The Federated Church of Orleans
P. O. Box 761, 162 Main Street
East Orleans, MA 02643
508-255-3060; fax 508-255-3423
e-mail:
fedchurch.orleans@comcast.net
Presorted Standard
Non-Profit Organization
Permit #41 – US Postage Paid
Orleans, MA 02653
Address Service Requested
Dated Material February 1, 2015
The
Parish
└
Coming in February
February 1 “Soup-er Bowl of
Caring”
February 22 “Food in February”
Visitor
February 14 John Bell Workshops
February 15
John Bell, Guest
Preacher
February 16
Presidents Day
Office Closed
February 18
February 21
Ash Wednesday
Community
Breakfast
February 25
Lenten Soup
Suppers & Vespers Begin
Many Thanks to:
Don Heines
Marti Johnson
Chris King
Dave King
Donna Sutton
… and other volunteers
FEBRUARY
2015
TRIBUTES
The flowers and
plants that are placed
in our Sanctuary, on
the Landing and
Upper Narthex each Sunday are
given in memory or in honor of
others or given in celebration of
special life events, and are a very
special part of our worship
services. The following were
given during December and
January:
December 7
The flowers in the Sanctuary were
given by Jean Uebele in loving
memory of her sister Pat and her
son-in-law, Whit.
The arrangement on the Landing
was given by the Flower
Committee.
December 14
The flowers in the Sanctuary were
given by Don and Jane Wick in
loving memory of their
daughter Diane.
The arrangement on the Landing
was given by Phil Mitchell in
loving memory of his wife,
Barbara, and his parents.
December 21
The beautiful Christmas Garden
was given by loving members and
friends of our church.
December 28
The flowers in the Sanctuary were
given by Bob and Boots Gibson in
loving memory of their parents,
Kay & Pret Barker and Sylvia
& Jim Gibson.
The arrangement on the Landing
was given by Helen Grogan in
loving memory of Wells Grogan.
January 4
The flowers in the Sanctuary were
given by Harry and Kitty Mohla in
loving memory of Kitty’s father
and mother, John and Edna
Mayo.
January 11
The flowers in the Sanctuary were
given by Sue Pellowe in loving
memory of Gordon.
The arrangement on the Landing
was given by Sue Pellowe in
loving memory of Eleanor and
Frances.
January 18
The flowers in the Sanctuary were
given by Peter and Bonnie
Brenner in loving memory
of their parents.
The arrangement on the Landing
was given by Meg and Judith
Bruce in loving memory of Larry
Bruce, Meg’s husband and
Judith’s father.
January 25
The flowers in the Sanctuary were
given by Mary Lou Petitt in loving
memory of Will Petitt.
Members of our wonderful Flower
Committee prepared the
arrangement on the Landing.
Sympathy
We offer our deepest
sympathies and prayers
to the family and friends of:
Rev. R. Gordon Major, who died
on December 12, 2014. Rev.
Norris officiated at Gordon’s
memorial service on Sunday,
December 28th in our Sanctuary.
AROUND THE UCC
SUPER SATURDAY
March 21, 2015
Ludlow High School, Ludlow, MA
Join lay and clergy leaders from
across the Massachusetts and
Connecticut Conferences for a
day of worship, workshops, and
networking.
Featuring Rev. Ruben Duran, who
serves as Director for New
Congregations in the
Congregational and Synodical
Mission unit of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America. He
is responsible for promoting the
development of Synodical mission
strategies, local initiatives and
emerging models for the
multiplication of new communities
of faith in the USA and the
Caribbean.
MASSACHUSETTS CONFERENCE,
UCC
216 ANNUAL MEETING
June 12-13, 2015
University of Massachusetts,
Amherst
“Treasure in Clay Jars”
The theme of this year’s meeting
is inspired by 2 Corinthians 4:712.
The deadline to submit a
resolution is February 12, 2015.
Resolutions may be related to
procedure, courtesy, structure
and organization, or issues of
conviction.
