Announcements
For those of you who were not able to watch the Celebration of the Life and Resurrection we have been provided a link to the recording of the service. We extend our prayers to Peter, Lizzie, Ian, Tim, and Beryl in their loss. Jean was a truly wonderful person and she was a gift to our church. Click here for the service: Rev. Jean Niven Lenk.
Sunday Worship
Beginning Sunday, April 4, we will begin worshipping outside (weather permitting) and live broadcasting through Zoom. 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 also 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 March 28
Dear Friends,
I have a friend who believes that the losses of the past year have actually led to something positive in her life; she is convinced that after 12 months of dealing with lockdowns, social distancing, and mask wearing, she has far more patience than she did a year ago. My friend’s realization intrigues me but I don’t think the same has happened for me.
We have gone through a grief-laden time, both individually and collectively, and to be honest I am ready to move on. I’m ready to embrace whatever the new normal for our lives and our church will be. We won’t be going back to the way things were before the pandemic, because that would be impossible. However, I have been working with our Safe Reopening Task Force to evaluate when and how we can gather again safely for in- person worship. After considering state guidelines and recommendations from the Southern New England Conference of the UCC we believe it is now safe to resume outdoor worship. We plan to begin gathering for worship in the church parking lot on March 28, Palm Sunday, weather permitting. For your continued safety, masks will be required and social distancing will be in effect.
The Safe Reopening Task Force is committed to ensuring the well-being of our congregation and is recommending that we do not resume sanctuary worship before the fall. We will continue to monitor the Covid positivity rate and other metrics in our community, and will provide you with any updates as they become available.
Like me, perhaps you too are aware of the need to pray for patience as we begin to emerge from the pandemic, which promises to be a slow process. I pray that we will be guided by this verse from Romans, one that seems to be an appropriate touchstone for us in these days:
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
With blessings of the Resurrection,
Pastor Mary
Holy Week and Easter Services
Maundy Thursday (April 1): We will gather on Zoom at 7:00 PM to reflect on the events that took place on the
night before Jesus’ crucifixion. Communion will be celebrated.
Good Friday (April 2): We will gather on Zoom at 7:00 PM for a service created by the Southern New England
Conference, “The Seven Last Words of Christ.”
Easter Sunday (April 4): Celebrate the joy of Christ’s resurrection with your church family outside in the parking lot at 10:00 AM, weather permitting. *
*If the weather for this service is unfavorable, worship will be held on Zoom. We will confirm the worship location as early in the week as possible and will notify you by email and with postings on our church Facebook page and website. Please call/text Pastor Mary (774-571-7307) if you have any questions about either service.
Easter Sunday RSVP
Because of our obligation to comply with current Massachusetts restrictions on in-person gatherings, and for contact tracing purposes, If you plan to attend our outdoor service on Easter Sunday we ask that you RSVP with Pastor Mary by emailing revmary@uccstoughton.org or by calling/texting 774-571-7307. Thank you!
Music Director News
We are delighted to welcome Music Director Gian DiCostanzo to UCC Stoughton. Gian is an accomplished actor and musician having performed in theaters all around the country (most recently "Jersey Boys"). He is originally from North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Gian attended Emerson College in Boston, MA where he earned his BFA in Theatre & Performance. Prior to the pandemic, Gian was living in New York City pursuing a career as an actor full-time. He is excited to share in the gift of music and to get to know each and every member of the community. Welcome to our church family, Gian!
News from the Safe Reopening Team
Now that spring’s warmer weather has arrived and we have encouraging news on the Covid-19 vaccine front, we are all understandably eager to “return to normal” and gather with our friends and family again. That includes gathering together with our church family in person after so many months of “Zoom fatigue” and staying home. As anxious as we are for those gatherings to happen, the health and safety of all congregants must be our highest priority and we still need to be cautious about re-opening too soon. The Safe Reopening Team is staying current on outbreak trends as we make decisions on resuming the use of our church building and trying to develop best practices policies for preventing any further spread of Covid-19.
As we develop these best practices, please follow the guidelines below for use of our church building until further notice:
No groups should meet indoors at the church until the Safe Reopening Team, in consultation with Council and Trustees have given the green light with a clear set of guidelines in place, e.g., a cleaning and disinfecting protocol.
Our first “re-gathering” as a congregation will be outdoor worship for Easter.
Small groups are welcome to meet outdoors on church grounds following state guidelines on the number of people allowed to gather. Please notify the Trustees.
The Safe Reopening Team will be monitoring the CDC, MA, Insurance Board and Conference guidelines closely to see when and what kind of group activities will be safe to resume inside the church building, with priority given to worship and small group church-related activities first rather than strictly social gatherings.
Reach out to any member of church leadership with questions or concerns as we consider how to safely conduct daily operations before attempting to hold in-person worship services or events.
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.
For those of you who were not able to watch the Celebration of the Life and Resurrection we have been provided a link to the recording of the service. We extend our prayers to Peter, Lizzie, Ian, Tim, and Beryl in their loss. Jean was a truly wonderful person and she was a gift to our church. Click here for the service: Rev. Jean Niven Lenk.
