A Newsletter for the Members and Friends of Kensington Congregational Church WEBSITE: WWW.KENSINGTONCONG.ORG E-MAIL: [email protected] Gabriel's Trumpet April 2021 Returning to the Sanctuary Easter Sunday Services We have returned to in-person worship in the Join us on Sunday, April 4 for the climax of sanctuary! In order to keep one another safe and Christianity, our celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. healthy, some adjustments will need to be made, We will have a (signup only!) Easter Sunrise Service but it will be wonderful to be together again. Prefer at 6:30 a.m. and a virtual & in-person (signup only!) to worship at home? No worries! On-line worship Easter Morning Service at KCC is at 10:00 a.m.! will continue to be live-streamed on Facebook and then posted on YouTube. WORSHIP Sign-up Links are always available What will you need to do? on the front page of the KCC Webpage • You will need to sign-up. In order to maintain holy NOTE: If you signed up and can no longer attend a service, distancing, there will be approximately 20 pew please call or email the office during business hours, so that we sections available each week. Each section will seat a may make the change. family group of 1-4 people. Or call the church office Monday – Friday during office hours. Registering for worship also allows us to do contact tracing if we Virtual Annual Church Meeting should learn that there has been an exposure. May 2, 2021 • You will need to wear a mask unless you have a medical exemption or are under two years old. We will Join us virtually on Sunday, May 2nd immediately have masks available in case you forget yours. Hand following our worship service. Over the course of sanitizer will also be provided. about an hour, we’ll review the year gone from April • You will be directed to a pew by one of the ushers. 2020 – March 2021, elect officers and committees Since some of the pews will be left empty, you may not to lead us in the year ahead, and take any other be able to sit in your favorite spot. This is a chance to actions proper to come before the Annual Meeting get a new perspective on worship! (as defined in our constitution and by-laws). Please plan on attending this important meeting! • You will need to share the love without touching. Instead of hugs and handshakes, we’ll be placing our hands over our hearts, using air hugs and other non-contact signs of affection. • PLEASE DO NOT SING. Anyone caught doing so will THE MAY TRUMPET DEADLINE IS be assigned as soloist for the following week’s MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021 worship. Consider a Committee!! KCC Search Committee Each Spring, the Nominating Committee reaches out The Search Committee continues to work on to all members to consider joining the many creating the Church Profile which is an essential, committees that are active within the church. This initial step in the search process. To accomplish this invitation is open to ALL. If you have ever we will be reviewing the results of the Congregation considered joining any of the various committees, Survey conducted in January with our please let your thoughts be known to any current representative from the UCC Conference, the Rev. committee member or any member of the Michael Ciba. The questions on the survey were Nominating Committee. It’s an exciting time in the designed to disclose patterns and reveal attitudes life of this church and your involvement of time and and preferences of the congregation. Rev. Ciba will talents is greatly appreciated to assist the missions analyze the answers to those questions and help us and life of this congregation. If you are curious discern the patterns/preferences that they reveal. about the work of any committee, that information We are scheduled to meet with him on Mar. 25 in a can also be provided to aid in your decision making. Zoom meeting and are looking forward to seeing not Just reach out! You will see us in the months of only the raw data provided by the individual March / April soliciting your help in filling open answers, but also his analysis off what those positions prior to the May Annual Meeting. answers, taken as a whole, disclose about where we THANKS, are as a church and where we want to go. We will Brian Humes, Nominating also ask him to guide us in the next steps that we as a committee should be taking. As always, if you have any questions or comments that you would Annual Reports Due April 1st like to share with the committee, please let us know, preferably by sending an email to our Search The church office needs your committee report by Committee inbox: [email protected] st Thursday, April 1 for the Annual Meeting on May 2nd. Please e-mail Cassandra in the church office Thank you, your report at [email protected] or KCC Search Committee: hand it in before April 1st. Thanks! Dani