THE

MEETINGHOUSE

MESSENGER

The First

Congregational

Church

in Stoneham

September 2017

United Church of Christ

Upcoming Events:

Sept. 10 – Rally Sunday with

Special Business Meeting

and Pizza Party!

Sept. 16 – Classical Concert

Sept. 24 – Bible Sunday

Oct. 14 – Music Fundraiser

Broadway Dinner Theater

Oct. 22 –Golden Age Sunday

We are an open

and affirming

congregation

of the United

Church of

Christ

Join us for

“THE SOUND OF BROADWAY”

Dinner Theater

Saturday, October 14th at 6:00 pm

in Fellowship Hall See info. in this Messenger!

September

If you would like to be added to the

Birthday List, please email the

church office.

1 Donald Wall

2 AJ Catalano

3 Keith Nelson

5 Jan Barry

7 Molly Sawicki

11 Matt Palmer

20 Hugh Matthews

28 Lynn Haddad

29 Adam Chanley

1 Church Street Stoneham, MA 02180

781-438-0097 (fax) 781-438-0238

Come Worship with us!

Sundays, 10:00 am

Staff of the Church Rev. Meredith Allen, Pastor

Joyce Simpson, Music Director

Leonard Levine, Sexton

Sara Thompson, Church Secretary and

Messenger Editor

Heidi Bilbo, Sunday School Superintendent

Lynn Haddad, Treasurer

The First

Congregational Church in Stoneham

Messenger Deadline The deadline for the October Messenger

is September 18th. Please leave all submissions in the Messenger box in the office, or email them to the church office at firstchurchstonehamma@gmail.com.

Thanks!

First Church is on TV!

Couldn’t get the service this week?

Loved the sermon so much you want

to hear it again? First Church

services are rebroadcast all week!

The schedule and channels are as

follows:

Comcast users: Channel 9

Verizon users: Channel 34

RCN users: Channel 3

Mondays @ 6:30 pm

Tuesdays @10:30 am

Thursdays @ 2:00 pm

Sundays @ 11:30 am

Notes from Joyce

Greetings!

Choir will resume at 9 AM on

Sept. 10

Anyone who likes to sing is

invited to join us.

We have a "Praise Sunday"

coming up and we sure could

use some extra voices for that

and for every Sunday.

Please join us!

Calling All Water!

Have you been collecting

water from places you have

gone on your travels this

summer? If so, please

remember to bring it to

church in the next couple

weeks. It will be sterilized

and used as this year’s

Baptismal water.

Books & Chocolate

We’re a group of readers that get together to read, chat and eat

chocolate! We alternate our books with a movie, sometimes

related to the book we have last read. We meet on Mondays,

book discussion evenings begin at 7:30 and movie nights begin at

7:00pm.

There are currently ten in our group, but the more the merrier, so

join us. If you wish you can bring something simply chocolate

(no home cooking required!) to share and your tea mug!

We meet in the church parlor, very comfy. All the books can be

borrowed from your library.

Watch for the schedule of dates and books in the next Messenger!

Food Pantry News

Here is our list of “Items of the

Week” for the month of

September. Please remember

to pick up these items when you

are grocery shopping. Please do

your part to help stock our

pantry for those in need in our

church community and in

Stoneham and the neighboring

communities.

Mayo

Pancake syrup

2lb sugar

Salad dressing

Items may be left in the colorful

crates outside the Sanctuary.

Solar Rewards Extended to Sept. 30

If you’re considering solar panels for your home, SunBug Solar is extending its special rewards program for First Church members and friends through the month of September.

SunBug will give you a $500 discount, and make a $500 donation to our church to continue its green energy programs.

As several church members have found out, solar panels save you dollars. And they provide clean, renewable energy. It makes sense. It’s our mission.

The Crafts Group will meet on

Tuesdays, September 5, 12, 19,

& 26. Join us – no talent

required! Visit our booth on

Town Day, September 16th in

front of the Purpose School

entrance on Central Street.

Dear Friends,

Over the years Judi has written a number of Thank You Notes to all of you for your continued love and support. This time, however, things are a little different and I wanted to say Thank You for all the blessings and support we have received over the past year. Judi has been fighting an uphill battle with one crisis after another, but we have been truly blessed with a church family that is always there for us in our times of need…. Words of kindness and caring, meals, cards, and help with little projects around the house have helped to make this journey a little easier for both of us. We have been truly blessed by God and a truly special and loving church family. Please know how very much we love you in return. May God continue to richly bless us all…..

