 | Join us this week for Easter! inspiring music and quality preaching.
6:15 am Sunrise Service--Old Belfry
9am Easter Worship--Sanctuary
11am Easter Worship--Sanctuary
Paul Shupe preaching: Continuous Discontinuity
Did you miss last week's sermon? Catch it on-line here: Pam Cochrane preaching: "The Road To Jerusalem"
6:15pm in Clark Hall
Join us also @ the Well for a Gospel celebration
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THANK YOU EVERYONE!
Palm Sunday Brunch was a wonderful event! Approximately 125 people came together to enjoy delicious food and delightful fellowship! With flexible thinking, creative use of crock pots and fingers crossed, fuses were not blown, and a hot meal was served without a working kitchen. It was a wonderful gathering and the enthusiasm and appreciation was evident.
In the spirit of "Many hands make light work", the Parish Life committee would like to thank everyone who helped us set up, baked, cooked, loaned us crock pots, helped during the brunch, stayed for clean up and did it all with good humor and generosity of spirit.
Thank you all and enjoy the Easter season.
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Programs for Children | Holy Week Services:
Maundy Thursday Service, March 28th at 7pm in Clark Hall
Good Friday Service, March 29th at 7pm in the sanctuary.
Easter Services, March 31st, are scheduled for 6:15am Sunrise at The Belfrey, 9am, 11am in the Sanctuary, and 6:15 @the Well in Clark Hall. All services are for all ages.
There are no scheduled classroom activities on Easter Sunday, but childcare/infant care is offered.
On Sunday, April 6th, we'll offer a special program for kids children in Clark Hall, an Eastertide Celebration.
Holy week and Easter blessings to all,
Pam
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JUNIOR YOUTH ORGANIZATION
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Thanks, JYO, for all your help on Palm Sunday!
Thank you for helping to bring down all the extra tables and chairs, for your diligence in setting up, and your excellent roles as ambassadors during the brunch and afterward during the clean up.
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Upcoming Events with HYG
March 31: NO MEETING (Easter)
April 7th, 7pm
Informational meeting in Upper Room for HYGers and parents. Come to learn about the
trip and ask any questions that you may have! April 12th-20th, +++ Kentucky!!+++ April 21: Youth Sunday @ 10am Worship The Youth Group leads worship after a week of service in Neon, Kentucky. April 28th: 7p--Meeting in the Upper Room
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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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Thursday, March 28th:
MAUNDY THURSDAY
7p Maundy Thursday Service--Clark Hall
Friday, March 29th:
GOOD FRIDAY
7p Good Friday Service--Sanctuary
Saturday, March 30th:
8 AA Women's Step Study--Chapel
10 Easter Rehearsal--Sanctuary
10 AA Meeting--Dining Room
3p Brass Group--Choir Room
Sunday, March 31st:
6:15 Sunrise Service--The Old Belfry
8 Chancel Choir--Sanctuary
9 Morning Worship--Easter--Sanctuary
10 Fellowship Hour--Dining Room
11 Morning Worship--Easter--Sanctuary
6:15p Easter @ the Well-- Gospel Night!
Monday, April 1st:
Church Offices Closed in Observance of Easter
9:30 Projects with Purpose--Conference
1:30p Skyloom--Kathie Stuart
7p Nominating Committee--Potter Library
7:30p Deacons Meeting--Conference Room
Tuesday, April 2nd:
10 Staff Meeting--Conference Room
11 Worship Planning--Conference Room
7:30p Adult Christian Education--Potter Library
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Lexington Food Pantry --March is Canned Fruit month
If you donate food in March, please consider giving canned fruit. Donation baskets are in the narthex, as well as outside the office and dining room. For more information, contact Caroline Nijenberg 781 862-4465 or carolinen@rcn.com If you wish to volunteer, to help distribute food at the pantry, please contact her to see if volunteers are needed.
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Nominating Looking for New Committee Members
Over the next several weeks you may receive a call from the Nominating Committee asking you to consider joining one of our many committees at Hancock. But don't wait to hear from us! If there is a committee that you're interested in serving on, please let us know. Here is a list of the committees that we have at Hancock:
Deacons - focused on the spiritual life and practice in the church. Responsibilities include organizing communion and organizing greeters and ushers.
Music and the Arts - coordinates with the staff and Deacons to oversee musical and artistic programs to enhance our worship, fellowship and outreach to the community.
Parish Life - strengthens community at Hancock Church, by hosting coffee hour and other church events such as Palm Sunday Breakfast, Progressive Dinners and Summer Barbeques.
