If you’ve been coming to worship lately, you know that this is "stewardship season," when we raise up the importance of making a financial commitment to Pilgrim Church and beyond us through Our Church’s Wider Mission.

We should pledge, I believe, because no matter what time of year, whatever is happening in the world or in the ebb and flow of our personal lives, our church continues to be there as a reliable resource, a dependable presence for our members and for anyone else who needs our help. Within our walls, our church responds to individual needs in many ways for all ages, providing a safe place to worship, study, grow, and teach our children. Self-help groups such as AA and Al Anon use our facilities freely. Our superb child-care center provides an important service for our community at competitive rates. Through our mission-outreach, we are also an important part of the greater Duxbury community, and we extend hope and help not only in our area, but literally across the country and throughout the world.

Finally, we should make a pledge to Pilgrim Church for 2005 because we are so richly blessed and privileged. Most of the members and friends of our church family live in Duxbury or surrounding towns. What a beautiful area in which to live and raise a family. Most of us are employed (or enjoying retirement), we have more than adequate housing, we have plenty of food to feed ourselves and our families, we have means of transportation, we have health care and insurance, and an abundance of possessions. As we have been blessed, may we be a blessing to others.

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On October 6, six Massachusetts Women’s Fellowship women will take flight to Santiago, Chile. Elena Huegel, our UCC-Disciples of Christ global missionary, will meet us there for orientation. Then it’s on to Curico (3 hours south) and the Annual Congress of the Dorcas Society of the Pentecostal Church of Chile, which will take place in the very large "mother church" (it seats at least a thousand) there in Curico.

The delegates are Shirley Bent and Gail Gamble of Halifax, Connie Holt of Sandwich, Judy Robillard of Rowley, Candy Smith of Williamsburg, and me. Everyone but Judy is a member of the board of the State Women’s Fellowship. We will travel laden with Bibles, personal testimonies, and a few sermons. (Though I am the sole clergyperson, each may be asked to preach when we visit local congregations.) We will also have with us host gifts, journals, cameras, photos of our home churches and families, and workshop materials--each of us will lead a workshop during the Congress. Importantly, we will also arrive in Chile with open hearts and minds.

A special opportunity will be when we travel after the Congress, two-by-two, to three regions of the country to visit with some of the women in their local churches, which are typically very small and humble. We will stay in their homes for several days and share in their lives and worship and gratefully receive their outstanding hospitality.

The Massachusetts State Women’s Fellowship, over the past three years, has worked with the national organization of the Dorcas Women of the Pentecostal Church of Chile to establish a revolving loan fund from which local Dorcas women nationwide can borrow, at no interest, money to enable them to receive training and set up home industries to sustain their families. We offered the money, and they developed the project proposal. The women have named the fund "The Project for Integral Training." Eventually the loan fund will replenish itself as the women begin to earn money and are able to pay back their loans at no interest. Our part is sending the fruits of our "Smallest Coin" offerings, collected at each meeting of women around the Mass. Conference—as it is here amongst the women of Pilgrim Women’s Fellowship. During the congress we hope to hear much good news about the first applicants and how this exciting program is progressing.

I thank Pilgrim Church’s women for their support of my trip and collecting photos and Pilgrim Church mementos for me to take as gifts.

We will return on October 19 with stories, inspiration, and photos which will be made into a video montage story of our mission visit. I will be eager to show the video and tell you the stories of a generous God at work amongst our Christian sisters, the women of the Pentecostal Church of Chile.

In faith,

Bev Duncan

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We all know folks who love the feel of good, clean garden dirt under their fingernails, knowing that the fruits of their efforts will be beautiful, nourishing, or both. Others of us find satisfaction in the grease and dirt that come from a well-tuned machine. More to the point, we all know the love and comfort that come from the tender touch of a caring hand in times of need.

Our hands can be as expressive as our smiles, our words, our tears. So much so that "hands-on" can lend a particularly meaningful significance to the ordinary opportunities that fill our days.

Last July 30th, hard on the heels of the Democrat National Convention, nine volunteers from Pilgrim Church made their way to the Pine Street Inn to serve a dinner to several hundred men who found themselves in need of a helping hand. Some were suffering the effects of an addiction, some were unemployed, some were unemployable, some were just down on their luck. All were without the comfort and security of a place to call home. The "thank you", "God bless you", or smile that rewarded those of us who served their simple meal was heart-warming and more than enough appreciation for our few hours of giving. Dan Hall (bless him!) knew of the need, made the contact and the commitment for our core group of volunteers to serve that evening. We had a mixture of seniors, adults, and teenagers, all of whom wanted to reach out a helping hand to some who were less fortunate than they.

