New Milford United Methodist Church68 Danbury Road, New Milford, Conn. 06776 • (860) 354-4596

www.NewMilfordUMC.org • Office@NewMilfordUMC.org

April 2015

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Short Stories by JesusA Sermon Series on the Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi

We continue to celebrate the power of the risen Christ after Easter Sunday by and through the many stories He shared with us throughout His life. All too often, we tend to domesticate Jesus’ provocative stories. But religion, it is said, is designed to comfort the af-flicted and afflict the comfortable. We should think of Jesus’ parables as doing the afflicting. The Gospel writers, in their wisdom, left most of the parables as open narratives for our own interpretation, to invite us into engagement with them. Parables are layered, mul-tivalent, multi-vocal stories that speak to us on many levels. For example, a listener who is poor or in ill health may form a different interpretation of the Rich Man and Lazarus than a person with a seat on the stock exchange or extended credit from Neiman Marcus. The parable of the Lost Son (or, as we know it, the Prodigal Son) will convey something dif-ferent to a parent than it will to an overindulged, or, by contrast, a faithful son. To reduce parables to a single meaning destroys their potential to nudge us to behave differently, morally, and ethically. So join us in the weeks following Easter Sunday as I take a “deep dive” into Short Stories by Jesus.

“Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son”—April 12, 2015Also, don’t forget to join us on April 12 for the baptism of Thomas John Taranto!“The Good Samaritan”—April 19, 2015“The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like Yeast”—April 26, 2015“The Pearl of Great Price”—May 3, 2015 (Communion to be celebrated on May 3.)“The Mustard Seed”—May 10, 2015“The Laborers in the Vineyard”—May 17, 2015“Pentecost/Confirmation/New Member Sunday”—May 24, 2015 10 a.m. Joint Service

See you on Sunday!

Peace and Blessings,Rev. Paul A. Fleck, Pastor

NMUMC to Welcome Rev. Alex Souto as New PastorI join Pete Del Mastro, Chair of the Staff Parish Relations Committee, and the rest of New Milford United Methodist Church in warmly welcoming Rev. Alex da Silva Souto as your new Pastor effective July 1. Pastor Alex is a dear friend who I have known since attending Yale Divinity School; in fact, his daughter used to babysit my son Daniel before she went to college at The University of California-Berkley. He will bring great energy, enthusiasm and passion to his work with you. He knows how to honor the sacred as well as embrace new ideas for the future. I know that you will love him and he will love all of you.

For my part, I have had great experiences here at New Milford UMC. I have learned a great deal about love, grace, and the art of pastoring a vibrant congregation committed to doing Christ’s work in the world. Thank you for the honor of serving as your Pastor these past five years. Peace and Blessings,Rev. Paul A. Fleck, Pastor

April Birthdays: 1 – Nick D. 2 – Marcia C., Ryan P.10 – Gene P.14 – Kitty M.15 – Janice M.18 – Bob B.19 – Nick. D.21 – Herb M.22 – Thelma N.23 – Ben W.27 – Marlene D.28 – Lindsey B.

Church News

Attendance & Offerings

Mar. 1 87 $5,287Mar. 8 131 $4,295Mar. 15 100 $3,448Mar. 22 118 $2,707Mar. 29 119 $2,931Monthly Giving $18,668YTD Giving $43,209YTD Giving $43,562(Budgeted)

March has been another busy month at the Education Center! As a whole we have been preparing for our upcoming Art Show on April 24th and the Week of the Young Child April 13th-17th. Here is what has been going on in each classroom.

Butterflies (infants): As March came in like a lion and kept “roaring,” we concen-trated on sensory! Miss Lori made sensory bags that are a big hit with everyone. Sensory tubes were also put out with balls, foam blocks, and feathers in them. The rain stick is the favorite with lots of colorful beads and of course sounds! Everyone has settled nicely into our new room and made great use of our new space! We look forward to more exciting things to come. Miss Lori & Miss Allie

Buzzing Bees (toddler 1): This month in the Buzzing Bees room, we’ve been very busy discovering new textures with our hands. We all had so much fun finger paint-ing and getting all messy, we’ve also been practicing using a paintbrush and collag-ing with tissue paper and glue. The kids have been up and moving, learning new songs and dances. At circle time we’ve quacked like ducks and jumped like kanga-roos! Our favorite rhyming book is about an adorable little blue truck that got stuck. Kids have been requesting this book over and over again. As the weather gets nicer and nicer there is more fun to come! Miss Erin & Miss Barbara

