The new Church Office Hours will begin on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

A lot of things still to be decided with the youth groups for the fall, but what we do know is that the SCENE will be moving to Thursday afternoons under the leadership of Jean Crowley and Barbara Daley. Joyful Noise will be moving to Wednesday mornings at 10 AM to stay out of the way of the WIC program. And RBA and the InCasts will be returning to our traditional Tuesday evenings.

Many thanks to Keith Audette and Fran Charron for stepping up to help with the youth groups this past year, and to Jean Crowley for being willing to work with the SCENE this coming year. We will keep you posted with details of the youth groups as we know them – and as always, thank you for your support of this ministry!

Barbara and Rusty

When the Deborahs disbanded, it was mentioned that many years ago they had held fundraisers, and started a fund to build a memorial garden. That money is still invested in a fund, the money is invested in a United Church Fund with a value of $8,793.63. Several years ago, I was at a memorial service in Pembroke, NH, and at the end of the service, the young woman’s ashes were worked into the soil of their memorial garden. There was a plaque added to a stone giving her name and dates.  I was very impressed with the concept.

Several of us are suggesting that members of our church take a field trip to Pembroke to view their garden. Both men and women who are interested are invited. We have a place on our grounds that we think might be developed for this purpose. Someone has also suggested it could be combined with a quiet prayer/meditation garden. We have a member of our church who has given some thought to how it might be laid out.

I am suggesting that people who are interested, meet at the church at 10 AM on Wednesday, August 8th. We will travel to Pembroke and visit their garden. If there is interest, we could also go out to lunch together and keep the dialog going. If this is something that interests you, please speak to Fran Charron or Judy Hatfield.

Strong Living Exercise Group
Healthy Living

Although we have been meeting during the hot weather of July, we have decided to take a well deserved break in August. Our last session before our break will be July 30th. We will resume meeting on September 6th.

If you have not tried out our group, we invite you to join us in September. Everyone starts at their own level. We work on flexibility, bone strength and balance. The program was developed by Tufts University especially for seniors. A small donation is taken once a year and given to the church. Both hand weights and leg weights are provided. But, the biggest bonus is the social aspect that develops among participants.

Join us, Monday and Thursday mornings at 9 AM.

It seems as if the summer is speeding away. Here we are talking about dates for the August Prayer Shawl gathering already. It will be on Wednesday, August 15th, 10:00-12:00 here at my house.

Yarn, needles, directions, coffee, tea, and goodies are all provided. Don’t feel like knitting. Just come and visit and catch up with some of the people you don’t see so often in the summer. We have a good time.

If you would like to know more about the Prayer Shawl ministry in general or our Prayer Shawl group in particular or would like us to bless a shawl for someone you would like to receive one, please call me, Judy Hatfield, at 464-3458.

As I experience happenings in our church this summer, I am reminded of a verse in Genesis, “Surely God is in this place”. The other thought that runs through my head is from Ecclesiastes, 3:1, “To everything there is a season. A time for everything under the sun.”

For the Diaconate, starting the summer without a minister can be overwhelming. However this summer, our pulpit has been filled with wonderful ministers that more or less, just happened to be where we needed them to be at the right time.

We thank Elizabeth and Charles Hambrick-Stowe for leading inspiring worship. We are pleased to also welcome them into our membership. Rev. Dawn Berry has been here before and always leaves us thinking and ready to welcome her back. We are also pleased that she was chosen to work with our search committee. Was it hard to fill our pulpit? No, it took very little work for very rewarding results. Surely, God is in this place!

August comes next and with the new month, comes a new Interim Minister. The timing was perfect! (Our season). Rev. Carolyn Keilig might not have been available if our opening was earlier or later. She comes with much to offer our congregation and we are excited to have a person who will give pastoral care, and is interested in Christian Education. We will welcome her on August 5th.

It is our “season”, and surely we are blessed with God’s presence in this place!