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Dear Church Family,

I am part of a group of Interim Ministers who meet monthly at the office of the
Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ. Interim ministry is an
evolving field, and every church situation is unique, so it is a fascinating and
exciting gathering. It also is deeply moving because the interim time is a
wilderness journey for every congregation, calling forth the kind of heroism on the
part of laity and clergy alike that I wrote about in my Epistle article last month.

This month I would like to share with you a description of the common agenda
churches share during a time of transition. It could be the interim between pastors
or a time of change in the makeup or setting of a congregation during the tenure of
a settled pastor. All churches benefit from undergoing a process like this every
four or five years because change happens around the congregation and within the
lives of its members, and after five years or so it is in a very different place, even if
they have done everything they could to remain the same. Members come and go,
the economic or political landscape changes around them, everyone is older and we
hope wiser, and the younger generations bring new gifts to offer or challenges that
they face.

The focus points in the description below are part of the covenant the church and I
have signed, so you may notice ways in which we are addressing them together.
You might reflect on them now and think about which ones we have already
engaged. We are well into the process!

I very much appreciate the dedication of this congregations lay leadership and
membership, and the obvious love you have for the church. I have been enjoying
getting to know you through board and council meetings and small group
gatherings and individual conversations. There is so much goodness here. I am so
thankful to be able to serve you.

Peace, joy and love,
Tom
Bradford Congregational Church-United Church of Christ Bradford, VT

See us on Facebook! (802) 222-4034 submit news to m3site@charter.net

EPISTLE
Customer Name
Street Address
City, ST ZIP Code

BRADF OR DBRAD
FORD
CONGRE
GATIONA
L
CHURCH
-UNITED
CHURCH
OF
NOVEMBER,
2014

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The Work of the Congregation During the Interim Process: Focus Points


Each situation is unique and requires its
own navigation. During the Interim Process
the congregation strives to discern the tools
that are most appropriate for the specific
situation. One of these tools is reflection on
these five Focus Points developed by the
Center for Congregational Health. These
help a congregation to answer the questions, Who are we? and Who are our
neighbors? and What is God calling us to do and be?

Heritage: reviewing how the congregation has been shaped and formed

The congregations heritage, both corporate and individual, is the foundation upon
which the present rests. Paying attention to heritage means encouraging and
hearing all the stories about the congregations past, and embracing the rich variety
that makes up this particular congregation.

Leadership: reviewing the membership needs and its ways of organizing and
developing new and effective leadership

Transition time provides opportunity for individuals and the congregational
organizations to examine the types of leadership needed. New leaders will emerge,
while some seasoned leaders may re-commit or may decide to re-focus their gifts.

Mission: defining and redefining the sense of purpose and direction

The primary work in this area involves clarifying the faith communitys identity
and core values, working to develop mission and vision statements, and perhaps
even working out short-term tactical plans.

Connections: discovering all the relationships a faith community builds outside of
itself

Congregations connect to a network of communities around them, such as the
denomination and local caring organizations. These involve every member in
many ways, and can be part of faith formation. The Interim Process is an
appropriate time to reassess old links and to consider new ones.

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Future: developing congregational and pastoral profiles

Focusing on the future requires a healthy and honest assessment of the other focus
points so that the congregation can turn its energy toward proactive decision-
making for the future. The Intentional Interim Minister offers the congregation a
variety of possibilities to engage the five Focus Points.




Bazaar report

We had a good year and made
about $1620. Thank you so
much to everyone who brought
in collectibles food candy
Fudge crafts and kitted items
and thank you to all of the
ladies that helped make the
bazaar possible this year.

Donations will be given from this years proceeds and will be announced in next
months epistle. Due to timing of this letter and date of the bazaar the details have
not yet been decided.

In order for there to be a bazaar next year we need your items! Please start
planning now! Each time you go thru a closet or spare room think of the attic and
collectibles table. Start some winter craft projects such as knitting, sewing,
crocheting, woodworking etc. when u go through your holiday boxes this year,
donate any decorations that u no longer use. You can contact Maribeth or Erin
throughout the year when u have items available and they will arrange to get them
from you.

