Pastor's Weekly Reflection

Last Friday we had 29 children of all ages, from 3 months to 63 years old here at the church for a simple dinner and Easter themed scavenger hunt put together by our Christian Ed committee. I think you'll agree that having this many people in our church on a Friday evening is quite amazing! 

The significance of this is huge, especially when our average Sunday worship attendance is 23. There was fellowship around the tables and then the hunt began as we broke into teams and answered questions related to the last week of Jesus' life leading up to his resurrection.  We searched for objects like perfume, nails, spices, and linens. 

I overheard someone say, "that was way more fun than I thought it would be." Who would have thought being at church on a Friday evening would be described as fun? 

Another person shared, "having my grandchildren in church means the world to me. East Bethany church is very welcoming to adults and children. wow." This is important feedback because in a family sized church most new folks come to a church because of who they know who go there - like friends and family and they return because they feel a connection. 

Have a Great Week and remember good things are happening at EBPC! 

God's Peace, Rev. Fry 

Donations needed for Community Food Table

 

Our outreach program to provide food to area families in need is still going strong.  Thanks to your generous donations we have been able to help out several families in need, a local food pantry and a program which sends a backpack of food home with children each Friday to ensure they have food for the  weekend.  Currently our food supply has gotten low and we need your help.  All donations of non-perishable food are very appreciated!  If you would like us to do the shopping, there is a basket on the food table where you can leave a monetary donation.  Thank you for your ongoing support of this mission!

 

 

2013 Committee Chairs

Some of the contact people for the various committees in our church have recently changed.  Listed below are the current contact people for the various committees.  There is also an updated list in the church office.

Session– Cassie Carlsen, Clerk of Session

Deacons– Audrey Kellogg & Grace Carlsen (co-chairs)

Buildings & Grounds-  Ron Hoyt (Chair) & Phil Tracy

        (Contact Phil with all maintenance related concerns)

Christian Education– Megan Logsdon (Chair)

Personnel– Sharon Smith (Chair)

Mission– Susan Boyle (Chair)

Nominating– Cassie Carlsen (Chair)

Memorial– Bob Carlsen (Chair)

Finance– Bob Carlsen (Chair)

 

 

Book Club--next meeting April 13th

 

 

The East Bethany/Covington Book Club is still meeting on a regular basis and we would love to have some new people join us!  The book club is a great way to read some interesting books and spend some time with friends.  Our next meeting will be on Saturday, April 13th at 9:30 AM at Coffee Culture in Batavia. 

The next book we will be discussing is “When You Come Home:  The True Story of a Soldier’s Heroism, His Wife’s Sacrifice and the Resilience of America’s Greatest Generation” by Nancy Cavin Pitts.  This book was selected after Ms. Pitts contacted our church office directly as she feels it is a perfect book for church book clubs.  She has even provided us with a list of discussion questions for our book club meeting.

From Barnes & Noble:  The war claimed Daphne Kelley’s young husband’s life, but it couldn’t keep Raymond – and his abiding love – from being with her when she needed him most. First glimpsed in Tom Brokaw’s landmark bestseller, The Greatest Generation, the true-life love story of Daphne and Raymond Kelley went far deeper than Brokaw’s feature could reveal. Now When You Come Home provides the complete account of what New York Times book reviewer Michael Lind cited as “perhaps the most compelling” love story in Brokaw’s book. Taking its title from a poem newlywed Daphne sent her soldier husband during World War II, When You Come Home tells of their young love in the heartland at the brink of war, and of the crushing uncertainty and fear as they find themselves a world apart. And when the poem comes back to Daphne – blood-stained by Raymond’s mortal wounds – When You Come Home shares the extraordinary event that restores the grieving young widow’s faith in the transcendent power of love.

 

 

An Evening with Doug Baker

We have been invited to join the Covington Presbyterian Church on Sunday, March 24th from 7-8:30 PM for dessert and a presentation on peace-building efforts in Northern Ireland.  The presentation will be given by Doug Baker, a Presbyterian Mission co-worker in Belfast.  This is a great opportunity and we hope many will choose to attend.  For more information, see Reverend Fry or contact the church office.

From the website of the Presbyterian Mission Agency: 

After more than 30 years of working for reconciliation in Northern Ireland, Doug Baker has seen tensions lessen and violence abate. However the tall, graffiti-covered metal walls that separate some unionist and nationalist neighborhoods remind him that much work is still to be done.

Doug serves as a resource to the Irish churches as they develop their own understanding of and capacity for peace-building. This includes facilitating dialogue within particular churches about the place of reconciliation in Christian ministry and also dialogues between those from differing religious, political, and cultural backgrounds. Such dialogues, Doug says, have helped build understanding and nurture relationships.

Doug invests much time preparing future church leaders. In addition to his role with Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs), he teaches ministerial students, equipping them to be agents of reconciliation within the parishes they are to serve.

YAVs plant seeds of reconciliation in Northern Ireland primarily in their work with children and youth. While supporting them in this work, Doug also encourages the YAVs themselves toward a deeper walk of faith. About one-third of YAVs go to seminary after they complete their year of service.

Like the YAVs he now mentors, Doug Baker experienced Northern Ireland in a formative stage of his life. He was a college student in the summer of 1970 when he was invited to work in Northern Ireland through a program sponsored by University Presbyterian Church in Seattle. “Being there for a summer stimulated an interest and gave me a deep concern for what the people there are going through,” he says.

           Eventually Doug returned to Northern Ireland as a mission co-worker and has invested his life in the region. There he met and married Elaine, a former teacher in Belfast who had long been active in reconciliation efforts. Their work with the churches has made a lasting impact on society in Northern Ireland and their influence on YAVs promises to bear fruit for years to come in the PC(USA).

 

 

Bible Study

 

We are meeting for adult Bible Study on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 9:30 AM in Pastor Mike's office.  So far we have had a great response and we would love to have more of you join us!  Because of the Holy Week and Pastor Mike being away, the next meeting of the Bible study will be Tuesday, April 23rd at 9:30.  After that we will resume our regular schedule of meeting on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month.  We are currently reading and discussing the book "Presbyterian Questions, Presbyterian Answers."  For more information, contact the church office.

Easter Services

This Sunday is Palm Sunday.  During our 10:30 AM worship service Sharah DeMena will be singing "The Palms."

We will be having a Maundy Thursday service on March 28th at 7 PM.

Our Easter Sunday service will be at 10:30 AM.  We hope that everyone will join us for this special service celebrating the resurrection.