Here it is--Volume 7, Issue 5 of our e-mail Newsletter!

FEATURED IN THIS NEWSLETTER

PASTORAL PONDERINGS--"Trusting the Smile on Future's Face"

Monthly Update on our Church's Pastoral Transition

Worship & Music Ministry News

• Our Sunday Faith Community Celebrations in April
• Spiritual Formation News for our Children, Youth, & Families
• Music and Ministry Notes
• Tenderly Held in our Hearts and Prayers
•  Into God’s Hands
• Founders' Day Confirmation Celebration

Welcoming and Caring Ministry

• MAY 10th Potluck in the Parish House for Sharing with John and Susan
• Invitation to Join our Church Caregiving Ministry Team

MAY CALENDAR of EVENTS in the Life of our Spiritual Family

Spiritual Formation for Adults

• "Wake Up Grateful" Book Study
• Co-Pastor Farewell Celebration and and Service of Loving Gratitude

Administration & Finance News

• Report on Upcoming Projects
• Weekly Office Hours For Questions/Information
• Report of the Assistant Treasurers
• Stewardship Progress
• COVID-19 Task Force Update

May Birthdays & Anniversaries

Poem of the Month--" We Look with Uncertainty"

Growing a Just World for All

Economic Justice

* Raise the Minimum Wage Rev. Dr. Gail Kinney, Worker Justice Minister

* Support for the PRO Act

Immigrant Justice

* Monthly Vigils at the ICE Building

Climate Justice

*"Common Ground" Film available to borrow

Antiracism Ministry

*Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial on Sunday--May 12th @ 1:30 PM

*Joint Nakba Remembrance on Wednesday, May 15th @ 1:00 PM

*Calling for CeaseFire NOW!

*Continuing Black Lives Matter Vigils on Wednesdays @ 4:30 PM

Legislator Contact Information

Revs. Susan & John Gregory-Davis,

Co-Pastors

Meriden Congregational Church

603-469-3235

john@meridenucc.org

susan@meridenucc.org

secretary@meridenucc.org 

www.meridenucc.org

‘We’re traveling on a road we’ve never seen before…

But still we trust our vision of the smile on future’s face.”

-     Doris Ellzey Blesoff

         As your Co-Pastors ponder with you one last time, we can hardly believe that it has been nearly 29 years since we began this Faith Odyssey with you all.  In some ways, it feels like only yesterday when our young family ventured up from the city to this village hilltop to begin our first pastorate with relatively little experience, and considerable trepidation as to whether we were truly capable of boldly going where we had never gone before. We hoped there was a smile on our future’s face, but how could we truly know whether you and we might fully embrace a shared ministry together? Indeed, since John was first called to be your full time pastor, with Susan balancing caring for our two young children with part-time hospital chaplaincy, we actually never expected nor planned to stay here in Meriden. We had hoped to gain enough experience and confidence within 3-5 years to begin pursuing our dream of co-pastoring, assuming at least at first that fulfilling this dream would require us to apply as Co-Pastors elsewhere.

Little did we know then that you, and the Spirit, had other plans for us, plans that would lead us into a shared life and ministry beyond any dreams we had yet dared to imagine. Of course you all could have predicted that once we began to settle in to what a homeless visitor to our little town once called “Brigadoon,” we might find leaving harder than we had anticipated, for many of you had already succumbed to the magic of this place yourselves. Thus it was that after only two years here we began to explore with you whether John’s pastorate could evolve into our co-pastorate, right here in Meriden, rather than needing to begin again elsewhere. And bless your hearts, only 3 years after we had arrived in Meriden, this brave little church risked embracing us as your Co-Pastors! 

Although we could say, “and the rest is history,” with almost no one recalling that we had ever been anything but your Co-Pastors. But what a his/herstory we have shared together, and how incredibly blessed we have been to live and love, play and pray, laugh and cry, and raise our family with each and all of you! Thank goodness we trusted then “the smile on future’s face,” for we cannot imagine having missed traveling this road with you. Although in our mind’s eye it still feels like the yesteryear of our earliest moments with you, yet in the fullness of our hearts we carry more memories, more wrenching pain and exulting joy, more relationships cherished, more stories sad, funny, poignant, and inspiring, more shared vulnerability and tender connections, accrued over these past 29 years, than seem possible in a far longer span of time. 

We reflected in our Annual Report this past January that this is not the same church we came to 29 years ago, that you have evolved and grown in magnificent ways in your expression of who, how, and why you are as Beloved Community with and for each other, and for your neighbors near and far.  So too we are not who we were when you first met us, for each and all of you have touched, blessed, shaped, mentored, cared for, and loved us in ways that have changed us forever, for which we and our family are so deeply grateful. Likewise have we been so humbled and honored to hear of all the ways that the same has been true for so many of you through this spiritual journey we have shared together. 

And so we find ourselves—we and you—once again “traveling down a road we’ve never seen before,” trying to trust the unknown future unfolding before us, even as we struggle to let go of the past we shall always treasure.  Although the beautiful intertwining of our lives inevitably tinges this parting transition with both sorrow and uncertainty, we take and urge comfort in the knowledge that we have been here before, back when we had no idea where our mutual ministry would take us, nor how long it would last, nor how wonderfully it would bless us. 

