The Williston-West Navigator

The time to vote is mercifully upon us! Even I, a political junky, am weary of the ‘Spin Doctor’s’ craft that makes it so difficult to sort out fact from fiction. The personal attacks that take nearly everything out of context and twist them to support a specific ideology makes it very difficult for us to find the truth and causes untold damage in raising the level of anger. We are as divided as a nation around this election as we have ever been.

Socrates said, "An unexamined life is not worth living." This may be open for debate but yet the essence is solid. We do have to look at ourselves in the mirrors of life as they present themselves if we are going to count for something beyond our own self-interest. Perhaps the most important mirror into which we look is contained in the things of this world that disturb us the most. This takes courage but it is the road to looking at reality beyond our penchant to project internal conflict onto the external world – the exact opposite of self examination!

We are conditioned to see the world through the eyes of those who brought us up and the circumstances in which we lived. This conditioning is made up of both the good and the bad, and everything in between. Some of us are like carbon copies of our parents while some may be the exact opposite. In the final analysis we each must examine the foundations from which we make decisions if we are to be in charge of our lives. This is very important as we make religious, social and political decisions.

As citizens of the world’s remaining superpower we carry tremendous responsibility for the global community, for decisions made here significantly affect the whole world. Our potential for good that can carry us to the highest mountain has the shadow side of evil which can take us to the darkest valley. It is time to look at ourselves, our core values as Christians and as citizens in a democracy who have the responsibility to carefully and faithfully consider the political choices before us and to personally exercise our privilege of voting on November 2.

God does or does not bless America by the informed and caring decisions of its citizenry and not by some magical incantation. May God bless America because people like us care.

You may have heard me speak of the "God Is Still Speaking" campaign or seen the bright red posters in our sanctuary and you may be wondering what this is all about. Here is a brief description of the initiative and what you can expect here at Williston-West.

The Stillspeaking Initiative is a new cooperative effort among UCC Conferences and the national setting of the UCC to meet two inter-related challenges:

• Lack of a distinctive identity for the United Church of Christ among its members, congregations, and the public
• Declining financial support for the church in all settings: local, Conference, national, and international

• Creating a strong sense of identity for the church is part of making the case for supporting it.
• Stewardship and identity are an unexpected combination, but in this day and age, one cannot be done without the other. We must appeal to both the head and the heart. We must help people fall in love with their denomination – again.
• A stronger sense of pride and ownership in the church (the congregation and the denomination) will ultimately translate into stronger financial support for the church in all its settings.

This program includes TV commercials broadcast nationally from November 15^th through Christmas. In test markets during the Lenten season, churches in those markets noticed an increase in visits by people looking for a church family. We are a welcoming community of faith and look forward to this opportunity to grow our family. When the guests and visitors arrive at Williston-West, we must ALL be greeters and welcomers. We must all go the extra mile to demonstrate that we truly welcome and accept all people. Please pay special attention to those who you think are new or are visiting; they may become one of us, and that is very special.

We have decided that we will focus our advent program on this initiative. It will be an exciting and thought-provoking series that will be beneficial to you and our church. I urge you to make time available to attend. I know, it’s the holiday season and you have so much to do, but we need and value your contribution. The dates are at the church: Tuesday, November 30, Tuesday, December 7 and Monday, December 13. All meetings times are at 7:00 P.M. Please watch and listen for them and plan to attend.

May God’s blessings be with all of you and his Peace grow from this place to encompass everyone, everywhere.

Ever wonder what that wooden apple tree in the church dining room is for? If you were at coffee fellowship on October 17^th you learned firsthand that it’s a giving tree that’s been a part of Williston-West’s local outreach mission for quite some time and that it supports three Portland area organizations:

-The Center for Grieving Children

-Reiche School

-Portland West Neighborhood Center's Learning Center

Small needs of these organizations have been identified on individual apples that you can pick from the Apple Tree in our Fellowship Hall. Pick an apple from the tree and return the need identified on it to the Apple Tree Basket (located in the vestibule between the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall). When you return the item, please include the apple you picked from the tree and your name—it’s an easy way to make a difference in the life of a child!

The Center for Grieving Children is located on York Street and work with children, teens, and families who are grieving the death or coping with a life threatening illness of a family member or friend.

Wish List:

30 gallon trash bin with wheels
Luggage cart for outreach materials
Beads for craft projects
New beanbag chair
Bongo drums
Gift certificate to local bookstore
Gift certificate to local hardware store
Gift certificate to local grocery store
CD "boom box"
Toy doctor kit
Construction paper
Crayons
Sand toys
Face paints
Glue & glue sticks
Heavy-duty stapler
Heavy-duty paper cutter
Pillar or votive unscented candles
Paper shredder

Reiche School is the public elementary school in our neighborhood and is located on Brackett Street just a few blocks from our church. Reiche serves around 500 students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. There are 27+ language groups in the school and 33% of the students are rated as "LEP"--Limited English Proficient). 88% of the students receive free or reduced price lunch and 3% of the student body is homeless. They are doing a great job at Reiche but need our help with providing some "extras" for their students.

Portland West Neighborhood Center’s Learning Center is also located on Brackett Street, diagonally across from Reiche School, the Portland West Neighborhood Center's Learning Center serves Reiche Elementary students after school from 3-5 PM. The Learning Center provides a safe haven for students to work on homework, crafts, and computers.

Wish List:

Thanks for your support of this local outreach project!

- - - Williston-West Missions Committee

Continuing with our introduction of people who are serving the congregation in the role of deacon, this month we present Sherry Thomas, in her own words.

I am Sherry Thomas and I was born in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York. I spent my first seven years in Levittown and the remainder of my formative years in Piscataway, NJ while my father received his PhD from Rutgers and taught English there.

