Conway Village

Congregational Church

October 2020

The Good News!

Yes, you can get your Apple Crisp this year!

But you need to act soon – deadline is October 8th

Click here to view or download the full PDF version of the

October  Newsletter

Pastor’s Message

“Joining Together with our Global, Universal Church”.

The Brown Church is a special place where people develop personally and spiritually, where we develop deep and lasting relationships, where we develop the capacity to give back to our community. Covid-19 has presented some challenges, the most evident is on Sunday morning. Our leadership has a clear vision of keeping people interested and involved.

We are blessed to have a team of “Techies”, individuals who have working knowledge of the Internet, the Zoom platform, ‘Survey Monkeys’, Facebook, websites, and email blasts, Steve Graustein, Nancy Irving, Dawn Vitters, and Kim Murdock-Roy have stepped forward to help. We also have a “Design Team” who create our “Altar-Scapes”, Nancy Divine and Holly Necochea, giving us inspiring backgrounds for our Live Streaming.

Our music is provided by our “Music Committee”, Dawn Vitters, Nancy Irving, Mitzi Fitch, Judy Workman, Holly Necochea, Nancy Divine, with Steve Graustein handling the presentations on Sunday. They offer us music that follows our worship theme and theology; they find music which has visual and audio clarity. I know we all appreciate the amazing work they do, during this unique time of experimentation and evaluation.

Our October 4th Worship service is on “Worldwide Communion Sunday” and we will attempt something new. Our theme is “Joining Together with our Global, Universal Church”. Our Praise Hymn (beginning at 9:55 a.m.), is by the Brooklyn Choir called “Praise Him”. (It is Praise music offered by a “megachurch”). Then, as is the tradition here in Conway Village, we will sing the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”) accompanied by Andrea Bocelli. The Hymn of Approach for communion is “In the Midst of New Dimensions” – – sung (with lyrics for you to sing … enthusiastically!) by the Westwood Hills Congregational Church. The Communion hymn is contemporary music, “Cornerstone”, with lovely harvest (apples!) image- ry. The Postlude is “Amazing Grace” sung by the Christians from different countries (note identities hidden in less free lands) around the world. In this way we hope to represent the many voices that make up our Christian faith, Praise, Classical, Congregational, Contempo rary, and, finally, International.

We always appreciate feedback so we may continue to provide meaningful worship. Please feel free to let us know if we are meeting your musical, Biblical, and spiritual needs.

Gratefully,

Rev. John Hughes

<’}>< <’}}><< <’}}}><<<<

October Worship Schedule/Lectionary

Sunday, October 4th – Worldwide Communion Sunday

Scripture: Psalm 19
Exodus 20:2-4, 7-9, 12-20
Sermon: “Abiding with God”
Hymn of Praise: “Praise Him”  Brooklyn Choir
Lord’s Prayer “Our Father”       Andrea Bocelli
Hymn of Approach “In the Midst of New Dimensions” Westwood Congregational Communion       Hymn “Cornerstone” Hillsong                                                                                                               Hymn of Thanksgiving “Amazing Grace” Multi-national Presentation

Sunday, October 11th

Scripture: Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23
Exodus 32:1-14
Philippians 4:4-9
Sermon: “Do We Hate God?”

Sunday, October 18th
Scripture: Psalm 99
Exodus 33:12-23
Matthew 22:5-22
Sermon: “Is It Alright to Pay the Price?”

Sunday, October 25th
Scripture: Psalm 90:1-16, 13-17
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Matthew 22:34-46                                                                                                                                  Sermon: “The View from the Top”

From the Trustees

The leaves are turning, the nights are cooler and the apple crisp ingredients are in Fellowship Hall. October would not be the same without the smell floating around the building!

Even though the Fair has been cancelled, we wanted to still have an event during that week and sell crisp. The congregation did vote to remove the fair income from the budget, but the trustees do need to keep the church solvent.  With the success of the August turkey dinner, we decided to try again during what would have been Fair week and include crisp sales.

Thank you to Carl Vitters for making the oven fried chicken dinner set for October 7th. For dessert, he will have apple crisp.

The crisp prep will be a smaller production this year and for less days. We will have less than 10 people working at a time, spread out in the hall. All safety precautions as recommended by the CDC will be taken. If anyone is uncomfortable with being at the church at this time we totally understand and respect  their decision. If you do wish to volunteer, contact the office and we will find a slot for you.

Bakers and peelers will be busy this week making pans of apple crisp.  Once ordered, you will have a choice to pick up on October 7th or 9th. You can visit the church’s website or call the office to order a dinner and pans of apple crisp. Please tell your friends! DEADLINE for dinner orders is 10/1/2020 and Apple Crisp orders 10/8/20.

In October, the trustees will be looking into a plowing contract and meeting with Bergeron Technical Services to begin working on the Master Plan for repairs and upgrades.

Trustees:
Co-Chairs: Anne Getchell,  Nancy Divine
Duddie Andrews,  John Edgerton,  Nancy Irving,  Kim Murdoch,  Gabe Necochea,  Paul Weld  Ex-officio member Carl Vitters – Church Treasurer

Are you on Facebook?

If you use Facebook or Instagram please “LIKE” our Facebook Page by clicking the “Like” button at the top of the page.

 https://www.facebook.com/TheBrownChurchConwayNH/

This will help folks who may not be familiar with our church know we are well liked within the community. This will also provide you with Facebook notifications when we post something new.  You don’t want to miss any or our great dinners or events. You in turn, if you choose to, can share that post on your page, so your Facebook Friends will see it. This is very helpful in promoting the church, particularly for promoting our special events.

