Meriden Congregational Church Newsletter OCTOBER 2019

We are a Spiritually Progressive,
Open & Affirming, Sanctuary Congregation 
dedicated to 
Transforming Lives
as a Compassionate Community,
extravagantly welcoming EVERYONE,
celebrating diversity, cultivating awe & wonder,
and seeking peace with justice for all Creation !

Join us for our Faith Community Celebrations
Each Sunday at 10:00 AM
During the Church Year (September to June),
Church School & Nursery Care provided.
Summer months--children and youth are so warmly welcome to join us for our friendly services.
Here it is! Volume 3 Issue 5 of our e-mail newsletter
Revs. John and Susan Gregory-Davis,
Co-pastors 
Meriden Congregational Church 
603-469-3235
Pastoral Ponderings

“It’s 3:23 in the morning, and I’m awake
because my great, great grandchildren won’t let me sleep.
My great, great grandchildren ask me in dreams
What did you do while the planet was plundered?
What did you do while the earth was unraveling?
…what did you do once you knew?”
- Drew Dellinger

            This haunting question is reminiscent of the Native American wisdom that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world  seven generations  into the future. Sadly, and even tragically, such wisdom appears to be profoundly un-American, as so many of our legislative decisions seem far too focused only on consequences of immediate political feasibility. And since we have been unwilling or unable to hear the cries of our “great, great grandchildren” in response to the planetary devastation which our current actions appear destined to inflict upon them, the burning question before us now is whether we will allow the children of this age to wake us up from the slumber of our indifference and even denial that “our house is on fire,” as 16 year old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg says so powerfully. For far too long, too many of us have either been confused by the intentional deception about the reality of the climate emergency erupting all around us, and/or have succumbed to a sense of helplessness in the face of such daunting predictions. 

           Of course, many of us as individuals have modified our lifestyles in significant ways as we have become more aware of the climate crisis threatening our very existence, but our youth are reminding us that we can and must do much more, and not just as individuals, but as nations. As youth from all over our world have cried out, “Do You Love Us? Do you care about our lives and our future?” they have been unwilling to accept our platitudes and excuses, demanding instead that whatever love we might profess be embodied in the actions necessary to turn our world around. Indeed, especially in light of the sweeping and urgent changes upon which our planetary survival depends, this feels like the time the prophet Isaiah may have envisioned in declaring that our journey into the peaceable kin-dom would be led by the youngest among us. For in giving voice to the cries of all life here on our Mother Earth, are our children not likewise giving voice to the Creator, pleading with us for the sake of all creation to enact the love we profess for God and for our neighbors near and far?! 

           The very bad news is that what seems like our global death wish really could be fulfilled if we continue to delay, deny, and refuse to amend the errors of our ways. But the Good News is, to paraphrase John 3:16, that God so loves our world that She has given us each other, so that through truly caring for each other we may continue to enjoy life in the abundance that arises from our mutual solidarity with and for each other, and all creation. As strange as it may sound, the responsibility we bear for this global disaster is likewise the hope we have of averting and transforming it. The question is not whether we can do what is necessary, but whether we will, whether we shall choose to transform all that we allow to divide and stifle us as warring factions, into all that God intends to unite and empower us a global Beloved Community. 

           In her understandable frustration with so much inaction, Greta Thunberg has said she does not want our hope, but rather our panic that will move us into action. Yet perhaps the action needed can arise out of Hope as described long ago by the African Saint Augustine, who declared that “Hope has two beautiful daughters—Anger at the way things are, and Courage to change them for the better.” The anger with us that our youth are so courageously expressing belies their desperate hope that another world is still possible. And they are counting on us adults to muster the courage to embody hope for our children and for our planet through the kind of sweeping, ambitious, and dramatic changes envisioned in the Green New Deal. Following these ponderings is a 2 page summary of what the Green New Deal entails, but briefly, it is “a 10-year plan to mobilize every aspect of American society to 100% clean and renewable energy by 2030, a guaranteed living-wage for anyone who needs one, and a just transition for both worker and frontline communities.” 

