May 24, 2019
Let us now sing the praises of famous men,
our ancestors in their generations.
The Lord apportioned to them great glory,
his majesty from the beginning.
There were those who ruled in their kingdoms,
and made a name for themselves by their valor;
those who gave counsel because they were intelligent;
those who spoke in prophetic oracles;
those who led the people by their counsels
and by their knowledge of the people's lore;
they were wise in their words of instruction;
those who composed musical tunes,
or put verses in writing;
rich men endowed with resources,
living peacefully in their homes—
all these were honored in their generations,
and were the pride of their times.
Some of them have left behind a name,
so that others declare their praise.
But of others there is no memory;
they have perished as though they had never existed;
they have become as though they had never been born,
they and their children after them.
But these also were godly men,
whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;
their wealth will remain with their descendants,
and their inheritance with their children's children.
Their descendants stand by the covenants;
their children also, for their sake.
Their offspring will continue forever,
and their glory will never be blotted out.
Their bodies are buried in peace,
but their name lives on generation after generation.
The assembly declares their wisdom,
and the congregation proclaims their praise.
Ecclesiasticus 44:1-15
This passage from the Book of Ecclesiasticus, a book that is part of the Apocrypha, is one of my favorite passages to read around this time of the year when we are observing Memorial Day. I especially appreciate the line that reads, "Some of them have left behind a name, so that others declare their praise. But of others there is no memory; they have perished as though they had never existed; they have become as though they had never been born,… but these were godly men, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;…". While Memorial Day provides us with an opportunity to remember and give thanks for the many individuals whose exploits are well known, it is also an opportunity for us to recognize and give thanks for the many nameless individuals who have given their lives in the service of their country whose exploits have never made it into our history books but without whom we would not know the freedoms that we experience.
As we pause on this Memorial Day to remember loved ones, especially those who have died in the service of their country, may we offer a special prayer of thanksgiving for the unknown and unnamed heroes whose experiences may never have been well known but without whom we would not be who we are today, whether as individuals or as a nation. May we remember both those who have died in war and those whose efforts at peace-making have allowed us to avoid war and experience peace. May we join with the author of Ecclesiasticus in saying, "The assembly proclaims their wisdom, and the congregation proclaims their praise."
WORSHIP AHEAD
5/26 The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Memorial Sunday
Choral Choir (10:30am service only)
Scripture: Acts 16:9-15
Theme: The Fruit of a Vision: The apostle Paul receives a vision while in Troas, on the continent of Asia, to come over to Macedonia to share the good news with the Macedonians. Although the trip involves crossing over the Aegean Sea, Paul and companions make the journey and settle in Philippi where they witness the fruit of this vision unfolding before their eyes.
OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK
At a recent Church Council meeting we talked about how we might better highlight some of the opportunities for service that are available through the church. A suggestion was made that maybe we could have an "opportunity of the week". This will now be a new feature in the weekly e-mail blast so look for these wonderful opportunities and see if there is something that sounds inviting to you.
This week's opportunity is to volunteer to either be our Greeter Coordinator or Fellowship Coordinator. The greeter coordinator will be the go-to person for all of our greeters on Sunday morning. The Fellowship Coordinator will be the go-to person for the Sunday morning fellowship time volunteers. Neither are expected to "do it all", but rather to make sure that people are in place to fulfill these important duties. If interested please speak to Pastor Rich. He can most easily be reached via e-mail at pastor@mainstreet-umc.org
JOB OPENING: NURSERY ATTENDANT
Do you know a friend or family member who may be interested in part-time childcare work during our Sunday worship?
This payed part-time staff position is every Sunday 9am-12 (summer 9-11am), with the possibility of added hours during some Bible studies or church wide meetings.
Requirements:
· Must be 21 years of age and willing to commit for at least one year.
· Willingness to submit to a background check and completion of all required forms.
· Must take our Child Protection training class.
We have a strong preference to locate someone outside of our church community to allow all of our members to attend Sunday worship services. If you know of someone who may be a suitable candidate, have them send their resume to: Kelly.Rose@mainstreet-umc.org
MATERNITY LEAVE APPROVED
The Staff-Parish Relations Committee has approved 15 weeks of maternity leave for our organist, Emily Adams. Emily will be away from May 26th through September 1st. We are pleased to announce that former organist, John Pagett, will be filling in for Emily for all but three of the Sundays she will be on leave. Please be sure to express congratulations to Emily and husband, Doug, as they prepare for the birth of their first child and please be sure to extend a welcome back to John Pagett.
