SCC HIGHLIGHTS

SOMERS CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST November 2019 WORSHIPING AND SERVING SINCE 1727 Volume 291 /#11

What’s Happening this Month Nov. 2

nd Turkey Supper 4:00 or 6:00 seating

4:45 or 5:15 Takeout Nov.3

rd All Saints Service 9:30 AM

Nov. 10th

Guest Preacher Rev. Gary Smith Nov. 11

th Veterans Day

Nov. 17th

Consecration Sunday with an Agape meal during Service. Nov. 24

th Thanksgiving Service

Nov. 24th

Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service At Somersville Church Nov. 28 Happy Thanksgiving!! Nov. 30

th Come help the Flower Committee

decorate the Sanctuary for Advent 10:00 AM

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons; Kevin age five and Ryan age

three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.” Kevin quickly turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

In addition to a good chuckle, this story reveals a truth I’m sure we can all relate to. Following in

the footsteps of Jesus and living the life of discipleship is filled with challenges and difficult choices. It’s

hard to do the right thing and live as a servant of God. One voice inside may know the right answer, the

better choice, the kind and caring thing to do. Another voice inside may be saying what Kevin told his little

brother, ‘you be Jesus’ because we’re just not feeling up to living the righteous life today. We’d like to have

the first pancake……just because!!!

We all feel like that sometimes. We have days when we feel worn down by the hectic pace of life and

all the responsibilities and expectations that are placed upon us. We look at the world and have many

questions and fears, and too often answers seem elusive and inconsistent. We long for refreshment and

solace and living water.

The Holy One, our brother Jesus, comes to us in our times of deepest need. He also reaches out and

meets us in the midst of a frantic or mundane routine. He is there to meet us wherever we are in life. We

are so completely blessed by his presence and we know he is with us even in the midst of challenges and

transitions.

In the coming weeks as we think about stewardship and

blessing, giving and receiving, let us try and remember that we

have been given the greatest of all gifts in the person of Jesus

the Christ. The love of God has been poured out for us all and we

have new and wonderful opportunities in each day to live even more

fully as people of faith. Let us give thanks and celebrate as we

remember the wisdom of Paul spoken in Ephesians 2:19-22

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are

citizens with the saints and also members of the household of

God, built upon the foundation… with Christ Jesus himself as the

cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and

grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built

together spiritually into a dwelling place for God”.

Thanks be to God!!

Peace and Blessings be with you all.

Rev. Deborah

Call to a Special Congregational Meeting of the

Somers Congregational United Church of Christ

The members of the Somers Congregational United Church of Christ are hereby notified of a special Congregational Meeting to be held on November 3, 2019 at 10:30 A.M. in the Sanctuary of the church to act upon the following items: 1. To review and determine whether 2020 should be a “Jubilee Year” for our church. The goal of a Jubilee Year is to allow the congregation to focus on spiritual growth and to service our neighbors. In support of this goal the Church Council is proposing that we use endowment funds in lieu of the money that we would typically raise though seven yearly fundraisers to meet our 2020 budget needs 2. To transact any other business which may legally come before this meeting. Signed, Donna Popham, Clerk

PSC Corner Update: After months of hard work our profile is nearing completion. The finished profile will be presented to Council at the November meeting. We anticipate the profile will ‘go live’ no later than early December. Watch for additional PSC updates in Highlights. Watch for additional PSC updates in the next edition of Highlights.

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall

November 3 - Given by JoAnn Hornyak

in Gratitude for our Church

November 10 - Given by Kelly Family

in Memory of Loved ones

November 17 - Given by Bothwell Family

In memory of Henry Lee Howe and Stephen Henry Howe

November 24- Given by Jane Gamble

in Loving Memory of Bryant

The Flower Committee will be decorating the Sanctuary for Advent on Saturday November 30th. Won’t yu consider coming to lend a hand as we filled our Sanctuary with Christmas Decorations. All are welcome. 10:00AM Coffee will be on!!!

Making a Special Christmas Present……. Members of the SCC family are invited to join in making fleece blankets for the children of clients at Champ’s Place for Christmas. On Sunday, November 3rd we will have a card for each child giving the gender and age. You can pick up a card and purchase 3 yards of fleece for a blanket. JoAnn fabrics often has sales or coupons in November. On November 17 we will have "cutting and pinning" of the fleece blankets after coffee hour in the Foundation Room. No experience is needed. Blankets can then be taken home by anyone to sew or we may have a sewing day at the church. Blankets will be given to the parents of the children on December 16th.

Shoreline Ringers Return to Somers Congregational

Once again SCC will host the Shoreline Ringers, a premier Connecticut handbell choir. The Shoreline Ringers are returning to Somers for their popular holiday concert on Saturday, December 7th, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. A free-will donation will be collected at the concert. No ticket purchase is necessary. Directed by Jane Nolan, the Shoreline Ringers are a top-level community hand bell choir, ringing 5 ½ octaves of Malmark hand bells, and 7 octaves of Malmark hand chimes. They have played at Carnegie Hall with the U. S. Coast Guard Band for their Christmas program and for the WFSB “Joy for the Kid s.” They create remarkably subtle and dynamic textures and moods and can make popular, classical and jazzy works all come to life. Advanced techniques and rhythms are presented with ease and assurance. The concert has something for everyone from 7 to 97, and is perfect for setting the holiday atmosphere of joy and good will. The Somers Congregational concerts are supported entirely by donations at the concert. Admission is free. A suggested donation level is $10 per person.

