Notes from the Diaconate

Sheil Vitale In Care

The deacons have been having conversations with Sheila Vitale about her faith journey.  Sheila is now a student at Andover Newton Theological School.  She is in the discernment process, i.e., exploring the different avenues of ministry through her studies and work within the program.  At our last meeting, Sheila updated us on her faith journey and asked for our support by way of accepting her as an In Care student.  The deacons voted unanimously to support Sheila’s journey and accepted her as an In Care student.  In the United Church of Christ, churches who accept an In Care student are usually the student’s home church.  The church pledges to support Sheila by offering opportunities for her to preach as well as other leadership opportunities.  We are also offering our spiritual and critical support and may offer financial support to her at some point.

Easter Flowers

Easter flowers will be available to order.  Please see the flyer attached to this newsletter. Delivery will be Palm Sunday, April 5^th. 

New Bibles

We have recognized the need for new Bibles in our pews.  Bibles will be available to donate in honor or in memory of someone for $10.00 each.  Please see the order form also attached to this newsletter.  It is our goal to have several Bibles available for each pew, each in the NRSV translation.  This is a thoughtful way to honor a loved one or commemorate a special day, such as a wedding or anniversary.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to come to church and pick up a Bible every week and see your loved one’s name right there on the bookplate?

Dates to remember

March 22^nd-Levi’s Sunday-come help make our church shine!

March 29^th-Rev. Katherine Adams Installation-3:00 PM

April 5^th - Easter Flower Delivery

April 5^th-Palm Sunday-Communion and Food Pantry week

April 9^th-Maundy Thursday Service 7:30 PM

April 12^th-Easter Services

           Flowering of the Cross 7:00 AM

           Breakfast at 8:30 AM

        Easter Worship at 10:00 AM

Jean Button for the Diaconate

Invitation to the Installation

This invitation was sent to Members of the UCC Association, local clergy, friends and colleagues of Reverend Katherine - and, through the Church Bulletin, to all of you.  Please come!

Following the 2nd half of the Annual Meeting, the Trustees met with Fran Rogers, Financial Secretary, to determine the projected financial income to complete the Trustees 2009 Budget Proposal (Total Operating Expenses of $219,164).

The columns TOTAL INCOME ($136,597) and ASSET INCOME (as needed) ($82,567) were to be completed. The projected income $136,597 was determined by averaging the total of the last four (4) years of all non-pledged general income.

Thus, the current estimated amount required from assets would be $82,567.

We are looking at the doorbell ring tones between the Handicapped Parking door entrance and the Main Rear door entrance. A contractor is being contacted to schedule an installation shortly.

As always, those people who have ideas for a project and more importantly if you can assist in completing that project, you are urged to bring it to the attention of the Trustees by placing a written note in the Trustees mailbox.

Respectfully submitted
Lou Cornaro - Secretary

Mission Committee Report

Billerica Pantry

The weak economy is no longer news.  According to the Society of St. Andrews, food banks and feeding agencies across the nation are encountering historic lows in food inventories.  This means the hungry in this country face the oppressive and unrelenting reality of insufficient food.  And what has been the response of our church?  During the first three months of 2009, you have donated 370 items.  Be proud of what you are doing and, to the extent possible, please continue to be generous.

Recycling

The Trustees are now taking responsibility for the church recycling.  Please help them by placing paper, cans, bottles, and refundables in the appropriate bins.

Recent Contributions

The Outreach Committee has voted to contribute $500.00 to the Chernobyl Children’s’ Fund to help defray the cost of bringing 80 children from the Ukraine to the Boston area for medical care.

Asylum Seekers

We continue to attend the area refugee/immigration ministry events and meetings and will make that the topic of our May Mission Moment.

Outdoor Church of Cambridge

We continue our connection with the ministry of the Outdoor Church, will worship in Cambridge with the homeless on May 10, and will be asking for the congregation’s help with this project in early May.

Palm Sunday Dinners

Mission members and Deacons will be cooperating to provide flowers and dinners for shut-in families or families who could just use a homemade meal brought to them.  If you know of an individual or family, please let Pastor Katherine or anyone on the Outreach’ Committee know.

Did You Know That:

1.      Contribution to U.S. churches dropped in 2007 and dropped more in 2008 yet, in 2008, Americans bought 57 BILLION dollars worth of lottery tickets.  What's wrong with this picture?

2.      In the 2008 post office food drive in May, Billerica residents donated over 3 tons (literally) of food that was then given to the Billerica Food Pantry. 

