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From the Pastor’s Study“When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.” Romans 12:13
Dear Friends, How do we live out what Christ wants? We reflect him in the things that we say, the actions that we take, and the ways that we live our lives. But what does that mean in a practical sense? As Christians, these are the core questions we ask ourselves every day. We are at the beginning of a new year. For our church it will be an exciting one, since
by the end of the year we should have a new Senior Minister. One way that we can reflect the calling of Christ and prepare for our new Senior Minister in a practical way is for each of us to practice the spiri-tual discipline of hospitality. Dictionary.com tells me that the definition of hospitality is: the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, and generous way. Hospitality is an ancient
spiritual practice and although we commonly think of it as meaning a clean house and the serving of food, it means so much more than that. In the Gospels we see Jesus engaging strangers like Zacchaeus and the woman at the well in conversation, we see him welcom-ing folks that were of different backgrounds, and ethnic groups like the Roman centurion and the children who came to see him, and we see Jesus having fun at
weddings and at dinners. Je-sus knew that the essence of hospitality is making another person feel accepted and safe.
(continued on pg 2)
Sharing Faith as a Way of Life Since 1733
From God’s AcreJanuary 2015
The Congregational Church of New Canaan
Learn what Youth Ministries can do through through fellowship and service of neighbor! / pg7
OG Mission Trip Midhour / pg5OG is heading to Texas! Come to the Midhour to learn how you can join the trip!
Christian Practices: Worship 101 / pg4Learn how the music for worship serivces is decided - and much more!
Covenant Cam-paign/ pg3See some ways our Church has lived out its faith in the past month!
YG is going to Alabama, and they need your support!
Mission Sponsor / pg7
Building the Church in 2015
”Jesus knew that the essence of hospitality is making another person feel accepted and safe.
“
(Continued from Page 1) Let’s make a New Year’s resolution to prac-tice hospitality this year by being welcoming and encouraging to everyone in our church, both long-time members and brand new visitors. We can do this in three ways:1. Wear your name tag
every Sunday. Each of us can always use some help in remem-bering names!
2. Keep in mind that Fel-lowship time in Smith Hall on Sundays is our first opportunity each week to put our worship experience into action. Let’s live out Christ’s message by welcoming a visitor, spending time with someone that you don’t know well, or by encouraging another person. Try to do each of these each Sunday!
3. Sign up to Host Fel-lowship Hour. You can do this by going to this link or by call-ing the church office. It is vital that each of us take our turn, and it is easy and fun to do. I loved taking my turn last summer!
I encourage you to practice hospitality in your homes and teach your children and grand-children to practice it as well. It is a gift that we can give to each other and to the world. Blessings,
Anne
Save the Date!
Please save the date for the
Annual Chili-Paddle Party!
Saturday, January 24, at the Waveny
Paddle Hut
More Details to Come!
New Year’s Resolution:Unwrap Your Gifts and TalentsNow you can take the full Gifts and Talents class – all in one weekend:
• Friday, January 9, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, and • Saturday, January 10 from 8:30am to 3:00pm
Start the New Year Right!Learn about your gifts and talents and find out what God wants you to do with your life!
Sign Up Today!Space is limited – please pre-register before Tuesday January 6.
$30 fee covers all meals, books, and materials. Schol-arships available; childcare upon request
Contact Kathy Johnston at (203)561-8519 or [email protected]
BaptismsLuke Christopher Buzzeo, son of Chris-topher and Cameron Buzzeo, on December 28, 2014 in the Meet-ing House. The Rev-erend Dr. Anne W. Coffman officiated.
Jack Haukur Tobin, son of John and Jill Tobin, on December 28, 2014 in the Meet-ing House. The Rev-erend Dr. Anne W. Coffman officiated.
Sebastian Paul Ovigele, son of Paul Ovigele and Whitney Ball, on December 28, 2014 in the Meeting House. The Reverend Dr. Anne W. Coffman officiated.
Sloane Whitney Ovigele, daughter of Paul Ovigele and Whitney Ball, on De-cember 28, 2014 in the Meeting House. The Reverend Dr. Anne W. Coffman officiated.
Memorials & IntermentsCarol “Chick” Lyttle, Jr. on December 20, 2014 in the Meeting House and Memorial Garden. The Rever-end Chris M. Delmar officiated.
