 | 10 am Service
Join us this week for inspiring music and quality preaching.
Rev. Dana Allen Walsh preaching: "A Still Speaking God"
Music by the Chancel Choir
Click HERE for last week's sermon "The Ties That Bind"
6:15 pm Join us @ the Well in Clark Hall.
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Sunday morning,
10:15 -11am
November 11th and 18th - We'll be exploring the Old Testament story
of "manna from heaven" from the book of Exodus. Come Join the Circle!
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If you have questions our programming for children at Hancock, please contact Pam Cochrane: pam@hancockchurch.org
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Hancock Youth Group
This past Sunday HYG was blessed to have guest speaker Andy Edwards from City Missions Society come and talk to them about urban poverty. Andy led an educational gamer where the group learned about the effects of taxes, job loss, family strife, and much more. This activity led to a thoughtful discussion on what can cause urban poverty and homelessness. We learned that sometimes circumstances outside of our control can quickly take away our security. We learned how any one can find themselves in the position of poverty. Afterwards we brainstormed a plan of action locally, nationally, and globally. HYG has some fantastic service opportunities happening this month, which reflect the groups awareness of urban poverty and their willingness to help. Coming Up @ HYG! This week: Cooking for Rosie's Place!
As part of our exploration of urban poverty, we will be cooking 10 lasagnas for Rosie's Place, a shelter for homeless women, in Boston. Cooking will take place in people's homes--contact Marcia Gens or Linda Kilner Olivier for more information or to volunteer! ( gensfamily@gmail.com, LAKilner@aol.com)
And just in case you bring a friend who hasn't registered--do it here!:
HYG Registration
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The New Herald--Winter Issue coming soon...
In the meantime, the autumn issue is available on-line:
 Click HERE to read the new Herald, volume 1, issue 1 (Autumn).
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Hancock Weekly and other Communications Deadlines
The deadline for submitting news for this e-mail newsletter each week is Tuesday at 3pm. Submissions should be sent to: office@hancockchurch.org
Kindly send text and images as separate attachments. Thank you!
Click Here for the Communication Deadlines resource sheet.
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| Thanks to all who participated in our Democratic Process Yesterday!
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| 1600 pairs of Socks!
Heartfelt thanks to all of you who so generously gave over 1600 pairs new socks for the homeless served by the Outdoor Church in Cambridge and the homeless served by City Mission Society in Boston. We set a high goal of 600 pairs of new socks. In the last ten days we had half that amount. A matching offer came forth to contribute an additional 600 pairs if the initial goal of 600 pairs were met. The Hancock community continues to amaze! Including the matching offer, Hancock donated over 1600 pairs of new socks to be split between Cambridge and Boston!!! It's tremendous fun to work on these projects. Hancock, you are wonderfully generous. Thank you!
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Faith & Giving: Come to a Gathering
There will be a gathering at the home of Skip and Ann Irving , 7 Dane Rd on Wednesday Nov 7 from 7- 9 PM. Come and learn about the many exciting plans for the year ahead as you prepare for Pledge Sunday.
Also...The most exciting news to hit Stewardship Season at Hancock since the invention of the "A" and "B" boxes:) Giving is now easier than ever--our on-line giving page is now up and running.
Try it out! : Give.
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Love our Building! Indoor/Outdoor Workday, Saturday November 17th, 9am-1pm
The Prudential Committee has held several highly successful Work Days this fall and we appreciate the participation of those who have come out for them. There is one more scheduled this fall -- an INdoor/OUTdoor Work Day on Saturday, November 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., to finish up the final projects before the holiday season is upon us. We are always collecting projects to add to our list, so if you have recommendations of additions, please contact Carmen Kalsow (information below).
You don't need any special expertise to join us for some work, some fun and some fellowship over mid-morning snacks, so PLEASE come join us on November 17 for even a few hours? Call or email Carmen Kalsow with questions (<kalsow@rcn.com> or 781-258-9286). We hope to see you soon!
