I feel that there is a need for such a ministry in Pilgrim Church, but there would have to be a group of like-minded folk in order to launch such a program. If you have such an interest or would like to find out more details, please call Maridel or me, or email me at revken@pilgrimchurchofduxbury.org.

• Rev. John Thomas, General Minister and President of the UCC will convene our town meeting and lead us in worship. Rev. Nancy Taylor, Minister and President of the Massachusetts Conference will lead an afternoon Bible Study, & Rev. Dale Hempen, our Area Minister will serve as a communion celebrant during worship.

Dress is casual, but space is limited, so you must register in advance to enjoy a picnic lunch and attend one or two of the workshops being offered. Cost: $20 adults - $5 children, youth and chaperones. For further information and registration forms you may check out the Pilgrim Church bulletin boards, visit the web page http://www.macucc.org/comma.htm, or ask Rev. Landall or Peggy O’Neil Files.

Razia is a longtime citizen of Duxbury who is a native of Afghanistan. She will share her views on the turmoil in Afghanistan, the Middle East and around the world from a Muslim perspective. Her speech during a healing service at the high school after 9/11 had a profound spiritual impact on those who attended. She is also the owner of Razia’s, a seamstress and dry cleaning store in Duxbury. You may recall Razia was responsible for project managing and sewing the amazing "Quilt" with photographs of all the deceased firefighters which honored all the people whose lives were impacted in 911. The "Quilt" now resides in NYC. The "Quilt" received national coverage because of its healing significance and was respectfully hung from the wall of our own firehouse in Duxbury. Razia created the "Quilt" as a symbol that the horrific destruction of 9/11was the act of "madmen" and that the Muslim Community, like all God loving religions, was horrified by such Evil.

Razia is also a member of the Afghanistan Expatriate Community headquartered in Boston. This group is directly tied to the new President of Afghanistan whose brother and sister are members in Boston. As a result Razia will share some recent information from an expatriate who recently spent time in Afghanistan and has made a film based on this experience.

We hope you will join us for this timely and thought provoking Outreach Sunday on March 30^th which will be followed by a delicious free luncheon! Please sign up for lunch if you can join us. God Bless ALL!

It is the special annual offering of the United Church of Christ that services persons with needs resulting from natural disasters and political or economic crises. This offering supports emergency relief, disaster response, social service and refugee resettlement. Approximately 1/3 of the UCC’s offering is shared through Church World Service. By distributing our gifts through church networks of experienced relief workers such as CWS, One Great Hour of Sharing provides and efficient way to get aid to those who need it everywhere in the world. Please help fund One Great Hour of Sharing and, subsequently, CWS, by giving generously on March 9^th.

Women in Stitches will be meeting Monday, March 24^th @ 7:30 PM in the parlor. Please join us for an evening of fellowship, fun, productivity (or not – it’s up to you!), and the most interesting conversation around! We welcome knitters, menders, needlepointers, rug hookers, etc. to our group – it’s a lot of fun – please join us. Call Tracy Drew @ 934-6591 if you have questions.

The week of February 11 through February 15th was spent in New York City attending the national convention of the American Choral Directors Convention of which I am a member. Maridel Johnson of the choir and music board accompanied me. Despite the frigid cold and the orange alert, we had a great time and heard some wonderful music. Choirs and choral groups from around the world participated and many of the best directors came to present workshops and reading sessions for the attendees. Some of the highlights were the Beijing Children's chorus from China, a women's chorus from Estonia as well as a number of wonderful Middle school and High school choruses from this country. We heard many excellent college choruses as well. The highlight was a performance of Requiem by Berlios performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra with the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. To hear wonderful choral music and to receive new ideas are both refreshing and revitalizing for me. I do thank all of the members of Pilgrim Church and the Board of Trustees for giving me the opportunity to attend. Love, Cathy

The Endowment Committee will host an investment seminar on Saturday morning, April 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the vestry. Talented investment professionals, who happen to be church members, will make up a distinguished panel including John Talanian, Don DeHart, Ken Frey and Jim Grim with Fred Conley as the moderator. Please look for more information in the coming weeks.

Lindsay Auer – 88 Millbrook Way (781-934-9983). Husband: Jim. Children: Katie (7^th gr.); Christina (5^th gr.); James (4^th gr.); Kyle (kindergarten). Lived here for 1 ½ years, previously in Weymouth. Member, Old South Union Cong’l. Church, U.C.C., So. Weymouth. Full Time Mom; interests: cooking, crafts, and travel.

