BEYOND THE GREEN DOORS
The newsletter of the
Peterborough United Methodist Church
43 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH
October 2019
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Weekly
Sun Worship Service 10a
Sun Adult Bible Study 11:30a
Mon Confidential Meeting 6-8p
Tue Office Hours 9-12
Wed Office Hours 9-12
Wed Choir Rehearsal 11a
Wed Life Groups 5:00p
Thu Office Hours 9-12
Oct 1 UMW Meeting 12p
Oct 8 Church/Ad Council meeting 6:30p
Oct 9 Trustees Meeting 6:30p
Oct 9 Holiday Stroll Planning Meeting 6:30p
Oct 13 Free Community Breakfast 8a
Oct 18 Open Mic Night 7p
Oct 19 Peak Into Peterborough 10-4
Oct 26 Men’s Monthly Breakfast 8a
Oct 27 Free Community Breakfast 8a
Oct 29 Newsletter submissions due
CHURCH FAMILY CELEBRATIONS
Birthdays:
Gladys Bugler
Jennie Molloy
Gabby Cote
Vi Banks
Tammy Munroe
Sue Norton-Poplin
Membership Anniversaries:
Tom Descoteaux
Michelle Isabelle
Jim Poplin
PRAYER CORNER
A prayer for World Communion Sunday, October 6:
O Lord, we pray for the universal church, for all sections of your church throughout the world, for their truth, unity and stability, that love may abound and truth flourish in them all.
We pray for our own church, that what is lacking in it may be supplied and what is unsound corrected; and unto all men everywhere give your grace and your blessing; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Lord and Saviour.
–Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626)
CHURCH CLOSING NOTICES
IN THE EVENT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER
It is getting to be that time of year again, time to remind everyone about our church closing procedures in the event of inclement weather. Rev Card, in conjunction with our Lay Leader, Jim Poplin, will decide whether church services will close due to inclement weather. In the event they decide to cancel church services a notice will be posted on WMUR TV. While an effort will be made to hold church services when possible, the congregation should use their best judgment on attending church during inclement weather events.
SHOULD WE BE PASSING THE PEACE?
By Kathleene Card
In the devotional book, “This Day: A Wesleyan Way of Prayer,” The Rev. Dr. Larry Stookey speaks about our role in bringing peace into the world. He quotes 2 Corinthians 5.19-20: “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us.”
The seventh Beatitude says, “Happy are the peacemakers: they shall be called the children of God.” The world covets the Noble Peace prize and celebrates the prayer that starts with “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” Yet, how often do we see ourselves as tasked with being peace makers? Stookey reminded me that part of our mission as a community of faith is to “bring about reconciliation wherever we encounter alienation from God or discord between human beings.”
All too often, people tend to “stay out of it” when they encounter strained relationships. Certainly, there are times when discretion is the better part of valor, but always we are to pray for reconciliation and God’s intervention.
We need first and foremost not to intensify alienation: especially through gossipy misrepresentation and/or exaggeration. We should avoid adding fuel to the fire of acrimony.
But peacemaking is not passive. God actively engaged in peacemaking when he sent Jesus to be with us. If we are to be known as children of God, are we not also expected to pass the peace? I would like to reintroduce the “passing of the peace” in worship on Sundays. I do not mean just polite civility detached from any real thoughtfulness. Stookey suggests we rethink this moment. He asks that we become more aware that we are ambassadors for Christ, and that we pray quietly “God, you call me to be an ambassador for you, help me to be a peacemaker at every opportunity available to me.”
Here is his prayer for helping us to be active “peace makers:”
By your tender mercies, O God,
By the unceasing ministry of your Spirit,
Open the meaning of the ancient documents,
handed on by communities of believers,
So that in this time and place
I may better understand how I may best work
to heal your fractured world;
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
What do you think? How do you feel about passing the peace?
HOLIDAY STROLL PLANNING MEETING – Wednesday, October 9th at 6:30 PM
PUMC needs at least six people to join a planning committee for this year’s Holiday Stroll. The initial publicity meeting was held on Tuesday, September 24th at the church. Members of the community’s churches came together to set deadlines for community flyer edits, plan themes for social media publicity, and talk up ways to build more church involvement in the event.
A PUMC planning meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 9th at 6:30 PM. This should be a quick meeting , at which the different tasks for organizing our church Stroll event can be divvied up. Then, we can let folks do their thing and come together in November to put it all together. Please be a part of this event. There’s much to do – crafting planning, café lunch planning, bake table planning, ‘design a tree’ planning, ‘ready to wrap’ planning, holiday rummage planning, children’s table planning, fair trade table planning … it’s a big deal!
All hands on deck, please!?!
