Hancock UCC Weekly Messenger for July 20, 2025

Come in, come in and sit down; / You are a part of the fam’ly. We are lost and we are found / And we are a part of the fam’ly.

You know the reason why you came, / Yet no reason can explain, So share in the laughter and cry in the pain, / For we are a part of the fam’ly

Join us this Sunday, July 20 for Camp Sunday when TJ returns with camp songs and stories. Dress as if you were at camp. And, of course, ice cream at Fellowship Hour!

 CALL TO CONGREGATIONAL MEETING: The Union Congregational Church of Hancock, United Church of Christ will conduct a special congregational meeting on Sunday, August 3, following worship for the following purposes:

1.) To consider a motion for the Trustees to employ Contractors for two jobs.

a.) New Metal Roof on the Parsonage.

b.) Painting the Sanctuary Ceiling.

2.) The plan is to launch a fund drive in September to cover the cost (approx. $20,000)

3.) Any other business to come before the congregation.

Vicky J. Espling, Clerk                                                                                          July 11, 2025

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 Angelina Lim (flute) and

Anastasia Arango (harp)

Angelina, a Korean-born flutist raised in Maryland, received her B.M. and Performance Certificate at the Eastman School of Music, studying with Bonita Boyd and Anne Harrow. This fall, she will pursue her M.M. at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, studying with Marianne Gedigian. Angelina recently performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Syracuse Orchestra, and was principal flute on Eastman Wind Ensemble’s recording of Stravinsky’s Piano Concerto. Her achievements include concerto performances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival Orchestra, and Peabody Youth Orchestra. Angelina has won numerous prizes in competitions, such as the Flute Society of Washington Collegiate Soloist and National YoungArts Classical Music Divisions. Notably, she won the 2024 Tallon Perkes Competition and performed at the 2023 National Flute Association Convention as a winner of the Orchestral Masterclass Competition. Angelina has been privileged to perform in masterclasses with distinguished musicians from major orchestras.

Anastasia’s journey with music began at a young age, and she always knew she wanted to study harp. Since her first harp lesson at the age of 11, her love for the instrument and its repertoire has only grown. She is an active soloist and chamber musician in both the southeast Alabama and Denver, Colorado regions, and performances have taken her across the continental United States and the world. As an orchestral harpist, she has performed with the Colorado Symphony, the Denver Chamber Orchestra, various ensembles at the Lamont School of Music, and the Tri-State Community Orchestra where she was principal harpist from 2020-2022. Recent engagements include performances with the Brevard Summer Festival and the National Music Festival, and she was recently an honorable mention in the Jefferson Symphony’s 2025 Young Artist Solo Competition.

Anastasia is currently earning her Bachelor of Music in Performance under the tutelage of Courtney Hershey Bress at the Lamont School of Music. In her spare time, she loves to hike in the beautiful front range of Colorado and educate the masses on the unique charm of her instrument.

For the next couple of Sundays we will be receiving the Neighbors in Need Special Mission Offering. This is one of the 5 for 5 offerings supported by the Maine Conference. Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion in the United States.

The Outreach Committee will meet Thursday, July 24^th at 4:45 p.m.

The Choir will practice on Sunday, July 27 at 9:20 a.m. We are in hopes to have a joint choir with the Hancock Point Chapel.

 The Union Congregational Church of Hancock, UCC, will host a concert by the students of the Monteux School and Music Festival for the benefit of the school scholarship fund — Thursday, July 24 at 3pm.  Donations encouraged.

July Birthdays and Anniversaries   

21: Mike & Pat Summerer          22: Donald Hynes       23: Aaron & Ashley Johnson     

Our annual Church Fair,                                                                                

Yard Sale, and Silent Auction                                                          

will soon be here on Saturday                                                               

August 2nd. Please save the date.

We need lots of help and donations                                                      

 to make our biggest fundraiser of                                            

the year a success.  It's a very 

important event in the life of our church and we can't do it without you!                                                   

In particular, the Silent Auction needs gift certificates from your favorite stores and restaurants, paintings,  artwork, unique one-of-a-kind items, high-end small appliances and sports equipment, and donated services to create auction excitement and high bids. The Silent Auction consistently brings in a lot of money and we need your help to be successful again this year.  Please coordinate your donations with David Wildes (422-3739).

CHURCH FAIR GREEN THUMB BOOTH

We are looking for donations of perennials, house plants, ceramic, clay and decorative plant pots as well as gardening tools, bird feeders and other gardening/yard related items! If you have questions or need something picked up call Robin at 385-7051.

