March 2023 Newsletter
~ The Good News ~
Please click the button below to open or download the full (pdf) newsletter.
Newsletter will open in a new tab/window
Newsletter articles and highlights are published below.
Pastor’s Message
Mediterranean Meal
Be Humble, Get Healthy, Eat Hearty
On Friday, March 10th, a Lenten meal, popularly called a “Mediterranean Meal” will be served “sit down” style from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The meal allows us 3-Lenten requirements,
- humbly offering your life to God,
- fasting to free yourself from the sins of extravagance, and
- giving money to foster an abundant life for those in
For the price of $15.00 you can do it all! (Children 12 & under, meal price only $8.) You get a hearty, healthy meal and you support the varied food programs and personal support groups who use the Brown Church. These groups continue to serve the health and well-being of the Mount Washington Valley area.
Menu
Minestrone Soup,
Mediterranean Chicken,
Rice, vegetables, and
A Mouth-Watering Dessert.
Lent is a season of fasting, which never meant “starving” or “depriving”, but did ask people to alter their regular diet. Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins, allows Christians a way to empty their homes of eggs, fats, butter, and unhealthy oils, to be griddled up as pancakes. (This was the original “Spring Cleaning”!).
The 40-days of Lent offered diets from countries around the Mediterranean Sea, diets which were considered “simpler” yet hearty and satisfying. The practice of eating “humbler foods”, i.e., fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, healthy oils, fish, seafood, and chicken was a way to cleanse people from heavier fats which weighed down the body and spirit. Recent scientific studies have shown that the Mediterranean way of eating works to prevent strokes, heart-disease, diabetes, inflammation, and premature death. In other words, Your Medical Doctor is going to Love You for Buying this Meal!
In advance of your generous support of our missions, Thank you,
Rev. John Hughes <’}>< <’}}><< <’}}}><<<< [/av_textblock] [av_hr class='custom' icon_select='no' icon='ue8bf' font='entypo-fontello' position='center' shadow='no-shadow' height='30' custom_border='av-border-thin' custom_width='70px' custom_margin_top='10px' custom_margin_bottom='10px' custom_border_color='' custom_icon_color='' id='' custom_class='' template_class='' av_uid='av-4f5qkk' sc_version='1.0' admin_preview_bg=''] [av_textblock textblock_styling_align='' textblock_styling='' textblock_styling_gap='' textblock_styling_mobile='' size='' av-desktop-font-size='' av-medium-font-size='' av-small-font-size='' av-mini-font-size='' font_color='custom' color='#000000' id='' custom_class='' template_class='' av_uid='av-lc7yak03' sc_version='1.0' admin_preview_bg='rgb(255, 255, 255)']
From the Deacon’s Bench
Changes. They are constant. We should expect them and be flexible with addressing them. Ha Ha, that sounds easy, right?
Not always so, to be sure. Some changes are planned and expected where other changes sneak up on you leaving you unprepared. Revelations – “Behold I make all things new”. So much can be said about “newness”. What this means to me is that God makes a new day, every day. How we deal with this daily “newness” is our own to define and learn from.
We are changing things in our church by adding new approaches to collective goals. Some of the changes may or may not work and time will tell. We will collectively work and support each other through these changes. It is what Jesus asks us to do.
As we enter a new Lenten season, may you look at how you recognize and address changes in your own life. Prayerfully consider your reactions to how others deal with changes. Every day is anew.
Blessings to all,
Louise Saxby, Deacon of the month
Diaconate: Dawn Vitters and Judy Workman Co-Chairs,
Beth Campbell, Suzanne Rancourt and Louise Saxby
Outreach
The Officers for the 2023 year:
Sylvia Weld – Chairperson, Anne Getchell – Treasurer, Marilyn Hughes – Secretary
Walmart participates in the New Hampshire Food Bank’s Fresh Rescue Program and most recently Shaw’s has come on board.
The number of clients using the Food Pantry have started to pick-up on Tuesday’s. We feel this may be due to Food Stamps which are being reduced effective March 1st and fuel costs going up.
A special “Shout Out” to Shaw’s, we have received the gift cards again this year from their Spirit of Giv- ing program.
On February 6th, Kristi Harris, Branch Manager of Northway Bank in Conway, dropped off food and a check for $200 to the Food Pantry.
We would also like to extend thanks to the Community for the support we receive. We still partner with Conway Elementary, 68 Hours of Hunger program.
We are always looking for volunteers to help at the Pantry on Mondays, Tuesdays and some Thursdays. Anyone interested please call the office and leave your name and number and we will contact you.
As always, a “HUGE” THANK-YOU to all the Volunteers, whether it is helping in the pantry or serving on the Outreach Board. God Bless to all.
Anne Getchell, Dawn Vitters, Marilyn Hughes, Charlyne Gray, Charles Monaghan, and Sylvia Weld
March Worship
Zoom Meeting ID Number and passcode for Sunday Worship Services
or enter the following meeting ID and passcode:
Password: 074610
Sunday, March 5 – 2nd Sunday of Lent, Communion
Scriptures: Psalm 121 Genesis 4:1-4a John 3:1-17
Sermon: “Looking Beyond the Obvious”
Sunday, March 12, – 3rd Sunday of Lent
Scriptures: Psalm 95 Exodus 17:1-7 John 4:7-14
Sermon: “The Scandal of Living Water”
Sunday, March 19 – 4th Sunday of Lent – Rose Sunday Scriptures: Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-12
Sermon: “Can This Really Be True?”
