This Week
Wednesday, November 14
- 11am Noble Horizons service
- 7:15pm Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, November 15
- 4:30pm Women's Bible Study in the Parish Hall Library
- 7:00pm Housatonics Rehearsal
Friday, November 16
Saturday, November 17
- 11:00am Memorial Service for John Arnold
Sunday, November 18
- 9:15am Mindfulness at the Scoville Memorial Library
- 10:00am Intergenerational Worship Service of Thanksgiving; Nursery Care for children under 4
- 2pm Community Dinner in at Center Congregational Church,Torrington
Monday, November 19
- 5:30-6:30pm Bereavement Group
Tuesday, November 20
- 1pm Investment Committee
- 5-7:15 SOAR in kitchen
- 6:30pm Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
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Active Waiting
From The Leadership Team
We are just a few short weeks away from a new season in the life the church. That season we call Advent. Fundamental to Advent is waiting and anticipation. We are excitedly waiting for God to come into the world in a new and almost unimaginable way through the birth of Jesus. This waiting however, is not the kind of waiting we so often think of today, when one is anxiously sitting around looking at the clock essentially doing nothing.
Instead this is an active kind of waiting. An anticipation that requires our involvement, our energy, and our awareness. John the Baptist says “Make straight the way of the Lord.” There is work to be done as we wait on the beloved one to come into the world.
It is very appropriate that we as the church are entering into this season of active waiting as our church is very much entering into this time of life in the larger context of saying good-bye to our deeply loved settled minister, Pastor Diane. And is preparing to do the active work with our next pastor who will be our interim. The interim is not a person we see for just a moment. In fact, they are the one who will be walking with us in the life of our church for the next several years, leading worship on Sundays, officiating funerals, weddings, and baptisms, join us in meetings, visiting folks, offering pastoral care, and so much more.
This next phase of our life as church is often around two years in length. It is very common for the Interim to be with a church for 2 years, give or take some months. I would invite you to not look past this next leader in our midst but rather, live into this time of active waiting, doing the work we need to do to make that path accessible for our next settled minister as we continue to live, worship, and grow as a community with the leadership of our Interim, who will probably be joining us some time in the first third of the new year.
Blessings,
Rev. Ryan Gackenheimer
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Deacon's Message from Mary O'Neill
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Deacons Message from Mary O’Neill
I hope you enjoy this poem at the closing of autumn. It reminds me of the perfection of the place in which we find ourselves. No confusion, no questioning, no judging, just being—still.
Grace
By Wendell Berry
The woods is shining this morning.
Red, gold and green, the leaves
lie on the ground, or fall,
or hang full of light in the air still.
Perfect in its rise and in its fall, it takes
the place it has been coming to forever.
It has not hastened here, or lagged.
See how surely it has sought itself,
its roots passing lordly through the earth.
See how without confusion it is
all that it is, and how flawless
its
grace
is.
Running or walking, the way
is the same. Be still. Be still.
“He moves your bones, and the way is clear.”
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This Sunday, November 18, we will have a very special intergenerational Thanksgiving Worship Service with hymns of Thanksgiving & Gratitude. Come with a joyful heart!
Readings:
Psalm 126
Joel 2:21-27
Matthew 6:25-33
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From Barbara Collins, Director of Religious Education
This Sunday we will have an
ALL-AGES WORSHIP SERVICE
. The format of the service will be kid-friendly. I hope you will attend this special Thanks-giving celebration and give your children the experience of worshipping with the whole church. There will be nursery care for the youngest ones (under age 4).
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Erin Swett, LCSW, leads our Youth Discussion Group on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month. All youth grades 6-12 are invited to participate! Our next Youth Discussion Group will be Sunday, November 25.
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From Jack Bowman, Minister of Music
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This Sunday we celebrate Thanksgiving which is obviously a secular holiday with a long tradition in this country. However, we as Christians have reason to be thankful and should always take time to express our gratitude for the many blessing that have been bestowed on each of us.
Our anthem is an arrangement of “We Gather Together” by John Ness Beck. The choir starts with an introduction and then the congregation joins the choir on the familiar words to this traditional hymn.
The organ prelude is J.S.Bach’s famous arrangement of “Now Thank We All Our God” and the postlude is Sigrid Karg-Elert’s powerful setting of the same tune.
Join us Sunday to celebrate our many blessings. Jack
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There will be an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on Tuesday, November 20 at 6:30pm in the Meeting House. All are Welcome.
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Collection for the Astor House
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Christian Action is already looking ahead to Christmas! In addition to the Giving Trees which will be set up in the sanctuary December 2
nd, this year we will be assisting the
Astor House in Millerton. Astor Services for Children & Families is a community based, non-profit organization that provides children’s mental health services, child welfare services, and early childhood development programs. Astor provides support for pre-schoolers, children with behavioral and emotional health problems, children at risk of placement in foster care and families that need assistance in developing the skills necessary to raise their children in an environment filled with increasing challenges. Currently, they serve 33 families.
Astor has told us that the most needed and appreciated items for their clients are very basic: toilet paper, paper towel, bar soap, feminine products, diapers, xmas wrapping paper. So Christian Action will be collecting such donations beginning immediately, to deliver to Astor House in time for their Christmas Open Collection evening where clients come and are able to choose their own necessary items.
