Binkley Newsletter SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

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1 Binkley Newsletter SEPTEMBER 24, TH ANNIVERSARY A DAY OF MEMORIES AND HOPE The day dawned bright and clear. Lunch tables and chairs were set up throughout the building; photographs lined the walls, and live doves peeked out from a centerpiece of ferns in the fellowship hall. Old friends called out to one another as they entered the front narthex, the sun streaming through the windows in blessing. Almost 600 people, young and old, packed the sanctuary to pray, sing, and celebrate last Sunday, 50 years to the day that the Olin T. Binkley Baptist Church was constituted on September 21, So much had changed since those beginning days when the small group met in Gerard Hall on the UNC Campus! Bob Seymour, Binkley s first pastor, preached a rousing sermon. Among other things, Bob said: Not having a physical place to call our own was a blessing in disguise. We learned an important lesson about building a church. We learned that a church is not bricks and mortar, but flesh and blood and spirit. We learned that a church is humanity and divinity incarnate. We learned that the church is people. It is The Company of the Committed, the title of a book by Elton Trueblood which we discussed on my initial visit with the founding group, meeting in Glenwood School. Theologians sometimes speak of the gathered church and the scattered church. Because we had no building of our own, we learned another good lesson about building a church. With no place of our own to identify our presence in the community, we realized that the church is Christian people wherever they are scattered in their diverse vocations. Thanks be to God for Binkley Baptist Church, this place of flesh and blood and spirit! Thanks be to God for this gathered community which continues to be scattered like yeast in a variety of vocations and places, bringing good things to the world! P.S. And a special thanks to the 50th Anniversary Planning Committee and all the many folks who worked so hard to make this weekend such a wonderful celebration!

2 Moral & Spiritual Giants: Class Information: This class will present portraits of some moral and spiritual heroes who have provided major inspiration and guidance to churches and society in recent times. Attention will be given to the life story, the thought, the work, and the significance of each figure for her/his day and for our day. The series will begin with a general presentation by Robert Seymour on the moral/spiritual giants who have been especially important to him in his life and ministry. FALL CLASS SCHEDULE: September 28 th : Herman Greene on Thomas Berry October 5 and 12 th : Collins Kilburn on Dorothy Day October 19 th : NO CLASS (Joint service at Barbee s Chapel) October 26 th and November 2 nd : John Burton-Crutchfield on Clarence Jordan November 9 th, 16 th and 23 rd : Collins Kilburn on Dietrich Bonnehoffer November 30 th and December 7 th : Warren Nord on Albert Schweitzer December 14 th : Susan Rogers Join Binkley in NC Gay Pride March on September 27: Come join Binkley members in a colorful display of unity for social justice on Saturday, September 27 th for the NC Gay Pride March in Durham. Binkley will have a booth on the festival grounds of Duke s East Campus beginning at 10:00 AM. Marchers need to be in place by 12:45 PM for the 1:00 PM start of the parade. Look for Binkley s big rainbow-colored banner and join the march. If you ve got something rainbow-colored or musical, bring it along for the fun be loud, be proud! A group of Christian evangelists has protested (loudly) at the parade for the last two years, underscoring the fact that prejudice towards the LGBT community still exists and that pride parades present an important opportunity to visibly take a stand against hatred and inequality. The response from the parade watchers was thrilling as they cheered loudly, drowning out the protesters, in support of Binkley Church as we walked along the route. Watts Street Baptist Church has invited us to join them for a brown-bag picnic on the playground behind their church at 11:30 AM that day. For details contact Kit Conway at or by at klconway@mindspring.com. Barbee s Chapel Family Birthday Festival: All Binkley members and friends are invited to share in the annual Barbee s Chapel Birthday Potluck Picnic on the grounds of Barbee s Chapel beginning at noon on Sunday, September 28th. Bring a dish to share and enjoy good food, fellowship and music! Bring your own chair. Palestinian Speaker Nora Carmi: You are invited to hear Nora Carmi, Palestinian Christian from the Sabeel Ecumenical Center in Jerusalem, who will present Windows into Palestinian Life Today As a Palestinian refugee and tireless volunteer in community development, Nora will provide