(T h e P a r i s h P r e s s)
Summer 2015
REVISED EDITION
(FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHOF EAST WINDSOR124 Scantic RoadEast
Windsor, CT 06088SUNDAY WORSHIP 10:00 AMThe Rev. Dr. Thomas V.
Calderone, Pastor)
(For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call
of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who
are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with
the Lord forever.1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NIV) (SCANTIC MEETING
HOUSE BUILT 1802)
PARISH PRESS JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER 2015
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them
is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows (Lk.
12: 6 7; RSV).
In this passage Jesus is telling us that we are each
individually valuable to God, that he loves us and that He watches
over us. While the age in which we live is one characterized by
irreligion, anxiety and violence, the Gospel assures that God
continues to walk with us. Witness how Jesus illustrates this point
by using imagery familiar to the disciples. Five sparrows are
bought, presumably for food, for two cooper coins. Converting this
into modern day currency it would amount to buying five sparrows
for two nickels. Put another way, Gods care for His creation
extends even to a sparrow (cf. Is. 49: 15; Mt. 10: 29).
The argument moves from the lesser to the greater. Consequently,
if God cannot forget even a sparrow, then He certainly will not
forget those who follow Jesus. As such, Gods attention to and care
for His children is so great that even the hairs on our heads are
numbered. Jewish belief at the time carried this one step further
asserting that Gods individual care and supervision of His creation
extended to every blade of grass, which had its own guardian angel.
Such contentions underscore the point, namely, that through the
storms and trials of this life we need not fear, for God walks with
us, and as He promises in the book of Isaiah, I will not forget you
(Is. 49: 15d; RSV).
As we enter the hazy, humid, lazy days of summer we need recall
again that wherever we go on whatever trip or vacation we have
planned, we are not alone, God is with us to guide, care for, and
direct; we need but to listen. The Psalmist puts it quite
eloquently, Where could I go to escape from Your Spirit or from
Your sight? If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, You would
be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead You would
also be there. Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew
across the ocean. Even then Your powerful arm would guide and
protect me. Or suppose I said, Ill hide in the dark until night
comes to cover me over. But You see in the dark because daylight
and dark are all the same to You (Ps. 139: 7 12; CEV). In short,
there is no escaping the Lord God Almighty.
I will be leaving on my own vacation after service on Sunday,
July 26th and will return to the pulpit on Sunday, September 6th.
In my stead I am pleased to announce that worship will be led on
August 2nd by one of my mentors, the Rev. Charles Davis. His sermon
Are You Ready? dealing with whether or not we are ready to die,
promises to be thought provoking and informative. In like manner,
my good friend and colleague the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Hoyt will grace
our pulpit on August 9 and 16. Dr. Hoyt has been with us before and
is an engaging, creative and well respected preacher. Finally, we
have the pleasure and privilege of having the Rev. Art Dunham lead
worship on August 23rd. For those of you who do not know, Rev.
Dunham was the longtime pastor of the First Congregational Church
of South Windsor. When
he last led worship Jackie Lowry fell down the stairs of the
sanctuary and was brought to Hartford Hospital by ambulance (a fact
I conveniently forgot to bring up when asking him). True to form,
Art and his wife, Lee, followed her to the hospital and spent the
bulk of the day by her bedside. Hopefully this visit will go
without incident. Consequently, in addition to those who from our
congregation volunteer to lead worship -- who I thank in advance --
we have the unique occasion to experience the styles of three
seasoned veterans; I would encourage all to take advantage of this
exceptional opportunity. Additionally, during my time away pastoral
coverage will be provided by the Rev. Carol Lewis, pastor of the
Broad Brook Congregational Church. Thank you, Carol.
