First Church of Pembroke
October 2016 Newsletter
Upcoming Events
Oct 1 – Pancake Breakfast 810am
Oct 2 – Labyrinth Dedication
10am
Oct 2 – WV and Maine Mission
Meeting – 7pm
Oct 3 – Christian Ed. – 7:30pm
Oct 11 – Deacon Meeting –
7:30pm
Oct 12 – CNK Open House – 6pm
Oct 16 – Pet Blessing – 12pm
Oct 18 – Trustees Meeting –
7:30pm
Pastor’s Page
Greetings from First Church of Pembroke! Hope the rigors of the early weeks in the new
school year have been going along well. And if there have been glitches or potholes,
there have been adequate opportunities to “re-align” and proceed on schedule.
September’s worship offered everyone attending a time to reflect on the summer’s
festivities and vacation travels. As is the tradition at First Church on the first week of each
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month, September 4 renewed our places at God’s Table as we gathered to celebrate
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Holy Communion. On Sunday, September 11 , we were blessed with commemorating
the fifteenth year since the terrorists’ attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City, the
attack on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the downing of United Airlines Flight 93,
which was hijacked in the September 11 attacks and crashed in Stonycreek Township,
Somerset County, Pennsylvania. We were richly blessed as Paul and Frieda Burke,
members of First Church, shared their personal stories of that infamous day.
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On Sunday, September 18 , we welcomed a special guest, featuring Jean Holland,
Director of CNK Pre-School (meeting daily at our facility). Celebrating over 50 years of
service to the broader communities in and around Pembroke, as well as a mission effort
by First Church, CNK Pre-School continues to provide early childhood education to eager
preschoolers. Jean shared the fact that a grandfather of one of the current students was
in the very first class of CNK years ago! With all the technology and availability to travel
all over the world, in the end, it is amazing how small the world really is!
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Oct 25 – Council Meeting –
7:30pm
Oct 30 – Organ/Tisue Donor
Sunday – 10am
Recurring Events
Every Wednesday
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Bible Study – 7:30
Every Thursday
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Choir Practice – 7:30
Creative Workshop –
7:30
Every Thursday, Friday and
Saturday
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Thrift Shop 11am -3pm
Phone: 781-293-2584
And this past Sunday, September 25 , we bid regards to Bertina Reed, our long time
organist. The congregation gave Bertina a framed poster - Jesus changes everything! –
along with the altar flowers. We also saluted our former choir director – Jane Natale who
had stepped aside a few years ago and turned over the reins to Margot Driscoll. Margot
is also relinquishing her position of Choir Director, and while Bertina was leaving the
church and pursuing other challenges, both Jane and Margot will continue singing in the
choir. Jane and Margot were presented with floral arrangements in appreciation of their
contributions to the music ministry at First Church. The fellowship hour continued the
celebration with a cake and other treats, a special “cheerleader cheer” from Samantha
Lawrence, and more gifts for the three, specifically from the choir. Margot presented
Bertina with a tote bag patterned with piano/music fabric and a table runner, also woven
with a piece of music and signed by all the choir members.
Indeed, the month of September at First Church ended on a “high note” (no pun
intended). If you missed any of it, don’t fret (another pun not intended), we are heading
into October, November, and December with more themes throughout our worship,
fellowship, and other special events.
So, join every Sunday morning at 10am and share the journey. We are a faith community
pursuing a deeper meaning and understanding of “Who God Is” and “Who God Is To Be”
in our lives, and regularly reminded, at every turn, that God is Still Speaking…and we are
listening!!
See you in church!
Pastor Matt
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://firstchurchinpembroke.com
First Church of Pembroke
October 2016 Newsletter
Join us as we celebrate a gift…
Merry Foxworth – Choir Director
First Church is pleased to welcome Merry Foxworth as
our new choir director and organist.
Merry Has been a former organist/choir director in
many churches of many denominations including
Episcopal, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, UCC, Baptist
and more in Southeastern Massachusetts, Texas, NJ,
Ohio and Tennessee.
She has accompanied singers, choirs and
instrumentalists in recitals and concerts. She has also
done organ recitals. She has a B. Mus. from Oberlin
College Conservatory of Music in Organ Performance
and is a member of the American Guild of Organists.
Please join us in welcoming Merry at her first service
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on October 2 .
Holiday Fair
Mark your calendars and share with your friends.
The First Church Holiday Fair is set for Saturday
November 19th from 10:00am – 3:00pm.