Of course, the most poignant difference this time is that unlike last time, we shall soon be traveling different roads from each other, both with unrevealed futures calling us into them. Yet perhaps the most important difference is that we begin this journey filled with all the gifts we have shared together, still anxious about what lies ahead, and mourning that we can no longer travel together, but hopefully with more trust in the smile on this future’s face arising out of the transformative, fulfilling, joyous ways in which our previous unknown future became the past we barely dreamed possible now so long ago. 

Friends, it's hard to step forward when everything in us wishes to continue enjoying who and how we are. But the only things in life that never change are those no longer alive. And thanks be to God, this church continues to live and love in bold and beautiful ways. You will be a blessing to your Interim Pastor and to the settled Pastor who follows them, just as you have been to us. And so will they be to you. And together you shall travel into a future about which you will someday marvel every bit as much as the one now behind us. We have absolute confidence in this assertion, because we have lived it with you. And we are so grateful to go forth to begin this new phase of our life journey with your blessing, trusting that somewhere out there are people waiting to embrace and love us just as you have done so faithfully lo these many years. 

Thus do we conclude our final Pastoral Ponderings with the joyous affirmation from “In the Midst of New Dimensions,” the poignant, exultant hymn which our beloved Kathy Marshall once declared to be the anthem of this church: 

“God of rainbow, fiery pillar, leading where the eagles soar,

We your people, ours the journey, now and ever, now and evermore!”  

With prayers for traveling mercies, and abundant blessings,

as we once again boldly go

where have never gone before,

Your soon to be once and former Co-Pastors,

Susan & John

Come join Susan & John

and Church Leadership Members

for Food and Fun!

May Story-Sharing Potluck:

Celebrating our Years and Moments Together Through sharing the Stories we cherish!   

Friday, May 10th

6:00 PM in the Parish House

Come and enjoy the second of our two Story-Sharing Potlucks with the gift of being together as a church family, sharing our gratitude, sadness, joy, & HOPE for all the blessings to come!   

Bring your favorite memories and stories!

Bring your feelings, questions, and anticipation!

Bring your potluck dish you love to share!

But most of all, bring yourself!

For a time of sharing the Love of

our Beloved Community! 

Children, Youth, Adults of all Ages, Families, Individuals, Friends, our Church Family and beyond, One and All are Welcome!

“Transforming Lives as a Compassionate Community:

ReImagining Love”

OUR SUNDAY FAITH COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS IN MAY 

(In-Person and on Zoom,

in the Sanctuary,

with masks optional)

MAY 5th @ 10:00 AM

Founders' Day Sunday!

Come celebrate with us the 244th Birthday of the Meriden Congregational Church, as we honor our 40+ year membership wise and wonderful elders! This Intergenerational Service will also feature confirmation of our Faith Odyssey Youth participants, with cake and festive refreshments to follow.

MAY 12th @ 10:00 AM

Seventh Sunday in Eastertide

Mothering Sunday

Join us as we explore and reflect upon scriptural images and prayers that lift up the mothering qualities of our Creator God, while giving thanks for all those who have "mothered" us in so many loving ways.

MAY 19th @ 10:00 AM

PENTECOST Sunday

Pentecost Sunday celebrates the  day when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, blessing them with courage and inspiration in their continuing ministry of liberation and transformation. This festive service will also feature sharing Communion together as the Beloved Community we are blessed to be! 

MAY 26th @ 10:00 AM

Trinity Sunday

Come celebrate with us the many faces, names, and conceptions of the divine / sacred presence in our lives and throughout creation!

June 1st @ 3:30pm

Festive Despedida

Although none of us are really ready to embrace the sweet sorrow of farewell after all these beautiful years together, as our Bolivian friends taught us years ago, it is a good time to party. So come and joyously celebrate all that we have been for and shared with each other! We will begin with stories and music in the church, and conclude with a dinner celebration.

June 2nd @ 10:00AM

Service of Love & Gratitude

Come join us for one last service with our Co-Pastors, by way of continuing our bittersweet celebration of our shared ministry together throughout these past 29 years, followed by a festive reception and parting farewell.

Whoever you are,

Whomever you love,

Wherever you are on

life's journey,

YOU are WELCOME to

share in all our

Spiritual Family Services, Celebrations,

and Activities!

SPIRITUAL FORMATION NEWS FOR OUR CHILDREN,

YOUTH AND FAMILIES!

Peaceful greetings and Merry May to all our children, youth and families!!!

May is a busy time of year as the school year begins to wind down and the end of the year concerts, graduations, and other fun activities begin to wind up!!! We hope you are able to enjoy the beauty of this springtime season and all the wonderful events of this special time of year.