As we return in September I would remind everyone that Bible
Study will resume on Wednesday, September 16. As always we will be
meeting from 7: 00 until 8:30 p.m. Currently we are in the
fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John and upon completion we will
decide on our next course of study. Among the preliminary
discussions are: delving into some of the minor prophets of the Old
Testament, books like Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, etc; reading a
book, such as The Case For Christ and discussing it; doing a short
six week topical study of Jesus dealing with such areas as, Jesus
as Healer; Jesus as Teacher; Jesus as Prophet, etc. Additionally, I
am contemplating a morning Bible Study for those who are unable to
attend our nightly session. This would be open not only to those in
our church, but to the community at large. At present, I am
tentatively thinking of scheduling it for Wednesday mornings from
11: 00 a.m. until 12: 00 noon. If there is anyone who is
interested, please let me know.
Similarly, Confirmation Class will begin again on Sunday,
September 20th, guests and visitors are welcome. As the Fall
session progresses we will finish the Gospel of Mark and go on to
read the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as well as seeing a movie
presentation of the Gospel of John. Additionally, we will be going
on several field trips to experience other faith traditions.
Included in this group are: a Hindu temple; a Buddhist temple; a
synagogue; and, if time and schedules permit, a mosque. If anyone
has any suggestions regarding either Bible Study or Confirmation
Class please let me know. My purpose, and the purpose of the church
in general, is to spread the Good News of Jesus in ways that are
instructional, informative, and inspired; your help is greatly
appreciated.
Finally, as the days of summer wane remember to set time aside
each and every day to give thanks to God who so loved the world
that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world,
not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through
Him (John 3: 16 17; RSV).
I hope you have a wonderful summer! God Bless, Pastor Tom.
Deacons' Report
The summer doldrums are upon us. God's flowers are blooming,
God's bees are buzzing and God's birds are fighting for space at my
feeder. All too soon the fall's activities will be gearing up
again. In the meantime it won't be totally quiet at our beloved
church. Updating of several areas of the church will be going on.
The monthly free Veteran's Lunches will be held, worship of course,
will be ongoing. Typically during the summer months, attendance at
worship goes down dramatically--people are away or busy with family
and work. We should all be mindful that God does not take
vacations. If you can't make it to worship on Sundays please
remember to pray and listen for God speaking to you. When you go
away on vacation please make it a point to attend worship where
ever you are.
Many of you might not realize that Pastor Tom did not take a
vacation last year. Soon he will be taking some well-deserved time
off. He will be away beginning July 27 through August 31st, to
return to the pulpit on September 6th. During his time off 3
ministers and 2 laypeople from our congregation will be leading our
worship:
August 2: Rev. Charles Davis (Communion Sunday)
August 9: Rev. Dr. Kenneth Hoyt
August 16: Rev. Dr. Kenneth Hoyt
August 23: Rev. Art Dunham
August 30: Eileen Venditti
As always if any of the deacons can be of service to you, please
don't hesitate to seek one of us out.
Have a blessed summer,
For the deacons,
Marie
2015 Deacons
Michael Riley, Jim Strempfer, Jim Leighton, Harriet Muska,
Theresa Denis, Marie Grove
FIVE CORNER CUPBOARD NEWS
While the church year is settling in for a relatively quiet
summer, the pantry will be as busy as ever. We still have our
Walmart and Foodshare pickup to do on Mondays and monthly pickup at
Aldi's and Dollar Tree in Enfield (our box truck has come in
extremely handy!). In addition we've added a pickup 3 times a week
at Starbucks in Enfield. We are serving an average of 125 families
each month, 65% of them have children, making the totals
individuals we help about 350 per month. We're continuing to
distribute extra items as we have for several years now, to those
families with children to help a bit since the kids are not getting
lunch or breakfast at school.
We try to keep our clients informed about programs and products
which may be of use to them. Most recently these include: the free
Summer Meals program serving lunch for kids at the Town Hall annex,
a federal program offering a free box of food (worth about $50) to
qualifying seniors, our church's monthly free lunch for Veterans
and their immediate families, clinics for reduced prices for pet
vaccinations and the free suppers at Pauline's Stockpot Kitchen
every Friday night. You can help us in this effort by letting me
know if you hear of a program or activity our clients might find of
interest.
