Pilgrimage Herald

MISSIONS AND OUTREACH
Monday Meals of Hospitality: Thank you to the following people who cooked, served and helped out at Monday Meals of Hospitality: Janet Holmes and Shirley Axon. We are happy to announce that we have been granted permission from the Board of Trustees to continue with this program.

Food Pantries: The volunteers at the Food Warehouse appreciate the on-going support form The Church of the Pilgrimage to help eradicate hunger in the Plymouth area. Currently the pantry is very low on food supplies. The following items are needed at present: peanut butter & jelly, canned fruit, macaroni & cheese, cereal, canned tuna, mayonnaise and cereal.

Project for March and April: The Church School and the Missions and Outreach Committee invite everyone to join them in assembling "Gifts of the Heart" kits to be shipped by Church World Service to orphaned and displaced children around the world. Each health kit, sealed in a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure, will contain:
One hand towel
One wash cloth
One comb
One metal nail file
One bar of bath-sized soap
One toothbrush
One tube of toothpaste, 4-7 oz
Six Band-Aids
We welcome donations of these items which may be placed in the baskets next to the red bins for the Food Warehouse. It is not necessary to fill one entire kit. Donations of one or two items are appreciated. We will be collecting for the kits through the months of March and April.

Looking Ahead: During the month of May, our church family will focus on the work of Heifer International, dedicated to helping millions of people in 125 countries, become self-reliant through livestock, educational and sharing and caring programs.

NEXT MISSONS MEETING: April 13 , 6:30pm at the home of Meg Bross.

Prayer opportunities at 7:00pm on Wednesdays will continue. The Evening Prayer services are seemingly satisfying a spiritual need for those who have attended on a regular basis. Please feel free to join us on a Wednesday evening.

Time and Talent Auction: Have you filled out your talent form yet? We all have talents that would be appreciated by others. Suggestions include yard work, boat rides, dinner, garden weeding, babysitting, tickets to an event, pet sitting/walking, baking, dump runs, etc. Please return completed forms to Pat Mudgett at church. The dinner will include ham & beans, home-baked bread, coleslaw and homemade apple pie. Tickets will be $6 for Adults, $3 for children, $16 per family. Please mark you calendar for April 30th at 6:00pm and plan to attend!. Help make this a successful fundraiser! Thank you.

The Church of the Pilgrimage on PAC/TV: Sunday Services will appear on cable PAC/TV on Sundays at 8am and 6pm. We thank Tom Healy for taping the Sunday Services which appear on PAC on a one or two week delay.

Pawtucket Red Sox: If you are interested in going on a bus trip to see the Pawtucket Red Sox on Saturday, June 18th, please contact Al Hoyt at 508-224-9507.

Youth Fellowship: Geo-caching in Plymouth (it's like combining a treasure hunt with orienteering) on April 10th from 3-5pm. Bring a handheld GPS if you have one. Meet at the church house at 3pm.

Capital Campaign Construction: Soon construction will begin on the Church House! All items must be removed from the Church House before May 13th. Plans are underway to move furniture, files, office equipment, etc. out of the Church House. Watch the Herald for details regarding this milestone in our congregations history!

New Member Classes: A number of people have spoken to Rev. Marks about their desire to become members of The Church of the Pilgrimage. If you are interested in church membership, please speak to Rev. Marks or call the church office. Because of Rev. Markes schedule, the exact dates for these classes are still indefinite. He will contact those who have expressed an interest in membership when dates and times are established. There will be three classes, 11:30am-12:30pm following Sunday worship.

Knitters Evening is scheduled for April 12th at 15 Oak Street, Plymouth. All are welcome for an evening of instruction and/or fellowship. Novices and experts are all welcome. Join us! Diana Budge.

We are grateful to those who delivered Easter Lilies to our shut-ins on Easter Day. Thank you!

The minister want to thank our church secretary, Shellie McCormack, for all the extra work asked of her during the weeks leading up to Easter. From Palm Sunday to Easter, for example, she produced six bulletins! And this was in addition to collecting information, typing and sending out two issues of The Pilgrimage Herald. She also handled the routine matters of the busy office, scheduled weddings, etc. Thank her for all the cheerful good work she does for us.

