The Torch Bearer - Jan / Feb Edition

Annual Church Meeting

“Home For The Holidays!”

The concert was advertised

as a benefit to raise funds to

support Governor Rell’s

“Home for the Holidays”

initiative to bring nearly 700

of Connecticut’s National

Guard troops preparing to

deploy to Iraq and Afghani-

stan home for a 10 day leave

to spend the holidays with

their families. Just prior to

intermission a free will offer-

ing was taken and thanks to

the generosity of those in

attendance, and the commit-

ment of South Church to at

least match the amount col-

lected, we were able to pre-

sent $6,000 to the National

Guard Foundation to help

them in their efforts to bring

these troops home for a holi-

day visit. It was recently

announced that the required

funds have been raised and

these families will all be able

to celebrate the holidays to-

gether. Praise God!

The Annual Church Meeting of the Second Church of Christ in Hartford, South Congregational,

will be held at the church at 277 Main Street, Hartford following the morning service on Sunday,

January 31, 2010. The purpose of the meeting shall be to review and vote on the annual budget and

the recommended changes to the By-Laws defining “Active Membership” and “Leadership Qualifi-

cation” requirements.

The meeting will be held in Gray Hall. Lunch will be provided prior to the annual church meeting.

Second Ecclesiastical Society

Second Ecclesiastical Society of the South Congregational Church at Hartford is called for 9:30 am

on January 31, 2010 in the Bryant Room of South Church.

All members are urged to attend.

Janet H. Wallace

Clerk of the Society

Issue No. 14

Jan/Feb, 2010

In this issue:

Page 2 Pastor‟s Corner

Page 4 Outreach &

Missions

Page 6-7 Spire Lightings

Page 9 Birthday‟s

Points of interest:

SCC now has a

Defibrillator

Facility Update

The Bed Fund

THE TORCHBEARER

Pastor‟s Corner Submitted by: Pastor Adam Söderberg, Senior Minister

I Wonder as I Wander

Someone recently said to

me, “I have an old Bible

that is falling apart. What is

the proper way to throw it

away? Just putting it in the

garbage doesn’t feel right!” I

wondered about that as I

wandered throughout the

rest of the day. I didn’t

really know. What I discov-

ered after some research

was that there is no

“biblical” way to dispose of

an old, damaged, or ruined

Bible, as the Bible itself

does not address this ques-

tion. It is, therefore, a mat-

ter of personal conviction.

It is important for us to un-

derstand that it is not the

paper, binding, and ink that

are “sacred” or “holy.” We

should not allow the printed

Bible to become an object

of worship or an idol in it-

self. It is the Word of God

that is holy – not the mate-

rial it is printed on. The pur-

pose of the Bible is to teach

us about Jesus the Savior

and the salvation He pro-

vides and to point us to

worship Him with all our

heart, soul, mind, and

strength. The paper and ink

of a Bible are merely the

means through which God

communicates His Word to

us.

It does seem, however, un-

comfortable to simply

throw away a Bible. I imag-

ine that would have to be

the absolute last resort.

Some old Bibles, if rebound,

would be “as good as new”

and could then continue to

be used or given to some-

one else to use. Sometimes

even when an old, tattered

Bible is given to someone

who does not have a Bible it

can be a tremendous bless-

ing. Some people keep old

Bibles as family heirlooms

and pass them down to chil-

dren, nieces or nephews to

remind future generations

of how committed to God’s

Word their ancestors were.

There are many such op-

tions and all are worth

prayerfully considering.

Ultimately, however, if a

Bible is genuinely damaged

to the point of being unus-

able, it can be discarded. In

no sense will discarding a

Bible invite God’s displeas-

ure. There are those who

prefer to burn a Bible (as is

done with the American

flag) rather than placing it in

the garbage but neither

method is right or wrong. In

fact, there is a story of a

person who threw a Bible

out with the trash. The next

day a garbage collector saw

the Bible and removed it

from the trash, began to

read it, and placed his faith

in Jesus Christ as Savior. So,

you see, God can use His

powerful Word to testify of

Him, even from the pages

of a Bible that has been dis-

carded.

I would suggest that before

you dispose of your Bible

take a moment to thumb

through it checking for

notes or family history. If

that Bible had been handed

down to you we should be

aware that many people re-

cord significant family

events, like births, mar-

riages, and deaths in their

family Bible. You may want

to preserve this information.

In the end, on one hand it is

sad to see an old and tat-

tered Bible barely being held

together by string and glue.

On the other hand, how

wonderful it is that a Bible

was so well-used that it

couldn’t handle the fre-

quency with which pages

were turned and the binding

was creased. I guess it

should be a goal of us all –

to use our Bibles so much

that modern printing meth-

ods cannot withstand our

interest in reading and

studying God’s Word. How

God would rejoice at that!

