Our Annual Meeting is on Thursday. Every year we pause and look at what God has done. 2009 was a wonderful year in the life of our church family. It was filled with great worship services, numerous mission opportunities and educational experiences. Here are a few of the highlights;
Mission trips to Mexico and Appalachia:
In February we took a team of 21 people to Mexicali, Mexico to work with our Missionary partners, Rick and Mercy Barnes. We split up into three teams and did some work at Primera Iglesia de Mexicali. We did some yard work there and helped pour the foundation for what will be their nursery. We also helped them install a new air conditioning unit. A second group went to El Buen Samaritano to work on installing sheet rock and sanding walls. A third group went to an outreach venue to paint the hosts host and do some electrical work. That group also split time doing some repairs in and around the seminary where we were staying.
Each night we hosted a vacation Bible school and gave support to the teachers and staff. It was interesting to see how they do outreach into their neighborhoods without fear of rejection. They were gracious and friendly and we were glad to be a part of it.
In July we went to West Virginia with a group called Mustard Seeds and Mountains. We worked on a gentleman's house. This group does ministry through hands on labor and quiet witness to the rural poor. We brought a group of eleven down and were joined by Michelle and Clayton Lord Sr. and their grandson, Christopher. The Lord, former members of our church, came over from their home in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. (They are also the pastor's parents.
In September we started up our Wednesday night services:
With an average attendance of 19 or 20, this worship experience has been firmly established as part of our weekly offering again. Led by the Praise team and the Pastor the service features a time of prayer and a short message. It has been very well received.
The Missional Church Emphasis goes year round:
We began with our Winter survival kit give away in January and then filtered in some kind of community outreach event nearly every month during 2009. Highlights include the July 4th hospitality event on our front lawn and the coat give away in October. We've also regularly continued to host the monthly interfaith luncheons on the third Sunday of each month at St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The Fill Our Cup Sunday:
Special services happened all year but we kicked off our Stewardship Campaign by inviting everyone to come forward with their favorite cup to receive their communion elements. At the end of the campaign we asked everyone to come up again and put their pledge cards and their praise of thanksgiving cards in the wishing well. It offered two meaningful opportunities to express our faith.
Softball Team wins record number of games:
Our softball team matched its career win total this season and there was good feeling all around. We celebrated their success in worship this summer.
Despite Financial woes in the world around us, our people remained faithful:
Although pledges fell behind for a time, everyone caught up by the end of the year and we finished in the black. That was noteworthy because of the poor economic climate. Our people have continued to show their faith through giving and that has been a blessing to our ministry.
Weddings and more weddings:
Several prominent couples from families within our congregation were wed this year. They included Rod & Debra (Atkins) Allen, Carl & Melody (Johnson) Soderberg, Allison (Walberg) & Jason Beit, Al & Wendy Dart, George & Mary Ann (Canning) Rezendes, Ashley (West) & Daniel Moriarty, Stacia (Green) & Nicholas Grange, Jonathan & Katherine (Kirchner) Vanase.
These are just the highlights. for a full report, check out the annual report booklet at church.
Cal
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A worship filled day at FBC
Sundays are fun days at First Baptist. The church is hopping from first thing in the morning until late at night.Adele is usually there by 6:30 a.m. and I follower her in by 6:45 a.m. She runs through the hymns and her special music and I check the heat, tune up the sermon, tie up loose ends and pray for the people who will gathering there that morning.
Lori Lord and Oliver Bray usually show up by 8:45 a.m. to get things ready for Sunday School. The place comes alive shortly afterward. Kids and teachers come and Sunday School begins. For the next hour there is a buzz as six classes take place. at 10:10 a.m. the choir begins to arrive and they start gathering down in Fellowship Hall. At 10:25 a.m., with people streaming up the stairs, the choir moves into place and it is just about time for worship to begin. Adele is playing the prelude and I walk down the aisle with the worship assistant and at 10:30 a.m the worship service begins.
Most weeks we celebrate God's presence right up to 11:35 - 11:40 a.m. and then for the next half hour or more we greet one another, have a cup of coffee and slowly begin to clear out. As we do, Pastor Daniel Song of the Korean Methodist Church comes in and begins to set up for his service. At 12:15 p.m. the members of the Korean Church begin to arrive. They often begin with a time of prayer and at 12:30 p.m. their worship service begins.
After worship the Korean congregation moved downstairs to have lunch together. That usually begins about 1:45 - 1:50 p.m. Sharing a meal together is not technically part of their worship experience but it is very important to the church community. We have coffee. They have lunch.
At 2:50 - 3:00 p.m. the Korean Church is leaving and the first members of Buena Nuevas begin arriving. The Praise team sets up and the Sunday School teachers unpack and prepare their class rooms. Sunday School begins at 3:30 p.m. and the Praise team practices.
At 4:30 p.m. the Hispanic worship service begins. People are in and out of the sanctuary and many things take place as the worship service continue until about 6:30 p.m.
Some nights we come back for youth group meetings or Bible studies and the day is extended a little longer.
I like to think that in this multi cultural center of Connecticut, where over thirty different languages are spoken, we are praising God like they did on the day of Pentecost. That is cool.
Cal
Lori Lord and Oliver Bray usually show up by 8:45 a.m. to get things ready for Sunday School. The place comes alive shortly afterward. Kids and teachers come and Sunday School begins. For the next hour there is a buzz as six classes take place. at 10:10 a.m. the choir begins to arrive and they start gathering down in Fellowship Hall. At 10:25 a.m., with people streaming up the stairs, the choir moves into place and it is just about time for worship to begin. Adele is playing the prelude and I walk down the aisle with the worship assistant and at 10:30 a.m the worship service begins.
Most weeks we celebrate God's presence right up to 11:35 - 11:40 a.m. and then for the next half hour or more we greet one another, have a cup of coffee and slowly begin to clear out. As we do, Pastor Daniel Song of the Korean Methodist Church comes in and begins to set up for his service. At 12:15 p.m. the members of the Korean Church begin to arrive. They often begin with a time of prayer and at 12:30 p.m. their worship service begins.
After worship the Korean congregation moved downstairs to have lunch together. That usually begins about 1:45 - 1:50 p.m. Sharing a meal together is not technically part of their worship experience but it is very important to the church community. We have coffee. They have lunch.
At 2:50 - 3:00 p.m. the Korean Church is leaving and the first members of Buena Nuevas begin arriving. The Praise team sets up and the Sunday School teachers unpack and prepare their class rooms. Sunday School begins at 3:30 p.m. and the Praise team practices.
At 4:30 p.m. the Hispanic worship service begins. People are in and out of the sanctuary and many things take place as the worship service continue until about 6:30 p.m.
Some nights we come back for youth group meetings or Bible studies and the day is extended a little longer.
I like to think that in this multi cultural center of Connecticut, where over thirty different languages are spoken, we are praising God like they did on the day of Pentecost. That is cool.
Cal
Monday, January 18, 2010
Fun nights at Church: Part 3
Thursday nights are typically meeting nights at church. A lot of what happens from week to week at Church is decided on Thursday nights. For example, last week the Property Committee met at 6:00 p.m. Only a few of the members were able to make it but we talked about things we hoped to accomplish. We are going to put together a work list which will highlight things that need to be done at the Church. Painting projects, areas that need to be fixed or cleaned up, landscaping or outside work will all be lifted up. A number of people have volunteered to do things and this will allow them to do it at a time that is convenient for them.
At 7:00 p.m. the Trustees met. They looked at the 2010 proposed budget and agreed to send it on to the Annual Meeting for approval. We also talked about the major projects that are on the back burner right now. The furnaces and heating system has presented some challenges. The kitchen was one step away from being a reality. The economy has put both of them on hold. WE discussed these things at length and decided that we will invite the rest of the congregation to discuss it further at the Annual Meeting.
Guess what? The Annual Meeting will be on a Thursday. A lot of people come to Church on Sunday and don't think about the "business" of the Church. It is done by volunteers who meet regularly to plan and provide for the future.
