Words from the Pastor
A PRAYER FOR ALL SAINTS' DAY
BY
JOHN WINN
(Taken from "For All Seasons")
O God,
like a cloud of witnesses,
saints of every shape and hue
have warmed us
with your grace and all it means.
We can call many of them by name.
Miriam dances by,
spreading the joy of small victories;
Isaiah inspires our hope
for a new and different future;
Jeremiah revives our soul
by writing on our hearts once more;
Ruth and Naomi show us how to dig deeper
in our commitments to love;
Paul gently whispers again,
"We walk by faith and not by sight;"
there is Luther standing firm;
John Wesley warming our hearts;
Bonhoeffer reminding us of
the cost of discipleship.
They never leave us
and by your grace, O God,
you give us eyes of faith to see others
in that great cloud of witnesses.
There are some alive and among us, even now,
weaving themselves in and out of our lives
when grace needs replenishing
and love is the only way it can come.
Some of them even call us by name,
and whether deserved or not,
enable us to feel
that these bones can live again.
In the name of all the saints, Amen.
Between Sunday, October 29th and yesterday, we celebrated the lives of reformers and saints alike. This prayer notes some of the many who lived their lives in such a way that they changed the course of history, not just of the church, but of the world. We are grateful for those saints who have gone before us who have dedicated their lives to the creation of a "new and different world." For some it cost them their lives. For all it meant challenging the powers that be and facing threats and danger from within and without. Let us pray that God will raise up other reformers from among God's saints who will do for the world today what these beloved saints and reformers have done in the past.
In Celebration of all God's Saints,
Pastor Rich
Calendar for the Week of November 5
Next Sunday: 11/12
The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
Choir Anthem
Scripture: Joshua 24:1-3a; 14-25; Matthew 25:14-30
Theme: Membership in the Covenant Community
MSUMC Volunteers Honored by our Nashua Soup Kitchen Partner
Volunteers from the Main Street UMC were honored this past Saturday evening at the 17th Annual Dinner Auction Fundraiser for the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter. Pastor Rich, Phyllis Appler, Paul Curtis, and Mary Marchese were in attendance to receive the cutting board plaque engraved with a tribute to all volunteers from Main Street, who have been assisting since May at the food pantry located at 2 Quincy Street. Our opening a Sunday food pantry there on the third Sunday of the month was also commended.
The gala event at the Crown Plaza in Nashua had several auctions—a live auction that included two Boston Red Sox tickets, a six-day African safari, and tickets to the "Survivor" finale at Studio City, CA; two silent auctions offering everything from a wine basket to a fat tire mountain bike; and lively raffles and auction games with spontaneous contributions from the audience.
All in all it was a successful evening because of the money raised, and more importantly, for the recognition and support for an institution, of which we are a part, that does so much for the community.
-submitted by Mary Marchese
Granite State Organizing Project Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of GSOP will take place on Sunday, November 12th from 2:00-4:30pm at the Unitarian-Universalist Church located on Lowell Street here in Nashua. This meeting provides a time for the members of GSOP (of which we are) to "reflect and evaluate, a time to plan, and a time to celebrate our many victories." All are welcome to attend. Please see the poster on the bulletin board in the vestry for more details.
We hope you like our new look for news! Feel free to send comments to mainstreeter@mainstreet-umc.org
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