We are capable of doing so much because our church family is blessed with caring, talented, loving members. However our church needs everyone who is capable to step forward and offer their support. At the annual meeting, it was reported that only 116 pledges have been received totaling $231,000. Your Board of Trustees, in concert with your Pastors, various committees and the Church Council determined that we need a minimum of $245,000 in pledges to support a budget that is 8% less than last year. Yes, we are currently showing a deficit of $14,000 but this is not entirely bad news. This year we have received nine new pledges while 42 members increased their pledges. Yet, we are capable of doing so much more.

 If you attended the annual meeting you heard passionate requests for MCC to reach out and provide service far beyond that which is budgeted. Many of you already give of your time and talents to help our church be a caring community. Yet, we need to spread the wealth of our talents across the entire church membership. Just as many of you have stepped up to be of service to help manage MCC we need more of you to take the step and make your pledge. Just as you budget your home expenses we need to budget for church expenses. You try not to practice deficit spending at home; your church cannot operate at a deficit either.

 Yes, I am asking for you to make a commitment and an investment in your future and that of MCC. WMMR and MCC. Both have similar needs, but there is a tremendous difference in how much our pledges can change the world.

 Paul Coward, Chairman-Finance Committee

 This is the first month of the year and it is not too early to keep you all updated on our great festival.  This year we will be holding the festival on June 16^th and 17^th.  All chairs of each part of the festival are being contacted and are ramping up the activities needed to make this another successful year.  If anyone in the church has any ideas or suggestions to enhance our fundraiser please contact Andy Nivison or Clark Gingras as soon as possible.  Remember it is only through hard work and dedication to our goals, can we as a church community, strive for the best on this weekend. 

                                                                 Thank You,

                                                                Clark and Andy

Morning Circle will return to meet on Wednesday, March 14th at 11:00AM in Dineson Parlor. In the meanwhile, we are collecting your donations of Church World Service layette kits items: crocheted/knited baby blankets and baby sweaters, gowns, sweaters or jackets, receiving blankets, cloth diapers, baby washcloths, diaper pins and onsies sized newborn to nine months. Please leave your greatly appreciated donations in the bin outside the church office. Thanks so much for your gifts. Susie Cuseo 268-0820 or thecuseos@yahoo.com.

 Do you have any 28-30 oz. jars taking up space in your cabinets? Morning Circle needs these empty jars when we put together our bean soup recipe for the Food Pantry. Please leave them in the bin outside the church office.

 Do you like to knit or crochet in your spare time? Would you like to create beautiful works of art by using yarn found in the closet of Dineson Parlor? Come during business hours and have Melissa open up the closet for you to choose from all different kinds of yarn. On Sundays, please find Susie Cuseo who will do the same. Leave your baby blanket or sweater (sized newborn to nine months) in the bin outside the church office.

 here will be an Organizational Meeting this Sunday, February 5^th following the 10:30    service in Dineson Parlor.  There is also a signup sheet in Wilton Hall

Friday, March 2 — Face to Face, A Tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John

Tickets are $65/person, which includes sumptuous appetizers and beverages (wine, beer and soda) If you’re interested, please call Pamela Joy (203) 260-8420 to find out more or to reserve a spot at the MCC table.

Showcase your special talent – singing, dancing, comedy, magic, reciting poetry, whatever it may be – we’d like you to share it with the rest of the congregation. All proceeds from snacks will go to the Adult Mission trip. A sign up sheet will be posted in Wilton Hall. 

.

10 Millo Dr

Monroe, 261-0360

Book: The Most Dangerous Thing By: Laura Lippman

Future Book Club Selections

March – A Yellow Raft in Blue Water: A Novel

Michael Dorris

April – Wench: A Novel

Dolen Perkins-valdez

May – Autobiography of Mark Twain

Mark Twain, Harriett E. Smith, Benjamin Griffin and Victor Fischer

 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.

 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.

Thank you,

June Wininger

Betty Heiney’s email address is

haarold@aol.com

     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 1^st through March 31^st 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 50^th Senior Minister on Palm Sunday, April 1^st.  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

 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

 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 1^st . 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.

