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From The Pastor's Study Eric Kelley We are a historical people who stand on a long religious tradition that has roots set deep in a theology firmly grounded in the Bible. Tradition and its history are very important and healthy as long as they remain a springboard to the future, focused upon the courage to follow the totally unpredictable movement of God’s Holy Spirit. When we lose courage to be led by the Spirit and follow its course through uncharted waters, tradition becomes like a millstone around our necks - holding us in a time that will never be again. The church in general has been notorious for remaining bogged down in the past because it has feared the reality of death. It seems as if the church tries to stop time out of fear of the unknown, while neglecting the energy of the moment and the spark that ignites a future that makes life an adventure and truly worth living. When we finally accept the truth that we are all frail, finite human beings who control nothing, God is able to do great things through us. As we have finished another church year, with the opening of Advent on November 27, and are creeping up on the ending of our secular year on December 31, we have much to celebrate in our church family. That blessing comes not only in the celebrations we share with laughter and jubilation but more importantly the times we stand together when we are forced to own our frailty. We find strength in doing so for the greatness of God, which alone is able to make all things new and can only be known in confessed weakness. This is the paradox of life that is so frighteningly difficult for us to accept because it requires the facing of our vulnerability and acknowledgment of our dependence upon the Creator of all life. If there is a thread of honesty in us, we must say that we know this struggle all too well. It is like we know the truth but find it frightening to follow because we would have to change so many things about us. The birth of Christ has been embellished over the centuries with traditions that can rob it of its greatest truth and leave us with more questions than answers. But we do know this; God broke into the world through the vulnerability of a baby born in poverty in a land occupied by foreign invaders. No matter how we try to upgrade this scenario to fit our culture - and every culture has tried to do so we are left with the truth that the yearnings of our souls will only be satisfied in the humble confession of our frailty in the presence of the Almighty whose power alone is eternal. This is the season of longing, of deliverance, of eager expectations. In Christ, our deepest yearnings are fulfilled. May God bless your Christmas with the birth of Christ in your heart. Blessings to you all, Eric  Moderator's Message Ted Malette On Christmas Day, 2005, more than 1,700,000,000 people will celebrate the birth of a baby who came into this world over 2000 years ago. All over the planet, people will pause in joyous celebration of this one life which has made such a major difference in the world. The ministry of Jesus Christ lasted no more than three years, yet it resulted in a movement which continues to grow after twenty centuries. This is a movement which has exerted a profound influence in every corner of the world. In just a short time, a man of modest means planted the seeds that would impact the course of civilization and touch billions of lives. This movement started with no great fortune or large army, but with the passion, truth, love, commitment and sacrifice of a child born in a manger. Christmas is a time for giving. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, and the spirit of giving which is embodied in the first Christmas, take pause and think about your gifts. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. It is a simple truth, yet profound and powerful. Life consists of giving. We are, each of us, unique, with our own contributions to make. At the same time we are part of a greater whole. Giving keeps us connected. The more we give of ourselves, the more we gain strength as a group. Anything that we truly and sincerely give we will never lose. Here at Williston West, many of you have given great gifts of your time and resources. These gifts are not tokens but an expression of love and caring. You have given of yourself, but your gift is not gone, it is bigger and better than ever. It is the joy of a family in CELEBRATION. Joyous Christmas blessings to all of you from Judy and me, best wishes for a safe and blessed new year.  God Is Still Speaking Religion, especially to the unchurched, has a way of running together in our country. It goes something like this to people who have been hurt or otherwise turned off by the church: "If you’ve seen one Christian you’ve seen them all." That simply isn’t true and never was. As members of the United Church of Christ we are part of a national initiative to tell the world who we are. You have noticed the big banner in the front of our sanctuary which proclaims the overriding theme of this national campaign, Never Place A Period Where God Has Placed A Comma. God Is Still Speaking. This truly sums up what we believe is the initiative of God, who remains relevant to our time by addressing issues in the present while drawing on the wisdom of the past. Other proclamations around our sanctuary (in smaller poster form) drive this message home. They include: Our Faith Is Over 2,000 Years Old. Our Thinking Is Not. We Don't Sing "Come Some Of Ye Faithful!" If You Think Getting Up Sunday Morning Is Hard, Try Rising From The Dead! If Jesus Embraced Lepers, Prostitutes and Convicts, Shouldn't We? None of this is to say that we are better than others or that we sit in judgment of others, but it is saying that we have a unique openness that we believe is in line with the teachings of Jesus, and we are consciously stepping up in His name. We believe that we have listened to God in the past and true to our theme, God Is Still Speaking and We Are Listening! As is any high and holy endeavor to understand the perfect nature of God, we are doomed to failure, for our aspirations are beyond us. Still, in our faithfulness amidst our human frailty, we follow what we believe while always listening for deeper truths from God that can