Greetings Friends,

“Hi Fat Momma,” she said with contempt in her eyes, “Come on Danielle, let’s go play.” Off they went my very first tormentor and a girl I thought was my friend. We were only in kindergarten but that was a glimpse into the type of torment I would endure for most of my school career. Do not get me wrong, I loved school. I liked strict teachers, projects, learning, being the teacher’s pet, and reading. I hated recess and P.E. My peers could not wait for play time. The majority of the time I loathed it and could not wait to get back into the classroom. Recess was a time for excess name calling and isolation, while P.E. was just a more institutionalized way of getting picked last for teams. Yes, I have spent my entire life struggling with my weight. My parents and my pediatrician worked tirelessly to change that but it has been a constant struggle. What resulted from all the bullying (always only verbal) was an extremely sensitive girl. One that was often terrified of new experiences and people because new experiences always ran the risk of being made fun of.

I remember the first time I was old enough to go to church camp. It was only for a long weekend but I was terrified. There would be no safe space if someone decided to make fun of me. My mom and dad talked to me several times and really encouraged me to go. I adamantly refused and then my mom said, “Just try it. If you don’t like it this time, you never have to do it again. Just try it.” I went and ended up going to church camp all the way through high school and even counseling a couple of camps. As terrified as I was, I tried it and church camp BECAME my safe space. Any time any new and frightening opportunity arose, my mom would look at me and say, “Just try it.” “Just try it” is like my mom’s way of saying “I love you and I know you will love doing this.” “Just try it” sent me to church camp, a summer internship away from home, and ultimately, to West Avon Congregational Church. I imagine it wasn’t always easy for my mom to say, “Just try it,” because it meant she had to let me go to grow a little without her. However, if she had never said, “Just try it” I might still be that scared and apprehensive girl.

“Just try it” is never the easiest answer for anything. For children and parents, those three little words may incite panic in the hearts of both parties. It almost always means resistance and, perhaps, a fight. But most often, “just try it,” turns into a transformative and life changing experience. If you don’t like it, you never have to do it again. However, if you don’t try, you will never know what might have been.

I understand that we live in a time and place where church isn’t a priority. I attend a youth ministry workshop monthly, at Yale. Over and over again the presenters remind us that the church is no longer the center of daily life. More often than not, people see themselves as spiritual but not religious. I, myself, have heard people say that by Sunday, they are just too tired and too behind to come to worship. Every time I hear any of this, I think of my mom saying, “just try it.” So if Sunday morning isn’t working in your schedule, bring your youth to MSM or TFG in the evening. Are you unavailable in the evenings? Come to the Lenten Luncheon Series. If it goes well, I will continue to offer a daytime Bible study. Can’t get away during the day? Join our Acts Bible study on Tuesday evenings. Only free once a month? Come to our monthly potlucks. Want to be more involved in Sunday School but are afraid you aren’t “smart enough?” I dare you to just try subbing in a class once and see how awesome you are at it. Are your youth interested but nervous about a week- long mission trip? Encourage them to just try it. If spending a week with me, helping others, is really horrible, promise them they never have to do it again. Does your child attend a school other than Avon and you want them to make stronger friendships at church? Have them come and try being in the April Children’s Musical. I have plenty of room and we would love to have them! Are you great at singing in the shower? Just try one choir practice. If you don’t have fun, you never have to do it again.

See? There are lots of things to just try here at West Avon. In fact, March 2nd, we have a mission trip Open Mic Night at ACC. We have Lenten Luncheon on Mondays, from 11:30-1:00. The evening Bible Study will meet the first and third Tuesdays of the month. The youth will go on their weekend mission trip to Philadelphia March 15-17. The Sunday School will collect food for Gifts of Love during March. I will also be asking people to fill some Easter Eggs for our annual Easter Egg hunt.

We are now in a time of Lent. We are in a time of reflection and contemplation of all the love God continues to show us. Instead of giving up something during these 40 days, why don’t you just try something new? Encourage your whole family to try something new.  Giving to God during Lent does not have to mean giving something up. It can also mean trying something new.

Grace and Peace,

Miranda Moeller

Several years ago the United Church of Christ commissioned several television commercials.  One of them featured a little girl reciting the nursery rhyme "here is the church, here is the steeple open the door and see all the people."  The commercial went on to show different examples of what that meant for our church; people of all different ethnicities, ages, and family compositions including same gender couples. It was a simple yet powerful statement about one of our church's greatest strengths - the beautiful diversity of our membership.  I really liked that commercial.  

