Happy 2014! While the Church year has already gone through 2 seasons (Advent and Christmas) and is hot on the heels on the next one (Epiphany, starting January 6th), our secular culture is abounding with the vigor of new beginnings, or as some call them, New Year s Resolutions. Like many, I have a love/hate relationship with New Year s Resolutions. I love to make them and hate to keep them. They sound good and I know I should prayer more, study more, eat better, exercise more, be more organized... the list is endless of ways in which I can improve myself. But usually my resolve of self improvement dies an inauspicious death within a week of January 1st and I am no better, and perhaps a bit worse because of the guilt I feel for not accomplishing something. That doesn t mean there are not things I want to accomplish in 2014 I want to complete a 5K and a 10K and perhaps even a half marathon (anyone want to join me?), but I will do so with gentleness, not guilt. Changing behavior is about setting goals that are positive, not negative. Rather than saying, I want to lose weight, or I want to quit smoking, what if we said, I want to be healthy, and in order to do that, I need to eat good, nutritious food and engage in healthy habits, like walking. Yet even more important is the recognition that we have the opportunity to recommit ourselves each and every day, not just on January 1st. We can wake up each morning, give thanks to God for another day to live in this incredible creation and then choose to live that day in life-giving ways. That may seem Pollyanna to some, but it is true. There is never a magic day in which your life will automatically change. Ask any recovering addict about their story and more than likely it will be a random Tuesday or lonely Friday that became their new birthday, the day they surrendered to God s will rather than their own. And, most important, they are conscious of their daily decision to continue to live in recovery. That is real resolve and worth emulating. It is true that God loves us just as we are. God also loves us so much that God wants us to be the best we can be, and shows us how we can be transformed into an even better version of ourselves. That transformation will not be easy, because no change is. Yet if we remember that we engage in that transformation with God s love, we can accomplish more than we can possibly imagine. Transformation also requires dedication and encouragement (internal and external motivation). One of my favorite prayers in the Book of Common Prayer is the Prayer of Self Dedication (BCP p. 832), which might be a good way to start your day: Almighty and eternal God, so draw my heart to you, so guide my mind, so fill my imagination, so control my will, that I may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use me, I pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. You can also rally your social network (whether that is Internet-based or otherwise) and share your goals and your accomplishments to receive feedback. We need our community to support us, especially when the going gets tough. Whatever your goal, at whatever pace you hope to achieve it, I offer you whole-hearted support and complete absolution of guilt. Make 2014 a guilt-free year because guilt only makes you feel bad, which accomplishes nothing. You have 365 days in 2014 to make a new start and dedicate yourself to the goal you want to achieve. God s blessing be with you each and every one of those days! In Christ, Rev. Valerie+
First Friday Book Club The Book Club meets for dinner and fellowship at Confectionately Yours on the first Friday of each month at 5:30pm and proceeds to the Bolmer Room at St. Barnabas for the discussion at 7:00pm. The next three readings are "The Passover Trilogy" by Andrew Greeley. They are a "reflection on the Christian Passover, holy week festival of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday...It unfolds across half a century, from the 1930's to the early 1980's." Jan.3 Thy Brother's Wife Feb.7 Ascent into Hell Mar.7 Lord of the Dance For Spring we are reading: Apr.4 The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future by Jonathan Cahn May 2 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Please contact Carolyn Hales or Monica Devanas with any questions and suggestions for additional readings. The Annual Meeting of the Parish is scheduled for Sunday, January 26th, after the 10:30am service. Please sign up on the bulletin board in Hubbard Hall to bring breads/ rolls, salads, soups, sodas, juices or desserts and to setup/cleanup. A Spiral Ham will be cooked and used for the luncheon. (Bring these items to Hubbard Hall prior to the 10:30 service on the 26th). Contact Namita Ipe (namita.ipe@gmail.com) with any questions. Flower Sign Ups The 2014 Flower Chart is now posted in the sacristy. Parishioners who plan to donate altar flowers in the coming months are encouraged to sign up early to choose the date they want for their dedication. As always, there are NO flowers on the altar during Lent. Since Easter is in April this year, there will be NO altar flowers from 3/9 thru 4/6 and there will be palms and lilies on the altar 4/13 and 4/20 respectively. Speak with a member of the Altar Guild after any service if you have questions about altar flower donations.
