Dear Centenary Church Family:

This Sunday – September 21, 2008 – The 19th Sunday After Pentecost

9:00 AM Adult Study The Parables of Jesus (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM Worship & Sunday School (Pre-K through 12th Grade)
Children’s Message: Michael Savoia
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: Complaining to God
Lectionary Readings: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Philippians 3:4b-14
Psalm 19 Matthew 21:33-46
Music: Chancel Choir – ¡Miren Qué Bueno! (O Look and Wonder) by Pablo Sosa
Celebration of Found Coins: Centenary Volunteer-in-Mission Trip
11:30 AM – Fellowship Time (Room 20)
11:45 AM – Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
4:00 PM – Bishop’s Song Fest (The Great Auditorium at Ocean Grove)
6:30 PM – Centenary UMC Youth Fellowship (Grades 7-12) (Youth Room)

Food Collection—Sunday, September 21
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

ADULT CLASS STUDYING “PARABLES OF JESUS”
Jesus communicated deep spiritual truths through simple, vivid, and engaging stories called “parables.” Woven from the stuff of everyday life, the parables of Jesus made the kingdom of God understandable and accessible to his listeners. Centenary’s Adult Class is exploring some of the best-known parables of Jesus using The Deeper Connections DVD Bible study series, “The Parables of Jesus.” This visually stunning series—filmed in Israel and in diverse locations in the United States—is written and taught by Biblical experts and consists of three components: the historical and cultural background of first-century Palestine when Jesus first told these stories; an engaging, close look at the Biblical text and its meaning; and encouraging and challenging applications of the Bible’s message to life today.
The remaining schedule is as follows:
· Sept. 21 — “The God of the Kingdom” (The Prodigal Son: Luke 15: 11-32)
· Sept. 28 — “The Demand of the Kingdom” (Treasure and Pearls: Mt. 13: 44-46)
· Oct. 5 — “The Mission of the Kingdom” (The Wedding Banquet: Mt. 22: 1-14)
· Oct. 12 — “The Fulfillment of the Kingdom” (Sheep and Goats: Mt. 25: 31-46)
We invite you to join us for this study that will give you new insights into the parables of Jesus and their meanings, and will help you to appreciate more fully their relevance for your own life today. The Adult Class meets Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 AM in the Sunshine Room.

Bishop’s Songfest and Celebration
September 21, 2008 @ 4:00 PM
Ocean Grove Auditorium, Ocean Grove, NJ
“Everyone Sing!” is the theme of this year’s Bishop’s Songfest in Ocean Grove. The celebration of God’s joy through music will fill the air of the Great Auditorium this Sunday, September 21, 2008, @ 4:00 PM, when United Methodists and friends from all over the state and beyond will gather to sing resounding praise to the Lord. Plus, this year we will be using the Songfest as a time to celebrate the return of Bishop Devadhar for another quadrennium here in Greater New Jersey. Celebrate the return of Bishop Devadhar! “Everyone Sing!”

You Can Support UMCOR’s Response to 2008 Hurricanes in U.S. and in Haiti: The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is at work in the U.S. Gulf Coast and is also responding to four catastrophic storms that tore through Haiti in less than a month. You can support UMCOR’s efforts in the Gulf Coast and/or Haiti by making your checks payable to “Centenary UM Church.” Please write either “Hurricanes 2008” or “Haiti Emergency” on the memo line of your check. Then place it in an offering plate at a Sunday morning Worship service, or mail it to our Church Office (200 Hillside Avenue, Metuchen, NJ 08840-1900). Checks made payable to “UMCOR” can also be mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write “UMCOR Advance #3019695, Hurricanes 2008” or “UMCOR Advance #418325, Haiti Emergency” on the memo line.” Credit-card donations can be made by calling 800-554-8583 or at www.givetomission.org (link to “Hurricanes 2008” under UMCOR Emergencies on the right hand side of the page).
Kids’ Night Out: Friday, September 26th from 6:30-8:30 PM: Fellowship Time for children ages 3- to 12-years old. Dinner, Bible activity, and games are provided. Please sign up on the Children’s Bulletin Board. Speak with Cathy Jean Savoia for additional information. (Church: 732-548-7622, Ext. 12; Home: 732-826-1921)

