Main Street United Methodist Church: July 2019

Thursday, July 25, 2019

July 25 Online Mainstreeter

July 25, 2019

A Word from the Pastor

A Christian prayer in union with creation

Father, we praise you with all your creatures.
They came forth from your all-powerful hand;
they are yours, filled with your presence and your tender love.
Praise be to you!

Son of God, Jesus,
through you all things were made.
You were formed in the womb of Mary our Mother,
you became part of this earth,
and you gazed upon this world with human eyes.
Today you are alive in every creature
in your risen glory.
Praise be to you!

Holy Spirit, by your light
you guide this world towards the Father's love
and accompany creation as it groans in travail.
You also dwell in our hearts
and you inspire us to do what is good.
Praise be to you!

Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love,
teach us to contemplate you
in the beauty of the universe,
for all things speak of you.
Awaken our praise and thankfulness
for every being that you have made.
Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined
to everything that is.

God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good, advance the weak,
and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!
Amen.

Given in Rome at Saint Peter's on 24 May, the Solemnity of Pentecost, in the year 2015, the third of my Pontificate (Pope Francis).

This prayer of Pope Francis captures well the biblical and theological foundation of the Christian charge to care for the earth and its most vulnerable of inhabitants. For too long Christians have thought of salvation as being something that is limited to we human beings. The scriptures of the Old and New Testaments though bear witness to the reality that God's love extends to the entirety of the creation and that the earth and all its creatures, human and otherwise, are the objects of Christ's reconciling and redemptive work. We are called to be partners with God in this on-going work of salvation as we take seriously the charge to protect and care for the creation. May we commit ourselves to faithful stewardship and wise care of the planet.

WORSHIP AHEAD

7/28 The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Special Music:

Organist: John Pagett

Readings: Isaiah 65:17-25; Colossians 1:15-20

Theme: Stewards of the Earth- How Can We Do Better? Last Sunday we noted that while there have been some significant successes in our care for the planet (the Clean Water Act of 1972 for instance) our overall tendency has been to abuse and exploit the earth and its resources due to greed, shortsightedness, and ignorance. How can we do better? We will explore various practical things that each one of us can do while acknowledging that the task is both big and complex.

OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK

Each week we will try to highlight a particular opportunity for you to serve in and through the Main Street UMC.

This week's opportunity is to volunteer to assist with our Vacation Bible School program which will take place from Monday, August 5^th through Friday, August 9^th. Please speak to either Susan Pederzani or Andrea Weir should you want to get involved.

OPERA COMES TO MSUMC

During the months of July and August the Main Street UMC will be co-hosting two operatic concerts. The first will be held on Saturday, July 27^th at 7:00pm in the sanctuary. It is titled, "The Beauty of Art Song". The second concert will be held on Saturday, August 24^th also at 7:00pm. It is titled, "La Traviata in Concert" and features selections from La Traviata. The cost for each concert is $12.00 for adults and $10.00 for children or seniors. Our portion of the proceeds will go towards the church's organ fund. Come enjoy an evening of beautiful music in air conditioned comfort.

PASTOR'S VACATION PLANS

Pastor Rich will be on vacation beginning Tuesday, July 30^th through Friday, August 9^th. Our guest preacher next Sunday will be Rev. Dave Svenson. Pastor Dave was pastor of the Main Street UMC from 1992-2000. We are pleased that in retirement Pastor Dave and his wife, Linda, claim Nashua and the Main Street UMC as home.

TOOLS OF HOPE FOR FATHER'S DAY

Thank you for your Father's Day gifts of $ 781 to Tools of Hope from Church World Service. They will be on their way to make a difference in the ability of families to be self-sufficient.

CELEBRATING SOME RECENT GIFTS TO THE CHURCH

DCU DONATION: We are blessed from time to time to be the recipients of generosity undeserved and unexpected. Such has been the case again this summer! For the fifth time in the last four years our food assistance ministry has been the recipient of a $2,500 donation from the Digital Credit Union (DCU). We do not know why they have chosen to make us the recipient of these gifts but are grateful for them. If you are a member of the DCU please say "thank you" the next time you are visit your local branch.

AUGUST – OUR CURRENT STATE OF FINANCES

Hi, Joe from Finance and Stewardship. Our mid-year update is that we are running a bit behind in our general fund obligations for this year. As a result, we are short for our missional shares for 2019, including ministerial support. This is a similar situation as last year, where your generous contributions helped us catch up and meet our missional and ministerial obligations.

Please be generous in your giving so we can meet our missions and ministries for this year.

It's your giving that keeps our doors open and active in our community. Maintenance and upkeep are higher this year than last year. We've recognized the increases from our increased accessibility and security here at Main Street. However this entails additional upkeep for elevator inspections and operation, additional cleaning, and utilities. In return we've enabled additional programs such as Circles Greater Nashua where families can lead their way out of poverty. We've noticed the gains from Circles and other programs where we've seen people accept Jesus as a result.

