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ACC E-News
SEEKING TO LIVE GOD'S LOVE
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Sunday Worship
We are now worshiping in person again! We ask that you please continue to follow our in-person gathering policies when attending. For those who may not be ready to worship in person, you may continue to join us virtually, which remains an important part of our ministry. The link to the bulletin will continue to be included in the Sunday morning email along with the links to access our livestream services. Click here for in-person guidelines.
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We welcome Evelyn “Franki" Bennett this Sunday as our Lay Preacher!
Franki, LICSW, SEP, retired from her psychotherapy practice at the end of 2019. She worked with those whose nervous systems were affected by overwhelming events, i.e. trauma is held in the body not the mind. In addition to her clients, she trained military medics in PTSD prevention.
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Below are all the options to view our Sunday livestream service at 9:30 AM.
The Prelude will begin at 9:20 AM!
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Prayer After Worship
Prayer after Worship will now be offered in person after the Sunday service in the Conference Room. All prayer teams are fully vaccinated, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. We also have a top quality air purifier running for your safety.
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Prayer List
To view the most current prayer list, click the link below. Please note that all prayers announced during the Sunday service will be first name only for privacy purposes. If you have a prayer request, you may submit to [email protected]. Please indicate if you would like your prayer shared or kept private. Please note: The public prayer list will appear in our weekly news which is posted on our website.
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The Mission of the Week
Hagar Sisters - This Christian ministry assists women throughout the greater Boston area who have been victims of domestic violence. Services include safety planning, one-on-one and group support, and resource referrals. ACC donated 4,000 in 2021.
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Upcoming Events and Opportunities |
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Ash Wednesday - March 2nd
Our traditional meditative worship service will be offered in-person and virtually at 12 noon.
Ashes-to-Go will be offered to church members starting at 7:30 AM. Stop by the church between 7:30 and 9:30 AM to receive ashes at the parking lot circle. If you prefer receiving the ashes in the afternoon, the ministers will be available between 2:00 and 4:00 PM.
Individually packaged ashes are available in the church office. Call or email Katie Johnson to pick up the ashes if you are planning to attend the service virtually. The video of the service will be available all day on Facebook and on our YouTube Channel.
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Social Justice Task Force Lenten Program
During this season of Lent, why not make protecting the environment one of your spiritual practices? Each Wednesday, a new environmental practice will be posted in the E-news for our community to practice together. For example, next Wednesday, March 2 (the first week of Lent), an environmental practice will be posted in the E-news for ACC to practice together for the week. Then the next Wednesday, March 9, a new practice will be posted, and so on and so forth. Congregants can write their reflections of their experiences on ACC's Facebook page. Be on the lookout beginning next Wednesday, March 2 for our first environmental spiritual practice. We hope you/your family will join us!
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Lenten Preaching Series
“Journeying with Jesus” will be a six-week Lenten sermon series that will invite our church to wrestle with the significance of Christ for our lives today. Each Sunday, we will explore sacred stories about Jesus that will invite us to rediscover our spiritual connection with the charismatic teacher of Nazareth who is the Christ of our faith.
Lenten organ concerts for meditation—Beginning on March 4
Recordings of Liz Carley playing some contemplative Lenten organ music will be available on Fridays in Lent. The programs will be 10-15 minutes in length. Liz will introduce the music, tell people what to listen for, then play without interruption.
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Awakening – An invitation to a Lenten journey with Rev. Paulo, Rev. Andrew,
and Charlotte — Wednesday, March 9–April 6
Beginning on Wednesday, March 9, we will journey together through the wilderness of Lent, where we confront our temptations, toward a place of individual and collective spiritual awakening. Each week, a simple spiritual practice will give us an opportunity for self-reflection, silent meditation, and prayer. Each practice will deepen our faith, connect us with each other, lead us in a path of transformation and awaken us to a life of faithful discipleship.
Preparation – There is a container by the glass doors with sand and rocks for our Lenten journey. Bring a large bowl to the church to collect the elements between Feb. 28 and March 8.
Weekly practices will be available on Facebook and YouTube every Wednesday.
Virtual gatherings:
March 9 – Desert, Sand and Temptation
March 16 – Sand, Rocks and Open Hands
March 23 – Sand, Water and the Messiness of Following Christ
March 30 – Sand, Building up and Our Passion
April 6, at 2 PM (in person) – The Pouring of ourselves into the world and the Awakening to a new life in Community.
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Book Discussion Group
This month the book discussion group decided to lighten things up by reading "Excellent Women" by Barbara Pym. Set in post-war London, the novel is a comedy of manners about an unmarried woman who leads a quiet life of church-going and charity work. To her surprise, she finds herself involved in two love triangles, including one with the village vicar. Pym has been called the 20th century Jane Austen and she was declared the most underrated author of the 20th century. We welcome all to join us in discussing the novel on Tuesday, March 15, at 10 AM. The Zoom link will appear in the E-News the week before the discussion.
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The cornerstone Thrift Shop
The Cornerstone is now open for business!