Elizabeth (Betty) Baker – 290 Kingstown Way, #335 (781-585-8986). Husband: Spencer. Three Grown Children: Christina, Ann, and Becky. Lived here for 1 ¼ years, previously in West Falmouth. Retired Interior Decorator. Member, First Congregational Church of Falmouth, U.C.C. Interests: music, art, reading, horticulture, and gardening. Betty and Spencer were members of Rev. Steve Turrell’s church in Grafton (many years ago!).

Nick and Susan Bates –10 Sagamore Rd. P.O. Box 242 (781-934-1323). Children: Nicholas (11^th gr.); Lindsey(9^th gr.); Sarah (2^nd gr.). Lived here for 5 years, previously in San Francisco Bay area. Community Church backgrounds. Nick: Real Estate. Susie: Homemaker; interests: skiing, sailing, travel, reading, and Bible study.

Bryant and June Boddie – 9 Riverview Ave., Kingston (781-582-1617). Children: Courtney (5^th gr.); Nicholas (3^rd gr.). Lived in Kingston for 10 years, previously in So. Weymouth. Members, Old South Union Cong’l., U.C.C., So. Weymouth. Bryant: EMT Paramedic, City of Boston. June: Café Worker, Halifax School.

John and Tracey Burke – 6 Powder Point Ave. (781-934-6724). Children: Sean (8^th gr.); Caitlin (5^th gr.). Lived here all their lives! John: Member, Holy Family Church; CPA, Self-employed; interests: golf, tennis, running, and boating. Tracey: Member, First Parish Church; Retail Merchandising, J. Jill Group; interests: running, tennis, golf, gardening, boating, skiing, and hiking.

Rod and Terri Clark – 46 Mallard’s Cove Ln. (781-585-0596). Children: Kelly (12^th gr.); Kaity (8^th gr.). Lived here 1 year, previously in Montgomery Township, NJ. Member, Montgomery United Methodist Church. Rod: Marketing Mgr., Codman, Johnson & Johnson; interests: in previous church, Lay Leader, Chair of Administrative Council, and Sunday School Teacher. Terri: Homemaker; interests: choir, Bible study, and things she is still discovering!

Catherine Doughty – 904 Franklin St. (781-837-6958). Husband: Scott (member). Children: Samuel (10^th gr.); Vivian (9^th gr.). Lived here 19 years, previously in Boston and Canada. Interests: music, theatre, swimming, and gardening.

John and Heather Edwards – 210 Depot St. (781-934-8786). Child: Abigail (1 month). Lived here 5 years, previously in Boston and Westport. Cong’l Church background. John: Sales, People Soft; interests: fitness training, bicycling, running, hiking, skiing, scuba, and technology (computers). Heather: Sales, People Soft; interests: outdoor sports, e.g., hiking, walking, snowboarding, cross country skiing, and tennis.

J. Scott and Laurie Estey – 119 West St. (781-934-8302). Children: Isaac (2^nd gr.); Eli (preschool); Sadie (2 yrs. old). Lived here for 1 year, previously in Ridgefield, CT. Member, First Cong’l Church of Ridgefield, U.C.C. Scott: Portfolio Mgr., HTRG; interests: family, woodworking, hiking, and working around the house. Laurie: Mother; interests: running, painting, stenciling her house, and she loves to bake and garden.

Nancy Farrelly – 31 Simmons Dr. (781-934-7191). Husband: Bobby. Children: Tiffany (College); Jesse (6^th gr.); Anna (5^th gr.). Lived here for 7 years, previously in Seattle and Los Angeles. Lutheran Church background. At Home Mom; interests: skiing, camping, and reading.

Mark and Mary Garrity – 689 Tremont St. (781-934-7787). Children: Madison (1^st gr.); Grant (kindergarten); Luke (2 years +). Lived here 4 years, previously on Beacon Hill in Boston. Mark: Catholic Church background; Dentist, Mark Garrity, DMD; interests: fitness, family, and home improvement. Mary: Methodist Church background; Self-employed, Back and Body Studio; interests: fitness, yoga, and pilates.

Jim and Nancy Grim – 30 James Rd. (781-934-9547). Grown Children: Andy and Nat. Lived in Duxbury before, and just returned from spending 6 years in Coral Gables, FL. Members, Coral Cables Cong’l Church U.C.C., and previous members of Pilgrim Church! Jim: Investment Advisor, Palmer & Dodge; interests: drums and model trains. Nancy: at home; interests: crafts and Bible study. Welcome back, Jim and Nancy!

