STEEPLE SOUNDS

December 2025

We are a Christian community of people who are reaching out to our neighbors, 
at home and abroad, sharing our faith and our resources.

Central Square Congregational Church, UCC, of Bridgewater, Massachusetts is an open and affirming
church. No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

From the Desk of Rev. Beth

Rev. Elizabeth Stotts, Pastor

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” 
— John 1:5

As we enter the season of Advent, our hearts turn toward anticipation—waiting, hoping, preparing. In the chaos of the holiday seasons, Advent invites us to pause and to listen more deeply: to Scripture, to one another, and to the quiet stirrings of God’s presence within and among us.

This season is, at its core, a story—a story of promise and fulfillment, a story of hope, and a story of darkness giving way to light. Each candle we light on our Advent wreath adds a chapter to that story, drawing us closer to the joy of Christmas. Through readings, carols, and traditions, we remember those who waited long ago for the coming of the Messiah, even as we continue to wait for Christ to be born anew in our own lives.

And at the heart of this sacred waiting lies the importance of storytelling. Stories have always been the way we make sense of the world around us. They connect generations, reminding us that our lives are not a set of facts to memorize, but a journey we share. During Advent, storytelling helps us to:

    • Remember the faith of those who came before us—Mary’s courage, Joseph’s obedience, the shepherds’ wonder.
    • Reflect on our own stories—where we have encountered God’s light breaking into our darkness.
    • Renew our sense of hope—by hearing again that love, not fear, has the final word.

Whether it’s reading Scripture together, sharing family memories, or telling the Christmas story to a child, each act of storytelling keeps the flame of faith alive. It reminds us that we are part of something larger than ourselves—a divine story still unfolding.

This Advent, may we be storytellers of hope. May our words and actions tell of a God who comes close, who brings light into shadow, and who invites us all to be part of the story of redemption and joy.

In Christ,
Rev. Beth

Tue, Wed, & Sun - 9-1

Thu 11-3

Please note the office will be closed December 25 - January 3

Remote worship on Facebook and YouTube

Sunday Worship will continue to be livestreamed from the Sanctuary at 10 a.m. 
Use the link on the homepage of www.csccucc.org to access Sunday worship, or visit our Facebook page. Past worship services are also available in both places.

NEXT CABINET MEETING is Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 7pm

Monthly meetings of the church leadership are held in the Fellowship Hall. All church members are also welcome to attend. Please note there is no December meeting.

CARING FOR OUR COMMUNITY

Do you need a meal, a call, spiritual care, or even just a prayer or a chat?

Contact the Pastor, a Deacon, or a member of our Care Team.

CSCC Deacons
Deb Sorgman – debsorgman at gmail . com

Anne Malmquist - amalmquist at comcast . net

Cristi Ciaramitaro

Stephanie Holmgren, Altar Deacon

Savannah Wells, Jr. Deacon

Liam O'Connell, Jr. Deacon

Talinn Muurisepp, Jr. Deacon
 

CSCC Care Team
Carol Chaffee  *  Bev Mitchell  *  Rev. Beth Stotts  *  Nina Gabel-Jorgensen  *  Deb Moore

Contact the church office if you need us!

PLEASE NOTE: The Food Pantry will be closed on Thursday, December 25 but will be open on Friday, December 26, 10-1. It will also be closed on Thursday, January 1, but will be open its regular Monday night hours on January 5, 6-7:30pm.

The Bridgewater Food Pantry, hosted and supported by CSCC, is open Thursdays, 10am-1pm, and the first Mondays of the month, 6-7:30pm (except holidays). All Bridgewater residents who are in need of food are welcome.

If you are a Bridgewater resident unable to come to the food pantry, but are in need of food, please contact the church office by email (office@csccucc.com) or phone (508-697-6016) and arrangements will be made for you.

Poinsettias for Sale Through Dec. 7 

The Congregational Engagement Team, Natalie Muurisepp and Carol Chaffee, is taking orders for Memorial Poinsettias to decorate our sanctuary from December 14 and through the Christmas season.  In the past, we have asked you leave your Poinsettia(s) through our Christmas Eve service, but many of you would like to use them to decorate your home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so if you would like to take your plant(s) after worship on December 21, you are welcome to. Our congregation will enjoy them and the memorials will be included in the bulletins throughout Christmas.  Poinsettias are delicate plants and are tropical plants, to care for them in our sanctuary is a challenge, therefore we are offering this adaptation this year.

We have Red, White and Pink Poinsettias to choose from and they are $10 each. Choose color and quantity of each color.
Please include your memorial message, your name, email and phone number on the order form. You may place  your order by filling out the form in the worship bulletin insert; you may email the office; or you can sign up online (click HERE).

Orders will be taken through December 7.

“Community is the heartbeat of humanity, pulsing with love and support.”

