This Week August 15, 2017

Dear Folks,

Reminder that I will be leading a prayer service this evening, "Hate Will Not Win", 6:15 in the sanctuary.

The Rev. Carol Rawls will be preaching this Sunday, August 20.  Rev. Rawls is a retired Disciples of Christ pastor, now living in Redding, CT.  The scriptures are Genesis 45:1-15 and Psalm 133.  The sermon is "Unity: The Precious Gift".

5^th Annual Bruce E Hartel Antique Car Show will be held on August 27 starting at Noon. We are in need of gift cards to present as awards. If you can solicit or donate, it will be very appreciated. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with the car show, please contact Robin Hartel.

As the end of Summer draws near, it’s time to shift our attention to the Fall. The Pumpkin & Holly Fair will be here before we know it, November 17^th & 18^th. We need your help to make this event a success. Future Belfry articles will discuss the different areas of the fair where volunteers are needed, but it’s never too early to think about how you would like to contribute. Please contact the co-chairs: Terri Johnston, Jaqui Olivo, Judy Tucker, Justine Connery.

Let us pray.  O Holy One, strengthen us with your courage to stand up to any form of hate, oppression, intolerance, and injustice.  Help us to be Christ to our world, living love and peace.  Amen.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Lucille

This Week August 8 , 2017

Dear Folks,

Did anyone see the lunar eclipse last night?  Probably not, too cloudy!

This Thursday, August 10, is my prayer day.  If you have any joys or concerns for me to lift up, please let me know.

This Sunday is August 13, the Tenth Sunday After Pentecost.  We will be outdoors again in the back of the lower parking lot.  In case of rain, we will be where ever it is cooler in the church building!  The scripture is Matthew 14:22-33.  The sermon is "Walking on Water". 

Get your new HCCUCC T-shirts!  Just $10!  See Gail Schoennagel. 

Sunday, August 27 is the 5^th Annual Bruce E Hartel Antique Car Show.  Donations of  of water and soda that can be left in Fellowship Hall marked with a "Car Show" sign. Food and beverage proceeds will benefit HCCUCC’s General Operating Fund. Also, we are in need of gift cards which are presented for awards. If you can solicit or donate, it will be very appreciated. Sign up sheets are in the alcove. Please take a yard sign for your yard & place it 10 feet away from the city road. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help, please contact Robin Hartel.

Gifts of the Heart School Supplies Needed: HCCUCC Women’s Fellowship will be participating in filling the Gifts of the Heart school bag kits in the spring of next year. Since school supplies are now readily available and reasonable, please help us fill our goal of 50 school kits by donating one or more of the following items: ~ 3 spiral notebooks (70 count) ~1 pair blunt scissors (rounded) ~ 1 hand-held pencil sharpener ~ 6 new pencils w/erasers ~ 1 12” ruler (30 centimeters) ~1 box 24 crayons (only 24) ~ 1 large eraser. Please leave any gifts in the CWS Box in Fellowship Hall.

The Concerts on the Green continue through August 30. The Men’s Group will sell hot dogs in our parking lot. Our Vitality Team will hand out free water and hold a free gift card give away. If anyone would like to help, you are more than welcome. We are asking people to donate water for the remaining concerts. We thank all who have and will be donating. It takes a community to make this outreach possible!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! The Pumpkin & Holly Fair will be here before we know it, November 17 & 18. We need your help to make this event a success. Future Belfry articles will discuss the different areas of the fair where volunteers are needed, but it’s never too early to think about how you would like to contribute. Please contact the co-chairs: Terri Johnston, Jaqui Olivo, Judy Tucker, Justine Connery.

Thursday, August 31 is the 3rd Annual F.A.D.E. Walk/ 5K Run for Overdose Awareness. All proceeds will benefit BHcare’s Alliance for Prevention & Wellness, formerly known as VSAAC (the Greater Valley Substance Abuse Action Council) to support its drug awareness/prevention programs. Drug addiction does not receive the funding or awareness of other leading social causes yet it has a tremendous rippling effect on families and communities. The F.A.D.E. Walk/Run was created to put the spotlight on the disease of addiction and raise much-needed funds to support substance abuse prevention, raise awareness and help save lives. See the poster on the bulletin board for more information.