The keynote speaker is Nadia
Bolz-Weber, founding pastor of
House for All Sinners and Saints,
an ELCA mission church in
Denver, Colorado. She’s a
leading voice in the emerging
church movement and her writing
can be found in The Christian
Century and the Sarcastic
Lutheran blog. She is author of
Pastrix: the Cranky, Beautiful
Faith of a Sinner & Saint (Jericho,
2013).
For more information on how to
submit a resolution, visit:
macucc.org/2015annualmeeting
ON THE WEB . . .
The Parish Visitor
E-mail submissions are most appreciated.
This preserves the accuracy of your
submission and saves a great deal of time.
(We are, however, most happy to accept
your hand written articles.)
Helpful Hints For E-mail Preparation:
- use Microsoft WORD
- use Times New Roman, Normal,
Font size 12
Our website: - www.fedchurchorleans.org
Barnstable Association, UCC: www.CapeCodUCC.org
Massachusetts Conference UCC: www.macucc.org
National UCC website: - www.ucc.org
All offer a lot of good information about
our denomination and the work we do as
individual churches and together.
- no fancy setup – especially bullets!
We just have to remove them
- include your name and phone number
- e-mail to:
fedchurch.orleans@verizon.net
- deadline is 12:00 noon, 3rd Tuesday of
each month (*see note below)
Articles received after this date will go in
the next month’s Parish Visitor. (*no PV
is published in July or December). The
deadline for the March, 2015 issue of The
Parish Visitor is noon, Tuesday,
February 17th. Of course, we are always
happy to receive your articles before the
deadline 
Many thanks to all who participate in the
publishing of The Parish Visitor.
PARISH VISITOR
UPCOMING DEADLINES
To assist those who wish to plan ahead, the
deadlines for the Parish Visitor in
2013 will be:
Issue
March
April
May
June
July/August
Deadline
February 17
March 17
April 21
May 19
June 15
Please submit by 12:00 noon on the days
listed above. Unfortunately, late submissions
can no longer be “squeezed” in, but will be
included in the following month’s issue.
From Our Pastor
Dear Friends,
One February, while
serving at Riverside Church, a
committee organized an NPR
party. No, not a party in which
everyone sat around and listened
to National Public Radio, though
that could be interesting! But
rather, a “No Particular Reason”
party! The rationale being that
with the winter doldrums setting
in, we all needed to get together
and have a good time. (Joan
Christopher helped us with this in
January at the Cabaret!)
But I agree -- this February would
be an excellent time to get
together, but for VPR – Very
Particular Reasons. First, we
hope you will attend the Day with
John Bell on February 14 (see
information in this Parish Visitor).
We are most fortunate to have
John Bell with us. He is a wellknown hymn writer, musician,
and ordained minister, visiting us
from the Iona Community in
Scotland for a weekend of
workshops and worship. On
Saturday February 14 he will lead
workshops on “The Engaged
Spirituality of Jesus” and
“Improving Congregational
Song.” Sign up now! And then
on Sunday, he will preach at our
10:00 am worship service. You
won’t want to miss either!
But an additional and most
important VPR is that, in
February, the six weeks of Lent
begin. Liberal Protestants have a
hard time with Lent. Why?
Because Lent is mistakenly
viewed as too depressing and
somber. Many of us try to “give
up” something for Lent like
chocolate or wine (no Chocolate
Sparrow hot chocolate for six
weeks?!) which rarely has any
positive effect except to make us
grouchy and then to over-indulge
in a chocolate Easter basket. And
then there is this thing called
“Confession.” We Protestants, in
particular Congregationalists,
tend to consider confession an
obstacle. We are good people,
we don’t need to confess. It just
feels so judgmental and negative.
Well, actually, I think Confession
– whether corporate or individual
– is quite a good thing for the
soul. Confession is a deep and
blessed spiritual practice which
draws us closer to the heart of
God. Pope Francis describes Lent
this way: "Lent comes
providentially to reawaken us, to
shake us from our lethargy."
Engaging in a little bit of
Confession can help to “reawaken
us” and “shake us from our
lethargy.” So, how can we
implement this spiritual practice
in our own lives?