As most of you know, the Union Congregational Church of Hancock's Church Fair is Saturday, August 2nd. The Kitchen Cupboard is looking for donations of baked goods. This includes whole items such as breads, cakes, and pies as well as items such as fudge, candy, homemade brownies, cookies, cupcakes, squares, etc.

Would you be available and willing to help us out? Items should be wrapped or packaged for sale. We'd love to know the name of your recipe and whether has any special attributes (contains nuts, is gluten free, etc). We would be super appreciative if individual items were individually packaged (in baggies or wrapped). Although we appreciate the effort, please avoid bringing in made-from-boxed cookie/brownies or store-bought items.

If you bake something, items can be delivered to the church the Friday before the fair or early Saturday morning (before 8am). If you have questions or need help with delivery, please feel free to email or call  me.

Many thanks!

Jennifer Ashmore       207-460-4340       jk_ashmore@yahoo.com

Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:

Our prayers remain with Alex & Savannah and Andrew & Tamara; and Tyler Crabtree and his family. We pray for David M,; Donald B.; Kenny V.; Brian; and Jane of Golden Acres. Prayers for  Jim Snyder and all in Hospice Care. Prayers for Cynthia W.; Judith C.; Eleanor A.; Hollis & Debbie; Ira and Ginny; Bruce’s sister Lynn; Sally’s friend, Sue Barger; Herbie Lounder; Ruth; Marie; Jonathan Holmes; Sue Davies; Sue Davenport; Kenny Stratton & Joy & David & Lori & Melissa; Debbie & Lincoln & Aaron, Ashley, & 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…

HANCOCK POINT CHAPEL

Summer 2025 – Services at 10:00 a.m.

July 20:       Rev. James Hinson-Rieger – Unitarian Universalist, First Parish in Bedford, MA

July 27:       JOINT SERVICE with the Union Congregational Church of Hancock (at UCC

10:00 a.m.) Rev. TJ Mack, Settled Minister

August 3:    Rev. Susan Moran – Intergenerational Service – Unitarian Universalist Society of

Rockport, MA

August 10:  Rev. Kristi Zabriskie – Chaplain, The Pines Senior and Assisted Living, Richfield,

MI

August 17:  Rev. James Gertmenian – Minister Emeritus, Plymouth Congregational Church,

          Minneapolis, MI   (Communion will be served)

August 24:  Rev. Alice A. Hildebrand – REtired Pastor Deer  Isle-Sunset Congregational

Church and Women’s and Children;s Chaplain at Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME                 

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. 

Please Pause in Prayer:

For the victims of the tragedy in Texas—those who survived and their families, and the families of those who tragically perished. Also hold first responders close as they continue to look for victims. If you wish to donate to for relief from this tragedy, go to https://www.ucc.org/what-we-do/wider-church-ministries/global-hope/disaster/, scroll down to the bottom and click on Disaster Ministries Donation Page.

Pastor TJ in her “Happy Place”

       A Letter from Liz Charles McGough

                  Pilgrim Lodge Director

Dear Friends,

I write to you in the middle of July. As I sit at my desk in the Pilgrim Lodge office, a group of 90 campers is singing a song in the “Circle of Friends” Amphitheater outside the door. They are getting ready for a “Camino” journey around the Pilgrim Lodge property – a pilgrimage right here through the woods. During their travelling together, campers will explore questions like “What makes you feel safe and welcome to be your authentic self? How can you create that space for others?”

In this immersive experience of creating community on the lakeside, I find it hard to put to words the essence of all that we experience here together (and so I share pictures!). I get to greet volunteers in the morning at the coffee maker in the intimacy of our pajamas. They sit with campers in the vulnerability of their homesick moments of adjusting to a new environment as they gain independence. The campers share their creativity with staff as they create art projects. They collaborate together to develop liturgy and offer worship experiences to each other. As humans showing up together with other humans, the experience is deep and wide. As much as I see God in the sunsets, I think the Spirit is most present in the moments when we work through challenges together.

In the context of this moment, a guiding quote that speaks to me of the aspiration that I hold for our work at camp is by Adrienne Rich:

“My heart is moved by all I cannot save: so much has been destroyed I have to cast my lot with those who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world.”

It is my prayer that, through our canoe paddles, songs, celebrations, tears, laughter, conversations, questions and exploring together, we are doing the work to reconstitute the world.

Our season is not over! There are still programs available at Pilgrim Lodge this season including a Day Pass opportunity on August 3. You are invited.

  www.pilgrimlodge.org/camps