THE JOYBELL The Baptist Church of Grafton An American Baptist Church Rev. Philip D. Goff, Pastor (508) 839-4911 Church Office (508) 839-1720 Parsonage www.thebaptistchurchofgrafton.org David and Diane Libbey, Editors (508) 839-2561 September 2014 Message from Pastor Phil One of the oldest questions asked in Scripture, (and one of the most famous), is posed by Cain after he has killed his brother Abel and he asks it in response to a question posed to him by the Lord. Cain s reply and question is, Am I my brother s keeper? I ve thought about that question in these days following Robin Williams suicide. May and I are old enough to remember Mork and Mindy, Genie, Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Morning, Viet Nam and many more of his amazing and sometimes powerful roles. Williams had such a special gift to be able to make people both laugh and think of something serious at the same time. Those who must keep such statistics tell us that last year more than 39,000 people took their own lives that is more than double the population of Grafton; that figure is chilling to the soul. There is no easy answer to the question what can be done to offer significant aide to those who have found their life in such crisis that they are considering taking their own. At moments such as this, we are again made aware that for all our good doctors know and understand about our human bodies, the mind is still so very much a mystery. Yet the answer to Cain s question is yes because as Christians, we know our brother is also our sister, our neighbor, our co-worker, anyone whose life has touched our own. Jesus taught us this when he called his disciples his brothers. It is difficult to grasp where we begin. Perhaps all we can do is to be ready, prepared, to listen when someone needs to talk with us; prepared to give someone a hug when they are in need of one; perhaps to offer a smile to someone who seems to be missing one. Such a deed is easy to do and it is doing something; for some, it may be just enough to bring them from the brink. And may our God bless us for the effort and grant 1
peace to the soul of the person we are listening to, smiling at or simply giving them a warm embrace. Peace and Joy, Pastor Phil Prayer Time For the past two years, several church members have been enrolled in a Prayer Seminary led by the Rev. Dawn Sweet. Meredith Christian, Susanne Fleming, Marcia Kamilewicz and Pastor Phil completed the program in July but didn t want the experience to end with graduation. Under their leadership, a time of prayer meets Thursday mornings at 9:30am in the Sanctuary for fifteen minutes. We begin with a brief spoken prayer followed by silence and conclude with a blessing. All are welcome to attend and all are welcome to submit prayer requests by calling the church office or contacting one of the four leaders. During the opening prayer, the prayer concerns and celebrations of the previous Sunday s worship service are again lifted up to the Lord in prayer. Here is a poem that I shared recently with the group. They found much meaning in the words and have decided to call themselves A Rainbow of Prayers A rainbow is not just a symphony of colors sent to calm the storm in our souls; it is a talk with God, a mysterious, miraculous conversation with God, heart to heart, the very heart of God saying to our hearts: I remember I am you God. Be my walking rainbows so that the whole world will know to whom you belong, for I am the God who keeps promises, and I have not forgotten our covenant. This is the hope of the church: that God keeps promises. The mission of the church is to walk among the suffering and give, for we are covenant keepers, walking rainbows, bringing the hope of the good news to the poor. By Ann Weems, Kneeling in Jerusalem 2
Rally Day & Picnic, September 7 The Baptist Church of Grafton Church Family will join together to celebrate the start of the 2014 2015 Sunday School year. Everyone is invited to come and be part of this special Sunday. During the Worship Service we will have a Service of Dedication for our Sunday School teachers and young people. During Sunday School time our young people and teachers will worship together and start their new lessons We will also have Registration Forms for parents to fill out so we will have the latest health information for your children. After our Worship Service we will all gather again at the Corey s camp for a wonderful pot luck picnic. The Church will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, rolls, paper plates, plastic silverware, napkins, cups and drinks. Please bring a dish to share with friends [salad, dessert, appetizer] and a lawn chair if possible. It is a great afternoon of fellowship, music, and a very special baptismal experience. The