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"...nothing can separate us from the love of God" - Romans 8:39
Our of concern for the most vulnerable among us, our building is closed, but our hearts remain open. We will continue to BE CHURCH together in ways new and old. Rev. John, Rev. Maddie, & the Members of The Congregational Church of Needham, UCC |
Join Us for Worship LIVE Online
This Sunday, August 9th @ 10am
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The Samaritan Woman Speaks: Shame Unraveled
(John 4:1-29) Everybody's got baggage. The Samaritan woman at the well sure did, and folks never let her forget it. But Jesus, she said, seemed to know her inside and out and yet he didn't judge her for her past or present, which opened up a whole new future. No wonder she thought he might be the Messiah! Click below to download the Order of Worship for this Sunday. 
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HOW TO JOIN US FOR WORSHIP ONLINE
We are gathering for worship online on the Zoom platform each Sunday using this link https://zoom.us/j/907548568. If this is your first time using Zoom on your desktop, laptop, or smartphone, you will be asked to download the Zoom app first. If you have a camera, you will have the opportunity to use that, but you don't have to.
You can also join on your landline telephone. using the call-in number: Tel: (253) 215-8782 or (301) 715-8592). You then will be asked to enter this Meeting ID number: 907 548 568.
Feel free to invite your friends and family to join us, too, no matter where they live, and share this sign-in information with them. We don't want anyone who wants to be connected with a spiritual community in this turbulent time to go without.
We are gathering for worship online on the Zoom platform each Sunday using this link https://zoom.us/j/907548568. If this is your first time using Zoom on your desktop, laptop, or smartphone, you will be asked to download the Zoom app first. If you have a camera, you will have the opportunity to use that, but you don't have to.
You can also join on your landline telephone. using the call-in number: Tel: (253) 215-8782 or (301) 715-8592). You then will be asked to enter this Meeting ID number: 907 548 568.
Feel free to invite your friends and family to join us, too, no matter where they live, and share this sign-in information with them. We don't want anyone who wants to be connected with a spiritual community in this turbulent time to go without.
Help Us Help to Feed Hungry Neighbors
The Outreach Committee is excited to invite you to join us in supporting the MetroWest Worker Center. MetroWest Worker Center is a non-profit which works with immigrants in the Framingham and Milford area, providing assistance with wage theft, loss of work, rides to medical and other appointments, emergency food supplies, etc. Since the pandemic started, many of their clients have lost their jobs and most will receive no benefits, creating an unexpected, crushing need for basic foodstuffs. With the pandemic, the need has ballooned from 50 to 700 families who come to the Center every two weeks for food packages prepared by volunteer from bulk food purchases. They estimate that they spend over $13,000 every two weeks on this effort.
The Outreach Committee has set a goal for our congregation to feed 100 families by our donations through the month of August. Your $50 donation plus $16 kicked in from Outreach will feed one family for a month. To contribute, click on the PayPal link below and select "Metrowest Worker Center" from the drop down menu, You can also send a check to the office made out to Congregational Church of Needham" with "Metrowest Worker Center" in the memo line.
The Outreach Committee is excited to invite you to join us in supporting the MetroWest Worker Center. MetroWest Worker Center is a non-profit which works with immigrants in the Framingham and Milford area, providing assistance with wage theft, loss of work, rides to medical and other appointments, emergency food supplies, etc. Since the pandemic started, many of their clients have lost their jobs and most will receive no benefits, creating an unexpected, crushing need for basic foodstuffs. With the pandemic, the need has ballooned from 50 to 700 families who come to the Center every two weeks for food packages prepared by volunteer from bulk food purchases. They estimate that they spend over $13,000 every two weeks on this effort.
The Outreach Committee has set a goal for our congregation to feed 100 families by our donations through the month of August. Your $50 donation plus $16 kicked in from Outreach will feed one family for a month. To contribute, click on the PayPal link below and select "Metrowest Worker Center" from the drop down menu, You can also send a check to the office made out to Congregational Church of Needham" with "Metrowest Worker Center" in the memo line.
DONATE SAFELY & EASILY WITH PAYPAL ---> |
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More about this summer's series...
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"Unraveled"
Seeking God When Our Plans Fall Apart What happens when our world falls apart? What does it look like to search for God in the gray area of our lives? How do we press onward when our tightly-knit plans unravel into loose threads? Sometimes we need to be unraveled—from shame, fear, patterns, or identities that cause harm. To unravel is to acknowledge and grieve what has fallen apart to allow God's newness to unfurl. This worship series explores stories of unraveled shame, identity, fear, grief, dreams, and expectations. These are stories where God meets us in the spiraling, unraveling our plans—and us—into something new. |
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This series comes with a full color study journal with original visual art to inspire reflection and discussion. Click the link to download and print your own, or contact the church office to have a copy sent to you via USPS.
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The NeedhamUCC Youth Group presents
SPACE CASE The Mysterious Mystery of the Disappearing Cutlery An Original Online Mystery Production Join us online TONIGHT, FRIDAY 8/7 @ 7pm for the premiere of our first original online mystery presentation! Some members of our youth group came together to write and record this special offering for our church family. The entire play was written online over Google Docs and rehearsed and recorded during June youth group meetings. (If you want to make it a dinner theater experience, find our suggested menu in the YouTube video description) A list of the characters is also in the description to help you decide who is behind the disappearances. We had so much fun creating this and hope you enjoy the show! You can watch on Youtube anytime beginning tonight @ 7pm by clicking on this link: https://youtu.be/-bLWAv3MFlE |
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Bearing Witness, in Life & in Death
From Rev. John: "Thank you to folks who came out last weekend to help add more flags to our church lawn in memory of those who've died of COVID-19 in Massachusetts. It's a powerful witness to the value of each life, and we're getting positive feedback from the community about it.. Check out this story about our flags recently produced by Needham Channel news. "As of Wednesday 8/5, the virus had claimed 8,659 lives across the Commonwealth. We will continue to add flags each weekend to keep up with the total. Keep an eye on our social media and this weekly email for opportunities to come help plant them. |
FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH
In this unsettled and unsettling time, we have a particular duty--and, as always, a peculiar joy!--to minster to the needs of the youngest among us and their families. The old saying that "home is the first church" has never been truer than right now
To keep in touch with activities for children and youth and their families, sign up for Rev. Maddie's children and youth newsletter. You can do that by clicking here. |
MINDFUL MEDITATION
Stressed? Worried? Scared? Bone-Tired?
There's never been a better time to lean into mindful meditation. It's a way to reel in all our frayed emotional-mental-physical feelers and ground ourselves again in the present moment. Join us online on SUNDAY @ 7pm the Zoom platform via desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or landline. The direct link is https://zoom.us/j/149910611?pwd=M1ZFd2tqbCtXaTQrT1RwOSs3STNSUT09. The call-in number for phone-only is (888) 788-0099 and the Meeting ID is 149 910 611. |
More Ways to Contribute Online
The work of the church goes on! In fact, the work of the church has increased as we've put in many, many hours to move our operations and our ministries online to help keep us connected. And we need your financial help to keep doing it. The very best way you can help is to make your pledge contribution online, since we don't have a physical offering plate you can put it in on Sunday. That's something you easily can set up through your own bank's website, and they will send us a physical check, Even better, you can go through the very secure Vanco system at the link below and have that money sent directly, electronically, without anyone even having to go to the mailbox. You can use the same system to make on on-going gift or a one-time gift. Thank you for your generosity.
--> ClICK HERE TO SET UP A DONATION WiTH VANCO
--> ClICK HERE TO SET UP A DONATION WiTH VANCO