This Week at Old North!

Old North Church is an inclusive Christian Community called to bring to life God's love and grace by sharing the gospel for this time and place; extending the hospitality Christ showed; embodying God's love and compassion to those in need; and growing together in our understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit at work in our midst.

Welcome Back DONUT Sunday!

Bring Your Favorites This Week

This Sunday, September 17 is the opening of children's church and so much more! We will have a special DONUT coffee hour, and are inviting everyone to bring a half-dozen of your favorite donuts to share. You can drop them off in the kitchen before worship. If we have a super abundance, we will share them with our friends at Lifebridge.

Children's Church Begins This Sunday

It is time to re-gather under the Storytelling Tent, a time to share our stories of summer days, back to school and to look ahead to what awaits us in Children's Church this year. We will have two classes this Sunday, 4yrs to 3rd grade and 4th to 6th grades. We will gather in the Sanctuary with our families and after the Children's Moment and will head upstairs and start under the tent together. We are in need of class leaders. We will be using the Whole People of God curriculum; it is very user friendly, great learning for all of us! These are the dates we will be gathering through Christmas. If you could please check your calendars, chat with a friend to work as a team if you would like and join me for a year for Christian Education to inspire and be inspired by the youngest of our church family! I can be reached at [email protected].

Classes Will Meet on:

Sept 17 & 24

Oct 1, 15, 22 & 29

Nov 5, 19 & 26

Dec 3, 10 & 17

Blessings, Karen

Coffee with Karla

I would love to have coffee with you! Starting this Fall, I will have "coffee" office hours. Please come and join me for a chat, to share a concern, or just enjoy good conversation.

This is the schedule:

1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 pm at Starbucks

2nd and 4th Fridays, 9:30-11:30 am at Haley's.

So, for September, come meet me for coffee either:

Wednesday, September 20 from 3:30-5:30 at Starbucks

Friday, September 29 from 9:30-11:30 at Haley's

See you then! Karla

Career Transition Meets on Sundays

The group now meets on Sundays at 11:30 in the Beals Room at the Stacey Street office building. Anyone in job transition (whether re-entering the workforce, seeking employment after a layoff or just looking for a different job) is welcome to attend. Participants will share job search strategies, network, work on resumes, enjoy spiritual support and more. There is no cost to participate. We look forward to serving those who need support while looking for work. For more information email Michael Perez, [email protected].

Listed below are the schedule and topics for September and October sessions:

9/17 - Marketing Yourself, modern resumes

9/24 - no session this week

10/1 - Marketing yourself, optimizing your LinkedIn profile

10/8 - Marketing yourself, honing your elevator pitch

10/15 - Marketing yourself, maximizing your online presence

Pew Cards

New Multi-purpose cards have been placed in the pews for Visitors, prayer concerns, change in demographic information such as address, phone and e-mail changes, and interest in helping with different activities at Old North Church. If you fill out a card, please place it in the offering plate and you will be contacted regarding the information you provide. Please don't forget to wear your name tags each Sunday!!

Thank you from The Membership Committee

Please Consider Joining the Senior Choir

Please consider joining the Senior Choir this year! Singers of all ages (high school and up) and varied levels of experience are welcome and encouraged. Singing is gratifying, fun and in fact, good for your health! Regular rehearsals for the Senior Choir take place on Wednesday evenings from 7:30pm -9:00pm and Sunday mornings at 9:00am.

Anyone wishing to join the senior choir and friends to sing for MaryAnn Main's memorial service is welcome to do so. Singers will gather at 9:30am in the choir loft to rehearse music for the service. The choir will not be wearing robes.

	Welcome Back to Youth Choir!
Wednesdays 3:30-4:15 Cecelia Choir Rehearsal, Grades 1-3 4:30-5:30 Parish Singers Rehearsal, Grades 4-8 Rehearsals take place each Wednesday at these times. Each choir sings at a Sunday church service, about six times throughout the year. Our choirs are open to all children in grades 1-8. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Help Wanted! Infant/Toddler Room

We are looking for a caring adult leader for our infant-toddler room (nursery) on Sunday mornings from 9:45-11:15. Candidates must have some experience with childcare, be willing to work with a team, provide references, be 18 years or older, and be able to pass a CORI background check. Pay is $30/Sunday. If you are interested, please contact Karen Kilty, our Director of Children's Ministries at [email protected].

	Flower Committee Volunteer Assistance is Needed
Judy Rawding is seeking a couple of volunteers to contact flower donors for the months of October, February and March. If you are able to help out, please contact Judy at 781-631-9256.

Hurricane Relief: How You Can Help

The United Church of Christ has suggested the most urgent need is for funds to aid the relief effort already underway by organizations on the ground in Texas, Louisiana and Florida. Old North Church has senta contribution from our discretionary benevolence funds, and will also pass along any additional funds from members and friends of the church. If you would like to make a contribution, please make a check to Old North Church, with the "Hurricane Relief" in the memo line. We will also be exploring other opportunities to be part of the recovery effort, which is likely to continue for years. For more information on disaster relief efforts through our denomination, please visit the United Church of Christ website at www.ucc.org.

