Tewksbury Congregational Church Page 1 Thanksliving November is the month when we pause to count our blessings and recall the things for which we are thank- ful. Let me suggest that a grateful heart should be as natural to a Chrisan as breathing. Thanksgiving is a lifestyle--thanksliving, if you will. It should find expres- sion in our daily walk throughout life, not just once a year on Thanksgiving Day. It's found in the word of appreciaon even for small things, the joy of being alive, of seeing the wonder of the world we live in. We insncvely dislike ungrateful people. This is the person who having brought them daisies says, "You know, I really prefer carnaons." They tend to be churlish, negave and pey. In an interesng lile essay called A Word about Praising, C.S. Lewis says well-adjusted people are those who praise the most, who have lifestyles of thanksgiving. He writes, The world rings with praise...readers praising their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside--praise of weather, wine, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, histor- ical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, ra- re beetles, even somemes policians and scholars. I had not noced how the humblest, and at the same me most bal- anced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least. The good crics found something to praise in imperfect works; the bad ones connu- ally narrowed the list of books we might be allowed to read. The healthy and unaffected man, even if luxuriously brought up and widely experienced in good cookery, could praise a very modest meal: the dyspepc and the snob found fault with all...Praise almost seems to be inner health made audible. We are not insncvely thankful people. We must be taught to be thankful. How many mes do you have to say to a lile child, "remember to say thank you," especially last month when you went Trick or Treang? That is probably because we don't see most of life as a giſt. And if life is a giſt there must be a Giver. I once read this epithet on an atheist's gravestone, "All dressed up and no place to go." The same could be said of one who has no one to thank. When they get back good news from the doctor and say, "I'm so thankful," who are they thanking? When that job they wanted so badly comes through Inside this issue: PASTOR’S PAGE 2 LEADERSHIP NEWS: BOM 3 BOARD OF DEACONS 4 Missions committee news 5 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 6 MUSIC NEWS 7 PIE SOCIAL & CHRISTMAS FAIR 8 CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS 9 STEWARDSHIP CORNER 10 TCC IN PICTURES 11 TCC IN PICTURES 12 Volume 5, Issue 4 November/December/January 2017 … continued on page 2
Transcript
Tewksbury Congregational Church Page 1
The TCC Connection November December January 2017
Thanksliving
November is the month when we pause to count our blessings and recall the things for which we are thank-ful. Let me suggest that a grateful heart should be as natural to a Christian as breathing. Thanksgiving is a lifestyle--thanksliving, if you will. It should find expres-sion in our daily walk throughout life, not just once a year on Thanksgiving Day.
It's found in the word of appreciation even for small things, the joy of being alive, of seeing the wonder of the world we live in. We instinctively dislike ungrateful
people. This is the person who having brought them daisies says, "You know, I really prefer carnations." They tend to be churlish, negative and petty.
In an interesting little essay called A Word about Praising, C.S. Lewis says well-adjusted people are those who praise the most, who have lifestyles of thanksgiving. He writes,
The world rings with praise...readers praising their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside--praise of weather, wine, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, histor-ical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, ra-re beetles, even sometimes politicians and scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most bal-anced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least. The good critics found something to praise in imperfect works; the bad ones continu-ally narrowed the list of books we might be allowed to read. The healthy and unaffected man, even if luxuriously brought up and widely experienced in good cookery, could praise a very modest meal: the dyspeptic and the snob found fault with
all...Praise almost seems to be inner health made audible.
We are not instinctively thankful people. We must be taught to be thankful. How many times do you have to say to a little child, "remember to say thank you," especially last month when you went Trick or Treating? That is probably because we don't see most of life as a gift. And if life is a gift there must be a Giver. I once read this epithet on an atheist's gravestone, "All dressed up and no place to go." The same could be said of one who has no one to thank. When they get back good news from the doctor and say, "I'm so thankful," who are they thanking? When that job they wanted so badly comes through
Inside this issue:
PASTOR’S PAGE 2
LEADERSHIP NEWS: BOM 3
BOARD OF DEACONS 4
Missions committee news 5
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 6
MUSIC NEWS 7
PIE SOCIAL & CHRISTMAS FAIR 8
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS 9
STEWARDSHIP CORNER 10
TCC IN PICTURES 11
TCC IN PICTURES 12
Volume 5, Issue 4 November/December/January 2017
… continued on page 2
Tewksbury Congregational Church Page 2
The TCC Connection November December January 2017
and they say, "I'm so grateful," to whom is it being said? What did we do today to deserve the sun? Did we cause the earth to yield up its harvest so that we could eat breakfast this morning? The difference is seen between those folks who face life feeling entitled instead of indebted.
