Weekly Newsletter Week of October 23rd - October 29th

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Gilead Congregational Church, UCC

Meetings and Services this week: Wednesday, October 23rd:  -9:30 a.m. Wednesday Morning Book Group -6:00 p.m.  "Getting Ahead" Ally Training -7:00 p.m. Choir Thursday, October 24th: - 7:00 p.m. Trustees LT Capital Improvement Committee Friday, October 25th: - 6:30 p.m. "Slice of Talent": Pie & Talent Auction  Saturday, October 26th: - 11:00 a.m. Memorial Service for Alberta Hilding Sunday, October 27th: - 8:30 a.m. Worship Service - 10:00 a.m. Worship Service  -Sunday School  -Potluck Coffee Hour Tuesday, October 29th:  -11:15 a.m. Bible Study in the Music Room -7:30 p.m. AA Meeting 

About Us: Pastor: Reverend Dr. Denise M. Esslinger    Minister of Mission and Faith Formation: Stephanie Haines    Interim Minister of Music: Carol Geyer   Administrative Assistant: Sally Fritsche Worship w/Sunday School: 10:00 AM Summer Worship:  9:00 AM  Gathered: 1748 Meeting House: 1838 Fellowship Hall: 2008   We are an Open & Affirming Church   More About Us Join Our Mailing List

"Slice of Talent": Pie & Talent Auction Friday, October 25, 2019 at 7:00 pm Gourmet Dinner? Rock Wall Restoration? Firewood? Sailboat Cruise?  Handmade Quilt? If any of these things pique your interest, then this is the event for you! The Gilead Congregational Church invites you to attend a “Slice of Talent” Pie and Live Talent Auction this Friday, October 25th from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. The live auction will begin at 7:00 pm and the silent auction will close at 8 p.m. The entertaining R.J. Weston of Weston Antiques will be auctioning off local people and their talents. Please join us for an exciting evening of delicious homemade pies, live music, pie-eating contests, seasonal activities for kids AND MUCH MORE! All proceeds will benefit the Community Mental Health Fund and the “Getting Ahead” Program which helps families struggling with self-sufficiency. Tickets -- $5 for individuals and $15 for families -- can be purchased at the door. Call (860) 228-3077 for questions. Don’t miss this fun-filled event!  

Potluck Coffee Hour Sunday, October 27, 2019 Just a reminder that this Sunday, October 27th will be a potluck coffee hour following our 10:00 a.m. worship service. Our Fellowship Committee invites you to bring something to share. Donations can be dropped off in the kitchen prior to worship. Thank you! 

Faith and Film Series Friday, November 1, 2019 at 6:00 pm  Join us on Friday, November 1st when we will gather at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall for a potluck dinner followed by a film and discussion. We will be watching the classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey. George is a good man who's spent a lifetime giving up on his dreams in order to keep life in his small town humming. When a guardian angel named Clarence finds a despondent George poised to jump off a bridge, he shows George what life would've been like had he never been born. It’s a wonderful film. All are welcome!    

Homeless Awareness Night Saturday, November 2, 2019 On Saturday, November 2nd, the Youth Group will be having their Annual Homeless Awareness Night! During the night they will be collecting turkeys and $30's for Foodshare and gently used coats, hats, scarves, and mittens for Integrated Refugee Immigrant Services (IRIS). Turkeys can be brought to the church any time on or before November 2nd and placed in the freezer located in the closet where the tables and chairs are kept in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you for your support!   

Call to Annual Meeting Sunday, November 3, 2019  All members of the Gilead Congregational Church are called to the Annual Meeting to be held on Sunday, November 3rd in the Sanctuary following the 10:00 a.m. service of worship for the purposes of: Accepting the minutes of the previous Annual Meeting; Accepting the Annual Reports of Board and Committees; Electing Officers and Board and Committee Members; Approving the 2020 budget; Conducting any other business of the Church. We hope you will plan to stay for this important and informational meeting! Note: This year, in an effort to be a good steward of resources, there will be a limited number of paper copies of our Annual Report available this Sunday. The 2019 Annual Report is posted on our Church's web site ( www.gileadchurchucc.org ) and we encourage you to access and read the Annual Report there. 

