We especially welcome all those who visit Centenary and hope that you will consider making CUMC your church home.

Join us for Worship on Sundays at 10:15 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Worship includes a pointed message from Rev. Anna Thomas or a guest preacher; beautiful music featuring our Chancel Choir, organist Jim Sabo and pianist Jonathan Benjamin, and talented guest musicians from within and outside of our congregation; thoughtful prayer; and welcoming friends. Join us for Fellowship Hour following Worship Service in Room 20, where you can meet and greet members of Centenary’s church family.

Child care is available during Worship Service. For the convenience of parents of infants, there is a Parent’s Room, which includes a changing table and rocking chair, located to the left in the Narthex (ask usher for assistance — they will be pleased to help you). Worship Service can be heard via speaker system in the Parent’s Room.

Jan. 1 - Epiphany/Communion; Scripture Lessons: Isaiah 61:10-62:3, Psalm 148, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:22-40; Preacher: Rev. Anna Thomas

Jan. 8 - First Sunday after Epiphany/Baptism of the Lord; Scripture Lessons: Genesis 1:1-5, Psalm 29, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11; Preacher: Rev. Anna Thomas

Jan. 15 - Second Sunday after Epiphany/Human Relations Day; Scripture Lessons: I Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20), Psalm 139:1-6 & 13-18,  I Corinthians 6:12-20, John 1:43-51; Preacher: Rev. Anna Thomas

Jan. 22 - Third Sunday after Epiphany/Ecumenical Sunday; Scripture Lessons: Jonah 3:1-5 & 10, Psalm 62:5-12, I Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20; Preacher: Rev. Anna Thomas

Jan. 29 - Fourth Sunday after Epiphany; Scripture Lessons: Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Psalm 111, I Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28; Preacher: Rev. Anna Thomas

Be sure to refer back to our web-site for information regarding monthly updates and special services upcoming in 2012.

Rev. Thomas takes over as Centenary’s Pastor following the appointment of Rev. Jisun Kwak as District Superintendent of the Gateway North District. Rev. Kwak served as Centenary’s Pastor for one year.

Rev. Thomas was appointed Pastor at Livingston United Methodist Church in Livingston NJ in July of 2005 after serving for one year in Highland Park, NJ and three years in Union, NJ. In her six years at Livingston, Rev. Thomas, a native of Mumbai, India, became known for her dynamic leadership and passion for mission and ministry. She is recognized as authentic, humble and inclusive in her approach to ministry.

Rev. Thomas’  leadership and dedication to the commitment of the people in the Union United Methodist Church, Union, NJ proved instrumental in helping that church become a vibrant, alive and vital congregation.

Pastor Anna is a graduate of New York Theological Seminary, NY where she earned Master of Divinity degree. She earned both a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry, and Bachelor’s of Education, from Bombay University, India. Before coming to the United States, she was high school teacher in Bombay. She is a fully ordained elder in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and is the first Asian Indian female to be ordained as an elder in the GNJAC.

Rev. Thomas is married to Sushil Bhujbal, a trained musician. They are the proud parents of son Joshua.

CUMC BIDS “FOND FAREWELL” TO REV. KWAK

Centenary was blessed to have Rev. Jisun Kwak as its pastor for one year. Rev. Kwak served the Centenary congregation with great love and passion, and certainly made her mark at CUMC in her short tenure. A major focus area for Pastor Kwak while at Centenary UMC was to help further CUMC’s role as a “purpose oriented” church, in which it would make a positive impact in the community.

The congregation of Centenary wishes Rev. Kwak well in her new role as a District Superintendent of the Gateway North District , with the knowledge that  Jisun will always be part of the CUMC family.

Summer Worship & Sunday School at 9:30 AM Begins on June 27
From Sunday, June 27, through Sunday, September 5, Worship and Summer Sunday School will held at 9:30 AM. Please make note of this seasonal change in our Worship and Sunday School schedule for the summer. (There will be no Summer Sunday School sessions on the holiday weekends of July 4 and September 5.) On Sunday, September 12th, we will resume our regular schedule with Worship and Sunday School for Pre-K through 12th Grade Youth at 10:15 AM. The Adult Class will also resume its sessions at 9:00 AM on September 12.

