GOLD FOR THE GRADUATE Consider this a love note from someone who has made plenty of mistakes but has been saved by God’s grace from the mouth of the lion on more than one occasion because of a few golden treasures picked up along the way. The Golden Mean. It is the avoidance of excess in either direction. It is the safety zone of moderation. Foolish and dangerous experimentation can lead to heartbreak and irreparable damage to relationships, reputations and possibilities for the future. Listen to the quiet voice of wisdom calling, the values of your elders. They withstand the test of time. They guide you through many dangers, toils and snares. The Golden Rule. Common courtesy and consideration of others will take you far and cover a multitude of sins when you find yourself in the occasional hot water that you will inevitably get into. Pot of Gold. Don’t just dream of being rich; save money. If you put away just a few dollars a month for several years, you will have enough to purchase something you really want, or better yet, invest for the distant future, like retirement. The Golden Circle. Stay connected with those who accept, support, and bless you; your faith community, your family, and true friends. You are not alone and were not meant to be. What you take for granted now will grow precious through the years. Express your appreciation. The Golden Key. Take responsibility for your actions and your life. You may have had a privileged or a hard life, one with abundant or minimal support and guidance. But you must now seek those things on your own and, with integrity, set the course for your destiny. Taken from “Stepping Onto the Invisible Bridge” by Pastor Julie G. Olmsted. The full article and book available at Amazon.com. Ted Thornton View From the Agora . Paul says in Acts 17:22 - “People of Athens, I can see that in every way you are very religious.” In this column we explore the many ways people are and have been religious. Indigenous or animist religions around the world are based on beliefs that the earth and worlds beyond are populated by demons or spirits that periodically interact with humans and other living things. Some of these traditions feature rituals during which, after prolonged dancing accompanied by drumming and other instruments, spirits enter and for a while possess the bodies of participants, usually for purposes of cathartic cleansing or healing. In Africa and the Middle East, the most common word for these practices is zar , an Arabic word meaning “a visitation.” Throughout history, such practices have often met with criticism or persecution from orthodox religions even though the practitioners often have also been members of those same orthodox traditions. As a result, the rituals are usually conducted in secret. World religions scholars call such practices syncretic because they combine beliefs and practices from sometimes very divergent traditions. Once, while leading a group of students on a travel- study trip in Brazil, I witnessed such a ritual in the Jaré animist tradition deep in the Chappada Diamantina region of interior Bahia State. Religious practices in the Caribbean and Latin America often include a combination of traditions that crossed the Atlantic with slaves from Africa and blended with Christianity. Haitian Voodoo combines Catholic devotion to the saints with worship of West African deities. Likewise, the participants in the particular Jaré ceremony I witnessed were also practicing Roman Catholics. To get to the temple, we had to bump along in jeeps in scorching heat through deep forests and over rough dry river beds deep in the interior of Brazil’s Bahia state. We had it easy compared to the worshippers: their faith required them to make the journey on foot. A trip that took us only a couple of uncomfortable hours took them three days. We arrived about noon on the day of the ceremony. No one knew just when it would begin. Only after the priestess in charge had received a vision from the spirits would we be summoned to the site of the ritual. So, we began to wait. We were fed lunch and dinner and given a tour of the temple sanctuary where candles burned illuminating icons of demons and other spirits interspersed with statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Between meals, we explored, dozed, and waited. A few ventured down to the slow moving river for a swim to cool off. They hurried back when a raft bearing a decapitated sacrificial chicken surrounded by burning candles came drifting along. The wait continued until well after dark. I cherish the memory of looking upward, spellbound at the Southern Cross in a brilliant Brazilian night sky as free of light pollution as I’ve ever seen one. Finally, we were summoned to a clearing in the forest and the ceremony got underway. We stood in a circle as the drumming began. Worshippers danced, summoning the spirits. After half an hour, a few of them began to display the violent jerking motions and strange utterances that signaled possession by the spirits. In some cases, the possessions would last only a few moments; for others all night. We didn’t stay the whole night. At about 1 a.m. we piled back into our jeeps and made our way back to our posada (“inn”) in the town of Lençóis , collapsing into our bunk beds around three in the morning. Overwhelmed by what I’d witnessed, I didn’t sleep the rest of that night. The participants, we were later told, drummed and danced until sunrise. Then, without rest they began their three-day journey back to Lençóis on foot. We are proud of these graduates for all their accomplishments! Grant Gorzocoski for graduating from the Franklin County Technical School. Grant was in the Programming and Web Design Shop. Samantha Gorzocoski for graduating from Greenfield Community College with an Associates Degree in Business Administration with a Certificate in Management. She has been accepted at Bryant University in Rhode Island and will pursue her Bachelors Degree in Business Management with a minor in Communications. Sierra Sanborn graduated from Greenfield Community College with a Certificate as a Medical Assistant and is currently working in the Dementia unit at Charlene Manor, Greenfield. Chantelle Brigham McMillan graduated with honors from Mount Holyoke College with a Degree in Psychology and Education.
