September 2021 - The United Church of Christ, Southbury
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September 2021
The Reverend Susan Murtha, Interim Senior Pastor
Corinne Brewer, Director of Music and Organist
Carla Preiman, Bridge Leader of Pastoral Care The United Church of Christ, Southbury
Open, Bridge Youth Group Leader 283 Main Street North
Bonnie Havery, Bell Choir Director Southbury, CT 06488
Emmi Ostar, Bridge Christian Ed Administrator 203-264-8807
Haley Rowland, Technical Director E-Mail: churchoffice@uccsouthbury.org
Carla Preiman, Office Administrator
Website: www.uccsouthbury.org
Open, Nursery Coordinator
Call-In Telephone Ministry: 203-405-2448, Passcode 315391#
Amy Hannon, Teaching Director, The Preschool Center
Sunday Worship Services
Deborah Bennard, Teacher, The Preschool Center
9:30 a.m. - Worship
Katie Keane, Teacher Aide, The Preschool Center
Fellowship after 9:30 a.m. Worship
Bruce Kennedy, Church Sexton
Dear members and friends of UCC Southbury,
I pray you have had some summer sabbath – a break from normal routines, a chance to lose track of time, visits
with family and friends, and more. After such an intense year, my time away from the normal work routines
of many meetings and reports, and from day-to-day needs and preparation for Sunday worship, was a blessing.
It was also very productive. During my study leave weeks, I had time to immerse myself more deeply in
scripture study and prayer, to do some worship planning for the fall, to work on some church initiatives that
required focused blocks of time, and more. On my vacation weeks, I had visits with friends who I haven’t
seen in ages, a “sisters’ weekend” on the Cape, time for some home projects, and best of all a wonderful trip
to southern California to visit my son and his family.
As I noted above, I did a few home projects this August (well, maybe more than a few as many were overdue!).
One project was giving away a lot of “stuff.” In my basement, I had boxes on shelves that I never even opened
when I moved to my little bungalow seven years ago. Obviously I did not need what was in them, save the
one labelled “Simon’s childhood – special stuff.” Also, every dresser and closet in my bedroom and my spare
bedroom was filled … with my clothes, shoes, accessories. And these were true even after downsizing two or
three times over the years.
It’s a curious thing but the small farmhouse where my husband and I lived for 26 years and raised our son had
minimal amounts of space to store stuff – only three small closets, no garage, a wet basement that couldn’t be
used for storage, a crawl space in the attic (with no dropdown ladder). And we were fine there; it never occurred
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to us that we needed more space. And that was true because we didn’t have a lot of stuff. But that
was a long time ago. Now the average American house is twice as big as it was fifty years ago,
while in the same period family units became smaller. How much stuff is enough? And how much
space is enough to store it all? I love Rev. Martin Cophenaver’s reflection on this topic. He writes,
“I’ve never been to a dog track, but I’m pretty sure about one thing. I think I know the name of
that wooden rabbit that keeps the panting pack running around the track. The rabbit’s name is
Enough. And whether it is a dog race or a rat race, no one ever seems to catch it. Dear God, you
take care of our every need. Quiet our hearts and rebuke us when we fear we do not have enough.
Amen.” I hope you too got closer to God and further away from your stuff this summer.
I look forward to being together, catching up on your news, and launching our new church year!
Blessings,
Pastor Susan
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Kids’ Chapel – Sundays at 9:45 am
Kids’ Chapel will continue to be held both in person after the Children’s
Message if you are in church with us and on Zoom from home, Kids’ Chapel will
start at approximately 9:45. We hope you all will continue to join us either way.
For those at home, we will provide some packets of activity sheets and/or crafts
that may be used in the lesson. If you would like to have these, you may pick
them up in the bin outside the door to the church Social Hall. If you would like
them dropped off at your house, please let Patti Kahl know at 203-982-9450 or
patti.h.kahl@gmail.com, and we will be glad to do that.
We will continue to learn more stories from the Bible about God’s love for all of us. Check your
weekly S.H.I.N.E. for each week’s topic and Zoom invitation from Emmi.
Neighbors in Need Project for August
We will continue to collect school supplies for those in need in our area in
September.
As you begin your back-to-school shopping, please think about others who may
need backpacks, lunch bags, rulers, folders, pencils, crayons, and other
supplies.
