THE BEACON
Woodfords
Congregational Church
February 2020
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A GOODBYE & THANK YOU FROM REV. JIM
Rev. Jim to Retire February 16, 2020
In September 2012, Rev. James Fletcher joined the Woodfords Church staff as Lay Ministry Coordinator. This position morphed into what became a part-time Associate Pastor position. In the seven years he has served on the church staff, working closely with his friend and colleague, Rev. Carolyn Lambert, Senior Minister, he has led worship services, preached, baptized, married, done memorial services, been a peace and justice advocate, led the Lay Ministry program, conducted workshops on elder issues, coordinated the Grant Fund program, been involved in the ecumenical faith community, served as head of staff and, finally, served as transition/bridge pastor. Also, he has cleaned carpets, painted nursery rooms, prepared bulletins, sanded walkways, replaced light bulbs, and hauled trash! (Jim is a true team player!) Additionally, he has called on the sick and shut-ins and counseled the troubled.
On Sunday, February 16, 2020, he will retire from Woodfords Church.
We will miss him greatly. We wish Paula and Jim all the best in what Jim says will be a 'real retirement,' although, to be honest, nobody is taking bets on whether he'll actually retire altogether.
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THANK YOU
Beloved members and friends of Woodfords Church,
In trying to find some catchy title for this letter, I couldn't come up with any but 'thank you.' As you know by now, on Sunday, February 16
th
, I will leave the staff of Woodfords Congregational Church, United Church of Christ. It is hard to believe it has been seven years since Paula and I crept into the back pew of the church assuming we could go to church, check it out, and sneak out the back. That didn't happen. Instead, Rev. Carolyn grabbed us, hugged us, and asked, "Hey, Jim would you like to preach for me sometime?" And the adventure began! John Colton, a philosopher of sorts, said that the English language works well for everything except expressing gratitude. He is right. Simply to say 'thank you' for the many ways you have loved us, supported us, and welcomed us into your hearts seems so inadequate. Please know that Paula and I will always have a special place in our hearts for this beloved congregation.
Many of you have asked me if we plan to stay active in the congregation after my retirement. The more I pray about this and think about this, the more I feel this may not be wise. You have a new, very thoughtful and wonderfully capable pastor. It is important that she fully assume this role. And while I will always be so grateful for the many ways you have supported me, I cannot serve you in any capacity as pastor. That is Rev. Alyssa's calling and role, and I know she will do it exceedingly well. This does not mean that our friendship ends. Please feel free to visit us at our new home in Scarborough and to keep in touch by phone and e-mail. We might even 'do lunch' from time to time. While my pastoral role ends, our friendship doesn't. Please know that Paula and I will hold you all in our hearts and keep you close in our prayers. And you should know that my most immediate plan after February 16
th
is to take a mini "sabbatical." Unlike our Master's 40-day stint in the wilderness, I intend on doing a lot of nothing…..and especially anything 'churchy.'
But I cannot wrap up this letter without a final 'thank you' to our church's wonderful staff. Teri, Louise, Paul, Tamara --- thank you so much for the ways you have always gone the extra mile to further the ministry of the our beloved congregation, but a very special thank you for the many ways you have supported me. More than this, thank you for all the laughs, goof-ups, tech advice, fellowship, tears, and good times we've shared together. For me, we have been more of a family than a staff. Thank you so very much for that.
Finally, as Paul the Apostle put it so well, "
I thank God for every memory
of you.
" And since I can't improve on the great Apostle, I'll simply say 'thank you, my beloved Woodford friends." May you go with God all your days.
Grace and Peace
Rev. Jim
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HEIFER FAIR
Sunday, February 9
following worship
Each year, when the days are short and the cold is most bitter, our Sunday School kids set to work with the intention of bringing the light of hope to people around the world. How do these little hands create such big change? By painting, stirring, glittering, baking, wrapping and planting, they create edible and visual treats. These kid-crafted offerings will go on sale on February 9 at our annual Heifer Fair and YOU (our beloved church community) will have the opportunity to amplify these efforts with your purchase power. Any and all proceeds will go toward buying livestock for families around the world. So mark your calendars for this celebration of light and hope!
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A MESSAGE FROM THE SEARCH COMMITTEE...
On behalf of the search committee, I want to thank everyone who participated in this journey with us. To those members of the various committees and staff who met with us in the beginning to help guide us in our direction, everyone who attended the meeting to discuss the church profile, everyone who took time to participate in the small group meetings with Reverend Alyssa, and finally everyone who trudged through the rain to participate in the candidating Sunday, thank you!
