Conway Village

Congregational Church

November 2024

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November Newsletter

Prospering in Conway

“for everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under heaven”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

On October 10th, 2024, our church was asked to offer a prayer at the Dedication Ceremony for the Helen Bigelow Merriman Garden. It is now the first thing people will see as they seek help, hope, and wholeness from the Maine Health Memorial healthcare facility. It was a beautiful fall day to bless a garden with gentle meandering paths. Our religious tradition holds that God fashioned humanity for a garden (Genesis 2:7). The garden is meant to be a place for people to regain perspective, seek a better nature, and celebrate the changes and stages of their lives. We prayed that God will grant anyone who walks the garden the ability to become grounded to face whatever challenges their circumstances need.

The garden was laid out so that it would constantly display changes of color and the changing textures each season will bring. The garden will be a symphony of beauty bringing a sense of peace. It seemed appropriate to bless this natural gift as an expression of the many gifts of generosity the hospital received to make it a reality.

The next day, upon returning to the church, another gift of money was received from The White Mountain Moose Lodge, presented by Jolie Roche, President. It is part of an array of gifts we have received from so many well wishers in the greater Conway area.

Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to bless and celebrate the harvest of the season and this year it has taken on special meaning as various groups have offered their musical gifts to help finance the Brown Church’s recovery.

Our Church, which normally hands out gifts to those in need, finds itself on the receiving side of generosity this year. We have much to be thankful for and much to celebrate in this season of change.

Generous people will prosper,
those who refresh others, will be refreshed.
(Proverbs 11:25, Common English Bible)

What beautiful weather to start fall and to view the foliage.  If you are driving by the church, be sure to look at the new sign. Carl Vitters did the initial work and Gemini Signs did the finish and installation. You will also notice new handrails on the front steps.

We got through another Fryeburg Fair. Thanks to everyone who was part of prep and production and worked in the booth. We grossed $33,323.

We have apple crisp pans left over and they are in the freezers. If you wish to purchase some, it is $30 per pan. Contact Melody at the church.

Flood Recovery – We are getting there!

We are hoping to have heat in the building (all but the sanctuary) by the first week of November. The carpet in the offices will also be installed that week.

We are approaching 11 months since the flood. It is hard to believe that it has taken this long to get most of the repairs done, but it tells us just how extensive the damage was.

Paul and Sylvia and crew have been moving the pantry out of the old space into the classroom. Between the pantry and Dinner Bell, 4 refrigeration units have been replaced.

Thank you to the Diaconate and volunteers who organized the recent concert at the Majestic. It was a “top notch” event!

The Trustees want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Anne Getchell

Trustee Board ~ Anne Getchell, John Edgerton, Duddie Andrews, Nancy Irving, Nancy Divine, Tom Workman, ex officio member, Treasurer

Brown Church ‘Flooding the Village with Music

Tom Eastman

The Majestic Theatre this past Saturday, Oct. 19, hosted a “Flooding the Village with Music” concert that raised $3,600 for the efforts to repair the heating system
at the Conway Congregational Church that was damaged in flooding last December. Among the groups performing was Jackson’s DellaValla Trio, featuring siblings (from left) John, 13, fiddle; Molly, 18, guitar and Joseph, 16, banjo.

Also performing were pianist Dana Cunningham, Another Story, Andriana Gnap (shown with Steve Hayden of Another Story) and Katherine Rhoda. The goal is to get the heating system up and running come early November, according to church trustee chair Anne Getchell. (TOM EASTMAN PHOTO)

Who, not How                                                            
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,  Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?                                                John 4:28-29 KJV

I belong to a few groups that start meetings with introductions. We are often asked to state our name, where we live, and how or why we got involved in the organization. More often than not people do not name a how or a why, but usually people name a person who reached out to them and invited them to attend a meeting. This personal invitation seems to work best. Even if it is a cause close to our heart, finding the time to join a group, often seems too much to ask our busy lives. And yet, when we are invited by a friend, family member, or even an acquaintance, we are more likely to make the effort.

My family moved here over half a century ago. My parents were raised Lutheran and Methodist. When we moved to Conway, there was only one of those options available. My brother and I were shy then, and I thank God (and my parents) that we had a funny looking dog named Snoopy. We would take Snoopy for a walk, and everyone wanted to pet the dog with ears that almost dragged on the ground… and we met friends. All of the neighborhood kids attended the Sunday School at the Congregational Church, and they invited us to join them. Meanwhile, the insurance agent who wrote the policy for our home had her housekeeper make a casserole for us on the day that we moved into the house. The Dahl sisters also invited our family to the Second Congregational Church. . . and so we attended, became members, joined the youth group, Dad was invited to join the choir, Mom was invited to Litanni, my parents were invited to the Congo Club, eventually served as Deacons, and on Search Committees.

The woman at the well, who met Jesus, dropped everything to go and tell a town full of people about the Messiah. Looking back on my childhood, and more recent years, I realize that it is the personal invitations that move me out of my everyday life, into new experiences. As we prepare to return to the Brown Church, perhaps you can invite a friend to join you. I know that in Matthew 28 we are called to go to the ends of the Earth and witness to all nations. I think I will start with an invitation…

Your Deacons, Louise, Judy, Beth, Jill and Charles

A Walk In The Woods

A walk with a friend on a warm Autumn Day
Can sharpen your senses in an unexplained way.
It can set you in tune with all that you view,
So all once familiar now deems to be new.

A stroll in the park ~ really nothing so grand,
But it can inspire you to appreciate this wonderous land.
So complete by Nature’s touch of her brush,
Painting an Autumn masterpiece solely for us.

When we walk with a friend there’s much to share,
We can stop at a pond ~ hear the frogs that live there . . .
Croak along with their family from their watery abode,
Welcoming us in their primeval mode.

We hear the ripple of a loitering brook
Hesitating to depart from it’s dark, shady nook.
We stop to view a hawk soaring high in the sky,
To him lowly creatures are you and I.

We hear the scolding of an impatient squirrel
As he scampers away in a dash and a whirl.
Far away a bluejay is calling for rain,
While his neighbor answers in a similar refrain.

The sun is now sinking in the sky very low,
It’s time we turn and head back to home.
Our thoughts reflect a time well-consumed.
Our bodies and minds refreshed and renewed.

Take an exuberant walk at a fast or slow pace,
Feel the sensation of wholeness you’re sure to embrace.

Mary Russo