Some of our maintenance has been covered by generous donations. Other key items, such as urgent replacement of defective electrical panels, have been possible because of your special gifts addressing such needs.

We also have increased payroll by adding our Youth Coordinator. We've seen benefits of such hiring: Participation in building our new shed platform (where our youth got proficient with power tools, as needed for their mission trip), increased youth involvement including fundraisers, and the youth mission trip in July. You know how strongly I feel about our youth – it's as close to investing in our future as we can get. It is your openhandedness that is addressing these needs and enabling growth of our youth in Christian discipleship.

As always, Finance and Stewardship will keep open dialog and communication about where we stand. I am blessed with talented and dedicated volunteers on this committee who are on top of the numbers. Bill Francis is our very capable Finance Secretary who keeps each of us informed of our own giving as the year progresses. Phyllis Bowden our Treasurer stays on top of our financial situation and publishes a monthly snapshot for our bulletin. Her snapshot is an excellent and up to date summary for the year in progress. She also highlights our special finance needs with your continuing support required. Please pay careful attention to these updates and continue with your generous support.

Thank you, Joe Dechene

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Thursday, July 18, 2019

July 18 Online Mainstreeter

July 18, 2019

A Word from the Pastor

A prayer for our earth by Pope Francis

Taken from the ENCYCLICAL LETTER
LAUDATO SI'
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FRANCIS
ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.

The prayer of Pope Francis, included above, is found at the very end of the pope's "Encyclical letter" regarding earth stewardship. It is a powerful prayer that captures well the reality of our current situation as a planet. There are two lines that I would like to highlight. The first reads, "O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes." One might ask, "Why express concern for the poor in a prayer that has to do with earth stewardship?" The answer is that, as with so many things, it is the poor, the marginalized, and the most vulnerable of human begins who pay the price of our disregard for the earth and its resources more so than anyone else. Those who are poor have few personal resources to help them to live with the effects of climate change. They pay a severe price for something that they contribute towards less because they do not have the ability to avoid its consequences.

The second line that I would like to highlight is the line that states, "Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth." Those who are most responsible for the earth's degradation do so because of greed- the desire for more things, more wealth, more possessions, a more comfortable life and at the expense of the poor and the earth itself. They seek to fill a spiritual need with material things in an act of idolatry rather than seeking from the earth itself the very gifts that are needed for us to thrive as human beings.

I invite each of us to truly evaluate our environmental footprint and its effect on the earth and the poor. May we commit to seeking systemic changes as well as personal changes that will respect the earth and especially its most vulnerable people.

WORSHIP AHEAD

7/21 The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Special Music: Bell Quartet and Kelly Brown, flute

Organist: John Pagett

Readings: Psalm 104; Romans 8:18-25

Theme: Stewards of the Earth- How are We Doing? As human beings we are all called to be faithful stewards of the earth and its resources. We will take a look at how we are doing as the human race, as individuals, and as a church. It may get ugly!

OPPORTUNITY OF THE WEEK

Each week we will try to highlight a particular opportunity for you to serve in and through the Main Street UMC.

This week's opportunity is to volunteer to assist on Sunday afternoon from 1:30-4:00pm at the Nashua Soup Kitchen. On the third Sunday of each month we open the Food Pantry for people who cannot make it during the week. We provide all of the volunteers for this occasion. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

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.

OPERA COMES TO MSUMC

A Finance and Stewardship summary to keep you updated

We are running a bit short on our general fund donations, resulting in unpaid mission shares in particular ministerial support which we must pay by year's end. Your generosity last year helped us out of a similar situation last year.

Our balance for our construction loan is $231,631.77. We look forward to your continued giving to pay down this debt. Any debt going into the 2020 year becomes a general fund obligation, where we would need increased offerings to cover the additional expenses.

In preparation for our 2020 budget, we've discussed the items that have gone up in the past year or are anticipated to rise for 2020. Maintenance of course, salaries such as Nursery which was not realized this year, but we will realize in 2020, insurance, and of course our construction mortgage payment of $1769.53 monthly.

We also discussed our upcoming Stewardship campaign – 2020 Vision. Stay tuned for details.

Joe Dechene

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

Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter's Backpack Drive

A bin is available in the lobby for donations to the Soup Kitchen's Backpack Drive. Fill it with backpacks, notebooks, pencils, and the other things needed for back to school! Sales are on right now! Donations will be welcome through the first two Sundays in August. We appreciate ALL new donations!

