Newsletter

First Congregational Church of Stockbridge

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A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR Lent is to Easter as Advent is to Christmas. It is a season of preparation. During Advent we prepare ourselves to recognize and respond to God's incarnation - to the reality that God has come into the world in which we actually live. During Lent we prepare ourselves for the culmination of God's incarnation in rejection, suffering, death and resurrection. Advent preparations focus on watchfulness, keeping awake, and being open to unexpected possibilities. Lenten preparations focus on repentance and on facing suffering that is all too expected. Both Christmas and Easter are exploited as quasi-secular holidays replete with overly commercialized Santa Clauses and Easter Bunnies. Both have deep roots in pagan rites and calendars. But for the most part, Advent and Lent are left to the faithful few who are striving to understand and to practice Christian faith on a daily basis. For us, Lent is an invitation to self-examination, repentance, renewal and recommitment. It is an opportunity to consider the ways in which we are failing to follow Christ completely, to turn our lives in new directions, and to become more effective representatives of Christ's love both individually and as a community of faith. There will always be plenty of room for improvement because to follow Christ completely would mean to live in a totally self-sacrificial manner to the point of losing everything - while continuing to love those who deserve neither grace nor compassion with our very last breath. Who can love like that? And who wants to?! Our faith is that in Christ, God's love for us was like that - so complete that it could not be stopped or destroyed by any power in heaven or on earth. This is the love that changes hearts, leads to repentance, and untimely changes the world. And this is the love with which we are now called to love - not only one another - but also those who cannot or will not love us in return. We are called to be followers of Christ - to be Christ-like - to be living, breathing (incarnated) opportunities for God to love the world enough to change the world. Those who can visualize these things will know the meaning of Easter, the power of resurrection, and the call to discipleship in ways that those who are focused on Easter Bunnies and new spring clothing never can. For us, Lent is a season for preparation, for counting the cost of discipleship, and recommitting ourselves to follow Christ more fully. Lent prepares us to experience Easter as a vindication - an assurance - that in the end grace does overcome sin. Compassion is more powerful than violence. And love conquers even the power of death. Yours in faith and expectation, Steve Bridges MUSIC NOTES The Lenten season brings two important changes to the choir schedule at First Congregational. In anticipation of Palm Sunday and Easter, rehearsals for the children's choir (ages five and up) will begin after church on Sunday, March 7 and continue for the next three Sundays until Easter. Participation in the children's choir has one main benefit: it is a low maintenance opportunity for kids to try out singing in a caring and nurturing environment. If parents would like to attend the Lenten lecture series, which runs simultaneously to the rehearsals, childcare will be provided after choir. Beginning on February 25, the adult choir will rehearse every Thursday evening at 5:15 p.m. until Easter. I would encourage anyone who isn't in the choir to consider coming to a rehearsal and giving it a go. There is some pretty awesome music scheduled for Lent and Passiontide, so you don't want to miss out! Vaughn Mauren February 2010 The scripture lessons that we use in our weekly worship services are taken - for the most part - from the suggestions offered by the "Revised Common Lectionary." This lectionary - or list of scripture readings - is followed by many Christian churches all around the world. It is based on a three-year cycle. Year "A" as it is called, focuses on Matthew's Gospel. Year "B" revolves around Mark's version. And in year "C" most of the gospel readings are taken from Luke's account. Right now we near the beginning of year "C" and we are moving into a series of readings from Luke. This is a great time to re-read and to re-hear the Gospel of Luke with fresh eyes and ears. If the narrative doesn't grab your attention immediately, try scanning up to 4:16 and beginning with Jesus' initiation of his public ministry. Whether you scan, read, or simply listen on Sundays, pay particular attention to the sequence of events. As a storyteller, Luke is very intentional - not only about what he includes in the story and what he leaves out - but also about the structure of the narrative and how one event leads to the next. There is a theological reason for every little decision that Luke makes in how to best present the story. And Luke is the only Gospel that was written as part of a two-volume set. Volume two is The Book of Acts. Scholars often refer to the whole work as Luke/Acts for short. In Luke and Acts, Jesus is portrayed as the champion of the little guy, the under dog, the outcast, the stranger, the foreigner, the poor. Luke has a fascinating way of summarizing what Jesus message and mission is all about. At the conclusion of the gospel narrative, Jesus tells his disciples that "repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations." (Luke 24:47) This comes as a breath of fresh air to those of us who have been a little freaked out by the false teaching that the main message of Christianity is about the blood of Jesus and how it satisfies a payment that God would otherwise have demanded of us. Luke had heard all that theology. He rejected it. After reading Luke, I find myself thinking not so much that "Jesus died for us" (as an payment or appeasement to God) but that Jesus lived for us - right up to and even through his own death - in an attempt to show us what God is really like. Luke is the Gospel where Jesus is saying, "forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing," even as he is being killed. In the Book of Acts, Jesus' message is summarized as, "the repentance that leads to life." (Acts 11:18) The classic example of this repentance is seen in the centurion who was present at Jesus death - apparently assisting in the process - who repents afterwards. Over the next weeks, we'll be confronted with several bizarre stories from Luke; some of which are found only in Luke's Gospel and some of which are intentionally re-told in new ways by Luke. If we can try to hear