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| Join us for Worship! We are worshiping in person 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. You can also give by text: Text “Give” to 883-751-0314. |
 Spring Church Cleanup Saturday, May 6 from 9:00 am – Noon Join us as we spiff up the church yard, get the storm windows down, and anything else needed inside or outside to get the church ready for summer. Please bring work gloves and a rake if you plan to work outside Remember, Many hands make light work A snack will be provided Rain Date: Saturday, May 13 from 9:00 am – Noon |
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| OPEN AND AFFIRMING VIDEO VIEWING Please join us on Sunday, May 7th, after the worship service and during coffee hour to view a video from the UCC about the process of Open and Affirming (otherwise known as ONA). This will be our first viewing of this video with the hope that additional viewings will follow in June and July. ONA is the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and non-binary persons (LGBTQ) in the church’s life and ministry. There will be open discussions between all of us at a later date and a process prescribed within which to have these discussions. The UCC will help guide us through this process as we learn more about it. Please consider joining us on May 7th. Marsha Heath, Moderator |
| Food Pantry HELP FILL THE GROCERY CART THIS SUNDAY! Communion Sunday has been our Sunday for food collection for local food pantries, but you can add to the grocery cart at any time throughout the month. Please help us fill the cart with these most needed items. We are replacing our food pantry item list with food staples most requested by the food pantry. These items include: Boxed Cereal Oatmeal Peanut Butter Granola and Snack Bars Spaghetti or Macaroni Rice Canned Fruit Soup Canned Tuna or Chicken Jam and Jelly Juice Non Food such as paper products are always welcome and needed, too.Thank you for your generosity, This food will be distributed where it is most needed, the Cumberland Food Pantry or Harrison Food Bank. |
| The Old Man of the Mountain Rev. Dr. Paul A. Day Twenty years ago today we woke up to the news that during the night the Old Man of the Mountain slid down off Cannon Mountain. It had been a week of heavy rain – like this past week – and the profile disappeared in the rain and fog. All that was left were the cables that had been used to stabilize the rock formation. It’s time for New Hampshire to change its license plate and replace the Great Stone Face to the smooth cliff with the cables sticking out as a testament to the futility of human efforts. My three daughters were all away at college at the time. Within hours all three had called home. They were deeply affected by the news. Franconia Notch had been a favorite stopping point on our frequent trips from Worcester, MA, to visit Diana’s parents in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. |
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| The Old Man of the Mountain always held a special place in my heart as well, from frequent visits to my own grandparents in New Hampshire. They lived in North Conway, with a view across the valley to White Horse Ledge. When I was young the horse was still quite discernible; it has long since eroded away. When I was very young I saw pictures of Mt. Rushmore and assumed that it was a natural formation like White Horse Ledge and the Great Stone Face. I was amazed that Mother Nature had carved out images that resembled our presidents. Of course, it was not Mother Nature but Gutzon and Lincoln Borglum and those who worked for them. When I finally got to see Mt. Rushmore in person, while driving cross-country to my first pastorate in Washington, I was amazed by the human efforts to design and sculpt a whole mountain peak—six thousand feet high and carved entirely of granite. If you visit the national monument in person, you will notice that the four presidential faces are a bit chunky. The sculptors left an additional three inches of granite on top of each president’s face. It takes 10,000 years of rain erosion to wear away just one inch of granite. By leaving the granite, the sculptors signaled their confidence that the country would endure for 30,000 years and beyond. But beautiful as it is, our home is not this country nor any other early government. Even the most permanent structures – natural or man-made – are subject to erosion. Every government will eventually pass away. However, the love God has for us and the love he shows us is stronger than granite. It will never erode. It is incorruptible, indestructible. Jesus, help us to trust in your incorruptible love for us and to share that love with someone else today. Amen.Grace and peace, Pastor Paul |
