The Mustard Seed June 2012 Reflections The Scriptures teach us to examine ourselves: to see if we are partaking of the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner ( I Corinthians 11: 28 30 ), to determine if we are in the faith ( II Corinthians 13: 5, 6 ), and our work ( Galatians 6: 2 9 ). As we examine ourselves, we ought to be certain that we use the proper standard of measure as we conduct the examination. For one day we will give an account for ourselves and the standard to be used then will be God's word (Matthew 12: 36, 37; Ecclesiastes 12: 13, 14; I Corinthians 4: 5; 15: 32; James 2: 4; 4: 3; Proverbs 16: 1 5; Revelation 20: 11 15. ). The summer is a good time to reflect, take inventory, and meditate on the Scriptures. The following pattern may be of some service in this endeavor. 1. Acknowledge the presence and controlling power of sin: Matt 9: 35 38; Rom. 7: 18 20; Psalm 6: 2-4. 2. Turn to God to do the impossible with confidence and He will: Matt. 12: 18 21; Mark 9: 23, 24; Luke 13: 10 13. 3. Surrender to God whatever He requires: Matthew 11: 28 30; Ephesians 2: 8,9; Proverbs 3: 5,6. 4. Take a genuine and total moral inventory: Romans 13: 11 14; I Corinthians 4: 19, 20; Proverbs 5: 3-6. 5. Acknowledge specific areas of Sin: Luke 15: 17 20; Hebrews 4: 12 16; James 5: 16. 6. Be willing to give up sin: Romans 6: 11 14; Colossians 3: 5 8; I Peter 1: 13 16. 7. Ask God to do whatever is necessary to remove your favorite sins: Matthew 18: 4; I Peter 5: 6, 7; Psalm 32: 6 8; Hebrews 12: 5 11. 8. Make a list of people you have hurt and be prepared to do what you can to make restoration where it is practical: Luke 19: 8; John 13: 34, 35; II Timothy 1: 7. 9. Solve the problems you have caused which can be solved without making things worse: Romans 15: 2; Philippians 1 : 9-11; Psalm 51: 14 17; 10. Begin daily and weekly reflection on your relationship with both sin and the Savior. Mark 14: 38; Romans 12: 3; Psalm 103: 8 18. 11. Pray, study the Bible, and reflect on what you have learned: John 4: 13, 14; Galatians 2: 20; II Timothy 3: 16, 17; Titus 3: 1 7. 12. Share the Gospel with other sinners who need a Savior: I Timothy 1: 12 16; Psalm 92: 1 4; Mark 5: 18 20. It is my hope and prayer that you meditate on God's word and that by His Spirit you are conformed to the image of His Son, even Jesus Christ the Righteous. Have a blessed summer as you see the daily reminders of God's faithfulness to His Word. Pastor Russell
PAGE 2 THE MUSTARD SEED Summer Coffee Hour Official hosting of coffee hour will be on break during the summer beginning Father s Day, June 17. Coffee will be provided, but any other items available will be whatever folks bring to share (juice, punch, pastries, cookies, crackers, cheese, fruit, etc). Always need help cleaning up too! The 3rd Sunday of the month will be our summer BBQ picnic dates. Sunday, June 10th 10:30 am Join us for Worship Service as we rejoice with the Sunday School children. We will have our Noisy Offering which will be given to Zoya Ministries. Please bring all your coins for the children, remember do not give all your coins to just one child since they will be joyfully collecting from everyone. BBQ will immediately follow the service. Hot dogs, hamburgers, all the fixings and beverages will be supplied. The Adult Sunday school class will help set-up and host the BBQ (but feel free to pitch in, many hands make light work). Bring a dish to share! GA-GA pit will be open, volleyball, sure a few water balloons may be tossed around, come enjoy a time of fellowship with your church family!! Put on your calendar July 15 & August 19 for our upcoming Summer Picnics! Our theme this year A Call to Persevere based on Hebrews 10:19-25 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Growing In Our Faith In Jesus Christ & Sharing It With Others PAGE 3 Suggested Scripture Readings for June 2012 1 Deut. 5 Psalm 88 Isaiah 33 Revelation 3 2 Deut. 6 Psalm 89 Isaiah 34 Revelation 4 3 Deut. 7 Psalm 90 Isaiah 35 Revelation 5 4 Deut. 8 Psalm 91 Isaiah 36 Revelation 6 5 Deut. 9 Psalms 92, 93 Isaiah 37 Revelation 7 6 Deut. 10 Psalm 94 Isaiah 38 Revelation 8 7 Deut. 11 Psalms 95, 96 Isaiah 39 Revelation 9 8 Deut. 12 Psalms 97, 98 