Here it is--Volume 6, Issue 3 of our e-mail Newsletter!

FEATURED IN THIS NEWSLETTER

PASTORAL PONDERINGS

Worship & Music Ministry News

• Our Sunday Faith Community Celebrations in March
• Spiritual Formation News for our Children, Youth, & Families
• Celebration of the Rev. Gregory Marshall as our Minister Emeritus!
• Music and Ministry Notes
• Mid-week Lenten Prayer and Community
• Tenderly Held in our Hearts and Prayers
•  Into God’s Hands

Welcoming and Caring Ministry

• Invitation to Join our Church Caregiving Ministry Team
• Call for Hospitality Ministers

MARCH CALENDAR of EVENTS in the Life of our Spiritual Family

Spiritual Formation for Adults

• "Reel Soul" Women's Herstory Month Film

"Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story"

• "Restoring the Kinship Worldview" Study

MCC Administration & Finance News

• Report of Projects done in 2022 and planned for 2023
• Report of the Assistant Treasurers
• COVID-19 Task Force Update

March Birthdays & Anniversaries

Poem of the Month--"Viriditas, gift of God" by Nancy Fierro, 

Based on the thoughts of Hildegard of Bingen:

Growing a Just World for All

LISTEN Community Dinner & Claremont Soup Kitchen

Economic Justice

Dartmouth Student Union Success

Support for the PRO Act

Social Justice—Democracy Film

Immigrant Justice—Monthly Vigils at the ICE Building

Climate Justice

March Ways to Care for Creation

Community Power Programs

Antiracism Ministry

New Time for Black Lives Matter Vigils

      “Racially Charged” Film

    “Unsettling Truths” with Mark Charles

Equal Justice Initiative Racial Injustice Calendars

Invitation to join Windsor County NAACP

Legislator Contact Information

Revs. John & Susan Gregory-Davis,

Co-Pastors

Meriden Congregational Church

603-469-3235

j[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected] 

www.meridenucc.org

“Transforming Lives as a Compassionate Community:

Growing Spiritually as an Antiracist Church”

Stewardship Campaign

    Dear Friends, 

Many, many thanks to everyone for your continued commitment to our beloved Church as we pledge our financial support for 2023! Thus far we have raised an unprecedented 98% of our goal! What a feat and testament to the love we share for the Meriden Congregational Church. THANK YOU. Every gift is a blessing. 

Sincerely, Jill Marshall, Vice Chair for the Leadership Team

Celebration of the Rev. Gregory Wayne Marshall

As our church’s Minister Emeritus

at our 242^nd Annual Meeting on

January 29^th, 2023

WELCOMING and CARING MINISTRY

   Mardi Gras was a great success!! After two years of not serving Pancakes on Mardi Gras (also known as Shrove Tuesday) we had 38 people take advantage of our pancakes made expertly by Susan Sanzone and Scrib Fauver! They were delicious. Other cooks and helpers were Anne Cragin, Kathy Wright, Bill Chappelle, Thom Wolke, Kevin Moore, Steve and Donna Beaupre and our Faith Odyssey Helper, John Rendahl. The flavorful syrup was from Steve Taylor and the ham was from the Garfield's Smoke House. Thanks to all-- it would not have been possible without you!!

   There was a wonderful Memorial Reception after the Service for Flora Kenyon last month. Thanks to Ed and Laura Cousineau, Erin Rogers, Nora Kells Gordon, Anne Cragin, Elaine Lenz, Donna Beaupre and Kathy Wright who provided food for this event. Many hands make light work. Thanks to Lee Oxenham, Christine Heins, and Sue Richards who provided food for coffee hour. Thanks also to the many people who volunteered to clean up afterward. Maybe you can help in March!

   For our services in the Church we need ushers. Thanks to Ed Cousineau, Penny Arcone, Martha Zoerheide, Evan Oxenham, and Nora Kells Gordon for ushering in February. I may be contacting you to help. Please say yes. It takes many people to build the community and to make our fellowship strong. If you would like to help with any of this please contact Kathy Wright at (603) 469-3235 or at home at (603) 675-5989.

HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US IN MARCH!!

