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St.
Patrick's Day Dinner and
the
Wearin' of the Green
SOLD
OUT!
We hope you have already
bought your tickets, because our St. Patrick's Day Dinner is SOLD OUT!
No tickets will be sold at
the door -- sorry!
The festivities begin at
6:00 pm on Saturday, March 17 -- St. Patrick's Day, of course -- with tasty
appetizers. The dinner features your choice of traditional corned beef or tender smoked
shoulder. The evening will end with delicious home made desserts and musical
entertainment.
Many thanks to
Charlene Smith and Susan Hill, who have been working all
week to ensure a delicious dinner!
Don your favorite Irish
(green) outfit and
receive a commendation
from the Chancel Choir.
This dinner and evening of
fun is sponsored by the Chancel Choir and Deacons to raise funds in support of
the
Music Program at UCC
Stoughton.
For those of you
unable to join us for dinner,
a Music Fund donation
in the form of cash or check would be most welcome and greatly appreciated.
Just drop your gift
into the "Pot of Gold" in Fellowship Hall.
Checks can be made out
to First Congregational Church,
with the notation:
"Music Fund."
Thanks to all for your
support of Music in our Church!
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Please Give Generously to ONE GREAT HOUR OF
SHARING
You know the joy of giving
- the delight you share when your gift makes a difference in someone's
day. Imagine the joy when your gift changes someone's
life.
In church, we talk
about God providing us with blessings in
abundance, yet every day we see people who live with far less. Millions of God's
children in the world live on less than we
spend on a cup of coffee. Hundreds of thousands live every day in the midst of
violence and war. And countless families both here and abroad find
themselves at the mercy of nature's fury with few resources to restore their
homes and rebuild their lives.
Ever think God wants you to
be a bearer of abundance - to be more than just a recipient of God's love and
blessing?That you can be the channel
through whom God satisfies the hungry, comforts the distressed, and brings hope
to the hurting?
For
over 65 years, Christians in North America have changed lives with their gifts
to One Great Hour of
Sharing. Even when times
are tough and the world around us seems uncertain, are we confident enough in
God's blessings to share abundantly with those in need? Create more joy
in the world with your generous gift to One Great Hour of Sharing during worship
this coming Sunday, March 18. Thank you!
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Join us for a time
of
Lenten Prayer and Communion
9 am on Sunday, March 18 and
25
During
this holy season of Lent, Pastor Jean is leading a special time of prayer and
communion beginning at 9 am in Fireplace Room. The remaining dates are March 18
and 25. If you have special prayer needs, would like to pray for others, or
simply desire an extra opportunity for worshipful, sacramental time, please join
us.
We will
conclude no later than 9:45 am.
If you
have any questions, please speak with Pastor Jean.
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Office
Administrator on leave through March 30
Our Office Administrator, Nancy Sullivan, is on medical leave through
March 30. During this time, the office is not being staffed during the regular
hours, although Pastor Jean is "holding down the fort," returning phone
messages, creating bulletins and Notes &
Notices inserts, doing the
weekly Constant Contact email, and getting the April Link started.
Needless to say, Nancy is greatly missed, and she is in our thoughts
and prayers as she recovers from successful surgery. Should you need to contact
the Church Office during this time, please be patient as we try to navigate
without her. If you have any Church Office business that can be deferred until
her return, your flexibility would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your
cooperation!
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The Stoughton food pantry shelves are low and we are all feeling the
pinch of high gas prices and food costs. You all have responded so generously to
our seasonal food drives to benefit the local food pantries and we asking you to
step up once again by dropping an item or two in the basket in our church lobby
when you come to worship throughout the month of March.
In honor of St.
