November 2019 Steeple Sounds

From the Desk of Rev. Beth

Rev. Elizabeth Stotts, Pastor

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Giving Thanks and Living Thanks…

I read an article recently about a study where people had to make a list each night of three things they were grateful for and keep a little journal beside their bed with those lists. The study suggested that over the course of the study the individuals experienced a dramatic change in their spiritual health and well-being because of the practice of giving thanks. I’ve also heard of folks who, wanting to mature their spiritual lives and become more thankful, start what is called a Thanks-Living Jar. Each evening for the month of November, you write on a small piece of paper at least one moment from the day that you thank God for (maybe it was a snuggle from the dog or a really great meal) and drop it in the jar. Some days that could be super easy. Other days it might be difficult to think of even one. But the point is to get into the practice of “Thanks Living” or “Living Thanks”. Then, on Thanksgiving, you empty the jar and read through all of the notes. I love this idea. Our lives go so fast sometimes (especially around the holidays!) that even just taking a single moment to be in a spirit of gratitude has got to be good for our spiritual well-being. I can imagine that the experience of opening all those notes, those little prayers of thanks-living, would be a pretty powerful way to celebrate the abundance in our lives.

I’m going to make a “Thanks-Living Jar” this year. I think I’m going to ask my family to do it with me, and I hope you might consider it too! My prayer for you this month is that amidst the chaos of the holiday season, you will find moments of spiritual richness and gratitude. May we all be in the practice of Living Thanks. Amen.

Yours In Christ,
Rev. Beth
csccpastor@hotmail.com, 508-697-6016

On Wednesday, November 6th certified Laughter Yoga Master, Linda Hamaker of “Let’s Laugh Today” will show you how to bring more laughter into your life and how you can use laughter to ease your stress! Enjoy this unique and fun exercise of laughter and clapping combined with gentle breathing that brings more oxygen to the body’s cells. Any level of physical ability can participate in this uplifting experience! Each playful laughter session will always be different, and you will always feel GREAT afterwards! Laughter yoga is sweeping the world and is now in 120 countries! Come and experience the contagiousness of laughter! You can sit or stand and no special clothing or mats are needed. If you are as curious as we are come and join the WG&F and have a good laugh. You will find us in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30pm on November 6th.

Also, see later in this newsletter for our partnership with the Board of Christian Outreach and the Board of Christian Education to create “Blessing Bags”.

Each Sunday, volunteers from Cabinet-level boards, committees, groups, and officers provide the coffee and, maybe, goodies for all of us to enjoy in the Fellowship Hour. Please thank them and offer to help the next time your church friends are the hosts. Setup, make coffee, bring cream/milk and juice, cleanup, and providing goodies are the tasks needing extra hands. Contact Mike at mm.bundock@comcast.net or Gail at wershing@ptd.net with questions.

Nov. 3—First Sunday..................Board of Christian Outreach & Board of Stewardship
Nov. 10—Second Sunday.............................CSCC Officers & Women’s Guild & Fellowship
Nov. 17—Third Sunday...........................Growth Committee & History & Memorials Committee
Nov. 24—Fourth Sunday............................Board of Trustees & Board of Christian Education

Dec. 1*—First Sunday..................Board of Christian Outreach & Board of Stewardship
......*Note that fellowship hour today is in the Fireplace Room
Dec. 8—Second Sunday...............................CSCC Officers & Women’s Guild & Fellowship
Dec. 15—Third Sunday...........................Growth Committee & History & Memorials Committee
Dec. 22—Fourth Sunday............................Board of Trustees & Board of Christian Education
Dec. 29—Fifth Sunday..............................Board of Deacons & Music Committee

If you are a youth in grades 8-12, or are the parent or family member of one, and are on Facebook, please join the CSCC Youth FB page. Information on “all things youth” is posted — community service opportunities, youth group and mission trip meetings, mission trip details, fun things the youth of the church are invited to, and more. It’s a great way to have direct communication with each other and the church leadership, as well as get up-to-date info on upcoming matters of importance.

