A Community of Abundant Welcome to All, Growing Together in Christ and serving with Love

Art Auction, Saturday 9/28 7pm

Franklin Federated Church will host an Art Auction on Saturday, September 28th at 7pm at 171 Main Street, Franklin.

The preview will begin at 7pm with a wine and cheese social to view the art work. The Live auction will begin at 8pm and will feature more than 150 custom framed and matted works of art; lithographs, etchings, serigraphs, animation cells, watercolors, original oils signed by the artists and documented sports memorabilia.

Featured artists include Kinkade, Wooster Scott, Picasso, Chagall, Dali, Renoir, Boulanger, Neiman, Rockwell and Shaviko. The majority of the art will have opening bids ranging from $45 to $300. Opening bids are generally 50% less than traditional framed gallery prices.

Tickets for the event are $15 and the community is welcome! The ticket price includes the wine and cheese social and hors d'oeuvres throughout the auction.

Contact the church office at franklinfederated@gmail.com to order tickets.

MYSTERY DINNER THEATER MAY 4th, The Conundrum on the Crackerjack Cruise [Updated]

Update: Tickets are sold out to the May 4th show and a Mystery Matinee show has been added on Sunday, May 5th @ 2:00pm. Tickets are $20. Email Deborah Bergstrom (debbyberg@comcast.net) or Steve Hampton (steven.w.hampton@gmail.com) for tickets. Snacks will be available for purchase.

Join us May 4th at 6:30 pm for a fun frolic on the high seas! This event will benefit Franklin Federated Church and its ministries to our community.

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The Big Turnaround of 2019, Part 1!

time for a turn!

time for a turn!

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be open to you.”

 —Matthew 7:7

Over the next several weeks, I’m going to be updating this blog to connect with our wider congregation about what’s been going on at Franklin Federated Church. Some folks saw an initial e-mail about our budget issues, and may not have attended any of our meetings. I’ll try to fill you in (from my perspective) and we can keep the conversation going when I see you again.

SO:

Do you want the good news or the bad news?

The good news is, God is good, Franklin Federated Church is well, and most of our folks are in good health.

The good news is, new folks are coming to Franklin Federated Church and adding their faith to ours.

The good news is, some changes are coming, to help us do what we do as a church more efficiently and to give us a better base of resources.

The good news is, many of your fellow congregants are stepping up to help with all these changes.

Over the last couple years, the treasurers of Franklin Federated Church have been watching a trend: our budgets are bigger than our resources. That is, we’ve been running deficits. Good, faithful people have been pledging, the money has been well used and not abused, but our ministry needs, including staff, missions and utilities, have outstripped our ability to pay for them.

For a couple of years, we got lucky, and cash was always on hand in one form or another to make up the shortfall…until last year. Then it hit, and we are now facing another year of shortfall. So the church council met, and did what anyone would do in such a situation: we panicked!

Well, some of us did. More good news about Franklin Federated Church is that even when things aren’t going perfectly, there are some seriously cool-under-pressure folks involved at many different levels, and together we managed to talk ourselves down and figure out a way forward. We wanted very much to inform the wider congregation about what was going on, so we sent out an email that was…a little incendiary. It basically said that one way to balance the budget would be cut all the staff salaries in half, and reduce the minister’s salary. If we hoped such a letter would inspire folks to give more, then we were disappointed, and that’s as it should be: fear doesn’t breed generosity, a wise person once told me.

But it sure got everyone’s attention! And folks responded, on e-mail, by the phone, and in visits with each other. We also had a record turn-out at the Annual Meeting on February 3rd, and that was great! The good news, though the meeting ran a little long (over three hours!) people were engaged, charitable and kind to one another.  

And we found a way forward.

The good news? We know what we need to do, and we’re figuring out who’s doing it. The only bad news? You’ll have to read my next post to find out more! Thanks for reading, I’ll update this soon.

In Christ,

Pastor Charley Eastman

The Annual Christmas Bell Concert

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Thanks to all who joined us at our annual Bell Concert featuring the New England Ringers. We rang in the Advent Season with great music, great support from our community, and plenty of holiday cheer!

Thank you to all of our generous sponsors for making our 2017Christmas concert a wonderful success!

Platinum Sponsors

Lyn A. Pickhover, Esquire
Post Office Box 291
Mansfield, MA 02048-0292

Marilyn Sutcliffe

The Matlet Group
60 Delta Drive
Pawtucket, RI 02860

Steven Kinson

Gold Sponsors

Bob and Chris Brown

Herbert F. Hunter, P.C.
Accounting, Auditing & Tax Services
9 Summer Street-Suite 305
Franklin, MA
hfhuntercpa@yahoo.com
781-255-9200

Silver Sponsors

Acorn Animal Hospital
20 Earl’s Way
Franklin, MA 02038

Arthur Home Improvement
Franklin, MA
(508) 528-4424

Deborah Bergstrom Professional Billing Services
Four-Bruno Drive
Milford, MA 01757

Ginley Funeral Home
131 Main Street
Franklin, MA 02038

Shanna McKelvie

Brass Sponsors

Dave and Jane Sveden

 

2017 Christmas Handbell Concert with The New England Ringers

The Franklin Federated Church welcomes back The New England Ringers for our annual handbell Christmas Concert on Saturday, November 25, 2017.

"Christmas with All the Bells and Whistles" starts at 7:30pm and tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling the church office at 508-528-3803.

Click here to download the flyer.

Find out more about the New England Ringers here: http://newenglandringers.org

Christ Has Risen - He Has Risen Indeed!