Sunday, March 26 – 5th Sunday of Lent
Scriptures: Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 John 11:17-37
Sermon: “Was Jesus a Dawdler?”
Council Connections
I was hoping to come up with a catchy tag line for the Council newsletter article, but after three days of the stomach flu, my brain is not being very creative. So, I will ask all you readers if you have a good suggestion for a title to the monthly article from the Council. Please submit your title by email to the church and we will decide at our next meeting.
Speaking about the meeting, we had excellent attendance. Our first order of business was to adopt a set of guidelines that the Council and church would operate by. You can read them for yourself on the next page so that you also know them, and how you can submit items to the Council for consideration.
Financials show that our pledging and plate income is up and some of our building use is down, but that is due to the transfer of funds that weren’t made until February. January totals show that we were ($2,782) short of reaching our budgeted income. On the other hand our expense was ($3,604) less than budgeted expenses. So, we made a dent of $993.00.
The Council went on to discuss the upcoming events and services for Lent and Easter. It was decided to put up a Lenten banner, (which Nancy Irving was charged with designing). The banner will be over the front of the church depicting our upcoming Lenten services. The banner for the Fryeburg Fair generated a lot of conversation at the booth, so people do look at the church while they are stuck in traffic.
Discussing our building was next. I completed the emergency light test and replaced three dead batteries, so now we can get our occupancy permit renewed. Anne Getchell replaced the filters in the sanctuary furnace. The Council voted to have the screen installed over the picture window in the Sanctuary, so that the glare will no longer create problems for the service. Nancy Divine is coordinating that work. I will be working on getting the platform on the right side of Sanctuary for the second television to be set up. This will be a priority as all the music for services will have to be video. The Building Committee is going to get jump started again, since the Capital Campaign has had to be sidelined due to current circumstances.
The Council sadly accepted the resignation letter of our keyboardist Stephanie Miles. We thank her for all her support and music and wish her all the best as she moves back to her family in Massachusetts. It was decided that a new search for a keyboardist won’t begin until after Easter.
The Council thanks John Edgerton for providing everybody with a copy of abbreviated Robert’s Rules for non-profits. This will be helpful to keep the meeting under control and ensure that everyone that needs to speak will be heard.
Blessings to all,
Carl F. Vitters, Moderator
Trustees
Spring “might” almost be here? Thunderstorms and warmer days and the clocks get changed (March 12th). The Brown Church is also preparing for Lent.
A big thank you to Wally and Beth Campbell for a wonderful ham dinner at the church on February 10th. More people reserved sit down meals than take out. Many have commented on how nice it was to hear all the chatter and laughter in Fellowship Hall.
With events and activities increasing, we also bring more volunteers together, some for the first time. Thank you to all those who volunteer each week on a regular basis and to those who help with our many events. We would love to see new people in the future. We all have a good time working togeth- er and it is a good way to get to know each other a little better.
Are you Looking for a way to get involved, to meet more people, to share your talents, gifts and love while having fun? We can connect you to an activity. We have a number of event opportunities coming up.
March 10th, John Hughes will be hosting a Mediterranean Meal. He plans to involve children and families.
Spring Cleanup, date to be determined.
May 20th, (tentative) Spring Event. This was a successful event last year, with yard, plant and bake sales, crafts, and lunch. What is your talent?
If you would like to know how you can help, ask a Trustee. Volunteer signups will be announced and you can signup online, in Fellowship Hall or by calling the office.
Trustee Board: Anne Getchell, John Edgerton, Duddie Andrews, Nancy Irving, Nancy Divine, Tom Workman, ex officio member, Treasurer
Sunday Worship & Coffee Fellowship . . . return of a sense of normalcy
We are slowly returning to pre-pandemic Sunday mornings. The chairs are fuller than they have been, with more people returning to in person worship and less people attending via Zoom. We are now able to sing familiar hymns from the hymnals accompanied by Stephanie on the keyboard. The music committee and tech team are working with Stephanie to find which “voices” on the keyboard sound best in church and on zoom. Please be patient as we work through this process. Post service coffee fellowship is back! It is great to be able to catch up with all that has happened in each others lives these past few years. Coffee fellowship consists of light snacks, such as pastries or cookies and coffee and juice. There is a sign up sheet available if you would like to provide the light snacks for any given Sunday.
Have You Ever Wondered . . ?
Have you ever wondered why blue is the sky,
The extent of it’s vastness, how wide and how high?
And why the earth makes the sky it’s dome
As it circles the sun in a path all it’s own?
Have you ever wondered why snow is so white,
Why grass is so green, why wolves howl at night?
Why a brook meanders and babbles along
And why the birds each sing their own song?
Have you wondered why people are all so unique,
Some are accessible – some have secrets to keep;
Some are reserved, some have need for great power
And some seek attention each minute, each hour.
Have you wondered why we need money to live,
Why folks strive to keep it while others will give?
Why a seed can grow to a statuesque pine,
If trees talk to each other as do you and I?
Have you wondered where the wind was first born,
Where did it come from, where is it going?
Does it like to tumble clouds hither and yon,
Make everything tremble then swiftly move on?
Do you ever wonder what God wants of you,
Is he really pleased in all that you do?
Or is he waiting for more greater things
Before he gives you your crown and your wings?
These are childlike queries, but really not so
Answer them all – yeah, give it a go!
Mary Russo
