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| The Chapel Newsletter of
Woodmont United September 2010 In this Issue: from your Interim Pastor… Workshop Rotation Sunday School Re:formation (Confirmation)
Information Christian Formation Calendar Pastoral Search Committee Progress The Fall Fair is Coming!!! The Bible, Part 2 Neighbors in Need Prayer List & In Our Prayers WUCC Bulletin Board Community Bulletin Board Words of Thanks September Scripture Birthday Celebrations for September Bottle and Email Addresses from your
Interim Pastor… “Covenant Sunday ” My
summer reading goal is the book The
Empathic Civilization by Jeremy Rifkin.
It’s a tome of over 600 pages, covering philosophical, theological,
biological and neurological ground of how we are wired for empathy. In
the church empathy, in its essential qualities, is the foundation of our
ministry and witness (though not according to Rifkin’s point of view). Jesus said, “In everything do to others as
you would have them do to you” (Matt. 7: 12a) and “Truly I tell you, just as
you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did
it to me.” (Matt. 25: 40) Empathy
requires a body, an embodied experience, as Rifkin puts it. Thus, we follow Jesus, God-with-us, the
incarnation of love, compassion and justice; we are members of a body, the Body
of Christ. The apostle Paul wrote, “When
one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all
rejoice together with it.” (1 Cor. 12:
26) And it is through this body that we
practice our wiring to be empathic, to put ourselves in the experience of the
‘other’ and to offer what we can, whether that ‘other’ be a friend at church,
the folks who come to the mission meal, or a neighbor 10,000 miles away. Sunday
Sept. 12 is the first day of the new program year, a day when we re-member that
we are part of the Body of Christ, when we renew our commitment to be an
incarnation of love, compassion and justice.
Many churches have a special name for this day: Rally Day, Homecoming, Kick-Off
Sunday. To me, none of these really
communicate what is really going on and needs to be going on that day at
church, in the Body of Christ. I
have read different definitions of community but the two I like the most are
these: “that place where the person you
least want to live with always lives (Henri Nouwen)” and “The gift of community
is to be absolved of the burden to be complete” (from the TV show Everwood). These definitions of community are honest in
their expectations and yet
invite us to stretch beyond ourselves.
They also communicate the truth about community, that it necessitates
covenant: some sort of stated agreement as to how we are going to be in
community, in a body with one another. One
of Woodmont UCC’s traditions is that when you join the church, you sign the
church covenant. I am here as your
interim pastor by way of a covenant, outlining behaviors and expectations for
both myself and the congregation. By
covenant this church is part of the United Church of Christ, linking us with a
larger body of Christ in a national and global context. Perhaps our first Sunday back in September
ought to be called Covenant Sunday, a time to recall who and whose we are as a
body. What do you think? God’s
peace, Cynthia Christian Formation Calendar September, 2010 2 Mudhouse Sabbath Spiritual Practices Group, 7:00 pm 5 Communion Sunday 9 Mudhouse Sabbath Spiritual Practices Group, 7:00 pm 12 Opening Day/Open House/Presentation of Bibles and 16 Mudhouse Sabbath Spiritual Practices
Group, 7:00 pm 19 Sunday School at Congregation Sinai and Adult Education following
Worship 23 Spiritual Practices week off 26 Sunday School and Sukkah after Church at Congregation Sinai 30 Spiritual Practices week off October, 2010 - Rotation
Focus, Prayer 3 World Communion Sunday, Sunday
School 7 Stewardship Spiritual Practices Group, 7:00 pm 10 Sunday School 14 Stewardship Spiritual Practices Group, 7:00 pm 17 Worship and Education for All Ages (forum on “Praying in Color”) 21 Stewardship Spiritual Practices Group, 7:00 pm 24 Sunday School 28 Stewardship Spiritual Practices Group, 7:00 pm 31 Sunday School for 3-4 year olds, 6th
graders through High School Prayer presentation during Worship and Group
Program for K-5 Pastoral Search Committee Progress Hello
all! I hope you have been having a
wonderful summer. I missed the last
Chapel Bell deadline, but want you to know that that does not mean the Pastoral
Search Committee has been on summer vacation.