We will meet in June and assess the donated items and decide at that point if
theres enough to hold the bazaar. It needs to be a group effort and we hope you
can help.

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful bazaar this year!

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Lectionary Readings

This Lectionary Year A were completing now is also called the Year of
Matthew because that is the highlighted Gospel. Year Bs highlight will be Mark.
Year C will be Luke.
The Gospel of John is equally dispersed throughout the three years.

Each Sunday of the year there is an Old Testament reading, a Psalm,
a New Testament reading, and a Gospel reading.

NOV 1 All Saints Day
Matthew 5:1-12 Rev 7:9-17 Psalm 34 1 John 3:1-3
NOV 2
Joshua 3:7-17 Psalm 107:1-7,33-37 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 Matthew 23:1-12
NOV 9
Joshua 24:1-3a,14-25 Psalm 78:1-7 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13
NOV 16
Judges 4:1-7 Psalm 123 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30
NOV 23
Ezekiel 34:11-16,20-24 Psalm 100 Ephesians 1:15-23 Matthew 25:31-46
NOV 27 Thanksgiving Day
Deut 8:7-18 Psalm 65 2 Cor 9:6-15 Luke 17:11-19




Advent Year B begins
1
st
Sunday of Advent NOV 30
Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm 80:1-7,17-19 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37
2
nd
Sunday of Advent DEC 7
Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2,8-13 2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8
3
rd
Sunday of Advent DEC 14
Isaiah 61:1-4,8-11 Psalm 126 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8,19-28
4
th
Sunday of Advent/Christmas Sunday DEC 21
2 Samuel 7:1-11,16 Luke 1:47-55 Romans 16:20-27 Luke 1:26-38
Christmas Eve
Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-20
Christmas Day
Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1 John 1:1-14

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Advent
Advent begins on the Sunday nearest November 30, the feast day of St. Andrew
the Apostle, and covers four Sundays. Because the day it begins changes from year
to year, so does the length of each Advent season.
In 2014, Advent begins on November 30

THE HISTORY OF ADVENT
The word advent, from Latin, means the coming and has been observed in some
form since the fourth century. Originally, it was a time when converts to
Christianity readied themselves for baptism.
During the Middle Ages, Advent became associated with preparation for the
Second Coming. In early days it lasted from November 11, the feast of St. Martin,
until Christmas Day. Advent was considered a pre-Christmas season of Lent when
Christians devoted themselves to prayer and fasting.
Many Christians still view Advent as a season to prepare for the Second Coming of
Jesus. In the last fifty years, however, it has also come to be thought of as a time of
anticipating the Nativity, on Christmas Day.
ADVENT WREATHS
Advent wreaths have their origins in the folk traditions of northern Europe, where
in the deep of winter people lit candles on wheel-shaped bundles of evergreen.
Both the evergreen and the circular shape symbolized ongoing life. The candlelight
gave comfort at this darkest time of the year, as
people looked forward to the longer days of spring.
Later, Eastern European Christians adopted this
practice. By the sixteenth century, they were making
Advent wreaths much as we know them today. An
advent wreath traditionally contains four candles-
three purple and one rose. Purple dyes were one so
rare and costly that they were associated with royalty;
the Roman Catholic Church has long used this color

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around Christmas and Easter to honor Jesus. The three purple candles in the
Advent wreath symbolize hope, peace, and love. These candles are lit on the first,
second, and fourth Sundays of Advent. The rose candle, which symbolizes joy, is
usually lit on the third Advent Sunday.
We add a fifth candle. It is lit along with the other four on Christmas Eve, is white
and represents the birth of Jesus.


Christian Ed:

Here are a few photos from our
Sunday School field trip to Bob
& Kathy Munson's orchard. We
gathered apples, made cider, and
ate delicious treats. And what
glorious weather! We give a
huge thanks to the Munsons for
their generosity and hospitality!









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October 27, 2014




Searching for Holy Ground
Richard L. Floyd

"Then God said to Moses, Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on
which you are standing is holy ground.'" - Exodus 3:5

You can't find holy ground with your GPS. You won't even find it at famous holy places, though
you might. Ordinary places become holy ground only because we meet God there.

