PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

January 2008


A View from the Balcony

 

Dear Friends,

            A very Happy New Year to you all!  God’s richest blessings go with your family and you in this New Year.  We also ask God’s goodness as we go forward as a church and search for a new Settled Pastor.  I pray for the right fit for Pilgrim Church of Duxbury and have little doubt that God has the consummate candidate waiting in his wings. 

            Since January marks new beginnings, it seems good to sum up where we’ve been and where we are now as a church.  Since the start of my ministry among you in September of 2006, I mentioned that most Interims last for two years.  We are right on target with the 5 Interim Tasks being completed last May and a Search Committee being formed in the New Year of 2007.  The Search Committee has done a stellar job by completing the Church Profile and posting it on the United Church of Christ website in Cleveland in November of 2007.  Pastors seeking positions will see Pilgrim’s profile listed online.  They will then choose to have their profile sent to our church by contacting the Pilgrim Association who will in turn forward the candidate’s profile to Pilgrim Church of Duxbury.  The Search Committee will then process and prioritize these profiles and begin interviews.  Since I, as your Interim can only be involved in advising the Search Committee on process, I am not involved with the search for candidates.

            The church is in a strong position to attract a seasoned Settled Senior Pastor.  Despite the uncertainty and anxiety of transition we have experienced internal and external growth.  In September of 2006, we had an average of 25-30 people attending spiritual formation classes (Wed Bible Study and Women’s Bible Studies).  Today we have between 50-60 people enrolled in these classes plus our seasonal Wednesday night Christian Education series.  Furthermore, we have trained 10 lay people to assist the pastoral staff with lay visitation.  We currently have a list of 40 people that will be visited on a regular basis, which has significantly broadened our care-giving to the church.  Add to this the training of 2 new Stephen Ministry Leaders and thereby increasing more in-depth and weekly assistance to anyone going through chronic life crises. We’ve also seen 11 new members join our church family in 2007 with another New Members Class planned for 2008. Finally, our numbers are up in Sunday attendance.  On the first Sunday of Advent we saw 30 more people than last year at this time with an increase of over 20 more children in classes.  Numbers aren’t and shouldn’t be a barometer of health for a congregation. But when you see the church not only stay steady, but grow spiritually and numerically during a time of transition that says something significant. 

            I have cited our strengths.  We also have spaces to grow.  That is true for all churches and all people until we see Christ face to face!  We continue to work on those things spotted in our congregational studies surveyed by the Transition Team:  We want to continue to engage differences and conflict in ways that make us ‘un-stuck’ and moving with open hearts toward one another.  We want to become clearer and more transparent in our decision-making, ensuring that our committees are culling out the diversity of our congregation and not simply representing single voices or special interest groups.  And we want to live into what it means (with all its messiness) to be the church of God and not merely a corporate institution.  The United Church of Christ’s “Basis of Union” says it best:  The faith which unites us and to which we bear witness is that faith in God which the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments set forth, which the ancient Church expressed in the ecumenical creeds to which our own spiritual fathers gave utterance…In all our expressions of that faith we seek to preserve unity of heart and spirit with those who have gone before us as well as those who now labor with us. 

            Once again, dear people of Pilgrim Church, a very Happy and Blessed New Year!

 

                                                            Serving in Partnership,

                                                                        The Reverend Beverly Weinhold

                                                                        Intentional Interim Minister

 

 

 

 

Faith Sharing Bible Study....

 

Our Wednesday morning Bible Study will resume on January 16.  We will continue to meet in the Library at 10:00 am ‘til 11:15.  Our study together will continue in the Old Testament book of Joshua, picking up in Chapter 9.  This is an exciting story about the Israelites occupying the Promised Land and shadows the spiritual lesson of the Christian occupying the new life offered through Jesus Christ. Please come and bring a friend or neighbor as we grow deeper in our faith and closer together as friends.

                                                            Reverend Beverly Weinhold

 

 

PCCP: Did You Know?

