March 2021 Steeple Sounds 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

It’s March… Again. And it’s Lent… Again. We’ve been in this COVID world for a year now. Grief anniversaries can sneak up on us. And a sense of loss can bring up other losses. Time and time again I’ve talked with people who are going through a difficult time and, in the course of the conversation, found out that they are near the time of year when they lost someone they loved. Even when we don’t remember an anniversary is coming, our bodies and spirits often do.
Collectively, we are approaching the first anniversary of a major period of grief and loss. A period of grief and loss that is still unfolding. Hundreds of thousands of people - including people in our congregation - have lost a loved one to COVID. Many more have lost jobs, have been separated from loved ones, are struggling with mental health and addiction. The list goes on and on. Even those who have been extremely fortunate have found that isolation, loss of routines, and anxiety can often feel harder to bear the longer the pandemic goes on.

I know you already KNOW all of this, but I think it’s worth saying again because it can be hard to remember that things are still hard right now. We humans are so wonderfully adaptable that we sometimes forget what we’re living through right now. We might be less productive at work or more irritable with our loved ones and chastise ourselves, “What’s wrong with me?” What’s wrong with all of us right now is that we’re living through a global catastrophe. On a regular basis these days, 3000 or so people are dying from COVID in the U.S. alone. That’s the equivalent of eight airliners falling out of the sky. That’s the equivalent of a 9/11 every day. Kyrie eleison - Christ, have mercy.

We find ourselves in an in-between space right now. We sit with the pain of the compounding losses as we approach the one-year mark AND we rejoice as we watch healthcare workers, teachers, people we know receiving their vaccines. SUCH JOY! And for those who will be waiting a long time for their vaccines there is also a need to dig deep to find patience.

It is my prayer for you that you will be gentle with your beautiful self and with others. Allow yourself to experience your emotions each day, knowing that emotions are like the weather. They sometimes arrive unexpectedly and may stay a little longer than we’d like, but they aren’t forever. If you’re having persistent feelings of sadness, anger, and overwhelm, please reach out and let me or someone else help.

It is my prayer for you that your faith anchors you. That you find ways of connecting with the Holy that give you the strength you need each day. If you are struggling to find spiritual practices that work for you, let’s talk!

Lately, I have used a simple breath prayer whenever I need to re-center. Using the words of the 46th Psalm, I find stillness and say to myself on an inhale, “God is our refuge and strength,” and then on the exhale, “A very present help in times of trouble.” After breathing that way for a few minutes, I often read the entire Psalm and then close with another breath prayer, using the words at the end of Psalm 46: (inhale) “Be still and know” (exhale) “That you are God.”
Blessings to you as we keep breathing together. One day at a time. In and out. God’s love is enough to sustain us now and always. May it be so.

In Christ,
Rev. Beth

In-person worship closure extended until further notice*

* The building is available to the Bridgewater Food Pantry, 12-step support groups,

and small group gatherings under strict guidelines and protocols, by reservation only.

Dear Friends of CSCC,

While we all desperately want to come back to church, and coffee hour, and youth events … and so much more, it’s simply not safe to do so yet. We have to stay the course, stay home, mask up when we need to go out, and keep our distance for just a bit longer. Then when we do gather once more, we’ll be able to come together and truly celebrate.

We were hoping that by now we’d be able to begin worshipping all together again. But the number of cases is still high, and now we hear news of new strains that are more contagious. So instead of picking yet another somewhat random goal date, our plan is now to look at resuming in-person worship when large group indoor gatherings are again allowed. At that point, we will then reassess the data from our area as well as the state, and review the recommendations of the UCC as well as our own Re-opening Task Force.

And as we’ve said before, thank you to all that have been “thinking outside the box” of ways our community can continue to stay connected and support each other and the community at large. We are truly blessed to have each other.

Until then, we will continue to broadcast Sunday services on Facebook and YouTube, and rebroadcast them on BTV. We will also continue to stay connected as a community through the Steeple Sounds newsletter, the CSCC website, and Facebook, and connect with each other one on one through phone calls, texts, emails, Zoom, and cards...and maybe even the occasional drive-by communion or takeout dinner fundraiser.

