Bcc Newsletter Feb 09

Featured in this Issue... Calendar

Pg. 2

Missions Soup Luncheon

Pg. 2

Cancellation Info

Pg. 3

Women’s Book Club

Pg.4

Meal with the Minister

Pg. 4

February 2009

The Bethlehem Message from the Pastor

What if... We have had some bad weather lately—particularly on Sundays. Thus the reason we have cancelled worship services three times this winter season already. (See pg. 3 of the newsletter for cancellation information). Unfortunately, when we cancel, we don’t really save much on our heating bill, because unless we cancel the night before and I go to church and shut the heat off, the sanctuary will still be heated for Sunday morning. So we pay to heat up the large space and then it turns out we don’t use it. That is a bit frustrating, not to mention costly. At least oil is cheaper than we had anticipated. One of my concerns with cancelling worship is that we may not make up that lost income. I hate to look at it that way, but it is a fact of life for pastors and churches. One of the things that has resulted from our Veritas research so far is the realization that many people only give to the church if they are in attendance. Not shocking to me, but it is worth noting. Too many Christians view giving to church as something they do if they

Word are there—sort of like admission to the event or something, I guess. Whether they are giving more to make up for when they have not been there, I do not know. People who attend Bethlehem roughly 80% of the time or more (40 people at most) give about 80% of our income. So...what if….what if we actually tithed to the church...that is, we gave 10% of the money we earn to the church? Our budget for 2009 is $111,000. If just those who attend 80% of the time or more were tithing, we would meet that budget easily. Usually we are about $25,000-$30,000 behind in our budget. But let’s say each of those 40 regular attenders makes $28,000 a year. Some make less, obviously many make more, so these numbers are very conservative. That totals $1,120,000. A tithe on that is $112,000 which is more than our budget for 2009. But we should not look at this negatively—what we aren’t doing or what we don’t have. It doesn’t do me much good to berate people for not giving—especially in this economy—people would think I am nuts. So let’s look at it positively—what we could do or what we could have at Bethlehem. If everyone who attended Bethlehem on some regular or semiregular basis were tithing, we would exceed our budget easily. (continued on pg. 5)

February 2009 Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

1 Worship 10:30am

2

3 Youth Group 7-8:30pm

4

5 NO BIBLE STUDY

6 NA Meeting 6:30pm

7

8 Worship 10:30am

9 Veritas Team Meeting 7pm

10 Church Board Meeting 7pm

11 Quinsig Village Board Mtg. 6pm

12 Bible Study 7pm

13 NA Meeting 6:30pm

14

15 Worship 10:30am

16

17 Youth Group 7-8:30pm

18 Pastoral Relations Committee Mtg. 7pm

19 Bible Study 7pm

20 NA Meeting 6:30pm

21

22 Worship 10:30am Missions Soup Luncheon 11:30

23

24

25

26 Bible Study 7pm

27 NA Meeting 6:30pm

28

Thank You

Missions News

Dear Church Family and Friends, I would like to take this time to say thank you to you all for my Christmas gift. It was unexpected, but very much appreciated. The real gift, however, is all of you. What a joy to spend time in song with my favorite people. Thank you for the opportunity to be with you at the piano and organ each Sunday. It fills my life! I love and thank you all. Blessings, Gigi Zepp

Dear Diaconate Members, The reception after Al’s funeral service could never have been nicer. The family and I want to thank you for all you did. Al is at peace and is where he wanted to be the past year and a half. Gratefully Yours, Lillian Ekstrom

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Missions Soup Luncheon Sunday, February 22nd following the morning worship service. All are welcome to attend this free lunch. Denise McGinley will be cooking the soup for us as usual.