Please bring donations to the Church hallway and place in the painted bench. Deadline for Donations is December 16.
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This year the Christian Action committee will have 2 “Giving Trees” for the congregation to choose gift ornaments from.
The first tree supporting the 2018 SIMPLY SMILES CHRISTMAS PARTY will be up in the sanctuary from November 18
th-25
th.
The ornaments will have a link to their TOY REGISTRY where one can choose specific gifts for children and arrange to have them sent directly to the Cheyenne Reservation in time for their XMAS party at the Reservation on December 7
th.
The link:
simplysmiles.org/christmasparty2018
.
Deadline for the registry is Monday, November 26
th
The 2
nd
tree supports Women’s Support Services in Sharon, CT. This tree will be up in the sanctuary from December 1-16
th. Ornaments will be for various gift cards and the like for the WSS staff to be able to lend additional client support in times of individual need.
Ornaments should be returned with the donations and placed in the box by the tree – DEADLINE DEDEMBER 16
TH
.
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We are need of a church clerk to take minutes during the monthly Council meetings and keep our records up to date.
Do you feel called to serve in this capacity? Please contact Betsy Beck, Moderator, with a
ny questions and/or interest:
betsyfbeck@gmail.com
or 860-364-0622.
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Community Dinner November 18
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Here’s a fun & worthy one-afternoon/early evening volunteer opportunity! The SCC Board of Christian Action will be providing a great Thanksgiving dinner to a needy population of 100 at the Center Congregational Church in Torrington on Sunday, Nov. 18th. We need drivers for transport & delivery and servers to work in the kitchen & community room. We’ll meet at the Lakeville Hose Company to pick up the food prepared by our fire fighters at 2 p.m. Torrington UCC volunteers will meet us at their church, and we’ll serve dinner at 5 p.m. We should be back in Salisbury by 7:30. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Joanne Hayhurst at 860-435-2801;
joannehayhurst@gmail.com. Thank
you!
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Silver Lake Opportunities
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November 30-December 2, 2018
Two retreats: one for 4th-6th graders, one for 7th-8th graders
Hayrides, Christmas Cookies, Caroling, Low Ropes, Campfire, Friends, Fun....
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Men's Ecumenical Bible Study meets on
Fridays 7:45am. All men are welcome.
Women's Bible Study meets on Thursdays at 4:30pm in the Parish Hall Library. They are studying Genesis. All women are welcome, no previous experience necessary.
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We have an ongoing collection for The Corner Food Pantry. Please place your donations in the bins located in the vestibule or the Library Street hallway.
Beginning in January, we will have a quarterly collection during Worship.
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The Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service has provided us with these important FILE OF LIFE cards, for anyone who would like to take one. Fill it out with important medical information and keep in the magnetic pocket/holder on your refrigerator. In the case that you are ever in need of emergency services, the EMTs will take this card and be better able to treat you, with this information handy.
Pick one up in the Parish Hall or church office.
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If you would like to provide flowers for a Sunday service
, please contact Linda Estabrook at
(860) 824-5896
by Wednesday of the week the flowers will be donated. You are welcome to provide flowers in memory of or in honor of a loved one.
Simple bouquets and garden flowers are encouraged - there is no need to spend a lot of money!
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How can a community of faith express joy?
How do
you
express joy?
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The Coffee Hour sign up
is in the Parish Hall. If you have never served at Coffee Hour and would like to “learn the ropes,” please sign your name in the column marked “helper” and you will be paired with an experienced Coffee Hour server. If you have served before, please sign up for a Sunday or two and consider inviting someone new to join you!
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Click above to access our secure site
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Pastor Diane's office hours are Monday -Thursday 9:00-5:00 or by appointment.
Kathy Wiggins, Administrative Assistant, is in the office Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30-3:30.
Melissa Adam, Financial and Communications Assistant, is in the office Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00-2:00.
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Please contact the office if you would like to add a name to the prayer list. Names may be added at any time by calling the office 860-435-2442 or emailing
kwigginsscc@gmail.com
.
Please make sure you have permission from someone to add their name to this public list.
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Please take a moment to visit our website:
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Simply Smiles Christmas Party
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The Simply Smiles Gift Registry is open! Gifts for the Reservation Christmas party can be purchased through November 26.
Share your blessings and buy a gift for a child:
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"America's Housing Crisis" Presentation
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Chris Estes (son of Duane Estes) will speak on "America's Housing Crisis" On Friday, December 7, 2018 at 7:30pm at the Hotchkiss School. This event is sponsored by The Salisbury Forum.
Click here to learn more
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Silver Lake Fall Action Weekend
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Lend a hand at Silver Lake this fall. Help us get ready for the winter and complete small repair projects. Get out in nature, meet new friends, connect with old friends.
Click here to learn more...
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⭐️
You can VOLUNTEER at the Simply Smiles Home for Children in Oaxaca, Mexico!
⭐️
Next week-long volunteer opportunities available:
- January 12-19, 2019
- January 19-26, 2019
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The Congregational Church of Salisbury, United Church of Christ
125 Main Street, PO Box 392, Salisbury, CT 06068
Phone (860) 435-2442
email: salisburyucc@gmail.com
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