We have met regularly through the summer and with the support of various
committees, have firmed up answers to the majority of questions on the profile. Council lifted their summer meeting
restriction in a special effort to keep the momentum going toward the
completion of the profile. The
efforts by committees generally has provided
historical and current financial information and policies. The compensation package was established at
the Council meeting for incorporation in the profile. All of these pieces are what come together to
fall in the hands of our potential new pastor, as part of a document meant to
tell them who we are as church and where we are on our journey. These pieces, when coming together as a
whole, have to draw the person that is best fit as spiritual leader. I think that is the most challenging part: as
we individually address the questions, that the whole
package represent fully who we are and who we strive to be. We
have set a target date of October 1 to complete the profile and ask for your
support and prayers as we look toward that target. With a mind to making sure that our profile
is truly representative of our congregation today, there are some questions
that the Pastoral Search Committee has gotten stuck on and feels that some form
of congregational input may be useful, so do not be surprised if we come to you
with questions in some form. Our
Committee has had some challenges, in that our membership comprises of six
voting members and the moderator, and this summer has been difficult for three
members in the way of personal and/or family health challenges. Please keep George (and Pat), Barbara (and
Al) and Sandy (and Bob) in your prayers, and thank you for your continued
prayers for the Committee and our work. Yours
faithfully, Jessica
Blacketter for The Pastoral Search Committee THE FALL FAIR IS COMING!!! Mark
your calendars! The Fall Fair will be held
on Saturday, October 2nd!!!!! Please be
sure to spread the word and if you come across a crafter, and you think they
might like to join us, we are renting space on the lawn for $30! I already got one when I was at Robert Treat
Farm! So get yourselves out there and
spread the word that the Woodmont UCC Fall Fair is coming!! We
will be storing items for the Auction and the Tag Sale in the back part of the
Garden View Room, you will see we have moved the dividers forward so just go in
the there and put your stuff in. Also,
please, please, please do not bring items that are broken or dirty. What we don't see we then have to dispose of
and that can be very time consuming. I
am sorry to say that this year our Ladies will not be having their craft tables
in the Lawn View Room, I am sad about this, but I also understand. Ladies (Janice, Betty and Flora) I thank you
for all that you have provided over the years to make our Fall Fair successful. I
am planning on having a meeting with folks after coffee hour on Sunday, August
29th to start the planning. I am also
looking for folks who make things so we can have a table with crafts, jewelry,
etc. that are made by our very own Woodmont Folks! I hope you are all getting excited because
this is our one fund raiser and we need to make it big. More importantly, this is a day of
fellowship, and for me that is the best part!
Also, remember: when we all work together we do amazing
things!!!! Peace!! Kim
Gerlander The Bible, Part 2 Since our
last Chapel Bell, I have been using the “Guide for the Journey of the Bible in
One Year” that I have handed out to some of you, which means I have actually
been reading my Bible every day! It
certainly has been interesting, enlightening and even a bit boring at times,
but I have also been surprised by it. For
instance we first hear “Love your neighbor as yourself” in Leviticus 19:18
which means to me that God has been trying to tell us to live like that for a
long time. To be
honest with you I understand more now than I ever have because I feel like the
Word of God is closer to me because of implementing this practice into my daily
life. My hope and goal in working with
you is to bring more spiritual practices to you to try out and maybe even
implement into your own lives. In August, we began our latest Spiritual
Practices Group by using the book and study guide based on “Mudhouse Sabbath”
by Lauren Winner. Having read some Old
Testament has been most helpful in looking at Jewish traditions and practices. The purpose of studying Jewish traditions and
practices is to better follow Jesus. After
all, Jesus was Jewish and by using the same spiritual practices he used we
might have an easier go of it. All of that being said,
I would like to encourage you all to start reading the Bible. If you don’t have one, let me know and we will
give you one. There are several guides out there to even help you read the whole
