STEEPLE SOUNDS

June 2026

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

Beloved in Christ,

Someone once told me that gas fills the shape of the container and I feel like the same can be said for calendars. Every spring it’s the same: graduations, cookouts, vacations, family gatherings, meetings, events—June can feel like a race from one commitment to the next. Somewhere along the way, many of us begin to believe that a full schedule is the same thing as a full life. But the gospel often points us in another direction.

Again and again, Jesus steps away from the crowds. He leaves room for quiet. He notices birds, lilies, children, fishermen, and strangers by the roadside. He pauses long enough to ask questions, to listen, to wonder. The holy moments in scripture rarely happen when people are rushing. More often, they happen when someone has stopped long enough to pay attention.

There is a kind of spiritual wisdom in saying “no.”
...no to every invitation that drains us.
...no to the pressure to always be productive.
...no to the fear that we might miss out if we are not constantly busy. (I’m guilty of this one!  My husband calls it FOMO-fear of missing out.)

If we think about it, every “no” can become a different kind of “yes.”
...yes to an unhurried morning on the porch or in the back yard listening to birds.
...yes to noticing the changing colors at dusk.
...yes to conversations that are not squeezed between appointments.
...yes to sitting quietly with God without needing to accomplish anything at all.

This June, perhaps faithfulness does not mean doing more. Perhaps it means leaving enough room in our lives to be surprised by grace again.

May you find courage to decline what does not give life.
May you rediscover the gift of rest.
And may you make enough space for wonder to find you.

In Christ,
Rev. Beth

Please note: Rev. Beth will be on sabbatical leave June 23 - August 2

June 1-20:

Tue, Thu, Fri, & Sun - 9-1

Please note the office will be closed June 12 & 16.

Summer hours! June 21-August 22:

Tue, Thu, Sun - 9-1

Please note the office will be closed on June 28.

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 17, 7pm

Note: this is the annual program year calendaring meeting.

If you have event or meeting dates that you want to put on the church/building calendar, please attend this meeting or submit them to the church office by June 15.

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.

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!

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.

Click here to make a donation to the CSCC Emergency Aid Fund. Thank you for your generosity.

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

• Welcome to our newest church members, who joined during worship on May 24: Richard Malmquist and Patrice Foronjy.
• The Stotts Family has lots of good news to share! Jae made the Dean's List AND the Chancellor’s List at West Carolina University this year. Eric has started a new job and is really enjoying it. Josephine passed her swim test!
• David R. Moore, our own turkey supper guru, was wonderfully honored on April 30 by The Rotary Club of the Bridgewaters. David was named Bridgewater Citizen of the Year.
• Jamie Wells won Judges’ Choice award at the New England Dance to Inspire dance competition for her contemporary duo. Congrats Jamie!
• Cameron Shave, graduating from Manhattan School of Music this spring, received the school’s Outstanding Performance/Jazz Soloist award in the undergraduate division. Way to go, Cam!
• Denise Molinari is retiring from her teaching career this month! Congrats Denise!
• Congrats to our Office Manager Jenne, who made Dean’s List this semester!
And of course there’s congratulations all around for our recent graduates! (See below.)

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 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?

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  Matthew 3:17

YOU are my beloved affirms the profound words spoken by God at Jesus’ baptism. It speaks of deep love, approval and identity.

 
The graphic above is relative to so many of us today as we balance caring for our children and caring for our parents. Though this time for me has passed, I do recall the struggle, the push and pull, the tight rope that we walk each and every day.

If you review the Mustard Seed Prayer List on a weekly basis, you note that many in our faith community express the need for prayer for those diagnosed with some form of dementia and generally speaking it is the aging parent of a young mom or dad. The Sandwich Generation pertains specifically to those between 30-50 years of age.

I just finished a book The Summer of Great Grandmother by Madeliene L’Engle, an American author. To summarize, the memoir reflects on the final summer of the author’s mother as she succumbs to cognitive decline.  It speaks of decline, diminishment and finality all the while celebrating life.  

I recall with Philip’s mom, Anne, decline during the final 2 years of her long well-lived life and saying to each other over that timeframe that “this is not the real Anne”, “this is not who she is”.  Two Easters ago, she had a moment of clarity with Philip that afternoon and he has that memory to cherish when she was real Anne.

You Are My Beloved, Central Square Congregational Church.
Carol Chaffee
Care Team

On June 14, please join us for a pot luck lunch as we celebrate the church activities of the past year at our annual meeting, and make decisions for the coming fiscal year.

Volunteers are needed to help supply the luncheon fare. CLICK HERE to let us know what you can contribute or how you can help.

