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THE HERALD
United Church of Christ Second Congregational of Westfield
Sunday, Oct. 26:
The Art of Love – Relationships Are Matters of the Heart
· Stewardship question: Who has made a difference in
your spiritual life?
· Children’s Message – Rev. Kim
· Christian Education’s famous, All Ages “Halloween
Happening” at 4 PM
Sunday, Nov. 2:
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October (and a skosh of November) Calendar of
Events
Sunday, Oct. 5:
World Communion Sunday
· We celebrate our commonalities in Christian Worship
Sunday, Nov. 9:
Stewardship Sunday
· Declarations of Your Heart – Extravagant Generosity is
an Expression of Your Heart
· Children’s Message – Jen Thielen
· Veteran’s Day on Tuesday; the Office will be closed
Sunday, Nov. 16:
“Regular” worship and/or Stewardship
follow-up
Sunday, Oct. 12
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Guest Preacher: Bert Marshall
from CWS
Mission focused/Mission forward: Church World
Service and Neighbors in Need Sunday!
Children’s Message – Rev. Kim
Columbus Day weekend
Bucket Lists –
Vision & Hope are Inspirations of the Heart
Holy Communion
Stewardship question:
What is your vision and hope for our church?
Daylight Savings ends
Sunday, October 19:
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Stewardship Sundays begin:
Sunday #1 – EKG – Ministry flows from
the Heart
Stewardship question: where have we seen Jesus at
work?
Children’s Message – Jen Thielen
Sunday, Nov. 23 at 10 AM:
The Greater Westfield Community Thanksgiving Worship
Service To Be Held AT SECOND CHURCH!
· Participating clergy: Elva Pawle, First Church; Nancy
Webb Stroud, ECOT; Rev. Bruce Arbour, United
Methodist Church of Westfield, Rev. Kim
· Guest Preacher: Laura Everett, Massachusetts Council of
Churches
Volume 46 • Number 8 • October 2014
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Cabinet Meeting Notes: September 9, 2014
Report submitted by Irene Eberwein, Secretary
Pastor’s Report: The memorandum of understanding (MOU)
signing with Ed Mello and his MRC group is tentatively scheduled
for Sunday, September 28, during worship. The Open House at the
Interfaith Center at WSU has been canceled. Reverend Kim made
22 visitations and numerous phone calls, emails, and text check-ins
during the months of June, July, and August.
Christian Education and Youth: Jen Thielen is the new Director
of Christian Education and Youth. Upcoming event: Halloween
Happening at 4:00 pm on October 26.
Deacons: Deacons will be asking the finance committee to move
money into their budget to cover coffee hour expenses. There will
be a jewelry fundraiser sometime in November. Deacons continue
to discuss ideas for upcoming services.
Finance: The survey committee will compile the survey data and
will present the results to the congregation sometime in October.
Two scholarships have been sent to the recipients. The budget-ofneed is completed and will be presented to the congregation
Sunday, September 14.
Missions: The CROP walk and Neighbors in Need (NIN)
collection are scheduled for Sunday, October 19. Burt Marshall of
Church World Services will speak to the congregation on October
12.
Music: The summer music program went very well and was cost
effective. The choir is back and rehearsals have begun.
Property: The light outside the church building facing the West
parking lot has been replaced. New thermostats have been installed
in the Sanctuary and the Founders’ Room. The thermostat in the
kitchen was not replaced, as the current system appears to keep the
kitchen appropriately heated
Stewardship: The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday,
September 16 at 10:00 am.
Safe Church: The next meeting is scheduled for Friday,
September 12.
Ken Magarian will meet with the cabinet at their next meeting in
October. He is proposing a day care center here at Second Church
with an opening start date in January 2015.
Parking Update: Both the East lot and the West lot are full. The
cabinet voted unanimously to add three extra slots for student
parking in the West lot. There have been minimal problems with
illegal parking this semester. Signage has been very helpful.
All-Church Meeting: Proposed amendments to the Bylaws to be
presented at the meeting include: 1) Replace “Director of Christian
Education” job title with “Director of Children and Family
Ministries.” 2) Authorize committee on Finance to transfer funds
within line items under specified conditions.