The Choir will be starting to rehearse for Christmas. We are looking for people who love to sing….the only

requirement! Please join us on Thursday Evenings from 7:00 -8:00 in the

Choir room. Let’s make a joyful noise to ring in the Christmas Season!

A new offering for the holidays this year, is a staged reading of “A Christmas Carol”. The Somers Village Players will perform Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” on Saturday, December 14th at 7:00pm at the Somers Congregational Church. No ticket purchase is necessary. A free-will donation will be collected and refreshments will be served following the event.

The Stewardship Pledge Drive kicked off October 20th with the 2020 theme reveal and a congregation LINK. We handed out carabiners as a visual symbol; each one of us is a LINK in the Somers Congregational Church journey of faith. Our Stewardship letter with pledge card was mailed out the following Monday. On October 27th we heard from a four generation SCC family. Sue Zdebski introduced her daughter Rachael Sapelli and granddaughter Norah. On November 10th we will hear from another active family, the Juzbas. Please prayerfully consider your 2020 pledge, returning your card by November 17th, our Stewardship Consecration Worship Service. If you did not receive your carabiner, please see Kathy, Kim or Tyler so you will be reminded to ……

Link Together In Faith!!!

HARVEST SUNDAY - November 17th

Bring some bread and grapes (any kind you wish) to place on our Harvest Table to share with everyone with whom we share our pews (kids and grown-ups) in our worship service. Our pledge appeal draws to a close with an opportunity for us to celebrate and dedicate our shared offerings to God, by way of an Agape Meal. What's an Agape Meal? Come and be surprised

Mission Board News: This past summer the

children at SCC participated in the Animal

Crackers Program. Our Board was so

impressed with the enthusiasm the children

showed for raising funds to purchase some

animals that we decided to make a donation

to Heifer International and purchase 2

alpacas! Alpacas are sent to families in the

Andes Mountains of South America. The

families who receive the alpacas will be able

to sell the wool and use the money to

purchase necessities.

Interesting Note: Somers has its own alpaca

farm! Clear Mountain Alpacas is located at 45

Pioneer Heights and they have

an Open House around the holidays.

Christmas Gifts: Once again the Mission

Board is sponsoring the collection of

Christmas gifts for children from Champs

Place and Covenant to Care. On Sunday

November 17 and Sunday November 24th we

will have cards available at church with the

names and ages of children participating in

the program. All gifts must be in the church

office by December 8.

Please place each gift in a gift bag as they

must be checked by a social worker.

December 2019 Nativity Display

The Nativity Display that has been a part of our church since 1993 will again be held Dec. 14- Jan. 7. This is our largest non-fundraising project. Like all projects in the church it takes many hands to get this display set up and ready. Set up will begin on Sun. Dec. 8. Anyone who would like to assist getting the boxes from the third floor storage room and distributed throughout the display area is invited to help following Coffee Hour that Sunday. On the afternoon of Dec. 8 the displays will be unpacked and the set up will begin. Members, friends, and families are welcome to participate that afternoon. The display will be ready for visitors on Sat. Dec. 14 following the Village Players Christmas Carol Reading. For questions please contact Margaret Festi, 860-749-2698 or rfesti@aol.com.

Women’s Fellowship Vintage Christmas

With thoughts of Christmas before us the Women’s Fellowship is seeking donations of nearly new or usable Christmas decorations and items. If you would like to donate any of these items you will not be using in your home this Christmas please leave them in the church office labeled “Women’s Fellowship.” Kathy Lombard (860-749-0111 or piegirlkathy@gmail.com may be contacted for further information.

Let’s be An Environmentally Friendly Church

It is now believed that there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean. Scientists predict that if nothing changes in our plastic consumption habits, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight). There is an island of garbage the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. Shoppers worldwide are using 500 billion single use plastic bags per year. China is no longer accepting our waste plastic for recycling. www.earthday.org Very scary! What can we do? We can’t change the whole world but we can work at changing our small part of it. There are a few small things we can do at our church to start being more environmentally responsible. For our pot lucks and community suppers we can use our china plates and silverware instead of plastic and paper. We have a very efficient dish washer. Would you bring your own cup for coffee hour so we don’t have to use disposables? When our present supply of Styrofoam and plastic cups is finished, we can purchase paper products. Yes, paper is more expensive but what is the cost of cluttering our beautiful earth with plastic products that never biodegrade? Would you be willing to increase your pledge or weekly giving so that our church could become more environmentally responsible? Please challenge yourself, your children and grandchildren to come up with ways to:

Reduce, Refuse, Reuse, Recycle, Remove.