           Wow—this is huge, but we can do this, and we must do this!  As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the architects of the Green New Deal, says in her inspiring “Message from the Future,” which is well worth watching at https://youtu.be/d9uTH0iprVQ , we can be whatever we have the courage to see!”   So let’s take the time to learn all that we can about the Green New Deal, and legislation arising therefrom, such as the 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019, a bill that would transition the US to 100% clean energy by 2050 and require net zero carbon pollution. And let’s join our youth in demanding from those who represent us a just and equitable transition to a 100% clean energy economy in order to build a more sustainable future for all. Insisting upon moral leadership to help protect our public health and environment, strengthen our economy through clean energy, and mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, let’s take action today by writing to our members of Congress and asking them to support a clean energy economy!    And in the spirit of the “Extinction Rebellion,” may we “refuse to bequeath a dying planet to future generations by failing to act now. May we act in peace, with ferocious love of these lands in our hearts. And may we act on behalf of Life,” with what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called the “fierce urgency of NOW.” For as Greta Thunberg says so well, in words often attributed to Rabbi Hillel of the 1st century BCE, “if not us, who? If not now, when?” 

In the solidarity of revolutionary “Love in Action,”
Your Faithful Co-pastors,
Susan and John


OUR SUNDAY FAITH COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS IN OCTOBER

OCTOBER 6 @ 10:00 AM
World Communion Inter-generational Sunday! Join us for this festive service when we celebrate our connections to our human family across the globe. We will enjoy Rainbow Bread for Communion! Hospitality Hour to follow!

OCTOBER 13 @ 10:00  AM
Celebration of Indigenous Peoples Sunday! Join us as we delve into and are blessed by expressions of Native American spirituality, such as Prayer to the Four Directions, ancient smudging, and readings that share the wisdom of Native American peoples. Following our service, all are invited to the Parish House for Refreshments, and "Love in Action" postcard writing.

OCTOBER 20 @ 10:00 am
You won't want to miss our Music Sunday celebration on this day! Join us as we give thanks for the gift of music in our lives and here at our church through choir, solo and congregational hymn singing! Hospitality Hour to follow. Looking forward to seeing you there!

OCTOBER 27 @ 10:00 AM
Reformation Sunday at the Meriden Congregational Church! Join us as we explore what it means to be a reformed and reforming community of faith, ever responsive to our Still-speaking God! We will celebrate our Micah Honorees,Jan & Selden Lord, before they are more formally recognized at the United Valley Interfaith Project Award Event later this afternoon! Hospitality Hour to follow!

NOVEMBER 3 @ 10:00 AM
All Saints Day Inter-generational Communion Service! Join us for this beautiful service in which we remember and give thanks for our loved ones who have died in the past year, lighting a candle, tolling the bell and speaking their names as our Saints of God. We hope you can be with us. Our Hospitality Hour, to which all are warmly welcome, will follow our service.
No matter who you are,
No matter whom you love,
No matter where you on
life's journey,

YOU are WELCOME to
share in all our
Church Family Services,
Celebrations,
and Activities!
Asma Elhuni came to our church on March 24th to talk about her faith, Islam
CHURCH SCHOOL IN OCTOBER

Join us for a fun October of youth programming at Meriden Congregational Church! We look forward to the following dates:

Spirit Sunday, October 6: Family-friendly Intergenerational Service, during which I am excited to offer a Children's Message.

Spirit Sunday, October 13: Yoga! We hope your children can join us for an active yet meditative yoga session.

Saturday, October 19 from 6 - 9 pm: First NONO (Parents' Night Out/Night Off) of the church year! If you and your significant other are in need of inexpensive, fun, and safe childcare for an evening out, please contact Kelsey at kelsey@meridenucc.org for more information about our NONO program.

