Dear Friends,

On November 3rd the focus of our worship was on the saints who have gone before us in the faith and who have helped to preserve the hopeful vision of the church for us in the present. It was All Saints Day, or the day upon which we celebrated it. In our tradition "saints" are all those who have persevered in the faith through all the ordeals of life and are now in the presence of God for all eternity. The text was Revelation 7:9-17. It is also a part of our tradition to accept with gratitude the power of faith which the saints have bequeathed to us and whose faith is present with us still as an encouragement to live today in the pursuit of faithful visions.

The saints who have made the greatest contribution to us are those who, while they lived, had a vision for the future. They were also encouraged by those in the faith who had preceded them, but the visionaries didn't bask in the afterglow of the previous generations light. A part of the capacity to endure the tribulations of any age was for them a realization that a legacy of hope must be prepared for ages to come. In other words, the power of faith received is to have dreams and hopes for the future.

It is good for us to recall the saints and it is imperative for us in the present to see to it that the rewards of eternity are kept alive for generations which will come after us. In the concrete terms of today we need to be vigilant in stewardship, to sacrifice for local and global ministries so that the future, too, will have a legacy of faith. We must be generous in order to honor the saints and in order to assure that the future has saints to honor.

On All Saints Day following worship a group of our church's leaders met to discuss a capital campaign which has been in a state of fits and starts for sometime now. It has been recognized by the congregation that we have needs in our church's usable space and, indeed, that there are repairs necessary in the properties we have as presently configured. It was not lost on those leaders that what we have in terms of our church's properties are the gifts of faith from previous generations of saints. It was altogether appropriate on All Saints Days for us to realize with gratitude that what will qualify us as saints for those who follow us is our present responsibility and our generosity. The dearest memories we have of the saints who have preceded us are those which have to do with spiritual matters and not merely what they had, or didn't have, while they were on their own pilgrimages.

I believe with all my heart that none of us have a more important calling than to keep close to God's Word as we live so that others will know that faith is a divine gift which shall be able to aid them in the future's ordeals. I give praise to God for all the saints "who from their labors rest," and for you, the saints who labor still.

Love,

© The Church of the Pilgrimage in Plymouth, MA Inc., all rights reserved.

CHURCH RECORD

Hospitalized: As of 10/30/02 Neil Antoniotti, Dorothy Shaw and Dorothy Shepherd, all at the Jordan Hospital. Kay Budd is also in Jordan Hospital.

Recuperating at home after a stay at The Pilgrim Manor, Cliff Sampson. (It was wonderful to see Cliff at worship on November 3rd)!

Baptism:
On November 3, 2002, Stephanie Elizabeth Northrop, born on September 10, 2001, daughter of Barbara (Fritze) and Mead Frederick Northrop, Jr. was baptized during the worship service.

THIS WEEK

Sunday, Nov. 10— Morning Worship 10:00 A.M., Rev. Marks Preaching. A brief meeting concerning Safe Church Policies will be held following worship. The delegates to a Safe Church Seminar will give a report at 11:30 A.M.

Monday, Nov. 11— VETERAN'S DAY-OFFICE CLOSED. Aerobics - 9:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M.; Girl Scouts 6:00-7:30 P.M. Church House.

Tuesday, Nov. 12--Rev. Marks' office hours 9:30-11:30 A.M.; Dan's office hours 1:00-3:00P.M; Aerobics-6:45 P.M.-7:45 P.M.-Allerton Hall.; Stewardship Committee Meeting-7:00 P.M.-Mayflower Room.

Wednesday, Nov. 13— The office will close at 1:30 P.M. as it is a half/day for the Town of Plymouth Schools. Aerobics - 9:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. Allerton Hall; Staff Meeting-10:00 A.M.; Dan's office hours 1:00-3:00 P.M.; Music Committee Meeting-6:00 P.M. in the Mayflower Room; Troop 47 - 7:00-9:00 P.M. in the Church House; Cub Scout Pack 47 - 7:00-8:00 P.M. in the Church House; Choir Rehearsal - 7:30 P.M.

Thursday, Nov. 14— Dan's office hours 10:00 A.M.-Noon; Aerobics-6:45 -7:45 P.M.; Membership & Evangelism Committee Meeting-7:00 P.M. in the Mayflower room.

Friday, Nov. 15—Rev. Marks office hours 9:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M.

Saturday, Nov. 17-- Overeaters Anonymous- 9:30-11:30 A.M.-Church House.

PLEASE NOTE

If anyone knows the whereabouts of the church's hearing aids which are coordinated with our sound system, please call the church office.

If you are interested in church membership, please call the church office or speak to Rev. Marks. There will be a series of three classes. Dates and time will be announced when interest has been determined

Please remember any information you wish to be included in The Pilgrimage Herald must be submitted to the church office on the Monday prior to any given Sunday.

