January
13
2012
The members of Monroe Congregational Church are hereby called to attend the Annual Meeting of the Congregation to be held at 11:30am on January 22nd, 2012, in the Meeting House. The agenda for this meeting will include Receiving of Reports, Election of Officers, Board Members and Delegates, Adoption of the 2012 budget, and any other business that must properly come before the Congregation.
Please note that there will be one service at 10am on January 22, 2012. Child care will be available.
Suzanne Adams, MCC Clerk
Copies of the 2012 budget and draft of the annual report are available in the Narthex and the Church Office.
January
13
2012
BECOMING…
What is God now calling you to Be as you live out your faith?
The women of MCC are invited to a time of peace, purpose and unity. The 2012 Woman’s Retreat will be March 23 -25 at Silver Lake Conference Center, Sharon, CT. The cost of weekend retreat is $126.00 per person.
Our retreat is a time set apart to explore and deepen one’s spiritual path; a time for shared responsibility of accompanying and guiding one another on our spiritual journey. Spiritual growth changes our behavior and provides the opportunity to strengthen our community. The way to live our faith is to focus on doing so, not on the frustrations that can overwhelm our life. Living our faith means focusing on ourselves as active participants with God in this world. We are here to make a difference in partnership with God, looking to what God is actually doing in our life and positively engaging in that.
Living your faith is about focusing on what we believe about God and responding from those beliefs. Faithful living is being responsible in our interactions with other people, even when we may be feeling hurt, angry, frustrated or intimidated by their behavior.
Our culture may have us believe otherwise; but faith would have us choose a different way.
Sign up sheet is in Wilton Hall or contact Janet Schmitz (janschm@att.net) with any questions.
January
13
2012
Statements were ready Jan. 8th. May be picked up at coffee hour after Church Jan. 15 & Jan. 22. Any questions please E-Mail jw633@snet.net or call 203-268-4422. Also envelopes have been out on coffee table. If you want them & don’t see any for you. I have plenty. Just leave me a note or take a box that doesn’t have a name on them. I do need to know what the number is. I will have a paper you can sign.
Thank you,
June Wininger
January
13
2012
We had a great Blitz Build – Thank to everyone who participated. There are four more workdays setup for through June: February 11th, March 10th, May 12th and June 9th. Please let me know if you are able to make any of the dates. We’ll meet in the church parking lot at 8AM to carpool. David Kingsbury, 445-0647
January
13
2012
Consider an arrangement for MCC. They are $25 each and there is a signup sheet in Wilton Hall. You can customize a sentiment for the bulletin, which will be printed in the bulletin. After the service, you are welcome to leave it at MCC or take your flower arrangement home. If you have any questions please contact Ann Zeiner 268-5302 or the church office 268-9327.
January
13
2012
Please add the following information to your MCC Directory
Betty Heiney’s email address is
December
29
2011
Dear Friends,
I greet you at the beginning of an exciting new year of ministry here at Monroe Congregational Church. Our Church Family is still basking in the glow of Jenn’s election to be the new Senior Minister and the coming months will filled with plans and work as we complete this phase of the transition
process. While Jenn is on sabbatical from January 1st through March 31st I will continue my time here as your Interim Sr. Minister. During that time, with input from Jenn, the church leadership will create and begin the process that will lead to the selection of a new Associate Minister, hopefully by late spring.
Jenn will begin her tenure as MCC’s 50th Senior Minister on Palm Sunday, April 1st. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to see this wonderful church moving into such a bright future. It has been a pleasure to work with Jenn and see firsthand the skill and compassion she will bring to her work as Sr. Minister. This is an extraordinary church and I have been blessed to part of your transition journey.
As we step off into 2012, may God continue to guide and bless our work together.
John
December
29
2011
Please Note – There will be one worship service at 10:00 AM on Sunday, January 8th. Rev. Paul Bryant-Smith will be our guest minister while John is with the Men’s Retreat at Silver Lake. Our two service format will resume on Sunday, January 15th with services at 8:45 and 10:30 AM.
December
14
2011
Christmas Eve Services
4:00pm Children’s Service, Instant Christmas Pageant
4:00pm Quiet Service
7:00pm Traditional Family Service
11:00pm Candlelight Service
Christmas Day Service
10:00am Worship Service with Communion
New Years Day Service
10:00am Worship Service with Communion
December
14
2011
The Christmas party on the Reservation last Friday was a wonderful success, due in great part to your willingness to provide toys, snow shovels, and blankets. Everyone who attended (about 175 people!) had a great time and were grateful for the party and gifts. Thank you so much for your ongoing support of the work of Simply Smiles!
December
13
2011
One of the holy sites in the old city of Jerusalem that draws many pilgrims each year is the Western Wall. It is located at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount, and is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Jewish Temple’s courtyard, and is one of the most sacred sites in Judaism outside of the Temple Mount itself. It dates from the end of the Second Temple period, and is commonly believed to have been constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the Great, but recent excavations indicate that the works were not finished during Herod′s lifetime.
