September 6, 2019
"This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on,
time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that's gone."
Verse one of "This Is a Day of New Beginnings", UMH #383
The second Sunday of September always marks the beginning of the new church year. It is truly a day of "new" beginnings for us. This year is no different. On Sunday we will resume our usual Sunday schedule with services at 8:15am and 10:30am. We will welcome our organist, Emily Adams, back from maternity leave with thanksgiving for the service provided to us throughout the summer by our previous organist, John Pagett. We will once again welcome back our choir director and the members of the choir even though we will miss Joyce Tagliaferro's presence in the choir this year. We will also have opportunity to once again dedicate our faithful Sunday School teachers and staff as they begin a new year with our students both young and old.
For the first time we will also have opportunity to hear from our Youth Mission Team members as they share with us about their trip to Dover, NH back in July. We will see pictures of their experience and hear firsthand what they were able to do in service to God and the Dover community. We trust that this will become an annual event and an annual opportunity to hear about all that God is doing through our youth.
The day will conclude with our annual picnic. This time though we will share free hot dogs, chips, and beverages not only among ourselves but with our community as well, especially those who come to the Farmers' Market. Our youth will be leading us in games and doing face painting as their first fundraiser towards next year's mission trip.
So, as you can see, this first day of the new Main Street UMC year will offer a variety of activities- some old and treasured and some new. You won't want to miss this day!
Embracing a new beginning,
Pastor Rich
WORSHIP AHEAD
9/8 Worship services at 8:15am and 10:30am resume after the summer break
The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Rally Day
The choir is back!
Emily Adams is back!
Youth Mission Trip Presentation
Dedication of Sunday School teachers and workers
Scripture: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1 7-14
Theme: Welcoming the "Other" in Christ's Name. What we refer to as the "other" the bible refers to as aliens, foreigners, or strangers. Whatever the term used though what is clear is that both the Hebrew people and Christians are to welcome them as they welcome God. We will explore more closely what this means for us living in the 21st century.
RALLY DAY PICNIC AND BLOCK PARTY
Our annual Rally Day Church Picnic will be held at noon on Sunday, September 8th but this year will be on the church lawn rather than at Greeley Park. It will also be extended to include our neighbors from the Farmer's Market and beyond as we offer free hot dogs, chips, and beverages. Please join us as we extend our hospitality outward to our community. Please feel free to bring some food to share beyond the hot dogs, chips, and beverage although you are welcome just to come as you are as well!
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.
We continue to be without a paid staff person in the nursery and therefore need to have two volunteers in the nursery every Sunday, both during the 9:00am Sunday School time and during the 10:30am worship time. There is a sign up sheet in the vestry for you to choose a date or dates in which you would be able to volunteer. This is one of the church's most important ministries!
CAFÉ AGAPE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Café Agape, our outreach to our neighbors both homeless and those in vulnerable situations, has once again closed for the month of August but will re-open on Tuesday, September 3rd. Café Agape is open Monday-Friday from 8:00am-10:00am and provides a safe place for our neighbors to gather for coffee, food, and conversation. We are in need of some more volunteers. You can volunteer one day a month; one day a week; or however often you would like. If interested please be in touch with either Pat Kerrigan or Shirley Michael . Their e-mail addresses respectively are: pkerrigan27@comcast.net or smichael-1@comcast.net Thank you for your consideration!
UP-COMING ROLLING RIDGE EVENT
You are invited to join us on the shore of Lake Cochichewick at "Worship in the Woods" on the fourth Sunday of the month at Point of Pines Worship Space at Rolling Ridge, beginning September 22, 2019 from 3-4:30pm.
Each month we'll engage in 20 minutes of nature contemplation, using the Franciscan Lectio of Creation. We'll have opportunity for people to share their experiences, if so inclined, and then close with a creation communion to celebrate our connection with God and nature.
Worship in the Woods is led by Rev. Dr. Lawrence Jay, Executive Director at Rolling Ridge. To read more about "Worship in the Woods", and to read more on nature contemplation, check out Lawrence's blog here.
Sunday School Begins, September 8, 9:00 AM
Please join us for a new year of Sunday School! There are classes for all ages, with a new curriculum we are very excited to introduce. If you have not already filled out and returned a registration form, we will have them available in the Ladies' Parlor. The students will go directly to their classes to meet their teacher-classroom lists and room locations will be posted in the parlor and the Wesley Building, and there will be someone available to direct them as well. We hope you will join us for another year of learning and fun!
MISSION TRIP PRESENTATION, September 8, 10:30 AM SERVICE
10 youths & adults represented our church to participate in the U.M. ARMY 2019 Mission Trip in Dover, NH from July 14th to July 20th. It has been the most rewarding experience for those who have participated in the trip. Our group of participants will share their thoughts about their experience along with a slide show at the worship service. Please come to hear their inspirational and transformational stories.
Heart of Nashua Food Assistance Ministry
Our third Sunday Food Pantry at the Nashua Soup Kitchen this month will be on September 15. We were happy to see some new faces last month's food pantry, and would love to see yours! Volunteers are asked to be at the Soup Kitchen at 2 Quincy St. at 1:30. Hours are from 2 to 4 for those needing food. Thank you for your donations of soup, tuna, and other items needed at the pantry. Soup and tuna continue to be needed, as well as canned fruit and vegetables and cereal. We have been using your monetary gifts where they go the farthest (at the NH Food Bank) but have also been purchasing cases of food to help fill the shelves when we need to. Thank you! Recently, a photo posted by our Main St. Food Pantry team of an empty cereal shelf caused one person to bring in six boxes of cereal to the soup kitchen. When she apologized for only bringing six boxes, the Soup Kitchen employee taking the donation said, "But now six families will have something for breakfast."
