Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As I write this I am preparing to leave for my annual trek to Guatemala. Many
of you may wonder why. Well, it feeds my soul. There is something about that
country, the people and of course the beauty that calls to me and feeds my
soul. I am so looking forward to seeing beautiful Lake Atitlan and the
volcanoes that surround it. I look forward to seeing the man who every morning
stands in his small wooden boat and goes out on the lake to fish for his
family.
I look forward to seeing Juana Herlinda, an incredible woman of faith, who
works tirelessly for her village of Pachaj to ensure that they have clean water
and health care. She is so excited to receive the 50 bags of reusable sanitary
napkins that I am bringing to her from our church. They have been waiting
patiently to receive these for a whole year and it makes me wish that I had
more because I know that there are not enough for everyone who needs them, but
it is a start and they will be so appreciative of them and they will change the
lives of the young women in the village who will now be able to go to school
and work the entire month.
This year I am bringing a group of Biblical storytellers from around the
country including Tom Boomershine, the founder of the Network of Biblical storytelling.
We will be doing workshops around the country teaching biblical storytelling.
The groups are varied from a group of seminary professors and students to the
staff of CEDEPCA to several groups of indigenous women most of whom have never
graduated from high school. After the storytellers leave, the second group
arrives.
The second week a group of six of us from Albany Presbytery will meet with the
Mam Presbytery group and will join together with them in a retreat. We will
also meet with the sewing project women who we support. After the second group
leaves, the rest begins.
I will be traveling to Lake Atitlan where I will do a home stay with Letty and
Luis Mendez in San Pedro. My room will overlook the lake and during the mornings
I will be studying Spanish at San Pedro Spanish school with a private teacher
and in the afternoon, I will wander around the lake visiting some of my friends
and having at least two massages from an amazing healer named Ada.
As you are reading this, I am already home from this trip and ready to jump
into the season of Lent. And hopefully, my soul has been fed.
Yours in Christ,
Bonnie
40 Days
Toward Love, Expanding Our Hearts Through Prayer
Lent is 40 days minus Sundays. Sundays are days
to celebrate the Resurrection, even during Lent. As Christians, we pause once a
week to worship the God who brings life out of death. During Lent this year, I
am asking you to participate in 40 Days to Love.
How can we let God expand our hearts for our
neighbors, God’s world, and those from whom we feel divided? How can we
encourage the people in our communities, our friends and families to pray and
engage God more this Lenten season? The 40 Days Toward Love will help us
tangibly engage God through prayer, reflection and optional weekly actions,
moving our hearts toward God and our neighbors.
There will be five candles on the prayer
station marked Hope, Peace, Joy, Love and Light. There will be a basket on the
prayer station with colored hearts upside down. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide
you to take a heart from a basket. Then commit to praying for the person or the
group of people on your heart for the week and expand your own heart to love
people who are different from you. As you pick your heart, decide which of the
five candles to place your heart near right side up. Take one of the
instruction sheets and one of the morning and evening prayer sheets on the
prayer station to write down the person or group you will be praying so you
don’t forget.
If you wish, each week you may take a new
prayer heart and add to your Lenten discipline. The optional weekly action
ideas will allow you to act on expanding your love toward others. Please
consider participating in this as one of your Lenten spiritual disciplines.
Mondays and Tuesdays Lenten Bible
Study
On March 7 we will begin our Lenten Bible
study, He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado. Every gift comes from God but no gift
reveals God’s love more than the gift of the cross. These gifts came not
wrapped in paper but in passion. In this five session video Bible study, we
explore the many gifts that Christ provided to us at his crucifixion. These
include not only the gift of the cross, but also the gift of the thorns, the
nails, the robe and the empty tomb. Join us Mondays at noon (bring lunch if you
would like to) or Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m.
Thursdays in March Knitting and Quilting
The knitters and quilters continue to meet at
noon on Thursdays. Bring your lunch or come after lunch and enjoy
conversation and fellowship while working on your own project or we can teach
you to knit hats and mittens for the mitten tree.
