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National
Association of Congregational Christian Churches, P.O. Box 288,
Oak Creek, WI 53154
414-764-1620
Email:
naccc@naccc.org
Web Site: http://www.naccc.org |
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USING THE NEWSLETTER TO REACH EVERYONE |
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ANNUAL MEETING WELCOMES SEVEN NEW CHURCHES |
by Rev. Beth Bingham
Pilgrim Congregational Church, Pomona, CA |
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On Monday, September 12, 2005, half of the
city of Los Angeles lost power for well over an hour. We
knew fairly quickly that it happened because a worker made a
mistake while working at a major substation. Still, the
outage dominated the news. There were people stuck in
elevators! Traffic was slowed! Some stores were closed! One
poor fellow had to buy fruit at a stand because the
restaurants had no power. People were late getting home
after work. Thankfully, hospitals and airports were able to
operate because of back up generators.
So imagine being without power not for hours, not for days,
but for weeks. Imagine no traffic because all the streets
were covered with water and no one could drive. Imagine that
instead of being a few hours late in getting home, there was
no home to get to any more.
It is such imagination which has opened the hearts of people
across the United States as we as a nation reach out to
those who suffer in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. And when
a number of us from churches in Southern California met on
September 11 to plan the Annual Meeting in Costa Mesa, it
became clear that the Cal-West Association has responded
too. Many congregations had special offerings during Sunday
services. There were special fundraisers. Pilgrim Church in
Pomona received a jar of coins one member had been saving
for “just the right cause,” and the youth group counted and
rolled nickels and dimes and quarters.
As we talked about the crisis we agreed that it was
wonderful to be able to give through One Great Hour of
Sharing, and that funds would be distributed through a
National Association Church. It was wonderful to imagine the
people of The Cedarwood Church of Wetumpka, Alabama, handing
food and clothing to the folks who had found refuge in their
building. It was wonderful to imagine an organization with a
heart that reaches across the country. And it is just that
kind of connection that we will be celebrating next June,
when we can continue imagining great ways being
Congregational Christians together. |
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The Community of St. Stephen
The Reverend Valyn T. Sutter
6753 Ashington Way
Elk Grove, California 95758
(916) 684-1603
First Congregational Church
The Reverend Leslie C. Wicker
PO Box 110996
Naples, Florida 34108
(239) 293-5210
Atkinson Congregational Church
The Reverend Michael McBride
201 W. 2nd Street
Atkinson, Illinois 61235
(309) 936-7672
First Congregational Church of
Beardstown
The Reverend John Wesley Jerving
119 W. Third Street
Beardstown, Illinois 62618
(217) 323-2056
Pilgrim Congregational Church
The Reverend George Roberts
911 Main Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01610
(508) 753-6970
Mason Memorial Congregational Church
The Reverend Sheila Hunter
9 Third Avenue NE
Remer, Minnesota 56672
(218) 566-1495
Northfield-Tilton Congregational Church
The Reverend Dr. Lori S. Wiley
283 Main Street
Tilton, New Hampshire 03276
(603) 286-4253 |
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