First, let me say with all gratitude that I am thrilled about being called as the Monroe Congregational Church’s 50^th 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 1^st until March 31^st.  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 1^st 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

The new year is approaching and so is our Sunday School Unit 3, which begins January 8^th.  We are still in need of a few helpers and teachers, specifically:

 l  Helpers for January 1^st 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 8^th – February 19^th.  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

Christmas Coffee Hour – Sunday, December 18^th 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 18^th 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.

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 

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

     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 3^rd, 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 4^th 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 50^th 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           

 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!

 December 11^th at 9:45am  in Wilton Hall, Cynthia Robinson will be leading an intergenerational art sculpture to be used in worship each week of Advent. Using non-toxic Tempera paint we will be decorating wooden blocks, which will be placed in different areas in the Meetinghouse in configurations of our own design. Each week the configuration of the blocks will be different, surprising us as we enter into this time of waiting for the birth of Jesus. In Epiphany, these wooden blocks will be burned in a bonfire vesper service as we celebrate the coming of the Light into the world. All ages and abilities are welcome! If folks would like to see an example of this, they can go to my blog to see what was done at Woodmont UCC: http://reverendmom.blogspot.com/2010/12/church-blocks.html   

 Sunday, December 4th – Our JPF meeting begins at 6, and we will meet in the usual location in Beardsley. We will be planning JPF activities for the next three months, so come and share ideas about themes, outings and service projects and we’ll set up a plan together! (please note that although our meeting officially begins at 6, families are welcome to attend the Community Tree Lighting on the green at 5pm with our friends from St. Peter’s)

 Sunday, December 11th – JPF Christmas Party, 6-8:30 in Beardsley.  We’ll be discussing holiday traditions and origins. We’ll also have a “Yankee Swap”, so please bring a wrapped gift valued at under $5.

 Sunday, December 18th – Community Caroling! We meet for a pizza dinner at 5pm in Wilton (please bring $5), and then at 6 we’ll get in cars and bring some Christmas cheer to church members in town. If parents can help us out, there is always a need for drivers. Younger siblings and other family members are also welcome to come along. Dress warmly in boots, hats, mittens and layers.

 Sunday, December 25th & January 1st – no JPF, enjoy your time with family and friends.

• MCC-UCC Conversation ‘Group’:  This is the place to go for opinions and conversations, think of this place as a virtual coffee-hour. Anyone can post to or join this non-moderated group, but we do ask that conversations or debates be courteous and respectful, in keeping with our MCC Covenant.

• Monroe Congregational Church, UCC ‘Community Page’: This is the place to get news and updates about the ministries, worship and programs of the Monroe Congregational Church. It is also where you may find information about the church to give to your friends who may be interested in joining us. The Steeple is also posted here (as well as on our website, mcc-ucc.org).

 Christmas Coffee Hour – Sunday, December 18^th 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 18^th 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.                          

Morning Circle would like to invite all the women of the congregation to our last meeting of the year on Wednesday, December 14 at 11AM. We will be holding our potluck luncheon in Dineson Parlor. There is a great variety of dishes and desserts to be enjoyed. Please bring a dish to share as well as a donation for the Food Pantry. We will also be collecting the gifts for Social Services. Many thanks go to everyone who helped make the bean soup jars a huge success. With your donations, we were able to put together 45 beautiful jars for the Food Pantry.

Town Hall Plaza

Main St

Trumbull, CT 06611

(Super Stop & Shop Plaza)

The cost will be about $10-$12 for each of us. If you have any questions please contact Gary Thompson 203-261-4699 or gltmail@yahoo.com

We wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude for the many blessings bestowed upon us while worshipping at MCC.  It has been our privilege to be a part of this church.  People and places will come and go throughout one’s lifetime.  This place and the people who make MCC the amazing church that it is will forever be in our hearts.  Our time in Monroe has come to an end.  We are returning to Pittsburgh, PA and will be celebrating Christmas in our new home.

Blessings,

Karen, Jay, Jacob and Adam Goul

 Karen and Jay Goul

Jacob and Adam

408 Quarter Horse Lane

Mars, PA 16046

724-816-1257

kkgoul@yahoo.com

We received guidance and direction throughout this process from Rev. John Collins, Interim Senior Pastor and Rev. Sarah Verasco, our Regional Minister.  As a result of all of this work and listening, and following an extensive interview with the candidate herself, we unanimously selected – through prayer and mutual consent – the Reverend Jennifer M. Gingras as our candidate for Senior Pastor.

