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Epistle Pastors Letter

December 2014

Dear Church Family,

Advent is one of the interim seasons in the

church year. Pentecost, the season ofgrowth, is over, the harvest celebration has

come and gone, the darkness is getting longer every day, and we are waiting forChristmas when the light of the world will be born again to shine in the darkness

and not be overcome.

Interim times can be creative and beautiful and richly rewarding, and Advent isespecially so, if we enter into the spirit of it. Advent has many benefits to offer a

church in an interim time.

Advents themes are hope, peace, joy and love. These are gifts that Christscoming into our lives will bring. An church in transition needs to hear the message

of hope. It needs to have its peace restored. It needs to remember to let go of allworries from time to time and laugh and rejoice. It needs to be reminded that the

greatest of these is love, and that the light of Christ is a light of love first, last andalways. An church that fills itself with hope, peace, joy and love during Advent

will shine and be radiant and flourish in its interim.

Advent offers activities and rituals and symbols that the interim church can

identify with and be moved or inspired by each Sunday. The evergreens remind itof the everlasting life that is available to it even in midwinter, even between settledpastors, and they speak of the renewal that is always waiting ahead in Christ. The

candles represent the light that shines in the darkness, and remind us that the powerof light can drive back any shadow. The beauty of candles and greens warm us

and comfort us and lift our hearts.

Bradford Congregational Church-United Church of Christ Bradford, VT

See us on Facebook! (802) 222-4034 submit news tom3site@charter.net

EPISTLECustomer Name

Street Address

City ST ZIP Code

DECEMBER,

2014

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Silence is an important part of the Advent interim experience, too, the silence of

waiting and watching and listening for something that is coming that we want andneed. Advent silence is like standing out under the stars in the quiet of a snowy

winter night, filled with awe at the beauty and peace, and knowing that after a time

of stargazing we will go inside to a glow of candlelight and the warmth of a fire

and a steaming cup of something delicious. We can do anything we want with that

silence, but if we are simply present to it, awake and aware, waiting and watching,it will touch our hearts and fill us with hope, peace, joy and love.

Children play an important role in Advent and the interim time, too. Theiruninhibited eager anticipation of Christmas and their delight in the rituals and

activities, festivities and foods help us get in touch with our own longing andpleasure. They also remind us that Advent is all about waiting for a child to come

into the world. The New Testament Greek word angelosfrom which we get angel

meant literally messenger. The children are Advent angels, messengers from God

who call us to childlike wonder and joy and wide-open presence to the good of

what is, even while waiting for what is not yet.

The darkness plays a positive role in Advent and it, too, can remind us of how tomake the most of a time between settled pastors. TheNew Century Hymnal

includes a Litany of Darkness and Light that many churches read during Advent.

Here is an excerpt:

We wait in the darkness, expectantly, longingly, anxiously, thoughtfully. Thedarkness is our friend. In the darkness of the womb, we have all been nurtured and

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protected. In the darkness of the womb, the Christ-child was made ready for the

journey into light. It is only in the darkness that we can see the splendor of theuniverseblankets of stars, the solitary glowings of distant planets. It was the

darkness that allowed the Magi to find the star that guided them to where the

Christ-child lay. You are with us, O God, in darkness and in light

May you open to Advent and let it bring you all the creative beauty and richnessthe season offers, and may Advent bless this wonderful church with a powerful

light of hope, peace, joy and love to help it shine and be radiant in this interimtime.

Tom

Advent Bible Study: Listening to the Sacred WordThursdays December 4th, 11thand 18th5:30-6:30 PM

At the Parsonage, 258 North Main

StreetPlease let Tom know if you plan to

attend at

rev.thomas.cary.kinder@gmail.comor 222-4610.

