Summer Sunday services are now in

Chapin Hall and on Zoom at 10:00 am.

Please join us!

CALL TO MEETING/VOTE:

A meeting of the Rocky Hill Congregational Church United Church of Christ is called for Sunday, July 23, 2023, immediately following Worship. The meeting will be held in the Sanctuary and via Zoom. Members will be able to vote in both venues. The only item of business is to vote on whether or not to approve the Pastoral Search Committee’s recommendation to call Reverend David Figliuzzi to serve as our settled pastor.  The meeting and vote will take place directly after service. There will be a luncheon in Chapin Hall following the vote.

Respectfully submitted, Heather Collins, Clerk

From the Pastor's Office

For everything, there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven:

                                  Ecclesiastes 3 NRSV

My friends in Christ,

Summer is the major season of re-creation for many of us. If we are fortunate and able to get away from the regularity of our everyday lives, it’s time for V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N! However, to rejuvenate and re-create ourselves does not require a long journey or a mountaintop retreat, though both are nice options. Instead, we require a willingness to find the time and space to empty ourselves of the busyness of life and be attentive to the work of God in that daily busyness.

Consider the well-known biblical story of the lost son who comes home to his father after an indulgent, wasteful lifestyle, we call him The Prodigal Son. The young son feared coming home after all of the ways he had mistreated himself and his family, but when he saw no other way to survive, he came home and found a welcoming, loving Father who was thrilled to have him return. Sometimes we carry that baggage of fear when we seek to return to God’s sheltering place, but when we let go of those things that hold us back, we too find the love of God awaits us. The opportunity for re-creation comes to us in each moment of our lives, especially when we strive to be attentive to the ways of our Lord.

During these summer months carve out some time for God. Read the scriptures and other spiritually grounded books, pray regularly, and attune yourself toward listening to the ways God might be speaking to your life. When you open yourself to God’s possibilities, your hungering places will be well-fed by the workings of the Holy Spirit.

Blessings of Christ,                                                                            

Barry                                                            

Pastoral Search Committee

Introducing Rev. David Figliuzzi

Our church has called Rev. David Figliuzzi to serve as our pastor. As a member of our church, YOU play an important role in the next steps of this process:

• Friday, July 21, we have an opportunity to get to know David and his husband, Rob. Join us in Chapin Hall for a casual time of food, fun, and fellowship. Pizza, salad, and beverages will be followed by a visit from Tall Man's Ice Cream. We'll have games for children of all ages. Join us any time between 5 and 8 p.m. 
• Sunday, July 23, Rev. Figliuzzi will be leading the service at 10 a.m. After the service, there will be an important congregational meeting to vote on the call followed by a luncheon.

Please remember to wear your name tag! We look forward to seeing you! 

Facilities

The Facilities Ministry commissioned a study of our Church building in 2019. We hired Moser Pilon Nelson Architects to review the building to determine where we needed to address deterioration over time. The State Historic Preservation Office fully funded this study. The resulting report addressed several major areas needing improvement and suggested a priority for addressing them. To give you an example, a high priority was to repair the parapets on our steeple. Another area is deteriorating windows. There are a total of nine projects needing to be addressed over time totaling an estimated cost of $1.7 million. Since the study was done with guidelines from the State Historic Office, most of these projects would qualify for a 50% grant from the State to complete the project.

We are currently in the process of replacing the parapets in the steeple and fixing a deteriorated exterior window in the steeple. The estimated cost for this project is $130,000. The State Historic Office has approved 50% funding for the project. Plans have been developed, (and paid for with a grant from the State), and we will be going out to bid shortly on the project.

So what’s a parapet? 

The top parapet was removed in 2012 amidst fears that a good strong wind would knock it off. What you see now is the metal-clad top of the Steeple. The lower parapet remains, but it is in bad shape and needs to be replaced. The picture above is what the steeple looked like in 1930. The parapet is outlined in red.

We expect to go to bid this fall and complete the repair by year’s end. - Steve Smith

Faith Formation

Church School Calendar

• July 9th - The kids will go with Heather Wolfe-Taylor for church school. They will be working on another bulletin board project as they learn about the importance of showing hospitality to strangers, as described in the Book of Hebrews.