Christian Education Committee The curriculum that we are using is The Whole People of God. It is lectionary-based and matches the Sunday School lesson topics with the weekly sermon topics and bible verses used in Morning Worship. This year we want to focus on two things: more music and more prayer time. As part of our Sunday School worship in September we will be learning songs that our young people who went to Grotonwood learned this summer. At the end of each class time we will include Prayer Time where we encourage class members to pray for needs and requests from God. We will also start the School Year with a Prayer of Blessing of the Students. Each Sunday School Family will also receive the At Home Leaflet for Unit 1 which has additional family studies for each week of the church year. Our hope is that each family will make use of these lessons and be blessed by them. If anyone would like a copy but doesn t receive one there are extra copies on the table in RFH. Our Church School year will start on September 14 with classes for children and teens. Pastor Phil s Bible Study Group will resume meeting on September 2. They will continue meeting on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of each month. This is an open Study Group and all are welcome. They will be starting a study of the Book of Joel. It is a great opportunity to discuss your reading and to compare various translations of the Bible. Pastor Phil is offering another membership class. The first meeting will be on September 17. Please let him know if you are interested in being part of this class. 3
Our next Christian Education Committee meeting will be September 18 at 7:30pm. At the meetings we work on plans and ideas for Sunday School, Youth and Family Activities and Bible Studies. We welcome new members. If you feel that God is calling you to be part of the Sunday School Team and/or the Christian Education Committee or you have any questions about what to do, speak to Susanne Fleming, Sunday School Superintendent or Cathi Gandolfo, Christian Education Committee Chair. Diaconate Report The Deacons met on August 26 with all members present. Pastor Phil reported on the many visits he and several members of the Church Family have made to our shut-ins. We reviewed the plans for picnic and for the baptisms at the Corey Camp. We discussed the Harvest Barn Worship Service and ways that the day could be improved or revamped. Health care forms for single members living alone will be available in September. A letter of transfer of membership for Shirley and Roger Anderson to their church in Florida was discussed and we wish them much joy in their new home church. Our Communion Fund Treasurer Garfield Atchue reported that there have been several requests for assistance from the fund this summer. It is an important resource to have available for this purpose but at present the balance is quite low. Pot Luck With A Purpose Dinner On Saturday, October 4, we ll be holding a pot luck dinner welcoming back to our church two long-time friends, the Rev. Dr. Jim Sinclair and Ed Guerard. They will be doing a presentation to help us focus on the future of our church. This will include the financial realities of how to insure that the mission of our church will remain strong in years to come. Please plan to attend this very enjoyable and important evening Saturday on the Farm Sunday, August 11, our church family joined with members of the Congregational Church of Grafton for garden harvesting, a time of worship and praise, and supper fellowship at the Community Harvest Project on Wheeler Road. Though few in number we were a merry band of pickers. We picked green beans this year. After our field work we joined together for a vesper service to celebrate the growing season and the harvesting of God s gifts. While we were out in the garden, others worked inside the barn preparing supper for those in the fields. The grill master, Mike Christian, provided hamburgers and hot dogs and we feasted on salads and desserts. By all reports, it was a fun-filled, afternoon. Thank you those who worked on organizing the event on behalf of our church, the Congregational Church and the Community Harvest Barn! 4