Third Quarter Giving Statements   Our Assistant Treasurer, Joan Cordier, has prepared giving statements through the third quarter of this year. They will be available this Sunday, October 27th in the front of the Sanctuary for you to pick up. We are grateful for your financial support of the ministries of the Gilead Church, and hope this update will be helpful. If you have any questions about your statement, please contact Joan Cordier (860-228-4718). Thank you! 

Fall Work Day  Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 9:00 am  There will be an all Church Work Day on Saturday, November 9th from 9:00 a.m. - Noon (Rain date is Saturday, November 16th). Bring a rake and help spruce up the Church grounds. Cleaning inside will also be done. Please join us! Donuts, juice and coffee will be provided.

Finding God in Contemporary Issues Our “Finding God in Contemporary Issues” discussion group will resume meeting in January. We’d like to give more people the opportunity to join us, so will meet after worship on the 4th Sundays of the month. We’ll meet in one of the classrooms off of our Fellowship Hall starting around 11:30 a.m. and going until about 1:00 p.m. We’d also like to hear from you about the topics or issues that you feel are important and would like to gather to discuss and hear different points of view. You can share your thoughts by talking with John Jenkins or Margot Sheehan who co-facilitate this discussion group, or by calling (860-228-3077) or emailing ( [email protected] ) the Church office with your ideas, or you can write them down and put them in the FGICI box that is located right outside of the Sanctuary. Slips of paper and a pen for your suggestions are by the box. We look forward to hearing from you and hope you will mark your calendars and plan to join us for our first gathering on Sunday, January 26th.

"Getting Ahead" Volunteer Allies Needed! Come Learn More - October 23, 2019 at 6:00 pm The Andover, Columbia, Hebron and Marlborough Hunger Action Team and Foodshare are currently offering the “Getting Ahead” Program to families in our communities struggling to make ends meet. The program engages participants in deep self-exploration as they identify their goals, write their own future story and understand the challenges they face as well as the strengths they already have within them. “Getting Ahead” is a framework that explores the challenges of living in poverty – living in crisis all of the time, making impossible choices everyday and never having the time or luxury of planning for a better future. It also explores the mindset of people living in the middle class and people living in wealth. Understanding the challenge of poverty starts with understanding one’s own mental model, and how it influences our perceptions of the world. Volunteer allies are needed to support participants through the program. Allies are asked to commit to at least one year of encouraging and connecting with their family. The commitment is minimal each month but sincerely valuable. There will be an informational meeting for interested volunteers to learn more today from 6 – 7:30 pm at the Gilead Church. Please call Stephanie Haines at (860) 228-3077 if you are interested in volunteering, would like to attend the informational session or learn more.

Relay for Life   Thank you to all those who supported the “Relay for Life” this past weekend. Many of us have been touched by cancer. The walk symbolized a message of support for those who have lost loved ones to cancer, those who are currently living with cancer, as well as hope for a cure. Over $4,500 has been raised thus far by our Gilead Church team with funds still coming in. Thanks to Dawn Salan and Gayle Sylvester for being out team captains as well as to all those who walked or supported our walkers.

Flags at the Gilead Church Our Board of Deacons would like to thank everyone who attended the "Listening Session" on Sunday, October 6th on the placement of our American and Christian flags at the Gilead Church. There were 71 people in attendance and we want to thank everyone who expressed their thoughts on the most appropriate placement of our flags. After taking a couple of days to reflect and pray, the Deacons met to discuss the session. The question "What is the most loving thing to do?" guided our discernment. Based on this, the flags have been returned to the Sanctuary. While we realize that this will not please everyone, the Deacons feel it is the best decision for our community of faith at this time. It was never the intent of the Deacons to cause the pain and hurt that moving the flags to the entryway has caused for some. We want you to know that we hear you, we care for you, and we don’t want you to feel that something you honor so deeply is being taken from you.  We hope and pray that we can begin to heal and continue to see in each other, no matter what our view, that we are one in the love of God that we know in Jesus Christ. If you have any questions or would like to speak with our Deacons further, please feel free to contact them: Bill Cox, Amy Huhn, Jon Kimball, Jim Ledbetter, Katie McClaine, Teresa Olio, Gary Sarra, Margot Sheehan, and Doug Stewart. 

