Minister's Message

For nearly 20 years, my spouse and I spent one month each summer driving across our country. With each trip, we easily averaged 7,000 miles on our odometer. It is true: we are road warriors! Let me say that many of our Rhode Island friends thought we are nuts to do this. We frequently heard, “Why drive when you can fly?”

We know well why we did this. Without being cliché, it was about the journey and not the location; it was about seeing our land’s full geography and geology and experiencing its vast cultures. When we crossed the Mississippi, the sky literally opened up to a 360 panoramic view. You just do not easily find this on the East Coast. In the Southwest’s Four Corners area (where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado touch), we encountered the expansive vistas of red soil, which is a feast for the eyes! When we reached San Diego, we are overwhelmed by the breadth of the sandy cliffs hanging over the Pacific Ocean. Because of the pandemic, our annual summer trip has been cancelled for a second year, and we are both in withdrawal from this drive.

We have been fortunate to make this journey so many times. Yet, in those two decades, we have become alarmingly aware of how climate change is altering this scenery. In particular, the growing number of fires in the West and Southwest reveal extreme drought in those areas. Water levels in lakes get lower and lower. Violent storms sweep across the countryside at a ferocious rate. All of these permanently disrupt natural habitats.

This month during three of our worship services, we will celebrate God’s creative powers as embodied in our planet. There is much in which to revel. Yet, our natural world is disappearing because of human misuse. Sadly, we are seeing the price paid for our Earth’s destruction. During each service, I ask you to consider how we can move from patting our collective backs for recycling to being more actively involved as faithful people in environmental protections? How can we become reverent co-inhabitants of this amazing planet which is “our island home?”

Church COVID Update

In preparation for returning to in-person worship on June 6, the Church Council on behalf of the congregation developed COVID protocols for the health, well-being, and safety of all who come into the church. Among the most important aspects of the protocols were and still are:

• mask wearing in the sanctuary;
• no congregational singing; and
• 6’ distance between the pews with 3’ distance within pews unless sitting with a household.

Other protocols include the use of individual communion cups and stationary offering plates, as well as restricted access to the upper hall and downstairs (except for the Thrift Store).

The importance of maintaining these protocols is accentuated by news of the Delta variant in all 50 states. Those unvaccinated are at high risk from this newest form of COVID. Unfortunately, we are seeing a small percentage of people with vaccinations have breakthrough cases. The most recent CDC guidance recommends vaccinated individuals wear masks when indoors in public spaces.

What does that mean? For now, Amicable is staying the course with our COVID protocols. I have people ask me regularly, “When can we remove our masks and sing in the sanctuary? Other churches are doing it.” I feel your discomfort and weariness with masking and no singing. Yet, protocols are not a one-size fits all. What one church does might be vastly different than another. At Amicable, the Church Council made wise assessments of COVID risk in the sanctuary and the rest of the building. The equation takes into account factors such as the size of the sanctuary, ventilation, and the age of the population. This indicates that we need to continue to maintain the protocols.

If a family wants to have a wedding, funeral/memorial service, and/or baptism—life rite services—the COVID protocols are still in place. We have been fortunate to have some of these services during the past year, where families have worked with us to hold their important occasions. It has meant adapting the seating and music to assure that all who attend remain safe. The Worship Team is also trying to come up with interesting ways to inject singing into our Sunday services outside of the sanctuary.

We thank you all for your faithful observance to these protocols. We believe they are keeping us all safe so that we can gather together for worship. If you cannot participate in-person, we are still posting the service on Amicable’s Facebook page on Sunday afternoon.

Blessings, Rev. Nancy

Worship Themes

August 1 - Celebrating Our Communion with the Earth

For the first three Sundays of August, we continue a celebration of our planet. This week, we acknowledge the earth’s bounty through our Communion service. We gather around a spiritual table remembering Jesus’s last shared meal with his disciples. Two millennia later we are still fed by and grow from these gifts of grain and the vine. Beyond this table, how do you find spiritual nourishment through each week? What represents the earth’s grain and vine in your life?

