Announcements
Sunday Worship
Beginning Sunday, November 1, we will be worshiping using Zoom. The weather has turned colder so it is no longer feasible to worship outdoors. Please see Mary's Weekly Greeting email for connection or call in information (or call anyone who receives the email for the information). The service will be recorded and posted to our YouTube site as soon as it is available and a link to the recording will posted here. Worship Sunday February 28
Dear Friends,
Someone pointed out to me recently that we are now in the second Lent that we have observed since the coronavirus pandemic turned our lives upside down a year ago. This is technically and also emotionally true.
According to Christian tradition, Lent is not only an important season, but a somber and penitential one, which seems to be the way we have been living for the past year. Each of us has been affected on many levels by the ongoing pandemic, some of us more than others. Many people have lost loved ones due to COVID-19. Many have lost jobs and businesses and most of us haven’t been able to visit our friends and family members.
People have missed out on holiday and special occasion celebrations. Our children and grandchildren are experiencing the challenges of hybrid learning. We have been unable to worship in our sanctuary for a full year! I would say that we’ve all experienced enough loss, hardship, and suffering to last us for a good long time.
From its start on Ash Wednesday until its conclusion on Easter Sunday, Lent has been a traditional time either for fasting or for giving up something. I know people who abstain from social media, or alcohol, or chocolate for Lent. If you find practices such as these helpful, that’s great! But we have already given up so much that I wonder if a different approach to Lent would be more meaningful this year. I’m personally inspired by Pope Francis, who suggests another kind of Lenten abstinence: fasting from grudges and seeking reconciliation, fasting from words and being silent in order to be a better listener, and fasting from pessimism to make room for joy. Perhaps you can come up with your own list of what you might fast from during this holy season so that you will be ready for the joy, wonder, and awe of Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning.
With blessings for a holy Lent, Pastor Mary
When Will Our Church Building Reopen?
We wish we had a definitive answer! Our Safe Reopening Team (Kevin Monahan, Ed Porter, Russ Clough, Marcia Olson, John Baglole, and Pastor Mary) will be meeting this month to evaluate current safety recommendations, which include the need to monitor vaccination rates (the higher the better) and the number of COVID-19 cases in Stoughton. Our return to sanctuary worship will take some time and will likely happen in phases, as our first priority is the safety and well-being of our congregation. We hope to resume outdoor worship as soon as it is warm enough to do so. We all have a responsibility to protect others from COVID-19, so please get your vaccine as soon as you are eligible to do so and keep up with the protective measures you’ve already been using: mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing. We will get through this with God’s help!
Mark Your Calendars - March 14
An informational meeting led by the Project 275 Financial Viability Team will be held after Zoom worship on Sunday, March 14 to discuss some new financial issues that are affecting our church.
Please plan to attend
Have You Sent in Your Pledge?
A message from The Trustees
It seems like years since we were last able to meet. We trust this letter finds you all healthy and happy. The good news is, with the recent approval of a vaccine we may soon be able to, once again, gather non-virtually.
As you can imagine, the good work of our church has been, to a degree, slowed but, nevertheless, it continues. Within the first half of the upcoming year, we pray that society opens and our role in Stoughton’s, as well as the wider community, expands to pre-pandemic levels.
This cannot happen without your help. We recently completed our Stewardship campaign and we appreciate all that pledged. However, to date, we have only received approximately half our usual offerings. Without your continued support, the work of the church will be severely impacted. If you have simply forgotten, we ask that you return your pledge form as soon as you can. If you have lost your form, please contact the church office for another (see contact information at the bottom of this message). If due to the pandemic your financial situation has changed, any amount helps, and know that you will be in our prayers.
Remember, there are a couple of ways you can continue to honor your pledge and continue your support:
Write a check:First Congregational Church of Stoughton 76 Pierce Street Stoughton, MA 02072 ATTN: Offering Clerk
Pay Online:Follow this link to the Church website: http://www.uccstoughton.org/ Click on the Online Giving option
Click on the Contribute Securely Online Now Button.
Fill in the boxes as directed. (This, by the way, is an excellent way to ensure that your support continues year round...not just in these trying times.)
Please return a pledge card whether you pay by check or donate online. We need to know your pledge amount in order to present an accurate 2021 budget at the Annual Budget Meeting on January 31.
We need your help and we pray you can see your way to the continued support of our church. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact any of the church officers. Blessings and a very Happy New Year.
