Please join us in the sanctuary or online for our celebration of Communion Sunday.

We ask that those attending wear masks and social distance as is recommended.

The service will also be live-streamed through Facebook Live here or on 3CX here. We hope you will join us in person or online.

Right now we are studying the parables of Jesus. This study will take readers back in time to understand how the original Jewish audience heard the stories.

We meet every Thursday at 10 am at Jeanne Stalker 's home.

For more information, or to get the address to attend, contact Linda Tilden at latdet50@comcast.net or call 978-973-7681.

Sunday, June 20^th (Father’s Day)

Please join us right after service for an Ice Cream Social. The Missions Team will be serving Ice Cream Sundaes with all the "fixins" outside of Hadley Hall.

Donations will benefit Isaiah 58 NH.

The Steeple will be lit by The Finocchiaro Family from June 7^th – June 13^th.

The lighting recognizes the Hampstead students from Pinkerton Academy's class of 2021. The members of the graduating class of 2021 are Super Heroes for making it through the hardest Senior year that any PA Senior class has ever experienced.

The Finocchiaros are so proud of their daughter Madison and her Hampstead graduating friends: Vera Backman, Ella Burroughs, Skyler Gacek, Arica Hassler & Madison Henry.

July 11^th-18^th

The national gathering of the UCC is happening this summer, and for the first time ever it is virtual--so all are invited to attend!

General Synod is a marvelous and interesting event that brings thousands of people together from churches all around the country.

We have scholarships for anyone interested--

Once you register you have access to all aspects of General Synod, including worship, optional events, business, over 50 workshops, exhibit hall, keynote speakers and much more. Please contact Pastor Kathy for more info.

To learn more about this year's online event click here

On Sunday, June 6^th, we recognized the following 2020 and 2021 graduates.

Middle School: Tommy Manning and Alan Moyer (2020), Noelle West and Caroline McGaffigan

High School: Seneca Moyer (2020), Eric Kuhl, Abby Jowett, Sarah Manning, Emily McGaffigan, and Madison Finocchiaro

College: Matthew Kostandin

Strawberry Festival -- 50^th Anniversary -- Successful!!!

Can you believe this was our Strawberry Festival's 50th anniversary? And once again, due to everyone’s support, our annual Strawberry Festival was a tremendous success.

Throughout the day, there was a steady flow of people enjoying this, now greatly anticipated, annual community event.

Thanks to all who volunteered to make the day go so well. Whether you were part of the setup/cleanup, you baked some delicious goodies, you donated a raffle item, or you assisted at different stations during the day, it was all greatly appreciated.

A special thank you to Julian Malcolm who organized our used books and setup a book sale table!

Appreciating your continued support—The Fundraising Team

Community Caregivers, located at 6 West Broadway Unit #6 in Derry, operates the Loaner’s Closet for Durable Medical Equipment

Used durable medical equipment is available for loan at no charge for as long as needed for Individuals and/or service providers

Loaner's Closet is looking for the following items and would put these items to good use:

Common Items Requested: (*denotes most requested items)

Bath seats*, bed assist rails*, blood pressure kits, canes, commodes, gait belts, grabbers, hearing aides, knee scooters*, manual wheelchairs*, raised toilet seats, rollators*, sock aids, transfer benches*, transport wheelchairs*, versa frames, and bariatric equipment* of all types.

Consumable Items Requested:

 Adult diapers, pull ups, under pads, Hearing Aide batteries, rubber gloves and supplemental drinks.

Crutches, Walking Boots, and Standard Wheel Walkers

For more information and up-to-date equipment needs, visit the Loaner's Closet page here

Food Insecurity in New Hampshire. We mention this term a lot, but what is food insecurity in terms of policy discussions? From the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (NHFPI) “food insecurity is a measure that estimates the number of households experiencing a lack of food due to insufficient money or other resources over time.” They also note that it correlates, or tracks, with overall economic conditions. Also families who are most at risk of losing income during economic declines are most likely to suffer food insecurity.

This condition would be bad enough if it had only temporary and narrow effects that would go away with food support from pantries and soup kitchens and with securing a job. But the effects do not end with a new job. The NHFPI states that “Food insecurity has profound negative effects on children and adults alike, and compounds hardship for individuals and families.”

The report shares that high rates of food insecurity remained in New Hampshire after the 2007-2009 recession even as it declined nationwide. They cited limited income growth for low-wage workers. More recent data showed that this was changing just before the COVID-19 shutdowns. But again, the low-wage workers were impacted the most with closures. The report goes in great detail about levels of food insecurity by geographic areas, over time, job growth areas, and poverty and unemployment rates.

The negative effects of food insecurity are physical and psychological. Those who experience food insecurity are more likely to have poorer overall health. Children are more likely to experience developmental impairments, perform poorly in school, and have a higher rate of behavior and social problems. Research of long-term effects of childhood food insecurity is showing that they tend to have a lower quality of life as adults compared to those who did not suffer food insecurity as a child.

We are called to witness the hardship of these families and advocate for policies that help them avoid food insecurity. The report concludes with this statement: “Providing aid to vulnerable populations most impacted by economic downturns is key to mitigating financial hardships and stimulating the economy. As the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis continue to effect Granite Staters, relevant policies and support programs for the people most effected, and for those with the fewest resources, will be central in helping ensure all individuals and families are able to access food and for mitigating food insecurity during and after the COVID-19 crisis.”

You can read the full report here

Even though Beethoven’s third is a disruptive work in that no symphony composed prior to it had such complexity and contrasting tones, its controversy stems from the fact that it was originally titled “the Bonaparte”. Beethoven

had envisioned the work as a tribute to a heroic ruler who would inspire Europe to become a humanist, libertarian and egalitarian society.

We clearly see that the huge first movement musically narrates the “hero’s” struggle, while the second slow movement–actually a funeral march–deals with his death mourned in grand, public style. The Scherzo and the finale celebrate the hero’s legacy. When Beethoven got word from Ferdinand Ries that Napoleon had proclaimed himself Emperor, he reportedly defaced the dedication. Just imagine the heap of analytical studies had Beethoven maintained the original dedication.