Our congregation calls our worship space the "sanctuary," which means "a container for the
holy." It is a lovely and historic room, but it is no more intrinsically holy than Mt. Horeb.

Holy ground is usually found in a crisis: Jacob running away from Esau, Moses hiding out, Paul
rushing to Damascus to persecute the church.

Without the presence of God, Jacob's pillow is just another rock, Horeb just another hill, the way
to Damascus just another road.

But anywhere can be holy ground if we meet God there. The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins
wrote: "The world is charged with the grandeur of God . . ." and it is true, but too often we miss it
because we are preoccupied with the cares of the world.

And when we do recognize holy ground, we often want to camp out there, like Peter after the
Transfiguration. But God doesn't meet us just so we can have an experience; there is always a call
and a job to do.

prayer:

Bring us to your holy ground, O God, and then send us to live out your will
and way, in Jesus name.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard L. Floyd is Pastor Emeritus of First Church of Christ (UCC) in Pittsfield,
Massachusetts, and author of A Course In Basic Christianity. He blogs at
richardlfloyd.com.

Tear Open the Heavens: 2014 Advent Devotionals by the writers of the
Stillspeaking Daily Devotional is now available.



PRAYER CONCERNS

Among those who were lifted up in prayer this past month:
Shirley Barbe Jeremy Dickson Kathy Munson & family
Members of Gloria Foxs family Leia White Gail Chase

Our sympathy and love to the family and friends of
Rocky Stimson


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE OCTOBER 2ND CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING
From the Historian:
Starting with the October Epistle and the next few issues, this report will
feature Captain William Trotter who built the Trotter House and gave us our
Communion Set even though he was not a member of our church.
From Sunday School
Hosting Coffee Hour after church November 30
th
; the children will also be
participating with the service 1
st
Sunday in Advent.
From the Diaconate:
Questionnaires have been coming in; would like to see more. Small group
meetings will then be taking place in members homes during mid-October
beginning of November.
Will be using wireless microphones during worship.
From Rev. Kinder:
Continuing with the questionnaire conversation, would like to see 25-35
questionnaires returned. The small group gatherings will run about 1-1/2
hours.

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He will analyze the information from the
questionnaires and small groups, and will submit the
information to the Vermont UCC Council.
From the Trustees:
The kitchen floor work has been postponed until after Christmas. We have
received a price from Valley Floors and want to get another estimate.
Read acknowledgement for IRS tax
deduction use. The church will use this
when thanking those who have made
donations to the church for all purposes.
Act n Spire Capital Campaign:
Brochures are done and printed. Will be distributing around the area. A
brochure went out with the Game Supper mailing.
Doug McLam is welding Roman Numerals for the clock face
and Joe Button is gold-leafing them. He would like a work
group formed to get some help with this. Danny Perry III
has volunteered to pick up the clock to save the church the
$600 shipping fee.
From Interchurch Council:
Our church members will be asked for donations of green/yellow beans for
the Thanksgiving baskets that the Bradford Food Shelf will put together.
The regular staple items are always needed.
The film Hungry Heart has been used at Woodsville
High School and Oxbow High School is expecting to use
the film this school year.
Little Rivers will be the fiscal agent for the Community
Nurse.
Upcoming events in our churches Holiday Bazaar at
OLOPH November 1
st
; and the Game Supper at UCC
November 22
nd
.
This will be the last year that Linda and Gary Moore will
head up the Community Christmas Dinner. If you know
of anyone interested in chairing this event contact Pat
Benjamin at 802-222-4581.
Rev. Kinder and Pastor Jordan will be working out the
details for the upcoming holiday services between the
two churches.
Rob Elder recommends the book A Practical Guide for
Saving Your Church from Extinction Lee K. Richer.

