Sunday School and Nursery Care

Old North Church welcomes children of all ages on Sunday mornings! Children are welcome in the sanctuary for the entirety of the service. Our nursery for children 3 months to 4ish opens at 9:50 but you may bring your little ones there at any point in the service. Sunday school (for kids aged four through 12) begins partway through the church service, following the "Moments with Children" during worship.

Faith Formation

This week in Sunday School Rev. Christine and Jess Easter will explore the Exodus story of the parting of the Red Sea with the children. We're hoping to include a dramatic reenactment and some water play. 

Upcoming North Shore Youth Ministry (NSYM) Meetings

The NSYM typically meets Sundays and rotates Church host locations. Middle school age youth (6th-8th grades) will be meeting from 3:30-5:30pm and High School (9th-12th grades) from 6-8 pm.

The January & February schedule location is as follows:

• Sunday, January 19 – Dinner at the Rose House. We will meet at the Rose House in Swampscott for dinner and a talk with Amanda Grant-Rose about her work at Capuchin Mobile Ministry.
• Monday, January 20- Youth volunteers needed! We will be assisting with the MLK, Jr. day breakfast hosted at Old North this year, as well as leading volunteer opportunities for the community.
• Sunday, February 2- Old North Church
•  Saturday, February 8 – Sunday, February 9 - Church Lock-In
• Winter Walk! We will meet at First Church Saturday 2/8 at 4 pm to play games, watch movies, do devotions & eat. Sunday morning, we will take the train down into Boston for the Winter Walk, exploring the city.
• Sunday, February 16 - No Group!
• Sunday, February 23 - Clifton Lutheran Church (combined group 4-6:30)
• Friday, February 28 - St. Andrews

Please click here to view the NSYM's Winter Newsletter

Family Winter Camp Weekend 

Clifton Lutheran Church welcomes all NSYM partners for a weekend of fun, faith, and fellowship at Camp Calument in NH. The Winter Weekend flyer contains the basic information on the weekend. The registration form provides cost breakdown and cabin information.

Registration is first come, first served. If you would like to register for your family please do so as soon as possible. For more information on costs, lodging, and activities, or to submit a completed registration form, email Jess at Jess@thensym.org and Karin at Karin17e@gmail.com.

Stewardship

Paraphrasing from the children’s book “The Little Engine That Could” and its “I Think I Can, I Think I Can”, we are collectively in the process of making good things happen with our pledge total currently standing at $434,000. So yes every pledge counts AND yes we will continue to strive to reach our goal of $500,000. If you would like to be part of this effort by increasing your current pledge for next year, please email the ONC office at office@onchurch.org. We are very appreciative to one and all for the positive support that has been achieved to date.  

If you have not yet made your pledge for 2025, pledge cards are available in the pew racks or you may pledge online at www.onchurch.org/pledge.  

2024 ONC Fair Wrap-up Meeting Tonight

There will be a 2024 ONC Fair wrap-up meeting tonight, Thursday, January 16th, at 7:00PM in the Great Room, Stacey Street. Anyone who participated in or is interested in discussing the Fair or has suggestions for a 2025 funding raising project is welcome. Hope to see many of you there. Any questions, please contact Linda Duvel, linda.bill.duvel@gmail.com or 781-631-1703 or Marcia Hostetter, hostetter.marcia@gmail.com or 781-639-1942.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Community Breakfast

On Monday, January 20 at 9:30 a.m. the Marblehead Racial Justice Team (MRJT) is presenting the first annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Community Breakfast at Old North Church, 35 Washington Street. All are welcome to attend. A free will donation of low salt canned meat or meaty soup will be welcomed.

The 90 minute program will include readings of Amanda Gorman poetry and a presentation entitled "The Last Song of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." by Dr. Cheryl Boots as well as time for conversation. A former Marblehead resident for over three decades, Dr. Boots is a singer/songwriter and a retired Boston University professor.



The Marblehead League of Women Voters and the Marblehead Ministerial Association are co-sponsors of this event. 

Sunday, January 26 Travelogue Presentation "Journey to Greece and Turkey: Where Paul and John Walked with a Little Help from Their Friends”

During a trip last summer with good friends, Barbara and John Tatum, Ginny and Rick von Rueden took a trip to Greece and Turkey exploring amazing archeological sites and wonders of the ancient world. As they cruised among the islands of the eastern Aegean Sea and travelled through western Turkey to Istanbul, they were struck by the presence of Jesus’s Apostles who visited these sites during their missionary travels along the way.

