In this Issue

Minister's Message

Committees/Ministries

Board of Deacons

Board of Trustees

Nominating

Open and Affirming (O&A)

Safe Church

Senior Minister Search

Faith Formation

Epiphany Opportunities

Faith Sharing /

Women’s Ministry

Men’s Breakfast

Love and Serve

Church World Services

Thank You

Missions & Outreach

Prayer of the Month

When you Pray

Our Church Album

Advent Happenings

Featured Happenings

Calendar

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CHIMES DEADLINES

February Tuesday, January 16,

12PM

March Tuesday, February 13,

12PM

News of Acton Congregational Church January 2018

The Chimes

Interim Senior Minister Message Charles Dickens wrote The Tale of Two Cities in 1859. It begins,

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us….” Dickens was making a point when he wrote this. Set in 1775

during the French Revolution, Dickens shows the reader from 1859 how little has changed when it comes to comparing the times. We might be tempted to quote Dickens again this year. As we look back on 2017, we might say that it was the worst of times. Can we also name how it was the best? That perhaps is more of a challenge. Some of us have experienced great loss this past year and when that happens it is hard to see anything good about anything. For people in pain it is surely the worst of times. But for those of us who have not experienced tragedy why is it still hard to name the good? Maybe it is the way we are prone to focus on what went wrong instead of what went right. Perhaps it is because the world revolves around drama. I often forget to see the good in my day. I wonder what it would look like if we greeted each day with, “Thank you God for this blessing before me. How will we make it the best it can be together?” I wonder what it would look like if, at the end of each day, we prayed, “Thank you God for your presence with me in the ups and downs, the ins and the outs. It could have been the worst, but you helped me to make it the best it could be, and for that I will give thanks.” May God truly bless you with the best of days and hold you tight if you must face the worst. With God, you will see a new day, always.

—Rev. Sue

Annual Meeting Please plan to attend our annual Congregational Meeting on January 29, in Hartman Hall after the 9:15 AM worship service. SHYF will be serving an all inclusive brunch, and babysitting will be provided. At this important all-church meeting we'll hear annual reports from our ministers, vote for our new officers and committee members for 2018, and hear from the Board of Trustees on the budget goals for 2018. Be sure to attend this important meeting and share your thoughts and views. We look forward to seeing you.

—Kevin Bolen, Moderator

SHYF Brunch January 29 Plan to attend the SHYF Brunch before the Annual Meeting. We will be serving all your brunch favorites to raise money for our June mission trip to Queens, NY.

We hope to see you there.

Board of Deacons: January 7 Meeting on Your Membership Status The Deacons will be holding an informational meeting between services on Sunday, January 7, in Olmsted Parlor at 10:30 AM to discuss the proposed clarification of the by-laws that defines active member status and its implications.

The proposed clarification of membership status will be voted on at the January 29, Annual Congregational meeting. Please come to the meeting on January 7, or contact the Deacon Chair Allen Warner for more information at warnersscience@gmail.com.

—Allen Warner, Chair of Deacons

Board of Trustee Update: Pledging Status At the December 12 Trustee meeting a report from the Stewardship Committee stated that:

As of December 31, 2017, we have received 183 pledges totaling $561,493.

Last year, $610,000 was pledged by 214 pledge units.

Trustees set a 2018 budget goal of $680,000 based on pledging.

Currently 86 percent of our members and friends have pledged leaving a $118,507 shortfall.

Congregation call to action: If you have not already done so, please return your pledge to the church office ASAP (hand carry, pledge online, or by mail).

The Trustees base the 2018 budget on pledges received. All pledges must be received in order to finalize the budget for the coming year. The Trustees and Personnel Committee face cutting expenses by reducing staff and programs to balance the budget.

Trustees will be making final phone calls and sending emails to those who usually pledge. Please act now to address this income gap.

Your 2018 Stewardship Pledge is vital to the continuing life and vitality of Acton Congregational Church. Please make your 2018 pledge now.

