Newsletter with images in PDF format
BEYOND THE GREEN DOORS
The newsletter of the Peterborough United Methodist Church
43 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH
April 2020
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Weekly
Sunday worship online only 10a http://bit.ly/pumcyoutube
Apr 5 Palm Sunday online worship 10a
Apr 9 Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service online worship 7p
Apr 12 Easter Sunday online worship 10a
Worship videos are streaming and posted online.
At this time building activities at PUMC will resume on May 5, but we will continue to follow the guidance of the Governor and Bishop. Check the website or Facebook for updates.
The Walk Online Bible Study http://bit.ly/pumcwalk2020
The Walk Facebook Group http://bit.ly/pumcwalkfb
*you can participate in one or all classes
CHURCH FAMILY CELEBRATIONS
Birthdays:
Tori Keenan 4/1
David Southwick 4/5
Bobby Venning 4/5
Courtney Dunning 4/7
Andrew Wallenstein 4/7
Pat Woodward 4/11
Arnie Johnson 4/14
Steve Gatcombe 4/19
Staci Keenan 4/28
Eno Ogo 4/30
Katie French 5/1
Greg Robidoux 5/3
Didn’t see your birthday? Let the office know!
Membership Anniversaries:
Chris Bartlett
Julia Bartlett
David Bemis
John Bemis
Lucy Jane Benton
Sandra Buck Pratt
Deane DeHotman
Jeff Donath
Steve Gatcombe
Debra Gilpin
Dwight Jarest
Staci Keenan
Patricia Lawn
Laura Nerz
Matt Rajaniemi
Christine Robidoux
Greg Robidoux
Jeff Woodward
John Woodward
PUMC MISSIONS
As indicated in earlier newsletters, the Mission Committee would like to acknowledge all the work that members of our congregation do in support of the community by highlighting some of these activities in the newsletters. This month we would like to describe two more organizations, Shelter From the Storm and Friends Forever International.
Shelter From the Storm
Shelter From The Storm (SFTS) was established in July 2005 by a group of concerned Jaffrey, NH community members who became aware of the need for transitional housing in our area. As of 2019 SFTS has provided temporary housing and support for 83 families including 103 adults and 152 children.
SFTS provides transitional housing subsidizing rent and utilities. It also provides each client with a life coach to help them find the support programs that are available to them. Guests are required to save 30% of their income with the goal of rejoining the mainstream community within eight months. Guests agree to participate in a support services program to reach this financial self-sufficiency. This enables guests to save money to be able to afford rental housing of their own.
SFTS receives most of their financial support from the local community and our PUMC congregation has made generous contributions in the past. This year we plan to provide a special Easter offering for SFTS. Linda Wallenstein is very active with the SFTS organization and she would love to tell you more. Or, you can visit the SFTS website using the following link: http://shelterfromthestormnh.org/
Friends Forever International
Friends Forever International empowers youth leaders to connect, strengthen, and serve communities around the globe by combining their passion to make the world a better place with the skills, experiences, and resources required to do so.
Starting in their home countries, youth meet several times to become a cohesive team before traveling abroad for two weeks to either the U.S. or Northern Ireland. While abroad, they build the skills necessary to design and complete a project that addresses a need in their home community.
FFI’s programs follow the core values of Resilience, Empathy, Communication, Impact, Playfulness, and Effort (RECIPE). They incorporate healthy living guidelines for all activities, including participants being technology free during the program. All programs are highly tailored to meet the specific needs and goals of the leaders and participants.
Christine Robidoux has worked with FFI for several years. We have had the pleasure of meeting some of the young people that have participated in the project including Diamando and Bugche from Cyprus.
Want to help or want more information? Check out their website at: https://www.ff.international/. Better yet, talk to Christine Robidoux to learn more about this program.
SPECIAL COLLECTION FOR SHELTER FROM THE STORM
Our church has supported Shelter From the Storm (SFTS) for many years. This year the Missions Committee had planned for special donations during our Easter church service for SFTS. While there will not be an Easter service in the church building, we would still like to ask for special donations as we are sure SFTS is in need of our support, especially now. If you would like to donate, write a check, payable to Peterborough UMC and note on it “SFTS” and mail the check to the church.