Kathy Wright, Coordinator of the Welcoming and Caring Ministry

Do you find a deep sense of 

joy and gratification

in reaching out and helping others? 

If so, Please join our

Church Caregivers Team!

Even if you have only a few minutes a month to write a short "thinking of you" or "get well" card, your loving care will be so appreciated by members of our church community. If you would rather make occasional phone calls or in-person home visits, there is a place for you on the Caregivers Team, too!!! Everyone is welcome to offer gifts of care with no effort ever too small! Our Team meets quarterly with the loving guidance of our Chair, Kathy Wright. If you are interested in joining or talking further, please contact Kathy at [email protected] or Susan ([email protected]). We warmly welcome you to join in the very meaningful ministry of this small group with a BIG HEART! 

Music and Ministry

March 2023

Lent is the gateway to Easter

The Meriden Congregational Church Leadership Team has spent a lot of time and effort in the month of January carefully and thoughtfully crafting a Church Spending Plan (aka budget) for 2023. The budget, as presented, at our Annual Meeting on 1/29 was unanimously approved by the congregation.

This Month the choir will be singing on Sunday March 12th and next month for Easter. It is wonderful to hear them sing together again.

On March 19th there will be a celebration of Celtic Spirituality as part of the Church Service.

So now, let’s all take a long deep breath and set our sights on the waning Winter and the coming of the Easter Season.



Cindy Marx-Wood

for Music and Ministry

“During the Season of Lent,

we are invited to fast

from the ego’s fearful thinking,

and fill ourselves instead with Faith”

 -- Joan Borysenko

For Lent this year, what will you fast from…….

So that you can feast on……..

Fast from negativity; Feast on enthusiasm.

Fast from criticism; Feast on appreciation.

Fast from despair; Feast on joy.

Fast from self concern; Feast on compassion for others.

Fast from resentment; Feast on forgiveness.

Fast from fear; Feast on love.

Fast from self-doubt; Feast on trust.

Fast from discouragement; Feast on hope.

Fast from discontent; Feast on gratitude.

Fast from selfishness; Feast on service.

Fast from helplessness; Feast on empowerment.

Fast from apathy; Feast on activism.

Fast from differences that divide; Feast on unity in diversity.

Fast from apathy; Feast on wonder.

Fast from hostility; Feast on non-violence.

Fast from perfectionism; Feast on belovedness.  

Lenten Midweek Prayers & Community

         By way of reflecting upon and sharing our Lenten journeys together, we are invited to gather virtually each Wednesday evening during the Season of Lent at 7:00 PM for a time of prayer and reflection, at this zoom link:

To join the Zoom Meeting using a computer, tablet or smartphone, click on the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89809682070?pwd=bWJ0R01BS1VwVTIwaGh1RnVDdWtLdz09

(Passcode, if requested: 979891)

For regular phones:

call 1 929 205 6099 US (toll call to New York),

or 1 312 626 6799 (toll call Chicago)

and enter the Meeting ID 898 0968 2070, 

followed by # and then # again.

  Into God's Hands

Throughout these bleak mid-winter days, our hearts have been saddened with the loss of many dearly beloved friends and relatives of our faith community.

Our prayers are with the many friends and family members of Flora LaPan Kenyon, whose long and full earthly life ended on Saturday-- February 11th , 2023, at the age of 95.

Our church family is aching with the unexpected death of our beloved Shepherdess, Anne Tracy, on Friday—February 17th , 2023. Few people were more faithful in their weekly attendance at our Sunday services than Anne. We will always feel her presence in the pew she graced for so many years.

In the evening of Friday—February 17th, 2023, another long-time and beloved member of our church and wider community passed from this life. Our hearts go out to the family members and many friends of Don Garfield, following his courageous and gracious witness to living with cancer.

And we extend our heart-felt sympathy to Susan, Rich, Annie, and Lindsay Pullen and their extended family members, especially Sue’s Mother, Julie, as they grieve the loss of Sue’s deeply beloved father and Annie and Lindsay’s Papa, David McLeod Rand, on Tuesday—February 21st, 2023.