June Celebration of Found Coins
Elijah’s Promise…More Than A Soup Kitchen
Since Elijah’s Promise began in 1989, it has been helping low-income people in the central New Jersey community. From nutritious meals, to social services and health screening, to culinary arts job training and entrepreneurial training, to their own catering business, Elijah’s Promise has been moving people from hunger to wholeness. Please join in the effort to alleviate hunger and empower lives through your barrel offerings this month.

Our Celebration of Found Coins will be designated for the Red Bird Mission, an outreach of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church within the Red Bird Missionary Conference. Red Bird Mission and Clinic have been providing ministries in this region of the Appalachian Mountains since 1921. Today the need remains critical in this isolated, rural distressed area. Chronic poverty, lack of jobs, poor housing, and rugged mountainous terrain provide obstacles to a fuller life for the residents of this area. Red Bird Mission and Clinic strives to meet these needs through ministry in five areas: Education, Health and Wellness, Community Outreach, Economic Opportunity, and Community Housing Improvement.

Support for these ministries come from churches and individuals across the nation. However, in recent years Red Bird Mission has experienced a decline in the support they are receiving. They are currently facing a financial crisis that is making it difficult to continue all the areas of ministries they provide. Without more funding today, Red Bird Mission will have to reduce the level of ministry provided to the Appalachian community. Your donations to Red Bird Mission and Clinic will help continue these vital ministries in this distressed region of Appalachia.

Celebration of Found Coins for May 9—30, 2010
Red Bird Mission
On Sundays, May 9-30, our Celebration of Found Coins will be designated for the Red Bird Mis-sion, an outreach of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church within the Red Bird Missionary Conference. Red Bird Mission and Clinic have been providing ministries in this region of the Appalachian Mountains since 1921. Today the need remains criti-cal in this isolated, rural distressed area. Chronic poverty, lack of jobs, poor housing, and rugged mountainous terrain provide obstacles to a fuller life for the residents of this area. Red Bird Mis-sion and Clinic strives to meet these needs through ministry in five areas: Education, Health and Wellness, Community Outreach, Economic Opportunity, and Community Housing Improve-ment.
Support for these ministries come from churches and individuals across the nation. However, in recent years Red Bird Mission has experienced a decline in the support they are receiving. They are currently facing a financial crisis that is making it difficult to continue all the areas of minis-tries they provide. Without more funding today, Red Bird Mission will have to reduce the level of ministry provided to the Appalachian community. Your donations to Red Bird Mission and Clinic will help continue these vital ministries in this distressed region of Appalachia.

Pastor Bauknight has invited all Women attending Worship on Women’s Sunday, May 2, to wear pastel colored clothing.

Celebration of Found Coins for May 2, 2010
Centenary’s Music Ministry
On Sunday, May 2, our Celebration of Found Coins will be designated for the Music Ministry Fund of Centenary United Methodist Church. This Celebration of Found Coins was originally scheduled to be received on Sunday, December 20, 2009, during the Christmas Cantata. When inclement weather forced us to cancel services that Sunday, our Church Council rescheduled this offering for May 2. Your gifts to the “Barrel Offering” on May 2 will provide additional re-sources for our music ministry program, over and above our annual ministries budget.

Cynthia Kent to Be Speaker on April 18
Native American Ministries Sunday
Also Will Teach Sunday Morning Adult Class
Ms. Cynthia Kent will be the morning preacher at our Native American Ministries Sunday observance at 10:15 AM on Sunday, April 18, 2010. Cynthia will also join the Sunday Morning Adult Class this Sunday morning to share with those in attendance around the theme, “Giving Our Hearts Away: Native American Survival,” which was the theme for the 2008 & 2009 General Issues study for United Methodist Schools of Christian Mission. Rev. John Painter was in Cyndi Kent’s class on Native American Survival during the Greater NJ Annual Conference Cooperative School of Christian Mission in July 2009 at Centenary College in Hackettstown, NJ.

