Sunday, June 3 – Trinity Sunday / Service of Confirmation and Reception
8 Confirmands presented to the congregation with their mentors.
Dear Centenary Church Family:
Greetings from Valley Forge, PA, and the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference. Your Lay Member to Annual Conference, Giselle Esquivel Cordero, and I gathered for the Service of Tribute and Sacrament of Holy Communion with over 1,000 lay and clergy members from the 600+ United Methodist churches in our Greater NJ area yesterday morning as we began four-days of Holy Conferencing in this historic venue. Last evening we were blessed by the dynamic preaching of the Rev. Tyrone Gordon from St. Luke’s UM Church in Dallas, TX, and as we return to the Conference setting this morning, Pastor Gordon will lift our hearts in preparation for the day.
This Sunday, June 3, is Trinity Sunday…the First Sunday After Pentecost…and a special moment in Centenary’s life as we confirm and receive into membership the 8 young men and women who have been on the Confirmation journey with me, Pastor Bauknight, their Mentors and their parents since last October. As we gather for our 10:15 AM Worship, we will welcome the 8 Confirmands as they are escorted into the Sanctuary by their (Mentors): Timothy Bender (Richard Fritsche); Leah Hines (Äli Woodfield); Richard Knudsen (Michael Savoia); Neville Lashley (Scott Woodfield); Patricia Masigla (Nancy Rapp); Pauline Masigla (Nancy Rapp); Shannon Ringler (Valerie Agtarap); and, Matthew Valentine (Samuel David).
Members of the Confirmation Class will lead portions of the service. Assistant Pastor Terrilisa Durham Bauknight and the Confirmands will share a special Trinity Sunday message with the children. The Rev. Dr. Stanley J. Menking will bring the morning Message, Jesus Is Praying for You, based on the Gospel reading from John 17:20-26. A retired United Methodist Pastor, Dr. Menking is familiar to many across the United Methodist Connection for his books and seminars, but at Centenary may be best known as the father of Stephanie Ringler and grandfather of 2007 Confirmand Shannon Ringler. We are delighted that Stanley Menking is able to share his faith witness with the Confirmands and our congregation this Sunday. Following the actual Service of Confirmation and Reception, we will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Our newest members and their Mentors will be served first, and then four members of the Confirmation Class will assist with serving the bread and cup to the congregation. Our Celebration of Found Coins for June is designated for the ClothesLine Ministry.
We invite everyone to gather for a special Fellowship Time in Room 20 this Sunday as we greet, welcome and congratulate our 2007 Confirmands.
Please continue to hold Giselle Esquivel Cordero and me and the other lay and clergy members of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference in prayer as we continue our time of Holy Conferencing here in Valley Forge, PA. This evening will be an especially high point in the proceedings as we gather for the Service of Ordination at which Bishop Devadhar will ordain one permanent Deacon and fourteen Elders into the full-time ministry of the church.
Reminder: (Friday, June 1) TGIF will hold its closing event for this season at The Barge in Perth Amboy beginning at 6:00 PM. If you wish to participate, please let Michael and Cathy Savoia know: 732-826-1921.
Ozanam Shelter Dinner: Centenary will next be serving dinner at the Ozanam Shelter on this Monday, June 4. Please check the information on the bulletin board in the Narthex and sign up to assist with food preparation or serving. For further information, please contact Glenna Gundell (732-463-1431) or Mary Ellen Heim (732-548-2587). Thanks.
Congratulations to our 2007 College Graduates: We are still seeking information about those Centenary members who may have graduated from college this Spring. Please call or e-mail the Church Office (centaryUMC@aol.com) so we may share in the joy of their accomplishments. To date, we have received word of the following graduates:
· Dorothy Iacone, Master of Education, Fairleigh Dickinson University
· Delanyo Srebi, Bachelor of Arts, Rutgers University
· Äli Woodfield, Bachelor’s Degree, Kean University
2007 High School Graduates: We are still seeking information about those Centenary members who will be graduating from high school this month. Please call or e-mail (CentaryUMC@aol.com) the Church Office so we may share in the joy of their accomplishments in our July Lamplighter. We will also have a special time of recognition for our high school graduates during our June 17th Service of Worship.
Food Collection—Sunday, June 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
Father’s Day Special–Centenary UMYF Car Wash: Beginning immediately after our 10:15 AM Worship on Sunday, June 17…and continuing until the last car is clean!! Donation: $5.00. Bring your dirty car for our youth to clean as they raise funds for their service projects.
2007 Summer Camp Programs at Aldersgate Center and Pinelands Retreat Center: Information about the 2007 Summer camping programs for children and youth (and some specialized adult and family programs) are posted on the Children’s Ministry bulletin board in the hallway alongside the Sanctuary, near the Narthex. Please check out the dates and programs to see if your elementary-age child or Junior/Senior high youth may want to participate in a summer camp experience at Aldersgate Center (Swartswood, NJ) or Pinelands Retreat Center at Mt. Misery (Browns Mills, NJ). You may also check out the offerings and register online at either www.aldersgatenj.com or www.mtmisery.com. Scholarship assistance is available through the Church. Please speak with Children’s Ministries Director Cathy Jean Savoia or Pastor John Painter to get additional information about these programs and appropriate registration forms.
Summer Worship & Church School at 9:30 AM Begins on June 24th: From Sunday, June 24th, through Sunday, September 2nd, Worship and Summer Sunday School will be held at 9:30 AM. (Except there will be no Children’s Summer Sunday School program on July 1st and September 2nd.) Please make note of this seasonal change in our Worship and Sunday School schedule for the Summer. On Sunday, September 9th, 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 next year.) Watch for further details in upcoming editions of The Lamplighter.
Some Thoughts for This Week:
The fewer the words, the better the prayer. – Martin Luther
Religious silence is silence that is undertaken as an act of worship. Whether I hear God or not makes no difference. – Thomas Merton, quoted in Alive Now! (November/December 1990)
Remember always that you have not only the right to be an individual; you have an obligation to be one. You cannot make any useful contribution in life unless you do this. – Eleanor Roosevelt
You are nature’s greatest miracle. There never has been and never will be anyone just like you. – Brian Tracy
You were born rich with 18 billion bountiful, beautiful, totally available and in all probability under-used brain cells awaiting your desire, decision and directional compass to take you onward, upward, goodward and Godward. – Mark Victor Hansen
Work has to include our deepest values and passions and feelings and commitments, or it’s not work, it’s just a job. – Matthew Fox Cleric
You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was. – Abraham Lincoln
The purpose of life is not to get rid of the butterflies in your stomach, but to make them fly in formation. – Author unknown
Next Sunday, June 10, 2007: Children’s Sunday / Last Day of Sunday School
9:00 AM – Adult Study – The Congregation (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM – Worship — Children’s Sunday
Harris Ringers & Junior Choir / Last Day of Sunday School
The Children & Youth of our Sunday School will lead Worship
Lectionary Readings: 1 Kings 17:8-24 Galatians 1:11-24
Psalm 146 Luke 7:11-17
11:30 AM – Sunday School Picnic on the Front Lawn
11:30 AM – Staff-Parish Relations Committee (Sunshine Room)
6:30 PM – United Methodist Youth Fellowship
Prayer for the Week of June 3: We celebrate your wholeness and your holiness, O God. We give thanks that we never reach the boundaries of your life and love but that we are forever discovering fresh Good News that enriches and expands our life. We celebrate the delight of finding you where and when we least expect it. Praise be to you, O God, the God of all eternity. Amen.
I look forward to sharing with you in study, Worship and Christian Fellowship this Sunday at Centenary.
Shalom, John