Michael and Renee Kahl – 77 Stockade Path. (781-585-1436). Children: Samuel (Sam) (9^th gr.); Edward (Ted) (7^th gr.). Lived here 1 year, previously in Chatham, Weston, Cohasset, & Hingham. Members, First Cong’l. Church, U.C.C., Chatham. Michael: Innkeeper, Port Fortune Inn, Chatham; interests: hiking, sailing, skiing, carpentry, and home remodeling. Renee: Innkeeper, Port Fortune Inn, Chatham; interests: running, fitness, biking, hiking, and gardening. Because of the inn, they are not here much from April through October.

William (Bill) and Patti MacLennan – 36 Hall’s Brook Way. (781-582-2324). Children: Billy (6^th gr.); Kerri (5^th gr.); Patrick (2^nd gr.); Kristina (kindergarten). Lived here 6 years, previously in Rockland. Members, Old South Union Church U.C.C., So. Weymouth. Bill: Manufacturing Engineering; interests: boating, and fishing. Patti: Elementary Educator, Duxbury Public Schools; interests: gardening, sewing, cross-stitch, quilting, reading, and playing with kids.

Susan Manning – 12 Chestnut St., Kingston (781-585-9255). Husband: John. Children: Peter (kindergarten); Joseph (pre-school). Lived in Kingston 4 years, previously in Plymouth. Member, Old South Union Church U.C.C., So. Weymouth. Paralegal, Atty. Michael J. Haney; interests: gardening, shopping, and walking.

A. George and Beth Morgan – 22 Chapel St. (781-934-5059). Children: Jane (6^th gr.); George (2^nd gr.). Lived here 3 years, previously in Milton. Members, St. Michael’s Church, Milton. George: Construction Mgr., Knollmeyer Construction & Design; originally from Duxbury. Beth: Interior Designer, Eliz. W. Morgan Interiors; Project Mgr., Knollmeyer, Inc.; interests: gardening, sports, and flower arranging.

Elaine Pollard – 14 Chipman Way, Apt. 121, Kingston (781-585-4203). Three Grown Children: Janice, Kevin, and Fred. Lived in Kingston 11 years, previously in Sangerville, ME. Methodist Church background. Retired; interests: she is a vegetarian, so foods, herbs, etc. interest her; also counted cross-stitch, good music, and reading.

Zeb and Jane Robbins – 75 Oceanwoods Dr. (781-934-7741). Child: Callie (11 mos.). Lived here 2 ½ years, previously Newton & Baltimore (Zeb), Charlestown (Jane). Zeb: Episcopal Church background; Engineer, Ocean Spray. Jane: Congregational, U.C.C. Church background; Sales, Promo Edge; interests: gardening and reading.

Evan and Leigh Sobran – 7 Tinkers Ledge Rd. (781-934-6284). Child: Adam (7 mos.). Lived here 4 ½ years, previously in Rowayton, CT, and State College, PA & Scituate (Leigh). Episcopal and Methodist church backgrounds. Evan: Account Director, Cramer. Leigh: Consultant- Technical Writer and Marketing Engineer.

Herbert and Barbara Stevens – 290 Kingstown Way, # 399. (781-585-1090). Two Grown Children: Linda and Sally. Lived here 3 ½ years, previously in Hingham and Longboat Key, FL. Members, Hingham Cong’l. U.C.C. Church. Herbert: Retired; interests: reading and walking. Barbara: Homemaker; interests: music, gardening, family and friends, and reading.

January-February, 2003 (reprinted from http://www.macucc.org/) By Tiffany Vail

Everything that is done in the world is done by hope. – Martin Luther

Hope is certainly the guiding force behind the Massachusetts Conference’s newest
church: Hope Church, a joint United Church of Christ – Disciples of Christ new church start in Roslindale. Hope that a new church that is open and affirming and welcoming to all will meet the needs of a diverse community. Hope that two denominations founded on the ideal of Christian unity can work together to serve a community where neither has a presence. Hope that a new church can successfully tell the old, old story to new worshippers. Hope.

