Senior Pastor: Rev. Mark Allen Doty, Ph.D. Pastoral Assistant: Madonna Arsenault, M.Div., CSD

An Open and Affirming Community

January 27, 2020 Website: www.hammondstreetchurch.org Phone: 207-942-4381

The Hammond Streeter The Newsletter of the

Hammond Street Congregational Church, UCC, Bangor, ME

PLEASE REMEMBER

Winterberry Heights: Rev. Dave Follansbee Bangor Rehab & Nursing : Dot Simmons

Hammond Streeters at Home: Barbara Brown, Sandy Farver,

Nina Hansen, Terry Churchill, and Eda Morrison

THIS SUNDAY AT HAMMOND STREET CHURCH

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

February 2, 2020

PREACHING: Rev. Dr. Mark Allen Doty

SCRIPTURE: Micah 6: 1-8; Matthew 5: 1-12

SERMON: “THE VISION BEAUTIFUL”

9:00 AM: Adult Study

10:00 AM : Sanctuary Worship

11:30 AM : Annual Meeting /Luncheon

2020 ANNUAL MEETING

FEBRUARY 2, 2020

All members and friends of HSCC are cordially invited

to attend the Annual Meeting which will take place imme-

diately after Worship in the Fellowship Hall.

We will begin with a complimentary meal. The meeting

will follow with selected reports from staff, boards and

committees. The 2020 budget will be approved. All

members and friends of HSCC are encouraged to attend.

PASTOR'S PERESPECTIVE

“Take Heart, It is I; Have no Fear”

Dear Friends,

Many of you have the seen my model of the statue of Christ that we dedicated in

1995 at my former congregation, First United Methodist Church, in Corpus Christi, Tex-

as. IT IS I is a bronze sculpted by Kent Ullberg and is just over fifteen-feet tall and rests

on a ten-foot granite plinth, facing the ocean. Since the name Corpus Christi means

“Body of Christ,” there had been considerable interest in having a Christ statue in the

city through the years, and a variety of sculptures had been suggested. Mr. Ullberg's

name for the statue came directly from scripture—Mark 6:50—which speaks about

Christ calming the disciples' fears during a storm on the Sea of Galilee: “Take heart, it

is I; have no fear.” After the dedication of the statue, the congregation presented me

with a maquette or model. As you may imagine, it has become one of my dearest pos-

sessions.

As the fire swept through my home on Christmas Eve, my thoughts frequently went

to the Christ statue sitting on the coffee table in the living room. Would it make it

though the flames and smoke and water? Certainly it was time to recall the Mark verse:

“Have no fear”! But I really had no idea about its fate until I was able to tour the house

last Tuesday. The first sight of the kitchen was devastating, as the investigators had pre-

pared me. It basically had been incinerated. As I rounded the corner, however, there

was a sight I had longed to see: the Christ statue still intact! The bronze itself is

scorched but appeared to suffer no further damage. Remarkably, the walnut base was

untouched!

As you and I begin a new year together, IT IS I has a message for us all. As we con-

front the storms of daily life, our God provides help and comfort. Believe me, I know!

See you at church, dear friends, and the Annual Meeting.

Blessings,

Mark Allen Doty, Senior Pastor

The Texts This Week: Micah 6:1-8; Psalms 15; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12

The Hammond Streeter is a weekly publication of the

Hammond Street Congregational Church,

United Church of Christ

P.O. Box 1106, Bangor ME 04402-1106 -

Phone: 207-942-4381

Website: www.hammondstreetchurch.org

Email: HSCC@midmaine.com

An Open & Affirming Congregation

FREE BEAN LUNCHEON: Is on Saturday, Feb-ruary 1 at noon. If you would like to help with set up, clean up, serving, providing food please con-tact Lois Baxter or go on the My HSCC facebook page to sign up. Thank you.

RUG BRAIDING GROUP: A group of HSCC folks are getting together starting tomorrow, Tues-day January 28th from 6:00—7:00 PM to Braid Rugs. If you are interested please contact Linda Murch or Susan Guare. The group will be meet-ing every other Tuesday. Come join the fun!

2020 ANNUAL MEETING: Our Annual Meeting is February 2. Copies of the Annual Report can be found on the back tables in the Sanctuary and we will have them downstairs at the Annual Meet-ing. .

NOMINATING COMMITTEE: Please see Brad Ryder if you are interested in serving in any of the openings on Christian Education, Stewardship, Diaconate.

NOTE FROM THE OFFICE: If you have not been receiving the Hammond Streeter please be sure to contact Rita in the office to make sure we have the correct email address. .

