Weekly Newsletter
Week of May 22nd - May 28th
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Gilead Congregational Church, UCC
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Meetings and Services this week:
Wednesday, May 22nd:
-9:30 a.m. Wednesday Morning Book Discussion
-5:15 p.m. Confirmation Class Rehearsal
-6:00 p.m. Confirmation Class Dinner
-7:00 p.m. Choir
Saturday, May 25th:
-9:30 a.m. Youth Group to Covenant Soup Kitchen
Sunday, May 26th:
-10:00 a.m. Worship Service
-Sunday School
-Coffee Hour
-11:30 a.m. Youth Choir
Tuesday, May 28th:
--11:15 a.m. Bible Study in the Music Room
-7:30 p.m. AA Meeting
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About Us:
Pastor:
Reverend Dr. Denise M. Esslinger
Minister of Mission and Faith Formation:
Stephanie Haines
Minister of Music:
Bruce Gale
Administrative Assistant:
Sally Fritsche
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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Upcoming Sunday Worship Schedule
Sunday, May 26th - Memorial Day Weekend:
One Service at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, June 2nd - Confirmation Sunday:
One service at 10:00 a.m. with Communion
Sunday, June 9th - Children's Sunday:
One service at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, June 16th - Father's Day:
One service at 9:00 a.m.
Following June 16th, our 9 a.m. worship service time will continue throughout the summer through and including Sunday, September 8th.
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Staff and Ministry Evaluation
During the month of May, our Pastoral Relations Committee is conducting an evaluation of our Church’s staff and ministry. This is an opportunity for you to share your thoughts on how our Church staff is doing along with how we are doing overall as a community of faith. The survey will be available in hard copy on Sunday mornings in May. You can also complete the survey on line by going to:
We anticipate the survey will take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Know your input is valued and important and will be used in setting future goals and direction for our staff and congregation. We hope you will take the time to complete it. The deadline is Sunday, May 26th. A box for completed hard copy surveys will be on the table underneath the name tags. If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to speak with a member of our Pastoral Relations Committee (Brian Byrne, Phyllis Kurz (Chair), Sharon Ledbetter, David Olio and Heather Summerer). Thank you!
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Covenant Soup Kitchen
Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 9:30 am
Our Youth Group will be preparing
and serving a Memorial Day picnic at the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic this Saturday, May 25th. Thanks to everyone who signed up to donate a summer salad or homemade dessert. Donations can be dropped off at the Church between 9:15 - 9:30 a.m. on the 25th. If you have any questions, please contact Heidi Byrne (860-228-8397).
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Summer Sunday School Teachers Needed - One Sunday Only!
"
He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me
." - Mark 9:36 -37
Looking for a rewarding and wonderful way to serve? Consider teaching! We are blessed to have a fabulous, fun and vibrant Sunday School Program with dedicated teachers! During the summer months, our teachers take a much deserved rest and we offer classes to children 3rd grade and below. Summer Sunday School classes are co-taught with a teacher for Preschool - Kindergarten and another for 1st - 3rd grade. This summer, children will learn about "Favorite Stories from the Bible". A book, discussion questions and craft is provided for you. All that is required is your presence! A sign-up sheet is located outside the Sanctuary with summer dates that need to be filled. We appreciate your support. If you have any questions please contact Sandy Waldo at
slwvt747@gmail.com
, Karen Risley at
krisley@comcast.net
, or Stephanie Haines at (860) 228-3077 or
stephanie.haines@hotmail.com
. Thank you so much for your support!
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Youth Group "Holy Cow" Grinder Sale
H
ungry?
Enjoy a freshly made grinder on Children's Sunday, June 9th. The Youth Group will be taking orders for grinders that will be available for your picnicking pleasure on June 9th. Ham, turkey, veggies or a combo...let us know what you'd like and we'll have it ready and waiting for you following the 10:00 a.m. worship service. Grinders are $7 each or order a combo with chips for $7.50. We will have lemonade and water on hand. See order form in this Sunday's bulletin or stop by our table outside the Fellowship Hall. Proceeds from the grinder sale will be used to help fund the 2020 Youth Mission Trip. Thanks, as always, for your support!
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2019 - 2020 Confirmation Class Orientation
On Sunday, June 2nd, following our 10:00 a.m. worship service, there will be an orientation for all those in 9th grade and higher, and their parents, who are interested in taking part in our 2019-2020 Confirmation Class. The class will begin in mid-September. If you are interested in being part of next year's class, but cannot attend the orientation, please speak with Rev. Esslinger.
