Dear Friends,

Last Sunday, Debbie Porter announced from the pulpit that the church has been blessed through the bequests of two people who had a special love for The Church of the Pilgrimage and its ministry. The church also recently received a generous gift from Marilyn Stewart in memory of her late husband, Dr. Samuel K. Stewart. We are deeply appreciative of these gifts and at a service in the future will dedicate them to the glory of God in grateful thanksgiving.

I hope that the announcement of these bequests will serve as an example and a reminder to many of you to remember The Church of the Pilgrimage in your wills or to make a gift to the church's ministry now. The church has many needs and increasingly is dependent upon income from investments to finance its vital ministry in Plymouth and around the world. Our investment portfolio has been greatly enhanced through the bequest of stock/bonds received from the Estate of Anna Bigelow Davis. We shall receive income on her gifts in the future through interest which accrues from her estate. We are grateful!

We also received recently a bequest from the Estate of Vera Blood about which you'll here later, a bequest mentioned by Debbie Porter in her announcement last Sunday.

I truly believe that there is no more important use to which one could put one's money than to the service of the Way of Jesus Christ. It is my dream that one day our beloved and historically significant congregation will be able to finance its ministry as it should be and that it will be able to have some freedom from forever operating on financial margins. Our most important source of financing our spiritual ministry, will always be through your generous pledges and gifts to the church and I hope that the generosity of others will inspire all of us to consider what we can do to increase our current level of giving. We have important work to do in these perplexing times which desperately needs to hear the Word of salvation and hope which is our covenanted responsibility to proclaim and upon which we are to act!

This is a very exciting time in the life of The Church of the Pilgrimage! There is a tangible vitality among us and that vitality needs to be supported joyously. (There were 18 little kids in our Crib Room on Sunday)! We are in need of renovating space to accommodate and enhance our God-given ministry. This is a happy challenge, not a burden! We need to have vision and planning for the church's needs today and to insure its future witness. We need to be willing to venture forward expecting the blessings of God when we are faithful to our happy calling.

We are thankful for all who support the church financially and who have recently shown confidence and trust in our ministry and mission.

Love,

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

Morning Worship 10:00 A.M. Rev. Gary Marks preaching.

Greeters: Trace, Julie and Gabrielle Sears.

The Pulpit Flowers are in memory of loved ones from the Flower/Memorial Committee.

All are invited to join us for Coffee Hour downstairs in Allerton Hall following the worship service.

Greeters are needed for October 12 and 26 and all of November. Please call the church office to volunteer to greet or look for the sign-up sheet on the coffee hour counter.

Coffee Hour: There will be a special coffee hour today in honor of Thelma Strassel's 90th Birthday!

CE Meeting September 24 at 7:00 P.M. Meet in front of the church, and then it's off to Sam Diego's!

To this year's confirmands and their parents. There will be an informational meeting in the Church House immediately after church on September 28. Please call Rev. Dan if you have questions.

Rev. Dan's Adult Bible Study and Lunch Bunch will be starting up again in October. In the fall a course on the Psalms will be offered, and during the month of December there will be an intensive Advent Course. More details to follow. Please let Rev. Dan know if you intend to join either class as resource books are required.

The Board of Trustees has voted that no meetings will take place in the Mayflower Room. That room is for the crib room only. All meetings are to take place in either the Church House Bldg. or Allerton Hall. Please call the office to schedule a meeting room.

Office Hours: M-F 8:45 A.M.-3:45 P.M. Thursday's 8:30 A.M.-3:00 P.M.

CHURCH RECORD

Recuperating: Janet Broadbent is recuperating at home after a recent hospitalization; Virginia Morgan is at the Life Care Center.

In Memoriam: On September 13, 2003, Rev. Marks conducted a Committal Service for the remains of Alice and Andrew Voght.

Baptism:
On September 14, 2003, Natalie Anne Curtin, daughter of Austin and Laura (Manning) Curtin was baptized during the morning service.

Weddings:
On September 13, 2003, Rev. Marks conducted a wedding service for Christopher Sean Donaghey and Sheila Marie Sampson in the church sanctuary.
On September 14, 2003, Rev. Marks conducted a wedding service for Robert Thissell and Sarah Stetson at the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, MA.

THIS WEEK

Sunday, Sept. 21: Morning Worship 10:00 A.M., Rev. Marks preaching; The first in a series of three Church Membership Classes will be held from, 11:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M. The place will be announced during the service. Installation in Plympton, Ecclesiastical Council, 3:00 P.M., Installation, 4:00 P.M.

Monday, Sept. 22: Aerobics, 9:00 A.M. in Allerton Hall; Rev. Dan's office hours 10:00 A.M. - Noon; Girl Scout Tr. 1128, 6:00 P.M. in Church House.

Tuesday, Sept. 23: Rev. Marks' office hours 9:30-11:30 A.M.; Rev. Dan's office hours 10:00 A.M. - Noon; Aerobics, 6:30 P.M. in Allerton Hall; The Advisory Board will meet at 7:00 P.M. in the Church House Building.

Wednesday, Sept. 24: Aerobics, 9:00 A.M. in Allerton Hall; Rev. Dan's office hours 9:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M.; Staff Meeting-10:00 A.M; Christian Ed Meeting 7:00 P.M. at Sam Diego's (see note on front); Choir Rehearsal - 7:30 P.M; Tr. 47, 7:00 P.M. in the Church House; Pack 47, 7:00 P.M. in the Church House.