The members of our committee will host a Senior Pastor Candidate Reception with Pastor Jenn and her family on December 3rd.  We hope you will make every effort to attend this informal candidate reception, and that you will also attend the Candidating Worship Service on December 4^th followed by the congregational meeting and vote.  If the congregation votes in favor of the recommendation, Jenn will become our Senior Pastor Elect.  She will complete her Associate Pastor duties for 2011, then be on sabbatical from January 1^st through March 31^st , 2012, and return on April 1^st, 2012 in her new role as Senior Pastor. The details are as follows:

• Saturday December 3, 2011, 3:00 – 6:00 pm Please come share this time to talk with and support Jenn and celebrate the future of our church community.
• Sunday December 4, 2011; 10:00 am Worship Service Following the single service on this Sunday morning (please note the time), a congregational meeting will be held to hear the report from the Search Committee, discuss the terms of the Call Agreement, and vote on the recommendation to call Reverend Jennifer M. Gingras as our next Senior Pastor. 

We believe that God has led us to this exciting moment in our ministry – and it has been made clear in our communications with her that so does Jenn.  We look forward to growing together as a faith community as we work to serve others and proclaim the good news of God’s love. Thank you all for granting us the privilege to be a part of this unique and vital process.

Respectfully, Senior Pastor Search Committee

 Vaughan Askue           David Bailey                       Gretchen Davison               

Joe Gilberti                         Jim Halloran                       Judy Kaechele    

Don Parker-Burgard     Arlene Redmond                  Tracy Rondinello

Janet Schmitz             Frank Wittenauer

 - Suzanne Adams, Clerk

Ritual Connections

Advent begins on November 27^th this year, which is only a few Sundays away. Where does the time fly? When I think about Advent, I think about rituals and traditions to mark the time. While it is true that our elders are often the standard bearers of tradition, I’ve also observed over the years that our children and youth are also deep and faithful lovers of rituals and traditions especially during this time of the year.

• Advent Devotionals. Use prepared guides or calendars, such as those available at fellowship hour, or find your own online. We will have advent wreath forms and candle sets as well as other resources beginning November 20^th at fellowship hour or from the church office.
• MCC Christmas Concert and Community Tree Lighting. Gathering with our friends from St.Peters to light the Christmas Tree on the green gives us a chance to become spiritually grounded during what is often a hectic season. This year, our tree lighting will follow a wonderful concert offered by all of MCC’s choirs and musical ensembles. Join us for the concert at 3:30 on December 4^th and stay for the tree lighting. You’ll be glad that you did.
• Caroling. Last year, our PF’s and many of their family members joyfully set out from the church on the Sunday before Christmas and caroled at the homes of some of our church members. This year we will do the same on December 18^th with a pizza dinner at 5 and caroling at 6. Sing carols at home as well. Let each family member pick a favorite, adding a new one each week. By Christmas day you will have a whole list of songs to sing!
• Christmas Pageant. Jokes about bathrobe-clad shepherds aside, our yearly “Instant Christmas Pageant” held at 4 on Christmas Eve in Wilton Hall gives our community a chance to retell the ancient story. Don’t just save the re-enactments for church. Make costumes together at home and re-enact the birth as part of a family worship.

In this Advent and Christmas season, what are the rituals and traditions that speak to you? What are your rituals at home? What memories are you making with your elders, children and youth?

In peace,

Jenn

p.s. I will be taking some study and vacation time from Monday, November 21 through Sunday, November 27 and wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving week.

 The signup sheet for the Feast is rapidly filling up! If you have not signed up yet, please call Melissa by noon on Thursday. We want to be sure to have enough turkey, potatoes and tables for everyone who comes, and an accurate count helps us get there. Call 203-268-9327 or email secretary@mcc-ucc.org

Your fellowship board needs help with carving, setup, serving and clean-up but most especially we need volunteer cooks to make a turkey at home that we will provide to you. If you can help us out – many thanks! Please call Melissa and let us know that you’re on the “Turkey Team”. Call 203-268-9327 or email secretary@mcc-ucc.org

Last names beginning with A-M are asked to bring an appetizer or vegetable side dish. Those that begin with N-Z are asked to bring dessert. The cost of the meal and entertainment is $10/person (over 13), $5/child (4-12), children under four are free.

