| Join us for Worship! We are back in the Sanctuary! We are now worshiping in person in the Sanctuary on Sundays at 9:30 am. For those who wish to join us online please connect with us on YouTube at youtube.com/c/nyccucc. If you would like to see the Sunday Bulletin that can be found on our website at http://nyccucc.com. If you wish to make an offering it can be made online through Tithely at https://tithe.ly/give?c=1301940 Masks Optional Masks are now optional in the church building as transmission rates in Cumberland County have decreased. Please use your own judgement regarding wearing one. We will continue to adhere to social distancing in the sanctuary and in Fellowship Hall. Covenant-Making God Rev. Dr. Paul A. Day As my brief bio sketch mentions, I was ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church and hold dual status with the United Church of Christ through the York Association. In my ministry I served the Community Covenant Church of Clear Lake, WA, and Bethlehem Covenant Church in Worcester, MA, among other places. Covenant is not a widely used word, however, so it has led to some interesting mail. I regularly received letters addressed to the Convenient Community Church – well, we were easily accessible. In heavily Roman Catholic Worcester my mail was addressed to Bethlehem Convent Church – I never did find the nuns! In our increasingly secular society the problem is not limited to Covenant churches; in North Berwick we would get mail for the First Congressional Church – didn’t they know about the separation of the church and the state? Covenant is, of course, a biblical word. The word covenant (Hebrew berit) comes from royalty. A king made a “covenant” or “treaty” with other kings – a “covenant of peace.” A king also could make a covenant with his subjects – for example, promising protection in exchange for obedience and paying taxes or tribute. Usually a covenant was a transaction, involving mutual promises and responsibilities. In the same way, the Bible sometimes refers to the covenant between God and God’s people. Many Congregational churches have “Church Covenants” – for example, members pledge themselves to mutual care, spiritual edification, and support of ministry to the community. But, the Bible also uses berit – covenant – to refer to God’s unilateral, unconditional promises – God’s grace! In fact, the very first use of the word “covenant” in the Bible is God’s call to Noah in Genesis 6:18. Then, we read of God’s covenant with Noah (and the whole earth) seven times after the Flood. Seven is a sacred number in Hebrew thought: if anything is repeated seven times we need to pay attention! (Genesis 9:1-17) God set no conditions on Noah in making his covenant promise, with the rainbow as a sign of God’s grace. Our covenant with God is rooted in God’s steadfast love and unconditional love! In the same way, may our church covenant be rooted in steadfast love for one another and grace extended to one another. Last Sunday we looked at the Noahic Covenant. This coming Sunday we will consider the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-9) and our calling as God’s people. Note: We will be worshiping in the sanctuary. Join us in person or on-line as you are able. Grace & peace, Paul Continuing Meetings September 22 – Council at 6:30 pm – in Person Tuesday Gals – Tuesdays at 10:00 am in Fellowship Hall Choir – Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 pm and on Sundays 8:30-9:00 am in the Sanctuary Men’s Club meets on the third Saturday of each month at 7:30 am at Toddy Brook Pet Place Pantry is open on the second Saturday of each month from 9:00-10:00 am.  Neighbors in Need Special Offering In 2022, the Neighbors in Need “BEHOLD!” offering focuses on an economic justice. With inflation impacting all of our households, we wanted to provide a way to discuss this through a faith lens. Join us by promoting this year’s NIN “Behold!” campaign at your church. As you may recall, one-third of the offering supports Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds are used by Justice and Witness Ministries to provide grants to UCC churches and organizations as well as supporting a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects. We will collect this offering on October 2. Community Food Pantry Donations. This Sunday, the first Sunday of the month has been designated as Food Pantry Collection Sunday. We will be focusing on non food items. Current pantry needs include: Paper towels Laundry Detergent Toilet Paper Dish Soap Tissues Diapers Deodorant Pull-ups Shampoo Baby Wipes Conditioner Feminine Hygiene Products Please add your donation to the grocery cart in the Gathering Space. You can donate to the cart at any time. Church Building Re-Keyed The re-keying project has been completed. All doors except the pastor’s door and the daycare door have been re-keyed. All Committee Chairs have been issued a new key. If you have not picked yours up yet, it will be in your mailbox at the church. The office is open Monday-Thursday from 7:30-12:00 noon to pick up your key or get lock box instructions. If you will be using the new lockbox that is now installed. You can contact Lyn for Instructions at 829-3644 or 615-1650 if it is not during office hours. The “key” to this project is to get a list of names of all of those who now have a new key, and a list of names of those who have the combination to the lockbox. If you have any questions or concerns please let the office know at 829-3644 or nyarmouthccucc@gmail.com Please keep the following people in your prayers ~Jon Bickford Mark Falbo Marion Goff Sandra Golonka Vince Golonka Dot Hayward Blanche Mays Kris Perkins and Cathy Bunton Bill Tompson Access worship directly on our YouTube channel (subscribe to our channel while you are there) at youtube.com/c/nyccucc |
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North Yarmouth Congregational Church 