+ N.E.W.S. CONNECTION Pittsford Congregational Church United Church of Christ 121 Village Green Pittsford, VT 05763 Vol. 10 No.

7 July 2013

No matter who you are or where you are on lifes journey, you are welcome here. From the Pastors Desk Each Sunday, the Liturgist reads this motto or statement aloud before we begin our worship service: No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here. Lately, Ive been wondering if this has become just a rote statement that we all expect to hear or whether weve spent any time thinking about it and how it plays out in our lives. I wasnt a part of this church when the decision was made to include it on the top page of our bulletins nor was I here when it was decided to read it aloud before the service begins. I suspect that it has just become part of what we do here in Pittsford. Maybe its even reached the level of weve always done it that way. Whatever the history of how it got there, I found myself wondering what it means to each of you and to us as a church. Historically, I know it is a saying that originated within the greater denomination of the United Church of Christ and one that is promoted by the national office and the state conference. But have you really thought about it as a whole statement or even dissected the various parts of the statement? What does no matter who you are mean? Does it mean: no matter what your age is, what your sex is, what your race is, what your beliefs are, what your illness is, what your sins have been, what your addiction is, what your family history is, what your sexual orientation is, or what your political affiliation is? Which of these does it include? Which of these does it exclude? And if you know the answer to that one then what does where you are on lifes journey mean? Does it include the murderer who just got out of jail, those who have been charged as sex offenders, those who are homeless, those who lived previously in Afghanistan, someone of Islamic or Arabic heritage, those who have been divorced, those who are struggling with drug, alcohol, or gambling addiction, or one who is known to have cheated on his/her spouse? Which of these does it really include? Which of these does it allow us to exclude? When you know what those two mean then you can tackle this one, you are welcome here. What does welcome here really mean? Does it mean: here on the grounds, here in the sanctuary, here in worship, here in Sunday School, here in the choir, here as a member of a committee, here attending some Sundays but not others, here working with our children, here sitting next to me, or here sitting in the pew that I usually sit in? Which of these does it include? Which of these does it exclude?

As I am writing this, I found myself thinking about Jesus response to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:3639 (NRSV), You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And in Matthew 19:16-22 (NRSV) when Jesus was talking with the rich, young man who asked, What good deed must I do to have eternal life and which (commandments do I have to keep). Jesus again responded, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. What did Jesus mean and how does it fit with that motto statement that we listen to and print on our bulletins each and every Sunday. I firmly believe that the God, I know, is a loving God and that we are mandated to love each and every being we encounter. In fact, Mother Theresa said it this way, I look for Jesus Christ in the face of everyone I meet. I personally believe that God wants us to show our love to our neighbors by treating everyone with dignity and respect. I dont believe we are required to like everyone, because some people really arent likeable or do things to us that arent likeable. But I do believe that we are requir ed to treat each and every person with love in the terms of dignity and respect. The Golden Rule I learned in Sunday school years ago said, Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. I think that is one way to go about it. And many of you have heard me say to the children: Be Kind, Be Kind, and Be Kind. Any of these gives us a guide to make daily decisions in our life, but the bigger question is: how do we, as a church, live out the statement: No matter who you are or where you are on lifes journey, you are welcome here. Its an important topic for us to discuss in our homes and in our church community so we can discover if our souls are really in tune with where Jesus commanded us to be, and if not, how can we as a church community work together to fulfill the mandate from God to love our neighbor. As you find some quiet time this summer consider what this means for you as a person and what it might mean for us as a church because it is an interesting saying to ponder. Enjoy the summer! Blessings, Pastor Pat

Coffee Hour Ushers

7/7 Paul & Paul Jr Brown 7/14 Mary Lou & Ernie Brod 7/21 Worship in the Park 7/28 Bobbie & Allen Mills If you would like to sign up to be an Usher please call Rebecca Davenport 7/7 Dee Dee Ellis 7/14 Pamela Fuller 7/21 Worship in the Park 7/28 Jean Butler Call Stephanie Grimes if you would like to sign up for a time to do coffee hour.

Chicken Dinner
On the 26th of July at 5:00pm the Christian Education Committee is putting on a community dinner. The meal will be served with fruity desserts. It will be a free-will offering dinner. If anyone is willing to bake a fruity dessert for the 26th dinner, please contact Carolyn Kingsley or Ann Reed. Anns phone number is 802-459-2171

Knit Wits
"The Knit Wits are working on preemie caps and receiving blankets and leg warmers to donate to Rutland Regional Medical Center and other locations. We are also making lapghans for the Veterans. If you would like to join us, please feel free to come, learn new techniques, have a laugh or two, and work for the good of all in a tangible way: Wednesdays at 7:00pm

The Sunday school children will be taking a Joyful Noise collection the first Sunday of every month. The money collected will be used for the childrens mission projects. Please bring your loose change for the children to collect in their little metal buckets!!!!

Deacons
We have been regularly meeting at 4:30 on the first Tuesday of each month. We have discussed Deacons duties and how each special occasion resulted. We are able to stay within our budget and get supplies as needed. We decided to use Church World Service Blankets instead of flowers for Mothers and Fathers Day recognition. Pastor Pat hosted the UCC Stewardship meeting. All should be stewards and the church could be included in the needs and budget planning. Missions and community outreach are important----------- we need to act out "all are welcome here" The conclusion of discussion on the length of service was that we need more feedback on the recent changes and to realize there are some things that cannot be rushed. Membership lists and need for visitations are being addressed.
Your Deacons, Dorothy Terwilliger, Wayne Winston, Ken Gagnon, Nicha McCuin, Jane Wilson and Bobbie Mills

Home Shopping Day

The Christian Ed committee is in the process of putting together a Home Shopping Day on September 21 from 10am - 2pm. If you are a consultant for any home sales business and would like to participate, please contact Ann Reed for further vendor information.

25 Debbie & Jim Hard

th

1st Emerson Frost 2nd Carrie Turner 3rd Kevin Kingsley 5th Rishi Connelly 5th Morgan Ballard 9th Gary Holsten 9th Dick Pocock 10th Alex Reed 14th David Swift 15th Brian Wilson 17th Ruth Anne Hill 24th Bob Welch 27th Debbie Hard

July 2013
Sunday Monday 1 Tuesday 2 Wednesday Thursday 3 4 Friday 5 Saturday 6

Deacons 4:30pm

Knit Wits 7pm

Independence Day

AA 6pm

8
Bowen Walker Meeting 7pm

10

11

12

13

Communion

Trustees 7pm

Knit Wits 7pm

AA 6pm

14

15

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17
Newsletter Deadline

18

19

20

Council 7pm

Knit Wits 7pm

AA 6pm

21
Worship in the Park Potluck

22
Curbstone Chorus Concert 7pm

23

24

25

26
Chicken Supper 5pm

27
Hall Reserved

Knit Wits 7pm

AA 6pm

28

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31

Knit Wits 7pm