her perspective on these questions: What are the fears, aspirations and challenges facing a Palestinian woman? How does Palestinian Liberation Theology and the work of Sabeel inform the movement for justice, peace and reconciliation?. The presentation will be held on Tuesday, September 30. Potluck at 6:30 pm; presentation begins at 7:30 pm, followed by Q & A. Location: Binkley Baptist Church, 1712 Willow Dr. Chapel Hill. For more information: contact@peace-with-justice.org or , or RSVP and donations appreciated to further the work of the Coalition for Peace with Justice and Friends of Sabeel HKonJ Teach-In: Thursday, October 2, 7-9 pm, Community Church. HKonJ (Historic Thousands on Jones Street) is a coalition of 75 organizations that endorses a People's Agenda for justice in North Carolina. Some issues the agenda addresses are education, livable wage, racism, election reform, affordable housing, death penalty, environment, collective bargaining, immigrant s rights, and health care. The HKonJ movement, inspired by the North Carolina NAACP, has held two annual rally and march events ending at the state Legislative Building on Jones Street in Raleigh. The Binkley Church-Barbee s Chapel Harvest Word Racial Reconciliation ministry participates in these marches. At a recent retreat for HKonJ coalition partners, a Chapel Hill-Carrboro group formed. This group of religious, labor, and social justice organizations is sponsoring a teach-in to inform citizens about the 14 point HKonJ agenda. Al McSurely, local attorney, will present an overview of the agenda and representatives of several coalition members will speak about specific issues: Thursday, October 2, 7-9 pm, Community Church. For more information contact Tom Fewel, tfewel@erisoft.com,

3 And don t forget to mark your calendars for these 50th Anniversary Events... Saturday, October 25: 7 pm Fellowship Hall Brunswick Stew and Square Dance Sunday, November 2: Worship Celebrating the Music of Binkley s First 50 Years Parable Players: if you are interested in participating, please plan to attend rehearsal on Sunday, October 5, 2:30-4:30, in the sanctuary. Performance is Sunday, October 12. For info call Lynn Marshall at Mental Illness Awareness Week is October This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about mental illness by understanding the facts. Faith Connections (an inter-faith group of several local faith communities who provide seminars, etc. on mental health) will show Creating Caring Congregations, an informative 30 minute film into the lives of 4 people suffering with mental illness, and how congregations can help This award winning film by Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder, founder of Mental Health Ministries, will be followed by a 30 minute discussion period led by a member of Faith Connections. Handouts (including mental health information, websites, etc.) will be available. This event will take place in the Youth House on the campus of St. Thomas More Church/School on Wed., Oct. 8 at 12:00 noon, and repeated at 6:30 pm (also in the Youth House). For additional information/directions, please contact Donna at dolsen@st-thomasmore.org or call This event is free and open to all. Clergy from all faiths are especially encouraged and invited to attend. North Carolina Alliance of Baptists Fall Gathering: On Saturday, October 11, from 9:45 am 2:00 pm the NC Alliance of Baptists will gather here at Binkley. We hope you will be able to join us for a day of fellowship, reflection, sharing and worship together as Alliance Baptists in North Carolina! Chris Copeland, Minister for Leadership and Congregational Life with the Alliance of Baptists, will be our special guest for the day. In addition to hearing of exciting Alliance initiatives and partnerships on local, national and international levels, you will have the opportunity to participate in the election of officers for the NC Alliance, as well as join the conversation regarding our future activities together in mission and service. The cost is $10 per adult, including lunch and children's programming. Children and students participate free. Please register by contacting NCAB President John Templeton at jat_southbound@hotmail.com. We are beginning our Creation Season celebrations at Binkley with a Feast of St. Francis and St. Clare after worship on Sunday October 12 in the lounge. This is a potluck and everyone is invited. We ask that you bring a vegetarian dish to share, and we especially encourage you to include at least one locally grown ingredient in your dish. If you d like to share your recipe, please bring that also and we will compile a collection. This potluck is hosted by the Earth Ministry Committee and please contact Sandi Greene if you have questions. sspayne@mindspring.com or Building Maintenance Chair: The Church Council has called a brief Church-in-Conference following worship on Sunday, October 12. The congregation will be asked to approve C.L. Morton as the new Chair of the Building Maintenance Committee. - Janie Benson

