The Williston-West Navigator

It is not a retreat, it is a gathering - so what is the difference? It’s all in the name and where certain words take us. A retreat makes us think of a more organized time with an agenda that has specific goals to be met. Whereas a gathering is just that – a time to socialize which includes walks on the beach, conversations on the ledges, enjoying the tranquility of a pond in the middle of a meadow, games, singing, a fire in the evening to roast marshmallows, a lobster dinner (at the best price you will ever see) and worship Sunday morning on the ocean’s edge.

We work hard at this church so a time like this to simply be together with no business agenda is most important. If this sounds good to you please know that you are invited to join us on the weekend of July 26th and 27th.

Many hardy souls bring tents for a camping experience while others who need all the amenities find a B&B in the area or stay at the now famous Blueberry Patch Motel in Jonesboro. It is not too early to make reservations so information on accommodations and other attractions in the area are available in the church office. Other information, including directions will be available as a handout and if you have any other questions please feel free to call me at my study at (207)774-4060.

There will be an admission fee this year but let me explain. You may remember that on Mother’s Day the Mission Committee collected non-perishable milk for Maine’s Seasonal Farm Workers to be distributed through the Maine Migrant Health Program. On a statewide basis, the blueberry harvest, centered in Washington County, is the largest use of farm labor, involving approximately 10,000 Maine Seasonal Farm Workers. During the month of August 30,000 acres of blueberries are harvested Downeast.

At our time of Gathering the buildup of workers is intense in preparation for the blueberry harvest in the month of August. It also marks the workers’ greatest time of need in that no paychecks have been issued and they are getting settled - so we can help. The admission fee of a donation of non-perishable milk will be delivered immediately to the Raker’s Center in Cherryfield for distribution to many families who spend their lives on the road.

We can make a difference - We do make a difference. Be as generous as you can.

The Seeds of Peace Camp, located in Otisfield, Maine, is one of the "branches" of The Olive Tree, Williston-West's international outreach mission. The Seeds of Peace organization is dedicated to empowering the children of war—teenagers who will be the future leaders of their countries—to break the cycle of violence in their homelands.

Last year, in its tenth year of operation, over 450 campers attended summer sessions at the camp. Set in the supportive, relaxed environment of a summer camp in Maine, Seeds of Peace immerses teens from Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Yemen, Tunisia, Cyprus, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Yugoslavia in a month of interaction, leadership training, dialogue and recreation. Campers are selected by officials in their own countries on the basis of their motivation, leadership, and facility with English. Ultimately, the program enables future leaders to get to know one another as people--to put a face and name to their "enemies"-- and to begin to understand each other’s perspectives. Returning home, the teenagers are encouraged to continue their relationships across borders.

The Missions Committee views the Seeds of Peace Camp as an extraordinary organization that is promoting peace in our world through our youth and we believe it deserves our attention and support.

Join us at the camp—it’s really right in our back yard (only one hour away)—and help us plant flowers and hang baskets on cabin porches to create a welcoming environment for the campers. Look for sign up sheets and directions to the camp in Fellowship Hall. We’ll meet at the camp at 9:30 and bring picnic lunches. After we finish our work we'll get a tour of the camp, and if it's a warm day you can even take a dip in the lake. Master gardening skills are not required--just bring a willingness to work and an eagerness to enjoy the lovely setting. (Donations to purchase annuals and flower baskets will be gladly accepted--Contact Betty Kelley through the Church office if you'd like to donate!)

Mark your calendars--Saturday, June 7, 9:30 AM…This is a rain or shine event. Be part of the "miracle in the Maine woods" that is the Seeds of Peace International Camp!

"Celebrate the Spirit" is the name given to the first annual Williston West Choir Concert which will take place on Sunday, June 8 at 2:30 P.M.. The concert will feature sacred music from Thomas Tallis to Hank Beebe and Mark Hayes. There will also be some spirituals thrown in for good measure. There should be something for everyone. The price will be $5.00 for adults and children under 10 are free. The proceeds from the concert will be used for our various missions projects. There will be an intermission and the missions committee will be selling refreshments.

Please mark your calendars. Come and celebrate with the choir. Bring your friends and relatives. It’s a perfect time to show off our beautiful sanctuary. See you there!

The Missions Committee now has carved olivewood Palestinian crafts available for purchase. We will have a table set up at coffee fellowship time each Sunday.

The Palestinian people have suffered great hardships since the beginning of the intifada in 2000.