Property Committee Report The Property Committee has contacted the Sheriff s Department and hopes to be able to use their labor pool for some major projects around the church. Tops on the list are sealing the handicapped access ramp, painting the fire escape and painting some of the outside doors. This summer there were a few plumbing issues that were addressed, the carpet in the Narthex, the stairs, the downstairs hall and the office were cleaned thanks to the Christian family. Letter from our young Missionary Last spring we received a letter from Sarah King, Janice and John s granddaughter. She told of her desire to go on a mission trip, and many of our members donated money to sponsor her trip. Sarah has just begun her sophomore year at Hope Christian High School in Albuquerque New Mexico. Here is her report on her trip: Dear Friends and Family, I want to thank you so much for supporting me and my team on a mission trip to Ecuador. It was amazing! Forty-five high school students and five leaders from Hope Christian School here in Albuquerque, went to Ecuador to help with the Elohim Foundation. The Elohim foundation provides feeding services, medical assistance, and Biblical teaching. Hope has been going there since 2006. Thirty of us were sent into the jungle of Maderous and fifteen were sent to El Cocoa. The El Cocoa team was able to work with the kids of the community, putting on Vacation Bible Schools and fun activities for the kids. They were also able to build a wall and paint the outside of the foundation. The team that went to Maderous was my group. We were able to build a 6 acre barbed wired fence around the tilapia farm. In the past year, the fish had been stolen so this will help keep that from happening and get the feeding program for the children up and running. We were also able to build a 100 foot driveway, so that they can load the truck with ease and not get washed away or stuck in mud. We also planted 500 trees and pineapples, and cleaned up the trash around the finca (farm). On one of the days, my friend Tori and I were chosen by Dr. Cloud to help work in the dental clinic. Dr. Cloud has been a dentist for 25 years and he and his wife have gone to Ecuador the last three years. The Clouds have also gone to other countries such as Peru. On the first day of the clinic, we were in Shayari, which is a little town about twenty minutes away from Maderous where we stayed. We went into the school where they were allowing us to have the room for the day, and set up a gurney and all the supplies. Before any of the kids got there Tori and I were making the cavity fillings out of pieces of cotton balls and trying to sterilize everything as best as we possibly could. 5
All the kids before lunch had been actively brushing their teeth and had almost no cavities, so Tori and I took turns holding the flash light. The first little boy after lunch was 4 years old and came in with 8 teeth that had almost completely rotted out of his mouth and had at least 5 cavities that needed care too. Dr. Cloud gave him two shots on either side of his mouth and waited till his lips were numb and began to take out the first two teeth. On the third tooth he asked if I wanted to take one out, so of course I said Yes! He guided my hands and eventually got the tooth out! It was so cool! Tori got to do the next tooth. Because he had so many rotten teeth and cavities, Dr. Cloud asked his mother to bring him again tomorrow, but he didn t show up. With our help they were able to completely set up the foundation in Maderous, making Pastor Alejandro s dream of 100 churches across Ecuador in 100 years a little bit more possible. This was the fifth foundation that he was able to start. Because the churches he has started are in such poor areas, and because most of the tithes go to the people of the church and the community, Pastor Alejandro depends primarily on our group to support his ministry and because of you, we do a huge donation at the end of the trip! So I wanted to thank everyone so much for all the prayer and donations that were given to us! I hope that I will be able to return to Ecuador in the future. Sincerely, Sarah King Dear Church Family, A thank you from a Scholarship Recipient Thank you so incredibly much for the generous support that you have given ne as I venture off to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. To have the Church so graciously select me for the Langdon Scholarship means a lot to my family and me. The church has always supported me, whether it be a Scout Camp scholarship, helping me with my Eagle Project, or providing a loving community to be a part of. Words cannot fully express my gratitude. I am extremely excited to go off to college, and at this point I am very interested in St. Olaf s nursing major. I strongly believe that if I find a group of friends at college that are as caring and supportive as my Church, Family, I will be in excellent company. Thank you very much, Samuel T. Engvall 6