Likewise do we mourn with our Co-Pastors Susan and John, Kalin, Ian and Erin as they grieve the loss of Susan’s dear friend, family friend, and Kalin’s Godmother, Suzanne Nolan, whose valiant struggle with health issues ended on Tuesday—February 21st , 2023. We especially hold her husband, Chris, in our prayers.

So too do we grieve with Nick & Meg (Fauver) Shafir, Susan Sanzone Fauver, Scrib Fauver, Olivia Fauver and Jeff Nicholson, and Nick’s entire family upon the sudden death of Nick’s sister, Stephanie Shafir at the age of 28 on Sunday—February 26th , 2023. Stephanie lived her life with courage and grace in the face of challenging health issues. Our prayers are with Steph’s family through this difficult time.

And our hearts are with Reed Brozen, Andrea Brown, Isabel Brozen and their family upon the loss of Reed’s mother, Andrea’s mother-in-law, and Isabel’s grandmother, Lee Brozen, on Wednesday—March 1 st 2023. Thankfully, Reed was able to be with his mother as she passed, following a stroke two days prior. Our love is with Reed, Andrea, and Isabel.

As each of these dearly departed ones have returned to the source of Love from which all life comes, may their families and loved ones be comforted with Love’s healing embrace in the midst of this time of mourning.

“Feminism is the struggle to end sexist oppression. Therefore, it is necessarily a struggle to eradicate the ideology of domination that permeates Western culture on various levels, as well as a commitment to reorganizing society so that the self-development of people can take precedence over imperialism, economic expansion, and material desires.”  ― bell hooks, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center

Maranatha Indonesian Celebration

The Rev. Sandra Pontoh (pictured below upon this same occasion 2 years ago) has graciously invited us all to join our Indonesian friends for their Church Anniversary Celebration, which will be held on Sunday afternoon--March 126th at 1:00 PM at Madbury Town Hall (13 Town Hall Road Madbury, NH 03823). The service will be filled with Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) songs, music and culture, with lots of amazing Indonesian food to feast on thereafter. What a powerful and inspiring way for us to be in solidarity and community with them, many of whom have travelled to “retreat” with us in the past.

One  Great  Hour  of  Sharing is the refugee, relief and development offering of the United Church of Christ, transforming lives through health, education, agricultural, and emergency relief initiatives in 138 countries. Every year at this time, members and friends of our congregation open our hearts to reach out with love, faith, and compassion to people all throughout our world with our gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing  (OGHS). Our contributions to this effort will take place this year on Palm Sunday—April 2nd,  when we will join Christians from nine other denominations in uniting to generate funds for healing work across the globe. 

This year’s offering theme is “It’s Time to Share!” When we participate in the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, we are able to be present for the long term in disaster recovery, as together we build “a just world for all!”  Our gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing support water and other sustainable development all throughout our world.  

In our interconnected world, what is good for our neighbor is good for us, and what harms anyone harms everyone.  Each time a gift is given, a connection is made. Every single offering builds another bridge and tears down another wall. Each donation to One Great Hour of Sharing, no matter how large or small, embodies our commitment to “transforming lives as a compassionate community.”  Through this ecumenical effort, we connect visibly, effectively, efficiently, and powerfully as God’s Beloved Community. Let us therefore give generously, so that our Love our sharing may help build the Kin-dom of God here on earth!  Make a secure online gift today at: https://support.ucc.org/donate-nowgenerously to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering. 

MCC Movie Night: Reel Soul

In keeping with our theme this year of “Learning to Love” as an antidote to all those ways we so tragically “otherize” those whom we have not yet learned to love, and in celebration of this Women’s Herstory Month, ALL ARE WELCOME to join us for the next film in our Reel Soul movie series:

“Revolution of the Heart”

View trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRQLnJJZnCo 

Faith Odyssey for Adults!!

“Restoring the Kinship Worldview:

“Indigenous Voice Introduce 28 Precepts

 for Rebalancing Life on Planet Earth”

• Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows) & Darcia Narvaez

Continuing on Thursday—March 9^th, 2023

at 1:00 PM at the home of Selden & Jan Lord

27 Serenity Drive, Cornish, NH

And on zoom here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84792111522

         Following on the heels of our multi session exploration of what Sikh activist Valerie Kaur calls “Revolutionary Love,” we have decided to delve more deeply into the kindship worldview at the heart of most Indigenous spiritualities, using the book noted above as our guide. 

