Worship This Week

Please join us

in the Sanctuary

or online at 10am for the

World Communion Sunday

Coffee hour will be held

after the service

in Hadley Hall

The service will be live streamed

on Facebook Live here

or on 3CX here

Reader: Debra Sawyer

Coffee Hour Host: Linda Tilden & Pam McGravey

Rev Paige's Corner: World Communion Sunday

This week, we are observing World Communion Sundy in Worship.  The first celebration occurred at Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1933 where Dr. Hugh Thompson Kerr served as pastor. The idea spread slowly at first. Rev Kerr explained how it took off some years later: "It was during the Second World War that the spirit caught hold, because we were trying to hold the world together. World Wide Communion symbolized the effort to hold things together, in a spiritual sense. It emphasized that we are one in the Spirit and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

As we come to the table on Sunday, we are invited to celebrate our connection with Christians coming to the table all around the world. As part of that celebration, we invite you to bring any symbols or items representing a connection that you have to another part of the world.

UCC poet, artist and pastor Jan Richardson shared this poetic reflection:

"And we will open our hands

to the feast

without shame.

And we will turn

toward each other

without fear.

And we will give up

our appetite

for despair.

And we will taste

and know

of delight."

With blessings!

Rev Paige Besse-Rankin

Join us for Fun, Fellowship & Food!

The Transition Team is hosting 4 parties:. Our first two were great fun and had some helpful conversations! A third is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct 15. Our online party is being rescheduled. If you are interested, please be in touch with the office or Rev Paige. The date will be set up to meet the needs of participants.

Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida late on Thursday, September 26, as a category four storm empowered by high water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, bringing a devastating 20-foot storm surge and 140 mph winds. After landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, the storm proceeded northeast into Georgia, western South Carolina, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee as a category 1 storm. As of this appeal, 100 people have been confirmed dead, with this number expected to rise as flood waters recede. 

As of Monday, September 30, over 2 million customers are in the storm’s impact area without power. Accuweather estimates that Helene has caused between $145 and $160 billion in damage, which is also likely to rise. The magnitude of damage combined with the geography of the impacted area further exacerbates and complicates what is certain to be an extended recovery process. 

Due to power outages, disabled roadways, and remaining flood waters, the full extent of the damage is still being realized. Two United Church of Christ church buildings on Florida’s Gulf Coast suffered significant flood damage because of the catastrophic storm surge, and a third experienced damage due to high winds and heavy rain. 

We continue to communicate with conference staff in the Southern, Southeast, and Florida Conferences as they work to contact local congregations and become aware of their needs.

As we continue to pray for and support those who have experienced unimaginable loss this past week, we invite you to support the UCC’s recovery efforts in the following ways: 

Hurricane Helene Recovery Appeal: The National Ministries of the United Church of Christ has a long history of supporting communities as they recover from disaster and their plight fades from the headlines. Your support of this appeal will ensure that communities are supported and accompanied for years as they rebuild.

Crisis Cleanup phone banking: One of the greatest needs in the aftermath of a catastrophic disaster is situational awareness and information gathering. Crisis Cleanup is looking for volunteers to help input cases into their dashboard. This dashboard is used by response organizations to efficiently coordinate and deploy immediate resources. If you are interested in this remote volunteer opportunity, please sign up  here.

Hygiene and Cleanup Bucket assembly: One of the biggest requests is the need for cleanup buckets. UCC congregations interested in assembling cleanup buckets are eligible for a matching grant through the Global HOPE office. Link for clean up buckets

You can also mail a check made payable to the United Church of Christ, PO BOX 71957 Cleveland, OH 44194. Please be sure to note “Hurricane Helene” in your check's memo section.

Thank you for your assistance in helping families and communities who are in great need in the aftermath of Helene. Your heartfelt support will make a difference.

Neighbors In Need Offering - Oct 6

The Neighbors in Need offering, which we will receive on October 6, supports the UCC’s ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC’s Love of Church Unit to fund a wide array of local and national justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects. Through the national Love of Church Unit, https://tinyurl.com/2bfytatb, you can find resources, news updates, and action alerts on a broad spectrum of justice issues. Working with members of the UCC Justice and Peace Action Network (a network of thousands of UCC justice and peace advocates), the Love of Church Unit continues its strong policy advocacy work on issues such as the federal budget, voting rights, immigration, health care, hate crimes, civil liberties, and environmental justice. Neighbors in Need also supports our American Indian neighbors in the UCC. One-third of the offering supports the UCC’s Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM). Historically, forebears of the UCC established churches and worked with Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arickara, and Hocak in North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, and northern Nebraska. Today there are 20 UCC congrega­tions on reservations and one urban, multi-tribal UCC congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. These churches and their pastors are supported by CAIM. CAIM is also an invaluable resource for more than 1,000 individuals from dozens of other tribes and nations who are members of other UCC congregations in the U.S.

