C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS
will not meet this Fri, Nov 4
Instead, it will resume on Fri, Nov 11 @ 5pm
Meanwhile, if you wish to read the texts to be discussed on Sun, Nov 6, please see below.
C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS
- Bring your adult beverage and your curiosity for a conversation about our sacred texts.
- Introductory video by BibleProject for Luke about the upside down kingdom as a theme: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/luke-1-9/
- The text is provided below
Excerpts from Isaiah, Luke, Acts & Letter to Philippians about the Upside Down Kingdom
Isaiah 53: 12
Because he poured out himself to death
and was numbered with the transgressors.
Luke 4: 16-22 (citing Isaiah 61: 1-2)
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in
your hearing.”
Philippians 2: 5- 8
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
assuming human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human,
he humbled himself and became obedient
to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Acts 17: 6-7
“These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.”
Farewell to JOHN CHERNICK
With the family’s permission, we share with you this biography:
John Chernick, 94, of Intervale, NH, peacefully passed away at home on October 29, 2022, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Born on June 15, 1928 to Fred and Anna Chernick of Amesbury, MA, he graduated from Amesbury High School and enlisted in the US Coast Guard, servicing Coast Guard aircraft. Following his Coast Guard service, John graduated from Wentworth Institute, completing a field of study in machine work and tool making. He pursued a professional career for forty years, holding engineering positions at various companies, including Graydon Smith Engineering, Brush Instruments, Honeywell, RCA, and retired in 1990 as a consultant engineer with Digital Equipment Corporation. A highly valued engineer and manager, he excelled at developing creative design solutions and reducing manufacturing costs. Enthusiastic about design and manufacture work, John could not remain retired. He established BMW Custom Sports Products, LLC, and managed the company until his death.
John loved life. He was an avid downhill skier and tennis player, entering downhill ski races and participating in tennis tournaments until his illness prevented him from continuing. He loved travel, food and wine, and spending time with family and friends. His keen wit will be remembered, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of those who loved him.
John is survived by his wife Janet, of Intervale, NH, his son Jeffrey and his wife Carol of Haverhill, MA, his daughter Maura MacKenzie and her husband Paul, of Sheffield, MA, his son, John, of Merrimack, NH, his grandchildren Danielle Chernick, Nathaniel MacKenzie, Charlotte MacKenzie, and several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of his life will be scheduled later. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Dartmouth Health’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon, NH, whose efforts ensured his quality of life throughout his illness. Online donations may be made made at https://dhgeiselgiving.org/causes/cancer by clicking on Make a Gift, then Friends of Dartmouth Cancer Center and mailed to Medical & Healthcare Advancement, Dartmouth Health, 1 Medical Center Drive HB7070, Lebanon, NH 03756. Please reference checks in memory of John Chernick.
Farewell to RALPH PFEIFFER: June 1, 1921 – October 18, 2022
“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth,
and no culture comparable to that of the garden…
But though an old man, I am but a young gardener.”
— From The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 13. Washington D.C.
Ralph Pfeiffer, born June 1, 1921, son of Ralph and Edith Travis Pfeiffer of Natick MA, passed away at Genesis Mineral Springs in North Conway NH. Ralph attended Natick Public Schools and graduated from Natick High School, Class of 1939. He was valedictorian of the class of 1941 at Green Mountain College and then entered Harvard University as a junior.
In 1942, Ralph enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. After boot camp, he was assigned to the USS Sylph and the Navy Sonar Division, where he trained sonarmen and participated in antisubmarine R&D. His unit was later transferred to Port Everglades, Florida.
In 1944, Ralph married Catherine McGuigan Hursh in Fort Lauderdale where they lived until the end of the war. After discharge from the Coast Guard, Ralph joined Pan American Airways in Miami. He transferred to Pan Am’s new Boston office and rose to Commercial Sales Manager for New England. He and Kay resided most of their lives and raised their family in the boyhood home his parents built in Natick.
Ralph opened Pfeiffer Travel Center in Cochituate MA from which he and his wife Kay led numerous tours to the Holy Land and other pilgrimage sites. His career also enabled him and Kay to travel the world, visiting numerous countries in Europe, Asia and South America.
Throughout his life, Ralph read voraciously, mainly history, and pursued many hobbies intensely, including gardening, photography, carpentry, stamp collecting, wine-making, building small boats, hunting (His most exotic pursuit was crocodiles in Haiti), fly fishing, ice fishing, and lobstering (He built his own traps), but his favorites in recent years were gardening, especially award-winning dahlias, oil painting, and reading. At 85, he and Kay drove from Natick to Alaska to California and back towing a 21’ RV.
After retiring, Ralph decided to finish his college education in the Graduate Education Department at Framingham State University. One of the oldest college students in the United States, he earned his Bachelor’s degree at age 86 and his Master’s degree in his 90s.
