Worship This Week

Please join us

in the Sanctuary

or online at 10am for

Second Sunday After Epiphany

with Communion

Coffee hour will be held

after the service

in Hadley Hall.

The service will be live streamed

through Facebook Live here

or on 3CX here

Reader: Barry Sargent

Coffee hour host: Sam Longbook

& Janet Kliska

artwork: "Winter Branches" © Mary Southard

www.ministryofthehearts.org. Used with permission.

New Closure Snow Policy

A note from Operations:

In the event of snow on a Sunday morning, please use the following as a guide:

Rule 1: Let common sense prevail. If you are not comfortable coming to church, stay home and participate via Facebook or 3CX.

Church will be cancelled if the state recommends that no one use the roads.

It has been our policy to open the church for anyone who can get there. If you are not comfortable driving, please stay home.

The Operations Team will do their best to clean the entrances.

The worship team will be in contact with Operations and will contact WMUR to post the closing of the church if necessary.

Make and Donate Blankets for Project Linus

For those of you who have been busy sewing, quilting, knitting, or crocheting, we want to remind you of a great opportunity to donate those handmade items!

We work with 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!

Please enjoy some wonderful testimonials from recipients of these wonderful blankets

that shows just how much they impact the families:

Thanks from Missions

We enjoyed another wonderful Loaf and Ladle on November 12! There was quite a variety of soups – including chicken noodle, vegetarian chili, corn chowder, lasagna, sausage, minestrone, broccoli cheese and vegan butternut squash – along with some delicious home baked bread! We followed up with dessert -- many yummy brownies. 

THANK YOU TO ALL THE WONDERFUL COOKS AND BAKERS!

We collected over $300 from the generous offerings – which we donated to St. Anne’s Food Pantry.

THANK YOU EVERYONE

The Missions Team

Connecting with Pastor Kathy

Pastor Kathy wants to make sure to connect with congregants before her departure on February 5th.

If you would like to meet with her, whether it is in the office, or for coffee or lunch, or something else, please contact her to set it up. Her upcoming days and weeks will be busy, and she wants to make sure to provide opportunities for everyone to meet with her who would like to.

Light the Steeple

Light our steeple to honor a loved one.

Perfect for memorials, weddings, birthdays,

anniversaries and more.

Call the office at 603-329-6985

A Word from Peace & Justice

This coming Monday, January 15, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Black Heritage Trail New Hampshire

has a list of events ranging from activism to children's art activities to worship services across the state.

Here is the full newsletter. Scroll down to the NH Celebrates MLK Day section and continue down to the

events listing and descriptions.

Link to BHTNH newsletter.

Music Corner with Herb Tardiff

Interesting facts about Christmas.

When Christmas Was Cancelled

In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.

The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.

After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

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.

1/9/2024 Newsletter

Each week, we will update this section of our Weekly Word with the new link

for the current newsletter.

St. Anne's Food Pantry

The pantry is currently in need of the following:

Cereal (no Cheerios), chunky & Progresso soups, coffee, tea bags, salad dressings, syrup, muffin mix, brownie mix, cake mix and jelly.

Please drop off any donations in the foyer of Hadley Hall

Please, no expired items.

Thank you for all your support!