The sages state that anyone who prays in the Temple in Jerusalem, “it is as if he has prayed before the throne of glory because the gate of heaven is situated there and it is open to hear prayer”. There is a practice of placing slips of paper containing written prayers into the crevices of the Wall. People will write notes with their wishes, then place them in the cracks hoping they will come true. More than a million notes are placed each year.
I’d like to invite anyone who would like to have their prayer carried to Jerusalem and placed in the Western Wall by me on sabbatical to write down their prayer and turn it in to the office by February 1st . A basket labeled “Prayers for Jerusalem” is on the side counter near the coffeemaker. It is a blessing and privilege to carry them on your behalf to such a sacred place.
December
13
2011
Dear friends,
First, let me say with all gratitude that I am thrilled about being called as the Monroe Congregational Church’s 50th seated pastor! It has been good in the past few weeks to move from the “maybe?” to the “yes!” and become more settled with the idea of leading the church in a different way. I have been spending my time preparing for our wonderful Christmas Eve worship services, visiting with members, “equipping the saints” and imagining the future as I wrap up my responsibilities as your Associate Pastor.
As many of you have learned over the past few months, my Associate Pastor agreement with the church allows for a time of sabbatical after the fifth year of ministry, which I am taking from January 1st until March 31st. My plan includes visiting colleges with daughter Cady, and spending a week in Silver Spring Maryland at Christ Congregational Church, UCC (www.cccsilverspring.org) with my good friend Rev. Dr. Matt Braddock. CCCUCC is a wonderful (and large!) program size worshipping community, and I will be spending time gleaning from them some best practices and new ideas.
I’m also very excited to also spend two weeks at St. George’s College in Jerusalem, taking a “Spirituality and Pilgrimage” travel course. Here is the write-up of what I will be doing:
As the cradle of the three Monotheistic faiths, the Holy Land remains a permanent invitation, a way and a voice reflecting God’s Presence and Message to all humanity. For Christian faithful it was and remains the very place where the Incarnation and human salvation took place. Even stones proclaim and praise the Risen Christ! Pilgrims from all nations love to see what He saw and to walk where He walked, taught, preached and healed. This course intends use the land for a personal encounter with the Teacher and to open a deep spiritual encounter with the Gospel in its authentic Context, beyond the sites, course members could read the spiritual, the political and the social background Jesus has knew. Our aim is not to look towards the past but to consider our past in the light of the Gospel determined to reconnect with the Lord and to restart our witness to His Presence and Love. Our spiritual goal is to find the special meaning of our human life lived with the Lord and for Him and to try a renewal of real faith, of a positive energy and of a joyful hope. “Come and see”, says the Lord!
Friends, I know that I am blessed to serve a community that honors its covenant with pastoral leaders, and I will be thinking of and praying for all of you in my absence. I am very grateful for the lay members who have assumed some of my program duties while I am away; confirmation, Junior and Senior Pilgrim Fellowship, Rachel’s Well and Christian education will be ably served. You are in capable and faithful hands with Pastor John who will continue to lead worship, Bible study, administration and pastoral care. Church leaders will be addressing staffing very soon, and I hope that you will give them your support and uphold them in prayer. I very much look forward to celebrating this Christmas season with you, the last Sunday I will be in worship is our 10am “come as you are” service in the Meetinghouse. We will reconnect again in worship on Palm Sunday, April 1st when I will assume my duties as your next senior pastor. Blessings and peace, Jenn
Pastor Jenn’s Sabbatical Reading List:
If any of you would like to read along with me during my sabbatical, here is a list:
When Moses Meets Aaron: Staffing and Supervision in Large Congregations,
Gil Rendle, Susan Beaumont, The Alban Institute
Starting with Spirit: Nurturing your Call to Pastoral Leadership, Bruce Epperly
Holy Clarity: The Practice of Planning and Evaluation, Sarah B. Drummond
Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations, Gil Rendle and Alice Mann
A Door Set Open: Grounding Change in Mission and Hope, Peter L. Steinke
Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, Jimmy Carter
Back Talk! Women Leaders Changing the Church, Susan Willhauck
December
13
2011
Dear Church Family,
The new year is approaching and so is our Sunday School Unit 3, which begins January 8th. We are still in need of a few helpers and teachers, specifically:
l Helpers for January 1st service
l Preschool and Kindergarten group teacher, Unit 3
l 8:45 Service teacher, Unit 3
l 8:45 Service helper, Unit 3
l Shepherd for Grade 1 & 2 group, Unit 3
l Shepherd for Grade 5 & 6 group, Unit 3
Unit 3 is on “Forgiveness” and runs from January 8th – February 19th. Please contact me if you are able to volunteer. Let’s share this joyous and valuable message of God’s forgiveness with the children!
