Deaconer - March 2003
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- Council Meeting - February 20, 2003
- Happy Birthday
- Diaconate
- Mission Ministries Team
- Christian Education Committee
- Membership Committee
- Men's Club
- March Worship Services
- Searching for Spirituality?
- Acolyte Class
- Reminder - Easter Memorial Flowers
- Volunteer NH!
- Altemont Masonic Lodge #26
- Invitation to Presentation and Discussion of The Earth Charter
- Hymns For Some Professions: (ha, ha)
- March 2003 Calendar
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Thursday, February 20, 2003 Present: Don Umlauf, Janet Umlauf, Jane Hannon, Tony DiAmbrosio, Jim Melhorn, Mark Warner, Janet Kohlmorgen, Marty Ferwerda, Bernice Ferwerda, Doug Popp, Janet Goodrich, Steve Henrikson Don Umlauf called the meeting to order at 7pm with an opening prayer offered by Pastor Jim Melhorn. The Collector’s and Treasurer’s reports were read and accepted. 9% of the pledged amount was received in January. All bills have been paid to date. The treasurer will be away from March 7 to 23. Please submit bills to accommodate this time period. Maura Keegan will be available if an emergency arises. Mark Warner reported Buildings and Grounds recommends the purchase of three four-by-six floor mats for the entrance. Council unanimously approved the expenditure of $379.50. The Trustees will identify the appropriate funding source. Work on the interior of the parsonage will begin within two weeks. Although the siding has been delivered, installation has not begun due to the extreme weather conditions. The Church use facilities policy draft will be reviewed with the Trustees and then brought to the council. Jim Melhorn noted that the draft of the revised by laws will be presented at the March council meeting. Christian Education committee continues to address nursery care. There will be a sign up sheet available, with coverage consisting of an adult and a teenage assistant. Bernice has distributed materials/ information to the teachers that she gathered at the recent “Prepared to Serve” meeting. Doug Popp noted that the Summer Vacation Bible School will be held in the evening from July 27 through August 1 using materials available through Cokesbury. Twelve volunteers are needed from our church to work with volunteers from the Ashburnham church to staff this program. Jane Hannon suggested having a sign up sheet made available through the local paper to facilitate outreach. Michelle Cormier will cover for Bernice during the six-week period the Ferwerdas will be away. Marty Ferwerda informed the council that Missions Ministry has spoken with the Deacons about having a 2nd offering on Communion Sundays for Mission activities. The first effort would be to support the Sunday School children in their heifer project activity. The Mission Ministries team noted the successful Souper Bowl meal and program held on Super Bowl Sunday. The prayer chain is working well. One Great Hour of Sharing will be conducted on March 30. At their next meeting, the Missions Ministry team will review it goals toward the community and church family. Tony DiAmbrosio informed the council that the Music committee has renewed its copying license. Bob Popple will have the organ tuned before the Palm Sunday service. The Trustees continue to address the Church’s need for a collector for the upcoming year. Janet Umlauf has met with the trustees to review the scope of the position. A major concern is that in the past the collector needed to be present every Sunday. The Trustees assure that assistance will be available for the new collector, providing a level of flexibility that has been needed. The trustees reported the church has received funds in memory of Freida Sargent. Jim Melhorn reiterated the need for reviewing the record keeping process related to the various trust funds. The trustees will review the current process and any potential changes. Jane Hannon also noted the need to review record keeping procedures related to work done on the parsonage and church. The next business meeting of the Men’s Club will be Sunday, Feb. 23. The next breakfast will be March 9. Pastor Jim noted that the Tuesday evening Bible class participants have now joined the Monday class. He is exploring alternative formats for evening program that meet the interest and needs of the church members. Formats being explored include monthly evening prayer-type meeting with a focus on fellowship and spirituality, an exploration of current issues and how they related to the church, book discussion groups, movie review groups, etc. Long Range Planning continues to work on the Twelve Keys program. Pastor Jim summarized the key entitled, “Streamlined Structure and Solid Participatory Decision-Making”. Research has shown the effectiveness of empowering the church membership: that 20% of the decisions should be made by the larger group [congregation], 30% by the leaders of the church and committee chairs, and 50% by task forces, etc. at the operational level. The importance of community among the membership was discussed. In addition, general principles of good decision making were reviewed: the impact anxiety makes on the quality of decisions made, the importance of beginning and ending meetings on time, a reasonable meeting time length, communication about the agenda, and follow through: responsibility, authority, accountability. All committee reports were unanimously approved as presented. New Business: The Annual planning meeting will be held at Woodbound Inn, the exact date to be announced. The focus of that session will relate to the Twelve Keys program being used by the Long-Range Planning Committee. The following events have been scheduled to date:
The meeting adjourned at 8:55pm with Marty Ferwerda offering a closing prayer. The next meeting will be March 20 at 7pm. Tony will offer the closing prayer. Repectfully submitted,
Happy Birthday
March 2 - Michael
Picinisco March 15 - Hayden
Skelton
Diaconate Deacon of the month for March is Lee Mailloux. Communion will be on March 9th assisted by Penny Chace, Steve Chace and Sue Chatwin. We are fully staffed this year with the following Deacons - Penny Chace, Steve Chace, Sue Chatwin, Robin Crowe, Kathy Fitzwater, Steve Henrikson, Trudie Kalinen, Janet Kohlmorgen and Lee Mailloux. We worked through the various assignments for the year: • Chair – Steve ChaceBased on a session Rev. Melhorn attended at Prepared to serve - 21st Century Deacon, Jim asked us to be thinking about the role of Deacon in today’s environment and ways to possibly reallocate some of the work in a way that it all still gets done. This ties in with by-law work as well. We will be working with Christian Education in sponsoring a Come to the Table in March. We also gave an OK to the Mission Ministries Team to take a free will offering once a month for mission work. If you know of anyone who is ill or needs a visit, or even just a card, please speak to a Deacon or Rev. Melhorn – we will insure they are contacted. Next meeting will be March 13th at 7:00pm in the vestry.