only come as we seek to walk the walk in our time. Our Advent Program for 2004, the time of preparation for the birth of Christ, the Prince of Peace, into this chaotic and violent world, will be a guided exploration of our denominational initiative to know the paths God sets out for us to walk. I hope you will take advantage of this program, for it is another potentially life-changing event that may very well give you the gift of peace right now! The United Church of Christ bears a testimony that must not be lost and we are seeking ways of relevance to see that it isn’t. We are not seeking to be a historical society whose mission is to preserve what has been. We are a people of God seeking to be faithful to what God is calling us to be. Stewardship Committee Joel Gratwick Dear Williston-West Community: The life of Williston-West is very dependent upon your financial support. Please be as generous as possible to the 2006 Annual Fund Drive. As of November 22, fifty-three church members have pledged a total of $67,726 toward our 2006 Annual Fund goal of $111,000. This is great progress; we are more than half way there, but we must hear from everyone to achieve our goal. If you have not yet made your pledge, please send it in the envelope you received, as soon as possible, so that the trustees can plan for next year. And, if you contributed to "The Challenge" this year, consider adding your challenge contribution to your new pledge for 2006. As Eric so eloquently wrote in his appeal letter to us all, "Financial demands are high these days, and the church must deal with this same reality. I am asking you to seriously and prayerfully consider a generous gift to Williston-West Church for the 2006 budget."  From The Trustees Judy Reidt-Parker In attempting to write this article, I have felt challenged by which direction to take. How can I encourage our congregation to embrace the upcoming new fiscal year budget with all its challenges and opportunities presenting themselves? We are expecting a significant increase in the costs for pensions and insurances, as well as the impact of oil and related utilities costs this year. This, in a year when we will be saying goodbye to our Pastor, who has been a part of this church community longer than some of us have been members of the congregation. Many folks have expressed concern about losing some members and thus some amount of pledges due to Eric’s retirement. I must admit while I understand that cognitively, my emotional self strongly resists that idea. A church is not the building, not the Pastor, not one single member of the Congregation. The definition of a church is precisely what we declare from a banner in the sanctuary: "Whenever two or more of you are gathered in my name, I am there." A church is never one person or simply a physical space. A congregation is the collective effort and spirit of a religious community that has agreed to particular social contracts. The social contract members of Williston-West agree to implement is to practice a theology that is grounded in love and forgiveness. Our theology asks that we refuse the status quo and welcome everyone as they are and as they desire to be. We have been fortunate to have a Pastor who has enlivened that theology. We actively live that theology every Sunday and every other day of the week as we strive to put our beliefs into reality. While I appreciate the fear and concern of folks who worry our membership will dwindle as we travel through a collective developmental process of grief and loss with eventual acceptance and renewal, I must reject the idea that the health of this congregation is that dependent on one human being. We will miss Eric, but he has created an opportunity for us that we should not avoid. We can build on what has been accomplished by him and this congregation over the past nineteen years, or we can sit about and wring our hands and whine for what used to be. I, for one, believe that the people I have come to know and love at Williston-West are more powerful than the latter option I just presented. I encourage every one of you to think of two or three congregation members you look forward to seeing at coffee hour. Think about the Christmas Fair, the stunning beauty of the sanctuary at Easter, the moving and inspiring music we experience every week. And then I would ask that you consider assuring that your stewardship pledge truly reflects the joy and love you feel in these contemplations. We are worth every penny.  Welcome New Members A warm welcome to our new members who joined us on Sunday, October 23, 2005: Kristen de Oliveira Ed de Oliveira Wayne Rossignol Jennie Currier  Christian Education Tom Riddell The Sunday school students have been very happy with the response they have received for their fund-raising efforts. The students have raised over $300 toward the Heifer Project. This is well over halfway toward the goal of $500. This came from both the bake sale and donations from the Halloween party. December is an exciting month for Christian Education. The children have already been making ornaments for the Christmas Fair. The kids really love this event. In fact, my own children had two options, both fun that day----and chose the Fair. We are also gearing up for the Christmas Pageant. This event will be held on December 17, time to be announced. This will be followed by a pot luck supper. Please join us for this holiday celebration! We are looking for volunteers to help with this event, as we have depleted our inventory of costumes and props. Judy Reidt –Parker has asked for people to help sew; if you have that skill, we could use a hand. Also someone to refurbish our props would be great! Finally, it is a nice time of year to reflect on the importance of our church to our children’s development. As I interact and work with the children and families, I see how strong and well they really are. The children are becoming a group of ethically conscious, social advocates in the true spirit of Christ. As I have always said I feel the world will be in great hands with this group taking charge. These are really special children who we can be very proud of. My plan for Christmas is to tell them this every chance I get---what a blessing they really are. Please help me in this simple task--Merry Christmas, be safe and happy! 
