Crossroads Notes:

Stewardship "Raindrops keep falling on my head!"           As many of you know, some of the popular back pews in the sanctuary were unavailable for several months due to leaks in the roof. Fortunately, the Trustees were able to replace the sanctuary roof by obtaining a $45,000 loan through the Presbytery. Since the sanctuary roof was replaced, additional problems have been found in other parts of the church roof. The Trustees have also identified a number of other projects which need to be done to keep the church building in good condition. All this is in addition to the cost of our regular programs and benevolences. In November, church members and friends will be making pledges for 2007. We hope you will prayfully consider increasing your pledge to enable the church to cover its commitments and continue its ministry Deacons’ Corner           The Emergency Fund is getting low. The Emergency Fund is used to help church members and friends with short-term emergency needs. We will be placing envelopes in the pews from October 15th to November 12th for contributions to replenish the fund. Please give what you can to help others in need. Explorers Group: An Invitation to All Who are New to Our Church           New to BPC and wondering how we work? Want to understand better what the Presbyterian Church (USA) believes and does? Or would you just like to get to know some other folks, whether new or settled members?           Our annual fall Explorers Group is for you! You are invited to meet on Sundays, October 15 and 22, after worship (with a light lunch)—or come to the alternate times, Thursdays, October 19 and 26,           7:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. We’ll consider these questions, and reflect on our own faith. The group is led by Rev. MacDonald and hosted by the Membership Committee. For those who choose to join our church, this is also preparation for membership.           Watch for a signup list at church, or call the office at 781-272-9190 or email burlpres@aol.com for more information. Presbyterian Women's Fall Gathering           On October 15, the Fall Gathering of Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery of Boston will be held in the Presbyterian Church in Sudbury at 3:00 p.m. Anne Reynolds, Moderator of Presbyterian Women in the Synod of the Northeast will be the speaker. All are welcome to attend. See Beth Denier for more information. A Reminder to Parents Of Church School Children           Please pick children up from classrooms immediately following worship, so teachers may go to enjoy coffee hour. If someone other than you will be stopping by for your child, please inform teachers in advance.

MATE in Maine – 2006 Written by Rod MacDonald, Jean Southard, Ken Dewar, Bill Silver and Megan Ferrari           Nineteen people representing the Burlington, Needham and Waltham congregations shared a work week at Mission at the Eastward in Farmington, Maine this summer with members of the Sudbury Congregation. Work officially started on Monday, but many arrived early to attend church service in Farmington. After church, we gathered to discuss the weekly projects and assemble crews. Projects included such tasks as building an extensive wheelchair ramp, creating a wheelchair walkway, building a protective roof, remodeling an attic space to provide children's bedrooms, and completing the work of previous MATE groups by finishing a two-bedroom addition.           After “seeing” the projects on paper, we had the opportunity to travel to many of the work sites and get a brief description of the work expected of us by Tim Sullivan, the MATE housing coordinator. Later in the day, one of the parishioners of the Farmington church invited us to a cookout at her home. It was a lovely day of meeting new people, eating great food and relaxing before the work ahead of us.           Our days started with breakfast and morning worship. The worship provided the foundation for each day’s hard work and brought solidarity of purpose to the group. It was now time for work! At the end of the day we gathered for delicious dinners, which were prepared for us by Fran, Jean and Teresa members of the Waltham church. Dinner provided a time to reflect on our work, discuss frustrations and accomplishments and just come together and enjoy each other’s company.           Each of us came together for the sole purpose of helping others in need. However, we left the week with different experiences, reflections and knowledge gained. We learned much about the often cramped and sometimes chaotic existence of rural families living on subsistence incomes. In some cases we learned to overcome the difficulties of working with persons whose own lives are topsy-turvy, and yet others were inspired by the indomitable spirit of individuals who have spent their lifetimes managing on little.          Below are some personal reflections and stories, from several MATE attendees, in response to the amazing opportunity of helping others. While crew members worked on the same sites, different personal reflections were experienced. Bill Silver comments on his week with his son Lee. While Ken, reflects on his second year as a MATE volunteer. Bill & Lee Silver and Ken Dewar (also assisted by Vicki) built a 32 foot long ramp for Charlie and Helen. Charlie and Helen required a better access out of their home because of previous falls on their present stairs. Charlie and Helen both used canes to assist them in walking.           Bill comments, “This was a very important week for me as a father. The quality and character of the time spent with my son is not likely ever to be repeated. There will be other times of togetherness, of course, but nothing quite like this. The week at MATE added more to Lee’s character, in my view, than anything in recent memory, and the week gave me an opportunity to feel that I was living up to my responsibility as a parent to help him become a confident adult, as opposed to the content child for which many modern parents seem to be striving.          He put in eight hours of physically demanding work each day, work that left him tired from accomplishment instead of boredom. He gained the self-confidence of knowing that he operated adult power tools instead of playing kid games. And he watched as Charlie and Helen took their first tentative steps down their new ramp, freed from the cage that their home had become.”          Ken reflects on the same experience with the following, “Both Bill and I thought that this job would go well with the arrival of a skilled carpenter from Burlington giving us needed advice. Alas, he never arrived and we were left on our own (not in the cold, but in the heat) to finish the project with some degree of uncertainty, but knowing that God would not abandon his children in the wilds of this quiet retirement community.           As the week progressed, our confidence grew and with Bill’s help in figuring out all the angles, and Lee doing great support work, we built a very solid ramp. As one MATE associate said, “That’s the best ramp I ever saw in my life”. And indeed it was, one that could support a motorized wheel chair if needed, along with two elephants pulling it!           Both Charlie and Helen were so grateful for the work we did and were amazed that we did not get paid for the time spent there but had to pay for the inventory and our room and board. They were very gracious to us and allowed us to eat our lunch in their air-conditioned home watching the news and soaps. Everything was provided for us that week by the unseen but ever present God who gave us the ability to do something we had never done before along with a couple who treated us so well.”          On another work site Rod MacDonald, Mike Escola and Eliot Bud constructed a boardwalk for Herbert and Gloria. Herbert had a stroke and now ambulates using a wheelchair or gingerly with a walker. Their home’s only useable door opens out the back—and from there, to get around to the road to be picked up for appointments, etc., often meant slogging through a muddy swamp. Therefore, their need for a boardwalk was essential to provide Herbert with more independence and stability.          Rod reflects on the blessing that MATE offered his crew as well as Herbert and Gloria. “One great blessing of MATE work is the freedom to try, and if necessary, try again until the job is solidly done. Few of our volunteers are experts. Tim Sullivan gave us some initial ideas, but crews learn quickly to develop into problem-solvers. Fortunately for our small crew, Mike is a great project planner! By week’s end, we had a solid boardwalk and quite serviceable roof completed.          Herbert and Gloria frequently expressed their appreciation. Their thick Down East accents, and the effects of his stroke, made it difficult to understand all that was said. But I clearly heard him say, when the job was done: Now, how about a railing? I gulped and pointed out that we’d put a “lip” on the sides of the walk to prevent walkers or wheelchairs from sliding off. I just like having you guys around, he said.”           MATE brings people together to help one another. Each of us leant a hand to another person, whether it was working on a project, taking pictures, bringing popsicles to work sites or preparing dinner. These experiences, even the frustrations, will always be remembered and cherished. We are very grateful for the mission funding from the presbytery. This funding made if possible for members to attend MATE who could not have afforded it otherwise. This mission has changed many lives, thanks for the opportunity.