March 5 and 19 Food Pantry
The Food Pantry will be open from 12:30 to 3:00
on March 5th and 19th . Sunday, March 17th is Food Sunday, so bring your
canned goods, cereal, peanut butter and jelly, to church that Sunday or any
other time.
March 6 Ash Wdnesday
A service of prayer and reflection will be held
on Ash Wednesday at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary.
March 14 Mooncatcher Project
A group of women gather every second Thursday
at 10:00 (note new time) until 1:00 pm to make personal
hygiene kits to be sent to Liberia with Victor. Anyone is welcome!
March 20 PW Meeting
On Wednesday, March 20th the women of the
church will meet at 4:00 for planning and fellowship. We will be
discussing coming events including the Rummage Sale, Mother-Daughter Dinner,
Quilt Show and others. Come and get involved. Bring a Bible verse
that begins with the letter “VorW”.
March 21 Alzheimer’s Support Group
At 10:30 am the Alzheimer Support Group will meet
in Fellowship Hall. This group meets to discuss and support those with
memory problems and their caregivers. Speakers are often there from the
community and anyone having an interest is invited to attend.
March 21 Parkinson Advocacy Group
At 2:00 pm in Fellowship Hall the Parkinson
Group will meet. It is a time for those with Parkinson’s disease and
other neurological diseases and their caregivers to gather and discuss common
problems and hear speakers talk on ways to handle the problems that go along
with these diseases.
March 26 Session Meeting
The next Session Meeting will be held on
Monday, March 26 at 6:30. Please let Rev. Bonnie or Janis Frisch know if
you have something to bring up to the meeting.
LOOKING AHEAD
April 14 Palm Sunday
The traditional Palm Sunday parade of palms
will take place and our One Great Hour of Sharing offering will be received on
Palm Sunday. Contribution envelopes are on the pew racks.
April 18 Maundy Thursday
The Maundy Thursday service will begin at 6:00
pm on April 18 with a light meal
April 19 Good Friday
The Good Friday service will be held on Friday,
April 19 at 7:00 pm. Our choir will sing and everyone is encouraged to come to
this special service at the Broadalbin Presbyterian Church.
April 21 Easter Sunday
The Easter Sunrise Service will be held at the
United Methodist Church at 6:30 am. The service will be followed by a
breakfast.
Our traditional celebration of Easter will take
place at 10:30 a.m. There will be no Sunday School classes, but children
are encouraged to attend church with their parents on this special day.
April 26-27 Rummage Sale
PW will have their annual Rummage Sale on
Friday, April 26 from 7:00 am – noon and Saturday, April 27 from 8:00 am –
noon. Please do not leave rummage at the church until after April
21.
May 5 CROP Hunger Walk
Our 8th Annual CROP Hunger Walk is scheduled
for May 5th. Mark your calendar and get your walking shoes ready!!
Jill Kaczor will be coordinating it this year.
SESSION NOTES
Scholarship applications for the 2019
Niles Family Scholarship are available. Two $500.00 scholarships
will be given to a graduating senior who has been accepted at a 2 or 4 year
college or a trade school or an adult learner going to the same. The
person must be active in a faith community as well as participate in activities
in the community. They must have two references from a teacher, community
leader or clergy. Forms are available in the church office or from Janis
Frisch, Vicki Kucel or Rev. Bonnie and must be submitted by April 15.
ANNUAL MEETING REPORT
Copies of the annual report are available if
you would like one and were not able to attend the meeting. Call the
church office or contact a Session member. The budget was passed and Rev.
Bonnie’s terms of call were approved.
Many thanks to Janis Frish and Nancy Frank for
serving on the Session for the last six years and to Vicki Kucel who has agreed
to serve a second term. Marget Barnett and Linda Jacobs were nominated
and elected to serve on the Session for three year terms.
