Hancock UCC Weekly Messenger for October 29, 2023

These, like priests, have watched and waited, off'ring up to Christ their will; soul and body consecrated, day and night to serve him still: now in God's most holy place blest they stand before his face.

Upcoming services, meetings, events, and opportunities

Join us in our Sanctuary at 10:00 a.m. or on Zoom,

or watch the recording later on Facebook or YouTube

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 822 2425 2518

Passcode: 755650

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on YouTube at Hancock UCC - YouTube

Choir Rehearsals are held on Sunday mornings at 9:15 am. All are welcome!

Fall Handbell Ringing - Rehearsals Sundays after church 11:30–12:15ish Oct. 29 and Nov. 5th Playing a Thanksgiving tune on Nov. 12th (Annual Meeting date).

Our meetings are open to all. If you would like to attend a meeting, please let Vicky know and she will provide the Zoom link, or you are welcome to attend in person.

Christian Education meeting on Wednesday, November 1st at 12:30

Council meeting on Friday, November 3rd at Noon

We plan a congregational discussion of proposed Bylaws revisions on October 29th,

after our morning Worship Service.

The bylaws revision committee has been working very hard over the last three months to update our (2017) Church Bylaws.

Many of the changes made were simply wording corrections to clarify or simplify passages.

There are, however, a few additions and/or adjustments that will change our governing policies:

1. We propose an additional status category in our membership (Article II Sec. 3) called “Voting Friends.” This category gives church friends (those who do not seek full membership for whatever reason) who serve on Boards or Committees, the ability to vote in any and all meetings while they serve in that capacity.

2. We propose a reduction in the number of members needed for certain Boards and Committees i.e.: Board of Christian Education, Board of Outreach, and Nominating Committee would go from six (6) to five (5) required.

3. At the request of our Treasurer, we propose that our new fiscal year be September 1 to August 31(our stewardship pledges would still be on the calendar year).

The full revised Bylaws document, with color coded changes, is available online and at the church for all who wish to study it.

If you have questions you can talk to Sally Knapp, David Wildes, Pat Summerer, Gina Tansey, or Pastor TJ.

The Sunrise Association of the Maine Conference United Church of Christ will hold its annual Fall meeting Saturday, November 4th from 8:30 A.M. to 12:00 NOON, hosted by us, the Union Congregational Church of Hancock.

We will be responsible for providing coffee, donuts and muffins and a light lunch, i.e. soup and bread, sandwiches, etc. for approximately 50 people. If you would be able to help provide food for this gathering, please check out the sign-up sheet on the table in the Fellowship Hall. For more information, please speak to Nick or Mary Angela 667-7972.

The Union Congregational Church of Hancock, United Church of Christ will conduct its 2023 Annual Church Meeting on November 12th, 2023, immediately following the 10:00 AM Worship Service for the following purposes:

1. To Elect Church Officers, Board and Committee members;

2. To receive Board and Committee Reports;

3. To vote on the Proposed 2024 Church Budget

4. And to hear any other business to come before the congregation.

Jeanne Edwards, Clerk

October 22, 2023

We need a quorum of 25 voting members to conduct business. Please make every effort to attend in person or by Zoom.

Stewardship and the Annual Meeting:

We still need more stewardship pledge money to meet our budget goal of $73,000. So far, we have 29 pledges that total $64,954. We're getting closer to achieving our goal but are not there.

Thanks to everyone who has returned their pledge promise. For those still giving it thought, it would be most helpful to get your pledge back to the church as soon as possible so we will have an accurate estimate of our expected income when we discuss budget matters at Annual Meeting.

Please let David Wildes (422-3739) know of any questions and thanks for all you do to support our church and the important work we do.

Our Church Council is looking for one or more individuals to take on the task of providing

Altar Flowers, beginning in November. Please contact Vicky or Pat Summerer, if interested.

Book Group - From What Is To What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want, by Rob Hopkins, was one of the guiding texts of our 2022 Fostering Imagination program facilitated by The BTS Center (the successor to the Bangor Theological Seminary). Join us as we gather to discuss ways this book speaks to us, our church and our evolving place in our communities, Wednesday, November 8th at 1:00 and 7:00 P.M.

Ellsworth Pride is a group of volunteers committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ community in Ellsworth and the surrounding areas. Beginning in 2021, Ellsworth Pride has organized and run the annual PrideFest in Ellsworth, held on the second Sunday in June at the Knowlton Park. For 2024, the Fourth Annual PrideFest will be on June 9, from midday to late afternoon.

Ellsworth Pride welcomes interested folks who'd like to volunteer to help with planning, doing specific tasks as the event gets organized, and/or helping on the day of the event.

If interested, please contact Sue Collins at 546-6735 by call or text.

In addition, the Ellsworth Pride group will be marching in the Downtown Ellsworth Holiday Light Parade on Saturday, December 2 (Rain Date December 3). Parade starts at 4 PM with lineup beginning at 3 PM. We'd love to have you march with us!

Interested people, please contact Sue Collins: 546-6735.

