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Worship This Week
Please join us
in the Sanctuary
or online at 10am for the
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Coffee hour will be held
after the service.
The service will be live streamed
on Facebook Live here
or on 3CX here
Reader: Rick Little
Coffee Hour Hosts:
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Rev Paige's Corner: Finding Balance
Fiction is at its best when it speaks names deep truths. Because I spend a lot of time in my car, I often listen to audio books. One that I read recently was by Catherine Ryan Hyde titled "Have You Seen Luis Velez?" It was about a youth who befriended and was helping an older woman living in his building. The woman was a survivor of the Holocaust. He was trying to help a friend dealing with a trauma. One day he asked her advice about how to keep perspective. She offered these words: “The world will still be a place where people do terrible things. But here’s the thing about despair. We fall into despair when the terrible gangs up on us and we forget the world can also be wonderful. We just see terrible everywhere we look. So, what you do for your friend is you bring up the wonderful, so both are side by side. The world is terrible and wonderful at the same time. One doesn’t negate the other, but the wonderful keeps us in the game. It keeps us moving forward. And I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Raymond, but that’s as good as the world is going to get.”
I found this very helpful as I struggle with feelings of horror around the news. (I have read too many stories this week about kids who are starving to death in Gaza.) I think it is important to bear witness to such suffering and to try to work for change. I think it is important not to ignore and deny such suffering. But when it overwhelms us into despair, that is not a healthy balance, either. So, I keep looking for beauty, for compassion, and for love at work around us.
This is, I think, modelled in our scriptures. The Psalms, particularly, reflect a wide range of experience and emotion - often from one verse to the next. A spiritual director once suggested when I was struggling to find words for prayer that I begin reading the Psalms and keep going until I found one that gave expression to what I was feeling. (I didn't have to go too far.)
With blessings!
Rev Paige Besse-Rankin
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Rest in Peace Claire Hubley
Long-time devoted HCC member, Claire Hubley, passed away on May 15, 2025, at the incredible age of 100. As most of you know, Claire was an important part of our HCC community and was so loved. Our deepest condolences go out to her daughter Dale, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren.
A Memorial service was held here at Hampstead Congregational Church, 61 Main Street Hampstead, NH 03841 on May 22 at 10:00AM. Interment will be private and at the convenience of the family in the Pine Grove Cemetery, Salem, NH.
Click here for Claire's Obituary
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"Walk Through Church History"
Last Sunday was the "Walk Through Church History" event after worship. What a great experience!
Thank you to everyone who helped out! The props you all brought really made the presentation gel. From Bob Turner as Constantine I with his "crown", to Al Lake as John Wycliffe with his 1750's (when HCC was founded!) family bible.
Thank you ALL for your contributions!
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HELP WANTED
STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL - JUNE 7, 2025
We are just a few weeks away from our annual Strawberry Festival and our volunteer sheet IS starting to fill up. If you have already signed up to help, we thank you. If not, we still have some empty spaces that could use your help. They are as follows.
MANNING TABLES
Saturday Bake Table: 12-3pm
Plant table 830am to 12 pm and 12 to 3pm
Strawberry Short Cake Table: 12 – 3pm
Games and Yard Sale table: anytime between 8:30 and 3pm
Clean up:3pm
We also need plants, bake sale items, raffle items, and yard sale items.
So far no one has volunteered to coordinate the yard sale table. Basically, your job would be to price the items. You don’t even have to man the table. Pricing can be done at any time before the 7th. Someone from the Fundraising Team will help if needed.
Please contact the office to sign up for any of these slots or call/email Barbara Wallack at 603-548-8324 or bsw91@comcast.net Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Fundraising will be having a meeting this Sunday after worship in the Library. All are welcome!
The Fundraising Team
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Summer Office Hours Begin June 9th
Just a reminder that the summer office hours will begin on Monday, June 9th until August 31st.
Office hours will be:
Monday 9am-12pm
Wednesday 9am-12pm
Thursday 9am-1pm
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In keeping with our monthly recognition of volunteers, this month Staff Relations would like to recognize the Peace and Justice Team. This team, consisting of Deb Sawyer and Kari Allard, brings to light the social and environmental issues facing not just our country, but our communities as well. And more importantly, they are providing us with the necessary steps that we can take to help out with these issues, not only as a church but as individuals, and showing our love for one another as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. I know that speaking for myself, I hear of these issues and automatically think, “But what I can do to help?”. But their suggestions bring forth a way for us to be able to do something tangible, instead of simply feeling there is nothing that we can do.
Many thanks to the Peace and Justice Team!