Birthdays and Anniversaries February Birthdays

March Birthdays

Justin Stafinski Steven Bartkus Judy Nelson Esther Werme Steven Quinn Eric Thompson Ryan Thompson Christine Leach Sherry Gosselin Pamela Johnson Debra Miller Linda Lizotte

Dayna Girourd Kenneth Olson Trevor LaVallee Sarah Strozina Robert Elbe Sr. Eleanor Smith Marjorie Thyden Amy Malo Esther Elbe Paul Faler

2/6 2/9 2/9 2/11 2/12 2/15 2/16 2/20 2/24 2/24 2/24 2/29

February Birthdays Robert and Beth Quinn

3/9 3/12 3/14 3/15 3/16 3/19 3/23 3/2 3/29 3/30

March Anniversaries Barbara & William Ruzika 3/3

2/22

Cancellation Information

Thank You Dear Friends and family of Bethlehem, I would like to thank everyone for my staff Christmas gift and support I receive from members of this church. This is a very old building with a lot of improvements that make my job so much easier. I also want to thank Bill Stafinski for all his hard work and support—without Bill’s support I wouldn’t be able to do my job!

As you know, we have had some bad weather recently and have had to cancel worship services several times this winter season. We usually decide to cancel on Sunday mornings and the decision is made by 8am. Cancellation information can be found numerous places. It will be on the radio: WTAG am 580 and on their website, www.wtag.com. It will also be found on television on Channel 5 WCVB and on their website, www.thebostonchannel.com. Finally, cancellation info can also be found on the main page of the church website, www.bethlehemcc.org.

Yours in Christ, Paul R. Strozina

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The following is an updated list of our church members and friends who unable to attend church on a regular basis. Let us remember them in our thoughts and prayers and with a note. Please let the pastor know if you are aware of others who should be on this list.

Mr. Lee & Mrs. Astrid Randall 10 Hall Street Webster, MA 01570 508-943-0847 Mrs. Doris Anderson 667 Washington Street #225 Auburn, MA 01501 508-832-5239 Mrs. Lillian Ekstrom Notre Dame Du Lac 555 Plantation Street Apt. 327 Worcester, MA 01608 Mr. Carl & Mrs. Esther Werme 24 Briarwood Circle Worcester, MA01606 508-856-7232

Paul Faler 321 Massasoit Rd. Worcester, MA 01604 Mrs. Dagny Johnson Life Care Center of Auburn 14 Masonic Circle Auburn, MA 01501

Meal with the Minister Wednesday, Feb. 18th at 12pm Come join us at church for a soup luncheon—all are invited. Pastor Dave will provide soup, chips and/or bread, drinks. If you’d like to bring dessert, let pastor know. Hope to see you there.

Mrs. Claire Poirier 63 Hudson Avenue Grafton, MA 01519 508-839-0364 Mrs. Lydia Anderson Whitney Place P.O. Box 935 85 Beaumont Dr. Apt. 10 Northbridge, MA 01534

Mildred Carlson 669 Washington St. Apt. 105 Auburn, MA 01501

A little humor…. A minister was completing a sermon on the evils of drinking. He spoke about the evils of alcohol and then wrapped up the sermon with a big crescendo. With great emphasis he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river.” With even greater emphasis he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river.” And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he said, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river.” Sermon complete, he sat down. It was then time for the closing hymn. The song leader stood up somewhat hesitantly and announced with a smile , nearly laughing, “For our closing song this morning, let us sing Hymn #365, ‘Shall We Gather at the River.’”

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Women’s Book Club Tues. February 3rd at 7pm to discuss Lucy Grealey’s Autobiography of a Face In a strikingly candid and beautifully written memoir, Lucy Grealy describes how at age nine she was diagnosed with a potentially terminal cancer. When she returned to school with a third of her jaw removed, she faced the cruel taunts of classmates at her disfigured face. Grealy tells her story of great suffering and remarkable strength without sentimentality and with considerable wit. She captures with unique insight what it is like as a child and young adult to be torn between two warring impulses: to feel that more than anything else we want to be loved for who we are, while wishing desperately and secretly to be perfect.