Roll out the Fall Toilet Paper Drive
We will Roll Out the fall with Toilet Paper for the Soup Kitchen on September 8. Whether you bring one roll or a 20 pack, your help will be appreciated.
Africa University Sunday will be September 15
Main Street UMC has supported this "University for all of Africa" for almost 30 years. It is an amazing place, and great things are happening there.
NOTE: there was a problem sending the Blast last week. If you are part of the 15% who did not receive the mailing, below is what you missed.
LANDSCAPE COMMITTEE BEING FORMED
The Trustees are in the process of forming a landscape committee to help us stay on top on maintaining properly our new green space. If you would be willing to help pull weeds, trim bushes, or otherwise maintain this space, please speak to Donna Swanson or e-mail her at: NHK9kids@aol.com Thank you in advance for your assistance.
PARKING LOT NOTICE - IMPORTANT
Please note Brady Sullivan has notified the church that cars parked in the 146 Main Street spaces will be towed. The address for Main Street United Methodist Church (MSUMC), is 154 Main Street. The church spaces are marked with red and white signs.
For over flow parking outside of business hours (Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 5:00 pm) you may use the reserved spaces in the Municipal parking lot.
FINANCE NEWS
Hi, Joe from Finance and Stewardship.
It's back to school, and also new Sunday School year starting up. Our children will start a new year while Youth Group will accept those entering the seventh grade. Some of the kids I spoke to are excited to go to Youth Group.
It may not be like the Youth Group days of yore. Back then Youth Group served a vital social need of a teenager growing up. It was the "look forward to" weekly gathering where you could meet your friends and participate in activities with peers your own age. As a result Youth Group often had dozens of active participants garnering memories of service outings, camping, retreats in the mountains, etc.
These days our youth have a lot more alternatives. Weekend sports, robot competitions, academic items, Sunday shopping, video games, texting, or long hours glued to the smart phone have filled in for the quiet weekends of yesterday's youth. The tried-and-true formulas of Youth Group do not work anymore. It's not just our church, it's everywhere. We are working to overcome these challenges to ensure our youth stay connected to God.
We've hired Karrie Lam to help rejuvenate our youth activities, while I continue to volunteer for Youth Group. We have a handful of other volunteers, not all of them parents of youth! Karrie, as a paid (part-time) staff, has the charge to grow our youth programs and participation in our church.
We are seeing results. In September our youth will describe their successful mission trip. I can't spill the beans on this, so pay attention during Sunday service! We've seen our youth participate in car wash and pancake breakfast fund raisers to help defray the mission expenses. I've seen our youth participate in our food pantry opening. All in all I am very encouraged by our progress.
Back to Finance and Stewardship – we've had to increase our spending to account for Karrie's time. While we believe it is money well spent, it's still an obligation we need to meet if we want to have a generation to hand the church to. We also have another position open to deal with families, and I'm looking forward to both the funding and the candidate.
When it's time to consider your pledge for 2020, think about pledging extra to help cover for such items to keep the church going in such ministries and missions. We have a variety of options for pledging such as General Fund, Loaves and Fishes (which is targeted for our new positions), and also Heart of Nashua (to pay down our new construction debt.) As always I am open to your comments, thoughts, and prayers leading to our continued service in Nashua.
Thank you. Joe Dechene
RECONCILING?
For years Main St. United Methodist Church has been blessed with members and families who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. They are part of our church family, beloved brothers and sisters, and we are the better for it. However, this past February the General Conference of the UMC voted not to give our LGBTQ+ friends and family the same rights and privileges enjoyed by its heterosexual members, but instead reinforced and strengthened the discriminatory language in the Book of Discipline.
Many of us felt this decision reflected neither the attitude and practice of MSUMC or the will of a loving and just God. We asked the church council to form a committee to investigate whether MSUMC should become a Reconciling Church. To that end we have held regular meetings, conducted a church wide survey and are preparing to hold educational and community building meetings. We understand there will likely be anxiety for some members at both ends of the spectrum and we will strive to understand and alleviate your concerns in a loving, prayerful manner.
But what does it mean to become a Reconciling Church? At its most basic its very simple.
- Craft and adapt a statement that clearly, boldly, intentionally and publicly welcomes and affirms people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
- As one of our members wrote: "actually do the work of welcoming…"
Basically, just be who we have been and let our LGBTQ+ brothers and sister within our church and in our surrounding community know we love and support them.
In the coming weeks and months there will be more opportunities for discussion, for sharing of information and stories and many opportunities for prayer and discernment. And then there will be a vote, a vote to become Reconciling or not. Your voice will be heard and counted. May God continue to bless you and our church.
Paul Pederzani
PS If you have any questions feel free to contact me (in person or at pped@comcast.net) or Pastor Rich
Reconciling Conversations
We want to hear from you! Several of you indicated in your survey responses a desire to meet
one-on-one or in a small group. We want to make sure those happen so you understand what
becoming a reconciling congregation would mean for MSUMC and can confidently help decide
the path that this church takes.
• Do you have questions about why Main Street United Methodist Church is considering
becoming a reconciling congregation?
• Would you like to talk to someone about why we are considering becoming a reconciling
congregation?
• Would you like to find a small group of others who have similar questions?
Let us know any questions below. If you would like to talk to individuals or with a small group,
be sure to let us know how we can contact you. You are welcome to include your name, but
that is not required. You can also contact the chair of our committee, Paul Pederzani, at
rc-chair@mainstreet-umc.org. Thank you!
I would like to learn more about: ______________________________________________
I would like to talk to a couple of members of the Reconciling Congregation Committee.
I am interested in learning more in a small group.
You can contact me at:
Phone: _________________________________________________________
Email: __________________________________________________________
Name (Optional): _________________________________________________
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