Barre Congregational Church
Home30 Park Street
Barre, Massachusetts
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© 2019 Barre Congregational Church 30 Park Street, Barre, MA 01005
Welcome to the Barre Congregational Church United Church of Christ (BCCUCC) website. BCCUCC is a center for community where we live the statement of ministry printed each week in the worship bulletin --
"The mission of the Barre Congregational Church is to serve God, and to spread the word and love of God's risen son, Jesus Christ, to all people through Christian faith and unity. By our words and actions, we will bring love, hope, and acceptance to family and neighbors, respecting all differences and diversities."
We live according to our statement of ministry in order to bring hope, justice, and love to people wherever they are on their path to knowing The Lord, Jesus Christ, whose ministries of compassion, extravagant hospitality, and love inspire us.
Welcoming & Serving the Quabbin Area
A Message From Pastor Margaret
Grace and peace to all of you!
I hope that you are all still enjoying a
wonderful summer season, especially these
last warm, sunny days. I also hope you were
able to rest and spent time with loved ones.
For those who have been away, we thank God
for your safe return, and pray for others who
will still be traveling. Meanwhile, we are looking
forward to having everyone back to start this new year with all that it is calling for.
Things have not been completely quiet here at the church. Our Missions Committee continued with its Community Friendship Suppers on the third Thursday evenings, and we had the wonderful opportunity to have friends from the Food Pantry join us on these nights. The Church Committee has much to report in this month's Spire. Please have a look at how you can be helpful with some of our building needs. The Deacons continued to meet and helped lead and participated in our worship services, which is always a special experience for me. We had the wonderful pleasure to see and hear Kayley Clark perform for us before she left for Sweden to work there. Thanks to everyone for your commitment to our church.
I continued with my visitations, and I am especially excited to share with you an important gathering on Thursday August 29, 2019 when I will be bringing our three most senior women in the church together for tea -- Bessie Difley, now 105, Fay Smith 104 and Abby Hale at 101. It has been a wonderful opportunity to meet with these women over the last two years. I have been blessed by their stories and life experiences. They have been a blessing to this congregation through their lives and have been blessed by all of you. We pray that God will continue to bless them and their families during these golden years.
We are excited to have our children back on September 15 for Opening Sunday, with the official start of Sunday school classes on September 22nd. See the Spire for what our teachers are planning for our young ones!
Our Stewardship month starts on September 29 through the end of October, and we welcome everyone to join us on these Sundays to refocus our hearts and minds on God, to be restored in faith, love, hope, peace, and to pledge our lives and our giving to God and our church. We thank the Stewardship Committee for their hard work in preparing us for this special journey.
We always appreciate new volunteers to help and to serve. If you feel God is speaking to you, please reach out to me, Wendy, or any of our amazing leaders and members to share your desire to join in with us.
I thank God for you and pray that we as a congregation will come together fully, loving and serving God and one another.
May the grace of the Lord be with you all and your loved ones!
Pastor Margaret
August Worship Services
Worship at 9:30 a.m.
Sunday, August 4, 2019 ~ Eighth Sunday after Pentecost/NO Sunday School
Lectionary readings—Hosea 11:1-11, Psalm 107:1-9, 43, Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21
Deborah Page, organist
Deacon— Marsha Bray; Pastor Margaret Keyser, preaching
Sunday, August 11, 2019 ~ Ninth Sunday after Pentecost/NO Sunday School
Lectionary readings—Isaiah 1:1, 10-20, Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, Luke 12: 32-40
Deborah Page, organist
Deacon—Jim VanWert; Rev. Laura Friedman, preaching
Sunday, August 18, 2019 ~ Tenth Sunday after Pentecost/NO Sunday School
Lectionary readings—Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke 12:49-56
Deborah Page, organist
Deacon— Steve Morrall; Rev. Charlie Page, preaching
Sunday, August 25, 2019 ~ Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost/NO Sunday School
Lectionary readings—Jeremiah 1:4-10, Psalm 71:1-6, Hebrews 12:18-29, Luke 13:10-17
Deborah Page, organist
Deacon— Lisa Holloway; Pastor Margaret Keyser, preaching
Message From the Church Committee
We voted to spend $3000.00 to
repair the roof between the main
building and the community room
entrance. This roof is leaking
over the oil tank in the hallway.
This section was not part of the
original roof repair a few years
ago. There is a facade between
the two sections that has
deteriorated and traps water
over this roof section. We are in discussions to have this facade removed. At this time we are getting estimates as to the cost but it is not part of this roof repair. Please share your thoughts with members of the church committee.
The west side of the church building is in serious need of repair and painting. We have not been able to get a grant for this work. As a congregation we need to consider a fundraising program to keep our building safe and inviting. Anyone with ideas or interest in getting a group started, please join us at our next church committee meeting.
Thank you for the following generous donations from members of church:
-- The lights that shine on the steeple have been replaced and changed to LED bulbs. This is quite an improvement for the church and entry. It is a sight to see the bright lights as the daylight changes.
-- The floor in Fellowship Hall and the kitchen have been washed and waxed.
-- A new church computer for the office has been purchased.
God helps us in many ways.
We have changed our meetings to the second Wednesday of the month starting in September. We meet in the chapel at 6:30 p.m. Come join us.