Membership and Welcoming - reaches out to newcomers to Hancock by hosting information sessions and newcomer dinners and produces new member brochures.
Christian Service - supports and identifies volunteer opportunities for a variety of charities, including Manger Sunday, casseroles for Rosie's Place, and Food Pantry donations.
Finance - creates the church budget working with the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and Business Manager and participates in generating the narrative budget.
Stewardship coordinates the annual financial support drive for the missions of Hancock Church, and also celebrates the time and talents that we are called to give to God.
Prudential - oversees the maintenance, safety and upkeep of all church properties, including organizing work projects, overseeing community rentals and organizing multiple work days.
Nominating Committee - matches member's interests with the needs of the church. We are the committee that fills the committees!
Assistant Collectors aids the Collector by accounting for the weekly offerings after the service.
Children's Christian Education - oversees children's education on Sunday mornings using a theme-based curriculum, and organizes activities to foster community for children and families.
Adult Christian Education - coordinates adult education opportunities, such as Bible Study, Pastor's Class, First Thursdays, Lenten series, Beyond the Well and Women's retreats.
Congregational Care - coordinates the volunteers who visit members in their times of need and works to make sure that those who need visits or other assistance get them. They also coordinate floral deliveries, arrange the Senior Picnic and update Hancock Community Prayer.
Endowment - oversees the investment and distribution of endowed funds which have been created for the church.
Greeters and Ushers - teams greet people coming to church on Sunday, pass out bulletins and collect the offering. Commitments are usually once a month.
If you'd like to be part of one of these teams please give us a call and we'll help find the best group for you. Contact Joan Rutila (rutila@rcn.com, 781-862-6627) or chat with any of the members of Nominating Committee (Linda Williams, Harriett Chmela, Chris Groves and Joan Rutila.)
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Worship During Holy Week
The heart of Christian faith is experienced in compressed fashion during the seasons of Lent and Easter. During Lent we remember the life and teachings of Jesus, and Easter is the culmination of God's work in and through his death and resurrection. And all comes together in Holy Week, the eight days between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. We hope that you will join us often for worship during these days.
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Maundy Thursday, 7pm Clark Hall, Thursday March 28th
We recall Jesus celebrating the Passover with his disciples, sharing this last supper with him. Our worship that night brings us to that table, inviting us to see that we too are his disciples, and that the actions of Peter and James and John and the others are all too familiar to us as well. Shining through the shadows of that night's events, however, is the light of God's love, revealed clearly in Jesus' understanding embrace of his disciples both ancient and modern. It is a worship service of communion, reflection, and prayer, held in Clark Hall. Music by the Morning Glories Bell Choir.
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Good Friday, 7pm Sanctuary, Friday March 29th
Jesus was put to death on a Friday, hanging on a Roman cross, his disciples complicit in betraying and abandoning him to this cruel fate. Using scripture and the symbolic light of candles, we face this difficult story, relying on the promises of Easter. This moving service includes the participation of our Confirmation Class, and the River Rock Band, and is held in the sanctuary.
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Easter Sunrise, 6:15am the Old Belfry, Sunday March 31st
It has become our tradition to celebrate Easter with worship at sunrise. We gather atop the hill behind Hancock UCC, at the Old Belfry, parking in the Cary Library lot, and climbing the pathway across Clarke Street. The worship service is simple, with singing, scripture, and sharing the names of loved ones who have died, and for whom we are praying on this day of resurrection. The half-hour service closes with communion. We will be there unless it is actively raining or snowing, in which case we will gather in Memorial Chapel. Come as you are, dressed warmly for the spring sunrise.
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Easter Sunday, Full Easter Worship, 9:00am and 11:00am
Two full worship services are held in the sanctuary at Hancock to celebrate Easter Sunday. Note the different times! Worship includes grand and glorious music led by our Chancel Choir, and the joyous proclamation of the Good News. Children worship with their families, and all rejoice together.
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Celebrate Easter @ the Well with the New England Gospel Ensemble
 Join us at 6:15 on Easter night for a night of rousing gospel music to celebrate the resurrection! We'll be joined by the New England Gospel Ensemble (8 singers and their instrumentalists.) The New England Gospel Ensemble has become well-known throughout the Boston area for its inspired and uplifting performances in many high profile concerts including an annual performance with the Boston Pops Orchestra. Join us and invite a friend!
