Bergen UMC News February 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS—TOGETHER—SHARING HIM WITH OTHERS.

The worship team invites each of you to join us for our Lenten Sunday worship series entitled "Listen." Proverbs 1:23b reads, “Look, I’ll pour out my spirit on you. I’ll reveal my words to you.” (CEB). This series focuses on the spiritual practice of listening as we seek God’s voice during Lent. Each service will begin with a time of silent reflection before we seek to find God’s voice in the texts of scripture. And then we will

keep an appointment with God through the use of prayer stations (don’t worry, you can always choose to not take part) before we leave to listen for God’s voice in the world. And yes, there will be some great new music for us to learn together! Below is the schedule of themes for each week…and don’t forget to join us for Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday, too! May we all find God’s voice this Lent as we listen together.

February 26 Ash Wednesday – Finding Your Life: Listening Deeply

March 1 - Finding Your Cave: Listening Spaces

March 8 – Finding Your Breath: Listening to our Bodies

March 15 – Finding a Word: Listening to the Texts

March 22 – Finding Your Power: Listening for Healing

March 29 – Finding Your Mystic: Listening Beyond the Voices

April 5 Palm Sunday – Finding Your Purpose: Listening to Your Heart

Listen: A Lenten Pilgrimage

Pastor Wilson

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It is hard to believe that January is about gone. Things go quickly…sometimes…and it seems like just a short bit ago we were singing “Heaven and Nature Sing”, celebrating the birth of our Lord and looking with hopeful expectation towards a new calendar year. As we move into February there are 3 things for you all to know:

1) I realized I had not been on a renewal leave in far too long. The Book of Discipline allows for such leaves on a yearly basis and even for a longer leave once every four years. During the week of February 10-16 I will be taking time to get away to one of my favorite “thin” places (you know, those places where you are able to find God consistently close – as if the veil between the seen and unseen world is thinner than usual). Mt Saviour Monastery is a small community of Benedictine Monks in the hills between Corning and Elmira. My first stay at Mt Saviour was back in 2004 (or maybe 2005) and I have been a sometimes frequent visitor. It is one of my favorite places to go and spend significant and focused time with God. Please keep me in your prayers during that week – leaving the duties and blessings of the church behind is never an easy thing for many pastors….including me. The temptation is always to “do” things…my only goal for this week is to “be” – be present with God, be present with creation and be present with myself (which is sometimes the hardest part).

2) A few weeks ago, the United Methodist Church made the national news when a document called “A Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation” was released by a small group of individuals who represented a wide spectrum of beliefs and views on how the UMC should handle the issues of same sex marriage and the ordination LGBTQ individuals. The group consisted of 16 individuals that represented many of the Traditional, Centrist and Progressive groups currently a part of the UMC. Participants also came from different parts of the UMC around the world including Africa, the Philippines, and Norway. The group met under the leadership of Kenneth Feinburg, a mediator who was known both nationally and internationally. Mr. Feinburg has no connection with the UMC but offered his services (probably in part because he likes a challenge….lol). The group met for 3 two-day sessions last fall. Out of that process, a plan was developed that everyone in this very diverse group supported and called for its adoption at General Conference to be held in May in Minneapolis. In general, the plan calls for a creation of a separate traditional Methodist denomination which would receive financial resources at the time of separation. Churches or Annual Conferences that wish to leave the UMC to join the new denomination would be able to vote to do so and take their assets with them. Churches that wish to remain a part of the current denomination would not

Page 3 Bergen UMC News

need to take a vote. While this plan leaves many hopeful of a somewhat graceful end to the decades long division, the plan and any needed legislation still need to be approved by the delegates at General Conference in May. AND it is only one of many plans being proposed. There are a lot more details to the plan and I would be happy to discuss it in more detail with any of you. Keep your eyes and ears open as we move closer to May for more information and please keep our church, the delegates and the whole UMC in your prayers.

3) Finally, the Advent/Christmas series “Heaven and Nature Sing” was so much fun and the response was so positive that the worship team has prayerfully decided to use another multi-sensory worship series for Lent called “LISTEN.” Look for more information in this newsletter about this series.

