May 2025
In the Newsletter this Month
Breaking Bread Together Fellowship Opportunity
Congregational Meeting Warrant - May 18th
About Crop Walk 2025
Silent Auction for Church Accessibility - Help needed!
New Garden of Forgiveness
Don’t Forget
Community Soup Lunch - May 5th (last until Oct!)
Barnstable Association Annual Meeting - May 3
at South Congregational Church in Centerville
Pastor’s Musings
Consider the Herring
BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER
Starting this month, we are pulling together a new opportunity for members of First Congregational to get to know one another better. Our “Breaking Bread Together” groups are a chance for individuals and couples to gather for a meal and some fellowship. Each group (of no more than 8 people) will meet at the home of an individual or couple who agrees to host, and provide the entree. The other participants are invited to bring a side, salad, or dessert. Groups can schedule their meal at the convenience of their members, and a sign-up sheet is available in Fellowship Hall.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
TO MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATE MEMBERS OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST OF WELLFLEET, MASSACHUSETTS:
A meeting of the Church will be held on Sunday, May 18th at 11:30 a.m.
This meeting will consider the following business:
Article I Call the meeting to order by the Moderator
Article II Reading of the warrant for the meeting
Article III Opening Prayer
Article IV In accordance with the conditions of the Congregation’s vote to adopt a new trial governance structure starting in December 2024, the Congregation will hold a six-month review to decide whether to continue with the ongoing trial governance structure until the Stated Fall Meeting or revert to the former governance structure described in the Bylaws, and/or adopt any changes to the governance structure for the remainder of the trial year period.
Article V Benediction and Adjournment
Peter Cook, Moderator
First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Wellfleet, Massachusetts
4/30/2025
2025 CAPE COD CROP HUNGER WALK
October 12, 2025
We walk with the children of Ukraine. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, CWS has partnered with local organization in Moldova to support Ukrainian refugees. One program – the LudoBus – has brought education, fund and a safe space to talk and share feelings to hundreds of Ukrainian children during a very difficult and uncertain time.
With help from walkers like you, the LudoBus has given school supplies to nearly 500 students and is making dozens of children feel happy again, even in the midst of a crisis.
Each step you take helps refugee children, like those in Moldova, get the resources they need to continue their education and find safe spaces and happy moments when everything else around them feels uncertain.
This is another example of how your support for the CROP Hunger Walk is helping people around the world. This year more than ever we need your support. Severe cuts in Federal funding have impacted the ability of Church World Service to provide the help that so many need. You can make a donation in three ways:
Online: go to the website, crophungerwalk.org/capecod and scroll down to our church team
Check: you can donate by making a check out to CWS/Crop Walk and leave it in the morning offering or dropping it off at the church office. You can support us also starting in May at the Farmer’s Market. Thank you so much.
AUCTION TO SUPPORT ACCESSIBILITY
Your help is needed with a Silent Auction preceding a Live Auction on August 9, 2025 at the Wellfleet Adult Community Center in support of physical access for all people to the Wellfleet Congregational Church
Rationale for support of the Auction - The church lift (or elevator) no longer is operating consistently. A more secure temporary solution has been the installation of rented chair lifts. The uncertainty of a permanent, long-term solution has a potentially major impact on people who wish to worship in our sanctuary and those who wish to enjoy other events like concerts in our sanctuary. The Church Council is working very hard to address this issue, but funding for solutions requires significant capital. These 2 auctions are one solution in support of the Council’s need for funding to resolve this issue.
For this to be successful the Planning Committee for the Auctions (Meredith Blakeley, Gary Cooper and Suzanne Thomas) asks the following of the Members and Friends of the Wellfleet Church:
Each Wellfleet Church Member of Friend solicit or donate at least 2 items or services for either the silent or live auction by June 30, 2025.
Please consider items you might donate yourself,
Contact others like friends or family to donate 1-2 items/services, or
Talk to local merchants who might donate items or services for the auctions. Examples:
a basket of items that will be auctioned to help our church and provide great community recognition of the local merchants’ support.
services that can be offered like a boat cruise of Wellfleet Harbor, teach how to clam on the Cape, gardening, landscaping or other talents that can be shared.
Ron Spinks (member) has agreed to be the live auctioneer, but support to Ron during the live auction is needed.
We need someone(s) who can help assess the value of items or services donated.
We need assistance setting up and taking down for both the silent auction and the live auction.
Suzanne Thomas will manage the advertising for the Auction, but assistance to Suzanne is greatly appreciated.
We are considering a raw bar and/or drinks bar, which will require support, but that will need further investigation. Please keep that in mind for a follow up update on needs for the auction.
Garden of Forgiveness of the First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, UCC
After Pastor Jon shared the documentary film, The Power of Forgiveness (2007) by Martin Doblmeier, Tomi Jacobs-Ziobro and Susan Eenigenburg were both inspired to create a Forgiveness Garden in the Grove behind our church.
There are Gardens of Forgiveness around the world— author and forgiveness coach Lyndon Harris, featured in the documentary, states that “The Garden of Forgiveness is a place of hospitality and inclusion; a place of comfort, beauty, and inspiration, a place in which people can gather strength and inspiration…”
In the Deacon’s meeting of April 8, 2025, Deacon Susan Eenigenburg presented the proposal for creating a Forgiveness Garden in the Grove. It was unanimously passed. The intention is for a Garden of Forgiveness of the First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, UCC to be available to church members as well as anyone from our wider community who wishes to experience a contemplative space set aside for stillness, prayer focusing on forgiveness and healing in their life relationships.
Following the Deacon’s approval and connecting with Council members Pete Cook, Jeff Kemprecos and Rick Nolin, Tomi and Susan have marked a garden boundary on the left-side of the Grove, near the end-line of trees, and have begun initial work on planning and preparing the soil for plantings.
We will rely primarily on donations of soil, plantings, landscaping, stonesand the labor of ourselves and other church members who would like to join us. Funding will be needed to prepare initial signage that explains the concept of Garden of Forgiveness. We have obtained a bench and have a tentative offer of another. It is a shady area so if you have shade plants you can donate, please let us know. Our GOF will be a project in process we look forward to sharing with the congregation and wider community.
