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Now that Spring has finally arrived, we are looking forward to being able to begin some planting in the Memorial Garden. Last Fall we were able to have the area cleared and graded. The terrace was installed, as well as the fencing to conceal the air conditioning unit and the utility area. The huge rhododendrons that were smothering the front of Pilgrim House were moved to form a backdrop for the garden. They seem to have survived the trauma of being moved and the winter in good shape.

The next phase involves installing new plantings in the garden area. The plan calls for a combination of evergreens and flowering shrubs that will provide interest during all seasons of the year. We also hope to plant bulbs that will signal the arrival of spring next year. The children of the church have donated a bench for the garden.

We will continue to need your contributions to the Memorial Garden Fund to complete the planing and to provide for future maintenance of the garden. Our hope is that the garden will provide an inviting space for small gatherings or quiet contemplation for many years to come. Contributions can be sent to Pilgrim Church, PO Box 186, Duxbury, MA 02331. Be sure to indicate "Memorial Garden Fund" on the lower left hand corner if writing a check.

Thank you,

The Memorial Garden Committee

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SATURDAY NIGHT FIVE!

As we anticipate the winding down of our Saturday Night services we have one final service that we are looking forward to in May. The young people who have studied and participated in church life this year will be confirmed into full adult membership on May 14^th. The congregation is invited to join them, their parents and mentors at this special worship service. This service which will be held at 4pm and also include some really great music.

This has been a really wonderful year for Saturday Night Five. We have consistently had good attendance, and lots of folks have been involved. We also made a big change by transitioning to do our own music direction and hiring Diane Conley to play at each of our services. We look forward to next year, as we enter into our sixth year of worshipping on Saturday evening!

On that note, it is with a full heart that I had to pass on my leadership role to Rev. Eloise Parks. As a student in my final year of seminary, I will be completing an internship called CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education). In addition, I will be working on my final preparation, including my ordination paper, for examination next spring. In all honesty, while I experience great joy and passion around working with the folks who plan Saturday night's worship service, it does take considerable time that I will not have available next year. As your in-care student it has been a privilege to be on staff for the past six years and involved with Saturday Night Five since the first full year. I am excited to have Eloise assuming the leadership role, as she will have the ability to include young people in worship often. I look forward to your continuing support as my sponsoring home church as I enter my last year of seminary.

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Last year, the Pilgrim Church Council directed the Deacons to review our church's stands on same gender issues including marriage. Starting in the summer of 2004, we prayerfully began a long journey to understand these issues and place them into the context of Pilgrim Church.

The Deacons looked at these issues from a Biblical perspective, read current literature on the topic and devoted our annual retreat and many Deacons' meetings to this subject. We listened to a guest speaker from another church that had addressed the issues and have looked at the decision processes and results from several additional churches. Our readings and analysis provided support for many positions. Knowledgeable biblical scholars have devoted exhaustive attention to this topic and have reached radically different conclusions. In formulating a recommendation to the Council, the Deacons individually held many of these differing viewpoints but a majority agreed on this general direction.

The Deacons recommended and the Council approved no changes to our current policies. The policy on same gender marriage is:

The deacon's unanimously agreed and recognized that there was a need for education within the congregation and recommended that a library be started in the church to act as a resource for the congregation. The church council supported this. Initially, we will make available all of the readings and books we used. They will be in the library and can be checked out by members of our congregation. Following this initial step, the Deacons intend to conduct a forum and open discussion on these issues with the congregation to allow members to ask questions and offer their opinions and beliefs as part of the discussion.

Prayerfully yours,

May is the month of our Church's Annual Meeting. It is a time when we look back at what we've done in the past year. It is also a time of looking ahead. I don't know if all of you are aware of the fantastic Christian Education Board that has been working very hard this year to make sure that our Church's education needs are met. Part of what we do is evaluate how the programs are working. This year, we looked at Church School. Our average attendance (until the last couple of weeks) has been higher this year than in previous years and there is a wonderful energy in the classes. Even so, we feel that a change is needed. We will be implementing the Rotation Model of Sunday School. This is a fairly new way of doing Sunday School that has had wonderful results for most of the Churches that have used it. It is a way of doing Sunday School that has the kids digging deeper into the stories from the Bible that they study. It incorporates various learning styles so that more kids are reached. Each story/lesson has a 4-6 week span. In that time, the kids rotate to a different station each week. One station might be drama or puppetry, one station might be music, and one might be cooking. Whatever the station (and it will change according to the story/lesson) the story is repeated and learned from a different vantagepoint. By the end of the rotation, the kids will know the story and how it's lessons and truths apply to them, very well. Most importantly, they will be having fun while they learn. Teachers will sign up for 4-6 week stretches and they will teach the same lesson each week to a different group of kids as they rotate through. No more going home after Sunday School wishing they had done things differently. Now they'll have the chance! Another component is that the rooms are made to look like the kids have stepped back into Bible times. I could tell you more but I'm running out of room. Please pray for our kids and those that will teach and those that will be preparing for this new endeavor.

KID'S KLUB*KID'S KLUB-Our next meeting is May 22nd. If it's not raining, we will be outside for a fun afternoon of games. Otherwise, we'll have fun inside. As always, there will be a fun snack-wait ?til you see this one!! Come join us and bring a friend.

JYF*JYF*JYF-The last JYF meeting for this year will be on Friday May 13th from 6-9:30PM. We will have a fire and barbecue at Duxbury Beach. We'll meet at the Church at 5:45PM. We will need 3-4 drivers who have 4WD and an overland beach permit. Join us and bring a friend.

-Just two activities left-but they're big ones. The retreat is May 6th and 7th. Then, of course, there is your Confirmation Service on May 14th. Confirmation is at 4PM in the sanctuary. Please be here at 3:30PM.

I look forward to this time of celebration!

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New Stephen Ministers Class to Start in September Our recent class of Stephen Ministers have been carefully matched with their care receivers and we are anxious to train more.

People sometimes may ask or think, why do we need Stephen Ministers ? don't we have pastors to provide caring ministry? The simple answer is that our pastors cannot possibly provide all the caring ministry. Our pastors are like firefighters-when a crisis happens, they rush to the scene to put out the fire. But shortly after that, another fire will break out in our congregation, and they'll rush to that scene. They still will provide care to the victims of the first fire, but their time quickly becomes consumed by the second, third, and fourth fires. This is on top of their other duties as pastors.

This is where Stephen Ministers come in. Stephen Ministers are not counselors; they are trained lay caregivers. Their role is to listen and care ? not to give advice or counsel. They work with care receivers to help them receive the level of care they really need, anywhere from a month to possibly a year or more. Stephen Ministers are also trained to recognize when a care receiver's needs exceed what they can provide and they will then make referrals to others.

We invite you to prayerfully consider becoming a Stephen Minister. Applications are available and training will be conducted next fall. Please call Lee Tenney at 781-934-2596 with any questions.

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VISION 20/10

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