November and December 2010

Pastor's Corner

The family and I took a vacation in October in which we went camping. When my wife first proposed the idea, my first thoughts were it is going to be cold and possibly wet. I really didn’t want to go. However, I knew that both Aubrie and Harmony love camping so much that they would do it in the middle of a snow storm if need be. So I sucked it up and put on my happy face. Little did I know that the cold and wet would be the least of my worries on this camping trip. As we hauled the camper through Ashland heading toward Mohican, something so terrible happened that I could barely speak of it; as we pushed past the Ashland line my cell phone service stopped. I know, I know, take a deep breath; it was pure horror. My new iPhone with no cell signal and no 3G service, and there wasn’t even a blip of a bar for me to have some hope. The message at the top on the phone simply read “no service”. Suddenly the rain and cold didn’t seem the worst thing possible. I had entered into technology despair.

We quickly got camp set up in the cold rain, and it wasn’t that bad. We ran over to a friend’s house and took warm showers and washed and dried some of the things that had gotten wet in the set up. Once we were heading back to camp, an idea struck me; there is a McDonald’s just a few miles down the road with free wi-fi. And so it started the hourly trip to McDonalds to check my email, facebook, and other internet connections. At first I found myself wanting to be there so I could be plugged in, but something amazing happened. The longer we were camping, the less I cared about checking. I started to enjoy the uninterrupted time with Harmony and Aubrie: no phone, no television, no computer games, just the three of us and the dogs. As I finally let the “noise” of technology go, I started to hear the beauty of family around me. This got me thinking how distracted we are on a daily basis to what really is wonderful and beautiful around us. In Luke 10 we hear the story of Mary and Martha and the difference between busyness and just being, in which Jesus makes it very clear that being trumps busyness. So after I settled down, I really enjoyed no distractions and time with my family. As Advent draws near, there will be busyness and chaos, but let us not forget to take time to put all that away and just be: be with family, be with God, just be.

Until Sunday,
Pastor Dan

Stewards

It is almost time for the annual congregational meeting. We need for you to attend to voice your wishes for the upcoming year. The meeting is scheduled for Nov 14 after worship. We will have the budget to discuss and vote on, a slate of names for the next year on the board to vote on, commission reports to learn from and projects to discuss. You will receive an outline copy of the budget before the meeting so you have time to review it first. Please attend so we have as many voices as possible.
Other things we are working on are work days to get some things ready for colder days. One job in particular is we need to clean the floor in the fellowship hall which is an all day project.

We will also be doing some campaigning for the building fund repayment. The children have been doing an awesome job collecting, but it is time for us all to think about the commitment we made to repay this self-loan in a timely manner. We are 1/10 of the way there to repayment. Let’s keep that thermometer going up.

Witness

We are planning our next clothing giveaway. The date is Saturday, Nov 20th from 9am-2pm. The set up will be the night before. We have some clothes in the shed, but we’d like to see more. Please spread the word that we are taking donations for this community service.

The dinner we had on October 3rd for the Camp Scholarship Fund brought in $392.00. We are very thankful for that. We are planning a silent auction on Dec. 5th during cookie hour. We will have jewelry and crafts for you to bid on. Come and see. If you have something to donate, please see a Witness commission member.

The Community Garden was a huge success. We are so thankful to Evelyn Gough and her committee of gardeners. We gave away a lot of fresh vegetables at the August Clothing Giveaways, and during the last month or so Pastor Dan and crew delivered vegetables to some of our shut-ins and families who could use a helping hand. The garden is cleaned up for winter and ready to go for next year.

The big project we have been working on is Audrey’s Closet. We will have a report at the meeting on Nov 14th but here is a peek. The proposed cost is $278,000 for the building. It will house the clothing, a soup kitchen area, bathrooms, food cupboard, and helping hands storage area. We are hoping for most of the amount to be covered by grants from Northern Ohio District and Elgin offices. They are offering grant monies for projects that are service to the community. That is definitely us.

Nurture

So this is where things get busy, the holiday season.
On Sunday, Nov 14th we will be having a potluck dinner for the congregational business meeting either before or after the meeting, depending on Pastor Reid’s schedule. We will let you know how the timing for that day and meal will be as soon as we make final arrangements. However the timing works though, plan on a potluck dinner which is always fine fellowship time.

On November 21st at 7:00pm we will be the host church for the Thanksgiving Ecumenical Service. This is a service that begins the holiday season and is a time when we can share our blessings with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ from around Brook Park. The Associate Pastor from Mary, Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church of Brook Park will be delivering the message. There will be a fellowship time with coffee and cookies afterwards. If you can bring any desserts please do.

On Friday, November 26th after 6pm, we will be pulling out our church Christmas decorations and greenery and will start putting them up. We will continue our Hanging of the Greens on Saturday, Nov. 27th after noon. In trying to allow the Seventh Day Adventists their quiet time of worship, we will start when they are done with worship.

From that weekend on until Christmas we will be in the season of Advent. And with Advent comes special readings during worship, the Advent candle lighting, and cookie hours every Sunday. Join us for this special season.
Christmas Eve Service will begin at 7:00pm. It is a special time in the church for all of us to share our faith.

Christian Education

Sunday School is underway. We will soon be starting the season of Advent not only in worship but in Sunday School too. Come and join us for a month long journey into Advent.

We have been collecting for Heifer one Sunday a month with the children. So far we have collected $1,253 towards Heifer. For those who aren’t sure what Heifer is, it is an organization that, through donations like ours, sends animals to needy areas of the world to help families with their farm production. We send animals such as cows, pigs, chickens, rabbits, goats, and geese. This organization was started by Brethren 70 years ago and the organization has gone worldwide and across faiths. Two years ago we collected the needed $5,000 to send an entire ARK (the whole collection of animals) overseas. We are trying to do it again.

