September 7th Weekly Word | |
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Enhance Your Faith This Fall with a Spiritual Practices Series
Join Pastor Kathy this fall for a four-week series, “Enhancing Your Well-being with Spiritual Practices.” Each session will be about an hour long and will include learning about and trying different spiritual practices. Session will be held in-person on Thursday mornings at 10:30am in the youth room upstairs from the sanctuary, beginning on Thursday, September 29th.
If there is enough interest, Pastor Kathy can hold another session on an evening or via Zoom. Please let her know if you would prefer one of these options. There will be a sign-up sheet at coffee hour or contact the office or Pastor Kathy to sign up or with any questions.
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Did You Notice...?
Last week Thursday, we migrated our HCC website to a totally new look. The update freshens things up and makes our website "mobile friendly" for those that access our site from their phones.
If you haven't already, take a look at our "new" site and let us know what you think.
Here is the link to our website.
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Phishing Email
Scammers are at it again. Recently, one of our members received an email presumably from Pastor Kathy. This type of email is known as a "phishing" email.
Please know that Pastor will never ask you for money/gift cards via an email nor via a text.
If you receive an email or text and are in doubt, please contact the church office/Pastor Kathy.
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Worship This Week
Please join us in the sanctuary
or online at 10am for the
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost. There will be a special children's message followed by the first gathering of Sunday school this fall.
Coffee hour will be held in Hadley Hall after the service.
We hope you will join us.
The service will be live streamed through Facebook Live here or on 3CX here.
artwork:Dancing Tree © Mary Southard
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Sunday School Starts
this Sunday, September 11
Sunday School will be held once a month on the second Sunday of the month starting in September and continuing through May. This Sunday we will be learning about God's creation of the world.
Please check the church calendar for future dates.
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Meet the Artist
Sr. Mary Southard
For about a year, many of our bulletin covers have been adorned with the amazing artwork of Sr. Mary Southard. We wanted to provide you an opportunity to learn a little more about her.
Mary entered the convent at a young age and became a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph (CSJ) in 1954. Sr. Mary creates drawings, paintings and sculptures in her studio in the Congregation of St. Joseph La Grange Park Center, located in La Grange Park, Illinois. She shares her works throughout the world and some of her sculptures can be seen in gardens, churches, and hospitals throughout the US.
If you would like to learn more about Sr. Mary and see more of her beautiful work, click here.
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Successful First Fiber Arts Gathering
Thanks to Bea Randell, the first fiber arts gathering was a great success.
There were a dozen people who attended August's gathering on Saturday, 8/27. The group was a mix of church members and local community members.
The next gathering will be Saturday, September 24 10AM - Noon in Hadley Hall.
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Steeple Lighting September 7 - September 13
In loving memory of George T. Brenza
Husband, Dad, Pawpa, & friend
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Outdoor Service
next Sunday, 9/18
Our outdoor services are being very well attended and we have been blessed with good weather each Sunday!
We will worship outside again in the back parking lot at 10am next Sunday, September 18th.
Please plan to bring a chair and join us for this special service. The service will also be live streamed.
Coffee hour will be held after the service in Hadley Hall.
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September Birthdays
We are continuing to only list first names and last initial to minimize scamming issues with personal information being shared via electronic documents.
Dave L 9/1
Claire H 9/2
Michelle L 9/2
Emily M 9/3
Susan B 9/5
Dave D 9/6
Jane C 9/7
Casey N 9/8
Ann H 9/9
Abby C 9/14
Suzanne F 9/15
Evan K 9/18
Barry S 9/22
Jason Y 9/22
Elizabeth T 9/25
Ing G 9/26
Delaney S 9/29
If you would like your birthday recognized, please call the office to make sure we have it in our records!
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Upper Room Devotional
We have copies of the September/October Upper Room devotional available in the foyer to Hadley Hall. If you need a copy mailed to you, please contact the main office.