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Full Gathering of the Congregational Care Team-Sunday November 18th, 11:30-1pm in Wilson
Are you helping others at Hancock? Do you want to?
Everyone who participates in -- or would like to help with-- Congregational Care at Hancock, is urged to attend this Congregational Care Team meeting. - We need your input if you knit shawls; deliver flowers at Christmas, Easter, or on Sundays; help with collations; prepare meals; drive others; visit shut-ins; or carol at Christmas.
- Who else could use our assistance? Who else can help us?
- What do you think of programs we've offered: Grief groups, Sandwich Generation Dinners, Elder Care informational seminars?
- What are our future plans?
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Exhibit Opening and Reception, Sunday November 18th 5pm-6pm!
 Join us in celebrating The Corridor's New Photo Exhibit, 2nd floor Hancock Church Education Wing
The Women of Panama & Their Stories, curated by Sustainable Harvest International.
Meet 22 rural Panamanian women working with SHI to improve the lives of their families and communities and hear them speak and show what is important to them.
This photo essay is being shared with us by SHI. Florence Reed, founder of SHI, visited Panama with fine arts students from Ohio Wesleyan University. After interviewing 22 women from 2 communities, the students took pictures of the women and then loaned each woman a camera to take with her for a few days to document her own life in photos. These interviews gave Flo a chance to once again see that she still doesn't know all the ways that SHI's work is impacting the environment and the lives of the people we serve.
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Sandwich Generation Dinner: Sunday, November 18, 7-8:30pm, Pearson Room
Anyone who is providing care to both parents and children, or who has done so in the past, is invited to the third Sandwich Generation Dinner. This group shares practical advice, emotional support, and spiritual guidance. A light, warm dinner is provided (5 suggested contribution). Topic: How does care for your parent impact your relationship with other family members - siblings, spouses, children?
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Please Come! Join us in welcoming Roy Lara of Sustainable Harvest International on Monday, November 19th
Roy is one of Sustainable Harvest International's Honduran Field
Trainers. He works together with families, individuals and communities in rural Honduras to preserve tropical forests while overcoming poverty. He has worked with Hancock volunteers to provide training and community support in planting organic vegetable gardens, tree nurseries, and fruit tree orchards, and in building chicken coops, fish ponds, wood-conserving stoves, and biogas digesters.
We welcome Roy to Lexington on Monday, November 19, 7:30 pm at Mark and Lisa Sandeen's home at 10 Brent Road. All are invited.
Roy will also speak at the Lexington Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at First Parish on Tuesday evening, November 20.
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Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Worship Service: Tuesday, November 20th 7:30pm
The Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Worship Service will be held Tuesday, November 20, 7:30 pm at First Parish Unitarian/Universalist Church. Clergy from many Lexington faith communities will lead the service, with music from a massed choir. Featured speaker will be Roy Lara of Sustainable Harvest International, who worked with our mission team in Panama this summer. The offering will benefit the relief efforts of the Red Cross in the United States and in Haiti for victims of Hurricane Sandy. 
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Wine Raffle to Benefit Sustainable Harvest International--Winners drawn November 20th--get your tickets today!
What's Good for the Land is Good for the Grapes, Good for the Wine, and Good for You.
Three winners will be drawn, each to receive six bottles of organically produced fine wines. The wines are donated and proceeds will fund Hancock's sponsorship of SUSTAINABLE HARVEST INTERNATIONAL's work to restore forests and end hunger in Piedras Negras, Honduras.