Deacons

Last month we had a Love Feast celebration with the Seventh Day Adventist congregation who meet here on Saturdays. It was a nice time of connection with another church group.

The next Deacon Family Event is scheduled for Nov. 13 at 6:30 here. We will be hosting a family game/snack night. We are also trying to get together a hayride event. More on that when we have it.

From My Desk to You - Karen

This week I had to conference with my students and let them know how they were doing in class and what were their strengths and weaknesses. For some I had to be the one to tell them that they are not passing my class. That is a hard thing to do when I know the student is trying. It’s a hard thing for them to hear too, that even though they are trying, it is not enough and they will not pass. I try to make it as painless as I can by reminding them that success is their goal, no matter how it arrives and that maybe taking the class again will be good and make them more confident in their abilities. There are usually tears from some, disbelief from others, and occasionally disgust at me and themselves, but ultimately I am doing it in their best interest. Like many things in life there are attempts and sometimes failures, but with attempts come lessons and new strengths, and with failures come new insights and new opportunities. These are not failures if something good comes, they are blessings that we are able to try again.

September and October 2010

Pastor's Corner

Well folks it has been a long year already for the church. We have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.

We have seen good in updates to the building, which will pay for itself in heating savings. We have seen the good in our new Sunday night service that has opened up worship for folks who can’t make it on Sunday mornings. We have seen the good in another successful VBS, and finding out what it means to be a hero for Christ. We have seen the good in loose change for the building fund that has become a great way to include the kids in stewardship. We have seen the good in new leaders stepping up in the congregation who have never served before, and they are bringing new ideas and energy to the church. We have seen the good in the new kids group meeting after church; their singing and acting has been a joy in service. We have seen the good in our clothing giveaway and the community garden. And there is a lot more good coming in a new Sunday school format with a new energy, a new youth group format to hopefully attract more teens and preteens and have them take an active role in the church and missions of the church. We have the future of Audrey’s closet and what that could mean to missions and outreach.

We have also seen the bad. We haven’t really noticed an increase in attendance, baptisms, or dedications in the church. We have failed at reaching out to the un-churched. We have tried half heartily a few times to reach our neighbors, but obviously we need to rethink and redo our approach. We have seen the bad in “red tape” that we have experienced in trying to get Audrey’s closet off and running. We have seen the bad in some of us becoming lazy in our service to God or maybe just defeated in our attempts.

Unfortunately, we have seen the ugly also. Our budget is on the way to being 10-15 thousand dollars short, which is affecting the savings of the church. It is scary to think where we will be next year if we continue on this pace.

Depressed yet? I am! But I have good news. In the story of Exodus do you remember the whole desert drama? Moses goes and tells the slaves that they need to get out of Egypt and follow God. But what is Egypt? It is the place where they can’t grow, where they can’t be free. It is the place, however, where they have food and shelter, and they know what is going to happen day-to-day. For our purposes let us call that place “here” where we are today. Moses comes and tells them that they need to go from “here” to “there.”

“There” is the land of milk and honey; sounds like a good place to be to me! So they leave “here” to go “there,” but the journey requires they go through the wilderness. The wilderness is a place where there is no food, no shelter, nothing but each other and God. After being in this wilderness for a little while the people start to complain and rebel against God. They have no control, things are bad and they just don’t think they can take it anymore. They lose sight of the land of milk and honey.

Brothers and Sisters, I believe we are in the wilderness. We are at a place where we aren’t sure if we can make it, doom and gloom are at the table; we throw our hands in the air and say, “there is nothing else we can do.” We have lost sight of the land of milk and honey. God has us on a journey and just like the Israelites, He is with us and He will provide for us. He doesn’t want us to just use our energy; He wants us to use our faith. We may have to live on manna for a while, but if we stay faithful we will make it to the land of milk and honey.

So we have a choice in these hard times. We can choose to not trust God and think we were better off “here” and stay “here.” We can choose to just give up and die. Or we can choose to continue the journey trusting God and keeping the faith, weathering the tough times knowing that sooner or later we will come to the land of milk and honey. If you’re wondering, I choose milk and honey; will you join me?

Until Sunday,
Pastor Dan

Stewards

The year is moving along, and it is budget time for next year. You will soon be hearing about programs from the commissions so that you know what we are doing now and want to do next year. Budget is not a favorite topic, but a necessity. The programs and ministries we do here are incredible and we should be shouting them out. We do good things here. But it also takes funds to get them done. We are behind in this year’s budget. You see it every week in the bulletin. But to keep doing what we are so good at, we need to be more conscious and focused in our giving to the church. The Congregational Business Meeting is set for Nov 14 after worship. Please mark this on your calendars. We need your help and your voice.

A concern has been raised that requires your help. Several times recently the church front doors have been left open and unlocked after everyone has left the building on Sunday mornings. This is unfortunately an unsafe practice. Please be mindful if you are the last to leave that the doors are indeed locked.

You may notice the parking lot has some patchwork done. We are trying to alleviate the large puddles and the cracking of these spots. We will be announcing some work days coming this fall. With the extreme weather of this summer and busy schedules, we did not have much time to get some things done.

You may be seeing some busy days in the next months here at the church. We will now be hosting a symphonic orchestra practicing here on Tuesday evenings. Also the Seventh Day Adventist will be holding a month long evangelical time four nights a week for four weeks. We are pleased to have them here worshipping on Saturdays. They have been very grateful and gracious in their use of the sanctuary.