Luke's version of the story anew - without mixing it up too much with what we think we already know - I am convinced that we also can turn and find new truth and power in this amazing Gospel - which is, after all, all about us. Yours in faith and expectation, Steve Bridges SAINTS JAZZ BAND The Saints are pleased to be playing here, in our own Sanctuary, on February 14 at 11:00 a.m. The good news is that there are still seats available in the congregation. The great news is that there are still seats available in the band. Believing that every instrument has jazz in its soul, that everyone has the soul of a saint, and that bigger music is better music, the Saints always welcome new members. Being in the “Make a Joyful Noise” school of jazz, our motto is ‘start together, play loud and end together.” Library Corner Our church library is full of great contemporary books! Here are two to consider: Healing, by Francis MacNutt, Ph.D., a scholarly and comprehensive book on Christian healing. The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage, by Paul Elie, is the story of four great writers who sought to change lives through their work, the way their own lives had been changed by books. Also, you can check out a copy of Leif Steinert’s photo-filled essay on The Early Spiritual History of Stockbridge, MA. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You’ll be amazed at all the great books you can find in your church library! (and please remember to return the materials you borrow!) THANK YOU * We’d like to thank Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick and the mailroom crew at Country Curtains for mailing out our Newsletter each month. * A GREAT BIG thank you to the ladies at Riverbrook. Without their help I could never get this Newsletter to you. * Many thanks also to everyone who helps me fold, stuff, etc. bulletins, special bulletins and other projects. You know who you are! CHURCH WORLD SERVICE PLEADS FOR KITS All of us are aware of the disastrous situation in Haiti and I am sure many of us are wondering what we can do to help. While money is always a good answer, there are other ways we can be helpful. Our church has received pleas from Church World Service offices nationally and locally, pleading for contributions of hygiene and baby kits, their supply already exhausted. For many years our church has responded annually and generously to this request, and I am sure many of the kits that we know from TV have been given out, are from the supply we have contributed to in the past. According to our local Ludlow office of CWS, many churches are already putting together hygiene and baby kits and plans are in the offing to hire a truck in order to get these supplies to Maryland a.s.a.p. It is our hope that we, too, may join this effort. The need is so overwhelming that we need the efforts of EACH ONE OF US in order to send as many as possible. Accordingly, our Service League will place containers in the Narthex and the J.E. Room by Sunday, January 24th to receive the requested items and will pack and deliver all we are able to assemble. The date of the delivery truck will determine our time frame; we will keep you posted, but the need is now. Below is the list of items requested for each type of kit. Please provide only the articles listed because each kit MUST be identical. We have been informed that baby sweatshirts may be substituted for sweaters which are expensive and hard to find. NOTE: Service League has yarn and easy directions for knitting baby sweaters for any member willing to knit. Please see any member. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GIFT OF THE HEART KIT CONTENTS HYGIENE KITS: BABY KIT *One hand towel Six cloth diapers *One washcloth Two newborn shirts (no “onesies”) One comb Two washcloths *One metal nail file or clipper with file Two gowns or sleepers One bar of soap (bath size in wrapper) Two diaper pins One toothbrush (in original packaging) One sweater or sweatshirt *Six Band-Aids Two receiving blankets NO TOOTHPASTE (Added @ headquarters) Wrap items inside one blanket; Seal all items in a 1-gal. plastic bag with zipper Secure with diaper pins. *Needed mostly Please feel free to contribute any variety in any amount or a complete kit, as possible. We will keep you informed of our progress and cut-off dates. Thank you!!! A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR JANUARY 2010 We all know that it is possible to make resolutions at any time of the year, but the beginning of a new calendar year is always an invitation to consider what we might like to change. This is especially true in times of difficulty. At this moment in history, we are facing greater struggles than we have at some times in the past. Life is always hard. These days, life is harder. Times like these cause us to examine our priorities. Times like these - when so many things seem to be out of our control – can lead us to focus on those things that we can control. And that’s where resolutions can arise. Because resolutions are not about changing others. Resolutions are about seeking to change the only person that we really have control over. Resolutions are about seeking to change ourselves. Here are three basic principles to keep in mind when considering resolutions – New Year’s or otherwise. First, there is no magic season. There are several obvious opportunities during the year: New Year’s, Lent, the beginning of the school year, Advent, your birthday. But you will resolve to change when you are ready to change. Invitations to change will arrive continually, like waves lapping up against the shore. The moment of your response will grow out of what is going on within you. Second, just because you have not yet succeeded at a given endeavor, does not mean that you will not succeed if you try it again. The fact that something has never happened before does not mean that it cannot happen now. New realities do unfold. Even if you’ve never kept a resolution before, the next attempt could be the biggest breakthrough of your life. Perhaps not - of course - but there’s only one way to find out. Third, the deepest change is not generated by will power or by any other type of internal force. The deepest change comes when we allow ourselves to be shaped, formed, and led by forces that are greater than ourselves. This is a statement both about God's sovereignty and about the nature of our own power. From the beginning, God has held a vision for each of our lives. And while it is true that we do have some control over our lives - our lives are not "blank slates." God had something in mind when we were created! As we resolve and strive to be the people that God created us