All wines are made using organically certified farming
techniques. No chemical insecticides, pesticides or fertilizers are used:
Montinore Estate (Oregon)--2011 "Borealis", a blended white wine
Perrini Estate (Apuglia, Italy)--2010 Primitivo
Frog's Leap (Napa Valley, California)--2011 Sauvignon Blanc
De Villaine (Burgundy, France)--2010 Aligote
Tablas Creek (Paso Robles, Calif)--2011 Patelin de Tablas Rouge
Domaine Gramenon (Rhone Valley, France)--2010 "Sierra du Sud" Cotes du Rhone
The retail value of each case is $150. Rafle tickets are $10/each or three for $25. Tickets will be available at coffee hour after church on Sundays and at other fall church events. For questions or to purchase tickets, contact Charlotte Dougherty at 781.863.8018 charlottepdougherty@gmail.com |
Troop 119: Wreaths for Sale Now through November 25th!
 The Boy Scouts of Lexington Troop 119 are selling beautiful, 20" to 22" diameter holiday wreaths during coffee hour on Sundays until November 25th.These wreaths are high-quality, very fresh, and decorated with a red velvet bow. This is the only annual fundraiser for Troop 119, allowing the Troop to purchase equipment, subsidize camping trips and summer camp and provide scholarships. Please consider supporting Troop 119 with the purchase of a wreath. Wreaths are $15 and can be picked up on December 2nd in room 205. Thank you very much for your support of Scouting! |
Hanging of the Greens: Sunday, November 25th
The Christmas season will be upon us very soon, and our church will be filled with the wonderful pine scents of garlands and wreaths. Please join the Music and Arts Committee for the Annual Volunteer Wreath and Garland Hanging Sunday, November 25th after church at 11:30am. We need your help attaching ribbons to the 14 beautiful wreaths to be hung around the church, and hanging garlands across the balcony and along the walls of the altar. Hope to see you there! There will be music, refreshments and holiday comraderie as we prepare the church for Advent and Christmas!
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Sunday, December 2nd--12th Annual Hancock Holiday Fair, and the 143rd Manger Sunday
Come lift your spirits and embrace the Advent season by participating in a beloved Hancock tradition: Manger Sunday. During morning worship on 12/2/2012, we will process to the manger with gifts for those less fortunate. Hancock, along with 40 other churches and groups in the Greater-Boston area, delivers the gifts to City Mission Society's (CMS) distribution center in Winchester. Gift suggestions and volunteer opportunities will be available in the upcoming issue of The Herald and on flyers around church. Please contact Kristen Eckler (kristen.eckler@gmail.com) for information or if you can drive gifts to Winchester on 12/2.
Hancock's popular Holiday Fair with Gifts that Care, will be held on Sunday, 12/2. As always, the Fair will be held in Clarke Hall and the Dining Room, with shopping hours from 11a.m to 1 p.m. You can buy distinctive and unique gifts that will benefit 26 local and international charities, while enjoying entertainment and refreshments. Bring your friends! For more information, contact Sandra Shaw at sj.shaw@verizon.net.
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Bagels and Bible: Every Sunday 9-9:45am in the Wilson Room
Hancock is starting another Sunday morning discussion group called Bagels and Bible. This discussion-based group is designed for individual adults or families with high school aged children. Childcare is available for younger children. Drop in for a single session, a couple of meetings, or the entire six weeks. Join us in the Wilson Room at 9 m on Sunday mornings starting on October 14th for lively conversation and free bagels. Our first course will focus on the parables of Jesus. We'll explore the cultural context of first century Judea, trace connections between the Old and New Testaments, and examine the rich symbolism of Jesus' most instructive stories. We will provide the resources to start the conversation but we're most interested in hearing your personal interpretations. If you would like to learn more about Bagels and Bible, please contact Kerra Fletcher at harold3513@hotmail.com or Jason Troutman at j.e.troutman@hotmail.com.  |
Hancock Poetry Group meets on Second Tuesdays of every month: Next meeting is November 14th, 7pm, Pearson
Are you a poetry lover? Do you consider poetry an important part of your spiritual life? Or do you simply find that poetry often touches you in a spiritual way? We invite you to get in touch with your spiritual and creative side! The Hancock Poetry Group will meet the second Tuesday of every month at 7pm. We'll be getting to know each other, and everyone is welcome to bring a poem that has touched you. We will read some poetry by Jessie Brown, who will be giving a reading at our November meeting. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact Kerra Fletcher at harold3513@hotmail.com or Amy Kelly at akelly99@gmail.com
Jessie Brown works as a poet-in-residence in schools, libraries, and community centers in the Boston area. Her poems have appeared in various journals, such as The Comstock Review, Peacework, and Soundings East, and translations in The American Poetry Review. She received her Master's degree from the Stanford Writing Program, where she studied with Denise Levertov, and won the American Academy of Poets prize. Her collection Lucky was the 2011 winner for the Anabioisis Press Chapbook Competition. Her second chapbook, What We Don't Know We Know, will be forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in 2013. A founding member of the Alewife Poets, she gives frequent performances and workshops both in collaboration and alone. She lives in Arlington, Massachusetts. |
When God's People Grieve--Wednesdays, open to all
"Abraham's wife Sarah died at Hebron, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her." Genesis 22:2
What do God's people do when their hearts are broken with grief?
