Sunday, Sept 28, 2008 – Pentecost 20 / Music Appreciation Sunday
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: Pastor John Painter; 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; Music: Chancel Choir/Junior Choir/Harris Ringers – El Cielo Canta 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); 11:45 AM – Youth & Parents Meeting (Sunshine Room); 6:30 PM – Centenary UMC 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 this 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.
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 Still Available from Glenna Gundell
Or Call the Church Office @ 732-548-7622
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).
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 this Wednesday, October 1st from 7:00PM to 9:00 PM at the Flemington United Methodist Church. He will meet earlier in the day with the Clergy of the District from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
TGIF Intergenerational Dinner and Lectionary Discussion and a lot of fun together will meet on Fridays, October 3 & 10 from 6:30-8:30 PM in the Sanctuary. A barrel offering is taken to defray the costs for the meal and materials. Persons of all ages are invited and encouraged to attend.
Metuchen Country Fair—Saturday, October 4: Don’t let your hands and brains be idle next week. Use them to make some items for the United Methodist Women to sell at their table at the Metuchen Fair. This is our only fund raising activity so we need all the help we can get. If you need patterns for knitting or sewing, please see Sylvia Woodfield. There is a sign up poster in the narthex for you to sign up to work at the fair on Saturday, October 4th. We will need help early in the morning (7:00 AM) setting up, working at our booth later in the morning and afternoon and then we will need help cleaning up and bringing unsold items back to church (4:00 PM). It is a lot of fun and you get to see all your neighbors on Main Street!
A Metuchen Fair Workshop will be held on Wednesday, October 1st from 9:30 AM to Noon in Room 20. We will be packing library books and women’s items for sale at the Fair. Men are welcome to join us.
Books for Sale: The Church Library will be having their usual book sale at the Metuchen Fair on Saturday, October 4th. If you have some books you wish to contribute to their sale please bring them in and leave them by the table outside the Library. We will need help also early in the morning (7:00 AM) to set up and also to help at the table selling the books and then cleaning up in the afternoon (4:00 PM).
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.
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. 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)
ADULT CLASS WRESTLES WITH OBSTACLE-TO-FAITH ISSUES
After completing its current study of The Parables of Jesus, Centenary’s Adult Class will begin a new five-week study of obstacle-to-faith issues, starting October 19. This will be part two of a DVD study called Serious Answers to Hard Questions. In part one of the study last year, the class discussed Evangelism and Tolerance, the God of the Old Testament, Religion and Science, the Sins of the Church, and the Gnostic Gospels. The schedule for this study is as follows:
October 19………………….The Problem of Evil in the World
October 26………………….Other Religions
November 2…………………Jesus and Christianity
November 9…………………Forgiveness
November 16……………….Resurrection
You don’t necessarily have to make a year-long commitment to be part of the Adult Class. We usually schedule our courses to run no more than five or six weeks so you can attend as your schedule permits. If you see a course that has special interest for you, please join us on Sunday mornings from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM in the Sunshine Room. If you have suggestions for courses you would like the Adult Class to offer, please contact Bob Carlson at 732-549-6296.
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:
For a Christian, service is not an option, but an obligation.
In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us. – Flora Edwards
There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up. – John Andrew Holmes
The person who does not work for the love of work but only for money is not likely to make money nor to find much fun in life. – Charles M. Schwab (1862-1939), Steel magnate
If we all did the things we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves. – Thomas Edison
Where love reigns, God reigns.
Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. – Joseph Cardinal Bernardin
The ideal life is in our blood and never will be still. Sad will be the day for anyone when we become contented with the thoughts we are thinking and the deeds we are doing—where there is not forever beating at the doors of our souls some great desire to do something larger, which we know that we were meant and made to do. – Phillips Brooks [adapted]
It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues. – Abraham Lincoln
I can live for two months on a good compliment. – Mark Twain
A smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight.
Time heals grief; and love prevents scar tissue.
If we could save ourselves, we wouldn’t need a savior. – Max Lucado
Next Sunday – October 5, 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 21st Sunday After Pentecost / World Communion Sunday
Preacher: John D. Painter Theme: Moses vs. the Big Mac
Lectionary Readings: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Philippians 3:4b-14
Psalm 19 Matthew 21:33-46
Music: Chancel Choir – Vamos Todos al Banquete by Guillermo Cuéllar
Celebration of Found Coins: 2008 CROP Walk (October 19)
11:45AM – International Pot-Luck Lunch (Room 20/Hallways)
11:45 AM – Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
6:30 PM – Centenary UMC Youth Fellowship (Grades 7-12) (Youth Room)
World Communion Sunday
October 5, 2008
Next 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.
Prayer for the Week of September 28: Lord of the old and the new, we give you thanks for tradition, wisdom from the past that informs and guides us through new times. We thank you for familiar voices and stories that we can lean back upon for stability and comfort. You guided our ancestors and taught them, and the lessons they learned have informed us. But we also give you thanks for a new day, for new experiences, and for new lessons we have learned. May our love of the familiar not blind us to the new work you are doing in today’s world. Open our eyes this day to the wonders of a new heaven and a new earth, and help us to see your grace holding it all together. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I look forward to sharing with many of you in study, Worsip and Christian Fellowship this Sunday morning at Centenary.
Shalom, John