Be well and be safe, and keep the church and each other in your prayers.

REMOTE WORSHIP ON FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE

• We will continue to worship virtually for the forseeable future.
• Use the link on the homepage of www.csccucc.org to access Sunday worship. Click on the COVID-19 update link to access the YouTube link for past services.
• Sunday Worship will continue to be livestreamed from the Sanctuary at 10 a.m. Only the Pastor, the Minister of Music, and the Director of Video Evangelism will be allowed in the building.

Booth Video Productions and BTV Access Corporation team up to bring you livestream productions of our services. The link to watch the service live, as well as an electronic copy of our bulletin so that you can follow along, is available each week that we are broadcasting on our website homepage, www.csccucc.org. You can watch weekly sermons live on YouTube courtesy of Paul Holmes and Booth Video (search Central Square Congregational Church).

A quick reminder that Central Square Sunday service can be viewed on BTV Channel 9 on Sundays at 8pm, Mondays at 1pm, Tuesdays at 10am, and Fridays at 3pm. Generally the programming is updated mid-week. Also, if you miss a service or other special programming and would like to watch On Demand or download a copy, you can check out youtube.com/c/Booth-video/videos or btvaccess.viebit.com

Our Online Ministry Continues to be Strong
Paul Holmes, our Minster of Video Evangelism, reported at Cabinet last month that our online viewership continues to be strong, whether live on YouTube or Facebook, or playback on BTV. There have been Sunday worship services with over 100 views, and a lot of great interaction with inspirational Facebook posts, videos, and announcements. The singalong, too, attracted a great audience!

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
(the church phone is being answered remotely during the shutdown)

or email her at csccpastor @ hotmail.com

CSCC Deacons
Deb Sorgman – debsorgman @ gmail.com
Lynn Pietras – lsypie @ aol.com

CSCC Care Team
Carol Chaffee
Phoebe Hogg
Bev Mitchell

John Scott

Rev. Beth Stotts

Contact the church office if you need us!

The Bridgewater Food Pantry, hosted by CSCC, will remain open its usual days and times (Thursdays, 10am-1pm, first Mondays of the month, 6-7:30pm), although with slightly different format to respect the crucial physical distancing.

Precautions have been put in place so that patrons will not come in contact with each other during their visit. If you have lost your job or have kids at home from school and need some assistance with food, please feel welcome to go (Bridgewater residents only).

If you would like to help out, you can drop off non-perishable donations at the side door of the church every weekday from 9 to 1. Just leave them outside the door. They especially need ingredients for breakfasts and lunches. You can also donate money via check that can be mailed to the church (make check out to "CSCC" and put "food pantry" in the memo, and mail to 71 Central Square, Bridgewater MA 02324), or by electronically by CLICKING HERE.

MARCH MEETING PROGRAM:
The Women’s Guild and Fellowship’s program for Wednesday, March 3, 2021 is “A Literary Evening with Janet.” Our own Janet Colford, retired English teacher, will lead us in a fun time of creativity and sharing. Each of you is asked to either write a short poem, or be prepared to talk about your favorite book, short story, or poem. Janet previously led our group in poetry writing and it was a big success. Don’t worry; there won’t be any quizzes! Please join us via Zoom beginning at 6:30pm. If you are not a current member of the Guild, but would like to join our meeting, email Sandy Alley at sna3545@comcast.net and you will be sent a link.

SPRING YARD SALE:
The Guild’s next yard sale is scheduled for Saturday, May 1 (rain date is May 2) at 46 Cedar Crest Drive, Bridgewater. Bev Mitchell and Debbie Golob are co-chairing this fund-raising event. If you would like to help (setup, sales, cleanup), please contact Bev at 508-697-2949, or Debbie at 508-947-2798. Some of the items we are looking for include: clothing (men’s, women’s, children’s and infant’s), linens, house wares, jewelry, toys, seasonal items, shoes and bags, home and garden décor, books (paperback only – no hardcover), sporting goods. We cannot accept any electronics, (i.e. computers, TVs, monitors, phones, etc.) and no VHS tapes. We cannot accept drop-offs the day of the sale as our space is limited. We held two yard sales in 2020, as we were not able to hold our usual rummage sales. While we have not made as much money as with the rummage sales, we have had great success and a wonderful time working together in a safe and socially distant way. The proceeds from the two sales also allowed the Guild to continue its mission of giving to the community and beyond. Please join us as a worker or a shopper!

