Mainstreeter Blast May 13, 2021

Click here for May 16th, 2021 Bulletin   Fellowship Virtual Coffee Hour Be sure to join us for our Virtual Coffee Hour and Fellowship Time following the 10:30 am service.  We look forward to seeing you there! https://www.mainstreet-umc.org/activities/coffee-hour A Message from Pastor Kristy   "Necessity is the mother of invention."  This proverb is so old that no one really knows its origin, and this season of pandemic has proven that it is still true.  The necessity of keeping distance to protect our neighbors and slow the spread of Covid-19 has led us to invent new ways of being and doing! In our necessity, we have found ways to do things we'd have said were impossible just a year ago!  Youth group now meets on Zoom every week, providing nurture and connection for our teens in a time of social isolation.  Through online classes, adult education is welcoming new participants from inside and outside the congregation.  And our new online worship format has gathered people who might not have entered our doors on Sunday morning, but who are learning about the love of God expressed through Jesus in a more accessible way.  Deepening discipleship and even new membership are arising from the new platforms.  Invention has made space for people to dip a toe in the water of our tradition, to "taste and see" that God is good!  Likewise, being forced outside has allowed a new kind of authenticity among us.  Meeting for walks and tacos gathers people in fellowship on everyday terms, without the requirements of committee and agenda.  Garden Communion allows us to be seen as a community of people, not the impenetrable edifice of a building complex.  Invention has made us get real! The necessity of pandemic has empowered flourishing cooperation between faith communities, too.  A new, pandemic-response clergy group has gone deeper to explore how our theologies move us to better serve our congregations and the wider community.  At the same time, our representatives to interfaith social justice ministries have worked with City of Nashua bodies and local nonprofits to advocate for a warming station for people experiencing homelessness and to get an Affordable Housing Trust fund passed in the City of Nashua.  Invention has made us more effective together! In bad situations--and this pandemic IS a bad situation--it is often difficult to see the good that God is bringing about amidst the mess.  Yet, our tradition teaches, and we believe, that we are never abandoned.  We pray that pandemic conditions will improve daily.  Even after we have washed and put away our masks for good, we also pray that God will continue to nurture the spirit of invention that has risen within us, that we may grow fully and courageously into God's vision for this community.   In Christ, Pastor Kristy                                                                                                                           Kathy (Kathleen) Flagler was welcomed to her eternal life on Wednesday, May 12th, 2021 at 8:30 am surrounded by her family. Cards are welcome: 240 Harris Road, Nashua NH 03062 (Please do not expect a response).  No food is necessary at this time. Service information is pending and will be shared soon. Join Pastor Kelly as we explore high conflict.  High conflict, is what happens when discord distills into a good-versus-evil kind of feud, the kind with an us and a them.  In this state, the normal rules of engagement no longer apply.  The brain behaves differently.  We feel increasingly certain of our own superiority and, at the same time, more and more mystified by the other side. *Please note the date change to June 2nd. Meeting ID meet.google.com/wof-fvwk-rbv Phone Numbers (‪US‬)‪+1 617-675-4444‬ PIN: ‪785 151 035 7211#‬ For more information contact the church office at office @mainstreet-umc.org   United Methodist Action Reach-out Mission 2021 Summer Mission   Main Street UMC will participate in the U.M. ARMY 2021 Summer Mission Virtual Model.   During the week of Aug 1-6, our church group will be making a difference in the lives of the less fortunate people in new construction, maintenance, and home repairs. The participants will be driving directly from home to the worksite Monday-Friday and working together on the same worksite in either Tyngsborough, Dracut, Chelmsford, or Lowell communities. Daily worship and activities will be offered virtually with other church participants. Please contact the Coordinator of Youth Ministries, Karrie Lam, by May 21 at karrie.lam@mainstreet-umc.org if you would like to be a part of it. :Details are as follows:   U.M. ARMY 2021 Summer Mission Virtual Model   ·         Churches from various locations across regions or U.S. participate virtually. ·         Day camp model . ·         Each participating church is its own "host". ·         U.M. ARMY provides Director, Program Coordinator, and Sites – virtual                      support. .·         Sites Coordinator available to consult with each church  on potential work                   sites. ·         Worksites include the Tyngsborough, Dracut,Chelmsford, and Lowell                          communities. ·         Most of the worksites are within a 20-30 minute drive. ·         Each church is responsible for expenses around  projects, food, and                          supplemental program materials. Because of the pandemic, U.M. ARMY is                not providing meals. Participants will eat breakfast and dinner at home and                will bring a bag lunch for each workday. We are also asking each participant              to bring a labeled water bottle to use throughout the week.  ·         U.M. ARMY t-shirts and giveaways provided. ·         Work teams are created by each participating church and comprised of                      members (adults/youth) from each respective church. ·         Virtual teams, for the purpose of spiritual or social interactions, may be                      utilized during the week for an opportunity for additional connection across                churches. ·         Access to U.M. ARMY registration system and website for mission week                    planning and support. ·         Adults and youth who will finish 6th grade by the end of June 2021 are                        encouraged to participate. The youth who will finish 3rd & 4th grade are                      welcome to join with their parents. ·         Cost $200/person (a grant will cover the entire cost for the first 10 people                  who commit to participate by May 21st) ·         After May 21st, each family will pay $50 regardless of how many in the family.   