Witness

The Community garden is growing like a weed! And the vegetables it produces are a blessing to those who receive them. Pastor Dan has been taking his Wednesdays and gathering veggies and taking them to some of our shut-ins and those who need a boost. The talk is to make the garden bigger next year. We hope you have all been able to enjoy it as well.

The Summer Camp Scholarship Fund needs to be replenished. We were able to help six kids go to camp and next year we hope to do the same. We will be having a fundraiser dinner on Oct 3rd after worship and will plan on several more.

Speaking of Inspiration Hills, the Annual Chicken BBQ day at camp is on Sept 18th. The day begins at 10 am with a fishing Derby (run by Mark Pollock), and the dinner is served between 11-2pm. Besides chicken, they do also serve hotdogs. As in the past, all churches who participate are asked to provide four pies for dessert. Come and enjoy! It’s a great day. After the dinner there is an auction for the theme baskets donated. If you have an idea for a donation basket, please see a witness commission person.

We had two clothing giveaways in August. The first on Aug 14th we served 51 adults and 17 kids. For the giveaway on Aug 21st we had 51 adults and 24 kids. Awesome!

The plans for Audrey’s Closet are still being worked on. The building will have to be masonry with 2000 sq ft of floor space. It will have bathrooms and a shower. It will also have a kitchen and serving area for 100 people for dinners to be served. It is still very early in the planning stages and the funding from district has not been formalized, but the plans are coming closer.

Beginning in Sept we will start collecting hats and gloves again for the fall and winter needs. We will be taking them to the Berea Children’s Home again as well as they are always in need.

Nurture

Nurture is gearing up for the holidays, so we are a bit quiet, but not silent. We have some things going on and some things beginning up again. Regular Worship hours will begin again on Sept 12th with worship at 10:20. This is also the beginning of monthly cookie hours to resume. With the regular worship hours, comes choir. Choir will resume with Matt Stone as director and practices will be after worship.

Please remember to welcome and greet Chris Dines who is at the piano sharing his gift of music.

On September 19th we are planning a potluck dinner after worship to ring in the new year of worship. Plan on coming and sharing in the fellowship of a meal together.

Christian Education

WOW was it hot VBS week! And we are not just talking about the outside temperatures. We were on fire with our quest to be Heroes for God. We learned and had fun all at the same time. We averaged 20 kids per night. Ask any one of them if they had fun, and their response will be a resounding YES!

That leads us to Sunday School which begins on Sept 12 at 9:15. We will have a new format this year. Pastor Dan has been working with Christian Ed to create a VBS-like format to be used all year. We have the teachers in place already too. The basis is a lesson that everyone will follow (even the adults are on board here). One week will be skits and the lesson, one week will be crafts to relate, then there will be a week of music. The lesson choices will follow the Christian Calendar. The classes will be grouped pre-school to 6th grade and then 7th grade to 12th grade. The adults will follow the same basic plans as well (well maybe not the craft part). We will be kicking off the new year as we left off- with a BREAKFAST. Come and get in the spirit!

We would like to say thank you to Karen Baer for her years of service to the senior high youth. She is stepping down as advisor and Christi Cyngier is stepping up with Pastor Dan as her sidekick. Welcome aboard.

Deacons

The deacons welcomed in four deacons for the next term. They are Ruth Bauman, Mary Ellen Larkin, Juanita Reynolds, and Jan Skinner. We would like to thank those going off: Robin Bloch, Alice and Mike Ramser, and Meredith Stone.

You will notice on the Community Cupboard that there have been locks put on the cupboards. This is to help regulate what goes in and out. We will keep a basket for donations, and the deacons will then organize and keep track of the contents. If a need arises for the cupboard, please see a deacon, Pastor Dan or Karen and they can get you set up. Thank you for understanding and always helping the cupboard needs.

Leadership Discernment Committee

This is the time for the LDC to be active. We will have forms for next year’s church board available on Sept 12, 19, and 26. This gives the LDC the month of October to go over the names and create a slate to present to the congregation at Nov. business meeting

From My Desk to You-Karen

More than meets the eye. That was the theme for this summer’s NYC in Ft Collins, Co. Besides twice daily worship and small group (like Sunday School) and workshops, five from our group went on a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Wow, talk about more than meets the eye. The mountains are beautiful from a distance (looking out our dorm), but up close they are breathtaking. The sheer size is incredible and makes one feel very insignificant in the scheme of the world. The colors and the height of the rock formations are stunning. We walked only 1.7 miles up, but it took us 2 hours to do it. We stopped for much needed breathing breaks, but also to sit and be a part of that spot for a moment. We took pictures with our cameras and our phones, and we chatted and absorbed. That was truly a place where God was, all around us. The warm air was cooled by the occasional rain (and we were too), and the peacefulness was calming. We heard the sounds of animals scurrying around and birds calling each other, and a few other hikers coming and going. We were excited to make our destination at last and had fun going down the trail back to the beginning. We breathed in the beauty of the mountains, and after encouraging each other to keep going-to make it there-we saw in ourselves and each other that we too are “more than meets the eye.”

May and June 2010

Pastor's Corner

So what is Church of the Brethren anyway? So, you’re “anti-Baptist?” So, are you Amish?

Have you ever had to answer these questions with friends and neighbors or family? I have, especially coming from another tradition. It always makes me giggle what people think we are and what they think we aren’t. I’ve heard everything from cult to “they don’t believe in Christ.” My Southern Baptist friends in Florida just wanted to know if “we were saved.” But all jokes aside, I do at times find it hard to explain who we are in easy-to-digest terms.