Cynthia Ann Kent is a member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Belleville, New Jersey. She is president of her local church United Methodist Women unit and chair of the Conference Board of Church and Society. She is a member of the Greater New Jersey Conference Committee on Native American Ministries and the chair of the Northeast Jurisdictional Task Force on Native American Ministries.

Cynthia was the executive secretary for Native American ministries within the General Board of Global Ministries until her retirement at the end of 2007. She has worked for the Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs as the executive director and was the director of education for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. She is a member of the Southern Ute Indian tribe of Ignacio, Colorado. She presently lives in Belleville, New Jersey with her sister Betsy, three nieces Ada, Leah and Mara Jade, and a nephew Benjamin Asa. She received her B.A. degree in Adolescent Development from Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn.

We look forward to welcoming Cynthia Kent to Centenary this Sunday.

Native American Ministries Sunday
Special Offering
April 18, 2010
Native American Ministries Sunday recognizes and supports the contributions of Native Americans to church and society. The observance, approved by the 1988 General Conference, is one of six special churchwide Sunday offerings.
The special offering nurtures mission with Native Americans and provides scholarships for United Methodist Native American seminarians. It allows The United Methodist Church to launch and strengthen Native American ministries, both urban and rural, and to recruit and prepare Native American pastors.
It allows The United Methodist Church to launch and strengthen Native American ministries. Many Native American United Methodists are part of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. The 225 United Methodist churches, fellowships and ministries serving Native Americans stretch from the tip of Florida to the top of Alaska, however.
United Methodists observe Native American Ministries Sunday—one of six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings—on the Third Sunday of Easter (two weeks after Easter).
Our Greater New Jersey Annual Conference keeps 50% of the offering to develop and strengthen Native American ministries within our conference. The conference Committee on Native American Ministry (CONAM) administers these funds. If no Native American ministries exist within your conference, that portion of the offering goes to the Native American Urban Initiative of the General Board of Global Ministries to expand its number of target cities for Native American ministries.
The other 50% of the receipts provides scholarships for Native Americans attending United Methodist and other approved schools of theology, distributed through the General Board of Higher Education & Ministry.
The special offering continues to bless Native American churches with grants to purchase hymnals and Bibles, strengthen children’s ministries and renovate buildings for handicap accessibility. Many annual conferences use part of the offering to fund their Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM), which enables conferences to be active, engaged and responsive to Native American tribes, reservations, communities and families within their boundaries.
Your gifts:
· help develop and strengthen Native American ministries within the annual conference;
· provide scholarships for Native Americans attending United Methodist schools of theology and other schools, coordinated through the General Board of Higher Education & Ministry;
· Expand the number of target cities in the Native American Urban Initiative of the General Board of Global Ministries.
In today’s economy, your contributions are critical to the denomination to honor its commitment to ministries that support more than 20,000 Native Americans. Please be prepared to give generously to this special Native American Ministries Sunday offering on this Sunday, April 18. Offering envelopes were included in your April Lamplighter and will be included in your Worship bulletins on Sunday, April 18. Thank you for sharing in this important outreach and ministry of our church.

Celebration of Found Coins for April 2010
“Nothing But Nets”
“Nothing But Nets” is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly challenged his readers to donate $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed net, and thousands of people have joined the campaign. The people of The United Methodist Church, along with Sports Illustrated, NBA Cares, the United Nations Foundation and several other groups, are raising funds to purchase bed nets to end malaria. You can join the cause and contribute money for bed nets that will keep children and families safe.
The children of Africa need you to help stop the spread of this disease. There are many different ways to prevent malaria. Bed nets, vaccinations, insecticide spraying and water treatment are important tools. Purchasing bed nets is an easy way for individuals to make a difference in combating this disease. Bed nets work in two ways: They stop mosquitoes from biting during the night and spreading the disease, and the insecticide on the net kills mosquitoes when they land on it. At this time, no consistently effective malaria vaccine exists. With your help, we can slam dunk this disease. Stop malaria from scoring! Send a net. Save a life.

