a newsletter of the foreside community church

September 2019 Steeplenotes - Foreside Community Church Volume 29 Issue 8 page

September 2019

THE FORESIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH

340 Foreside Road

Falmouth, Maine 04105-1428

Pastor: The Reverend Geoff Parker

Choir Director: Trevor Lavenbein

Organist/Accompanist: David Bartoletti

Sunday School Administrator: Laura Rodas

Sunday School Teacher: Beth Penrose

Office Manager/Parish Administrator: Christina Sklarz-Libby

Office: 207-781-5880 Fax: 207-781-9055

E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.foresidechurch.org

PASTOR’S COVER LETTER 3 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 SERVICE AND EVENTS OF THE DAY INCLUDING: Blessing of the Backpacks 4

Sunday School Kick-Off 4

Welcome Back Picnic 4

Clapboard Island Boat Trip 4

UPDATES, REPORT OUTS, & UPCOMING EVENTS FCC Book Club Updates 5

Stewardship Updates 5

Call for Coffee Hour Volunteers 5

Meditation Starts Back Up 5

CE & Youth Group Updates 5

Ladies’ September Breakfast Announcement 6

Men’s September Breakfast Announcement 6

SANCTUARY WINDOW PROJECT COMES TO A CLOSE 6

COMMUNITY EVENTS

2019 Community Supper Announcement 7

Volunteer Housing Coach Training Starts 7

FCC Coffee House Band Event 7

Morning with Friends September Event 7

SEPTEMBER 2019 CALENDAR-AT-A-GLANCE 8

SEPTEMBER 2019 LECTIONARY READINGS 9

Connecting to God

Nurturing Community

Discovering how our Lives

Make a Difference

(See page 6 for details on above photo.)

STEEPLENOTES

A Newsletter of

The Foreside Community Church

September 2019 Steeplenotes - Foreside Community Church Volume 29 Issue 8 page 2


Notes from Reverend Geoff Parker

On the road and missing a sermon? Want to go back and revisit any one sermon? Want to

share a sermon with a friend or family member? Reverend Geoff’s sermons in both written

and audio form, from May 2019 to the present, can be viewed and/or heard on FCC’s website

at http://www.foresidechurch.org/index.php/category/sermons/

Dear Foreside Friends -

It’s a season of beginning again, as students return to

school, as some return from adventures of the summer,

and as we return to a new program year here at the

church. As the seasons shift, we find ourselves drawing

together as a community more.

We live in a time of deep spiritual seeking. More and

more, I find that individuals use language and practices of

faith and spiritual journey to describe their lives, and that

they feel spiritual practices are an important part of a

whole life.

What, in many cases, is declining is the practice and ex-

ploration of the life of faith in community…

[1] We seem

to be in an era of powerful questions in our lives, but

without anyone to ask or answer them with us.

This is a lonely trend. It is perhaps a challenge and invita-

tion to our tradition, which was not conceived as an indi-

vidual pursuit, but as a communal movement powered by

the Holy Spirit. I was recently reminded by UCC writer

and pastor, Tony Robinson, “most of our Scripture is ad-

dressed to a people, a people in community, with a shared

identity and with a life together.”

[2]

With our roots in both the Methodist and Congregational

traditions, our church has long been focused on how lives

may be transformed—our ancestors might say,

“sanctified”—through continuous relationship and prac-

tice in the way of Jesus as a community. We read our

scriptures and wrestle with them together. We sing songs

of praise together supporting one another’s voices, and

marveling at the harmony we can create. We wonder at

what God can do when we serve and care for others to-

gether. Above all, we share our lives: joy and sorrow, loss

and renewal… despair to hope.

Make no mistake, living in community together is a spir-

itual practice: one that challenges and stretches us to

grow and deepen our faith not just as individuals, but as a

gathered people.

This fall, our theme for worship and our annual appeal

will be “Growing Together,” exploring the ways in which

we as a unique part of the universal church are called to

grow, learn, and deepen our faith together… and how our

gifts to our collective life empowers that work and minis-

try.

So, read on for all the news and events of this gathered

people of God! I welcome you back to this community:

same as it has been, and totally unique and made new by

your presence in this time and place together. I invite you

into this new season of our spiritual practice of communi-

ty, in worship, in prayer, in singing, and in service. I hope

that you will find yourselves fed here, and will find joy in

feeding the spirit and growth of others. May we be

blessed to be a blessing: to each other and the world.

God’s Peace,

Geoff

[1] Pew Research Center - Americans More Spiritual but

Not Religious, 2017

[2] UCC Daily Devotional - To the Churches, Tony Rob-inson, August 2019


Sunday’s Service will include…Sunday’s Service will include…Sunday’s Service will include…Sunday’s Service will include…

...Blessing of the Backpacks! ...Blessing of the Backpacks! ...Blessing of the Backpacks! ...Blessing of the Backpacks!

