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The Eliot Church of Newton
474 Centre Street, Newton MA 02458
617-244-3639
www.eliotchurch.org
No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here
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Greetings!
 I am completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection that you have lavished on me over these past weeks - at the Farewell dinner on May 21, especially, but in so many other conversations as well. Words cannot begin to express my gratitude and appreciation, but Thank You! And a special thanks for all the hard work that so many of you put into planning, preparing and hosting the farewell event. I know that a tremendous amount of time and energy went into it.
As I said that evening, I couldn't possibly begin to realize how deep one's roots grow over 16 years embedded in a community, until I started to pull them out. It's hard - and painful! Much as I am convinced that this is a positive and necessary transition, for me and for the Eliot congregation, that doesn't make the parting any easier. And it's also hard to say real "goodbyes" when my home will still be in Newton. But my life will be fully occupied with the next congregation that I serve and I really do intend to sever all pastoral connections and expectations with the Eliot congregation, as my ministerial oath requires. So while it's tempting to just say "See you around" or "Till next time" instead of "Goodbye" and "Farewell," let's not do that. Let us say farewell with love and affection and no expectations, but good memories.
The good memories come easy for me. My years of ministry with you were some of the best years of my life. The support I found among you was honest and heartfelt, the rewards in my ministry were abundant, and the challenges enabled me to stretch and grow significantly in my professional and spiritual life.
Thank you, and God bless you, every one!
Pastor Tony
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Greetings from Pastor Karla
It has been a full and rich program year! I would like to celebrate all of you at Eliot, because each of you are the church. We couldn't be church without one another--from those of you who teach Sunday School to serving on Coordinating Council to making coffee and preparing goodies for fellowship every Sunday to gathering us to serve by cleaning up the Charles River banks. I especially want to thank Lisa Hines, our outgoing moderator, for all of the time, effort and leadership she has provided us, especially this year. She has supported the efforts of the Implementation Task Force as we talked about ensuring Eliot's vibrant future. She pulled us all into action as we planned our farewell events for Tony. She has lead with humour, grace, and deep faith. Thank you, Lisa.
And speaking of Pastor Tony---wow. What to say? Thank you, Tony----you have been a wonderful colleague to me, and I have appreciated beyond measure having the opportunity to be in ministry with you, here at Eliot. It has been a wonderful four years.May God's richest blessings follow you to Randolph--they are so blessed to have you for their transitional minister.
With love,
Pastor Karla
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The Sundays in June
June 5 - Pastor Tony's Farewell Sunday
We will bid farewell and godspeed to Pastor Tony, who will be preaching his last sermon at Eliot. We will celebrate communion, and have a special ritual of letting go and honoring his ministry with us. We will also have a special farewell reception. Please join us!
June 12 - Pentecost!
Wear red to celebrate the birthday of the church!
Pastor Karla will be leading worship.
June 19 "Backstories"
What are the stories behind some of our favorite hymns and spirituals?
Robert and Nadja Young, along with Charles Raines, will be the worship leaders that day.
June 26 "Stories from our Past"
Susan Nason, as our worship leader, will share some of the gems of the beginnings of our story as a congregation. How did Eliot Church form in 1845? Was there a Sunday School? What about a stewardship drive? All that and more!
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Communion Sunday, June 5
Communionware from Jane Leighton
Jane Leighton asked a potter she met at a craft fair a couple of years ago if she would help Jane learn how to make pottery. This spring, Jane, at the age of 91, presented Eliot Church with two beautiful pottery chalices and patens (Communion plates) that she made. We will use them for the first time in our Communion servie this Sunday, June 5. Thank you, Jane!!
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A Recap of Pastor Tony's Sweet Sixteen Farewell
Saturday, May 21
Senior High students Mike Atkinson, Ryan & Thomas Byrne, Danny Flanagan, Nick Link & Gil Pettingell gave this rendition
of the Kinks' tune "Lola":
I met him that first day I went to church
He had a white beard and a rob as red as pepperoni
P-e-pep-eroni
He walked up to me and he slowly knelt
He gently shook my hand and said his name was Pastor Tony
T-o-n-y, Tony, To-To-To-To Tony.
Well, I'm not the world's most sociable guy,
But with him it's always so hard to say goodbye.
Oh my, Tony, To-To-To-To Tony.
Well, I'm not dumb, but I can't understand
How so much love can come from a single man.
Oh my Tony, To-To-To-To Tony.
Well the years went by and I learned to pray;
Got better and better every single day.
He showed me how to day the Lord's Prayer,
His powerful sermons had me gasping for air.
Well, I'm not the world's most religious guy
But, when this man spoke, he made it easy to try.
