The Cross & Flame. Pastor s Ponderings: SPIRITUAL RENEWAL LEAVE

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1 The Cross & Flame The United Methodist Church, Branford 811 East Main Street, Branford, CT September 2018 Pastor s Ponderings: SPIRITUAL RENEWAL LEAVE During the month of September, I will be taking time for Spiritual Renewal. On the surface, this may look like vacation because I will not be in the office, I will not be attending committee meetings, and I will not be preaching or leading Sunday worship. But I assure you, in addition to (hopefully) playing a few rounds of golf, I am looking forward to taking walks on the beach or finding trails to hike on. This will all be time to renew my Spirit and reconnect with the Lord in an intentional way. Additionally, I will also be taking time for concentrated and intentional reading and study. I will be studying the Biblical books of Luke and Acts, probably in preparation for an upcoming sermon series. I ll be reading the texts in various translations and studying using a variety of commentaries and other study resources. I have also committed to reading at least 4 books (see the list of 6 that I ve chosen) for growth in leadership and visioning. Let s connect during this time of renewal: Consider reading one or more of the books listed below during the month of September (perhaps we ll set up some discussion times during the Fall). on Twitter, where I will post quotes and other inspirations during the month. Follow my blog at Nicodemus3719.org, where I will post summaries, inspirational quotes, and other reflections on the reading I do during September. If you have any needs for Pastoral Care, please contact Laurie Gagne at , or call Brenda in the church office at They will contact a UMC clergyperson who has agreed to provide coverage during my leave. These colleagues will be available to visit hospitals, nursing facilities, or just be available for your emergency Pastoral Care needs. Thank you, in advance, for allowing me this time of renewal. Blessings, Pastor Kent My Reading List for Spiritual Renewal Leave: My reading list includes books from a variety of categories including classics, spiritual growth, sports, and leadership. Please consider reading one or more of these selections along with me. I will share a book report on each of the ones I read. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller More Than a Season: Building a Championship Culture by Dayton Moore Worship Changes Everything: Experiencing God s Presence in Every Moment of Life by Darlene Zschech Your Church Can Thrive: Making the Connections That Build Healthy Congregations by Harold Percy Killing Cockroaches: And Other Scattered Musings on Leadership by Tony Morgan Cracking the Code: The Winning Ryder Cup Strategy, Make It Work for You by Paul Azinger

2 Walk to End Alzheimer s On September 30, the members of UMC Branford are invited to join team Artis of Branford for the walk at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven. Visit alz.org/walk to find the New Haven walk and search for the team Artis of Branford. Please consider supporting this effort in one of several ways: You can sign up to walk with the team at 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 30 (and recruit your own sponsors); OR Make a donation on the website to sponsor one of the walkers or the team; OR Make a donation to the church (cash or check), which we ll use to purchase a sponsorship sign with the church s name on it; it will be placed along the 2-mile walking route. Pastor s Bible Study We will be on hiatus during the month of September while Pastor Kent is on leave for Spiritual Renewal. We will resume the week of October 7 with chapters 25 & 26. Two sessions of the Pastor s Bible Study are offered each week on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM and Thursdays at 10:00 AM. Please consider joining one of these groups!!! We are continuing our study of The Journey: Living by Faith in an Uncertain World by Rev. Dr. Billy Graham. We anticipate engaging times of conversation, growing together as we are inspired by the life and teachings of Rev. Dr. Billy Graham. Youth Night Our monthly youth night is a time for fun and fellowship!!! All youth from our church (6th-12th grades) are encouraged to attend and bring their friends. We meet in the church basement from 7-9:30 PM. Snacks are being provided. Ping pong, air hockey, foosball, and video games are all available, and we ll continue to add other activities in the future. The date of our September Youth Night will be Friday the 28!!! Men s Breakfast Our monthly Men s Breakfasts group will meet on September 15 at 8:00 AM. After a time of good food and fellowship, we will view a video which will (hopefully) stimulate some energetic discussion as we reflect on its meaning for our lives and our faith. We are currently studying The Ten Commandments by Dennis Prager. Commandments 3 & 4 will be the focus of our September discussion time. Lectionary Readings Our guest preachers during September may choose to preach from the Lectionary. Please consider reading these scriptures before coming to worship each week. September 2 Song of Solomon 2:8-13 Psalm 45:1-9 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-23 September 9 Proverbs 22:1-23 Psalm 125 James 2:1-17 Mark 7:24-37 September 16 Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 19 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38 September 23 Proverbs 31:10-31 Psalm 1 James 3:13-4:8a Mark 9:30-37 LOOKING FOR YOUR TABS!! We will be making a collection in October to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities September 30 Esther 7:1-22 Psalm 124 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50