Our entertainment is Surcari. If you have friends that want to join us just for the concert and dessert, it begins at 7:30 and tickets are $5.

Thanks for your support, we’re all looking forward to a great time!

 Peace,

Clark Gingras, Fellowship Chair, 203-895-5604 (cell)

Morning Circle will be holding their next meeting on Wednesday, December 14th at 11AM in Wilton Hall for a cozy Christmas potluck luncheon. We will be collecting a donation for the Food Pantry as well as the gifts for Social Services. Many thanks go to all those who have donated items to make our bean soup jars a huge success. Our 45 jars have added to the total that Sunday School is collecting for the Pantry. Please contact Jackie Bleakney at 268-5275 with any questions or comments.

The holidays are around the corner and so is Christmas shopping!! Please be on the lookout for items for layette kits, such as, baby washcloths, diaper pins, onsies, gowns, sweaters/jackets, receiving blankets and crochets/knitted blankets and sweaters. We are looking for sizes from newborn to nine months. Please leave these items in the outside the church office. Thank you so much for your gifts.

^th

. We are selling 12-inch wreaths for $11 and 16-inch wreaths for $13. Wreathes will be available for pickup at both fellowship hours beginning November 27

^th

. Purchases will support our mission trip to Cleveland, Ohio this summer. So come out and buy a wreath! Or 2! Or 3! Or one for every window of your house and every window of your parents’ house! We’d love the support. Thank you. – Eli Parker-Burgard, PF President

The Angel Giving Guide: For 28years, our annual Holiday fundraiser, The Angel Giving Guide, has proven to be a wonderful vehicle for showing appreciation for the Angels in your life during the holiday season!   A Bridgeport doctor uses the Tribute gift option to honor colleagues.  Realtors in a Fairfield office make a communal gift.  Area congregations honor their pastors; a businessman does the same for his staff.  A family uses “Angel” notes as stocking stuffers ~ there are many ways to sow seeds!  Those you name receive a note telling them that you think they are “An Angel!”  Inside the note will be an “angel ornament” for holiday display made of seeded paper that, when planted in the spring, will grow beautiful wildflowers.  This inexpensive token reminds donors and honorees of the abundant harvest promised by the apostle: “…the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6) Copies are available on-line at www.ccgb.org or by emailing or phoning pattyjensen@ccgb.org or 334-1121, ext. 243.

Project Learn ~ Turning Students into Scholars

The Jill ChaseDance Studio will present Kidspirit to benefit Project Learn on Saturday, December 10^th at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 4070 Park Avenue, Bridgeport, 06604.  Doors open at 11:30 am.  Call Sean Campbell at 334.1121 x 244 or seancampbell@ccgb.org forinformation.

Janus Center ~ Caring for Youth in Crisis

The JanusCenteris seeking to recruit two additional community Host Homes to increase our capacity to serve youth between the ages of 11 to 17 who are facing crisis situations and are in need of temporary shelter, board and care. A Host Home is a family, household or individual who voluntarily offers the youth a stable and caring environment and provide him/her with a constructive and consistent living situation for up to two weeks. If you would like to know more information, please contact Dale Holder, Janus Center Program Director, at 203 367-8441 x 221 or daleholder@ccgb.org .

CO-OP Center ~ Creating Second Chances

1.  Would your congregation be willing to collect hygiene supplies twice a year for CO-OP Center clients?

2.  Can your church collect 10 used coats for us to give away to men or women returning to the community?

If your church would like to help in either of these ways, please contact Dan Braccio at 203 367-8441 x 231 or

Danbraccio@ccgb.org.

Save The Date: Sunday, January 22, 2012, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ecumenical worship, St. John’s Episcopal Church, 768 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, 06604.  Featured speaker will be the Rev. David Spollett of First Church, Congregational, Fairfield.  Friday, March 2, 2012 ~ CCGB’s Spring Fling FUNdraiser at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre will feature the songs of legendary performers, Elton John and Billy Joel!  The 2012 Faith and Community Award will be presented to St. John’s Episcopal Church, Bridgeport. Tickets at $65 per person include sumptuous appetizers, wine, beer and other beverages during the reception preceding the performance.  People are encouraged to bring their own picnic-style dinner to enjoy during the show. Invitations will mailed at the end of January and posted at www.ccgb.org. Hope you will join us for a really FUN evening!

