October 12th Weekly Word

Community Supper

Baked Potato Bar

This Saturday,

October 15

4:00-6:00pm


We will be holding our next Community Supper this Saturday, 10/15 from 4:00-6:00pm. Please plan to come and to bring your friends!


We always can use donations to help keep the costs of the dinners down so everyone who wants or needs a meal, can attend. Anything you can provide is greatly appreciated. There is a signup sheet in the office. Cash or Market Basket Gift Cards are also an easy way to contribute and can be dropped off with Suzanne in the office.


Help for setting up, serving and clean-up is always appreciated as well. 


Thank you - Your Community Meal Group

Help Wanted Join Our Team

Search Team Members Needed

for Hiring a New Church Administrator


The Operations Team is looking for people to be part of the search team to help with candidate selection to fill the Church Administrator position.


If you are interested in being a member of this search team, please reach out to Chris McCune or contact the church office.

Blessing of the Animals


Please join us this Sunday, October 16th 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 2:30pm.


We invite you to bring your pets on leashes or in carriers, or bring a picture of your pet to be blessed. Please pass the word on to your neighbors and friends. 


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.

Grace in Action

A Message from the Stewardship Team


This week is the official beginning of our Stewardship season. Over the next few weeks, throughout the month of October, you will be hearing from your Stewardship Team and Rev Kathy.


Grace in Action is our chosen Stewardship theme this year. When I recently Googled Grace, I found some theological definitions and a few simple easy to understand versions of Grace.  Grace is another word for a short prayer we say before a meal. What resonated with me was the following which Google referenced from the website www.sheisamessage.com:


"When we show grace to others, it's about showing kindness to someone else even when they don't deserve it. Grace is going out of our way to give your compassion, kindness and love to someone even if they might not appreciate it, or return the favour"


If nothing else, Grace seems to promote the Golden Rule from Matthew (7:12): “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…", or “Treat other people with the concern and kindness you would like them to show toward you”. How we go about our daily activities says a lot about our individual lives and how we share our wealth as a sign of our compassion, kindness, love and respect for each other.


God calls us to be good stewards. Jesus told his disciples not to worry when more came then they had food for. Somehow enough food and wine appeared to satisfy the masses that came. God has been generous to us. Please consider how you can return the favor.

New Updates to Our Web Site


We've been working on more updates to our website and we now have an entire section dedicated to information on our Capital Campaign.


Take a few minutes and check out the new pages here.


We will continually update this section on our website throughout the campaign.

Newspaper

New Timeline for Submitting Community Newspaper Stories


We recently learned that the Carriage Towne News has changed their deadline for submitting stories for publication.


Please have any stories you want published in the local newspapers into the Church office by Thursdays at 9AM for publication the next week.

Donation Statements

2022 Q3 Statements



Tomorrow, 10/13 we will send out the 2022 Q3 Donation Statements.


Where we have an email address, we will email your statement. If we don't have an email address, we will USPS mail your statement.


If you don't get your statement, please contact the office and we will work on getting your copy to you.

Help Wanted

Looking for a Church Member

Willing to be our Auditor


Do you like doing analysis? If so, maybe you can help us out. 


The Operations Team is looking for a church member who will be willing to be our auditor.


If you might be interested, please reach out to the church office and we will get you in touch with the correct people so you can learn more about this important church role.

Hampstead Senior Citizens Holiday Dinner

Sunday, 12/4 @ 1:00pm

Hampstead Middle School Gymnasium



Hampstead NH Seniors 62+, the Hampstead Recreation Commission is happy to announce that they are bringing back the Senior holiday dinner - IN PERSON!!


They are so excited to see you all and bring back this cherished event to kick off the holiday season!


Dinner will be roasted Turkey, potatoes, stuffing, vegetable, rolls and a dessert.




To get a ticket you will need valid proof of residency and $5, the dates and times to get tickets are:

Wednesday, October 19th • 4pm-5pm at the Meeting House

OR

At the Town hall during Town Clerk’s hours starting Thursday, October 20th through Thursday, November 17th*


*The deadline for purchasing tickets is November 17, 2022 or when all 325 tickets are sold. You must have a ticket to attend this event.


For questions, please email Angie Ingraham at [email protected]

Hampstead Monthly Town Newsletter


Did you know you can get the electronic Hampstead Town Newsletter sent to your email? The Hampstead Communications Committee has worked hard to get a monthly, electronic newsletter together for people to receive.


Information such as the article above on the Christmas Dinner for Seniors is just one example of items in the town newsletter.


If you would like to sign up for the Town Newsletter, please visit this link and check off the box next to "Communication Committee" in the "News or Announcement" section. You can also select other areas of interest to stay up-to-date on Hampstead Happenings.

A Message from

St. Anne's Food Pantry

Special Thanksgiving Distribution &

We are here if you need us


Is buying food a struggle? With all the prices being raised in the grocery stores, it is a struggle for many.


St. Anne's Food Pantry, is here for you when you need help, even if it is just a temporary need. If you are a resident of Hampstead, East Hampstead, Sandown, Danville, Atkinson or you are a member of St. Anne's Church, you are welcome!