Organizations supported by the Women’s Guild:
CSCC general fund, CSCC youth mission trip, Women’s Shelter, Mitchell’s Monsters, Toys for Tots, MainSpring House, L Street Mission, food bank, sober houses, hospice, Salvation Army, Teen Challenge, animal shelters, Homes for Our Troops, and more.

If you know of anyone who is struggling and would benefit by receiving cards, please email Donna Albro at donnaalbro@comcast.net. She creates lovely handmade cards for all occasions.

We invite all women to join us for our monthly programs and for our fundraising activities.

Sandra Alley, Bette de Koning
Co-Presidents

Your church family wants to see you!

Our committee usually solicits the front door greeters on Sundays when we gather in person. Since we won't be gathering for a while, we need more Video Virtual Greeters. It's very simple to do with your cell phone camera, or ours. The short script does require a smile. Contact one of us so we can help you record your Welcome to Worship message.

We will tell you how and what or come to your front door, socially distanced, to make a recording. Reach out to the church office to get in touch with us today!

Mike Bundock, Gail Wershing

Cows! Cows?

Our cow fundraiser to support Heifer International is going to be starting soon, and we want to share with you what it’s all about. In secret, and often under cover of darkness, one of our three wooden cows – Hope, Faith, and Charity – might show up in your yard. If one does, there’s a little pouch on the back that asks you to make a small donation (if you are able) to have her moved to her next destination, and, if you’d like to, for you to specify what that destination is! You just contact the name of the cow courier that’s in the pouch, and let them know that a cow came to visit, and where she should go next. And all funds raised go to support Heifer International.

Isaiah 26:4 – Trust in the Lord for ever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock.

When my parents moved from Bridgewater to Shelburne, MA in 1995, they moved away from their children and their grandchildren, but they also moved back to my mom’s roots. It wasn’t long after they retired to Shelburne that my mom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Her mantra became F.R.O.G. (fully reliant on God). I believe that her faith and devotion to God carried her through the illness and made her stronger in spirit. She was gifted frog after frog after frog, many of which, I still cherish in our home. Amen.

Carol Chaffee

Women's Walking Spirituality

Are you tired of Zoom meetings?
Do you miss your church friends?
Need some spirituality?

Join other women of the church for a walk and talk

spirituality adventure.

• When: Saturday March 13 & 27 11:00am
• Where: BR High School parking lot nearest the track
• What: Meet in the lot, share a prayer and scripture. Walk in small groups to discuss.

Questions: Call the church office or email Denise Molinari

Weather: If inclement weather or below freezing, watch your email for rescheduling.

Don’t forget your mask!

On Sunday February 14th we expressed our love and caring for one another by sponsoring UCC Church World Service Blanket Sunday. The Board of Outreach contributed $200, and you and other community members generously donated $280 bringing our total to $480! At $10 per Blanket, we bought 48 blankets for CWS to distribute to those in need. With the fierce winter storms that have spanned our country, these blankets came at the perfect time.

Thank you for bringing some warmth to those who need to be wrapped in God’s love and know that they are not left out alone in the cold.

A quick note on conference dues. Every year, we pay to the Southern New England Conference of the UCC (of which we are a member) a dues amount for each member of our congregation, that helps pay for all of the resources and support they offer us and the missions they support. The amount is about $20 per person. Each year we ask you to contribute this amount in addition to your other giving so that the church budget doesn’t have to absorb it. So we are asking once again – if you are able, and haven’t done so yet this fiscal year, please add $20 per church member in your household to your next offering.

Summer 2021!