Simply search within FB “CSCC Youth”, and the group should come up. Click through to the page and request to be a member. If you have any questions, contact the church office at office@csccucc.com or 508-697-6016.

Who: Youth currently in grades 8-12
Cost: $100 deposit locks in each youth committing to the trip. This amount is due as soon as possible (make the check payable to “CSCC” and put “mission trip deposit” in the memo section). This is the only out-of-pocket cost except for spending money on the trip. If the $100 deposit is a burden, contact Jess Stearns. CSCC makes participation possible for all youth. All additional expenses are funded through the youth’s fundraising efforts, including leaf raking (11/16), cookie making overnight (12/14), and the mission dinner (3/21/20).

If you’re answer is “Oh my gosh, yes!”, then we ask you to consider being on the volunteer list for fill-in nursery staff members. Occasionally, our regular staff member isn’t able to come on a Sunday morning, 9-12, to watch the littlest of our church family while their parents are in worship. If you are willing to be asked to work once in a while (we understand you might have to say “no” for that date!),.
please let Jess Stearns know at jessicastearns1231@gmail.com. All volunteers are CORI checked

I want to send a great big THANK YOU to all who played any role in our incredibly successful drive to collect materials for the Brockton Animal Shelter on Saturday! That includes all who made posters or signs, handed out or posted flyers, told friends/family/neighbors about it, came to hold signs and collect donations, and/or helped move MANY pounds of kitty litter, kitty food, and paper towels from Music Alley to Bridgewater UM Church! It was definitely a team effort and our hard work paid off! Yay Team!
—Shari, Bridgewater United Methodist Church

This summer CSCC and the Bridgewater United Methodist Church partnered together for a Vacation Bible Camp. Part of the camp was to create a mission project. The kids chose to have a pet food drive of donations for the animal shelter. So, the first Saturday in October kids from CSCC and BUMC gathered at Music Alley to collect donations from the Bridgewater community. The donations were then blessed at BUMC’s Blessing of the Animals worship service, then delivered to the shelter.

These small commitment/big impact roles are available throughout the year, and youth and families are welcome to volunteer as well. Whether for one Sunday, or once a month, ushers, greeters, and acolytes are needed to create a helpful and welcoming experience for all who come through our doors. Contact the church office, or speak to someone in one of those roles on Sunday for more information about how you can participate.

Acolytes have traditionally been 3rd-6th graders, but anybody is welcome to take on this important job of leading off worship by lighting the altar candles. Be the one who brings the light of Christ into our presence at the beginning of Sunday service!
For more information, contact Ellen at office@csccucc.com or 508-697-6016.

Booth Video Productions and BTV Access Corporation team up weekly to bring you live stream productions of our service. 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 on our website homepage, www.csccucc.org.
Central Square Congregational services are available on the go! You can watch weekly sermons live on YouTube courtesy of Paul Holmes and Booth Video (search Central Square Congregational Church) or on Replay on BTV Channel 9, here in Bridgewater. You can also watch replays and download copies, courtesy of the BTV Video on Demand Page, available at btvaccess.com. Services air on Channel 9, weekly on Sunday at 8pm (previous week), Mondays at 1pm, Tuesdays at 10am, and Fridays at 3pm. BTV also airs coverage of church events, when covered by volunteer producers.

If you’ve ever marveled at the life and color that flowers lend to the altar on Sunday morning, please know that anyone is invited be a part of that joy. We invite you to sign up for a Sunday, and donate flowers of any size and any type. Perhaps your favorite arrangement is a fresh bouquet of daisies. Or perhaps the favorite of a loved one was a mixture of red and white carnations, and you’d like to honor them on their birthday. Just like people, “all [flowers] are welcome”. Contact Lynn Pietras at lsypie@aol.com for available dates or with questions.

The music ministry at our church has had a wonderful Fall so far. Our choir has been singing every week since Jubilee Sunday, and our Junior Choir has performed once so far. Lately, we have been singing hymns and prayer responses that address people’s current worries and spiritual needs, such as hymns about the climate and refugees. We had one hymn this year in which we invited anyone in the congregation to join us on instruments, and that was a special welcoming moment. We have another month of Fall to look forward to, before we turn our thoughts toward Advent. We are always looking for more voices to join our adult and junior choirs, so please spread the word if you or someone you know loves to sing — all ages and abilities are welcome.

