Hancock UCC Weekly Messenger for June 29, 2025

The heavenly land I see, with peace and plenty blest; a land of sacred liberty, and endless rest. There milk and honey flow, and oil and wine abound, and trees of life forever grow with mercy crowned.

During June, July, and August in addition to the 10:00 Worship Service in our Sanctuary, Pastor TJ and a small contingent of volunteers are offering an alternative contemplative service inspired by John Philip Newell prayer books. These outdoor Sunday services will begin at 7:00 a.m. at Tidal Falls (rain or shine) and are expected to last 25-30 minutes. Please join us!

Our Monteux student musicians for this Sunday will be Cellists, Sean Muller and Micah Christiansen. 

An adventurous spirit defines cellist Sean Muller’s musical journey, as he constantly seeks fresh and revitalizing experiences. Prior to his university studies, he was assistant principal cellist with the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra for summer tours, which included performances on three continents. At the University of Florida, where he will graduate in May 2026, he currently studies cello with Dr. Steven Thomas. He is an active member of the chamber music program and the University of Florida Symphony Orchestra, serving as the librarian under the direction of Dr. Tiffany Lu. His most recent solo recital showcased repertoire from across musical periods, including Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5, Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances, and Brahms’s Cello Sonata No. 2. Outside of cello, Sean enjoys playing piano, rock climbing, mountain biking, and SCUBA diving.

Micah Christiansen is a cellist based in Minneapolis, MN, with over 13 years of experience performing in both symphonic and chamber music settings. A recent graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, they earned a BA in Music, Psychology, and Social Work, and served as principal cellist of The Concordia Orchestra. Micah has performed with ensembles such as the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and the Fargo Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, and was a returning participant and competition winner at the Oracle Chamber Music Festival. Passionate about music education, they’ve taught privately and held leadership roles in Concordia College’s chapter of the American String Teachers Association. In addition to their musical pursuits, Micah is currently pursuing a graduate degree in social work at the University of Minnesota and has spent the past year working as a school social worker in a K-8 charter school, where they integrate music and care into community support. They are excited to continue developing their artistry this summer at Monteux

Angela Abscher will once again be hosting the Friday morning meditation group at the Hancock Point Chapel for the summer months. Meditation group moves from our Sanctuary to the Chapel beginning on July 4th at 9:00 a.m.  All are welcome.

Hancock July 4th Hot Dog Cookout and Concert

The Hancock Volunteer Fire Department will host its annual July 4th Hot Dog Cookout Fundraiser from 12 noon to 1 pm on Hancock Point. Grilled hot dogs, chips, and sodas will be available by donation at the Hancock Point Boathouse on the corner of Wharf Road and Bay Avenue. The fundraiser supports the Fire and Emergency Medical Services provided by the Department to Hancock and surrounding communities. A Hancock Point Community 4th of July Parade will precede the fundraiser. At 1:30 pm there will be a concert at the Hancock Memorial Monument Lot at the junction of Route 1 and Hancock Point Road featuring musicians from the Pierre Monteux Music Festival performing several lively musical selections appropriate to the July 4th holiday. The concert is free and everyone is invited.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Dr. John VanPelt on Friday, June 27 at 11:00 a.m.

at the First Congregational Church, 2 Church Street, Ellsworth.

The family requests you wear colorful clothes.

There will be a Memorial Service for Dennis King here on Friday, June 27 at 11:00 a.m.

Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:

Our prayers remain with Alex & Savannah and Andrew & Tamara; and Tyler Crabtree. We pray for David M,; Donald B.; Kenny V.; Orrick; Brian; and Jane of Golden Acres. Prayers for Cynthia W.; Judith C.; Eleanor A.; Ira and Ginny; Bruce’s sister Lynn; Sally’s friend, Sue Barger; Herbie Lounder; Ruth; Marie; Jim Snyder; Jonathan Holmes; Sue Davies; Sue Davenport; Kenny Stratton & Joy & David & Lori & Melissa; Debbie & Lincoln & son-in-law Aaron, daughter Ashley, and granddaughter Brielle; and Sandy Phippen. Prayers for all that are unsafe, unhoused, hungry & in need of care & compassion. Prayers for individuals and families affected by addictions. Prayers for all caregivers; those who are grieving loss or change; and prayers for all that is in your heart…

July Birthdays and Anniversaries

01: Alison Boden  02: Joyce Cornwell  08: Joey Espling

14: Brookelin Harriman   18: Zachary & Aimee Spaulding    

23: Aaron & Ashley Johnson  19: Patrice Alexander  21: Mike & Pat Summerer    24: Bob Courchesne     25: Phoebe Devenish  27: Joy Stratton       

28:  Robin Long     28: Jen & Artie Ashmore  31:  Matthew & Rachel Umphrey

Princess is a six year old female cat, spayed, up to date on her shots and is chipped. Princess is looking for a new home. If you know of anyone who is looking to adopt a cat, please let us know.

