and Christmas December 2016

Transcription

1 and Christmas December 2016

2 ONE ANOTHERING... Would Jesus Go To Church? In spite of the WWJD gimmicks, no one can say for certain what Jesus would do. We know what he did. But no one knows for sure what he would do. This was a question on a talk show I was watching recently: Would Jesus go to church? Obviously it came from one who was suspicious of institutions; governmental institutions, religious institutions. Jesus yes, church no is the slogan of our time. A similar question was asked about him in the Gospel of John. What do you think, will he not come to the feast? (11:56). It was Passover in Jerusalem. The religious leaders had their doubts about whether he would show up or not. God has some sloppy habits about going to worship. If the magic got too deep, God just wouldn t come. They held worship in Shiloh, but God wasn t there. So there is precedent in the Old Testament. And in the New Testament: Jesus went to worship on the Sabbath as his custom was (Lk 4:16). But would Jesus go to church today? Yes, because no idea can worship in spirit alone. The idea of democracy needs a constitution. Learning needs a schoolhouse. Music needs a choir. Baseball needs a team. And faith needs a church. For sure there are times I ve had to wait on the church. And there were times when the church has had to wait on me. Every church has its imperfections, including the congregations in Jesus time, but he still supported them. He was intent on reforming the house of God from within, not attacking it from without. The church struggles with itself, constantly being prodded by its own ideals. The church s glory is not that it is good, but that it is God s. Another complaint about the church is it s not in touch with reality. Contemporary life has passed the archaic church behind. Jesus was always where the action was. So this might disqualify him from today s churches. This is a fair criticism, but it holds for all institutions. The pace of change has overtaken every institution: medicine, government, social work, education, business. A motorbike can do a U-Turn quicker than a truck. But it s the truck that delivers the goods we need. The new fad in college football is these wild-colored, non-traditional uniforms. Being an ardent Tennessee fan all my life, I love the orange (Tennessee Orange). Smoky Gray? Ewww. But for the seniors on the team, it is ultra-cool! And it helps in recruiting. Today s church has to be more than just cool and relevant. It must also be faithful to its calling, to share with all takers what God has done for them in Jesus Christ. So my word for those who are fed up with the church, is to stay with it. The institution still has a role to play in our religious experience. It goes without saying that the church is destined to live in tension with the character and example of her Lord. Even as she is called to adjust to the ever-changing demands of a new day. So would Jesus come to the church (John 11:56)? I believe he would. And I d like to think that he d come to ours. I hope I m preaching when he comes! Yeah Jesus would come to church today like he went to worship in his day, because he loved the church and gave himself for it. As Samuel J. Stone put it way back in 1866: From heaven he came and sought her, to be his holy bride; and with his blood he bought her, and for her life he died. Br er Dan 2 nd Mile Smiles: to Swain Junko for her work with the new, upcoming Church website. At Ease in Zion:

3 PRAYER REQUESTS Megan Miller Cecile White Art Mapstone Harry Cole Erm Ferris Loretta Beuchert Mary Anna Jessie Mapstone Luz Maria Kathy Clements Debbie Foringer Shirley Mapstone Bonnie Carrie Franklin Margaret Hitchcock Tom Biviano Dee Sterritt Everhart & Jerry Sterritt, Bev Curr s siblings Maximo Fernandez Kelly Griffin s sister, brother-in-law and children Hazel Swaim Audrey Rose Carlee plus her mom and dad Dottie Ammann ~ ~ ~ Do you have a praise or prayer request to share? Contact the Church office at /fbcman@twcny.rr.com by Wednesday morning. Thank you ~ ~ ~ Jo Ann Mostar and others will be meeting Monday afternoons at 1 p.m. in the Library to pray. We will be praying for needs expressed in our bulletin each Sunday as well as other needs brought to our attention. Please call Jo Ann with prayer requests. Come and join us when you can. For any further information, please contact Jo Ann. December Birthdays Birthstone Turquoise; Flower Narcissus 3. Bill Davison Gary Johnson 7. Heather Miles Linda Tessier 10. Michael Binder 14. Brodie Shephard 17. Anne Miller Courtney (Shevchuk) Sanville 19. Micah Granata 21. Jason Morales 22. Christy (Brownell) Siau 23. JP Miller 24. Pauline Cole 29. Megan Corrice Unity Fellowship for December 2016 Unity Fellowship will meet on Saturday, December 17th at 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel. We will first have a dish-to pass supper; bring a casserole or salad to pass. Also, please bring your dinner plate, your silverware, and your cup. We will furnish the dessert and the beverage. After dinner, we have a great program for you!! Our interim pastor's wife, Libby Ivins, will present a program about their home state, Tennessee. It is called "What you never knew about Tennessee"! Come and join us for a real interesting and informative program!! If you have any questions, please contact Dick Barber or Dianna Cook-Lacey. See you there!! December Anniversaries 4. Cindy & Mark Mapstone 31. Jean & Gary Baker You are special to us, and we want to remember your special dates. If you have any additions to our list, please contact the Church office at or fbcman@twcny.rr.com. Blood Drive at FBC on November 19th 27 units of blood were collected on Saturday, Nov. 19 th. A HUGE thank you to Jean Lynn Buskey for coordinating this event and for the canteen helpers: Jill Doss, Jo Ann Mostar, Harry and Pauline Cole, Gini Wharton, and Frank Adams. January Newsletter: All articles for the January newsletter are due Thursday, December 15th. Please all articles to fbcman@twcny.rr.com or place in the secretary s mail slot. Thank you Book Club The next Book Club get together will be in January at Mary Schwarz s place. The date, time, & book to read will be forthcoming.

