This past summer, one of the selections for the Old South Book Group was A Prayer for Owen Mean,y by John Irving, one of my most favorite books.  I've read it many times, especially in December when I especially love to re-read the hilarious, and touching, Christmas Pageant chapter, which includes the diminutive child Owen Meany managing to get himself cast as the Christ Child at the Episcopal Church's Christmas pageant, and as the Ghost of Christmas Future in the town's production of A Christmas Carol.

Owen Meany is a small boy with a strange voice, growing up in a place called Gravesend, New Hampshire, in the 1950's and 60's.  The story is narrated by Owen's best friend, Johnny Wheelwright, who provocatively declares, at the start of the story, that Owen is the reason why he believes in God.  Owen is a sharp, intelligent boy who grabs "orthodoxy wherever he can find it."

During my most recent re-reading, one of Owen's pieces of advice to his best friend really stood out to me: "Faith takes practice."  And as I've been letting that short sentence swim around in my brain, I've thought about two things, both of which have something to do with my daughter.

This summer, Margaret decided that she wanted to go to Strings Camp with a couple of her friends (she's been playing viola in the junior high orchestra).  But after signing up, she started to get nervous about this adventure because she hasn't had any lessons beyond what she is taught at school.  Her friends, however, are more accomplished musicians.

So, Margaret decided that she needed some lessons before heading off to Strings Camp at the end of August.  One of our neighbors in Waterville teaches violin and viola and she offered to take Margaret on for the summer.

It didn't go well.  Margaret found her teacher too critical: "She said I sounded like a foghorn!"  And somehow, the criticism motivated Margaret to practice less, not more.  Since we – her father and I – were paying for lessons and for Strings Camp, too, we had a decided interest in her practicing.  I can honestly say that most of the tension in our household over the summer had something to do with Margaret practicing (or more accurately, not practicing) her viola.

But at the same time, Margaret tried to soften our demands on her to practice, practice, practice her viola by gladly and willingly practicing the piano instead.  Over the summer, she has renewed her love of the piano.  Go figure.

This has turned out to be an interesting object lesson in how we deal with our faith.  As we "practice" our faith, we probably find lots of ways that we like to live out our faith – aspects of prayer and service that feel comfortable to us, that we enjoy in some way and find rewarding.  But as we encounter lesson after lesson from the Bible, I suspect that God isn't thrilled with the entirety of how we are "practicing" our faith, for Jesus consistently pushed his followers to do and be more, following God's ways and not the ways of the world.  I suspect that, in some aspects of our lives of faith, we also "sound like a foghorn" when we are definitely NOT supposed to sound like a foghorn!  And I also suspect that we are eager to run from those things, to avoid practicing them.

But we are called to go there, to continue to "practice" our faith.  And, as a church, we are called to go to those uncomfortable and unfamiliar places, and to encourage and sometimes to push ourselves and each other to "practice" those aspects of faith that feel foreign to us – but are, very likely, music to God's ears.  Think of the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son, for example.

A critical aspect of faith is the exploration of new dimensions of prayer, praise and service.  Faith takes practice – especially those aspects of faith that we know God loves, yet that do not come naturally to us.  So, as we gather once again after some summer rest, let us be mindful both of the "practice" and the "practicing" of our faith – and how we can help each other do both better.     

I'll see you in church!

Editors' Column
by Warren and Christine Bartlett

Hummingbirds are becoming more territorial as they compete for access to the several sugar feeders in our yard.  Bees are increasingly aggressive in staking claim to the jam or the syrup on our table as we attempt to enjoy a peaceful breakfast on the deck.  Squirrels are already busy burying what appears will be another bumper year of acorns.  (Although we think the gray squirrel that buried an acorn in an indoor pot we've placed on the back deck for the summer will be disappointed next spring!)  Even as the temperatures promise to be higher than average over the first week of September, we are aware of the shortening of daylight.

Signs of change.

Change within the Old South community is reflected in this issue of The Chimes.  September and the months beyond will bring changes in schedules, opportunities, our ministry to fellow members and to our community.  Change often results in our asking new questions but it also offers new possibilities, new dreams, new growth.

In the words of the psalmist, we

"…give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south." (NRSV, Psalm 107:1-3)

We are the redeemed, being gathered back together to start another church year. In faith, we look forward to this new season at Old South Congregational Church United Church of Christ.

Meet Our Members
by Warren and Christine Bartlett, Editors

Our guests this month are Bud and Barbara Barker.  They've been coming here quite a few years, have served on various committees over the years, and are stalwart members of the Tuesday Bible Study group.  We first knew of them through their son, David, who built our house, but now count them among our friends here at Old South.  They chose to each respond, without having read the other's response first, so we have presented their answers below as they gave them.  (After 58 years of marriage, however, they have a lot of similarity of thought!)

