Wednesday, December 21 at 6pm: We each take a candle, walk the spiral, letting go of the attachments of the year. We light the candle from the chalice in the center of the spiral, then retrace our steps as we ponder the possibilities of a new year and find a spot to lay the candle along the spiral. After all candles are lit and placed, we experience the magic of light and possibility. If you wish to help build the spiral with us, bring your winter greens at 6 pm.
Friends, there is a TON happening around church right now. A couple things of note: coffee hour this Sunday will be the annual cookies and hot cocoa festivities sponsored by the women’s alliance, as our children trim our tree. To ensure that there is adequate time for coffee, conversation, and decorating (and please take lots of pics and don’t be shy about using our hashtags on instagram, FB, and Twitter–we are doing outreach for our beautiful church and our amazing programs for the larger south coast communities), our Roots & Wings deepening-into-covenant class will move to the parlor of Harrop Center, and will start at 12:15.
It is time to kick off what has become a Holiday intergenerational project: a giving tradition for our congregation. On Sunday November 27 we will have gift tags made by our church school for our Holiday Tree of Hope. For almost ten years we have partnered with Child and Family in New Bedford to sponsor/adopt three families that are challenged in some way: some are dealing with homelessness, others with unemployment and/or health issues. All have been referred as needing a helping hand this Christmas and it is always humbling to see the wish list sheet for the family members submitted by their social workers. You will find profiles of this year’s families on a trifold display on the piano in The Parish House. So please, in the spirit of this Giving Season, open your hearts and select a gift tag (or two) as you are able from the Hope tree. Gifts should be wrapped and labeled with the original gift tag from the tree and another gift tag addressed to the person the gift is for, from “Santa’s Helpers”. Gift return dates are Sunday December 4, and Sunday December 11. We will remind you on SLACK and with email blasts. Stay posted. Please bear with us in terms of an online gift selection this year. We are new to this! We will try to have some gifts posted on SLACK for selection before Black Friday for those of you who have requested this.
Your Elves-In-Training, Laurie Despres and Shauna McLelland and many more….
December 11 at 4:30pm – Each year, our choir and music director offer us special readings and holiday music to get us in the spirit of the season. Bring your family and friends and children over 10 years of age to witness this special music and to join in singing carols with our choir.
Saturday, December 10, 2016, 10am-4pm. Our Parish House will be brimming with handcrafted gifts, baked goods, holiday greens and much more!! Select from a variety of original gifts while enjoying holiday music. A delicious luncheon of assorted soups and sandwiches will be available for purchase in the Harrop Center from 11:30am-2pm. This is our biggest fundraising event of the year – let’s make it a huge success!! Also enjoy a tour of our beautifully decorated Sanctuary from 10am – 4pm.
We will hold our Semi-Annual meeting on Saturday, November 19 at 9am. All members are requested to attend two congregational meetings per year. Non-members may attend as a witness but cannot vote. This is the major way we can communicate with you about important issues. Please do your very best to attend. Thank you. Childcare will be available in Harrop Center.
The Social Justice Committee will be collecting winter gloves, scarves and hats for men, women and children through the month of November for distribution by the Salvation Army to the poor and homeless in New Bedford. These can be clean used or new. We are hoping everyone can bring in something for this very worthy cause. Bring your items to the SOCIAL JUSTICE TABLE container during coffee hour.
Wednesday, November 9th, 7pm. Elder/Consumer Fraud for Caregivers: Protect yourself, those in your care and those you love. Lucilia Prates-Ramos, Activist, Advocate and Statewide Director of the Massachusetts Senior Medicare Patrol Program. This event is free and open to the public. Register online at http://bit.ly/ElderConsumerFraud
Wednesday, October 12th, 7pm. Southcoast Progressive Voices presents Nick Bohl, an artist and educator who has been creating YouTube videos about atheism and society for over 8 years. He is the director and teacher of the E.O. Wilson Big Question Lab, HCH’s secular Sunday school, and has recently released a video series using his own art and music to express his spiritual and philosophical growth without religion entitled [I Wonder]. The event is free and open to the public. Register online at: http://bit.ly/SpiritualityforNonReligious.
Christmas and it is always humbling to see the wish list sheet for the family members submitted by their social workers. You will find profiles of this year’s families on a trifold display on the piano in The Parish House. So please, in the spirit of this Giving Season, open your hearts and select a gift tag (or two) as you are able from the Hope tree. Gifts should be wrapped and labeled with the original gift tag from the tree and another gift tag addressed to the person the gift is for, from “Santa’s Helpers”. Gift return dates are Sunday December 4, and Sunday December 11. We will remind you on SLACK and with email blasts. Stay posted. Please bear with us in terms of an online gift selection this year. We are new to this! We will try to have some gifts posted on SLACK for selection before Black Friday for those of you who have requested this.