In his analysis titled "Hungry in Gaza", Peter Hansen, Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), on March 5, 2003, said "In Palestine, the failure of the peace process, and Israel's destruction of the economy have had the effect of a terrible natural disaster.

The world has grown used to the idea that severe hunger manifests itself only in the hollow cheeks and distended stomachs of an African famine. But today in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank an insidious hunger has the Palestinian people in its grip. Hidden in the anaemic blood of children or lost in the statistics of stunted growth, a dreadful, silent malnutrition is stalking the Palestinians.

The populations of Gaza and the West Bank have lived for over two years with checkpoints, closures and curfews that have ravaged their economy. Over half are now unemployed and more than two-thirds are living below the poverty line.

The effect of this economic collapse was felt first in the erosion of family savings, followed by increased indebtedness and then the forced sale of household possessions. The Palestinian extended family and community networks have saved the territories from the absolute collapse that might have been found elsewhere in the face of such rapid decline.

Every dollar is shared in the occupied territory. Anyone with an income or a cousin working abroad supports as many as seven other adults. Nevertheless, after 30 months of the intifada, poverty is increasingly being felt in the stomach."

We hope you will consider purchasing goods made by Palestinian craftspeople. Know that 100% of the proceeds from your purchase of any of the olivewood pieces that are carved in the Holy Land will go to the makers. Please help these people continue to be self-supporting and to live in dignity.

Available for immediate purchase:

Woman at Harvest -- $70.00

Crucifix Statue -- $45.00

Holy Family -- $40.00

Flight Into Egypt -- $35.00

Bust of Jesus -- $20.00

One-Piece Nativity -- $20.00

Cross (Large for Wall) -- $10.00

Cross (Small for Wall) -- $8.00

Pendant Crosses -- $3.00 or 2/$5.00

It’s hard to believe that our Sunday school year is about to end. I would like to take a moment to say thank you to all the people who have supported Christian Education this year. We have a really great bunch of kids that continue to amaze us with their curiosity and willingness to engage the Christian principals. As I often say, I feel really good about direction we are going in this world, knowing that the children who have grown up at Williston-West are the future leaders. It is our commitment to Christian education and Christian values that will make the difference.

Sunday school graduation is going to be held on Sunday, June 8^th. The Children will be active participants in the service. This is a really big day for the Sunday school so please make every effort to attend. The kids have worked really hard all year. I think people will be surprised about the depth of their understanding of the Bible, Jesus and Christian principals. We also have special gifts for the kids and a year end party planned for them.

We are still looking for people to help teach Sunday school over the summer. This is a nice way to become introduced to Christian education. We have a pre-planned story and craft project to do. It really is pretty straight forward, and a lot of fun to boot. If you have questions please talk to me. Again, thank you for all your support.

-- Altar candles @$66.00 per box (doz.)

-- Please purchase an early Christmas gifts of Palestinian crafts – available in the office.

-- Roadrunner for office internet access - about $40 per month

-- VCR & TV combo (TV, VCR AND DVD even better)

-- A long-handled, square-ended, steel shovel

-- Someone with a truck or van to make occasional trips to the dump with large items.

-- Pruning shears, both hand-held and long-handled Yard tools

-- Low wire garden fencing for lawns

-- Any carpentry tools

-- Screws, nails, nuts, hooks – any type of hardware

-- Maintenance supplies

For many, the parables of the New Testament are quaint, old-fashioned stories with little relevance to today’s life. In order to recapture their vitality, author Joseph Girzone has distilled the essence of this Christian teaching in conversationally styled, "bite-sized" tales - The Parables of Joshua - set in the background of current society. We don’t see investors today scratching around a neighbor’s property for some long-forgotten treasure and hoping to make a killing by buying the field. Instead, they involve themselves today in shady stock deals and inside information, but the lesson to be learned is the same.

The parables are presented through the fictional carpenter, Joshua, who also forms the basis of several previous novels by the author. Joseph Girzone retired from the priesthood in 1981 and embarked on a second career as a writer. In 1995, he established the Joshua Foundation, an organization dedicated to making Jesus better known throughout the world.

The Parables of Joshua, is a short book (164 pages) and each parable is only 2-3 pages. It is available at the Portland Public Library or from any library, through inter-library loan.

