The Bethlehem Star July/August 2013

The Bethlehem Star July/August 2013 Community Fair 2013 by Janice Butterworth Inside this issue: COMMUNITY FAIR 1 PASTOR S CORNERED 2 ON THE SPOT 2 CALENDAR 3 SPOTLIGHT ON MISSIONS 4 WOOFI REPORT 5 GIDEON 6 SAVOR THE SUMMER 6 THANK YOU FROM THS 7 LIBRARY UPDATE 8 GARDEN OF EATING 8 Bethlehem United Methodist Church PO Box 57 4 Westtown Road Thornton, PA 19373 P: 610-459-3482 F: 610-459-0811 www.bethmeth.com T he accidental theme for this year s Community Fair (CF) was Hot Hot Hot! The third day of temperatures in the 90 s marked the season s first heat wave and made the dunk tank the most popular destination at the fair. We started planning for the Community Fair last December. It s a chance to invite the neighborhood to come and share a nice afternoon with us, to get to know us and perhaps make Bethlehem their church home. Our talented team of Kevin Giannotti, Jacob Martinez, and Heather Kaufmann developed the three part training How to videos that we showed during services in April and May. Go to YouTube and search for Community Day Kevin Giannotti to watch them again. Many thanks to everyone who came out and helped with the Fair. We tried some new things this year, starting with a Chinese-style auction we titled the Kenya Auction to raise money for those going to Kenya. Under the leadership of Margaret King and committee members Laura Barrouk, Marie Robinson, Nell Whipple, Gail Habbersett, and contributions from many of you, they were able to raise over $1000. New at the Fair and now a permanent fixture for the church is our Gaga Ball Court, the vision and hard work of Elmi and Albert Cochrane. We expect this to continued on page 5 Barrie Denaro at the Woofi tent Al Cochrane, Lou Malfara, Maureen McCann, and Nelson Whipple Kevin Giannotti, Becky Nierste, Laura Barrouk

2 Do you have a knack for asking all the right questions? We need you! The Bethlehem STAR is looking for a few volunteers to assist with writing articles about the latest activities, events and special people that make us a church family. Please consider this important communications ministry. Contact Brenda Orso at 610-358-5853 or call Beverly Soper in the office at 610-459-3482. The Pastor s Cornered! Answering Your Toughest Questions of Faith T hroughout my 32 years of full-time ministry and the five churches I have served, there is one question that keeps cropping up again and again. It s asked me BY children s Sunday School teachers, but it really comes FROM one of their students, because the teachers are perplexed on how to answer it. The question is: Who made God? On The Spot: What Do You Like To Do During The Summer? by Pastor Tim Kriebel The answer is both amazingly simple, and yet at the same time, mind-blowingly difficult to wrap one s head around. The simple answer is: No one! Before there was anything or anyone else, there was just God. That s what makes God, God! He created everything from nothing, and no one created HIM, cause if someone or something else did create Him, then we would call THAT being God the Creator. Simple, right? Well, kind of. To children, who haven t quite yet developed the ability of abstract thinking, they simply accept the truth of what they re told. It may not entirely make sense to them, but then, so much of the world doesn t, and yet they re happy to trust humbly in adults answers. This kind of child-like trust and humility is essential in and for ALL of God s kids, regardless of our age or thinking ability. It s why Jesus said, Anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:4) But, as adults, we seek to understand as much as we can and feel the prideful need to challenge everything. We re left feeling like the simple answer above is a bit like a dog chasing its tail: it goes round and round continued on page 4 Paul Roenne I enjoy spending more time outside with my dogs in the summer. Caitlin Winner I like to play softball, go to the beach, and run in 5K races. Nancy Broadbooks I like vacations. This year we are fulfilling a dream years in the making and embarking on an 85- mile Inn-to-Inn walk on the Coast-to-Coast trail in northern England.

