April 2018 Volume 20 Issue 2 Bible Fellowship Church of Newark Seventh Inning Stretch with Pastor Bill… BFC Day of Prayer… O n Saturday, March 17 th , Pastors Bill & Dan, along with elders Roger Betts, Ron Bove, David Bradford, Bob Kaatz, and congregant Todd Ferwerda, attended the BFC’s 2 nd annual Day of Prayer. This year’s summit was held at Cedar Crest BFC in Allentown. It may be intimidating to consider praying for five hours. Truth be told, the time went by quickly as prayer, worship, songs, and Scripture were interspersed through the day. We joined about 250-300 other pas- tors, elders, deacons, ministry leaders, and congregants – all with a desire to “seek the Lord’s face, rather than His hands.” What a blessed time it proved to be, with the Spirit of God directing the focus through the day. The worship was rich with song and Scripture; the prayer engaging; and the fellowship sweet. It is well-worth the investment of a Satur- day…and hopefully, next year, YOU will say, “Count me in!” Easter Sunrise Service 6:30 a.m. in church parking lot (weather depending). Dress warmly! Charlie Sturgis will share the message. A light continental breakfast to follow. Resurrection Worship Sunday, April 1 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Easter Brunch at 10:00 a.m. in the Frisbie Center. Please bring a breakfast food to share if you are able. H ello, my name is Bill, and I am a fan of curling. Say what? That’s right, curling. I watched woefully little of the recent winter Olympics, but it was curling that won me over (even before the U.S. men won the Gold). When I began watching it, I texted my daughters how ridiculous that this glorified “shuffleboard on ice” with players pushing brooms could be labeled a sport. But then the next evening, I was compelled to turn it on again. And the next night, and the next, and soon I was using words like rock, button, hammer, house, burned rock, and “brush, baby, brush” (alright, that last one was mine)! After all, if you’ve seen one figure skater’s triple axel you’ve seen ‘em all. How can watching a 44 pound “stone” glide down the “sheet” (ice path for you novices) be so riveting? I wonder how I got hooked after ridiculing the event for years. Other Olympic sports have more flare and glamor and speed, but curling unfolds with a refreshing “slowness.” You have time to get a cup of coffee while the “rock” makes its way to the Good Friday Service at BFCN at 7:00 p.m. (March 30 th ). Make this service a part of your Good Friday / Easter remembrance. Through music, Scripture, and compelling video, enter into the darkness of Good Friday. We will partake of the Lord’s Table, personally approaching the cross. Don’t miss this poignant evening of remem- brance. “house,” (you impressed?). The other winter sports – speed skating, skiing, the luge, etc. – come at you fast, just like life. Curling comes at you like we wish life could, slowly, deliberately, intention- ally. Curling screams, “Slow down… think before you act!” Similarly, fol- lowing Christ is not flashy; nor it is flamboyant or glamorous. Pleasing Christ is done mostly in the routine of everyday life – in the ways you speak to your spouse, do your job, handle your finances, forgive your friend, serve in church, and stay pure. Great occasions for loving and serving and obeying God are rare; but little ones surround us daily. In many winter sports, scoring is subjective, according to judge’s perspec- tives. With curling, not so. It’s objec- tive scoring; points are earned by your rocks’ proximity to the button, and the winner is non-debatable. Somehow, to know the rules of the game – even in life – is refreshing. Today’s cultural rules are in an upheaval. The old rules /morals (Continued on page 3) P.S. for last issue’s Seventh Inning Stretch – and the winners are… The answer to the previous edition’s question – “Who was the voice of “Underdog?” – was Wally Cox. In or- der, the following can pick up their prize from me: Jon Buzby, Heather Pomeroy, Kathy Bombico, Sally Kuntz, Carl Shanosk, Donna Chandler, and Mary Beth Brocklebank. Congratulations!
Transcript
April 2018 Volume 20 Issue 2 Bible Fellowship Church of Newark
Seventh Inning Stretch with Pastor Bill…
BFC Day of Prayer…
O n Saturday, March 17th, Pastors Bill & Dan, along with elders Roger
Betts, Ron Bove, David Bradford, Bob Kaatz, and congregant Todd Ferwerda,
attended the BFC’s 2nd annual Day of Prayer. This year’s summit was held at
Cedar Crest BFC in Allentown. It may be intimidating to consider praying for five hours. Truth be told, the time went
by quickly as prayer, worship, songs, and Scripture were interspersed through the
day. We joined about 250-300 other pas-tors, elders, deacons, ministry leaders,
and congregants – all with a desire to “seek the Lord’s face, rather than His
hands.” What a blessed time it proved to be, with the Spirit of God directing the focus through the day. The worship was
rich with song and Scripture; the prayer engaging; and the fellowship sweet. It is
well-worth the investment of a Satur-day…and hopefully, next year, YOU will
say, “Count me in!”