Contending that Indigenous worldviews, and the knowledge they confer, are critical for human survival and the wellbeing of future generations, Editors Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows) and Darcia Narvaez emphasize our deep need to move away from the dominant Western paradigm--one that dictates we live without strong social purpose, fails to honor the earth as sacred, leads with the head while ignoring the heart, and places individual “rights” over collective responsibility. Restoring the Kinship Worldview invites  readers into a world-sense that expands beyond perceiving and conceiving to experiencing and being, rooted in an Indigenous vision and strong social purpose that sees all life forms as sacred and sentient--that honors the wisdom of the heart, and grants equal standing to rights and responsibilities.

The book is available on Amazon for around $20.00, and hopefully at local libraries as well. When we next gather, we hope to have already read the Introduction and the first 2 chapters, and all are welcome to join us! If interested, but unable to join us for this next session, please let us know so that we can adjust accordingly.   

Report from Buildings and Grounds of MCC Administration

The following news was taken from the Annual Report of Administration and Finance

Projects Completed and Planned

A) 2022 was a year for John and Susan to have their sabbatical. As a result of

them not being at the parsonage for the summer, it triggered a discussion

around security. We determined it made sense to install wireless security

cameras the end of June.

B) Dane Gautreau was hired to do a few painting projects over the summer. All

the church windows and window trim were newly painted that were

accessible with a standard ladder. The cathedral style windows on the front

are left to be done this summer 2023. Dan also painted the exterior of the

doors and the two entrance roof trims and some of the ceilings before the

cold weather arrived.

C) We were hoping to get the slate roof repairs started. The slate roof

contractor Leon Shabbott was working locally in Enfield at the Shaker

Museum and was hoping to take advantage of having his hydraulic man lift in

the area and do a beginning portion of the repairs that will need to be done

in the next year or two. In the end, we were not able to get enough days

available for him to do that early portion of the proposed repair. We are on

his list for early spring. We expect the total repair to be around $ 20,000 this

year.

D) The concrete entrance steps to the Parrish House were able to be temporarily

repaired to get us through the winter. We have agreed to hire Paul Sousa

(mason) from Cornish to do the permanent repair – rebuilding in April 2023.

E) A privacy door was installed in late summer at the top of the stairs going

from level 1 to level 2 of the Parrish House as requested by John and Susan.

A pane of glass needs to be installed and the new walls and trims still need to

be painted. That work is scheduled to be done in February

Shawn Rogers

Co-Chair of Administration and Finance

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT TREASURERS

Considering what we have received in this month as of February 28th, we have received $32,035 in Pledge payments. We have also received $706 in Plate payments. The total this month is $32,741. We also received $187 in donations for Mardi Gras/Pancake Supper.

So far this year our total of pledge payments is $35,885. Our total of plate payments is $891. So our Grand Total of payments thus far is $36,776. Often people pay all their pledge at the beginning of the year which accounts for this high total.

 Some other funds which may have been contributed through stocks may not be noted here.

Kathy Wright

Cindy Marx-Wood

John, Paul, George and Ringo are still on the charts

Like that Beatles’ song says…”You’ve got to admit it’s getting better…better all the time!” Not that Covid’s gone away completely but we’ve all gotten a lot better at protecting ourselves, our families and our communities. Think of the lessons we’ve learned together over these last

thirty-six months. Our Covid vigilance has replaced panic and fear with solid preventative practices and an understanding of the interdependence of health policy and prevention across international boundaries and within our nation and our locality. While there’s talk that the national emergency is winding down, please keep up these familiar basics:

-Masks remains optional in our church with N95/KN95 and surgical grade masks available at the doors.

-Maintain careful and reasonable distances.

-Use good hand sanitation on a regular basis.

-All who are able should be vaccinated and boosted.

-If you are feeling unwell, then simply staying home is the right course of action.

While these practices are now well ingrained, we specifically remind members and visitors that they are key elements to staying healthy.

