March 14 9:00 a.m.

What is the best kept secret on the internet? South Church's worship service of course! We have an amazing gathered community every Sunday with inspiring music, supportive prayers, call to action, and an encouraging sermon, why not share it with someone? One of the advantages to online worship is the ease of which we can invite someone to join us for worship. It is just a matter of making a phone call to a friend and sharing the church's website link with them. Zoom a friend to worship on March 14! During our welcome and announcements we will ask for people to share in the chat box where they are from and celebrate who is the closest to the physical church building and who is the farthest away. The worship that Sunday will focus on commemorating the Bead Tapestry Project and remembering those who have passed on in NH due to COVID 19. Let's grow our church and share its gift to the world!

Lighting the Way

Prayer Journey: This Lent we will open the Sanctuary on Thursdays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. through Thursday, April 1. Individuals will be given 30 minutes to be in the Sanctuary to pray; embrace the Lenten season; and enjoy the warmth of being in the space.  If you are interested in being in the Sanctuary this Lenten season, you will need to register. Sign up here.  

Labyrinth Walk: The Labyrinth will be available this Lent three weeks prior to Easter from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. throughout the week. There will be one person at a time in the Fellowship Hall and you will be given 30 minutes to walk the labyrinth and pray. If you are interested in walking the Labyrinth this Lenten season, you will need to register. Click on the week you would like to participate in:



Labyrinth Walk Week 1 Labyrinth Walk Week 2 Labyrinth Walk Week 3

Outdoor Labyrinth Walk: The Church of the Woods in Canterbury’s labyrinth will be available on Saturday, March 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Small groups will be given 20 minutes to walk the labyrinth, pray and embrace the natural world around us.  If you are interested this walking the outdoor labyrinth, you will need to register.  Sign up here. 

Continuing Conversations

Join Sean Dunker-Bendigo every Wednesday from 8:00 a.m to 9:00 a.m. for conversation and connection. Grab a coffee, tea or beverage and join the conversation. Drop-in; stay awhile; or pop in just to say hello and run. A free-flowing format with laughter, seriousness, creativity, dreaming, and everything in between. Join the Zoom meeting.

Chit Chat

Let’s catch up . . . grab a cup of coffee or tea and maybe a special treat on Monday, March 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Spend an hour catching up with Alison. We will be live via Zoom. You don’t have to register for this event, but if you do it will be helpful to know who to expect.

By the Poet's Light

Join Sean Dunker-Bendigo on Thursday, March 18 from 7:00 p.m. to 8 :00 p.m. and continuing the third Thursday of every month, for By The Poet's Light. Each month we will read and discuss powerful poems related to change, vision, and new beginnings. Join the Zoom meeting.



Join Us Outdoors

You have the opportunity to get out into nature and see fellow South Churchers at Gould Hill in Hopkinton on Sunday, March 21 at 2:00 p.m. Bring your snowshoes, cross country skis or crampons . For more information, contact Lorens Jorgensen

Waking Up White

A Book Discussion

Join Linda Kenison for a bi-weekly study of Debbie Irving's book: Waking up White. "For twenty-five years, Debby sensed inexplicable racial tensions in her personal and professional relationships. As a colleague and neighbor, she worried about offending people she wanted to befriend. As an arts administrator, she didn't understand why her diversity efforts lacked traction. As a teacher, she found her best efforts to reach out to students and families of color left her wondering what she was missing. Then, one "aha!" moment launched an adventure of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her worldview and upended her life plan." The book discussion begins on Wednesday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m. Register here.

Mission of the Month

Children begin to show pro-white/anti-black bias by age three. One of the best ways to counter racism is to name and talk about it as early as possible - and then keep at it throughout our lives. South Church’s newly coalesced group on racial justice is sparking these conversations in our congregation. The Faith in Action Ministry wants to help. March’s monthly mission offering and a portion of our FIA budget will go to two organizations, The Conscious Kid, a nonprofit providing children’s books to support conversations on race, racism, and resistance, and the Equal Justice Initiative, which fights against mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality. Its founder, Bryan Stephenson, is the widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy. Donate here.

March 1

5:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.

Hosted by Lynne Morgan, Jen Evans and

Sean Dunker-Bendigo. Join us for a follow up discussion of our program Traces of the Trade. We will further discuss the movie and actions we might take. The Zoom meeting link.

