Our Community Commons
Pastor’s Corner
I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!
Now that I have that song stuck in your head, lets keep
it going.
Proverbs 17:22 -
"A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
We have a choice in church to be cheerful or be dry.
What do you think glorifies God more, and what do
you think make people want to come more?
Isaiah 55:12 -
"You will go out in joy and be led forth
in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song
before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their
hands."
We can choose to be bitter and spread bitterness or we
can spread joy. What is the greater blessing?
Psalms 47:1
Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to
God with loud songs of joy!
We can celebrate the joy of the Lord or we can focus
of what we don’t have.
Philippians 1:3-5
I thank my God in all my
remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine
for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
Paul writes this letter because he loves the help he has
received from the church in the ministry. Today I
stand before you and thank God for the same thing.
This year we have served thousands of people through
our outreach ministries. We have spread the good
news of the Lord through our community and beyond.
We have visited many folks both in their homes and
hospitals. We have taken our Bible studies outside of
the church. We have joined the churches within our
community in ministry. We have joined the community
in ministry to one another. Are you joyful yet?
We have become a beacon of light within our
denomination. We have become well known outside of
Brookpark for the outreach we are doing. We have
folks wanting to join the church because they are
excited about what we are doing and where we are
going. Other pastors are talking with us to find out how
we are doing what we are doing. Other churches are
copying what we are doing. Are you joyful yet?
We have had some tough times, but we overcame and
move forward. There are those who will struggle with
the direction we are going, but as we continue more
and more of those who doubt, find themselves also
getting joyful. We will make mistakes and mess things
up, but we keep growing and moving. Are you joyful
yet???
My challenge to you this year is to become ridiculously
joyful. So joyful that even when we are at odds, we are
joyful with one another, and laughing and loving all
the way. So joyful that it fuels all we do, the light so
bright that it is blinding.
I don’t know about you but I want to come here and be
joyful, make joy, find joy, be around people who are
full of joy. I don’t want to come here and be brought
down, I want to be lifted up!
So let me ask you one last time…Are you joyful yet?!?
OUR COMMUNITY COMMONS
WINTER 2012
2
Deacon Notes
The deacons have been busy putting together thanksgiving
baskets and Christmas baskets. It has been such a blessing
delivering these to those in our church and our community.
We continue to look for ways to serve the churches spiritual
needs, and we our in constant prayer for all. One way we
try to help with spiritual needs is by being up front every
Sunday after service for prayer. If you need prayer please let
us know.
We will be collecting for the food pantry in 2013 during the
children’s collection. Please bring a non-perishable item to
share.
Finally we have had a lot of sickness and death this
year in our church and the deacons have been there to help
in any way. If you are going into the hospital or have a need
for a visit, please let us or Pastor Dan know.
Blessed to serve you,
Your Deacon body
The stewards continue to work around the church. We
have put in some new electrical in the fellowship hall
and outside. We have put in a new fan in the men’s
bathroom (all men rejoice). We have been working on
the heating issues throughout the church. There always
seems to be something to fix or improve.
We will be cleaning the carpet soon and will be looking
for volunteers to come and help clean, so keep your
ears open for that announcement.
The Stewards enjoy serving and fixing things, if you
notice something that needs attention please let one of
us know. If you have a desire to fix things, please let
one of us know.
In His service,
The Steward body
Stewards’ Notes
OUR COMMUNITY COMMONS
WINTER 2012
3
Witness Commission
Witness commission once again had a very busy year.
Let’s do an overview of all our activities the past year.
Children’s Outreach
We had another good year with fundraisers for the camp
scholarship fund. We raised more than $1200 this year to
send our children to church camp this past summer. We
will start fundraising in the spring so our children may
attend church camp at Inspiration Hills next summer. We
sponsored eight children this past summer for church
camp and had money left over to start the new year. Our
camp representative will continue to oversee the
scholarship fund, fundraisers and paperwork. Our camp
representative Sierra Swanson has taken my passion for
the children and has made it her own with all her time
and energy so that whoever chooses to go to camp there
will be money in the scholarship fund. So I thank Sierra
for all her hard work for the children. The witness
commission and children would like to thank the
congregation for their love and support.