Let’s start on Ash Wednesday
(February 18). The beautiful Ash
Wednesday service includes
several scripture readings,
including Psalm 51. Psalm 51 is a
poignantly deep, heart-felt prayer
to God asking for forgiveness and
renewal. If you were in England
on Ash Wednesday – or even in
many places in the US – you
would hear the beautiful setting
of Psalm 51 by the Renaissance
composer Gregorio Allegri entitled
“Miserere mei, deus” (from the
Latin, “O God, have mercy upon
me”). The treble portion of this
setting is so high, it almost seems
beyond human. I encourage you
to listen to a recording of the
Miserere on YouTube, and quietly
meditate on the beautiful music.
(You don’t need to understand
the Latin to feel the full, deep
effects of the words.)
But additionally, beginning on Ash
Wednesday, I invite you pray or
meditate on or reflect upon,
Psalm 51, verse 10. The
following are various translations
of this verse. Choose the one
that speaks to you (or another
translation that you know) and
pray the words every day during
Lent. (Or, if you’d like, I’d be
happy to gather with some of you
and do our own translation direct
from the Hebrew!):
Psalm 51:10
Create a clean heart for me, God;
put a new, faithful spirit deep
inside me!
(Common English Bible)
Create pure thoughts in me and
make me faithful again.
(Contemporary English Version)
Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and put a new and right
spirit within me.
(New Revised Standard Version)
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the
chaos of me.
(Good News Bible)
Create in me a pure heart, O
God, and renew a steadfast spirit
within me.
(New International Version)
Lent is not a burden, nor is it
intended to be un-joyful. Rather,
Lent is a time for spiritual reawakening.
Let’s begin this together in our
daily prayer and by gathering for
VPR: Ash Wednesday, Sunday
worship, our Lenten Soup Supper
and Vespers.
Blessings and love,
Sally
Lenten Schedule
Ash Wednesday Service
February 18
7:00 pm
Lenten Soup Supper and
Vespers
Engaging Your Faith,
Engaging the World
5:00 – 7:00 pm Wednesdays
February 25
March 4, 11, 18, and 25
Palm Sunday
March 29
Maundy Thursday Service
April 2
8:00 pm
Good Friday
April 3
Easter Sunday
April 5
Sunrise Service at Nauset
Beach
10:00 am Easter Celebration
FROM OUR MODERATOR
Our church year officially began
January 25, 2014 when we voted
to approve, among other items,
the Nominating Committee
Report and the 2015 Budget,
both intrinsically entwined. The
former, confirming those whom
we asked to guide and lead the
congregation in this year. The
latter, income and expenses so
vital to our sustaining the “church
without walls.” But alas, we
struggle each year to find
individuals who have the time or
want to fill Board and Committee
positions. Not surprisingly,
demographics play a large role in
that decision.
As you have heard, each of us is
now an “Ambassador for
Federated,” living by action what
Rev. Norris and our Covenant
acknowledge we must do. Each
member is asked to share the
work of our church outside and
within… participating in
community activities and sharing
each Sunday where and what you
did in the community. Spreading
the word (so to speak). Some
would say proselytizing. I say,
living the word of our Covenant!
In the same vein we… all of us…
should be on a committee within
the church. Yes. All of us. We
should be clamoring (in the right
sense) to work successfully within
the church so that we are
successful outside the church.
May I ask that you, once again,
review the Board and Committee
vacancies, and see where you can
strengthen our church by
stepping up and saying, “Send
Me.”
Jimmy Dishner
MEET OUR NEW MEMBER
Jacquelin (Jackie) Philbrick
Jackie was born in Sherbrooke,
Quebec, Canada and lived there
until she was 17 years old. She
moved to the Boston area to
attend LaSalle Jr. College and
took courses in the arts at Curry
College. She then taught
kindergarten for 16 years.
Following the death of her
husband, Jackie moved to Cape
Cod, working at Beth Bishop.
She met Dick Philbrick, and was
married for 30 years.
