Pastor’s Ponderings: “Disasters!”

“Fear not for I am with you; be not afraid for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you.
I will uphold you with my victorious right arm.”
                      Isaiah 41:10

    September 2011 is a month of recovery from disaster.  Tropical Storm Irene has torn up our state.  Jim and Amy Randall know that first hand.  They have stories to tell!  So the hard work of cleaning up and going on is underway – and we can have a part in it.  There are calls for volunteers in Rochester, Stockbridge, and Rutland.  The only qualification needed is a willingness to get dirty and reach out!  I will try to post coming opportunities on line or have them available at the office. 

    We also mark the tenth anniversary of the attacks of 9/11.  Most of us remember the sense of devastation we shared on that dark day.  Remember those who faced the darkness with a commitment to rescue and rebuild. 

    Disasters will always be with us; some natural and some of human design.   We hear of people being in the wrong place at the wrong time on the new every day.  Sometimes we know some of those people.  Sometimes we are those people. 

What keeps us going?  Landmark portions of scripture, committed to memory and treasured in our hearts, will rise to direct, comfort, and strengthen us.  They are tools in the Holy Spirit’s hands that transform us into “instruments of God’s peace.”  For me, Isaiah 41:10 fits the bill.  They keep us going.  They keep us reaching out in Christ’s name.

Spiritual songs do much the same thing.  “Nothing can separate us from the love of God – the love of God – revealed to us in Christ Jesus.”  Those are the words of a song I learned at Taize that God uses.  It’s truth in season and out. 

May the gifts God gives not only comfort us in times of disaster, but give us the strength to go on – and to serve the Suffering Servant by word and deed.

Church News

MBC is sponsoring the Community Supper on Saturday, September 24th.  We need your cooking and serving talents.    Anyone is welcome and the meal is free (held at the Middlebury Congregational Church).  The suppers provide a nutritious meal among friends to many in our community.  The dinners feed approximately 100 people each week.  Many organizations, such as churches and schools, across our community volunteer their time and talents to sponsor the dinners.  Sign- up sheets with recipes for the dish we are cooking are in the church foyer.   Any questions, please see Jane Kimble.

A SEASON OF CHANGE – LET’S PRAY!

Monthly Prayer Meeting: 2nd Thursday of the month, 7:00-7:45
Jeff & Meredith Rehbach’s House

We are moving into a season of searching for our church family. Seeking God’s leading and opening up to new ways of living out our faith at Memorial Baptist – what an exciting time!

Exciting - but uncertain, too.  This is an especially important time in the life of our church to pray. Jeff and Meredith invite the church family to join in prayer once each month at their home in Middlebury (9 Gorham Lane, 989-7355) on the 2nd Thursday of every month, starting on September 8 and continuing until the new pastor arrives.  Prayer time will begin at 7:00 and end at 7:45. All are welcome, whether just once or every month!

After an initial time of praise, we’ll lift up prayers for the Search Committee, our new pastor, the various ministries of MBC and the church body as a whole, Pastor Steve and Kathy, and anything else the Holy Spirit brings to our hearts.  Who knows how the Lord might move among us?

Learning to Love the Old Testament

Most people have a complex relationship with the Old Testament. You might find assurance from a passage in Isaiah one morning and then be completely disgusted with a section of Judges the next. How are we to understand God’s Word when two-thirds of it is confusing, complex and sometimes seemingly contradictory? This Fall’s adult Sunday school will focus on growing in the Lord by learning to love, or at least better understand, the Old Testament. On one hand we will be doing an Old Testament survey: learning how and why the OT is as we find it; what its major themes are and who the main characters are. On the other hand we will be delving into a foreign culture that is separated from us by centuries of history, yet is our spiritual heritage, and learning how to hear God’s voice for us today. There will be a special attention focused ancient Israelite culture and “hard texts”. Greg Vigne will be presenting prepared material each Sunday which will be followed by discussion and questions. Adult Sunday school starts the week after Rally Day and meets downstairs in the church from 8:30-9:30. All our welcome.

MISPRINT: Caring Committee Needs One More! Wendy Butler has NOT left the caring committee, but was unavailable for contact this summer due to her time in California. Now that she is back, feel free to contact her for meal needs at wbutler@middlebury.edu. Thank you!

Sharpen Your Knives and other Blades!

Bring in your knives, lawnmower blades and any other things you may need sharpened to John Curler. In exchange for an excellent sharpening job, donations should be made to the Piano Fund. Any questions, please see John or call him at 349-7160. Thank you!

Community Lunches, Fall 2011

Memorial Baptist will be serving community lunches every three weeks at the Charter House on the following Thursdays. 

        Sept. 29, Oct. 20, Nov. 10, Dec. 1, Dec. 22

Look for additional e-mails and announcements before church services for opportunities to help -- either on-site preparing and serving casseroles, soups, sandwiches, salads, etc., or helping to provide fruit, bread, soups/stews, cookies/brownies.  Please consider signing up for a particular date to supply desserts or fruit, or to help out; we'd love to have everyone help as you're able. Let Jeff Rehbach when you can help out. Thank you to everyone who has helped with contributions or serving in the past, and to all in our fellowship for your continued support as we serve the community in this way!

