| - - - - NEWSLETTER - - - - |
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH of PENN YAN
October 2011
October Worship Schedule
Oct. 2
Sermon: “Getting Through A Difficult Day”
Scripture: various
Lay Reader: Sheri Jensen
Greeters: Tom & Barbara Burke
Oct. 9
Sermon: “Tasks Of The Golden Years”
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8-9
Lay Reader: Pam Scutt
Greeters: Judi & Russ Scheel
Oct. 16
Sermon: “Called As A People of Mission”
Scripture: Luke 10:1-20
Lay Reader:Polly Logan
Greeters: Sue & Rick Willson
Oct. 23
Sermon: “Called According to God's Purpose”
Scripture: Habakkuk 2:1-4, Romans 8:28-30
Lay Reader: Jean Brewer
Greeters: Oneita & Malcom Covert
Oct. 30
Sermon: “God Changes Lives”
Scripture: Acts 9:1-31
Lay Reader: Barbara Burke
Greeters: The Clancy Family
October Birthdays!
1 – Margaret Mills
7 – Polly Logan
8 – Jean Brewer
16 – Greg Marion
25 – Pam Scutt
25 – Scott Robbins
A message from Rev. Foody
Dear Friends,
Since arriving in Penn Yan in late August, it has been a pleasure to get acquainted with everyone and this beautiful area. As I write to you, I am excited about the small group gatherings that are planned for becoming better acquainted and so that I can learn more about your hopes and dreams for FBC.
As I have told you, I am impressed by the many positive things that I see happening here. During our time together let's celebrate them as we begin to look for positive new directions. The transitional period after a long pastorate is very important. It is a time when a congregation needs to look at who they have been and who do they want to become! It is important to come to terms with our grief as we leave the past behind us and forge a new future. When this is done well, the congregation is better able to move forward with a new pastor.
May God guide and bless us on that journey!
Psalm 90:17 Lord our God, may your blessings be with us. Give us success in all we do!
In Christ, Rev. Linda J. Foody
And from Rev. Burke
To My Dear Friends at First Baptist Church, Penn Yan,
The Apostle Paul in writing to the Church at Philippi began his letter to them with the greeting: I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in my prayers for you.” That greeting describes well my feelings for you at Penn Yan. In the 50 years that I have been in ministry, I have never known a church more caring and supportive than you were to me.
From the day I arrived until the day I left I felt blessed to be a part of the church. Thank you.
I also want to thank you for the memorable farewell party and the beautiful framed photograph that you gave to me. The large number of you who came to the party and the kind words and cards will always be a treasured memory.
Please be assured even though I am not with you in person, you are in my prayers as is Rev. Foody as she leads the church.
Faithfully Yours, Richard Burke
From the Christian Education Room
We have started the Church School year with a Rally Day celebration at the boat launch where six of our kids tried their hands at fishing and enjoyed a picnic lunch of hot dogs, chips, salad, donuts and drinks. The lone catch of the day was reeled in by Elizabeth. Thanks to all the adult helpers for their support.
Just a reminder – if anyone has receipts for purchases made for Vacation Bible School please turn them into Stan Ovens or Lyle Conrad for reimbursement ASAP. Thank you.
Don't forget that Ed Castillo will be holding Adult Sunday School after church in the library beginning October 23.
We are still in need of helpers in the nursery. Due to our new policy we need two people in the room. So even if you can come to be an assistant for an occasional Sunday we would love to have you. Please contact Jennifer Slocum.
A pizza party will kick-off a new season of the Kidz Klub later in October. Two adult volunteers are needed. See Eileen Modaffari for more information.
From the Board of Trustees
Our sanctuary windows have been painted, glazed and caulked. They turned out great – take a look!
We are working with the Food for the Needy to clean out the kitchen basement for safer storage of their food items and supplies.
The steeple roof project is underway. We are waiting for a lift to get it started.
During the month of November our Stewardship Campaign will be kicking off. Watch for more information to come. Please consider this thought: A pastor announced to his congregation, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is that it's still out there in your pockets.”