To-To-To-To-Tony, To-To-To-To-Tony
Tony, To-To-To-To Tony, To-To-To-To Tony
He's going away;
He's leaving today
And I can't stand to say
But he will never go
His words lingering for us to know.
He'll say, "Do unto others as they do to you,
And you'll get in return all that you want to", Tony
To-To-To-To Tony.
Although I'm a senior, I just want to say,
That you made me into this man I am today, TONY
TA-TA-TA-TA- TTTTTTOOOONNNNYYYY!
The Lundberg-Horburgh Family, with a little help from
their friends Fred Balfour & Kevin Curtin (and all the guests
joined in on the refrain) gave this rendition
of The Beatles tune, "Yellow Submarine":
The Church Down the Hill
In the town where we were born,
There's a church that's down the hill,
There's a man inside its doors
He's the Pastor, Tony Kill.
REFRAIN
We all love our Eliot Church, Eliot Church, Eliot Church
We all love our Eliot Church, Eliot Church, Eliot Church.
While Tony's been on board,
Many more of us entered the door;
And the choir begins to sing:
"Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee..."
REFRAIN
Spoken: Full speed ahead, Pastor Tony, full speed ahead!
Raise the anchor, cut the cable.
Aye, aye, sir, aye, aye, Pastor!
Tony walks the extra mile
Telling stories of Dr. Seuss
We will miss his gentle smile
When the iguana was on the loose;
REFRAIN
Tony trekked to Galilee
Soaking up the holy air;
Brought us back the gift of peace
And his home brew for the Harvest Fair!
REFRAIN
Chuck Harper read two of his poems:
RECOVERING
I told her to
trim it
tame it
contour the shaggy edges
get it off my neck
and taper slightly
around the ears
She swiveled my chair
away from the mirror -
and chopped
My God
I look like an inmate
a new recruit
a businessman
a kiwi fruit
a monk
a prison guard
a sergeant
a skinhead
one of the regimented people
of which of course I am -
but not at heart
and I do not choose
to look the part
Time is a great healer
but it will take weeks
possibly months
to recover
Damn Delilah
PREACHER
A constant theme in what he does is God.
This is not surprising for a preacher
who aspires to guide his community
along the paths of rectitude and truth.
His bow also strokes other strings of beauty
that cause our hearts to lean toward justice
and that elusive peace that only justice
can secure. Thus is it ordained by God,
the prophets claim; a vision of beauty
so astounding that the voice of the preacher
unremittingly celebrates this truth
until the folk of the community
embrace this vision, and the community
is known to be a lover of justice,
a troupe who dance to the music of truth.
This view of the church is romantic, God
knows! But there are moments when the preacher
glimpses some incarnation of this beauty
in the people, a luminous beauty
whose glow the hymns of the community
extol, its art reflects and the preacher
rejoices to see. Thus does justice
call forth art and art turns our hearts to God -
and the city that is to be, in truth,
is with us now - a little. This huge truth,
that the city rises now in beauty,
ravishes our minds and incites us to God
talk. How else speak of the fair community
we sometimes see in small acts of justice
that are enlarged in the lens of the preacher's
preaching until we now hear the preacher
say that today we can live in this truth
more fully than yesterday, weaving justice
into a fabric of such great beauty
that artists and poets join the community
in dance and song and praise of God.
Thus is the preacher's art a work of beauty,
a truth within himself and his community
that, striving for justice, bend toward God.
The Eliot Confirmation Class said good-bye to Tony with a skit,
where they were pretending to be the Spiritual Life Commission,
and were fighting during the meeting. Then, "Pastor Jeremy" opened a letter from Pastor Tony, reminding them of passages of the Bible he shared with them. Here is the "letter":
Dear Eliot Confirmands,
I am writing to you from my new office at First Congregational Church of Randolph. I have an endless list of things to do here, but before I get started, I wanted to make sure that you are living in accordance with what I taught you before leaving your church. I trust you are all getting along well, and that you are serving God faithfully and with joyful hearts. I am certain that you all are engaging in fruitful dialogues in order to improve the services, and that you are dutifully fulfilling your pledges. Don't forget Paul's letter to the Romans (chapter 12:9-19) in which he states:
Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. Love one another warmly as Christian brothers, and be eager to show respect for one another. Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion. Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times. Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.
Ask God to bless those who persecute you - yes, ask him to bless, not to curse. Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep. Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise.
If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, "I will take revenge. I will pay back, says the Lord." Instead, as the scripture says: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will make him burn with shame." Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.
I can't wait to get some news from Pastor Jeremy on how closely you are following these commandments given to all of us by God through his servant Paul. You are a wonderful congregation, and will miss you all very much.
Warmest regards and stay golden,
Pastor Tony
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Pastor Karla's Vacation Schedule
June 17 - July 2
If you have a pastoral emergency, or need assistance, please contact the church office, or Susan Nason. The UCC pastors in Newton will be providing pastoral coverage for all the congregations throughout the summer holidays.
