Sunday, January 11 – Baptism of the Lord / Reaffirmation of Baptismal Covenant
Dear Centenary Church Family:
This Sunday at Centenary:
January 11, 2009 – Baptism of the Lord /
Congregational Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant
9:00 AM – Adult Study: Footsteps: A Journey in Faith (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM– Worship & Sunday School (Pre-K through 12th Grade)
Children’s Message: Pastor John Painter
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: Letting Go and Letting God
Lectionary Readings: Genesis 1:1-5 Acts 19:1-7
Psalm 29 Mark 1:4-11
11:30 AM – Fellowship Time (Room 20)
11:45 AM – Acolyte Training (Sanctuary)
11:45 AM – Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
12:05 PM – Music Committee (Music Room)
There Will Be No Centenary Youth Fellowship Meeting This Evening
Acolyte Training This Sunday, January 11, 2009, at 11:45 AM. If you are interested in being an Acolyte and are in the 4th grade or higher, please attend this very important training session with Pastor John Painter and Michael Savoia.
Centenary Book Club—Looking for Peyton Place by Barbara Delinsky: We hope you will join us in the Library on Friday, January 9, 2009, at 7:30 PM for what will once again prove to be a great read and even better discussion and fellowship.
“The Miracles of Jesus” Adult Class Study
Beginning Sunday, January 18, 2009
Beginning on Sunday, January 18, the Adult Class is taking an in-depth look at six of Jesus’ miracles, focusing on their impact on the lives Jesus touched, what they reveal about the heart of God, and their significance for today. The topics are: a bleeding woman, water to wine, feeding the five thousand/walking on the water, the Canaanite woman, the cursing of the fig tree, and the ten lepers. The DVD we are using is part of the “Deeper Connections” Bible study series. Filmed in Israel and the United States, the sessions are led by theological professors with specialized areas of knowledge. Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM in the Sunshine Room, for this inspiring and faith-building look at “The Miracles of Jesus.”
Refreshments for 2009
Persons are invited to sponsor the time of coffee and refreshments following our Sunday Worship services in 2009. Please consider sponsoring a refreshment time and signing up for one of the many available weeks on the new 2009 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 as of the time of this E-mailing to sponsor the time of Fellowship following Worship for this Sunday, January 11.
Flower Arrangements for 2009
Persons are invited to sponsor flower arrangements for our Worship services beginning on January 4, 2009. A new 2009 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.
Hey Centenary Youth!
I still can’t believe that the whole semester is gone. I feel I am getting old, not that it is a bad thing. I will miss all of you during this long winter break. Pray for me while I am in El Salvador (Until January 16). More importantly, be ready with some energy when I return. The last few months have only been the beginning. We are in a good position to branch out and really grow. I know that the Holy Spirit is drawing us in closer for a common purpose of fellowship and fun.
Be mindful that Sunday evening youth fellowship will start again on Sunday, January 18 at 6:30 PM. Also, that same morning of the 18th, we will have a meeting of youth and parents concerning the next 5 months of youth group activities. We will meet in the youth room right after service ends. Come with questions and some ideas if you have any. We are still planning on a ski trip this February or March. I am working now to arrange it. I hope to give more details very soon and pass some dates by you. Until then, be safe and be smart. I will miss y’all a great deal. I know that together we can make your New Year one to remember.
May the force (Holy Spirit) be with you, Keith Swatzel
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. The latest newsletter from the Red Bird Mission says they expect to be able to acquire a van in 2009 with their 1,600,000 points received from all the Labels for Education that they received for the last two years. So, keep on eating all that soup!!
Some Thoughts for This Week:
Most of what we do in worldly life is geared toward our staying dry, looking good, not going under. But in baptism, in lakes and rain and tanks and fonts, you agree to do something that’s a little sloppy because at the same time it’s also holy, and absurd. It’s about surrender, giving in to all those things we can’t control; it’s a willingness to let go of balance and decorum and get drenched. – Anne Lamott, from “Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith”
Water…has an enormous range of meanings for us as human beings. Our bodies are mostly water, and our thirst reminds us to replenish that water. We are born from the waters of the womb, and something about a pool draws us to plunge back into it and cover ourselves. But if we stay under for too long, it means death. Coming up to the surface and breathing again is almost like being reborn…. Water washes us clean and makes us feel fresh and new again. Baptism takes—and adds to—all these meanings. – Hoyt L. Hickman, from the Workbook on Communion and Baptism (United Methodist Church)
When Martin Luther got up in the morning and put water on his face, he would say, “I am baptized!” It was a way of reminding himself that living out his baptism was a key to discipleship … For us as well as for Martin Luther, the baptismal covenant is to be lived out in daily discipleship. The call to discipleship is a call to be part of a community of faith. When a traveling rabbi in the first century said: “Come, follow me,” it was not only an invitation to respond personally but to become a part of the “school of disciples” following that rabbi. – Dwight Vogel, from By Water and the Spirit
A smile is the lighting system of the face, the cooling system of the head and the heating system of the heart.
To know what is right and not do it is just as bad as actively doing wrong.
Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over. – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees. – Victor Hugo
I live with the understanding that truth is bigger than any religion and the world is God’s and everything in it… – Rob Bell
Eternal life is offered by God’s grace. If it were awarded by merit, heaven would be filled with dogs, not humans.
Life asks us to make measurable progress in reasonable time. That’s why they make those fourth grade chairs so small – so you won’t fit in them at age twenty-five! – Jim Rohn
Religion without humanity is poor human stuff. – Sojourner Truth
Believe those who seek the truth; doubt those who find it. – Andre Gide
The object of charity is not the common good, but the highest good. – Thomas Aquinas
To err is human; to refrain from laughing, humane. – Lane Olinghouse
Three grand essentials to happiness are: Something to do; someone to love; something to hope for. – Joseph Addison [adapted]
If you wait to do everything until you’re sure it’s right, you’ll probably never do much of anything. – Win Borden
What you are is God’s gift to you; What you make of it is your gift to God. – Anthony Dalla Villa
Next Sunday at Centenary: January 18, 2009
The Second Sunday After the Epiphany / Human Relations Day
9:00 AM – Adult Study: The Miracles of Jesus (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM – Worship & Sunday School (Pre-K through 12th Grade)
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: The Courage to Listen
Lectionary Readings: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 John 1:43-51
11:30 AM– Fellowship Time (Room 20)
11:45 AM– CUMYF Parents and Youth Meeting (Youth Room)
11:45 AM– Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
3:00 PM– Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebratory Service (New Hope Baptist Church)
6:30 PM– Centenary Youth Fellowship (Youth Room)
Food Collection—Sunday, January 18: 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 & #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
Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebratory Service
Sunday, January 18th @ 3:00 PMat New HopeBaptistChurch
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 2009 is “Evidences of a Dream Fulfilled.” Pastor John Painter will be among those who will share “Reflections” during the service. New Hope Baptist Church is located at 45 Hampton Street in Metuchen.
Prayer for the Week of January 11: God of our beginnings, God of our journey, God who waits at the end of it all, help us this day to give thanks, listen, and remember. When your Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism you called him your child. Keep us your children, always faithful, always sharing our hearts. Amen.
I look forward to sharing with many of you in Study, Worship and Christian Fellowship this Sunday morning at Centenary.
In Christ’s Love, Pastor John