Congregational Church of Putnam, CT
United Church of Christ
175 Main Street, PO Box 463
Putnam, CT; 06260
(860) 928-4405

Why Go To Church?

Church has always been a regular part of my life. As a young child, I remember the smell of the hymnals as I sat next to my Grandmother, watching her hold the book close and sing as if she and God were the only ones in the room. I drew imaginary pictures on the back of her thin hands. I loved the rattling of the pages of the Bible that sounded like rain as everyone followed wherever the preacher was taking them. Even back then, though I sometimes found it boring, there was no place that I would rather be.

As I grew older, I embraced the social aspects of it all. Our church was our family, sharing in one another's weddings and being present as soon as they heard of the births of our children and other church family's children. We celebrated as one when a family member returned after being away from home for a long period of time, or mourned as one when we lost one of our own. When someone was sick, the Church, as a family, came to their knees to pray for healing.

Going to church is about so much more than a worship event on Sunday morning. Worship should always remain the focus, and if allowed, it can truly change lives. But there are no moments like that of squeezing the hand of a loved one during a prayer or holding a young child in your lap while they quietly accent the church bulletin with their own artistic creations. Singing songs about Heaven on Sunday somehow allows those precious words to interrupt your thought processes throughout the week.

As you receive this month's edition of the Beacon, we have changed the time of worship to 9:30 until September 12th.  I hope that you will join us for worship during July and August.  Your presence among us is an expression of how we as a church family come together to celebrate God's love each week. 

The truth is that Jesus is everywhere, as long as you are looking for him, and is never confined to a building. So, it is not necessary to be at church in order to get to know Him, to become a Christian, or to get to Heaven. But worshiping
together allows us to forget ourselves and our busy schedules for a few minutes, marvel at all God has done and continues to do, and perhaps learn something we did not realize that we still needed to know.

So, what is the big deal about going to church? It is the chance to worship at the foot of the cross, where we all become equals. It protects Sundays by keeping them holy, and keeps the heart focused on what matters most. But more than this, it confirms that we were not created to face the trials in this life alone. We definitely need a church family to share life with us.

I hope that no matter what your summer plans include, that you will not forget that your church family is here and ready to welcome you among us to worship in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

Yours in Faith,

Pastor Tom

Trustee Coordinator  Report
08 June, 2010

My terms as Trustee Coordinator have ended.   I feel that it is necessary to recognize some of the individuals who made this responsibility on the Council as pleasant as possible.  First, I must thank Chris who, in spite of her own health issues, kept a bulletin in the hand of everyone who entered our doors not only for worship but for other events as well.  Obviously there is a lot more to that part-time position than that and Chris always came through for all of us.  Brian works almost unseen and practically anonymous to keep the interior of our building cleaned and ready for each activity.  Then there are the many individuals who stepped up to offer assistance or simply to do a job that needed to be done without ever seeking recognition.  Roger has always been active in so many ways that it is impossible to list them all here.  Larry helped with the selection of contractors to get our new curtain drain on the north side of the church to stop the leaking into our basement.  He also consistently offered any assistance to me and I know contributed in many other ways that will surely be mentioned in other Council Member's reports.  Pastor Tom has also taken some of the tasks normally covered by a Trustee in spite of his always busy schedule.  There are so many others that I fear I will leave someone out.  If that happens, please forgive me and realize your help was always appreciated as well.  A few of those who could always be counted upon are Bob, Charlie, Kenny, Reggie, Naomi, Wendy and Craig.  Then there are those who labored for us at wages that might not have always been equal to the tasks they performed.  Richard kept our sidewalks clear in the winter even when his equipment broke down and he had to manually clear heavy snowfalls.  Keith (or officially his Mom) has kept our lawn mowed the past couple of summers so that we could be proud of the church's outward appearance each week.  There are also outside contractors who although they were paid for their work, in some cases gave money back to the church or went above and beyond the project on which they bid.  My sincere thanks to all who have come through for our congregation as needed.  Should anyone not know the last name of those mentioned I will be happy to point them out to you and provide an introduction to these honorary trustees and guardians of our church and grounds.  God will surely bless all of them for their many gifts and talents donated to our church.
I have briefed the nominated Trustee Co-Coordinators on the tasks still on the To-Do list, and the routine items that must be done each year to keep things up and running in good order.  There is much work to be done on a regular basis.  I'm sure they recognize the priority of the work that needs to be done to stop the leak into our church and the safety concern of the loose tiles on the steeple.  I know they will not have to look far for any other new projects to undertake.  During my terms, I initiated the re-keying of the church locks twice.  I wrote and provided training for a Safe Church Policy to insure that our church will always be a safe haven for those who come to worship as well as those individuals and groups who use our facility.  I made sure the fire alarm and smoke detector system was up to date, and aided in the selection of the new copier in the church office to name a few. 
Remaining projects besides those to be included in a Capital Project Drive to be proposed include the new Chapel door, paid for by an anonymous donor.  This should be completed and installed very soon.
Please continue to pray for our church and its building originally built in the 1870's.  We will need to make some tough decisions in the near future as to how to fund what must be done to maintain this beautiful facility.  I will also leave it to those who follow to continue to pursue recognition for our church as an addition to the National Register of Historic Places.  This might qualify us for grants to help with the cost of the repairs.  However, this process is lengthy and involved and writing an application for grants usually will require someone very familiar with the proper approach to have a chance at gaining approval. 
Finally, God bless every one who has made my term much easier.  I am in debt to each and every one of you.

