Main Street United Methodist Church: Mainstreeter Weekly Blast July 10, 2025

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Friday and Saturday, July 11/12 United Women in Faith Craft Workshops
Sunday, July 13 - Pastor Rich Cullen preaching at 9:30 AM here at MSUMC
Reminder - the office is closed July 14 - 18 (important message below for pastoral emergencies - call the office)
Sunday, July 20th - Baptism, Turtle Sunday (special visitor), and NSKS Volunteer Afternoon
Missions Initiative for June and July - Collecting Backpack Supplies
Summer Series - "In the Company of Stone"; looking for your stone stories!

Download the Summer Series Devotional HERE

I'm off to Iona, Scotland on "This Possible Kin-dom Pilgrimage" for a weeklong workshop "Worship in the Wilds. This immersive experience asks, "How can we respond to the wilds of God and our world through worshipping and singing together?" The Iona Community is an ecumenical, inclusive intentional community with laity in leadership and international membership. Its Abbey on a tiny island by Mull is one of the oldest Christian religious centers in Western Europe since St. Columba arrived in 563 (think monastery not hotel: we'll be assigned a "cell" with a roommate and shared bathroom down the hall and do chores among the nuns, as well as the worship of the hours).

You may not recognize the name but you've been enjoying their worship resources from the Wild Goose Publications for many years. The first-person narratives from the Upper Room and Passion story that we used on Holy Week were written by participants at former workshops there. And the music of Iona and John Bell graces our hymnals. So please pray for us and with us as this group from the New England and New York Conferences explores opportunities for collaboration, partnership and cooperative parish.

RevKelly

p.s. I'm grateful to Deacon Kristy Besada who will be available for pastoral emergencies in my absence.

We voted to have the Trustees move forward with installing Solar on our building. We still need your support. If you'd like to add your pledge to our solar campaign mission, click the link below! We will continue to keep you posted on the progress of this impactful project!

Watch our Sunflower "grow" in the Connector Lobby as we will update regularly when receive pledges. Thank you Jim Pyle for your work on this!

Click Here to fill out your Pledge online

When I was growing up in Michigan, my parents had a rock pile where they put all the ones they dug up when clearing a spot to plant a garden. My neighborhood friend, Frank, and I often took hammers and whacked away at the stones that looked interesting and of course we didn't consider putting them in a bag or something to avoid flying chips. We found cool things inside those rocks, fossils and impressions of shells. Those were the days in a previous century when parents didn't always know what you were up to until something went wrong. Well one day a chip flew up and hit Frank right in the middle of his forehead. It wasn't a serious injury, but I still have his 2nd grade school picture that shows a mark in the middle of his forehead. I won't share that photo, but here are some of the things we found.

Submitted by: Pam Breniser

The kids of the Sunday School this year decided they wanted their offerings of quarters to go to Wanakee ! The adults of the church joined in the offering and Gavin and Kelly Pyle Brown presented the check for $960 to Executive Director Evan McElreath while the Browns were up in Meredith enjoying You & Me Camp this week. Join us August 16 at the Wilderness 5k and BBQ which Main Street United Methodist Church is helping to sponsor.

Camp Wanakee was thrilled to receive this donation!

United Women in Faith are planning a craft workshop for the weekend of July 11-12. You can drop in either or both days as it fits your schedule. All are welcome, bring favorite scissors, thick tacky glue and glue gun if you have them, but we always have extras. One project is making items from our huge stash of silk flowers such as winter arrangements and kissing balls (see photos below). You can always cut catnip mice parts from bluejeans. If you knit or crochet or have your own craft to make and would like some company, please join us for the fellowship.

Contact Pam Breniser if you need a ride or have questions at pjbreniser@gmail.com or call or text at 603-566-2632.

Photo to the left shows wreath supplies for making silk flower wreaths, and to the right an example of the kissing balls. Bottom photos depict the reindeer ornament.

Want to help the NH Food Bank? Here's a volunteer opportunity!

British Car Show of Dreams- 20 volunteers needed!
When: Saturday July 26, 2025 from 9am-3pm. ½ day shifts may be available! Please reach out to amoulton@nhfoodbank.org if you are not able to do a full day but would still like to volunteer!
Where: Alvirne Hill House. 211 Derry Rd, Hudson, NH
About: Volunteer tasks include parking attendants, entrance greeters, monitoring donation car, selling raffle tickets and being at the Food Bank tent to hand out information.

Free Event: Union Documentary - The Rex July 17th

Dear Voice of Faith Community,

We're excited to announce that central and southern New Hampshire residents will get their first opportunity, on Thursday July 17, to see the film UNION, which documents the successful and against-all-odds effort by overworked Amazon employees to unionize Amazon's JKF8 Warehouse in New York.

The New Hampshire Faith & Labor Alliance, several New Hampshire unions and friends of labor will screen the full-length documentary (102 minutes) at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst Street, in downtown Manchester – program to begin at 6:30 p.m. – film screening will begin at 7:15 p.m. The tickets are free, but it's important for folks to register here. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The full-length documentary focuses on the successful effort to organize this Staten Island-based Amazon distribution center between 2021 and 2022. The movie stars ordinary workers who take on one of the largest corporations in the world and win. You can view the movie trailer here: Union | Trailer | NYFF62 - YouTube.

The night will start with a panel discussion led by the Rev. Dr. Gail Kinney, a National Writers Union (NWU) member and chair of the economic justice ministry of the NH Conference United Church of Christ. The panel will include New Hampshire union members from the Teamsters, Starbucks Workers United, and the Freelance Solidarity Project/NWU. Speakers will discuss union organizing and the challenges facing New Hampshire workers.

We are screening the movie as a way to engage Granite Staters in the labor movement and the struggles faced by workers throughout the state. It comes at a vital time. Public approval of unions has been growing nationwide, as have the ranks of union-curious workers. This is all in the face of massive corporate resistance, union busting strategies and government efforts to stymie unionization.

We close by thanking our sponsors: Teamsters Local 633, the National Writers Union, the NH Faith & Labor Alliance, the NH UCC Economic Justice Ministry, the NH State Employees Association/SEIU Local 1984, the New Hampshire NewsGuild/CWA, American Friends Service Committee, the International Alliance of Stage Employees 600 and The Palace Theatre.