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Children's Sunday & Pentecost - "Precious In God's Sight!"
Sunday, June 9, 2019 at 10:00 am
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On Sunday, June 9th, please join us in celebrating our Sunday School and the fact that we are all children of God, wonderfully made, dearly loved and precious in God’s sight! The children will lead the worship service, entertain you with song, share their mission efforts, reflect on their past year at the Gilead Congregational Church. In addition, young people would like to take the opportunity to recognize their super Sunday School teachers and Youth Group leaders. Please wear red to celebrate Pentecost!
We hope you will join us after service and stay for a picnic on the patio. You can bring your own picnic from home or consider purchasing grinders from our Youth Group with proceeds supporting their mission work. A special sweet treat will be provided by the Board of Christian Education! Please contact Karen Risley at
krisley@comcast.net
or Sandy Waldo at
slwvt747@gmail.com
if you should have any questions.
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Ladies Evening of Relaxation & Companionship
Friday, June 14, 2019 at 7:00 pm
On
behalf of the Fellowship Committee, we are inviting all GCC women to an evening of relaxation and companionship on Friday, June 14th, 7:00 -10:00 p.m., at the home of Penny Besmond (246 Old Colchester Road, Amston). Please bring a beverage of your choice and a small plate to share, either savory or sweet. Please consider car-pooling, due to parking limitations. To RSVP, call Penny at 860-228-4282 and leave a message.
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Gilead Open Golf Tournament
Yesterday was a beautiful day for our Gilead Open Golf Tournament which was held at Blackledge Country Club. Many thanks to our Gilead Golf Committee and volunteers for making the day such a success! Pictured below is the Committee - Doug Stewart, Glen Hadley, Harvey Desruisseaux, Jack Hooker, Ken Cook (Chair) and Jason Cook. And many thanks to our volunteers also pictured below -
Stephanie Haines, Dale Bland, Berry Honore, Diane Desruisseaux, Renee Ellis, Jan Mango and Pastor Denise.
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Wednesday Morning Book Discussion Group
The Wednesday Morning Book Discussion Group is discussing
"An American Marriage
" by Tayari Jones this morning. It is a story of "...the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward..
.into the future..." The group meets on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. at the home of Judy Brown and Deena Watson (130 Charles Lane). If you ha
ve any questions about this group, please contact Sandy Hooker (860-228-9856). All are welcome!
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Peace, Love & Art: Hope for the Children of the Serapio School in Mexico
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To My Dearest Church Family,
Words will never express my gratitude to you for your support to “Peace, Love and Art: Hope for the Children of Serapio School in Mexico”. Over these past three years, your incredible generosity has enabled me to raise over $10,000 for the school I taught at. Together we have been able to incorporate an expressive music program with a teacher as well as provide a full, state of the art computer center and much needed classroom supplies! What’s more is that children from Serapio School are now able to communicate with our students here, at Hebron Elementary School through a letter exchange program. Not only are all of the children improving their Spanish/ English language skills, but they are also forming relationships and intercultural understanding. Most of all, you have sent these beautiful children the precious gift of love and hope. Thank you for showing me that there is still so much goodness in our world and reflecting God’s light to me and so many others!
With deepest love and appreciation,
Skylar Haines
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Gilead Helping Hands (GHH)
Gilead Helping Hands (GHH) continues to be active. We recently completed a garage roof replacement, a yard cleanup and a power washing. Pictured below are GHH volunteers after completing the garage roof repair for an appreciative couple (and their dog).
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Our next project is to rebuild a handicapped access ramp in Colchester on June 29th & 30th. Details will be coming soon.
GHH is now using
Signup.com
to aid in informing volunteers about upcoming projects and allow online signup to help with projects. Our GHH Group page is located:
Please take a look and volunteer if you find something that inspires you.
If you need information please contact Les Kurz 860-416-7884
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Willing Weeders for Church Grounds & Garden of Remembrance
Our Trustees are looking for folks who are willing to help weed around the church during the upcoming summer months to keep our church grounds looking great. Also, the Garden of Remembrance Committee is looking for folks to help with weeding in the garden. There are sign up sheets underneath the name tags for both opportunities. Weeding in each area takes about an hour. Please consider signing up for a week or two. If you have any questions, please speak with Terry Lukow, chairperson of our Board of Trustees, or Diane Desruisseaux, member of the Garden of Remembrance Committee. Thank you!
