Dear Centenary Church Family:

We will gather on this Second Sunday After the Epiphany–January 20, 2008–and observe Human Relations Day. Falling on the Sunday before the observance of the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., our Centenary United Methodist Youth and their advisors will lead us in a service that focuses on Dr. King’s dreams of freedom and justice. The youth will offer a message to the children, after which those in Pre-K through 12th Grade will be invited to participate in Sunday School classes. The youth will also bring the morning Message, Where Is Martin? Scripture readings on which the Message will be based include Isaiah 49:1-7 and 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. Our Chancel Choir will sing Down by the Riverside, a traditional Spiritual, arranged by C. Edward Thomas. Our Celebration of Found Coins will be designated for the Raritan Valley District Church Union to assist congregations in our district to meet the costs for emergency capital repair projects.

Food Collection—This Sunday, January 20: 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

Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
“Following in the Footsteps of the Dream”
Sunday, January 20th @ 3:00 PM at New Hope Baptist Church
Sponsored by the New Hope Baptist Church and the NAACP Metuchen-Edison Branch, the service this Sunday afternoon will include choir selections, youth recitations, and reflections from local pastors and rabbis. There will also be comments from Metuchen’s Mayor Tom Valhalla, NJ State Senator Barbara Buono, and other local leaders. Immediately following the service, the congregation will march to the MLK Memorial site and then return to the church for light refreshments. Members of the Centenary Church Family are encouraged to attend, as the community gathers to remember and celebrate Dr. King’s faith and commitment to civil rights, human justice, non-violence, and international peace.

Please Note: The Centenary Church Office will be closed on Monday, January 21, in observance of the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Prayer In Remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
God of our forebears and our God, who has summoned women and men throughout the ages to be thy witnesses and sometimes martyrs for thee, we bow before thee this day in remembrance and thanksgiving for the life and legacy of thy servant, witness and martyr, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We thank thee for his time among us, for his words and for his deeds, and for the quality of his living witness which eases the pain of recalling the brevity of his years. We rejoice in his example of obedient faith and the scenes and stations of his life which inform and enrich our own faith journeys. And we beseech thee this day for the strength, steadfastness and courage not only to remember but also to obey. –Dr. Randolph Nugent, Retired General Secretary
General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church
Source: Beliefnet Prayer of the Day, January 15, 2008

http://www.beliefnet.com/prayeroftheday/prayer_one.asp?pid=3095

Next Ozanam Shelter Dinner on Monday, February 4
Centenary will next be serving dinner at the Ozanam Shelter on Monday, February 4. Please check the information on the bulletin board in the Narthex and sign up to assist with food preparation or serving in February. The February Menu: Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, and Valentine decorated Sheet Cake. For further information, please contact Glenna Gundell (732-463-1431) or Mary Ellen Heim (732-548-2587). Thanks.

The Annual Ash Wednesday Service
of the Centenary, New Dover and Wesley United Methodist Church
Congregations Will Be Held on February 6 at 7:30 PM.
This year’s service will be held at New Dover United Methodist Church, 687 New Dover Road, Edison, NJ. Pastors Darryl Duer (New Dover UMC), John 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. There will be a time of fellowship and refreshment in 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 & the Garden of Resurrection.

SAVE THE DATE: Mission Committee Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, February 9, 2008 — 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Adults $7.00; Children 10 & Under $5.00
Proceeds will support Centenary’s ministry & mission outreach programs.

Wednesday Evening Lenten Bible Study
Behold the Lamb of God
February 13-March 19 @ 7:30 PM
Pastor John Painter will lead a six-week Wednesday evening Lenten Bible Study from 7:30-8:30 PM beginning on Wednesday, February 13, and continuing through Wednesday, March 19. The focus of the study will be Behold the Lamb of God based on the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.
In this study written by Simon Peter Iredale, we are reminded the season of Lent is more like ascending the Himalayas than going for a pleasant walk in the park. Iredale invites us to explore together the foundations of our faith and through reflection and prayer see how strong these foundations are in our hearts. As he guides us through the Lenten texts, we pass through three gardens.
First, we will pass through the garden of paradise in Genesis and seek to understand how the events that Genesis describes affected every succeeding human generation. We will pass through Gethsemane, the garden of decision, and strive to understand what Christ has achieved for us through his suffering. When we reach Easter Day and the garden of Christ’s resurrection, we will discover that God gives us something—a new resolve, a sense of sins forgiven, and a deeper insight into God’s compassion for us.
Copies of the Lenten Bible Study text, Behold the Lamb of God, are available in the Church Office for those who will be participating in this series. As part of your Lenten discipline, you are invited to bring your favorite translation of the Bible and your copy of Behold the Lamb to participate in the readings and discussion on these six Wednesday evenings in Lent. Weekly attendance, while desirable, is not required…please come as you are able.