FREE Photo Booth Pictures! Need a nice Christmas picture or just want to have some fun? We will be setting up a Christmas scene so that our resident photographer, Joe Driscoll, can take your picture for FREE. Individuals, family, and friends are welcome from 9-2:30 at the Bazaar on December 7th. Your photo will be emailed to you the following week. Look for us in Pilgrim Hall. Come early and avoid the rush!

Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale The Annual Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale this year is on Saturday, December 7th, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Over 30 artisans, crafters and vendors will be displaying their wares for unique holiday gifts. Admission is free, the facility is handicap accessible and there’s plenty of parking. For more information, contact their church office at: 860-763-4021, email: office@thesomerschurch.org

Please send any articles about our extended Church Family to

Highlights@thesomerschurch.org

Here is a picture of Jocelyn Randall and Stephanie Burzinski with their trophies for winning First Place in the 2019 Rocky Hill Sylvie Poulin Columbus Day Soccer Classic. Jocelyn is Meredith Kirkpatrick’s daughter, and also Anne and Bill Kirkpatrick’s Granddaughter. Stephanie is Sharon Ruck Burzinski’s daughter and Bernie Ruck’s Granddaughter. Basketball Season will so be upon us, watch this column for an update on our Church Athletes. When was the last time you went to a High School Sports Event? Let’s show our Young people how much we care about them. Have someone who is in the band or orchestra, Let’s hear about them too!

Send all articles and pictures to Highlights@thesomerschurch.org

November 15th

5:30pm to 6:30pm

Hosted by the Deacons

Menu Lasagna

Salad Bread and Dessert

Our food pantry has a need for: Tomato soup Chicken Soup

Children’s Snack Packs Count your Blessings and Remember the needs of others as you do your shopping.

Caring Party - Fall 2019

The Caring Committee put on it’s Fall Party on October 19th. Malcolm Chadbourne recreated a radio show feature, George Burns and Gracie Allen from the old Burns and Allen Show. This episode ran in 1948 and kept everyone laughing as Gracie tried to recover a wedding ring from a turkey. You had to be there…..it was so funny. Thank you to Malcolm as George and Shirley Warner as Gracie with the supporting cast of Arlene Melesky and Gene Allard. A Fall Menu of Squash soup (ASK Lisa Weigel for the recipe) and Grilled cheddar sandwiches with ice cream and Apple crisp for dessert.

Teddy Cass dropped in to add some cuteness!

George Warner

Kathy Lombard

Jeff Clark

Helen Austin

Al and Mary Ann Kingsbury

Lucille Gavlak and Jean Carmichael

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Newsletter submissions are due two weeks before the Beginning of the new month. Next deadline is Nov. 13th .

If at all possible a WORD document is appreciated. Email to:

Highlights@thesomerschurch.org

Church Council Calendar as of October 16, 2019 Nov 1-2 UCC Southern New England Conference

Nov 2 Turkey Supper

Nov 3 Communion Sunday & All Saints Sunday

Nov 3 Special Congregational Meeting, following

church service

Nov 4 Rev Deborah at Benedictine Monastery,

Indiana

Nov 9 Workday, Council & By-Laws Committee, 8:30 –

11:30 am

Nov 12 Council Minutes Due

Nov 15 Community Supper

Nov 17 Consecration Sunday, Agape Meal

Nov 19 Council Meeting

Nov 24 Loaves & Fishes

Nov 24 Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service, Somersville

Congregational Church

Nov 28 Thanksgiving

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Dec 1 Communion Sunday

Dec 7 Christmas Bazaar

Dec 7 Bell Ringers Concert

Dec 8 -22 Silent Auction

Dec 10 Council Minutes Due

Dec 14 Reading of “A Christmas Carol” by the Village

Players, 7 pm

Dec 15 Community Supper

Dec 17 Council Meeting

Dec 18 Highlights Articles Due

Dec 20 Friendship Kitchen

Dec 24 Christmas Eve Services, 5 pm & 11 pm

Dec 25 Christmas

Dec 29 All Family Worship, Lay Leaders

Dec 31 New Year’s Eve

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Jan 01 New Year’s Day

Jan 05 Communion Sunday

Jan 06 Epiphany

Jan 07 Council Meeting ???

Jan 14 Council Meeting???

Jan 26 Annual Meeting/Organizational Meeting

Jan 26 Loaves and Fishes

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Feb 02 Communion Sunday

Feb 08 Anything Chocolate Sale

Feb 11 Council Minutes Due

Feb 18 Council Meeting

Feb 21 Friendship Kitchen

Feb 26 Ash Wednesday

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Mar 01 Communion Sunday

Mar 10 Council Minutes Due

Mar 14 Cornhole Activity

Mar 17 Council Meeting

Mar 22 Loaves and Fishes

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Apr 05 Palm Sunday/Communion Sunday

Apr 07 Council Minutes Due

Apr 09 Maundy Thursday

Apr 12 Easter Sunday

Apr 14 Council Meeting

Apr 17 Friendship Kitchen

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Somers Congregational Church 599 Main Street

PO Box 295

Somers, CT 06071

Phone: (860) 763-4021

www.thesomerschurch.org

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