Conway Village

Congregational Church


June 2020

The Good News!

“Super Spreaders”

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world,  so I have sent them into the world”                  John 17:18

Recently we received word from the U.C.C. New Hampshire Conference that churches are “Super Spreaders”. I thought, “How wonderful! We are successful at spreading the Gospel.” Going deeper into the letter, it became clear the Conference was not speaking of the Gospel but the Covid-19 virus. Churches are considered “high-risk for transmission”. The Conference made it clear that any reopening would have to be done in conjunction with Governor John Sununu, the United Church of Christ Denomination, and our Insurance Carriers!

The article went on to say what we all know – – guidance is shaky at best! The CDC’s guidelines will be released over time, but, are expected to call for churches to limit worship size, ask for pews to be marked off with “yellow construction tape” (to promote social distancing), require all attenders and participants to wear masks, set requirements for rigorous cleaning routines, and warn of strict limitations about the serving of food. Sounds inviting!

 We continue to have strong and growing participation in our Zoom worship as well as good response to our weekly mailings to keep everyone connected to our church. We are “Super Spreading” the Gospel!

We are conscious of the health situation of both our staff and our members and do not want to jeopardize them in any way.

When Jesus was praying for his disciples before sending them into the world to spread the Gospel, it was clear that they would be going forth in ways Jesus himself had not. Jesus asks God to “sanctify them in truth”. The truth, during our present crisis, is we must proceed cautiously. We, no doubt, will continue to create new ways to be a “Super Spreader” of the Gospel, as we wait upon the right time to join once again in our sanctuary.

Yours in Faith,

Rev. John G. Hughes

Virtual Worship

As most of you who attend our Zoom Virtual Worship services know, Zoom had a system wide failure on May 17th. We tried to create a new meeting and then cancelled the service. Later that day it was decided to hold the service at 6:00 PM. Hopefully this will not happen again. However, if it does, please check your email as we will attempt to hold the service later in the day.

If you, a friend, or family member, would like to join us please have them follow these simple steps:

Go to www.thebrownchurch.org Scroll down to the bottom of the page 

On the right-hand side of the page will be the Join Email List box. Fill in your email address, first and last name and click submit.

You should see the second image once you have subscribed successfully.

This will add you to our email list to receive the  emails with Reverend Hughes’ weekly letter, along with the Zoom information for the virtual worship service and our monthly newsletters.  If you have difficulty with this or other aspects of Virtual Worship please email the Worship Team at cvccwebteam@gmail.com.   If you would like to receive less emails, for instance just the monthly newsletter rather than the weekly emails, please email us at  cvccwebteam@gmail.com and we can remove you from specific lists.  If you choose to “Unsubscribe” you will be removed from all of our email contacts lists.

We have two step verification set up on the mail application so you will receive an email that looks like the image to the right. Please click “Yes, Subscribe me to the list”.

Thank you.

August 7th – Save the Date

Annual Summer Thanksgiving Dinner Full Turkey dinner with all the fixin’s

To have, or not to have the turkey dinner? That is the question.

The church has a Turkey Dinner fundraiser scheduled for August 7th. With the current Covid-19 pandemic we may have to cancel or postpone the event for the safety of our volunteers, patrons and community. We need to make a decision, before the end of June, whether or not to move forward with this event. If we do have the dinner, we would most likely either do curbside take-out only; or with socially distanced limited seating, possibly outdoor seating. We would very much appreciate it if you would answer the following questions to help guide us in our de- cision process.

We have a very short two question survey regarding the dinner. Would you likely attend the dinner if it is curbside take-out? Would you likely attend the dinner if it is socially distanced table service outside?   Please Click Here to take the quick survey.  Thank you.

June Worship Services


Sunday, June 7th

Communion/Trinity Sunday

Psalm 8
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20
Sermon: “Does God Have Fingers?”


Sunday, June 14th

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
Scripture: Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
Matthew 10:16-23
Sermon: “Sarah Laughed!”


Sunday, June 21st

Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17
Scripture: Genesis 21:8-21
Romans 6:1b—11
Sermon: “Baptized into Death…?”


Sunday, June 28th

Psalm 13
Scripture: Genesis 22:1-14
Matthew 10:40-42
Sermon: “The Grace of a Cup of Cold Water”

Historical Corner

In the Historical Corner: Pillars of the Church: Part 5: Dr. B. Frank Horne

Before the previously mentioned doctors – Wiggin, Smith and Spring – all affiliated with our Brown Church, was the presence of Dr. Frank Horne. The good doctor came to Conway at the close of the nineteenth century and practiced for nearly forty years. He was a native of Acton, Maine, and born

there on June 20, 1864 during the Civil War. The son of Thomas and Sarah (Barber), his father was a carpenter and builder and his folks a most respected couple there. Initially, Frank followed the

footsteps of his dad as a carpenter but his longing to be a physi- cian overcame him. He began studies at the Physicians and Sur- geons’ College in Baltimore and graduated in 1893. His internship was at John Hopkins. .He then traveled to Chicago and took courses in the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic, graduating in 1900, with the degree of Ocular, Aural and Laryngeal Surgeon.

He came immediately back to Conway where he had an office since 1895. He took over the practice of Dr. Carleton Sawyer, and as the leading doctor in Conway Village at that time (Dr. Evans), died within a year, he transferred to the village from North Conway and served here until his death.

At the turn of the century (1901) the Dr. married Ruth Burnham Davis, a descendant on the maternal side from our early pioneers

of the town – John Pendexter, Noah Eastman, and Major Samuel B. Shackford. (her father, Frank W. Davis has already been highlighted as a pillar of the church). They had a son, Frank. Dr. Horne was a member of the American Medical Association, the President of the Carroll County Medical Society, the Board of Health, and a member of the Carroll County Draft Board during World War I. A lover of chil- dren, he would frequently bring home a child or two if the mother was seriously ill, until recovered enough for them to return home.

A civic -minded man, he was especially interested in educational improvements. His memberships include the Mount Washington Lodge, Masons; Palestine Commandery; Knights Templar of Rochester, Order of Odd Fellows; the Red Men; Knights of Pythias, and our Congregational Church, active in our building’s construction. While all of our pillars previously highlighted have been Republicans, Dr.

Horne was a member of neither party and stressed his independence by calling himself a progressive and “I vote for the man best qualified for the job.”

A final tribute (flowery by today’s standards) runs as follows: His sincere interest in his patients, and his long experience have placed him in the confidence and esteem of a wide area of Conway, and many of his patients feel the gratitude and affection which only long years of faithful and skillful profes- sional service can command. He has stood beside them in hours of joy and sorrow, not infrequently has he met and conquered death for them, turning the deepest grief and anxiety to happiness of as- sured recovery. As the time approaches when the shadows shall lengthen across the westward slopes of his own life, he will have the peaceful consciousness of work well done and the happiness of spend- ing his final years among those he served so well.”

Quite a tribute to one of the finest that Conway has ever seen!

Respectfully submitted

Brian P. Wiggin

(Some information from “Conway Through the Years” by Ruth Horne and also “New Hampshire” by Hobart Pillsbury)