This Advent we will have threesessions of an ancient kind of

prayerful Bible Study calledLectioDivina,which is a Latin phrase meaning Devine Reading. It is a four step process

designed to help us listen deeply to the word of God in scripture that is speaking to

us in this moment:

Step One: Read (Lectio) We will begin by reading a passage aloud and listening tosee what in it stands out for you. What sentence, phrase or word feels like the

Spirit speaking to your heart?

Step Two: Reflect (Meditatio) We will read the passage again and then talk about

the parts of it that speak to us each, and why. This will be a time when we can alsoexplore the passage in a more traditional Bible Study way, but in the service of

hearing more clearly what it means for us each in our life right now.

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Step Three: Respond (Oratio) We will read the passage again and respond to it in

conversation with God. The sacred word has spoken, and now we speak back.What is it that we feel called to say or do in response to what we hear the passage

saying to us? Is it something just for us, or for the church? We can respond aloud

or in private prayer to God.

Step Four: Rest (Contemplatio) We will read the passage a final time and rest in

the Sacred Word that has spoken to us in silence. Silence is Gods firstlanguage, wrote the Spanish poet and mystic, St. John of the Cross. FatherThomas Keating added in the 21stCentury: Everything else is a poor translation.

In order to hear another persons words, we need to stop talking. In order to hear

the sacred word speak to our heart, we need to quiet our mind. During the finalportion we will go into outer silence and encourage you to have inner silence as

well, repeating the sacred word of the scripture to yourself whenever you become

conscious of thinking again.

Please see the date, time and location listed in the heading above, andplease RSVP

to Tom if you plan to attend.

PRAYER CONCERNS

Among those who were lifted up in prayer this

past month:

Marty Fors Leia White Lucia Button

Dottie Dzeniss daughter Krista

Janet Williams Kathy Gallo Robert PiersonDoug & Heather and their son

Marianne McClure Betty Jimerson Robert

Butch Donnelly

Jeremy Dixon Joan Harris Louise Allen

Helmut & Mary Jane Krepper

Sally Gundy Jack Gundy

Our sympathy and love to the family and

friends of

Fran Hyde Barbara Smith Mary Ann Fair

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LECTIONARY READINGS

AdventYear B begins

1st Sunday of Advent NOV 30

Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm 80:1-7,17-19 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37

2nd

Sunday of Advent DEC 7Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2,8-13 2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8

3rd

Sunday of Advent DEC 14Isaiah 61:1-4,8-11 Psalm 126

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-

8,19-28

4th Sunday of Advent/Christmas

Sunday DEC 212 Samuel 7:1-11,16 Luke 1:47-

55 Romans 16:20-27 Luke 1:26-

38

Christmas EveIsaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus

2:11-14 Luke 2:1-20

Christmas DayIsaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1 John 1:1-14

JAN 4 Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12

JAN 11 Genesis 1:1-5, Psalm 29Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11

JAN 18 1 Samuel 3:1-20, Psalm 139:1-6,13-18

1 Corinthians 6: 12-20, John 1:43-51

JAN 25Jonah 3:1-5,10, Psalm 62:5-121 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20

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UPCOMINGSunday, December 14

th Pageant Sunday, the 3rdSunday of Advent

Sunday, December 21st Christmas Sunday, the 4thSunday of Advent

Wednesday, Dec. 24th

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, 7:00 pm

Sunday, December 28th Carol Sing and Favorite Christmas Things SundaySunday, January 4

th Epiphany Sunday

Sunday, January 11th

Baptism of Christ SundaySunday, January 18

th Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday

Let's GoQuinn G. Caldwell

I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord!- Psalm122

Funny thing about this time of year: suddenly, everybody wants to go to church.

Say, Let us go to the house of the Lord in Advent, and all the worlds yourfriend. Say it in the middle of July, and all the world rolls its eyes at you as it heads

out to the beach.

Just what is it about this time of year that makes people start going to church

more? Is it habit? Some ingrained cultural thing? Are we making up for lost time?Is it because the childrens programs ramp up? Or because we really like themusic?

