Celebration Service!

Fourth Sunday of Easter!Celebrating Earth Day!

Masks are optional at our services at this time. As a congregation, we respect those who chose to wear a mask out of personal concern/safety.

CHILDREN'S MESSAGE

PSALM 65 Lay Reader: John Rains

ANTHEM "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need"

SCRIPTURE Mathew 28:16-20

MESSAGE "Deeply Connected" Rev. Dan Haugh

GREEN TEAM TESTIMONIAL

USHERS Dave and Nan Myers

Children's Worship

The Lesson Title this week is "Celebrating Earth Day!" and the Key Bible Verse that goes along with the Lesson is:

"Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy".               Psalm 96:11-12

STOWE FREE LIBRARY

Presented by Elizabeth Sherman, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Emerita, Bennington College

Saturday April 20 1:00 PM in the library community room

Bring some plants you want to trade!

In honor of Earth Day, let’s celebrate the diversity of life on earth. How is it that there are sharks and honeybees and oak trees and yeast and humans? In this presentation, we will discuss the explanation for the diversity of life on earth: evolution, the most important unifying concept in all of biology. Evolution enables us to understand the history of our planet and the history of us. And it helps us predict the consequences of ongoing environmental degradation.

During her long career as Professor of Biology at Bennington College, Dr. Sherman became increasingly concerned about the public understanding of science. She added this interest to her research and teaching on evolution, physiology and behavior of animals.

Dr. Sherman's work has been supported by many awards and grants, and her publications have appeared in refereed professional science journals as well as popular general interest magazines. In addition, she has been active in science education in Vermont schools, working with students, teachers and administrators at the local, regional and state levels. Finally, Dr. Sherman has been a frequent public speaker, presenting lectures on science all over the state of Vermont. She is an avid scuba diver, underwater photographer, and grandmother.

Stowe Community Church’s Green Tip for April 2024!

Awareness – Did you know that the sustainability mantra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is approaching its 50^th birthday, having its origin in the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act? 

Let’s revisit what it really means

Action: The 3Rs are listed in their order of importance:

Reduce is about reducing wasteful practices, such as eliminating single-use items (e.g., use reusable produce bags made from netting in place of plastic bags or coffee thermos in place of Black Cap/Starbucks cup). 

Reuse is about repurposing old items, such as tearing old towels into strips for house cleaning or purchasing second-hand clothing.

Recycle is about reducing landfill waste. While helpful it should be used as a last resort. First ask yourself if the item can be reused or whether there is an alternative you can use next time, ideally made from recycled material or with less plastic.

Impact: By practicing the 3Rs, you reduce landfill waste and dependence on the plastics market. Additionally, you extend the water, human resources, and oil energy used in the manufacturing of the item!

References: 1) WEDU PBS SUSTAIN; 2) PLASTIC FREE JULY

Thanks for the Help on Easter and the Eclipse Open House!

Thank you so much for your time, and generous donations for the Easter Egg Hunt. We were able to stuff 1,000+ eggs for our 3rd annual Easter Egg Hunt at the parsonage. Thank you to those who dropped off items ahead of time or afterwards.

And, on the total eclipse day, thank you for all those who helped bake cookies and brownies, and those who greeted guests on SCC’s open house day!

These fun, family events would not be possible without the help of all of you! 

To Donate Online - Click Here!

Tax-deductible donations can also be made via check made payable to Salvation Farms and mailed to PO Box 1174, Morrisville, VT 05661

New Member Orientation May 5th, 6th!

New Member Orientation on 5/5/24 following the morning worship service in Fellowship Hall in person or Zoom meeting on Monday 5/6/24 at 6pm. These are for anyone interested in learning more about our church or signing up to become members. 

We will welcome new members on Sunday, 6/2/24 at our 9:30 worship service.

Psalms Bible Study Starts May 9th!

Perhaps no other book in the Bible has been read and meditated on as much as the Old Testament book of Psalms. It contains songs of praise and prayers of lament, hymns celebrating God‘s faithful love, and the marvels of creation. You are invited to explore this wonderful book through a six week Bible study beginning May 9 through June 13.

The study will be facilitated by the Reverend Barbara Purinton and Kathe Rhinesmith. It will take place on zoom from 7 to 8 PM on Thursday evenings. A workbook will be sent upon registration at a cost of $15. Registration is limited so if you are interested, please contact Kathe Rhinesmith at katherhinesmith@gmail.com.

