The
Passion of the Christ
A
special screening of The Passion of the
Christ will take place in the
“This is a wonderful opportunity to share
a very powerful movie,” says church interim president
Evangelist Billy Graham also defended the
film, saying he was “moved to tears. The
film is faithful to the Bible’s teaching that we are all responsible for Jesus’
death, because we all have sinned. It is
our sins that caused his death, not any particular group.”
The 127-minute film, rated R for graphic
violence, will be shown on the 6-foot by 8-foot projection screen. Light refreshments will be served from
For more information, please call
From the Pastor’s Pen
Is
it possible that we have now passed through the holiday season and begun a new
year? The Christmas season is always one
of my favorite times of the year to minister the Gospel of our Lord. It is always good to turn our thoughts to the
coming of the Christ child, and to remind ourselves of the greatness of God’s
love for the world. And yes, that love
extends even to those whom we perhaps find difficult to love. I wish to thank all those who participated in
the special activities of Christmas. The
beauty of our sanctuary was enhanced by the decorations and the beauty of our
worship was certainly enhanced by readers, musicians, and the choir that
participated throughout the Advent season.
As I look back on the past two months, it
certainly has been refreshing to hear a number of different preachers sharing
with us on Sunday mornings. I think that
it is a very special ministry to create opportunities for students and recent
grads to preach the Scriptures. They
were all very grateful for the opportunity and expressed words of praise for
the warmth of our people and for the desire to worship and serve Christ that is
so evident among us.
That said, for my part, it has been
refreshing to take a break from the demands of preaching weekly. The few times that I have preached, I have
felt a renewed energy in both preparation and proclamation. I have also spent time over the last two
months reading and thinking with regard to how we ought to structure our church
to meet the reality of who we are and to facilitate the creation of new
ministries. This is one of my major goals
for 2006. While change is often discomforting,
I believe we can affect change in our government in a manner that perhaps will
not be overly discomforting. There are
two major tasks which we will always face as a church. The first and foremost is to teach the
Scriptures to all peoples in such a way that all are led to worship. The second
is to maintain the physical facilities which God has blessed
us with to accomplish this task. Within
the body, there are many different gifts that the Lord has blessed us with for
the carrying out of these tasks. Our
organization needs to free those whom God has gifted to accomplish what he has
called them to do.
As I look ahead to the coming year, it has
been exciting to see a number of new faces in our worship. We trust that they will find a warm welcome
among us and that they will come to know that surely the presence of the Lord
is among us here in Blackstone.
May God richly bless you, and may 2006 be
a year in which the reality of his love is manifested in your life.
Submitted by
Pastor Denis Hardy
Church Youth
Group Plans Exciting Year
The
2005 was an exciting year which ended with
a Chronicles of Narnia movie and
pizza party. The teens are looking
forward to an incredible new year in 2006.
Some of the planned activities for the first half of 2006 include:
using the “Jesus” Bible
Be on the lookout for some crazy and
exciting fundraising events this spring as our teens work to raise money for
the mission trip to
Our teens thank
Submitted
by
Kathy
LaFlamme
PRISM® Weight Loss Participants
Celebrate Collective Losses
PRISM®
weight loss participants have collectively lost 125-200 lbs. since the group’s
initial meeting on September 13.
The PRISM® Weight Loss Program is a
Christian-oriented program. It is a
complete, 24-plus week program divided into four or more six-week phases. Enrollment is optional for each six-week
phase, enabling you to choose how long you will participate in the
program. Each phase includes a
curriculum that participants read on a daily basis.
For those who choose to attend a PRISM®
support group, weekly meetings are offered which include a video presentation
and encouragement from your group leader and fellow class members. A new session began on Tuesday, January
10. All are invited to attend.
Submitted
by Pat Hardy, RN
CCC Receives $2500 Grant
From CVS to Fund
Parish Nursing Program
Thanks
to Jackie St. Jean, Barbara Greenwald, and Robin Amesbury, we will have funds
to bring in guest speakers to speak on health-related subjects at the church in
the coming year.
The committee will meet at the home on
January 9 at the home of Pat Hardy to discuss plans for the spring and
summer. All are invited to attend.
Submitted
by Pat Hardy, RN
Welcomes New
Members
In
October, Kathy LaFlamme, Darlene Marcotte, Michael Mercier, Danielle Mercier,
Amy Hanson, and Celeste Hamel were all received into membership of
It is always a great blessing to see
people taking this step of commitment to our local body. Believers in Christ are all part of His body,
the church, but the Bible clearly teaches that we live out our faith in a
community. It is here that we will grow
spiritually and see that God uses ordinary people to reach out and touch the
lives of others for Him.