to be, we find ourselves being led into worlds of possibilities that we would have considered beyond our reach. May we resolve to allow God's power to unfold in our lives as we grow into God's vision of what our lives can be. Yours in faith and hope, Steve Bridges A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR December 2009 The Season of Advent will be a different experience for us this year. Just at the moment when we are encouraged to look for light in the midst of darkness, we are mourning the sudden, tragic death of Roger Claiborne, our Minister of Music. It is certainly true that an experience of real darkness - along with the confusion, fear, anger, uncertainty and anxiety that it brings - can prepare us to receive the light in a much deeper way. And while we may not have volunteered to peer into such heart-rending darkness, the light shining through the darkness will surely transform us at deeper levels than would ever have been possible if we had no real understanding of just how dark this world of ours can be. Perhaps this falls into the category of "Experiences we'd rather not have had, but which can open the door to profound spiritual growth." Not another one! Advent is always a time of waiting and watching. But the dynamic is always a little strained because we know exactly what we're waiting for, when it will arrive, and what it will look like. This year is different. I am convinced that God will find a way to redeem this broken situation and to weave it into the fabric of our lives where God works all things together for good - even (maybe especially) those things that were never God's intention. But during this Advent Season - because I truly have no idea what the light will look like when it breaks through - I find myself waiting and watching with a much more intense alertness. I do expect the light to come, but at this point I can not yet imagine what that will mean for us. Everything just seems to be darkness upon darkness. So the stage is set. My confidence that the light will come is based not just on scripture and tradition; nor on past experiences alone, (although I do find much encouragement in all these). But during these past few weeks, I have seen members of our choir and congregation going extra mile after extra mile to offer love and support to a brother in need. I have seen people willingly put themselves at risk to try to save an endangered friend. I have seen an outpouring of compassion and concern expressed through multiple visits, phone calls, and cards. And I have seen an amazing ability and willingness to pick up the workload required by a task at hand and to work together to get the job done. Tracy Wilson volunteered to become our Interim Minister of Music "on the spot." She was leading a worship service within the first hour after the need arose and has said that she will continue to lead the way through Advent and Christmas. Lee Dixon and the Fullers are working together to enable weekly choir rehearsals through Christmas. Members of our choir have pulled together with a renewed commitment to the music ministry of this church. The light will shine in the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it. I'm sure of it. Yours in faith and hope, Steve Bridges Music of the Advent and Christmas Seasons We are blessed with a very supportive choir, extremely talented section leaders and a wonderful Music Committee (headed up by the Fullers) to make it through this joyous season in our grief on the loss of Roger, our beloved Minister of Music.  Thank you for your Christian love through all of this, and if there's something special you want to sing either as a hymn or choir anthem, we are ready, willing and eager to do so.   Our wonderful section leaders/soloist will be featured during Advent singing the beautiful arias from Handel's Messiah.  On November 29, Doug Schmolze will perform Comfort Ye, My People and Every Valley. On December 6, Madonna Meagher will perform Rejoice, Greatly, and on December 13 John Demler will perform And Who Shall Abide.  The choir will be singing some great anthems of the Advent Season.  Extraordinary musicians from within our congregation will be providing preludes and postludes:  Jean Stackhouse, Gene Kalish and David Anderegg. So come early:  preludes begin at 9:55 AM.    For Christmas Eve, we will have brass, choir and soloists.  Not to be missed.   Weekly Choir rehearsals:  Thursdays, 5:15 - 6:30 pm.  Every week until Christmas Eve.  Thanks to Lee Dixon and the Fullers for making these possible.  If you want to sing Christmas Eve, please come.  ADDITIONAL REHEARSAL:  Sun, Dec 20, 11:30 - 12:30.  Required if you wish to sing with us on Christmas Eve.   FESTIVAL CHORUS:  Concert, Sunday, December 13, 5:00 pm (new time) This concert will be dedicated to Roger, who has been our Festival Chorus organist for the past two years.  We will be singing some glorious anthems of the season by Rutter, Matttias, Jeffrey Van and others.  We have a 50-voice choir from the church and community, accompanied by Ed Lawrence, organ professor from Williams College, John Sauer on piano, Doug Schmolze on guitar, and voice soloists including soprano Carol Sica and Jordan Lee.  Please come, and invite your friends and neighbors.   Yours in Christ, Tracy Wilson Interim Music Director   THANK YOU *We’d like to thank Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick and the mailroom crew at Country Curtains for mailing out our Newsletter each month. * A GREAT BIG thank you to the ladies at Riverbrook. Without their help I could never get this Newsletter to you. BATHROOM RENOVATION PROJECT UPDATE   The construction of our new handicapped bathroom will begin in January.  The contractor has been selected and given a $5,000 initial payment. The construction should take about seven weeks. So far we have received $9,000 in gifts toward the cost of the project.  This still leaves us $20,000 short of the project cost.  If you would like to contribute, drop off your donation at the Church office, mail it to the Church, or put it in the offering plate on Sunday morning.  Be sure to note on your check " Bathroom Renovation Fund". Thank you,   Your Trustees   FROM MISSION AND ACTION On Sunday, Oct. 18, we participated in Construct's Walk to Prevent Homelessness. The weather was bitter and wet, but we had walkers out braving the elements.  Thanks to all of you who walked, made sandwiches, staffed the celebration that ended the walk, or made financial contributions.  In all, we raised over $1100.   It has been a difficult year for many of the families whom Construct serves.  