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Vigil at Diyanet Mosque
A group from the Gilead Church attended a vigil at the Diyanet Mosque in New Haven on May 16th. A fire, on Sunday, May 12th, seriously damaged the building and investigators believe the fire was an intentional act of arson. The vigil was to show support for members of the mosque, who have been devastated by the fire, as well as to stand together as people of faith against such acts of intolerance and hatred.
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Parking Lot Improvements
Our Trustees plan to move ahead with improvements to the back parking lot (behind the stone wall). The work to be done includes taking out top soil, installing stabilization fabric, and adding gravel. Lines to identify parking spaces will also be added. The changes will not only add additional spaces, but will also allow people to park there without the possibility of getting stuck in the mud during the spring and fall. The work will likely be done over the summer months. If you have any thoughts or concerns that you would like to share, please contact Terry Lukow (
lukow@comcast.net
or 860-228-3435) who is Chairperson of our Board of Trustees.
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Sunday Morning Greeters
We are in need of Greeters to greet everyone as they come to worship on Sunday mornings for our 10:00 a.m. service. Simply arrive at 9:45 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 greeter, please sign up on the sheet under the name tags. Thank you!
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Ready, Set, Plant!
Our garden swap gets into full swing in late June and July, but the earth is ready to produce things right now. Consider a container with an early lettuce crop or a row of rainbow Swiss chard in a garden plot. The rewards of gardening are many and it’s really fun to share the bounty with others. An added benefit is that any excess is delivered to the HIHS food bank! Please consider sharing any extra pots, seeds, plants or garden tools in the Fellowship Hall and talk with Bruce Langevin or Paul Miller if you have questions or suggestions.
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Silver Lake Summer Camp
Silver Lake has announced its offerings for the summer 2019 conference season. Brochures are available underneath the name tags and one is hanging on the bulletin board. Details and registration are also available at
www.silverlakect.org
along with downloads of the forms needed for registration. Also, our Women's Fellowship has once again agreed to pay the $150 deposit for any young person from our congregation who would like to attend Silver Lake. Please speak with Karen Voghel (860-508-3326) if you would like to take our Women's Fellowship up on their offer.
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Baptism Congratulations
Douglas James Munroe, son of Alison and Brian Munroe, was baptized this past Sunday, May 19th. DJ was born on August 5, 2018 in Cambridge, MA. Proud grandparents are Susan and Doug Stewart. Welcome DJ to our Church family!
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Thank You
Dear
Denise and the Gilead Church,
Thank you for the lovely gift of the prayer shawl. It's truly special and we hold it very dear. I look forward to sharing it with Easton when she's older. We truly appreciate your love and thoughtfulness.
Meghan, Coniah and Easton
(Linda and Frank Frucce's daughter and granddaughter)
********************************
Dear Denise and Stephanie,
On behalf of the AHM Board and on behalf of all the children and teens served by AHM we want to offer our deepest and most heartfelt thank you for this wonderful gift of $3,359.45 from Hebron's Got Talent.
100% of this donation will help children and teens through the AHM Children's Trust scholarship fund. As you know, this fund helps children and families with a wide array of social and human service needs throughout the year. The timeliness of this donation will start by helping provide positive summer experiences for children and teens from Andover, Columbia, Hebron and Marlborough.
We thank the entire congregation for continuing to make AHM a priority of giving in this regional community. AHM and those we serve are truly blessed to have the compassionate support from our friends at Gilead Congregational Church and we thank each and every one of you!
Sincerely,
Michelle Hamilton Joel Rosenberg
Executive Director Director of Development
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Upcoming Sunday Worship Servers
Ushers for this Sunday: Steven Schoeck and Harvey Desruisseaux
Ushers for next Sunday: Phyllis and Les Kurz
Deacon of the Day for this Sunday: Amy Huhn
Deacon of the Day for next Sunday: Margot Sheehan
Liturgist: Margot Sheehan Acolyte: Benji Morrissey
Call to Worship: Zeke Violette
Coffee Hour Hosts for this Sunday:
Potluck Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour Hosts for next Sunday: Debbie Boone and Alice Marien
Greeter for this Sunday: Elaine Aubin
Greeter for next Sunday: To be determined
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Scripture Reading and Prayer for the Week
John 5: 1-18
O God, in mystery and silence you are present in our lives, bringing new life out of destruction, hope out of despair, growth out of difficulty. We thank you that you do not leave us alone, but labor to make us whole. Help us to perceive your unseen hand in the unfolding of our lives, and to attend to the gentle guidance of your Spirit, that we may know the joy of life lived in you. Amen.
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Contact Info
Sally Fritsche
Administrative Assistant
672 Gilead St
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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