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The Olde White Church

Love in Action

Greetings All!

May was a very exciting month here at The Olde White Church, and the month of June proves to be just as exciting! June happens to be my favorite month for various reasons, not the least of which we can say goodbye to chilly spring weather and formally welcome summer!

This June is another joyful June where we are able to welcome new members. Well, maybe not new members, per say, but our confirmands are making the transition from being “our kids” to full-fledged voting members of this congregation! We are also celebrating all of our children this month as Sunday School comes to a close on June 8th. We will be having a very special worship service just for them. But don’t worry, people of all ages will be blessed by this service.

I know many people travel during the summer and churches tend to grow a bit quiet, but I tell you this is not the case here at The Olde White Church. All summer long our church will be filled with excitement, with singing, with dancing, with children’s voices and with the worship that the Spirit has so graciously given to us that fills us to the brim! I truly hope that, amongst all of your summer excitement, travels, and adventures that you have the opportunity to praise God in all that you do, whether here or afar.

We are continuing to explore many different ways to worship together. A spirit of revival has blessed us here at The Olde White Church, and I am so grateful for the openness that we have for the many gifts of the spirit. Come and explore all the ways in which God can be felt in your lives.

Blessings in Christ,

Reverend Holly Norwick

JUNE

2014

NEWS FROM THE PEWS

SUNDAY CHOIR: Bonita, Danielle and Joyce hold choir

rehearsals every Sunday at 8:30 am and musical offerings

every other Sunday. Everyone is invited to join. No prior

choir experience is necessary. Just an open heart for

worship!! This is an informal choir for anyone who enjoys

singing. The upcoming dates for the musical offerings are

June 8 & 22. For more information, call Dr. Bonita Cade at

508-472-6309.

*************************************** AFTERNOON BIBLE STUDY:

Afternoon Bible Study meets every Tuesday at 2:00 pm

with Rev. Norwick. During the month of June, they will

be meeting on June 10, 17 & 24. No Bible Study on June

3. All are welcome!!! During July and August, Bible

Study will take a summer break and resume in

September.

************************************

Congratulations to

Stephanie and Joel Sutherland on the Baptism

of their son, Blake Michael Sutherland, in our

sanctuary on Sunday, June 8, 2014. He is also the

great-grandson of Bette Cookson.

************************************

39th

ANNUAL SWANSEA

QUILT CLUB SHOW

SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2013

10:00 am to 2:00 pm

The Olde White Church

1113 GAR Highway, Swansea, MA

Featuring Quilt Displays, Knitting Displays, Quilt

Demonstrations, Quilts for sale, Vendors, Home Made Pastries,

and much much more….

Contact: Marty Gendron – 508-674-2576

or Connie Lutz – 508-674-7205

Summer Office Hours

We would like to make everyone aware of the

Church Office Hours going into the summer

months.

The Church Office Hours for July and August will

be Tuesdays from 9:00 – 2:00 pm. If you need any

help with outgoing work or questions answered,

please call the office at that time at 508-673-7179.

Pastor Holly Norwick will be recuperating from her

surgery during July, and will return to the office in

August. If you need to reach her, please call 808-

371-4701. She, or a Deacon, will be able to assist

you.

IN OUR PRAYERS:

Romaine Hass, Dorothy O’Neil, and Gail Green who

are home. Let’s continue to pray for and reach out to

our friends with cards and phone calls.

Elsie McNeill, who is recuperating from a fall at

Clifton Rehabilitative Nursing Center, 500 Wilbur

Avenue, Somerset, MA 02725. The main number is

508-675-7589. She welcomes cards, visits, and calls at

any time.

Our beloved friend & longtime member of

The Olde White Church,

Madeline James,

passed away on Thursday, May 29, 2014.

Madeline (Goff) James, "Maddie" age 96, of Swansea died May 29, 2014 at her

son's home. She was the wife of the late Henry C. James.

Born in East Providence, a daughter of the late Adelbert and Edna (Carpenter)

Goff, she spent her youth in RI, moving to Swansea in 1954. She was a

graduate of East Providence High School and attended Bryant College.

Mrs. James worked as a secretary for the Swansea Water District, retiring in

1986. She was a longtime member of the First Christian Congregational Church

where she served as secretary and worked in its Thrift Shop. She was a

member of the Swansea Garden Club, and the Swansea Historical Society.

She was well known for her braided rugs, cane back chairs and refinished

antique furniture. She enjoyed knitting, baking, sewing, gardening, writing

letters, entertaining friends and, most of all, spending time with her family. An

exceptional woman, she was most content helping others. She was a lifelong

swimmer, swimming regularly up until her 96th birthday.