Ed Cousineau

For the MCC Covid-19 Task Force

MARCH

BIRTHDAY

3/1       Rosa Sousa

3/1      Eloise Hampton

3/1      Scott Zenz

3/1      Darrell Beaupre’

3/1      Tabor Chichakly

3/1      Beth Houde

3/2      John McGovern, Jr.

3/2      Sam Lappin

3/2      Margaret Smallwood

3/3      Steve Sheehan

3/3      Caroline Sheehan

3/4      Jennifer Bliven

3/5      Valerie Stender

3/7      Amelia Good

3/8      Anne Cragin

3/8      Anna Wolke

3/11    Anthony Arcone

3/11    Josh Johnson

3/11    Ian Oxenham

3/12    Karen Rogers

3/12    Karen Jameson

3/13    Ray Webb

3/13    Mike Anikis                            

3/13    Harper Custer

3/13    Katie Chakoien

3/14    Alexander Good

3/15    Jeffrey Taylor

3/16    Ashley Brooks

3/16    Julia Salsbury

3/16    Miranda Guaraldi

3/16   Fiona Greenough

 3/16  Grace Perotti

 3/17   Aaron Franklin

 3/17   Stephanie Smarsik

 3/17  Karen McArthur

 3/17   Audrey Perotti

 3/18   Joan Burch

 3/19   Joachim McClellan

 3/20   Debbie Griffiths

 3/20   Vernon Braswell

 3/20   Frank Perotti

 3/22   Kathleen Raynak

 3/22   Michelle Chamley

 3/24   Jessica Giaccone

 3/24   Tucker Williams

 3/25    Indigo Kopp

 3/25   Kaitlyn Johnson

 3/25   Tom Chellis

 3/27   Kalin Gregory-Davis

 3/27   Matthew Houde

 3/27   Henry Wilbur

3/27   Theodor Heaton

 3/29   Hugh McGraw

 3/29   Liam Cook

 3/30   Susan Turner

 3/30   Nancy Franklin

 3/30   Phoebe Garfield

 3/30  Tim Goodwin

3/30  Lillian Mary Ratliff

3/31   Charlotte Sirlin

March Anniversaries

3/4/72           Christine and John Brooks

3/16/74         Arthur and Linda Perkins

MCC Poetry Page

“The Fate of the Poet is to fall in Love with Life”

Matthew Fox

In honor of Women's Herstory Month, we offer this poem by By Nancy Fierro, Based on the thoughts of Hildegard of Bingen:

Viriditas, gift of God

Life breath

Health, wholeness and holiness

Emerald vitality,

Sparkling water

Damp stone

Ventilating wind

Fiery glow

Igniting the world into being

Illuminating all creatures,

Giving them color and vigor.

Root of growth

Proliferation of spring

Making grasses laugh

Plants sprout

And flowers blossom.

Joy of youthfulness

Zest of the aging

Energy of the heart loving

And the imagination creating

Fragrance of a life lived with compassion and justice

Green sap of the tree of life, drenched in the sun

Exuberant fountain flowing from the Living Light

Bright power of the Luminous Word born from the greenest branch

Grace and healing tonic of the Holy Spirit

Divine Wisdom’s sweet exhalation.

Dr. Nancy Fierro is a noted pianist, recording artist and educator. Performing nationally and internationally, she is a specialist in the life and work of Hildegard and author of the book “Hildegard of Bingen and her Vision of the Feminine”.

All poets among us, of all ages and abilities, are likewise invited to share your poems with us so that we may in turn publish one each month as a way of helping all of us to fall ever more deeply in love with life in all its wonder, pathos, and beauty!

Outreach News

Outreach, Peace, and Justice Ministry Teams

News for March 2023 

"The way to heal the soul of the nation is to pass policies

that heal the body of the nation.

It’s the just thing to do.

That’s how we as a nation can move forward together."

~Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, Break the silence!

