The Williston-West Navigator

Question: Who is on the Stewardship Committee?

Answer: Everyone who worships at Williston West UCC.

Question: What does a steward do?

Answer: Take care of his/her church!

This year’s campaign for funds to operate our wonderful church will kick off with an evening of fun and merriment at Williston-West’s very own OKTOBERFEST on Friday, October 22, in the parish hall. We hope you have already marked your calendars, will come to share in a German meal, listen to some typical German band music and turn in your pledge card that very night.

In an effort to distance our fund-raising from the holidays and the Christmas Fair, our committee has elected to finish our stewardship campaign by November 1st. Ambitious? Yes! But, since we are all stewards, we want to send our church home into solid financial footing for the upcoming year. The success of the campaign is up to you!

You should have received a postcard announcing Oktoberfest by now. Soon a letter will come, reminding you of our campaign, with a pledge card enclosed. You may send it in, bring it on the night of Oktoberfest or put it in the plate during Sunday worship. Our goal is to collect as many pledges as we can at the Oktoberfest. Expect to hear from a member of the committee during the following week, should we miss seeing you on October 22.

Our mission is serious. Funds to operate the missions and expenses of our church are necessary. However, we believe there is nothing wrong with having a little fun as we raise the money needed. Please come on October 22 to make Oktoberfest a memorable evening in every way: great attendance, no leftovers and enough money to allow our trustees the freedom to run the operations of Williston-West Church with zero deficit.

The Stewardship Committee: Joel Gratwick, Gracie Johnston, Deb Murray, Bruce Lewis, Peter Clifford and Donna Kane

Twice this past year, I have been amazed by statements people made to me in unexpected places, at unexpected times. The first time was in St. Lewis, MO, where I had tagged along with my husband, Charles, to visit with longtime clergy friends while he conducted a weekend storytelling conference... On Sunday, after the church service at which Charles preached, I came down the aisle and greeted him at the door, along with other members of the congregation. When I somewhat factiously shook his hand, Charles said, "There is a man over there who wants to speak to you." I was dumbfounded, and asked who he was. "I don’t know," he replied. "He just asked if my wife was with me because he needed to speak to her."

Hesitantly, I walked over to the man Charles had pointed out and introduced myself. "You wanted to speak to me?" I asked.

"Yes, I did," he said, after telling me his name. "You probably don’t remember, but two years ago, my wife and I were taking some time off, sailing around Florida and up the East Coast. One Sunday, we found ourselves in Apalachicola, FL, and we decided to look around the little town. We got as far as the Episcopal churchyard, where there was a monument to a doctor who discovered the principle of air conditioning. As we read the inscription, it started to rain.

"You were on the front porch of the church, and when you saw us in the rain, you called out to us and invited to come to the church service which was about to begin. We are both Episcopalians, but we had not planned to go to church that day. You said, ‘It doesn’t matter if you have on church clothes. Come in; I think you’ll like it.’ We did come in, and we did like it. Everyone was so friendly.

"My wife could not come with me today because we have something going on with our grandchildren, but when I saw in the paper that your husband was going to be preaching here today, I had to come and tell you how much it meant to us that you invited us to church. During the rest of our trip, NO ONE ELSE INVITED US TO CHURCH OR SPOKE TO US WHEN WE WENT!"

Needless to say, I was overcome by the fact that he had made such an effort to come thank me for such a small thing. I had not asked them to sit with me, I had not told them I was the bishop’s wife, I had not done anything but smile and welcome them to church. To me, his story said a lot more about what others had not done than what I had done.

This past August, we were vacationing with friends who have a cabin in Maine. We went to their local church with them on the Sunday we were there. The only other time we visited there was three years ago, when we also attended this lovely little church. We went in and were seated. Just before the service began, I noticed an attractive couple come in and smile and wave to someone. I looked around to see if our friends were waving back, but they were looking in another direction.

I couldn’t decide to whom these people were waving, but I smiled vaguely and then the service began. I forgot about them as we began the hymn.

After church, our hosts led us to the parish hall, where coffee and pastries were offered at a coffee hour. As I made a detour to the bathroom, the same couple approached my husband and introduced themselves. They asked where I was, and he told them I would be right back. When I returned, I was greeted by warm smiles and told their names. Then one of them said," We remember you from when you were here three years ago. As the congregation was leaving the church, you spoke to us and introduced yourself. We were so struck by the fact that you were the visitor but spoke to us, instead of the other way around, that we have made it our ministry since then to speak to all the visitors who come to our church.

Again, I was astounded. I was the person to whom they were speaking and smiling before church!