Many of their wage earners count on seasonal work (painting, landscaping) or the tourist industry (dishwashing, housekeeping), which are the first jobs to go in a tight economy.  The need for assistance with heating costs, rent, or food has risen sharply.  Please remember this as we begin our next project: the Christmas Giving Tree.  We will be asking you to choose gifts to purchase for families in need and residents of the homeless shelter. CHRISTMAS GIVING Mission and Action is asking your help, once again this Christmas season, in supporting local families through the purchase of Christmas gifts. The families are assigned to our church through Construct. The need is great this year. The gifts for purchase will be written on ornaments hanging on the Christmas tree in the Jonathan Edwards room. Please take one or more ornaments. (note the circled number on the top of the ornament) Print you name and phone number next to the corresponding number on the sign out sheet. Wrap the presents and attach the ornament to the outside of the package. Presents should be returned to the church by Sunday, December 13. Thank you for your support Mission and Action Embedded: Print in Paint Paintings by Terry Wise November 30 – December 23 Artist reception: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 5 – 7 pm The Atrium Gallery Alumni Library Bard College at Simon’s Rock 84 Alford Road Great Barrington, MA 01230 www.simons-rock.edu/events/art Info: 413-528-7389 Gallery hours: Saturday – Sunday 11:00 am – midnight Monday – Friday 8:30 am – midnight A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR During this month you will be hearing about our annual stewardship campaign. Once each year, at about this time, we solicit annual pledges from members, friends and supporters of this church. These pledges become the cornerstone of our annual budget. Here's how the process works. Each board and committee of the church considers its work for the upcoming year and submits a budget recommendation to our Board of Trustees. As the annual stewardship campaign nears its conclusion, the trustees compare the resources that we expect to have available with the budget requests from the boards and committees. The trustees then inform our Church Council of the results. The Church Council - made up of representatives (usually the chair) from the various boards and committees of the church - decides what to do. Sometimes the decision is easy. Its clear sailing if the stewardship campaign secures enough pledges to cover all our projected expenses. And sometimes that's exactly what happens. But sometimes the numbers don't add up and the Church Council has to make a difficult decision: either try to solicit more pledges from the congregation or ask the boards and committees to reevaluate their expenses to see if they might be able to accomplish their goals with smaller budgets. The whole process is a beautiful example of one of our most basic realities as a church here in Stockbridge: There is no "they." Just "we." The church is not someone else - and the church's decisions are not made by someone else. The church is us - and the church's decisions are made by us. This may seem totally obvious, but in fact, many churches (like many non-profit institutions) ended up being ruled by the purse strings. Whoever controls the money decides what the priorities will be. This is a very normal human tendency into which any institution can easily drift. So in this church, we are very intentional that we are all a part of the process. From the initial decision to support the church with our pledges, to the final budgetary decisions about what our priorities will be, the church's budget and the church's work arise from the priorities, values, and convictions of we who make up the church. How much should you give? Well, what do they say they need? Oh yeah, there is no "they." So how important is the church to you? How valuable is it? How can you envision a more vital church and what can you do to help make that happen? A financial pledge is just the first step. And as with any endeavor, the first step is difficult, absolutely essential, but not sufficient to complete the task. Subsequent steps lead us to the planning and fulfillment of the work that we share together here as a church. Let's take the first step with faith and expectation. Yours in Christ, Steve Bridges America’s Greatest Theologian, Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), pastor, revivalist, Christian philosopher, missionary, and college president will be conducting a special service at The First Congregational Church of Stockbridge on Sunday November 15 at 10 am in celebration of the church’s 275th anniversary.  The service will be an historic re-creation of a pre-Revolutionary era Congregational service, with preaching, hymns and prayers conforming to the practice of the time. A sermon Edwards delivered to the Stockbridge congregation in 1753,  "Natural Man in a Dreadful Condition,"  will be performed by actor Rob Roy, who recently preformed with Walking the Dog Theater Company in Hudson, NY and has appeared in TV shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order and movies including No Reservations. Hymns of the period will be sung a cappella, led by a deacon of the church.  Artifacts from the early history of the congregation, on loan from the Historical Room of the Stockbridge Library, will be on display in the Jonathan Edwards Room. The public is invited to help celebrate this historic anniversary. The First Congregational Church in Stockbridge is the oldest Christian congregation in Berkshire County. The church has been a constant presence in the town since Rev. John Sergeant founded it in 1734 as a mission church when the local Mohican Indians petitioned the governor of colonial Massachusetts for an English preacher to convert them to Christianity in an effort to secure their lands, The first meeting house was raised on the site on West Main Street now occupied by the Children's Chime Tower. After Sergeant died in1749, the congregation called Jonathan Edwards, who had been fired from his pulpit in Northampton. Edwards preached to the Indians and English settlers in Stockbridge from 1751 until his move to Princeton in 1758 to assume the post of president of Princeton Theological Seminary, just before his death.   In 1960, The First Congregational Church of Stockbridge was the first congregation in the United States to vote for affiliation with the Congregational, Christian, Evangelical and Reformed churches to form the present United Church of Christ. The current minister, the Rev. Steven Bridges, has served as pastor since 1994.   