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Eliot Church on the Web
New Website
We are in the process of re-building our church website with a web-based platform. If you have ideas, questions, or thoughts, please contact Terri Whitney Jackson in the church office.
Facebook
Sign Up to be a Welcomer
Here's an easy way to sign up to be a Welcomer. We've created an electronic sign up sheet to volunteer to be a Welcomer on Doodle.
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FY12 Roster of Officers and Commission Chairs
New Website
Report of the interim Leadership Development Committee
As Amended and Approved by Vote of the Congregation
May 1, 2011
Nominees for Officers and Commission Chairs and Members 2011 - 2012
Oncoming: Kevin Curtin, Moderator Nancy Lane, Clerk Jan Perkins, At Large Member, Coordinating Council Laura Seoane, Chair, Christian Education Commission Aaron McPherson - Investments Committee (appointed in FY11 to fill mid-term vacancy by resignation) Marjorie O'Reilly - Investments Committee Peter Seoane - Investments Committee Connie Stubbs, Chair, Mission & Social Justice Commission Barbara Oppenheimer - Parish Staff Relations Committee
Continuing: Rich Stroshane, Treasurer (Second Term) Mary Anne Schoonover, Financial Secretary Lisa Byrne, At Large Member (Second Term) Dan Flanagan, Chair, Facilities Commission Elizabeth Baker, Chair, Finance Commission Jan Paul von Wendt, Chair, Music Commission Robert Young, Chair, Spiritual Life Commission Mary Anne Schoonover, Chair, Interim Leadership Development Committee Sue Finegan, Chair, Safe Church Response Committee Outgoing: Lisa Hines, Moderator - 3 years' service Barbara Couturier, Clerk - 2 years' service David Wood, At Large Member - 2 years' service Sue Maraventano, Co-Chair, CE - 2 years' service Josephine McNeil, Chair, Membership - 4 years' service Ellen Abele, Co-Chair, M&SJ - 3 years' service Don Oppenheimer, Chair, Investments - 11 years' service John Rutherford, Past Chair, Investments - 10 years' service Elizabeth Baker, Chair, Parish Staff Relations Committee - 3 years' service Susan Jeghelian - Parish Staff Relations Committee - 3 years' service Members of Teaching Parish Committee:
Carolyn Clark, Chair - 3 years' service,
Barbara Couturier,
Nancy Lane,
Jan Perkins,
Christine Stuart
Open Positions: Financial Secretary Elect At-Large Member, Coordinating Council Finance Chair Elect Co-Chair(s), Membership Commission Co-Chairs, Parish Life Commission
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Eliot Celebrates Boston PRIDE!
Saturday, June 11
Join Karla and other UCC churches in the annual interfaith PRIDE worship and parade on Saturday, June 11. Worship at Old South begins at 10:00 am. Special guest preacher: Rev. Liz Walker of the African Methodist Episcopal Church - award-winning television journalist and documentary film producer.
The 2011 Pride Interfaith Award recipients: Ken and Marcia Garber of Dignity/Boston - parents and transgender youth advocates.
After worship, we will join other UCC church groups and march with under the Massachusetts Conference "God is Still Speaking" banner, led by "The Spark of Love and Joy" band. Join us! It's FUN!
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Happy June Birthday! 2 Benjamin Bassett 2 Benjamin Smith 5 Frannie Miller 5 Mimi Zielinski 6 Phil Sharp 6 Tim Walton 7 Maya Stroshane 8 Matthew Hults 10 Mike Mikula 11 David Castillo Gocher 11 Elizabeth Reid 11 Elizabeth Flanagan 13 Nancy Lane 16 Bill Robinson 21 Kayla Hreczuck 25 Connie DeVol 25 Dave Persampieri 27 Sachi Hashimoto 27 Adrian Staples 30 Sue Dinn
Happy June Anniversary!
6 Lisa & Jim Byrne
10 Donna & Bob Rombauer
11 Diane Pullen & Lisa Gonsalves
14 Sharon & Fred Balfour
16 Fawn & Robert Dare
16 Lisa Hines & Ed Zielinski
17 Virginia & Richard Munkelwitz
25 Anya & Jon Bassett
27 Betsy Harper & Dave Persampieri
28 Nina & Brucke LeDoyt
30 Steve & Jennifer Smith
New Website for Parents
Eliot member and mom, Amy Lankenau McPherson, has started her own website: www.theparentingconnection.com. It was created to connect parents to each other around shared issues and concerns. The site contains a matching engine for bringing parents together, blogs, ratings, and a marketplace. Amy would love for you to join and send her feedback on the site!
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