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Newsletter of Barrington Congregational Church United Church of Christ
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Church Office Hours are Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm and 1:30 - 4:30 pm unless otherwise noted.
Fri, May 11
Dale is on call for pastoral emergencies
Sun, May 13 Confirmation Sunday / Mothers Day
9:15 am Breakfast for Confirmands and their families, Fellowship Hall
10 am Worship Service with Confirmation, Church School
11:20 am Sing and Celebrate Choir rehearsal, Room 6
Mon, May 14
7 pm Buildings and Grounds meeting, Vestry
7 - 8 pm Mindful Mondays, Meditation Room
Tues, May 15
11 am Staff meeting, Dale's office
Wed, May 16
11 am Lay Visitation meeting, Library
2 pm Communion Service at Atria
7:30 pm Choir rehearsal, Vestry
Thurs, May 17
3 - 5 pm Brendan's Community Office Hours, The Coffee Depot in Warren
Fri, May 18
Brendan is on call for pastoral emergencies
Sun, May 20 Jubilation Sunday / Pentecost
'Strengthen the Church' offering
10 am Worship Service for All Ages with Sing and Celebrate Choir, Nursery Care only
After worship Ice Cream Sundaes at Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
3 pm Atwater-Donelly Folk Duo Concert, Sanctuary
Mon, May 21
7 - 8 pm Mindful Mondays, Meditation Room
Tues, May 22
11 am Staff meeting, Dale's office
7 pm Renewal Team meeting, Library
Wed, May 23
Noon Deadline for the eBridge
7:30 pm Choir rehearsal, Vestry
Thurs, May 24
3 - 5 pm Brendan's Community Office Hours, The Coffee Depot in Warren
Fri, May 25
Brendan is on call for pastoral emergencies
Deadline for Baccalaureate Sunday RSVPS
Deadline for Graduation Information for the eBridge
Sun, May 27 Addiction Awareness Day
Deadline for KLF Scholarship Applications
10 am Worship Service for All Ages, Nursery Care only
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The deadline for information to be included in the next eBridge is
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26th Annual "Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive"
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This
Saturday, May 12th
, please place non-perishable, unexpired food in a bag by your mail box. The letter carriers will pick it up and deliver to
TapIn
to stock their food pantry which serves hundreds of East Bay residents. Last year, this food drive collected 4,376 pounds of food through the generous help of the Barrington community.
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This
Sunday, May 13th, five of our 9th graders will be confirmed and become full members of our church, following preparation with Brendan since September. We hope that you will be able to join us on Sunday, not only for the service but also for the traditional dove release afterwards, and celebratory cake at coffee hour!
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Deacons envelopes are usually included in the bulletin on the first Sunday of the month when we celebrate communion. However, this month, they'll be included this coming Sunday, May 13th, because last Sunday we were focusing on 'Membership Giving'. Money donated to the Deacons Fund goes to help those in our church and community in need of a helping hand. Thank you for your donation.
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Last Sunday, special envelopes were included in the bulletin for donations for ‘Membership Giving’. The money collected helps offset our church’s payment to the RI Conference, UCC, for our ‘per capita’ fee. If you have not yet made a contribution and would like to, the ushers will have additional envelopes for your use at Sunday's service, or you can mail a donation to the church office. Checks should be made payable to ‘BCCUCC’ and mark the memo line ‘Membership’. Thank you to all who made a donation.
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Are you, or do you have in your family, a graduating high school senior? If so this announcement is for you! We will be recognizing our high school seniors at our worship service on
Baccalaureate Sunday,
Sunday, June 3rd
and we invite our high school seniors to attend. There are three things you need to do: 1) RSVP to the church office
by Friday, May 25th
(
office@bccucc.org
or 246-0111); 2) get a copy of the questions for the graduate introductions from the office and return it; 3) don't worry about wearing a gown to church (regular church clothes will suffice). If you have any questions, talk with Brendan (
brendan@bccucc.org
). And Congratulations!
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Graduation information needed for newsletter
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We like to recognize those in our church family who are graduating from high school, college, graduate school etc, by publishing the names and graduation information in our newsletter. If you or a family member is graduating this spring, please send the information to the church office at
office@bccucc.org
by Friday, May 25th.
Information needed is name of graduate, high school or college from which they’re graduating, what college or further education they will be attending, or what degree they are getting, and any future plans if appropriate.
