Make an online offering.

The Deacons’ Fund aids parishioners and community members who have emergency one-time needs with bills such as rental or utility payments, or medical expenses. The Deacon's fund has been very well-utilized this year, and we're grateful that we've been able to help so many people. Because of that, we are now in need of more funds to be able to continue helping our neighbors. Please give generously, using the blue envelopes that will be in the pews.

This Sunday: Sacrament of Communion, by Intinction

Over the past year and together with Reverends Lindsay and Christine, the board of deacons has had many thoughtful discussions about how we serve communion. We've received feedback from the congregation with insights and reflections on both receiving communion in the pews (with the deacons passing trays of pieces of bread and individual cups), and receiving communion by intinction (going forward and dipping the bread in the cup). and found much appreciation for both styles.

A concern was raised about single-use plastic communion cups, and a search of the attic yielded a trove of glass cups designed for our serving trays. With strong support for both methods and the problem of wasteful plastic addressed, we have come to a decision to serve communion by intinction for six months and in the pews for six months. Intinction works well at the lighthouse, so that will be our process from June through November, for the summer and fall. From Advent through the season of Easter, we'll serve in the pews (from December through May). The newsletter and bulletin will announce the method each month.

Throughout the year we would love to hear more feedback from the congregation: What do you like about intinction? Why do you prefer receiving communion in the pews? How do you feel about six months of each? So please continue to reflect, discuss, and share with us and the clergy so that we may consider whether to continue in this pattern beyond 2027.

SAVE THE DATE! Please join us for a special "Tribute to Dolly Parton" presented by Holly Cameron, Charisse Nocera, and Leah Waldo, A.K.A. "Elisa Smith." The concert will take place Friday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Old North Sanctuary. A free-will offering will benefit the artists; the suggested donation is $20.

FROM THE MUSIC COMMITTEE:
Please consider joining the Old North Senior Choir this season! Singers of all ages (from high school aged to late adulthood!) and all levels of experience are enthusiastically welcomed and encouraged to enroll! Singing is not only gratifying and incredibly enjoyable, but, in fact, good for your health and well-being! Regular rehearsals for the Senior Choir take place on Wednesday evenings from 7:30pm to 9pm, and at 9am on Sunday mornings. The first rehearsal for the upcoming season took place on Wednesday, September 16, at 7:30pm; rehearsals are followed by social time with fellow singers and Maria van Kalken, Minister of Music.

FROM THE FESTIVAL CHORUS COMMITTEE:
Rehearsals for the 46th annual Old North Festival Chorus concerts have begun on Wednesday, September 30, in the Sanctuary at Old North Church. Please arrive early to register; registration begins at 7pm and a rehearsal will follow promptly thereafter at 7:30pm. All singers are welcome! While participation in the Festival Chorus requires no audition, previous choral experience is expected. Singers are required to purchase their own musical scores (provided at registration); beyond the purchase of musical scores, a nominal registration fee will be collected as well. Rehearsals will take place from 7:30pm to 9pm every Wednesday; as the performance dates approach (Saturday, December 5 at 8pm and Sunday, December 6, at 7:30pm), rehearsals will extend to 9:30pm.

The centerpiece of the upcoming December 2026 Festival Chorus Concerts is a stunningly beautiful Christmas Mass (Missa per il Sanctissimo Natale di Nostro Signore) composed by Giovanni Alberto Ristori, a contemporary of Vivaldi. Our concert program will begin with the opening chorus of J.S. Bach’s magnificent Christmas Oratorio. The “pops portion” of the concert will honor the ongoing celebration of the 250th anniversary of America, with a focus on music by American composers and arrangers, including spirituals, jazz arrangements, and culminating with the beloved A Musicological Journey Through the Twelve Days of Christmas by Craig Courtney. As always, our program will also include traditional music of the season and carols with audience participation, and all accompanied by the outstanding Old North Festival Orchestra.

High school-aged students – grades 9-12 – are encouraged to join the adult singers of Festival Chorus! Each of the four sections – soprano, alto, tenor, and bass-baritone – is led by our wonderful professional soloists/section leaders from the Old North Senior Choir.

This season’s ensemble of superb Old North section leaders/soloists includes: Anne Burgett, soprano; Holly Cameron, soprano; and Kevin Hayden, tenor – all veterans of Old North’s Senior Choir and Music Program and returning after numerous previous seasons. Auditions for a bass-baritone section leader/soloist have been announced and are being scheduled at this time.