4 Sunday s in December 9:45-10:45 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages 11:00 a.m. Worship Service December 4th When the Box Won t Fit John 1:6-8; Communion Sunday Rev. Dr. Dan Ivins, Interim Pastor Second Sunday of Advent December 11th Divine Pedigree Matthew 1:18-25 Third Sunday of Advent Rev. Dr. Dan Ivins, Interim Pastor Budget Adoption & Election of Officers mtg. December 18th The Fullness of Time Galatians 4:4-5 Fourth Sunday of Advent Rev. Dr. Dan Ivins, Interim Pastor December 25th There will be no worship service Christmas Day. Pastor Dan will be leaving after the 7 p.m. Christmas Eve Worship Service and returning to Manlius late Friday, January 6 th. While Pastor Dan is away, any pastoral concerns may be directed to Dick Barber during non-church office hours. Thank you. Discipleship Sunday School for All Ages 9:45 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Children s Class/K-5 th Kim Granata Carole Guynup Room (205) Youth Class/6-12 th Kelly Griffin Youth Room (204) Adult Classes: Jim Mitscher Library Jill Doss Room 207 Barbara Brace/Libby Ivins Chapel BIBLE STUDIES Thursday evenings at 5:30 p.m. - potluck supper with catch-up followed by study of Jesus Calling led by Ellen Everly - Room #208 Book Club: meets monthly in the homes of participants. We discuss current literature and always ask, How would a life of faith have changed the lives of the characters? All are welcome!

5 Reach Out and Make Christmas Special for Others 2016 Giving for FM Community Outreach Families Making Christmas special for those in need. FM Community Outreach has families who would enjoy having new pajamas this Christmas. How can you help? Take a red paper stocking from the display on either side of the baptistery in the front of the sanctuary. Purchase new pajamas according to the size and gender specified on the stocking. (Lounge pants make great pjs for teens). Do not wrap the items. Place pajamas, with the stocking tag attached, in the specially marked bins in the narthex no later than Sunday, November 27th. Also, there is a Mitten Tree in the Playschool hallway (near the Chapel entrance) waiting for your donation of winter mittens, gloves, scarves, or hats for all ages!! These items need to be on (or near) the Mitten tree by Sunday, December 4th. If you have any questions, please call Jean Lynn Buskey. A Note from Your Worship Team Liaison As all the stores are so quick to point out, the holiday season is quickly approaching! This year, we at First Baptist Manlius will be celebrating the birth of our Savior and the start of a new God-given year in different ways. As I have announced in Sunday morning services previously, we will not have a service on Christmas Day. There will be two services on Christmas Eve: 7:00 p.m., led by Br'er Dan; 11:00 p.m. led by Rev. Dr. John Buskey The latter of the two services will lead us into Christmas Day. If you would like to attend a worship service on Christmas Day, the following churches in our area will be holding worship: 9:45 a.m. Manlius United Methodist Church, Pleasant & Wesley Streets 10:00 a.m. Community Covenant, 107 Pleasant Street, Manlius Regarding the New Year's Day event, instead of having a standard worship service, we will worship our Lord in a morning of fellowship and food! We will have a time of sharing, and Communion will be observed. The event will be at 10:00 a.m., and my wonderful team and I will provide brunch food, juice and coffee. We are not asking any of you to bring a brunch food to share, but if you have a particular brunch dish that you love to serve, we would happily accept that addition. What we do ask is that everyone who comes to the brunch bring a baked item. If you don't bake yourself, something picked up at a bakery would be good. These baked goods will be delivered to the Fayetteville-Manlius area fire departments and to the Fayetteville-Manlius police department. Much love to you all, Kelly Griffin

