Here it is--Volume 6, Issue 2 of our e-mail Newsletter!

FEATURED IN THIS NEWSLETTER

PASTORAL PONDERINGS

Worship & Music Ministry News

• Our Sunday Faith Community Celebrations in February
• Spiritual Formation News for our Children, Youth, & Families
• Celebration of the Rev. Gregory Marshall as our Minister Emeritus!
• Virtual Ash Wednesday Prayers @ 7:00 PM on February 22nd
• Music and Ministry Notes
• Tenderly Held in our Hearts and Prayers
•  Into God’s Hands

Welcoming and Caring Ministry

• Mardi Gras / Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper--February 21st
• Invitation to Join our Church Caregiving Ministry Team
• Call for Hospitality Ministers

FEBRUARY CALENDAR of EVENTS in the Life of our Spiritual Family

MCC Administration & Finance News

• Report of Projects done in 2022 and planned for 2023
• Report of the Assistant Treasurers
• COVID-19 Task Force Update

February Birthdays & Anniversaries

Poem of the Month--"New Day's Lyric" by Amanda Gorman



Prepared to Serve February 25th, 2023

Growing a Just World for All

• Peace & Justice Ministry Coordinator's Report
• LISTEN Community Dinner & Claremont Soup Kitchen
• Economic Justice
• Faith & Labor Coalition Support for Dartmouth students
• Support for the PRO Act
• Antiracism Ministry
• Black History Matters!
• New Time for Black Lives Matter Vigils
• "Land Back" Webinar--February 8th @ 1:00 PM
• Reel Soul "Till" -- Friday, February 17th @ 7:00 PM
• "Otis' Dream" film about Voting Rights
• Equal Justice Initiative Racial Injustice Calendars
• Invitation to join Windsor County NAACP
• Social Justice--"Voices of Faith" Gun Violence Prevention Rally
• Immigrant Justice
• Climate Justice
• Legislator Contact Information

Revs. John & Susan Gregory-Davis,

Co-Pastors

Meriden Congregational Church

603-469-3235

john@meridenucc.org

susan@meridenucc.org

secretary@meridenucc.org 

www.meridenucc.org

“Transforming Lives as a Compassionate Community:

Growing Spiritually as an Antiracist Church”

Stewardship Campaign

    Dear Friends, 

Many, many thanks to everyone for your continued commitment to our beloved Church as we pledge our financial support for 2023! Thus far we have raised an unprecedented 98% of our goal! What a feat and testament to the love we share for the Meriden Congregational Church. THANK YOU. Every gift is a blessing. 

Sincerely, Jill Marshall, Vice Chair for the Leadership Team

Celebration of the Rev. Gregory Wayne Marshall

As our church’s Minister Emeritus

at our 242^nd Annual Meeting on

January 29^th, 2023

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes!!

TUESDAY—February 21^st @ 6:00 PM

A FEAST for Everyone! 

In the spirit of Mardi Gras,

masks and costumes are encouraged,

and all are invited to think about what to let go of,

or take on anew this Lent!!

Join us on Ash Wednesday—February 22nd,

for an Evening Prayer Service

to begin our Lenten Journey!

             We’ll gather virtually at 7:00 PM that evening for this time of reflecting and beginning to prepare ourselves for the special opportunity that the Season of Lent offers to nurture the life of the Spirit dwelling within and among us. 

Come with your hopes and your hurts,

your wonder and your wounds,

and let us commune together

as spiritual companions

along our shared journey

toward Easter’s healing joy!!

“Meditation on the

Astral and Ancestral”

-       Rev. Jessica Purple Rodela

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust –

We here are descended from stardust,

Gathered of galaxies,

Created of carbon.

From the first tremblings of a vibrant planet

We evolved.

We carry the memory of the cosmos

The evolution of our cousins

The encoding of our kin

The adaptations of our cultures.

From planet to people,

Our lives matter only as much as we mean to make it so,

And it is infinitely, possibly, probably so –

From the plan and planes of the astral and ancestral

We transformed, and are transforming still.

WELCOMING and CARING MINISTRY

   Mardi Gras is Coming!! After two years of not serving Pancakes on Mardi Gras (also known as Shrove Tuesday) we will again celebrate at church on Tuesday--February 21st, @ 6:0 PM, with Pancakes, syrup and Ham!! I already have a couple of people to help cook. We need others to set up and clean up. And most importantly we will need people to come, eat pancakes and ham and celebrate the beginning of the Easter Season of Lent.

