News and Notes - March 8, 2017

Last Sunday...
On a "Church First" Sunday, we welcomed kids into worship, welcomed new members (the Crawford family and the Gates family!), and welcomed all to share in Communion.
Alida's sermon was about giving something up for Lent ... or was it?  You can read, listen, or watch online at:  Giving Up (text) ... Giving Up (audio) ... Giving Up (video).

During our children's messages, our kids received coin banks from our 'Pennies for People' girls, to support the elderly poor in India. If you'd like one for your child, look for them at church this weekend!    
 
This Sunday....  A year after the publication of David's book, Church, David's sermon will reflect on a year of sharing the book with others -- and receiving great inspiration from its readers.. . "Church: One Pilgrim's Progress". What is the future of church in general evacuee as we near our 300th anniversary? Do you share David's optimism? Join us on Sunday to celebrate David's birthday and his book!! (and have birthday cake at coffee hour!)
SPF:  All high-school kids are welcome to our Senior Pilgrim Fellowship
in the Leonard Morgan Youth Barn on Thursday from 6-7:30 pm. Last week was "fishbowl debate" night! This week is 'SPFTube' night! 
 
JPF for 6th and 7th graders  will meet in the Barn this Sunday, March 12 from 5 to 6:30.  It's never too late in the year to have the kids join us!!  Bring friends too!!
Our Lenten Bible Study (beginning in March) will use a wonderful book written by Mother Teresa called A Simple Path. This book and Bible Study are good companions to our new "Lenten Devotional" with its theme of "The Way". Mother Teresa's book lays out 6 important aspects of living a simple Christ-like life. Note, you do not have to buy or read the book to enjoy the Bible Study; David will use a chapter each week as a jumping off point. Copies are available in the Narthex for $20.
Our Pennies for People girls are at it again with a few things to look for:
First, if your kids didn't pick up a  Lenten Coin Collection calendar and can , they can do so at the Church Office.  Take one for your family and keep it handy each day to see what we are giving thanks for, learning about, or thinking about during Lent.  

This Sunday, all the goodies at Coffee Hour are being made by our PFP girls, in recognition of a special donation to them in honor of David's birthday!

And finally, SAVE THE DATE FOR DINNER OUT! Don't cook on Thursday, April 6th.... come to Garden Catering instead!  A percentage of all the sales that day from 2pm-7pm will go to PFP and the elderly poor in India! It's so easy to give back!!
Mark your calendar for the next Sports Worship.... always a VERY popular worship service featuring a special speaker, some of our youth, and the great GHCC House Band!   March 19th at 6:30pm!!  Don't miss it!
Come to an Adult Ed discussion on the movie "The Shack" ... Join us on Sunday, March 26th in the Parlor, following our 10:30 worship. David will lead a conversation on the movie, based on the bestselling novel in which a grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God.  It promises to be a thought-provoking discussion!
ONLY 24 SPOTS REMAINING  for this year's Vacation Bible School Program which will be held August 14-18, 2017 from 9:30 to noon each day.  The cost for the week is $60 per child.  The program is open to children 
ages 4 years through 5th grade as of Fall 2017.
     Click here (and scroll down the page) to register online!  
Progressive Dinner...Everyone is warmly invited to a favorite annual tradition!! It's the GHCC Progressive Dinner which is scheduled for Saturday, April 1st. Never been? Here's how it works!! Everyone gathers together for appetizers at the church where you'll be given your dinner assignment! Following the appetizer course, everyone departs for church member homes, where they enjoy dinner in smaller groups of 8-10 people. This year the dessert course will be hosted by Anna & Jeff Taylor at their lovely home on Meetinghouse Lane. Everyone contributes to the dinner by bringing a salad, appetizer or dessert ... or by hosting one of the dinners! This event has become a very popular GHCC tradition, enjoyed by both folks who are new to the church and those who have been with us for many years. If you would like to join in the fun, we do ask that you sign up NO LATER THAN SUNDAY, March 26th.  If you would like to sign up for the event and/or volunteer to host, or just have a question, please contact the Church Office  
Alida STILL NEEDS ADULTS (age 21 or older) to come along on the Appalachia Service Trip!!  We still need 40 adults, out of total of 84, to accompany our 210 teenagers (the MOST ever!) to West Virginia July 1-8, for a life-changing week of service through the Appalachia Service Project.  It's a week of home repair for families in need - but you do not need to be a skilled carpenter!! All we need is your willingness to work alongside our teens.  Please take a look at the Adult Leader information on the ASP page of our church website  ... and if you like what you see, click on the online adult advisor registration!!  And of course contact Alida with any questions!
EXPRESS YOURSELF AT DOGWOOD! Spring is coming! This year's Dogwood Festival will once again be held on Mother's Day weekend, May 12-14. We ask our fellow church members and friends to please consider contributing to the Festival's success by placing a PERSONAL OR BUSINESS AD in our printed Dogwood Festival Program. Promote your business. Wish someone special a Happy Mother's Day. Congratulate a graduate. Write a funny haiku. Anything! Please contact Mike Mitri or Karen Mitri to learn more. ADS ARE DUE BY MONDAY, APRIL 3. Help us to ... "Do Good at Dogwood"! 

