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The bi-weekly newsletter of
Barrington Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
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Office Hours: Open Mon - Fri, 9:30 am - 1:30 pm.
Closed on Federal and State Holidays or where otherwise noted.
Sun, Mar 23
10 am Worship Service & Church School
11 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
Mon, Mar 24
11 am Lay Visitation Meeting, Library
Tue, Mar 25
10 am Staff Meeting, Dale's Office
3 - 4:30 pm Governing Board Meeting, Library
Wed, Mar 26
7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal, Vestry
Thurs, Mar 27
8:30 am Coffee Chat, Plant City in Barrington Center
Sun, Mar 30
One Great Hour of Sharing Offering
10 am Worship Service & Church School
11 am Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
Tue, Apr 1
10 am Staff Meeting, Dale's Office
6:30 pm Knitting for Others Group, Library
Wed, Apr 2
Noon Deadline for Bridge Newsletter
7:30 pm Choir Rehearsal, Vestry
Thurs, Apr 3
8:30 am Coffee Chat, Plant City in Barrington Center
1:30 pm Women of Faith Reading Group, Library
Sun, Apr 6
10 am Worship Service with Communion & Church School
11 am Pancake Breakfast at Coffee Hour, Fellowship Hall
For the complete church calendar visit http://bccucc.view-events.com
Send calendar information to office@bccucc.org
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Freedom to Read
Join Rev. Racquel Ray and others for a gathering to learn more about the "Freedom to Read" bill on Sunday March 30th from 2 - 3:30 pm at the Barrington Public Library (281 County Road, Barrington). Our friend, Rabbi Howard Voss Altman will lead a discussion with our friends from the Rhode Island Council of Churches to better inform the public on the Freedom to Read legislation being supported in the RI Capitol.
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Pancake Breakfast
Get ready for a wonderful treat after morning worship on Sunday, April 6th! The Boy Scout Troop 2 has generously volunteered to host a special pancake breakfast with coffee and tea during our post-worship coffee hour on April 6th in Fellowship Hall.
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Easter Extravaganza
On Palm Sunday, the Faith Formation team will be hosting an Easter Extravaganza in Fellowship Hall during the regular church school time. There will be Easter hat making, pot painting & planting and a few new activities to help us get ready for Easter. This could get messy so everyone should dress appropriately! It is bound to be a fun time, and we look forward to seeing everyone there!
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"So, Dale, what comes next?"
Read the latest Rivers Edge Pastors' blog by Rev. Dale Azevedo.
"I’ve been asked this question (in various forms) a lot over the past few weeks. It made me realize that no one really knows what my plans are post BCCUCC. A lot has evolved since I announced my retirement in January, and this week’s blog seems like a great place to share the latest news." Read More
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Directory Update
We have been working diligently to update the BCCUCC directory in an effort to keep everyone connected. That said, we need your input! Please reach out to office@bccucc.org if you need a digital or printed copy of the current directory, and please let us know if we need to make any changes to the information in your profile. Thank you for your help!
| | Holy Week & Easter Sunday | |
Holy Week & Easter Sunday Services
April 13th, 10am - Palm Sunday Service & Easter Extravaganza
April 17th, 7pm - Maundy Thursday, Service of Tenebrae and Communion
April 18th, 12 pm – Good Friday, Prayer Service and Meditation Walks in the Labyrinth
April 20th, 5:45am - Ecumenical Easter Sunday Sunrise Service at Osamequin Point
April 20th, 10am - Easter Sunday Service
| | Join us for our outdoor Ecumenical Easter Sunrise service with Communion, held at 5:45 am on Easter Sunday, April 20th at Osamequin Point which is located 1.1 miles north of the church on the Wampanoag Trail (Route 114). | |  | Come celebrate Christ's resurrection with us during our 10 am service on Easter Sunday. The sanctuary will be decorated with spring flowers and the service will include preaching by Rev. Dale Azevedo & Rev. Racquel Ray, a children's message, and music. After service, join us for coffee hour and our annual Easter Egg Hunt! | | |
What We Can Do
Highlights on opportunities to get involved, to give back and to give thanks.
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Thanks for the Jo!
Our friends at Crossroads are delighted to receive the news of your generous donations of blessed beans, leaves, and brewers!
Our friend, Ric Wild, says, “for our clients who are transitioning from homelessness to stable housing, the ability to brew a cup of coffee (or tea) is a sign that they are finally home.”
Well Done BCCUCC – by this they will know we are Christians – by our love, by our love! Thanks for once again loving our neighbors as ourselves.
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Join the 2025 CWS Kit Team
Did you know that the Church World Service (CWS) provided 30,580 Hygiene Kits, 27,275 Blankets, 11,179 Period Packs, and 10,110 School Kits to people in need in 2024 alone?
