Celebration of Found Coins for March 2010
Greater NJ Annual Conference Media Center
Our March 2010 Celebration of Found Coins (Barrel Offering) will be designated for the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference Media Center. Located in our Conference Office Center in Ocean Twp, the Media Center offers an extensive library of audio-visual resources for the use of our local United Methodist churches. Centenary has made extensive use of the Media Center for many years in our educational ministries, especially in our Sunday Morning Adult Study. Our gifts this month will cover the cost of our annual membership and enable the Media Center to purchase some additional resources to strengthen its ministries with our churches.

Food Collection—This Sunday, March 21
Please bring cereals, staple food items in plastic jars or cans, and paper products to share with senior residents in Perth Amboy. We and they are deeply grateful for your generous sharing. Special Appeal for Diapers and Infant/Toddler Food for Amandla Crossing: Your assis-tance is needed to provide diapers (sizes #4, #5 (especially) & #6…and pull-ups) and infant & toddler food for children at Amandla Crossing. Please bring the items to Centenary and leave them in the boxes provided in the Narthex. Thank you. —Your Mission Committee

One Great Hour of Sharing
Special Offering on Sunday, March 14, 2010
When the first tremors of the earthquake in Haiti rocked that island nation, UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) staff were already in country, strategizing how United Methodists could help improve the lives of the people there. Shortly after last weekend’s earthquake in Chile, UMCOR personnel were on the ground working with local Methodist clergy and laity to respond with assistance. Their work is a direct result of the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering, which supports the operating expenses of those who bring healing and help in our name. It makes it possible, when we respond to emergencies like those in Haiti & Chile, to know that 100% of our gift goes directly to where the suffering is happening. Every year, but this year more than ever, we hope you’ll join with the faithful across the church to support the One Great Hour of Sharing special offering this Sunday. Special brochures and offering envelopes were included in your March Lamplighter, and will be included in your Worship bulletins on Sunday. Thank you!
Celebration of Found Coins for March 2010
Greater NJ Annual Conference Media Center
Our March 2010 Celebration of Found Coins (Barrel Offering) will be designated for the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference Media Center. Located in our Conference Office Center in Ocean Twp, the Media Center offers an extensive library of audio-visual resources for the use of our local United Methodist churches. Centenary has made extensive use of the Media Center for many years in our educational ministries, especially in our Sunday Morning Adult Study. Our gifts this month will cover the cost of our annual membership and enable the Media Center to purchase some additional resources to strengthen its ministries with our churches.

Texts: James 3:8-10; Matthew 7:7-11; Proverbs 16:24
…no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.
—James 3:8-10, NRSV