With Sincerest Thanks,

Dick

First Church Christmas Fair – December 8 & 9

Here is the first notice about our annual fair for this year.

Save the dates! …and start thinking about what you can contribute…

jams, jellies, baked goods, crafts, knitted items, jewelry, raffle items,

White Elephants, books, etc.

and especially help with the pie social, fair & dinner!

Watch for the signup poster at coffee hours later in September.

Once again the Holiday Fair

is drawing near (Dec. 8 & 9)

and I am asking for your

help. We will be having the

raffle baskets and silent

auction items again this

year and if anyone would

like to volunteer your help

in making up baskets,

donating a basket with a

theme name, calling and

picking up raffle donations,

or donating items to put in

baskets, this will be

appreciated.

We have a variety of

baskets we would like to

raffle such as Kids basket,

Ice Cream basket, Movie

basket, Spa basket, Car

Care basket and more. Any

donation and help is

welcomed and my goal

would be to have

everything in by Nov. 30th.

If you have any question

please give me a call.

Kathy Bergstrom

781-438-6652 or 781-526-

6652

Our first Blessing of the

Animals service was held

at First Church on July

30th, 2017.

Pastor Merrie and the

Diaconate welcomed 7

dogs, 1 cat, 1 rabbit and a

bearded dragon, along

with all of their people.

Vacation Bible Blast 2017: Hero Central, Discovering our strength in God

Our week of VBB was a very energetic week. Our Attendance totaled 27, ages 5 – 19. Everyone

really loved their week of learning about heroes and how to be a hero. We made capes, masks

and power bracelets, and we learned to ‘fly’! We heard several interactive bible stories and

witnessed many science experiments that were fun and also interactive. Each of us enjoyed our

time together and we’re looking forward to next year. Keep in mind next August for VBB 2018:

Rolling River Rampage!

Check out a photo of our VBB 2017 group below. A larger version hangs outside the sanctuary.

Thank you to everyone who helped make VBB happen.

Donna Wall, VBB Director

A Special Business Meeting of the First Congregational Church in Stoneham

will be called to order following Worship on Sunday, September 10, 2017, in

the Sanctuary of the Church. We will vote on appointing Kathleen Daly as the

new Moderator of First Church. Following the brief meeting everyone can

head down to Fellowship Hall for the Sunday School Pizza Party!

It is a long standing tradition at First Church to honor the elders in our midst on

Golden Age Sunday. We will celebrate the 142nd Anniversary of this special event on

Sunday, October 22nd 2017, honoring those who are 80 and over. Please call Sara in the Church Office to add your name

or the name of a friend or family member (with permission, please.)

Someone to Call

Elle Simoni is happy to take your call. A new

face at Town Hall, she’s the point person for

anyone concerned about addiction—drugs or

alcohol.

Appointed recently to coordinate addiction

information services, Ms. Simoni is a licensed

alcohol and drug counselor (LADAC 1). She is an

excellent referral resource for individuals and

families concerned about or dealing with

addiction.

She also works closely with the Stoneham

Coalition, of which First Church is a member.

You can reach her at 781-507-2405.

Above: Amy Santiago delivers socks,

undershirts and bras to the homeless

veterans. These items were Sunday School’s

spring mission project. We collected 380

pairs of socks, 25 undershirts and 12 bras.

Thank you everybody for your participation in

this worthy endeavor!

Greetings Everyone!

“The Sound of

Broadway”

DINNER

THEATER

will take place on

October 14th

at 6 PM

in Fellowship Hall.

This is the cantata

singers’ annual

fundraiser.

We have a

fabulous show

planned, along

with a delicious

dinner for your

enjoyment.

Tickets will

continue to be sold

at coffee hours and

in the church office

during the week.

Please join us!!

Cantata rehearsals begin Sept. 28 at 7 PM in the music room.

Last cantata we were so happy to gain a few more voices

and I would love to have more!! Join us!

We do practice hard but we have loads of fun!!

In Christ, Joyce

We have lots of empty Sundays on our Coffee Hour sign-up sheet! Please remember to sign up your committee, group or family to host one this fall. The sheet is outside the kitchen door in Fellowship Hall.

Philip Lima to open Fall Concert Series Sept. 16 Baritone Philip Lima (left) will open the Stoneham Classical Concerts Fall series on the evening of Town Day, Sept. 16, at First Church. Lima’s performance, titled “Guide My Feet” will be a celebration of African-American gospel and spiritual music. The free concert begins at 7 p.m.

