Meeting night at church.

We had two meetings at church last night. The Property committee met at 6:00 p.m. and spent a great deal of time talking about our heating system at church. Ray Deptulski, our chair, has been working with NPU, Norwich Tech and a couple of contractors trying to get an idea of what needs to be done and how much it will cost. GThe furnaces are all oil fired systems right now. They are also very old. The one that heats the main part of the building is at least thirty years old and needs some work. The larger one that heats the sanctaury is in good shape but it is very old and not especially efficient.

When the oil prices went over $4.00 a gallon last year, the Property committee began looking to the future. They considered changing over to natural gas. Next month Ray is going to get some figures and prices and we c an make some plans that can be presented to the trustees and then the congregation if they give the go ahead. Right now there are 0% loans and all kinds of incentives to become more energy efficient.

At our second meeting, the Trustees discussed this and also talked about getting rid of the abstesos in the basement. Ray got a couple of bids to have it removed. It has gotten worse over the last few years and really needs to be removed before we do any work down there.

We also talked about our Trust and Memorial Funds. Steve from UBS will be with us next month to share the gloom. Dick Strouse, our chair of the Trustees was away having fun on vacation so we didn't really decided anything. That including electing new officers for the year. We postponed that til next month.

I also shared the news that Mark Kane had agreed to be the new treasurer and Mark Rogers would become the assistant treasurer. Mary Brockway agreed to chair the Stewardship Committee and serve on the Trustees. Fred Green also agreed to be on the Property Committee and although he told Brian Goldin, word never got to me in time for the annual meeting. On Sunday we will have a short meeting to elect all four of them.

We adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m. and headed home.

Sunday morning at FBC

The cold wave subsided for a day and the temper- atures outside rose to the low fifties. Inside the church there was plenty of warmth too. We welcomed back Stacia Green and got to meet her daughter, Alana. During the service Stacia and Gwyn sang "The Old Rugged Cross" as a duet for special music. The choir sang a new variation of an old tune, "Amazing Grace," and we asked for prayers for many friends and co-workers. My message today called on the congregation to think of themselves as tools that God could use to share his love.


After church we hosted a jewelry sale. Lyn Edwards brought in some of his inventory and offered us a percentage of the proceeds for the mission trip. Lisa Lapointe also offered her services and gave haircuts and trims to any who wanted one for a donation to the mission trip fund.








At 2:00 p.m. a group of us went to the Spirit of Broadway Theater to see Shawn Rucker and the cast of "How Can You Run With a Shell on Your Back." It was a great show and a good end to a morning/afternoon at church.

Cal

Friday night basketball

Our Basketball team won its game last night. The team remains undefeated this year and is on a run. The competition has grown stronger but the team continues to shine. The great thing is that everyone is playing. Last night we had just about everyone there and they all got plenty of playing time. There are four five or six games left this season. If you haven't sen them play, come down and treat yourself. Coach Leonard gets them to play with energy andc enthusiasm and they are fun to watch.

Cal

Our musicians lead in so many ways.

Last night we had choir rehearsal. We normally meet on Tuesdays but because of the snow we postponed it until Thursday. It was a good rehearsal. Choir is always fun. Maybe it is the music. Maybe it is Adele. Maybe it is the people. Maybe it is God singing with us. It is one of the best times we have to offer at church.

Adele mentioned that she is going to have surgery and will be away for a couple of weeks. The music committee and choir began making plans for the gap. Lori Lord and Cynthia Strouse agreed to fill in on the piano and work with the choir for those weeks. Adele's absence falls right when we are hosting the Lenten service and the Praise team offered to provide the special music for that service. We will be praying that everything goes well and that she will be back quickly.

The choir really is a vital institution within our church life. Not only does it include so many dedicated people within the congregation, it is also a group that helps me set the tone in leading worship. They lead the singing and help us focus on God. They provide inspiration. I always feel good because if my preaching falls a little short, I know people will still leave blessed because they have heard the choir praise God in song.

Our Praise team also plays a vital role in our worship life. If you hadn't noticed them before, on Sunday, March 1st they will take center stage. They will actually lead the worship service. In lieu of inviting in a guest preacher, we will have a special music and praise service led by Fred, Gwyn, Steve, June, and Penny. They have also invited Cheryl Dutumble and her dad, Paul Johnson to join them as they mix in four of five songs with stories about the goodness of god. It should be a good day. We have pushed our regular celebration of communion back a week until March 8th.

So now you have some thing special to look forward to. It should be a great day.

Cal

Three generations together

As I was putting the finishing touches on the February Newsletter, I sent a note to Timothy Rezendes and asked him for a picture of his dad with little Benjamin. Timothy sent me a photo featuring three generations of the Rezendes family. I put it in the newsletter and am including it here. George is all smiles as he holds the little guy. Congratulations! What a blessing.

Later this week we will get to meet a third generation of the Green family. Stacia and her daughter Alana will be with us on Sunday. Fred, Gwyn and George are all faring well with the idea of being grandparents. Then again, when you look at these precious children, who could blame them?

Cal

A Super night

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals in a classic football game on Sunday night and sixteen of us were at the parsonage for a night of fellowship and good fun.

In one room a group was gathered around the television watching the game and enjoyed the kind of talk that goes on when sports are on center stage. In another room a group gathered around the table intent on putting together a massive puzzle. In a third room, the room with all the food, people wandered in and out to pick up a delicious snack and to chat about all kinds of things from interior designing to kids and grandkids to the weather.

The puzzle proved to be more of a challenge than we could handle on one night and by the third quarter, the ladies gave up on it. The game was a nail biter and went right down to the final seconds. Much to my dismay, the Steelers gave up sixteen points in the fourth quarter and almost blew the game. Only a miraculous catch saved it for them.

For the second year in a row, the game was determined in the waning moments in dramatic fashion. The Steelers win made me happy but the best part of the evening was being together with friends.

Even little Aiden had a good time playing with his toys and keeping his mom on the go.

Cal

The ministry in Baja, Mexico

We are less than a month away from our Mission trip to Mexicali, Mexico. The team is getting excited and we are still fundraising for the trip. (Donations gratefully accepted!) Once we get to Mexico we will be working with a local church to make improvements in their building and to work with their children in Vacation Bible School. As I was working on this month's newsletter I checked out the ABCUSA web site and found this neat video that talks about the ministry Rick and Mercy Barnes have in Baja, Mexico. It actually features the pastors and ministry of Buen Samaritano, the church we served last year when we went down there. You will see Ramon and Alma. Enjoy. It will give you a flavor for what we will be doing this year when we visit Mexicali.
Cal