In the late 1800s and into the1900s, our Brethren brothers and sisters came up with a solution. The “Brethren Card” was first published by Brethren’s Book and Tract Work around 1887. Here is an example of what this card stated.

Be it known unto all men:

That there is a people who as little children (Luke 18:17) accept the Word of the New Testament as a message from heaven (Heb. 1:1,2) and teach it in full (2 Tim. 4:1,2; Matt. 28:20).

They baptized believers by trine immersion (Matt. 28:19) with a forward action (Rom.6:5) for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), and they lay hands on those baptized, asking upon them the gift of God’s Spirit (Acts 19:5,6).

They follow the command and example of washing one another’s feet (John 13:4,17).

They take the Lord’s Supper at night (John 13:30), at one and the same time, tarrying one for another (1 Cor. 11: 33, 34).

They greet one another with a holy kiss (Acts 20:37; Rom. 16:16).

They take the communion at night, after supper, as did the Lord (Mark 14:17,23).

They teach all the doctrines of Christ: peace (Heb. 12:14), love (1 Cor. 13), unity (Eph. 4), both faith and works (James 2:17,20).

They labor for nonconformity to the world in its vain and wicked customs (Rom12:2).

They advocate non-swearing (Matt. 5: 34, 37), anti-secretism (2 Cor. 6: 14,17), opposition to war (John 18:36), and doing good unto all men (Matt. 5:44,46).

They anoint and lay hands on the sick (James 5:14,15).

They give the Bread of Life, the message of the common salvation unto all men without money or price (Matt. 10:8).

Dear reader, for the above we contend earnestly, and you, with all men, are entreated to hear, to examine and accept it as the world, which began to be spoken by the Lord, and the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

The above principles are briefly explained in tract form and will be sent with a catalogue of the publications of the Committee free to anyone by addressing the General Mission Board, Elgin, Illinois.

So now that you know what it is to be Brethren, you can go and share this with all who ask! Seriously though, notice how scripture supports belief, and our stances are not of man but of God. This is unique to the Brethren and one of the big reasons I call myself Brethren. My response when someone asks what is Brethren is this, “We are a peace-loving, scripture believing, Jesus seeking, pot-luck eating group of loving Christians.” That is the best I have come up with so far!

Until Sunday,

Pastor Dan

Stewards

The Stewards are pretty quiet this time of the year. With the sanctuary done, we can concentrate on the general upkeep of the church, inside and out. That means the flower beds, lawn mowing and parking lot repair.

We have also been keeping a close look at our financial situation. Being low on giving makes us more aware of the needs and wants in the church and forces us to understand the differences. Our budget was approved at our congregation meeting in November, and now we need to step up and accept that responsibility of meeting that budget. We have discussed cutting line items from the budget which we don’t want to do, but we need to look at the big picture and stay as financially stable as possible.

Witness

June 6th is a busy day at church. Witness is also getting in on the day. We will be hosting a Hot Dog dinner after church to help fill the Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. We will also be hosting other dinners throughout the coming months to prepare for next year’s summer camp.

We had a clothing giveaway on both May 8th and 15th. Between the two Saturdays we had approximately 75 people coming in. We also had about 20 helping hands between setting up and working the days. Our next giveaway is set for August 14th and then again on Aug 21st. The initial set up is Friday evening, August 13th. These dates we hope will coincide with the harvest of our church garden and the harvest will be shard with people who come in for the giveaway.

July 11th, HomeDays, will be busy for Witness too. We are going to sign up to be in the parade this year. We have done it in the past and feel it is time to do it again. This is good advertisement for VBS and for the church. Hopefully we can get a float together with a church sign. We will have more on that during announcements at church in the coming Sundays. During Sunday of HomeDays, we are also hoping to have a booth set up in our front yard by the church sign to sell water bottles, lemonade, hotdogs…as a church fundraiser. We are asking for a volunteer to set this up. The youth can help with the parking lot.

Nurture

On June 6th we will be having our last cookie hour until fall. During this time we will have a cake to recognize our graduates, high school and college. During Worship we will formally recognize them. From high school we have Vicki Baer and Michael Horner. From college we have Samantha Bova, Christi Cyngier, Rebekah Jay and JT Tan. We wish them all blessings for their future plans.

On June 13th we will begin our summer Worship hours. Worship will begin at 9:20 with announcements and service at 9:30. Come and Join!

We are sad to say that we are looking for a piano player or organ player for the morning worship service. JT will be leaving us. He has agreed to stay until we find someone to replace him. If you know anyone who would be interested in working with us and sharing their talents, please let nurture or Pastor Dan know.

On July 11, Brook Park will be celebrating the end of their HomeDays weekend with their annual fireworks display. We will be having our annual Picnic in the backyard of the church. We will be charging for parking again this year. So, if you are coming for the picnic, come early and park in the back of the lot before 7:45 when they start to close off the streets. The picnic will begin about 5:30/6:00. Bring your own meat and a dish to share, plus your own plates and such. Bring a chair and join us after dark for the fireworks; they are always worth it.

The Soteria Service on Sunday evenings continues to grow each week. This service begins at 6pm with a potluck and worship begins at 7pm. This service is different than the morning worship in music, scripture, and message. The music is praise band led and the service is casual but filled with the Spirit.

Christian Education

We are coming to the end of another year of Sunday School. We want to thank everyone involved with the Sunday School program this year, teachers and students. We will be hosting an appreciation breakfast for Sunday School on June 6th during the Sunday School hour. Please come and join us.

VBS is coming soon. The dates are August 8-12. The theme this year is Super Heroes of the Bible. We are still in need of volunteers to teach and help in the different areas. Please see one of the Christian Ed commission today to sign yourself up for a fun week.

