THE LINK. January, February 2009

Transcription

1 THE LINK January, February 2009 Bay Ridge United Church Reverend Jane Donnelly, Pastor 636 Bay Ridge Parkway, Brooklyn, New York Telephone: (718) Web Site: I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, says the Lord, and your sins like a mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. --Isaiah 44:22 We have just been through Christmas and Epiphany, the inauguration of Barack Obama and the Super Bowl and now we are rushing head long into Lent. Not your favorite season of the church year? Well, on the one hand that s understandable. Lent comes at a difficult time of the year winter heading into spring - and it involves taking a hard look at what it means to take up our cross and follow Jesus. On the other hand, it is an opportunity to deepen our spiritual lives and to enter the Easter season filled with joy and celebration at the victory of our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Because it is a time of prayer, reflection, study, self-denial and good works, I urge you all to observe Lent in your own way and not to let it pass you by. Here are some things to think about. During Lent read your bible or participate with others in bible study. Attend Ash Wednesday and Holy Week Services. Give generously to the One Great Hour of Sharing. Take home and read some devotional material to be found at the entrance of the church. However you choose to observe Lent this year, remember that we are all in this together. During Lent the whole Christian Church is invited to a deeper spiritual life with Christ. Jesus Christ is Lord. We are his disciples who believe in him and who also desire to live our lives accordingly ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING This offering will be received on March 22 nd, the 4 th Sunday of Lent, to support ministries of disaster response, refugee assistance and community development that help people find safe refuge, start new lives and work together to strengthen their families and communities. Find an envelope either in your box or in the Sunday bulletin. Please be generous. 1

2 NATURAL CHURCH DEVELOPMENT NCD Health Team: Bob Adamski, Shantie Chattergoon, Jim Cruickshanks, Elizabeth Theofan led by Pastor Jane with Rev. Elizabeth Potter as our coach Every church has great potential given by God. To do everything we can, to release that potential will be our job. The next step will be to inform you of the result of the survey we recently took. Then we will all put our heads together to find ways of strengthening our weakest area. Next we will prepare an action plan for Board approval and oversee its implementation. We will need all of you on board with unceasing prayers and willingness to do your part. If you haven t already done so, please pick up the information about NCD in the narthex on your way out and feel free to talk to any member of the Health Team about it An interview with our NCD coach, Rev. Elizabeth Potter What is it about NCD that makes you want to help churches who commit to this process? I AM committed to helping churches and pastors discover and live into God's call for them. What I appreciate about Natural Church Development is that it creates space for that discovery to take place, and provides tools which enable congregations to develop a solution, an "action plan," from within their midst. It is not a one-size-fits-all program that is superimposed on a church from the outside, but rather a process, which is implemented from within each congregation. In this way, NCD can be 'customized' according to a congregation's specific context, gifts, budget, convictions, etc. What exactly does a coach do? The NCD process employs the very church health principles it promotes. One such principle, or "quality characteristic," is 'empowering leadership,' drawn from Ephesians 4, which holds that good leaders equip and release others to do ministry. In NCD, the coach is not an outside expert or consultant telling the congregation what to do and when, nor does a coach do the work for them. Rather, the coach journeys alongside the Health Team Leader encouraging, resourcing, equipping, and sometimes, challenging him or her as the process progresses. The Health Team Leader encourages, resources, equips, and challenges the Health Team. And the Health Team, who does the actual "work" of the process, in turn, encourages, resources, equips and challenges the congregation. In this your first cycle, it is my privilege to be able to train the Health Team and provide them with the resources and practice they need to lead Bay Ridge United through the NCD process. However, my primary relationship is with Pastor Jane. She and I connect monthly via phone for formal coaching, and less formally, via . During our 1 hour coaching calls it is my job to help Jane, as the Health Team Leader, to stay on task, to answer specific inquiries about the process, and to draw out the gifts God has given her by asking really good questions, and listening really well. Pastor Jane and I always end our time together praying for Bay Ridge United, and between coaching appointments, I regularly pray for her and this congregation. 2