1)  What attracted you to Old South in the first place?  And how long have you been coming here? 

Bud:  I have attended a Congregational Church since I was 10 years old.  I attended Sunday School in Houlton and much later as an adult my family and I attended the Congregational Church in Presque Isle.  We have attended, and became a member of, Old South Congregational Church since around 1986.

Barbara:  My young life was pretty much multi-religion.  First with the Episcopal Church, then with various Baptist churches.  I had a terrible experience as a young child with a Congregational Church which led me back to the Baptist Church.  Bud and I moved to Presque Isle in the 1960s and began to attend the Congregational Church there.  It was a good fit for us so when we moved to the Augusta area we continued on with the Old South.  The Old South Congregational Church has been our Church home for the last 20 some years.

2)  What about Old South keeps you coming back? 

Barbara:  I enjoy the people as well as the service.  It is a very family-friendly atmosphere.

Bud:  Fellowship plays a distinct role in my enjoyment of Old South.  I have served on several committees and have genuinely enjoyed the people with whom I have had the pleasure of working.  I have sincerely enjoyed the church services, the music and lessons learned.

3)  What are the three things most important to you about your relationship with Old South? 

Bud:  Important to me is the upkeep of the building and grounds, attending church and greeting people as they enter, the great music provided without fail.

Barbara: I love the fact that everyone is welcomed regardless of who they are or what they are.  The feeling of being cared for and about is comforting.

4)  What are three things about yourselves you would like to share? 

Barbara:  Bud and I have been married for 58 years and have five wonderful children and 14 beautiful grandchildren and also have an adorable little great grandson.  My family means a great deal to me and so does our church.  I can't imagine attending any other church ever.

Bud:  I have been married to my wife for 58 years and we have five great children, 14 wonderful grandchildren and one great grandchld who is cuter than you would ever imagine.  We truly love coming to Old South Church and hope to have many more happy years here.

I Can’t Keep Her Down!!
by Debbie Morgan

Mom and I went down to the Church last Friday (August 13th) and worked a couple of hours weed whacking and pulling up stuff around the Church.  Both the batteries to the weed whacker ran down, so we went back down on Saturday and finished up with help from my sister, Joan.  We just can’t keep Louise down! (Ed.: Debbie told us Louise was so bothered by the weeds growing in front of our new sign, she just couldn’t stand it any longer, so had to do something about it.)

CHURCH SCHOOL NEWS    

Church School will begin on Sunday, September 12th with a special family worship service during the regular 10:00 a.m. worship!  Come one, come all, and bring some friends!  The Christian Education Committee will have registration materials ready and information, including the schedule for the year, available for interested families.

We expect to have an enthusiastic start to the Church School year.

Regular classes begin on Sunday, September 19th.  Children and Youth will begin in the sanctuary and will have class after the Faith Story and Traveling Music.

Some of the special events planned throughout the year include craft Sundays in December and April, the Christmas pageant on December 19th, the Lenten breakfast March 20th and Children and Youth Sunday May 22nd.  Make sure you have a place in these fun events.

We'll see you September 12th!

WORSHIP TIME CHANGE

Mark your calendars! Worship returns to its 10:00 a.m. time slot  on  Sunday, September 12.

Pilgrim Lodge
by Susan Reisert

We had a good group of campers this summer, including one adult.  Margaret Reisert attended “Arts Alive!” at the beginning of the summer and declared it “Awesome!”  She can’t wait to return next summer.  John Reisert and Emily Eaton attended “Community of Caring” during the first week in August.  John declared the week to be “epic” (his current favorite word).  He loved it so much that he decided to return for a second week during the middle of August, where the theme was Hogwarts/Harry Potter.  (See their article elsewhere in this issue.)  Bonnie Nielson attended an adult camp near the end of August.

It’s not too late to get in on the action!  There’s a Women’s Autumn Weekend scheduled for September 17-19.  And, if you are interested in helping Pilgrim Lodge, the Fall Work Day is Saturday, October 30th.  Help put Pilgrim Lodge to bed for the winter!  The Work Day is open to anyone, grade 6 or above.
  

From the Trustees
by Kay Rand, Chair, Board of Trustees

Church Repairs:  The Trustees entered into a contract with Kevin Boucher Painting to re-plaster and seal the windows on the south and east walls of the sanctuary, as well as the window in the choir area, all of which had been significantly damaged by storm water.  Mr. Boucher also re-glazed the windows in the bell tower.  The panes of both windows were very loose and on the verge of falling out.  All of this work has been completed; all that remains to be done is to re-secure the plexiglass that came off the outside of the south-facing window this spring. 

Church Budget:  The church’s cash position remains positive, with all bills paid.  For the first six months of the year, revenue exceeded budget by a little over $2000; and expenses were less than budget by almost $1000.  The combination of the two positive directions has left the checking account in a much better position than usual, largely due to the significant carry-forward from 2009. 