We don't always meet on Thursday. The By-laws Committee met last Wednesday night before Church. They finalized the recommendations that they will propose to the congregation at the Annual Meeting. Last Monday the Missional Church Committee met. They made some decisions on the upcoming "Because We Care Day" on February 20th at the Martin Luther King Center. We will be giving out Soap, shampoo, tooth paste and tooth brushes, laundry detergent and the no sew blankets. You will hear more in the coming weeks.
Most of the time the meetings are informative and productive. It's always nice to know you are accomplishing something that will bless others. That's what the meetings are all about. It is working hand in hand with one another and God.
Cal
At 7:00 p.m. the Trustees met. They looked at the 2010 proposed budget and agreed to send it on to the Annual Meeting for approval. We also talked about the major projects that are on the back burner right now. The furnaces and heating system has presented some challenges. The kitchen was one step away from being a reality. The economy has put both of them on hold. WE discussed these things at length and decided that we will invite the rest of the congregation to discuss it further at the Annual Meeting.
Guess what? The Annual Meeting will be on a Thursday. A lot of people come to Church on Sunday and don't think about the "business" of the Church. It is done by volunteers who meet regularly to plan and provide for the future.
We don't always meet on Thursday. The By-laws Committee met last Wednesday night before Church. They finalized the recommendations that they will propose to the congregation at the Annual Meeting. Last Monday the Missional Church Committee met. They made some decisions on the upcoming "Because We Care Day" on February 20th at the Martin Luther King Center. We will be giving out Soap, shampoo, tooth paste and tooth brushes, laundry detergent and the no sew blankets. You will hear more in the coming weeks.
Most of the time the meetings are informative and productive. It's always nice to know you are accomplishing something that will bless others. That's what the meetings are all about. It is working hand in hand with one another and God.
Cal
Fun nights at church: Part 2
I love Wednesday nights at Church. We've been having worship services since September. The Praise Team sings and gets us going. Then we spend a little time in prayer. We finish up with a message. Forty five or fifty minutes later we head home. The time seems to fly right by. It's cozy and friendly. It's a safe place to share your worries, concerns, fears and sorrows.
We've prayed for people who received bad news. We have rejoiced with people who are celebrating. We've laid hands on someone according to the command of James and later witnessed and answer to prayers. The truth is that life gets hard sometimes and on Wednesday nights we've created an oasis where people can find rest, hope, encouragement as they meet the challenges. The music is always good and the message, if I do say so myself, is usually on the mark.
I especially like it because of the intimate nature of the group. We've averaged close to twenty people each week, with a high of 29. Yet, it feels like God has set aside this time for each one of us individually.
Are you looking to spend a little time with Jesus. Then come join the fun on Wednesday nights. You will be glad you did. Right now I am preaching a series of sermons from the Book of James. The Series is called "Pack Up Your Troubles."
Cal
We've prayed for people who received bad news. We have rejoiced with people who are celebrating. We've laid hands on someone according to the command of James and later witnessed and answer to prayers. The truth is that life gets hard sometimes and on Wednesday nights we've created an oasis where people can find rest, hope, encouragement as they meet the challenges. The music is always good and the message, if I do say so myself, is usually on the mark.
I especially like it because of the intimate nature of the group. We've averaged close to twenty people each week, with a high of 29. Yet, it feels like God has set aside this time for each one of us individually.
Are you looking to spend a little time with Jesus. Then come join the fun on Wednesday nights. You will be glad you did. Right now I am preaching a series of sermons from the Book of James. The Series is called "Pack Up Your Troubles."
Cal
Fun nights at church: Part 1
I like Tuesday nights at Church. The choir gets together to rehearse. It is like getting together with good friends. You smile, you joke and then you do lots of hard work. You take a break, catch up with one another and then work hard again until you feel satisfied that you have a special offering for next Sunday.
I've always looked at the choir as my partner in leading worship. They lead the singing. They provide an inspirational word. They sit in the front row and encourage me when I am preaching. We used to joke about George Rezendes taking a nap during the service (I think that was more fun that fact) but seeing and hearing the choir is an important feature of worship. When you see their smiles and hear their voices, it lifts you up and brings you that much closer to God.
Every so often the group also puts together a special morning of music. They worked extra hard to present a cantata or musical Sunday. Instead of me preaching a sermon, they give us a sermon in song. We haven't done that in few years but I am hoping I can convince the group to do it again at Easter or Christmas this year.
Mitch Albom wrote a book titled, "Tuesdays with Maurie" in which he chronicles his weekly visits with an old college professor. It was a special book. I think someone should write one for church and call it Tuesdays at choir. We could share stories of some of the special people who have sung with us over the years. It would be a great read.
You'd hear about Gladys Johnson and her operatic voice and Paul Lorraine, who always sang the tune - in bass. Donald Royce used to say that the one thing he told his wife when he got married was that he needed one night out a week. Why? You guessed it. He had choir rehearsal. You would hear of Annie Cowen who spent 47 years on the organ bench and the part time, fill in organist, Adele who will celebrate her 30th anniversary next month. Lots of fun and lots of stories.
Well if you like to sing and want to have a good time, why not join us in the new year. Spend your Tuesdays with the choir and you will be blessed.
Cal
I've always looked at the choir as my partner in leading worship. They lead the singing. They provide an inspirational word. They sit in the front row and encourage me when I am preaching. We used to joke about George Rezendes taking a nap during the service (I think that was more fun that fact) but seeing and hearing the choir is an important feature of worship. When you see their smiles and hear their voices, it lifts you up and brings you that much closer to God.
Every so often the group also puts together a special morning of music. They worked extra hard to present a cantata or musical Sunday. Instead of me preaching a sermon, they give us a sermon in song. We haven't done that in few years but I am hoping I can convince the group to do it again at Easter or Christmas this year.
Mitch Albom wrote a book titled, "Tuesdays with Maurie" in which he chronicles his weekly visits with an old college professor. It was a special book. I think someone should write one for church and call it Tuesdays at choir. We could share stories of some of the special people who have sung with us over the years. It would be a great read.
You'd hear about Gladys Johnson and her operatic voice and Paul Lorraine, who always sang the tune - in bass. Donald Royce used to say that the one thing he told his wife when he got married was that he needed one night out a week. Why? You guessed it. He had choir rehearsal. You would hear of Annie Cowen who spent 47 years on the organ bench and the part time, fill in organist, Adele who will celebrate her 30th anniversary next month. Lots of fun and lots of stories.
Well if you like to sing and want to have a good time, why not join us in the new year. Spend your Tuesdays with the choir and you will be blessed.
Cal
Monday, January 11, 2010
We are sharing our spoons
We are called to share our spoon
We had a meeting of our Missional Church Committee tonight and formalized our plans for our Winter Giveaway at the Martin Luther King Center next month. We'll be giving out a number of personal hygiene items. We wanted to concentrate on the things you need but can't buy with food stamps. So we are collecting shampoo, conditioner, tooth paste and tooth brushes, bar soap and laundry detergent. Our people have been so good at bringing in the supplies but we always welcome more from any source. We really want to bless the people in need who live around the Church. This is our tangible way to let our neighbors know that God cares about them. After all Jesus said the greatest commandment was "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself." We are doing that.
We have found that when you give in love, the blessing always comes back to you in unexpected ways.
I like the story that is told about a Holy man that was having a conversation with the Lord one day. The man said, ''Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.''
The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.
In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it impossible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The Lord said, ''You have seen Hell." They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoon but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, ''I don't understand."
''It is simple,'' said the Lord. ''It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. When we learn to love one another, we receive a taste of heaven.
What we are doing is sharing our spoons with our neighbors.
Cal
We have found that when you give in love, the blessing always comes back to you in unexpected ways.
I like the story that is told about a Holy man that was having a conversation with the Lord one day. The man said, ''Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.''
The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.
In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it impossible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The Lord said, ''You have seen Hell." They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoon but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, ''I don't understand."
