June 5, 2020
A Word from the Pastor
It's me, it's me, it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer.
It's me, it's me, it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer.
We stand before you, O Lord, hurting, confused, angry, fearful, and ashamed. We stand in the need of prayer, for we have sinned.
Today we pause to recognize especially our shame and to seek your forgiveness, so that we can forgive one another. We come before you to seek the grace and wisdom that will empower us to be justice-seekers.
Forgive us for the sin of racism and for failing to make justice the way of life for all people.
Forgive us for permitting the differences that make us special to become stumbling blocks of division.
Forgive us for not using our power responsibly.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that "a riot is the language of the unheard."
Forgive us for not listening to the voices crying out for freedom, for mercy, for justice.
Forgive us for tuning out stories of those whose lives have been needlessly lost and the voices of those who live in fear, anger, and despair.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called out our complacency, observing: "our nation's summers of riots are caused by our nation's winters of delay."
Forgive us for waiting for a riot to pay attention to the anger and the hurt.
Forgive us for caring more about our own comforts than the full humanity of your beloved children.
Forgive us for our satisfaction with racist systems, policies, laws, and institutions.
Forgive us for thinking "if things are fine for me, they are fine for everyone."
Through growing wisdom, and penitent spirits for our own provincialism, enable us to make a difference, and to demonstrate the way of love.
Show us the way to justice! Show us the way to mutual respect and trust! Enable us to see value in those different from us, and to celebrate your Beloved Community.
It's me, it's me, it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer.
It's me, it's me, it's me, O Lord,
Standin' in the need of prayer.
We are all standing in the need of prayer.
In the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar
Jacquelyn Brannen
Bill Burnside
David Calhoun
We Hyun Chang
Jill Colley Robinson
Ted Crass
Beth DiCocco
Andrew L. Foster III
Taesung Kang
Rick McKinley
Karen Munson
Erica Robinson-Johnson
Megan Stowe
Rene Wilbur
Dr. King quotes excerpted from 1967 "The Other America" speech at Stanford University, full text found here: https://www.crmvet.org/docs/otheram.htm
"It's Me" is in the UMH #352
Each day since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic either our Bishop or one of the members of the extended cabinet have offered a "prayer for the day" as a way to help us focus our lives in the midst of this most trying of times. This past Monday, given the gravity of our national life after a week of protests following the death of George Floyd, the decision was made to write a prayer jointly and that is what we have here. It is a powerful prayer that speaks clearly to the reality of racism in our nation and of our need to collectively listen to the voices of people of color who have so often experienced discrimination and worse throughout our nation's history. I invite you to read this prayer in a prayerful spirit and allow its message to become ingrained in your own spirit. May it lead each of us to listen, to learn, to grow, to connect, and to act in ways that will enable our nation to repent and change for the better.
With a grieving heart,
Pastor Rich
WORSHIP AHEAD
6/7 Trinity Sunday/Children's Sunday/ The Twelfth Sunday in Exile
Special Music: Levitical Levites
Scripture: Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8
Theme: The Love of God Compels Us. The apostle notes that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us". Having experienced God's love that love compels us to act in loving others as well. How has God's love compelled you?
HEIFER PROJECT THANK YOU
Recently we received a thank you note from the Heifer Project for the gift received as a result of our Lenten/Easter Project- the Easter Tree of Life. It reads:
Dear Main Street United Methodist Church,
Now more than ever, your gift is making a crucial difference in the lives of a farming family like Vivian's in Uganda or right here in Arkansas with Heifer USA. Your gift provides a living income, savings, nutrition, and so much more. Thank you for caring for your global neighbors!
For a Better World,
Rachel Merrill, Heifer Project
SO, WHEN WILL WE BE ABLE TO RESUME IN PERSON WORSHIP?
This is the question that is on all our minds as we continue to live with this pandemic. Unfortunately, there are no clear answers. By the time you read this our Church Council will have settled on a process to both determine when and how in person worship will resume. We will have to abide by the guidelines provided by the state of NH as well as those provided by Bishop Devadhar. In all likelihood the movement towards in person worship will happen incrementally over a few months time. As decisions are made you will be informed using all of the communication tools that are available to us. In the meantime, and afterwards as well, we will continue to live stream our worship service on Sunday morning. We hope that you are able to access the worship service either live via facebook or after the fact through our web site.
