I was on the run today so Sandy Stone, our Administrative Assistant, put together a mailing for our young people. We are inviting all the kids from the basketball program to join us for a parents/coaches vs kids basketball game this coming Friday at 6:00 p.m. We are going to have fun and celebrate the end of the season. Come on out and watch if you are free.
We also are inviting the kids to play laser tag on Sunday afternoon down in Mystic. The kids can come and blow off some steam with their friends. We are hoping to get a group of 20 or more to go so we can have more fun.
While Sandy was doing that, I was visiting with Bruce Thorton and Rebecca Ruiz. After they left I got ready for a funeral service for a man named Robert E Murphy. He was the last survivor in his family and he wanted to be buried by a Baptist minister.
I left the church at 11:00 a.m. to go to a clergy meeting where we are discussing ministry in the 21st century. It's a great group and we are all energized by the discussions.
After the funeral I went stopped by the Otis Library for a committee meeting. I am on the Board of Trustees and this has been a good opportunity for me to do some community service. What better place than in an environment that promotes literacy. After all the first books printed were Bibles and the church was the one who encouraged everyone to read.
Tonight when I got home I received a call from Muriel Roderick. Her brother, Donald Schoepfer, died this evening. Donald was a retired pastor. He was inspired to go into the ministry by his father, Rev. Walter Schoepfer, who served our church from 1957 - 1967. He was battling cancer but his death came much too quickly. So say a prayer for his wife, Jessie, and his sister, Muriel.
Well it is getting late. Tomorrow is April 1st and Spring will soon be here. so enjoy the night and I'll check in again in the morning.
Cal
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Today was a very good day. Of course every Sunday is a good day. I just love being at church and seeing all the people in our family of faith. The day began with Sunday School. George Rezendes greeted everyone and led the opening exercises. The kids are great. They love to sing and play. Cynthia Strouse has developed a list of songs for the kids to learn and each week we sing a few different ones. We have also been learning the books of the New Testament by using a song. On Children's Day, May 18th, the kids are going to sing that song as part of the program. Mark the date and join us for worship.
Worship was a lot of fun. Rev. Judy Allbee, our Executive Minister from the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut, was with us and she brought greetings and thanked the congregation for allowing me to serve as an officer of ABCCONN for the last three years.
Nancy Allen talked about mission and the America for Christ Offering and I had a little help from my daughter, Rachel, as I did a magic act for the Children's moment.
My sermon was about doubts. I used the Apostle Thomas as an example of a man of faith who had doubts. If you are interested in hearing the sermon, you can get an audio tape by calling the church.
After church the members of our Mexican Mission team met for lunch to talk about last minute details of the trip. We leave on Wednesday, April 9. We received good news as Rev. Michelle Madsen-Bibeau reported that Central Baptist had approved $1,ooo for the trip. Please pray for us and ask God to use us to share his love.
Fred Green and Sandy Stone took our Youth Group down to Groton to Galaxy Roller Rink for the afternoon. The kids had a blast. Check out the pictures below.
I left the Roller Rink and headed over to the Niantic Baptist Church where Jill Harvey was being installed as the new Pastor. Rev. Sheldon Keller gave the sermon and members of the Central Baptist Church choir sang in the service. It was a beautiful service and it was really nice to see Sheldon again.
As the sun set it proved to be a day to remember. Of course lately every Sunday has been memorable for us. Enjoy the pictures and we will see you next week.
Cal
Worship was a lot of fun. Rev. Judy Allbee, our Executive Minister from the American Baptist Churches of Connecticut, was with us and she brought greetings and thanked the congregation for allowing me to serve as an officer of ABCCONN for the last three years.
Nancy Allen talked about mission and the America for Christ Offering and I had a little help from my daughter, Rachel, as I did a magic act for the Children's moment.
My sermon was about doubts. I used the Apostle Thomas as an example of a man of faith who had doubts. If you are interested in hearing the sermon, you can get an audio tape by calling the church.
After church the members of our Mexican Mission team met for lunch to talk about last minute details of the trip. We leave on Wednesday, April 9. We received good news as Rev. Michelle Madsen-Bibeau reported that Central Baptist had approved $1,ooo for the trip. Please pray for us and ask God to use us to share his love.
Fred Green and Sandy Stone took our Youth Group down to Groton to Galaxy Roller Rink for the afternoon. The kids had a blast. Check out the pictures below.
I left the Roller Rink and headed over to the Niantic Baptist Church where Jill Harvey was being installed as the new Pastor. Rev. Sheldon Keller gave the sermon and members of the Central Baptist Church choir sang in the service. It was a beautiful service and it was really nice to see Sheldon again.
As the sun set it proved to be a day to remember. Of course lately every Sunday has been memorable for us. Enjoy the pictures and we will see you next week.
Cal
Saturday, March 29, 2008
A welcoming place
Tonight our Fellowship Hall was alive with the sound of music. The dancers from Luis Pabon's Style Extraordinaire held a Spaghetti Supper Fund Raiser. They raised close to $800 and gave their guests a good dinner and some first class entertainment.
Over the years we have hosted many different groups in our Fellowship Hall. Earlier in the week I had a woman stop by who told me she used to come here for Boy Scout events when she was a girl. We have always been very community minded. Our church has been like a community center on the West Side. From DAR dinners, to Rotary Club meetings, to Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, to AA groups and Parents Groups, we have opened our doors to meet the needs of those outside the church.
Why do we do this? Because it is part of our mission. We are to be a place of hope and inspiration for the community. Our welcome says we care about the neighborhood and the people who live in our city. That's why we hosted the Americares Mobile Clinic for three years in the 90's. This clinic offered free healthcare to the working poor. That's why we opened our doors to the Hispanic and Korean Congregations. We saw God moving and bringing people together and we were right in the middle of God's path.
