Giving Tree & Mitten Tree

Giving Tree 2014

Through December 14^th we will be collecting for the Giving Tree.  The funds raised will be used to help area families who are in need this holiday season.  In previous years you have been very generous with your support and we hope that you will consider helping once again with this worthy cause.

Donations can be placed in the collection plate in an envelope designated for the Giving Tree or they can be given to 

Jocelyn Barie.  Please use one of the  envelopes in your pew and write “Giving Tree” on the outside.

Thank you in advance for your help!!

________________________________

Mitten Tree

The Mission Committee is collecting new mittens/gloves, scarves, hats, ear muffs, etc.  They can be placed on the tree in the Fellowship Hall and they will be delivered to the Salvation Army, a local school, or another agency for distribution.

Memorial Poinsettias

We have begun decorating our sanctuary for Advent and Christmas.  As we have done for several years we will be ordering poinsettia plants.  This year the cost will be $7.50 per plant.

Our Worship Committee will be arranging the plants and they will be on display in the sanctuary during the remainder of Advent.  The plants may be taken home or given to a shut-in after the Christmas Eve service.

If you wish to order a memorial poinsettia, please fill out the form below and leave it in the church office, with payment, no later than Sunday, December 14^th.  Payment must be made with your order and checks should be made payable to East Bethany Presbyterian Church.  The list of memorials/honorees will be printed in the worship bulletin for the Sunday, December 21st and the Christmas Eve services.

I/We wish to order ________ poinsettia plant(s) at a cost of $7.50 each.

In Memory of ______________________________________________________

In Honor of ______________________________________________________

Your name (as it should appear in the bulletin) ______________________________________________________

Are you leaving the plant to be given to a shut-in?  
_______Yes  _______No

Total paid $_______________

Upcoming Events at EBPC

Friday, December 12:  Shepherd’s Game

6:30 PM

Lots of fun for everyone, young and old!  We will be having pizza at 6:30 PM with the game to follow.  Refreshments and a time of fellowship after the game.  You won’t want to miss this! 

Sunday, December 21:  Christmas Cantata

10:30 AM (During Worship service)

The choir will be performing “The Heart of Christmas”, directed by Mark Barie.  This beautiful musical celebration of Christmas is an EBPC tradition!

Monday, December 22:  Christmas Caroling

5:00 PM

We will be meeting at the church at 5 PM and will then go caroling to shut-ins and church members.  After caroling we will be having dinner together somewhere in Batavia.

Wednesday, December 24: Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

7:00 PM

Our traditional service of scripture and carols is the perfect way to begin the holiday.

Holiday Happenings 2014

Our annual Holiday Happenings Craft & Vendor show is happening this weekend and you won't want to miss it!  Join us at EBPC on Saturday, November 8th from 9 AM until 3 PM.   Lots of the regular vendors as well as many new ones!

• TWO full floors of vendors
• Chinese Auction
• Bake Sale
• Breakfast and Lunch available for purchase (homemade sandwiches, soups, chili)

Join us and get a start on your holiday shopping!!

Summer Office Hours

The summer office hours will be Wednesdays from 10 AM until 2 PM.  Feel free to stop in any time during these hours if you need anything….or just want to say hi!   If you need anything on other days feel free to call Susan at 704-2495.  If you need to get into the church on other days we can make arrangements.  There will be certain weeks where the hours may change.  During these weeks an email will be sent out to let everyone know.

Worship in the Park--August 10

Sunday, August 10th, 10:30 AM

DeWitt Recreation Area

Cedar Street, Batavia

Pavilion 2

Our annual Worship in the Park will be held on Sunday, August 10th at our usual worship time of 10:30 AM.  The service will be led by members of the congregation and a picnic will follow.  Please note that the location for this year’s service has changed—we will be at DeWitt Recreation Area on Cedar Street in Batavia (Pavilion 2).  There are many things to do there including a play area for kids, fishing and walking trails so we hope that you will come and plan to spend the day.  We have the pavilion reserved until 5 PM.

We will be providing hotdogs & hamburgers for everyone.  Please bring lawn chairs, a dish to share & your own paper products and drinks.  If you have any outdoor games please bring those as well.  There will be some organized games for kids of all ages!

Feel free to invite friends and family to join us.  We know that summer is a busy time but this is a great opportunity to enjoy the great weather and spend time with your church family.  Hope to see everyone at the park!!  If you need any additional information please contact Susan at 344-2931 or 704-2495.