Rehearsals for the senior choir are at 8am on Sundays in preparation for that day’s 10am service. The children’s choir rehearses at 9:15am on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, and at 9:30 on the third Sunday of the month; performance is on the fourth Sunday of the month at the 10am service.
Julia Scott Carey, Minister of Music juliascottcarey@gmail.com

As you enjoy the beautiful Fall foliage and begin to move your warmer layers and outerwear to the front of your closets, please remember we are accepting donations of clothing for our Warmth in Cold Places Campaign. Distributions of donations will be made at both the L Street Mission (Brockton) and Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen (Taunton). Instead of taking up space in your closet, drawers or a random Rubbermaid bin (that you may even forget to bring down from the attic) let your gently used fall/winter clothing & outerwear provide much needed warmth to those in need. Hats, gloves, socks, and hand-warmers are also accepted.

Join a fun-loving pop-up choir singing traditional Christmas Carols the old-fashioned way in the front of our church Sunday, December 1 from about noon til 2 p.m. for the Christmas on the Common celebration. Come with a happy spirit and a costume if you wish (Dickens, Biblical or contemporary). We provide hot chocolate, uke(s) and songbooks in case you don’t know all the verses. Vendors including our church crafters will be in Fellowship Hall. We will be out front if the weather allows, inside the front door if needed.

Contact Mike Bundock at mm.bundock@comcast.com or Gail Wershing at wershing@ptd.net if you can come for a spell. Fun for the family! Bring your friends!

The items they are currently hoping to acquire include:
Canned meat/fish (Tuna, Chicken, Spam, Sardines)
Peanut/Almond Butter
Frozen hamburger
Canned fruit/vegetables
Pasta
Condiments
Beans
...as well as personal items such as small soaps, deodorant, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products.

Donations can be brought to the bottom floor of the Rondileau Campus Center (19 Park Ave.) to the Information Desk, for students working in the BSU Food Pantry to inventory and add to their pantry. The BSU Food Pantry is run by the student organization “Bears Who Care”. They are hoping to help manage it as a part of their passion to help their fellow students who are struggling.

The CANDY TABLE could still use donations of candy, or money to offset the cost of making candy. You can just drop it off at the candy table on Nov. 1 or 2.

STUDENT VOLUNTEERS are still being accepted. Community service! Grades 8 through college. 11/2 (fair) and 11/9 (supper). Contact Diane at dianesheibley@gmail.com for details or to sign up.

ATTIC TREASURES... I love this table! You meet some wonderful, friendly people and it's a great time for new people in church to get involved. If you have any dishes, candles, Christmas items, CDs, and toys - please donate them to the table. (We do not take computers, TVs, or large appliances.) You can drop items off on Oct. 30: 5-6pm, Oct. 31: 9-1, and Nov. 1: 9-1. The table will be located in our upstairs Meeting Room.

This year I would like to have some Christmas clothing, such as children's outfits, sweaters, etc. Also, if you would like to work at the table, please get in touch with me.
—Bev Mitchell

The Women’s Guild and Fellowship is joining with the Board of Christian Education and the Board of Christian Outreach to work together once again on the Blessing Bag Project. Blessing Bags are zip lock bags that contain a few of the most basic necessities, but to someone who is living on the streets, these bags are an actual blessing. We would like the congregation to join us again in collecting the items for these bags.

Last year we put together 30 perishable bags and 30 nonperishable bags. We would like to match that number or perhaps surpass it, but we cannot do it without your help. The bags will be put together on Sunday, Nov. 24 during the 11:00 Fellowship Hour. Notes will be written and added to the bags. Judy Pino and Rob Basler will speak a little about working with the homeless. The bags will then be brought to the L Street Mission in Brockton where they will be distributed to those in need. Please consider contributing in any way you can. Below are the items we will be collecting and that can be left in the “Blessing Bag Box” in the front entryway of the church.