Isaiah 40 Revelation 10 9 Deut. 13,14 Psalms 99-101 Isaiah 41 Revelation 11 10 Deut. 15 Psalm 102 Isaiah 42 Revelation 12 11 Deut. 16 Psalm 103 Isaiah 43 Revelation 13 12 Deut. 17 Psalm 104 Isaiah 44 Revelation 14 13 Deut. 18 Psalm 105 Isaiah 45 Revelation 15 14 Deut. 19 Psalm 106 Isaiah 46 Revelation 16 15 Deut. 20 Psalm 107 Isaiah 47 Revelation 17 16 Deut. 21 Psalms 108,109 Isaiah 48 Revelation 18 17 Deut. 22 Psalms 110,111 Isaiah 49 Revelation 19 18 Deut. 23 Psalms 112,113 Isaiah 50 Revelation 20 19 Deut. 24 Psalms 114,115 Isaiah 51 Revelation 21 20 Deut. 25 Psalms 116 Isaiah 52 Revelation 22 21 Deut. 26 Psalms 117,118 Isaiah 53 Matthew 1 22 Deut. 27 Psalm 119:1-24 Isaiah 54 Matthew 2 23 Deut. 28 Psalm 119:25-48 Isaiah 55 Matthew 3 24 Deut. 29 Psalm 119:49-72 Isaiah 56 Matthew 4 25 Deut. 30 Psalm 119:73-96 Isaiah 57 Matthew 5 26 Deut. 31 Psalm 119:97-120 Isaiah 58 Matthew 6 27 Deut. 32 Psalm 119:121-144 Isaiah 59 Matthew 7 28 Deut. 33,34 Psalm 119:145-176 Isaiah 60 Matthew 8 29 Joshua 1 Psalms 120-122 Isaiah 61 Matthew 9 30 Joshua 2 Psalms 123-125 Isaiah 62 Matthew 10
PAGE 4 THE MUSTARD SEED What's New With Stewardship... Thanks to everyone that helped with our recent clean-up day including the Boy Scouts. With your help we were able to complete many outstanding items on the list. We are now working on ant control for the inside and outside of the Church property. Also working on getting our Church elevator inspected, replacing a broken window in Fellowship Hall and recently replaced a faulty electronic timer for the parking lot lighting. Your Stewardship Committee Train Club hosts Train Night for Boy Scout Troop 56 The Boston Metro HiRailers Club recently hosted Boy Scout Troop 56 to a train club run night. The Boy Scout troop has been a Wilmington organization for 79 years and is chartered by our Church and meet here weekly. It is one of the most successful Boy Scout Troops in greater Boston. It has over 50 very active members and has helped at soup kitchens, food drives, town clean-up projects and other public services. The Troop has produced over 60 Eagle Scouts in the last 10 years which is the highest ranking a Boy Scout can achieve. The visit to the train club was part of the Troops train badge project, a visit was also made to the trolley museum in Maine. Thank You, Boy Scout Troop 56 FALL CHURCH FAIR - It will be held on Saturday, November 10th, 9:00 am -2:00 pm. Just a reminder to save items for white elephant & grandma s attic, also small new gifts for children's gift room. Hope you will use your talents this summer to make items for the craft table & silent auction. We will resume having craft workshops in September. Thanks, Linda Whitebone & Margery Spear
Growing In Our Faith In Jesus Christ & Sharing It With Others PAGE 5 Would you like to know more/ be involved more with the missionaries we support?? Then prayerfully consider forming / becoming part of a Barnabas Prayer Group. Barnabas is known as the encourager; therefore we are encouraging you to encourage our missionaries! We have the following Missionaries or Missionary Groups: 1. Steve & Pam Hill - One Heart Missions 7. F.K. - Pioneers (cannot list out name) 2. The Fold - school/home for troubled youth 8. John & Marion Andrews - Arab Lyndonville, VT World Ministries, France 3. Margaret Leavistar - International Students 9. Daybreak Pregnancy Center UMass Lowell Boston, MA 4.New Life Ministries - Residential facility for women & children with drug & alcohol related issues, Manchester, NH 10. NE Aftercare Ministries: Residential substance abuse facility for men released from prison, Framingham, MA 5. Daniel & Myriam Liberek - United World Mission 11. Robert & Rhona Burnett - Zoya Ministries Belgium 6.Ebenezer & Comfort Yeboah - Mercy Ships The two underlined groups are a Barnabas Prayer group with Nina Miranda, Sonja Schmidt, Brianna Kumm & Sarah Williams. The Fold & Mercy Ships may be taken as well by two different groups. We have prayer journals to give to each group which we will put all contact info in so that you may contact them to see how your group can encourage and pray for them. Use the journal to remind yourselves what you are praying for, personal information about the