STEEPLE SOUNDS

June 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

 As spring transitions into summer, we find ourselves once again at the sacred threshold of Pentecost—a holy day bursting with wind, fire, and the Spirit of God poured out upon all people. The church, like the earth, is awakening to new life.

Pentecost (this year on Sunday, June 8) is often called the “birthday of the Church,” and for good reason. On that day, long ago, followers of Jesus were transformed by the rush of a mighty wind and tongues of flame, speaking languages they didn’t know and connecting with strangers they never thought they could reach. The Holy Spirit brought clarity where there had been confusion, courage where there had been fear, and community where there had been isolation.

We, too, live in a season of change—both literally and spiritually. The warmth of the sun, the greening of trees, and the blooming of gardens remind us that God is always doing a new thing. Likewise, the Spirit continues to stir within and among us, calling us to awaken, to speak boldly, and to reach out in love.

This Pentecost, our worship will be especially joyful as we celebrate the ongoing movement of the Spirit within our own congregation. We will welcome new members into the life of our church—individuals and families who have heard the call of the Spirit and chosen to journey with us in faith, community, and service. Their “YES!” is a powerful echo of the Pentecost story: a witness to the fact that the Church continues to grow in love and mission.

In addition, we will celebrate a beautiful moment of new life through the dedication of one of our youngest online members who is traveling to us from the Midwest for this special day. A baby dedication is a reminder that God's promises extend across generations—and that the entire congregation is called to nurture and support our children as they grow in faith. What better way to mark the birth of the Church than by blessing a new life among us?

These sacred acts—welcoming, dedicating, blessing—remind us that the Church is alive, dynamic, and always becoming. They are signs of the Spirit’s ongoing work and an invitation for all of us to recommit ourselves to the journey of faith.

As the seasons turn, may we remember that the Church is not a building or a single moment in time. It is a living, breathing body, constantly being renewed by the Spirit of God. Just as spring becomes summer, we are invited to step into the next chapter with faith, joy, and expectation.

Come, Holy Spirit, come.
In Christ, 
Rev. Beth

June 1-6:

Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, 9am-1pm

Beginning June 10:

Tue, Wed, Thu, 9am-1pm

and by appointment

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, June 18, 7pm

This is the annual scheduling meeting for the next program year.

Monthly meetings of the church leadership are held in the Fellowship Hall. All church members are also welcome to attend.

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.

To contact Rev. Beth, call the church office at 508-697-6016 or email her at csccpastor at hotmail.com. 

CSCC Deacons
Deb Sorgman – debsorgman at gmail . com

Anne Malmquist - amalmquist at comcast . net

Cristi Ciaramitaro

Savannah Wells, Jr. Deacon

Liam O'Connell, Jr. Deacon
 

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

Contact the church office if you need us!

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.

Be sure to wear red for Pentecost!

While spring cleaning, mainly sorting through old papers and burning them in the fireplace, I came across a paper named “Visitation Ministry” (Pastor Erin Reflections).  Some of you may recall the exact document. To summarize, the document devotes words of guidance on how to orchestrate a visitation ministry; a task that many of us are called to do or feel called to do and want to do it better.

The following is just a sliver of the visitation ministry document from Pastor Erin.  Some of it is word for word while other sentences I have added to make the content flow. 

It is important to emphasize to the person you are visiting: this is a person connected to our church community and you are the bridge between them and the church. Share what’s new, happening, hopeful, and exciting! Tell them about the community. Connect to what they did in the church when they were able to get there. Share a bit about the youth or the mission work or community outreach. People like to hear good news from church. Good news is hopeful.

Now that you have shared the Good News! you have opened up a conversation or an opportunity for you to LISTEN. Church visitation is more about the one visited and less about you. You matter, of course, you are present doing God’s work, but you are also providing a service and ministry.  The majority of your time together is you listening and them talking. It’s okay to share a story or passion or something that relates to the sharing conversation as it builds a strong relationship. It wouldn’t be a conversation if only one person is doing all the talking. But it’s not about you, it’s about them.

