Love personified at FBC

Yesterday afternoon the church was filled with prayer and best wishes. At 2:00 p.m. Pastor Jorge Morales performed a wedding before a packed congregation. This was his first and the church's first wedding. There was music, preaching, prayers and lots of tears for joy. It was the launching of a happy marriage.

At 5:00 p.m. we celebrated the 50th anniversary of a couple who showed us what it means to be committed to one another. Oliverand and Barbara Bray renewed their wedding vows on their actual 50th Anniversary. Barbara's actual maid of honor came up from Florida to stand with her again. Oliver and Barbara were surrounded by their children and grandchildren as they exchanged their vows and promise to remain together until God calls them home.

It was a beautiful day for marriage at FBC.

Cal

Oliver and Barbara will renew their vows

Tomorrow we will celebrate a special anniversary with two of our members. Oliver and Barbara Bray will mark their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows here at church. Children and Grandchildren will be taking part in the service and Barbara's matron of honor will be coming in to stand up for her again after all these years.

This is one of the special aspects of belonging to a church family. Several friends from church will share in the joy and afterwards we'll have a little reception downstairs at church. Oliver and Barbara began coming to our church over fifteen years ago and they have blessed us as much as we have tried to bless them.

So lift up a prayer for them this weekend and ask God to continue to bless their marriage as they do it all over again at 5:00 p.m.

Cal

Norwich 350th Anniversary Worship

I was nervous. For the last three months I was part of a small group working on an interfaith worship celebration for the 350th Anniversary of Norwich. We wanted to be as inclusive as possible while remaining true to our Judeo-Christian heritage. Putting together an event like this can be tricky. You don't want to offend anyone or make anyone feel left out. That was the challenge.

We began with some grand ideas and decided nothing was too big. We settled on having the service on the Norwichtown Green where many of the first settlers would have worshiped. Then the invitations went out. We included Dale Plummer in our early meetings to help us get a sense of the history. Each of us was well aware of our own particular stories but we wanted to know about the larger canvas we were working on. That was very helpful as we began to paint the broad strokes of what we were going to do.

Rev. Greg Perry, Rev. John Lancz, Rev. Bill Dunlap, Sister Maryann Guertin, Rabbi Charles Arian and I made up the committee. As we began putting the various pieces in place we wanted to keep the celebration aspect at the forefront of our thinking. We want to remind ourselves of the important contributions that the community of faith has made on the city. As we began thinking about this it became clear that just about every social institution in Norwich had its roots in the religious community. From the Norwich Free Academy, to the W. W. Backus Hospital to United Community and Family Services to St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen we saw this theme of the people of faith reaching out to share God's love with the community in concrete ways.

Once we had the concept we began putting the pieces together. We wanted proclamations. We wanted a litany of the contributions. We wanted to charge to people with continuing the good work in a new century. We wanted an offering (wink,wink). We also wanted lots of music.

The final piece of the puzzle was to encourage participation from as many people and congregations as possible. We made personal contact and sent emails to most of the churches and synagogues in Norwich.

After all was said and done, nearly two hundred people were present from over 17 different faith communities. We raised nearly $650 for the Norwich Area Clergy Association Food Bank and almost everyone walked away with a good feeling. It was truly an event worthy of the 350th Anniversary.

Here are a few photos from the event. Enjoy.

Cal

A victory over St. Pats

We came out swinging and tried to land a knockout punch early. It is the only way to beat a team like St. Pats. Over the years they have had our number. Earlier this year they mercied us in the first game and then outlasted us in the second game. This time, boasting an 11- 4 record, we came feeling a little more confident. It showed.

We put eight runs on the board in the top of the first. Back to back doubles by Daryl Alves and Dan Dutrumble got the ball rolling. Mike Staron reached on an error and Chip Chaffee walked. Then Mike Young Doubled in two more runs. Mark Staron ripped a deep fly ball to center to bring in another run. RBI hits by Eric Larsen, Eric Poore and Steve Moon finished the scoring.