Also at the annual meeting we will vote on:
• the slate of officers and team members for the 2026-27 church year (see list below);
• the 2025-26 fiscal year budget (see farther below)

Online voting will be available from Friday, 6/12 at 5pm until Monday, 6/15 at 9am. The links to voting and streaming will be distributed on Friday, 6/12 via email, and will be available on the website.

SLATE OF LEADERSHIP NOMINEES FOR THE 2026-27 CHURCH YEAR:
Moderator - Anne Malmquist
Clerk - Nina Gabel-Jorgensen
Treasurer - Dave Shieibley
Asst. Treasurer - 
Financial Secretary - Karissa Marquis 

Community Engagement Team
• Heather Ciaramitaro
• Stephanie Holmgren
• [open position]
    
Congregational Engagement Team
• Natalie Muurisepp
• Logan Muurisepp
• Jean Roscoe

Property and Finance Team
• John Sharland
• Dave Hanson
• Patrick Donahue

Spiritual Engagement Team
• Eric Stotts
• Deb Sorgman 
• [open position]

Proposed Budget 2026-2027

To be voted on at the Annual Meeting, Sunday, June 14

CSCC Cabinet Meeting – Minutes
March 18, 2026 at 7pm

Location: Fellowship hall, Church

The meeting was called to order at 7:04 by Anne Malmquist, Moderator.

Cabinet members in attendance:
Anne Malmquist, Moderator; Nina Gabel-Jorgensen, Clerk; Natalie Muurisepp, Congregational Engagement; Carol Chaffee, Congregational Engagement; Heather Ciaramitaro, Community Engagement; Eric Stott, Spiritual Engagement;
Dave Hanson, Property and Finance; John Sharland, Property and Finance; David Sheibley, Treasurer; Pastor Beth Stotts

Guests
Bill O’Neil, Connie Chandler, Jack Melcher, Steven Powers

Pastor devotional and prayer

January minutes
Minutes approved.

Steeple sounds combining May and April. Need to get May info by March 23rd to Diane

Food Pantry Discussion
Jack Melcher gave the history of the Food Pantry. States that there was never a relationship between the town and the Food Pantry. The Food Pantry is a separate entity from the Town and the Church.

Question:
Who does the Food Pantry answer to?
According to Jack Melcher the Food Pantry doesn’t answer to anyone. They are dependent on the Church for a lot of things including the non-profit status.

5013c (Non Profit Status)
It is noted that the non-profit status needs a board to oversee operations and that the Food Pantry is operating within laws of the IRS. If the Food Pantry uses the Church’s non profit status it is requested that there be a formal relationship between the Church and the Food Pantry. The Church requests more input in the operations of the Food Pantry.

Discussion of Church’s requests of Food Pantry
Cabinet members request that there be a formal structure for the Food Pantry with input from the Church regarding how it presents to the public. For example a request that the Food Pantry incorporate more outreach with regards to volunteers and hospitality.

One of the more pressing needs is a system for back-ups for Bill O’Neil and Jack Melcher in the event that they are unavailable. Currently there isn’t a formal process. This was framed as “future proofing the Food Pantry”.

Jack stated that he will share the processes with the church. Discussion about having a “Greeter” to chat and drink coffee with Food Pantry attendees. Discussion about training and identifying someone to coordinate the Food Pantry Volunteers. New food pantry teams will need to be added to the Church bylaws. Discussion about the operational challenges the Food Pantry faces - can be chaotic and very busy. Sometimes Food Pantry clients can be challenging.

Next Steps
Need to set up a Food Pantry team. The team members don’t necessarily have to be church members. Jack Melcher states he doesn’t want a Board of Directors. It is requested that the Food Pantry representative attend the Cabinet meets.

Discussion about where the Food Pantry would fall in the Church organizational structure. Suggested that they have their own team. If so, should go into the Bylaws in time for the June Meeting. There will need to be three people to represent the Food Pantry. Food Pantry may also need a fundraiser in addition to the volunteer coordinator. One of the tasks to recruit for these new roles is to create “job descriptions” for distribution through various mediums.

Transition team needed to facilitate the creation of the Food Pantry team, job descriptions which will entail collecting the necessary tasks and processes from Bill O’Neil and Jack Melcher.
The following members were suggested for the Transition team:
-    Jack Melcher
-    Eric Stott
-    Bill O’Neil
-    Connie Chandler
A Meeting on April 1st - 1130a.m. was suggested. Will put it out to the town council et al to see if they want to participate.
Anne Malmquist will “reply all” to the town email to include that info.

The next meeting date is Wednesday April 15th.

Closing prayer.

CSCC Cabinet Meeting – Minutes
April 15, 2026 at 7pm

The meeting was called to order at 7:03 by Anne Malmquist, Moderator.