Bible in one year. One resource is www.oneyearbibleonline.com. You can register on this website and it will
actually email you the daily passages for you to read! For those of us who would rather pick the book
up and find the passages, I can give you a “Guide For the Journey of the Bible
In One Year” copies of which I have already distributed to Church Council and
the current Book Group. You can also go
to www.biblegateway.com and print a chart as well. Peace! Debi Neighbors In Need Offering The Neighbors in Need offering, which we will
receive on Sunday, October 3, 2010,
supports the UCC’s ministries of justice and compassion throughout the Neighbors in Need also
supports
our American Indian neighbors in the UCC. One-third of the offering supports
the UCC’s Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM). Historically,
forebears of the UCC established churches and worked with Lakota, Dakota,
Nakota, Neighbors in Need helps make another world possible. It needs your support. Please give as generously as you can on October 3, 2010. And remember, contributions to Neighbors in
Need can be made on-line at any time at: www.ucc.org/nin. Debi Prayer List You
are invited to submit names and/or situations to be prayed for that will be
printed in the Chapel Bell. This will replace
the alphabetical prayer list. Each week
in worship the pastor will read the prayer list aloud to begin the time of
prayer. Names and/or situations will
remain on the list for only one month at a time unless they are resubmitted
each month. In Our
Prayers Please keep in your prayers: Kelly Hoff and family; Terry Schramm; Albert Walters (Barbara Mackintosh’s
husband); the family and friends of Franklin
(Althea Vasquez’ brother); George
and Pat List; Bob Steady; the Banoff family; Meredith
(Irene Young’s granddaughter); Liz
(Michael Way’s biological mother); Madeline
Aeschbury (David Kingsbury’s niece); the family
and friends Dotty Ruszkowski
(Carol Canapetti’s mother); Kathryn Mack; Nancy Rose
and Chris Fazzino;
Debbie Smith and family; Jennifer Gaetano;
Barbara Clark; Bill Mooney; Joe Brennan;
Althea Vasquez; John Bott; Dick and Wilma
Stott; Betty Vacca; those
serving in the military, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan; those suffering
and recovering from addiction; those who are jobless and homeless; peacemakers
around the world; all those in prison; the people of Haiti and Chile, Pakistan,
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan; those affected by the mudslides in China; the
communities and habitats of the Gulf coast; the Pastoral Search Committee. WUCC Food Pantry Revised The
food pantry still exists at WUCC with dry good groceries available for our
guests who come to the mission meal held the fourth Tuesday of each month. In addition, any member of WUCC can receive
needed items from the food pantry by contacting the pastor. Donations are needed in order to have food
items to give away. These items may be
brought in any Sunday and placed under the table in a box in the narthex (just
outside the Sanctuary). Ann and Art Yost
(203 931 9943) keep track of items that are needed and Dorothy Osanitsch and
Bob Steady will assist in distributing the food monthly at the mission meal. SUGGESTED
ITEMS: (Best if canned goods have zip tops that don't require a can opener)
small cans of tuna, peanut butter, snack crackers, canned macaroni products,
canned fruits, soups, cereal, fruit juices, high protein bars, gallon jugs of
water, toilet paper, tissues, and napkins. September 12th Marks a Day of
Celebrating God’s Gifts We will be celebrating our “Opening Day” of
our program year on September 12th! We will begin our day with open
registration for Faith Formation opportunities for our children and adults at
9:30 am. We will worship at 10:30 am
with a special Celebration of God’s Gifts and the children will attend a
special class where they will learn about the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and
make decorations for the Sukkah at Congregation Sinai! After Worship and Sunday School, we will be
having our church picnic to wrap up the festivities! Please plan to come and invite your friends
and family. Also watch the mail for a
packet of information! Gentlemen’s Breakfast
On the third Sunday of each month, the men of Woodmont UCC gather at the
Bridgeport Flyer Diner in You are
ALWAYS Welcome! We invite and welcome our children wherever
and whenever they are able to join us in Sunday School, given the pace and
demands of their lives. Children never
need to be hesitant to rejoin their class after an absence. Teachers are eager to make each child feel
welcome. We also encourage children to
bring friends with them to visit Sunday School to the 10:30 AM programs. Free Notary Service Tricia