Tentative Daily Schedule 7:30-8:15 Breakfast & Make Your Lunch 8:15-8:30 Virtual Morning Worship (15-20 minutes) 8:30-9:00 Travel to Worksite  9:00-12:00  Worksite 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00-3:00 Worksite 3:00-4:00 Go home/Take Shower/Relax 4:00-4:40 Virtual Activities (30-40 minutes) 4:40-5:00  Virtual Evening Worship (15-20 minutes) 5:00 The End of the day   graphic used with permission Volunteers Needed   The Missions and Hunger folks will be making boxes of food for distribution at the Nashua Soup Kitchen on Sunday, May 16th from 2 to 4 pm.  Please contact Phyllis Appler pappler@earthlink.net if you are able to attend.  Since we will be inside, we will follow the usual COVID protocols (wearing masks, checking temps and asking questions to keep everyone as safe as possible).  We hope to be actually distributing food before too long.   If you aren't able to create boxes but want to help Soup Kitchen clients, regular sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner are needed at the Soup Kitchen.  Those items can be dropped in in the collection box in the church lobby.  Thank you. Next week, will be our final, planned Taco Tuesday. We are going to La Carreta, where we  will meet/order takeout  (139 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua) on Tuesday, May 18th at 5pm.  We also love to see your photos of homemade tacos.  If you have questions, need information, or have photos to share send them to office@mainstreet-umc.org We hope that this tradition may catch on throughout the summer and something that we can continue to share. Joyful Celebration and Congratulations!   "Celebrating our new college graduate, and feeling grateful that we could attend commencement on campus!" Brenna Rose graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Supply Chain Management and Entrepreneurship.  She will complete her MBA next year at Quinnipiac. A Word of Thanks   Cassie and Ryan would like to thank the congregation for the thoughtful baby gift for Ella.  We appreciate Kathy Romano for supplying this first batch of gifts. Each bag contains a card, knit beanie and burp cloth.   Calling all Graduates! If you or a family member is graduating from high school or college this spring, your church family would love to know that we can honor your accomplishments!  Please contact the office at (603 882-3361) or by email at:  office@mainstreet-umc.org.  Go Class of 2021!   Golfers Wanted $72.00 per golfer Team and Individual Registration is available     We can use additional support with sponsors.  Personal Hole Sponsors @ $50.00/sign; Corporate Hole Sponsors @ $75.00/sign.  Each sign is 8-1/2 x 11, laminated and attached to a sign board.   For more information, contact Mark Morrissey at: (603) 244-0738 markm196114@msn.com     Thank you to everyone who donated blankets for Church World Service on Mother's Day.  These blankets make such a difference in communities near and far.  We will sponsor another event during Father's Day.  Be sure to check the blast for more details. Community Event   Gate City Bike Co-op will be hosting an upcoming event: May 22nd: 10 am - 4 pm, 325 Amherst St, Nashua NH This is why we do what we do. When Gate City Bike Coop provides a bike to this client it means they can take the job and can improve their life. The bike we provided was not new. It had outlived its usefulness to its original owner. But with a couple of hours work we turned it into hope.    What We Do Collect unwanted bikes Repair bikes Give away bikes Teach people to maintain bikes For more information go to: https://gatecitybikecoop.org/ Want to help make a difference while you shop in the Amazon app, at no extra cost to you? Simply follow the instructions below to select "Main Street United Methodist Church" as your charity and activate AmazonSmile in the app. They'll donate a portion of your eligible mobile app purchases to us. How it works: 1. Open the Amazon app on your phone. 2. Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programs & Features. 3. Select "Main Street United Methodist Church" as your charity. 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app. That's all there is to it!  Thank you for shopping and sharing. NEEDED We need a person interested in attending the Annual Conference; online Jun 10-12 (most of the work is Thursday and Friday and Saturday morning). You would be elected as a voting member (an equalization member) representing MSUMC. If you are that person, please contact the office at office@mainstreet-umc.org There will be training and information provided prior to the conference.   Office News  The office still takes used ink cartridge donations that can be recycled to Staples and applied to our Staples Rewards program. In the last office supply order I was able to save $70.60 with coupons and rewards that the church had earned!  If you have used ink cartridges to donate, you can bring them to the office on Monday-Thursday from 9am - 1 pm.  Please call when you are in the parking lot and I will be happy to meet/greet you (603) 882-3361. Thank you, Natasha Drew office@mainstreet-umc.org   Pentecost Practice Worship As more people get vaccinated and some restrictions are lessened, the Safety team, in conjunction with the New England Conference, are exploring ways we can be together while mitigating the infection risk. We've been having an in-person communion service in the garden every month, and we've enjoyed regular fellowship opportunities through hikes and outdoor dining (Taco Tuesdays continue through Pentecost). We're planning a church picnic this summer to help folks get reacquainted beyond our screens. With the conference's permission, we're also planning an early, in-person meditative service on Pentecost with reduced capacity and advanced registration to prepare for our future return to regular, indoor, in-person worship when conditions allow.  You may register here:    Pentecost Service Registration   Rivers and Stream Converge  Walking the trail to the point  Where rivers and streams converge  I breathe deeply of the  Rain washed spring morning.  The wind rustles the branches  And leaves just budding drip To ripple in ever widening circles  In the swollen convergence  Of the river and stream.  I think of water and life Cycles and I feel blessed.                                    -Lynn Moseley Pastor's Sabbath Days: Pastor Kelly: Tuesday Pastor Kristy: Friday Days to Reach Pastors Pastor Kelly: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Pastor Kristy: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

Mainstreet United Methodist Church · PO Box 1517 · Nashua, NH 03061-1517 · USA