Weekly Update 
January 16, 2020
  
Pastor's Message
         
      
     This past Sunday we celebrated Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River by John. Baptism is considered to be one of two sacraments in our protestant tradition. And there is always a great deal of confusion about what baptism symbolizes. In our tradition baptism is simply a sign that we are part of God's church. Baptism is a community ritual in which all members of the church community acknowledge that they will support and nurture the individual being baptized. This is why most protestant churches discourage private baptisms or a baptism outside of Sunday morning worship. 

    I would like to thank Christine Wiggin and Cliff Eilertson for helping to move our baptismal font from our sanctuary to St. Martin's. The font is now located in the entry way to St. Martin's "Chapel." It is very common for fonts to be near the entrance of a church because baptism symbolizes an entrance to one's faith.

     Below you will some pictures of First Congregational Church that I took earlier in the week. The first is taken from the window of the former nursery...
 
The workers here are securing the foundation to the church 
as  they  dig a 16-foot hole for the new elevator. 
 
The photo above is taken in what was most recently the nursery. In the bottom left corner you can see the stairs to the attic. This space will be reframed so that the plumbers can begin preparing for an accessible restroom on the second level.  
 
  This picture is taken from the second floor hallway
 looking into the sanctuary.
 
And this final picture shows a very old wooden beam that has been exposed during construction. 
 
 
Faithfully,
Joe

Notice of Annual Meeting of the Congregation
Members and Friends 
of The First Congregational Church of Chatham, MA:

The 2020 Annual meeting of the Congregation of this Church will take place following the Regular 10 AM Worship Service on Sunday, January 26, 2020 at St. Martin's Lodge. You are cordially invited to attend, and if you are either an Active or Associate Member, to vote on motions brought at the meeting. The agenda for the meeting will be:
  1. Call to Order and Opening Prayer
  2. Presentation and vote on acceptance of the minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Congregation on January 13, 2019, the Special Meeting of September 29, 2019, and the Special Congregational Meeting of November 17, 2019.
  3. Presentation and vote on the acceptance of the Annual Reports for the calendar year 2019
  4. Presentation and vote on the acceptance of the Report of the Treasurer
  5. Report of The Trustees
  6. Presentation and acceptance of the proposed Church Budget for calendar year 2020.
  7. Report of Nominating Committee and Election of Officers, Delegates, and Committee and Board members
  8. Transaction of any other business to properly come before the meeting
    1. Remembrance of 2018 Deaths
    2. Celebration of 2018 Births and Baptisms
    3. Adjournment with Closing Hymn and The Lord's Prayer
Judith Doe, Clerk
 
This notice was posted at least 10 days prior to the meeting in accordance with the By-Laws of the Church, posting to take place in the Church office and on Church bulletin boards.

 
This notice was posted at least 10 days prior to the meeting in accordance with the By-Laws of the Church, posting to take place in the Church office and on Church bulletin boards.




Tuesday, January 21 
at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church 
in the Chapel




Council Meeting

There will be a Church Council Meeting on  Tuesday, January 21 at 7pm
at the Chatham Community Center.


Sunday, February 9th  
J2A is hosting a Superbowl Pancake Breakfast! 


Looking for donations for "complete" pancake mix, syrup, butter, frozen OJ concentrate, also help needed with prep, pancake flipping and clean up - be in touch with Amy!



Would you like serve as Liturgist?

We are looking for more liturgists to add to our list. The word liturgy comes from the Greek meaning "work of the people." 
Working together with the minister, the liturgist leads the congregation in worship. 

If you are interested in serving as a liturgist on an occasional basis, or learning more about the process before committing, please contact Mary Lou in the office.  
 chathamchurch1720@gmail.com
 508-945-0800
Pick up your 2020 Pledge Envelopes
You may pick them up at our church office at the Methodist Church 
 during office hours, Tuesday - Friday 8am to 3pm


Girl Scouts help orphaned bats

Led by their Girl Scout leader Mia Caolo, Grace Caolo and Amy Hinesley joined in the Global effort of volunteers  to sew wraps needed for baby bats orphaned by fires in Australia...


Baby Bats snuggle in "Mumma" wraps. Thousands of baby animals left orphaned by Australia's bushfires are in need of constant care.  Volunteers around the world have been helping by knitting and sewing special pouches and wraps. They are collected by animal rescue organizations which then distribute them to caregivers. Read more Here



 
 Memorial Service for
Herb Schurmann 
Since the First Congregational Church in Chatham is closed for renovations, Herb's memorial service will take place on April 25, 2020 at 11:00 AM at the First Congregational Church in Harwich, 697 Main St., Harwich MA.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Herb's name may be made to The Friends of the Chatham Council on Aging, 193 Stony Hill Rd, Chatham, MA 02633 or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

You can read Herb's obituary Here


Please Note: 
New Church Office Mailing Address

The church office has moved and is now located at the United Methodist Church on the corner of Cross St. and Main St. The phone number 508-945-0800, and office hours, 8am to 3pm, Tuesday thru Friday will remain the same. 

Our new office mailing address is:
First Congregational Church
c/o United Methodist Church
16 Cross Street,  Chatham, MA 02633
Please note that this  mailing address for the Methodist church is different from their street  address listed on their website.

Any  mail sent to our 650 Main St  address is being 
forwarded to  us  at  the Methodist church 

To find us at the Methodist Church, from the Cross St. parking lot, enter through the door furthest on the left, go through the double doors. Our office is straight ahead

If you need to contact us over a weekend, Mary Lou does check our email   chathamchurch1720@gmail.com



Parking at St. Martin's Lodge
While there is a significant increase in p arking availability at St. Martin's Lodge,  it still cannot accommodate everyone.  If you are able to walk the extra distance f rom your usual spot please do so leaving  the spaces for the members who have  mobility issues, which are not always visible. 




Prayer List 

Addison Pratt
Barbara Howard
Betty Blair
Beth Eldredge
Bob Harned
Charles O'Connor
David Howard
Dudley Goetz
Ellie Christie
Emily Garfunkel
Emily King
Harrell Family
Harriet Larsen
Hugh Jones
Jim Gable
JoAnn Mets
John & Barbara Emison
John Nostrand
Joshua L. Hartley
Kate Poskanzer




Ken & Kathy Campbell
Laurie Hill
Mark Zibrat
Martha Anne King
Matthew Hamilton
Michael LaCava
Michael Wheeler
Mun Long
Nicholas Tucker
Rick Merrill
Rosemary Giasullo
Sister Martha Carpenter, OSF 
and St. Peter Indian Mission School
Stanley Sands
Ted & Mary Ann Fritsch
Tommy Campbell
Walter Meier
Helen & Ben O'Callaghan
Schurmann Family