Monthly Newsletter of Banwell Community Church News n Views November 2017 A member church of the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec Email: info@banwellchurch.org; Phone: 519-735-2654 Christmas Cantata It All Began in Bethlehem Composed by Ian McGregor Smith **Saturday, Dec. 9th @ 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10th @ 10:30 a.m. **Freewill offering for Saturday night Performance** Breakfast with Santa Saturday, Dec. 2nd 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Join us for a pancake breakfast, fun activities and games as well as a visit with Santa! Kids - don t forget your letters for Santa! Cost: Non-perishable food items, an unwrapped toy for charity, or hats and mittens. Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes are now available. Please return the shoeboxes, along with your $10 minimum donation, to the church by no later than Sunday, Nov. 11th. You can also include a personal note and photo in your box.
C. E. Hour Join us for Sunday School each Sunday at 9:15 a.m. Classes for all ages! Linda Moir is teaching the Adult Class in the Chapel. Dave Page is teaching the Gr. 6-12 in the Youth Room. Emily Andrews is teaching JK - Grade 5 in Room 4. Nov. 5th The Judges: Deborah, Gideon & Samson WORSHIP NOTES As the cooler weather has arrived, we will begin to enjoy a warm sanctuary and cordial welcomes from all those gathering together for worship. During November, the Pastor will conclude his message series on First Peter entitled A Life of Faith. We will also be blessed by our annual Men s Sunday on the last Sunday of the month. As always, we will be blessed by musical contributions by our musicians under the leadership of Ian McGregor Smith. May the Lord continue to bless us as we gather together for worship! Nov. 12th Nov. 19th David Solomon and the Divided Kingdom Nov. 5th Nov. 12th A Life of Faith...With Family (1 Peter 3:1-7) A Life of Faith...Amongst Believers (1 Peter 3:8-12) Nov. 26th Esther Nov. 19th A Life of Faith...Amongst Unbelievers (1 Peter 3:13-22) Nov. 26th Men s Sunday Nov. 21st Ladies Night Out, 6:00 p.m. @ Route 42 Diner Sign-up sheet in the church foyer!
Age Unlimited For dominion belongs to the Lord, and He rules over all the nations. Psalm 22:28 Happy birthday! Our nation has celebrated a wonderful 150 years since Confederation to form our country. To begin our Age Unlimited meeting on Wednesday, November 8th, we will sing O Canada. We extend an invitation to all Seniors in the Banwell Community Church to come and experience our warm fellowship. France has also been in the world news this past year. In April, there was a 100 year special commemorative program to remember Vimy Ridge Battle. Many Canadians sacrificed their life to obtain this strategic landmark from the German troops. France elected a new young prime minister in July, the American president attended the Bastille Day Parade Celebration. In August, there was a special ceremony at Dieppe, France. Many Windsor men sacrificed their lives or were taken prisoners from Windsor s Essex-Kent Regiment. Lest We Forget. At the setting of the sun we will remember them. France has also experienced several acts of terrorism. In past decades, France was a tourist delight. Once again France is becoming a historic country in Europe to visit. Al Beitler has a PowerPoint presentation about France. He will take us to Paris The City of Lights. This presentation also takes us to the beautiful countryside of Provence, Alsace and Brittany. Invite a friend and join us for this fantastic France adventure. To conclude our morning, Claude Daniels will offer grace prior to our delicious lunch, which is provided by our hostesses of the Hospitality Committee. We invite you to give a donation to cover the food cost. Please note the date change for our December meeting. Tuesday, December 12th at 11 a.m. at The Other Place, 1395 Walker Road. Cost of a festive turkey dinner is $25.00. There will be a sign-up sheet on the coffee counter until December 3rd. Please pay Madelon Kidd the money so we can confirm our reservation by December 5th. Dr. Moir will read the Christmas story and we will then enjoy wonderful Christmas carols, hymns and seasonal favourites provided by George Boden. He plays his guitar, sings and has audience participation. Come celebrate Christmas in story and song. Mark your calendar for Fantastic France on November 8th at 11 a.m. in the Chapel Room and on Tuesday, Dec. 12th. Come Celebrate Christmas. Henry Nurse, Coordinator Submitted by Joan Fulmer
FACES IN THE CROWD Special thanks to Donna Soper and Marsha Campbell who decorated the church so beautifully for Thanksgiving. Marlee Page and Chantelle Bell also assisted by hanging the banners. Congratulations to Gord & Marlene Hambly who recently celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
FINANCE REPORT As we head into the final two months of 2017 I have been reflecting on our Banwell Mission. Being led by God to this place we are committed to: Share the love and words of Christ in this diverse community Grow in our faith Learn about our gifts Bring hope here and around the world Banwell is rich in human talent and persons of faith. Our staff are dedicated and faithful in supporting our Mission and our Vision. Our many volunteers actively lead and participate in our ministries, missions, small groups and committees. And then there are those who pray and care for our Banwell family while others quietly serve in extraordinary ways. Paul told the Philippians I thank God because of your partnership in the gospel. For these blessings we are so grateful to God for His generosity and grace. We joyously give each Sunday as we have received from our Lord. From 1 Corinthians 16:2 Every Sunday each of you should put aside something from what you have earned during the week and use for this offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn. Don t wait until I get there and try to collect it all at once. Give first - our mission and our vision deserve more than leftovers. Giving is an act of worship. When we give, we are not simply adding to the Church budget, we are giving up a thank offering to the Father Himself. During October and November the committees and staff are preparing the 2018 budget for presentation to the Church. Our weekly