Spirit Sunday, October 20: Baking for Coffee Hour! We will prepare yummy treats to share following church during this Spirit Sunday focused on giving to others.

Spirit Sunday, October 27: Storytime! Your children are welcome to join us for a cozy storytime, enjoying and discussing stories focused on values important to our church, such as global citizenship and tolerance. 


T hank you,
Kelsey MacNamee
Spiritual Formation Coordinator
Meriden Congregational Church
(603) 504-4257

OCTOBER CALENDAR
Addendum on Urgent Maintenance:
The Money needed to paint the Parish House has been raised. Thanks for all your help and efforts!! The Parish House was painted in September (back portion). It looks great! We are still raising money to replace the ramp on the Church--It has been repaired so it will last until next Spring. More money is needed for this!!

Worship and Music Ministry News

A Worship Want Ad
What’s this about? If “God is still speaking” (and if we are simultaneously “ready to listen”), then the words we read on a page or hear in conversation with one another have a significant relation and value when placed alongside Holy Scripture.

A favorite prayer, a poem with special meaning for you or a family member or a Buddhist koan might be the starting point. Are there lines in one or two favorite Psalms that seem to bring you delight when you read them? Maybe you have a favorite spiritual writer, a treasured short-story author, or have discovered a wonderful new novelist who has a passage that strikes your fancy while it opens your heart and expands your soul.

Because the Christian and Hebrew Scriptures contain the time-tested and timeless seeds of faith, this is not an effort to diminish them. It is our deep hope to enhance how we hear Sacred Scriptures each Sunday morning by weaving them more deeply into the contemporary fabric of our lives and hearts throughout the week.

Please bring your suggestions for Worship to one of our Co-Pastors or to Cindy Marx-Wood or Ed Cousineau.i
Welcoming and Caring Ministry News

Our Re-Gathering Picnic on September 8th was a success and joyous occasion! The weather was cold enough so we celebrated inside but it was well attended and enjoyed by more than thirty families. This past week we had a memorial reception for the family of Anna May Chapman following Anna's Funeral at the church September 23rd. Many thanks go out to those people who provided food for the reception. Thanks to Laura Cousineau and Donna Beaupre' who were the gracious Servers at this event.

Our thanks are also owed to Christine Heins, Cindy Marx-Wood, Christine Greenough, Kathy Wright and Ed and Laura Cousineau who provided food and hosted Coffee Hours in the Month of September. Also Ushers in church in September were provided by Ed Cousineau, Rod Wendt, Cindy Marx-Wood, Kathy Wright, and Steve Beaupre and Jerry Judd.

Supper Clubs are forming right now! There are going to be six families/individuals as part of this first effort of deepening our awareness and friendships within our community. If you are asked to be involved please say "yes". We will consider this effort and evaluate it in January. If you are interested but couldn't take part in this first series, please give your name to Kathy Wright so you can be part of the second series.

"Love in Action" is what the Welcoming and Caring Ministry is all about! There are still openings for people to provide Coffee Hour and to Usher for the month of October! In addition there will be a Memorial Reception on October 12th after the Memorial for our Sexton's husband. Please Contact Kathy Wright if you are able to provide food for this event.

Kathy Wright, Coordinator for Welcoming and Caring Ministry
Church Number 603-469-3235; Home Number 603-675-5989
Our Micah Honorees--Jan and Selden Lord
Friends,

This year we will honor Jan & Selden Lord as our Micah Honorees at UVIP’s Micah Celebration on Sunday, October 27 at the Claremont Senior Center (5 Acer Heights Road in Claremont). Doors open at 2:00 PM for refreshments and socializing, and the ceremony itself is from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. 

This is UVIP’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Tickets are $25 when purchased in advance, $30 at the door. Tickets are available from Richard Atkinson or Rod Wendt. Checks should be made out to “UVIP”.