   Thanks to Diane Walker, Elaine Lenz, Lee and Evan Oxenham, Kathy Wright and John and Susan Gregory-Davis for providing food at Coffee Hours in January. Thanks also to the many people who volunteered to clean up afterward. Maybe you can help in February!

  Our church services are now in the Church! We need ushers. Thanks to Elaine and Jim Lenz, Donna and Steve Beaupre and Kathy Wright for ushering in January. I may be contacting you to help. Please say yes. It takes many people to build the community and to make our fellowship strong. If you would like to help with any of this please contact Kathy Wright at (603) 469-3235 or at home at (603) 675-5989.

HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US IN FEBRUARY!!

Kathy Wright, Coordinator of the Welcoming and Caring Ministry

Do you find a deep sense of 

joy and gratification

in reaching out and helping others? 

If so, Please join our

Church Caregivers Team!

Even if you have only a few minutes a month to write a short "thinking of you" or "get well" card, your loving care will be so appreciated by members of our church community. If you would rather make occasional phone calls or in-person home visits, there is a place for you on the Caregivers Team, too!!! Everyone is welcome to offer gifts of care with no effort ever too small! Our Team meets quarterly with the loving guidance of our Chair, Kathy Wright. If you are interested in joining or talking further, please contact Kathy at secretary@meridenucc.org or Susan (susan@meridenucc.org). We warmly welcome you to join in the very meaningful ministry of this small group with a BIG HEART! 

Music and Ministry

February 2023

“February is the border between Winter and Spring”

-Terri Guillemets

The Meriden Congregational Church Leadership Team has spent a lot of time and effort in the month of January carefully and thoughtfully crafting a Church Spending Plan (aka budget) for 2023. The budget, as presented, at our Annual Meeting on 1/29 was unanimously approved by the congregation.

So now, let’s all take a long deep breath and set our sights on the waning Winter and the coming of the Easter Season.



Cindy Marx-Wood

for Music and Ministry

Likewise are our prayers are with these members and friends of our faith community currently receiving treatment for cancer: Don Garfield; Martha Zoerheide’s neighbor, John; Vicki Ramos-Glew’s mother, Carole Spencer; Juliette Hampton’s teacher, Melissa Thaxton; Mary Halley-Streeter’s uncle, Joseph Paparella; Bill Chappelle & Laine Gillespie’s neighbor, Barbara Gifford; Becky Luce; Shideko Terai’s Uncle, Ted De Luca; Laura Cousineau’s friend, Lee Willard, as well as Laura’s brother-in-law, Eric; Cecilia Hampton’s best friend Victoria’s mother, Bev; Sue Turner’s brother, Kurt, as well as Sue’s sister-in-law Bev, and Bev’s step-daughter, Sarah, and Sue’s cousin Jesse’s husband, Ron Letterchio; Connie Kousman; Gail Kinney’s brothers, Charles & David; Linda Perkins’ friend, Linda Stone; Suzanne Lenz’ brother, Bob; Bailey Sibert; Ed Foltyn; Jo Evarts, as well as Jo’s sister, Jingles; Robert Bryant; Jeff McNamara; Lauryn Moeller’s daughter-in-law, Lisa Rae Moeller; and  Kevin Ramos-Glew’s nephew, Duncan.

  Into God's Hands

Even as our spirits have rejoiced in the beginning of this New Year, so too have we grieved the loss of loved ones among us! 

 

 Our hearts especially go out to  Sarah Gillens, and all who knew and loved her husband, former Plainfield Police Chief, Gordon Gillens, who died unexpectedly on Tuesday afternoon--January 17^th, 2023.

Likewise do we extend our sympathy to Jerry Clark upon the recent loss of his beloved, the Rev. Betty Clark, on Saturday—February 4^th, 2023. Betty was our church’s interim Pastor before Susan & John arrived back in 1995, and she and her husband Jerry were well-loved members of our community during their 2 years with us. 

Our prayers are also with Betty Pardoe, and the family and friends of Betty’s former co-worker and long-time Plainfield resident, Russell Kelley, as they mourn his death on Friday—February 3^rd, 2023.

  As God has welcomed each of these dearly departed ones back into the realm of God’s eternal embrace, may their families and loved ones be comforted with God’s healing presence in the midst of this time of mourning.