—Harry Mink, Trustee Liaison to the Stewardship Committee

Nominating Committee Update The Nominating Committee has filled most of the positions on key Committees, thanks to those who have graciously agreed to volunteer. To date, we have filled all the openings for Missions and Outreach Committee, the Sanctuary Guild, the Nominating Committee, and the Memorial and Special Gifts Committee. In addition, we have added a volunteer to the Building and Grounds Committee. A special note of thanks goes out to Fred Kinch who generously helped the Nominating Committee with getting volunteers for the Sanctuary Guild.

We are still looking for a volunteer to help with the Stewardship Committee, as well as with Church Archivist/Historian and Habitat for Humanity liaison. We also have room for additional volunteers who may want to join the Personnel Committee or the Safe Church Committee.

If you have a passion or skill set for one of these committees, please contact any member of the Nominating Committee listed below. These positions provide an excellent opportunity to use one’s talents on a limited part-time basis while getting to know other church members and the operations of ACC.

—Submitted by the Nominating Committee: Robert Heaney, Beth Lis, Barbara Skaggs, and Ivor MacFarlane, chair

Safe Church Committee Update You may have noticed some recent changes in the lighting at our church. The Safe Church Committee along with the Trustees and staff took a first step in implementing a plan to increase security. Last February we asked the Acton Police to walk through our building and identify ways in which we could improve safety and security. This is only the first step; some changes are more challenging and will entail more investment of church funds. We will be working with the Trustees to implement the recommendations of the Acton Police.

—Rev. Sue for Safe Church Committee

COMMITTEES

Open and Affirming Task Force Summary

The Open and Affirming (ONA) Task Force has been meeting as a group since July, and started introducing the process to the congregation in September. We have been meeting with people in small groups, committees and individually in order to listen to members’ concerns and opinions and to attempt to answer questions. The following summary addresses some of the major concerns we have heard. The ONA Task Force The Church Council requested the formation of an ONA task force and solicited volunteers in the late spring/early

summer. They did so in part because the UCC church profile for a minister search required that ACC indicate whether or not we are an ONA church. The council had also been approached by several members in recent years encouraging ACC to become an ONA church.

The task force was assigned with the primary responsibility of sharing information about the ONA process and soliciting

feedback from the congregation. It is not a decision-making body and is only advisory to the Church Council. Some have asked why the task force is made up of people who are all in favor of ACC becoming an ONA church. The

Council and Rev. Sue Remick acting on recommendation from UCC decided this would encourage more efficient use of the energy and time of the task force. It also places the discussion, concerns, disagreements etc. in the wider congregation where it belongs.

What Does Being an ONA Church Entail Some have asked what being an ONA church entails beyond simply having the title. The UCC states “...congregation

is Open and Affirming when it affirms a covenant that people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions are welcome in the full life and ministry of the congregation (eg., leadership, membership, employment.) Through its covenant, the congregation promises to live out that welcome in meaningful ways in response to Christ’s teaching of radical acceptance. This means that same-sex couples can marry in the church and have their children baptized. LBGTQ people can serve in the full life of the church including all aspects of worship and committees, and can be called as a minister.

Because of the democratic structure of Congregational churches, many aspects of being an ONA church are decided by

the congregation. This includes developing the content of a covenant statement, signage relevant to ONA, specific ways to be welcoming etc. This has inevitably led to some confusion about what being ONA would mean for ACC but it also means we would have some decisions to make in the future.

The decision about whether or not to become an ONA church will most likely be decided by a congregational vote at a

time to be decided by the Church Council. UCC recommends that we have as close to 100 percent approval as possible for passage. The task force may take a straw poll at some point before we have a congregational vote.

