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NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE ON LIFE’S JOURNEY, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.

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The Congregational Church of Middlebury, UCC 2 Main Street, Middlebury, VT 05753 Church Offices, 30 North Pleasant Street, Middlebury VT 05753. 802-388-7634

Greetings, church!

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…

This verse passage from the 43rd chapter in Isaiah was on my heart this past month. February was a full month in the life of this church and in my own personal life. In 29 days, we have passed through all kinds of waters. • We mourned the loss of beloved church members:

Dumont Rush, Tom Bechtel, and most recently, Russell Carpenter; • We began a robust and fast-moving “Vision 2020” process; • Our church and the Addison Association installed me as your Associate Pastor; • And finally, I participated in a three week full-time intensive outpatient physical therapy program at

Dartmouth-Hitchcock for my chronic back pain. Through it all, God has been and continues to be with us through the waters—calm, choppy, shallow, or rushing. Every minute of every day, God calls us by name…we are God’s beloved. Reflecting on this full month, I have both a heavy heart and deep gratitude for the ways which God steadfastly abides with us through it all. I was so, so overjoyed by the beautiful installation service and the reception that followed. What a celebration! I felt so loved and energized for our shared ministry. Thank you to the musicians, the deacons, the reception hosts, and of course, Andy, Russ, Judy, Jessica, Jeff, and Jennifer. I am one lucky pastor; we are one lucky church.

I am also grateful for the support and love I received while I was away at Dartmouth. For those who aren’t aware, I’ve had some chronic back pain for about a year now, and it was really getting in the way of me doing the things I love to do. Many of you have said, “I had no idea!” It’s true, I did a very good job of keeping it to myself. We all do that with certain things about ourselves we’d like to keep hidden, don’t we?

CHURCH MATTERS

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THROUGH THE WATERS Rev. Elizabeth Gleich

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As Director of Music, I am always looking for songs that I feel help embody our beliefs as a faith community. My criteria include a search for lyrics that are more inclusive than exclusive, measuring them against the words we care about deeply, “No matter who you are, no matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” I examine a piece of music for a more expansive view of God than narrow, including gender. Is there a charge to love and care for one another and God’s creation? Does a song include an acknowledgment of the human condition and our need for God and for meaning as we make our way through this world? What about themes of service, justice, and peace? In addition, it never hurts for the music itself to be compelling and inviting.

It isn’t very often that I find a piece of music that I get really excited about because it fulfills so many of the things I have learned that we value in my time here over the past twelve years. But I recently found one. It is called “Maya’s Prayer for Peace” by Tom Trenney with text by Maya Angelou.

If you attended the Ash Wednesday service on February 26, you heard this piece sung by our Chancel Choir, and if you were in morning worship the following Sunday, March 1, you heard it

Through the Waters… continued

Music Notes Jessica Allen, Director of Music

Sharing certain parts of ourselves can make us feel vulnerable. However, I’ve found that it is through vulnerability that we find connection, love, community, solidarity, and sometimes help with our struggles. In my case, I’m grateful to have participated in this program because it helped me feel less alone and limited by the pain. In the three weeks I was away, I practiced new pain coping skills, new exercises, and new ways to advocate for myself. I look forward to sharing more of what I learned as time goes on.

Finally, it's impossible to find the words to share what Russell Carpenter meant to me, to our church, to this community. It is an understatement to say that Russ was an incredible human being, and incredible church moderator, an incredible friend, and incredible husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and son. I am so grateful for the eight short months I shared with him. We are forever changed because of Russell, and over the next weeks and months, we will have many more opportunities to reflect on his life and legacy. For now, let us praise God for Russell Carpenter, and let us wrap Donna and their family in our love and support.

Beloved: you are not alone. We are not alone. God is with us in all of it, no matter what we are going through, visible or invisible. Know that you have a friend in me, a fellow companion on the journey. That’s what we all are: companions on this journey. And as we move forward in our visioning process as a church, I look forward to hearing your own stories, hopes, and dreams for this church and our shared ministry as we gather in small groups during March (which you can sign up for in Fellowship Hall or online).

I am grateful to be on the journey with you all. Peace, Elizabeth

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then as well. When I discovered it last summer, I was in tears listening and reading along. It was the icing on the cake to discover that the composer was someone I sang with briefly in Michigan in my post-graduate years working and singing in the Detroit area. He is now Minister of Music at a large UCC congregation called First-Plymouth in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Tom Trenney chose to open “Maya’s Prayer for Peace” with a reference to the hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in the piano part, leading to an immediate embrace of rich choral structure in the style of the American Spiritual, something that expresses beautifully the words and personage of the remarkable Maya Angelou. There is a dramatic shift from this style in the middle of the piece which flows into a litany of prayer, and a harmonization that leads the listener to “the light of hope.” The end again includes the qualities of a spiritual, but the words are relayed more clearly, unison, as if to add clarity and urgency to this prayer for all the world—peace.

