Tonight we celebrated the return of the Wednesday night prayer services. We had eighteen people present as the Praise team began the service with a version of "Amazing Grace" and Randy Travis' "When Momma Prays." After the music I preached the first of a series of sermons based on the Lord's Prayer. We spent time sharing prayer concerns and celebrations before getting into a time of prayer. The service lasted just over 45 minutes and represented a good start to what we hope will be a regular feature of First Baptist life.
Here are a few of our prayer concerns:
Bob Duntz, Barbara Hayes, Dot Kreger, Joel Fishkin, Carol Calkins, the homeless, Randy, Scott, Barbara, Martha, Ken...
Cal
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
We are becoming an Angel Food ministry partner
Angel Food ministries began about fifteen years ago by a married couple, Joe and Linda Wingo, who wanted to help their neighbors meet their grocery bills. Joe was a pastor and had a heart for the Lord's work. It started small back then in rural Georgia. The idea caught on and before long there were more and more churches working together to make a difference.
In Norwich we are partnering with Christ Church to help make a difference here. The best part is that they are doing all the work and we are simply getting the word out. Cathy Crosby is the director of the program over there and she takes orders in person or by mail each month. She coordinates the pick up and delivery of it. All you have to do is show up at Christ Church and receive the blessing.
Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.
Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.
There is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system.
How do you place an order with Angel Food at Christ Episcopal Church?
1. Come to the Christ Church office during office hours for Angel Food.
Mondays 2-5 pm
Tuesdays 4-7 pm
Fridays 1-5 pm
Methods of payment accepted are: credit or debit card, cash, money order, bank check, or food stamps. (Money orders and bank checks payable to Christ Church)
2. Online at www.angelfoodministries.com using your credit or debit card ($1 processing fee) – Make sure you have entered info for Christ Episcopal Church, Norwich, CT. You might want to check out the monthly selections online to see what is available.
3. Mail your order to the church with your money order or bank check.
4. On Distribution Day to place an order for the following month.
(Food stamp orders need to be done in person.)
Angel Food Ministries
If you have further questions, contact Cathy Cosby, (cecangelfood@yahoo or 860-886-9075,) the director of the local program working through Christ Church. In these difficult economic times, this is one way the churches are helping to meet the need.
If you live outside the Norwich, CT area, go online and see if there is a church or distribution center in your neck of the woods. Angel Food ministries are now operating in 35 states.
Cal
In Norwich we are partnering with Christ Church to help make a difference here. The best part is that they are doing all the work and we are simply getting the word out. Cathy Crosby is the director of the program over there and she takes orders in person or by mail each month. She coordinates the pick up and delivery of it. All you have to do is show up at Christ Church and receive the blessing.
Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.
Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.
There is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system.
How do you place an order with Angel Food at Christ Episcopal Church?
1. Come to the Christ Church office during office hours for Angel Food.
Mondays 2-5 pm
Tuesdays 4-7 pm
Fridays 1-5 pm
Methods of payment accepted are: credit or debit card, cash, money order, bank check, or food stamps. (Money orders and bank checks payable to Christ Church)
2. Online at www.angelfoodministries.com using your credit or debit card ($1 processing fee) – Make sure you have entered info for Christ Episcopal Church, Norwich, CT. You might want to check out the monthly selections online to see what is available.
3. Mail your order to the church with your money order or bank check.
4. On Distribution Day to place an order for the following month.
(Food stamp orders need to be done in person.)
Angel Food Ministries
If you have further questions, contact Cathy Cosby, (cecangelfood@yahoo or 860-886-9075,) the director of the local program working through Christ Church. In these difficult economic times, this is one way the churches are helping to meet the need.
If you live outside the Norwich, CT area, go online and see if there is a church or distribution center in your neck of the woods. Angel Food ministries are now operating in 35 states.
Cal
Monday, September 28, 2009
Praising God through song and service
On Sunday, September 20th our Praise team sang. My message focused on reaching out to our community with the love of Christ. It was the second sermon in our series titled, "Becoming the Church God Envisioned." As if to demonstrate this love in action, we went from church to the interfaith luncheon where we cooked up a meal for the hungry and the homeless.
Cal
Cal
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Our Deacons met last week
On Thursday, September 17 our Deacons met to talk about our ministry. Each of them had been given a book to read at the last meeting and came back to give a brief report on at this meeting. The books gave suggestions on making newcomers feel welcome, shepherding ministry programs and more. We even had a couple of books looking at the types of ministries that shape churches and one that defined the role of the deacon historically.
