Whoever you are and wherever you are on life's journey, you're welcome here.
You are invited to join “A River Runs Through It” for their annual plant sale on Saturday, May 29th from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Rusty Parker Park, South Main Street, Waterbury. The club is offering beautiful hardy perennials, vegetable starts, and more, lovingly grown in their gardens. All one-gallon potted plants will be offered at $5.00. Stop by for some lovely additions to your garden. Please wear a face covering.
The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.
The Constitution of the WHO
I received an email on Thursday (4/22) from Imam Hassan at the mosque in Colchester, the essence of which I am happy to share with you. The mosque has purchased space and has been working for months now to establish a Free Access Health Clinic. The Imam notes that the clinic is registered as an independent nonprofit entity from the mosque and will also run independently serving all communities of different faiths and backgrounds, insured, underinsured and non-insured.
They note on their website that especially because of Covid-19, the demand for access to free health care exceeds the available resources in Vermont. They hope to open the clinic on June 5 and begin provide health care to our neighbors who would otherwise not get access to a basic human right.
The Waterbury Congregational Church, United Church of Christ of Waterbury, Vermont is called to a special meeting, following worship on May 16, 2021, via Zoom, to decide whether to release funds from the church’s endowment for two maintenance projects.
Article 1: To approve $32,000 to remove, restore, and reinstall two stained-glass windows.
Article 2: To approve $41,000 to paint the exterior of the church.
Here are the details:
Stained Glass Windows
In 2013 a stained glass window committee was formed in order to get some opinions on the state of our windows from various stained glass window professionals. One artisan said, “In very good condition for their age. . . Reinforcement and cement is good . . . do not need re-leading for 50 – 75 years.” But he did recommend doing some minor restoration work to fix cracked and mismatched pieces.” On the other hand, a few suggested that they windows were past due. The last specialist to visit, said “in serious need of attention. Especially the ones in front. Lead well past prime, the cement is powdery, lead cracked and splitting.” We came close to hiring one local restorer in 2014, but after more exploration into him, decided against it.
At a recent joint meeting of the boards of finance and trustees, we decided to hire Kathy Chapman of Corinth, Vermont. She will, provided we approve the project on May 16, begin by removing two windows this summer, starting in June. The windows will be removed, placed on a flatbed truck and transported to her studio where she will take them apart, clean the glass, replace broken and mismatched pieces, re-cement and lead with new lead and install the proper horizontal and vertical support bars. If Kathy Chapman and we the church agree that the project went well at the end of the year and are interested in going forward together, we would work toward a fixed price for the rest of the windows.
The boards of finance and trustees have suggested that we use the undesignated gift of the Nathaniel Gage Fund for this project, thus memorializing the family and gift. We would place a small plaque under one of the windows.
Church Painting
The last time we hired RussWood Painting was to paint one side. We had a follow-up discussion and they recommended re-painting the entire church in one summer. It would save us several thousand dollars. Given that the condition of the original paint job on the addition is looking pretty shabby, and that some of the work done two summers ago has only had a prime coat, we’ve decided to do the work this year. We have used RussWood since the major restoration and addition work in the early 2000’s. They were in the ballpark of the other quotes we received, and a known entity by members of the committee. We sought another estimate this time around, but the painter was unable to provide a quote because of the steeple.
Once again, our church will be one of about 3 or 4 collection points in the Northeast where Churches may drop of kits they’ve assembled to assist Church World Service in their disaster relief efforts around the world. The semi-tractor trailer truck will make its rounds through the Northeast in early May to pick up all of these kits and take them to their national distribution center in Baltimore, MD.
We’d like to contribute, not only by being a “Kit Depot” but by contributing some of our own kits to the cause as well. The Board of Outreach invites you to help by making a hygiene kit or three and dropping them off at the church by the first of May.
Instructions are simply enough: purchase the item and the size listed below and pack them into a one-gallon plastic zip-lok bag. Do not add money or extra items.
(Please note the CWS will add toothpaste to the kits once in hand.)
When you’re finished — please drop them off at church. There’s a box in the coat room off the side entrance. The door is open Tues – Friday till about 4 pm (sometimes later — but call ahead if you want to drop it off at a different time).
If you’re around the church during the first week in May, you will notice boxes and buckets that have arrived from around Vermont to be picked up by the CWS truck on May 7 or so, piling up in our dining room.
Thank you!
Through One Great Hour of Sharing, lives are literally changed daily. Your support provides clean water, food, medicines, shelter, healthcare, education and so much more.
What is One Great Hour of Sharing?
One Great Hour of Sharing, part of Our Church’s Wider Mission, is the special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that carries God’s message of love and hope to people in crisis. The UCC works with international partners to provide sources of clean water, food, education and health care, small business micro-credit, advocacy and resettlement for refugees and displaced persons, and emergency relief and rehabilitation. One Great Hour of Sharing also supports domestic and international ministries for disaster preparedness and response.
Who participates in One Great Hour of Sharing?
Several Christian denominations – American Baptist Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Church of the Brethren, the United Church of Christ, and Church World Service – work together to develop common promotional materials thereby sharing ideas, costs, and a commitment to faithful service. Each denomination receives and manages its respective One Great Hour of Sharing offering.
How are our gifts used?
The collection we take in this month, on our online offering website, will get sent to the National Setting of the UCC in Cleveland, OH. Sixty percent of the UCC’s offering supports international development initiatives, including annual support for missionaries. Currently, there are 2 One Great Hour of Sharing supported missionaries and 1 Global Mission Intern working in disaster relief, health care, education, sustainable agricultural development, and refugee support. The offering also funds disaster preparedness and response, and disaster-related volunteer initiatives in the U.S.
Where and how are One Great Hour of Sharing funds shared?
The United Church of Christ responds to humanitarian and development needs in the world. Specifically, the UCC supports sustainable development and refugee needs internationally and provides disaster relief and immigration assistance in the United States.The United Church of Christ responds as a member of organizations such as Church World Service and the ACT Alliance. We also support the direct mission efforts of churches and church-based organizations that the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have direct partnerships with through Global Ministries. Nearly one-fifth of the UCC’s OGHS offering is shared through Church World Service to support refugee, and disaster programs worldwide.
How many dollars are given to the UCC’s One Great Hour of Sharing offering?
In 2018, the OGHS offering received just under $2 million. Nearly sixty-five percent of UCC congregations participate annually.
What percentage of One Great Hour of Sharing donations are used directly for the mission?
On average, of every dollar given to One Great Hour of Sharing, 95 cents is used directly for mission programming; and 5 cents for interpretation materials. The associated administrative costs are paid by gifts to Our Church’s Wider Mission National Basic Support.
How are decisions made to fund the various projects?
Most of the expenditures are put into the budget to support long-term sustainable development. All funding is reviewed and monitored by a leadership committee that also reviews grant requests for long-term disaster rehabilitation initiatives.
How can I contribute to One Great Hour of Sharing?
We are asking that all donations to OGHS be made by check. Our treasurers will write a check to OGHS at the end of the month. Please do not try to use the online portal for this offering.