PUMC BOOK GROUP – October 29th @ 1 PM
The next three months of the book group are shaping up! October’s book discussion will be at Ken and Charlene Schultz’s home. The group will be talking up Thornton Wilder’s late novel called Theophilus North. Largely autobiographical, it follows the exploits of TN as he makes a move from the rarefied environment at a New Jersey school (Princeton?) to the gentrified world of Newport, Rhode Island. It is in Newport, that Theophilus comes in contact with a wide range of characters and the mental gymnastics begin. October’s meeting will be on Tuesday, October 29th at 1 PM.
https://www.amazon.com/Theophilus-North-Novel-Thornton-Wilder/dp/006241478X/
In November, the group will be discussing Going to School in Black and White – A Dual Memoir of Desegregation by Cindy Waszak Geary and Lahoma Smith Romocki. Two teenage girls lived across town from one another. When Durham, NC responded to the federal call to desegregate public education, they came ‘together’ in their high school. The memories of their high school years are juxtaposed in this book on the years of civil rights advancements.
https://www.amazon.com/Going-School-Black-White-desegregation/dp/1611532523
In December, the group will go for some light reading. How Hackleburg Became a 13-Pie Church by Riley B. Chase. Meet the characters of Hackleburg Methodist Church, a small congregation in rural Indiana. Light reading with a humor and just a bit of tongue-in-cheek social comment.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Hackleburg-Became-13-Pie-Church/dp/1609201124/
Interested? Check out the links, grab a copy of which ever book strikes your fancy and join the discussion! Books can be purchased on-line, checked out through on-line services, gotten through our public libraries, or borrowed from book group members! Stay tuned for meeting dates in November and December.
MISSIONS UPDATE
Our Mission team has been hard a work planning events for the next few months.
The congregation raised $667 for support for Arun (thank you to everyone that contributed). We are planning to send the extra money raised towards scholarship help for Arun.
On October 19th we will again participate in the annual Peak into Peterborough event. Our booth with feature snacks for the kids, crafts, face painting, a special picture booth and quadra cycle rides. This is a great community outreach event and a chance to talk to many people outside our church. We will need lots of help, so look for the signup sheet in the fellowship hall.
Although it might seem early to think about, gifts will again be provided for children at the New Life Home. We also have tentative plans to participate in the homeless vigil (held in many communities) on the longest night of the year (December 21). More on these events as we plan for the Advent season.
Are you looking for a way to give back to our community? Do you have some specific mission project on your mind. Why not consider joining the missions team? We are always looking for new ideas and help and our planning meetings are open to everyone. Talk to one of our mission team members if you are interested (Laura Constantine, Linda and Andy Wallenstein, Susan and Hiel Lindquist, Priscilla and Ron Crowe, Christine Robidoux).
VBS UPDATE
Our vacation bible school/spirit camp in August was a great success with over 20 children participating in “Hero Central.” Thanks to everyone that participated and/or helped out this year, especially our partners at All Saints Church, led by Sandi Albom.
We held a recap meeting after the event and decided to partner with All Saints Church again next year, when our theme will be the arts. The tentative dates are the week of July 27. Our first planning meeting will be at 2 PM on March 3, 2020. Mark your calendars if you want to join in the fun in 2020.
WORSHIP COMMITTEE – HARVEST TIME CHURCH FRONT PLANS
The worship committee is wondering if anyone has a couple good sized pumpkins and a chrysanthemum or two that can be placed at the front doors of the church. Harvest time is here and it’s time to spruce up the church a bit. The grapevine wreaths will get a seasonal facelift in the next couple weeks also! If you have mums or pumpkins you can donate, please contact Amy Gilmet or Susan Lindquist. Many thanks!
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN
The UMW will meet October 1st at 12:00 noon at the church. Bring a bag lunch. Dessert and beverage will be provided. (Please let me know if you would like to provide these for the meeting). Christine Robidoux, our speaker, will be telling us about her work with Friends Forever International. We have met a couple of the young women she has brought here from Cypress, so it will be interesting to learn more about this special mission.
Also we will be assembling the exit bags for women and children who have had to quickly leave a domestic violence situation. A huge thank you to the congregation for helping to make the bags and contributing the items. Thank you Susan Lindquist for organizing this project!!
Our Christmas meeting is December 3rd at 2 PM. If you would be able to host this meeting in your home, please let me know.
All women are invited to join us. See you October 1st for our first fall meeting.
Carol Owen
BEYOND THE GREEN DOORS
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 (November) to our editors by the LAST TUESDAY, October 29. This is the newsletter that will be released November 2 and cover until Sunday December 1. Send to Melissa French at 924-4294 or email info@PeterboroughUMC.org, with the subject “Newsletter submission.” Thanks!
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: http://www.PeterboroughUMC.org
We are on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/peterboroughunitedmethodist/
This newsletter was compiled by Melissa French. Any concerns with content can be addressed with Reverend Card.