A church is more than a building. It is a community of people who believe that God is alive and working in the world. It is a community of people who step up and make sure that God's will is done in their neighborhood. That us and I saw it again tonight even though only a few of us who gather on Sunday mornings were actually present.
Cal
Over the years we have hosted many different groups in our Fellowship Hall. Earlier in the week I had a woman stop by who told me she used to come here for Boy Scout events when she was a girl. We have always been very community minded. Our church has been like a community center on the West Side. From DAR dinners, to Rotary Club meetings, to Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, to AA groups and Parents Groups, we have opened our doors to meet the needs of those outside the church.
Why do we do this? Because it is part of our mission. We are to be a place of hope and inspiration for the community. Our welcome says we care about the neighborhood and the people who live in our city. That's why we hosted the Americares Mobile Clinic for three years in the 90's. This clinic offered free healthcare to the working poor. That's why we opened our doors to the Hispanic and Korean Congregations. We saw God moving and bringing people together and we were right in the middle of God's path.
A church is more than a building. It is a community of people who believe that God is alive and working in the world. It is a community of people who step up and make sure that God's will is done in their neighborhood. That us and I saw it again tonight even though only a few of us who gather on Sunday mornings were actually present.
Cal
Friday, March 28, 2008
Resurrection images
I confess that I goofed off a bit this week and didn't post anything to the blog. I took Monday off and then did some visiting and attended some meetings this week. Except for yesterday, I came home early every day or at least took a break in the afternoon. I even had dinner at home with the family on Wednesday night.
Well today I am back at it and I thought I would give you a glimpse of the resurrection as it appears in 2008. You see Jesus is alive and in the world today. You may not recognize him at first, but he is in every photo in this slide show. Enjoy!
Cal
Well today I am back at it and I thought I would give you a glimpse of the resurrection as it appears in 2008. You see Jesus is alive and in the world today. You may not recognize him at first, but he is in every photo in this slide show. Enjoy!
Cal
Monday, March 24, 2008
He lives and He is in the world today
Yesterday was a great day at church. It began with sunrise at Howard Brown Park and extended into early afternoon as we said the benediction at our Easter service from the cozy confines of our historic sanctuary. Charles Tyree preached at the sunrise service and I got to do my favorite thing. I was the worship leader. I opened the service and helped the crowd raise their voices in praise. The Easter Band from Alliance Church accompanied us and kept us on key. Then Jerry Davis led us in prayer and shared the story from Scripture.
Special thanks to Khoi Ton and the Norwich Bulletin for these photos from the sunrise service. About 120 people were on hand as the sun came up over the city on a beautiful Easter morning.
We welcomed over two hundred and fifteen people on Easter morning as our own band accompanied Adele DiBiagio Cofer on the organ to start the service with "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." Bob Walker greeted everyone and our choir sang of God's victory with an Easter introit. Patricia Ohlund sang a powerful song titled, "They Could Not" that brought a hush to the congregation.
I talked to the kids about the love of God and then shared the fact that we have a savior who wants to be with us. We sang "Because He Lives" and then closed off our service by singing he great hymn of victory, "Up From The Grave." Everything came together to make for a wonderful worship experience on the best day of the year.
Special thanks to Karen Barber and the Flower Committee for setting up the beautiful display of memorial flowers. Thank you to Lori Lord and Adele Cofer for working with Kevin Mariano, Lindsey and Chris Adams, Fred Green and me to form the band. Next week we will get together again. It won't be Easter but praise God that every day is Easter now because He lives!
Cal
Special thanks to Khoi Ton and the Norwich Bulletin for these photos from the sunrise service. About 120 people were on hand as the sun came up over the city on a beautiful Easter morning.
We welcomed over two hundred and fifteen people on Easter morning as our own band accompanied Adele DiBiagio Cofer on the organ to start the service with "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." Bob Walker greeted everyone and our choir sang of God's victory with an Easter introit. Patricia Ohlund sang a powerful song titled, "They Could Not" that brought a hush to the congregation.
I talked to the kids about the love of God and then shared the fact that we have a savior who wants to be with us. We sang "Because He Lives" and then closed off our service by singing he great hymn of victory, "Up From The Grave." Everything came together to make for a wonderful worship experience on the best day of the year.
Special thanks to Karen Barber and the Flower Committee for setting up the beautiful display of memorial flowers. Thank you to Lori Lord and Adele Cofer for working with Kevin Mariano, Lindsey and Chris Adams, Fred Green and me to form the band. Next week we will get together again. It won't be Easter but praise God that every day is Easter now because He lives!
Cal
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Tips to strengthen your marriage
On April 4 & 5 we will be hosting a weekend getaway for married couples at Camp Wightman. Rev. Dwight Anderson will be walking through the Alpha Marriage Course with us and sharing some tips to building a better marriage. You can check out the brochure on-line at our church website (www.fbcnorwich.org)
As I was surfing the web tonight I came across this little video that speaks to building stronger marriages. Enjoy it. Then consider joining us next month at Camp Wightman. We have room for six more couples right now.
Cal
As I was surfing the web tonight I came across this little video that speaks to building stronger marriages. Enjoy it. Then consider joining us next month at Camp Wightman. We have room for six more couples right now.
Cal
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The day of preparation
It was a day of preparation at church today. The flower committee came in to arrange the memorial flowers. The Property Committee came in to replace an old door off the kitchen and the broken window above the stove. Bob Walker came by with the bulletins for Sunday. The Hispanic Church musicians came by to practice for their service. Don Walberg stopped by to do a little cleaning.
I caught a few of the participants on camera and thought I would give a look at all the action.
I caught a few of the participants on camera and thought I would give a look at all the action.
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