Keep your fingers crossed that we’ll be able to hold our annual golf tournament this summer. We’re hoping we can because it’s a great fundraiser for the church, as well as a really fun community event.

WE NEED YOU. If you’d be willing to help out — a little or a lot — please contact the church office. We are in need of a coordinator (you’ll have lots of guidance) to work with our Congregational Administrator, Ellen Atherton, as well as folks to do a whole host of smaller, specific tasks.

If you’re wondering what you can do to help the church out in these trying times, here’s your chance!

Our Valentine’s Day Takeout Dinner Fundraiser was a huge success! We sold over 75 chicken parm dinners! Big thank you to:
— all who purchased meals
— those who paid to donate a meal to someone in need
— those who put a little extra in their payment
— the dessert crew
— the distribution crew
— the organizational crew
— and to Boston Tavern Middleboro for their delicious food.

Once again because of an extremely generous angel who paid the Boston Tavern bill, we raised over $2,600 for the church! Special shout-out thanks to Ellen Atherton, Carla Jackson, Scott Jackson, Gail Wershing, Rebecca Sheibley, and Diane Sheibley for making this event such a success.

Thanks to Carol Chaffee for these pictures of “days gone by”.

Left: Carol Chaffee and Marge Dean, (circa 1986) serve pie at a Ham and Bean Supper at CSCC. The church hosted about 4 ham and bean suppers annually with great success, thanks to the leadership of David Moore. Marge and Jim Dean were active members of our congregation, Jim was known for his woodworking skills, selling his wares at the church fair, and Marge was active in the Women’s Fellowship. Both were fun loving and faithful to our church.
Right: Carol Chaffee and Jane O'Connell serve coffee and sell baked goods, in the narthex, at the annual WGF spring rummage sale on April 20, 1996.

Carol Daiker Howe was.

She joined Central Square Congregational Church at age 14 along with her dad on Easter Sunday, 1954.

The Reverend Bob Mayhew was the pastor, a “pied piper” among the youth, she recalled in a recent chat. With him and other church leaders, many field trips with other town church youth groups were made, a number to New York City including a vivid one to the home of a Harlem pastor. There the visitors wondered why the baby’s crib was surrounded by chicken wire. It seems demolition across the street had caused rodents to flee their nests. Sad things to learn.

Back home, this Bridgewater church had no center aisle. Youth and adults worked together to push the pews into today’s configuration. That was the relatively easy.

A tougher job: The steeple needed to be repaired or replaced (sound familiar?). To raise funds for the steeple, a thermometer replica was erected on the Common. All donations were recognized with the gift of a small round metal pin with the words “Steeple People” imprinted on it. Do you have one among your treasures to share?

Thank you, Carol, for the memories.

To mark this 200th Church Anniversary, Steeple Sounds is looking for your special memories to include in each issue. What do you recall about your church experience here in the 1950s, the 1960s, the ‘70s, ‘80s? Let the office know you want to share those memories and we will call you to listen and report.

The virtual meeting was called to order at 7:05 by Denise Molinari, Vice Moderator.

Cabinet members in attendance: Rev. Beth Stotts, Pastor; Denise Molinari, Vice Moderator; Dave Sheibley, Treasurer; Diane Sheibley, Clerk; Gordon Brailsford, Board of Trustees; Lynn Pietras, Board of Deacons; Marci Langevin, Board of Christian Education; Bill O’Neil, Board of Christian Outreach; Barbara Morey, History & Memorials Committee; Gail Wershing, Growth Committee; Ellen Crawford, Music Committee; Terry Reynolds, Women’s Guild & Fellowship
Also present: Paul Holmes, Minister of Video Evangelism; Ellen Atherton, Congregational Administrator; Bette deKoning, Women’s Guild & Fellowship; Carol Chaffee, Historical Church Building Committee.

Denise Molinari noted that Moderator Anne Malmquist was sick and wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting.

Ellen Crawford opened the meeting with a prayer read from the Lenten book study book, “Lent in Plain Sight” by Jill Duffield.

Diane Sheibley did the roll call.