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Kathleen Lynne Fodor Scholarships - application forms available
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Two scholarships are awarded each year - one to a high school graduate going on to further education, and one to a student already in college. Graduating high school seniors and college students
who have been confirmed and are members of this church are eligible to apply.
Application deadline is Sunday, May 27th and the scholarships are awarded on Baccalaureate Sunday, June 3rd. Applications forms are available
at this link, or from outside the church office, or at
www.bccucc.org under Get Involved > Information for Church Members.
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Jubilation Sunday is May 20th
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There will be a very special Worship Service for All Ages to celebrate the Church School community. This year’s theme is the “Web of Life”. Please join the children as we witness our connections to one another and the world. The celebration will continue with make-your-own ice cream sundaes during coffee hour.
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Church School Registration for 2018-2019
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Registration for 2018-2019 begins next
Sunday, May 20th
after worship. If you registered your child for 2017-18 you’ll only need to update and initial your current form. To register a child for the first time, you can fill out a registration form at the table in the foyer that day. All children from nursery through 12th grade
must
be registered to participate in church school or youth activities (including confirmation, youth group, mission trips, and OWL). A separate registration form is required for each child.
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'Strengthen the Church' offering taken on May 20th
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The
Strengthen the Church offering supports the expansion of ministry and growth of UCC local congregations. Your support of this offering will help the UCC fulfill on its commitment to creating a just world for all by investing in new ministries and practices that meet the emerging needs of local communities. Special envelopes will be included in the bulletin on May 20th, but offerings may also be sent to the church office. Please make checks payable to 'BCCUCC' and mark the memo line 'STC" Thank you.
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Atwater-Donnelly Concert 'Songs to Heal the Web of Life'
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Come and enjoy an afternoon of music and song with the Atwater-Donnelly folk duo on
Sunday, May 20th at 3 pm in the sanctuary! Tickets on sale during coffee hour, from the church office, and at the door. Cost is $15.00 for adults and $7.00 for children under 12. Proceeds support BCCUCC’s 2018 service-learning trip with the Navajo Nation where volunteers will partner with the Black Mesa Water Coalition in efforts to plant “edible landscapes” and help develop food sovereignty for the Navajo people.
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Want to play Co-ed Softball this summer?
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Every summer BCCUCC fields a co-ed softball team to participate in the Barrington Churches Softball League. Any interested men aged 30+ or women aged 16+ who would enjoy playing are invited to contact Tom Strolla at
ostrolla@cox.net
or (401) 246-0936. Games are usually played Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays starting late June beginning at 6 pm at Bicknell Field, located at the end of Walnut Road off Lincoln. It’s fun and new players are always most welcome.
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A Ladies Lunch
will be held on
Thursday, June 7th
at Noon in Fellowship Hall to which ALL ladies of the church are invited, regardless of age! RSVP to the office
by Friday, June 1st
or sign up at coffee hour. Don’t miss this annual event that always includes strawberry shortcake! Hosted by the Women’s Faith Group and the Membership team.
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Good News from our Renewal Team!
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The Renewal Team is excited to report that the seven strategic teams have been busy researching information and gathering data in their goal to complete phase one of our process. There is an energy and excitement among team members about their results. Thank you all for your hard work.
(See below for how you can help two of the strategic teams with their research and data gathering).
There will be a Strategic Team Feedback Session on
Saturday, June 2nd
, from 8:30-10:00 in the library. We encourage everyone on all seven strategic teams to be present to facilitate communication and share their enthusiasm. A continental breakfast will be offered.
The Renewal Team is in monthly contact with Rev. Steve Sterner, our consultant, as is Dale individually. On Sunday, June 10th, the Renewal Team will report to the entire congregation during the Annual Meeting.
As always, please feel free to contact any of us with questions. We welcome all input. Go teams, go!
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The Capital Improvement Team wants to hear from you
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As part of their data gathering effort (a Renewal Team component - see above), they’re interested in hearing your thoughts on building repairs and improvements. Have you noticed something that should be repaired or could really use an upgrade? Or do you have a building improvement idea? Then drop them an email at
BCCUCCBG@gmail.com
, or speak with Larry Ashley. Like our church, all ideas are welcomed.
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The Community Connection Team needs your help gathering data
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The Community Connection strategic team needs your help to gather data on the “unofficial” outreach that congregational participants are performing in the community. They’d appreciate receiving responses to the following questions:
1. What are ways that you connect with the community? (Note: In this instance we are defining community as the East Bay)
2. Do you volunteer for an organization, either as a representative of the church or on your own? If so which organization and what type of service do you provide?