 I miss you all. No way to go to a CC (Congregational Church) here but Methodist is ok. Please remember me at both the early and late services.   Jim Atkins

 My new address is

 210 Happy Trail North

Las Cruces, NM 88005

Email jya451@yahoo.com

      Maybe it’s just me, but I’m thinking that Mother Nature should relax, take a vacation, get some therapy or something!   Enough already.  Driving to the church this morning I was still dodging tree limbs and phone lines and worrying about all the people who spent last night in a cold house.  As of this morning, the power is on at the church.  This means that the Strawberry Festival Freezers are fired up, so if you need to bring frozen foods to the church it will be open during the day.  We also invite you to use the church as a charging station for cell phones, computers etc. 

       We did manage to hold both worship services last Sunday.  It was a hint of what worship might have been like in 1850 without lights or heat.  But it was a cozy and meaningful morning and we received new members at each service.  It was also Stewardship Sunday when we were anticipating a pile of pledge cards to STEP INTO THE FUTURE WITH MCC!  But…Mother Nature, who needs to be on medication or something, had other plans for the day.  If you are not too affected by this storm, it would be wonderful if you could mail your pledge card to the office or bring it to church this Sunday.  But if you’re in the cold and dark, we’ll worry about Stewardship after the heat and lights come back on.

      As with Hurricane Irene, it will take a week or so for life to return to normal.  In the meantime, I wish God’s warmest blessings to you as you live through this challenging time.

                                                                                              John

  Sign-up sheets can be found in Wilton Hall to attend the event. We also need help with cooking turkeys, carving, set up, serving and clean up.  Last names beginning with A-M are asked to bring an appetizer or vegetable side dish. Those that begin with N-Z are asked to bring dessert. The cost of the meal and entertainment is $10/person (over 13), $5/child (4-12), children under four are free. Please contact Clark Gingras with questions at cgingra@earthlink.net .

We are very excited to welcome Surcari as our family entertainment following the meal. If you have friends who want to join us JUST for the entertainment and dessert, we are pre-selling tickets at $5 per person. See Julie McClenathan for details.

Who is Surcari?

Surcari is a performance group originally from Chile and Puerto Rico under the musical direction of guitarist Lorena Garay. The members of Surcari are talented and gifted musicians who have performed for audiences in the United States, South America and Europe. The group performs a blend of traditional and original Latin American, Andean, Afro-Caribbean, Spanish and world music on a wide array of authentic instruments. Surcari derives its name by combining sur, the Spanish word for south (as in Suramérica), and Cari, the first four letters of the word Caribbean. Their repertoire includes an irresistible mix of instrumental and vocal music from different Spanish speaking cultures!

Speaking of crocheted or knitted blankets, we have lots of yarn in various colors and textures in Dineson Parlor for you to take and use to create wonderful blankets and even baby sweaters (size newborn to nine months). Come during business hours and Melissa will open the door for you or see Susie Cuseo on Sundays. Please leave your beautiful works of art in the bin outside the office. Thank you to everyone who help make Morning Circle’s service projects huge successes.

MCC is participating in a national UCC initiative to help those in need called Mission 1.  Between 11/1/11 and 11/11/11 we are hoping to collect 1111 items of non-perishable food and raise $1111 for the Monroe Food pantry.  Most of this will occur at Potatoes for the Pantry.  On November 6, after the second church service, the congregation is invited

to stay for a baked potato lunch.  Potatoes will be sold for $5 and you can fix yours whatever way you like.  The Board of Outreach will match your $5 donation and all proceeds will go to the food pantry.  In addition, we are asking all families to bring a bag of non-perishable foods to church that day to add to what we are collecting from the Sunday School and PFs

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 Pastor Jenn has reviewed the program, which was created by and for local United Church of Christ churches.  It is user friendly and accessible from any computer with web access, meaning MCC members and teachers can access it from home at any time.

Some highlights of Faith Practices:

• At least 12 different faith practices to explore over the coming years.

• Each faith practice has more than 600 activities to choose from. That is more than 50 activities per age group!

• Accessible content and attractive presentation (including microwave-ready “e-z preps”) appeal to volunteer and professional educators alike.

• Non-linear activities weave educational experiences into the full fabric of congregational life, including worship.

