Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell Skippack Pike & Lewis Lane, P.O. Box 122 Blue Bell, PA 19422

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1 GRACE NOTES Skippack Pike & Lewis Lane, P.O. Box 122 Blue Bell, PA Volume XXXI, Number 4 April 2012 Newsletter Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell is a Christ-centered community sharing God s love with the world. Sunday Schedule 9:30am Small Groups/ Sunday School 10:45am Worship Office Hours Monday 9:00am-12:00pm Tuesday-Friday 9:00am-1:00pm Church Staff George Hawthorne Pastor ghawthorne@gbcbb.org Casey Stauffer Director of Children & Family Ministries cstauffer@gbcbb.org Barbara Green Director of Music/ Organist Trish Simpson Administrative Assistant staff@gbcbb.org Holy Week & Beyond Palm Sunday April 1 The Sixth Light: The Hour has Come Reader - Amy Bocklet The Sanctuary Choir presents the cantata, Followers of the Light. Maundy Thursday April 5 The Seventh Light: The Arrest at the Gate Reader - Gene Stremme The Eighth Light: The Darkness of the Cross Reader - George Hawthorne Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday, recalls Jesus last meal and His arrest and imprisonment. Our Maundy Thursday observance begins with a Sacrificial Supper at 6:30 P.M. At 7:30 P.M. we gather in the sanctuary for a communion service. Easter Sunday April 8 All are invited to enjoy a continental breakfast from 8:45-9:30 A.M. followed by small groups and Sunday School for all ages at 9:30 A.M. Rev. Hawthorne presents the Easter message, Poking Holes in the Darkness (John 20: 1-16) at the 10:45 A.M. service of worship. The Sanctuary Choir and Bell Choir will provide the special music. Sunday, April 15 Sermon: The Benefit of the Doubt John 20: Sunday, April 22 Guest Preacher: Rev. Rod Birney Sunday, April 29 Sermon: Something Is Missing John 6: 24-35

2 NEWS from the PHILADELPHIA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION New Faces As of March 1, 2012, Rev. Betty Wright-Riggins and Rev. Yvonne Martinez Thorne are the Consultants for Area Ministry and Communication with the Philadelphia Baptist Association. This part time commitment of 20 hours per week (each) will provide support for our congregations and pastors as well as our adaptive challenge initiatives. Rev. Betty Wright-Riggins is the founder and Principal of TrustOne, a ministry of Spiritual Direction and Leadership Coaching. She is an educational consultant for Bacone College and an adjunct professor in Palmer Seminary's School of Christian Ministry. Betty served as Church Relations Manager/Regional Benefits Consultant with the Ministers & Missionaries Benefit board and pastor of The First Baptist Church of Manchester Center, VT. She has also served as new church planter of the Solid Rock Community Church and Head of School at Cornerstone Christian Academy, both in Philadelphia, PA. Rev. Wright-Riggins holds a M.Div. degree from Palmer Baptist Theological Seminary, a MA of Education Administration, and a MA in Speech Pathology from California State University, Los Angeles. She is certified as a Contemplative Spiritual Director, Oasis Ministries. She is also a certified Christian Coach with the Coaching Center, Green Lake, WI. She has been married for over thirty years to The Rev. Dr. Aidsand Wright-Riggins. They have three adult children and are raising their beloved granddaughter, Nyla Jean. Betty is a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Spring House, PA Rev. Dr. Martinez Thorne, a counseling psychologist, is founder and CEO of Cultivating Wholeness Counseling Associates. Her faith-based counseling practice provides secular and faith-based individual, group, and family counseling and psychotherapy to adolescents and adults who desire relational healing. She also provides individual and group counseling to ordained clergy and lay ministers through her private practice. Dr. Martinez Thorne's commitment to church leaders is rooted in her belief that all are called to wholeness and wellness. Her call to walk alongside the Shepherds emerged out of her personal and professional experiences as a pastor's spouse, faith-based psychologist, adjunct faculty at seminaries in New Jersey and Kansas, and Associate Director of Midwest Ministry Development Service in Kansas City, Missouri. Rev. Thorne is a graduate of Palmer Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Columbia University (Ed.D.) in Counseling Psychology (with an emphasis in Bilingual/Bicultural Education). She is married to Rev. Leo Thorne, Associate General Secretary for Mission Resource Development, ABCUSA, and they live in Norristown. Associate Executive Minister to Retire from PBA March 31 The Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Baptist Association wish to express appreciation for the 23 year ministry of the Rev. John Craig Murrow as Associate Executive Minister beginning January Prior to that time he served pastorates in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin. His ministry with the PBA has been a blessing to the clergy and congregations of the Region. John s service has included working in a variety of diverse settings, leadership development, conflict resolution, educational ministry, youth and adult retreats and missions trips, discipleship training, coaching, and placement. We appreciate John s 40 total years of ministry and we extend our prayers and best wishes to him and his wife, Dale, that they might enjoy new adventures in the years ahead.