January Meeting Minutes
The minutes from the January meeting were reviewed. Terry noted one correction. Gail Wershing motioned to accept the minutes with the correction. Terry Reynolds seconded. The minutes were approved.

Pastor’s Report – Rev. Beth Stotts
Rev. Beth reported that there were a lot of clergy meetings in the last month. She also reported that the Bridgewater Council of Churches has voted to officially disband, and is working through the associated logistics. The Greater Bridgewater Interfaith Council will be picking up some of the work that the BCC was involved in.

There have been several requests to do Communion during worship (even though it is virtual) again rather than in the drive-by fashion from recent months, so that is what she will do next month. She reported on the Lenten book study this Saturday, and the half-hour Lenten meditation and writing event planned for this Friday at 9am. She led two community volunteer events to help out at End Hunger NE, which were very well attended. She was excited to create the Lenten packets that were distributed to the congregation, and is starting a sermon series this Sunday based on the hymn boards in the sanctuary that still have the hymn numbers from the last Sunday before in-person worship was suspended a year ago. She also noted that there will be a prerecorded service on Maundy Thursday (4/1), and a live-streamed service on Good Friday (4/2).

Treasurer’s Report – David Sheibley
Dave reported that income is running about $10,000 behind budget, and expenses are running about $5,000 behind budget. Investments are doing OK as the stock market is strong.

2020 calendar year-end statements will not be mailed to everyone to save paper and postage, but can be requested from the church office. Dave will ask Judy to email out statements to anyone for whom we have email an email address on file. Following discussion, it was decided that paper fiscal year-to-date statements will be generated in mid-March and mailed with a cover letter asking folks to make sure they’re up to date on their pledges. Rev. Beth, Gail Wershing, and Dave will work on this project of crafting a letter and getting the mailing out.

An inquiry was made about dues. Dues cost the church about $20 per member each year. We should remind folks that we’d like them to contribute this amount for their household members so that the church budget doesn’t have to incur the cost. It will be announced from the pulpit and put in steeple sounds, and possibly in a couple Monday emails as well.

Food Pantry Money
The food pantry account as almost $40,000 in it and has for the better part of a year. Monetary donations remain strong. There are concerns that we’re not using those funds for the purpose they were intended – providing food. Bill O’Neil also noted that we have a lot of food in stock as well. He noted that visits to the pantry have declined. Several suggestions were made:
* is there any way we could package food bags or kits and distribute them to people who need it?
* can we work with the other churches in town, and the Angels in America charity, to connect us with those who need food, and either provide them food bags or grocery gift cards?
* the town Recreation Dept has in the past had a “Bridgewater fund” – can we look into contributing to that? (although they might deal in more than food insecurity)
* the school system provides breakfasts and lunches to children who need them. can we donate to this program? We might contact the school nurses to find out more.
* can the senior center connect us with those who are in need, and/or help distribute food to them?
* can the senior center be given copies of the checklist of food requests that the food pantry uses in their distributions, so that we can provide people what they need?

Dave noted that we have a lot of people and businesses and banks that give the food pantry money, and they expect that we’re using it for its intended purpose, not sitting on it in a bank account.

Bill noted that the food pantry staff is limited. Input from various people offered that if there was a distribution plan, volunteers could be solicited to implement the plan, and there was no doubt people would step up. But there has to be a plan. Carol Chaffee offered to reach out to Jack Melcher, food pantry director, to explore solutions to the issue. She will report back to Anne Malmquist. Bill asked that Jack be put on the Cabinet distribution list for future communications and meeting announcements. Ellen Atherton will take care of that.

Office Manager Report – Ellen Atherton
Ellen reported her work on various fundraising projects – the Valentine’s Day takeout event, looking into a clothing drive, and thinking about the golf tournament. We are in need of a golf tournament coordinator, but Ellen is happy to help out, and has reached out to Brett Wright for input. She is also helping the care team coordinate meal deliveries. Carol noted that Old Colony Hospice is doing a used sneaker drive as a fundraiser, and maybe we could consider something similar. She’ll get more details.

