UNITED CHURCH NEWS                                                         March 2006

“A community of faith providing nurture, strength, & direction for living today in God’s world.”

 

 

From the Interim Pastor’s Pen:

 

As we begin our journey through Lent I hope you find meaning in these words from author and speaker, Ann Weems. 

 

 

Kathleen Waters, Interim Pastor

 

 

The Holy In the Ordinary

 

Holy is the time and holy is this place,

            and there are holy things that must be said.

 

Let us say to one another what our souls whisper . . .

            O Holy One, cast your tent among us;

            come into our ordinary lives an bless the living!

 

Forty days stretch before us,

            forty days of hungering after faithfulness,

                        forty days of trying to understand the story,

and then, Holy Week . . .

O God, if every week were holy . . .

 

These forty days stretch before us,

            and those of us who believe

                        yearn to feel Your presence,

                        yearn to be Your people;

            and yet, the days fill with ordinary things

                        with no time left

                        for seeking the holy.

 

Spiritual contemplation is all right

            for those who have the time,

            but most of us have to make a living.

 

Most of us have to live in the real world

            Where profanity splashes and blots out

                        anything holy.

 

Where, O Holy One, can we find You in this unholy mess?

 

            How, O God, can we find the holy in the ordinary?

 

 

Worship for March 2006

Sunday Worship at 10:25 AM, Child Care provided 9 AM - Noon

Before worship coffee fellowship with Adult Ed groups at 9 AM,

Fellowship Time each week after worship in Fellowship Hall

 

March 1 - Ash Wednesday, Agape Meal and Worship

6:00 PM         Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper around tables

 

March 5 - First Sunday in Lent

10:25 AM       Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

                        Sermon: “Seeing Things Differently”                                Rev. Dr. Kathleen Waters

Scriptures: Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 25:1-10; Mark 1:9-11, 14-15

“In this in-between time—between the resurrection of Christ and the time when God brings God’s kingdom into its fullness—we can watch and pray for God’s power, knowing that God’s power is enough to get us through any storm we may face.”  (Watch and Pray, page 14)

 

March 12 - Second Sunday in Lent

10:25 AM                                                                                                        Rev. Dr. Kathleen Waters

                        Sermon: “Seeing Ourselves as People of God’s Promise”

Scriptures: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Psalm 22:23-31; Rom. 8:31-38; Mark 8:31-38

“God promises that if we claim our identity as ones shaped by the power and suffering of Christ, we can watch and pray for faithful ways to participate in the “new things” God is doing.”  (Watch and Pray, page 24)

 

March 19 - Third Sunday in Lent

10:25 AM       Sermon: “Seeing a New Way to Live”                               Rev. Dr. Kathleen Waters

Scriptures: Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22

“God conquered death, which shows that God’s power is greater than any power this earth can bring.  By believing—by living in right relationship with God and with creation—we participate in God’s purposes for creation.”  (Watch and Pray, page 34)

 

Wed. March 22  Lenten Choral Vespers

7:00 PM         Welcome our neighbors from Trinity Episcopal Church for this evening worship 

                        with combined choirs in a service of hymns, anthems, scriptures and prayers

 

March 26 – Fourth Sunday in Lent

10:25 AM       Sermon: “Seeing God at Work”                                          Rev. Dr. Kathleen Waters

                        Scriptures: Number 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21

“Through disciplines such as study, prayer, confession, and service, we learn to recognize God’s nature and purposes and how they are manifest in our lives, our churches, and our world.”  (Watch and Pray, page 43)

 

Pastoral Care:  Rev. Waters, works with our Congregational Care Committee and can be reached through the church office (637-3186), elders of the month, or at home.

Elders of the Month for March: Kathy Bohnsack

Purpose of Elders of the Month: For members with a crisis, emergency situation, a particular concern or need for care, the elders of the month are available to assist the pastor, when a pastor is unavailable, or when the church office is closed. 

Procedure for calling: please call the church office weekdays between 9 AM – 3 PM, otherwise call either the elders of the month or the pastor.

 

 

Worship, Music & Spiritual Life

 

Ash Wednesday Supper & Worship begins Lent - March 1st

Invitation to the observance of the Lenten Discipline

AFriends in Christ, every year at the time of the Christian Passover

we celebrate our redemption through the death and resurrection

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration

and to renew our life in the paschal mystery.