ADULT CLASS STUDY TOPICS FOR APRIL INCLUDE
NATIVE AMERICANS, & GLOBAL SLAVE TRADE
The focus of worship at Centenary on April 18, will be Native American Ministries Sunday. Our special guest preacher this Sunday will be Cynthia Kent, a member of the Southern Ute nation. Prior to the worship service, Cynthia will be leading the Adult Class around the theme, “Giving Our Hearts Away: Native American Survival,” which was the theme for the 2008 & 2009 General Issues study for United Methodist Schools of Christian Mission. We hope you will join us at 9:00 AM in the Sunshine Room for this special Sunday Adult Class.
On Sunday, April 25, the Adult Class will begin a four-week study on the global slave trade, past and present. A description of this study notes, “We are inspired by the story of those who struggled to end slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries, and by God’s deliverance of an entire people from slavery in the biblical book of Exodus. But how aware are we of the millions of people who live in slavery today–and what can we do to reach out to them?” The study is based on a collection of articles from “Sojourners” magazine and other sources, and is designed to spark discussion, thought, and action about how to live out God’s call for justice in today’s world. The topics that will be covered in this study are as follows:”
April 25…………………. Historical Movements to ‘Free the Captives’
May 2……………………. Modern Slavery and Sex Trafficking
May 9……………………. Exodus and Liberation
May 16………………….. Slavery and the Globalized Economy
You are cordially invited to join us for one or all of these sessions on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM in the Sunshine Room.

Texas Hoe-Down Celebration for Keith Swatzel on April 25
Dust off your 10-Gallon Hat, sharpen your spurs and join us for some Texas-style chili as we celebrate Student Assistant Pastor Keith Swatzel’s all-too-brief tenure with Centenary. Keith, Ying Yu and Karina will be returning to Houston, Texas, at the end of May; however, before they leave the Garden State we would like to send them off with our version of a Texas Hoe-Down on April 25, 2010, immediately following our Worship service.
If you have a hankerin’ to make barbeque, corn bread, enchiladas, quesadillas or other Texas-style food, whip up a batch of your favorite dish and join the party on April 25th. For the true-blue cooks out there, there will be a Chili Cook-Off and our resident expert on spicy food, Keith, will be judging all entries.
In addition to the festivities, the members of the Staff-Parish Relations Committee are collecting contributions toward a gift for Keith before their departure in May. All contributions may be made by May 16, 2010. Checks may be made out to Centenary United Methodist Church with “Keith Swatzel Gift” in the Memo section.
So dress-up for a hoe-down on April 25th as we say Happy Trails to Keith and his family.

Centenary Youth
Mall Hunt This Sunday April 18 after Church: Youth will meet at the Menlo Park Mall and eat together in the Food Court. Then several adults from the congregation will wander the common areas of the mall; some will be disguised. Participating adults have two options: 1) disguise yourself by simply wearing different clothing, an extra scarf, hat, glasses than normally worn. Try to make it a little harder to be recognized by the kids. (at least 2 adults choose this option) 2) come as yourself and be easily recognized. The adults will spread out in the common areas (no department stores!), and as the kids see you sign their index card. You may wander around and move as long as you stay in the common areas. After about a half hour or so we will all meet in the food court and count the signatures. The adults are then free to leave as they wish. Afterward, there will be some free time in the mall and the youth will watch a movie together. After the movie your parents can pick you up from the mall. Any more questions or something I have not covered, let me know.
Youth Excursion to Chinatown Sunday May 16 after Church: It’s my last Sunday with you guys. Come with me on the train to New York. I will take you all to eat and we will explore lower Manhattan together. We should return by 8:00 PM. —Thanks, Keith

