Bethany Congregational Church

Transcription

1 Bethany Congregational Church Volume 2 May, 2013 Number 5 Foxborough, Massachusetts Help Us Celebrate Pentecost! On May 19th, Christians around the world will celebrate the Day of Pentecost. It s often referred to as the church s birthday. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised that the Holy Spirit would come upon those who believed in his resurrection. Three thousand people were gathered in Jerusalem when the Spirit came upon them. They were so touched by the Holy Spirit that they began to worship regularly, especially on Sundays, the day of Christ s resurrection. To symbolize the tongues, as of fire (Acts 2:3, NRSV) that came upon the people present at Pentecost, liturgical churches display the color red in worship services on Pentecost. We ve hit a milestone in our Senior Pastor Search process. We ve finished the Church Profile. The next step will be sending out an advertisement and conducting a mock interview with a pastor recently hired at another church. Once our ad appears on the UCC website, we anticipate that we ll be receiving resumes soon after. We ll keep you informed as we progress. Any questions, please don t hesitate to call Paul Woodard, the Search Committee Chair, at Whew! It s Going to Happen a Bethany Booth at Founders Day! Thank you, Sarah Murphy, for stepping up and volunteering to organize Bethany s participation in Foxboro s Founders Day. Bethany will once again have a booth on the playground this year! Typically, there are craft activities and games for kids along with information about our church, including VBS. If anyone has ideas for the Bethany booth please forward them to Sarah at sjm84wintr@aol.com. If you can help out for an hour or two that day (Saturday, June 8), please contact Sarah or sign-up on the schedule on the information table. It s always a festive atmosphere and a fun way to meet people! "What the world needs is a good loud-speaker for the still, small voice." 1

2 Dear Church Family, I can t say enough how thankful I am for Bethany Congregational Church. My time with you has been a blessing far more than I could ever explain. It s not easy to say goodbye, but I hope to leave you with as much wisdom as I can muster. I love ministering to students. It s my passion. It challenges me every day. I couldn t see myself (at least at this point) doing anything else. I say this in spite of my soreness from an extremely intense game of Capture the Flag Sunday night. It was the type of game that you win at all costs. Greg [Woodsbie] and I know this well because at one point he may have used Abel [his son] as a decoy to take the flag. It was glorious. When it comes down to it though, student ministry is about the Gospel. I hope that the students have a better idea of what the Gospel is, now that I ve been lucky enough to share my journey with them. I hope that they see Jesus as the way to something better, the true experience of God s creation, and the life that gives life to those who ask for it. I m so proud of what I ve been able to accomplish at Bethany and humbled by your generosity and grace. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the youth of the church and I m excited about our paths crossing again in the future. In Christ, Chris Kah Director of Youth Ministries We are sad to see Chris and Audrey leave us. But we admire his resolve to support his wife in accepting an offer that s just too good to refuse. We wish them both Godspeed on the trip back down to the Carolinas; and all God s blessings on the new opportunities ahead for them both. 2

