The Williston-West Navigator

Liturgically and honestly, we are entering the “waiting season” of Advent. It seems to me that we spend a good portion of our lives waiting, even in a multi-tasking age when so much is automated and instant. Even still, there is something markedly different about “intentional waiting.” These four weeks that precede Christmas are opportunity for just that: intentional waiting and preparation. What are the things that mark our waiting with purpose?

Again and again, it is the music of this season (you will notice that I have added a third hymn to our morning worship service!) that calls my heart to center, that carries me from one week to the next, pushing me to reflect, remember, celebrate and even to mourn. I can hardly think on Christmas without also thinking of Lent and Easter. They are so interconnected in my faith and in my knowing that I seem to experience them together. The cycle of birth, of living, of suffering, of dying and then being reborn is the cycle of the Christian story. We are called to live this cycle from beginning to beginning again each year.

I admit that Advent is my favorite time in the church year. I love the sweetness of it, even if tinged with looming sorrow. I love the shortness of it, for it catches my attention in a necessary way. I love the symbols and the sensuality of it: the candles and the evergreens, the colors and the promise of light. During these quick days of Christmas chaos, I wish for you music that will cause your heart to come back to center. I wish for you quiet moments in which you can remember times past—the good and the not so good. I wish for you serenity that your waiting, for whatever is ahead in your life, will be without fear, but I wish for you a healthy anxiety that also will cause you to move forward.

In closing, let me offer a prayer for us all:

		God of the Anxious Times, we do not know how to wait well.
		We toss and turn without sleep, we get fearful and panicked,
		We doubt you and sometimes we even get angry and impatient.

 		Sweep us up in the spirit of this season.
		Show us how to trust simply, that hope of something different is possible.
		Offer us peace that we would recognize and accept there is a way through.
		Bless us with love in our daily-ness, and an ability to see with gratitude.
		Relish in the joy of re-birth with us, a chance for change, for new beginnings,
		New life in you.

 		God of Magic and of Promise, of Incarnation and of Miracles
		Inspire us then to move from Christmas into the living of our days:
		Taking stock of how far we have come by faith,
		And stepping forward knowing that we are well prepared and supported
		For all that is ahead of us yet.
		Amen.

Greetings All,

The fall season is typically a time to reflect on the year that is quickly passing and a time to take stock of successes and challenges along the way. Here is an update on the financial health of our church to-date. We began 2007 facing a $32,000 gap in pledge support for the year. Coupled with the decline in actual pledge support, we had a difficult year here financially at Williston-West, facing a total deficit of approximately $42,000.

So far this year, we have drawn $30,000 from our credit line at Maine Bank & Trust as well as our annual budgeted $12,252 from the endowment. These funds have all gone towards meeting our operational expenses – oil, payroll, phone, postage, etc. We are managing our expenses overall very well as everyone seems mindful of our financial state.

On the bright side, we received more rental income than expected and we will surpass our budget by over $7,000. Also, the Christmas Fair is right around the corner and will also provide a welcome boost !

As we move into 2008, let us pray for a successful stewardship campaign in order to be able to fund our community outreach work that is ever so important. Thus far we’ve received pledges in total of about $64,000, a figure that includes most of our covenanted members and that is well below the budgeted amount of $111,000 we’ll need to meet our anticipated expenses for 2008. As we look to the horizon of a new dawn rising on our beloved church community, let us treasure the friendships that we have built, the good works that we do, and continue to welcome additional spiritual travelers into our fold. 2008 promises to be a year of building up and I look forward to providing news of financial improvement next year.

As always, the Board of Trustees and I welcome any questions that you may have about the finances of the church.