With your assistance, we together can help our Neighbors in Need. Please give generously.

Save the Date for a Transition Talk: Sunday, October 13 following Worship

Join us for lunch and discussion as we look at the scope of our pastoral position moving forward. Do we have the resources to continue with a full-time position? What are the options for part-time pastorates? These are questions that need to be resolved before a Search Committee can begin working. We want to share some information and get your input.

Would you like to learn about church membership?

We are organizing a New Members Class for October. This is a chance to learn about what membership means, what Hampstead Congregational Church is all about, a bit about the United Church of Christ, and more. If you ae interested, please speak with the pastor, sign up in Hadley Hall, or use this link to express interest:

Click to sign up for New Member's Class!

Pastoral Letter regarding Haiti

(In her sermon last week, Rev Paige referenced a pastoral letter received last week and shared an excerpt. Here is the complete letter.)

A Joint Statement on the Current Crisis in Haiti

September 26, 2024

"Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." - Isaiah 1:17

Our hearts are heavy with concern for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. A land known for its resilient spirit is now gripped by an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, characterized by rampant gang violence and deep-rooted political instability. As followers of Christ, we cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of our Haitian neighbors; instead, we are called to respond with compassion, solidarity, and action.

The situation in Haiti is dire, with recent months witnessing continued violence and bloodshed despite the arrival of U.S.-backed Kenyan police in June. Ongoing gang attacks targeting vital infrastructure, including police stations, prisons, schools, hospitals, and religious sites, have instilled fear and chaos across the nation.

According to the most recent human rights report from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), at least 1,379 people were killed or injured, and another 428 kidnapped from April to June 2024, pushing the death toll for this year over 3200. This violence has also left more than 1.5 million people internally displaced, representing over 10% of the total population.

Amidst this turmoil, it is the most vulnerable who bear the brunt of the suffering. Children are at risk, with reports indicating that 30 to 50 percent of armed groups in Haiti have minors in their ranks. Over 400 grave human rights violations against children have been verified, and more than 180,000 children are internally displaced, facing the threat of severe malnutrition and deprivation. With over 3 million children in need of humanitarian assistance, the situation has been described by UNICEF as “catastrophic.”

The words of our Global Ministries partners offer a heart-wrenching glimpse of their daily experience amid this turmoil. “Every day that goes by the violence is increasing more and more,” they’ve shared. “The gangs have more weapons, they are more arrogant, they kidnap more and more, and they make more victims. Fear and stress are our daily bread. Misery looms over most of the population.”

As people of faith, we confess that the United States bears a significant responsibility for the influx of weapons into Haiti, as highlighted in a recent UN report. Sophisticated firearms, including handguns and higher-powered rifles, are being trafficked into Haiti from the United States, particularly from states with lax firearm laws like Florida, Texas, and Georgia. The ease with which firearms are bought by weapons traffickers in the United States and transported to Haiti, in staggering numbers, must be addressed.

Recent events in Springfield, Ohio, where Haitian immigrants are being cruelly targeted with anti-immigrant, racist rhetoric and threats, raise the plight of Haitians again. In their homeland and in our own country, our Haitian neighbors are in desperate need of our support, prayer, and advocacy.

We call on the United States government and the international community to prioritize the well-being of the Haitian people and to create space for Haitians to address the root causes of the crisis. Although crucial now, humanitarian assistance alone will not address the underlying systemic issues in Haiti. Structural solutions are required to resolve the crisis. The international community must allow and support Haiti in navigating its own political landscape and focus on empowering Haitian society to build a sustainable political foundation for the future. The Haitian people must have the opportunity to shape their own destiny.

Together, let us stand in solidarity with Haiti, offering our prayers, resources, and advocacy to alleviate their suffering and pave the way for a more just and peaceful future. Let us heed the words of Isaiah, to seek justice, aid the oppressed, and defend the orphan and widow.

As we pray together for peace and justice,

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson

General Minister and President

United Church of Christ

Rev. Teresa Hord Owens

General Minister and President

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Rev. Shari Prestemon

Acting Associate General Minister

United Church of Christ

Co-Executive, Global Ministries

Rev. Dr. LaMarco Cable

President of Disciples Overseas Ministries

Co-Executive, Global Ministries