This Week at Old North Church

Our Latest News and Activities

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Please join us for worship at 8 or 10 am in our Sanctuary.

The 10am service will be livestreamed on our website, www.onchurch.org

Scripture Lesson: Matthew 28:18–20

Rev. Don Remick's sermon:

"Live Like A Disciple"

Please click here to view the bulletin.

To make an online offering, please click here.

Wherever You Are On Life's Journey, You Are Welcome Here.

Sunday School and Nursery Care

Our nursery is open for children three months to 4ish years, starting at 9:50am. Sunday school for kids aged four through 12 begins partway through the church service, following the "Moments with Children" during worship.

We start a new unit for Sunday school and worship this week: "Make Disciples." The week's focus is "Live as a Disciple," and Carrie Bishop and Dee Burgett will help the kids learn what this big churchy word means (hint: it's all about following Jesus and loving our neighbors). They'll read about how Jesus said a child was the perfect example of a disciple, and spend time acting out and drawing out ways that they can follow Jesus in their day to day life.

Rev. Lindsay Away for Professional Development

Rev Lindsay leaves today for a week of professional development. She is part of the Next Generation Leadership Initiative, a program of the UCC that equips, energizes, and empowers younger UCC local church pastors to build vibrant congregations that change lives and further God’s mission in the world. She'll travel to Chicago with a couple dozen colleagues from across the country on a "congregational vitality trek," visiting churches that are especially healthy. She'll be back on Wednesday, May 1.

Men's Breakfast - tomorrow

The Men’s Group will meet this Friday, April 26th in the Stacey Street Great Room for breakfast starting at 7:30 am. Please contact Dave Hostetter at davehracer@gmail.com for more information and to get on the group’s email list. Please let Dave know if you plan to attend the breakfast and if you can bring something to share. Newcomers are always welcome.

Concert Tomorrow Evening - April 26th at 7:30pm

Don’t miss this historic event at Old North Church! The ACTUAL double bass belonging to Serge Koussevitzky – the famous composer, double bassist, and conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924-1949 – will be played in a concert by virtuoso double bassists Susan Hagen & David Heyes on Friday, April 26, 2024, at 7:30pm. Please join internationally-acclaimed double bassists Susan Hagen – a familiar name at Old North Church as Susan has performed with the Old North Festival Orchestra – and David Heyes (from the UK) in an hour-long concert entitled Koussevitzky Connections. This not-to-be-missed performance celebrates the 150^th Anniversary of the birth of Serge Koussevitzky. Ms. Hagen and Mr. Heyes will perform new commissions and old classics – on Koussevitzky’s actual double bass (!) – in what is sure to be a thrilling and entertaining concert. Special guest artist, soprano Sarah Poole, will be featured as well. This concert is free and open to the public, though a free-will offering will be gratefully accepted; your contributions will benefit both the Old North Church and the artists.

Marblehead Youth Cooperative Ministry High School Student Event April 30

MYCM, a collaboration between three churches in Marblehead, is excited for our next event for high schoolers. We will be showing the movie "Currently a Paperboy" by Marblehead High School students Wyatt Foley and Gwyn Anderson about growing together and growing up. (The movie contains mature subject matter, so this event is being held for high school audiences). It will be held on Tuesday, April 30 at 6:00 pm at St. Andrew's Church, 135 Lafayette St. in Marblehead. We will have popcorn and a discussion following the movie.

Jazz Sunday

Please mark your calendars now to attend or participate in our upcoming Jazz Sunday Service on Sunday, May 12th at 10am!

Call for Garden Volunteers

To honor Earth Day, our amazing Green Team was celebrated and awarded a special SNEUCC certificate designating Old North as a Green church. To complete their projects they will be planting and maintaining a Pollinator Garden in the parking lot to attract bees and butterflies. A couple other garden volunteers worked to transplant plants and improve the rest of the parking lot beds.

Our Garden Angel, Wren Sooy, has been digging out the pesky onion grass which is a difficult task to be sure. Thanks to her very generous donation, a landscape contractor will finish spring cleanup on all the church properties and apply mulch. Soon, when the Memorial Garden fountain is turned on and the shrubs flower, it will once again become a beautiful and serene place to visit. We do need volunteers for regular maintenance to weed and tidy the gardens all summer and into the fall. An hour or two of work produces results for us all to enjoy.