The CE Board acquired Faith Practices in part to address the needs of our 7^th and 8^th graders.  Our teachers and Associate Pastor felt that this group was too old for children’s lessons and needed something substantial in the two years leading up to confirmation.  Faith Practices has a the content and activities to address the special needs of this group.  We also hope to attract more teachers for our 7^th and 8^th graders by providing them with easy-to-use lessons. We ultimately hope that the curriculum will be a tool for many at MCC to grow in faith.

To learn more about the program, visit www.faithpractices.org.  You can also obtain our username and password by contacting Melissa in the office.

Angela Cross

Christian Education Board Chairperson

• Thomas Culp – Don Parker-Burgard
• Nicolle Denner – Michelle Correll
• Liska Gutierrez – Susie Cuseo
• Hannah Halloran – Paul Adams
• Juliette Nealon – Donna O’Hara
• Jeremy Young – Osirus Gutierrez

Parents will now receive a number and the child will only be released to the individual with the matching number.  It will also make it easier to find parents in the event that nursery workers need to return a child prior to pick up.  Please have patience with our nursery staff as we put this new safety measure into practice.

Angela Cross

Christian Education Board Chairperson

• 10am Sunday, November 6^th – Potatoes for the Pantry (Service Project), no evening meeting
• 2-4pm Sunday, November 14^th – Hike at Webb Mountain, no evening meeting
• 6-8:30pm Sunday, November 20^th – Decorate the Church for Advent (Service Project)
• Sunday, November 27^th – No JPF, Thanksgiving Break

     It is with joy and enthusiasm for the work and ministry of this wonderful church that I introduce

our giving program for 2011-2012.  It has been such a privileged experience for me to become part of this extraordinary church family and to serve as your Interim Senior Pastor.  So I am able to tell you with fresh eyes and ears that this is truly one of the most exciting and effective churches around and I am blessed to be part of the wonderful spirit found here.  What I have found is that Monroe Congregational Church truly lives the love and compassion of Christ’s message, truly means the welcome it offers and truly cares about those in pain and need.  And, every Sunday our church fills this community with inspiring worship.

     October is the month of GIVING here at MCC, a time when we once again ask for your financial support.  Your generosity in the past has helped create this marvelous church community!  Now, in the midst of the exciting opportunity of leadership change, and having weathered one of the most challenging economic periods in our history, it is time to STEP INTO THE FUTURE WITH MCC! 

     During the next few weeks I will be talking to you about the gift that MCC is in our lives.  God has deeply blessed us to be part of this church and we will ask you to respond to this gift in generous, open hearted giving.  This week you will receive the first of two letters about our giving campaign.  As you read them and consider your giving for the coming year, I ask you to take a moment to think about how precious this church has been in your life and make your pledge commitment from that grateful spirit.  It is a deep pleasure for me to be on this journey with you as we create a bright and growing future here at MCC.  May God richly bless you and our wonderful church.

                                                                                                                              Gratefully,

                                                                                                                                                        John

Please keep in mind that the members of the Search Committee take this task very seriously. We are looking to Pastor John, in his role as Interim Senior Pastor, for guidance and perspective. We have spent many hours already in discussion with church members and with each other. We are considering all aspects of the process and acknowledge that this process is different from previous searches, but no less vital to the health and growth of our church. The next steps are crucial and we pledge to keep you, the members of MCC informed as we continue in this process that you tasked us with completing.

The Senior Pastor Search Committee

Halloween is right around the corner, and so is Unit 2 of our Sunday School Program!  Don’t worry, volunteering to work with the kids is not as scary as you might think!  There are lots of ways to help and be a part of our wonderful program. 

 Unit 2 runs from October 30-Dec 4.  We still need the following slots filled:

Kindergarten Shepherd

Grade 1 Shepherd

Grade 5 & 6 Shepherd

Games Rotation Teacher

Storytelling Rotation Teacher

Preschool Teacher

8:45 Service Teacher

Helpers to assist with special activity on Nov. 27th

 Please contact me at 203-913-5471 or Danielle.tusch@gmail.com if you are able to help.  Thank you!

Danielle Tusch

Sunday School Coordinator

My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, ‘O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; truly, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; I would hurry to find a shelter for myself from the raging wind and tempest.’ Psalm 55:4-8

These words from the psalmist speak to the heart of what sometimes happens behind closed doors in households of all shapes, sizes, regions and income levels. No one should have to live in fear in their own house.  There are times when the wisest thing to do is to remove oneself from a dangerous situation.  Everyone has the right to be safe.  But it takes courage to leave and to face the unknown.  Fortunately, now there are safe places for people to who suffer with domestic violence.