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Other Business:
Storme Odell does the Coffee Hour on the 3
rd
Sunday of each month she
will be able to take care of October, November and December, but will be
away January, February, and March and will need someone or a group to
take care of Coffee Hour on the 3
rd
Sunday for those months.
Julie Porter, speaking very emotionally, said that she
and David McLam would co-chair through next years
game supper, our 60
th
! They have not been able to
find two people to train with them to take over as co-
chairs. Also stressing how hard it is to get the help
needed to do all the work leading up to the supper,
they felt that it might be a good time to end the supper
on a good note (the supper started with a Perry and a
McLam lets end it with a Perry and a McLam),
rather than having the supper go downhill. There was,
of course, some very emotional discussion about this:
the history, the culture, the financial support that the
supper has given us over the years. We ended the
discussion asking the clerk to put the following
statement into the October Epistle:

"At the October 2, 2014 Church Council meeting, the Game
Supper Committee brought forth the proposal to celebrate
the 60th Anniversary of the game supper in 2015 when at
that time, Julie Perry Porter and David McLam will be
retiring as Co-Chairs. The Church Council supports this
proposal, recognizing that this might be the last game
supper and sees the 60th Anniversary as a fitting
celebration."

Thank you,
Barbara Joslyn, Clerk







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Note from the Interchurch Council

The churches are once again assisting the
Bradford Food Shelf with the Thanksgiving
Baskets for needy families in the Bradford
area.

Our church is responsible for bringing
yellow or green canned vegetables. Please
bring them to church and put in the food shelf basket in the entry of the church by
Sunday November 23rd.

If you know of any family that would like a Thanksgiving Basket please contact
Storme Odell at 222-9655 by Nov 20th.

Thank you again for helping in this community outreach.
Storme Odell


Save the Date
Saturday, December 13 for the
Help Kids India
Fundraising Supper at the church.


If anyone would like to attend
an Indian cooking class as
well as help to prepare enough
food for the Indian dinner that
day please contact Lora
Chatfield 222-4029



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The Christmas Market with a Difference at the Hanover
"White" Church on Thursday and Friday, November 6 and 7 from 10 a.m. -
6 p.m. and Saturday, November 8 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Lucia Button,
Holly Young and I (and others) will be at the Help Kids India table with
sewing center wares. Come by and say hello!

Community Nurse Sought

The Bradford Community Nurse Project is seeking a part time
Registered Nurse with an active nursing license in the state of Vermont.
Preferred qualifications include a minimum of five (5) years experience in
clinical nursing with home health care/community health nursing
preferred, professional flexibility and maturity, strong nursing assessment
skills, health counseling skills and experience and a knowledge of
resources available to Bradford residents.
The Community Nurse will act as a free resource person to all
Bradford residents. This is not a hands on nursing role but involves
home visiting, needs assessment, assisting clients in accessing desired
services, and health education. The primary, although not the sole, focus
of the project is to assist Bradford elders who wish to remain
independent in their own homes.
For more information or to apply please contact Lora Chatfield 802-
222-4029/lorachatfield@hotmail.com


Diaconate Announcements:

Rev. Kinder will be taking the week of Nov. 8-15 off. Except for an emergency
please refer any Pastoral Concerns to our Deacon of the Month, Dottie Unkles at
222-5643. For use of the church building contact Trustee Joe Button at 222-4586.

Deacon Marcia Tomlinson will fill the pulpit November 9
th
.

Please remember that announcements for the bulletin should be submitted to Rev.
Kinder in time for the bulletins printing. Submitting them on Wednesdays should
do the trick. Getting them into the bulletin will shorten the amount of time now
being spent on them during the worship service. If you cant get an announcement

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to Rev. Kinder you can send it along to Marcia Tomlinson as a last resort
m3site@charter.net but please only as a last resort.

CVS Kits

I would like to remind everyone that I am collecting items once again for the CWS
health, school and layettes kits.

I have been lucky enough to have some very talented women knit or crochet 30
baby blankets for this coming year. Before I go and buy the remaining items
needed, I am asking you all to please let me know if you are interested in donating
any of the following items for the kits. I do not expect you to donate the total
amount. Please let me know what you are able to give.

