How, exactly, do we find ourselves in the Fall of 2022? And not just barely arriving, but well into the season?!? Our return to worship in the sanctuary on Sunday, September 11, was a week earlier than planned… focused more on honoring the day than on jubilation at our regathering because, well, it was September 11th. But it was also a celebration. Our bell rang to welcome us back and, again, a few hours later, for the 21st Annual 9/11 Memorial Observance on the Common. It was right and it was good. The next week, September 18, our worship included a retrospective slide show of this full and inspiring last year. It showed pictures of the window, roof and painting work – including the amazing day when the Palladium window was replaced and staging in the sanctuary. Highlights from the Easter Cantata, Children & Youth Sunday, the Strawberry Festival, summer at the Sailing Club and preparation for the Village Fair. Magical moments from our high school seniors’ pre-prom event, with our beautiful building as a backdrop, and the send-off for ASP. Excerpts are included in this newsletter and the full slideshow will be on our website soon. On the heels of the pandemic and all that entailed, 2022 has been a surprisingly rich and busy year… And we are now poised to move into this next program year. The choir is back! Jin and Konstantinos fill our Sundays with beautiful music. Coffee and refreshments once-again enliven our fellowship time after worship. We hosted the Norwell Visiting Nurse Association’s Hospice Volunteer event on September 15, where Tom Carroll interviewed Chaplain and Volunteer Coordinator Jonathan Pierce as part of their on-going “Legacy Chat” series. SCC Kids Connect!, a new bible-based intergenerational Sunday School program launched over pizza at 5 pm on September 25. Families gathered a few hours later with Cohasset Appalachia Service Project to learn about this year’s CASP trip (July 1-9). Confirmation kicks-off mid-October (10/16) and we’re already planning this year’s Village Fair and Christmas Cantata. And, of course, our boards and committees are getting back into the swing of things for the Fall. Among them is the Capital Campaign Committee, which is excited to join with our treasured Trustees to share the good news of our progress with a celebratory Potluck after church on November 13! It is a new season at Second Congregational Church, full of wonder and grace. May God grant us the vision, wisdom and courage to embrace the fullness of these days… and the strength to make the most of it – for ourselves and for our neighbors!
God of Grace and God of Glory
On Thy people pour Thy power;
Crown Thine ancient Church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.
Harry Emerson Fosdick