Christmas is definitely one of my favorite times of year. From an early age I learned all of the Christmas Carols in school, knew every one by heart, and sang them with great enthusiasm and joy. Being a PK (preacher’s kid) even as wee little kids we went to all the services.loved the early Christmas Eve service for families and the candle light service at 11am. When the Christ candle was lit at midnight I knew Jesus was born and he would make everything right with the world. Well, I am not quite as innocent any more and know that a lot has changed since I was a kid. Our kids no longer learn carols at school (what a shame) so it's important that we teach them at church and home. I encourage you to sing carols with your kids and grandkids and share your past Christmases with them. Teach them the true meaning of Christmas.

This year, the youth of the church will do a new Christmas pageant filled with Christmas Carols and the nativity story from so long ago. I guarantee they will bring the story to life as only children can. And this year, it will be part of the Christmas Sunday service. Please be sure to join us on December 23rd and share the joy of Christmas with our young people.

One of my favorite (Christian) artists is Amy Grant. She sings a number of contemporary and Christmas songs. One of my favorite is My Grown-up Christmas List.

In the chorus she sings about her life long wish:

     “No more lives torn apart,        Every one would have a friend,
     Wars would never start,           Right would always win
     Time would heal our hearts.       Love would never end.
     This is my life long wish.        This is my life long wish.”

     “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger;
     Who announces peace,
     Who brings good news,
     Who announces salvation,
     Who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’.”
     --- Isaiah 5 2:7

This time of year the missions committee initiates one of the five special offerings for the UCC Wider Mission. It is the Christmas Fund, dedicated to serving low income retired ministers and church employees.

Because needs of retired and low income clergy and lay employees of the United Church of Christ are year-round, your contributions to the annual Christmas Fund Special Mission Offering, formerly known as the Veterans of the Cross, work throughout the year, not just during the Christmas season.

The proceeds for the Christmas Fund are used to provide support to clergy and lay employees in all life stages of their ministry to and through the United Church of Christ. Dollars given to the Christmas Fund go directly to those who serve or have served the church in their moment of need. Currently over 1,330 families have received either a one-time grant or are receiving continuing assistance through the gifts to the Christmas Fund.

Support has been provide to seminarians who experienced a life crisis, to active clergy and lay employees whose finances have been compromised by tragedy or illness, and to retired clergy and lay employees with marginal incomes, supplementing both their incomes and the payment of health care.

The Christmas Fund offering will be received on Sunday, Dec. 23rd.Please consider giving this year.

For the past few years we have provided Christmas presents for the residents at Long Creek Development Center. We will be doing this again, but this year it will be a little different.

They would like to provide each resident with a holiday package containing the following:

Long Creek has provided me with the names, slipper sizes, and the titles of books or magazines requested by the residents. These residents are boys between the ages of 14 and 17. I will have a Christmas tree set up and you can select a name. I will have a box in the hallway for the presents. They should be unwrapped, and will be wrapped by the elves at Long Creek.

Please bring your gifts to church by December 16th.. Let’s make this a Merry Christmas for these young men. If you have any questions please feel free call me at 767-3934 or see me at church.

The year 1905 was a transforming one at Williston Church. The spacious new parish house designed by John Calvin Stevens was dedicated with great ceremony. At the same time major renovations to the church itself were unveiled. The sanctuary space was enlarged to include the south transept. A new pulpit and a refurbished organ were installed. And five large figural stained glass windows were designed.

Two of the 1905 windows are linked to the Advent season. Located on the north wall, they feature popular scenes from the story of Jesus’ birth and infancy. One window illustrates the episode often called the Adoration of the Shepherds. The other shows Mary holding the baby Jesus, an image also known as the Madonna with Child. The windows were probably designed by Alfred Hermann Schroff, a prominent stained glass designer, church decorator, and painter working in Boston during this period.

The Adoration of the Shepherds window is based on the brief passage in Luke 2:16 that tells of a visit by shepherds to the baby Jesus. In the window Jesus is shown wrapped in a blanket and held in Mary’s lap. Three shepherds crowd closely around them. One has a canteen hanging from his belt and kneels at Mary’s side. Another holds his hat and gazes down at the child. The third, carrying a staff, stands behind Mary. The bearded face peeking out from the back right is probably the baby’s father, Joseph. A bright shining star sends golden rays down on the scene.

