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August 2011
Dear Friends, I came across some great advice this week, “Pray hard and work smart.” That’s certainly what we’ve been trying to do as we create a vital faith community together. In an article on the future of small membership churches (churches like ours with less than 100 in worship), Dr. Don Nation notes, “The good news is that the church, for the most part, gets to determine its future.” He goes on to describe the three basic choices a church must make about its future. Some churches recognize the difficulty they are in with buildings that are too expensive to operate and maintain and that don’t necessarily meet their ministry needs. They take stock of their aging membership, declining worship attendance and meager assets and choose to declare themselves a dying church as they prepare for eventual closure. Although it would have been an easy choice for either North Adams or Williamstown, you rejected dying. You sensed that God had a better future planned for you. Instead of turning out the lights and going home, you engaged in new ministries like the Take and Eat meals and Vacation Bible School.
A second choice is simply doing more of the same things you have always done, hoping it will bring better results if only you try harder. Both former congregations did this for a while. But you saw that just doing the same thing was bringing the same results no matter how hard you worked. Perhaps you’ve heard that Albert Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Spinning your wheels was leading to burnout. You quickly realized that wasn’t the best choice. Nations continues, “The third path that some choose is to recognize the reality of their situation, have the hard discussions about priorities and their desired future and then enact significant change in order to create significantly different (and better) results. This path is not an easy one but it is available to almost every congregation.” You’re now on this third path together—a challenging path to say the least. You are having hard discussions about priorities and your desired future. It requires deep change and hard work for this merger to be more than simply combining two dying churches, a commitment to do more than the same old things. This is the time to pray hard and work smart. Like many other congregations who have found themselves in this place, you've done the same thing for so long, it is hard to imagine anything else. I keep coming back to God’s words in Jeremiah 29:11 “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” These significant changes have challenged you on many levels and you are each dealing with that differently. Some of you are asking lots of questions, some of you have chosen to step back, some of you are waiting in the wings, some of you aren't sure yet, but continue to worship together each week. Whatever your choice, wherever you are, you are not without pain but you are not without God either. The visioning committee has been listening to each of you and to God. They have drafted a simple but powerful mission statement: to transform lives through the grace of Jesus Christ. This statement will guide your hard discussions about priorities and help as you cast a vision for your future. Letting go of familiar ways, even when you know they are no longer working, is difficult, but praying hard and working smart will help us be the church God is calling us to be. Let us trust together in God’s promises as we pray: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21NRSV) Blessings, Pastor Kim
Community Ministries
Have you met our Community Ministries Coordinator Barbara Toll yet? Barb is charged with preaching once a month, working with our congregation to support Sunday School and youth ministries, lead Bible and book studies, and help us connect with our community. Join Barb at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning Bible/book study at Meadowvale, stop by the Williamstown church office between 10:20-Noon and say hi or call 413 458-3183 or email communityministries@umcwillliamstown.org to arrange a meeting.
Church in the Community
“The true greatness of any local church is measured by how many people serve the marginalized...the mission is not to get the world into church but to get the church into the world!” Mike Slaughter, Change the World: Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus Special thanks to Corinne Case and Marilyn Rice for leading worship at Williamstown Commons on July 20. On Mothers’ Day, the Youth delivered prayer shawls to Williams Commons. The following thank you note was received from a resident: “Thank you for the shawl. The colors are so complimentary.” Thank you from Northern Berkshire Interfaith Action Initiative Friendship Center Food Pantry with a framed certificate of appreciation: Dear Pastor Kie, Please accept this expression of our deep gratitude for the continued supply of non-perishable food that comes from your church. These are challenging times for those of us serving people struggling to make ends meet. Your support is much appreciated! Sincerely, Stuart Crampton, Treasurer Panda Camp – Vacation Bible School