Please bring your donations to the bin marked for School Supplies at the door to
the church Social Hall.
Come and join us as we kick off a new year for Kids’ Chapel!
Gathering Day is Sunday, September 12th.
Join us at our outside church service at 9:30 am.
After the service we will have information and registration for our faith
formation program while the children enjoy fun activities and ice cream
sundaes on the Church Green.
Thank you to all who have volunteered as helpers with our Kids’
Chapel program. A big THANK YOU to CE Board members Cathy
Ostar for her hard work with Emmi on putting together Chapel
Boxes for our Kids’ Chapel program and to Lisamay Cleary-Cast for
organizing our Firepit and S’mores event.
If you would like to enjoy some special time on Sunday morning with
our children as Emmi leads our Kids’ Chapel, please sign up on
Signup Genius or contact Patti Kahl at 203-982-9450.
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HOLIDAY FAIR 2021
SAVE THE DATE:
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 13
We are excited to announce that the 55th Annual UCC HOLIDAY FAIR
2021 will be held on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2021, from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Crafts will be sold at a Christmas Market on the Green, while the social hall will be
open as the Snowflake Café, with a live auction taking place at 2 p.m. We have
exciting new ideas for this year and are looking for new committee volunteers to
help us make the fair a continued success! Please contact Amy Gulick, Heidi
Kossakowski or Kate Noble for more details.
REMINDER from 2019 Holiday Fair:
As we look forward to the upcoming 2021 UCC Holiday Fair, we would like to remind
anyone who had donated a gift/service to the Holiday Fair Live Auction in 2019 to
please honor your generous donations at this time to those winning bidders who
have paid for your contributions, but have not had the chance to redeem them due
to Covid-19. Thank you again for your generous donations!
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Happy Fall! As we continue to negotiate these challenging changing times let's rejoice in the path
we are all on, find rejuvenation in the opportunities to find new paths of worship through music!
This fall we bring a new program - "My Song" In this program a K-12th grade student can choose
any hymn or song they would like to have the congregation sing or listen to. Our first volunteer
was Mia Thoennessen and her song was Go Tell It On The Mountain. She did a wonderful job. We
are looking for volunteers for October and November, so if you are between Grades K-12 and
would like to pick a hymn for us all to sing please contact Mrs. Brewer
(corinnebrewer3@gmail.com). Mrs. Thoennessen, Miss Trudy or the church office. We can't wait
to sing your song!
The Adult Choir and the Bell Choir will be meeting to discuss what opportunities we have for
singing and playing in the time of Covid with the idea of what we can do safely. I remain hopeful
that we will be able to have our ensembles rehearse and sing/ring in worship very soon. I hope to
have good news in the October newsletter.
Thank you to our many soloists, vocal and instrumental who have contributed so much over the
last 18 months. We have been blessed with your many offerings and hope you will continue to
offer your talents in the upcoming services. If you haven't offered yet and would like to sing a
song or play an instrument I have great news! We have some openings for the next few months.
So......please reach out to me Corinnebrewer3@gmail.com. If you have been waiting for your
chance, it's here! Questions, I'm always glad to answer and offer help with your journey.
The music committee is currently exploring the possibility of hosting a concert. Would you like to
get involved? They would love to hear from you, please reach out to Pam pjgerl54@gmail.com or
myself Corinnebrewer3@gmail.com
Thank you for your support of our music programs either in song, on an instrument, serving on a
committee, in a choir or offering ideas. Everything is important but the most important offering
to a great program is you.
Corinne
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UCC Southbury Update: News from Council
Pastor Susan and the Staff continue to send regular emails on Tuesday and Friday, as well as the
monthly newsletter. Are you feeling connected to all that is going on in our congregation? If not, then
find a member of the Church Council and let us know!
Here are some of the activities to remember from the summer, and that we can look forward as we enter
a new church year – still somewhat restricted by a need to be careful in the face of the Delta variant of
Covid-19, but ever faithful about our future as a church family.
Worship and Fellowship -- we have become accustomed to worshiping online, as well as in person,
since the Covid pandemic arrived. Some are disappointed to have to wear masks again when we
worship inside our sanctuary, but it seems a small sacrifice to maintain health and safety for a little
while longer. We appreciate your patience as we wait out the Covid variants.