Cabinet members in attendance:
Anne Malmquist, Moderator; Nina Gabel-Jorgensen, Clerk; Natalie Muurisepp, Congregational Engagement; Carol Chaffee, Congregational Engagement; Terry Reynolds, Community Engagement; John Sharland, Property and Finance; David Sheibley, Treasurer; Pastor Beth Stotts

Guests
Bill O’Neil, Jack Melcher

Pastor devotional and prayer

March
Minutes approved.

January Minutes update
Bill O’Neil objected to being portrayed as combative regarding the quote that was included in the January minutes that was attributed to him.

Pastor Report
• Reverend Beth was very appreciative of her support from the Stewardship team. She was very pleased that Liam did the sermon at Sunrise service. Liam is a Junior Deacon from our church.
• Update regarding the July substitute, Andrew (same as last July) will sub.
• Revered Beth not in the pulpit on April 4/26. Requests Nina Gabel-Jorgensen lead a meditation.

Treasurer’s Report
• Good month for income. Investments came through from donors. No unusual expenses. Winter is over.
• The last tank of oil was $5.56 a gallon.
• The Church Fair revenue exceeded the budget.
• The Thrift shop is also over budget with regards to revenue.
• Paint night did well as did Julia’s concert. Need to request pledges from members who haven’t pledged officially.
• Request from Carol Chaffee and Reverend Beth to receive a list of members who haven’t handed in their pledge forms.

Community Engagement:
• Pancake supper coming up Friday. There is going to be a great menu - pancakes, bacon and sausage with yummy toppings. Carol has some things she is planning for that evening.
• There were concerns about Julia’s concert. A request was made for feedback as to why it wasn’t better attended. Reverend Beth suggested using Julia’s picture in the advertising. The message would be clearer using an image.
• Moonlight paint night was very successful.
• The Pentecost offering is coming up next month.

Congregational Engagement:
• Great time on Stewardship Sunday.
• Flowers for Easter were successful. The flower Vendor is great to work with. It was great to have so many flower options.
• The Baked Potato night is coming up on May 2nd.

Property and Finance
• Question regarding whether Jamie Wells accepted the position of Assistant Treasurer?
There hasn’t been confirmation yet. This needs to happen before May 20th when we put out the slate for the Church cabinet.
• Bathrooms - asked Rich to change one of his days to later in the week to keep the bathroom clean during the weekend. His days will change to Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He did indeed show up on Friday. During special events we may need to keep cleaning the bathrooms in mind as part of the event. There were also some issues with AA attendees knocking over wastebaskets. AA created signage to address this.
• Dave Hanson’s painter is painting the stairway walls.
• Arthur Sharpe may do the kitchen floor. This is still in progress. When redoing the floors, there is an opportunity to clean behind and under the stove, etc. Will need a plumber to disconnect the gas line when redoing the floor. Do any of our kids do a plumbing trade? Concannon Plumbing was suggested. Good price.
• The sidewalk should be done sometime this Spring. Will have to wait for the pieces to fall into place - Dave having time, extra concrete available from the Ferrari brothers.

Spiritual Engagement:
• Reverend Beth went to Kids Church on Sunday. It was really good. It’s awesome. The curriculum is great and theologically on par with where we are. She is very pleased with Kids Church. Very gifted, creative and intelligent children in our congregation.

Food Pantry
There was a meeting on April 1st. Jack walked in and was glad to see it wasn’t contentious. Erick has been working on the Standard Operating Procedures of the Food Pantry. He agreed to do the bulk of the work and identify who is responsible for what.
The goal is to create a workflow document about how the Food Pantry works. Jack is very happy with Eric. Developed a volunteer enrollment form and spreadsheet. Jack is already using it. Jack put out for volunteers and they got 6! A new volunteer will help the patrons walk through the pantry and choose food. They are looking for three people: 1.  community engagement volunteer 2. volunteer coordinator and 3.fundraising coordinator. Jack is thinking about succession planning. They still have 26k in their fund. This will last them a little over a year if no more comes in. However, they will get money usually around Fall.

Nominations
• Question about a need for a Food Pantry committee.
• Community needs 1, Congregational needs 2 so far. Anne will make announcements for volunteers.
• Reverend Beth asked what is your favorite and least favorite thing about being on a team. Responses: It’s hard to get to know the people when it’s a well established team. It’s a good way to learn how the church is run. In the beginning when it was thought that they had to come up with something every month and it was overwhelming. Once it calmed down it was fine. Some liked the opportunities of being on a team. Volunteering gives purpose. Some don’t like two meetings a month. It can be challenging when there is not enough staff or one is working extra hard. Coffee hour needs to be covered.

The next meeting is May 20th. The treasurer will need to present a budget at the annual meeting. Annual meeting is on 6/14.

Adjourned at 8:10 p.m.