Report from Buildings and Grounds of MCC Administration

The following news was taken from the Annual Report of Administration and Finance

Projects Completed and Planned

A) 2022 was a year for John and Susan to have their sabbatical. As a result of

them not being at the parsonage for the summer, it triggered a discussion

around security. We determined it made sense to install wireless security

cameras the end of June.

B) Dane Gautreau was hired to do a few painting projects over the summer. All

the church windows and window trim were newly painted that were

accessible with a standard ladder. The cathedral style windows on the front

are left to be done this summer 2023. Dan also painted the exterior of the

doors and the two entrance roof trims and some of the ceilings before the

cold weather arrived.

C) We were hoping to get the slate roof repairs started. The slate roof

contractor Leon Shabbott was working locally in Enfield at the Shaker

Museum and was hoping to take advantage of having his hydraulic man lift in

the area and do a beginning portion of the repairs that will need to be done

in the next year or two. In the end, we were not able to get enough days

available for him to do that early portion of the proposed repair. We are on

his list for early spring. We expect the total repair to be around $ 20,000 this

year.

D) The concrete entrance steps to the Parrish House were able to be temporarily

repaired to get us through the winter. We have agreed to hire Paul Sousa

(mason) from Cornish to do the permanent repair – rebuilding in April 2023.

E) A privacy door was installed in late summer at the top of the stairs going

from level 1 to level 2 of the Parrish House as requested by John and Susan.

A pane of glass needs to be installed and the new walls and trims still need to

be painted. That work is scheduled to be done in February

Shawn Rogers

Co-Chair of Administration and Finance

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT TREASURERS

Considering what we have received in this month as of January 28th, we have received $3850 in Pledge payments. We have also received $185 in Plate payments. The total this month is $4035. We have also received $600 for 2022 pledge payments. In addition there was $10 received as part of the Faith Formation monthly "NoNo" event.

 Some other funds may have been contributed through stocks not noted here.

Kathy Wright

Cindy Marx-Wood

John, Paul, George and Ringo are still on the charts

Like that Beatles’ song says…”You’ve got to admit it’s getting better…better all the time!” Not that Covid’s gone away completely but we’ve all gotten a lot better at protecting ourselves, our families and our communities. Think of the lessons we’ve learned together over these last

thirty-six months. Our Covid vigilance has replaced panic and fear with solid preventative practices and an understanding of the interdependence of health policy and prevention across international boundaries and within our nation and our locality. While there’s talk that the national emergency is winding down, please keep up these familiar basics:

-Masks remains optional in our church with N95/KN95 and surgical grade masks available at the doors.

-Maintain careful and reasonable distances.

-Use good hand sanitation on a regular basis.

-All who are able should be vaccinated and boosted.

-If you are feeling unwell, then simply staying home is the right course of action.

While these practices are now well ingrained, we specifically remind members and visitors that they are key elements to staying healthy.

Ed Cousineau

For the MCC Covid-19 Task Force

FEBRUARY

BIRTHDAYS

2/1 Barbara Wendt

2/2 Diane Minard

2/2 Michael Chellis

2/2 Jeremy Warren

2/3 Kori Jameson

2/3 Nola Donkin

2/4 Jerry Judd

2/5 Keira Hines

2/7 Nathan Perotte

2/8 Katie Minard

2/8 Chris Hansen

2/10 Cindy Marx-Wood

2/10 Sarah Davie

2/10 Jim Lenz

2/10 Peter Foss

2/10 Steph Berman

2/10 Connie O’Leary

2/11 Hilarie Schubert

2/11 Patrick Brady Elliott

2/11 Shawn Rogers

2/12 Andrea Keen

2/12 Debra Grabil

2/14 Anna Lifvergen

2/14 Melanie Ditzel

2/15 Nora Kells Gordon

2/15 Devan Williams

2/16 John Gregory-Davis

2/17 Ted Moynihan

2/17 Lindsay Parsons

2/17 Rachel Stoddard

2/17 Joe Williams

2/19 Zoe Rodriguez

2/20 Kathy Wright

2/21 Doug Beaupre’

2/21 Grace Parmenter

2/22 Amy Beaupre’

