We will return to 10:00 AM service on Sunday, September 7th ~ RALLY DAY! 

It is near the end of August now, and once again, it feels like summer has flown by. I remember as a kid seeing the “Back to School” signs and loathing over these signs, not realizing I still had over a month to have fun. Wasn’t it fun being a kid, zero responsibilities except being a kid?

One of the people who I admire the most is Mr. Fred Rogers. Years ago, someone gave this talking Mr. Rogers desk set to me that I still keep close by on my desk. I know I have used him in sermons, and I think I wrote about him in an update as well. Every so often, when I need a lift, I will Google -search article about him and even return to watch the film and documentary, “ Won’t You Be My Neighbor”. I highly recommend it!

One of the things I admire most about Mr. Rogers is the relationship he has with children. I do have to say it has influenced My “Time for All Ages” with the kids on Sunday mornings. (I think I do it well because it’s the easiest time of the week for me!) Mr. Rogers is able to get down to the kids’ level, with who they are and what they represent. I was never a fan of the old-fashioned thought, “children should be seen and not heard”, because children do need to be seen and heard! I believe Mr. Rogers felt the same way and it showed in his work.

I always picture the scene of Jesus telling the little children, “Come to me” was the original “Time for All Ages”! He did not tell them to form a line, nor did he tell them to sit with their hands folded. He simply said, “Let the little children come to me.”

He had a way of making all the kids realize they were special. Years later, a certain news network decided to go after Mr. Rogers for this very subject. It was and is absolutely ridiculous that they would criticize him for promoting “you are special". Mr. Rogers, in his own way, talked about this during a commencement address by saying, “You ARE special, and what that ultimately means, of course, is that you don’t have to do anything sensational for people to love you.”

Later in the documentary, one of the people interviewed stated, “We are endowed by your creator for good.” Imagine that! Endowed for good! I know it is hard to find the good in kids at times; it really can be difficult. Also, not just kids but adults, too. The choice for us to work with a God who loves us unconditionally is a hard concept. Imagine if some of the people we see in the news , or even some people in our lives, would actually know they were created for good. We can show love just as children so simply show us love.

We all have some type of calling in life, and it does not have to be being called to a pulpit, and callings change as well. But there is one common calling we have, and that is to show love. It is really that simple, nothing dramatic, just love. Like Mr. Rogers said, it does not have to be anything sensational, you can be special. Just know that the one who came to sit with kids loves you.

See you on Rally Day, September 7th!

Peace and Blessings,

RB

ADULT EDUCATION BIBLE STUDY

THE CHOSEN SEASON 5

Join us as we enter our CHOSEN SERIES BIBLE STUDY for Season 5. You do not have to have seen the previous seasons to come and enjoy the study. This season, the series focuses on the Last Supper and the events that lead up to Jesus being betrayed by Judas.



We will meet on Thursday mornings beginning September 11th at 10:30 AM in the Youth Room. Classes will be held every 2 weeks. Join us for a great discussion and show!

We are forming Ministry Teams to offer people who would like to assist in certain programs and projects in the Church without the responsibility of being on Committees!

We are in the process of looking for assistance with the following programs and events that will need your help and fill those desires to offer something as a Church member to the wider church and community. If you would like to help, please email the office office@uccduxbury.org with your choice and we will form a MINISTRY TEAM to plan the event! 

HARVEST FEST OCTOBER 4th

We offer a great community event as Fall approaches- Apple Pie Contest, Bounce Houses, Games, Refreshments, and more! We are also holding the event the same day as the Walk Out of Darkness event so the crowds will be bigger! What a great day to host a church event for the Community!

FRIENDSGIVING POTLUCK BRUNCH

We celebrate our Stewardship and Thanksgiving Blessings with a FRIENDSGIVING Potluck after church on Sunday, November 23rd. Would you like to join the Ministry Team to set up and host the meal?

DECEMBER FESTIVAL OF TREES



We are bringing back the event this year, using the trees that line the parking lot as pallets for your imagination to decorate with Christmas lights and decorations. The event will begin with a GRAND LIGHTING CEREMONY in December.

Gather your family and community business to sponsor a tree! We will need folks to supervise the event!



Christian Education Director

On June 8, we celebrated the Confirmation of seven extraordinary young men. They were (are) a remarkably thoughtful, insightful and cohesive group and teaching them throughout the year was a joy for both me and RB. 