The SPRC has scheduled a Soup, Sandwich and Sharing event for Sunday, February 23 at 5 PM. The evening will be an informational session around the upcoming General Conference including the proposals that have been put forth for going forward. There will be no sharing of position statements around LGBTQ issues but there will be a time for questions and answers (hopefully) about the proposals and the process of General Conference. A sign-up sheet will be available so we can plan for numbers. Those who wish can also sign up to bring soup and/or sandwiches.

Soup, Sandwich and Sharing

Grace and Peace to you all!!!

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Currently our youth group has five kids who regularly attend. Together with the design of the music curriculum and their desire to truly dig into the Bible, they are growing so much. I hear many comments as youth group moves about on how the kids feel they are challenged to really think, while having fun. The music curriculum continues to be engaging and it appeals to everyone. The games are fun and tie into the lesson (we used a “can jam” game with “lacrosse scoops” to get a bean bag into a can, which was the goal, all while the “cans/goals” are protected by opposing teammates). This game led us into a conversation, Bible Study, and Song (Freedom) by Joe Melendrez** about sin and missing the mark, and how Jesus sets us free.

Youth News

Please come join us!! Youth group, for kids in 6th-12th grade, continues to run on a biweekly basis, every other Sunday night from 6:30-8:00pm. The youth leadership team would love to see some new teens join in the fun on Sunday nights. One more bit of news – Barb Zinter has joined the Leadership Team. Come give her the BUMC Youth welcome at our Sunday meetings! Leadership Team- Allen Dunham, Colleen Garner, Chad Miller, Carrie Wies, Barb Zinter **Read the lyrics on page 14

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As the holiday season wraps up and the new year is underway, we remember celebrations and look forward to making new memories. The holidays are a lot of fun at the Underground, and we have leveraged celebrations to our advantage! Some small Thanksgiving festivities, our formal dinner, and the Christmas party all went over incredibly well. We’re thankful to have brought in a few students who were new to us this year and even a few that were new to us altogether. A few of our students and volunteers even managed to volunteer their time to help the entire village celebrate the holidays. Our note of thanks from the mayor is hanging proudly on the bulletin board! We are both grateful and relieved that the representative for the Genesee County Youth Bureau showed up unannounced and caught us in the act of providing a safe and nurturing space. Thanks to their funding, we are able to budget for some exciting events and learning opportunities in the upcoming year. We continue to consider retention in the midst of sports schedules, and we are hopeful that for some, the Underground will be their space of choice to warm up after school over these next several weeks.

UNDERGROUND

OVERLOOK

ATTENDANCE Highest: 10 Lowest: 2 Monthly Average: 5 VOLUNTEERS We are thankful for the recovery and health of Gary, who makes our Thursdays far more fun! Special thanks also to Sue for decorating for each of the seasons! DONATIONS the start of the new year means we are “cleaning out” and “restocking”! Any snacks are always welcomed, especially KCups and warm drink packets for the cold winter months. undergroundbergen@gmail.com

Leta Williams

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Putterers on February 15

9:00—noon at church

Contact Steve Daniels

368-8695 or

stevednls@rochester.rr.com

The next meeting of the Naomi Circle will be on Wednesday, February 12 at 1:30. The group will meet at church, hosted by Dianne Szczupakowski. All

women are invited to attend. Contact Marian Partridge at 494-1632 for more information.

NAOMI

Volunteers are needed to serve as

Communion Stewards. The duties

include baking bread (from frozen,

prepared dough) for the celebration of

communion and setting up the elements

Sunday mornings. If you are willing

serve and take this opportunity please

sign up on the list in the fellowship hall.

Call the office for additional information.

Communion Stewards

In the case that we have to close the

church some Sunday during the winter

months for severe weather, or if you

want to check to see if the church is

closed during inclement weather, please

check 13WHAM or FOX Rochester’s

website as we have been informed that

they have designated religious

organizations as “web only.” Please

check online at http://13wham.com/

weather/closings to see if Bergen UMC

may be closed.