Mission Ministries Team
Present: Marty Ferwerda, Alice Zwart, Betty Chenausky, Mary Alice D'Ambrosio, Penny Chace 1. Souper-Bowl Sunday's collection netted $66.00 for the food pantry & many pounds of food, $100 from our budget was given as well. 2. Prayer chain seems to be running OK. 3. One Great Hour of Sharing collection to be taken on March 30th, Betty to coordinate things & talk to Jim about scheduling some items in the service for that day. 4. Bulletin board to get pictures of people we are supporting, in the near future. 5. Discussed items of correspondence received. Alice & Penny took some items home to read. 6. The possibility of another potluck supper was discussed to give Campus Crusade representative an opportunity to speak to our church. 7. Discussion of goals, etc. for the year. Next meeting on March 9th after church. Marty will be away until beginning of April. Penny to lead next meeting. Respectfully submitted,
Christian Education Committee
Present: Doug Popp, Victoria Skowronek, Bernice Ferwerda, Michelle Cormier, Cindy Melhorn, Rev Jim Melhorn, Phyllis Ames. The meeting opened with prayer by Bernice. A substitute Council Representative is needed. Phyllis volunteered to do this. Previous secretary's report was read and accepted. Nursery care was discussed again. We have a list of volunteer helpers. They are Michelle Cormier, Betty Chenausky, Colleen Keegan and Marie Marr. A sign-up sheet will be posted for more unpaid helpers. Budget The Church School budget spent: $274.14 on Curriculum, $49.48 on Youth Group, $240.00 on Night Watch (for teens). For the Library Bernice has several magazines and videos ordered at $19.95 each (one for Christmas and one for Eastertime). Members of the committee voted in favor of these. Prepared to Serve Bernice attended an All-day Informational program and received many excellent ideas and booklets. VBS A recent meeting had good attendance with reps from Ashburnham, Toah Nipi, in addition to Jennifer Skelton and Doug Popp. A projected cost for VBS for each church would be $500. There should be enough in our budget for our share. Tentative dates are July 27th to August 1st. A curriculum was selected from Cokesbury (UCC) Lighthouse Series. We will need volunteers from our church. Toah Nipi has invited all to use their facility. We will have a free-will offering to offset this expense. Youth Group A wonderful sledding party was held at the Brummers. There were over forty sledders who enjoyed the fun and refreshments provided by Peg and Ed (THANKS). Victoria and Michelle plan to take a group soon to visit Mary Sawyer's home. A group is planning to go to the Horton Center this summer. Adult Ed Bible Study Monday Group is doing well. Tuesday Evening Group has been disbanded. A monthly group may be planned. Come to the Table A date will be set for March to plan a workshop for everyone concerning a study of Communion. Tentative date is March 16th with a simple supper. More plans coming soon. Goals Heifer Project, Come to the Table, Christmas Program, Children's Sunday, Post Confirmation Group, V B S, Adult Education, Rally/Family Fun Day in September Long term goals Musical program for children, changing Church School from Sunday to a weekday. Bernice will be away for several weeks. Michelle Cormier will be in charge during her absence. Next meeting: March 9th. Jim Melhorn closed with prayer. Respectfully submitted,
Membership Committee The Membership Committee met on February 6, 2003 at 6:30pm in the vestry. Members of the Membership Committee this year are Doug Popp, Lois May and Steve Henrikson. Duties are as follows: • Lois May – ChairIn order to accommodate a schedule conflict, we have moved the regular meeting to the first Wednesday of the month at 7:15pm following Bell Choir. Next Membership Committee meeting will need to be determined, as the scheduled night is Ash Wednesday.
