10/26/2026
Good morning, saints of FCC Hanson!
Last week was a busy week at church for me, with a number of meetings and conversations with folks and other church related activities. Looking at my calendar this week, though, nothing is scheduled, so I have a lot of flexibility. Gives me a good opportunity to get a jump start on a couple things. I’ll get a monthly column ready in advance (my “First Friday Ferverino”) and get the ball rolling on our Stewardship Campaign, as well as Advent preparations. Yikes! Thinking about Advent already really drives home how fast the time goes!
I’ll be working at home today, sermon prep, and plan to be in the office Tuesday and Thursday, working on those aforementioned things. Feel free to come in and chat if you like.
From what I am told, our Stewardship Campaign is typically 3 Sundays in November, with some speakers, some preaching on stewardship, and us making our pledges. A letter will go out, hopefully this week, introducing the campaign and encouraging you to consider your giving for the upcoming year. On Nov 8 we will have a guest speaker. Randy Cushing is someone I met when I pastored at The First Church in Weymouth, and we have remained good friends over the years. He lives close by and I am often at his house Wednesday nights where a few of us gather to smoke (not me), sip, and chat. Randy is retired from the insurance business, and has always been one of the most dedicated and generous church people I’ve ever known, and a great story teller. I’m so happy he’s agreed to talk to us about stewardship. On Nov 15 I’ll preach on the theme, and Nov 22 will be “Pledge Sunday” and we’ll offer our pledges as a church, and possibly have some folks speak on the theme, if I can wrangle a few.
I also got a briefing on what we typically do for Advent, and we will continue those traditions of wreath lighting and green hanging. There has been some talk about times for Christmas Eve services, which I have found interesting. My hot take: you can ask 10 different people about the best time for a Christmas Eve Service, and get 11 different answers! ANY time chosen will be criticized as problematic. This has always been the case, and it always will be, IMHO. Best to just make a decision, and ride it out. I will encourage the Diaconate to do just that. Also related to Christmas, Pastor Sarah will plan a Blue Christmas Service. My hot take on that: Advent is often overlooked as people tend to “rush” Christmas in church, the way the secular world does. In the liturgy, Advent highlights the themes of despair, loneliness, longing, suffering, abandonment, etc etc etc, but we often miss that because we introduce holly jolly and ho ho ho and jingle bells too early. Advent into Christmas should be a solemn time of anticipation and longing, not deck the halls and rocking around the Christmas tree. But the more we blow by Advent, the more the Blue Christmas service resonates with people. IOW, it is the “solution” to a “problem” of our own making. So while I’m not a big fan, I *totally* get it. I’m happy to let Sarah take the reins on that one. And last thing on Christmas, Dec 20 will be what I believe you traditionally refer to as “Christmas Sunday.” So this week I’ll be getting going on all this.
Last Wednesday I had the privilege to attend the All-American facility for the monthly service, which was very nice. Rev Sue Thornton led, did a great job as usual, we had nice music with Jane and Dave, and a number of folks attended and socialized with the residents. I was able to meet a few folks there and chat a bit. I sat next to a lady who’d just had cataract surgery, and I didn’t bring my readers, so we made quite a pair, both sitting with songbooks, basically NOT reading along!
Additionally, I attended the monthly clergy group (Mayflower Ministers) in Quincy, a Council meeting, and the Soup Challenge! I will say, I do love beef barley soup, one of my all time favorites, and had a lot of that. Kudos to whoever made that, it was delicious! Sorry you didn’t win, though. It was a nice time to socialize, and meet some more folks.
On a personal note, I’ll mention I rearranged my schedule last week as I had a doc appointment Thursday. Apparently I have a small abdominal hernia, but it does not require surgery, so I’m glad about that. But I did get reprimanded once again about losing weight, so I will have to redouble my efforts in that regard, and lay off those Willow Tree donuts! Too, I was gifted a McDonald’s gift card yesterday for Pastor Appreciation Month, so I could get my fish sandwiches, I was told. Guess I’ll have to spread those out to one at a time here and there. Speaking of which, I thank you all again for the cards and gift certificates yesterday. That was very kind of you, and I did not expect such a gracious expression for Pastor Appreciation, having only been with you such a short time. I appreciate the sentiment, and want you to know that I appreciate all of you, very much, too. And I am happy to be able to count myself, now officially, as a member of this terrific Fellowship.
I hope you all have a great week, and I hope to see many of you in church this coming Sunday! We will have our monthly celebration of The Lord’s Supper, Communion, and I understand some of the Sunday School kiddos will be joing us! I am very much looking forward to it. I hope you are, too.
Pastor TC