Next Meeting: The next cabinet meeting is scheduled for October
14, 2014 at 7:00 pm.
HOLD THE DATE
We have another delicious fundraiser coming up in October, this
time at the Westfield’s Applebee’s restaurant! On Tuesday,
October 21, 2014, from 4:00 to 9:00 PM, we will be participating
in Applebee’s “Dine to Donate” fundraiser! Second Church will
receive 15% of the total sales (excluding tax and tip). However,
you must use a flyer so that the server will know to credit Second
Church. The flyers will be printed out in October and will be
available in the Church Office! Invite your friends! Make a date of
it! Celebrate!
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NEIGHBORS IN NEED (NIN)
One of the things that marks us as Christians, as active members of
UCC Second Congregational Church, is our concern for others and
the actions we take to express that concern. Throughout the United
Church of Christ in October we contribute to the collection
“Neighbors in Need” to support justice and compassion ministries
throughout the United States. Many such programs address hunger
and poverty; and fully one third of the grants support the work of
the UCC’s Council for American Indian Ministries. Funding
includes Justice and Witness Ministries that has mission projects
right here in Massachusetts. Outlined below are a small sampling
of the diverse programs that our dollars support.
Mano en Mano/Hand in Hand is an agency in Downeast Maine
for Latino, immigrant, and farmworker issues, including
educational services, outreach events, and affordable housing.
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement empowers and
unites people of all ethnic backgrounds to identify local problems
and needs, take action to address them, and to bring about social,
economic, and environmental justice.
Our contributions to NIN support dozens upon dozens of such
programs around our country. We are literally helping our
neighbors who have such great needs, helping the groups who are
trying to help themselves and others. Please be generous with your
financial support to this Neighbors in Need collection on Sunday,
October 19th. The effect of your dollars will be multiplied many
times over by the efforts of those fellow members of the United
Church of Christ implementing these programs and helping us to
serve others.
Your Missions Committee
San Francisco Night Ministry provides middle-of-the-night
Christian pastoral care, counseling, referral, and crisis intervention
to anyone in distress.
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“Indykids” is a progressive news publication for young people,
educating them about racism, social justice, and human rights.
Erase the Hate is a Toledo Area Ministries collaborative
campaign promoting peace, harmony, and mutual respect among
all people.
Kathy Martin
Eunice Pomeroy (88)
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Richard Zyra
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Janet Walts
7
Susan Liberty
10
Carrie Schieppe
13
Leiann Messer
New York’s Poverty Initiative is a program raising up religious
and community leaders committed to ending poverty.
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YOUTH GROUP NEWS
Youth Group has reunited! Met, feasted, fellowshipped, fell
down, and laughed at our annual Rookie Cookout.
We welcome four new attendees to Youth Group:
Zachariah Gravel-Blaney, Ashley Neveu, Samantha Santos, and
Kaitlyn Jay. We have grown by 30% this year!!
We also watched “Heaven is For Real” and enjoyed pizza
and discussion.
Our next Youth Group meeting is on October 12 from 5:307:00 at the church.
We will also be participating in the CROP Walk on
October 19th.
The Youth Group is encouraged to attend the Halloween
Happening on October 26 at 4:00.
FOOD PANTRY DONATIONS:
THE NEED CONTINUES!
The Food Pantry needs: canned soup, canned vegetables, rice,
pasta, cereal (both dry and hot), and peanut butter. Thank you
for your continued generosity.
OUR BIBLE STUDY BOOK FOR THIS FALL —
JESUS IS THE QUESTION:
A BOOK DESIGNED TO HELP THE READER
LIVE THE QUESTIONS JESUS ASKS.
Contrary to some common assumptions, Jesus is not the ultimate
Answer Man, but more like the Great Questioner. In the Gospels
Jesus asks many more questions than he answers. To be precise,
Jesus asks 307 questions. He is asked 183 questions, of which he
only answers three. Asking questions was central to Jesus’ life and
teachings. In fact, for every question he answers directly he asks —
literally — a hundred.