4 Primetimers will hold their October event on Wednesday, October 15, at 12:30 in the lounge. This month will feature a terrific speaker, Dr. Thad Beyle, Pearsal Professor of Political Science at UNC, giving a presentation on the current political scene. Lunch is $7.00, and you can sign up outside Beth s door. This event is likely to bring a big crowd, so sign up early! Knitters and Crocheters Unite! Come to knit or crochet, or come to learn to knit or crochet with Gladess Crisp and Nancy Lutes on October 15 at 11:30 in the Binkley library (right before the Primetimers event). Bring yarn and needles/hooks and enthusiasm! Fall is for Planting! The landscaping committee has been making plans for fall planting for many months now. Like seeds waiting under the warm earth, we are eager to "get growing!!" We wanted you to know that planting is anticipated this fall even though water restrictions are still in place. We are grateful for the rain and for your support and patience. To review briefly: The "buffer" area (the large area along , Willow Drive and Harris Teeter side) is required to be planted with a certain number of trees of very specific sizes and types according to the town of Chapel Hill. Over the last year, landscaping committee activities have included actually walking the church's entire grounds counting and measuring existing trees and calculating the number that will be needed, researching predominantly native species that will survive well in our area, considering comments from members and other committees, finding and working with a professional landscape designer for plan development, surviving the rigors of the town's design committee scrutiny, praying for rain and... waiting. We then began the challenge of finding a landscape installer who is both available and affordable. We are awaiting final estimates now for the "buffer" area plantings that are required by the town of Chapel Hill. We hope to have this done by Thanksgiving if all goes well! In addition, we are working to plant a more permanent garden at the new church entrance which will include the length of beds along the new sidewalk ( including correcting drainage problems under office windows and canopy), the new entrance around the chapel including plantings to screen the HVAC mechanical units. We have a plan already developed and a plant list of hardy and beautiful plants selected for this garden. This area will also require a watering system and significant soil improvements since the soil has been described as "the worst kind of clay"! This area is not a part of the required buffer planting and is not included in any plans associated with the church building project implementation. It also is not included in the Binkley budget at this time so we are counting on your generous donations to the landscaping discretionary fund. As you consider your charitable giving, please consider this need. You can do this by writing your check to Binkley Church and including the notation "for landscaping discretionary fund". Let's make a beautiful and welcoming garden at our new entrance! We appreciate your prayers and your support as we work toward a long-awaited completion of this portion of our building project. Landscaping Committee: Sandi Greene (chair), Neal Cheek, Bill McNairy, Janet O'Neal, Susan Resnik New Book by Howard Lee! Come hear Binkley member Howard Lee read from his new autobiography, The Courage to Lead: One Man's Journey in Public Service, on Wednesday, October 29, 7pm at the Regulator Bookshop in Durham, or Wednesday, November 12, 11:30am, at The Carolina Club in the George Watts Hill Alumni Center in Chapel Hill. In 1969, Howard was elected the first black mayor of a predominantly white town in the South, Chapel Hill, and was the first black member of a governor s cabinet in the South when he was appointed Secretary of the NC Department of Natural and Economic Resources in Howard also served in the NC Senate, , and is currently Chair of the State Board of Education. In his book, Howard tells about the hurdles he faced growing up on a sharecropper's farm in Georgia during segregation, as well as the triumphs and the people who helped him during his college and army days and his long and respected political career in North Carolina. Registration is necessary for the luncheon and reading at the Carolina Club. Call , or ccll@unc.edu. The reading at the Regulator Bookshop is free. Just a reminder: you can help Binkley save money on paper and postage, and be a little greener, by getting this newsletter by . Just send us an at office@binkleychurch.org, and request to be put on the Newsletter List. Thanks!

