November 8, 2019
God of compassion,
God of dignity and strength,
watch over the veterans of the United States
in recognition of their loyal service to our nation.
Bless them with wholeness and love.
Shelter them.
Heal their wounds.
Comfort their hearts.
Grant them peace.
God of justice and truth,
Rock of our lives,
bless our veterans,
these men and women of courage and valor,
with a deep and abiding understanding
of our profound gratitude.
Protect them and their families from loneliness and want.
Grant them lives of joy and bounty.
May their dedication and honor
be remembered as a blessing
from generation to generation.
Blessed are You,
Protector and Redeemer,
our Shield and our Stronghold. Amen.
As the ministry of Café Agape continues to unfold we have found that there are more and more veterans who come on a frequent basis. Thanks to the insight of a few of our new volunteers, all of whom are veterans themselves, we have begun to be able to more quickly identify who the veterans are and to direct them towards the services that they are eligible for and deserving of. We are grateful that Deb Luszey has also been able to make some connections with veteran's organizations and to even have a social worker come to speak to some of the veterans.
As we observe Veterans' Day I invite you to pray the prayer included above and consider how you might also serve those struggling veterans who have already served us and our nation so faithfully. May we not only remember their service but also provide the means and the opportunities for those veterans who are living life on the edge to make their way back to wholeness and health.
With Prayer and Gratitude,
Pastor Rich
WORSHIP AHEAD
11/10 The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Recognition of Our Veterans
Choir singing
Scripture: Haggai 1:15b-2:9; Second Thessalonians 2:13-17
Theme: Promises of Future Glory- The prophet Haggai encourages the Hebrew people to continue the work on the restored temple by assuring them that its future glory would exceed its past glory. He speaks of a future Messianic age in which this transformation would take place. From our perspective we know that the physical temple has been replaced by a people, the church. Has this promise yet been fulfilled?
CONSECRATION SUNDAY REMINDER
Sunday, October 20, we celebrated Consecration Sunday and presented our pledges of support to God for the year 2020. As of last Monday 67 pledges had been received in support of the General Fund in the amount of $216,813 and another 21 pledges were received towards the Heart of Nashua Campaign to pay down our debt in the amount of $25,720. If you have not as yet submitted your pledge card please do so as soon as possible by mailing it to the church office to the attention of Bill Francis, our Financial Secretary or by including it in the offering plate any Sunday. Your commitment and support are greatly appreciated.
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.
Our annual United Methodist Women's Yuletide Fair will take place tomorrow from 9am-2pm. There is always need for more volunteers. If you can help just stop by and let them know that you are there to work- they will put you to work for as long as you would like to help.
UP-C0MING DISTRICT RESOURCE DAY
District Resource Days, no matter which district is sponsoring them, are open to anyone. The District Resource Day for the Metro Boston District will be of interest to many of our Vestry Adult Sunday School class members since it will feature Diana Butler Bass. The event will take place on Saturday, November 16th from 9:30am-2:30pm and it will be held at the Weston United Methodist Church, 377 North Ave., Weston, MA 02493. You do need to register and there is a $10.00 cost to cover the lunch that will be served. Please go to the following link to register or speak to Pastor Rich and he will register you-
https://neumc-reg.brtapp.com/MBHandCMADistrictResourceDaywithDianaButlerBass If you are interested in attending and desiring to car pool please speak to Pastor Rich. Here is what the Boston Metro District Website has to say about Dr. Bass: Dr. Butler Bass has authored many influential and poignant books on how to seek an authentic renewal of the practice of Christian faith and community. No matter what the future of UMC will look like, such a future has to come as the birth of a new spiritual awakening and practice as a Jesus movement. Time with Dr. Butler Bass will create an opening where we can prayerfully and practically engage in how we can usher in such future of God in our midst. Clergy and church leaders are encouraged to attend. Don't miss this great opportunity!
Diana Butler Bass (Ph.D. Duke University) is an award-winning author and internationally known public speaker and thought leader on issues of spirituality, religion, culture, and politics.
She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, PBS, CBS, and FOX, has been interviewed on numerous radio programs, including shows on NPR, CBC, and Sirius XM, and has work featured in numerous print and online newspapers and magazines including Time, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Times.
From 1995-2000, she wrote a weekly column for the New York Times Syndicate. She was a founding blogger for both Beliefnet and Huffington Post religion. Her bylines include the Washington Post and Atlantic.com. She has preached and taught in hundreds of church, college, and conference venues in North America and beyond.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Diana Butler Bass was raised in Scottsdale, AZ, and loves Santa Barbara, CA, as her "soul" hometown. She lives in Alexandria, VA, with her husband, Richard Bass, and their dog, Rowan. These days, she balances travel (which she loves) with her concerns for Virginia politics, a passion for environmental issues, supporting local farms, reading poetry, cooking, gardening, Washington Nationals baseball, and Duke basketball.
You can follow her online at www.dianabutlerbass.com, her public author page on Facebook, and on Twitter @dianabutlerbass.
Acolytes Needed
Would your child like to be an acolyte for the church? Acolytes bring light into the sanctuary as a reminder that God is with us in worship, and carry the light out of the sanctuary at the end of the service as a reminder that God is with us in the world. Special training is required before a child can serve as an acolyte. Acolyte training is available to all children after they begin third grade. One parent or guardian must also attend the training session with the child
To schedule an acolyte training session on a date and time convenient for you and your child, please email Ann Rose at akrose4@gmail.com
What does Reconciling really mean?
By now, you may have heard about the upcoming vote on whether or not to become a Reconciling congregation. If you've been carefully reading your bulletin, you may have also seen some information in previous weeks about what that means. However, it is equally important to discuss what it does not mean.
First and foremost: becoming Reconciling does not mean that the church will start hosting gay weddings, nor that Pastor Rich will be in any way compelled to perform them. This is forbidden by the Book of Discipline and we will continue to abide by that. Same-sex marriage is neither the impetus for nor a factor in the vote.
In addition, it does not mean that anyone will be excluded. The last bullet in the motion to be presented is "being intentional, discerning and passionate in our welcoming of all people" and this does truly mean all people. No one will be made to feel unwelcome for being straight or involved in an opposite-sex relationship. You will still be welcomed if you believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, or if you believe in a different definition of marriage. MSUMC has always played host to a diversity of opinions and becoming Reconciling will not change this.
Becoming Reconciling also involves no financial commitment on the part of the church. While the Reconciling Ministries Network does recommend that participating churches give something, there is no penalty for not giving anything. Individuals within the church would be free to give or not as they choose, but no donations would be required.
Lastly, this will not damage our standing within the New England Conference. The Conference itself actually voted to become Reconciling several years ago and has stated its opposition to the outcome of the vote earlier this year. If we become Reconciling, we would be in good company in the Conference, as there are over 50 Reconciling congregations in the New England Conference alone.
Please join us next week after the 10:30 worship service for a special Charge Conference where we will vote on whether or not to become a Reconciling congregation. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, we want your voice to be heard and hope to see you there!
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