A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR Twenty-five years ago, as a young student preparing for the ministry, I came to appreciate the power of religious language to shape and mold our views of ourselves, our world, and our God. Since that time, I have made a point of using non-gender-specific language for God and for humanity both in everyday speech and in the formal settings of worship. Even when it becomes a bit awkward, I avoid male pronouns when speaking of God. And it can be quite awkward. "God shows God's love for God's people through God's acts of grace," for example. To me, the awkwardness is worth it. God is not male. To refer to God as if God were male is misleading and confusing. I would never want to send the message to young girls that boys are more like God than they are. And besides, God is not a giant man in the sky. However, there are two instances in which I have deferred to tradition when it comes to language about God: The Lord's Prayer and the Doxology. But after fifteen years of faithfully using inclusive language here in this church for everything except these two traditional formulas, I was a little stunned to learn that girls who had grown up in this church still thought of God as a big man in the sky - having more in common with boys and men than with girls and women. When I asked where they got such an idea, I learned that the Lord's Prayer and the Doxology were reinforcing the concept of God as male. I realize that people will continue to visualize God as "the man upstairs" regardless of every effort we might make to offer alternative ways of thinking about God. Still, as a church we are striving to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. So we've begun to experiment with new language for both the Doxology that we sing in worship and for the Lord's Prayer. A doxology is a short hymn of praise to God. The most traditional doxology used in our culture was written in 1674 by an English priest: "Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen." We changed the word "Him" to "God" fifteen years ago. Now we're trying out a newer version: "Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God for all that love has done; Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One." It's not perfect but it does help to move away from speaking (or singing) of God is if God were a male being. And it's easy (theologically if not emotionally) because no underlying principle compels us to use language from 1674. The Lord's Prayer is more difficult to change. After all, didn't Jesus himself teach us the prayer? He did, and he also taught that we need "new wineskins" if we expect to carry "new wine." In teaching the prayer that came to be known as the Lord's Prayer, he specifically warned against continuing to pray the same rote prayer over and over again until we no longer realize what we are saying. And it must be noted that he said, "Pray like this...." That can certainly mean "follow this pattern" and not simply, "repeat these exact words." So for now I intend to begin the Lord's Prayer with a different name for God every time, focusing on whatever aspect of God's nature is speaking most clearly to us in each moment. I'm fully aware that this makes it even harder and more awkward. But I actually see that as a bonus. The Lord's Prayer should be hard to pray. It has become far too easy for us most of the time. A more intentional focus on the content of the entire prayer can only help us pray it more deeply. May we all remain open to new layers of meaning arising out of the familiar as well as the new, the strange, the awkward, and the just plain weird! We are after all - as the scriptures point out - called to be a peculiar people. Yours in faith and joy, Steve NEW OFFICE STAFF EMAIL ADDRESSES Please note new email addresses for the church staff.  Our old addresses will be working indefinitely but eventually will be fazed out. Steve Bridges – sbridgesstockbridgeucc@verizon.net Nancy  Wilcox – nwilcoxstockbridgeucc@verizon.net Cindy Brown – cbrownstockbridgeucc@verizon.net Roger Claiborne – rclaibornestockbridgeucc@verion.net   Roger Claiborne is available for piano and organ lessons here at the church for anyone who is interested.  Please contact him at (860) 435-0134, or else by email: r.claiborne@sbcglobal.net Janet McKinstry and Doug Schmolze invite you to our wedding on November 21, 2009 at 4 pm. at the Stockbridge Congregational Church. Followed by a Reception in the Jonathan Edwards Room RSVP janpan1@verizon.net 413-528-1739 OUR BEAUTIFUL NEW BATHROOMS By now most of you are aware that the Church has a bathroom renovation project underway, either through reading about it here, in the Church’s Sunday Bulletins, and/or hearing one of the Trustees speak about it in Church. PAST: Our Church bathrooms are 50 years old, built in 1959. They are not handicapped accessible, and do not adhere to the current building code of the Town of Stockbridge. PRESENT: Plans have been drawn up, approved by the Stockbridge Town Building Inspector and sent out for bids to three contractors. The Trustees have asked the contractors to reply back by October 6th. PRESENT & FUTURE: Whatever the cost, the Church will have to pay for it. Hopefully, we will receive enough gifts from all of you to cover the project. The Trustees are reluctant to take funds from our Endowment. Like all investments, these assets were hard hit by the recent recession and downturn in the stock market. Careful management of the funds by the Endowment Committee kept the losses at a minimum level. The Endowment account is just now starting to recover and additional major expenses will impede its recovery. Please help out. Send your check to the church and write in the memo line “Bathroom Renovation Fund” (For your convenience, a reply card and envelope was sent out in our recent mailing.) These can be mailed back to the church or dropped into the collection plate on Sunday. Your Trustees thank you. If you have any questions on the project, please contact one of the Trustees listed below. Stuart Benedict 413-298-3339 Jeannene Booher – 413-269-6073 Stephanie Bradford – 413-274-3435 Josh Hall – 413-443-5285 FROM MISSION AND ACTION This summer, The Mission and Action committee on your behalf, funded the purchase of a washing machine for a girls’ home in the Dominican Republic. The home had previously been washing all of the laundry by hand. We have had contact with this home for a number of years, mostly through the work of Margo Wise. We received such a moving letter from the director, Marielena that we wished to share it with you. July 23, 2009 To the Church Mission and Action Committee: We cordially greet you in the name of God, may he supply you with what you need to