Most of us give generously through the outreach efforts of our church, knowing that our gifts are distributed not only to many vital needs in our own community but also to national and international needs that are identified by the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. But the "dirt under the fingernails" factor is largely missing and there is a growing number of members who are anxious to identify a "mission" that will let us, as a church, enjoy the enthusiasm and fulfillment of getting our hands dirty - a "hands-on mission".

Thinking "outside the box" is a popular expression, and one that is appropriate to this quest. Our initial experience at the Pine Street Inn gave us a feel for the rewards of becoming involved in a project that we can embrace as a church. And the Pine Street Inn experience can certainly be repeated on a regular basis, but surely there are other opportunities to get some dirt under our fingernails.

We need your ideas, and remember, the only "dumb" idea is the one that is unspoken! Ken, Bev, Eloise, and Pat are all involved in our quest so pass your thoughts to them, please! Now that Labor Day has come and gone, our activity level is heating up. The core group will be meeting soon to reinvigorate the enthusiasm for a "Hands-on Mission" for our church. Our membership is unlimited and your involvement and/or your ideas are more than welcome, they are needed!

--FLASH! We have signed up to serve a meal at Pine Street Inn on Monday, Nov. 29^th, and Thursday, Dec. 30^th. We will need 8 volunteers for each date. If you missed the sign-up opportunity at POOF, and would like to be a part of this "hands-on" event, please call Pat Wiedner at the church (781)-934-6591.

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Last year we were snowed out, so this will be our first Pilgrim Church progressive dinner in two years. We know you won’t want to miss it. More information will follow in the November Pilgrims Progress.

See the Volunteer Coordinators Update column if you’d like to be part of the team planning the event.

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• Welcome new members
• Learn about PWF activities and plans
• Memorialize those whom we have lost
• Experience the joys of fellowship with Pilgrim Church Women!

As always, autumn at Pilgrim Church is a busy and productive time that aptly explains why this newsletter is called Pilgrim’s Progress. The Stewardship Committee wishes each of you, our fellow stewards, a happy and rewarding autumn season, as we all begin the various activities that mark the end of summer. This year’s Stewardship Campaign is in full swing, and Stewardship Sunday will be October 17. Our theme this year is "Sharing Faith through Commitment", and we look forward to working with each of you as we all show our commitment to our faith and our church through the act of pledging.

We are planning a light brunch with entertainment immediately following the October 17^th service, as well as a house canvas later that afternoon for members who have not yet completed a pledge card. Please consider joining us for the house canvas, which is a wonderful way to renew both our ties with each other and our commitment to Pilgrim Church."

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Exciting News! Beth MacLeod is our new Junior Choir director and we are very pleased to have her as part of our music ministry. Beth is a superb mezzo-soprano and has soloed extensively in Europe and the United States. She is currently assistant director of the South Shore Conservatory in Duxbury and director of Opera on the Bay. Beth enjoys working with children and has conducted children's choruses for the opera program. She and her husband live in Duxbury and are the parents of one-year old son. Welcome aboard, Beth!

Save the Date!!!!!
Our second annual Messiah concert will be held on Sunday, November 21st at 4:00 P.M. Rehearsals for the choruses will begin on Thursday, October 7th from 7:00 to 8:15 in the choir room. This is an outreach event and will include anyone from the community who wishes to sing with us. For more information, please contact Cathy Morrison at 781-834-4856 or at the church.

URGENTLY NEEDED!!!!!
The Junior Choir is desperately in need of a keyboard with full sized keys and at least five octaves for our rehearsals. If you have one to donate or know someone may wish to do so, please call Cathy Morrison at 781-834-4856 or the church office. Many thanks.

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The Pilgrim Ringers have started up again, with rehearsals on Wednesday evenings, from 7-9 PM. We welcome back our continuing ringers and any new people who might be interested in learning!

Contact Sue Homan for details

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The easiest way to get your items for the bulletin and newsletter in is by submitting them by e-mail, to the church office @ secretaryofpilgrimchurch@hotmail.com. The deadline for the November newsletter is Friday, Oct. 15th. Call (781-934-6591) if you have any questions.

Thank you - Cathy Doughty, Pilgrim Church Secretary

Saturday Night Five!

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

The atmosphere is casual, but the worship is serious.

October 9 World Communion

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Friday, November 5th, 7:00pm - 9:00pm, JYF Huddle includes dinner (Chinese & chocolate cake - the three "c's" of nutrition), meet in the teen shack

Questions? Call or email Marc Beattie @ sbeattie@adelphia.net, 781-934-2646