Annual Meetings Held

At Newtown Congregational Church

Three new members were welcomed into the Newtown Congregational Church last Sunday morning during the regular 10 am worship service with the Reverend Steven Gordon, senior minister, presiding.

Dawne Kornhaas and Darien MacRoe wore spring corsages and were greeted at a special coffee following the service in the undercroft. The special cake, flowers, decoration and serving were done by the Work Camp Committee. The third inductee, Barbara Bigham, has been an active participant in the church for many years.

Sunday’s service was followed by one of the two annual meetings hosted by the church. The Fairfield East Association of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ held its Annual Spring Meeting at the church on Wednesday night, May 17. It was attended by nearly 75 people from throughout the Bridgeport, Fairfield, Trumbull, Stratford, Shelton, and greater Danbury area.

Newtown Congregational Church Women’s Fellowship provided the dinner for the guests in the undercroft.

The Rev Steven Gordon and Janice Touloukian of Newtown Congregational Church led the worship, with special music by Dolores and Bob Lussier of St Rose Church. Mrs Lussier is secretary at NCC.

Rev Touloukian, chairman of the Association Program Committee, presented the speaker, the Rev Frederick Street, chaplain at Yale University, who spoke on his recent trip to Colombia. He told of the poverty, political strife, and the influence of the drug trade there. He spoke of efforts to help through the cooperation with the Mennonite Church representatives there.

Moderator Darlene Jackson of NCC led the business meeting, calling for committee reports, a financial report and election of new delegates and committee persons. Rev Touloukian was retired from the program committee and now is on nominating. Chairmen of the committee make up the Executive Committee that meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month with the moderator, vice-moderator, registrar, assistant registrar, and treasurer. Additionally there will be two Executive Committee members-at-large.

The second annual meeting held at NCC was on Sunday after services and was the annual meeting of the congregation in the sanctuary with Richard Hubert conducting the meeting.

Gordon Mounts was elected moderator and will lead the Church Council with Margot Hall, clerk; Nancy Fansher, assistant clerk; Bob Keegan, historian; Paul Gehrett, treasurer; and Peg Forbell, financial secretary. Members at large of the council are Joy Mounts, Jean Klein, Dr Eugene Marks and Robert Tynan.

Committee people were elected as were the deacons. Annual reports were distributed with all the committee reports. Mr Mounts presented “A Vision Journey,” produced by the strategic planning committee. He explained what the plan was about, why it came to be, and how it would be updated. Complete copies of the report were available for those attending.

The purpose of the plan is to follow the mission statement and set a structural plan for the next five years, during which time the congregation would like to add a church school building at the Nettleton site on West Street.