Golfing & Picnic

Sunday, July 13th (Raindate July 20th)

Sweetland Pines Golf Course (Par 3, 9 Holes)

The Men & Boys Group would like to invite everyone—Men, ladies, boys, girls and guests—to join them for an afternoon of fun and fellowship!

Schedule:

3 PM—Golfing

 (No greens fees courtesy of the Mens Group, scramble teams & prizes)

4:30 PM—Picnic

Please bring lawn chairs and a dish to pass & beverage.  

Meat (red & white hots, sausages, hamburgers) and dessert will be provided.

5:15 PM—Sharing of Memories

After the picnic several members of the congregation will share their memories from years past.

For more information contact Bob Carlsen at 343-8072.  This was a fun event last year and we hope that even more people will decide to join us this year!  

Congregational Identity Worship--August 13 & 14

The Session invites the entire congregation to participate in “Telling Stories Around a Campfire” identity workshops Aug. 13 and 14 from 6 pm to 9 pm.

Join us as we take an important first step on our journey to finding a new pastor. On consecutive evenings, Rev. Dr. Carson Mouser will be leading us in an abbreviated process to determine “who we are” and whom we are seeking as pastor.  This is your opportunity to actively participate in determining the future of our church, so we need you to commit to attending both evenings. 

Reverend Mouser, recently installed as the pastor at Summerville Presbyterian Church, has special training in the area of interim ministry and will engage us in a conversational approach during the workshops.  He will be joined by Elder Anne Bishop, our liaison from the Committee on Ministry of the Presbytery, who will help facilitate the discussion.

Please join us for this critical conversation.  A light dinner will be provided each evening beginning at 5:30. 

Please RSVP to:  Cassandra Carlsen at derrickmnt@frontiernet.net or 356-4851 by Sunday, August 10^th. 

We look forward to seeing you at this important church event.

Best to all,

The Session 

Muckdogs Game--July 18th

Friday, July 18th

Picnic begins at 6 PM with game at 7:05 PM

FIREWORKS FOLLOWING THE GAME!!

$20/adult, $13/child (Ages 4-12), Kids 3 and under are FREE

Members and friends of the East Bethany Presbyterian Church are invited for a night of fun at the Batavia Muckdogs Stadium (Dwyer Stadium).  We will be enjoying a picnic and a Muckdogs game vs. the Lowell Spinners.

We will have our own tent with an all-you-can-eat picnic of char-grilled Zwiegle’s hotdogs, hamburgers & cheeseburgers, watermelon, potato chips, pasta salad, potato salad and soda.

We need a final count and payment in advance so we need RSVPs by Wednesday, July 9th. We need to include children 3 and under in our count as well, even though they are free.

Spring Clean-Up Day--June 8th

On Sunday, June 8th, we will be having a Spring Clean-Up day following the Worship service.  We really need everyone to pitch in and help us as many hands make light work.  Please come to church in casual clothes and plan to stay and help out.  Lunch will be provided.  The worship service on that day will be shortened to allow us to get an early start with the cleaning.  There are jobs that everyone can do!  Show your pride in your church by helping your church family to take care of our building.  Thanks in advance for your help!

Spring Fling 2014

SPRING FLING CRAFT & VENDOR SHOW

Saturday, May 3rd

9:00 AM-3:00 PM

We are excited to once again be holding our Spring Fling event!  We hope that our church family will come out and support this event and enjoy a day of springtime fun!  Once again there will be shopping with many vendors, a Chinese Auction, a bake sale and breakfast/lunch available.

We are currently collecting donations for our Chinese Auction.   If you are able to make a donation or would be willing to help us collect donations from local businesses that would be greatly appreciated!

We will also be soliciting donations for the bake sale and the kitchen when the date gets closer.  We hope that we can count on the generosity of our church family once again.

If you are interested in having a table at Spring Fling or know of someone who is, please contact Susan Boyle at 704-2495.

This year’s fundraiser will be going to support the general budget of EBPC so hopefully we can make it our best one yet!

Easter Scavenger Hunt

The Christian Education Committee would like to invite  everyone to join us for an Easter Scavenger Hunt.  The event will be held on Friday, April 4th.  We will be gathering at 6:00 PM for dinner (provided by the Christian Education Committee) and then the game will begin at 6:45 PM.  

