June 2013 Newsletter

Greetings!

Pastor Dori

Dorington Little 

Senior Pastor   

We are pleased to relate the progress being made on the sanctuary renovations - the final phase of our ten-year building project that created the Ministry Center and has already provided important updates in our original church and classroom building. The installation of new structural supports for the front wall immediately behind the pulpit has begun. These photos show the new steel beam being brought in through the window, and the construction crew in action.

Although work is progressing, we do not yet have sufficient funds in hand to complete the  planned renovations. In April, we reported that just under $145,000 remained from our original goal of $7.1 million. To have raised 98% of the total, including $217,000 already in 2013, is an amazing tribute to your generosity! Even so, a month later, the amount of money needed is holding steady at slightly below $140,000.  

The sanctuary is truly the crowning piece of our church-there is redemptive history here, representing 300 years of God's faithfulness in this community. We will celebrate this history together as a church in a few short months, beginning in October 2013. Wouldn't it be wonderful to complete the entire project before then? Our goal is that every member and friend of First Congregational Church will join in the pleasure of contributing to this worthy effort. As we move into our fourth century of worship and ministry, please pray that God will act for His Name's sake to establish our church in Hamilton for generations to come!  

The Vision Team

For Such A Time As This Capital Campaign

Philip Best                                          Doug Birdsall

Campaign Co-Chair                             Campaign Co-Chair

bestpa@msn.com                                doug.birdsall@gmail.com

Women's Summer Something: One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Join us for this five week study from Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts: Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. We'll learn together how imitating Christ in thankfulness can help us experience a life full of joy.
 
During our time together we will be watching the companion DVD. If you wish to read along with the DVD series, please consider buying a copy of the book.
Our sessions are as follows:
Session 1: Attitude of Gratitude
Session 2: Grace in the Moment
Session 3: All in Grace
Session 4: Trust: The Bridge to Joy
Session 5: Empty to Fill


We are offering two different meeting times beginning July 15 - August 13:

• Monday nights 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• Tuesday mornings 9:30-11:30 a.m.   

Kathy Szatkowski had this to say about the book:

"One Thousand Gifts is a beautifully written practical guide to living a life of joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama and daily duties. Ann Voskamp's stories have the perfect mix of inspiration, reflection, encouragement and challenge. I highly recommend this book as a summer read!"

Invite a friend to join us!

Salad Supper Reflections

Each year Women's Ministry ends with a fabulous Salad Supper. On May 16, over 40 women brought their best and most delicious salads to the Café to share with one another. There was plenty of time for chatting, laughing, and encouraging one other followed by a short program.  Continuing with our theme of sharing God's love with each other, each woman put together cards and small treats to give to someone that might need a reminder of God's love. Members of the Women's Ministry team also shared stories of how seemingly small acts lifted spirits during especially vulnerable and lonely times. Many women agreed that as we are filled with God's love displayed by others, we are motivated to "pay it forward" and continue the cycle. This was a very uplifting evening and a great reminder to care for each other both in our church family and our community.

Margot 

Along the Way
Reflections on faith and life from members of our church family

Half-Century Club 2013 Retreat
First of all our name has changed! We will no longer be called "The Half Century Club".....our new nomenclature will be the "Life After Fifty Club"  or "L.A.F."!   Actually I'm thinking we might have considered calling ourselves the L.O.L. Club because we spend most of our time "laughing out loud". 

As evidence of our ability to have a good time, we recently enjoyed a wonderful spring retreat weekend in the White Mountains of NH.  Twenty-four of us ventured forth into high country and took North Conway by storm! We managed to take over the "Muddy Moose" restaurant on Friday evening and did our best to take over a restaurant called "Horse Feathers" on Saturday afternoon.  All in fun and fellowship!

Our accommodations were "4-star" wonderful at the beautiful White Mountain Resort.  It's location was spectacular with a back-drop of the "Ledges" behind us and Echo Lake before us......breathtaking scenery....some of us even considered scaling the ledges, but realized we hadn't brought our equipment, i.e. our inhalers and heart monitors!

Our weekend began with our traditional Friday evening Game Night. It was a time to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. Saturday began with a devotional time faithfully led by Andy Wildes, giving everyone an opportunity to share "God's Grace". This was a meaningful time for all, connecting on a faith-based level is always the purpose of our weekend and this was no exception!

Our Saturday then rolled into a time of exploration of the local countryside for some and for the rest of us, we did our very best to enhance the national economy by visiting the many outlet stores!  It's always fun comparing bargains! Saturday evening began with a delicious dinner (included in our package) and followed up by our annual Ping Pong Tournament! We had a serious and competitive time....some of us even knew how to play the game. The champion was Michael Taillon....Congratulations to Michael !!!

Sunday morning began with another devotional time led by John Tobey and Andy Wildes. There was much sharing of prayer concerns, prayers for one another, and an inspiring "sermon" by Andy focusing again on God's divine grace. It was a God-inspired time, the Spirit of the Lord was in that room!  Joan Thompson summed up the message, "We don't always get what we want, but God always gives us what we need."  We ended our time by praising Him in song.

We finished our weekend with an enormous brunch and after more laughter and sharing and many hugs all around, we were homeward bound, all agreeing that a good time was had by all.  We are all looking forward to doing this again next year.

Any 50+ folks out there are most welcome to join us in 2014 ! It's guaranteed to be a time you won't soon forget!  

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This FCCH Newsletter is e-mailed on a monthly basis. If you would like to submit information for inclusion in the next edition, please e-mail Cece Gough at cmgough@fcchamilton.org.