Refreshments: Persons are invited to sponsor the time of coffee and refreshments following our Sunday Worship services in the New Year. Please consider sponsoring a refreshment time and signing up for one of the many available weeks on the new 2008 Refreshment Chart in the Narthex. Information on what you need to provide is available on the information sheet next to the Refreshment Chart. Thank you for providing hospitality on a Sunday morning.
Flower Arrangements for 2008: Persons are invited to sponsor flower arrangements for our Worship services in the New Year. A new 2008 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.

Dreaming Fellowship Church
Concludes Shared Facility Covenant at Centenary Today
It is with disappointment that we share the news with you that the Dreaming Fellowship (Korean Language) Church that has been sharing the facilities with us at Centenary, will conclude its relationship, effective following their afternoon worship service on Sunday, January 27. Shortly before Christmas, Pastor John Choi informed Pastor John Painter that he was submitting his resignation as Pastor of Dreaming Fellowship Church and that, rather than engage in a search for a new Pastor, the congregation had chosen to affiliate with another Korean-language congregation from the Presbyterian tradition in the region.
Many from Centenary have joined Pastor Painter to express their sadness over these decisions, recalling the blessings we have received from our relationship with one another in the brief time since August 2007. Pastor Choi indicates that he plans to engage in a concentrated program of study in the months ahead. He has tirelessly devoted his life to the ministry of Dreaming Fellowship Church for the past seven years and is seeking some time to reassess his ministry goals for the future. We will certainly hold Pastor Choi and his wife, Kim, and their children in our prayers as they make this transition in their lives. And our prayers and best wishes go with the members of the Dreaming Fellowship Church as they continue their service in the name of God and Christ in a new location.

Some Thoughts for This Week:

Instead of putting others in their place, try putting yourself in their place.

A Christian is someone who shares the sufferings of God in the world. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We have no right to complain about mistakes made by people who are serving in ways we could and should.

Begin by thanking [God] for some little thing, and then go on, day by day, adding to your subjects of praise…until you see in everything some cause for thanksgiving. – Priscilla Maurice, [adapted]

Make sure the religion in your heart circulates all the way to your hands and feet.

Get rich quick! Count your blessings! – Anonymous

Love is something if you give it away, you end up having more. – Malvina Reynolds

It takes a real storm in the average person’s life to make him/her realize how much worrying s/he has done over the squalls. – Unknown

Blessed is the person who finds out which way God is moving and then gets going in the same direction. – Unknown

We never raise our reputation by lowering the reputations of others.

There’s nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself. – Johann Sebastian Bach

They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. – Carl. W. Buechner

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. – Unknown

Next Sunday, January 27, 2008 – The Third Sunday After the Epiphany
9:00 AM– Adult Study – Nooma Series (Sunshine Room
10:15 AM – Worship & Sunday School (PreK Children through 12th Grade Youth)
Preacher: Terrilisa Durham Bauknight Theme: United in Division We Stand
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 9:1-4 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Psalm 27:1, 4-9 Matthew 4:12-23
11:30 AM– Fellowship Time (Room 20)
12:30 PM– Dreaming FellowshipChurchWorship, SS, Fellowship
(Sanctuary, Parenting Room, Chapel, Room 20, Sunshine Room)
5:45 PM– Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
6:30 PM– Centenary UM Youth (Youth Room / Room 20)

Prayer for the Week of January 20: Thank you, God, for the people who know your deep love for all humankind and who have told us about you. Thank you for prophets of old who told the world to wait for a savior. Thank you for Jesus’ followers who believed in him and trusted that he was God in the flesh, living on earth. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who keeps encouraging us to trust and believe like Jesus’ early followers did. Thank you for every family member, friend, teacher, neighbor, and pastor who have encouraged us on this journey of faith. You know we need all the help we can get. Amen.

Painters’ Winter Vacation Plans: Tina and I will be traveling to Florida for a mid-winter vacation tomorrow, Friday, January 18th. We plan to board the Auto Train in Lorton, VA, tomorrow afternoon and arrive in Orlando on Saturday morning. We expect to leave Florida by Auto Train on Friday, February 1st and arrive home in Metuchen on Saturday evening, February 2nd. During my absence, Assistant Pastor Terrilisa Durham Bauknight will be “on-call” for pastoral care emergencies. Please contact the Centenary Church Office if you have need of pastoral care. Or when our Church Office is closed, you may contact Pastor Bauknight directly at 908-419-4101 (cell).

You will be in our thoughts and prayers as you gather for study, Worship and Christian Fellowship this Sunday morning at Centenary.

Shalom, John