Surviving are two sons: Robert G. James and wife Susan of Sandwich, and

William Henry James, DC and wife Desiree of Livingston, NJ; three daughters:

Susan Demers and husband Robert, Marianne "Bay" Owen, all of Little

Compton, and Diane R. James, DC of Oakland, CA; 11 grandchildren, five great

grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was sister of the late

Adelbert Anthony Goff, Marion Borden and Ruth Hetherington.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the First Christian Congregational

Church would be welcome. Burial is private.Arrangements in the care of Waring-

Sullivan Home of Memorial Tribute at Birchcrest, Swansea.

A Celebration of her life will be held on

Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 4:00 pm at First Christian

Congregational Church in Swansea with a Collation

immediately following in Fellowship Hall.

All are welcome to attend the Service

for our beloved friend.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!

A very special Thank You to everyone who helped make Memorial Day Weekend

such a wonderful tribute to our military and their families, as well as all of the

veterans here at The Olde White Church, past, present, and future.

To Henning “HOW” Anderson, a Swansea boy scout who just earned his merit badge in

bugling and graciously returned to offer his talents again at our Memorial Day Sunday Service.

To Bob Sampson, veteran agent, who is so instrumental in allowing The Olde White Church

to serve our local veterans.

To American Legion Post 303, who partners with The Olde White Church in saluting those

that serve our country.

To the Town of Swansea for the wonderful Memorial Day Ceremonies.

To the Creative Sisters for the wonderful Mother’s Day carnations. They worked long and

hard to make Mother’s Day special for all the women in the church.

To the May Breakfast Crew for such a wonderful event for all. Special thanks to

Martha Curtis, Marilyn Marvel and Edna Cartin for organizing the breakfast, Louise

Slowe for organizing the May Baskets, and all our wonderful volunteers and candy

makers. These events would not be successful without the cooperation and volunteerism of

the whole congregation.

To Richard Waite for continuing to take care of our lawn care maintenance.

To Everyone who donated books to Becky Chace’s Summer Camp Program in East

Providence who are helping to decrease summer learning loss by including literacy and math

skills into summer activities, as well as giving away books to the children.

To Ray Mullen Music Studio for two wonderful Spring Recitals held in our sanctuary on

May 3 & 4.

To the Thrifty Shoppe for their generous contributions in making Michael Browner’s

farewell something Michael described as “one of the most blessed days of his life”. The

continued generosity of the Thrifty Shoppe and all of you help us to support and honor our

friends here at the church as well as those outside the church.

To Mary Finnin for leading an Adult Grief Support Group in March and April.

To Rev. John Wilson for leading a session on The Healing Light in April and May.

To Studio Theater Company, for hosting the Kids Theater Camp. We are looking forward

to the production of Seussical performed on August 22, 23, & 24.

________________________________________________________________________

MAY BREAKFAST UPDATE

On May 10th, another very successful May Breakfast was held at The Olde White Church. More than 40 members and friends of the Church helped out during this busy day. The food was delicious and the May baskets were a big success. The profit for the breakfast was a little over $1,100. THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who worked decorating, preparing, cooking, serving or cleaning up. Without all your help we could not have the breakfast each year.

A very special thank you to Dottie & Richard Waite,

Louise Slowe, and all the other

volunteers who have helped

continue to make coffee

fellowship run so smoothly

during the month of May.

Sara Lundquist

________________________

PROPERTY COMMITTEE…

The Property Committee was given a modified proposal

requesting to use some of our excess property in the back

lot closest to the car dealership for a Community garden.

Local farmers are involved in this proposal for

developing a Community garden in our back lot. The

Property Committee believes that this will be a safer

location for a Community garden, with better access to a

water source than the originally proposed location across

Rt. 6 from the Church. Please speak to a Property

Committee member if you would like to be involved in

our sponsorship of a Community garden at the Church.

A special thank you to Richard Waite, David Lundquist,

Bob Baker, Martha Curtis, Jeff Douglass, and Dawn &

Raymond Pelletier for working so hard to get the

Community garden project started.

_____________________________

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not

hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such

as these.” – Matt 19:14

The First Christian Congregational Church is excited to

announce that we are exploring the possibility of being

the new home of Perfect Start Preschool. Perfect Start

Preschool is formerly Christ Church Preschool who

closed this past week after 60 years of instructing our

children. Lisa and Shawn Murphy, now the owners of

Perfect Start Preschool, have been working closely with

us to see if our church is a good fit for the preschool. We

hope to be a perfect new start for the Perfect Start

Preschool!

THRIFTY SHOPPE NEWS The Thrifty Shoppe will be closing on June 14 with a

bag sale from 9:30 am until 1:00 pm. Everything will

be one half price, except jewelry, for the weeks in June

that we are open.

The Shoppe has experienced a very successful year due

to the many dedicated workers who come and work on

Wednesdays and Saturdays. Thank you to everyone

who has helped out in a large or small way. Without

your help we would not be able to donate a large

portion of money to the Church each year.