''It is simple,'' said the Lord. ''It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. When we learn to love one another, we receive a taste of heaven.
What we are doing is sharing our spoons with our neighbors.
Cal
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Pasta Supper was huge success
Saturday night was a huge success. Our Mission Mexico team put on a Pasta Supper fundraiser at the Central Baptist Church. We hoped we would get 100 people and about twenty items for our silent auction. In the end we had over 150 people for dinner and over fifty auction items. It was a great time for those who did the cooking and serving as well as a good night out for those who had dinner. It was profitable too. We raised over $3200 for the team. Praise God.
Here are a few photos from the event.
Cal
Here are a few photos from the event.
Cal
Friday, January 8, 2010
Committee meets to deal with 2010 Budget.
It appeared to be worse than it was. When the pledges came back lower than we had expected and interest income was below what we had hoped, the Budget Committee feared they would have to chop off as much as $40,000 off the budget. As it turned out we were in better shape than we had thought.
We still had to cut just over $9,000 from the dream budget but we were able to maintain most everything we have been doing. We may have to look at a few cuts down the road if things don't remain stable though.
The good news is that the mission budget did increase and will support the many great mission projects that we want to do in 2010.
Cal
We still had to cut just over $9,000 from the dream budget but we were able to maintain most everything we have been doing. We may have to look at a few cuts down the road if things don't remain stable though.
The good news is that the mission budget did increase and will support the many great mission projects that we want to do in 2010.
Cal
FBC Top Ten events of the 00's
The Top ten events in the last decade at First Baptist
We embark on our first mission trip to Mexico with thirteen people from the First and Central Baptist Churches in 2007.
We come together in worship with Central Baptist for eight weeks in January and February 2006 and begin discussions about joint ministry.
We celebrate our 200th Anniversary with a new addition on the church and special monthly activities that culminate with a wonderful weekend of activity and services in 2000.
A group of seven youth and four adults head out to Colorado to the ABCUSA National Youth Gathering in Estes Park in 2000.
Our Praise Team is formed in response to continuing prayer on Wednesday nights when Steve Contois and Cliff Vanase start playing for us in 2002.
We begin an eighteen month program in 2008 working with Glynis LaBarre from ABCUSA National Ministries to look at what it means to be a "missional church" and it catapults us into a whole new way of doing ministry.
The Norwich Korean Church (October 2005) and Buenas Nuevas Hispanic Church (April 2006) begin meeting for worship in our building.
The resignation of Rev. Sheldon Keller at Central Baptist Church in May of 2007 puts a halt to all talks of a possible merger.
On the occasion of his twentieth anniversary as pastor of the church, Cal took a sabbatical leave and the church enjoyed ten weeks of preaching by some very distinguished preachers.
We laid a new floor in the sanctuary and painted the ceiling to give us a new look for worship.
That's my top ten list. What's yours?
Cal
We embark on our first mission trip to Mexico with thirteen people from the First and Central Baptist Churches in 2007.
We come together in worship with Central Baptist for eight weeks in January and February 2006 and begin discussions about joint ministry.
We celebrate our 200th Anniversary with a new addition on the church and special monthly activities that culminate with a wonderful weekend of activity and services in 2000.
A group of seven youth and four adults head out to Colorado to the ABCUSA National Youth Gathering in Estes Park in 2000.
Our Praise Team is formed in response to continuing prayer on Wednesday nights when Steve Contois and Cliff Vanase start playing for us in 2002.
We begin an eighteen month program in 2008 working with Glynis LaBarre from ABCUSA National Ministries to look at what it means to be a "missional church" and it catapults us into a whole new way of doing ministry.
The Norwich Korean Church (October 2005) and Buenas Nuevas Hispanic Church (April 2006) begin meeting for worship in our building.
The resignation of Rev. Sheldon Keller at Central Baptist Church in May of 2007 puts a halt to all talks of a possible merger.
On the occasion of his twentieth anniversary as pastor of the church, Cal took a sabbatical leave and the church enjoyed ten weeks of preaching by some very distinguished preachers.
We laid a new floor in the sanctuary and painted the ceiling to give us a new look for worship.
That's my top ten list. What's yours?
Cal
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Looking Back at the Decade - 2009
2009
This was the year of mission. Not only did our Missional Church efforts begin in earnest, we also expanded our short term mission trip program. In January we met at the Martin Luther King Center for our Winter Survival Kit Giveaway. In February we sent a team of twenty to Mexico. In May we dropped in on the Fire Station and Police department with our greetings and lots of goodies. On the fourth of July we greeted the neighborhood with popcorn, cold drink and a nice place to view the fireworks. At the end of July we sent a team to West Virginia to help build up a community. In September we visited American Ambulance with goodies. In October we met the neighbors at Jenkins Park and gave away coats and sweaters. In November we gave out thirty Thanksgiving Baskets and in December we gave out Food bags and Christmas presents to six families. We co-hosted visits by missionaries Mercy & Rick Barnes and Kristy Engel during the year too. When you add twelve months of luncheons at St. Mark's and an ongoing supply of food to those who visit our pantry, it was quite a year of giving.
Our Choir took to the road in 2009. not only did they sing at the Annual Choir Festival, they also sang the National Anthem at a Connecticut Defenders game at Dodd Stadium and at Norwich's 350th Anniversary Service celebration of the faith community in Norwichtown. Our Praise team also traveled a bit this year. They participated in the annual Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Grace episcopal church in Yantic. We also celebrated Adele's retirement from the Post Office this year after many years of service there. Joshua Zimeski filled in for Adele for a couple of weeks in April and the 16 year old did very well.
We made a few modifications to the way we do business in 2009. To accommodate our visitors and our older members we changed our parking philosophy and encouraged people to leave the spacers along the back of the church for visitors and older members. We brought back the Tag sale but instead of doing all the work ourselves, we invited people to buy tables and sell their own stuff. It raised close to $500. We added a second adult Sunday School clas to our schedule. Cliff Vanase led an Alpha class on Christian basics.
We officially dedicated the Royce memorial grand piano and welcomed all four of Doris and Leonard's children and some of their grandchildren in the service. On Mother's Day we had a special duet as Helen Walker and her daughter, Cindy Costa, sang. On December 27 Lori, Sarah and Rachel Lord sang a family trio in worship. Paul Young, the author of "The Shack" gave a talk at the Quaker Hill Baptist Church. Sarah Matteau was dedicated by her mother and father, Jason and Rebecca. Glynis LaBarre was a guest speaker at FBC. We started our Wednesday Night worship services again in September with an average attendance of 18 -22 people each week. In December we celebrated the ministries of Rosie Main and George Rezendes. both of them were planning to move at the end of the year.
We said good bye to some longstanding, faithful members. Bob Booth, Edith Robinson and Al Damien passed away. On the good news side of the ledger Rebecca Matteau, Jared LaFlamme and Lisa Point were baptized and Cynthia Costa, Kaitlin Beavin, Cheryl Dimmock and Rachelle Weimer all joined the church. Rod Allen & Debbie Atkins, George Rezendes & Mary Anne Canning , Al & Wendy Dart, Allison Walberg & Jason Beit, Ashley West and Damiel Moriarty, Carl Soderberg & Melody Johnson, Jonathan Vanase and Katherine Kirchner, and Stacia Green & Nick Grange were all married.
That was how we ended the decade.
Cal
This was the year of mission. Not only did our Missional Church efforts begin in earnest, we also expanded our short term mission trip program. In January we met at the Martin Luther King Center for our Winter Survival Kit Giveaway. In February we sent a team of twenty to Mexico. In May we dropped in on the Fire Station and Police department with our greetings and lots of goodies. On the fourth of July we greeted the neighborhood with popcorn, cold drink and a nice place to view the fireworks. At the end of July we sent a team to West Virginia to help build up a community. In September we visited American Ambulance with goodies. In October we met the neighbors at Jenkins Park and gave away coats and sweaters. In November we gave out thirty Thanksgiving Baskets and in December we gave out Food bags and Christmas presents to six families. We co-hosted visits by missionaries Mercy & Rick Barnes and Kristy Engel during the year too. When you add twelve months of luncheons at St. Mark's and an ongoing supply of food to those who visit our pantry, it was quite a year of giving.