STAYING CONNECTED
Over the course of the "stay at home" time that we find ourselves in, volunteers from the congregation have been reaching out by phone to our entire membership. One of things we have found though is that so many of you have given up your land lines or otherwise changed your phone number and we no longer have the correct number for you. We would love to up-date our data base with this correct information so please either e-mail the church office at office@mainstreet-umc.org or call at 603-882-3361. We have begun round 2 of our calling and hope to connect with you!
Worship Video
Although we are no longer able to do the live streaming of our worship service from the sanctuary, Pastor Rich is live streaming a service from home which is available on-demand on Facebook shortly after the service. You can use the Facebook app on a smartphone, or a web browser on a computer. "Like" our page and you will be notified when we go live each Sunday.
If you choose to not use a Facebook login, you can still access the live stream during the service time from our web site home page by going to the box to the right (you may need to refresh the page if you arrive early). Previous worship services are available by scrolling down through the postings.
Giving During This Uncertain Time
Although we are scaling back most of our church activities which will reduce our expenses during this time, we still have staff who will be working- cleaning the church thoroughly; providing office assistance from home; providing pastoral care remotely, etc.- so we will still be incurring expenses that will need to be covered as best we can. To the extent that you are able please maintain your financial pledge or give regularly. Contributions can either be mailed in to the church or you can utilize our on-line giving options by going to the following web address:
Thank you for your on-going support, for your prayers, and for your faithfulness to God and one another.
VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR
The latest option to help us all stay connected in this time of physical distancing is our "Virtual Coffee Hour" starting right after Sunday Worship (approximately 11:30am). We have three "rooms" available each week. Stop by the Vestry and catch up with your friends (bring your own coffee and snacks). If it seems too crowded in the Vestry, and you can't get in a word in edgewise, move over to the Lobby or the Kitchen where it is usually quieter. If you are a Facebook user, you can coordinate where to meet-up with others via the chat before/after Worship, or by indicating that you are "Going" to one of the three Facebook events each week. The actual rooms are via Google Meet and don't require Facebook at all, and may be attended by phone, by app on iPhone/iPad/Android/or by Computer. Access information is below. If you need some hints at using Google Meet there are some instructions and screen shots at https://www.mainstreet-umc.org/activities/coffee-hour that might help you get acclimated.
Vestry: https://meet.google.com/qmq-zxbb-sye or by phone: +1 617-675-4444 PIN: ?415 456 786 8524#
Lobby: https://meet.google.com/cen-uofo-ovh or by phone: +1 617-675-4444 PIN: ?566 126 046 3024#
Kitchen: https://meet.google.com/mfq-vdkf-ofj or by phone: +1 617-675-4444 PIN: ?666 362 297 7893#
ARE YOU IN NEED OF A FACE MASK?
As we increasingly look forward to the day when we can begin to get out more and hopefully even gather for worship in our sanctuary we are faced with a new reality- that of wearing face masks anytime we are in public places. In order to do this we will all need to have more than one cloth face mask available to us and we have a group of church folks who are gearing up to make some to have available both at church and to give out. If you would like to have a couple of the masks please call the church office at 882-3361 or e-mail the church office at office@mainstreet-umc.org and your name will be added to the list. Once they are available we will be in touch with you and arrange to get the masks to you.
CHANGE OF CHURCH MAILING ADDRESS
On Tuesday, May 12th we discovered that our mail box at church had been broken into and the mail removed. Thankfully the person left behind the envelopes so that we could notify people that their checks written to the church had been stolen. If you happened to put anything in the mail to the church sometime around May 8th and haven't heard from us, please be attentive to whether your check gets cashed or not and notify us. We are certain that it was only one day's worth of mail that was vandalized.
Given this situation we have also begun to rent a Post Office Box at the Post Office. Therefore the church's new mailing address is:
PO Box 1517, Nashua, NH 03061. From now on please use this mailing address for all church mail.
Thank you for your understanding and assistance in this matter.
Worship Visuals
Like those ancient people in Psalm 137 who lamented their captivity in Babylon by hanging their harps on trees, we have a tree full of children's tambourines, bells and triangles reminding us that we are not able to gather and make music together in the usual way. Along with those are some toys from our empty nursery. There is a graduation cap reminding us of the less festive than usual high school and college graduations this year. In this time of isolation, loss, injustice, unrest and fear, may we think of the words of Fred Roger's mother: "Look for the helpers." Then if we are paying attention, we will see God's light and love shining so brightly we need sunglasses. This is our hope for the future.
Sunday June 7 Order of Worship
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