Holy Week and Easter Service
We will be gathering on Zoom for a Maundy Thursday service with Communion on April 1 at 7:00 PM and on Good Friday, April 2 at 7:00 PM for a service created by the Southern New England Conference, “The Seven Last Words of Christ.”
We will celebrate the joy of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday, April 4 at 10:00 AM. There is a possibility for worship to be held outside at the church that day but if the weather is unfavorable, we will meet on Zoom. The location for Easter worship will be confirmed during Holy Week.
Easter Flowers
Download the Easter Flower order form and return it to the church office by March 17th
Flower Order Form
We are very blessed
We offer our gratitude to the Board of Trustees and Marcia Olson for their diligence in overseeing the financial life of our church this month. Thank you to John Baglole and Russ Clough, our “tech deacons,” whose help with our virtual worship services has been invaluable. We thank the members of our mask ministry for continuing to sew face masks for the local community. Thanks also go out to all who made casseroles for our MainSpring supper in February, and to Anita Keenan for coordinating this vitally important outreach. We once again thank Marcia Olson for her very successful efforts in selling Attic Treasures on Facebook Marketplace.
Marcia has been assisted by Stephanie Clough, and has raised $1135 for our 2021 Church Fair. We are very blessed!
Wednesday Phone Prayer Service
Pastor Mary will be hosting a brief prayer service by way of a conference call each Wednesday morning at 10:00 until we are able to resume our in-person gatherings. Dial 1-253-215-8782 and when prompted, enter meeting ID 862 2469 5175. There will be a scripture reading and time for the sharing of our prayer concerns.
ATTIC TREASURES ONLINE
Our Church Fair may have been postponed until spring 2021, but you can still shop for just that right gift, find that hidden gem, or snag a bargain. Don’t miss out! We have been regularly posting selected items from Attic Treasures on Facebook Marketplace - and you can shop now! Here’s how:
Breakfast and Beliefs
During the season of Lent, we have been given an opportunity that can help deepen our experience of following Jesus during this holy time. We have been invited by our neighbors at Christ Congregational Church in Brockton to participate in their virtual Lenten series, “Breakfast and Beliefs,” which runs through March 27. This program encourages both individual sharing and collective learning about what we believe and value, and how our faith matters today. It is designed to nourish our spiritual health as individuals, enrich our sense of community in all its diversity, and deepen our corporate expression of faith and discipleship.
“Breakfast and Beliefs” is being facilitated by Christ Congregational’s pastor, Rev. Jeff Kardisco and their moderator, Barry Shelley. If you would like the Zoom link please let Pastor Mary know. Below are the sessions for March:
Sunday, March 7, 11:00-12:30: Transgender identities & experiences
Saturday, March 13, 9:00-10:30: Images of God: How we imagine & talk about God
Sunday, March 21, 11:00-12:30: Prayer & spiritual practices: How we experience & interact with God
Saturday, March 27, 9:00-10:30: Exploring the contours of church & state
If you prefer to call in, dial 1-929-205-6099 and enter Meeting ID: 832 4365 3407
Pastor's Schedule
Over these past 7 months as we have tried to navigate in a virtual world, communicating mostly by email, text messages and Zoom meetings, it is easy to lose track of regular work schedules as one day blends into the next with no clear boundaries between work and home life. And that is certainly true of our pastor. Church Council would like to remind the congregation that Pastor Mary’s contract with the church calls for a 3/4 work schedule. Pastor Mary has gone above and beyond her contracted hours as she has worked to help our church stay together as a worshiping community in this “new normal.” We are, of course, very grateful for her dedication to our church and we encourage her to take the time off she has earned to rest, recharge and spend time with her family. And we must do our part by respecting her “off” time. Pastor Mary will continue to lead worship on Sundays, except when she is on vacation or study leave, and will attend board and committee meetings as needed. She will always be available in the event of an emergency but her response to non-urgent matters may not be immediate. We ask that you keep Pastor Mary in your prayers.
Outdoor Church: Pastor Mary delivered several boxes of scarves, hats and socks to Outdoor Church at the end of January. Thank you for your generosity! During this cold winter season the Outdoor Church street ministry is greatly in need of warm, waterproof socks, scarves, hats or gloves for the homeless in Harvard and Central Squares in Cambridge. We will be collecting new socks for both men and women over the next two months. Please contact Marcia Olson (baglole.olson@verizon.net | 781-344-9547) if you have some to donate or you can drop them off at the church office.