Thank you & God Bless

Diaconate Message

To mask or de-mask? That is the question. October is here and as I sit and ponder, I wonder how many children are actually excited about the idea of putting on any kind of mask for Halloween this year. Many, I’m sure, are just as tired of wearing a mask daily as are their adult counterparts. They may be asking questions like, “Do I have to wear a surgical mask on top of my mummy wrapped head or my green warted witch nose, or my werewolf’s sharp teeth?” “How am I supposed to look like Dracula if this mask hides my fangs?” Maybe they’re making bold statements like, “Mommy, princesses wear tiaras, not surgical masks!” “Pirates don’t wear surgical masks, they wear eyepatches!” Let’s face it…COVID-19 will steal the one night of the year that children get to explore a make-believe world by wearing a costume of their choosing, because this year, they will have to “accessorize” it with a surgical mask.

By this time of the year, I know many of us were praying that we would be on a road to recovery and resto- ration of the normalcy of life. Gabe, my mom and I, took off at the end of September for a 17 day road trip looking to restore some normalcy. We drove through Vermont, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virgin- ia, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. All in all, we traveled 4,384 miles. Along the way, we made sure to take the road less traveled, avoiding major highways and toll roads. We covered lots of territory, enjoyed our country’s beautiful scenic byways, visited with family and friends, enjoyed stopping at historical places and tasted a few liba- tions at a few bourbon distilleries.

Overall, we had a great time! The only bump in the road was having to wear a facial mask everywhere we went in public. We sanitized our hands several times each day. We even made sure we did our part to practice social distancing by staying in cabins at KOA campgrounds and at a condo timeshare we had access to. However, the best stays were where we could be our unmasked selves, while visiting family in Tennessee and Pennsylvania and our good friends, Sam and Rich Rice in Ohio. (Sam and Rich said to say hello to everyone, by the way!) While we enjoyed our trip, the masks reminded us that all is not right in the world and the trip was not at all “normal”.

So, if we as adults cannot find total normalcy in our lives at this point, how can we expect children to under- stand why they need to wear a surgical mask on top of their Halloween costume? To venture daily through the un- known road ahead, I believe we need to embrace what we have in front of us…Love for our family, forgiveness in our hearts, offering a helpful hand to our fellow man/woman and supporting each other through this craziness.

Above all, we need to live by the sound advice of the Good Book. Reading the bible never hurt anyone.  After all, I hear there may be a man by the name of Saul, walking down the road to De-Mask-Us (pun intended). I’m betting he’ll meet up with someone on that road who can provide the answers to turn things around! God bless us all. Stay safe, my friends!
Holly Necochea, October Deacon of the Month

Deacons: Louise Saxby, Nancy Divine, Holly Necochea, Mitzi Fitch, Judy Workman, and Dawn Vitters

Ode to Autumn

Look around, look around – enjoy the wonder
It’s a time to muse and a time to ponder
Summer has faded and Autumn is here
And nature presents a glorious sphere.

See the trees, see the trees in all their glory
Decked out in their finest and telling their story
As they open the curtain on their finest hour
And present a kaleidoscope – each year an encore!

See the sky, see the sky, how deep is the blue
While the clouds drift by as the wind passes through
The leaves are scattering, they’re running a race
And the birds are nervously biding their days.

Hear the brook, hear the brook as it rushes along
Me thinks it’s aware of winter’s bold song.
The squirrels and the chipmunks gather their loot
But the wise old owl, he cares not a hoot!

Listen, yes listen all people who care
While Autumn is lovely, we must be aware.
The days have now shortened, October is here
But don’t we love Autumn—best time of the year.

So when the seasons swiftly pass by
Ours is to wonder, but not to ask why.

Mary Russo

History Corner

We thought that you might need a rest from The Pillars of the Church and might enjoy the following:

YOU ARE A LONG TIME PARISHIONER OF OUR CHURCH IF YOU REMEMBER:

  • when we were called The Second Congregational
  • when we opened the stained glass windows in the
  • the kitchen door by the
  • the daily meditation on WBNC with Mr. Mack
  • Junior and Senior Pilgrim Fellowships
  • The Litahni
  • Two elderly women (usually) serving as
  • Male (boys and teenagers) equal in height by Mrs, Schurman serving as
  • 150 registered in the Sunday School requiring two separate
  • Christmas concerts with Petrina Paoletti, Diane Boorman and Charlotte Altenbern
  • Midnight Christmas Eve Service with Forest Barton singing “Oh Holy “
  • the stage in the Fellowship Hall
  • attending elementary school downstairs in 1956-1957 with Mrs.
  • the Family Life
  • the Bloodmobile being held in Fellowship Hall under the direction of Ruth
  • being ushered to your pew by one of the four male ushers chauvinistic weren’t we?
  • the Diaconate being four married couples of long
  • Services rarely surpassing one S six more pews in the sanctuary.
  • using the communion racks.
  • the attendance each week being posted on the hymn
  • the tolling of the bell every Sunday with assistance from several kids and the Methodist chimes across the .
  • the bike racks in front by the stately elm and the tiny church sign under the windows facing Main Street..
  • Reverend Wilcox reciting “The Night Before Christmas” to an overflow congregation as we still have
  • the floods doing damage
  • the Christmas wreathes made by Kay Hubbell that hung on our front

(I would like to include your additions for another newsletter. That would be fun to share)

Brian P. Wiggin
Church Historian