Danielle Tusch, Sunday School Coordinator
(203) 913-5471
danielle.tusch@gmail.com
December
13
2011
Christmas Coffee Hour – Sunday, December 18th at 9:45AM in Wilton Hall. Celebrate the holiday season with everyone over coffee or tea. Donations of baked goods for this event are needed by 8AM that morning in the kitchen.
Caroling – Sunday, December 18th at 5PM in Wilton Hall. Pizza and drinks will be served prior to caroling. Dress warmly and bring $5 to offset the cost of food. Bring some joy into the lives of those who appreciate the time and effort of the carolers who come and sing at their doorsteps.
December
13
2011
The Christmas Poinsettias are ready to order! All poinsettias are red or white double plants. The cost is $25.00. You will find order forms in Wilton Hall, the meetinghouse, or church office. All orders must be received no later than December 18 to ensure delivery by December 23. Please make your check payable to Monroe Congregational Church with “poinsettia” in the memo line. The check may be dropped off in the church office, left in the offering plate or given to Ann Zeiner. If you have any questions please call Ann Zeiner 268-5302
December
13
2011
We had a very good turnout of MCC members for the annual church fall work day. We completed a few larger projects, replacing the ceiling tiles in class room # 5, and cleaning up the storm damage trees. And some smaller jobs, cleaning pencil marks off the back of the pews and trimming the evergreens. But it’s all the small jobs that everyone completed on Saturday that makes our complete MCC Campus look nice and inviting to visitors.
Thanks for the help
Jenn Gingras
John Collins
Dave Kingsbury
Rich Draus
Mark Barnhart
Rob McClenathan
John O’Rourke
Bruce Gran
Myron Wininger
Madison Caballero
Scott Young
Drew Young
Becky Young
Jeremy Young
Judy Polizzoti
Nick Caballero
Dave Allen
November
30
2011
Dear Friends,
I want to take one more opportunity to encourage you to be part of the candidating activities this weekend as Monroe Congregational Church takes a very important step into the future. Over the past five months our Senior Pastor Search Committee has done a marvelous and dedicated job. Their hard work in discerning the needs and pulse of our congregation is deeply appreciated, and we celebrate their unanimous decision to recommend The Rev. Jennifer M. Gingras as the next Senior Minister of this wonderful church.
This Saturday, December 3rd, from 3 – 5 PM, you are invited to The Sr. Pastor Candidate Reception in Rexford House. You will have the opportunity to greet Jenn on this important weekend, enjoy some delicious snacks and chat with the Search Committee.
On Sunday, December 4th we will hold just one worship service at 10 AM. This is the Candidate Service led by Jenn and it will be immediately followed by a Congregational meeting to hear the verbal report of the Sr. Pastor Search Committee. Following the report, the church will then vote to ratify the Sr. Pastor Search Committee’s recommendation that Jenn become the 50th Sr. Minister of Monroe Congregational Church.
This is an exciting moment in the history of MCC and I urge all of you to be part of it!
May God bless each of you and this very special Church Family,
John
November
30
2011
We are so grateful to everyone who has already responded so generously to our Giving Campaign here at MCC! We have reached that crucial point where we need everyone who hasn’t yet returned their pledge card to do so as soon as possible. The October storm disrupted our process and we need to get back on track as we head into the holiday season. So please help us strengthen the life of this wonderful church with your generosity. Extra pledge cards are available in the narthex or by contacting the church office. Thank you so much!
November
30
2011
It’s that time again…the next St. George’s supper is on December 19. It Takes Many Hands to Make a Difference. We will be serving the St. George’s Community Supper on December 19. Please look for the poster in Wilton Hall to sign up to help. We have a variety of needs, including shoppers, cooks and servers. Simply take a tag (or two!) and you will be making a difference for those in need. Questions? Please callStacy Andrejczyk at 926-0240.
November
30
2011
The call went out, and you responded with much generosity and open hearts! It’s amazing what our church can do when we come together and share our energy and resources.
Here’s what the Monroe Congregational Church has to celebrate for its Mission:1 November drive:
- $1,111 to Neighbors In Need
- $810 in proceeds from the “Potatoes for the Pantry” luncheon to benefit Monroe Food Pantry (thanks Junior PF for serving and helping out!)
- 516 non-perishable food items for the Monroe Food Pantry delivered and sorted by the Senior PF, included 45 bean soup jars made by the ladies of Morning Circle
- 30 Thanksgiving baskets at a value of $30 each for Covenant to Care
- $1,000 to the Monroe Food Pantry and $1,000 to Project Warmth from the Mustardseed Shop
Nationally, the 5300 churches of the United Church of Christ were able to collect:
- 1,438,124 food items for local relief agencies
- 37,443 letters to congress
- $119,584 for Neighbors in Need
- $113,271 for African Famine Relief
What is most fascinating about this whole Mission:1 effort is the many ways local churches creatively pursued their goals. I encourage you to look at the UCC.org website and read their success stories. Once again, thanks to everyone for your generosity!