Minister's Corner

“RECONNECT to our local food, native plants, cycles of Earth & REGENERATE our Community’s Ecosystems!”

I think I'm the luckiest minister around. Each day I drive through stunning scenery on my way to work. I like to come from my home in Warwick through the East Bay to view the rivers and Bay in Barrington, Warren, and Bristol. Then I cross the bridges leading to Tiverton. The coastline is amazing, but it is also worrisome. In recent years, I have observed a disturbing shift in our local climate. The tides are higher and higher where the water meets the land. The winds are also stronger than in years past. These are consistent changes not just caused by a storm or a moon tide, and they are not abating. When driving this route, I cannot be a climate change denier.

The rising sea is one amongst many climate concerns we have in our immediate area. From May 15 to June 5, Amicable Church will dive deeply into how we can “reconnect” with our land and environment and how we can “regenerate” our ecosystems. Created by Amicable’s Minister of Music, Vaughn Bryner, this program picks up on another critical aspect of climate change: how we have become disconnected from our earth on the local level, how we can source food, how we garden, and how we can nurture our souls through our ecosystems. Essential to this four week program is how we can act NOW in a positive way to improve our local environment. Through book discussions, a film screening, presentations, Sunday worship services, and the development of a native plant pollinator garden at the church, “RECONNECT AND RENGENERATE” revolves around four foci:

• Connect to community and Earth through food.
• Find awe and wonder in your yard.
• Work with nature, not against it.
• Eat in the rhythm of the planet.

I hope you will join us for as many of these programs and worship services as you can. You can start now by purchasing the book Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy or borrow it from the Tiverton Public Library. Then in mid-May come to see the film Kiss the Ground at the Tiverton Public Library. While the information you learn will be sobering, this program will also inspire hope that we can reconnect and regenerate our local ecosystems—God’s creation and ours.

This program is a collaboration between Amicable Congregational Church, the Tiverton Public Library, and the Tiverton Farmer’s Market.

To learn more about all the programs, click on this image, and to learn more about the themes for the four worship services, see the article below.

- The Rev. Nancy Hamlin Soukup, Interim Minister

May Worship Themes

Worship Themes for May 2022

For the first two Sundays this month, we want to offer prayerful attention to the ongoing war in the Ukraine. This news fills our virtual airspace and 24/7 print news. With each day, the war’s impact on the Ukraine creates a dangerous ripple effect on the country’s neighbors and the world. We hope these services will increase our understanding of why this is happening and bring us closer to knowing how we can be peacemakers from Tiverton, RI.

May 1, 2022, Holy Communion Sunday

In the midst all the world’s troubles late this winter, a war with global implications exploded one country’s sovereignty and peace. Why is this war happening? What does our faith say about such acts of aggression? How do you/we want to respond to this war? We will consider the suffering of the Ukrainian people and celebrate Holy Communion as an act of unity with them.

May 8, 2022, Mothers’ Day

In Matthew 5, Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” Jesus called us to engage actively in peacemaking. On this day we celebrate all who are mothers to us, what qualities of mothering and nurturing can we carry forward as we strive to be peacebuilders? How can we use these qualities to advocate for peace even from the relative safety of our homes?

For the next four Sundays, May 15 to June 5, 2022, the congregation will take part in the program titled “Reconnect to local foods, native plants, and cycles of the earth; Regenerate our Earth’s Ecosystems.” During this four-week program, on these Sundays, we will focus on the spiritual aspects of each of the themes presented.

May 15, 2022

Reconnect & Regenerate: Connect to community and Earth through food. Most of us have become completely disconnected from the plants, animals, and environment that produce our food. This week we will explore the importance of supporting local farming, which emphasizes the natural interplay between plant and animal species through regenerating local ecosystems. It can also be a spiritual practice that helps us find the joy of connecting more fully to our food and the community members who produce it

May 22, 2022

Reconnect & Regenerate: Find awe and wonder in your yard. Many of us have experienced the restorative benefits of connecting to the natural world. Through it, we become part of something bigger than ourselves. We’ll explore how restoring the native species of the environment to our own yards fosters this spiritual experience right outside of our back door. Minister of Music Vaughn Bryner will give the message this Sunday.

May 29, 2022

Reconnect & Regenerate: Work with nature, not against it. With the industrial age came the idea that we can “improve” upon nature and control it through use of pesticides and other chemicals. Since then we have learned that these harm the environment by disrupting the balance of nature and leading to a vicious cycle of more chemical use. We’ll explore how restoring the natural balance of our own property enhances our spiritual connection to the environment while removing the struggle of trying to artificially control it.