What if...(continued from pg. 1) We would have more money than the budget called for and we would be deciding what to do with the extra instead of worrying about how much we are losing in the stock market and how much we have to use from investments to meet the budget every year. What if people were tithing and we could use that money to start and then maintain the free health clinic we are thinking about? What a way to serve our community in a practical, Christ-honoring way. What if people were tithing and we could use that money to pay for needed repairs when they come up—like the stained glass window (the Sower window) that is going to cost us about $5,000 to have fixed? What if people were tithing and we didn’t have to do bake sales to raise money? What if people were tithing and we could then give to our conference and denomination the amount (or more) they suggest churches should give? What if people were tithing and we could use that money for community outreach to bring new people into our church to hear the gospel? What if we realized that if we were tithing we could do so much more than just keep the doors open and pay the bills and pay the pastor? What if we tithed and then realized we could actually do so much more of what Jesus really intended the church to do? What if we realized that we can really truly be the church that God wants us to be and the church our founders intended us to be? What if we realized that Bethlehem can be the church that is well known in the community for the ministry and services we provide instead of maybe just the church that looks good from the outside? What if we gave sacrificially and could as a result then be known as the church that touches and changes lives and offers hope and love, instead of perhaps simply the church that has a great Swedish meatball supper once a year? Please don’t get me wrong—we do a lot of good things and give generously to a number of causes—but we could do so much more. More importantly, we could be so much more. It’s not just about what we do, but who we are and whose we are. Do we belong to God? What if we are totally surrendered to God and His plan for Bethlehem Covenant Church? What if we seek to really be the church we are meant to be and address the needs of our immediate community instead of wishing it was 1950 again and “the good old days”? What if we make these days right now the “good old days?? What if…? God bless, Pastor Dave

The following is from an article in Christianity today Magazine titled, “Scrooge Lives!” More than one out of four American Protestants give away no money at all—"not even a token $5 per year," say sociologists Christian Smith, Michael Emerson, and Patricia Snell in a new study on Christian giving, Passing the Plate (Oxford University Press). Of all Christian groups, evangelical Protestants score best: only 10 percent give nothing away. Evangelicals tend to be the most generous, but they do not outperform their peers enough to wear a badge of honor. Thirty-six percent report that they give away less than two percent of their income. Only about 27 percent tithe. American Christians' lack of generosity might not be as shocking if it didn't contrast so starkly with their astounding wealth. Passing the Plate's researchers say committed American Christians—those who say their faith is very important to them and those who attend church at least twice a month—earn more than $2.5 trillion dollars every year. On their own, these Christians could be admitted to the G7, the group of the world's seven largest economies. Smith and his coauthors estimate that if these Christians gave away 10 percent of their after-tax earnings, they would add another $46 billion to ministry around the world. One early finding: That estimate of $46 billion in additional giving is unrealistic. Not because it's too big, but because it's too small. Estimating 10 percent giving for every committed Christian in the U.S. neglects two groups: those who truly can't afford to give 10 percent (due to illness or unemployment or similar reasons), and those who are already giving more than 10 percent (more on this group in a moment). If you calculate that 10 percent of Christians can't give because of their financial limitations, most of the rest give 10 percent, and a handful of generous givers continue their current generous giving pattern, committed American Christians could realistically increase their giving by $85.5 billion each year. Such an increase in religious giving could be world changing. Smith and his coauthors try to provide some idea of what that money could accomplish: $10 billion would sponsor 20 million children for a year, and just $330 million would sponsor 150,000 indigenous missionaries in countries closed to religious workers. $2.2 billion would triple the current funding of Bible translation, printing, and distribution. $600 million would be enough to start eight Christian colleges in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. These figures only begin to spend that extra cash. What Christians could do—if they managed their money in a way that gave priority to giving a portion away—is astounding. The median annual giving for an American Christian is actually $200, just over half a percent of after-tax income. About 5 percent of American Christians provide 60 percent of the money churches and religious groups use to operate. Sad isn’t it? What would Jesus say?

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The Bethlehem

Bethlehem Covenant Church 46 Greenwood Street P.O. Box 70629 Worcester, MA 01607 (508) 752—1459 www.bethlehemcc.org

Word