Ginny will offer a program with slides and commentary highlighting historic locations including those with great importance for our Christian faith.



Please join us for this fascinating program sponsored by the Community Life Board on Sunday, January 26, at 2:00 pm in the Parish Hall. Refreshments will be available at 1:30 p.m.

Bylaw Change Proposal

After listening to input at last year's annual meeting, talking extensively at Leadership Board meetings, educating the congregation about our financial relationship to the wider denomination, and holding three listening sessions, the Leadership Board has a draft proposal of a bylaw change. We welcome your input!

Please email Betsey Halbert (moderator) at betsey.halbert@gmail.com and Lindsay (senior pastor) at lindsaypopper@gmail.com to offer feedback, or plan to attend one of the three Listening Sessions so we can get your opinion before this comes to our annual budget meeting.

Listening Sessions for Bylaw Change Proposal

• Tuesday, January 21, 7:30pm on Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86758016832 )
• Wednesday, January 22, 1pm at church office (8 Stacey Street)
• Sunday, January 26, after worship in the Parish Hall  

Save the Date!

Our Annual Church Budget Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 2 in the sanctuary at the close of the 10 o’clock service. All members of Old North should plan to attend as this meeting has a quorum requirement.

A pre-meeting detailed budget discussion will be held in the parish hall following the 10 o’clock service on January 26^th.

Immediately following the meeting please join us in the Parish Hall for the 2^nd Annual Chili Bake Off and no charge Friend Raiser Chili lunch.

2nd Annual Chili Bake Off

Put on your aprons and get cooking! We are having a “Friend Raiser Chili Bake Off” after the Annual Budget Meeting on February 2nd in the parish hall.

Bring your pot of chili to the parish hall kitchen the morning of February 2nd. It will be a contest of sorts (with a prize of sorts) followed by a communal chili lunch.



Please let me know before the end of January if you are entering your chili. We also need cornbread bakers! - Janet Doyle, cell or text: 781-530-0065, email: janet@doylesailsonedesign.com.

Leadership Board



The Leadership Board met on Thursday, January 10 and approved the minutes of their December meeting on December 12, 2024. The approved minutes may be viewed here.

Scrabble Group



The Scrabble Group meets weekly on Wednesdays from 2-4pm in the Great Room at the Stacey St. office building. Newcomers are always welcome to join in the fun!

Prayer Shawl Knitters

Prayer Shawl continues to meet the second Wednesday of each month in 2025, 10:30-12 in the Great Room at Stacey Street. Dates are:

February 12, March 12, April 9, May 14

Please join us — we have yarn, pattern + needles.

Green Tip of the Week

This week’s “Green Tip of the Week” – Use wax paper bags for lunch sandwiches rather than Ziplock. Wash out Ziplocs and re-use them.

The Old North Church Green Team has started a new initiative – “Green Tip of the Week”. It is especially apt as we enter the “Season of Creation Care” that some places of worship are signing on to. It’s all about sharing our piece of “creation care” in the time we are each given to walk this walk of life on earth.  

Responding to the CA Wildfires

You can support the United Church of Christ's disaster relief efforts in the Los Angeles area by making a donation online at https://support.ucc.org/california-wildfires-2025 

Our Outreach Ministry Board will continue to be in touch about local organizations on the ground in LA that we can support! 

Gifts of Cheer



If you know of anyone, either here at Old North or in the wider Marblehead community who is going through a difficult time, the Community Life Board would like to reach out with a little plant and a friendly note. Please contact Lynda Hare at hares8carrots@hotmail.com or 781-639-0107 if you know someone who would appreciate a little extra cheer.

Lectio Divina

A monastic practice of scripture, reflection and prayer dating back to the 4^th century, at Old North lectio divina has been adapted and practiced for more than ten years on every Tuesday morning from 9 to about 10:30 am. When Dennis was here, he led the practice. Since his leaving, we all take turns being the leader to select the readings. We have welcomed newcomers, some not from Old North, who seem to find soul food in the practice and the shared reflections that are part of it. We meet at 9 am both in person in the “Great Room” on Stacey St. and on Zoom.

We begin each meeting with a context-setting call to worship. Then we pair a scripture reading with a poem, chosen by the leader for the day and read aloud. We then move into 21 minutes of silent meditation, marked by chimes, and finally we share in “safe space” our responses – personal and intellectual. We end each session with prayers for healing and the Lord’s Prayer.



It is a rich time of being together in community and quite like no other. We invite you to give it a try.