Wednesday Morning Book Discussion Wednesdays at 9:30 am  Our weekly Wednesday Morning Book Discussion Group is currently discussing "On to Lost Roses" by Martha Hall Kelly. This book celebrates the "unbreakable bonds of women's friendship" during a dark period of history. The group meets on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 a.m. at the home of Judy Brown and Deena Watson (130 Charles Lane). If you have any questions about the group, please contact Sandy Hooker at 860-228-985. All are welcome!   

Harvest Party The Fellowship Committee held its 5th Annual Harvest Party following the 10:00 a.m. worship service this past Sunday, October 20th. It was a time of fellowship, fall crafts for children and adults, games, and light refreshments.

Minister of Music Search  We wanted to share with the congregation that we have interviewed a couple of candidates for our Minister of Music position and have another interview coming up. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please feel free to share that the position description is posted on the home page of our Church’s web site ( www.gileadchurchucc.org ). Interested candidates can send their resume and cover letter to the church ( [email protected]  or 672 Gilead Street, Hebron, CT 06248). If you have any thoughts or questions, please feel free to speak with a member of our Search Committee: Carolyn Bennett (Chair), Renee Ellis, Brad Franzese, Ciara Franzese, Jon Kimball, Laurie Larsen, Katie McClaine, and Ken Manthorne. 

Youth Group   Our Youth Group held its monthly meeting this past Sunday, October 20th in the Fellowship Hall. They made plans for upcoming events and enjoyed pumpkin bowling!

Bible Study Tuesdays at 11:15 am  Our weekly Bible Study meets on Tuesday mornings from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Music Room. Rev. Bob Woodward leads the study. Please bring your own Bible. All are welcome!   

Coffee Hour Hosts Needed  Members of the Fellowship Committee are asking members and friends to sign up for co-hosting coffee hour on Sunday mornings following our 10 a.m. worship service. You can sign up to host a coffee hour on the sign up underneath the name tags. If you have any questions, please contact Annette Langevin at 860-228-1313.

Hebron's Got Talent Friday, February 7, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.  Applications are being accepted for the 7th annual Hebron’s Got Talent showcase which will take place on Friday, February 7, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. at the RHAM High School Auditorium. Ten acts will be chosen to compete for the $250 grand prize! Talent could include singing, dancing, musicians, comedy, magic or something surprising! You do not need to be a Hebron resident to apply. Local celebrity judges will provide their feedback on each act but ultimately, the winner is selected by audience applause! Applications can be picked up at Ted’s IGA Supermarket, AHM Youth and Family Services or the Gilead Congregational Church. Applications must be submitted by November 15th. All proceeds benefit the children’s scholarship programs of Hebron Parks & Recreation and AHM Youth & Family Services because every child should have the opportunity to explore and grow their own talents and abilities! Snow date is Friday, February 28th. Please contact the Gilead Congregational Church at 860-228-3077 with any questions.

Congratulations  Congratulations to Diane Pintavalle! She has been honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) . This is the nation's highest honor for teachers in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics and/or computer science fields. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education. Diane is also this year's Teacher of the Year for Glastonbury Public Schools and she was selected as a CT State Teacher of the Year Semifinalist. 

Thank You  Dear Friends, Once again I am extending my heartfelt thanks to all of you for the many prayers and cards I've received during my recent hospitalizations. It has been a long hard summer but knowing my GCC family was praying for me, gave me strength. Sending blessings to all of you! Elaine Aubin  

Upcoming Sunday Worship Servers    Ushers for this Sunday:  Annette and Bruce Langevin Ushers for next Sunday: Teresa and David Olio Deacon of the Day for this Sunday: Gary Sarra Deacon of the Day for next Sunday: Amy Huhn Liturgist: Jessica Peltier Call to Worship: Marcus Parker Coffee Hour Hosts for this Sunday: Potluck Coffee Hour Coffee Hour Hosts for next Sunday: Sarah Gasper and Peggy Gasper Greeter for this Sunday:   Mark Biggs Greeters for next Sunday:  Janet and Kline 

Scripture Reading and Prayer for the Week Luke 18: 9-14 Gracious God, you are constant in your love for us.  Help us to remember that we are your people.  Let the wind of your Spirit blow into our hearts.  Help us to be ready to encounter you in love and to turn your way.    Open the windows of our souls.  Refresh and empower us in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Contact Info Sally Fritsche Administrative Assistant 672 Gilead St Hebron, Ct  06248 860-228-3077 [email protected]    Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. until noon (Parish House)

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