STAYING CONNECTED TO YOUR CHURCH COMMUNITY Thursday, January 6, 2022

The Advent letters are down dear ones -- all but HOPE. Hope remains... "And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." ~Romans 5: 5

PASTORAL NOTE:   Due to the omicron surge, the Southern New England Conference has put any onsite visits from staff on pause until February. In the coming weeks, our Search Committee will be able to meet via Zoom with our Area Conference Minister, Rev. Alex Shea Will, but he will not join us to preach this Sunday.  We are eager to find a time to reschedule.   This Sunday, January 9, is the First Sunday after Epiphany. Traditionally it is also known as the “Baptism of Jesus Sunday.” The Rev. Anne Marie Holloway will preach. Rev. Richard Edens and Rev. Judy Swahnberg will be liturgists. Bob Minetti will be our reader. Majorie Ness will return as our guest organist while John Finney is on vacation. And our soloists, Laurie Otten, Shannon Lebrón, Christian Figuera, and Garrett Murphy, will sing. You, of course, can sing with them from home!   The witness of being baptized is like the witness of those who have survived: survived cancer, survived violence, survived hard times, survived death. Survivors rarely wish their experience on anyone else, but they bear witness that they have had an experience from which they went under the water and emerged on the other side. This “grace” is the wellspring of their confidence.   Our hope continues to be that once this surge crests, it will not only crash but leave behind so many survivors who have antibodies from vaccinations and boosters, or from having had the infection that we can anticipate in-person, onsite gatherings with confidence.  May it be so! Please join us online during the Sundays of January and return home, in-person, to Hills Church soon thereafter with laughter and singing and armloads of blessings (Psalm 126). Thank you!   Grace and peace, Richard and Jill Edens Interim Co-Senior Ministers   PS: If you have not yet found us online, please go to the church’s website (click here) and click on the heading that says WORSHIP & MUSIC, then click on the third tab down that reads WATCH SUNDAY WORSHIP (click here). You can participate in worship as it is live at 10am on Sunday morning or watch at a time of your convenience.

A “PAUSE” IN RE-OPENING: VIRTUAL WORSHIP ONLY The Hills Church will “pause” our reopening and worship by holding virtual services If all is well, we will resume in-person worship and church school in February. Please check your Events e-newsletters for updates. View Livestream services HERE

TRACES OF THE TRADE: A Story from the Deep North A Sacred Conversation on Race  Wednesday, January 19, 7:00 pm (Zoom) REGISTER Today https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqd-qvqT8uHtwEIvw2X7IeIBumbnnlHuwd. On Wednesday evening, January 19, beginning at 7pm, you are invited to engage in A Sacred Conversation on Race. Talking about race in this country is difficult as conversations on race are dynamic, always changing, and inevitably political, not partisan but political, as slavery, “Jim Crow” statues, voter disenfranchisement, and racial discrimination have all been legally sanctioned at various times.  Slavery has been described as our country’s “origin sin,” so to have a dialogue seeking reconciliation and healing must journey through the legacy of slavery and the traces of that heritage to this day. We will watch and discuss the PBS documentary, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North as it explores this untold legacy of the DeWolf family, a prominent slave trading family in Rhode Island from 1769 to 1820. It follows 10 current family members from Bristol, RI, to sugar plantations in Cuba, to Ghana as this history of trading enslaved people is revealed. The viewer sees the complicity of this nation in enslaving people and the pain of talking among descendants of the slave traders about its implications. Our plan is to watch the one-hour documentary together on a Zoom shared screen beginning at 7pm and then engage in a conversation beginning at 8pm. James DeWolf Perry will join in our 8pm conversation. We will conclude before 9pm. Please register by clicking HERE in advance. You will be taken to a site where you will be asked for your name and your email address. Once that information is given, you will be given a link to use on January 19 at 7am. This will aid our planning and provide the security of knowing who is on the Zoom call with us. Registration is possible at any time but the earlier the better for our planning. You may also want to prepare by linking your computer to your television to watch the documentary on a larger screen as the film is 56 minutes. Please check out that option in advance. James DeWolf Perry was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role as the principal historical consultant for this documentary. After the release of the film, James cofounded the Tracing Center and served for several years as its executive director. He now leads many public programs on racial healing and equity, as well as professional workshops for educators and public history professionals. James is also the co-editor of Interpreting Slavery at Museums and Historic Sites which is aimed at improving the interpretation of slavery and race in our nation’s history.    Our goal is to learn more about our own history and how to have a purposeful conversation for racial justice, healing, and reconciliation. For more information, contact the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church UCC (office@hillschurch.org or 781-235-4424) or Rev. Richard Edens, Interim Co-Senior Minister (richard@hillschurch.org).

Read about our ASL efforts in this story published by SNEUCC https://www.sneucc.org/blogdetail/wellesley-hills-church-finds-energy-in-sign-language-15797652

ASL article featuring Sally T . . . In early September, we at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, UCC in Wellesley, MA, were beginning our planning for Church school. We were making final decisions on how to open our faith formation program safely. There were many considerations on keeping our children safe; Plan A and then Plan B were in place after a long week.    One night during that week, I had a detailed and vivid dream. I saw myself welcoming a young deaf child and their family to church. I crouched down, and said/signed, "Pleased to meet you; my name is Mrs. T."   I woke up that morning and had a Eureka moment; this is how we will sing in church school. Not just Christian camp songs with prescribed movements; no, we will learn American Sign Language (ASL). Why do generic movements when you can have actions with real meaning? To have the fun of movement with music, yet learn and share a new language? God thinks it's a good idea . . . READ MORE BY CLICKING ON THE LINK!