- Bob Miner

Religious Education

There will be no Sunday school classes or nursery coverage for Easter Sunday.  Children will join their families upstairs for church service.

Children’s Sunday will be on June 7^th.  Information regarding specific details for each class will be given out during Sunday school class in the near future.

Confirmation will be on June 14^th this year.  Once again, we will be asking the congregation to help us coordinate a collation for the confirmands and their families by donating food.  Please keep this date in mind and look for further information in the upcoming Lantern.

We are still in great need for volunteers for the nursery.  Please consider signing up for one Sunday for the nursery.  There are many Sundays that we do not have any volunteers and would greatly appreciate any help that could be offered. A sign up sheet is posted on the nursery bulletin.  Again, thank you to those who have already made commitments to help.  Your time and support is greatly appreciated.

Attention Parents:  Every Sunday from now until the remainder of the school year, all Sunday school children, except the nursery children, will go upstairs with their families at the start of church for the children’s sermon.  At the end of the sermon, the children will be released to their teachers and be brought to their classes.

Dawn Salter

Pilgrim Fellowship

- Dawn Salter

2009 Sr. High Mission Trip

The Senior High Sunday School has received their assignment for this summer to work in Indiana providing support as a part
of the UCC effort to help flood victims in the Terre Haute area. This area was ravaged by floods last year several different times and there is still a lot of need for help. We are excited to start planning and learning about how we can best help. The trip is planned for the last week in July. We are still building our bridge to hope which will help us to be able to make this trip….we appreciate your support!!
Please consider supporting our fundraising in the next few weeks as we determine the expense to allow these teens to help folks who need our support after experiencing this disaster.

Easter Breakfast

Please Join us for Easter Breakfast.

This year the Easter Breakfast is being sponsored by members of the Executive Cabinet. Our main course will be Brunch Eggs, along with pancakes, sausages, cereals, and beverages. Breakfast will be served between 8:30 AM and 9:45 AM. This should allow everyone to be finished in time for the 10:00 a.m. Easter Service.

We are asking for volunteers to prepare a pan of Brunch Eggs, which will be cooked the morning of the breakfast. If you are so moved, there is a sign-up sheet in Dale Hall. A recipe for Brunch Eggs can be found in the FCCB Church Cookbook. If you have an questions, please call Ed Reinecker (978-667-5336 (or Pat Rogers (978-663-8121).

Tickets will go on sale Sunday, March 29 in Dale Hall. The cost will be $5.00 per person, $20.00 maximum per family.

We look forward to seeing you Easter morning.

Stewardship Notes

With the ending of the Lenten season we are reminded of the relation between sacrifice and stewardship. Some of us have given up something for Lent, and often these sacrifices are useful to us and benevolent to others, but not all acts of stewardship must be sacrificial. Some such acts of stewardship are participation in the three fund drives being put on by the church this spring.
We have the Tea on May 2 and the Fifties Dance on May 16. Each of us can help as volunteers, contributors and customers. If these events are successful they will make useful contributions to the various programs of the church such as Outreach. By participating in these various activities we can get to know our fellow congregants in a different way than we see them on Sunday and we can contribute our time and talents in a useful way.
As we know, time, talents and treasure are the three ingredients of stewardship, and by contributing to the several fund drives of the church, we are good stewards according to the definition of Christian Stewardship- "What I do with all that I have, after I say I Believe."

For the Stewardship Committee,
Don Lovegrove

Aim Hi

NEXT MEETING: April 16TH. at 12 noon.

Aim Hi has been sending our love, prayers, and Thank You packages to several young people serving overseas. We encourage the congregation to use the addresses below and send a short note or greeting card to these young people while they are away from home. It means so much to them and their families.

Donna Ricarte & June Orne

Notes from the Music Committee

The new officers of the music committee area:

Our vision statement talks about welcoming the diversity of individuals and their gifts. We are now experiencing greater diversity in music. Our new leaders are expanding the types of music within our worship. Some hymns are loose free flowing tempos, some slow and stately, others peppy and up beat. All are chosen for the message in them.

The challenge for members of the congregation is to weather the discomfort of newness or style that is not your favorite. It may speak to someone else if not to you. While the old standards hold comfort for me, I find the new tunes or words make me listen and think about them more. Hopefully they will add depth to your worship too.