A luncheon will be held at Marilyn Marvels’ on June

18 at 12:00 for all the workers.

_____________________

STUDIO THEATER COMPANY Our friends, The Studio Theatre Company, are

beginning their Kids Theatre Camp here at The Olde

White Church on June 2. Theatre Camp is each

Monday and Wednesday evening from 6 - 8 pm and is

open to all children! There are still a few spaces left,

so if you or anyone else that you know, are interested

in joining this fun and exciting theatre camp

experience, please contact Roger Machado-Fournier at

401-624-2157.

Also, coming this Summer, The Studio Theatre

Company proudly presents Seussical the Musical!

Over the summer, the Kids Theatre Camp, along with

the rest of the cast of Seussical, will be rehearsing to

bring you this fun-filled musical that will capture the

hearts of all ages! Performance dates are Friday,

August 22 at 7 pm, Saturday, August 23 at 7 pm, and

Sunday, August 24 at 3pm. This show is sure to sell

out, so if you want to be a part of this exciting

adventure into the land of Dr. Seuss, be on the lookout

for ticket ordering forms and reserve your seat. This

amazing show would be a gift for any child (whether 1

or 100) to experience!

FROM THE DEACONS……

Did you know that the Deacons have a handbook which

defines their many responsibilities? Some of them have

been part of the role of deacons over the centuries; others

are specific to the structure of The Olde White Church.

You may have noticed that this church has no committee

designated for world mission. However, Article X from

the church’s constitution, which is included in the

handbook, states, “It shall be the responsibility of the

Board of Deacons to: . . . b) Cooperate with the Pastor in

outreach programs: (another word for outreach programs

is mission) . . . 2. Prioritize denominational outreach as

part of the budget; 3. Strive to participate in world-wide

outreach through budget and action.” Within the

Deacons’ Budget, $200 is designated for UCC mission,

therefore through your regular church offering you are

already a part of this. However, this month you are being

offered the opportunity to contribute directly to one of

our denominational special offerings, One Great Hour of

Sharing, if you can do so in addition to your regular

offering.

OGHS carries God’s message of love and hope to people

in 138 countries. Through participating partners, it

already has a network in place to assist when disasters

occur. By participating in OGHS you can smile when

you receive appeals for many causes because you know

that OGHS workers are there and you have already

given! To learn more about OGHS please read the

enclosed leaflet, go to the web site, www.ucc.org/oghs,

upper left hand corner, Frequently Asked Questions, and

read the weekly Sunday bulletin inserts during the month

of June. Please return the enclosed envelope to the

church office or place it in the offering plate. If you

receive your newsletter by email, the insert and

envelopes are available on the table in the vestibule.

There is still time for you to volunteer your talents to

design or help create banners for the Advent/Christmas

season. Please speak to Pastor Holly, one of the deacons,

or notify the church office if you feel called to be a part

of this project. The committee will begin meeting after

Labor Day.

The Local Crop Walk is in jeopardy! A general

coordinator or co-coordinator is needed. There will be a

meeting on June 30th at noon at the Congregational

Christian Church in Somerset when the decision will be

made. An excellent job description exists. Bring a bag

lunch and join the decision making.

During the month of July, the deacons will be

responsible for Sunday services as Pastor Holly is

recuperating from surgery. Please come to listen and

worship with our lay leaders.

Mark your calendars now for Sunday, September 28.

The Galileans will bring their music to our sanctuary at

2:00 pm in the afternoon. The offering received from

this performance will go to the Samaritan Fund.

Do have a wonderful summer; - but don’t take a

vacation from supporting God’s work through The

Olde White Church.

Toosie Margolies,

for the Deacons ___________________________

MUSIC COMMITTEE…

The Music Committee would like to thank the Choir, Haylie

Schwarzenbach, the Tone Chimers, Henning “HOW”

Anderson, and Sue James Demers for their special musical

offerings during worship

services in May.

If anyone would like to

sing, play an instrument, or

give any sort of musical

offering, please see Rev.

Norwick

______________________________________

ALL COMMITTEE MEETINGS

The next All Committee Meeting date is Sunday, June 8 at

11:30 am after fellowship.

As a reminder to those who are not on a committee,

committee meetings are open to all. Please feel invited to

attend any of the meetings to experience the many ways in

which one can serve here at The Olde White Church. If you

have any questions, please contact Rev. Norwick.

Board of Religious Education…..

Congratulations Confirmands!

Micah Cade-White

Jael “Zippy” Cade-White

Sara Orton

Maya Pappas

Haylie Schwarzenbach

Benjamin Simbro

Alyson Tavares

Your dedication and hard work has inspired all of us here

at The Olde White Church, and we welcome you with

open arms into the full participation of this congregation.