We would also like to place the attached ½ page ad in the Micah Program Book, at a cost of $250 (reduced non-profit price). Donations to help pay for the ad are warmly welcomed. Please let me know of your interest by replying to this email. And, please mail a check, payable to “UVIP”, to me AT HOME (PO Box 430, Meriden, NH 03770) for your donation

Thanks for all the support of the Lords and of UVIP!

Rod

Rod Wendt
Chair, Leadership Team
Meriden Congregational Church
603-469-3190
Stewardship News
Friends of Meriden Congregational Church,
 
The Meriden Congregational Church has been serving our members and the broader community in many ways since 1780. And now we need members’ AND the community’s help with some urgent, urgent maintenance of our Sanctuary.
 
Our mission and ministry serve our own members, of course, but we reach far beyond our own membership into our local community. While worship, pastoral care, Faith Formation, Senior Seekers and other ministries serve primarily members, others are used by many community members as well. Examples include the Meriden Community Camp to which many local families send their children in the summer, the OWL (Our Whole Lives) sex and values education program, the Bryant Fund supporting people in need, serving at the Listen Community Dinners and Claremont Soup Kitchen dinners, educational courses and movie nights, the new Night Out Night Off (NoNo) child care program, the Wednesday Senior Coffees, pastoral care well beyond our membership, and more. Meriden Congregational Church is a well-used asset by members and the broader community alike.
 
The church still faces some urgent maintenance needs on the Sanctuary (the access ramp is decayed and dangerous). The funding for painting the Parish house has been raised and the painting was completed in September. Thanks go to all those who donated for this project and to the generous church member who matched dollar-for-dollar the first $10,000 donated by friends and members of Meriden Congregational Church.

We still need additional money to replace the ramp on the Church. It is hoped to do that construction next summer. The existing ramp has been reinforced so it will last through the winter. We still need to raise money to pay for the new ramp.
 
There are 2 ways to donate. A check, made out to “MCC” and memo “Urgent Maintenance” can be mailed to MCC, PO Box 187, Meriden, NH 03770. A credit card can be used to donate at the church website, http://www.meridenucc.org/donations/. Include “Urgent Maintenance” under Special Instructions within PayPal. Both donations are tax-deductible!
 
Thanks to all for your support of this important maintenance work!
 
Rod Wendt
Chair
Leadership Team
Meriden Congregational Church
A new way to contact your legislators--They need to hear your opinions! Join us on October 13th!

Have you taken part in any of the “House Church” services this summer in the Parish House? The most stimulating (and fun!) part of it is the give and take discussion that has taken place about the scriptures . Were you there on 8/18? The discussion came around to contacting our elected representatives with Donna Beaupre mentioning she writes to our Senators and Representative. 

This led to an observation that post cards are a more effective way to write as they are not held up at the Capitol to be inspected for possible contamination with foreign substances. It was decided to organize periodic postcard writing sessions. The first one was after Church on Sunday, September 15. The next opportunity will be on October 13th. All are invited to stay for a short while and write a few postcards. One can easily write 4 or 5 postcards in about 1/2 hour. We will decide on that day how we want to proceed with this. 

This is your chance to be in direct contact with your elected officials. All materials will be provided. Well, bring your own pen!
Legislator Contact Information
 FEDERAL     
                                                                                 Rep. Annie McLane Kuster                        
137 Cannon House Office Building               
Washington, DC 20515                                 
Phone: 202-225-5206 (Washington) 
18 North Main Street, Fourth Floor
Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603-226-1002 (New Hampshire)

Sen. Maggie Hassan                        
330 Hart Senate Office Building  .
Washington, DC 20510                                 
Phone: 202-224-3324 (Washington
1200 Elm St. Suite 6                          
Manchester, NH 03101                     
Phone: 603-662-2204 (New Hampshire)     
www.hassan.senate.gov        
           
Its. Jeanne Shaheen
506 Hart Senate Office Bdg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2841 (Washington)
2 Wall St #220
Manchester, NH 03101
Phone: 602-647-7500 (NH)
STATE