Please visit the Festival Chorus Website at: www.oldnorthfestivalchorus.org or contact Maria vanKalken (vankalken@gmail.com) with questions about any aspect of the Music Program at Old North, the Senior Choir, or the Old North Festival Chorus.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) Program for 8th and 9th Graders starting in First Church UU Salem, Starting November 9th on Sundays from 4pm-6pm.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a lifespan sexuality education curriculum co-published by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. This curriculum was created around the shared belief that honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. The goal of OWL is to provide comprehensive, inclusive sexuality education that is developmentally appropriate for all different ages and life stages, from Kindergarten to older adulthood. OWL dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, build self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, and improves decision making. Register here!

Time to Register Children and Youth for Church Activities!


Nursery care, Church School, Youth Group: please register your child(ren) using the LINK to participate in church activities this academic year!  

The classrooms will be open at 9:50AM this Sunday before 10AM worship.

We have many volunteer openings throughout October. Come join us! We need help with three roles:

• Tending the Food Pantry table
• Delivering produce from Village School to the Food Pantry
• Working in the garden



For details and to sign up, please visit the SPUR website:

https://www.spurnorthshore.org/

Welcome the Stranger have been busy helping supply household goods to several families moving out of shelter into their own homes but our supplies are dwindling. If you have any of the following, please contact Lynda Hare (hares8carrots@hotmail.com).

Sheets (for queen, full and twin beds), New standard size pillows, Comforters, Towels, Glasses, Knives, Mugs, air fryers, mixers, etc etc.  



All items should be new or very gently used.

The October display in the Narthex features the fish symbol as an important icon in world cultures. Highlighted is the Golden Cod, for both its Marblehead history and our own gilded weathervane which dates from 1695.

It is being restored and will soon fly again on top of our newly renovated steeple. How wonderful it is to have this enduring treasure remind us of our church’s and our town’s legacy.

Faith in Action Thursday, Oct 8, 11am, Great Room

The "Faith in Action" group meets monthly to build relationships and share information about how to put our faith into action in these challenging times. We are a group of folks from Old North Church, St. Andrew's Church, and First Church Swampscott, along with other friends. This group gets support and guidance from ECCO, the Essex County Community Organization, which "brings people together across lines of difference to build people-power, provide moral clarity, and change policies to address the root causes of injustice in our midst." If you're curious, we'd love to have you join us!

Life and Living Course Continues

October 11, 2026

“Finding Meaning in Secular Times

Our topic for October 11 is: “Finding Meaning in Secular Times”. To read a related article, you can use this LINK.

Some argue there is a cultural, moral, or philosophical chasm left behind by the decline of traditional religious faith in modern societies, leading to a crisis in meaning. In a secular world people find meaning by creating their own through personal goals, human connections, and everyday life experiences instead of relying on religion.



As always we gather in person in the Great Room of Old North Church’s Stacey Street Office, from 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M., or on-line via the Zoom link.

Meeting ID: 894 6648 8441

Passcode:979357

The Old North Green Team is kicking off an initiative to allow our collective voices to be heard when changes to local and state policies are under consideration that can have a significant environmental impact. By opting-in, you will receive an alert from the Green Team when state or local officials are debating such changes. The message will include a link to a pre-written but editable email to the relevant officials that you can add your name to. By making them aware of our concern for the environment, we can help influence their decisions. If you want to be one of our advocates, please let us know at greenteam@onchurch.org.

The Green Team is back meeting on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 9:30am in the Great Room. 

However, in October we'll be meeting on the 3rd Wednesday, October 21.

Scrabble Lovers:

Join us Wednesdays at Stacey Street for scrabble. 
2-4 pm each week.

September 9

October 14

November 11

December 9

January 13

February 10

March 10

April 14

May 12

June 9

Prayer Shawl Ministry resumes on the second Wednesday of the month beginning September 9 in the Great Room, Stacey Street, 10:30-12. Please join us to help wrap the congregation in love and support, all knitters are welcome. Needles, pattern and yarn are supplied for the ONC Adult and Baptism shawls, join us to grab supplies, sit and knit, or stop by to see what we are doing. Your knitting project goes home with you to continue knitting at your own pace. For more information or questions contact Alexandra at alexandradane@me.com.

This fall, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is presenting the exhibit “The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt,” which should be of interest to the Old North Church members.

We hope to schedule two events connected to the exhibition. Reverend Christine Hribar will have a class on the book of Esther on Thursday November 19 from 9-10AM. On December 3, we hope to plan a private tour at the Gardner Museum with the possibility of lunch there as well.

Let us know of your interest, so we can plan accordingly. Please send an email reply to Judy Eissner at jpe@juditheissner.com.  

CHURCH HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE

Important dates:

Preview Party: Fri. Nov 13

Holiday Marketplace: Sat. Nov 14

After church sale: Sun. Nov 15