Hummingbirds (toddler 2): March was a very interesting month in the hummingbirds room. We started talking about living things. We have paid special attention to the zoo and farm animals. “Polar Bear, Polar Bear” by Eric Carle was a big hit in our classroom. We made animal noises and played a game, “what animal could make this noise”. We matched pictures of mommy and baby animals. It was a lot of fun. In our block center we built a farm for the farm animals. For science we played with snow and observed it melting and turning into water. We are waiting for April to explore more outside. Miss Olga & Miss Kai

RSFK: Our Ready, Set for Kindergarten class has been very busy with our building project that has just come to an end! Our class of 3-5 year olds built two cubby benches, ALMOST, all by themselves for our classroom!! The RSFK class is looking forward to warmer weather—but has definitely enjoyed sledding on the little hill in our new playground! Miss Brinna, Miss Liz & Miss Jenny

I’m pleased to announce that Miss Brinna has accepted the Lead RSFK position! She is a great fit for this role; I look forward to the exciting things to come in RSFK!

Please join us in celebrating the Week of the Young Child by volunteering in one of our classrooms! Sign-up sheets are posted outside of the classrooms or you can call me to sign-up @ (860) 354-2941.

Kristin Austin, Director

the Education Center

SMILE, SAY CHEESE!

We’re beginning to think about having a new Photo Directory done for our congregation. We have 3 folks willing to help so far but would like 2 or 3 more. Please speak to or call Pat Tripp 860-354-8720 if you’re willing to join in this endeavor.

Kristin Austin, Diretor

Trustees

The Trustees have been very busy this winter dealing with repairs, upgrades, and planning for spring projects. We are pleased to announce the completion of the visual piece of the technology upgrade for the Sanctuary. Steve Bowers has completed the installation of the two new projectors. This upgrade was made possible, in part, because of the generous gift made to the church to replace our soundboard and projector. Even with this initial gift, the Trustees were faced with a $900 deficit to complete this project. Thanks to an anonymous donor, the project deficit was funded, and the projectors were installed in time for Easter Sunday services. The Trustees are currently working with contractors to provide us with proposals on replacing our gas boiler, used to heat the Education Center. The current boiler has been plagued with many issues and costly repairs over the past several years. Trustees hope to be able to present a plan on the boiler replacement to both Finance and Church Council and together choose the best solution for our future needs. Due to the severe winter, The Education Center received some damage to its exterior from the roof ice dams that occurred. Trustees contacted our insurance company and an adjuster investigated. We were notified that the damage is covered, and are currently working on soliciting bids for repairs. With the snow melting, we hope to announce the date of our outside grounds spring cleanup. Please keep an eye out for that announcement and we welcome all that can come out and help us that day. Tom Nixon Chairperson, Board of Trustees

Missions

NM Homeless Shelter The shelter closed for the season as of March 29, 2015. It has been a busy winter season

The shelter closed for the season as of March 29, 2015. It has been a busy winter season with up to 14 guests on many nights. Thank you to all those who served as overnight volunteers. There were 10 individu-als from NMUMC who volunteered on one or more occasions this season. The shelter would not be able to function without the many overnight volunteers it takes to cover each night of each month. In the coming months please keep those who are homeless in your prayers for they have no consistent place of shelter or security.

If anyone would like to donate new or slightly used basic bath towels, hand towels, washcloths, sheets (twin size preferred) or pillowcases they may be given to Rita Iverson for replenishing shelter supplies for next season. Questions, please call Rita at 860-355-1252.

NEW MILFORD HOMELESS SHELTER

Miss ons

LENTEN ALL-CHURCH MISSION PROJECTOn Palm Sunday, our church came together to complete our All-Church Lenten Mission Project, which was to assemble Health Kits for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). These Health kits “provide basic necessities to people who have been forced to leave their homes because of human conflict or natural disaster. Health kits are also used as learning tools in personal hygiene, literacy, nutrition, and cooking classes.” [from umcor.org].

We completed 55 kits with 21 needing only 1 or 2 items. With the generous monetary donations we received, I believe that we can deliver 100 Health kits to the New York Annual Conference in June.

A special thank you to the Youth Group for helping to organize the supplies and put the kits together.