Centenary Youth Creating Health Kits for Haiti
In response to the overwhelming need, our Centenary Youth Fellowship have chosen to make up Health Kits to give to UMCOR for the use of people in Haiti who have been affected by the January 12 earthquake. Our youth are appealing to the Centenary congregation to provide assistance by providing items to be included in the kits.
The contents of each health kit are:
1 hand towel (15” x 25” up to 17” x 27”,
No kitchen towels, please.)
1 washcloth
1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
1 nail file or fingernail clippers
(No emery boards or toenail clippers)
1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)
1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, No child-size brushes)
6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages
$1.00 to purchase toothpaste
A marked collection box is in the Narthex where you can leave your items. Please leave your items by Sunday, April 25! Our Centenary Youth thank you for assisting them in reaching out to help the people of Haiti through UMCOR.

HAITI Earthquake Relief: As of mid-April, almost $18 million has been donated to the Haiti Emergency Appeal of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Centenary Church members and friends may still provide support through gifts placed in the offering plates on Sunday morning during worship, or sent to the Church Office. Please make your check payable to “Centenary UM Church,” and indicate in the Memo space: “UMCOR: Haiti Emergency.” Please remember that 100% of your gift will go to support relief efforts in Haiti. Further information about UMCOR’s work in Haiti and the opportunity to donate online are available at: http://www.umc.org/haiti.

Centenary United Methodist Women

ANNUAL WOMEN’S COMMUNION BREAKFAST will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. The speaker will be the Reverend Linda Ross, Pastor at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Hamilton, NJ. The women from Wesley and New Dover Churches of Edison, and Trinity Church of Highland Park have been invited to join us for this event. Child Care will be provided by either Lynn Colgan or Laura Crisco (our regular Sunday Child Care persons). We usually end our program before noon. You may bring muffins, quiche or fruit. There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex in early April. However, you may contact either Giselle Esquivel Cordero (732-549-6525) or Sylvia Woodfield (732-549-9042) if you have any questions. The donation for this event is $3.00.
CAMPBELL SOUP LABELS and other related products – We are still collecting these labels for the Red Bird Mission. There have been BIG changes to the Labels program. The part of the label that we need is the UPC section along with the Labels for Education symbol. Please check out the UMW bulletin board (in the area near the Men’s Room) for more information on how these labels need to be collected. There is a basket in the Church Library to receive your labels. The Red Bird Mission, in Beverly, Kentucky, is a Mission Project of the United Methodist Church.
KITCHEN CLEAN-UP - We are planning to have a kitchen clean-up morning. There are several plates and dishes which people have brought to church for various events. Please check the kitchen the next time you are in church and take your plates/dishes home – otherwise they will be thrown out when we clean the kitchen. Thanks!
METUCHEN FAIR - It is not too early to be thinking of the Metuchen Fair which is held in October. We need some NEW ideas for items that can be made to be sold at the fair. If you have some suggestions, please let Sylvia Woodfield know. Just because you might have a good idea, don’t be shy about it – let me know. You also won’t have to make the items all by yourself – we can arrange for a workshop to make them – “many hands make light work”!!

The Retirement Celebration for
Raritan Valley District Superintendent Robert Scott
will be held at the
Milltown United Methodist Church
47 North Main Street – Milltown, NJ 08820
on Sunday, April 25th at 3:00 in the Afternoon
We will gather for Worship in the sanctuary at 3:00 PM,
and move to the Fellowship Hall for a reception shortly after.
The combined choirs of the Spring Lake UMC and
the UMC at Milltown will bring the gift of music to our worship.
The event is expected to end at approximately 5:00 PM.

“Starter Kits” For Amandla Crossing Residents
The Mission Committee is requesting “Starter Kits” for residents of Amandla Crossing, a program of “Making It Possible to end Homelessness” (MIPH). Amandla Crossing is a 30-unit transitional housing program for homeless, single parent families on public assistance situated on 3.2 acres of federal surplus property in Edison. Each family lives up to 12 months in a fully-furnished apartment with kitchen and bath. Near the completion of their stay, residents work with staff to locate permanent, safe, affordable housing.
Mission Committee Co-Chairperson Mary Ellen Heim indicates that the contents of the “Starter Kits” for the residents should include:
laundry detergent,
dryer sheets,
shampoo & conditioner
deodorant
toothpaste
toothbrush
and other personal items
Please place all of these items in a sealed plastic bag…or other suitable container…and bring the kits to church and place them in the container in the hallway outside the Women’s Room, just off the Narthex. Your gifts and support are greatly appreciated.

