Our Latest News and Activities


Sunday, January 15, 2023

Second Sunday after Epiphany


Please join us for worship at 8 or 10 am in our Sanctuary.


The 10am service will be livestreamed on our website, www.onchurch.org



Rev. Don Remick will be preaching.


Scripture Lesson: Galations 3:23-29

Rev. Don Remick's sermon: "On Being a Racist"

Please click here to view the 10am bulletin.


Wherever You Are On Life's Journey, You Are Welcome Here.

Annual Budget Meeting of the Church

 

Our Annual Church Budget Meeting will be held via Zoom on Sunday, January 29th at 7:00 pm. A Zoom link will be sent via email on the Friday before the meeting. The proposed budget will be available for review in the Narthex and church office starting Sunday, January 22. Church leadership will be offering a budget discussion session after the 10:00 am service on that day. All are welcome.



The 2023 church budget will be shaped by the church membership. There are critical decisions to be made this year which will inform the future of Old North church and its programs, services and staff. We look forward to your participation in the budget process.


Let's Get Together!

 

With long winter days and nights ahead of us, the Community Life Ministry Board would like to offer the congregation some opportunities to meet, learn and have fun!! Beginning next week, you will find clip boards with sheets of yellow paper waiting for sign ups.  The plan is to create different clubs where you can join people with similar interests to pursue the activity of your dreams!! 


These might include:

Book club, biking, bridge, cribbage, cooking classes, dinner/supper club, field trips (museums/art galleries/gardens) golf, hiking, jigsaw swap, kayaking, pickle ball, tennis, scrabble, walking, wine tasting.  The list of possibilities is endless and of course your own ideas are very welcome.  If you have any questions, please contact Lynda Hare at 781 639 0107 or hares8carrots@hotmail.com. Let’s make this the winter (and summer) of content!

International Holocaust Remembrance Day


The United Nations has designated January 27th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  They write: “On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.” 



Here in Marblehead there will be a noontime commemoration of this event at the Abbot Hall on Friday the 27th. This is an important moment for our congregation to support our community’s efforts to own our history and take a stand against actions of hatred and intimidation that remain all too common to this day. Keep an eye on Temple Emanu-El’s website for updates and other activities commemorating this day. 

See No Stranger


“The future is dark. What if this is not the darkness of the tomb – but the darkness of the womb? What if this is our greatest transition?” ~ Valarie Kaur, See No Stanger


I first encountered Valarie Kaur through a TED talk, one of the most powerful and popular ones. On their website they write: “Valarie Kaur is a social justice activist, lawyer, filmmaker, innovator, mother and Sikh American thought leader who founded the Revolutionary Love Project — a movement that envisions a world where love is a public ethic.”  You can see the TED talk here: https://www.ted.com/speakers/valarie_kaur


I next encountered her as a keynote speaker for our Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ and her words and insights were riveting and moving. She would keynote again a couple years later at our United Church of Christ denomination’s national gathering. Her concept of ‘revolutionary love’ is captured in her book See No Stranger.  It is compelling, engaging, practical, and spiritual. 



In March we will do a 3-part book study and conversation on the lessons and insights of her book. The book study will be a ZOOM gathering so that you can join us from anywhere in your home or in the world. I hope you will read the book in the weeks ahead and join us.  Stay tuned for dates and times. - Don


Help Us Help Our Environment


We have heard this quote for decades: “The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth.” Chief Seattle.  And what happens to the earth happens to us as well as by us.  We are hoping to be part of the change.  

 

In January we will be holding a gathering of those folks who are interested in working to care for God’s Creation; starting right here in our community and homes. Specifically we will be exploring becoming a Green Congregation (for more info go to our Conference’s website: 

https://www.sneucc.org/environmental-ministries )    

 

Given the steep rise in fuel and electric costs this year we are interested in finding ways to help our congregation and community reduce their use.  

 

Additionally, we are interested in exploring collaboration and partnership with other green team groups among our interfaith siblings and within our town.  

 

Keep an eye on future church emails for specifics on date in time. In the meantime, if you are interested please let our office know so we can be sure to get word out to you. 

Winter Parking at Old North


We have a limited number of spaces available for winter season overnight parking (Dec 1-Apr 30) or for declared Snow Emergencies only parking in the church parking lot. Overnight and snow emergency parking without a valid permit may result in your car being towed from our lot. This year, we are offering a winter season permit, which allows for overnight parking (including snow emergencies) for $650. Alternatively, we are offering a Snow Emergency Only pass for $200 for the season. We are not able to offer passes for individual storms or short-term overnight stays.  If you or anyone that you know may be interested in either option, please email Lisa in the church office at office@onchurch.org.

Give to Old North While Shopping


Use smile.amazon.com when shopping at Amazon and 0.5% of your spending amount will be donated to our church (subscription and digital purchases are excluded). Instead of going directly to www.amazon.com, go to smile.amazon.com and login with your normal User Name and Password. Make sure that you confirm First Church of Christ in Marblehead as your selected charity. If not, enter “First Church of Christ in Marblehead” in the text box and click “search” then confirm your selection. You will only have to do this once – your selection will be saved with your account. Easy! To use Amazon Smile on your iOS or Android Amazon app, open the app and then open the Main Menu. Scroll down to Settings and tap on Amazon Smile. Follow the onscreen instructions to turn on donations from orders placed on your phone.

Office Hours

The church office is open Tues-Thurs mornings from 9:30-1:30. If you have an emergency outside of office hours, please send an email to office@onchurch.org.

Contact Us: 781-631-1244
Email: office@onchurch.org

Church Address: 35 Washington St., Marblehead, MA 01945
Mailing Address: 8 Stacey St. Marblehead, MA 01945