SPARK Returns in May

We plan to offer another 4 Week Spring SPARK After School Ministry on 4 Monday's from 3:00-4:30 pm, on May 13th, May 20th, June 3rd and June 10th. 

Save the Date, and more info and details to come!

Mission of the Month: Lamoille Community Food Share

Don't forget your Green bags of food!

The Lamoille Community Food Share is a nonprofit group of volunteers dedicated to providing food security for friends and neighbors in and around Lamoille County, Vermont. Their pantry is located at 197 Harrel Street in Morrisville, next door to the Community College of Vermont; it is open Monday- 9-11:30, and Saturdays 9:30-11.  Families can come and receive basic food and other grocery items to help stretch their food dollar.

The mission of Lamoille Community Food Share is to help support and improve the physical well-being of individuals who might otherwise go hungry. We help all those who ask, but our main service area consists of the towns of Eden, Elmore, Hyde Park, Morristown, Stowe and Wolcott in Lamoille County, Vermont.

All food donations are accepted but they try to provide the best and most nutritious food possible. Most of the offerings are non-perishable food. Here is their “wish list”:

peanut butter, tuna, canned vegetables, low salt soup, cereal, canned chicken, raisins, applesauce, spaghetti sauce, pasta, personal items, canned fruit, beans, coffee, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and detergent

Your generosity will be much appreciated; there has been increased demand for food lately. Also, volunteers are needed to help with these tasks:

Setting up and closing, Stocking shelves, Breaking down boxes, Helping to keep the pantry clean, Checking in visitors

Visit the LCFS website!

Donate Those Eclipse Glasses!

Donate your used or unused solar eclipse glasses to be sent to Latin America for the children to safely view the eclipse in August of 2024.

The address to send them is:

Eclipse Glasses USA, LLC

PO Box 50571

Provo, Utah 84605

Communications Committee Seeks Members

The Communications Committee is responsible for promoting SCC through both internal and external media. Heather Stowe is the committee chair and shares the following message:

We are looking for new members to fill the following jobs on our committee. As the chair, I realize that another meeting is a lot for some and I’ll do my best to keep them to a minimum and am happy to do online meetings if that works best for you. 

Social Media

Manage the Church’s Facebook page – internally and externally

Stowe Reporter

Writers Needed - SCC submits an article each week and we need more writers to lessen the load. Max, one article/month, but trying to reach one article every two months. 

Website

Although we have updated our website in the past couple of years, we know we can do more and are looking for some expertise with website design and execution.

In almost all cases, I will provide content and any resources you may need to complete a task. For instance, I create Facebook posts and send them to the Facebook manager to post. If you have any experience with social media strategies, even better! For the Stowe Reporter articles, I'll provide content bullet points and resources to help that process.

Contact Heather at heatherstoweis@gmail.com

SCUBA Bible Camp in August

August 19th-23rd, 9:00 am - 12 noon. 

Bible Camp registration details will be shortly forthcoming, but we wanted to announce the Curriculum and share the dates with you now!

Bible Camp is available for all students from K-5th grade, and for Middle School Students, 6th-8th to do Outreach/ Missions Volunteering! High School Students are welcome and encouraged to join us as High School Camp Counselors, and those students can get Community Service hours for their time!

SCUBA Details

Kenya Mission Visit in July!

The Mission Committee is planning a small mission trip to visit our orphan school that we sponsor in Kenya. Pastor Ouma is very excited to welcome us to the school and suggests that beginning of July would the best time. Accommodations would be provided. The committee is reaching out to see if anyone in the congregation is interested in joining us on this trip?  There will be an optional safari trip to Kenya and Tanzania tentatively planned afterward. For more information, please contact Karen at karenmonsenvt@gmail.com.

Youth Activities Coordinator Needed!

Stowe Community Church is seeking a 10 hours/week, part-time Youth Activities Coordinator who is willing to build on a solid foundation and bring new life to the extended ministries of the SCC. Duties include developing engaging service projects, social outings, bible studies for students 6th grade and up ... and maybe a trip to the mountain once in a while.

Any interested applicants should submit a resume or letter of interest to jobs@stowecommunitychurch.org.

The job is available for the right person immediately.