The Journey to Confirmation

 This church and school year found three beautiful high school freshmen seeking to be confirmed:  Brianne Cronk, Amanda Green and Jordan Weiss.  Brianne and Jordan, who were childhood neighbors early on in Lordship, attend Stratford High and Amanda, whose grandparents live in Lordship, attends Shelton High. 

         Our three goals included study, service and social activities plus worship attendance and worship leadership (to build self confidence and faith strengthening.)  Because they were each very busy with high school activities, not all of us were able to do everything together.  We began in October doing lessons in MY CONFIRMATION, the book, and a service project of raking leaves on the front church lawn.  We met regularly either at the parsonage on Sundays at 5 PM or in the church parlor following worship (always with cheese pizza and soda

For fun, some of us enjoyed The Barnum Museum led by Fred Biebel and a Museum guide and some enjoyed the live stage production of JESUS CHRIST SUPER STAR at the Schubert Theater in New Haven.  For service, some worked at the Christmas Fair and/or Trolley Day or were the Easter bunny for the egg hunt.  Some of us also participated in the Stratford Community Seder meal which was led by Rabbi Yvonne Youngberg of Temple Beth Sholom. 

All learned the Ten Commandments and Psalm 23 and the Gospel writers by memory.  We read our Bibles and explored who God is, who Jesus Christ is, and who the Holy Spirit is.  We discussed prayer and its importance and studied the creeds.  We learned about worship, why it’s done as it is, and why it’s important to attend worship and be active in a church.  Our final lesson was about the history and meaning of the United Church of Christ.   

Soundings
by Rev. Mary Snell Willis

    
SUMMER means C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E!  Celebrate our free country, the USA!  Celebrate freedom of worship!  Freedom of expression!  Freedom from school!  Freedom from bad weather!  Freedom from all that isn’t summer!  Free to be—you and me—that’s spells         
S-U-M-M-E-R!

     Don’t you love all the good old-fashioned American fun like parades, concerts, cook-outs and fireworks?  July & August are the highlights of summer with more packed into them than any other month except December!  Summer peaks so soon be sure to CARPE DIEM—seize not just the day but the entire months!  Let’s fly the flag, and wear red, white & blue, and SMILE all the while as we press sand between our toes!

     Yes, it’s true that this summer will be more challenging for more people than a year ago, and for many that means  there will be less discretionary $$$ to spend on incidentals.   The good side of that is that there will be fewer distractions to take us away from what really matters:  faith, family, church, country, friends, good work to do and good times to share! 

     Let’s be sure to take time this month to really cherish what matters most to each of us!  When you eat a fresh strawberry sundae or shortcake made with berries you picked yourself, don’t devour it, savor it.  When you gather with friends and family at Short Beach, Long Beach or Russian Beach, stare at color, sight and sound and relish it as a special gift.  When you have a gathering with those you love, don’t get grumpy if someone’s late or missing or unruly or the food is overcooked or rain sprinkles on your big day…just thank God for all the good instead!  Roll with the punches or just rock ‘n roll with the waves!  Don’t sweat the small stuff and, instead, just let the sweat roll off your hot back or forehead.  Then cool off in the water!

     Starting now, let’s be about relaxing more and letting go of some of our “issues.”  Maybe we can just be about exploring and discovering the treasures of summer like a young child does—experiencing life through our senses.  Let’s not let the “adult inside” just take over, judging people and situations… Let’s just love, overlook, forgive, and enjoy the people and events that God brings to us.  Really and truly, every day and every person and every task and every idea we get—all are gifts from God.  How will we open each one, relish it for what it is, and thank the giver for such extraordinary gifts, and then really put the best construction on life?

     More and more we realize that we don’t control much of the universe, as Americans, as Christians, as individuals, as parents and grandparents--really, we don’t.  If we can begin to accept that, we can start to ease up on ourselves and all those in our lives.  All God asks is that we do our best and trust that God will do all the rest!  Life isn’t about us, it’s about God.  Yet we all have parts to play in this magnificent parade called “LIFE!”  Yes You Can march to your own drum or to a different drummer, but, either way, get in the parade, breath, smile and enjoy!  Enjoy every single moment in these fleeting summer months!  Spend your energies loving God, loving others and loving yourself for YOU ARE A VERY SPECIAL CHILD OF GOD AND GOD LOVES YOU!  

     It’s a fabulous time, in a fabulous country, in a fabulous season and it’s yours to celebrate in all the ways that only you can!   Mike and I can hardly wait until we get to enjoy some of our family when they come to visit us from OH in July and some in August from FL!   We’ll “scrunch” our five grandchildren and “smush” our own children.
Praising God from whom all blessings flow
and so happy always to see you in worship, 
Rev. Mary

Spotlight 2009
CONFIRMANDS

Brianne Elizabeth Cronk is the daughter of Robert Mark Cronk, Jr. and Debra Lee Cronk.  She is the granddaughter of Bob and Sylvia Cronk and Don Fagan and the late Janice Biebel Fagan.  Brianne, 15 years old, will be entering her sophomore year at Stratford High School this fall, where she is an Honors student.  She sings in the Stratford High School choir and traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with the choir in April.  Recently, Brianne tried out for and made the Stratford High School cheerleading squad.  Brianne has an older sister, Heather, 19 and a younger brother, Wesley, 9.  Her family also includes a new puppy named Bandit and two cats named Smidget and Tober.  Brianne’s interests include tennis, hanging out with her friends, listening to music and going to the beach.

