275th Anniversary Pot Luck Luncheon Celebration
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Please join us for a pot luck lunch in the parish hall after worship this Sunday November 24th to celebrate the 275th anniversary of our church!
If you are able, please bring a dish that serves 4-6 people (a small index card with ingredients is helpful for those with allergies.) Dishes can be dropped off at the church kitchen before worship and will be kept warm or cold per your instructions.
And if this isn't a good day for you to bring a dish - come and enjoy! -There is always enough food for all, and we need you there to celebrate!
Contact Cynthia LaPier:
cynthia.lapier@gmail.com or
413 854-7602 with any questions, or to make arrangements for dropping off food before Sunday morning.
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Dear Friends,
Happy 275th anniversary!
On Sunday we'll hear words from an unknown disciple who wrote a glorious hymn to the Colossians - and we will hear testimony from the disciples who are a part of this body of Christ, Salisbury UCC. After speaking and singing our gratitude, we'll share the kind of marvelous feast that church potlucks always produce.
This last Sunday of the church year is often known as "Reign of Christ": a celebration that the power of wholeness, joy, vulnerability, compassion, justice, healing, and mystery actually makes the world go around. That's the power entrusted to the church: a cause for wonder indeed. Join the party, and make our joy complete!
Christlove,
Pastor John
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Sermon & Readings
This Reign of Christ Sunday, November 24, Pastor John's sermon is titled "Meaningful." Reading:
Colossians 1:11-20
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Interfaith Thanksgiving Worship Service
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All are invited to the Salisbury & Lakeville Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on
Tuesday, November 26,
6:30 p.m.
at the Lakeville Methodist Church, 319 Main Street, Lakeville. Participating l
ay leaders and clergy from the community from:
Congregational Church of Salisbury, UCC
Barbara Roth Jewish Community
Trinity Episcopal Church at Lime Rock
NW CT Unitarian Fellowship
Lakeville United Methodist Church
St. John’s Episcopal Church
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"Many thanks to those of you who have offered to host a dinner as part of our welcome to Pastor John and Angela! As good as the response has been, we would love to get more people involved and especially want to reach out to people who wouldn't consider hosting a traditional dinner party.
This event can be as simple as you want to make it--takeaway pizza to something more elaborate, and could even be held in the Parish Hall.
Some suggestions for 8-14 individuals:
- Fun and Games: game night, e.g., Scrabble, charades, jigsaw puzzle with chili or even just cocoa and cookies. I think we can emphasize that Pastor John is duty-bound not to cheat!;
- Sunday lunch/brunch: Pancakes with the pastor: on a Sunday after church someone could host something like pancakes, bagels, frittata at their home;
- Wine and cheese on a Friday night: cheese platter, hummus;
- Potluck Pastor- everyone brings their own dish. There could be a culinary theme if desired;
- Poetry with the Pastor - everyone brings a poem to read and discuss, served with a hearty soup and crusty bread;
- Coloring with Christians - have an assortment of adult and kid's coloring books for coloring and chatting around a table with a casual meal or maybe dessert;
- Make Your Own Sunday - a dessert-only option where families make sundaes;
- Stump the Pastor- let’s see what he really knows with a Bible-themed pub quiz or Trivial Pursuit!
OK, so we got carried away, but you get the idea. The plan is for the meals to take place starting in January and into the Spring. Please join us! Contact Jennifer Weigel
weichin@sbcglobal.net
or Karin Noyes
karinnoyes@gmail.com
with questions or to sign up.
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Thank you to so many who volunteered to help out at the Torrington Center Congregational Church this past weekend. The Christian Action Committee organized the efforts of many church members and friends to prepare, serve dinner, talk with guests and clean up a lovely pre-Thanksgiving meal. The two-day event included Saturday morning food prep: Kerry Noble, Peg Heck, Joanne and Dick Taber. Sunday evening dinner was just a wonderful event. Our Youth Group leader, Jenn Surdam was there to lead our teenage members: She says: " I am so proud of the work they did, the interest they showed and the maturity they have as they engaged and heard the stories of some the community members." Joining them was a team of Hotchkiss students who attend our church, accompanied by their leader Caroline Burchfield. Thanks also to the leadership of Theresa Carroll, Lucia Mudler, Cynthia LaPier, and Pastor John. And, again as in the past, many thanks to Barbara Collin's direction of our church Sunday-school children who made the table decorations. What a wonderful community effort!
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From Betsy Beck, Church Moderator
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Our annual meeting on October 27 was a real tribute to the commitment of the people in our community. Our FY2020 Budget passed unanimously after a vigorous discussion about our resources and how we are using them to support our mission. There were enough questions that concerned budgetary issues that we will be looking to schedule a conversation well before our next budget cycle; the Trustees will also take up several of the issues that arose.
