September 2023 Newsletter

A Note from Pastor Todd

Sharing the Joyful Responsibility of Community

We live life in the tension between opposites. To be healthy, we need time alone and the togetherness of community. Reason and feelings may lead in opposite directions, but both contribute to a balanced understanding. We need a plan to get things done but the flexibility to shift when things change. A problematic tension to manage in our society is between work and rest. Many people report feeling too busy. Yet they also feel guilty for not being busy enough. People use the term work/life balance, but I wonder, is there a sweet spot where it is just right?

When preaching, I emphasize Sabbath to restore our souls because few places nurture this balance between work and rest. The church should be a place of renewal, not a source of even more demands. Which makes finding volunteers an awkward exercise! One minute we are quoting Jesus, “Come all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” and the next, we ask you to take on coffee hour or be on a committee. We live in this tension between needing volunteers and not wanting to burn people out and turn them off from church. Is there a way that our volunteering can be a joyful responsibility of the community?

This year we are trying something new for our time and talent season. At the recommendation of an excellent Stewardship training attended by Lana Brandt, we are separating Stewardship and our Time and Talent recruiting. This September we will focus on Time and Talent, followed by the Stewardship campaign in mid-October. September is a time of discernment for all church members. We ask everyone to consider what you can do to keep our church community thriving. Here are a few questions to think about this month. Where are you in this balance between work and rest? Where does the church fit in the time you have for the community and giving back? What activities give you energy vs. taking energy away? What is the balance between church as a refuge and church as a community worth working to strengthen? Is there an ability you want to offer the church that doesn’t appear in the standard committee duties? Some of the best things that happen in church are when someone has a new idea, and we give them space to run with it. Talk to me if you don’t see your ability or talent on the list!

Here are some goals I hope we can achieve in our September season of time and talent. First, I want to celebrate what our volunteers accomplish. I am grateful to our dedicated core of people who nourish the work of our community. You make a meaningful impact. Each Sunday in September, I will lift up some of the unsung work that makes a difference for us. Second, we must achieve a good balance to have solid leadership for every committee to do their job well. Each year a few people step down, and others step up. Third, I hope that being a part of church gives back more energy than it takes. Energy is not a zero-sum exchange, where all work depletes our store of energy. When we work on things that truly matter and feel like our efforts make a difference, an energy exchange occurs. We give of ourselves and receive at the same time.

You can read more about the Time and Talent Campaign from the Stewardship team in their article below. You may click HERE to find a list of committee descriptions. Thank you for taking the time to reflect on where you can share your energy with the church. May it feel like a joyful responsibility.

Pastor Todd

September Worship Schedule

Sermon Series: Through the Wilderness

Most Sundays I choose scriptures from the Revised Common Lectionary. This is a three-year rotation through the Bible which includes a weekly selection from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a Gospel reading, and a letter, often from Paul. This month the Old Testament readings focus on the story of Moses leading people from slavery through the wilderness. Wilderness often stands as a metaphor for the times in life when we don’t know where we are going and don’t have the resources we need. My sermon series will reflect on how Moses’s leadership helps us navigate the wilderness challenges of our times. The text and topics for each week are listed below. Each Monday at noon our Bible Study group meets to discuss the lesson for the coming week. I invite anyone to join us on Zoom.

Email admin@congochurchbbh.org for the Zoom link.

September 3 | Labor Day Weekend | Communion

Exodus 3:1-15 - Burning Bush

September 10 | Rally Day and Sunday School Begins

Exodus 12:1-14 - Passover

September 17 | New Member Sunday

Exodus 14:19-31 - Parting the Red Sea

September 24

Exodus 16:2-15 - Gathering Manna

New Member Sunday, Sept. 17

We will welcome five new members of the church on Sunday, September 17. There is always room for more. If you are interested in joining the church in September, or would like to know more about the church, contact Pastor Todd at pastor@congochurchbbh.org.

Announcements

Time & Talent Cards Mailed

By now, you should have received a letter and Time & Talent card from the Stewardship Committee. As explained in the August Newsletter, we did this mailing earlier with the hope of receiving everyone’s completed cards in a timelier manner to allow the various church Committee Chairs and the Church Council to review all the responses. To help us achieve this goal, we ask that you kindly return your card to the church by September 15. If you prefer to do so electronically, click HERE. Please fill out the form and click SUBMIT at the bottom of the page. All questions are required. If none of the answers fit your time or talents, indicate that you are not interested. Couples/Families may submit one response for each member of your family.

Our theme for this year’s Stewardship Campaign is Because of YOU Our Church Changes Lives. During the month of October, the Stewardship Committee would love to hear from people in our congregation who would be willing to share a short testimonial (3-4 minutes) to reflect on this campaign theme. Below are a few suggestions for topics, but feel free to choose one of your own:

Why are you making a personal commitment to pledge to the church?
How have you been involved in changing lives through the church?
When have you experienced love within this congregation in life-changing ways?
Where do you see our congregation changing lives?

Testimonials help us tell our own stories and the story of our congregation. We appreciate your willingness to share. Please get in touch with Pastor Todd at pastor@congochurchbbh.org with questions.

Respectfully,

Lana Brandt, Stewardship Committee Chair

Rally Day 2023 Banner (Facebook Post (Landscape)).jpg

Rally Day on September 10

WELCOME BACK, SUNDAY SCHOOL!