In His Service,

“...the Lord is come, let earth

receive her King!”

Being awarded custody of

her five grandchildren was a

blessing and an enormous

responsibility that this

grandmother accepted with

determination. Hopeful that

being close to family would

make it easier, Ms. Rivera

relocated to her son’s home

in East Hartford. As the

apartment quickly became

overcrowded, trouble with

the landlord was imminent.

With nowhere else to turn,

Ms. Rivera arrived at South

Park Inn in August of

2008. Quickly the children

were enrolled in school and

Ms. Rivera worked closely

with South Park Inn staff to

begin to find somewhere to

live.

Pushing together beds in

one of the dorms, the family

used their time at South

Park Inn as constructively

as possible. Ms. Rivera

bought only essentials, and

put as much money into

savings as she could afford

each month. She arranged

necessary medical care for

her nine year old grand-

daughter, who suffers from

a heart condition. The kids

worked hard in school,

learning English and teach-

ing their grandmother

words each night. It took

ten months but the Rivera

family has their own place.

It took longer than expected

but Rafaela’s sheer will for a

better life for her grandchil-

dren made the wait worth-

while. The children have

adjusted well to their new

school and the family is

happy and healthy.

The Triumph of Rafaela Rivera

THE TORCHBEARER PAGE 3

The B.L.A.S.T. youth group

is gearing up for another

exciting year. Though this

year is coming to a close,

the past couple month have

been a time of new begin-

nings for the group and for

myself. We have been

meeting each Friday night

for the past two months and

have had a great start.

That great start includes the

first marking of my fist trip

with the group

which took

place on No-

vember 20th.

The group left

for Providence,

RI from the

church that afternoon at

four o’ clock and returned

at 7 o’ clock… the next

morning. The event was the

Word of Life Su-

p e r B o w l .

Though it was

an over night

event there was no

time for sleep. The night

began with a hockey and a

youth rally which was fol-

lowed by hours bowling and

crazy gym games, with a

little pizza here or there.

The group certainly had a

B.L.A.S.T.

We will be closing out the

year with a Christmas party

on Dec. 18th and look for-ward to many more new beginnings in 2010!

YOUTH MINISTRY

South Church has pur-

chased an Automatic Exter-

nal Defibrillator (AED)

with installation and training

scheduled in January 2010.

The American Red Cross, a

leading trainer in AED’s

nationally, is actively in-

volved in increasing public

knowledge of AEDs and

helping individuals and or-

ganizations implement an

AED program. They will

be working with us to build

our program.

In addition to

several church

members and

staff volun-

teering for

AED training,

they will also

be trained in

First Aid and CPR.

Thank you to everyone who

volunteered

for this

program.

Once train-

ing in com-

pleted and

the volun-

teers are

certified, a

l i s t o f

names will be posted.

There are still a few open-

ings so if you are inter-

ested in volunteering con-

tact the Church Administra-

tor @ 860-249-8627.

On November 27th the dea-

cons sponsored and evening

of pizza and jazz. All those

who came out were treated

to an evening great fellow-

ship and first rate entertain-

ment from the Keaon

Brown Quartet. The Keaon

Brown quartet features the

talents of our own Keaon

and Lomar Brown. The

evening opened with a won-

derful dinner put on by the

deacons and the guys closed

out the evening with a su-

perb show. I think I can

speak for all who attended

by thanking the deacons for

their hard work and the

Browns for sharing their

talents.

Totally Jazzed

Submitted by: Jonathan Parker, Youth Ministry Leader

Submitted by: Jonathan Parker, Youth Ministry Leader

Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Submitted by: Leslie Watkins, Church Administrator

Well, winter is here and

with it the holidays, a special

time for sharing with family

and friends. Here at Manna

we like to share some of

that special time with our

clients; welcoming them

with warmth & kindness

and offering along with our

smile a gift pair of gloves or

socks, a coat or a hat, or

even a gift card. I have al-

ways believed that “giving is

receiving’’ and the good

feelings that come with

helping poor working fami-

lies stays with you all year!

For Thanksgiving, we were

able to distribute 172 turkey

baskets. We wouldn’t have

been able to reach that

number without the kind

donation of turkeys and

other meal items from

South Church. Working

together, we were able to

make a real difference in the

lives of some of our needi-

est neighbors. Again & al-

ways, Thank You!

With the Thanksgiving holi-

day and basket distribution,

the food pantry was in op-

eration for just 3 weeks dur-

ing November…but we still

managed to serve 196

households - 230 adults, 175

children, and 50 seniors for

a total of 651 individuals.