We will be offering some educational sessions about ONA in the winter including a panel from local ONA churches on Jan 31 (see separate announcement) and a presentation about the Biblical perspective on ONA (speaker and date TBD). Please contact us if you want to share any concerns, questions, suggestions or ideas for programs. Please look at our updated bulletin board in Hartman Hall

—Elaine Olmstead, Chair ONA Task Force

Senior Minister Search Committee Update We have begun to receive weekly batches of candidate profiles/resumes funneled through the Massachusetts UCC Conference. Candidates hail from across the United States. We are reviewing each resume to determine which ministers we will interview. We hope to begin the interviewing process in January.

—Yours in Christ, the Senior Minister Search Committee Chair Franki Bennett (frankibenn@mindspring.com)

Elaine Olmstead, Chairperson elaine.olmstead@verizon.net Rick Barnes rbarnes1usa@gmail.com Abby Beilman (abby@beilman.com and mmorgank@aol.com)

Gwen Hotaling gwenhotaling@yahoo.com Pam Resor PamResor@aol.com Jennifer Smith jennifer@yetanothersmith.net Amy Stimac amybeltzstimac@hotmail.com Abigail Vargus abigail_mieko@yahoo.com

COMMITTEES

Epiphany Opportunities Wednesday, January 3 , 6:45 - 9 PM, Hartman Hall, ACC, Free A Semester in Jordan: refugees, health and humanitarian action Ellen McCormick, Ebit Speers’s daughter, will speak to us about her fall semester studying in Amman, Jordan. Her program focused on the political, social, cultural, and economic factors behind the influx of refugees to Jordan, a country that continues to receive waves of refugees displaced by regional conflicts. She will share her impressions (and photos) of her program, her experience staying with her Muslim host family, and her travels throughout Jordan as well as Switzerland where they met with people at the UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) and World Health Organization (WHO). Monday, January 15, 9 - 11 AM Congregation Beth Elohim, Donations at the Door

133 Prospect St., Acton The 16

th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Program,

Special invitation to come listen to Renée Graham of the Boston Globe Renée Graham is a columnist for the Globe’s op-ed page. She started as a general assignment reporter, and then moved to features and arts covering music, film, and television as a writer and critic. She also wrote a weekly pop culture column. Graham has written numerous pieces on racism and sexual harassment. The Social Action of Beth Elohim (Na’aseh) is sponsoring this breakfast program. For more information contact Sal Lopes at sal.t.lopes@gmail.com.

Wednesday, January 17, 6:45 - 9 PM, ACC Sanctuary Free Will Offering An evening with Debby Irving Sponsored by ACC, Acton Boxborough UCC Boxborough, West Acton Baptist Church and Social Action of Beth Elohim (Na’aseh) Debby Irving is a racial justice educator, author, and public speaker. A community organizer and classroom teacher for 25 years, Debby Irving grappled with racial injustice without understanding racism as a systemic issue or her own whiteness as an obstacle to it. As general manager of Boston’s Dance Umbrella and First Night, and later as an elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she struggled to make sense of racial tensions she could feel but could not explain. In 2009, Debby took a graduate school course, Racial and Cultural Identities, which gave her the answers she’d been looking for and launched her on a journey of discovery. Now, speaking and leading workshops around the country, Debby devotes herself to exploring the impact white skin can have on perception, problem solving, and creating culturally inclusive communities. A graduate of the Winsor School in Boston, she holds a BA from Kenyon College and an MBA from Simmons College. Her first book, Waking Up White, is the book Debby Irving wishes someone had handed her decades ago. By sharing her sometimes cringe-worthy struggle to understand racism and racial tensions, she offers a fresh perspective on bias, stereotypes, manners, and tolerance. As she unpacks her own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person, and wanting to help people of color, she reveals how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated her ill-conceived ideas about race.

Monies raised above expenses will benefit the Fostering Racial Justice Group Wednesday, January 31, 6:45 - 9 PM, Hartman Hall, ACC, Free Panel Discussion with local Open and Affirming Congregational Churches: Representatives from three local ONA churches will provide a description of their respective ONA journeys. Members from the TriCon Congregational church in Concord, the Memorial Congregational church in Sudbury and the Sterling Congregational Church in Sterling will provide a brief introduction and summary and then answer questions posed by the moderator. They will then take questions from the audience. If you have any specific questions you would like answered, you can submit them ahead of time by putting them in the ONA suggestion box in Hartman Hall or by emailing it to one of the members of the task force.

