photo
Fred
Gagnon
photo
byby
Fred
Gagnon
November 2011
On-Line Edition
Worship at 7,000 feet
I write from the Presbyterian Conference Center on the shores
of Lake Tahoe. It’s an enormous complex with simple
accommodations–no TV, no radio,
no cell phone coverage, no
distractions–although the beauty
of the lake is quite distracting
enough. It has crystal clear aqua
water surrounded by large gray
boulders, pine trees and brilliant
yellow aspens and on the far side
the mountains rise majestic from
the water. Stellar Jays, bunnies and
ground squirrels greet me on the
trails; the bears, very kindly, don’t
come out ‘till we’ve turned in for
the night.
The pink sunrise streaks across the
morning skies and streams into the
windows behind the speaker’s
head competing for attention as
does the resident cat trying to snag
the chickadee trapped in the
exposed wood rafters of the
assembly area.
The rooms are sparse but lovely and a rare treat—the
bathrooms are in the rooms! The walls have the orange-peel
texture treatment that covers less-than-skilled sheetrock labor
leading me to wonder if mission teams built this place the way
our youth helped build Camp Methuwana in Maine.
Over 500 people over the last three years
have attended one of these Worship
Workshops. It took me a car, two
planes, a shuttle and a taxi to get
to this remote location. The draw,
its leader, Marcia McFee, who is
in demand internationally and will
lead General Conference worship
next April. Wanting to lessen her
travel schedule, Marica invites
folks twice a year to come to her
to plan “M-M-good” worship
(memorable and meaningful).
We’ve come from California,
Washington State, DC, Colorado,
Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and the
majority of participants this time,
from 5 different churches in
Indiana. We represent small,
medium,
and
very
large
congregations (the Oklahoma
team has come three years in a
row, has 6,000 members with 41
staff—5 of whom are here). We’re mostly
United Methodists, but the 2 largest teams
(of 7) come from the United Church of Christ
and Presbyterian denominations. There are a
small handful of us who came alone, but most
brought teams which include clergy and
musicians, worship team members who took
time off from their professions, retired folk,
(continued on page 5)
2
THE METHODIST MESSENGER
Norman H. , Virginia H. , Ray
K. , at Wingate East
Longmeadow.
Gene H. at East Village.
November 7
Bob & Diane
Ferguson
Helen W. Jewish Nursing Home.
Bob W. at Holyoke Soldier’s Home.
Mickey O. in breast cancer treatments.
Fred G. recovering from shoulder surgery.
Special health concerns: John W. D. , Arnold C. , Dan F. ,
Florence P. , and Patty R. .
Our deepest sympathy to Gordon C. and family on the
death of his wife, Clara, who passed away October 22.
Clara was a member of ELUMC since 1954.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Daylight Saving Time ends
at 2:00 a.m. on November 6.
Don’t forget to set your
clocks back 1 hour before
you retire for the night.
Deb Germain
&
Tom St. Marie
married October 1
Ryan Patrick
born to Laurel & Dan
October 8, 5:06 p.m.
7 lbs. 6.4 oz., 21 inches
Lucy Grace .
born October 13
2:53 a.m., 7 lb. 13 oz., 19 1/2 inches
to Rev. Peter & Angela .
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Brooke
Michelle,
born to
Danielle &
Jonathan
October 9
7:53 p.m.
6 lbs. 11 oz.
18 inches
3
THE METHODIST MESSENGER
Music Notes
John T. Cavicchia, Director of Music
"Just like a tree that's planted by the water,
we shall not be moved!"
We all have our share of good times and bad, of struggles and
celebrations, and what I love most about music is that there is ALWAYS
some piece or song that reflects exactly what we are feeling and
experiencing! Music can also serve to lift us up out of sorrowful
circumstances, as we've seen from the wonderful music our friends and
guests, Moonlight and Miro, and Ted and Mary, shared with us during
the "Laments" series.
So I would encourage you to get involved in the music at ELUMC. You
might find depths of feeling and meaning you never knew existed, and I
bet you'd be a whole lot better at it than you ever though you could be!