Stewardship: A reminder that the Board of Trustees is working on a budget that will be based on our pledges. So now is the time to act. Return to the office or bring your pledge card to church on Sunday. If you require a new pledge card, please call Tom Healy 508-747-7168 or see him on Sunday.

Pilgrim Association:
Annual Spring Meeting,Thursday, April 28, 2005 at the Central Square Congregational Church, Bridgewater, MA

6:15 Registration

6:30 Pot Luck Dinner supplied by the Board of Directors

7:15 Business Meeting to elect officers and committees and to conduct any other business to come before it

7:30 Speaker: Rev. Dr. Steve Sterner, Interim Conference Minster and President

8:15 Worship and Closing

Ecclesiastical Council, Sunday April 10, at 6:30pm at North Community Church, Marshfield Hills, MA To meet, review the credentials of and hear the ordination paper of JUDITH MEDEIROS.

Installation of The Reverend Peter Roy Barclay, Sunday, April 24, 2005 at 3:30pm at Scotland Trinitarian Congregational Church, Bridgewater, MA


garymarks@8townsquare.org danspacek@8townsquare.org	April 10 , 2005	office@8townsquare.org
Volume LXXVII		No. 15
Dear Friends, There is a story making the rounds on the internet about which I became aware last week. (I had to read it in print since I don't "do" the internet very much.) The story stimulated some thoughts about faith and stating it clearly and proudly. A company in Canada began ordering parts from a new supplier in Japan. In its order to the Japanese supplier, the company noted that an acceptable quality for parts allowed for only 1.5 percent in defective parts. The Japanese parts supplier sent the order, with a few parts packaged separately in plastic. The accompanying letter read: "We don't know why you want 1.5 percent defective parts, but for your convenience, we've packed them separately." I got a chuckle out of their story on a morning when a chuckle was not welcome. The exchange between the two companies reminded me of how something meant and said by one party can be taken in a totally different way than what was meant by another. Only last week when I was cleaning off a shelf in my soon to be remodeled Church House study (Halleluiah!), I came across a little "preacher joke book." Bishop Desmond Tutu told of a little girl who approached a preacher with a question. She asked, "Why do you sit and pray before you enter the pulpit?" The minister replied, "I am asking God to give me a good sermon." To this answer the little girl asked another question; "When is God going to give you a good sermon?" Ouch! These two stories prompted in me the urgent need there is to state and to live the gospel of faith as clearly and cheerfully as we can. We should follow the old adage, "Say what you mean and mean what you say." We in The United Church of Christ have a great deal to say in the wider church and in the world today, but we are often timid about saying it clearly, forcefully and evangelically. We are, along with other so-called main-line churches, often accused of being unclear or "wishy-washy" in presenting our vision of the gospel of the risen and living Christ. We shouldn't be! We believe that the gospel, for instance, can transform individuals, but we also believe that we must follow the mandate of Jesus to bring the gospel of God's grace, love and inclusiveness to bear upon the values which should inform our society. We are, because we take Jesus seriously, concerned to address such problems as hunger, homelessness, adequate health care for all, violence, injustice, greed and other social issues with the message of Christ's redemptive vision for the whole creation which the Bible tells us is the object of God's redeeming and forgiving grace. As the old gospel hymn puts it, "This is my story, this is my song." We have a positive gospel to preach! We have a mission of resurrection and reconciliation to perform! We are to be bearers of the message and presence of the risen One into an ever-changing world in which God is still speaking a message of hope. Let us live that message as apostles of love and grace in an often unloving and graceless world! Love, © The Church of the Pilgrimage in Plymouth, MA Inc., all rights reserved.
