You may join Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor in person or online for worship Sundays at 10 a.m. Registration is no longer required to attend in person. Face masks are optional for fully vaccinated individuals, except while singing. Please continue to wear a mask if you are not fully vaccinated as recommended by the CDC. Social distancing will not be required, although there will be reserved seating in the chapel for those who would still prefer to social distance. We will be passing the Friendship Folders at the beginning of the service for everyone to sign in case contact tracing is necessary. Childcare is available. If you wish to continue worshiping from home, you may live stream at www.congochurchbbh.org, Facebook, or tune into BRTV, channel 7 or 1301 for Spectrum subscribers.

In the past weeks, as we’ve continued to move through this particular season of the pandemic, some of us have come back to worshipping in person at church, back to dinners with friends or a visit to the coffee shop. We’ve seen family and friends that we haven’t seen in over a year. And as we’ve been returning to the strange familiarity of how things were, we are aware perhaps that its not just the same, its different, we’re different. Different because of what we’ve gone through this past year and a half living with COVID-19. Different because we’re different, we’ve changed.

The Journey Home is a powerful theme in scripture. The stories of homecoming a reminder that we often find our way home in indirect and unexpected ways. A reminder that it is impossible to return home the same way we left. This summer in our worship series, “A New Way Home” we’ll be looking at some of these stories of homecoming and wondering how they speak with courage and compassion, as guides and reminders for our own homecoming journeys this season into a new chapter in our own lives and the life of the church.

On Aug. 1 join Rev. Peter Ilgenfritz for the first Sunday of this series where he explores Noah’s Ark, Genesis 8:6-22. The gift and opportunity of right timing. How do you know what time is it? What time is it for you? We’ll be celebrating Holy Communion and to continue to keep all safe we will be providing individual communion bread (gluten free) and juice. Feel free to bring your own bread for you and/or your family to share! The Mission Committee will also be taking a special offering for CRC’s Set for Success.

The Pastoral Search Committee, co-chaired by Ron Ross and Marianne Reynolds, organized Candidate Weekend (July 23-25) for the Reverend Todd Weir and his wife, Jeanne Fenton. Todd met with the church staff and Church Council members on Friday afternoon. Susan Reynolds and the Hospitality Committee hosted a wonderful cookout on Friday evening to introduce Todd and Jeanne to the congregation. On Sunday, Todd led the worship service followed by a congregational meeting where members voted to approve him as our new settled pastor. We rang the church bells and welcomed our new pastor! Todd and Jeanne will begin their time with us on Oct. 1.

Send prayer joys and concerns to Prayer Chain Coordinator, Barbara Fritz at bfritz105@gmail.com; Note if you would like to have your prayer shared on Sunday during worship.

You may submit your offerings online at www.congochurchbbh.org, or mail to Congo Church BBH, P.O. Box 468, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.