ABW Ministries
The November meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 9th at 12:30
p.m. at Limestone Gardens, 7626 Highbridge Road. Hostesses for
the meeting are Trudy Siegenthaler, Florence Dixon, Jessie Mapstone,
Marge Lincoln and Rose Huffaker. The speaker will be from the
American Cancer Society. Love Gift will be taken.
A bake sale is planned for Sunday, November 21st before and after the
worship service. All donations are welcome! Shirley
Mapstone will be taking orders for Thanksgiving pies (682-8169).
On Saturday, December 4th, at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary ABW Ministries is
sponsoring “The Master’s Touch Chorale” directed by Warren Ottey, as
our Christmas meeting. A reception will follow the concert in the
Chapel. Jill Doss, Sally Lyon and Debbie Oley are the refreshment
committee members. All are welcome! Come and bring a
friend. Fruit baskets will be packed for our shut-ins during the
reception. Please bring a piece of fruit for the baskets.
BLOODMOBILE
Is coming to First Baptist Church, Manlius on Wednesday, November 10th
in the gym from 1:30-6:30 p.m. Please call Shirley Mapstone
(682-8169) for an appointment. Blood (all types) is urgently
needed!
Unity Fellowship
All are invited to join with Unity Fellowship at a dish-to-pass dinner
on Saturday November 20th at 6:30pm in the Chapel. Speakers Sue
Greenhagen and Dorothy DeAngelo will talk on “Rural Cemeteries and What
They Tell Us.”
Hosts will be Olga Schmidt and the Richardson’s. Please bring
your table service.
Operation
Christmas Child
It's time to think about Christmas and
Children. This Christmas, you can share the love and hope of Jesus
Christ with a needy child in a country like Uganda or El Salvador by
using a simple shoe box. Operation Christmas Child is an easy missions
project that every member and family can participate in by bringing a
gift-filled shoe box to church in the next few weeks. Everyone can
participate by donating $5 to cover the cost of shipping the shoe box.
Boxes will be collected on November 7th. We donated 50 boxes last year.
Let's make it 55 this year. If you have any questions, please call
Colleen Guynup at 682-7232.
MISSION NEWS
October 6,
2004 - INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES, CHRISTIAN PARTNERS REQUEST PRAYERS FOR
PEACE AFTER SUNDAY BOMBINGS IN NORTHEAST INDIA
By Eleanor Lundy, International Ministries ABC
Suspected separatist rebels set off bombs in Northeast India on Sunday,
in a string of attacks on civilians in both Assam and Nagaland.
According to Indian news sources, a total of more than 60 people were
killed and nearly 200 injured in the attacks. One of the bombings
occurred near Guwahati, the location of headquarters of International
Ministriespartner, the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India.
In the commercial center of Dimapur, Nagaland, two simultaneous blasts
occurred at the railway station and in a market. A series of bombings
in the province of Assam occurred the same day.
The attacks in Assam and Northeast India were believed to be unrelated.
Officials blamed the Assam attacks on an outlawed separatist group, the
National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which is fighting for a
separate tribal homeland. The mountainous Northeast region is home to a
number of underground groups that are fighting for greater autonomy,
statehood, or secession. More than 50,000 people have lost their lives
in this region since India’s independence in 1947.
We condemn these acts of violence, which have disrupted peace efforts
in Nagaland and resulted in the loss of innocent lives, said the Rev.
Benjamin Chan, International Ministries area director for East Asia and
India. Assam remains a place where the Gospel of Christ needs to be
heard. Nagaland is a Christian land where sisters and brothers have
sacrificed much to pursue peace and reconciliation. Chan asked American
Baptists to pray especially for the people and churches in these
regions.
International Ministries has worked with partners in Northeast India to
bring peace and reconciliation among the 500 tribes there. In 1997,
during a celebration of the Gospel coming to Nagaland, a cease-fire was
signed by the Indian government and the National Socialist Council of
Nagaland (Isaac-Muivah), the main Naga insurgency. International
Ministries and the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America have
continued to work with our Indian partners to promote conflict
resolution and build peace. International MinistriesGlobal Service
Missionary for Peace and Justice, Dan Buttry, has been instrumental in
these peace efforts, training Christian and community leaders in
negotiating skills, conflict transformation, and nonviolent strategic
efforts to engage the Indian government in dialogue.
The Rev. Zhabu Terhuja, general secretary of the Nagaland Baptist
Churches Council, emphasized that neither the Council nor government
organizations suspect Naga insurgents of any role in the bombings.
Special prayer services were held throughout Christian-majority
Nagaland on Sunday to mourn the victims.
