Dear Beloved,

Well, we’ve made it back home, all of us! The summer is over, our new school year has begun, we lived through the first two weeks! Praise be to God!

We will linger together twice this Sunday – Sunday Service and Block Party.

Our service on Sunday at 10AM includes welcoming five new members, Mariah Hout, Chris Levins, Jackie Kerstner, April Evans and David Douglas.

Where is your Bible? Can you find? Dust it off? Open it without six holy cards and a four leafed clover falling out? Will you bring your Bible, please on Sunday? Molly and I are starting a sermon series, five glorious weeks on the Bible – what is it, how did we get it, what are we supposed to do with it, how to use it. I begin tomorrow with a sermon, “The ABC and 123 of the B.I.B.L.E.” There will be no Bible banging.

Our first time liturgist is the lovely Michael Molla, please will you pray for him as he prepares? Our choir will sing – you can join the choir by showing up at 8:55 on Sunday in the chapel for rehearsal. Molly will pray and welcome our new members. Ian will do the sound system. Liz Danner is the greeter. In the nursery is Jeff Banks and Emily Deckenback. Hugh Gallaher is the shepherd. Erin Iwanusa will teach the little ones. Missy Sturveyant will teach the 7-11 year olds – they’ve named themselves the Flyer Hedgehogs. Welcome Missy!

Our Block Party is also on Sunday, 4-6. Please bring a covered dish to share with our neighbors. Pete and Ben will play with other musicians sitting in. The Marching Band will begin at 3:45 – up Francesca and back. We need children to march with us. And we march rain or shine.

If it rains, we’ll have the block party inside.

Between on Sunday, we have the Music Committee and Compassionate Caregivers at 11:30, and from 12:30-2, the New Old Fashioned Bible Study led by Althea, on the book of Romans. Althea does a wonderful job, and no kidding, makes the study of Romans fascinating.

Tomorrow, on Saturday, a bunch of us are going first to the Duhamel Educational Initiative Fund Raising Dinner at church, 6-8 PM. Mayor Curtone and the Somerville Board of Aldermen (sic) are cooking! Proceeds go to Somerville Public Schools to help keep kids excited about learning and being in school.

After that at 8PM, we’re going to see John Olson (as Clergyman and one of the Very Merry Men), and hear the music of Thom Whittemore and Joe Turbessi at the Somerville Theatre in the production “Never After.” (Never After is the story of Princess Lesley Ann, destined by a conniving fairy to be a lesbian. Ill-suited to her role as a fairytale princess, Les leaves the kingdom of Generica to search for adventure. Along the way, she makes friends in unlikely places, fights dragons, finds her true love, and discovers her own indomitable strength. from the website: http://www.theatreatfirst.org/shows/never_after/never_after.shtml)

Whew, lastly, First Church Twitters. Go to www.twitter.com, make an account for yourself. Then in the search field on the right hand side of the home page, search for FCSomerville – and voila, you are twittering.

Peace to you folks.

Love,
Laura Ruth

–
Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett
Minister of Outreach
First Congregational Church of Somerville, UCC
An Open and Affirming Congregation
W. 12-9, Th. 2-8, Su. 8:30-2