Tracie Nixon, Missions Committee Chair860-355-8628

Church News

TrusteesThe Trustees have been very busy this winter dealing with repairs, upgrades, and planning for spring projects.

We are pleased to announce the completion of the visual piece of the technology upgrade for the Sanctuary. Steve Bowers has completed the installation of the two new projectors. This upgrade was made possible, in part, because of the generous gift made to the church to replace our soundboard and projector. Even with this initial gift, the Trustees were faced with a $900 deficit to complete this project. Thanks to an anonymous donor, the proj-ect deficit was funded, and the projectors were installed in time for Easter Sunday services.

The Trustees are currently working with contractors to provide us with proposals on replacing our gas boiler, used to heat the Education Center. The current boiler has been plagued with many issues and costly repairs over the past several years. Trustees hope to be able to present a plan on the boiler replacement to both Finance and Church Council and together choose the best solution for our future needs.

Due to the severe winter, The Education Center received some damage to its exterior from the roof ice dams that occurred. Trustees contacted our insurance company and an adjuster investigated. We were notified that the damage is covered, and are currently working on soliciting bids for repairs. With the snow melting, we hope to announce the date of our outside grounds spring cleanup. Please keep an eye out for that announcement and we welcome all that can come out and help us that day.

Tom NixonChairperson, Board of Trustees

News from Our Daily BreadWe have been asked to work with the United Way of Western Connecti-cut to be part of a fact-finding team concerning food distribution in our area. This was done in Danbury last year and a food collaborative was formed. Right now we are considering sources of fresh produce for the growing season and we will meet again.

We have been fortunate to have many dozen eggs donated to our clients from Camps Road Farm in Kent. John Suscovich, farm manager, has been a blessing with his generosity to our clients.

I applied for a cooler for Our Daily Bread, through the Connecticut Food Bank, but we were not fortunate to receive one at this time. We will con-tinue to look at our options.

We received money from ShopRite, which is added to our account at the Connecticut Food Bank.

Members of the Missions Committee have been volunteering on a Thursday so they can see the program in operation for our clients. New volunteers are always welcome on Thursdays at ODB for the purpose of distributing food. Working either from 3:00-5:00 p.m. or 5:00-7:00 p.m. would be helpful. Questions can be directed to Jan or Gene Parsons at 860-354-8885.

Steve Kolitz and Brinna Kolitz have had meetings at our church and have asked for donations of food items. We are very grateful for their support and the participation of their group members. In April we will begin a campaign to contact businesses and corporations seeking monetary support or participation in a food drive. Another Kolitz family member is assisting me with this project. Yeah, Val!

Current needs at the food barn are tuna, toilet paper, tissues and tomato sauce. (think “T”) Actually, most everything that comes in by Sunday is distributed on Thursday, and appreciated by everyone.

Joys & Concernsour prayers are with:

Student of Jen Burns’ who’s father passed away a few weeks ago and who’s mom is in hospice.

Roberta Buddle’s niece, Wendy, who is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Diane Jones, a relative Linda and Alex Slater, who had a large tumor re-moved from her bladder and will be undergoing chemotherapy.

Rob, Traci Poeti’s brother, who has a muscular disorder.

Michael Dion, who is in the hospital.

Alexis, Chris Martirano’s niece, who is going through chemotherapy.

Chris Martirano’s father-in-law, who had open heart surgery.

Bonnie Knapp’s sister-in-law, Linda, who is experiencing kidney problems.

Terri Hudak’s cousin, Julie Spence in Virginia, who is battling cancer.

Terri Hudak’s aunt in California who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Jeanne Johnson, friend of Laurel Par-trick, who has been diagnosed with liver cancer.

Laurel Partrick’s cousin, Cynthia, is fac-ing her third recurrence of cancer.

Steve Bowers, who is now on dialysis and has been added to the transplant list.

Anne Meehan’s nephew, Scott, whose brain tumor was found to be malig-nant, but treatable.

Emily Nixon’s cousin, who has been diagnosed with cancer.

Marlene Davis’ son, who is undergoing chemotherapy.

Kay Jones’ niece, Sherri, whose cancer has returned.

Sue Sterling’s cousin, Mary, who has lung cancer.

Jerry and Kay Jones on the death of his uncle, Malcom Starr.

The family of George Perry, a friend of Mary Gunther, upon his death.

Larissa Drefus’ uncle, David, who is in hospice care.

Matt and Dee Yukon’s family who both recently passed away and leave 2 surviving young children.