Our Choir took to the road in 2009. not only did they sing at the Annual Choir Festival, they also sang the National Anthem at a Connecticut Defenders game at Dodd Stadium and at Norwich's 350th Anniversary Service celebration of the faith community in Norwichtown. Our Praise team also traveled a bit this year. They participated in the annual Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Grace episcopal church in Yantic. We also celebrated Adele's retirement from the Post Office this year after many years of service there. Joshua Zimeski filled in for Adele for a couple of weeks in April and the 16 year old did very well.
We made a few modifications to the way we do business in 2009. To accommodate our visitors and our older members we changed our parking philosophy and encouraged people to leave the spacers along the back of the church for visitors and older members. We brought back the Tag sale but instead of doing all the work ourselves, we invited people to buy tables and sell their own stuff. It raised close to $500. We added a second adult Sunday School clas to our schedule. Cliff Vanase led an Alpha class on Christian basics.
We officially dedicated the Royce memorial grand piano and welcomed all four of Doris and Leonard's children and some of their grandchildren in the service. On Mother's Day we had a special duet as Helen Walker and her daughter, Cindy Costa, sang. On December 27 Lori, Sarah and Rachel Lord sang a family trio in worship. Paul Young, the author of "The Shack" gave a talk at the Quaker Hill Baptist Church. Sarah Matteau was dedicated by her mother and father, Jason and Rebecca. Glynis LaBarre was a guest speaker at FBC. We started our Wednesday Night worship services again in September with an average attendance of 18 -22 people each week. In December we celebrated the ministries of Rosie Main and George Rezendes. both of them were planning to move at the end of the year.
We said good bye to some longstanding, faithful members. Bob Booth, Edith Robinson and Al Damien passed away. On the good news side of the ledger Rebecca Matteau, Jared LaFlamme and Lisa Point were baptized and Cynthia Costa, Kaitlin Beavin, Cheryl Dimmock and Rachelle Weimer all joined the church. Rod Allen & Debbie Atkins, George Rezendes & Mary Anne Canning , Al & Wendy Dart, Allison Walberg & Jason Beit, Ashley West and Damiel Moriarty, Carl Soderberg & Melody Johnson, Jonathan Vanase and Katherine Kirchner, and Stacia Green & Nick Grange were all married.
That was how we ended the decade.
Cal
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Looking Back on the Decade - 2008
2008
The year began with us looking forward to two weeks of worship with Central Baptist. We met once at Central and once at First Baptist with the combined choir performing once at each of the venues. David Warfield and Adele DiBiagio took turns directing the groups. Pastor Michelle Madsen Bibeau was the interim pastor at Central. She and I shared leadership in the services. Later in the year we came together again to put together a tremendous Vacation Bible School. It was well attended and a lot of fun.
In April we sent fourteen people to Mexico for our second Mission trip. the group included veterans Carol Calkins, June Deptulski, Sharon Fishkin and I. Newcomers included Mark Kane and his son "little" Mark, Connie Jensen, Nancy Janco, Lisa Lapointe, Amanda Duntz, George Rezendes and Carol Wojcik from First Baptist and Merlynda Sol and Pastor Michelle from Central Baptist. We worked at the Church of he Good Samaritan just a few blocks from the Seminary.
We had two big celebrations during the year. In June we had fun with the fact that I was turning 50. Actually there were more than a dozen of us in the same boat and that's what made it special. On the Big 50 Sunday George Rezendes, Pete Adams, Debbie Bray, Audrey Traylor, Pete Adams, Mark Rogers, Stephanie Mattos, Elizabeth Isenburg, Marc Vaillancourt, Fred Green Sr., Mark Damien, Sue Ferguson and our special interest missionary Mercy Gonzales Barnes were among the honorees. We also celebrated our couples who were married 50 years or more. They included Harry & Dot Calkins, Richard & Elizabeth Strong, Bob & Marge Booth, Al & Sue Damien and two couples who were very close, Oliver & Barbara Bray and Bob & Helen Walker. Then we recognized our 50 + year members. That group included Lois Lopez, Bruce Royce, June Pendleton, Doris Adams, Marge Booth, and George Strouse who were present and Edith Robinson, Doris Regets, Jean Roscoe, Carolyn Benker, Charles Hamblen, Bonnie Koch, Elaine Berrie and Jean Smith who couldn't be there. It was a great day and a lot of fun.
The second celebration was a historical Sunday marking the fact that I became the longest serving pastor in Church history. Homecoming Sunday gave us an excuse to celebrate the ministries of the ten longest serving pastors of the church. They included John Sterry, William Palmer, Percy Kilmister, Walter Schoepfer, George H. Strouse, Vernon Price, A S Brown, Herbert Wise an R K Ashley. It was a lot of fun.
In September we embarked on an exploration of Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" during worship and with mid-week Bible studies. It was a great series and provoked a lot of good discussion. We also set out on a journey to become a "missional church" by signing up to become part of a focus group with ABCUSA. We met Glynis LeBarre, a transformational church specialist with National Ministries and she challenged us to think of ministry outside the box. For the next several months we began to explore our church's mission in the community. That set the stage for our Winter Survival Kit giveaway scheduled for January of 2009. In the Fall we began making "no sew blankets" and collecting items for the big day.
Andrew Higgins, Yolanda Charles, Luis Pabon and Ashley Stewart were baptized and Kelly Bolin, Debbie Bray, James and Pam Smith all joined the church. Trinity Ambruso was dedicated and Andrew Higgins and Ericka Davis, Lindsey Adams and Kevin Mariano, Zelda Earle and Bruce Fellows, Katie Seder and Adam Karon, and Andrew Seder and Rebecca Galligan were married.
Miss Connecticut Dana Daunis entertained us at the Mother-Daughter Banquet. We had a group go to the Spirit of Broadway Theater to see "The Enchanted Cottage." Penny Sargent provided a dramatic moment as "the Drummer Boy" on Christmas Eve and Fred Green, the new youth coordinator, and the youth group went to see the movie "Prince Caspian."
We moved forward on our plans to renovate the kitchen. A design was chosen and bids were sent out to do the job. Everything was set in motion to do the job early in January of 2009. Then the stock market began to tumble and a world wide financial crises put our plans on hold. The property committee did paint the back entry, began the renovation of the nursery and did some more roof repairs.
Curt Brockway was the Moderator. Betsey Adams served as the Church Clerk. We had pledges of $103,000 and total income of $197,600. It was a very good year.
We had two big celebrations during the year. In June we had fun with the fact that I was turning 50. Actually there were more than a dozen of us in the same boat and that's what made it special. On the Big 50 Sunday George Rezendes, Pete Adams, Debbie Bray, Audrey Traylor, Pete Adams, Mark Rogers, Stephanie Mattos, Elizabeth Isenburg, Marc Vaillancourt, Fred Green Sr., Mark Damien, Sue Ferguson and our special interest missionary Mercy Gonzales Barnes were among the honorees. We also celebrated our couples who were married 50 years or more. They included Harry & Dot Calkins, Richard & Elizabeth Strong, Bob & Marge Booth, Al & Sue Damien and two couples who were very close, Oliver & Barbara Bray and Bob & Helen Walker. Then we recognized our 50 + year members. That group included Lois Lopez, Bruce Royce, June Pendleton, Doris Adams, Marge Booth, and George Strouse who were present and Edith Robinson, Doris Regets, Jean Roscoe, Carolyn Benker, Charles Hamblen, Bonnie Koch, Elaine Berrie and Jean Smith who couldn't be there. It was a great day and a lot of fun.
The second celebration was a historical Sunday marking the fact that I became the longest serving pastor in Church history. Homecoming Sunday gave us an excuse to celebrate the ministries of the ten longest serving pastors of the church. They included John Sterry, William Palmer, Percy Kilmister, Walter Schoepfer, George H. Strouse, Vernon Price, A S Brown, Herbert Wise an R K Ashley. It was a lot of fun.