Franklin Federated Church celebrated the rising of Christ with two special services. 

Easter Sunrise Service

Members of the church attended an ecumenical sunrise service at Camp Haiastan in Franklin. 

 

Easter Service

The Easter service started with a decorated cross entering the sanctuary and ended with a Hallelujah Chorus. 

Church members added flowers to  the cross that would be carried into the sanctuary during the service

Church members added flowers to  the cross that would be carried into the sanctuary during the service

Lilys and Daffodils decorated the sanctuary

Lilys and Daffodils decorated the sanctuary

Holy Week at FFC

Passion Sunday

Sunday April 9 at 10 a.m.

The day will be marked by the singing of hosannas to mark Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

As the service unfolds, it will transition toward the somberness of what is to occur in the week ahead - Jesus’ betrayal, trial, and crucifixion.

Maundy Thursday

April 13 at 6:30 p.m.

We will gather at 6:30 p.m. for a Tenebrae Service and a simple meal of soup and bread in the dining room.

All are welcome and no reservations are needed for supper.

The meal will be followed by a worship service in the sanctuary and the serving of Communion to commemorate Jesus’s ast meal with his Disciples.

Easter Sunday Services - Sunday, April 16, 2017

Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m.

Franklin Federated will join the First United Methodist Church of Franklin for an ecumenical Easter sunrise service at Camp Haiastan at 722 Summer Street.

Traditional Easter Service at 10:00 a.m.

We will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with flowers, hymns and praise in our sanctuary! This beautiful tradition hearkens our spirits to the promise of new life.  

“Christ the Lord is Risen Today” - He is risen indeed!

 

FFC Celebrates CWS Blankets and Tools Sunday

February 12th is Church World Service Blanket and Tool Sunday. Franklin Federated Church will be taking a special offering to support this amazing mission project that provides blankets and tools across the United States and the world.

From Church World Service:

Help people around the world recover from disasters and get a fresh start.

Someone like Karen, a senior citizen in Michigan whose home was ooded in 2014. Or Nerline, a mother of four in Haiti, who lived in a tent for several years after the 2010 earthquake destroyed her house.

When you partner with us, through the CWS Blankets program, you are helping our neighbors in need recover from disaster, giving them hope and the tools they need for lasting change.

You are providing necessities and cleanup supplies to Karen and others impact- ed by stateside disasters, working with the community to rebuild their lives. You are coming alongside Nerline and others in Haiti, to construct a new home and accompany them on the long road to recovery.

You also make it possible to be prepared for whatever may come in the future so we are ready to act. Join us.

UCC's Trading Places Campaign

The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a distinct and diverse community of Christians that come together as one church to join faith and action. With over 5,000 churches and nearly one million members across the U.S., the UCC serves God in building a just world for all.
Since 1957, the United Church of Christ has been the church of firsts–the first to ordain a woman, the first to ordain an openly gay man, and the first Christian church to affirm the right of same-gender couples to marry. We were in the forefront of the anti-slavery movement and the Civil Rights movement.

We believe in a God that is still speaking, a God that is all-loving and inclusive. We are a church that welcomes and accepts everyone as they are, where your mind is nourished as much as your soul. No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here

Read more about the UCC's Trading Places campaign here

 

FFC Supports the FISH of Franklin

FFC presents a check to Barbara Steele, President of FISH

FFC presents a check to Barbara Steele, President of FISH

The Franklin Federated Church’s Missions Team was very excited when the Rummage Sale team, led by Lesa Rogers, decided to support FISH of Franklin, and donate a portion of this year's proceeds to this wonderful local community organization. Many are aware that our own Dottie Goddard began this organization in Franklin over 40 years ago.

Lesa, Dottie, Clare Ames (a member of the Steering Committee) and Deb Stiffler met with Barbara Steele, the President of FISH, and Ann Saunders, a member of the Steering committee on November 14th,  at the church to present a check for $481.90.

FISH has over 50 clients, ranging in age from 18 to 99, all living in Franklin. Over 400 rides were given this year to doctor appointments, locally to Dana Farber in Milford, Milford Hospital, Norwood Hospital, and as far away as Boston. There are over 60 volunteers, drivers and telephone support, who help coordinate drivers and clients.

FFC members Sandy Hunter is a member of the FISH Steering Committee and Marilyn Sutcliffe is a driver.  We are very proud to be associated with this very worthwhile organization and thank the Rummage Sale team for their wonderful donation! 

Read more about our annual rummage sale here

 

 

The FFC Annual Christmas Concert

Thanks to all who joined us at our annual Holiday Concert featuring the New England Ringers. We rang in the Advent Season with great music, great support from our community, and plenty of holiday cheer!

Thank you to all of our generous sponsors for making our 2016 Christmas concert a wonderful success!

Platinum Sponsors

Franklin School of Performing Arts
38 Main Street Franklin, MA 02038
508-528-8668

Lyn A. Pickhover, Esquire
Post Office Box 291
Mansfield, MA 02048

Marilyn Sutcliffe

The Matlet Group
60 Delta Drive
Pawtucket, RI 02860

Shanna McKelvie

Deborah Bergstrom Professional Billing Services
Four-Bruno Drive
Milford, MA 01757

Silver Sponsors

Annette Thompson

Arthur Home Improvement
Franklin, MA
(508) 528-4424

Ginley Funeral Home
131 Main Street
Franklin, MA 02038

Brass Sponsors

Acorn Animal Hospital
20 Earl’s Way
Franklin, MA 02038

Anonymous

Sunrise Montessori School
30 Hayward Street
Franklin, MA 02038