Kids in
Church. . .
A father was at the beach with his children when his four-year old son
ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore where a
seagull lay
dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked. "He
died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied. The boy thought a moment and
then said, "Did God throw him back down?"
A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their
six-year old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the
blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl
replied." Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife
answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on
earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
HOLY HUMOR
1. There was a church that had problems with outsiders parking in
its parking lots, so they put up a sign: CHURCH CAR PARK - FOR MEMBERS
ONLY Trespassers will be baptized!
2. "No God - No Peace. Know God - Know Peace."
3. "Free Trip to heaven ~ Details Inside!"
4. "Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin Robbins."
5. "Searching for a new look? Have your faith lifted here!"
6. An ad for one Church has a picture of two hands holding stone
tablets on which the Ten Commandments are inscribed and a headline that
reads, "For fast, fast, fast relief, take two tablets."
7. When the restaurant next to another Church put out a big sign with
red letters that said, "Open Sundays," the church reciprocated with its
own message: "We are open on Sundays, too."
8. "People are like tea bags -- you have to put them in hot water
before you know how strong they are."
9. "Fight truth decay -- study the Bible daily."
10. "How will you spend eternity - Smoking or Nonsmoking?"
11. "Dusty Bibles lead to Dirty Lives"
12. "Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and
the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world."
13. "It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin."
14. "Do not wait for the hearse to take you to church."
15. "If you're headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns."
16. "If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again."
17. "Looking at the way some people live, they ought to obtain eternal
fire insurance soon."
News from the
Pastoral Search Committee
Everything You've Always Wanted to Know
About the Pastoral Search Process but Were Afraid to Ask (Okay, maybe
not everything... Okay, maybe you're not afraid to ask...)
Once we receive profiles of prospective candidates, we prayerfully
review them and come up with our top 4 or 5 candidates. Our Area
Minister does "Reference 1" contacts on those names. He checks
for the following: if the candidate is still available, a thumbnail
report from her/his Area Minister, any "red flags" in regard to the
person.
Potential candidates are contacted to determine if they have interest
in the pastoral opening. If so, information is sent -- church
profile (copies are available in the church narthex), three years of
annual reports, sample bulletin. After giving time for review
(one to two weeks), the candidate is contacted to determine ongoing
interest. If there is, a telephone interview is set up.
Also at this time contacts are made with the References 1 and 2 as
provided on the candidate's profile.
The telephone interview is held. This is a time when we ask basic
questions in an attempt to begin to get to know the candidate.
Following are questions we've asked:
- Tell us about yourself. Tell us about your faith journey.
- How does your family influence your ministry?
- What would a recent supervisor or someone you're accountable to say
are your strengths? Your weaknesses?
- Tell us about your process of sermon preparation.
- Tell us about your routine of pastoral care and visitation.
- Tell us about a conflict situation in which you were involved.
How did you handle it? What was the outcome?
- What types of Bible studies do you like to see happen in a
church? Have you ever got one going and how did you implement one?
- How do you feel about altar calls in a worship service?
- Is there anything else you'd like to tell us or anything you'd like
to ask us?
Follow up questions usually arise from what the candidate shares with
us. Often, we get into other areas of interest and concern and
the calls can be quite lengthy! In the past two years we've
conducted many telephone interviews to many parts of the country.
Let us remind you of what you feel are the most critical activities in
which our pastor should be competent: interpreting the faith,
preaching, pastoral care, education, counseling, evangelism,
visitation, worship preparation and leading. These ministry priorities
were determined by the information we gathered from you at the
beginning of our search process.
Next time: After a telephone interview, what next?
"For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and
will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will
certainly come and will not delay." Habakkuk 2:3
Your ministry partners,
Ken Bex, Ross Binder, Betsy Burt, Ellen Everly, Mark Mapstone, Mary
Schwarz, Myrna Stasiw
Sunshine Cards
A person needed to take care of Sunshine cards. Please contact
Pam Foss for further information (682-0640).
Crafts Needed
Crafts are being collected for sale that will benefit the Well
Project. Either drop them into the green bin in the Narthex or
call Cindy Mapstone at 655-0616.
A Note from
Margaret
Since the first of the year to date, 147 notes of condolence have been
sent to the Manlius community. A few notes of appreciation have
been received. If anyone in our congregation hears reports from
our recipients, please tell me. We need to know if this is a
worthwhile venture. –Margaret Vermilya
Prayer Requests
for This Week
Pastoral Search Committee - “We are prayerfully reviewing some new
profiles. Please pray with us.”
