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Meetings and Services
this Week:
Sunday, July 23rd:
-9:00 a.m.Worship Service
-Summer Sunday School
Monday, July 24th - Friday, July 28th:
-8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Vacation Bible School
-7:00 p.m. Gilead Golf Committee in the Parish House
Tuesday, July 25th:
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Reverend Dr. Denise M. Esslinger
Minister of Mission and Faith Formation:
Stephanie Haines
Minister of Music:
Bruce Gale
Administrative Assistant:
Sally Fritsche
Worship: 8:30 AM
Worship w/Sunday School: 10:00 AM
Summer Worship:
9:00 AM
Gathered: 1748
Meeting House: 1838
Fellowship Hall: 2008
We are an Open & Affirming Church
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Ministry Quicklinks:
More About Us
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2017 Vacation Bible School
Hero Central: Discover Your Strength in God
Vacation Bible School (VBS) is an Ecumenical Program Sponsored by the Churches of Hebron, CT and open to all children entering Kindergarten through Fifth grade. VBS will be held this Monday, July 24th through Friday, July 28th from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm at the Gilead Congregational Church.
At Hero Central, children will meet Captain Shield and Flame, the Red panda. After a high-energy opening assembly, children will experience an interactive Bible lesson followed by a variety of activities, crafts, music and recreation as well as a tasty treat in our snack zone. Participants will also be able to contribute to our "Christmas in July" mission project, providing for the needs of local children in the Department of Children and Families care and in partnership with the Connecticut Covenant to Care Program.
Cost is $30.00 per child. The fee will cover class materials, daily snack, crafts, and outdoor recreation. Scholarships are available.
Please make checks payable to Gilead Congregational Church and include a completed registration form. Registration forms can be found underneath the nametags, outside of the Sanctuary. Please bring checks and registration forms with you on Monday morning. We hope you will join us!
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Summer Potluck & Prayer Gatherings
Please plan to join us on Wednesday evenings July 26th, August 9th and 23rd for our summer Potluck and Prayer gatherings. We'll meet on the Gathering Terrace at 6 p.m. Our Deacons will grill up hamburgers and hot dogs and have lemonade and ice tea to share. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. After dinner, we'll close our evening with a brief time of worship and prayer. All are welcome!
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Summer Picnics at the Hebron Library
Many families and children attended the "Summer Picnics" Program at the Hebron Douglas Library this past Thursday. Thank you to the Gilead Church for it's support and volunteers! Appreciation also goes out to Timothy VanTasel, Superintendent of the Hebron Public Schools for being our special guest "Mystery Reader" and the library for their support! It is wonderful privilege to feed growing bodies healthy foods as well as feed growing minds during the summer!
Due the success of the "Summer Picnics" Program the Hebron Douglas Library "picnics" will be on a first come, first serve basis from 11:30 - noon. The next "Summer Picnic at the Library" will be held this Thursday, July 20th and will be provided by Georgia's Restaurant. The special summer event will be "Fun with Rhythm " a drum circle for children ages 5 and up with their adult. St.
Peter's Church will host.
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"Slice of Talent": Pie & Talent Auction
Do you bake a mean dessert? Are you an artist in hiding? Are you handy at home-improvement projects? Have a passionate hobby you would be willing to share? EVERYONE has a talent and we need you!
Once again, we will be auctioning off "people" and their talents on Friday, October 13th. This year, all proceeds will be going to support our local Community Mental Health Fund initiated by the Gilead Congregational Church, Board of Missions after the tragic events that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December of 2012.
We would like to get a head start this year getting our auction items together. If you have a talent, trade or handmade item that you would be willing to donate and put up to auction for this worthy cause, please sign-up on the sheet provided below the name tags or drop off your item(s) to Sally Fritsche at the Parish House, Tuesday - Thursday anytime between 8 am and noon. Thank you for your support!
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Back to School Drive - July 15th to August 13th
Help to send children back to school with a healthy start!
The Children's Subcommittee of our Board of Missions is hoping to provide our local food bank, HIHS, as well as RHAM High School with much needed back to school supplies. Please consider donating any items below or making a donation. For a $25 donation you can sponsor a young person to go back to school with a fully stocked back pack!
Collection bins to place your donations will be available outside the Sanctuary. If you are making a monetary donation please make checks payable to Gilead Congregational Church with "Blessing of the Backpacks" in the memo. Your specifically labeled check can be placed in the offering plate during worship service.
School Supplies Needed:
- heavy duty, zip-up, 3-Ring Binders (large)
- sturdy backpacks for teens
- earbuds
- flash drives
- scientific calculators (with sin, cos, tan buttons)
- graphing calculators (TI-84 Plus CE)
- 24 pack crayons
- 12 pack colored pencils
- 12 pack colored markers - fine tip
- pens (red, black, blue)
- dry erase markers
- pencil cap erasers
- pack of glue sticks
- high lighters (varied colors)
- sturdy plastic folders with pockets
- 3 ring binder (one inch)
- 3 ring binder (D-ring 3 inches)
- dividers for 3-ring binders
- zipper pouches to hold pens, pencils, etc.
- spiral, single subject notebooks
- wide ruled composition books
- lined notebook paper
- graph paper
- contained pencil sharpeners
- 3 X 5 index cards
- ruler
- agenda books
Healthy Non-Perishable Snacks needed:
- snack-size fruit cups
- raisins
- pretzels
- microwave popcorn
- trail mix
- granola bars
- whole grain crackers
Items can be placed in the designated bins outside the Sanctuary through August 13th. Thank you so much for your support!