Morisse-Corsetti (Committee Chair) Lisa DeGroff, Rich Gagliardi, Chris Gates-Wnuk, Art Palmunen, Mark Parasiliti, Family Communion Workshop Catie Ritchie, Carol Welz The Christian Faith Formation Committee will host a Family Communion Workshop for all students in the 3rd and 4th grades. Families are invited to join us at 8:45 am, on May 2 in the Parish Hall for an Budget Update interactive class on the sacrament of communion. This class will teach and prepare students FEB. INCOME FROM OFFERINGS AND AMAZON SMILE: to participate in this significant and $22,834.70 special meal. Please contact Gwen McCann by e-mail to RSVP FEB. SPENDING ON BUDGETED EXPENSES: [email protected] $28,416.11 Celebrate Mother’s Day 2021 Diaconate Reflection Please help us celebrate Mother’s Day this year on I shall not pass through this world but once, th May 9 . The Missions Committee has decided to Any good therefore that I can do support The Diaper Bank of Connecticut with our or any kindness that I can show to a human being donations. This organization works to ensure Let me do it now low-income families have enough diapers for Let me not defer or neglect it, their infants and toddlers, have access to For I shall not pass this way again. specific personal hygiene supplies and that Our eternal God, please help us to do the things both youths and seniors in need, can access that are needed to help incontinence products. The need in our local others. communities for these services is real, Make us strong and compassionate. Help us sense especially during this last year. what is required without being told. So please join us in celebrating the special With your help we can make a difference in this women in your life by supporting this world important organization. You can learn more Amen about the Diaper Bank of Connecticut by accessing their website @ www.thediaperbank.org Please fill out the information below and return with your Mother’s Day donation in Vernah Munson Scholarship any amount by May 2nd. You may mail your The Vernah Munson Scholarship forms are donation form and check to KCC or place it in available in the church office. You can the collection plate during church services if pick up a copy during office hours or you you are attending in person. can e-mail the church office to receive a Checks should be made out to "KCC" with "Diaper PDF copy. You must be a member of the Bank CT" noted on the memo line. Deadline for church to apply. REMEMBER: This is a orders is Sunday, May 2nd. substantial scholarship that can provide up to four All names will be listed in the bulletin on Mother's years of higher education financial assistance! Day, May 9th. Sign-ups begin on Monday, April Application form (and supporting documents) are 4th. due to the church office by 12:00 NOON, May 1, 2021. Thank you in advance for your continuing generosity. IN MEMORY OF: P.U.S.H LIST P.U.S.H. (PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS): __________________________________________ Kate Hayden (daughter of Sally Johnson), Henry IN CELEBRATION OF: Dyson, Karen Simmons, Lorraine Hall, Jean Munson, Skip Munson, Mirielle Griepentrog (family __________________________________________ of Pam Baclaski), Joyce Dyson, Elizabeth Reade, Butch Bukowski, Our Friends in Need. All people GIVEN BY: struggling with addictions or emotional disorders. __________________________________________ Call the church office if you would like to add or be taken off the PUSH List. Annual Spring Cleanup Upcoming WSL Events PLEASE SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR ANNUAL SPRING April 11th, 11:30 am CLEANUP! WSL Virtual Book Discussion The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Please save the date and time for this year’s annual WSL has selected The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Spring Cleanup Day – for our next book discussion. Saturday, April 17th 2021, ZOOM Details: 9:00 am – 12:00 Noon. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81321102248?pwd=T3BtM mswUVJLMGlyQm1wV1ZxN2podz09 Last year due to both weather and Pandemic we skipped the cleanup except for a few items here and Meeting ID: 813 2110 2248 Passcode: 068573 OR dial by your location there that could be done socially distanced. +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) We will need folks inside and out. While the church has not been used for some time, the dust and “stuff” continues to accumulate. At least TWO volunteers are needed in every location, and you can sign up for more than one slot! Please WSL Continuing Education Award remember to brings your own tools! For church Any member of the Kensington Congregational exterior bring: rake, shovel, clippers! (wheel Church who is pursuing post-high school education barrows needed, check with leader of slot) For may apply for the continuing education award.