effectively do the mission that your work with dignity, complete an represents. I, and all the girls, wish to thank you for all that we have received. Thank you for your thoughtful gestures towards us. Thank you for your generosity for your important aid, for opening doors for us and expanding our horizons. Thank you for your solidarity with this work. Thank you because you are an example to follow because you have a profound sense of service and of what is right, as well as a very noble and sensitive heart regarding the needs of others, especially for those who are excluded from society and have no voice, and therefore are victims of much injustice. For this and much more, thank you very much! Thank you especially for the washing machine that helps us so much at home and therefore, helps us to continue our work and to offer to and achieve a better quality of life for our girls. May God, the One and the Trinity, abundantly bless you and your loved ones for the good works you do for the needy. Our wish for you, is to ask God to repay your good will and that you are able, with God’s help, to continue on each day with enthusiasm and joy. A hug and many blessings that all your plans and desires be realized according to God. Without saying anymore and with profound gratitude. Marielena Director, Madelaes Girls’ Foundation Home VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY   Our congregation will be providing and distributing sandwiches to hungry participants immediately following Construct's Annual Walk to Prevent Homelessness. The event will be held on Sunday, October 18th, beginning at Butternut at 1 p.m. and finishing up at Construct.   If you would like to help by making six sandwiches and delivering them to the church on the morning of October 18th, please call or email JoAnne Redding at 637-1865 or JoAnne@JoAnneRedding.com. Sandwiches should be cut in half and each half packed in a baggie and labeled.   In addition, we're looking for a few more people to distribute sandwiches to participants at the completion of the walk. If you would like to do this, also please see, call or email JoAnne.   WALK TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS and how you can support it! This year's walk will be held on October 18. We are trying a new strategy for supporting the walk this year. Instead of each individual signing up sponsors - and then collecting afterwards - we plan to receive a special collection to support everyone from our church who participates in the walk. Other local churches who have tried this approach report an increase in total support for the walk. The need is greater than ever this year. And now you will be free to give as generously as you can without wondering how many more walkers you might be asked to sponsor. On October 11 (the Sunday before the walk), and on October 18 (the day of the walk) we will have special envelopes available in our worship bulletins that can be used to support our walkers. During our regular offering in worship on October 18 we will collect this special offering to sponsor our entire team of walkers. If you will not be in worship here on the 18th, you can sponsor our team by using the envelope available on the 11th or simply by sending you donation to the church office. This church has been a major pillar of support for Construct for years and we intend to continue - and increase our support. Thank you for the values you hold and the actions you take to help make this a reality! A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR September 2009 I recently retuned from a life-changing pilgrimage that I will never forget. I was challenged, humbled, inspired and blessed during a twenty-six day, three hundred mile canoe trip on the Seal River in Northern Manitoba. It is a river that I had been dreaming of canoeing for many years. I knew that the trip would cover more distance and take more time than any river trip in my previous experience. It was to be my first time accessing a totally undeveloped watershed by paddling up and portaging over from an adjacent watershed. It would also take me further north than I have ever been and into the habitat of wildlife that I had never experienced. We expected to see bald eagles, seals, polar bears, and beluga whales - and we did. What we did not expect was to find the river at record levels. Records have only been kept since the early 1950s, but since that time the Seal River has never been as high as it has been this summer - with the exception of the annual ice breakup each spring. Peak flow (as the ice goes out) is around 1800 cubic meters per second. It was between 1500 and 1600 during our trip. Normal summer levels hover around 700-800. We knew that the river was running high, but we didn't know all these numbers until after the trip was complete. And it was probably a good thing that we didn't. It was intimidating enough without knowing about the records. We could see that all the streams were out of their banks throughout the watershed. The beautiful beaches, where we planned to camp as we crossed the big lakes, were all under several feet of water. And on the main river, the rapids were huge. For the most part, the high water meant big waves rolling on for kilometers on end without a rock in sight. In other words, it was just plain fun. But there were a few notable exceptions where I was beginning to wonder if we might be in trouble. On one rapid, I was unable to avoid a ten-foot wave and subsequently turned over in the rapid below. It was a relatively quick and easy self-rescue, but later the same day, when I became totally swamped in another big rapid, I began to wonder if the river was getting too big for the boat, its outfitting, and/or its paddler. (There were two of us on this trip - each of us in a solo canoe.) Two mornings later we were camped above the next "big one." I spent the morning re-rigging my canoe (to enhance its ability to deflect waves coming over the bow) and meditating on a passage from the Bhagavad-Gita that describes the sage (or saint) as one who acts in the world without attachment, anger, or fear. I realized that - although I had not really been conscious of it - I had been filled with attachment, anger, and fear for much of the trip: attachment because I had clear ideas about how I wanted things to go; anger (or at least frustration and grumpiness) at the wind, the rain, the bugs, etc.; and fear because the rapids were intimidating. I did my best to let those things go, to free myself to paddle to the best of my ability, and to be open to (and ready for) whatever might happen. The rapid was no problem. In fact, we had no real problems for the remainder of