Author: Caroline

Our CE Class at work. After a lesson on “Living Waters,” we made urns out of clay to symbolize carrying the water of life.

You know the old story about how Shrove Tuesday came to be — because everyone had to use up their naughty oil and meat before Lent started on Ash Wednesday. Whatever! I just like bacon and sausages and pancakes — blueberry, chocolate chip and plain old plain. It seems a lot of people at FCC Bristol do, too. On February 21, some 50 church members and members of the community gathered on a winter evening to enjoy some good food and some good fellowship. The Christian Education Committee and other kind souls prepared a Mardi Gras feast that was so delicious that most people came back for seconds — and SOME people came back for thirds!

Many thanks to all the talented chefs, servers and busy hands that set up the DeWolf Chapel dining room and helped with clean up.

Between the recent Potluck Supper, the Valentine’s Day Senior Luncheon, and this Shrove Tuesday Pancake extravaganza, everyone had so much fun that there are rumors of Potluck Dinners after church once-a-month. Thanks, again, to all who worked to make this a great night. And — stay tuned.

Thanks to our hardworking Deacons, the Seniors at FCC Bristol again enjoyed their Valentine’s Day Luncheon after a multi-year COVID hiatus. Favored with a bright, sunny day, the occasion brought many hugs and kisses for friends who had not been seen for a while, as well as for friends seen every Sunday. Travelers from Portsmouth’s Atria senior community, including Anne Archibald, Charlotte Griffith, and Grace and Bob Wilson were warmly welcomed. The presence of others who have been kept away due to health issues was deeply appreciated. Many thanks to all the Deacons and especially to Bob Evans who took care of the catering arrangements and Grace Steere who handled the lovely (and tasty) decorations. Everyone enjoyed the high-paced news-sharing and the delicious food. Lots of laughter and exclamations. It feels good to break bread with dearly-loved friends.

Is it the energy of Spring beginning to percolate or, perhaps, a response to the long months of COVID “quiet” that is inspiring our Deacons and church members to look to “doing” new things?

On Friday, February 10, 2023, more than 30 parishioners gathered for a Potluck supper and a brainstorming session, gathering ideas about the future of the church. Led by Deacon Bob Evans, each table was given a huge sheet of paper and encouraged to list out any and all ideas they had, regardless of cost. Some ideas were big — like building new space for new activities. Some ideas were smaller — like creating a new brochure for the church or getting names tags. Other ideas lay somewhere in between, like hiring new staff or rolling out a community Music program, or expanding our hands-on Mission projects to better meet the needs of the wider community.

All the sheets of paper were hung up on the DeWolf Chapel stage and everyone attending the worship service on Sunday got the chance to look over the many ideas that were offered. These will be organized and made available to all. Future meetings are planned to discuss our options and prioritize which ones to focus on, which ones seem most “do-able” in the near-term and which ones need more planning for the future. You will be hearing more about this in the weeks to come.

During the December 18, 2022 worship service, the children of the congregation presented a “new” Christmas Pageant story. We are used to seeing the annual reenactment of the journey to Bethlehem, the birth of the Christ Child, and the worshipful gathering of the shepherds and the three Wise Men. This year the children, guided by Bob Evans, presented a “play within a play,” which told the story of one youthful actor’s search for the real meaning of Christmas and how he found it at a Christmas pageant rehearsal. A reluctant young man takes on the role of Joseph to help out a youth group rehearsing their Christmas presentation. And in the process, he comes to understand God’s gift of life, love and happiness — offered to everyone in the form of God’s Son Jesus Christ who came to remove our sins so that we could more lovingly live life on earth and one day join God in Heaven.