FAITH FORMATION

Faith Sharing / Women’s Ministry On Thursday January 4 we will commence a six-week study of The Acts of the Apostles, Luke’s story of the expansion of the Christian church in the First Century. Rev. Barbara will lead us in this inquiry and time of fellowship, with refreshments. All are welcome, newcomers and long-standing explorers, from 10 - 11:30 AM in Room G01. Hope to see you there,

—Lisa Vingerhoet

Men's Breakfast, Rev. Emmanuel To Speak January 20

Associate Minister for Outreach Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Akyeampong will speak at the Men's Fellowship breakfast on

Saturday, January 20. His topic is being finalized, but will draw on Emmanuel's rich knowledge of theology, history, and

African studies. Please join us for fellowship at 7:30 AM, Breakfast at 8, program about 8:20, concluding by 9 AM. Watch

the bulletin for an update on the topic and RSVP instructions.

—Tom Gillispie

FAITH FORMATION

OUR CHURCH ALBUM

Advent Candles, Carols, & Crockpots of Soup

The Christmas Pageant, 2017

The Fifth Grade Poinsettia Processional, December 10, 2017

Women’s Brunch, December 2, 2017

Missions & Outreach Concludes 2017 Allocations Concluding the allocations for 2017, the Missions and Outreach Committee (M&O) approved funding a variety of nonprofits at the committee’s November and December meetings. These appropriations totaled more than $25,000, bringing the yearly total distributions on behalf of the Acton Congregational Church congregation to more than $80,000.

The largest gift that the committee gave this year was authorized in December: $18,000 to the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ (MACUCC) for the Wider Church Mission (basic support). This money is in addition to the per-member Fellowship Dues paid by ACC to the MACUCC. To learn about the many programs of the MACUCC—from resources for pastoral and lay excellence, to disaster relief, to justice advocacy on important social issues—visit www.macucc.org.

MACUCC provides support to Global Ministries, a joint outreach of the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ. The M&O Committee also allocated $2,000 directly to Global Ministries. Information about Global Ministries’ projects and missionaries in many parts of the world can be found at www.globalministries.org. We also approved the following appropriations:

Back Bay Mission, $2,500. This 90-year-old organization, which is a UCC ministry, offers a variety of services to the poor and marginalized of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Services include education, a food pantry, housing rehabilitation, homeless outreach, and help with utilities and prescriptions.

For His Children, $2,000. This ministry cares for 40-50 orphaned and abandoned children in two residential facilities in Ecuador and helps many of them become adopted.

Straight Ahead Ministries, $1,000. This faith-based organizations works with juvenile offenders to help them transform their lives. It is based in Worcester and has reentry centers in Lawrence, Lynn, and Fall River.

—Sally Heaney on behalf of the Missions and Outreach Committee

Thank You from Church World Services Dear Kit Coordinators,

I want to express my sincere gratitude to you for an awesome job this year with collecting kits. My depots who opened up for the fall emergency on the east coast collected almost 20,000 kits with over 5,000 of them being cleanup buckets. TERRIFIC job.

I spoke to a few of you who have already told me that you were willing to continue to be a depot for me for 2018. I wanted to let you all know that they will be sending a link to where you can put in all your information: church, address, phone number, contact person, dates, days and times you will accepts kits and any other information you would like to see in the booklet that will be mailed on February 1

st and on our website.

Easter is early this year on April 1st and the truck should be coming, as far as I know, around the same week as it

normally does.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I’m sending this out as a group (blind copied) email in order to save me some time.

You can make changes at this link if something would come up and you need to change your dates, times or contact person, etc. This will only be able to be changed on our website unless changes are made prior to the end of the year before the booklet goes to print.

