SPOTLIGHT

   WEEK 6: November 6

   Growing Up Catholic and Finding a Home at Hancock 

   Discussion led by Paul Shupe and Dana Allen Walsh

   Hosted by Susan and Manuel Navia at 55 Hancock St

 ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS 

This Sunday (November 10), we would like everyone to bring canned goods (or non-perishable food items) for the Lexington Food Pantry. We'll decorate the Sanctuary with non-perishable food goods of all different colors to remind us of this month's theme: Gratitude.  

If you'd like to be more involved with the Lexington Food Pantry, Hancock will help serve on Saturday, November 9th. We are in need of volunteers!  

The food of the month for November is 15 oz canned fruit, along with 20-22oz pineapple.  

Donation containers for the Lexington Food Pantry are located all around the church. Hancock has a long history of supporting the Pantry with food donations, monetary assistance and the most important: volunteers.  

If you would like to distribute food at the pantry, please contact Scott Griffith at isb.scooter@gmail.com or 509-710-5371.

Manger Sunday is December 8th

Come lift your spirits and embrace the Advent season by participating in a beloved Hancock tradition: Manger Sunday..

During morning worship on December 8, 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 Christmas Shop distribution center in Winchester. CMS requests the following new, unwrapped items for families in need:

• Winter coats, sweaters and sweatshirts (large sizes especially)
• Hats, mittens, gloves and scarves
• Socks and underwear
• Blankets and backpacks
• Toys, games, and books for all ages
• Gift cards from Target, Marshalls, Walgreens, CVS, Kohls, Walmart, Stop and Shop, Shaw's and other merchants

Volunteers are needed to help deliver the gifts to Winchester after the service on Sunday, December 8 from 12:30pm-1:30pm, and to help sort items at the Christmas Shop at future dates. Please contact April Julich Perez (aprilpomme@yahoo.com) for information or if you would like to help.

Stewardship is:

At Hancock, we try to be good stewards of God's gifts in many ways, by using our time, our money, and our talents to further God's work on earth through worship, learning, caring for each other, helping those less fortunate, and caring for the health of the planet.

One part of that is the financial stewardship of the church. The funds to support everything we do at Hancock come from us, Hancock's members and friends. Unlike some other denominations, Hancock does not receive support from a central office or institution. We are part of the congregational tradition, carrying both the authority and the responsibility for our building and our finances.

Please visit hancockchurch.org/give to learn more about stewardship in the congregational tradition and how you can participate in Hancock's stewardship for 2014!

Ready to make your 2014 pledge now? Make an online donation here.

Any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions for Stewardship at Hancock? Send us an email !

Like pears ready for harvest on the tree, you can enjoy more healthy and nutritious Stewardship Moments in November. We can't wait to see everyone for the Commitment Sunday celebration on Nov. 24!

Your 2014 Stewardship Team: Bess Deck, Robin DiGiammarino, Skip Irving, Manuel Navia

 EDUCATION & SMALL GROUPS 

The First Thursday Discussion Group will continue this fall. Rev. Dana Allen Walsh will be leading the group. The group meets: 

   October 3

   November 7 - we'll be discussing ch. 5-8 

   December 5  

   at 10 am in the Pearson room 

We will be discussing Lean In:  Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. All are welcome to join the group for a lively conversation of thinking outside of the box. Contact: Lois Smith Martin smithmartin224@verizon.net, (781) 270-0304.

There is a lot of buzz about this new book.

Like or dislike; agree or disagree, come and join the conversation!  Here are some quotes from the book we'll be discussing:

"What would you do if you weren't afraid?"

"Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence."

"We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change."

 SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES   

This year the Fuller Center for Housing will host its annual Legacy Build in memory of Millard Fuller in Louisville, KY April 6-11, 2014. The goal is to renovate 10 houses in the Shawnee neighborhood of Louisville, once a lovely family neighborhood that has sunk into disrepair over the last half century. The Fuller Center Covenant Partner in Louisville is a very proactive organization with support from the city, business organizations, and the religious community. Incorporated just four years ago, they have been vigorously revitalizing this area of abandoned and substandard housing.

Hancock is planning to send a delegation. All skill levels are needed. Training will be provided. Registration of $200 ($225 after Dec 1, $250 after Mar 1) covers lunches, snacks, and dinners. Transportation will be determined by the participants: rental van, sharing driving and costs, or flying are the most likely options. Housing is available at Hotel Louisville, a training program for needy individuals, at $25 per night double occupancy or there is a local Holiday Inn Express for $75 per night.

This is an opportunity to make a big difference in the life of a family, doing God's work, working side by side with home owners and volunteers from Hancock and around the country.

If you are interested in learning more or for questions, contact Cheryl Kraley at cheryl@kraley.com or 781-862-2209. (Cheryl and Mike Kraley attended a build at this site in March 2011.) Additional information is available at. If you plan to attend, you can register online now to get the early bird rate. To be included on future e-mails, send an e-mail to cheryl@kraley.com. An organizational meeting for all those on the e-mail list will be scheduled for January to arrange transportation, housing, etc.

If you had asked me a month ago if I would ever go to Panama in my lifetime, I suppose I would have mused about possibly, someday, maybe taking a cruise through the canal. However, as a service trip enthusiast, I jumped at the opportunity came up to go to Panama with a group of Hancock folks. I am thrilled to be going on this service learning opportunity with Sustainable Harvest International. I believe this kind of experience builds lasting relationships that benefit everyone involved.

While the work that we do will directly benefit the community of Tranquilla, as individuals from the Hancock Community and the Lexington Community, we will build intergenerational connections, learn about caring for our creation, and work to eliminate poverty. This knowledge can then be applied locally, in our own lives and community.

We will be traveling over February school vacation, the week of February 16th, and this trip is open to participants age 15 and older. I hope you will think about coming along with me to discover Panama and its people. We'll build deep connections to them, to one another, and to God's creation.

Dios los bendiga (God Bless You),

Nancy

For more information go to our website or contact: 

Charlotte Dougherty, 781.863.8018

charlottepdougherty@gmail.com

Nancy Rottman, 603.930.1889

nancy.rottman@hancockchurch.org