We welcome you as friends. You pick out your own products, including fresh produce, deli, bread, desserts, meats and many grocery staples.


Everything is confidential.


Our hours are every Thursday 9:30AM-Noon & 5PM-6:30PM. Please note there are Special Hours for Thanksgiving and the Pantry is closed Thursday, 11/24. A special Thanksgiving distribution occurs on Saturday, 11/19 - you must register for this special Thanksgiving Distribution starting this Thursday, 10/13 with a deadline to register by Thursday, 11/10.


The Food Pantry is located behind the church at 26 Emerson Ave in Hampstead.

Feel free to contact Jacki Colburn, one of the Food Pantry volunteers at [email protected]

The Steeple will be Lit


October 17 - October 30


In honor of Rebecca Rivers life

Looking to get involved?


The Fundraising Team could use an extra team member or two.


It seems like a lot of work, but it is more about delegating than anything else. This past year we ran two very successful events including the Food Truck Festival and the Strawberry Festival, and are preparing for the upcoming Christmas Festival.


There are one or two people who spearhead each event. For example, Roxanne McGaffigan leads the Food Truck Festival. Ellen McCune and Barbara Wallack lead the two craft fairs. We have become very efficient in running each event because of lessons from our past experience, and of course the amazing support of our wonderful members.


We are on target for making $15,000 for the church, our best year yet!


We have meetings on an as needed basis, with many conducted via Zoom or through text. It is an exciting, fun, and very rewarding team that we hope you will consider joining. If you are interested, or have any questions, you can contact Ellen McCune or Barbara Wallack. We can answer any questions you may have.


We thank you for your consideration.

The Fundraising Team




Worship This Week



Please join us in our Sanctuary

or online at 10am for the

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost


Coffee hour will be held in Hadley Hall after the service.  We hope you will join us.


The service will be live streamed through Facebook Live here or on 3CX here.



artwork: Transforming Fire © Mary Southard

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month


Domestic violence (also called intimate partner

violence) exists in every community and increased during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Most of us know

someone who has experienced partner violence which includes physical and sexual violence, stalking, psychological aggression, or emotional manipulation. And women are not the only victims. 


This article from UCC, Getting to the Root gives some answers to the question “What can we, as churches, do about this?” The first is to recognize that even folks who attend church may be experiencing domestic violence and we need to provide a safe space for them – listen to them without judgement or advice. A resource is available on how to provide support. Second, we can break the silence by including the topic in worship services and supporting campaigns like Thursdays in Black. Third, we can partner with local women’s shelters and organizations that support survivors through missions and extend this to global efforts of the same. Finally, we need to support efforts to teach our children to have healthy relationships. One way is through the Our Whole Lives curriculum.


Blessings,

Debra

The Music Corner by Herb Tardiff

There are some fabulous musicians in this world who can do things that most people would find impossible. Take for instance, Jonathan Scott, an English organist who arranges musical classics.


One such performance is “Overture to Tannhauser” by Richard Wagner. In his arrangement, Jonathan Scott plays both feet on the pedal board, plays the left hand on the lower keyboard and plays the right hand on the upper keyboard and uses his thumb on a lower keyboard to play the melody, essentially doing 5 things at once. I would invite you to watch Jonathan Scott playing “Tannhauser” with the link above.

Upper Room Devotional




We have copies of the November/December Hall. If you need a copy mailed to you, please contact the main office.

October Birthdays



We are continuing to only list first names and last initial to minimize scamming issues with personal information being shared via electronic documents.



Lloyd T 10/2

Carolyn C 10/3

Karen C 10/5

Jackie L 10/6

Eric K 10/15

Judy D 10/26

Marcy M 10/31



If you would like your birthday recognized, please call the office to make sure we have it in our records!

New Hampshire Conference UCC Weekly News



We thought you might enjoy reading the NH Conference UCC weekly newsletter. You can read it with this link.


10/11/22 Newsletter


Each week, we will update this section of our Weekly Word with the new link for the current newsletter.

Missions Opportunities:

Food Drive to Support

Saint Anne Ecumenical Food Pantry





The current needs for the Food Pantry are:



Hearty Meaty Soups(Chunky, Progresso), Grated cheese, jelly, salad dressings, bottles of juice, pasta sauce


Please drop off any donations in the foyer of Hadley Hall


Thank you for all your support!

Next volunteer opportunity will be next, Wednesday, October 26th. If you are interested in volunteering, you can contact Jane DeRosa via email  at [email protected].

Volunteer @ Soup Kitchen

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.


Blankets for Project Linus

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!
Connect on Facebook
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!

We are now on Instagram!
If you are on Instagram, please follow us, and let your friends know about us by sharing our posts! Click this link

Scam Emails & Texts


Emails and Texts 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/text--she'll address it to your name. She will never ask you for money/gift cards over email nor via a text.


Also, any email from Pastor Kathy will always have her signature line on the bottom with her phone number/address.


If in doubt, please contact the church office or Pastor Kathy.

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 ([email protected]) 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!
Our Mailing Address:
61 Main Street
Hampstead, NH 03841
Church Summer Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9:00am to Noon
Hampstead Congregational Church Website
Facebook