bethlehem word sept 09

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    The BethlehemWord

    Featured in this Issue...

    Message from the PastorI am not sure about others, especially those who

    are back in school, but I for one am glad that summer isover. Of course there are things I like about summer, butthe heat is not one of them. Summer seems to be a timefor people to check out for a while from some of therealities of life and the normal day-to-day routines. Sowe arent as excited about going to church or even workfor that matter (or was that just me?). Summer is adown time in the church yearso many people are onvacation or just simply any place else besides in church

    on a warm Sunday morning.But then comes the Fall and many of us seem to

    get back in the habit of going to church. We of coursehave forgotten that weare the church, the church is not abuilding. The Fall is probably my favorite time of theyear. I love the cool weather and of course the changingleaves in beautiful New England. And Fall usuallymeans we are blessed to have our Red Sox playing in theplayoffs at Americas Most Beloved Ballpark. :) Play-off baseball and the cool weatherit is exciting and in-vigorating. So is the start of the church season. As

    the baseball season is winding up, church is ramping up

    for the year. It does my heart good to walk into thesanctuary on a Sunday in the Fall and see a larger grouthan in the summer months. Were not about numberbut we are about people, and so the more people to woship and fellowship and learn and grow and laugh andcry and pray together, the better.

    I invite you re-commit yourself to the church tyear. This is an important time in the life of BethleheCovenant. Changes are taking place in our world andour community and even on our own street as I writethis. Quinsigamond Village itself is currently undergoing a process of revitalization and change. Newly pavstreets, new sidewalks, storefront improvements and anew Super Walmart among other stores are a taste ofwhat is happening. Some have pointed out that it maybe ironic that as businesses in the Village get grantmoney to fix up their storefronts and make them lookaesthetically pleasing, a new Walmart is going up. Sothese small businesses fix up their property and lookgood just in time for Walmart to come in and put themall out of business in a matter of months! Lets hope tis not the case, but judging from the past..

    So what lessons can we learn from all of this?(Continued on pg. 4)

    September 2009September 2009September 2009September 2009

    Calendar Pg. 2

    Pg. 3

    Pg. 5

    New Adult SundaySchool Class Pg. 5

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    Birthdays and Anniversaries

    September Birthdays

    Cody Ellis 9/4Alden Anderson 9/13Gabriel Johnson 9/18Paul Nyquist 9/19Karoline Ciance 9/27

    September Anniversaries

    Lillian and William Stafinski 9/6

    Susan and Paul Strozina 9/7Jeanne and Frank Bartkus 9/17Esther and Robert Elbe 9/21Carol and Carl Nordstrom 9/22Mark and Susan Fellion 9/28

    October Birthdays

    Elizabeth Pope 10/2Elizabeth Quinn 10/5

    Mildred Carlson 10/11Colleen Elbe 10/12Jeanne Bartkus 10/19Janet Clawson 10/23Lydia Anderson 10/29

    October Anniversaries

    Joy and Nicholas Monopoli 10/4

    James and Jennifer Zoulias 10/9

    Adult Sunday School (continued from previous page)

    Here is a portion of a review of the video serieswhich is called Nooma...

    All ten to fourteen minutes in length, theNOOMA videos feature Rob Bell, pastor ofMichigans Mars Hill Church, one of the fastest-growing churches in America, and a leader in the"emergent church." From a production stand-point, the NOOMA videos are excellent. But it

    isnt just technical merit that has catapulted theNOOMA videos to such popularity. Nor is itsimply Bells natural ability to communicate andtell a story, though that may be part of it. At theend of the day people are watching these videosbecause they believe Rob Bell is teaching themabout Christianity and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

    Please join us starting on September 13th!

    Saturday, Sept

    26th from 9am

    to 1pm at BCC

    Tables are available fo

    $10 each. Set up begin

    at 8am. We are looking for volunteers to help

    get everything ready beforehand and also to

    serve food at the sale (hotdogs, soda, coffee,muffins, etc). There are sign up sheets at chur

    in the vestry.

    Donations are welcome. Drop off at church o

    call the church office. Proceeds will benefit

    those going to Camp Squanto in 2010.

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    Sunday Worship Volunteers

    Sept. 6thWorship LeaderTracy Ellis

    Scripture ReaderSarah StrozinaUshers: Michele Koller and Denise McGinley

    Media Tech: John Schonning

    Sept. 13thWorship LeaderSarah StrozinaScripture ReaderDavid Ahlin

    Ushers: Beverly Gosselin and Jeanne BartkusMedia Tech: Steven Quinn

    Sept. 20th

    Worship LeaderMark FellionScripture ReaderStephanie Stockwell

    Ushers: Delbert and Eleanor SmithMedia Tech: Steven Quinn

    Sept. 27th

    Worship LeaderJohn SchonningScripture ReaderJune Rice

    Ushers: Phyliss Conder and David AhlinMedia Tech: Steven Pope

    A Prayer For Those Who Live Alone

    I live alone, dear Lord, stay by my sideIn all my daily needs be my guide. Grantme good health, for that indeed, I pray,to carry on my work from day to day.