ROAST BEEF DINNER
with all the trimmings!
Served Family Style.
Saturday, September 27th
6:00 PM — 8:00 PM
Cost: $ 15.00 for anyone over 16yrs.
$ 5.00 for anyone between 5yrs and 15yrs.
Under 5 – free.
Tickets Available from Glenna Gundell
Or Call the Church Office @ 732-548-7622

METUCHEN FAIR will be here before we know it. It is the first weekend in October (Saturday, October 4). If you have any ideas for craft items that can be sold at the fair, please talk to Sylvia Woodfield. If you need patterns or yarn or plastic canvas see Sylvia Woodfield. We will try to have a workshop or two before the fair to make some items. We have only one month to the Fair—so…get those brains and hands working!! This is the only fund-raiser that we have each year and it helps us fund our scholarships to graduating seniors and also provide camp scholarships each year.

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.

Bishop’s Day on the Raritan Valley District – October 1
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar is beginning his second quadrennium (2008-2012) of Episcopal ministry among us, and he will be meeting with clergy and laity throughout the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference again this year in his Bishop’s Day on the District. Bishop Devadhar will be discussing, and hopes clergy and laity alike will take the time to read:
· Robert Schnase, Cultivating Fruitfulness: Five Weeks of Prayer and Practice for Congregations (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008)
· Michael W. Foss, From Members to Disciples: Leadership Lessons from the Book of Acts (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007)
· Bishop Devadhar would also encourage people to read Rueben P. Job, Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Way of Living (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007) if they have not already done so.
Bishop Devadhar will meet with the Laity of the Raritan Valley District on Wednesday, October 1st from 7:00PM to 9:00 PM at the Flemington United Methodist Church. He

World Communion Sunday
October 5, 2008
On Sunday, October 5—World Communion Sunday—more Christians will gather around the Table of Christ in those 24 hours to receive the gifts of bread and wine than on any other day of the year!
As you have done on World Communion Sundays in recent years at Centenary, you are encouraged to come to Worship wearing clothing that reflects your national or ethnic heritage. It is wonderful to look out over the congregation and to see how we reflect both the multiversity and universality of the people of God. You will also be invited to consider coming forward at the end of the service to share a word of blessing to and for the congregation in a language other than English. As in prior years, that World Benediction will be a simple phrase—The peace of God be with you—but what a gift to receive it in the many different languages represented within our membership!
We are asking each household (individual and/or family) to bring a special loaf of bread to our service on October 5. It may be a loaf you or another member of your family prepares and bakes at home; it may be a special loaf you select to purchase from a bakery. During the Celebration of Found Coins Pastor Painter will invite you to come forward with your offerings and also place your loaves in two large baskets at the foot of the Altar. We will be using four different loaves of bread for our Communion serving at four different locations in the Sanctuary—representing “the four corners of the world.” We will bless all of the loaves and then distribute them back out to the congregation at the conclusion of the service. In this simple way you may enjoy the gifts of one another symbolized through these many different kinds bread. If there are loaves remaining when the service is concluded, we will arrange for them to be shared with people in our area who may be blessed by the gifts of our bread.
Flags: There will be a colorful display of flags from nations around the world in our Sanctuary that morning, thanks to a special gift in 2007 from our Children’s Ministries program.
Food & Fellowship Following: Everyone is invited to share together in an International Pot-Luck Lunch following Worship. We invite you to bring a dish to share with others that is reflective of your heritage. In a congregation like Centenary, composed of persons from a variety of different cultures, we anticipate a delicious opportunity to sample food from a wide variety of international cuisines. Come at Christ’s invitation to share in the Sacrament of Holy Communion and “International Table Fellowship” at Centenary on Sunday, October 5th.

Next Ozanam Shelter Dinner on Monday, October 6
Centenary will next be serving dinner at the Ozanam Shelter on Monday, October 6. Please check the information on the bulletin board in the Narthex and sign up to assist with food preparation or serving in October. October Menu: Pork Chops w/ Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables, Apple Sauce, Whipped Cream, Pumpkin Pie. For further information, please contact Glenna Gundell (732-463-1431) or Mary Ellen Heim (732-548-2587). Thanks.