Thanks to friends like you,

we will continue, in 2010, to

put food on their table,

dress properly for the win-

ter season, and hopefully to

be able to give their children

the attention and gifts they

deserve every day and, espe-

cially on the holidays.

On behalf of MANNA As-

sistance & Advocacy we

wish South Church a

blessed Christmas and

Happy New Year!

MANNA Assistance & Advocacy Submitted by: Rosa Santiago, MANNA Program coordinator

Saturday, December 5th was

a very special evening at

South Church. The Taubl

family performed a benefit

holiday concert in our meet-

ing house, but the event was

really much more than an

evening of beautiful music.

During the course of the

evening the Taubls beauti-

fully wove into their pro-

gram many of the various

mission and outreach pro-

grams we support. Repre-

sentatives from many of the

agencies were present at the

concert and were both rec-

ognized for their good

works and available to an-

swer questions about their

programs during intermis-

sion. Among those attend-

ing were representatives of

Artists Collective, Faith-

Care, FoodShare, Habitat

for Humanity, Hands on

Hartford, Salvation Army,

and South Park Inn.

Each year radio station

WTIC 1080 partners with

the Salvation Army in a

fund raising campaign called

the Holiday Store which

runs for about two weeks

before Christmas. This year

Pastor Adam appeared on

air with Ray Dunaway to

announce that South

Church would be making a

$5,000 donation to this

year’s campaign and issued a

challenge to other houses of

worship and faith communi-

ties to match our donation. During their on-air ex-

change Pastor and Ray

made it clear to the listening

audience that South Church

is alive and well on Main

Street.

Thanks to the generosity of

South Church members and

friends, we were able to

send 42 shoe boxes to Sa-

maritan’s Purse for Opera-

tion Christmas child. A

special thank you to the

South Church Women who

helped with the final assem-

bly of the boxes and to

Renee for delivering them

to the drop-off location in

Bloomfield. For next year,

we are thinking of trying

something a little different

for this project. People can

still take boxes to fill them-

selves if they wish, but we

are thinking of putting to-

gether a list of items to be

collected each month and

having an “assembly party”

in November to put the

boxes together. More to

come on this in the next

issue.

On January 23, 2010 South

Church has the opportunity

to provide a snack to the

workers on a Habitat for

Humanity project in Hart-

ford. We are looking for

volunteers to bake or assist

in the delivery of food that

day as well as financial con-

tributions to offset the cost

of coffee and beverages.

Thanks to June Hodges for

volunteering to oversee this

very worthwhile event.

Please see June if you can

help with this project. We

hope to be able to do more

of these events in 2010.

Looking ahead to 2010, we

hope to be able to do more

hands-on outreach but in

order to do this we need to

have a group of volunteers

ready, willing, and able to

jump in to assist. A box

had been placed on the ta-

ble in Robinson Lobby for

your input to our future

mission and outreach pro-

grams. If there is a specific

program you would like us

to consider or if you would

like to sign up to volunteer,

please drop a note in the

box or contact me directly if

you wish. Writing checks is

important to enable us to do

the things that need to be

done, but it takes “hands-

on” efforts as well. So

please consider signing up

to help do the Lord’s work.

Remember the Mission

Train we introduced a few

years ago? We need more

passengers on board to keep

the train rolling on.

My sincere thanks to all

who have helped in our ef-

forts during 2009. May you

all experience the hope, joy,

and love of this blessed

holiday season. Wishing

you all a very Merry Christ-

mas and a happy and

healthy new year.

Submitted by: Susan Elphick Outreach & Missions

“…our mission‟s work should be

much more than just „cutting checks‟...”


On Saturday, October 24th at 9:30am, the FaithCare Wellness Center held an Outreach and Fellowship Breakfast, hosted by South Congregational Church. The goals of the program were to increase awareness about FaithCare and the Wellness Center. We also hoped to recruit support a n d p a r t n e r s h i p s (monetary, supplies, re-sources, manpower, etc…) for the ministry. It was also a time for fellowship among our volunteers and support-ers. Over 20 individuals were in attendance, comprised of present volunteers, future volunteers, church and or-ganization leaders, nurses, medical, dental, and college students, a singer, and a performer (John Taubl), a m o n g o t h e r s ! After an opening prayer, a scrumptious breakfast pre-pared by Renée Söderberg and George Flonnes was served in the Gray Hall. A take home packet was dis-tributed to each attendee, which included: a Wellness

Center flyer, the Wellness Center introductory docu-ment, a flyer for a benefit concert by the Taubl family, a FaithCare letter from Dr. Schnatz about current tran-sitions and the cancellation of the banquet this year, a Wish List letter, and a sur-vey that allowed us to ob-ta in contact/church/organizational information as well as allowed attendees to sign up to participate in the vision and ministry of

