Weekly Newsletter
Week of July 21st - July 27th
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Gilead Congregational Church, UCC |
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Meetings and Services this week:
Wednesday, July 21st:
-9:30 a.m. Bible Study
Thursday, July 22nd:
-7:00 p.m. Church Council
Sunday, July 25th:
-9:00 a.m. Worship Service with Children's Activity for all Sunday School aged children
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About Us:
Interim Pastor:
Reverend Matt McCaffrey
Minister of Music:
Andrey Stolyarov
Minister of Communication and Technology:
Lisa Cox
Interim Administrative Assistant:
Tonya Maurer
Worship: 9:00 a.m. in the Garden of Remembrance on our Gilead Church Facebook Page and YouTube Channel
Gathered: 1748
Meeting House: 1838
Fellowship Hall: 2008
We are an Open & Affirming Church
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Pastor Matt's Welcome Message
You are welcome at Gilead Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, whether for the thousandth time or your very first time with us. Our covenant to be Open & Affirming is a living welcome that does not choose sides or pick favorites.
If you have found us recently, or some time ago, please know that Pastor Matt would be glad to have a conversation with you about this church. Your questions, concerns, and insights are all welcome, because what matters to you, matters to us.
Pastor Matt McCaffrey's email address is pastormatt@gileadchurch.net. If you'd prefer to talk in person, please call the church office at 860-228-3077 to set up a meeting time.
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This Sunday, July 25th, worship service will be at 9 a.m. in our Garden of Remembrance, weather permitting. We invite people to bring your own chairs.
Also, for those who have been fully vaccinated, face masks are optional. We ask that those who have not been fully vaccinated continue to wear face masks.
If weather should be inclement, we will move inside. An email will be sent at least an hour prior to the service time and posted on Facebook notifying everyone. If we move inside, seating will not be limited and we ask that those who have not been fully vaccinated continue to wear face masks.
The Deacon's continue to monitor public health recommendations and will continue to update our protocols as soon as we safely can. Click on the following link for the outdoor protocols we will follow while we worship in our Garden of Remembrance: Outdoor Worship Protocols
We will continue to live-stream services on our Facebook page and YouTube for those who prefer to stay home. You will also be able to view the video’s on either platform after the service. Please use one of the links below to access to our Live Stream:
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Gilead Church YouTube Link
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Gilead Church Facebook Page
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Children's Activity: Prayer Jars
Following Pastor Matt's Children's Message this Sunday, July 25th, the Board of Christian Education would like to invite all youths through grade 8 to participate in a special faith formation activity during worship this Sunday. We’ll have a discussion and make a quick craft (Prayer Jars). We hope you can join us! We will practice all safety protocols so please wear a mask if you are unvaccinated.
Use the sign up button below so we know how many children to expect:
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Introducing our Board of Visitors
We have all been the grateful recipients of a Pastoral visit, sometimes when illness affected us or when difficulties loomed or even when all was well. In the times of an interim ministry, the connections of the congregation become especially significant and to foster those connections, the Deacons have established a Board of Visitors, composed of active members of our church family. The idea came to us from Dale Bland, an experienced and welcome visitor in her own right! She has agreed to serve as the coordinator of this effort (Thank you Dale!).
If you know of someone who might benefit from a visit, please contact Dale either by phone (228-3514) or email (dcdjbland@aol.com) and she’ll set it up in coordination with Pastor Matt.
Any questions about this may be directed to Dale, Margot Sheehan or Ginny Miller.
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Join us for Potluck and Prayer!
The July 14th Potluck was a success! We are hoping you can join us next week, July 28th, to continue our fellowship gatherings.
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We'll meet on the Gathering Terrace at 6 p.m. Our Deacons will managing the grill with lemonade and ice tea to share. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. This will also be an opportunity for you to meet and greet our Interim Pastor, the Rev. Matt McCaffrey.
After dinner, we'll close our evening with a brief time of worship and prayer.