Or is there something about lengthening nights and colder days and death in the

garden? Isnt there something, some need or fear or longing, that shrinks away inthe long hot sun by the pool, but which grows as fall turns to winter, becoming

large and threatening in the backseat when youre driving home from work in fulldark at 6pm?

And then doesnt it come as something of a relief when someone says, Lets go to

church? Because dont we know that there lies reassurance that whatever it isfollowing us around in the backseat, theres no way its going to beat us to

Bethlehem?

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Prayer

God, let me long for you summer and winter, light and dark, and let me always be

glad when someone invites me to visit you. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHORQuinn G. Caldwell is the Pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church,

Syracuse, New York. His most recent book is a series of dailyreflections for Advent and Christmas calledAll I Really Want:

Readings for a Modern Christmas.Learn more about it and find him on

Facebook at Quinn G. Caldwell.

Reflecting on Racism and the Civil Rights Movement

Through Film

and Art

You are invited to cometo either or both of two

events the first weekendin December.

Eyes on the Prize is a

powerful and movingdocumentary

that follows the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1965. The Board of Missionand Social Action will be showing two episodes from it on December 5th. (The

details are below.)

Then on December 7ththe Hood Museum of Art is offering our congregation aspecial tour of the nationally acclaimed exhibition, Witness: Art and Civil Rights

in the Sixties. It is of such high stature that Julian Bond, one of the great leadersof the Civil Rights movement, just came to Dartmouth to tour the show and give a

talk about it and the era it presents. (Julian Bond is also the narrator of Eyes on thePrize.)

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The Hood tour will be co-led by Lesley Wellman, Curator of Education, and Bruce

Nelson, Professor Emeritus of History at Dartmouth. Lesley Wellman is the pastDirector of the National Art Education Association Museum Division and was

named the 2012 National Art Museum Educator of the Year. Bruce Nelson has not

only taught the Civil Rights Movement at Dartmouth, but also he was active in it,including in Selma, Alabama where he participated in one of the most famous

moments in its history. Between Wellman and Nelson, this will be an outstandinglearning experience about the art and the events and people of that era.

Please spread the word about these extraordinary opportunities, both the film andthe tour. All are welcome to join us.

Celebrating the 50 Year Anniversary of the Civil Right Act:

Please join us for an public showing of the "Eyes on the Prize" civil rights

documentary, followed by discussion at Bradford Congregational Church

Friday, December 5, 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.Then, please join us for a special tour of the exhibit Witness: Art and Civil Rights

in the Sixties at the Hood Museum of art from the Civil Rights at 2:00. We will

meet at church at 1:00 to carpool to the museum. Any questions please call Ginny

Moore (222-9675) or Tom Kinder (222-4610).

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Community Dinners

No community dinner in December. Looking for new leadership and a new

direction. Dates, times, and formats are all open.

Thank you,Lucia Button

Save the date!

September 26, 2015

Yes, we said 2015. As a part of the

Bradford 250 Gala Year our church

will throw wide its vestry door and

host the Chicken PieSupper!

So, why tell you now? Because we would like to get a preliminary idea of who

will beon board to help (God willing and the creek dont rise):

Making pie(s)

Making veggies

Set UpServing/Hostesses

Clean Up

Pick up/Delivery of pies to the church

A lot can happen in a year and no one can guarantee they can work the supper. But

if you feel you COULD and WOULD please let us know now.

In addition, let us know your thoughts on whether or not to continue the chicken

only pie or to have a chicken pot pie. Either way, all pies will be the one samerecipe.

Kara and Marcia Tomlinson 449-4689

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Help Kids India

ACHA KHANA (Great Food)

Enjoy an authentic Indian dinner with your family andfriends

Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 5:30 pm

Congregational Church, Main Street, Bradford VTDinner

Menu: Tandoori chicken, pulao (rice w/vegetables), potatoes and peas, raita

(yogurt w/cucumbers),

dal (lentils) and more! (Not too spicy for North Americans.)

