We welcome a new spring, as winter is finally over. Native trees are sending out their flowers and leaves, daffodils and ornamental shrubs are blooming and the weather is getting lovely and warm. Our church has been busy as ever. Here are some of the things to look forward to at our church in this new season of the year. Don't forget to read the Newsletters, as they flesh out this Events Page with more detail.
Our last Photo Directory was done in 2008, so you can imagine how different some of us look, especially the children. We have new members and friends and would very much like to include everyone who is part of our church community in a new directory. Everyone who has pictures taken will be given a complimentary 8 x 10 photo with opportunities to buy others. There is no pressure to buy any photos. Life Touch Directories and Portraits will be at our church on Tuesday, June 4th from 1:40 to 8:40 pm to take pictures. You do not need to be a member to have your picture taken; our extended community family is welcomed. Pets are also allowed in the photograph. There will be a sign-up sheet at church as well as online, Click the link above to sign up. To have a complete directory of all of us is only possible if you come for the picture taking. If there are questions please contact Pastor Barbara.
On the first Saturday of each month, we have a workday to take care of keeping the inside and outside of our church and property clean. Each workday starts with a cooked breakfast at 7 am for early birds and coffee and donuts for all others at 8 am. We clean the inside of the church, vacuuming throughout, and cleaning and re-stocking the kitchen and bathrooms. Please give some of your volunteer time to these tasks, since we haven't had the money in the budget to pay for these services. Our church home, standing at the center of our town, needs the same care and attention that we give our own homes. So please come on out and give some of your time on this one Saturday each month. You don't have to be a church member to help out. We have had some friendly faces from the town pitch in from time to time, for which we are very grateful.
The continuing successful Feed A Teen Project has run throughout the summer and fall months. There have been four churches who take turns pooling their talent and money to provide Teens in Transition with food bags of healthy snack type grab and go foods on a Friday to supplement them through the weekend. Our church continues to make 24 to 26 bags of food for teens one Friday a month. During the school year our Sunday School children pack the bags. The cost of the food has been donated by church members. The Deering Church W S & O makes Welcome Baskets for newcomers to Deering, which contain an array of useful items and information about our community. Periodically members go around with these baskets welcoming newcomers to our town and answering any questions they might have. If you are new to town and would like a basket, call the church office at 464-5643.
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Sunday School began September 9th, 2012 and this year they studied Joshua, Gideon, Ruth, Samuel, David, Elijah and Elisha. Lauren Warner and Chris Nase are our primary teachers, but we ask for assistance from others in teaching our growing Sunday School class. On Super Bowl Sunday, the young women of the class presented a program to the congregation about the plight of women who are responsible for producing 80% of the food in the developing world, but own less than 1% of the land in these countries. For their “Souper Bowl of Caring” collection afterwards, they collected $350 for Heifer International for the Women's Empowerment Project. Sunday School classes will end on June 23rd and will resume again in September. |
The very first of our Bon Vivant dinners took place in October and December 2012 with three hosts, the Marcrofts, Huggards, and Curries,
and 24 diners including the hosts. There were many glowing reports about not only the good food but especially the
good company. Hopefully we will have one of these dinners on a monthly basis for the purpose of having fun and
getting to know each other better. Keep looking for the upcoming dates and the sign up sheet announcements in Sherwood Hall. This is how it works: Adults, singles, couples, or one person of a couple will gather in small groups of 6 to
8 at someone’s house. Everyone brings something to contribute to a shared meal. The host decides the theme and
gives assignments. Foods do not need to be fancy. Pastor Barbara will choose the hosts and will decide who will
attend at each home. Each month there will be a change in hosts and a different configuration of people. If you cannot
drive at night but would like to attend, please let Pastor Barbara know and arrangements will be made. A sign up
sheet will be in Sherwood Hall two to three weeks before the dinner.
In the beginning we are asking folks from the church. Later we will experiment with inviting those outside the
church, either because they are supporters or someone in our church may think they might be interested in knowing
more about or even becoming part of our church.
The Women's Guild is always looking for new members. Please read our mission to foster friendships and help others, and consider joining the group once a month at our meetings. The Women's Guild is a non-denominational group of mostly retired women from neighboring towns, meeting at the Deering Community parish hall the first Wednesday of each month at noon. We bring a bag lunch, and enjoy beverages and a birthday cake provided by the hostess of the month. We have time to chat and enjoy each other’s company during lunch, which is followed by our business meeting. Our purpose is to promote friendship among communities by doing good works and helping those where there is a need. We help run the Deering Church Summer Fair, support a number of charities financially, including the food pantries in Hillsboro and Weare, holiday food basket operations, Hillcat Explorers, Deering Community Church, as well as community welfare and other charitable needs. A scholarship for a Hillsboro-Deering college bound senior is also awarded. We pledge a sum yearly to the Deering Community Church where we hold our meetings and we have also donated to the new window fund for their sanctuary. We welcome all women from Deering, Weare, Hillsboro and surrounding towns to come and join our convivial little group for fun and friendship each month. Dues are only $5.00 a year. Please drop in and see what you are missing - there is always room at our table. The next two meetings are at noon on May 1st and June 5th.
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During 2010 - 2012, 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.
Hailey Nase and her mother Chris attended a National Youth Event in July at Perdue University in Indiana. Hailey wanted to follow up on the Extravagant Welcome theme from this NYE Conference and planned a fun night out for all on Friday, November 2nd at 6 pm in our church hall. It was an opportunity for us as a congregation and community to get to know each other better during the course of the evening and feel more welcomed. Dinner was pizza with sign ups in Sherwood Hall and those attending could bring a dessert. Hailey and Chris had games planned, requiring different energy and activity levels, that encouraged us all to have fun and learn more about each other.
Once again the Hillsboro/Deering churches gathered together for a service of Thanksgiving at 7 pm on
Sunday evening November 18th. The four churches that participate in the Ministerium are Deering
Community Church, United Church of Christ, Hillsboro United Methodist Church, Smith Memorial
Church, United Church of Christ, and St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. This year we met at the
Smith Memorial Church, UCC.
Many came and celebrated Thanksgiving in the larger community. All were encouraged to bring something
for the Food Pantry. Some also brought some fruit, cheese, crackers or desert to share with others
after the worship.
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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.
The 8th annual free chicken barbecue was held in September, 2011 in the new pavilion behind the church and was very well attended by members and towns people.
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.
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.
The musical soiree held on March 30th at the church, with the help of the Deering Association, was a resounding success. It also raised donations of almost $100 toward the window replacement fund for the church.
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.