Jackie enjoys knitting, her book
group, and has belonged to a
play reading group for many
years.
Jackie joined our church family as
a full member on December 14,
2014 by Reaffirmation of Faith.
The butterfly counts not months
but moments, and has time
enough.
- Rabindranath Tagore
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
At the end of 2014 net ordinary
income showed a surplus of
$9,300 which will be transferred
to the net assets account to help
offset shortfalls during 2015.
Every year there are unbudgeted
needs for additional funds and
this will help meet those
expenses. The goal for 2015
income from pledges is still falling
short by approximately $2,000
and it is hoped that there will still
be additional pledges made for
the new year. During 2014 there
were 19 deaths of members
which affects the total pledge
units.
Steve Downs reported that the
claim to the insurance company
for the damage from lightning to
the church in October is still
open. Most repairs have been
made although the repairs to the
carillon/bells are still pending as
the claim costs have not been
settled.
The Trustees approved switching
our internet/telephone server
from Verizon to Comcast as the
cost would be reduced from what
we currently pay and it was felt
that service on the contract would
be better.
The kitchen renovation committee
has developed a draft scope of
work reflecting the improvements
that are needed and desired.
Based on the new scope of work
it will be possible to obtain
estimates for the work. No funds
have been budgeted in 2015 for
this work so other ways of raising
the money will need to be
explored.
Carl Ericson reported that,
despite the temporary
fluctuations in the market
recently, the church's funds are
"steady". An investment
summary report for 2014 was
presented which showed that we
don't need to lean on these
investments quite so heavily to
help meet budget needs, which is
very good.
John Burlingame reported on a
recent meeting with the Orleans
Affordable Housing Committee for
approval of Emmaus House as
affordable housing.
A presentation of Emmaus House
and the needed repairs estimated
at $130,000 occurred on 15
January with the goal of obtaining
all or partial funding for this
work.
John Burlingame and Paul
Washburn will be stepping down
from the Board as of February as
they have both served two 3 year
terms. The Board will have three
vacancies which need to be filled
to make up the nine member
Board. Anyone interested in
serving on the Board is asked to
contact John Burlingame or Bob
Williamson.
Mary Lee Mantz
NEWS FROM THE
CHURCH SCHOOL
A Parable Puppet Theater
production is in the works!
February 1 is a very exciting
Sunday! The Patriots play in the
Super Bowl in the evening and in
the morning at church we will be
asking you to celebrate a little
pre-game by tossing a few dollars
into our “Souper Bowl of Caring”
soup cans. While you are
shopping for game snacks please
put aside some dollars for those
who might not be having enough
to eat for supper. Those dollars
will be given to the Lower Cape
Outreach Council pantry. The
children will be outside the
sanctuary with soup pots to catch
your generous passes. Thank
you.
A Big Thank You to Pastor Bob
Richardson for nurturing our
younger children during the
church service while I
recuperated! And, for his
kindness and huge heart!
February 8 will be a
fun Sunday for
making Valentines!
Tables will be set up in the Vestry
with lots of pretty Valentine crafts
for you to create a card for a
loved one or for someone you
would like to reach out to on this
special holiday of love.
Our Youth Group continues to
meet on the first and third
Wednesday of the month at 6:00
PM at the church.
Congratulations to Emily Boyle
who was selected to be in the
National Youth Honor Society.
Jeremy Walters gets a big hand
from all of us for being on the
Honor Roll for his first term as a
Nauset High freshman.
We are very proud of our Church
School children!
Tina Williamson
YOUTH GROUP PROJECT
What is our Youth Group up to
now?! Look in the Vestry to find
an upcoming project – “Habitat
for All Humanity.”
MEETING HOUSE PRESCHOOL
Life has been very busy since our
last Parish Visitor… the holiday
season seems to most a distant
memory. For myself, I had the
opportunity to reflect on the
incredible preschool world in
which I am blessed to belong.
The preschool has been blessed
by so many, and when I think of
these blessings the following
words come to mind: Thankful,
Joyous, Grateful, Appreciative.