Jesus is the Question considers the questions Jesus asks — what
they tell us about Jesus and, more importantly, what our responses
might say about what it means to follow Him. Through Jesus’
questions he modeled the struggle, the wondering, the thinking-itthrough that helps us draw closer to God and better understand, not
just the answer, but ourselves, our process and ultimately why
questions are among Jesus’ most profound gifts for a life of faith.
IN THE MAIL
My heartfelt thanks to all who sent prayers, cards, books, puzzle
books, flowers and stuffed animals to me during my hospitalization
and rehab. They were greatly appreciated. Your thoughtfulness
helped me get through some scary times.
Liz Caron
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FROM THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR OF
CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRIES
As most of you know, I was recently selected to
become your Director of Children and Family Ministries. From
the bottom of my heart, I am truly grateful at the opportunity you
have given me. Thank you for believing in me. I have grown up in
this church, and I look forward to helping our church children and
families grow too. It's been said that we bloom where we are
planted, and I intend on offering an enriched, nurtured, and
cultivated environment for us to grow in.
I'm confident in your selection in me, as I've had an
amazing role model to look up to in this position for so long. I also
know how supportive she will be during this transition from me
getting my feet wet into full-blown swimming. Beth's style of
direction and love of her job are an inspiration to me. I hope to
carry her insight and enthusiasm into this next chapter with the
church.
Our church school is in full swing. Please check out our
new look and see what all the "bounce" is about.
SAVE THE DATE: we are working on our Halloween
Happening for October 26. It promises to be as scary, funny and
exciting as hiring me for this position!
LIVING AFTER LOSS
A six week Grief Support Group offering information on the grief
process, discussion around practical strategies for coping and an
opportunity to share your own challenges and receive support in
your grief process.
Location:
Genesis Spiritual Life Center
53 Mill Street
Westfield MA 01085
Time:
5:30 - 7:00 PM
Dates:
October 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
November 5th
Facilitators:
Jill Adams. MSW, LICSW
Licensed Independent Clinical Social
Worker
MaryAnn Rode, BA, MS
The program is open to the public and free of cost. Registration is
required as space is limited. Refreshments will be served. Please
contact Jill Adams at 413-562-3133 to register for the program or
for more information.
Sponsored by Firtion-Adams Funeral Service Grief Support
Center.
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10/5
10/12
10/19
10/26
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
WESTFIELD, MA
PERMIT 135
DATE
READERS
COFFEE HOUR
Alysha Byers
Cathy and Mike
Jackie DeCoteau
Roeder
Alysha Byers
Sue Emery
Jackie DeCoteau
Alysha Byers
Rich and Sue
Jackie DeCoteau
Foley
Alysha Byers George and Janet
Jackie DeCoteau
Janke
NURSERY
TEACHER &
HELPER
SUNDAY VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE
ACOLYTES
Gravel-Blaney Jackie DeCoteau
family
Patrick Jay
Howard and Irene
Jolie Walts
Jay Walts family
Eberwein
Liz Dion
Emily Schieppe
Mary Kronholm Schieppe family
Marilyn Potter
Mike and Lisa
Leclair/Thielen Hadleigh Leclair
Neveu
family
Jerry Byers
Betty Sikes
GREETERS
The United Church of Christ
Second Congregational
P.O. Box 814
487 Western Avenue
Westfield, MA 01086
Date mailed __________
The objective of the Herald is to be
a communication and evangelism
tool for our membership, the
community, and Christ.
Church Staff & Hours:
Rev. Kimberly Murphy: Pastor
Tues. - Fri., 9:30-11:30 or by appointment
Admin. Asst.: Elisabeth (Liz) Caron: 568-7557
Tues., Wed., Thurs. & Fri., 9:00-12:00
Office Closed Monday
Director: of Children and Family Ministries:
Jennifer Thielen
Music Director: Karen Ducharme
Sextons: LaRee and Joe Collingwood
Church Email: [email protected]
Web Site:
www.secondchurchwestfield.org