August 8 - Sustaining the Gifts of the Earth

More than ever before, we are profoundly aware of the environment’s deterioration. As ice caps melt, sea and river levels rise, droughts persist, and floods overwhelm towns and cities, global warming is omnipresent and dangerous. We live in communion with the earth rather than opposition to it. How we can go beyond the action of recycling to reflect our belief in and hope for creation? Are we willing to take bold stands to advocate for our planet’s future?

August 15 - Honoring Those Who Work the Land: A Service at Movement Ground Farm

This Sunday, we dedicate our worship to those who work the land through a service at Movement Ground Farm in Tiverton. For millennia, humans have nurtured the earth to produce food for families, communities, even nations. Today, many who work the land in the United States are immigrants, who cross borders to grow food for us! How can we recognize and support the connection between human labor and the food we eat?

August 22 -Building Your Own Service

On the Sunday after our Summer Fair, we celebrate the Amicable community through a service built by you—the congregation. We invite you to help create the core of the worship by suggesting favorite hymns and sacred texts (Scripture, religious writings, and contemporary authors). The Worship Team will take your suggestions to shape the liturgy. More information about how to submit your choices will be forthcoming. Start thinking about your contribution.

August 29 - Pride Sunday: Blessing our LGBTQQ+ Family

The LGBTQQ+ community is an essential part of the United Church of Christ membership. Through the UCC’s recognizing marriage covenants among Queer people and the establishment of Open and Affirming Churches, doors to our shared life in Christ have been opened more widely for some time. Yet, it is important to recognize the sacrifices Queer members have made to take their place in our pews. Rev. Nancy Soukup and the Rev. Leslie Simonson will offer a dialogue message to recall and recognize our church’s recent Queer history.

The Statues of the Nativity Story

It was Bill and Michael that started it all…..years and years ago. Our former pastor,  The Rev. Bill Sterrett,  wrote the story ~  chapter by chapter. Michael Higgins created the chain saw sculptures that accompanied the story ~  figure by figure. In the fullness of time, we had a contemporary Nativity narrative, in serial newspaper form, and larger than life on the front lawn of the church. Both became quite iconic and helped Amicable Church raise our own consciousness about homeless families and the awareness of the wider community also.

The burn barrel that was primarily a feature of the Easter Eve Vigil, also became part of the Nativity collection. More than one year saw a shopping cart added, for contributions of food that would help fill holiday hunger of our neighbors nearby and further afield. As artistry helped our knowledge grow, so did knowledge help our compassion grow, and our yearning for justice and for food security on behalf of chronically hungry fellow citizens, especially the children. Maura’s baby in her arms on the front lawn by the burn barrel always reminded us of the children most of all.

But the figures were carved from trees that were subject to wind and water, freezing and thawing water, and moisture from the ground. Over time these figures let us know that they themselves needed to return home, to a place where they could weather New England seasons until they just couldn’t any more. So on June 27th, 5 vehicles, 8 humans ~ one with a camera ~ aided by hand trucks, tarps, and strapping, moved the whole extended family  ~  Maura, Jose, their baby Hope, and all the others in the cast of characters ~ to a corner of Amicable’s Lake Road Cemetery. As a final “resting place” it has felt fitting. They’ll oversee the gravestones of some saints who went before them,  and before us, to the good earth.    The wood will keep decomposing. The story will keep reminding. The battle against homelessness and hunger has not yet been won.

We thanked Maura, Jose, Hope, and their friends for coming to us before we left them to their new vigil. We thanked God for the story and its writing, for the figures and their carving, for creative skill in the devoted hands of author and sculptor, for the safe creation of such large and heavy figures, and for their safe moving multiple times. We thanked the original trees for the gift of their very selves, and the surrounding trees in the cemetery for their welcome. We offered a blessing and then we drove away. So that is what has happened to the statues.   They didn’t just disappear. And they were certainly not junked or burned or mulched. The story is still unfolding. We thought you’d want to know.

Help Needed at ACTS

Calling All Able-Bodied Help…ACTS Needs YOU!

The Thrift Shop at Amicable is thriving! Since we reopened in June of 2020, sales have been averaging $1000 total each week. We see regular customers who look forward to interacting with our staff as well as checking out what is new in our ever- changing inventory. It is also fun to hear the exclamations from those who have discovered us for the first time and compliment us on the artful displays and unique finds.