St. Pats came back with a couple of runs in the first and then put a five spot on the board in the second. After Chip Chaffee hit a homer in our half of the inning they came back to tie the game at 9. We scored three and they matched it and bettered it by one. In the fifth inning the two Erics got things rolling and set the table for George Rezendes run scoring triple which included a play at the plate where Sean Wilding was called out for not sliding in a controversial play. We never looked back after that.

The final score was 22 -16. Chip Chaffee was three for three with two homers and two walks. Dan Dutrumble was four for five with four RBI. Steve Moon and Eric Larsen both went four for four. It was a great night.

Cal

Pork Chops for lunch

We had about 60 people at the Interfaith luncheon yesterday afternoon. Bobbie Adams cooked up about 100 pork chops and made up two large pans of potato salad. He added corn and some rice to complete the meal. A little later he started handing out seconds and some people actually said they were too full. Several others asked if they could get some to go but we had to turn down their requests per order of the Health Department.

While Bobbie, Shirley, Muriel and Inez worked in the kitchen and served up the plates, two friends of Bobbie's, Stephanie, Amanda and I served up the meal and made sure everyone had plenty to eat. BJ's donated the desserts this month. Bobbie has a way of making people understand the value of this ministry and when he asks, very few people can turn him down.

We finished up serving lunch at about 2:45 p.m. and were done cleaning up at out the door by quarter after three. Here are a few photos from the luncheon.

Cal

Fathers Day and Baptism

We had a great day at church yesterday. It was Father's Day and Rosie Main saluted them in her greeting. We celebrated the faith of Jared Laflamme and Rebecca Matteau as they went into the baptismal waters. Then we welcomed them, Cynthia Costa and her daughter, Kaitlin Beavan into the church family. Our praise team sang "Change My Heart of God." My sermon dealt with the story of David and Goliath and I gave some tips on how to defeat the giants in our lives.

After church Mark and Pam Kane hosted a coffee hour in honor of the new members and Erica Kane held a mini fund raiser for the Appalachian mission trip.

Here are a few photos from the service.

You will notice Kristen Deptulski and baby Liam in the last photo. He fell asleep during the sermon.

We had an interesting discussion after church about the fact that with Kaitlin and Cindy joining the church, they became a three generation family in our active membership. I did a little research and discovered that we have four families that can make that claim right now. Notice two of them came about as a result of yesterday's welcome and right hand of fellowship. They include;

Bob & Helen Walker - their daughter Cynthia Costa and - her daughter Kaitlin Beavan
Judy Vickers - her daughter Janet Laflamme and - her son Jared Laflamme
Carol Calkins - her daughter Sandy Stone and - her daughter Bethany Stone
Sue & Al Damien - their daughter Pam Maynard and - her daughter Allison Walberg

Cal

The Shack

On Wednesday night we held a joint book study with Central Baptist Church. We talked about William Paul Young's bestseller, "The Shack." There were just a few of us but the discussion was lively at times. Young did a nice job dealing with so many issues that trouble us as Christians. We look for answers to the presence of evil in the world. We want to know why God allows bad things to happen to good people. At times we don't understand God and what he expects of us. Young tries to answer these questions by using the three persons of the God-head to explain them in simple layman's terms.

It is a good book but we agreed that some sections were a little harder to understand and get into. None-the-less it spoke to each of us. The author will be at the Quaker Hill Baptist Church on Saturday, June 27 at 5:00 p.m. and he will talk about the process of writing the book. All are welcome to attend that session.

Another comeback victory

Ever wonder how something so ugly and turn into something so beautiful? On Wednesday night my hitting and base running was pathetic. I was forced into action because our softball team was short on players and we had one guy on the way. Mike Staron was caught up in traffic on Route 2 and wasn't going to make the start of the game so I started in his place to give us the full compliment of ten players.