One denominational stream in our United Church of Christ is the Evangelical and Reformed church. Those churches of German descent used, and in some cases still use, doctrinal standards known as the Heidelberg Catechism. Confirmands are required to memorize a series of answers to questions about the nature and meaning of Christian faith and life. It is divided into three parts: sin and misery (the hu-man problem), deliverance (God's solution in Jesus Christ), and gratitude (the appropriate response). The third portion begins with this question: "Since, then, we are delivered from our misery by grace alone, through Christ, without any merit of ours, why must we yet do good works?"
In other words, since we cannot earn a place in heaven or curry God's favor by doing good deeds, then why bother? If we are “saved by grace,” as Paul puts it, why not live it up?
Listen to the answer from the Heidelberg Catechism: "because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, also renews us by his holy spirit after his own image, that with our whole life we may show ourselves thankful to God for his benefits, and that he may be praised by us..."
Do you see the difference? One approach to life requires that we earn the gifts of God instead of grate-fully receiving them, we feel entitled; the other approach to life is that we offer the gift of our life back to God and others in gratitude. Life becomes one big "thank you!"
Happy Thanksgiving,
Rev. Norm
PASTOR’S PAGE Submitted by Rev. Norm Bendroth
… continued from page 1
Tewksbury Congregational Church Page 3
The TCC Connection November December January 2017
BOARD OF MINISTRIES Submitted by Marilyn SanClemente
Committee Officers and Members: Chaplain: Susannah Trudeau
Co-Chairs: Mary Lou Adams and James Kenney Secretary: Stephanie Muse
Communications: Bradley Staeben Members: Bob Wallace, Tina Ramsdell, Joe Cipriano
TEWKSBURY
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
SEARCH
This has been a very busy fall for us at TCC! Thank you to everyone who turned out for the Strategic Planning Synod on October 15th, 2016 We had a great day with attendance of approximately 45 people. There was a lot of great discussion around the subjects of Spirituality, Music and Religious Education. The comments from these sessions have been summarized and were presented at the All Church Brunch this past Sunday November 13th. Thanks so much to Carla Staeben for collating all the information from the church survey and the Synod. From this feedback, TCC Leadership will put together a list of projects to support the continued growth of our church.
Last week we also received a Gift from Heaven in the form of a monetary gift from the Viola Tariela Trust. This one time gift is approximately $309,000. The Finance Committee is recommending that we pay off our outstanding mortgage taken a few years ago to finance the repairs to the parking lot in the amount of $90,000. Finance will assemble a committee to look at other projects that need to be completed around our church with the remainder of the money. There will be a vote on Sunday Dec. 4th, 2016 to approve the expenditure of the funds to pay off our mortgage.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Marilyn SanClemente
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The TCC Connection November December January 2017
New Member Sunday A special meeting will be held on Sunday, November 20, 2016, during the service of morning worship to vote to accept the following persons into membership of Tewksbury Congregational Church:
Life Deacons
We will be honoring and acknowledging new
Life Deacons on November 27th, 2016. Please join us to celebrate and thank them for their
many years of faithful service to TCC!
Mini Retreat
There will be a Mini Retreat at TCC titled “Gifts from God”
on December 10th, 2016 9:00 am-12:00 noon
All Are Welcome!
BOARD OF DEACONS Submitted by Sue Trudeau
Robin Anderson
Amy Andrade Jody Avery John Avery
Pam Dooley
Juscineide DosSantos
Randall Gibbs
Christopher Healey Rebecca Healey
Desma Kuras Wanda Lougee
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The TCC Connection November December January 2017
Like all seasons, the fall was a busy time for the Missions Committee. We
dedicated 24 filled school bags for Church World Service, collected and bagged
over 150 Halloween treat bags for our friends at LTLC (Lowell Transitional Living
Center), and collected more than 70 sets of pajamas for the Wish Project of
Lowell. Our congregation is so generous! We gave over $1100 to Haiti’s
Disaster Relief and are in the midst of our annual potato drive for the
Tewksbury Food Pantry, as well as our Christmas Giving Tree to benefit our
neighbors in local shelters and foster care.