Let's show our prospective pastor that we want to support the ministry of this church.
Board of Mission Report
We wish to congratulate you on your generous giving of $943.75 to the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering. You almost reached the goal of $950 that we set. Hallelujah! As you remember, half of the offering went to Japan to aid in the recovery from the earthquake and tsunami. (Note: Japan now as suffered a typhoon with more disastrous flooding). The rest of the offering went for future needs. We just learned that $20,000 was sent to Eastern Africa which is having a disastrous drought.
We wish to commend the women of FBC ABW Ministries for raising $441 through the Church World Service “Blanket Sunday”.
In this newsletter, you will find a letter promoting the World Mission Offering. Please read it. We will receive the offering on October 16. The first $600 will go to support missionaries Rick and Merci Barnes, Tim and Patti Long and Roberta Stephens. All remaining funds to to the support of other missionaries and related organizations.
You will have a chance to meet A Real Live Missionary! Really! Tim Long will be at our church on November 7th. Mark that date on your calendar. At noon, bring a “brown bag” lunch, questions you have and interact with Tim. Your Board will provide beverages and dessert. We have invited all the churches in our association to also attend.
World Mission Offering
As we think about our individual lives and the life of our church, we can easily forget that we are members of a larger community of Faith – the Church of Jesus Christ - around the world. We remind you of that fact as we focus on the World Mission Offering.
This year we have set a goal of $1000. The first $600 of your offering will go to support Tim & Patti Long, Rick & Merci Barnes, and Roberta Stephens. We have supported these five missionaries the past several years.
The remainder of the WMO will be used to support nearly 100 other missionaries with support staff as well as 1,500 short term missionaries and volunteers. They work in more than 70 counties as well as cooperating with nearly 220 national partner groups including hospitals, schools, National Baptist Associations and others responding to Christ's call. Please give generously to the WMO.
We thank you. - Your Board of Mission
Missionary News
We have two journals from Roberta Stephens. “HELP FROM ABROAD” details how Laura, a navy wife, helped in a kindergarten with Roberta. She also tells how Larry from Illinois and Rei from Washington have been assisting Roberta “Light Along the Road: Japan 3 Months Later” tells of the clean-up efforts. She also tells that to date $250,000 from ABCUSA has arrived to help the Japanese recovery. We received a thank you from Rick & Merci Barnes for our support in 2010. We also received notice that Debbie & Keith Meyers from Worthington, WV have been endorsed to serve as missionaries to Mexico. You can find the journals on the Reader's Table.
Philippine Mission Trip
Our family, Ethel, Ralph and Eli, spent July and August in the Philippines, visiting with relatives including Ethel's Mom Thelma, and her seven brothers and sisters, even a sister who lives in Japan but also was home in the Philippines for two weeks. Eli met his only grandparent for the second time ( the first time he was only 5 months old) and Ralph had a dog for two months, which he named “Lucky”. Jack flew over in August and joined the family for the last 9 days of the trip.
One highlight of the trip was a visit to the province of La Union, about six hours north of Manila. Public schools are so poorly funded in the rural Philippines that they lack even the basics, such as textbooks, modern buildings, and supplies. The school has about 250 children and only 5 usable classrooms because of roof leaks and a fire that damaged several rooms.
Penn Yan First Baptist Church Vacation Bible School students, after seeing photos of the school and learning of the needs there, decided to collect and donate school supplies and books to the Sta Lucia school as a mission project. Donations included pencils, pens, scissors, pencil sharpeners and erasers, as well as a large number of children's books. The children and their families were very generous, and several boxes of donations were taken to the Philippines by the Clancy's and delivered on August 31.
Our entire family handed out donated items directly to the students at the school... gifts that were truly appreciated. We have put together a photo display showing the school and students which is on display in our church. We want to thank everyone for what they have done to help those less-fortunate children in the Philippines.
Dear Friends at First Baptist Church
As we approach the end of the summer season, I greet you in the name of the God who is lord of the harvest and pray God's bountiful blessings on all that you do.
