Rev Paige’s Corner: Terrible and Wonderful Together

   As one who spends a fair amount of time in the car, I have been very thankful for audio books to pass the time. When I first started in ministry, I would go to the library and check out books on tape – pretty much anything I hadn’t read since the collection wasn’t all that big. I wasn’t that fussy and, as a result, I discovered some wonderful authors along the way. Recently I have been listening to a lot of books by Catherine Ryan Hyde. While they are all fiction, I often find very quotable thought-provoking wisdom in the midst of the stories. In "Have You Seen Luis Velez?", a teen boy has gotten to know his elderly neighbor who is really struggling and needs some help. When he asks an adult in his life how to cope with the pain she is experiencing, he is told:  

“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.”

   One of the gifts of thanksgiving – both the holiday and act of prayer – is that it calls on us to keep watch for wonderful, even in the midst of struggle. It helps us balance our pains and griefs with recognition of the blessings and the beauty about us. It “keeps us in the game.”

Blessings!

Rev Paige Besse-Rankin

With volunteer help and equipment from Bob Moseley (Moseley Landscaping) and Dan Smart (Pete’s Toilet Rentals) and Chris McCune plus a handful of other church members, we made short work of the HUGE pile of shrub remains clogging the rear parking lot!

A Mission Opportunity Challenge

We are well aware that the number of individuals and families facing food insecurity is increasing.

Our challenge to the congregation is to meet this demand by helping restock the shelves in the pantry at Saint Anne's Charitable Outreach.

Every Sunday through November 23rd, please bring a canned good or other non-perishable food item to the church. Place these items on the alter as we watch our congregation meet this significant challenge of food insecurity.

Fall Clean-up This Saturday

Operations is requesting your help to clean up the church grounds before winter. Debris including leaves and fallen branches are primary targets. In addition, there are some areas inside the building such as the kitchen and under furniture that need to be addressed. If you have a rake, blower, pruners, a tarp, etc., bring them with you. The date is Saturday, November 15, 9am-12pm. Please see the task list on the bulletin board if you cannot make it Saturday. 

Greens Workshop

To make items for the Christmas Fair

Wednesday, December 3rd at 6:30pm

Get a few friends together and have a fun night of creating wreaths, swags and centerpieces with fresh evergreens, which we will then have for sale at the craft fair. Kari will guide provide guidance so even if you have never done it before, you will still have fun!

We will be looking for donations of cut evergreens. They can be left in the basement anytime up to a week before. Pine, arborvitae, holly, spruce, boxwood, mountain laurel,

all make great arrangements. Pinecones are also great!

We hope you can join us!

Please bring pruners, scissors and/or wire cutters to use.

Also, if anyone would like a ride, Linda Tilden has graciously offered to pick up and drive home anyone who isn't comfortable driving at night. Call or text her at 978-973-7681.

Need 2026 Offering Envelopes?

If you would like Offering Envelopes for 2026, please let Maria know in the office by either calling 603-329-6985 or email at HCC1752@gmail.com.

Please specify if you would like weekly or monthly envelopes, or something else. We can print to order.

Coming Events at

Atkinson Congregational Church

Help is Needed for the Craft Fair December 6th

Volunteer to man our tables. Shifts are for only two hours. Sign-up sheets are available in Hadley Hall or call HCC at 603-329-6985.

Things we need:

• Baked goods & Soup (We have containers to divide it.)

• Raffle Items like gift cards, theme baskets, kids’ items and homemade crafts. 

• Upscale gently used hidden gems. Leave items in the foyer at any time. 

As always, we are so grateful for your support whatever form it takes.  

Sincerely,

The Fund-Raising Team 

The Music Corner

by Herb Tardiff

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

As far as holiday traditions go, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is about as essential to the cozy November holiday as turkey and stuffing.

While it’s had some interruptions and mishaps along the way, the show has still managed to go on almost every year for nearly a century.

Let’s look back at five historical facts about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade:

The original store was about 20 blocks south on Sixth Avenue near 14th Street. Macy’s has been at its current flagship location, at Broadway and 34th Street, since 1902. Continuing expansion made the location what Macy’s called the “world’s largest store,” an entire city block with more than 1 million square feet of retail space.

In celebration, employees organized a Christmas parade in 1924 featuring “floats, bands, animals from the zoo and 10,000 onlookers,” according to a Macy’s history page. It also started way up at 145th Street. The parade concluded with Santa Claus and the unveiling of the store’s Christmas windows. Three years later, the Christmas Parade was renamed the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

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: Ensure, Coffee/Tea, Tuna Fish, Mayo, Jelly/Jam, Hamburger Helper, Protein Soups, Saltines/Ritz/Triscuits, Rice Pilaf, Spices, Salad Dressing, English Muffins, Brownie/Muffin/Cake Mixes, Nutrigrain Bars, Maple Syrup, Canned Chef Boyardee Items, Spam, Lunchbox Snacks.

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.

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.

11/11/2025 Newsletter

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

for the current newsletter.

Our Mailing address:

61 Main Street

Hampstead, NH 03841

Church Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9:00am to 3pm