UCC Stoughton News for July 24, 2011

<><><> This coming Sunday, July 24th, during Outdoor Worship Service, we welcome Allen Vander Meulen as guest preacher.   The son of a UCC Pastor active in CT and VT in the  1960's, Allen is a would-be Historian who elected to pursue a more lucrative career in Information Technology for about 25 years before he realized he could no longer avoid the calling he'd long felt to become a Pastor himself. He entered Andover Newton as a Masters of Divinity student in 2008, and expects to graduate in 2013. Allen, his wife Stephanie and their 18 month old son "AJ" make their home in Lincoln, MA. He will be a Ministerial Intern at First Congregational Church of West Boylston this coming year. <><><>   Massachusetts Conference UCC Joins Church World Service In Urgent Call For Clean-Up Buckets     Due to the frequency and severity of the storms and flooding that struck communities across the United States this spring - conditions that continue to devastate and challenge many areas and their residents - Church World Service has responded with material aid on a scale that has depleted warehoused and pre-positioned supplies. In particular, the supply of emergency clean-up buckets has run precariously low. Church World Service provides clean up buckets & supplies to enable communities to begin the overwhelming job of cleaning up after a flood, hurricane, tornado or other disaster. (Because of the volatility of some contents, Emergency Clean up Buckets are not shipped internationally.) Kits include bucket, sponges and cleaning materials. The cost of a bucket is $56. Our church is asking for people to donate to the cost of one bucket (or make a joint donation with someone else). The MA Conference has set a goal of 1,111 buckets. The deadline for collection is Friday, Aug. 5. Can we help them meet this goal? Theses buckets are a tangible sign of support and concern and a practical gift of materials and supplies. CWS has issued an urgent appeal for buckets. Buckets that are not shipped immediately will serve to replenish the supply and re-establish a higher level of disaster preparedness as we respond to the spring storms across the U.S., including the tornadoes that impacted western Massachusetts, and prepare for the onset of hurricane season. Please contact Marcia Olson at baglole.olson@verizon.net or call her at  (781) 244-9547  (781) 244-9547 to find out how you can help donate to this cause. Thanks to everyone who can contribute to this effort. Check out our new online communications! Pastor Jean came back from General Synod energized about getting our church better plugged in to new technology, and now we have some "new and improved" online communications vehicles. We have totally revamped our Facebook page ("First Congregational Church of Stoughton" -- look for our church logo).  Facebook is a great way to keep in the loop and up-to-the-minute relative to our various ministries, activities and events.  Check us out, and be sure to "like" us!   Also, if you have any recent (i.e., less than a year old) pictures of various activities and ministries of our church (e.g., worship, the fair, small groups, fellowship suppers, mission activities, etc., etc.), please send them to Pastor Jean at revjeanlenk@uccstoughton.org so she can put them on our new Fb page (you might even be tagged!). In addition, you are now reading Jean's new blog entitled "UCC Stoughton News & Happenings."  It includes "the latest news about the ministries, programs, activities, and happenings at the First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United Church of Christ (with occasional observations and opinions from its pastor)."  You can also follow her on Twitter; her handle is @jeanlenk. You can find a link to our new Facebook page on the homepage of our church's website, www.uccstoughton.org. <><><>  CHURCH OFFICE HOURS for the SUMMER: The church office summer hours will begin the week of July 10 and continue through September 4:  Monday              8:30 am-12:30 pm  Tuesday             8:30 am-12:30 pm  Wednesday        8:30 am-12:30 pm  Thursday           8:30 am-12:30 pm    Friday    Closed from July 15-September 2 Regular Office Hours will resume the week of September 4th.