 There's No Place Like Home! Debbie Cole I had the opportunity to visit Bar Harbor UCC on a Sunday in October. It was Family Weekend at College of the Atlantic, where our son, Shawn, is a first-year student. (He’s having a great semester and is enjoying his college experience tremendously, by the way!) Shawn and Erin were having some special brother and sister time on Sunday morning, so I decided to go check out Bar Harbor’s UCC church. I went to enjoy a worship service, which I did, but I came out with an even greater appreciation of what we have and how we do things at Williston-West! Bar Harbor UCC is a nice-looking, fairly small white church. However, walking up to their big, closed front doors I felt them a little intimidating and not at all welcoming. I was determined and up for an adventure, so I forged ahead and let myself in. It was 9:45 and there were a dozen or so people there. I was not greeted by anyone. No one had name tags on. They seemed content to chat with each other and paid no attention to me. I thought it uncaring and also thought to myself, "This wouldn’t happen at Williston-West!" At the back of the sanctuary an usher handed me a bulletin but not much of a greeting. I seated myself fairly close to the front – I didn’t want to miss anything! People came in pretty steadily after that, but none introduced themselves to me, not even the pastor’s husband, who sat in front of me. Finally, after some parishioners came and sat beside me, (I think I was in their pew), and I introduced myself to the lady beside me, I had a nice conversation. Once I broke the ice, she was very friendly and helpful – it made a big difference for me during my worship experience that day. It was a nice service, although the hymns were played too slowly (in my opinion), and after the service ended, a couple of members came to me and introduced themselves, which I appreciated. They wanted to know who I was – I felt more welcome then – but it might be too late for many people checking out the church for possible membership. I appreciate how we do things here at Williston-West even more now. It really means a lot to be greeted at the door, (preferably an open one if weather permits) when you enter a new church for the first time – it’s wonderful to be spoke to, to be escorted into the sanctuary and be given a name tag – people care about you at Williston-West! Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad I worshipped in Bar Harbor that Sunday morning, and I think they are doing some good things, but I couldn’t get over the feeling that they are happy with their congregation the way it is – the way it has probably been for a long time. One gets the feeling that they aren’t all that interested in welcoming new people. ‘Way to go’ Williston-West for always being open and welcoming to all who grace our doors. That’s one of the reasons we are vital, growing and a "happening" church!  Mission to Central America Sherry Thomas Seeds of Learning is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving educational opportunities in rural Latin America. They work with Central Americans to build and equip schools in Nicaragua and El Salvador, educate children and adults, and promote cross-cultural understanding. They have a US office in Sonoma, CA, and field offices in Ciudad Dario, Nicaragua, and Chalatenango, El Salvador. Each year, Seeds of Learning sends ten- to-twelve work groups of volunteers to Central America. These volunteers spend fourteen days working with communities in Nicaragua and El Salvador. While there, volunteers partner with communities, form relationships, build bridges and explore each others’ cultures while erecting or improving a school building. Ciudad Dario is in a mountainous region north of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. During Hurricane Mitch in 1998, over 11,000 people in Nicaragua and Honduras died as a result of the initial storm and of the aftermath of disease. All infrastructure in the region, including roads, bridges and buildings, were swept away by the rain, wind and mud. Seeds of Learning is trying, in its own small way, to help rebuild this area by concentrating on providing school buildings, supplies and community to the residents of the region. How can you help? I will be taking with me a now empty Rubbermaid container with the capacity to hold 70 pounds. Will you help me fill it? Most needed are basic school supplies: pens, pencils, crayons, markers, writing paper, coloring paper, construction paper, scissors, BOOKS IN SPANISH; also requested are simple games: cards, dominos, and JIGSAW PUZZLES. At my last class meeting, we were told that the families in Ciudad Dario are nuts for baseball and soccer. Since I will be playing these games with the children while I am there, the ability to bring equipment with me will be priceless. Most needed are baseballs, softballs, gloves and deflated soccer balls. Used equipment is most welcome. While you are shopping for your own family’s holiday gifts, please consider picking up something for these children who have so little. The deadline literally is Christmas, so there’s time to pack everything up for the trip in January. If you are interested in the mission of Seeds of Learning, check out their website: seedsoflearning.org. I will provide additional information each Sunday about the areas I’ll be in, acting as an armchair tour guide. After the trip, I will report about my experiences to the congregation in church and in The Navigator. Thank you for holding me and these children in your prayers. |
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The Williston-West Church is a member of the
Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC). |
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