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Balmoral Presbyterian Church
Where the Spirit Takes Flight
BPC NEWS BRIEF
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
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mailing address: Balmoral Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 17309, Memphis, TN 38187
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NEWS THIS WEEK
- WELCOME to SUMMER SABBATH TIME
- JEREMIAH'S RELEVANCE to 2021 by Dr. Walter Brueggemann
- PLANS for WORSHIP JUNE 6 at BPC
- WORSHIP for SUNDAY MAY 30, 2021
- AROUND MEMPHIS
- GO, GRIZZ!
- ENJOYING IMMUNITY
- REMINDERS:
- MEMPHIS SHOT-FOR-SHOT SWEEPSTAKES - win a car with your vaccination card! Enter until May 31.
- HIGHLIGHTS of UPCOMING EVENTS
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WEEKLY INFORMATION
- Birthdays
- Calendar of Events
- OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
- CONTACT INFORMATION
- Building Information
- BPC Photos
- Worship last Sunday
LINKS to DOCUMENTS:
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Rev. Carla Meisterman will be on vacation through Monday, May 31. During that time, she will not be available for calls or email. |
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Rev. Anne Hagler be on call while Carla is off.
You can reach Anne by phone or text at 901.628.2104 or email her at anneh6616@gmail.com
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“On Sabbath, we cease our work so God can do God’s work in us.”
“Sabbath keeping is a way of living out our belief that we are not our own;
that we belong to God.”
John Calvin
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Balmoral traditionally suspends some activities over the summer, giving everyone a chance to recharge the batteries, spend time with family and taking vacations. (Of course, this summer everyone will get a super-volt opportunity to re-charge as we finally gather together in worship!)
Over the summer, though, we will not have Sunday Studies on Sunday mornings; PW Bible Study will meet June 2 and will take the rest of the summer off. The Book Club will meet June 8 and the group will discuss together whether they will meet again over the summer.
Trouble I've Seen and the Writer's group WILL MEET meet over the summer on zoom as usual.
In September, all activities will start back up - many of them
in-person, we hope!
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JEREMIAH'S RELEVANCE to 2021 |
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‘We are in a season of relinquishment,’ Dr. Walter Brueggemann tells the Festival of Homiletics
by Darla Carter | Presbyterian News Service May 21, 2021
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LOUISVILLE — Old Testament scholar Dr. Walter Brueggemann drew parallels between the book of Jeremiah and today’s world during a podcast that was incorporated into the 2021 Festival of Homiletics on Thursday.
Brueggemann was a featured guest on an episode of the Working Preacher Books Podcast, a series focused on igniting preachers’ curiosity and connecting them with the living Word.
Hosts Dr. Karoline Lewis and Dr. Rolf Jacobson of Luther Seminary, which hosts the Festival of Homiletics, peppered Brueggemann with questions and highlighted some of his books, such as “Preaching Jeremiah” (Fortress Press, 2020) and “Preaching from the Old Testament” (Fortress Press, 2019) from the Working Preacher Books series.
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Explaining what today’s world has in common with the biblical text, Brueggemann said, “Ours, like the time of Jeremiah, is a time of violence, it’s a time of loss, it’s a time of bewilderment, it’s a time of fear, and I think that the book of Jeremiah gives voice to all of that, and before it finishes, it also manages to give voice to hope.” He called that “a much-needed voice in our time.”
Later, Brueggemann commented on the role that nostalgia is playing in some of the angst that people are feeling today.
“That nostalgia for remembering a world that really never existed is what is fueling the resentment and the violence that now is besetting our society in which there is a wish for an old, white, patriarchal, heterosexual world that was wonderful for a few people and not for very many others,” he said in response to a query from Lewis. “The first task of Jeremiah is to say, ‘Whether you treasured that world or not … it is gone and it is not coming back,’” and “that includes American exceptionalism; that’s gone, too.”
Brueggemann noted that preachers of today are processing the trauma of the pandemic “and all the stuff that has come along with that,” and explained how he feels that Jeremiah can be helpful with that.