A Cup of Morning Prayer Every Monday at 7 am, join Rev. Anne Marie Holloway for a cup of morning prayer - in the quiet presence of God. Sessions are held in the sanctuary of nature, where church friends and families are invited to participate via Facebook LIVE. Find your special outdoor space, and practice an ancient form of prayer known as breath prayer.  If you cannot make it to the LIVE session, visit our Facebook page, or request to have the recordings sent to you via email. Please share your prayer requests with me in advance via email. Your personal prayers of celebration and concern will be lifted up each Monday morning and held in gentle care by our small and private Facebook Live group. Morning Meditation   We gather via Zoom every Tuesday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Whether you are new to meditation or practice it daily . . . please join us and be restored during this time together.  Questions? Email Mary Hill Canavan or Rev. Judy Swahnberg. Noonday Prayers Tune into the church's Facebook page at twelve noon on Thursdays for a brief time (5-15 minutes) of reflection and prayer.  CLICK HERE TO GO TO FACEBOOK LIVE

2022 Winter Program for Families, Youth, and Children Be on the lookout for the Winter Program Schedules for Youth Groups, Service Days, Confirmation Class, and More! Our Middle and High School Youth Groups will not meet this week for cookie baking/typical program schedules, but will resume meeting on Sunday evening, January 23rd, outdoors for a Hot Cocoa Club! Confirmation Class will continue to meet on Wednesday evenings on ZOOM! Thank you for your patience as we creatively enter into this new season of programming while continuing to work within the landscape of COVID.       Peace and Joy to you in 2022, Anne Marie

Hills Church Weekly Calendar

January 9 10:00 am 6:30 pm 7:00 pm 7:30 pm January 10 7:00 am 7:00 am 2:00 pm 3:30 pm 7:00 pm January 11 1:45 pm 3:00 pm 5:30 pm January 12 1:00 pm 2:00 pm 6:00 pm January 13 10:00 am 5:30 pm 7:00 pm

SUNDAY - LIVESTREAM ONLY Worship (Virtual) Youth Cafe (outdoors) Youth Conversation Circles (outdoors) AA Meeting (Board Room) MONDAY Fraser Quarterly Maintenance (onsite) Cup of Morning Prayer (Facebook Live) Food Pantry (onsite) Suzuki Violin (Assembly Room) Deacon's Meeting (Zoom) TUESDAY Food Pantry (Pantry) ARCH check in (virtual) Food Pantry (Pantry) WEDNESDAY Food Pantry (pantry) Confirmation Class (outdoors) Evening Prayers (Facebook Live) THURSDAY - Susan Vacation Staff Meeting (Reception Room) New Beginnings (AR, K, RR, L) Church Council (Zoom)

Hills Church Parish Register

Submit a prayer request HERE Prayers of joy for: Page St. Clair and Sam Kingery, on their daughter, Ruby Ray St. Clair Kingery receiving the sacrament of baptism on December 26, 2021. Ruby is the granddaughter of Beverly and Larry St. Clair.  Prayers of Sympathy for: Kelly & Tom Ford, on the December 20th death of Kelly’s sister, Diane Current, in Marin County, California.  Prayers of health and healing for:  Paul Bruchez, recovering from surgery Mary Hill Canavan Amanda Crowley’s father, Terry Peel, recovering after COVID  Todd and Amanda Crowley’s son, Sam Wyatt Derr, infant son of Kristin and Jason Derr Bruce Dishman, recovering at home after surgery Harriet Dishman’s cousin, Hugo Grooters, recovering after multiple surgeries John David Ferrer’s dear friend Sary Rodriguez, recovering from a stroke Emily Gauthier’s daughter, Sophia Gauthier  Cindy Gordon’s brother, Rob Gordon, in cancer treatment. Kevin Groppe’s brother, George, recovering after surgery in California Jeff Miller, being treated for lung cancer in Scottsdale, Arizona, Alice Mullin, recovering at home after surgery Jim Nicoletti, receiving treatment Marilyn Nutting’s sister-in-law, Mary Ellen Nutting Burt Payne Sarah Pedersen Lynn Perry Sue Spencer Elaine Pipes and Helen Turner’s brother, Bob Pipes Bob Tomasetti, recovering from surgery Bob Tomasetti’s friend, Kristi Withington Angela Vanstory, in treatment Mariela Vargas’ sister, Cristina Prayers for those continuing in treatment: Jeremy "JJ" Demers   Helen Turner Prayers for those in hospice care: Wei Chen, Bin Chen’s mother Always in our prayers:  Matt Schuler, son of John and Dwin Schuler Martha Spencer, Bill Spencer’s sister Prayers for the sick, and for the medical teams caring for them Prayers as we all navigate the landscape of COVID 19

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