We are eager to see and experience the many gifts that

you have to share with this church family. We couldn’t

be more proud of the next generation. You give each of

us hope for the future of this church family, and the

greater family of God here on earth. You are an

inspiration to the children of this church who will soon

walk in your footsteps. May God bless each step you

take and may your faith grow with each new day!

_______________________________

Sunday, June 8th

marks the end of another Sunday

School year for our children at The Olde White Church.

We have been so blessed by our Religious Education

Staff and we want to congratulate, not only the kids, but

the teachers as well. Thank you so much…

Jill Tavares

Becky Chace

Simone Pappas

And all of the others who helped to teach our kids the

love and kindness that God asks of us. Please be sure to

celebrate Kid’s Sunday with us here at The Olde White

Church on June 8th

at 10 am!

Greetings Friends,

Many of you received my letter last month with the

news that I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

As you may recall, the treatment was to be a

lumpectomy and radiation. Unfortunately, during the

last few weeks at Dana-Farber, test results uncovered a

need for a new course of action. On July 3, I will be

undergoing a double mastectomy, and beginning the

first of several reconstruction surgeries. This initial

surgery will cause me to be on recovery for four weeks

(the month of July). During that time, your very

talented and dedicated Deacons will be serving you

Sunday for worship.

There will be three other procedures that I will undergo

over the course of the next 8-12 months, none that will

have me out for as long a recovery time as this first

procedure negates. I covet your prayers for my family

as we embark on this journey together. I count you

among my family and am so grateful for the outpouring

of love and support that I have received.

I wish to echo the words that I initially wrote to you:

I want you to know that I am going to be just fine.

Again, in case you missed that, I am going to be just

fine. Yes, having breast cancer, and facing surgery and

reconstruction is scary for me, but I am so very grateful

that it was caught early and that my doctors are

confident that after all of my treatment, I will be

cancer-free!

I am choosing to share this with you, because it is

important to me that you understand how much I love

and trust each of you. I also want you to know that,

during this process, I have NO intention of suspending

my doctoral degree pursuit, NOR do I intend to

withdraw from The Olde White Church. When I say

that I trust you, I truly mean that I trust you will

continue to allow me to be your Pastor; to love you and

to serve you and to care for you the same way you

would have otherwise allowed me to do before

receiving this letter. I implore you to continue to reach

out to me in your times of joy and of struggle and of

sickness and of loss. In return, I promise that I will be

forthcoming with you about my moments or days that

are difficult for me, and the fears that I may have.

Blessings to you all, and thank you for your love and

continued support.

Pastor Holly

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 Choir 8:30 am Confirmation Celebration Sunday!! 10:00 am

2 3 No Bible Study

4 Thrifty Shoppe 9:30 – 7 pm Quilt Club 1:00 – 3:00 pm

5

6 Food’N Friends Soup Kitchen – (leaving church at 3:00 pm) AA 7 – 8:30 pm

7 Quilt Show 10 am to 2 pm Thrifty Shoppe 9:30 – 4:00 pm

8 Choir 8:30 am Kids Sunday Service 10:00 am All Committee Meeting 11:30 am

9

10 Bible Study 2:00 pm

11

Thrifty Shoppe 9:30 – 7 pm

12

13 AA 7 – 8:30 pm

14 Thrifty Shoppe 9:30 – 4:00 pm

15 Choir 8:30 am Worship Service 10:00 am

16

17 Bible Study 2:00 pm

18

19

20 AA 7 – 8:30 pm

21

22 Choir 8:30 am Worship Service 10:00 am Choir 8:30 am

23

24 Bible Study 2:00 pm Newsletter Deadline

25 Executive Council 6:00 pm

26

27

AA 7 – 8:30 pm

28

29

Choir 8:30 am Worship Service 10 am

30

***Church Office Hours for June are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 – 2:00 pm*** ***Individual committee reports are due in church office by June 19 for distribution to E-Council***

First Christian Congregational Church

The Olde White Church 1113 GAR Highway

Swansea, MA 02777

UPCOMING CHURCH EVENTS

All are Welcome!! Confirmation Celebration

Sunday

June 1st at 10:00 am

Quilt Show June 7 – 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Kids Sunday Service June 8 at 10:00 am

All Committee Meeting June 8 at 11:30 am

Father’s Day Service June 15 at 10:00 am

First Christian Congregational Church

The Olde White Church “A Church Where Faith is Active in Love”

1113 GAR Highway

Swansea, MA 02777

508-673-7179

Email: swanseawhitechurch@meganet.net

Website: www.theoldewhitechurch.org

Reverend Holly Norwick, Pastor

Worship Service and Sunday School at 10:00 am

Coffee and fellowship following worship

Bible Study on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm

Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays; 9 am – 2 pm

JUNE

2014

August

2010