Summer sports

Tonight we had our third softball game in two nights. We play toughed and gave it our best shot. We played great defense tonight in a double header. We had some timely hitting. But alas, like my beloved Detroit Tigers, we didn't have much success in terms of wins and losses.

We did have some victories tonight. Fred Stone pitched a double header and he was tremendous on the mound. He pitched to a tough St. Pat's team and had them looking clueless at times. Although they had one big inning tonight, we stopped their potent line-up from breaking out again and again. Sean Wilding finally got his chance and not only did he get some big hits, he also played well in the infield. Chris Adams was moved to the outfield and he graciously accepted the challenge and he made some great plays. Chip Chaffee also shifted to the outfield tonight and he had four big hits and scored a couple of runs. Steve Moon and Jeff Brockway had some key hits and scored some big runs too. Jeff even saw some time in left field to spell Steve and he did quite well.

So our record is now 1-6. But it doesn't feel that way. Take a look at some of the photos from the last two nights. You will see our guys and gals having fun. And that is what it is all about.

Cal

Tieing the knot with God's blessing

Andrew Higgins and Erika Davis were married at church yesterday afternoon. Sundays are normally pretty busy but this week we added this special ceremony to the schedule. Andrew began attending services here a few years ago. When he found us, he invited Erika to come along and they love it here. He was baptized on Palm Sunday this year and Erika will be joining the church at some point this summer. 2008 will definitely be a year to remember for them.

I think one of the special blessings of belonging to a church is the fact that you have a place where you can mark those special moments in life. You have a church to be married in. You have a group of people who care for you and celebrate life's precious moments with you. You have a place where you are accepted and welcomed as you try to find the purpose and meaning for your life.

On Sunday we not only noted Andrew and Erika's special day, but we rejoiced with Mark and Bonnie Ambruso over the birth of their newborn daughter, Trinity Kathleen, during worship and congratulated Lindsey Adams on her graduation from UCONN and lifted up Frank Roderick in prayer after his recent stay in the hospital.

Sometimes I think we define church a being all about hearing a sermon. The truth is that it is so much more than that. It is an affirmation that God wants to be a part of our daily lives and all that happens. We act out that wonderful news whenever we get together, whether it be in worship or in a special service in the afternoon.

So if you haven't done so yet, why not make the move and officially join the church? Come talk to me about it and we can make it official. It's kind of like getting married. It's wonderful.

Cal

Fun at the Annual Church Picnic

After church on Sunday we picked up and went to Fort Shantock for our annual All Church Picnic. Mark Rogers and Joel Fishkin went to work cooking up the hot dogs on the grill and everyone else came along with salads and desserts. We had quite a spread to choose from. Sixty-five people made the trek across town for the picnic.

Fort Shantock turned out to be a good choice for the event. The playground allowed the kids to have fun while we were waiting for the food. It also had a great open field for our games. Brian Goldin got the kids jumping in sack races and egg relays as well as swinging at the pinata. They had a great time. The games even involved some other kids who were just spending the afternoon at the park. Now that is outreach at its best.

Here are a few photos taken at the picnic. Enjoy!

Cal

The Power of Prayer

Prayer has always been an important part of our ministry. From my first days here we had an ongoing weekly prayer meeting that focused on the needs of the community. In the late 1990's we transformed that group into a mid week prayer service. For the first time in twenty one years we ended that long line of weekly meetings in the summer of 2006. Since then we have had regular Bible Studies but their focus has been on other things. Prayer is always a part of the meeting, but for example, now we have a small group studying C.S. Lewis' "Meer Christianity." It is bathed in prayer but it is not the same.

The good news is that prayer has become a more integral part of our worship experience each week. In the last ten years we have had a dedicated time of prayer in the middle of our worship service. People often lift up friends, neighbors, situations in the community and world during this time. Our time of prayer is no longer just pastor led, but community driven.

I am hoping that we will once soon have another regular mid-week opportunity to gather for prayer. Look for an announcement sometime after Easter.