OUTREACH

   Listen Community Dinners Meriden Congregational Church has offered the commitment to prepare and serve dinners the FIRST Thursdays of the odd numbered months. The next date is March 2nd due to training. If you know of anyone, including the broader community, who would be interested, please text, phone or email Shideko Terai. 603-252-7898 Sign up on our unique page on the volunteer hub website http://meridencc.listen.volunteerhub.com/

  Claremont Soup Kitchen Bill Chapelle continues to lead volunteer participation at the Claremont Soup Kitchen on the fourth Saturday of every month and this slot covers the hours 2-5:30 PM. No cooking experience necessary. March 25th is the next opportunity. “We always have a lot of fun. You begin your Saturday night with a good feeling you have given nice people a delicious meal.” ~Bill Chapelle

JUSTICE

Economic Justice 

          "The Quest for Worker Justice" continues as this New Year begins. See below for a report Arnie Alpert on the success of the unionizing efforts of the Dartmouth Student Collective. And stay tuned for news of a NH visit from the former UCC Economic Justice Minister, the Rev. Dr. Edith Rasell, to share more about her informative and timely book, "The Way of Abundance."  This was one of John's favorite sabbatical reads, and are excited about bringing Edie to NH this spring to share more with us about her research and her call to action. 

"There are millions of poor people in this country who have very little, or even nothing, to lose. If they can be helped to take action together, they...(and we) will be a new and unsettling force..."

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Social Justice 

   "Voices of Faith" continues to bring moral witness and concern for those most marginalized into the legislative and budget deliberations determining how justly we commit to our common wealth and well-being as a state and nation. See below for invitation to view important film documenting the real and present dangers to our democracy.

Immigrant Justice

   The first Tuesday of each month NH Immigrant Solidarity Network (NH ISN) meets. Organizations include GSOP, AFSC, and clergy. It is interfaith and non-partisan. This month's meeting is on Tuesday--March 7th.   Please contact John or Shideko if you would like to learn more.

Climate Justice

  Lee Oxenham has been alerting us about informative events and presentations connecting us to becoming more engaged in climate justice. Please contact Lee to find out the latest ways to be involved. See below for "March Ways to Care for Creation." And check out this award winning climate newsletter:  Scientists Again Call for Civil Disobedience To Spur Climate Action, Saying ‘Time is Short’ - Inside Climate News

Racial Justice /Antiracism

    A few years ago our church formed a Racial Justice Ministry Team that has been guiding us in learning about the ways in which systemic racism and white supremacy undergird so much of our history and identity. Now, in keeping with the call of our denomination, the United Church of Christ, to become an antiracist church, our Racial Justice ministry team has evolved our name to become the Antiracism Ministry Team. 

    Our weekly BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigils continue on Wednesday afternoons, now from 4:30 to 5:00 PM, in light of the gradually lengthening days, and all are welcome to join us anytime.

See below for 2 opportunities to deepen our understanding of the challenges facing our BIPoC friends and neighbors, and learn more about what we can and must do as people committed to dismantling white supremacy.

In solidarity and hope, 

Shideko Terai (she/her), Outreach, Peace & Justice Coordinator

text or phone 603-252-7898, email [email protected]

52 ways to

Care for Creation

10

Climate Resilience

What affect is climate change having/going to have in your community? Learn how your church can be a hub for climate resilience by watching our webinars on Creation Justice Ministries' YouTube channel!

Week 11

First Day of Spring

This is the season of rebirth. Pay attention as buds appear on the trees, seedlings sprout, and animals are born. When you come across these signs of spring, say a blessing (aloud or silently) for God's new creation.

Week 12

Write To Your Elected Officials Write to your members of congress or local elected officials, asking them to support an environmental issue that you care about. How does the issue you've chosen relate to racial justice? Include this information in your letter or email.

Week 13

Women's History Month Learn about women making environmental change! Some inspiring creation justice heroes include Dr. Vandana Shiva, Sister Dorthy Stang, and Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai.