Let us pray.  Holy God, how awesome is your creation!  May we never forget to look up, to look down, and to look around with wonder and thanksgiving!  Amen.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Lucille

This Week August 1, 2017

Dear Folks,

Happy August! Can you believe it??!!

This Sunday, August 6th, is the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost.  The scripture reading is Genesis 32:22-31.  The sermon is "The Struggle Is Real".  Holy Communion will be celebrated.  We will also be taking the month collection for the Emergency Assistance Fund.  The Mission Committee developed the Emergency Assistance Fund to assist people within the Shelton community and/or our church community who have an urgent, unexpected need for financial assistance.

The 5^th Annual Bruce E Hartel Antique Car Show will be held on Sunday, August 27^th We are collecting donations of water and soda that can be left in Fellowship Hall.  Please mark donations with "Car Show". Food and beverage proceeds will benefit HCCUCC’s General Operating Fund. Also, we are in need of gift cards which are presented for awards. If you can solicit or donate, it will be very appreciated. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with the car show, there is a sign up sheet in the church alcove or contact Robin Hartel.

The Concerts on the Green continue through August 30! The Men’s Group will sell hot dogs in our parking lot. All men are encouraged to come and help. Our Vitality Team will continue to hand out free water and hold a free gift card give away during this time. If anyone would like to help, you are more than welcome to come. We are also asking people to donate water for the remaining concerts.  We are all set on gift cards. Please mark donations with "COG". Thank you to everyone who has donated and will be donating! It takes the whole church community to make this outreach possible!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:  As the end of Summer draws near, it’s time to shift our attention to the Fall. The Pumpkin & Holly Fair will be here before we know it – November 17^th & 18^th. We need your help to make this event a success. Future Belfry articles will discuss the different areas of the fair where volunteers are needed, but it’s never too early to think about how you would like to contribute. Please contact the co-chairs: Terri Johnston, Jaqui Olivo, Judy Tucker, Justine Connery.

Let us pray.  In the stillness, in the chaos, in the calm, and in the struggle, O God, your ever present love gives us hope and strength.  Help us to claim it and live it.  Amen.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Lucille

This Week July 25, 2017

Dear Folks,

I hope you are all well and enjoying the cooler weather!

This Sunday, July 30 is the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. We will be having a modified Taize service with a Lectio Divina (meditating on scripture), a capella music, and silence. The scripture is Romans 8:26-39. This is the inaugural "Fifth Sunday Special Service". Each fifth of the month, the service is going to be a bit different than the norm. If you have any thing you would like to see incorporated, let me know!

We will be taking a collection on Sunday for TEAM/Meals on Wheels. TEAM is hosting an "Intergenerational Fashion Show and Luncheon" on Saturday, August 26, 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. at the Assumption Church Hall, 51 North Cliff Street, Ansonia. They are asking local supporters to donate a gift basket for a silent auction which will be part of the event. Our HCCUCC Mission Committee will be putting together a basket for this event. But, we will need your help. After worship on July 30, we will be taking a freewill offering for this basket. You can help even more by attending the August 26 event. Tickets are $30. For more info: www.teaminc.org

The Women's Fellowship is calling for like new candles. We all get them as gifts, but, they might not match our decor or we don't like the fragrance. So, bring them into church! The WF will be putting a basket together for TEAM with the best of them. The rest will be available to swap! So, clean out those cabinets and bring on the candles!

WF is also still looking for donations for Church World Service kits. For the school kits, they need: rulers, blunt/ round tip scissors, pencil sharpeners, pencils, box of 24 crayons, single wide ruled spiral notebooks, and erasers. For the health kits: hand towels. The items can be left in the large white box in Fellowship Hall. If you have any questions, contact Laura Salvio.

The Concerts on the Green continue through August 30! The Men’s Group will sell hot dogs in our parking lot. All men are encouraged to come and help. Our Vitality Team will continue to hand out free water and hold a free gift card give away during this time. If anyone would like to help out, you are more than welcome to come. We are also asking people to donate a $25 gift card to a local store or eating place. Please consider it! Thank you!