An acclaimed opera and concert performer, Lima has sung in venues in Boston, New York and other cities in the United States and Germany. He is “a vibrant baritone and commanding presence,” wrote the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Said a Boston Globe reviewer: “His singing was glorious.”

Lima will be accompanied by concert pianist Tudor Bota, the artistic director for Stoneham Classical Concerts. Hosted by the First Congregational Church and funded by the MELD arts group in Stoneham, the concerts present a variety of vocal and chamber music to the Stoneham community.

Concerts to follow in the Fall season include Piano Trios, with violin and cello on November 18, and an evening of Christmas music on December 16 by Tudor Bota and Friends. More information is available at the concerts web site at www.stonehamconcerts.webs.com. Stoneham Classical Concerts is also on Facebook.

Welcome to the Tamil Church

We are happy to welcome our newest First Church partners--Pastor Earl Jeyaraj, his wife, Vimala, and the congregation of the New England Tamil Church.

The Tamil Church will be worshipping in our sanctuary and chapel every Sunday afternoon from noon to 3 p.m.

The Tamil congregation is representative of the South Indian and Sri Lankan communities in the Greater Boston area.

Please introduce yourselves to them as our paths cross at First Church. We wish them God's rich blessings as they join our extended family.

First Church is now the home of not only our Congregational Church, but Purpose School, Iglesia Adventista, Tamil Church, Boy Scouts Troop 513, Community Dinners, Food Pantry, Vacation Bible Blast, BNI, AA, and others.

The Rev. Merrie Allen, Pastor Bea Griffin, Chair, Board of Trustees

Run for Recovery on Town Day

As a co-sponsor of the 5K Run for Recovery, on Town Day, Sept. 16 in Stoneham, First Church invites

members and friends to run for all those in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction.

The annual event, open to youth and adults, and to walkers as well as runners, begins at 9 a.m. at the

Boys & Girls Club at 15 Dale Court.

Participants may register online at http://stonehamrunforrecovery.racewire.com or at 7:30 a.m. at

the Boys & Girls Club.

Pastor’s Corner

Dear friends,

My granddaughter Mila just started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago. (How did she

grow up so fast?!) On Facetime I listened to my daughter Courtney describe the complex

schedule she’s trying to balance: Mila needs to get safely to and from school; she has

various after-school activities that alter her pick up time; baby Elise must get tended to,

and usually schlepped along; and Courtney still has her own work to do. It sounds like

kind of a circus!

I remember what a challenge those first few weeks of school were when my own children

were little. I was always uneasy until the puzzle pieces of school, childcare, and activities

were in place and we had a trusty routine.

September’s always a bit like that, isn’t it? Even if you don’t have kids to shepherd, the

unmistakable promise of change is in the air. The sun sets earlier, scattered clumps of

leaves shock us by turning color, our calendars fill up, and we know we’ll be hunkering

down for winter before long. This can be a melancholy season!

But, oh, there’s so much to be thankful for! My colleague, Fr. Austin Fleming, says that

sometimes we think that clinging to warmth, beauty or routines gone by may seem like

our only way to survive. But God knows so much more than we do! God knows that

letting go may be our only way to hold on to all we keep dear. Letting go makes room for

what’s coming. If we offer God our fear of falling, and then we let go of our hearts so

they fall into God’s hands, we can trust that God will hold us in our leaps of faith.

There are some wonderful things going on this fall at First Church! On Rally Sunday, Sept.

10, we’ll celebrate the start of a new school year by honoring our church school and

Purpose School teachers. Pizza will follow! There’s a fabulous concert of African

American gospel music and spirituals on Sept. 16 (also Stoneham Town Day). Please join

us this fall as we worship God together. Let’s take time to still our distracted minds long

enough to discover Christ’s infinite love that strengthens us as a people!

God’s blessings on you,

Merrie

The First Congregational Church

1 Church Street Stoneham, MA 02180

Telephone: 781-438-0097

Fax: 781-438-0238

E-mail:firstchurchstonehamma@gmail.com

Website: www.firstchurchstoneham.org

Office Hours: Mon-Fri. 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM

Staff of the Church Rev. Meredith Allen, Pastor

Joyce Simpson, Music Director

Leonard Levine, Sexton

Sara Thompson, Church Secretary and

Messenger Editor

Heidi Bilbo, Sunday School Superintendent

Lynn Haddad, Treasurer

Lenny wearing his “Hero Cape” the week of Vacation Bible Blast – August 7 – 11, 2017

~The Meetinghouse Messenger – September 2017~