| | | |  | Thursday Nights - Lenten Meditation - 6:30 to 7pm in the Chapel - join Pastor Kelly March 14, Friday - "What do I do with my Anger? Seminar in Vestry @ 1PM March 16, Sunday - NSKS Volunteer Sunday March 16, Sunday - Countering Christian Nationalism Community Conversation, in Vestry @ 4PM March 19, Wednesday - United Women in Faith (Hybrid) Meeting Lent Donation Opportunities Easter Flowers - Due March 24th Comfort Care Kit Donations for Bridges Needed College Care Packages and Comfort Care Kit Donations Needed
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| Annual Reports Now Available - click here to download an electronic copy. A limited amount of hard copy reports are available in the Office. |
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Good Enough: Embracing the Imperfections of Life and Faith
We live in a culture bent on definitions of a good life as continuous upward mobility–climbing ladders of prosperity with increasingly fabulous experiences that we can post to ever-more-likable social media accounts. Most times we are not moving upward but trying to repair the rung we've just slipped from. |
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| So what if we stopped climbing and started fertilizing, watering, and blooming right where we find ourselves? Welcome to a Lent of affirming a faith in which we are blessed, regardless, and where we can lean into embracing our "good enough" lives.
March 5 - April 20 |
| |  | Yesterday, a father of five (including infant twins) was detained while bicycling to work in Hudson. Having worked with the US on security in Afghanistan, he was here legally with protected status awaiting asylum. Several churches had been working closely with him and his family since they arrived in 2021 and are heartbroken. They have requested our prayers for the Safi family as they discern next steps to stand in solidarity with him as this father, who served the United States honorably and is in danger in his birth country as a result, is separated from his family and community.
I offer this poem from my "Were We Made For These Times?" class as a prayer. In this moment of clenched thoughts, may we choose love in specific ways.
"On a Day When the World Has Its Way With Me" by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Like every other day, today, it is apparent that only love will save us.
Not in the grandiose abstract way, but in the alarming specific way.
As in forgiveness, now.
As in choosing to hug instead of fighting back.
As in taking three deep breaths before saying something we regret.
It saves us from thirsting in the desert of our lives,
but only if we save it first by choosing it, now in this moment
of angry words, now in this moment of clenched thoughts,
now in this moment when we'd rather taste venom but instead,
we pour love into our cup and bring it to our lips and drink
and drink until once again it is only love that makes sense,
only love that refills the cup.
–Pastor Kelly |
|  | | Husband of member Evelyn Weinert, Norbert, passed away on February 28, 2025.
In accordance with Norbert's wishes, there will be no formal service.
The link to his obituary is below. |
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| | | | A word about our Worship Visuals
Every new worship series requires a change to the look of our sanctuary. The atmosphere and symbols are intended to enhance our worship experience. The size of the sanctuary and how things look on live stream have to be considered. When using one of Marcia Mcfee's Design series, we have suggestions to get started. We might have backdrops or props available at church or items to borrow from |
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| parishioners. This means working weeks and sometimes months ahead, especially if some new props need to be made. We try to be as frugal as possible. Here's an example: the "ladder" on the altar holding the word "GOOD" was a thrift store find for $3.40. Jodi Bencks loaned two ladders and frequently makes signs or photo op props at special seasons. This time her daughter-in-law created the "Enough" sign. Sara Chambers may add a piece of unusual cloth from her stash or another pair of creative eyes to the process. Jim Pyle not only built a great banner storage system for us, he now is our master banner and backdrop hanger. Pastor Kelly adds her special tweaks and amazing lighting. Many others have helped over the years. I thoroughly enjoy heading up this endeavor. As you can tell, it really takes group input to get to what you see on Sunday morning and I would like to thank everyone involved.
Pam Breniser |
| |  | |  | |  | Next Meeting Wednesday, March 19 7PM in-person or online
We welcome a speaker from Bridges, an organization that provides domestic & sexual violence support, to our March meeting. If you plan to purchase items for the adult and kid comfort care kits for Bridges, but have not yet done so, you may wish to wait until after our meeting. We will have more information on the details and will know what we need to complete kit items already donated. Kits will be packed at our April meeting. We meet in person in the vestry and online via google meets (link below.) If you need a ride to the meeting, please contact me at pjbreniser@gmail.com or call or text at 603-566-2632.
Thanks to everyone who helped with or bought items from our craft table at the Nashua Sr. Center Flea Market and Sunday after sale at church, we made $460 for our local and global missions. |
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|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | DONATION BINS FOR COLLEGE CARE AND COMFORT CARE KITS ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE CHURCH OFFICE |
|  |  | | |  |  |  | Get involved and let the Office know if you would like to attend. Invite friends! |
| |  | Granite District Resource Day
"Embracing Our Neighbors, Connecting Our Community"
Clergy and Laity are invited to save the date for the upcoming resource day, March 29 – 9am – 3pm at St. Paul's UMC in Manchester, NH. Learn proven strategies for engaging with the community that actually reach new people and strengthen congregations. Keynote speaker, Rev. Mike Mather, author of "Having Nothing, Possessing Everything", helps church members move beyond the walls of the church into the streets to discover that people —not programs, finances, or service models— are their most valuable resource. Breakout sessions will focus on innovative ways that engage in meaningful ministry with their community. More information to follow. |
|  |  |  | | |  |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | |  | | Easter Egg Hunt on Sat April 5th at 11 am. At Call Hall at Pleasant Street UMC in Salem NH 8 Pleasant Street, Salem, NH All are invited (adults and youth - all ages) RSVP: by Friday, March 28 psumcnh@gmail.com |
|  | |  | | |  | | Church office hours: Mon - Weds - Thurs - Fri from 9:00 - 2:00 Closed on Tuesdays. |
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