The Diaconate has been busy preparing for summer and filling our pulpit after June 10th.

• Our summer hours for worship (9:30 a.m.) will begin July 1st and run through Labor Day.
• We encourage everyone to join us on June 10th as we celebrate Pastor Duke’s time with us and say goodbye.
• We invite you to join us for worship the last two weeks in June as we welcome Rev. Charles and/or Rev. Elizabeth Hambrick-Stowe to our pulpit.
• On July 1st and 22nd, we are pleased to welcome back Rev. Dawn Berry to our pulpit.
• On July 15th, we will have a short service at 9:30 at our church before we encourage people to attend an 11 o’clock service at the Lower Village Church to remember our friend, Victor Schmid. More details will be available in your July KYP.
• We are actively working, along with our moderator and a trustee, to acquire the services of another Interim while our Search Committee does their work.
• Baccalaureate will be held on June 7th at our church. Rusty Wightman will represent our church. We congratulate Emily Wightman and John Thomas on their graduation.

Seven twenty-somethings and one sixty-something greatly enjoyed spending the evening together eating Taco Beyondo food and dessert that LOOKED homemade provided by Martha Halverson while laughing about old youth group stories and discussing what part people in that age group could play in the church.

They all exchanged contact information and are planning a mingle get together at the new home of Tyler and Jenna Vaughan on Jefferson Drive and encourage all who are “twenty-something” to join them. Brian Crowley at brianqcrowley@gmail.com is the contact person and he will be setting up a Facebook chat just for this age group. Please contact Brian if you would like to be included in the conversation.

We will begin our weekly Saturday table at Butler Park. Joan DeBrine and Judy Hatfield have volunteered to be behind the table selling our wonderful fare for the first week. There will also be a sign-up sheet for selling on Saturdays.

Although being part of the Farmer’s Market brings in useful funds, it is also a chance to be seen and to visit with people who might be looking for a church. Most of us find it an enjoyable way to spend a Summer Saturday morning. Won’t you consider taking a turn and baking a favorite family treat?

The next gathering of the Prayer Shawl ‘knitters’ will be Wednesday, June 20th, at 10:00ish, here at my house. Everyone is welcome to join us for conversation, fellowship, and coffee, tea and goodies. ‘Knitters’ is in quotes because you don’t have to knit…it’s up to you. However, if you would like to knit, yarn, needles and directions are all provided.

Looking ahead to the rest of the summer, I have included the dates for July and August. They will be Wednesday, July 18th, and Wednesday, August 15th.

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.

Our next host week for Family Promise is Sunday, June 24 to Sunday, July 1. A number of people have already signed up so we are all set for set-up, take-down, laundry, and transporting to the next church.

We need dinner made on Thursday and Saturday nights of that week, evening hosts (5:30-8:30 PM) on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and overnights hosts (8:30 PM-7:30 AM) on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Please contact Barbara Daley at 464-5239 or bdaley@tds.net or Fran Charron at 464-3630 or fcharron@tds.net if you can help. We think you will find it to be a very rewarding experience helping these young families get back on their feet!

The Stewardship Committee is taking up a special collection on Sunday, July 29, 2018. Our hope is everyone will participate in this effort to help raise money to offset the church’s 2018 budget.

Our goal is to have everyone give whatever their usual weekly contribution is to this extra collection. So if you usually give $10 a week, on July 29 you would give $20: your usual offering plus the special offering. But if that’s not possible, we would appreciate whatever you are able to contribute. Through your efforts we can continue to support Smith Church and its many programs, and we thank you for your continued support.

The Stewardship Committee is currently selling raffle tickets for a chance to win 4 right field box seat tickets to the Red Sox versus the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday August 18, 2018. Included with the tickets is an opportunity to visit the WEEI press box for a half an inning.

If this wasn’t enough we also included hotel accommodations at the Boston Hotel Buckminster for the evening so you won’t have to worry about driving home after the game. Accommodations are one room, 2 queen beds, and living area.

Tickets are $5 a piece or 3 for $10. The drawing will be held August 3, 2018 at the Butler Park Summer Concert Series and you need not be present to win. Please contact the church office at 603-464-3529 or Larry DeLacy at 603-547-0625 if interested in purchasing tickets. You could also contact anyone on the Stewardship Committee; Nancy Shee or Jean Mogan.

The Mariposa Museum is now showing “Conscience of the Human Spirit”, an exhibit of 51 quilts by African-American quilters who honor the legacy of Nelson Mandela. The quilts touch on many themes central to a life of faith: justice, forgiveness, courage and peace.

As the curators write: “Mandela provided a moral compass for how we treat each other, how we lead our own lives, and how we need to continue to strive for a just, fair, non-racial, and democratic society. This remarkable man touched individual lives, changed a nation, and literally served as the conscience of the human spirit for individuals around the world.”

“Conscience of the Human Spirit” is at Mariposa through Sunday, July 1, at 26 Main Street in Peterborough, NH. Admission is $8, $6 for seniors or groups of 5 or more. Groups also receive a 10% discount in the gift shop. The museum is open Tuesday – Sunday from 11 to 5. We can open by appointment on Monday: please call 924-4555 or email Tina Thaing at tina@mariposamuseum.org.

You can see a very short video about these beautiful quilts at www.mariposamuseum.org.