As always, anyone is welcome to try singing in the choir even if you can't come every week. Children are encouraged to give the youth choir a try as well. We look forward to the children and adult choirs joining forces for Easter. In addition gifts of instrumental music are a blessing. See Music Director, Ginny, or Pastor Katherine to offer your help.

Phyllis Jennings, secretary, Music Com.

Children's Choir

Expand your child's religious education!!!!  Youth Choir meets from 9:30am to 10:00am in the Chapel. Everyone is welcome! We will be learning hymns, Bible songs, Christmas carols, and Twentieth Century Christian songs. For more information, please contact April Goss-Baker at 978-670-6035.

Lay Shepherding
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday April 15, 1:00 P.M.  

We are available for visits, a phone call or to send cards, so if you would like to receive or know of anyone, who would like to receive any these, please let us know. We are fortunate to have so many caring members in our community and it is greatly appreciated.

Please contact any lay shepherd or Audrey Schwartz tel. 978 663-3239 for further information.

United Church of Christ

Summer Camps

Star Island off the coast of New Hampshire offers youth conferences (High school) and family camps. This is a wonderful way of developing faith while having fun.

UCC Youth camps are Aug.2-8, or Aug. 8-15. Family camps run the same schedule. There is also a Laity weekend Sept. 5-7. Information is available at http://www.starisland.org. In the past our church has offered scholarships if needed through the mission funds.

The UCC at Craigville on the Cape has also had an adult music camp in July. Information is not yet on the website.

The United Church of Christ and You

This June will be a meeting of General Synod. This is the every-other-year national meeting of delegates from all the conferences in the United Church of Christ. Our conference is Massachusetts. Within Massachusetts, churches are grouped in geographical associations, ours being Andover Association.

The United Church of Christ churches join together in covenant while each retains its autonomy. This means we basically govern ourselves but should respectfully and prayerfully consider any recommendations made by conference or synod. We also should support connections with other UCC churches.

In that regard, there is an Andover Association newsletter in electronic form that list events in our area churches that we can attend. If you are interested in church suppers, educational and spiritual programs, ask Christopher Jenkins at jenkins@gwu.edu to put you on the list or ask me to print you a copy.
*********************
The Andover Association Spring meeting is coming soon. Our delegates ( drawn from the Deacons) are expected to attend but anyone else is welcome. So if you aren't going to the tea, consider this program.

Phyllis Jennings
MACUCC delegate

Worldwide Marriage Encounter

The Marriage Encounter Weekend is an opportunity to enhance your communication with your spouse and rekindle that spark that brought you together in the first place.

Registrations are now being accepted for the next scheduled weekends in our New England area.

April 17-19, 2009
at the Christian Conference Ctr. In Alton Bay, NH

November 6-8, 2009
at the 4 Points Sheraton in Meriden, Ct.

For more information or a registration form, contact Lynne and Bruce HIldreth at 978-663-4727 or Hildreth4@comcast.net. Register soon and give your spouse the greatest gift of all - yourself.

Flowers: April

April 5 -   Palm Sunday - Deacons provide an arrangement of palms.
April 12 - Given in loving memory of her husband, Lester, and members of the Lacey and Chandler families by Pat Hefler.
                 Flowers on the piano - Given in loving memory of my grandmother, Lillian Lewis by Diana Saunders.
                 Flowers on the lectern are given in loving memory of Philip D. Rohnstock from his family.
April 19 - Given by the Snowden family in loving memory of Donald Snowden, son, Richard Snowden, grandparents,
                 Mary and Alexander Paris, parents, Bertha and Waller Finnegan, sister-in-law, Matte Belle Finnegan,
                  and brothers, Richard and Alexander Finnegan and Waller Finnegan, Jr.
                 Flowers on the piano, flowers are given in loving memory of Lee Hile by her daughter, Dawn and
                  granddaughter, Tricia, husband, Carl, grandson,  Michael, wife, Trish and great-grandchildren,
                 Malison, Megan, Emily and Jeremy.
April 26 - Given in loving memory of Leonard J. and J. Raymond Brown from Barbara Brown.

If you would like to donate flowers any Sunday, please call Jeannette at 978-663-6804.

PASSAGES: Births, Baptisms, Weddings and Memorial Services

Baptisms

February 22 , 2009 - Zachery Thomas Conners

FROM ALISON

THANKS TO Audrey Schwartz, and Edna McDewell for their help in the delivery of the April issue of The Lantern!

Thank you and love, Alison

Next Lantern Deadline: Sunday, April 19

The newsletter written and mailed the week of April 19 will include the end of April and May news.