3 What is it about being a coach that frustrates you the most and what gives you the most joy? The joys in this process certainly have far outweighed the frustrations. I rejoice when I see pastors and congregations blossom as they grow in confidence, flow in their gifts, gain energy and excitement about their place in God's world. I delight when leaders and congregations embrace the process as an invitation from God to move more fully into what God has called them to be and do. And I love the creativity expressed as people take the process and "make it their own," applying the principles and implementing ideas that are unique and clearly Spirit-inspired. Natural Church Development is comparable to a life-style change, rather than a crash diet. It is a process of assessing health and growing toward health, a means of getting healthy and staying healthy for the long haul. So, I do get frustrated when leaders and congregations rush through the steps looking for a short-term quick fix for what ails them. And I feel sad when leaders or congregations view the survey results as a judgment or critique of how "bad" they're doing and get stuck in selfpity, or start blaming some person or ministry connected to the "minimum factor." ADOPT-A-CHAPLAIN In August of 2007 we started to send "care" packages to Military Chaplains in combat areas. Our first adopted chaplain was Ch Virginia Emery who was stationed in Iraq. She and her troops have since returned home to the New England area. Our next chaplain was LCDR Yolanda Gillen, a Navy Chaplain, who served in Afghanistan with the Marines of Combat Logistics Battalion 24. Our present chaplain is CPT Gerald Woodford an army chaplain of only 4 years who is stationed in Germany with his wife and 2 children. His deployment with the soldiers of the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion started in June 2008 and our first packages went out that August. The Chaplain has said Yes, the soccer balls were a hit with the children of Mosul! CH Woodford has asked for children s clothing that we are currently sending out. There is so much poverty here, and we as a nation have a lot to be thankful for. We have several children we support that do not have proper clothing, nor do they have adequate personal hygiene items. Your church has truly stood in the gap for our soldiers, and we can not thank you enough for the love you have exhibited. May God bless you and your congregation, as you serve the Lord through benevolence. The last packages that the church sent included Valentine s Day cards, which the children from our Sunday School and students of Grace Nursery School made for the troops to send to their loved ones back home. I want to thank our church and House of Hope Presbyterian Church for supplying all the items we have shipped. Thanks to Bob Vroom for transporting all the packages to the Post Office. As of this time we have shipped over 50 boxes of goodies to our adopted Chaplains. Jim Cruickshanks MISSION NEWS You may remember that last year our church designated the July and August Communion offerings as a donation to the Leaders of a New Generation youth group from Ft. George Presbyterian Church. We do not have a youth group of our own so we wished to partner with them and support their mission trip to the Dominican Republic. On a previous trip, they visited the Tu Puedes School, which our Church and Sunday School have supported for the past 10 years. You will be glad to know that, thanks to your generosity, we sent $900 to support their trip scheduled for February 19 th February 22 nd. 3

4 HUNGER MINISTRY During 2008 we partnered with the Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church Food Pantry by donating 250 pounds of food. Fourth Avenue began this need-based ministry because people literally came knocking at their door asking for food. They and we have responded to that need. Please donate non perishables for those in need! On February 1 st our church also participated in Souper Bowl Sunday by collecting money to be used for fresh vegetables for the Soup Kitchen at Zion Lutheran Church. The Souper Bowl of Caring offering totaled $ Any ideas on how we could do more? Please keep praying for the following: Peggy Buck Paul Fox Victoria Lee Ruth Haraldsen Ethel Nielson Stephen Petrowicz Loretta Poole John Radman Betty Smith Cynthia Somma CHURCH FAMILY CHRISTMAS It was a joyous Christmas celebration together. Everyone got into the act. The musical trio Pastor Jane, Annette and Bob. UNITED IN CHRIST The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; they form one body. So it is with Christ. 1 Cor 12:12 Blessed with funds from the sale of the manse, our church gratefully tithed the money we received and divided it equally between our two denominations, PCUSA and the RCA. This money was earmarked for small church development. Children s Presentation: Heli, the Star of Bethlehem The children s presentation about the star was amazing. Uplifting anthems were sung by the choir. Betty & Janet JOYS & CONCERNS The Consistory (Elders and Deacons) and Pastor Jane have regularly visited our homebound. We have brought cheer, prayers and small tokens of our affection including flowers and food. All of our people seem to be holding their own at this time. A birthday cake for Jesus made by Elizabeth Theofan 4

5 Deacons Annette Lee (2) Sheela Parshad (2) UPCOMING EVENTS February 15 God is Love Coffee Hour Celebrating Valentine's Day, the Sunday School is sponsoring a special coffee hour with decorations, special food and a slide show called "By Our Love". Hindi & Urdu Christmas music offered by the Mahboob family; Derrick, Stella, and their children, Aileen and Gabriel joined by Sheela Parshad All followed by a potluck feast in the fellowship hall. CHURCH BOARD On January 25, 2009 Bay Ridge United Church held its annual meeting. The congregation approved the reports from the Deacons, the Building Committee, the Sunday School, and the Finance Committee. Also approve were the new board members for the next three years. Here is your new Board: February 25 Ash Wednesday Service Bay Ridge United Church 7:30 PM March 1 First Sunday in Lent March 22 Fourth Sunday of Lent - One Great Hour of Sharing April 9 Maundy Thursday Service Union Church of Bay Ridge - 6:30 PM April 10 Good Friday Service Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church 7:30 PM Board of Elders 2009 Roberta Simson (2) Gabriel Benitez (2) Helen Graham (1) 2010 Shantie Chattergoon (2) Jim Gillies (2) 2011 Janet Adamski (2) James Cruickshanks (1) Julie Lin (1) Lisa Suzuki (1) Elizabeth Theofan (1) 5