3 July 4 Parade and Celebration! Thornbury Township s annual 4th of July parade will assemble at Bethlehem United Methodist Church at 9:30am. The parade begins at 10:00am and will go to Thornbury Park. Festivities at Thornbury Park immediately following the parade. Join your fellow BUMC members in the parade, or just come to watch. All are welcome! July 8 Administrative Board Meeting Gather in the sanctuary at 7:00pm for the quarterly Administrative Board meeting. All members are encouraged to come out and hear what s being planned at Bethlehem. Wondering where you can fit in or volunteer? This is a perfect place to find out! July 8-12 Summer Sports Camp Basketball, Soccer, and Cheerleading camp for kids grade K- 5th, from 9:00am-Noon. We still need coaches! If you d like to help, please contact Pastor Kevin at kevin@bethmeth.com July 22-26 Vacation Bible School Howdy Partner! Saddle up for our SonWest Roundup at VBS, July 22-26, 9:00am-12:30pm. It s gonna be a wild ride as we travel through the Old Testament with Moses. There ll be games, music, crafts, and don t forget those mighty tasty treats at the watering hole! Make yer mark (register) online at bethmeth.com/get connected, or through the office save some coin and sign up early! Mail or bring your registration into the church office. July 28-August 10 Kenya Mission Trip! Our team of missionaries will be leaving for Kenya on Sunday, July 28. We will send them off with a blessing and look forward to their safe return on August 10. Please come and give our friends a warm farewell, and keep them in your prayers as they step out in faith to serve the Lord and His children in Kenya. Clip n Keep Calendar July 4 July 4 Parade, 9:30-11:00am, begins at BUMC at 10:00am July 7 New curriculum begins for Adult Sunday School July 8 Administrative Board Meeting, 7:00-9:00pm July 8-12 Sports Camp, 9:00am-noon July 14 Parents vs. Youth softball at Thornbury Park, 6:00-8:00pm July 15-19 Vacation Bible School Preparation July 19 The Herd Gathers in the Grove. July 20 Good Works Team, 9:00am-4:00pm July 22-26 Vacation Bible School, 9:00am-12:30pm July 28-August 10 Mission Trip to Kenya August 11 Parents vs. Youth softball at Thornbury Park, 6:00-8:00pm August 17 Good Works Team, 9:00am-4:00pm UM Night at the Phillies, 7:05pm August 21 Women s Ministry Planning, 7:00-9:00pm August 29 RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE, 2:00-7:00pm Every Sunday except holidays and softball Prayer meeting in Sanctuary Soaking Prayer, 5:30-6:00pm Intercessory Prayer, 6:00-7:00pm

4 Spotlight on Missions: DiscipleMakers by Rob Robinson PHOTO CONTEST! Take a photo of a live Monarch Butterfly in Delaware, Chester, or New Castle County this summer and e-mail it to Janice Butterworth at jbworth01@gmail.com. The best photo wins an original water color painted by Beverly Dietz! We plan to announce the winner at our Chicken BBQ in the fall. T he subject of this month's Missions article is DiscipleMakers. This group was founded at Penn State, and now has spread to many colleges and universities throughout Pennsylvania. DiscipleMakers exists to connect with college students, most of whom are away from their parents for the very first time. The goal is to help to reconnect Christian students to Jesus, and also to bring the Gospel of Christ to those students who have never been believers. Research has shown that the vast majority of young men and women drift away from their church, no matter how strong their background, once they are in a college setting. Many later return to the fold, but DiscipleMakers tries to keep this separation from ever happening. They seek to involve students in Bible studies, prayer groups and Conferences. All of this outreach lets the students interact with others The Pastor s Cornered! continued from page 2 who are believers. The full name is DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship, and it is an alternative for college students trying to escape or to avoid the "party life" that is so common on almost every campus. Bethlehem Church has been a supporter of DiscipleMakers since 2009, when Benito Stallings visited us and met with the Missions Committee. Benito has been a frequent visitor to BUMC, and has spoken almost every year. In 2012 Benito introduced me to Ryan Stones, a recent graduate of Gettysburg College. We have supported Ryan since mid-2012. Benito is leaving DCF to work for Penn State. His replacement will visit us (along with Ryan and Benito) on September 22, to share during services. Every Christian parent hopes for a mentor for their child when they leave home. DCF certainly fills this important place in student-life. without accomplishing (or answering) anything. But if you, too, still struggle with this question, rest assured you re not alone. This common children s question is also a CLAS- SIC philosophical one. In fact, in the philosophy class I had in college, the very first subcategory we studied was the philosophy of religion, and the very first religious philosophical conundrum we studied was called First Cause. The answer I gave above, which I pass on to the confused teachers and which they pass on to their eager students, is essentially the principle of First Cause, simply put! As a college sophomore, First Cause boggled my mind some, but it also made sense, and in all the years since, nothing has shaken its basic truth for me (probably because it really does describe the truth about God, both as continued on page 5

