THE BEACON
JANUARY, 2008
THE BEACON
JANUARY, 2008
UMW HONORS BENITA VANWINKLE
Each year, our United Methodist
Women honors a member of our church who has shown outstanding commitment and
dedication in his or her service to our church. This year's recipient,
Benita VanWinkle, received a special recognition pin for this at our SONrise
service on December 16th.
Benita has used her talents in many ways at Brookstown, including the music leadership
for our SONrise service each Sunday morning, helping with our United Methodist
Youth, serving as chairperson of both our Community Festival and our 2007 Faith
Festival, and as Chairperson of the Council on Ministries. Benita is an
inspiration to all of us here, and we appreciate her willingness to contribute
so graciously her time and talents. In honor of Benita, The United Methodist
Women of Brookstown has given a gift to the Women's Division of the Global
Ministries of the
Beverly
Collins
DEAR BROOKSTOWN UMW,
I am very humbled to receive
the Special Mission Recognition award. There are so many who do so very
much here at Brookstown UMC, and I am honored to be in the company of the women
who have dedicated themselves to help others. Your award means a great
deal to me because I know it comes from the hearts of those I love.
In His Service,
Benita
COUNCIL ON MINISTRIES SURGE
A planning
session is scheduled for January 13 from 1:30-4:00 PM. I am looking
forward to seeing everyone there! If you
have suggestions for programs, events, etc. that you would like to see
implemented during 2008 please give them in writing to Benita VanWinkle or any
COM member.
Benita VanWinkle
We extend our sympathy to
Chad Lea in the deaths of his grandmother, Petronella "Peachy"
Armistead, on December 16th and his grandfather, William Armistead,
December 25th.
A memorial service for them
is scheduled on Saturday, Dec. 29th in
DEAR FAMILY OF BROOKSTOWN,
Evan and I
cannot begin to thank you enough for all your acts of kindness these last few
months. From the instant of the fall, it was church family I called upon
and you were there. If I named names, I'd be sure to leave someone out
but each act is remembered - delicious meals, needed transportation, medical equipment,
home cleaning, much needed prayer...the list goes on.
I'm made to
understand that this recovery will be a very slow process - six months to a
year, I’m told. Continue to remember us as I wait upon the Lord's perfect
timing. I know that only by God's grace and loving mercy have I come
this far. You are all very precious to us. We are blessed to be
amongst such as you.
En agape,
Pat
Lowrance
RESERVATIONS FOR ELK SHOALS
Don’t forget to get your
reservation information to
Teresa
Congratulations to R. J. and
Heather Cornine of
WINSTON-SALEM DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
INSTITUTE
Saturday January 26th at
Mt. Tabor UMC 8:30 AM check-in 9 AM-3 PM workshops
Morning Workshops -
Evangelism: Focus on Health, Not Evangelism: Healthy Churches
Grow. Healthy Churches Multiply
Ministry.
Trustees: Managing Church Property, Church Liabilities and Safe Sanctuary Mandates.
Spiritual Gifts: Filled With the Holy Spirit: What It Means and How to Identify Your Gifts.
Hispanic Ministry: Dinamizando La Iglesia Local (Making the
Local Church More Dynamic).
Persons to
Build Capacity through Leadership Development.
Health and Wellness: Body, Mind and Spiritual Health: More
Important Than You Think.
Small Groups: Creating and Sustaining New Ministries.
Afternoon Workshops
The Arts: Sacred Song: Food for the Christian’s Soul.
Local Church PPR: Organization and Responsibilities of the Pasto-
Parish Relations Committee.
Technology: Evangelism Using the Internet.
Finance: Organization and Workings of the Finance Committee.
Natural Resources: A Meteorologist’s and Sportsman’s Point of
View.
Leadership: Guided Steps for Meetings That Advance the
Teacher Training: Yikes!
It’s Saturday Night and I Teach Children’s Sunday School Tomorrow.
You do not need to be a
leader to take advantage of the classes!
Childcare ($5 per child)
is available but registration is a must.
Walk-in registrations are
welcome, but lunch or childcare is not guaranteed.