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New to Hancock? Let Us Introduce You
The Welcoming Committee invites all who would like to learn more about Hancock Church to come to a small group mini coffee hour Sunday, April 7th following worship in the Wilson Room - the first room at the top of the stairs. The Welcoming Committee will be available from 11 am to 11:45 to answer questions about the church and what it means to be a member of Hancock, and give tours of the building. This is an opportunity for casual conversation and a chance to ask questions about activities at Hancock you may be interested in as well. For more information, please contact Welcoming Committee co-chair Julia Potter at welcoming@hancockchurch.org
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Women of the Greatest Generation: Stories of Faith, Hope, Love, and Courage--April 10th, 1:30pm in the Pearson Room
Join us on Wednesday, April 10 at 1:30 as we discuss Women of the Greatest Generation, Stories of Faith, Hope, Love and Courage. This two volume anthology was created by Rev. Dr. Fran Bogle and Hancock's own Rev. Nancy Reed. Fran and and Nancy will share their process and they collected stories about the lives of women who lived through the Second World War. You will hear the stories of a woman who raised rats for penicillin experiments, and another who was the first woman hired as a professional chemist. Through Sakae's story we will learn what it was like to grow up in Japan during this time, and Alma will help us get a new perspective on events in Glascow, Scotland. One lady will help us remember rationing and and another will enable us to imagine what it was like to stay in touch with a new husband while he was overseas in the Pacific. At the end of our time Rosemarie Sauermann share her story about growing up in Cologne, Germany, and how oral history and the ministry of remembrance are related.
We hope this time together will enable us to celebrate the unique stories we all have to share. Fran and Nancy will give us some ideas about how to tell our stories so that we can share them with family and friends, and Rosemarie will help us understand why telling our own stories is so important. The Rev. Dr. Fran Bogle is the Protestant Chaplain at Newton Wellesley Hospital. Fran also coordinates the Just Peace Players, a liturgical drama group that writes plays on peace and justice issues. Fran is also an avid photographer, loves to travel and has a ministry dog.
The Rev.Nancy Reed is a member of Hancock United Church of Christ and next month will celebrate her 30th year of ordained ministry. Nancy is currently a member of the Pastoral Care team at Mount Auburn Hospital, a member of the Just Peace Players, and from May through October is a tour guide on the Liberty Ride telling the story of April 19, 1775. Nancy is a Board Certified Chaplain, a Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Master and a Certified Hypnotist. |
Patriot's Day Concert--Monday April 15th!
The Handbell Program at Hancock Church presents their 11th Annual Patriot's Day Handbell Concert of American Music in the sanctuary at 1912 Mass Ave, Lexington, MA (the stone church across from the Battle Green) on Monday April 15 at 11:15- 12noon. The music is rung on English handbells in a program that is light-hearted and family-friendly. You'll find yourself swaying to upbeat music of America, including patriotic favorites, spirituals, ragtime, marches, Disney tunes, and music of Irving Berlin and George Cohan. Admission is $3 per person to benefit the Handbell Scholarship Fund that enables ringers to attend workshops to help develop their ringing skills and supports our community outreach concerts at nursing homes, senior centers, and schools. The sanctuary is handicapped accessible. Invite your friends, relatives, and neighbors to this fun concert carefully timed to follow the morning Road Race and before Paul Revere arrives at the Minuteman statue. Questions- Cheryl Kraley 781-862-2209 or handbells@hancockchurch.org.
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A Joyful Noyse Spring Concert, Saturday April 27th, 7:30pm
May will come with flowers Songs of Love and Spring from 16th century Germany 
During the 16th century a distinctive art song form, the tenorlied, gained prominence and popularity in Germany. The tenorlied was a delightful mixture of styles and elements, combining the German heritage of folk song, the song forms and tradition of the troubadours and Meistersingers, the cantus firmus principle of sacred music, and the contrapuntal trappings and canonic devices derived from the Netherlands. Although the tenorlied manifested itself in a variety of ways, from simple note against note compositions to contrapuntally intricate settings, its vitality and charm lay in its narrative quality. The tenorlied was a reflection and intrinsic part of the social life of the age, becoming a vehicle to express every facet of emotion and a mirror of the everyday life of a prospering middle class. It was music that resounded in courts, as well as in taverns and private homes. The joy of singing is expressed in this quote from a German book of 1509: When two or three come together, they have to sing, and they all sing at work, in the house and field, at prayer and devotion, in joy and sorrow, mourning and feasting. Join A Joyful Noyse, on Saturday, April 27th at 7:30pm in the Sanctuary of Hancock Church as we draw from this rich heritage songs that focus on love and spring. With voices and period instruments, including recorders, crumhorns, viole da gamba, rackett and renaissance fiddle, we welcome the lovely and amorous month of May! A donation of $10 will be accepted to help maintain the diverse and vibrant music programs at Hancock Church. |
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Hancock Church Remembrances
 On Sunday, April 28, we will give thanks and celebrate the lives of Hancock members who have recently passed and are being commemorated with plaques in our Remembrance Hall. During the service, we will remember their generous and meaningful contributions to building our foundations of faith and service. Paul will lead a short prayer service in the Memorial Garden immediately following the regular Sunday service.