Your Pledge Dollars at Work

Our Outreach Ministry recently mailed a $500 check to the Pilgrim Congregational UCC Church in Houston, Texas. This week, we received the following thank you letter:

"Let me begin by saying thank you to the Old North Church Community for your generous and heartfelt donation for flood relief. It comes at a time of uncertainty in the lives of so many and your donation reminds us that God is still in control. We will ensure your donation will aid families on the road to recovery and spiritual restoration. May God continue to bless you and your community, as you have been a blessing to this community. In Him, Rev. A. K. Edwards"

	Outreach Ministry Board
The Outreach Ministry Board will meet on Tuesday, September 19 at 6pm in the Great Room.

Mindfulness Meditation Class

Begins September 21st

Join Dr. Stephanie Green who will guide you in the practice of Mindfulness, which is "non-doing" or "being". Mindfulness permits one to see all of life's problems more clearly through the lens of a clear mind. This six week program meets on Thursdays at 10 a.m. for one hour at Stacey Street Great Room beginning September 21st. Class fee $100, payable to Stephanie Green. Pre-registration required. Registration material is available at Stacey Street, during coffee hour on September 10th or by clicking here. Contact Stephanie at 781-710-9744 for further information or to register.

	Women's Gathering
The first ONC Women's Gathering will be on Thursday, September 28th at 7:00. This is a casual get together to enjoy a glass of wine or seltzer, and get to know other ONC women. Please RSVP to Karla, [email protected]

Registration and Rehearsals for Festival Chorus Begin September 27

Registration and rehearsals for the 37^th annual Festival Chorus concerts will begin on Wednesday, September 27^th in the Parish Hall at 7:30pm. All singers are welcome! High school students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to join with our adult singers of all ages. Each section is lead and encouraged by the wonderful professional soloist/section leaders from the regular Old North Church music program. The 27^th will be a "meet and greet" for chorus members followed by a session of healthy vocal exercises presented by Stephanie Scarcella and supported by our team of professional singers. Subsequent rehearsals will take place from 7:30pm-9:30pm every Wednesday. This year's program will feature Missa in Angustiis (Nelson Mass) by Franz Joseph Haydn, excerpts from a delightful Christmas Cantata by German composer, Gottfried August Homiliusand several colorful arrangements of seasonal music for chorus and orchestra. For more details, please email Maria vanKalken at [email protected].

Winter Wonderland Fair, Nov. 17-19

The ONC Winter Wonderland Fair, scheduled for the weekend of November 17-19, is a tremendous opportunity for all of us to check around our homes and find priceless treasures we no longer want or need.

The Home and Garden section of the fair is looking for items of gift-giving quality (not "white elephant") such as pottery or ceramic pieces, pillows, table linens, vases, flower pots, candles, children's toys and other good-as-new items that would appeal to all age groups. We are also hoping to entice all crafters to donate a couple of your creations so we might have some beautiful locally hand-made items to offer. Beginning on Sunday, September 24, you may leave your donations in the Narthex in the marked basket or on the stage in the Parish Hall. Please contact Linda Duvel 781-631-1703 or [email protected] with any questions.

Falalalala...'tis the season again to be collecting items for the Winter Wonderland Christmas table. Last year a very generous donor donated her beautiful Christmas village, one of the many lovely donations that we were able to sell. As you prepare for the holiday season and bring down those big boxes from the attic, please keep in mind that we are, once again, looking for tasteful pieces for the Christmas table. No plastic or shiny metal please! The Parish Hall stage will be available for storage beginning on September 24^th, so you may either drop your donations off there or call Lynda Hare (781 639 0107) if you would like them to be picked up.

BAUBLES, BANGLES & BEADS! Let's recycle & share jewelry with others! We'll be selling "gently used" jewelry at very reasonable prices. Please bring your bracelets, rings, earrings, pins and necklaces to the Narthex OR church office. Small "gift boxes" for jewelry would be greatly appreciated too. Any questions, contact Barbara Day ([email protected]).

Many thanks in advance for your generous donations. Each contribution, no matter how small, will help make this year's Winter Wonderland Fair an outstanding success.

We Need Contact Info Updates!

We will be working on updating the ONC Membership Directory this Summer to have available in the Fall. If you have had any recent changes in e-mail or home addresses, phone numbers, or family information, please notify the church office ([email protected]) as soon as possible to assure that we have accurate information to distribute.

	Lifebridge 'Best of the Best' Celebration
The Lifebridge Thrift Shop will be holding their 'Best of the Best' Celebration sale on Saturday, September 16th from 10am-5pm. Stop by and check it out!

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Old North Church

35 Washington Street

Marblehead, MA 01945

Mailing Address:

8 Stacey St. Marblehead, MA 01945