With the daylight hours getting shorter as our clocks fall back an hour in November, we were treated to a shocking taste of winter with the October 27th to 28th snowstorm of about 24 inches in Deering. As a result, church service was canceled, as well as the scheduled Forum for that day. With the melting snow, the downed leaves are emerging on the grass, waiting to be cleaned up and life is returning to normal around us. We are looking forward to the events scheduled for November and December, 2011.
On the first Saturday of each month, there is a regular breakfast for the early birds at 7 am, followed by coffee and donuts at 8 am for everyone who volunteers their time to keep our church clean inside and outside, doing whatever is needed. There will be lawn cleanup once all the October snow melts. Volunteers have been doing a great job keeping the interior clean this year! And the outside maintenance has worked out very well with volunteers who enjoy the outdoors! We have an old church building, so there is always something that needs attention. Volunteers are so important in order to keep us within our budget, so don’t forget to set aside some time to come and help!
This effort to help families in transition, mounted by the Ministerium comprised of four local churches, has been a resounding success.
Following a summer hiatus, the Homework / Family Dinners resumed in September, with our church responsible for preparing and serving food, plus giving homework help at St Mary’s in Hillsboro on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Volunteers for this effort should contact Jeanne Bartlett.
The Feed A Teen Project continues with our church responsible for the second Friday of each month. 25 healthy snack bags are prepared by our Sunday School children and taken to the Genesis Center in Hillsboro so that the teens have some food available to eat during the weekend.
The Deering Community Church Women’s Guild meets the first Wednesday of each month at noon in the church hall. Bring a bag lunch for yourself, and cake and beverages will be provided by the hostess of the month. All women are welcome, so come on out and try a meeting. It is a great way to get to know other women in this area of Deering, Hillsboro and Weare.
During 2010/2011, our church sponsored a lot of activities and gatherings throughout the year, ranging from musical events to potlucks, Sunday forums, WSO initiatives, a free chicken barbecue and an annual summer fair. All of these events can be seen in more detail by reading the archived newsletters in this website.
11:30 am after church service: David Stewart-Smith, past professor of History and Cultural Studies, Norwich University, and historian for the New Hampshire Intertribal Council, presents the Native American History of New Hampshire. He will focus on the Pennacook Indians of the Merrimack Valley, the largest and most powerful coalition of native people on the northern New England frontier during the 17th and 18thcenturies.
On May 6th at 6 pm, the WSO of Deering Community Church will be hosting a potluck supper, a community event open to the public. Come at 6 pm with a dish or donation and a good appetite. The dinner will be followed by a family movie using our new sound equipment and wide screen for comfortable viewing. Everyone is invited to enjoy a fun evening.
On June 18ththe Deering Community Church will be providing the refreshments for the Contra Dance held at the Deering Town Hall. The dance is open to the public and is a unique opportunity to “doe-see-doe” with the Fullbright Scholars who are visiting Deering. This will be the 18th year we will have the pleasure of meeting professors from many countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Carolyn Parrot will be there at the piano and will help newcomers through the steps. Watch for road signs announcing the time for this event.
This old-fashioned country church fair is held on the second Saturday in August every year. On August 14th, there were outdoor booths selling plants and food, offering face painting and showing off falconry demonstrations. Inside the church there were attic treasures, antiques and collectibles, tables selling baked goods, coffee and muffins, jams and jellies, aged cheese, jewelry and crafts, and quilt raffle tickets. Everyone had a wonderful time.
This country barbecue has been held in late August or early September for the residents of Deering, who are all invited to come. In early September, church members prepared the food, shucked the corn, set things up and cleaned up afterwards. The food tables were ladened with salads, breads, corn on the cob, barbecued chicken, sodas and other drinks, and desserts. There were fun and games for all. It has been held at the West Deering Fish and Game Club in the past, but we hope to have it at our own church once the pavilion behind the church is completed.
There were two concerts by our former visiting organist Michael Lianos, and an afternoon classical concert by pianist Shizue Sano, who has played with the Hartford and Pittsburgh symphonies and with the Tokyo Philharmonic. Jason Luckett, a visiting musician and son of our pastor, gave a concert on January 9th. On July 23rd, we had a free annual concert given by Monadnock Music, a group of instrumentalists playing classical music. Then our own church music committee sponsored a musical soiree one evening in February with all kinds of music, some poetry and some skits. We had a contra dance with a fiddler band and refreshments on June 3rd, along with 17 visiting Fulbright Scholars attending under the invitation of the Johnson’s.
World Service and Outreach sponsored welcome baskets for new residents in town, collected Mother’s Day and Christmas cards to give to the inmates at the Women’s prison in Goffstown, are involved in contacts with our sister parish in Rimbi, Zimbabwe, and sponsored a forum speaker on the concept of Community Justice, along with other things. The open and affirming subcommittee of our church went to Gay Pride Day in Boston, MA, on June 12th, attended the ecumenical service at Old South Church and then participated in the parade.
We had a series of interesting forums after church services. Don Johnson arranged some of them through the NH Humanities Council. On August 16th, Viki Syvertson talked about her experience in Malawi in Africa. On September 13th, Barbara White gave a talk on slavery in the north, part of the history of NH. On October 18th, Sally Matson came in costume and portrayed Susan B. Anthony, telling her story with actual words from her writings. On October 24th, Dr Hassan gave a talk exploring Islam and talked about Islam, a misunderstood religion.