Women’s Prayer Breakfasts!   

The women’s prayer breakfasts will return this fall on the Saturdays of October 15 and November 12. As we have in the past, we’ll meet 8:30 – 10:00 at different people’s houses for fellowship, delicious food, and prayer.

These prayer breakfasts have been a delightful way for the women of the church to get to know one another better in an informal setting. Even with the busy lives that we all lead, this hour and a half is worth it. Sharing our joys and concerns with one another and opening our hearts to God – is there anything we need more? Not to mention a goodly amount of laughter, teasing, and scrumptious food thrown into the bargain!

As the dates get closer, an e-mail will go out to the women of the church giving more details. Save the dates, and keep your eyes open for more info!

The summer Bone Builders blossoms in the summer. Here is our class picture for 2011. Four class members are 80 years and older! We will miss Lily Wildey and Jan Miller when they head south this fall.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL GAME AND RAFFLE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR ACCESSIBILITY

The Wheels are Rolling - Come and join the fun on September 16th at 6:30 p.m. at the Mt. Abraham gym in Bristol. The Holy Rollers of Bristol are challenging Green Mountain Thunder of the Northeast Disabled Athletic Association to a wheelchair basketball game. The First Baptist Church of Bristol is sponsoring the game and raffle to raise funds for a lift to make the upper level of their historic building accessible to all, including the elderly and those using wheelchairs.

The Holy Rollers of Bristol include members of the Bristol law enforcement and people of the community. Come and cheer them on and see if you can win a prize. You could win one night for two at The Old Hotel in Lincoln with a delicious breakfast, or a great breakfast for two at the Inn at Baldwin Creek, a $25 certificate toward a meal at Snaps or Cubbers in Bristol or one of the other great prizes from local businesses totaling to over $500! View a list of the prizes when buying tickets.

Get your tickets now for the game and raffle at Martin's Hardware in Bristol, at Kimball Office Supplies, at Bristol Health and Fitness or from members of the First Baptist Church. Tickets to the game are $5. Bring the family too. Children 12 yrs. and under are free. Raffle tickets are $1 each or

6 for $5. Winning tickets will be drawn at the game on September 16th.

Thanks for considering this.

Best,
Sandi Comly for the First Baptist Church of Bristol

Senior Rock’rs

Senior Rock'rs will meet Wednesday, October 5th at 12 noon at the home of Roy and Beth Wilkinson, 436 East Main Street, East Middlebury. If you are of retirement age, come and enjoy the fun, informal time we spend together while sharing a meal. In addition to visiting, we always have a time when we read articles/stories -- some that make us laugh, others that are uplifting.  Call / email Beth and Roy for information:  388-2252/ rbwilkie @ yahoo.com

Family News

Sgt Wilkinson, Joshua
MACS-2 TAOC Det A
Unit 78080
FPO AE 09510-8080

Tyler & Meg Smith
T-2492
2065 Half Day Road
Deerfield, IL 60015

Abby Carroll
13 B Franklin St.
Winooski, VT 05404

On July 5, Mattea Freeman, accompainied by her friend, Caleb Ingerson, flew to FL. Caleb’s family, who drove down a few days previous, met them at the Orlando airport. Caleb's, first cousin, Douglas Hurley, was the pilot of the space shuttle Atlantis, which took off on Friday, July 8 from Cape Canaveral, FL. There was at one point, a 20% chance that it would lift off, due to complex weather conditions. So we were on pins and needles here, hoping to hear it had lifted off. Mattea and Caleb's family received VIP treatment. They received  free tours of the Kennedy Space Center, museum and other NASA points of interest on Wednesday and Thursday of that week. They were given first class seating to view the launch, which was the closest you could get next to immediate family. Mattea's explaination to us about the experience of seeing the Atlantis take off was:  "AMAZING"!! She came home with an entire folder of NASA stickers, Kennedy Space Center dvd and a full color photo of the crew of the Space Shuttle Mission STS-135. This was Mattea's first chance to fly, as well as first time out of the northeast. Caleb's family let Mattea have a very short time on Cocoa Beach, as his mom said, Mattea had to SEE a FL beach before heading home. Caleb's family drove back to VT, spending a night in South Carolina, the next in Philadelphia, visiting some tourist spots, along the way.

Chasing Caleb with a giant palm leaf, playing miniature golf in 101 degree heat, experiencing a "tacky", South Of The Border gift shop, having a bug crawl into her ear canal (which came out, thanks to Caleb's mom's ingenuity) and laughing until her "face hurt", were highlights of the long ride home !!! Since this trip overlapped our yearly vacation in Maine, Mattea did not join us for the first time. But rest assured she experienced an amazing sight and had a wonderful time with Caleb's family. We told her, Maine would always be there, seeing a space shuttle launch, ...in person, ..once in a lifetime !! If you see Mattea around town, ask her about her experience!!

September 5, 2011
Dear Friends,

Greetings from Winooski!

Many of you know that I recently relocated to the Burlington area—and not a small number of you leant your time and muscle to help make that move possible. Thanks. Although I am not far away and will certainly be back in Middlebury from time to time, I wanted to write a word of gratitude and share with you what it has meant for me to be a part of Memorial Baptist Church, as well as why I am moving on.