Thanks and God Bless, Missions Committee
EASTER BASKETS: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Thanks to all of your generous donations, PUMC was able to send 19 Easter Baskets full of candy, books, crayons, and stuffed animals to the children at MATS and SFTS. AND we sent a huge box of candy, baskets, and plastic eggs to New Life Home so the moms there can prepare baskets for their children. We can all take joy from the fact that we will brighten Easter day for many families in this difficult time.
MANY THANKS
Dear friends, this has been such a difficult time for all of us as individuals, families, and church families. And during this time, you’ve been so faithful with your giving and we want to say “Thank You!” As the finance committee at PUMC, we want you know that we work hard to ensure that the donations you make to PUMC keep our church working and doing God’s work here in our neighborhood. And we can continue to do that through the corona virus epidemic because of your faithful and generous giving.
Thank you from the finance committee!!
SUNDAY SCHOOL UPDATE
We are really missing our Sunday School friends! Some of the ways we are trying to stay connected while the church is closed are mailing out “Sunday School To Go” packets with mini lessons and activities inside, phone calls to the children and their families to check in and encouraging them if able to send their joys and concerns in to Reverend Card. In addition, for children outside of the Sunday School a similar version of the “Sunday School To Go” packet is being put together in a slide show to be posted to the website. It will include the mini lesson and activities the children may print or copy and do at home. We hope everyone is staying healthy and keeping their spirits up!
CHURCH FOOD OFFERING
Last Sunday, the food offering was dropped at the Antrim Baptist Church for inclusion in the Antrim-Hancock Food Pantry stock. This week, we face challenges on how we can continue this important mission during these crazy weeks to come. The need for food offerings is even more important during this time, as many folks have had layoffs or are concerned about going into the larger markets for fear of becoming ill. Whatever we, as a congregation, can do to help keep the pantries stocked is a very good thing.
For the foreseeable future, it looks like we will be able to drop off food offerings at the side entrance of the church (bottom of the ramp). There will be a large deck bin with a sign. Just drop your bag of pantry goods in the bin and make sure the lid is closed tightly. The offerings will be collected from the bin and transferred into the church. Our next congregational offering will be delivered to Troy Helping Hand Pantry.
So, when you market, pick up a couple small things to add to the food pantry shelves, drive by the church when you can and drop them off. Many thanks!
PUMC BOOK GROUP NEWS
The book group has cancelled March’s meeting and will figure out the safety of meeting at the end of April. If you have Zoom, we may try the April meeting via remote conferencing. Do some investigating on-line of Zoom. I have purchased an account and can send the meeting invite to members with the links and instructions about bringing the application up on your home computers. If you’re game, we can do this thing! Carol Owen and I tested the meeting app one evening last week. It worked just fine!
In the meantime, keep your copies of The Soul of an Octopus until the end of April. Don’t lose them in the stacks of books and magazines that you’re, no doubt, curled up with! Also, try to get a copy of The Baker’s Secret by Stephen Kiernan. It can be downloaded and is for sale online. I have a copy being sent and am willing to sanitize and lend when I’m finished with it. Just let me know! That will be our next read. Keep calm and read on!
A DAILY PRAYER FOR THE COVID-19 CRISIS
During these challenging days when we cannot be together, Bishop Devadhar and members of the Extended Cabinet will write a daily prayer based on the Revised Common Lectionary to be sent via email to our e news subscribers. They are also posted on the website. You are invited to use these in worship or in your own devotions.
Find these daily prayers here:
http://neumc-email.brtapp.com/archivearea/382
AND THE PEOPLE STAYED HOME
by Kitty O’Meara
And the people stayed home.
And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art,
and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still.
And listened more deeply.
Some meditated, some prayed, some danced.
Some met their shadows.
And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed.
And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless,
and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again,
they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images,
and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.
