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Building To Serve News
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 It
was wonderful to welcome our extended community into the new
(but not yet completed) Fellowship Hall to share coffee, donuts
and conversation on Easter morning and to see the promise of
what it will become.
Thank you to all the painters and their countless hours of assistance,
and especially to Andy Mackay and the Men's Fellowship for leading
the efforts. While these efforts have saved....
Read more, see blue
prints, FAQs, and a collection of photos of the process so far |
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Youth
Group News
(view all Youth Group info) |
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All youth in 7th grade and higher, as well as their friends,
are invited to be a part of The Gilead Congregational Church
Youth Group which seeks to "provide the youth of the church
and community with regular opportunities to participate in Christian
service and fellowship". The Youth Group is a large and
very active group who meet the second Sunday of every month
during the school year. |
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25th Annual Foodshare Walk Against HungerSunday, May 4th @12:45 PM |
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Colchester Elder Center Visitation: Tuesday,
May 13th @2:15 |
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Monthly Meeting: Sunday,
May 18th @6:00 |
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Serve noon meal at Covenant Soup Kitchen: Saturday, May 24th at 9:45 a.m. |
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Photos of Recent YG Events: |
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Crop Walk('07) |
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Kick-off Meeting ('07) |
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Foodshare Walk ('07) |
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After all of the months of planning, it's hard to believe the trip is finally happening!
A group of 19 people (8 youth and 11 adults) headed to Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, MI. They
left early on Sunday, April 20th and will be returning on Saturday, April 26th.
While they are there, they will be working to help with the relief and recovery still going on from Hurricane Katrina.
On Sunday, April 27th, they will be sharing their experiences during the worship services.
In the mean time, the Back Bay workers are keeping a daily blog. Use this link to read what they are up to as well as
see some photos. Read Blog
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| Today's Lenten Devotional |
| Lenten Devotional |
| No Reading Today |
| Lent is over, but the devotionals are still available to read. |
| Devotional Menu |
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Announcements
(view monthly newsletter announcements) |
| Remember our PRAYER LINE is always on call to lift
up your needs to the Lord in prayer. Please call Bernie Hibbard
at 228-9557, or Renee Ellis at 228-3363. All requests are confidential. |
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Connecticut Conference Annual Meeting: Will be held on Saturday, May 10th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the South Congregational Church (9 Pleasant St.) in Middletown. The Rev. Clifford Aerie, the United Church of Christ’s Minister for Creativity and the Arts, will be the keynote speaker for the first part of the Conference’s 141st Annual Meeting. Cliff is a jazz saxophonist, storyteller and a media producer. Also you are invited at 7:00 p.m. to experience an evening of Global Village Jazz preformed by the Oikos ensemble. To learn more, visit their website at www.oikos-ensemble.com.
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Landscaping Day: With our building project nearing completion, plans are in the works for beautifying the grounds. Please plan to join us on Saturday, May 10th from 9:00 a.m. to noon. We’ll be forming “Bed” teams and having a lot of fun while getting everything looking great for the dedication on Sunday, June 8th.
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Blanket Sunday: The Board of Missions will be holding their annual collection for the Blanket Program, a Church World Service Project, on Mother’s Day (May 11th). We invite you to honor your mother or grandmother or special woman in your life with a gift to the Blanket Program. For a $5 dollar donation, you will receive a Mother’s Day card and will be providing Church World Service with funds to help those in desperate need. A table will be set up following worship service during the weeks prior to Mother’s Day and you may also speak with Pam D’Amico or Ruthanne Hadley if you would like to make a contribution or if you have any questions.
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Beanies For Preemies: Beanie Babies are being collected once again this year to donate to a local hospital. The Beanie Babies are used to help position premature infants properly during their time in intensive care. Some Beanie Babies are also given to other children in the unit to provide comfort. Give a Beanie to a Preemie! A basket will be located in front of the sanctuary for the donations. The Beanie Babies will be donated to the hospital after Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11th. If you have any questions about this collection, please contact Jane Straut (228-1860) or Ginny Huhn (228-1459).
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Covenant Soup Kitchen: The Youth Group will be preparing and serving the noon meal at the Covenant Soup Kitchen on Saturday, May 26th. Members and friends of the congregation are asked to consider contributing a potato or macaroni salad, or homemade dessert for the meal. There is a sign up sheet in the back of the Sanctuary. Salads and desserts can be dropped off at the church on Saturday, May 26th between 9:30 and 9:45 a.m. If you have any questions, please speak with Rev. Esslinger (228-3077).
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Summer Sunday School: The Summer Sunday School session begins June 15th, following Children’s Sunday on June 8th. Two broadly graded classes (in addition to the nursery) will be offered - one for pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, and one for grades 1 – 3. To give our teachers a break, we are asking for volunteers to teach one or two weeks during the summer. A curriculum is provided. Crafts or other activities are also encouraged. The summer sessions are intended to be less rigorous with regard to Christian education than during the formal school year. We’ve been told that the children enjoy our summer program and parents find it easier to come to worship more often during the summer. Please consider teaching once or twice during the summer break. Speak with Annette Langevin (228-1313) if you are interested or have any questions.
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We
welcome you with joy in the life of this church, our community, and our
nation! We promise you our friendship, our prayers, and by the power of
the Holy Spirit may we continue to grow together in God's knowledge and
love and be witnesses of our risen Savior!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. My grandmother had a habit of always
saying "thank you" three times. I imagine she did it to be sure that
people got just how thankful she was. She did this especially in her
later years, as she got into her late 80's and early 90's, and was
able to do less for herself and depended more on others. I know this
wasn't easy for her as she was always an independent and "can do"
type of person. Somehow, and I believe it was through her ...