CALLING ALL MUSICIANS!!!
We're looking for folks willing to share their musical talents with us during our summer services. Now's the time to get out that old trombone from high school and dust it off! There will be two available slots on each Sunday, sign up for one or both.
A sign up sheet is posted on the music/worship bulletin board located on the first floor ramp. If you can provide your own accompaniment (either live or "tracked") or can perform without, that would be great. If you do need someone to assist, please see Julie and she'll work at finding a match for you.
If you have any questions, please check in with Julie Oliver.
Thank you so much – we so look forward to you sharing your gifts with the congregation.
UP-COMING RETIREMENT CELEBRATION
District Superintendent Rev. James McPhee is retiring. The Tri-State District Committee on Superintendency invites everyone to a Dinner Church Worship Service celebrating his ministry.
Date: Sunday, June 9, 2019
Time: 5:00-7:00 pm
Place: First United Methodist Church of Portsmouth, NH,
129 Miller Ave., Portsmouth, NH 03801.
RSVP by May 30 to tri-state@neumc.org. In honor of Jim's deep love and commitment to the Justice For Our Neighbors Ministry, there will be a collection for JFON in honor of Jim. Make checks payable to Milford UMC and send to Callie McMahon, 6 Johnson St., Milford, NH 03055. Please indicate on the memo line if any of your donation should be set aside for the personal gift.
NEW TRI-STATE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS ANNOUNCED!
A recent letter from Bishop Devadhar announced that the Tri-State District will not be receiving one new DS but three! Since the Conference is desiring to reduce the number of districts in the near future it was felt that rather than have a new DS potentially only serve for one year the three current DS's in Northern NH; Mid Maine; and the Boston area will cover all of the churches in the Tri-State District. Here is what the Bishop had to say,
"Rather than appoint a new district superintendent for what may very well be a temporary assignment, I am dividing the churches in the Tri-State district among three members of our current cabinet, Rev. Dr. Karen Munson, Rev. Taesung Kang, and Rev. We Chang, to share oversight of this district. Dr. Munson will be the lead district superintendent. This decision was made in consultation with the Cabinet and Tri-State District Committee on Superintendency as well as the Mid-Maine, New Hampshire and Metro Boston Hope Committees. They have all affirmed this decision."
We do not as yet know what this will mean for the Main Street UMC but trust that we will have access to a District Superintendent should the need arise during the next year. Let us keep the Bishop and these three DS's in our prayers during what will likely be a challenging year.
JOYFUL SHEPHERDS
Nurture Yourself with Nashua's History Museums Program
Nashua Historical Society will provide a tour of the Abbot-Spalding House Museum, circa 1802-1804, at 1:00pm on Saturday, June 8. Tour meets at 5 Abbott Street, Nashua. Following this tour of outstanding architecture, fine china, glass, and stories of prominent Nashua citizens we will continue to the Florence H. Speare Museum for an educational program on schools in the 1840's and 1850's presented by Susan Fineman at 2:00 pm. Self-guided tours of the museum are available after the presentation.
The maximum group size is 16. Please let Lynn Moseley know if you plan to attend one or both of these experiences. moseleylynna@gmail.com or call 215-266-9037. Sign up deadline is May 31.
MISSION NEWS
Mothers Day/Blanket Sunday: Thank you for your generous gifts of $819 in support of Church World Service blankets. Somewhere in a refugee camp or a disaster area, a mother will be able to keep her children warm because you honored your mother with a gift on Blanket Sunday. Almost 10,000 blankets were sent to Syria last year, for example.
Food Pantry and Letter Carriers' Food Drive: Thank you to everyone who remembered to put out a bag for this year's "Stamping Out Hunger" Food Drive by the Postal Service Letter Carriers. If you forgot to put out food for the letter carriers, please leave a bag of food in the blue bins in the vestry or lobby, and Nashua Soup Kitchen/Main Street volunteers will get it to the Soup Kitchen. Needed items this month include canned baked beans, corn, canned meat, spaghetti sauce, and ramen noodles.
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