AN EASTER PRAYER FOR UNITED METHODISTS
Easter is a time of joy and renewal. Followers of Jesus saw their darkest days replaced with the miracle of hope and eternal life. Christians today take time for self-examination and reflection during Lent. “Going dark” for a few weeks prepares us to fully experience those first rays of resurrection light on Easter.
This prayer was composed by the Rev. Michaela Youngson, the Methodist Church of Britain.
Prayer:
When everything was dark
and it seemed that the sun would never shine again,
your love broke through.
Your love was too strong,
too wide,
too deep
for death to hold.
The sparks cast by your love
dance and spread
and burst forth
with resurrection light.
Gracious God,
We praise you for the light of new life
made possible through Jesus.
We praise you for the light of new life
that shone on the first witnesses of resurrection.
We praise you for the light of new life
that continues to shine in our hearts today.
We pray that the Easter light of life, hope and joy,
will live in us each day;
and that we will be bearers of that light
into the lives of others.
Amen.
MONADNOCK HUNGER WALK
Area Volunteers Work Around COVID-19!
Between April 2nd and May 2nd, virtual walkers will ask for donations to the food pantry of your choice!
Join the following churches and groups in supporting our area food pantries during this crazy COVID-19 time!
First Congregational Church
Antrim Bennington Food Pantry
Greenfield Covenant Church
Greenfield Food Pantry
Peterborough Union Congregational Church
End 68 Hours of Hunger
Jaffrey Food Pantry
Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church
Peterborough Food Pantry
United Church of Jaffrey
Rindge Food Pantry/Got Lunch…
and other area churches and civic groups
…and more!
Virtual walkers! Make your contacts for sponsors, urge them to either send checks directly to a food pantry of their choice (see complete list on this FB page) or send you their checks to you so you can ‘bundle the checks’ to the pantries. Checks should have ‘2020
Hunger Walk’ in their memo line. Then, take a 2-3 mile walk somewhere safely distanced from others. If you like, take a selfie to share on this FB page or with your sponsors as a thank you! Think of all the different views of Monadnock we could collect!
To get more information about the Monadnock Hunger Walk:
Facebook Search: Monadnock Hunger Walk 2020 https://www.facebook.com/monadnockhungerwalk/
Preston Wakeman lindawakeman0 @ gmail.com
Julie Flood Page juliefloodpage @ gmail.com
Brenda Pelkey bjrpelkey @ yahoo.com
IF THE CHURCH BUILDING IS CLOSED, HOW CAN I STAY INVOLVED?
Sunday Worship streaming
on YouTube 10 am http://bit.ly/pumcyoutube
and posted online
(after Sunday) http://bit.ly/pumcworshipvideo
The Walk Bible Study http://bit.ly/pumcwalk2020
The Walk Facebook Group http://bit.ly/pumcwalkfb
Bulletins http://bit.ly/pumcbulletin
Children’s Bulletins http://bit.ly/pumckidsbulletin
Offering http://bit.ly/pumcoffering
Online Giving http://bit.ly/pumconlinegiving
Want to contact someone and don’t see their info listed? They should be in the church directory, or contact the church office at 924-4294 or email info@PeterboroughUMC.org and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Everyone is invited to contribute to the newsletter! Send in your thank yous, birthdays, photos, events, testimonials, prayer submissions…
Please submit all materials for the next newsletter (May) to our editors by the LAST TUESDAY, April 28. This is the newsletter that will be released May 3 and cover until Sunday May 31. Send to Melissa French at 924-4294 or email info@PeterboroughUMC.org, with the subject “Newsletter submission.” Thanks!
Want to subscribe? You can email or call the office (above) to get a print copy of the newsletter, or visit http://bit.ly/subscribepumc to get it in your email.
PETERBOROUGH UMC COMMUNICATIONS
In addition to “Beyond the Green Doors,” Peterborough UMC offers the following ways you can keep in touch.
We are at the church. Come visit us, Sunday at 10 am!
We are on the web: https://www.PeterboroughUMC.org
We are on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pumcnh/
This newsletter was compiled by Melissa French. Any concerns with content can be addressed with Reverend Card.