Sunday, August 17, 2008 – The 14th Sunday After Pentecost/ Sacrament of Baptism
Dear Centenary Church Family:
This Sunday – August 17, 2008 – The Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost /
Sacrament of Christian Baptism
9:30 AM – Worship and Summer Sunday School
Children’s Message: Pastor John Painter
(Summer Sunday School for children following the Children’s Message)
Sacrament of Christian Baptism: Kate Larissa Cullin & Georgia Lee Cullin
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: That’s Bad. No, That’s Good.
Lectionary Readings: Genesis 45:1-15; 50:20 Romans 11:1-12a, 29-32
Psalm 133 Matthew 15:10-28
Special Music: Emily & Jeremy Mochel, piano
Celebration of Found Coins: Metuchen-Edison Area Interfaith Clergy Association
10:30 AM – Fellowship Time
10:40 AM – Staff-Parish Relations Committee
Food Collection—This Sunday, August 17: Please bring cereals, staple food items in plastic jars or cans, and paper products to share with persons in need in our area. We 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 & #6…not 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
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.
Come One, Come All: To the Back-To-School Picnic following service on Sunday, September 14 (rain date September 21). This year, it’s going to be in Merrill Park, Colonia, where in addition to volleyball, badminton, croquet and other assorted activities, we intend to have an “Old-timers” softball game, so bring your glove. Hamburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken and beverages will be provided. Please bring your favorite salad or dessert. Hope to see everyone there!
Please faithfully use your offering envelopes during the Summer, and at every possible opportunity to help with the progress our Church is making in underwriting our ministry and mission this year. God is good to us, and one by one we can make a difference in sharing the gospel story, if we work together in the days ahead.
Thank you in the name of Jesus Christ for making ministry possible.
Save the Date!
Bishop’s Songfest and Celebration
September 21, 2008 @ 4:00 PM
Ocean Grove Auditorium, Ocean Grove, NJ
“Everyone Sing!” is the theme of this year’s Bishop’s Songfest in Ocean Grove. The celebration of God’s joy through music will fill the air of the Great Auditorium on Sunday, September 21, 2008, @ 4:00 PM, when United Methodists and friends from all over the state and beyond will gather to sing resounding praise to the Lord. Plus, this year we will be using the Songfest as a time to celebrate the return of Bishop Devadhar for another quadrennium here in Greater New Jersey.
A new feature this year will be The Bishop’s Songfest Choir. In addition to our ethnic and praise ensembles, a new feature of the SongFest will be a combined choir conducted by SongFest Musical Director Rev. Dr. Tony Godlefski. If you are interested and would like more information on how to participate, please contact Tony Godlefski directly at PastorTony@montgomeryumc.org. Other questions may be directed to SongFest Coordinator Rich Hendrickson at rhendrickson@gnjumc.com. Save the date! Celebrate the return of Bishop Devadhar! “Everyone Sing!”
Some Thoughts for This Week:
Don’t be like the wheelbarrow – It has to be pushed all the time and is easily upset.
We aren’t what we ought to be. We aren’t what we’re going to be. We aren’t what we want to be. But, thank God, we aren’t what we were. – Anonymous
The first duty of love—is to listen. – Paul Tillich
The path of spiritual growth is a path of lifelong learning. – M. Scott Peck
The real measure of our wealth is what will be ours in eternity.
Love not what you are, but what you may become. – Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote
Christianity … is always in need of re-simplifying, going back to its origins, ridding itself of the excessive superstructure it has acquired through history. – José Comblin, Catholic theologian in Brazil
The winds of God are always blowing, but you must set the sails. – Unknown
Love does not keep a ledger of the sins and failures of others.
We should not server the poor like they were Jesus. We should serve the poor because they are Jesus. – Mother Teresa, In My Own Words
Here are the two best prayers I know: “Help me, help me, help me,” and, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” – Anne Lamott
God’s part we cannot do; Our part God does not do.
Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life. – Christiane Northrup
Develop an “attitude of gratitude.” Say thank you to everyone you meet for everything they do for you. – Brian Tracy
Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light. – Albert Schweitzer
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. – Melody Beattie
Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness. – Corrie Ten Boom
The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart. – Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn
Next Sunday – August 24, 2008
9:30 AM – Worship and Summer Sunday School
The Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: The Footprints of Moses
Lectionary Readings: Exodus 1:8-2:10 Romans 12:1-8
Psalm 124 Matthew 15:10-28
10:30 AM – Fellowship Time
Worship and Summer Sunday School will held at 9:30 AM through Sunday, August 31. (There will be no Sunday School classes on August 31.) On Sunday, September 7th, we will resume our Sunday morning schedule with Worship and Sunday School for Pre-K through 12th Grade Youth at 10:15 AM. The Adult Class will continue to meet at 9:00 AM.
Prayer for the Week of August 17: We give thanks to you, O Lord, for you are good, and your steadfast love endures forever. Your might and your power keep us at a distance, but in Jesus your compassion has been revealed. Your Spirit calls us to your side and invites us to trust in you. We give you thanks for your great love, a love that welcomes, forgives, and transforms all who trust in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Painter to Attend Continuing Education Series at Ocean Grove Next Week: As part of meeting the requirements for my ongoing continuing theological education, I will be attending a week-long seminar Monday, August 18 through Friday, August 22 on “Lessons About God from the Land of the Bible,” led by Dr. James W. Fleming, Director of the Biblical Resources Study Center, which has offices in Israel and in the United States. This course will be offered from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM at Grove Hall in Ocean Grove. I also hope to attend the daily 9:00 to 10:00 AM Bible Hour that Dr. Fleming is also leading on these days in Ocean Grove. If you need to contact me while I am attending these weekday morning continuing education sessions, I will be available by cellular phone (201-463-5552).
I look forward to sharing with many of you in Worship and Christian Fellowship this Sunday morning at Centenary.
Shalom, John