5th Annual Bruce E Hartel Antique Car Show - Sunday, August 27th During the summer, we are collecting donations of water and soda that can be left in Fellowship Hall marked with a "Car Show" sign. Food and beverage proceeds will benefit HCCUCC’s General Operating Fund. Also, we are in need of gift cards which are presented for awards. If you can solicit or donate, it will be very appreciated. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with the car show, please contact Robin Hartel.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: NOVEMBER 17 & 18!! As the end of Summer draws near, it’s time to shift our attention to the Fall. The Pumpkin & Holly Fair will be here before we know it! We need your help to make this event a success. Future Belfry articles will discuss the different areas of the fair where volunteers are needed, but it’s never too early to think about how you would like to contribute. Please contact the co-chairs: Terri Johnston, Jaqui Olivo, Judy Tucker, Justine Connery.

Let us pray. Even 60 degree weather in July is a reminder of the great variety of life, O God. Thank you for all the diversity and abundance! Amen.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Lucille

This Week July 18, 2017

Dear Folks,

I'm back!  Hope you are all well and enjoying your summer!

This coming Thursday, July 20, is my Prayer Day.  Please let me know if you have any joys or concerns you would like me to lift up.

This coming Sunday, July 23, is the Seventh Sunday After Pentecost.  We will be worshiping outdoors in the back of the lower parking lot; just come as you are, all casual like!   In the event of rain, we will be in the church building wherever it is cooler!!  The scripture is Genesis 28:10-19a.  The sermon is "House of God".

The Concerts on the Green continue through August 30! The Men’s Group will sell hot dogs in our parking lot. All men are encouraged to come and help. Our Vitality Team will continue to hand out free water and hold a free gift card give away during this time. If anyone would like to help out, you are more than welcome to come. We are also asking people to donate a $25 gift card to a local store or eating place. Please consider it!  Thank you!

Let us pray.  O God, no matter where we go, no matter what we do, your constant loving presence is with us.  Help us, not only to acknowledge it, but embrace and embody it.  Amen.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Lucille

This Week June 20, 2017

Dear Folks,

Happy first day of Summer!!

Vacation Bible School "Hero Central", begins on Wednesday, June 21 at 5:30.  Come in and say "hi"!  We will run through Friday, June 23.

This Sunday is the third Sunday in Pentecost, June 25.  The scripture is Matthew 10:40-42.  The sermon is "Extravagant Hospitality".

Following worship, we will be taking a Prayer Walk down Church/Huntington Street.  After the walk, we will have lunch at Sassafras.  Everyone is invited!  In case of rain or really hot weather, we will just have lunch at Sassafras.

Don't forget to pick up your new HCCUCC T-shirt!  $10, what a bargain!!

It's that time of year!  The Concerts on the Green will begin Wednesday, June 28^th. The Men’s Group will sell hot dogs in our parking lot. All men are encouraged to come and help out. Our Vitality Team will continue to hand out free water and hold a free gift card give away during this time. If anyone would like to help out, you are more than welcome to come. We are also asking people to donate a case of water and/or a $25 gift card to a local store or eating place. Please consider it!  Thank you!

My Sister’s Place bin is back in Fellowship Hall for you to make your tax deductible donations by filling out the donation form, take your copy and attach or enclose their copy in with your items.

O Holy One, as a new season begins, help us to give up anything that does not bring love, joy, and peace into our lives.  Help us to embrace new challenges and blessings that strengthen our hearts and reinvigorate our faith.  Amen.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Lucille

This Week, June 13, 2017

Dear Folks,

What a wonderful Sunday we had!  We celebrated our Sunday School, Diary Farmers, and welcomed 6 young people into full membership through the Rite of Confirmation!    Oh, and we had cake and ice cream!  Good times!

This Sunday, June 18, we honor our fathers and those who are like fathers to us as well as our graduates.  Four students will be presented with scholarships.  The scripture reading is Genesis 18:1-15.  The sermon is "No Laughing Matter".

We got them, the new HCCUCC T-Shirts!  Get yours for $10!!! 

Vacation Bible School is June 21, 22, and 23.  Stop by and say hi!

Following worship on June 25, we will be taking a "Prayer Walk".  We will stroll down the sidewalk along Huntington Street, starting and finishing with prayer.  After the walk, we will have lunch at Sassafras.  If it's raining or too hot, we will just have lunch!  Come join us!

O God of all, thank you for your constant love and care.  Even when we don't feel you, you are still there.  Help us to trust.  Amen.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Lucille