Next year for Sunday School we are trying something different. We will be doing a large group class of K-7th grade. This will allow the older kids to help the younger ones. The senior high group will include 8th-12th grade. The format will be different too. We will be working on a rotating basis. Each week will be based on a different aspect of the same lesson (ie: crafts, music, story, video). We are hoping the format will intrigue you to come and the lessons and fun will make you want to come back.

Pastor Dan and Harmony’s Kids Group is still meeting after church every Sunday for fun, lunch and working on different worship projects/skits. All are welcome; the ages are 4-14. We hope to bring something to the service once a month, so all kids are needed and wanted.

Senior High & Junior High

Well the time is here. NYC is upon us. We are ready, willing and excited to go. Everything is paid for and reserved and ready for take-off. Now we just have to sit and wait for July 17. When we do get back, we will put together a slide show and a presentation of our trip to share with you, for if not for you all we would not be going.

It is now time for the next group of youth to step up and begin the journey again.

From My Desk to You-Karen

Well, she went and did it. Just as I was settling into Garrett graduating, Vicki decided to go ahead and join the crowd. Here at church we have six graduating this year. From high school and college, they are about to step out into the world and make their mark. They have worked hard for this moment, and it is their time to shine. I have watched most of these graduates grow up and move forward ,and the world awaits them. I think they are ready to meet that world. We have done well here raising them. It really does take a village to raise a child, and our “village” has done its job. Look at these young people and you see it. They are good kids, and good kids go out and do good things in the community around them. Blessings to them and praises to those responsible.

Deacons

The Deacons are in the process of collecting names for new deacons. The Deacons are on a four year term going from July to July. The forms are in the vestibule by the sanctuary doors. Please take a moment to fill out a form by June 6. They need several weeks to go through the names, pray over their choices as well as asking their choices to carefully think their decision through.

June 6th is also nametag Sunday by the Deacons. They are asking for everyone to wear their nametag which is a big help when we have visitors. Each first Sunday of the month will be designated nametag Sunday.

Jun 12th from 5-8pm is the next game night sponsored by the Deacons. This month’s theme for the night and potluck dinner is an All American Cookout. Bring your own meat to grill and a dish to pass for the meal. Last month was a lot of fun.

March and April 2010

Pastor's Corner

Matthew 22:15-22


15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ 21 They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

So … what’s in your wallet? What does your money say to you? I fly? Mind your business? E Pluribus Unum? In God We Trust? What the coin said to Jesus was: “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” There’s a lot of meaning to be found in money.

Good stewards are people who use the resources that they have been given to advance the interests of their master in the world. That’s precisely what we’re supposed to be doing in the work of Christian stewards. Everything we possess has been given to us by our loving Lord in a wild gesture of generosity. We don’t really own anything ourselves, but instead we care for the things that belong to God for as long as we are allowed to walk this earth. We relish them, we delight in them, we manage them … but then we let go of them. So why not let go in a way that advances God’s interests?

It’s true that we have to give some coins to the emperor — death and taxes have been two of life’s certainties, at least since the time of Jesus. But beyond this we have a great deal of freedom to exercise in the use of our assets, and it is good for us to learn how to be generous with the money we have. “Giving is the way we can feel abundant,” says writer Anne Lamott. “Giving is the way that we fill ourselves up.”

So … what’s in your wallet? What’s it saying to you? And how are you going to use it?

One of the hardest things for a Pastor to talk about and for a congregation to hear is a message about money. Some responses are “all the church wants is money”, or “the Pastor must want a raise”. This is not the message at all I want to convey.

For the past several years the church has been operating at a deficit, some years less than others, but a deficit nonetheless. Lucky me that now in the past few years this has become a major concern. So what do we do?

Here are our options in no particular order. The first is we could just continue the way we are going and see how things work out. This would be the easiest in the short term, but I fear that it won’t work out well for our future. In the past few years we have seen the result of this practice in the increased number of bankrupt and closed businesses and the current recession we are in. Not good!

Second option is we could just cut expenses until we are more in line with the giving. Balanced budget is always a good start and is sometimes a good thing to do. However in a church atmosphere this means cutting things like youth programs, music programs, office workers, and yes the Pastor. We could look at less intrusive cut backs such as travel, heat, lights and things like that. We have and we see some improvement, but the big money is in the ministries and personnel. Big changes and these may or may not right the ship.

Third option is we bring more people into the church. This is a good plan, but bringing people into the church shouldn’t just be about increasing the money, I doubt God will bless this approach. However, I am in favor of getting more folks in here so start inviting friends and family and even strangers to worship with us, but not for money.

Fourth option is to increase the giving of the church members. OUCH! “Pastor, are you seriously thinking that we have anything more to give?” Well, let me ask myself this question, and if I’m honest I have to say, yes I do. I know as a new homeowner and a dad that money is tight in our household. I also know that our giving has gone down in the last year not because of anything in the church but unforeseen expenses in everyday living. However, I still have my soda pop, my McDonald breakfast, and other non-essential expenses in my everyday life. There are also the expenses that I cannot do anything about, and I have to give to Cesar, but Jesus never included McDonalds in that. So Harmony and I will go back and eliminate some of these non-essentials. I don’t tell you this to impress you or make you feel guilty, but I tell you this to let you know that I struggle with this also. But as a member, not Pastor, of this church if I want to see ministries continue to grow and new ones start, then I have to put my money where my mouth is.