SUMMER CRAFT NIGHTS Wednesdays throughout the month of July from 7 - 9 pm in Fellowship Hall We had lots of fun learning how to do glass painting and "dressing up" up some terra cotta planters in different shapes and sizes. You too can be part of the fun - we really need your ideas and creativity to make our Church Fair Craft and Christmas Room better than ever.  We have glass painting and terra cot pots ready for you to begin working on - or bring your own project already in progress!  We needs lots of variety.  Some other ideas - cleaning up some old mason jars and decorating them so we can add in baking ingredients, or fudge sauce, or homemade salsa.  Do you have big ol' costume jewelry pins that might make lovely kitchen magnets - bring them along - it only a little glue and magnetic strips! So - if you have some uniquely shaped or unused old vases, stemware, even Mason Jars, and Baby Food Jars, clean terra cotta pots that can be transformed into a treasure for someone - bring them along.  If you have rub-ons and stencils you would like to donate to the cause - we would sure appreciate those as well. You never know what you can do if you don't just give it a try. If you have other ideas please share them with the Fair Committee.  For further information on July craft nights contact: Charlene Smith,      781-344-8819  781-344-8819 (cjts107@comcast.net) Marcia Olson  781-344-9547  781-344-9547 (baglole.olson@verizon.net) Gale Porter,  781-344-7032  781-344-7032 (eporter574@aol.com), Fair Chair <><><>       UCC Stoughton T-shirts Available! Summer is t-shirt season, and we have a perfect way you can feel comfortable AND let people know about our special church!  We have two different t-shirt designs:  Style "A," which has our "Forming Disciples, Transforming Lives" logo on the front, and our church name and address on the back; or Style "B," which has our logo and church name on the front and our Welcome Statement on the back.  T shirts are 100% cotton and cost $10 each.  Samples are on the sign-up board in the lobby, along with an order sheet.  We willplace an order in late July (you can pay whenyour shirt is delivered).  Let's show our pride in UCC Stoughton! Please remember the hungry among us as you enjhoy the summer BBQ's and savor the delicious fruits and vegetables of the season.  The Stoughton food pantry shelves need replensihing so as you cruise the grocery aisles keep this simple phrase in mind- Buy One, Get One- Give One!  As you shop and see the Buy One, Get One Free promotions - why not get one for you and then pick up the free one to share with your neighbors who are struggling to feed their families - it's a win-win for everyone!  There are many ways you can drop off food items:  Leave your items in our church lobby when you come to worship.  Make a delivery on Tuesday mornings directly to the food pantry, located behind the Methodist Church on Seaver Street.  Drop non-perishable food items at the Stoughton Public Library.  Call Stoughton resident Peg Carbone ( 508-889-1385  508-889-1385 ) who will pick up items every Thursday.  Or send her an email at peg.carbone@comcast.net. Cleaning out your closet, garage, attic?    Ready to get rid of "stuff" you'll never use again? From now until the end of October, I will be collecting items for our church's annual Holiday Fair.   I'll be accepting the following items in good condition: White elephant/attic treasures, jewelry, small working electronics, small furniture or home décor items, fiction books, CDs, DVDs, holiday decorations, children's books and toys Please -- NO computers, clothing, non-fiction or textbooks, exercise equipment or other large items. You can drop them by the church on Sunday mornings or during regular church hours (mostly mornings before noon) or contact Marcia Olson and make arrangements to have them picked them. We are also seeking donations for our Silent Auction - if you are able to make a donation of a gift certificate, gift cards, tickets to a play or sporting event, movie tickets, sports memorabilia, or some other item, we would be most grateful.  Many thanks, Marcia Olson, baglole.olson@verizon.net,  781-344-9547  781-344-9547 . <><><> JEWELRY NEEDED -- Old, New, or Gently Used                                                                     Have you cleane d out your jewelry box lately?  Is your accessories drawer overflowing with unwanted baubles and gems? Our church fair Jewelry Corner is looking for  new stock for the next fair, coming up in November.  If you have any treasures that you'd like to part with, please consider donating them to the fair.  Just put  them  into a clear zip-lock bag and give them to Elaine Henriksen or Dee Hayes, or  drop  them off in the church office.  Please do not leave them in the downstairs  storage area where they might get lost or buried. Thank-you!