T H E P A R I S H N E W S
St. Mary’s United Church of Christ
Silver Run, Maryland
Volume XXV June, 2004 No 6 - modified for the Web.
Strengthen the Church - June 6th
UCC Central Atlantic Conference - June 11-13th
Property Clean-up - June 15th
Ice Cream Stand - June 6th
VBS Meeting - June 6th
Bells at Father's Day Service - June 20th
Kids Kamp Out - July 31st - August 1st
Vacation Bible School - July 19th - 24th
The season of Pentecost is upon us. We remember the story of the small band of apostles entrusted with a mission, but timid and fearful about their ability to fulfill it. Jesus had told them that he would not abandon them. Yet without his bodily presence they were feeling lost and alone. But then the miracle of Pentecost took place. The wind blew, and from heaven the Holy Spirit descended upon them as if tongues of fire came to rest upon each one of them. Suddenly, they were on fire. They were passionate and confident and ready to face the world and their mission to it. The Spirit of God is like that. And this is the Spirit whose power we acknowledge and celebrate, the Spirit that sets us on fire with the enthusiasm necessary to motivate our action and empower us for ministry in the name of Jesus Christ.
The one question that this season demands of us is: are we on fire with the Spirit? Is there a passion that burns within us for Christian discipleship? Some of us may need to use this season as a time to reflect as to whether there is any passion at all to our faith. Maybe the enthusiasm has gone out of our witness and dissipated from our service. We used to care; but now we don’t care. Others of us may need to reflect upon that which fills us with emotion and drive. Is it for service to the cause of Christ or in pursuit of our own desires? Are we motivated toward faithfulness or are we misdirected toward negative and destructive ends? Fire can be helpful; but misguided fire can cause great harm.
This is our time to experience the passion of the Spirit-filled life. This is our time to discern the movement of the Spirit in our midst. When the Spirit blows it is time to open the sails and let the Spirit fill us and carry us forward. May our lives and the life of our church be on fire with Spirit’s power, motivating our discipleship and empowering our service to the cause of Christ.
Grace and peace,
Dick
We remind everyone that on Sunday, June 6th, we will receive our annual offering to help "Strengthen The Church." Great works of redemption can be accomplished when we offer our resources to be utilized by the Spirit in the building and rebuilding of the Body of Christ. Strengthen The Church is our United Church of Christ effort to renew and revitalize the church so that we may continue to be a faithful witness and servant of Christ’s love in the years ahead. Envelopes will be made available. Please give generously.
Summer Sunday School for our Children and Youth department will begin on Sunday, June 6th and run through Labor Day weekend. A combined class for children of all ages will be available at our usual 10:00 AM hour in the Kindergarten Room. Teachers are still needed to be sure that all weeks are covered through the summer season so please consider helping out. The sign-up sheet is on the church office bulletin board.
Summer Sunday School for the combined Adult Class will begin on Sunday, July 4th, and we will meet every Sunday in the Choir Room at 10:00 AM throughout the summer months. All are invited to join with us as we use this opportunity to learn and grow together.
UCC CENTRAL ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
The 40th Annual Meeting of the United Church of Christ Central Atlantic Conference will be held June 11-13, 2004 at the University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware. The theme of the conference is Healing and Reconciliation. Attending will be Pastor Scott, Molly, Vicki, Gladys and Jeanne.
At the Consistory meeting on May 11th, we acknowledged the receipt of $10,000 from the estate of Charles Dutterer and in accordance with the terms of his will, Consistory voted to allocate this legacy to the Endowment Fund. At a special meeting following worship on May 16th, the Consistory learned that an additional $10,000 legacy was received from the estate of Julius Houff and in accordance with the wishes of his family, the entire amount was allocated to the Sanctuary Renovation Fund. St. Mary’s is blessed to receive these thoughtful and generous gifts, and we know that they will have lasting impact upon the ministries of our church for generations to come.
Outside church & parsonage shrub and lawn cleanup June 15th at 5:00 PM. We can use all the help we can get. Rain date, June 22nd.
Again this year, our church will be selling Hoffman’s Ice Cream at the Fiddlers Convention on Sunday, June 6th, at the Farm Museum. Proceeds from this year’s sale will go toward the Sanctuary Renovation Fund. Volunteers are needed and those who can help out should contact the church office.
Please plan to stay after church on Sunday, June 6th to discuss this year’s basic VBS plan, staffing assignments, classroom locations, and supplies. This meeting will last approximately 30 minutes and we will collaborate on a date for a follow-up meeting. If you have any questions, or if you cannot attend, please call contact the church office.
Father’s Day is June 20th, and this year our church Bell Choir will provide additional music during our 10 AM worship service. All are encouraged to join us for worship and a special Fellowship Hour immediately following hosted by the Worship Committee.
On May 8th thanks to Debbie, Congregational Arts & Crafts proceeds were $236.10 made at the Farmers Market. Our next show is July 10th at the Ag Center, Westminster. Anyone interested in purchasing items for gifts see Nancy. Your support is greatly appreciated. All monetary gifts and proceeds go to the Sanctuary Fund. Thank you very much!!
The Children’s Church School Department is having a Kid’s Kamp Out Saturday, July 31 – Sunday, August 1. This is open to all children who have finished 6th grade thru 12 grade. We will be going to Artillery Ridge Campground in Gettysburg, PA. The campground has a pool, fishing pond, volleyball, showers, paddleboats and cabins.
Included in the trip is a two hour Battlefield Tour on horseback. To signup, a deposit of $15 is required. Deadline to sign us is Sunday, July 18.
WANTED: Dog-loving, adventure-minded kids for a week of fun in God’s great creation this summer at Davey and Goliath’s Camp Creation: A Super Gospel Celebration VBS! Must be willing to listen to exciting stories of Jesus, make cool crafts, learn catchy camp tunes, play wild nnd crazy games, eat yummy camp food, and forge friendships with other camper. VBS will be held at St. Mary’s July 19-24 from 9:30am until noon, for children ages 3 and potty trained to just completing 4th grade.For more information, call the church office at 410-346-7977 or 410-848-3862.
On Tuesday mornings, we at St. Mary’s UCC have a group of ladies that meet and sew. They make lap robes for those who area homebound or are in nursing facilities, (I’ve known them to make special gift quilts also). These ladies share life stories, laugh and just enjoy being together. They give of their time and effort freely. Their pleasure is giving.
One of my new friends crochets all the time. She has yarn in hand during her break at work. I visited her recently and was given a tour of her "House and Garden" home. It was truly lovely. In one of her rooms she had an antique glass case. The case contained every quilt she had ever crocheted.
Kind thoughts of our sewing group were going through my mind on the way home that day. Barb.
Since this was the 50th year that the Mother’s Class sponsored the Mother’s Day Bulletin, we set a goal of 500 names. With you overwhelming support of our project by giving extra names and money, we gathered a total of 690 names.
Thanks so much to everyone that supported us and helped make this project such a great success.
The Mothers’ Class