Litchfield Presbyterian

A Note from Pastor Steve Quinlan

Telling Our Stories

Dear Friends,
Our Tuesday night study group has been telling stories.  We have been offering to each other the stories of our faith – tales of how we have come to believe and to doubt as we do.  These are sacred stories, and we have been listening with rapt attention.
I say that these are sacred stories, not because the theme of our stories is religious, but because they are stories of creation – our creation as individuals and as a community.  That is what makes a story sacred.  Philosopher and theologian Stephen Crites once wrote, “[E]very sacred story is a creation story: not merely that one may name creation of world and self as its ‘theme’ but also that the story itself creates a world of consciousness and the self that is oriented to it.”  The stories we have been telling are creating our world and are telling us who we are and how we fit in our world.
Our stories are markedly different and remarkably the same.  Themes keep popping up and questions keep being posed.  We want to understand how our parents’ faith or lack of it shapes our ways of believing and our sense of ourselves.  We wonder why the rituals and external forms of religion draw us and put us off so powerfully.  We are interested in the ways other professed believers influenced us for good or ill.  We marvel at how God is hiding around every corner in our journeys and under every event in our experiences, and we are curious as to why God’s presence is not more obvious to us more of the time.
These are just some of first questions and observations.  We plan to look more deeply at our separate and shared stories and ask how they are the same as and different from the stories we read in the Bible.  Our aim, though we haven’t really named it yet, may be to find our place and our meaning in the intersections of our stories with one another’s and the Bible’s stories.  The hope is that we may create a better world that we can live in more peacefully and joyously.  We’ll see.
The study group is open to all adults and meets at the church on the first and third Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM.  What is your story?
In Christ,
Pastor Steve Quinlan

From the Funny Department

Search Committee Report
The following is a confidential report on several candidates being considered for a ministry position:
Adam:    Good man but has problems with his wife.  Also, one reference to how he and his wife enjoy skinny dipping.
Noah:    Prone to unrealistic building projects.
Abraham:    There are rumors about his strange relationship to his wife.
Joseph:    A big thinker, but a bit of a braggart.  Believes in dream interpreting, has a prison record, and has been accused of adultery.
Moses:    A modest and meek man, but a poor communicator – even stutters at times.  Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly.
David:    The most promising candidate of all until we discovered his affair with his neighbor’s wife.  His kids are out of control.  Worse yet, he’s a proponent of upbeat musical expressions.
Solomon:    Great preacher, but our parsonage would never hold all those wives.  Good with building projects, but rather extravagant.
Samson:    Hair too long.
Elijah:    Prone to depression.  Spends too much time by himself – a loner.  No wife that we know of.
Methuselah:    Too old.  Way too old.
Jonah:    Ran away from God’s call.  Known to pout when things don’t go his way.  Tells questionable fish stories.
John:    Says he’s a Baptist, but definitely doesn’t dress like one.  Has a weird diet.  Offends politicians and is known to lose his head.
Jesus:    Seldom stays in one place very long.  He’s single.  Some say he has a Messiah complex.
Peter:    Too blue collar.  Has a bad temper.  Has even been known to curse.  Claims to have visions.
Paul:    Powerful CEO-type leader and fascinating preacher.  Considered short on tact, unforgiving with younger ministers, seemingly harsh, and has been known to preach all night.  Controversial on women’s issues.  Little chance that he’ll ever marry.
Timothy:    Too young.
Judas:    His references are solid.  A steady plodder.  Conservative and pragmatic.  Good connections.  Knows how to handle money.  We’re inviting him to preach next Sunday.  Possibilities here.

A Thought

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only one of two things will happen, either He’ll catch you when you fall, or He’ll teach you how to fly!  The power of one sentence! God is going to shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor.  If you believe, pass it along. If you don’t believe, throw it away.  God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close.  If you need God to open some doors for you…share this thought.

Deacons’ Report

It’s summer – a time for the lazy, hazy days of summer, family picnics, family vacations, days by the pool, camping, weekend getaways, etc., etc.  With the high gas prices, we may be staying closer to home this summer, but that may not be a bad thing, depending on your point of view.  The Deacons too, take some time off during the summer to regroup and recharge their batteries.  However, the food bank still remains open for those families that need our help.  Thanks to previous generous donations from the Postal Worker’s Food Drive, we should have enough to get us through the rest of summer and early fall.  When we run short of certain items, we will announce those needs in church/church bulletin.  I have to say that when we have asked for help, the church family has been very generous in helping us to help others.  For that we are extremely thankful.  We do have a current need of breakfast cereal and spaghetti sauce.  Any donations can be dropped of in the basket in the Narthex at the church office, or contact any Deacon.
I especially want to thank everyone for their generous donations for the Deacon’s Annual Yard Sale that made it especially successful this year.  We made almost $600 this year, which was great.  I especially want to thank Carly Mosnicka for all her great help the day of the Yard Sale.  She was a tremendous help to us all and didn’t get tired of running errands or helping out wherever she was needed.  Thanks also to Robin Mosnicka, her son Alex, and her sister Heather Soucy as well as Mark and Cindy Reilly for loading up the “leftovers” from the yard sale and selling them at yet another yard sale at the Reilly’s the following two weeks.  They did an exceptionally good job, there was even a bidding war over the inflatable Spider Man, getting $18 in the end.  GREAT JOB EVERYONE AND THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK!!! We depend on the annual yard sale for the funds we need to function throughout the year.  The Deacons do not receive any funding from the church budget, but depend wholly on donations and the generosity of many people throughout the year.  We can’t do what we do without help from all of you. THANKS AGAIN.
The Deacons will begin regular meetings again in September and we will be setting the date for our Harvest Dinner in October.  When we set the date, circle your calendar and prepare yourself for a night of great food and fellowship.  If you haven’t tasted my stuffing, you are in for a treat.  If anyone has any ideas for entertainment at the Harvest Dinner, give us your ideas.  It has been suggested that we have a “talent show”, either individuals/groups that night.  Until next time.
In His Service,
Marge Dabrowski

Nanny Needed

For 15 month old twin boys in Litchfield. 40-45 hours per week.  Looking for someone who is reliable, responsible and caring.  Ability to keep boys active and engaged is a must. Responsibilities include light housekeeping & grocery shopping.  Hours are somewhat flexible within the normal work week.  Start date negotiable. Must like animals too! Please call Tara at 785-4925 for more information.

Birthdays

July 15: Amanda Baker
July 15: Kay Hafker
July 18: Betty Scofield
July 30: Don Brown
August 30: Nina Valentino
September 3: Chris Lepine
September 6: Nancy McQuesten
September 15: Marge Dabrowski
September 18: Tom Sommer
September 19: Lori Sommer
September 20: Toby Gill
September 23: Lance Collins
September 27: Phil Durand

The next Lamplighter will cover September and October 2008.  Please submit articles by September 4, 2008.