July 2023 Newsletter

A Note from Pastor Todd

June has been a month of patience and flexibility. I am a planner and like to see things have an orderly flow. But I did not plan on getting COVID and missing two Sundays! These weeks were a lesson in accepting things as they are and trusting other people to step in and do something. The weather has dampened my hopes for our summer worship focus, "Be Awe-some." Jeanne and I were prepared for a spiritual practice of watching sunsets, but clouds obscured the sunset for two weeks. My basil plants look like they have been in solitary confinement, deprived of the sunlight to make them lush and green. Why is it that weeds are perfectly happy and thriving? Instead of contemplating nature on hikes and kayaking, I am left with meditating on rain, moss, and fog. Spirituality takes what comes!

I wrote a piece on one of many foggy mornings while in COVID isolation. I look forward to sharing a wider variety of creation spirituality and awe-inspiring moments as the summer progresses. Stay flexible!

It is foggy this morning. A grey-white cloud has settled in, and I can't see down to the water of the cove. The world stops at a line of trees past the yard's edge. Everything before the breakpoint looks as clear and green as yesterday in the sunlight, but everything beyond the plane disappears into obscurity. Much like when I am in a spiritual fog, I can only see what is right in front of me. I can't get many steps ahead or see into the next hour for the surrounding haze. I have no idea what might come at me from the beyond. I'm deprived of the wide panoramas across the Sheepscot River, which give me an expansive feeling. Today it is all lost in the fog.

I could feel frightened by the unseen in the murky distance or frustrated by being denied the beauty and depth of perspective. But I feel comfort while blanketed by momentary limits of view. I see what I need to see. How far does my reach need to be at this moment? Do I really need to see past the tree line all the time?

As I pay attention, the fog reveals things obscured by bright sunlight. Spiders have spun little webs on the gravel pathway. These nets are so fine that they are invisible in the full daylight spectrum. But the vapor clings to the tiny threads causing them to glisten in the foggy filter. These webs are like the small hopes felt at the rising dawn before a bright day can burn them away. They are revealed to be cherished for a moment. Once witnessed, they cannot be forgotten even as the bright sun obscures them again. The beautiful little snares will wait for the next fog to reveal themselves to us.

This morning fog comes with the grace to limit my vision to what is close at hand. What else do I miss because I am searching the distance for hints of the future? Look right here! There is wonder enough in this close moment.

Pastor Todd

July Worship Schedule

July 2 | Communion Sunday | Lemonade on the Lawn

Mission Statement II: "We Welcome Everyone to Grow with Us"

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

July 9 | Jazz Sunday

Music led by Sheepscot Swing and Sway

July 16 | Lemonade on the Lawn

Mission Statement III: "Cultivating Faith, Justice and Joy"

Luke 13:6-9

July 23 | Part I: Be Awe-some

"The Goodness of Creation"

Genesis 1:1-25, “And God saw that it was good.”

July 30 | Part II: Be Awe-some

"Human Flourishing and Creation Care"

Genesis 1: 26-31

Summer Ideas to Cultivate Awe

Share a “Moment of Wonder” on Sunday morning. Share a brief story of awe before the pastoral prayer, much like we have a Mission Moment.
Join a book group to read “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life” by Dacher Keltner. Email pastor@congochurchbbh.org if you are interested.
Create time in the evening to watch the sunset and say a blessing.
Take a “forest bathing” walk at the Land Trust.
Come to church early and take a walk to set the tone.
Outdoor Sunday Services at Barrett Park or evening Vespers at the memorial at Porter’s Preserve.
Pay attention to your garden for signs of God’s spirit. As our mission statement says, “Cultivate faith, justice and joy.”
Take photos of things that move you and share them.
Your suggestions can go here!

Interested in Membership?