Fellowship Hall will be transformed into a festival
of holiday gifts. You will find the Country
Kitchen with jams, jellies, cheese, homemade
beans, soups & chowder, fudge and more, Kitchen
Etc with aprons, potholders, recycled
cookbooks, Warm and Snuggly with handmade
hats, scarves, mittens and accessories, Deck the
Halls filled with holiday ornaments and
decorations to brighten your home, Christmas
Past brimming with gently used Christmas
decorations and the Cookie Jar where you will be
able to fill your container with a variety of
homemade cookies. You will also find a Bake
Shop with homemade pies, breads and desserts,
a Silent Auction and a Snack Bar serving
muffins, chowder, sandwiches and drinks
throughout the day. New this year a Book
Nook filled with gently used children’s books. Join
us for a day filled with fun and holiday spirit.
Phone: 781-293-2584
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We hope you and your family will join us this Sunday, October 2 , for
the dedication of the Chartres labyrinth. The meditative maze is
donated by the Hume family in memory of the Rev. James Clark, Lori
Hume’s uncle. And following worship, please join us in the Fellowship
Hall for a time to check out the labyrinth and sharing with the Hume’s.
What is a “labyrinth” you may ask?
Wikipedia offers the following (portions abbreviated) regarding
labyrinths:
“Labyrinths have on various occasions been used in Christian
tradition as a part of worship. The earliest known example is from a
fourth-century basilica pavement in… Orleansville, Algeria… though it is
unclear how it might have been used in worship.
In medieval times, labyrinths began to appear on church walls
and floors around 1000 C.E.. The most famous medieval labyrinth, with
great influence on later practice, was created in Chartres Cathedral.
The purpose of the labyrinths is not clear, though there are surviving
descriptions of French clerics performing a ritual Easter dance along the
path on Easter Sunday. Some books (guidebooks in particular) suggest
that mazes on cathedral floors originated in the medieval period as
alternatives to pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but the earliest attested use
of the phrase "chemin de Jerusalem" (path to Jerusalem) dates to the
late 18th century when it was used to describe mazes at Reims and
Saint-Omer… accompanying rituals, depicted Romantic illustrations
involving pilgrims following the maze on their knees while praying, may
have been practiced at Chartres during the 17th century...
The use of labyrinths has recently been revived in some
contexts of Christian worship. For example, a labyrinth was set up on
the floor of St Paul's Cathedral for a week in March 2000. In recent
years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the labyrinth symbol,
which has inspired a revival in labyrinth building… labyrinths and mazes
have been embraced by the video game industry, and countless video
games feature such a location… on bobsled, luge, and skeleton tracks, a
labyrinth is where there are three to four curves in succession without a
straight line in between any of the turns… in modern imagery, the
labyrinth of Daedalus is often represented by a multicursal maze, in
which one may become lost.”
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So join with us and share in the celebration… this Sunday, October 2
… for worship and then a time of fellowship. See you in church!!!
Email: [email protected]
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Website: http://firstchurchinpembroke.com
First Church of Pembroke
October 2016 Newsletter
Calling all Church Elves
Missions Update
Many hands are needed to create the Holiday Fair
The Board of Missions met on September 11th and will be sending
donations to the following charities and organizations. Pembroke
Food Pantry, The Pembroke Firehouse Pantry, the Plymouth Coalition
for the Homeless, The Carolina Hill House located in Marshfield which
provides a safe haven, support and guidance to homeless families as
they strive to rebuild independent lives, Seafarer Friends, Cranberry
Hospice as well as the Hospice of the South Shore. In addition, we sent
our monthly pledge to the Massachusetts Conference of the United
Church of Christ (MAUCC) The Board of Missions meets monthly and
each month various organizations and charities benefit from your
generous support to our mission budget.
event. What can you do to help?
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Consider donating handmade items for our
tables and silent auction
Make a pot of your favorite soup or chowder –
we will divide into containers to sell
Create your favorite pie, bread, or dessert to
sell at our bake table
Bake 2-3 dozen cookies for the Cookie Jar
where people can create their own assortment
to purchase
Donate homemade jams, jellies, fudge, and
candies to sell at the Country Kitchen
Pass on the gently used cookbooks from the
back of those bookshelves
We are most appreciative of your support.
Stephen Ministry
Drop off in the church office on or before Friday,
First Church supports an active Stephen Ministry program for its
November 18th.
congregants and the wider community. According to their website
(stephenministries.org) “Stephen Ministry is the one-to-one lay
All day Friday November 18th starting 10 am, we will
caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use
be setting up for the fair, pricing and arranging and
the Stephen Series system. Stephen Ministry congregations equip
tending to last minute details. Join us – no experience
and empower lay caregivers—called Stephen Ministers—to provide
necessary but guaranteed FUN! See you there!
high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are
hurting. The Stephen Ministry… works with three groups of people
Watch the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall for
involved in this ministry: Stephen Leaders, Stephen Ministers, and
opportunities to share your time and talents. Questions
care receivers.
and/or suggestions, call Gail @781 293 9355.
