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10am Service
Join us this week as we celebrate Pentecost.
Wear Red!
New Members joining and Confirmation
Preaching this week: Paul Shupe
Did you miss last week's sermon? Catch it on-line here: Paul Shupe preaching: "Oh Mercy, Mercy Me"
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The TV Crew at Hancock also wishes you to know that DVD's of all morning services and handbell concerts are available: Just fill out the orange form just outside the television studio on the lower level. The cost is $10.00 which can be paid upon ordering or upon pickup at the church. All proceeds go to support the television ministry. You can also download the form and fill it out on our website HERE.
6:15pm Join us in the evening for great music at the Well.
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Programs for Children |
May 19th is Confirmation Sunday, children are welcome to stay in worship, Children's
Chapel and activities also offered.
May 26th, Memorial Day Weekend, classroom activities offered for PreK through 5th Grade.
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Choristers is back in session!
New Kids Welcome! Choristers will be rehearsing during the Spring Meeting this Sunday!!
Our children's choir, the Choristers has resumed rehearsals: Sundays at 11:15 in Room 212. The Choristers is a fun an fast paced place for kids in grades 2-5 to sing and learn about music. New singers are always welcome! The Choristers will rehearse each week (except Memorial Day weekend) and sing in church on Sunday, June 2nd. Mark Morgan directs. Any questions, contact mark at mark@hancockchurch.org
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Green Sheet for May!
May 19 @ 7 - 8:30: Games on the Green
Wink, wiggle, and more...come play some HYG classic games on the green!
May 26: NO MEETING (Memorial Day)
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Spring Congregational Meeting This Sunday, May 19th
Please plan on staying in church after worship Sunday morning for our spring congregational meeting. You should have received the warrant in the mail by now. This should not be a long meeting, but it is important - we need to elect officers and committee members for the coming year, and cannot function without a quorum of at least 75 members present. Please come! Read the official Warrant for Spring Meeting and description of propose changes to the by-laws HERE.
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Wednesday May 15:
1:15p Consort--Kathie Stuart 6p Parish Life--Pearson 7p Carillon Rehearsal--Bell Room Thursday May 16: 6p Boy Scouts--throughout Building 7:30p Chancel Choir Rehearsal--Choir Room Friday May 17: 9:30 Morning Glories--Bell Room Saturday May 18: 8 AA Women's Step Study--Chapel 10 AA meeting--Dining Room 3p Brass Group--Choir Room Sunday May 19: Pentecost 8:30 Chancel Choir Rehearsal--Sanctuary 9 Bagels and Bible Discussion Group--Wilson 9 Parents & Confirmands--Chapel 10 Morning Worship- Pentecost, Confirmation, New Members,Carillon--Sanctuary 10:20 JYO-- Stay in Worship 10:20 Church School--Children's Chapel and Classrooms 11 Spring Meeting--Sanctuary 11:15 Choristers Rehearsal--Room 212 6:15p Worship @ the Well 7p Hancock Youth Group--Upper Room 7p Sandwich Generation Dinner--Pearson Monday May 20: 9:30 Projects with Purpose--Conference Room 1:30p Skyloom--Kathie Stuart 7:30p Adult Girl Scouts leaders--Kathie Stuart Tuesday May 21:
10 Staff Meeting--Conference Room
11 Staff Worship Planning--Conference Room
7p Standing Committee Meeting--Pearson
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Please click the link below to visit our calendar on-line.
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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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Lexington Food Pantry --May is canned vegetables
If you donate food in May , please consider canned vegetables. 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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Stray Plates and Serving Dishes
Are you missing a plate or serving dish that you brought to a coffee hour, potluck, or other event at church? There are many unlabeled plates and serving dishes in the church kitchen on the wooden countertop to the left of the coffee maker looking to be reunited with their owners. Dishes will remain there for your viewing and taking until 5/26. After that time, any remaining dishes will be given to Goodwill.
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Spring Congregational Meeting This Sunday, May 19
Please plan on staying in church after worship this Sunday morning for our spring congregational meeting. This should not be a long meeting, but it is important - we need to elect officers and committee members for the coming year, and cannot function without a quorum of at least 75 members present. Please come!
You should have received the warrant in your mailbox late last week. Read it here.
You can also read the list of proposed nominations from the Nominating Committee on our website HERE.
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May 19th New Members Join the Church
The church will be celebrating new membership for several families on Sunday May 19th. To learn more about membership or about participating in the joining service, contact Rev. Paul Shupe in the church office, or Membership Committee co-chair Julia Potter at membership@HancockChurch.org.
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Sandwich Generation
We will be having our monthly Sandwich Generation meeting on Sunday, May 19th at 7:00 PM in the Pearson Room. Come for an informal dinner and conversation about the challenges and joys of caring for loved ones as they age. Find others in our congregation with wisdom to share, and a community of support. Newcomers are always welcome. A light dinner with be provided. While there is no fee to attend, there is a suggested contribution of $5. To RSVP, please send a quick note to Alex@hancockchurch.org. If you forget to RSVP, come anyway! For a bit more information, check out the Congregational Care board outside of the Administrator's office..
