 or
jtonn2@cox.net
by Tuesday, December 5th.
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Our Senior Minister, Dale Azevedo and his wife, Elizabeth would like to get to know you better! All members and friends of the church are encouraged to sign up and join them for monthly dinners at the parsonage (7 Fireside Drive, Barrington). The next dinner on
Wednesday, December 13th
is full, but you can sign up for dates in early 2018. They don't guarantee a gourmet meal, but do promise a comfortable table where all are welcome! For more info, or to sign up,
click on this link.
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Holiday Jazz Concert at BCCUCC
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On
Saturday, December 16th
at 7:30 pm the Barrington High School Jazz Band will be playing a concert in the sanctuary as a fundraiser for our mission trip to the Navajo Nation! Admission is $5 at the door. Come enjoy a wonderful evening of music and support our mission trip. Refreshments will follow the performance in the vestry.
More information
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JYG & SYG Caroling and Christmas Party
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The Junior and Senior Youth groups will be going Christmas caroling after the pageant rehearsal on
Sunday, December 17th, leaving from the church a little after 12:30 pm. Following the caroling there will be a Christmas party with refreshments! All in grades 6-12 are welcome. Questions? Contact Brendan at
Brendan@bccucc.org or 246-0111 x 104
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Information about all of the church groups that meet regularly - including who to contact - is available
at this link
. Meeting dates are in the calendar above.
All groups invite and welcome your participation.
Included below is additional information that some groups need for their next meeting.
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Knitting for Others Group
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The group
will meet
Tuesday, December 5th
from 7 - 9 pm at the home of Barbara Wuth, 3 Fireside Drive, Barrington.
Knitters are encouraged to bring red yarn to make hats for the “
Little Hats, Big Hearts
” project, or work on a prayer shawl, or hats, scarves etc for the church’s Mitten tree.
RSVP to Barbara at 245-7291 or
bwuth54@gmail.com
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The group
will meet
Tuesday, December 19th
at 7 pm in the church library to discuss
The Relic Master
by Christopher Buckley. “
Through the cheeky humor, the author gives readers a very real sense of the 16th century when science and superstition held equal sway, and a man was always a swords breadth away from a horrible death”. (Publisher's Weekly).
What is the Book Group?
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Chancel Fund donations requested
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Every Christmas we invite the congregation to make donations to the Chancel Fund which is used to pay for the plants that decorate the sanctuary at Christmas, as well as the plants that are delivered by the Deacons to our homebound, sick and bereaved. A dedication of your choice is included in the bulletins for the Christmas Eve services.
More information and donation form
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Christmas Eve service times
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On
Sunday, December 24th
there will be a regular 10 a.m. worship service for the 4th Sunday of Advent.
Christmas Eve services will be held in the sanctuary at
5 pm
and
10 pm
. The 5 pm service will include a Christmas Pageant (see below), and the 10 pm service will be Lessons and Carols.
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The puppets will be back and we need everyone’s help! We want to include the whole congregation this year!
All who plan to attend the
five o’clock pageant on Christmas Eve
are encouraged to come to the pageant dressed as their favorite nativity character! (this is optional but you are encouraged.) Is God calling you to be Mary or Joseph? Maybe you’re a donkey! Maybe you’re an angel, a shepherd, or a wise person! Please make a costume during Advent and wear it to the pageant and be part of our living nativity with the puppets!
We also need puppeteers! If you’re interested in operating a puppet please contact Brendan at
brendan@bccucc.org
.
Children participating in the pageant will rehearse during church school on Sunday, December 17th. Participants operating puppets will need to come to the pageant rehearsal after church on Sunday, December 17th from 11:15-12:30.
Participants with speaking roles and Puppeteers are also asked to come early on Christmas Eve to run through the pageant at 4 pm. Children participating are asked to arrive at 4:30 pm.
Let’s all help bring the nativity to life this year!
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Welcome to our new members
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On Sunday, November 19th we were delighted to welcome three new members who joined our church. From top to bottom they are:
Liz Wiedenhofer who is a native Rhode Islander. She enjoys watching sports, spending time with family and her dogs, and anything in nature.
Elizabeth Azevedo who is the wife of Rev. Dale and comes to us from Middlefield Federated Church in Connecticut. She enjoys knitting, sewing, crafting, outdoor walking and reading.
Daniel Watts who is Rev. Brendan Curran's partner. Dan has interests in cooking and nutrition. He also enjoys cats, hiking and photography.
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Please consider joining the Lay Visitation Team
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What do we do? We reach out to members of the church who need a call, a card, or a visit. We meet once a month. So if you are looking for an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus--this is for you! Contact Dale at 401-246-0111 or
dale@bccucc.org
with your interest. They next meet on
Thursday, December 7th
at 3 pm in the library.
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Help needed to create a meditation room
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As a part of his ministry plan this year, Rev. Brendan Curran will be leading mediation classes at the church and we need your help to transform Room 8 into a meditation space. A list of what’s needed is
at this link
on the church website. Learn more about mindfulness and meditation by reading Brendan's latest 'From the River's Edge' blog post
Be Still and Know
.
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We sometimes get requests from church members who want to attend either a worship service or some other church event, but they are no longer able to drive themselves. We would like to compile a list of volunteers we can call upon when we receive such a request. If interested in volunteering, please contact the church office at 246-0111 or
office@bccucc.org. Thank you.
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Brendan's Community Office Hours
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Brendan will be
at
The Coffee Depot
, 501 Main Street, Warren, from 3 - 5 pm on
Thursday afternoons
for anyone from the church or community who would like to stop by for a visit in this more informal setting. All are invited.
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'From the River's Edge' - The Pastors' Blog
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If you missed reading any posts you can find them all on the church website
at this link. There are also links to the most recent ones from the homepage of our church website
www.bccucc.org
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News from the RI Conference UCC
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This RICUCC youth group event for grades 3 - 8 takes place from 1 - 4 pm on
Sunday, December 3rd at Woodridge Church.
Details
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2017-2018 Calendar is available for viewing
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The church calendar is kept up to date and you can find it at
http://bccucc.view-events.com If you have any meetings or activities planned, please send them to
office@bccucc.org so that they can be added to the calendar. Also please notify the office or any errors or changes. Thank you.
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Sermons available on line
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If you miss church on Sunday or want to hear the sermon again, you can do so at the following link
Sermon Archive.
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Chorus of East Providence concert
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The Chorus of East Providence, will perform Vivaldi’s
GLORIA with orchestra and other traditional holiday music on Dec 2
nd at 7:30 pm and Dec 3
rd at 2 pm at St. Martha’s Church, 2595 Pawtucket Avenue, East Providence, RI. Advance ticket sales can be made by contacting Judy Antonio at
508-889-6211 or through
www.coepgloria.brownpapertickets.com.
Flier with more information.
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'Hope of the Broken World' - a Christmas Musical
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Sunday, December 3rd at 4:30 pm at Smithfield Avenue Congregational Church in Pawtucket.
More information
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First Wednesday of every month at East Providence Senior Center.
Details
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