I had not picked up a bat all season and had only thrown the ball around a few times. I was perfectly content to coach third base and play team cheerleader. Yet I have to confess that being one hit away from 400 for my FBC career was gnawing at me a little bit. Shortly after the season began I consented to be a back up player in an emergency with the caveat that I might get that one hit sometime during the season.

Thankfully Mike arrived and replaced me. He gave us just the spark we needed to rally back from a 15 -5 deficit. We scored ten runs to tie the game in the sixth inning and three more in the top of the seventh to nail down the win.

Mike Young was the hitting star. He knocked in five runs. Chip Chaffee added three more hits and three RBI. Brian Goldin and Eric Larsen also added two hits a piece.

This was the second time in a couple of weeks where we were on the verge of being mercied only to come back and win. There is something special about this team. I think it is the fact that they don't let me play too much! :-) We have run our record to 11 -4 now which equals the win total of the last two seasons combined. The fun continues next week.

Cal

Another victory in a dream sason

The First Baptist Softball team won its tenth game of the season last night by a score of 19 -7. After both teams scored early to knot the game at 7 -7, our guys went on to score three more runs in the third and 8 runs in the fifty to put the game out of reach. They shut down St. Marks the rest of the way and then scored the final run in the top of the seventh inning.

Hitting stars included; Dan Dutrumble who was three for three with 2 doubles and 2 RBI; Chip Chaffee who was two for three with a sacrifice fly and three RBI; Mike Staron who was three for four with two doubles and three RBI;; Eric Larsen who was three for three; Sean Wilding who was three for three and Daryl Alves who was three for four.

The fifth inning began innocently enough as Sean Wilding ripped a single and was advanced to second on a single by Daryl Alves. After Steve Moon flew out to right field, Dan Dutrumble ripped a double which scored both runners. Chip Chaffee followed with a double of his own to knock in Dan. Four straight hits put the nail in the coffin for the opposing team as Mike Staron, Mike young Eric Poore and Eric Larsen all reach ed base and came around to score.

Great defense and timely hitting were responsible for the victory. Next game is Wednesday night against Sts Peter and Paul.

Another wedding in the church family

We have another wedding on the horizon tonight. George Rezendes announced his engagement today. He and his fiance, Mary Ann, are planning to be wed later this year. Congratulations!

Our friends at Beth Jacob

On Sunday night I went to the 80th Anniversary celebration for the Beth Jacob Synagogue. Founded in 1929, the Synagogue has had a long a fruitful ministry in the city. They marked the occasion by choosing to honor two longtime community servants. Sister Mary Ann Guertin and Stanley Israelite were recognized for their lifetime of service and gifts were given in their honor. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Senator Chris Dodd were on hand for the event.

I had a small part in the service and read a responsive psalm. Rabbi Charles Arian got a laugh from the congregation when he introduced me by saying that the Jews and Catholics were well represented in the service but they needed to have a token Protestant. I picked up the ball and said I was honored to be that token. I also shared the fact that it was another Rabbi from Beth Jacob who welcomed me to Norwich about 24 years ago. I then thanked them for embracing me and setting an example of what it means to be together in ministry.

Our congregation has always had a good relationship with our Jewish brothers and sisters. Rev. Douglas Howell, my predecessor, was very friendly with the Rabbi at Beth Jacob. We even did pulpit exchanges with them in the early 1980's. Go back a little bit further and you will find that Rev. Percy Kilmister was called "A friend of the Jews" in the Norwich Bulletin. Our congregation was always friendly with the Jewish families living on the West Side. The Orthodox Synagogue was located across the street and we stood as pillars of faith for all those who journeyed from downtown to the West Side.

Worship on June 14

Gwyn Green welcomed us to church on Sunday morning and then we sang together. I made lemonade during the Children's Moment as an example of how God takes something good (water) and makes it better (lemonade) by adding a special ingredient. I told the children that God has given us his love to add to the world and it makes everything better.