Sunday,April 10, 2005 Morning Worship,10:00am:Rev. Gary L. Marks, preaching. Deacon in-charge: Janice Lee. The Board of Trustees TIMELINE: April 8 Committee reports due in the church office. April 19 Board of Trustees final approval of budget. April 25 Send to printer May 1 Report available to congregation May 15 Annual Meeting The Next Monday Evening Bible Study and the Tuesday Lunch Bunch will be April 18th at 7pm and 19th at noon. Both groups meet in Allerton Hall and we are now switching to bi-weekly meetings. The subject will be the upcoming Sunday's lectionary texts. Readings for these classes are: Acts 7:55-60 and John 14:1-14. All are encouraged to attend. Addresses for Young Adults WANTED: If you have a young person away from home, in the service or college etc., please leave their address in the labeled dish on the membership desk in Allerton Hall. The membership committee would like to send them a greeting from their church family. Membership & Evangelism Committee Meeting: Thursday, April 14, 2005 at the home of Amy Simpson at 7:00pm. Harvest Fair Meeting: At the Curtin's house on April 14th at 7:00pm. All are welcome! Golf Tournament Planning Committee Meeting: Sunday, April 10th at 4:00pm at Susan Cotta's house. Call 508-746-9186 for directions. Anyone interested in helping with this fundraiser is welcome to attend.
CHURCH RECORD In memoriam: On April 1, 2005 Rev. Marks conducted a graveside service for Cameron MacLennon at the Blue Hills Cemetery in Braintree. On April 7, 2005 Rev. Marks conducted a funeral service for Patrick Corbett in the sanctuary. Patrick, aged 20, was the victim of a traffic accident. Our sympathies and prayers are with his family and friends.
THIS WEEK Sunday,Apr. 10: Morning worship10:00am, Rev. Gary L. Marks preaching; Cherub Choir, 10am, sanctuary; The Messiah, performed by the Pilgrim Festival Chorus, in the sanctuary, 2:00pm; Youth Group, Geo-caching, 3-5pm. Monday, Apr 11: Aerobics, 9am, Allerton Hall; Monday Meals of Hospitality, 12-1pm, Allerton Hall; Girl Scouts, 3:30-5, Church House; Tiger Pack, 4-5:30, Church House. Tuesday, Apr. 12: Rev. Marks will be in the church office, 9:30-11:30am.; Aerobics, 6:30 pm; Allerton Hall; Advisory Board/Board of Trustees will meet together in the Church House, 7pm. Wednesday, Apr.13: Aerobics, 9:15 a.m., Allerton Hall; Rev Marks will speak at Pilgrim Hall, 10am; Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm, sanctuary; Pack 47 & Troop 47, Church House; Brownie Troop #122 4-5:30, Allerton Hall; Missions Meeting, 6:30pm, at the home of Meg Bross; Music Committee Meeting, 6;30pm, sanctuary; Evening Prayer, 7 pm, Sanctuary. Thursday, Apr. 14: Aerobics, 6:30pm, Allerton Hall; Membership & Evangelism Meeting, 7pm, at the home of Amy Simpson. Friday, Apr. 15: Aerobics, 9:15 am, Allerton Hall; Rev. Marks will be in the church office, 9:30-10:00am; Wedding Rehearsal, 5:30pm, sanctuary. Sat. Apr. 16: Wedding, 3:30pm, sanctuary.
NOTES: MISSIONS AND OUTREACH Monday Meals of Hospitality: Thank you to the following people who cooked, served and helped out at Monday Meals of Hospitality: Janet Holmes and Shirley Axon. We are happy to announce that we have been granted permission from the Board of Trustees to continue with this program. Food Pantries: The volunteers at the Food Warehouse appreciate the on-going support form The Church of the Pilgrimage to help eradicate hunger in the Plymouth area. Currently the pantry is very low on food supplies. The following items are needed at present: peanut butter & jelly, canned fruit, macaroni & cheese, cereal, canned tuna, mayonnaise and cereal. Project for March and April: The Church School and the Missions and Outreach Committee invite everyone to join them in assembling "Gifts of the Heart" kits to be shipped by Church World Service to orphaned and displaced children around the world. Each health kit, sealed in a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure, will contain: One hand towel One wash cloth One comb One metal nail file One bar of bath-sized soap One toothbrush One tube of toothpaste, 4-7 oz Six Band-Aids We welcome donations of these items which may be placed in the baskets next to the red bins for the Food Warehouse. It is not necessary to fill one entire kit. Donations of one or two items are appreciated. We will be collecting for the kits through the months of March and April. Looking Ahead: During the month of May, our church family will focus on the work of Heifer International, dedicated to helping millions of people in 125 countries, become self-reliant through livestock, educational