Planned Giving



Most of us find great comfort and joy in South Church, whether it be Jed’s message or prayer; music that sings to our hearts; supportive friendships; or just the quiet sanctuary on a late afternoon when we ring the church bell. South Church is a deep well of holy spirit, filling us daily with hope, love and faith.  

A planned gift will give life to our church, long after we live on this earth, assuring that the church will be here for our children and their children, and many others. This gift is an opportunity to be part of something far greater than ourselves, and to perpetuate the values we hold most dear. It is a spiritual gift of inheritance, worth far more than money, dedicated to sustaining our efforts to create a world of joy, kindness and peace.  

Our committee has grown the Legacy Society from 10 to over 60 members in recent years, resulting in the growth of the South Church Fund (our endowment around $600,000 now). Each year we spend 5% of the endowment ($30,000) to subsidize our annual budget. Presently, this amounts to about 10% of our total costs. The money taken from the endowment is replaced by its investments.  

There is a plaque in Fellowship Hall showing the names of our Legacy Society members, those who have committed to leave South Church a Planned Gift. Please consider joining this group. No gift is too small. A portion of your earthly possessions can become a “currency of love,” which will help make South Church what you want it to be for years to come.  

World Day of Prayer

Join us on Friday, March 5 at 10:00 a.m. for a worldwide, ecumenical movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year, and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service. It is initiated and carried out by women in more than 170 countries and regions. It is symbolized by an annual day of celebration observed on the first Friday in March to which all people are welcome. It brings women of different races, cultures, and traditions together in fellowship, understanding, and action throughout the year. Through World Day of Prayer, women affirm that prayer and action are inseparable and have immeasurable influence in the world. The motto of World Day of Prayer is “Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action”. For more information click here.

Study & Pray

Bible Study ~ On Tuesday, March 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. the Tuesday Night Bible Study will continue reading the Book of Proverbs. All are welcome to join, whether to take part in reading or to simply listen to God’s word. Please contact JoAnne if you are interested in joining the bible study and she will send you the Zoom link.

Gathering for Prayer ~ 

Morning Prayer 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

Click here to join.

Evening Prayer 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Mondays and Tuesdays. 

Click here to join.

Service of Loss & Lament

The Merrimack Association of the NH Conference invites you to a Service of Loss and Lament on Sunday, March 7 at

2:00 p.m. This has been a tough year and we have all suffered losses - small and large. Our faith tradition offers us a place to hold our losses, cry out to God, and receive assurance of God’s response. We will rely on scripture, poetry, music, action and silence. Join us and please invite anyone who might benefit from this. Join Zoom Meeting.



South Church now has the ability to send you text announcements and reminders through the service Flocknote. This service was developed specifically for churches to be in communication with their congregations. If you would like to receive information about church events, cancellations, or reminders you can sign up by going to the church website and scrolling down to the bottom and filling out the simple form. Your information will be used by only South Church and you can cancel at any time by texting the word STOP. We envision a frequency of a text or two a week as a reminder of upcoming events. This service will work on any mobile phone with a texting plan. We look forward to using this more direct means of communication to keep you informed with the exciting events happening at South Church. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact Sean or the church office.

A Shout Out for Talent

Concord Coalition to End Homelessness is hosting a Talent Show Fundraiser on May 1 at the Bank of NH Stage on Main Street in Concord. They are recruiting performers of all types to participate in their

2nd Annual Talent Show. Individuals interested in competing should visit the website to view the contest rules. 

For more information click here.

The deadline is April 1 to apply to perform.



Prayers

Please keep the following people in your thoughts and prayers...



For the 500,00 + that have lost their lives to Covid and the loved ones they have left behind.

All those who are on the front lines of health care.

For those recovering from the weather disaster in Texas.

For those struggling with economic hardships.

For those struggling with isolation and physical distancing.

We give thanks for connecting with family and friends across distances.

We give thanks for new discoveries in our self and others.

If you would like the congregation to pray for someone and be added to our prayer list, please contact Lou-Ann Poirier. She will also make Jed aware of your prayers.

Women's Retreat

The April 2021 Women’s Retreat has been cancelled due to the Covid restrictions. We would have had to eat at individual tables for meals, traveled to Marie Joseph Spiritual Center separately, and be socially distant at all meetings with masks. It would have felt like nothing we usually experience on retreat. We are in the process of scheduling an April 2022 retreat date.