Come join with others who are mourning losses, to explore this question that has perplexed faithful people from the beginning of time. Come to a safe space to quietly look at scripture, art and music, as ways to begin to heal our hearts. Facilitated by Joy Fallon, Congregational Care Coordinator
Wednesdays, October 17, 24, and November 7, 14, morning session 9:30 - 11 AM or evening session 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. This group will be offered twice on Wednesdays, so that it can be accessible to those who prefer daytime gatherings, and those who work during the day. (Note that the group does not meet on Oct 31st).
If possible, please plan to come to all four sessions, but drop-ins are also welcome.
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Donate Your Old Instruments to Hancock Music Programs
We are looking for a few instruments to help us in our music program her at the church. Specifically, we are looking for a french horn, electric bass, and percussion equipment. We are happy to entertain other possibilities as well. So if your child used to play something and that instrument is now sitting in a closet taking up space, donate it to the church and get a tax write off to boot! Please contact Mark Morgan at mark@hancockchurch.org or 781-862-4220 ext. 212.
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Hurricane Relief Fund
Thanks to the Christian Service Committee's Hancock Response Fund, established to help in times of crisis or disaster, Hancock has made a donation to the UCC's efforts to aid those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Through the One Great Hour of Sharing and the UCC National Disaster Ministries, people are receiving aid in the Caribbean as well as in states such as Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and others. Funds provide blankets, hygiene kits, clean-up buckets as well as helping those in Brooklyn with grants for getting emergency food stamp credit, among many other ways the UCC is responding. If you would like to donate, please visit their web site: http://www.ucc.org/disaster/hurricane-sandy-update.html |
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Gearing up for this Year's Concord Prison Outreach
For over thirty years, Concord Prison Outreach has been providing holiday gift bags for the inmates at the Concord Reformatory and the Northeastern Correctional Center. Hancock became a part of this tradition several years ago and the generous donations of the Hancock Congregation have helped to ensure that all of the1700 inmates at the two institutions will receive a bag. Sadly these gift bags are sometimes the only holiday remembrances that some of the men receive.
The Mass Department of Corrections has approved the items on the list so it is important that donations meet the specifications. Multiples of items are welcome and of course it is not necessary to purchase all the items on the list but all contributions will be gratefully received. Starting on Sunday Nov.11, boxes for the donations will be placed at the lower front entrance and near the dining room. The contents will be taken to the Trinity Episcopal Church in Concord where they will be sorted by volunteers. All donations will need to be at the church no later than December 10 to be sure that they are included in this year's distribution. Also starting on /Sunday Nov 11, a scrapbook containing some of the many letters received from the recipients will be on display.
1 bar of deodorant soap (4-5 oz.)