The preschool has a remarkable
teacher, Mrs. Susan Kiklis. Her
countless talents are enjoyed by
the children. She can help create
the most incredible art with the
children and then get them
moving and grooving with fun,
active songs. In addition, we
have a marvelous substitute
teacher, Ms. Susie Johnston, who
has jumped right in to help us
with lesson planning and creating
fun activities.
I need to thank the angels from
the Board of Living Mission in
Action for assisting the school
with food for our preschoolers.
The snacks they provide are
nutritious and very much
appreciated.
I would like to thank the
parishioners of The Federated
Church for your wonderful
support of our Annual Cookie
Walk. Support came in all ways the purchasing of cookies,
donating cookie dough and cookie
tins. Thank you. This is our
biggest fund-raiser, providing
money for extracurricular
activities such as music and
science programs.
January brought a type of cold
that even Frosty the Snowman
would leave for warmer
temperatures. We drifted to the
enchanted world of fairy
princesses and the winter
wonderland of
“Frozen.” Our ladies
dressed as
princesses all week.
The royal court of queens came
to session with crowns and
jewels. We practiced our royal
manners during this week.
Cordially,
Maureen Vigneau
SAVE THE DATE
Mark your calendars for
February 14th when John Bell,
the noted hymn writer and
lecturer will be with us at The
Federated Church. He will offer
two workshops: The Engaged
Spiritually of Jesus in the morning
and Improving Congregational
Song in the afternoon. The
suggested fee for the day,
including lunch, is $20.
Brochures with all the necessary
information are in the office. This
should be a great event. Don’t
miss it!
Jane Wick
CHURCH AMBASSADORS
The INTENT of having Federated
Church Ambassadors is to
develop stronger relationships
with those people and
organizations which the Local
Mission Committee supports with
financial grants from our
endowments, and to engage
church members in the active
participation in the process of
working with these organizations.
The following organizations are
presently supported by the Local
Mission Committee:
Cape Cod Children’s Place
Lower Cape Outreach Council
Nauset Together We Can
Homeless Prevention Council
Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod
Calmer Choice
The purpose of the ambassadors
is to communicate and visit with
those groups we support in order
to learn about who is being
served, what their needs are,
how
people are helped, and what their
greatest needs are. It will be
important to learn how The
Federated Church can help, both
financially and in doing tangible
work in which members of the
church might participate.
Ambassadors will share with
people of the church about the
work of these organizations and,
if necessary, make arrangements
for these organizations to share
with the church about their work.
PERSONAL BENEFITS OF BEING
AN AMBASSADOR: the sense of
well-being one receives when
knowing that their efforts will be
the pivotal communication
conduits between The Federated
Church of Orleans and good
organizations in need outside the
church walls. This essential
linkage will transform and
enhance the spiritual growth of
the ambassador and the
members of the church.
If you are interested in being
an Ambassador please contact
Rev. Sally, Don or Jane Wick
(508 896-4655) or the church
office (508 255-3060).
Don Wick, Chair
Board of Living Mission in Action
PARTNERS FOR HABITAT
Habitat for
Humanity is
seeking
social workers, educators, or
those who like to work closely
with individuals to volunteer as a
FAMILY PARTNER. Family
Partners work, in teams of two,
directly with homeowners to
support and ensure success in the
homeownership process. Habitat
Partnerships are built on mutual
respect, friendship, trust, and
commitment to one another. This
is an important and rewarding
role, which involves a two year
commitment.
Family Partnership training
opportunities are available soon.
For more information, or to apply,
please contact Dawn Walnut,
Habitat for Humanity Volunteer
Services Manager, at
dawn@habitatcapecod.org, or
call her at
508 362-3559, ext. 16.
