Hancock UCC Weekly Messenger for August 17, 2025

Oh, fearful saints, new courage take: / The clouds that you now dread /  Are big with mercy and will break / In blessings on your head. / Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, / But trust him for his grace. / Behind a frowning providence, / God hides a smiling face.

There are only three more weeks of the alternative contemplative service inspired by John Philip Newell prayer books. These outdoor Sunday services begin at 7:00 a.m. at Tidal Falls (rain or shine) and last 25-30 minutes. Please join us!

Pastor TJ is on vacation in Wisconsin through August 22nd. She will preach from Wisconsin on the 17th via Zoom.

Our meetings are open to all. If you would like to attend a meeting, please let Vicky know and she will provide the Zoom link, or you are welcome to attend in the Fellowship Hall.

The Outreach Committee will meet on Thursday, August 28 at 4:15 p.m.

Knitters are invited to come to the Fellowship Hall at 3:00 p.m. to knit scarves for an Outreach Project.

We are still collecting pajamas for Comfort Cases. Deadline for donations is August 25, 2025! See your Weekly Messenger for more information.

The Minister’s Discretionary Fund helps people in need, members of our church family and people in our communities. It is not a church budget item, it is supported only by donations made to that specific fund. If you would like to donate, envelopes are available at the back of the Sanctuary, or notate your desired donation on your check. Thank you. 

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 Everett’s sister Arlene; Morgan E.; Cynthia W.; Judith C.; the Raymond Family; Eleanor A.; Hollis & Debbie; 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

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

August Birthdays and Anniversaries 

19: Doug Kimmel & Ron Schwizer       23: Gerry Mehl      24: Cynthia Wood

25: Austin Crowley-Dunn         29: Nick & Mary Angela Davis

Author Dale Ruth Sherburne will speak about her book Neither the Wife Nor Widow, on Thursday, August 14th at 2:00 pm at the Ellsworth Public Library, 20 State Street, Ellsworth. The book is a collection of personal stories that explore the emotional realities of caregiving for a loved one with dementia.

There will be a Public Pot Roast Supper at the First Congregational Church of Ellsworth, UCC,  2 Church Street, on Saturday, August  23rd. Supper will be served from 5-6:30 p.m. Cost is $12 per person, $25 per family (2 adults, 2 children). Beef pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, salad, rolls, homemade pies, and beverages (coffee, tea, lemonade).

 Pilgrim Lodge

Were you ever a camper, counselor, dean or staff member at Pilgrim Lodge?

Did you ever send your child to camp, or support Pilgrim Lodge through your church?

You are invited to this in-gathering of people who love Pilgrim Lodge

on August 31st from 1-9:00 pm.  Learn more and register!

Finding Our Center of Stillness

Meditation Retreat: September 18-21

In the midst of a tornado there is a still, peaceful center. Spend four days with Khenmo Drolma of the Vajra Dakini Nunnery at Pilgrim Lodge discovering how to return home to your inherent peaceful heart/mind. Khenmo will offer classic meditation and mindfulness training. You will learn skills to navigate the chaos of life while dwelling in calmness, replete with resilience and authentic joy. Learn more and register here.

News from our Maine Conference

A Letter from our Associate Conference Minister

    Rev. John Fiscus

When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Luke 5:4

After weeks of hearing about the General Synod from other delegates, I am confident that you now know that the scripture anchoring the event was the story of the miraculous catch from Luke 5. The words into the deep were practically on everyone’s lips 24/7. Delegates, visitors, and our ecumenical partners were challenged to think about going deeper, doing more, speaking boldly, and being the church in this twenty-first century moment. All of that was inspiring. My Synod experience differed slightly. My time there showed me the depth of connection that God had been already calling me. I often speak of why covenant is so important to me. It is what allows us to be both connected and anchored in our own sense of God’s speaking to us.

My connections in the United Church of Christ are all over the map. I mean this in the literal sense. I have friends from Hawaii to Florida, and from Texas to the Pacific Northwest. I have friends from seminary, church work, and social media. It was amazing to sit in the same space as so many folks to whom my connections are real but seldom held in shared space. I hugged my friend Laura from seminary (last seen in person 2009), who now lives in Montana. I got to tell Roberto; I was praying for him as he grieves his partners death. I got to congratulate my Facebook friend John on his marriage. I got to meet Shelby and his husband at the job fair receiving thanks for being present with him on his search. A Minnesota delegate told me how deeply I am missed. I got to greet and hug a young minister, whose Ecclesiastical Council I facilitated, on his way to the stage as part of Next Generation Leadership group celebrating churches. Invisible connections were made real.