We once again had the lunch program for the kids during
the summer months. We served 325 lunches with an
“Around the World” food theme. After lunch the kids
played and run around the fellowship hall with such joy
to the delight of all the adults in the room. Next summer
we hope to include the seniors from the community in the
lunch program.
Community outreach
There were many adults and children in the home day
parade in July – a huge “thank you!” to all who walked
or rode in the parade. Our appearance in the parade
shows the community that our church has pride and ties
to the Brook Park community.
The community garden had another super harvest this
year. The vegetables and herbs were truly a blessing to
the community and the congregation. The witness
commission and the congregation would like to say a big
thank you to the garden members.
Interfaith service was held at the Redeemer Lutheran
Church with Pastor Dan and Pastor James preaching the
word at the service.
The outside groups continue to use our church for their
meting place. We have added a 4-H and Girl Scout troop
to the list of outside groups. What a blessings these
outside groups are to our church.
Community Services
The community cupboard has been a blessing. With
Brook Park Community Church being a member of the
Cleveland Food Bank we are able to open the food pantry
to those in need. So far this year we have helped a total of
2780 people in 1101 households, which included 719
children.
Audrey's closet clothing give away has had another
successful year. We had five clothing giveaways with a
total of 1267 people being helped with clothing and
household items. We will continue to have clothes and
shoes available during food pantry hours.
We served five community meals over this past year. The
Brook Park Church, Redeemer Lutheran Church,
United Methodist Church and Mary, Queen of the
Apostle Catholic partnered with us for all six meals to
prepare and serve the community. We served 1145 meals
to the community and more than 300 take out meal to the
shut-in members of all five churches.
And in closing help us to continue challenging ourselves
to keep dreaming big dreams for the Brook Park
Community Church.
Mary Rohrl-chairperson, Sierea Swanson and Linda
Cronan
OUR COMMUNITY COMMONS
WINTER 2012
4
Christian Education
Christian Education Commission continues to work
hard for you and the children of the church. We
continue to have Sunday school during the worship
time and also nursery for those who are too young for
Sunday school. We are always looking for volunteers
to help with that, so if you are interested please see
Jack, Harmony, Tami, or George.
Christmas Eve
Christian Education is working on a Christmas Eve
program, which will include both adults and children.
We are hoping this will be both entertaining and
educational for the worship service.
Sunday School
Finally we would like to encourage all of the parents,
grandparents, aunts and uncles, to encourage your
young ones to come to Sunday school. It is always a
blessing to see the front filled with children during the
children’s time, and then for all of them to run back for
Sunday school.
Thank you!
We would like to thank you for your continued support
and look forward to dreaming big in 2013 and sharing
our story.
God bless,
Christian Education commission
OUR COMMUNITY COMMONS
WINTER 2012
5
Farewell from your Board Chair
The end of December marks the end of my two years as Board Chair and I
am very grateful for the help and support that I received throughout my
tenure. However, I am reluctant to identify individuals at risk of overlooking
any one person so I choose to send out a blanket “thank you.” I have never
held a position with the dynamics and characteristics of Board Chair.
I saw the full spectrum of feelings and emotions within the congregation.
Like a marriage, there were good times and bad, sickness and health.
Financially, we were never too rich but never felt poor even as the economy
tumbled.
During a particularly difficult period in the spring/summer of 2011 I
attended my first prayer session where several of our brothers and sisters
shared very personal stories about our church and the support they received
during difficult and trying times. Many of these people were not active in the
various conflicts and matters in which we struggled and it was at that prayer
session that I felt my greatest motivation.
It was very tempting to quit before I heard these people testify; it was
impossible to quit afterwards.
Candidly, I leave the position without any great sense of accomplishment
but perhaps that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Thank you for your support over the past 2 years and for the opportunity to
get to know many of you in ways I never would have otherwise.
Merry Christmas and God bless,
Mark Stepowoy
Christmas Lunch
This year our Nurture Commission
decided to have a “Christmas Lunch”
instead of the traditional Christmas
dinner.We hope this time will allow
more people to attend.
Our “Christmas Lunch” this year will
be
Sunday December 16th after the
Worship Service at 1:00 pm at
Goody’s Family Restaurant.
The menu choice:
Roast Beef Dinner or Smothered
chicken or
Broiled Boston Scrod.
Beverage & desert will be included all
for
$10.00
- Mike Ramser