Please let me know if you can help. Thank you.

Ginny von Rueden

Gardens and Landscape Coordinator

rvonrueden@comcast.net

781-631-7898

Sustainable Marblehead Hosts Second Annual Green Homes Tour

On May 4, 2024 from 10am to 2pm, Sustainable Marblehead will host its second annual Green Homes Tour. Tour guests will be able to learn from other Marblehead homeowners who have upgraded their houses to reduce their utility bills and lower their carbon emissions by making their homes more energy efficient. The tour will feature a variety of technologies from improved insulation, heat pumps, induction stoves, electric hot water heaters and rooftop solar. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from Marblehead homeowners how they were able to save energy, reduce their utility bills and lower their carbon emissions.

Tour registration is $10 per person and can be done on the events section of our website at www.sustainablemarblehead.org.

Prayer Shawl 2024

To all knitters! – Prayer shawl will meet May 8 and June 12 at Stacey Street 10:30-12. Please come join the table to work on your prayer shawl or bring a project of your own and join our community.

If you are working on a shawl but cannot be there, please email or text Alexandra so she can get a count of works-in-progress! Thank you.

Alexandra Garfield: 781.929.0540 or Alexandradane@me.com.

Learn All About Recycling with Republic

On Tuesday, May 14th from 7 to 8:30pm, Our Lady Star of the Sea church will host an open meeting with the Sustainability Department for Republic Services, which is the company that handles Marblehead's recycling. Learn about the process and all of the latest information on what can -- and can't -- be recycled. Wondering about wrapping paper, milk cartons, and strawberry containers? We will cover it all! Do these items actually get recycled? We will cover that too! Don't miss this great talk.

Scrabble Group

The Scrabble group continues to meet weekly in the Great Room in the Stacey Street office on Wednesdays from 2-4pm. It’s great fun and can be quite competitive. Join us!

Outreach Ministry

Temporary Storage Space is Urgently Needed

The Haven Project in Lynn (serving home insecure people between 18 & 24) is one of the organizations sponsored by Old North through Outreach Ministry Board. Several of us went for an on site visit recently and we offered through Welcome The Stranger (our collaboration with Temple Emanu-El and St. Andrews) to help The Haven Project furnish and equip the 24 pods that are being constructed for their clients. The list of items that they need is long and we have started putting out the word.

Unfortunately we have just learned that the building project has met a few bumps in the road and the units will not be ready to move into until at least June. This is where YOU might be able to help! If you have a corner of a garage or room where we could store some furniture (chairs, side tables, coffee table, etc) for a few weeks please get in touch with Lynda Hare at 781 639 0107 or hares8carrots@hotmail.com. Please also get in touch if you have some things that are looking for a new home. We hope you will click here to learn more about the Haven Project and the wonderful work that they do.

Food Pantry

For decades now it has been Old North’s responsibility to fill the shelves at the Marblehead Food Pantry in both April and November. The Pantry serves about 70 households here in Marblehead. For decades now it has been Old North’s responsibility to fill the shelves at the Marblehead Food Pantry in both April and November. Since the outbreak of the Pandemic we have successfully achieved this in a more efficient way, with your help. If you are able to donate, please consider writing a check to Old North Church (with Food Pantry in the memo) and send it to 8 Stacey Street, Marblehead MA 01945. You may also donate online at our website, https://www.onchurch.org/recurringonetime. Our dedicated shopping team will then use your kind donations to meet the very specific needs of the Food Pantry to include non perishable goods, toiletries and personal items. Any questions should be directed to Lynda Hare (hares8carrots@hotmail.com) on behalf of the Outreach Ministry Board.

Donate to Save Lives in Gaza with World Central Kitchen

As we continue our spiritual journey through Holy Week and into the joy of Easter, the Outreach Ministry Board encourages you to join us in helping to save precious lives in Gaza with World Central Kitchen (WCK). The 1.3 million displaced people currently in Gaza, approximately half of whom are children, are now all at risk of at least crisis-level food insecurity- defined as high levels of malnutrition. The UN has stated that over 200 people per day, particularly children, are expected to start dying from starvation. It is a food crisis fare surpassing that seen in Somalia and Yemen.

