Congregational Church of Marlborough,

United Church of Christ

An Open and Affirming Faith Community 35 South Main Street – PO Box 57

Marlborough, CT 06447 www.marlcongchurch.org office - 860.295.9050

Office email ~ office@marlcongchurch.org Senior Pastor’s line – 860.295.0432

email ~ bobfaulhaber@msn.com The Rev. Bob Faulhaber Jr…..…………Senior Pastor Val Seaver…………….…………………Pastoral Intern David Mulligan…..……Bell and Chancel Choir Director Gwen Lawson…….….…CE Director/Jr. Youth Director Alice Rowley..... “Echoes” Editor/Church Administrator Scott Reid….Senior High Youth Director (Grades 8-12) Pam Mosdale/Marion Spaulding/Teresa Odoy………… Finance (finance@marlcongchurch.org)

Watch Sunday worship live-stream

at 10 a.m. from www.marlcongchurch.org

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.

Volume 63 July/August 2020 Number 7

WELCOME

Enter as a Stranger ~ Leave as a Friend

We look forward to being together again!

SUMMER NOTES

Summer Worship

July and August worship

will continue as live stream

Watch Sunday worship

live streamed at our

website

marlcongchurch.org

Sundays at 10 a.m.

Then, follow the link

If you can’t watch at 10 a.m., watch any

previous “live stream” at your convenience

through marlcongchurch.org

and follow the link.

July 5 and August 2, 2020

Holy Communion

Pastor Bob will give a

blessing and the Words of

Institution while parishioners at home,

watching the live stream, will participate

by providing their own elements of

bread and beverage.

Note: Pastor Bob will be on sabbatical in

July; Val Seaver will provide coverage.

We’re Staying Connected via ZOOM

Coffee Hour every Sunday after worship

Wednesday, July 8

6:30 p.m. via ZOOM

If you don’t have the link, contact the church

office at office@marlcongchurch.org

and we’ll send it to you

Sunday School ZOOM

July 19

August 16

August 30

Children’s ZOOM

with Miss Gwen

9:30-9:50 a.m. (before live stream worship)

And…Message for Children at live stream

worship on July 19.

THESE DAYS Devotional Booklets

July, August, September

Available now.

Please contact the church office (phone/email)

for pickup or we can mail it to you.

MISSIONS

3rd quarter

mission giving

July, August, September

Seminary Scholarship Fund

for our Pastoral Intern, Val Seaver

Marlborough Food Bank

If interested or more

information, please call

Food Bank at 860-295-6008

Monday 9 to 12 or Tuesday

10 to 5 or call Dave Pratt at 860-975-8660

Marlborough Food Bank located at 3 Wilhenger Drive,

is currently open to anyone

who needs food assistance.

Hours of operation:

Tuesdays

10 a.m.-noon

3:30-5:30 p.m.

rev-el-ing (rev´el ing) to take great delight in and occasional boisterous merry-making

It’s hard to rest when the world won’t stop spinning out of control….

I’ve been thinking about my impending Sabbatical, which begins on July 1st and runs

for a month. It almost seems like a waste of time and saved energy. Being

disconnected from the life of the church can offer renewal and rest, but at times like

this, in the midst of not only a pandemic, but also racial and political unrest, where

can a pastor [or anyone for that matter] go to get away from any of it? Where is safety

to be found? How does anyone insulate themselves from the conflicts cropping up all

around us. If you think politics was bad before, just wait till you see the tsunami of

ads and accusations that will be swallowing up every free moments of airtime

available. Most of the month of July will be behind us before baseball arrives with a

shortened season to save the day for me. And by then…it might be too late!! I might

go all “John the Baptist” on the good folks of Marlborough by putting on a camel hair

frock with a leather belt screaming from the corner of South Main Street and Johnson

Road that the end is near!! There’s little chance though that I’ll change my diet to

locusts and wild honey….though the 17-year cicadas are due back

this summer, so who knows?!

St. Augustine once wrote,

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.”

There will be so much going on that will be vying for my attention. Important issues

of racial justice for all people, the debate over our responsibility to protect those who

are vulnerable to this deadly virus vs. the freedoms we all cherish and have

sometimes taken for granted, an economy that is in freefall, and the feeling that my

vote this November is more important than it has ever been. None of those are minor

distractions, and all of them will still be screaming at me through the fall. And those

are just the national issues. I and you still have to contend with family issues,

personal health issues, work related issues [if you’re still working] and the inevitable

invasion of “murder wasps” [look it up]. We should all be rolled

up in pathetic overweight balls crying ourselves to sleep!! Or….

