Hancock UCC Weekly Messenger for May 3, 2026

Worship the Lord, all you people. You’ll want for nothing if you ask. Taste and see that the Lord is good; in God we need put all our trust.

Sunday we will share Holy Communion. For those who will receive the sacraments at home, please prepare a piece of bread or a cracker, and a cup of juice or wine and join us at the table. Also, we will be receiving monetary donations or non-perishable food items, toiletries, and pet food for the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry.

Choir rehearsals are on Sunday mornings at 9:10am. All are welcome.

The Meditation Group meets Friday mornings, at 9:00am in the Fellowship Hall. Reach out to Pastor TJ or Alison Boden with any questions. All are welcome!

(revtjmack@gmail.com, 207-323-6743 or aboden3321@gmail.com, 609-865-3236)

During the month of May, we will be receiving the Strengthen the Church (STC) Offering This is one of the 5 for 5 special offerings supported by the Maine Conference. The STC Offering reflects the shared commitment of people across the United Church of Christ to cooperatively build up the UCC. Conferences and the national setting equally share the gifts given by members and friends through their local congregations. The funds raised support leadership development, new churches, youth ministry, and innovation in existing congregations.  By your generosity to this offering, you build up the Body of Christ. Envelopes are available in the back of the Sanctuary. 

We are planning to rejuvenate the “Crabtree Memorial Library” located in our choir room. This Sunday, May 3rd after church we will have an informal discussion led by Pat Summerer about the goals of having a church library, who it should be geared towards, and how it can be reworked for accessibility to our members and beyond. Please join us for the discussion and help to get this goal accomplished in the next few months.

Our meetings are open to all. Please let Vicky know if you would like a link to attend via ZOOM. Upcoming April meetings:

Friday, May 8th – our Christian Education Team meets at Noon

Friday, May 8th – our Deacons meet at 4:30pm

Our Spring clothing and linen sale is coming up on May15 and16. Donations of clean spring and summer clothes and any linens will be accepted from May 1-13 at the church. From May11th-May15 please consider helping with setup (and do your presale shopping). On May 15th we will need volunteers for the sale, cleanup, and distribution of the leftovers. Thank you all for your support of this important event.

Save the Dates

●     Monday, May 25^th – Hancock Memorial Day “Breakfast on the Green”. This fundraiser is sponsored by the Christian Education Team, with much help from the Outreach Group. Enjoy breakfast sandwiches and burritos, muffins, coffee, water, and more while attending the Town Memorial Day event. Your support creates Pilgrim Lodge Camp scholarships for Hancock UCC members & friends.

●     Sunday, May 31st will be an opportunity to hear our Conference Minister, Rev. Dr. Marisa Laviola preach in our congregation. Also, our Sabbatical Minister, Rev. Hannah Mondrach will be with us that morning to “meet and greet” during Fellowship Time after the service. A great morning to be in the pews or online!

●     It is time to start planning our retreat to Pilgrim Lodge for Lighten Up Loosen Up (LULU) camp for adults, June 17-20.

     We always have a wonderful time. Stay all three nights or only one or two. Join Pastor TJ and others for the schedule that works best for you. Let’s spend time with old and new friends at PL!

May Birthdays

01: Kelly Hudson          07: Liz Singletary       07: Marge Severance

07: Nancy Baril          09: Jeanne Edwards           14: John Wells

18: Fran Courschene          22: Brendan Bonner           23: Debbie Ehrlenbach

24: Erva Pinkham      26: Vicky Espling       27: Andrea Bernard

29: *Sally Knapp

The Outreach team is curious about your interest in a "Crafting Circle"!  Once a month at the church and open to the public, these casual gatherings would provide the chance to share and connect and have snacks!  Just bring your sewing, knitting, quilting, painting, felting....whatever it is that you do....and enjoy the company of cool, creative friends!  We are still working out the details so if you think you might be interested, please reach out to Tamara and let her know! 

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. 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 BJ. Prayers for Tracey Arsenault and Joe MacKay as they both await test results. We pray for all those who are saddled with grief, ancient or new. And for Charlotte and others struggling with depression. Prayers for Jeanne and her brother Clem. We pray for Sarina’s dad James, Graham, Joey & Morgan; Vicky & Everett; David; Dean; Don; Dexter B.; Cynthia W.; Judith C.; the Raymonds; Hollis & Debbie; Ira & Ginny; Bruce’s sister Lynn; Kirk; Ruth & Peter; Patrice’s step-sister Patricia; Herbie Lounder; Sandy Phippen; David Mack; Sue Davies; Sue Davenport; and James B. 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 addictions. Prayers for those who are experiencing family conflict; and prayers for all that is in your heart…

As you know, Pastor TJ is going on Sabbatical this July, August, and September.

This is a time of renewal for TJ—and simultaneously a gift to the entire congregation. As Pastor TJ rests, reflects, and reconnects with their calling, they return refreshed, spiritually nourished, and better equipped to lead with clarity and compassion. In the meantime, the church community is given opportunities to grow in meaningful ways, with members stepping into new roles, deepening their faith, and strengthening relationships with one another. This shared season of renewal can ultimately bring fresh energy, perspective, and unity to the whole congregation. Your additional questions about what to expect are always welcome.

The Outreach Team has prepared 60 May Baskets to deliver to local Golden Acres residences. Each one is loaded with sweets and packed with love. A tradition that we look forward to every year.

Hancock UCC Tote Bags are available for $15. Made of durable canvas, they are attractive

and eco-friendly, with a side pocket for a water bottle, and two interior pockets for cash, driver license, or credit cards. Great as grocery or book bags!