3 ENGAGING DISCIPLESHIP Open My Eyes, My Heart, My Hands (Mark 10: 46-52) America for Christ Offering 2012 Dear Grace Baptist Family, The America For Christ (AFC) 2012 theme is Engaging Discipleship: Open My Eyes, My Heart, My Hands. This theme is a powerful reminder that we have been sent into the world (Matthew 28) to be ambassadors of God s love, expressed through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The primary rule of engagement is love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22: 39). We can ignore this calling and get busy doing church by singing hymns, listening to sermons, giving our tithes and offerings, getting involved in the choir or joining a committee. These activities may make us feel spiritually good, but god is calling our church to daily follow the incarnational practice modeled by our Lord, who continually engaged people and cultivated relationships. Active discipleship is a selfless love that responds to the need, hurts and pain of those at the door of our church. Our true prayers and Christ-like attitude should be open my eyes, my heart and my hands that I may be of service to others. Lord, use my life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer perhaps said it best when he wrote, God loves human beings. God loves the world. Not an ideal human, but human beings as they are; not an ideal world, but the real world. What we find repulsive in their opposition to God, what we shrink back from with pain and hostility, namely, real human beings, the real world; this is for God the ground of unfathomable love ( A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Daily Meditations from His Letters, Writings, and Sermons ). As God s children in this world, we are called to engage people. As we meet people every day in our life s journey, we should share the love of Christ in word and deed. As God s people, let us extend our hands daily to lift and encourage those around us who may need hope and a transformative touch of love. This year s theme, Engaging Discipleship: Open My Eyes, My Heart, My Hands, encourages us to come alongside people. Let us see the need, let it break our hearts and, with our hands, let us comfort and be a blessing to others. On Sunday, April 15 we will receive the AMERICA FOR CHRIST OFFERING. Please be generous in helping us reach our church s goal of $2,500 in support of making a difference in the lives of others for the cause of Christ. Engaging Discipleship that reflects God s Love! With eternal hope, Ken Green, Chair, Board of Missions