 
Women of the church! Join us for our annual GHCC Women's Retreat.  With Alida leading, we'll be in Darien, at beautiful St. Birgitta's retreat center, from 9 to 3 on Saturday, April 1st). A time to renew your spirit, connect with other women, and enjoy a little peace and beauty! For women of all ages! Please let us know you're coming by contacting Alida. Cost will be $35, which includes our lunch.  (Carpool from church at 8:30 a.m, for those who wish)

  The Annual Evening for Appalachia will be on Saturday, March 25!   Silent and Live Auctions, reflections on the 2016 trip, fun and fellowship, and a chance to help our SPF teens go and do God's work in Appalachia this summer! Click here to buy your tickets online! ($25)  We have some wonderful items, including an apartment in Venice for a week ... fabulous houses for vacation time, Catered Dinner for 10!  BUT WE COULD STILL USE MORE! Donations of goods, services, vacation homes, tickets, very much needed!(please talk to Alida)
 
 
March Book Chat! Join us on Wednesday evening, March 29 at 7 p.m. in the Parlor, when Alida will lead us in a discussion about A Man Called Ove.  A feel-good story about an angry old man and a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others.  Copies will be available for $10 in the Narthex and Church House next week!
 
Girls Night Out-Health and Wellness Evening An Evening of Health and Wellness, hosted by our Fellowship Board, March 22nd, 6:30 to 8:30 at the Norma Pfriem Center 111 Beach Rd in Fairfield, 6:30-8:30. Please join us for a night of health and wellness! After a welcome reception with wine and cheese, we will be sampling acupuncture and stress relief through music (musical) therapy along with a discussion on how to have beautiful skin, the natural way, at any age. All ages welcome with NO Fee. Please RSVP to Nancy Church  by Friday March 17th to reserve your spot!

Parish Court Luncheon Help Needed! -    On Wednesday, April 6th our church will be hosting a spring lunch for the residents of Parish Court in Ffld.  Parish Court is the affordable elder care housing complex, jointly owned by a few other churches AND us!!  If you'd like to help out with the luncheon, please let Marcia know!

And ..it's warm out today... good... cause we are getting ready for THE DOGWOOD FESTIVAL!! Save the dates... this year it's on Mother's Day Weekend, May 12, 13, and 14!!!  Look for much more information to follow!
THIS SUNDAY, RESCHEDULED FROM FEBRUARY...  Rally for Unity and Resilience... Stand with Refugees and Immigrants.  Join us on Sunday, March 12 from 3-4:30 pm at the Bessemer Center Social Hall, 2200 North Ave, Bridgeport.  Our Mission Statement: We stand together in unity with refugees and immigrants in Greater Bridgeport, affirming our commitment that we are a welcoming community that embraces our nation's cherished values of inclusion, equality and diversity. We stand in solidarity - across neighborhoods, faiths, and areas of focus - resolved to protect the dignity, rights and well-being of everyone in our communities. We affirm that no one is invisible and that all members of our communities are respected, protected and cared for. We come together to say "we are many and you are not alone."
Our Adult Education Board presents "What is Isis? And What Does it Want?" with Magnus Bernhardsson, PhD, at Williams College, Professor of History and  Faculty Affiliate in Arabic Studies, Leaderships Studies & Religion.  Join us on Tuesday, April 4 from 7:30pm - 9:00pm in the Sanctuary for a program focusing on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), their historical background, their level of operations, and the underpinnings of their ideology. It will highlight how they are driven by a commitment to purify their lands of undesirable elements, especially how they have destroyed and plundered historical sites, art, and artifacts and how they thrive in anarchic, war-like conditions. Finally, given its structure and theology this lecture will conclude on best possible ways to combat a force and organization like ISIS.  Free and open to the public!!
IT'S TIME TO DO-GOOD AT THE DOGWOOD  -  Preparations for this year's festival, Mother's Day Weekend May 12, 13 and 14th, are well underway and WE NEED YOU to help make 2017 better than ever. There are opportunities for just about every kind of person - quiet and thoughtful? Work in the barn and help us sort and organize before the weekend shoppers arrive. Gregarious and chatty? Sell sell sell in Kate's clothing, or better yet, take over Kate's Jewelry! 
 
This event is a beloved community charity. Last year, our church HOSTED the festival as a means to DONATE  all net proceeds to
23 charities. Yep. 23. That's a lot of doing good!   Be a part of this festival, in any way you are able to - we PROMISE you, you will leave feeling so grateful to have given yourself the gift of volunteering & we know you will make a friend or two as well. 
 
And by the way, if you'd like to beckon in the spring properly, do it in your best Dogwood a- TIE -er - purchase your vineyard vines limited edition tie for 95.00, or tote bag for 150.00 - they are one-of-a-kind exclusive designs for our hometown festival, and in colors that will make you feel like the blossoms are already in bloom.   Contact Kim Smith for further information on purchasing ties/totes
Kate's Clothing Challenge! Please look for our collection bags, tied with a pink ribbon, in the Narthex and the Church House foyer.  Take one home and challenge yourself and your family, each day during Lent, to place one new or gently used clothing item in the bag.  What a great way to kick start your "spring cleaning" and another successful season for The Dogwood Festival! 
FAIRFIELD COUNTY'S GIVING DAY... TOMORROW!!  ~ 24 hours to give where you live, and share some love! ~ Hosted by Fairfield County's Community Foundation, Giving Day is a 24-hour online community event inviting people to "give where you live" to your favorite non-profit organizations.  Organizations dear to our church's heart will benefit greatly from this year's Giving Day, including Lifebridge, which supports families and children in need in the Greater Bridgeport area, and Operation Hope, sheltering and feeding those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.  Here's the link to go to on March 9!  https://fcgives.org/
Prayer Concerns :   We invite you always to be in touch with your prayer concerns; you can also click here to contact Anne Lyons , our prayer chain leader. We also welcome new members of the prayer chain (members of our church family who commit to pray regularly for those in need).  Just let Anne know! 


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