Congregational Church of Burlington

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CCB Amazing! 
News & Events to Nourish Your Soul By
February 2014 Edition 
    

We may be in the middle of a cold and dreary winter, but there is much going on at CCB!!  Brief introduction so we can get to the important stuff.

Don't forget that you can submit News blog entries during the month if waiting for the next newsletter is not timely enough!  Enjoy!
Call to FINAL Annual Budget Meeting on Sunday, February 9, 2014 following Service
From the Deacon's Bench Immediately following Service & Sunday School, we will meet in the Community Room to present and discuss the following:
  • Re-cap of January 5th Meeting & Congregational Votes
  • Review of Proposed 2014 Budget
  • Recommended Plan & Necessary Actions to be Successful.
  • Congregational Discussion and Final Vote 

If you wish to brush up, visit our YouTube channel to see the prior meeting videos.

 

We only had 27 voting members last meeting, so the Business Committee asks for a show of support for our efforts by attending this meeting and participating in the democracy that is woven into our Congregational faith.  Thank you. 

CCB Thank You to Those that Help
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"Thank You"...two words that, when said properly, hold so much feeling for both the giver and recipient of those words.

We have several this month from our Church and to our Church...all meaningful and heartfelt.

1. Thank you to Ken, Eileen & Garrett Palladino and the entire Scarpelli's Restaurant team for all you did to make Rev. Taylor's 60th Surprise Birthday party a smashing success!  The planning was impeccable and the food was simply amazing!

Please support this family owned establishment because they not only made Rev. Taylor's party great, but they help us each year at the Memorial Day and Tavern Day food tents.  Thank you so much!

2. Thank you to the Burlington Lions Club and Jim Hunt, President, for quietly donating turkey's to families in need during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  They don't seek public acknowledgement, but I know how hard the Lions Club works to do good in our community.  Thank you for your tireless and dedicated efforts!

3. Thank you from Colleen Webb, DCF Social Worker, for the Christmas gifts we gave her Covenant to Care children.  Colleen sent this letter to Rev. Taylor and it pretty much says it all.  To see what this program does for these disadvantaged children and how their lives prosper...well, to me that is priceless and I am proud to be part of a Church that supports such a mission.

4. Thank you to Kilbourne & Tully, P.C. with assistance from Richard Goodine, Jr. of The Goodine Law Firm LLC who have done and are still doing Pro Bono work on behalf of our Church.  Thank you to Sonia Higley for coordinating our requests and helping the legal experts keep us out of any hot water!  It is often a thankless job doing the behind the scenes work like this, but it is so helpful for a volunteer organization like ours.  Thank you so much, all your hard work and expertise is much appreciated.

5. Thank you from the Flower Committee to all who donated an altar arrangement this past year.  There is a sign-up sheet for 2014 for those who wish to make a donation in memory of a loved one or a happy occasion.
Mark Your Calendars!
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There is so much going on in February that we put it all into the Our Church Family file!

Click here to see the details, but below is a quick summary of all that is happening:
  • Friday, February 14th - Frank's Flix Valentine's Day Edition! - That's right, drop the kiddies off around 6 pm and return around 8:45 pm after your Date Night out!  It's Despicable Me 2, rated PG...so make your reservations now!
  • Sunday, February 16th - Annual Soup & Bread Sale - This will take place after service with the proceeds to benefit the Soup Kitchen Fund.
  • Sunday, February 16th - Silver Lake Sunday celebration.
  • Friday, February 21st - Teacher's Appreciation Dinner - Lasagna, dessert & Men's Ministry serving!  A good time for all and a chance to reflect and plan on our program.
  • Sunday, February 23rd - Call to Meeting of the Congregational Church of Burlington & Pot Luck Lunch - Immediately following service, a great lunch and fellowship!

These were only the teasers, so please check out the Our Church Family information for greater details on each of these.  Thank you! 

Raise the Roof! Buy a Bundle!!
New Roof Sep'13
The good news is we are 13% of the way there with 26 full bundles accounted for!

Thanks to all the generous donors, they are helping make some planned projects a real possibility in 2014: 
  • Bathroom Renovation - Yes, you read that correctly.  Mark Eisenmann is heading up our Bathroom Renovation Sub-committee and has already started the ball rolling.

    It's early, but it looks like a few donations may be happening to help reduce the overall project cost to the church.  We all know this is much needed and will give our Church an even more welcoming feel to visitors...which is quite the opposite of the experience now!
  • Outside Painting - If possible, buy the paint and materials so we can at least paint the most visible sides of the church.  It will take a Team CCB effort here, but with many hands we can make the work light!  We'll get back to you on this one.
  • Parking Lot & Labyrinth Lighting - We have the donated light poles and fixtures and we have the electrical conduits in place under our parking lot.  Now, we need to coordinate equipment and materials to get those poles up and our lot lighted.  

And I am sure there will be other worthy endeavors!  Much of this can happen faster if we pay ourselves back, so please consider Buying a Bundle at any time.

 

It may be too early for some, but if you are in line for a nice bonus, a sizable tax return or some unexpected windfall...please help us help ourselves.

How it Works

Each bundle symbolically represents those used to shingle our roof and, based on the cost of the project, amounting to 150 Bundles valued at $200 each.

The goal is to replenish our Building Improvement Fund within 19 months (or sooner!), allowing us to address other pressing building & grounds improvements.  The details:
  • Choose what Bundle Amount you wish to donate:
    • Full Bundle = $200
    • Half Bundle = $100
    • Quarter Bundle = $50
    • or Any amount that works for you!
  • Make your check out to the Congregational Church of Burlington and please note your Pledge Envelope # (if applicable) and "Raise the Roof" on the memo line.
  • Give a little now and a little later...or a lot!  Whatever works for you as any amount helps us keep this Beacon on the Hill in tip-top shape! 

That's pretty much all you need to do at any time in the upcoming days and months.

More News of Interest...

 

Be sure to check out the Our Church Family and The Deacons' Bench pages on our website as they share even more details on today's CCB news of importance: 
  • Rev. Taylor's Lenten Study begins on March 9th continuing every Wednesday until April 9th!  This year's topic is "The History, Beliefs and Practices of the United Church of Christ".  More details to come later this month! 
  • Fat Tuesday Celebration Dinner is on March 4th from 5 pm until 7 pm.
  • Help Wanted - Keep the Church expenses down by taking a rotation as a Sexton.  No meetings, no hired cleaning crew and immediate satisfaction.
  • Attention Women & Girls of CCB - Contact Sara Szafranski  to get the recently re-constituted Women's Circle meetings going again.  We have many great ideas, let's get them going!
In This Issue
Call to Annual Budget Meeting
Thank You to and from CCB
Save the Dates
Raise the Roof! Buy a Bundle!
More News of Interest

Pastor's Monthly Message

Pastor's Monthly Message

From the
Deacon's Bench
From the Deacon's Bench

Moments With God
Moment's With God

Our Church Family
Congregational Church of Burlington

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I can't imagine I missed something, but if I did please send me the info and I'll get it into our News blog feed for everyone to see.  In fact, just email me anytime as it's always good to share what's going on at our Church.

Anyone reading this interested in content creation like this newsletter or our news feed articles?  This is what my company does, so this is a great way to learn and possibly branch out in your career.  Just email me if you like to write, are creative and like helping others.

Thank you for reading and for all you do to support our Church and our missions!

Peace,
 
Jerry Burns
Business Committee Chair
Digital Marketing & Management Chair 
Copyright (c) 2014 Congregational Church of Burlington