In my message I talked about the kingdom of God as being in the here and now. I suggested that as we live out Christ's call we will be bringing to life the vision God has for the world. You can read the whole sermon on line on our church web site.

Next week we will have a service of believer's baptism during worship and welcome four new members into the church family. Come and join us at 10:30 a.m.

The making of a special day

On Saturday afternoon I had the privilege of marrying Rod Allen and Debra Atkins in a nice ceremony at their home in Ledyard. It marks the first of several weddings I have this summer involving members of the church family. This is one of the nicest parts of pastoral ministry.

I try really hard to personalize the services when I perform weddings. I want to make them memorable for the couple. I try to pick a scripture that reflects something about the couple's relationship and add some personal references in my short homily. In yesterday's service we added a sand ceremony. This symbolic act depicts how two lives come together bringing specific gifts to the relationship. Yet in the union of marriage the couple becomes a new creation that molds together the best of both of them.

Rod and Deb didn't have a best man or matron of honor standing up with them but Deb's daughter, Rebecca, held the rings and poured the first layer of sand into the wedding vessel. Rocky, the couple's cute little pug, was the best dog and he came to the ceremony dressed in his tuxedo.

In July I will be doing wedding services for Allison Walberg, Carl Soderberg, Wendy and Al Dart and Ashley West. None of them will be having someone as colorful as Rocky for the best man, but I can assure you that each will end up being very personal and unique.

Cal

FBC Trustees meet

On Thursday night our Board of Trustees met for their monthly meeting. The group monitors our finances and oversees any work being done on our building and grounds. The big topic of the night was our heating system. Ray Deptulski heard from the plumbing supply company and received some numbers on how much the materials for replacing the two furnaces and reformatting one of the systems would cost. The total would be under $30,000. Ray is guessing the whole job might cost less than $40,000 and that we could make our money back in 5 - 8 years with the money we would save on fuel oil alone. He also pointed out that there are 0% interest loans available for qualified systems. He will investigate them further.

Frank Royce, our Assistant Financial Secretary, also noted that we are running just a little behind in pledges but we were ahead in non-pledged giving and loose plate collections. In this economy this is good news. Mark Kane noted that we were keeping up with our expenses. All the bills were paid and we still had money in the checking account.

Ray also noted that the contractor was coming in this week to remove the asbestos from the pipes in the basement.

Cal

A party for the fourth

On Wednesday night our Missional Church team met to talk about our plans for the fourth of July. Every year we have dozens of people who end up watching the fireworks from our front lawn. We have a great location and it allows folks to avoid some of the real congestion downtown.

This year we want to be proactive and step out to acts as hosts and hostesses for those who gather on our doorstep. We are going to greet them with free popcorn, lemonade and ice tea. It will be like a block party with us serving as hosts.

The idea behind the missional church concept is that instead of waiting for people to come to us, we take the initiative and go out into the neighborhood and greet people where they are. We let them get to know us. We reach out to meet needs and to minister to whoever we meet along the way. We go without the expectation that they are going to join our church, but with the hope that we reflect God's love and that it might speak to their spirit in someway so that a conversation with God may begin within them.

So if you are free on Saturday, July 4th, meet us at church anytime after 7:00 p.m. and plan to watch the fireworks with us.

Cal

PS. We are looking for lemonade and ice tea mix, bags of ice, brown paper lunch bags, paper towels, toilet tissue, vegetable oil and smiles.

Church is like one big family

It's a small world. After our softball game on Tuesday night I went out to the parking lot and ran into Joe Contois, June Deptulski's son. I didn't know why he would be there. At first I figured that he and his girlfriend were probably enjoying the reservoir. A few minutes later I saw Kenny Marsden, one of our former softball players and a member of the other team we were playing, holding a baby. I didn't get the connection at first.

