Narthex refreshed with lamp, throw pillows
A new table lamp and throw pillows to match the new chairs were added to the seating area of the Newton Highlands Congregational Church narthex in November 2023. More improvements for the area are planned.
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Bylaws being reviewed
The Newton Highlands Congregational Church Council authorized a small committee to begin a review of the church bylaws in October 2023. Committee members are the Reverend Ken Baily, Sally Brickell (moderator), Rich Bryden (assistant moderator and assistant treasurer), Carol Jensen (former Worship & Spiritual Life Committee member and former moderator), Yumiko Matsuoko (Worship & Spiritual …
Closet cleaning creates calm
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 2 Corinthians 7:1 Building Manager Yoko Bryden organized a crew (Sally Brickell and Lynn Shields) to clean out a closet to the left of the stage in the Newton …
Worship & Spiritual Life tries to smooth coffee situation
The needs of caffeine-dependent worshippers are front and center as Joy Huber of the Worship & Spiritual Life Committee has taken on the task of purchasing a new coffeemaker for after-worship fellowship in November 2023. Coffee drinkers and fellowship volunteers have grown frustrated as the old machine has ground to a halt, and Ms. Huber …
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Loved ones remembered on All Saints’ Sunday
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. Revelation 7:9 During his meditation on All Saints’ Day, November 5, 2023, the Reverend Ken Baily described his glimpse of the “beloved community” two days’ …
Revitalized organ enhances worship
The musical aspects of the worship service on Sunday, October 29, 2023, at Newton Highlands Congregational Church were graced by a more complex sound with greater range thanks to the long-awaited completion of the repairs to the church organ. Organist Yevgenia Semeina was in her element as she skillfully played the revitalized instrument, noting that …
A message from the pastor
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and… Romans 12:15 Dear Friends in Christ, Let’s ponder some good news, worthy of rejoicing. We had our first infant baptism since before Covid in worship on Reformation Sunday. We have more to come! Due to gifts given graciously by folks like you (dear reader), our Council sent $2,250 to …
Fellowship time features new hosts
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17 In a change from past years, NHCC committees began hosting fellowship time in September 2023, bringing new faces to the kitchenette in the Newton Highlands Congregational Church parlor. The new arrangement has resulted …
Music is focus of Sunday service
Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth. Psalm 96:1 Music Director and college professor Jan Zimmerman led the worship service on Sunday, October 22, 2023, putting music front and center. Ms. Zimmerman included several favorite hymns (“Come, O Fount of Every Blessing” and “How Can I Keep from …
Pastor and moderator attend racial justice pilgrimage
The Reverend Ken Baily and Ms. Sally Brickell, moderator, along with her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan, attended separate sessions of a Pilgrimage to Search for Truth and Justice in Montgomery and Selma, Alabama, in mid-October 2023. After three preparatory Zoom sessions, participants from several Boston-area churches traveled with the Reverend June Cooper to see where …
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