Announcements

• Pastor Cheryl's Retirement

  It was announced in worship on Sunday, September 17 that Pastor Cheryl and the Church Council have set March 1, 2019 as the retirement date for Cheryl.  Mike Ciba, our regional minister, will attend this month’s Council meeting to discuss different approaches to clergy transition and give us some idea of the work we can do to get ready before Cheryl retires.  The Council will have “next steps” to share at the quarterly congregational meeting on Sunday.  Cheryl and Scott are planning to relocate to Portland, Maine, once she retires.
• Call to Quarterly Congregational Meeting - Sunday, Sept 24

  The meeting will be held in the church hall immediately following worship.  Please plan to attend!  Refreshments will be available.
  Agenda:

  • Approval of minutes from the June 25th Annual Meeting
  • Committee Reports
  • New Business

  See you there!  
  Trish Grinnell, Moderator
• Clean-Up Buckets for Disaster Relief- You can STILLhelp!

       A HUGE thank you to all who donated for the purchase of kit supplies!  Thanks to the generosity of members and friends, we gathered over $2,000 to purchase supplies for 32 kits. 

     Church World Services, as part of their disaster response, distributes emergency clean-up kits that contain an assortment of supplies needed by individuals and families for clean-up after a storm.  The kits they had on hand have already been distributed and CWS and the United Church of Christ have made an urgent appeal for more. 

       Final assembly of the kits will be this Friday, September 22, at 3 pm.    We have several people who have signed up to help assemble, but we can always use more help counting out supplies and assembling.  If you can come Thursday or earlier in the day on Friday to take care of some tasks, let us know by phone or email and we can find a way for you to help.

       If you missed the deadline and would still like to donate, you can donate directly to one of the United Church of Christ's disaster response funds by going to www.ucc.org/donate_to_disaster_relief.

  If you would like to see what a kit looks like and what is included, you can view an assembly video here. 

  Click here for a downloadable flyer with all of the project information.
• Donations needed for Soldier Boxes by Friday!

  "The Town Hall Gang" sends two boxes to military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan every week.  One box is for personal care items and the other is for food items.  They send to a variety of troops - some with connection to people in Washington and others are total strangers.

  Note: Remember that we cannot send aerosol cans so shaving cream must be in tubes.

  Our Soldier for Friday September 22, 2017

  CW2 HARRY CLAY
  Attn: Any Soldier®
  FCO 710 BSB, 3/10 MTN DIV
  APO AE 09316

  Soldier's Title: MAINTENANCE TECH.
  Added here: 12 September 2017
  Expected to leave Iraq: 01 Jul 2018
  Contact for approx number of Males: 20, Females: 5
  Unit is from: Louisiana

  12 Sep 2017:
  A couple of items that would really be helpful:

  Soap
  Foot Powder
  Lotion
  Sun Screen
  snacks
  coffee
  Female Personal items
  Pillow Cases
  Reading material
  Personal Hygiene Kit

  ********************************

  The team normally packs for shipment on Friday evenings upstairs in Town Hall. 

  Items can be dropped off weekdays at the Town Hall in Bryant Plaza. Please place items in the upstairs room next to kitchen. 

  Click here for lists of items:   General items collected every week - On-going

  Contact Denise Arturi if you have any questions about the program or items in

  found on a weblist of troops requesting supplies. Also, for shipping purposes, any canned food should be small.

  For more information, contact Denise Arturi:  860-868-2880
• Your feedback needed!

  Dear UCCers,

  To address the increasing intensity and frequency of climate impacts, the UCC has teamed up with Blessed Tomorrow for a survey that will help shape next steps for our denomination. We would greatly appreciate your taking 15 minutes to complete it. Below you will find a link to the survey, which has to be done in one sitting, as you are unable to save and go back. Your individual answers are confidential and will be aggregated for analysis by ecoAmerica which is the parent organization of Blessed Tomorrow.
  
  Please click here to complete the survey.
  