LOCAL MISSION COMMITTEE
The Local Mission Committee-drawing on funds left in the Local
Mission Outreach Fund, the Board
of Mission and Social Concerns
Discretionary Fund, and the
Santa Fe Raffle donations—made
the following disbursements to
local charities and programs in
December:
The Faith in Action Board’s
John Bell program
$500
Calvary Baptist Church Rebuilding
$500
Cape Cod Council of Churches
Safe Neighborhood Kitchen $500
Cape Cod Children’s Place
$500
Prayer Shawl Ministry
$200
Food Cards for the Meeting
House Preschool
$200
Lower Cape Outreach Food Pantry
$500
A Baby Center,
Cape Cod Council of Churches
$300
AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod
$200
Homeless Prevention Council
$300
CAPEABILITIES Farm
$100
Independence House
Homeless Not Hopeless
(from the Santa Fe raffle
proceeds)
$500
$1000
DO YOUR JOB
A la Bill Belichick
It’s FREE…it’s
serious. If you
don’t go to a
club to
exercise, try
our “club.”
We stretch, strengthen and
startle our cells for health.
When? Monday, Thursday and
Friday at 10:00 A.M., except on
holidays.
We “do it.” You can too! It’s
known as Strong for Life.
Connie Newell
Dallas Jones, Chair
Local Mission Committee
SINGLES BRUNCH
We singles continue to “eat,
drink, and be merry!” Joanne
Tripp has offered to host us in
March, but we are in need of a
volunteer for February. Please
call Martha (255-7089) to take on
this task. Many hands make light
work and there are always so
many hands to assist.
Proverbs 22:9 Whoever has a
bountiful eye will be blessed, for
he shares his bread
with the poor.
FOOD IN FEBRUARY
February is a time of year when
we in the church are blessed to
be able to gather with our
families at home and friends at
church to share a warm, hearty
meal and each other’s company.
Yet, there are many people
nearby - and across the world who lack the basics of food and
shelter. They are homeless or
close to homelessness and they
are hungry. The needs of the
poor are most severe in midwinter, when heating bills stretch
meager funds, seasonal work
ceases, and cold weather
illnesses surge. Our church has a
legacy of being sensitive to the
pain of people in need. Our
Church Covenant mentions our
commitment to “stand with the
hurt, the hungry and the
excluded.” For many of us,
helping others is tangible
evidence of our own spiritual
growth.
February will be a time of many
converging activities within our
church which demonstrate our
continuing commitment to help
others during this
difficult time.
On February 1st, our children
and youth will be doing their
annual “Soup-er Bowl Sunday” on
Super Bowl Sunday. On the day
of the Super Bowl excitement and
partying for the biggest football
game of the year, our children
will be ready with soup pots to
collect your money donations
for food.
Also, on February 1st the Justice
Cmte. asks us to collectively write
letters during Coffee Hour to our
members of Congress, urging
them to support child nutrition
programs (see Justice Cmte.
article).
On February 8th we’ll have a
Mission Moment to hear about the
people of the Outer Cape who are
in need of food.
On February 10th members of
The Federated Church will be
preparing and delivering food for
the AIDS Support Group of Cape
Cod dinner in Provincetown.
On February 21st the monthly
Federated Church Community
Breakfast will be held, at which
time all members of our
community are invited to an
excellent breakfast as an ongoing
commitment to feed our
neighbors and enjoy fellowship.
On February 22nd The Federated
Church’s annual bagged grocery
donations will be gathered and
delivered to the Lower Cape
Outreach Council. Such
contributions to the welfare of
those who need help are a
powerful message of the love and
care that we provide…. It is truly
the work of God.
Isaiah 58:10 If you pour
yourself out for the hungry and
satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the
darkness and your gloom be as
the noonday.
Nina Kaars
CHRISTMAS AFTER-DINNER
We (Phyllis, Suzanne, and Mary)
had wanted to serve a free dinner
to people in the church and the
community who were alone on
the holidays or had nowhere to
go or who could not afford a
holiday dinner. We wanted
holiday celebrations to become
more inclusive and welcoming of
everybody.
What started as a Federated
Church project had many aspects
of community involvement. Each
of the guests at the dinner were
to be given a Christmas gift. The
Cape House Shop, where Mary is
the Manager, gave us an 80%
discount on the 80 cashmere
scarves that we bought from
them. We thank them for their
generosity.