Initial Communion and Peanut Butter Sunday January 5th is also Peanut Butter Sunday, when we invite young and old to bring in gifts of peanut butter for the food bank to place by the crèche scene to benefit the South Brunswick Food Pantry. Jelly is also welcomed! Ministry on Racial Diversity Dedication On January 19th at the 10:30 AM Service, we will recognize and formally commission the members of the Ministry of Racial Diversity in thanksgiving for the faithful work the group has offered during the past 8 years and are recommitting themselves to in 2014. Please join us for this celebration as we continue to proclaim the Anti-Racist Gospel. On January 19th at the 10:30 AM Service, we will recognize and formally commission the members of the Ministry of Racial Diversity in thanksgiving for the faithful work the group has offered during the past 8 years and are recommitting themselves to in 2014. Please join us for this celebration as we continue to proclaim the Anti- Racist Gospel. Confirmation If you would like your child to have instruction on the significance of communion, Rev. Valerie is willing to schedule Initial Communion classes in order to welcome the children to receive on February 2, 2014 (Candlemas). Please let Rev. Valerie know what works best with your schedule one 2 hour class on February 1st or two 1 hour classes one in January and one on February 1st. Also, what time would work best (early morning, mid morning or early afternoon). If you or someone you know would like to be Confirmed the rite of professing one s faith as an adult (for anyone who was baptized as a baby or young child and one s parents and god parents made those professions on one s behalf) please write a letter to Rev. Valerie saying why you want to be confirmed, who is Jesus to you and what you would like to learn during Conformation classes. Once she has received the letters, she will contact those interested to schedule the 10 classes. I n f o r - mation on Initial Communion and Confirmation Please Note: Church office is closed 12/23-1/1. Office voicemail and E-mail will be checked daily. Wed. Bible Study Resumes Jan 8th Choir Resumes Jan. 9th
New Minister of Music We are pleased to announce that Thomas Hobson Williams will be starting as our Minister of Music in January, with his first Sunday being January 19th. Thomas is a graduate student at Mason Gross School for the Arts at Rutgers University and holds a Bachelor s degree in Piano Performance from Shorter College in Rome, GA. Thomas was recently baptized at Christ Church in New Brunswick and works with the Canterbury House ministry at Rutgers. We are grateful for the incredible talents of Frank Jacobson, who will complete his ministry with us on January 12th. He will be offering his talents at Calvary Episcopal Church in Saranac Lake, New York, close to where his daughter lives. While we hate to see Frank go, we are grateful for his time at St. Barnabas and send him and his wife, Jan, off with God s speed and blessings. W e a r e pleased to announce that Thomas Hobson Williams will be starting as our Minister of Music in January, with his first Sunday being January 19th. Thomas is a graduate student at Mason Gross School for the Arts at Rutgers University and holds a Bachelor s degree in Piano Performance from Shorter College in Rome, GA. Thomas was recently baptized at Christ Church in New Brunswick and works with the Canterbury House ministry at Rutgers. offering his talents at Calvary Episcopal Church in Saranac Lake, New York, close to where his daughter lives. While we hate to see Frank go, we are grateful for his time at St. Barnabas and send him and his wife, Jan, off with God s speed and blessings. The youth group had busy December! The annual cookie sale was a great success and the caroling was a blast! Join us in January on the following Sundays: 1/2: Youth Group during Church 1/ 12 Youth Group after Church Epiphany Pageant The Epiphany Pageant will be Sunday, January 5th.Rehearsals are Sat 1/4 10am to 12 pm for all. We are grateful for the incredible talents of Frank Jacobson, who will complete his ministry with us on January 12th. He will be
January Celebrations Birthdays Karen Thompson 1/3 Charles Bowers 1/4 Bruce Cenicola 1/4 Deborah Epting 1/4 Matthew Nurse 1/6 Maxwell Nurse 1/6 Fran Sneyers 1/6 Jonathan Pitt, II 1/7 Marissa Botsch 1/8 Chisom Ilogu 1/8 Daniel Alfano 1/9 Karen Carey 1/9 Emma Appiah 1/11 Eileen Luterzo 1/11 JoAnn Palmer 1/11 Carol Eby 1/12 Jill Hague 1/12 Obiajulu Ilogu 1/12 Melissa Murawski 1/12 Jason Osborne 1/12 Brandon Wildemuth 1/12 Kianna Tierney 1/13 Ellen Alauskas 1/14 Alicia Daley 1/14 Rev. William Breedlove 1/15 Jacquie Louison 1/15 Benjamin Sanfilippo 1/16 Rose VonHerbert 1/24 Isaiah Hudson 1/26 Angel Lee 1/26 Julie Royce 1/27 Nicholas Joseph 1/28 Junior Devonish 1/29 Connor Eby 1/29 Baptismal Anniversaries Roland Laird 1/1 Erin Martinez 1/1 Christopher Moore 1/1 Paul Pospiech 1/1 Ellen Alauskas 1/8 Nancy Armstrong 1/9 Lily Soriano 1/9 Jennifer Beauregard 1/10 Brian Moore, Jr. 1/10 Michael Moreno 1/10 Ava McLeod 1/11 Kimberly Chapman 1/12 Madilyn Dombrowski 1/12 Susan LeDonne 1/13 Obiajulu Ilogu 1/15 Jennifer Pitt 1/20 June Barksdale 1/21 Victoria Royce 1/28 Eileen Luterzo 1/29 Wedding Anniversaries Donald & Rose VonHerbert 1/22 ***If your special day is missing from this list please email Melody at melody@stbarnabas-sbnj.org*** Looking Ahead 2/8 Acolyte Festival 2/15 Flap Jack Fundraiser 8:00AM-10:00AM Applebee s $12/person 324 Ryders Lane, Milltown, NJ 08850
JANUARY 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Every Sunday: 8:30 AM Service 10:30 AM Service (with Music) 1Happy New Year! 2 3 First Friday Book Club 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Epiphany Pageant Peanut Butter Sunday Annual Report Submission Deadline MRD 9-12 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Youth after Church 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MRD Dedication Vestry Meeting 26 27 28 29 30 31 AA Meetings: Annual Meeting Tues 8:30PM, Wed. 8PM, Thurs 6:30PM. Fri 7:30PM (Women s)