Dear Centenary Church Family:

The Easter Season continues as we gather this Sunday at 10:15 AM to Worship and praise God in song, Word and prayer. I will share a special word with the children, after which those from Pre-K through 12th-grade youth will be invited to participate in Sunday School classes. My morning Message, “I Will Not Leave You Orphaned,” is drawn from the words Jesus shared with his disciples at their final meal, as recorded in John 14:14-21. We will also hear the reading from the Pastoral Epistle: 1 Peter 3:13-22. We will share together in a proposed new Social Creed for The United Methodist Church which is bring considered by the delegates at the 2008 General Conference, currently meeting in Fort Worth, TX. Echoing the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John, our Chancel Choir will sing If ye love Me, keep my Commandments by Thomas Tallis. Our Celebration of Found Coins will be designated for the Red Bird Mission. Red Bird Mission is a non-profit agency affiliated with The United Methodist Church located in the Appalachian mountains of Southeastern Kentucky. Guided by Jesus Christ, the Red Bird Mission empowers individuals and advocates for justice by providing educational, health, and community outreach ministries to area low-income residents.

COME JOIN THE FUN
WITH THE
CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST YOUTH FELLOWSHIP
AS THEY BREAK THEIR FAST WITH
DINNER AND A MOVIE — Night at the Museum
THIS SATURDAY, 26 APRIL 2008
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Donation: Adults $10/Children 10 and Under $4
Evening includes: Dinner, Dessert, and Snacks for the Movie
Monies raised for Fast benefit World Vision
Monies raised from Dinner and a Movie benefit CUMYF’s
Special Fund for Summer and other Mission Projects
Sign up on dinner roster in Narthex or call 732-548-7622 and leave number of persons for dinner
SEE YOU THERE!

The 2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church convened last evening, Wednesday, April 23, in Fort Worth, TX, under the theme A Future with Hope. The 992 lay and clergy delegates from around the United States and much of the world, are engaged in worship, legislative forums, caucuses, prayer vigils, and plenary sessions seeking to address the ministry and mission of The United Methodist Church for the next quadrennium (2009-2013). Four major themes will be brought to focus as the delegates approach their responsibilities: (1) Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world; (2) Creating new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones; (3) Engaging in ministry with the poor; and, (4) Stamping out killer diseases by improving health globally. The General Conference will also seek to address the need for a “global structure” for a world church. And delegates will also be asked to consider forming a task force to bring a recommendation for a new United Methodist Hymnal to the 2012 General Conference to be held in Tampa, FL. The 2008 General Conference will adjourn on Friday, May 3. Please hold the delegates and leaders of our church in prayer during this time of “Holy Conferencing.” You may follow the progress of the General Conference on the Internet at www.GC2008.umc.org, or by going to www.umc.organd clicking on the link to “General Conference 2008”.

Annual Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Service
Thursday, May 1, 2008 @ 7:30 PM
Sponsored by Metuchen–Edison Interfaith Association & JCC of Middlesex County
We join together in readings and songs to remember all those who perished,
with the promise that we will never forget.
Location: Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County,
1775 Oak Tree Road, Edison, NJ 08820

WORLD COMMUNITY DAY is Friday, May 2, 2008. Church Women United of Metuchen-Edison will be celebrating this day with a program beginning at 12:00 Noon with a covered dish lunch at the First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen. The women of New Hope Baptist Church will present the program. The Executive Board of Church Women United of Metuchen-Edison will provide the dessert. Everyone else should bring a covered dish to share. Come and join with women of other faiths in our neighborhood and around the world. Come and join us! If you have any questions or need a ride, please call Sylvia Woodfield (732) 549-9042.

TGIF (ToGether for Intergenerational Fun) A gathering for dinner, conversations, storytelling and fun. All ages are welcome to attend. Fridays, May 2 & 9, from 6:30-8:30 PM. Dinner is provided by The Barge in Perth Amboy. A barrel offering is taken to defray the costs for the meal and materials.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST
Saturday, May 3, 2008

8:00 – 11:00 A.M.

Only $7.00 per person
Children 10 and under – $5.00

Proceeds will be designated to support a proposed November 2008
Volunteer-in-Mission Trip to either Mississippi or the Midwest to work with our United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in flood/tornado repair and relief.

A Musical Date: Brahms’ Recital on Saturday, May 3rd at 7:30PM.
Featuring piano, English horn, clarinet and voice, this recital is in honor of Brahms’ 165th birthday on May 7, 1833.

ADULT CLASS STUDIES “GREAT FIGURES OF NEW TESTAMENT”
Centenary’s Adult Class will be looking at the problems of immigrant children and some of the great figures of the New Testament over the six weeks before adjourning for the summer months.
On Sunday, May 4, Giselle Esquivel Cordero, our Public Theology Representative, will present a special program called Immigrant Children: The Smallest of These. This class will explore the needs of immigrant children and their families, and our response to them in light of biblical scriptures and the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church.
Then, from May 11 through June 8, we will be studying the lives of some of the key figures in the New Testament, including Mary Magdalene (May 11); Martha, Mary and Lazarus (May 18); James, the brother of Jesus (May 25); Judas Iscariot (June 1); and, Pontius Pilate (June 8). Each class will feature a 30-minute in-depth video portrait of these figures by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, who is an outstanding lecturer and Bible scholar. These vivid portraits are part of her DVD, Great Figures of the New Testament. Join us in the Sunshine Room, Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, for these informative and entertaining presentations.