“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for eve-ryone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” —Matthew 7:7-11, NRSV
Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
—Proverbs 16:24, New Living Translation (NLT)
Will you pray with me? Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
I am so glad you are here this weekend. We are in a Lenten adventure called “Live Like You Were Dying.” During these days of Lent this year, we are stepping back and asking the question, “What if we only had 30 days to live?” How would we change? If you were on a 30-day countdown to exit this earth, how would you live differently? It is a thought-provoking ques-tion and one that is worthy of our time. This weekend we are going to zero in on one line from Tim McGraw’s song, Live Like You Were Dying, that will probably change us in many ways if we follow it. The change the song talks about is to “speak more sweetly.”
One of the most amazing and powerful gifts God gives us is the gift of a “voice.” A voice allows us to be able to express our deepest thoughts and emotions. It is interesting that in John, Jesus is called the Word. And, in Hebrews chapter 1, the writer says that long ago God spoke at many times and in many ways through the prophets. But in these days, God has spoken to us by his Son. The most powerful communication of God to humankind came in the form of Jesus. He is the ultimate and complete Word from God.
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Words have power. Words have impact. Last year the average cost of a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl was $2.6 million. Companies spent $2.6 million for a 30-second shot at getting the word out about their product. The President has a press secre-tary, and his job is to carefully choose just the right words when speaking on behalf of the Presi-dent. Words can inspire, motivate, challenge, and affirm. Or they can cut, de-motivate, wound, and destroy.
Some of us who are here today could give testimony to the power of hurtful words. You can still remember word for word a verbal lashing you received from a parent or a teacher or a coach or a spouse. It may have happened years ago, but even in this moment you can feel the emotion of embarrassment, shame or anger. Verbal shrapnel has left scars on all of us.
On the other hand, some of you know the power of affirming words. You have experi-enced the joy of someone’s verbal blessing. Words have inspired you, comforted you, and chal-lenged you. You know what it’s like for someone to look you in the eye and say “I believe in you… You can do it!”
During our time together this morning, I would like to suggest three ways to use your words so that they are life giving. If you only had 30 days to live, I am convinced these three practical suggestions would be changes you would want to make.
1. Appreciate People
One of the defining marks of a follower of Jesus Christ is the characteristic of gratitude. Even for those of us who have been Christians for a long time, it is easy for our words to be more about grumbling than about gratitude. This is a struggle as old as the human race.
In his rule for monasteries, St. Benedict considered grumbling a serious offense against community life. He says, “First and foremost, there must be no word or sign of grumbling, no manifestation of it for any reason at all.” The most wonderful line in Benedict’s rule describes the appropriate response to a monk who was creating discord by their grumbling. “Let Father Abbot send two stout monks to explain the matter to him.” You complain and whine in the mon-astery and you get a visit from a couple of monk bouncers named Bruno and Guido. Maybe we should implement such a strategy in the church?
Now, I know what some of you are mumbling to yourselves right now. You are saying “you don’t understand. My life is hard.” That may be, but you’re still not off the hook. Listen to this admonition from the Bible: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT).
Did you hear those first words…in all circumstances? No matter what happens… I think that just about covers it all. No matter what you are going through; even if you only had 30 days left to live you can still be filled with gratitude. No matter what life throws at you, you are loved. You are forgiven. You have hope. By God’s loving grace, you are at peace with God, and you can face both life and death with confidence.
When people realize that they have been touched by God and they get to live a life they don’t deserve and their hearts are filled with gratitude, you know what happens? Their face gets notified and they smile more. Their mouth gets notification and they speak grateful words.
I want to give you two very doable, practical ways to put this attitude of appreciating people into practice during the next seven days.
First, Say “Thanks” to the people who serve you. Life around here moves pretty fast. If we are not careful, we can blow right past opportunities for gratitude to fill our soul and roll off of our lips. So, this week I want you to focus on noticing the small things. Then, every chance you get this week, say the words “thank you,” or “I appreciate you.”
When you see the school crossing guard at the intersection, roll down your window as you go by and say, “Thanks for what you do.” When you see your mail carrier in the neighbor-hood this week, stop for a moment and just say, “Thanks, I appreciate what you do.” When you encounter the waiter or waitress, busboy, bank teller, nurse, children’s Sunday school teacher or your high school principal, develop the habit of expressing thanks.
Second, Say “Thanks” to the people who shaped you. There are people in your life who have shaped and blessed you, or sacrificed for you. If you only had 30 days to live, I suspect you would track down some of those people and take a few minutes to tell them what they mean to you.
Who is it that is coming to mind right now? Maybe it is someone you haven’t seen in years. But, their influence and example have shaped you to become the person you are today. Their words and prayers motivated you. Go to them if you can and sit down with them. Look them in the eye and say, “Thanks, I am so grateful for your impact on my life.” Now I know this is new territory for some of you, but listen, life is too short and you aren’t promised tomorrow. Don’t miss this chance to sit down with people who mean something to you and say out loud, “I am grateful for you.”
2. Encourage people…build them up
This is so huge and, yet, it is so simple to do. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) Paul offers this challenge: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.” What a great statement!
We live in a world where people are beat up and put down. We all remember the child-hood saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That is just not true. Years ago on the old sitcom Cheers, one of the characters was a guy named Norm. One day when he was asked how his day was, he responded, “It’s a dog-eat-dog world and I’m wear-ing milk bone underwear.”
Some of you feel that way about this past week. There are people all around us who are stressed, anxious, fearful, angry, insecure or discouraged. They are everywhere.
