On Sunday morning we opened up our day of worship at First Baptist with Sunday School classes. Because the Korean congregation was planning to have a reception downstairs following their sixth anniversary service, we met in the sanctuary for opening exercises before breaking up to head to separate classrooms.
At 10:30 a.m. we opened up our worship celebration with singing and prayer. Bob Walker was the worship assistant and he welcomed everyone. Muriel Roderick had a message for the kids and I preached on Matthew 5:21-37. I talked about purity. The sixth beatitude states, "How happy are the pure of heart for they shall see God." I noted that we need to clean up our talk and refocus our eyes if we want to see God. I then pointed out that God wants a new heart in all of us and all we needed to do was turn to him and ask for it.
It was a nice service. The choir sang one of my favorite anthems, God of Grace. We sang an old gospel hymn, "Are You Washed in the Blood?" and a very popular one, "Living for Jesus" to close out the morning. The music was very nice.
Jerry and Anna Hurd were among those worshiping with us yesterday. They were married in our sanctuary one week before. Keely Backus was also with us as and we learned she was celebrating her second wedding anniversary. There were a lot of prayer concerns and several celebrations noted. It was all part of a good day.
Cal
Monday, October 18, 2010
25th anniversary celebration in North Carolina
On Thursday I flew down to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to help my friends Mike and Kim Slomianyj celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Shortly after I arrived in Norwich they asked me to marry them. On October 12, 1985, with mums all around the sanctuary, Kim walked down the aisle to meet Mike at the platform.
On Friday night we recreated a bit of that magic in front of twenty friends and family members as they renewed their vows. Mike welcomed and thanked everyone and then turned the floor over to me. With tears in her eyes Kim said "I do" all over again.
Kim planned the party but she had no idea that I was coming. Mike arranged everything and wanted to surprise her. Of course I warned him that it was awful risky doing something like this. Even though it is a romantic gesture, she might say "no" this time.
He didn't have to worry. She was totally surprised and happy to go through the service and affirm her love for a second time.
Participating in these kind of services always make me glad that I went into ministry.
Cal.
On Friday night we recreated a bit of that magic in front of twenty friends and family members as they renewed their vows. Mike welcomed and thanked everyone and then turned the floor over to me. With tears in her eyes Kim said "I do" all over again.
Kim planned the party but she had no idea that I was coming. Mike arranged everything and wanted to surprise her. Of course I warned him that it was awful risky doing something like this. Even though it is a romantic gesture, she might say "no" this time.
He didn't have to worry. She was totally surprised and happy to go through the service and affirm her love for a second time.
Participating in these kind of services always make me glad that I went into ministry.
Cal.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Mercy is love in action
Here is that sermon I promised you. It is titled "Mercy is love in action and was preached on Sunday, October 10th. Sorry about the poor audio quality. I am working on making it better.
Cal
Cal
Monday morning ministry
Yesterday was a great day. I got up early and went to the gym. Then I drove out to Camp Wightman to pick up seven ladies who were in Connecticut for their Fall Retreat. They were members of the American Baptist Women's Ministries Executive Committee. I volunteered to drive them to the airport with our church van. I had the opportunity to show them around Norwich and brag a bit about our city.
After I dropped the ladies off at Bradley, I drove to Farmington to check in on Hillary and Lee McFalls. On Sunday night Hillary gave birth to Cameron and Logan McFalls. Both boys weighed in over 4 and 1/2 pounds and were doing very well. One of the boys needed a little boost with the oxygen for a few hours but by morning both of them were doing very well.
Emily and Margaret McFalls were at the hospital when I got there and both of them had the opportunity to see the babies and were very excited. Seeing newborns is definitely one of the best parts of my job as a pastor. I prayed with the family and then made my way back to Norwich.
As I passed through Colchester I stopped in to see Leon Dalbec. Leon i a good friend of mine from High School who is part of our extended church family. He supports the church and has come to worship off and on for many, many years.
When I finally got back to church the was a message on my machine that the small wedding that was planned for this coming Sunday had been called off. I contacted the bride and told her that I would be happy to oblige them when the time was right.
I finished my day by making a visit to one of our members who has been going through a tough time. I stopped in and dropped off a little gift from the Deacon's fund. We talked and we prayed.
As I made my way home I smiled and thanked God for a good day of ministry. I also thank you for making it possible.
Cal
After I dropped the ladies off at Bradley, I drove to Farmington to check in on Hillary and Lee McFalls. On Sunday night Hillary gave birth to Cameron and Logan McFalls. Both boys weighed in over 4 and 1/2 pounds and were doing very well. One of the boys needed a little boost with the oxygen for a few hours but by morning both of them were doing very well.
Emily and Margaret McFalls were at the hospital when I got there and both of them had the opportunity to see the babies and were very excited. Seeing newborns is definitely one of the best parts of my job as a pastor. I prayed with the family and then made my way back to Norwich.
As I passed through Colchester I stopped in to see Leon Dalbec. Leon i a good friend of mine from High School who is part of our extended church family. He supports the church and has come to worship off and on for many, many years.
