Volume 21, Issue 7 July 2020 Newsletter of “The Church on the hill” BRISTOL COMMUNITY SERVICES FOOD PANTRY NEEDS Canned Tuna Canned Chicken Peanut Butter Baked Beans Canned Veggies Canned Fruit Soups Rice Instant Potatoes ZOOM Worship Service Attendance: 5/24-42, 5/31-39, 6/7-39, 6/14-41, 6/21-39 ESTELLE’S PLAYLIST You Tube links for 3 of the preludes in June: Be Thou My Vision - (Audrey Assad) https://youtu.be/Optrm7lF16s Dwell In Me, O Blessed Spirit - (Fanny Crosby) https://youtu.be/NrpqMdGKml0 The God of Abraham Praise - (Instrumental— Fernando Ortega) https://youtu.be/IaYycKwVxQU Sunday zoom worship services begin at 9:30 AM for the months of July & August BRISTOL UCC 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Cost: $9 Adults $4 Kids under 12 Take-out available Call #744-8132 MEET US FOR ICE CREAM 3 Wednesdays in July: July 1, 8 and 15 @ 7:00 PM sharp Out of doors—Bristol UCC lawn Wear a mask and bring a folding chair (we will practice safe distancing). We’ll have frozen novelty items to share which we will pass to you with our gloves on.
ZOOM Worship Service Attendance: 5/24-42, 5/31-39, 6/7-39, 6/14-41, 6/21-39
ESTELLE’S PLAYLIST
You Tube links for 3 of the preludes in June:
Be Thou My Vision - (Audrey Assad) https://youtu.be/Optrm7lF16s
Dwell In Me, O Blessed Spirit - (Fanny Crosby)
https://youtu.be/NrpqMdGKml0
The God of Abraham Praise - (Instrumental—Fernando Ortega)
https://youtu.be/IaYycKwVxQU
Sunday zoom worship services begin at 9:30 AM for the months of July & August
BRISTOL UCC
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Cost: $9 Adults $4 Kids under 12
Take-out available Call #744-8132
MEET US FOR ICE CREAM
3 Wednesdays in July: July 1, 8 and 15 @ 7:00 PM sharp Out of doors—Bristol UCC lawn
Wear a mask and bring a folding chair
(we will practice safe distancing). We’ll have frozen novelty items to share
which we will pass to you with our gloves on.
LECTIONARY READINGS
JULY 5: Job 41:1-8; 42:1-17
JULY 12: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 - Consolation
JULY 19: 2 Corinthians 2:1-10 - Forgiveness
JULY 26: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18 - Treasure in Clay Jars
From the Pastor’s Pen The church building will not be open for services or activities through July 31.
Dear Friends, As I sit to write this column, it has been three full months since we have gathered in the sanctuary or
even in the church building. I’d love to be able to say that the Covid-19 pandemic is over, but I cannot. I’d love to say there is a vaccine and effective treatment/s, but I cannot. The news that I am reading is telling of increased spread of the virus in and around some churches that have reopened, even those following the recommended safer church protocols. Coming to church should not be hazardous to our health, yours or mine. Here are some things that we are doing at Bristol UCC: The Deacons have been working with the safer church protocols from the State, the Centers for Disease Control, and our New Hampshire Conference UCC (now that all are finally available). When the Church Council decides to reopen for In-person worship, we shall have a plan and some new rules to follow and new ways to do some things. We will all be teaching each other how to stay safer. Church WILL BE DIFFERENT. More to follow on this in August. The Council has decided that it is still not time for our building to be open to the public. We know this can be an inconvenience to various groups that use the church. We know that many want “to get back to normal,” but normal – the old way of doing things - is not safe enough. The Council has a group looking into cleaning and safety protocols for those who would use the building. We cannot in good conscience simply allow a group to come in and do whatever they may want. We also do not have a full time cleaner or cleaning service. Working out these details takes time. And we are quite aware that much of our church and group populations are in the higher risk categories for complications from this infection.
Still, there is good news. Some groups that can meet out of doors have begun doing so. Many groups have become Zoom-savvy and are enjoying their meeting times. We also intend to offer a chance to gather to say hello and see each other – out of doors, with distance, and with face masks. Wednesdays, July 1, 8, and 15, we shall try to meet on the church lawn for ice cream. We’ll have frozen novelty items to share (we’ll pass them to you with our gloves on). Bring a folding chair for yourself and arrive close to 7 PM (NOT 6:30 and NOT 7:30), and wear a mask. If you do not feel safe congregating in this way, you can always drive by and wave.
