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Official Call to the Annual
Meeting
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of the members of The Second Church in Newton, United Church of Christ, will be held in the Parish House on Sunday, February 12, 2012, following the worship service and lunch for the following purposes:
1. To consider and act upon the budgets for Church Support and Benevolence as recommended by the Church Council and to authorize appropriations from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012.
2. To receive and act upon the Financial Report for twelve months from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.
3. And to transact any other business that may legally come before the meeting.
Frances C. Seasholes, Clerk December 31, 2011
From Parish Life
Newton North High School has an amazing drama department that stages polished, delightful productions. In March it will present Legally Blonde - The Musical. Parish Life would like to get a group together to see the show on Thursday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m. We will need to get tickets at the beginning of March, so please think now about whether you can join us.
Second Church Mission Trip to Oaxaca, Mexico
This August 4-11, Second Church is planning an intergenerational mission trip to the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Oaxaca is a beautiful state of varied geography with mountains, beaches, jungles and much more. Oaxaca is also the poorest state in Mexico. Half of this week-long service project will take place in Oaxaca City at the Simply Smiles Center of Operations. The second half of the week will take place in Santa Maria Tepexipana, a remote jungle village populated by the Zapatec people. The work we will be doing will focus on nutrition and construction. We need a minimum of 15 and can include a maximum of 25 volunteers. Volunteers must be at least 15 years of age, and capable of fairly strenuous work. If you are interested and want to learn more, speak to Richard Malmberg or Lissa Gilbert. To learn more about Simply Smiles, visit their website at Simplysmiles.org . Feel free to refer friends or neighbors outside the congregation who might be interested in this service opportunity. Several are already committed, but there is still plenty of room.
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From the Parish Visitor Love and Change For about a month now I have been giving thought to what I believe are the two driving (and ever-present) forces in life: love and change. Love we like; change – not always. Love supports us, holds us, encourages us, while change is often viewed as an unwelcome challenge, one we would, given our “druthers,” prefer to pass by. |
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As a people of faith we have, in our Sunday school classes and in church sermons, learned many of the stories of love in scripture. God loved the world into being. The Israelite people knew God’s love in the arduous but rewarding journey out of slavery and into freedom. Ruth’s love for her mother-in-law Naomi led them both into a new and better life. God loved humankind enough to enter in among us in the person of Jesus. And God and Jesus loved us – all of us – enough that God gave up his son (who willingly entered in) so that we would come to understand God’s everlasting love and God’s promise of eternal life. “…God is love” the Bible says in 1 John 4, and adds “…if we love one another, God lives in us and [God’s] love is made complete in us.”
By and large we do not embrace change; we feel threatened by it, we know it will be hard. And yet if you look back at the Bible stories referenced above you will note that all involved change. We don’t know what was before God created the heavens and the earth but surely there was change at work in that divine spark! The Israelites left a brutal existence but headed out into an unknown one…one that lasted for many decades. Ruth and Naomi find new life after they return to Bethlehem. With Jesus’ birth, and in particular in the time of his ministry, change was the operative factor in his life and in the lives of those around him. The lame walked, the blind saw, the deaf heard – who was this man and by whose power did he do these things? And then there was the cross, the tomb – these were changes his disciples did not expect, and certainly did not want. And yet, out of Jesus’ ministry, over two thousand years later we gather in his name to worship God, to love our neighbors, to go out into the world and minister to others.
These observations are prelude to share with you my plans in the coming months. At the end of June I will be retiring from my post here as your Parish Visitor. You might wonder why I would be making this news known so far in advance. Much as I have had a chance to plan my retirement, I wanted the church to have time to make its plans. Over the past month I have been talking to those who have been at the core of my ministry with you, letting them know personally of my decision. Many have expressed sorrow or disappointment, but have been accepting of my need to find my “call” in retirement life, to discern what volunteer efforts I want to give my time. I have, and will continue in these next months, to delight in the work I do here; I am blessed to be among you. The change that will come with my departure will be challenging from my perspective as well.
We are not saying or praying our goodbyes now – let’s save that for June! We should however keep in mind the ways by which love changes us – that after all, is what love is: love is transformative.
With blessings, Gay Williams
One More Small Thing…
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Special church occasions…Evening events at the church. If you drive and are planning to attend such an event, please consider reaching out to an elder to see if he or she might like a ride. Some of our folks no longer drive at all, and some drive during the day but not at night. In spite of these limitations they still very much want to be able to continue being a part of this vibrant community. If you need help identifying folks in your neighborhood that you might call on, feel free to speak to Gay Williams who will be happy to help you. Blessings for your caring! |
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The Ecumenical Group
The Ecumenical Group meetings have just begun for this year. The group has been on-going for over 40 years! The nature of our meetings is such that we read a book together aloud - no homework! - and then jump into conversation about what we read. It has proven to be a wonderful time together to explore matters of faith and life. The group meets regularly on Thursday mornings in the Living Room from 10-11:30 a.m. There's plenty of room for you so please consider joining us. Questions? Talk with Ginny Hayden or Gay Williams.
Nursery School News 
Congratulations to Elinor Dare, Director of the Second Church Nursery School. She has completed her 40th year at SCNS, as a teacher for 23 years and director for 17 years. She and her devoted staff run an award-winning program. For several years, SCNS received the TAB’s “1st Choice Award” for the best nursery school in Newton. The program is rich in education and activities for young children. Kudos and thanks to a delightful, dedicated Leader!Kathy Lucey
To the Parents of Children who will be eligible to enter nursery school in September 2012:
Priority applications to The Second Church Nursery School will be available October 1, 2011. All church families are automatically accepted providing the application is received by the deadline of October 31, 2011. Please call Elinor Dare at 617-527-4770 for application and information.
YOU Are the Link!
We need you to let us know. If you know of someone who is ill or hospitalized, please be sure to let Richard or Gay know so that the person can be visited and supported. In the old days we were able to “find” people in the hospital. This is no longer true because of The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The Privacy Rule which is a part of HIPAA requires hospitals to ensure the confidentiality of individuals. The result is that there is no longer a “list” to look at to see if any of the church family is at the hospital. So please let us know – we would rather receive the same message seven times (or seventy-seven times!) than miss an opportunity to care for one of our members and friends.
Guideline Available
A brochure of general information for funeral and memorial services here at Second Church is now available on the racks in the lobby. Members and friends may find this document useful to share with family members. This information also might be valuable to someone you know – a friend or neighbor – who is unchurched and in need of such services.
At the time of the loss of a loved one, you may find having the information about various options on a single sheet of paper to be very helpful. The brochure encourages those who might wish, to make choices now about readings and/or hymns you wish to be included at your service, and pass those selections onto the church office for retention.
ALTERNATIVE DONATIONS
Do you have things that you do not need and that others might use? Click here to see a list of organizations who might like to have your donations.
*** DID YOU KNOW? ***
Celebrating 225 Years, a bound collection of articles and factoids which were written during our anniversary year about Second Church’s history, is now available in the Church Office. To obtain a copy, call or email (office@2ndchurch.org) the Church Office.