Church News

UPCOMING EVENTSBook ClubThe Book Club meets the third Thursday of every month at 1:30 p.m. in the Conference Room. We are always looking for additional members who enjoy reading a variety of books. Please join us and bring a friend. Open to non-church members. We are not literary specialists, we just enjoy a good discussion. For more information, contact Jan Parsons at (860) 354-8885.

Something for SeniorsJoin us on Wednesday, April 8th, in Fellowship Hall, at 2 p.m. for “Something for Seniors.” All seniors and Baby Boomers are invited. This will be a very casual get together to discuss topics that we face as we get older. If you have any questions, please contact Bonnie Knapp at 860-355-0559.

Spaghetti SupperThe next Spaghetti Suppers will be Saturday, April 11th at 5 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Please join us for spaghetti with home-made meat sauce, (vegetarian or butter available upon request) plus salads, homemade desserts, and soft drink.If you would like to volunteer to assist or see what items needs to be donated, please contact Bonnie Knapp at 860-355-0559.

BowlingFamily Bowling Night will be held Saturday, April 18th, at 7:15 p.m. at Lore’s Lanes (145D Danbury Road, behind Good-will). Please RSVP to Linda Slater at 860-354-6180 or lslater0256@yahoo.com no later than April 16th to ensure adequate lane space.

Family Game NightJoin us for a casual Family Game Night on Saturday, April 25th at 7 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. This is a perfect event to invite a friend or neighbor to church with you! Each attending family is asked to bring a snack to share while we play. For more information contact Roxanne Martin at mrm189@att.net or 860-355-4118.

Church News “Live long and prosper”I have been a “Trekkie” forever. The original Star Trek series came out while I was in high school, and I was hooked. David shared my enthusiasm and we went to conventions, special previews, and lectures. The high point of our Trek adventure was when we took a cruise with the stars of the original series and The Next Generation.

You can imagine then, how sad the death of Leonard Nimoy last month, from COPD, was to me. I had always loved Mr. Spock with his logical thinking and Vulcan death grip (so that the actor did not have to engage in much fighting).

Mr. Nimoy had been a heavy smoker but came to the realization that smoking was not good for ones health, and had quit over 30 years ago. However, the damage done to his lungs proved fatal in the long run. COPD (chronic obstructive pul-monary disease), or emphysema, is a disease caused almost exclusively by cigarettes. If you have read any of my previous articles you will remember that smoking plays a large role in many of the diseases that cause pain and suffering. For my generation and the ones before, this information came a little late. When I was growing up just about everyone smoked. My grandfather had died of lung cancer when I was 5, so there was no smoking allowed in our house or around anyone in the family. Something my grandmother was adamant about and no one would challenge her. The culture of the day though, was totally tied to the cigarette, so it is no surprise that some many people in their 60s or 70s now are having that habit catch up to them.

There is no cure for COPD. It is a chronic disease that can be managed, successfully at times, depending on the amount of damage done. In COPD there is an obstruction to the expiratory breathing phase. Air becomes trapped in the lungs, respiratory rate increases and breathing is much less efficient and comfortable. COPD causes scarring and excessive mu-cous. The walls of the air sacs that transfer oxygen and carbon dioxide are destroyed. Airways collapse.

The first sign of COPD is shortness of breath with physical activity. Later there is the breathing difficulty whether it be with activity or at rest. Treatment is usually bronchodilators, either with or without steroids and the administration of oxygen. It goes without saying that any smoking should be stopped, although many, many times I have had patients that were end stage COPD hooked up to continuous oxygen who could just not stop. Exercise as tolerated can also help. I’m sure I’m not telling you anything new when I say smoking is an addiction that is very very hard to quit. There are, however, many therapies available today that can be used successfully. Most importantly, if you have a friend or family member who still smokes, help them quit so they may “live long and prosper”.

Gail Abernethy, RN

Church News

These photos are of children from Quality Foundation in Monrovia who have returned to school after the Ebola Outbreak. Contribu-tions made during Rev. Toby Gbeh’s visit to NMUMC were used to get the school ready for reopening.

Donations in Action

Church News

Pray by name1. Pick 5 neighbors and pray for them by name.