Register to view this film at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/racially-charged-screening-and-discussion-tickets-565718628647

"The Best Democracy

Money Can Buy"

The Case of the Stolen Election

Rainbow PUSH Edition

A Film by Greg Palast

Friday—March 10th, @ 7:00 PM

In the Parish House,

with refreshments and discussion to follow

Follow investigative reporter Greg Palast (BBC, Rolling Stone) as he busts the New Klux Klan – the billionaire bandits that purged one million voters of color that stole the White House. With Palast’s inimitable style and cartoons by the man who drew “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” this is not just a documentary – it is a non-fiction, real life, high stakes detective mission. Palast, says Jim Hightower, is “[a] cross between Sam Spade and Sherlock Holmes” and this investigation shows just how true that statement is.

Plainfield Community Power is Coming to Plainfield at the end of April!

Plainfield is one of four towns in the Upper Valley and one of ten towns in New

Hampshire that will be launching Community Power at the end of April.



What is Community Power?

Community Power, authorized under NH RSA 53-E, democratizes energy governance by empowering towns, cities and counties to choose where their electricity comes from on behalf of their residents and businesses, work with utilities on local energy infrastructure upgrades, and provide electricity supply rates and services to all customers participating in the program.

Community Power programs serve as the default electricity supplier within the municipality and are self-funded through the revenues received by participating customers.

Local electric distribution utilities continue to own and operate the "poles and wires", and deliver electricity to all customers in the municipality.

Community Power programs may also offer innovative services and rates for customers on an "opt-in" or "opt-up" basis, such as 100% renewable premium products, time-varying-rates and Net Energy Metering generation credits for customers with solar photovoltaics. Unfortunately, this will not be possible at the launch of Community Power as the utilities still need to upgrade their systems to support these services as required by the PUC rules governing Community Power.

Expanding Customer Choice

Prior to launch of a Community Power program, all eligible customers are mailed notifications and provided the opportunity to opt-out or opt-in to the program, depending on whether they currently take service from a Competitive Electric Power Supplier or are on default service provided by local electric distribution utilities:

• Customers currently on utility-provided default service will be notified, providing the opportunity to decline participation, and transferred to Community Power if they do not "opt-out". These customer notifications will include the initial fixed rate for the program’s default service compared with the utility default service rate, be mailed to customers at least 30 days in advance of program launch, and provide instructions for customers to decline participation (for example, by return postcard, calling a phone number or using a web portal). 
• Customers who previously chose to take service from a Competitive Electric Power Supplier will be notified and may request to "opt-in" to the program. Before choosing to opt-in these customers must ensure that their contract term with the Competitive Electric Power Supplier has ended.

Any new customers that move into the municipality in future will be automatically eligible to receive default service from the Community Power program and will be sent a notification in the mail.

All customers supplied with electricity from Community Power programs are free to switch back to the utility-provided default service, or to take service from a Competitive Electric Power Supplier, by opting-out of the program and switching suppliers in advance of their next billing cycle.



The Power of Joint Action

By joining together, Members of the Coalition create economies of scale and innovation in procuring services and managing power procurement risks, gain administrative efficiencies in terms of expert staff oversight, and strengthen their voice at the Legislature and Public Utilities Commission — all while maintaining local control and community values.

The Coalition has already proven able to coordinate municipalities to speak with one voice — and be heard — at the Legislature, with the “Early Legislative Victory” on HB 315 to protect and expand Community Power authorities.

In terms of achieving an economy-of-scale, the customer base of the Coalition’s founding members is forecasted to be approximately equivalent to Liberty Utilities (in terms of default service accounts and electricity procurement). Given the high degree of awareness and interest expressed by other municipalities in joining the Coalition to-date, the agency may expand to procure more electricity than Unitil does within the 2022-2023 timeframe.

Mailer and Community Power Public Information Meeting

Watch for the mailer notifying you of the start of Plainfield Community Power. 

There will be a Community Power public information meeting

at Singing Hills on Tuesday--March 28th at 7:00 pm.

Come to hear more and have your questions answered.

Evan Oxenham

America has a history of banning Black studies. We can learn from that past (Derecka Purnell, The Guardian) - “This history is important because it helps us realize that today’s book banning efforts belong to a broader political backlash to the current Black liberation movement that started with the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012. The ideas and demands that Black people, and all people, deserve freedom from police violence, deserve quality housing, deserve universal healthcare, deserve a world that has different problems from what Dr. King identified as the triple evils of racism, capitalism and militarism. It is no accident that these ideas are found in the very same books that prisons ban, including mine. Prison officials, politicians and rightwing pundits target knowledge found in critical race theory because they know that theory leads to action for people who care about love, liberty and justice. They want to stop people from being inspired to fight for better lives.”

