9:30 AM — Worship & Summer Sunday School
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: The Courage Continues
Lectionary Readings: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 Ephesians 1:3-14 Psalm 24 Mark 6:14-29

Celebration of Found Coins: CUMC Youth Fund
10:30 AM — Fellowship Time

Summer Worship & Sunday School at 9:30 AM
Worship and Summer Sunday School will held at 9:30 AM through Sunday, September 13. Please make note of this seasonal change in our Worship and Sunday School schedule for the Summer. (There will be no Summer Sunday School sessions on the holiday weekend of September 6.) On Sunday, September 13th, we will resume our regular schedule with Worship and Sunday School for Pre-K through 12th Grade Youth at 10:15 AM. The Adult Class will also resume its sessions at 9:00 AM on September 13. Save the afternoon of September 13 for our annual “Homecoming Picnic” at Merrill Park in Colonia. Details in the September edition of The Lamplighter, weekly Worship bulletins, and in weekly Centenary E-pistles to those for whom we have E-mail addresses.

Dear Centenary Church Family:

This Sunday at Centenary: July 12, 2009
The Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

9:30 AM– Worship & Summer Sunday School
Preacher: John D. Painter
Theme: The Courage Continues
Lectionary Readings:
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Ephesians 1:3-14
Psalm 24
Mark 6:14-29
Children’s Message: Pastor John Painter
Celebration of Found Coins:CUMC Youth Fund
Music:Rev. Terrilisa Durham Bauknight, alto – His Eye Is on the Sparrow
10:30 AM – Fellowship Time(Room 20)

Summer Music Volunteers Being Sought: Again this summer volunteers are providing music during the Offertory. The selection needs only to be about two minutes and can be vocal, piano or instrumental of any kind (accompaniment, if needed, will be provided by Jonathan Benjamin, Jim Sabo or Steve Mosteller.) A sheet has been posted on the Choir Room door for you to choose your preferred week, or contact Shirley Mosteller.

Vacation Bible School—“Rome”—July 27-31:Strap on your sandals for fun, adventure and God’s love—in Rome! The children will explore a crowded Roman market place, tiptoe past Roman guards, encourage Christians in an underground church and visit Paul for daily discoveries about Paul’s life.

Rome…where the Bible comes to life! Race a chariot, try on a toga, and experience the power of Scripture and the courage of the early church.

Rome…where the Apostle Paul is your Bible teacher. Each day you will visit Paul’s cell, soaking in Scriptures as Paul shares what he’s writing and applies it to kids’ experiences.
Vacation Bible School will cost $15.00 per child. Please call the Church Office for a registration form at 732-548-7622.

Persons are invited to sponsor the time of coffee and refreshmentsfollowing our Sunday Worship services.Please consider sponsoring a refreshment time and signing up for one of the many available weeks on the2009Refreshment 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.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST
Blueberry Pancakes
Plain Pancakes
Waffles
Scrambled Eggs
Bacon and Sausage
Orangeand Apple Juice
Coffee, Tea, and Milk

Saturday, August 8, 2009

8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

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

Proceeds will be designated to support a proposed November 2009
Volunteer-in-Mission Trip to North Carolinato work with our United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in flood repair and relief.

Centenary United Methodist Church
200 Hillside Avenue, Metuchen, NJ
732-548-7622

Some Thoughts for This Week:

Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it. – Lewis Carroll

The person you are now,
the person you have been,
the person you will yet be—
this person God has chosen as beloved. – William Countryman

History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again. – Maya Angelou, from her inaugural poem, “On the Pulse of Morning” (January 20, 1993)

If you are losing a tug-of-war with a tiger, give him the rope before he gets to your arm. You can always buy a new rope. – Max Gunther

One filled with joy preaches without preaching. – Mother Teresa

A gem is not polished without rubbing, nor a person perfected without trials.

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. – Albert Pike

The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering. – Unknown

An act of love, a voluntary taking on oneself of some of the pain of the world, increases the courage and love and hope of all. – Dorothy Day

You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. – Christopher Robin to Pooh

The darkest hour has only sixty minutes. – Morris Mandel

You can turn any care into prayer anywhere.

Remember always that you have not only the right to be an individual; you have an obligation to be one. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Worry is like a rocking chair: It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. – Erma Bombeck

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. – Abraham Lincoln

To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another. – Katherine Paterson

Next Sunday at Centenary: July 19, 2009
The Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

9:30 AM – Worship & Summer Sunday School
Preacher:John D. Painter
Theme: The Amateur Hour
Lectionary Readings:
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Ephesians 2:11-22
Psalm 89:20-37
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
10:30 AM – Fellowship Time(Room 20)

Food Collection—Sunday, July 19: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#3, #4, #5 & #6…andpull-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

Prayer for the Week of July 12: God of wonders and of great amazement, spare me from ever growing so weary or so comfortable with familiar forms of prayer and worship that I lose my capacity to be as uninhibited before you as a child playing before loving parents. I would be born again this day in the freshness of your Spirit, that I might worship you not only with my mind, but also with my heart and soul and strength; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

I look forward to sharing in Worship and Christian Fellowship with many of you on this Sunday morning at Centenary.

In Christ’s Love, Pastor John