2. Pray for a neighboring entity – a school, a business, etc.

Bless Them3. BLESS: A Helpful Acronym The word BLESS can remind us of five important ways to pray for our neighbors: Body - Pray for their health, protection, and strength. Labor - Pray that God would bless their work and provide for their income needs. Emotional - Pray that God would give them true joy, peace, and comfort. Social - Pray that they would have healthy relation- ships—with their spouse, children, and friends—or that God would provide them with true friends. Spiritual - Pray for their salvation, that they would come to faith in Christ and overcome spiritual strongholds.

Pray with your pen4. Close your eyes at the keyboard and pour out a letter to the Lord.

5. Give God time to talk while you listen, and remember that a serendipitous thought may be His soft whisper – so keep a notepad nearby to write any ideas that come during prayer.

6. Record your prayers in this Prayer Journal Download from womensministry.net.

Pray with rhythmPray along with these songs and ask God to make them reality in your community:7. Do Something by Matthew West8. City on Our Knees by Toby Mac9. God of this City by Chris Tomlin10. Shine by Salvador11. Set the World on Fire by Britt Nicole12. Follow You by Leeland with Brandon Heath13. Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath

Pray the BiblePray these Scriptures for you and your neighbors…14. Pray that you will be transparent and show your own need for a Savior“This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:15-16 NLT

15. Pray that you will be a good influence in your neighborhood“Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:23-25 NLT

16. Pray for unity in your neighbors’ homes and your community“Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.” Philippians 2:2 NLT

17. Pray that your neighbors would turn from darkness to light“[I am sending you] to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’” Acts 26:18 NLT

17 ways to pray for your neighbors borrowed from @notquiteamish Photo credit: Lightstock

National Month of PrayerMay is the National Month of Prayer. Make a commitment to pray for your neighbors. Here are some tips and tools to help you get started:

The youth is still active! We have moved meet-ings to be held once a month, with occasional special meetings added in.

This change does two things:

1) It allows youth and families to have more time to get involved in other activities and missions of the church without feeling overwhelmed and 2) I am in the process of heading back to school to obtain my Masters degree in Early Childhood Education. With that, I do not have the appropriate amount of time to commit to weekly meetings.

With that said, I have invited the youth to get actively involved in other groups and activities of the church. If you are a group that would specifically like to have a youth presence, please contact me!

Monthly meetings will take place the last Sun-day of each month from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in the conference room.

Brinna KolitzYouthminister@newmilfordumc.org203-770-2881

Church News

U.M. ARMYIf you are interested in going to U.M. ARMY this year please contact Brinna Kolitz at 203-770-2881 or email at youthminister@newmilfordumc.org there is still room!

This year we have our BIGGEST GROUP ever attending two camps! 17 so far!!!!

For the camp that our youth are attending, July 5, 4 out of 6 adults are part of the leadership team, so they will be heading up to camp ahead of the youth. I am searching for adult volunteers that can help us transport the youth to camp, and hopefully back to New Milford at the end of the week. Please contact me if you are willing and able to help!

For more information about U.M. ARMY please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Brinna KolitzYouthminister@newmilfordumc.org

An All Star Benefit Concert will be held on Friday, May 22, feautring members of popular local bands, including our Open Door Band members Chris Martirano, Corky Ballard and Butch Raymond. There will

also be a silent auction. More details to come – watch for signs, posters, and further announcements!

Please help spread the word – and plan to attend!

For more information, please contact Steve Kolitz 860-355-8416 or 2015AllStarConcert@gmail.com

Church News

The Team Methodist Movers for Relay for Life of New Milford has been busy attend-ing meetings and helping with the planning of the annual event, set for June 27th – 28th at Sarah Noble School, Sunny Valley Rd, New Milford. The theme this year is “Mu-sic”. Methodist Movers has chosen Christian Country and our Team song will be “What Faith Can Do” by Kutless. Please go to youtube.com and listen to this beautiful song selection.

The Methodist Movers would love to have team members to start registering for this year’s event at www.relayforlife.org/new-milfordct , go to “get Involved”, in the drop down, Sign up/Volunteer, scroll down to “Join an Existing Team”, click “join a Team”, click search for a team, enter “Method-ist Movers” search. There are three teams listed, go into the one with Linda Slater as Team Captain. Registration is FREE this year—so please register soon! Registering now does not commit you to anything—only help when and where you can.

Luminaria Bags are $5.00 each again this year. If you would like to decorate a bag(s) in honor of or in memory of, please see Linda Slater. If you order online, they are $10.00, but we will honor two for the $10.00.

