September 29th Weekly Word
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Worship This Week
Please join us in the sanctuary or online at 10am for World Communion Sunday
Please bring a cracker/bread and water/juice for celebrating communion
As we pledge in our covenant, we recommend that everyone who attends in-person worship on Sunday mornings wear a mask during the entire service.
The service will be live-streamed through Facebook Live here or on 3CX here.
Following the service, all are invited to an outdoor coffee hour! "Goodies" will be on a table outside of Hadley Hall. There will be chairs available for those who would like to sit.
We are also looking for volunteers to read scripture at worship, and/or to help with coffee hour prep and cleanup. If you can help, please contact the Church Office or sign up after service.
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Blessing of the Animals
Please join us on Sunday, October 3rd in front of the Church, for a Blessing of the Animals! There will be a short prayer at 1pm, but you can drop by anytime between 1pm and 2:15pm.
We invite you to bring your pets on leashes or in carriers, or bring a picture of your pet to be blessed.
Pets are one of our greatest gifts, especially in these challenging days, and we want to take time to celebrate and show our gratitude for them.
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NH UCC Annual Conference Meeting
Please consider attending the Annual NH Conference UCC Meeting on Saturday, October 17th from 9am-2pm via Zoom.
Each UCC congregation is encouraged to have three delegates participate--so we are in need of folks to represent our church! This is a great way to get to know the larger UCC, and to have our voice heard.
Please let Pastor Kathy know if you are interested, and register by October 4 here: UCC Meeting website. Cost is $25.
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Clothing Drive to Support
Epilepsy Foundation and HCC
Now Thru The End Of November
The Fundraising and Missions Teams have joined together to host a Clothing Drive Fundraiser to support Epilepsy Foundation New England (EFNE) and also raise funds for our church.
Simply clean out your closet and ask your friends, family, and neighbors to do the same. You will be decluttering, recycling, and doing good all at the same time!
Clothing drives account for more than 50% of the EFNE budget so they can really use our help. We in turn get paid for every pound of clothes we collect!
Wondering how much can be raised through used clothing? Global Goods Foundation raised $650 for community-based projects. Weare Middle School raised a whopping $6,700 for their 8th grade class trip. And thanks to Barbara Dennis, we already have 191 pounds of clothing donated to us from the Hampstead Library Thrift Store.
What are we looking for? First and foremost, all items must be clean and in good condition. They include the following:
• Clothing
• Outerwear
• Footwear (shoes, boots, heels, etc.)
• Accessories (belts, socks, ties, scarves, hats, etc.
• Backpacks and handbags
• Costumes & dress-up clothes
• Household fabrics (bedding, sofa covers, tablecloths, towels, etc.)
Please place items in trash bags and leave them in the foyer of Hadley Hall at your convenience now thru the end of November. If you have a large quantity of bags, contact Barbara Wallack at 603-548-8326, and she will do her best to pick them up.
As always, we thank you for your support--
Fundraising Team and Mission Team
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A Glorious Day for Pastor Kathy's Installation Service
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A Word from Peace & Justice
Consumer Reports had an informative article about plastic recycling last week. Its tag line was "Think that all of what you toss in the recycling bin actually gets recycled? Think again."
If you are like me I don't have the energy to wonder about how effective the recycling provided by the waste pickup actually is. But, according to Consumer Reports, it turns out that only about 9% of the plastic put in the bin gets recycled. Most of what we are told will be accepted is thrown into landfills or incinerators. Really only the plastics labeled with a 1 or 2 are consistently recycled.
The article explains where most of the plastic goes and what steps individuals can take to limit plastic waste. Some of the suggestions are actually easy to do. Some maybe not always. Read the article here:
A handy reference sheet is in the article with links to information listed below:
MORE ON PLASTICS & RECYCLING
How to Quit Plastic
What's Gone Wrong With Plastic Recycling
How to Recycle Old Electronics
How to Eat Less Plastic
Most Plastic Products Contain Potentially Toxic Chemicals, Study Reveals
Also, we have a Hampstead resident, Darlene Cote, who collects plastic film and bags to recycle into benches for the town and trails. Here's the information from the FaceBook group, Hampstead Happenings:
"I wanted to ask your help with a volunteer effort I am running. I am collecting plastic for the Trex Community Recycling Program. For each 500 lbs of collected plastic, Trex will donate a four-foot composite bench. I am collecting plastic to have a benches donated for different public areas in Hampstead, including for the Hampstead Conservation trails. Many residents use the trails and could use a place to stop and enjoy the beauty of the woods.
These are everyday plastic items that many people just throw in the trash. The goal is to promote recycling and keep these items out of our landfills. Our benefit will be forever benches for the Hampstead community to enjoy.
The items that are accepted are:
Grocery and retail bags
Ziploc bags
Dry cleaning bags
Bread bags
Bubble wrap
Wood pellet bags
Produce bags
Ice bags
Case overwraps
Plastic shipping bags
Pallet wrap
Newspaper sleeves
Cereal bags
Salt bags
No cellophane or hard plastic. All plastic must be clean, dry, and free of food residue."
