The Clarendon Connection

Knitting and praying our way to G.A.

One of the lasting impressions of the San Jose assembly in 2008 has to be the rainbow scarves knitted so lovingly by so many and then worn by so many as a witness to the Gospel truth of radically extravagant love.

Some of you have asked: “Shall we knit again to pray our way to GA?” YES!!

Herewith we invite you to knit scarves and pray our way to General Assembly in the Twin Cities in July 2010 with the challenge that we will have a scarf for every commissioner and advocate sent to the assembly (that is about 1,500) because we trust the Holy Spirit to move every heart there to want one.

Clarendon Hill has 11 scarves completed and ready to go. More have been promised! And it is not too late to help. The deadline is June 15th. If you are interested in whipping up a scarf, please contact Ellen Schemerhorn for the directions. This is a project of More Light Presbyterians (a group committed to the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in the life and work of the church). And keep knitting, crocheting and praying.

Gay Pride Parade

Two years ago, a member of our church mused about Presbyterian Pride. Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a group of Presbyterians march in the Gay Pride Parade in Boston? Well, we can! We have been invited by the session of First Presbyterian Church in Waltham to join them as they march in the Gay Pride Parade on Saturday, June 12th. If you would be interested in helping us represent our church and Presbyterians, please contact Ellen Schemehorn for more information.

Women’s Horizons Bible Study

Horizons Study Group will meet at Salam Lebbos house in Arlington, Friday June 11 at 3:30 p.m. All women are welcome to attend. Contact kath.gustafson@gmail.com for directions

Fill out those Census Forms

Please fill out a census form and let us know the best way to get in touch with you’ as well as your talents and interests. The current session would like to produce an updated (and much needed) contact list for the members and friends of our church. I do not know about you, but I have been frustrated recently when I had trouble finding correct email addresses for church members that I was trying to get in touch with. We need your contact information when we make our work list. And we also want to know about talents and interests that you possess, and if you are willing and able to put them to use for Clarendon Hill. If you don’t have a census form, you can find one on the table at the entrance to the sanctuary. Fill it out and return it to the box on the table. If you have questions, please contact Jill Auger.

Clarendon Hill on Facebook

If you are on Facebook, become a fan of Clarendon Hill. (Instead of becoming a fan, you can now “like” our page.) We have a page through which we can let you know about upcoming events, and those posts will appear in your status updates. Keep up with what is happening at Clarendon Hill. An added bonus is the opportunity to become friends with other current and former members and friends of the church! See our page at http://www.facebook.come/pages/Somerville-MA/Clarendon-Hill-Presbyterian-Church/373782233485?=wall.

If you’d like to become a member on facebook please contact Ellen Schhhhemerhorn. It is free and very easy to put together a profile page.

Book Release Party

The Reverend Patricia Budd Kepler (our former pastor) has published a new book: Work After Patriarchy, A Pastoral Perspective. Clarendon Hill, along with Calvary Church (United Methodist) will be hosting the party on Sunday, June 13th at 4:00 p.m. at Calvary Church. There will be tea, and conversation with the auther about “an unfinished American Revolution”. Please come!

Graduation

• .Annie Atubrah, completed Masters Program in Industrial Psychology at Tufts and has returned to Ghana after worshipping with us for the past year. 

• .Jeremiah Pyle, completed Masters Degree in Meteorology at U Mass Lowell, and will be starting a new job with the National Weather Service in Portland, Oregon on July 1 

• .Scott Fish, completed his PhD in Neuropsychology and is now doing a post-doctoral program here in Boston 

• .Mark Gustafson, finished law school at University of Toronto and will be working in Victoria, British Colombia. 

• .Sarah Donovan, completed Associates Degree in Mathematics at Bunker Hill and will be continuing at U Mass Lowell in Electrical Engineering this fall. 

• .Rachael Frazier finished law school at Harvard and will be working in legal services in Washington 

• .Congratulations to our Graduates 

Adult Education in June

Beginning on Sunday, June 6th, our Adult Education group will focus on Worship. You know, that thing we do every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in our sanctuary!

Karl Gustafson will lead our sessions as we take a look at our bulletin (and perhaps the bulletins of other congregations) as a way in to our discussions. What are the parts of a service? What function do they serve? What are some of the different forms that they can take? Why do they appear in the order that they do? In short, why do we do what we do?

We might also discuss other forms of worship, and ways of exploring them. Join us in the Green Room after some coffee and conversation downstairs.

Children’s Education

     We started a second Sunday school class last fall because we had four children in 5th and 6th grades.  After considering various curricula, we chose Akaloo, which promotes Bible literacy and increased knowledge of our Christian tradition by studying broad topics:  Bible, God, Discipleship, Church, World.  We've completed the Bible unit, and our newest Biblical scholars have had practice using their Bibles, locating and discussing scripture passages that reinforce the lessons' messages.  The big theme of this unit has been "what's so great about the Bible," and we've discussed a number of things about it that are great.

So what's so great about the Bible?  Here are some of the themes we've explored:  It's unique.  It shapes Christian worship.  It has changed history.  It links generations locally and across time.  It is the word of God.  It has been studied for thousands of years.  It connects Christians around the world.  The Old Testament and New Testament are connected.

In addition to reading and talking about Biblical texts, we have been reading a book about a group of kids whose experiences illustrate the topics of our lessons.  Each one of our kids is very eager to learn about what is actually in the Bible.  Our group has been dwindling in size, but when we had four of them it was both fun and good for them to experience religious education in a group of people their own age.