CHURCH FAIR POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING 2021
We have been diligently following news of the latest COVID-19 guidelines issued by our state, local, and public health officials in hopes we would be able to safely hold an outdoor church fair in September. Unfortunately there has been an uptick in the state’s positivity rate and Governor Baker has restricted outside gatherings to no more than 50 people. Safety has to be our top concern, so we decided to postpone our outside church fair until next spring. The date will be decided early in the new year. While this is disappointing as the church fair is our largest fundraiser, there is still much we can do to hold some of our activities online and prepare for the spring fair as well.
Here’s how you can help:
DONATE: Do you have some Stoughton-themed items or a gift card to a local Stoughton eatery, let Leanne Kerman know so she can stuff the Stoughton Raffle Basket for the spring. Have you been knitting (mittens, scarves, hats, blankets)? Tell Maurine Upton and Susan Hill. We will be trying to sell some items online and that mitten tree will still need some trimming! Do you need to make room for more baubles in your jewelry box and have some jewelry to donate? Marcia Olson or Donna Connor will gladly accept it. And Marcia Olson will happily take the Attic Treasures you have unearthed while being stuck at home during quarantine throughout the fall and winter. Email Marcia at baglole.olson@verizon.net or call 781-344-9547 to make arrangements for drop off.
Ways to stay connected:
Sunday Online Worship at 10:00 AM. Cold weather has now arrived and we have transitioned to online worship via Zoom. You also have the option to call in to the Zoom worship services instead of joining online if that is easier for you. The link to join the live online Zoom service as well as other information can be found in Pastor Mary’s weekly Friday email. If you do not get this weekly mailing contact the church office at office@uccstoughton.org. Portions of the online service will be recorded and posted to our YouTube site as soon as it is available and a link to the recording will posted on the church website. If you have any questions or concerns about this service or our plans to reopen the church building, please contact Pastor Mary at 774-571-7307. More details about worship will be communicated via Constant Contact, email, and our Facebook page.
On Wednesday mornings at 10:00 AM Pastor Mary leads a 30-minute conference call Prayer Service. Dial 1- 253-215-8782 and when prompted, enter conference code 862 2469 5175. There is a scripture reading and a time for the sharing of our prayer concerns. This weekly gathering is open to all, so if you have a friend who might find this opportunity helpful, please share the information.
Pastor Mary has set up a private Facebook group called UCC Stoughton Prayer. No one sees the posts except group members, so it is a safe place to share your prayer requests, pray for others in our community, or just vent. If you have a Facebook account and would like to join the group let Pastor Mary know.
Also remember to check our church Facebook page and church website (http://www.uccstoughton.org/).
Church Council has been meeting on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 pm via Zoom. These meetings are open to everyone, not just Council members. If you would like to attend, please contact Pastor Mary and she will send you the link to the meeting. If you prefer to call in by telephone, dial 1-646-876-9923 and enter Meeting ID: 837 8927 2962
Food Pantry Collection
Stoughton Food Pantries Due to the pandemic, there are many people in our own community who are in need of food assistance. If you are looking for practical ways to help your neighbors, please consider making a monetary donation to the Stoughton Food Pantries.
To donate by credit card:
Food Pantry Foundation of Stoughton
To donate by check please mail to:
Food Pantry Foundation of Stoughton
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Although we cannot yet meet in person, we encourage you all to continue to knit prayer shawls for those who need to feel God’s loving care wrapped around them. You can also work on knit goods for the church fair.
April 21 (Wed): Mainspring House: This is this next date we are scheduled to provide dinner for Brockton’s homeless shelter. Although we cannot serve dinner due the pandemic, food donations are still needed. If you can make a casserole or make a monetary donation to defray the cost of salad and dessert, please contact Anita Keenan keenans21@gmail.com (781-244-7742). It’s a busy time of year so you can make your casserole early and pop it in the downstairs church freezer any time before Sunday, April 18. Contact Anita if you need a foil baking pan and recipe or to arrange drop off.
Mask Ministry
As we are experiencing another surge in COVID-19 infections now that the cold weather has arrived and we spend more time indoors, the need for face masks is greater than ever. The Mask Ministry team has started making masks again and have been distributing them to the Outdoor Church of Cambridge, Father Bill’s and Mainspring House, the local Red Cross and Soupman of Brockton. There is plenty of fabric and elastic at the church if you are interested in joining our team. Please contact Marcia Olson (baglole.olson@verizon.net | 781-344-9547) to find out how you can help.
Sunday Worship
10:00 AM in the Sanctuary
Wheelchair Accessible
Coffee Hour
After worship in the
Fellowship Hall
The Link
Download our latest newsletter
"The Link"
Church Bylaws
Current bylaws
Have a Prayer Request?