Save the Dates for a Concert:
Sunday, April 25 at 3:00 PM: The Madison String Quartet will perform in our Sanctuary. Additional details will be forthcoming shortly. You may also speak with Shirley Mosteller for information about the concert.
Sunday, June 6 at 3:00 PM: Composer’s Anniversary Concert – music of Schumann and Chopin, featuring piano, oboe, clarinet, and voice

Women’s Sunday Will Be Celebrated on May 2, 2010
Any women (youth & adult) of the congregation who would like to participate as leaders/readers in the Worship service are asked to contact Assistant Pastor Terrilisa Durham Bauknight at 908-419-4101or by E-mail at beforethedawn88@aol.com. Women who wish to sing with a women’s chorus in Worship on May 2 are invited to attend rehearsals following Worship this Sunday and on April 25 in the Music Room. For further information, please speak with Director of Music Ministry Shirley Mosteller: 732-321-1823; SSMosteller@juno.com.

Metuchen-Edison Area
Interfaith Clergy Association
is pleased to present our second symposium on:

Prayer and Prayer Ritual:
From the various different Faith Perspectives

Sunday, May 2, 2010
at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
17 Oak Avenue, Metuchen

6:00 PM Pizza/Salad Dinner and Gathering
6:30 PM Welcome and Introductions
6:45 PM First Session of Classes
A. Judaism
B. Presbyterian
C. Islam
D. Episcopal
7:30 PM Second Session of Classes
D. The Baptists
E. The Catholic Perspective
F. Methodism
G. Islam
8:15 PM Reception and Final Thoughts

Dinner is Sponsored by the Metuchen-Edison Area Interfaith Clergy Association
However, we ask that you RSVP so we can order food accordingly.
Also, please email which TWO CLASSES you would like to attend, by letter.
Please RSVP by Thursday, April 29, 2010 to interfaithclergy@verizon.net
Questions?? Ask your clergy…

All Sunday School classes will be participating in the 9:00 AM “He Lives!” Easter Worship Service. Rehearsal for the Easter Pageant will be Saturday, April 3rd at 3:00 PM. Please be on time so we can finish in an hour. Volunteers are also welcome to help with and participate in the Easter Pageant during the service. Please speak with Cathy Savoia.

Lenten Coin Folders
You are encouraged to return your filled 2010 Lenten Coin Folders on Easter Sunday, April 4. You may place them in an offering plate during Worship or mail/bring them to the Church Office. Our Lenten Coin Folder offering is designated for support of The Fellowship Fund of The United Methodist Homes of New Jersey. These funds are used by our UM Homes to assist elderly residents whose financial resources have been depleted to remain in residence in our homes. (Note: If you choose to return your coin folder with either a check or paper bills [instead of quarters], our counting team will not be averse to your doing so…but we appreciate your gifts in whatever form they may be shared.) We are deeply grateful for your generous and sacrificial offering during these forty days of Lent.

Celebration of Found Coins for April 2010
“Nothing But Nets”
“Nothing But Nets” is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly challenged his readers to donate $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed net, and thousands of people have joined the campaign. The people of The United Methodist Church, along with Sports Illustrated, NBA Cares, the United Nations Foundation and several other groups, are raising funds to purchase bed nets to end malaria. You can join the cause and contribute money for bed nets that will keep children and families safe.

The children of Africa need you to help stop the spread of this disease. There are many different ways to prevent malaria. Bed nets, vaccinations, insecticide spraying and water treatment are important tools. Purchasing bed nets is an easy way for individuals to make a difference in combating this disease. Bed nets work in two ways: They stop mosquitoes from biting during the night and spreading the disease, and the insecticide on the net kills mosquitoes when they land on it. At this time, no consistently effective malaria vaccine exists. With your help, we can slam dunk this disease. Stop malaria from scoring! Send a net. Save a life.