On August 27th we'll be having our annual "Blessing of the Backpacks". We will be offering our prayers as we send off our young people, teachers and school professionals for the new school year ahead. We hope you will join us!
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During the summer, our Choir is off. If you are willing to share a musical gift during one of our summer services, please contact Bruce Gale, our Minister of Music, at [email protected].
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Silver Lake Summer Conference
Silver Lake has announced its offerings for the summer 2016 conference season and registration is open.
The Silver Lake summer brochure is now available underneath the name tags and is also available online at www.silverlakect.org along with the downloads of forms needed for registration.
Also, our Women's Fellowship is once again offering to pay the $150 deposit for any young people in the congregation who would like to attend Silver Lake. Please speak with Karen Voghel (860-649-2939) if you are interested in taking advantage of our Women's Fellowship generous offer.
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3rd Annual Gilead Golf Open - August 14th
Some have shared that they are not golfers but inquired as to how they may be a part of, and add to, the success of the golf tournament.
Important to the success of any such venture are the opportunities which exist and afford one the opportunity to be a supporter. For example, for only $100.00 you could be a tee sponsor and have your name prominately displayed on a tee. Or, you might choose to make a financial donation. Both would be tax deductible should you itemize your deductions.
What is really needed are raffle prizes and silent auction items. Perhaps you would consider the donation of a gift to certificate to such businesses as Fennagains, Georgia's, Sadlers, Gina Maries, Dunkin Donuts, Ted's, etc. Gift baskets also go over well.
Silent auction items such as tickets to sporting events like UConn basketball or football, Yard Goats and theaters, etc. are popular.
Please, consider being a part of this "fun" and "fund" raising event which supports the missions and ministries of our great church.
Please, fell free to speak with either Tim Fellman, Ken Cook, Jack Hooker, Steve Petro, Glen Hadley, Doug Stewart or Harvey D.
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Garden Swap
Our Annual Garden Swap has begun! Please bring in any extra produce from your gardens to the Fellowship Hall on Sunday to share. Any leftovers will be taken to Hebron Interfaith Human Services for their distribution. Questions can go to Paul Miller and Bruce Langevin.
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Members of the Fellowship Committee are asking members and friends to sign up for co-hosting coffee hour on Sunday mornings. Please consider serving as a host. You can sign up to host a coffee hour on the sign up underneath the name tags. If you can serve as a host or have any questions, please contact Leslie Brand at 860-742-5555. Thank you!
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Summer Greeters Needed
Summer is here and we are all enjoying the long, warm days. However, we still wish to greet everyone as they come to worship on Sunday mornings for our 9:00 a.m. service. Greeting is easy and everyone is invited to be a greeter! Simply arrive at 8:45 a.m., stand at the end of the hallway as you enter from the parking lot, and welcome everyone as they arrive. If you would like to be a summer greeter, please sign up on the sheet under the name tags. Thank you!
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Denise, we would like to thank you, the Women's Fellowship and Bruce Gale for a beautiful service and fellowship after our mother's memorial service on July 2nd. It was almost like you knew Barbara and the music was just beautiful and soulful. The flowers that were left in the fellowship hall for us were beautiful too. Thank you to whoever did that.
I'm so thankful to be a member of this
wonderful chruch.
The Leary Family
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Dear Denise,
We wanted to take an opportunity to thank you as you helped our family as we tried to make sense of this terrible tragedy. You were kind, supportive, and you provided stability during a very uncertain and confusing time.
Love,
Ben and Rosetta Weir
(Ruthanne Hadley's son and daughter-in-law)
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Dear Pastor Denise and Members of the Gilead Congregational Church,
Thank you for the wonderful service for my sister, Ruthanne, on July 8th and the very fine reception following. While the day engendered sadness in remembering Ruthanne's death, your remarkable efforts made it not only a day of remembrance but, a happy day, demonstrating the blessings of a Church community.
Sincerely,
Bill and Mariel Zitek
(Ruthanne Hadley's brother and sister-in-law)
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Impromptu Time of Fellowship
Recently some members of Gilead Church enjoyed an impromptu time of fellowship along the Connecticut shore.
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Upcoming Sunday Worship Servers
Ushers for this Sunday:
Maggie and Alan Thibault
Ushers for next week: Ginny and Fred Huhn
Deacon of the Day for this morning: Jon Kimball
Deacon of the Day for next week: Jan Andrews
Liturgist: Penny Besmond
Coffee Hour Host for this morning: Men's Fellowship
Coffee Hour Host for next week: MaryBeth Aker
Greeter for this Sunday: Joe Sheehan
Greeters for next week: Leslie and Greg Brand
Summer Sunday School Teachers for today: PreK/K: MaryBeth Aker
Grades 1 - 3: Jenna Langevin
Summer Sunday School Teachers for next week: PreK/K: Alexia Weir
Grades 1 - 3: Maggie Thibault
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Scripture Readings and Prayer for the Week
Isaiah 44: 6-8 and Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43
Creator God, we praise and thank you for the life you give and sustain. You have sown us into this world and challenged us to choose to align ourselves with and to work for all that is good. Help us to bearers of your good and love each day. Amen.
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Contact Info
Sally Fritsche
Administrative Assistant
Hebron, Ct 06248
860-228-3077
Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until noon (Parish House)
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