PARKING: Please be sure that if you are here for church business do not park in the parking spots on the right hand side of the parking lot. These spots are designated for the apartments. Thank you.

A NOTE FROM THE SEXTONS: The sextons will be stripping, refinishing and buffing the floor in the Fellowship Hall from February 3—February 8th. The Fellowship Hall is not open for any activ-ities during that time. So please do not go on the floor. Thank you for your cooperation. KNITTERS: Do we have any knitters or crochet-ers looking for a project? Last year, Nancy Smith started an afghan Squares Project. To date, at least 14 afghans have been put together and giv-en to people needing comfort. And there are enough squares to make 4 more afghans. We are looking for people to knit squares (we'll give you a pattern), 'sew' squares together and crochet the afghan sides. Please contact Nancy Smith if you can help. Thanks for being a part of this special ministry

WISDOM ROAD MEDITATION will be changing from Mondays to Thursdays at 10:00am beginning next week Thursday, February 6th, in the office of Wisdom Road. This change is needed so that I may observe a true Sabbath observance and be refreshed by God. Rabbi Rami Shapiro says, “Spacious mind, in both Ju-daism and Buddhism, sees the self as part of the Whole: as in the words of Jesus, ‘I am in the Father and the children Father is in me’. As such, spacious mind engages life from a place of interdependence and compassion. Abundance is the hallmark of the world as mochin d’ gadlut perceives it. Love is its emotional foundation, and Lovingkindness is its defin-ing characteristic. We are empowered to engage the world with your own unique expression of Lovingkind-ness”. Blessings of sweet peace be with you~Madonna

BOSTON RED SOX: It’s time to start thinking about the Boston Red Sox trip. Saturday, May 2. All aboard the Bus to Boston to see the Boston Red Sox vs The Texas Rangers at “The Famous Fenway Park” in Boston, Massachusetts. Cyr Deluxe Motor Coach leaves Hammond St. Church at 6:30 AM, rest stop in Kennebunk Burger King Rest Stop. Arrive Yawkey Way at 11:00 Am. Right Field Roof Box Seats! $160 per person. Game time is 1:05 PM. Depart after the game. Rest stop Kennebunk Rest Stop 30 minutes. Arrive back at Hammond St. about 10 PM. To reserve your spot call Susan & Michael Gildart 947-8899. Come and join the fun!.

Hammond Street Congregational Church

P.O. Box 1106 Bangor, ME 04402-1106

.

HSCC YOUTH GROUP: Last night, the amazing and wonderful Youth of our congregation gath-ered for their second time. Each one of them is the embodiment of God’s abundant Love! Thank you Darcy, Owen, Sam, Joey, and Matthew for your insights and openness in sharing the movie that told the story of four youths who cared for each other and witnessed to one another’s pain and struggling, sense of wonder and laughter, cu-riosity and storytelling. It was a movie that also speaks to some of the life situations of the human experience. HSCC Youth Group wishes to thank Larry Bethan for the donation that provided the popcorn and hot cocoa. Who knew there was Oreo popcorn and Cheeto drenched “chitter” popcorn! Thank you to Ned Robertson for providing the tech support and catching my hints at the “One” word that arose in our Scripture reading from John 17 that tells us of Jesus’ prayer for us. Thank to you Melissa Clark for keeping the hot water going and the carafe filled for hot cocoa, and David Rutledge for his wise and compassion-ate presence with us throughout the evening. And thank you Tallis Aalyrn for showing us how they process their thoughts and feelings through art and journaling, and encouraged us in a conversa-tion about how we each process our thoughts and feelings in creative ways. This was encouraged so that the Youth can be mindful of how they en-gage with the content of the movie throughout their week; and they were asked to also share their questions, thoughts, and observations about the movie with their parent(s), and caregivers.

I encourage parents and caregivers to contact me if they choose so we may also discuss the film and it’s relevance to our current society and is-sues youth face. The next HSCC Youth Group will meet on Sun-day, February 9th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. We have discussed meeting at the Orono Trampoline Park, so be looking for more information to follow next week in the Hammond Streeter and on the My HSCC Family Facebook page. Madonna can be reached at 603-475-5994; Madonna.arsenault1@gmail.com and on Face-book and the church office. Words for our Youth come from a special sharing from Connie Insley, quoting Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, “O God, grant me clarity and assurance in wherever I do. Teach me to trust I’m wise teachers-to learn from their insightful words. Teach me to trust I’m true friends-to treasure their care and concern. Teach me to trust I’m myself-to judge my own course correctly, and so to live with conviction and hope”. Deep peace, Madonna