However, we can only keep the Thrift Shop thriving if we have enough help. At a minimum, ACTS needs five (5) staff on the days we are open. We are busy putting merchandise out, organizing, pricing, and completing sales with customers. We would like also to have 3-4 volunteers on the days the Thrift Shop is not open to assist with set-up, sorting, organization, and cleaning. There is ALWAYS something to be done. Additionally, we would welcome a volunteer who is willing to learn how the shop operates in the event one of our current “managers” is unavailable.

At present, we have a wonderful hardworking team – but there is no back-up and we are often understaffed. We very much want to avoid having to close the Thrift Shop on days we are expected to be open as that would send a confusing message. People are used to seeing the “OPEN” flag on Thursdays and Saturdays. ACTS is not only a source of income for Amicable’s operational expenses but also an important community outreach on many levels.

If you can provide a couple hours, please call Gail  ducks4jkj@yahoo.com (401-624-2260) or Martha  m.s.macnaught@cox.net (401-624-2323)

Audio & Video Update Fund Established

For instance, good quality video and audio recordings could potentially be incorporated into in-person services. Higher quality integrated audio and video recordings of in-person services could be made available online. Clarity and volume of audio in both types of services would also be improved.

 
Anyone interested in donating towards the fund may designate your donation to “The AV Update Fund.” Also, watch for information coming soon about a fundraising concert to be held in September!

Thank You

On behalf of the Standing Committee, I’d like to thank Pat Campion for her years of dedication to the important work of the Deacons. Her leadership has guided us through great change, ensuring the spiritual life of our congregation and mission projects in the community remain strong and dynamic. Pat’s selflessness and spirit of volunteerism have inspired her fellow Deacons, congregants, and members of our greater community. We will miss having her on the Standing Committee but know that we will still benefit from all that Pat continues to do for the congregation and community as an expression of her commitment to and love of Amicable.

With gratitude,

Kristen Zeiser

Employment Opportunity

There is a Church Secretary position available, which is a part-time 10 hour per week role. If anyone is interested please send an email to office@amicablechurch.org or call the church office at 401-624-4611. We are looking for an individual who has experience with MS Word, Excel and Google document management.

Volunteer Opportunities

The Summer Festival will be held on August 21st. We need volunteers to make this event successful! Please consider donating your time and/or talent. We are in need of volunteers to run the tables, for setup, and for cleanup. We are also looking for donations of books, baked goods, silent auction items, and yard sale items (no electronics or upholstered furniture please). Click here https://volunteersignup.org/WLBQY to sign up, and someone from the Summer Festival committee will contact you to confirm. You do not need to sign up for the entire day; any time you can give is appreciated! If you have any questions, please email Pat Campion at pjcamp53@aol.com.

The Christian Ed Team is in need of  Sunday School volunteers for the 2021-2022 year. If you enjoy working with children and youth and can share your time and talents with us at least one Sunday per month, please reach out to Sarah Martin at smartinrdn@gmail.com. 

We are in need of a freezer for storage for the Thanksgiving baskets. If you know of anyone looking to get rid of a freezer (upright or chest) please call or e-mail the church office.

Financial Notes of Interest - July 2021.

• With At-Church Worship Services continuing, although with some Covid-restrictions, more people are visiting, with pledged/donated collections continuing to pick up little by little.
• General cleaning, maintenance, and utility expenses continue to pick up as well, little by little, as church use continues to expand slowly.
• We are still operating without a Secretary so that these normal expenses are not accumulating at present. 
• Our new Custodian has continued to perform the majority of the cleaning and low-level maintenance activities, so those related expenses are picking up accordingly.
• A late-August Summer Festival is now being planned – cut back slightly from a full event.
• The Thrift Shop continues having greater than expected receipts, and is now at 15% over its budgeted 2021 year’s income.
• No big expense surprises occurred in June.
• If things continue as above and there are no big expense surprises, we should end up 2021 in a positive financial position.

Respectfully Submitted:  Treasurer, Roger Gauthier

Milestones