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The bi-weekly newsletter of Barrington Congregational Church, United Church of Christ.
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With the start of our summer schedule, we are returning to publishing this newsletter every other week. A number of other changes are also happening which you can read about under "Summer at BCCUCC".
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Church Office is CLOSED until further notice
There are still no in-person worship services, meetings or activities at church until further notice. However, many things are happening virtually.
Thurs, Jun 18
1 pm Moving Forward Team meeting via Zoom
4:30 - 6 pm Happy Hour via Zoom
Fri, Jun 19 Juneteenth
Dale on call for pastoral emergencies
Sat, Jun 20
Start of Summer Worship at 9:30 am
Sun, Jun 21 'Men of Faith' Sunday & Father's Day
Mon, Jun 22
7 pm Bible Study with Linda (via Zoom)
Tues, Jun 23
9:30 am Book Group met via Zoom
11 am Staff meeting via Zoom
1:30 pm Worship Technology Team meeting via Zoom
Wed, Jun 24
7 pm Membership Team meeting via Zoom
Thurs, Jun 25
1 pm Moving Forward Team meeting via Zoom
4:30 - 6 pm Happy Hour via Zoom
Fri, Jun 26
Linda on call for pastoral emergencies
Sun, Jun 28
10:30 am CEYM meeting via Zoom
Tues, Jun 30
11 am Staff meeting via Zoom
1:30 pm Worship Technology Team meeting via Zoom
Wed, Jul 1
Deadline for the next eBridge
Thurs, Jul 2
1 pm Moving Forward Team meeting via Zoom
4:30 - 6 pm Happy Hour via Zoom
Fri, Jul 3
Dale on call for pastoral emergencies
Sun, Jul 5
Please note that looking ahead, cancellations and suspensions of meetings may not yet be noted in the on-line calendar as we don't know what the future holds.
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Juneteenth commemorates the reading of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the freeing of 250,000 enslaved people in Texas on
June 19, 1865
. Although Lincoln had issued the Proclamation on January 1, 1863, there had not been enough Union troops in Texas to enforce the edict until Union General Gordon Granger arrived there with 2000 federal troops after the confederate surrender in April,1865. Juneteenth thus marks the the final emancipation of those held as slaves in the confederacy. However, Lincoln’s Proclamation did not apply to border states, and it was not until the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment in December of 1865 that the institution of slavery was abolished throughout the country.
The first celebrations of Juneteenth occurred in 1866 in Texas, but the holiday soon spread throughout the south and finally to major cities across the country. Juneteenth is now recognized in 47 states, and there is a movement to have Congress establish it as a national holiday.
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Celebrating Juneteenth in RI
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The holiday was celebrated in Providence for the first time last year at the Temple to Music in Roger Williams Park. This year's RI event will be virtual; it will be live-streamed on
Friday, June 19th
from the headquarters of
Black-owned radio station 89.9
and can be seen on the
Juneteenth RI Facebook page
between
7 and 9 pm
.
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UCC Juneteenth 2020: And Still We Rise
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Join the United Church of Christ for this Live Webinar event on
Friday, June 19th
from
Noon - 1:30 pm.
There will be m
oments of remembrance, education, celebration, and calls to action.
Register to join the webinar
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Online Celebration of the Life of Marjorie Stumpff
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Following her death on May 22nd, the family weren't able to hold a memorial service for Marjorie in the church due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Instead there will be an online only
Celebration of the Life of Marjorie Stumpff
this Saturday, June 20th at
10:30 am.
All are invited to tune in.
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Summer Worship time is 9:30 am
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Beginning
this Sunday, June 21st
, our live-streamed worship service will start at the slightly earlier time of
9:30 a.m
. If you aren't able to watch live you can always watch a recording later at your convenience at the same links listed below.
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We hope you can join us live, but if not, you can watch a recording later at the same links.
Resources for this week's worship service are at the following links
**:
**
Please note that beginning next Sunday, we will not be preparing a bulletin or hymn sheet each week for the service. All of the information needed will be shown on the screen.
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Deadline for submitting prayers to be included in worship will remain at
8 am Sunday morning.
Leave a message on the church’s answering machine (401) 246-0111 or email to
dale@bccucc.org
or
linda@bccucc.org
. Please be sure that the person you are lifting up is comfortable with them reading your prayer to the whole community, and consider using first names only
.
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Please note the following changes for the summer
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In addition to the
worship service beginning at 9:30 am
(see above), the following changes will take place during the summer months – many starting this weekend:
- There will be no new bulletin or hymn sheet each Sunday. Instead all of the information needed for following along with the service will be shown on the screen (the Call to Worship and the words to the hymns). This will begin next Sunday, June 28th
- The eBridge will go back to being published every other week and emailed out to the congregation.
- There will be a new Announcements sheet produced every other week - on the same week as the eBridge - which will be mailed to those without email.
- On alternate weeks to the eBridge, the Pastors’ blog “From the River’s Edge” will be emailed or mailed to the congregation.
