Hancock Weekly 
The Official Newsletter of Hancock Church
Worship With Us
Sunday, November 8, 2015

Morning Worship, 10am
 
Evening Worship @the Well
6:15pm in Clark Hall

Please come a little early at 5:30pm to join us for a light soup supper in the Dining Room before the Well.
IN THIS ISSUE...
What's New? Stewardship "Straight Talk," Bakers Needed, Interfaith Garden Thanks, Letter from John Foster and Cathy Stout, Holiday Fair!
If you are new to Hancock, please read our welcome message and general information HERE.

The Hancock Weekly is a newsletter distributed every Wednesday afternoon. The submission deadline is that same Wednesday at 9am. Read submission guidelines HERE.
Hancock Staff members sit with Bela for Lexington Trick or Treat!
Morning Worship
Reception of New Members! We are so excited to welcome new members Pat Eston, Barbara Gillette, Doug and Katherine Fisher, Sara and Will Larsen, and Barbara Callaghan!

Paul Shupe preaches on Psalm 137:1-6, "Life in Exile."  
Worship @the Well
David Clark preaches on "Connections with the natural world." Please come a little early at 5:30pm for a light soup dinner in the Dining Room before the Well.
Stewardship 2016: Live the Promise
This graphic is Part 2 in the series "Straight talk about what it takes to run Hancock Church." It shows annual pledge amounts based on different percentages of annual income.
We invite you to consider:
  • If everyone who receives a pledge packet this year pledges at the Sustaining Pledge level for their personal income bracket, we will easily meet our $725k pledge goal for 2016.
  • All members and friends of Hancock have the opportunity lead through service based on their unique gifts and talents. Similarly, everyone has the opportunity to lead through giving based on their unique financial circumstances. Leadership giving at any income level reflects a personal commitment to ensuring that Hancock will continue to be here for us, and for those who come after us.
The pledge packets have all been mailed and we have already received some pledge cards back! THANK YOU to those who have made a pledge. Remember to mail or bring your pledge card back as soon as possible, and not later than Nov. 22 (Commitment Sunday).

If you do not receive a pledge packet in the mail by Saturday, Nov. 7, please call Jane Park the church office at (781) 862-4220.


CLICK HERE to view the graphic on our website. 

Concert Series!
Bay Colony Brass Fall Concert
Saturday, November 14th at 8:00 p.m.
Directed by Channing Yu, the Bay Colony Brass brings contrasting brass flourishes to very different ceremonial occasions. The declamatory announcements in the joyful Allegro from Handel's Royal Fireworks find their way into Brian Balmages' First Symphony for Brass several centuries later. The dissonant wrath of God (Dies Irae) of David Sartor contrasts with the nebulous galactic formations in Leon Steward's Magellanic Clouds. Magnificent brass echoes of piano flourishes are resplendent in Chopin's Polonaise in A-Flat and Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G Minor. William Schmidt evokes old 18th century French folk song culture in the history of Fort Vincennes in the American Midwest, and Ludwig van Beethoven celebrates the struggle for liberty in the face of oppression in his heroic Egmont Overture.
 
Theia Piano Trio - Autumn
Saturday, November 21st at 7:30 p.m.
 
On Saturday, Nov 21st at 7:30, the dynamic new Theia Piano Trio makes its Lexington debut. Composed of Latvian violinist Aije Reke, South Korean pianist Han Nah Son, and American cellist Daniel Dickson, This hot new trio is quickly becoming one of the finest chamber music ensembles in the region. Their concert, Autumn, will feature Beethoven's Archduke Trio, Rachmaninoff's Trio Elegiaque No 1 and Piazzola's Autumn. Winners of numerous competitions individually, come hear them as they combine their talents in this great evening of chamber music!

This new trio of award winning instrumentalists performs a knockout evening of chamber music including Beethoven's "Archduke" trio, Rachmaninoff's Trio Elegiaque No 1, and Piazzola's Autumn. Don't miss the Lexington debut of this hot new group!
Want to Bake Cookies for a Great Cause?
We need many bakers to each bake 4 dozen Christmas cookies at home for the cookie plates assembled on Dec. 5th. Baking can be a great way to celebrate the holidays with children, grandchildren, or friends. It's a fun way to meet other Hancock members by assembling the plates with the other bakers. Plus, you get to take home one plate of assorted cookies for yourself! Please spread the word, and let Linda Kilner Olivier, CeCe Potter, or Amy Swanson (swanamy5@gmail.com) know you will join us. Thanks!
Final Thanks to the Interfaith Garden!
The Interfaith Garden officially closed its gate on Oct 27th for this year. Over the season, the Garden delivered 1,666 pounds of fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs to the Lexington Food Pantry. 45 varieties of produce and herbs were harvested. Top crop? Would you believe bok choy at 257 pounds?  With many Asian clients at the Pantry, this vegetable was happily welcomed. The Garden's success was the outcome of a true community effort with 422 volunteer slots filled by 169 individuals. In true Hancock fashion, our volunteers represented about 10% of the manpower but filled about 20% of the slots. Carolyn Wortman of the Pantry thanked the Garden for its wonderful produce;  Laurel and I, as garden volunteer co-ordinators, in turn thank our Hancock gardeners who were so invested in its success.  See you next year!