With your help, we can help deliver even more this year! If you are interested in volunteering on the CWS Kit Team, please contact team leader Carly Kite Lapinski at carlylapinski@gmail.com.
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Calling All Techies!
In Romans it says "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them ..."
Do you have the gift of being "good with technology"? The governing board is looking for a church volunteer or volunteers to support technology transition over the next several months. Dale has transferred various accounts to staff and has provided training, but we're looking for another layer of support for hardware, software, library tech, online accounts, and communication with the IT company as needed. Call or email Kim Fernandez if you are interested in learning more or offering support -- no pressure, let's talk! Technology is NOT my gift, so I need you! (202) 468-1466 or kfodorfernandez@gmail.com.
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Family Service of RI is Looking for Host Homes
FSRI’s Youth & Young Adult Housing Advocacy program works to empower and stabilize youth (18-24) who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. To learn more about the FSRI programs or to become a Host Home, visit the organization's website at https://www.familyserviceri.org/programs/basic-center/ or call Helen Hassan, Outreach Specialist of Family Service of Rhode Island at (401) 678-7076 or email at hassanhe@familyserviceri.org
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"Be the Light" in the 2025 One Great Hour of Sharing
One Great Hour of Sharing® is one of four special mission offerings of the United Church of Christ. This Lenten Offering supports the disaster, refugee, and development ministries of the United Church of Christ within Wider Church Ministries. Participation in this special mission offering is one of the criteria for the designation of a 5 for 5 church. Under the Justice & Peace Ministry, BCCUCC has committed to be a 5 for 5 church.
This year the offering will be collected on March 30th and the theme is ‘Be the Light.’ When you give to One Great Hour of Sharing, you are light for people in need. You offer light when disasters strike, and when chronic conditions threaten families and communities. You are light not just in the immediate future, but also for the long haul. When you give you restore not only structures but also transform lives. Your gift ensures that no matter how difficult the situation is, light shines.
Through One Great Hour of Sharing, you engage in holistic development programs including health care, education, agriculture, food sustainability, micro-financing and women’s empowerment. Because the UCC relates in mutual partnership to churches and organizations through Global Ministries and worldwide response & recovery networks, your contributions to One Great Hour of Sharing put you in the right place at the right time for the relief and recovery of the most vulnerable. You meet immediate needs, and you address the underlying causes that create those needs in the first place. Learn more at www.ucc.org/oghs.
OGHS donation envelopes will be included in the bulletin on Sunday, March 30th – the date the UCC has set for taking this offering, although donations may be made at any time. Checks may be made out to ‘BCCUCC’ with ‘OGHS’ in the memo line and can be either put in the offering plate or mailed into the church office at 461 County Rd, Barrington RI 02806. Online donations may be made from our church website at www.bccucc.org/donation/. Click on the Tithe.ly ‘Donate Now’ link and choose ‘One Great Hour of Sharing’ in the dropdown menu. Thank you
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Chancel Fund Donations for Easter
As we look ahead to Easter, we invite you to make a donation to our Chancel Fund at this time. Money donated will be used to help beautify the Sanctuary, including the purchase of Spring plants to decorate the church this Easter. Some of the donations will also be used to purchase plants that will be delivered by the deacons before Easter to our homebound, sick, or recently bereaved. Donations may be made in any amount, large or small, and can be made in memory of a loved one, or in thanksgiving for, or celebration of, someone or something (a person, birthday, anniversary, etc). All dedications will be listed in the Easter Sunday worship service bulletin. Ways to Donate:
- Complete a donation form and mail or bring it to the church office with your donation.
- Alternatively, the completed form and donation can be put in the offering plate on a Sunday.
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Donate online from our church website www.bccucc.org/donation/ Use the Tithe.ly link on our donation page, designate your donation for ‘Chancel Fund (Easter flowers)’ and then add your dedication in the memo box. Be sure to include who is making the donation as well as if it’s given in memory, celebration, or in honor of someone or something.
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Your Donations Make a Difference
It's easy to make a donation online. Simply go to the donation page on our website at www.bccucc.org/donation/ and click on 'Donate Now' under the TIthe.ly option. Be sure to click on the drop-down box in Tithe.ly to choose where you'd like your donation to go - options include Deacons Fund, Memorial Gift, Pledge, Gift etc. Thank you for your financial support of BCCUCC!
| | News from the Conference & Council | |
SNEUCC Leadership Calls for Economic Boycott for Lent
The Executive Team of the Southern New England Conference is encouraging everyone to observe Lent by participating in an economic boycott of those institutions that have cancelled their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives.
Lent, which begins Ash Wednesday, is traditionally the time when Christians fast from something, or give something up, as they enter into a season of reflection leading up to Easter. READ MORE
The Southern New England Conference website now features a Take Action page, where users can contact legislators, get updates on current issues, find prayers for congregational use, access resources on various issues, and connect with local partners for working on witness and care. The page can be accessed at https://www.sneucc.org/takeaction.