Transcript
GOLD FOR THE GRADUATE
Consider this a love note from someone who has made plenty of mistakes but has been saved by God’s grace from
the mouth of the lion on more than one occasion because of a few golden treasures picked up along the way.
The Golden Mean.
It is the avoidance of excess in either direction. It is the safety zone of moderation. Foolish and dangerous
experimentation can lead to heartbreak and irreparable damage to relationships, reputations and possibilities for
the future. Listen to the quiet voice of wisdom calling, the values of your elders. They withstand the test of time.
They guide you through many dangers, toils and snares.
The Golden Rule.
Common courtesy and consideration of others will take you far and cover a multitude of sins when you
find yourself in the occasional hot water that you will inevitably get into.
Pot of Gold.
Don’t just dream of being rich; save money. If you put away just a few dollars a month for several years,
you will have enough to purchase something you really want, or better yet, invest for the distant future, like
retirement.
The Golden Circle.
Stay connected with those who accept, support, and bless you; your faith community, your family, and true
friends. You are not alone and were not meant to be. What you take for granted now will grow precious through
the years. Express your appreciation.
The Golden Key. Take responsibility for your actions and your life. You may have had a privileged or a hard life,
one with abundant or minimal support and guidance. But you must now seek those things on your own and, with
integrity, set the course for your destiny.
Taken from “Stepping Onto the Invisible Bridge” by Pastor Julie G. Olmsted. The full article and book available
at Amazon.com.
Ted Thornton
View From the Agora .
Paul says in Acts 17:22 - “People of Athens, I can see that in every
way you are very religious.”
In this column we explore the many ways people are and have been
religious. Indigenous or animist religions around the world are based on beliefs that the earth and worlds beyond are
populated by demons or spirits that periodically interact with humans and other living things. Some of these
traditions feature rituals during which, after prolonged dancing accompanied by drumming and other instruments,
spirits enter and for a while possess the bodies of participants, usually for purposes of cathartic cleansing or healing.
In Africa and the Middle East, the most common word for these practices is zar , an Arabic word meaning “a
visitation.”
Throughout history, such practices have often met with criticism or persecution from orthodox religions
even though the practitioners often have also been members of those same orthodox traditions. As a result, the
rituals are usually conducted in secret. World religions scholars call such practices syncretic because they combine
beliefs and practices from sometimes very divergent traditions. Once, while leading a group of students on a travel-
study trip in Brazil, I witnessed such a ritual in the Jaré animist tradition deep in the Chappada Diamantina region of
interior Bahia State. Religious practices in the Caribbean and Latin America often include a combination of
traditions that crossed the Atlantic with slaves from Africa and blended with Christianity. Haitian Voodoo combines
Catholic devotion to the saints with worship of West African deities. Likewise, the participants in the particular Jaré
ceremony I witnessed were also practicing Roman Catholics.
To get to the temple, we had to bump along in jeeps in scorching heat through deep forests and over rough
dry river beds deep in the interior of Brazil’s Bahia state. We had it easy compared to the worshippers: their faith
required them to make the journey on foot. A trip that took us only a couple of uncomfortable hours took them three
days. We arrived about noon on the day of the ceremony. No one knew just when it would begin. Only after the
priestess in charge had received a vision from the spirits would we be summoned to the site of the ritual. So, we
began to wait. We were fed lunch and dinner and given a tour of the temple sanctuary where candles burned
illuminating icons of demons and other spirits interspersed with statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
Between meals, we explored, dozed, and waited. A few ventured down to the slow moving river for a swim
to cool off. They hurried back when a raft bearing a decapitated sacrificial chicken surrounded by burning candles
came drifting along. The wait continued until well after dark. I cherish the memory of looking upward, spellbound
at the Southern Cross in a brilliant Brazilian night sky as free of light pollution as I’ve ever seen one. Finally, we
were summoned to a clearing in the forest and the ceremony got underway. We stood in a circle as the drumming
began. Worshippers danced, summoning the spirits. After half an hour, a few of them began to display the violent
jerking motions and strange utterances that signaled possession by the spirits. In some cases, the possessions would
last only a few moments; for others all night.