Rep. Lee Walker Oxenham
92 Methodist Hill Road
Plainfield, NH 03781-5415
Phone: 603-727-9368

Rep. Linda Tanner
PO Box 267
Georges Mills, NH 03751-0267
Phone: 603-763-4471

Sen. Martha Hennessey
Legislative Office Building, Room 105 
33 North State Street
Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603-271-3067
Administration and Finance Ministry News
October 2019

Parish House Internet Speed Problems.
John and Susan have seen a significant decline in the speed of their internet service over the past several months. After discussions with TDS we decided on an upgrade in the internet speed from 5 Mbps to 15 Mbps. The upgrade to 15 Mbps will include a new TDS router, which should also improve the quality of the internet service. The upgrade will cost MCC an extra $10 per month and should be installed this month.

Sanctuary ADA Ramp
We are considering replacing the existing Sanctuary ramp with an aluminum ramp instead of our previous plan to build a new wooden ramp. This ramp from Level Ramping Solutions will meet the specifications that our architect provided, but will cost only $6200. In comparison the estimate for the construction of a wooden ramp is now $16000. A large part of cost of the wooden ramp is excavation for the footings, which is not required for the aluminum ramp. 
We are currently working with the Plainfield building inspector to ensure that the aluminum ramp design meets ADA requirements, and we hope to authorize the construction of the ramp soon. If all goes as planned, we should have the ramp installed this year.

Sanctuary Christmas Tree .
During our most recent safety inspection in June, Plainfield’s Fire Chief stated categorically that he would not allow MCC to erect a live Christmas tree in the sanctuary because of his concerns about fire safety. We will still be able to decorate the sanctuary with garlands.
The Administration and Finance team has been considering our options and we have two proposals
a.     Replace the live tree in the sanctuary with an artificial tree. Some initial research shows that t here is a company called Balsam Hill that sells artificial trees. They are expensive and the tallest tree that they supply is 15 feet with a 7 foot width at the base for $4299. This tree comes with 4840 pre-installed LED (warm) white lights, which can be switched to color lights using a remote. Bill Taylor approves of this proposal, provided that the artificial tree is UL certified.
b.     The second option is to decorate the live fir tree on the west side of the sanctuary with lights. This is a much less costly approach than the artificial tree inside the church, poses no fire hazard, and brings the church Christmas decorations out into the community. 
Leadership feels that the second option is the approach that MCC should take this year. If we see support for buying an artificial tree in the next year, we could commit to soliciting funds and purchasing the tree then.

Evan Oxenham
For the Administration and Finance Ministry.


Outreach and Social Justice Ministry News by Shideko Terai

(Editors Note: These remarks were given by Shideko at the rally in support of the people taken by ICE .)

My name is Shideko Terai. I am a Buddhist, practicing engaged Buddhism, an activist, a brown woman. Tonight, with loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity as companions, we grieve for and with our migrant neighbors that have been kidnapped by ICE and Border Patrol. The recent increase of raids and checkpoints is frightening. We will continue to imagine a future with no walls. We will shake the foundations of this unjust reality with confidence and determination, and we will listen to the voice of our heart as we stand here together
We carry in our hearts the individuals and families who are suffering the terrible costs of the unjust system that has been built in our name. We pledge ourselves to stand with them, to stand in solidarity with them so that together we can create a more dignified and compassionate world.
**Using loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity as a practice of solidarity with those whose voices are silenced by the inhumanity of our immigration system, we stand here together. We stand here together and center ourselves to be more fully present to the pain and the hope of our friends and neighbors who face the real dangers of detention, deportation and separation. Tonight we speak to the injustices that our communities face and celebrate the Beloved Community of peace, dignity and love that we seek to build. 

