News & Notes 7/1/2010
Hello St. John’s Church Family,
Whenever I come back from vacation I say the same thing. But it’s the truth: I’m glad to be back and sharing ministry with each of you again! Vacation was great - not too much special happened - except Wendy and I were able to meet our daughter’s gentleman-friend for the very first time!! We both felt very good about him - the best part being that he’s wonderful to our daughter, Kristin!! I’m sure I’ll be using him for many sermon illustrations in the future, so you’ll get to know him quite well . . . . . . . . not! . . . . I’m glad that our daughter doesn’t read “News & Notes,” or I’d be in deep trouble now, even if I WAS joking!!
Annual Conference was a wonderful experience again this year - with great worship; inspiring Bible studies; challenging programs; and wonderful time for fellowship - catching up with friends, old and new. Last Sunday was the final Sunday for congregations and pastors going through a change this year. In our area Rev. Deb Shipp is leaving First UMC, Portsmouth; Rev. Carroll Moore is retiring from the Hampton UMC; and Rev. Ron Messer is retiring from the Eliot UMC.
This coming Sunday those congregations will welcome new pastors. First Church, Portsmouth will welcome Bob (Song Bok) Jon - I’m not remembering where he was previously. Hampton UMC is welcoming Rev. Steve Notis, who is coming from Old South UMC in Reading, MA. And the Eliot UMC is welcoming Rev. Deb Shipp - that’s right - who is moving from Portsmouth! Please hold these congregations and these pastors in your prayers!
During the summer months, our Nursery Coordinator, Sandy Shepard, is expanding the nursery to cover not just the “birth through 3 y.o.” crowd, but to cover children up through the age of 6 y.o. She needs help, though. She needs one or two folks - high school age or above - who could come downstairs during worship to supervise the older children in the room next to the nursery. The children color, or do simply crafts, or sing along with recorded music. It’s not a terribly structured time. Hopefully it would be different folks each week - so no one would have to give up their summer of worship. Would you help out? Please speak to Sandy this Sunday - or just sign-up, on the bulletin board in Hartford Hall!!
I have learned that Kim Willett is in need of a kidney transplant. She has had a couple of family members go through the screening process to see if they’d be suitable donors, but so far, none of them has. As she was waiting for the results of the last potential donor, I asked her to let me know if it didn’t work out - so that I might inform our congregation of Kim’s need - and see if anyone felt lead to consider donation. There are some other details that you’ll need to be better informed, and I’ll get those and pass them along to you next week. In the meantime, please pray for Kim, and pray that a suitable donor is found as soon as possible.
The United Methodist Women of our Annual Conference produce three sessions of the School of Christian Mission (formerly called “Mission Enrichment Weekend”) every year. “Schools of Christian Mission provide opportunities for persons to grow in understanding of the mission of the church in the current world context as well as initiate opportunities for spiritual and educational experiences. The time is spent in worship and in-depth study with music, prayer, sharing, exploring and much food for the body and the soul. It is a time-away for all families, adults, youth and children of all ages.” This year’s three session are: July 16-18 at the University of Maine in Farmington; July 23-25 at the University of Southern New Hampshire in Manchester, NH; and September 16-18 at Camp Aldersgate, in North Scituate, RI. Copies of the pamphlets are located on the Outreach bulletin board in Hartford Hall.
Many thanks to Nancy Jo Johnson and Claire Bloom who have filled in for me by leading worship when I was away the last couple of times. It’s great to have such capable folks to leave these responsibilities to - I can feel confident that good, enriching, nourishing worship will take place at St. John’s Church when I’m away. Thank you, ladies!
If you don’t have plans for July 4th afternoon, George Reagan extends this invitation:
New Legacy Swing Band at Strawbery Banke for ‘An American Celebration!’
Description: http://www.strawberybanke.org/an-american-celebration.html
Strawbery Banke Museum
“An American Celebration”
Sunday, July 4th, 2010
12:00 noon-5:00 pm - the New Legacy Swing Band will play from 3:30 - 5 PM
A real old-fashioned fabulous 4th of July! Complete with children’s parade, traditional games and crafts, historic garden tours, the music of Portsmouth’s own New Legacy Swing Band, living history, food and fun for all.
Tickets are $15 for adults. Kids 17 and under are FREE. Active military and their families are FREE. Purchase tickets online after June 1 or at any event entrance on the day of the event. See you there!
There are a couple things that I’d just mention - just to keep them on your radar.
The first is the Red Cross Blood Drive, which will happen from 1 till 6 PM July 9th at St. John’s. And the second is that our next turn to serve our neighbors, at the Dover Friendly Kitchen, is Tuesday, July 13th. And finally, on July 14th, we have this:
Union Congregational UCC in Madbury
“Interfaith Prayers for the Gulf” - July 14, 7:00 PM
20 Town Hall Road, Madbury, NH
Join us for worship and song as we pray for all that is affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico - fish, marine mammals, birds, marshes and wetlands, people whose livelihood is totally dependent on fishing and shell-fishing, the tourist industry and for God’s tender comfort for those who grieve the loss of those who died. We will gather to pray and sing, listen to testimony and express repentance for the ways in which our life-style and dependence on fossil fuels shapes the economy. If you have information on ways to respond - letters or petitions or information on particular organizations — they are welcome on a table that will be set up in the entrance, but there is no political agenda to this gathering and this event is not connected to any organization.
TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America .
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ?
CLASS: Maria.
TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell ‘crocodile?’
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L’
TEACHER: No, that’s wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O …
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it’s H to O.
TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn’t have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I’m a lot closer to the ground than you are.
TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ‘ I … ‘
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie ….. Always say, ‘I am.’
MILLIE: All right … ‘I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.’
TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father’s cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn’t punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don’t have to, my Mom is a good cook.
TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on ‘My Dog’ is exactly the same as your brother’s. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It’s the same dog.
TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher
That’s all that I have for this week. See you in worship on Sunday, as we celebrate communion together. Peace, Mark