The Adoration window is inscribed “In Loving memory of Percy William Parker.” It was donated by James Wiley Parker and Lizzie Parker. James Parker was a Williston deacon and member of the church’s building committee. The window honors one of the Parkers’ sons who died at a young age. The tender expressions on the shepherds’ faces as they gaze at the child make it an especially moving tribute.

The Madonna with Child window shows Mary dressed in white and blue robes, standing with the infant Jesus in her arms. It’s a familiar subject to many paintings and stained glass windows. The window is dedicated “In memory of Mabel Hooper Nickerson” and was a gift to the church from her husband, A. Eugene Nickerson. Mabel Nickerson was a devoted member of the church and active in many committees, including Christian Endeavor and the Covenant Daughters.

Both the Adoration and the Madonna windows feature decorative architectural frames surrounding the figures. Each frame is made up of colorful arches, spires, and columns made of stained glass. Several different kinds of glass are used to create these pictures – painted glass, colored opaque glass, opalescent glass (with milky tones), drapery glass (made with folds), and even one jeweled piece (faceted like a gemstone). See if you can find it!

This past month meant another period of rapid change for the church and for the Deacons Group. We spent an evening with outgoing interim minister June Boutwell getting a last opportunity to do fellowship and socialization with her at Margarita's Restaurant on St. John St. Then a few days later on Sunday 10/28 we had a good-bye fellowship luncheon for June in Fellowship Hall where church members and attendees got an opportunity to talk and socialize one last time with June on her last official Sunday working at Williston-West Church.

That very week began Gina Finocchiaro’s start as our called minister. She has already met with the Deacons Committee as luckily our monthly meeting was as early in November as the calendar allows (11/8). The meeting was very lengthy and productive, and several important church issues were addressed.

These include the Deacon's participation in the Christmas Fair and our annual Advent Programming..

This year the Advent Program will be held in our parlor room on consecutive Tuesday evenings from 6:00PM-7:30PM starting on Tuesday December 4th and running through December 18th. These family-friendly Advent sessions will be modeled after a fireside chat format where attendees will be invited to share stories and memories of Christmases past and to reflect back on what Christmas has meant for them and what it means now.

Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ responds to the call of Christ through public witness, policy advocacy, issue education, and grassroots empowerment to build a more just, compassionate and inclusive world. TheUCC Justice and Peace Action Network (JPANet) is our denomination’s grassroots advocacy network.

You may join the Network by visiting the UCC website (www.ucc.org/justice/). By doing so, you will receive weekly emailed “action alerts”. If you choose to take action on an alert, you are provided with an email text to send which can be easily edited to suit your own point of view. There is strength in working together on peace and justice issues, become informed!

Working on weekends is nothing new for physicians, but for me this Sunday afternoon was not really work. So it is, that on a beautiful October 28th, I enjoyed myself as a delegate, together with Bob Witham, June Boutwell, and Gina Finocchiaro, participating in the affairs of the Cumberland Association at its 185th annual meeting, held at the First Parish Church in Freeport.

Aside from housekeeping business, there were three presentations; and these were of special interest to your delegation from Williston-West because of our recent changes in ministry.

The first was a history of the Cumberland Association. During the past year brief histories of the member churches were collected, including date of establishment, language of the covenant, etc. The oldest is the First Parish in Brunswick (1717). Even in early days, there were mergers, with, for example, several having gathered together to form Black Point (1822). We at Williston-West are relatively new: 1873. ...And there was a surprise for me (but not our other delegates from WW) regarding the name of the denomination: “Church of Christ” was in use before “Congregational”.