Save the date!

           Annual Meeting

Mark your calendars and spread the word! For this Annual Meeting and the months leading up to it, we will be focusing on developing a new vision and mission statement. As the Board of Directors has begun to brainstorm and pray for God’s guidance for our vision and mission, we will continue that process with your vital input, your discernment, your sacred discovery of our vision and mission. We want to do all we can to include God’s voice and vision in our path forward—through you—beloved people of our Conference.

In addition to having several opportunities for brainstorming, discussion and prayer at the Annual Meeting, you are also invited to participate this summer in a vision witness opportunity entitled:

Seeking divine guidance for the vision of the Maine Conference…

Do you have a friend or acquaintance you’re comfortable praying with?

Could you spare a prayerful hour or two, some time over the summer, in a simple process of inquiring:

“God, what are you calling the Maine Conference to do and to be?”… and listening for a response?

We’ve designed a 4-step prayer process that welcomes God’s guidance in our planning. If you are interested, or if your church would like to participate, please contact Bill Bliss bliss.bill@gmail.com (Chair of the Annual Meeting Planning Committee) for more information and support.  At Annual Meeting, we will invite those who participate this summer to share their “vision witness.” We’re hoping for 6-8 voices to share, although more than that would be great!

Here is the scripture you can pray with this summer, as we will have this as one of our focus scriptures at the Annual Meeting. We hope praying with this scripture will help discern God’s revelation to you.

        I will stand at my watchpost and station myself on the rampart.

       I will keep watch to see what God will say to me, and what God will answer

         concerning my complaint.

      Then God answered me and said:

      “Write the vision. Make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.

       For there is still a vision for the appointed time. It speaks of the end and

        does not lie.

       If it seems to tarry, wait for it. It will surely come. It will not delay.”

       –Habakkuk 2:1-3 (NRSV)

From Our Maine Conference

                             The Good Stuff

Rev. Dr. Malcolm Himschoot – Dean, Maine School of Ministry

If you were fortunate enough to attend any of our MESOM classes last year, you know what transformative moments and learning opportunities people encountered. These were moments grounding faith, hope, discipleship, and leadership, especially when engaging a complex and pluralist world with self-reflective Christian commitments to love and justice. The rest of us might have to overhear such stories and peek in on such classes through the window of the Dean’s perspective. As one academic year comes to a close at the Maine School of Ministry, here are some highlights.

Our Mentored Practice program was celebrated by Westbrook-Warren Congregational UCC and the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor with closing ceremonies for their student pastor. Laughter was heard and tears were shed. Distinctives representing the student’s ministry were held up alongside room for growth, in a way that grew out of relationships of respect over the past year. Mentoring pastors Rev. Dr. Leslie Foley and Rev. Todd Weir offered their time and wisdom in these deeply formative roles.

In Applied Ethics for Christian Churches, students returned to the Bible to see something they’d never seen before, asking new questions. They worked with each other to become prepared to encourage others to engage narratives of courage, generosity, reciprocity, and theological imagination, instead of domination and exclusion.

In Intro to Islam, one student looked at the opportunity to be a bystander or an upstander very differently upon hearing about the experience of a peer who suffered harm. Another student said her love for the life of prayer was enriched beyond all expectation by dialogue with an instructor of another faith tradition.

In Embodied Worship for Today’s Church, lively practitioners shared thoughtful ideas and resources. Students enjoyed learning from practical experience – including everything from a sound-blessing, to dancing, to spoken invocations in community, to end-of-life ritual care.

That’s just one semester! MESOM has another semester coming up in the fall. Please check out our course listings here: https://www.maineucc.org/mesom/. It may be that a close-up view of a MESOM class experience awaits you with a seat online in the Old Testament II: Psalms, Wisdom Literature, and Prophets course (offered in conjunction with the New York School of Ministry), or a partially in-person, partially online spot in the Preaching as Prayerful Communication course (taught by Rev. Dr. AbbyLynn Haskell). Space is limited in both courses – don’t wait!

There are no prerequisites for MESOM courses. All are welcome. For those tracking academic progress, each course can fulfill a credit in MESOM’s curriculum with foundational and practical requirements in Theology, Bible, Church History, Ethics and Culture, World Religions/Indigenous Traditions, Leadership, Worship, Preaching, and Pastoral Care. Some students – but not all – are seeking a certificate to use as they approach authorized ministry in the United Church of Christ. Other students use MESOM classes for lifelong learning as lay persons, or for clergy continuing professional education.

Not every conference has such a dynamic experience of ongoing theological education shared in community. For the Maine Conference it is made possible by passionate and generous congregations and enthusiastic educators, grounded in faith and learning, coming alongside students seeking new depth of understanding to apply insights from theological education to their lives, and to the life of the church.

That’s the good stuff!