Then we celebrated our last day of Sunday School on June 15th with Pretzel Sunday, led by pretzel chef and CE member, Sarah Page and the help of beloved Sunday School teacher, Jeannie Germano. Boiling the pretzels then baking them made for some delicious pretzels, just as Brother Giovanni intended when they were created centuries ago.  

And THEN a fearless group of eight students and four adults headed down to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina for our Mission Trip from

June 22 – 27.



We went through Youthworks, a national organization that runs week-long mission trips throughout the country.  

Our days were jam-packed with worship, service work and fellowship. 

We worked with groups from Kansas City, Kansas and Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was fun to meet others and know that making lives better and giving hope to those in need is an effort that takes many, many hands. Our bodies got a little hot and tired in the NC heat, but our spirits were uplifted with the friends we made and the help we gave others. We were told we made a huge difference in the lives of many. What can be better than that? The following is a little glimpse into our days…. 

Mike, Eamon and Grady completed a new ramp for a homeowner who is wheelchair bound. Four days of hard work from them and new friends from KC literally changed somebody’s life.  

I was told the homeowner was in tears, so grateful for what our kids did for her.  

Angelique, Noah, Mac and Miles, along with some new friends from Kansas City, spent a day dragging all kinds of stuff out of a campground riverbed that had landed there during the floods of Hurricane Helene. A leaf blower, meat smoker, toolbox and random tools, towels, and pillow cushions were just some of what we found.  

The rest of our group’s week was spent sorting clothes at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. We learned that after the hurricane, the community was flooded with clothing donations. We were told that the work we accomplished in 3 days would have taken their staff over a month to sort. 



Colleen, Dawn, Tripp, Everett and Ella did all kinds of tasks with their friends from KC and WI– from sorting clothes at a Salvation Army, to creating boxes of fresh vegetables that were given out to families, to helping garden on a farm that helps feed the local community. 

The service work was just a portion of our days! Before heading off to our work sites, we started off with a time for silent prayer and reflection for half an hour.  

In the evenings, we had an activity that got us familiar with the local community and each other – we created a lip sync routine, went on a nature hike, did a town scavenger hunt, and spent time playing vintage video games at an arcade museum.  

After each evening’s activity, the Youthworks staff led us all in an engaging worship service. The last evening’s worship was a foot-washing ceremony that was extremely powerful for all of us. First a member of the Youthworks team washed our chaperones feet, then the chaperones each washed the kids’ feet while praying over them.  

Our final day, “Fun Friday”, was spent at Carowinds – a huge amusement park that straddles the NC-SC border. After many rollercoaster rides, water slides and every other amusement park fun you can imagine, we made our way back to the Charlotte airport. Our flight home was delayed a couple of hours because of thunderstorms, but we made it and collapsed into our comfy beds with full hearts, knowing that we had learned more about others and ourselves. God’s love lived through us. 

And then in August, eleven kids from Pilgrim Church and I spent a glorious week on Lake Winnipesauke at the South Shore Congregational Youth Camp, SSCYC, or as it’s best known, CAMP.  

Our days were filled with thoughtful morning group discussions centered around this year’s theme “On The Road Again.” Each day had questions related to a topic related to the theme – Gathering the Essentials, Find Your Co-Pilots, Maintenance, and Coming home.   

Our afternoon activities included fun and games, like the color team competition that went on all week and culminated in a huge slip-‘n-slide and and LOTS of swimming in the lake. It was a HOT week!  

We had youth-led chapel services after dinner. This year, after the reading of each scripture passage, the youth leading the service would present the passage in a modern day telling through a skit they had created. Their creativity was clearly divinely inspired 😊 

The music part of the service involved classics like “Hallelu Hallelu!” and “Rise and Shine!” It was full-body involvement as we all stood and danced for every song! After the evening activity, we would conclude our day quietly around the campfire for vespers, singing the Lord’s Prayer to end our evening with reverence, grateful for our Camp community and nature’s beauty surrounding us.   

After our chapel services, there were evening activities every night - a variety show, a Pirate-themed treasure hunt, “morning group at night” and TWO dances – one luau themed, one a fancier dinner-dance. Our final evening was a beautiful consecration service on the lake.  

Our spirits were uplifted on Wednesday when RB came for a visit! It was fun to see the happy surprise on each camper’s face when they saw him. We were proud to have our minister there with us.  

