East Congregational Church, UCC in Milton, Massachusetts

Welcome…

Happy faces at East Congregational Church

No matter where you are on your journey and no matter what your faith background is or has been, East Church extends a warm welcome, inviting all of God’s children to share in our common life.

If you are new to the area, or looking for a church home; if you are seeking a safe and caring environment for your children, a creative Christian Education program, or a place to nurture your own spiritual life, join us on Sunday morning for worship.

flower decorated EAster cross East Congregational Church, UCC is an Open and Affirming Congregation in the United Church of Christ. We are a vibrant community of faith that strives to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. East Church welcomes the spiritual pilgrim and our congregation includes people from a variety of backgrounds and faith traditions. From this diversity we believe we gain a greater understanding of the way God is present in our lives. Together we walk this journey of faith, listening for the voice of our Still Speaking God. As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that we can make a difference in the lives of people and in our world through the transforming power of the Gospel. Through engaging worship and study, we continue to grow in the Spirit and live our faith, building and serving community.

Blessing and Peace,
Rev. Sara Marean,
Rev. Eric Marean, pastors

We’re in the season of Easter. Learn what that means.

Our current Theme is “Searching for God”.

You might enjoy reading our Pastors’ Monthly Message.

Our previous week’s worship service may be viewed on Milton’s cable station (channel 8) at 10:00 AM on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The current week’s Worship Bulletin is available here.

WHAT’S NEW…

Local News

Discover the Sufi Religious Tradition
The May meeting of the Approaching Mystery small group will meet on Wednesday, May 30th, at 7:00pm, in the Chapel
We will have the opportunity to learn about the Sufi religious tradition from members of the House of Sufism in Boston. According to their master teacher, Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, "Sufism is the apprehension of Reality through the attraction of Divine Love. It is the struggle to bring about unity of attention in one's inner and outer being, under the guidance of a master of the path. In other words, Sufism means looking in one direction and seeing all things as One."
Llew Smith, Robert Ames and Mohammad Nooraee will expand on this definition, giving us insight into how Sufi meditation works, how they feel the presence of Divine Love and how this love translates into service in the world.
If you wish to explore further, the House of Sufism's website is http://www.nimatullahisufiboston.org/

Annual Meeting
in Fellowship Hall on Sunday, June 3rd, 2012, promptly at 11:15 a.m.
for the following purpose: To hear and act upon the July 1, 2011- June 30, 2012 Annual Reports of the Church Officers, Committees, and Organizations, To vote on the Proposed Budget for July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013, and to consider any other business that may properly come before said meeting.

Boston Pride Parade
June 9
Please consider marching in the Pride Parade with the members and friends of East Church. We participated last year with our neighboring UCC churches. It was a powerful experience that sent a powerful message (in the pouring rain!!!). The parade begins at noon.

Children's Sunday & Church Picnic
June 10th.
The Christian Education Committee is planning another day with great food and fun for all. There are some items that we need for the party:
- Salads (Pasta, potato, fruit, green etc.)
- Vegetable Platter with Dip, Chips
- Desserts (cookies, brownies, etc. Hoodsie Cups will be provided)
- Grills
If you are able to bring something from the list please sign up at coffee hour after service. If you would like to bring something special that is not listed please be sure to let us know what you plan to bring. As always we ask to keep a NO NUT policy for all foods. If anyone has a grill they would be able to bring to the church for the day please also sign up downstairs. Cooks — Volunteers to grill the burgers and hot dogs would be appreciated.

Prayer Shawl Follow Up
The article in our "Scrapbook" section has been updated to append the beautiful thank you letter East Church's Prayer Shawl ministry received after sending a package of Shawls to Japan. If you didn't catch this in the May East Wind newsletter, take a moment to read it on our web site.

Recent Photos
It has been a busy season at East Church! Have a look at what happened recently on the 2012 Photo Gallery.

Labyrinth Story
We were very pleased that the Mass. Conference of the UCC selected our Labyrinth story to be featured in a recent Spotlight newsletter.

Kitchen Dedication Photos
share in the warmth and fun with this album in our gallery.
The construction progress was recorded in an album to our Photo Gallery. View the construction story here.

Conference Website Redesign The Mass Conference of the UCC’s website recently underwent a dramatic and comprehensive redesign. Have a look at their sleek, contemporary, functional new site: www.macucc.org There is a ton of gret content on our Conference’s web site!