We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance,

and for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes.

This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life,

and marks the penitence of this community.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent

by self‑examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting,

by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.@

 

Sign-up for the Ash Wednesday Supper!

We begin the Lenten season with a simple Agape meal and worship in Fellowship Hall gathering at 5:45 PM, supper at 6:00 p.m.  Please sign up on the chart in the hallway with how many are coming. (Or call the office, 637-3186, email ucf@twcny.rr.com)   If you would like to bring bread, cheese, fruit or a crockpot of soup please indicate on the chart.  Worship with communion will follow the supper. The Lenten coin boxes for One Great Hour of Sharing will be handed out for our annual Lenten giving project.  All ages welcome!

 

Evening Choral Vespers, Wednesday, March 22, 7 PM at UCF Sanctuary

Combined UCF & Trinity Episcopal Choirs

Our choir is joining with our neighbors at Trinity to offer a special Lenten Choral Vespers for one of the Wednesday Lenten series.  The candlelight evening musical service of choral settings of hymns, scriptures and prayers will be led by Alice Hatt and Aaron Sprague (Trinity=s Music director), with liturgists, Rev. Dr. Kathleen Waters and the Rev. William Redfield. The combined choirs make up a choir of forty voices, there will also be choral anthems for men=s choir and women=s choir, with organ and instruments.  The choirs will present hymn anthems on ABeautiful Savior,@ ABe thou my vision,@ “When I survey the wondrous cross”, “How can I keep from singing.@ AChrist, mighty Savior,@ AThe Lamb,@ AThe day thou gavest,@ among others which the congregation will join in singing.  Join us in welcoming our neighbors for this special evening worship!

 

Looking ahead:  +HOLY WEEK WORSHIP+

Sunday, April 9 - Palm Sunday                                  

 

Thursday, April 13 - 7:30 PM Maundy Thursday Service, Sacrament of Lord=s Supper

 

Thursday, April 13, Friday, April 14 Good Friday Prayer Vigil - The "Journey of the Cross" follows several "stations" around the sanctuary marked by the symbols of the Lenten banner.  Plan to sign up for the time you would like to be in the sanctuary.

 

Friday, April 14 - 7:30 PM Good Friday Tenebrae Service, Meditations in Music & Scripture, Choral music from the St. John Passion by John Ferguson - Senior Choir, with congregational hymns and prayers around the cross.

 

Sunday, April 16 EASTER FESTIVAL OF THE RESURRECTION

Easter celebration with choirs, handbells, brass quartet and timpani. The One Great Hour of Sharing offering will be received.  Musical Gathering at 10:15 AM; Processional at 10:30 AM

Lenten Suppers ~ "Soup and Sharing"

Join us each Wednesday in Lent beginning March 8th through April 5th, at 5:45 PM our annual Lenten Soup & Sharing Fellowship evenings. Church committees are coordinating the suppers with Worship & Spiritual Life Committee. Anyone can sign up to bring soup, bread, cheese or fruit, use the chart in the hallway for the date of your choice.  There will be two adult program offerings and two exciting programs for children and youth, a homework club, and nursery/toddler care with pre-registration by Monday noon each week. (more information in the Lenten pamphlet mailed in February, adult groups noted below

 

Two Wednesday evening Adult Sharing Groups:

 I. “Sensing The Christ” (7 PM Women=s Lounge)

ASensing the Christ@ is an invitation to experience our Christian faith in a dramatic way, through our senses of sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch. Our senses link us to the humanity of Jesus and his experiences of the senses, especially in his Passion.  Through our senses we are engaged in the deep places of our souls, with our memory and our faith. During these Lenten mini-retreats we will explore symbols of our faith through our senses. Come together and see, hear, taste, smell and feel as we let our senses move us from head to heart, from sight to insight.   (Worship & Spiritual Life Committee, coordinators)  

March 8  Symbolism through Seeing - The Gift of Sight through Church Architecture - Kyle Barker, an architecture student at Syracuse University.