The church’s balance sheet still shows over $4000 in Memorial Funds which the Trustees have voted to use for church improvements.  A “wish list” is still being compiled and we remain interested in the input of the members of the congregation.

CE Director:  The church’s improved financial condition has prompted the Trustees, at the encouragement of Pastor Reisert, to consider the hiring of a Christian Education Director for the up- coming church school year which begins this fall.   An expanding congregation is demanding more of our Pastor’s time, leaving her less time to devote to the church school. However, it is the blessing of this expanding congregation that is partially responsible for the improved financial condition, enabling us to consider resuming this important expenditure. 

Please be prayerful about this need of the church as the Trustees weigh and consider our financial ability to devote additional resources to Christian Education.

Planned Giving Campaign:  The Trustees will pick up this initiative this fall.  Jim Duncklee will assist the Trustees in this effort to increase the planned bequests to Old South’s endowment funds to ensure a robust future for Old South and its mission for Christ. 

Pilgrim Lodge 2010
By John Reisert

(Editors’ note:  We asked John to write a short article for us.  Then we added excerpts from “thank you” notes from Margaret Reisert and Emily Eaton, so you can “hear” in their own words, too, their experiences at PL.)

Pilgrim Lodge (PL) was great, like it is every year.  The food was tasty, to the extreme (my favorite meals were mac and cheese, pizza, and French toast) and the activities were really, super fun.  I really liked playing shaving cream whiffle ball (where they filled a whiffle ball with shaving cream and put shaving cream on your head – Ed., a favorite of Emily, too!) and quidditch (we played that during the “Hogwarts at Pilgrim Lodge” week).   Chapel and vespers are usually very calm, but also fun because we sing great songs, like “One in the Spirit” and “Pharaoh, Pharaoh.”

I went two different weeks – “Community of Caring” and “Destination Hogwarts.”  Emily Eaton also attended “Community of Caring” and my sister, Margaret, attended “Arts Alive!” at the beginning of the summer.  Both Emily and Margaret, like me, had a great time.

Emily:  “My favorite activity was shaving cream whiffle ball….  It was awesome!  I also liked to go to the nature cabin.  I went frogging, fishing and salamander hunting there!  Pilgrim Lodge was amazing.  The food was great and the deans, staff, and counselors were really nice!  And, weeks later, I’m still singing the silly songs they taught us!  I hope I can go again next year!”

Margaret:  “I had such a great time even though Emma, my BFF (Best Friend Forever) from PL couldn’t come.  I made lots of new friends, and I had the best cabin ever!”

"The Committee"
(aka – The Open and Affirming Implementation Committee)
by Christine Bartlett, Chair

The Committee has met a couple of times over the summer, to continue pursuing our plan to increase accessibility to our sanctuary and vestry.  Thanks to all of you who bought tickets for the raffle of the painting by Judy Hubley.  We raised over $600 towards our overall goal of $25,000.  Rick Erickson was the lucky winner of the artwork – by his mother-in-law!  (He really wanted it, though!)

At the beginning of the summer, handrails were installed on both inside entrances to the sanctuary, to make it easier for folks to take that step down to the side aisles.  We hope they have been helpful, and that you have noticed how they blend right in to the existing woodwork, thanks to the skill of David Barker and his crew.  We're also planning to put contrasting tape on these steps, to help make them more visible, especially during the winter months when the lighting gets dimmer.

During August, we reviewed updated costs from David for creating a wheel chair accessible space within the sanctuary.  The estimated cost for this project is $5,000.  We will be sponsoring a fellowship hour in October with an opportunity for those of you who are interested to stay afterwards, to discuss the proposed changes and costs. We would then make a formal proposal to be included in the agenda for the Annual meeting in January.  Look for more information on this in News & Notes, the bulletin Announcements on Sunday, and the October issue of The Chimes.

Music Notes
by Christine Bartlett, Chair, Music Committee

September is here, the leaves are starting to turn, and so will our “leaves” of music, starting Sunday, September 19th!  We’ll welcome back our regular choir members and look forward to any newcomers who would like to join us.  Choir rehearsal starts on Thursday, September 16th, at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary.  We meet every Thursday evening and Sunday morning before the service, so if you like to sing, come join us!

Before the whole choir returns, however, we will enjoy the traditional “end of summer” music of our Women’s Chorus.  Any women in the church who like to sing are invited to join us.  You’re not making a commitment for the whole year, just this one Sunday.  We will rehearse Thursday evening, September 9th at 7:00 p.m., and then again Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m., before our 10:00 a.m. worship. 