 

For a glimpse into the kind of curriculum that is taught at PCCP, here’s a look at the first three months of this school year in the Pre-Kindergarten class.

 

September’s theme I Can Be Me encouraged individuality. Children learned about apples, the color red, the letters A and B, numbers 1 and 2, and the circle shape. In addition to going apple picking, they made friendship jewelry, applesauce, and apple prints. October was I Can Imagine month where students explored the color orange and learned about the letters C, D, and E, numbers 3 and 4, and the square shape. In addition, they studied fire safety which included a visit to the Duxbury Fire Department, picked pumpkins at Bog Hollow, and went trick or treating at Snug Harbor. In November, they learned about Happy, Healthy Me, the color brown, the letters F, G, and H, numbers 5 and 6, the oval shape, manners and being healthy. The month concluded with an Animal Friend’s Feast. As always, teachers work with students daily on self help skills, motor skills, and social skills.

If you have any questions about the PCCP curriculum, please don’t hesitate to contact Director Michelle Manganaro or any member of the PCCP Board. We wish you a new year filled with many blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Members Class!!

 

A New Members Class will take place on two consecutive Sundays in the New Year:  February 24 and March 2.  Our deacons will be sending a letter to those of you who have expressed an interest and will be following this with a phone call.  We realize too, that some have not indicated interest on our Fellowship Pads (located in our pews and signed on Sundays).  Please speak to a deacon or call Pastor Weinhold with any questions or to have a conversation.  We look forward to getting to know you better and we are eager to share more about our special community with all of you. Please plan to join us on 2/24 and 3/2 even if you are unsure about joining. We will journey together and you can decide if and when you want to take a step closer.

                                                            The Reverend Beverly Weinhold

 

 

 

 

 

Search Team News

 

            We as your search team have turned an important corner in our search for a new Settled Pastor.  I look forward to giving you more details regarding where we are in the process. 

Before I do that, I would like to discuss where you are in the process.  Some of you may not have even realized that you are part of the selection process, and let me explain why you are.

Not only are we selecting a new pastor, a new pastor is selecting us.  Who we are today is different than who we were just eighteen months ago.  Committees have changed, staff has changed, attendance is different, pledges are different, and sometimes our commitment is different.  I urge you to be active in this body of Christ.  Help us attract a pastor who is coming into a vibrant community of believers. 

When the easy thing to say is I’ll invite a friend when the new minister comes, invite them now.  When it is easy to say I’ll get involved when the new pastor gets here, get involved now.  When staying home is more comfortable than coming to church, come to church.  When it is easier to “worry about me” instead of showing Christian love, love your neighbor.  It will make us a congregation that candidates are eager to choose.  Here’s the update.    

The church profile, which describes our congregation, was completed and is now available through the United Church of Christ.  We have received over twenty profiles of pastoral candidates thus far and hope to receive many more.  Not all are matches, but we are enthusiastic about some of them.  We thank each candidate for their interest, and we request more information from those who we feel may be a match. 

So as we review new profiles, we are also listening to sermons from those who we hope will fit with our congregation.  We are not rushing through this process, nor are we trying to do anything that will delay it.  We want a new pastor as soon as possible. More than that, however, we want a pastor who is great fit for us and a great fit for them.

 Join us in making true what it says in Colossians 3:23&24. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.       

 

                                                                        Roger White, Search Team Chair

 

                      Pilgrim Women’s Fellowship

 

 

Koinonia will start the New Year on Monday, January 14 at the home of Elaine Guilfoyle.  For directions or questions, call Elaine at 781/934-9648.

 

The PWF Ladies Lunch Out will be meeting at noon on Wednesday, January 9 and Wednesday, February 27 at locations that have yet to be determined.  Email Colleen Brayer with your suggestions and to be included in reservations (brayer.c@gmail.com) or call her at 781/934-6474.