We are very excited about our first Fund-raiser for this year, which is scheduled for May 2nd. Please join us for a very fun and exciting ZUMBA party at Phys Ed located at 10 Still River Drive, New Milford. Event starts promptly at 9:00 AM. Cost is by DO-NATION. Please see Linda Slater for further details.

Thank you and God Bless,Linda SlaterMethodist Movers Team Captain/Member of Event Leadership Team

Congregational CareWise and Wonderful LuncheonAll seniors are invited to attend the annual “Wise and Won-derful Luncheon” to be held Sunday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. This is a great opportunity for seniors to get together for food, fun, and fellowship. If you need a ride or to RSVP, please contact the church office at 860-354-4596 ext. 10 or by email at office@newmilfordumc.org. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Bonnie Knapp at 860-355-0559.

Mother’s and Father’s Day Cards Coming SoonSince 1989, NMUMC has offered the opportunity to pur-chase Mother’s and Father’s Day cards through the tools and blankets program of church world ser¬vice. Through the sale of these cards NMUMC has contributed over $6,500 to date toward the purchase of tool and blanket supplies for people in develop¬ing countries. Mother’s Day Cards will be on sale April 26, May 3rd and May 10th. Father’s Day Cards on sale June 7, 14 and 21st. If you have questions, please contact Bonnie Knapp at (860) 355-0559.

WE NEED RINGERS!

If you’ve been thinking that bell ringing looks like fun and is chal-lenging, you’re right -- it is! We practice on Thursday evenings for 1 hour. Reading music is NOT a prerequisite -- nor is being female...

Please contact Priscilla Williams 860-355-9419 or silwil525@yahoo.com or Lynn Singleton at 203-297-2330

or singletonlms@aol.com if you would like to join us.

CONFIRMATION CLASS ON RETREATConfirmation will be held on May 24, 2015

at our 10:00 a.m. joint service.

Church NewsChurch News

Summer Camp - George Leary Scholarships now available for 2015Spring is almost here but before we realize it, it will be summer - a great time for swimming, boating, and walk-ing on nature trails in the woods in the fresh air.

One of the benefits from the sale of Christmas Trees in 2014 is a unique opportunity to attend a church camp in 2014. The George Leary Scholarship is available to eligible youth in the church from the United Methodist Men’s [UMMen] organization.

Applications and booklets for individual camps are available outside the church office for United Methodist Church camps this summer along with a scholarship application to be completed and returned to the UMMen as soon as possible. Information and applications are also available on the websites listed below. Some campsites are already filled.

• U.M.ARMY-OpportunitiesareavailableforyouthtoparticipateinacoupleofcampsthisyearinNew England. Contact Tracie Nixon now for further information at 860-355-8628 or tracienix@gmail.com.

• MixedAgeProgram–Participantsmusthavecompleted7thgradeorolder.

• CampMechuwanainWinthrop,MEislocatedon200acresofforestlandandoffersapeaceful,natural setting. The camp borders Lake Annabessacook and Lower Narrows Pond. Located on the property are nature trails, boating and a swimming area. It also has volleyball courts, basketball hoops, and a sports field. www.mechuwana.org

• CampAldersgateinNorthScituate,RIisbigenoughtofindyourselfin!Withover200acresofwoodsand trails, you can discover all the wonderful and amazing things which God created, things as tiny as a spider or as huge as a tall pine. You realize that you’re one of these wonderful things, too, that you fit into God’s plan and have a purpose here. Camp Aldersgate has a lake for fishing, swimming, boating, sailing, canoeing, baptizing, or just gazing upon. www.campaldersgate.com

• CampQuinipetonLongIsland,NYissituatedonthePeconicBayonscenicShelterIsland,100mileseastof New York City. Camps this year include sailing, equestrian, guitar, tennis, team sports, kayaking and discovery camping. www.quinipet.org

• CampKingswoodnearHancock,NYintheCatskills,766acresofwoodlandonHathawayPondonRoute 17, 156 miles northwest of New Milford – Home of Woodsmoke Camp for 5th thru 12th grade, this camp is cool. The Woodsmoke dates have been announced for 2015! They are: Week 1: August 9th - August 15th and Week 2 - August 16 - August 22nd! Family camping is also available at Kingswood. www.kingswoodcampsite.org

Questions can be directed to Dave Kullgren at 860-354-1102 or dkullgren1102@charter.net.