I leave you with “Prayer” by Maya Angelou, the text for this song and our Chancel Choir’s prayer for the past several weeks. May it bless you as it has blessed us.

Father, Mother, God, Thank you for your presence during the hard and mean days. For then we have you to lean upon. Thank you for your presence during the bright and sunny days, for then we can share that which we have with those who have less. And thank you for your presence during the Holy Days, for then we are able to celebrate you and our families and our friends. For those who have no voice, we ask you to speak. For those who feel unworthy, we ask you to pour your love out in waterfalls of tenderness. For those who live in pain, we ask you to bathe them in the river of your healing. For those who are lonely, we ask you to keep them company. For those who are depressed, we ask you to shower upon them the light of hope. Dear Creator, You, the borderless sea of substance, we ask you to give to all the world that which we need most—Peace.

“…waterfalls of tenderness.”

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Children and Youth Ministries Jennifer H. Smith, Director

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DEADLINES The submission deadline for the April issue of Church Matters is Wednesday, March 18th. Please email your items to Elizabeth Davis at eabdavis@gmail.com.

This year’s Church School theme has been service. Are you wondering where you can be of service? Ask yourself, “WWJD?” (What Would Jesus Do?)

• Jesus would feed the hungry (donate food to HOPE). • Jesus would house the homeless (volunteer at Charter House Coalition or donate

supplies). • Jesus would care for all of creation (volunteer at Homeward Bound or donate supplies). • Jesus would love those who are lonely (volunteer at Elderly Services or donate online). • Jesus would visit those who are sick (volunteer at Home Health and Hospice or donate

money). • Jesus would bring water to those who thirst (donate to water.org).

During Lent, some people give things up to help them get closer to God. However, other people take things on to help them grow spiritually. Perhaps choosing an organization above would interest you during the season of Lent? Someplace you and your children could direct your efforts together? This activity will not only bring you closer to God but also closer together as a family. Think of the ripples you could create together to help create a better world.

Peace, Jennifer

HOLIDAY BAZAAR NOVEMBER 7, 2020

This month (March 8th) we are highlighting the CRAFT TABLE. Dorothy Douglas and Tanya Morse will have craft possibilities for you to consider. We hope you will stop by the CRAFT TABLE in Fellowship Hall and either offer some ideas or ask about the ideas shown. There will also be a list available to sign up if you are interested in helping with the Holiday Bazaar. May 10th will be the next Holiday Bazaar display, and Mona Rogers will offer expert advice on plants, bulbs, etc.

Thank you! Bazaar Chairs for 2020: Pat Chase, Eliana Canas, Ruth Penfield

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Andy Nagy-Benson andy@midducc.org

Elizabeth Gleich elizabeth@midducc.org

Jennifer Smith jsmith@midducc.org

Jessica Allen jallen@midducc.org

Judy Albright office@midducc.org

Brian Slavin buildingmanager@midducc.org

James Davis jcdavis@middlebury.edu

Jeff Buettner buettner@middlebury.edu

Cathy Chase or Irene Zaccor treasurer@midducc.org

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The Fellowship Hour Team would like to recognize the people who stepped up to help on a Sunday morning in February. Thank you to Alice Munson, Barbara Charlamb, Nate Merrill, Katharine Scribner, Jeff and Diane Munroe, Nancy Foster, Nancy Tellier, and Gail and Helmut Hietzker.

If you would like to help, please sign up on the Fellowship Hour sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall or contact anyone on the Fellowship Hour Team. You can just bring food for coffee hour or stay and help set up or clean up after church. We also need packaged cookies for our cookie shelf. Thank you, Judy Jessup and Jim and Margaret Eagan, Fellowship Hour Team

Giving Information Now Online Information about the 2020 Stewardship campaign and Planned Giving options is now available on the church's web site: midducc.org/giving/ .

Please direct any questions about stewardship to richcarpenter212@cs.com and about planned giving opportunities to sallyholland19702@gmail.com.

Easter Lilies Easter is quickly approaching. On that note, we will be taking orders for Easter lilies and tulips for the sanctuary on Easter morning. You may order on March 15 or March 22 during Fellowship Hour. Flowers are $25. A check can be made out to Congregational Church Flower Fund. Questions, please call Ginny Sinclair at 388-5499.

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Your Green Team Guide For the month of March, the Green Team invites you to take inventory of your home and household goods, considering the origin of products that you purchase and how to reduce household waste.