Thank you and God Bless.
Gail Wright, wright649@aol.com
Non-perishable bags: Black socks, roll of toilet paper, bar of soap, small bag of wipes

Perishable bags: Sandwich (provided by WF&F), small bag of chips, granola bar, bottle of water

One item of business will be conducted on this day:

The Historical Preservation Committee is requesting authorization to engage the services of Brian Neely, Architect, of Gail Engineering Co. to make a full technical assessment of the church’s building needs for the purpose of preparing an application for a Bridgewater Community Preservation Act grant.

No other business matters will be voted on, unless presented in writing to the Moderator prior to the meeting. That business will be added to the agenda ONLY after an affirmative vote by 2/3 of the attending-voting members.

All church members are requested to attend.

Next Cabinet meeting: November 20, 7pm in the upstairs meeting room.

Our Cabinet meetings are a time when the organizations of the church come together and share their good work, seek support or advice on current or upcoming projects, and be inspired by the work of the Lord. Last month, we began a discussion about exploring ways to match our church governance with the current realities of our programs. We did not make any decisions or reach any conclusions, but we opened the discussion. Stephen Chapin Garner writes in Scattering Seeds, “One of the consequences of giving permission for people to follow the call of the Spirit on their lives and on the life of the church is that ... ministry begins to spring up all over the place…” As we continue with our Jubilee year, it is my hope that we will continue to find and share our passions and that we will discern how best to govern ourselves and nourish our souls.

Anne Malmquist, Church Moderator, amalmquist@comcast.net.

October 5, some of us from church went to the Southern New England Conference “Super Saturday Workshops”. I woke up really early (which is hard to do on a weekend) and carpooled with Diane Sheibley and Diane Glass and my mom. When we got there, I picked up my registration packet and went to the opening worship. The opening worship was about inequality and the sermon was really good. After worship I had my first workshop which was about Climate Change. There people shared their experiences talking about climate change in their communities. After that workshop, I had lunch with Anne Malmquist and Kurt Walker. I had a tuna sandwich. It was pretty good but it needed pickles. My afternoon workshop was “Designing Altarscapes for Advent”. As the Jr. Deacon in charge of the Altar, I found this workshop useful to understand how to coordinate fabrics and other items to tell the story of the season. After this workshop I stopped at the Marketplace and bought two Equal Exchange chocolate bars. One was milk chocolate & caramel, the other was dark chocolate and almonds. The caramel one was better. Next time I go to Super Saturday I’m picking up like 5 of the caramel ones.

This year our congregational life will be centered around monthly themes. These themes will be the topics for our Christian Education during Children’s Spiritual Enrichment, youth group meetings, Sunday Stories with Rev. Beth in the Nursery, and in our weekly Sunday Worship at 10am. They will also (along with the lectionary texts) be a focal point in our weekly Bible Study which is each Tuesday at 7pm in the Fireplace Room.

Upcoming Monthly Themes are:
November - Giving Thanks
December - Expectation
January - Light

Meeting called to order at 7:01

Cabinet members in attendance: Rev. Beth Stotts, Pastor; Anne Malmquist, Moderator; Diane Sheibley, Vice Moderator; Kathleen Mosher, Clerk; Dave Sheibley, Treasurer; Ed Buckland, Board of Trustees; Margaret Wielhouwer, Board of Christian Education; Terry Reynolds & Beth Basler, Women’s Guild & Fellowship; Barbara Morey, History & Memorials Committee; Diane Glass & Lynn Pietras, Board of Deacons; Ellen Crawford, Music Committee; Gail Wershing, Growth Committee; Bill O’Neil & Rob Basler, Board of Christian Outreach

There was a brief passing of the gavel ceremony from outgoing Moderator Diane Sheibley to our new Moderator, Anne Malmquist.