Centenary will be serving dinner at the Ozanam Shelter on Monday, May 5. Please check the information on the bulletin board in the Narthex and sign up to assist with food preparation or serving. The May Menu: baked chicken pieces; oven-roasted potatoes; green beans; cupcakes; ice cream. For further information, please contact Glenna Gundell (732-463-1431) or Mary Ellen Heim (732-548-2587). Thanks.

Centenary Book Club will meet at 7:30 PM on Friday, May 9, in the Sunshine Room (following the TGIF Meal). We will discuss One True Thing, by Anna Quindlen. The Centenary Book Club remains open to men and women, ages 18 years of age and older. See you there for some great discussion and reviews.

2008 Summer Camp Programs at Aldersgate Center and Pinelands Retreat Center: Information about the 2008 Summer camping programs for children and youth (and some specialized adult and family programs) are posted on the Children’s Ministry bulletin board in the hallway alongside the Sanctuary, near the Narthex. Please check out the dates and programs to see if your elementary-age child or Junior/Senior high youth may want to participate in a summer camp experience at Aldersgate Center (Swartswood, NJ) or Pinelands Retreat Center at Mt. Misery (Browns Mills, NJ). You may also check out the offerings and register online at either www.aldersgatenj.com or www.mtmisery.com. Scholarship assistance is available through the Church. Please speak with Children’s Ministries Director Cathy Jean Savoia or Pastor John Painter to get additional information about these programs and appropriate registration forms. Register by May 1st to receive a $15 discount on each event paid in full.
Aldersgate Center’s Open House will take place on this Sunday, April 27th, from 2-4 PM. Come learn more about our camping program, meet some of the staff, and have an afternoon of fun. Contact Katie Garrett at 973-383-5979 or AldersgateCenter@gmail.com for further information.
Pinelands Center at Mt. Misery Rally Day is Sunday, May 4th, from 2-5. This is an opportunity to learn about the camp, meet some of the staff, take a tour, and have some fun. For more information, contact Pinelands Center at 609-893-3354 or PinelandsCenter@yahoo.com.

You are invited to sponsor the time of coffee and refreshments following our Sunday Worship service. Please consider sponsoring a refreshment time and signing up for one of the many available weeks on the 2008 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.

You are invited to sponsor flower arrangements for our Worship services. The 2008 Flower Chart is posted in the Narthex. Floral arrangements cost $25.00 each week to sponsor. (Please make your check payable to Centenary UM Church and write “Altar Flowers” in the Memo line.) 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.

Information Requested About Our 2008 Graduates
2008 College and High School Graduates: We are seeking information about those Centenary members and friends who will be graduating from college and high school in May or June. Please call (732-548-7622) or e-mail (CentaryUMC@aol.com) the Church Office so we may share in the joy of their accomplishments in our June Lamplighter. We will also have a special time of recognition for our high school graduates during our June 15th Service of Worship.

Some Thoughts for This WeeK;

If I won’t be myself, who will? – Alfred Hitchcock

Pray to God but row to shore. – Proverb

If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. – St. Augustine

The fear is worse than the pain. – Shannon Bahr

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. – Helen Keller

Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile initially scared me to death. – Betty Bender

The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax. – Albert Einstein

A Christian is committed to the belief that Love and Mercy are the most powerful forces on earth. – Thomas Merton, Passion for Peace

Create the kind of self you will be happy to live with all your life. – Foster C. McClellan

Joy is to feel the doors of the self fly open into a wealth that is endless because none of it is ours and yet it all belongs to us. – William Sloane Coffin

Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t. – Richard Bach

The more you love, the more love you are given to love with. – Lucien Price

Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it’s what you are expected to give–which is everything – Unknown

We will never find a lost opportunity to serve God.

When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves. – David Orr

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. – Doug Larson

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. – Theodore Roosevelt

Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God. – Karl Barth

Let frequent troubles drive us to frequent supplications; And surely, tasting, we must see how gracious the Lord is. – Bernard of Clairvaux

One must learn how to lose before learning how to play. – Mexican Proverb

Next Sunday — May 4, 2008:
9:00 AM– Adult Study—Immigrant Children (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM – Worship and Sunday School (PreK Children through 12th Grade Youth)
The Seventh Sunday of Easter / Ascension Sunday
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: The Authenticating Second
Lectionary Readings:
7th Sunday of Easter Acts 1:6-14 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 John 17:1-11
Ascension Sunday Acts 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:15-23
Psalm 47 Luke 24:44-53
11:45 AM– Fellowship Time (Room 20)
2:00-5:00 PM– Rally Day at PinelandsCenter@ Mt.Misery (Browns Mills)
5:45 PM– Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
6:30 PM– Centenary UM Youth Fellowship (Youth Room/Room 20)

Prayer for the Week of April 27: We give you thanks, O God, for our congregation, for this community of faith. We thank you for bringing us together into your church so that we might not have to fight the good fight of faith alone. We thank you for the children who give us hope for the future. We thank you for the aged who help us to know our history. We thank you for our leaders who tend to the tasks of guiding and directing us in doing the work that is ours. We thank you for the many differing gifts of God’s people in our church, and we pray that we all may be led to discover, develop, and deploy our gifts for the sake of Christ’s work in the world. Accept our grateful praise in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I look forward to sharing with many of you in study, Worship and Christian fellowship on this Sixth Sunday of Easter at Centenary.

Shalom, John