On behalf of the Music Committee and the congregation, I’d like to thank all those who provided special music for us during the summer.  We only missed two Sundays this season, early on; the rest of the summer was rich with variety and talent.  What a wonderful mix we had of solos, ensembles and instrumental music.  Those who so generously shared their talents (some more than once) are:  Cynthia McGuire, Joan Morgan and Jean Davenport, a Men’s quartet (Warren Bartlett, Joel Johnson, David Stanley and Jay Wiley), John Reisert (on tin whistle), Kay Rand (clarinet duets with Cynthia), Warren and Christine Bartlett, and Thalia Hanson (piano). Their music has been beautiful and contributes to our sense of worship. Again, thanks to all of you for enriching our worship this summer. 

And what would our worship be without our faithful organist, accompanist and choir director, Bunny Stanley.  She is always there, always prepared for whatever the morning may bring – filling in if a planned volunteer just doesn’t make it, learning music at the last minute to accompany a performer, and providing the music which is the “glue “ that holds the service together from the beginning to the end.  Thank you, Bunny!

(Ed. Note:  The following article was published as a Commentary in the July 16, 2010, Kennebec Journal and is reprinted here with their permission.  We believe that the struggle to "let go" and to accept change – here reflected in the story of a parent's [and toy's] love for a child – parallels the difficulty we face in accepting change throughout our lives and in our faith practices.  We hope you enjoy this column as much as we did. )

"Toy Story 3" a summer movie that's art, not just entertainment
by Joseph E. Reisert

Most summer movies are mere entertainment.  "Toy Story 3," however, is art. 

I have nothing against entertainment.   Give me something attractive to look at, a sympathetic hero and a scary villain, throw in a high-speed chase and some simulated violence, and I'll happily sit back and enjoy the fun.

Art does more than please the senses; it speaks to the soul.  In the presence of art, we take not only pleasure in the details that constitute a particular work's superficial attractiveness, we also learn something universally true about what it means to be human, especially in our relationships with God and nature, and in the moral content of our human relationships.

It is a testament to the skill and talent of the team behind "Toy Story 3" that their cast of computer-animated toys, and a couple of digitally rendered human beings, not only entertains, but also offers profound reflections about friendship and loyalty, love and mortality, and the centrality of imagination to the moral life.

As the movie opens, we find ourselves in the midst of a madcap chase scene.   Sheriff Woody is out to foil the evil plans of One-Eyed Bart (aka Mr. Potato Head).  Just as Woody seems to get the upper hand, in comes Mrs. Potato Head as Bart's partner in crime.  When Woody gets in trouble, his allies arrive.

More toys, as new heroes and villains, and new elements to the adventure are progressively added until we realize, at the climax, that what we have been watching has been going on inside the head of an 11-year-old Andy, playing in his room with his toys.

So it was once for Andy and the toys, but now Andy is preparing to leave for college.  Though the toys scheme to get him to play with them again as he once did, he's no longer interested in childish things.  Unwilling to cast his childhood wholly aside, Andy plans to keep most of the toys in his parents' attic; Woody, his favorite, he will bring to college.

By accident, the toys end up not in the attic, but at a daycare center.  Woody insists that it is the toys' duty as loyal friends to stay with Andy no matter what; to wait for him in the attic if that is what he asks of them.

The others, however, see their task as complete.  Andy has grown up and moved on, and they must do so, too.  They pledge their loyalty to one another, and sacrifice their own advantage to the welfare of their friends.

Woody, however, sees his friends' decision as a betrayal, because he cannot see or refuses to accept that Andy could no longer need him.  When he learns that the daycare center is not a paradise but a prison, Woody is prepared to risk being lost to Andy in order to save his friends, and, in one of the film's most powerful scenes, the friends confront their fate with dignity, holding hands and taking solace in their mutual friendship.

Only after Woody witnesses the difficulty Andy's mom has in letting her son leave for college does he understand that his love for Andy is not the friendship of equals, which demands the kind of unconditional attachment he had shown his friends.  His love for Andy requires that he allow the boy to grow up, without him.

To love a child is to prepare that child for independence and adulthood – and thus the painful rupturing of the comfortable childhood relationship of dependence, which we may hope but cannot know will become a new and mature relationship.

That act of letting go demands a kind of creative, moral imagination.  Woody and Andy's mom both must be able to imagine Andy continuing his own story, and Woody must be able to envision a new future for himself and act to bring that future about.

In the film's beautiful final scene, Andy introduces a younger child to the world of imagination he had created – thus enacting on screen what this wonderful piece of art accomplished for its audience: the creation of a new, moral community through the magical sharing of steadfast friendship and quasi-paternal love.

(For those of you who missed it at the theater – like we did – "Toy Story 3" will be released on DVD Nov. 2, 2010.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's a cartoon (thanks to Alice Johnson!) to start our year off right.

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September 2010 Calendar

Choir rehearsal every Thursday night in the Sanctuary, 7-8:00 p.m.