Our theme this year for VBS is PandaMania – Where God Is Wild About You! Children will learn how God has a plan for each of us and how we were each crafted from God’s own loving hands. We are excited to celebrate VBS with the children and youth in our community from August 1 – 5, 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Masonic Temple in North Adams. Kindergarten to Grade 7 children are welcome to attend this fun-filled, adventurous week. If you wish to register your child, please call Ruby Scott at 413 346 1018. We would be delighted for any of our congregation to drop in and see how much the children in our community and churches are enjoying the program so we look forward to seeing some of you at PandaMania. Ruby Scott and Christa Levesque
Love Wins
Ever wonder about Heaven and Hell? Rob Bell argues that God is about love and second chances in Love Wins. The Tuesday morning Bible/Book Study had a rich discussion of this book. Have you read it? If you’ve read it or even if you’re just curious, join us for a dialogue about the book and our own thoughts on Heaven and Hell. Sunday August 28 at 1 p.m. at Ruby Scott’s home. Pastor Michelle Farewell Event
What a joyous celebration of Rev. Michelle Grube’s ministry we enjoyed on June 26, 2011. Michelle was presented with photos from her time in Williamstown and North Adams and a nativity set for her collection. Michelle’s mailing address at First UMC, Hudson, 34 Felton St. Hudson, MA 01749. Fellowship in a Box? In late May, a mysterious box arrived at the church. When Pastor Michelle opened it, she found cookies, York peppermint patties and other treats along with this note: Dear Williamstown UMC Friends, While vacationing at Jiminy Peak we searched for a nearby church and enjoyed worshipping with you on Mother’s Day. We were warmly greeted when we walked in the door and presented with the folder of your ministries and your cookbook. Since we were early arrivers there was the opportunity for many of you to welcome us as we waited for the service to begin. And, especially during your fellowship time at the end of the worship we were able to hear about your ministries, about your merger with North Adams and all that might mean including exploring the possibilities of a new location, about the long established pre-school program, about your especially lovely parsonage, and to personally meet many of you. It was an especially welcoming and valuable time to us. Knowing it is difficult to provide for all the ministries we are called to each week and hearing Priscilla’s plea for the coffee hour, may we provide some items for at least one more Sunday coffee fellowship time, some goodies from our part of the country, York County, Pennsylvania. If you will add some beverages we’ll be all set! Your fellow worshippers from Bethlehem UMC in Dallastown, PA On July 24, we served the goodies from our friends. What a great reminder that with a little effort, anyone can host fellowship time, even from a distance! Cookies for Camp at Mayor’s Downtown Celebration
Wednesday August 17 5:30-9 p.m. Downtown North Adams Come out and and enjoy the evening and support our church– we’ll have a table with cookies. We’ll be accepting donations towards camp scholarships in exchange for homemade cookies. If you wish to contribute cookies or help staff the booth, please call Lisa Allen 743-3060. Holiday Bazaar—Save the Date
Planning is underway for the annual Holiday Bazaar to be held on Saturday November 19 at the Masonic Temple in North Adams. If you have ideas and want to help out, please call Jeanne Moulthrop 663-3630. Cheshire Mission
Thank you for your generous support of the District Mission Project to spruce up the Cheshire church as they welcome Pastor Christa Levesque and engage in new ministries with the community. $255 was collected in our special offering. At least four people have volunteered to help out August 6-12. Come for a day or the whole week! Food items are also needed for snacks and to supplement meals—fruits, muffins, cookies, cupcakes...please let Pastor Kim know if you’d like to be involved. Our New Committees
What was the first thing Jesus did in his ministry? He recruited a team to help him accomplish his mission. Even the Son of God needed a team to heal the sick, challenge injustice, and proclaim a message of God’s love! John Wimberly, Teams and Performance On June 19, new committees were elected to lead our congregation. Trustees: John Carvalho, Cheryl Chalmers , Bruce Dean , Robert Scott, Judy Turbin, Ron Turbin, Pastor Kim Kie, ex officio Interim Site: Brad Berridge, Tim Case, Bruce Dean, Judy Turbin, Pastor Kim Kie, ex officio Permanent Site: Brad Berridge, John Carvalho, Elinor Long, Steve Long, Sally Ottman, Nancy Parrino, Donald Reese, Herb Rice, Marilyn Rice, Shenna Santelli, Judy Turbin, Ron Turbin, Pastor Kim Kie, ex officio Faith Formation: (Encompassing Worship, Sunday School, Youth, Mission/Outreach, Friendly Circle) Nicole Allen, Karen Dean, Cathy Crowther, Robin Kibler, Karen Marino, Sally Ottman, Nancy