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Pastor's Corner
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RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM
HOLY WEEK
Holy Week at FCC was so very special this year. We really reached out to the community and saw lots and lots of new faces. Some highlights from our services:
Maundy Thursday - The potluck was so delicious! We have great cooks here, don't we? And the Tenebrae Service - did you notice that the stained glass window above the cross went dark just as we extinguished the last candle? That was very special. Thanks to the Deacons for their excellent leadership of this service.
The Great Vigil of Easter - nearly 70 people attended this relatively new service at FCC. There were even many new faces along with FCC folk. The rain weather was wonderful, the New Fire was kindled in the courtyard. Andre Aresenault sang the Exultet with perfection and Elise Arsenault brought scripture alive for us. James Thomas sang an original song that fit perfectly into the liturgy. The Deacons staged a dramatic reveal of our Easter Flowers and set our table for the Bridegroom. The champagne and hors d'oeuvres reception after was festive and fun. Thanks to Tom Sousa for the spirits.
Sunrise Service - again, a great community crowd mixed in with FCC folk. The weather was about as good as it gets this time of year. Great job, Confirmation Class, in leading the service along with our staff and James Thomas. Thanks to Dave Carney for helping with the sound system!
Main Easter Service - What can we say? Church was packed! The choir sang it up ......oh my how they sang. They should go professional! Thanks Othniel and the choir for your beautiful ministry. Wow!
Thanks to everyone for a wonderful Holy Week. A special thanks to the Board of Deacons and Barb (she made hundreds of bulletins) who did great keeping up with all the "to-dos" I sent their way. Strong work.
FCC is so positive and wonderful. A great place to learn and serve together.
Every blessing,
Pastor Dan
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NEW YORK CITY MISSION TRIP!
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On Easter Sunday 14 youth and the same number of adults went to NYC to be Easter People in the world! Working with the Quaker Community in NYC our teams cooked many meals for the homeless, worked in food pantries, assisted young children and learned a great deal about real poverty in the NYC setting. Everyone served well and we were all a "good" tired at the end of the trip.
We are already planning our next trip in 2016 - stay tuned for the destination! Below are a few pics of some of our young guys serving in a soup kitchen in Queens, an area that is already very poor, and was further decimated by Super Storm Sandy.
 | THE BLUE MAN GROUP LOOKING SHARP!
Jameson, Kyle, Gabe and Joe! |
 | | KYLE and JOE SORTING BREAD |
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The guys pouring juice for the guests
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CHURCH SCHOOL CHATTER
|  Jesus Christ is risen indeed! What a meaningful, spiritual, somber, and celebration we have just experienced during Holy Week at FCC. The joy of spring can now be celebrated and life is full around us. The CE Department will be busy during the month of May as we wind down our church school program. The church school students will be preparing for Children's Day. Sunday May 18th will be our Children's Day service and Teacher Appreciation Day. We will also have a church picnic immediately following the service. This church school year has seemed to go so fast, but our wing has been full of children, laughter, learning and love. I thank all of you that have been a part of it and for those who bring their children to us each week, what a pleasure it is to have them here with us. "For only what we give away, can enrich our lives from day to day...." Blessings, Helen SousaDirector of Christian Education Back to Top |
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BEAUTIFUL GARDENS!
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FROM GARY WATROS TO OUR NEW GARDEN CLUBBERS:
I am old enough to remember a radio show called "The Breakfast Club" with Don McNeil. He opened the program with this refrain, "Good morning, Breakfast Clubbers. Good morning to ya."
Enough tripping down Memory Lane. Have you noticed the visual change from yellow-red to red as the Early Sensation daffodils fade in the school wing beds? I am deadheading them every few days as individual blooms die, a recommended practice. Doing so will boost the generation of additional bulbs for each one we planted last fall. Cutting off the seed pod that forms as the flower dies makes the plant put more energy into making bulblets instead of seeds. This way, we will have ever more daffodils year after year. But never make the mistake in your own yards of cutting down or tieing up the daffodil folliage. If you do, you will get less, not more, blooms in succeeding years. Let it die naturally. Plant something that will emerge after the daffodils whose leaves will camoflage the dying daffodil folliage. Hosta work well. Even better is plumbago which we will plant soon in those beds. As soon as I get some plants, that is.
Are you enjoying the Minnow narcissus in the school wing beds? Be sure to go up close. Sweet, aren't they? Also notice that the light yellow Cistula tulips are starting to make their presence known there, as the yellow daffodils depart, followed by the Red Emperor tulips.
