All Saints Service on Zoom

Lea Mavroudis

The United Church of Christ will be holding a virtual All Saints Service on Sunday November 1, 2020 at 6PM. Please follow this link to register and find more information from UCC below:

Topic: All Saints Service

Description: It has been a year of abundant grief. On top of the pain and loss we experience collectively in what we used to call “normal” times, this year has added 205,000 (and counting) Saints to the numbers of those who have gone before. This year has added trauma and pain and loss in ways that continue to hold our hearts captive. This year has called a reckoning of systems towards Justice, and the slow pains of growth and awareness and the impact of struggle on people trying to hold it together. And this year has called us to cling fast to faith with clarity and strength and prayer.

So in calling on our faith that all those who have gone before are in community with All Saints, you are invited to join us in honoring those who have passed, especially to COVID-19, for a service of All Saints with music, prayer, and lifting of names.

Time: Nov 1, 2020 06:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Boosting Our Chocolate Fest Partners

Lea Mavroudis

This week we should have been deep into preparation for the 38th edition of Chocolate Fest at the Congregational Church of Belmont. This weekend we would be throwing open the doors to welcome old friends and new chocolate-lovers and introduce longtime chocolate dessert makers who have been our Chocolate Fest partners over the years.

But, of course, it’s not to be. What we are really deep into is Covid, and Chocolate Fest is just one of its victims this year. But instead of grieving (and day-dreaming about Oct. 16 and 17 next year), we want to offer you the chance to show our partners some holiday love. Nearly all the chocolate dessert makers who offer their wares for sampling, year after year, at Chocolate Fest are struggling in this pandemic, so we have created an opportunity for them to pick five items from their repertoire that we will showcase for holiday ordering. Here are those items in a convenient order form.

This is how it works:

  • After perusing the offerings of each of the partners featured, you choose the items you want on the pull-down menu under each item and then add the required contact information at the end.
  • We forward your order to the partners whose product you have selected, and the partners will contact you to accept your payment.
  • Each of the partners will deliver your orders to the church at 751 Alameda de las Pulgas, Belmont 94002, and we will contact you to arrange for free pickup. You also have the option to have your items shipped for an additional shipping fee.
  • That’s it!


Our wonderful partners will be returning a portion of the amount they receive from this program so future Chocolate Fests (and community organizations like Samaritan House and Second Harvest) benefit as well. However, you must use this Chocolate Fest Partners order form to provide this additional benefit.

We hope Boosting Our Chocolate Fest Partners will keep Chocolate Fest 2021 (on Oct. 16 and 17) and our incredibly valuable partners in the front of your mind this holiday season.

Be safe and God bless!

Order now here and please share this with all your chocolate-loving soulmates!

Chalk Art for a Cause

Lea Mavroudis

Since the start of quarantine, CCB has had a big box of sidewalk chalk available on our front porch. It has served as one of the many ways we can stay connected during social distancing, and we have seen many beautiful works of art from our community.

This past weekend, two of our youth members and two of their friends designed a beautiful Black Lives Matter symbol with a rainbow flag. It’s perfect match for the flags we fly over our front entrance. We applaud these young ladies’ efforts and activism. They have reminded all of us that our support continues to be needed during these troubled times. For more information on how to affirm that Black Lives Matter, stand against racism, and support Black-owned businesses, see our past posts here and here.

BLM sidewalk chalk art in the CCB parking lot

Happy 99th Birthday to Bob!

Lea Mavroudis

On July 14th, family, friends, and fellow parishioners of CCB patriarch Bob Donovan joined together in a drive-by vehicle parade to celebrate Bob’s 99th birthday. Everyone decked out their cars, honked their horns, and shouted their birthday wishes to Bob as he watched from his front yard. We send our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Bob! Please enjoy the pictures of the celebration below.

Juneteenth: And Still We Rise

Lea Mavroudis

Juneteenth commemorates the day of June 19, 1865, which is when Union soldiers arrived in Texas to announce the end of the Civil War and the freeing of enslaved peoples throughout the United States.

The UCC is hosting a Zoom event on Friday, June 19th to commemorate the end of slavery, as well as commit to a “long term antiracist movement.” Please read the article on the UCC site for more details. You can register and join the event here, and also follow a “Celebrate Juneteenth” Facebook page created by the Racial Justice Mission Group of UCC’s New Hampshire Conference.

Please join CCB and the UCC in continuing to take a stand against racism and injustice, supporting Black businesses, and amplifying the voices of our Black brothers and sisters. Find resources for supporting the movement and educating yourself and others here, and find a ever-growing list of local and online Black-owned businesses here.