March 2025 Newsletter

Shrove Sunday Pancake Brunch: March 2

We will have our Shrove Sunday Pancake Brunch with a “Mardi Gras” theme on March 2. A free will offering will be taken to help support the Afghan family with whom we walk alongside. The brunch is being hosted by our Christian Ed. Team and friends



Special Mission moment: Sunday, March 2

Erin Luchenbill, Community Engagement Manager and our local Church World Service (CWS) staff, will offer a special Mission Moment during worship concerning the ministries of CWS regarding immigration and resettlement of refugees. She will also be with us for our Pancake Brunch. We are partners with CWS for our local CROP Hunger Walk and Blankets + Special offering.

Reminder: Set clocks ahead one hour to get to church on time for Sunday, March 9

GATHERING FOR FOSTERIANS: Saturday, March 15 1-2:30 PM

All women are invited to a gathering of our “Fosterians” on Saturday, March 15 downstairs in Fellowship Hall. Our theme will be St. Patrick’s Day with fun and snacks. Please let Judy or Lori know that you are coming and if you would like to bring a snack. All women of the church are welcome and invited to bring a friend!

Ash Wednesday Worship Service: March 5

Time: 7pm Everyone welcome

Recorded Filmed Services

We continue to offer recorded worship services for each Sunday, and special services, posted on You Tube, on our website at http://www.fostermemorial.org/videos/ and on our Facebook page

Memorial Service for Anne Smith

A Service of Remembrance and Thanksgviving will be held for Anne Smith on Saturday, March 29 at 11 AM. Let us keep Anne’s family and friends in prayer

Automatic External Defibrillator

Last year, our church purchased an AED, (automatic external defibrillator.) There is a team of church members who are qualified in CPR and the AED. The team members are Mary Caron, Jim Cummings, Kevin Withers, Judy, Milano and Bruce & Jill Moore. 

Fundraising by Grocery Shopping: Big Y Gift Cards

Thank you to everyone who has purchased Big Y gift cards through our new fundraising program. For each card purchased, the church will get a benefit of 5%. It doesn’t sound like much, but together, we are raising almost $200 per month for the church—just by our regular shopping. It’s handy to keep a card in your wallet to be used at Big Y or Fresh Acres or the Big Y gas pumps. See Jeanie Marsh if you would like to order any cards for yourself or for others. 

Our First Monthly Auction: Friday, march 7

We are going to begin having Quarter Auctions on the first Friday of each month. We will have guarenteed proceeds from these auctions. There will also be money generated from these auctions to be donated to a non-profit, including our church for our mission outreach ministries including meals provided for Loaves and Fishes.

Doors will open at 6 PM; auction starts at 7 PM.

Bring quarters and friends for a fun evening and a chance to win some great items fron our vendors! There will also be a raffle!

Admission: $5 for two paddles. Bring a non-perishable food item for a free third paddle. All nonperishable food collected will be donated to the Emergency Cupboard of the Open Pantry. Dinner food and snacks will be available for purchase. For more information or to help (we especially need “runners”), please speak to Lori.

Annual Meeting Luncheon Proceeds

Thanks to everyone for your generous free will offering donations for our Annual Meeting Luncheon and Raffle. We raised $330.00 to help fund the costs for our monthly meals served to the guests at Loaves and Fishes, Soup Kitchen of The Open Pantry. Special thanks to all who provided homemade soups and food for the luncheon, to Lori, our raffle coordinator, and all who donated items for the auction.

Intersection of Faith and Politics: The Rev. Peter Wells

Luke 9.51: When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

After church on February 23, we had a good discussion about how faith and politics intersect. We were reminded that Jesus found himself at that intersection when he entered Jerusalem – the heart of his political and religious world. He chose to go there despite the risks. It was the consensus of the group that if we chose (and there is always a choice) to follow Jesus, that is where we will end up as well.  The question is not that we will find ourselves there but what we do when we arrive.       

One answer we identified was we could choose to turn around – to do nothing. But it was agreed that the faithful response is described in Micah 6:8. What the Lord requires when our faith leads us to the political is to do justice, love kindness and to walk humbly with our God. It was noted that do, love and walk are all verbs – action words. Our faith is a verbal faith. 

In the end, when our faith takes us to the places of human need, we are called to act. Martin Luther King was right, the moral arch of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice. But it doesn’t bend on its own. 

We explored possible actions we could take individually and collectively. It was noted that when it comes to politics about the only thing a congregation can’t do is endorse a candidate or a political party. Other than that, there are multiple options we can be engaged in. One of those is to communicate with those who do represent us. On March 2, during our Pancake Brunch, we will offer such an opportunity to the congregation. We will set up letter writing tables with suggested scripts for people to express their opinions to those in power. This is just one response we hope to pursue. There will be more.

A Letter from our Sponsored Youth - Tenzing

A Letter from our Sponsored Youth, Tenzing, a Tibetan refugee who lives with her family in India. This is in reply to a letter and pictures sent from our God Time (church school) children and God Time Guide, Karen Coughlin.

Dear Friends,

I hope you are doing fine. And I have received the letter and a beautiful picture that you have sent me. Thank you for the letter and the picture.

I am very delighted to know your likes as it sounds interesting. Here the weather is cold sometimes. My favorite season of all is summer as we can do lots of activities outside our house. And I wish you Merry Christmas, hope you spend this day with lots of happiness.

It is good to hear that most of your favorite food is healthy.

I like pineapple the most. It’s good that you spend your time at home doing gymnastics etc.

Thank you for the kind support.

Thanking you,

Nancy, Everly, Sofia, Chloe, Sienna, Juliet, Annabella, Mrs. Karen

Tenzing Passang Bhutia

XO