NORTHFIELD — Trinitarian Congregational Church, Northfield has resumed outdoor worship (weather permitting), Sundays at 10 a.m. State and federal guidelines will continue to be observed for the well-being of all in attendance.
SHELBURNE FALLS — Pastor Marguerite Sheehan said, “Trinity Church in Shelburne Falls is reopening our church building for in-person Sunday worship on June 6, at 10 a.m. Face coverings are required only for people who choose to not, or for any reason cannot, be vaccinated. We look forward to being together in person.” For more information, call 413-625-2341.
NORTHFIELD — Members of First Parish of Northfield, Unitarian, will hold their Annual Meeting at 10 a.m. Sunday morning, June 6, by Zoom videoconference. The starting time is 30 minutes earlier than Sunday services have been in the past year. President of the parish Board of Directors Jennifer Smith invites fellow members, “We will look back at our challenging year and think about what we have learned and what we have missed about our church community.” For the link to join the meeting, send an email to fpnorthfieldma@gmail.com.
BERNARDSTON — The Bernardston Unitarian Church will hold a Zoom service Sunday, June 6, at 10:30 a.m. Dan Tinen will speak on “The Transformational Power of Dream Work.” Tinen says, “We spend about a third of our lives asleep. And during those six to eight hours, all of us have dreams, whether we remember them or not. Powerful images and feelings sometimes arise that we carry with us into our waking hours; some of which we share with all other human beings, and some that are unique to our own consciousness. On Sunday, we will hear some interesting ideas from psychology that can help us use these dreams in the service of health and wholeness.”
www.youtube.com/user/FranklinCountyUUs or text 413-330-0807 with your name and email to join the Zoom.
MONTAGUE CENTER — The Rev. Christine Fontaine will be the guest pastor at The First Congregational Church of Montague (4 North St.). She will be covering pastoral care this week. Sacrament of Holy Communion will be observed.
Graduation Sunday will be June 20; please send in names of anyone you would like to be recognized. This Monday is our week to serve the Community Meal at Our Lady of Peace Chruch in Turners Falls. Jean Darling heads up this much needed program.
VERNON, Vt. — Mountain View SDA Church will be holding a free recovery seminars Saturday, June 12 through Saturday, July 03. Seminars will be held on Saturday afternoon from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at 1002 Fort Bridgman Road, Vernon, Vt.
“Living Free! Finding Freedom from Habits that Hurt.” The roots of addiction are deep and tangled, and they evolve over time. What does it take to heal a brain ravaged by stress, broken by bad habits and negative thinking, and the assault of spiritual and environmental forces? Discover powerful tools for renewal, restoration, and recovery in a world full of crises and confusion.
These events are free and all are welcome. Register today at www.mvsdachurch.com/recovery For more details, call 802-490-2236 or email recovery@mvsdachurch.com
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne ordained seven men to the permanent diaconate, Saturday, May 22 at a special 11 a.m. Mass called the Rite of Ordination. Among the new deacons is Lawrence F. Channel of Greenfield.
Byrne said, “This is a great joy today to celebrate, for the men and for me as well. This is the first time I’ve been privileged to ordain men to the diaconate.”
The four-year diaconate formation program requires men to attend college courses at Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee two nights a week, while holding down full time jobs and caring for their families.
Currently, there are 79 permanent deacons in the diocese who play an important role in the life of the Catholic Church as part of the ordained ministry.
Deacon Lawrence Channel and his wife Sue have two children and are members of St. Joseph Parish in Shelburne Falls. Channel is a cyber-security consultant at Mass Mutual Insurance in Springfield.
UCB to worship in-person June 20
BERNARDSTON — At the Church Council meeting, a plan was approved to move the United Church of Bernardston toward in-person worship in our sanctuary on Sunday, June 20, at 10:30 a.m. It will also be continuing online streaming of the Sunday morning services. The plan is in concurrence with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts guidelines for Place of Worship in-person meetings.
We ask that those wishing to attend the in-person worship service in the sanctuary be fully vaccinated. Masks will be required for those in attendance and social distancing will be observed. Every other pew with be taped off to allow for the required 6 foot of distance. Liz Dawson, our organist, will be present to play the prelude and postlude as well as a couple of verses of several hymns, but current regulations do not allow for those in attendance to sing the hymns. Words to the hymns will be provided for those who wish to read along or hum quietly so we won’t need to use the hymnals. Offering plates will be available in the rear of the sanctuary for those wishing to leave their pledges, but the plates will not be passed as part of the service. We are not able to have any Sunday school or nursery care or other activities for children, and no coffee hour gatherings inside the church building.
On Communion Sundays, we are asking that those who wish to partake in the sacrament bring their own elements from home. Think of it as a “communion picnic.”
We will be making modifications to our in-person worship as the guidelines and circumstances change.