4 Palmer Seminary is MOVING! In 1940, after 15 years in its original location on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, the Seminary moved to its current location on the outskirts of the city in Wynnewood. Now seventy-two years later, the Seminary is moving again. The eventual new home for Palmer will be Matherly Hall, a new building estimated at $10 million that will be located on Eastern University s west campus. For the next few years, however, Palmer s temporary home will be the American Baptist Churches Mission Center in nearby King of Prussia. Despite the move away from Philadelphia, Palmer plans to maintain a solid urban presence based on the development of satellite locations accessible to students from the city. On April 28, a Celebration Saturday is planned at Palmer Seminary. This will be a time for alumni, current students, faculty and staff and anyone interested in Palmer to celebrate the Seminary s years in Wynnewood and to envision together a promising future. The day will begin with a 10:00 A.M. viewing of a historical display and a tour of the campus, and end with a Service of Remembrance at 7:15 P.M. The evening speaker will be Luis Cortes 06, President of Esperanza USA. Lunch will be served at noon and an evening banquet at 5:30 P.M. Throughout the day, there will be short field trips to the Seminary s new locations (the ABC Mission Center and Eastern University West Campus) and also sessions on Envisioning the Seminary s Future, New Programs and Initiatives, and Palmer s Distinctive Approach to Recruiting and Learning. There will be many opportunities to share memories and reconnect with former classmates. To register for Celebration Saturday, call The day s events and lunch are free, but there is a charge of $20 for the evening banquet ($8 for children). All are welcome to enjoy this special day at Palmer. Information from inministry, Spring 2012 Looking Back As We Look Forward To a Hopeful Future Over one hundred years ago, the late Dr. Russell Conwell served as the pastor of the first megachurch in America, the Baptist Temple of Philadelphia the church from which we came in Each Sunday the 4,000+ seat sanctuary was filled to overflowing with worshippers eager to hear his eloquent words. The church grew rapidly as new people were continually won to Christ and joined the church. Sunday school classes and Bible studies were wellattended as people of all ages sought to grow in their Christian faith. But Dr. Conwell and the members of the Baptist Temple were not content with spiritual and numerical growth within the confines of their church. During Dr. Conwell s tenure they also founded a university and a hospital, both of which continue to meet the health and educational needs of thousands of people in the Philadelphia region today. To be sure, the church was characterized by an inward and outward vision for making a difference in people s lives. And it did so very successfully for a number of years. I mention this bit of history because I want to put our new Strategic Plan in its proper historical perspective. I believe that at the heart of our new plan is the desire to emulate the vision of the old Baptist Temple. We don t want to try to be a carbon copy of that historic church for times have changed. But we do desire to emulate the inward and outward focus that characterized it. We do want to become a church that is making a bigger difference not only in the lives of our members but also in the community we seek to serve. I think it s very appropriate that our new plan should take its final shape as we celebrate the Easter season here at Grace Baptist. Just as Easter symbolizes new life and hope, so may our church move forward in the same spirit as we embrace our new plan for the future. Centered in Christ, Pastor George

5 SPAGHETTI DINNER& CONCERT Sunday, April 29 5:30 P.M. The youth group is sponsoring the annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for the Senior High summer mission trip with Reach Workcamps to Eleanor, WV, July Mark your calendars for April 29 and come enjoy a homemade spaghetti dinner with all the fixins. The mission video from last year s trip to New Oxford, PA will be highlighted to show where the support money goes. You ll see the tremendous impact a group of teenagers can have and how much fun an experience like this can be. Following dessert, we will all enjoy a wonderful concert by the Christian Artists Singers at 7:00 P.M. The Christian Artists Singers have been proclaiming Christ in song for over thirty years. Their programs usually include a variety of sacred music including classical selections, anthems, spirituals, and hymn arrangements. David Nicol is co-founder and director, and our own Gene Stremme is the accompanist. Teens, if you are going on the mission trip this summer, you are required to help set up, serve, and clean up after the dinner. Please be at church by 4:30 P.M. for set up. We are also asking each teen to bring a dessert to share. If everyone brings something, we will have enough for everyone at the dinner. More dates for the Youth Calendar: Youth Group Lock-In, 8:00pm Friday, April 13-8:00am, Saturday, April 14 Please sign up for a head count. Cost: $5 for pizza Workcamp Informational Meeting, Sunday, April 15, immediately following worship General information will be distributed and questions can be answered. Students, if you are planning to go to Reach Workcamp this summer, we need to know ASAP (before the April 15 meeting!) and you need to see Kristin to get a form. Your form and your $50 deposit are due by the April 15 meeting at the latest! We will be discussing additional costs at the meeting. No youth group on April 8 and April 15 Retro Game Show Extravaganza, Saturday, May 12, 2:00-4:00pm Congratulations, Team! Through the efforts of Scott and Jill Rhea, Grace Baptist sponsors a team in the Whitpain Recreation Association (WRA) 5th Grade Basketball League. Scott is the coach and Davis Rhea is a starting forward. After a long, tough season, the team went into playoffs in 5th place and finished up in 2nd place for the season following two playoff wins. Hard work and good coaching really paid off. Davis (right) celebrating with two teammates Check out the trophy at the Welcome Center!