At the meeting we also voted to distribute Thanksgiving baskets again this year and to have two Christmas Eve services. The last thing we touched on was finding ways to celebrate the ministry of those who make significant contributions to the church family.
The Deacons meet every month to talk about the spiritual life of the congregation. We debrief worship and critique it when it needs doing. We plan special events in the life of the congregation and meet prospective new members and candidates for believer's baptism. The Deacons also have a fund which is available to help individuals going through a crisis. The bulk of the money is collected each month at the time of our communion celebration. Some folks give to the fund regularly with their weekly offerings. Others give special gifts in memory of loved ones or to honor someone who has blessed them.
Cal
At the meeting we also voted to distribute Thanksgiving baskets again this year and to have two Christmas Eve services. The last thing we touched on was finding ways to celebrate the ministry of those who make significant contributions to the church family.
The Deacons meet every month to talk about the spiritual life of the congregation. We debrief worship and critique it when it needs doing. We plan special events in the life of the congregation and meet prospective new members and candidates for believer's baptism. The Deacons also have a fund which is available to help individuals going through a crisis. The bulk of the money is collected each month at the time of our communion celebration. Some folks give to the fund regularly with their weekly offerings. Others give special gifts in memory of loved ones or to honor someone who has blessed them.
Cal
Learning from our ABC sister churches.
On Wednesday, September 16th I was in West Hartford for a planning meeting of the ABCCONN Annual Meeting. The ABCCONN theme this year is "Worshiping at the Feet of Jesus." I am the chairman of the committee and this was our first get together to talk about the format and components of the meeting.
Last year we gathered in Waterbury for the event. After checking in we headed out to the streets to serve the Lord in soup kitchens, clothing banks and other areas of need. It was a great day and the delegates had the opportunity to learn and to take that learning back to their home churches.
We want to do the same thing this year by offering the delegates different experiences of the various expressions of worship. Now we just have to work out the details. Stay tuned.
This is the best part of our connection to the wider church family. We can learn from one another and improve the effectiveness of our own ministry. We can experience the success and failures of our sister churches without having to go through every trial ourselves. The meeting will be on Saturday, April 24 2010 and I'd like to invite the members of our church to attend and get a taste of this worship smorgasbord. Who knows what it might spark in our congregation in the coming years.
Cal
Last year we gathered in Waterbury for the event. After checking in we headed out to the streets to serve the Lord in soup kitchens, clothing banks and other areas of need. It was a great day and the delegates had the opportunity to learn and to take that learning back to their home churches.
We want to do the same thing this year by offering the delegates different experiences of the various expressions of worship. Now we just have to work out the details. Stay tuned.
This is the best part of our connection to the wider church family. We can learn from one another and improve the effectiveness of our own ministry. We can experience the success and failures of our sister churches without having to go through every trial ourselves. The meeting will be on Saturday, April 24 2010 and I'd like to invite the members of our church to attend and get a taste of this worship smorgasbord. Who knows what it might spark in our congregation in the coming years.
Cal
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A new set up for missions
On Monday night we began to explore what the future hold for our ministry. In particular we examined our plans for continued emphasis on mission and ministry in the community. We invited everyone to join the conversation but sent invitations to the mission committee, the missional church team and our short term missionaries.The first thing we talked about was expanding the role of our Mission Committee. Currently they meet informally to promote the four special offerings of the ABCUSA and to come up with a mission and benevolence budget for the year. We are hoping they will provide the umbrella under which the mission trips and the missional church committee will function. That means they will begin meeting more regularly to discuss issues pertaining to these ministries.
We then talked about fundraising and did some brainstorming. Our goal is to raise between $5,000 - 10,000 dollars a year to fund the mission program above and beyond what is raised in the annual stewardship program. Ideas included a booth at Harbor Day or a local fair, more nights out at Friendlies or Papa Gino's and a host of other things. We will be sorting them to come up with the best ideas.We finished the evening talking about our opportunities bank. We began the process of putting together a list of missional type jobs that could be done by individuals looking for a place to serve or as a church.
The meeting helped us get off to a good start. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.
Cal
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A fresh start and a look at Christ's Church
On Sunday, September 13, as we began a new year of worship and service, I began a series of sermons titled, "Becoming the Church God Envisioned." My first message was titled Becoming a Caring Community and I spoke about doing things to make our church family as real caring family. You can read the sermon notes on the worship page of our web page at www.fbcnorwich.org.Later that day we had several folks from the church drop by to help us celebrate Lori's birthday. It was a great afternoon and a living illustration of what I talked about during the morning worship service.
Here a a few photos from the party.
Cal
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