Ralph is survived by his son John (wife Beverly) of Denver CO, his daughter Kathleen Wishard of Federal Way WA, his daughter Margaret Phillips (husband Lee) of Jackson NH, and his son David (wife Stephanie) of Winthrop MA. He also leaves ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Ralph was predeceased by his wife Catherine of 73 years, and an infant son, James Gerald.
Visiting hours will be on Thursday, October 27, from 9:30 am to 11 am at John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street, Natick Common, followed by a funeral service at 11 am. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Interment will be at Dell Park Cemetery, Pond Street, Natick. Contributions may be made in Ralph’s memory to the Natick Historical Society, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA 01760. Visit the website or make an online donation. Online donations may go to here.
C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS
Fri, Oct 21 @ 5pm
- 5pm • Zoom link and password required
- Bring your adult beverage and your curiosity for a conversation about our sacred texts.
- The text is provided below
PSALM 40
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,[a]
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
4 Happy are those who make
the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after false gods.
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted.
6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
but you have given me an open ear.[b]
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Here I am;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me.[c]
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
11 Do not, O Lord, withhold
your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
keep me safe forever.
12 For evils have encompassed me
without number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
until I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God.
PSALM 96
1 O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.
Farewell to Nancy Porath Davis
Nancy Porath Davis, 63, Jackson, NH, passed from this world on October 10, 2022 from cancer. Born in 1959, she was one of last babies born in the Mary Alley Hospital in Marblehead, MA. As a tot, she spent her winter weekends skiing in Jackson, NH, thanks to her snow-loving parents Jim and Jean Porath. After graduating from Marblehead High, Nancy headed to the mountains and graduated with a BA from New England College. Deeper powder and bigger mountains drew her to Frisco, Colorado back when true ski bumming was still possible.
Eventually returning to her New England roots, Nancy settled in Gilford, NH, making a living keeping the books for many appreciative companies. Play time was always a given and, aside from skiing, included mountain biking, hiking, dirt biking, swimming, target shooting, gardening, and sailing. Amazingly, she not only remained unscathed from all the adventuring, she continued until her health forced her to stop. Except dirt biking. Fortunately, she sold the moto before it or her parents killed her.
Change once again brought her back to her original slopes of Tyrol, Black and Wildcat Mountains and she built a home in Jackson. There she found her favorite job ever: working as Coordinator of Numbers (aka CFO) at Story Land, under the mentorship of Stoney Morrell. She festooned her office with neon files and brilliant labels, giving it the appearance and subtlety of the Flying Fish ride. She loved her coworkers and office supplies; the brighter the better.
Nancy finally met her match, Dean R. Davis, and married him in the fall of 2005. They had a true fairytale wedding, with their ceremony in Cinderella’s Castle at Story Land, complete with pumpkin coach. They were one of only two couples who were blessed with such a treat while Story Land was under the ownership of the Morrell family. Dean, an 8th generation Jackson resident, continued his family’s businesses of farming and property management. Together, Nancy and Dean raised cattle and pigs, and grew the best damn corn around, no matter what anybody says.
Large projects involving excavation, blowing up mountain tops, building and renovating houses made her happy. Donning her Bogs and gloves, Nancy welcomed any challenge.
To her nieces and nephew, she was Crazy Aunt ZeeZee who never missed a celebration or milestone. Her cards were carefully chosen to guarantee someone would blush or leak. Nance was always up for an adventure or any reason to spend time with them. She was one of the kids.
Nancy was not merely about family, play, outdoors, work, demolition, and construction. She also possessed a deep desire to help those in need; volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, Jen’s Friends, Tin Mountain Conservation, and many other charities and non-profits. Though she worked hard, Nancy always made time to play hard, as her parents had done. Life was always in balance, just like her books.
At the top of the slope, Nancy leaves her trophy husband, Dean R. Davis; siblings Penny Porath Miller, Jackson, NH; Jonathan Porath, Marblehead, MA.; nieces and nephew Annika and Hayden Miller, and Hannah Porath. Her father and mother graced this world until 2018 & 2021. Nancy leaves behind a legion of co-workers and friends, of both the 2- and 4-legged variety. Nancy finally gets first tracks in bottomless powder as we are left to imagine her smooth, graceful turns.
Nancy also leaves behind the treasures of her rabid thrifting, her gorgeous sweater collection, her Bogs and dogs, and many colorful office supplies. Sharpies, duct tape, twine and left-handed scissors were among her favorite tools. Those who knew her will miss her quick wit, intense concern, fabulous smile and those gorgeous turns. May her skis remain forever sharp, the terrain challenging, her company compelling and the snow deep and light.
Donations may be made to Mt Washington Valley Habitat for Humanity and CASA of NH
A celebration of her life will take place at a date and location to be announced.