December 15th Weekly Word
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Worship This Week
Please join us in the sanctuary
or online at 10am for the
Fourth Sunday of Advent as we reflect on the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth
As we pledge in our covenant, we recommend that everyone who attends in-person worship on Sunday mornings wear a mask during the entire service.
The service will be live-streamed through Facebook Live here or on 3CX here.
We hope you will join us!
Image credit: By Natureln - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75663364
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Christmas Eve Service and Carols
We will have one Christmas Eve service this year on Friday, December 24th at 4pm. It will be an outdoor candlelight service, so please dress warmly, bring a chair (if needed), and gather in the front of the church around the luminaries.
This service will also be live streamed on Facebook and recorded.
As a prelude to the service, we will be singing Christmas carols from 3:30pm until the beginning of the service.
Please bring your families and invite your friends to sing some carols and participate in this joyful and special service.
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Upper Room Devotional
We have copies of the January/February Upper Room devotional available in the foyer to Hadley Hall. If you need a copy mailed to you, please contact the main office.
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COVID Update from Rev. Gordon Rankin, Conference Minister
I have been asked several times in the past weeks if the Conference will be putting out new Covid Guidelines. Our last set of Covid Guidelines were published on August 24th and all our recommendations remain the same.
That said, the situation is currently far more severe. New Hampshire is currently the number one state in the country as far as active Covid cases per captia. Our number of new Covid cases per week is far worse than at any other time during the pandemic (1,371 on December 4, 2021 as compared with 867 on December 8, 2020). New Hampshire also has the lowest percentage of vaccinated people among any of the New England states. So while our recommendations remain the same (as they were applicable to any time we have a higher than 3% positivity rate), we continue to encourage all our congregations to be faithful and intentional in your decision making and to look after the safety as well as the spiritual needs of your community.
Advent blessings,
Gordon
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Blue Christmas Service Recording Available
If you missed the Blue Christmas Service, you can watch it any time here. This service is a quiet and reflective time for us to remember and honor all the griefs we carry in this holiday season. Take some time for yourself in this busy season.
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Did You Miss this Past Sunday's Worship Service?
We apologize for the technical difficulties on the Facebook and 3CX livestreams this past Sunday. Here is a link to the full 12/12 Worship Service
And here is a link to the poem Pastor Kathy referenced in the sermon.
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Becoming a Member of HCC
In January we will be welcoming several new members into our congregation. Would you be interested in learning more about membership and Hampstead Congregational Church? Church members have a voice and vote in our annual meetings, and membership signifies a promise we make to be part of a church community. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Pastor Kathy: pastorkathyucc@gmail.com
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Lights of Hope
The Hampstead Lions Club will once again sell luminaries. The community-wide luminary event, benefiting local charities, will take place on December 24. The current times have brought about big demands from our community locally and globally, including helping to fund our own food pantries, disaster relief, vision testing, and more. By lighting up Hampstead we bring light to the issues that face us along with hope, healing and joy. Please help us help others by purchasing the candle kits.
The cost for the kits is $10.00. Each kit includes six candles and six bags with directions. Purchasers supply their own sand or alternative such as dirt, kitty litter, rock salt, etc. To order, go to Hampstead NH Lions Club website. You can also purchase luminaries by mailing payment with a contact name, address and phone number to: Hampstead Lions Club, PO Box 171, Hampstead, NH 03841, or by emailing Roxanne Schloth at lightsofhampstead@yahoo.com.
Luminaries can be purchased any time of year for any occasion.
The Lions Club will be illuminating the church driveway as they did last year.
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Save the Date(s):
Prepared to Serve
The New Hampshire Conference of the UCC is excited to announce their plans for Prepared to Serve 2022 which will be held as an online event featuring 12 workshops from February 8 - 17.
This year’s theme is from the scripture passage found in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
We believe the popularity of this event is due in large part to our ability to offer workshops that meet the needs of our local churches.
This year's workshop topics will include:
- How to do Hybrid Worship
- Copyright Compliance and the Local Church
- How Churches Can Help Afghan Refugees
- How to Become a Creation Care Church
- The Shared Pastorate Model
- What it Means to be Open and Affirming
- How to Become a Racial Justice Church
- Creating Healthy Pastoral Relations Committees
- Thinking outside the box to address shrinking church membership and finances
- Dealing with the intensified emotions of grief and loss during the pandemic
Registration is planned to open January 3, 2022.
Stay up-to-date on this event by visiting:
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A Note From Operations
Please do not adjust the thermostat in the sanctuary. It is controlled by a timer in the basement. If you need to adjust the heat, please call Chris McCune at 603-490-0223.
Thank you
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A Word from Peace & Justice
The December Newsletter for Pollinator Pathways New Hampshire contains an update on the Partnership between NH Fish & Game, UNH Cooperative Extension, and the community for the Milkweed Pod Collection and Seed distribution campaign.
