j a n ua r y
2013
the Lifeline
NORWICH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
U NI T ED CH U RCH OF CHR IS T
(Top and Left) The children
put on a wonderful Christmas
Pageant with the help of
Kathy Sherlock-Green, Tacy
Colaiacomo and Danielle Taylor
(Below) The Youth Choir, Kathy
Sherlock-Green Tacy Colaiacomo
and Bob Miller combine their
talents at the Nov 25th service.
Sonja, Emma and Rosie received Bibles
NORWICH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Mary Brownlow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pastor
Kathleen Sherlock-Green. . . Choir Director
Jane Chase Helms. . . . . . . Organist Emerita
Tacy Colaiacomo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Organist
Danielle Taylor. . . . Sunday School Coord.
Jenny Gelfan. . . . . . . . . . . . Office Manager
Dan Goulet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sexton
2012 LEADERSHIP
Church Officers
Church Council Chair. . . . Susan White
Church Council Vice-chair. . . Bob Miller
Moderator. . . . . . . . . John Severinghaus
Vice Moderator. . . . . . Carolyn Mertz
Clerk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joanne Egner
Ass't Clerk. . . . . . . . . . . . . Katy Gerke
Treasurer. . . . . . . . . Christopher Ashley
Ass't Treasurer. . . . James Hourdequin
Collector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Judy Pond
Ass't Collector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Auditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Board of Deacons
Senior Deacons. . . . . . . . . . . Paul Gerke
. . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Corrigan
Christopher Ashley, Rita Severinghaus
Dick Broussard, Hillary White
Board of Trustees
Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Doug James
Carolyn Mertz, Stan Williams,
Daniel Van Dorn, Avery Post, John Grant
Board of Mission
Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Doug Britton
Deborah Berryman, Jeff Nielsen .
Deborah Berrym
Kathy Grant, Vicky Fish, Heidi Webster
Save the Dates
On January 30 and 31, the Norwich Congregational Church, UCC will
host John L. Bell for 2 workshops.
John Bell is a minister of the Church of Scotland, a songwriter, author,
preacher and composer working with the Wild Goose Resource Group of
the Iona Community. He is based in Glasgow but travels the world sharing
his work in music, worship and spirituality.
The first workshop will be on a Wednesday evening in the sanctuary
and the entire local community will be invited. John will lead a program
on ‘Singing with the Global Church’ which will include lots of audience
participation. The second workshop, on Thursday evening, will include
our choir and other local choirs in a program on choral music of the Iona
Community.
This event is made possible by a grant from the
Woodworth Fund. See you there and then!
IF YOU WANT TO DONATE
FLOWERS FOR WORSHIP...
please contact Tilda White at
(802) 649-1654 for help, information, or to sign up. You may also
sign up on the “Flowers” sheet
posted at the back of the church.
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The Lifeline – January 2013
Board of Christian Education
Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laura Beliveau
Harry Higgs, Mary Sachsse,
Ann Beams, Beth Bidstrup
Committees
Flowers
Tilda White, Ryan Adams
Deborah Van Arman
Hospitality
Evelyn Gick, Anne Egner
Joan Wanner, Susan McGrew
Stephanie Smith
Investment
Mark Beliveau, Peter Mertz
Music
Don Helms
Nominating
Barbara Duncan
Ann Waterfall, Katy Gerke
Stewardship
Priscilla Vincent, Jane Helms
Woodworth Fund
Doug James, Judy Hobbs
Mimi Simpson, Kenneth Cracknell
Marianne Spalding
Other
At-Large Church Council. Chuck Egner
Head Usher: . . . . . . . . Willemien Miller
Historian:. . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan White
Delegates: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Avery Post
. . . . . . . . . . . . Kenneth Cracknell
Alt. Delegates. . Katherine Broussard
From the Minister
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands!
Psalm 100
…I’ll sing and joyful be; and through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on….
Wondrous Love, New Century Hymnal
“What we sing shapes our faith: do we sing about God’s creation, the
equality of men and women? About God’s love for justice, about our
concern for other people? Or do we just sing about “me”? Ultimately,
what we sing repeatedly shapes our belief, our discipleship, and our faith.”
