Hancock UCC Weekly Messenger for July 9, 2023

God, help the weary travelers who follow their star,

seeking a refuge, so near, yet so far,

seeking a place of shelter from hatred and war,

seeking the safety of some distant shore.

God, help the weary travelers, the lost and the found.

All of us travelers on this holy ground.

God, help the weary travelers, those just passing through,

All of us travelers with love’s work to do.

Upcoming meetings, events, and opportunities

Our Monteux student musicians for this Sunday, July 9, will be … Marie Graham and

Halilu Zhang, both on violin. Marie Graham (1st year) is a rising sophomore at Oberlin Conservatory, pursuing a major in Violin Performance and a minor in East Asian Studies. Prior to entering her studies at Oberlin, she was a section member of the Williamsport Symphony

Orchestra for three years. A current student of Francesca dePasquale, Marie’s former teachers have included Professor James Lyon of the Pennsylvania State University and Suzuki pedagogue Dr. Emily Rolka. At the Oberlin Conservatory, Marie has had the additional privilege of being coached in chamber music by members of the Verona Quartet, as well as supplementary studies in Historical Performance with Edwin Huizinga. As an Oberlin Conservatory student, Marie Graham is the recipient of the Oberlin Commitment Award, the Conservatory Dean’s Scholarship, and the Oberlin College Grant, as well as the C. and C. Bacon Scholarship. Currently, Marie plays a 2005 Zdenek Frodl Hradec Kralove violin on temporary loan courtesy of Oberlin Conservatory. Chinese-born violinist Halilu Zhang (1st year) boasts a distinguished orchestral background, performing with prominent conductors including Muhai Tang and Guoyong Zhang, at esteemed venues like the National Center for Performing Arts. Beginning her musical journey at Germany’s Mannheim Musik Hochshule, she further honed her craft at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music and California Baptist University, fulfilling roles such as associate concertmaster and concertmaster respectively. Currently, she enriches her expertise as a Doctor of Music candidate at the University of Oklahoma, serving as concertmaster of the OU Symphony Orchestra and first violinist of the Crouse Graduate Quartet. Halilu’s professional history includes roles with the Tianjin Symphony and Guiyang Symphony Orchestras in China. She will be joining the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra starting from the ‘23-’24 season. Additionally, she holds a Graduate Teaching Assistant position at the University of Oklahoma. Committed to ongoing development, Halilu has engaged in masterclasses with esteemed musicians like

Peter Zazofsky, Alexander Kerr and Paul Kantor, earning praise for her skill and versatility.

Join us in our Sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. or on Facebook Live for the summer months.

You will be able to watch the service on Facebook Live in real time

or watch the recording on Facebook or YouTube .

Find us at Hancock UCC | Hancock ME | Facebook or

on YouTube at Hancock UCC - YouTube

The Union Congregational Church of Hancock, United Church of Christ will hold a special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, July 16, 2023 immediately following the morning worship service for the following purposes:

● To approve the Treasurer to take funds from the Camden Wealth Management cash reserves to pay the overage of replacing the septic system at the parsonage.

● To act on any other business that may come before the congregation.

Jeanne Edwards, Clerk June 18, 2023

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.

By-Laws subcommittee will meet Wed. July 12th at 12:00 at the church and on Zoom.

Council will meet Thursday, July 13 at 1:00 in the Fellowship Hall and on Zoom.

Deacons will meet Friday, July 14 at 12:00 noon in the Fellowship Hall and on Zoom.

Celebration of Life for Steve Coffin on Saturday, July 15 at 3:00 PM in the Sanctuary.

Sunday, July 16, the Rev. Dr. Alison Boden, Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton University will be our Guest Preacher while Pastor TJ is at Pilgrim Lodge.

The Monteux Scholarship Concert will be in our Sanctuary, on Thursday, July 27th at 3:00

Donations will be accepted at the door.

Sunday, July 30, the Hancock Point Chapel will join us at 9:00 AM for our Annual Joint Service. Pastor TJ will be offering the sermon.

The Franklin United Methodist Community Church will host a Public Bean Supper July 15, 5:00 to 6:30 PM. Homemade baked beans, hot dogs, mac and cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, rolls and desserts. Eat in or take out. Admission by donation.

ALL proceeds go to the fuel fund to help our neighbors come this winter.

During the month of July we will be receiving the Neighbors in Need Offering. Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the U.S. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministries. Two-thirds of this offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants.

Envelopes are available in the back of the Sanctuary.

July Birthdays and Anniversaries

07: *Betty* Lewis 08: *Joey* Espling 14: Brookelin Harriman

16: Morgan Espling 18: *Zachary* & Aimee Spaulding

23: Aaron & *Ashley* Ehrlenbach Johnson 19: Patrice Alexander

21: *Mike* & *Pat* Summerer 24: *Bob* Courchesne

25: *Phoebe* Devenish 27: Joy Stratton 28: *Robin* Long 28: *Artie* & *Jen* Ashmore 31: Matthew & *Rachel* Philio Umphrey

Contact Us at Union Congregational Church of Hancock:

TJ can be reached by cell phone at 207-323-6743 or by email at revtjmack@gmail.com

Vicky can be reached at 207-422-3100 or by email at hancockmaineucc@gmail.com

Jen can be reached by email at treasurer@hancockucc.com

The Monteux School & Music Festival presents two public weekly concert series each summer: Monteux Festival Orchestra and ‘Mainely’ Chamber Music (MCM). All concerts are held in the Forest Studio at 42 Melody Lane (off Old Track Road) in Hancock.