This fall, we welcome the Mattatuck Unitarian Universalist Church to share our
building. We look forward to finding many ways in which we can all benefit from this
co-habitation!
SMILE-our families ushered out the summer with a campfire on August 20
Women’s Fellowship has been diligently working to create a directory of our members that
we can access on-line. This is incredibly helpful for staying in touch with our friends, since
the contact information can be found right on our phones! See the article in this newsletter
about how to make sure your information is correct and password protected.
Two upcoming events to welcome our community, and give us the chance to work and play
together in preparation. Both involve an outdoor component, so we can be safe, visible, and
welcoming to all! Many thanks to the creative minds steering these changes.
o Rummage Sale is coming Sept. 20 – Oct. 2! Look in this newsletter for more information.
New this year is your ability to bring your own tag sale to our church green during the day
Saturday!
o Holiday Fair is coming Nov. 13 (foul weather date Nov. 20) – Like so much that we do for
our community, this event comes with plenty of opportunities for volunteers! We will again
have the chance to bid on auction items, and purchase crafts and other wonderful gift items,
online. Please help us spread the word.
The search committees have continued meeting this summer. The members of the
committees continue to honor the covenant they made with the congregation, which
includes: “to maintain strict confidentiality”. The congregation’s continued prayers for
the search committees are greatly appreciated.
Many crafty members and friends have stepped up to make comfort caps in a variety of styles,
--knit, crochet, sewn, etc.… Bonnie Loiseau has collected 315 caps since this project started
last spring, and they are being gratefully accepted by multiple cancer care centers in our area!
Stay well and stay safe!
John Bacigalupi and the entire Church Council
11New Space Sharing Agreement with
Mattatuck Unittarian Universalist Society
(MUUS)
We are so pleased to announce that UCC Southbury has finalized a space-sharing agreement with
Mattatuck Unitarian Universalist Society (MUUS), beginning September 1, 2021. This initiative was
presented to the congregation in late July and approved by Church Council at their August meeting.
First and foremost, this initiative supports UCC Southbury’s Ministry Plan calling us to turn our focus
outward so that both we and future generations can thrive – exploring faith, nurturing community,
and serving our world. Specifically, it offers significant potential ministry and mission collaboration
benefits. It also provides significant rental income to UCC Southbury which will financially support
our ministries.
The Space Sharing Agreement allows MUUS to hold worship services, religious education classes,
meetings, and other events at UCC Southbury while they work towards building their own facility
in Woodbury.
Specifically, MUUS will:
Hold worship services in our sanctuary at 11:00 on Sundays with a coffee hour following.
(UCC Southbury will continue to hold its worship services at 9:30 (in-person and via
Zoom), with coffee hour following);
Hold youth religious education classes in two of the Methodist building classrooms during
their worship service;
Schedule in-person meetings and choir rehearsals during the week. Our Church
Administrator, Carla Preiman, will coordinate meeting times and locations for both
congregations;
Use the kitchen/ social hall periodically, including once a month for their mission project of
sandwich-making for GWIM; Continued on next page
12 Schedule any infrequent, special events (weddings, memorial services, etc.) as needed and
as the church facilities are available;
Participate in our COVID task force meetings and follow the same requirements/ guidelines
as UCC Southbury.
As our relationship evolves we hope to join forces on a number of shared ministries and outreach
programs that are held important by both congregations. These may include youth programs/ PF,
community outreach programs (GWIM, DCFS, food and fuel banks, social justice programs), and
other programs that either congregation might initiate.
UCC Southbury and MUUS are forming a coordination team to ensure our relationship moves
forward in a smooth, positive, and synergistic manner. The UCC Southbury team members are Bob
Langley, Donna Ryan, and Pastor Susan.
By way of introduction, MUUS “---gather(s) as a welcoming community; to honor the sacred in all
of life, to foster spiritual growth, nurture curiosity and learning and build a just, compassionate and
sustainable world.” (MUUS website)
MUUS has a congregation of approximately 70 members, with 50 members attending their weekly
worship services.
Many MUUS members are already friends and acquaintances within our community. Please greet
and welcome them to our congregation and to our facility in the coming weeks.
With joy,
Bob Langley, and Jack Kelly, on behalf of Church Council
FIREPIT NIGHT!