Let us know here.
We offer our gratitude to the Board of Trustees and Marcia Olson for their diligence in overseeing the financial life of our church this month. Thank you to John Baglole and Russ Clough, our “tech deacons,” whose help with our virtual worship services has been invaluable. We thank the members of our mask ministry for continuing to sew face masks for the local community. Thanks also go out to all who made casseroles for our MainSpring supper in February, and to Anita Keenan for coordinating this vitally important outreach. We once again thank Marcia Olson for her very successful efforts in selling Attic Treasures on Facebook Marketplace.
Marcia has been assisted by Stephanie Clough, and has raised $1135 for our 2021 Church Fair. We are very blessed!
Wednesday Phone Prayer Service
Pastor Mary will be hosting a brief prayer service by way of a conference call each Wednesday morning at 10:00 until we are able to resume our in-person gatherings. Dial 1-253-215-8782 and when prompted, enter meeting ID 862 2469 5175. There will be a scripture reading and time for the sharing of our prayer concerns.
ATTIC TREASURES ONLINE
Our Church Fair may have been postponed until spring 2021, but you can still shop for just that right gift, find that hidden gem, or snag a bargain. Don’t miss out! We have been regularly posting selected items from Attic Treasures on Facebook Marketplace - and you can shop now! Here’s how:
- Go to Facebook Marketplace (https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/109554902404443/).
- Type “Online Church Fair” in the Search Marketplace box.
- Most items that pop up at the top of this search have Stoughton MA listed as the location of the seller.
- Click on one of those items, scroll down to Seller Information and click on Marcia Olson. You can also scroll down that post and see all the treasures currently for sale that day.
Breakfast and Beliefs
During the season of Lent, we have been given an opportunity that can help deepen our experience of following Jesus during this holy time. We have been invited by our neighbors at Christ Congregational Church in Brockton to participate in their virtual Lenten series, “Breakfast and Beliefs,” which runs through March 27. This program encourages both individual sharing and collective learning about what we believe and value, and how our faith matters today. It is designed to nourish our spiritual health as individuals, enrich our sense of community in all its diversity, and deepen our corporate expression of faith and discipleship.
“Breakfast and Beliefs” is being facilitated by Christ Congregational’s pastor, Rev. Jeff Kardisco and their moderator, Barry Shelley. If you would like the Zoom link please let Pastor Mary know. Below are the sessions for March:
Sunday, March 7, 11:00-12:30: Transgender identities & experiences
Saturday, March 13, 9:00-10:30: Images of God: How we imagine & talk about God
Sunday, March 21, 11:00-12:30: Prayer & spiritual practices: How we experience & interact with God
Saturday, March 27, 9:00-10:30: Exploring the contours of church & state
If you prefer to call in, dial 1-929-205-6099 and enter Meeting ID: 832 4365 3407
Pastor's Schedule
Over these past 7 months as we have tried to navigate in a virtual world, communicating mostly by email, text messages and Zoom meetings, it is easy to lose track of regular work schedules as one day blends into the next with no clear boundaries between work and home life. And that is certainly true of our pastor. Church Council would like to remind the congregation that Pastor Mary’s contract with the church calls for a 3/4 work schedule. Pastor Mary has gone above and beyond her contracted hours as she has worked to help our church stay together as a worshiping community in this “new normal.” We are, of course, very grateful for her dedication to our church and we encourage her to take the time off she has earned to rest, recharge and spend time with her family. And we must do our part by respecting her “off” time. Pastor Mary will continue to lead worship on Sundays, except when she is on vacation or study leave, and will attend board and committee meetings as needed. She will always be available in the event of an emergency but her response to non-urgent matters may not be immediate. We ask that you keep Pastor Mary in your prayers.
Outdoor Church: Pastor Mary delivered several boxes of scarves, hats and socks to Outdoor Church at the end of January. Thank you for your generosity! During this cold winter season the Outdoor Church street ministry is greatly in need of warm, waterproof socks, scarves, hats or gloves for the homeless in Harvard and Central Squares in Cambridge. We will be collecting new socks for both men and women over the next two months. Please contact Marcia Olson (baglole.olson@verizon.net | 781-344-9547) if you have some to donate or you can drop them off at the church office.
CHURCH FAIR POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING 2021
We have been diligently following news of the latest COVID-19 guidelines issued by our state, local, and public health officials in hopes we would be able to safely hold an outdoor church fair in September. Unfortunately there has been an uptick in the state’s positivity rate and Governor Baker has restricted outside gatherings to no more than 50 people. Safety has to be our top concern, so we decided to postpone our outside church fair until next spring. The date will be decided early in the new year. While this is disappointing as the church fair is our largest fundraiser, there is still much we can do to hold some of our activities online and prepare for the spring fair as well.