Final option is to get mad about the church needing more money and leave to go to another church, maybe a bigger church with no money problems. Well, as I talk with colleagues around the area, some of which are in larger churches, they are having similar problems and finding themselves communicating to their congregation that things have to change. Same message different church. So I would guess I wouldn’t get too far into worship at their churches before I would have to face this again.

I really didn’t like writing this article this month, but I feel that it is needed and sometimes what is needed is not what I like the most. God has a way of putting us in uncomfortable positions in order to force us to grow. Maybe, just maybe that is what is happening at our church.

So for me and my house we will choose this day to serve the Lord where we are at Brook Park Community Church of the Brethren, and just suck it up and dig deeper. I hope that you will join me in trying harder and giving better.

See you in church,


Pastor Dan

Stewards

The sanctuary is just about done. There needs to be some final touches done and some more dusting/cleaning to remove the fine powder dust from drywall sanding, but for the most part it is complete. A big thank you to all who helped sand and paint and all the other jobs needed to complete this huge undertaking. This comes with more information. The building fund is set and we would like to see the thermometer rise as repaying funds come in. We allowed ourselves ten years to repay the loan, but we hope it won’t take that long. We ware thinking of doing some fundraiser dinners to help pay off the loan in a fun way.

Another thing on the list is fixing the front door of the church. Until it is fixed, we will be using the left side of the two doors to enter.

Another item that needs to be taken care of is the flat roof which continues to leak. The basic reason behind this problem is snow gets built up on the roof and it turns to ice. Then this melts and gets into the cracks and the leaks begin. We are going to put the electric ice melting wire system on this section to keep the ice from building up to that degree.

Witness

The next clothing giveaway is going to be at the end of April. We also want to have one again in August. This will coincide with the hoped-for harvest of our community garden. This harvest will be shared by the congregation, and we will offer it at the clothing giveaway.

We had a meeting with the outside groups in February. We have new ideas in place. The church doors will be locked after their meetings begin to eliminate the possibilities of people coming in for the wrong reasons. They are also to do a walk through when leaving to make sure all lights and water are off. We have problems with things disappearing and the building being defaced inside, so these are a few ideas to try to put a stop to this. However, we are all responsible for our church and its contents, so we all need to be aware and diligent.

We are hoping to have a Camp Scholarship Fundraiser dinner around the end of April. We will announce it soon.

Nurture

Please keep in mind Holy Week Services.

Love Feast, Maundy Thursday, April 1, 7pm

Good Friday, April 2, 7pm

SonRise Service, April 4, 8am

Youth Easter Breakfast, April 4, 8:45am

Easter Worship, April 4, 10:20 am

Come and Worship

Cookie Hours continue. April will be on the 11th as the first Sunday is Easter. See Pat if you are able to share baked goods then.

Christian Education

We are concerned about Sunday School. The attendance is low and has been all year. We appreciate the ones who come and love to see them. However, we would love to have more come and learn with us. We have a great group of teachers who are going, for the most part, unused each Sunday. Please come and join us and see what you have been missing. Also if you have some suggestions of what you would like to see in Sunday School, let us know.

Don’t forget that during regular Sunday School Hours on Easter we will be having an EGG hunt for the little ones second grade and under. Lots of fun for them and for the older kids who help.

VBS is coming! The dates are August 8-12, from 6-8:30pm. Our theme is SUPERHEROES!

Senior High & Junior High

Well, we are almost to our NYC goal. We have paid our registration, booked our flights, and are ready to order our NYC t-shirts. Then we have only to register our shuttle bus trip to and from the airport. The trip is in sight. We will be serving breakfast Easter morning between services for our last fundraiser meal. We may have a bake sale at the end of April just so that the account is not starting off with a $0.00 balance for the next group. We have been asked by the Painesville COB to get together with them sometime in the next month. We’d like to make our seat pillows together (there aren’t enough seats in the arena for all of NYC attendees, so we will need a pillow to sit on the floor). They would like for their 4 girls to meet our 6 girls so they all know more than their own youth group. Sounds like a good plan.

From My Desk to You-Karen

I’m really excited about NYC. I did not go as a youth, something about being too shy and being a homebody; there was no way I was going that far away. But I’m ready now. Some things just take longer to be ready for. You have to grow towards them, and that may take longer for some. But NYC is still four months away; what I am going to do until then to pass the time? Oh, right, something about another of my children who did not get the memo about not growing up on me. I have a senior about to graduate. I’m not ready for this, again. But, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” so I guess we will be OK. My senior will graduate, the family will vacation and enjoy summer, and I guess I can wait for NYC (I’ve waited this long, another 4 months won’t hurt me). Thanks for being patient with our group and seeing us get there.

Deacons

The Deacons will be providing the service of Love Feast on Maundy Thursday. It will be a Tradition of Brethren Love Feast. We will learn and experience why we do Love Feast the way we do it. Harmony will be providing child care that evening.

The community cupboard is in need of some staples. The cupboard has been utilized quite a bit this winter and is in need of staple foods such as beans, rice, canned fruits, canned meats, and healthy cereal. Gift cards and money are also helpful. Please refrain from pie fillings and luxuries.

January and February 2010

Pastor's Corner

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

4I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— 6because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

2We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

Every October churches around the world are encouraged to show appreciation to their pastor. Sometimes this is easier for some churches than for others. This past year you overwhelmed my family and me with not just October appreciation, but a whole year of appreciation. I’ve seen churches just go through the motions of showing this, but you go far beyond that, and we are blessed.

Although I agree with churches encouraging their leadership, for so many do not, I worry that we as leaders miss the opportunity to appreciate our churches. I have never served in a church that I couldn’t find something to appreciate in it. However as I sit with my brothers and sisters in the ministry I find the opposite. We are a bunch of whiners. Don’t get me wrong; there are many valid reasons for many of my friends to be cynical, but I all too often see this as the only thing they are. Leaders need to take more time looking at the positives and less time looking at the negatives.