— John Bell, ‘Living the Questions’
On December 16, a group of us
went over to Valley Terrace to sing
some carols with residents there.
We brought along some hymnals,
Tacy Colaiacomo played the piano,
and Jane Helms led us in song.
Even though the 25 or 30 residents
sitting in the living room did not
have hymnals, most of them managed to sing multiple verses of the
Christmas carols. The words and
the melody are embedded so deeply
that they flow out and we sing on
and on, making that “joyful noise.”
Songs are imbedded in our
brains, implanted in our faith,
and rooted in our Scriptures. The
Hebrew prophets and the Psalmist
give voice to lament and hope. The
Gospel of Luke employs many songs
or canticles, especially in the first
two chapters: Mary sings, Zechariah
sings, the angels sing, then ancient
Simeon sings his heart out. As
people of faith, we know that songs
are powerful. They express our joy,
our grief, our need for strength and
courage, our sense of union with
God and with each other.
Our church is blessed with musicians that encourage choral and
congregational singing, a love of traditional favorites and a willingness
to experiment with “singing to the
Lord with a new song.” Since we
are such fertile ground for musical
learning, we have invited John Bell
of the Iona Community to share
some time with us at the end of
January. John L. Bell was born in,
resides in and belongs to Scotland.
He is well known for his music and
worship resources, produced with
his colleagues as part of the Wild
Goose Resource Group within
the Iona Community. He is a well
known preacher, workshop leader
and broadcaster in Britain and
beyond, but his primary concern is
the renewal of congregational worship at the grassroots level. He has a
deep interest in music from nonEuropean cultures and a passion for
‘the song of the Assembly', giving
voice to all who gather in Christian
worship. With his colleagues, John
has produced many collections of
songs and a wide range of liturgical material. He has also authored
several collections of sermons and
meditations.
On one evening, January 30th,
we will open our doors to the larger
community and encourage anyone
who likes to sing and hear music
from other parts of the world to a
program called “Singing with the
Global Church.” On the following
evening, the 31st, John Bell will
work with our choir and other local
church choir directors and singers
on “Songs of the Iona Community.”
Because we know that one event
will not sustain our interest in and
excitement about music and faith,
we plan to offer occasional gatherings on Sunday afternoons, called
“Sundays @ 4.” We may repeat
the African Drumming workshop
we offered in November, or have
a Shape Note Singing School, or
invite a speaker to lead us in discerning the place of faith in understanding geopolitics and justice. We
may show films that inspire us to
care for our neighbors. Stay tuned
as we sing, learn and grow together.
We continue to sing our traditional favorites with gusto, and
to love those songs that informed
our childhood faith. But, just as
the inspiration of the Bible is not
limited to one read-through, we
know that we can follow a growing
edge in giving voice to our joys and
sorrows, our praise and thanksgiving, our questions and our assurances through music, through word
and through action. How blessed
we are to be the community of the
growing edge!
Mary
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Member Profile
Ed Janeway
Ed was born in Glen Cove, New
York on Long Island. That’s near
Oyster Bay. He lived there until he
was 13 when his family moved to
South Londonderry, Vermont. Ed
attended boys’ boarding schools.
He hated The Brooks School in
North Andover, Massachusetts and
liked The Vermont Academy in
Saxton’s River.
Ed studied liberal arts and
political science at Middlebury
College. He also skied a lot, “maybe
too much.” A formative experience
in college was a summer with a
French family sponsored by the
Experiment in International Living.
“I found this a great challenge,
to speak French and live in the
culture. That summer’s experiences
have stayed with me my whole life.”
After college Ed was drafted
for the post-war occupation in
Germany. Because of his writing
skills, he was stationed at a big
army base near Mainz, Germany. “I
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The Lifeline – January 2013
lucked out. I was a correspondent
for the division newspaper. I’ve kept
that writing hat. After two years in
the army I worked as a guide at the
American Pavilion at the Brussels
Worlds Fair in 1958.”
Then Ed moved to Boston to
work at various newspapers. “I met
Claude in Boston and we married
in 1964. We have two daughters.
Claude and I both loved traveling
and were able to visit exotic places:
Turkey, Brazil, Peru, and Mexico.