missionaries/ missions and record the answers to those prayers. Please become involved, commit to praying for our missionaries, encourage them as well as an opportunity to fellowship with one another. See Marcia Armstrong, Gloria Diehl or Heidi Kumm for more info. Don't forget God Robert Brault said, A vacation trip is one-third pleasure, fondly remembered, and two-thirds aggravation, entirely forgotten. Much of the hassle involved with getting away comes from packing. What do we need? How can we save space? Where are the items we haven t used since the last vacation? Inevitably, we forget something sunscreen, umbrella, diapers. Vacationers miss these items almost immediately and quickly replace them. Do we also often forget the Bible at home? Do we leave our prayer and worship routines behind? Do we take a vacation from our faith? We may not notice those missing items as quickly, but they re crucial nonetheless. God never schedules a getaway from us. This summer, take a vacation with God, not from God. NewsletterNewsletter - June 1012
PAGE 6 THE MUSTARD SEED Fun on the 4th Festivities June 29 - July 3, 2012 Join us on the common for Fourth of July Festivities. Our booth features apple crisp, strawberry shortcake, whoopee pies & soda/ water. We need help before baking, need help at the booth during the fair to set-up, work the booth, be a light in our community. Please see Peter James to let him know how you can help! It takes many volunteers are needed, will you be one of them? It is fun too! Red Cross Community Blood Drive Monday, June 11, 2012, 2:00-7:00 pm Blood Donors needed, walk-ins welcome or to call and make an appointment, 1-800-REDCROSS. We also need volunteers to assist with set-up/break-down, handing out forms, snacks, water & juice. If you are able to volunteer, please talk to Peter James. Sunday School will break for the summer, Father s Day - Labor Day. Bible Study groups will continue to meet through most of the summer. Be sure to check with the leader of your group when they are meeting. Summer Worship schedule will be either 9:30 am or 10:30 am. Votes were taken last Sunday & the will be taken this coming up Sunday before deciding. The Office will begin it s summer hours beginning June 18 through early August. Hours will be posted soon. Thank you!
JUNE 2012 29 30 CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN WILMINGTON Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 3 Communion Sunday 9:15 am-sun. School 10:30 am-worship Service 5:30 pm-light Youth Group 10 Christian Ed Sunday 9:15 am-sun. School 10:30 am-worship Service BBQ following service 17 Father s Day 24 9:30 or 10:30 am- Worship Service (TBD) 9:30 or 10:30 am- Worship Service (TBD) 5:30 pm-light Youth Group 4 6:00 pm- Cub Scout Comm Mtg 7:00 pm-diaconate 11 Red Cross Blood Drive - 2-7 pm 18 7:00 pm-diaconate 7:00 pm-stewardship 7:00 pm-diaconate 25 7:00 pm-diaconate 5 6:30 pm Boy Scouts 6 6:30 pm-cub Scouts 12 13 14 19 20 21 26 27 28 7 10:00 am-bible Study 1:00 pm-missions 6:30 pm Handbell rehearsal 6:30 pm-bible Study 10:00 am-bible Study 6:30 pm-bible Study 10:00 am-bible Study 6:30 pm-bible Study 10:00 am-bible Study 6:30 pm-bible Study 1 8 15 7:00 pm Bible Study 7:00 pm Bible Study 7:00 pm Bible Study Fellowship Hall Millbrook Country Day school 22 7:00 pm Bible Study Phone: 978-658-2264 E-mail: office@wilcong.org Website: www.wilcong.org 2 9 16 23 Men s Breakfast 8:00 am Fun on the 4th Festivities June 29-July 3
Congregational Church in Wilmington (EFCA) 220 Middlesex Avenue Wilmington, MA 01887 Moving? Please notify the church office of any address change. Please help us keep our mailing list up-to-date. Thank you! Pastor: Russell Kent Secretary: Heidi Kumm Office Hours Mon.-Thurs. - 9:00-3:00 pm Phone: 978-658-2264 E-mail: office@wilcong.org www.wilcong.org July/August Newsletter Deadline June 20, 2012 The Mustard Seed-A publication of the Congregational Church in Wilmington, 220 Middlesex Avenue, Wilmington, MA 01887. Editor: Heidi Kumm. The Mustard Seed is published monthly, excluding the month of August, to keep members and friends informed of programs of the church and to report news about the congregation. Deadline for copy: Third Wednesday of the month.