“Easter's Radiant Hope”

The Newsletter of The Congregational Church of Hollis (UCC) 3 Monument Square Hollis, NH 03049 March 2013 Volume LI, No. 3 A Message from the Pastor… The Congregational Church of Hollis (UCC) “Easter’s Radiant Hope” The Harper’s Bible Dictionary reminds us that the word “Easter” comes from the name of the Norse goddess, Eastre, whose festival was observed Pastor at the vernal equinox, and is akin to the Latin word for “dawn” and the Rev. Larry W. Smith Greek word for “east.” Also, for all of us who have a hard time remem- [email protected] bering how the date for Easter is set each year, the Dictionary provides us Christian Education Director with the answer: “observed on the first Sunday after the full moon on or Amy Zapp following the vernal equinox.” And, yes, this year Easter comes earlier [email protected] than usual – on March 31. Christian Education Assistant Easter comes at the culmination of the Lenten season following the events Michelle Gehan of Holy Week that begin on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. [email protected] Maundy Thursday is observed during Holy Week and recalls the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples. Good Friday marks the day of Church Administrator Jesus’ crucifixion. But, as we know, on the third day after his death on the Eileen Widner cross — that day of darkness and apparent defeat — there were those who [email protected] experienced the resurrection of Jesus, and who continued to experience Music Staff Jesus “as a living spiritual reality, a figure of the present, not simply a Organist memory from the past.” (Marcus Borg, The Heart of Christianity) Easter Edward Scibilia was God’s “YES” to life and love and all that was lifted up in the life and Senior Choir Director ministry of Jesus. With all that in mind, the late Dr. Ralph W. Sockman, M. Sylvia Eggleston who served as the pastor of Christ Church Methodist in New York City for Handbell Choir Director 44 years, adds some helpful comments and a wonderful illustration in a Janet Sterritt piece he once wrote about “Easter’s Radiant Hope”… Contact us: “But mere logic is cold comfort when loved ones are taken. Moreo- Office: 603-465-7797 ver, when death strikes close to home, it stuns the mind so that we do 603-465-7099 not think clearly. And then comes Christ to bring our minds out of the Visit our website at: dusk and into the dawn. www.HollisChurch.org “And when we live close enough to Christ to catch his spirit, our belief in immortality is illuminated with radiant hope. “Jesus showed his mastery of death both by The Chimes is published monthly the way he faced it and by the way he September to May. One edition is emerged from it. And the Easter events published for the summer months. convince me that Christ did emerge from All submissions for the newsletter the grave. I cannot account for the church th are due by the 15 of the month without the Resurrection. preceding publication. (continued on page 4) 1 Confirmation Calendar Children in Mission – The Confirmation Class will meet for one th Children Reaching Out to Children class session in March on Wednesday the 6 from 5-6:15. Are foster children On March 24, class members are to meet at Forgotten children? the Brookdale packing plant after the 10:30 No. Palm Sunday service, at 11:45, to pack the East- We remember. er food boxes. They are Confirmation Class members are also ex- God's Children. pected to attend Palm Sunday (March 24), Together, Maundy Thursday (March 28), and Easter We share Sunday (March 31) services. Our Love. by Charlotte Gehan The Confirmation Class will be conducting the Easter Sunrise Service at 6 a.m. on Each year our 5th grade class selects and organizes a March 31. The service takes service project to encourage all of us to walk in God’s place on the hill at the corner ways. This year our fifth graders have chosen to reach of Route 122 and North Pep- out to foster children in our community. They have perell Road, just south of Bud asked some tough questions; are foster children forgot- and Phyllis King’s Triple ten children, do they feel like they are alone and no one Knoll Farm (in the meeting- is thinking or caring about them, and can we change house if it’s rainy). that feeling by giving a basket of love that lets them The class also hosts the know that someone is thinking about them and that God Easter breakfast in Hardy Hall following the cares? The 5th graders believe we can, and for their sunrise service. service project they will be collecting new or barely- used items for children of all ages to create welcome Twelve Hour Lock-in baskets that will be distributed to foster children en- tering a new home. Who’s invited: All 6th and 7th Graders The class is asking for disposable cameras, small Where: Hardy Hall photo albums, toys, blankets, sheets, pillows, card When: March 8 - 9, 8pm to 8am games, board games, footballs, soccer balls, or any oth- Join us for an evening of fun run by our fabu- er item that would make for a nice welcome gift. They lous High School Youth! There will be games, will be collecting donations in Hardy Hall until March food, devotions and a movie all jammed into our 31. Our 5th graders need your help. Won’t you please 12 hours of lock-in madness. Oh and don’t for- consider supporting this meaningful Lenten Project? get we will sleep as well!!! Pack a sleeping bag, pillow and signed permission slip (available on the church website or in the Christian Education office) and come join the fun. Girls - Please bring a snack to share. Boys - Please bring a drink to share. Palm Sunday Procession Contact Amy Zapp Have you heard? We are having our [email protected] Palm Sunday Procession on March or 465-7797, by March th 24th. Jesus, our beautiful children, 7 , with any questions palms and more palms…you don’t and to let us know want to miss it! you’re coming! 2 Annual Easter Egg Hunt The Nurture Corner Easter is right around the corner. Put a little Respectfully submitted by Andrea Seddon spring in your step and hop on down to our I am sharing with you excerpts from a powerful article I annual Easter egg hunt hosted by the 6th and read in The Sun Magazine (December 2012, Issue 444) that 7th grade classes. This year's activity will was an interview by Mary DeMocker of nature writer and take place on Palm Sunday directly philosophy professor Kathleen Dean Moore. Moore poses following the 10:30 worship service. So three questions to her philosophy students: What is na- parents, bring your ture? What is the relation of humans to the rest of the children to Little natural world? And how, then, shall we live? This last Nichol’s field question by Moore, "How, then, shall we live," really immediately after stuck with me. Every day we make choices of how we church, on March 24th live: paper or plastic; go for a walk or sit on the couch; oil, to enjoy a traditional gas or wood heat; etc... Then there are the things like decid- Easter egg hunt. Please ing not to drive to the chain store and buy that cheap pair of make sure the children imported shoes. That act of refusal is an act of assent says are dressed appropriately Moore. "Every time we say no to consumer culture, we say as this is an outdoor rain or shine activity, yes to something more beautiful and sustaining. Life is not and don't forget you camera to record those something we go through or that happens to us; it's some- precious memories. thing we create by our decisions. We can drift through our lives, or we can use our time, our money, and our strength to model behaviors we believe in, to say, 'This is who I 2013 Mission Trip am.'" So I ask you, who are you? What choices will you The workcampers of the make that reclaim your relationship to the natural world? upcoming Mission Trip More important reading for teens and adults: would like to thank the springcreek.oregonstate.edu; congregation for your con- www.moralground.com (hard copy: Moral Ground: Ethical tinued support of our yearly trip to help Action for a Planet in Peril) those in need. We enjoyed serving you at Moral Ground brings together the testimony of over 80 vi- the Spaghetti Supper and hope that you had sionaries — theologians and religious leaders, scientists, a nice evening with us. We know that we elected officials, business leaders, naturists, activists, and are blessed to have the support from our writers — to present a diverse and compelling call to honor church family to continue this program each our individual and collective moral responsibilities to our year. Your ticket purchases and placemat planet. In the face of environmental degradation and global donations helped us raise approximately climate change, scientific knowledge alone does not tell us $1,600.00 what we ought to do. The missing premise of the argument We were also thrilled to once again have and much-needed centerpiece in the debate to date has been the added excitement of the Mission Trip the need for ethical values, moral guidance, and principled quilt raffle.

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