The baby belonged to Joe and his girl friend, Tasha. Kenny said that Alannah was his grand-daughter and that Tasha was his daughter. Who would have guessed that these two people I know from different segments of our church life together would be connected through a baby. It just goes to show how far and wide our Church's ministry reaches.

Cal

An impressive victory

On Monday night the FBC softball team continued its memorable season with a 13 - 0 shutout of the top team in the league. St. Mary's was 12 - 0 and was having a pretty easy run through its schedule. The last time we met they beat us soundly and sent us to our second loss of the season. Monday it was a different story.

We scored a run in the first to take a one nothing lead. They threatened i the bottom of the inning by loading the bases bu couldn't get a run across the plate. We scored two more in the second inning and another in the third to take a 4 - 0 lead.

We played very well defensively and a couple of good catches by Steve Moon and Daryl Alves nipped potential rallies in the bud. In the fourth inning we traded zeroes on the score board. It looked like the game was going to go down to the wire but then our bats came alive in the top of the fifth. Daryl Alves led things off with a solo homer. Mike Staron, Dan Dutrumble and Chip Chaffee followed with RBI singles. Mike Young knocked in two runs and after a pop up by Eric Poore, Ken Kreger, Sean Wilding and Chris Vaillancourt ripped consecutive singles to plate a couple more runs. Steve Moon ripped a single to bring in another run and Darly Alves started it up again. By the time the dust had settled, We had scored nine runs and had a 13 - 0 lead. The rally knocked the wind out of St. Mary's and they went down to defeat.

Our record is now 9 -4 and playing very well. The best part of this run is That every night someone else plays the hero. Tonight it was Mike Young with three Rbi on offense and an impressive 3-6-3 double play on defense.

Our next game is Monday, June 15 at field one. Come down and root for us.

Cal

A proud moment

On Sunday afternoon Chris Vaillancourt received his Eagle Scout award in front of family, friends and a few dignitaries. Chris grew up in the church. His mom taught Sunday School and his day was a charter member of our softball team. He was coming to games and wandering around the church since he was just a little guy. He grew up in Montville and as a young boy got involved in scouting.

I got to hear more about Chris' scouting adventures during the ceremony and it proved what I already knew about him. He is a good kid and he learns his lessons well. As his Eagle Scout Project Chris built a trailhead map for Camp Oakdale. It involved remarking the trails and planning, organizing and supervising the construction of the map that defines all the trails within the boundaries of Camp Oakdale.

The Mayor joked that the town could use someone like Chris to help people navigate around the bridge projects in Montville. State Representative Kevin Ryan also alluded to how important projects like these were.

Scouting is a great program that combines a reverence for nature, the nurturing of individual skills and abilities, and a respect for God and country. I can see that it built upon the Christian foundation that Chris had in his home and in Sunday School. I was so proud to be there and be a part of the day.

As part of the Eagle Scout Ceremony, the parents are recognized and it was a moving moment. I watched as his dad, my friend, Marc received a Mentor pin from Chris. He had tears in his eyes. His mom received a special award too and you could see Jackie's smile from ear to ear as she beamed with pride over her son's accomplishment.

The truth is that sometimes we think of our ministry as being totally within the four walls of the church. Yet ministry really goes everywhere that we go. Chris is now a student at the University of New Haven. He will take a bit of us with him as he goes on to finish his college career and begin a life for himself. The experiences he had in our Sunday School and in our worship services as part of our community of faith are now part of the vast number of resources that he can draw on as he lives the life God is giving him. I praise God for that for it is true for every one of us.

Chris joins the rank of countless others who have attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award a young man can earn in Boy Scouts. In our congregation we have several of them including George Rezendes, Ken Kreger, Chris Weimer and Roland Widstrom. They serve as a reminder that you can do great things if you set your mind to it.

Here are a few photos from the Ceremony.