It seems to me that all of us need to be aware that we have a ministry to give the church and each other. Even if you are shy, a smile is not so hard to give. A warm hello or a short conversation – "Glad you are here!" "Please come back again." "I don’t think we have met." – anything! People are looking for warmth. They are looking for a place to belong. They are looking for a place where someone knows their name...

The parishioners of every church I have ever been to in over forty years of marriage to a priest and bishop think that they are a friendly church. Usually what that means is that they are friendly among themselves. Newcomers frequently have to work their way in by sheer determination. My dream is that no one will ever again be surprised when they are greeted warmly at church and engaged in conversation by someone who truly is interested in them. Who better to do this than us, persons who have loved our Church and worked for it in some capacity over the years? ...Try tossing smiles and hellos around. The results may amaze you.

I am excited. Every committee was represented at the September 12 council meeting and if that were not enough, they all have great plans for the future, both short and long term: The membership committee has a great Pot Luck Dinner planned, and more Suppers of 8 for the spring. Missions has many projects underway and will soon bring forth its newly designed Apple Tree for community service. Christian Education is planning a Halloween party, a children’s Christmas Pageant, and looking into adding another age group in their growing Sunday school program. Our Stewardship committee has ambitious plans for our Annual Campaign. Their Oktoberfest set for October 22 is not to be missed. They have thought of every detail, right down to the traditional German band. The Music committee and choir have plans to continue their outstanding program and will have a second concert in the spring. You will notice the ceiling in the sanctuary will be or already has been repaired. Great work from the Trustees. The Fellowship committee and Flower and Garden committee continue their great work. Our Deacons and Pastoral Relations committees will work together to bring about an evaluation of our Church from the ground up based on the Albin Institute model.

I know we have much more happening, but this is to whet your appetite. We are a terrific family of faith and brother/sisterhood. I urge you to make time to not only pray with us but also dine with us, share your time with us and grow with us. We are all made better in each other’s company and service.

The Council will meet again on November 4, 2004, at 6 pm in the Clark Room. Appetizers will be served. Each committee must be represented. If you as the chair are unable to attend, you should arrange for another member of your committee to attend in your place. In addition, all who attend our church are welcome.

Peace and joy to you.

The deacons will be holding their next meeting of the "Christian Paths through Crisis" discussion series on Monday, October 25, from 7 – 8:30 P.M. in the Clark Room. Specifically, the title of this discussion will be "How can Christian People Be So Different?"

We live in a multi-cultural society as is easily seen by viewing day-to-day life right here in Portland. We also live in a multi-Christian society, which is quite evident during this political campaign season.

What we would like to examine is how Christians (those who profess to love Christ and follow His teachings) can disagree so strongly on such basic issues as human rights, gun control, women’s choice issues, same-sex marriage, the War in Iraq, censorship, ‘what is morality’ questions and the ‘right’ way to worship God.

As members of the United Church of Christ, we practice tolerance of all. This upcoming discussion promises to be a good exercise of practicing what we preach.

It is exciting to be back with the kids in Sunday School. We have a lot of activities and some changes planned for the fall. First, we are having our fall kickoff on October 10, when we really encourage parents to come to Sunday school. You will get a sample lesson, become familiar with the curriculum, explore ways to support Christian Education and meet all the parents. This is a good time-- and yes, we will have coffee and snacks.

Another exciting development that we will be rolling out at the October 10 kickoff is the addition of a new class for the older children. We have clearly identified the need for a Sunday school classroom that educates pre-adolescents. We will be placing kids who are 9-10 years old and beyond in this class. This is another demonstration of how we are becoming more family centered and how we are growing in numbers of kids served.

We have scheduled our famous Halloween party for the Williston-West kids, friends and family members for Saturday, October 30, at 5:00 p.m.--- pizza will be served. Please come join us. This is a really good time - remember you can still be kid, especially at Halloween, if you might otherwise be an adult.

Peggy Cyr has been actively recruiting parents and friends to teach in our Sunday school classes. We truly appreciate your involvement and this is up-front thanks for your participation. Last Sunday we served 28 children in the Sunday school and Nursery. I strongly believe that the children are the lifeblood of Williston-West. They will someday be bringing their children for a strong foundation in Christian values. One only has to notice the headlines of the most recent paper to understand the value we add by sending kids with strong Christian values into adulthood.

Ian Riddell was the most recent member of Williston-West to attend Pilgrim Lodge. This is the Maine UCC-sponsored camp in Litchfield Maine. Ian is the third generation of the Riddells to attend Pilgrim Lodge. I hadn’t been there in many years—boy what great memories. I need to say that the program was very well run, impressive. Ian had a wonderful time, and was able to explore his relationship with Christ, with peers and other adults. I strongly encourage other children to consider going—they won’t be disappointed.