Again, THANK YOU all so very much for everything you do to help when disasters strike and boy did they strike this year.

Hope you all have a Blessed Thanksgiving. I know I am thankful for each and every one of you who made this awesome year possible.

Rose Sharp Associate Congregational Engagement Specialist Church World Service

LOVE AND SERVE

Prayer of the Month Dear Ones,

We are most always in a time of reaching for the Kingdom of God but knowing we fall short of creating segments of it on earth. Our attempts to configure may stretch far and wide and deep, yet can be disheartening when we so often miss the mark. Such attempts might more reasonably be viewed as steps along the way, which are ongoing and the work of a lifetime. This prayer, written by the late Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw, MI, have most often been attributed to the Catholic Bishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated in 1980 while saying mass. Both men shared a passion for outreach to those who were poor, and both were known as fierce fighters for social justice. It is a prayer that bears repeating. Might it bolster you as you step into a new year of doing the work of Kingdom building.

All blessings along the way, —Rev. Barbara

Romero’s Prayer

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God ’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection.

No pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the Church ’s mission.

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord ’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own. Amen.

LOVE AND SERVE

January 2018

12 Concord Road Acton, MA 01720

Phone: 978-263-2728 Fax: 978-263-9457

Website: www.actonc.org Email: chimes@actonc.org

February Deadline: Tues. January 16, 12 PM

March Deadline:

Tues. February 13, 12 PM

The mission of The Chimes is to equip and encourage readers to participate fully in the life of Acton Congregational Church.

Submissions are welcome. All articles will be edited for style and length. Complete article submission guidelines and deadline schedule are available on the church website.

Interim Senior Minister Sue Remick Associate Minister Barbara Aiello Associate Minister Emmanuel Akyeampong Moderator Kevin Bolen Secretary Nikki Graham Editors Molly Mink, Trudy Khosla

When You Pray "In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." - Philippians 4:6

In Need of Prayer? If you have a prayer request and would like to be on our Prayer Chain, speak to a pastor directly or use the “My Prayer Concern” card (found in Fellowship Books, pews, or on the Opportunity Table) and place in the offering plate. Indicate if you would like requests shared with the congregation. You may contact Rev. Sue, sue@actonc.org, with any questions. Many blessings.

New Prayers:

• Kayla Nelson, who was admitted to hospital overnight for stomach pain. She is home but her mom Kirsten has asked for prayers for her healing and for answers to her pain.

Ongoing Prayers of Healing for:

• Michael J. Coakley, 32, on his death, in Albany, NY of an opiate overdose. He is the son of Rev, Barbara’s dear family friends.

• Mary Bendig, mother-in-law to Ruth Bendig, on the death of her sister, Frances

• Carmella Childs, 7, daughter of Rev. Barbara’s cousin Sean, in thanksgiving, for coming through cancer surgery successfully.

• Chris O’Connell, who is home recovering.

• Tim Scheiflebein, and his family, friend of Laura Krieger, who is facing serious challenges with his cancer treatments.

• Jim, a friend of the church, struggling with ALS.

• Tom Hotaling, Prayers for strength and a full recovery.

• Kylie Lunt, who is in treatment for leukemia and is suffering from a fever and serious respiratory problems. Prayers for healing and support for her mom, Heather Lunt.

• Tanya, a friend of Amy Roy, who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Prayers are also needed for her two young

daughters. • Sophia, Cindy Haase’s niece, who lives in California and is out of her coma. Prayers also for her family and friends.

• Audrey Bera, who was diagnosed with an esophageal problem.

• Rev. Dr. Richard Olmsted, ACC Pastor Emeritus, in skilled nursing care at Christian Community Homes and Service, 1320 Wisconsin Street, Hudson, WI. 54016.

• Nicolas, grandson of Joan Gardner.

Ongoing Prayers of Sympathy for:

• For all those facing all kinds of storms.

LOVE AND SERVE

Acton Congregational Church