Earlier this month, our three OWL (Our Whole Lives) programs (K/1, Grade 4-6, and Grade 7-9) concluded after a tremendously meaningful three months exploring the many thoughts, feelings, and values shared among students and facilitators on the theme of healthy sexuality education. Thank you to ALL who participated in the OWL programs, especially the fourteen children and youth between the ages of six and fifteen, their parents, and our most wonderful facilitators: Susan Sanzone Fauver and Kelsey MacNamee (K/1), Andrea Keen, Karen Heaton, Kevin Ramos-Glew, Greg Castell, and Tori Constantine (Grade 4-6), and Maura Hart, Steve Jameson, Jeff McGlone, and Tori Constantine (Grade 7-9). The dedication, energy, expertise, and love of these facilitators were gifts beyond words to our children and youth! Thank you to one and all! If you are interested in learning more about OWL and/or being part of our OWL Ministry Team, please be in touch with Kelsey MacNamee (kelsey@meridenucc.org)!

We were also so blessed as a church family to celebrate on Sunday, May 5th the Confirmation of our three Confirmands: Lucas Rodriguez (Grade 9), Calvin Ramos-Glew (Grade 8), and John Rendahl (Grade 8)! Lucas, Calvin, and John completed three years of our Faith Odyssey Program, culminating in their Confirmation. Congratulations, Lucas, Calvin, and John! We also wish to say a very special thank you to their mentors Selden Lord (Lucas), Rich Pullen (Calvin), and Glen Greenough (John) who were tremendous spiritual role models and good friends to our Confirmands throughout their Faith Odyssey Program!

And last but by no means least, we look forward on Friday, May 17th to seeing all our young families and kiddos for our Monthly Pizza and Discussion for Young Parents & Families (with children and youth of any age!). We begin with our family pizza time from 6-6:30pm, followed by a facilitated parent discussion from 6:30-7:30pm (free childcare offered during this time). Come with your joys, your struggles, your hopes, and your beloved children, as we celebrate the amazing work of parenting and share support for all its challenges! Please RSVP by May 16th, if you are able to join us! Invite friends! We look forward to welcoming you!

So much to celebrate!! And we especially look forward to seeing you and your family over our last weekend (June 1st 3:30-7:00pm and June 2nd 10am). With feelings both poignant and deeply grateful, we look forward to sharing our thankfulness to you and your children for the gifts of being part of your family's life these past many years! As our beloved church family looks toward continuing all our programs for children, and families, please contact Kelsey MacNamee, Spiritual Formation Coordinator for Children, Youth, and Families (kelsey@merideniucc.org) for further information related to the 2024-2025 church year. With love and blessings to all and ever holding each of you in our hearts, Susan and John

WELCOMING and CARING MINISTRY

Thanks for the many people who helped to make the SHARING POTLUCK ON APRIL 12TH a reality There were many people who combined to make it a memorable event. The Potluck Food was delicious and the stories told made the evening fly by.

Thanks to Kathy Wright, Ryan and Chentel McGraw, Marianne and Hugh McGraw, Donna Beaupre, and Peter Nolette for providing food and clean up at Coffee Hour in April. There are open dates on the sign up for May Coffee Hours.

THE NEXT GATHERING OPPORTUNITY IS A POTLUCK SHARING DINNER WITH JOHN AND SUSAN AT 6:00PM ON MAY 10th. John and Susan are having potlucks this Spring as an opportunity to gather for reminiscing about their many years here. Their hope is to share many stories.

I will be calling people to ask for help with Coffee Hour and Ushering. Please say yes to help the Beloved Community! Ed Cousineau, Nora Kells Gordan, Steve and Donna Beaupre and Kathy Wright helped with ushering in April. MANY THANKS!!

If you would like to help with any of this please contact Kathy Wright at (603) 469-3235 or at home at (603) 675-5989.

HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US THIS MAY!

Kathy Wright, Co-Coordinator of the Welcoming and Caring Ministry

Do you find a deep sense of 

joy and gratification

in reaching out and helping others? 

If so, Please join our

Church Caregivers Team!

Even if you have only a few minutes a month to write a short "thinking of you" or "get well" card, your loving care will be so appreciated by members of our church community. If you would rather make occasional phone calls or in-person home visits, there is a place for you on the Caregivers Team, too!!! Everyone is welcome to offer gifts of care with no effort ever too small! Our Team meets quarterly with the loving guidance of our Chair, Kathy Wright. If you are interested in joining or talking further, please contact Kathy at secretary@meridenucc.org or Susan (susan@meridenucc.org). We warmly welcome you to join in the very meaningful ministry of this small group with a BIG HEART! 

Our Church’s Upcoming Pastoral Transition:

A Loving Update for Members and Friends of the

Meriden Congregational Church

Dear Friends,

Each month between now and June our church newsletter will feature an update with current information on how our church is preparing for our pastoral transition prompted by the upcoming retirement of Susan & John. Written each month by our Co-Pastors or members of our church’s Leadership Ministry Team, you will be kept up to date on all relevant developments, as it is of utmost importance that the whole of our church family is vitally part of this time of transition. We are on this spiritual journey together and are here to support one another with faith, hope, and love! 

