The newsletter of the Congregational Church of Bristol, Maine.
Joyful Noise!
The newsletter of the Congregational Church of Bristol, Maine Summer 2024
Vacation Plans & Summer Preaching Schedule Pastor Jim and Maury are heading out West (yes, west of Vermont!) on June 20th for their 50th wedding anniversary “Great Western Adventure.” They will visit the national parks in Wyoming and Montana and then hop on a boat in Washington and cruise down the Columbia River, following the Lewis and Clark trail. They will then visit their son and his family in Ohio before returning back to Maine on July 9 and back in worship on Sunday, July 14th. Revs. Paul & Carol Friesen have graciously agreed to provide emergency pastoral care. If a need arises, please first contact one of our Deacon Co-Chairs: Sandy Holmes (207-350-2877) & Penny Jennings (978-302-6850). We have fine worship leaders ready to lead us on the following Sunday mornings: June 23: Revs. Paul & Carol Friesen June 30: Mr. James McKinney, Esq. July 7: Rev. Char Corbett (Service of Word & Table) The Dowses will keep us in their prayers and ask that we keep them in ours! Annual Church Fair Info Planning for the Annual Church Fair on Sat. Aug. 3rd is under way! This church does an amazing job of welcoming our community onto our campus, and offering something for everyone. With that being said, we need YOUR help to make this year’s Fair a success! We want to make sure everyone is included in some way. Your participation may be big or it may be small, but we do hope that you will participate in any way that you can! How can you help, you ask? You could donate food for the food or bake sale; contact local businesses to request donations for our Silent Auction; donate items for the Tag Sale; hand posters around town; volunteer your time to set-up the Fair; help with the Tag Sale, Food Sale, Bake Sale, Silent Auction, Children’s Area, Parking or Clean-Up help. Every little bit helps! Be on the lookout for a board in the Fellowship Hall with opportunities to help, or reach out to Christina at christina.p.bradbury@gmail.com. Our next Fair meeting will be on Sunday, June 23rd right after worship. I hope you will join us to learn how you can help! Remember, many hands make light work! Let’s all work together to have a great Fair! – – – Christina
Women’s Circle Women’s Circle continues to meet on the second Thursday of the month at 10 o’clock in the Fellowship Hall. We invite all women of the church to join us for time of socialization and projects.
With the fair coming up on August 3, the Women’s Circle will be doing some baking at our next meeting on July 11 at 10 AM. We are hoping to put 16 pies in the freezer to bake off the day before the fair… Sandy Averill has offered her freezer so we may also be able to store a few banana breads, zucchini breads, Cranberry orange breads, etc.… She only has a top freezer so we can’t get too carried away—but any donations would help. The week of the fair the first week in August and is always pretty busy getting ready and so we don’t really have time to bake our own goodies during that week…
That being said, we may not have the August meeting of Women’s Circle, if we are too tired from the fair… However, we routinely meet second Thursday of the month at 10 AM. Please mark your calendar and be sure to attend.
We also are reading the Joan Chittster’s book “The Gift of Years –Growing Old Gracefully.“ We have a discussion of one of the chapters at most meetings… All are welcome to attend!
Sandy Holmes P.S. In July we will be asking the church members for donations of the fillings for the pies …. Apples, canned cherry pie filling, frozen blueberries, etc. Missions Committee Pastor Jim began our June meeting by noting that the Missions Committee was the means by which CCOB fulfills the Great Commission of the church by going out into the world. We discussed the recipients of the committee’s distributions in past years, and decided to donate $500 at this time to the Community Energy Fund, Bristol First Responders, Caring for Kids, CHIP, and Meals on Wheels (in memory of Nora Cyr).
We will be making additional donations later in the year, and welcome suggestions of other worthy local organizations from you at any time. Please feel free to speak with any one of us if you have something to share.
To stay connected with you, the congregation, we will have a five-minute “Moment for Missions” on the last Sunday of each month beginning July 28. A Committee member will highlight a recipient organization, and also remind you that we value your input.
The Missions Committee will meet again on Monday, September 16 at 3:00.