- Llama Pajama Time with Andrea will take a break over the summer, beginning this Saturday, June 20th. Instead we encourage children to watch the Children’s Moment during the Sunday morning online worship service. If you miss it live, you can watch a recording at the same links listed above.
- There will be no Zoom Coffee Hour after worship during the summer months, beginning this Sunday, June 21st. Thanks go to Erik Ela for having hosted it each week.
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Summer art project for all ages - painting rocks!
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This fall when we hopefully will return to church, we will be revealing our Peace Pole that we had hoped to plant on Jubilation Sunday back in May. Part of the reveal will be placing painted rocks around the base of the pole and this is where you come in. Over the summer you are encouraged to paint rocks with sayings, pictures, slogans, etc. Once you have painted your rocks please go and walk the labyrinth behind Fellowship Hall and leave the rocks in the center of it. Andrea will be checking for and collecting the rocks over the summer. This is an all-ages project and you can paint as many rocks as you’d like. Any questions can be sent to Andrea at
andrea@bccucc.org
.
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Miscellaneous - but important!
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Bible Study with Linda - week 4 (final session)
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Rev. Linda Hartley's four week Bible Study concludes this
Monday, June 22nd
from
7 – 8 pm
via Zoom. We will look at the last of four lesser known figures in the Bible, whose faith led them through life’s challenges. In this last session we’ll look at the story of Jezebel and in preparation please read
1 Kings 16:29 - 17:1; 1 Kings 18:1-6, 17-21; and 1 Kings 21.
All are welcome to attend (virtually). Even if you haven’t made it to any of the previous sessions you are welcome to this last one.
For security reasons zoom information is not included in this version that appears on our website and Facebook page, but was included in the eBridge emailed to the congregation.
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All of our congregation members who appear in our church directory should have received an email on 6/12/20 followed by a reminder email on 6/16/20 with a brief survey to fill out from the Moving Forward Team. The team wants to know your thoughts about returning to in-person worship as they develop plans for re-opening.
If you haven't yet done so,
please complete the online survey and submit by Monday, June 22nd.
It should take less than five minutes to complete! You will need to refer to either of the emails you received for the link to the survey. The link
is not included here as we don't want the results skewed by those who receive this newsletter but no longer attend church at BCCUCC.
Thank you to everyone who has already submitted their survey responses.
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Are you interested in joining the church?
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This has not been a typical spring by any stretch of the imagination. Because of that, we did not have our usual new members class and joining opportunity for the church. However, there are currently at least three people who are interested in joining. If you are considering joining the church or have questions about it, we’d like to know! We will likely be providing a special way for people to join the church over the summer. Exact details will become known when we know how many people are interested. If you would like to be contacted about joining BCCUCC please respond to the church office
by Monday, June 29th
. (
office@bccucc.org
or 246-0111). Dale will then be in touch with you about further details.
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Altar flower donors needed in July
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There are a number of openings on the Sundays in July for people to donate the cost of the altar flowers. Each arrangement costs $30 and donors may choose to cover the cost of either one or both of the vases. The flowers can be dedicated in memory, celebration or honor of a person or a special event. If interested in any of the Sundays in July, please contact Beth Buckley at (401) 247-0324 or
elizabethbuckley21@msn.com
. Thank you.
Now that we’re in Phase 2 of Reopening RI, the Chancel Team is able to pick up and deliver the flowers afterwards - while observing social distancing and other safety measures.
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BCCUCC Mission Trip information
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As most of you now have likely guessed, we have needed to postpone our mission trip to Puerto Rico this summer. This Saturday, June 20th, would have been our departure. Although we are not able to travel to the island, we invite you to still keep the people of Puerto Rico in your prayers. They have continued to be hit with natural disasters and are still struggling immensely with the Coronavirus pandemic. They need our support and prayer. To all who donated and supported our trip, “thank you.” Your generosity is much appreciated. We are keeping track of all our mission trip funds and still hope to utilize the funds we raised this year on a future trip to Puerto Rico. If that is not feasible we will find another location, perhaps one even close to home, where we can make a difference in making peoples’ lives better. Thank you for your support!
–
The Mission Trip Team
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Opportunities to get together virtually
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BCCUCC Happy Hour continues on Thursdays
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At least for the next few weeks, the BCCUCC virtual Happy Hour with Dale will continue on Thursdays anytime from 4:30 - 6 pm via Zoom. So grab your favorite beverage sit down with your computer, tablet or smartphone, and hang out with your church friends for a while. You’re welcome to drop by (virtually) for as long or short a time as you’d like – we miss you and hope you’ll join us!
For security reasons zoom information is not included in this version that appears on our website and Facebook page, but was included in the eBridge emailed to the congregation.
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The Book Group will meet virtually again this month via Zoom on
Tuesday, June 23rd
at
9:30 am
. They will talk about any books that they’ve recently read. For more information about the group contact Helen Schall at
helenschall@hotmail.com
or 245-4724. All are welcome to participate.