The Board of Christian Outreach would like to remind the congregation, and their families and friends, that the Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County, Inc. (CWF) is dedicated to strengthening women and families and to eliminating violence and abuse through education, intervention, advocacy, and community collaboration. A local CWF office can be found at the Monroe Town Hall. Their walk-in office hours are Mondays and Fridays from 9am until 1pm. A 24 hour hotline is also available in Connecticut at (888) 774-2900. The nationwide hotline number is 1(800) 799-SAFE.

Please consider saying “YES” when you get that phone call asking you to serve on a Board.  If you can’t wait for us to call you and you want to call us, please feel free to do so!

Peace,

Kathy Maiolo and Tony Unger -The Nominating Committee

This year, Potatoes for the Pantry comes with a special challenge.  Across the nation, UCC churches are joining together from 11/1/11 to 11/11/11 to draw attention to issues of hunger and to take action to help those in need.  Through this outreach, called Mission One, we want to create an impact both locally and globally.  We need your help.

 Nationwide, we hope to collect a million items of non-perishable food, raise $111,111 for Neighbors in Need and write 111,111 letters to our congress representatives asking them to reform US foreign aid assistance in a way that more effectively benefits hungry and poor people worldwide.

 Locally, the Board of Outreach has set some goals for our congregation.  We would like to collect a minimum of 1111 items of food for the Monroe Food Pantry, raise $1111 to support the Monroe Food Pantry and Neighbors in Need, and write 111 letters to our congressional representatives.  We hope to accomplish much of this at Potatoes for the Pantry. 

On November 6 after the second church service, the congregation is invited to stay for a baked potato lunch.  Potatoes will be sold for $5 and you can fix yours whatever way you like: sour cream, butter, bacon, cheese, broccoli.  All of the money raised from this event will go to the Monroe Food Pantry and the Board of Outreach will match every donation.  We will also have letters available for you to sign and send for congress representatives.  Finally, we are asking everyone, regardless of whether you are able to stay for lunch, to bring a grocery bag with some food items in it to church that day.  We are hopeful that we will end the day with 1111 items for the food pantry.   

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The Associate Music Director position is a pilot program we are trying this program year (through June 2012). The goal of the pilot program is to enhance worship music quality and diversity. It is being funded through the generosity of a bequest from Foss Terry’s estate. Foss was a long time member of the Adult Choir and this church and we are especially grateful to Foss and his family for remembering MCC.

David Kingsbury, Chair of Deacons

 We are very excited to welcome Surcari as our family entertainment following the meal.

Last names beginning with A-M are asked to bring an appetizer or vegetable side dish while those with N-Z are asked to bring dessert. The cost of the meal and entertainment is $10/person (over 13), $5/child (4-12), children under four are free. Please contact Clark Gingras with questions at cgingra@earthlink.net.

-          Trim the evergreen shrubs

-          Cleanout the planting beds for the winter

-          Replace the ceiling tiles in class room # 5

-          Clean out the Rexford roof drains

-          Construct a wood platform for a dehumidifier in the basement of the meeting house

-          Installation of a louver vent for the basement furnace room.

Individual and families are welcome; the more people we have the faster the work gets done.

Breakfast of coffee and baked goods will be provided and we would like to start at 8:30 am. We usually end at 12:00 pm

Please sign up for each project in Wilton Hall.

Any questions call David Allen 203 261 2112

 Congratualtions to Sarah Beth Yoder  and David Romniak on their October 9 ^th  wedding in Boston Massachusetts.

 Congratualtions to Kristina Quinlavin  and Neil Barrett on their October 15th wedding in meetinghouse.

 Are you an oak or a nuthatch? Some of us are like the mighty oak, rooted to the earth, steady and strong, a constant in the life of others. When you are an oak, growing is a slow and tedious process. But this is only because oaks are steady creatures of habit, stretching so slowly towards the sun that progress can seem infinitesimal. Because they are stationary beings, an oak can be counted on to be concerned about what is necessary in their environment: sun, soil, rain. Maybe they keep track of these resources with acorn abacuses. Unless there has been a mighty storm or a powerful chainsaw, oaks can be counted on to be there.

