Coming Soon!
Nov 1 Sunday Sunday School and Worship Service 10:45 a.m
All Saints Day
Sermon “The Greatest Commandment”
Daylight Saving Time ends
Nov 3 – Tuesday Administrative Board meeting 7 p.m.
Everyone is welcome
Nov 3 Tuesday Bryn Mawr Community Womens Club 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Nov 7 Saturday Annual Bazaar 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Nov 8 – Sunday Sunday School and Worship Service 10:45 a.m.
Sermon: “The Poor Widow”
Nov 9 Mon Veterans Day observed
Nov 10 Tuesday All Church Charge Conference 6 p.m.
Nov 11 Wednesday Veterans Day
Nov 14 Saturday Centennial Dinner 5 p.m.
Nov 15 Sunday Sunday School and Worship Service 10:45 a.m.
Sermon “The Costly Ointment”
Nov 21 Saturday Wedding 4 p.m.
Nov 22 Sunday Sunday School and Worship Service 10:45 a.m.
Sermon “Now Thank We All Our God!”
Nov 25 Wednesday Thanksgiving Dinner and Service 6 p.m.
Nov 26 Thursday Thanksgiving Day
Nov 29 Sunday Sunday School and Worship Service 10:45 a.m.
Movie afternoon
page 2
Editorial
by June Click
Is this a great church, or what?
Here’s the church, and here’s the steeple / Open the door and here’s the people!
|
T |
his month we celebrate the 100th birthday of Bryn Mawr Methodist Church. Actually, it’s had several names, starting out as Bryn Mawr Methodist Episcopal Church and currently known as Bryn Mawr United Methodist Church. Methodist churches have generally received location names, although sometimes a saint or two gets honored. But what seems to me most important is the people who are the church.
All churches may be created equal, but they are not all the same. The Book of Acts defines the church as the early Christians saw it, a place of grace and power honoring and cherishing all members and loving and helping one another. Bryn Mawr, following these precepts, has grown and thrived through the years on its own spiritual strength.
|
T |
he recent number of memorial services brings this clearly to mind. Those of us who lost loved ones found our church a true source of consolation, people joining in love and a sharing of grief. And during a period of a few months I felt myself besieged by a series of events straight out of the Book of Job—the defection of a friend, severe pain and illness, financial anxiety, the death of a daughter, the need to help another family member in trouble—and I felt I could almost hear God standing off in the wings betting against Satan. And of course Satan never had a chance, because my church closed around me like family, shielding me from heartache and despair. Caring, comfort, and love enfolded me with a sense of God’s own eternal strength. This Bryn Mawr Church, a place of grace and power, brings the Book of Acts to life.
|
page 3
Dialogue with Dr. David
Pledge time can be a joyous experience even when times may be tough! So here is a special prayer for a special time:
“O God, author of the world’s joy, bearer of the world’s pain; at the heart of all our trouble and sorrow, let unconquerable gladness dwell; through our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Amen.”
Lots of love,
Pastor David
_____________________________________________________________
.
Annual Business Meeting!!
Tuesday November 10
Supper 6 p.m.
Church Conference 7 p.m.
We will begin with a sociable meal. Then we will take part in this annual meeting, the purpose of which is to review and evaluate the mission and ministry of the church, receive reports, and adopt objectives recommended by the council that are in keeping with the objectives of The United Methodist Church.
This meeting is a necessary tool in maintaining both the spiritual and financial values of a local church. It is our church. Its direction depends upon our participation. Decisions are made by those who show up.
page 4
Christmas Bazaar and Silent Auction
Saturday, November 7,
9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
The Bryn Mawr Annual Bazaar will feature vendors offering gifts, candles, etc.; the ever-popular bake sale with all the yummy goodies. Lunch will be available to purchase, and once again we will have the exciting silent auction. Sandy Laugen works hard to organize the auction, and it creates a lot of interest. Tell all your friends and neighbors about our bazaar and be sure to put the date on your calendar.
We could really use help with making signs and flyers, posting them, and taking them down. If you can help in any way, please call Kathy Edmund (206-772-1273).
If you would like to donate a new item or a service that would make for some exciting bidding, please call Sandy Laugen (206-772-2558). If you have other questions about the bazaar, call Kathy. Start planning your items that you would like to donate to the bake sale, too. We can always use lots!
__________
One
hundred great years!