I want to share with you a couple of quotes I was given after the vote that spoke to me:
“After meeting Alyssa on Saturday and being present during her sermon on Sunday, I am feeling hopeful and secure in having Alyssa lead us through these next years of transition. The quietness and thoughtful reflection established during the Advent season, I feel, will continue with Alyssa as she listens intently and guides us ever so gently in a new direction.”
And...
“I thought Reverend Alyssa was very personable. Her responses to many in the small group meeting I attended give me hope that she will take the time to understand and hear the direction God is calling us to take, and that she will do so in an organized way. That she listens in a way that she will be able to handle the challenges thrown our way.
I also enjoyed the community baptism. I felt that she included the congregation both physically and also in a way that reminded us that we are all connected.”
I hope these speak to you as well. Thank you all for trusting us and giving us the opportunity to be your Search Committee. It was A LOT of work, but I think all of us on the committee are blessed with five new good friends and a deeper relationship with WCC.
Peace,
Mitch Rosengarten
Search Committee Chair
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UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES
Sunday, February 9, 10 am
Intergenerational Service followed by the Heifer Fair
Sunday, February 16, 10 am
Rev. Jim's last worship service at Woodfords Church
Sunday, February 23, 10 am
Rev. Alyssa's first worship service as pastor of Woodfords Church
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LADIES VALENTINE'S TEA
Saturday, February 15
The Ladies' Valentines Tea will be Saturday, February 15 from 2 to 4 pm in the Cloister. All Ladies of the church and friends are welcome regardless of age. We always have a wonderful time with visiting, tea and many wonderful treats. Fancy dress is optional and the younger ladies are free to bring their dolls.
There will be a sign up sheet in the lounge after coffee hour Feb 2 & 6 for anyone who wishes to make any goodies or to help set up and clean up.
If we have a blizzard that day, there is no snow date, the tea will just be cancelled.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Pam Barrows
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2019 PLEDGE/DONATION STATEMENTS
Statements for donations made during the CALENDAR YEAR 2019 are being sent out early February. This statement shows a listing of all contributions received to support Woodfords. It also summarizes by Pledge for each of the Fiscal Years, and by each ministry donated to in 2019. If you have not received an email or paper statement or have ANY questions about your statement, please contact Marc Hildreth at 774-8243, ext 110 or
mhildreth@woodfordschurch.org
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WOODFORDS SENIOR PROGRAM
Spring 2020 Calendar
SAVE THE DATES!!
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February 7:
Wilderness Wisdom Workshop, 12-2 pm (Cloister)
February 21:
Grant Fund Lunch Club trip to PhoEver Maine, 11 am (Parking Lot) Cost: $15
March 6:
Gina Colombatto “The Last Love Letter” Workshop, 1-4 pm (Lounge)
Free for members, $10-20 sliding scale for non-church members
March 20:
Michael Naylor “Instincts” Workshop Pt. 1, 9:30-Noon (Lounge)
Free for members, $25 (for two weeks) for non-church members
March 27:
Michael Naylor “Instincts” Workshop Pt. 2, 9:30-Noon (Lounge)
Free for members, $25 (for two weeks) for non-church members
April 10:
Good Friday Luncheon 11:30 am, Service at Noon (Lounge)
April 17:
Diving Deeper with Rev. Alyssa Lodewick,10 am (Lounge)
April 26:
Elder Sunday with Party following Worship (Cloister)
May 15:
Spring Trip (Details TBA) Cost: $25
June 5:
Summer Nights: An evening concert and garden party (Cloister)
Garden Party is Free, Concert is $5 for members and $15 for non-members
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IT'S TIME TO HOUSE
PEOPLE WHO ARE ILL
An Op-Ed in the Portland Press Herald, December 30, 2019
Victoria Morales, State Representative, House District 33
Cullen Ryan, Executive Director, Community Housing of Maine
There are a small number of people in Maine who are known, by name, by many of us. We see them often daily in our hospitals, homeless shelters, and emergency medical systems (EMS); and we know them well in our police stations, court houses, and our jails. And because all these different expensive emergency systems are siloed and stretched thin with lots of crises, our system fails to solve the obvious underlying problem for each of these people: They are ill and they have no place to live. And while unhoused, they ricochet through our most expensive emergency systems. Sometimes for decades.
We can do better. We need to do better.
An approach called Frequent Users Systems Engagement (FUSE) has worked in nearly 40 other states and communities, and we want to bring this to Maine. FUSE is designed to pull all systems together to house people experiencing chronic and long-term homelessness, one at a time. It works like this: Twenty obvious candidates are housed. Real statistics are drawn from these individuals demonstrating the cost savings of permanent supportive housing (affordable housing enriched with support services) for these 20 people. That data is used proactively to promote strategic systemic funding allocations for housing and services to stabilize more people.
This eventually changes the way we handle people who are ill and have no place to live.