• Congratulations to… 
...Ian Jackson on his engagement to Amber Vargas.
...Nathan McDermott on his engagement to Allison Delmonte.
...Drew McDermott on his marriage to Kylie, and the birth of their daughter, Ella Rose.
...Jade, Terry Reynolds' granddaughter, who is expecting twins.
...Anne Malmquist on her new home.
...Terry & Bill Reynolds on their new home at Oak Point.

• Welcome to new CSCC members Jeanne Roscoe and Diana Francis.

• Congratulations to Lukas Hanson, who has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on exoplanet atmosphere retention. He has accepted a position as an Algorithms Engineer at Morse Corp in Cambridge, starting in January. Well done, Dr. Hanson!

Do you have an important milestone in your family you'd like to share with the CSCC community? Perhaps a retirement (yay!), a birth, a new job or house, a passing? Let us share in these important moments in the life of our community together. 

Send your brief, one-line message  (not more than a few words, please) to the church office at office@csccucc.com. If it's received by the 20th of the month, it'll be in the next Steeple Sounds. If it comes after, we'll save it for the next one.

What's new with you?

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. ~ Martin Luther

Our Mustard Seed Prayer List is at the very center of our church, the heart of our church home. Our prayer list flourishes with ups, downs, highs, lows, concerns and celebrations. We ask for mercy, we offer gratitude, we share our love, with God and in community. WE PRAY TOGETHER for and with each other.

Here are some guidelines for the Mustard Seeds Prayer List:
* A prayer can be added at any time; during worship (if you write your request on the mustard-colored slips of paper in the pews and place it in the offering plate), or an email, phone call or verbal request through the church office. When your prayer is added to the list it will include the date of the request. Some prayers need to be ongoing and some do not.

* If you have a prayer request on the list and you update, or mention additional information at a later time,(by following the first guideline above) the prayer will continue and the date of the request will be updated.

* After approximately 6 months, if no updates have been given, your prayer request will be removed.  But it can always be added back on, should the request be given. This is a challenge for the keepers of the list and there will always be exceptions to these guidelines. We would prefer for you to manage your prayer requests, rather than the keepers of the list.

* Should you have questions about our prayer list, please speak with a Care Team Member.

A Church Fair Success Story!

Your CSCC Fair Committee has nothing but an overflowing cup of gratitude for the tireless hours given, the congregational spirit and the community engagement that we witnessed during our fair weekend. All the TEAMS and their job descriptions intertwined. OUR STAFF supported on the scene and behind the scene. Our congregation supported in giving and receiving. And most importantly, the community responded. We engaged in conversation and fellowship with many new faces during fair time. We renewed relationships with friends that come to our fair every year. We shared our bounty and delivered meals to the fire station and to members of our church. And we came together in spirit and prayer for a dear friend.

With the generosity of many in mind, our fair netted approximately $7000 in profit for our beloved church.
Thank you,
Your Fair Committee

Thank you to all who contributed pies, breads, cookies, cakes and candy for the recent church fair. You did an an amazing job even with the high cost of food these days. Pie night alone made over $1100! I truly appreciate your helping making our fair a wonderful success.
Darlene Brown 

We also want to give a big shout out and thank you to the Hanson Farm! They have been donating all the vegetables for 50 + years to the church turkey supper. We appreciate all you do and give to our church! 

Christmas has arrived at Central Closet Thrift Shop!  Come in and check out all the Christmas decorations and giftable items. Plenty of slightly used or some even new items perfect for giving. We also have gift certificates available for that hard to shop for person on your list. 

We welcome new or gently used clothing and accessories for adults and children, household items, books and toys. Please no electronics,  broken items, torn or stained clothing. We do limit donations up to 20 items per visit. Donations are only accepted during shop hours: Wednesday and Saturday, 10-2. 

Please note, as of December 1st, we can no longer accept any Christmas items. We appreciate all of your donations and understanding. Our limited space only holds so much. 

Christmas on the Common is being held on Sunday, December 7th, and the shop will be open. In addition to our regular thrift shop merchandise, the crafters of Central Square Congregational Church will have their crafts available for sale. 

Special dates 
December 7: open during Christmas on the Common, 12-4
December 21 - January 1: closed for the holidays
January 3: We will reopen

Merry Christmas from all of us - 
Connie, Sandy, Jane, Lynn and Gail

As we begin December, we are already in Advent! As we did last year we will have our own Advent wreath and candles on the Kids Church altar, a Christmas tree, and we will be exploring weekly the aspects of hope, joy, peace, and love, that the season represents. 

The kids are excited about presenting the Christmas pageant in worship (December 21), so we will talk about the story of Jesus and explore what it must have been like to be the people in the story of Christ's birth. And, while we would encourage parents/guardians to have their kids there every week to be ready for the pageant, it is not required, and every child that wants to participate will be included. Drop a note to me or the church office if you have questions.

As always, there's a lot more going on than I can fit in a short newsletter article, so if you have any questions about Kids Church, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly. 

Please note there is no Kids Church on Sunday, December 28.

From all of us at Kids Church, Merry Christmas! 
Eric Stotts
Director of Kids Church, eastotts@gmail.com

PS - Heifer Project work starts in January!