Stressing the importance of “truth telling,” Brueggemann noted that Jeremiah faithfully described the world and its problems, including divorce, sickness and war. Instead, “we are tempted to use all kinds of accommodating euphemisms, so that we do not really face into the depth of the reality in which we are living.”
He continued, “When one is a faithful truth teller in ways that we do not understand, hope wells up, but hope cannot well up unless the truth is told, and I think that truth telling is a very hazardous enterprise for preachers today, as it always has been.”
He noted that in chapters 30 and 31, “there is a strange mix of grief and hope, suggesting that if you hope, you have, at the same time, to be relinquishing what has been lost and recognizing how painful it is to relinquish what has been lost. I think the preachable point on all of that is that we are in a season of relinquishment and it means turning loose of those things that we have most treasured, which is exactly what Jesus did when he called people to discipleship is to leave behind them their former life for this new life of risk and companionship.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, Brueggemann was asked about the notion that prophetic preaching is imaginative. He was prompted to explain what imagination is from a Christian sense.
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“I take it to be the capacity to host a world that is other than the one that is in front of us,” he said. “The one in front of us is scientific, conditioned by enlightenment, rationality and all of that.”
However, “that’s not a faithful way to perceive the world,” he said. “A faithful way to perceive the world is through promise and covenant, and all those ingredients of gospel faith, so it requires great will and great intentionality and great resolve to continue to dwell in and bear witness to a world that contradicts the world that almost all of us take for granted, and it invites the congregation into a zone of perception that contradicts the rest of our life.”
Photo by Andrew Russian via Unsplash
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A SHORT SURVEY is COMING YOUR WAY
THIS WEEK
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Are you planning to join us in person in Worship on June 6???
We'd like to know how many might be there!
We want to make sure we have enough groupings of chairs, safely distanced, to set up and how many bulletins to print!
So we're sending you a survey this week. There will be only 2 questions: are you planning to be there, and how many people from your family will be there.
Responses will be anonymous - we just want to get an idea of how many.
Please respond by Tuesday, June 1
Thank you!
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WORSHIP IN-PERSON
BEGINNING JUNE 6
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Balmoral will be opening the building for in-person Worship for both BPC and for Circle of Faith beginning June 6. Those worshipping at Balmoral Presbyterian services will meet in the sanctuary at 11:00am; those worshipping with Circle of Faith will meet at 9:00am in the Fellowship area.
Good news indeed! It won't be exactly like it used to be - but it surely will be great to see friends in-person!
Not ready to be indoors in a crowd? Balmoral's service will ALSO be LiveStreamed online as well, for those who want to "be there" but still need to be able to worship at home, remotely.
So how is this all going to work?
The BPC COVID-19 Task Force has been intentional about keeping EVERYONE - Worshippers, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, the Worship team and staff, and the SEED staff and children SAFE.
What to Know about Sunday, June 6
While worshipping at BPC or Circle of Faith services:
- Everyone must wear masks and honor social distancing rules (6 feet) at all times while in the building.
- Masks will be distributed to those who need them before they enter the narthex.
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Worship leaders in some cases will be permitted to remove their masks while speaking at the podium at an 18-foot distance from congregants.
- Vaccinations are encouraged but not required for participating in worship.
- Children are welcome in worship as always. NO CHILD CARE will be provided.
- No food or drink is permitted in the building. Drinking fountains will not be available for use.
- The SEED program areas of the building are RESTRICTED AREAS and should not be entered.
- The kitchen cannot be entered and will not be used.
- There will be no congregational singing.
- But there WILL be participation in music and worship as directed. There will also be soloists and small musical ensembles, using safe protocols.
- During responsive readings and throughout worship, worshippers should remain masked at all times.
- Name tags will NOT be used.
- All hymnbooks, Friendship pads and Children's worship bags have been removed from the sanctuary and are not to be used.
- Hand sanitizer stations will be placed at the sanctuary entry area and use encouraged.
- Bulletins will be at the hand sanitizer stations for worshippers to pick up.
