Our 269th Annual Meeting will be held on February 20, 2022, following worship. We will hold it online and you can join the meeting here.

There is an option for people to call in if they cannot attend online by calling (929) 205-6099.

When asked, enter meeting ID: 875 7698 3296

and then passcode: 654854

On Monday, 2/7, the annual report with the proposed budget was emailed out to all members with email addresses and USPS mailed out to all other members. We have a few hard copies of the report in the foyer to Hadley Hall.

You can also access the annual report with the proposed budget here

If you have any questions that you would like to submit for the meeting, please email or call the church office prior to next Thursday, 2/17 and they will be submitted to the appropriate team chair prior to the meeting.

We hope you can attend this celebration of the wonderful ministry we have done over the past year!

You might remember back in October we reported in the Weekly Word that we had USPS mail missing from our Church mailbox.

We ask you to please validate all the donations we have listed on your recently emailed/mailed 2021 year-end statement, specifically around October when we had USPS mail missing.

If you notice any check #'s/donations missing from your donation statement, please contact the office as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Please join us in the sanctuary

or online at 10am for

the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

Celebration of the Baptism of

Zoey Ella Wallack

As we pledge in our covenant, we strongly advocate that everyone who attends in-person worship on Sunday mornings wear a mask during the entire service.

The service will be live-streamed through Facebook Live here or on 3CX here.

The houses of worship in the greater Derry area are considering putting on a "House of Worship Fair" where folks in the surrounding communities can come to learn about our faith communities and see if they are interested in attending.

In order for HCC to be represented, we need a contact person who would be able to be on a planning team to share ideas, attend some meetings, and to help plan the event (which is tentatively planned for May 2022).

If so, please contact Pastor Kathy at pastorkathyucc@gmail.com or let the office know.

Please have cards in (there is a basket in the entrance to Hadley Hall) by tomorrow, February 10th. We will collect funds for the gift cards for another week.

Thank you for your generosity!

Recently there was a story on NH Public Radio about the barriers that Section 8 Housing voucher recipients face. It follows the experience of one woman but is a fairly typical situation for many recipients.

Susan Bell had a series of health issues resulting in hospitalizations. The fallout resulted in her deciding to leave her apartment in Dover. She had to live in her car while she searched for another apartment. She found that few landlords will even accept applications that disclose that the applicant is coming with a Section 8 voucher.

Some state lawmakers are looking at how to bar that practice and have House Bill 1291 that would designate it as one of the unlawful discriminatory practices under the state’s human rights statute. Housing advocates see the bill as a key tool to preventing a systemic discrimination that force many beneficiaries of section 8 assistance into homelessness.

Bell’s voucher will cover up to $1,310 a month for a one-bedroom apartment and 30% of that ($393) must come from her fixed disability income. But there is a shortage of housing of all types in New Hampshire and especially so for affordable apartments. If she cannot find an apartment within 60 days the voucher is reclaimed (She can receive 2 30-day extensions). But the scarcity of apartments within the voucher criteria is becoming steadily worse. In 2021, 1581 vouchers were issued by NH Housing Finance Authority and 294 expired because recipients could not find eligible housing. The success rate for finding housing with a section 8 voucher has fallen from 90% to 60% in six years.

The article expands on the story by including views of a variety of stakeholders, including landlords. It is a difficult problem that needs attention. Susan Bell, age 55, is currently living with her parents.

Read the entire article here.

Related NHPR stories about Manchester housing: current crisis and how it got this way

Your congregation’s witness is vital to our UCC vision of peace with justice. When General Synod 33 passed a “Declaration for a Just Peace in Palestine and Israel” last summer, delegates called on every local congregation to get involved in advocating for that “just peace.” We’ve created a page of accessible resources for church leaders, mission teams and pastor to use; each of our communities can do something!

Take a look at those resources now: https://www.ccdurham.org/a-cry-for-hope-solidarity/

Also:

Faith communities are often on the frontlines of responding to climate-related disasters. More than a spirit of goodwill is required to effectively respond and minister in such critically important times. Because disasters often expose, widen, and exacerbate the gaps of pre-existing disparities, it is essential that communities of faith prioritize and hold fast in their commitments to equity and justice.

This webinar will equip faith communities with the knowledge and awareness required to act in accordance with our values. Our featured speakers will be Marcus Coleman, Jr., from FEMA’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Marcie Roth from the World Institute on Disability, and the Rev. Fred Meade from the UCC’s Disaster Resource & Response Team for the Southern New England Conference.

Debra will have a recording of this Webinar. If you are interested in this topic for possible ministry, contact her at dcpsawyer@gmail.com. Please let Debra know in the next week or so and a plan for how to move forward can be made.

Debra Sawyer

The Hampstead Public Library Board of Trustees plans to build a 20 x 40 ft. shingle-roofed, pavilion (similar to Ordway Park) on the front lawn to facilitate outdoor programs and events.

If you would like to consider helping this campaign, you can buy a brick here.

In Memory of Donald Bell Sr.  Love, Andy & Barbara

In Memory of Pastor Kathy’s Mother, Helen Motyka, from the Staff Relations Team

Please drop off any donations in the foyer of Hadley Hall

For those of you who have been busy sewing, quilting, knitting, or crocheting, we have an new opportunity to donate those handmade items!

We located a national organization that has local chapters called Project Linus (https://www.facebook.com/projectlinussouthwestnewhampshire/). This organization's mission is "to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans". Blankets are given to children in need through NH.

*We welcome all styles of blankets made in child-friendly colors/prints.

*Crocheted, knitted, quilted (100% cotton or flannel), fleece….you don’t have to be an expert!

*Blankets must be NEW, HANDMADE and WASHABLE.

*Fabric blankets can be quilted by machine, hand or tied. If you are tying the blanket make sure the ends are trimmed to 1” and the knots are secure.

*Please do not add any embellishments to the blankets such as buttons that could be swallowed by a child.

*If you are using a no-sew fleece pattern, please be sure to trim off both selvages FIRST. Not sure what selvages are? Ask the clerk who is cutting your fleece to please show you, they’re those odd looking edges at the top and bottom of the piece you have, sort of raggy looking.

*We accept all sizes of blankets. We donate to children, infants through teen years, so any size is appropriate. Baby blankets are typically 36”X36” or 36”X42”, toddler-pre-teen are typically about 40”X60”, and teen blankets are at least 60"X72".

Blankets can be dropped off in the entry way of Hadley Hall.

Thank you for your support of this project!

If in doubt, please call the church or send an email to pastorkathyucc@gmail.com.