My Brook Park family, there is nothing I like to do better than to brag about you as a church. I do give thanks daily to God for bringing us to you. Using Paul’s language, you folks have been enriched in every way, because the testimony of Christ is confirmed in you. I’m not just saying this either; this church is special and has so much to offer the community. When most churches say they are a family, it means dysfunctional at best; however, we are functional and healthy. Praise God!

I share all this because you have already done the hard part of church, preparing the soil. The hardest part of ministry in most congregations is getting it right inside the building and with each other, not a problem here. Now what we need to do is go out and invite people in.

We have a good, Godly thing here and we should share it.

My hope for this New Year is that we will be more purposeful about inviting those we know that are without a church family to come and see. That we will witness in this next year an increase of “new people” in our family, and need to have multiple membership classes. You don’t have to be a Biblical scholar to do this; all you have to do is love and invite. I know that you can do what you did with me, and I now I can’t stop talking about you.

Blessings,


Your Pastor

Nuture

We would also like to thank everyone for their help during the holidays. We had Advent readers and Dan’s Christmas Eve Service and decorators. We also had much needed help for un-decorating the church.

We are looking for some materials to make new curtains for the kitchen. If you would like to help purchase some see Pat. We have a volunteer to sew them.

Ash Wednesday Service will be Feb 17th. We are not sure yet if worship will be here or at the United Methodist Church on Smith Rd. We should know next week. Easter services will be following as we traditionally do, Palm Sunday, Love Feast, Good Friday, Sonrise, and Easter Worship.

Cookie Hours continue to be the first Sunday of the month. We will be calling on many of you to help provide cookies and to help set up and clean up. Thank you in advance.

Christian Education

Sunday School attendance continues to be lower than we would like to see. We realize with the cold and snow that it is hard to make it early enough for Sunday School, but we look forward to seeing everyone here sharing and learning together.

This should help; we already have this summer’s VBS materials selected. We will choose a week soon and let you know how you can help that week.

Safe Sanctuary is in place. With the windows in the classroom doors, and the teachers’ paperwork fill out, we are now set to make sure all of the children have their paperwork completed as well.

Stewards

In case you haven’t been able to make it to church, things have changed. Besides the brightness from the new windows, the temperature has also changed, for the better. It is amazing the difference and warmth that the work on the walls provided. The walls need to primed and painted. There will be a pay to vote for the paint color. To contribute to the building fund, there are now envelopes in the pews, or you can use any envelope and mark it accordingly. There will soon be a visual for the building fund to see how we are doing in paying ourselves back for sanctuary work. We are also looking into installing the projector screen onto the front wall. This will eliminate the crowded feeling on the left side of the stage area.

We are also going to create a permanent place for the Praise Band. The pews opposite the choir will not be returned to their place. The floor will be cleaned and the Praise Band will play from there.

Witness

We would like to thank all who helped make this a special holiday for many by donating hats and gloves and other items for food baskets.

There will be a clothing giveaway set up in April after Easter. It will again be on a Saturday. Audrey’s Closet and the building are still on our minds. The building proposal is sitting on the Building Commissioner’s desk at City Hall. We will get it done though. Whatever it takes we are determined to make this a reality which in turn will open the service project to more people on a regular basis. How it will operate and be manned is still in the planning stages, but the formal plan will be in writing soon.

Senior High & Junior High

Winter Rally for Senior High is at the end of this month. We will not be able to go due to transportation difficulties.

Our next dinner will be the SOUP SMORGASBORD. We will be serving on Nov 15th after worship just before the Congregational Business Meeting.

And NYC is almost here. We registered this month and paid our deposit for each of the seven of us going. We will begin booking our flights at the beginning of Feb. The mountains are calling to us! We have worked hard these last three and a half years and we have you all to thank for our financial success. But we are not done. Hoagies will be ready for Super Bowl Sunday, we have Easter Breakfast and perhaps a bake sale to round us off to being done. A BIG THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

The Junior High Winter Rally is set for Feb 19/20 also at Inspiration Hills. Calling all Junior High Youth who would like to go!.

Deacons

We are looking to start fellowship meals again as a way to get to know each other better. We see each other in a limited capacity each Sunday when we are hurried and see many for just a few minutes. This will give us the opportunity to share a quiet meal with just a few. We will spread the word soon about the process.

From my desk to you - Karen

So many changes are taking place. For some of us it was hard to watch the sanctuary windows being covered up. I grew up with those windows embracing us on both sides of the church. They were a big part of how I identified the church. I looked up at them and their color every Sunday for 40+ years. I listened to the wind whistle through them every season, and I never thought of them as a sieve to let the cold air in. I always thought of them as a way of hearing God speak to us. That is how I usually look at storms, as a way of hearing His voice through the world around me. I look up now and it is so light and the crosses/windows are beautiful, but the colors are missing. I know that change isn’t all bad; some changes are good. The warmth can be felt now and people are comfortable as they hear the Word, and that is a good thing. The heating bills should reflect this, and that is a good thing. And church is not really about windows, but still I will miss them and the beautiful whistling that came through them…..

November and December 2009

Pastor's Corner

Well the season is upon us, just look around at Wal-Mart or the Mall. We are quickly coming to Christmas. This year I’m encouraging the church to think of good memories of Christmas past. I have started to do so in preparation for the season, and I have found that very few of my memories have anything to do with the presents I received, but more with the people I’m blessed to be with.