Here is a note that we recently received: A note from the Food Bank The Grafton Food Bank would like to thank you for your incredibly generous donation to our school supply drive. Our plan is to use these materials and any other donated items we receive from the Grafton Community in the coming weeks to create back-to-school packets for children in need. These will be brought to the Middle School where they will be distributed to students who might otherwise go without. Thanks to you and others in the community, over sixty students will be able to begin the school year with the necessary tools to learn and to complete homework assignments. These families are truly grateful for your help in meeting the needs of their children which will have less strain on their budgets and their children will not have to worry about being the only ones unprepared for school. The Grafton Food Bank is always in need of our assistance to meet the weekly demands of those in need. The summer months and the economic times have put a great stress on the Food Bank and your help is very important. You may leave your contributions in the basket in the narthex just outside our Sanctuary or drop them off at our church office. Watch the bulletin for a list of items that are needed at the Bank. Also thanks to you, our church donated 17 birthday bags for people who use the Bank and are celebrating birthdays that month. Address Corrections o Jean Parker c/o Sue Costa, 19 Calumet Ave. Worcester, 01606 o Laura Dodge, Holy Trinity Rehabilitation Center, 300 Barber Ave. Room 3B, Worcester, 01606 Important Dates in September 2 Tuesday ~ 5:15-6:15- AA Reflections Group ~ 7:30- Bible Study with Pastor Phil 4 Thursday ~ 9:30-9:45- Prayer time in the Sanctuary 6 Saturday ~ 9:0-0-3:00 Quilt Class with Paula Moore 7 Sunday ~ 10:00 Worship Service to God s Glory, Sunday School Rally Day. Communion Sunday. Sermon: It s About Time based on Exodus 12:1-14 and Romans 13:8-14. School Classes for children and youth. Picnic at the Corey s following worship. ~ 6:30-8:00 Venture Crew with Doug Bellar 8 Monday ~ 10:00 Mission Committee with Garfield Atchue 7
~ 7:00 Long Range Planning with Morgan King 9 Tuesday ~ 10:00 Pastoral Parish Relations Committee ~ 5:15-6:15 AA Reflections Group ~ 7:30- Knit One, Crochet, Too! with Jane and Gloria 10 Wednesday ~ 10:00 Choir Rehearsal with Pat Knowlton 11 Thursday ~ 9:30- Prayer Time in the Sanctuary 12 Friday ~ Church Office is closed today 14 Sunday ~ 10:00 Worship Service to God s Glory, Sermon- What Is Important, based on Exodus 14:19-31 and Romans 14:1-12 Coffee Hour following Worship. 15 Monday ~ 7:30 Board of Directors with David Libbey 16 Tuesday ~ 5:15-6:15 AA Reflections Group ~ 7:30 Bible Study with Pastor Phil 17 Wednesday ~ 10:00 Choir Rehearsal with Pat Knowlton ~ 3:00 Worship at Crescent Manor ~ 7:30 Property Committee with Diane Hutchinson-Fontana 18 Thursday ~ 9:30- Prayer Time in the sanctuary ~ 7:30 Christian Education Committee with Cathi Gandolfo Friday ~ 6:00-8:00 Girl Scouts with May Docekal 20 Saturday ~ 5:30 Ham and Bean Dinner in Russell Hall, donation $12.00 21 Sunday ~ 10:00 am. Worship Service to God s Glory, Sermon: What to Do? based on Exodus 17:1-7 and Philippians 1:21-30, Sunday School, Coffee Fellowship following Worship. ~ 6:30-8:00 Venture Crew with Doug Bellar 22 Monday ~ 7:30 Deacons with Diane Libbey 23 Tuesday ~ 5:15-6:15 AA Reflections Group ~ 7:30 Knit One, Crochet Too! with Jane and Gloria 24 Wednesday ~ 10:00 Choir Rehearsal with Pat Knowlton 25 Thursday ~ 9:30 Prayer Time in the Sanctuary 28 Sunday 10:00 am. Worship Service to God s Glory, Sermon: We All Need a Little Fear based on Exodus 17:1-7 and Philippians 2:1-3, Sunday School Classes for children and Youth, Coffee Fellowship following Worship. 30 Tuesday ~ 5:15-6:15 AA Reflections Group ~ 7:30- Bible Study with Pastor Phil Every Week in September Worship Service to God s Glory, 10:00am, with Childcare and Sunday School Classes for children in Nursery through High School. Church Family Fellowship Time with refreshments following the Worship Service. Deacons for the Month of September- Diane Libbey and Pat Knowlton Tellers for the Month of September- The King Family Church Office Hours are Monday Friday with the Church Secretary 9:00 am 11:30 am. The Pastor is in most mornings except Saturdays 8
Fund Raising Events Schedule. Mark your calendars now for these upcoming events. Be sure to invite the neighbors and your friends to join you. The more the merrier and the better the fellowship! Make your reservations early! Check the sign-up sheets in Russell Fellowship Hall or call the Church Office. The Fall schedule is: September 20 Ham and Bean Dinner October 25 Turkey Dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes, butternut squash and cranberry sauce. November 22 Pasta and Meatball Dinner January 17, 2015 Richard s Swedish Meatball Dinner February 7 - Soup Night New Event to benefit our campers February 21 Corn Beef and Cabbage March 7 May s Liver and Onion Dinner March 28 Judy s Italian Pork Chops April 18 Roma s Scottish Tea [reservations required, begins at 3:30 