As my brother David says quite frequently these days and I will paraphrase - if someone asks how you are doing and you answer I am doing good but there is always room for improvement. We strive every day to be Christians but there is always room for improvement.

Carol Chaffee
Care Team

You are cordially invited to help CSCC kick off summer with “An Evening Under the Stars Gala” fundraiser, June 21st at Olde Scotland Links. 

The evening will include appetizers, a cash bar, gift basket drawings, and a DJ. Cocktail attire is suggested. 

We welcome community members to join us for a date night, or a night out with friends (discounted rate for a table of 10!). All are welcome for a fun event to support our church, and enjoy the fellowship of an evening out. 

Central Square Church is an open and affirming congregation welcoming everyone no matter where they are on their faith journey. Our physical building serves as a meeting place for many local groups like AA and girl scouts, houses and manages the Bridgewater town food pantry, and continues to have safe spaces to reserve for upcoming activities. Funds raised at this event will support our ongoing community ministries. Please join us!

Tickets are available by CLICKING HERE, or by submitting your reservation and payment to the church office. Tickets are $75 per person, or $700 for a table of 10. This is an adults-only event.

We would love to have you stop by in the month of June  on a Wednesday or Saturday to say hello and shop our variety of items: clothing, household, puzzles & books, shoes, purses, glassware, and more. And don’t forget about our sale table!

The Central Closet Thrift Shop is also announcing our summer hours: for July and August, the shop will be open only Wednesdays, 10am to 2pm (yes, 2pm!). We will be closed Saturdays for the peak summer months. Also watch for a special day here and there that we will be open for special events. (Do you get our occasional texts to alert you to special sales and openings? Sign up at www.csccucc.org/thrift-shop.) September we will return to Wednesday and Saturday openings. 

Thanks for all your support, and we hope to see you on Wednesdays. 
Connie, Sandy, Jane, Lynn and Gail 

Congratulations to our 2025 Graduates!

Aging Isn’t for Wimps 
by Sheri Turner

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 
— Galatians 6:9, New International Version

I have newfound respect for both my mother and my mother-in-law. My mom, almost eighty, and my mother-in-law who is in her nineties, are still fairly active for their respective ages. My mom has been very physically active her whole life. She met my dad at the beach — he was a lifeguard at Nabnasset Lake in Westford, MA at the time.  She spent her career teaching racquetball (she told me she taught Bruins hockey player Cam Neeley how to play years ago), swimming, and aerobics. She played pickleball until her knees gave her too many problems; she went skydiving when she was 75 just because it was on her bucket list. (She’ll show you the certificate she received for doing so if you visit her.) Now she takes her golden doodle Mandy to the dog park a couple times a day to chuck a ball for her and socialize with other dog-loving friends. 

My mother-in-law was also pretty active as well. She and her husband took square dancing lessons for years. She also walked a lot until very recently. She tells me wistfully of how she and her neighbor and close friend Carolyn would walk approximately five miles together several times a week. When the weather allowed they would walk outside;  when the weather wasn’t so favorable they would do laps at the mall. She would often take her lunch break from her job at General Electric to walk to her Aunt Gertie’s house to check in on her and have lunch with her. Unfortunately for her it seems that those days are temporarily over. Walking her driveway is a challenge, but she continues to try. Just the other day she told me, “I’m so frustrated Sheri. I can only walk for 5 minutes on the treadmill at low speed.” Meanwhile I am amazed at her attitude. She continues to keep trying. She focuses on when she will be able to do it again, not the fact that she can’t do it right now. She only very recently gave up doing her own yard work, and she strives to be as positive as possible.