For starters, did you know that the vast majority of disposable tissue products

that we all use every day likely started off as trees in the boreal forests of northern Canada? Centuries-old trees are converted into virgin fiber pulp, which is then sold in perforated sheets or stuffed into boxes, later flushed or thrown away. The consequences for Indigenous Peoples, wildlife, and the global climate have been and continue to be devastating.

These impacts are compounded by the fact that the United States is a particularly voracious consumer of tissue products. While Americans make up just over four percent of the world’s population, we account for over twenty percent of global tissue consumption.

Fortunately, solutions to the tree-to-trash pipeline already exist. Instead of relying on virgin pulp, tissue companies can use recycled content or sustainably sourced alternative fibers. Use of these materials to create tissue can dramatically reduce our destructive impact on the boreal forests around the world.

Multiple companies produce disposable tissue products made entirely of recycled material and use a chlorine-free bleaching process that does less harm to the environment.

As consumers, we can be part of the solution by shopping for facial tissue, toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins that contain recycled content or post-consumer recycled content (tissue from paper, not from trees).

If virgin fiber tissue products are the only options available at your local stores, consumers can look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, which provides a base standard for sustainably managed forests, though these products still rely on virgin wood. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is another certification system for paper products, but it was designed by the paper industry and holds itself to far less rigorous standards.

When practical, consider alternatives to disposable products. Keep rags beside your sink and use them as much as possible instead of paper towels. Replace paper napkins with cloth versions, and instead of one-and-done facial tissues, rely on handkerchiefs and washcloths that can be laundered and reused indefinitely.

To read more about “The Issue With Tissue” or to access a consumer guide which rates the sustainability of at-home tissue products, visit this site by the National Resources Defense Council: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/shoppers-guide-home-tissue-products Sources: NRDC.org; NYT 1/8/2020

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Long Form Style Tai Chi Every Monday at 4:00 p.m. Tai Chi for Fall Prevention Every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. Junior Youth Group Every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Church Council Second Wednesday of the month Prayer Circle Third Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. All Boards Fourth Wednesday of the month Staff meetings Every Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. Men’s Lunch Third Thursday of the month at noon Ladies Lunch Third Thursday of the month at noon Sing for Social Justice Every Thursday at 6:15 p.m. Chancel Choir rehearsal Every Thursday at 7:00 p.m. No Choir on March 5th Parent/Child Center Playgroup Every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Community Supper Every Friday at 5:00 p.m. New Light Every Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Senior Youth Group Every Sunday at 7:00 p.m.

Community Lunch - March 4, 18 and 25 at Charter House Church Matters Deadline: March 18

For a detailed, up-to-date weekly calendar go to https://midducc.org/calendar-of-events/

Calendar of Events For March

MARCH CELEBRATIONSBirthdays

Cindy and Alan Marshall March 18 Richard and Ruth Westfall March 27

Anniversaries

Dan Brown March 01 Larry Jones March 01 Steven Jewett March 03 Lucas Nelson March 03 Kisung Davis March 04 Jessica Allen March 05 Patricia Chase March 05 Mark Foster March 11 Anthony Garner March 11 Winston Stattel March 11 Mhairi McMurray March 12 Jake Dombrowski March 15 Churchill H. Franklin March 15 Wayman Norton March 15 Susan Cady March 17 Lisa Rader March 17 Robert Stetson March 18

Ryan Gillen March 19 Brynn Kent March 19 Judy Albright March 21 Matthew Berg March 21 Beatrix Jo Lyons March 22 Sofia Stephani March 23 Elizabeth Davis March 24 Meredith Prouty March 24 Willa Abel March 25 Andrea Lloyd March 26 Peter Carothers March 27 Tana Scott March 28 Conor Stinson March 30

Church Matters

Editor of Design and Publisher Judy Albright

Editor and Advisor Elizabeth Davis

THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF MIDDLEBURY, UCC 30 North Pleasant StreetMiddlebury, VT 05753

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020 UPCOMING TRAINING for our LAY VISITATION MINISTRY

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020 FELLOWSHIP HALL, 7:00–9:00 p.m.

For three years, our church has had a lay visitation ministry. Currently we are seeking to expand this special outreach. Please read on and consider whether this opportunity might be part of your church life.

Who We Are The lay visitation ministry is a group of trained volunteers. On behalf of the congregation, we provide compassionate presence and support by visiting with members who are unable to attend church and/or who have challenging or unusual life situations. We recognize the rich backgrounds and gifts of those we visit, and look upon our lay ministry as a shared journey.

Next Steps Interested? Questions? To learn more or sign up for training, please contact Bonnie Stevens in person, by phone (989-7779), or by email: bonstevens525@comcast.net.

Procedure Following completion of training and a successful background check, the church member volunteer will be matched with someone (or a couple) from our church who agree to be visited.

Bonnie Stevens, Volunteer Coordinator