Recently we Spring Cleaned the pantry. I want to thank Barbara
Crockett's Girl Scout Troop for their assistance. These young
ladies washed all the upstairs windows and swept off the front
porch--What a great job they did!
I would also like to thank Jim Leighton for periodically
washing, waxing and buffing the upstairs floor. Everyone comments
on how great they look!
Report on the Letter Carriers' food drive "Stamp Out Hunger"--
7,000 lb (3.5 TONS!) of food were received! Thanks to all who
helped to sort and pack it all away-- Carolyn and Lizzie Kita and
Harriet Muska, along with our "regular" pantry volunteers and a
couple of teens earning academic community hours.
Future activities include:
Partnering with Pauline's Stockpot Kitchen and the E. W. Hunger
Action Team at a table at E.W. Community Day in September to raise
awareness of hunger in our community
The annual "Scouting for Food" drive on November 14th
Thanksgiving and Christmas basket distributions in November and
December
We are continuing with the vegetable garden started last year by
the Girl Scouts. Our resident gardener Bill, ably assisted by a
pantry client and one of our volunteers Diane, got it started with
a very generous donation of plants and fertilizer by Baggott's Farm
Market. It's a simple garden, just tomatoes, peppers and green
beans. We would still appreciate donations of extra produce from
your home gardens.
Have a great summer! Find us on Facebook!
Marie
Remember ----Hunger Has NO Season
Reflection on presenting at the Womens Fellowship meeting in
June
In June I presented at the Womens Fellowship meeting on the work
I am involved in as part of a faculty-student-professional team
from the University of Hartford. Our team has introduced new
farming tools to small landholder farmers in rural areas of Western
Kenya as part of a larger effort to promote production of grains as
cash crops. Introducing and testing the tools, in this case a
mechanical seeder and a human-powered thresher, and determining if
they can be made locally and at an affordable price was relatively
straight forward. However, bringing the tools to commercialization
and relatedly, building the capacity among the farmers to increase
the quantity and quality of crop production involves a multitude of
(often complicated) social processes. Our Kenyan partners include
representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Agriculture
Technology Development Center, Kenya Agriculture and Research
Institute, and several farming organizations involving 300+
farmers. The Newmans Own Foundation and the National Collegiate of
Innovators and Inventors Association have provided most of the
funding.
I have of course presented on our efforts many times. However,
presenting the project to the Womens Fellowship group was a new
challenge for me. This was not the typical academic setting I am
familiar with, nor was the audience otherwise familiar with this
type of work. How could I make it relatable? How could I engage
people in a discussion that is meaningful for everyone?
As it turns out, it was very simple: It all boiled down to
fellowship, starting from how to present it to the final outcome of
it. I began by talking about all the people involved in the
initiative and the multitude of connections among everyone. I
highlighted the importance of building trust not just among the
collaborating colleagues but with the people on the ground, in this
case the farmers as well as the local fabricators, in order to move
the initiative forward. At the end of the discussion I found myself
back to this point again, noting that what inspires me the most, is
the strong connection I feel with many of the people I have met
working in a very, very different part of the world. Moreover, the
genuine interest shown by the people who attended the presentation,
Marilyn Butenkoff, Marie Groves, Shirley Machesney, Gerda
Mikkelsen, Eileen, Autumn, and Becca Venditti, Marion Webber, and
Pastor Tom, was also very, very inspiring to me. They were
obviously very interested in the larger picture of improving lives,
but they also had many questions about all the details (I even
received a phone call later from somebody who was still thinking on
it). During our discussion, I found myself very comfortably talking
about the experience at a personal level (not typical!). By the end
of the two hours that we spent together, not only did I feel a
strong fellowship with these women (and Pastor Tom too!) but I also
felt a deeper connection to the work. Quite unexpected for me, the
group voted to donate a very generous offer of $1,000! This now
creates a tangible fellowship, in addition to a spiritual one,
between the members of the First Congregational Church of East
Windsor and the farmers in the rural districts of Western Kenya. A
very warm thank you! We head back to Kenya at the end of July. I am
truly looking forward to meeting again with the Womens Fellowship
in the fall to give an update, and continue to share experiences
and ideas.