Thursday, Sept. 25: Rev. Dan's office hours Noon-2:00P.M.; G.S. Tr. 1227, 4:00 P.M-5:30 P.M. in the Church House; Aerobics, 6:30 P.M. in Allerton Hall.

Friday, Sept. 26: Rev. Marks' office hours, 9:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M.; Wedding at 6:00 P.M. in the Sanctuary.

Saturday, Sept. 27: Wedding at the John Carver Inn, 5:30 P.M.

PLEASE NOTE

Please call the church office if you are aware of persons hospitalized or in need of pastoral care. It is especially important to let the ministers know about out-of-town hospitals. Hospital listings prepared for clergy at the Jordan Hospital, too, have been irregular in availability. It is, therefore, important that the ministers and church office be informed of any hospitalizations. Thank you for your help.

Membership Classes-On September 21st the first of a series of three membership classes will be held following morning worship and will be one hour in length, 11:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M. We very much want to welcome you into the Pilgrimage family! We have space problems at The Church of the Pilgrimage, so it is not yet being announced where the class will be held. It will be held, that's the important thing! The place will be announced during morning worship.

Looking for Adults to assist as advisors and program developers for Youth Fellowship. If interested please call Rev. Dan in the church office.

Come Visit the Amistad Freedom Schooner on October 25, 2003. If you are interested in learning more about this ship or signing up to go as a group please sign-up at Coffee Hour during the month of September!

The Crib Room roster is growing. In order to provide a safe place for our little ones we are looking for just a few more volunteers. Volunteers are part of a four-person team that staffs the crib room on a six week rotation. If you can help please call Jenny Healy at (508) 747-7168.

Junior Choir: The Junior Choir will be beginning rehearsals again on Sunday, September 21st. The Junior Choir rehearses for 30 minutes in the Sanctuary after the service. Children in grades 3-8 who love to sing are invited to join.

Habitat for Humanity: Help build some hope today! On September 10th a meeting of the greater Plymouth Habitat for Humanity was held at the Church. It was a well-attended meeting and an enthusiastic one. We hope that many of our Pilgrimage members will want to become involved in the work of this wonderful and "hands-on" mission program. We expect to involve many of our young people in helping with Habitat's first house to be built in Plymouth. The house lot is located at the corner of South St. and Brayley Lane. There are many areas of volunteer work within the Habitat Program. Please contact Nancy Morse or speak with her on Sunday, September 28, 2003 when there will be a special collection for Habitat for Humanity along with a special coffee hour presentation. Enclosed in this week's Herald is information about Habitat for Humanity along with offering envelopes. Please help out in any way you can. The Missions Committee.

On September 21st there will be a special celebration during Coffee Hour. We will help to celebrate a significant birthday in the life of Thelma Strassell. Thelma was the first secretary of the Church of the Pilgrimage. She served in that position for about twenty-six years. Thelma also has been one of our most active church members and has been involved in many areas of the church's ministry for many, many years.

Rev. Marks, as previously announced, has been elected to the Board of Directors of The American Congregational Association. He attended his first day-long meeting on September 15th. The Congregational House is located at 14 Beacon Street in Boston and houses one of the finest libraries in the country. The building itself is beautiful and is one the National Historic Register of significant architectural treasures. Gary has been appointed to the Library Committee. The library itself has 23,000 volumes and contains a large collection of rare books. Gary will be sharing much about the Library in the future.

Harvest Fair Drawing. The selling of tickets is underway! If you have not already done so, please plan to visit the Drawing Coordination Table downstairs in Allerton Hall during coffee hour. Committee members will be available every Sunday through October 19th to distribute tickets for you to sell, collect ticket stubs and money from those tickets sold, as well as to distribute more tickets as needed. We want to remind you that this year, the tickets come in books of six. Tickets are either $1 each or 6 for $5.00! Thank you for your continued support, Marna Blomberg and Tom Mudgett (Co-Chairs, Drawing).

Harvest Fair Reminder: The date for the Harvest Fair is fast approaching and we are well on our way to making it a success. Please consider lending your talents in whatever way that you can. Some of the areas that need help are:

Book Table: A box will be available in Allerton Hall for any books that you would like to donate for the Harvest Fair. Thank you, Linda Saunders.

Attic Treasures: This year we are refining our collection of items for resale to include smaller treasures such as glassware, pottery and decorative items of all kinds. The constraints of space make it necessary to suggest that you save your larger contributions for the summer sale.

Photo Corner: This year, the children will have the opportunity to dress up and have their pictures taken as a memento of the occasion for a moderate price. We have volunteers who will help to costume them and our computer experts will process the pictures. Take advantage of this opportunity and if you have any "once used" dancing school costumes or old Halloween costumers that we may borrow, let us know.

Knitting Nook: I would like to encourage all of our knitters to use these last weeks to finish projects that you have begun and if possible, we can use some baby sweaters for this table. There is enough time for knitting small items left before the fair and there was a call for baby items last year. Call me if you need patterns.

Calico Corner: Calling all of our needle workers. If you can find the time, please consider making items for this table. Aprons, pillows, potholders, table linens and decorative items are all in short supply. It is important to have a variety of items for sale and this is a good table to display your talents.

Thank you, Diana Budge, Chairman

Coming Events

Sept. 28: Habitat for Humanity Special Offering during the worship service.
-Membership Class, 11:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M.
-Installation in Wollaston, 3:00 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.