What I don't like as much is when Sunday morning rolls around and folks open the doors to come to worship and Sunday School and they don't see all the people. As we started the new year, and the hub bub and excitement of another excellent and crowded Christmas celebration faded, we went through a succession of Sundays where many church families weren't making it to worship. Each Sunday I would run through my list of theories. Well, the Sunday after Christmas is often a low time where folks stay home or travel. The first Sunday of the month is communion so it's a bit longer and there aren't Sunday School classes so folks are probably deciding this is their chance for a break. It’s a three day weekend so it must be that people have some fun plans. Oh, the weather outside is frightful so I bet folks wisely stayed huddled under the covers.   This works for a while, but then I start to run out of ideas for my speculation.

It's hard to ask folks about it because it just triggers the same guilt attack that happens when I run into someone out and about. I seldom get much past hello before folks are apologizing to me for missing church and telling me about work schedules, flu viruses, hockey practices or family gatherings. It feels like we are having a spontaneous confession booth experience right in the middle of the Stop and Shop produce aisles.

I understand about conflicting pulls for our time and attention on Sunday mornings. My family faces the same challenges with trips, germs, sports, or sometimes just exhaustion. I have never been someone to say church trumps all else. Realistically it has to be part of a balance like we do with other important things in our lives.

But I also know how easy it can be to get out of the habit.  We had an awesome celebration of our Cub pack and Boy Scout troop this past Sunday.  I always have to hand it to the adult volunteers who can pull off wearing their scout uniforms. If I could wear mine it would show I made it all the way to the last step before Eagle.  All I needed was a project.  Why didn't I finish? It wasn't because of a falling out or some dramatic moment. I simply missed a few meetings in a row because of conflicts with Junior Achievement and Speech and Debate and other good activities and I lost momentum.  After a while it just seemed so much harder to go back and get started.  Now I regret it.

If I had gone back I know what I would have found.  I would have been welcomed with open arms.  Friends would have come up and asked if I was okay and told me they missed me.  I would instantly have been welcomed back into all the activities that were going on as if I had never missed a beat.  The same thing is true here at WACC.  Folks are going to have weeks where they simply can’t make it.  We all understand.  We’ve been there.  But if you find yourself at home trying to decide if you will make it out this Sunday, give yourself that extra push.  If you overcome inertia and make it through the doors, I am sure you will find your church family there excited to reconnect with you as you worship, learn, and dedicate your days to following God.

Peace,

Pastor Brian

Greetings Friends,

Ten years ago (almost exactly ten years ago), I was boarding a plane to spend a semester in London, England. That semester was filled with nerves, excitement, world chocolate, new friends, and life changing adventures. I still have friends I made while in London that call me on my birthday. My good friend Anderson and I talked on the phone at 6:00 in the morning, while we watched the Royal Wedding on television. It was a magical time, and I knew it was magical as it happened, but there are moments I wish I could bottle up and revisit over and over again. I have a photo of myself in a tiny Swiss village in the Alps. I am literally standing in the Alps with my arms raised above my head in total elation and triumph. It is a perfect representation of my entire five and a half months in London. I was brave and bold and completely confident. I am quite sure there were a number of times I gave my mother heart palpitations; like the email where I didn’t quite ask for more spending money but changed the letter “s” in my email to “$” signs; or the time I told her we couldn’t find a taxi to take us from the remote German airport (remote is the reason our flights were so cheap) to our hotel, so we rode in a rental car with a cute American boy we had just met; or the time we got caught in a protest in Brussels where folks were not happy with the United States.  I am sure she saw a rise in her blood pressure that semester but, for me, it was exactly as it should be. 

There will never be another semester in London. Kevin and I can’t just pack up and frolic across Europe for five months, eating bread and cheese sandwiches because they are really cheap. I can, however, seek to reclaim that feeling of inner peace. A few weeks ago, during my children’s sermon, I talked to the kids about lighting the Advent candle for peace. We talked about finding peace on the inside and praying when we need help finding it. In a society that can feel violent and scary, sometimes we just need to stop, breathe, say a little prayer, and find that peace. Taking advantage of community time at WACC can also help us find that sense of balance. With the New Year come new opportunities. One of them may help you regain your sense of self. Being together can help us find the strength we may not even know we need help finding. I sometimes feel like a broken record but I can assure you that making the effort to come to Dining for Women, Adult Bible Study, Potlucks, TFG, PF 5/6, MSM, confirmation, or even trying our upcoming Lenten Lunch series will have an impact on you. Bible study may seem like a giant stretch from London but the conversation that happens has power, depth, and meaning. There are moments here that lend themselves to transformation and they can be just as powerful as writing your name on the John Lennon wall in Prague (a perfect reason to always have a Sharpie on hand…). 