MONTEUX FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA 5:00 PM

Sundays – July 9, 16, 23, and 30

Tickets: General Admission $30; Students $10;

Youth under 18 are free with an adult.

Doors open at 4:30 PM.

These concerts frequently sell-out. It’s recommended you purchase tickets online in advance.

‘MAINELY’ CHAMBER MUSIC 5:00 PM

Wednesdays – July 12, 19, and 26

Tickets: Adults $20; Students $5; Youth under 18 are free with an adult.

Doors open at 4:30 PM. Tickets available online or at the door.

A FREE Children’s Concert will be held on Thursday, July 13

from 10:30 to 11:30 am.

For ticket information please visit the school’s website at monteuxmusic.org

Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:

Prayers of healing and hope for: John Holt, recently diagnosed with B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and at EMMC; Jane Preble, at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital; John Wood; Debbie & Lincoln’s son-in-law Aaron, daughter Ashley, and granddaughter Brielle. Prayers of comfort and strength for the family and friends of Marcia Crabtree as they gather to celebrate her life. Prayers for Jim Snyder; Coulter Huyler; Artie and Mary Ann Smallage; Mary Angela’s mother, Caroline; Mary Thomas; Finn & Parker & Madison; Kate Winters; Dave Marden; Kenny Stratton; Joy & David & Lori; Amy Nickerson; Trudy Clark; Denny Doucette; Mike and Cindy Merritt; Sandy Phippen; Renata’s sister-in-law Joanne; Judith Crowley; Austin’s cousin Danny; Bruce’s sister Lynn; Debbie Maddocks and her Aunt Linda Reed; Liz & Jim; Renata and the women for whom she cares; Tom & Judy’s son Andrew and family; Betty & step-daughter Mollie; Margaret B; Eleanor’s step-daughter Holly; all affected by memory loss; a family seeking solutions to significant mental health issues; all individuals and families experiencing addictions; all victims and loved ones of violence; those impacted by laws limiting reproductive justice; those experiencing food and housing insecurity; the people of Syria and Turkey; the people of Ukraine and Russia; the people of Sudan; all in your heart…

News from the Maine Conference

Valo Retreat for Teens

Valo is hosting a weekend retreat for teens across Maine’s faith communities this fall.

On November 11th - 12th, we’re planning to hold a Valo retreat for young people involved in faith communities across Southern Maine. The focus of the retreat will be on bolstering emotional wellbeing and the program is open to young people in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. The retreats are secular in nature, with an emphasis on bringing people together across faith and belief systems to engage in rich and meaningful conversations and connections.

The cost of this one-night retreat would be $300 per young person and would include lodging, meals, and the guidance of two trained Valo guides. The program requires a minimum of 10 teens across faith communities to participate. Interested? Email meg@valomaine.org to sign up.

“Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.” -

“Sanctuary” hymn by Randy Scruggs and John Thompson

Greetings from Pilgrim Lodge!

Summer is in full swing here at the camp of the Maine Conference UCC. So far this season, we have welcomed a Women’s Retreat, a Confirmation Retreat and a Retreat for Clergy. We hosted the June Intensive for the Maine School of Ministry and welcomed first time campers for a half-week warm-up session called Faith Foundations. Last week we held our first full week session and today we bid farewell to a family program that filled our camp to capacity with some folks sleeping in tents! We are continuing on the upswing as we rebound from the summers of pandemic closure. While our increasing numbers of participants are a good indicator of the growing momentum at camp, I would venture to say that the presence of the Holy Spirit is the best reflection of the energy in this place as children and adults share time together in our faith-centered community.

It is hard to put into words all the ways that the Holy Spirit moves in this place as we immerse ourselves in an embodied experience of nature, community and worship. While we have a habit of saying that camp is “magic” and that we leave the “real world” behind when we are at camp, I have had the gift of bearing witness to the results when we intentionally enter into time when the overarching goals are to “Love God, Love Each Other, and Love Ourselves.”

The Holy Spirit showed up when campers and volunteers sat together in a circle to address conflict. They were able to both speak from their own perspective and see the impact of the conflict on others in the circle as each person took the risk of being vulnerable with the rest.

The Holy Spirit showed up when campers sat in tears as they watched a peer struggle with a chronic health condition. In my effort to comfort them, they responded, “but it's not fair that she has to go through this.” They were right. I watched their hearts open with empathy as they witnessed the challenges of another.

The Holy Spirit showed up when small children provided a worship service for their parents and elders, reminding them that God manifests in the form of Hope. The children dusted the cheeks of their grandparents with colorful bits of “Hope.”

The Holy Spirit showed up last night when the staff sung a lullaby to campers down our long row of cabins, “Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary.” God is in these shared moments of collective stillness and peace.

I know that so often we wring our hands and wonder, “What is the future of the church?” Friends, the future is here. You are invited to come be part of it!

Check out our camp sessions on our webpage. Email us at info@pilgrimlodge.org if you’d like to learn how to bring your church. There is so much opportunity and the Holy Spirit is in it all!

Blessings,

Liz Charles McGough, Director of Pilgrim Lodge