October Birthdays and Anniversaries

29: *Ron* McGlinchey 30: *Chris* & *Melissa* Nowell

November Birthdays and Anniversaries

01: *Ted* Atkinson 03:*Mike* Summerer 14: Johanna Bazzolo

15: *Kristy* Johnston 16: *Marcia* Nowell 16: *Erin* Shaw

17: *Cookie* Thelen 20: *Kathy* McGlinchey 24: Jimmy & *Liz* Awalt

26: *Clint* Ritchie 30: *Arthur* Ashmore

Our Hearts in Pain

Beloveds,

Our hearts are in pain, our spirits are shaken. We are in deep prayer for the victims and families of this latest horrific mass shooting in the heart of our state. Please be safe. Shelter in place until the shooter is apprehended. Dear Ones, we hear of these horrible shootings around our country too many times. And now we experience and witness closer than we had hoped or imagined. My prayer is that we will allow God to hold us, believe that our prayers will comfort, that we will reach out to one another for solace.

Please know I am here for each of you and all of you. Do not hesitate to call me on my cell phone 207-616-6704. I am available anytime. Please let me know how you are.

Here is a suggested prayer:

O Holy One, you pray for us when we do not have words—with groans and sighs too deep for words. Wrap your loving arms around the victims, the families and friends who have lost loved ones, those who have perished and are now in the surround of your eternal arms. In our shock and disbelief, help us to remember to breathe in your Spirit of solace.

Please stay safe, Beloved.

With deep love and prayer,

The Rev. Dr. Marisa Laviola, Ph.D.

Words of Support

Greetings Maine Conference,

On behalf of your Board, I extend deepest care to all of you in our beloved Conference. The State of Maine has experienced a terrible tragedy in Lewiston, and our pain for each other and our respective communities is real and is deep. For we are not really a religious institution as much as we are an interconnected people with deep relationships based on mutual care and Christian love.

Whether you are clergy or lay, please care for yourselves and your people, for this is where God is found.

Your Siblings in Christ,

Rev. Sara Bartlett, M.Div

Chair, Board of Directors

Maine Conference, United Church of Christ

Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:

Prayers for the family and friends of those killed or injured in the shooting in Lewiston Wednesday evening. And prayers for those responding in any way to the incident, law enforcement, doctors… And prayers that the shooter be detained and they and their family be held in love…

Prayers for the world, suffering heinous loss and grief in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia, and so many other ongoing wars and conflicts.

Prayers for Ron & Kathy; Kenny Houghton; John Wood; Doris; Jane Preble, receiving in-home hospice care (she welcomes your short visits & phone calls); Sue Davies; Sue Davenport; Austin’s cousin Danny; Liz & Jim; William in hospice care; Jim Snyder; Debbie & Lincoln & son-in-law Aaron, daughter Ashley, and granddaughter Brielle; Margaret B; Amy Nickerson; Kenny Stratton; Joy & David & Lori; Sandy Phippen; Norm; Betty & her step-daughter Mollie; Debbie & Hollis and her Aunt Linda Reed; Coulter; Bruce’s sister Lynn; Renata’s sister-in-law Joanne; Tom & Judy’s son Andrew & family; Prayers of strength and healing for all awaiting diagnoses and for all recovering from surgeries & procedures; Prayers for all that are unsafe, unhoused, hungry & in need of care & compassion; Prayers for all individuals and families experiencing addictions; for all caregivers; and prayers for all that is in your heart…

From the Maine Conference

Oil and Dew

A Letter from The Director of Pilgrim Lodge

Liz Charles McGough

This past weekend, members of the Maine Conference United Church of Christ and visitors from as far away as Honduras came together for Annual Meeting at Pilgrim Lodge. Time together included workshops and conversations with exhibitors, sharing ideas, wisdom and opportunities. Time together included doing the business of the Conference: there were greetings from partners and updates from leaders, speak-outs, budget review and votes held. Time together included the celebration of the Installation of our Conference Minister with an abundance of blessings, laying on of hands, and prayer for the future together.

It was the first time that we had gathered as a Conference in-person in four years…four long years.

Beyond the activities that took place on the printed schedule, time together included sharing meals, quiet conversations in the rocking chairs of the Lodge, walks down the boardwalk, singing together. Time together included the arrival of our youth and the sounds they created on the creaking swings that have received generations of use as they took turns roasting S’mores over a camp fire. Time together included gathering around the woodstove and the opportunity to hug one another.

As I watched it all unfold, there was an energy in the air that evoked Psalm 133:

How good and pleasant it is

when God’s people live together in unity!

2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,

running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard,

down on the collar of his robe.

3 It is as if the dew of Hermon

were falling on Mount Zion.

For there God bestows the blessing,

life for evermore.

When we come together as the Conference, yes, it is nice to see one another, but it is more. It is precious like the oil that would be used to anoint and soothe a beloved visitor after a long journey. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. This dew is not like the kind that gets our feet wet on summer mornings in Maine. This is dew, falling in an arid part of the world with little rain, is life-giving. There is not a suggestion in this Psalm that coming together in unity is always perfect or easy, but when we dwell with kindred, it is good, pleasant, a blessing…it is life-giving.

The laying on of hands at the installation of Rev. Dr. Marisa Laviola

as Conference Minister