Marcia Hughes
260 Scantic Road, East Windsor, CT
July 4, 2015
CORRECTION
The June issue of the Parish Press contained a copy of a letter
from Chan Stoughton to Pastor Tom presenting his intentions for the
use of his recent sizable donation to the church. Unfortunately,
what was published was not the original letter. In the interests of
total transparency, we have included in this issue the original
scanned copy of the letter to Pastor Tom dated January 17, 2015. We
regret any confusion that may have occurred.
Your Finance Committee:
Donna, Marilyn, Marie, Dick, Elise, Pat, Nelda
The scanned original letter follows
REQUEST FROM YOUR FINANCE COMMITTEE
YOUR VIEWS: HOW TO GROW THE CHURCH
As you know, Chan Stoughton gave our church a very generous
donation earlier this year. We have named his contribution the Chan
Stoughton Memorial Fund.
In a letter to Pastor Tom dated January 17 of this year, Chan
has asked us to use this money to grow the church. This requirement
seems to have different meanings to each of us.
To ensure that these funds are allocated and used in a manner
that meets Chans desires and the needs of the congregation, we
would like to ask each member of the congregation to tell us what
grow the church means to you and actions you would suggest be
taken.
Please let us know your thoughts. Nelda Fortier will be
responsible for collecting them for the Finance Committee. We will
eventually publish the results of this survey.
Nelda may be contacted by
E-mail [email protected]
Nelda Fortier
213 Scantic Rd
East Windsor, CT 06088
By placing an envelope addressed to her in the Finance Committee
mail box
We ask that you please respond a soon as possible, but no later
than October 1.
Thank You
Your Finance Committee
FINANCE COMMITTEE
COMMITMENT TO OUR CONGREGATION
MISSION STATEMENT
TO ENSURE EVERY FINANCIAL TRANSACTION OF THE CHURCH MEETS THE
FOLLOWING GOALS:
AUTHORIZATION: The person / committee conducting the transaction
has been duly given the authority, permission, and power to do
so
RESPONSIBILITY: The person / committee conducting the
transaction has the ability to act in a trustworthy manner without
further guidance
ACCOUNTABILITY: The person / committee conducting the
transaction is answerable to the congregation for the result
TRANSPARENCY: The transaction, its purpose, the process, and
result are visible, auditable, and easily understood
Ways and Means
Thank you all for your support of our Fund Raisers, the proceeds
of which go to the operating expenses of our Church.
Our Tag Sale in May netted $565 and our Annual Strawberry Supper
in June netted $1750. A huge thank you to Michael & Dianna
Riley for doing all the cooking, to the wait staff & cleanup
crew, to those of you who stepped up to set up additional tables
& chairs for the larger than expected turnout, and to all who
donated food and funds to purchase food. Without your generous
effort, we would not have had the success that we did.
Our next Fund Raiser is the Summer Work Party in August, and
work has begun on our Raffle to be held at the November Vendor
Fair. Raffle tickets will be available early in September (pending
approval from the state of Connecticut).
Jim Strempfer has graciously agreed to provide us with another
post & beam shed as our grand prize. We are reaching out to all
to provide a second and third prize. In the past these have been in
the form of contractor work and fuel oil. Smaller gift certificates
have traditionally been our fourth and fifth prizes.
Your Ways and Means Committee
Diane Fredette, Mabel Fredette, Carolyn Kita, Steve Schortman,
Karen Gaudreau and Janet Greer
Nominating Committee
The following prayer was offered at the Church council meeting
on 2/6/1989 by Gerda V. Mikkelsen. When Gerda shared it at bible
study one evening shortly after the annual meeting, the over-
arching theme resonated with me and I just had to share.