Cal

Summer worship begins

On Sunday morning the choir gathered early to prepare their last anthem of the season. We were going to sing "Speak, O Lord" for the service. It fit right in with our theme of the day. During my sermon I talked about the reason we come to worship. I reminded us that church isn't about us. It is about God. We come to worship and honor God and then to listen as he speaks to us and sends us back out into the world.

Gwyn Green sang during the service as well. She strummed the guitar and sang the old song, "He Touched Me." Afterwards I encouraged others to let me know if they wanted to offer up special music for the summer. The summer months give us the opportunity to be a little freer in our worship.

Sunday School is now in it's summer recess. We take a break from regular choir rehearsals and worship tends to be a little less formal. Some people travel and are away on vacation but many continue to worship during the summer without having to worry about teaching or rehearsing or even serving in ways they do from September to May. One person I spoke to a few years ago said, "It's nice to be able to come to church and worship without thinking about what I have to do next or rush in from what I was just finishing up."

I hope you will take advantage of the more relaxed approach to worship this summer. Don't stay away simply because you aren't directly involved in one of the ministries. Come and be blessed. Worship is still at 10:30 a.m. through the end of June. We move to 9:30 a.m. on July 4th through and including Labor Day.

Ministry that all of us can take part in

On Saturday I spent the day in and around Howard Brown Park at River Fest.

I volunteered to help out at the Norwich Rotary Club booth in the afternoon and to row with the WICH/WCTY Air Raiders Dragon Boat team in the morning.

I have to confess that these two activities were not directly church related. You may even wonder why I mention them here under First Baptist Life. The answer is simple. When we talk about living our faith, it isn't something that can easily be compartmentalized. We don't pull our "faith" out of a box on Sunday mornings and put it back in again on Sunday night. We carry it with us all week long.

We've been talking about being a missional church and that means each of us should be looking for ways to live out our faith all week long. I lift up my activities on Saturday as an example of the way I am doing it.

I joined the Norwich Rotary Club in 1991 on the invitation of Leonard Royce. Len was a member of our church and a member of the Club. It was one of the ways that he made a contribution to the community and he suggested I do the same. He was right on the mark. Over the last eighteen years I enjoyed this ministry. I call it a ministry not simply because the Rotary Club does good stuff in the community. It is a ministry in the sense that I have had a number of opportunities to be with people and to talk about issues of faith that have arisen in their lives. As a result I have become a part time chaplain to a good segment of the community, especially to those who don't attend church regularly.

The truth is that you probably come into contact with a number of people who are dealing with spiritual issues every day. When you open up to your friends and let them know you believe in God and that your faith is important to you, God will use you to speak to the hearts of your friends and acquaintances. You will be in a position to minister to them and serve God at the same time. It will become part of your ministry. When all of us begin thinking about the ways we can be used by God to share his love, then we become a missional congregation.

Now I have to tell you that the dragon boat races was something I did just for the fun of it. I really wanted to do it and the kid in me jumped at it when Michelle Chaffee asked me. Then after I began to think about it for a bit and realized that this was an opportunity for me to meet some of Michelle's friends and co-workers. Some of them have heard her talk about the mission trip and the church. By jumping on board I allowed them to meet me and see that all Christians aren't stuff shirts and like the stereo-types they see on television.

The truth is that all of us are just normal people. We need to let the rest of the world know that. Too often religious people are portrayed as nuts in movies and in the media. You and I know that's not true. To be a follower of Jesus simply means that we love him and are trying to follow him and his teachings as best we can. So it's good to get out there and let the world know who we really are.

It was a good day of ministry, even if it wasn't typical. I hope you have days like this too. They are a blessing and they bring glory to God.


Cal

A few words about the newsletter ministry

Every month a small group of people gets together to assemble the monthly newsletter and prepare it for mailing. It's a big job but it isn't as bad as one might think. The banter is enjoyable and you never know what topics will come up. We've discussed everything from politics to education to raising children. Over the years the group has changed as people have come and gone. The character and good fun remains.