FaithCare in various ways. During breakfast, a stand-alone slideshow ran with images from the Wellness Center and from Commu-nity Health Fairs, and invit-ing attendees to reach out to the community with us. This was accompanied by worship piano music by the l a t e K i m R i l e y . To start off the program,

Marcia Nahounou, a singer and Research Assistant at the University of Connecti-cut Health Center blessed us with an amazing song. Sherry-Ann Brown and Aisha Castater introduced everyone to FaithCare and to the FaithCare Wellness Center and current needs, using a slideshow presenta-tion, the Wish List letter in the take home packet, and testimonials from the out-reach on 10.10.2009 at the First Cathedral Wellness Fair. We shared with every-one that $10 pays for a sin-gle cholesterol screen for a needy individual in Hart-ford, and heart disease is the number one killer in America/the world. All attendees were asked to consider donating their time, their resources, their money, or supplies, or all of the above to further the cause of Christ, and the vision for the Wellness Center as it reaches out to t h e c o m m u n i t y . This was followed by a Q & A section, during which everyone asked questions,

made comments, and had a healthy discussion about ways we can all work to-gether to serve. The morn-ing ended with a tour of the Wellness Center. Attendees were excited and impressed with what God is doing, and are very inter-ested in partnering with us in several ways. Some even gave donations on the spot! Thank you and God bless, S h e r r y - A n n B r o w n 8 6 0 - 9 6 1 - 2 0 1 4 [ c e l l ] Student Director of the FaithCare Wellness Center FaithCare Hartford Chap-ter Community Outreach C o o r d i n a t o r http://www.faithcare.net/W e l ln e s s _ Ce n t e r .h t m “God calls us to live in ways that will make a difference and be an inspiration.” Z a c h H u n t e r “The real danger for pro-fessing Christians is not the more glaring sins but a slow death of vision, daring, and courage.” - J.B. Phillips

FaithCare Breakfast Submitted by: Sherry-Ann Brown, Student Director

“…heart disease is the number one killer in America and the world...”

We were able to reach out

to twenty-four individuals

and/or families this year

with our Thanksgiving Bas-

ket ministry.

Thank you to all who do-

nated the foodstuffs and to

the Deacons who coordi-

nated the effort - especially

Barbara Bradley and

Carolyn Ford.

Thank you to Deb Robert-

son for heading up our

Christmas Giving Tree

Ministry again this year.

Sixty-five children will re-

ceive something under the

tree this Christmas because

of your generosity. More

importantly they will know

that someone loves them.

Thanksgiving & Christmas Outreach

http://www.faithcare.net/Wellness_Center.htm

http://www.faithcare.net/Wellness_Center.htm

The Spire Will Be Lighted In Loving Memory Of...

PAGE 6 THE TORCHBEARER

January 1

Dorothey F. Meyerhardt

by her family

on the anniversary of her birth

- - -

In gratitude for

all that South Church has meant

by one of its members

January 2

Mary E. Archibald

January 3

Anna Zacharevitz

by her family

January 4

Margaret Higgins

by her family

January 5

Lillian Brancieri

by the late Pasquale (Pat) Brancieri

on the anniversary of her death

January 6

Dr. Peyton H. Hoge

January 7

Raymond Derick

by his family

on the anniversary of his birth

- - -

Edward Niver, my brother-in-law

Joan Zito

- - -

Richard Charles Jarvis

by his father, James H., sister Wendy

And brother CDR James V., retired

on the anniversary of his death

January 8

Mrs. Francis Atwood

- - -

Hans F. Meyen

by the Gianopoulos Family

January 9

Roy D. Bassette

January 10

Arnold Dunphy

by his late wife and children


- - -

Arnold Dunphy

by the Leonard Diamond Family

January 11

Agnes and Valentine E. Burr

by their daughters, Ruth Stannard and

the late Mildred Jarvis

January 13

Ellen Hill


January 15

James W. Maxwell

by his family


January 18

Dr. Henry David Gray

by his family


- - -

Norma Sloan Heineman

by her family

January 19

Emelia M. Kilby

by her family and The Sewing Ladies

January 20

Mildred S. Goodrich

by the Merris Family


- - -

Mildred S. Goodrich

by her family,

Ronald and Jean Goodrich


- - -

January 20

Dorothy Leet Perkins Johnson

by her children


January 21

Kenneth L. Howland

by his family

on the anniversary of his death

January 24

Richard Charles Jarvis

by his father James H., his sister

Wendy, and his brother James V.