- Worshippers will be asked to take their bulletins home for disposal.
- For entering and exiting the sanctuary, worshippers are asked to follow guidance from ushers. The ushers will direct incoming congregants to seat front to rear. When departing the sanctuary, ushers will direct outgoing congregants to proceed rear to front.
- Balmoral worshippers are asked to continue submitting their tithes and offerings electronically or by mail - Offering plates will NOT be passed in worship.
- There will be no food collection for the Food Cart.
- BPC Worshippers will have access to the restrooms at the end of the hall in the new building. Hand sanitizer will be available there and its use encouraged.
- Sanctuary internal and external doors will be kept open to increase ventilation.
- Circle of Faith worshippers will enter by the side door of the Fellowship area and will use the restroom near the Fellowship area.
- All worship protocols listed above will be used for CofF services as well.
- Hand-sanitizer will be supplied at the entry to the Fellowship area and the restroom and encouraged.
- The person arming and disarming the alarm will use the church office door.
For everyone's safety, we ask that anyone who is experiencing symptoms of illness (EG: sore throat; fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; diarrhea) not enter the building and, instead, participate in worship through livestream.
These procedures will be repeated in your Worship email reminders, along with a copy of Sunday's bulletin, on Friday and Sunday mornings. They may also be listed in the weekly BPC COVID-19 Task Force emails.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The Church Office will NOT be staffed. Please continue to use your contact lists to reach us!
These procedures are expected to remain in place for June. As the summer progresses, and as (hopefully) numbers of cases & deaths continue to fall, more people getting vaccinated, and new CDC guidelines are issued, the Task Force will be monitoring the situation to see if any changes to these policies should be changed.
A full copy of ALL of the updated Policies and Procedures that were approved at the last Session meeting, is available at the link below.
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SUNDAY
WORSHIP
Balmoral Presbyterian Church
Sunday, May 30, 2021
BALMORAL WORSHIP at 11:00am on YouTube
Scriptures: John 14:8-14; John 1:14-16; Luke 13:18-19
Sermon: "Possibilities, Care, and Wonder"
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Rev. Anne Hagler will lead us in Worship one last time before she starts her retirement! |
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CIRCLE of FAITH WORSHIP at 9:00am
on Zoom
Everyone is also invited to join the Circle of Faith service. The link will be listed each week in the ONLINE EVENTS calendar in this Newsletter!
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You will receive emails on FRIDAY & again on SUNDAY with a link to the YouTube site for Worship & a downloadable Sunday Worship Guide.
The Idlewild service will also still be available at 11:00 am on the radio at 96.1 FM or you can go online to the Idlewild Livestream broadcast at
Previous Worship Services at Balmoral are still available on the
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BIBLE STUDY
with Rev. Anne Hagler
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Join us on Zoom for our last Bible Study for the spring semester on Wednesday, June 2. |
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Everyone is invited as
Rev. Anne Hagler leads us for her last time....
and for everyone to wish her well on her retirement!
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JUNE BOOK CLUB MEETS Tuesday, June 8, 1:30pm |
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All Over But the Shoutin'
by Rick Bragg
will be the subject for our June Book Club. Cathy Bailey will lead our discussion, and we will meet in person on Tuesday, June 8, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the home of Janice Hill, 2110 Hickory Crest Drive.
The group will meet on the patio where everyone can be within the CDC guidelines for vaccinated individuals to gather together.
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If anyone has questions about the arrangements for the meeting, please give Janice a call at 901-826-9747. |
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IN THE NEWS AROUND MEMPHIS
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ENJOYING IMMUNITY
In half of the country, half the population is vaccinated — and local leaders are okay with those people reaping the rewards. Like being able to hang out with friends or go to the movies over the holiday weekend....or actually seeing Games 3 and 4 this weekend at FedEx Forum!
But Tennessee is on a short list of also-rans.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris took the state to task Tuesday, May 25, saying it “absolutely” should do more to improve outcomes.
“Unfortunately, in terms of statewide data, we have lagged behind other states. And so there is no doubt that that requires a more expansive and more aggressive response,” Harris said, including incentives to get more people vaccinated.