Easter Sunrise Service 6:30 a.m. in church parking lot (weather depending). Dress warmly!
Charlie Sturgis will share the message. A light continental breakfast to follow.
Resurrection Worship
Sunday, April 1 8:30 & 11:00 a.m.
Easter Brunch at 10:00 a.m. in the Frisbie Center. Please
bring a breakfast food to share if you are able.
H ello, my name is Bill, and I am a fan of curling. Say what? That’s
right, curling. I watched woefully little of the recent winter Olympics, but it was curling that won me over (even before the U.S. men won the Gold). When I began watching it, I texted my daughters how ridiculous that this glorified “shuffleboard on ice” with players pushing brooms could be labeled a sport. But then the next evening, I was compelled to turn it on again. And the next night, and the next, and soon I was using words like rock, button, hammer, house, burned rock, and “brush, baby, brush” (alright, that last one was mine)!
After all, if you’ve seen one figure skater’s triple axel you’ve seen ‘em all. How can watching a 44 pound “stone” glide down the “sheet” (ice path for you novices) be so riveting? I wonder how I got hooked after ridiculing the event for years. Other Olympic sports have more flare and glamor and speed, but curling unfolds with a refreshing “slowness.” You have time to get a cup of coffee while the “rock” makes its way to the
Good Friday Service at BFCN at 7:00 p.m. (March 30th).
Make this service a part of your Good Friday / Easter remembrance. Through music, Scripture, and compelling video, enter into the darkness of Good Friday. We will partake of the Lord’s Table, personally approaching the cross. Don’t miss this poignant evening of remem-brance.
“house,” (you impressed?). The other winter sports – speed skating, skiing, the luge, etc. – come at you fast, just like life. Curling comes at you like we wish life could, slowly, deliberately, intention-ally. Curling screams, “Slow down…think before you act!” Similarly, fol-lowing Christ is not flashy; nor it is flamboyant or glamorous. Pleasing Christ is done mostly in the routine of everyday life – in the ways you speak to your spouse, do your job, handle your finances, forgive your friend, serve in church, and stay pure. Great occasions for loving and serving and obeying God are rare; but little ones surround us daily.
In many winter sports, scoring is subjective, according to judge’s perspec-tives. With curling, not so. It’s objec-tive scoring; points are earned by your rocks’ proximity to the button, and the winner is non-debatable. Somehow, to know the rules of the game – even in life – is refreshing. Today’s cultural rules are in an upheaval. The old rules /morals
(Continued on page 3)
P.S. for last issue’s Seventh Inning Stretch – and the winners are… The answer to the previous edition’s question – “Who was the voice of “Underdog?” – was Wally Cox. In or-der, the following can pick up their prize from me: Jon Buzby, Heather Pomeroy, Kathy Bombico, Sally Kuntz, Carl Shanosk, Donna Chandler, and Mary Beth Brocklebank. Congratulations!
The Fellowship Page 2
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May 20
This Year’s verse: “His divine power has granted to us ALL things that pertain to life and
godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory
and excellence…” 2 Peter 1:3
I n case you missed it in the bulletin and the annual report, this past fall our high
school ministry underwent a name change, from SNL (Sunday Night Live) to PAC (Patterned After Christ). The name is new but the heart of the ministry is the same: to cultivate hearts that are sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit, and to equip our teens to study God’s Word and apply it in the ups and downs of high school life. Our new name is an attempt to reflect that aim, to remind us that we are God’s workman-ship, created in Christ, and that we are to be conformed to his image. There is a pull to conform to the world, but we pray that God would renew the minds of our teens and transform them to be more like Jesus. This has been an exciting year for PAC! We have been joined by three new PAC leaders this year: Daniel Powlison came on board late in 2017, and Taylor and Rachel Gill volunteered as chaperones for Sno Glo last January. Even after a full weekend with very little sleep, they were-n’t scared away! All three have been great additions to the team and we are very thankful to have them as PAC leaders. Recently, we’ve been studying the book of Ephesians and have spent the last month exploring some of the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. We have been challenged by God’s Word to consider
spiritual blessings, namely our adoption as God’s own children, redemption and for-giveness of sin, the revelation of God’s will through His Son, His Word, and His Spirit, and how these blessings contribute to us being “holy and blameless before Him.” These are challenging concepts for us to grapple with, but they are also encouraging and hope-giving! Join us in praying that God would continue to conform our teens to Christ as they study God’s Word and see His goodness. Pray also for our college students who are entering the home stretch of the school year. As the semester winds down and summer looms, pray for persistence in study and time management (especially important as they balance classwork, jobs and other commitments, social relation-ships, etc.). Above all, pray for their spir-itual vitality; this is a challenging time for our college students and it is easy to put their relationship with Christ on the back burner until the summer is over. If you would like to personally encourage some of our college students over the next several months, see Pastor Dan for their contact information. Don’t forget: PAC Lock-in is planned for May 6th and 7th. And Senior dinner will be May 20th.
