I feel like our little community is experiencing and internal revolution.
We are a pretty eclectic town.
It has been very easy to allow our differences to create silos between the agencies that make up our larger community.
While there was a time when we let those difference keep us in our separate corners, I feel that is beginning to change.
As a community, we are not giving up our differences, after all our differences are what make us unique. They are the things that actually give us collective power. But, we are realizing that if we are truly to succeed in the face of all the challenges of our immediate future we must focus not on our differences but our similarities grounded in shared experience.
I believe God is pleased by the work our community is doing. I am waiting with baited breath to see what happens next in our little town.
The Hub is the social arm of our local community action center. It is a refashioned bowling alley and snack shop that is being used to bring our community together.
Tonight, they held a New Year’s bowling tournament.
The place was packed. It was a great Community mixer.
This week our town hosted its second (or third maybe) annual Winchenstock festival at the Winchendon Community Park. This is a classic rock event and fair hosted by our local COMMUNITY ACTION CENTER to raise money for the needs of the underserved in our community.
The crowds were just beginning to gather and the music was just beginning to play as I arrived and walked down the path of peace and love.
The Parks and Rec Committee of our town has planned an incredible year of events for us. The events are listed on the sign below
I have to say Winchendon is an amazing place to live and visit! I feel like our community is beginning to figure out who we really are now and what we want to be about.
I did what I do at so many of these amazing events: I listened to some great music; I ate a little bit of great food; I connected with a lot of wonderful local makers, and I spent more than a little money.
HOW DID YOU SPEND YOUR WEEKEND?I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT.
As 2024 began The Lord gave Cornerstone Church a directive we are calling the congregational sentence. It reads: “Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Prepare you Spirit (come out of the decay of your strongholds). Prepare your Souls(Prepare to practice and feel compassion). Prepare your facility (your structures, infrastructures and plans). Prepare for the storm (Pray for action plan, Pray for a spirit of perseverance). Prepare your witness (know your gifts, earn the right to speak, build your relationships with those outside the church, build your example). Prepare your hope and faith (think hope, speak hope, act in hope). Prepare your love (love each other, love the people in your towns, love those who disagree with you, love through the doors that open).“
Over the course of the next several weeks these seven “prepare statements” will be broken down into 21 weekly devotionals. This is devotional number 8 in our series. It is entitled,
Prepare your infrastructures (your structures, infrastructures and plans)
There is a certain sense, when we talk about preparing our structures that we understand we are talking about very practical activities. We understand it means to clean our bathrooms before company arrives. It means to stock up on some extra groceries in expectation of guests. We can even understand the very practical nature of preparing our hearts to be more intentionally welcoming when guests arrive at our church door(make sure you introduce yourself to the new people). But what does to mean to prepare our infrastructures? What even is an infrastructure?
Infrastructure-the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities of a community.
In community/ church life there are three kinds of Infrastructures we are concerned with preparing:
1. SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE- THESE ARE OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEMS. IN PREPARING THESE WE ARE STRENGTHENING THE CONGREGANTS HEART OF GENEROSITY AND THE LEADERSHIP SYSTEMS CONCERNING STEWARDSHIP OR GIFT MANAGEMENT. AS WE PREPARE WE CONFRONT THE STRONGHOLDS OF POVERTY, SELF-CENTEREDNESS AND ENTITLEMENT.
2. HARD INFRASTRUCTURE-
THESE INCLUDE OUR CHURCHES FACILITIES, ACCESS AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.
HOW EASY IS IT FOR OUR PEOPLE TO GET INTO AND OUT OF THE CHURCH BUILDING? HOW EASY IS IT FOR NEW PEOPLE TO FIND THEIR WAY AROUND THE BUILDING?
WHAT IF A PERSON CANNOT DRIVE OR HAS NO CAR? CAN THEY COME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY? CAN THEY COME TO YOUR DLT GROUP? HOW?
HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE IMPORTANT NEWS IN OUR CONGREGATION? IS OUR METHOD EFFECTIVE?
3. CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE- THESE WE WILL DEFINE AS OUR EMERGENCY PROCEDURES. HOW DO WE FUNCTION IN AN INTERNAL EMERGENCY? HOW DO WE RESPOND TO AN EMERGENCY A COMMUNITY WIDE EMERGENCY?
WHAT ARE OUR SECURITY PROTOCOLS?
SHOULD OUR COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE SOME SORT OF DISASTER ARE WE PREPARED TO INTENTIONALLY HELP? HOW?
IN LIGHT OF THESE QUESTIONS WHAT QUESTIONS COME UP IN YOUR HEART? WHAT ARE YOU PRAYING FOR TODAY CONCERNING OUR INFRASTRUCTURES?
It is the first weekend of Advent! That is the season where we celebrate the arrival of Messiah, and for those of us in the Pentecostal church it is a special time of reminding ourselves that Christ will come again.
The hi-light of this weekend for me was the first ever Winchendon Christmas Cookie Crawl held on the day of the Winchendon Wonderland Celebration.
The purpose of the Cookie Crawl was to promote town awareness of different micro communities and businesses.
It started at the Old Murdock Senior Center. The Senior Center hosted a huge craft fair in their auditorium. My first step was to pick up my Crawl card at the Parks and Rec table, and then to buy a few stocking stuffers for the fam!
My first stop after the Senior Center was Fidelity Bank. Andrew the branch manager was the cookie warden for that location. I chose a soft chocolate chip cookie for my first try. Andrew and I had a great conversation around prayer.
My next stop was the Historical Society’s Old Centre Church.
Peggy was the Cookie Lady there. Our conversation was built around Christmas wreaths (which she makes) and singing (which I have been known to do). I also got to meet her Yorkie Chester.
Megan was the cookie lady at Ruschioni’s Flower &Gifts on Rte. 140. We talked about how and when she started the business and about the fact that we are neighbors. Our church is right up the road a-piece.
Pattie’s Jewelry was next. I didn’t have time to chat with Sherry, the owner. She was super busy; So I just got my cookie (another chocolate chip) and went on my way.
I had a great time catching up with Michelle, a school mate of mine, and the owner of T Each His Own Design. I also got to chat with her about how I had met her pastor Father Henry at the last council of churches meeting.
At Not Just produced, I talked for a bit with the owner Beth Hunt and we shared stories about care giving for people with chronic and terminal illness.
At 108 Ipswich I got to talk with a few of our local farmers about their products and how they were made.
At the library I had a ginger snap while I caught up with one of the library trustees. She was the nurse for my previous PCP.
After a stop home I met up with my daughter Melanie and granddaughter Abigail at the Winchendon Community park which was hosting Santa and the Grinch for “Winter Wonderland.
The Grinch had put Santa in Christmas jail. People could pay towards getting the key to set Santa free before the town tree lighting. What a great idea for a fundraiser.
My day ended listening to Santa’s elf telling the kids a story.
I am so excited about the spirit of collaboration and opportunity I see coming to our little town of Winchendon Massachusetts.
This week my grandson turned 2
At first my son and his wife were going to have a lawn party at my daughter’s home. When rain threatened, though, they decided to seek out a more waterproof option.
The Winchendon CAC, recently acquired the old Playaway Lanes building in town. They are using half the building for food, clothing and benevolence work and the other half as a party venue and community gathering space. Friday nights is community bowling and the space can be rented at other times for meetings or parties.
This space is where my grandson’s party landed.
The space was perfect for the thirty plus guests.
Miranda Jennings and her team set up bumper lanes and ball rollers, perfect for the younger kids or for individuals with disabilities.
Meanwhile, my son and some of the other dads had a pickup game a few lanes down.
There was plenty of of space for food and festivities. The kids loved the piñata. The adults loved the lumpia and pancit my daughter-in-law made.
It was a perfect party space, and the suggested donation helps the CAC continue its essential work in our community. Thank you Miranda and CAC team for all you do.
Notes From the Vicarage 