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From Pastor Pat The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi is familiar to most.
The lyrical lines imploring God’s help and presence to transform the
ills of the world through our faithful actions and faith-filled spirits come
close to the heart of Christian Discipleship. This beautiful prayer is the ground of our Stewardship Ministry for this
year. During the month of October,
we will explore the Prayer in a variety of ways that you will discover as you
read the rest of the Anchor. If you are not familiar with the Prayer or its origin, it is printed
elsewhere in this edition of the Anchor. What
follows are a few pieces of the story about its origin. The first appearance of the Peace Prayer occurred in France in 1912 in a
small spiritual magazine called La
Clochette (The Little Bell). It
was published in Paris by a Catholic association known as La Ligue de la Sainte-Messe
(The Holy Mass League), founded in 1901 by a French priest, Father Esther
Bouquerel (1855-1923). The prayer
bore the title of 'Belle Prière à Faire Pendant la Messe' (A Beautiful Prayer
to Say During the Mass), and was published anonymously.
The author could possibly have been Father Bouquerel himself, but the
identity of the author remains a mystery. The prayer was sent in French to Pope Benedict XV in 1915 by the French
Marquis Stanislas de La Rochethulon. This
was soon followed by its 1916 appearance, in Italian, in L'Osservatore
Romano [the Vatican's daily newspaper]. Around 1920, the prayer was printed
by a French Franciscan priest on the back of an image of St. Francis with the
title 'Prière Pour la Paix' (Prayer for Peace) but without being attributed to
the saint. Between the two world wars, the prayer circulated in Europe and was
translated into English. The first translation in English that we know of appeared in 1936 in Living
Courageously, a book by Kirby Page (1890-1957), a Disciple of Christ
minister, pacifist, social evangelist, writer and editor of The World Tomorrow
(New York City). Page clearly attributed the text to St. Francis of Assisi. During World War II and immediately after, this prayer for peace began
circulating widely as the Prayer of St. Francis, especially through Francis
Cardinal Spellman's books, and over the years has gained a worldwide popularity
with people of all faiths. Join us as we explore the Peace Prayer throughout October. Faithfully, Pastor Pat From the Moderator Our fall "season" at MCC is in great progress, with programs
and opportunities for service abundant and waiting your enlistment. ONE OPPORTUNITY: As
you know, we enjoy a "family" potluck supper after each monthly
Saturday 5:00 p.m. service. I'm
hoping that various groups of people, including our more formal
"committees", will accept responsibility for sponsoring one supper
this year. So far, the Trustees sponsored the September supper to introduce and
celebrate the new floor in the Parish Hall.
December's event will be our annual Advent Celebration, sponsored by
Children's Ministries. Adult
Education has reserved January 6, and Outreach Ministries will sponsor February
3. So, your opportunities for sponsorship are: October 7, November 4, March 3,
April 7 (which is Holy Saturday … perhaps a repeat of the wonderful Seder
dinner?), plus the first Saturdays from May through August. Yes, the Council will adopt one of the dates, but we are
waiting to see what you will offer to sponsor, then we will "take what is
left". I'm also hoping that someone will step forward to serve as
"Coordinator" for these Saturday suppers. This role would include: 1) working with the sponsors of the supper; 2) working with Glynn, our Sexton, in terms of table set-up and
any other hall arrangements (audio-visual, children's areas, etc.) 3) offering a variety of table "decor" from our
closets (mostly thanks to Kathleen O'Beirne's generosity and creativity) 4) overseeing
both set up and clean up (or designating others for these tasks) IS THIS THE ROLE FOR YOU? Please
contact me or Leni for more details. ON ANOTHER HIGH NOTE (pun intended), we have been blessed with a
wonderful gift from the estates of Eric and Virginia Robba.
In addition to other gifts to us in past years, Ginny's estate has
bequeathed a large sum of money to be used for the Organ and Music Funds. I had
asked the administrator, Robert LaFrance, for some details surrounding this
gift, and his reply comes from Eric's nephew, Charles, who lives in
Massachusetts. Eric's mother (Charles' grandmother), “Bertha Emily Wachtler was born
in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1895, of German emigré parents.
The name was changed to Walker some time around World War I. She did earn
her Master's Degree in music in Scotland. She
married Charles Bruno Robba in Scotland. He
had emigrated to Scotland from northern Italy after WWI. They relocated to
Boston in 1919, and settled permanently in Webster, MA in 1921.
She died there in 1987, at the age of 92.
She was a long-term member of the Eastern Star at the Webster Masonic
Temple. She was the organist for
the First Baptist Church in Webster for many years, then switched to the United
Church of Christ in the mid-70's, when the fundamentalists took over the Baptist
Church ..." What a wonderful legacy for us who never had the privilege to know
Eric's mother. Our music fund and, therefore, we all will be enriched by this
gift in so many ways! Faithfully yours, Kay Janney Associate Pastor Candidate Called
Elsewhere
She had accepted our invitation in July, but withdrew when the question regarding Pastor Thomas’ fitness arose. With the Search Committee’s blessing, Elsa returned to seeking a call while awaiting the outcome of the Thomas question. We regret losing such a fine candidate and hope that, when our search resumes, we will find a candidate with as many attributes. NOTES FROM REV.