What a great time we
had roasting
marshmallows and
playing games!!
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Things are warming up and we are back to
collecting liquid based food donations in the
GWIM Soup Kitchen box behind the social
hall. Please consider donating items such as
crackers, cookies, granola bars, fruit roll
ups, rice, instant mash potatoes, powdered milk, soup, maple syrup, juice packs,
dry cereals and soups, pancake mix, coffee, tea, jello, pasta, parmesan cheese
in a container, mac and cheese, dried beans, etc... Any questions please call
Jandi du Bois at 203-405-1640.
Things are warming up and we are back to collecting liquid based food donations in the
GWIM Soup Kitchen box behind the social hall. Please consider donating items such as
crackers, cookies, granola bars, fruit roll ups, rice, instant mash potatoes, powdered
milk, soup, maple syrup, juice packs, dry cereals and soups, pancake mix, coffee, tea,
jello, pasta, parmesan cheese in a container, mac and cheese, dried beans, etc... Any
questions please call Jandi du Bois at 203-405-1640.
We’re beginning our Southbury Food Bank collection once again at UCC! Now
that spring has arrived, and the colder winter months are over, we’re able to
once again collect cans of soup and stew outside in our bin, at the back of the
church. There is a large covered bin to the side of the social room doors,
marked for Southbury Food Bank. You may also leave your cans on the shelves
outside of the sanctuary. Our church has signed up to donate cans of soup and
stew each month, but any non-perishable food donations would also be
gratefully accepted. Gift cards from the Southbury grocery stores are always very much appreciated too,
and may be sent to UCC, then will be passed on to the Southbury Food Bank.
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I
was a stranger, and you invited Me in.” Matthew 25:42
Thank you very much for you generosity! You are very much appreciated!
Many Thanks, UCC Board of Missions
15Directions for Joining Worship Service
Joining Worship by Phone (audio only):
1. The toll free phone numbers: 877-853-5247 OR 888-788-0099
2. Enter the Meeting ID: 802 855 502 followed by #
Join Worship by Live Streaming - If you already have a Zoom account:
10 minutes prior to worship, click on this link: https://uccsouthbury.zoom.us/j/802855502
OR open your Zoom program on your computer or your App,
Press the “Join” icon/button
Enter the following Meeting ID: 802 855 502
Press the “Join” button
Directions for Joining the Social Hall Experience
AFTER WORSHIP: Hang up / leave Zoom Five minutes later join the Social Hall Experience
Join the Social Hall Experience by Phone (audio only):
1. The toll free phone numbers: 877-853-5247 OR 888-788-0099
2. Enter the Meeting ID: 954 790 337 followed by #
Join the Social Hall Experience by Live Streaming - If you already have a Zoom
account:
5 minutes AFTER worship, click on this link: https://uccsouthbury.zoom.us/j/954790337
OR open your Zoom program on your computer or your App,
Press the “Join” icon/button
Enter the following Meeting ID: 954 790 337
Press the “Join” button
Live Streaming – Creating a UCC, Southbury Zoom Account
1. If you do not have a UCC, Southbury Zoom account, you will be receiving a separate email
from Zoom. Please register right away in order to avoid last minute glitches / get technical
support if needed.
2. In the email from Zoom, Vinny Antezzo from Church
Council (v.antezzo@uccsouthbury.org) will be inviting you to join the Church’s Zoom account
for free.
3. Click on the “Activate Your Zoom Account” button and follow the directions.
4. If you need help registering, please email Vinny at v.antezzo@uccsouthbury.org.
16Thank you!
Thank you to Holly Patrick for her generous donation of food for the GWIM
pantry.
Thank you to our church membership for the food that went up to the Waterbury
Soup Kitchen.To Lee DiCorpo for organizing a wonderful gathering at Sitting
Duck restaurant. It was great to see so many people.
A note from GWIM:
Dear United Church of Christ of Southbury,
Thank you so much and for all your amazing, awesome, "oh so many fabulous
groceries" for the GWIM Community. Jandi and Dr. Erik delivered and assisted in
unloading the treasures. Thank you for your giving hearts and unconditional
love. I embrace your priceless generosity. Thank God for you.
Love and Gratitude,
Barbara Ann Dublin MS
Executive Director
Thank you to those who came in the past few months in to get the paper
newsletter ready for mailing.