| Notes from the Church Office Carpet Cleaning – The Fellowship Hall Carpet is scheduled for cleaning on Friday, May 12 at 8:30 am. The carpet will need a couple of hours of dying time after the cleaning so the Fellowship Hall will be closed off for the day until 4:30 pm. The Greater Freeport Community Chorus will be holding a concert here in the Fellowship Hall on Friday, May 12 at 7 pm. We have heard from others that this will be a great concert. There are several members of NYCC in the Chorus, with Jesse Myers-Wakeman as the Conductor. See the poster below or on the bulletin board. Hope to see you there! Thank you to everyone who helped with the worship service and reception during the Cumberland Association Spring meeting. We had many volunteers involved in the set and up and clean up for this meeting. The combined choir (Gray, New Gloucester and NYCC) led by David Myers-Wakeman sang beautifully. Click the link below if you would like to hear them at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1hVUdLDtFA&t=558s Have you seen the latest stained glass art installation from Lois K? Check it out in the garden as you come in to the building. It is just beautiful! We have featured one of the panels in this weeks email. |
| Please keep the following people in your prayers Diana Day Sandra Hanson Green Sandra and Vince Golonka Wayne Malloch Blanche Mays Ladd Meyerhoff Cindy Tompson |
| Sunday Coffee and Fellowship Time There is a signup sheet for the next two months onthe table in the Gathering Space.There is nothing fancy about this! Bring whatever you wouldlike. |
| May Meetings Diaconate – Sunday, May 7 @11:00 am Trustees – Tuesday, May 9 @ 6 pm Faith Formation – Sunday, May 14 @ 11:00 a.m. Missions – Monday, May 15 @ 7 pm via Zoom Council – Thursday, 18 at 6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal – Wednesday Nights at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday Morning at 8:30 am Tuesday Gals meets on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. Men’s Club meets on the third Saturday of the month at 7:30 a.m. at Toddy Brook Pet Place Pantry is open on the second Saturday of each month from 9:00-10:00 a.m. |
Rummage Sale The Tuesday Gals are now preparing for the rummage sale to be held at NYCC on Saturday May 27 from 9:00-1:00 pm. Donations will be accepted in the Fellowship Hall from Monday May 22 through Friday May 26. Please DO NOT donate: electronics, VHS, Betamax, DVD’s Feel free to donate: Clothing, shoes, pocketbooks, books, puzzles, games and toys, kitchen items, small furniture, tools and seasonal items and, so on. Contact Kathy Whittier at 254-7509 or Gail Strattard at 450-1612 with any questions or more info. |
| NYCC STREET MINISTRY NEWS BIT After reading in the local papers that the city of Portland was going to clear out the encampment behind Trader Joes, Caroline and I did not know where we might find the folks that we served “brunch” to on Sat. April 22. We drove around and didn’t see much action in any of the places we used to stop. Sooooo, we went to the Trader Joe’s space and there they were! Things looked different. The number of tents or homemade shelters looked about the same, but they were bunched very close together and the spaces on either end of the encampment were quite clean, AND there was a huge pile of of large green trash bags, chockablock full, ready to be taken away. We don’t know who tidied things up, but we hope the “tenters” helped……alot. It wasn’t a very warm day, so we just handed out the treats to a hand coming out of an opening in the tent, usually with huge thank you’s and bless you’s. There has been much in the news lately about the need for housing and other services for the unhoused….nothing new on this matter, but it seems that there is more action and less talk, so maybe conditions will improve. Caroline and I will continue doing what we do and we can do it only because of your support. Thank-you so much. Jeanne |
| NYCC Clothing Ministry Thank you for your generosity. Many are warmer and living easier lives because of your donations. Spring is here an clothing needs have changed. The Clothing Ministry of NYCC collects basic clothing and accessories to be given out by the NYCC Street Ministry or donated to Maine Needs or the Freeport Thrift Store. If you are so moved, please add your contribution to the boxes in the gathering space. Most needed and asked for items: Socks Baseball Hats Underwear T-shirts These items will be given out with the lunches when the NYCC crew visits Portland. If you have gently used spring coats, shoes, spring clothing, like long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts, leggings, sweatpants or jeans that you would like to give, please add these to the boxes, too. These items will be donated to Maine Needs or Freeport Thrift Store. Questions, please ask Jeanne or Tracy. |
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| Register for Camp TODAY! Programming for all ages You are welcome here! Scholarships are available for all sessions. Apply online by May 15, 2023 To sign up, visit www.pilgrimlodge.org 207-724-3200, info@ pilgrimlodge.orgPilgrim Lodge is a amp lovingly provided by the Maine Conference United Church of Christ since 1956. |
| 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 