We didn’t stay the whole night. At about 1 a.m. we piled back into our jeeps and made our way back to our
posada (“inn”) in the town of Lençóis , collapsing into our bunk beds around three in the morning. Overwhelmed
by what I’d witnessed, I didn’t sleep the rest of that night.
The participants, we were later told, drummed and danced until sunrise. Then, without rest they began their
three-day journey back to Lençóis on foot.
We are proud of these graduates for all their accomplishments!
Grant Gorzocoski for graduating from the Franklin County Technical
School. Grant was in the Programming and Web Design Shop.
Samantha Gorzocoski for graduating from Greenfield Community
College with an Associates Degree in Business Administration with a Certificate in Management.
She has been accepted at Bryant University in Rhode Island and will pursue her Bachelors
Degree in Business Management with a minor in Communications.
Sierra Sanborn graduated from Greenfield Community College with a Certificate as a Medical
Assistant and is currently working in the Dementia unit at Charlene Manor, Greenfield.
Chantelle Brigham McMillan graduated with honors from Mount Holyoke College with a
Joanne McGee, Chair, Mission Cmte Joe Bedard Missions, Chair
Patter Field, Chair, Music Cmte Pat Shearer TRUSTEES
Chris Harris, Piano/Organ Accompanist ______________ Kathy Wright, Chair
Marion Scott, Clerk Fred Billiel & Bob Scott
Ted Thornton, Webmaster Tammy Pelletier, Sexton
Pastor’s Ponderings
Dear Friends,
In July and August, we’re going to try something different. The Sunday service will start at 9:30 instead of 10. Conversations took place with the diaconate and the cabinet. Rationale for these “summer hours” was that maybe if people can come a little earlier (and get out earlier), they might be inclined to come more often. It’s also a bit cooler at that time. It was pointed out that our Riverside Service should remain at 10, to avoid the wet grass and be closer to the lunch hour for our potluck. So, we’ll return to 10am at that service.
We’ll aim to have the service a bit shorter as well. I’m looking at how to make our worship just as meaningful, but more casual. We will perhaps not have a different bulletin every week. If you attend the Cathedral in the Light, you’ll see a moving and joyful service without bulletins and lasting no more than 40 minutes. I warmly invite you to attend CITL, especially now that the weather is warmer. You will be inspired and at peace in your heart; you will see the gospel in simple and powerful action.
Growing up I was exposed to many different Christian traditions. Although my grandparents and mother were staunch Church of Christ folks (Fundamentalists, no instruments in worship, very conservative theology), my mother was divorced and worked as a waitress my whole childhood. She let me stay with people who took me to Pentecostal services, Nazarene, and others. I had no exposure to “high church” until well into my adulthood. It was my son (who went with his babysitter’s family to church) who told me about the UCC. I love its traditions and its beautiful open and airy theology.
But the traditions of all these faiths cannot hold a candle to the practice. The practice of our faith is the heart of it: love, mercy, compassion, fairness, generosity and forgiveness. Of course the practice does not occur in a vacuum. We need each other in order to practice. Just like a pianist needs a piano, we need each other to become more like Jesus. When things are awkward, rocky or challenging, that’s the practice, the opportunity to grow “in wisdom and stature and in favor with God” (Luke 2:52).
Let us gather every Sunday we can this summer; let us open our hearts and our lives to the joy of the Fruit of the practice.