5 Community Fair 2013 continued from page 1 be a very popular addition to the youth groups activity schedule. Gaga Ball is also called Israeli Dodge Ball. Check out this short video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0xpwu3w3pq. USA Boy Scout Troop 149 and their parents (troop leaders José Barrera, Jamie Florio, and Mike McCarrick) were there to keep the children safe on the Moon Bounce and Giant Obstacle Course. Interested in learning more about the troop? Contact Joe Lafferty at jlafferty4@gmail.com. This summer the boys are planning a white water rafting/ camping trip, a high adventure trip to Philmont, and the traditional Camp Horseshoe week in August. Our food committee did a fantastic job with a new menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, and fresh fruit, and the bake sale netted nearly $500 to be donated to the Concordville Fire Company. We had four showings of a short movie, Metamorphosis: The Mystery of Butterflies, highlighting the miracle of creation. In conjunction with the movie, we re having a photo contest! See the sidebar on page 4 for more info. Three terrific musical groups entertained us throughout the day: Andrew McLean and his friend Matt, followed by Zoro Gato and the Get Arounds. The best part of the fair? Of the people that entered our drawing for a Giant gift card, ten were first time visitors and four children prayed to accept Christ as their savior. We are starting our planning for next year s event. We welcome feedback, suggestions, and most of all your involvement. Contact Elmi Cochrane at 484-319-7207. The Pastor s Cornered continued from page 4 Creator, and the TRULY First Cause the Alpha and the Omega see Revelation 1:8). After I was born-again as a high school senior, and for quite a few years afterwards, I asked a lot of hard questions, challenging my faith as a way of both understanding it better and strengthening it more. Nowadays, as I m older (though sadly, not always wiser), I find that most of these challenging questions neither bother me nor intrigue me anymore, for a simple reason: our wonderfully Creative and Sovereign God has proved Himself to me over and over, and as I ve learned to trust Him more and more (kind of like a child!), I ve needed to question Him less and less. In faith the most mature kind of faith, a child-like faith I m ready (like a child) just to take Him at His word and that s the truth! Woofi Report by Harriet Widlund W oofi entertained approximately 20 children who stopped by his tent at the Community Fair. They sat on his big blanket under the canopy to hear how he got his name and became a missionary. Tom Wolff, Janice Butterworth and Woody Widlund provided the booth and set up. Irene Miller, Barrie Denaro, and Woody Widlund helped with reading and sharing the Gospel. Four children prayed to receive the Lord Jesus. Everyone who wanted the free bracelet with the 'Wordless Gospel' colors received one as long as they could (with help) repeat what they represented. They were also given a leaflet. It was wonderful to see the young mothers encouraging their children to sit and listen. There was a drawing for five puppies, and the girl who did the drawing picked her own name. One child wanted a Woofi to send to a mission in Belise. A visitor from Drexel Hill found us while looking in the paper for a Christian activity for her preteen children. Take a minute to praise God for His blessing in this and ask Him to continue bringing people to Himself through it. Thank you!

6 Gideon: Your Weakness, God s Strength Women s Ministry by Lori Imparato Our Church: www.facebook.com/bumcthorntonpa Women s Group: www.facebook.com/bumcwomen Youth Group: www.facebook.com/bumcyouthgroup Men s Group: www.facebook.com/329691667076833 J oin us for a seven-week study by Priscilla Shirer on Gideon and the 300 standing against the enemy. See how God can take your little and make it a lot. See how God can make the underdog victorious. In our weakness God demonstrates His perfect strength. This study will encourage you to recognize your weakness as the key that the Lord gives you to unlock the full experience of His strength in your life. In what ways do you feel insufficient? Insecure? Not enough? Those places create the greatest opportunity to experience the sufficiency of God. God will meet you where you are. Instead of ignoring, neglecting, or trying to escape your weaknesses, see them as the gifts that they are, given specifically and strategically by God to unlock the door of God s strength. Join us for an adventure to see that the strength of the enemy is never a match for the strength of God, and that the Joy of the Lord is our Strength! Check Bethlehem s website for more details, and look for sign up sheets in August! Study begins September 16, Mondays 7:00-9:00pm or Wednesdays 9:15-11:30am (with childcare). Call Cathy Haskins at 610.399.9531 to sign up or if you have questions. We hope you can join us! Savor the Summer by Lori Imparato It s summer time! Some activities increase, decrease or change. During this time, it is important to stay close to the Lord, follow the Son and connect with others. Here are some summer tips to boost you over break. As you go about your summer, be sure to stop and smell the flowers, smile more, surprise someone, strengthen your heart, and shine for Jesus. Be sure to tell your story and share what God is doing. Hopefully these suggestions will help you not just sail through summer but savor this season and truly enjoy it in a special way! S top and see God's creation around you U nexpectedly bless another M emorize one verse - the benefit will continue M ake simple moments meaningful and create lasting memories E xercise - it is good for your body, mind and soul R eceive what God has for you - this may require releasing what you have been holding on to so that you can receive what is better