Don Reid, Trustee Coordinator (one last time)

DEACON REPORT

We were pleased and honored to be part of the nominating / interview committee for the scholarships given out on behalf of the Church.

May 23rd was Pentecost Sunday….. Congregation dressed in red.  Also had the hand bell choir from St Luke…what a great talent they have, inspirational to say the least.

Five members of our hand bell choir represented our church for Memorial Day commencements. It is my hope to be more involved in this in the futures and it would be nice to have our chancel choir to be part of it as well. I feel it is the least we can do, for those who sacrificed so much.

Our last “fellowship hour” will be June 20th.  And will resume in September. A special thank you to all who donated their time and goodies.

We have the following filling in for Rev. Meyer when he is on vacation.  August 11th, Myrna Paulhus. August 18th Roger Franklin, August 25th Donald Reid.  We are looking forward to each of these special services. Please let us know how we can assist you. Thank you for sharing your God given talents.

We have two new members that will be joining our church family.  Welcome David Fiore and Jerry Gagne.

Naomi will meet with Rev. Meyer over the summer to discuss the start of a confirmation class. Anyone interested in attending, please let her know.

With summer in full swing, we need greeters, readers, and ushers.  It is not difficult, but a nice way to be part of our church family. The sign up board is in the back of the church.

Again thank you to everyone for all your help. Your support has been very heart warming.

We wish you all a very safe and happy summer.

Wanda Fontaine & Naomi Peterson

 From Faith Fellowship, here's a few reminders and a thank you

"Thanks so much for all the work and donations that made our Strawberry Festival Supper successful . . . at this writing, I can't tell you just how successful but as usual folks came forward to do the work and we had fun doing it. Thanks to all!  Myrna

Grinder Sale: Sunday, August 15th. We'll sell those great sausage grinders from 10:30 till we're sold out! Stop by and see us on the front lawn under the tent during the Putnam Car Cruise - an absolutely great day! You can even sit and rest awhile. Grinders are $5 and they're the best!

During your summer or fall cleaning, remember our "Harvest Fair" on October 23rd. We're looking for good used holiday decorations, jewelry, "white elephant items". (This request does NOT include clothes; we put out only those things that are in good condition especially dishes and related serving and hostess pieces) Our visitors love what we have to offer but we need to keep it "nice"! Be prepared to do those cookies and baked goods and knitted or sewn items. If you're an artist or a crafter we could use your pieces in our raffle drawing. Let's make it another good year; it will be part of Putnam's Fall Festival and will include that great luncheon! See Myrna for more information.

Also coming up in the fall . . . hope you'll help us out!:

September 18th . . . . Swedish Meatball Supper
October 23rd . . . . . . Harvest Fair
November 6th . . . . . Roast Beef Supper

Putnam Business Association Report

During the months of July and August, there are many activities and events planned for the Downtown Putnam area. The list of events are as follows:

July 2 - Annual Fireworks display and The Outriggers Band Concert.
             (The rain date is, Saturday, July 10.)
July 3 - The afternoon Art Strolls, along Main Street, continue throughout July.
July 17 - Riverfire and Alfresco Concert. (The rain is July 24.)
August 6 - The production "Grease" at the Bradley Playhouse.