January 30

Herman F. Robertson

by his family

- - -

Mr. & Mrs. Melvin E. Thomas

by the Thomas Family

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

February 1

H. Clifford Forbes

by Helen Hurlburt

February 2

Ruth Donelson Warner

by her nieces, Dorothy Fisher Flagg and

Eunice Fisher Trevitt


February 3

Mary Stuart Hoge

- - -

Antoinette Clark

by her sons; Steve, Gene, Jon & Brian

and their families


February 4

Jane Nellis Case

by her late sons, Dr. Jarvis D. and

Carroll Buron Case

- - -

John A. Taylor, Jr.

by his family


February 5

Helen Lindberg Tracy

by her friends

February 8

Chesleigh Bittner

by his wife and family

The Spire Will Be Lighted In Loving Memory Of...


February 9

Marion Livingston Johnson

by her daughters and son-in-law;

Beverly and Frank Diamond

Elaine Johnson & Shirley Johnson


February 12

Carmela and Nunzio Rottino

by their children

February 14

SarahGrace “Jaye” Jarvis

by her husband, James H. Jarvis on the

anniversary of their engagement

- - -

John and Virginia Derohanian

Happy Valentine’s Day

Mom & Dad

Love, Mark, Suzie, Barry & family

February 15

Leslie Bingham

by Rena Bingham

- - -

Richard Gorman

by his children


February 17

Anna and Anton Erickson

by their granddaughter,

Mrs. Vincent Santangelo

- - -

Lori Niver, my sweet little niece

by Aunt Joanie and Uncle Joe


February 18

Virginia Derohanian


Love, Mark, Suzie, Barry & family

- - -

Dr. George N. P. Mead

February 19

Anna B. Judd

by her late husband,

Edwin B. Judd

February 21

Edward B. Ames

by his son, Edward B. Ames, Jr.


February 22

Rev. John Whiting,

first pastor of South Church

- - -

Sandra Bailey Igielski, a dear friend

by Shirley Johnson &

Elaine Johnson


February 24

Kathleen Elizabeth Dobbin

by her parents,

Sylvia and Owen Dobbin

- - -

Tom Stewart

by the Stewart Family


February 25

Florence Arnold Gager

by her family

February 26

Sadie B. Saich

by Mrs. Richard B. Saich

- - -

Virginia Sexton Hanks

by her husband, the late

Stedman Hanks, and daughters,

Beverly Beckwith & Elizabeth Hanks

February 27

Jack P. Nelson

by his late wife , Elena

February 28

George M. Hotra

by his daughter

- - -

Louise Daniels

by her late daughter,

Cynthia Anderson and family

- - -

Gertrude Morton Hurlburt

by her late daughters,

Mrs. Barbara H. Brooks

& Helen H. Hurlburt

- - -

February 28

Mrs. George A. Ray

by her family


- - -

Ted Tolman

by his wife, Ann

- - -

Florence Bryant

by South Church Women

In observance of…

February 22

340th Anniversary

of the founding of South Church

by the late

In observance of…

February 22

340th Anniversary

of the founding of South Church

by the late

Dr. Henry David Gray

THE TORCHBEARER

Al-Anon/Alateen Family

Groups is a fellowship of

people whose lives have

been affected by someone

else’s drinking, usually a

family member or close

friend. There are numerous

groups all around the world.

Here in Connecticut there

are approximately 260

groups. These groups meet

in different towns, on dif-

ferent days, and at different

times, so it is fairly easy to

find at least one meeting

that is reasonably conven-

ient. Most meetings are only

open to those who are being

or have been affected by

another person’s abuse of

alcohol. This allows us to

share our experiences, our

hope and our strength

openly and honestly with

each other.

The LDC/Office here in

the church i s A l -

Anon/Alateen’s official lo-

cation for business and legal

purposes. While our pri-

mary task is to sell confer-

ence approved literature to

our members and interested

outside parties, we also an-

swer phone and mail inquir-

ies about meeting locations,

speak with people who want

to learn more about our

program, and store our col-

lected memorabilia and

items used for various

events such as our conven-

tion and area assemblies.

We enjoy visitors and are

hope people will stop and

say hello and learn more

about us.

When our fellowship voted

to establish the LDC/Office

here it was for a 3 year trial.

On Saturday, November 7,

the Al-Anon/Alateen As-

sembly, consisting of all the

meeting groups in CT, met

in Gray Hall and voted to

continue this office indefi-

nitely.

The holidays are often a

very difficult time for fami-

lies dealing with an alco-

holic. Our web site:

www.ct-al-anon.org lists

meetings throughout the

state as well as some basic

information about Al-Anon

and Alateen. We also have

a 24/7 answering service

that can supply callers with

meeting times and locations.

That number is 1-888-825-

2666.