Today Harry and Dot Calkins were the first to arrive. Bob Walker came in a few minutes later. Shortly afterward Sharon Fishkin and her son, Connor, arrived. Sandy Stone chipped in and took her mom's place. Carol Calkins is one of the regulars but she was away this month. Steve Contois dropped in to practice his guitar but when he saw the group hard at work, he decided to lend a hand. I'm not sure if Harry and Bob shamed him into it or he honestly wanted to help. None-the-less it helped move everything along.

Today's newsletter had more pages and a greater circulation than normal. Four times a year we send out the newsletter to our wider distribution list and add a few extra goodies. We call it the quarterly edition. It usually takes longer to prepare but with all the extra help we sailed right along.

Back when I started at the church we did it all in the office. Chris Montalvo, my first secretary, and Amy Rezendes, my second secretary did most of the work. Of course the newsletter was much smaller back then. It consisted of anywhere between one and four double sided letter size pages folded in the middle. Today the average newsletter is almost four times that size. We use three double sided ledger (11 x 17) size paper and a letter size insert.

The format has changed quite a bit too. Our newsletter has always been newsy as opposed to a strictly billboard format. After I finished my doctoral project (which was published as the Church Newsletter Handbook by Judson Press in 1997) I began adding content that was not directly FBC related. It was added to help educate, inspire, and inform our members.

A lot changed when we introduced our first new Macintosh computer back in 1990. It was purchased with a gift in memory of Ethelyn Sebastian. This computer allowed us to use graphics and page layout designs. Instead of cuting and pasting and using glue stick to put the newsletter together, we did more and more of it with the computer and started printing oujt the finished product. The addition of a scanner a couple of years later allowed us to b egin importing photographs as well. We have come a long way.

We still send out about 260- 275 newsletters every month. Technology allows us to post them on on our web site in full color. More and more people are enjoying them that way but we still mail out the hard copies. In the next ten years this may all change. I hope not. Because it would mean that our special little group wouldn't have to get together anymore and I would miss it.

Some of the others who have been part of this special circle over the years include Hal Brockway, Henry & June Pendleton, Will Willey and Buffy McFalls.

So if you want to check out the latest newsletter, go to www.fbcnorwich.org and look for the June Newsletter link.

Cal

A game for the ages.

The last few years have been lean ones for our softball team. Two years ago we only won five games and last year we topped that by one. This year we are off to a great start due to a combination of good defense and timely hitting.

Tonight's game was really exciting. We started slow and couldn't seem to do anything right. After a scoreless first inning, we got on the board first by plating two runs. We couldn't hold Missionary Alliance though. They came back hitting the ball all over the field. When they hit it at us, we threw it away. When they were on the bases they ran with energy and enthusiasm. They scored eight runs and had us on the ropes.

We came back with three runs and were feeling good with the score 8 - 5 going into the bottom of the third. Alliance picked up where they left off in the previous inning and scored seven more runs to take a commanding 15 -5 lead. They threatened to put the game away early.

Feeling the heat we jumped back into the game with five runs of our own courtesy of a couple of walks, three doubles by Mike Young, Sean Wilding and Daryl Alves and sacrifice flies by Chris Vaillancourt and Steve Moon.

In the bottom of the forth inning Alliance scored three more runs and came close to breaking things open. Only a miscue by their third coach saved us. The coach got called for player interference on a play at third ending the inning. We traded zeros in the fifth but the pressure was on for they could have won it by scoring two more runs.

With new life in the sixth we began a record setting rally. Chris Vaillancourt started things off with a double. Daryl Alves singled moving Chris to third. Steve Moon walked to load the bases with no outs. Mike Staron singled and drove in two runs. He went to second on the throw and Steve went to third. Chip Chaffee followed with a three run homer to centerfield to bring us to within three runs. The score was now 18-15 and we still hadn't made our first out.