3 News from Our Small Groups Children s Ministry News Spring Update During April we have been learning about the Apostle Paul. Early on, Paul was greatly feared by those who believed in Jesus because he was ruthless in his persecution of them. But then as our Sunday school lesson put it a funny thing happened along the way to Damascus one day! (See Acts, chapter 9.) God redeemed Paul s life by choosing him to carry the name of Jesus Christ out into the entire world. Like Paul s life, our lives change dramatically when we believe in Christ. Paul traveled extensively to start churches and encourage communities of believers. One of the places he went was Philippi, where he met a woman named Lydia. When Paul told her about Jesus, Lydia believed, was baptized, and opened her home to be a church. Needless to say, her life changed when she became a follower of Jesus! After meeting Lydia, Paul continued to spread the good news of Christ even when it made Roman citizens uncomfortable. We read about how he and his friend Silas were beaten and thrown in jail by the Roman authorities and God not only rescued them from their chains, but also enabled them to convert the jailor and his family! Moving into May we will learn more about the first communities of believers, how they shared all they had with each other even as they shared the teachings of the apostles and grew the church. We ll hear about how 3,000 people became followers of Jesus when in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost. We will read about the visions of Peter, and Cornelius, a Gentile army commander, and how God impressed upon them both that His love was for all people not just the Jewish people. Devotional Study - Join Carol Fraser on Tuesday evenings, at 7:00 pm in the Parlor, working through devotionals from The Upper Room. Let Carol know you plan to attend ( or carolafraser@comcast.net) Mom s Group - Join with other moms and learn and laugh together! Free childcare is provided. We meet weekly on Friday mornings in Room 305 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m and often start out with a short walk. Contact Brenda Sacco at for more information. Breakfast, Coffee and Chat- Are your kids getting to the stage where you re doing less mothering and more worrying? Do you want to talk with others experiencing the challenges of parenthood, share your struggles and find Christ-centered support? Join Libby Carter at the Commons Eatery Café in Foxboro before church Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. Wednesday Playtime - from 9:30-11:00 a.m. in the Bethany gym. This is a great way for your child to meet new friends and for you to connect with other parents. No need to sign up; just come when you can. For more information, contact Nancy Kaeser at or Kaeser@bethanychurch.org. Wanted: Infant and Toddler Toys The new and improved church nursery needs some like-new toys and a couple child gates that are up to current safety codes. If you have items to donate, please contact me, Liz Myerson, the Nursery Care Director, at ebmyerson313@gmail.com or As you may have noticed, the nursery just got a wonderful makeover. I want to send a BIG THANK YOU out to everyone who helped make it happen! I am truly grateful, and so are the children, for your help and support. God Bless you! 3

4 VBS! July 8-12, Castles! Knights! Lords! Ladies! all of this awaits in this year s VBS adventure! Join us July 8-12 for an amazing week of VBS fun. In Kingdom Rock kids will learn how to stand strong for God through games, crafts, music, and awesome experiments! The early childhood VBS is for kids who are 3 years through entering kindergarten and it runs from 9-11:30. The elementary VBS is for kids who are entering first grade through entering fifth grade and it runs from Registration forms will be available online or in the church beginning April 28 th. Spaces are filled as the registrations come in, and we expect the castle to reach its capacity of 120 kids prior to the end of registration on June 30th! Many lords and ladies are needed to run this program. If you can t commit for the five days, we will gladly accept help for 2 or 3, or even 1 day! Anyone who is entering 6 th grade through adulthood is welcome to volunteer. Please contact Deb Byron (elementary VBS) or Nancy Kaeser (early childhood VBS) to get involved. You can reach us at the church office at (508) or by byron@bethanychurch.org or kaeser@ bethanychurch.org. The important info: Dates: July 8-12, 2013 Time: 9-11:30 (3 yr- entering gr. K) 9-12 (entering gr. 1- entering gr. 5) Place: Bethany Congregational Church Registration: online at bethanychurch.org, or paper forms at church Cost: VBS is offered as a free ministry of the church, but donations are gratefully accepted. Contact: Deb Byron or Nancy Kaeser The deadline for the next edition of The Bethany Bell is Friday, May 17 th at 8:30 a.m. Material may be submitted to haney@bethanychurch.org. Thanks! Eagle Project Underway Storage space at Bethany has always been a big problem. Connor Putnam has come forward to help us! Connor is a member of Bethany and also a Boy Scout in Troop 7. His Eagle Project is to build shelving in our shed in the alleyway. Numerous church groups use the shed, and they re all thrilled with his project. To help Connor put finishing touches on the storage, we are looking for plastic tubs with covers, and a small ladder to help with things on the top shelves. If you have any to donate, please contact Joyce Lewis at rykyty@comcast.net or If you d like to see Connor s shed shelving design, it will be posted on the Fellowship Hall bulletin board. Project Bread Walk For Hunger Sunday, May 5 th Libby Carter will be taking a team from Bethany to Walk for Hunger this year and would like to invite anyone who'd like to attempt the walk to join her! Walk for Hunger is a beautiful 20-mile walk through and around the Boston area and is held every year to raise funds and awareness of hunger in Massachusetts. You do not need to walk the full 20 miles. There are buses every 2-3 miles, which can bring you back to the finish line. Libby has set up a team page, and you can register your student or yourself there. The team is open to all friends and family. High School students walking without a chaperone will need to sign a Bethany permission slip. All younger students will need to have a chaperone. Stop by the Walk for Hunger table at Coffee Hour so you can ask questions or sponsor our team. The link to Libby s personal page is On there you will find a link to join her team and create your own page. All money should be collected prior to the walk. If you decide not to walk, please consider sponsoring one of our walkers. Contact Libby at or libbycarter46@gmail.com. 4

