June 2026 Newsletter

Barbara Schenk • May 26, 2026

Dear friends,

June is here, with several special activities and events,

including our Vendor Fair, Children and Youth Sunday, Special

Offering for Cancer Care and more. Please see the articles and

calendar in this newsletter for more information.



Blessings,

Barbara

Friday, June 5: 5 PM

Set up for Vendor Fair


Saturday, June 6: 9 AM-3 PM

Vendor Fair/Yard Sale


Sunday, June 7: 11:30 AM – 3 PM

Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser


Saturday, June 13: 1-3 PM

Food Drive for Open Pantry


Sunday, June 14:

Children and Youth Sunday & Ice Cream Social


Sunday, June 14:

Just Peace Team meeting after worship


Sunday, June 21:

Cancer Care Special Offering


Saturday, June 27 (Change of date)

Men’s Breakfast: meet at 8:20 AM


Sunday, June 28: 4 PM

Prayers for the Nation


Waving for Peace every Monday from 3:30-4 PM


Please note that our worship time will change from 10 AM

to 9:30 AM beginning July 5. Worship resumes at 10 AM

on September 6. Childcare and church school will continue

to be provided.

VENDOR FAIR & YARD SALE: Saturday, June 6, 2026: 9AM-3 PM Rain or shine!!

Foster Memorial Church, UCC: 1791 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA


New and gently used items for sale! Something for everyone! Bake Sale, lunch for purchase and a fun Gift Basket Raffle!


Would you be able to volunteer? Please speak to Lori, Judy or Pastor Barbara.



TEXAS ROADHOUSE FUNDRAISER: Sunday, June 7: 11:30 AM – 3 PM


Show this graphic to your server for our fundraiser

WAVING FOR PEACE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS


All are invited to participate in waving for peace on Sunday

mornings at about 11:45 AM. All are welcome to participate! We

will also continue waving on Mondays from 3:30 – 4:00 PM.

MONTHLY FOOD DRIVE FOR FOOD: Saturday, June 13, 1-3 PM in the back parking lot


All non-perishable food donations are appreciated and will be donated to The Open Pantry.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH SUNDAY: June 14


There will be special activities for our God Time (church school).

Following our worship, everyone is invited to an “ice cream social”

on the lawn or inside, as weather permits.

SPECIAL OFFERING FOR CANCER CARE: Sun, June 21


We are going to collect a special CANCER CARE offering on

Sunday, June 21 during worship. The money from this offering

will be donated to The D’Amour Cancer Care Center and The

Sister Caritas Cancer Center at Mercy Medical Center. After

worship, everyone is invited to decorate a luminary bag in honor

or memory of loved ones who have experienced cancer. We will

place the luminaries on the front steps of the church. Thank

you for your support. Donations can also be mailed to our

church office.

MEN’S BREAKFAST: Saturday, June 27


PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE

All men of the church are invited to join on June 27 for

breakfast at a local restaurant. We meet at 8:20 AM in the

front parking lot. All are welcome and invited to bring friends!

October 2026 Newsletter

By Foster Memorial • October 6, 2026
October 2026 - Foster Memorial Church, UCC From the Moderator: The energy that filled our church on August 30, 2026, for Pastor Barbara’s farewell service lingers, along with a sense of calm and optimism. The Friday after, I attended my first quarter auction and was delighted to find a similar atmosphere. (If you haven’t yet come to a quarter auction, I highly recommend you do so and bring a friend!) Our missions continue during this time of transition, with the upcoming Crop Walk, Blessing of the Animals, and more to come this Fall. Your executive board and teams are hard at work, and our church search profile remains active with the UCC. To view our profile, and share on social media, please use this link: http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/7192. One candidate who interviewed with us chose to serve a different church, and left us with these comments “I was greatly impressed with the warmth and preparation ... It was a wonderful gathering and introduction to Foster Memorial ... where God's abiding love is evident everywhere”. It is not unusual for a church to spend months searching for an interim pastor; we are blessed to have continued pulpit coverage by our retired clergy members, coordinated by Peter Wells. Pastoral care is being provided by Bob Loesch. Please contact me or any of the interim search team or executive board if you have any questions or concerns as we move forward together. All members are also welcome to attend regular board meetings, held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. Amy Pawle (email: amy.pawle@gmail.com) Alice Kempf (email: alicek@kvreteam.com) Mary Caron (email: mebbohn@aol.com) Bob Loesch (email: rkloesch@aol.com)