Our "regular" Sunday school class, which meets each Sunday during church and is for children of roughly elementary school age, hasn't been meeting regularly at all for the past few months because we haven't had anybody to teach it.  For the class to resume in the fall, it will need teachers!  The curriculum for this class is based on the lectionary readings for the day and includes stories, activities, and crafts.  Please consider signing up to teach for a month--or more.

 A childcare provider who is ready to take care of any babies and young children who come to church is somebody we need each Sunday morning.  If your name is on the list for a particular Sunday, please be there and ready to help.  If you have experience with babies and young children and want to help take care of our youngest members, please let us know.  We are looking to hire someone for this position, so if you know of any candidates, please contact us.

Please contact Jill Auger at jillfisherauger@gmail.com or Ellen Schemerhorn at ellends@verizon.net for more information or to help out with our young people.

Parts and Crafts Summer Program

This summer, from June 28th through August 23rd, Clarendon Hill will be hosting the summer program Parts and Crafts.  Their theme is “Making Thing and Making Things Happen!”  From their brochure:

The Parts and Crafts summer program is a lab for kids and adults to learn together.  Every summer we bring together an extraordinary collection of creative kids and adults who are interested in sharing and learning and making and doing together.  

We give kids the space and time that they need to work, learn, play, and be creative and we give them the inspiration and tools that they need to make and work through plans and projects of all types and sizes.  At the same time, we give the adults that we work with a place to think, and people and tolls to think with, about learning and creativity.

Every day the counselors plan and run a bunch of different activities.  We try to have a couple of different kind of activities running all the time so there’s always something for everyone, but we also try to follow the lead of our campers and help them develop independent projects and get them off the ground.

We come up with fresh ideas every session to keep things new and interesting for all of us, but some of our favorite activities in the past have included:

• .Candle making 

• .Building with electronics 

• .Making drawing machines 

• .Taking apart vcrs and computers 

• .Screen-printing and tye-dying 

• .Making computer games and animations 

• .Baking bread 

• .Soda bottle rockets 

We think that people need three main things to be creative:  freedom, tools and inspiration.  We have very few specific requirements for kids, apart from asking that they participate actively in keeping our community together.  Kids are free to work on or play with projects, ideas, tools and games of their own choice and devising.

When we plan our activities we are trying to make sure that we are always offering a good mix or indoor and outdoor activities, high-energy and low-energy activities, and “art” and “science” activities.  We are always trying to blur the line, or break down the barriers, between “art”, “science” and “technology” as well as trying to make sure that children get to see adults of all genders leading activities and projects of all types.

The programs are for girls and boys, ages 6 – 12.  They begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  There is a sliding price scale per weekly session from $50.00 - $300.00 per week.  $265.00 per week is the suggested base price.  Extended care is available in the morning beginning at 8:00 a.m. and going until 5:00 p.m. in the afternoon.  The base suggested price for early care is $25.00 and the late care is $50.00

For more information, and to register, please see summer.partsandcrafts.org.

At our annual meeting in early February, we elected (and subsequently installed) the following members to positions on our boards:

Session:  Jill Auger, Liz Cavano, Sarah Donvan (clerk), Munir Jirmanus, Richard Liberace, Craig Milanesi and Ellen Schemerhorn.

Deacons:  Paul Beran, Anne Camelio, Valerie Donovan, Jaja Kumpa and Randy Wincester.

Jaja Kumpa is the treasurer, and Ellen Schemerhorn and Valerie Donovan are the financial secretaries.

Mission Focus

Valerie Donovan

Jaja Kumpa

Anne Camelio

Randy Winchester

Paul Beran

Jill Auger

Liz Cavano

Munir Jirmanus

Richard Liberace

Craig Milanesi

Ellen Schemerhorn

Sarah Donovan

Sunday, June 27 at 3:00 pm at Clarendon Hill Church 

Get ready for an afternoon of jazz, art, and the environment!

The final act in Joe's Jazz and Blues Fest, The Ruthie Ristich Trio together with The Sisters of Swing combine their traditional and not-so traditional jazz and blues with familiar standards from the great American songbook.

This fantastic event is also a fundraiser for Groundwork Somerville, which strives to bring about the sustained regeneration, improvement and management of the physical environment through the development of community-based partnerships which empower people, businesses and organizations to promote environmental, economic and social well-being.

3 pm
$15 Door, $10 for Students & Seniors
A Benefit for Groundwork Somerville

The benefit will be followed by a reception the gallery with a special preview of the exhibit “Elements: Line, Color & Form” featuring the work of Ron Brunelle, Kathleen Finlay and Alisia Dworsky.

•  

• .Beginning July 4th, our Sunday service will be at 10:00 a.m. rather than at 10:30 a.m. The church will be a little cooler and you will be back outdoors a little earlier to enjoy the weather. The last day of summer hours will be Sunday September 5th. We will resume our 10:30 a.m. start time on Sunday September 12th. 

• .Katherine will take orders for Equal Exchange on Sunday, June 6 for delivery on June 13.  

• .Lectionary Readings for June 2010: 

June 6

1Kings 17:8-16(17-24)

Psalm 146

Galatians 1:11-24

Luke 7:11-17

June 13

1 Kings 21:1-10(11-14) 15-21a

Psalm 5:1-8

Galatians 2:15-21

Luke 7:36-8:3

June 20

1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7)8-15a

Psalm 42 and 43

Galatians 3:23-29

Luke 8:26-39

June 27

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Luke 9:51-62

• .Church Assignments 

   

If you would like to be added to the rotation for any of these ministry opportunities, please contact Salam Lebbos, editor @ clarendonhillchurch.org.