2/22 Jim Gray

2/22 Jody Schubert

2/22 Sandy Redlands

2/22 Ilsa Pinkson-Burke

2/24 Ellen Bettman

2/25 Nancy Hayes-Kilgore

2/25 Blaine Kopp

2/26 Chuck Chamley

2/26 Leslie MacGregor

2/27 Amy Franklin

2/27 Benjamin Taylor

2/28 Donald Garfield

2/28 Theodore Kramer Mishkin

February Anniversaries

2/14/21 Jerry Judd and Des Tolentino

2/24/02 Gretchen Cherington and Michael O’Leary

MCC Poetry Page

“The Fate of the Poet is to fall in Love with Life”

Matthew Fox

Some time ago we began featuring a Poetry Page in our monthly Newsletter, and we are thrilled to attempt reviving this monthly offering. In honor of Black History Month, we offer this new poem by the young African-American poet who wowed us all when she shared her poem at President Biden’s inauguration:

“New Day’s Lyric”

By Amanda Gorman

May this be the day

We come together.

Mourning, we come to mend,

Withered, we come to weather,

Torn, we come to tend,

Battered, we come to better.

Tethered by this year of yearning,

We are learning

That though we weren’t ready for this,

We have been readied by it.

We steadily vow that no matter

How we are weighed down,

We must always pave a way forward.

This hope is our door, our portal.

Even if we never get back to normal,

Someday we can venture beyond it,

To leave the known and take the first steps.

So let us not return to what was normal,

But reach toward what is next.

What was cursed, we will cure.

What was plagued, we will prove pure.

Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree,

Those fortunes we forswore, now the future we foresee,

Where we weren’t aware, we’re now awake;

Those moments we missed

Are now these moments we make,

The moments we meet,

And our hearts, once all together beaten,

Now all together beat.

Come, look up with kindness yet,

For even solace can be sourced from sorrow.

We remember, not just for the sake of yesterday,

But to take on tomorrow.

We heed this old spirit,

In a new day’s lyric,

In our hearts, we hear it:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

Be bold, sang Time this year,

Be bold, sang Time,

For when you honor yesterday,

Tomorrow ye will find.

Know what we’ve fought

Need not be forgot nor for none.

It defines us, binds us as one,

Come over, join this day just begun.

For wherever we come together,

We will forever overcome.

All poets among us, of all ages and abilities, are likewise invited to share your poems with us so that we may in turn publish one each month as a way of helping all of us to fall ever more deeply in love with life in all its wonder, pathos, and beauty!

Prepared to Serve!  

"An annual training event

for clergy and members of UCC congregations"

Saturday--February 25^th, 2023

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Pembroke Academy, Pembroke, NH

Among the many joys of finally coming out of our collective COVID cocoon is the return of our Conference Annual “Prepared to Serve” event at Pembroke Academy throughout the day on Saturday—February 25^th,  offering an array of workshops and exhibits designed to enhance, educate and enrich our faith journeys and church life together. Both of your Co-Pastors will be there, with both John and our Worker Justice Minister, Gail Kinney, offering as well as attending workshops, and we welcome others to join us as well. 

The grand finale of this year’s “Prepared to Serve” day of multiple workshops will be the Installation of our new Associate Conference Minister, the Rev. Sara Marean.  Browse the brochure, choose one or more workshops addressing areas you would like to learn more about, and come join us to learn, connect with folk from churches throughout out state, and celebrate the first woman Conference Minister we have had in quite some time! 

Prepared to Serve Registration ends February 8th

Workshops are filling up, Register Now!

To register and find link to Prepared to Serve Brochure,

go to www.nhcucc.org

“We should emphasize

not Negro history,

but the Negro in history.

What we need is not a history of selected races or nations,

but the history of the world

void of national bias,

race hate and religious prejudice”

-        Dr. Carter G. Woodson on founding Negro History Week, 1926

Welcome to Black History Month, dedicated both to learning and re-membering the accomplishments and stories of Black and Brown people , without whose history this nation’s history would be profoundly different, and to envisioning and working toward a Future where Black Lives Matter fully and beautifully!  Our friends at the Black Lives Matter Global Foundation Network remind us that “Black History Month was founded initially as Negro History Week in 1926 by our honored Ancestor Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and taken as a month of remembrance by Black Student Union organizers at Kent State University in 1969. It was and continues to be an expression of Black autonomy. While the U.S. government did not recognize Black History Month until 1976, our power as Black people has always persisted. Through every single movement, fight, and collective action, we stood on the shoulders of those who came before us and continue to do that now. As we vision and build Black futures, we are deeply committed to the African principle of Sankofa -- that we must embrace and honor the freedom fighters, struggles, and lessons learned from the past as we chart the course forward.”  