— Pastor Dan King
SNL is now PAC for the Senior High Youth!
Follow-Up Prayer at BFCN…
T he theme at BFCN for 2018 is “Embracing, Engaging, and En-
joying Our Calling and Privilege of
Prayer.” We have held two “Evenings
of Congregational Prayer” this year with 40-50 in attendance at each (four more
are scheduled). Elder Ken Kutchen over-sees these special seasons of prayer with Scripture-fed, worship-based, Spirit-led
prayers. In the future, we will offer more extended times of prayer, opportunities to
join in congregational fasting, and aim to “seek His face” with earnest expectation.
Please keep your ears tuned to the prayer opportunities at BFCN. Hosea 10:12 provides a great framework: “Sow for
yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast
love; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, that He may
come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Congratulations to the Mt. Sophia Chorale on
First Place Finish
T he Mt Sophia Chorale (composed of local home school students) competed
in the ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) competition featur-ing musical performances and art shows on March 13th at Messiah College. Four BFCN students participated in the competi-tion with the Chorale: Collier Houston, Dayton Houston, Micayla Metzing, and Abby Smith. The Chorale won the highest award in the large choir division. The day-long event included vocal solos (with Micayla Metzing competing in this divi-sion), small vocal ensembles (Collier Hou-ston was in a small men’s ensemble), in-strumental performances, small choir divi-sion and large choir division. The Chorale enthusiastically supported their members during all performances. Congratulations to the Mt. Sophia Chorale!! Well done!!
The Fellowship Page 3
T HANK YOU! – In the April, 2017 issue of The Fellowship, I wrote that
I was headed over to Villages of Hope to attend a meeting with the other US board
members. I came home energized to support but also with a pro-motion to the chairperson of that board. I also received a request to double donor support, and get a container out of Delaware for the kids and support a teaching college for Zambia called – you guessed it – The Hope Col-lege of Education.
Our container was a miracle. I want to thank again every single person who prayed and supported this container. We as the BFCN family should be “boasting in the Lord” at how we have really developed as a congregation to manage these projects. Villages of Hope is delighted by our service. This time, on our third container, we sent shelving and books to build the library that supports the new college. The container arrived 10 days early (truly miraculous) and had no transport issues. A team from Havre de Grace, Maryland was able to unpack the container and provide all the service
and labor to catalogue the books and complete this important step on the path to be accepted as a college in Zambia. However, shortly after this victory for the Village, there arose a desperate
Villages of Hope need even greater
Cholera Crisis in Zambia
Z ambia has experienced a major Cholera epidemic; thousands of people in the slums
of Lusaka have come down with cholera and many have died. The army has been mobilized to help clean the major cities. Schools have been delayed by several weeks in being permit-ted to open. Some colleges and schools are still required to stay closed. Although our health has been good, we at the Village of Hope are being strongly hit by the results. Our financial resources are being rapidly depleted. The Village of Hope gener-ates much of our needed income through our local business activities. But now we are being hit by this national emergency. Our Hope Restaurant is a major source of income. Because of the fear of cholera, truck drivers and travelers are not eating at restau-rants. We DEPEND on this income! It has dropped more than 66%! The cash we had coming out of 2017 is being rapidly deplet-ed. We have been ordered to do major renova-tions to the restaurant, the showers, toilets, and the school facilities or they can require us to close. The drop in business income and the unbudgeted construction requirements have reduced our funds for the care of the children to only two months. Yet, in the last 2 weeks we have received 8 new children: rescued a pair of
Recently we ran blurbs in our BFCN bulle-tin to call for anyone who could send addi-tional support. We have raised significant additional help for the Villages of Hope and I would encourage you to put remind-ers on your calendar to send checks to AKCLI (www.akcli-voh.org). I will give more on this in articles through the Fellow-ship this year. Thank you!
— Russ Meredith for the Orphan Care ministry
2-year-old twins who are showing serious signs of malnutrition, and a two-year old from the maximum-security women's prison. The govern-ment brought five additional children. The Village of Hope needs you, God’s children need you! Please help us to get through this crisis.
Upcoming CORE (Junior High) events.
CORE TGIF- April 13th from 7-10pm, free to all Theme is the “Great Build,” revolving around Legos!!!! CORE Service project- CORE serves the Fellowship Kidz Vol-unteers. 12:45- 1:30pm. Our CORE teens will serve lunch to the awesome teachers and helpers in our Children's Ministry. CORE Lock In- May 11/12th- $15/person. Theme tbd
— Tabitha Fitch
are turned upside down and the secular humanist society calls “good evil and evil good.” Thank God for His unchanging truth, which stands forever.