  If the link above does not work, please paste the following address into your browser:
  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DMLBX3S
  
  Should you encounter any problems or questions while taking the survey, please contact Paige Fery, the administer of the survey, at paige@ecoAmerica.org

  Finally, please share this survey via email and social media with others in the UCC. We want to reach as many people as possible!

  Thank you for your participation!

  Rev. Brooks Berndt
  Minister for Environmental Justice
  Sign Up for The Pollinator: The UCC Environmental Justice Newsletter
• Free Family and Youth Concert - St. Anthony Danbury-9/23

  St. Anthony Catholic Church, Danbury, CT presents

  Full Armor Band

  in a Family & Youth Concert
  Saturday, September 23, 2017 at 7:30 pm in the Church

  Free admission, donations welcome!
  For more details, click here to download their flyer.
• Adult Study-The Jesus Fatwah
  

       In September, we will be starting a 5-session DVD-based adult study of Islam.  Much of what passes as information about Islam is weed-like disinformation rooted in stereotype and watered by fear. In The Jesus Fatwah, Islamic and Christian scholars offer reliable information about what Muslims believe, how they live out their faith, and how we all can be about building relationships across the lines of faith.  The study features seventeen Islamic and Christian scholars, including:

  • Hans Küng (Islam: Past, Present and Future),
  • Brian McLaren (Why DidJesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?),
  • Eboo Patel (Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim),
  • Stephen Prothero (God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter), and
  • Feisal Abdul Rauf (What's Right with Islam Is What's Right with America).

  View some excerpts from the program - click here!

  We are offering two weekly sessions:

  A Thursday evening group, for those who are unavailable during the day, will meet 7:00-8:30 pm, starting on Sept 14.  (Date postponed from Sept 7.)

  If you prefer the day, there will be a morning group that will meet Wednesdays 10:30-12:00, starting on Sept 20 (postponed from Sept 13).
• NEW! Group Meditations Fridays and Saturdays

  Beginning Friday, September 8, join Pastor Cheryl for group meditation in the Parish House parlor.  Every week, you can come on Fridays at 5:00 pm and/or on Saturday mornings at 9:00 and will run until sometime in December.

  She will be meditating and welcome anyone who would like to help deepen the experience.  Sitting with a group is easier and deeper than sitting alone.  We will check in about our practice and sit for 20-30 minutes each time.  If anyone new to meditation wants to join, she will teach. 

  If you would like to be on an email list for either of those times so that you will be notified if the session is changed or cancelled, you can contact Pastor Cheryl by email.
• Joyful Birth - Natural Birthing Class at Valley Spirit

  Even if you are not pregant or considering it, you may know someone who is.  This natural birthing class is taught by Donna Cassidy, MDiv, RN. 

  She covers natural birth, breathing techniques, nutrition and exercise, health of mother and baby, and bonding with the baby. 

  WHEN:  Saturday, Oct 14 and Sunday, Oct 15, 1:30 - 4:30 PM
  WHERE:  Valley Spirit Wellness Center

  Download flyer.  Or call 860-619-2788 for more information.
• UCC Condemns Racist Violence

  UCC Pastoral Letter condemns racist violence in Charlottesville and demands equality for all

  As a response to the violent clashes between white supremacists and counter demonstrators in Charlottesville, Va., that left a woman dead and 19 injured, the national leadership of the United Church of Christ issued this Pastoral Letter.

  Please click here to read about the church's position on this.

   
• Volunteer Assistants Needed for Sunday School and Nursery

  Would you be willing to assist in the Sunday nursery or Sunday school room a few times a year or every so often?
  Please contact Carrie Loyd and let her know how you would like to help.
• Remember the WATER! (Sunday, Sept 9)

  Don’t Forget the Water!

  Over the summer, in whatever place you go to recharge (experience Sabbath), remember to save some water in a bottle.  From a lake, a stream, an ocean, or your kitchen tap!  Be sure to label it and save it in a safe spot to bring along on Recovenanting Sunday, September 9, for our annual “Mixing of the Waters” as we begin another year of exploring and celebrating Sabbath together.

  Mark the date on your calendar so you don’t miss the service and also the annual “Last Gasp of Summer” picnic afterward.  ENJOY!