Previous Prayer Requests
Please
Pray for:
Rev. John Baker and wife, Wanda
Rosa Cano’s mother (dementia)
Rosa’s husband & daughter
Marie Dittmar (brain tumor)
Mary Knaebel
Johnnie Noble
Oscar’s daughter in Guatemala
Ken and Ada Phelps (healing)
Thomas Pucket (leukemia)
Susan Stinson (cancer)
Florence Cowles (broken hip)
Steve Poole (brain cancer)
Sandy Haase
Kathy Foss (skin graft)
Patricia, Eugene White’s sister
Glenda Parker
Nathaniel MacLinden
José Cuto
Ruth Costello
Family of Alec Ross
Ellie Parker
Mike Chesebro
Fred Goddard
Jeff Loope
Dottie Ammann
Gary Henson
Marty
Do you have a prayer request or praise to share? Please call
Elaine in the Church office by Wednesday morning.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
At the end of each month, the names on the Prayer List above will be
removed. If you would like a name to remain on the list for
another 30 days, please call the church office.
If you have any questions, please contact the Diaconate
Board
NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
Birthstone – Topaz
Flower – Chrysanthemum
2. Ruth Ware
3. Sarah Carlsen
5. Kathleen Baier
8. Felicia Holmes
9. Joshua Eric Babu
Margo Freeman
Charles Houghton
10. Jean Baker
11. Karina Marie Kelson
13. Ruby Pfohl
Jordan Ritchie
14. Jennifer Lyon- Chapman
17. Ken Burrows
20. Keith Butler
21. Kristen Lyon
Debbie Macco
23. Elsie Bex
Angie Gagnier
Cecile White
25. Amy Macco
28. Katherine Loope
29. Dan Clements
30. Samantha Kahn
Kyle Short
ANNIVERSARIES
23. Dottie & Walter
Ammann
25. Ellie & Al Parker
28. Sandy & David Haase
29. Barbara & Millar
Brace
PUMPKINS
Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you
in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you
deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including the seeds of
doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts
His light inside you to shine for all the world to see. This was
passed on to me from another pumpkin. Now, it is your turn to
pass it to a pumpkin. I liked this enough to send it to all the
pumpkins in my patch.
Happy Fall! --email sent by Ann Morales
Iroquois
Association
The Advisory Council of the Iroquois
Association has prepared the year 2004 Annual Meeting for November 7th,
2-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Weedsport. Each member
church and each member of every church in the Association is invited to
attend what promises to be a great time of inspiration and
encouragement. We have been promised that we will enjoy “much
more than an ordinary business meeting!” The theme for the
afternoon will be a phrase taken from Ephesians 1:12, “for the praise
of His glory.” Our own John Spradling and Warren Ottey (Director
of Music and Organist at Cazenovia Village Baptist Church) will bring
us to new heights of adoration and praise. Time will also be set
aside for the election of officers and acceptance of a new budget, the
introduction of new pastors, a Lay Studies Program presentation, the
receiving of the New Beginning Unity Missionary Baptist Church into our
Association, and the sharing of Good News from congregations.
Light refreshments by the host church will follow the afternoon
program. Please mark your calendar for this event and call
682-8941 for further information.
A Note from
Pastor Jim
Dear Friends in Christ,
I want you to know how deeply honored I am to be asked to serve as your
Interim Pastor during these two months (October and November). I will
be commuting back and forth from Utica where Edith and I make our home.
The arrangements suggested by the Diaconate are simple. I will, of
course, be here each Sunday morning for Sunday School and Morning
Worship, but I will also be available most Sunday afternoons and
evenings for visitation, meetings or personal appointments. In
addition, I will be here one other day of the week, usually all day
Wednesday. But please feel free to call on me at any time either at
home (732-0842) or at the church office and Elaine will relay your call
to me.
Unfortunately, my wife, Edith, will not be able to be here on Sundays
because of her responsibilities at our home church, the Tabernacle
Baptist Church in Utica. She is teaching an adult class for some of our
Karen refugee women from Burma (“Reading the Bible in English”) and is
needed there for other aspects of our church’s ministry with refugees
on Sundays.
The first few weeks of sharing in ministry with you during October have
been both busy and fruitful. I sense God’s Spirit at work in this
congregation and give thanks for all who donate such energetic and
faith-filled leadership to the many ministries of the congregation. I
especially invite your attention to all of the articles in this issue
of the Christian Courier. An exciting and challenging month awaits each
and all of us.
I want to encourage you and yours to be with us each Sunday morning. In
this troubling and uncertain time, we need to gather in the presence of
God with quiet confidence that we fill find God’s love and God’s
leading sufficient for every need.