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6 The Occasional Binkley Golf Open Report: The th Anniversary Binkley Open Golf Tournament concluded recently on a gorgeous day as sixteen members and friends of Binkley Baptist Church competed in a friendly round at the Quaker Creek Golf Club just north of Mebane. Hosted by Nape Baker and Joe Clontz, with assistance from Ed Davis and Bob Phillips, golfers were treated to a course that is both challenging and fun. Using the Captain s Choice format with unique rules and playing in one foursome and four threesomes, Joe Clontz, David Zimmerman and Allen Beale won first place in the friendly competition setting a tournament record 19 under par and took home specially crafted trophies from the workshop of Fred Schroeder. Allen Beale won longest drive for men under seventy-five years of age. The four par threes were no problem for James King, Bill Dickinson and Lyman Ferrell who had the closest to the pin on two of the par threes. A fall outing is already in the works with details coming in the next few months. Beth s Back: Thank you, Binkley Church, for the gift of the time to spend becoming a new and different family! This summer has been wonderful. We are grateful for a healthy and happy baby. Jonathan is truly a gift of God! I expect to be at Binkley on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Special thanks to the church staff, Dana Trent, John Burton-Crutchfield and the Board of Christian Education for preparing for Launch Sunday. Become a Member of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North Carolina! Join with other individual Baptists who have declared themselves peacemakers and are working through the network of BPFNA to respond to the global conflicts which surround us. As a member, you will receive bi-monthly issues of the award winning journal Baptist Peacemaker and support the work of a distinctly Baptist voice for peace rooted in justice. Visit to join online. You might also consider attending the Global Baptist Peace Conference which will be held outside Rome in February For information, visit Calling All Book Borrowers! You know how it is.you borrowed a wonderful book or videotape from the Binkley library and have been meaning to get it back for some time, but just haven t gotten around to it. Well, now s the time! The Binkley Library Committee is calling for all borrowed items to be returned so that they can be properly catalogued and accounted for. They are particularly looking for copies of books by, or about, Binkley members. If you personally own a book that was authored by someone from Binkley, or is about that person, please consider loaning it to the Binkley library for their special display in honor of the church s 50th Anniversary. A collection box is located in the library, or call Barbara Davis ( ). Free Theater Workshop: Lynn Marshall will lead a free theater workshop here at Binkley on November 22, from 1-3 pm in the lounge. Lynn brings her skills as an actress, director, playwright, producer and former theater professor to teach trade secrets about the theater. Come and learn from her fifty years of experience. Open to all artists! Watch this space for more details GODSPELL Date Correction: Mark your calendar! On February 21-22, 2009, Binkley actors, singers and players will perform Godspell. Auditions will be held this fall. Check the next newsletter for specific dates. Youth and adults are invited to audition. Priscilla Bratcher, director, and Leandra Strope, music director. Please note: these are the corrected dates for these performances. Thanks to Velma Ferrell and Larry Nielsen who, over the summer, created and hung a curtain in the Binkley nursery. It certainly makes that area look attractive. Thank you both!

7 HAPPY BIRTHDAY! OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS 23 JANYE CHAO 1 JANIE BENSON, LYMAN FERRELL, 13 GAIL BUXTON, HILDA MOFFITT 24 TEETA WEST 2 GARRETT GILMORE, SAM HUDOCK, PHIL SZOSTAK 4 JOAN EWING, PAUL LINDSAY 14 LAURA DAVIDSON, ANNE FISHEL, JEFF LAND, NINA PAGE 15 LIBBY FOSSO, JACKSON SNIDER 5 JEAN BRECKENRIDGE 17 NAPE BAKER, MAE LEE MINTON, PAM SWANSON 6 JOE KNIGHT, STEWART POWELL 18 SHERRI DAVIS, ADAM HARRISS 7 JOSEPH WALKER 19 ANNA RIPLEY-MOFFITT, DEBORAH TIPPETT 8 KAREN MONACO, 20 MARJ BOLTZ, CLAUDIA TEMPLETON KEVIN RAMER 10 CAMILLE MCNAIRY, ROBERT MOORHEAD, DREW STUTTS 21 RHONDA SZOSTAK 25 BETTY HORNADAY, PATTY MICHAELS 26 DIANE DIVINE 27 BILLY BARNES, CHARLES CARVER, MATTHEW RIPLEY-MOFFITT 28 HANNAH OSBORNE, MARY NASH POLLARD 30 STUART CANTRELL, REX DORTON HAPPY OCTOBER ANNIVERSARIES! 3 TIM AND DEB PYATT ANGELA & SCOTT SNIDER CATHRINE HOYO & JAMES STOCK SHERIDAN & ROGER BUSHNELL LORI CAHILL & PAUL KELLER NANCY HILBURN & BOB TRENKLE 26 KAY & ALLEN MALTBIE Oct 5 Oct 12 Oct 19 Oct 26 OCTOBER NURSERY DUTY (GREETER IN BOLD) Jo Lea, Caroline and Paul Lindsay, Karen Long, Tom McCollough, Marge Miles; Julie Jennings Beth Honeycutt & Brian Graves, Kay Maltbie, Patricia McKenzie & Kathy Keyser; Angela Snider Carolyn & Mark Morton, Carol, Larry, Savannah & Nicolas Nobles; Kara Richards-Baker Ralph & Ashley Nissler, Ann & John Overton, Julie Hicks & Stephanie O Daly; Tamara Dempsey-Tanner If your birthday or anniversary is not listed, or hasn t been listed before, we probably do not have the date information in our database. Please let us know the correct information by ing it to office@binkleychurch.org.