and sharing and caring programs. NEXT MISSONS MEETING: April 13 , 6:30pm at the home of Meg Bross. Prayer opportunities at 7:00pm on Wednesdays will continue. The Evening Prayer services are seemingly satisfying a spiritual need for those who have attended on a regular basis. Please feel free to join us on a Wednesday evening. Time and Talent Auction: Have you filled out your talent form yet? We all have talents that would be appreciated by others. Suggestions include yard work, boat rides, dinner, garden weeding, babysitting, tickets to an event, pet sitting/walking, baking, dump runs, etc. Please return completed forms to Pat Mudgett at church. The dinner will include ham & beans, home-baked bread, coleslaw and homemade apple pie. Tickets will be $6 for Adults, $3 for children, $16 per family. Please mark you calendar for April 30th at 6:00pm and plan to attend!. Help make this a successful fundraiser! Thank you. The Church of the Pilgrimage on PAC/TV: Sunday Services will appear on cable PAC/TV on Sundays at 8am and 6pm. We thank Tom Healy for taping the Sunday Services which appear on PAC on a one or two week delay. Pawtucket Red Sox: If you are interested in going on a bus trip to see the Pawtucket Red Sox on Saturday, June 18th, please contact Al Hoyt at 508-224-9507. Youth Fellowship: Geo-caching in Plymouth (it's like combining a treasure hunt with orienteering) on April 10th from 3-5pm. Bring a handheld GPS if you have one. Meet at the church house at 3pm. Capital Campaign Construction: Soon construction will begin on the Church House! All items must be removed from the Church House before May 13th. Plans are underway to move furniture, files, office equipment, etc. out of the Church House. Watch the Herald for details regarding this milestone in our congregations history! New Member Classes: A number of people have spoken to Rev. Marks about their desire to become members of The Church of the Pilgrimage. If you are interested in church membership, please speak to Rev. Marks or call the church office. Because of Rev. Markes schedule, the exact dates for these classes are still indefinite. He will contact those who have expressed an interest in membership when dates and times are established. There will be three classes, 11:30am-12:30pm following Sunday worship. Knitters Evening is scheduled for April 12th at 15 Oak Street, Plymouth. All are welcome for an evening of instruction and/or fellowship. Novices and experts are all welcome. Join us! Diana Budge. We are grateful to those who delivered Easter Lilies to our shut-ins on Easter Day. Thank you! The minister want to thank our church secretary, Shellie McCormack, for all the extra work asked of her during the weeks leading up to Easter. From Palm Sunday to Easter, for example, she produced six bulletins! And this was in addition to collecting information, typing and sending out two issues of The Pilgrimage Herald. She also handled the routine matters of the busy office, scheduled weddings, etc. Thank her for all the cheerful good work she does for us. Stewardship: A reminder that the Board of Trustees is working on a budget that will be based on our pledges. So now is the time to act. Return to the office or bring your pledge card to church on Sunday. If you require a new pledge card, please call Tom Healy 508-747-7168 or see him on Sunday. Pilgrim Association: Annual Spring Meeting,Thursday, April 28, 2005 at the Central Square Congregational Church, Bridgewater, MA 6:15 Registration 6:30 Pot Luck Dinner supplied by the Board of Directors 7:15 Business Meeting to elect officers and committees and to conduct any other business to come before it 7:30 Speaker: Rev. Dr. Steve Sterner, Interim Conference Minster and President 8:15 Worship and Closing Ecclesiastical Council, Sunday April 10, at 6:30pm at North Community Church, Marshfield Hills, MA To meet, review the credentials of and hear the ordination paper of JUDITH MEDEIROS. Installation of The Reverend Peter Roy Barclay, Sunday, April 24, 2005 at 3:30pm at Scotland Trinitarian Congregational Church, Bridgewater, MA

Clerk - Lois Post; Moderator - Steven Triffletti; Treasurer - David Kegel; Collector - Thomas Mudgett; Music Director - William B Richter; Organist - Chandler Gregg Secretary - Shellie McCormack; Sexton - Tony Nightingale; World Mission Emphasis - Heifer Project International; Church Building Telephone - (508) 747-1341.