 

At the next meeting of Bookworms on Tuesday, January 22, we’ll be discussing “Wish You Well” by David Baldacci.  Come join us in the parlor at 1:30 PM, always the 4th Tuesday of the month.

 

 

 

 

 

An Angel in Our Midst

 

Too often we make generalizations about family, friends and folks we think we know well.  It simply amazes me how many “unsung heroes” I run into every day.  Average folks, living under extraordinary circumstances and yet reaching out with compassion and love towards others. Truly there are angels among us.  Let me give you an example of one humble servant.  There is an elder member of our congregation who takes a small stack of bulletins with her each week as she leaves Sunday morning worship.  She returns to her home and then quietly slips a bulletin under the door of the members of Pilgrim Church who live in her complex but are unable to attend worship for various reasons.  Her quiet servant ministry is unknown to many, yet reaches out to those who might otherwise feel a loss of connection to Pilgrim Church, their church.  Let’s give thanks and pray for the angels among us.

 

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”  Hebrews 13:2

 

                                                May the peace of Christ be with each of you,

                                                Rev. Peggy

 

 

 

Come and Serve

Through the efforts of Doug Backlund, Pilgrim Church maintains a regular commitment to serve dinner the 4th Friday of every month at the Pine Street Inn in Boston. The Pine Street Inn is a “not-for-profit organization committed to men, women and children in need of shelter, sustenance and the basic moral and material supports necessary to lead a dignified and stable life.” Each month, members of the congregation meet at church at 3:30 to drive into Boston, serve dinner and return around 7:00.  Volunteers are always welcome to participate in this worthwhile endeavor. If you would like to sign up, please contact Doug at 934-0764.

 

 

 

 

 

Ongoing Fundraiser for the Youth Mission Trip

 

 

Bring your returnable bottles and cans with you to church on Sundays and Betsey Hunter will exchange them and submit the $’s to the 2008 Mission Trip Fund!  Located beside the dumpster in the lower parking lot we now have two grey buckets (for plastic and aluminum bottles and cans) and one long white box (for glass). Please bring all glass bottles in some type of cardboard container (six pack holder or case) and put them into the long box. Speak to Betsey if you are interested in taking a turn bringing the returnables up to Muckies in Pembroke.  Additional liners and cardboard boxes are located inside the white box if you arrive and find an overflow.  Please help us with this very simple fundraiser!  

 

 

 

 

 

The congregation extends a special thank you to the members of the Flower Committee.  We all appreciate the extra work that goes into decorating our church during the Christmas season.  Once again you graced our sacred space with the season’s finest.  It was truly beautiful.  Thank you!

 

 

 

            Christian Education Corner

 

By the time you read this, another Pageant will have passed by. As I am writing this, however, it has not yet taken place.  I have watched as a different group of children shows up for each rehearsal.  I have wondered how it will come together without a full rehearsal but then I am reminded that we are in the season of miracles-both big and small.  (Really though, is there any such thing as a small miracle?)  The Pageant is one of the times when we are reminded that the God who cannot be contained came to earth as a tiny baby.  We celebrate the wildness and wonder of the God who came to us and continues to come to us.

 

A big part of what makes the Pageant such a special thing is the coming together of so many members of the Church family who work hard to make this a wonderful service.  Thanks to all the parents who helped make sure the shepherds, angels, sheep, cows and other little actors were where they needed to be.  Thanks also to everyone who helped with costumes and scenery.

 

A big thanks to the CE Board members, Confirmands and youth for all of their work in making this a wonderful Pageant.  A very special thanks to Gwynne Zisko, Lisa Webber, Angelique Kania and Evelena Tufankjian for directing and producing this year.

 

Kid’s Klub*   4th and 5th graders will meet on Sunday, January 20th from 2:30-4 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 activities.

 

SYF*   You will meet on the 13th and 27th.

 

Confirmation*   Confirmation continues with sessions on the 6th and the 13th following morning worship.  On the 13th, after class, 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.