We went on Elder Hostel service
projects in the Caribbean. We also
visited extended family in Belgium
and France.
“In 1982 we moved to
Norwich and joined the church.
I had a Unitarian and Methodist
background and Claude was
Catholic. We enjoyed the music
and felt very comfortable and right
at home.” Ed enjoyed keeping
up his international connections
through Bridges for Peace. He
and Claude hosted visitors from
the Soviet Union and they found
this fascinating. Ed also joined the
Norwich Lions Club and made
many friends.
A skiing accident knocked Ed
for a loop. “I spent a year out of
circulation but I feel that I’ve made
a good recovery.”
Two years after the accident
Claude died a very sudden death
from septic shock. This was a very
difficult time.
Ed has moved from his Jericho
home to Hemlock Ridge.
Ed enjoys reading history
books by David McCullough and
Vermont author Tom Powers. He
has taken lots of ILEAD courses,
too. Ed is still traveling with his
mind. I think he would agree
with Emily Dickinson who wrote,
“There is no frigate like a book.”
Sunday School News!
Season of Epiphany
After we return from celebrating the magical journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Christ, we come back to our
classroom to ponder the meaning of ‘epiphany’. For the next few weeks, we will focus on Jesus’ early journey and
figure out creative ways to make ‘light’ in Sunday School.
Sundays @ 4
4:00 - 5:30pm
January 20th
The Sunday January 20th, Sundays @ 4 offering is co-sponsored by the Christian Education Committee and will
coincide with Martin Luther King’s Birthday Holiday. The program will offer an adult education activity and a children’s program. The children’s portion of this program will be a study of the painting “A Peaceable Kingdom”, by
Edward Hicks; a video showing of “Unlikely Animal Friends”; and an art activity. If enough are interested, pizza will
follow this event. Drop-ins are welcome, but advance RSVP is super helpful! Please consider bringing your family to
this ‘peaceful’ event. For detail about the program offered for adults see below:
We will be showing the film “Globalized Soul: Stories from the Tipping Point to a New World” in the Parish Hall.
This one hour DVD shows us the many ways people of various faiths cooperate in peace-making and alleviating suffering. The viewing will be followed by discussion of the themes and stories.
Helping Children
in the Dominican Republic
The Sunday School Children are helping to support Rita Severinghaus’ efforts in the Dominican Republic by
spreading the word to family and friends about donating used children’s summer clothing to the church in the
month of January. Rita and friends will make another trip to the DR in February and will take all of the donations
down then. You can drop off these donations (including shoes) in a bin in the coat area of church.
Thank you!
Danielle Talor
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NCC-UCC Work Trip to the Dominican Republic
A group of ten NCC-UCC members and friends is preparing
for a work trip to the Dominican Republic February 16-25, 2013.
Group members are responsible for their own trip expenses and
will additionally fundraise to cover project costs.
Pictured is the current Lopez-Mejia family home; imagine it
during one of the many torrential rains and hurricanes in the
Dominican Republic in the months of June-November.
The Lopez-Mejia family lives on subsistence farming, the father
also works as a crossing guard for a local school. His earnings of
$60/month go directly from his employer to repay a bank loan
taken out to get the construction project started.
Plans are to help this family of 5 living in precarious conditions
build a new home (550 square feet) in their village 45 minutes
outside of the town of Cotui. Our group will work for seven days
alongside 20 or more village residents and children.
House construction costs are estimated at a modest $6000.
A generous contribution of $1500 from the Board of Missions
has helped us launch our fundraising efforts.
We are hopeful that with your help we can reach our goal prior
to the group’s departure on February 16, 2013. Your donation will
go directly towards the cost of construction, materials, and labor:
Cinder block: $50 per hundred –current building designs
approx. 350 cinder blocks—800 for full concrete home.
Cement: $7.50 per bag
Sand: $22 per 8-meter truckload (4 truckloads)
Corrugated zinc roofing material: $16/12 foot sheet (approx. 50 sheets needed)
Reed bar (13 pieces/bundle): $50
Labor: $750
I am happy to share that on the ground support is already established with various service groups in Cotui along
with an architect and engineer.
