Williston-West Church

PASTOR’S NOTES
Eric Kelley

We came from Hawaii and Puerto Rico and hundreds of places in between. We came from Protestant and Catholic churches as small as 60 members to churches of more than 10,000; we were rural and urban and suburban. What we had in common was our quest for excellence in the local church.

The days together provided an unprecedented opportunity to experience each other’s traditions, while seeking the best possible methods to make our churches healthy and holy places. We gave glory to God and searched for ways to satisfy the spiritual hunger in so many lives.

It was a wonderful experience for me where I made new friends and was exposed to models of worship and types of ministry that will bless us in the days ahead. It was one of those experiences that is hard to sum up but will come out of me over time and I think you will know it.

Jesus said according to Mark, the oldest Gospel, "No one uses a piece of new clothe to patch up an old coat, because the new patch will shrink and tear off some of the old cloth, making an even bigger hole. Nor does anyone pour new wine into old wineskins, because the wine will burst the skins and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins."

We have done quite a remarkable job here at Williston-West Church in keeping up with the times while not losing touch with the integrity of Holy Scripture. It is you who have made this all possible by allowing the fresh breath of the Spirit of God to works its wonder in our midst. There are great days ahead!

Grace and Peace,

Eric

Christian Education
Tom Riddell

On June 10th we finished another successful year of Sunday School with our graduation festivities. We gave out more than 20 pins and medallions at the regular church service. Overall we served more than thirty regular Sunday school attendees. In addition, these children were supported by more than twenty church members who taught, supplied, cleaned up after, or attended to these children in a variety of other ways.

My thanks go out to the Christian Education committee who carried the bulk of the weight in supporting the Sunday School (Peggy Cyr, Amy Partridge-Barber, Linda Riddell). As you all have noticed the children have really begun to shine with their Christian values and beliefs-the youth class took on six humanitarian projects: from raising money for blankets to a bake sale for the Seeds of Peace project. When I hear the groups discuss their future and their understanding of the teachings of Christ I assure you the world is going to be in good hands. I am so proud of each and every one of them it brings tears to my eyes.

I am also pleased the church is able to support a regular Summer Sunday school and nursery program for the younger kids. My sister attends a UCC church up the coast---they are unable to provide this service, which leaves my sister and her young family unable to attend church during the summer.

This is another demonstration of the way Williston West is able to include all people who want to attend church. Again, I would like to thank all the people who signed up to teach a class this summer.

The fall is going to bring some exciting changes to the Sunday school program. We are moving to a team leadership approach. These leaders will be expanding the Sunday school program and incorporating more of the church's human resources and talents into the program. Many people have already stepped up with commitments to teach or support the program. But, support does not mean you have to teach a section of classes. One of our members simply offered to get craft supplies. Please step forward with any hidden talents or resource-we are building a great program at Williston-West.

Here is the list of children who took part in the Sunday school program:

Challenge Grant - $26,000 and holding!
Stewardship Committee

To date, forty-seven members and friends of Williston-West have stepped forward with pledges or contributions totaling $26,000 to the Challenge Grant for the Endowment. Originally a $25,000 challenge, as a result of our success, the donor has agreed to match all pledges and gifts to date and will continue to match donations up to $27,000 or $9,000 per year.

This increase in the Challenge leaves us with only $1000 to raise. We would hate to "lose" the addition of these funds to the endowment, so we encourage your participation.

The Stewardship Committee is very appreciative of all donors to this Challenge. The anonymous donor made a payment of $9000 in December of 2000, so with the gifts from our community, the Endowment was enhanced by $18,000 in 2000.

Inside the cover of this month’s newsletter is a Challenge Grant pledge form, for your convenience. The pledge form can be returned to the office or placed in the Sunday offering.

Thank you to those listed below who have recognized this opportunity to increase our endowment:

This is the first day of summer and am I looking forward to the next two months! I love the seasons of Maine but the summer season is my favorite. Not to jump the gun or anything but I want to tell you about the next study class that will begin in late September. I am announcing this now so that you may get the book for summer reading and am ready for a rousing discussion and time of learning. The book is Why Christianity Must Change or Die by John Shelby Spong, author of Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism.

