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Fat Sunday, February 3 Following Worship

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Fat Sunday, February 3 Following Worship The Reverend Jonathan B. Lee, Senior Minister 860 878-2833 – [email protected] The Reverend Donna K. Manocchio, Assoc. Minister 860 529-3013 – [email protected] 860 529-4167 Church – 860 257-9637 Fax Vol. 22 No. 2 – February 1, 2008 February Newsletter Editor – Carol Harvey RHCC e-mail address – [email protected] Website: www.rhccucc.org Office Hours – 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. M-F Sunday Worship Services – 10:00 a.m. Childcare Available/Handicap Accessible Fat Sunday, February 3rd following worship This bake sale will be hosted by our Sunday School and the confirmands. All proceeds will benefit Central Congregational Church in New Orleans. Come one and all! Enjoy Fat Sunday! 1 The season of Epiphany is waning toward Lent, and this past Sunday I preached on Matthew’s story of John baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan. That is a moment when God’s grace at work in Jesus is powerfully revealed, as the voice of God says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” When we are baptized as Jesus was, the water reveals God’s grace already at work in us, and our identity as beloved members of God’s family is confirmed. Martin Luther once said “There is no greater comfort on earth than baptism.” He meant that when times are tough or our doubts are raging, recalling the moment we were baptized assures us that we are still held tightly in God’s embrace. In my sermon I encouraged those of us who are baptized to obey Luther’s instruction to “Remember your baptism!” and invited those who aren’t yet to consider being baptized together during a morning worship service sometime this spring. We are all God’s beloved children; baptism reveals what is already the case. Whether we are baptized or not, as we enter into Lent it will be of great comfort to hold onto that identity as God’s beloved children. Knowing that we come from and will always belong to God frees us to do the hard work of the season: reflecting on how much we need God, acknowledging we’ve made mistakes and hurt others, remembering Jesus’ sacrifices on our behalf. More than our jobs or status or biographical highlights, what matters most in this life is that we belong to God, always and forever. 2 February 3 Communion Sunday Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9 The Rev. Jonathan B. Lee Sermon: “Holy Encounter” February 6 Ash Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel February 10 Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11 The Rev. Donna K. Manocchio Sermon: “Pass or Fail?” February 17 Scripture: John 3:1-17 The Rev. Jonathan B. Lee Sermon: “Saving Grace” February 24 Scripture: John 4:5-15 The Rev. Jonathan B. Lee Sermon: “Refreshment for Thirsty Disciples” For generations Christians have set aside the weeks before Easter as a time to reflect on the depth of our need for God’s love and mercy. Lent is the season of penitence and preparation for the glorious news of Easter, and begins on Ash Wednesday. This year Ash Wednesday falls on February 6th, and all are invited to mark this holy day by worshiping together at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel. We will hear God’s word, sing hymns of preparation, and receive the sacrament of Holy Communion as spiritual nourishment for the 40 days ahead. Come, draw near to God as Lent begins. 3 Greetings from the Board of Deacons This past month, the Deacons temporarily put aside our discussions on pastoral care and visitation to focus on Easter preparation. At our last meeting, we spent a lot of time finalizing this year’s Lenten series, “Bringing Lent to Life.” The Deacons will be starting this year’s Lenten series off on February 10th by sharing with you our reflections on pastoral care and visitation (after lunch, of course!). We want to hear from all of you and have you help us assess what pastoral care programs you think would be worthwhile for our congregation. I am very pleased that our Stewardship, Christian Ed and ONA committee have all agreed to lead one of our four Sundays in our Lenten series. I hope that you will agree that we have come up with a Lenten series that should provide everyone with an opportunity to reflect and to participate. Many thanks to Donna and Jonathan for their creative spirit and their organization of this year’s series. We did spend a bit of time at our January meeting discussing Christmas and Easter flower delivery to shut-ins. The Deacons consider delivering poinsettias and Easter flowers a very important