News & Notes 1/5/2012
Happy New Year St. John’s!!
Lots happening around the church - or maybe it just seems like allot, with Sandy out of the office. Let me begin simply by saying Sandy’s surgery went very well, and she’s doing “swimmingly!” Her biggest problem now is boredom - as she feels fine, but can’t do anything yet. Thanks for your prayers - please continue to hold her in prayer as she continues to heal.
The Red Cross Blood Drive is taking place at St. John’s tomorrow - from 1 till 6 PM. Please come to donate blood - but also bring some snacks/goodies/etc. to give to the donors. We have to keep up our reputation, don’t you know?!?!
Tomorrow is also Epiphany in the church year. The term epiphany means “to show” or “to make known” or even “to reveal.” In Western churches, it remembers the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing “reveal” Jesus to the world as Lord and King. (from www.crivoice.org) Epiphany is about “aha” moments - I have seen the light - I get it now! For us, may it be - like every day, I hope - a time for us to see more clearly, God at work in our world.
This Saturday is the “De-decorating Party” presented by the Worship Committee - beginning at 9:30 AM - to take down and store all the Advent/Christmas decorations from our Sanctuary. Can you help? It would be great to have you there. Contact Cheri N if you have a question.
After the second worship service on Sunday (Note: we are returning to our “two-worship-service-per-Sunday” schedule this week!! - And Sunday School begins again!!), we’ll be having the Calendaring Meeting - where we fill the calendar in for the year, and set ongoing program priorities. It’s great to have a large group take part. Will you join us? It takes about an hour - beginning about noon.
This being the second Sunday of the month, we look forward to our 6th, 7th and 8th grade Sunday School class joining us in worship at the first service!! Be sure to greet them!!
I have a Continuing Education event to attend next week. I’ll be gone from early Monday morning until late afternoon on Wednesday. Every year Bangor Theological Seminary presents a Convocation - bringing in some of the leading theologians from around the country - and addressing a particular theme in detail. This year’s theme is “Evolving World, Emerging Church: providing fresh ideas and insights and opportunities for dialogue for all of us who are interested in the life of the church and the life of the spirit in the coming decades.” I’m looking forward to it.
But what this means is that the office will be covered very sparsely for the early part of next week - just Tuesday, from 10 AM till 1 PM. But the phone will be checked regularly - so feel free to leave messages.
Next Wednesday evening, the Education Committee is presenting “Casseroles Aren’t Enough,” at 7 PM. Check the January “Bell-Wether” for the details. It sounds like an interesting program, and I hope lots will come to hear it.
St. John’s will host this year’s Dover Martin Luther King, Jr. observance - on Sunday evening, January 15th, at 7 PM. This year’s event is more discussion than worship. The planners are actually looking to use Hartford Hall, instead of the sanctuary. The Dover High School singers will be here - and there will be opportunity for discussions about prejudices and bias that “thrive” today. It’s worth the effort to come. I hope to see you here.
Our Youth Director, Brenda B, who is also our Bishop’s new Administrative Assistant, wrote this:
On January 15, I am heading to San Antonio for training in preparation for our transition to a new bishop. The keynote speaker is Rev. Lorenza A Smith, one of San Antonio’s pastors. Her story is inspiring:
In June, the Rev. Lorenza Andrade Smith began her new appointment as an advocate for the poor and marginalized by selling her car, her house and most of her possessions, taking a leave of absence and a self-imposed vow of poverty and beginning life on the streets. Her goal: to learn the plight of the homeless by living among them. Read more of her thoughts at www.interpretermagazine.org.
We have been asked to bring warm, wool socks or toiletries for shower kits (travel-size shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, body lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth, mouth wash, razor and deodorant) for her ministry. If anyone would like to contribute to this mission project, I will be happy to take the items with me or if it’s easier for you to make a donation, I will be happy to do the purchasing in order to make complete shower kits.
So far my new position [as our Bishop’s Administrative Assistant] is every bit the blessing I expected and more, and I appreciate your support. As we greeted one another in my first staff worship today, “Happy New Year! Happy New You!”
Brenda B
It’s still quite a ways away, but I want to mention a couple things about the upcoming February 5th special Church Conference - where we will have the opportunity to vote on becoming a Reconciling Congregation, and accepting a Reconciling Statement. Some have asked about the process of voting. The actual vote WILL be taken by written ballot - also called “secret ballot.” The ballots of members of St. John’s who are present at the Church Conference will be those which decide the outcome. There will be opportunity for constituents (people who are part of St. John’s who have not [for whatever reason] joined the church) to vote using a different colored ballot - which will be counted, but which will not affect the final decision. And it recently came to me that there may be some who want to be heard, but who cannot attend the meeting. It is permissible to send a note ahead of time - with brief comments and/or a note about how you would have voted had you been present. By the Book of Discipline, this, too, will not be counted in the final tally - but will give individuals the opportunity to “be heard.”
United Methodist Federal Credit Union is now accepting applications for the Reverend Frank Witman Scholarship Program for 2012. This opportunity is designed to help our student members achieve their academic goals. Four applicants will each receive a $500 scholarship to be used towards tuition, books or student fees. To find out more about how to apply, go to http://www.neumc.org/console/files/oFiles_Library_XZXLCZ/2012scholarshipform_RBXSTN6Y.pdf for program guidelines and application. Deadline for applications is February 29, 2012.
I have to tell you that Diana S sent this story to me. If I don’t tell you that it came from someplace else, I’m afraid you might think that this actually happened with Wendy and me: My wife and I were browsing in a crafts store when I noticed a display of country-style musical instruments. After looking over the flutes, dulcimers and recorders, I picked up a shiny, one-stringed instrument I took to be a mouth harp. I put it to my lips and, much to the amusement of other shoppers, twanged a few notes on it. After watching from a distance, my wife came up and whispered in my ear, “I hate to tell you this, honey, but you’re trying to play a cheese slicer.”
That just sounds all too possible a story, so you can see why I had to start with the disclaimer!! See you in church! Peace, Mark