​Pastor Chris’s Schedule:  Pastor Chris Green will generally be in the (church) office from 7:30 AM to 4 PM on Monday through Thursday every week.  Fridays and Saturdays are his days off/family time.  He is getting his second vaccine shot on Thursday Apr. 15, which might transiently impact his schedule!  Of course, he can always be reached by email or cell phone.

Sermon Series:   On Sunday Apr. 11, Pastor Chris Green began a new five-week sermon series Lessons from the Garden.  Last Sunday’s sermon included some homework for us!  Here are two questions for us to ponder.
1. What does "fruitfulness" look like in my life (my relations with friends/family/job etc)?
2. What does "fruitfulness" look like for our congregation?
Pastor Chris’s messages are available via the church’s Youtube channel, and may always be found via the church’s website, https://www.etnahanovercenterchurch.org/

Technology update and opportunity.  The ICC is looking into restarting hybrid live/Zoom worship services beginning on May 2 and has conducted a phone survey of members and regular attenders to gather feedback on service and Bible study options.  The planned hybrid services would be at the Etna church, using both the sanctuary and Trumbull Hall to permit appropriate social distancing.  Zoom, as Pastor Chris put it, is here to stay, so the church is also preparing to purchase and install some audio/video upgrades to enable indoor hybrid worship services.  The cost of the planned upgrades will be about $3000, and contributions to help defray the cost are welcome!  Note that the contribution is for video tech upgrades on the memo line of your check.  

Hanover Terrace Service:  Pastor Chris Green will be leading a short, inter-denominational worship service once a month (still sans singing, for the time being) at Hanover Terrace Health & Rehabilitation Center in Hanover.  The first one will be on April 27 at 11 AM. If you would like more information or if you have family or friends at Hanover Terrace and would like to introduce them to Pastor Chris, let him know via phone call or email.

Missions:  The Missions Committee notes that Kevin Van Brunt, Camp Sentinel President and CEO, will speak to us via Zoom during a Moment for Missions at our church service on Sunday, Apr. 25.

Drive-Through Ham and Bean Supper:  Mark your calendars – Saturday, May 15, 2021, for a drive-through version of the famous Ham and Bean Supper!  Delicious ham, homemade baked beans, coleslaw, homemade rolls, and cookies will be served on a to-go basis.  Meals will be available for pick up from 4:30-6:00 PM. Reservations may be made by calling Norma Pelton at 603-643-5924.  Twenty-five meals will be available to be picked up every 15 minutes from 4:30 to 6:00.   We are hoping to sell 150 meals this year.  This is a community event so tell your neighbors about it!

Kids’ fun night:  The gathering of children and adults on Friday Apr. 9 was a success, with 18 kids attending for pizza and soccer, etc.  Some area parents were present, as well.  Another, similar event is being planned for April 23.

Hanover Center Chicken Barbecue -- June 26, 2021:  The Hanover Center Fair Committee has decided not to hold the Fair in 2021 due to continuing concerns with COVID-19. In lieu of the Fair, the Committee is planning a take-out Chicken Barbecue dinner during what would have been Fair weekend (Saturday, June 26). The great success of the Chicken Pie Supper in October has encouraged us to try this.

A raffle will also be part of the event, with raffle tickets included in the price of the dinner so everyone has opportunity to win!  In an effort to help small local businesses as well as raise funds for the church, the Committee is hoping to get monetary donations from church family members and community members that will be used to buy gift certificates at local businesses. The gift certificates will be part of the raffle prize list. This will serve the dual purpose of supporting our church’s mission to help others in the community and simultaneously raise money for the church.
Details are still be decided for the event, but in the meantime, ways the church family can help at this time are:

• Mark your calendars for June 26 and plan to get a take-out dinner that night.
• Offer a contribution - a prize from your business or asking for one from a friend’s business, a monetary donation, your time and labor - all are welcome and appreciated.
• Attend the Committee planning meetings (the next one is via Zoom on May 5 at 6:30 pm).

Many hands make light work, so we welcome your help with this event. If you have any questions, please contact the church or Jeff Balch.

Pastor Chris Green's message, "Designed for Fruitfulness" from our Apr. 11, 2021 Sunday service.  This is the first of a five-part series, "Lessons from the Garden".  Note that this week's message includes homework!   Pastor Chris encourages us to ponder these two questions:  1) What does "fruitfulness" look like in my life (my relations with friends/family/job etc)?  and 2)  What does "fruitfulness" look like for our congregation?  Share your thoughts with him (e.g., via email) if you're comfortable doing so. 

ICC/church leadership update:  With the significant increase in vaccinations and the decline in COVID-19 cases in Grafton county, our church leadership is considering a move to a hybrid in-person inside/Zoom worship service at the Etna sanctuary/Trumbull Hall starting May 2, following NH state guidelines e.g., for distancing and masks. In the coming week, the Interchurch Council will be conducting a short phone survey of church members and regular attenders to get feedback and inputs from our congregation.

Hanover Terrace Service:  Pastor Chris Green will be leading a short, inter-denominational worship service once a month at Hanover Terrace Health & Rehabilitation Center in Hanover. The first one will be April 27 at 11 AM. If you would like more information or if you have family or friends at Hanover Terrace and would like to introduce them to Pastor Chris, let him know via phone call or email. 

Missions:  The Missions Committee reports that we have received the annual report from Cru Military from Executive Director Joe Ludwikowski.  Their report provides a fair amount of detail on the scope and breadth of their ministry.    We will be sharing additional reports and updates from the nine ministries we support over the coming weeks.   Contact the church if you'd like a copy of the Cru Military report.

Our own Dr. Dick Baughman “at” the Etna Library:  Are you interested in Etna history?  In researching the history of your home?  Join us for an informal question and answer session, via Zoom, with Etna resident Dr. Richard Baughman on Tuesday, April 13 at 7 PM.  Dick will explain the steps he went through in researching his home and some of his findings.  

Contact the Etna library https://www.hanovernh.org/etna-library to obtain the Zoom meeting login credentials.
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Pastor Chris Green's Easter message, "The Most True Thing", from our 10AM worship service, Sunday April 4, 2021.