On Friday, June 5, at 7:00 pm the Historical Society and Hancock Women’s Club will present a program about the two cabarets held in the 70’s and 80’s. A film of the later group will be shown. Participants from both cabarets will be present. Myrna Coffin will lead the panel discussion. You do not want to miss this!

A Letter from Lydia Hoffman

 Assistant Camp Director of Pilgrim Lodge 

Matthew 5:14-16

 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Creator who is in heaven.

 ♩ it only takes a spark, to get a fire going ♩

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE a campfire. I love to sit around a roaring fire under the star-filled sky. I love to hear the crackle and pop of the flames as they grow and blaze higher and higher. I love to listen while people gather around a campfire and share sacred stories. I think there is something love-filled, something spirit-filled, that happens when we come together in this way. It is so special to be sitting together late at night, when the crickets are chirping, a guitar is softly playing in the background, and people from all walks of life are laughing and singing. Can you imagine it? What stories would we tell one another? Who would bring the kindling? Who would bring the firewood? Who would bring the bucket of water to make sure we all kept safe?

Can you imagine it?

If you’ve ever sat around a campfire, perhaps you have also been part of building one. And maybe you know that the power of a roaring flame does not come without some pretty intentional preparation. I love campfires for their ability to gather people and weave community together through smoke and spark, and I also love campfires because of the intentionality that is needed to get a flame going. The hands and tools to chop the wood, to gather the kindling, the breath to blow life into the flame, and the spark that brings everything together. It is a sight to behold, witnessing a community of people build a campfire. My most favorite part is that very first moment when flame catches. When early embers become brave enough to show their face and shine their light, dancing with all that is around them. If you’ve been part of building a campfire before you too have surely noticed the joy and relief that lights up on the faces of all who gather, when the very first very brave spark ignites. And when it does, the Spirit can be seen moving in. It only takes a spark, and oh what a mighty spark it is.

Often when I am building campfires of community, I am at Pilgrim Lodge, our Maine UCC summer camp and retreat center located along the shores of Lake Cobbosseecontee, tucked beneath the pines of West Gardiner, Maine. What a gift it is to invite you into the holy fire-filled and spirit-filled community that is Pilgrim Lodge. A community of care and connection, an open table of inclusion and acceptance. A summer camp and retreat center focused on the spirit of extravagant welcome. A place where new perspectives are formed, stories are woven together, and the spirit and spark come alive in each and every one who travels down the camp road, daring to try a new and brave thing. You need not come with the whole campfire ready in your suitcase. You need only a spark of excitement, of curiosity, of wonder.

 ♩ It only takes a spark to get a fire going ♩

At Pilgrim Lodge, we are building community like a campfire. We are gathering sticks for kindling and we are gathering voices to sing. We are carrying logs of firewood and we are carrying one another. We honor old traditions and we are welcoming in new generations. At Pilgrim Lodge, we like to say all who come in love have a seat at the table, and let’s add, around the campfire circle. This means, that absolutely anyone who wishes to come to camp is welcomed and accepted and celebrated for who they are and what they bring with them. All who come with open hearts and open minds are welcome at Pilgrim Lodge. All are invited to Pilgrim Lodge. All ages, all abilities, all understandings, all misunderstandings, all identities, all forms of love, all religions, all genders, all people - all, all all.

 ♩and soon all those around, can warm up in its glowing ♩

At camp, each year our summer season is wrapped around a chosen theme that we use as a continuous centering idea while we engage in programming, worship, and camp life together. This summer, we center ourselves around the words “It Only Takes A Spark” From a familiar camp song “Pass It On”. Thoughtful hearts have chosen this theme as an invitation to all who come to camp: big and small, brave and fearful, faithful and doubting, energized and weary, fire-filled, and those just beginning to glow. 

♩It only takes a spark♩

Community takes a spark. It takes you, and you, and yes you! Spark after spark after spark. Camp is a place where every spark matters, and every spark has the gift to bring light and life into the holy story. “You are the light of the world!” Jesus says. “You have a spark the world needs!” A light that the world so often tries to hide away.

Camp is a place where your spark and my spark together create the light Jesus is saying we have the ability to be.

I see this light shine at camp each summer as I watch campers cheer one another on after swimming in the lake for the very first time. I see this light shine at camp each summer, as I watch our oldest 80 and 90 year old campers lead worship in the chapel bravely together with our youngest 8 and 9 year old campers. I see this light shine at camp each summer as I watch young queer middle schoolers use a chosen name for the very first time. I see this light shine at camp each summer as I watch our high school aged campers speak out about injustices in the world, praying beneath the trees for peace, daring to be a light for someone whose spark feels extinguished.

Each of us, have a spark within us, ready to join together to create a roaring fire. No matter if you have ever been to summer camp before or you are bouncing up and down waiting for summer to start like I am, the spark you bring is the spark we need.

What is it that makes you glow? What is it that makes you shine?

Might you bring it to Pilgrim Lodge this summer?

Oh, what a gift you will be to our campfire of community.

My most favorite part of camp is that very first moment flame catches. When new campers become brave enough to show their face and shine their light. Maybe, this summer, that might be you. May you remember those gospel words, You are the light of the world. Yes you! And oh how the world needs your light.

Oh how the world needs your spark.

 I hope you will bring your spark to Pilgrim Lodge this summer. I hope you will bring your whole self, your light, and keep our fire of community glowing.

 ♩That’s how it is with God’s love, once you experience it. You want to sing.

It’s fresh like spring. You want to pass it on! ♩

See you this summer!

www.pilgrimlodge.org/camps/