Five months after COVID-19 vaccination began, Tennessee is among the bottom eight states in the nation for the rate of vaccination per 100,000 people, according to Centers for Disease Control data. Wyoming, Idaho, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana rank lower.
According to state Department of Health data, 32.6% of Tennessee residents are fully vaccinated as businesses reopen and society takes the first steps back to normalcy in nearly 15 months.
Only 28.5% of Shelby County residents are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data. County authorities say that number is actually 37.5%-38%. With more than 352,000 doses administered, Shelby County is more than halfway to its goal of vaccinating 700,000 people, or 70% of the population by Aug. 1.
At the current rate of 2,000 doses a day, it could add 140,000 doses over the next 10 weeks, bringing the count to 492,000 doses or 70% of goal.
“What we don’t know yet but will find out in the next few months is how long it lasts, whether or when we might need a booster shot."
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For a PRINTABLE version of the current CDC Mask Guidelines Chart, click on the link below:
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Click the link below to get current locations for VACCINES:
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NOTE: The Daily Memphian provides all COVID-19 related information free of charge at these links as a service to the community.
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LAST CHANCE for the
SHOT FOR SHOT SWEEPSTAKES - ends Monday
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Getting your vaccination shot isn't just your best chance at staying safe and healthy, you'll also get a shot at winning a brand new vehicle of your choice! There's a Chevy Camaro, Chevy Colorado, Nissan Rogue, Nissan Altima or any similar vehicle of equal or lesser value up for grabs!
This giveaway is open to any Shelby County residents age 18 or older at the time of entry.
We'll confirm eligibility with your immunization record card,
so make sure you hold onto it!
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In an effort to increase vaccinations in Shelby County, the city is offering everyone who is vaccinated a chance in their sweepstakes for a car!
or by calling 901-222-SHOT.
All entries must be received by 11:59pm on 5/31/2021.
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For COVID-19 testing information, go to this link:
NOTE: Several CVS and Walgreen's locations are now currently on the updated list at the link above.
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Casey Gurlen (26), Janet Smith (26), Shirley Vosburg (29), Phil Shannon (30), Noah Mercer (31) |
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HIGHLIGHTING SOME UPCOMING EVENTS: |
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Each year in May, Balmoral has traditionally "wound down" activities; Sunday Studies and some Small Groups take a break for the summer, all leading toward our Summer Sabbath time.
Though this will be true this year as well, May also feels very different than previous years....as we anxiously look forward to once again Worship together in person beginning in June.
But there are several events still coming in May before we get there!
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Rev. Anne Hagler will lead us in Worship & Communion on May 30, and we will celebrate her retirement as our Parish Associate.
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PW Bible Study will finish their current study for the year on Wednesday, June 2. Rev. Anne Hagler will lead the final session - and all are welcome to give her a final thank you!
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Sunday, June 6, BPC will gather together in Balmoral's sanctuary at 11:00 am for Worship.
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Sunday, June 6 at 9:00am, Circle of Faith will be worshipping in BPC's Fellowship area.
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Every Monday
2:00pm Writer's Group via Zoom
1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month
Ellis Small Group 10:15 am
2nd Tuesday of the Month
BOOK CLUB meets via Zoom
2nd Thursday Evening of the Month
7:00 pm Trouble I've Seen Small Group
1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month
COLONIAL PARK FOOD DRIVE
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Sunday, May 30, 2021
9:00 AM Circle of Faith Worship on Zoom
NO SUNDAY STUDIES - NEW CLASSES BEGIN in SEPTEMBER
11:00 AM BPC Worship & Communion Service via YouTube
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
10:30 am Bible Study with Presbyterian Women
(Note: this will be the final Bible Study for Spring;
new class will begin in September.)
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
1:30pm Book Club meets on Zoom
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ONLINE on YouTube at 11:00 am
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The BUILDING is CLOSED
UNTIL MAY 31, BUT
BALMORAL is OPEN !