Bryn Mawr is truly a church that grew from its own roots, and many of those who planted it still live on in their descendants. We plan a great celebration Nov, 14 to honor our 100th birthday and all those (which is pretty much all of us!) who have made this a great church. This special event will be at the Spirit of Washington Event Center at 233 Barnett South in Renton. There will be a great dinner and a great program, and we all want to be there. For more information, call the church office or Patty Edmund at 206-772-1273.
page 5
A.R.I.S.E. meals report
by Lila Rayl
The mission project to provide meals for up to 25 men from
Oct. 16-31 has been a busy and satisfyingly successful venture.
When this project ends, about 50 people will have been involved in it. This includes our great members and youth from our church. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to each and every one who has helped, as it is a BIG project. The cooks have been busy baking cookies and making main dishes. We have bought paper supplies (like plates, bowls, napkins, and glasses), organized sack lunches everyday, delivered the meals every day, and bought milk, juice, salad makings and sandwich bread, peanut butter, jam, meat, cheese, mayo, etc. etc. etc.
All the volunteers for this project have performed their tasks faithfully (or should we say religiously?), making each day a little easier as we all learn what works best. The people at Rainier Beach UMC prepared the meals one day and were a delight to work with. The Kiwanis Club also prepared and served a day’s meal. We have bought most of the fruit at Marilyn’s, and they were gracious enough to donate extra grapes!
The men are currently staying at the Daystar Baptist Church They are polite, clean, and thankful for our support. One of the ARISE men was able to move into his own apartment during our first week, so he is once more on his own. The Holy Spirit never stops working.
(Ed.: Lila has done a magnificent job of organizing this project! She spent pretty much full time on it. We are all grateful to her.)
.
page 6
In Memory of Nancy Brewinby Gerrie Peterson Nancy Brewin left us on Sept. 22, after a long illness, leaving her husband, Pat, who is also a long-time member of Bryn Mawr, a daughter, Monica, and a son, Benjamin—who grew up in our Bryn Mawr Church.
Nancy will be remembered by hundreds of people as our "Avon lady,” a job she loved. Her Avon products would often show up as raffle items for our church bazaar. She made many of the bazaar crafts and took part in the weeknight bazaar workshops. Nancy also donated to her church the proceeds from holiday church customers. Around the church, Nancy could be seen serving spaghetti, mopping and waxing our fellowship hall floor, hosting many activities, and doing whatever needed doing. She was an active member of the Administrative Council, serving as chairman of the Evangelism and Mission Committees. Jane Shafer also recalls her saving our Sunday School program by taking the role of Education chairman when the former chairman canceled all activities. Nancy was an excellent hostess. Even during her illness, she managed to serve one of our Lenten meals, a memory many of us will always cherish. Nancy was a very spiritual person.. She hosted Bible studies and prayer vigils and evening worship services. The Brewins would open the church weekly for these activities. She was also concerned about those less fortunate in our community. She collected and delivered food to the food bank She and Pat regularly adopted people from our Christmas Family lists, and provided transportation to church activities for those no longer able to drive. On Sunday mornings Nancy and Pat could be found sitting in their usual spot on the right side toward the front of the sanctuary. The beautiful stained glass nativity window behind the altar was donated by the Brewins in memory of loved ones. Our plush sanctuary carpet was donated by them, as well.Nancy seldom missed a worship service until her health prevented it. She would arrive beautifully dressed, hair styled, makeup perfectly applied, with a beautiful welcoming smile that lit up her face. She was one classy lady and we will miss her!
page 7
Bless the animals
Although St. Francis of Assisi did a lot of powerful
things, he seems best remembered for his advocacy for animals; and with a
pastor who joins many members of our congregation in a special love of animals,
we at Bryn Mawr observe
St. Francis Day each year with a special Blessing of the Animals. This year we
celebrated on Oct. 4, honoring God’s creative love of all beings by blessing
our beloved family pets. Great fellowship, good food, and a few barks marked
the gathering.
Sometimes it’s wildly funny, sometimes incredibly noisy, but always interesting and certainly spiritual. We enjoy a delicious meal and the company of many dear pets, mostly dogs. One year there was a horse, but we did that one outside!
__________
We gather together
On Nov. 25 we will celebrate our church family Thanksgiving meal and service, starting at 6 p.m. We look forward to this evening of good food, good fellowship, and spiritual inspiration, coming together as friends and family, sharing the great food and great love that God has bestowed upon us.
page 8
Movie afternoons
The last Sunday of each month is a good time for showing
movies after the social hour, and we have Kevin Leach who is happy to go to the
trouble of showing them for us—popcorn, soft drinks, and entertainment—sounds
great!
The movie on Nov. 29 will be Fly Away Home, the adventure of a 13-year-old girl and her estranged father, who learn what family is all about when they adopt an orphaned flock of geese and teach them to fly—a family expression of Thanksgiving week!