God’s love to you and yours,
Pastor Julie
Trinitarian Congregational Church
TCC TRUMPET JUNE, 2018
Ed Finch Appreciation Sunday
April 29, 2018
E – Engaging, Encouraging, Edgy, Endearing and always Enjoyable
You were an immediate friend to me, Ed. There didn’t seem to be any “getting to know you” time. You were just there. We locked horns now and then, but there was always the sense that we wanted the same thing. We had similar sensibilities and ideas of perfection. That endeared me to you and made me want to blow my stack at the same time. I always enjoy you and appreciate your impeccable standards. I have always felt encouraged by you, Ed, as I know countless others have. D – Devoted, Daring, Daunting, Delightful –
You have been devoted to your family, your community and your church for a very long time. Your devotion has been fierce, awesome, daunting and delightful. You dared to work until you literally couldn’t any longer. We wanted you here but we wanted you to go home and rest. We wanted to see you and we wanted to miss seeing you, which we do, believe me, every single day. F – Fair-minded, Friendly, Fault-finding , Fun and fotos –
You are fair-minded, Ed. You don’t play favorites much; you just want to get the job done. I admire that in you. I have seen you be friendly to strangers and children, the lost and the lonely. You are gentle and kind and always full of friendly suggestions, which some take and others don’t. But that doesn’t stop you. We have spoken about how kindred you and I are. Underneath all this there is a sense of fun and goodness. When you tell someone they’re wrong (like me), there is no meanness in it, just a desire to have things DONE RIGHT. Fotos – You take the most wonderful fotos, including one of me that I actually like, which tells me you see me for who I want to be. I – Intrepid, Impatient, Involved and Inspiring –
You have been intrepid in how many lives you have touched, as a church leader, educator, manager and leader in your community. Although I know you are sometimes impatient with others, you were always involved. All the signs you put around the church we needed, these directions we follow, these words we appreciate and we treasure. Because we are inspired by and dearly appreciate you, Ed. N – Neat, Nosey, Noble, and Necessary –
You are remarkably neat, Ed. When I’m in the kitchen I think of you. Who could not think of you? Your words are everywhere: THE COVER OF THIS HOT POT IS TO BE SHUT DOWN TIGHT IN ORDER FOR IT NOT TO ENTIRELY BOIL AWAY! IT WILL KEEP BOILING UNLESS THIS IS DONE. PLEASE DO NOT DESTROY THIS TAG. You are always interested in others, which might be interpreted as being nosey, and indeed there is a fine line between those two. But we know that you care deeply about your friends. You are noble and you are good. We see your goodness and we celebrate it. C – Caring, Cautious, Capable – See Letters F, I, and N… and Coffee.
One of the dearest things you did for me was to bring me coffee right after the service. This made me feel loved and cared for and appreciated.
H – Hovering, Handy, Hilarious, and Holy –
You are hovering over us, Ed, even when you’re not around. You have made such a difference here that we think and speak of you with fondness frequently. We appreciate how handy it was to always have you nearby. We love how hilarious you were in your seriousness and your willingness to have a laugh with us at your expense or at our own. You never held grudges even though we made you furious at times. You were always about your Father’s business, Ed. Whether you were in church or just circling around us, making sure things were taken care of in ways seen and unseen. And that makes you very holy. We thank you and we love you, God’s beloved son.
Ruth Johnson Appreciation Sunday
April 8, 2018
R – Rare, Responsible, Radiant –
Rare because you so rarely find a person who is so upbeat, charitable, kind, enthusiastic and loving towards God and God’s critters. Ruth has the rare quality of not holding grudges, of forgiving and forgetting, of just enjoying life and being unashamedly tickled to be alive. Responsible – When Ruthie says she’ll be there or she’ll do something, you can count on it. If she can’t she’ll let you know. What a gift! Radiant –Ruthie radiates love and kindness; she radiates an energy that lifts all those around her.
U – Understanding, Unflappable, Upbeat, and Youthful…
Ruth, you understand that all of us are human beings and therefore imperfect. You get that and so you do not expect perfection, you just go along and extend your friendly ways to all. You are unflappable, even when you’re angry, you have your little upset and then think about things, talk about them, bring them to God, then let them go. You will NOT let anyone destroy your upbeat nature. You have more excitement about life than most young people. You can stand up and thank God for the bird you saw this morning. You inspire us with your youthful love of life and truth and God.
T – Tenderhearted, Thoughtful, Twinkly, a Teacher –
Ruth, you are tenderhearted toward God’s creatures, you are thoughtful in your duties, as a deacon, a greeter on Sunday mornings, a faithful volunteer in the kitchen, on a project, event or WHATEVER is going on in the church, you simply “twinkle” with joy and kindness, love and excitement. You are a teacher for being a disciple and a follower of Christ. You are a teacher for us all.
H – Hardy, Happy, Hardworking and Heaven-bound…
When you told me the story of how the doctor told you that you were diabetic and you said, “No, I’m not,” I knew I had found someone extraordinary. I knew you were a hardy mum. I have seen you work TOO hard and I hope you will continue to take it easy like you have been because I want to see you around here for a very long time.
Obviously, I could go ON and ON with the letters of your other names but I want to give others the chance to appreciate you, too!