NH Fish and Game partnered with schools and communities by developing pollinator habitat on public lands. These efforts were funded through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, and also the NH Schoolyard Habitat Program (Schoolyard Habitat Grants | New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (state.nh.us). F&G is currently accepting applications for the NH Schoolyard Habitat program through January 2022. In addition F&G has been assisting NH DOT to develop a plan to enhance habitat for monarch and other pollinators along Rights-of-Way. UNH Cooperative Extension helped in launching a pilot milkweed pod drive with several drop off locations around the state. Between September 15 and October 31 over 400 people participated in this effort, resulting in 40 pounds of milkweed seed for planting! Next year F&G will launch the NH Butterfly Monitoring Network, encouraging citizens to report their observation of butterflies through a variety of online platforms and participation in planned group surveys. To assist people with learning how to identify different species of butterfly, a series of training sessions will soon be offered. F&G staff gave presentations, some of which are available for viewing at their site online.
The full Newsletter can be seen here.
Pollinator Pathways NH is affiliated with the Kingston, NH Conservation Commission and you can see what activities and events they are offering by clicking here.
Your Peace & Justice Team
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Steeple Lighting
December 16 - December 22
The HCC steeple is being lit in loving memory of Bob & Lois Chase and their son Gary Chase.
Lighting being offered by family members Lauren Chase Stuck & Scott Chase.
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Craft Fair Thank You
The fundraising committee would like to thank everyone who helped make the Christmas craft fair a success.
It is a lot of work to make the craft fair happen but divided amongst many it’s so very doable. Whether you helped to set up or breakdown the classrooms, baked some goodies, made soup, donated raffle items, made greens and/or donated your time at the tables you were part of the success! Without you, it would never happen.
We were able to raise $3,734.75 for the church!
Thank you all so much--
The Fundraising Team
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Through The Eyes of Kids!
What happens when you ask a bunch of kids to tell the story of Christmas?
Enjoy this story of Bethle-ha-ha-ham and the magical star that appeared.
Thank you to Lydia Fagan for sharing.
Enjoy!
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This month we help serve on Wednesday, December 22. If you are interested in volunteering contact Jane DeRosa via email
janederosa@comcast.net.
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The Sonshine Soup Kitchen needs volunteers to prepare and package the food for "To Go Meals." We partner with Atkinson Congregational Church once a month on the 4th
Wednesday of the month to help out from 3-6pm.
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Blankets for Project Linus
For those of you who have been busy sewing, quilting, knitting, or crocheting, we have an new opportunity to donate those handmade items!
We located a national organization that has local chapters called Project Linus ( https://www.facebook.com/projectlinussouthwestnewhampshire/). This organization's mission is "to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans". Blankets are given to children in need through NH.
*We welcome all styles of blankets made in child-friendly colors/prints.
*Crocheted, knitted, quilted (100% cotton or flannel), fleece….you don’t have to be an expert!
*Blankets must be NEW, HANDMADE and WASHABLE.
*Fabric blankets can be quilted by machine, hand or tied. If you are tying the blanket make sure the ends are trimmed to 1” and the knots are secure.
*Please do not add any embellishments to the blankets such as buttons that could be swallowed by a child.
*If you are using a no-sew fleece pattern, please be sure to trim off both selvages FIRST. Not sure what selvages are? Ask the clerk who is cutting your fleece to please show you, they’re those odd looking edges at the top and bottom of the piece you have, sort of raggy looking.
*We accept all sizes of blankets. We donate to children, infants through teen years, so any size is appropriate. Baby blankets are typically 36”X36” or 36”X42”, toddler-pre-teen are typically about 40”X60”, and teen blankets are at least 60"X72".
Blankets can be dropped off in the entry way of Hadley Hall.
Thank you for your support of this project!
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Are you on Facebook? Do you follow Hampstead Congregational Church? Please like our page to know about all the great events in the church. Liking also supports our church when people check us out. If you are already connected, share our good news!
Rev. Kathy also has a page for all who are interested to follow.
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If you are on Instagram, please follow us, and let your friends know about us by sharing our posts! Click this link
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Scam Emails
Emails are often sent, saying they are from Pastor Kathy or another staff member. She (or the HCC staff) 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, any email from Pastor Kathy 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.
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Want to get the word out about what’s happening at HCC? If you want to publicize your event or remind the congregation about something, please email the office (hcc1752@gmail.com) by Wednesday at noon so that your information can be included in that week’s Weekly Word. Feel free to send in information up to three weeks in advance of an upcoming event. We want all of the congregation (not just the Team leaders) to be empowered to get the word out about all the activities that are happening at Hampstead Congregational Church!
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Our Mailing Address:
61 Main Street
Hampstead, NH 03841
Church Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9:00am to 3:00pm
See what's happening on our social sites
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Hampstead Congregational Church Website
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