June 19, 2020
A Word from the Pastor
"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift."
Second Corinthians 8:15
Dear beloved friends,
For some time I had been dreading my final Sunday with you thinking that, given our current situation, it would prove to be less than satisfying. How wrong I was to think this way! In spite of the limitations due to the Covid-19 virus and to technological challenges in live streaming the service, it nonetheless proved to be an extremely meaningful day for me. I am so grateful to Mike Brown and the Staff Parish Relations Committee for the part that they played in creating this farewell experience for me. The pre-recorded messages of appreciation interspersed with photos from the eight years of my life with you brought joy and tears. I am grateful for Pam Breniser's beautiful altar display, for the digital picture frame and for the beautifully framed photo of the church which I will cherish. Both Mike Brown and former SPRC chair, Kelly Rose, shared kind and caring words live to go with those that were pre-recorded.
Afterwards I was pleased to find that the parking lot was filling up with "masked" people all waiting to say good-bye in person. What a special occasion it was to see so many of you and to be able to connect again in person after nearly three months apart. My only regret is that I could not see all of you, but fully understand that it would have been too dangerous for many people to have come out.
I take away from my eight years of ministry with you in Nashua many happy memories and a sense of being appreciated and loved. Please know that the feeling is mutual. I hope and pray that God will continue to bless you all immensely as you begin a new chapter in the history of the Main Street UMC. I trust that we will see each other face to face sometime in the not-too-distant future and when we do it will be a great day.
With Love and Appreciation,
Pastor Rich
SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE BEGINS JUNE 21ST
Commencing with the worship service on June 21st and through Labor Day Sunday, the worship service will live stream at 9:30am each Sunday morning. Of course, it can be viewed on Facebook or from the home page on the church website at any time.
6/21 and 6/28 Pastor Dave Svenson will be guest preacher.
7/5 Rev. Kristy Besada will be our guest preacher and introduce the Rev. Kelly Turney as she commences her ministry at the Main Street UMC.
Worship Visuals
Both of today's scripture readings talk about being in the wilderness. In 1 Kings 19:5-8 Elijah was sleeping under a broom tree in the desert when an angel woke him up and instructed him to eat and drink the provided loaf of bread and jug of water in preparation for his long journey through the wilderness to the mountain of God. In Mark 1:9-15, after Jesus' baptism, "God's spirit, looking like a dove, came down upon him" and then sent him into the wilderness where he was tested by Satan. The toolboxes under the cross are a reminder that we celebrate Father's Day every year with our offerings to Tools of Hope through Church World Service.
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.
May 2020 Finance Snapshot
General Fund (GF)
Total GF Income Received as of 5/31/2020: $208,046.42*
Total GF Income Budgeted through 5/31/2020: $188,280.00
Total GF Expenses Paid through 5/31/2020: $162,496.37**
Total GF Expenses Budgeted through 5/31/2020: $194,390.54
* Includes $23,302.30 received and designated for Heart of Nashua Continued and CARES Act PPP
money $18,033.99 received and used for GF expenses in May [balance ($19,351.01) of CARES Act
PPP loan remains in designated funds and will transfer to GF as needed]
** A/C expenses (unbudgeted gift) not included; includes Heart of Nashua Cont. payments of $13,930.80
***Difference in GF income and GF expense includes designated HON Cont. funds ($13,171.80) for
future payments as well as GF money for upcoming expenses.
Notes on General Fund
- Current on payments due to providers other than the Conference.
- The New England Conference waived payment of three months of CRSP Pension payments of
$975.60/month and two months of Property Insurance of $2486/month which we used in April
and May. The conference also allowed us to delay payment of health insurance of $1522/month.
In May, April health insurance was paid by us. CARES PPP funds paid May health insurance.
- In May we caught up on Ministerial Support.
- World and New England Missions remain unpaid except for one month of each. Designated
donations covered a portion of each. Hopefully we can pay in full by year end.
Heart of Nashua 1 & 2 (GiF) (Capital Campaign/Elevator, Connector, Renovations)
- Balance Due on HON Loan as of 5/31/2020: approx. $165,724.54 (Loan was $358,343.45)
- In May the monthly payment of $1,769.53 was paid. We now have enough to make the remaining
2020 payments. Additional funds received will go to principal pay down.
- Total Received Heart of Nashua 1 & 2 (2013-12/31/19): $1,848,782.64
- Total Paid Out Using HON 1 & 2 Funds: (2013-1/27/2020): $1,848,782.64
- Total Paid as of 5/31/2020: $1,862,713.44.
Funding for the Future, 100 for $150 (Endowment) – Received Jan.- May 31, 2020: $1695.00
Our goal is to have 100 people or families give $150 each year to this fund to grow our endowment for future generations of the church. Other amounts are gratefully accepted.
Thank You
- We appreciate the financial relief provided by the Conference (mentioned above) during this time.
- We received a CARES Act PPP loan May 1 which will cover May and June payroll and some utilities.
- Thank you to J. Lawrence Hall for a donation to cover PMs and one of the AA groups that was meeting in the church
even though they cannot meet here now.
- Thank you for the donation for the electric car outlet at the parsonage.
- Thank you for your support of this church in so many ways.
Various Expenses
- Moving expenses for our new pastor will be around $5800.
- New appliances have been purchased for the parsonage. If you wish to donate toward them, please
contact Paul Curtis or Phyllis Bowden.
- The church roof has been replaced. Part of it is covered and designated maintenance funds will
cover the balance although donations will be gratefully received.
- Please continue to support us financially if you can. Checks may be mailed to Main St. UMC,
PO Box 1571 Nashua, NH 03061, Attn.: Financial Secretary. Donations may also be made via
PayPal, Vanco or direct deposit to our bank account.
