Final greetings from central Florida! Tina and I will board the Auto Train at Sanford, FL, tomorrow afternoon for our overnight trip to Lorton, VA, and our drive home to NJ on Saturday morning/afternoon. We’re going to do our best to pack some of this warm Florida air into our trunk to bring north with us . We look forward to joining with you at 10:15 AM this Sunday, February 26th, as we observe the final Sunday in the season of Epiphany: Transfiguration Sunday. The penitential season of Lent, which follows Epiphany, will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 1st. (Please see the article below about the Ash Wednesday Service at Centenary.)

The Junior Choir will offer Jubilate, Sing to God by Dave & Jean Perry, the anthem they were scheduled to share on February 12th, when the “Blizzard of ’06″ forced cancellation of Worship services.

Our Centenary Puppet Ministry will present a special message for our children. My morning Message, It Is Good for Us to Be Here, will be based on the Transfiguration Sunday readings from Mark 9:2-9 and 2 Corinthians 4:3-6. The Chancel Choir will sing Philip Kern’s arrangement of the lively Spiritual, Ain’t Got Time to Die (Ain-a That Good News?). Our Celebration of Found Coins will be designated for the Greater NJ Annual Conference Media Center.

Kids’ Night Out—Tomorrow, Friday, February 24th, from 6:30-8:30 PM:
A PIZZA PARTY and Ice Skating at the Roosevelt Park Ice Skating Rink.

Adult Class Confronts the Controversial Issues: The Adult Class has been exploring some of the most controversial and divisive issues of our time using a video study program called Confronting the Controversies: Biblical Perspectives on Tough Issues, developed by United Methodist minister Adam Hamilton.The class is discussing the final topic on the remaining two Sundays: Homosexuality (February 26 and March 5). We invite you to be a part of this challenging study on Sunday at 9:00 A.M. in the Sunshine Room.

CUMYF Ski Retreat: Members of our Centenary United Methodist Youth Fellowship and their advisors and chaperones will be traveling to Alpine Mountain in the Poconos tomorrow evening for a weekend ski retreat. They expect to return to Metuchen early Sunday afternoon. Please hold our youth and adult advisors in prayer during this time away on retreat. And remember, you may join the youth on Saturday:

While the youth and their advisers will be leaving for their ski trip on Friday night, members of the congregation and their friends & neighbors are welcome to join us on the slopes on Saturday. Group rates are as follows:

Lift Tickets Only – $32
Lift & Ski Rental – $48
Lift & Snowboard Rental – $56
Lift, Lesson & Ski Rental – $55
Lift, Lesson & Snowboard Rental – $60
Snowtubing – 2 hour intervals – $17

Scott Woodfield has all the necessary forms and directions. Anyone interested in coming can call him at home at 732-452-0727 and leave a message.

The Annual Ash Wednesday Service of the Centenary, New Dover and Wesley United Methodist Church congregations will be held this Wednesday, March 1st at 7:30 PM. This year’s service will be held at Centenary United Methodist Church. Pastors Darryl Duer (New Dover UMC), John Jung Kwon (Wesley UMC), Terrilisa Durham Bauknight and John Painter will share in leading this annual service marking the beginning of Lent. The choirs of the three congregations are preparing special music for this service. During the service there will be an Imposition of Ashes and celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. There will be a time of fellowship and refreshment in Room 20 following the service. Child Care will be available. Everyone is encouraged to come and share in this special service, as we begin our 40-day Lenten journey to Calvary’s Cross and the Garden of Resurrection.

The Art of Muriel Harris at Centenary During Lent: We will be blessed during the 2006 Lenten Season to have a number of Muriel Harris’ paintings adorning the walls of our Sanctuary. You will want to take time to pause on Sundays during Lent—or at other times you are in the building—to view these special works based on the indicated biblical passages, and reminding us of the themes of creation, liberation and justice. Muriel Harris, a long-time member of Centenary UMC, has received many awards and high recognition over the years for her artistry. Although in recent years she has endured the loss of much of her eyesight to age-related macular degeneration, Muriel Harris continues to create new art using a number of different media. Some of the paintings in our Sanctuary will represent her recent work in the more “tactile” media. We are grateful to Muriel Harris for sharing the gift of her art with us once again this year.

TGIF Intergenerational Dinner and Lectionary Discussion and a lot of fun together will meet on Fridays, March 3rd & 10th at 6:30 PM. A barrel offering is taken to defray the costs for the meal and materials. Persons of all ages are invited and encouraged to attend.

CUMC Youth Fellowship Congregational Dinner & Movie Night—Saturday, March 4th from 5:30-8:00 PM: Everyone is invited to gather together for supper, and then enjoy the movie and some popcorn. There will also be a special movie for kids 12 and under during the evening. A Barrel Offering will be taken to help defray the costs for the meal, popcorn, and movie. Please sign up on the sheet posted in the Narthex so we can have an accurate count of those planning to attend.

Ozanam Shelter Dinner: Centenary will be serving dinner at the Ozanam Shelter on Monday, March 6th. Please check the information on the bulletin board in the Narthex and sign up to assist with food preparation or with serving. Food items need to be at the church by 5:00 PM. For further information, please contact Glenna Gundell (732-463-1431) or Mary Ellen Heim (732-548-2587). Thanks.

Lenten University at Centenary: Lenten University will begin on Wednesday, 8 March 2006 at 6:30 PM and go until approximately 8:00 PM. We will gather for the meal, and the study will be directed by our use of The Bread and Broth Study Series for Lent. Child Care and activities will be provided. Because of the limited response, but still enough to go forward, there will be only one (1) study session outside of activities provided for children ages 12 and under. (The study series on This Holy Mystery will also continue on Wednesday evenings during Lent for those who have been participating.)

Interested persons should continue to return the Lenten surveys or contact the church office at (732) 548-7622 and leave a message of interest for Rev. Bauknight. Supper and Classes will be held on every Wednesday during Lent and conclude on April 12th in Holy Week. We look forward to seeing you and joining with you during this special time with fellowship and study.

Centenary Book Club—Friday, March 10th @ 7:30 PM in the Sunshine Room: This month’s book selection is The Color of Water by James McBride. All are welcome.

Mark your calendar !!
United Methodist Women Communion Breakfast
Saturday, March 25th at 9:30 a.m. at Centenary
Women from Wesley and New Dover United Methodist Churches in Edison will be joining us, as well as, we hope, some women from Jesus Followers United Methodist Congregation. Brunch items such as quiche, breakfast casseroles, muffins, fresh fruit, etc. will be served. The speaker will be the Rev. Sunghee Park, Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in South Amboy. Babysitting will be available. Young girls (age appropriate) are welcome to attend.

Some Thoughts for This Week:
Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow.
- Norman Vincent Peale

If you’re unable to pray, make a list of your blessings.

Go as far as you can see, and when you get there, you will see farther.

Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair;
The rest is in the hands of God. – George Washington

There are two educations.
One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live.
- John Adams

I want to know God, not my idea of God;
I want to know my neighbor, not my idea of my neighbor;
I want to know myself, not my idea of myself. – C. S. Lewis
Every morning I spend fifteen minutes filling my mind full of God;
And so there’s no room left for worry thoughts. – Howard Chandler Christy

I look forward to sharing with you in Sunday School, Worship and Fellowship this Sunday at Centenary.

Shalom y’all, John