January 31-Announcements & Meetings

Epiphany Arts Festival: Look and see the beauty of our creations
surrounding you. These artworks celebrate how God’s spirit is made
known in the gifts and talents of each and every one of us. This
beauty will all be displayed until the Sanctuary is cleared out for the
simplicity of Lent in February. Many thanks to Neil English for
coordinating this Festival and for the people who aided Neil in
displaying your treasures.

Sabbatical Time: Sabbatical begins tomorrow for Gayle Murphy
and the Congregation. Please do not think for a second that the
church will suffer during this time away because worship will be ex
pertly led by a group of lay or visiting preachers. Pastoral care will
be provided by the Deacons and the Lay Visitors, and the programming of the church will go on because you are the ones to do the work of the church. There will be clergy available for any crisis that comes up. This Sabbatical time will be used by Gayle to work on her preaching and worship leadership, a visit to El Salvador, and
study of a new church movement called the Emerging Church. FOR YOU - You have the same opportunity to use this time deliberately to grow in understanding of these same areas and do some spiritual deepening of your own. Gayle’s office will be turned into a resource room, holding many of the same books Gayle will be reading and devotional books and websites for your own spiritual growth. The books, cd’s and movies will be available for you to sign out for your use.

Communion Offering: The January mission collection will go to the Town of Strafford's Food Bank which is operated out of the 3rd Baptist Church. (Please note: when making checks to support Mission giving, make them payable to NCC, with Mission in the Memo section, so that the funds can be properly tracked and then allocated to that Mission.) Please note that there are now Mission envelopes on the table outside Fellowship Hall and in the back of the Sanctuary for your convenience. Please be sure to put your name or Giving Number and where you would like the money to be allocated to.

Sabbatical Prayers: The pillar candle by the Bible in the Sanctuary is to remind us to pray for Gayle while on her Sabbatical. She, too, will have a candle to light during her devotions to remember to pray for all of you!

Prayer Concerns & Joys: During Gayle’s Sabbatical, please contact a Deacon to have any prayer concerns and/or joys submitted for the Bulletin.

Lay/Guest Preachers: Wondering who is Preaching during Sabbatical? Pick up the list from the table outside of Fellowship Hall.

Taize Worship: Jo Chase is looking for extra readers for NCC’s Taize Worship service on February 28th. Please contact her at 942.8940 if you’d like to help out!

Men’s Service: On March 14th, NCC will have a special service called “Testimonies of Faith.” This service is designed specifically for men to share their faith. Please contact Jo Chase at 942.8940 if you would be interested in sharing with the congregation.


Prepared to Serve: The New Hampshire Conference will be holding its ‘Prepared to Serve’ conference on February 20, 2010 at Pembroke Academy in Pembroke, NH. The day will include almost 60 workshops to help prepare Lay and Clergy to better serve the church. Information packets including a Registration Form are available on the table outside Fellowship Hall or online at www.nhcucc.org. Walk-in registration is still open at the fee of $40 per person.

Gift Cards to Benefit NCC: Gift card orders are due this week! We will continue to take orders for gift cards after the holiday season has passed. Order forms are available in Fellowship Hall. Orders will be submitted on the 3rd Sunday of each month and cards handed out on the 4th Sunday. Contact Tiffany at 332-5808 or t_george12@hotmail.com with questions.

Shoveling assistance: April showers may bring May flowers, but winter storms bring blocked walkways...and we need your assistance with shoveling. If you would be willing to be on call or responsible for a certain day, please let Dan Ferguson or the Church office know.

Sunday School Teachers needed: We have the greatest kids in our Church school and they need even greater Sunday School Teachers and Substitutes. We are looking to fill slots for January, February or March. There is a wonderful curriculum to share! Please contact Scott Hignett, Diane Prescott or Pam English.

Centering Prayer: You are all invited to a time of centering prayer every Wednesday at 8:00 am for 30 minutes. Jo Chase is hosting us in her home at 306 Catamount Road.

COMMUNITY NEWS
Living with Grief: Concord Hospital and CRVNA is hosting a live teleconference on March 24th from 1:30-4:30pm on Living with Grief: Cancer and End-of-Life Care. This program is free and open to the public. Flyers are available on the table outside of Fellowship Hall.

MEETINGS THIS WEEK

Wednesday 8:00am Centering Prayer
Thursday 7:00pm Choir

In Memory:
Many of you will remember Balance, who came to our church and preached one Sunday in 2006 when he was traveling with a delegation of Zimbabweans. For those new to the church, we have a sister church in Zimbabwe (Zamchia).
Dear Ukama Pastors,
This morning I received an email from UCCZ President Edward Matuvhunye informing me of the tragic death of Balance Chibangwa. Balance was a passenger in a mini-bus that was involved in a head-on collision with a large truck. He was traveling home from in South Africa after buying goods for his shop.
Many of you know Balance from his travels here to New Hampshire. He was a member of the delegation of Zimbabweans who visited us in 2005 and he returned in 2006 to spend the summer at Horton Center. He was a leader in the church in Zimbabwe, especially with the Christian Youth Fellowship. His passion for young people and his commitment to them were unequalled. He touched many hearts in New Hampshire in his brief time here, and inspired our youth. His death is a loss to the whole church.
I have asked Rev. Matuvhunye to provide an address so that any who wish may send condolences to his wife Tariro and to his mother. Tariro and Balance have a son Bill, and I think have recently had another child.
If you would like to have the address when I receive it, please contact me and let me know. In the meantime, please pray for comfort and strength for Balance's family, and for all in the UCCZ whose lives were so deeply touched by his.
Grace and Peace to you,
Rev. Kimberly S. McKerley
Local Church - Global Ministries Partnership Coordinator
NH Conference, UCC