Register
online at www.winstonsalemdistrictumc.org or mail a registration form with your
check for $8 per person (includes lunch) by January 12th.
BIBLE
KNOWLEDGE 
1. What are the Books of Law in the Old Testament?
2. What are Torah and Pentateuch?
3. The Old Testament breaks down into four
sections. What are they?
Hint: One of the answers is the Books of
Law.
4. What does Genesis mean?
5. There are four great events in Genesis. What are
they? Hint: The first one is Creation.
6. What are the names of Noah’s three sons?
7. Who are the descendants of Noah’s sons?
8. What are the
9. How long were Noah, his family and the animals on the
10. There are four
great people in Genesis chapters 12-50.
Who are they? Hint: Abraham …
Please remember to please send your Q and A
for future Bible Trivia to me at
waynebiddix@triad.rr.com.
Thanks and Grace and Peace
to you!
BIBLE KNOWLEDGE
- Answers from last month -
1 What
is the name of the God-sent angel to Zechariah and Mary? Gabriel – Luke 1:19.
2. How
many Magi where there and approx. when did they visit baby Jesus?
We do not know for sure. Scholars differ and
tradition is three and they visited Jesus two weeks
to two years
after His birth. The Magi’s story is only mentioned in Matthew 2:1-12.
3. What
did the shepherds do after “seeing this thing?”
“they spread the word concerning what had been
told them about this child…” – Luke 2:17 (first
example of spreading the Gospel)
4. What
book of the Bible has the most details of Christ’s birth? Luke
5. What
was Zechariah’s profession? Priest – Luke 1:5
6. How
many days after Jesus’ birth was He circumcised and named? Eight – Luke 2:21
7. Where
was Jesus born? Why?
8. What
happened to
“…the baby leaped in her womb, and
our spirits leap in our worship and praise of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!)
9. What
was Joseph’s profession?
A
carpenter – Matthew 13:55 (You had
to search for this one)
10. Who issued the decree
that a census be taken of the entire Roman world? What was the
importance?
Caesar
Augustus – Luke 2:1; Caused Joseph and Mary to come to Bethlehem, fulfilling
prophecy – Micah 5:2
Any
questions or comments please e-mail or call me at waynebiddix@triad.rr.com or
922-0531!
HOW MANY WOMEN MAKE A
GAGGLE?
In 1893, May or
Frederick Kurth, in response to the Cedar Falls Ladies Auxiliary and Garden
Club request to use the Town Hall for weekly horticultural discussions,
adamantly replied, “Why, who knows what will happen if we allow a gaggle of
women to start meeting together outside of the home? They might even start to smoke
cigarettes”.
On December 15th,
Jeff Hayes graduated from
Jeff will be
employed with Dell, Inc. World Wide Services Division in Round Rock,
Jeff is the son
of Ron and Julie Hayes and the grandson of Jack and Pauline Gowing.
YOUTH DIRECTOR POSITION FILLED
I am very pleased to
announce the appointment of Benita Van Winkle as our new Youth Director,
effective January 1, 2008. Benita has been a dedicated volunteer with the
Brookstown UMYF for several years, in addition to working with other youth
groups at previous churches, along with an outstanding career as an educator
and arts advocate.
She has expressed her deep
love for this church and the people active in our UMYF.
The Pastor-Parrish Relations
Committee was unanimous in their support of this decision. We feel very
blessed to have a person of this depth of experience and devotion to their
faith.
Thanks to all who
participated in this process and to all who were lifting up this decision
prayerfully.
In His Love,
Stan Crews, P-PRC
Chairman
LAY
LEADER LINKS
Grace and Peace to all from our risen Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, Amen!
Happy New Year!
There is something special
about a new year. It breeds an
opportunity to start over or to make things better. We eagerly anticipate a new year with
excitement and resolutions. So, this
year will be no different. I want to
share with you my resolutions for Brookstown for 2008:
·
Weekly Pastor-led
Bible study (i.e. Tuesday night and Tuesday during the day for folks who do not
like to drive at night and/or work shifts - please give Roland or me some
feedback for your choice of day an or night)
·
Disciple Series
Bible study (emerge from weekly Bible study)
·
Home Bible study
groups (emerge from weekly Bible study)
·
Special series
studies (i.e. World religions, etc.)