The church certainly got off to a hopeful start on the second Sunday of Advent, when its first worship service was attended by 65 people. Every other Sunday evening since then, the church has averaged 35 people at worship, which is followed by a light dinner. "I feel really encouraged," said the church’s pastor, Elizabeth Myer-Boulton. "The first night lots of people were there who came to support us. The next two Sundays, they were people from the community who wanted to come and worship." Myer-Boulton approached the Conference about starting the church after having served at a new Disciples of Christ church outside Kansas City. She came with the support of her former church, St. Andrew Christian Church – just ten years old – which pledged $100,000 over four years to support the effort. A Disciples of Christ new pastor program kicked in another $15,000. "Liz is such a faithful person – her leadership will make a difference in this community," said Paul Nickerson, Acting Associate Conference Minister for Evangelism, Mission and Justice.

The Conference Board of Directors in December voted to dedicate $110,000 over four years to the new church. The funds come from a donation made to the Conference by The Wellesley Congregational Church, which designated the funds for a new church start.

Myer-Boulton said she is excited about the idea of starting a church on the foundation of both denominations, since they are in full communion and since both are dedicated to ecumenism and striving to heal the divisions in the Body of Christ. Myer-Boulton moved to the area when her husband, Matthew Myer-Boulton, joined the faculty of Andover Newton Theological School. He is also volunteering as the associate pastor of Hope Church.

Myer-Boulton quickly began working with the Conference. After doing demographic studies of the Boston area using the Conference’s Percept data, she focused on Roslindale. "When she arrived, she worked closely with the church development task force to find this location, where there is not a UCC presence and where we have an opportunity for a multi-cultural, multi-racial church that is Open and Affirming from the start," Nickerson said.

Myer-Boulton explains: "The highest demographic is people who are up and coming. The average age is 30 to 35, with low church activity in that age bracket. When people are in transition, they look for a new church – and there are a lot of new people here." Once Roslindale was chosen, Myer-Boulton met with a local funeral director to find out more about the community and the churches there, and to ask about possible locations. He steered her toward the Boston School of Modern Languages, a former Episcopal church, where Hope Church is now renting space. "This is really great. It has a church feel to it but no one else is doing church here. It’s a great hybrid of sacred and secular space," Myer-Boulton said. Once a location was established, Myer-Boulton mailed 200 invitations to people who had recently moved to the area. She said the identity of the church is still being shaped.

"We will worship biweekly to Easter, accruing leadership as we go," she said. "We can develop the vision of the people we collect between now and Easter, and then launch as a church with a tailored vision, mission and values." The church’s worship now is what Myer-Boulton calls "spirited traditional," with a mix of hymns and gospel music. A pianist and guitarist from the Central Congregational Church UCC in Jamaica Plain and a fledgling eight-member choir are providing the music. Several Metropolitan Boston Area churches have been lending a hand to Hope Church. To go along with the monetary donation to the Conference, Wellesley Congregational has also pledged to regularly send people to the Hope Church worship services in support of the new effort.

"There’s a number of us working in support of Hope Church just by being there," said Don Smith, chair of the Wellesley church’s service study committee. "When we make a donation, we always want to have a service team that works with the recipient, so we are working with the Conference and also with Hope Church." The donation was just one of several the church has made as part of its $10 million capital campaign, to which 10 percent will go to mission projects. "Hope Church seemed like a natural contact for us," Smith said. "We have some members who work in that area of the city. And we strongly identified with what the Conference is trying to do with new churches. That focus on evangelism, mission and justice is so important to us."

Other churches are offering other means of support. Central Congregational in Jamaica Plain and Eliot Church of Newton have lent the use of their copy machines. Hancock United Church of Christ in Lexington donated a piano, and the Central Congregational Church UCC in Newtonville, which closed on January 12th, donated a children’s altar, some church school furniture, hymnals and other items.

Other churches interested in supporting Hope Church can do so by: identifying Roslindale-area people in need of a church; attending worship; helping with the after-worship meals; and making financial contributions through the Conference.

The Deadline for articles for the April Pilgrim’s Progress is Saturday, March 15^th. Please e-mail your articles (as attachments) to Tracy Drew in the church office at tdrew75@hotmail.com. Articles may also be mailed or dropped off during office hours. Questions? Call Tracy @ 934-6591

Prayers of Healing: Jonathan Houghton - Larry Anderson - Edna Duncan - Grace Poellmitz - Stan Merry - George Horesta

For the family and friends of Charles Ladd, Roger Ladd's father.

For the family and friends of Anne Sommer, Kit Sommer's mother.

Family and friends of Michael Baker, grandson of Dot and Dan Baker.

Family and friends of Audrey Williams, Penny Ramseyer's mother.
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