We will kick off the 2023-2024 Sunday School year on September 10 at 10 AM! To register, click HERE.

We are very excited to announce our ALL NEW JR/SR High Sunday School program! All students in grades 7 through 12 are invited to join the fun starting Sunday, September 10 at 10 AM. This age group will follow the Spark curriculum, Re:form, a Bible-centered curriculum catered to this age group. Graham Bryer will lead the group and will meet in the library. To register, click HERE.

See you on Rally Day!

Thank You Summer Singers/Welcome Back Choir

Thank you to everyone who has sung with the choir this summer! It is a joy to have you singing with us, even if it is only one Sunday. We will continue to welcome anyone on Sunday at 9:00 AM to join us in rehearsal and then sing with us during worship at 10:00 AM. This will continue through September 17, and then we'll begin rehearsing together on Thursday, September 21, at 4:30 PM in the sanctuary. Everyone is welcome!

News from the Deacons

Volunteers are needed

for invocation/scripture Sunday readers and flowers for Sunday service

Please sign up on the church website (congochurchbbh.org/signupcentral) or there is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in 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 (207) 882-9333.

Monthly Meetings

The Deacons have been meeting in-person this summer (did not meet in August) which has fostered an enhanced opportunity for open discussions on such topics as:

How might the Church address social issues
How to define membership
Options for welcoming new members and visitors
Recruitment of Deacons – 4 openings are needed beginning 2024.
Hosting the Mid-Coast Association in October – more details to share
Ted Repa was added to the Pastoral Relations Committee
Contact list review

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

Amid wildfires devastation, UCC makes appeal for Hawaii

by Maic D'Agostino | published on Aug 15, 2023

The United Church of Christ, through Wider Church Ministries, is issuing a special appeal to provide essential items and long-term support to those impacted by wildfires across Hawaii, including the deadly wildfires on the island of Maui.

“As we learn of the rising toll of the wildfires in Maui and see more and more of the extent of the destruction, we hold the people of Hawaii in our prayers, including UCC members and Hawaii Conference leadership,” said Peter Makari, transitional executive for Wider Church Ministries. “The outpouring of concern and support across the UCC that we have already seen is a reflection of the sense of compassion and connection that is the Church.”

The fires, spurred on by an unseasonably dry summer and strong winds from Hurricane Dora, began Aug. 8. The community of Lahaina, once a whaling center and now a city of about 13,000 on northwestern Maui that attracts two million tourists yearly, was hit the hardest, with more than 2,170 acres having been burned.

As of Aug. 14, reports say that 85% of the fire in Lahaina, which is the largest of the wildfires, has been contained. Kula’s fire is 60% contained. Two other fires on Maui are 100% contained.

Officials also report that as of Aug. 15, the death toll was 99 and expected to rise.

Click HERE to continue reading the article from the UCC.

The church will be collecting donations to send to the UCC for disaster relief in Hawaii.

Checks can be made payable to Congo Church BBH with "Hawaii Appeal" in the memo OR

click HERE to give online.

A Concert with Rocket and Friends

Save the date and time, Sunday, September 3, at 3:00 PM in our sanctuary. Renowned organist Dr. Lorna Lee Curtis, aka Rocket, will perform a concert of organ, piano, flute, trio, and vocal music with some of her musical friends. Rocket will be playing three toccatas by Pethel, J.S. Bach, and Dubois; her friend Jeanne Hahm will be singing selections by Puccini, Gershwin, Arlen, and Kosma; flutist Carolyn Lanigan will join Rocket for pieces by Chaminade and Bohm. The trio that was born at Christmastime in 2022 will play trios by Purcell and Muzzi.

And, if that's not enough, there is a fun job for the audience during the concert as well as a chance to "meet and eat" following the concert.

All the musicians are donating their time and talent, so this concert is free and open to all.

Let's fill the house!

Pilgrimage to the

Holy Land

Interested in visiting the Holy Land, but concerned that typical trips are either really commercial or really expensive or really steeped in Christian lore to the exclusion of the diverse ethnicity that is Israel and Palestine today? If so, read on.

Our church has been invited to join a pilgrimage, led by the Rev. Anne Weirich, to the land of the Bible that has been shaped by multiple ethnic and religious traditions and explore significant Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sites.

Participants will follow Jesus’ lead in exploring contemporary issues of territory and water, freedom, and control. The group will have the opportunity to discuss current events with Israel’s and Palestine’s “living stones,” the grassroots organizations working for the rights of all people. This is your chance to walk the cobbled streets of Joppa and Jerusalem. Worship in Bethlehem and renew your baptism at the Jordan River. Take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Share communion at Cana. Gaze in wonder at Temple Mount. Walk through the Beautiful Gate and renew your faith.

The pilgrimage will take place in the fall of 2024 and last approximately two weeks (including travel).

Rev. Anne, a retired Presbyterian minister who has found her calling in introducing congregations to the land of the Bible, will be joined by local and experienced guides in Israel and Palestine. Depending upon participation, the price is around $3000 per person plus airfare. A three-day extension to Jordan/Petra is available.

A ZOOM meeting with leader Rev Anne Weirich will take place Sunday, September 24 at 7:00 PM for all who are interested or think they might be interested in knowing more about the trip.

Email admin@congochurchbbh.org for the Zoom link.

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.