&&&&

Kick off the Start of Sunday SchoolKick off the Start of Sunday SchoolKick off the Start of Sunday SchoolKick off the Start of Sunday School

Immediately following serviceImmediately following serviceImmediately following serviceImmediately following service

everyone will gather for the everyone will gather for the everyone will gather for the everyone will gather for the

“WELCOME BACK PICNIC!˝“WELCOME BACK PICNIC!˝“WELCOME BACK PICNIC!˝“WELCOME BACK PICNIC!˝

Weather permitting, we will gather outside after service (will gather in Fellowship Hall if weather does not permit) for our traditional picnic with sandwiches, hot dogs, salads and des-serts. It is going to be a great day to see everyone after a very busy summer. Fellowship will be providing the sand-wiches and beverages and attendees are encouraged to con-sider going online to the sign-up sheet for salads and des-serts, this site is located at www.PerfectPotluck.com/PEAK5275; Coordinator Last Name = Libby - Event Name = Welcome Back Picnic! As always, do not hesitate to call the office if you have any questions or experience any troubles accessing the website.

AND, to finish off a beautiful day…AND, to finish off a beautiful day…AND, to finish off a beautiful day…AND, to finish off a beautiful day…

...at approximately 3:30 p.m. (time will be confirmed short-

ly) after the gathering/picnic, the Boat Trip to Clapboard Island will take place! Stay tuned for more

details. Pre-registration will be required in order to ensure space on the boats for everyone.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

IS FULL OF JOYOUS RETURNS AND GATHERINGS

SO BE SURE TO NOTE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING!


UPDATES, REPORT OUTS, AND UPCOMING EVENTS AT FCC

FCC Book Club UpdatesFCC Book Club UpdatesFCC Book Club UpdatesFCC Book Club Updates It's hard to believe another summer has almost flown by. I hope you all had time to relax, refresh, and read. We will be resuming our book club on Tuesday, September 17 at 3:00 p.m. in the parlor when we will be discussing the timeless To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Please join us to share your thoughts on this classic book. Before the discussion we invite you to share some of the favorites you read this summer and select a few for future meetings. As

always everyone is welcome for friendly, non-judgmental conversation. Hope to see you then. FMI: [email protected]

Stewardship UpdatesStewardship UpdatesStewardship UpdatesStewardship Updates The state of the church accounts and building is healthy. We don’t live beyond our means, and we just barely meet our budget every year. Of course, if we built in future building and maintenance needs (elevator, kitchen, fel-lowship hall), we would need to ask for more yearly mon-ey instead of holding capital campaigns.

This year the pledge campaign will be in the fall, and will end at the champagne preview (Dec 6th) the night before the Christmas Fair. Eric Tracy is the chairman of the pledge campaign this year, and you will be hearing from him shortly, as well as a number of folks giving testimo-nials in church about the importance of FCC in their lives.

Thanks to Peter Cinelli and a small group of donors, our new window should be in-stalled by now. We are looking forward to being more open and welcoming to all passing by on Fore-side Road. Serendipitously, the ratio between the case-ments of the windows pro-vides a perfect cross within the window, that will show up nicely when the church is lit at night. Of course, we’ll have to come up with a whole new Christmas

wreath arrangement for the front of the church……

Stay tuned for

the fall cleanup day for late October….

Best,

Carol Ward

Coffee HourCoffee HourCoffee HourCoffee Hour

Fellowship is requesting help with Sunday’s coffee hour.

If you would like to host coffee hour, please see the sign-

up sheet in the reception area or contact Colleen

Hutchinson at [email protected] or 781-3874.

Meditation Group Is BackMeditation Group Is BackMeditation Group Is BackMeditation Group Is Back

Are you looking for a quiet time during the week for rest and reflection? Please consider joining the Meditation

Group which meets weekly on Thursdays in the parlor from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. We listen to a reading, a poem or perhaps some music, sit quietly for 20 minutes or so and

leave time for sharing any thoughts or reflections which may arise. No prior experience as a meditator is neces-sary. We shall begin meeting on September 5 after our

summer break and would be pleased to have you join us once, occasionally or every week. Please call Judy Co-burn, 846-9611, with any questions.

CE & Youth Group UpdatesCE & Youth Group UpdatesCE & Youth Group UpdatesCE & Youth Group Updates A formal agenda of events is just days away from being completed and distributed. The one-page handout will outline a very enjoyable and engaging schedule for church youth, right to the first of next year. In the mean-time, please make note of the Welcome Back events planned for Sunday, September 8, including the Bless-ing of the Backpacks and the fall kick-off of Sunday School (and the picnic and the boat trip!) Please also make note that the Youth Group meetings will start back up on the 1st and 3rd Sundays starting September 15 and will be held between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. Please connect with Wendy Tracy with any questions 329-0791 [email protected].


FCC’s Men’s Monthly Breakfast Group

cordially invites all gents to join them

in the FCC coffee area

Saturday, September 7, 2019

7:15 to 9:00 a.m.

for great morning fare &

an energizing thought exchange

for more information

please contact John Bischof

@ [email protected] / 781-2391

Let’s do Breakfast Ladies!

Women of the church---members and friends---

are invited to breakfast on

Friday, September 20 @ 8:30 a.m.

in the fellowship room at FCC.

We’ll provide the food,

you bring your appetite.

Good food, good conversation---

it’s a great way to start your day!