the trip. But age-old truths that I have been learning for many years took on deeper layers of meaning for me. I know that sooner or later we have to "let go and let God." I totally understand the importance of "going with the flow." And I have a greater appreciation for our own actions and abilities as tools that God intends to use to lead us through this scary and difficult world. May we all continue to learn to trust in God rather than living in fear. Yours in faith and hope, Steve Bridges Please save: Can Tabs, Pop Tops found on soup cans, soda cans, cat food cans Who benefits from the program? The money received from the recycling of the tabs is used to buy medical and non-medical items for Shriners Hospitals for Children. What are some of the items purchased with the money? Baxter Infusion Pump - used to dispense pain medications 10-foot trailer for the hospital van - used to transport medical equipment and records to outreach clinics held throughout New England and New York State Computerized pressure mapping - a force-sensing array used in evaluating pressure distribution for patients requiring customized wheelchair seating systems Bullard laryngoscope - used by an anesthesiologist to place a breathing tube in patients who have a complex airway Constant passive motion machine for the hip Cast cutter with vacuum attachment Special splints for arms and legs X-ray viewing screens Books and videos in English and foreign languages Computer software Traction equipment Parties for children Stretcher chair Pool table Arts and crafts supplies Two-way radios for Security/Maintenance Department Cost of producing a patient pre-operative teaching video Portion of the cost of new hospital van for transporting patients Where do you bring can tabs after you have collected them? Can tabs can be dropped off in the church office. Did You Know...... There are about 1640 individual tabs in one pound. In the past 18 years, over 940 million individual tabs have been collected, which is approximately 573,500 lbs. As of April 2007, the recycling price for aluminum tabs was $0.50 - $0.70 per pound. Library Corner Featured Books and audio/video recordings Did you attend the workshop on Nonviolent Communications that was sponsored by our Board of Christian Education last spring? If so, you will enjoy an opportunity to review and sharpen your skills with the following books and audio/video recordings. If you were not able to attend, this is your chance to find out what this peace-seeking philosophy is about. New books and audio/video recordings on Nonviolent Communications are now available and featured during September in our church library: 1. Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. The basics of Nonviolent Communication theory, philosophy and practice, with poetry and sample conversations. 2. Nonviolent Communication Companion Workbook; A Practical Guide for Individual, Group, or Classroom Study, by Lucy Leu. Practice Nonviolent Communication theory and language individually or in groups. Create a safe, supportive environment that nurtures the needs of self and others. Great resource for teachers. 3. Parenting from Your Heart, by Inbal Kashtan. How to put Nonviolent Communication theory into practice in the home to foster trust, connection and mutual understanding with your child. 4. Practical Spirituality: Reflections on the Spiritual Basis of Nonviolent Communication. A Q&A session with Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. 5. Speak Peace in a World of Conflict, by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. How to develop an internal consciousness of peace rooted in the language you use each day. 6. The Basics of Nonviolent Communication. An introductory training in Nonviolent Communication with Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. These DVDs from a one-day training show how we can use Nonviolent Communication to connect with others in a way that enables everyone’s needs to be met through what Marshall calls natural giving. Suitable for beginners or as a review. 7. Speaking Peace; Connecting with others through Nonviolent Communication, by Marshall Rosenberg. 2 CD Set. A seminal 4-part model you can use immediately to connect to the spirit of love and generosity within you, and start contributing to the well-being of everyone you relate to. 8. Nonviolent Communication, by Marshall Rosenberg. 4 CD Set. Create your life, your relationships and your world in harmony with your values. A definitive audio workshop on Marshall Rosenberg’s proven method for “resolving the unresolvable” through Nonviolent Communication. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You’ll be amazed at all the great books you can find in your church library! (and please remember to return the materials that you borrow!) MUSIC NOTES - The first rehearsal for Adult Choir will be on Thurs., Sept. 10, at 5:15 p.m.  New members are always welcome of course!  Any questions, please contact Roger Claiborne at 860-435-0134, or else email him at r.claiborne@sbcglobal.net   NEED THE BATHROOM? Okay, it’s no secret that our church bathrooms are less than inviting. Wouldn’t it be nice if they had: Fixtures that are modern, clean and save water? More room to maneuver; a vanity so you can set down a purse or briefcase; space to change clothes? A place to diaper a baby? Or to adjust a gown or tux for the wedding ceremony? And more seriously, we have been negligent for years in not having a bathroom that is accessible for the handicapped. Your Trustees are therefore excited to announce that the Handicapped Bathroom Project is up and running. Under Ted Randolph’s direction we have secured an architect, and plans have been drawn up and approved by the Stockbridge Building Inspector. Our next step is to get bids from three contractors; we will pick the most competent and competitive to do the work. In the end we will have a brand new ladies’ room, and men’s room, and a unisex handicapped-accessible room. All three will be located in the area currently used by our two bathrooms, plus a small piece of the alcove where the hallway sink is now located. You will hear more, soon, about this important church project. The Trustees will show the plans in the Jonathan Edwards room and provide updates in Sunday bulletins. Renovating the bathrooms to meet legal handicapped requirements is long overdue. We have been lucky to have many of the services donated so far, but of course the construction, fixtures and finishing will cost a fair amount of money, which falls outside of our usual budget. So the Trustees have set up a Bathroom Renovation Fund, and we are asking for your support. Even with the services