News and Notes - April 19, 2017

Holy Week and Easter... God gave us a most beautiful week, you gave us great attendance, and our ministry gave us some very special services. Here's an unusual apology! The sun was so bright on Easter that the large TV in the overflow tent could barely be seen!!  We have exciting improvements planned for next Easter, we promise!

If you'd like to listen to David and Alida's Easter Service messages, you can click below! 
David's Easter Message... Text... Coming Soon!!
Welcome Back to Rev. Sheldon Smith!  While David and Alida are on vacation from April 18th - May 1st, Rev. Sheldon Smith will be helping us out! He is very familiar with our church, having served here during David & Alida's vacation the last two years. He will be running the Religion in the News Class on Sundays and also both Bible Studies on Thursdays.  If you need anything at all, he and Rachel are available for pastoral care at the drop of a hat... Be sure to call the office at 203-259-5596 for any of your church needs!
YES!!! While David is away BIBLE STUDY will continue on Thursdays, at 10am and 7:30pm in the Church House Library (led by Sheldon).  AND, Religion in the News on Sundays will also take place at 11:30am in the Parlor.  
SPF Tomorrow Night!   SPF (our high school youth group) continues this Thursday from 6-7:30pm in our Len Morgan Youth Barn.  We will be de-stressing with our SPF Favorite, Lauren Lanham, who will guide us thorugh meditations and give stress-relieving tips!

JPF meets this Sunday!  All 6th and 7th graders are welcome to join us for JPF (Junior Pilgrim Fellowship) today in the Leonard Morgan Youth Barn from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. It's never too late to join us for a whole bunch of fun, games, and even pizza!  Don't forget to bring friends!
PFP Lenten Coin Cans are due back!
 
If you have a can at home, remember to bring it back to Church asap so the PFP girls can send the pennies to India!  Upcoming PFP events: look for their booth at the Dogwood Festival in May, a "Pooch Parade" in June, and a S'mores Cookout in August!  Our PFP Girls say "Thank You!!  Your coins make a HUGE difference to so many elderly people in need in India!!"
The Greenfield Hill Cemetery is in need of some love and care! Come learn about Greenfield Hill's "old burial ground", our church's ancient 'family cemetery' (just a half-mile away on Bronson).  And help take part in caring for it! Our own Jeff Taylor has taken the lead in restoring the cemetery, and is eager to share what he's learned, and to invite you to join in. Jeff is hosting an information session for everyone interested on Wednesday, April 26th at 7 pm in the Church Parlor (behind the Sanctuary).  You're invited to come along for a workday on Saturday, April 29th in the Cemetery, any time from 8 am-3 pm.  And on May 20 from 8 to 3, come for another workday, and a chance to learn basic cleaning/straightening techniques for the ancient gravestones with Jonathan Appel, preservationist.. Please contact Jeff with your interest and questions at 978-760-1103 or  Jeff.Taylor@bwater.com
Serving for the homeless on April 27:  your help needed!  Our friends at the United Congregational Church in Bridgeport need our help in continuing to feed the hungry in their neighborhood. The ceiling in their fellowship hall/kitchen collapsed earlier this winter. Since then, they have been struggling to continue their ministry to the hungry without a kitchen. Neighboring churches have been pitching in, and now we are too! We will prepare, deliver and serve dinner for 150 hungry folks on Thursday, April 27th! Here's where we need help!
  • Volunteers to meet at GHCC at 4:15 p.m. that day to pick up the prepared food and deliver it to United in Bridgeport.
  • 8-10 volunteers (older kids and youth are welcome)to help us at United Church beginning at 4:45. We should be finished by 7:15 or earlier.
  • $$$ donations to help cover the cost of purchasing bread and fruit cups.
To sign up for delivering and/or serving, please click here! Donations are welcome via our online donation link , or send a check to GHCC. The Board of Children and Youth Ministries is coordinating this project. If you have questions, please email Co-Chairs  Erika Duffy , or Marc Power .
The Fellowship Board wants you to join us for a culinary adventure!  On Friday, May 5th, we will enjoy a private cooking class at Cinch Gourmet Market at 7pm. In this hands-on class, you will sear the perfect scallop with sweet chili sauce, find out why a whole roasted fish is so delicious, pan sauté skirt steak and make the perfect bourbon peppercorn sauce to accompany it. Finally, you will make bananas foster just because it's amazing and the flames are kinda cool. This is a very interactive, hands-on event!  Cost of $55pp includes wine and beer (This is a generously reduced rate for the members of our church). Limited to 40 people. Please RSVP to the Church Office  by Monday, May 1st.
We still have room for adults to come along on the Appalachia Service Trip!!  Alida needs just 8 more adults, out of a 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!!  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!!   
An Update and Thank you! Our partnership with IICONN to welcome refugees into our community continues.  In fact, a family of 3 arrived on April 7, a Congolese family of 8 will be arriving on April 17, a family of 4 from Iraq will arrive on April 18, and a single young man from Somalia will arrive at the end of April.  Thanks to your many donations, our church will be providing each group with dishes, flatware, glasses and cups for their kitchens, and towels, a shower curtain, a bath mat, and all the toiletries necessary for their bathrooms.  Members of our church also continue mentoring refugee families helping them adjust to life in their new community.  Others are working with IICONN to help find affordable apartments for the new arrivals, and later with job placement.  Thank you all for your donations and prayers. 
Summer Worship Helpers Sought! -- One of the best traditions in our church, our lay-led services take place each summer Sunday at 8:15 a.m. on the Church House lawn.  These services are a chance for individuals or families in the church to have fun sharing their faith and their thoughts in worship.  We are looking for people to help lead these summer services!  The pastors are very happy to sit with you and help plan, so you are absolutely not on your own.   A great way to get closer to God and your faith, a great project for a family to do together!  Please be in touch with Deacon Seth Baratz to express your interest!  
IT'S TIME TO DO-GOOD AT THE DOGWOOD!
The 82nd Dogwood Festival: May 12-14