Walker is a Notary Public and will notarize any documents FREE OF CHARGE. Please let her know ahead of time, so she can
be sure to have her seal with her at church on Sunday. Tricia's phone number is 203-735-6523. If you
have something urgent that cannot wait, feel free to call and she will try her
best to accommodate your needs. Silver At the
July Council meeting, it was decided to set up a Silver Lake Scholarship Fund
for our children who wish to attend Silver Lake Conferences, but might need
some financial assistance. This fund was
set up with an initial $500.00 from the Diane Valdivieso Bequest. On Sunday, September
26, 2010 we will be celebrating “Silver Lake Sunday.” The youth who participated in Conferences at You can
also contribute to this fund at any time by using the white envelope in the
Bulletin and writing in the other space “Silver Lake Scholarship Fund.” Please note that this is different from the “ If you have any questions or need to use
this fund, please speak with Debi Mastroni-Kenyon, DCE. Bridges (A Community Support System,
Inc) Bridges
will hold its annual Folks on Spokes-Folks on Foot fund raiser on Sunday
September 12th. at Fowler Field, Women’s
Literacy Program Seeks Volunteer Tutors! Beth-El Fundraising Opportunities!! 19thWalk/Run-for-the-Homeless -
Save the Date!! The
19th Walk/Run-for-the-Homeless, to benefit the Coming in December:
A favorite,
Beth-El's "Spirit of Love” Holiday
Concert will be held on Saturday, December 11th at the Parson's Center Complex. This
evening event brings joy to young and old alike with an array of musical
favorites, kicking off the holiday season. Past years performers were: The NYC Big Apple
Chorus, The Elm City Girls Choir, CT University Jazz Quintet, The Yale Whiffenpoofs
and The West Point Cadet Gospel Choir, just to name a few. The event will feature a raffle and few other
surprises.
Regatta Race ‘Round
Faulkner’s Saturday,
September 25, 2010 Regatta and Parade of Sails Noon
Starting Gun – Sunday, September 26, 2010 Lobster Bake Noon – 3:00 pm. $35.00 per person & Silent Auction Noon –
2:00 pm For
Race Details: Eric Treu
(203) 483-9262 For Event Details: Pat Corradino (203)
315-7510 Words of Thanks Dear
Friends: “Thank you so much for your generous
gift. Because of your commitment to
helping others, and because of your kindness, a family once struggling with
hunger and despair has new hope. Your
support provides the foundation for a better future for those in need through
sustainable practices and educational measures that will last a lifetime. Thank
you for partnering with Heifer International to help make a better world - one
family and one community at a time.” Sincerely, Charles
O. Stewart Interim
Chief Executive Officer, Heifer International Gift
amount $1,084.00 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ July
20, 2010 Dear
Rev Robinson, Once
again it is my pleasure to extend our sincere gratitude for the continued
generosity of Woodmont United Church of Christ to the We
really do appreciate the faithful support of you and your congregation. Your most recent gift of $98.00 is a great
help to us in our efforts to serve our community’s homeless and hungry
population. Together
we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need! Best
Regards, Toni
Dolan, Executive Director ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August
12, 2010 Dear
Rev. Robinson, Once
again it is my pleasure to extend our sincere gratitude for the continued
generosity of Woodmont United Church of Christ to the We
really do appreciate the faithful support of you and your congregation. Your most recent gift of $64.00 is a great
help to us in our efforts to serve our community’s homeless and hungry
population. Together
we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need! Best
Regards, Toni
Dolan, Executive Director September
Scripture September 5 - Jer. 18: 1-11; Ps. 139: 1-6,13-18 or Deut 30: 15-20; Ps. 1; Philem
1-21; Luke 14: 25-33. “A
New Identity”. September 12 - Jer. 4: 11-12,22-28; Ps. 14 or Ex. 32: 7-14; Ps. 51: 1-10; 1 Tim 1:
12-17. “Growing in
God’s Love”. September 19 - Jer. 8: 18-9:1; Ps. 79: 1-9
or Amos 8: 4-7; Ps. 13; 1 Tim 2: 1-7; Luke 16: 1-13. “Prayerful Living”. September 26 - Jer. 32: 1-3a, 6-15; Ps. 91: 1-6, 14-16 or Amos 6: 1a, 4-7; Ps. 146; 1 Tim 6: 6-19; Luke 16: 19-31. “Surprising Investment”. Bottle and
The Woodmont UCC Youth Group has an ongoing fundraiser of a
Bottle and Email Addresses Thanks
to all for providing me with your email address. I plan to use emails as the vehicle for
reminding people, who have email access, of meetings, hosting coffee hour and providing flowers for
the altar or the mission meal. Reminders
will continue to be mailed to those who do not have email. This will save on postage. If you are a committee member, please make
sure I have your latest email address.