My first memory is of Christmas Eve service 1979. I was asked to sing a solo in Church that night. I chose to sing, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth,” and they let me! As I got up to sing, I was nervous and about to back out when Charlotte Richter the choir director, and a Saint of all Saints, pulled me aside. She told me to not look at the congregation but to look at the picture of Jesus in the back of the church knocking on a door. From that day on when I did anything in front of the church, I looked at that picture and found the comfort I needed to get through it. Every church I served, except this one, has had some picture of Jesus in the back that I have been able to look at during service.

Another memory comes from my Christmas Eve service on 2005. Just 18 days old I held Aubrie through the whole service, even during the sermon. I just didn’t want to let her go. She just lay in my arms and slept; how times change! I preached on what it must have been like for Joseph and Mary to know they were going to be responsible for raising the Savior of the world. I can’t imagine, can you? It is hard enough raising Aubrie much less Jesus!

My final memory comes from Christmas Eve 2007. It was just a little under a month before I had interviewed at Brook Park and I knew that I would be leaving the churches I was serving. It was a bittersweet service. On one hand I was excited about a new start and the wonderful church that was waiting for me, but on the other I was crushed that I had to leave the two churches that Harmony and I had grown so close to, and who had been with us since the birth of Aubrie. I remember crying all the way to church that night and trying to compose myself for service. I cannot remember what I preached on that night; all I remember is looking at Harmony and seeing the tears in her eyes. That was one of the worst Christmas services I can recall. I do remember looking at the picture of Jesus in the back of the church for comfort, and it worked!

This Christmas season instead of stressing out about the busyness or the cost, how about we just remember what makes Christmas what it is. It is about the birth of our Lord and Savior, and about spending quality time with friends and family. Neither one of those cost us a thing, but gives us all that we will ever need.

Until next Sunday,
Pastor Dan

Nuture

November cookie hour is on the first and then we will begin the traditional Advent Cookie Hours starting Nov 29 and go through each Sunday to Dec 20th. Please see a Nurture member if you can bring cookies in.

We will be doing the Hanging of the Greens a little early this year as the first Advent Sunday falls during Thanksgiving weekend. We will instead decorate the church Saturday, Nov 21st so as to not interfere with family gatherings during the next weekend. We will let you know what time soon.

On November 22nd at 7:00pm, we will be celebrating our Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service. The United Methodist Church is hosting the service and Pastor Michael Oakley from the Lutheran Church will be sharing the message.

Christmas Eve Service will be a sharing of Christmas Memories Past. Service starts at 7:00pm. We would like illuminate the parking lot and walkway, so we are asking for all one gallon milk or juice jugs (clear) to make the luminaries.

Christian Education

Sunday School is moving ahead; we would like to see more children coming. The children and the teachers all have a good time learning together, so come on in and join them. We have classes for everyone.

Otherwise Christian Education is enjoying the quiet of the season.

Stewards

Plan on staying for the Congregational Business meeting on Nov 15th after worship, beginning at 1pm. This is the time to voice praise and concerns for the upcoming years’ ideas and plans. We will be voting on the budget for next year as well as the slate of names for the board. You should be receiving the minutes from last year’s meeting soon via e-mail so you can look them over before the meeting. We will hopefully have an update soon on the roof repairs and wall siding of the sanctuary.

Witness

Witness has started taking names of anyone in need of some extra help during the holidays. They will be putting together Thanksgiving Baskets to help fill out the holiday. If you have the name of someone you would like to help, please see Diane Pollock.

We also begin now to collect hats, gloves and socks to be given to the Berea Children’s Home for the Cold Weather that is soon upon us. Please start bringing in these items so that we can get them there when most needed.

The clothing giveaway was on Oct 24th and we had a good turnout. The tables were full and we enjoyed the camaraderie with the men’s fellowship who cooked breakfast for the giveaway volunteers.

Senior High & Junior High

The Senior High youth were not able to go to the Fall rally as it happened on Homecoming Weekend for most of our girls. We are looking forward to Winter Rally in January.

Our next dinner will be the SOUP SMORGASBORD. We will be serving on Nov 15th after worship just before the Congregational Business Meeting.

Then we will be taking orders for Super Bowl Hoagies after the first of the year.

We will be registering for NYC sometime in January and booking our flights probably in February. Our balance for NYC registration is due by April 1st. It is coming up fast, and the girls are excited.

A Word from Margi

I will be setting the offering envelopes for 2010 soon. If you aren’t getting envelopes and would like them, let me know.

I will also be passing out third quarter reports in about two weeks. If you see any mistakes, just let me know.

I am also trying to get together a group of ladies to attend the Women of Faith conference here in Cleveland in Sept. 2010. If we get a group of 10 or more the price is only $89.00 per person for the two day conference. Steven Curtis Chapman and Anita Renfroe will be presenting at the conference.

Keep up with the recycling. We are really doing well filling our boxes and bins.

From my desk to you - Karen

Wow, the holidays are almost here. I feel like I should be shopping already or doing something since the stores are filled with so much holiday stuff (you know like decorations and candy and gift ideas). Am I behind already? I haven’t even put up fall decorations yet. I am however waiting very patiently to start playing Christmas music on the car CD player (Nov 1st is my day). My children make fun of me, and Bud just shakes his head. I would start sooner, but that might be pushing my family over the edge. But I love Christmas music. I love to play it loudly in the car. It makes me feel good to hear of the joy and wonder and anticipation of the birth of the Savior. So forget feeling behind with shopping and decorating and baking, pull out that music and really feel on top of the season and experience it for as long as you can.

There is nothing which God cannot accomplish.