Their physical issues don’t stop either of them from continuing to try.  While I offered to vacuum for my mother-in-law last week when she shared that she can no longer vacuum her whole house in one day, she politely refused. She vacuums an area, gets tired, and sits down to rest for a bit, often reading a book. (She loves books about America’s first ladies.) Once she feels she is rested enough, she continues to the next section that needs vacuuming, and so on. When I offered to do her vacuuming for her she said, “Oh, thank you Sheri, but sometimes this is the only exercise I get. I prefer to do it myself.”

My mother has always enjoyed any exercise she can get. These days, her dog Mandy keeps her moving. Despite the sore knees, my mom takes her to the dog park every day. She will even get up early to beat the Florida heat. Recently she shared how Mandy forces her to keep moving:  “Mandy wants to play so we go out on my grass. The 90-degree weather has dried out my lawn so much it’s like hay. Mandy will go out, chase the ball and roll around in the grass. Then I have ANOTHER job to do brushing it all out of her fur, but she loves it.” My mom so enjoys Mandy that she gets shots in her knees to be able to keep going to the dog park.

Both women seem to understand that trying is the important part. Their willingness to keep trying what they can in both big ways like skydiving and little ways like vacuuming is critical to continuing to have the right attitude about aging. Are they slowing down? You bet they are. They haven’t stopped though. Both ladies refuse to do that.

I’m very proud of their “keep on truckin” attitudes. Both women continue to find workarounds so they can keep doing what they want to do. So when I begin to whine about the aching arthritis in my fifty-six-year- old knees, shoulder, jaw, neck and back I look to them for my example. I think about how aging isn’t for wimps, I take my Advil and tell myself, “The alternative is worse.” I grab the dog leash and head out the door with my dogs Wanda, Cosmo, and Bitsy and focus on what I CAN do.

Sheri's mother and mother-in-law.

CSCC Cabinet Meeting – Minutes
May 21, 2025 at 7pm

The meeting was called to order at 7:02 by Anne Malmquist, Moderator. 

Pastor Beth Devotional

Cabinet members in attendance:
Anne Malmquist, Moderator 
David Sheibley, Treasurer
Linda Chipman, Carol Chaffee, Spiritual and Congregational Engagement Team 
Heather Ciaramitaro, Community Engagement Team
Nina Gabel-Jorgensen, Clerk
John Sharland, Property and Finance 
Pastor Beth Stotts

Other
Connie Chandler 
David Hanson

April minutes
The meeting minutes from the April meeting were presented and reviewed. Anne Malmquist motioned to accept the minutes as written, John Sharland and Pastor Beth seconded. The minutes were approved as written.

Update on Pastor’s report
1. Her report this month is a 2 month report - including Lent and Easter. We are ready to move forward with the WISE covenant. It will be added to the agenda for voting at the annual meeting.
2. WISE
    a. Reviewed the covenant
    b. We will have to write up a description of our journey. We reviewed our interventions - i.e.,
        i. watched “Inside out” with a following discussion,
        ii. hosted Mental Health first aid training,
        iii. discussed the book Blessed are the Crazy,
        iv. Lenten practices, created a mental health resources guide and created the covenant.
    c. We vote on our WISE covenant and then send to UCC our vote. We will be able to publicize this aspect of our congregation.
    d. Ideas - Mental Health open house and reach out to a variety of resources to share information.
    e. Discussion regarding incorporating our mental health resources in our marketing.
    f. John asked how many churches have this resource. There are 17 churches so far that have this as a resource, out of approximately 615 churches in the conference. 

RP motioned on behalf of the WISE task force that it will go to the congregation for a vote.

Heather C. seconded All AYES
Will add to agenda of annual meeting.

3. RP will be out of office T through Th of next week.
4. Turquoise table repainted by Holmgren family.

Treasurer’s Report - Dave
1. Ok month. April is the best month this year. $16k.!!
2. Newer attendees are giving generously and regularly 
3. The thrift shop continues to do well.

Congregational and Spiritual Engagement Team – Carol Chaffee
1. Need additional team members.
2. July parade.
3. The visitation ministry needs to be organized.
4. Care circle team to be decided once another member is on board.
5. Potato bingo made $300!