One further word: please be patient as I try to put names and faces
together. I look forward to knowing you personally, to serving you
faithfully and to sharing this journey in faith with you. I have long
since learned that Paul knew what he was talking about when he wrote,
“In everything, God can work for good with those who love Him.” I trust
you believe that too. So let us be open to God’s Spirit at work in our
midst and trust God’s leading as we move ahead in mission and ministry
together.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Jim
Introducing Our
Interim Pastor for October-November
The Rev. Dr. James V. Davison, a graduate of
Colgate University, received his Master of Divinity degree from Colgate
Rochester Crozer Divinity School. Jim, and his wife, Edith, retired
from active ministry in 1993 when he was serving as Senior Pastor of
the First Baptist Church in Birmingham, MI, a suburb of Detroit. They
are now living back in Utica where he had served the Tabernacle Baptist
Church for 12 years before moving to Michigan.
Early in his ministry, Jim served the Baptist
churches in Watkins Glen and Altay, NY, before being called into Campus
Ministry for American Baptists first at Cornell University and Ithaca
College, and then at the University of Iowa where he was also the
Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Iowa City. It was then he was
called to Tabernacle Baptist in Utica and subsequently to his final
pastorate in Birmingham, MI
Jim and Edith have four married children and 8
grandchildren. He is an active Trustee Emeritus of Keuka College and
Pastor Emeritus of Tabernacle Baptist Church.
PROPOSED VAN
PURCHASE
(To be discussed at the October 31st Quarterly Meeting)
During a recent King’s Kids Christian Child Care committee meeting, a
discussion was held on how to enhance and grow the summer
program. One of the biggest obstacles the staff faces is that
they are restricted to planning activities that take place on the
church grounds or that are within walking distance. This
restriction limits the creativity of the staff to develop an attractive
option for parents who are looking for more of a “camp”
environment. The ability to be mobile would help greatly and we
decided to look into the purchase of a 12-passenger van.
It was also discussed that the purchase of a van for church use has
been brought up many times over the years and by different
committees. Other possible uses for a van is for youth group
activities, picking up people for church that have no transportation,
group transportation to various community events, transporting children
to VBS, etc.
Costs involved in this purchase would be:
• One time cost for the van, approx. $17-$18,000.
Bill Wilson from Burdick Automotive specializes in locating 12
passenger vans for churches and currently has one in available. These
vans are typically 2 years old and have about a year left on the
warranty. If none are available, his lead time to locate one is
about 3-4 weeks.
Approximate Monthly costs:
• Insurance (via Keith Butler, Reller Risk Management)
$1,000 per year; $500 deductible
Includes $1,000,000 liability, Collision, Comprehensive
• Ballpark Maintenance (via Sam Sewall, Word of Life
– has several vans and coordinates maintenance. Recommended by
Bill from Burdick to speak with)
$1,000 if driven 30,000 miles/year
$2,000 if driven 60,000 miles/year
$500 if driven 15,000 miles/year
Maintenance items would include routine oil changes, tune-ups,
alignments, tires, brakes, etc. Typical used vans Bill sells have
at least (1) year left on warranty. An extended warranty purchase
option is being looked into.
The life of such a van is about 8 years, depending on the use and most
are used until they die.
The allocation of expenses could be spread over many different church
program lines seeing its varied use. Since King’s Kids would only
be using the van during the summer months, it is proposed that during
this time, King’s Kids have right of first refusal on its use.
It is proposed that funding will be sought after from:
1. King’s Kids donation.
2. King’s Kids families
3. Church committees/boards who support this mission.
4. Our congregation.
While this van would serve many purposes, it is by no means going to
fit all needs. Retrofitting the van for wheelchair accessibility
is not an option since a wheelchair van usually has a raised
roof. A second van for handicap use should definitely be
considered at some point in the future.
If there are any questions, please contact Nancy Albanese, King’s Kids
committee member at 682-3676.
Parent’s Friday
Night Out
December 10,
2004 ~ 6:30-9:30
What a great opportunity for parents to have a night out – kids
free. We will offer games, arts & crafts and movies for
children to 11 years old. The fee for this night out is $5.00 per
child. Registrations are a must by December 6th so we will have
plenty of sitters. An adult will be present with our reliable
teens. Questions and reservations – call Kathie Shevchuk @
682-8678. All-Stars (K-11 year olds) will be meeting 6:30-8 p.m.
