Worship Schedule for April
Unless otherwise noted, Sunday worship is in the sanctuary at 10:00 AM.
April 4 Easter Sunday Worship – 9:00 AM
Easter Breakfast – Sanborn Hall
Easter Sunday Worship – 11:00 AM
Carla Bailey, preaching
Acts 10:34-43; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12
April 11 Second Sunday of Easter
Communion
Carla Bailey, preaching
Acts 5:27-32; Revelations 1:4-8; Luke 24:13-32
April 18 Third Sunday of Easter
Carla Bailey, preaching
Acts 9:1-6 (7-20); Revelations 5:11-14; John 21:1-19
April 25 Fourth Sunday of Easter
Carla Bailey, preaching
Acts 9:36-43; Revelations 9:1-17; John 10:22-30
In Memoriam
We have had two recent deaths in our congregation. John Heston passed away on March 2. A memorial service will be held in our sanctuary on May 15 at 10:30 AM. Joanne Burnham passed away on March 4 and a memorial service will be held for her on the afternoon of May 22. Please keep John’s wife, Betty and the family and friends of both John and Joanne in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
Faith and Works Week! Thank you!
We had a wonderful week of work in and on our church building in March. Masland Chapel and the hallway to the chapel were deconstructed and prepared for new wiring, flooring, walls and lighting. The large kitchen looks gorgeous with its new paint and the detailed cleaning of the sanctuary is worthy of a white-glove-test. There are new cushion covers for the handbells and new wall hangings for the children’s chapel and the Rand Room shelves sparkle! Workers were well nourished with wonderful coffee break snacks and lunches. Our only frustration is that the week ended too soon!
Many, many thanks to all who helped, especially team leaders Bob Keene and Brian Edwards. Watch for more announcements about future opportunities.
Jean Allen Lee Arend Roger Arend
Jan Assmus Barbara Blough Ed Chamberlain
Esther Colby Marilyn Crowell Don Derrick
Brian Edwards Susan Edwards Sylvia Field
Sally Foss Lois Frazer Ted Frazer
Don Hazard Fiona Heaney Ann James
Trish Jackson Victor Kaplan Bob Keene
Jean Keene Susan Kessler Nancy Marion
Steve Marion Kathy Martin Gail McPeek
Barbara Payson Leonard Rahilly Fred Schaafsma
Joan Schaafsma Susan Shadford Barbara Thompson
Warren Turner Bruce Waters Susan Weeks
Karen Williamson Joan Wilson Tom Wilson
Hamilton Library Happenings by Barbara Thompson
Dying, death and grief are very difficult events in our lives. Yet, they are inescapable. We depend on many different sources for comfort and support at those times. One of those sources can be our Hamilton Library. We have a number of wonderful books on these topics, some of which are currently on a shelf in the reference section, above the materials reserved for the Lenten Study Groups. Others books on these subjects can be found on the shelves. Just check the card catalog. (We use the Dewey System and an “E” designation means it is a children’s book).
On Death: Dying well: Peace and possibilities at the end of Life and The four Things
That Matter Most: a Book About Living by Ira Byock, M.D.
My Mother Your Mother: Embracing Slow Medicine by Dennis McCullough
Healing Death: Finding Wholeness When a Cure is No Longer Possible by Dennis Zimerman
Dr. Byock and Dr. McCullough are both local authors and very good.
On Grief: As You Grieve: Consoling Words from Around the World by Aaron Zerah
Living When a Loved One has Died by Earl Grollman
Badger’s parting Gift by Susan Varley
Grandmother’s Song by Barbara Soros and Illustrated by Jackie Morris
The last two books are children’s books. Our library is a wonderful resource for wherever you may be in your life and generally a quiet place to sit, read, or just do some quiet thinking. Please come in soon.
Bicentennial Fund Awards
In 1976, our congregation established a fund to award grants for projects identified by the members of the congregation and distributed through the Board of Deacons for Outreach. Though the amounts of the grants are not huge, they have been valuable statements of our church’s commitment to a variety of projects that could easily fall off the charitable giving radar. For example, in recent years, Bicentennial Fund awards have provided window curtains for privacy at WISE, assistance in replacing a ceiling that had collapsed at the Orford Congregational Church, Outreach House for seed money for an endowment, Hannah House for assistance to young, unwed mothers, LISTEN for a Youth Mentoring Program, and UCC Global Ministries for bicycles for clergy in Congo, Africa. Last year’s grant went to the High Horses Therapeutic Riding Program.
The Outreach Board is currently in the process of identifying community needs and/or agencies that would benefit from a small grant (between $300 and $500) to use for a specific purpose. We realize that many members of our congregation serve on Boards or are involved with projects that may have such needs. We would like to hear from you! If you know of a community need that could be addressed by a Bicentennial Fund grant, place contact Carla, or Outreach Board members Becky Torrey or John McBride no later than May 1st. Thank you!
Second Hour
Sunday, April 25 – 11:15 AM – Sanborn Hall
For our April Second Hour we welcome Peggy O’Neil, Executive Director of WISE, and Brian Edwards, a board member for WISE. Started in 1971, WISE is a nonprofit organization, which provides advocacy, crisis services, and community education to those affected by domestic and sexual violence and stalking throughout the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont. Please join us and learn more about this wonderful organization.