September 2026 Newsletter

By Barbara Schenk • August 27, 2026
September 2026 - Foster Memorial Church, UCC From our Moderator, Amy Pawle: While we enjoy long summer days and reflect on Pastor Barbara’s 18 years of ministry with us, your executive board and the three transition teams have also been hard at work, looking towards our future with hope. We met with our new Area Minister, Rev. David Jones, our church profile is active with the UCC, and we have received interest in the Interim Pastor position from area clergy. To view our profile, please use this link: http://oppsearch.ucc.org/id/7192 Also feel free to post on your social media! We are blessed to have pulpit coverage for September and October by our retired clergy members, coordinated by Peter Wells.  Pastoral care is being provided by Rev. Dr. Bob Loesch starting in September. In addition to pulpit coverage and pastoral care, our members have stepped up to fill in many of the small tasks that keep the church going: Facebook postings, photography, filming, prayer chain, email blasts, opening the church, the carillon, and many more.

August 2026 Newsletter

By Foster Memorial Church • July 31, 2026
August 2026 – Foster Memorial Church, UCC Interim Search Update The Interim Search Team (Amy Pawle, Alice Kempf, Bruce Moore, Mary Caron, Kevin Withers & Rev. Bob Loesch) has completed our church profile, and it is now active with the UCC. This is the first step in finding an intentional interim pastor to guide us through the search for our next settled pastor. The profile introduces the church to pastors nationwide who are searching themselves, similar to a job posting. Any candidate who is interested in our profile will send their profile to us through the UCC, and the Interim Search Team will decide whether to interview them. The interim pastor will serve for around two years, working ¾ time, between 30 and 35 hours per week. Since it is unlikely that we will find an interim pastor by the end of August, the Executive Board is now working to find people to lead worship for the next few months. We met with our new Area Minister, Rev. David Jones, on Monday, July 20; he will be assisting us with this and the interim search. Rev. Bob Loesch is providing pastoral care starting September 1st. Please contact Amy Pawle, our moderator, with any questions. She can be reached at amy.pawle@gmail.com. Special Invitation Please join us for the retirement and final worship service of Rev. Barbara Schenk on Sunday, August 30 at 9:30 AM , followed by a special coffee hour at 10:30 AM. Calendar of Events August Saturday, August 1 — Men’s Breakfast, 8:20 AM Sunday, August 2 — Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser, 11:30 AM – 3 PM Saturday, August 8 — Food Drive, 1 – 3 PM Sunday, August 9 — 12th Anniversary of Waving for Peace Sunday, August 9 — Blessing of School Supplies Sunday, August 30 — Pastor Barbara’s final worship service / farewell September Reminder: Worship changes back to 10 AM. Friday, September 4 — Quarter Auction, 7 PM Saturday, September 5 — Men’s Breakfast, 8:20 AM Sunday, September 6 — Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser, 11:30 AM – 3 PM Saturday, September 12 — Food Drive, 1 – 3 PM Sunday, September 13 — Rally Sunday Sunday, September 13 — Just Peace Team Ongoing Sunday mornings — Church School and Nursery Care; Coffee Hour after worship; Waving for Peace Mondays — Waving for Peace, 3:30 – 4 PM Wednesdays — Cutting Edge Group, 5 – 6 PM Thursday before the 3rd Friday — Prep for Loaves and Fishes Dinner Third Friday — Serve Dinner at Loaves and Fishes Last week of the month — Deliver baked goods to Loaves & Fishes (Bun Runners) Save the Dates Sunday, October 4 — CROP Walk for Hunger Men’s Breakfast: Saturday, August 1 All men of the church are invited to join on the first Saturday of the month for breakfast at a local restaurant. We meet at 8:20 AM in the front parking lot. All are welcome and invited to bring friends! Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser Sunday, August 2: 11:30 AM – 3 PM Show this to your server for our fundraising benefit.