June 5, 2022

Eat in the rhythm of the planet. We’ve come to expect the same array of fresh foods at the corner grocery all year long without thinking about the considerable carbon produced to reach our stores. We are learning that by eating seasonally we reduce that carbon footprint and gain additional nutritional benefits. We can also use ancient processes of fermentation to preserve seasonal foods. This week, we will meet at Movement Ground Farm, where we’ll consider how eating locally and seasonally tunes us to the cycles of the planet and the community. (A potluck meal of locally-sourced, seasonal food will follow!). The Rev. Dr. Leslie Simonson will preside at this service of Holy Communion.

Prayer Circle and TGIF

Prayer Circle and TGIF Amicable Chat!

Each week, members of the congregation gather for two purposes: to lift up prayers as requested by members of the church; and to reflect on readings related to the upcoming Sunday service or an issue influencing our common life as a church.

Prayer Circle: On Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m., at the church, Kimberly Poulton and the Rev. Nancy Soukup meet as a prayer circle to lift up the many people on our prayer list. It is important to have an intentional time outside Sunday worship to name again those for whom our spiritual care and attention has been requested. All are invited to join us for this important spiritual and pastoral action on Wednesdays.

TGIF Amicable Chat: On Fridays at 4:30 p.m., via Zoom, church members meet as part of TGIF Amicable Chat! The chat is a great way to stop at the end of the week, enjoy whatever you like to drink on a Friday afternoon, and reflect on the upcoming Sunday’s readings or to discuss pressing issues. All those who participate have benefited from the rich discussion that happens when we are together. Again, all are welcome. Rev. Nancy will send out the Zoom link on the Weekly Announcements.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87877636768?pwd=UEUvYkhsc3FTb3g4ZWQ3ZjJCcENnUT09

Meeting ID: 878 7763 6768
Passcode: 476947

Sunday School

Tour of Lake Road Cemetery

Summer Fair Request for Volunteers

The Summer Fair Committee is looking for volunteers to help prepare for and staff the Summer Festival. Volunteers are needed on Thursday evening, and all day on Friday and Saturday. Please come and join in the fun! If you are interested in helping, please contact Pat Campion, Ray Medeiros, or leave a message on the church office phone: 624-4611.

PrideFest

Rhode Island’s Annual PrideFest Celebration & Illuminated Night Parade will be held in beautiful Downtown Providence on Saturday, June 18, 2022. Beginning at noon with gates opening at 11:00 a.m. on South Water Street you’ll have access to over 250 nonprofit organizations, businesses, and food vendors. Please stop by Amicable’s booth between 11:00 a.m. and 6 p.m., visit with Jeanna DaCosta and Ray Medeiros to show your support!

Love is love!

Amicable Choir IS Back!

The sounds of joyful singing and beautiful voices of are back in our services! Thank you Amicable Choir!

Financial Notes of Interest - April 2022

• In person and open Church Services and Upper Hall coffee hour gatherings, along with congregational singing, albeit masked continued
• Donation receipt amounts continued as expected, with all varieties of giving methods being utilized – mail, drop-offs at church, transfers into Amicable’s bank account, via Amicable’s Website Donate option, general PayPal donations, and of course now with collections during Sunday Services.
• The Thrift Shop continued to have greater than planned monthly receipts.
• The April 2nd 5K Event had a great turnout, with strong receipts from Sponsor donations and participant registrations. Just waiting for the final expenses, mainly race management.
• Expenses continue to pick up as Church opens up more and more, but nothing beyond typical expectations.
• Trustees, in conjunction with office operation considerations, agreed to discontinue the lease for the Church Office Xerox printer/copier. They have entered into a new agreement for an equivalent capability printer/copier, which includes a color option, with a Fall River company, as recommended by our new Office Administrator with a Fall River company with which our new Office Administrator had good previous experience.
• No unusual expenses occurred in April, except for the higher than normal price of heating oil.
• Even with last month’s decision to not take the budgeted 1st quarter withdrawals from the General Endowment Fund, the Operation Account financial status through April remains in good shape.

  - Respectfully Submitted: 

    Treasurer, Roger Gauthier

May 2022 Calendar of Events

For more up-to-date calendar information please view our calendar here.