“Come, you who are burdened and heavy laden, and I will give you rest…”

Those words keep whispering themselves to me over and over again. I don’t know

how it works…but it does. It doesn’t require a degree in theology or a guru to lead

the way. I just know that the one who promises this, has been keeping that promise

for over 2000 years. So I’m gonna lay aside my burdens, let go of my fears, offer up

the broken pieces of my life and this world coming apart at the seams, and wait for

God’s unbroken peace to fill me and refresh me. I suggest you

do the same. Be safe, stay well and keep the faith…

In the Spirit, Bob Faulhaber Jr.

CARE MINISTRY

Reflections on the Quote…. A monthly column from church

member Ruth Jones. Ruth is a

retired elementary school teacher.

I urge then first, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for

all people--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

This is good and pleases God our Savior. I Timothy 2:1-3 (NIV)

In this scripture prayers of intercession

means for all people, believers, and non-

believers. This can seem like a tall order at

times as it also requires prayer for those you

like and those you dislike.

When my dear Aunt Ruth disagreed with

anyone from child raising methods to

government leadership, she claimed that way

too little of “spare the rod and spoil the child”

had been conducted. Her theory was a good

whack to the hind end frequently employed

solved a lot of problems.

Not long ago I read of a rest home

resident who has a stack of prayer cards-- one

for each member of the Supreme Court, the

President, the Cabinet, the Senate, and the

House of Representatives. She also includes

her local mayor, police chief, fire chief, and on

and on.

She doesn’t always agree with them but

she makes it her mission to call out their

names and positions to God as she asks God

to guide them, because she realizes the

difficulty of their jobs and their need for

God’s guidance.

This she does every day, using her days in

prayer for a worthwhile ministry instead of

sitting idle and feeling useless and instead

truly making her years golden.

Everyday life sometimes gets

complicated, confusing, demanding, and

overwhelming. I can’t run my life without

God’s help. Imagine how much more difficult

the job of the United States president must be.

The best I can do is ask God to guide him. I’ll

use Lisa Bogart’s prayer in “Guideposts.”

Please cover our president with

wisdom and humility, Lord.

Give us the compassion to work with our

elected officials to bring about

peaceful solutions to the problems we face.

Amen.

Our heartfelt prayers go out to the following families over the passing of a loved one who entered into the more immediate presence of their Lord and Savior

to Linda Cherry and her family over the passing of

her husband Jim on June 8. Linda was the former

director of the Marlborough Food Bank until her

and Jim’s move to Indiana several years ago.

to Ken and Carolyn Kron and their family over

the passing of his father, formerly from Bristol, CT

on June 9.

to Eileen Byrnes and her family over the passing of

her husband, Jim, on June 11. A graveside service,

officiated by Rev. Faulhaber, was held at Linwood

Cemetery in Colchester on June 27.

to David and Sandy Bates and their family over

the passing of her father, Gerard Shepard, from

Scituate, MA, on June 19.

to Edi Dole and her family over the passing of her

nephew, Christopher Allen, from East Hampton, on

June 23.

to Geri and Doug Turner and their family over the

passing of her sister, Cecele Dunn, from Portland,

CT, formerly from Middletown, on June 29.

Visitation Meals

Correspondence Transportation

Are you or someone you know in need?. If so, please contact either

Pastor Bob Faulhaber at 860.295.0432 or

Coordinator, Edi Dole at 860.267-8543

SUNDAY SCHOOL

a note from Gwen Lawson

Christian Education/JR YG Director (860)759-3899 text is best

gwendolynn78@yahoo.com

Well, this is usually the Echoes edition

where I do a play on an oldie, but goodie

song about the lazy, hazy days of

summer or the sadness of not seeing you

all until September. Umm…lazy days at

home, separated for months…I think

that we have pretty much beaten those

lyrics to the ground, how about you…?

Let’s do a little “Dancing in the Street”

instead! Grab a partner from your

quarantine unit or dance like nobody’s

watching…at a 6-foot distance!

From Chicago to New Orleans,

to New York and right here in Marlborough,

we have earned a little dancing…

the entire world has earned a little

dancing in the street!

We’re ready for this brand-new beat,

no matter what comes our way

these next two months,

we will be swinging, swaying and

sanitizer spraying

while dancing in the street!

So, turn on a little music, sweet music,

let’s play that music everywhere!

We have learned so much this Spring and

will keep the lessons,

the good and the sad, close to our hearts.

But for now, Summer’s here

and the time is right.