This is for all ages, not just the kids!  We first held this event last year and it was a great success and fun for everyone!   It is a great opportunity for church members of all ages to work together in teams to solve the Bible based clues and search for the hidden objects.    

The game will challenge your knowledge of the Easter related scriptures of the Bible.  Don’t worry—you can use a Bible for reference if you need to!  By having participants of all ages the adults can share their knowledge with the younger team members.  

Once you’ve found all of your hidden objects you will receive one last clue leading you to an Easter surprise!

Following the scavenger hunt we will be enjoying dessert & coffee.

Please invite friends and family to join us too—we need to keep sharing with others everything EBPC has to offer!

In order for us to be sure to have enough food, we are asking you to RSVP with how many will be attending.   Please call the church voicemail at 344-2931 to RSVP.

Please join us for a night of fun and fellowship!!

Easter Services at EBPC

The Lenten season brings us special opportunities to share in worship at EBPC.  We hope that you and your family will spend some time with us during this Easter season.

The Palm Sunday service will be held on Sunday, April 13th at our regular 10:30 AM worship time.  This year’s service will be led by Erin Schubmehl.  Join us as we celebrate the beginning of Holy Week and the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem the week before his death and resurrection.

The Maundy Thursday service will be held on April 17th at 7 PM.  This service will be led by Reverend Walter Wenhold.  This service allows us to remember the Last Supper when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before he was crucified.

The Easter Sunday service will be held on Sunday, April 20th at 10:30 AM.  The service will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and will be led by Reverend Bob Kaiser.

Easter Lily Orders

Once again we are taking orders for memorial lilies which will be used to decorate our sanctuary for Easter.  The plants are usually 6-10 blooms and the price is $6.75.  The plants will be displayed on Easter Sunday and you are welcome to take them home after the service to enjoy during the Easter season.  If you would prefer, they can be delivered to people who are unable to come to worship on a regular basis.  If you wish to order a lily in memory of a loved one or to honor someone you care about, please fill out an order form along with payment and drop it off in the church office.  Order forms will be in the bulletin and extra copies are available in the church office.

Book Club News

The book club will be meeting next on Saturday, April 5th at 9:30 AM at Coffee Culture in Batavia.    We would love to have some new people join us!  If you have any suggestions for our next book selection bring them with you.  For more information contact Megan Logsdon at 356-9438.

The book we will be discussing this month is “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak.

From amazon.com:  The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.  It is 1939.  Nazi Germany.  The country is holding its breath.  Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.  Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books.  With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.   In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

Genesee County CROP Hunger Walk

The Genesee County CROP Hunger Walk will be taking place on Saturday, April 26th.  The walk begins at the Batavia Presbyterian Church and registration is at 9:00 AM with the walk beginning at 9:30 AM.  The walk benefits Stephen’s Table Soup Kitchen, the Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern, and the international work of Church World Service  The Mission Committee is organizing a group from EBPC to participate in the event and we would like the congregation to join us.   If you are interested in joining the team or are unable to walk but would like to make a donation contact Susan Boyle at 704-2495.  

Upcoming Guest Speakers

We are truly blessed to have such wonderful guest speakers to call upon during our time of transition.  Be sure to let them know how much they are appreciated!

April 6- Reverend Walter Wenhold

April 13 (Palm Sunday)- Erin Schubmehl

April 17 (Maundy Thursday)- Rev. Walter Wenhold                       

April 20 (Easter)- Reverend Bob Kaiser

April 27- Erin Schubmehl

May 4- Reverend Walter Wenhold

May 11- Erin Schubmehl

May 18- Erin Schubmehl

May 25- Erin Schubmehl

June 1- Reverend Walter Wenhold

June 8- Erin Schubmehl

June 15- Erin Schubmehl

June 22- Erin Schubmehl

2014 Committee Contacts

This is the updated list of committee contacts.  Feel free to contact them at any time or call the church office.

Clerk of Session:  Cassie Carlsen
Deacons:  Audrey Kellogg
Worship & Music:  Peg Heywood
Buildings & Grounds:  Phil Tracy & Dave Carlsen
Personnel:  Keith Boyle
Christian Education:  Megan Logsdon
Mission:  Susan Boyle
Nominating:  Kim McGiveron
Finance:  Doug Heywood
Memorial:  Dave Carlsen