Food For Thought Sunday takes place the last Sunday of each month. It’s a time set aside to bring in nutritious, individually-wrapped Snacks for Reiche Elementary School students.

The Howard C. Reiche Community School, entering its thirty-first year of serving Portland, is the most diverse public school in all of Northern New England. There are over twenty-seven different language groups in the school with around 60% of the student body comprised of ethnic and linguistic minority students. Nearly 90% of Reiche students receive free or reduced-price lunches, a statistic that speaks volumes about the financial need of children at the school.

It's hard to believe that in our own neighborhood many children arrive at school hungry and have only the food provided by the school's nutrition programs to eat during the day. Many of these students look forward to the next day of school to simply be fed. The snacks that we provide are delivered to the Reiche social workers who offer snacks as a way to quell hunger as well as to begin dialogues with students about issues that are troubling them. Reiche’s Principal and social workers stress that we cannot provide too many snacks--they are always needed and always appreciated. Since good nutrition is so important to a productive learning environment, our donation of snacks is an easy way to make a difference in the lives of children who live near our church. Just put an item or two on your weekly shopping list and bring the snacks in on the last Sunday of the month! There’s a basket in the vestibule that’s just outside the Sanctuary—you’ll see it on your way to coffee fellowship—where you can leave your donations.

Suggested Items: apples, oranges, raisins, granola bars, peanut butter or cheese crackers, popcorn, pretzels, fruit roll-ups, juice boxes (with a high percentage of juice).

In the early 1970s, David Copus, a young, long-haired EEOC lawyer teamed up with his government colleagues to confront the mature and staid executives of AT&T over the company’s treatment of its female and minority employees. Their disagreement resulted in a $38 million settlement that benefited 15,000 employees, more than 13,000 of them women, and changed our perceptions of women’s and men’s roles in the workplace forever. The Bellwomen recounts the history of this case in a novelistic style and profiles three of its beneficiaries. Rutgers sociology professor Patricia Roos calls it "an engrossing and enjoyable book...This story is real-life history, a vivid example of changing structure, from the inside."

Once again, the generosity of the Williston-West community shone bright for this year’s annual farm worker food drive. The food, cooking/house wares collected during June and July and at the retreat, were distributed through the Rakers’ Center food pantry which the Maine Migrant Health Program (MMHP)operates in Columbia, ME. To all of you who contributed coffee, pinto beans, soups, pasta, rice, salsa, pots and pans, etc. I offer a heartfelt thank you. The food and the contributions made a tremendous difference in the lives of the workers who travel to Washington County for the blueberry harvest.

As in years past, many of the farm workers and their families have expended all of their financial resources to make it to Maine, or they arrive with very little to spare. Yet their economic hardship was even more serious this year as the harvest not only arrived late, but produced what some are saying is the lowest yield in fifty years. The surplus food we distribute was gone mid-way through the harvest, and for the first time in years we required a second delivery from Maine’s Department of Agriculture. Needless to say, the Williston-West food drive played a critical role in our ability to address food security of the workers and their families. With over 90 % of workers and their families living below the poverty level, they are all too familiar with going without life's necessities including food, housing and healthcare. Consequently, the food is not only appreciated but also essential.

The MMHP's primary role with farm workers is to insure that they have adequate access to health care. Yet, we also recognize that health is influenced by other significant factors: nutrition, living conditions, the environment, education, and economic status. Moreover, we also know that unless families are fed, clothed and housed, any other need is truly insignificant. It is for these reasons that we also operate the food pantry and the Rakers' (resource) Center. Over the years, thousands of workers have used the services available at the Center, which, in addition to the food pantry, includes legal services, job training, Social Security, Head Start, WIC and Migrant Education.

In the words of Cesar Chavez, "It's ironic that those who till the soil, cultivate and harvest the fruits, vegetables, and other foods that fill your tables with abundance have nothing left for themselves." Thank you so much for making sure that Maine’s migrant farm workers and families did not go without. Collectively we can and do make a difference.

Continuing with our introduction of people who are serving the congregation in the role of deacon, this month we present Dan Kane, in his own words.

I like politics. I like to write. I admire immigrants and love the English language, so I’d really like to help new Americans get comfortable with English. I love to learn stuff; I’m always getting a bug about something odd, like Eastern rite Christianity, then go read up on it. I enjoy playing soccer with Emma. I love Paris. I last saw "Fahrenheit 9/11." I last read The Tailor of Panama, a spy novel by John LeCarre about the aftermath of the USA’s replacing a country’s uncooperative, brutal and corrupt dictator with a cooperative one. My favorite quote is an ancient Arab proverb: "Trust in God, but tie up your camel."