The second was on the seven different categories of temporary ministry currently in use:

1. Substitute preaching for a few weeks. (Phil Shearman and Phil Crane have frequently done this for us.)
2. Short-term: “bridge” ministry. (June Boutwell was a bridge minister for WW this summer.)
3. Sustaining ministry: “interim”. (Bonnie Steinroeder was our interim minister this past year.)
4. “Planned long-term transitional”. The death of the minister might be an occasion for this type.
5. “Unplanned long-term transitional”. This might arise when a short term minister found after arrival that there were serious problems which needed resolution before seeking a settled minister.
6. Student ministry.
7. “Redevelopment, turnaround ministry”. In this situation, a temporary minister is considered a candidate for the settled minister position. This is the most controversial, both within the congregation and vis-a-vis the national body of the UCC. In prejudicing selection, this type of ministry is likely to divide a church. (Bob Witham notes that although each church is autonomous to large degree, the procedures of the national body still deserve consideration because of the covenant relationship between the two.) Finally, an invited guest from the Piscataquis Association read a research paper which she had written on the defining characteristics of one of those categories, the Interim Ministry. Being an Interim is a professional choice of career, and in training there is some field work, which is monitored. It is similar to a consultancy, in some respects, and one never instigates new programs of a sweeping nature.

Besides serving God and the congregation, he/she must also keep in mind the position of the settled minister. The Interim has several tasks:

1. Coming to terms with the history and traditions of the church.
2. Coming to terms with the leadership, where there is evidence of burnout.
3. Engaging the congregation in self-study.
4. Renewing links with the Association/Conference, where those have weakened.

She concluded that the Interim is a commitment to a new direction in ministry. She found the research to be rewarding...but cautioned that it is people, not papers, that matter. The Interim will, indeed, find that one of those people - himself/herself - will undergo new changes in the process.

In looking back over the past year or so, it is evident that we have been blessed to have had two temporary pastors with the finest, complementary qualities: our Interim, Bonnie Steinroeder, with the inspiration to us of her deep faith; and our Bridge, June Boutwell, with her amazing ability to organize in three short months the affairs and spaces of the church for the benefit of our new settled minister.

Yes, it was an enjoyable Sunday afternoon; and these meetings are not without humor: one of the delegates stood up to comment and forgot what she was going to say.... A pause, then, ”I’m feeling old”. (A lot of laughter, mostly in sympathy!)

The patients at the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa send thanks to the members of Williston-West UCC who joined with others to provide 280 scarves for their use..

To learn more of the situation facing these women go to www.fistulahospital.org and click on the “Walk to Beautiful” note on the right.

                                   What does Christmas mean to you?

                                   What are your favorite memories?


              Come join us in Williston-West’s parlor for discussion and fellowship throughout
              this Advent season. This family-friendly event series takes place:


                    Tuesdays in December –the 4th, 11th and 18th from 6:00—7:30pm.

Williston-West’s new knitting group will be meeting monthly to share fellowship and enjoy time knitting. Please come even if you have never knit before! We have some quick and easy patterns! December’s date is still to be determined, but for more information, please call Linda Riddell through the Church office.

This Christmas consider:

• Enjoying a few meals illuminated only by a Christmas Tree.
• Helping an elderly neighbor decorate his or her home.
• Saving a copy of your child’s letter to Santa to enjoy for years to come.
• Letting someone with few groceries go ahead of you in line.
• Ordering and paying for pizza for a neighbor. Tell the delivery person to say it’s from Santa.
• Asking children to share what they want to give for Christmas, rather than get.
• Offering to babysit for new parents so they can go Christmas shopping.
• Choosing a new ornament for each child in your life every year. Offer them as a starter set for their own tree when they leave home.
• Discovering the quiet satisfaction of anonymous giving.
• Committing to at least one act of volunteerism with your family this season.
• Trading out baking with two friends -- each bake a triple recipe and give a batch to one another .
• Hanging mistletoe!
• Giving your family the gift of your best disposition, especially in times of holiday stress.
• Starting a new tradition.
• Reaching out to a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.