You can drop off plastic at Darlene's home at 30 Collins Drive East Hampstead (Blue house with black shutters). She has a recycling bin set up at the end of her driveway. If you are unable to drop off, FaceBook message her or call her at 378-0189 and she can pick up. Thanks for supporting the recycling efforts.
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Ad-hoc Team Forming for Building Capital Campaign
We are looking for some people who love our church and would be willing to help with a capital campaign to raise funds for renovation of the steeple and other building projects. Perhaps you have skills in marketing or fundraising, or are interested in historic preservation, or in making connections within our local community. Perhaps you simply love our church community and want it to thrive for decades to come! To learn more, to volunteer, or to share ideas, please contact Fred Malcolm (603-661-2418), fmalcolm2001@yahoo.com, or Pastor Kathy.
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Upper Room Summer Drive - Update
Thank you everyone for your continued generosity to the Mission Committee’s drives.
For the summer supply collection to benefit the Upper Room’s Summer Youth’s outdoor service projects, we collected a whopping amount of provisions comprised of: over 50 bottles of water, 300 individual snacks including cheese & crackers, fruit snacks, pudding cups, Pirate Booty, Goldfish, cookies, apple sauce, chips, and granola as well as 18 containers of sunscreen.
Again, THANK YOU, The Missions Committee
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Current Food Pantry Needs:
- muffin mix/quick bread mix
- cereal
- boxes of crackers
- grated cheese
- ketchup
- barbecue sauce
- canned ravioli
- beefaroni
- jelly - any flavor other than grape
- laundry detergent
- vegetable oil
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Food Drive to Support
Saint Anne Ecumenical Food Pantry
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Thank you ALL for your generous donations to our continuous drives!!
For October we are going to focus on the needs of St. Anne’s Food Pantry.
Thank you again for all your support!
Please drop off any donations in the foyer of Hadley Hall
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Next month we help serve on Wednesday, October 27 . Watch for the link to sign up.
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The Sonshine Soup Kitchen needs volunteers to prepare and package the food for "To Go Meals." We partner with Atkinson Congregational Church once a month on the 4th
Wednesday of the month to help out from 3-6pm.
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Blankets for Project Linus
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For those of you who have been busy sewing, quilting, knitting, or crocheting, we have an new opportunity to donate those handmade items!
We located a national organization that has local chapters called Project Linus (https://www.facebook.com/projectlinussouthwestnewhampshire/). This organization's mission is "to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans". Blankets are given to children in need through NH.
*We welcome all styles of blankets made in child-friendly colors/prints.
*Crocheted, knitted, quilted (100% cotton or flannel), fleece….you don’t have to be an expert!
*Blankets must be NEW, HANDMADE and WASHABLE.
*Fabric blankets can be quilted by machine, hand or tied. If you are tying the blanket make sure the ends are trimmed to 1” and the knots are secure.
*Please do not add any embellishments to the blankets such as buttons that could be swallowed by a child.
*If you are using a no-sew fleece pattern, please be sure to trim off both selvages FIRST. Not sure what selvages are? Ask the clerk who is cutting your fleece to please show you, they’re those odd looking edges at the top and bottom of the piece you have, sort of raggy looking.
*We accept all sizes of blankets. We donate to children, infants through teen years, so any size is appropriate. Baby blankets are typically 36”X36” or 36”X42”, toddler-pre-teen are typically about 40”X60”, and teen blankets are at least 60"X72".
Blankets can be dropped off in the entry way of Hadley Hall.
Thank you for your support of this project!
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Are you on Facebook? Do you follow Hampstead Congregational Church? Please like our page to know about all the great events in the church. Liking also supports our church when people check us out. If you are already connected, share our good news!
Rev. Kathy also has a page for all who are interested to follow.
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If you are on Instagram, please follow us, and let your friends know about us by sharing our posts! Click this link
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Scam Emails
Emails are often sent, saying they are from Pastor Kathy or another staff member. She (or the HCC staff) will never send out a generic email--she'll address it to your name. She will never ask you for money/gift cards over email.
Also, any email from Pastor Kathy will always have her signature line on the bottom with her phone number/address.
If in doubt, please call the church or send an email to pastorkathyucc@gmail.com.
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Want to get the word out about what’s happening at HCC? If you want to publicize your event or remind the congregation about something, please email the office (hcc1752@gmail.com) by Wednesday at noon so that your information can be included in that week’s Weekly Word. Feel free to send in information up to three weeks in advance of an upcoming event. We want all of the congregation (not just the Team leaders) to be empowered to get the word out about all the activities that are happening at Hampstead Congregational Church!
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Our Mailing Address:
61 Main Street
Hampstead, NH 03841
See what's happening on our social sites
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Hampstead Congregational Church Website
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