3. What are the issues facing members of the East Bay community about which you are the most passionate?
4. Do you perceive that there are unfulfilled needs in the community? If yes, what are these needs?
5. Are there people in town or in the East Bay that we should be engaging regarding unfulfilled needs?
You can also
print out the questions at this link
, and copies will be available on the table at the back of Fellowship Hall. Completed surveys can be returned to the church office or given directly to Nancy. Thank you for taking the time to do the survey.
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Be an active part of our church community
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Volunteers needed to serve on Ministry Teams
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The Membership Team is helping our ministry teams find members for the 2018-19 Church year. Anyone interested in serving – perhaps on a particular team – should speak with Beth Buckley or Joanne Ela at coffee hour, or contact Beth at 247-0324 or
elizabethbuckley21@msn.com
Please note that you do not have to be a member of the church to serve on many of our ministry teams.
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We were excited to have 13 people officially join Barrington Congregational Church on New Member Sunday, May 6th. To help you get to know them, open up the link below where you can see their photos and learn a little about each of them. Be sure to say hello and introduce yourself when you next see them!
Our new members
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Thank you to everyone who made the community pasta dinner on April 29th a success - to everyone who purchased a ticket and to all who helped behind the scenes, especially the entire Dubel Family, the entire Senich Family, Bill & Matt Block, Kathy Sullivan, Stephanie Edwards, Carol Strakosch, Ann & Peter Doran, Michael Collins, Tom & Amanda Colby, Joanne Waite, Laura Ward, Pat Rude, Elizabeth Azevedo, Brendan Curran, Dan Watts, and Dan Drake. A huge thank you also goes to Kathy Block who organized the whole event and made sure everything went off without a hitch. Proceeds from the dinner will be going toward the 2018 Mission Trip to the Navajo Nation.
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The "BCC Miracle Mudders" team had a great time!
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Our church put together a team of 10 people of all ages - captained by Dale Azevedo - to participate in the Tough Tiger race at Hampden Meadows on Sunday, May 6. The 'BCC Miracle Mudders' had a great time, got very muddy, and had a lot of laughs! See pictures of them in action on our website
at this link
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Information about all of the church groups that meet regularly - including who to contact - is available
at this link
. Meeting dates are in the calendar above.
All groups invite and welcome your participation.
Included below is additional information that some groups need for their next meeting.
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M
eets
Thursday, May 17th
from 1:30 – 3 pm in the church library.
They will be discussing possible books to read in the fall – so come with your suggestions!
The group welcomes women of all ages from BCCUCC as well as other churches and faith traditions. For more information contact Jane Tonn at 289-2349 or
jtonn2@cox.net
What is the Women's Faith Group?
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M
eets at the Coffee Depot, 501 Main Street, Warren, on
Tuesday, May 29th
at 11:30 am, to discuss
Since We Fell
by Dennis Lehane.
After a breakdown, ex-journalist Rachel Charles lives a reclusive life. She has, however, a supportive husband -- until a chance encounter snatches away everything she holds dear. With sharply acute characterization, this is classic Lehane
. (The Guardian).
For more information about the group contact Helen Schall
helenschall@hotmail.com
245-4724. All are welcome!
What is the Book Group?
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Other groups that meet regularly at our church are......
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Bereavement Group
NAMI RI Family Support Group (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
Memory Impairment Support Group
For more information on any of these groups, including the contact person,
click here. Check the calendar at the top of this email, or our
online calendar, for meeting dates.
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'From the River's Edge' - The Pastors' Blog
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Are you more committed to addressing problems, or...
by Rev. Dale Azevedo, Sr. Minister - May 1, 2018. We are solution people. Churches, by their nature, provide solutions. We have solutions for everything! "Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders...
Read more
www.bccucc.org
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If you missed reading any posts you can find them all on the church website
at this link. There are also links to the most recent ones from the homepage of our church website
www.bccucc.org
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Annual Reports needed by May 28th
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It's that
time of year again – time for the church officers, ministry team chairs etc. to write their annual reports covering the period June 2017 – May 2018. Reports should be sent to
office@bccucc.org
or dropped off in the church office
by Monday, May 28th
. The individual reports will be compiled into BCCUCC’s 2018 Annual Report in time for the Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 10th following the 10 am worship service.
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Now that Dale and Brendan both have Fridays off, one of them will always be “on call” each Friday for pastoral concerns. The “on call” pastor will be listed on the church calendar everywhere it is available.