List of Supplies

Backpacks for Boys & Girls Grades Kindergarten – 12th

2" Three Ring Binders -- required in High School

Loose leaf filler paper

Tabbed Dividers

Spiral notebooks

#2 Pencils

Handheld Pencil Sharpener

Separate erasers

Pens

12" Rulers

Protractor or multi-piece Drafting package

Bottled glue

Glue sticks

Scotch tape

Staplers (mini or desk size)

Student Scissors (Safety scissors for younger students)

Dry-Erase Markers for all grades (when called up to the board)

Crayons (Boxes of 24)

Colored pencils (Bright or Bold)

Washable colored markers

Pencil boxes or Pouches for elementary school children

Lunch Boxes/Snack Bags for elementary school children

Calculators for High School students

Dictionary (one per family)

Index Cards

8GB (or larger) flash drive for High School students

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Friday, July 12, 2019

July 11 Online Mainstreeter

July 11, 2019

A Word from the Pastor

We would like to let you know that you belong. . . .

People on all parts of the continuum of gender identity and expression, including those who are gay, bisexual, heterosexual, transgender, cisgender, queer folks, the sexually active, the celibate, and everyone for whom those labels don't apply. We say, "You belong."

People of African descent, of Asian descent, of European descent, of First Nations descent in this land and abroad, and people of mixed and multiple descents and of all the languages spoken here. We say, "You belong."

Bodies with all abilities and challenges. Those living with any chronic medical condition, visible or invisible, mental or physical. We say, "You belong."

People who identify as activists and those who don't. Mystics, believers, seekers of all kinds. People of all ages. Those who support you to be here. We say, "You belong."

Your emotions: joy, fear, grief, contentment, disappointment, surprise, and all else that flows through you. We say, "You belong."

Your families, genetic and otherwise. Those dear to us who have died. Our ancestors and the future ones. The ancestors who lived in this land, in this place, where these buildings are now . . . we honor you through this work that we are undertaking. We say, "You belong."

People who feel broken, lost, struggling; who suffer from self-doubt and self-judgment. We say, "You belong."

All beings that inhabit this earth, human or otherwise: the two-legged, the four-legged, winged and finned, those that walk, fly, and crawl, above the ground and below, in air and water. We say, "You belong."

Adapted from "Diversity Welcome," Training for Change, https://www.trainingforchange.org/training_tools/diversity-welcome/.

The litany included here was recently shared by Father Richard Rohr in one of his daily e-mail messages and it was suggested by one of our Reconciling Congregation Committee members that we use it with some regularity in worship. I like the idea and will gladly include it from time to time. I like it because it reminds us that there are many people who do not always feel welcome in the church. It reminds us that the diversity of the human race includes both obvious physical differences and less obvious, internal differences as well. As the church of Jesus Christ it is important that we recognize the need to expand our welcome to all people, not ever assuming that, "of course everyone is welcome here"! When we do so we, follow the example of Jesus whose welcome was intentional and specific, taking in those who were on the margins of his society while not excluding those who were in the center. May our sense of what it means to welcome others always be expanding so that we may truly bear witness to the inclusiveness of Jesus, whose love for and welcome of all people, knew no limits.

WORSHIP AHEAD

7/14 The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Special Music: Irene Harris

Organist: John Pagett

Readings: Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17; Selected readings from Chief Seattle

Theme: To Whom Does the Earth Belong? How we respond to this question will say a lot about how we will view earth stewardship. Both the bible and Native American spirituality are pretty clear about this question and we will explore these complementary answers.

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 serve as a greeter, liturgist, offering special music and any number of other needs for the summer worship services. You can speak to Pastor Rich for more information.

CALLING ALL MUSICIANS!!!

A sign up sheet is posted on the music/worship bulletin board located on the first floor ramp.

OPERA COMES TO MSUMC

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

This year's Vacation Bible School will be held from August 5 to August 9 at Main Street United Methodist Church. Hours are 9 AM to 12 noon. Any child aged 3 to 12 is welcome and nursery care will be available. Also, if your child has a friend or relative or if you know a child who might be interested in attending, we would to see them join us.

Please don't let transportation issues prevent your child from having this wonderful experience. Let us know if there are any issues and we will try to figure out as solution.

Registration is required. Forms are available in the Education mailbox by the church office.

CRAFT WORKSHOP

In place of our usual monthly meetings in July and August, United Methodist Women are dedicating the third Wednesday evenings to making crafts for the fair in November. We have some projects already cut out and ready to go: Roly poly Santas, pinecone forest critters, pinecone elf ornaments, (they all are really cute), mini trees to decorate and little drum ornaments. Feel free to bring any of your own projects you would like to work on or share with the group. Everything will be provided, but if you have them, bring your favorite scissors, thick tacky glue (not Elmers), glue gun and tweezers.

Janet Bohs will be coordinating the workshop. You don't need to be a crafter. Everyone is welcome, young people are encouraged to come. Drop in if you are in town, July 17, 2019

7 PM Church vestry.

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