17Mask Requirements for UCC Southbury- August 12, 2021
Dear members and friends of UCC Southbury,
As many of you know, with the spike in Covid-19 infections driven by the ‘Delta’ variant the CDC
and the CT Department of Health have each issued guidance associated with the wearing of masks
while in Indoor settings. The details associated with the guidance varies between these
organizations related to vaccination status and the rate of infection in the local community. The
Covid Task Force has met to review the implications of these factors on our Covid guidelines.
Living our Christian values, we strive to allow all to participate in our services and programs. That
suggests that we should not discriminate based on vaccination status. We are similarly inspired to
care for the vulnerable amongst us. Youth, especially those under the age of 12 who are unable to
be vaccinated as well as those with religious or medical exemptions are particularly vulnerable to
the spread of the delta variant. We need to balance these two concerns.
In order to minimize the risk to our members, friends and employees, the Task Force has
recommended, and the Church Council has adopted the following changes to our Covid Guidelines:
1) Require masks for all attendees (vaccinated or unvaccinated) while attending UCC
Southbury indoor church activities, including but not limited to Indoor Worship Services.
2) Prohibit indoor congregant singing. Music soloist(s) or other ‘performers’ unmasked
singing will be allowed when shielding is in place between the performer and others.
3) Return to mandatory use of improved air circulation procedures in the Sanctuary, Parlor
and Social Hall. This applies to UCC activities as well as others using our facilities, MUUS,
AA, Scouts etc.
4) Return to monitoring CO2 measurements when a large number of people gather
(Worship, larger meetings etc.).
5) Be vigilant in the use of microphone shields whenever more than 1 person will be using
a microphone. A supply will be available and the person coordinating the AV for an event
will be asked to enforce this policy.
6) No changes are recommended regarding Outdoor Services and other outdoor activities.
These changes will be effective starting this Sunday, August 15.
We will review these guidelines as infection rates decrease and when new guidance is issued by the
CDC and/or the CT Dept of Health.
We are all in this together and hope that the unvaccinated population decreases, and the vaccination
continues to provide significant benefits in allowing us to return to normal.
Blessings,
John Bacigalupi Be Safe
Council President Please wear a mask
indoors
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You can now give online by just clicking the link below.
Of course we continue to accept pledges and donations from
your bank by EFT, or by mailing your check to the church.
NEW EDITION FOR SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER
UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL online version or PICK UP
Type into your browser: https://www.upperroom.org/devotionals for Upper
Room Or Click here for the day's devotional
OR Call in for the day’s devotion at: 1-877-600-7218
And you may also pick up your copy of the Upper Room by the Nursery or in
the Narthex. Large print and small booklets available.
2201-Sep Peter Dzubay 10-Sep John Boyd 20-Sep Peter Addison
01-Sep Bill Kimball 10-Sep Katie Schnyder 20-Sep Jake Platt
01-Sep Caitlin Schmitt 10-Sep Don Shanks 21-Sep Dawn Dzubay
01-Sep Grace Watson 11-Sep Wendy Gaipa 21-Sep Kirsten Makijczyk
03-Sep Derek Friend 11-Sep Cole Tepedino 23-Sep Doug Muratori
04-Sep Chris Salzo 11-Sep Mitch Tepedino 24-Sep Trev Galiette
05-Sep Amy Gulick 12-Sep Lyndsay Fenn 25-Sep Kristen Bacigalupi
05-Sep Joshua Meade 14-Sep Taylor Cucchiara 25-Sep Elyse Ludwig
05-Sep Lily Sarian 14-Sep Pat Erhard 26-Sep Patsy Morris
06-Sep Cheryl Ernst 15-Sep Scott Hamm 27-Sep Jack Kelly
06-Sep Vern Vanis 16-Sep Jared Nevins 28-Sep Chuck Allen
06-Sep John Wallace 18-Sep Dick Hill 29-Sep Alicia Bennett
08-Sep Natalie Kimball 18-Sep Andrea Thoennessen 29-Sep Collin Thompson
08-Sep Kristen Schick 19-Sep Sydney Anderson
08-Sep Brian Wiser 19-Sep Hunter Simmons
Please note if you do not want your name on the birthday list please contact the
church office at 203-264-8807 or email at churchoffice@uccsouthbury.org
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