But, here is the great news. We have the unbelievable privilege of looking people in the eye and saying to them, “You matter; your life counts; God loves you. You are valuable, and the God at the very heart of the universe is intimately interested in you.”
I’m sure you have seen video footage of the Special Olympics. Don’t you just love watching these clips? As the kids are participating, the parents, friends and coaches are cheering wildly. And as the kids cross the finish line there is a mob of hugging and cheering and celebrat-ing. It doesn’t matter how fast they are or how gifted they are. Every person is encouraged and cheered for and celebrated. If there is any group on this planet that ought to model this kind of encouragement, it is the body of Christ. We should be excessive, obnoxious, and lavish with our encouragement.
Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today. This is such a great attitude for this 30-day experiment. It is a reminder that all I really have is today. All of our good intentions have led to so many missed opportunities.
I wonder how many people God put in my path this week. But, I was so self-absorbed or moving so fast that I never even saw them. One of the things that I love about Jesus is that he had this wonderful capacity to “notice” people. He never seemed to be rushed. He never looked past them to someone more important. He never seemed to see people as an interruption or an annoy-ance.
So, how about it? Who needs your encouragement? Who could you bless this week with no strings attached?
However, you choose to do it, let me challenge you this week to be a “blessing dis-penser.” I want to give you a chance to put this one into action. I am asking our ushers to share a special card with all of you. What I want is for you to use that card to write an encouragement note to someone this week…preferably sooner than later. Be a “blessing dispenser.”
So, we can appreciate people, encourage people and, finally, we can…
3. Pray for people…
It is a wonderful privilege to be able to speak to people on behalf of God…one I have cherished for over 43 years. But, it is an equal privilege to speak to God on behalf of people. In other words, we have the joy of carrying people and their needs before the very presence of God. We can engage in prayer for the sake of our friends and family…and even complete strangers.
One of the greatest blessings we have is that we can go into the presence of God anytime, anywhere. My hope for you is that prayer will become a lifestyle—an ongoing conversation with God throughout the day. While you are driving, showering, taking a walk, or sitting in front of your computer, you can pray on behalf of those people who are in your world.
Listen my friends, there is power in prayer! Sometimes we minimize the power of prayer and forget that prayer has the ability to move heaven, as we heard in that portion of Jesus’ Ser-mon on the Mount from Matthew’s Gospel earlier this morning.
Prayer should be our first response not our last resort. So, when someone shares a need, a crisis, or a celebration, get in the habit of stopping right then and praying for him or her. People’s tears are often God’s invitation to stop and pray. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do is to tenderly pray on someone’s behalf. The result is that people are encouraged, God’s power is unleashed, and everyone’s faith is strengthened.
I have this picture in my mind of our congregation scattered all over this area and you have your arm around someone whispering a prayer on their behalf. Can you imagine how it might change our community and us if we just started praying for and with people? Can you im-agine how it would impact people if we had no other agenda than to bring their needs before God? Let me challenge you this week give it a try. Make it your goal this week to pray with at least one person that God brings across your path. Come on, take a risk. After all, what do you have to lose? You have only 30 days to live. Go for it!
There is a man in a nursing home in Indiana who is a quadriplegic. He hasn’t been out of a wheelchair in many years. And, now he is unable to speak. But, he loves God and he loves his church. He can’t usher, or sing, or lead a small group…but he can pray. So, every week the folk in his church bring him prayer requests, and for hours every week he brings those needs into the presence of God. Not until we arrive beyond the Jordan will we really know just how much im-pact this man’s life and prayers have had.
I want to finish today where we began. I want to take you back to those words from Prov-erbs 18:21 (NIV): “The tongue has the power of life and death…”
May your words be life-giving this week. Amen.
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ADULT CLASS LOOKS AT “THE FALL OF JERICHO”
AND “EASTER FROM THE BACK SIDE”
After completing its five-week study of Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense at the end of January, Centenary’s Adult Class will take a modern look at one of the Old Testament’s best-known stories (“Joshua fought the battle of Jericho…and the walls came tumbling down”) on Sunday, February 7. You can read the story in Joshua 5:13-6:21, but what really happened there? Did God work a miracle to bring down the walls of Jericho as the Bible says? Or can natural causes sufficiently explain the city’s demise? The answers, previously buried under rubble and dirt for three-and-a-half millennia, are now being uncovered. Join us on February 7 as we view and discuss a 30-minute DVD documentary, The Fall of Jericho, that explores what really happened as Joshua and the Israelites experienced one of the Bible’s greatest military victories. Interviews with archaeologist Dr. Bryant Wood and Bible scholar Dr. Frederick Baltz shed new light on the truths found in Scripture about this miraculous event.
Then, on the following Sunday, February 14, we will begin our seven-week Lenten study of the book, Easter from the Back Side, by the Rev. J. Ellsworth Kalas, a longtime United Methodist pastor and president of Asbury Theological Seminary. The Rev. Kalas’s creative approach both clarifies basic teachings and introduces new possibilities of meaning, even for those who are most familiar with the Easter story. The author looks beyond the traditional Gospel scriptures to connect the story of Christ’s resurrection with other stories and scriptures throughout the Bible, including both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The schedule is as follows:
February 14 “Why We Need Easter” (Genesis 3:1-7, 22-24)
February 21 “Easter from an Ash Heap” (Job 19:13-27)
February 28 “Easter for the Disillusioned” (Ecclesiastes 2:14-26)
March 7 “Ezekiel Celebrates Easter” (Ezekiel 37:1-10)
March 14 “Easter is a Love Story” (John 20:1-18)
March 21 “Late for Easter” (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)
March 28 “Forever Easter” (Revelation 21:1-4)
Copies of the text, Easter from the Back Side are available at the Adult Study sessions or from the Church Office at $8.50 each. You are invited to join us Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 AM in the Sunshine Room as we gain new perspectives on “The Greatest Story Ever Told.”