Community Engagement Report - Heather C.
1. Terry reached out with budget questions.
2. Terry working on annual report
3. Yard Sale in the Fall.
4. Autumn fest September 27th.

Property and Finance
1. Old boiler is going bye bye.
2. New one is in their possession.
3. The new one is a 3 pass furnace, next most efficient to a condensing boiler.
4. Price is holding at $21,700.
5. John Sharland bought a new small electric lawn mower. $142. John paid for it. John mowed the lawn in 20 minutes. The donated electric lawn mower wasn’t fully operational - but the batteries were. Will try to sell the batteries at the thrift shop.
6. Finalized agreement to use the closed classroom. New deal $1500 month 12 months a year. Will use the old pre-k room. They will have 20 students for the Summer. They will buy their own AC for that room and install it. Volunteer HS student will help clear out that room.
7. Team re-upped for next year.
8. Bookkeeper will start when she becomes a member.
9. Phones are not working well. Guy coming in to help us with phone service and plan. May be able to get a cheaper service. Comcast is approximately $300.
10.    Review budget -
    1. Discussion of Nina’s paypal issues with increasing pledge
    2. Pastor and office decide who pays for room rentals. When we don’t charge for room use we end up getting more for donation. We think the hourly charge is $30 for non-profit. We are having a wedding here in September. Fees are in the policies and procedures.
    3. Salaries went up about 3% COLA increase.
    4. How do we get $2000 for our dues discussion?
        - We are all going to get an invoice - $22 per member for dues. What do dues cover? Can we get a description of what they cover and what they are used for? Current terminology is “Proportional Giving”.
        - Bring our money to the Annual meeting and church picnic. What do Dues do?
    - Motioning to present budget PB at meeting - all ayes except PB.

Spiritual Engagement
1. Request to “unmerge” the congregational and spiritual engagement Teams.
2. Installing a prayground in the sanctuary for the service. We will invite children and parents to review rules and guidelines for using it. We have to know where all the children are at all times. If kids don’t feel like going to Kids Church, they can go to the prayground. Hopefully it will be ready by the first Sunday in September.
3. Activities being lost with Rev Beth going to ¾ time - Saturdays with books and bible studies. One Sunday a month will need covering. They came up with a list of people who have preached in the past who might do one Sunday a year. Potluck - June 8th. Make sure we wear red. Will send out a sign up meeting for food. 

Slate
We do not have an Assistant Treasurer
Financial Secretary will be official when she becomes a member.

2025/2026 Slate of Electeds 
Moderator - Anne Malmquist 
Clerk - Nina Gabel-Jorgensen 
Treasurer - Dave Shiebley 
Asst. Treasurer - ?
Financial Secretary - Karissa Marquis (will become a member on June 8) 

Community Engagement Team
* Terry Reynolds
* Heather Ciaramitaro
* 
Congregational Engagement Team
* Carol Chaffee
* Natalie Muurisepp
* Sara Terpeny?
Property and Finance Team
* John Sharland
* Dave Hanson
* Patrick Donahue
Spiritual Engagement Team
* Eric Stotts
* Deb Sorgman
* Linda Chipman

* We need a delegate to go to the conferences. John to describe at the annual meeting. 
* Cabinet votes to change congregational and spiritual back as separate teams. Consented. 
* Reviewed fund raising events. Wrapping present party discussion.
* Feedback from Mark Sorgman. He wants another meeting, he is rethinking his decision. Doesn’t feel that it’s a good decision to have a PT Pastor. Discussion about the loss of RB. Feedback from online viewing - FB didn’t work. Plans in the work about how to involve the people at home. The You tube comments were being posted but no one reviewed them so they were lost. Discussed having dedicated phone lines, alternative email, etc. We need separate emails for fundraising, events, etc.

John says Anne did a great job with moderating the meeting. She did a good job thinking on her feet.

Next Cabinet meeting is June 18th. Calendaring meeting. Bring new members. 
Meeting adjourned at 8:39 pm.
 