    Keep pure my mind, my thoughts, my everyDeed; let me be kind, unselfish in myneighbors need. Spare me from fire,

    from flood, malicious tongues, fromthieves, from fear, and evil ones.

    If sickness or an accident befall, thenhumbly Lord, I pray, hear my call. Andwhen Im feeling low or in despair, lift

    up my heart, and help me in my prayer. Ilive alone dear Lord, yet have no fear

    because I feel your presence ever near.Amen.

    From the Pastor...Continued from pg. 1Well, the plan is to spruce up the neighborhoo

    with newly paved streets, new sidewalks, decorativestreet lamps, refurbished storefronts, etc. An article inthe T &G mentioned that many of the storefronts in tharea are showing their age or appear out of place givthe historic character of the neighborhood. The costassociated with recommendations of the revitalization

    plan total about $1 million all of which will come fromrevenue generated through landfill tipping fees.

    I wonder if our church is in a similar situationWe can do all the repair work we want, all the work inthe world to make the church look good, but if we aregoing to be put out of business by a Walmart what ithe point? Is our goal to look good, to survive; or is ogoal to thrive?? What are the costs associated with ourevitalization? Not a million dollars, but perhaps somthing even more costly. We live in a neighborhood thlooks vastly different than our congregationthose of

    you who were at the hotdog social saw some of that dversity. How do we reach out to the diverse group ofpeople in our neighborhood? If we dont want to, if wdont see that as our mission, we should move and letanother group take up the challenge. If we decide wecalled to still minister here in the Village, we need to like it. We need to make changes, step out of our comfort zone and reach those who are different from us yesimilar in so many basic ways. That may scare some us (perhaps most of us). Thats ok. Will some not befor it and leave? Sure...and that will be perfectly ok a

    well. There are other churches who will gladly take ithose who want to be stuck in the past. That is whymany churches resemble museums rather than vibrantoutposts of Christian service and ministry.

    A church that truly follows Jesus is not comfoable, not status quo; rather it is messy and difficult anyet worth every bit of the struggle. There is pain andsuffering and hardship but joy comes with it. Changelives come with it. We are at a pivotal time in the lifeBethlehema major crossroads of sorts. We can stayon our past course of simply trying to surviveremai

    on autopilot until the plane finally goes down (ie. thefinances run out)that is one option. The other woulbe to move our ministry somewhere else. The third otion would be to remain here and try to reach ourneighborhood, which is why the church was started inthe first place. These are not easy decisions or decisioto be made quickly or without much thought and prayBut know that they are decisions that must be madesooner rather than later. May God bless us all.Pastor Dave

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    PILGRIM PINES MENS

    FALL RETREAT

    OCTOBER 9-11 2009

    Renew, Rest, Worship

    Wrestle with God

    Things to do:

    Relax on a canoe Hike the surrounding area

    Sit, relax, drink coffee Run the lake

    Participate in:

    Archery Trap Shooting

    Horseshoes Volleyball

    Tennis Bocce Ball

    Basketball Football

    Golf Ping Pong

    Foosball Board Games

    Come and be refreshed. Come and be renewed.

    Our weekend will begin with registration

    at 5:00pm Friday evening followed by

    dinner at 6:00pm in the Pilgrim Pines

    Dining Room.

    Our Featured Speaker:

    Rick Diamond

    Rick is the lead Pastor of Journey,

    Imperfect Faith Community in

    Austin TX. He is a sought-after

    preacher, teacher, and speaker,

    having led hundreds of church,

    denominational, and community groups in retreats,

    classes, and workshops. He has published essays and

    articles on spiritual and church issues, has served as a

    adjunct faculty member at Drew University and speak

    at regional and national conferences about the opportu

    ties facing the 21st century followers of Jesus. He un

    derstands the complexity, skepticism, and spiritual

    yearning of the emerging church, and speaks the lan-guage of his culture. He brings energy and insights, p

    vokes thinking, and encourages questioning. Rick an

    his wife and best friend, Leslie, love Pilgrim Pines an

    have two amazing, tall children, Alex and Caitlin. Ri

    likes to fish, draw, read, work in the yard, think about

    new ways to follow Jesus, and play with his family. H

    is untidy and is the luckiest man in the world.

    Retreat Schedule

    Friday

    5:00 Registration

    6:00 Dinner

    8:00 Session 1

    9:30 Announcements, coffee, snacks

    Saturday

    7:30 Early Bird Devotions

    8:15 Breakfast

    9:00 Session 2

    10:30 Discussion Groups

    12:30 Lunch

    1:00 Free Time

    5:30 Dinner

    7:00 Session 3

    8:45 Coffee and snack in dining hall

    9:00 Optional reflection & sharing

    Sunday

    7:30 Early Bird Devotions8:15 Breakfast

    9:00 Discussion Groups

    10:15 Session 4

    12:00 Lunch

    See Pastor Dave for registration if you are interested or

    download the registration online at:

    http://www.pilgrimpines.org/content/forms/CovenantMen

    2009OL1.pdf

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    The BethlehemWord

    Bethlehem Covenant Church46 Greenwood Street

    P.O. Box 70629

    Worcester, MA 01607

    (508) 7521459

    www.bethlehemcc.org