 Others of us are more like a nuthatch. We are so amazed by everything we see and we are known to fly far away from our home base in search of adventure. Our hearts are moved to action at the pain and suffering that we have seen on our travels. Nuthatches have been known to do some bold and audacious soaring as they lift their song of hope for all people.

 Through God’s infinite wisdom and creativity, the oak and the nuthatch live and breathe and work side by side in a symbiotic relationship. The bird consumes the insects that would otherwise attack the tree, and the tree provides strong arms to host a nest. As we enter into the season of stewardship for MCC, take some time to reflect upon the times in your life when you’ve been an oak, and the times when you have been a nuthatch. Where do you see yourself growing in this season of commitment?

We have now completed the survey portion of our work. In addition, we are holding focus group meetings to allow people to add their voice to the discussion. Three of the six have been held. The remaining three are on:

• Saturday, Oct 1st at 10:00 am
• Monday, Oct 3rd at 7:30 pm
• Thursday, Oct 6th at 7:00 pm

All meetings will be held in Dineson Parlor and are intended to last about an hour.

All information gathered will be used by the committee to create the Statement of Leadership in Ministry, so we encourage your participation. The Statement is one of the foundations of the selection process. After this, we will prayerfully and thoughtfully develop interview questions that are based on the information we have gathered, and then schedule and conduct an interview with our candidate.

The Search Committee will then come to a consensus on the fitness of our internal candidate for senior pastor.   If the committee puts Jenn’s name forth, we will then schedule a candidating sermon – ideally before Advent is upon us – after which there will be a congregational meeting and vote. If successful, Jenn will become our Senior Pastor-elect. If the process does not recommend Jenn for this position, we will begin a search for an external candidate, and Jenn may choose to move on also.

The Search Committee welcomes input or questions from the congregation as we prayerfully consider the work that we are doing. Please contact a member of our committee if you have any comments, questions or concerns.  We respect the trust that you have placed in us and are prayerfully considering and working through the process before us.

 The Pastoral Search Committee

Are you interested in making a commitment to this faith community? Or curious about the opportunities for learning and service found here? If so, please join the pastors and deacons for a new member informational on Sunday, October 23^rd at 11:45 in Dineson Parlor. New Members will be welcomed into fellowship on Sunday, October 30^th. Questions? Please speak with Pastor Jenn or Pastor John

Join us at 11:45 in Wilton Hall for a potluck lunch and book discussion on “Christian Caregiving: A Way of Life” by Kenneth C. Hauck. As Christians, we often wonder “What difference does my faith make in the caring and relating that I do?” We all know someone who has struggled with illness, divorce, unemployment or death of a loved one. Sometimes, we struggle in providing care for that person. This book is a practical manual on how to develop and use our faith resources to care for others, and we hope through breaking bread together, discussion and prayer to deal with real-life issues in caring and relating. If you haven’t read the book, there is still time and one copy on loan from the office. If you can attend, please sign up in Wilton Hall so that we know how many tables to set up, and see Pamela Joy or Jenn Gingras with questions.

Shoppers, Cooks & Servers are needed for the St. George’s Community Supper on Monday October 17^th.  We understand that it is a very busy time of the year.  We need your help!  Look for our poster in Wilton Hall to sign up to join the gang.  Help with the shopping by taking a tag (with a shopping item) and dropping the food off in the Wilton Hall Kitchen.  Tags for all needs can be found on the poster.  It is a great way for youth to get service hours and share in the experience of giving.  Questions?  ContactStacy Andrejczyk at 926-0240

 Please consider saying “YES” when you get that phone call asking you to serve on a Board.  If you can’t wait for us to call you and you want to call us, please feel free to do so!

Peace,

Kathy Maiolo and Tony Unger

-The Nominating Committee

- The Adult PF invites you to participate in the Columbus Day Run for Habitat for Humanity on Saturday, October 8th.  The Race begins at 9:30, registration begins at 8am. The route is a 3.1 mile loop through Seaside Park, Bridgeport. The cost is $20 for adults and $10 for students. Following the race and award ceremonies, a pot luck meal will take place at the Gingras home, 1000 Old Town Road, Trumbull. Signup in Wilton Hall, for more information or to register for the race, visit  http://jfalberg.tripod.com/hfhinfo.htm.