Watch now for the No Name red tulips planted in front of the DeWolf room and by the entrances to the school wing. They will be popping this week, starting in the more protected areas.
Speaking of letting daffodil folliage die, we will let that happen also to the old bed of white/yellow daffodils now hidden behind the hedge in front of the DeWolf room. In the fall, we will dig those hundreds of bulbs up and plant them in front of the hedge, behind those No Name red tulips. That way, next year, we will have a wonderful display of daffodils there that will show well from the street. This will be followed by the tulips that are just now starting to open. By the way, I do not know how well the No Name tulips will bloom next year. I selected the Red Emperor tulips for both their color but also their superior ability to bloom again in succeeding years. The No Name tulips may not come back well-but they were very cheap!
We will keep our fingers crossed....and fertilize them.
Happy gardening,
Gary
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ICE CREAM SOCIAL
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6th COLT STATE PARK GAZEBO 5:30 PM
BRING YOUR OWN PICNIC DINNER and ENJOY ICE CREAM PROVIDED BY THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION TEAM!
THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO GET THE KIDS TOGETHER DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. BRING YOUR FRISBEES, FOOTBALLS, SOCCER BALLS, etc.
IN THE GOOD OL' SUMMERTIME..................
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FCC ON TV!
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Worship Services:
Public Access - CH17 & 18
Saturday - 2:00 pm & Sunday - 10:00 am
Full Channel - CH 9
Sunday - 2:00 pm & Sunday - 6:00 pm
(All viewings are from the previous week's service.)
If anyone is interested in helping videotape the services, please call Dave Carney at 952-7325. (Teens and adults are welcome and no experience is required.)
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EAST BAY FOOD PANTRY FURNITURE DRIVE
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The East Bay Food Pantry is in need of your donations to sell in the Thrift Shop. The top needs are:
1) FURNITURE! As long as it is clean and in working condition, bring it in. This is a main source of revenue to buy food.
2) HOUSEHOLD ITEMS! Dishes - knick-knacks - artwork - kitchenware - tools - small appliances is good working order (no TVs!) - decorations, etc.
Remember, your donations are turned into food, and the pantry client list is growing each month. Your donations are tax deductible!
Thank you so much!
Anita Randall
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BRISTOL'S STONE CHURCH COFFEEHOUSE
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Bristol's Stone Church Coffee House is always looking for new volunteers to work shows and/or attend planning meetings. If you are interested, please call Roger Dubord at 253-4813.
Also visit the web site stonechurchcoffeehouse.weebly.com
CLICK BELOW FOR MAY 2014 SHOW INFO!! Last Show of the 2014 Season Thanks for a great year! * |
| MEMORIAL FLOWERS | 
FCC Flower Committee
May The lily is the flower for the month of May. Lilies are a very large family of flowers with over 110 species. These flowers range from very large "Easter" type lilies to small Lily-of-the-Valleys. The colors are usually white, pink, red, yellow, orange or purple but it is the combinations that have been bred that make them so spectacular. The markings on lilies are referred to as being either "spots", "brush strokes", or "picotee" (which means that there is an outside edge of color that is different from the base color). Lilies are grown from bulbs and some of the bulbs are actually edible. Traditional "Easter" lilies are white with large trumpets. Day lilies are usually orange and grow wild along the sides of roads. Tiger lilies (one of my favorites) grow on tall stalks and are bright orange with black dots. Water lilies are found floating on ponds with no visible stem at all. Lily-of-the-Valleys are now available in white and pale pink; Stargazer lilies are deep pink with a white edge. Oriental lilies are many colors that look absolutely painted with vibrant colors and amazing patterns. What a show they put on! The Bible says in Matthew 6: 28-29 -- And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. Yes, the lilies put on a spectacular show. Enjoy them this spring, summer and fall. Think about them when you see them incorporated into a bouquet of flowers in the front of church on a Sunday morning. Please consider giving a memorial bouquet from the florist or cutting some beautiful lilies from your garden. The flower contact for the month of May is Alma Ivor-Campbell 401-254-2347 or call the church office (253-7288). Happy May: enjoy the weather and the lilies! Back to Top |
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FOR YOUR INFORMATION
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OFFICE HOURS
Monday 8:00am - 12:00pm
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 8:00am - 3:00pm
BOOKING MEETINGS AT FCC
Please call the office (253-7288) before you schedule a meeting in one of the meeting rooms of the church or Guiteras House. The room you may think is available may have already been booked. We have a lot of groups and committees using rooms during the week and have already made arrangements for the room. It would not be fair if someone comes in without a reservation.
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