Items needed to complete the kits I have:
27 receiving blankets
56 wash cloths
10 hand towels
10 wide combs
10 nail clippers
10 bars of soap
Big box of bandaids
55 baby sleepers(newborn to 1 yr)
60 undershirts
12 hand knit sweaters
17 big spiral note books
7 rulers
7 hand held pencil sharpeners
30 #2 pencils
7 boxes of 24 count crayons

Please call me at 222-9655 or email me at rsodell71@gmail.com by December 1
2014

Thanks so much. If you would just like to make a monetary donate, i would be
happy to purchase the items. I hope we can help those in need throughout the
world.
Blessings to all,
Storme

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Captain Trotter . Continued

Capt. Trotter engaged in fur trading on the Northwest Coast of North America and
the China trade in Canton on Honan Island and
Whampon. He landed in Port Jackson (Sydney,
Australia) on April 19, 1796 on the Susan. He
finally reached the Hawaiian Islands on November
30, 1796 when he sailed from Tonga into
Kealakekua Bay seventeen years after Capt. Cook.
He did not miss the Hawaiian Island this time! He
traded goods with the natives and was very
respectful of them. Rev. McKeen says that their
King Tomahamaha the first gave Capt. Trotter the
spear made of very hard heavy wood curiously
wrought which was at that time at the home of
Colonel Barron of Hartford, CT (see photos of
this spear). Maryanne Force says it was probably on of the curiosities given to
him by the King of the Friendly Islands in
1796 King Kamehameha. In a letter
attached to the minutes of the Bradford
Library Board meeting on October 7,
1931 from Mary Grey Barron of West
Hartford, CT, it says, I have a spear of
carved teakwood, which was given to
Captain Trotter by Kamehameha the
first, King of the Sandwich Islands,
many years ago. It is mentioned on one
of the Captains Log books which my
mother sent some years ago to
Bradford. It seems most suitable that
the spear should be with the other relics
there in the library, so I am taking the
liberty of having it boxed and sent to
you.


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The library also has
a handkerchief
box/purse of
Captain Trotters
(see photo). These
items were in the
Reading Room for
many years. Now
they are stored
archivally at
Merchants Bank of Bradford.

On the Northwest Coast Capt. Trotter traveled primarily between the Queen
Charlotte and Admiralty Island, trading with the natives for furs. Violent episodes
were not uncommon. It appears that he sailed from the Northwest Coast to the
Hawaiian Island and then to Canton where he sold or traded the furs.

At the end of the Eighteenth Century trading with China and the East Indies
became secondary to trading with South and Central America. The Spanish
controlled the gold and silver markets but the Americans found ways around this.
Trotter was now on the ship Palmyra. He bought goods on the East Coast of
America, sailed on the dangerous crossing of the Atlantic to England, Hamburg,
Germany, England and France were considered enemies in the late 1790s. He
would buy velvets, silk and lace goods in England and sail back to South America
for trading for silver, gold and other precious metals.

Capt. Trotter relates one experience when the Viper, an English cutter, boards
the Palmyra. The tension on board the Palmyra while the British were there
must have been palpable. Trotter says that several letters and papers were
committed to the deep. The account goes on to say that Trotter no doubt was a
smiling genial merchant captain, offering drinks to the boarders as they searched
his vessel. Since Deborah Trotter, a well-dressed pretty woman in her late twenties
was probably aboard, she would have added to the seemingly relaxed social
atmosphere. These were hazardous times as the Spanish also boarded his ship on
its way to South America.

In the post-revolutionary period, the British shut many ports to the Americas.
Many historians believe the years from 1780-1789 were the most uncertain ones in
American history. Smuggling was not considered a dirty word. If they had to
become smugglers, they did. It helped pay the bills. Finally, Trotters South

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American ventures were smuggling operations. While trading with South
Americans, he formed intimate friendships with officials and merchants who were
ready to help him attain his purposes. At times they would invite him and his wife,
who always traveled with him, to provate entertainments at their homes. Forbidden
goods were carried in a clandestine manner on belts beneath their clothes. On one
occasion, Mrs. Trotter had her pockets so heavily laden that, as she was about to go
on board, her pocket string brole and she instantly fell, apparently in a faint! When
the Captain with some of his men understood what was happening, immediately
gathered her up, keeping her skirts carefully wrapped about her. They carried her
on board without anyone becoming suspicious. In this contraband trade, Capt.
Trotter was so successful that in a few years he accumulated enough money for a
handsome support for the remaining years of his life.



(to be continued in next Epistle)