The Church Mouse

Weekly Newsletter

Rocky Hill Congregational Church

United Church of Christ

Rocky Hill, CT

RockyHillucc.org

August 22, 2024

No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey,

you are welcome here!

Sunday morning SUMMER Worship Service begins at 9:00 am in the sanctuary.

Notes from the Pastor

As we have journeyed through Women of the Hebrew Bible, we have read many stories about the lengths these women went through to build a family. Hannah's prayer was so fervent, it was mistaken for drunkenness. Bathsheba spoke up to be sure her son would receive the crown he was promised. Tamar went to great lengths to bear a son. These stories display both faith and resilience, but they certainly are not limited by place and time.

Join us this week as we ponder what it means for us to be God's children - adopted by God. And, hear from Tracy G. as she shares the story of her journey to motherhood. Come expecting! See you at 9am on Sunday. ~David

This Sunday, we welcome vocalist, Jermaine Woodard Jr! Jermaine is Virginian born baritone and recording artist and a Hartt School alumnus. Jermaine serves on the roster of: Voce, Inc (Signum records); CONCORA; Voices of Concinnity (Parma Records); Cathedral of Saint Joseph’s Schola Cantorum/Cathedral Quartet; premier recording ensembles Composer’s Choir, Vox Futura, Handel & Haydn Society, and Voices of Hartford. Jermaine also serves as baritone section leader and soloist at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Crescendo, and the Hartford Chorale. Noteworthy; Jermaine has performed with Manhattan Concert Productions and The Masterworks Chorus at Carnegie Hall, Andrea Boccelli at XL Center, Berkshire Opera Festival, Hartford Symphony Orchestra (Bushnell), Music Worcester, Panopera, Opera Connecticut, Opera Theater of CT, Hartford Opera Theater, and Playhouse on Park (West Hartford).

Please join us Sunday morning at 9:00am in the sanctuary to enjoy Jermaine's musical gift!

~David

Council

We are moving into the future! Many of you have observed that we are in need of new branding, a new website, and more modern ways to increase our visibility in the community. On Rally Day, September 8th, we will unveil our new church logo! Plans are in place to have new church 'merch' available, as well as an updated website and new signage!

Outreach and Witness

Thank You

Outreach and Witness would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your generous donations towards the backpack and school supplies drive.

Thanks to your contributions, we were able to provide essential school supplies to 15 children who needed them most, ensuring they start the school year with the tools they need to succeed. We also provided each of those children with a $50 Target gift card. It is through your compassion and dedication we are able to make such a meaningful impact on our community.

We are incredibly grateful for your continued generosity and for making this initiative a success. Your actions are a true reflection of the spirit of giving and community that we cherish. ~Christine K.

Music Ministry

Faith Formation

Family Fellowship Events:

Family Hikes: Our Family hike earlier this month was cancelled due to the heat. We will instead hike on 8/24, meeting at the Quarry Park parking lot at 9 am. Rain date will be 1pm the following Sunday. 

Sunday School:

There will be no Sunday school on 8/25 or 9/1. Please join us on 9/8 for Rally day!

Children's Table: New and Improved!

We have some exciting updates for our new program year! We are converting our Children’s Table into a Prayground! While it’ll look relatively the same, much of the programming around it will change. From new activities centered around the bible story, to children’s bulletins and special liturgical moments, our new Prayground will be an opportunity to play as a form of prayer. This programming is designed with those under 12 in mind but can certainly be a fun opportunity for all ages! To learn more about the growing trend of Praygrounds, you can use this link.

As a Faith Formation team, we are hoping this addresses some of the concerns that have been raised about the table, including worship behavior. In a couple of months we will be soliciting feedback from the whole congregation so that we can ensure this space is serving our young people to the best of our abilities. Please be on the look out!

Racial Justice Steering Committee

Pages from the History room

In July, I went to Boston to the Congregational Library and Archives for an Archive Workshop. Along with 7 members from other churches, we went over tips on cataloging, storage, and preservation of church archives with two professional staff archivists. It was an inspirational day learning new ways to hold on to the past for future's sake.

Do you know that we have RHCCUCC historic records and artifacts in our History Room located near the elevator? We have handwritten sermons by Calvin Chapin, pictures galore, bulletins, newsletters, and much more!

Anyone interested in visiting the room and exploring, please contact me:

Edward Chiucarello, Church Historian

WISE

This week, we hosted a suicide prevention/intervention training, which was a wonderful time of learning together. Nine church members attended the training led by two research assistants from CCMC. Participants learned the QPR system (Question, Persuade, Refer) to intervene when there is a concern that someone may be suicidal. There will be more opportunities for this type of training in the future. Reach out to any member of the WISE team if you'd like to learn more. ~The WISE Team

Golf Outing

RHCC Golf Tournament - Sunday, September 22nd

This year’s fall RHCC Golf Tournament is scheduled for Sunday, September 22, 2024, at Indian Springs Golf Club in Middlefield, CT. The tournament will be a 9-hole event, followed by refreshments at the course. We are planning for (6) foursomes and our tee times will start at 1:00 PM. The cost will be $70 per person for 9 holes of golf, a cart, and a cookout-style dinner after the round.

A sign-up sheet will be available in Chapin Hall in September, or you can contact Bill H. (860-563-1367) to reserve your spot. Don’t miss out on this fun event! ~Bill H.

Fellowship of the Grape

Our next Fellowship of the Grape will be held at Mary Ann L.’s house on September 7^th at 5 PM. Mary Ann lives at 330 Penfield Hill Road in Portland. If anyone wants to carpool, please let me know. Once again, we'll get to enjoy her beautiful backyard and gardens,(which, unlike mine, do not have one weed in them!) We ask that you bring your favorite drink, alcoholic or not, and an appetizer to share. 

Hilaire L. has volunteered to hold a ghostly and ghoulish Fellowship of the Grape at her house, 33 Riverview Road, Rocky Hill, on Saturday, October 26^th, 5 PM. Costumes are optional but preferred! Food and drink to share is highly recommended.

On a parting note: I will be passing the FoG scheduling/announcing baton to Hilaire L. 

I am so grateful that Hilaire has volunteered to do this and to keep this tradition going. I want to thank everyone who has hosted, will host, and for so enthusiastically catching on to this form of fellowship! I will miss attending and most of all, will miss all of you. 

Remember - I have photos! 😊 ~Deb C.

Important Dates

Light the Tower

• In memory of Jennifer O'Connor. Julia O'Connor, Denise and Bob Carberry.
• In memory of Gladys Carberry. Julia O'Connor, Denise and Bob Carberry.
• In Loving Memory of husband and father, Paul Anthony Tine Jr. Gail and Natalie Tine.
• In Loving Memory of father-in-law and grandfather, Paul Anthony Tine. Gail and Natalie Tine.

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

OUR WEBSITE: RockyHillucc.org

OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: Facebook.com/rhccucc

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.