Tables seat ten; groups and individuals are welcome. Reservations arerecommended.

Payment is by donation.

Help Kids India

A grass roots non-profit organization in Topsham, VT, HKI supports education,

nutrition, and health care in five creches for 250 pre-school children living in dire

poverty in South India. HKI offers cross-cultural experiences for Vermont high

school students and supports a sewing center for local women, a smokeless cook

stove project and a small health clinic.

Dinner Reservations

Please contact Lora Chatfield:802 222-4029or e-mail lorachatfield@hotmail.com

Cosponsored by the Board of Mission and Social Action,

Bradford Congregational Church, United Church of Christ.

HKI is a 501 (c)(3) organization; your donation is tax deductible.

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Sunday School:

It is such fun to be entering the Advent season with our church's children, and to be able

to experience the joy, wonder, and mystery of this time of year through their eyes. The

children are taking part in many special activities at church this season: they hostedcoffee hour at the end of November; they welcomed the beginning of Advent by

bringing in the greens to decorate the candles, and by lighting the first Advent candle ofhope; they will be making their own set of Advent candles to light at home with theirfamilies; and they will be participating in the pageant on December 14th. Please join us!

Another upcoming eventwe are excited about is afree showing of the hit

Disney movie "Frozen",on Saturday, January 3, at

4:30 p.m., in the vestry.

All members of the publicare welcome, and children

are encouraged to comedressed as their favorite

"Frozen" character.

Drinks and snacks will be

provided.

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Held at noon on Dec 25th. Allinvited. Our church is asked to

bring 8 dessert pies for the dinner.

This will be the 25th and last year ofGary and Linda Moore chairing this

event unless someone steps up to filltheir shoes.

An abbreviated yet meaningful at-home Advent Candle

Ceremony.

The Prayer makes a good dinner blessing.

The First Sunday in Advent

Candlelighting ceremony: (as the first candle is lighted, say): I light this candle on

the first Sunday in Advent to remind us that we must prepare ourselves for the

coming of the Christ-child.

Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-5Prayer: On this first Sunday in Advent, O God, come into our hearts to help us

prepare for the coming of your Son. Help us to remember that because he came wehave grace to be your children. Guide us on the lighted path he has shown. Amen.

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The Second Sunday in Advent

Candlelighting ceremony:(after lighting the first candle, as the second candle is lighted, say): I light this

candle on the second Sunday in Advent to remind us that we must prepare

ourselves for the coming of the Christ-child.Scripture:Isaiah 11:1-10

Prayer: Dear God, we praise you that you have given Jesus to show us the way of

faith and love. We pray that in this Advent season and throughout the coming yearwe may walk in the way that Jesus taught.

Amen.

The Third Sunday in Advent

Candlelighting ceremony: (after lighting the first two candles, as the third candle is

lighted, say): I light this candle on the third Sunday in Advent to remind us that wemust prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ-child.

Scripture:Isaiah 35:1-10

Prayer: Glory be to you, O Father Almighty, who has given us your only begotten

Son, that we might live through him. Glory be to you, O Lord Jesus Christ, who

became man that we might become children of God. Glory be to you, O HolySpirit, who directs and rules our hearts. All glory be to you, Father, Son, and Holy

Spirit, one God, world without end.Amen.

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

Candlelighting ceremony:(after lighting the first three candles, as the fourth candle is lighted, say): I light

this candle on the fourth Sunday in Advent to remind us that we must prepareourselves for

the coming of the Christ-child.Scripture:Matthew 1:18-25

Prayer: Most holy God, Father of us all, as we give thanks for the coming of Jesus,help us to remember your love for all people. Fill us with love for all your children.We ask this of you, remembering your great love for us.

Amen

Due to time and space constraints, the 3rd

part of the Captain Trotter profile will be in theJanuary edition