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TRANSCRIPT
United ChUrCh OF BELLOWS FALLS d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 9
A D V E N T
edition
The UCBF NewsleTTer
is prodUCed By aNd For
memBers & FrieNds
oF UCBF For edUCaTioNal pUrposes
CARTOONS & PHOTOGRAPHS by RDH & KFS
UNITED CHURCH of Bellows Falls (UCC)december 2019 v o l u m e 19 i s s u e 6
1 Pastoral ePistle
2 “love Bade me Welcome”4 advent devotional: a neW earth
5 church Without Walls
8 student Preachers & Prayers
10 “a christmas story from the farm”12 Praying for our community 14 honoring & studying
16 greater falls Warming shelter
18 illuminations (cartoons By rdh)20 Journey to the BiBle, Part iii
PASTORAL EPISTLE
BELOVED COMMUNITY of the United Church , “Let all mortal flesh keep silence” is the opening lyric of one of my favorite Advent Hymns.
Written in the Liturgy of St. JameS in the 4th Century (!), I am reminded of the awesomeness of what we claim to do during Advent and to whom we offer our praise. We are not new. We have much that we have inherited from the centu-ries of Christian practices of praise with humility.
In our 21st Century culture, this is a busy time of year. I hope that you will relax and enjoy these articles & images in this advent ed it ion. I hope that you might find some silence here, as well courage & strength to navigate the din that may distract from following the Way of the One who shows us how to love.
Our tradition tells us that Jesus promised:
“Wherever two or three are gathered in my name,
there I am also.”
Let us, two or three (or more), gather in Jesus’ name, to keep silence.
Let us, with our forebearers, with ceaseless voices cry, “Al-leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, LORD most high!”
May we know-by-heart this Grace & Peace of Christ,
Rev. Kurt F. Shaffert
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L O V E B A D E M E W E L C O M E
LOVE bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back, guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey’d LOVE observed me growing slackfrom my first entrance in,drew nearer to me, sweetly questioningif I lacked anything.
A guest, I answer’d, worthy to be here. LOVE said, you shall be [s]he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,I cannot look on thee.LOVE took my hand, and smiling did reply,who made the eyes but I?
Truth LORD, but I have marred them: Let my shame go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says LOVE, who bore the blame?My dear, then I will serve.You must sit down, says LOVE, and taste my meat.So I did sit and eat.
L O V E B A D E M E W E L C O M E
G e o r ge H e r b e r t ( 1 5 9 3 - 1 6 3 3 )
ere is the church ...
ere is the steeple ...
O pen the doors ...
Copies of the UCC Advent/Epiphany Devotional available in the church office.
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CHURCH WITH-OUT
WALLSand
. . . here are the people.
HomeCommunion
November 10, 2019
Chester,Vermont
BEING STUDENTPREACHERS
ANA KELSEY-POWELL
Originally from the Chicago area, Ana is the oldest child of two United Meth-odist pastors. Despite vowing to never pursue a career in ordained ministry, God had other plans.
Currently in her second year of her Master of Divinity degree at Yale Di-vinity School, Ana’s academic interests include womanist theology, the inter-sections of theology and popular cul-ture , and socio-political significance of Christian Education
KHALEELAH I. HARRIS
A second year Master of Divinity student at Yale Divinity School and first year
Master of Social Work student at Yeshiva University, her vocational goals include
Pastoral Psychotherapy and Professorship in Theology, Religion and Philosophy.
Khaleelah is a native of West Palm Beach, Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of
Arts from Bethuane-Cookman University.
With thanksgiving for Ana Kelsy-Powell
preaching in November.
And anticipation of Khallelah Harris shring the WORD with us in the New Year.
Prayers for Ana and Khalellah and all seminarians & students
during the end-of-semester Advent crush of final papers and exams.
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BEING STUDENTPREACHERS
ANA KELSEY-POWELL
Originally from the Chicago area, Ana is the oldest child of two United Meth-odist pastors. Despite vowing to never pursue a career in ordained ministry, God had other plans.
Currently in her second year of her Master of Divinity degree at Yale Di-vinity School, Ana’s academic interests include womanist theology, the inter-sections of theology and popular cul-ture , and socio-political significance of Christian Education
KHALEELAH I. HARRIS
A second year Master of Divinity student at Yale Divinity School and first year
Master of Social Work student at Yeshiva University, her vocational goals include
Pastoral Psychotherapy and Professorship in Theology, Religion and Philosophy.