The Neighbors in Need offering, which we will receive on Sunday—October 13 th , supports the ministries of justice and compassion of our denomination, the United Church of Christ, (UCC) throughout the United States. Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries, to fund a wide array of local and national justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects. Our own United Valley Interfaith Project received a Neighbors in Need grant a few years ago! Through UCCTakeAction.org , (a resource we highly recommend) our national Justice and Witness Ministries office offers resources, news updates, and action alerts on a broad spectrum of justice issues. Working with members of the UCC Justice and Peace Action Network (a network of thousands of UCC justice and peace advocates), Justice and Witness continues its strong policy advocacy work on issues such as the federal budget, voting rights, immigration, health care, hate crimes, civil liberties, and environmental justice.
The 2019 theme for Neighbors in Need affirms “Love of Children” and reminds us of our connections with our American Indian friends within the UCC. One-third of the offering supports the UCC’s Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM), and our denominational advocacy to address centuries of injustice stemming from the “Doctrine of Discovery.” Historically, forebears of the UCC established churches and worked with Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arickara, and Hocak in North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, and northern Nebraska. Today there are 20 UCC congregations on reservations and one urban, multi-tribal UCC congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. These churches and their pastors are supported by CAIM.

Ou r Neighbors in Need offering is one powerful way through which we express our love for our neighbors near and far.      We therefore hope that those who can be with us on October 13 th   will give as generously as we can.  And anyone unable to be with us on the13 th can still contribute in support of Neighbors in Need on-line at any time at: www.ucc.org/nin .

REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT TREASURERS
     

          Through the month of September we collected $7,250 in pledges for a total of $96,190 so far this year. Plate collections totaled $316 for a total of $6,694 so far this year. We also received $10,000 for the urgent maintenance fund and $350 for the pledge challenge. The special offering on 9/15 for the UCC bail fund for refugees and people seeking sanctuary totaled $405.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard Atkinson
Jim Lenz
 
Coffee & Cocoa products are featured from Equal Exchange! Please contact Shideko Terai if you would like to order Coffee, Decaf, Hot Chocolate or Chocolate Bars. These products are delicious and promise a reasonable return for the growers and farmers who produce them! K-CUPS are also available!
Cool weather! Fine chocolate. Or hot chocolate anyone?  

Shideko's e-mail is mary.n.boyle@gmail.com.
Shideko Terai, Coordinator of Outreach, Peace and Justice Ministry


red_ribbon_heart.jpg
       As Autumn colors enfold us within the beauty which makes this community of faith such a WELCOME home for us all, we celebrate with all those bearing new life and hope with those yet trying to conceive or seeking to adopt a beloved child of God, and we pray for we delight with those bearing new life, and we pray with those yet trying to conceive or seeking to adopt, even as we also pray for our friends in Bolivia, Mexico, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe , and all those living in such troubled lands as Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, North Korea, Yemen, South Sudan, the Congo, Iraq, & Iran.  We pray with special concern for all immigrants & refugees seeking sanctuary & welcome throughout our world, that we may be among those who offer an oasis of hospitality & compassion within the kin-dom of God’s heart. And we pray too for our African-American friends & neighbors, and for the courage and compassion to affirm with them that Black Lives Matter ”, not more, but certainly not less than, every life .   
             
Likewise do we pray for these members and friends of our faith community currently receiving treatment for cancer : Rich Pullen; Caren Saunder’s mother, Betty Homeyer; Selden Lord’s brother-in-law, Edward; Jan Lord’s former daughter-in-law, Michelle; Chuck Chamley’s mother, Joan Chamley ; Laura Cousineau’s brother-in-law, Eric; Judy Houde-Hardy’s cousin , Michael Morin; Hunter Townsend; Jo Evarts, and her sister , Jingles; Robert Bryant; Cynthia Howe; Penny Arcone’s brother, Stuart Hills, & Penny’s friends, Dick Slubin and Gail Graham; Joan Dumont’s stepbrother, Lowell Toof; Jeff McNamara; Lauryn Moeller’s daughter-in-law, Lisa Rae Moeller; and Kevin Ramos-Glew’s nephew, Duncan.