Here’s how you can help:
DONATE: Do you have some Stoughton-themed items or a gift card to a local Stoughton eatery, let Leanne Kerman know so she can stuff the Stoughton Raffle Basket for the spring. Have you been knitting (mittens, scarves, hats, blankets)? Tell Maurine Upton and Susan Hill. We will be trying to sell some items online and that mitten tree will still need some trimming! Do you need to make room for more baubles in your jewelry box and have some jewelry to donate? Marcia Olson or Donna Connor will gladly accept it. And Marcia Olson will happily take the Attic Treasures you have unearthed while being stuck at home during quarantine throughout the fall and winter. Email Marcia at baglole.olson@verizon.net or call 781-344-9547 to make arrangements for drop off.
Ways to stay connected:
Sunday Online Worship at 10:00 AM. Cold weather has now arrived and we have transitioned to online worship via Zoom. You also have the option to call in to the Zoom worship services instead of joining online if that is easier for you. The link to join the live online Zoom service as well as other information can be found in Pastor Mary’s weekly Friday email. If you do not get this weekly mailing contact the church office at office@uccstoughton.org. Portions of the online service will be recorded and posted to our YouTube site as soon as it is available and a link to the recording will posted on the church website. If you have any questions or concerns about this service or our plans to reopen the church building, please contact Pastor Mary at 774-571-7307. More details about worship will be communicated via Constant Contact, email, and our Facebook page.
On Wednesday mornings at 10:00 AM Pastor Mary leads a 30-minute conference call Prayer Service. Dial 1- 253-215-8782 and when prompted, enter conference code 862 2469 5175. There is a scripture reading and a time for the sharing of our prayer concerns. This weekly gathering is open to all, so if you have a friend who might find this opportunity helpful, please share the information.
Pastor Mary has set up a private Facebook group called UCC Stoughton Prayer. No one sees the posts except group members, so it is a safe place to share your prayer requests, pray for others in our community, or just vent. If you have a Facebook account and would like to join the group let Pastor Mary know.
Also remember to check our church Facebook page and church website (http://www.uccstoughton.org/).
Church Council has been meeting on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 pm via Zoom. These meetings are open to everyone, not just Council members. If you would like to attend, please contact Pastor Mary and she will send you the link to the meeting. If you prefer to call in by telephone, dial 1-646-876-9923 and enter Meeting ID: 837 8927 2962
Food Pantry Collection
Stoughton Food Pantries Due to the pandemic, there are many people in our own community who are in need of food assistance. If you are looking for practical ways to help your neighbors, please consider making a monetary donation to the Stoughton Food Pantries.
To donate by credit card:
Food Pantry Foundation of Stoughton
To donate by check please mail to:
Food Pantry Foundation of Stoughton
- Box 757 Stoughton, MA 02072
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Although we cannot yet meet in person, we encourage you all to continue to knit prayer shawls for those who need to feel God’s loving care wrapped around them. You can also work on knit goods for the church fair.
April 21 (Wed): Mainspring House: This is this next date we are scheduled to provide dinner for Brockton’s homeless shelter. Although we cannot serve dinner due the pandemic, food donations are still needed. If you can make a casserole or make a monetary donation to defray the cost of salad and dessert, please contact Anita Keenan keenans21@gmail.com (781-244-7742). It’s a busy time of year so you can make your casserole early and pop it in the downstairs church freezer any time before Sunday, April 18. Contact Anita if you need a foil baking pan and recipe or to arrange drop off.
Mask Ministry
As we are experiencing another surge in COVID-19 infections now that the cold weather has arrived and we spend more time indoors, the need for face masks is greater than ever. The Mask Ministry team has started making masks again and have been distributing them to the Outdoor Church of Cambridge, Father Bill’s and Mainspring House, the local Red Cross and Soupman of Brockton. There is plenty of fabric and elastic at the church if you are interested in joining our team. Please contact Marcia Olson (baglole.olson@verizon.net | 781-344-9547) to find out how you can help.
Sunday Worship
10:00 AM in the Sanctuary
Wheelchair Accessible
Coffee Hour
After worship in the
Fellowship Hall
The Link
Download our latest newsletter
"The Link"
Church Bylaws
Current bylaws
Have a Prayer Request?
Let us know here.