Khaleelah is a native of West Palm Beach, Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of
Arts from Bethuane-Cookman University.
On most mornings, I lure them down to the barn with treats and by call-ing, “come boss”. Usually I have
to walk part way up the hill to get them started down. When they come down to the stall, they get a scoop of sweet feed. If I don’t have any work for them, they wander back up to the pastures and woods for the rest of the day and night.
It was late, and I knew Grandmolly had a nice roast in the oven and was looking forward to our Christmas evening to-
gether. So when I finished my work, I hur-ried to pick up my tools and ladder. The twilight was quickly settling in the valley and the brighter of the evening stars were beginning to accumulate in the sky off to the east. It was going to be a clear and cold night.
Ox and Ass Before Him Fall
It was the day before Christmas, and I had been working most of it putting a post and overhead wire
between my two sheep barns. These barns are on one side of a driveway which separates the sheep side from the barn and the yard which I use for the oxen on the opposite side. The ox barn is connected to a couple of fields a good distance uphill to the south, which function as hay and pasture sources during the summer.
This year we are still waiting for snow, so the grazing has been good up there which a
heavygrowth of aftermath left from the summer’s hay crop. The oxen have been staying in these fields, earthing the sweet fall grass and sleeping on the pine needles in the adjacent woods.
A CHRISTMAS STORY FROM THE FARM by R o d H e w i t t
910
Walking to the truck in the drive-way, I was supprised to see Thunder and Lightning, my
faithful oxen, standing in front of the manger with that longing look they usu-ally have. A look that I have grown used to, as they patiently wait for whatever is next. Tears of moisture formed in my eyes and a flood of emotion in my heart as I saw them and the scene which un-folded in my mind. Why did they come down on their own, to the manger, on this special evening? An old Christmas hymn flashed through my mind: “ Ox and ass before Him bow for He is in the manger now...”. They stayed all night and were waiting still, in the morning, when I went down for morning chores.
May the wonders of Christmas
be yours.
ADVENT CANDLE LITANY One: Violence stalks the world. Families flee in fear.
From where will their hope come?
Many: FROM ONE WHO WAS BORN TO SAVE, AND WHO BECAME A REFUGEE IN THE PROCESS.
The planet warms with every turn. Storms worsen; the poor pay the price. From where will their hope come?
FROM ONE WHO TAUGHT NOAH TO SURVIVE THE FLOOD, ONE WHO WALKED ACROSS ITS SURFACE,
ONE WHO PROMISED THAT WE WOULD NOT BE OVERWHELMED.
One among us is waiting for the doctor’s call. Another staggers with depression. From where will their hope come?
FROM ONE WHO HAS WEPT AND DESPAIRED AND THEN EMPTIED TOMBS.
Desire of Nations, Glory of Heaven, Light of the World: You are our hope, You are our light.
WE DON’T KNOW THE HOUR OF YOUR COMING,SO UNTIL THEN, LET US BE THE HOPE AND THE LIGHT.
SEE US SHINING, AND COME.
The candle is lit. Silence is kept.
Like calls to like. Deep calls to deep. After shadow, light.DEEP CALLS TO DEEP. LIKE CALLS TO LIKE.
AFTER SHADOW, LIGHT.
\H O N O R I N G T H E F A I T H o f o u r f o r e b e a r e r s
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S T U D Y I N G THE FAITH OF OUR ANCESTORS
SCRIPTURE STUDYTuesdays, 1:30pm
GOSPEL OF JOHN
“And the WORD became flesh
and lived among us.”
Q: Why ‘BEREAN’ Bible Study?A: Come and see!
P r a y i n gfor our community
“Because of God’s tender mercy,the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shad-ow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
Gospel of luke
The Bellows Falls Squarethe morning after the last performance ofMain Street Arts’a seCreT GardeN
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The Bellows Falls Squarethe morning after the last performance ofMain Street Arts’a seCreT GardeN
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Greater Falls Warming ShelterCall (603) [email protected]
THE MISSION of the Greater Falls Warming Shelter is to provide a safe, warm overnight shelter during the winter months for those in need.LOCATED in MR. G’S WAREHOUSE BUILDINGJust south of Bellows Falls on Route 5
OPEN FROM November 15-April 15
each evening from 5:30pm-7:00am.