            And so too do we pray for Connie Kousman; Joan Dumont; Ilsa Pinkson-Burke; Chris Dye ; Larry Wolkin; Tecla McCann as she struggles with ALS and wishes us to know that this is affecting her voice and speech; Aaron Luce; Shideko Terai; Linda Perkins’ friends, Dorothy & Barbara ; Caren Saunder’s father, William Homeyer ; Randall Balmer ; Christine Greenough’s father, Doug; Gianna Marzilli Ericson’s dear friend , David Karen Jameson’s mother, Letitia; Greg Castell’s father; Becky Luce; Scot Zens; Rev. Jed Reardon; Bob Carpenter; Carol Hartman’s daughter-in-law , Michelle; Jim Schubert’s niece , Wendy; Suzanne Lenz; Erik Heaton; Len Saunders’ mother, Deb;  Laura Cousineau’s mother, Laura Keener Kreisl; Allyson Wendt; Tony Wellhaven; Sue Pullen’s nephew, Jaime; Greg Marshall ; Larry Burch’s parents, Bill & Olive, as well as Larry’s brother , Charlie; Glenn Griffin’s nephew, Jeffrey; Susan Turner’s first father-in-law , Cecil Baker , as well as Sue’s “aunt” Jane Nupp, Jane’s daughter, Janet, Sue’s cousin, Buddy Stevenson , and her friend, Jane Miles ; Andrea Keen’s father, Max Bueno; Tim Timmons; Maura Hart’s father , William; Vicki Ramos-Glew’s mother , Carol Spencer; Bill Chappelle’s friend, Mel; Odile Clavier’s mother, Marie-Claire, as well as Odile’s brother , Francois Clavier ; along with her niece, Amelie Marie , and her colleague,  Jim Barry, Susan Sanzone’s parents, Norma & Sal Sanzone, & Susan’s aunt , Rita.

 


          
Like the brilliantly colored leaves falling all around us, the loss of dearly beloved friends and relatives has made this a bittersweet time.

           Our prayers are with Andrea Keen and her family , upon the loss of her grandmother, Ruth Buzzell , on Monday—August 5 th , 2019.  
So too do we extend our sympathy to all who knew and loved   Annamay Chapman whose long and loving life ended peacefully in her home of 52 years here in Meriden on   Friday—September 13 th , 2019. 

           Recognizing how dear our pets become to us, we also extend our sympathy to Robyn & Bob Carpenter , upon the loss of their much loved dog , Abby, as well as Julie Haskell,  upon the unexpected loss of her beloved canine companion, Zeke .

            As God has welcomed each of these dearly departed ones back into the realm of God’s eternal embrace, may their families and loved ones be comforted with God’s healing presence in the midst of this time of mourning.

The Annual Meeting of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ will be Saturday, October 19th at the Grappone Conference Center at 70 Constitution Avenue, Concord, New Hampshire. Look for more information in a forth coming e-mail.
The UVHS & The Plainfield Community Resource Room have teamed up to help all
Cat & Dog Owners in our area. Every Month on the 3 rd  Saturday when the Resource Room & Food Pantry is open the UVHS will be present to provide   FREE Cat & Dog Food.
For more information
please contact Stephanie at 469-3201.

OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
10/01  David Weidman
10/02  Jim Borchert
10/03  Edward Foltyn
10/03  Laura Cousineau
10/03  Jan Lord
10/03   Andrea Brown 
10/04  Rick Cunningham
10/05 Catherine Sensenig
10/06  Linda Darlington
10/06 Augustin Ramos-Glew
10/07  Erik Heaton
10/07  Nicholas Custer
10/08  Alicia Foster
10/08  Arthur Perkins
10/09  Benjamin Reetz
10/11  Micah Dewey
10/11  Mikki Jaeger
10/12  Karen Lenz
10/12  Kuda Muhlauri
10/12  Susan Pullen
10/13  John Houde
10/13  Evan Oxenham
10/13 Suzanne Spencer
10/15  Sean Elliot
10/15  Allison Foltyn
10/15  Teagan Goodwin
10/16  Susan Nugent
10/17  Bill Nugent
 