Celebration of Found Coins for January 2010
Raritan Valley District Church Union
Our January 2010 Celebration of Found Coins (Barrel Offering) will be designated for the Raritan Valley District Church Union. The Church Union provides some financial support to congregations in the Raritan Valley District that are facing unusual and unanticipated expenses. These funds are primarily used to help with emergency repairs to facilities (e.g. roof repair) or equipment (e.g. furnace repair/replacement). A number of our smaller churches, especially, do not have extra funds available when such expenses arise, and the combined efforts of the churches of our Raritan Valley District can provide these congregations with some limited assistance. Your generous support is gratefully appreciated.

Celebration of Found Coins for January 2010
Raritan Valley District Church Union
Our January 2010 Celebration of Found Coins (Barrel Offering) will be designated for the Rari-tan Valley District Church Union. The Church Union provides some financial support to congre-gations in the Raritan Valley District that are facing unusual and unanticipated expenses. These funds are primarily used to help with emergency repairs to facilities (e.g. roof repair) or equip-ment (e.g. furnace repair/replacement). A number of our smaller churches, especially, do not have extra funds available when such expenses arise, and the combined efforts of the churches of our Raritan Valley District can provide these congregations with some limited assistance. Your generous support is gratefully appreciated.

Yet, when I returned to the produce section she was gone. Panic set in. I scanned the area around me and she was nowhere to be found. I ran to the front of the store and looked down each aisle. I still could not find her. My eyes filled with tears as I thought of never seeing my mom again. Who would feed me and love me? Where would I live? What did I do to deserve this? Then I wiped my tears out of my eyes and stood up straight. I walked over to the counter and asked them to call my mother over the speaker system. It seemed like an eternity, but I saw her. My mom was running. She seemed scared and as she got closer I saw tears in her eyes. I began to wander, what happened to mom? She never cries. Did she get hurt? Did she fall? As she got closer she reached out her arms and grabbed me tight. I cried too. It took me a minute, but I realized my mom had been looking for me too. The whole time I searched for her, she was searching for me. I never should have left her side. Separation is a painful experience. We can feel abandoned, unloved, vulnerable, bewildered, even angry when we are separated from the persons we love. Separation is so often not what we expect. It threatens our security and our future. What can we do if we don’t know it’s coming? How can we stop it from happening?

The community Isaiah speaks to is recovering from a traumatic separation. This separation is beyond any individual relationship. The people are separated from God. How did this happen? The once great nation of Israel fell apart. The glory days of David and Solomon were no more. The kingdom divided itself in half and each half was carried away into slavery by a larger nation. The temple in Jerusalem, the house built for God, was completely destroyed. Its riches were looted and its stones thrown down. The people were dazed. Where is God? Why is this happening? What will become of us? No one spoke of hope or deliverance. They felt abandoned, forgotten, defeated. Their community crumbled around them as did their relationship with God. The Babylonian captivity is a story of failed relationships, a story of separation.

What exactly is the irreconcilable difference that set the people on a course of self-destruction? Isaiah and many of the other prophets of the Old Testament make no secret of the fact that the people were worshipping other gods. It is a continual theme running throughout the Old Testament. The Israelites bow to a golden calf while Moses is away. One of the Ten Commandments specifically says not to make idols and to have no other gods. In the time of Elijah anyone who refuses to worship the god Baal is executed. There are always competing gods. They take away the people’s time and energy to invest in their relationship with the Creator. How can you have a close relationship with someone you don’t talk to and do not visit on a regular basis? You can’t. It’s not possible. The people’s priorities shifted over time and their relationship with God degenerated and decayed to the point of death. Their daily existence no longer had a unified purpose rooted in a common god, but a divided purpose centered on their own wants and desires in the moment.

