Letters
Region
Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks Exhibition At New Hampshire Antique Co-Op
Now on view through May 31, 2020
Congregational Church Stays Connected
During the suspension of in-person activities in light of the Covid-19 situation, the Congregational Church of Amherst, UCC has a variety of ways for members and others to connect with church programs. This is especially important during April as Holy Week and Easter are on the horizon.
The most up-to-date information about church activities can be found on the church’s website (ccamherst.org) or by calling the church office at 673-3231. Sunday services are broadcast on FacebookLive and recorded for later on-line viewing. Services are followed by a Virtual Fellowship Hour. Links for these and other events can be found on the website.
The church’s Facebook page is another source of information, including updates and video messages from the pastors. Pastors Maureen Frescott and Kate Kennedy are available to provide pastoral care during this time, and the church welcomes community members to connect with this loving, serving, open and affirming community of faith.
Groups
Mark Your Calendars: Taste For a Cure For Cystic Fibrosis, Rescheduled for Nov. 5th
MANCHESTER – Due to current social distancing recommendations, our 14th Taste For A Cure For Cystic Fibrosis, has been rescheduled to Nov 5th. The event will still take place at The Executive Court Banqueting Facility in Manchester! Our fabulous Restaurants and Food businesses will be serving their signature dishes and we will still have our amazing silent auction. We are so grateful to local Restaurants, businesses and friends for your continued support, we could not do this without you, and we ask you to support our Restaurants, sponsors and donors in these uncertain times. Taste For A Cure has raised over $1.2 million in 14 years, and during that time the quality of life and life expectancy for people living with CF has increased tremendously. Thank-you, and we look forward to seeing you on November 5th – tickets now on sale https://events.cff.org/tasteforacurenh
2020 Citizen of the Year Nominations
The Amherst Lions Club invites nominations for 2020’s Amherst Citizen of the Year. This year has surfaced with many who are deserving of the award which will be presented at an appropriate ceremony in July.
It will be the 45th annual presentation whose past awardees include at least two couples. The award recognizes friends, neighbors, and colleagues who have made significant contributions to the community welfare through volunteerism, innovation or ingenuity. Along with a medal, the winner receives a silver engraved bowl and their name engraved on a permanent plaque in town hall.
Nominations are due by June 24 by using the form found on the club’s web site e-clubhouse.org/sites/amherstnh or by contacting the Lions at amherstlionsclub@gmail.com. Letters of recommendation are encouraged. The image below is also linked to a form.
As the town’s July 4th celebrations have been cancelled for 2020, the Lions are working to make the presentation of the honor at an equally significant venue.
Century Ride (100 miles) Across NH
As the Annual Prouty ride was cancelled this year, they have substituted a virtual ride. As I was already signed up for the ride, I have decided to do the virtual ride. I will be going from the Vermont/New Hampshire border to the Atlantic Ocean (108 miles). I am looking for company. If you are interested in doing the entire ride or a section (I have broken it up into 4 sections - listed below) let me know. My ride date is June 14th. You will be responsible to get yourself to the start and back to where you started from where you stopped. I will be raising money for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital Cancer Research.
If you can’t ride but would like to donate here us the link https://secure3.convio.net/dhmc/site/TR?fr_id=1580&pg=entry. Hit the donate button in the upper right and then enter the name, David Salvas.
Congregational Church of Amherst Holds SHARE Food Drive
In addition to its online services and other activities, members of the Congregational Church of Amherst UCC are working on projects to assist neighbors in need. Most recently the church held a Drive-by Food Drive on May 22 and 23. Church members and other local residents dropped off donations of food and paper products for SHARE Outreach in Milford. Two carloads of donations were delivered, and future similar events are under discussion.
The church’s Sunday services are broadcast on FacebookLive and also available for later on-line viewing. Links for services and other events can be found on the church’s website (ccamherst.org).Pastors Maureen Frescott and Kate Kennedy work together to provide pastoral care during this time, and the church welcomes community members to connect with this loving, serving, open and affirming community of faith.
From Gift Cards to Mi-Box Storage Units: Outreach Efforts at CCA
What began as a small-scale outreach idea by the Congregational Church of Amherst (CCA) has blossomed into a trailer-sized project. For several years, CCA has donated gift cards at Christmas to the NH Chapter of Bethany Christian Services, which support vulnerable kids and families. This year the World Service committee wanted to increase CCA’s outreach.
The committee contacted Cynthia Thomas at Bethany Christian Services. Through the Community and Faith-based Initiative, Bethany Christian works with the NH Division of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) to help foster families. One opportunity involved helping young adults transitioning out of the foster care system and setting up housekeeping for the first time. With very few resources, the youth are in need of basic supplies. An idea took shape. World Service used mission funds to purchase items to create 15 new “kitchen kits,” stored in plastic tubs for easy storage and delivery. Two tubs have been delivered so far to youth starting out on their own.
The idea grew. There is a need to help families fostering infants and small children with baby equipment and furniture. The next step for World Service? Gather the needed household items. Church and community members began donating.
The number of donated goods kept growing and storage became an issue. World Service team members reached out to Ed Smith and Cathy Putnam of College Bound Movers, and they volunteered a MI-BOX storage unit free of charge if a visible location could be found. Jamie Arsenault at the Black Forest Café enthusiastically offered their parking lot. Voila! At the moment, the trailer is almost full, but donations are still most welcome.
If you have furniture, lamps, and baby equipment in good condition that you would like to donate to this effort, contact Storage Coordinators Susan and Don Holden directly (603-566-2394 or bagnara-thornton@comcast.net). Please do not drop anything off at the MI-BOX storage unit!
This is truly a story of “It Takes a Village.” The Congregational Church, Bethany Christian Services, DCYF, College Bound Movers/MI-BOX, and the Black Forest Café have all worked together, volunteering their time and their resources to help those in need of the basics. Church and community members have donated the equipment and supplies, and that makes the whole effort work.