We are surrounded by names of buildings, roads, parks, piers, etc. that often suggest an historical event, a great personage or, in some cases, a friend or relative of someone involved in the event.
Ever wonder where Williston-West got its name? Very simple. In 1861, State Street Church adopted The Walnut Street Sunday School and supplied it with teachers. In 1866, State Street Church voted to build a new chapel to house the school. At the dedication services attended by 150 children and their parents, it was names "Williston Chapel" as a memorial to Maria Williston Walker, the late wife of The Rev. George Walker, the then pastor of State Street Church. Then in the 1960’s there was a merger with the West Congregational Church, thus giving us our full name today.

Finally, spring has arrived, with the leaves coming out, flowers blooming, and the sun actually shining! It’s almost easy to forget that we just came out of an exceptionally cold, long winter, with a cold, damp beginning to spring as we made it through April.

Almost easy, that is, if you aren’t a Trustee looking at our budget. In general, our church is in the best condition financially that it has been in several years, and I’d like to thank the various department heads, as most of the departments are somewhat under budget at this point. However, the winter has left us with a lasting legacy, and it’s one that will keep on "giving" as we come into the fall. I’m talking, unfortunately, about our oil bills.

Anyone who was paying oil bills this winter knows just how much oil prices skyrocketed at the beginning of the Iraq war, and also knows that we used more oil than usual this year due to the length of the cold weather. Here’s the bad news from the perspective of the church; we have already used more than our total year’s budget for oil! That isn’t going to be a problem over the next few months as we enjoy the warm weather…but it will make things very difficult for us as the fall brings colder weather. The problem is going to be made worse by the fact that we’ve already been warned by our supplier that our prices in the fall are going to be higher than they were last year, when the budget was set.

For the last few months, we’ve been circulating a "wish list" for the various departments, and have received some generous donations of items and money to help allow the church to function more smoothly. This time, you’re getting a "wish list" appeal from us. We’re asking (perhaps "begging" would be a more appropriate term) for donations directly to the oil fund to help us overcome that particular budget problem. Any donations will be applied directly to that line item, and won’t just get absorbed into general income…we don’t budget or tax the way the state and federal governments do! This is a significant problem for us; it could well run to $4,000 over what the budget allowed for, and with a very tight budget such as we have, it’s virtually impossible to find that amount in it. So…please, if you can help, do.

And…hope that we have a warm fall to make up for the cold spring!

Iraq – CWS is providing medical and hygiene supplies for two pediatric centers. CWS is supporting eight churches in Baghdad and four churches in other parts of Iraq to serve as relief centers and shelters. Basic food, blankets and hygiene kits are provided.

Senegal – CWS and its partner in Senegal are helping women learn how to produce food on a 12 ½ acre lot of land, with water provided by a motorized pump and drip irrigation system.

Philippines - CWS is helping partners meet the needs of 8,000 families displaced by civil war. In addition to rice, canned goods, sugar, salt, dried fish and cooking oil, families will receive sleeping mats and light blankets. A medical team is providing medicines and health care.

Sudan – CWS is helping partners meet the needs of 25,000 families uprooted by civil war with seeds and tools, emergency resettlement kits, plastic sheeting and sanitation programs.

Kentucky – CWS, in response to severe weather, provided 500 kits to families and elderly people in Louis County where 750 homes and a nursing facility were without power.

Guam – A super typhoon with wind gusts of up to 180 miles per hour struck communities, destroying 2,000 homes and damaging infrastructure.

The One Great Hour of Sharing offering is one of the many ways the Williston-West congregation reaches out to serve others. Through it we have a yearly opportunity to assist people in great need who may live far away from our own neighborhoods, whether their lives have been disrupted by war, weather-related disaster, or poverty.

This year, $701.80 was collected for OGHS in our church, an increase of about $230 over last year. On top of that, the Deacons’ Fund offering for May collected an additional $170 for use in the war torn country of Iraq, where it will provide health assistance to children and other basic needs for families visiting relief centers in a number of Iraqi cities.

Thank you so much for your concern and your generosity!

The Stewardship Committee held its first meeting for the year on May 8th and discussed the annual pledge drive for the fall 2003.  This Committee is responsible for raising money to fund the operating budget through pledges from members and friends of the congregation. 
The term stewardship refers to our shared care for the livelihood and long term sustenance of our good church.  Each year we have a theme and this past year's was "An Anchor to Windward," reflecting the importance of relying on our wonderful church in hard times, just as a mariner values a stout anchor in turbulent weather. While the church receives income from the rental of church facilities and endowment fund interest, our primary source of support is generated by the annual pledge drive in the fall.  Last year our campaign was a success even in these difficult times and we were delighted by the increase to nearly $1200 for each pledge.   We will keep you posted and welcome any ideas for our fall theme.