7 A Note of Thanks... Dear Reverend Kriebel, What a wonderful 9th Annual House Tour Day! The generosity of your church community enabled us to offer visitors an opportunity to glimpse your beautiful building and savor the lunches prepared in your kitchen. You and your congregation helped us celebrate our Daffodil Day with your generous support and participation. Thornbury Township community residents and our visitors were offered a fun filled day and an opportunity to become acquainted with the many treasures of Thornbury Township. Your church is one of the treasures we value. As a result of the activites during Daffodil Cay, the Thornbury Historical Society will be able to continue offering programs and events and document our rich history. We would like to thank you, Reverend Kriebel, and your volunteers for supporting Daffodil Day and request you communicate our appreciation to your entire congregation. Sincerely, Joan Dehm, President, and Thornbury House Tour Committee Members

8 Library News! by John McGrath, Church Librarian B e sure to stop by the library between services on any Sunday to pick up your reading for the week. We always have something new (and maybe something old) to stimulate your intellect and encourage your walk. While reading a book on Christian apologetics recently, I came across a reference to G. K. Chesterton. Gilbert Keith Chesterton is one of the giants of Christian apologetics. Born in London in 1874, Chesterton was a literary and social critic, historian, playwright, poet, novelist, debater, mystery writer, as well as Catholic theologian and apologist. You might know him as the author of a series of books featuring his best-known character, the priest-detective Father Brown. But it is his writings on Christian apologetics that has had the most consequential impact. Books such as Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man are classics. So when I came across a reference to his work, I thought I would pull a copy from our library to peruse. I went to the search feature of our software to see what we had by Chesterton. I was horrified to find that we did not have a single title by Chesterton in the whole library (I think the librarian should be fired :). We intend to remedy this situation as soon as possible. If anyone happens to have a new or nearly new copy of any of Chesterton s works and wishes to make a donation to the library, it would be much appreciated. Also, if you have a favorite author and have found that the library is lacking in any of their works, please let us know and we will try to address the shortcoming. by Jan Samuelian With the cost of food so out of control these days, I wanted to share a favorite salad recipe that is simple to make, thrifty, refreshing, and most of all tastes great. It's a great summer recipe to make when the Vidalia onions are plentiful and you have cucumbers growing in your garden. The other advantage of this salad is you can make it ahead of time for a picnic, and you don't have to worry about a mayonnaise based salad causing a problem in the heat (I usually keep a Mason jar of the brine made ahead of time in the refrigerator and have it ready to use at a moments notice). This recipe is from my grandmother Anna Mae Clements, and has a touch of her Pennsylvania Dutch background. This was a favorite of Pastor Jon's, and I can never make it without thinking of him fondly. Anytime there was salad left over from a church event he would always claim it for his own. I renamed the recipe in his memory. I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as my family does. Praise God for You Cucumber Salad 2 c. water 1 c. sugar 1/2 c. white vinegar You may double, triple, any amount you want and this recipe always works. I have a huge Ball mason jar that I fill and take to picnics and it's always a hit. Boil the water, sugar, and vinegar in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved (about 5-10 minutes) Remove from heat and allow the brine to cool, then refrigerate until very cold. Add thin sliced or cubed cucumbers (peeled or not, it s up to you and the cucumber), and thinly sliced sweet onions. Add fresh herbs of your choice. I prefer dill, my mother prefers celery seed, but use whatever you like. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The Bethlehem Star is published 10 times/year by Bethlehem United Methodist Church, 4 Westtown Road, Thornton PA 19373, (610) 459-3482, www.bethmeth.com, Editor: Brenda Orso, brendaorso@verizon.net. Deadline for copy: the 7th day of the month prior to publication. Editor reserves the right to edit for content and space. Unsolicited material is welcome!