Parish News
Adult ChristianFormation & Fellowship
Page 3
Greeters and Fellowship
Hosts Needed!Be sure to sign up for these important min-istries of hospitality! Just go to these links to sign up or call the church office.
Coffee Hour Link:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040f4cacaa22a13-newcanaan1
Greeter Link:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040f4cacaa22a13-newcanaan
Save the Date:New Yale
Divinity School Bible Study!
The new YDS Bible Study on the Letter to the Hebrews starts the week of February 9. We will continue with groups on Monday at 6:30am, Tuesdays at 9:30am, and Wednes-days at 9:30am and 7:30pm.
Look for materials and signups later in January!
WE ARE THE CHURCH2015 Covenant Campaign
During the Advent season, our church family lived out its faith by serving others:• 226 hours in service with our local benevolence
partners• Over 400 Christmas gifts donated by the con-
gregation and MSYG for children• 50 YG alumni gathered for a reunion and to
plan a service day at Pivot’s Pembroke House on January 5
• $3,700 was raised for the Salvation Army by our bell ringing teams
• 20 bags of non-perishables were collected by Toddlertime for the New Canaan Food pantry and donated at a discussion about “Caring” on December 16
• $13,466 was donated to Pacific House Homeless Shelter, Open Door Shelter, and New Canaan Health and Human Services
MSYG (shown here) and our Con-gregation donated over 400 gifts to children in need
Dove Boxes brought to cars for delivery. The Church Staff at Inspirica after wrapping gifts.
Adult ChristianFormation & Fellowship
Help us to continue to live out our faith:
Children & Family Music
Happy New Year! Children’s MusicThe children’s choirs will begin working on their annual musical this month! Shhhhh! It’s still a surprise… the title will be re-vealed on Wednesday, January 7.
If your child would like to join the choir, please contact Christy Lombardozzi, [email protected], or just come to a rehearsal!
The musical will be on Sunday, May 10th at the 9:30am service of worship.
Children and Family Ministries is excited to
announce a new service opportunity this month!
Our 5th – 7th graders will be mak-ing and serving supper at Inspirica’s
emergency shelter for women, and our younger friends will stay here at the church to make sack lunches for their Children’s Services program.
Look for more information to come, but mark your calendars for Satur-day, January 31 from 4:30-7:00pm to serve with us!
Christian Practices:Music in Worship 101
Jody Blaine Davis, our Director of Music Ministries, will present Music in Worship 101 on Tuesday, January 6 from 7:30 – 8:45pm.
Come to the Parlor to learn how Jody determines music for the worship services, plans rehearsals and special services, practices, and works with the staff. The Music Ministry Team will be there to help answer any questions.
Childcare will be provided upon request. For more information,
please contact Jody at [email protected] or (203)966-2651, x4.
Thank you!The Advent and Christmas season was especially beautiful be-cause of the music. Thank you to all the singers who worked many hours to present lovely music for our services during the Advent and Christmas seasons. A special thank you goes to the pianists who provided music for the Advent Meditation services. Your talents, time, and devotion to the church are so admired and we are grateful. You inspire us when you lead in worship. Thank you for your gift of sacred music.
New Year’s Resolution:Sing in a Choir
in 2015!Start the New Year with Choir.
There’s a choir for YOU!
Grace Notes (ages 2-4, w/parent) Resumes January 5 Mondays from 4:30-5:00pmCherubs (ages 4-Kindergarten) Resumes January 5 Mondays from 4:00-4:30pmSpirit Singers (grades 1-4) Resumes January 7 Wednesdays from 4:00-5:00pmJoyful Noise (grades 5-8) Resumes January 7 Wednesdays from 5:00-6:00pmChancel Choir (teen - adult) Resumes January 8 Thursdays, 7:30-9:00pm
For more information, please contact Jody Blaine Davis at
(203)966-2651, x4 or [email protected], or
Christy Lombardozzi at (203)966-265, x35 or [email protected].
Page 4
Page 5Missions & Outreach
New Year, New OG Mission Trip!San Antonio!
March 21-28, 2015
And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
Isaiah 58:10For all who gave, delivered, and wrapped or organized Angel or other gifts; shopped for, packed or delivered Dove boxes; or rang the Salvation Army Bells, thank you for shining your light in the darkness from our church on the hill.
Pack your boots; we’re headed to San Antonio!