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MOTHER’S DAY DIAPER DRIVE
In honor of Mother’s Day, Hampstead Congregational Church will be collecting diapers & wipes (especially sizes 4,5,&6) to benefit MANCHESTER DIAPER PANTRY
Please drop off donations in the foyer of
Hampstead Congregational Church
61 Main Street, Hampstead, NH
We will be accepting donations throughout the entire month of May*
*Recent government cuts and loss of storage space has Manchester Diaper Pantry currently raising money for a mobile storage unit that will allow them to continue to purchase, collect, and store their donations and also help them reach more families in need. If you would like to make a monetary donation, please make a note that it is for the Diaper Drive.
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A Message for Plant Enthusiasts
It is finally spring, and the young perennials are popping up in the gardens. Consider dividing your perennials now and potting up a portion of them for sale at the Strawberry Festival. Right now, the tops are small, and the roots are strong. Potting them now and caring for them will give us full, beautiful, unstressed plants for the sale. Please label your plants with any information you can: type, variety, color, anything is helpful.
Houseplants are also popular now. Do you have something from which you could take cuttings and start new little plants? Succulent type plants like Christmas Cactus, should be cut, then let to air dry and callus over for a few days before sticking them into a well-drained soil. If you know the name or color of your plant, please label it. If you have questions about propagating, feel free to ask me. Kariallard1@msn.com Maybe you have more houseplants than you need these days. Consider donating healthy plants that are taking up too much room, or of which you have duplicates. All donations of healthy plants are appreciated.
Many thanks in advance from the Strawberry Festival Plant Table Team!
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The CROP Hunger Walk is back on Sunday June 1st! We are happy to announce that, after a hiatus, the Hampstead/Atkinson/Plaistow CROP Hunger Walk is coming back. HCC was a longtime supporter of this event, and we are looking forward to being involved again.
We have started a team if you would like to walk and/or fundraise. You can also get involved by making a donation to our team to support this wonderful cause.
To make a donation or find out more about the walk please visit https://events.crophungerwalk.org/crophungerwalks/event/hampsteadnh
In the coming weeks we will be talking more about this wonderful event that helps raise funds to provide meals for people in our local communities as well as around the world. Stay tuned for more details about the walk and how you can help.
It will be a fun day with the walk starting at 1 pm at St. Christopher’s, East Road, Hampstead. Light refreshments and a silent auction with items such as local gift cards, gift baskets, and art items will be offered at the walk.
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HCC Today and Tomorrow! May 31 at the Meetinghouse
As we continue our Interim work and begin preparations for our pastoral search, we want to take time to focus in on our visions and goals for the church in the days ahead. We are hoping to have a broad conversation involving as many stakeholders in church life as is possible.
We promise fun, fellowship and food will be part of the mix!
HCC Today and Tomorrow will be held on Saturday, May 31st at the Hampstead Meetinghouse from 9am to 1pm. Refreshments will be served.
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Save the Dates! Upcoming Events
May 31st - HCC Today & Tomorrow Retreat at the Hampstead Meetinghouse
June 1 – Crop Walk at 1pm
June 7 – Strawberry Festival at 9am
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Peace & Justice
I saw a “You Love to See It” article from The Lever today about private equity in health care. Wait, I've been telling you that PE is bad for health care because those investors sell off assets, cut funding, drive staff away, and raise prices. That is still the case. But this article was about how some states are beginning to legislate some restrictions on private equity management practices in regards to the Healthcare sector. One key piece in Pennsylvania legislation is that the attorney-general can prohibit a purchase based on how the new management will affect the community. These state level actions seem to be in response to a report (see link) from the National Institute of Health Care Healthcare.
Blessings, Debra
NIHCM report
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Music Corner by Herb Tardiff
By Aaron Green
Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” was composed in 1824, in the final movement of his last, and arguably most famous, symphony: Symphony No. 9. The premiere took place in Vienna on May 7, 1824, and despite its unpracticed and under-rehearsed presentation, the audience was ecstatic. It was the first time Beethoven had appeared on stage in 12 years.
At the end of the performance (though some sources say it could have been after the 2nd movement), it was that Beethoven continued conducting even though the music had ended. One of the soloists stopped him and turned him around to accept his applause. The audience was well aware of Beethoven’s health and hearing loss, so in addition to clapping, they threw their hats and scarves in the air so that he could see their overwhelming approval.
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Saint Anne's Food Pantry
Thank you all who continue to donate food for St. Anne’s Food Pantry! They have updated their needs list: Salad dressings, Coffee, Mayonnaise, Cans of Grated Cheese, Flour, Sugar, Gluten Free Items, Juice Boxes, Spices, Cereal (no oatmeal).
St. Anne’s Food Pantry has also updated their Amazon Wish List in addition to listing items here.
Please no expired items. Non-perishable items only.
Drop off is in the foyer of Hadley Hall.
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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.
5/20/2025 Newsletter
Each week, we will update this section of our Weekly Word with the new link
for the current newsletter.
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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!
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| Help Us Continue Our Mission at HCC | |
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
Church Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9:00am to 2 pm
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Hampstead Congregational Church Website
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