Please RSVP to Christina ([email protected])

by September 16 so we can plan accordingly.

UPDATES, REPORT OUTS, AND UPCOMING EVENTS AT FCC

(pictured on the cover) Peter Cinelli (right) brought both supervision, and super

strength to the window project, pictured here with contractor Tim Barnard of Barnard

Woodworks, Falmouth.

As of the release of this September newsletter, the three new windows are completely installed on the front of the

sanctuary, outside lamps have been repositioned, and the trim is all but complete. This improvement project was

made possible by the private donations of several members, and an incredible amount of volunteer time and physi-

cal effort by Peter Cinelli who facilitated the work from beginning to cleaning up end. We are all waiting for that

first night when the glow of the sanctuary will be evident to all who pass by our church, inviting them in...


COMMUNITY EVENTS

2019 Community Supper What can be more fun than joining hundreds of family and friends for a delicious turkey dinner with all the fixings? If you agree, then join the Fal-mouth Food Pantry and members of the community on Thursday, October 24 from 4:30-7:00 p.m. at the Falmouth Congregational Church for a won-derful evening of socializing and food. The annual Community Supper helps raise much needed funds for the Falmouth Food Pantry and is an evening to share fellowship. There are already more than two dozen members of the Foreside Community Church who volunteer at the Pantry and this is an oppor-tunity to become part of this endeavor. We need not only donors and gourmets but also volunteers willing to cook, serve, and clean- all for an im-portant cause! The Community Supper is the only fund raiser for the Pantry and you are needed! The volunteer sign-up sheets will be posted in the narthex starting on September 15. The Pantry is very grateful for all the help so many members of our church donate to help those facing hunger and we hope that you will once again extend a helping hand. If you need more information, please talk with Jill Fox, Carrie Penrose, or Dorothy Blanchette.


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Sun., Sept. 1

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Psalm 81:1, 10-16

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Mon., Sept. 2

Psalm 58

Jeremiah 2:23-37

Hebrews 13:7-21

Tues., Sept. 3

Psalm 58

Jeremiah 3:1-14

Titus 1:1-9

Wed., Sept. 4

Psalm 58

Jeremiah 3:15-25

Luke 14:15-24

Thurs., Sept. 5

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

Jeremiah 15:10-21

Philippians 2:25-30

Fri., Sept. 6

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

Jeremiah 16:14—17:4

Colossians 4:7-17

Sat., Sept. 7

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

Jeremiah 17:14-27

Matthew 10:34-42

Sun., Sept. 8

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

Philemon 1-21

Luke 14:25-33

Mon., Sept. 9

Psalm 2

Jeremiah 18:12-23

1 Timothy 3:14—4:5

Tues., Sept. 10

Psalm 2

Jeremiah 19:1-15

1 Timothy 4:6-16

Wed., Sept. 11

Psalm 2

Jeremiah 20:1-18

Luke 18:18-30

Thurs., Sept. 12

Psalm 14

Jeremiah 13:20-27

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Fri., Sept. 13

Psalm 14

Jeremiah 4:1-10

2 Peter 2:1-10a

Sat., Sept. 14

Psalm 14

Jeremiah 4:13-21, 29-31

John 10:11-21

Sun., Sept. 15

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

Psalm 14

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Luke 15:1-10

Mon., Sept. 16

Psalm 94

Jeremiah 5:1-17

1 Timothy 1:18-20

Tues., Sept. 17

Psalm 94

Jeremiah 5:18-31

2 Peter 3:8-13

Wed., Sept. 18

Psalm 94

Jeremiah 14:1-10, 17-22

Luke 22:31-33, 54-62

Thurs., Sept. 19

Psalm 79:1-9

Jeremiah 12:14—13:11

Romans 3:1-8

Fri., Sept. 20

Psalm 79:1-9

Jeremiah 8:1-13

Romans 8:31-39

Sat., Sept. 21

Psalm 79:1-9

Jeremiah 8:14-17; 9:2-11

Mark 12:41-44

Sun., Sept. 22

Jeremiah 8:18—9:1

Psalm 79:1-9

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Luke 16:1-13

Mon., Sept. 23

Psalm 106:40-48

Jeremiah 9:12-26

Acts 4:1-12

Tues., Sept. 24

Psalm 106:40-48

Jeremiah 10:1-16

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Wed., Sept. 25

Psalm 106:40-48

Jeremiah 10:17-25

Luke 20:45—21:4

Thurs., Sept. 26

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

Jeremiah 23:9-22

2 Corinthians 8:8-15

Fri., Sept. 27

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

Jeremiah 23:23-32

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sat., Sept. 28

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

Jeremiah 24:1-10

Luke 9:43b-48

Sun., Sept. 29

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

1 Timothy 6:6-19

Luke 16:19-31

Mon., Sept. 30

Psalm 119:49-56

Jeremiah 32:16-35

Revelation 3:14-22

DAILY LECTIONARY READINGS FOR SEPTEMBER 2019


THE FORESIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH

340 Foreside Road

Falmouth, Maine 04105-1428

STEEPLENOTES

A Newsletter of

The Foreside Community Church

a newsletter of the foreside community church

Documents