Eric Poore and Mark Staron hit back to back doubles to score another run. Mike Young ripped a single to drive in Mark and we were down by one. Ken Kreger walked and Dan Dutrumble singled to bring Mike home with the tieing run.

The next two batters lined out sharply to third and short and it appeared the rally was over. With the top of the order coming to bat and men on the corners, Daryl Alves tripled and drove in two more runs for the first lead since the second inning. Steve Moon singled to drive in Daryl and Mike Staron walked to set the table for Chip again. He double to drive in his fifth run of he night. Eric Poore followed with a double of his own to bring in two more runners. Mark Staron and Mike Young followed with back to back RBI singles to complete the scoring.

When the dust settled we had scored sixteen runs and had turned the tables completely. Alliance went down quietly in their last two at bats and we moved our record to 8 -3. It was a game for the ages. No one could remember a bigger inning in our 23 year history. It was a reminder of how far we had come and what a "never give up" attitude can do for a team.

Cal

Children's Day 2009

We welcomed the children to the pulpit yesterday morning and they shared the message with us. I am so proud of our congregation. They came out to support the kids again this year. It means so much to them to see all the adults in the congregation as they shared their stories and acted in their skits.

Jesus said, "Let the children come unto me." He went on to point out that it is this kind of faith and trust, the kind we see in children, that will lead us to eternal life. We saw that innocent and childlike faith in action yesterday. The kids sang "We Are the Church" with gusto to start the program.

Then Rosie Main's nursery class acted out the parable of "The Lost Sheep." It was great. The kids got into it. They really had fun wandering around as the shepherd (played by Sarah Henry) tried to keep them safe. Then she reached out to the lost sheep and brought him back into the fold.

The K - 2nd grade class came on next and they recited the Lord's Prayer together. (A little later in the service they were very vocal as the whole congregation said the Lord's prayer in our prayer time. They showed that they learned well!)

The 3rd - 5th grade class then shared a recitation of the 23rd Psalm in a dramatic form. Jacob Kreger, Troy Anderson, Nicole West and Chelsey Maynard each took turns reciting the well known verse.

Our Junior/Senior High class finished things up with a dramatic reading called, "Were You There" that reminded us to think about our apathy and failure to act in the same way we look at those who failed to act in Jesus day. Then it pointed out that in Christ we have been forgiven and sent forth to share the good news.

Our Praise team gave Adele the day off and accompanied the congregation in singing the hymns. Cynthia Strouse and Lori Lord, our Sunday School pianist, provided the prelude, postlude and offertory music.


Sunday School Superintendent Pam Kane gave out excellent attendance awards to Maddy and Conner Fishkin, Jennifer, Jared and Joshua LaFlamme, Noah Lucien, Chelsea Weimer, Andrew and Jacob Kreger, Rachel Lord, Nicholas Costa, Sarah and Hannah Henry, Chelsey Calkins, Rosie Main, Sandra Lucien, Doris Calkins, Janet LaFlamme, Laura Kreger, Wendy HenryOliver Bray and Curt Brockway. The award was given to those teachers and students who had missed three Sundays or less during the year.

Pam then presented Bibles to the students who were being promoted from the second grade class to the next level. They went to Madalyn Fishkin, Noah Lucien and Nicholas Costa. Bibles were also presented to the eighth grade graduates Bethany Stone, Chelsey Calkins and Heather Adams.

We closed the service and then moved the festivities to Fort Shantock for an all church picnic. Over fifty people came out for hot dogs, salads and fun and games. Mark Kane fired up the grill and cooked the hot dogs for the group. While they were waiting, many of the children enjoyed playing on the swings, the jungle gym and the slide. I captured a few pictures and have posted them below. The kids had a good time. After lunch they took turns hitting the pinata and then went over to the field to play several games. I think everyone had a good time.

It's make me think that we should pan a couple of picnics every summer. It is a lot of fun and th kids really enjoy playing with each other.

Cal