All of the grocery stores in
Orleans – Stop and Shop,
Friends, Shaw’s and Phoenix –
donated money to purchase food
for the meal. The Local Scoop
donated a large container of ice
cream for the pie. And a member
of the church donated the
turkeys. We thank them for their
generosity.
Suzanne and Phyllis went to
Snow’s to purchase buffet foodwarming appliances. We were
hoping that we could get a
discount on the over $200 worth
of equipment we had picked out.
Susan Snow, the Store Manager,
when asked what we owed her,
gave us big hugs, and said we
owed nothing – Snow’s was
giving all of the equipment to us.
We thank Snows for their
generosity.
The Council on Aging sent over
numerous, beautiful table
arrangements. The Cape Cod
Times sent a
reporter/photographer to cover
the event. An East Orleans
summer resident, who does not
go to this church, sent a donation
from his home in New Jersey as
he had heard about what we were
doing. We thank them all.
And Sally ran out in the eleventh
hour on Christmas Eve to buy
hams and pies so we would have
enough food for the ever growing
list of guests! Thank you Sally
for your continued support.
The Walters young people helped
us set up tables and chairs after
the Christmas Eve Service. On
went the tablecloths, with red
festive napkins, table
decorations, chocolates and
candy canes for our guests. The
cooking had started the day
before, and continued on
Christmas Morning. Turkeys,
hams, 30 pounds of potatoes,
corned pudding, butternut
squash, turnip, and many,
many pies! With coffee and tea.
Volunteers from the church
showed up to serve the food, do
the dishes, visit with the 65
guests who came – people from
the church, people who were
struggling, people who were lost
and lonely, people with
challenges of body, mind and
spirit.
We played Christmas Carols and
sang. There were many smiling
happy faces. And happy
astonishment as people opened
their presents – the lovely
scarves. One woman with her
young son said that this was the
only present that she received
this Christmas. And that remark
remained in our hearts more than
anything.
Suzanne Calsson
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
PRAYER SHAWL
KNITTING GROUP
The next meeting of the Prayer
Shawl Knitting Group will be held
on Friday, February 13th at 11
A.M. at the home of Barbara
Langford, 64 Tar Kiln Road, South
Orleans. Please bring a
sandwich. We welcome all
knitters. Knitting is a wonderful
thing to warm
your winters!
We
have many new
colors of yarn to
choose from.
Anita Mewherter
OUTREACH SUPPORT
For over 20 years, every Tuesday
night, the AIDS Support Group of
Cape Cod has held a weekly
dinner in Provincetown for people
living with HIV. About 35 people
usually attend. These meals are
prepared by volunteer cooks from
churches on the Cape. Our
church has been asked to prepare
the meal for Tuesday, February
10th. Wonderful volunteers from
our church prepare main dish
casseroles and desserts and bring
them to our church kitchen on
that day, and other volunteers
drive the food to Provincetown.
Please help with this important
outreach. It is so appreciated.
Anita Mewherter
CAN YOU HELP?
Dear Church Friends and Family,
The LOCAL Lunch and Dinner,
located at and facilitated by Saint
Joan of Arc Church in Orleans,
provides a noon meal every
Tuesday and an evening meal
every Thursday. On the first
Thursday of each month, our
church provides two volunteers to
assist with dinner – either
cooking or serving and clean-up.
On the third Tuesday of each
month, our church provides two
volunteers to assist with lunch –
either cooking or serving and
clean-up. We are fortunate to
have some regular volunteers but
are still in need of others as well
as substitute volunteers.
Here are the times during which
you may either cook or serve and
clean-up on the day you have
chosen:
Tuesday Lunch
Cooking – 9:30 to 11:30
Serving & Cleanup –
11:30 to 1:00
February 17, March 17,
April 21, May 19, June 16
Thursday Dinner
Cooking 3:30 – 5:30
Serving & Cleanup 5:30 – 7:00
February 5, March 5, April 2,
May 7, June 4
If you would like to help, please
e-mail
(carolgracerichardson@comcast.n
et) or call me (508 247-9755)
with your interest/questions,
dates, days, and times.