The prayer this evening is going to be a little different from
the prayers, which I normally offer, since I almost always just let
them come as the spirit moves me.
Before we start praying, try to think about these concepts, as
they apply to you as individuals and as a churchalone and
together.
We humans are different from the animals, since we are the only
ones, who can do all the four things that I ask you to do now.
LISTEN, STAND BACK, FOCUS AND FORGIVE
Dear Lord,
We come to you this evening in awe, praise and thanksgiving.
We come as individuals and we come as a church body.
Whether we come in frustration or joy, we do come,
And you understand us and you hear us.
Teach us as individuals and as your churchto be still and listen
to your quite voice, listen to our own best inner selvesour own
conscience. Teach us to listen and learn from each others well.
Help us to step back and appreciate from where we have come.
Only in doing that will we know, that we are not as self-made and
self-sufficient, as we sometimes think that we are.
Help us as a church to build on that solid foundation, which is
JESUS THE CHRIST. Help us to be true stewards of what has been
entrusted to us by people just like us, who were willing to make
sacrifices so we now may be able to enjoy, what we have today. Many
generations loved you and this church long before we were ever
thought of.
As individuals and as church help us to focus in on where we are
going, so we may be able to choose the right path.
DEAR LORD, guide us all so firmly from above, that what we are
on the inside may not be contaminated by any outside forces.
Finally as individuals and as a church help us to write all our
sins and all our gripes against one another in the sand at the
ocean and then to wait patiently for the tide to come erasing it
all and washing it awaycleansed and forgotten forever in the deep
sea of Gods eternal mercy and love.
Now we can be clean and empty vessels fit to be used in your
kingdom that has no end. Please hear us, OH LORD, for we pray in
Jesus name.
AMEN
As we move forward in 2015 with our new committee members keep
these words in mind.
Faithfully,
Janet Greer, Dianna Riley and Linda Sinsigallo
Fishers of Mens Ad-hoc Committee
Conception and purpose;
About two years ago it was conceived in the midst of a
conversation during a by-laws meeting about the Nominating
Committee and individual gifts and talents. The conversation turned
to ways to make the Church committees more efficient and ways to
grow the church.
At the next Executive Meeting the Ad-hock Committee Fishers of
Men was formed. Its purpose was to research, discuss and implement
ways to grow our church. To look internally and outward for ways to
improve. With each step, to report back to Executive Committee for
discussion, approval and implementation.
Time line thus far;
Summer 2014 started research on local growing churches and
interviewed about 10 members of our church.
January 2015
Members so far
Steve Schortman, Cindy Birmingham, Diane Fredette, Eileen
Venditti, Corinne Burnham and our latest volunteer Marcia
Hughes.
We meant officially twice so far in February and March.
1. Steve gave a presentation and showed a video on a Mens Work
Program that would involve a commitment of 3 hours a month helping
widows/widowers (starting with our members) with projects around
their house that they cant handle themselves. This program includes
beginning prayer/worship, workbooks and we feel the potential for
growth in ourselves and the community through word of mouth.
2. Eileen suggested an additional bible study. So far all the
research showed growing healthy churches had multiple small groups
and bible studies. The more a person understands their place and
purpose in the Body of Christ and the world through scripture the
stronger and clearer their conviction is.
As a committee we voted and approved both items to go before the
Executive Committee, Both will proceed in the fall.
Now the hard work begins.