PM] May 16 Oven Fried Chicken Dinner All meals except the Tea will begin at 5:30 p.m. The donation for the dinners and the tea is $12. It is always a great help to those planning the meals to have some idea of how many will be attending. A sign-up sheet is available in Russell Hall for the Ham and Bean dinner. Throughout the year, a sign-up sheet for the next meal to be served will also be available. Please help your chefs plan their meal by letting them know you are attending! Cookbook Update A group of dedicated cooks spent several Wednesdays this summer poring over the wonderful recipes submitted by our church family chefs. They eventually wondered why everyone in this church does not weigh 900 pounds as the recipes all sounded deliciously wonderful. The draft, complete with 297 recipes, has been submitted to the publishing company. The book Feeding the Flock will be available for sale at the church fair. Samples of the desserts will be featured at the next upcoming church suppers just to whet your appetites. The order is for 200 copies and 97 have already been spoken for!! To insure that you get your copy please sign up on the pre-order form found in Russell Hall. The price is a reasonable $10 and the cookbook will make great Christmas gifts, birthday gifts or a special memory for a new bride. If you are one of our internet readers 9
please email the church office to have your name added to the list at: secybcg@verizon.net Church Fair Is Coming! The All Church Fair will be held on Saturday, November 8. Many people are working to make this another successful event in the life of our church. Remember to save all your wonderful treasures to add to our Attic Treasures table. Last year we emptied the Jewelry Table so we are looking for all sorts of baubles and trinkets to tempt the buying public. Save your paperbacks, weed your bookshelves and let friends know you have a great place to recycle books. Our delicious Snack Bar will be looking for donations of money to offset their costs. The team will do the buying and lugging. All they will need is a bit of help from their friends in the form of cash! Susanne Fleming is always looking for help with the cookie decorating table. This is a great place for kids to safely wait for parents while they are spending money on our Fair! Our successful Drawffle last year bears repeating, so look for interesting items to donate to that table hand crafted items, gently used and practically new items do very well on this table. We will again be having a series of pie making events. We will be looking for pie plates [buy them early as they disappear from the supermarket in September], donations of apples, spices, pie dough from our special recipe, and people to peel and roll. Bake table will also be looking for a variety of pies so plan to freeze some fruit now for your specialty pie is another great idea. Your committee has several new ideas this year to continue the tradition of successful fairs. They are always looking for additional ideas, clever crafts and people willing to create the many different items we sell. Please let them know if you are willing to teach others your craft or have an idea to share. With us all working together it will be both a fun time and a success. Save the date and get working on all your creative ideas! Interested in Singing? Choir rehearsals will start again on Wednesday, September 3 at 10:00 AM in the choir room. Rehearsals last approximately one hour. A big thank you also to those people who saing solos or duets or share music with the congregation during the summer months. Pat welcomes back those who have sung in the choir. She also would be thrilled to have anyone who loves the Lord and loves to sing come join the choir in making A joyful noise unto the Lord. 10
2014 2015 Church Directory We are in the final stages of preparing the 2014 2015 Church Directory. You may wish to include your email address and/or cell phone number. Our directory is ONLY given to members and friends of our church. If you would like this additional information, please call the church office or add it to the preview sheets on the clock table in Russell Hall. Knitting and Crochet Group Resumes The Knit One, Crochet Too group will resume meeting on Tuesday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. The group meets in Russell Hall on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Knitters, crocheters, embroiderers, quilters, crafters, learners or just plain talkers are all welcome.brush up on your skills with an interesting group of crafters. Bring a friend, invite a neighbor - there is always room around the table for more. This is a great place to start working on your Fair Projects, get new ideas or find a friend to share your ideas and projects. 11