For today I want to lift up a few people for you to keep in your personal prayers; God knows the particulars so I won't go into them here. But please lift up their names before God when you pray in the coming days. Thank You.

Christian Fitchett and his family

Jennifer Marcy and her husband and daughters

Jean and Steve Roscoe

Michelle Lord

Donald Schoepfer

Judy Dupont

Bill Rossoll

The Lucien family, especially Noah and Benjamin

Bethany Stone

Melinda Brick

Robyn J. Choate, Jean and Tom Smith's daughter

Marge Booth

Doris Adams

Bob Duntz

Jim Volpe's dad

Luis Pabon

Michelle Jette

Gary Coborn

Thanks, Cal

P.S. I recently read the book "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Donald Piper and it is a wonderful testimony to the power of prayer. I am ordering a copy for our Church Library and I highly recommend it.

A Super night

Final - New York Giants 17 New England Patriots 14
Congrats to the Giants fans for the victory! Congrats to the Patriots on a great season.

We watched Super Bowl XLII and saw the Giants come back to take the lead late in the game. This last quarter has gone back and forth. The Pats came back late but the Giants answered. It has been a defensive struggle with both teams looking very bad on offense until the very end. Some will say this was a great Super Bowl when they look at the score. But if the game was all there was, it would be a boring night.

The good news is that tonight we met to watch the game at Rosie Main's house in East Lyme. There has been some good conversation, good food and lots of fun, including the completion of another puzzle. Here's a few pictures from game time.

Cal

Wider Church Wednesday

Yesterday was Wider Church Wednesday. Almost everything I did had a connection to the wider church. I began the day working on our newsletter. I focused on a couple of articles that looked at the ministry we do in the community. Then I drove across town to a meeting at the Chancery for a meeting with the Annual Way of the Cross committee.

I spent a good part of the rest of the day in Hartford. I stopped in to visit and pray for newborn Christian Fitchett and his mom at Connecticut Children's Medical Center. He was having tests after a scary episode last Sunday. Jerry and Joan were hoping to go home today.

I spent the afternoon at the ABCCONN Office on Bloomfield Avenue in my role as Personnel Committee Chairman for our American Baptist Churches. Chairing this committee is the job of the immediate past President of ABCCONN and that's me. Anyway, we scheduled a time for staff to come in and do a self evaluation on how they had done with their goals for the previous year. I believe it turned out to be a very affirming experience for the staff. We got a chance to celebrate the ministry they do on our behalf.

I came back to Norwich to sit in on a Norwich Church Softball League meeting and then finished the day at our basketball game against St. Johns. Fred Greens FBC Ballers won 38 -29 and upped their record to 5-1.

Cal

We hold the key

Prayer is job #1 at church. I was reminded of that over the last few days. On Friday I visited a family that is dealing with a terminal diagnosis. When I entered the house I felt helpless in the face of trying to meet their needs and expectations. What could I say and do that could bring hope and comfort to them?

A lot of people think ministers, priests and rabbis have all the answers. That's probably because we like to perpetuate that myth so we can keep our jobs. Well I hate to break it to you but when it comes to answers, I bow my head and punt it to God. You see God is the only one who can help someone understand why they have been diagnosed with ALS. God is the only one who can help somebody figure out why they feel under attack by the devil when they are trying to stay clean and sober.

That's why I say prayer is job #1. That is the one thing we can offer folks in the face of the pain and difficulty that many in our pews face. That's what I brought on Friday. I came with a prayer. When I left I was told how much it helped. Imagine that.

The same thing happened this afternoon at church. A woman stopped by. She was having a bad day. She saw my car and she asked if I could pray with her. That's all she waned. She wanted me to help her connect with God.

I think if we could remember that at church, the pews would be filled each week. I pray that God will continue to remind us of that which makes us different from any other institution on earth. We have the keys to the kingdom and we can open the door to bring people into the presence of God. Good night. See you in church. Cal