WHAT’S ON YOUR READING LIST?
SOME SUGGESTIONS FROM OUR PASTOR

Having these weeks of sabbatical not only allows me to deepen my skills in ministry, it also affords me time to think creatively about the upcoming program year. Reading Anne Tyler‟s latest novel, “Noah‟s Compass,” just released this year, has inspired me to begin planning a sermon series for the fall which will incorporate her other works, stories filled with portraits of deep humanity, touching realism, and thought provoking healing. Of the dozen or so novels she‟s written I‟ll keep it to this simple list: “Saint Maybe,” “A Patchwork Planet,” and “Ladder of Years.” If you‟re looking for something to read this summer, call the local library and order a copy of one of Tyler‟s books. Each month next fall, I‟ll lead a night of discussion and then incorporate the novel‟s themes into that given week‟s sermon.

SUMMER COMMITTEE MEETINGS
While summer can be a time of sabbatical from our usual activities during the program year, we also work to prepare for the fall season during this time. To that end, some committees may be meeting in July and August, but at the time of this Messenger‟s publication, dates had not been set. All meetings of the church are open, and if you are interested in attending any committee, of which you are not a for-mal member, please see the weekly calendar in the worship bulletin or call the church office. Meetings of the Church Council, Bylaw, Finance, Property and other committees during the summer are not “secret” gatherings. Please call the church office or our moderator if you would like more information!

SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS!
SUMMER LAY PREACHERS WELCOMED
Do you have “a word” to share with your friends at Payson Park? Would you like to offer “the good news” to others? As decided by the Diaconate, we’ll welcome lay preachers to our pulpit in the month of August. If you would like to preach, please speak with Lael.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
SUMMER UNION SERVICES
Following our annual tradition, the first Sunday of each month we’ll worship together with our friends from other Belmont UCC churches. Sunday, August 1st, we’re all invited to worship at Waverly Congregational Church for the 10:00 service, and on Labor Day week-end we’ll gather at Plymouth Congregational Church for the 9:30 service. These are spirited summer ser-vices we hope you’ll attend. Plan to join together in the spirit of God’s wider community!

ANNOUNCING: SUPER SATURDAY!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Franklin, MA
Join hundreds of delegates, pastors and lay leaders from all over the Conference for our first SUPER SATURDAY – a full day of workshops and networking around best practices for church leaders.

UCC ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE
Annual Meeting attendees challenged to re-think church
More than 500 people attended the 211th Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Conference at the DCU Center on Saturday, where they were encouraged to re-think what church is and what church does.

Visit the ANNUAL MEETING UPDATE PAGE AT www.macucc.org for:

A summary of the meeting
Quotes from attendees about how they were "provoked"
Video & audio recordings of Quinn Caldwell's sermon and Jim Antal's address
The text of Jim Antal's address
A photo album from the meeting
Final text of the Resolution on a Massachusetts Innocence Commission

UCC RESPONSE TO THE GULF OIL SPILL
The United Church of Christ National Disaster Ministries has been involved in assisting with technology-caused disaster for ten years. The UCC is preparing to assist in an ecumenical response with unmet needs in the Gulf that may be identified in the next couple of weeks.

Find out how you can help. Go to www.macucc.org

RESPONDING TO THE EARTHQUAKE IN CHILE:
LIFTING UP HOPE
The Pentecostal Church of Chile is already hard at work building houses for displaced people in Chile. See pictures of their work and find out how your church can contribute to this effort and to the training of people to deal in trauma healing.

RESPONDING TO THE EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI:
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
After one month in Haiti, United Church of Christ donations reached 150,000+ people.

HEALTH KITS
Many of our churches have made or have plans to make hygiene kits. The Friends of the Massachusetts Conference has donated money to cover the expense of shipping these kits.

Living with the realities of war, we extend our prayers for the world from our Sunday worship services to our daily lives. As we pray for peace for all people, we hold especially close those serving overseas. Payson Park Church member Ben Mailhot and former member Clint Lawler are currently on tours in Afghanistan, and we receive word that they are doing well. Thank you for remembering them and their families in this turbulent time. Cards to Ben and Lynne Mailhot may be sent to 57 Gilbert Road, Belmont, MA 02478

GOOD AFTERNOONS:
WEDNESDAY'S IN THE FALL, MEETING AT 2:00

With summer’s arrival, the Good Afternoons will break from their monthly discussions about the care of and healing of the body.

FAITH, HOPE, & LOVE FELLOWSHIP:
TUESDAYS IN SUMMER TIME, 2:00 - 4:00 P.M.
All women of the church are invited to join together Tuesday afternoons this summer in the parlor. Inspired by the knitting of prayer shawls, this is a time of “sharing and caring” in the spirit of “faith, hope, and love.” Whether you knit or not, please consider coming once or every week to get together with new and old-time friends of the church. On extremely hot days, we’ll find a cool place to gather!

Elizabeth and Eleanor Thidemann have been attending Camp Calumet for years and that is the camp they recommend! Camp Calumet, on the northern shore of Lake Ossipee, at the edge of New Hampshire’s magnificent Mount Washington Valley, Calumet is the camp! Throughout the entire year, Calumet hosts thousands and thousands of folks of all ages, from all backgrounds and all walks of life
But Summer At Calumet? Summer is the most exciting time of the year to be at Calumet! Whether it’s the Summer Camp for Kids or the Family & Adult Camp, the Thidemann girls recommend you check it out.
www.calumet.org
Are you considering summer camp for your Jr. High child? How about a Christian Camp located right here in the heart of New England. Grotonwood is one of the finest Christian retreat and conference facilities in Central Massachusetts. At the heart of their 300 wooded acres you can find a mile of shoreline on beautiful Lost Lake, delicious "home-cooked" food, and hospitality by their caring staff. Grotonwood offers 29 sessions of summer camp for youth. Campers live in cabins throughout the camp. They are under direct supervision of trained and caring camp counselors. Their day begins with worship in song and a message in the chapel and ends with vespers or devotions. The enthusiastic summer camp resource staff directs activities, recreation, crafts, and music. Certified lifeguards make the waterfront program very fun and exciting. A resident nurse is on staff at summer camp for sickness and emergencies. Cindy Lou & her children; Aby & Robert have attended Grotonwood for over 10 years. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us any questions. www.Grotonwood.org.