This is a PBA fundraiser. Tickets are $25. August 14 - the Annual Deary Road Race/Walk in the morning, with the annual Block Party at Rotary Park in the afternoon featuring the ARC Rubber Duckie Race. The second Riverfire of the season will be held at night. August 14 - Putnam Car Cruise. (The rain date is August 22.)
If you have any questions, please contact:

Roger Franklin, PBA Representative

The Golf Tournament Committee Report

The Ninth Annual Golf Tournament is now history. And a splendid tournament it was indeed. To the Committee members, volunteers, golfers and those who supported the tournament in any way, a very big "Thank You". Without your participation and support, this event would not have been the success that it was. "Thank you", also, to the management and staff at the Raceway Golf Club and Restaurant.  Your cooperation and understanding is very much appreciated. We look forward to the

Tenth Annual Golf Tournament on Sunday, June 26, 2011.

Charlie Leach
Roger Franklin

Please Note:

Our secretary will be on vacation July 19th - August 6th.  We are looking for volunteers to help cover the office hours Tue. - Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.  If you are interested please see Bob Picard or Don Reid.

Plant a garden row for Daily Bread  -  860-928-0169

If you are able to help out Daily Bread with garden produce their hours are; open Mon and Fri from 12:30 to 1:30 and Wed Eve 6-7.

 If these hours are not convenient, Kathi and Debi King [Board members] are at Community Kitchen on Tuesday from 9:30 to 1:00.

Last, but not least, you can call Kathi at 928-2530 to make arrangements for a delivery that is convenient for both parties.

WOODSTOCK FAIR   -   Sept. 3rd -  6th

Frappe Booth workers are needed
It's time again to think about getting ready for the
Woodstock Fair Frappe Booth!
If you are interested in working a shift on either
Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday
please call me at 860-779-0129 or 860-208-3194 Charlotte

Fall Choir Rehearsals

Choir rehearsals for the Joyful Praise Handbell Choir and Chancel Choirs will resume Thursday, September 9 at the regular times of 6:00 and 7:00.

ANNUAL BOOKS, ETC. Sale

Please keep bringing in the books, etc, and putting them under the coat rack downstairs.

paperback & hard cover novels
Children's books
DVD's and VCR tapes
CD's and cassette tapes
Records and 8 tracts
Current cookbooks
Puzzles and board games with all the pieces

But PLEASE do NOT bring in text books, encyclopedias, Reader's Digest, health books, foreign language books, dictionaries, magazines, how to books.  These do not sell and we have difficulties disposing of them.

Thanks you, Shannon Labonte and Jan Christy

Congregational Church of Putnam (UCC)
Church Council
May 11, 2010

The meeting was called to order by Chair, Bob Picard at 6:01PM

Present: Bob Picard, Don Reid, Charlie Leach, Pastor Tom Meyer, Naomi Peterson, Brenda Pontbriand, Roger Franklin, Shannon Labonte, Wendy Warren, Myrna Paulhus, Barry Shead and Brenda Shead.

Pastor Tom offered an opening prayer.

Minutes were reviewed and, accepted with revisions. Motion made by Roger and 2nd by Don

Financial Report: by Roger Franklin.  Current checkbook amount is $3,033.00. Motion to
approve the financial report made by Charlie and 2nd by Naomi. The General fund owes the Capital fund 1k.  A $500.00 anonymous donation was made to the music fund. Discussion regarding moving the Weiss and Hale account check from the 15th of the month to the 1st and a motion was made by Naomi to do so. Motion was 2nd by Wendy.  Discussion about having a capital campaign to raise monies desperately need for church repairs. A motion was made by Charlie to have Roger write up the necessary capital campaign presentation. Motion 2nd by Don.  The committee would like to thank Don Reid for his tireless effort in obtaining bids for church work that has been done thus far.

Committee Reports

Deacon's report: by Wanda Fontaine and Naomi Peterson. There was no report.