Central Square Congregational Church, UCC
Congregational Meeting and Vote 
on changing Pastor’s time from Full time to 3/4 time

Date:  May 18th, 2025
Location:  Church Sanctuary

1.    The meeting was called to order at 11:10 AM
2.    The meeting began with an opening prayer
3.    The moderator, Anne Malmquist read the opening statement
4.    38 members signed in
-    Quorum was met (20 members – Church year 2024-2025)
5.    Anne Malmquist motioned to change Pastor’s Beth’s FTE from full time (1 FTE) to part time pastor ( .75 FTE)
6.    So moved by Carol Chaffee
7.    Seconded by Bill O’Neil

Questions
1.    Carol Chaffee:  with the reduction in units, will church membership decide where units are focused?  Deb Sorgman – Deacons will be the ones oversee how that is apportioned.
2.    Patrick Donahue: Assuming we move to .75 can we revisit this in the future?  Anne Malmquist – we can have another meeting to reinstate back to full time if doable. Pastor Beth – stated in the packet that we are going to have a reevaluation if this goes through.
3.    Carol Chaffee – The packet says Reverend Beth will provide 40 Sundays as Pastor, are we going to close for the Summer?  Deb Sorgman -  No, the plan going forward is to have staff helping out during the Summer.
4.    Gail Wright - How will this affect Reverend Beth’s vacation time? Deb Sorgman – We will have to review the contract and figure it out from there.
5.    Bill O’Neil – can we have a secret ballot?  Anne Malmquist – we make decisions as a congregation, so No, no secret ballots.

Support of Motion
1.    Anne Malmquist – invitation to come forward in support of motion
2.    Carol Chaffee – strongly feels that as a church we need to be healthy financially.  There are other expenses such as the postage on steeple sounds and paying dues to conferences which is supposed to be done by the congregation which the church covers.  Important to remember that Reverend Beth makes us who we are and inspires us.  We need to do this so we can continue our mission and hopefully we can address other financial issues that have been put aside.
3.    Bill O’Neil – agrees with Carol and in addition states that we need more people to step up including new members.  Everyone needs to increase their pledges.
4.    Natalie Muurisepp – Is very grateful for the church as a new member and hopes this will help us continue to thrive.

Opposition of Motion
1.    Anne Malmquist inviting anyone in opposition of the motion
2.    No one stepped forward.

Additional Feedback
Carol Chaffee requests to make another statement- thanks everyone that filled out a pledge form.  Reiterates that we need to take a stand.  We need to take measures to stay financially healthy.

Vote - in person
All those in favor from full time to ¾ 
31 in favor, 2 Opposed, 3 abstain

Closing
1.    Voting from noon until 9am next day for online members.
2.    Ending prayer
3.    Closing remarks by Anne Malmquist– call for volunteers for our teams.  Will need extra help with big fundraising push.

Final Online voting:
3 in favor, 5 opposed, 2 abstain

TOTAL VOTES:
34 in favor, 7 opposed, 5 abstain

Comments from online viewers of the meeting:
• “As part of the Muurisepp family, but not a member of the church, I decided to pledge because it's my family's church and it's important to me that their church is supported. I hope that everyone will stand beside me and submit your pledge!”
• “Did you think about having other pastors/congregations hold services at your church..rent..First Lutheran in Brockton has I think 3 or 4 other congregations meet there as well as AA. Just a thought. Good luck.”
• “The postage for Steeple Sounds is donated and not incurred by the church.”
• “Eric Stotts here. I just need to chime in and say that you all know the Rev Beth will always pickup the phone on her day off.  This won't change at 3/4 time. For that and multiple other reasons I'm against this motion.”
 

The meeting materials that were included in the hard copy Steeple Sounds are available by clicking HERE, including the proposed budget, the slate of 2025-26 officer and team leader nominees, the WISE vote materials, and the list of mental health resources of the Bridgewater area.