Beams from. And it begins. Coming Home for Christmas...

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1 January 2015 Beams from from Boehm s No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here! Inside this issue: Events and Announcements 1-3 And it begins. Pastor s Letter 3 Missions & Outreach 4 Birthdays History Corner Kid s Page 6 Ministries of Worship 7 Calendar 8 5 It s 2015! It is time to celebrate the 275th anniversary of Boehm s Church! In January we will be displaying some of the church communion ware and other historical treasures used in the past. We will also be unveiling the Anniversary Banner on Sunday, January 11th during the worship service. In February the church will have a display at the Wissahickon Valley library to share with the community. There will also be a Fastnacht Sunday service on February 15th with lots of doughnuts and pre-lent decadence! Plus, there will be many other events and activities in the month ahead. Including... Mark your calendars for May 3rd there will be a luncheon banquet at the church that day for all the members and friends of Boehm s Church. Coming Home for Christmas... The Christmas window was returned to Boehm s! Just in time for Christmas eve...what a joy to have the bright colors shining through again. Castle Studio is doing marvelous work restoring the windows. After the other two flanking stained glass windows are finished being restored and re-installed, there will be a service of rededication. Stay tuned...

2 Page 2 Congratulations! to Pastor Bob During the worship service on December 28th, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Rev. Robert H. Calvert s ordination into the ministry of the Word and Sacrament. During the service, which shared the old, old story of Simeon and Anna in the Temple when they gave witness to the promised salvation of the Messiah, Pastor Bob shared some moments in his ministry when he witnessed moments of salvation. Pastor Bob and the congregation also re-affirmed his ordination vows. Pastor Bob was ordained on December 5th, 1954 at the First Congregational Church in Binghampton, NY, by the Susquehanna Association of the New York Conference. A graduate of Harpur College (State University of New York) and Hartford Theological Seminary, Pastor Bob served as the pastor of First Congregational Church of Walton, NY, the Eggertsville UCC in Amherst, NY, and St. Paul s UCC in Alden, NY. After pursuing specialization in the field of aging through a chaplain internship at the E. J. Meyer Memorial Hospital in Buffalo, NY, Pastor Bob served as a chaplain at the Erie County Home and Infirmary in Buffalo for five years. While there, he served as an official New York State delegate to the 1971 White House Conference on Aging. Then, in November of 1973, he joined the staff at the Wyncote Church Home in Wyncote, PA. He served many roles while there including Director of Home Life and Director of Admissions and Social Service. However, he served most notably as the pastor to both the residents and the staff. He remained at the Wyncote Church Home until February, 1995 when he retired. In his commitment to the larger church, Pastor Bob, over the years, has served on the UCC s Council for Health and Human Services, served as chair of the PSEC Conference Committee on Aging and the Conference Committee on Homes and Institutions. In service to the community he has been a member of the Montgomery County Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Eastern Montgomery County RSVP Action Committee, Eastern Montgomery County Meals on Wheels, Cheltenham Township Historical Commission and the Cheltenham Township Adult School. Pastor Bob is also the founder of the Colonial Church Group of which Boehm s Church is a proud member. In September, Pastor Bob and Anne Calvert celebrated another milestone: sixty years of marriage. Surrounded by their children (Edith, Nancy and Charles) and their grandchildren; surrounded by other family and friends; and surrounded by an ever-growing collection of memories and accomplishments, we rejoice with them on both of these wonderful anniversaries. Thank you so very much to all those who contributed to the luncheon honoring Rev. Calvert for his 60th anniversary! Kudos to Judy Keller for organizing the goodies! It was a lovely event and Rev. Calvert and his family were touched and grateful.

3 Beams from Boehm s Page 3 Dear Friends, Thank You! Thank you to all who made the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service both beautiful and meaningful. Thank you, dear Handbell Choir! You were wonderful. Thank you, Judy Keller for reading with such passion. Thank you, Diane Williams for playing that organ so well. Thank you, Jay Bontempo and Jada Ruzek for singing like two turtle doves! Thank you, Marie Hagner, for lending us your "turtle doves." Thank you, Shane Rowles for bringing in the Light of Christ! Thank you Mike Rowles, Joe Rosiek, and Gary Rau for managing plates and lights and cameras like pros! Thank you, Diana Rau and Lorraine Nowlan for keeping our collections neat and tidy and recorded. Thank you, Carol Pfister for too much to name it all. Thank you, Dave White, for making it all so bright and shiny. Thank you, Pat Delp, for paraments and candle guards and poinsettias and so much more. Thank you, Sunday School Teachers for the children's surprises. Thank you, Rebe Williams and Rebe the Original for adorning the halls and our heroes graves. Thank you, "hangers" of the "greens" and procurers of trees. Thank you, dear children, for making us smile and feel good. Thank you, visitors and guests whose presence was a gift. Thank you...well, to all who I may have foolishly overlooked. Sometimes it takes a village not just to raise a child, but to also welcome the Christ-Child into the world. And, most of all, thank you dear friends for being there, for being the village, for welcoming Jesus into the inn, and for welcoming Christ into our hearts. In Christ's Love, Pastor Bill

