Happenings May 26, 2020
A message from the Moderator
Above are photos from last week's Zoom worship music power point.
The Rev. Jen Bloesch read a poem about trees by Wendell Barry as part of her message, thus the tree photos. The planter was in honor of Memorial Day with God Bless America as our postlude.

With Pastor Jill on her second week of mini-sabbatical, the Rev. Jen Bloesch will return to our Virtual Pulpit on Sunday, May 31st when we will be celebrating Pentecost. Everyone is invited to "get their red on"! I will send out the Sunday Worship Zoom link at the end of the week.

I am here to help. If you have questions, concerns or want the Zoom link, please be in touch, 229-8980 or via email: jhannum01257@gmail.com .

Be safe, be well and with blessings,
Julie Hannum, Moderator 
Pastor Erik Karas will be available during Pastor Jill's absence to provide emergency pastoral support at 413-248-1231
Coffee or a Cocktail
Julie Hannum is hosting OPC Coffee/Cocktail Hour on Wed, May 27 at 5 p.m. via Zoom. If you've attended in the past, Julie will send a Zoom invitation. If you have not attended in the past and want to check it out, email her at  jhannum01257@gmail.com  .
Healthy Food on Mondays
The Sheffield Food Assistance Program

If your access to good nutritious food has recently changed, and you live within the five towns of the Southern Berkshire Regional School District, please know that we are here to help. Our program operates out of Old Parish Church and is using a CoVid-19 safety protocol.
Open Monday mornings.
It's easy to sign up, just call ahead of time:

229-2624
Giving from the Heart
We thank you for your financial support of the church.
Our expenses continue and so do our important ministries.
We celebrate the decision of our Missions Committee to send $700 from its budget to support the RIP Medical Debt ripmedicaldebt.org to buy up and forgive massive debt in some of the neediest Southern New England communities.

Offerings to the church are welcome by mail:
PO Box 387, Sheffield, MA 01257

Strengthen the Church on Pentecost
Strengthen The Church is a special offering on Pentecost Sunday to support Discipleship ministries of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Proceeds will support these three areas: Outdoor Ministries (including Silver Lake Conference Center, Irons Homestead, and Edwards Retreat Center), Faith Formation Ministries, and Youth and Young Adult Ministries.

The 2019 gifts have had a profound impact.   Look what we have done together:
  • Funded the Silver Lake songbook anthology to spread God's love -- and a little bit of Silver Lake spirit -- beyond the boundaries of camp.
  • Developed community gardens at Edwards House and Irons Homestead to expand and deepen our community connections.
  • Defrayed costs for students and underwrote honoraria for instructors for the Certification Program in Faith Formation and Youth Ministries.
  • Helped finance a September 2019 Messy Church event for 85 participants representing 6 states and 50 congregations with Messy Church USA Executive Director, Roberta Egli. 
  • Covered stipends and fees for four NEW Communities of Practice (CoP) for over 25 Faith Formation and Youth Ministry Leaders. 
  • Hosted a gathering of young adult interns in partnership with UConn Urban Semester.
  • Supported enrichment for our under-21 SNEUCC Delegates to UCC Synod in Milwaukee.
  • Provided an additional $2500 in scholarships for youth of color to attend Silver Lake.
Discipleship is one of the four core values of the Southern New England Conference and these funds will help equip children, youth, and adults to live the love and Justice of Jesus.

I hope you will consider a personal gift for this initiative on May 31.

Thank you.
Debby Kirk, for the Discipleship Team
Food for our Neighbors!
School Family Meals are from our wonderful community-minded neighbors
at The Marketplace ! These excellent Family Meals feed a family of four and go to those school families who need them most. Our goal is to send these nutritious weekend meals to 60 families every Friday until June 12. Please help us.

  • To get involved is call the Marketplace today at 413-248-5040 (ext 2)
  • Order a School Family Meal and pay over the phone. (about $26 with tax.)

Meals for Elders continues on Saturdays through June 13.
 John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant prepares and packages delicious dinners which are picked up by the Sheffield Council on Aging staff, then distributed and delivered by teams of volunteers from Sheffield's Senior Center, Sheffield's Town Hall and our three downtown Sheffield churches (Christ Trinity, Our Lady and Old Parish).
Food for You!
Sheffield Farmers' Market 2020 Debut!
The Sheffield Farmers’ Market, opening May 29th, will be following all applicable CDC rules and guidelines. We are committed to running the market in some capacity, and are exploring exciting new and safe ways for people to shop. Please join our email list for updates on our season, and how we will continue to be a food access point for our community! Connect to the market website below.
Old Parish Church
125 Main Street
PO Box 387
Sheffield MA 01257

413-229-8173 
 office@firstuccsheffield.org 
 grahamj@firstuccsheffield.org
visit our website

Our Identity Statement

We are a progressive Christian community where discovering God's presence, modeling Jesus' radical hospitality, and being a passionate voice for God's justice defines us.

We are an Open and Affirming Congregation
of The United Church of Christ

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