In reviewing reports on United Mission giving recently, we were pleased to learn that your church has been a faithful giver to total United Mission every year for the past ten years. Your gifts to UM touch every aspect of the mission and ministry of ABCUSA. Your dollars are at work around the world through International Ministries, around the country through AB Home Mission Societies, and around your community through the good work of your region. It is allowing us to structure our denomination for the 21st century under the guidance of the recently passed Bylaws revisions.
Together we are truly United in Mission as we strive to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in our regions, our nations and around the world. It is faithful churches like yours that form the backbone of our denomination, and we are grateful to God for you.
Your co-traveler with Christ,
Rev. Leo S. Thorne, Phd
Associate General Secretary Mission Resource Development
Mission treasurer's report
As of 8/31/11 the Mission Treasurer's balance was $898. By your action at the Annual Meeting, the following items were budgeted thru Dec. 31. 2011.
United Mission Budget $4680 $4680
Specifics
Psalm Fund 280
Karin of Utica 100
Friendship House 200
Camp Vick 300
880 880
Institutional Supportive
Colgate Rochester 360
Fairport Home 280
Springbrook 360
Keuka College 280
Keuka College Chaplain 150
ABC/NYS Campus Ministry 50
$1480 $1480
Items listed as possible if funds are available:
Bacone College 150
Green Lake Conf. Center 100
Murrow School 200
NYS New Church Dev. 250
NYS Council of Church Dues 100
YC Habitat for Humanity 200
American Bible Society 100
Local Mission 200
$1300 $1300
$8340
Balance 898
To Raise in Three Months! $7442
We thank all of you who have kept your pledges current. We urge those of you who are behind to catch up. We ask all and any who can, please give what you can as extra gifts. Otherwise you will be called on to help decide which budgeted items are not paid.
Your Board of Missionaries
Stewardship Footprints
The Widows Mite Mark 12:42-44
Have you ever given someone a gift without putting much thought into it? Perhaps you purchased an appliance for your spouse when he/she really wanted a more personal token of your love. Maybe you bought a toy for a child thinking the child would love it, only to discover that it wasn't really what he/she wanted, and the child lacked the social graces to pretend it was.
One day, Jesus was sitting in the temple watching people bring their gifts. While many placed large sums of money into the treasury, enjoying the attention they received, Jesus took special notice of a widow whose gift was two copper coins. Jesus told his disciples she gave more that all the others because she gave all she had. Jesus makes it clear that the widow's gift was one that pleased God because it came from the heart. The widow's gift demonstrated her love for her Heavenly Father and her trust in God.
September and October are often months when congregations focus on stewardship. We are encouraged to consider the offerings we are bringing to God. While we would all like to think our gifts are like that of the widow, the truth is, most of us are more like those in Jesus' account who only gave out of their abundance. Our gifts are lacking because they fail to demonstrate our love for God and our total reliance upon God.
It is not enough to simply consider the amount we bring but, more importantly, we need to examine why we give. Only when our gifts match what we feel in our hearts will they be acceptable to God. It is when our offerings are symbols of our lives given to the Lord and symbolic of our gratitude that they become exactly what the Lord desires.
As we reflect on stewardship in the coming weeks, it is important to remember that all we are and all we have belong to God. Hopefully each of us will take time to examine our tithes and offerings and consider how we can bring an offering worthy of our Heavenly Father that supports our Lord's ministry.
Keeping In Touch
Address for Meghan Fuqua
Box 458
40 Clinton Street
Mansfield, PA 16933
Concerning Our Community
HYDROFRACKING
There will be a panel discussion and information session on hydrofracking by the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes at 7 pm, October 15, at the Penn Yan United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall and presented by the PYUMC Social Issues Ministry Team. The public is invited to attend. For more information call Peggy Beckwith at 536-3562.
Church Bulletin Bloopers...
On a church bulletin during the ministers illness:
GOD IS GOOD.
Dr. Hargreaves is better.
Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary.
8 new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
The Rev. Merriwether spoke briefly, much to the delight of the audience.
The pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, “Break Forth Into Joy”.
Due to the Rector's illness, Wednesday's healing services will be discontinued until further notice.