The people’s relationship with God was broken and so was their relationship with one another. The law in Deuteronomy calls for the corners of the fields to be left for the widows, the orphans, and the aliens to tend. It also says to leave any unintentional crops that may fall from harvesting for the poor to gather. The law in Deuteronomy recognizes that it is the community’s responsibility to care for the most vulnerable and least-privileged among us. Yet we also know from the Old Testament prophets that the community was not taking care of its own. The poor and the marginalized suffered greatly while the people who had, gained more. The reason for the existence of any community is to ensure the survival and wellbeing of its members. In this case, the community failed to follow the law, in essence, leaving its weakest members without resources and without any hope for survival. The people’s relationship to each other withered away and was transformed into a self-centered, winner-take-all lifestyle. The people were no longer in relationship with God or with one another.

In the ruins of broken relationships and shattered promises, the people become slaves to other nations. It is not that God left them for they long ago had left God. It’s not so much that their community was surrounded and destroyed by the Babylonians as they had already broken their community down by ignoring the cries of the needy. Exiled miles away from home in an unfamiliar land with a wholly different culture and language, the people wonder if they will just disappear as if they had never existed. It is in this context that Isaiah brings them good news. It’s time to rebuild, to start over. Their glory days from the past are no more, but there will be glory days in the future. What’s more, as they build their community anew, God will ensure their success. The people are offered a new chance to rekindle their broken relationship with God and with one another.

Rebuilding is an exciting opportunity, but an enormous challenge. The previous structure fell apart. What will you do to ensure that the new structure does not also collapse? When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf coast a few years ago, very few people would have predicted the damage done to New Orleans. Everyone placed so much faith in large mounds of dirt and rock holding back millions and millions of gallons of water. When the levees broke open, the houses were not prepared for the rising waters. Most of the houses were a total loss. After the storm, new houses are required to be anchored more than 30 feet into the ground and rest several feet above the ground surface. This way the house will not be moved and it will be safe from the rising water. It is extremely important when rebuilding to learn from past mistakes and build better, wiser, and safer.
Jesus provides with a blueprint for rebuilding relationships with God and with one another. It is through Christ that we are ultimately restored to full relationship with God. Jesus obediently followed God’s call in his life and made himself vulnerable for the sake of the community. Also, it is from Christ that we are given the beatitudes, blessing the poor and the weak. In Matthew chapter 5 Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Our rebuilt community sits in a place where the world can see it. Do we ensure that the world sees us? Are we comfortable with the world coming to us and the changes that would occur? What are we doing with our elevated position? What kind of example are we setting for the wider community around us? Do we care for the lowly, the marginalized, the wounded, and the oppressed?

It is always a good idea to ask ourselves difficult, self-reflective questions. We should never be afraid to hold ourselves accountable for our relationships. Let’s take an inventory of our relationships now. Are we truly a city on a hill? Do people look up to our church as a shining light or do they pay us little attention? Do we wait for people to come to us or do we go out and meet people where they are? Which one of these do we think fits the image of a city on a hill more closely? How do we organize our priorities? Does God make the top five? How do we make God a priority? What do we do to care for one another? How do we care for the widow, the orphan, and the alien? Relationships are always changing. There are ups and there are downs and it requires constant maintenance to keep the relationships we value. Let us not wait for the point when we have to rebuild. We don’t have to let ourselves slip into brokenness. When we are lost, alone and afraid, thanks be to God that He looks for us as we are looking for Him. Thanks be to God that when we feel alone, there is always a community here to support and build us up.

Vision Statement:

Our vision is of a welcoming, dynamic, intergenerational, Spirit-filled congregation, committed to spreading God’s Love and Word to a diverse community that has no boundaries.

Mission Statement:

Centenary United Methodist Church is a Christ-centered community
that seeks to

Grow in the knowledge, love and joy of our Lord, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit;
Proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ; and,
Serve others through the love of Christ.

Chairperson of Church Council
James Iacone

President, Board of Trustees
John Lashley

Chairperson of Staff-Parish Relations Committee
Carlston Gray

Chairperson of Finance Committee
Richard Asmuth

Chairperson of Education Committee
Robert Carlson

Chairperson of Evangelism Committee
Ruth Valentine

Co-Chairperson of Mission Committee
Glenna Gundell

Co-Chairperson of Mission Committee
Mary Ellen Heim

Chairperson of Worship Committee
Christine Rose

Chairperson of Music Committee
Alison Williams

Happy New Year!

As you will note from the information below, there has been a change in the Worship service for this Sunday, January 3, 2010. I will not be preaching, as originally planned, but the Chancel Choir and supporting musicians/instrumentalists, will present the “Candles and Carols” Cantata which had been scheduled for Sunday, December 20…when our service was cancelled because of the significant snowfall. We will also change the order within the service. The Sacrament of Holy Communion will be offered earlier in the service, and the children will be encouraged to remain in Worship until after Communion is served. They may then participate in a special activity for this first Sunday in the New Year…or they may remain for the Cantata, which will compose the final part of the Worship service. We look forward to sharing in this special musical experience which will offer you the opportunity to hear once again the Christmas story and to sing many of your favorite carols with the Chancel Choir.