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REMINDER: Everyone who comes onto the BPC property MUST WEAR A MASK, including those who are only in the parking lot. NO ONE is allowed in the building without authorization.
We must help to keep our Worship team and the SEED children safe!
Requests for use of the property (including the parking lot) MUST prepare a proposal to the BPC COVID-19 Task Force (Scott Hill, chairperson) for review; the task force will review the proposal, then make a recommendation to the Session for consideration.
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IF ANYONE IS CALLED TO SERVE....
We work every 1st and 3rd Thursday.
Colonial Park UMC
5330 Park Ave
CONTACT SCOTT DAWSON for more INFORMATION
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Pastoral Care this week will be supplied by
Rev. Anne Hagler 901.628.2104 or anneh6616@gmail.com
while Rev. Carla Meisterman is on vacation.
(Rev. Carla Meisterman 901.235.1014
or email carlam@balmoralpc.com)
Session members are your primary contact for ongoing communication. Here's the current contact list:
Lori Blackwelder .... (901) 262-8282 ............... LORIEB1165@yahoo.com
Leiza Collins ........... (901) 246-5031 ..................... leiza1016@gmail.com
Becky DeLoach ...... (901) 489-3369 ............. BeckyMD2905@gmail.com
Barry Dotson .......... (901) 277-1596 ............... barry.dotson@yahoo.com
Janice Hill ............... (901) 826-9747 ................... janicehill81@gmail.com
Beverly Hooker.........(901) 496-1241 ......................... bev.h@earthlink.net
Ted Pearson home: (901) 754-9796 ................... pearsonteda@aol.com
...........................cell: (901) 486-6117
Erich Shultz .............(901) 268-4951 ...................emshultz@bellsouth.net
John Van Nortwick (901) 605-2907 ............ jvnortwick@cornerstone-
systems.com
(NOTE: Many of these Session members are working during the day, so you may want to text them or email them.)
Keep in mind that ANY Balmoral member who is healthy will most likely be happy to help you in case of need as well!
To contact other members, the most-current contact information is available by requesting a copy of the BPC PHONE DIRECTORY from Kathy Singleton by email ksingle2@bellsouth.net or by phone or text to (901) 734-7193.
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BPC Worship
Sunday, May 23, 2021
PENTECOST SUNDAY
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Prelude "Fire Dance"
Orff Ensemble
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Hymns #280 "Come, O Spirit" and #687 "O God, Our Help in Ages Past"
Choir John Gilmer, Pete Addicott, Fran Addicott, Linda Warren, William Warren, Clinton Bailey and Erich Shultz
Leiza Collins, piano
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Musical Offering "All My Hope"
John Gilmer, Pete Addicott, Fran Addicott,
William Warren, Clinton Bailey and Erich Shultz
Leiza Collins, piano
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Left: Ordination of Erich Shultz
Right: Installation of Session Class of 2024 Beverly Hooker,
Erich Shultz and Janice Hill
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We have been keeping reference articles in the Newsletter each week throughout the summer. It's time to take them out, BUT some of these may still be helpful, so we will store them and give you links to them, but eliminate them from the body of the newsletter itself. |
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To access a document, simply click on the link name. The document will then open in your browser as a PDF file!
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- Newsletter Articles & Photos should be emailed to Kathy Singleton at ksingle2@bellsouth.net no later than Monday at noon for the week you want the article in the news.
- Bulletin Information should be emailed to Rev. Carla Meisterman, with a copy to Kathy Singleton, no later than Monday noon the week before the Sunday you want the information to appear.
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Prayer Concerns should continue to be submitted via email to Rev. Carla Meisterman (carlam@balmoralpc.com)
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MAY 2021
online church calendar
The calendar will take a few seconds to load and, once it opens, you will see the month that we are currently in. To see the next month's calendar, click on the arrow pointing down - it is just to the right of the name of the month. Once you click on that arrow, an icon will appear with all the months of the year listed. Click on the month that you want to see. To see a specific date, click on the number of the day you would like to see. The entire 2021 calendar is available to you.
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