8 Prayer Concerns in the Church Family: Louise Baker, Millie Smith, David Green, Peggy Kinnaird, Carolyn Wallace, Nina Stein, Allen Smith, Martha Henderson, Julie Kern, Gladys Matthewson, Lyn and Nash Pollard, Joan Ewing, Roma Harris, Phillippi family, Bill and Ryan Peck, Pam Swanson-Boyd, Minister Search Committee and others who seek support in private. Prayer Concerns in the Extended Family: Carley Pardington (Joe s mother), Ginny Busch (friend of Tamara Dempsey-Tanner), Ellen Sung (Doug and Susan MacKinnon s daughter, Rodney Beals (Laura Davidson s father), Jack Tapp (friend of Frank Smith), Tyson Tedders (nephew of Don and Jean Westbrook), Ethel Viola (Carolyn Cole s mother), Sue Womack (friend of Doug and Susan McKinnon, Henry Hall (Howard Lee s brother-in-law), Arthur Johnson (Carl Johnson s father), Alan Bibb (Barbara Nettles-Carlson s son), Carol Richardson (Bonnie and Laura Rogers mother), Chris Todderoskki (friend of Kent Coyle), Sally Resnik Rockriver (David Resnik s sister), Virginia Coyle (Kent Coyle s mother), Boyd Switzer (Katherine Walker s father), John Kent s father, Kim Archer and David Bouldin (friends of Allen and Millie Smith), Marge Butera Sedlak (Karen Long s friend), Johnnie Johnson, (friend of Lillian Lee), Hope Conway (Kit Conway s mother), Karen Brock (Ann and Roy Brock s daughter-in-law), family of Thomas Barnett (Karen Long s friend), Tan and Scott Coats, Tara Hogan (Talmadge Walker s niece), Gayle Gordon (Ruth Nagle s sister), Christine Hopkins (Anne Fishel s mother), Jessica Mosqueda (Jo Flair s granddaughter), Dan Peck (Bill Peck s brother), Don & Sally Weil (Doug and Susan MacKinnon s friends), Health Center Residents. In the Military: Staff Sergeant Mike Cirini (John Brandon s son-in-law), stationed in Iraq; Ray Lloyd, Air Force, (Bo Lloyd s son), stationed in Iraq. Binkley Baptist Church 1712 Willow Drive Chapel Hill, NC (919) Nonprofit Org. US Postage Paid Chapel Hill, NC Permit No. 70 Denise Cumbee Long, Interim Senior Minister, denise@binkleychurch.org, ext. 27 Dale Osborne, Associate Minister, Dale@binkleychurch.org, ext. 26 Beth Honeycutt, Minister of Christian Education, Beth@binkleychurch.org, ext. 25 Leandra Merea Strope, Minister of Music, Leandra@binkleychurch.org, ext. 24 Maureen Rosen, Office Manager, Office@binkleychurch.org, ext. 10 Bo Lloyd, Organist Megan Stauffer, Nursery Director Nicole Suddeth, Nursery Caregiver Robert E. Seymour, Minister Emeritus Pearl Seymour, Organist Emerita Gloria Lightsey-Lewis, Volunteer Minister of Visitation and Church Growth Marlene Dickison, Director of Binkley Pre-School Carl Moraven (DCM Cleaning Company), Custodian