DROP &
SHOP Saturday
December 4th
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
December 18th
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Got errands to run, shopping to be finished or anything else that may
be a convenience for parents to be kids free? Let our teens watch
your kids. The fee for this time out is $5.00 per child per
day. Games, arts & crafts, and movies will be offered for
children to 11 years old. Reservations are a must. Please
sign up by November 29th for the December 4th date or by December 13th
for the December 18th date. Each child should bring a bag lunch
on December 4th. Beverages will be provided. Questions or
to register call Kathie Shevchuk @ 682-8678.
Vision and
Planning Meetings
Five (5) one-hour meetings are scheduled for each Tuesday night in
November. They will be one-hour long from 7-8 p.m. and are open
for the whole congregation. A general outline of discussion
topics will be provided at the Quarterly meeting on October 31st.
Participation is strongly encouraged. Call Cindy Mapstone at
655-0616 for details.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
NEWS
Keep your eyes open for our next Adult Sunday School Class ~ “The
Blessed Life”
HELP NEEDED
Volunteers are needed to bring goodies for coffee time before Sunday
School. Shirley Mapstone and Mary Schwarz have been doing this
faithfully for several years. They will continue to make the
coffee early; but if some others could furnish the “goodies,” it will
be greatly appreciated. There is a sign up sheet on the coffee
table in the chapel. (You would only be signing up for
refreshments – not making coffee.) Thank You!!
A Note from
Edith Laning
“What beautiful of all days we have had. It will make snow and
cold hard to take. We are fortunate to have two Sunday services a
month beginning next week. We do have weekly bible study; we’re
doing Exodus, did Genesis last month. Our teacher is very good,
and I’m learning so much more about the bible. My love and
blessings to everyone, God bless you, Edith”
YOUTH DANCE CARD
This area of the newsletter is devoted to our youth to keep parents and
youth
informed of upcoming events. Also, if there is a financial
contribution required on your part, it will be noted. Please
schedule us on your child’s “Dance Card” so they will be able to attend.
Friends are always welcome!!
Who says there’s nothing fun to do??
HARVEST
CELEBRATION
Saturday, October 30, 1:00-3:00 p.m., FBCM gym ~ Games, food, crafts
and volunteers needed. All ages welcome!!
Admission: One bag of candy per youth
YOUTH FUN NIGHT
at FBC
Friday, Nov. 12, 6:30-8 p.m., Craft night All ages welcome!
Create crafts to sell for our “WELL PROJECT”
YOUTH FUN at
FBCM
Saturday, Nov. 20, 2:00 p.m. Help set up for the Turkey dinner
and sale of crafts.
Have fun with your friends as we do work for God and our church.
FAMILY TURKEY
DINNER
Sunday, Nov. 21, 5:00 pm. $32 family max.
$8 adults, $5 kids 3-10 yrs., free for 3 yrs. and younger. Don’t
cook…Don’t clean up! Be pampered and entertained by our youth!! Who
will get the drumstick?? We were all much thinner before we came to
dinner, me oh my!
CHRISTMAS
BABYSITTING at FBCM
Saturday, Dec. 4, 11–2pm
Looking for youth ages 12 and older to baby-sit for Ages 11 and younger
while adults go shopping. Well Project fundraiser.
CHRISTMAS CRAFT
NIGHT at FBCM
Open to the community. Wednesday, Dec. 8, 5:30-7pm. Make crafts
to keep or give for the holiday. Refreshments served. Adult
Volunteers needed!!
YOUTH FUN
NIGHT AND BABYSITTING
Friday, Dec 10, 6:30-8:00PM
Our regular “fun” youth stuff until 8pm.
Babysitting until 9:30 pm. Babysitting by pre-registration only.
Contact Kathie Shevchuk, 682-8678.
CHRISTMAS
BABYSITTING at FBCM
Saturday, December 18, 1-4 pm. Must Pre-register children for drop-off.
Youth ages 12 and older provide babysitting so adults can shop. Well
Project fundraiser.
JOSHUA
REVOLUTION
(formerly The Niagara Convention)
December 27-30th, Rochester, N.Y.
Non-denominational Youth Conference. Music, speakers, and educational
seminars. Middle School & older welcome.
Approximately $90/child to attend. 637-4964, Joni Dominy for more
info. A life changing event for all who attend.
YOUTH NEW
YEAR’S EVE PARTY
December 31st. Details to follow. Don’t miss this!
HIGHLAND FOREST
Sunday, Jan. 16th. No school the next day.
Family fun night in the snow and warmth of fellowship.
FAMILY
SPAGHETTI DINNER
February 5th. Time and cost TBA.
Mark your calendar to break garlic bread together.