There’s SO much that went on at camp – easily a newsletter in itself. You can read all about every day’s activities at the camp’s blog here, written by my cabin-mate and friend, Ashely Simmons.  

And now we head into September, excited and inspired! 

We will kick off our Sunday School year on Rally Day, September 7^th at 10:00! Teachers and students are encouraged to bring their backpacks for our "Blessing of the Backpacks" during the worship service. After the service, join us on the front lawn for Jay’s Ice Cream truck treats and lawn games! 

We’re continuing to use the Follow Me curriculum, appropriately beginning with the “Welcome All” unit. I’m thrilled that Jeannie Germano will be very involved with teaching Sunday School once again. I look forward to collaborating with her on lessons and projects. 

I welcome back our CE committee, continuing members Robin Elliott (chair), Laura Hay and Sarah Page; along with new members Greg Keosian and Tim Leedom! All members bring their own unique gifts and talents to our Christian Education program. Stay tuned for our offerings in the upcoming year! 



We’re sad to say goodbye to Jeannie Desmond who served our young families so well by taking care of our littlest ones in the nursery. Jeannie’s consistent presence in the nursery for the past two years made it possible to offer an hour of quiet worship for parents of young ones. Thank you, Jeannie!  

I’m thrilled to announce that we have hired DHS junior, Lily Chin, to work in the nursery! Lily is an incredible young woman who has a lot of experience working with children, from teaching swimming lessons and lifeguarding at the Percy Walker pool, to babysitting for many families. She is certified through the American Red Cross with basic first aid, CPR and AED training. Welcome, Lily! 

There are plans for so many plans for our youth and families percolating. Stay tuned for weekly announcements and emails about all of our upcoming events and activities! 

Final thoughts…. 

Youthworks 2025 theme is “DUST” which I initially didn’t fully understand. But a closer examination of why they made this choice makes it perfectly clear… “Long ago, there was a saying that a student should follow their teacher so closely that they would become covered in their teacher’s dust. The point was that a student should commit so fully that they become like their teacher. As we follow our teacher, Jesus – the same goes for us! As we explore the Bible and what it means to be Christian, we explore who we are following and why it matters.”    

While it’s Youthworks theme for 2025, it seems to me it should be our lifelong theme. Let’s become covered in Jesus’ dust together. 



Peace, 

Angélique  

PILGRIM CARD MINISTRY

Who doesn’t love a personal card in the mail?

Once a month, on the last Sunday of the month, the Card Ministry has a table with chairs, cards, directories, that day’s bulletin, and pens available in Fellowship Hall. While sipping your coffee, you can avail yourself of our supplies and bring a bit of comfort and/or cheer to others.

After Fellowship, the Card Ministry will stamp each card and mail it off. 

Board of Christian Outreach and Missions

As our routines shift from summer activities to our fall schedules, the past and future Board of Christian Outreach and Missions would like to thank all those in the congregation who have continued Pilgrim’s efforts to reach out to the community to give help where it is needed during the summer months. Our Pilgrim Pantry has continued to serve our neighbors in June, July and August and our volunteers have served dinner at Pine Street Inn each month. The Fourth of July on the lawn was a big success and lots of fun with strawberry shortcake and hot dogs. The generosity of our visitors provided over $350 in donations for Holy Joe’s Café and more than $550 in donations to Outreach/Missions. It was wonderful to see the multi-generational support from our volunteers. Through Maureen Ferguson’s initiative, groups worked to provide dinner for 200 at Father Bill’s in Brockton in July and another meal is scheduled for September 3rd. Pilgrim builders and sandwich makers have been engaged with Habitat for Humanity throughout the summer as well, assisting with the house being built in Manomet and providing Saturday lunches for the workers. It has been exciting to see the progress made and hopefully a young family will be taking up residence before the end of the year. Thanks to Kelly Winter for working this summer to organize and publicize The Climb. Pilgrim Church will be participating on October 4th at 10:00 in an event sponsored by Postpartum Support International to raise awareness and provide support for perinatal mental health disorders. Watch for more information on how you can participate and be part of the climb.

It's been a busy summer, and the board is looking forward to providing opportunities to the congregation to be engaged with a variety of outreach activities as we return to our fall routines. Your time is a resource we value and appreciate. We hope you can find a project that is of particular interest to you. At the same time, your pledges allow us to support a number of community organizations on a monthly basis and your support of special offerings throughout the year allows us to fund different initiatives of the UCC. We will work to keep you informed of the work of your Outreach and Mission Board. Please contact any of our members with questions and suggestions. We look forward to serving with you in the coming year.