Please know that your questions and concerns are not only warmly welcomed but also needed, as each person’s input will help us more faithfully sojourn through these upcoming months. Thank you for being a loving and invaluable part of this special time in the life of our church family.  And please let us know how we can support you and your family as we grieve, celebrate, and give thanks for all we have experienced together these past twenty-eight years, all the while rejoicing that our steadfast and still-speaking God is lovingly companioning us every step of the way! 

With love from our Co-Pastors, Susan and John, and our Church Leadership Ministry Team—Bill Chappelle (Chair), Jill Marshall (Vice-Chair), Cindy Griffin, Melanie Henry, Gail Kinney, Kelsey MacNamee, Larissa Pyer, Cathy Rodriguez, Peter Nolette, Elaine Lenz, Lee Oxenham, Kathy Wright, Shawn Rogers, Ryan McGraw, and Shideko Terai.



Leadership Transition Update--MAY 2024



Things are getting real, folks. We’ve got a Dropbox, we’re getting candidates, we’ve got computers, we’re tapping phone lines,….No wait, that’s an old Talking Heads song. Seriously, though, ask a Leadership Committee member what they know, and they will say something cryptic. “All will be revealed in good time..” Or, “I may not name names.” ‘ 

 I grew up in Ellicott City, Maryland where many of our neighbors worked for the National Security Administration. It wasn’t uncommon for married couples to both work for NSA. I had friends who said that their parents didn’t talk about work. They had security clearances that mandated that they literally could go to federal prison if they talked about work. Who knows, it might have saved some marriages! It actually kind of feels a little like that as we on the Leadership Team look at candidates for the interim pastorate, contained the MCC Dropbox profile managed by the New Hampshire Conference of the UCC. The Leadership team met this week with Sara Marean, the Associate Conference Minister from the New Hampshire Conference, and Sara stressed the importance of confidentiality when going through this process. “This is a small denomination, and people know people. People may be looking for other positions, but may not be ready to tell people at their current positions.” People who live in the Upper Valley can relate to this. The theory of “six degrees of separation” does not apply up here; it’s more like two degrees at the most. So for that reason, we can’t talk a whole lot about the details of candidates’ profiles. Yet. 

What can we tell you about candidates for the interim position? Well, we initially had three candidates post profiles into our Dropbox. One of the candidates looked promising, but withdrew from consideration, citing the geographical distance from their current home to us in Meriden. The second candidate, it turned out, wasn’t really a candidate for the interim pastorate, but was offering consulting services for churches with interim pastors. “A consulting model” as they termed it, clearly isn’t for us at this time. So, we currently have one candidate with some very interesting credentials, although Sara feels pretty confident that we may soon receive other profiles. We are setting up an introductory Zoom meeting with that candidate– not so much a full on interview, but a 30-minute conversation. It will consist of three or four very basic questions asked by three or four members of the team, from which both parties will be able to ascertain if they wish to move to a bigger interview.. We have pretty much decided to take the pressure off ourselves and not try to have an interim in place as soon as Susan and John leave. We can do our usual summer programming with wonderful people like Gail Kinney, Ed Cousineau, and others running services and hopefully welcome an interim pastor when the leaves start to turn orange around Labor Day. Stay tuned!!

Bill Chappelle, Leadership Chair

Report on the Transition of Pastoral Leadership

Music and Ministry Notes--May 2024

We are very happy to have our star pianist, Carol Hartman, back

with us after a brief time away to enjoy Easter season celebrations with

her family.

Earth Day Sunday was celebrated on April 21, with a program that

included music, prayers, and reflections to honor our earthen home.

Freedom Seder was enjoyed on Friday, April 26 from 5-8 PM. The

Freedom Seder is an expression of Judaism that is progressive, joyful,

and spiritually meaningful. It’s rooted in the Passover tradition but is innovative and welcomes non-Jewish people as well.

The 244 th Founder’s Day will be accompanied by Confirmation on

Sunday, May 5. This would usually be communion Sunday.

Covid remains “a thorn in everyone’s paw”, requiring all of us to

remain vigilant. At this time, the wearing of masks remains optional,

but if you are feeling poorly or having symptoms of a respiratory

infection, do remember the at-home attendance via Zoom remains a very

good option of being part of the Sunday worship.

Peter Nolette

Tenderly Held  in our Hearts and Prayers

  Throughout this Eastertide,  we give joyous thanks for the caring and sharing which make this community of faith such a WELCOME home for all of us. So too do we celebrate with all those bearing new life, and pray with those yet hoping to conceive, or seeking to adopt a beloved child of God, even as we also pray for our friends in Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe, and all those living in such troubled lands as Gaza, Palestine, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Haiti, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, North Korea, Yemen, Nigeria, South Sudan, and the Congo. We pray for all immigrants & refugees seeking sanctuary & welcome throughout our world, that we may be among those who offer an oasis of hospitality & compassion within the kin-dom of God’s heart. And we pray too for our BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) friends and neighbors, seeking to build with them a world wherein “Black Lives Matter!”