Our upcoming advent offering will go towards the construction of a building for the
Kalauman Center for Learning in the Philippines, where our sponsored
student, Maria, continues to study hard and make her family proud. The Center
was previously operating out of rented space on another campus, but the ability to
continue there is no longer available. We hope you can give generously to this
mission as the center provides such a crucial growth opportunity for the children
and families of this area to thrive and become all that God has meant them to be.
Looking toward 2017, we will hold our Heifer campaign in January, blanket drive for
Church World Service in February, and a special project in March, in support
of Together We Rise, which provides loving duffel bags and personal items to
children being taken from their homes into foster care.
As we come upon the Thanksgiving season, your Missions Committee continues to be thankful for all that the congregation contributes in order to better the lives of our neighbors in need, far and wide.
MISSIONS COMMITTEE NEWS Submitted by Joanne Kenney
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The TCC Connection November December January 2017
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE) Submitted by Sue Panilaitis
Sunday School Curriculum this Winter
Winter begins as hope is born in the form of Jesus Christ. As the weather gets even colder, we
examine the lives of several people who were touched by Jesus. The winter ends with a
consideration of the miracles of Jesus as we get ready to think about Easter. As we pass through
the seasons, our Sunday School curriculum will invite youth to learn how God worked through
Jesus to give hope to God’s people.
The December Sunday School curriculum centers upon the well-known birth narrative.
God called upon two ordinary people to be the parents of Jesus. And when he was born, it was not
announced to the kings and princes of the land, but to the lowest of the low – the shepherds in the
field. The December stories will relate the events of Jesus’ birth from the Old Testament
prophecies to the angelic announcements. Joseph, Mary, Simeon, Anna and the shepherds all
welcomed the newborn Son of God with hope.
In the month of January, youth will explore Jesus’ progression in the faith. Distant scholars knew
of his birth and traveled far to greet him. At twelve years, old, he was already amazing his parents
and elders in Israel with his depth of understanding of God’s word. The stories of his baptism and
preaching in his hometown enhance the picture of Jesus as the Messiah.
In February, youth will hear stories about Jesus’ teaching. Now that he was all grown up and going
about the job that God had sent him to do, there were things that set him apart from other religious
leaders of the day. Jesus was able to convey the profound, divine truths through stories that were
easily remembered; the characters bold, and the symbolism rich in meaning. Youth at TCC will
hear stories of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and stories of the lost during this month.
These parables contain great volumes of truth in very few words—and His parables, rich in
imagery, are not easily forgotten.
Our goal this winter is that beyond learning about Bible stories, youth will be able to apply the Bible
message to their lives. We hope that our youth will hear the Bible story, apply the Bible message
to this day and age, and then live out the message in concrete and age appropriate ways.
Dates to Remember this Holiday Season
November 27 Thanksgiving Break– No Sunday School December 11 Advent Workshop (Fellowship Hall 11 am -12:30pm) December 25 Christmas Vacation – No Sunday School January 1 December Vacation – No Sunday School
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The TCC Connection November December January 2017
CHERUB CHOIR NEWS Submitted from the Piano Bench
The Anatomy of a Cherub
C - take a group of children
H - add some humor
E - mix in enthusiasm
R - and a few reprimands
U - give unconditional hugs
B - be there to rehearse
S - enjoy a lot of singing!
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The TCC Connection November December January 2017
PIE SOCIAL & CHRISTMAS FAIR 2016 Submitted by Carol Sturtevant
2015 Pie Social and Christmas Fair were our Bonus Year!
TCC Can Do It Again in 2016!
Pie Social—December 2nd 6-9 pm with Santa visiting in our Parlor 6:30-8pm
Christmas Fair--Early Opening during the Pie Social and on December 3rd 9-1 pm
Our TCC Family has these two opportunities to invite Tewksbury residents & people from surrounding communities to our church. With the lighting of the Town Common and town festivities our location and setting are ideal for these events. There are so many ways, large or small, to get involved. These events have been successful every year through the gifts of time and talent of our TCC Family Members of all ages. Check out Sign up Genius or meet us at Coffee Hour and join the TEAM—donate or participate during the events or behind the scenes. Your participation is welcome and needed. If you have any questions meet the Chairpersons at Coffee Hour during the next several weeks or contact Carol Sturtevant: 978-851-4451, email [email protected] or Trish Keddie: 978-677-6013, [email protected] & Brad Staeben 978-654-6514, [email protected] for Pie Social information. All the chairperson contact information & needs are located on the chart available on the Flash link, in the office or at Coffee Hour.
