Pastor's e-note August 8, 2023

Pastor's e-note

August 8, 2023

A banner created by VBS Children

Dear Church Family,

Last week we had a wonderful VBS with bible stories, science, recreation, crafts, yoga and fellowship. Special thanks to Veronica Sydlowski and all of our volunteers for working diligently together and serving our children so joyfully during “Compassion Camp” VBS. The following litany summarizes our VBS theme, “Every living thing needs a community of compassion” from Psalm 104.

Every living thing needs community.

Community produces life.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

O my God, you are very great.

You are clothed with honor and majesty

You cause the grass to grow for the cattle

You make the plants for us to cultivate.

You make wine to cheer our hearts.

You make oil to make our faces shines.

You make bread to strengthen our life.

Every living thing needs community.

Community produces life.

O God, what a variety you have created! Arranging everything so wisely, the earth is filling with your creativity.

There is the sea, great and wide; teeming with countless creatures, living things both small and large.

May the glory of God endure forever!

May we find joy in God’s creation!

Every living thing needs community.

Community produces life.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Jennifer

Worship With Us

In-Person Worship

August 13 at 10:00 AM

This Sunday we will worship together outdoors. We invite you to bring a chair and share this special time with your BUMC friends. In the case of inclement weather, this service will be held indoors.

Rev. Jennifer will share her message, "Serving Others." Our scripture readings will be taken from 1 Peter 4:10-11, Galatians 5:13-14, 1 John 3:18, Mark 10:44-45, and Matthew 25:35-40. Our Foundation Praise Team will lead us in song.

This service will not be live streamed.

Staff Update

Great news! We have two new staff joining BUMC. Deena Beatty is our new Young Family Ministry Coordinator. Deena is very familiar to us because she worked in the nursery as our childcare coordinator from 2018 through May 2023. Dohee Woo will be our new Media Ministry Coordinator. Dohee is a first year Master of Divinity student at Drew Theological Seminary. Welcome to BUMC, Deena and Dohee!

There will be a reception to welcome our new staff on Sunday, August 20 in fellowship hall after the worship service. Come and meet our new staff, Deena Beatty, Dohee Woo, and Rok Choi.

For Those In Need of Support

If you have found yourself struggling, or going through a particularly stressful life change, we invite you to meet with one of our Stephen Ministers. In meeting with a Stephen Minister, you will receive one-to-one, confidential, Christ-centered care.

To be connected with a Stephen Minister, please contact Mary Beth Gruber.

Prayer Requests

We share special prayers for those who have been received into God’s eternal rest including Ganga Persaud, grandfather of Zahra Pillay. May God bring comfort to the Persaud and Pillay families.

Click here to submit a prayer request

Scripture Readers Needed

We are looking for a few new readers to read scripture on Sunday mornings. Children in third grade and up are encouraged to volunteer. Please email Pam Lester if you or your children would be interested in reading scripture during worship services.

Coming Soon

Backpack Collection

August 6 - September 3

The Lydia Circle will be collecting new backpacks for the Martin Luther King Youth Center in Bridgewater. Donations may be placed in the bin near the Mission Closet, or in the front vestibule between Aug. 6 and Sept. 3. Thank you for your generosity.

Weekend Food Bags

August 27 through September 11

The Friendship Circle will be collecting food for the Food Bank of Somerset County to help with the preparation of the Weekend Food Bags given to children in our county who are in need. Please see the list below for requested items.

Chef Boyardee Pasta Mini Meals: (Microwavable fliptop 7.5 oz cans) Ravioli, Spaghetti w/ meatballs, Beef-a-Roni, Lasagna, Mac & Cheese, Rice w/ Chicken and Vegs

Tuna or Chicken -3 oz fliptop cans/ready to eat pouches

Milk – 8 oz boxes

Juice Boxes – 8 oz boxes

Cold Cereal – small and individual

Kraft Easy Mac & Cheese – Microwave packets or microwave Mac & Cheese in cups

Peanut Butter “To Go” (small individual)

Ramen Noodle Chicken packets

Pudding cups, Applesauce cups, Fruit cups, etc.

Snack Sized: peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, pretzels, cookies, chips, goldfish, etc.

Summer Concert - CANCELED

August 16, 6-8 pm

Unfortunately the Hontz Family Concert, originally scheduled for August 16, has been canceled.

Helping Others

Food Drive Donations

Thank you for donating food to our neighbors. Please bring your non-perishable/non-expired items to the church, and place them in our “Food Bank” containers.

If you would prefer, you can bring your items to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County located at 7E Easy St, Bound Brook, NJ 08805. Thank you very much.

Chancel Guild

We invite you to honor the special people in your life through a donation to our Chancel Guild and designating a date for commemorative flowers. This is a great way to celebrate events such as birthdays and anniversaries, and to honor the important people in your life who are no longer here with you. To participate, click here or visit the Chancel Guild calendar located near the BUMC office.

The suggested donation for sponsoring the Chancel Guild is $25. Please send your donation to the church, indicating "Chancel Guild" in the memo, or click the button below.

Thank you for supporting the Chancel Guild

BRIDGEWATER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

651 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD • 908.526.1414

BRIDGEWATERUMC.ORG