Chris and I met twenty years ago and have been married since 1987. We live in an apartment building at the corner of State and Danforth with our 11 year old, very orange, twenty- pound cat Spike. Because we live on the fifth floor on the western side, our balcony faces the Scotia Prince terminal. I have two children from a previous marriage. Rachel is 34 and lives in Warner, NH with her partner Don, Silas age 6 and Ry age 2. Dylan is 32 and lives in San Francisco with his wife Jennifer and daughter Ruth, 6 months.

I began studies at Bangor Theological Seminary this semester in a plan to achieve both a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Divinity in five to seven years. I take classes in Portland and Bangor, which means I stay over night once a week on the Bangor campus. I work part-time for the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland. I manage the Portland Jetport Information Center and act as librarian of member materials in the downtown office.

I miss living in the country, and would love to be able to have a barn and a couple of horses in the back yard. I love to garden, read, horseback ride, sing and follow my curiosities. The last movie I saw was The Terminal, and I am re-reading Stephen King’s Memoir on Writing. My favorite quote/credo is: "It is what it is."

Chris and I began attending services at Williston-West in January 2003. We joined the church in July of that year, and I became a deacon this past spring. As with others, I had a mixed religious background, including twenty years as a Roman Catholic. We were drawn to Maine after 9/11 after vacationing here (I since 1950 in West Southport, and Chris for the past twenty-five years on Indian Point, Georgetown). We found Williston-West on the Internet, test drove several sermons and moved our lives to the West End. It is home now.

My individual mission as a deacon: to help others in any way I can, spiritually, emotionally, physically, intellectually and humorously. For the future of the church I look forward to the wonderful opportunities for growth in the next few years due to our strong outreach and children’s education program – the sky’s the limit!

The sleigh is filling up, but we need more! The silent auction will be here soon and it promises to be the best ever!! Please look in your attic, in your basement, in your garage – and, in your secret hiding place... (Oh – If your favorite eatery or store or inn would be willing to donate a gift certificate, that would be great!) Santa needs all those "special" treasures for our silent auction. And, Santa’s helper, Bruce Lewis, will pick up your items if you can’t bring them in. Contact Bruce through the Church office.

Help Santa and he will leave a little something special in the toe of your stocking on Christmas Morning.

The choir is back in the swing of things. Over the next few months you will be hearing some new anthems which will be used as the basis for our next choir concert. The date has not been set, but will probably be in early May.

The Christmas season is fast approaching and, as always, we are looking for additional voices to fill our ranks. If you are interested, please talk to our choir director, Becky Michals-Rinaldi, or better yet come to a choir rehearsal on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 in the second floor nursery school. You don’t have to be able to read music. You do need to have a love of singing.

This is your choir, and if you have any suggestions, comments, or even criticism, please speak to Becky or one of the other members of the choir.

Please remember to keep Ricky ‘the hat lady’ Haas, one of our faithful members, in your thoughts and prayers.

The Christmas Fair! is fast approaching and we need lots of people to make things for the gourmet table. We have some of the greatest cooks around, so start thinking about what you can make for the table. We can use cookies, breads, cakes, party mix, candy, especially fudge, jams, jellies, pickles, etc. We always have wonderful goodies, and I’m sure this year will be the best ever. Another thing people might want to consider is putting a basket of goodies together for the Silent Auction. Start thinking now. Don’t wait until the last minute. If you have any questions, please contact Judy through the Church office.

We are having a fun fall with Christian Education. We planned our third annual Halloween party for October 30^th at 6:00 p.m. The children always enjoy this event—as do the adults. In addition, we held our family Sunday over the Columbus Day weekend. On first glance we were sparsely attended, but it really worked out well. It was a close group of parents who really enjoyed being together and discussing their children’s church life.

One of the big changes we have been working on in Christian Education is our growing census. We clearly have a larger group of kids regularly attending Sunday school. We are hoping to integrate a third classroom this year. We are separating the older group into two classes—as needed. So we really appreciate the teacher participation we have been getting. Peggy Cyr has done an outstanding job recruiting teachers to help. It is amazing the feedback we get from our kids. They all have a real hunger for spiritual growth, and Williston-West is meeting our commitment to them. We should be proud of the kids and the work we are committed to.

Looking ahead: First we are planning a important parents’ workshop, Spiritual Parenting at Christmas on November 13^th from 2-3:30 p.m. We will discuss strategies for putting aside the hubbub and commercialism of Christmas and focusing on the important and lasting truths. Ronald Baard from the Bangor Theological Seminary will lead this workshop. Admission will be free for families and child care will be provided—by Betty and Eric Kelley.

Donna Kane is planning to make Christmas Fair decorations with the kids during the Sunday school hours of November 21^st and November 28^th. Every Year the kids make and sell bird feeding decorations at the fair. This really involves the children in the greater mission of the church and makes them feel a part of the church. Donna has lots of great ideas and she could use a hand in developing this important project—please let her know how you can help.

Finally, we are looking forward to the Christmas pageant this year. We have had several people step forward to help with the show. Linda Riddell has agreed to write the script and Harvard and Gracie will be taking leadership roles. Stay tuned. It’s going to be fun, with humor and an important message. Most importantly the children love putting it on.

Mary Finnegan, a faithful member of Williston-West Church for nine years, will be leaving us on November 30 when she will move to Arizona to be close to her daughter. She writes, "It has been a fabulous nine years at Williston-West, with some great friends that have changed my life. I will miss Sunday mornings there. Many thanks to everyone for giving me a wonderful family when I needed it most."

Her new email address is: fiscalmgr@hotmail.com. Mary will send us a permanent address as soon as she gets it. We wish Mary God’s speed. We will miss her!