6 ADVENT & CHRISTMAS EVENTS THE MASTER S TOUCH CHORALE CONCERT Saturday, November 26 th 6:00 pm First Baptist Church of Manlius (Sanctuary) You don t want to miss out on this beautiful concert. Come and hear the joyful sounds of Christmas. A reception in the Chapel will follow the performance. This is ABW s Christmas gift to all of you. A free will offering will be taken. A Harmony of Harps Holiday Concert Sunday, November 27, 4:00 p.m. Trinity Episcopal Church 106 Chapel St., Fayetteville, NY A Holiday Harp Concert to put you in the spirit of the season! Free will donation welcome but not required. A Festival of Advent Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 4, 7:00 p.m. Immaculate Conception Church 400 Salt Springs St., Fayetteville, NY Choirs and Readings from many area churches. Offering: Supports FM Food Pantry Annual Bells & Brass Concert Sunday, December 11, 3:00 p.m. United Church of Fayetteville (Sanctuary) 310 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville, NY Syracuse University Brass Ensemble, the Syracuse Chorale, and the United Church of Fayetteville Hand Bell Choir will be performing. Come and enjoy the sounds of Christmas, support our mission in Haiti, and bring non-perishables for the FM Community Outreach Food Pantry! Merry Christmas to all

7 Retired Ministers and Missionaries Offering 2016 The roots of RMMO go back to the mid-1930s, when American Baptist congregations received a Communion Fellowship Offering on the first Sunday of each month to support retired ministers, missionaries, their widowed spouses and elderly clergy within their churches. In 1977, American Baptist Churches USA launched the Retired Ministers and Missionaries Offering (RMMO) to continue this appreciation of God s service. This year our theme is Faith through Gratitude. We are called to be faithful servants of the gospel and to live out the ministry of Jesus in word and deed. The gratitude that we have for Jesus gift to us is the seed from which springs the gratitude that manifests toward the people of God. This offering supports those who have dedicated their lives to God s service by providing emergency assistance in times of need and a thank you check at the end of each year. We hope you will join us in honoring God s committed servants. Thank You! Amount Donated is 2015: $1, Goal for 2016: $1, Your Support First Baptist Church of Manlius 408 Pleasant Street Manlius, NY (315)

8 The Sign Guy November 6, 2016 November 13, 2016 November 20, 2016 November 27, 2016

9 Christmas Eve Services Saturday, December 24, :00 p.m. Candlelight Service Rev. Dr. Dan Ivins 11:00 p.m. Communion Service Rev. Dr. John R. Buskey

10 Pastoral Search Committee News November 13, 2016 Reverend Jim Kelsey met with Al Dominy, Ellen Everly and Barbara Brace (PSC members) after worship on November 13, We described what steps we have taken and where we are in our search for a pastor. Reverend Kelsey answered several process questions we had, and clarified some information from ABCNY. We have contacted via several candidates, and will begin telephone interviews the week of November 20th. Reverend Kelsey gave us positive feedback about the questions we plan to ask as well as the process we are following. Submitted by Barbara Brace Meeting of the Church Board on November 9, Reviewed Building Envisioning Committee recommendations. These will be presented at the December 11 congregational meeting. - Set annual meeting date January 22, Mark your calendars!! The Budget Adoption and Election of Officers meeting Sunday, December 11 ~ after worship Pamphlets will be in the Narthex on Sunday, December 4 th for you to look over and bring back for the meeting. All are encouraged to attend. ~ ~ ~ Annual meeting Sunday, January 22, 2017 ~ after worship All Board, Team, and Committee reports are due in Monday, January 9, The Annual Report booklets will be available in the Narthex on Sunday, January 15 th. Thank you

11 First Baptist Church of Manlius 408 Pleasant Street Manlius, NY Rev. Dr. Dan Ivins, Interim Pastor Church Office: (315) Website: Church Bookkeeper: (315) Bookkeeper s fbcbookkeeper@twcny.rr.com King s Kids Christian Child Care: (315) King s Kids Director.Kingskids@gmail.com Playschool Preschool: (315) Playschool s playschool408@yahoo.com Mission Statement 2016 Inviting People to New Life In celebration of the good news shown to us in Jesus Christ, we will invite others to unite with us as part of the family of God, sharing the Gospel through Worship, Education, Encouragement of one another and the Support of Mission As we serve Manlius and our surrounding communities.