Thank you,
Carol Richardson
WHY THE FAITH
COMMUNITY NEEDS TO BE
INVOLVED IN JUSTICE!
Several weeks ago 19 people
from our church, together,
watched the movie Selma. We
then adjourned to the Fairway
Restaurant to have a meal
together and discuss what the
film meant to us. We were all
impressed as it brought back
many memories for those who
lived during the 60's, but also
impacted those who either had
not been born at that time or
were just young children. Selma
was a powerful story of how the
faith community made a
significant difference in how our
society dealt with needed
changes as to how we dealt with
the black community. The Civil
Rights issue became a major
concern for not just the black
faith community but for many in
the white community (a number
of folks in our church were a part
of the Civil Rights movement)
and included leaders in our mainline faith communities. It was
also a period when the faith
communities became involved in
the Vietnam crisis that finally led
to our pulling out of that country.
Justice is about faith. On Martin
Luther King Sunday we were
challenged by words from
scripture and the powerful
sermon by Rev. Sally: "Let
justice flow down like waters,
and righteousness like an
ever-flowing stream.” Micah
said, "What does God require
but to do justice and to love
kindness, and to walk humbly
with God.” Jesus said:
“Blessed are the peacemakers
and those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness.”
These are just a few of so many
scriptures that speak to the need
of our faith communities to be
involved in concerns of justice.
The Justice Committee has been
at work trying to make our
church aware of concerns on the
Cape that are impacting many
who are low income and those
who are overwhelmed by poverty.
This past month Dan Wolf, our
Senator, addressed many of
these issues in a forum sponsored
by the Justice Committee. Over
75 people gathered to listen and
speak to concerns that
the Justice Committee asked him
to address:
*Economic opportunity increasing the amount of livingwage employment on the
Cape.
*Housing for working individuals
and families.
*Racial justice, particularly as it
might apply to racial profiling
within the prosecutorial
and judicial systems in the
Commonwealth.
*Environmental justice: How can
the Commonwealth help with
issues of wastewater and the
Pilgrim nuclear power
plant, where there are issues of
safety?
The Justice Committee is
following up on these issues and
how they can be supported
by legislation.
We are having a letter writing
program to our congressional
leaders on the first Sunday of
February to provide help for
millions of children who are facing
nutrition starvation. See the
article elsewhere in this issue.
Rev. Donald D. Wick, Chair
LAY MINISTRY GRATITUDE
A HUGE THANKS to all who
attended the Cabaret!
To all who contributed in the
decorating and food making!
To all who performed for our
entertainment!
To Betty Kelly and Rod
MacDonald for the piano playing!
Last but not least, the two
marvelous hosts, The Rev. Bob
Richardson and our new talented
member, Fran Lautenberger, and
their cohorts!
is posted on the bulletin board by
the kitchen phone. If you have a
particular date in mind, call to
see what’s available. Even if the
Landing and Sanctuary are
reserved, having flowers on the
table at the top of the stairs in
the Upper Narthex is always very
nice.
Thanks to all who have
contributed and continue to do
so.Martha Livingston
STEWARDSHIP
We all enjoyed the imagination
and ability our participants
exposed.
Joan Christopher
FROM THE FLOWER
COMMITTEE
Your Flower Committee has had
their annual meeting. We
welcomed a new member. Jan
Brink is a member of the Nauset
Garden Club and full of energy,
enthusiasm, and creative ideas.
Lucky us!
We also organized the monthly
responsibilities for our members
(two each month). The schedule
Stewardship Results……Thank You
It appears you have done very
well pledging toward the 2015
budget, though we have not
reached our goal of $216,600.
The 117 pledges that have been
received total $213,663. That is
close to the $214,894 pledged in
support of the 2014 budget.
We have lost pledges due to the
loss of members by death or
moving away but we have
received 6 new pledges this year
and many members have
increased their pledges.
All in all you have done very well.
Thank You!
The Stewardship Committee