We invite you to add the name of a family member or special friend who shared a deep connection to our Hancock community, so that all can celebrate their faith journeys, their many contributions to Hancock Church and our affection for one another. Please contact Rosemarie Sauermann (rosemarie@sauermann.com) or Bill Erickson (berickson@bfearc.com), co-chairs of the Memorial Garden Committee, before April 9 if you wish to include someone special in the April 28 remembrances.
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Hancock Poetry Group meets second Wednesdays of each month--Join us!
The Hancock Poetry group meets on the second Wednesday of each month, in the Pearson room. We gather to share the poetry of others, or our own, whatever has inspired us lately. Long time poetry lovers, and those just discovering the joys of poetry are all welcome! |
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Pastor's Class will not meet Easter Sunday March 31st. Class will resume before the Sunday service on April 7th.
Join others Sunday mornings for a lively, contemplative discussion of the worship theme for the day. The class will be led by members of the group through May, based on the framework Senior Minister Paul Shupe has provided us.
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Bagels and Bible: 9am Sunday Mornings in the Wilson Room--Will NOT be meeting Easter Sunday.
Bagels and Bibles will offer a five week program for Lent titled, "The Path to the Crucifixion: Events Leading Up To Easter." Christians commemorate Jesus's final days by observing the solemnity of Good Friday and anticipating the joy of Jesus' resurrection that is celebrated on Easter Sunday. Often referred to as The Passion, the last days and death of Jesus make up much of the closing chapters of the Gospels. Each lesson will focus on Old and New Testament scripture, reflections or devotions, and group discussions. Please join us for one or all of our meetings at 9am on Sunday mornings in the Wilson Room. Contact Kerra Fletcher at harold3513@hotmail.com if you would like more information about Bagels and Bibles.  |
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Join us for First Wednesdays!
The First Wednesday Discussion Group (formerly held on Thursdays) will meet March 6, 2013 AT A NEW TIME 10 am in the Wilson Room. Seminarian Becca Lockwood will be leading the group. All are invited to join in on a lively discussion of "Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith" by Kathleen Norris. Contact: Lois Smith Martin smithmartin224@verizon.net 781-270-0304.
Click HERE to read more about this Adult Education series on our website.
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Women's Retreat
Interested in getting to know other women in the congregation? Desiring a space to relax and have fun? Seeking an opportunity to go deeper on your spiritual journey?
Come and give it a try!
The 7th Annual Women's Retreat
Friday, May 3rd - Saturday, May 4th 2013
Essex Conference & Retreat Center in Essex, MA
All women, all ages, are invited to an overnight retreat at the Essex Conference & Retreat Center. This natural oasis is nestled in the shade of the north shore and offers structured and unstructured time to the important work of tending to your soul. Whatever nourishes you whether solitary walks, deep conversations, the company of nature, a dip in the hot tub, reading, or writing, this is the space to learn and grow and try something new.
To learn more and receive registration information email Pam Cochrane at pam.cochrane@hancockchurch.org or stop in the church office. Seminarians Pam Cochrane and Becca Lockwood will be leading this year's retreat.
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40th Annual Good Friday Walk--Participate or Support Hancock's Walkers!
The 40th annual Good Friday walk, known as the Sharing Walk, will take place on March 29th this year. Sharing was initiated as a response to a Tufts Medical School study of children in the southern states who because of poverty were suffering brain damage as a result of malnutrition .Guided by the Massachusetts woman who founded the organization, Sharing focuses on the needs of children primarily in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia who suffer from both poverty and racism. More than 94% of the money raised by the walkers, (more than 3 million dollars so far), goes directly to evaluated organizations who are making a difference in the lives of southern children.
Hancock people have always generously supported with their pledges those walkers whose legs are doing the praying-Harriet Chmela for 26 years and Faith Fenske for 34 years. Look for Faith with her pledge sheet at coffee hour and sign up to join her on Good Friday! Harriet is unfortunately unable to walk in the event this year, however she will be collecting contributions to support the cause: h.chmela@gmail.com, 7818626459. The Walk is 20 miles and pledges can be per mile or a lump sum.