5 Christmas Fair News! Mark your calendar now for the 2013 Bethany Church Fair scheduled for Saturday, December 7 th! Planning meetings are scheduled for September (9/15), October (10/20), November (11/17) at 7 p.m. in Room 303 of the Family Life Wing. All are welcome to attend these planning meetings, and new ideas and new team members are very much welcomed. Join the group that keeps the fair tradition alive! In the meantime, keep the Fair in mind as you go through the Spring, Summer, and Fall! Keep a look out for unique items for the Silent Auction or Theme Baskets: buy an extra souvenir on your travels or be thinking about a wonderful Time and Talent item you could donate! Start a pile of good, used items for Gramma s Attic -- Gramma is always pleased when you save good stuff for her. When you re sitting on the beach reading those magazines, clip out a new recipe for the Bake Table or the Candy Table those sweet ladies are always grateful for new and different donations! Save your summer reading books the Bookworms in the Book Nook will accept donations of books (fiction) and movies anytime during the year. And when you re perusing Pintrest or Etsy, look for cool ideas for items we could copy for the Crafts Table. Well, you get the picture don t forget the Fair! Mission Outreach News The next serving at the Food n Friends Kitchen at First Baptist Church in Mansfield will be Tuesday, May 7 th. We are looking for people who can get salad, chips, dessert, milk, butter, etc. If you can help with any of these items, call Jen Murray at or Maureen Driscoll at Sign-up on the Program Table. Book of Life Chancel Flowers April 7 th, given to the glory of God and in loving memory of our grandparents, by Heidi and Rick Hobbs. April 14 th, given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Matthew Cream by the Byron family. April 21 th, given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Mr. & Mrs. Leo Conway, Mr. & Mrs. Lester Goodwin, Mrs. Effie Engley and Mrs. Frances Domanowski by their family. April 28 th, given to the glory of God and in honor of our Confirmands. Death Our sympathy is expressed to the family and friends of June Hallberg, who died on March 23, The Bethany Bell is now posted on the Bethany website, bethanychurch.org the last week of each month, for the following month. To have the newsletter ed directly to you, go to the website and click on the link at the top of the homepage to subscribe. The Bell will be ed to you as soon as it s done -- and you don t have to remember to go out to our website to read it! 5