Your donation represents support that will help foster a sense of hope for this family and its community.
We plan to keep you informed by maintaining a blog during our visit. For past DRP-NCC efforts check out our
website: drprojects.org
Gracias! Rita
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to
you, as you did it to one of the least of these my
brothers, you did it to me.’
Mathew 25:40, English Standard Version
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Warning of the 2012 Annual Meeting of the
Norwich Congregational Church, UCC
Notice is hereby given of the Annual Meeting to be held after worship on Sunday, February 10, 2013 to transact the following business:
• to hold opening Prayer;
• to elect a Moderator and an Assistant Moderator;
• to approve the Minutes of the 2011 Annual Meeting;
• to discuss and adopt a budget for 2013;
•to vote on the flowing changes to the by laws: Replacing page 10, #7:
“The Collector and Assistant Collector shall collect all offerings taken during services of worship and follow procedures determined by the Board of Trustees for accounting and depositing these funds.”
Replacing page 11, #8: “The Auditor shall verify the accounts of the church according to procedures
determined by the Board of Trustees.”
Changing the first sentence on page 20, # 6: “The Stewardship Committee shall usually consist of three
(3) members, plus a representative from the Board of Trustees....”
• to hear and act on the reports of the officers and committees; to elect officers, boards, and committees
for 2013;
• to conduct whatever other business may properly be brought before the meeting.
The meeting will be preceded by a potluck lunch; please bring food to share.
In case of inclement weather, the Annual Meeting will be held at 7:30pm on Tuesday February 12, 2013.
Mission Update – SEVCA Fuel Assistance
SEVCA (Southeastern Vermont Community Assistance) was founded on the belief that poverty need not be a
permanent condition, that:
• people can be empowered to rise out of poverty, and
• the strength of our communities is measured by the quality of life of everyone within them.
This January and February our church’s Mission Offering will be used to support SEVCA’s fuel assistance program. SEVCA, founded in 1965 as part of the country’s War on Poverty, offers many services and programs to
those in need. On their website, they write,
The mission of Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) is “to enable people to cope with, and reduce the hardships of poverty; create sustainable self-sufficiency; and reduce the causes and move toward the elimination of poverty.
SEVCA gives people the knowledge, tools, and support to break the cycle of dependence, and works to find solutions to the deep-seated problems of poverty, largely by empowering and collaborating with those whose lives are
affected by it daily.
In addition to fuel assistance SEVCA provides family services and crisis intervention, Head Start, home weatherization, home repair, economic development.
Please give generously, as the cold season is upon us.
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Non-profit
Organization
US Postage
PAID
Norwich, VT
Permit No. 1
Norwich Congregational Church
United Church of Christ
15 Church Street • PO Box 236
Norwich, VT 05055-0236
Tel: (802) 649-1433 • Fax (802) 649-2805
Office Hours: Tues, Weds & Fri 9-1, Thurs 10-2
Email: . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]
Website:. . . . . . www.norwichcongregational.org
Pastor:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Mary Brownlow
AN OPEN AND AFFIRMING
CONGREGATION WORSHIPING ON
SUNDAYS AT 10 AM
Lifeline
Coordinator / Editor / Photographer:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linda Himadi
Designer:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Douglas Lufkin
Send articles to: . . . . [email protected]
Deadline for next issue: January 15, 2013
E-MAIL ADDRESSES
If the church does not have your e-mail address,
and you would like to be kept abreast of announcements and events at church – by this no
cost/no waste option – please send an email to
the church office at [email protected].
Side by side
Once the realization is accepted
that even between the closest human beings
infinite distances continue to exist,
a wonderful living side by side
can grow up, if they succeed
in loving the distance between them
which makes it possible for each
to see the other whole against the sky.
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)
Letters, The Heart has its Seasons (New York: Regina Press, 1971)
The whole mess
Gabriel: How about cleanin' up de
whole mess of 'em and sta'tin all
over ag'in wid some new kind of
animal?
God: An' admit I'm licked?
Marc Connelly (1890-1980)
The Green Pastures, The Heart has its Seasons
(New York: Regina Press, 1971)
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The Lifeline – January 2013