way to reach out to our members and spend some time visiting folks we may not see on a regular basis. These deliveries are made to shut- ins, convalescent homes and other health care facilities, and to friends and families identified by the Ministers and Diaconate (for example, church members that have lost partners or parents). We have always felt that our members should have these beautiful flowers in their possession either on or before the holiday so they can brighten up their holiday. There is also a desire to have poinsettias and Easter plants decorate our Sanctuary through each holiday (for Christmas Day and Easter Sunday services). In order to satisfy both goals, the Diaconate will be asking the Flower Committee to purchase extra flowers that we will deliver to folks on our visitation list. These flowers will be paid for out of the Diaconate budget. The Memorial plants you order will be used to decorate the Sanctuary on Christmas and Easter. You will still have the option to pick up your plants as you have in the past after Sunday morning service. For me, Lent is a season of soul-searching and reflection. We look forward to having you join us for some time to study and reflect during this Lenten season. Your Brothers and Sisters of the Diaconate, Deb Copes, Senior Deacon Julie Dostie, Katie Hoffman-Fulda, Pat Howland, Cheryl Hummel, Bob Inderbitzen, Jean Palmer, Julia Pickett, Christopher Sheehan and Barry Wilcock 4 “What does Lent mean to me?” was the question I was asked recently and it left me thinking about what it really is and why it’s so important. Lent and Easter is a time where we can really discover God’s everlasting love now and always, but it is a time of reflection, signs, actions and choices. It is a time where I find myself asking how might I live in the way of God more deeply so that His love and light for the world will shine more brightly. I recently read the statement “Jesus, who reveals God to the world, reminds us we have a home in God, and God has a home in us. As we continue Jesus’ ministry we know that we are not alone.” So as you move from Lent to Easter, and from reflection to action remember to look deeply for new ways that we can be renewed by the spirit of God’s love within all of us. God’s Peace, Stacie Damiana SHROVE TUESDAY BARBECUE FEBRUARY 5TH 6:00-8:00 PM IN THE CHAPEL/CLASSROOMS This year’s festivities will include a true backyard picnic barbecue with: BARBECUED CHICKEN~HAMBURGERS~HOTDOGS MAKE YOUR OWN SUNDAES WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT TOPPINGS AND FLAVORS All you have to bring is a mouthwatering appetite and a SALAD TO SHARE! We will be decorating flower pots, planting bulbs, and making a bug craft. This is an event for all ages! Following our food and fun, we will all quietly “put away our Alleluias” as we prepare for the quiet season of Lent. A FREE WILL OFFERING WILL BE RECEIVED TO DEFER THE COSTS FOR THE DINNER AND TO BENEFIT THE KAITLIN DILLON FUND OF ROCKY HILL.. KAITLIN HAS BEEN VERY ILL. 5 Bringing Lent to Life: “Conversations about Opportunities and Challenges of RHCC” and “Reflecting Together on the Lord’s Prayer” After worship on four Lenten Sundays, you are invited to a light lunch, followed by a brief presentation and discussion on current topics of importance to the life of our congregation. During the season of Lent we are each called to reflect honestly on the depth of our personal need for God’s grace and guidance; these gatherings are an invitation to do such reflection as a Christian community of faith. Each will use the morning’s gospel lesson as the foundation for reflection, building on ideas raised in the morning sermon. A Lenten program for children will run simultaneously, allowing parents to participate! Sunday, February 10 Matthew 4:1-11 The temptation in the wilderness Presenter: Deacons—“What about pastoral care?” Sunday, February 24 John 4:5-42 The Samaritan woman at the well Presenter: Stewardship—“Will we have money to be the church in 50 years? Sunday, March 2 John 9:1-41 The healing of the blind man Presenter: CE—“Is there really a place for children and youth at RHCC?” Sunday, March 9 John 11:1-45 Lazarus, Martha and Mary Presenter: ONA Committee—“What is Open and Affirming?” Then, there will be two weeknight gatherings in the Chapel, led by the ministers, to provide the personal, individual counterbalance to the community-oriented Sunday sessions. See additional information on the next page. 6 Leap into A Children’s Lenten Series 11:45a.m. 2nd Hour Program The Children will join us for a light lunch and then proceed to their program of a lesson, craft and games.
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