           And in the spirit of our church’s continuing growth in antiracist understanding and commitment, we enthusiastically share the opportunities noted below for further education and conversation, hoping that many of us will be able to avail ourselves of at least some of these throughout this Black History Month, and beyond. Especially In light of increasingly successful efforts to censor and even criminalize teaching and talking about the fullness of Black history in our nation, playing out dramatically even here in NH, this is a critical time for us to resist this toxic impulse toward ignorance and denial, and choose to redress the mis- and/or under-education most of us received about the Black history that is our history as well. We realize that there may well be lots more similar opportunities available this month, which we will share as we learn about them, including throughout our Sunday morning services this month, and we eagerly welcome suggestions and/or recommendations from any of you as well:

. 

             28 Days of Black History

https://www.28daysofblackhistory.com/?grsf=pbwpea

“Black history in 5 minutes a day”  

(sign up to receive daily Black History e-mails)

NAACP Black Culture and Black Media Recommendations       

https://www.naacpldf.org/ldf-culture-recommendations/?emci=06b10843-4784-ec11-94f6-281878b85110&emdi=fec3f125-7484-ec11-94f6-281878b85110&ceid=820536 

Lots of great book, film, TV, podcast, and music suggestions

Watch Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love

Amazon Prime Video (amazon.com)

3 seasons of brief Master Classes--

historical, contemporary, and visionary

Outreach News

Outreach, Peace, and Justice Ministry Teams

News for February 2023 

"The way to heal the soul of the nation is to pass policies

that heal the body of the nation.

It’s the just thing to do.

That’s how we as a nation can move forward together."

~Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, Break the silence!

OUTREACH

   Listen Community Dinners Meriden Congregational Church has offered the commitment to prepare and serve dinners the FIRST Thursdays of the odd numbered months. The next date is March 2nd due to training. If you know of anyone, including the broader community, who would be interested, please text, phone or email Shideko Terai. 603-252-7898 Sign up on our unique page on the volunteer hub website http://meridencc.listen.volunteerhub.com/

  Claremont Soup Kitchen Bill Chapelle continues to lead volunteer participation at the Claremont Soup Kitchen on the fourth Saturday of every month and this slot covers the hours 2-5:30 PM. No cooking experience necessary. February 25th is the next opportunity. “We always have a lot of fun. You begin your Saturday night with a good feeling you have given nice people a delicious meal.” ~Bill Chapelle

PEACE

     Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. As of April 2, CNBC reports that Ukraine “has regained control of the capital city of Kyiv, while chances appeared better for peace talks ahead.” And what about the people of these nations? According to India Today, more than 3M refugees have fled Ukraine. 7K Russian soldiers have been killed, 14K injured; nearly 3K Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, 3.7K injured, 572 captured. War is still not the answer. As we continue to practice peace within our communities of family, neighbors, and spiritual friends: we radiate kindness and compassion with the intention of clear seeing, seeking justice, and refraining from doing harm. Contributions may be made by mailing a check made payable to the United Church of Christ, PO Box 71957, Cleveland OH 44194 & memo line: Ukraine Relief Fund.

JUSTICE

Economic Justice 

          "The Quest for Worker Justice" continues as this New Year begins. See below for a letter from our NH Faith & Labor Coalition in support of the unionizing efforts of the Dartmouth Student Collective.

And stay tuned for news of a NH visit from the former UCC Economic Justice Minister, the Rev. Dr. Edith Rasell, to share more about her informative and timely book, "The Way of Abundance."  This was one of John's favorite sabbatical reads, and are excited about bringing Edie to NH this spring to share more with us about her research and her call to action. 

"There are millions of poor people in this country who have very little, or even nothing, to lose. If they can be helped to take action together, they...(and we) will be a new and unsettling force..."

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Racial Justice /Antiracism

    A few years ago our church formed a Racial Justice Ministry Team that has been guiding us in learning about the ways in which systemic racism and white supremacy undergird so much of our history and identity. Now, in keeping with the call of our denomination, the United Church of Christ, to become an antiracist church, our Racial Justice ministry team has evolved our name to become the Antiracism Ministry Team. 

    Our weekly BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigils continue on Wednesday afternoons, now from 4:00 to 4:30 PM, in light of the gradually lengthening days, and all are welcome to join us anytime. The brutal beating and murder of Tyre Nichols by 5 Black police officers dramatically and painfully reveals yet again not only the extent to which Black lives have yet truly to matter in our nation, but also the insidious white supremacy dehumanizing even Black police officers, and the related need to re-imagine community safety.