PLEASE contact the church office if you have a change of address. Every time a Herald goes out and is returned because you have moved we get charged. Sometime it takes a couple of weeks before the post office returns the Herald (they will not forward) and the mailing list is updated. We get charged every time it is returned!

Please call the church office or let the ministers know if you or someone you know is presently or soon to be hospitalized. This information is especially important to receive in the case of out-of-town hospitalizations.

Stewardship Sunday is Coming! Give God the Best!

Mailings have gone out with letters and pledge cards. If we missed you we apologize. Please stop by the Stewardship table during coffee hour to pick up a pledge card, letter and get added to our mailing list. Or, please feel free to call the church office or contact Julie Sears (508) 747-7993. Stewardship Sunday this year will be November 24, 2002 with the Chest of Joash.
Reminder: Please write in on your pledge cards the amount you want to go towards our local expenses and the amount you want to go towards wider missions. Thank you from the Stewardship Committee. Again, if you have any questions contact Julie Sears.

We extend our congratulations to Jason M. Bregoli who received his Eagle Scout Award during a ceremony held at The Church of the Pilgrimage on November 2, 2002. Jason is a member of the Church. Rev. Marks took part in the ceremony.

The Church office now has a state-of-the-art phone system! Our 1960's era phones have been replaced and we are now able to record messages to the ministers personally, as well as general messages to the church office. In fact, the phone system has all the options of a modern system. The office and the ministers are grateful to the Post family and Hildegard Schimpf for paying for the phones and their installation. THANK YOU!

Also the new fax number is (508) 746-4362. This number is also noted on the header of the Herald.

Thanksgiving Open House-Once again our church will be open to visitors on Thanksgiving morning. We will be offering coffee, hot chocolate and treats to the many people who spend the holiday in Plymouth. Donations of cookies, cupcakes, breads, etc. are needed to help provide for this annual event. If you would like to make something and are unable to bring it to the church on Thanksgiving morning, contact Liisa Budge to arrange for a more convenient delivery. In addition, we are looking for volunteers to help on Thanksgiving morning with the serving as well as church members to give informative tours of our wonderful church. Interested members can contact Liisa at (508) 830-1723 evenings or (508) 746-0593 days.

There will be a brief meeting right after church on November 10, 2002 for anyone interested in learning more about the "safe church" seminar that was held last spring at the Andover Newton Seminary. The purpose of this meeting is strictly informational. A committee will be formed to establish a policy for our own church in the near future and volunteers are still needed to help with this important undertaking.

The Nominating Committee has appointed David Peck to the Music Committee.
2002-2003 Church Directory of Officers, Staff, Board and Committee Members is now available and can be found beside the mailboxes in Allerton Hall. You can also check the directory for boards and names only on the church website.

Gayle David would like to thank all those "folks" who helped with the Linen & Things Harvest Table this year! Especially, those who donated the candles and linens to make the table a huge success. Thank you!

Treasurer's report for September

Income		L.Y.	$42,181	T.Y.	$38,129	-10%
	YTD	L.Y.	$68,297	T.Y.	$52,714	-23%
Expenses:		L.Y.	$18,812	T.Y.	$22,994	+22%
	YTD	L.Y.	$54,567	T.Y	$41,838	-23%

I want to thank everyone for their support and patience. There is still a lot of work to do. Increasing income is an opportunity, so please make sure your pledges are up to date and give generously. Dave Kegel.

Coffee Hour Sign-up-Please sign-up for Coffee Hour. The sign-up sheet is where you get your coffee and goodies every Sunday!

Greeters are needed for December 8, 15, 22 and 29. Please call the church office to sign up!

Coming Events

Nov. 19-Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:00 P.M., Mayflower Room.

Nov. 20-Rev. Marks will take part in an ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at The Newfield House, 2:00 P.M.

Nov. 22-Pilgrim Service in the sanctuary, 1:00 P.M. Seminars on Pilgrim subjects will take place during the afternoon.

Nov. 24 - Stewardship Sunday/Thanksgiving Sunday. SERRV Sale in Allerton Hall following worship.

Nov. 26-Advisory Board in the Mayflower Room, 7:00 P.M.

Nov. 28-Thanksgiving Day; Pilgrim's Progress; Ecumenical Service at the First Parish Church, U.U. at 10:00 A.M., Rev. Marks will be the preacher; Open House at The Church of the Pilgrimage, 10:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M.

Clerk - Lois Post; Moderator - Steven Triffletti; Treasurer - David Kegel; Collector - Thomas Mudgett; Asst. Collector - Debbie Chaskes; Music Director - William B Richter; Secretary - Pam McNicholas; Sexton - Tony Nightingale; World Mission Emphasis - Heifer Project International; Church Building Telephone - (508) 747-1341.