In the midst of this suffering and the ongoing warfare, World Central Kitchen, a Washington-based nonprofit, has succeeded in providing desperately needed food. Most recently, they succeeded in building a temporary jetty out of rubble to allow the first food shipments by sea. Your Outreach Ministry Board has just sent $1,000 in emergency relief funding to WCK on behalf of Old North Church, and we invite you to join us by going to wck.org and selecting "Donate." WCK is a 4-star-rated charity that impressively spends 98% of donations directly on its food programs.

Thank you for your continued generosity. May you and your families be blessed this Easter season.

Update from Marblehead Youth Cooperative Ministry

The Marblehead Youth Cooperative Ministry (MYCM) is currently seeking a candidate for our shared position of Youth Minister. This is a part-time opportunity to bring together youth from Old North Church, St. Andrew's, and Clifton Lutheran Church, as well as the wider community. We are also looking at other churches that may want to participate.

Click here to view the job description.

If you know anyone who might be interested, please contact one of Old North Church's Board representatives: Betsey Halbert (halbertbam@gmail.com), Roy Martin (3rdroymartin@gmail.com), Heather Brine Martin ( brine.martin@verizon.net), Richard Thibedeau (rsthibedeau@verizon.net), and Rev. Lindsay Popperson (lindsay@onchurch.org).

Prudential Ministry Board Seeks New Members

The Prudential Ministry Board (aka ONC Trustees) would like to add 3 or 4 additional members to our Board to replace those who are stepping down after years of service. What are the Pru Board responsibilities, you ask? The Board is responsible for oversight of all church property, finances, the church office, and the annual Stewardship Campaign to fund the operating budget. You need not be a financial wizard nor skilled in the use of power tools! Old North Church has experts for that. The Prudential Board works collaboratively with the Leadership Board, our very competent church Treasurer, the volunteer Investment Committee, the amazing office staff, as well as a number of dedicated contractors and volunteers to keep our church finances, buildings and grounds in good shape.

The Pru Board meets the second Tuesday evening of each month. Hybrid and Zoom options are meeting options for those who wish to serve on the Board but may not be able to meet in person. Decisions on unexpected expenses or other Pru Board business that may occur between meeting dates, are often made via emails, conference calls or texts.

If you are interested in serving on the Board or would like more information, please call or text Board Chair Sally Sands 508-843-7401. Other current Board members are also good sources of information: Mark Adams, Scott Fillenworth, John Tatum and David Bennet. Joining the Prudential Board is a great way to experience another important facet of your church. And yes, we DO have power tools, if you would like to add some 'sweat equity' to your Pru Board experience!

Congregational Caring

This Saturday Rev. Don will lead the the memorial service at Eustis & Cornell for Jacqueline Japngie who passed away in December. Jackie's obituary can be found here.

“When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.” (Author unknown)

Gifts of Cheer

If you know of anyone, either here at Old North or in the wider Marblehead community who is going through a difficult time, the Community Life Board would like to reach out with a little plant and a friendly note. Please contact Lynda Hare at hares8carrots@hotmail.com or 781-639-0107 if you know someone who would appreciate a little extra cheer.

Lectio Divina

A monastic practice of scripture, reflection and prayer dating back to the 4^th century, at Old North lectio divina has been adapted and practiced for more than ten years on every Tuesday morning from 9 to about 10:30 am. When Dennis was here, he led the practice. Since his leaving, we all take turns being the leader to select the readings. We have welcomed newcomers, some not from Old North, who seem to find soul food in the practice and the shared reflections that are part of it. We meet at 9 am both in person in the “Great Room” on Stacey St. and on Zoom.

We begin each meeting with a context-setting call to worship. Then we pair a scripture reading with a poem, chosen by the leader for the day and read aloud. We then move into 21 minutes of silent meditation, marked by chimes, and finally we share in “safe space” our responses – personal and intellectual. We end each session with prayers for healing and the Lord’s Prayer.

It is a rich time of being together in community and quite like no other. We invite you to give it a try.

Office Hours

The church office is open Tuesday-Thursday mornings from 9:30am-1:30pm. If you have an emergency outside of office hours, please send an email to office@onchurch.org.

Email: office@onchurch.org

Church Address: 35 Washington St., Marblehead, MA 01945

Mailing Address: 8 Stacey St. Marblehead, MA 01945