March 15 AAn odor pleasing to the Lord@ - Symbolism through the Sense of Smell - Kathy Bohnsack

March 22 ALenten Choral Vespers@ at 7 PM, UCF sanctuary, candlelight worship with combined Choirs of UCF and our neighbors from Trinity Episcopal Church. led by Alice Hatt & Aaron Sprague

March 29 AO taste and see that the Lord is good@ (Ps. 34:8) - Symbolic and ritual power of food. - led by Jim Spencer & Alice Hatt

April 5 “An Open Labyrinth Walk” Symbolic and sacred space - led by Connie Caldwell, John Price

 

II. Lent 2006 Bible Study: Watch and Pray

Rev. Dr. Kathleen Waters, and Jason Larson (7 PM, Beard Lounge)

Lent is a time to examine our hearts and our lives in order that we may be more fully shaped to participate in God’s purposes. Using the Lectionary text each week we will watch and pray on our Lenten journey.

March 8  Seeing Ourselves as People of God’s Promise

March 15 Seeing a New Way to Live

March 22 Lenten Choral Vespers (UCF & Trinity Episcopal Choirs, in UCF sanctuary, 7 PM)

March 29 Seeing Ways to Thrive

April 5 Recognizing Threats

 

Easter Music Gifts

A gift of $10 (or more) given in memory or in honor of a loved one will help to defray the cost of special music and guest instrumental soloists for Holy Week services and our glorious celebration of Easter. From time to time some have dedicated memorial gifts for this purpose or for cantatas or musicals. An acknowledgment will be placed in the Easter bulletin when the information is given by the donor.  Checks should be made out to United Church and marked for Easter music and accompanied by a note given in memory of (or in honor or)....... by .......  Thank you very much. Worship & Spiritual Life Committee

 

Coming Events

Saturday, May 6,- 7 PM 10th Annual AWay-Off Broadway Variety Show@ at United Church

Saturday, May 20 - 8 PM SU Brass Ensemble Spring Concert at United Church

Sunday, May 21 - Musical in worship APaul & Co.@ by John Horman & Mary Nelson Keithan

“Paul & Co.” tells the story of Paul's Second Missionary Journey as recorded in Acts 15:35-16:40.

Thank you!   An anonymous gift of $200 was recently received for our Music Fund.  Thank you very muchfor your contribution to our music ministry!  Alice Dickerson Hatt, Minister of Music & Worship

 

Adult Education

Forums and Bible Study

 

Sundays 9:00 - 10:15 AM

Join us for coffee, fellowship & discussion

 

 

 

 

I.  Forums in Beard Lounge

Forums are presentations and discussions which focus on timely topics of Christian social concern, personal and spiritual development, Bible study, or explorations of our Christian heritage and world religions.  Through Forums we seek to provide a place for understanding special topics or current issues of our Christian presence in the community and world.

 

March 5    Michael Afflick continues his discussion on the Apostle Paul

March 12  TBA

March 19  Kaye Lindauer and Nancy Ringer

March 26  Dr. William West on the Sacred Music of Easter, Part I

 

II. Bible Study in Women’s Lounge

9:00 AM  The Sunday morning Bible study group reads and studies scripture with Fred Davey as the lead teacher.  They are currently studying from the book of Romans.  Come and be welcomed.

 

III.  A Parents’ Place  [Downstairs in Room 5]

9:15 AM  The parent’s place continues this year as an informal group for parents that features conversations about the joys and challenges of raising children.

 

IV.  New Midweek Adult Bible Study

Jason Larson is leading a new adult Bible Study that takes us through the Gospel of Mark. The study group will meet through April and will be exploring dimensions of radical discipleship in Mark and how these apply to our world today using Tom Wright's “Mark for Everyone”, as our guide.  The group meets each Wednesday from 7:15 PM until 9:00 PM in Women’s Lounge.

 

Suggestions for future Adult Forums – please speak with Chairperson Ed Clarke or a member of the committee:  Lois Coleman, Shirley DeHority, Dorothy Harrold, Jason Larson, Dick Lang, Jackie Meyer, Carol Reinsmith, Lois Spitzer, Joe Steiner.