6 Congratulations to Davis Rhea for a great performance at the Shady Grove Talent Show on Friday, March 16. Davis played a piano solo to a receptive crowd. He also played in the opening number with the Shady Grove Drum Line. Way to go, Davis! Brooke Rhea will hold her 2nd Food Distribution on March 30 at 10:00 A.M. at the Community Cupboard in Ambler. Through her birthday car wash fundraising efforts she has raised enough money to bring in her second semi-tractor trailer of food and personal care items to help 400 local families in need. We re very proud of you, Brooke! (If you can help with this effort on March 30,9:00 A.M. noon, contact Brooke or Jill Rhea.) A Church Work Day is scheduled for Sunday, April 22 following the worship service. Helpers, bring your lunch and work clothes to church. Projects include mulching flower beds, cleaning up the grounds, and sorting and cleaning out interior closets. (Rain Date: Sunday, April 29) Blankets+ Sunday is Sunday, April 22. Contributions to Blankets+ help Church World Service provide support to families around the world to recover from disasters and to build viable, sustainable lives and communities. Offering envelopes will be provided in your bulletin on April 22. Please be generous in your support of Blankets+. A Growing Express Consignment Sale (formerly Wee- Cycle) will be held at Grace Baptist on Saturday, April 21, 8:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M. Find great buys on new and gently used baby and kid items including toys, clothing, shoes, books, strollers, baby equipment, summer items and more! Cash only accepted. Save the Date! Inter-Faith Housing Alliance holds its 15th Annual Golf Outing on Monday, May 21 at Meadowlands Country Club, Blue Bell. All proceeds benefit Inter-Faith s housing programs for homeless families in our county. For reservations or sponsorship information, call or office@i-fha.org. Shady Grove Elementary holds its 10th annual Spring Zing on Saturday, April 21. All proceeds benefit the Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard and other educational activities at Shady Grove. Registration and packet pick-up is 8:00 A.M. A 1-mile walk begins at 9:00 A.M. and the 5K Run starts at 9:30 A.M. Rain or shine. To register go to April Birthdays 1 Natalie Glantz 1 Kathy Taylor 2 Michael Allmond, Jr. 2 Jeff Bates 3 Scott Rhea 6 Lloyd Paullin 6 Louise Markley 6 Jack Sharpe 8 Elaine Hanrahan 9 Melissa Scharf 12 Kathy Gallagher 12 Butch Swanson 12 Carol Taylor 20 Kolton Galie 21 Kristin Paluszka 21 Janet Cazier 22 Betty Hough 23 Linda Lin 23 Oneida Ortiz 24 Michael Froman 24 Brooke Rhea 27 Grace Schrap 28 Ron Cummings 30 Gaby Ortiz Super Saturday Saturday, April 7, 9:30-11:30am All 3 year olds-5th graders are invited to enjoy an Easter Egg Hunt and other fun activities. Bring a friend or two to share the fun and a bag or basket for your eggs!

7 P.O. Box Skippack Pike & Lewis Lane Blue Bell, PA FAX If you would prefer not to receive future mailings, call or and let us know. The monthly newsletter is also available at the church website. Mark these Dates on Your Calendar! Saturday, May 12 Sunday, May 13 Sunday, May 20 Sunday, June 10 Sunday, June 17 Sunday, July 8- Thursday, July14 Retro Game Show Extravaganza (Youth Group) Baby Manna Offering on Mother s Day Annual Congregational Meeting Children s Day/Teacher Recognition Summer schedule of 9:30 A.M. worship begins Vacation Bible School - Dive Deeper

8 Mark your calendars to Dive Deeper!! Vacation Bible School Sunday, July 8, 2012 Thursday, July 12, 2012 We are still looking for volunteers to help with decorating, music, shopping, leading groups, and someone who would like to teach an adult track. If you have any questions or want to volunteer, please contact Casey Stauffer. February s Parents Night Out! Our egg dying adventures!

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