Announcements and Calendar for the Week of Feb. 5, 2012

CHURCH NOTES

REGARDING ANNOUNCEMENTS: At the Deacons' request and to be more mindful of our worship time, all those with announcements are requested to come to the front microphone immediately after the Prelude to share them.

SOUPER BOWL OF HUNGER is being celebrated in churches all over the country this morning. It’s simple-- just place one dollar (or more) in the soup kettle as you leave church. Our collection will go directly to the Daily Bread Food Pantry to help hungry families in Northeastern CT. Please make checks payable to “Senior High Youth Group” so we can send one check to Daily Bread.

SAVE THE DATE!!! The 9th Annual SYG ITALIAN DINNER is set for Saturday, February 25. Mark your calendars, invite a friend, and purchase your tickets for this delicious meal. Dinner will be served continuously from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at the Hill Church and proceeds benefit the 2012 budget for both East Woodstock and the Hill Church. Speak to Charlie Bottieri or one of the high school students to get your tickets.

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the Jam for Jan, held last Saturday. Janet Arcand, a former youth leader of our congregation, underwent surgery for removal of a benign tumor of the brain some months ago. The event, including raffle baskets and a concert by the Hill Church Hillbillies, brought almost $2,000 of assistance for the Arcand family. Many people made the evening a success - the kitchen crew, the Hill Church Hillbillies, Emily John and the members of the Junior Choir who also provided music, everyone who created the wonderful baskets, Senior Youth Group helpers, clean-up crew, and anyone else who helped out in any way. Thank you!

WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP: The regular monthly meeting of the Women’s Fellowship will be held at the church on Wednesday, February 8 at 10:30 a.m. Our guest speaker will be the Rev. Bert Marshall, Regional Director for CHURCH WORLD SERVICE. We hope to assemble Hygiene Kits as well. As of 1/14/12 we still need: 8 toothbrushes, 28 regular size combs, 12 nail clippers, 1 face cloth, & 26 hand towels. Card board boxes to pack the kits are also needed. Lunch will be served by Linda Chase & Ruth Stevenson, with Barbara Child offering worship. Don’t forget to start saving rummage for the spring sale in May.

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS

The nursery volunteer today is Kassi Miller.

Today is an intergenerational service with our children worshipping upstairs.

Last week…
Sunday School hosted a special communion education event. Jen Beck taught on what the New Testament says about living “in communion” as a church. The children then separated pictures of people living in spiritual communion with each other and with God from images of those living in discord. We focused on how the Children on the Hill can contribute to making church a welcoming and Christ-like place. They already enact many of the apostle Paul’s instructions; we are proud of them!
Pastor Mike, assisted by Deacon Leslie Sweetnam, then joined us downstairs and taught on the significance of communion in our religious tradition. The children were very interested in both the practical and spiritual aspects of the preparation and taking of communion elements. They are invited to partake today.
Next Sunday…
Feb. 12, we begin our Man Beside the Pool unit investigating how God is a source of hope in our lives and provides healing in unexpected ways. Karen Cloutier will be the unit coordinator. The unit rotations will be art, games, and music. Ginny Viteri will introduce our new mission project.

We encourage you to consider teaching Sunday School! The curriculum is complete and easy to follow, and you can choose what fun rotation (cooking, games, storytelling, art, music) you want to teach. Your help would be greatly appreciated, and the children would love to see some new faces! Men are especially welcome. Please see Jen Beck, Karen Cloutier, Jennifer John, or Lisa Veach.

The children in the Junior Choir did a wonderful job singing for the Jan Arcand benefit dinner on January 28, 2012. If you saw them perform, please express your appreciation!


CALENDAR OF THE WEEK
9:15 a.m. Junior Choir warm-up
10:00 p.m. SYG Souper Bowl
Monday
7:00 p.m. AA
7:30 p.m. Sr. Bells (downstairs)
Tuesday
7:00 p.m. Council
Wednesday
10:30 a.m. Women’s Fellowship
7:30 p.m. Giv2 Planning Team (library)
7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts
Thursday
10:30 a.m. Bible Study (library)
Sunday
11:15 a.m. Junior Choir
7:00 p.m. Crossroads (kitchen)