In September we embarked on an exploration of Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" during worship and with mid-week Bible studies. It was a great series and provoked a lot of good discussion. We also set out on a journey to become a "missional church" by signing up to become part of a focus group with ABCUSA. We met Glynis LeBarre, a transformational church specialist with National Ministries and she challenged us to think of ministry outside the box. For the next several months we began to explore our church's mission in the community. That set the stage for our Winter Survival Kit giveaway scheduled for January of 2009. In the Fall we began making "no sew blankets" and collecting items for the big day.
Andrew Higgins, Yolanda Charles, Luis Pabon and Ashley Stewart were baptized and Kelly Bolin, Debbie Bray, James and Pam Smith all joined the church. Trinity Ambruso was dedicated and Andrew Higgins and Ericka Davis, Lindsey Adams and Kevin Mariano, Zelda Earle and Bruce Fellows, Katie Seder and Adam Karon, and Andrew Seder and Rebecca Galligan were married.Miss Connecticut Dana Daunis entertained us at the Mother-Daughter Banquet. We had a group go to the Spirit of Broadway Theater to see "The Enchanted Cottage." Penny Sargent provided a dramatic moment as "the Drummer Boy" on Christmas Eve and Fred Green, the new youth coordinator, and the youth group went to see the movie "Prince Caspian."
We moved forward on our plans to renovate the kitchen. A design was chosen and bids were sent out to do the job. Everything was set in motion to do the job early in January of 2009. Then the stock market began to tumble and a world wide financial crises put our plans on hold. The property committee did paint the back entry, began the renovation of the nursery and did some more roof repairs.
Curt Brockway was the Moderator. Betsey Adams served as the Church Clerk. We had pledges of $103,000 and total income of $197,600. It was a very good year.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Looking Back on the Decade 2007
2007
The resignation of Pastor Sheldon Keller in April put our growing merger talks with Central Baptist on hold. We enjoyed eight good weeks of joint worship with our sister church to start off the year. We alternated between the churches every two weeks Attendance wasn't quite as good the second time around. Speculation was that the talk of joining the two churches in a more formal way tempered the excited we enjoyed the year before. As Central Baptist began their interim period and started their search, they decided to put all merger talks on hold. We obliged them and when it came time to vote on whether or not we would worship together again in 2008, we voted to cut it back to two week the next time around.
Amy Hollis continued as our Student Minister into 2007 and hosted a monthly craft time for our Sunday School children. Cassie Kane and Rachelle Weimer assisted her in this ministry. In May Amy left us to accept a call to become the Associate Pastor at the First Baptist Church of West Hartford. Our youth groups continued to meet. The highlight of the year was a trip to the Spirit of Broadway Theater to see "Children's Letter to God." In the Fall we hooked up with the youth groups of Central Baptist, United and the First Congregational churches. Central Baptist's interim minister, Michelle Madsen Bibeau, suggested the idea.
In April we left for Mexicali Mexico for our first short term mission trip. We were going to work with our ABCUSA missionaries Rick and Mercy Barnes. 13 people went on the trip. Nancy Allen, Carol Calkins, June Deptulski, Sharon Fishkin and I went from First Baptist. Eileen and Sheldon Keller, Doreen and Roger Mainville, Andy and Melanie Schueuermann and David and Karen Warfield went from Central Baptist. It was a life changing trip and it began a movement in our church to make this an annual event.
During the year we not only met with Central Baptist, we also had two joint services with Buenas Nuevas. The services were great. We had them in both languages and included a bit of Spanish music as well as traditional hymns. Pastor Jorge's wife, Wanda did the interpretation in one service and Alberto translated for the second service. This fit in well with our growing identity as a "missional" church. Our identity has become that of a church that is part of the community. It wasn't an accident that even as our community becomes multi cultural, our church is now a beacon for some of the immigrants moving here.
Our building had some issues this year. We need to make some repairs on the roof for the second time in three years. Randy Sargent and Mark Rogers went up on the roof to make the repairs. The two furnaces that heat the sanctuary also demanded some attention. We did some repairs to make them more efficient. With oil prices rising up to $3.00 a gallon or more, we needed to do something. Members of the Hispanic church laid a new floor in Fellowship Hall.One of their members owned a business and we split the cost. We also did some landscaping this summer. Sue Vanase and a few others began planting and pruning the shrubs and flowers in our front yard and around the back entrance. The "America in Bloom" program was a great excuse to do a much needed face lift to our buildings and grounds. Seed money given by Phil Postler in memory of his mother got us going. Phil & Maureen joined Patricia Ohlund, Cynthia Strouse, Carol Calkins, Bob & Marge Booth were among those to make the initial push to get things started.
Armin Harris was the MVP of our 2007 Softball team and The Green Team from Taftville Congregational Church won the Bowling Championship. We had four teams in the church basketball league again and were stunned and saddened by the sudden death of Coach James Brown in the spring. Julio Sanchez took over the program in the Fall and kept everything flowing smoothly with help from Fred Green and others.
We welcomed thirteen people into membership in 2007. They included Jennifer Dart, Rachel Lord, and Bethany Stone who were baptized, Pete, Betsey, Lindsey and Chris Adams, Lynn Wisniewski and Audrey Trailor, Ray and Wendy Henry, Patricia and Steve Ohlund who came in by confession of faith and by letter. Hannah Henry and Lillian Canada were dedicated. Gwen McMahon, James Brown, Dave Murray, Scott Morse and Myra Christensen went to be with the Lord.
Ray Deptulski became the Property Committee Chair and Karen Barber took over as Flower Committee Chair. Pledges for 2007 were $102,500. We took in a total of $181,750 in collections for the year.
Cal
The resignation of Pastor Sheldon Keller in April put our growing merger talks with Central Baptist on hold. We enjoyed eight good weeks of joint worship with our sister church to start off the year. We alternated between the churches every two weeks Attendance wasn't quite as good the second time around. Speculation was that the talk of joining the two churches in a more formal way tempered the excited we enjoyed the year before. As Central Baptist began their interim period and started their search, they decided to put all merger talks on hold. We obliged them and when it came time to vote on whether or not we would worship together again in 2008, we voted to cut it back to two week the next time around.
Amy Hollis continued as our Student Minister into 2007 and hosted a monthly craft time for our Sunday School children. Cassie Kane and Rachelle Weimer assisted her in this ministry. In May Amy left us to accept a call to become the Associate Pastor at the First Baptist Church of West Hartford. Our youth groups continued to meet. The highlight of the year was a trip to the Spirit of Broadway Theater to see "Children's Letter to God." In the Fall we hooked up with the youth groups of Central Baptist, United and the First Congregational churches. Central Baptist's interim minister, Michelle Madsen Bibeau, suggested the idea.
In April we left for Mexicali Mexico for our first short term mission trip. We were going to work with our ABCUSA missionaries Rick and Mercy Barnes. 13 people went on the trip. Nancy Allen, Carol Calkins, June Deptulski, Sharon Fishkin and I went from First Baptist. Eileen and Sheldon Keller, Doreen and Roger Mainville, Andy and Melanie Schueuermann and David and Karen Warfield went from Central Baptist. It was a life changing trip and it began a movement in our church to make this an annual event.
During the year we not only met with Central Baptist, we also had two joint services with Buenas Nuevas. The services were great. We had them in both languages and included a bit of Spanish music as well as traditional hymns. Pastor Jorge's wife, Wanda did the interpretation in one service and Alberto translated for the second service. This fit in well with our growing identity as a "missional" church. Our identity has become that of a church that is part of the community. It wasn't an accident that even as our community becomes multi cultural, our church is now a beacon for some of the immigrants moving here.