We’ll spend March 21-28, 2015 with our mission partners at Blueprint Ministries, helping to reverse the worst sub-
standard housing problem in the country, and also explor-ing the culture of this authentic mission town. Join us!
Details at mid-hour January 11, in the Library.
Our church has enjoyed a mean-ingful partnership with Re-Entry Ministry in Bridgeport for sev-eral years. Re-Entry Ministry is a Christian, non-denominational residential program - led by its
On December 8, our Prayer Shawl Ministry was thanked with a special Christmas Tea provided by members of the congregation. Pastoral Care Min-istries would like to thank those who provided this wonderful array of treats: Jena Anthony, Debbie Chapman, Joellen Ford, Elizabeth Garrett, Martie Mackay, Connie McManus, and Anne Steppacher. In addition, we would like to recognize the Prayer Shawl Ministry. The members of the Prayer Shawl Ministry meet together every second and fourth Monday, to knit and pray over beautiful shawls which are given to people in need of comfort.
A typical thank-you note might say, “Thank you for this lovely, health-inducing prayer shawl. I can feel
the love and care in every stitch. I want to let you know how much your prayer shawl helps me – the warmth and love and prayers that went into it, and the feeling I get
when enfolded in it. Your love and prayers spread far beyond God’s Acre.”
The Prayer Shawl members do not build houses, as some of our more visible ministries do; they build soft structures filled with love and prayer for people to wrap them-selves in.
We thank our wonderful knitters: Suzanne Brannan, Dionna Carlson, Hermine Davis, Jody Davis, Troy Elliott, Molly Farnsworth, Marion Fuchs, Gwen Hemmers, Janis Hennessy, Louise Holland, Judy Hyde, Sally Lambdin, Dorie Pease, Barbara Porter-field, Irene Swanson, and Dianna Wallace, as well as the many other women who have been faithful knit-ters in past years.
If you are interested in learning more about the Prayer Shawl Ministry, please contact Judy Hyde, (203)966-8028, [email protected]
An Update from the Mission and Social Action Committee
Prayer Shawl Ministry
A thank you to our Church from Re-Entry Ministry.
imaginable hardships on the or-ganization. MSA, and in particular MSA's liaison to Re-Entry Ministry, Beth DeTullio, has been working actively to assist the organiza-tion since the fire and to identify opportunities for even greater collaboration with our church in the future.
Please watch a video on the work of Re-Entry Ministry, below, where you will see Beth fea-tured. As Beth's steps off of MSA this Spring after a 3-year-term marked by passionate dedica-tion, we thank her for her service to the church through her work on MSA. http://youtu.be/ah-hAceTZzb0
remarkable Founder and Director, Queen Mims - that houses and rehabili-tates approximately 25 women whose lives have been shattered by sub-stance addictions.
In September of this year, Re-Entry Ministry experi-enced a devastating fire during which their hous-ing and communal space (their "sacred space" that allowed these women
to heal together) was destroyed. Miraculously and thanks in great part to a vigilant neighbor's quick action, no one was injured in the fire. Yet, it created additional, un-
Missions & OutreachPage 6
Pastoral Care
Youth Ministries
Become a Mission Sponsor
this year!We are sending 105 mission fish to Mobile, Alabama and every do-nation helps make the trip possible.
When you donate at any level and become a Mission Sponsor you will receive two letters from our YG Fish while on their trip and will be thanked and lifted up at our Mission Spon-sor Brunch on Sunday, March 8.
You can give now at godsacre.org/online-giving!
Building the Church in 2015
Commissioning Sunday – Building the Church in Our CongregationWe are so excited that the YG Mis-sion Trip will be partnering with Raise the Roof in Mobile, Alabama this year. Our partners will be join-ing us for the weekend of Janu-ary 9-11. Make sure you join us in church as our mission fish are commissioned at both the 9:30am and 11:15am worship services on Sunday, January 11. Come wor-ship with our young people and hear more about the trip and the incredible work that they will help do alongside Raise the Roof.
Service Projects – Build-ing the Church Through ServiceAll of our youth groups will con-tinue to be involved in all types of service activities. YG teams are will serve dinner and eat din-ner with the men and women of Inspirica’s shelters on 1/9, 1/17, 1/26 and 1/28. Check with your Advisor for details!
JYG and Guppies will each take
part in their own service projects on January 22. Guppies will be making ziti that our congrega-tion will serve at Pacific House in Stamford. JYG will be working on a project that they will be keep-ing under wraps for a few weeks.