Centenary Youth Creating Health Kits for Haiti
In response to the overwhelming need, our Centenary Youth Fellowship have chosen to make up Health Kits to give to UMCOR for the use of people in Haiti who have been affected by the January 12 earthquake. Our youth are appealing to the Centenary congregation to provide assistance by providing items to be included in the kits.
The contents of each health kit are:
1 hand towel (15” x 25” up to 17” x 27”,
No kitchen towels, please.)
1 washcloth
1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
1 nail file or fingernail clippers
(No emery boards or toenail clippers)
1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)
1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, No child-size brushes)
6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages
$1.00 to purchase toothpaste
A marked collection box is in the Narthex where you can leave your items. Our Centenary Youth thank you for assisting them in reaching out to help the people of Haiti through UMCOR.

HAITI Earthquake Relief: Around $14 million has been contributed to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) for the Haiti Earthquake Emergency Appeal. Centenary Church members and friends may provide support through gifts placed in the offering plates on Sunday morning during worship, or sent to the Church Office. Please make your check payable to “Centenary UM Church,” and indicate in the Memo space: “UMCOR: Haiti Emergency.” Please remember that 100% of your gift will go to support relief efforts in Haiti. Further information about UMCOR’s work in Haiti and the opportunity to donate online are available at: http://www.umc.org/haiti.

Library Help Needed: The Library Committee will be starting to clean out the Library at Church during the week after Easter. All hands are welcome to pitch in. Please speak with Cathy Savoia. We will be ordering some new books with our library funds and special donations.

Centenary Book Club: Friday, April 9th at 6:00 PM at the Duchess Diner in Metuchen—Book discussion: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. We hope that you will consider joining the Centenary Book Club. Unless there is a conflict of events, we meet the second Friday of every month. The selections we have for this Club Year, as in the past, are wide in variety and have proven to be the right ones for interesting, enjoyable, challenging reading and discussion. The Club remains open to interested persons, male or female, ages 18 years and older.

Metuchen-Edison Area
Interfaith Clergy Association
and the Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County

Invite You to Attend Our Annual
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL PROGRAM

Monday, April 12, 2010
7:30 PM

We join together in readings and songs to remember all those who perished, with the promise that we will never forget.

2010 Summer Camp Programs at
Aldersgate Center and Pinelands Center
The time has come to start making your summer plans. The 2010 summer camp brochure is hot off the press! Please see Cathy Jean Savoia to get a copy of the brochure. And just a reminder that scholarship assistance is available for those attending camp through our Children’s Ministries program and from our United Methodist Women.
For children and teens, there are several new camp events planned and, of course, many of the favorite camping programs continue at the Aldersgate Center and the Pinelands Center at Mt Misery. For adults and families the camps have reopened the family camping options for Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends at both camps. Each includes a newly designed program with fun, fellowship, and worship (this will be limited to space available, so be sure to register early!). Also new for 2010, the family campgrounds at the Aldersgate Center are opened for you to design your own unique summer vacation package. Contact the camp office for more information: 609-893-3354.
Please visit www.pinelandscenter.org or www.aldersgatenj.com The camp web pages are back online with a fresh new look. You will find more information about each camp event on these web pages. Fill out the online “contact us” form and let them know what you think!
Open positions for Committed Christians who would like to help lead children to Christ are available. They are looking to fill both volunteer and paid positions. Can you give a week to help with one of the special event programs? Would you or someone you know make an excellent Christian role model for children and families? Please contact Timothy Goodwin by email (tgoodwin@gnjumc.org) if you can help or with contact information for someone you feel would be a good fit for this ministry.