Our building had some issues this year. We need to make some repairs on the roof for the second time in three years. Randy Sargent and Mark Rogers went up on the roof to make the repairs. The two furnaces that heat the sanctuary also demanded some attention. We did some repairs to make them more efficient. With oil prices rising up to $3.00 a gallon or more, we needed to do something. Members of the Hispanic church laid a new floor in Fellowship Hall.One of their members owned a business and we split the cost. We also did some landscaping this summer. Sue Vanase and a few others began planting and pruning the shrubs and flowers in our front yard and around the back entrance. The "America in Bloom" program was a great excuse to do a much needed face lift to our buildings and grounds. Seed money given by Phil Postler in memory of his mother got us going. Phil & Maureen joined Patricia Ohlund, Cynthia Strouse, Carol Calkins, Bob & Marge Booth were among those to make the initial push to get things started.
Armin Harris was the MVP of our 2007 Softball team and The Green Team from Taftville Congregational Church won the Bowling Championship. We had four teams in the church basketball league again and were stunned and saddened by the sudden death of Coach James Brown in the spring. Julio Sanchez took over the program in the Fall and kept everything flowing smoothly with help from Fred Green and others.
We welcomed thirteen people into membership in 2007. They included Jennifer Dart, Rachel Lord, and Bethany Stone who were baptized, Pete, Betsey, Lindsey and Chris Adams, Lynn Wisniewski and Audrey Trailor, Ray and Wendy Henry, Patricia and Steve Ohlund who came in by confession of faith and by letter. Hannah Henry and Lillian Canada were dedicated. Gwen McMahon, James Brown, Dave Murray, Scott Morse and Myra Christensen went to be with the Lord.
Ray Deptulski became the Property Committee Chair and Karen Barber took over as Flower Committee Chair. Pledges for 2007 were $102,500. We took in a total of $181,750 in collections for the year.
Cal
Looking Back on the Decade- 2006
2006
The year began with joint worship services between the Central and First Baptist Churches. We met for eight weeks in January and February alternating back and forth between the churches every two weeks. It was a lot of fun. The highlight of the services was the thirty voice combined choir. During the year we met with ABCCONN Associate Executive Minister Linda Snyder and talked about our ministry and what each church was doing. In the Fall we voted to worship with them again in 2007.
In February we began a new ministry. We started serving lunch for the hungry once a month at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. We averaged 50 -60 people each time. We also welcomed Daniel Martino and members of the Buenas Nuevas Hispanic Church into our building. They began meeting on April 1st at 4:00 p.m. In August Pastor Jorge Morales was called as their first pastor. Now we have our services at 10:30 a.m. The Korean Church meets at 12:30 p.m. and the Hispanic Church meets at 4:00 p.m. On Sundays our church is a place of worship nearly all day long now.
Kay Lautzenheiser left us in May and we called Amy Hollis, a student at Andover Newton Theological School, to serve us as a Student Minister in September. She began working with our Sunday School and Youth Groups. She also preached for us and helped lead worship. Her enthusiasm was contagious. Our basketball program expanded and we had four teams in the league. James Brown, Julio Sanchez, Leonard Miller, Jim Volpe and Jack Greenwood were our coaches. Our kids took lots of field trips this year but the highlight of the year was our trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame. We invited the kids from our youth group and the kids from our basketball program. We also received a beautiful display case from Doris Regets for all our sports trophies.
We celebrated Pentecost with a special service in which we read the scriptures in five languages and enjoyed a duet by Helen and Daniel Song. It was just one of many special services during the year. Because these services tended to run long, we officially changed the time of our weekly service to one hour and fifteen minutes on regular Sundays and an hour and a half on Communion Sundays going forward. We also received the gift of a beautiful new grand piano in memory of Len and Doris Royce by their family. It was played in our sanctuary for the first time at Easter. We added a set of pipes to the organ in August with a memorial gift from Dave Jordan.
We welcomed two new members in 2006. Mark Rogers and Margaret McFalls were both baptized. We said good bye to long time members Doris Royce and Janet Furbush. Doris was at the center of church life for many, many years. She was the smiling face so many of us saw when we entered the sanctuary. We also lost to death Paul Bray and Dorothy Lawson, two former members of the church. We sent out letters of transfer for Sean and Jackie Jones, Cheryl LaMothe and Harry and Betty Eisan. Bill Maynard and Lisa Valentine, Joanne Clubine and Francis Paulsen and Amy Brockway and Matthew Meyer were all married in 2006.
I traveled to Germany and Austria in the Fall and continued my weekly articles in the Norwich Bulletin. I also began my year as President of the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut. Our choir sang during the installation ceremony during the ABCCONN Annual Meeting and our Praise Team provided special music for the day. In the Fall I also began serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Pierce Memorial Baptist Home. At church Bob Walker became chair of the Reception Committee, June Pendleton became chair of the Flower Committee, Mark Kane the chair of the Budget Committee. We had pledges of $97,990 and took in a total of $190,550 for the year. Finances were in very good shape.
2006 was a very good year.
The year began with joint worship services between the Central and First Baptist Churches. We met for eight weeks in January and February alternating back and forth between the churches every two weeks. It was a lot of fun. The highlight of the services was the thirty voice combined choir. During the year we met with ABCCONN Associate Executive Minister Linda Snyder and talked about our ministry and what each church was doing. In the Fall we voted to worship with them again in 2007.
In February we began a new ministry. We started serving lunch for the hungry once a month at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. We averaged 50 -60 people each time. We also welcomed Daniel Martino and members of the Buenas Nuevas Hispanic Church into our building. They began meeting on April 1st at 4:00 p.m. In August Pastor Jorge Morales was called as their first pastor. Now we have our services at 10:30 a.m. The Korean Church meets at 12:30 p.m. and the Hispanic Church meets at 4:00 p.m. On Sundays our church is a place of worship nearly all day long now.
Kay Lautzenheiser left us in May and we called Amy Hollis, a student at Andover Newton Theological School, to serve us as a Student Minister in September. She began working with our Sunday School and Youth Groups. She also preached for us and helped lead worship. Her enthusiasm was contagious. Our basketball program expanded and we had four teams in the league. James Brown, Julio Sanchez, Leonard Miller, Jim Volpe and Jack Greenwood were our coaches. Our kids took lots of field trips this year but the highlight of the year was our trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame. We invited the kids from our youth group and the kids from our basketball program. We also received a beautiful display case from Doris Regets for all our sports trophies.
We celebrated Pentecost with a special service in which we read the scriptures in five languages and enjoyed a duet by Helen and Daniel Song. It was just one of many special services during the year. Because these services tended to run long, we officially changed the time of our weekly service to one hour and fifteen minutes on regular Sundays and an hour and a half on Communion Sundays going forward. We also received the gift of a beautiful new grand piano in memory of Len and Doris Royce by their family. It was played in our sanctuary for the first time at Easter. We added a set of pipes to the organ in August with a memorial gift from Dave Jordan.
We welcomed two new members in 2006. Mark Rogers and Margaret McFalls were both baptized. We said good bye to long time members Doris Royce and Janet Furbush. Doris was at the center of church life for many, many years. She was the smiling face so many of us saw when we entered the sanctuary. We also lost to death Paul Bray and Dorothy Lawson, two former members of the church. We sent out letters of transfer for Sean and Jackie Jones, Cheryl LaMothe and Harry and Betty Eisan. Bill Maynard and Lisa Valentine, Joanne Clubine and Francis Paulsen and Amy Brockway and Matthew Meyer were all married in 2006.
I traveled to Germany and Austria in the Fall and continued my weekly articles in the Norwich Bulletin. I also began my year as President of the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut. Our choir sang during the installation ceremony during the ABCCONN Annual Meeting and our Praise Team provided special music for the day. In the Fall I also began serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Pierce Memorial Baptist Home. At church Bob Walker became chair of the Reception Committee, June Pendleton became chair of the Flower Committee, Mark Kane the chair of the Budget Committee. We had pledges of $97,990 and took in a total of $190,550 for the year. Finances were in very good shape.