2008 CROP Walk ? Sunday, October 19 at 12:30 PM
The Metuchen-Edison Area 2008 CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Walk for World Hunger will begin with sign-in and registration at 12:30 PM on Sunday, October 19, and “Step-Off” on the Walk at 1:00 PM from First Presbyterian Church, 270 Woodbridge Avenue in Metuchen (to which all walkers will return at the end of the walk).
CROP Hunger Walks help children and families worldwide—and right here in the U.S.—to have food for today, while building for a better tomorrow. Each year some two million CROP Walkers, volunteers, and sponsors put their hearts and soles in motion, raising over $16 million per year to help end hunger and poverty around the world—and in their own communities. (25% of the amount raised in the Metuchen-Edison Area Walk is returned annually to the Metuchen-Edison Area Clergy association to be used for emergency assistance for local individuals and households.) And you can part of it! Look for additional information about CROP Walks around the nation, and about the Metuchen-Edison Area CROP Walk at http://www.cropwalk.org/.
Envelopes to secure sponsors for the 2008 CROP Walk are presently available through the Church Office. We need persons who are able to walk and those who can sponsor walkers, and others who can offer support as needed… Please speak with Pastor John Painter for additional information or to offer your assistance.

Some Thoughts for This Week:

Justice is what love looks like in public. – Cornel West, From Call and Response, a documentary on global slavery.

Pray for a good harvest, but keep on plowing. – Nancy Otto

There is no amount of darkness that can extinguish the inner light. The important thing is not to spend our lives trying to control the environment around us. The task is to control the environment within us. – Joan Chittester

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. – Yiddish proverb

God does not work by only one method, paint in only one color, play in only one key, nor does He make only one star shine onto the earth. – Eberhard Arnold

The greatest of all evils is indifference toward evil.

Our being Christian today will be limited to two things: prayer and righteous action among humanity. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), Theologian and activist

Gratitude is the mother of all the virtues. – G.K. Chesterton

Compassion invests whatever is necessary to heal the hurts of others.

If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad. – Ruth Stull

It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching. – Francis of Assisi

Kindness is Christianity with its working clothes on. – Unknown

Do unto others as if you were the others.

What we give determines our wealth, not what we get.

Go Thou With Us
Gracious God,
Send us anywhere in this world You would have us go
Only go thou with us.
Place upon us any burden You desire
Only stand by us to sustain us.
Break any tie that binds us
Except the tie that binds us to thee. Amen.
(Favorite Prayer of Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong
Author Unknown)

Next Sunday – September 28, 2008:
9:00 AM – Adult Study: The Parables of Jesus (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM – Worship and Sunday School (Pre-K Children through 12th Grade Youth)
The 20th Sunday After Pentecost / Music Recognition Sunday
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: Is God with Us?
Lectionary Readings: Exodus 17:1-7 Philippians 2:1-13
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 Matthew 21:23-32
11:30 AM – Fellowship Time (Room 20)
11:45 AM –Youth & Parents’ Meeting (Sunshine Room)
11:45 AM – Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
6:30 PM – Centenary UM Youth Fellowship (Grades 7-12) (Youth Room)
All 7th-12th Grade Youth and Youth Parents: You are invited to join Pastor John Painter and Student Assistant Pastor Keith Swatzel in the Sunshine Room @ 11:45 AM next Sunday, September 28. We ask you to prayerfully consider how you might lift up this important ministry of our church. We will be sharing ideas and a vision for our youth ministry here at Centenary. This is your opportunity to share any concerns and praise. We’ll see you there.

Prayer for the Week of September 21: We give thanks to you, O God, for the stories of our ancestors in the faith. We are relieved to know of their complaints and murmurings, and we find comfort in their lack of perfection. We thank you that we are free to quarrel with you, free to lament our losses, free to be honest in expressing both sorrow and joy in your presence. We are grateful that you do not force your will upon us. But you are our God, and we are your people. Where else can we go, for you have the words of eternal life. In spite of our complaints, you still continue to provide manna in the wilderness. We give you thanks, gracious God, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

Shalom, John