         So too do we pray for Jim Lenz’ friend, Conor; Susan Pullen’s friend, Jean and her husband, Carl;  Dan Beaupre’; Rosa Sousa;  Valerie Stender; Gail Kinney’s husband, John Murray;  Marianne McGraw’s friend, Jeff Gold; Betty Pardoe’; Peter Nolette’s brother, Michael; Rev. Greg Marshall, as well as Greg’s sister, Donna; Carol Hartman’s step-granddaughter, Alyssa, and Carols daughter-in-law, Michelle; Roger Burch’s sister-in-law’s family; Angie Hinton’s friend, Margaret Maxham; Connie Kousman’s grand-nephew, Graham, and Connie’s sister, Joyce; Larry Wolkin; Gina Marzilli-Ericson’s mother, Paula; Robyn & Bob Carpenter; Karen Sutton’s husband, Robert Sutton; Laine Gillespie’s friends, Josh & Perry;  Eric Heaton; Betty Walker; Penny Arcone’s friend, Dick Slubin; Beth Kopp’s father, Jim Kane; Joan Burch; Jody Schubert’s brother, Rick; Jim Schubert’s sister, Martha, and her daughter, Wendy; Joan Burch; Suzanne Lenz; Judy Croitoru; Chris Dye; Linda Perkins, as well as Lindas’ friends, Dorothy, Barbara, Albert, & Doug; Susan Turner’s cousin, Buddy Stevenson, and Sue’s friend, Barbara Zenker.

         Likewise are our prayers with these members and friends of our faith community currently receiving treatment for cancer: Susan Pullen; Andrea Brown’s Uncle, Mike; Ryan McGraw’s co-worker’s mother, Jeannie Berube; Donna Beaupre’s cousin, Bill; Odile Clavier’s colleague; Christine Greenough’s friend, Karen;  Penny Arcone’s son, Anthony; Amaia Leach; Anne Cragin’s sister, Beth; Angie Hinton’s friend, Mickey LaHaye; Martha Zoerheide’s neighbor, John; Vicki Ramos-Glew’s mother, Carole Spencer; Juliette Hampton’s teacher, Melissa Thaxton; Bill & Laine’s neighbor, Barbara Gifford; Becky Luce; Laura Cousineau’s brother-in-law, Eric; Cecilia Hampton’s best friend Victoria’s mother, Bev; Sue Turner’s brother, Kurt, as well as Sue’s sister-in-law Bev, and Bev’s step-daughter, Sarah; Connie Kousman; Gail Kinney’s brothers, Charles & David; Linda Perkins’ friend, Linda Stone; Ed Foltyn; Robert Bryant; Jeff McNamara; Lauryn Moeller’s daughter-in-law, Lisa Rae Moeller; and  Kevin Ramos-Glew’s nephew, Duncan.

If you or someone you know would like a name to be added to our Prayer List, please let us know. In an effort to keep it as up-to-date as possible, please also let us know when you would like a name removed. 

Into God's Hands

  As gradually warming weather leads us to yearn for the new life of spring, so too have our hearts ached with the loss of dearly beloved friends and relatives of our faith community.

We extend our sympathy to Jeremy Mikecz and his aunt’s family, upon the loss of Jeremy’s uncle, Mike.

So too are our prayers with nossos amigos brasileiros, Heleno, Eveline, e Davi, as they mourn the sudden death of Heleno’s father, Joaquim Ramiro Fillo, on Saturday—April 13^th, 2024

And our hearts go out to Shideko Terai, upon the loss of her uncle, Ted De Luca,  on Wednesday—April 24^th, 2024.

As each of these dearly departed ones have returned to the source of Love from which all life comes, may their families and loved ones be comforted with Love’s healing embrace in the midst of this time of mourning.

Arise, then, women of this day!

Arise, all women who have hearts,

Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:

“We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,

Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.

Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn

All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.

We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country

To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”

From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own.

It says: “Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”

Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.

As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,

Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means

Whereby the great human family can live in peace,

Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,

But of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.

Julia Ward Howe (27 May 1819 – 17 Oct 1910) was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet most famous as the author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Her “Mother’s Day Proclamation” was one of the early calls to celebrate Mother’s Day in the United States. Written in 1870, it was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War.

Meriden Congregational Church Annual Meeting

Our 243rd Annual Meeting was held on Sunday--January 28th, 2024. A quorum of members was present both in person plus by zoom. The Reports were accepted and the budget was passed. Copies of the Annual Report and Ministry Spending Plan (Budget) are available both at the back of the church and on the Secretary's Desk. The officials elected and serving on our Leadership Ministry Team are:

Members of our Church Leadership Ministry Team:

Chair: Bill Chappelle

Vice-Chair/Clerk/ Stewardship: Jill Marshall

Worship & Music Ministry: Peter Nolette & Elaine Lenz

Welcoming and Caring Ministry: Kathy Wright & Lee Oxenham

Administration & Finance Ministry:  

Melanie Henry, Shawn Rogers, & Ryan McGraw

Outreach, Peace, & Justice Ministry: Shideko Terai

Worker Justice Minister: Rev. Dr. Gail Kinney:

Spiritual Formation Ministry: Larissa Pyer & Cathy Rodriguez

Spiritual Formation Coordinator: Kelsey MacNamee

Treasurer: Cindy Griffin

Assistant Treasurer(s):  

Kathy Wright, Evan Oxenham, & Steve Beaupre

Auditor:  Melanie Henry 

CONFIRMATION 2024!!!