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Is your garden producing crops you can share? Would you like some?
If you'd like to make a donation from the bounty of your garden, please bring produce items to Hadley Hall when you come for Sunday Service or drop them off anytime in the basket located in the foyer.
Donations for the produce you take can be placed in the offering basket (on Sunday mornings) or in the lockbox in the foyer.
All proceeds go to RIP Medical Debt to help pay off medical debt for those in need.
For every $1 you donate, $100 of medical debt is paid off!!
For more information on RIP Medical Debt, direct donations to the organization, and personal stories by those that have been helped, go to https://ripmedicaldebt.org
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A Word from Peace and Justice
Last year I participated in a study prepared by UCC called “Centering God, Decentering Whiteness”. We
participants looked at how the hierarchy of races came about during the start of European exploration around the world. We dove into how Native lands were taken and how slavery created a class system in the United States. Government action and political compromise set the foundations for discrimination to flourish. I learned so many historical facts that I had not known as well as hearing some of the trauma that our black sisters here in NHUCC have experienced.
That was a 16-week commitment, and frankly it got tiring. So, I was excited to see a much more streamlined version of the same materials recently. It is only four weeks long. I highly recommend this workshop if you are curious about how racism came into existence so long ago and became institutionalized; about what “microaggressions” are; or about the concept of “becoming an ally” for black folk.
What does it mean to be an ally? How can we help dismantle systemic, anti-black
racism?
In this popular 4-week, online workshop with Anne Romney, we will look at racism in all its
forms – internalized, interpersonal, institutional and systemic. Topics will include white privilege, understanding the toll of microaggressions, and what it means to be an ally/accomplice in the fight for social justice – with emphasis on concrete actions people can
do, small and large.
You can register here.
Blessings,
Debra
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New Hampshire Conference UCC Weekly News
We thought you might enjoy reading the NH Conference UCC weekly newsletter. You can read it with this link.
09/06/22 Newsletter
Each week, we will update this section of our Weekly Word with the new link for the current newsletter.
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Food Drive to Support
Saint Anne Ecumenical Food Pantry
The New needs for the Food Pantry are:
hearty/meaty soups, salad dressings, coffee, tea, cereal, flour and sugar
Please drop off any donations in the foyer of Hadley Hall
Thank you for all your support!
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Next volunteer opportunity will be on, Wednesday, September 28th. If you are interested in volunteering you can contact Jane DeRosa via email janederosa@comcast.net or you can sign up here. | |
The Sonshine Soup Kitchen needs volunteers to prepare and package the food for "To Go Meals." We partner with Atkinson Congregational Church once a month on the 4th Wednesday of the month to help out from 3-6pm. | | |
Blankets for Project Linus
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!
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Are you on Facebook? Do you follow Hampstead Congregational Church? Please like our page to know about all the great events in the church. Liking also supports our church when people check us out. If you are already connected, share our good news!
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If you are on Instagram, please follow us, and let your friends know about us by sharing our posts! Click this link
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Scam Emails & Texts
Emails and Texts are often sent, saying they are from Pastor Kathy or another staff member. She (or the HCC staff) will never send out a generic email/text--she'll address it to your name. She will never ask you for money/gift cards over email nor via a text.
Also, any email from Pastor Kathy will always have her signature line on the bottom with her phone number/address.
If in doubt, please call the church or send an email to pastorkathyucc@gmail.com.
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Want to get the word out about what’s happening at HCC? If you want to publicize your event or remind the congregation about something, please email the office (hcc1752@gmail.com) by Wednesday at noon so that your information can be included in that week’s Weekly Word. Feel free to send in information up to three weeks in advance of an upcoming event. We want all of the congregation (not just the Team leaders) to be empowered to get the word out about all the activities that are happening at Hampstead Congregational Church!
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Our Mailing Address:
61 Main Street
Hampstead, NH 03841
Church Summer Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9:00am to Noon
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Hampstead Congregational Church Website
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