Today, 30% of our resources are being spent on 1% of our population because they remain homeless. Changing this will take a collaborative, coordinated effort like FUSE. Once people are housed, they stop ricocheting through our most expensive systems. Jails will not be overcrowded with the same people Homeless shelters will not be overcrowded with the same people. Hospitals and emergency rooms will not be overcrowded with the same people. Law enforcement and EMS personnel will be able to focus on the general population rather than primarily the same small group of people. And we will all save money.
Fourteen years ago, Malcolm Gladwell chronicled the life of one person experiencing homelessness in a New Yorker article titled “Million Dollar Murray.” Fourteen years later, we still have our own Million Dollar Murrays in Maine. We will continue to have them for the next fourteen years, because they will be in constant and indefinite crisis, completely overwhelming our systems in a redundant, predictable, and extremely inefficient pattern, if they stay homeless.
This cycle will not stop unless we actually stop it.
We know the solution. If we place these particular people in permanent housing with adequate support, they do well. They begin seeing primary care providers just like we do, rather than being seen only in emergency rooms. If they drink or act upset, they do so in the dignity and privacy of their own homes rather than being arrested for displaying this in public. They improve simply because they stop being homeless.
This is no surprise; no one does well without housing, and everyone does better with housing. Stable housing allows people to get better, and when people who are ill are housed, taxpayers save a lot of money.
People working to support this effort include Representative Charlotte Warren, District 84 and House Chair of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, Troy Morton, Penobscot County Sheriff, Kevin Joyce, Cumberland County Sheriff, Jonathan Sahrbeck, District Attorney for Cumberland County, and Natasha Irving, District Attorney for Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Waldo, and Knox Counties. The Statewide Homeless Council also endorses this approach.
Together, we are insisting on this change in Maine. We must become proactive rather than reactive. FUSE puts us on the course to do exactly that. It will help us focus our efforts together, eliminating silos. It works, improves our communities, and makes for better lives.
Let’s invest our resources more effectively. Let’s redirect resources to housing this small group of people so we can all do better.
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Submitting an article for the March Beacon?
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HAPPY FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY TO...
Virginia Debree 02/01
Lynne England 02/02
Judy Swicker 02/03
Linda Mairs 02/03
Robert Jordan 02/05
Margaret Metcalf 02/05
Patrick Nduwimana 02/06
Janie Young 02/06
Priscilla Hennessey 02/07
Carol Juliano 02/08
Vivian Brewer 02/08
Marilyn Winward 02/09
Colton Nelson 02/09
Sue Ann Lord 02/10
Beth McKeeman 02/10
Lana Johnson 02/10
Alex Nduwimana 02/11
Skylar Salvaggio 02/11
Eva England 02/12
Joan Strout 02/14
Zachary Nelson 02/14
Stephen Smith-Erb 02/15
Jessica Gellar-Cote 02/15
Joan Moore 02/16
Laura Carten 02/18
Kathryn Harrison 02/19
Ann Babbitt 02/19
Sara Winward 02/19
Helen Cleaves 02/19
Matthew Rosengarten 02/22
Pamela Libby 02/23
Elaine Armstrong 02/24
Madison Hurley 02/25
Adrienne-Marie Wilson 02/25
Roger Bowker 02/26
Martha Hamilton 02/26
HAPPY FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARY TO...
Robert & Charlotte Cuzner 02/20 49 years
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WOODFORDS BOOK CLUB & FEB BOOK
Although this group began as part of the Senior Program [AKA Grant Fund], it is now open to anyone in the church who would like to read and discuss various books. We read all sorts of things depending on interests of the group. So, if you like to read and have time during the day to come to a book discussion, we would welcome you to join us! The group meets the second Wed. of each month at 12:15.
Our next book group, on Feb 12 @ 12:15, will discuss
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Evans. It is available in many forms [audio, print, ebook] at the libraries in the area.
A review from
Amazon.com
. "
Where the Crawdads Sing
is immersed in the natural world. The story is set in the 1950's and revolves around a young woman named Kya Clark, who is from extremely rural North Carolina. Known by others as the Marsh Girl, she lives alone in nature—but the draw of other people, and specifically love, brings her into contact with the greater world. This novel has a mystery at its core, but it can be read on a variety of levels. There is great nature writing; there is coming of age; and there is literature.
Crawdads
is a story lovingly told—one that takes its time in developing its characters and setting, and in developing the story. You’ll want to relax and take your time as well, and when you’re done you will want to talk about it with another reader.”
If you would like to be added to the emails regarding the book groups activities, or you have any questions, you can contact Suzanne D’Bourget at
suzannedb@me.com
or 329-1444.
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Woodfords Church Office Hours
Tuesday - Thursday - Friday, 9 am - 1 pm
Wednesday, 9 am - 3 pm
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