Outreach & Witness

July MAG

Covenant to Care School Supplies Drive: Let's Make a Difference Together!

Outreach and Witness is thrilled to announce the launch of our annual School Supplies Drive for Covenant to Care. This is a chance for each one of us to come together and provide essential tools for a successful academic journey for children in the care of DCF.

With your contributions, we aim to provide school supplies to approximately 15 children, grades pre-k -12. Your donations can help empower them to dream big, learn effectively, and believe in their potential.

Here's what we need from you: donations of school supplies that will make a real difference in these children's lives. If you prefer, you can make a monetary donation through our Scrip program or via Vanco.

Requested school supplies:

Outreach & Witness will be purchasing backpacks for the children. If you're interested in personally filling a backpack for a specific child, we can make that happen! If you love back-to-school shopping, we can always use help. Let us know, and we'll provide you with all the details to create a truly special gift.

We will collect supplies during the month of July. Backpacks will be assembled with help from our youth on August 20. Let's make this School Supplies Drive a resounding success, demonstrating our commitment to making a lasting impact on the lives of these children.

For any questions or further information, please reach out to the members of the Outreach & Witness Committee or contact Christine Kainamura at ckainamura@gmail.com

The Green Team

TAKE A HIKE!

The Green Team is planning to hike Dividend Pond in Rocky Hill, on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at 10 am. 

We will meet in the main parking lot on Old Forge Road.

Name Tags

DO YOU HAVE A NAME TAG?

With the good news from the Pastoral Search Committee about our "candidating weekend" July 21-23, we'd like to remind you to wear your name tag on both July 21st and July 23rd to make life a little easier for David Figliuzzi to become better acquainted with us.

Don't have a name tag? Can't find it? Request one from Laura at office@rhccucc.org or (860) 529-4167.

Building News

Great News!!

Those in church this past Sunday heard the exciting news that it appears VERY likely we will be renting six rooms on the 3^rd floor to the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ. While there are details to work out and documents to sign, we have a deal in principle. This is such great news for us, as it means substantial additional income to the church, as well as the intangible benefits of hosting the Conference’s CT office. Not to mention the fact that there will be people in the church every day, making our building a more used and “peopled” place.

VISIONFUND300

VISIONFUND300 Update

VISIONFUND300 will soon be kicking off with the initial meeting of our Campaign Executive Committee on July 13th. The campaign will be relatively quiet for the following month or so as the team, under the leadership of Deb Copes, prepares campaign materials and information. Stay tuned for frequent updates.

Fellowship of the Grape

Light the Tower

Remember Loved Ones



In Loving Memory of Michael Tine - Gail & Natalie Tine

Missing a great dad and grandfather, Ray Libera - with love from Lisa, Jackson & Maya McNally

If you would like to remember or honor your loved one in 2023 by lighting the tower, please let Laura know: office@rhccucc.org

Important Dates

• July 13 - Official kickoff of VISIONFUND300 campaign
• July 15 - Green Team hike at Dividend Pond
• July 21 - Meet David Figliuzzi 5-8pm Chapin Hall
• July 23 - Candidating Sunday with Rev. David Figliuzzi
• July 23 - Congregational MEETING and VOTE after worship
• August 6 - Yard Goats game
• October 14 - RHCC FAIR
• April 8, 2024 - Solar Eclipse

INREACH/COFFEE HOUR

Sunday services are now in our air-conditioned space in Chapin Hall.

COFFEE HOUR:

• July 9 Suzanne and Jackie will serve.
• July 16 Liz P. and Nancy R will serve.
• July 23 is “all hands on deck” for candidating Sunday!
• July 30 the Green Team will serve.

Thank you. - Stephanie Heneghan

For more information on RHCC worship, activism, and happenings, visit:

OUR WEBSITE: RockyHillucc.org

OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: Facebook.com/rhccucc

OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE:

www.instagram.com/rockyhillucc

WELCOME GUESTS!

If you have been joining us for our online worship services or keeping in touch on Facebook – we’d love to say hello and get to know you better! If you’d like to learn more about our church community, please email us at: office@rhccucc.org with your contact information!

We are an Open and Affirming Christian community, actively expressing Jesus’ inclusive embrace of all people.