The hours of operation are: Mondays and Fridays from 10 AM to 2 PM, Wednesdays from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM, and Saturdays from 10 AM to 12 PM. They are accepting donations during regular business hours.
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"Our Year with Jesus" - Tonight, February 23 at 7 PM
“WHY JESUS?” by William H. Willimon
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Flower Arranging Volunteer Opportunity
We are in need of some new flower arrangers. If you enjoy flowers, this is an easy way to give some time to the Church! The volunteer effort is small, flexible, and no meetings required. If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please contact Diane Scaletta at [email protected]. |
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Family Ministries
Sunday School children (ages 4-12) should gather in the Grimshaw Library before worship and can be picked up in Hartman Hall after the service ends. Masks are required.
Nursery care is available by request. Please email [email protected] by Friday at noon to secure Nursery care. |
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Wednesday Afternoon Bible Study 2:00 PM via Zoom
Wednesday Afternoon Bible Study 2:00 PM via Zoom. All are welcome at anytime! Email Rev. Andrew for the Zoom link at [email protected].
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Walk ‘n Wonder
Walk ‘n Wonder continues throughout the winter as long as the weather, the trail conditions, and other circumstances allow us to walk safely. Join us for walking under the bright winter sun on Thursday mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 AM. The walk concludes with a prayer. The meeting location will be emailed to those who are on the mailing list by Wednesday morning. If you have a question or would like to be on the mailing list, please contact Kyoko Loverin at [email protected].
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Pastoral Emergencies and Staff Contact
If you have a pastoral emergency or need a call back immediately from a minister and get no answer at the church, please leave a message with Rev. Paulo (ext. 106) or Rev. Andrew (ext.105). For all other calls, you can leave a message on the general voicemail box or dial a staff extension directly to leave a message. All voicemail messages are emailed directly to the staff member you dial. Regular office hours are Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 4 PM.
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Finance Update
Online Giving User Interface Change: Our Online Giving provider, Vanco, has updated the user interface for their online donations. As a result, you will see a different look when you access Online Giving through the ACC Website.
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Ways to give at ACC
QR Code
You may scan our QR code to go directly to our E-Giving site.
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ACC Website
Visit our website at www.actonc.org and click on the online giving icon to direct you to our online giving page.
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Important Safe Church Update
During our recent evaluation of some church safety equipment, we discovered that some important replacement parts to our AED machine need updating and are no longer available. We are in the process of upgrading our AED machine. During this time, we will not have an operating machine. We hope to have this resolved in the very near future. We will keep the congregation informed when we have a new machine in place.
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Church Calendar Updates for 2022
Please forward all in-person and virtual meeting/event requests to Tracy at [email protected]. If any committee meetings have a change in their current schedule, please let the office know so the necessary changes can be made to the calendar and Zoom account. Thank you! |
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E-news/Bulletin Announcement Deadline
Please note that all communications for the Wednesday E-news or bulletin announcements should be submitted to the office by noon on Tuesdays to be sure your news gets published that week. You can forward all bulletin announcements to Katie, [email protected]. All E-news articles can be forwarded to Tracy, [email protected].
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Facebook
Visit ACC’s Facebook page and click the “like” button to keep up to date and connect with your ACC friends and family. Please “like” our page and help us to help you stay in touch. Click here.
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YouTube
Did you know you can view our livestream services through our YouTube page? Visit and subscribe to our page today! Click here. |
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Instagram
Follow us on Instagram at actoncongchurch
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Sunday Worship Service
To view our all our recorded past Sunday services, click here. |
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Weekly Sermon: Sermons are available online. Visit the Acton Congregational Church website www.actonc.org, and find a copy on the Worship page.
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Amazon Smile
When shopping with Amazon, consider choosing Acton Congregational Church as your charity of choice. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon Smile purchases to your charity. Go to smile.amazon.com for your shopping needs and to select your charity. Thank you!
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Important Reminder on Scams
Always be alert to email and text SCAMS targeting churches. The scammers pose as the pastor and ask congregants and staff to make purchases for them. If you ever receive an unexpected email or text message from any of the church staff or ministers regarding donations (e.g. gift cards, financial contributions, or purchases), please do not reply, open attachments, or click on links. Instead, contact the church office immediately. Your safety and security are most important to us. For more information on all the scams out there, visit the FTC at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov.
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Our strategic vision for the next 5 years are anchored on these four core words |
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ACTON CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OPEN AND AFFIRMING
COVENANT STATEMENT
We at Acton Congregational Church accept, affirm, and invite all families and individuals, as we all are created in God’s image.
Following the loving example of Jesus, we welcome into our community persons of every gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, and marital status; of every age, race, citizenship, and nationality; of every mental and physical ability; of every economic and social status and political affiliation; of every faith background and at any step on the journey of faith.
We welcome all of God’s people to share in the life, mission, leadership, ministry, worship, sacraments, service, education, and fellowship of our congregation. As we grow together in Christian faith and love, we celebrate the diversity God has created, and we are committed to working together, with God’s help and the Spirit’s guidance, to make this statement a reality in our church.
We are proud to be ONA congregation #1578.
Our church has been added to the growing family of ONA churches throughout the country.
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