WORSHIP COMMITTEE NOTES
After several years as chairperson of the
Worship Committee, I am passing the torch to the very capable Mary
Seaman. It has been a most rewarding journey we have travelled with
Pastor Bonnie at the helm and I am so thankful to the members of the committee
and their willingness to “take on” every challenge that Bonnie has dreamed
up. I have every confidence in Mary’s ability to chair this committee and
look forward to serving as a committee member. As we await Bonnie’s
return from Guatemala, be prepared for all the wonderful new ideas she will be
bringing with her. J Nancy
Committee members: Pastor Bonnie, Sharon
Brower, Mary Lou Bryan, Nancy Frank, Ginnie Hall, Vicki Kucel, Deb Lair, Sandra
Ann Sparks, and Mary Seaman (chairperson)
MUSIC NOTES
The choir endeavors to add special music to our
weekly worship service. Newcomers are always welcome to joinus on Tuesday
evenings t 6:30 pm or Sunday morning at 9:30 for rehearsals. Come join
the fun.
CHURCH SCHOOL NOTES
The Church School children will be using the
flannel board to learn the Bible stories leading up to Easter. They
hope to have a “Snow Day” on March 17th so wear your snow gear and bring sleds,
etc.
On Palm Sunday they will be doing the Coffee
Hour and they are making Easter Corsages that may be obtained for a
donation. The money from this project will go to support their
three students in Kenya.
OUTREACH NOTES
FRIDAY’S TABLE
We would love to have you join us on Fri. March
22nd at 3:30 pm or whenever you can at Holy Spirit Community
Center, 161 South Main Street, Gloversville. We serve at 5:30 pm and
we are all cleaned up by about 6:30 pm, amazing! We have a great time
preparing the meals. We usually serve roast pork, carrots, and roasted
potatoes! The bread, salad fixings, and desserts are all donated by Price
Chopper and Hannaford.
Please let Mary DiSanto-Rose know if you
can come by email: mdisanto@skidmore.edu or phone
518-224-2080. All are welcome and we range in age from 9 to 85 years
young!
FOOD PANTRY
Please check the bulletin board in Fellowship
Hall to see if there are openings on the first and third Tuesdays for food
distribution helpers. Speak to Kate Ludewig if you have questions about
the Food Pantry while Crystal is away this month.. We could
use peanut butter, jam/jelly, soup and all kinds of condiments. March
21st is our 3rd Sunday Food Sunday!
MOONCATCHER PROJECT
This group will change its meeting time on the
second Thursday of each month (Sept – June). Starting in March, we will
be meeting at 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 to work on the next 50 kits that will be
going to Liberia with Victor. Newcomers are always welcome. Sewing
is not required. Pressers, turners, and cutters are always needed.
(Conversation is always lively and jokes are welcome!) This is a very
worthwhile project that has a “feel good” reward each time we meet. Our
next work date is March 14.
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING
One Great Hour of Sharing is a Christian effort
to empower, provide water, supply food, and give relief from disasters.
Water projects: We currently have projects in over 20 countries. Hunger
Relief: See how we are feeding the hungry all over the world.
Presbyterian Disaster Relief: Not just immediate responses, but long-term
commitment. Empowerment: Helping men and women provide for their
families.
Our One Great Hour of Sharing Offering
will be taken on Palm Sunday. The Presbyterian Hunger Program
receives 36 percent of undesignated One Great Hour of Sharing gifts, while the Self-Development of People
and Presbyterian Disaster
Assistance each receive 32 percent. The children will have fish to collect
monies and there will be pew envelopes for folks to make donations. Please
prayerfully consider making a donation to One Great Hour of Sharing.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Happy Birthday to these members and
friends
Beth Croft
March 2
Shirley
Hitrick
March 5
Rich
Ruberti
March 6
Dick
Foster
March 10
Ted
Rorick
March 13
Jeffrey
Warner
March 14
Emmit
Frisch
March 16, 2004
Sierra
Brower
March 18, 2003
Gloria
Robinson March 20
Karen
Rulison
March 23
DID YOU KNOW?
…that Souper Bowl Sunday collected
$247.50 this year for our food pantry. Great soup was enjoyed by all. This is
the 17th year that we have participated in Souper Bowl Sunday along with
churches across the nation to help to stop hunger.
…that special bulletins for the Lenten Season
through Father’s Day are available to purchase as a memorial or in honor of
someone. See the sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall or speak to Nancy Frank
(518-661-5328).