The service will also be live-streamed through Facebook Live here or on 3CX here. We hope you will join us in person or online.

Late Tuesday afternoon a fire erupted in a group of four town homes on Norfolk Street in Hampstead. Our own Judy Dobson lives in one of those four homes. Damage is extensive and Judy is staying with daughter Rachel.

Thankfully everyone impacted is safe and physically unharmed.

The victims of the fire can receive clothing/household items thru the Library's Thrift Store free of charge by contacting the Library directly at any time starting today (phone 329-6411) . The Thrift Store has been closed due to the pandemic and will be reopening to the general public starting on July 7th. The Thrift Store is well stocked and does not need any new donations at this time and can fulfill the needs of the fire victims.

The church is also in contact with other Hampstead town officials to see where the community members can help those that are currently displaced from their homes. We will let you know what type of help is needed as soon as we learn.

If you wish to help mitigate the short-term expenses, mail your check to HCC, 61 Main Street, payable to HCC and note your intentions to assist Judy on the memo line.

Our prayers are with Judy and her neighbors during this difficult time.

Please reach out to our office at 603-329-6985 or at hcc1752@gmail.com or contact Judy Dobson at 603-329-8321 or at rjdobwood@comcast.net . 

Emails are often sent, saying they are from Pastor Kathy or another staff member. She (or they) will never send out a generic email--she'll address it to your name. She will never ask you for money/gift cards over email. Also, it will always have her signature line on the bottom with her phone number/address. If in doubt, please call the church or send an email to pastorkathyucc@gmail.com.

July 11^th-18^th

To learn more about this year's online event click here

This Sunday Rev. Kathy mentioned the condition of obstetric fistula during her sermon as a condition that has similar effects on women today that the woman in the scripture lesson (Mark 5:21-43) who touched Jesus’ cloak would have suffered.

Obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury caused by obstructed labor for women who have difficult or impossible access to hospitals for surgical delivery. Not only do the infants not survive, the women who do have medical results that make them outcasts in their villages. It was heartbreaking to hear about their plight Sunday. But there is a non-profit organization that has created a network of surgeons in hospitals in Africa and Southeast Asia, the Fistula Foundation. They perform high-quality surgery to cure a woman’s symptoms and restore her health for $586. They only perform obstetric fistula surgery so are very streamlined and effective in their services and they have a plan to end obstetric fistula.

If you would like to know more about the condition; the mission and strategy of the foundation; or how to help visit the Fistula Foundation website.

The 2008 documentary, “A Walk to Beautiful” tells the stories of five women in Ethiopia who have suffered from obstetric fistula and the struggles for treatment. PBS has broken the whole documentary into 6 chapters so that you can watch it in smaller segments. It is available in QuickTime or for Windows Media player here. You can also watch the whole 1 hr 24 min video on Prime or YouTube subscriptions or for free on the Tubi app.

Bach spent a short time in prison, not necessarily because he had done anything wrong, but because he wanted to leave his powerful employer at the time. Still, he was productive while he was inside jail and rattled off his book of keyboard exercises: the Orgelbuchen.

Franz Schubert was, along with four friends, arrested by a suspicious Viennese police force who were on the look-out for any boisterous gatherings of young people. Apparently, Schubert's gang was exactly that, and he was reprimanded for his use of insulting language to the coppers.

We know that Beethoven was occasionally a dark and tormented sort of soul, but his image really took a beating when he was arrested in the streets of Baden in 1820. Reportedly somewhat worse for the wear, Beethoven had become lost and hungry and was gazing into people's windows. He was promptly arrested by a policeman who mistook him for a tramp and threw him in jail, even when Beethoven insisted he was one of the finest composers of his generation.