Those who don’t have computers or internet or don’t feel too proficient with such things, you can watch and participate in Sunday services by DVD (if you have a DVD player). It won’t be live but you could watch at your own pace or fast forward or even rewind. Rev. Andrew can get these DVDs recorded by Tuesday afternoons. You can get a disc and a worship program to pray and sing along. You might even save it for Sunday mornings (albeit a week behind). Call the office or call him at home to request this. If there is much demand, would you be willing to help deliver a weekly packet to a church neighbor?
I would also like to offer an occasional service – a prayer, a song, a short Bible reading – perhaps 10-15 minutes at the most, on Monday evenings. Would you be interested? Would you come? It would be with the congregation staying in their cars in the parking lot. I won’t schedule these now until I hear about any interest. Then, if it is a “go,” we’ll give an email blast with 3-5 days’ notice.
Blessings,
Star Island will not open in 2020. We will gather again when we can do so safely.
We will return in 2021.
In the meantime, we have put together several virtual classes. Come join us online!
https://starisland.org/programs/
July 1 - July 3, 2020 5:00 PM Chapel Services hosted by IRAS Zoom Chapels (Spirit) Register once for all 3 nights of chapel services, but attend as often as your schedule allows. Register in advance. July 7, 2020 4:00 PM Historic Lecture: Eternal Star (History) Join us for the first in a series of lectures from Isles of Shoals historian, Ann Beattie.
July 9, July 23, and August 11, 2020 1:00 PM Songwriting Workshop (Multi-Gen) Join our2017/2019 Music Director Sam Cummins for a songwriting workshop.
July 13, 2020 Lobster Night from Home! (Adult) Are you ready to learn how to prepare lobster from home? Buckle up your lobster bib as we teach you how.
July 14, 2020 8:00 PM Pink Parlor Ghost Stories with Toby Dills (Multi-Gen) Toby will be sharing a little Star Island magic to lift our spirits and is telling ghost
stories every other Tuesday night for Shoalers of all ages to enjoy. Grab a blanket and some swedish fish (or whatever pantry replacement exists), snuggle in with your loved ones and enjoy!
July 17, 2020 Art Project: Doodle Along to Star Island Sounds! (Multi-Gen) Let your daily life fall away and be transported to Star Island through your headphones. Listen to the waves...Listen to the seagulls squawking...And get inspired!
Past Art Director Annabelle Cook will show some common doodle tips and techniques to help you try and capture the sound of the Island. (Video available here July 17)
July 18, 2020 4:00 PM History Lecture: Painters of the Isles of Shoals (History) Join us as artist and Star Island workshop leader Christopher Volpe discusses the
history of painting at the Isles of Shoales. Survey the broad variety of artistic approaches to depicting the Shoales.
July 20, 2020 Make Your Own Star Island Grilled Cheese (Multi-Gen) A Star Island style grilled cheese is just what you need right now. We will share the
original recipe and a tutorial on how to create your own. Check here on July 20 to learn how and become the official kitchie for your household.
July 26, 2020 4:00 PM Storytelling Workshop (Adult) Join us for a class taught by frequent Moth storyteller and master story instructor
Tricia Rose Burt. July 27, 2020 Make Your Own Star Island Cheesy Eggs (Multi-Gen) Star Island style cheesy eggs for breakfast? Yes, please! We will share the original
recipe and a tutorial on how to create your own. Check here on July 27 to learn how and become the official kitchie for your household.
We are happy to present these Virtual Star Island programs free of charge. For those who are able, please consider making a donation on our website.
With your support, we will get through this time of crisis.