·
New Members
Orientation
·
Children’s
Ministry/Children’s Choir
·
Examine our
programs to ensure that an element of evangelism is prevalent
·
Visitation/Phone
Team (Visitors and folks that have been absent)
·
Increase Sunday
School attendance
·
Increase
membership
In order for
these resolutions to come to fruition, this will have to be a church-wide
endeavor. The first order will be to
pray for God’s direction and then to immerse ourselves in the study of His
word. We must provide an opportunity for
members and non-members to grow. It is
paramount! Everything else will fall
into place when we grow in His word.
Hear and receive the words of 2
Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work.”
I will
expound on these other resolutions as we go forward. Please call or e-mail me with questions,
ideas or concerns (waynebiddix@triad.rr.com or 922-0531). I look forward to this year of ministry with
great hope and excitement for a church growing in His word and service. I pray that we all fall deeper in love with
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
A side
note: I did not receive any Q & A for January’s Bible Knowledge (I changed
the name because Bible Trivia sounded too, well, trivial).
Grace and Peace,
Wayne Biddix
Servant
BEACON
BITS by Roland Barnhardt
Just a few days ago, you and
I were preparing for Christmas. The weeks of preparing may have come down to a
mad dash for some of us just before the times of joyful celebrating and sharing
revealed what all we had – or hadn’t – accomplished.
Christmas Day of 2007 is now
past. (Kay granted me another chance to submit an article for this issue of The
Beacon!) So in this time of reflecting, I realize that the past is not
always just the end; the past can serve as our launch pad for the future.
Today, I asked the owner of
a restaurant if he’d had a good year. Saying he had, he volunteered that a new
year is coming soon and he hopes it will be even better as he learns from
mistakes he’s made in the past.
How true that can be for all
of us. We prepare for a better future, in part, by learning as we go what works
well and what doesn’t. What we’ve done settles down behind us, and we can make
helpful changes that will keep moving us onward and upward.
So what’s next? Where do we
go from here? Who, or what, is calling us that can inspire us and fulfill us?
These are questions deserving good answers in our personal lives and in our
church.
Before I run out of room or
Kay calls time – or both – I want to express my deep appreciation to the
leaders at Brookstown who help us keep asking and answering questions like
these. Thank you for serving Christ and us, His people, as you lead us in responding
to Christ’s good news in the opportunities God gives us.
I also want to remind you
that Christ is calling us to be His disciples, in the best sense of the word,
in the coming years. As Christ’s disciples, we are called to follow Him and be
His students. We will grow in our faith and knowledge and experience of His
amazing love as we listen to Him and learn from Him.
As we do these things, we
will become increasingly able to see the things God-with-us is doing;
and, as faithful witnesses, we will share this with others. We will understand
that the transformation of the world is best accomplished as we ourselves are
willing to be transformed by the Word, not just once or twice or seven times,
but seventy times seven times!
Christ has come - and keeps
coming - to call us from our past into His glorious future! May this be a huge
part of our shared vision in the New Year. All praise and glory and honor be to
God as his Son Jesus Christ helps us to help one another along the way of life
God is creating for us! Amen.
SPECIAL SERVICE IN JANUARY
Acolytes
Jan. 6 Kendra Davis and
Emily Grace
13 MacKenzie DiMarco and McCall
DiMarco
20
Michael Barajas and Kaila Davis
27 Aubrey Apperson and Abby Jameson
Flowers
Jan. 6
13 Jameson
20
27 White
Greeter - Rene Galyean
Nursery
Jan. 6 Darlene Davis
13 Rene Galyean
20 Elaine Layland
27 Paul Powers
Refreshments (8:30)
Jan. 6 Benita Van Winkle
13 Karen Powers
20 Elaine Layland
27 Sandra Snarski/Jolene Jeune
Ushers - Joe Leo*, John Yates, Kevin Procter,
Jerry White
Worship Leaders
Jan. 6
13 Bruce Bailiff
20 Pam Steppe
27 Tim Lasley