If you're new to zoom, see below for instructions.
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Knitting for Others Group
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No longer able to get together in person, this group of knitters has been meeting virtually each month. Their next get-together is scheduled for
Tuesday, July 7th
at 7 pm via Zoom. All knitters and crocheters are invited and new faces are very welcome – so do join in! For more information on the group, contact Nancy Arena at 401 246-0212 or
nancy.arena@outlook.com
For security reasons zoom information is not included in this version that appears on our website and Facebook page, but was included in the eBridge emailed to the congregation.
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New to Zoom? Here's what you need to know
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Zoom is pretty easy to set up and use. If you are using a tablet or smartphone (iPad or Android) there are apps to use. You should be able to find the app “Zoom” in your App Store.
If you are using your computer (ideally with a camera, like most laptops have) when you click on the link from your weekly church email, it will take you to a website and ask to install Zoom on your computer. Say “yes”. It is a very small and pretty quick download and install.
Once installed, whenever you click on a zoom link it will automatically launch zoom and log you into the meeting. If it doesn’t log you into the meeting automatically, you can manually type in the meeting ID into the Zoom app (on computer, smartphone, or tablet) and then the password, and it will take you to the meeting.
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From your Mission and Justice Team
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Our Faith, Our Vote, Our Voice
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Use your voice to tell our state leaders to raise the RI Works benefit: The
Raising RI Coalition
is a group of community, healthcare, social service and advocacy organizations that serve low-income families and are working to ensure that families can meet their basic needs. The Coalition seeks to raise the RI Works benefit to 50% of the federal poverty level over the next two years – to lift Rhode Island Works children and families out of deep poverty. The Rhode Island Works benefit has not been increased in close to 30 years, while all other New England states have adjusted their benefit to help families’ purchasing power keep up with inflation. The 4,000 families currently enrolled in the program receive an average of $6/person/day. The benefit is 30% of the federal poverty level, meaning that 10,000 Rhode Islanders, including 7,200 children, are living in deep poverty (50% of the poverty level).
Information on how you can take action
. More information about RaisingRI at
www.raisingri.org
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Join the Poor People's Campaign
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The
Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington
is going digital! On
June 20th and 21st,
they will hold the largest digital and social media gathering of poor and low-wealth people, moral and religious leaders, advocates, and people of conscience in this nation’s history. A global pandemic is exposing even more the already existing crisis of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and militarism, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. On June 20/21, the 140 million poor and low-wealth people across this nation will be heard!
More information
.
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Removal of the name "and Providence Plantations" from RI's name
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The RI State Council of Churches has
issued a statement in support of the removal of "and Providence Plantations" from the official name of our state. You can read their statement at the link above in which they encourage people to sign the change.org petition that has been widely circulated. To sign the petition visit
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A reminder that the church buildings remain closed until further notice. If you need to drop something off, or have asked to pick something up, the items can be deposited or retrieved from the white wooden “Church Mailbox” that’s located at the top of the stairs by the office entrance, next to the boiler room door. Thank you.
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Stay connected with each other - and call the ministers if needed
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During this time of separation, we are all encouraged to keep in touch with each other. If there’s someone in the church you’d like to reach out to - maybe someone living alone - but you don’t have their contact information, please call the church office and leave a message (401 246-0111 x 101) or email
office@bccucc.org
Christine will then get their contact information to you.
If you’re in the hospital, a nursing home or rehab, or you’re simply staying home, but would like a visit with a minister, please don’t hesitate to call them and they’ll be happy to visit with you over the phone. Their numbers are Dale (401) 246-0111 x 103; Linda (401) 246-0111 x 104. Leave a message and they'll get back to you.
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Ways to watch our live-streams
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We are doing our live-streams using Zoom and 'Facebook Live' and there are two places to watch it online:
- On the church’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/bccucc
- On the church's webpage www.bccucc.org at the 'BCCUCC live-stream' link from the home page, where the feed will be embedded.
For Facebook live, simply go to
www.facebook.com/bccucc
to watch. You don't need a Facebook account to see it. If you do have an account, search for the church's Facebook Page which is 'Barrington Congregational Church UCC'. If you 'Like' our page you should then get our news feeds, and also be able to comment on our posts and the live feeds. Once on the church's Facebook page, you will need to click on 'posts' or 'videos' to find the live feed, or watch the recording later.
If you're not able to watch live, you can watch a recording later, on the
live-stream page of our website.
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The office is closed but you can still reach us
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Until further notice, the church office will remain closed. However you can still be in touch with the ministers and staff. You can either send an email or leave a message on the answering machine at the person's extension. Both emails and voice mail messages will be checked regularly. Our contact information is:
As Dale said in one of his early blogs "
if you need support, strength, or help in these days, please don't wait for Linda, me, or someone else from the church to call you. Reach out to us. We're still here and we'll be there for you in the ways that we can!
"
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