For dancing in the streets!

Peace, Love & Joy, Miss Gwen

My most sincere apologies to songwriters

Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson and Ivy Hunter

CELEBRATIONS

to our members and friends! If you or an adult family member’s

birthday isn’t correct or not listed,

please call 860.295.9050 or email

office@marlcongchurch.org

Children’s names are added when they are confirmed.

July 7/1 – Stephen Lynch 7/3 – Barbara Roberts

7/4 – Cheryl Benedetto 7/6 – Bernie Odoy 7/8 – Kim Moreland (Ben)

7/17 – Nancy Quimby 7/18 – Andy Wilcoxen, Kim Moreland (Bob) 7/24 – Maggie Hannon 7/25 – Jim Combs

7/27 – Parker Aubin 7/28 – John Henrikson, Zane Roberts

7/29 – Sharol Wilcoxen 7/30 – Sue Hollister

August 8/1 - Paul Anderson 8/2 –Joey Walls

8/3 – Kim McIntosh 8/4 – Christine Bantle 8/5

Leonora Fafard, Barry Goodwill, Don Perillo 8/6 – John Glynn, John Grasso

8/8 – Tony Fafard 8/11 – Bruce Husta 8/12 – Jess Parnasso

8/13 – Carolyn Aubin, Nicole Reynolds 8/15 – Charlie Feltz, Lisa Reynolds

8/17 – Fred Knapp, Rose Marie Fellman 8/18 – Bonnie Johnson 8/21 – John Hathaway

8/22 – Deb Lynch 8/23

Chase Hathaway, Marion Spaulding, Lorraine Watkins

8/26 – Carola Frantzen 8/27

Dave Aubin, Karen Fick, Gwen Lawson, Deborah Walls

8/29 – Elizabeth Lynch, Jason MacDonald 8/30 – Lucy Dembek, Dean Gibson

May your summer shine.

May your family be blessed. May your worries fade away.

May your faith be strengthened. May peace be with you.

Amen

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

THANK YOU!!

We appreciate all that you do! Dave Peeling for taking care of the church

water system and for flushing the entire system.

Larry Zarrella for his weekly check of the

church building.

Sunday live stream musicians Jeff Gorman,

Carolyn Brodginski, Mike Frantzen, BT Odoy,

Steve Pozzato, Warren Thime

FINANCE MATTERS

TOTAL INCOME

Giving Budget

Jan-May 113,069 118,051

EXPENSES

Expenses Budget

Jan-May 104,199 116,136

Monthly Bills

It’s summer, but we still have bills to pay.

Please stay current on your pledge. Even though Sunday worship is suspended for

now, the monthly bills keep coming.

If you aren’t already paying your pledge

electronically, you can mail a

check to the church at PO

Box 57, Marlborough, CT

06447 or make a payment

through the church website “Donate Page.”

Thank you for keeping your pledge up to

date and for any donation you wish to

make.

Consider Electronic Giving. It’s easy and secure.

This way you don’t have to remember a payment

and electronic giving helps the church meet its

regular monthly bills.

For more information please contact

Marion Spaulding at

finance@marlcongchurch.org

HOW TO DONATE ON OUR WEB SITE 1. Go secure mcc.marlcongchurch.org

2. Left click mouse on DONATE, which brings

you to another page.

3.. Please select Sign In/Sign Up.

4. Select fund: You will need to use the drop-down

box to select a fund…General Fund or Missions

(To donate to this quarter’s Mission Quarterly

Giving organization, please select Missions).

5. Select Frequency: You can select any of the

time frames listed in the Select Frequency drop

down. One of the options is Quarterly, if you

would like to donate to each quarter’s Missions

Giving organizations.

6. Select date you would like to give.

7. Enter the $ amount you would like to give.

8. Left click on the “Add Donation” box. The dollar

amount will be added to the smaller box and it will

contain the frequency you selected as well as the

date selected.

9. Left click “Next” button. You will be brought to

the Payment Methods screen.

10. Left click “Add New” or select credit card, if

you have given before; then left click on “Next.”

11. If you wish, to help offset the processing fees,

you may add 2.75 %, then left click on the box.

12. Left click on “Donate Now.”

13. You will receive an email with the receipt.

SECOND BLESSINGS

The shop will be closed through August

BUT, in the meantime… We’re continuing to sell “special” items on our

EBay Charity account (Over $200 in sales last month!)

Follow the link below to go directly to our

store front to see what what’s for sale

Save shipping costs and pick up at the church!

www.ebay.com/usr/

marlboroughcongregationalchurch