Thanks! Marsha Welcome to
Woodmont United No matter who you are or where you are on
life’s journey, we welcome you! We
invited you to sign our guest book and to join us for refreshments following
the service. More information about our
church and our denomination are in the narthex. We the members of Woodmont United Church
of Christ, led by the Spirit and our study of Scriptures, declare ourselves to
be an Open and We honor, cherish and welcome all of God’s
children, regardless of race; gender; age; sexual orientation; gender identity;
nationality; ethnicity; marital status; or physical, mental, or emotional
disability. We believe that through our
diversity, we can all grow and practice a unity of faith that transcends our
differences. Woodmont UCC Purpose Statement Adopted on May 23, 2010 - Pentecost Sunday “Woodmont United Church of Christ dares to
reveal God’s unconditional love by accepting and welcoming all people, through
joyful and creative worship, faithful service, and spiritual growth.” Woodmont UCC -
Celebrating 125 Years of faithful witness Re:formation
(Confirmation) Information Cynthia and Debi are pleased to offer
youth in 9th grade and above the opportunity to explore their faith
and beliefs in our new “Re:formation” class! Bye-bye, old confirmation. Hello, re:form. Re:form
is a fully customizable curriculum that's rooted in historic Christianity, but
speaks to kids on their level. Re:form empowers youth to discover
for themselves what they believe, through three components. 1)
ENCOUNTER: Two DVDs with 40 hilarious animated short
films frame the tough theological questions that kids really ask, like
"Who wrote the Bible?" and "Why does God let bad things
happen?" 2)
ENGAGE: A hands-on Anti-Workbook is the centerpiece of
each kid's confirmation experience. It's a sturdy, full-color, wire-O bound
journal chock full of activities and ideas, with space to journal and doodle,
and extras like pullout cards and cool stickers. 3)
RESPOND: Re:form
prompts kids to make videos, take pictures, interview people, and create stuff.
Then they can upload all of their
artifacts to an online portfolio - the re:form
gallery - where kids can share with the whole congregation what they've been
learning. We
will be having an informational meeting for youth and parents on Sunday,
September 19th at 12:30, after the Adult Forum. If you are interested, please attend this
meeting and if you have any questions, feel free to contact Cynthia at
203-878-3885 or Debi at 203-444-6760. Our Curriculum & Special Practice of
Faith This year
the Sunday School will learn from the Rotation Model. This Model teaches major Bible stories and
concepts through kid-friendly multimedia workshops: an art workshop, drama, music, games, audio-visual,
puppets, storytelling, computers, and any other educational media you can get
your hands on. It teaches the same Bible
story in all of the workshops for four or five weeks rotating the kids to a
different workshop each week. And here
comes the extremely teacher friendly part: Keeps the same teacher in each
workshop for all five weeks, teaching the same lesson week after week (with some age appropriate adjustments) to each new class coming in. This is a
Bible-based curriculum nurturing children, youth and adults in becoming
followers of Jesus: people who know and
love God, interpret God’s word, belong to God’s gathered community and share in
God’s good news. The
youngest among us, 3 and 4 year olds, will use the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum. Through story, drama, activities, art,
music and more, the good news of the Bible will come alive for us. We might grow to see ourselves and our
stories in the epic of God’s love and call! |