Notes from our Worker Justice Minister—

Dartmouth Student Workers Success!

This month's news comes to us from Arnie Alpert, who is a retired activist, organizer, and community educator long involved in movements for social and economic justice. Arnie writes an occasional column Active with the Activists for InDepthNH.org, and shares here with us the great news about the Dartmouth College Student Union success!

"Thirteen months after student dining hall workers at Dartmouth College formed a union to win improvements in pay and working conditions, the Student Workers Collective at Dartmouth (SWCD) has won an agreement with the college that includes a $21 an hour base wage....The union, most of whose members are international students, undocumented students, and first-generation college students from working class families, voted last week to authorize a strike if Dartmouth would not agree to their wage demand….

SWCD had its birth in the fall of 2021, when student workers organized a union because college officials were ignoring their concerns about low pay and disrespectful treatment. When the college refused to recognize the union, the SWCD won unanimous support in an NLRB-supervised election.  In a statement released Saturday, the union said, ‘We now have a tentative agreement on the full package proposal with the College,’ including a $21/hour base wage, annual wage increases tied to the cost of college, and mental health and sick pay. Students working as area managers in the dining facilities covered by the contract would be included in the bargaining unit, a demand the college had previously been reluctant to accept.”

2023 History of

Racial Injustice Calendars

Equal Justice Initiative challenges racial and economic injustice and provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in jails and prisons. Their 2023 Calendar is a full-color wall version that includes hundreds of historical entries and 12 short essays highlighting historical events and issues in our nation's racial history. Available in the church office or by request.  

Co-Pastors with the Chair of our Conference Antiracism Ministry, Harriet Ward.

"Now, more than ever,

the illusions of division

threaten our very existence...

We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us.

But in times of crisis

the wise build bridges,

while the foolish build barriers.

We must find a way

to look after one another,

as if we were one single tribe."

-         Black Panther

Steve Beaupre' faithfully rings our church bell

each Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 PM as a clarion call to

our Community BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigil

Thank you, Steve!!

 We are continuing our Showing Up for Racial Justice BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigils each Wednesday afternoon, now happening from 4:30 to 5:00 PM (note later time due to longer days) on the SouthWest corner of the intersection of Rte 120 & Main Street (at the blinking traffic light). We have “BLACK LIVES MATTER” signs available for folk to hold, but please feel free to make and/or bring your own signs.

  Come join us in “showing up for racial justice,” and Standing for  LOVE, and AGAINST racism, white supremacy, hatred, and violence, here in our community and beyond!  Together, let us publicly declare that we will NOT be complicit in white terror, and let us call our friends and neighbors to rise up with us in our resolute affirmation of the inherent and sacred value of us all within Beloved Community. 

Invitation to join the 

Windsor County NAACP

          A group of residents in Windsor County are working to form a Windsor County NAACP Branch. For certification as an NAACP Branch we need to enroll 100 new NAACP members on our Membership forms. Members may be from any geographical location. All members 18 and older will be voting members of the Branch with only Windsor County residents eligible for elected leadership positions (as defined in Constitution). 

        The NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, established in 1909 is our oldest and largest civil rights organization. It was started in New York by white and black activists partially in response to violence against African Americans, particularly lynching. Today it has over 2000 Branches and half a million members worldwide.

           According to the NAACP Constitution it was founded on the beliefs embodied in the Constitution of the United States of America.... (its) vision and mission (are) to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination and to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

       To become a member contact [email protected]; for more information contact [email protected].

STATE

Rep. Margaret Drye

1136 Rt. 12A

Plainfield, NH 03781

Phone: 603-675-9159

Email: margaret.dry@leg.state.nh.us

Rep. Bill Palmer

603-675-2117

Email [email protected]

Sen. Suzanne Prentiss

Legislative Office Building, Room 102

33 State Street

Concord, NH 03301

Phone: 603-271-3092

Email: [email protected]