Historical Church Building Committee – Barbara Morey
The CPC has told Barbara that they will provide a letter that says the CPC will reimburse the church for the $1000 deposit that Brian Pfeiffer (an historical preservationist) requires to start his deed restriction work plus the $5500 balance that he will bill when he’s done, as the church needs to front those payments. Brian has said that if the time he estimated goes over, he will be charging an hourly rate for additional time. Barbara is going to tell him that $6500 is all we have authorized, and that he needs to keep it to that. Gordon was concerned that our constitution calls for a congregational vote if we want to spend an amount over $5000, and so this would fall into that. It was noted that we are not spending the money, we are fronting the money, to be reimbursed. Several people agreed with that assessment.

Gordon also mentioned that Brian Pfeiffer’s proposal also calls several times for an attorney to review various documents, and this would be another expense. He also noted that an attorney is indicated to be the one to do the presentation to the town. Rev. Beth will check with the conference to see if there are resources for legal assistance for member churches. Gordon also noted that the deed restrictions that are being developed for the project will be “in perpetuity” for the church building, even if it’s sold down the line. He noted he has many concerns about the deed restrictions. The Trustees are meeting tomorrow night and this will be discussed.

Other business/reports
* Carol Chaffee noted that someone who is not part of our congregation but receives our newsletter called to join our care circles, so we’re doing some good!
* Terry Reynolds reported that the Heifer cows will start to be delivered hopefully in the next week or so.
* Gail Wershing suggested explaining how the cow project is a fundraiser to those that don’t know. It will be noted in steeple sounds and from the pulpit.
* History & Memorials Committee noted that they received about 25 gifts in memory of Scott Wright.
* Bette deKoning reported that the Women’s Guild has been meeting via Zoom. Their spring yard sale is on May 1 (rain date May 2), and Bev Mitchell and Debbie Golob are chairing. While the yard sales don’t net as much money as their rummage sales, they have been instrumental in allowing the WG to keep up with the projects and missions that they normally support. They are also supplying comfort items to hospice.
* Marci Langevin (Bd of Christian Education) reported that she and Brianna were testing doing CE with children via Zoom, using their children. It’s challenging, but they’re still trying to develop some sort of CE lessons for the kids.
* Terry Reynolds reported that representatives from Christian Outreach, the Women’s Guild, and CE met to see how they might collaborate. One idea for which they had volunteers was for some of the women in the WG to record reading bible stories for kids to watch. Rev. Beth agreed to put together some other resources to go along with them.
* Carol noted that the library is sending weekly emails and including a “children’s corner” just with resources for the kids. Maybe we might want to incorporate something similar in our weekly emails.
* Gail Wershing from Growth Committee noted that they are still looking to get more virtual greeter recordings to play at the beginning of online worship. It was suggested that at drive-by communions and bible studies, perhaps someone could video a few greetings with the people who attended.
* Carol Chaffee noted that the Care Circles have been reorganized, and the new lists will be distributed soon. There are 5 groups of 7 people each. She also noted that the article links that Rev. Beth distributed prior to the Cabinet meeting were very interesting and encouraged others to read them and think about them as well.
* Denise Molinari spoke about the Women’s Walking Spirituality event that was held earlier in February. A second event had to be cancelled due to weather. Women gather, share a scripture reading, then break into small groups and walk while discussing the reading, or anything else, and enjoying the camaraderie and fresh air. The next event is at BR high school on Saturday, March 13 at 11am. All women are welcome.

Rev. Beth shared a devotion in closing.

Church Administration
Pastor: Rev. Elizabeth Stotts, csccpastor @ hotmail.com
Congregational Administrator: Ellen Atherton, office @ csccucc.com
Sexton: Rich Sullivan
Minister of Music: Julia Scott Carey

Director of Video Evangelism: Paul Holmes
Treasurer: David Sheibley
Office telephone: (508) 697-6016
Website: www.csccucc.org
Facebook pages: facebook.com/csccuccbridgewaterma (main page), facebook.com/groups/801550253194149 (youth page)

Steeple Sounds submissions deadline is the 15th of the month prior to publication.