I know I could never pull off a “half pipe” on a snowboard or an axel of ANY kind. But curling, hey, I can do that! Some team members are shaped like me…and you. Perhaps if I begin work-ing on things now, I could become the oldest member to represent the U.S. curl-ing team in the 2030 Olympics. It’s the “everyman” Olympic event. But do not be fooled. I am told the rigors of curling are great; the skills exacting, and the training intense. Don’t be fooled by the Christian life either. It is an impossible
(Continued from page 1)
obstacle. There is a cholera outbreak that has stripped away local funds the Villages raised for supporting their operations. Here is the update directly from the Villag-es of Hope (written by Benedict & Kath-leen Schwartz):
life, apart from the enablement of the Holy Spirit.
My mind had been closed to curling. I had made my assumptions, drawn my conclusions, and written it off as worth-less. I wonder, what else might I have written off prematurely? How about you? It is arrogant to think we know all there is to know about something. What God has not forbidden in His Word, con-sider opening your mind to, maybe something new. You may even find you like it. Hmmm….I wonder if that ap-plies to “Star Wars.” Nah, let’s not get carried away!
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Bill
Curling Confessions continue...
The Fellowship Page 4
For Sale
Are you seeking a High School Diplo-ma or GED? We have excellent, afford-able programs in Delaware and I happen to teach at one! Give me a call and we can talk about furthering your educa-tion. Jenn Morrow (302) 547-8424
For Rent
Locksmith: offering FREE estimates, reasonable rates; Available day or night, no extra charge. Sam Watkins 302.328.7078 or 302.220.6314(C)
Beach condo in Ocean City, NJ—2 bed-rooms, I bath, easy walk to beach and boardwalk. $500-1050/week. Contact [email protected], (302) 836-6372
Services
The BFCN Classifieds A special, free service for the friends and family of BFCN.
Please Note: Want-ads will be deleted regularly unless they are updated. Thank you
Services
At Home Hair Care I come to you and do your hair in your home! 23 yrs experience. Prices well below salon prices. Call for info...302-383-8193
62 copies of the Yank the Army Weekly (1941-1944). Call 302-328-0672
3 bedroom, 1 bathroom cape cod locat-ed near prices corner in Wilmington for rent. It is a close to I-95 and would be great for a small family. We are asking $1,250/month. Please contact [email protected] or 302.668. 8027.
Mark your calendars: Vacation Bible School July 16-20th, 6—8:30 p.m. Theme is Hero Central. Kids will learn through faith in God they can be a Super Hero for Jesus. Ages: Pre-K4—6th Grade welcome.
Backyard Bible Clubs will begin the week of June 18 and go through July 6th. If you are interested in having a club at your house, please contact Tabitha Fitch.
Tax Prep—If you would like help pre-paring your tax returns this year, or would like a professional review of your returns, please contact Ken Klein at 302-420-2603.
Missing Women of Faith DVD that was left in the Awana office before Christmas. If you find it or know where it is...please call 302-598-3229 or bring to the church office. I would like to add it to the church library for all to use. Thank you, Carolyn Repollé
Meals ministry changes
T hank you to Marsha Slaten for her years of ministry as the coordinator
of the meals ministry. She did a wonder-ful job of getting meals to those in need over the years. Angela Williamson and Cindy Hall will be the new co-coordinators for the meals ministry moving forward. This ministry is important to BFCN and would be happy to add more ladies or gentlemen to our growing list of people willing to make and deliver meals. Our first freezer meals party went well. Six ladies made 15 meals. Soup and addi-tional meals have been do-nated to the freezer ministry. If you’d like to join this exciting and vital minis-try, contact either Angela or Cindy at [email protected]. or 302.366.8539.
— Angela and Cindy
SAT Bootcamp! Back by popular demand, Barb Gallagher and Lisa Martz will reprise their SAT prep class this spring. We will teach skills and shortcuts in mathematics and language to help students have more time and take some of the anxiety out of the test. The seminar includes one class per week for four weeks, each session lasting 90 minutes. Classes start May 2. (Or sooner, if necessary) Location TBD. Cost for class is $140 (payable in advance). Class size is extremely limited, so contact Barb @ [email protected] or Lisa @ [email protected] as soon as possible!
Upward Soccer season starts April 14th. Contact Pastor Steve for
more information.
Good Friday for Kidz- 7-8:15pm. Childcare available for all ages. Easter program and activities for preschool- Junior high. Our kids will recreate the Tomb and have a glow in the dark egg hunt! We will also make resur-rection rolls for Saturday morning.
Easter Egg Hunt- free, fun games and crafts for the whole fami-ly. Face painting, moon bounces, cotton candy, craft stations, plus an age grouped egg hunt. Join us Saturday, March 31st