Board members - Helen Barrow, Sherry Clark, Lindy Keay, Elaine Keosaian, Carol Lindaberry, Sandy O’Neil, Doug Sinclair, Joanne Washburn, Pam Wiley

JOIN THE FATHER BILL'S DINNER MISSION TEAM - HELP PREPARE OUR NEXT DINNER SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 3RD - ALL ARE WELCOME - EXPERIENCE THE JOY AND FUN THAT MISSION WORK CAN PROVIDE

The next meal to be provided to Father Bill's Shelter from Pilgrim Church is on Wednesday, September 3rd.  The meal preparation will take place on the evening of Tuesday, September 2nd from 5-8 PM, all are welcome to help, there will be tasks for all ages and abilities.  If you are unable to help that evening, there are opportunities to help with delivery of the meal, shopping, donating funds, donating ingredients that you can prepare at home or recipes that can be shared for home preparation. The meal will consist of Chicken Fajitas, with lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa and sour cream.  Corn on the cob, Spanish Rice and cookies.  We hope you will consider helping out and be part of this mission team.  

Use the Signup Genius Link here to volunteer  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4AA4AC2CA1FA7-57710119-father  

Or this QR code:

Or connect with Maureen at mferguson02332@gmail.com or 617-543-4839

If you are interested in cooking at home and delivering to the church please reach out to Maureen Ferguson and further discuss opportunities. 

Pilgrim’s Food Pantry

Thank you to those who supported our pantry during the summer months. Your donations were appreciated.

As we are preparing for Rally Sunday we hope you will purchase an extra can or package to help fill our shelves in September.

A Greek word meaning Love and Fellowship.

Inspired by Acts 2:42.

Koinonia will be meeting on Monday,

September 15, 2025 at 1:00pm in the Church Parlor.

All are welcome! 

(Help us…) Be the church you want to see!

SEPTEMBER 2025

This month’s Deacon Duties focuses on…

Summer services were awesome, and

**now** on to an awesome new Pilgrim year!

Church services are back to 10:00 a.m. and we look forward to seeing everyone.

September 7 is Rally Day, which is always an exciting time, as we gear up for another full and splendid year. The Diaconate welcomes Linda Hendren back to fulfill an empty seat on the Board. Deacons support each other and share in the responsibilities to make sure the “nuts and bolts” unfold smoothly and support Rev. Bill in our worship together.

Heads Up: On October 5, we will be welcoming new members and celebrating World Communion Sunday. Many people are popping in for a Sunday service, finding our congregation lively, engaging, friendly, most welcoming, and deciding that they, too, want to be a Pilgrim.

A special shout-out of thanks to these young people, Cam, Chase, and Mia, for expertly running the sound board and video camera on Sundays. Shut-ins and those traveling can participate in watching our Sunday services due to their faithful and hard work. Rev. Bill has received several letters of thanks about this from those, who count on the streamed service. Pilgrim can be accessed through our website, uccduxbury.org, Facebook, and Instagram@pilgrimchurchduxbury.

Your Deacons this year are: Kris Coughlin, lead Deacon; Jeff Boak; Nancy Chadwick; Diane Corbett; Merry Gammons; Linda Hendren; Kiana Mohammadi; Mark Powicki; Dan Romanelli; Tripp Scott and Everett Thawley, two high school sophomores and June ’25 Confirmands; and Lisa Webber. We are the friendly folks wearing the blue Deacon name bars!

Open Invitation: Our September meeting of the Deacon’s Board is Tuesday, September 2nd at 7:00 pm, in the Church Library. Please join us and learn about what we talk about. We’d love to have YOU visit.



NEW MEMBER CLASS

We invite people who are interested in joining Pilgrim Church of Duxbury UCC to attend our next New Member Information Class on Sunday,

September 21st after worship.

We will be welcoming new members on Sunday, October 5, 2026. Sign up is in Fellowship Hall. 

Coffee, Goodies, and Fellowship

We want our church family to share this time together after worship. Want to help the small group who makes this happen every Sunday?

Come early to set up and make coffee OR stay later to help clean up OR both. Don’t know how all the equipment works?

We will show you.  We need help for September and October. 

