Hancock UCC Weekly Messenger for October 18, 2026

Skills and time are ours for pressing / toward the goals of Christ, your Child:

all at peace in health and freedom, / races joined, the Church made one.

Now direct our daily labor, / lest we strive for self alone;

born with talents, make us servants / fit to answer at your throne.

The Choir practices Sunday morning at 9:10 am.  All are welcome!

ANNUAL REPORTS ARE DUE IN THE OFFICE WEDNESDAY!!

Please and Thank You.

Wednesdays,  from 10 am-12 noon –

knitting group at the Hancock Community Center  –

for the Hancock Grammar School mitten tree project.

Minister’s Discretionary Fund Donations

The Minister’s Discretionary Fund needs replenishing. This is the fund our Pastor uses

occasionally to help out folks with emergency needs. This time of year it could be help

with getting a delivery of heating oil, the price of which has increased 74% since last

year at this time. Donations can be made on Sunday mornings, with checks earmarked

“Discretionary Fund” or they can be put in the collection plate. Thank you.

Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:

Prayers for all God’s creation, that peace may prevail here and around the world. Prayers for Melissa’s cousin, Jamie Frey who has entered hospice care, his wife Jillian and their young boys Lucas and Mason. Prayers for Mary Angela’s mother Caroline in the hospital. Our prayers remain with Aaron & Ashley, Lincoln & Debbie, Alex & Savannah, Andrew & Tamara, Tyler Crabtree and all of their families. We pray for all those who live and work at Golden Acres. Prayers for Peter; Roberta and her family; Karen B.; and for Renata. We pray for Betty Johnston; Sonny & Gerry; Dexter B.; Cynthia W.; Judith C.; Kirk; Patrice’s step-sister Patricia; Sally’s friend Darren; Vicky’s friend Amanda; Herbie Lounder; Sandy Phippen; David Mack; Sue Davies; and Sue Davenport. Prayers for all in Hospice Care and for all caregivers. Prayers for all that are unsafe, unhoused, hungry & in need of care & compassion. Prayers for individuals and families affected by mental illness and addictions. Prayers for those who are experiencing family conflict; and prayers for all that is in your heart…

SUNRISE ASSOCIATION Fall Meeting

Saturday, October 24 – 9 AM to Noon

at the United Christian Church UCC

18 Searsmont Road Lincolnville

We will hear reports, transact business, approve a budget, worship, and eat together. Lunch is provided by the church. A freewill offering for your lunch will be appreciated.

ZOOM LINK:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88491045770?pwd=BPmdELW3OC5yHiv9PhgrP7JOyLcf.1  

Meeting ID: 884 9104 5770   Passcode: 836207 

Next Sunday, October 25th, we will welcome to our pulpit Kelly Brown, Executive Director, Next Step Domestic Violence Project.  Kelly has worked at Next Step Domestic Violence Project for over 20 years, beginning her career as the Community Educator. She still loves opportunities to return to the community and speak with groups about a cause she cares deeply about. Her years as a helpline advocate have shaped the way she approaches this work, and she believes it is important to bring the voices and experiences of survivors into every conversation about domestic violence. Today, as Executive Director, she takes her role seriously and is committed to seeing Next Step continue to grow, strengthen its services, and reach more people who need support.

“One moment that has stayed with me was when I entered a woman into our shelter. As I opened the door to her bedroom, she looked at the room and said she didn't deserve such nice things. That moment reminded me why this work matters so much. I believe everyone deserves safety, dignity, and a welcoming place to lay their head. I am proud to lead and work alongside a team that believes the same and shows that belief through the care and support they provide every day.”

POST-ANNUAL MEETING IMPORTANT NEWS 

For those who attended or those who didn’t have the opportunity to attend, below are some links that will bring you to key videos

Karen Georgia Thompson Workshop "A Tent of Our Own Making"    https://youtu.be/VQEm8iXOZYE

Karen Georgia Thompson Keynote Address https://youtu.be/0oWrOhRtAzA

Conference Minister State of the Conference   

https://youtu.be/kPsBmId-mNs

A Letter from our Associate Conference Minister

Rev. John Fiscus 

When we asunder part,

It gives us inward pain;

But we shall still be joined in heart,

And hope to meet again.

    Blest Be the Tie that Binds v. 4

At the closing worship of the Annual Meeting of the Maine Conference, we sang Blest Be the Tie that Binds. I will admit I have a deep love for this Hymn. For several years, its first verse was the closing of worship every week in my church home in Houston. It was that church who offered me healing and put me on a path that would lead me here to Maine. Over the years, I have come to love the last verse even more. When ever I am in expressions of the larger church, annual meetings, general synod, or clergy gatherings, I get to connect and join hearts with folks I rarely get to see. The inner pain of parting is often the cost of true connection.

One of the topics I keep being drawn back to is this idea of community and how we reach it in our churches. I have mentioned the Manual On Local Church in previous articles or meetings. After our annual meeting at Pilgrim Lodge, I revisited the book with my heart opened from our time together. I began to unravel the stories from churches as ways that they were living into the “Marks of Faithful and Vital Local Churches. As I did, I was drawn to one specific subcategory of reflection. Here is the third mark and its subpoints.

SHAPING CHURCH COMMUNITY

   • CELEBRATING that all people are made in the image of God and practicing an            

     ongoing commitment to inclusion and accessibility.

   • RELATING to one another with gentleness, kindness, and compassion, with     

     sympathy, empathy, and healthy, life affirming behaviors.

   • WELCOMING the stranger into community and celebrating the transformation they

      bring to the Local Church.

   • DEVELOPING healthy boundaries in relationships with one another and with

     pastoral leadership.

   • INSPIRING a culture of generosity and faithful stewardship, including the financial

     support of the church.

   • CREATING and tending to faithful approaches to conflict. (MOLC pp. 19- 20)

In her keynote speech Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, spoke to us about the United Church of Christ as a ‘Big Tent’. She asked us to think about and wrestle with what that means as we move forward in covenant with each other. Over the coming year we will all have opportunities to think and ponder this together. As a starting point for all conversations, the local church can always be our initial concern. This particular ‘mark’ addresses the nature of community formed in diversity.

Whatever role you play in the life of the church, I invite you to pause and look around at your local church. Think about how you are celebrating, relating, welcoming, developing, inspiring and creating the relationships in those gatherings. I hope your successes out weigh the failures or possible places of apathy or inertia. We are at the beginning of a new season of thinking, and challenging ourselves to be as Rev. Karen hoped, a 22nd Century focused church.

I will end these thoughts by turning back to the beginning of my Hymn inspiration.

Blest be the tie that binds

our hearts in Christian Love;

the fellowship of kindred minds,

is like to that above. (v.1)

Kindred let us work together,

Rev. John Fiscus, Associate Conference Minister