News & Notes 2/25/09
Greetings to you, my Friends,
I begin this week’s issue of “News & Notes” with the same announcement as last week’s — that a Special Church Conference (a meeting for ALL the members of the church) has been called for Monday, March 2nd, at 7 PM, in Hartford Hall. The single agenda item is to act on receiving a bequest from the estate of our brother in Christ, Russell Newell. It is necessary for us to act on the details on the breakdown of the bequest by March 5th because of a deadline with tax implications for the beneficiaries. The details of the bequest are that the church receive approximately $10,000 cash, plus several parcels of land (from Dover to Alton) with an estimated value of about $130,000 - for a total bequest estimated at $140,000. All the members of the church are urged to attend and participate in the discussion and voting. Friends of St. John’s are very welcome as well. They can participate in the discussions but would not be afforded the privilege of a vote.
I’m writing “News & Notes” a day early because I’ll be off tomorrow - so I can attend a two day class on Spiritual Touch Healing Ministry on Friday and Saturday. This also gives me the opportunity to offer a last minute reminder that the season of Lent begins today with an Ash Wednesday service this evening - at 7 PM - in our Sanctuary. I hope you’ll be able to attend.
Things are gearing up wonderfully for this month’s public supper - Corned Beef and Cabbage. Please remember to come for dinner and/or to help prepare/serve/clean-up! And remember too, that this month the price of the supper goes up one dollar.
If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll be receiving your March issue of the “Bell-Wether” very soon. Included in the BW is the registration form for our Women’s Retreat, which will take place March 20-22. It should be a great event for the women of our church. I mention it now because this Sunday is the deadline for registrations. Be sure to get yours in on time, ladies!!
United Methodist Men will have our regular monthly meeting this Sunday morning at 7:30 AM. Come for the breakfast or come for the fellowship! But come, guys! All the men of the church are invited.
At the first service this Sunday, we have two folks joining the church - Don and Cathy Thompson. Cathy is Tina Weinberger’s sister. Cathy and Don moved recently to this area, and began worshipping at St. John’s at the end of December. I hope you’ll be present to welcome them into the fellowship of St. John’s
We have two Prayer Shawls to bless this Sunday as well - and we will be celebrating the sacrament of Communion. These things plus all the Lenten studies that have been planned promise to get the season off wonderfully. I hope you will commit - for your sake - to taking part in as many of the Lenten activities as possible, and to be in worship every Sunday that you’re in town. It will all work together - as pieces to a puzzle - to make your Easter celebration more blessed.
With the economic times such as they are, the following piece seemed interesting:
PERSONAL FINANCE RESOURCES: Wisdom for these times from Dick Towner: founder of the Good Sense Ministry at Willow Creek
How then shall we live?
. Live not in fear but in confidence in a sovereign God.
. Don’t panic. Continue to do those things you know to be right, wise and consistent with biblical financial principals. Stop doing those things that are not.
. Use this opportunity to take a hard look at where you can be a better steward - a more prudent spender, wise saver, cautious debtor and yes, even a more generous giver. In the good times we all get a little lax. Crisis forces us to be more creative.
. Talk with family and/or close friends. Encourage one another, share insights, reaffirm truths, thank God together for His promises.
. Be reminded that this too shall pass. We’ve been here before.
. And if you are still in a position to save some, it might be a great time to dollar-cost average your investments.
Many of you will remember that our church is using the “Natural Church Development” process to become as “healthy” as we can as a congregation. Our “examination” (i.e. the questionnaire) indicated that “passionate spirituality” was our “minimal factor.” The Church Health Team (i.e. the group in our congregation that is helping us address this issue) has a number of things planned. The worship service that Claire Bloom lead on February 15th was one of those plans. This next item came from the Conference, and I thought I’d share it with you to see if you might be interested in attending. It seems to be addressing the heart of our “minimal factor.”
Bishop’s Day on Passionate Spirituality II
Thursday, March 19, 2009; 9:00 AM to 3:45 PM
Rolling Ridge Conference & Retreat Center, North Andover, MA
This event for clergy and lay persons explores the relationship between passionate spirituality and passionate proclamation. Workshops will focus on ways to deepen corporate worship experiences and personal spiritual practices. Opening worship with Bishop Weaver will focus on the theme “Spirit Speak” as an introduction to the day focused on the implications of spiritual vitality for lives that transformationally “speak” the Gospel. For a detailed schedule and workshop descriptions, go to www.rollingridge.org . Early registration cost is $40; after March 5 registration is $50. To register, go to www.rollingridge.org or call 978-682-8815.
These next two items come from our Bishop’s occasional emails to the Conference:
“….AND YOU VISITED ME.” In January I was blessed to be at the Rockville, CT church celebrating the 50th anniversary of their building. During the service they welcomed five people into membership. I was delighted to participate. And then they noted that a young couple who was joining that day, had been visited by one of the teams that had gone out door-to-door from that church on the District Evangelism Day a couple of years before. Because of that visit, they eventually started to attend and now are active and members…seeds planted. It’s important to get out and meet your neighbors…and let them know that you care about them…and that your church is there for them. The days are over when you can just open the doors and wait for people to come…go out those doors and visit in your neighborhood.
TIME AND FASTING. As we begin Lent, I would once again commend to you the wonderful spiritual discipline of fasting. John Wesley considered it one of the six primary “means of Grace.” But I was surprised to read TIME magazines cover story (Feb. 23) on “How Faith Can Heal” commending fasting also. “One of the staples of both traditional wellness protocols and traditional religious rituals is the cleansing fast, which is said to purge toxins…Done right, these fasts may lead to a state of clarity and even euphoria.” Dr. Catherine Gordon of Children’s Hospital Boston is quoted about the positive changes that occur in the body and brain (and I would add, spirit) during a “short-term fast.” The “Wesley fast” consists of not eating from after dinner on one day to just before dinner on the next day…giving up two meals over a twenty four hour period. If you have any questions about your health you should check with your doctor first. It can be tough at first, but the members of the congregations I served and I found it to be a great blessing whether used just during Lent, or year around as Wesley did.
There are other forms of fasting such as foregoing things we think we “can’t do without” like television or shopping for non-necessities. The time saved or the money saved can then be put to extra time for meditation or supporting special mission projects. It becomes a plus, not really a minus. Fasting centers us in the Spirit, confirming that strength that is greater than our appetites. It is an exercise in “God’s will, not mine be done.” What may seem at first to be “denial” becomes “affirmation,” and that which at first seems to be “depriving” becomes a fullness of cleansing and clarity. Try it yourself, and commend it to your congregation.
Whatever spiritual disciplines you undertake during Lent, I pray that they will draw you closer to Christ, the Cross, and New Life! Grace and Peace, (Bishop) Pete (Weaver)
I have exercised the discipline of fasting from time to time through my ministry, and while one of my ordination vows commits me to leading the congregation in the practice, the fact is that I have seldom done that. Lent is upon us, and it seems a bit late to promote it widely for this season, but maybe there are a few of you who would join me in the practice this year. My fast day will be from Monday evening until supper of Tuesday. Would that work for you? If so, I invite you to join me. If another day works better for you, please try that. And let me know that you’re doing it. I’ll be in prayer with you. And may resurrection faith become more evident in your life through this discipline.
Let’s pick on the choir with this week’s contribution of humorous thoughts. These are “bulletin bloopers”:
“Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.”
“At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What is Hell?’ Come early and listen to our choir practice.”
“Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.”
That’s it for this week. Hope to see you tonight - and look forward to seeing you on Sunday! Peace, Mark