Hancock UCC Weekly Messenger for September 14, 2025

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, / Freely bestowed on all who believe! All who are longing to see His face, / Will you this moment Her grace receive?

Our Sunday morning contemplative services inspired by John Philip Newell prayer books have been extended through September. These outdoor services begin at 7:00 a.m. at Tidal Falls (rain or shine) and last 25-30 minutes. Please join us!

Choir will resume at 9:15 Sunday mornings starting September 14th.

Meditation continues every Friday morning at 9:00 am at the Union Congregational Church until next July.  Reach out to Pastor TJ or Alison Boden (aboden3321@gmail.com, 609-865-3236) with any questions.       All are welcome!

During the month of September we will be receiving the Our Church’s Wider Mission. OCWM provides funding from congregations for conferences and the national ministries of the United Church of Christ (Wider church Ministries, Local Church Ministries, Justice and Witness Ministries, General Ministries and Pension Boards). Envelopes are available at the back of the Sanctuary. This is one of the 5 for 5 offerings supported by the Maine Conference.

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.

Church Council will meet Friday, September 19, at 11:00 am

The Christian Ed Committee will meet Wednesday, September 17 at 12:00 noon

The Outreach Committee will meet Thursday, September 18 at 4:15 pm

The Minister’s Discretionary Fund helps people in need, members of our church family and people in our communities. It is a minimal church budget item, supported mainly 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 are with Debbie Riley while she is home recovering from a fall. 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; James B.; and Jane of Golden Acres. Prayers for all in Hospice Care. Prayers for Gerry M.; Dexter B.; Cynthia W.; Judith C.; Eleanor A.; the Raymonds; 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…

September

14: Roger & Denise Chandler   14: Rachel Dow     15: Nancy Cooledge       

15: Priscilla Hirschenhofer    16: Jamie & Gina Tansey   19: Tony Burkart        

20: Dianne Eckhardt       20: Cliff Manchester   20: Jim Singletary      

30: Rachel Umphrey

St Andrew Lutheran Church invites you to worship at Tidal Falls on Wednesday, September 17th at 5:00 pm.  Rain Date will be September 24th.

                          And on September 26:

Public Supper   5-7 pm

175 DownEast Hwy, Ellsworth

– Beans, Hotdogs, Rolls and Desserts–

                                                       Proceeds to benefit:

                                 Filter of Hope & Thrive Ministries

                                 Mission Trip Team

https://filterofhope.org/             https://experiencethrive.org/thrive-maine-home/

 Pilgrim Lodge

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.

From the Sunrise Association

Dear Friends,

As you all know the fall meeting of Sunrise Association is scheduled for Oct. 4 at 9 am at First Congregational Church in Cherryfield. 

There are several key vacancies that need to be filled and as all of us are aware, finding folks who have both the time and interest in doing this kind of work is a bit of a challenge. Some of the positions that need to be filled are: Clerk for the Sunrise Association, Committee On Ministry – Members serve 3 year terms – renewable once, a Trustee, a Personnel Committee member, a Governance Committee member, the Anti-Racism Resource Team and the Honduras Partnership each need a vacancy filled. Should anyone have ideas for folks who may be interested please contact Jack, Joe or Kathy. COM folks should go through Lisa or Andi. Coordinating Council is Sept. 9, it would be great to have some nominations at that time as we will be planning the fall meeting.

Thank-you

Jack

P.S. Here are email addresses for Jack, Joe, Lisa, Andi and me if you are interested or know of people we might reach out to. Many thanks!

Jack Lacy - jalacey7@aol.com;          Joe Cistone - jfcistone@IPMconnect.org

Andi Lloyd - andi@tcpoc.org             Lisa Durkee - pastor@bluehillcongregational.org

Kathy Woodside - woodsidekat@gmail.com

The Sunrise Association is seeking to build a list of MID’s, Licensed clergy, retired clergy or lay preachers who would be interested in doing Pulpit Supply in Waldo, Hancock and/or Washington County UCC churches. If you are interested, please send your name, contact information and recent profile or resume to:

Kathy Woodside @ woodsidekat@gmail.com or Jack Lacy jalacey7@aol.com

News from our Maine Conference

  A Letter from Our Conference Minister,

               Rev. Dr. Marisa Laviola

Isaiah 43:18-19

 Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert

As I anticipate our Annual Meeting this year, and the theme of “We hear a call”, I wonder. What call do we hear? How can we collectively hear a call? Or is it each of us gets a call and we share it among ourselves, seeking common ground? Or both? Good wonderings— wonderings that I invite each of us to ponder—along with your own wonders as you prepare to attend our Annual Meeting on October 17 and 18 at Pilgrim Lodge.

When I think of a call that God may be giving to each of us or all of us, I immediately ask: for what purpose? What is our vision that guides us? What is our mission that we are called to make known to our corner of the world? These are questions that we will be contemplating during Annual Meeting (along with eating good food, re-uniting with folks from all around Maine, and having fun).

This past summer I led your Board of Directors (BOD) through a brainstorming session as we contemplated the vision and mission of our conference for the next 5-10 years. The fruits of that brainstorming will be shared at annual meeting and you all will be invited to participate in brainstorming sessions through Bible study and conversation in small groups. Those fruits will be combined with the fruits of your Board of Directors for the purpose of the BOD developing a vision and mission in which we have all participated!

So that we begin on the same page, here are the definitions of vision and mission:

Vision is a long-term dream, the "where" the organization wants to be. It is future oriented—inspirational—motivational—broad—answers “why are we?”

Mission describes current purpose that will lead to the vision (how we accomplish the vision; what are we doing now). It is the roadmap for getting to the vision; presentfocused—action oriented—specific and measurable

What we’ll be participating in, all of us, is a plan for our future that God has invited and will bless. Our focus scriptures at Annual Meeting help guide our journey:

Isaiah 43:18-19 

Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Habakkuk 2:2

Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.

Beloved, I truly believe deep within my heart that God is calling all of the people of the Maine Conference to make known—to live into and to live out—the will and plans of God for us, so that we truly make a difference, with God’s purposes, in our lives and the lives around us in Maine. We can only do this if most of us participate in contemplating and developing a mission and vision statement that the Board of Directors can then develop into a strategic plan that God is calling us for our future ministries for the next 5 to 10 years.

I also believe that our endeavor and the fruits of our endeavor are timely. Our country and our world need us to speak a message of God’s love for all, God’s justice for the downtrodden—through our actions of love and justice. Can we make a difference? I leave you as I began, with the scripture from Isaiah. I invite you to breathe it in, hold it in your heart, open your spirit, and believe the God who invites you from the past and from the wilderness:

Isaiah 43:18-19

Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert

You are in my heart and in my prayers,

     Marisa