HAPPY JUNE BIRTHDAYS
(Please let someone on the Growth Committee know if we have not included your birthday or listed it incorrectly.)
June 2 Bill Fuller Dean Parise
June 7 Mary Hoeltzel
June 13 Anne Hutchinson
June 16 Carole Jenny Thomas Frelinghuysen
June 19 Fiona Brown Jean Stackhouse
June 24 Anne Fix
PLEASE REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR PRAYERS:
Jane Waitt
Virginia Rogers, Kimball Farms, Lenox
Allie Holmes, Lenox
Joan Selva, Stockbridge
Jan Lindstrom, Sweetbrook Nursing Home, Williamstown
Marge Szewczyk, Fairview Commons, Gt. Barrington
Anne Braman, Village at Laurel Lake, Lee
Pat Martin, Stockbridge
CHURCH FINANCES
Summer is a great time in the Berkshires…. outdoor parties, vacations, Tanglewood, etc. Please don’t forget that the work of our Church still goes on. Traditionally Church expenses remain very consistent during the summer months while contributions tend to decrease. If possible, it would benefit the Church if you could prepay your June, July, and August pledges in late May or early June. This will go a long way to help keep us financially sound throughout the summer. Thank you.
Your Trustees
ALL-BOARDS MEETING
The All-Boards Meeting is on Monday, June 6 at 7 p.m. in The Jonathan Edwards Room. In addition to talking about the coming year, introducing new committee members and electing committee heads, we will be having a follow-up discussion to the All-Church Meeting held on May 18. Forty-five people attended the meeting where we enjoyed a light supper and then met in small groups to talk about what we want to accomplish during this two-year interim period. We discussed our strengths and well as some problems that need to be solved and came up with some creative ideas and suggestions for our future.
Even if you are not on a board or committee, please come to join in the follow-up discussion.
CELEBRATE CINDY BROWN
On June 12, Christian Education Sunday, we are having a PARTY for Cindy Brown to thank her and celebrate her dedication and hard work as Christian Education Director for
The past fifteen years. Cindy has been an invaluable leader and teacher and brought spiritual meaning to the lives of so many members of our church—young and old! We will be having a brunch to honor her during coffee hour.
READY TO LAUNCH: THE CHURCH WEBSITE
Our new website is ready to go live. Designed by Peter Wise and Sara Katzoff of Squarecandy Design, it will be easy to use. All content including events, photos, podcasts, etc. will be able to be updated, edited or adjusted by us at any time. If you would like to come to a meeting with Sara and Peter to learn the basics of inputting information, please let Don Hammond or Michelle Gillett know. Meanwhile, you can check out the new look at http://stockbridgeucc.squarecandy.net/
FROM THE WOMEN’S SERVICE LEAGUE…
On June 27th, members of the Service League will meet for lunch at the Greenock Country Club at 12:30 PM – anyone who is interested in coming to the Service League and would like to join us for lunch is welcome! Call Pat Price (413-298-3740) or Claire Williams (413-298-4857) by June 20th if you would like to come. The cost will be $16.95.
GRANT RECEIVED FROM THE TOWN OF STOCKBRIDGE COMMUNITY PRESERVATION FUNDS
We’re pleased to announce that the church received a $4,000 grant from the Town of Stockbridge Community Preservation Act funds towards the restoration of the church’s historic weathervane. We lost our beautiful historic weathervane and the accompanying directional indicator many years ago in a severe thunderstorm. Anne Hutchinson did extensive research to determine the appearance of the original. She uncovered photos back to 1876 to help us document the design. The new weathervane will be gilded in gold leaf and will require a new mounting shaft. Installation will require rigging to allow the contractor to scale the steeple and work at its full height.
We estimate the project cost will be about $8,000. Contributions to the church’s Historic Property Fund are always appreciated. More information on supporting this project as well as other upcoming repairs to our church building will be in the next newsletter.
Anne Hutchinson and Ted Randolph continue to research qualified fabricators and installers. Carl Bradford and Jim McMenamy prepared the submission to the town committee. Installation of the new weathervane is expected before the end of this construction season.
GROWTH & FELLOWSHIP NEWS
Good News! Spring blossoms at last! The arrival of the Hammonds for Don’s interim leadership! Our annual burst of forward planning, by way of this past week’s All-Church and Annual Meetings! An updated First Congo Website from Peter Wise and Sara Katzoff to spread our news and PR.
All of these have fueled “Blue-Sky” envisioning for all things new for our future; as well as appreciation of all that is historic, traditional, and enduring about this amazing Church and talented Congregation.
That’s an exceptional spark for G&F as we come into a fallow summer period when we can set new directions in motion come Fall (and take advantage of choir help with Coffee Hour in summer).
Key issues for our immediate future:
1) We need Coffee Hour volunteers for summer Sundays.
When we call to nag you, remember that all forms of “Table Worship” are central sacraments instituted by Jesus for life-giving food, fellowship and inclusiveness. It was, and is a revolutionary spiritual concept that joins Christians throughout the world in all their varied traditions.
2) Strawberry Festival this year will be held on Father’s Day, June 19th.
G&F will be responsible for this event, as always. But we need men! It’s Father’s Day! This is more than a celebration of summer fruitfulness – a major splurge for kids. Please volunteer to set up tables outside for that event. (FYI: We’re an all-women committee now that Mark Fischetti is released from duty. Not that we’re not strong and able, but really, Dads…)
3) Summer being “The High Season” in the Berkshires, we’d like to make an all-out push for welcome and new members.
G&F is asking Trustees to volunteer to welcome visitors at the door both before and after the morning worship service–remaining in the narthex 10-15 minutes into the service for stragglers.
Pastor Hammond has suggested that we print a new temporary hand-out giving a history/
highlights of 1st Congo. This could be available to visitors during the week via a special box on the middle door of the Church, and handed out by greeters. (Hand-out location yet to be determined by Powers that Be.)
New Website will likely be an even better resource for community outreach. (See Website address http://stockbridgeucc.squarecandy.net now to explore)
We are also looking to expand the availability of Sanctuary entrance and Church history to seasonal visitors (summer/leaf-peeping), protecting all assets. Suggestions have been presented to Council and Trustees, but all input is valuable. Also, better signage is needed.
4) Please help G & F to promote summer events and special reasons to promote First Congo through Berkshire Eagle notices. Mark Fischetti will continue to post weekly after his term is up.
5) Starting in June, Prayer Shawl Ministry will gather on the 2nd Monday and 4th Friday of each month– June 13th and 24th.
Onward…Mary and Allison
Newsletter Article for June 2011
“Little Jimmy Brown”, also know as “The Three Bells”, is a folk song produced in 1959 and sung by The Browns. The song is about the life cycle of birth, marriage and death of Jimmy Brown. In each stanza, the lyrics sung are about the gathering of “The Little Congregation“ at the most significant moments of Jimmy Brown’s life. They gather to welcome, acknowledge and grieve at the transition of his life’s important moments and then “pray for guidance from above.”
I have a confidence the Church is the cornerstone of a world that God is in process of making. God‘s new world is about the world of people and our lives. It is about celebrating new life entering the world. It is about acknowledging, affirming and being joyful of loving commitments two people make to each other. It is about recognizing the completion of a life’s journey. The Church is about all the little congregations that gather and pray for guidance from above and all the little Jimmy Browns in our lives. I think that for all of us who gather in these little congregations, it means we have something important before us with each other. It means each of us is a little Jimmy Brown. To you, Jimmy Brown, lets not miss each other’s lives!
Shalom, Don Hammond