LOIS HAPPE, REGIONAL MINISTER COMPASSION EXPLOSION (October 29-November 11) In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the need for skilled work teams along the Mississippi Gulf Coast is more urgent than ever. Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, MS is sponsoring a two-week blitz for UCC members to join others in housing reconstruction projects. SILVER LAKE REUNION Make plans now to return to Silver Lake for a celebration of 50 years of conferences. August 19, 2007 is the day! Or make plans to come for the whole week. Join old friends; make new ones. For more information, go to http://silverlake.ctucc.org. Spread the word! See you there. TRUSTEES’ UPDATE
ØØ Our new appraisal for insurance purposes (“cost of reproduction new”) gives us a grand total (for buildings and equipment) of $3,885,000! In order to maintain our buildings and equipment, we should aim for one percent of our value in the annual budget. That means $38,500. We have invested more than that this year. As you consider your pledge for 2007, help us be good stewards of our resources. ØØ Comment
on Parish Hall floor: “I never
expected it to be so elegant!” The Conference
Connection By Sue Barker As we have shared in last month’s issue of the Anchor, the 139th Connecticut Conference Fall Annual Meeting will be on October 20-21 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Delegates from our church are
Nick Johnson, Lynn Stefanowicz, Gus Woerner, and myself. Flock MeetingsMonday, October
23 at 7:30 PM (and YOU are invited) Enjoy an evening of fellowship and discussion at your neighborhood Flock meeting. Light refreshments will be served. Your invitation with all details will arrive in the mail shortly. The discussion will center around the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, printed elsewhere in the ANCHOR. Your Shepherd is being especially trained to host this event, which is sponsored and arranged by your Stewardship Committee. Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; For it is in giving that we receive; Book of Life Entered into
Eternal Rest:
William A. Sprouse, on August 5,
2006; father of Jeffrey Sprouse, father-in-law of Rebecca Lehmann-Sprouse. Born: Thomas
Irving Ross, on September 18, 2006, to Eric and Laura Ross. Baptized:
Amy
Lynn Swan and Alora Elizabeth Swan, on August 27, 2006. Married:
Kelsey Anne Dreher and Timothy
Steven Johnson, on September 16, 2006. She
is the daughter of George and Carol Dreher, granddaughter of Kay Dreher, and
niece of Bob and Liz Webb. Faith in Action T-Shirts T-shirts
are still available for purchase through the Stewardship Committee.
Please contact Jennifer White, xxx-xxxx. October 2006 Story Hour Readers Readers at the Norwich Family Shelter for September are Connie Blair, Patti Burmahl, Betty Guadliana, Felicia Mahoney, Nancy McLoughlin, Jane Morison, and Merin Troutman. Our reading program is on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30. Anyone interested in information or volunteering, please contact Elaine Sloan at xxx-xxxx or Betty Guadliana at xxx-xxxx. MINISTRY of
ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Please join our "Book Talk" series about Our Endangered Values based on the book by former President Jimmy Carter. All sessions will be held in the Youth Space, 9:00-10:00 a.m. on the following Sunday mornings: October
15 Chapters 3 & 10 “The Rise of Religious Fundamentalism” “Fundamentalism in Government” Co-hosts: Mary Stewart Barber and Jane Webster October
22 Chapter 6 “The Entwining of Church and State” Co-hosts: Eric Janney and Carole Thomas October
29 Chapter 16 “The World’s Greatest Talent in the New Millenium” Co-hosts: Keith Barker and Gus Woerner New Rule Allows
Seniors to Donate to
Church Directly from IRAs If you are age 70 1/2 or older, you can arrange to contribute amounts from a traditional IRA or Roth IRA directly to the church, avoiding the usual tax on the withdrawal. The amount cannot, however, also be claimed as a deduction. Such a qualified charitable distribution would be paid directly from your IRA to the church, and the money cannot pass through your hands. This new rule applies to the years 2006 and 2007. Frank Davis, Stewardship Hispanic Education Committee Tutoring services will begin at the First Hispanic Baptist Church of New London on Monday, October 2nd, at 7:00 p.m. We always need volunteers to help students with reading skills, math, and science. If
you would like to help, please call Grace Smith at xxx-xxxx.
We welcome you to this important outreach activity. Women’s Evening Fellowship Bazaar Crafts Wednesday,
October 11th 7:00-9:00
p.m. at
the Parish Hall We
will be making items for
the Women’s Bazaar. Easy! No special skills required! Women’s Fellowship “Doing God’s Work … Everyday” will be Tuesday, Oct. 10th, at 9:15 a.m. Our panel of Regina Covin, Marge Moore, Elaine Sloan, and Lauren Watson will describe how they put faith into action on a daily basis. Their outreach enriches us and our community. Come hear their motivation and rewards. Yale Whiffenpoofs Concert The Yale Whiffenpoofs, the world's oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella group, will sing Sunday, October 15, at 3:30 p.m. in our sanctuary. This choral group consists of 14 senior Yale men. We expect this concert to be very popular so come early to be assured a seat. A $10-freewill donation is suggested. OUTREACH MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES
Sunday, October 15: CROP
Walk for emergency needs Thursday, October 26: New London Meal Center; meet at the church at 3:30 p.m. and return about 7:00 p.m. Call Joan Robinson, coordinator, xxx-xxxx. Every Sunday: Equal
Exchange Fair Trade coffee and tea available; benefits farmers and MAEC
Assistance Fund. INQUIRER’S CLASS Are
you interested in exploring your own faith journey in relationship with others? at 9:00 a.m. in the Library for conversation and exploration. Then, join us on Wednesday, October 25th, at Keith and Sue Barker's residence for a social time and further introduction to MCC. If you decide to share your faith journey with us, we will welcome New Members on October 29th at the 10:00 a.m. service. If you have questions or would like more information, please speak with Pastor Pat or with a member of the Board of Deacons. |