Patrick's Day, we encourage you to bring some "green food" -- a jar of pickles,
a can of peas or green beans - but here are some other
ideas for
non-perishable items that will provide high-quality proteins, good
carbs and healthy fats - plus offer a little variety: canned or pouched tuna or chicken,
canned black beans, canned chickpeas or lentils, canned soups, salsa (whole
grain chips optional), peanut butter, jarred spaghetti sauce (and pasta),
cereals and snack bars, oatmeal, microwave popcorn, herbs, spices and spice
blends, canola, olive, flax seed (linseed) or peanut oil, instant white or brown
rice, raisins and other dried fruit, olive oil, mayonnaise and other condiments,
wheat crackers, can of coffee or box of tea bags.
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EASTER FLOWER MEMORIALS
Please complete and return
the purple insert in Notes &
Notices or the LINK to the church office
by Sunday, April 1.
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If your child is interested in singing in the Good News Kids Choir or
participating in the Youth Music Ensemble for Easter, please join Chris
Nickelson and Adam Isbitsky for rehearsals following Sunday School until 12:00
on March 18, 25, and April 1. We will have snacks after rehearsal.
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You are
invited to
Student
Pastor Lance Wiser's
LENTEN
BIBLE STUDY
You are all invited to attend a Lenten Bible Study entitled "The
Terrible Surprise of Hospitality." We will begin at 11:30 am and finish up
before 1:00 pm on March 18 and 25, and April 1.
Each Sunday, Lance will take an Old or New Testament story pertaining
to hospitality and weave it into the narratives that came out of his experience
traveling to the Holy Land this past January. He will also lead a conversation
on how they connect with our own lives.
We hope you will join us!
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Sunday
Evening Lenten Study
"BENEATH THE CROSS:
LETTERS
FROM A GOOD FRIDAY WORLD"
Sundays, 7 to 8:30 pm
This study focuses on a fictional series of letters that were
"written" on Good Friday immediately after the death of Jesus. The letters could
not be mailed the next day, as it was the Sabbath. By Sunday, the world had
changed. These "letters" are intended to teach and to provoke thought about the
importance of Christ's resurrection.
These studies are not cumulative, so if you were not able to
attend our previous sessions, please feel free to join us now.
March 18 Letter #5 From: The Centurion To: His
Commander
March 25 Letter #6 From: Mary Magdalene To: Her sister,
Esther
April 1 Letter #7 From: Judas Isacariot To: Whomever Finds
This
Note
Led by Pastor Jean. We hope you will join us!
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Interested in joining our church?
Want to have your child baptized?
Please join us at our next series of
If
you are interested in joining our church or you are a parents interested in
having your child baptized, please come to the Covenant Class this Sunday, March
18, at 11:30 am in the Fireplace Room.
Other
classes in this series will be held on April 1 from 11:45 to 1:00 pm and and (for new members
only) April 29 from 11:30 to
1:00 pm.
Parents
who want their child baptized and are not
regularly-attending Active Members of the church are
to attend these Covenant Classes which will cover in depth the covenantal vows
the parent(s) will be making during the sacrament. Once the Covenant Classes
have been completed and the parents feel ready to carry out their covenantal
vows, a date for the baptism can be scheduled.
Because
the baptismal vows parents make on behalf of their children are almost identical
to the vows new members make when they are received into membership with our
church, any person interested in being formally received as a member of the
First Congregational Church of Stoughton is also to attend these Covenant
Classes. A fourth class for prospective members only will cover subjects
specific to membership, including spiritual gifts assessment, opportunities for
serving the church, and the importance of stewardship.
New
Members will be received during worship at a mutually convenient date later this
spring.
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FAITH
4 LIFE YOUTH GROUP MEETING
ON SUNDAY
All
Middle and High Schoolers are invited to join us at our Faith-4-Life Youth Group
meeting this Sunday, March 18, from 5 to 6:30 pm in the Youth Lounge
downstairs. We will begin with supper and then have a conversation about Holy
Week, Good Friday, and Easter in preparation for the Good Friday Service the
youth will be leading on April 6.
All
youth who want to participate in the Good Friday Service and the fun activities
and lock-in that follow it are urged to come to this supper and
discussion.