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Conference: How to End Christian Nationalism
The Rhode Island State Council of Churches is pleased to host Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, as the featured speaker in this conference on March 22nd as they work to end Christian Nationalism in Rhode Island and beyond. The day’s activities will also include workshops, engaging panel discussions with elected leaders, and lunch catered by Amos House. Find out more about this event or register here.
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5 Things to Know and Share
Keep up with our Conference (the Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ), you can read the latest edition of the newsletter "5 Things to Know and Share" and sign up to have future editions sent right to your inbox.
Click on this link to see the archive of all of the different SNEUCC newsletters - and subscribe to any that are of interest to you.
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Knitting for Others Group (Monthly)
The Knitting for Others Group will meet both in person and via zoom on the first Tuesday of each month. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 1st from 6:30 - 9 pm. All knitters and crocheters are invited to join in! For more information on the group or for the Zoom info to participate virtually, contact Nancy Arena at nancy.arena@outlook.com.
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Women of Faith Reading Group (Semi-Monthly)
The group welcomes women of all ages from BCCUCC as well as other churches and faith traditions. They meet for discussions on books, faith and life on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month from 1:30 - 3 pm in the church library. The next meetings will be held on April 3rd and April 17th. All are welcome to join in!
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Youth Group
The next Youth Group meeting will be on Monday, April 7th from 6 - 7 pm. There will be NO Youth Group on March 24th or 31st.
For more information, contact Rev. Racquel Ray at racquel@bccucc.org or (401) 246-0111 x 104.
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Bereavement Group (Monthly)
We extend a warm and welcome invitation to anyone who has lost a loved one. This monthly support group is open to all. The next bereavement support group gathering will be on Monday, April 14th at 10 am in the church library. For more information, contact Betsy Brenner at betsybrenner3@gmail.com / 245-8031, or Aubrey Atwater at aubreyfolk@aol.com / 392-1909.
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Book Group (Monthly)
The Book Group will next meet on Tuesday, April 15th, at 10:30 am in the Church Library. All are welcome to join to discuss the book No Great Mischief by Alastair MacLeod. For more information about the group, contact Helen Schall at helenschall@hotmail.com.
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Veterans Coffee & Conversation at Atria (Monthly)
Rev. Racquel invites you to join her for coffee and donuts with the Veterans at Atria Bay Spring Village. We meet once per month for coffee and conversation - and donuts! The stories and living history are profoundly sacred. Please email Rev. Racquel at racquel@bccucc.org or (401) 246-0111 x 104 for more information and dates for upcoming group gatherings.
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Choir Rehearsals (Weekly)
If you enjoy singing, why not join the church choir - no audition needed! Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 - 8:30 pm in the Vestry. To learn more, pop in for a rehearsal or speak with our music director Matthew Marion after church. You can also email Matthew at mmarion1811@gmail.com.
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Coffee Chat (Weekly)
Join Rev. Racquel and friends on Thursday mornings at 8:30 am at Plant City in the Barrington Shopping Center to connect for conversation and companionship. Contact Rev. Racquel for more information at racquel@bccucc.org
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Inclement Weather Protocol Reminder
Living in New England we know that the weather can be very unpredictable. Should there be a chance bad weather or poor travel conditions leading to morning worship or church school to be cancelled, we will keep you informed via email, through the RI Broadcasters website, our Facebook page, or through the local news broadcasting stations and websites.
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Sunday morning services are available online for anyone who can't make it in person. To see our service live on Sundays at 10 am, visit our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. Recordings will also be added to our website shortly after morning service has concluded.
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2024-2025 Church Calendar
Our church calendar can be viewed at http://bccucc.view-events.com Please notify the office at office@bccucc.org or 246-0111 with any meeting/event information etc. so the calendar can be kept up to date. Thank you!
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Don't miss out!
View our latest bulletins, announcements, video streams and more through the following channels:
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Rev. Dale Azevedo Senior Minister dale@bccucc.org (401) 246-0111 x 103
Rev. Racquel Ray Associate Minister for Congregational Life racquel@bccucc.org (401) 246-0111 x 104
Sara Bagwell Office Administrator office@bccucc.org (401) 246-0111 x 101
Pat Stoddard Financial Secretary pat@bccucc.org (401) 246-0111 x 102
Andrea Terni Faith Formation Director andrea@bccucc.org (401) 246-0111 x 107
Matthew Marion Music Director mmarion1811@gmail.com
Church Office Hours: Open Monday – Friday, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm.
Closed on Federal and State holidays.
Building Security: The Education building remains locked at all times, even when the office is open. Please ring the bell for entry and we'll be happy to let you in - or use the code on the keypad if you have it.
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