Looking ahead to Advent, don't forget about our
second annual "Light in the Darkness" holiday
coffeehouse on Sunday, December 11, at 3 p.m.! We
need your help with gift-ready baked goods, and just
your presence at the coffeehouse. There's nothing
sadder than an empty audience! Jim Harris will open for
us again this year (Yea Jim!) and then I've invited Steve
Play With Me:
Two Friends, One Spiritual
Journey With Kids
by Sally Miller and Cheri Mueller
reviewed by Florence Pomeroy
As they journey through life with kids, these two friends have
found that playing in the park, building snowmen and all the
other activities that children love, even dealing with dirty
diapers and ear infections, can connect women to God and to
each other in deeply spiritual ways.
This book will certainly inspire moms of any age. It took me
back many years, remembering when my own children were
small, and all the activities I enjoyed with them. I certainly
recommend that this be read by moms and also dads. Even
grandparents would enjoy it, but it is especially good reading
for those with small children.
Jesus loved the little children and I am sure that he enjoyed
going to the park with them, playing games and then sitting
down on the grassy hillside to rest. Jesus told them stories,
and Julia (guitarist-singer-song writer, and
soprano extraordinaire) to join the program, in
addition to a former student and good friend
of mine, Carrie Ferguson, and my teaching/
performing colleague, Justina Golden. It
promises to be an en-LIGHT-ening afternoon of
music! Then on Sunday, December 18, in
worship, the choir will
present a contemporary
Christmas cantata, an
original work written by
yours truly. And, of course,
there's
our
rockin'
Christmas Eve service, this year featuring not
only gospel music by Moonlight and
Morningstar, but they're bringing a whole 8piece ensemble with them! Promises to be
exciting!
So as we look ahead to the dimming of the
light in nature and the rebirth of the light in
our souls, remember: if you can walk, you can
dance — if you can talk, you can sing. Come
make some music with us — it will do your
soul good!
JT
sang songs and taught them about God and how much God
loved them.
This book is in the church library. Do take it out. I'm sure that
you will greatly enjoy reading about the things Sally and Cheri
did with their little ones. You will be reminded of some
wonderful times you have had and are having with your own
children.
This is a truly delightful book. Read it and enjoy!
WARM FUZZY MINISTRY
Do you have a friend or loved one who is
sick or just not feeling well? Pick up a
warm fuzzy from the basket on the table
in the Narthex and take it to them to
remind him or her of the warm love God
has for each person.
Or maybe you are having a bad day yourself. If so, pick up a
fuzzy and put it in your pocket or purse to remind you of
God's love for you. God cares for you!
4
THE METHODIST MESSENGER
The Trustees would like to
thank all who gave their time
and elbow grease on two
successive Saturdays in
October—the 8th and the
15th—Scott Grabowski, Paul
Kinney, the Johnstons, the
Greeners, the Dodsons,
Diane Hemingway, Pastor
Kelly, Bob Ferguson, the Gelinas, Kelly Stenta, Vance Gagnon
(brought cupcakes, too!), Don Wood, Laura Kinney, the
McGowans, Rick Hutchinson and the youth who primed the
nursery furniture, Denise Evans, and anyone else I may have
missed. Much was accomplished around the church and the
parsonage. . .
Church:
 Weeding along the divider in the back parking lot, in
front of the church, and around the church sign
 Windows washed
 Stains touched up on ceilings in the kitchen, pantry, and
parlor
 Conference chairs in the parlor vacuumed and cleaned
 Pomeroy Room preparation for the nursery: walls and
ceiling painted, new flooring, cabinets and bookcases
painted
Parsonage:
 Gutters cleaned
 Basketball stand removed
 Playscape removed
 Trim around the front and back doors scraped and primed
 Shrubbery cut back along the road
. . .and that's just what I observed! I bet there was more that I
missed. Thank you again for all you do, not just on Church
Work Days, but continually, to keep our buildings looking
cared for, inside and out!
Suzanne Dodson
Trustee Team Leader
From the Parsonage . . .
thanks to all those who helped with workday!
Broken playscape. . .going,
going,
GONE!!
5
THE METHODIST MESSENGER
(continued from page 1)
and media specialists. There are folks in their 30s here and
one who might be in her 80s.
LET IT SNOW!
LET IT SNOW!