Al-Anon / Alateen

Church Closings

2010 Holidays (Church Office Closed)

Friday, January 1

New Year’s

Monday, January 18

ML King Birthday

Monday, February 15

President’s Day

Monday, May 31

Memorial Day

Monday, July 5

Independence Day

Monday, September 6

Labor Day

Monday, October 11

Columbus Day

Thursday, November 11

Veteran’s Day

Thursday, November 25

Thanksgiving

Friday, November 26

Day after Thanksgiving

Friday, December 24

Christmas Eve Day

Monday, December 27

Christmas Day

The church office follows

the Hartford Public School

Board of Education for

closing and delays in in-

clement weather. If the

schools are closed or de-

layed, the church will be

closed or delayed as well.

Listen for closings and de-

lays on radio station WTIC

1080 am or WFSB, Channel

3 TV. These stations also

post the information on

t h e i r w e b s i t e s :

w w w . w t i c . c o m ,

w w w . 9 6 5 t i c . c o m o r

www.wrch.com.

Special Services

Funerals

Ruth Peterson 11/12/09 (Karl Hahn’s sister)

Thomas Higgins 12/22/09

Weddings

Emily Merris & Adam Bryers 12/12/09

Submitted by: Sue Guilford

“…holidays are often a very diffi-cult time for fami-lies dealing with

an alcoholic.”

http://www.wtic.com/

http://www.965tic.com/

http://www.wrch.com/


January/February Birthdays

January 4

Elaine Johnson

January 5

Gerald Hancock

January 6

Chris Savery

January 7

Carol Lockard

January 9

Shelly Casiano

Carl Williams

January 10

Rena Bingham

Arline Rich

January 14

Barbara Stebbins

January 15

Tony Marzano, Sr.

January 24

Phyllis Arnold

January 27

Juanita Irvine

February 1

Barbara Bradley

February 5

Jean Doll

February 8

Jackie Wyman

February 12

Linda Conner

February 14

Ginna Miller

February 20

Nora Dunphy

February 22

Elfriede Zitani

February 26

Marj Weidlich

February 27

John Magnee

“I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will

experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.”

~ Ecclesiastes 8:15

CHURCH COUNCIL MEETINGS

Your Church Council

meets every 4th Thursday of

each month @ 7:00 pm,

however, the January meet-

ing will be held on the third

Tuesday, January 19. The

meetings are held in the

Bryant Room and all church

members are invited to at-

tend.

Note: Meeting changes will be

noted in the Sunday worship

bulletin prior to each meeting

with proper notification.

Wondering what’s happen-

ing to our building?

During 2009 your Church

Council approved the repair

of the Westside sidewalk

and curb; the clean-up of

the Memorial Garden

(Phase 1 and 2); replace-

ment of pneumatic controls

with digital controls for the

air-conditioning and

heating systems; re-

pair/replacement of

broken heating pipes

in the MANNA por-

tion of the church;

repair of a crack in the

boiler under the Meet-

ing House; purchase of

shelving for the Archive

Room (former Bride’s

Room); energy audit

for the entire church -

replacement of lights,

installation of sensors

in various areas, reduc-

tion in cost per kilo-

watt hour.

The cooling tower replace-

ment unit work will begin

early 2010 and should be

completed by spring just in

time for summer services in

the Chapel. Another 2010

project, to be discussed, is

replacing the brownstone in

front of the Meeting House.

FACILITY Submitted by: Robert Jones, Church Council

THE TORCHBEARER

Where in the World is Pastor Adam?

Were you aware that on

October 5, 2009 severe

floods hit Messina in north-

eastern Sicily? Twenty three

people lost their lives, thirty

-five are missing and five

hundred twenty lost their

homes. South Church is

proud to recognize Tina

Marzano for organizing a

successful fund raiser Pas-

tor Adam attended on No-

vember 21st at the Casa Mia

Restaurant in Hartford

which raised significant

funds to help those most in

need. Well done Tina!

The Artist’s Collective held

an Open House on No-

vember 22nd where Pastor

Adam was able to present

to Ms. Dollie McLean, the

Board of Directors and

gathered guests, with our

$5,000 gift for 2009.

On November 25th Pastor

Adam and Leslie Watkins

presented Gloria McAdam

(President of FoodShare)

with our $10,000 donation

and got a tour of their new

warehouse. What an opera-

tion! The literally “tons” of

food that they distribute to

the hungry in Connecticut is

absolutely astounding!

Mr. J. Ronald Terwillger,

Chairman and CEO of

Trammell Crow Residential

– who recently made a $5

million gift to establish the

ULI Terwillger Center for

Workforce Housing; a simi-

lar $5 million gift to the En-

terprise Foundation; and a

$100 million gift to Habitat

for Humanity – was the

featured speaker at the

Hartford Area Habitat for

Humanity held a 20th Anni-

versary Celebration held at

the Town and Country Club

on December 2nd which

Pastor Adam attended.