 

                                              Blessings,

                                                Rev. Eloise

 

Like to knit?  Join the Prayer Shawl Ministry group on Tuesday, January 15 in the parlor from 1:15 – 3:15 PM. Bring 3 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun yearn (found at Michael’s, A.C. Moore, Joanne Fabrics) – your choice of color – and size 13 needles.  We meet the 3rd Tuesday each month.

 

Enjoy a cup of tea, conversation and camaraderie as you work on a prayer shawl which will bring warmth and comfort to someone in need.  Questions?  Call Maddie Merrifield at 781/837-8545.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many inquiries and reports come into the church office via email which is generally quite efficient, though it is not without an occasional glitch.    Know that every effort is made to acknowledge email receipt; so when you haven’t heard back, a phone call may be in order. A list of the pastoral and office staff email addresses is reprinted for your convenience.

 

            Rev. Beverly Weinhold             revweinhold@pilgrimchurchofduxbury.org

            Rev. Eloise Parks                                 eloiseparks@hotmail.com

            Rev. Peggy O’Neil Files                       pfiles@pilgrimchurchofduxbury.org

            Cathy Doughty                         cdoughty@pilgrimchurchofduxbury.org

            Terri Clark                                           tlclark@pilgrimchurchofduxbury.org

            Cathleen Morrison                                cathleenmorrison@hotmail.com

 

 

 

In the event of inclement weather, a church service or event may be cancelled or delayed. You may call the church (the main number:  781-934-6591) where a message will relay any relevant information.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

When calling the church, you are more than welcome to listen to the greeting, hear when services are scheduled and get directions if necessary.  However, if you wish to speak to someone just dial their extension at any time throughout the greeting and you will be connected to them (or their voicemail if they are not available).  Here’s a handy list you may wish to keep with your church directory:

 

 

 

 

 

            For general information:          781-934-6591

            Then, to reach a particular person:

            Terri Clark, Church Secretary and Collector                             ext. 100

            Cathy Doughty, Administrator                                       ext. 101

            Rev. Beverly Weinhold, Interim Senior Pastor               ext. 102

            Rev. Eloise Parks, Assoc. Pastor-Christian Ed.             ext. 103

            Cathleen Morrison, Director of Music                           ext. 104

            Rev. Peggy O’Neil Files, Assoc. Pastor-Cong’l Care    ext. 110

            Linda Shropshire, Financial Manager                                         ext. 140

And for all other calls                                                                     0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year end statements will be mailed out in early January.   If you have any questions regarding them, kindly call me at the church office and I will be happy to review your account.  The first quarter statement (March 31, 2008) will contain your 2008 pledge as well as any contributions made to date.  As always, it is most helpful to clearly indicate on each contribution where you would like that contribution applied – church operations, OCWM (missions), or any special donation such as flowers or the youth mission trip.  Your attention to this makes for more accurate statements and is so appreciated!

                                                            Terri Clark, Collector

 

                                     PARISH POST

 

Prayers of Healing  - Grace Poellmitz -   Priscilla Sangster  

 

Prayers of Comfort and Solace

For the family and friends of  Harlan Woerpel, Traci Shortt’s father.

For the family and friends of Olive MacQuarrie, Janice Brodil’s mother.

For the family and friends of Norva Jeanne Henrichs, Ronald Wolfe’s cousin.

 

Prayers of Joy

For the baptism of  Quinn Catherine Joy Edwards, daughter of Heather and John Edwards and godchild of Kelsey Greene and James Forker.

 

 

 

 

 

If you have not yet picked up your copy of the Pilgrim Church pictorial directory, call the church office (781/934-6591 ext. 100 or 101).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Flower Committee would again like to thank the many members of the congregation who so generously donated the flowers in the sanctuary and narthex throughout the year.  The flower calendar for this new church year is posted outside the vestry on the bulletin board.  If you would like to donate flowers, please feel free to sign up or contact a member of the flower committee if you have any questions.  Thank you!

                                                                                       Shirley Dunphy

                                                                                       (781/837-5655)