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Email: office@stmarysucc.org
Page last updated: June 3, 2006
T H E P A R I S H N E W S
St. Mary’s United Church of Christ
Silver Run, Maryland
Volume XXVII June 2006 No 6- modified for the Web.
(Previous issues available: 2004, 2005, January '06, February '06, March '06, April '06)
Strengthen the Church - June 4th
Pentecost Sunday - June 4th
CAC Annual Meeting - June 9-11th
Sunday School Teachers Needed - Summer!
Vacation Bible School - June 26-30th
Ice Cream Stand - June 11th
Father's Day Bulletin - deadline June 11th
On the first Sunday of June we will celebrate
Pentecost Sunday and the birth of the church of Jesus Christ.
We read about this story in the book of Acts, about the rush of a mighty
wind, and tongues of fire empowering the first disciples for great deeds.
The timid became bold. The
weak became strong. The hesitant
became determined. And so the church
was born to proclaim the message of Christ and to carry his ministry into all
the world. As we celebrate Pentecost
Sunday this year, I will be starting my eleventh year as your pastor at St.
Mary’s United Church of Christ. Over
the ten years that have past, there may have been times that we might have felt
timid or weak or hesitant. But just
as it was the Spirit that brought us together years ago, it has also been the
Spirit that has brought us through difficult times and frustrating times, but it
has also kept us together for times of joy and celebration.
Because of the Spirit at work in us, we have become bold, we have become
strong, we have become determined. Empowered
by the Spirit we have accomplished great deeds together.
And as we continue to experience the winds of the Spirit blow in our
midst, I am certain that even greater deeds are ours to accomplish in the years
ahead.
The
greater portion of the church year, which we now enter, is the season of the
Spirit. Without the presence of the
Spirit, the story of Jesus remains an enchanting myth or an epic legend.
We can read about it; we can hear it told or see it acted out.
The story can touch our intellect and even give flights of fancy to our
imagination. But the passion to make
it our own comes only when the Holy Spirit fills the depths of our souls with
wind and with fire. With the
presence of God’s Spirit dwelling within our midst, the story of Jesus becomes
our story; the reality of Jesus becomes our reality.
As we enter into this next chapter of our journey together I am as
excited as ever about our future together and the exciting times that God has in
store for us. The Spirit of God
continues to be poured out upon us. We
continue to have a message to share. We
continue in the ministry that is ours to perform.
We continue to pursue the mission that is our to fulfill.
Filled with the Spirit of God at work in us, may the passion of committed
Christian discipleship inspire us and empower us.
With commitment and conviction and determination, may we continue to
faithfully fulfill our calling as followers of the Christ whom we love and serve
and adore.
Grace and peace, Dick
We remind everyone that on Sunday, June 4th, 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.
This year, we celebrate Pentecost Sunday on June 4th at our worship service at 10:00 AM. This service is our annual commemoration of the birth of the church universal when God poured out the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Christ to unite them and empower them for service. Our service this year will feature our Church Choir and Bell Choir as they conclude their program year. Again as we did on Palm Sunday, we will make space available in the sanctuary to accommodate the Bell Choir’s full participation in the worship service. The sacrament of Holy Communion will be included as part of our worship and will be served in the pews. On this Sunday we will also receive our annual all-church offering to help “Strengthen The Church.” All are encouraged to take part in the very special time of worship and celebration.
Who will benefit
from the Stephen Series?
The Stephen Series, for which St. Mary’s UCC will soon
begin training, will benefit many others besides those who receive the care of their Stephen Ministers.
The Stephen Ministers grow greatly as they learn about helping others.
They learn about themselves. As
the hurting members of the congregation grow stronger through this caring
ministry, the whole church is built up and made stronger.
And, of course, we all can have confident knowledge that when the pains
of life come our way, someone will always be there, ready to care for us, to
bring God’s love to us in a special, personal way.
As we begin this journey together, please keep the
The
42nd Annual Meeting of the Central Atlantic Conference of the United
Church of Christ will be held June 9-11, 2006 at the
SANCTUARY
RENOVATION / ORGAN
Seven years ago, St. Mary’s took a step of faith with the renovation of the church sanctuary and a few years later, the restoration of the church organ. Thanks to the Gordon Dutterer Trust, the Gassman Trust, the Leppo Trust, and the commitment of St. Mary’s members, we have almost completely paid off our debt.
The Stewardship Committee has designated Sunday, October 15th as a celebration of the completion of paying off the loan. We will need approximately $5,000 in contributions to help reach this goal by that time. We are designating the 3rd Sunday of June, July, August and September as special offering Sundays for this purpose. Those who have made pledges may wish to consider completing their contributions by the end of September, if possible.
We still have 23 church afghan/throws to sell at $30 a piece. The proceeds from the sale of these will go towards the reduction of the loan. You may wish to purchase one of these for a gift and in doing so, you will be helping to reduce the outstanding debt.
St. Mary’s UCC is truly blest to have such a beautiful sanctuary in which to worship and praise God, and the pipe organ adds to the worship experience. We pray that you will prayerfully consider bringing this project to a close in time for the celebration in October.
SUNDAY
SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDEED
The Children’s Dept. is in need of Sunday School teachers for the months of June, July & August. Curriculum will be provided. The sign up sheet is posted on the bulletin board outside the church office. Classes will only be offered on the days teachers are scheduled. For more information please contact Nancy or Stacy.
Again this year, our church
will be selling Hoffman’s Ice Cream at the Fiddlers Convention on Sunday, June
11th, at the
The Mother’s Class will be sponsoring the Father’s Day Bulletin. Names in Honor of or Memory of can be included for $1.00 each. Sign up envelopes are on the back windowsill of the sanctuary or contact Betty Harman.
Money collected from this project combined with the Mother’s Day bulletin will be donated to the Sanctuary Fund. Deadline to sign up is June 11th.
Thank You for sharing our Parish News! If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please contact the church office.
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Email: office@stmarysucc.org Page last updated: June 3, 2006 |
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