New Hope ~ New Life ~ New Purpose Connecting ~ Transforming ~ Serving Brooklyn Reformed Church, 9014 Biddulph Road, Brooklyn, OH 44144 Volume 18, Issue 2 I Choose... February 2018 IT S QUIET. It s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I m free to choose. And so I choose. (Continued on page 2) Calvary Community Meal Need Looking for a great opportunity for ministry? Here is the NEED Someone to take charge of organizing, preparing and serving 3 meals a year at Calvary Reformed Church on W. 65th the month of April, July and November. If you feel like this is what the Lord would have you do or even feel a tugging at your heart, please talk with Darlene and Dan Curtiss or Andrew Timm. The NEED is real and filling that NEED is a blessing. Inside this issue: I Choose... (cont.) 2&3 Giving Tree 3 Treasurer s Report 4 Anniversaries & Birthdays 4 Sunday Schedule 5 Calendar 6
(Continued from page 1) I choose love... No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves. I choose joy... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical... the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. I choose peace... I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live. I choose patience... I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage. I choose kindness... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me. I choose goodness... I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness. I choose faithfulness... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. (Continued on page 3) Page 2 Volume 18, Issue 2
(Continued from page 2) And my children will never fear that their father will not come home. I choose gentleness... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. I choose self-control... I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest. -Max Lucado Constellation School: Westpark Middle School Blesses Christ s Cupboard Thank you to Ms. Kidd and Ms. Turtoi along with the staff and students at Westpark Middle School! The students decorated their Christmas tree with hats, gloves and scarves and donated them to Christ s Cupboard Ministry allowing us to give them to others for protection from the bitter cold temperatures we ve been experiencing. Page 3 Volume 18, Issue 2
Average attendance December 2016: 70 December 2017: 65 December 2017 Year to Date Financial Summary Total giving $168,689.00* Total expenses $189,572.00 Budgeted expenses $201,763.00 *Of this amount $41,638.00 was given online February Celebrations 02 Jackie Collins 02 Sonia Hayes 02 Emily Medved 04 Rick Rader 05 John & Sharon Nigro 83 05 Elijah Smith 16 08 Bob Huskey 08 Sophia Karban 16 08 Jim Shafer 48 09 Brandon Coleman 12 Olive Anton 15 12 Rileigh Bunaisky 02 13 Beth Anne DeValve 14 Casey & Jennifer Lis 06 14 Kaleigh Maroulis 15 Joan Bloam 15 Joshua Elsesser 08 16 Julie Barnhart 18 Don & Tresia Stalter 12 20 Graham Anton 13 26 Sarah & Anne McGuire 27 Glenda Rader "The Land of Promise is for those who simply remain to the end." --Max Lucado Page 4 Volume 18, Issue 2
February Schedule Worship Service Leader: Julie Barnhart Elder: Jim DeValve 04: Mark Elsesser & Kevin Baker 11: Mark Elsesser & Christina Kovar 18: Andrew Berardi & Christina Kovar 25: Andrew Berardi & Kevin Baker 04: N/A 11: Anna Thompson 18: Sharon Nigro 25: Twanie Lowe 04: Small Group Sunday 11: Phil Medved 18: Katherine Elsesser 25: Darlene Curtiss Lessons 9-12 04: The Message: Christ Alone (Acts 15:1-35) 11: The Converts: All Kinds of People (Acts 16:11-34) 18: The Culture: Idolatrous but Intrigued (Acts 17:16-36) 25: The Setting: On Mission Wherever You Are (Acts 18:1-4;24-28;20:17-38) New Hope ~ New Life ~ New Purpose Page 5
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Consistory Meeting 2/13/18 Devotions: Jim DeValve Closing Prayer: Kevin Baker 1 Set Up for Giveaway 9:30-11:30 1:30-? 2 Set Up for Giveaway 9:30-11:30 1:30-? 3 Men s Life @ 8:00AM Coat, Clothing & More Giveaway 11AM-4PM 4 5 Pastor Carl delivered his first sermon on this date in 1995 6 7 Bible study at Loretta Baker s @ 7:00PM 8 3:30-5:30 Thrive @ 6:00PM 9 10 Men s Life @ 8:00AM 11 12 1:00-3:00 13 Elders @ 6:45PM Deacons @ 7:15PM Consistory @ 8:00PM 14 Women s Bible study @ 10:00AM Room in use 2:00-3:00 Campus Life @ 3:15PM Ash Wednesday 15 3:30-5:30 Thrive @ 6:00PM 16 All Day Set-up for Workshop 17 No Men s Life No Haircuts Workshop 9:00AM- 4:00PM 18 March Newsletter & Calendar information due today 19 1:00-3:00 20 21 Bible study at Loretta Baker s @ 7:00PM 22 3:30-5:30 Thrive @ 6:00PM 23 24 Men s Life @ 8:00AM 25 26 1:00-3:00 27 28 Women s Bible study @ 10:00AM Room in use 2:00-3:00 Campus Life @ 3:15PM House Church Missional Community Workshop! Saturday, February 17 th, 9AM-4PM Lunch & Snacks will be provided Come & explore with the leadership of BRC