If you are interested in becoming a member
of our church family, please contact Pastor Denis or any of the Deacons listed
in the weekly church bulletin. Candidates for
membership typically participate in several small, informal meetings where we
discuss basic Christianity, what church membership is all about, the direction
and vision o f
Submitted
by Bob Hanson
Property Improvements
Slated for Parish Hall
Interim
church president Marc Greenwald recently assembled a meeting of eight men
concerned with improving the Parish Hall facility. In a December meeting, the group prioritized
a list of work needed to make the hall a useable and better maintained building
for the needs of the church. A renovation of the bathrooms is expected to be
completed by the end of January. When completed, the hall will have a
handicapped bathroom and a second bathroom. In addition, the water heater needs
to be replaced, immediate electrical work needs to be completed, and a large
scale-spring clean-up will be undertaken.
Future renovation may include carpet
removal and replacement with durable, multipurpose flooring.
For more information, or to express an
interest in helping
with this important property work, please see Marc Greenwald.
Submitted
by
Marc
Greenwald
Thought For a New Year
“And now let us believe in a long year
that is given to us, new, untouched,
full of things that have never been, full of work that has never been done,
full of tasks, claims, and demands; and let us see that we learn to take it
without letting fall too much of what it has to bestow upon those who demand of
it necessary, serious, and great things.”
-- Rainer
Maria Rilke, German poet (1876-1926)
Recent
Outreach Activities Listed
This
past Christmas season was very busy for
We were also able to help a group home for
young children, ages 5-12, who had been removed from
their homes. We learned that they had
little to play with or entertain themselves with and
would not receive much for Christmas.
Donations were made in order to purchase gifts for the children, and
reports indicated that the children had a very happy Christmas day.
The church was also able to reach out to
several church families to make Christmas for their children a little happier.
Over the holidays, we received letters
from Larry Jones and the Bill Miller family.
Rev. Miller was pastor of
Pat Hardy and I have been talking recently
about strategies for continuing effective outreach. Right now, we are thinking of having a ham
and bean supper in the spring.
The list below outlines our current
regular giving: Wycliffe Bible
Translators (Larry and Linda Jones); “Because HE Lives” ministries of
Woonsocket; Bethany Christian Services;
the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference; “Ripe for Harvest”;
Gideons International; RIMA Tres Dias; RBC Ministries; “Straight Ahead”
ministries; Monadnock Bible Conference; and Bill Newcomb (Kenya). For more information and links, please see
the church Website at www.cccob.org.
Submitted
by
Nancy
Mandeville
Book
Discussion
Group
Tackled
the
Trinity
Members of the fall book
discussion group recently completed a five-part study of Trinity, by Joseph Girzone. Girzone, a
retired Catholic priest, is the popular author of Joshua and A Portrait of Jesus. The
group, which met at the Blackstone Public Library on Monday evenings, was
started by Blackstone Enlightener
publisher
Participants from
Some members of the discussion group will
be attending the Bill Gaither Homecoming concert on Saturday, March 11, at the
Submitted by
Jonathan
Steele
Church Hosts
Youth Christmas Party
Several
members and friends of all ages of
At the time of our arrival, the boys
displayed a tough attitude, but as the night went on, they seemed to
soften. Each boy received a hooded
sweatshirt, a lined flannel shirt, personal articles, and snacks. Christmas carols were sung by all,
accompanied by Straight Ahead founder and director Scott Larson on guitar. While the boys were very boisterous in the
beginning and did not seem to believe in God, as the night progressed, they
seemed to pacify as though God was touching them. At the very end, one boy asked how to reach
God because he didn’t really know how.
We learned that at least one youth was affected by the message that we
gave. Also, the sharing of testimonies
helped the students open up. Needless to
say, we were both blessed and burdened to pray for these youngsters.
Scott Larson will be speaking at
Contributed
by
Pastor
Denis Hardy,
Nancy
Mandeville,
Ian
Maclennan, and
Alex
Maclennan
Musical
Service Held on Christmas Eve
Members
and friends of
Guitarist Joan Robin accompanied the choir
in their singing of “Mary Had a Baby” and “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.”
Sarah Brushett provided flute
accompaniment throughout the service, and Jonathan Steele served as pianist and
organist.
Members of the Christmas Eve choir, who
rehearsed on five Saturday mornings in November and December, were David and
Ecumenical Service Celebrates Christmas
Members
and friends of the East Blackstone Quaker Meeting House and Cemetery Historical
Association held a Country Christmas Celebration on Friday, December 23. The candlelight service of lessons and carols
was the third annual holiday service of its kind in the historic building on
A youth handbell choir under the direction
of
During the winter, work will continue on
the south side windows, and the turn-of-the-century pump organ will be
restored.
Next season’s services will be held at