The shelter principally serves towns in the Greater Falls area, including Rockingham, Westminster, Athens, Grafton, North Walpole and Walpole, N.H.
Clients are referred for services by other local town and state organizations
(i.e., SEVCA, Parks Place, Our Place Drop-in Center, Town of Rockingham Service Officer)
N E W L O C A T I O N
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For the past ten years, the Greater Falls Warming Shelter has provided a warm,
safe, overnight place for people to sleep during the cold months. It was founded when a similar shelter in Brattleboro was unable to contin-ue sheltering people from northern Windham County. It is open from 5:30 PM to 7:00 AM each day, mid-Nov to mid-April. Up to ten guests can be accommodated. Two volunteers are on hand and awake throughout the night, working in two, six hour shifts. A warm meal is served in the evening.
The shelter has been located at various sites in the area, de-pending on availability and
acceptance. For the past seven years it was located just across the bridge in North Walpole; this fall it moved to Mr. G’s warehouse build-ing, RT.5, just south of BF. This site provides some requirements and amenities which others lacked: fire suppression/sprinkler system (at times hard to meet) and a shower.
Volunteers are the backbone of the organization. Funding and support come from the Housing
Opportunity Program of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Bellows Falls Rotary Club, BF Woman’s Club, and corporate donors such as Croma Tech-nology. Donations are made by indi-viduals and other area organizations.
The shelter is run by a board of directors. There is a paid manager who provides pro-
gram oversight and training of vol-unteers. The shelter board mem-bers, and personnel, work closely with Our Place Drop-in Center, SEVCA, HCRS, Springfield Support-ed Housing and other community organizations to help meet the extenuating needs of those using the shelter. The service area of the shelter includes Rockingham, Westminster, Athens, Grafton, Walpole and N. Walpole. All are welcome.
Our church supports the GFWS through our Mission Board by providing some
funding and a warm meal on the first Friday, every other month, alternating with the First Baptist Church. Individuals and other or-ganizations provide the evening meal on a rotating schedule.
Donations are gratefully re-ceived: paper goods, coffee, towels, cleaning supplies,
toiletries, winter gloves and hats, heavy socks…all can be dropped off during open hours.
~ Betty Haggerty
IL ATIONS . . . they shall see
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IL ATIONS . . . they shall see
cartoons by Rod Hewitt
Journey to the BibleA PersonAl History, PArt iii
The next 15 yearS I spent in ordinary human activities: finishing college, entering the workplace, marriage,
family, raising four children, etc.
During that time, however, a hunger still existed in me. The Church I was attending used to recite the Apostle’s
Creed each Sunday, beginning with “I believe in God, the Father Almighty...”. I used to get just that far and then the question would come to mind, “God, if you really are Almighty, why is it that I have never seen Your power?”
Then, one day a friend asked me if I wanted to go to a prayer meeting with her. When we opened the door to
the meeting, I was astounded. I saw the power I was look-ing for in the many people in attendance there! But, still, I had not experienced that power myself.
Later, i found out that a small group of parishioners were meeting downstairs in the Church. I started attending,
watching and listening to the ladies who conversed with God fervently as if He were right there with them. They also interacted with the words of the Bible with excite-ment and joy, desiring to hear more and more.
( T o b e c o n T i n u e d . )
Marilyn Hewitt
“No matter who you are,
or where you are on life’s journey,
Y O Uare welcome here.”
BLUE BLUE
BLUE CHRISTMAS
December 21, 2019
7 p.m.prayers, scriptures & songs
for those grieving losses during
the longest night
UNITED CHURCH * 8 School Street * BELLOWS FALLS * www.ucbellowsfalls.org
L i g h t . . .FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
12/1/19
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 12/8/19
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 12/15/19
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 12/22/19
CHRISTMAS EVE12/24/19
7pm Candlelight & Scripture
FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS 12/29/19Guest Preacher: Rev. Skye Murray
PediatriC ChaPlain, dartmoUth-hitChCoCk
www.ucbellowsfalls.orgBE-