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.