Severe Winter Weather Closings

Bergen UMC News Page 7

9:15 Service

Greeter 2 Donna Lievense 9 Boy Scout Sunday 16 Nancy Specht 23 Donna Pringle Nursery / Cradle

2 Linda Sanders 9 Sherry Starowitz 16 Donna Pringle 23 Deb Coleman Acolytes & Ushers 2 Rick Woodring / Daryl Bater 9 Brian Pocock / Bonnie Brinkman 16 David Lepkowski / Suzi Lepkowski 23 Ron Chraston / Shari Chraston Scripture Reader 2 Rose Chambers 9 Deb Coleman 16 Jerry Sheridan 23 Sherry Starowitz

11:00 Service Greeter 2 Linda Stephens 9 Nancy Daniels 16 Mary Lowe 23 Sandy Bater Scripture Reader 2 Donna Weiler 9 Mary Lowe 16 23 Steve Daniels Nursery / Cradle 2 Marge Busmire 9 16 Nancy Daniels 23

February Layhelper Schedule

If you cannot serve as scheduled, please attempt to switch Sundays with someone on a different week and call the office at 494-1312 with the change. Opportunities are available for all positions in the 9:15 and 11:00 Worship Services. Please call Nancy Daniels at 943-0573 or email at nancydnls@rochester.rr.com to volunteer to serve. YOU are needed!

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February

Hello from Little Hands Preschool! We are well into the second half of the school year and it's going very well! We've even added a couple more students! It's hard to believe that it's already time to think about enrollment for the fall! We will be having an Open House and Open Registration night on March 5th from 6:00-7:30 for anyone with a child who will be 3 or 4 years old by December 1st. Families are welcome to come meet our teachers and find out all that our preschool program has to offer. Also be sure to mark your calendars now for our annual Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction on March28th. It's an exciting time of year and we are enjoying it all!

1 Rose Chambers 2 Jan Cooper

Libby Starowitz 5 Mary White Dave Washburn 8 Wendy Louis 9 Zachery Pocock 10 Chad Miller

Paige Taylor David Barringer

11 Jacob Koziej 12 Xavier Thomas Jessie Ciufo 13 Marge Busmire 14 Sue Inouye Doris Mundell Duane Janas 16 Marissa Ciufo 17 John Zinter 18 Deb Coleman 22 David Henry 23 Liz Gates Krista Lewis 24 Sheila Hamel Gary & Annette Cornelius * 26 Linda Stephens 28 Marie Barringer 29 Bobbi Nelson

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United in Christ, we are led by the Spirit

and called to worship, build relationships,

and dig deep into the Scriptures so that

each person grows into maturity.

God calls and empowers all of us to go out

to our communities to build relationships

so that others will come to know the

exceptional love of Jesus.

The BUMC Bell Choir plays at the 9:15 am worship service on the first Sunday of each

month. Rehearsals are Thursdays at 7:00 pm. If you are interested in playing along,

contact the church office or see one of the members. They are looking for a few

more ding-a-lings!

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BUMC now has a drop off box for clothing!!! Hearts for the Homeless, a Buffalo organization, has placed a container near the road going out toward Clinton Street. The box has a sensor to monitor how full it is and will be cleaned out by HFTH regularly. CLOTHING, SHOES, AND BLANKETS are all acceptable. Our box is one of nearly 475 placed by HFTH throughout Western New York. More information on HFTH can be found at heartsforthehomess.org.

Bergen UMC News Page 11

An update on how things are going since Melody's hospitalization is

long overdue. Thank you all for praying and for asking how things are going. I will start with our living situation. At the time of the hospitalization, we had been staying in temporary housing in preparation to fly to Asia. Thankfully, we were able to stay there for a few extra weeks while looking for a place. Campus Target happened to have a two-bedroom apartment open, so we gladly accepted the invitation and will stay here until we go to Asia. It's relatively small, but it totally meets our needs. On to what you really care about--how Melody and the baby are doing. Initially, Melody was very weak and couldn't do much without her body complaining. Over a few weeks, she slowly gained strength; before too long, she started feeling different (in a good way). By Christmas, with no more bleeding and her feeling stronger, we were feeling like we might be getting a Christmas miracle. On Dec. 26, she had her first ultrasound since the hospital. There we found out that it was very good news indeed. The placenta had moved significantly, enough that the high-risk pregnancy specialist felt that a natural delivery was likely. This was a total 180 turnaround from what the same doctor predicted 5 weeks before. He was very surprised to hear there had been no more bleeding and to see such significant movement. We were thrilled and thankful! We'll have another ultrasound next Thursday and will likely find out if enough movement has happened to have a natural