Parrino, Carol Reese, Shenna Santelli, Ruby Scott, Anna Singleton, Grace Singleton, , Marc Toureille, Michou Toureille, Barbara Toll, ex officio, Pastor Kim Kie, ex officio Visioning: Ashley Berridge, Janean Laidlaw, Steve Long, Pastor Kim Kie, ex officio Finance/Stewardship/Fundraising: Lisa Allen (co-chair), Ashley Berridge (co-chair), Cheryl Chalmers, Criss Laidlaw (treausurer), Herb Rice, Judy Turbin (Financial Secretary, Pastor Kim Kie, ex officio. Note: Jeanne Moulthrop will work with Criss on the consolidation of accounts SPRC: Brad Berridge (chair), Corinne Case (lay leader), Janice Cook, Shirley Mullen, Jeff Parkman, Pastor Kim Kie, ex officio Memorials Committee: To be named Church Council—meets third Sunday of the month immediately following worship: Thank You
Thank You from Andrew Varuzzo, North Adams musician: Dear Pastor Kim and my entire family at the First UMC of North Adams and Williamstown, I would like to thank everyone for both the very generous parting gift and a wonderful five years as your pianist. I just want you to know that my experience at the church has been more than just a job, it has been an invaluable experience filled with a lot of wonderful moments and lasting friendships. I appreciate all of your well wishes as I begin a new phase in my life at Holy Cross. I wish you all the best with the merger process with Williamstown and I promise to see all of you before I leave for college. Thank you, for these things and everything else you have done to help me along the way. Best wishes, Andrew Friendship Center Food Pantry Needs Volunteers
The Friendship Center Food Pantry needs people to volunteer on Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. at its site at 43 Eagle St. starting on Wednesday, July 13. Contact denisekrutiak@yahoo.com if you are interested in volunteering. Open since mid-February during the hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Wednesday, the pantry now has more than 350 member households and serves between 65 and 84 households per week. We have an adequate amount of wonderful volunteers on Wednesdays during the day, but now that we will also be opening for a second time later on each Wednesday, we will need about 12 volunteers each day to make the late-afternoon, early-evening session work. Tasks include filling orders from our visitors, greeting our visitors, keeping track of visits and registering new members, and stocking shelves. Please consider coming down to visit and find out what we are about. Our aim is to treat the people who visit us with dignity as sisters and brothers and build relationships of friendship. We are also instituting a cleaning crew every other Saturday, starting Saturday, July 9. Contact Mark Rondeau at markrondeau@earthlink.net if you are interested in participating. The Friendship Center Food Pantry is a program of the Northern Berkshire Interfaith Action Initiative, which meets the third Friday of the month at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of North Adams (Use Eagle Street entrance). For more information, visit our blog at http://northernberkshireinterfaith.blogspot.com The Friendship Center is on Facebook: Camp Scholarships
After raising $1,320 through a once-a-month special collection, selling maple products at the annual Holiday Bazaar and dedicating the proceeds from two of the monthly fundraiser dinners to the Camp Scholarship fund (not to mention other donations), scholarships were given out at the end of June for the following to attend camp this summer: Nicole and Shelby Allen Hunter, Lily, Erin, Alan and Madison Marceau, and Caleb, Olivia and Keigan Case In September, the youth will share their camp experiences with us all during worship. Our Camp Scholarships are not based on financial need, but are an equitable distribution of how much is raised during the year and how many of the youth request a scholarship. This year, we were able to cover just over 60% of the camp cost for the ten youth who applied. With your continuing support, we will be able to help send more youth to camp next year. Volunteer Schedule
We welcome you to read scripture, usher, provide hospitality, set-up the Youth Center for worship, or video tape the service. If you want to help out, please call the church office 413 458-3183. Already volunteer but not sure when you are scheduled? Call the church office or Priscilla Northup at 458- 3213 to check. August Eat In/Take Out Dinner
Saturday, August 13, 2011 5:00-6:00 p.m. Adult $9.00, Child $4.50 Ham Dinner with 134 Main St., North Adams, MA at the First Congregational Church (please enter through the church kitchen) Please reserve your dinner in advance by calling the church office at 458-3183 by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 12, 2011. You may leave a message on the answering machine with your name, address, telephone #, number of dinners; also if you will pick-up, eat-in, or need delivery. Please consider volunteering to help by baking the dessert or serving the meal. Call the church office for the recipe or more information. |
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