The Dogwood Festival is a decades-old tradition at Greenfield Hill Church: a celebration of the beauty of this hill at Dogwood time and a crucial fundraiser for our church's Mission giving. All the net proceeds from the Festival go to the charities supported by our church, near and far, nationally and internationally.

  We need you! The Festival is entirely run by the members of this church: and every church member is needed!  We have volunteer slots available beginning the first week of April right through the Festival itself, and the time to sign up is now!
 
The Dogwood Blossom Bakery is looking for bakers! Our Confirmation Class runs the 'Blossom Bakery' tent at the Dogwood Festival and are looking for any help baking items for the sale!  
Click here for the Sign-Up Link for the Dogwood Festival (May 12-14) -- baking and selling needed, kids and parents too! If you have any questions please contact Cheryl Jones!
Kate's Corner, o ur beloved and treasure filled tag sale area is just about up and running! At Kate's, you will find a variety of tag sale items, from home decor to sports equipment and nearly everything in between, and we need donations starting soon!  Please click here for a list of Donations we are specifically looking for , and click here for our drop-off schedule .  And thank you!  We couldn't do it without you!
Kate's Clothing Challenge! Kate's Clothing is the "gently used clothing" boutique of the Dogwood Festival, and we are already getting to work!  Clothes are coming in and sorting is underway!  Thank you to everyone who has donated to Kates Clothes thus far!  We have quite a collection already.   If you haven't yet done so, feel free to grab a collection bag, tied with a pink ribbon, from the Narthex or the Church House foyer.  Fill it up with your new or gently used clothing and drop it off in Rm. 200 anytime.  We could also use some volunteers to help sort throughout the month... click here to sign up!!  
The Dogwood Luncheon featuring A Simpler Place....  Nurturing Gardeners and Gardening.  Our  8th Annual Dogwood Festival Luncheon will take place on  Friday, May 12th from 11:30am-1:30pm.  
The luncheon will include a discussion led by Certified Advanced Master Gardener Renee Marsh titled...Everything I Need To Know About Gardening I Learned From a Tomato. A Spring menu will be served with sparkling water, wine, coffee and tea... Ticket price is $30 per person... and seating is limited.  Please purchase tickets online by clicking here... or mail a check made out to Dogwood Festival along with contact information to the church office: 1045 Old Academy Road, Attn: Dogwood Luncheon, Fairfield, CT 06824
Kids! plan to come have fun at the 11th Annual Dogwood FREE Dogwood Mini Dash! 10:30 am (just come the day of! Registration begins at 10:15) on Saturday, May 13th. The Dogwood Mini Dash is a free series of short sprints for kids ages 8 and under held in the beautiful Memorial Garden. All participants receive a fun gift.  Stay afterwards and enjoy the Dogwood Festival with many children's activities, craft vendors, food and more!
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! 

We pray for:
Gregory Lane, who  is currently recovering at Gaylord Rehab..... 

And the 6 teenagers from Fairfield and Easton who are recovering from a car accident, friends to so many in our Church family. 
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