        Amanda Kristina Green is the daughter of William and Sally Green.  She is the special granddaughter of William and Grace Green and Richard and Florence Larkin.  Amanda will be entering her sophomore year at Shelton High School this fall.  Amanda is a pitcher on the Freshman/Junior Varsity softball team and won the Leadership Award.  She is also a pitcher on a traveling softball team named Xplosion.  Amanda started playing ball at the age of 5 on the boys T-ball team.  She has been taking pitching lessons the last three years.  Amanda has been in Girl Scouts since First Grade and is now a Cadet working on achieving the Silver Star Award.  Amanda served as a mentor to 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade girls at a recent Girl Scouts camping event.  She gave them a First Aid demonstration and helped them with a songbook.  Amanda has been a member of BOB, Break Open the Bible, a teen study group for the past three years.

Lordship Community Church
Senior Youth Group
(for middle and high school students)

Junior Youth Group
for grades 4 - 5 & 6

The first meeting of the group was held at 5:30 p.m., on Sunday, July 12, 2009.

The starting date will be based on who is in town when.

The first activity will be miniature golf.  The group will meet at 5:30 p.m., at Lordship Community Church, every other Sunday.  A fun activity will be planned for each meeting.  All youth (in these grade levels) are welcome to attend.  Reverend Mary will assist in the leadership of this group.

TEEN VIBE (Summer Program)
Contributed by Sally Green

Teen "VIBE”—Vacation*Inter-church*Bible*Experience.
This is a non-denominational summer program (from the B.O.B. leaders)
for Middle and High School Students
This year's theme: Mission in Action.
Each week we will meet at different locations to be the "body of Christ in Action". Parents and teens will work side by side to serve those around us.
The first week, the program will be held at Lordship Community Church, on Monday evening, July 13th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The students and parents will bring canned goods, as well as, any cash donations, to donate to the South End Community Center. Those attending can bring $5.00 cash for the ice cream walk and will hear special music by the "VIBE BAND".
On Monday, July 20th, the group will meet at First United Methodist Church, in Shelton, to coordinate a game night with the residents of Wesley Heights.
On Monday, July 27th, each student will bring a vegetable and make "Stone Soup". They will package it and send it to area shelters.
On Wednesday, August 5th, the group will serve dinner to the community at Golden Hill Methodist Church in Bridgeport.
We will finish with a community supper at
St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Shelton.
Any student entering middle or high school in September is invited to attend any or all weeks. Visit: Prayers4teens.com for more information and to download the registration forms.

Lordship Community Church held an ALL CHURCH PICNIC on Sunday, June 28th outside of church after the Confirmation Sunday and Volunteer Appreciation worship service. Picnic goers were treated to hotdogs, hamburgers, and chips. For dessert, everyone enjoyed a beautifully decorated Confirmation cake, fresh strawberries hand-picked by Reverend Mary, and vanilla ice cream. Thank you to all who helped out and who donated items for the picnic. Special thanks to Mr. William Green, Sr. and the Stratford Volunteer Fire Department for donating jugs of juice for the picnic.

LCC Band Night

 Jazz Sunday

Food Donations sought for the 
South End Community Center

 The Christian Action Committee is continuing to collect food items for the South End Community Center. They have 200 families and more signing up each month.
Some of the items needed are: cereal, juice (not grapefruit), powdered milk, canned meat, fruits and vegetables, soup and spaghetti sauce. If you buy a bag of onions, potatoes, etc. and cannot use them all, or buy-one-get-one-free, they are happy to get the extras.
A cash donation allows them to buy at a discount at the large food banks.
If you are planting a vegetable garden this year, any excess, even that yellow squash, will be gratefully accepted.
Just one note: please do not send opened or out-of-date/expired items, because, by law, they must discard them.
Please help in any way you can. Thank you.

Worship by the sea

 Our Annual Beach Worship will take place on
Sunday, August 23rd, at 9:00 AM
(please note the earlier worship time)
at Short Beach, Stratford.
This is our annual joint service with members of
Lordship Community
Church joining with First Congregational Church of Stratford.
There will be no indoor service that day here.
If it rains, we will move our seaside service to the
sanctuary at Lordship Community Church.
Plan to stay and play at the beach afterward with family and friends!
ALL ARE WELCOME, OF COURSE, so invite somebody to join you!

16th
Annual
Road Race

 
      Quilting Group

     will be held on Saturday,    
         September 12, 2009. 

     So please put the date on your calendar as we need everyones help to make this a success.  It is always a fun day.  
     We are looking for Sponsorsfor this event, so if you think of anyone who would like to sponsor, please pick up a form in the narthex.  
     If you have questions on the race, please contact Drew Viner; for questions on sponsorship, contact Vivian Caserta or Gail Holub.  
     We are looking forward to a great event.

   In Loving Memory
of Nancy Finn

by Judy Werner

Want to learn to quilt?

Spiritual Book Journey

Prayer

Our Sunday morning Book Group is on summer hiatus and will resume in the fall.  The group will gather together each Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. in the parlor before worship. 

If you would like to suggest a book and/or would be interested in leading the discussion of a book you enjoyed, we would love to have you join us.

Contact Reverend Mary for details.

Rev. Mary presented two
prayer shawl workshops
at the CT United Church of Christ
Annual Spring Meeting. 

She has been part of a
prayer shawl care group
in the last two churches
she has served and is praying that
we can form a group
here at our church.


It involves knitting or crocheting shawls/throws which are given as gifts
to those needing comfort or those celerating events.  A prayer is given
with each shawl, which is
blessed beforehand. 

So many lives have been touched by prayer shawls or lap throws for the guys.  If you are interested in participating or would like to learn more, contact Rev. Mary or Barbara McMellon. 

We hope to begin in the fall.