2006 was a very good year.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Looking Back on the Decade - 2005
2005
A Sabbatical and a year of celebrations
We opened the year with the celebration of Adele's 25th anniversary at the church. We roasted her a bit and had some fun with it. We sang her favorite anthem and her favorite hymns. We reflected on her ministry among us and showed our appreciation for her with several very nice gifts at the reception that followed.
In June we marked my 20th anniversary. The church also sent me away on a sabbatical leave. For ten weeks I traveled to New York, Denver and Chicago studying the different aspects of worship styles in the church. Guest preachers while I was away included Rev. Burt Crooks, Kay Lautzenheiser, Rev. Earl Henrichon, Dr. Vaughn Foster, John Fear and Jim Bober.
We hosted the Eastern College Choir again and also put together our own cantata for Christmas. We put our Wednesday night services on hold in the Fall and used our Praise Team more regularly in worship services. We also opened the doors of our church to a Korean congregation led by pastor Daniel Song.
Heating oil began to rise and Rev. Sheldon Keller of Central Baptist approached us about coming together for worship during the winter months to conserve energy. At the end of the year we voted to worship with Central Baptist for the eight weeks in January and February of 2006.
We held our Sunday School picnic at Fort Shantock for the first time and everyone liked it a lot. Our youth group traveled to Six Flags and the Trail of Terror. We also did another of other fun things. We sent out care packages for our college students again. Brian Goldin and Ken Kreger served as co-managers of the softball team and Fred Green was the 2005 MVP. Ken Kreger's Team # 6 won the Bowling Championship and newcomer Chip Welch set a record with his 288 game and 784 series. James Brown took over as co-ordinator of the Basketball program and had help from Assistant Coach Julio Sanchez.
We hosted the SUNL Association Fall meeting and I was asked to step into the leadership rotation of ABCCONN. I began serving as Vice President in 2005. George W. Strouse was the moderator at First Baptist and Fran Rogers served as the clerk. Bob Sullivan took on the job of Treasurer and George Rezendes became the Financial Secretary. Sandy Stone was elected the Sunday School Superintendant in the Fall.
Pat Bubenicek, Linda Wolinski, Gary Schuster and Ken Taylor become members of the church. Chelsea Weimer, Connor Fishkin, William Ambruso and Joe Contois III were all dedicated. I married Alden Peckham and Kathy Keeney and assisted in the wedding of Timothy Rezendes and Karin Hoffer. We said good bye to George H. Strouse Jr., Erwin Diehl, Grace Latham, Bob Buchowiecki and Les Main. We also gave Carol McMillan a letter of transfer.
Our average attendance at worship in 2005 was 93. We took in a total of $170,240 and had pledges of 96,350. Sandy Callendar left us as Church secretary and moved to the west coast. We hired Sandy Stone to take her place. We also used Sue Kenyon to give us some additional custodial hours.
Cal
A Sabbatical and a year of celebrations
We opened the year with the celebration of Adele's 25th anniversary at the church. We roasted her a bit and had some fun with it. We sang her favorite anthem and her favorite hymns. We reflected on her ministry among us and showed our appreciation for her with several very nice gifts at the reception that followed.
In June we marked my 20th anniversary. The church also sent me away on a sabbatical leave. For ten weeks I traveled to New York, Denver and Chicago studying the different aspects of worship styles in the church. Guest preachers while I was away included Rev. Burt Crooks, Kay Lautzenheiser, Rev. Earl Henrichon, Dr. Vaughn Foster, John Fear and Jim Bober.
We hosted the Eastern College Choir again and also put together our own cantata for Christmas. We put our Wednesday night services on hold in the Fall and used our Praise Team more regularly in worship services. We also opened the doors of our church to a Korean congregation led by pastor Daniel Song.
Heating oil began to rise and Rev. Sheldon Keller of Central Baptist approached us about coming together for worship during the winter months to conserve energy. At the end of the year we voted to worship with Central Baptist for the eight weeks in January and February of 2006.
We held our Sunday School picnic at Fort Shantock for the first time and everyone liked it a lot. Our youth group traveled to Six Flags and the Trail of Terror. We also did another of other fun things. We sent out care packages for our college students again. Brian Goldin and Ken Kreger served as co-managers of the softball team and Fred Green was the 2005 MVP. Ken Kreger's Team # 6 won the Bowling Championship and newcomer Chip Welch set a record with his 288 game and 784 series. James Brown took over as co-ordinator of the Basketball program and had help from Assistant Coach Julio Sanchez.
We hosted the SUNL Association Fall meeting and I was asked to step into the leadership rotation of ABCCONN. I began serving as Vice President in 2005. George W. Strouse was the moderator at First Baptist and Fran Rogers served as the clerk. Bob Sullivan took on the job of Treasurer and George Rezendes became the Financial Secretary. Sandy Stone was elected the Sunday School Superintendant in the Fall.
Pat Bubenicek, Linda Wolinski, Gary Schuster and Ken Taylor become members of the church. Chelsea Weimer, Connor Fishkin, William Ambruso and Joe Contois III were all dedicated. I married Alden Peckham and Kathy Keeney and assisted in the wedding of Timothy Rezendes and Karin Hoffer. We said good bye to George H. Strouse Jr., Erwin Diehl, Grace Latham, Bob Buchowiecki and Les Main. We also gave Carol McMillan a letter of transfer.
Our average attendance at worship in 2005 was 93. We took in a total of $170,240 and had pledges of 96,350. Sandy Callendar left us as Church secretary and moved to the west coast. We hired Sandy Stone to take her place. We also used Sue Kenyon to give us some additional custodial hours.
Cal
Looking Back on the Decade - 2004
2004
A Year in the life of FBC
Talk began in earnest of refurbishing our church kitchen. After the death of Ed Regets, Rodney Green, owner of Olde Times Restaurant, offered to put on a roast beef dinner for us to raise money for the kitchen in Ed's name. We raised over $2,000 and had fun eating our way through it. We also adopted a new system for recording the offering. Ten counters were chosen by the Trustees to work in pairs. They would count and record the weekly offerings making the work of the Financial Secretary a little easier.
Lori Lord was back as Sunday School Superintendant and Nancy Allen entered her third year as Moderator. Oliver Bray was the chair of the Diaconate and Dick Strouse was serving in his 17th year as chair of the Trustees. We also re-hired Kay Lautzenheiser to work with our youth again. Fred Green organized our second annual golf tournament. This time it was to raise money for our kids to go to Colorado to the ABCUSA National Youth Gathering. We sent nine kids out there and three of them came back and were baptized. Jaclyn Vanase, Kristina Howe and Kristen Deptulski were baptized at Beals Beach at Camp Wightman. Grace Latham, Bruce thornton and Karen Murray were also welcomed into membership.
A group of twenty five of us went to see the movie "The Passion of Christ" in Niantic and then went back to the home of Rosie and Les Main to talk about it. Our Sunday School teachers this year included Rosie Main, June Deptulski and Zelda Earle, Jacquie Jones and Emily Dutra, Lori Lord and Joanne Clubine, Curt Brockway and me. At Christmas Victor Hall played Joseph and his sister Josephine played Mary in our traditional pageant. During the year George Rezendes led opening exercises at Sunday School and Cynthia Strouse played the piano.
We began talking about the possibility of a mission trip. Rev. Evans Olibrice has been worshipping with us for about a year and he invited us to come down to visit his church. We might have gone down in 2004 or in 2005 but violence erupted in Haiti and we felt it was too unsafe to travel there.
Anna Dutrumble was dedicated at church. Pam and Mark Kane renewed their wedding vows after 25 years and Fran and Mark Rogers renewed their vows on their tenth anniversary. Nancy Sederquest and Gary Schuster were married. Amy Rezendes transferred her membership and Helen Benker, Esther Brockway, Lloyd Cochran, Joe Bubenicek, Jennifer Kane and Dave Jordan passed away.
The spare Parts won the bowling Championship and Chip Chaffee was the Softball MVP setting the single season records for homeruns (15) and RBI (69). Fred Green and James Brown coached our basketball teams with help from John Lopriest and Dave Mehlinger.