Please use the below button to sign-up so we know how many people to expect!
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Hold the dates for future Potluck and Prayer gatherings: August 11th and August 25th.
We hope you will join us for this time of food and fellowship. All are welcome!
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RHAM Summer Meals Program
The free meal program continues throughout the summer for children 18 years and younger. Meals for 7 days can be picked up either on Mondays or Wednesdays from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. at the RHAM High School loading dock. The meal program will be available through the end of August.
You can use the following button to submit your weekly order form:
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If you have any questions please contact Kate Caselli, Whitsons General Manager (kathleen.caselli@rhamschools.org or 860-228-9474 ext. 3710).
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The Gilead Open Golf Tournament Returns!
SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, September 26, for the return of the Gilead Open Golf Tournament, which will be featuring a new format.
A day of FUN is being planned for members and guests. The format will be a nine hole four person scramble using the front nine of the Gilead Course at the Blackledge Country Club.
The nine holes of golf, with carts, will be followed by a buffet dinner in the Blackledge Tavern. The buffet will be open to non-golfers.
More specific information will be provided within the next two weeks. In the meantime, please feel free to direct any questions to either Harvey Desruisseaux (harvdee@att.net) or Lisa Cox (coxlm@comcast.net).
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Give the Gift of Life, Give Blood
We will be hosting a blood drive from 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. on October 6th in the Fellowship Hall. October may sound far away, however the blood banks are in need of donors and being able to fill up the schedule with donations helps.
You can use the following button to locate our blood drive; just click on the button then scroll down to October 6th:
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Giving blood is a rewarding act of kindness.
If you have any questions, or if you need assistance with scheduling your blood donation please contact Sandy Hooker at 860-324-1468.
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Donations for Hebron Interfaith Human Services
We continue to collect donations for Hebron Interfaith Human Services. Currently, they could use or donations of non-perishable, cleaning products and personal care products. Please place your donations in the tub outside the church entrance. Thank you for your support of our community and friends in need.
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Bible Study on Zoom
Our weekly Bible study, led be Rev. Bob Woodward, meets on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom. All are invited and welcome to join this discussion and study. Come when you can!
The group is continuing a discussion about Ephesians, which is also tied into our weekly Worship Services and Pastor Matt's sermons.
Use the below button to join the zoom meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday mornings:
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If you have any questions or need assistance connecting with Zoom, please contact our Church Office (gcc@gileadchurch.net or 860-228-3077).
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Little Lending Library
We invite you to check out our Little Lending Library. Our library is filled with books for children and adults that celebrate diversity, empathy, kindness and racial understanding. It's a wonderful opportunity for families to read together and maybe open up conversations about children that are from families different from their own; a reminder we are all God's children. You may now return your books directly to the library.
For many months a few of our adult books have not been returned. If you have finished them please return them so others may enjoy them.
Hope you get a chance to enjoy our library!
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Prayer Requests
Ginny Miller is coordinating our prayer requests. Please use any of the following options to send your prayer requests to Ginny:
- 860-228-0272 (home)
- 860-559-5273 (cell)
- GinnyMiller15@gmail.com
- GCC@GileadChurch.net, be sure to use "Prayer Request" in the subject line and your email will route to Ginny
Thank you to Ginny for coordinating these heartfelt requests.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Update and Information
The state is currently currently offering the vaccine to individuals 12 years of age and older.
For the most up to date information, please go to the following link:
CT’s Vaccine Appointment Assist Line:
· Phone number is 877-918-2224.
· Open 7 days a week from 8:00 am – 8:00pm.
· Deaf or hard-of-hearing can access the Vaccine Appointment Assist Line by dialing 711
If you need any assistance in arranging to get it—either with help scheduling a time on line or needing transport—please contact the Church Office at 860-228-3077 or at gcc@gileadchurch.net.
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Contact Info
Tonya Maurer
Interim Administrative Assistant
672 Gilead St
Hebron, Ct 06248
Parish House Office Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until Noon.
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