Sign up on the board in Fellowship Hall.

Longtime Pilgrim Church friends welcome John and Wendy Vince of Florida to the August 17th service after 40 years since he was our Associate Minister. 

Pictured with John are Sue Cook Thanas, Helen Barrow, and

Janet Ritch. 

THANK YOU!

Dear Pilgrim Church Friends,

Fred and I would like to thank everyone in our congregation for their care and concern during my ankle surgery and recovery. We are happy to share that progress has been steady, with fewer aides needed and more activities possible.

All the cards sent and the meals provided made bright notes in our days. Several church friends lent equipment and gave advice which made our lives much easier. We also know that your prayers and kind thoughts held us up during a challenging time. Thank God for the intentional prayer and considered thought, which made those two actions more than a trite saying.

During this time, we found ourselves on the receiving end of help. It’s a perspective we’ve seen before but have tended to forget. Receiving help joyfully and with grace is an important part of the give-and-take among those we call friends. Another gift of that give-and-take is the gift of offered help without insisted help.

We would also like to recognize the care and foresightedness of the Pilgrim congregation in making our building accessible. This has been another benefit of the perspective of being less abled. I have to say that I am glad that this period of disability is not permanent. I think that there are further changes that we might do to make our building more welcoming to other-abled people.

We often thank God for our congregation of friends and their acts of kindness.

Lois and Fred Boericke



August

1         Isaac Estey

1         Chatham Morton

1         John Morton

2         Rev. John Brink

15       Angela Sinnott 

15       Jon Trevisan

19       Rev. Bill Ferguson

21       Kate Taube

23      Joe Rossi

27       Doug Backlund

September

3         Marion Paulson

4         Quinn Edwards

4         Nancy von Stackelberg

5         Staci Silverberg

8        Catherine Rossi

12       John Edwards

21       Patrick MacLennan

22       Thomas Silverberg

23       Emily Zisko

24       Tyler Trevisan

26       Gregory Kania

29       Heather Edwards

We would love to include your birthday in our monthly newsletter. Please email Melissa office@uccduxbury.org with the month and date of your special day!

Prayer List

People listed below need our continued prayers for God’s blessing and are not restricted to church members. Please call the church office if you have a name you would like to add. Names are usually listed for two weeks unless we are notified otherwise.

Prayers of Healing 

Bill Wilhelm, Norma George, Lily, John W., Brad Sampson, Carol, Andrew Hedberg, James, Grace, Nolan, David Backlund, Noah, Lois Boericke, Ada Martinez, Janice, Lawrence, Henny Walters, Austin Sullivan, Rose Cole, Sally Wheeler, Ron, Jan,

Nicolas Pirini, Timmy Mathison, Ian Hunt, Kerri, Emerson, Mike Graham,

Ruth Cederberg, Louise Mallette

                                                 Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, look with your gracious favor upon all who are ill. Bless all means used for their recovery. Stretch forth your hand, according to your will, and restore them to health and strength, we pray, that they may live to praise you for your goodness and grace, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

Prayers of Support and Safety for those serving our country

Ryan Tobin

  We pray for Christ's peace to rest upon communities in our country and throughout the world, for all those who serve the cause of peace, for members of our armed services, aid workers, volunteers, and missionaries. We pray for Christ's mercy to rest upon refugee communities around the world and for our homeless brothers and sisters in America. We pray for all those persecuted for their faith, for our fellow Christians throughout the world, and for members of other faith traditions as well. May the grace of God rest upon them all.

ABOUT US

404 Washington Street

P. O. Box 186

Duxbury, MA 02331

Email: office@uccduxbury.org

Phone: 781-934-6591

Website: www.uccduxbury.org

“Like us” on Facebook!

“Pilgrim Church of Duxbury, UCC”

Sunday Worship

10:00 AM

9:30 AM July 6 – August 31

STAFF

Rev. Bill Ferguson, Senior Minister

revbill@uccduxbury.org

Angelique Kania, Christian Education Director

youthdir@uccduxbury.org

Claire DeCusati, Music Director

music@uccduxbury.org

Patti MacLennan, Visitation Coordinator

pmaclennan@uccduxbury.org

Melissa MacDonald, Church Administrator

office@uccduxbury.org

Dawn Kerivan, Bookkeeper

dkatpilgrim1@verizon.net

Gerard Savard, Senior Financial Officer

finance@uccduxbury.org