Dear Centenary Church Family:

Grace and Peace to you on this Ascension Day, May 1, marking the end of the forty days following Easter when our Risen Lord appeared to his disciples and then ascended to be with God. We will observe this special day this Sunday, May 4, 2008, as we gather for our 10:15 AM Worship service on the Seventh (and final) Sunday of Easter / Ascension Sunday. I will share a special word with the children, after which those in Pre-K through 12th-grade youth will be invited to participate in Sunday School classes. My morning Message, The Authenticating Second, will be based on the special readings for Ascension Sunday: Luke 24:44-53 and Acts 1:1-11. During the Offering, our Chancel Choir will sing a lively anthem, O Clap Your Hands by Julie Knowles. As we come to kneel at the rails to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the choir will also sing I Remember You by Gene Grier. 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.) As we come to the end of the Easter Season, we will close our service with singing together for one final time Halle, Halle, Halleluja.

Annual Interfaith Holocaust Remembrance Service
Thursday, May 1, 2008 @ 7:30 PM
Sponsored by Metuchen–Edison Interfaith Association & JCC of Middlesex County
We join together in readings and songs to remember all those who perished,
with the promise that we will never forget.
Location: Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County,
1775 Oak Tree Road, Edison, NJ 08820

WORLD COMMUNITY DAY is Friday, May 2, 2008. Church Women United of Metuchen-Edison will be celebrating this day with a program beginning at 12:00 Noon with a covered dish lunch at the First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen. The women of New Hope Baptist Church will present the program. The Executive Board of Church Women United of Metuchen-Edison will provide the dessert. Everyone else should bring a covered dish to share. Come and join with women of other faiths in our neighborhood and around the world. Come and join us! If you have any questions or need a ride, please call Sylvia Woodfield (732) 549-9042.

TGIF (ToGether for Intergenerational Fun) A gathering for dinner, conversations, storytelling and fun. All ages are welcome to attend. Fridays, May 2 & 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.

ADULT CLASS STUDIES “GREAT FIGURES OF NEW TESTAMENT”
Centenary’s Adult Class will be looking at the problems of immigrant children and some of the great figures of the New Testament over the next six weeks before adjourning for the summer months.
This Sunday, May 4, Giselle Esquivel Cordero, our Public Theology Representative, will present a special program called Immigrant Children: The Smallest of These. This class will explore the needs of immigrant children and their families, and our response to them in light of biblical scriptures and the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church.
Then, 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.

Centenary will be serving dinner at the Ozanam Shelter on Monday, May 5. Please check the information on the bulletin board in the Narthex and sign up to assist with food preparation or serving. The May Menu: baked chicken pieces; oven-roasted potatoes; green beans; cupcakes; ice cream. For further information, please contact Glenna Gundell (732-463-1431) or Mary Ellen Heim (732-548-2587). Thanks.

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.

2008 Summer Camp Programs
Aldersgate Center and Pinelands Retreat Center
Information about the 2008 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.Note: Register by today, May 1st, to receive a $15.00 discount on each event paid in full.

Pinelands Center at Mt. Misery Rally Day is Sunday, May 4th, from 2-5. This is an opportunity to learn about the camp, meet some of the staff, take a tour, and have some fun. For more information, contact Pinelands Center at 609-893-3354 or PinelandsCenter@yahoo.com.

The 2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church continues to meet in Fort Worth, TX. The 992 lay and clergy delegates from around the United States and much of the world have been meeting since April 23 under the theme A Future with Hope. They have engaged in worship, legislative forums, caucuses, prayer vigils, and plenary sessions seeking to address the ministry and mission of The United Methodist Church for the next quadrennium (2009-2013). Four major themes have been brought to focus as the delegates approached their responsibilities: (1) Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world; (2) Creating new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones; (3) Engaging in ministry with the poor; and, (4) Stamping out killer diseases by improving health globally. The General Conference has sought to address the need for a “global structure” for a world church. And delegates have approved a Hymnal Revision Committee to bring a recommendation for a new United Methodist Hymnal to the 2012 General Conference to be held in Tampa, FL. The 2008 General Conference will adjourn tomorrow evening, Friday, May 2. Please hold the delegates and leaders of our church in prayer during these final two days of “Holy Conferencing.” You may follow the progress of the General Conference on the Internet at www.GC2008.umc.org, or by going to www.umc.organd clicking on the link to “General Conference 2008”.

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.

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

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.

Some Thoughts for This Week:

The real secret of how to use time is to pack it as you would a portmanteau, filling up the small spaces with small things. – Henry Haddow

Time gives good advice. – Maltese proverb

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

In parts of the world, people still pray in the streets. In this country they’re called pedestrians. – Gloria Pitzer

As we are involved in unceasing thinking, so we are called to unceasing prayer. – Henri J. Nouwen

If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. – William Penn

Four things come not back:
The spoken word,
The sped arrow,
The neglected opportunity,
And the thoughtless e-mail.

It may be those who do most, dream most. – Stephen Leacock

Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all. – D. L. Moody

Why is it always easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them? – Alfred Adler [adapted]

No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helped you. – Althea Gibson

We simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are or the way they should be. And our attitudes and behaviors grow out of these assumptions. – Stephen Covey

We should ask God for humility, but never thank God that we’ve attained it.

Next Sunday, May 11, 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)
Pentecost Sunday / Festival of the ChristianHome/ Mother’s Day
Preacher: Terrilisa Durham Bauknight Theme: By the Spirit
Lectionary Readings: Acts 2:1-21 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b John 7:37-39
11:30 AM– Fellowship Time (Room 20)
11:45– Men’s Chorus Rehearsal (Music Room)
11:45 AM– Youth Fellowship Car Wash (Rear Parking Lot/Side Drive)
5:45 PM– Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)

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

LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN: We are putting together a Men’s Chorus to sing on June 1 for Men’s Sunday. Rehearsals will be 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 turn-out 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.

Prayer for the Week of May 4: Gracious God, we thank you for our struggles. These words catch in our throat, but we want to be faithful to the admonition to give thanks for all things. It is easier to thank you for sunny days and clear skies, but we know we need clouds and rain. We would rather thank you for perfect health and times of prosperity, but we know how illness and difficult times have often taught us valuable lessons. We do not seek after suffering, and we are even frightened by it, but we trust that you can indeed use our suffering for good purposes. As much as we seek after success we trust that failure can have its own unique value. Few of us have ever suffered for our faith, but if that is in our future we trust that you will use such suffering to strengthen your church. We give you thanks, in so far as we are able, for all things, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I look forward to sharing with many of you in study, Worship and Christian fellowship on this Ascension Sunday at Centenary.

Shalom, John

John D. Painter, Pastor