Sunday Worship
Beginning Sunday, April 4, we will begin worshipping outside (weather permitting) and live broadcasting through Zoom. 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 also 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 March 28
Dear Friends,
I have a friend who believes that the losses of the past year have actually led to something positive in her life; she is convinced that after 12 months of dealing with lockdowns, social distancing, and mask wearing, she has far more patience than she did a year ago. My friend’s realization intrigues me but I don’t think the same has happened for me.
We have gone through a grief-laden time, both individually and collectively, and to be honest I am ready to move on. I’m ready to embrace whatever the new normal for our lives and our church will be. We won’t be going back to the way things were before the pandemic, because that would be impossible. However, I have been working with our Safe Reopening Task Force to evaluate when and how we can gather again safely for in- person worship. After considering state guidelines and recommendations from the Southern New England Conference of the UCC we believe it is now safe to resume outdoor worship. We plan to begin gathering for worship in the church parking lot on March 28, Palm Sunday, weather permitting. For your continued safety, masks will be required and social distancing will be in effect.
The Safe Reopening Task Force is committed to ensuring the well-being of our congregation and is recommending that we do not resume sanctuary worship before the fall. We will continue to monitor the Covid positivity rate and other metrics in our community, and will provide you with any updates as they become available.
Like me, perhaps you too are aware of the need to pray for patience as we begin to emerge from the pandemic, which promises to be a slow process. I pray that we will be guided by this verse from Romans, one that seems to be an appropriate touchstone for us in these days:
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
With blessings of the Resurrection,
Pastor Mary
Holy Week and Easter Services
Maundy Thursday (April 1): We will gather on Zoom at 7:00 PM to reflect on the events that took place on the
night before Jesus’ crucifixion. Communion will be celebrated.
Good Friday (April 2): We will gather on Zoom at 7:00 PM for a service created by the Southern New England
Conference, “The Seven Last Words of Christ.”
Easter Sunday (April 4): Celebrate the joy of Christ’s resurrection with your church family outside in the parking lot at 10:00 AM, weather permitting. *
*If the weather for this service is unfavorable, worship will be held on Zoom. We will confirm the worship location as early in the week as possible and will notify you by email and with postings on our church Facebook page and website. Please call/text Pastor Mary (774-571-7307) if you have any questions about either service.
Easter Sunday RSVP
Because of our obligation to comply with current Massachusetts restrictions on in-person gatherings, and for contact tracing purposes, If you plan to attend our outdoor service on Easter Sunday we ask that you RSVP with Pastor Mary by emailing revmary@uccstoughton.org or by calling/texting 774-571-7307. Thank you!
Music Director News
We are delighted to welcome Music Director Gian DiCostanzo to UCC Stoughton. Gian is an accomplished actor and musician having performed in theaters all around the country (most recently "Jersey Boys"). He is originally from North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Gian attended Emerson College in Boston, MA where he earned his BFA in Theatre & Performance. Prior to the pandemic, Gian was living in New York City pursuing a career as an actor full-time. He is excited to share in the gift of music and to get to know each and every member of the community. Welcome to our church family, Gian!
News from the Safe Reopening Team
Now that spring’s warmer weather has arrived and we have encouraging news on the Covid-19 vaccine front, we are all understandably eager to “return to normal” and gather with our friends and family again. That includes gathering together with our church family in person after so many months of “Zoom fatigue” and staying home. As anxious as we are for those gatherings to happen, the health and safety of all congregants must be our highest priority and we still need to be cautious about re-opening too soon. The Safe Reopening Team is staying current on outbreak trends as we make decisions on resuming the use of our church building and trying to develop best practices policies for preventing any further spread of Covid-19.
As we develop these best practices, please follow the guidelines below for use of our church building until further notice:
No groups should meet indoors at the church until the Safe Reopening Team, in consultation with Council and Trustees have given the green light with a clear set of guidelines in place, e.g., a cleaning and disinfecting protocol.
Our first “re-gathering” as a congregation will be outdoor worship for Easter.
Small groups are welcome to meet outdoors on church grounds following state guidelines on the number of people allowed to gather. Please notify the Trustees.
The Safe Reopening Team will be monitoring the CDC, MA, Insurance Board and Conference guidelines closely to see when and what kind of group activities will be safe to resume inside the church building, with priority given to worship and small group church-related activities first rather than strictly social gatherings.
Reach out to any member of church leadership with questions or concerns as we consider how to safely conduct daily operations before attempting to hold in-person worship services or events.
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.
We are very blessed
We offer our gratitude to Laura Kittery, Russ Congdon, and Marcia Olson for their invaluable help with our church finances this month. We thank the members of our mask ministry for continuing to sew face masks for the local community. Thanks also go out to Janet Clough for facilitating our Easter flower orders and to Music Director Gian DiCostanzo for the beautiful music he has brought to our worship services. 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 over $1362 to date for the 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.
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.
Bottles and Cans: Please donate your clean, redeemable bottles and cans. Monetary donations are also gratefully accepted and the money collected is used for various church ministries and operational needs. Cans and bottles can be left in the drop-off container at the bottom of the stairs just before the church office or contact Maurine Upton for more information.
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After worship in the
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