4 Page 4 O Mitten Tree O Mitten Tree... Many thanks to all those who donated to the Mitten Tree at Boehm s those warm gifts were greatly appreciated by the children! Many toys two carloads were collected by the Meadowland country club in December. They were delivered to Interfaith by the COG committee. It was a great partnership! Many thanks to Marie, Judy, Fran and Al for making the deliveries. Donations Needed! The COG committee would like to remind you that a list of what the Mattie Dixon cupboard currently needs is posted on their website at You can check there anytime for an update. Your donations will be much appreciated. Interfaith of Ambler also has a website that lists their current needs. It is www. i-fha.org. We support their Hope Gardens apartment program. Please check the table in the narthex for paper copies of these lists. Thank you for your donations!

5 Beams from Boehm s Page 5 Boehm's History Corner by Bob Whittock January 2015 Church History 7 Shane Rowles 8 Nicole Middleton 9 Rob Rowe Leslie Rowles 15 Angela McKinney 21 Kylene Weidner 22 Hildegarde Schubert 24 Jackson Palmer 27 Alysha Weidner Linda Jane Moore St. Michael s OCC has decided to discontinue meeting as a church. They will not be here on Saturdays at this point. Perhaps in the future... In 1908, the old high steeple of the church was removed, (it had been weakened by age and storms) and replaced by a lower tower and the church roof was also replaced at that time. The total cost was $1,053. This work was done by Walter Shaeff, Sr. In 1910, the Sunday School Room balcony, over the Vestibule was built. Walter Shaeff, Sr. designed and built it. At one time this balcony was to have been extended into a complete second floor, over what is now the Church Parlor and Nursery, but after putting the costs together, including the installation of steel support beams from the basement on up, the Consistory turned it down as too costly. Cemetery History Walter Shaeff, Sr., (1862-3/31/1946) grew up in Blue Bell, and attended Whitpain Schools. He was an Undertaker, Carpenter and a Butcher, by trade. In the 1888, he started an undertaking establishment in Blue Bell, and what is now the "Shaeff-Meyers Funeral Home," in Ambler. He built the 1895 Whitpain High School, in Blue Bell, along with Boehm's Church Steeple, in 1908, and the Sunday School Balcony in He was a member of Boehm's Church, the Centre Square Fire Company, Blue Bell Horse Company, and the Times Herald Fifty-Year Club. He had conducted a contracting & building business and an undertaking establishment for over 55 years. Walter Shaeff, Sr., and his wife Jennie "Shearer" Shaeff ( /1930) are buried in Boehm's Cemetery. Did you know that M&Ms are helpful for sharing the Epiphany Story? As you hold these candies in your hand and turn them, you will see that the M becomes a 3, then a W, and then an E. They tell the Christmas story; it s one I m sure you know. This birth was in a stable a long, long time ago. The M is mother Mary in the manger on that night. The E is for the East, where shone the star so bright. The 3 is for the Magi, gifts to Emmanuel. W is for worship : Alleluia! Good News to tell! So as you eat these candies, or share them with your friends, Recall the Christ of Christmas, Love Song that never ends.

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7 Beams from Boehm s Page 7 January 2015 MINISTRIES OF WORSHIP Date Lay Reader Ushers Fellowship Hour Sponsors Acolyte Sunday School Teachers Epiphany Sunday Dara Rowles Gary & Diana Rau January 4, 2015 Tori Middleton Diana Rau & Tori Middleton First Sunday after the Epiphany January 11, 2015 Catharine Coryell Mike Rowles & Al Slingluff Shane Rowles Joanie Weidner & Tori Middleton Second Sunday after the Epiphany January 18, 2015 Fran Slingluff Lorraine Nowlan & Marie Hagner Bella Rowles Rebe Williams & Tori Middleton Third Sunday after the Epiphany January 25, 2015 Lorraine Nowlan Joe Rosiek & Gary Williams Shane Rowles Rebe Williams & Tori Middleton

8 Page 8 Boehm s Calendar for January Sunday, January 4 Epiphany Worship & 10 am Monday, January 5 6:30 pm Knitting 7 pm Sunday, January am Monday, January 12 Knitting 7 pm Wednesday, January 21 Cemetery 6:00 pm 7:00 pm Sunday, January a.m. Benefit 4 pm Monday, January 26 6:30 pm Knitting 7 pm Sunday, January am COG 11:30 am Tuesday, January 27 History 11:00 am Other Meetings at Boehm s: Boehm's United Church of Christ 571 Penllyn - Blue Bell Pike Blue Bell, PA Phone: info@boehmschurch.com Office Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pastor: The Rev. William A Middleton Office Administrator : Carol Pfister Alcoholics Anonymous Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m. Brownie Girl Scouts Alternate Mondays, 6:30 pm Phila Grace and Truth Church Worship: Sundays, 12:30 pm Bible Study: Fridays, 7:30 pm Society of Christian Scientists Worship: Sundays, 11:00 a.m. Readings: Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. We re on the web: Visit us on Facebook!