Newsletter April 23

I know that many of you look forward to hearing the Hot Cat Jazz Band in our service on Mother��s Day. This year, allowing for the availability of the band, and the fact that Mother��s Day is also Pentecost Sunday, the guys will be with us one week earlier, on Sunday, May 4. Don��t miss it!

Anniversary scrapbookers will be needed after May 18^th. Rather than keep all those display boards that were out Sunday, most of the contents need to preserved in one or more scrapbooks. If you have scrapbooking skills, see or email Carol North at carolnorth@usa.net.

A night of toe tapping entertainment and fundraiser benefiting the Youth Group��s mission project in Hartford.

Shawn Mangan is a member of a local band that is wonderfully skilled at ��70��s and ��80��s music and will be playing this evening for us. Bring your friends & family, you don��t want to miss this! Let��s all get together and have an epic First Church Good time!

The Rev. Chuck Ericson has been pastor of the Bolton Congregational Church for 20 years and has compiled, over the years, a repertoire of wonderful Christian folk songs he has written as well as many secular songs with biblical meaning. We always look forward to having Chuck come to visit and share his wisdoms and talents with us- a unique opportunity that shouldn��t be missed. I will save you a seat!

An all-church retreat will be held on Saturday, May 3 at First Church. Any and all church members are encouraged to attend. A sign-up sheet is in the church office.

This is our last Sunday in April, and for many of you the end of your spring vacation from school. It��s hard to go back to school and the regular homework routine, so I am going to make this a very easy Sunday for you! We will do something relaxing and fun. Enjoy it while you can - you��re going to be very busy in May!

When Sunday school ends this June, so does the service of Samantha Armitage in the Toddler Room. We will need coverage for the summer, so I will be looking for volunteers who would be willing to sign up for a Sunday or two in July and August. Please let me know if you are interested, or look for the sign up sheet in Coffee Hour this Sunday.

Are you looking for some beautiful spring flowers for planting at your house? The Cooperative Nursery School is having their annual Spring Flower Sale - now thru April 30^th. Order forms are available on the counter in the church office and may be placed in the Co-op��s mail slot when completed. Thanks so much for your support and happy planting!

The church softball team is still looking for male or female players, ages 16 �C 99 to play in the co-ed NEWBRACC Softball League. For more information, see Peter Gacek.

For almost 50 years, the Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, CT has served the Connecticut UCC and served as the ��vital heart of our outdoor ministry��. On Sunday, Sue Butler Woodward will lead a Second Hour program to introduce us to the campaign to renovate and rebuild Silver Lake, Now, for the Future. Don��t miss this worthwhile program!

First of all, an ENORMOUS thank-you to all who played a part in making my installation such a glorious event! I hesitate to mention individual names, because I will inevitably leave folks out; but special thanks nonetheless to Lynn Anderson and her installation committee for making it all happen so smoothly, Jim Gower and our Choir for their heavenly music, all who participated in the leadership of worship (but especially John Smalley himself, aka Mark Ohanesian), and Lynn Anderson and her liturgical-stole-making team for my wonderful gift. I will leave the anniversary stole on display in the church office for any who would like to see it up-close. We should all be VERY proud of this fabulous worship experience and what it means for our future together! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

And thank you to those of us who gathered on Sunday evening, April 13, to share a pot-luck supper, meet Shari Prestemon, and ��re-connect��? with Back Bay Mission. We had a great turn-out - about 35! And we had the opportunity that same evening to meet Hugh McLean who is the Co-Chair of the Connecticut Conference Capital Campaign entitled ��Now, for the Future: The Campaign for Silver Lake��? Most of the funds raised will be used exclusively for the benefit of Silver Lake Camp and Conference Center, but a tithe (10%) will be given to Back Bay Mission-hence, the connection!

Please remember that this Sunday, April 27, Sue Butler Woodward will be our guest at the invitation of our Church Council. She will introduce the ��Now, for the Future�� campaign in a brief announcement during worship and then will lead a Second Hour program. Please attend!

Finally, remember to give generously to our ��Strengthen the Church��? special mission offering during worship on May 11. This is a new denominational offering for us. It grows the UCC��s future by supporting new and revitalizing congregations, programs for youth and young adults, leadership development and God Is Still Speaking activities.

For those of you who might have missed the festivities, keep checking the church's website-firstnewbritain.org-because we will be posting an article with photos shortly. The colorful pageantry, the great music, and wonderful preaching made for a memorable afternoon this past Sunday. And how'd you like the newspaper coverage? Kudos to Lynn Anderson for arranging that! Thanks to Clara Ellen Van Dorn for her contribution towards purchasing a portrait of Elihu Burritt, a favorite son of the church. And congratulations to Mark Ohanesian for his portrayal of Rev. Smalley!!

Many, many thanks to all the Anniversary Committee members, especially those who will continue working on a few more projects: Ted Duncan, Joyce Petrisko, Martha Moses, Robin Spencer, Judy Robertson, Susan Rathgeber, Lynn Anderson, Pat Johnson, Rod Baker and Chris Porter. Thanks also to non-member, Sally North, of Dallas, TX who's been working for 14 years to produce an alphabetized list of our church members. She's still working on it - from 1945 to the present. What a job !