1 tube toothpaste, 5.8 oz. or larger
1 pad WHITE paper 6" x 9" or 5" x 8", 100 pages (no wire)
White envelopes #6 3/4 (6 1/2" x 3 5/8")
1 pair white CREW socks (no tube socks, knee- highs or "tennis" socks)
1 bottle (plastic) shampoo (12 -15 oz.)
1 stick deodorant (no roll-ons, 2.75 oz. or larger)
A handmade holiday greeting card, first names only
Homemade cards from children are especially welcome
If there are any questions, please call me, Louise Haldeman 978 369 8562
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City Mission Society: giving the gift of Time
The best gift you can give is the gift of your time. Give back to a child. City Mission Society needs volunteers to read to the students at Russell Elementary School either during lunch or after school. We are only asking for one hour of your time, once a week. Make it a group thing! Bring a partner or team down to the school. For more information e-mail or call Melanie Sonsteng at 617-742-6830 ext. 208, interncms@gmail.com. Russell Elementary School is located at 750 Columbia Road, Dorchester, MA 02125 -free parking at school -short walk from the red line JFK/UMass stop
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Seeking Heifer Catalogs
Please drop your unwanted Heifer catalogs in the box in the hallway by the church office. We use them to make Heifer gift cards to sell at the Fair on December 2nd.
Contact Deb Holland for more information: debra.holland@verizon.net
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Lexington Food Pantry - November is canned vegetables.
If you donate food in November, please consider canned vegetables. Donation baskets are in the narthex, as well as outside the office and dining room.Volunteers are needed for November 10 to help distribute the food at the Pantry. The commitment is from 8:45 to about 11:30 am and the learning curve is short!. . For more information, contact Caroline Nijenberg 781 862-4465 or carolinen@rcn.com
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Cooking for Rosie's Place:
Hancock will be cooking for Rosie's Place for the weekend of December 8-9. Anybody who is interested in December should contact Linda Kilner Olivier at LAKilner@aol.com. Regular Rosie's Volunteers will receive an email next week.
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Drivers Wanted 
Congregational Care knows of people who would like to come worship on Sunday mornings, but are unable to get here on their own. If you'd be willing to drive occasionally, you'd make a big difference. Not only will more people get to church; those of us at church will get to see friends we've been missing!
Call the church office or talk with Joy Fallon if you're interested.
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Wednesday, November 7:
9:30 Grief Group--Wilson
1:15p Consort--Kathie Stuart
7p Carillon--Bell Room
7p Stewardship Gathering @ the Irving's home
7p Grief Group--Chapel
7:30p Boy Scouts Eagle Seminar--Dining Room
7:30p Teaching Parish Comittee--Ahara home
Thursday, November 8:
6:30p Boy Scouts
6:30p Cub Scouts Pack Meeting--Clark Hall
7:30p Chancel Choir--Choir Room
Friday, November 9:
9:30 Morning Glories--Bell Room
11:00 Friday Friends Book Group--Potter Library
Saturday, November 10:
8 AA Women's Step Study--Chapel
8:45 Volunteer @ Lexington Food Pantry
10 AA Meeting--Dining Room
2p Brass Group--Choir Room
Sunday, November 11:
Collection for Concord Prison Outreach
8:30 Pastor's Class--Pearson
9 Bagels and Bible--Wilson
10 Morning Worship--Sanctuary
10:20 Church School--Classrooms
10:20 Junior Youth Org.-Upper Room
11 Fellowship--Dining Room
11 Stewardship Gathering--Pearson
11:15 Choristers Rehearsal--Room 212
5p Confirmation Class--Upper Room
6:15p Worship @ the Well-Bluegrass Night-Clark H.
7p Hancock Youth Group--Upper Room
Monday, November 12:
Church Offices Closed in Observance of Veteran's Day
9:30 Projects with Purpose--Conference
1:30p Skyloom--Kathie Stuart
7:30p Boy Scout Troop Meeting--Room 208
7:30p Prudential Meeting--Conference Room
Schedule is subject to change. Please call the church offices if you have questions about any of the events we have listed here.
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