We have had good Bible study groups this past year and I think that this is perfect book to guide us as we seek to apply our knowledge to our church structure. We will learn more history about the bible and the church and hopefully apply it in ways that bless us in the present time. If you love the church this can be a very important book. There will be no charge for this course and the only requirement is that you read the book.

Jonesport 10th Anniversary Retreat

The time is here again for you to think about joining your church family for the 10^th annual retreat in Jonesport. If you plan on tenting there is plenty of room but if you need reservations at any of the local B&B’s or the Blueberry Patch Motel in Jonesboro you had better get on the ball.

Some people arrive on Friday night but most come drifting in on Saturday. There is no real agenda other than fellowship and food. Saturday evening we’ll have lobsters, mussels and a potluck. We worship together Sunday morning, eat up the leftovers, clean up and head home.

Directions for getting there and other instructions on what to bring are available in the office. We have many veterans of the retreat and we have one who has had perfect attendance. So if you want to know what it is really all about ask Maggie Robinson.

Mission Committee
Rebecca Gratwick

Seeds Of Peace Planting - a Success!

Many thanks to all who participated in the gardening effort that took place on Saturday, June 9 at Seeds of Peace International Camp in Otisfield, Maine. The day was beautiful, the flowers abundant and the creativity ran high! The result was a gorgeous, colorful welcome to the campers, who arrived from all over the globe in late June. Special thanks go to Diane Tyler and the garden committee for their expertise and guidance throughout the process.

Donations for Seeds of Peace Planting - The Missions Committee is extremely grateful for the outpouring of support for our Seeds of Peace projects. Williston-West members contributed an incredible $150 toward the purchase of the plants! We also received wonderful donations including wooden barrels, flats of annuals and hanging plants from the following local garden centers:

Thank you one and all!

Youth Group Bake Sale - The Missions Committee is also grateful for and thrilled by the Youth Group's contribution of $76 toward our sponsorship of a camper to the Seeds of Peace Camp. The funds were raised at the bake sale held on June 3 during coffee fellowship. Our thanks extend to the dedication and thoughtfulness of our own youths!

Peace of Mind / Discussion with Amer Kamal - Keep in mind that we are planning another fundraiser for the fall featuring the movie Peace of Mind, followed by comments from former "Seed", Amer Kamal. His discussion should be particularly interesting, given the political climate in his region this year.

Don’t forget your Food for Thought donations over the summer months! Reiche School has academic summer school and recreational summer programs with 90 students in each program. Nutritious snacks are still needed.

Membership Committee

All of us make pretty frequent use of the church directory, whether it's to invite someone to dinner, remind a committee member of the next meeting, or simply catch up with good friends. Nothing is more frustrating than checking the directory for a name and phone number, only to find that there's no listing. That's because our church membership has grown considerably since the last directory was published. To solve the problem of the missing info you'll find an enclosure in this newsletter which the Church. Take the sheet, punch some holes, insert it in your directory- Voila! A complete, new directory.

Christmas Fair - only 5 Months Away!

This is the time of year that people get ambitious and clean out the cellar, attic etc. Or maybe you are moving. Then keep in mind GRANNIE’S ATTIC and THE SILENT AUCTION for the BEST LITTLE CHURCH FAIR IN PORTLAND. Yes it is not too early to put aside that very useable item that you will not need again or that unused item you bought or received, but haven’t figured out what to do with. You can help Williston-West by selling them at the FAIR. There’s lots of storage room at the church for any treasures you may have for Grannie’s Attic. Please call ahead so someone can be there to take care of it.

We have two people covering the craft table, Chris Berry and Phyllis Lockhart. Please contact one of them if you are planning to make something for the craft table or if you have ideas for a craft workshop or if you have any comments. Your help is needed!!!!!

Are there any members or friends out there that would like to take on the challenge of advertising for the Christmas Fair? The job is not very time consuming or difficult but we need someone to be in charge of newspaper ads and posters. Call me if your interested contact Sally Campbell through the church office.

PIMAS

PIMAS - it stands for "Palestinian Internet Marketing for Arts and Souvenirs". This is a website made possible by donations from Williston-West Church. However, to keep it active and up to date more funds are necessary.

Your generous donation can be placed in a deacon’s fund envelope - just mark on the outside that it is for www.pimas.org . Thank you.