This Sunday at Centenary: January 3, 2010
Epiphany Sunday / Sacrament of Holy Communion

9:00 AM – Adult Study – Core Beliefs of Christianity (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM – Worship & Sunday School
A Christmas Cantata: Candles & Carols: A Service of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love
by Mark Hayes & Pamela Martin
with Chancel Choir, Instrumental Ensemble, and Congregational Singing
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Matthew 2:1-12
Celebration of Found Coins: Raritan Valley District Church Union
Children’s Time: Assistant Pastor Terrilisa Durham Bauknight
11:45 AM – Fellowship Time (Room 20)
6:30 PM – Centenary Youth Fellowship (Grades 7-12) (Youth Room)
ADULT CLASS LOOKS AT THE CORE BELIEFS OF CHRISTIANITY
First Adult Class Study of the New Year
What is the core of Christian faith? What have most Christians in most places and times believed? Is the Christian faith reasonable for modern people? These are some of the questions that will be addressed by well-known biblical scholar and Anglican bishop N. T. Wright in the first Adult Class study of the New Year. In this five-week course, beginning this Sunday, January 3, 2010, Bishop Wright offers a fresh presentation of the timeless truths of Christianity, making the case that faith is reasonable and rewarding for us today. This DVD study is based on Bishop Wright’s acclaimed book, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense. Join us, starting Sunday, January 3, 20l0, for this “faith refresher,” as we explore together the common beliefs we share as Christians. The class meets every Sunday morning from 9:00 to 10:00 AM in the Sunshine Room. All are welcome.

Celebration of Found Coins for January 2010
Raritan Valley District Church Union
Our January 2010 Celebration of Found Coins (Barrel Offering) will be designated for the Raritan Valley District Church Union. The Church Union provides some financial support to congregations in the Raritan Valley District that are facing unusual and unanticipated expenses. These funds are primarily used to help with emergency repairs to facilities (e.g. roof repair) or equipment (e.g. furnace repair/replacement). A number of our smaller churches, especially, do not have extra funds available when such expenses arise, and the combined efforts of the churches of our Raritan Valley District can provide these congregations with some limited assistance. Your generous support is gratefully appreciated.
Refreshments for 2010
Persons are invited to sponsor the time of coffee and refreshments following our Sunday Worship services in 2010. Please consider sponsoring a refreshment time and signing up for one of the many available weeks on the new 2010 Refreshment Chart 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.
Please Note: No one has signed up to sponsor refreshments for this Sunday, or for any of the Sundays in January 2010. If you are able to bring some cookies or other finger food to share with others this Sunday, please leave them in the serving table in Room 20 before Worship. Thank you.

Centenary Book Club—Friday, January 8, 2010 @ 6:00 PM at Menlo Park Diner: The book for reading and discussion will be Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. We remind those who are considering joining the Centenary Book Club that our selections have been wide in variety and proven to be the right ones for interesting, enjoyable, challenging reading and more. The Club remains open to interested persons, male or female ages 18 years and older. For further information contact Assistant Pastor Terrilisa Durham Bauknight.

Flower Arrangements for 2010
Persons are invited to sponsor flower arrangements for our Worship services. A new 2010 Flower Chart has been posted in the Narthex. Floral arrangements cost $25.00 each week to sponsor. Information is available from our Flower Chairperson, Linda Serentino (732-940-2135) or by calling the Church Office. Thank you for providing these beautiful tributes for our Sunday services.

2010 Offering Envelopes Are Available
Weekly offering envelopes for 2010 are available on a table in the Hallway below the Mission/UMW Bulletin Board. Please check the boxes and take your packet of envelopes (arranged alphabetically) home with you…and please take a packet for a neighbor or friend, if you see it still there. Mailing out these offering envelopes costs quite a bit per set, so by taking them with you, you assist us greatly in reducing mailing costs ($2.00 per box set!). If you do not find a packet of envelopes with your name on them and wish to have a set, please notify the Church Office, and Sue Brownlow, our Financial Secretary, will prepare a set for your use. We encourage everyone to use these envelopes to share their gifts with the church as it makes it much easier for our financial teams to maintain accurate giving records throughout the year. Thank you.

