Dear Centenary Church Family:

It is rare when the Day of Pentecost and Mother’s Day (Festival of the Christian Home) occur on the same Sunday, but because of the early date of Easter, it is occurring this year. We will share in the celebration of each during our 10:15 AM Worship service this Sunday, May 11. And because it is Pentecost…and red is the liturgical color for the day…we are encouraging everyone to wear red to our Worship celebration this Sunday. We will look forward to welcoming Cathy Jean Savoia, our Children’s Ministries Director, back to Centenary this week as she shares a word with the children. After the Time with the Children, those from Pre-K through 12th Grade will be invited to participate in Sunday School classes. We will also welcome Assistant Pastor Terrilisa Durham Bauknight back to the Centenary Pulpit this Sunday as she brings us her Message–By the Spirit–based on the Scripture readings from 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 and Psalm 104:24-34, 35b. Following a special Mother’s Day Litany and the Lord’s Prayer, our Chancel Choir will sing a Pentecost anthem by Eugene Butler and D. Elton Trueblood, Hymn of Fire. Our Celebration of Found Coins for May is designated for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Domestic Disaster Response…much-needed funds which are used by UMCOR to provide the ability to respond to disasters which occur within the United States (e.g., recent floods/tornadoes in the Midwest; ongoing assistance in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, etc.).

ADULT CLASS STUDIES “GREAT FIGURES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT” Centenary’s Adult Class will be looking at some of the great figures of the New Testament over the next five weeks before adjourning for the summer months. From May 11 through June 8, we will be studying the lives of some of the key figures in the New Testament, including Mary Magdalene (May 11); Martha, Mary and Lazarus (May 18); James, the brother of Jesus (May 25); Judas Iscariot (June 1); and, Pontius Pilate (June 8). Each class will feature a 30-minute in-depth video portrait of these figures by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, who is an outstanding lecturer and Bible scholar. These vivid portraits are part of her DVD, Great Figures of the New Testament. Join us in the Sunshine Room, Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, for these informative and entertaining presentations.

REMINDER: Centenary United Methodist Youth Fellowship
Mother’s Day Car Wash immediately following Worship this Sunday, May 11.

TGIF (ToGether for Intergenerational Fun) A gathering for dinner, conversations, storytelling and fun. All ages are welcome to attend. Friday, May 9, from 6:30-8:30 PM. Dinner is provided by The Barge in Perth Amboy. A barrel offering is taken to defray the costs for the meal and materials.

Centenary Book Club will meet at 7:30 PM on Friday, May 9, in the Sunshine Room (following the TGIF Meal). We will discuss One True Thing, by Anna Quindlen. The Centenary Book Club remains open to men and women, ages 18 years of age and older. See you there for some great discussion and reviews.

MYANMAR: CYCLONE NARGIS UMCOR RESPONSE
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is partnering with Church World Service (CWS) to bring emergency relief to thousands of people in Myanmar affected by Tropical Cyclone Nargis, which tore through the Irrawaddy Delta on May 3, before slamming into Myanmar’s (Burma) largest city of Yangon. According to recent news reports, the current death toll is 22,500, but may reach as high as 100,000. Many persons are presently without food, water, shelter or power; it is estimated that one million people have been left homeless.

Working through partners such as Church World Service (CWS), one of the few agencies with permits to work in Myanmar, allows UMCOR to respond to disasters in some of the world’s most remote places. The international community is working to open up relationships between the US and Myanmar so that more assistance can be provided to survivors. Please pray and give to the UMCOR Myanmar Emergency Appeal to help in the relief effort.

Your gifts may be placed in the offering plates at any Worship service at Centenary. Please make your checks payable to Centenary UM Church and write “UMCOR Myanmar Emergency” on the Memo line of your check. (Or place cash offerings in an envelope labeled “UMCOR Myanmar Emergency”.) You may also mail your gifts to the Church Office (200 Hillside Avenue, Metuchen, NJ 08840) or directly to UMCOR at P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write “UMCOR Advance #3019674, Myanmar Emergency” on the Memo line of the check. Credit-card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or online by clicking on any of the “Give Now” links at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor

Information Requested About Our 2008 Graduates: We are seeking information about those Centenary members and friends who will be graduating from college and high school in May or June. 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 June Lamplighter. We will also have a special time of recognition for our high school graduates during our June 15th Service of Worship.

Raritan Valley District Conference – Thursday, May 15, 2008
Pastor John Painter and Lay Member to Annual Conference Giselle Esquivel Cordero will be attending the 2008 Raritan Valley District Conference this Thursday, May 15, from 7:30-9:30 PM at Bridgewater United Methodist Church. This gathering of the Pastors and Lay Members of Annual Conference from the churches of the Raritan Valley District is an opportunity to review and celebrate the accomplishments of the past year, hear information regarding the approaching 2008 Greater NJ Annual Conference (May 29-31 @ Valley Forge {PA} Convention Center), and elect persons to leadership positions in district committees and teams. This will be the final District Conference at which the Rev. Veronica P. Palmer, Raritan Valley District Superintendent, will preside, as she will be appointed to serve as Pastor of the Calvary-Roseville United Methodist Church in East Orange, NJ, effective July 1, 2008.
The Raritan Valley District is comprised of 68 United Methodist churches located in Middlesex, Hunterdon, Somerset, western Union and southern Warren Counties.
Any members of Centenary are also invited and encouraged to attend this annual district gathering. Please speak with either John Painter or Giselle Esquivel Cordero if you are interested in attending and/or need directions or transportation to Bridgewater UMC.