LET IT SNOW!
Whether our expertise is preaching or music, drama, visuals
or media, what we have in common is that we are all “ritual
artists” (as McFee calls us) who have a passion for bringing
meaning to our desire to experience the holy. A brief survey
of history reveals that from ancient times, humans have been
finding ways to ritualize human longing. And good worship
shapes and forms us for the world outside of our worship, it
draws us into world of justice and connection. McFee draws
on her study of neuroscience to explore how ritual impacts
our physical being and living—how our brains are hardwired
to mark divine experiences, how our very being longs to
understand itself as one piece in a greater whole.
What is clear is that worship is central to deeply living a spiritfilled, meaning-filled life. Without it, our brains cannot make
the connections and meaning out of our living that it longs
for. Without the regular gathering of the community of faith,
without living in the structure and deep questions the
liturgical year raises, we are tossed around by the storms of
life without a rudder and without an anchor. Without
worship, we have no way of piecing together the fabric of our
life into a beautifully patterned whole. It’s in marking the
experience of the holy that we stitch together meaning.
Which brings me back to the Conference Center which is
often used by hundreds of quilters . . . and it shows. There are
quilts everywhere decorating the walls of common areas and
room s.
It
highlights the
communal
nature
of
qui l ti ng —an d
the reason we
choose it as the
anchor image
for
our
st ew a rd shi p
campaign. The
diversity of the
p a t t e r n s
requires that all offer their gifts to be part of the beautiful
results. I hope we discover anew the power and necessity of
sensory-rich worship experiences for our own lives and that
each of us will dedicate ourselves to be sewn into the greater
whole of disciples—that each will be a piece of the ELUMC
creation.
Shalom,
Pastor Kelly
A
nd when it does, we’ll need volunteers to be on a
call list for
SNOW
BLOWIN’
&
SNOW
THROWIN’
to help keep the
walkways at ELUMC
clear of Suzy Snowflake
and her friends.
All
"willing"
folks,
please contact the office or let a trustee know to be
added to the list.
Our stewardship campaign has kicked off for this year
and our theme is “Piecing It Together”, and just like
individual pieces of fabric are sewn together to make a
quilt, we will be exploring how our individual pledges
come together to make a whole budget and a whole
commitment to this church. We are going to be talking
about the pieces of our lives. The things we piece
together to make our faith work and to make our faith
community. We ask that you prayerfully consider what
you might pledge to the church by way of financial
giving (as well as prayers, your presence, and gifts) for
the coming year.
Please join us on November 20 and participate in the
consecration of those pledges on "Piece It Together"
Sunday. If you are unable to be here on that day, please
turn in your pledge by the 20th.
6
THE METHODIST MESSENGER
ELUMC,
Thank you (and the
Men’s Group) for a
wonderful breakfast.
Thanks to you and everyone involved, we raised $340 for
Wesley’s Prison Ministries. The Methodist Circuit Riders look
forward to working with you again!
Blessings!
Dave Martin
Our Place needs volunteers from 8:00/8:30 - 10:30 a.m. on the
third Wednesday of each month to help prepare a meal to be
served to the homeless in Springfield.
If you would like to help with this
worthwhile project, please call Denise
Forgue at 413-733-5644 and tell her to
sign you up.
Chef’s hat optional!
What Color is Our Kitchen?
For those who buy supplies for meals and
events in Fellowship Hall— remember
NOT to buy Styrofoam— ELUMC’s kitchen
is GREEN—it’s a Styrofoam-free zone.
Please prayerfully consider if you can serve as:
 Education Team Member
 Sunday School Teacher
(regular or substitute)
If your event plans to serve hot
beverages, allow time for serving in the glass mugs and
cleaning up afterwards.
 Stewardship Team Member
 Visitation Team Member
 Teller (count the offering on
Help us be good to our planet!
 Greeter/Usher
Monday morning)
Our Place needs you
Annual Charge
Conference
Tuesday, November 1
7:00 p.m.
Sanctuary
All members are encouraged to attend.
If you would like to
remember a loved one who
has died (since November 1,
2010) by listing them in the
bulletin insert on All Saints’
Sunday, November 6, please contact the office by
Tuesday, November 1, with their name, date of
death, and relationship to you.
