Announcements

“Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” 

(Thessalonians 5:8)

The summer season is coming to an end.  You can feel and see a shift taking place once again.  While I will miss the summer, I also look forward to the new fall season.  Each time of year has its own gifts, and as we know, autumn is a wonderful time of year on Cape Cod. 

On Sunday, September 8^th, we’ll be having our “Rally Day,” our official start of the new season.  We have several things planned for that day, but one of the special parts of it is we will be back together as one congregation for worship.  While the summer beach services are wonderful for many reasons, it is also nice when the entire congregation comes back together again as the summer season is over.  There’s an important energy that is created through our coming together, an energy that is palpable.

As I was thinking about this, I came across a quote from a 12-step daily prayer book, called “Twenty-Four Hours a Day.”  I continue to be struck by how so many aspects of 12 step programs can apply  to the church.  A reflection for May 27^th states: “We must encourage them (those seeking assistance) to go to meetings regularly for fellowship and help.  They will learn that keeping sober is a lot easier in the fellowship of others who are trying to do the same thing.”  (Italics added).

Although the above statement is written for the benefit of people struggling with addiction, the wisdom stated here certainly applies to the church.  It is important for us to gather with other followers of Christ regularly, not only to have an opportunity to thank God for all of God’s blessings, but for “fellowship and help.”  As we make this part of our regular routine, we learn that keeping healthy (sober) is a lot easier in the fellowship of others who are trying to do the same thing.

At times it is difficult to be a faithful follower of Jesus, however, it becomes easier when we place ourselves in the company of others who are trying to do so as well.  This is one of the primary gifts of the church, the community of faith.  In the words of the great 13^th century Persian poet, Rumi, it is important for us to “be with those who help our being.”

May we always be grateful for the gift God gives us in each other and together, look forward, together to all that this new season upon us has to offer.

Blessings

Pastor John

On Sunday, September 8^th, SYUMC will celebrate our congregation coming together again after the summer season.  Rally Day is the start of a new program year for our Church School  too!  After worship, a special celebration will be held in our Parish Hall’s newly renovated upstairs.  Fellowship hour will be held in this space (our elevator is available for those who do not use stairs) so all can see where our children meet for additional spiritual formation on Sunday mornings. There will be a photo booth as part of the celebration too; join the fun and have your picture taken!  We will also be celebrating grandparents and all they do to support our children and families since September 8^th is National Grandparents’ Day.  Look for a special activity for grandparents to do.  The Christian Education Committee hopes that people of all ages will plan to stay after worship for this Rally Day Fellowship Hour.  

The Thrift Shop and Furniture Barn’s semi-annual  Super Sale is planned for Saturday, September 21st  from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The Thrift Shop and Furniture Barn will be open as usual. In addition, many extra sale items will be spread out in the driveway and back to the Furniture Barn for this special Super Sale.  Plan to stop by for lots of great bargains!  Hot dogs and drinks will be available for sale and there will be a wonderful Bake Sale, as well.

We are grateful  for all the volunteers  who continue to work tirelessly for the mission and ministry of our congregation to make this special offering available to the community.  

We welcome our new Minister of Music, Ben Colgan!  Ben will officially start in this position on Monday, September 16^th.  So, his first Sunday as our choir director and leader of the music ministries of the church will be on September 21^st.   We are excited to welcome him and to have him be part of the team here at the South Yarmouth United Methodist Church.  As you will see, Ben brings a wonderful background in music to us, including a focus on directing and in teaching voice.  Pease read the “bio” Ben has prepared for us and be sure to introduce yourself to him.

We thank all the members of the Staff Parish Relations Committee who prepared for and interviewed all the candidates for this position.  A significant amount of time and effort was put into this process.  We especially thank Linda Tucker, Elena Ghioto, Judy Dunklee, and David Beauchamp, for making up the interviewing team.  Thank you to everyone for keeping this process in your prayers.  We are looking forward to sharing life and ministry together with Ben!