Trustee report:  by Don Reid. As my term as Trustee Coordinator comes to an end next month, I must express my appreciation to the congregation for your support and assistance. Much work remains to be done and I have tried to make my replacements aware of the tasks before them.  The new Chapel door, at a cost of $4,500 paid for by an anonymous donor, should be completed and installed very soon.  What remains as has been estimated at this time is the following: Painting of the remaining soffits and the clock/bell tower is estimated to cost $18,800.00.  For a much-needed handrail at the steps of the main entrance, the only bid received thus far, $4,500.00 seems much higher than it should be but alternative bids have not been submitted thus far.  The set of stained glass windows on the north side of the bell tower have been pushed out over an inch and are currently reinforced in a crude manner to help hold them in place.  To restore these windows, the cost will exceed $4,000.  The bell tower itself is missing tiles that should be replaced and as these are copper-stamped tiles, an estimate is close to $10,000.  There are safety concerns with the delay of stabilizing the remaining tiles.  There is also brick work that I have mentioned previously that needs to be done to our chimney.  The estimates for this work range from $5,400 to $7,000. Please continue to pray for our church and it's building originally built in the 1870's, as we will need to make some tough decisions in the near future as to how to fund what must be done to maintain this beautiful facility.  I will leave it to those who follow to continue to pursue recognition for our church as an addition to the National Register of Historic Places as this might qualify us for grants to help with the cost of the repairs.

Missions:  by Brenda Shead and Wendy Warren. Total donation amount for Haiti is $1,200.00. Discussion regarding establishing an account solely for Mission's use to keep funds organized. Motion made by Don and 2nd by Naomi to allow Wendy Warren or Brenda Shead to start a statement savings account for the purpose of holding Mission's monies. Motion also made by Myrna and 2nd by Charlie to start a statement savings account for the Golf tournament with Roger or Charlie on the account. Mission's has started selling dollar candy bars to raise money.

Christian Education: by Shannon Labonte. The children have working very hard to prepare for Children's Sunday. The children's program will be held on June 20th.

Faith Fellowship: by Myrna Paulhus. Currently $1,033.00 of the money in the Faith Fellowship account belongs to Missions. As of May 19th $5,180.00 is in the Faith fellowship account. $621.00 was raised during the spaghetti supper. Myrna gave a summery of the year's events.

Pastor's Report: by Pastor Tom Meyer. The pastor's phone bill will not be ATT anymore. July 7th is the start of Pastor Tom's vacation.
.
Other Business: The Bradley Playhouse is requesting the use of the church parking lot on the afternoon of June 6th so they may clean out their basement.  Country Kids is requesting the use of chairs for their graduation June 3rd. Motion made by Don to allow the borrowing of the chairs and 2nd by Roger.

Motion to adjourn made by Charlie 2nd by Roger

Next meeting:  June 8, 2010

Respectfully submitted,
Brenda Pontbriand- clerk

July Remembrance Flowers are in Loving Memory of

 4th - O P E N, contact Wanda Fontaine at 860-935-5072
         
11th - My sister Mary Evans
          by Avis Sherman
    
18th - O P E N, contact Wanda Fontaine at 860-935-5072

25th - Isabel and Stuart Franklin
          by Liz Thompson

August Remembrance Flowers are in Loving Memory of

 1st - Frederick C. & Irene Franklin
          by Roger Franklin
         
8th - My husband and my father and my father
          by Eva Lamondy
    
15th - Ruth Franklin by Roger Franklin
          Pauline Snelgrove by Bob & Charlotte Picard

22nd - O P E N, contact Wanda Fontaine at 860-935-5072

29th - O P E N, contact Wanda Fontaine at 860-935-5072

The Music Window is Illuminated
during the month of August   
in Loving Memory of

Russell Snelgrove

by Bob & Charlotte Picard

July & August Daily Bread Offerings

toiletries (toilet paper, shampoo, soap,
 toothpaste etc.) instead of the food

Fresh produce from your garden is
greatly welcomed and appreciated

Readers, Greeters, Ushers & Servers for July

Special July Dates

Birthdays

Anniversary

Readers, Greeters, Ushers & Servers for August

Special August Dates

Birthdays

Anniversary