Bethlehem Word Sept 09

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September 2009

The Bethlehem Message from the Pastor I am not sure about others, especially those who are back in school, but I for one am glad that summer is over. Of course there are things I like about summer, but the heat is not one of them. Summer seems to be a time for people to “check out” for a while from some of the realities of life and the normal day-to-day routines. So we aren’t as excited about going to church or even work for that matter (or was that just me?). Summer is a “down time” in the church year—so many people are on vacation or just simply any place else besides in church on a warm Sunday morning. But then comes the Fall and many of us seem to get back in the habit of going to church. We of course have forgotten that we are the church, the church is not a building. The Fall is probably my favorite time of the year. I love the cool weather and of course the changing leaves in beautiful New England. And Fall usually means we are blessed to have our Red Sox playing in the playoffs at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark. :) Playoff baseball and the cool weather—it is exciting and invigorating. So is the “start” of the church season. As the baseball season is winding up, church is ramping up

Word for the year. It does my heart good to walk into the sanctuary on a Sunday in the Fall and see a larger group than in the summer months. We’re not about numbers, but we are about people, and so the more people to worship and fellowship and learn and grow and laugh and cry and pray together, the better. I invite you re-commit yourself to the church this year. This is an important time in the life of Bethlehem Covenant. Changes are taking place in our world and in our community and even on our own street as I write this. Quinsigamond Village itself is currently undergoing a process of revitalization and change. Newly paved streets, new sidewalks, storefront improvements and a new Super Walmart among other stores are a taste of what is happening. Some have pointed out that it may be ironic that as businesses in the Village get grant money to fix up their storefronts and make them look aesthetically pleasing, a new Walmart is going up. So these small businesses fix up their property and look good just in time for Walmart to come in and put them all out of business in a matter of months! Let’s hope that is not the case, but judging from the past….. So what lessons can we learn from all of this? (Continued on pg. 4)

September 2009 Sun

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13 Adult Sunday 14 School 9:30-10:15 Worship 10:30 am

8 Board Meeting 7pm

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10 Bible Study 7pm

11 NA Mtg. 6:30pm

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17 Bible Study 7pm

18 Veritas Mtg. 6-9pm

19 Veritas Mtg. 9am-1pm

NA Mtg. 6:30pm

20 Adult Sunday 21 School 9:30-10:15 Worship 10:30 am

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27 Adult Sunday 28 School 9:30-10:15 Worship 10:30 am

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Mr. & Mrs. Carl Werme 24 Briarwood Circle Worcester, MA01606 508-856-7232

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26 BCC Tag Sale 9am –1pm

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

Mrs. Doris Anderson 667 Washington Street #225 Auburn, MA 01501 508-832-5239 Mrs. Claire Poirier 63 Hudson Ave. Grafton, MA 01519

25 NA Mtg. 6:30pm

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.

Mr. Lee Randall 10 Hall Street Webster, MA 01570 508-943-0847

24 Bible study 7pm

Paul Faler 321 Massasoit Rd. Worcester, MA 01604

Mrs. Lydia Anderson Whitney Place P.O.Box 935 85 Beumont Dr. Apt. 10 Northbridge, MA 01534

Starting this Fall…. Adult Sunday School Class This Fall Pastor Dave will be leading a Sunday School class before the morning worship. We will meet starting Sept. 13th from 9:30 to 10:15. This will be a class based on a series of short videos which feature different topics that apply to the Christian life. It will be primarily group discussion. Some of our youth and a few adults have watched some of these and found them very helpful and thought provoking. All are invited to come and be with us for what will be a spiritually rewarding time where we get to better know each other and our God. Continued on pg. 3.

Birthdays and Anniversaries September Birthdays Cody Ellis Alden Anderson Gabriel Johnson Paul Nyquist Karoline Ciance

9/4 9/13 9/18 9/19 9/27

October Birthdays Elizabeth Pope Elizabeth Quinn Mildred Carlson Colleen Elbe Jeanne Bartkus Janet Clawson Lydia Anderson

10/2 10/5 10/11 10/12 10/19 10/23 10/29

September Anniversaries Lillian and William Stafinski 9/6 Susan and Paul Strozina 9/7 Jeanne and Frank Bartkus 9/17 Esther and Robert Elbe 9/21 Carol and Carl Nordstrom 9/22 Mark and Susan Fellion 9/28

Adult Sunday School (continued from previous page) Here is a portion of a review of the video series which is called Nooma... All ten to fourteen minutes in length, the NOOMA videos feature Rob Bell, pastor of Michigan’s Mars Hill Church, one of the fastestgrowing churches in America, and a leader in the "emergent church." From a production standpoint, the NOOMA videos are excellent. But it isn’t just technical merit that has catapulted the NOOMA videos to such popularity. Nor is it simply Bell’s natural ability to communicate and tell a story, though that may be part of it. At the end of the day people are watching these videos because they believe Rob Bell is teaching them about Christianity and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

October Anniversaries Joy and Nicholas Monopoli 10/4 James and Jennifer Zoulias 10/9

Saturday, Sept. 26th from 9am to 1pm at BCC Tables are available for $10 each. Set up begins at 8am. We are looking for volunteers to help get everything ready beforehand and also to serve food at the sale (hotdogs, soda, coffee, muffins, etc). There are sign up sheets at church in the vestry. Donations are welcome. Drop off at church or call the church office. Proceeds will benefit those going to Camp Squanto in 2010.

Please join us starting on September 13th!