Ben Colgan is a Cape Cod native and music educator with a passion for sacred music. Beginning to sing and play piano at a young age, his musical abilities quickly became evident. After graduating from Nauset Public Schools, Ben pursued formal studies in Music Education at Boston University and Music Technology at Southern Utah University. He subsequently returned to Nauset as an Elementary Music and Chorus teacher. Beyond his educational pursuits, Ben has always been an active performer, particularly in theatre and choral settings. With a history of over 50 successful theatre productions, he has a deep-rooted love for working with musicians of all ages and skill levels. Ben previously served as a choir member at the First Baptist Church in Boston and a substitute cantor and pianist at Good Shepherd Parish in Wayland. Ben is excited to join the SYUMC, where he hopes to expand the choir roster, impart valuable musical literacy and technical skills, and foster harmonious worship.

To the SYUMC, my church family,

Thank you all for being so welcoming and receptive to me over the last three years.  It has been an honour and privilege to serve as your minster of music.  Words cannot express my gratitude and just how moved I am by your generous gift.  All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I have never felt so connected and as much of a part of a church community as I have with this congregation.   You will all be in my prayers and I look forward to seeing you all very soon!

With much love, Cameron

Starting this month, a faith-based grief and loss support group will be offered.  It is designed to be a safe, welcoming place where people can come to reflect upon and support each other through emotions related to experiences of loss.  Through this multi-week opportunity, participants will discover what to expect after experiencing a loss and what is “normal” in grief.  Each weekly Grief Share group begins with a video featuring experts on grief-related topics and helpful stories from people who have experienced loss.  After the video, group members spend time discussing what was presented and how it may relate to their own lives.  Talking with others who understand can bring a great deal of comfort and support as we take our turn journeying through grief. This support group will be held on Wednesdays, starting September 18^th at 6:30 PM and facilitated by Jane Wruk and Holly Foss.  If you have an interest in learning more, feel free to speak with either Jane, Holly, or Pastor John, sign up at Griefshare.org, or call the church office.

Our next church hike will be held on Saturday, September 28th.   Joy, Bailey, and Pastor John will meet all who are interested at our church’s parking lot at 10 a.m. We plan to go back to the beaches, this time to Chapin Beach in Dennis.  This walk will give us great views of the bay, Sandy Neck, Chase Garden Creek Salt Marsh, and the boardwalk at Gray’s Beach.  All ages are welcome.  Feel free to invite a friend.   

“Let’s go down to the river to pray!”

Our summer beach services this year were a great success again.  We thank all who made these services possible, especially Cookie Barry, our wonderful greeter, Buzz Barry who often joined with Cookie, Jim and Donna Cramer who helped with set up, took care of all the technical aspects of the service, helped with publicity, and recorded the services, Paul Honigsblum for helping with set up and lead us in song, George Mero for cleaning off the pier each Sunday, and Wendy Perry for preparing all the bulletins.  Thank you to everyone who attended the beach services as well, and those who invited friends to join with you.  It was another great season!

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to our congregation’s “R & R Fund” this summer, the special fund set up by our Trustees for – Restoration and Rehabilitation!

This fund was established for the sole purpose of raising money for the restoration and   rehabilitation   of   the   church   siding.   A   substantial “seed money” gift was made to begin this effort, and it has been exciting to see the fund grow this summer!  Thanks to the generosity of many members and friends of our congregation the initial goal of raising over $10,000 has been surpassed.  To date, $10,950 has been raised! 

These donations are necessary to complement the grant applications we are submitting, and to show the grantors that our church has a stake in the cost of this project, which is estimated to be hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the dollar amount raised is important, it’s also key to have a large number of church members donate to demonstrate to the grantors that the burden is being shared by many.  If you haven’t donated yet, it’s not too late!  The campaign will formally close at the end of this month, on September 30th .  Every gift, of any size, makes a difference!  Checks can be made out to “SYUMC” and marked for the SYUMC R&R Fund.   Donations may be placed in the offering plate, mailed in, or given to Wendy in the church office.  Thank   you   all   for   your   generosity   and   for   your   consideration   of   this opportunity.

Is someone feeling called to be a “champion” for our Minivan Ministry!  We’ve been blessed to receive a generous gift from Peter Ellis and his late wife Charlie (Charlotte). They have donated their handicap-accessible minivan to our congregation.  We have registered the vehicle and added insurance coverage, and now would like to put it to good use for our church.  A minivan “champion” will assist in the recruitment of drivers, schedule how and when the van can be used, and help keep the van in good working order.  Please speak to Pastor John or John Duncan if you might be interested in being either a champion, or if you’d like to help offering rides to those who would appreciate one.