Have You Returned Your 2010 Financial Commitment Card?
The financial support of everyone at Centenary is imperative if we are to meet our ministry and mission goals for 2010. If you have returned your Financial Commitment Card indicating your pledge for the coming year, thank you. If you have yet to return your Commitment Card indicating your intention to share from your resources, we request that you do so as soon as possible. Additional Commitment Cards are available from the ushers during Worship each Sunday, and from the Church Office. Thank you for your faithful support of our shared ministry.

Special Church Conference—Sunday, January 10, 2010
Immediately Following Worship (Approximately 11:30 AM)
In accordance with Paragraphs 248 and 246.8 of The Book of Discipline (2008) of The United Methodist Church, Raritan Valley District Superintendent Robert W. Scott, Jr., has authorized a Special Church Conference for Centenary United Methodist Church on Sunday, January 10, 2010, at approximately 11:30 AM (immediately following the 10:15 AM Worship service).
The sole topic for consideration at this Special Church Conference will be to receive and act on the joint recommendation from the Church Council, Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and Finance Committee to reduce the annual Pastoral Compensation of Centenary United Methodist Church to $45,165, effective July 1, 2010. No other business that is not related to this matter may be brought before this Special Church Conference.
All members of Centenary United Methodist Church are eligible to attend and to vote on this recommendation at the Special Church Conference.
[Interpretive Note: Some persons are concerned that this recommendation will reduce the salary for the present Pastor, which is not the case. Pastor John Painter will be retiring from the active ministry on June 30, 2010, and a new Pastor will be appointed by the bishop to serve at Centenary United Methodist Church, effective July 1, 2010. The joint recommendation to reduce the Pastoral Compensation from $55,165.00 to $45,165.00 would not be effective until July 1, 2010. The recommendation will not affect the present Pastoral Compensation, which was established by vote of the regular Church Conference in November 2009, and will remain at $55,165.00 until Pastor Painter’s retirement on June 30. If approved, the new compensation of $45,165.00 would go into effect on July 1, 2010. At present, all other Pastoral Support items (housing & utilities, health insurance, Comprehensive Protection Plan, pension, continuing education and professional expenses) will remain the same.]

Food Collection—Sunday, January 17
Please bring cereals, staple food items in plastic jars or cans, and paper products to share with senior residents in Perth Amboy. We and they are deeply grateful for your generous sharing.
Special Appeal for Diapers and Infant/Toddler Food for Amandla Crossing: Your assistance is needed to provide diapers (sizes #4, #5 (especially) & #6…and pull-ups) and infant & toddler food for children at Amandla Crossing. Please bring the items to Centenary and leave them in the boxes provided in the Narthex. Thank you. —Your Mission Committee

Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebratory Service
Sunday, January 17th @ 3:00 PM at New Hope Baptist Church
Members of the Centenary Church Family are encouraged to attend, as we gather to remember and celebrate Dr. King’s faith and commitment to civil rights, human justice, non-violence, and international peace. The theme for 2010 is “Dream of a Community United.” A number of local laypersons, youth and clergy will share “Reflections” during the service. New Hope Baptist Church is located at 45 Hampton Street in Metuchen.
“Clean Food” Cooking
Saturday, January 23: 1:00—3:00 PM
Our Children’s Ministries program will be conducting a cooking class for adults and kids together. Everybody is welcome to attend. Please sign up ahead of time so we have enough food for everyone. We will be using the book “Clean Food” by Terry Walters. Basic cooking methods, reading recipes and what “clean food” means will be discussed. The book is divided into seasons and we will be selecting foods from the Winter section. Participants will prepare and make cranberry applesauce, winter green salad w/ sugared walnuts, crispy pears, and pomegranate vinaigrette, winter vegetable soup, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Save the date and have some fun!

Some Thoughts for This Week:

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the year leaves. – Bill Vaughn

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. – Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Resolved: Never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life. – Jonathan Edwards, Resolution for the New Year

The New Year is a time to learn to rely more heavily on the grace of God. – Unknown

If this is to be a Happy New Year, a year of usefulness, a year in which we shall live to make this earth better, it is because God will direct our pathway. How important then, to feel our dependence upon Him! – Matthew Simpson

The New Year gives one a chance to look backward and forward, to reset oneself by an inner compass. – May Sarton [adapted]

People are always wanting to change and improve themselves. New Year’s has a sense of a fresh start, and most people who want to break their habits are always thinking of a fresh start. – Barry Lieberman

Resolve to be tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged,
sympathetic with the striving,
and tolerant with the weak and the wrong.
Sometime in life you will have been all of these. – Bob Goddard

The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie. – Ann Landers

To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it. – Confucius

The Christmas star shines still
in hearts filled with God’s peace and goodwill.