Bring your family and your friends to these exciting events and join the FUN—All different kinds of pies or a tasty TCC Brownie with hot and cold beverages will be served. Santa will be available in the parlor for the children and the young at heart—a great photo opportunity so remember to bring your camera! Almost all the Christmas Fair tables will be opening for the evening. Christmas music will be playing throughout the evening. What a great way to begin this beautiful holiday season!
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS Submitted by Carol Sturtevant
It is that time of year again when we look forward to the festivities of the Christmas Holiday. The wreaths, greens and poinsettia plants dress our sanctuary in the splendor of the season and increase our anticipation for the joyous celebration of the birth of our Savior. Red, white and marble poinsettias are available at a cost of: $11 each. Please place your order as early as possible so that you can have the color of your choice. Place your order in the offering plate, leave in the envelope in the Church Administrator’s box or mail to TCC, ATT: Carol Sturtevant, 10 East St., Tewksbury, MA 01876. Please be sure to record for yourself the color you have selected. Sunday, December 4th will be the final ordering date.
Christmas plants will decorate our sanctuary beginning on Sunday, Dec. 18
th through the
Christmas Eve services. We ask that plants be taken after the last Christmas Eve service. Please specify on the order form if you plan to pick up your plant(s) or leave the plant for a homebound person. Contact Carol([email protected]) or 978-851-4451 if you have any questions.
Poinsettia Order Form
Complete the form below by indicating poinsettia
color & quantity, your plans for your plant(s), and the acknowledgement for the bulletin. Plants are $11 each. Please include a check (made out to Carol Sturtevant) or cash in an envelope with your order.
** Make a note of the specific color you have ordered if you are picking up your plant(s).
A list will also be posted on the church office door if you are unsure of the color you ordered. Plants may be picked up after the last Christmas Eve service or the following week by contacting Carol by phone (978-851-4451) or email:
At this time of the year in church life it seems that’s all we hear. You can probably repeat all the stewardship cliches. “Stewardship really means management—how we manage our money for God.” “Stewardship is not just about money—it’s about time, talent and treasure.” “There is no such thing as private property—God owns every thing and just loans it to us for a while.” “All of life is a gift.” “It’s not so much about making a living, but of making a life.” We all nod and agree intellectually, but somehow we’re not moved. It’s too familiar. We’ve heard it all before.
In recent years, I’ve come to take stewardship more seriously as an important part of my disciple-ship. Yes, I know the church needs money to pay the electric bill and feed hungry mouths. But I fear more of what will happen to me if I don’t give to my full potential. I shrivel up a little inside when I say No, I can’t afford to give. I unconsciously begin to think that there really isn’t enough to go around, that abundance isn’t part of God’s nature, and scarcity and hoarding are the rules of life.
In this materialistic culture that says Veni, Vidi, VISA (“I came, I saw, I bought.”) it’s important for me to send a counter cultural message that says “I will live simply so that others may simply live.” In a world of “my,” “me,” “mine,” it’s good to say, “yours,” “ours,” “others.” And, most especially, as a follower of Jesus who was God’s “indescribable gift” (2 Cor. 9: 15) to us and came “not to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10: 45), I hope to perhaps imitate him a little more closely. As an im-age-bearer of God, whose nature it is to give, I reflect God’s glory in me as I become more of a giver.
Peggy and I currently give 10% of our income away. It took us a number of years to reach that goal; it wasn’t all at once. What we did do was start at say 3% and then move up a percentage point or two each year until we reached 10%. We give to TCC, to our home church, to Bread for the World, the City Mission Society, the Christian Century, as well to local NPR stations, the ASPCA, the Sierra Club and more. Each year we found that we had more than enough to meet our obligations, have some fun, and share with others.
On Sunday, November 20th, we will be celebrating Commitment Sunday, where we will covenant with God and one another to be “stewards of God’s grace” (1 Peter 4:1). This is where the rubber meets the road, when we will all have an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the fu-ture of the ministry of TCC.
