June Newsletter

Volume XX | Month Day 20XX

June Newsletter

Keeping you updated on everything happening at the East Weymouth Congregational Church!

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From the Pastor

Dear Church,

I have two questions for you? How would you ever live through a world-wide pandemic where over 100,000 people have died and our economy was shut down without faith ?

How would you live without faith through not only a pandemic virus but also during an era where the virus of white supremacy and racism is now being met with the historic uprising of protests and demands for human rights and dignity of African Americans after centuries of brutal murders?

And then…don’t even get me started about the climate crisis. How can we live through that?

With faith.

You, dear children of God, are living through this unprecedented tumult and you have the most powerful strength there is to get you through – a life of faith . But guess what, so many in this world don’t know what that is. Please share your hope, love and light of your faith. You were made for times such as these.

The apostle Paul calls you not only “children of God,” but “children of light.”

In the gospel of light it is written: (Luke 8: 16-18) " No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. ¹⁷ For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.”

Be the church. Be light . This time though, being the church has to be different. We are mostly a church of white people. We cannot just pray while our neighbors who are African American are in anguish, fear and such pain. We must rise up and get on our feet. We must take action for justice.

I will share with you in the weeks to come steps we all can take to bring about a more peaceful, righteous and just world for all.

I believe the God who is still speaking has been whispering and now is talking very loudly about how if we follow Christ, we must not just love our neighbors as ourselves in the ways that are comfortable. We must step out to love our neighbors and reach across chasms in ways that might make us uncomfortable. We must take action. We must work for justice.

Rev. Otis Moss, III, UCC pastor and prophet from Chicago so poignantly writes: “Tears are necessary, but not enough. Prayers are needed, but not enough. Protests are expected, but not enough. Rage is understandable, but not enough. There is a flaw in the soul of this nation only a revolution and a revival can heal.”

Friends, Jesus was and is a miracle worker, a prophet, a healer, a personal saviour. But remember this. He was and is also a revolutionary. He loves out loud. He was and is about action and forging systemic change.

“But fear not,” the angels say all throughout scripture, “the Lord is with you.” From two of the oft most memorized passages in scripture – Psalm 23 and the Beautitudes, remember these verses for the days ahead and inscribe them in your hearts as we deepen our faith and shine our lights. “I will fear no evil. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” Ps. 23 “ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they shall be comforted.” (Matt 5:6)

Blessings and gratitude,

Gretchen

From the Deacons

As we continue to move forward in this time of crisis during the COVID19 pandemic, we move forward with the faith and mercy that is powerful as we speak with God to give us hope that we will somehow be better and stronger just knowing he hears our prayers. We are never alone.

As we move forward with the Governments phases of re-opening of businesses and churches, we are staying cautious. Our Church leaders have met during our Council Meeting and have sent out a letter to notify our members and community that we will suspend our opening and stay closed during the summer months and stay with our YouTube services and Zoom meetings and Coffee hours where we share concerns, share time together and pray together.

We continue to seek ways of getting many involved in our YouTube Services each week. We also have Rev. Gretchen and Victor who have compiled all the pieces of our Service and put them together to present on line. It is a lot of work to get it done and we take the time to pray for them and give thanks for their wonderful talents. Rev. Gretchen seeks many ways to reach out sharing resources from Scripture Reading to Mental Health and also keeps us current on the Jackson Square Merchants and the Compressor Station updates and court orders.

May we take the time to recognize and congratulate the High School Senior Graduates of 2020. Stori (Cheryl McMillan’s Granddaughter) who graduated from Hingham High School and will attend Fitchburg State for Criminal Justice in the Fall, Brian Claire, Maura Ellett, and also congratulations to Rev. Gretchen’s son, Maxwell, and will attend UMass Amherst for Engineering in the Fall. May they find success and happiness and doors opening in their future. God speed.

We may not be a physical building right now but it is still the Church as we get together and pray.

Peace be with You.

The Board of Deacons

From Paul Nickerson

For two years of my seminary education, I did field work at the Needham Congregational Church, (UCC) in Needham, MA. The Sr. Pastor was Rev. Dr. Paul Clayton. He preached a sermon that has stuck me with all these years and I feel really speaks to our current situation. (you know it had to be a fantastic sermon to still remember it after all this time!). Paul passed away last year and I wanted to share the essence of that message with you today.

The story is the Wedding Feast in Cana (John 2: 1-11). The wine ran out at a wedding and Jesus turned several jars of water into wine, the first of several miraculous signs. Paul Clayton's message, was about seeing the wine seemingly "run out" in people's lives. Perhaps it was the death of a life-long spouse, or a tragedy that hit a family or a loss of a job (or today, we would say the Covid crisis). Just when one had to wonder how that person or family would go on, God's Spirit would miraculously bring about new life. The remaining spouse would find ways to start life again; a family would come out of a tragedy and be even stronger; one job would end and a new career would begin. Paul's point was that just when the wine seemed to run out, Jesus would bring forth new wine into our lives.

I believe this same dynamic is true for us today amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. I am seeing churches that can't gather finding new and creative ways to reach new people. I see neighbors banding together and supporting one another. I see leadership in towns and cities providing guidance in keeping people safe.

As Christians, we have this incredible "new wine" message to share with our communities. So many are devastated with illness, fear and death. For many, in the church and beyond, it feels like the "wine has run out". The promise we have is that God will bring forth new life out of the old; that God will walk with us through this crisis and far beyond.

This is a message of hope to remind our church members that while many of the old ways of doing church are gone, God is opening new possibilities of connecting with people we never would have known. This is a message for our community, that they are not alone and that something new will come out of tragedy and loss.

I am grateful for Paul Clayton's message of long ago and I hope it's a gospel message you will share with many in the days ahead.