Minutes from the June meeting were reviewed. Dave Sheibley motioned to accept the minutes as written. Rev. Beth seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Pastor’s Report- Rev. Beth Stotts
Rev. Beth has been working with the Bridgewater Interfaith Council and BSU. A food packaging event was co-hosted with the Offices of Student Involvement and Residence Life, with several church members as well as other community members helping. The Book Fairy Pantry Project is ongoing. The Spiritual Enrichment hour hasn’t been working, so it will not be held going forward. There are enough volunteers to have the children’s Spiritual Enrichment time during worship hours, so it will once again be held immediately following the “Moment for All Ages”. Rev. Beth was accepted into the Collegeville Institute for Writers and has been working on preparing her materials for that.

Confirmation will be on Thanksgiving Sunday, November 24. We will be hosting the Community Thanksgiving Service on November 26th at 7:00pm. Youth Group is going along great. The annual leaf raking event will be held on Saturday, November 16, to raise money for next summer’s youth mission trip. The mission trip will be to Vermont June 28-July 3, 2020

Treasurer’s Report- David Sheibley
We are 1/4 way through the year and giving is down. Hopefully that is due to the summer. We raised $1200 through the Summerfest dinner and a few other events this summer. The Golf Tournament raised $4400, although much of that came in in the last fiscal year. We had to transfer $12,000 from investments to stay afloat so far this fiscal year. Thankfully, the investments earned $11,000 in the same time period.

Anne Malmquist went over the new format for presenting information at Cabinet. Boards and committees should share any upcoming dates and events of importance, as well as any requests for input, advice, or help from Cabinet. Celebrations and achievements should also be shared.

Growth Committee- Gail Wershing
We had 99 entries for the puppet Tracey Doherty made and donated for AutumnFest. We added 30 new e-mails from those entries to the church email list. On December 1, we will have a Pop-Up Christmas Carol Choir from 12-2, during Christmas on the Common. All are welcome to participate.

Fair Committee- Diane Sheibley
The fair is November 1-2. The turkey supper is Nov. 9. Volunteers are still welcome to participate.
Diane motioned for Cabinet to approve a 50/50 and pick a prize raffle at the fair. Bill O’Neil seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Nominating Committee
Rev. Beth Stotts made a motion to add Marcy Langevin to the Board of Christian Education and Gordon Brailsford to the Board of Trustees, each for a one-year term. Gail Wershing seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Historical Renovations Committee- Barbara Morey
Barbara reported that they have selected the architect they would like to work with — Brian Neely of Gail Engineering Co. Brian wants to visit the church and meet the congregation. Barbara requested that the Moderator call a congregational meeting to approve engagement and signing a contract with Gail Engineering. It was decided that this meeting will be held on Sunday, November 3. Barbara also reported that they have been working with a grant writer that will be looking for all kinds of grants to apply for to help with funding, in addition to helping with the grant application Community Preservation Act funds from the town of Bridgwater.

Board of Christian Education- Margaret Wielhouwer
The “Taco Bout the Stars” family event originally scheduled for Oct. 26 has been cancelled due to EEE (the observatory is not open in the evenings yet). We may reschedule for December 7th.

Women’s Guild and Fellowship- Terry Reynolds
The blessing bag project will be on November 24th. There was some discussion about holding the event after church. This will be looked into.

Governance Task Force Discussion- led by Anne Malmquist
The changes in church boards and committees, originally introduced on Jubilee Sunday last month, were discussed. Everyone was in agreement that change needs to be made and brainstorming ensued. Some see a value in keeping the Boards and Committees as is and some see a need for more structural change to more accurately reflect the way our church is currently operating. Some people feel pressure and burnout. Others feel we need to do more to get different people involved. Some boards and committees are running fine and others are struggling to find people to join. There was a discussion about the Jubilee Year giving us time to innovate and try to find a way to get the congregation excited about the work we do. “It is time for people to find their joy in the work and not the weight of it.” We need to show people the why and not just the need. Kathleen Mosher, Anne Malmquist, and Rob Basler volunteered to join a task force to look into how other churches have handled such change. We will be working on more people to join in the upcoming

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, juliascottcarey@gmail.com
Director of Christian Education: Jess Stearns, jessicastearns1231@gmail.com
Treasurer: David Sheibley, treasurer@csccucc.com
Office telephone: (508) 697-6016
Website: www.csccucc.org
Facebook page: facebook.com/csccuccbridgewaterma

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