An Offering by our Denomination

Looking for a wonderful get-away for you and your family this summer? It’s not too early to start planning! In early August, the UCC offers a Family Camp at the Craigville Conference Center on the cape. The package includes 17 meals, 6 nights in a historic Inn with all private room accommodations; on site private beach privileges with club house amenities; on site playground and fishing pond; morning programs for children; free time all afternoon and evening program is optional. Morning children and teen program includes skits, singing, and arts & crafts. Evening program includes a movie, kite flying, a band concert, outdoor games and more. A great opportunity for parents who do not want to send a child to sleep away camp without them! The staff organizes all children's activities so adults or grandparents do not have to worry about finding things to do to entertain them and the time you spend together is quality. When was the last time you had time to look at the stars with your child? Busy parents need apply! Contact cedirector@paysonpark.org.

Horton Center – located in the northern White Mountains of NH – is where many of the NH Conference’s Outdoor Ministry programs occur, or start out. In addition to Horton Center other locations are also used, including Geneva Point, the AMC Huts and state parks. This summer we have a full schedule! Programs start for children who have completed Kindergarten (with parents in Big Feet/ Little Feet), up to our High School and Young Adult camps. For older campers our Hut to Hut and Canoe camps offer a once in a lifetime experience of spending time with other Christians in a weeklong trip. At Horton Center, we are surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest, with thousands of acres and miles of hiking trails. Opportunities for rock climbing, caving, and sleeping under the stars are available without leaving the site. For more information please visit www.hortoncenter.org, call Robert Vodra at 603-225-6647 ext 112 or e-mail rvodra@nhcucc.org

Pilgrim Lodge – located on the eastern shore of Lake Cobbosseecontee in West Gardiner, Maine– is a ministry of the Maine Conference, UCC. Just two hours over the New Hampshire border on I-95, Pilgrim Lodge (PL) offers week-long sessions for 3rd graders through senior high school students as well as weekend events for adults. Our mission and philosophy (please see the website) involve the healing power of nature and community. With high quality program, an experience at PL will strengthen faith development in an unbelievably gorgeous setting. Children and adults return charged and inspired. And we have a whole lot of fun. Maine is known for its summer camps and PL is a gem! Build lifelong memories with us. Pilgrim Lodge is accredited by the American Camp Association. To view a free video and more information visit us at www.pilgrimlodge.org or call (207) 724-3200.

Silver Lake – located in Sharon, CT – is a ministry of the Connecticut Conference, UCC. For over 50 years, Silver Lake has been claimed as the "Spiritual Home" for thousands of young people, ages 8-18 each summer for a week of Outdoor Ministry church camp. We welcome UCC and other denominations' children to experience the best week of their summer, with dedicated, trained, enthusiastic lay and clergy leadership and in-cabin counselors and summer staff. We offer amazing community-building, spirit-stretching, high and low ropes adventure and team-building 'mountaintop' experiences, swimming, singing, worshipping, campfires, friend-making, ceramics, nature, arts and crafts, hiking and so much more. Each conference has a different program theme, from creative expression (think Biblical High School Musical), through sports, radio show, wilderness exploration to being God's Heroes. Check out offerings for all ages, including one for Moms and 4th graders, at www.silverlakect.org. Instant, online registration! Most camps are $410. For the week.

Covenant Hills Christian Camp – located in Cabot, VT – is owned by the United Methodist Church and is jointly programmed by the United Methodists and the Vermont Conference, UCC. Does spending a week swimming, playing games, hiking, canoeing, making crafts, learning about God, singing songs, eating smores and much more sound like a lot fun? If yes, then join us this summer! Covenant Hills offers a wide variety of specialty camps for children in second grade through twelfth most of them being week long over night camps. Camps this summer include: soccer camp, just camp, great outdoors for boys, ultimate plus, up the coast, music, arts and drama camp, rock band camp, soulfest and many more. Please visit www.covenanthillsvt.com for a full camp schedule, descriptions of all the camps we offer and registration forms or contact us at chccdirector@gmail.com to receive more information about camp. Covenant Hills is accredited by the American Camp Association. We look forward to seeing you at camp this summer!

Star Island –located off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire – is a site for ministry of the New Hampshire Conference, UCC during the Star Gathering conference weeks. It is also host to the Laity Conference (UCC) over Labor Day weekend. Offering programming for all ages – babies thru older adults as well as a concurrent Youth Conference for those entering 9th grade in fall of 2010 through 2010 hs graduates, the Star Gathering weeks are filled with chapel services, Bible Study, programming for adults and children, as well as the opportunity to see amazing sunsets, sit in a rocking chair, play softball, and more! General Star Island info can be found here: www.starisland.org , information specific to the Star Gathering Conferences, including the Youth Conference can be found here www.starisucc.com

Irons Homestead, RI. Site of the Rhode Island Conference of the United Church of Christ outdoor ministries program.

Geneva Point Center, NH. An independent Camp and Conference Center, offers a variety of camping experiences in partnership with other groups.