See below for 3 opportunities to deepen our understanding of the challenges facing our BIPoC friends and neighbors, and learn more about what we can and must do as people committed to dismantling white supremacy.

Social Justice 

   "Voices of Faith" continues to bring moral witness and concern for those most marginalized into the legislative and budget deliberations determining how justly we commit to our common wealth and well-being as a state and nation. See below for the "Gun Violence Prevention" action happening on Wednesday morning--February 8th, beginning at 8:30 AM in Concord.

Immigrant Justice

   The first Tuesday of each month NH Immigrant Solidarity Network (NH ISN) meets. Organizations include GSOP, AFSC, and clergy. It is interfaith and non-partisan. This month's meeting is on Tuesday February 7th.   Please contact John or Shideko if you would like to learn more.

Climate Justice

  Lee Oxenham has been alerting us about informative events and presentations connecting us to becoming more engaged in climate justice. Please contact Lee to find out the latest ways to be involved. Check out this award winning climate newsletter:  Scientists Again Call for Civil Disobedience To Spur Climate Action, Saying ‘Time is Short’ - Inside Climate News

In solidarity and hope, 

Shideko Terai (she/her), Outreach, Peace & Justice Coordinator

text or phone 603-252-7898, email shideko.terai@gmail.com

Wednesday--February 8^th @ 1:00 PM

Webinar Registration - Zoom

https://ucc.zoom.us/webinar/register/2216740753598/WN_ua_nheG1T7OqyrZJSZ4cvA?inf_contact_key=14b8052243bcebca444ac07e0f6dfac509c74070ac2bf3cfa7869e3cfd4ff832

The Land Back Movement has been succinctly described as the generations long struggle to put “Indigenous lands back into Indigenous hands.” Yet, there is much to know and understand about this vitally important movement. In this webinar, organizers and practitioners within the movement will place the struggle within the context of dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery and the ongoing work of reparatory justice. Moreover, current efforts will be discussed and lifted up in discerning how the movement can be advanced today.

MCC Movie Night: Reel Soul

In honor of Black History Month, all are welcome to join us for the return of our Reel Soul movie series to view together this profoundly emotional and cinematic film about the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till. 

“Till”

View trailer at:

https://youtu.be/rkQi6GBwmSA

Friday—February 17^th    @ 7:00 PM

In the Parish House,

with refreshments and discussion to follow

Director Chinonye Chukwu (Clemency) travels back to the 1950s to tell the story of Mamie Till-Mobley, the Chicago woman whose son, Emmett Till, was lynched while visiting cousins in Mississippi and whose body became an indelible image of the horrors of American racism. Employing a direct, unflinching, yet sensitive gaze, Chukwu has created the definitive drama of this woman's grief and resilience, and in an astonishing performance, Danielle Deadwyler captures both a mother's indescribable heartbreak and her inspiring ascension to the role of civil rights activist. Till is a momentous reminder of an ever-present tragedy.

A Powerful story about voter suppression in the Jim Crow South: This video was prepared by Trinity UCC in Chicago and is entitled "Otis's Dream" about the determined effort by the grandfather of Otis Moss, III, to register to

vote:      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyctjUB2z8g       

Notes from our Worker Justice Minister—

Standing in Solidarity With

Dartmouth Student Workers

by Gail Kinney

Dartmouth’s Dining Services student workers – who officially formed a union as of March 30, 2022 in a unanimous vote conducted by the National Labor Relations Board – still don’t have a first contract with Dartmouth College management. The students’ frustration (outrage, even) is mounting, and their angst is palpable. But their resolve is strong. If the Dartmouth administration dares to claim that “money concerns” are what stands in the way of negotiating a fair contract for the student workers, then the administration ought to fully disclose exactly how much they are spending to get union negotiations direction from the Boston law firm Morgan, Brown & Joy – a union-unfriendly firm that specifically highlights its expertise in “protect(ing) corporate interests.” With our church in the lead, NH’s budding Faith & Labor collaboration, has continued to connect with the students’ union, the Student Worker Collective at Dartmouth. Here are excerpts from our recent written message to them:

As you go about your work and your daily lives as students, you may not be aware that there are hundreds of people within the Faith community and the Labor community in New Hampshire who care deeply about you. Ever since you first began organizing your union, we have been thinking about you and talking about your plight and wanting to support you in your labor struggle. Please know that there are countless individuals whose names and faces you may never know who still stand in solidarity with you as you face the challenges of negotiating a FAIR contract….