Certainly, communication is key to the health of our community. To that end, we will be reporting out the discussions that come up in the Church Council. I would also like to remind you all that everybody is welcome to attend and observe our meetings, which take place in the Meeting House the first Sunday of the month. Our next meeting is December 1, and again we will share the nature of the conversations that take place.
Our best mode of communication is the weekly Meeting House Times E-Blast. If for some reason you do not receive this, or know somebody who cannot access it, please let us know. We want everybody to have access to the information and encourage you all to read it every week.
In the meantime, I continue to be grateful for the vitality of our congregation and for the leadership that Pastor John brings us. If there are any issues you would like me to know about, please call me (860-364-0622) or email me (
betsyfbeck@gmail.com
) and let me know what is on your mind and how I can help.
We can all eagerly anticipate the festivities around our 275th anniversary, and I hope everybody will join us this coming Sunday, on November 24, for that celebration both in church and at the potluck luncheon following the service. See you all there!
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From Jack Bowman, Minister of Music
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Members of the church and friends:
You have one of the great opportunities in life....to sing J.S. Bach's St. John Passion this spring. The performance in Salisbury is sponsored by the Congregational Church of Salisbury, UCC and the United Church of Christ Congregational (UCC), Norfolk. For those who are able, the performance will be repeated in New York City, sponsored by the Salisbury Sinfonietta. And, for those who love adventure, you are invited to join the 100 voice Marc-Antoine Charpentier Choir and the Sinfonietta de Paris (France) for four performances in France. An estimated fifty members of this same choir are joining us for the US performances.
If you are interested in the travel to France, please
let me know so that I may prepare costs and additional details for those who may be interested. Those who participated two years ago in the France trip will tell you what an incredible experience was had by all.
Bach wrote the St. John Passion, the first of his two passions, in 1724 when he started work in Leipzig. Please spread the word about this incredible opportunity to sing one of the great choral masterpieces of all time. If you are interested in singing, please send me an email:
j
ack.bowman.dma@gmail.com
.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Jack
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From Barbara Collins,
Director of Religious Education
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In this day of instant gratification, disposable everything and built-in obsolescence, contemplating the 275 years our church has been in existence is almost beyond our imaginations. I don’t suppose our forefathers and foremothers thought much about what the next 275 years would bring as they established the first church in Salisbury. In the same way, it’s impossible for us to predict what the next 275 years will bring. But as we celebrate our rich history we do have the privilege and responsibility to help shape our foreseeable future. Be a part of it. Happy Anniversary!
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Christian Action Opportunities
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Christian Action is already looking ahead to Christmas!
Our Giving Trees will be set up in the Meeting House next Sunday, December 1: please stop in and take an ornament or two from the trees. Each ornament will suggest a gift to either Astor House, Women’s Support Services, or Simply Smiles. We urge you to read the brief summaries below. The Christian Action Committee is requesting your help to support these institutions that help families, children, teens and adults at risk by taking an ornament off a Christmas Tree and making a donation, in cash or kind, to one of the mission partners below.
- Astor House (www.astorservices.org), in Millerton, NY is a non-profit organization that provides children’s mental health and child welfare services as well as early child development programs. It provides support for pre-schoolers, children at risk of placement in foster care and families that need assistance in developing skills necessary to raise their children.
- Women’s Support Services (www.wssdv.org) in Sharon, is a non-profit organization that provides Abuse Prevention and Community Education, support groups for teens, maintains an abuse crisis hotline 24/7, short-term shelter and support counseling, as well as referrals to long-term housing and legal, medical and social service advocacy.
- Simply Smiles (simplysmiles.org) partners with populations in need. Their mission is to remove obstacles and empower indigenous people to chart their own course to a brighter future. Simply Smiles has two program locations: on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota and in Simply Smiles Home for Children in Oaxaca, Mexico. Members of SCC have traveled to both of these locations to offer service and support. Currently in the village of LaPlant, Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, construction is ongoing to develop a children’s residential village to protect Lakota children from unsafe homes and to help them overcome an unspeakably difficult start in life. This village provides the infrastructure for native people to intervene and protect the most vulnerable native children.
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MONTHLY NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES
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Deacon's November Message ~ Submitted by Kathy Mera
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Women's Bible Study will meet on Thursdays at 3:30pm in the Parish Hall Library
(note earlier time).
Men's Bible Study meets on Fridays at 7:45am in the Parish Hall.
All are welcome! If you are interested in participating in either Bible Study, please contact
Pastor John.
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If you would like to provide flowers for a Sunday service
, contact Linda Estabrook at
(860) 824-5896
by Wednesday of the week the flowers will be donated.
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Please contact the office if you would like to add a name to the prayer list, by calling the office 860-435-2442 or emailing
sccmelissa@gmail.com
.
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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.
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Click above to access our secure site
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Melissa Adam, Financial and Communications Assistant, is in the office Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00-4:00. Her email is:
sccmelissa@gmail.com
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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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