Refreshments: You are invited to sponsor the time of coffee and refreshments following our Sunday Worship services. Please consider sponsoring a refreshment time and signing up for one of the many available weeks on the 2010 Refreshment Chart posted in the Narthex. Information on what you need to provide is available on the information sheet attached to the Refreshment Chart. Thank you for providing hospitality on a Sunday morning.

Centenary United Methodist Women

ANNUAL WOMEN’S COMMUNION BREAKFAST will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. The speaker will be the Reverend Linda Ross, Pastor at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Hamilton, NJ. The women from Wesley and New Dover Churches of Edison, and Trinity Church of Highland Park have been invited to join us for this event. Child Care will be provided by either Lynn Colgan or Laura Crisco (our regular Sunday Child Care persons). We usually end our program before noon. You may bring muffins, quiche or fruit. There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex in early April. However, you may contact either Giselle Esquivel Cordero (732-549-6525) or Sylvia Woodfield (732-549-9042) if you have any questions. The donation for this event is $3.00.

CAMPBELL SOUP LABELS and other related products – We are still collecting these labels for the Red Bird Mission. There have been BIG changes to the Labels program. The part of the label that we need is the UPC section along with the Labels for Education symbol. Please check out the UMW bulletin board (in the area near the Men’s Room) for more information on how these labels need to be collected. There is a basket in the Church Library to receive your labels. The Red Bird Mission, in Beverly, Kentucky, is a Mission Project of the United Methodist Church.

KITCHEN CLEAN-UP – After Easter, we are planning to have a kitchen clean-up morning. There are several plates and dishes which people have brought to church for various events. Please check the kitchen the next time you are in church and take your plates/dishes home – otherwise they will be thrown out when we clean the kitchen. Thanks!

METUCHEN FAIR – It is not too early to be thinking of the Metuchen Fair which is held in October. We need some NEW ideas for items that can be made to be sold at the fair. If you have some suggestions, please let Sylvia Woodfield know. Just because you might have a good idea, don’t be shy about it – let me know. You also won’t have to make the items all by yourself – we can arrange for a workshop to make them – “many hands make light work”!!

Centenary Youth
Mall Hunt Sunday April 18 after Church: We will meet at the Menlo Park Mall and eat together, then several adults from the congregation will wonder the common areas of the mall, some disguised. Youth must recognize them and get them to sign a card saying they were found. The youth that find the most adults will get a special prize. Afterward, there will be some free time in the mall and then we will watch a movie together. We need to determine which movie. After the movie your parents can pick you up from the mall. We need some adults to volunteer to disguise themselves and wander the mall.

Youth Excursion to Chinatown Sunday May 16 after Church: It’s my last Sunday with you guys. Come with me on the train to New York. I will take you all to eat and we will explore lower Manhattan together. We should return by 8:00 PM. —Thanks, Keith

“Starter Kits” For Amandla Crossing Residents
The Mission Committee is requesting “Starter Kits” for residents of Amandla Crossing, a program of “Making It Possible to end Homelessness” (MIPH). Amandla Crossing is a 30-unit transitional housing program for homeless, single parent families on public assistance situated on 3.2 acres of federal surplus property in Edison. Each family lives up to 12 months in a fully-furnished apartment with kitchen and bath. Near the completion of their stay, residents work with staff to locate permanent, safe, affordable housing.
Mission Committee Co-Chairperson Mary Ellen Heim indicates that the contents of the “Starter Kits” for the residents should include:
laundry detergent,
dryer sheets,
shampoo & conditioner
deodorant
toothpaste
toothbrush
and other personal items
Please place all of these items in a sealed plastic bag…or other suitable container…and bring the kits to church and place them in the container in the hallway outside the Women’s Room, just off the Narthex. Your gifts and support are greatly appreciated.

Save the Dates for a Concert:
+Sunday, April 25 at 3:00 PM: The Madison String Quartet will perform in our Sanctuary. Additional details will be forthcoming shortly. You may also speak with Shirley Mosteller for information about the concert.
+Sunday, June 6 at 3:00 PM: Composer’s Anniversary Concert – music of Schumann and Chopin, featuring piano, oboe, clarinet, and voice