South Church has sup-

ported Habitat for Human-

ity for years giving $5,000 in

2008 and another $5,000 in

2009 toward the building of

the House of Abraham as

well as hosting refreshments

and prayer at worksites

throughout Hartford.

Captain Jeff Bache and

Pastor Adam appeared on

WFSB TV 3’s Better Connecti-

cut morning show with

Scott Haney on Decem-

ber 4th to promote the

Christmas concert featuring

the Taubl family. You can

see the clip at: http://

w w w . w f s b . c o m /

video/21825772/index.html

At the December 5th

Christmas concert Pastor

Adam welcomed our emcee

for the evening Jerry Kris-

tafer and presented gifts to

Doug Sudell, CEO of

Hands of Hartford; John

Ferucci, Executive Director

South Park Inn; and the

Rev. Rob Swanson Execu-

tive Director of FaithCare.

Gloria McAdam, Dollie

McLean, and Major R.

Douglas Hart joined us as

well.

On Monday December 14th

at the WTIC 1080 AM Sal-

vation Army Holiday Store

in Avon, Ray Dunaway

interviewed Pastor Adam

live on the radio as he pre-

sented the South Church

donation of $10,000 to the

Salvation Army and chal-

lenged other churches to

match it.

On December 18th Pastor

Adam appeared with Brad

Davis on WDRC at Augie

& Ray’s in East Hartford

where he was able to pre-

sent him with a check for

$2,000 in support of the

U.S. Marines “Toys for

Tot’s” campaign. South

Church put him over the

$15,000 mark!

And, finally, on December

29th Pastor Adam delivered

a gift of $2,000 to the Open

Hearth in Hartford.

Where will he be next?

“Wherever He wants!” Pas-

tor Adam says, “Here I am

Lord, send me!”

God Bless The Parents Who Drugged Us

After reading in the newspa-

per about a Meth-lab found

in the adjoining county a

friend asked me a rhetorical

question. “Why didn’t we

have a drug problem when

you and I were growing

up?”

I replied, “I had a drug

problem when I was young:

I was drug to church on

Sunday morning. I was drug

to church for weddings and

funerals. I was drug to fam-

ily reunions and community

socials no matter the

weather. I was drug by my

ears when I was disrespect-

ful to adults. I was also drug

to the woodshed when I

disobeyed my parents, told a

lie, brought home a bad

report card, did not speak

with respect, spoke ill of the

teacher or the preacher, or if

I didn’t put forth my best

effort in everything that was

asked of me. I was drug to

the kitchen sink to have my

mouth washed out with

soap if I uttered a profanity.

I was drug out to pull weeds

in mom’s garden and flower

beds and cockle burrs out

of dad’s fields. I was drug to

the homes of family,

friends, and neighbors to

help out some poor soul

who had no one to mow the

yard, repair the clothesline,

or chop some firewood;

and, if my mother had ever

known that I took a single

dime as a tip for this kind-

ness, she would have drug

me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my

veins and they affect my

behavior in everything I do,

say, or think. They are

stronger than cocaine, crack,

or heroin; and, if some of

today’s children had this

kind of drug problem,

America would be a better

place.”

God bless the parents

who drugged us.

http://www.wfsb.com/video/21825772/index.html




Hartford Hospital Free Bed Funds

When you are admitted to

Hartford Hospital, or are

attended to in the Hospital’s

Emergency Department or

in a Hospital clinic, you will

be subject to a number of

different charges. Some are

covered by Free Bed Funds;

others are not. The Free Bed Funds do not cover all costs associated with your care at the Hospital.

THE FREE BED FUND

WILL COVER THE

F O L L O W I N G

CHARGES OR COSTS:

Hospital Costs

All costs of the hospital

related to your hospital stay,

including your room, use of

specialized medical equip-

ment, the costs of radiology

and pathology tests, includ-

ing the costs of technicians,

nursing and other care giv-

ers, but not including the

charges of the radiologists,

pathologists, surgeons, anes-

thesiologists and any other

attending or consulting phy-

sicians.

Most physicians at the Hos-

pital are private attending

physicians who are not em-

ployees of the Hospital, and

their charges are not cov-

ered by Free Bed Funds.

Occasionally, a Hospital-

employed physician may be

brought in to consult with a

patient, and his or her

charges will be covered by

Free Bed Funds.