At our last Meeting in June we set our summer agenda
Topics to be discussed;
1. Short and long term goals for committee
2. Looking at current church structure (whats working and whats
not)
3. Marketing
4. Small group implication (what groups and how to
implement)
Summer Meetings
July 20th @6 pm
August 17th @6 pm
ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND
or
Feel Free to Share Your Ideas with Any Committee Member in
Written Form
To be shared at Meeting
(HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!) (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)
( JULY7/4 Jean Blanchard7/7 Juan OBrien7/7 Bill McGonagle7/9
Marion Webber7/9 Edward Stamel7/15 Curt Zyra7/23 Edith Tracy AUGUST
8/2 Marian rolocut 8/3 John Parda 8/9 Linda Kasevich 8/11 Angela
(groves) Lincoln 8/12 Fred Stucklen 8/20 Jim spencer 8/21 Dolores
Sutton 8/24 Sabrina Leighton8/26 Greg Gabelmann 8/26 Kevin Brett
SEPTEMBER9/2 Helen castle 9/4 Susan G. (Ellsworth) Flanigan 9/9 Tom
Gabelmann 9/15 Diane Fredette 9/21 Dick Stathers 9/22 Gail Winick )
(JULY7/12 Bill & Rosemary Raber7/17 Dick & Gae Larson7/24
Brian & Barbara NovakAUGUST8/1 George & Karen Gaudreau8/3
Paul & sue Nai 8/23 David & Karen Bearce 8/27 dick
&Cindy Birmingham 8/28 mark & Eileen VendittiSeptember -
none)
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( Its simple Just call or email the church with all the info to
be added to the database!! )
(Hmmm I dont see our Anniversary, either, dear.)
(Hey wheres MY Birthday? )
The First Congregational Church of East Windsor
Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Thomas V. Calderone
Church Office: - 654-0590
Pastor's Office: - 627-5943
Email Address: [email protected]
Web Site: fcceastwindsor.com (new site will be active by end of
July)
Every Sunday: Worship 10:00 am
MONTHLY
Women's Fellowship3rd Monday of Month6:30 pm
Finance Committee4st Tuesday of Month7:00 pm
Deacons2nd Monday of Month7:00pm
Executive Committee1st Tuesday of the Month7:00 pm
Trustees 3rd Sunday of the month 8:30am
Food Pantry OpenTuesday & Thursday mornings9:00am to
11:00am
and 3rd Tuesday of each month 6:00pm to 7:00pm
Bible StudyWednesdays 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
ChoirThursdays 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Christian Education 3rd Sunday of the month 11:30
And Missions 4th Sunday 11:30
The "Parish Press" is published by the First Congregational
Church of East Windsor. Articles and items of interest should be
sent to the church via e-mail to [email protected] or
by placing the item in the Public Relations mail box.
If you would like an article included in the April 2015
issue
of the Parish Press, please submit your article(s) by March 25th
, 2015.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to
you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you
peace.
July/Aug/Sept
July 14th Deacons Meeting 7pm
July 20th 6pm Fishers of Mens Meeting
July 25th Veterans Lunch 12:00
July 28th Finance Meeting
August 17th 6pm Fishers of Mens Meeting
August 29th Veterans Lunch 12:00
September 1st Executive Meeting 7pm
September 14th Deacons Meeting 7pm
September 13th Sunday school Registration
September 16th Bible Study Starts 7pm
September 20th Confirmation Class Starts
September 26th Church Tag Sale
CHRISTIAN ED.
SEPTEMBER REGISTRATION FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL
WILL BE ON SEPT.13TH AND CLASSES WILL BEGIN ON SEPT.20TH.
Pre-school teachers will be Megan Ellsworth, Marci Stiles and
Betsy Ferlano.
2nd-5th teachers will be Diane Fredette, Lydia Schortman and
Angie Lincoln.
Confirmation class will be Pastor Tom and Anne Stucklen.
The first Sunday of the month the children will be upstairs
until after Communion. The 3rd Sunday of the month they will be
upstairs until after Childrens story.
Sunday School helps children respect, appreciate and utilize the
Bible. Reverence for Gods written words doesn't come naturally. A
healthy Sunday classroom environment, centered around the Bible,
will elevate its importance in a childs life.
Sunday School teachers don't just teach Bible stories, they show
a child how to utilize the concordance and give a basic
understanding of the Bibles books and overall format. Sunday School
gives kids a chance to ask questions. Sunday Schools are like plant
nurseries, they may look unimpressive at first, but under the soil,
miracles are happening.
Diane Fredette- C.E. Director