ANNUAL WALK FOR HOPE TO CURE BREAST CANCER
Please support the 7th AnnualCityof Hope / Michelle Offsie Memorial Walkfor Hope to Cure Breast Cancer on 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.

You are invited to sponsor the time of coffee and refreshments following our Sunday Worship service. Please consider sponsoring a refreshment time and signing up for one of the many available weeks on the 2008 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.

You are invited to sponsor flower arrangements for our Worship services. The 2008 Flower Chart is posted in the Narthex. Floral arrangements cost $25.00 each week to sponsor. (Please make your check payable to Centenary UM Church and write “Altar Flowers” in the Memo line.) 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.

LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN: We are putting together a Men’s Chorus to sing on June 1 for Men’s Sunday. Rehearsals are being held following Worship on Sundays in May, as well as a brief run-through before the service on June 1. If you can make at least 2 rehearsals, please join us. We had a great turnout last year! See Shirley Mosteller for more information.
Male Worship Leaders & Readers are being recruited for the Worship Service on Men’s Sunday, June 1. Men interested in serving are invited to contact Pastor John Painter.

2008 Greater New JerseyAnnual Conference
One in Spirit, All in Ministry: In the Spirit of Fellowship
May 29-31 at the Valley Forge Convention Center
The ninth session of our Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church will be held May 29-30-31, 2008, at the Valley Forge Hotel & Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA. Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar will preside at the business sessions of the Conference, which will officially convene with a Service of Tribute and Holy Communion at 10:00 AM on Thursday, May 29. Annual Conference is scheduled to adjourn at 4:30 PM on Saturday, May 31. Giselle Esquivel Cordero, Centenary’s Lay Member to Annual Conference, and Pastor John Painter will attend the Annual Conference sessions. They will join with about 1,500 clergy and lay members of Annual Conference for this three-day gathering, representing local congregations and other ministry settings in and beyond the geographical bounds of the Annual Conference (the entire state of NJ; portions of Rockland and Orange Counties, NY; and a portion of Pike County, PA).

One of the major items of interest during this 2008 Annual Conference session will be receiving reports from our delegates about the actions of the 2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, which will have met from April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, TX, under the theme A Future with Hope. We will also take several actions in preparation for the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference to be held July 14-17, 2008.

Members of Centenary who may be interested in attending any of the sessions or services of Annual Conference are welcome to do so, and may speak with Pastor Painter or Giselle Esquivel Cordero for directions to the Valley Forge Convention Center and for the schedule of events during these three days. (You may also access the information at our Greater NJ Annual Conference Web site: www.gnjumc.org) We ask you to be in prayer for the Clergy and Lay Members of the Greater NJ Annual Conference as they gather in late May for “Holy Conferencing.”

Some Thoughts for This Week:

Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence. – St. Augustine of Hippo

We need never be ashamed of our tears. – Charles Dickens

Growth in wisdom may be exactly measured by decrease in bitterness. – Friedrich Nietzsche

Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it. – J. I. Packer

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. – John F. Kennedy

To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it. – G. K. Chesterton

Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things. I am tempted to think there are no little things. – Bruce Barton

It takes less time to do things right than to explain why you did it wrong. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest. – Beatrix Potter

Those who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than criticize. – Elizabeth Harrison

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. – Mother Teresa

Every moment is the right one to be loving.

Either we are adrift in chaos or we are individuals, created, loved, upheld and placed purposefully, exactly where we are. Can you believe that? Can you trust God for that? – Elisabeth Elliot

Ability is wonderful, but God is more interested in your availability.

Hearing is one of the body’s five senses. But listening is an art. – Frank Tyger

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. – e. e. cummings

The Christian message is what sets Christian music apart. We’ve got hope, and we’ve got to be upfront about that hope. – Rebecca St. James

Envy shoots at others and wounds herself.

Next Sunday — May 18, 2008:
9:00 AM– Adult Study—Great Figures of the New Testament (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM – Worship and Sunday School (PreK Children through 12th Grade Youth)
Trinity Sunday / Peace with Justice Sunday (Harris Ringers Play in Worship)
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: The Great Commission Mission
Lectionary Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:4a 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Psalm 8 Matthew 28:16-20
11:30 AM– Fellowship Time (Room 20)
11:45– Men’s Chorus Rehearsal (Music Room)
5:45 PM– Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
6:30 PM– United Methodist Youth Fellowship (Youth Room/Room 20)

Food Collection—Sunday, May 18: 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 May 11: Spirit of God, descend upon our hearts and stir up gratitude within us. We give you thanks for Pentecost, for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and for the accompanying promise of new beginnings. We thank you for the renewed energy given to those early disciples that gave birth to the church and provided us with our legacy anchored in the Spirit’s power. We give you thanks for the gifts the Holy Spirit creates within us, the unique talents and abilities revealed in our lives that allow us to work together for the common good in our congregation. We are thankful for the one Spirit and the one baptism that makes us all one in Christ. We thank you for the beauty of this time of year. During this week we give you thanks for all who are part of our household of faith and prayer, called by your Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I look forward to sharing with many of you in study, Worship and Christian fellowship on this Pentecost/Mother’s Day Sunday at Centenary.

Shalom, John