REMINDER! To
all who have signed up for the overnight retreat to Cape Cod: we will be leaving
from the church at 4:30 pm SHARP next Friday, March 23. Please be sure to bring
all your completed forms, along with cash for supper on the way
down.
If
you have any questions, please speak to Pastor Jean.
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On Sunday morning when you
are sitting in worship and see the beautiful altar flowers, have you ever
thought you would like to sponsor them? Here is how you can!
Located on the
board outside of Fellowship Hall is a poster made by Alyssa McGillicuddy!
Attached to the poster are request forms to fill out and payment envelopes. If
there is any conflict with the date you request, Nancy or Gale will contact
you.
The cost to sponsor a standard arrangement is $25.00. If you would like to
make a special request, you can do so by contacting our church florist, Nancy
Sullivan at 781-254-6261. For special orders we ask for at least a weeks notice
and an additional cost may be incurred. Checks can be made out to Nancy
Sullivan. Once you have completed your form and enclosed your check you can
leave it in the church office or in the offering plate.
If you have any
questions you can contact Nancy Sullivan at the Church Office at 781-344-2371 or
the number above or Gale DeBeneditto @781-344-4728.
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Thank you to those who have
taken fabric squares to sew into blocks for our quilts. We appreciate your time
and talent being added to our work. We still have large number of squares to be
worked on, and other hands that are available would be appreciated. We will
meet in the lower level of the church on March
20th at 9 am and
work until around 2 pm. Bring your lunch, stay for as long as you can. We will find a
spot for you to help!
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WOMEN'S FELLOWSHIP
A Lenten Table Conversation
Monday, March 26 @ 6:30 PM
Lent has traditionally been a time of self-denial,
fasting and praying. It is also a time when we reflect on
the last days of Jesus' life on earth. It is a time when we wonder
if we are truly faithful to be called a "Christian." We wonder
just how well we are doing in following the teachings of this man we call the
Christ.
On Monday,
March 26 at 6:30 pm, we invite the women of our church family to gather together to
share a simple soup supper as we seek to nourish both our bodies and
spirits. The meal will be provided by Marcia Olson.
Following supper, we will share a time of devotions as we contemplate the
Passover meal shared by Jesus and his friends in the upper room.
We will then have our regular business meeting followed by a time of
fellowship and refreshments. Please
note the change from our normal start time. See Marcia Olson for
details.
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Mainspring House Dinner
Wednesday, April 18
Our church will be serving dinner at
Mainspring house in Brockton on Wednesday, April
18. We need cooks and bakers
to make 12 casseroles, 3 big tins of salads and dessert. And we need 3 or 4
servers - it's a great way for a
family to serve together during the Spring vacation.
Casseroles can be made ahead and frozen; they just need to be
delivered to the church freezer by Sunday, April 15. We are so grateful to all
of you who faithfully volunteer to make meals or serve every time we ask, living
out Jesus' most basic tenet: "whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, so
you do unto me." We will be handing out recipes and salad/ casserole tins in
mid-March.
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A Special Announcement to
All ladies of Our Church Family:
In 1978 the ladies of the UCC
churches of New England joined together in a weekend meeting of fun, worship,
and learning. This time came to be called CELBRATION I. Now in the works are
plans for CELEBRATION IX for March 28-30, 2014. You see, these celebrations have
taken place every four years since then. Most of the ladies who have come, come
back time after time. The last one expanded to include the young ladies of the
UCC, and girls 12 and over were invited with special activities and plans for
them. There were some women there of three generations of the same family
worshiping and learning together. The theme for Celebration IX will be
"Together" based on Psalm 131:1.
So mark your calendar now,
start you Celebrations fund and plan to be a part of this in Portland Maine in
2014.
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First Congregational Church
of Stoughton
United Church of
Christ
An
Open and Affirming Congregation
Our Vision
We are called
together
to embrace God's
transformation
of our lives and our
world
by becoming and
serving
as Christ's
disciples.
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