3 September Events Wed 9/5 7pm Trustees meeting Sat 9/8 9am Plant Sale Wed 9/15 5:30pm Learn & Play Board Sat 9/15 8am Men s Breakfast Mon 9/17 12:30pm Women s Luncheon 6:30pm L&P Back to School Night Wed 9/19 6:15pm Prayer Meeting Sat 9/22 Operation Christmas Child Training Event Mon 9/24 4:30pm Sewing for God Fri 9/28 6pm Community Dinner 7pm Youth Night Sun 9/30 8:30am Walk to End Alzheimer s Weekly Calendar September Birthdays 2 nd Jacob Rader 3 rd Amy Kapadia 4 th Adam Jackson Trina Bowman Noah Rader 10 th Karyn Capezzone Diane Nerkowski 18 th Michael Loukides 19 th Pepi Capezzone 21 st Bonnie Gregoire 23 rd Pat Steeves Toni Ginnetti 29 th Megan Wells September Anniversaries SUNDAYS: 11:30am MONDAYS: 7pm TUESDAYS: 7pm Communion at Artis Branford Chorale AA 1 st Cheryl & James Torello 3 rd Karyn & Pepi Capezzone 16 th Lydia & Paul Wezenski 19 th Robert & Joyce Emslie 30 th Lori & Michael Cartwright WEDNESDAYS: 10am Learn & Play Chapel 10:30am Prayer Shawl Ministry 11am Faith Talk at Artis THURSDAYS: 7:30pm Al-Anon 7pm Devotional Bible Study at Shoreline Cafe SATURDAYS: 7pm AA SUNDAY SCHEDULE Worship & Sunday School - 9:30am (No Sunday School first Sunday of the month) CHURCH OFFICE HOURS Tue-Thurs 9:00am-2:00pm NEWSLETTER DEADLINE The 15th of every month Missed a Sunday? Unable to attend worship? You can catch the weekly sermon video at

4 Huge Sale Perennial Fall Plantings At Reduced Prices Saturday, September 8 9 am to 3 pm United Methodist Church 811 East Main St. Branford, CT (Exactly One Mile East of the Chowder Pot on Route 1) Great Selection! Clematis Phlox Hosta Irises Montauk Daisies Shasta Daisies Spirea Sedums Toad Lilies Rose Bushes on Their Own Roots Late Blooming Day Lilies... and many more... Landscaping Plants Dwarf Forsythia And other Shrubs Some Trees If you have questions or want additional plants, contact Ruby Lawrence at

5 Heaven s Grocery Store by Don Robinson I was walking down life s highway, a l ong time ago. One day I saw a sign that read Heaven s Grocery Store. As I got a little closer, the door came open wide. And when I came to myself, I was standing inside. I saw a host of angels there, standing everywhere. And one angel said, My child, shop with care. Everything a Christian needed was in that grocery store. All you couldn t carry, you could come back the next day for more. Women s Mid Early Fall Luncheon Monday, September 17 at 12:30 PM USS Chowder Pot 560 East Main Street, Branford RSVP on the Signup Sheet in Connector Hall First, I got some Patience. Love was in the same row. Further down was Understanding. You need that everywhere you go. I got a box or two of Wisdom, a bag or two of Faith. I just couldn t miss the Holy Ghost, for He was all over the place. I stopped to get some Strength and Courage to help me run the race. By then my basket was getting full, but I remembered I needed some Grace. I didn t forget Salvation, for Salvation that was free. I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me. Nursing Home Ministry Don Robinson is dedicated to providing this important ministry. He visits a number of nursing homes and would LOVE to have others join this ministry. He would be happy to talk with anyone interested and help them get started. Call Don at or see him in church. I went up the aisle. I saw Prayer and just had to put that in. I knew when I stepped outside I would run right into sin. Peace and Joy were plentiful. They were on the highest shelf. Song and Praise were hanging near. I just helped myself. Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill. I thought I had everything to do my Master s will. Then I said, Now, how much do I owe? He just smiled and said, Just take them everywhere you go. How much do I really owe? He smiled and said, My child, Jesus paid your bill a long time ago.

6 Annual Holiday Festival Saturday, November 10 Believe it or not, it is less than three months until our 2018 Festival! How can you contribute? We will need contributions to sell and people to help on the day of the festival. Setup and clean up help will also be needed. Are any of your spiritual gifts among our needs? Start early on handcrafts, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, photos, artwork, jams and jellies (catch fruit in season), silent auction items. Start a box for Granny s Cellar when you are doing spring and fall cleaning, Food sale contributions closer to the date. We need volunteers to chair and work in the departments: handcrafts, food, jewelry, silent auction, plants, Granny s Cellar, cook and serve refreshments. We have a dependable group who annually take charge. However, it would be good to have volunteers-in-training, as some folks may like to consider retiring. Please contact Ginger or Rosemary if you are willing to volunteer. The sooner we have our committee in place, the better. Watch for an insert in the bulletin in the near future for signing up. It will list all our needs. You will be able to fill it out and return it to us. As always, we are also open to suggestions for new and different additions to the festival. Ginger & Rosemary

7 SEWING FOR GOD Due to Labor Day and vacations, for the month of September we will only be meeting on the LAST Monday of the month: September 24. We will return to our regular Monday schedule in October. We have been sewing tops for Artis, trying to keep up with their ever-growing neighborhood. Starting in September, neighbors who are Veterans will receive one of our Veteran Quilts in place of a generic quilt. The Holiday Festival is just around the corner, and the Handicraft table is looking for items. Placemats, tablerunners, quilts, rice bags, potholders, and microwave bowls are just a few of the items we will be working on. Can you press or iron? Pin? Sew? We could use your help! Remember, all supplies are provided. Questions? See Rosemary!