6 For more information about any of the following Community announcements, look on the Community Bulletin Board outside the Church Office or call us at On Wednesday, May 8 th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the local Veterans Service District will be holding a seminar on how to help veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the Easton V.F.W. at the corner of Rockland Street and Allen Road. Contact Pastor Bill Dudley from the Union Church in Foxboro at or office@union-church.com for more information. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer presented by the students of the John J. Ahern Middle School, 11 Mechanic St. in Foxboro, will be held on April 26 th & 27 th at 7:30 p.m. and April 27 th and 28 th at 2 p.m. The classic Mark Twain story jumps off the page and comes to life in this musical adaptation of America's favorite book the irresistible story of a fourteen-yearold boy growing up in the heartland of America. Along with best friend Huckleberry Finn and love interest Becky Thatcher, the greatest Tom Sawyer exploits are plucked from the book and plopped on the stage for your enjoyment. Please note: due to the thematic elements of a couple of scenes, this musical may not be suitable for children under six (6). General admission tickets are $7. Contact Kristin Hovey at for information. HUGS Foxboro Presents Sexual Violence: Prevention at Every Age & Stage on Wednesday, May 8 th at 7:00 p.m. at the Ahern Middle School, featuring New Hope s Clothesline Project ; and including the following participants, with Foxboro Police Chief, Ed O Leary serving as Moderator: ADA Jennifer Rowe; Susan Scarnecchia & Meghan Witherell from New Hope shelter; Amy Muldowney from the Foxboro School system; and Tara Lemieux from HESSCO Elder Services. Pawsox Fundraiser To Feed Families In Need!! Come watch the PawSox vs Bulls on Saturday, May 4th at 1:05 PM while helping feed the hungry in the greater Attleboro area. The Attleboro Area Council of Churches is teaming up with The Martial Arts Connection (TMAC) to feed families in need during the 2013 holiday season as part of the TMAC Gives Back charitable campaign. Last year over 400 families received a bountiful holiday meal!! Tickets to the game are $8.00 with 50% returning back to the Attleboro Area Council of Churches for this worthy cause. For tickets call the AACC office or TMAC The Literacy Center Announces Spring Tutor Training You can make a real difference in someone s life! Help an adult who wants to learn to read, improve writing or math skills, prepare for the GED, learn English, or obtain US Citizenship. Classes are Monday evenings or Thursday mornings in May and June. For specific dates, more information, or to register for classes, call The Literacy Center is located at 80 North Main Street in Attleboro. 6

7 WORSHIP VOLUNTEERS Ushers/Greeters 5/5 Penni Jenkins, Mary & Sue Taggart, ** 5/12 Rick Lewis, Bruce Hainsworth, ** 5/19 ** 5/26 Arianna Boling, Ann Conaty, ** Welcome Team 5/5 Beth & Jim Durham 5/12 ** 5/19 Deb Cormay 5/26 ** Deacon of the Service Traditional Service 5/5 Myron Rust 5/12 Carol Fraser 5/19 Alin Pop-Vicas 5/26 Mark Hawrylciw Contemporary Service 5/5 Bill Hughes 5/12 Tom Garcia 5/19 Pat Scagnoli 5/26 Jim McKinney Service Readers Traditional Service 5/5 Laurel DeCoste 5/12 John Michelmore 5/19 Mark Hawrylciw 5/26 Heidi Hobbs Contemporary Service 5/5 Pat Scagnoli 5/12 Michele Rogers 5/19 Bev Crocker 5/26 Ron Sullivan Nursery Volunteers Traditional Service 5/5 Janet See 5/12 Aurora Pop-Vicas 5/19 ** 5/26 Alison Bancroft Contemporary Service 5/5 Emily Maynard 5/12 ** 5/19 Angela Maynard 5/26 Brenna Murphy **We have an opening, could YOU help? This is a little story about four people: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. The subject of the Sunday Sermon was "When you're in your casket, and your family and friends are mourning over you, what would you like them to say?" At coffee hour afterwards, some of the men were commenting on the message: Paul said: "I would like them to say I was a wonderful husband, a great cook and a devout Christian." Gary commented: "I would like them to say I was a dedicated family man, a hard worker and a servant of God who made a difference in people's lives." Al said: "I'd like them to say, 'Look, he's moving!'" 7 Several people asked Pastor Roger for the benediction he shared from Common Prayer: a Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. Here it is! May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever He may send you; May He guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm; May He bring you home rejoicing: at the wonders He has shown you; May He bring you home rejoicing: once again into our doors.