10/18  Grayson Davies
10/19  John Brooks
10/19  Tinashe Muhlauri
10/20  James Fadden
10/20  Steve Gordon
10/20   Carl Sandin
10/21  Jennifer Phelps
10/21  Susan Gregory-Davis
10/21   Marian Zens
10/22  Hallie Zens
10/22  Michael Hogan
10/24  Marianne McGraw
10/24  Fiona Davis-Walsh
10/24  Jen Williams
10/26  Jim Griffths
10/26  Jaden Giaccone
10/26  Telemos Tomlinson
10/26  Franccesca Marzilli-
          Ericson
10/27  Elizabeth Church
10/27  Jeffrey Wilkinson
10/27  Molly Beaupre’
10/28  Daniel Beaupre’
10/29  Susan Reetz
10/29  Shawn Phelps
10/31  Mark Pensgen
10/31  Charlie Williams
OCTOBER ANNIVERSARIES
 

10/01 Don and Lindsay Parsons
10/02 Nancy and Paul Franklin
10/02 Nora Kells Gordon & Steve Gordon
10/03 Glen & Cindy (Svensen) Griffin
10/04 Tom and Lyn Lord
10/04 Susan and John Gregory-Davis
10/04 Karen (Phelps) and Simon Prior
10/06 Ross and Beth Wood
10/10 Jeannie and Rick Hines
10/12 Brenda and Wally Caswell
10/15  Meredith Forbes and Michael Finch
10/16  Rigel Cable and Cam Lee
10/20 Susan and Bill Nugent
10/21 Anne and Alan Grover
10/24 Laine Gillespie and Bill Chappelle
10/25 Mark and Betsey Pensgen
10/26 Michele and Chuck Chamley
10/30 Laura and Ed Cousineau




Dear Meriden Spiritual Family,
 
It has been a busy month for us readying our Sanctuary effort. We continue to determine the logistics that will allow for us to house immigrants without documents with the help of several faith communities and other friends across the region.  
 
I want thank everyone at MCC who attended and/or organized our 6/3 information session and/or our 6/10 potluck training session. We have made major strides to organize how we will communicate with volunteers and ensure they know our facility, each other, and John and Susan.
 
If you have not yet signed up, and would like to volunteer to help, here is the web address for a brief online form where you can indicate which concrete tasks you are willing to do.  Could you take 5 minutes to fill this out?  
 
 
Perhaps you could bring food or donate a gift card or participate in a few of the 10 ways or so we expect to need support? 
 
Most importantly, as of today, we are in great need of volunteers who are able to work in shifts to be in the Parish House when we have person(s) without documents onsite. We must have at least one U.S. citizen here at all times. Our greatest need is to find more people who would be willing to spend 4-6 hours during the day and/or spend the night when we have someone(s) in Sanctuary. Might this be you?
 
Thank you so much. Please reach out if you have any questions.
 
In gratitude, Jill

-Jill E. Marshall
Sanctuary Coordinator
202.510.4161

 
    Our Showing Up for Racial Justice BLACK LIVES MATTER Vigils continue each Wednesday afternoon from 5:00 to 5:30 PM, on the SouthWest corner of the intersection of Rte 120 & Main Street (at the blinking yellow light, with parking available at Poor Thom's Tavern). We have “Black Lives Matter” signs available for folk to hold, but please feel free to make and/or bring your own signs affirming such sentiments as “showing up for racial justice,” “standing on the side of LOVE,” and/or our commitment to disarm hate, and to affirm our solidarity with women, as well as our Native-, African-, Latin-, & Asian-American, as well as our immigrant & GLBTQIA, Jewish, & Muslim sisters and brothers, and all those feeling unsafe and insecure in light of recent terrors plaguing our nation.

Come “show up for racial justice,” and Stand With us 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 the Beloved Community

 
Y