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Sunday Worship Volunteers Sept. 6th Worship Leader—Tracy Ellis Scripture Reader—Sarah Strozina Ushers: Michele Koller and Denise McGinley Media Tech: John Schonning Sept. 13th Worship Leader—Sarah Strozina Scripture Reader—David Ahlin Ushers: Beverly Gosselin and Jeanne Bartkus Media Tech: Steven Quinn Sept. 20th Worship Leader—Mark Fellion Scripture Reader—Stephanie Stockwell Ushers: Delbert and Eleanor Smith Media Tech: Steven Quinn Sept. 27th Worship Leader—John Schonning Scripture Reader—June Rice Ushers: Phyliss Conder and David Ahlin Media Tech: Steven Pope

A Prayer For Those Who Live Alone I live alone, dear Lord, stay by my side In all my daily needs be my guide. Grant me good health, for that indeed, I pray, to carry on my work from day to day. Keep pure my mind, my thoughts, my every Deed; let me be kind, unselfish in my neighbor’s need. Spare me from fire, from flood, malicious tongues, from thieves, from fear, and evil ones. If sickness or an accident befall, then humbly Lord, I pray, hear my call. And when I’m feeling low or in despair, lift up my heart, and help me in my prayer. I live alone dear Lord, yet have no fear because I feel your presence ever near. Amen.

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From the Pastor…...Continued from pg. 1 Well, the plan is to spruce up the neighborhood with newly paved streets, new sidewalks, decorative street lamps, refurbished storefronts, etc. An article in the T &G mentioned that many of the storefronts in the area are “showing their age or appear out of place given the historic character of the neighborhood.” The costs associated with recommendations of the revitalization plan total about $1 million all of which will come from revenue generated through landfill tipping fees. I wonder if our church is in a similar situation. We can do all the repair work we want, all the work in the world to make the church look good, but if we are going to be put out of business by a “Walmart” what is the point? Is our goal to look good, to survive; or is our goal to thrive?? What are the costs associated with our revitalization? Not a million dollars, but perhaps something even more costly. We live in a neighborhood that looks vastly different than our congregation—those of you who were at the hotdog social saw some of that diversity. How do we reach out to the diverse group of people in our neighborhood? If we don’t want to, if we don’t see that as our mission, we should move and let another group take up the challenge. If we decide we are called to still minister here in the Village, we need to act like it. We need to make changes, step out of our comfort zone and reach those who are different from us yet similar in so many basic ways. That may scare some of us (perhaps most of us). That’s ok. Will some not be up for it and leave? Sure...and that will be perfectly ok as well. There are other churches who will gladly take in those who want to be stuck in the past. That is why many churches resemble museums rather than vibrant outposts of Christian service and ministry. A church that truly follows Jesus is not comfortable, not status quo; rather it is messy and difficult and yet worth every bit of the struggle. There is pain and suffering and hardship but joy comes with it. Changed lives come with it. We are at a pivotal time in the life of Bethlehem—a major crossroads of sorts. We can stay on our past course of simply trying to survive—remain on autopilot until the plane finally goes down (ie. the finances run out)—that is one option. The other would be to move our ministry somewhere else. The third option would be to remain here and try to reach our neighborhood, which is why the church was started in the first place. These are not easy decisions or decisions to be made quickly or without much thought and prayer. But know that they are decisions that must be made sooner rather than later. May God bless us all. Pastor Dave

Renew, Rest, Worship

classes, and workshops. He has published essays and articles on spiritual and church issues, has served as an adjunct faculty member at Drew University and speaks at regional and national conferences about the opportunities facing the 21st century followers of Jesus. He understands the complexity, skepticism, and spiritual yearning of the emerging church, and speaks the language of his culture. He brings energy and insights, provokes thinking, and encourages questioning. Rick and his wife and best friend, Leslie, love Pilgrim Pines and have two amazing, tall children, Alex and Caitlin. Rick likes to fish, draw, read, work in the yard, think about new ways to follow Jesus, and play with his family. He is untidy and is the luckiest man in the world.

Wrestle with God

Retreat Schedule

PILGRIM PINES MEN’S FALL RETREAT OCTOBER 9-11 2009

Things to do: Relax on a canoe Hike the surrounding area Sit, relax, drink coffee Run the lake Participate in: Archery Horseshoes Tennis Basketball Golf Foosball

Trap Shooting Volleyball Bocce Ball Football Ping Pong Board Games

Come and be refreshed. Come and be renewed. Our weekend will begin with registration at 5:00pm Friday evening followed by dinner at 6:00pm in the Pilgrim Pines Dining Room.

Our Featured Speaker: Rick Diamond

Rick is the lead Pastor of Journey, Imperfect Faith Community in Austin TX. He is a sought-after preacher, teacher, and speaker, having led hundreds of church, denominational, and community groups in retreats,

Friday 5:00 Registration 6:00 Dinner 8:00 Session 1 9:30 Announcements, coffee, snacks Saturday 7:30 Early Bird Devotions 8:15 Breakfast 9:00 Session 2 10:30 Discussion Groups 12:30 Lunch 1:00 Free Time 5:30 Dinner 7:00 Session 3 8:45 Coffee and snack in dining hall 9:00 Optional reflection & sharing Sunday 7:30 Early Bird Devotions 8:15 Breakfast 9:00 Discussion Groups 10:15 Session 4 12:00 Lunch See Pastor Dave for registration if you are interested or download the registration online at: http://www.pilgrimpines.org/content/forms/CovenantMen 2009OL1.pdf

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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

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