(It seems that) you already are experiencing…the kind of classic union-busting that comes from anti-union law firms and is enabled by employers…who hire such firms. Their anti-worker efforts are classic. The idea is to stall and delay the settlement of a fair first contract in a way that discourages and demoralizes (union) members (and)…creates division…that will cause some workers to question the value of the union. But please don’t allow these anti-union, anti-student worker forces to manipulate you into discouragement or despair. Please don’t allow the forces you are up against to divide you and thus weaken you….

The most important element of strength in this struggle is SOLIDARITY: Solidarity among SWCD members. Solidarity between you and your many community allies. Solidarity in proudly standing behind whatever actions you, as union members, decide to take to advance your interests and address your concerns as workers. You are on the right side of the worker fight for dignity, respect and fair wages. You are on the right side of history. You have friends and comrades in the community. You have shown courage and brilliance to get where you are – and, believe me, you are truly an inspiration to your elders who believe in fair play and worker justice.

We want to stand with you. We want to raise our voices with you. We will try to show up when and where we are needed. Your struggle is our struggle. Your injury is our injury. We are One. So…Let us march forward together!

If you, dear reader, happen to be eating in a Dartmouth café or dining hall, please thank – and show solidarity with – a student worker (and also with the non-student dining services workers who are members of SEIU #560). Such a gesture will truly matter

2023 History of

Racial Injustice Calendars

Equal Justice Initiative challenges racial and economic injustice and provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in jails and prisons. Their 2023 Calendar is a full-color wall version that includes hundreds of historical entries and 12 short essays highlighting historical events and issues in our nation's racial history. Available in the church office or by request.  

Above are some of the folk with whom we were privileged to view the premier of "Wakanda Forever," courtesy of Shideko Terai, who also took this photo of our Co-Pastors with the Chair of our Conference Antiracism Ministry, Harriet Ward.

"Now, more than ever,

the illusions of division

threaten our very existence...

We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us.

But in times of crisis

the wise build bridges,

while the foolish build barriers.

We must find a way

to look after one another,

as if we were one single tribe."

-         Black Panther

Steve Beaupre' faithfully rings our church bell

each Wednesday afternoon at 4;00 PM as a clarion call to

our Community BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigil

Thank you, Steve!!

 We are continuing our Showing Up for Racial Justice BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigils each Wednesday afternoon, now happening from 3:30 to 4:00 PM (note later time due to longer days) on the SouthWest corner of the intersection of Rte 120 & Main Street (at the blinking traffic light). We have “BLACK LIVES MATTER” signs available for folk to hold, but please feel free to make and/or bring your own signs.

  Come join us in “showing up for racial justice,” and Standing for  LOVE, and AGAINST racism, white supremacy, hatred, and violence, here in our community and beyond!  Together, let us publicly declare that we will NOT be complicit in white terror, and let us call our friends and neighbors to rise up with us in our resolute affirmation of the inherent and sacred value of us all within Beloved Community. 

Invitation to join the 

Windsor County NAACP

          A group of residents in Windsor County are working to form a Windsor County NAACP Branch. For certification as an NAACP Branch we need to enroll 100 new NAACP members on our Membership forms. Members may be from any geographical location. All members 18 and older will be voting members of the Branch with only Windsor County residents eligible for elected leadership positions (as defined in Constitution). 

        The NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, established in 1909 is our oldest and largest civil rights organization. It was started in New York by white and black activists partially in response to violence against African Americans, particularly lynching. Today it has over 2000 Branches and half a million members worldwide.

           According to the NAACP Constitution it was founded on the beliefs embodied in the Constitution of the United States of America.... (its) vision and mission (are) to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination and to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

       To become a member contact Rayann802@gmail.com; for more information contact miriamcwood@gmail.com.

STATE

Rep. Margaret Drye

1136 Rt. 12A

Plainfield, NH 03781

Phone: 603-675-9159

Email: margaret.dry@leg.state.nh.us

Rep. Bill Palmer

603-675-2117

Email wpalmernh@gmail.com

Sen. Suzanne Prentiss

Legislative Office Building, Room 102

33 State Street

Concord, NH 03301

Phone: 603-271-3092

Email: Suzanne.Prentiss@leg.state.nh.us