Sandy Guibord, Chairperson Wendy Griswold, Secretary Ray Ference Joan Find Lucille Pendelton Amy Vitanza Jim Dowse Chris Averill (Deacon Representative)
June Birthdays! 5th-Mimi Aldrich, Bill Benner 12th-Ralph Ferguson 15th-Paul Aldrich 16th-Barbara Hughes 23rd-Joyce Thompson 24th-Amy Vitanza 27th-Paul Friesen 29th-Barbara Brown
July Birthdays! 7th-David Hall 15th-Pat Benner
August Birthdays! 1st-Madison Bradbury 16th-Janet Chase 26th– Paul Cyr
(If your birthday isn’t listed, please contact the church office with your information: 207-563-6843.)
Group Bible Study Resumes on August 8th
CCOB’s Group Bible study, which meets on Thursdays at 1:00 PM in the Library, completed its study on the Psalms on June 13. The group will enjoy a brief month and a half long summer holiday and then regather on August 8th to begin a six-week DVD series entitled “The Forgiveness of Jesus.” The back of the DVD cover reads: “We all carry guilt and shame; it drags us down and keeps us from enjoying life to the fullest…Jesus came to forgive us, allowing us to move from guilt and shame to freedom and forgiveness. As we examine the people he met and set free, you will be transformed by your encounter with the God who loves you so much that he runs to you.” Hosted by Margaret Feinberg, who introduces each session from Israel, and filmed in locations as diverse as the Rocky Mountains, the Arizona desert, downtown Chicago, and Little Rock, Arkansas, six fascinating sessions are taught by professors from six Christian colleges and universities. These engaging and accessible studies are for everyone who wants to deepen their understanding of God’s Word and apply it more faithfully and effectively. Everyone, from Bible beginners to Bible scholars, is welcome to join CCOB’s Group Bible Study. Hope to see you in the Library at 1:00 PM on Thursday, August 8th! CHURCH EVENTS! June 2024 5th-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 6th-Deacons, 2:30 PM, Library 7th-Private Party Set Up, 6:30 PM, FH 8th-Private Party, 1-5 PM, FH 12th-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 13th-Women’s Circle, 10 AM, FH Trustees, 4:30 PM, Library 19th-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 21st-Men’s Breakfast, 8 AM, FH 23rd-Annual Church Fair Meeting after Worship 26th-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 28th-Set Up Bake Sale, 3 PM, FH 29th-Summer Bake Sale, 9 –12, FH or outside 30th-OBHS Program, 6 PM, FH July 2024 3rd-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 10th-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 11th-Women’s Circle, 10 AM, FH Trustees, 4:30 PM, Library July 2024 continued 14th-OBHS Program, 6 PM, FH 17th-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 19th-Men’s Breakfast, 8 AM, FH 20-August 5th– ALL ROOMS RESERVED FOR FAIR August 3rd-Annual Church Fair 7th-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 8th-Women’s Circle, 10 AM, FH Trustees, 4:30 PM, Library 14th-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 16th-Men’s Breakfast, 8 AM, FH Music & Munchies, 7 PM, FH 21st-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 25th-OBHS Program, 6 PM, FH 28th-AA, 6:30 PM, FH 30th-Set Up for Bake Sale, 3 PM, FH 31st-Labor Day Bake Sale, 9-Noon, FH
New Members Classes Coming in the Fall In case you haven’t noticed, CCOB is growing! Attendance is picking up, as it always does in the summer. It’s a pleasure to welcome people on Sunday mornings while they’re visiting the great State of Maine. In addition, several new people have graced us with their presence in recent months. Some are new residents, others have been here for a while. All have added their faith and gifts to the life of our congregation. We give thanks to God as the Spirit moves amongst to strengthen the church’s Christian witness. A new members class will be offered this fall for anyone interested in becoming a church member. One of the many advantages of church membership is the right (and the responsibility!) to vote at all church business meetings. Church members may also serve on Boards and Committees and as Church Officers. Stay turned for further details. The class with meet 3-4 times after worship. New members will officially join the fellowship on Thanksgiving Sunday, November 24. For more info, please touch base with Pastor Jim. The church phone is 207-563-6843; email at jpdowse@gmail.com.
Church Cancellation Policy
In the event that an emergency situation results in having to cancel worship, the following procedure is put into place: the Pastor and Chair of the Deacons decide to cancel worship. Trisha Demers, Music Director, and John Couch, Sexton/Custodian, are then notified. The Pastor sends out a “Blast” email to the church and the Deacons call everyone on their telephone tree. In case of inclement weather on Sunday mornings, stay turned for all the details. Thank you!