that have so wonderfully been donated we anticipate that the entire project will cost $40,000. Please help us reach that goal. If you would like to donate, terrific. Please contact the Trustees or the church office, or write a check to the church with “Bathroom Renovation Fund” in the memo line. We will keep you updated and are happy to answer any questions at any time. Thank you so much for your consideration. YOUR TRUSTEES BATHROOM RENOVATION COMMITTEE Stu Benedict 413-298-3339 Jeannene Booher 413-269-6073 Stephanie Bradford 413-274-3435 Josh Hall 413-443-5285 A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR Summer 2009 Over the past decade, it has become my practice to take an annual canoe trip down a whitewater river in the Canadian wilderness. I paddle a solo canoe but I do not paddle alone. I usually undertake these trips with 1-3 other solo canoeists. My trips have lasted 5-15 days and covered distances ranging from 50-230 miles. These trips have always been a deep source of inspiration and renewal for me. Right after our son Drew died I took a trip on the Moisie River that carried me as far into true wilderness as I had ever been. I found a deep sense of solace, perspective and renewal. Since that time, my trips and trip plans have continued to expend in scale and scope, so that they have now begun to take on some of the characteristics and dynamics of a pilgrimage. I seek a life-changing journey. I hope to be challenged, humbled, rewarded, inspired, shaped and focused by these experiences. This year's pilgrimage is to the Seal River in northern Manitoba. I will be on the river as you read this. This will be the longest and most remote trip I have taken to date. It will be my first experience accessing a totally undeveloped watershed via the height-of-land portage from an adjacent watershed. It will also be the furthest north I have been, the biggest lakes I have paddled across, and my first experience of wolves, seals, polar bears, and beluga whales as part of a river trip. In addition, the river features miles of continuous rapids and excellent fishing. It will never get totally dark at night, but it will get dark enough to see the Northern Lights if we should be so fortunate. The distance will be 300-370 miles, depending on whether or not we can arrange to be dropped off at the northern end of South Indian Lake by motorboat. We're planning on taking 21-24 days to reach Hudson Bay, where we will be picked up by a boat coming up from Churchill. There will be two of us on this trip, my friend Ben from Toronto and me. It will take five days to drive to our beginning point on South Indian Lake. We'll take a train from Churchill (16-18 hours!) to get back to our car for the drive home. For safety, we are carrying not only a GPS receiver and a satellite phone, but also a "Satellite Personal Transmitter (SPOT)" device that will allow us to call for rescue in an emergency. An additional benefit of carrying the SPOT device is that it will allow anyone who is interested to follow our progress on GOOGLE MAPS. There will be a link to pages that follow our progress on our church web page (let's hope it works). During my absence, the Rev. Janet McKinstry will be available for pastoral care, office and committee support, and for response to critical needs in both our church and our community. Her phone number will be listed as the pastor to contact in case of a crisis and she will check the pastor's voice mailbox regularly. If questions, concerns, or problems arise for individuals, boards & committee, or the church as a whole during this time, Janet is ready, willing and able to help. I'll be back in by the second Sunday of August with stories to tell! *********************************************************************************************** HAPPY AUGUST BIRTHDAYS (Please let someone on the Growth Committee know if we have not included your birthday or listed it incorrectly.) August 3 Clyde Wade August 4 Loraine Devoe August 8 Hannah Youngerman Muriel Wermuth August 10 Allie Holmes August 13 Barbara Bracknell David Hurst Mariah Parise August 14 Kinney Frelinghuysen Elaine Gunn August 17 Lucille Burt Grace Johnson August 18 Kira Youngerman Nora Randolph August 19 Catherine Clark August 21 Emily Brown Chet Stevens August 22 Justin Turbeville August 24 Bruce Wise August 25 Mark Fischetti Anne Braman August 27 Steve Bridges David Cooper August 29 Nan Downs Joshua Hall ROOTING FOR JESUS The perennial plant sale was held on Sunday May 24, and once again it was a blooming success! We had a record number of donated plants and raised a record amount, $1038, for the church coffers. We also donated leftover plants to local veterans after the Memorial Day parade, and gave the rest to the Hillside affordable housing project in Great Barrington. Thanks to all who helped out, including Ted Randolph for help with permits and signs, Leslie Blake-Davis for moving tables and hundreds of plants the morning of the sale, Michelle Gillett for helping with the sale and dispensing garden lore, and Janet McKinstry for blessing the plants (we had one customer who swears our plants not only did the best in her garden but improved all the plants in the immediate vicinity...because they are guaranteed to be preacher-blessed). And many, many thanks to our plant donors, especially Maria Carr, Bob and Alice Wilmot, Michelle Gillett, and Olga Schwede, who gave very generously of their gardens and time.  PLEASE REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR PRAYERS. THEY MAY APPRECIATE NOTES, CARDS OR VISITS IN ADDITION TO YOUR PRAYERS. Jan Lindstrom, Sweetbrook Nursing Home, Williamstown Marge Szewczyk, Lee Anne Braman, Village at Laurel Lake, Lee John Cronson, Devonshire, Lenox Tim Formel, Gt. Barrington Pat Martin, Stockbridge Steve Hodges and Family, Albany, NY Bruce Wise, Washington, MA Carol Ray, Riverbrook, Stockbridge Max Stackhouse, W. Stockbridge THANK YOU *We’d like to thank Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick and the mailroom crew at Country Curtains for mailing out our Newsletter each month. * A GREAT BIG thank you to the ladies at Riverbrook. Without their help I could never get this Newsletter to you. http://www.simons-rock.edu/events/artmailto:sbridgesstockbridgeucc@verizon.netmailto:nwilcoxstockbridgeucc@verizon.netmailto:cbrownstockbridgeucc@verizon.netmailto:rclairbornestockbridgeucc@verion.nethttp://us.mc835.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=r.claiborne@sbcglobal.netmailto:janpan1@verizon.netmailto:JoAnne@JoAnneRedding.commailto:r.claiborne@sbcglobal.netshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6shapeimage_3_link_7shapeimage_3_link_8