The movie on Oct. 25 was Fiddler on the Roof, a story of Jewish family life and culture set against the political background of Tsarist Russia during the time of the pogroms. A good musical score and occasional touches of ironic humor lighten the overall theme which is heavily overlaced with religious discrimination. If you have a special movie request, speak to Kevin. It could be for a blessing!
After showing, the movie DVDs are stored in a library downstairs, available for use any time you want to check them out. There is also a generous collection of other DVDs that we may borrow.
__________
Bring flowers
The 2010 flower calendar is in place in the social hall, just waiting for you to sign up for a date to bring flowers; or you can speak directly to Sandy Laugen, who is in charge of the flower schedule. Dates are open all year. And flowers on the altar are more than a decoration, they are a sacrificial offering. You may take them home after the service if you wish.
Or your offering can have a radiant double life. Walt Russell provided flowers in memory of his wife, Beverly, and then he had them delivered to a nursing home after the service. And Harold Booker’s friend, Branda Luke, has been fighting cancer for almost two years, and after every chemo treatment Harold has made sure that a bouquet of flowers was waiting for her when she returned home. Branda recently requested that Harold provide the flowers to the church instead of to her—so now Harold’s flowers will be an offering to the church in honor of Branda.
So you see, the altar flowers are a significant contribution to worship and to life.
page 9
Coffee shop ministry
Friendship and fellowship are among the rewarding
by-products of church membership, and we find an opportunity to enjoy this each
Monday at 10 a.m. at Seattle Best at Fred Meyer on Rainier Ave. Some of us meet
there every week, some of us just occasionally, but we are all welcome and we
all enjoy the company and conversation.
Christmas families
Every Christmas season our congregation sponsors families
referred by Renton Public Health Department. The need for food and clothing is
greater than ever this Christmas. Even in these hard times, most of us are
blessed with health and fortune, and with our generous gifts we can make a
difference in the lives of families in need.
Sunday School Director Linda Gil will soon let us know how the program will be carried out and how best we can help. Let’s all remember that blessings are best shared.
page 10
Join
the group!
Did you know there’s an early Sunday morning coffee group? It happens in the social hall before Sunday morning worship, and it’s all about friendship, fellowship, and conversation, and anybody can join! So far, we include Kitty Buckner; Bill and Jenny Byers; Alvin Little; Vivian Lee; Kevin Leach; Tina Frazier; Pete Balss; and a few others who come early for coffee and talk. If you want to add your name, all you have to do is be there!
Administrative Board meeting
. The Administrative Board meeting will be Tuesday, Nov.3
at 7 p.m., and everyone is invited. These meetings are intended to promote the
well-being of our church and its congregation, and if you have productive
suggestions, the Council will be glad to entertain them.
Food donations
From now until Christmas, all food donations in the Salvation Army bin in the narthex will be used for our Christmas Families project.
Senior Services needs drivers
You can help seniors in your community get to their medical appointments by becoming a volunteer driver for Senior Services Transportation Program. It’s flexible—you use your own vehicle and choose the weekdays, times, and areas you’d like to volunteer. You do not need a special license or do any lifting, and mileage and parking reimbursement is provided. For info, call Melissa at 206-748-7588 or email melissa@seniorservices. org.
page 11
What is a Methodist?
The Charge Conference
Each year about this time we are asked to devote an evening to a special meeting, a kind of business meeting, which Pastor David tries to sweeten with a nice supper (although a lot of churches don’t even do that!) and which some of us ask, why do we have to do this?
We pretty much know that we are a connectional church, maybe not as exciting as Facebook but every bit as useful. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church tells us that the charge conference is the connecting link between the local church and the general Church, and its primary responsibilities in the annual meeting are to review and evaluate the total mission and ministry of the church, receive reports, and adopt objectives and goals recommended by the church council that are in keeping with the objectives of the United Methodist Church.
That said, we love our church and therefore we go swiftly past the dull-sounding rules to think about what we want right here and now for our local church. The kinds of programs we want, how we want to pay for them, who we want to appoint to carry them out. That kind of thing. We get out of our church only what we put into it. We need to be there, we need to take part, and we need to give of our thoughts and our time.
November Birthdays
|
5 |
Mary B. |
Parrott |
|
22 |
Arline |
Dahl |
|
9 |
Susana M. |
Perez |
|
26 |
Deogracia |
Canlas |
|
9 |
Herb |
Stroh |
|
26 |
Kristian |
Jourdan |
|
12 |
Janice |
Mondala |
|
28 |
|
|
|
15 |
Walter |
Dietrich |
|
|
|
|
If we have overlooked your birthday, please let us know.
|