delivery. We think so because it seems like God is doing it. But even if not, it'll be OK. Our hearts are filled with thankfulness. To God, for blessing us with a healthy pregnancy and keeping the baby inside to this point. There is an incredible difference between bleeding at 27 weeks and healthy at 35 weeks. To family and friends who have come to be with Melody almost every day while I work on school (which is done THIS WEEK!). For people dropping off things to furnish our home. We're just so thankful. The due date is Feb. 20. Our basic plan is to move to Asia two months after the baby is born, but we'll wait for some time to buy tickets to ensure everyone is well and we feel solid in choosing a date. Thanks so much for all the outpouring of prayers, love, and practical help! We are overwhelmed. Eldon, with Melody, Noelle, Moses, and Baby Boy January 30, 2020 In the last week, we've had bad news and then good news. After an ultrasound last week, we were told that a C-section was necessary because the placenta hadn't moved enough, so we scheduled a C-section for Feb. 6th with a plan to do another ultrasound a few days prior (because we were still holding out hope). Then the midwifery practice called and said they'd like to do another ultrasound right away to get a second opinion. So yesterday we went for another, more accurate ultrasound. The doctor believes that a natural delivery is possible and advised we cancel the C-section and do another ultrasound in two weeks. We're thrilled with this turn of events! I imagine many of you are keeping an eye on the coronavirus outbreak. Please pray with for quick containment of the disease. Our hearts are hurting for all those affected by this outbreak. Also, please pray for wisdom for our leaders on how our organization should respond. God is able! Love in Christ, Eldon (with Melody, Noelle, Moses, and Baby)

News from

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Freedom by Joe Melendrez

Verse 1:

I embrace all my mistakes

I grow from the mess I made

There is healing when I break

I feel your spirit in the place

Lord your are the reason

Divine in design

You have given me freedom

Now I can fly

Like a child I’m believing

Yeah I am alive

I rejoice and repeat it

God you have given me ...

Chorus: (SAI)

Freedom

You're everything I need

Verse 2:

I can’t do it on my own

Through your blood I’ve been re-

born

There is power in this song

There is grace in you alone

Saved and set free

The world can mislead

So never give up

Have hope and believe, yeah

We are created

Through purpose and prayer

The light is upon on us

Lord we are staying in your

Chorus: (SAI)

Freedom

You're everything I need

Freedom

In you I am complete

Verse 3: (SAI)

Lord I receive your grace yeah

"THE GOAL IS TO BUILD A GENERATION OF BELIEVERS. SO THAT ALL PEOPLE

MAY ENCOUNTER CHRIST AND SPEND THE REST OF THEIR LIVES SHARING THE

GOOD NEWS WITH OTHERS."

Joe Melendrez

** from the Youth News on page 4

Please help us update your contact information for each adult member in the household:

Name: ___________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________

Email Address: ____________________________ May be shared: Y___ N___

Home Phone Number: ______________________ May be shared: Y___ N___

Cell Phone Number: ________________________ May be shared: Y___ N___

Name: ___________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________

Email Address: ____________________________ May be shared: Y___ N___

Home Phone Number: ______________________ May be shared: Y___ N___

Cell Phone Number: ________________________ May be shared: Y___ N___

Children’s Names:

Name:____________________________________ Age:_____ Grade:_____

Name:____________________________________ Age:_____ Grade:_____

Name:____________________________________ Age:_____ Grade:_____

Name:____________________________________ Age:_____ Grade:_____

We are updating our contact files for the church. Please fill out one of these forms (even if you believe we have your correct information already) and return it to the church office or place in the box provided in the Fellowship Hall as soon as you can. Blank forms are also available in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you for helping us with this information!

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