Founders’ Day Sunday—May 5th

           How blessed we were to celebrate the 244^th Birthday of our Church on Founders’ Day Sunday—May 5^th,  with the confirmation of  Calvin Ramos-Glew, John Rendahl, and Lucas Rodriguez, as the culmination of their Faith Odyssey with us! Confirmation is the religious rite through which our youth are invited to affirm their faith. There are comparable rites of spiritual passage in most of our world’s religions. Here at the Meriden Congregational Church, our Confirmands also become full members of our church on their day of Confirmation. 

During this time, they attend classes with John and Susan two Sunday afternoons per month, and work closely with their adult mentor, concluding their studies with a written “Affirmation of Faith” which describes their understanding and experience of their faith journey thus far in their lives.

We are so impressed with the thoughtfulness, humor, and integrity which Calvin, John, & Lucas brought to their Faith Odyssey journeys, and we celebrate with them their gifts and continuing ministry within the life of our spiritual family!

Confirmand                       Mentor

Calvin Ramos-Glew        Richard Pullen

Lucas Rodriguez             Selden Lord

John Rendahl                  Glen Greenough

 CONGRATULATIONS

 Calvin, John, & Lucas !!

And THANK YOU

Rich, Selden, & Glen!!

Picture from approx. 2018 with Robyn Carpenter, Laine Gillespie, Kathy Wright and John Gregory-Davis.

Fund-Raising for Turning Points Network was a success again this year!

This year, MCC was able to raise $550 for the Turning Points Network in Claremont. Turning Points provides support, housing and education for those people experiencing domestic violence. These pictures are from years past when we have had a large number of people walking in the 5k Stepping up to End Violence walk in Claremont. Thanks to Nora Kells Gordon who organized our efforts.

Picture of our Steppin Up Team from 2016 including Judy Houde Hardy, Robyn Carpenter, Laine Gillespie, Brenda Phillips, Susan Gregory-Davis and Kathy Wright.

Faith Odyssey for Adults!!

“Wake Up Grateful:

The Transformative Practice of

Taking Nothing for Granted”

Kristi Nelson

Continuing on Friday May 3rd at 1:00 PM

and Thursday May 16th at 4:00 PM

at the home of Selden & Jan Lord

27 Serenity Drive, Cornish, NH

And on zoom here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86446806052?pwd=SjcvUGpiSXhQRllQWnBYbFg5UXppZz09 

Having just completed our study of Indigenous Kinship, we are now exploring together the spiritual practice and blessing of grateful living in and through all the challenges and joys of our lives.

MCC Poetry Page

“The Fate of the Poet is to fall in Love with Life”

Matthew Fox

When we read this poem in our "Wake Up Grateful" book study, it spoke poignantly to us about the uncertainty of this transitional time, during which we seek to be open to "learning to love."

"We Look with Uncertainty"

We look with uncertainty

beyond the old choices

for clear-cut answers

to s softer, more permeable aliveness

which is every moment

at the brink of death;

for something new is being born in us

if we but let it.

We stand at a new doorway,

awaiting that which comes...

daring to be human creatures,

vulnerable to the beauty of existence.

Learning to Love.

―Anne Hillman

All poets among us, of all ages and abilities, are likewise invited to share your poems with us so that we may in turn publish one each month as a way of helping all of us to fall ever more deeply in love with life in all its wonder, pathos, and beauty!

Remember to RSVP to Jill Marshall Jill@MeridenUCC.org

Report from Buildings and Grounds of MCC Administration

The following news was taken from the Annual Report of Administration and Finance

Projects Planned

After a couple years of searching, we have begun the process of trying to use an independent company or contractor for the facility and/or maintenance manager. Local contractor and part time facility manger for the Town of Plainfield, Brad Atwater has agreed to work for MCC at a small scale initially and potentially larger scale in the future. The MCC leadership group is excited to have the talent and knowledge base that Brad has to work for us. His initial projects will be addressing the safety concerns of the following:



1. Large Norway spruce and the exposed roots

2. Misplaced and unsafe granite steps to the sunken garden

3. Basement under slab plumbing drainage pipes

4. Sunken garden flooding problem annually

5. Architect code review interview process

6. On call services for John, Susan, Shawn and Summer Camp Staff

Shawn Rogers and Melanie Henry (Co-Coordinators)

Starting in May, Kathy Wright, Our Secretary/Administrator will hold Weekly Office Hours for Questions/Information

Since I need to work on the new Directory in May, it makes sense to me to have office hours every Wednesday between 1 and 2:30pm. I plan to be in the church office at (603-469-3235) I will also be available by phone on Sunday Evenings at (603-675-5989) from 7:00pm to 8:00pm .I will be available by phone to answer questions or give out information about what is happening at church. Starting in June (after my school is out) I plan to extend these hours.

