Dear Centenary Church Family:

Sunday, June 8, 2008: The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost / Children’s Sunday
Worship at 10:15 AM will be led by our Sunday School Children, Youth and Teachers
(Rehearsal for ALL participating children, youth & teachers at 9:00 AM in the Sanctuary)
Music: Our Junior Choir will sing in Worship
Celebration of Found Coins: ClothesLine Ministry
The Last Day for Regular Children’s Sunday School will be Sunday, June 8. There will be a barbecue picnic lunch on the front lawn following Worship. Hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken and cold beverages will be provided. Please bring a salad or dessert to share.

ANNUAL WALK FOR HOPE TO CURE BREAST CANCER
Please support the 7th Annual City of Hope / Michelle Offsie Memorial Walk for Hope to Cure Breast Cancer this Sunday, June 8th 2008. Registration will begin at 9:00 AM at the Jewish Community Center/YMCA campus at 1775 Oak Tree Rd, Edison, NJ. The Walk/Run will begin at 10:00 AM. You can make a difference and support this event by:
1. Joining as a walker or runner. There will be a 2/4-mile walk and a 4-mile run.
You may contact Giselle Esquivel Cordero at (732)549-6525 for information; or register at 800-344-8160 or online at www.walk4hope.org/edison.
2. Sponsoring a walker/runner with your tax-deductible contributions. See donation forms on the Narthex bulletin board.
You may also donate on line at www.walk4hope.org/edison.
3. Checking with your employer to see if they will match your donation.

TGIF: ToGether Intergenerational Fun final gathering before Summer: Dinner at The Barge in Perth Amboy tomorrow, Friday, June 6, from 6:30-8:30 PM. Please call Cathy Jean or Michael Savoia 732-826-1921 or 732-548-7622, Extension 12 immediately for reservations.

Information Requested About Our 2008 Graduates: We are still seeking information about those Centenary members and friends who are graduating from college and high school. Please call (732-548-7622) 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 15th Service of Worship.

Summer Worship & Church School at 9:30 AM Begins on June 22: From Sunday, June 22, through Sunday, August 31, Worship and Summer Sunday School will be held at 9:30 AM. (There will be no Sunday School classes on July 6.) Please make note of this seasonal change in our Worship and Sunday School schedule for the Summer. On Sunday, September 8th, 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.

Centenary Family Fun Night

Please join us for a night of
Fun, Food & Games.

The Evangelism committee is organizing an evening of fun & games for the congregation to get to know each other. There will be board games and activities for young and the young at heart.
Please join us and get to know your Centenary family.

Where: Centenary United Methodist Church

When: 6:00 PM on Saturday, June 14

Pizza will be served.
(Sign up sheet in the Narthex…
or please call the Church Office at 732-548-7622
to Reserve a Slice or two of Pizza.)

A celebration in honor of Raritan Valley District Superintendent Veronica P. Palmer will be held on Sunday, June 22, beginning at 5:00 PM at Christ United Methodist Church in Piscataway. All clergy and laity from the district are invited to attend as we recognize the leadership that Rev. Palmer has given to the Raritan Valley District for the past four years, and for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ which she has shared with us all. A fun time is planned with lots of laughter, a bit of serious reflection, followed by a light buffet. More information will be provided in the future…but now is the time to save the date and make plans to participate in Piscataway on June 22.

Some Thoughts for This Week:

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love. – Mother Teresa

Many Christians suffer from loneliness because they are sitting instead of serving.

The only generation that can reach this generation is our generation. – Oswald Smith

If you don’t run your own life, someone else will. – John Atkinson

The pessimist complains about the wind;
the optimist expects it to change;
the realist adjusts the sails. – William Arthur Ward

The life of faith does not earn eternal life: it is eternal life. And Christ is its vehicle. – William Temple

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. – Buddha

The best answer is sometimes silence.

God does not always heal us instantly the way we think. He is not a jack-in-the-box God. But God is walking with me through this. – Thelma Wells

Faith is not being sure where you’re going but going anyway. – Frederick Buechner

A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life. – William A. Ward

Live a good, honorable, faithful life. Then, when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy everything a second time.

Many owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties. – Charles Spurgeon [adapted]

None of us are saints, none of us are heroes…But I’ve learned to accept what goes wrong, and to turn it into a gift. – Krista Tippett

All kids are gifted; some just open their packages earlier than others. – Michael Carr

Every time you sacrifice something at great cost—every time you renounce something that appeals to you for the sake of the poor—you are feeding a hungry Christ. – Mother Teresa, “Cry Freedom” by Charles Ringma

Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground. – Theodore Roosevelt

Next Sunday, June 15, 2008:
10:15 AM Worship — The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost / Father’s Day
Final 10:15 AM Worship service until September 8
(Special Recognition for 2008 High School Graduates)
Chancel Choir sings for the Final Time until September
Preacher: Terrilisa Durham Bauknight
Lectionary Readings: Genesis 18:1-15 Romans 5:1-8
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)
11:30 AM – Fellowship Time
11:45 AM – CUMYF Father’s Day Car Wash
Centenary United Methodist Youth Fellowship
Father’s Day Car Wash immediately following Worship on Sunday, June 15!

Food Collection—Sunday, June 15: 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

Prayer for the Week of June 8: We join with all living things to offer our thanks to you, O God. With birds and beasts, fields and flowers, earth and sky we praise you for life-giving air, sun that warms, and rain that nourishes life. You have created and given order to the seasons, the days, and the years. We join with you, O God, in planting and harvesting and in caring for the earth that sustains us. We know that this is your world, you have created it and all that exists, and we wish to be good stewards of all that you have made. Turn our gratitude into stewardship, our praise into compassion, and our love for you into deeds of mercy for all in need. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pastor John Painter is on Renewal Leave through Saturday, June 28: Administrative and pastoral care coverage is being provided by Assistant Pastor Terrilisa Durham Bauknight. You may call the Church Office at 732-548-7622, or call Pastor Bauknight directly at 908-419-4101 (cell phone)