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LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP FOR PANAMA TRIP!!
THE TRIP: Travel to Tranquilla, Panama - a rural community in the highlands - to work with local families on sustainable farming and reforestation projects. Local farmers will be our teachers, and together, we'll work, reflect, relax, and build deep and lasting bonds. Participants will stay with host families while in the community, and the trip will end with a relaxing stay at on the coast of Panama. OPEN TO ALL AGES: It is scheduled for the first week of July so that students and families with students will be able to participate. WHEN: July 2 -10, 2013. There is some flexibility in the dates, which can be modified slightly to meet the needs of trip participants. PURPOSE: To support Sustainable Harvest International in its mission to provide farming families in Central America with training and tools to overcome poverty while restoring our planet's tropical forests. WORK PROJECTS: Planting vegetable gardens, building tree nurseries, building wood-conserving stoves, planting trees, implementing erosion control measures, building rice patty and fish pond systems. COST: Trip fee is $1500 (excluding air fare). A deposit of $500 is due on April 1, 2013. REGISTER: The trip is organized by Smaller World Trips, a program of Sustainable Harvest International. To register or get more information about the trip, please contact one of the following Hancock Church coordinators: Charlotte Dougherty, charlottepdougherty@gmail.com, 781.863.8018
Alex Will, alex@hancockchurch.org, 781.862.4200 |
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Kitchen/TV/CE Wing Appeal
The supplemental campaign appeal to help fund the kitchen renovation, TV system overhaul, and improvements to our sanctuary sound system and CE Wing is making steady progress. Through Monday we have received 37 pledges totaling $196,730 towards our $500,000 need. Have we heard from you? We know many are unable to add to their generous pledges last spring, but if you haven't participated in the campaign yet and would like to, or if you're able to add to the pledge you made last spring to help fund these priorities, your pledge will be greatly appreciated. Please fill out and send in the card you received in the mail, or call the church office or pick up a pledge card in church. Follow the details of our progress on the chart in the lobby.
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Interfaith Garden
ready to open for 4th Season! Want to be part of this rewarding project?
The Interfaith Garden is set to open in the next week, starting with clearing the debris of winter and prepping the soil so fresh produce can be grown and donated to the Lexington Food Pantry. Last year 1,637 pounds of vegetables and herbs were delivered, all accomplished with volunteer labor from 13 supporting congregations of faith and friends from the local community. Hancock regularly sends a few people over to work at the garden with other volunteers, located in the back yard of a home on the Lexington Green. We are scheduled for:
Sat 4/6/13 9 to 10:30am Sat 4/27/13 9 to 10:30am Sat 5/25/13 8:30 to 10am If you or anyone you know are interested in more information or want to sign up to work any of those days, contact Amy Swanson amy.swanson@rcn.com . More information available at http://interfaithgarden.org/
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Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort
Eleven Hancock members will travel to Atlantic City, NJ to rehab houses damaged by Hurricane Sandy for 20 families, primarily seniors on fixed incomes and disabled residents, with the Fuller Center for Housing's Covenant Partner in Tabernacle, NJ. FCH has been working hard this last 5 months to remediate the homes by removing everything that was touched by salt water or sand that could become moldy. Their FCH Legacy Build beginning April 29 will bring hundreds of volunteers from around the country, including us, to renovate these homes so their families can finally move back in.
Neil Brown, president of the FCH NJ Pines, estimates that each house will require on average $12-15 thousand dollars in construction materials to bring them back to livable condition. That doesn't count any labor costs. Volunteers can do much of the work, but pros will be needed to do the electrical and plumbing work. FEMA and/or insurance covers only a very small percentage, if any, of this for most home owners.
The Fuller Center has been raising funds for this Legacy Build since November, but much more money is still needed. They have faith that the money will be found. The Hancock contingent would like to help by raising $30,000 to rehab the two houses on which we will be working. Your Easter donation of any size will bring warmth and comfort to these displaced families and will be a tangible reminder that the Risen Christ is still at work in our world today.
How can you give?
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Make a check out to Hancock Church and put FCH-NJPines on the memo line. Put it in the offering plate, drop it by the church office, or mail it to the church.
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Go to hancockchurch.org and click on GIVE to make an online donation to the Fuller Center for Housing, NJ Pines.
For questions, contact Cheryl Kraley at cheryl@kraley.com or Paul DiGiammarino at paul.digiammarino@gmail.com .
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