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 5th through Friday, August 9th.  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 27th at 7:00pm in the sanctuary.  It is titled, "The Beauty of Art Song".  The second concert will be held on Saturday, August 24th 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 30th through Friday, August 9th.  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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