When I finally got back to church the was a message on my machine that the small wedding that was planned for this coming Sunday had been called off. I contacted the bride and told her that I would be happy to oblige them when the time was right.
I finished my day by making a visit to one of our members who has been going through a tough time. I stopped in and dropped off a little gift from the Deacon's fund. We talked and we prayed.
As I made my way home I smiled and thanked God for a good day of ministry. I also thank you for making it possible.
Cal
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday at church
Yesterday was an awesome day. It began with Sunday School and worship and ended with a Rob Bell video discussion.
I love Sundays at First Baptist Church. I think it begins with the anticipation of seeing all the people. As the kids and their parents start arriving for Sunday School I get excited. They are mostly pretty excited to be here. Once the opening exercises begin we get to sing all the kids songs that are so fun. Yesterday we sang the Butterfly Song and Jesus Loves Me. Every once in a while I try to sneak them into worship but I am told that these are kids songs. I love them just the same.
We are watching the Rob Bell series in my Senior High Class. I think the kids like it but they aren't a very talkative group. Of course it probably hurts that I fill the void. Yesterday we saw the segment titled Sunday. It talked about the fact that God wants to do is establish an intimate relationship with us but we hinder that sometimes by getting hung up on rituals and rules.
The Sunday School hour goes by pretty quickly. Then it is time for worship. We've been averaging about 95 people a week. I usually walk through the sanctuary early on Sunday mornings and pray for the people who will be there. After twenty five years in the pulpit, you get to know about where people sit each week. A lot of people settle into a pew and stay there for years. Others move around a bit. I always think that moving around gives you a little bit of perspective. But then again, I shouldn't talk because I am the ultimate creature of habit.
If I get a chance I like to greet some people before worship. It is harder during the year because I run from Sunday School to choir warm up and get back upstairs just before we process down the aisle. I still do it if I can.
I think we have a good choir. We lost a few people this past year but we still do a pretty good job. Our voices come together to give a good sound. I tell them all the time that I look at them as a partner in leading the worship service each week.
Yesterday Lee McFalls was supposed to be our worship assistant. He called in at 8:00 a.m. saying that his wife, Hillary, was having contractions and they needed to go to the hospital. It turns out that Hillary delivered twin boys at just after 11:30 p.m.. Cameron and Logan arrived about five weeks early but both of them were healthy and mom came through it OK.
I've been preaching a series of sermons on the Beatitudes and using the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5 - 7 as the context for them. Yesterday we talked about mercy. The message was well received. I've been excited by this series and fur of the five sermons have made my A list. I'll post the video of yesterday's sermon in the blog here tomorrow and you can judge for yourselves.
Sundays have been busy in the last month. Last week I participated in the Installation service of Willis McCaw at First Baptist Middletown. The week before I was down in Mystic at Union Baptist church participating in the installation service for Associate Pastor Rob James. Yesterday I had the afternoon free but took a little time to set up for our new, eight week video series with Rob Bell.
We had six of us show up for the initial session. It was titled Trees and in the video Rob talked about the fact that many Christians look at the Genesis story and the Revelation Story and live life looking forward to the new heaven and new earth. Believing in Christ becomes a
ticket to heaven. Yet he pointed out that this way of thinking doesn't speak to the here and now. Bell points out that what we do here is important. Jesus focused on how we should live, how we should treat others, how we should respect the earth and give God glory. Some good discussion followed. Next week we will be back at it again.
If I missed you this past week, I hope you will join us next week. I look forward to seeing you. God bless. Have a great week!
Cal
I love Sundays at First Baptist Church. I think it begins with the anticipation of seeing all the people. As the kids and their parents start arriving for Sunday School I get excited. They are mostly pretty excited to be here. Once the opening exercises begin we get to sing all the kids songs that are so fun. Yesterday we sang the Butterfly Song and Jesus Loves Me. Every once in a while I try to sneak them into worship but I am told that these are kids songs. I love them just the same.
We are watching the Rob Bell series in my Senior High Class. I think the kids like it but they aren't a very talkative group. Of course it probably hurts that I fill the void. Yesterday we saw the segment titled Sunday. It talked about the fact that God wants to do is establish an intimate relationship with us but we hinder that sometimes by getting hung up on rituals and rules.
The Sunday School hour goes by pretty quickly. Then it is time for worship. We've been averaging about 95 people a week. I usually walk through the sanctuary early on Sunday mornings and pray for the people who will be there. After twenty five years in the pulpit, you get to know about where people sit each week. A lot of people settle into a pew and stay there for years. Others move around a bit. I always think that moving around gives you a little bit of perspective. But then again, I shouldn't talk because I am the ultimate creature of habit.
If I get a chance I like to greet some people before worship. It is harder during the year because I run from Sunday School to choir warm up and get back upstairs just before we process down the aisle. I still do it if I can.
I think we have a good choir. We lost a few people this past year but we still do a pretty good job. Our voices come together to give a good sound. I tell them all the time that I look at them as a partner in leading the worship service each week.
Yesterday Lee McFalls was supposed to be our worship assistant. He called in at 8:00 a.m. saying that his wife, Hillary, was having contractions and they needed to go to the hospital. It turns out that Hillary delivered twin boys at just after 11:30 p.m.. Cameron and Logan arrived about five weeks early but both of them were healthy and mom came through it OK.
