Scriptures: Romans 8:14-25; Acts 2:1-21
Speaker:  Nancy Ellett Allison, Ph. D.

Delivered at Sharon Campus on May 19, 2013

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Scriptures: John 17:20-26, Acts 1:16-34

Speaker:  Nancy Ellett Allison, Ph. D.

Delivered at Sharon Campus on May 12, 2013

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Scriptures: Revelation 22:1-5, John 5:1-9

Speaker:  Nancy Ellett Allison, Ph. D.

Delivered at Sharon Campus on May 5, 2013

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Scriptures: Psalm 148, Acts 11:1-8

Guest Speaker:  Rev. Ann Marie Alderman

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Scriptures: Psalm 23

Speaker:  Nancy Ellett Allison, Ph. D.

Delivered at Sharon Campus on April 21, 2013

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In these words we are reminded that the Psalmist had no expectation of escaping the reality of evil. Yet that is what we constantly yearn for in life: that the last mass killing, random bombing, or revenge shooting has finally come to an end. But as two bombs released havoc, chaos, death and injury on the Boston marathon runners and spectators, and as fertilizer plants exploded in Texas, many began a walk through the darkest shadows they will ever know.

The psalmist is comforted in the face of threat by the sure conviction of the sustaining presence of the Living God. Knowing that God is working within and through our lives gives us the strength and capacity to respond and live without succumbing to the protective and/or reactive forces of fear. Living within God’s spirit, we are fed and sustained by God in the presence of our enemies; God “anoints” (or blesses) us with such grace that our cup “runneth over” and we are enabled to create a path of hope even in the presence of despair.

Let us in this day and all the days ahead, commit to leading our friends, colleagues and nation forward in creating new paths of hope rather than reactionary responses of revenge. Let us in this day, and all the days ahead, pray for those who walk in those dark shadows; let us reach out and help lead those trapped in dark shadows into the light of the Living God.

walking with hope, Nancy

Scriptures: Psalm 30, John 21:1-18

Speaker:  Nancy Ellett Allison, Ph. D.

Delivered at Sharon Campus on April 14, 2013

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If you don’t have the space to plant a tree in your yard, you can plant trees in Peru with APECA.  You can visit the Mission 4/1 Earth page to donate and select a country where your tree will be planted.  http://www.ucc.org/earth/plant-a-global-tree.html

Share the goals of Mission 4/1 Earth with your family and friends and invite them to join the movement:

For more information on Mission 4/1 Earth: 50 Great Days, visit ucc.org/earth, read these stories, or join the movement on Facebook.

If you want to know more about counting earth care hours, watch this.

Here are a few tips to help you count your Earth Care Hours.

Each time you wash a load of clothes in cold water, this counts as 1 hour.

Each laundry load you dry on a clothes line, counts as 1 hour.

Turn off unneeded lights – the hours of energy use you prevented equals earth care hours.

Consider paying your bills online – reducing paper use, mail delivery, and postage. Count 1 hour for each bill paid online.

Consider converting your magazine subscriptions to e-subscriptions. Each subscription is worth 1 hour.

Purchase locally grown foods. Each purchase is worth 3  hours for the fuel and travel saved.

Each of these large and small actions matter. It matters that we recycle and compost and not increase the trash added to landfills. It matters that we continue to increase the renewing power of trees on earth’s surface. It matters that we tackle the large and difficult political and business systems which value profit more than preservation. For the next 50 days we will be sharing our stories of loving the earth and considering the ways we can continue to expand our witness to others.

“For the Beauty of the Earth” is a wonderful hymn written almost 200 years ago on a gorgeous spring day in England. It closes with the refrain “God of all to you we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.” We cannot fully live out our gratitude until we live it with integrity by doing all we can to lower our levels of consumption of earth’s natural resources.

Here are some of the practical ways EACH OF US can begin to make a difference. We want to capture these hours and report them each week – some of these practices are “old hat” to many – all of them are actions worthy of acknowledgement.

· If you ride a bike, carpool, or use public transportation, instead of riding alone in a car

· Read a book or article, or watch a documentary, about the environment

· Plant and tend an organic garden

· Install energy efficient light bulbs or appliances

· Recycle coffee grounds on acid-loving plants

· Donate items to thrift shops and shop there, too

· Turn out the lights in rooms you are not in

· RECYCLE. Time spent collecting, sorting, and submitting recycled materials

· Check all your faucets to make sure they don’t drip

Wash clothes in cold water.

· Count 1 hour per load for the 50 days

· Vinegar can be used for cleaning all sorts of things instead of harsh chemicals

· Plant a tree in your back yard

· Use only organic fertilizer on your lawn this spring

· Use a manual lawnmower (you’ll be cutting down on noise pollution, too!)

· Walk to the store, to church, to school, the park, the post office, the library, the cleaners.

“For the beauty of the earth… for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies” we not only raise grateful hymns of praise, but we also commit to live in ways that enhance and nurture that beauty!

~ RAKING away the sweet gum balls, Nancy

SUBMIT YOUR HOURS RIGHT NOW!

The SSF is a non-budgeted fund that depends on contributions from the congregation. Funds are not used until all available community resources are exhausted and members of the SSF committee provide assistance with referrals to resources and assist with problem solving during a crisis. All requests to the SSF are confidential and can be made by contacting one of the committee members (Tom
McGraw, Travis Wheat, Jill Gregg and Lisa Cloninger) or Pastor Nancy.

Please consider making a donation to the SSF when the offering is collected during worship, or by sending a check to the church office with “The Sunshine Fund” in the memo line. Thanks for the ways you help support those in need within our congregation.

by Lisa Cloninger, Committee Chair