January and February are not quiet months here at WACC. On Wednesday, January 23rd, we will resume our monthly potlucks. Bring your favorite soup or salad to share at dinner and then immerse yourself in a walking labyrinth. This will be a nice time to catch up after the holidays and then take some time to find focus and peace walking the labyrinth. Help support the youth and their mission trip to Philadelphia by buying stock the last two Sundays in January and first two Sundays in February. Continue to support the mission trip and, perhaps, share your own talents at Open Mic Night, which will be held at ACC on Saturday, February 9th, at 7:00. Join the Adult Bible Study, as we begin to explore the book of Acts the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, at 7:00pm. Volunteer to help Phyllis in the nursery one Sunday. We are changing up our Shrove Tuesday dinner by adding more fun activities for the kids, a jazz band for the adults, and it will now be a potluck. So, bring your favorite dish to share and, in the spirit of Mardi Gras, we will provide some delicious JAMBALAYA! More details to come. Perhaps you find it difficult to get out of the house in the evenings. That’s ok, come join Pastor Brian and me for a Lenten Luncheon Series. Bring a sack lunch, we will eat and then have a Lenten book study. We will meet on Mondays, from 11:30-1:00, beginning on February 18th. Grab your calendar and start penciling in these dates! 

London and church may not seem like they have anything in common. However, the feelings felt in London came from within. They arose out of experiences and the people I shared those experiences with. I implore you to stop thinking of church activities and groups as “another thing to add to the calendar.” Begin to think of church activities as opportunities and adventures in self-discovery, self-awareness, and friendship.  Being here, in this space together, can be as transformative as being abroad.  I look forward to sharing new experiences with all of you in 2013!

Grace and Peace,

Miranda Moeller

This past month brought with it the sad news that one of our neighboring churches, Christ Episcopal Church, would be closing after 172 years of ministry.  This is very difficult for the families that invested themselves heart and soul into a congregation that held special memories and meaning for them.  In the end, there simply was not enough participation to keep things running. Hearing about closings is not something that is at all unique right now.  Many small businesses are struggling to make it through this prolonged economic wasteland.  Restaurants seem to close their doors not long after their grand openings.  Whole chains like Blockbuster, Borders and Circuit City have found themselves chased into irrelevancy, or at least unprofitability, by internet driven sales and changing technology

I know that seeing these changes taking place in our world can raise the question about whether our church is still relevant.  Does West Avon Church have a future or merely a storied past?  The experience of Newtown in December provided one powerful reminder of the value of faith communities.  Not long after the emergency vehicles made their way to the school, churches were very visibly seen out in force bringing a ministry of presence to families bereft of any other means of comfort.  In the strange shock-filled days that followed, we saw families in Newtown and around the country gather around their faith communities seeking strength, asking questions together, and hopefully finding support.

In some ways churches can function like the Coast Guard, there and ready to help people connect or reconnect with God’s presence in their lives when they find themselves in distress. That is important, but I think the true value of our church is what happens very far below the radar on an everyday basis.  Like an extended family, together we mark and celebrate the events that are parts of the regular rhythm of life - births, baptisms, first communion, confirmation, weddings, and funerals. We are one of the last community groups to which many folks belong.  We nurture a currently rare atmosphere where dialog between people who may have very different beliefs and backgrounds can take place constructively.  We also model what a caring community can be by trying to look after each other and support one another.

Perhaps best of all, our church provides a reliably present faith home.  I can’t tell you how many times I have watched young people launch off into college or the working world and seemingly disappear from church life, only to reappear with gusto when they meet the person they want to spend the rest of their life with or start to have children.   When they make that turn into adulthood they often realize there is something important about being a part of a congregation and reconnecting with their faith story.  Others steadily come to church each week and open themselves to be renewed, challenged to ask fundamental questions about what we treat as most important and what we do with all that we have, and stirred to pay attention to what God is doing or saying right now in our world.  Our church is here, week in and week out, as a spiritual home base for all of these folks.

Sometimes when I run into people from church in other settings, they immediately apologize for not being there that past Sunday or maybe for longer. I often reply that we will be there whenever they can make it, so no worries.  Come when you are able.  We will be waiting for you.  Looking at the gifts our church family has pledged to our Capital Campaign, I see a tangible sign that our congregation sees the value of this church and feels confident it will be here serving this community for many years to come.  West Avon is still doing so much and stands by ready to answer the call when our community needs us more than ever.  We won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

Peace

Pastor Brian