Inquirer's Meeting and Church Tour

If you would like to know more about the church or are interested in becoming a member, join us for a church tour and a question and answer session after church on Sunday, July 16. Pastor Todd will talk about the church's history, mission, and theology as we tour the facility. Bring your curiosity and questions. Email Pastor Todd if you would like to come. pastor@congochurchbbh.org

News from the Deacons

In our amended bylaws approved on January 29, 2023, the below was accepted:

ARTICLE VII SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Section 702: Pastoral Relations Committee:

The Pastoral Relations Committee is responsible for fostering a good relationship between the Pastor and the congregation. It shall be a permanent subcommittee of the Diaconate, and shall consist of three members appointed annually, one of whom will be a member of the Diaconate appointed by the Senior Deacon, and two of whom will be selected by the Moderator from a list of five Church members drawn up by the Pastor. Its meetings and minutes shall be kept confidential within the committee. The specific responsibilities of the Pastoral Relations Committee are:

a. Maintain effective communication between the Pastor and the congregation, by listening to concerns of the Pastor and of the congregation, providing feedback to the Pastor from the congregation, identifying and attempting to avoid areas of potential conflict before they arise, and attempting to resolve conflict situations that do arise and are referred to it by the Council, the Diaconate, or the Trustees.

b. Meet with the Pastor frequently during any Pastor’s first year, and thereafter following the Annual congregational meeting each year and at regular times throughout the year.

c. Refer to the Church Council any conflicts that it is not able to resolve within a reasonable time.”

Wendy Wolf, Mary Ann Reynolds and Chip Griffin have been appointed for 2023.

Invocation/scripture readers and flowers for Sunday service are needed – please sign up via our website or there is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. Flowers from your garden and/or ordering flowers from Water Lily Flowers & Gifts in Wiscasset (they deliver) are options. Their contact information is waterllyflowers@gmail.com or 882-9333.

Some of our monthly meeting topics have included:

Meeting in-person when able
How to recognize national and special holidays/events
Summer service schedule
Completion of/updating church’s contact list
Rearranging church furnishings
Updating sound system – Trustees are working on this project.
Sunday service duties for Deacons
Potential individuals to join Deacons – If this may be of interest to you, please contact the church.

If you have comments or suggestions about the spiritual life of our church, please contact one of the Deacons.

Photos Wanted

The worship planning team is asking interested congregants to send in their AWE-some photos that can be used in the slideshow during worship on the large screens.

If you have some great photos of sunsets, sunrises, beautiful landscapes, wildlife, etc., send them to Heather at admin@congochurchbbh.org. Landscape format is preferred, but not required. Please send the largest file possible for better quality.

Jewelry & Scarf Donations

The ladies of the Church Christmas Fair Jewelry and Scarf table are accepting donations of unwanted costume and fine jewelry or scarves of any kind. Clean out those jewelry boxes and closets, and ask your friends to do the same! Donations can be dropped off at the church during office hours.

Lemonade On the Lawn: Heifer International Fundraiser

Please support our Sunday School students on July 2 and July 16 as they start fundraising again for Heifer International! We have been on hold for a few years, but we will be back on the front lawn or in the Fellowship Hall, weather permitting, with our lemonade stand. We hope this is the first of two amazing fundraisers this year and would love to bring back our Heifer Hootenanny!

Donations are appreciated but not expected.

Heifer International is a global nonprofit working to eradicate poverty and hunger through sustainable, values-based holistic community development.

Heifer's Mission:

We work to end hunger and poverty in partnership with the communities we serve. Our programs support entrepreneurs around the world, creating lasting change from the ground up.

It begins with a seed investment of livestock or agriculture, followed by mentorship to help project participants build a business, and ultimately to gain access to supply chains and markets.

These families are able to earn a living income and continuously lift up their communities as they train the next generation of leaders.

By supporting and training the world's farmers, ranchers, and female business owners, we're investing in a new breed of success.

In years past, the Congo Kids have chosen to gift animals like a flock of chicks and a goat, or garden seeds, and clean water to families and communities in need of these resources.

Come out and support a wonderful organization and our amazing Sunday School students!

We will see you at the lemonade stand!

Ms. Magen

Books and Meditation, and Braiding Sweetgrass

The Tuesday morning Books and Meditation Group meets weekly via Zoom at a remarkably early hour (6:45 am to 8:00 am) for personal meditation, followed by reading a book selected for its spiritual content. Join us! We know the get-together is early, so BYO coffee, and know that the early hour makes those of us who have gotten into the habit of meeting each week glad to start the day refreshed by our reading and meditating.

Our next book – we will begin to read it together on July 11 – is the bestseller Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

“As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.”—Goodreads.

The Zoom link for the meeting is sent out each week in the Wednesday newsletter; we are excited to see you on the Zoom call.