I've been preaching a series of sermons on the Beatitudes and using the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5 - 7 as the context for them. Yesterday we talked about mercy. The message was well received. I've been excited by this series and fur of the five sermons have made my A list. I'll post the video of yesterday's sermon in the blog here tomorrow and you can judge for yourselves.
Sundays have been busy in the last month. Last week I participated in the Installation service of Willis McCaw at First Baptist Middletown. The week before I was down in Mystic at Union Baptist church participating in the installation service for Associate Pastor Rob James. Yesterday I had the afternoon free but took a little time to set up for our new, eight week video series with Rob Bell.
We had six of us show up for the initial session. It was titled Trees and in the video Rob talked about the fact that many Christians look at the Genesis story and the Revelation Story and live life looking forward to the new heaven and new earth. Believing in Christ becomes a
ticket to heaven. Yet he pointed out that this way of thinking doesn't speak to the here and now. Bell points out that what we do here is important. Jesus focused on how we should live, how we should treat others, how we should respect the earth and give God glory. Some good discussion followed. Next week we will be back at it again.If I missed you this past week, I hope you will join us next week. I look forward to seeing you. God bless. Have a great week!
Cal
Monday, October 4, 2010
A funeral that reminds us of the generations gone by
On Wednesday, September 22 we hosted a memorial service for Charles F. Hamblen. Charlie grew up in the church where his mother and father and his grandparents were active members of the congregation. His father, Charles P. Hamblen, was the Moderator of the church for many years and his mother, Elsie, sang in the choir. Charlie had a great voice and he was also very active in the music ministry of the church as a young man.
Charlie and Judy had a daughter, Bethany, and they lived on Huntington Lane in Norwichtown for many years. Charlie taught at Norwich Free Academy. He loved to read and especially enjoyed anything connected to history.
He will be missed by his family and friends.
Cal
Charlie and Judy had a daughter, Bethany, and they lived on Huntington Lane in Norwichtown for many years. Charlie taught at Norwich Free Academy. He loved to read and especially enjoyed anything connected to history.
He will be missed by his family and friends.
Cal
Habitat and the Norwich Baptists
We had 55 people join us at our Foundations Class for Habitat for Humanity on Monday, September 20th. Amanda Duntz welcomed everyone and then led us through the informational and safety sessions that are required to participate in building sessions.
This session was open to the public but we had a good number of people associated with First and Central Baptist Churches. Our hope is that we can plan a few days when we can work on a house as a group as well as encouraging people to get involved on their own.
The following people were certified at the meeting; Marc Vaillancourt, Ray & June Deptulski, Pete & Betsey Adams, Jake Shanks, Randy Sargent, George & Lois Strouse, Amy Rezendes, Rosie Rakowitz, Stephanie Mattos, Gwyn Green, Erica Corbett, Bob Sullivan, Carol Calkins, Sandy Stone, Chelsey Calkins, Meagan Malone, Kaitlyn Beavan, Andy & Melanie Schueurmann, Mark Salomon, Kathy Spielman and me.
We are planning our first group build on Saturday, October 30. We will be working at 18 Cape Ann Court in New London. The work day is from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m and they are looking for fifteen volunteers. To sign up you need to go to http://www.habitatsect.org/ and click on the "Volunteer up button on the top left hand corner of the page. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the FBC Norwich link.
If you have never volunteered before you will need to register and then sign up. For those who haven't taken the foundation course, you need to speak to Amanda Duntz. The next class is on October 9th is at the Habitat for Humanity Office from 10 - 11:30 a.m. You can sign up by registering online or by calling 860-442-7890. The address of the office is 377 Broad Street in New London.
Cal
This session was open to the public but we had a good number of people associated with First and Central Baptist Churches. Our hope is that we can plan a few days when we can work on a house as a group as well as encouraging people to get involved on their own.
The following people were certified at the meeting; Marc Vaillancourt, Ray & June Deptulski, Pete & Betsey Adams, Jake Shanks, Randy Sargent, George & Lois Strouse, Amy Rezendes, Rosie Rakowitz, Stephanie Mattos, Gwyn Green, Erica Corbett, Bob Sullivan, Carol Calkins, Sandy Stone, Chelsey Calkins, Meagan Malone, Kaitlyn Beavan, Andy & Melanie Schueurmann, Mark Salomon, Kathy Spielman and me.
We are planning our first group build on Saturday, October 30. We will be working at 18 Cape Ann Court in New London. The work day is from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m and they are looking for fifteen volunteers. To sign up you need to go to http://www.habitatsect.org/ and click on the "Volunteer up button on the top left hand corner of the page. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the FBC Norwich link.
If you have never volunteered before you will need to register and then sign up. For those who haven't taken the foundation course, you need to speak to Amanda Duntz. The next class is on October 9th is at the Habitat for Humanity Office from 10 - 11:30 a.m. You can sign up by registering online or by calling 860-442-7890. The address of the office is 377 Broad Street in New London.
Cal
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