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT TREASURERS

. As of April 18 we have received $6,215 in pledge payments, We have received $941 in Plate payments. The monthly total was $7,156. All of these were for 2024. The amounts collected in this year so far are a total of $55,334. An additional amount was raised for One Great Hour of Sharing --$229 so with the $264 which was raised last month, the total was $493 raised for One Great Hour of Sharing.

Thanks for your donations!!

There have been stock payments that are not listed here. Thanks for all your contributions.

Kathy Wright

Jim Lenz

Pledges are still needed and Welcomed!!

Notes from the COVID Task Force

It's now been more than four years! The screaming headlines in world, national and local media are gone. The disease information is on the inside of our newspapers and well-down the scrolling page on our on-line news sources. But does "out of sight" equal "out-of-mind?'  Let's hope not!

Here at Meriden Congregational Church this summer we’re still standing vigilant. And you should be too. Nothing beyond the simple norms we’ve established and then thoughtfully evolved through the intervening years. Our church will continue to make available masks and hand-sanitizers. Plus, it's easy to heed this tried and true wisdom:

If you feel unwell—just stay home. 

Stay “boosted” and “current” as best you can.

           Consider a mask when you’re in a crowd.

                      Wash your hands frequently.

The Church Leadership Team and the MCC Covid-19 TF will be ready to review new information should any new circumstances warrant.

Ed Cousineau

For the MCC Covid-19 Task Force

MAY

BIRTHDAYS

5/1        Cayden Van Dolah

5/1         Mike Van Dolah

5/1         LouiseFiliault                  

5/1         Thembi Muhlari

5/3         Kate Brady

5/4         Adam Perotti

5/4         George Butler

5/4         Lauren Lenz

5/4         Hadley Pensgen

5/4         Hank Ruppertsberger

5/4         Maia Garfield

5/4         Patrick Duany

5/5       Kurt Shaffert

5/5         Brian Garfield

5/6        Harrison Daniel Jeschke

5/6         Sylvia Clark

5/6         Samantha Clerkin

5/6        Nikayla Cartier

5/7         Nicole Annis

5/7         Miles Saunders

5/9         Susan Sanzone

5/9         Grace Bradley

5/10       Rob Constantine

5/10       Zeda Wolf

5/10       Marianna McKim

5/11       Alyssa Packard

5/11       Nancy Wightman

5/12       Ian Cattabriga

5/13       Stephanie Harding

5/14       Kristen Wendt

5/16       Phil Crowell

5/17       Owen Winslow

5/17      Scott Robinson

5/18       Melanie Elliot

5/18       Molly Jean Elizabeth Kells

5/19       Richard Swett

5/19       Audra Bucklin

5/19      Corinne Tomlinson

5/21       Rigel Cable

5/21       Amira Chichakly

5/21       Haddie Houde

5/21       Ryan McGraw

5/22       Linda Perkins

5/23       Elizabeth Todd

5/24      Cooper Warren

5/25       Greg Castell        

5/25       Steve Beaupre”

5/26       Gretchen Cherington

5/26       Joe McClellan

5/26       Rangi Keen

5/26       Oliver Herfort

5/26       Des Tolentino

5/26       Suzanne Lenz

5/27       Sawyer Constantine

5/27       Sue Richardson

5/28       Katy Sheehan

5/31       Pam Miller Custer

5/31       Richard Miller

MAY ANNIVERSARIES

5/4   Lee Walker and Evan Oxenham

5/10   Selden and Jan Lord

5/15   Robyn and Bob Carpenter

5/18   Nancy and Kurt Filiault

5/18  Laura Packard and Paul Churchill

5/26   Karen and Doug Heaton

5/26   Rick and Heather Hildebrant

5/29   Rachel and Robert Stoddard

5/30   Diane and Mark Walker

5/31   Maura Hart and Frank Perotti

5/31   Leslie MacGregor and Dalton Winslow

Founders' Day Honorees--Betty Pardoe, Steve & Donna Beaupre', Greg Marshall, & Anne Cragin, along with Confirmands--Calvin Ramos-Glew, John Rendahl, & Lucas Rodriguez

CELEBRATING OUR 244th Birthday!!

 HONORING OUR PAST / EMBRACING OUR FUTURE

 Recalling that our church was founded on May 2^nd, 1780,

we shall once again celebrate

Our Annual

Founders’ day Anniversary

Sunday--May 5^th , 2024

         What a joyous annual celebration of both the past we so cherish, and the future we eagerly anticipate as a spiritual family! A special part of this year’s festivities was the confirmation of the youth who have been sharing their Faith Odyssey with us for the past few years. 

Outreach News

Outreach, Peace, and Justice

Ministry Teams

News for MAY 2024 

"The way to heal the soul of the nation is to pass policies that heal the body of the nation. It’s the just thing to do. That’s how we as a nation can move forward together"  ~Rev. Dr. William J. Barber 

OUTREACH

Listen Community Dinners Meriden Congregational Church has offered the commitment to prepare and serve dinners the FIRST Thursdays of the odd-numbered months. The next date is May 2nd. If you know of anyone, including the broader community, who would be interested, please text, phone or email Shideko Terai. 603-252-7898 The director, Larry Lowndes has discontinued the use of the volunteer hub; therefore, Shideko will send out a notice a week beforehand to seek volunteers. Many thanks to Ed Cousineau, Anne Cragin, Martha Zoerheide, and Linda Leone for volunteering in March. 