Sunday, November 6, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., in the sanctuary.
This is a documentary film detailing the stories of clergy and
laity, and GLBT and straight allies. Some have been arrested
while others have been tried by the Judicial Council. Each has
demanded that the church live into the true meaning of the
Gospel.
All Are Welcome
Join us for a Q&A session with the film’s director, Ann P. Brown
THE METHODIST MESSENGER
7
Know your Limits: determine and utilize your strengths and
assign others to areas that create stress or that you are not
comfortable with. If you are a whiz at finances, take care of
financial matters. If you are not comfortable with personal
care, ask others or hire professionals to provide this type of
hands-on care.
Janet J. Stabile MSW LICSW
November is National Family Caregivers Month. There are
65 million people who are caring for family members who
need daily assistance with health issues, personal care,
finances, living arrangements, safety, and end-of-life
decisions. Often the person to whom these responsibilities
fall is to the woman in the family who is herself a wife and
mother with an outside commitment to a job/career in the
community. If that person is the only child of a frail parent,
the responsibility of caretaking can become overwhelming.
The National Family Caregivers Association has offered some
helpful guidelines below for caregivers who need to achieve
life balance and maintain their own health and well-being. If
the caregiver is not aware of her own limitations and
boundaries, her role can usurp her own life responsibilities
and need for time devoted to self. Some topics to
remember:
Ask for Support: if you are trying to help a family member
alone, reach out to others for help. Siblings, relatives,
friends and professional care can assist in providing for the
loved one. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a
team to provide care for an elder.
Protect Your Own Well-Being: everyone needs “down time”
to concentrate on leisure activities or to focus on personal
matters. The caregiver need not feel guilty for not being “on
duty” all the time. As long as your loved one is safe and cared
for, schedule in time to focus on your own health, relaxation
and personal relationships. If you are healthy and well, you
can then give of yourself to others when needed.
One local resource to contact to explore care for a frail elder is
the Greater Springfield Senior Services Center at: 413-7818800. This organization has a staff of Nurses and Case
Managers who will work with families to determine what
range of services are needed and monitors them for quality.
Services include: adult day care, grocery shopping, meals-onwheels, housekeeping, money management, etc. Eligibility is
generally based on age, income, level of frailty, and need.
Some services are available at no charge and others on a
sliding fee scale based on income.
As Rosalyn Carter said: There are only four kinds of people in
the world – those who have been caregivers, those who are
currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those
who will need caregivers”.
Links: www.thefamilycaregiver.org
EARLIER THAN USUAL
For the December issue it’s November 10
to have it ready for mailing by the 21st, due
to the Thanksgiving holiday.
For the January issue, it’s December 5
to have it ready for mailing by the 19th, due
to Christmas and the church office being
closed the week of the 26th.
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U. S. POSTAGE
Paid
East Longmeadow, MA
Permit No. 6
East Longmeadow United Methodist Church
215 Somers Road, STE 2
East Longmeadow, MA 01028-2998
413-525-7416 • a reconciling congregation
www.elumc.org
Address Service Requested
THIS CHURCH IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING
A SAFE PLACE FOR OUR CHILDREN.
THE SUNDAY EXPERIENCE
8:30 a.m. – Bible Study for Jr./Sr. High & Adults
10:00 a.m. – Worship & Church School
(pre-schoolers through Grade 5)
Professional child care is provided for
“Cribs & Creepers”/“Toddlers & Twos.”
11:15 a.m. – Fellowship Time
The Methodist Messenger is a journal of the ministry of The East Longmeadow United Methodist Church. Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.
Advent Study
with youth and adults
1st Sunday of Advent to 4th Sunday of Advent
8:30 a.m.
If you would prefer an evening class, please contact Pastor Kelly.
Journey with Adam Hamilton as he travels from Nazareth to
Bethlehem in this fascinating look at the birth of Jesus Christ.
As he did with Jesus' crucifixion in 24 Hours That Changed the
World, Hamilton once again approaches a world-changing event with thoughtfulness. Using
historical information, archaeological data, and a personal look at some of the stories
surrounding the birth, the most amazing moment in history will become more real and
heart-felt as you walk along this road.