I want to celebrate the invisible and visible connections here in the Maine conference. LuAnn in York Beach sends me regular emails to ask whom she and the church might remember in prayer. Bruce and Pam pop up most months two or three times in meetings I attend or volunteering at camp (I once mistook Bruce for camp staff/chef). Brian in the York association, offers the most wonderfully articulate updates on churches he is serving. I am so often in the Cumberland Association, my car practically knows the way there. Beth in the far south and Sue in the far North, like my Facebook posts nearly immediately. My spirit takes boundless joy in the connections in the Sunrise Association. I hope to go to the Fryeburg Fair for one of their church booth’s Maple milkshakes. (If my memory is correct, they used fifty gallons of maple syrup last year. That’s a lot of shakes!) Beyond all these faces and people, I know countless others who are praying for me, their Associations, and the churches in the Maine Conference.

A year ago as I embarked on my Maine journey, I asked churches to name and pray for other churches in Maine. We continue to pray it forward. I do this out of the sense of connection and covenant. On the national website our commitment to Covenant is described this way. “Within the United Church of Christ, the various expressions of the church relate to each other in a covenantal manner. Each expression of the church has responsibilities and rights in relation to the others, to the end that the whole church will seek God’s will and be faithful to God’s mission.” (new.uccfiles.com) These bonds and support are often invisible to us. Every church I enter is a lovely expression of Christ’s mission in our world. They are filled with beloved seeking to offer connection to others. So, I ask that you continue to find time to connect and make the connections visible. Think about coming to the annual meeting of the conference in October. Look for gatherings of the Associations and make new bonds. Attend a sister church. What I am asking is that you Go into the Deep connections of covenant that seem invisible and find ways to make them real.

Going Into The Deep: General Synod Reflections

by delegate Holly Reid

Hello, My name is Holly Reid, I am pastor of The Neighborhood in Bath and it was a great pleasure to attend General Synod 35 as a delegate for the Maine Conference. This was my second time attending General Synod. I first attended, in 2019 as visitor. I was newly ordained, and the conference was in Milwaukee. I had thoroughly enjoyed Milwaukee and the General Synod. But this year I found being present General Synod as a delegate had a depth I couldn’t appreciate when I attended as a visitor. I left General Synod 35, feeling proud to be part of a community willing to work so hard for the sake of God’s justice and love.

For a delegate General Synod consists of a crazy number of meetings and committee work. And I surprised myself by enjoying all of it, including the tedious and mundane aspects. I feel as though we are currently living in unique times, with many challenges such as the realities of climate change and the rise of authoritarianism in the United States and around the world. As I seek how to live my faith in these times, the General Synod experience encouraged my soul, that there is important to work to be done, that our work makes a difference and that we are not alone.

My favorite part of General Synod was the worship services. As a pastor I spend much time and energy endeavoring to provide the conditions that will create a meaningful worship experience. It was a joy to attend worship where the only expectation was to show up and have my heart open to receive whatever the Spirit would give. I loved that the General Synod worship team was able to place in conversation the book, Braiding Sweet Grass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, with our text from the Gospel of Luke 5:4. When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

And there is nothing as amazing as worshipping with nearly 1800 other souls. We each have the spark of the Divine in us, but when all those sparks get together, we are a mighty bonfire of love and passion! I left each worship encouraged that as a people of faith we are exactly the ones called to this work and that God has given us all we need to complete it.

I heard the still speaking God, as I attended to the proposed resolutions, spent time in committee, participated in workshops, enjoyed caucus meetings and visited exhibitions.

Finally, I was most grateful for the opportunity to spend a week with 11 of my peers from Maine. It was wonderful to learn how other were serving in Maine and to make new acquaintances. The work of General Synod provides for a unique bond, and we had much fun exploring Kansas City and enjoying meals together. Thank you to the Maine delegation for your support and I am appreciative of newly formed friendships! Thank you to the Maine Conference for providing me with this opportunity to be a delegate at General Synod 35. It filled me spiritually, mentally and emotionally.