offerings to the end of September are below budget. The average weekly offering is $10,168 year-to-date. Banwell s budget for all ministries is based on an average weekly offering of $10,769. Our mortgage balance is just under $400,000 and our benevolent fund has assisted those in need in the amount of $14,297 to August 31. So, as we head into the final quarter of our fiscal year let us pray and reflect on our obligations for God s ministry. Experience the joy of generosity as you observe the results of your personal responsibility and stewardship. Let us not fail to financially support the ministries that God has led us to. The volunteers who serve on this Finance Committee are pleased to answer any questions you may have. On your behalf I thank the committee members Ann Van Wagner, Linda Fawler, Maureen Beckstette, Ross Hickling, Kevin Martin, Barb Wickham and the volunteer team who account for your offerings after every Sunday service. Bruce Rand - Treasurer
CHILDCARE SCHEDULE /// NOV. 2017 Date Nursery Little Lambs Nov. 5th Nov. 12th Nov. 19th Nov. 26th Monique McCarthy Maria Martin Joanne Kettlewell Marlene Wray Heather Doyle Mupanga Ngamangulu Pat Cowie Tracy Doyle Carol Middaugh Gayle Marsh Barb Stephens Macy Doyle Dawn Michelle Brown Bryana McCarthy Suzan Harper Vlatka Kralik Date Children s Church JK - Gr. 1 Children s Church Gr. 2 & 3 Children s Church Gr. 4 & 5 Nov. 5th Terri Prevett Suzan Harper Lynn Moroz Mark Moroz Nathan Andrews Devin McCarthy Nov. 12th Bonnie Hammond Danijela Kralik Claire Cameron Bryana McCarthy Stay in Worship Service Nov. 19th Terri Prevett Macy Doyle Lorna Lounsbury Mary Lou Green Meryl Lynn Linda Ogea Nov. 26th Terri Prevett Suzan Harper Lynn Moroz Mark Moroz Kodi Page Kyrn Page Date Nov. 2nd Nov. 9th Nov. 16th Nov. 23rd Nov. 30th Lesson Title Story: The Wise Men Craft: Popsicle Stick Wisemen Shoe Box Packing Party Escape to Egypt The Boy Jesus Visits the Temple Christmas Celebration - Movie & Party. Watch Frosty the Snowman
MEN S MINISTRY Coming Events Breakfast: Saturday, November 25th Annual Pie Making with our Youth: The third annual Pie Making Extravaganza will take place Friday, November 10th at 6 p.m. This is a major fundraiser for our youth. Come and help or just enjoy a fun time. Saturday, October 28th: Our youth are holding a weekend retreat at the Kiwanis Club Camp on Lake Erie and the men will be providing them with a sumptuous breakfast with Kim Anber and his band of cook helpers. Men s Sunday, November 26th: While Pastor Alex enjoys a well-deserved rest, we are very pleased to have Vladimir Kralik as our Guest Speaker for our Men s Ministry Sunday service. Great Escape VIII: A great day away as enjoyed by thirty men from Banwell and Ambassador. We once again appreciated Pastor Scott Dakin returning as our facilitator for this meaningful and thought provoking event. Corn Sale: Although the seeds for next summer s corn crop have yet to be planted, Chair, Lino Braccio visited the Bonduelle Plant and reserved the weekend of August 11th and 12th, 2018 for our Second Corn Sale. This is a great way to raise money for our community projects. Thanks to Lino for securing dates. Jim Wheeler "When God blesses you financially, don't raise your standard of living, raise your standard of giving".
My Back Pages I m happy to report to you about a recent event held under the auspices of our Men s Ministry. It was our annual retreat, held again at Wildwood Resort out in Essex or McGregor (I ve seen it listed both ways). In many ways it was like all of our retreats a lot of back slapping and good natured joking around, some excellent food, a few songs of the faith and an opportunity to hear a speaker address an issue that we probably should give some time thinking about. But a funny thing happened at this year s event. As our guest speaker Rev. Scott Dakin was leading our session he began to stray from simple information sharing into a very different area his own life. It was almost imperceptible but I would guess that every man in that room recognized it. To put it as subtly as I can, he opened an area of his life that could best be described as area under construction. He dropped a veil, as some would say and to everyone there the meeting immediately took on a different, holy tone. This kind of thing seems to be going around these days. My friend Jason and I were chatting a few months ago about a group we thought we d like to form. The group has begun, focused not so much on a topic or book, but using our own lives as the curriculum. I m happy to report that over the first few weeks that some wonderful, refreshing sharing has taken place. One of our group members shared with me after one session that it had been one of the most candid and honest evenings he d ever shared in church. Author Frederick Buechner tells us in his little devotional book Listening to Your Life why this is kind of thing is so important in life; It is important to tell at least from time to time the secret of who we truly and fully are even if we tell it only to ourselves because otherwise we run the risk of losing track of who we truly and fully are and little by little come to accept instead the highly edited version which we put forth in hope that the world will find it more acceptable than the real thing. It is important to tell our secrets too because it makes it easier that way to see where we have been in our lives and where we are going. It also makes it easier for other people to tell us a secret or two of their own, and exchanges like that have a lot to do with what being a family is all about and what being human is all about. (p. 318, Listening to Your Life). True, we can t share this type of information with just everyone we must have trusted people in our lives who promise to listen and keep confidences. But I think Buechner is right we need not forget who we really are and, in opening up from time to time, we make it easier for others to do the same thing. Further to all of this, it really is in keeping with what our Lord and master would have us do; I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15) Devotedly your pastor Alex NEWS TEAM MEMBERS Editor/Journalist: Jim Wheeler; Journalist: Donna Soper; Typist & Designer: Debbie Ebel; Spiritual Leader: Pastor Alex Moir; Production Staff: Deborah Bevington