Over the past two years, Middlebury has been a wonderful place for me to live. It has been a much needed quiet season of renewal following a decade of city life and high-pressure graduate work. In particular, I have enjoyed my time at Memorial Baptist where, from the first Sunday I attended, I felt warmly welcomed. It was obvious to me right away that Memorial is more than a congregation; it is a family. I noticed that people seemed genuinely interested and involved in each others’ lives, cared about each other, and went out of their way to serve each other. The commitment that Memorial members had to serving each other was, I soon learned, mirrored in their commitment to serving the broader community. So many of my Memorial friends give generously of their time and gifts to people in the community—often in very creative ways—and I have found myself both convicted and inspired by their example. The highlights of my time at Memorial have been Wednesday evening Bible Studies, which I never failed to leave without having been quickened and enlightened, and women’s prayer breakfasts, which provided deep encouragement and an opportunity for relationship-building.

Two years before I moved to Middlebury, I spent some getaway time in Burlington. I had been in Boston for a number of years and knew I wanted to be in a different place, so I rented a room with a family for a month and, to my delight, made a number of friends quickly as well as found St. Andrews, a small but vibrant church community that had recently established itself, thanks in part to Memorial Baptist Church which supported and continues to support St. Andrews. The following year, I returned to Burlington for another month in Vermont and reconnected with my new friends and new church. When I decided to move to Vermont permanently, I chose Middlebury because I did not want to live in a city. I also had fond memories of visiting Middlebury as a young child.  Now, after a few years in this beautiful place, I feel ready, even compelled, to return to Burlington where I hope to rekindle relationships and start new ones. I look forward to becoming involved with St. Andrews church and, in the long term, I hope to re-engage my passion for working with international, which I did through my church in Boston during my graduate school years.

While I am moving on to a new place and a new congregation, I am pleased to remain relatively near Middlebury and hope to maintain many of the meaningful relationships that have been formed over the past two years. I would like to express my deep thanks to you, the Memorial Baptist family, for embracing me warmly from the moment I arrived, serving me selflessly when I was in need, and revealed Christ to me faithfully in the examples of your lives.

Gratefully,
Abby

You continue to support us as Tyler is in seminary and that blesses us. Most recently we used some of the funds you gave to help fund our mission trip to Turkey. We needed your help to get there and you gave it! Also, some of the funds went towards Tyler’s tuition. Trinity seminary matches church gifts up to $500, so God multiplied what you gave us. Thank you!

Please pray for us as we start attending a church my brother and sister-in-law are planting in an under-resourced area of NW Illinois. Please also pray for Tyler as he begins a new semester and me as I look for work.

Love,
Meg and Tyler

Missions Moments

Pray for Ruth Mooney, training Christian leaders in Latin America

Ruth's ministry is Christian education. She lives in Costa Rica, where she serves on the faculty of the Latin American Biblical University, a seminary that prepares pastors and leaders for churches throughout Latin America. Ruth also ministers in other parts of Latin America.

She writes: At the Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana (UBL) we just finished our third bimester (of five). I was teaching the basic Christian Education class, Educación Transformadora, with one of the most delightful and challenging groups I’ve ever had. Let me tell you about my students.

The two Salvadors, Luisa, a lawyer and Michelle, a journalist, are preparing to be Episcopal priests, and their call to ministry and their love for the Lord shine forth.  They are actively involved in a local Episcopal church, and have already gained a reputation for their ability to work with children and for their purposes (a stuffed tortilla that is the Salvadoran national dish).

María Alejandra, an Ecuadorian, and Karoline, a Costa Rican, both work for World Visión. Karoline missed a few classes because she was in charge of organizing a huge World Vision event in Lima, Peru. She’s also putting her organizing ability to use for her wedding, coming up this fall.

María Alejandra has a passion for serving the poor that led her to India several years ago, where she worked for six months in a slum with the Dalit, the “out-castes”, who have no rights because they are outside the caste system. Her interest in my class was to develop materials for use in the community work of World Vision.

Rodrigo, an Argentine musician with a teaching degree, challenged us to the limit, despairingly and aggressively asserting that traditional Christian Education programs are largely bankrupt. He had worked with drug-dependent youth in Argentina, and, in that context, a totally new approach was essential. I challenged him to dream, to create new models.

Carlos is a Costa Rican who grew up on a farm without electricity or running water, whose mother heated her iron on the stove. This was his first experience at the UBL, and, coming from a rural Pentecostal background, I feared that he might be easily shocked by my other students. But they drew him in and soon he was “Charlie”, participating actively in all the activities, and displaying a level of down-to-earth wisdom that impressed everyone.

We built a close-knit group that shared ministry dreams and personal concerns. They read everything I assigned, analyzed and questioned it all, and asked for more. It is such a privilege to teach people with a hunger for learning and a vision for ministry!

- Pray for Ruth as she helps train and develop Christian leaders in Latin America.

- Pray for Luisa, Michelle, Alejandra, Karoline, Rodrigo and Carlos and the other students studying for ministry.