The Stephen Leaders will be administering the program, recruiting lay persons from within our congregation, providing 50 hours of training to them, so that our Stephen Ministers will be able to render competent one-to-one Christian care within our church family, and doing follow-up supervision. I will be primarily providing pastoral support to the program and making referrals when needed.

Stephen, in case you’ve forgotten, was one of the first deacons appointed to serve in the early church, and is considered to have been the first Christian martyr. You can read all about the exciting story of this brave early Christian in the 6^th and 7^th chapters of the Acts of the Apostles.

The Stephen Ministry program named after Stephen, and sometimes called the Stephen Series, has been in existence for more than a quarter of a century; more than 8,000 congregations representing 100 different denominations have enrolled. More than 4,000 pastors and layperson like Janice, Lee, Roger, and myself have received the Stephen Leaders training, and over 300,000 lay caregivers have been trained in their congregations to serve as Stephen Ministers.

To help fund the Stephen Ministry program …

… for a fun-filled church supper and auction, sponsored by the Deacons.

Think about items or services that you would be willing to donate for both a live and silent auction held that evening in our Vestry. Call Bill Bazley (781-934-6028) with your ideas and leave a message if necessary. This event promises to be an all-time classic (featuring a well-known auctioneer), and you will not want to miss it. Because of limited seating, this will be an adults-only event.

While our pastoral staff will continue to provide care for those in critical places or with unique needs, our Stephen Ministers after they have been trained will be able to supplement services we already have in place, bringing even more personal care to our church family.

If you think you might be interested in going through the training and becoming a Stephen Minister, we will be accepting applications and will be interviewing prospective candidates within the next few months. Further details will be forthcoming.

It is truly an honor to serve our congregation and help bring this meaningful program to Pilgrim Church. We look forward to sharing more details when we return in early February.

Blessings to all for a happy, healthy New Year.

Shalom,

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Troy Hussing, known to many of our parishioners, will be running in the Adidas Vancouver B.C. International Marathon this coming May, to raise money in the fight against leukemia. Having been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1999, he is now in remission, and is concentrating his efforts on helping in the race to find a cure for these cancers. If you would like to pledge your support, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to:

Please make your check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

All in the music program here at Pilgrim Church are anxiously awaiting the installation of our new organ! This is the big event of the new year and will certainly enhance our Worship Services considerably. Meanwhile, the piano in the sanctuary will get a lot of use while the organ is being installed. We will be planning our programs around piano repertoire for a while. As your organist, I am especially anxious to see the first pipes arrive. It will be wonderful to play some of the organ literature that was not suitable for the present instrument. Practicing will again be a great pleasure.
Our music board will be busy helping to plan the dedication ceremony and concert to celebrate our new instrument. As soon as possible, a date for this event(s) will be established and announced.
The past year saw growth in all areas of the music program at Pilgrim Church with new members in the senior, bell and junior choirs plus the addition of our very welcome Teen Choir. I pray this growth will continue in the new year and congratulate all of our choir directors for their fine work. They are greatly appreciated.
I wish all at Pilgrim Church a happy and healthy new year. Cathy

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This month Lynne Wolfe will be leading Pilgrim Women in a 4 week seminar based upon a series called Discovering God’s Vision for you Life. Some of our church women participated in this seminar at the women’s retreat and they enjoyed it very much. The meeting dates and time will be as follows: Mondays from 11 to 1:30 , 2/2, 2/9, and 2/23, 3/1 (bring a bag lunch). Lynne Wolfe will be our leader for this wonderful event and would love to see many of us. Materials will cost $15.90 and a sign up will be posted outside the vestry starting after January 1st.

The January meeting of the Bookworms will discuss the book, "The Secret life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. The Bookworms meet the last Tuesday of the month, January 27^th , at 1:30 PM in the library. Hope to see you for what promises to be a great discussion.

The next meeting of Koinonia will be on Monday, January 12th, at the home of Elaine Guilfoyle.

Inspire your soul, awaken your senses, and fill your heart.

The atmosphere is casual, but the worship is serious.

Your worship planning team has been meeting every other week throughout the fall to plan each Saturday evening service. Drama has been great, messages crystal clear and music is always awesome! Our attendance has increased from last year by over ten percent. All good reasons to consider joining us some Saturday evening to see what all the noise is about! This is a great opportunity for the entire family to worship together, or invite a friend or neighbor who might be thinking about seeking a fellowship of faith. Please clip out the calendar below for quick reference. January services include January 10^th and our now legendary:

Each year we invite the youth of our church and community to participate in this special worship service. As part of a nationwide event held at many churches we make an outreach effort raising funds and awareness about hunger. You are invited to wear your favorite team jersey and bring along a canned food item to donate. A freewill offering is collected and all donations support the food pantry at the Plymouth Coalition for the Homeless and the Interfaith Council of Duxbury as a ministry to families in our own community and those nearby.

Pilgrim Childcare & Preschool proudly opens enrollment for the 2004 school year. New families should come by the center anytime, or call Michelle Manganaro at 781-934-8145, for enrollment application and information. Infant, Toddler, Preschool, and Pre-Kindergarten programs are availalble.

Part time or Full time have quality care and highly recognized curriculum.

KID’S KLUB 4th and 5th graders will meet on Sunday, January 11th from 2-4 in the Vestry. It will be a time of fun, food and fellowship. I hope you can join us.

JYF Keep an eye out for postcards telling you of the next activity.

CONFIRMATION The Luke study continues with sessions on the 4th and the 11th, following morning worship. On the 4th, after the Luke study, we will have a pizza party. This will give you a chance to meet your Mentors and find out a little bit more about how this part of Confirmation works. Keep working on your hours and remember to keep track of what you are doing.

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Jan. 6^th 7:30 PM Board of Deacons

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4:15 PM Junior Choir

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Jan. 27^th 1:30 PM Bookworms

7:30 PM Strategic Planning

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