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Meditation opportunities continue
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Mindful Mondays
will be ongoing on
Monday evenings from 7 – 8 pm
in the Meditation Room, except on days when the office is closed. The hour consists of a 20-25 minute guided meditation, a contemplative reading or poem, followed by tea and discussion. These sessions are designed to be inclusive for people of all faiths and are open to the public. All are welcome.
Mid-Week Recharge
is
Wednesdays from 12:30 – 1 pm
in the Meditation Room when there will either be an opportunity to meditate on your own, or there will be a short guided relaxation meditation led by Brendan – depending on his availability. The meditation room is also available at other times for use by the congregation and community, but we ask that you call ahead (246-0111) to check on its availability.
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Brendan's Community Office Hours
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Brendan will be
at
The Coffee Depot
, 501 Main Street, Warren, from 3 - 5 pm on
Thursday afternoons
for anyone from the church or community who would like to stop by for a visit in this more informal setting. All are invited.
Please note that they will not be happening on Thursday, April 12th as Brendan is unavailable.
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2017-2018 Calendar is available for viewing
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The church calendar is kept up to date and you can find it at
http://bccucc.view-events.com If you have any meetings or activities planned, please send them to
office@bccucc.org so that they can be added to the calendar. Also please notify the office or any errors or changes. Thank you.
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Sermons available on line
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If you miss church on Sunday or want to hear the sermon again, you can do so at the following link
Sermon Archive.
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Shop thru AmazonSmile and make money for our church!
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When you shop online at Amazon, if you log in thru AmazonSmile, every eligible purchase you make will raise 0.5% of the purchase price for our church, To learn more visit
http://smile.amazon.com and choose 'Barrington Congregational Church' as your charitable organization. Each quarter we receive a donation from Amazon and all you have to do is start your shopping at AmazonSmile. Thanks.
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From the RI Conference UCC
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Irons Homestead Camp and Retreat, owned by the RI Conference of the UCC and located in Glocester RI, is offering a variety of overnight and day camps this summer for children from age 6 though Grade 12.
Camp information
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Tri-Conference Annual Meeting
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The second joint Annual Meeting of the RI, CT and MA conferences will be held
Friday, June 15 - Saturday, June 16 at Mass Mutual Center, Springfield MA.
Traci Blackmon will be the keynote speaker. At this meeting, delegates of the three conferences will be asked to officially create the new conference by approving a covenant agreement, set of new bylaws, establishing a unified Board of Directors, electing officers, and making minor changes to their existing bylaws. They will meet separately but simultaneously to conduct this and other business. For more information
click here or go to the
RICUCC website and click on the link from the home page.
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Conference Leaders to host 5 online forums on New Conference votes
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Leading up to the second
Tri-Conference Annual Meeting of the CT, MA and RI conferences, Conference leaders will be hosting a series of five online forums in May and June for discussion about the upcoming votes to formally create a new, unified conference. Learn more and register to join a webinar
at this link.
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Please join Dorcas International Institute of RI at their Annual Culinary Celebration '
Global Eats' fundraiser on
Thursday, May 17th at Fete Music Hall, 103 Dike St, Providence RI 02909. Renowned chefs, reinvented global recipes, live music. Get tickets and more info at
www.globaleats.org
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'A Night at the Opera' with the Providence Singers
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This fundraiser for the Providence Singers is being held
Saturday, May 19th at the Providence Biltmore, 11 Dorrance Street. It will be an elegant evening of operatic favorites, with lots of wonderful music sung by the chorus and professional soloists, plus wine, hors d'oeuvres, and a silent auction. For more information - including the program of favorite operatic music - and tickets visit
www.providencesingers.org or call 401 751 5700. Members of the Providence Singers include Beth and Maggie Zarlengo and Christine Wallis.
More information
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The Providence Singers is having a
Community Sing of Brahms' Requiem on
Tuesday, May 29 at 7 pm. All voice types and ages welcome.
More information
Auditions for the Providence Singers will be held by appointment on
May 21 & 22. All voice parts are invited, particularly tenors and basses! For more information visit their website
www.providencesingers.org
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Have you ever wanted to learn to row? Then come to Warren Town Beach on
Saturday, June 2nd between 9 am and 1 pm for a free opportunity to try rowing in small and large row boats.
More information.
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Feedback wanted:
We hope you enjoy reading the eBridge and find it informative. Your feedback/comments/suggestions (good and bad!) are always welcome.
Email them to Christine
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