Emergency Room Costs

The Emergency Room staff

physicians are employees of

the Hospital, and the costs

of their care are eligible for

coverage by the Free Bed

Funds. (Services provided

by private attending physi-

cians, including those con-

sulting with Emergency

Room physicians, usually

are not employees of the

Hospital, and their charges

are not covered by Free Bed

Funds.)

Clinic Charges

All charges for care in a

Hartford Hospital clinic,

including use of specialized

medical equipment, the

costs of radiology and pa-

thology tests (including the

costs of technicians), nurs-

ing and other caregivers are

covered. Attending physi-

cians are private practitio-

ners and their charges are

not covered.

Other Outpatient Service

The cost of outpatient sur-

gery at Hartford Hospital,

including use of specialized

medical equipment, pre-

scription drugs (only if dis-

pensed from the Hospital

pharmacy).

All non-physician outpatient

services, including those at

the Helen and Harry Gray

Cancer Center, including

the costs of chemotherapy

and radiation therapy Air

ambulance (Life Star) costs.

THE FREE BED FUND

WILL NOT COVER

THE FOLLOWING

CHARGES OR COSTS:

Ambulance charges (other

than Life Star). The ambu-

lance company will bill you

separately for these.

All physician charges, ex-

cept the charges of Hospital

emp loyed phys i c i ans

(Emergency Room, some

consultants). The physicians

at Hartford Hospital are

private practitioners, and

charge for their services

separate and apart from the

bill for Hospital costs. Phy-

sicians include among oth-

ers:

• Attending physicians

(whether at the Hospital

or in their offices)

• Surgeons

• Anesthesiologists

• Radiologists

• Consulting physicians

Physical, occupational or

vocational therapy charges,

unless rendered while you

are in the Hospital.

Nursing Home and home

health care following inpa-

tient or outpatient care at

the Hospital or a Hospital

clinic.

Note: To apply for Free

Bed Funds please forward

your Hartford Hospital

bill to the Church Admin-

istrator for submission to

Patient Accounts at Hart-

ford Hospital for pay-

ment.

Submitted by: Leslie Watkins, Church Administrator

We are trying something

different at our Church

Meeting in January. After

worship there will be a

luncheon in Gray Hall to

be followed by the busi-

ness meeting also in Gray

Hall.

Please join us!

As this newsletter was go-

ing to print we received

news that our Moderator

Andy Higgins and his

wife Lois lost their son

Tom Higgins to cancer

on December 17th. We all

offer the Higgins family

our deepest condolences

and keep them in prayer.

Keaon Brown was re-

cently accepted to Temple

University! He’s not com-

pletely sure as to whether

he will attend or not yet

but it is quite an accom-

plishment to even be ac-

cepted by such a great

school! Congratulations

Keaon!

Congratulations to Sam

Nash (Danielle Wyman-

Nash‟s husband) on his

promotion to the rank of

Sergeant. Danielle is the

granddaughter of Mo and

Jackie Wyman, daughter

of Maury and Laurie

Wyman and was married

here at South Church June

28, 2008.

Tidbits

THE TORCHBEARER

New Year‟s Resolutions?

The practice of making

New Year’s resolutions goes

back over 3000 years to the

ancient Babylonians. There

is just something about the

start of a New Year that

gives us the feeling of a

fresh start and a new begin-

ning. In reality, there is no

difference between Decem-

ber 31st and January 1st.

Nothing mystical occurs at

midnight on December

31st.

The Bible does not speak

for or against the concept of

New Year’s resolutions.

However, if a Christian de-

termines to make a New

Year’s resolution, the ques-

tion is what kind of resolu-

tion should he or she make?

Common New Year’s reso-

lutions are: to quit smoking,

to stop drinking, to manage

money better, and spend

more time with family.

Many Christians make New

Year’s resolutions to pray

more, to read the Bible

every day, and to attend

church more regularly.

These are fantastic goals,

however, in the end these

New Year’s resolutions fail

just as often as the non-

spiritual resolutions, be-

cause there is no power in a

New Year’s resolution itself.

So, what sort of New Year’s

resolution should a Chris-

tian make? Here are some

suggestions: (1) Pray for

wisdom as to how to fulfill

the goals God gives you; (3)

Rely on God’s strength to

help you; (4) Find an ac-

countability partner who

will help you and encourage

you; (5) Don’t become dis-

couraged with occasional

failures; instead allow them

to motivate you further; (6)

Don’t become proud or

vain, but give God the

glory.

“Commit everything you do

to the Lord. Trust him, and

he will help you. He will

make your innocence radi-

ate like the dawn, and the

justice of your cause will

shine like the noonday

sun.” (Psalm 37:5-6; NLT)

Happy New Year!

The Torch Bearer - Jan / Feb Edition

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Transcript of The Torch Bearer - Jan / Feb Edition