 

 

New Member Orientation

To anyone interested in learning more about The United Church of Fayetteville, we are happy to extend a warm welcome to our “No Strings Attached” orientation classes during two Sundays in March.  The classes will be held in the pastor’s study from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM on March 12 and 19.  You will have an opportunity to meet other “newcomers”, members of various committees, and learn about the history, practices and beliefs of the church.  If you are interested in the classes, please let the pastor know or call the church office.  If you are interested in joining the church or learning more about the church, but cannot attend the classes, please contact the pastor or church office.

 

Pastor Search Update:

 

We continue to make steady progress in our search to find the next installed pastor of our church. After phone interviews with four candidates, the committee has been making reference calls before deciding who we want to meet with face-to-face. Please continue to pray for us, and for these ministers, as we try to discern God’s will for our church.

 

Pastoral Search Nominating Committee: Jim Watts, Kevin Sweder, Sarah Spencer, Jackie Meyers, David DeHority, Sul-Young Choi, Joanne Birge, Paul Arras.

 

Outreach Group Formed

 

The Outreach Group, housed in the Evangelism and Membership Committee, consists of:

 

            Jane Arras, Sue Boland, Alice Borning, Carl Borning (Convener), Kim Doto,

            Jean Haley, and Curtis Wenke.

 

The charge of this group is to identify/provide UCF programs which can be offered to the

community, as well as serving our own congregation.

 

Feel free to share your program suggestions with any of the Outreach members.  If interested in joining in this endeavor, contact Carl for meeting information.

 

Submitted by Cindy Burke, Vice Moderator

 

Teaching Respect for All

Safe School Conference – Creating Safe Schools for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) Students, Saturday, March 4, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM, May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society at 3800 E. Genesee Street.  The Conference is free and registration is required.  Register online from the Syracuse University LGBT Resource Center Website:  http://students.syr.edu/lgbt/respect/.  For more information of if you are not able to register online, contact the Syracuse University LGBT Resource Center at lgbt@syr.edu or call 315-443-3983.

 

Sponsors include:  The Syracuse University LGBT Resource Center, PFLAG-Syracuse, Syracuse University School of Education, Syracuse University College of Human Services and Health Professions, the Stonewall Committee, AIDS Community Resources and the Safer Community LGBTQ Youth Center, GLSEN-Rochester, The Rainbow Alliance of Central New York, the Syracuse Teachers Association, and the Syracuse City School District.

 

INFANT AND TODDLER CARE AT THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT LENTEN SOUP SUPPERS:  Need toddler or infant care for the Wednesday night Lenten Soup Suppers?  Please notify the church office (637-3186) by Monday noon before the Wednesday supper you plan to attend so that arrangements can be made.  Thank you!

 

 

 

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

“We are laborers together with God; Christ, like a skilled master builder, has laid a foundation, and we are to build upon this foundation.”                                                 1 Corinthians 3

 

Our United Church foundation is in need of some laborers:  Leaders to serve on the Board.  Our committees are performing faithfully; some need a chairperson to coordinate and represent them on the Board. Possible                                          leadership areas include:

 

Membership – Develops and implements programs to invite people to Faith in Christ and receives them into Christian Fellowship.

 

Congregational Life and Fellowship- This committee provides opportunities for our Church family to interact, learn, and share together.

 

Election of new Board members occurs at the Annual Meeting of the Congregation, scheduled for late April.  Board terms are generally three years.

 

As a Church family, we are embarking on an exciting and unique period which includes the Calling of a new minister. Whether or not you have previously served on our Board, prayerfully consider joining in leadership with the current dedicated Board members.

 

Any of the members of the Nominating Committee will be happy to discuss Board membership with you. Committee members include: Dallas Bowser, Cindy Burke, Chris Harrison, Alice Hatt, Rich Hole, Beth Krauss, Gloria Manuel, Scott Manuel, Cindy Rosbrook, and Kathleen Waters. We are waiting to hear from…YOU!

 

“So honor the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly!”

Joshua 24:14

 

                                                                        Submitted by Cindy Rosbrook, Nominations Chairperson

 

 

Join us each Wednesday in Lent

for our “Soup & Sharing programs.

Fellowship Hall from 6-8 PM. 

Something for all ages!!!