Our average attendance at worship was 101 and we had pledges of $93, 350. for the year. We took in a total of $185,484. 93 for the year.
Cal
A Year in the life of FBC
Talk began in earnest of refurbishing our church kitchen. After the death of Ed Regets, Rodney Green, owner of Olde Times Restaurant, offered to put on a roast beef dinner for us to raise money for the kitchen in Ed's name. We raised over $2,000 and had fun eating our way through it. We also adopted a new system for recording the offering. Ten counters were chosen by the Trustees to work in pairs. They would count and record the weekly offerings making the work of the Financial Secretary a little easier.
Lori Lord was back as Sunday School Superintendant and Nancy Allen entered her third year as Moderator. Oliver Bray was the chair of the Diaconate and Dick Strouse was serving in his 17th year as chair of the Trustees. We also re-hired Kay Lautzenheiser to work with our youth again. Fred Green organized our second annual golf tournament. This time it was to raise money for our kids to go to Colorado to the ABCUSA National Youth Gathering. We sent nine kids out there and three of them came back and were baptized. Jaclyn Vanase, Kristina Howe and Kristen Deptulski were baptized at Beals Beach at Camp Wightman. Grace Latham, Bruce thornton and Karen Murray were also welcomed into membership.
A group of twenty five of us went to see the movie "The Passion of Christ" in Niantic and then went back to the home of Rosie and Les Main to talk about it. Our Sunday School teachers this year included Rosie Main, June Deptulski and Zelda Earle, Jacquie Jones and Emily Dutra, Lori Lord and Joanne Clubine, Curt Brockway and me. At Christmas Victor Hall played Joseph and his sister Josephine played Mary in our traditional pageant. During the year George Rezendes led opening exercises at Sunday School and Cynthia Strouse played the piano.
We began talking about the possibility of a mission trip. Rev. Evans Olibrice has been worshipping with us for about a year and he invited us to come down to visit his church. We might have gone down in 2004 or in 2005 but violence erupted in Haiti and we felt it was too unsafe to travel there.
Anna Dutrumble was dedicated at church. Pam and Mark Kane renewed their wedding vows after 25 years and Fran and Mark Rogers renewed their vows on their tenth anniversary. Nancy Sederquest and Gary Schuster were married. Amy Rezendes transferred her membership and Helen Benker, Esther Brockway, Lloyd Cochran, Joe Bubenicek, Jennifer Kane and Dave Jordan passed away.
The spare Parts won the bowling Championship and Chip Chaffee was the Softball MVP setting the single season records for homeruns (15) and RBI (69). Fred Green and James Brown coached our basketball teams with help from John Lopriest and Dave Mehlinger.
Our average attendance at worship was 101 and we had pledges of $93, 350. for the year. We took in a total of $185,484. 93 for the year.
Cal
Looking back on the Decade - 2003
Life at FBC Norwich in the year 2003
It was a busy year for the Property Committee. We removed all the pews and laid down a new tile floor in the sanctuary. Greg Maxim did the work and saved us a good amount of money. Several people made generous donations and we raised $10,000 to make it happen. We also laid a concrete floor in the basement. We hoped that this would solve some of the moisture issues we have every summer. Cliff Vanase volunteered to head up the effort and it paid off with his experience and background in masonry. We also did some touch up work on the sanctuary ceiling. It had begun to peel in a few spots and we promised ourselves we would not let it get as bad as it had in the late 1980's. Ray O'Connell did an excellent job for just over $2,000 and it looked great when he was finished. Finally, we moved our sound system to the back of the sanctuary and added a unit for the hearing impaired to complete the upgrades begun with the Access 200 CAMPAIGN IN 2000.
Gwyn Green served as chair of the Diaconate and oversaw the welcome of nine new members and several baby dedications. Zelda Earle, Janet LaFlamme and Sean Sullivan were baptized and joined Ginger and Bob Sullivan, Mark, Sue and Megan Ferguson, and Steve Contois as our newest members. Dave Jordan had a life changing experience and also was baptized. He was already a member of the church. Gabriel Villa, Andrew Kreger, Priscilla Rogers and Austin Briggs were all dedicated this year.
We said good bye to Buffy McFalls as our church secretary after 8 1/2 years. Buffy had served as my right hand organizing trips, arranging meetings, making budgets and keeping me on the straight and narrow. We celebrated her ministry with recognition in worship and a few gifts. In September we hired Sandy Callendar to serve in the office.
We hosted the AIDS Bike tour during the summer. Our teens took a trip to New Hampshire for the Soul Music Festival. James Brown came on board as a new coach in our Basketball program. Fred Green organized a golf tournament to raise money for our sound system upgrades. The Pretenders ( Cal & Lori Lord and Amy & George Rezendes) took the Bowling championship for the second year in a row. Casey Rezendes was the MVP of the Softball team.
Rosie Main took on a new role as our Church Collector and Brian Goldin took over as Property Committee Chairman. Guy Brown began mowing the lawn at church on a regular basis. It was a tough year financially and although we had pledges of over $100,000, we actually only received about $90,000. For 2004 we received pledges totaling a more modest $93,000. Our average attendance at worship was 107 for the year.
Debbie Muyres and Joe Sandherr were married in 2003 as were Curtis Royce and Tina Harrington and John DiBiagio and Pam DeChamplain. Ed Regets, Dorothy Macht, Stewart Hill, Alice Cote and Louise Strouse all passed away.
Cal
It was a busy year for the Property Committee. We removed all the pews and laid down a new tile floor in the sanctuary. Greg Maxim did the work and saved us a good amount of money. Several people made generous donations and we raised $10,000 to make it happen. We also laid a concrete floor in the basement. We hoped that this would solve some of the moisture issues we have every summer. Cliff Vanase volunteered to head up the effort and it paid off with his experience and background in masonry. We also did some touch up work on the sanctuary ceiling. It had begun to peel in a few spots and we promised ourselves we would not let it get as bad as it had in the late 1980's. Ray O'Connell did an excellent job for just over $2,000 and it looked great when he was finished. Finally, we moved our sound system to the back of the sanctuary and added a unit for the hearing impaired to complete the upgrades begun with the Access 200 CAMPAIGN IN 2000.
Gwyn Green served as chair of the Diaconate and oversaw the welcome of nine new members and several baby dedications. Zelda Earle, Janet LaFlamme and Sean Sullivan were baptized and joined Ginger and Bob Sullivan, Mark, Sue and Megan Ferguson, and Steve Contois as our newest members. Dave Jordan had a life changing experience and also was baptized. He was already a member of the church. Gabriel Villa, Andrew Kreger, Priscilla Rogers and Austin Briggs were all dedicated this year.
We said good bye to Buffy McFalls as our church secretary after 8 1/2 years. Buffy had served as my right hand organizing trips, arranging meetings, making budgets and keeping me on the straight and narrow. We celebrated her ministry with recognition in worship and a few gifts. In September we hired Sandy Callendar to serve in the office.
We hosted the AIDS Bike tour during the summer. Our teens took a trip to New Hampshire for the Soul Music Festival. James Brown came on board as a new coach in our Basketball program. Fred Green organized a golf tournament to raise money for our sound system upgrades. The Pretenders ( Cal & Lori Lord and Amy & George Rezendes) took the Bowling championship for the second year in a row. Casey Rezendes was the MVP of the Softball team.
Rosie Main took on a new role as our Church Collector and Brian Goldin took over as Property Committee Chairman. Guy Brown began mowing the lawn at church on a regular basis. It was a tough year financially and although we had pledges of over $100,000, we actually only received about $90,000. For 2004 we received pledges totaling a more modest $93,000. Our average attendance at worship was 107 for the year.
Debbie Muyres and Joe Sandherr were married in 2003 as were Curtis Royce and Tina Harrington and John DiBiagio and Pam DeChamplain. Ed Regets, Dorothy Macht, Stewart Hill, Alice Cote and Louise Strouse all passed away.
Cal
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