Read the entire End of Year Report HERE. 
Letter from John Foster and Cathy Stout
Dear Hancock,
 
While we had the opportunity to say goodbye to many of you before leaving Lexington for Denver CO in September, we still wanted to send a note of thanks to the entire Hancock community for the blessing of being part Hancock over the past 10 years.  As well as to share our new address in Colorado and welcome visitors to our (4 bedroom) townhome here!

CLICK HERE to read the entire letter.
Their new address:
John Stout and Cathy Stout
1924 W35th Ave
Denver, CO 80211 
Fall Worship!
 
November 8, Reception of New Members 
Join us in welcoming new members in morning worship! 
 
November 15, City Mission's Public Voice Group 
Join us in the DIning Room from 11:15am-12:30pm for City Mission's Public Voice Group: Story X Change. This is your opportunity to learn about homelessness from those who have lived it.
Join City Mission and the Public Voice Group for a dynamic discussion on homelessness prevention. The session will include trained storytellers/speakers whose lived experiences give insight, understanding and perspective to the issues underlying homelessness. Come and learn what you can do to fight homelessness in the Greater Boston area.  
   
November 22, Committment Sunday  
See announcement above for Stewardship.

November 22, Installation of Barbara Callaghan 
We hope everyone has received their official invitations to Barbara's Installation on November 22 at 3:00 P.M. READ MORE HERE.

Call for Contributions for Barbara's Installation 
We are looking for edible contributions to the Installation Reception being held in Barbara's honor on Nov. 22 in Clark Hall. The reception will begin around 4:15 following the
Installation Service which starts at 3 p.m.
 
If you are willing to contribute food for this special occasion, you can CLICK HERE to sign-up, or you can contact Beth Schutt, Parish Life Chair. (beth.schutt@gmail.com or 781-862-8109)
 
We also need volunteers for the set-up and clean-up.
 
Thank you very much for your help on this celebratory occasion for the Hancock Church Community.
Fall Events
November 14, Hancock's First Men's Retreat 
 
Meeting. Eating. Mentoring, Working. All men are invited to the 2015 Hancock Men's Retreat, to be held at Hancock, Saturday, November 14, from 8:00 am - 2:00 pm.  We'll make and eat breakfast together, spend time reflecting on the mentors, teachers and guides of our lives, and engage in an after-lunch service project on our church building.  The cost is $15.00 to cover food.

Sign up outside of Paul's office or at Coffee Hour on Sundays. If you have any questions, please ask Nate Martin, rocknate@gmail.com; Craig Zaehring, craig@craigzaehring.com; Paul Shupe, paul@hancockchurch.org.

November 21, Work Day
Join members of the Prudential Committee on Saturday, November 21st from 9am to 1pm for a work day.  We have a variety of projects for the day, some requiring specific skills and others just a willingness to roll up your sleeves and join friends of Hancock to keep our building shining for the upcoming Christmas season.  Check in at the Conference Room when you arrive to  see what needs to be done.   
 
Join us for part of the time or for the entire morning.  Special skills you'd like to share on work day or a project you'd like to see done? Contact Susan McClements at skmcclements@gmail.com. 
 
November 26-27, Offices Closed for Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! 
Hancock Holiday Fair, 12/06
Please mark your calendars for the Holiday Fair and Manger Sunday! The Holiday Fair will take place right after morning worship. For a list of vendors look on our website CLICK HERE.

Raffle tickets for  THIS WOODEN BOWL, handmade by Chris Groves, will be sold at coffee hour starting November 15th. All proceeds will go to the Food Pantry.

Keep an eye out at coffee hour for more information about the Holiday Fair and to sign up to volunteer! Please contact Lauren Shifflett (laurenbshifflett@gmail.com) or Lisa Sandeen (sandeen.lisa@gmail.com) for more information.  
Year-Round Classes
Pastor's Class
Pastor's Class meets at 8:30am every Sunday morning in the Pearson Room. The Class is open to all. No preparation required. Come once or come every Sunday
--whatever fits best into your schedule.

Monday Morning Discussion Group 
This group meets every 1st and 3rd Monday at 10am in the Pearson Room. 


HANCOCK UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
1912 MASS AVE
LEXINGTON, MA  02421
(781) 862-4220 | hancockchurch.org