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Special Thanks from Peggy and Bob Bicknell
Dear Friends,
Words alone cannot express our gratitude for the wonderful retirement celebration you hosted for us on the 5th of May. We do not know how much cajoling Paul Shupe did nor who all the "cajolees" were, but we do want to thank him and some other very special people, including Sarah Drummond, whom we were thrilled to have you all meet as guest preacher.
We want to send special thanks to: Connie Ahara (with help from Sue Lalone) for contacting our former seminarians; to Connie herself who has also been our indispensable side kick for over 12 years; to Sue herself who is now " senior member of the Teaching Parish Committee"; Pam Cochrane (and others) who helped put together the "Memory Book"; PaulTopalian whose magnificent photos make all of Hancock's memories so much more vivid and recallable; the long slaving members of Parish Life who see to it that our tummies are fed as well as our souls; to Paul Shafer whose acceptance of the chair of the TPC made our retirement possible; to Catherine Bauer whose journey with us in recent years has added so much to our understanding of the growth and pressures our seminarians go through; to Skip Irving whose past history of leadership at Hancock gives so much insight to our seminarians as they prepare to follow in the footsteps of others; and to the many other "saints who have served the TPC in years gone by.
And then, there are the letters from so many of our former seminarians, not just the words, but the memories they evoked which produced both tears and laughter. Over the years, so many of you have asked, "Where are they now?" Please know we'd be happy to share the book with anyone who is interested. (Of course a security deposit will be required).
As we have said so many times (to all who care to listen), serving on the TPC is the best and most rewarding volunteer position Hancock has to offer. THANK YOU FOR SHARING IT WITH US!!!! With Love and thanks to all, Peggy and Bob. 
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Dana Home Foundation Grants Hancock $20,000 for Television Ministry
We are thrilled to announce that the Dana Home Foundation has made a grant of $20,000 to Hancock Church to help fund the television ministry portion of our Growing for Good capital campaign. The Foundation makes grants to non-profit organizations providing direct services to seniors living in Lexington, and we are pleased and honored to receive a grant. Special thanks to our grant-writing team of Joan Rutila, Sue Rockwell, Lori Tambone, Carol Bukys and Nichole Locher.
One condition of the grant is that other donors match the gift on a 1:1 basis. Anyone who is able and willing to make a gift specifically for our television ministry can double their impact with a pledge now.
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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 Tuesday we have received 46 pledges totaling $236,680 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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Building Committee Update
Construction drawings are completed and contractors' bids are due by May 22. Bids will be reviewed by the end of the month. An attorney has been engaged to draft our Owner/Contractor agreement. Once a contractor has been selected, we hope construction will start by early July. We are on our way!
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Bagels & Bible
For the past six months, the members of the Bagels and Bibles class have been studying Jesus' parables and the Passion of the Lord using the Scriptures as the primary focus. In almost every session, questions about the origin of the Bible have come up, so this summer we have decided to study the history of the Bible. We will use Richard Elliott Friedman's book "Who Wrote the Bible?" as a guide.
We will spend a total of twelve weeks studying the cultures, literary forms, and authors that influenced the Old and New Testaments. We'll also learn how the ancient scrolls became the book we know today. Stop in for a single lesson or join up for the entire series.
We will extend our classroom discussions on the new blog, BagelsAndBibles.wordpress.com. New topics will be posted on Mondays while we continue to meet for conversation on Sunday mornings at 9am. If you cannot join us in person, please feel free to leave a comment on the blog. We'd love to have you participate in any way!
If you have any questions about Bagels and Bibles, please contact Kerra Fletcher at bagelsandbibles@outlook.com.
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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! |
Interfaith Garden--Want to Help?
The garden has been cleaned up from the winter, compost has been added and the first of the cool weather crops have been planted. Parsley, lettuce, beets, radishes, spinach and peas were planted to join the crops that wintered over (asparagus, strawberries and garlic). Hancock regularly joins members of 12 other churches and temples working at the garden. The produce will go to the Lexington Food Pantry. All are welcome...bring a friend, neighbor or your kids. There are plenty of times that extra help is needed...not just when Hancock is scheduled. If you are interested in working at the garden, contact Amy Swanson amy.swanson@rcn.com.
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/
Read the first Garden Report from Opening day on March 30th Here
Read the Garden Report from April 6th Here.
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Hancock's Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort recognized as Outstanding by the Fuller Center!
From the Fuller Center Website:
"Because of its age and proximity to Atlantic City's beach, it may be the property that needed the most work, and that's why veteran house leaders Charlie Thell and Tim DuBois of Minnesota are on the job.
They knew they would need a well-organized crew of volunteers to get the job done. They got it in the form of 11 members from Hancock United Church of Christ of Lexington, Mass.
"I can't imagine having a better crew," veteran house leader Tim DuBois, right, said of his volunteers in Atlantic City.
"I can't imagine having a better crew. I'm just absolutely pleased as punch. We needed a certain skill level to pick this job up and run with it, and these guys fit in. They had a skill level that we could direct them and they could do the job without micro-supervision. In addition to their skill level, their attitude and determination fits right in."
While many of the work crews at Legacy Build house projects are an assembly of volunteers from different parts of the country with varying skill sets, "Team Hancock" came pre-assembled. DuBois is a Legacy Build veteran, and he said that was key to getting off to a quick start on a property that needed so much work...
Keep reading the article here: Fuller Center
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