You will hear more about this dedicated ministry in the coming
weeks (in worship, fellowship, and the newsletter) and the
Join us to ensure our Holiday Fair is a success!
remaining months leading into the holiday season. But for now,
know we are blessed to have people in all three groups…that is
trained Stephen Leaders, trained and functioning Stephen Ministers,
and those blessed as they have or are presently receiving one-onone care.
WV/Maine Mission Meeting
Our first meeting to discuss fund raising for the coming
year will be on Sunday, October 2nd at 7 PM at the
church in Fellowship Hall.
All who are interested in going to either West Virginia or
Maine in 2017 should attend.
Any questions, please contact Penny Winn
([email protected]) West Virginia Mission trip or
Lori Hume ([email protected]) Maine Mission trip.
Phone: 781-293-2584
Christ Candle
In the Sanctuary, in front of the Lectern (where Lectors read the
Scriptures and others make announcements, etc.) there is a variety
of colored vases and glass pieces. We call that “The Christ Candle”
which is lit before the service. As the acolytes come forward, they
will light their tapers from the candle and then light the altar candles,
symbolic of Christ’s Light and Spirit not only leading the way but
remaining among us.
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://firstchurchinpembroke.com
First Church of Pembroke
October 2016 Newsletter
Pancake Breakfast
Fall is here and the griddles are warming up! First Church in Pembroke is again hosting a Community Pancake Breakfast on the FIRST
Saturday of the month from September – June from 8-10am in the church Fellowship Hall, 105 Center Street, Pembroke.
Join us for Pancakes, Sausage, Juice and Coffee! Short Stack (2 pancakes & 2 sausages) $3.00 and Super Stack (4 pancakes & 4
sausages) $5.00.
Blue Light in the Window
In the narthex (foyer leading into the Sanctuary), a blue-bulb candle? It will be lit and remain lighted 24/7, 365 days a year. The effort
began back in the 1980’s when Dolly Craig wanted to honor her son-in-law, a Philadelphia police officer, who had died in the line of
duty. To honor him, she placed a blue-bulb candle in her window. Over the years, the movement has grown and now includes police,
fire, and 1st responders. The candle in our church’s window signals that we support those who have died in the line of duty, as well as
those presently serving our communities, and hold them all in our thoughts and prayers. So when you pass the church and see the
blue light, ask God to bless all who have, and are currently serving, to keep our communities safe and healthy! We are blessed and
grateful.
Orland Maine Mission Trip 2016
“THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE H.O.M.E.”
First Church in Pembroke completed its second mission trip to H.O.M.E. (Homemakers Organized for More Employment) in Orland,
Maine run by Sister Lucy Poulin in partnership with the Emmaus Movement.
Fourteen church members (Mark Brown, Lili Brown, Rosie Heron, Lori Hume, Kathleen Keegan, Cole Keegan, Quinn Keegan, Adrienne
Robatzek, Allison Robatzek, Kelly Savoie, Steve Savoie, Luke Savoie, Charlie Sim and Ginny Wandell) travelled up on Sunday, June 26,
2016 to spend three days helping in any manner that was asked of our group.
Following are some of the ways in which First Church helped H.O.M.E. and the saying “many hands make light the work” was never
more true during our three days in Maine:
• A new roof was installed on a house owned by H.O.M.E.
• An existing fence was repaired and reinforced on the farm owned by H.O.M.E.
• A new fence, using material from H.O.M.E.’s saw mill, was installed to keep the goats contained at the farm.
• Weeds were pulled from the various gardens at the farm and the edible weeds were fed to the goats, sheep and horses.
• A barn loft was cleaned out and items remaining neatly stored.
• Dead trees and branches were pulled from the woods surrounding the farm house to be used for fires at the beach or homes on the
farm property.
• Garbage was cleaned up at the saw mill, where items had been dumped, to make room for wood to be stored prior to splitting to be
used in the furnaces to heat H.O.M.E.
• Scrap material from the production of cedar shingles was sorted and used to assemble kindling bundles to be sold.
• Donated corn for the soup kitchen was shucked and the husks were taken up to the farm to feed the animals.
As promised, participation in all three days was not mandatory as several people helped for one or two days. It was not the length of
time, size of the project or the skill required to complete it, it was the open hearts and willing hands of all the “Pembroke Crew” that
made First Church’s second mission trip to Maine a resounding success! Thank you all!
Phone: 781-293-2584
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://firstchurchinpembroke.com