Claremont Soup Kitchen Bill Chapelle continues to lead volunteer participation at the Claremont Soup Kitchen on the fourth Saturday of every month and this slot covers the hours 2-5:30 PM. No cooking experience necessary. MAY 25th is the next opportunity. “We always have a lot of fun. Your Saturday night begins with a good feeling that you have given nice people a delicious meal.” ~Bill Chapelle

JUSTICE

Economic Justice 

Please read Rev. Dr. Gail Kinney’s article below. Also, please urge passage of the PRO Act as detailed below.

Social Justice 

"There are millions of poor people in this country who have very little, or even nothing, to lose. If they can be helped to take action together, they...will be a new and unsettling force..." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Immigrant Justice

Our church is a member of the NH Immigrant Solidary Network. Organizations include GSOP, AFSC, and clergy. It is interfaith and non-partisan. Please contact John if you would like to get involved.

Climate Justice

Anyone who may have missed viewing last month with us the powerful environmental justice film, "Common Ground," is encouraged to reach out to Lee Oxenham to borrow and view what this film reveals as to how unjust practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy – before it’s too late.

.

Racial Justice /Antiracism

   A few years ago our church formed a Racial Justice Ministry Team that has been guiding us in learning about the ways in which systemic racism and white supremacy undergird so much of our history and identity. Now, in keeping with the call of our denomination, the United Church of Christ, to become an antiracist church, our Racial Justice ministry team has evolved our name to become the Antiracism Ministry Team.  

    One of the ways that our Church Leadership recently chose to live more fully into our antiracism commitment is through declaring ourselves to be an "Apartheid-Free" congregation, thereby affirming our theological and moral conviction that "ALL people are equal and should be treated with dignity and respect." Please see information below concerning both the upcoming annual Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Ceremony, as well as the annual Nabka (Catastrophe) Ceremony.

With a particular focus upon the oppression of the Palestinian people, this commitment is in keeping with the national Resolution calling for a Just Peace Between Israel and Palestine which our church co-sponsored. Seeking to be in solidarity especially with the people of war-ravaged Gaza,  let us continue urging Senators Hassan and Shaheen, as well as Representative Kuster, and President Biden, to call for a CeaseFire NOW!  

    Our weekly BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigils continue on Wednesday afternoons, from 4:30 to 5:00 PM, and all are welcome to join us anytime.

In solidarity and hope, 

Shideko Terai (she/her), Outreach, Peace & Justice Coordinator

text or phone 603-252-7898, email shideko.terai@gmail.com

America has a history of banning Black studies. We can learn from that past (Derecka Purnell, The Guardian) - “This history is important because it helps us realize that today’s book banning efforts belong to a broader political backlash to the current Black liberation movement that started with the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012. The ideas and demands that Black people, and all people, deserve freedom from police violence, deserve quality housing, deserve universal healthcare, deserve a world that has different problems from what Dr. King identified as the triple evils of racism, capitalism and militarism. It is no accident that these ideas are found in the very same books that prisons ban, including mine. Prison officials, politicians and rightwing pundits target knowledge found in critical race theory because they know that theory leads to action for people who care about love, liberty and justice. They want to stop people from being inspired to fight for better lives.”

Ed Cousineau, Kevin Moore, John Gregory-Davis, & Laura Cousineau,

along with Gail Kinney & Shideko Terai (not pictured above)

at the May Day Rally for Labor Liberation and Gaza Solidarity

Steve Beaupre' faithfully rings our church bell

each Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 PM as a clarion call to

our Community BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigil

Thank you, Steve!!

 We are continuing our Showing Up for Racial Justice BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigils each Wednesday afternoon, now happening from 3:30 to 4:30 PM on the SouthWest corner of the intersection of Rte 120 & Main Street (at the blinking traffic light). We have “BLACK LIVES MATTER” signs available for folk to hold, but please feel free to make and/or bring your own signs.

  Come join us in “showing up for racial justice,” and Standing for  LOVE, and AGAINST racism, white supremacy, hatred, and violence, here in our community and beyond!  Together, let us publicly declare that we will NOT be complicit in white terror, and let us call our friends and neighbors to rise up with us in our resolute affirmation of the inherent and sacred value of us all within Beloved Community. 

STATE

Rep. Margaret Drye

1136 Rt. 12A

Plainfield, NH 03781

Phone: 603-675-9159

Email: margaret.dry@leg.state.nh.us

Rep. Bill Palmer

603-675-2117

Email wpalmernh@gmail.com

Sen. Suzanne Prentiss

Legislative Office Building, Room 102

33 State Street

Concord, NH 03301

Phone: 603-271-3092

Email: Suzanne.Prentiss@leg.state.nh.us