A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends on the labors of other persons, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the measure as I have received and am still receiving. – Albert Einstein [adapted]

We are called to use our gifts to leave this world better than we found it: with more love, more forgiveness, more hope. – Nicole Johnson [adapted]

There are times when we must sink to the bottom of our misery to understand truth, just as we must descend to the bottom of a well to see the stars in broad daylight. – Vaclav Havel

Never allow yourself to become one of those people who, when they are old, tell you how they missed their chances. – Claire Ortega

Behold the turtle. He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out. – James Bryant Conant

Next Sunday at Centenary: January 10, 2010
The First Sunday After the Epiphany / Baptism of Christ

9:00 AM – Adult Study – Core Beliefs of Christianity (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM – Worship & Sunday School (Pre-K Children through 12th Grade Youth)
A Service of Baptismal Covenant Renewal
Preacher: John D Painter Theme: I Have Called You by Name
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7 Acts 8:14-17
Psalm 29 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
11:30 AM – Special Church Conference (Sanctuary)
11:45 AM – Fellowship Time (Room 20)
12:00 PM – Confirmation Class (Youth Room)
11:45 AM – Fellowship Time (Room 20)
6:30 PM – Centenary Youth Fellowship (Grades 7-12) (Youth Room)

Bring Water for A Service of Reaffirmation of Baptismal Covenant
On Sunday, January 10th, we will observe the Baptism of Christ in the liturgical calendar, and we will have the opportunity to share together in a Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant during our service of Worship. We invite everyone who comes to the service that Sunday to bring with them a small container of water. It can be water straight from the tap; a portion of bottled spring water; or water from a different source. For example, if you will be traveling to a different part of the state, nation or world between now and January 10th, you might consider bringing a small amount of water back from your travels. We will all be invited to pour our gifts of water into a single container that morning, and from this mixture of many different waters will be drawn forth the basin of water which will be used during the Baptismal Reaffirmation Service. This promises to be a special time at the beginning of the year for us to remember our baptism and be thankful.

Prayer for the Week of January 3: God of star and sign, lead me in this New Year along the paths of peace. Guide me in the way of truth. Place in me the words of kindness. Kindle in me an ever-flowing joy. God of the journey and God of home, walk with me in times of trouble and dwell with me in the stillness of each night. May your love surround my resting and my hurrying, my laughing and my worrying. God of star and sign, place your light on my path. Amen.

I look forward to sharing with many of you in Study, Worship & Christian Fellowship on this Epiphany Sunday at Centenary.
Tina joins with me in wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year!

In Christ’s Love, Pastor John

Text: Luke 2:1–20
2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be regis-tered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, be-cause there was no place for them in the inn.
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. —Luke 2:1-20, NRSV
According to a front page story by Gustav Niebuhr in The New York Times a few years ago, this moment is an annual predicament for us preachers. What do you say in a very few min-utes to a larger-than-usual congregation that will convey the power of this night and day? And how do you do it in a way that encourages you all to return on a regular basis? One New York preacher says he takes this opportunity to at least remind everyone that “we do this every Sunday morning at 11:00.” Well, I can’t say that—because we do it at 10:15.
By the grace of God, I stumbled anew this year upon a story by Nancy Gavin of Balti-more, MD, which I had first encountered back in December 1996. It was called, “For the Man Who Hated Christmas.” And so my greatest predicament in thinking about preaching this eve-ning came in deciding whether to proceed with the standard angels, shepherds, sages and saints, or let you bask in the glory of Nancy Gavin’s story. Well, after re-reading Nancy Gavin’s re-membrances a few times, I made my decision: Tonight you’re going to hear about Mike, “…the Man Who Hated Christmas.”
“It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it—overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma—the gifts given in desperation because you couldn’t think of anything else. Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
“Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly [African-American]. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.
“Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, ‘I wish just one of them could have won,’ he said. ‘They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.’ Mike loved kids—all kids—and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse.
“That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anony-mously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the bright-est thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years, for each Christmas, I followed the tradition—one year sending a group of [developmentally challenged] youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground a week before Christmas, and on and on.
“The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure.

“The story doesn’t end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. And when Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition had grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchil-dren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope—Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas Spirit, will always be with us….”
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PRAYER
On this eve of love reborn, may we be reminded that each human venture of love, given unselfishly, is but one faint fragment of the glimmer of light lit in Bethlehem that burns on eter-nally. May our souls dance within the unending circle of its splendor and our spirits know the song of true everlasting peace. Amen.
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