Finally, on Monday January 19, MSYG will be making bag lunches to serve over at the Open Door Shelter in Norwalk.
Winter Weekend – Building the Church Through FellowshipMSYG will embark on their an-nual winter retreat January 30-31. This year we will be heading up to Camp Jewell in Colebrook, Con-necticut for a weekend of tubing and crazy winter fun.
Alumni Mission Trip in a Day – Building the Church Through Ser-vice (and reunion!)On January 5 our YG alumni will head to Pembroke House in
Youth Ministries looks forward to all that is ahead in 2015, especially the opportunity to build the church, the body of Christ, through fellowship and service of neighbor. As part of the church universal, we actively build the church when we are in fellowship here on God’s Acre and when we serve around our community and across the country. The New Year offers so many opportunities to build on the foundation of our first semester together as we grow in new and exciting ways.
Bridgeport to work with the men from Pivot Ministries for the day. This is an amazing opportunity for our alumni to be together, serve their neighbor, and jump back into mission trip mode. Since no YG mission trip would be complete without a shirt, bagged lunch and lots of chewy bars, those will be included too! The service day will run from 9:00am-5:00pm and we will meet at the church to ride up together. All alums are welcome and should RSVP to Kim Case [email protected] to sign up.
Our Church Community
MinistersThe Rev. Dr. Anne W. Coffman, x1
Interim Senior Minister
The Rev. Chris M. Delmar, x2Minister of Pastoral Care and Nurture
The Rev. Timothy Peoples, x5Interim Associate Minister
Caroline Ainsworth, x34Minister to Youth
StaffLaurel Carr, x33
Administrative Assistant
Kim Case, x39Youth Ministries Program Coordinator
Debbie Chapman, x31Pastoral Care Coordinator
Dr. Jo Deen Blaine Davis, x4Director of Music Ministries
Anthony JonesSexton
Marianna Kilbride, x32Director of Missions & Outreach
Christy Lombardozzi, x35Director of Christian Formation & Music
Emily Mackay, x21Youth Program Assistant
Marie-Ange Masters, x23Director of Accounting
Kelly McGinn, x26Christian Education Coordinator
Kelly Morrissey, x22Chief Administrative Officer
Anne Wilkinson, x36Director of Communications
Church Lay LeadershipTim Ford
Chair, Board of Trustees
William PicardChair, Board of Deacons
Jay TwomblyChair, Nominating & Governance
Roger BoltonChair, Personnel
The Congregational Church of New Canaan23 Park Street • New Canaan, CT 06840
(203)966-2651 • www.godsacre.org • youth.godsacre.orgwe are a stePheN MiNistry ChurCh
Submissions for the February Newsletter are due January 20. Email submissions to Anne Wilkinson at [email protected].
History Committee: Early BeginningsNew Canaan’s first Sunday School was established by the Congrega-tionalists in May 1827, and early classes were held in a town house on Park Street. Our Reverend William Bonney was the prime mover of the Sabbath School so-called, along with an elected superintendent, a secretary, and a library from the congregation. The first planned lesson was from Matthew 36:36-56, Judas’ betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the memorization of the Scriptures was to be at the heart of the curriculum.
The Sabbath School eventu-ally relocated first from the unheated town house to our first Meeting House that was heated with box stoves. In 1842, fifteen years after the School was started, a base was established in the galleries of our newly constructed third [and present] Meeting House and remained there for the next thirty-five years.
1877 was the momentous year when a generous church benefactor, Miss Lucy Weed, provided funds to add the present lecture hall. By 1898 the Sabbath School was at last housed in winter-warm and
adequate Sunday quarters. An interesting note: in the early days there was no Sunday School in the winter months, and through the 1930s religious instruction was curtailed in July and August.
Over the years, the children of the Church have not only been recog-nized in special ways, they have contributed. For many years there was a “Cradle Roll” for little people up to four years old. They were “gradu-ated” with much celebration on Children’s Day in May to the Beginning level. And every other month the children’s offering went to mission groups in the Church as well as to outside groups such as the Visit-ing Nurses Association and the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, all of which attests to our forbearer’s belief in the merits of early beginnings.
Members of our present-day Church School taking part in last month’s Nativity Pageant. Our Church has a long history of its chil-dren contributing to the life of the church.