Lucille called the meeting to order. Rev. Andrew led us in prayer. The minutes of the May meeting were accepted as printed in the newsletter. The Treasurer’s report shows that even though we’ve been closed we’re still doing well. Everyone is pretty close to the 42% mark which is where we should be. The report was placed on file. Missions – They met last Sunday after worship. The final total for the Crop Walk was $3,880 and Bristol Community Services has already received their portion of $975. June will have a mission moment on the Got Lunch program and the Missions Committee will be giving them $500 in addition to what is collected through the offering. They are also giving the TTCC Scholarship and Horton Center programs $500 each as they offer in-state local programs. In July the mission moment will be on Heifer International. The May mission of Blankets+ raised $245. Finance – They have not met. Trustees – The fire department has conducted their safety inspection. All of the emergency lights need new batteries. They’ve been ordered and will be replaced (and the old batteries will be recycled). The furnace has been turned off for the summer and will be turned back on in the fall. Irving will be scheduled to do the cleaning, which will be an extra expense. Tom is trying to catch up with Matt Greenwood about the gaskets on the circulator pumps in the furnace room. The Trustees have mowed the church lawn once and will do it again next week. Rev. Andrew was glad to hear that as he wants to have the ice cream socials like we have in the past with a twist. We will have pre-packaged ice cream treats and will gather on the church lawn with masks and maintaining appropriate social distancing. PPRC – They met last week and had a good meeting. They expressed appreciation for all that Rev. Andrew has had to do to make things work under these really uncertain conditions. It was suggested that maybe he could put the service on DVDs for people who don’t have the technology or internet service for Zoom. He’s been experimenting with it and thinks he can get it to work. He felt it was a great suggestion. Diaconate – Much of what they discussed centered on when we can go back to the church for worship. A sub-committee has been created to see how many people can fit into each space. There are a lot of guidelines, rules and recommendations from the state and the CDC. If we try to use the sanctuary we could accommodate 38 people with proper distancing but for cleaning purposes no seat cushions would be in the pews. Everyone would have to wear a mask, have an assigned seat, and all would need to follow specific traffic patterns. Some people in the groups Rev. Andrew has been talking with have said it would be easier to do things differently if we did not meet in the sanctuary where we would be more likely to let down our guard and fall back to the ways we used to do things . In Fellowship Hall we could accommodate 35 people comfortably and the arrangement of seats would help proper spacing with only the chairs needing to be set up. Chairs would also be easier to sanitize after use. There would be no singing because even with a mask, there’s a concern for projecting particles through the mask. We’d probably use recorded music. It would continue to be very different and some people may not want to come back just yet. Lucille noted that she felt it made far more sense to continue with the Zoom services until at least the fall. Steve felt we should review this on a month to month basis. It was decided that we will not resume in person worship until at least July 31 That was just on worship, we also need to be discussing opening the building to all the groups who use it. There is a lot involved from screening the people who come into the building, sanitizing after every use and who will do all the chores and how. Rev. Andrew cautioned that we want to be careful to protect the church we all love. He asked for people to help him research all the pages of State and CDC guidelines regarding re-opening the building. Donna, Steve and Bonnie volunteered. Women’s Fellowship – Bonnie said she is meeting with the State Women’s Fellowship group with regard to the October 14 state wide gathering set for our Church. As of right now it is still a go and she will be meeting with them again on June 20. She will keep us posted. Christian Ed – Debbie purchased the books for all the Sunday School participants and they ’ve been delivered or mailed. They had a TEA meeting yesterday via Zoom and had 5 people and a great time. On Monday the Uke group met at Lucille’s and had a rehearsal outside practicing social distancing. They need to practice to keep their fingers moving. TTCC—They did not meet last week but camp is a go with smaller numbers, no before or after camp care and some limited time at Wellington. Les did send an email that Dick Tapply and his son Tim are putting together a book entitled Bus and Wink, Adventures of Youth and they want to use the proceeds of the sales as a fund raiser for the TTCC Capital Fund. Mary Kay will keep people posted when it becomes available. Rev. Andrew sent us off in prayer. Submitted by Mary Kay Haines
FIRST CLASS OFFICE HOURS Main Office: Mon. through Fri. 9AM - 12 Noon Pastor’s Hours: Mon. through Thurs. 9AM - 12 Noon and other times by appointment
WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday School 10AM Sunday Worship 10 AM Coffee Fellowship 11 AM
REV. ANDREW MACLEOD, MINISTER Residence: (603) 217-0704 Email: [email protected]
We extend our warmest welcome and invite you to join with us each week in praise and worship.
BRISTOL UNITED CHURCH of CHRIST “The Church on the hill” 15 Church St., PO Box 424 Bristol, NH 03222 Email: [email protected] Website: bristolucc.org Phone: (603) 744-8132
The deadline for all newsletter submissions is the 20th of the month. Articles that come in after that
date will be used in the following month’s newsletter.