Men's Club
In attendance were: Marty Ferwerda, Doug Popp, Peter Robarge and Bob Popple. Bob Popple opened the meeting with prayer. Minutes to the last business meeting were reviewed and accepted. We reviewed the activities of the previous breakfast held on January 12th. The date of the next breakfast will be February 9th. Peter Robarge and Dave Marr volunteered for kitchen duty. Discussion topic: Alpha Unfinished Business: Dues: We decided that yearly dues are unnecessary and that a free will offering can be taken at the breakfasts to offset expenses. Membership roster: The president will maintain the membership roster. Those declaring themselves as members will be added to the roster. If a member does not attend a Men's Club function for a year, the President will contact the member to inquire as to his status. New Business: Prayer breakfast topics: We discussed keeping our breakfast topics in line with the spiritual and social aspects of the club. No decisions on guidelines were made other than those we already have. Alpha: We discussed exploring Alpha as a program that the Men's Club could become involved with. It was decided it was at least worth looking into. Marty closed the meeting with prayer at 9:10am. Schedule for Prayer Breakfast:
Men's Club Meetings:
Respectfully submitted
March Worship Services March 2
– Transfiguration Sunday
March 9
– First Sunday in Lent – Communion
March
16 – Second Sunday in Lent
March
23 – Third Sunday in Lent
March
30 – Fourth Sunday in Lent
Searching for Spirituality? Opportunities abound to explore more deeply your relationship with God, and the connections between one another, as we offer times to gather for discussion, meditation, music, and prayer. Please find something that sparks your interest and plan to attend. March 5 – 7:30pm Ash Wednesday Service of Prayer – The beginning of monthly evening prayer services. These services will be brief, about ½ hour, and will include music, time for meditation, prayer, and a brief message. We will spend significant time in prayer, and will offer prayers especially for peace in this time of impending war. March 16 – 5:30pm Come to the Table – We will offer another communion workshop and time for fellowship. Since our church officially opened the communion table to children of all ages, we wanted to find a way to educate both children and adults into the many meanings of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Rather than lectures or classes, the intent is to involve participants in a holistic experience. Through a series of workshops that explore the meaning and origin of the elements of the communion service, participants will gain new insights and a fresh perspective. All children and adults are invited to share a simple meal, participate in the workshops, and then come together to share a Communion meal with other members of the Church family. March 18 Hashing
it Out – How do the principles
of our faith affect our views on real-life issues? Using a
video
series featuring discussions between two well-known social
commentators:
Tony Campolo, a liberal evangelical professor and speaker, and Steve
Brown,
a conservative evangelical radio host and lecturer, we will jump into
discussions
of the thorny issues of the day. Examples include: Is evil
for real?
and Is it ever OK to lie? We will relate to the
Bible and how
we interpret it to understand these very real issues. Our
goal is
not to prove wrong someone who holds an opposing view, but to find ways
to lovingly hear and understand how we can be different and still be
the
Body of Christ. In order to accommodate different schedules,
we will
offer this at two times:
Acolyte Class Acolyte Class- March 23rd during the S.S hour for new and current acolytes.
Reminder - Easter Memorial Flowers We will have a form to order Easter Memorial Flowers for the church in the next Deaconer. Please begin to think about who you would like to remember for the upcoming holiday.
Volunteer NH! The 20th Annual New Hampshire Governor's Conference on Volunteerism. There are over 45 sessions led by Top Professionals in New England. For more information contact:
Altemont Masonic Lodge #26 The Altemont Masonic Lodge #26 in Peterborough is pleased to announce the opening of the 32 (degree) Masonic Learning Center For Children, Inc. The Learning Center provides specialized, one-on-one tutorial sessions for children with dyslexia. The tutorial services are provided free of charge on a first-come, first-serve basis to children of all ages, from any town. The Learning Center is also a training center for education professionals and adults interested in becoming certified in the Orton-Gillingham Approach to teaching dyslexic children to read. If you have any questions or would like more information, please fell free to contact Bonnie Anderson at 924-9654 or e-mail at banderson@monadnockbank.com
Invitation to Presentation and
Discussion of
Considering the world's turmoil and the unlikelihood of any foreseeable true world "order," we at Monadnock Meeting of Friends (Quakers) believe it is urgent for all people of faith and goodwill to seek a common vision to guide and energize us in our search for world peace, democracy, justice, and a sustainable economy that will promote the wellbeing of Earth's life community. To our mind, the most comprehensive vision of these goals is that set forth in the United Nations' Earth Charter document. The Charter was developed over a period of 10 years by diverse groups from around the world with the intent of inspiring people everywhere to work together to achieve the above goals. There will be a meeting on March 2nd at 1:00pm at the Monadnock Friends Meeting House. For further information, call 547-3589 or 1-978-433-9808
Hymns For Some Professions: (ha, ha)
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