A day in God's hands

There weren't enough hours in the day for all the things I could have done today but I did manage to maximize my time and get to several divine appointments.

I got to church at 8:00 a.m. and went to work on my weekly epistle. It usually takes me a couple of hours to work it out and then send it. The epistle began as an occasional email to members of the church with something to think about. It went out as a reminder that God is always at work, always with us during the six other days of the week when we are away from church. About six or seven years ago a friend of mine at the Norwich Bulletin picked it up and starting using it as a weekly column for the Spirit page. It's popularity has grown and over the years I have heard many testimonies on how it has touched people's lives. People who don't go to church read it. People who are active members of different parishes read it. My Jewish friends read it. I even had a Jehovah's witness call me and tell me she enjoyed it. Today I consider it a part of our ministry as we reach out to share the good news. Just because someone doesn't come to our church on Sunday doesn't mean that we can't minister to them.

The truth is that you do it in your own way every day. When you give your day to Christ, everything you do becomes an opportunity to serve him. I do it with my column. You do it when you share yourself at work or at school.

I finished up my column and sent it off and then headed to the US Navy Base. Shane Stroud was retiring from the Navy as a Chief Warrant Officer after 20 plus years. I met Nikki and his daughter, Kyla, and a few family friends. I was asked to do an invocation as part of the ceremony and I agreed. What I didn't realize was that the MC had me sitting up front for the ceremony. I went from trying to hide in the back to being up front and center. I didn't mind and it turned out to be a real nice ceremony.

Nikki and Shane came to Norwich a few years ago. He was in the Navy and assigned to the Sub-base where he would be working with Electric Boat to build a new submarine. She was expecting twins. They came to church and I got to know them. They came a few times but then Nikki was told she had to lay low. She ended up delivering her twin boys prematurely and I made a few trips to the hospital and we prayed through those difficult days. Nikki had her hands full when the boys finally got to come home. A few of our people went to visit and help out with the boys and the Strouds became part of our extended family.

So I was extremely proud to be a part of their day. Shane had served for over twenty years and they were closing this chapter in their lives and getting ready to head home to Oklahoma. For their time in Connecticut, we were their connection to church and our prayers made life in New England bearable.

We get lots of people who pass through. They visit us and come into the life of our church family for a time and then move on. I think God sends them to enrich us and bless us as much as we bless them. I think of the Keithleys, the Eisans, and so many others who came and went like the seasons in a year.

After leaving the Stroud's celebration I went to New London to meet a former member of our softball team. I hadn't seen him in years but he called and asked me to stop by. He was going through a difficult time and asked me to pray with him. That's what I do and I was happy to see him again and I know he is on the right path. He told me he wanted to invite Christ into his life. Can you imagine that? He asked me how to do it. He came to me because of our relationship and he wanted what I had. The truth is that people come to you and me when they see Christ in us. We are the ones who can help them find peace and hope and the love of God because of our relationship with them. I left there thanking God.

I got back to church and met a woman who I have known since I was a teenager. She wanted to talk about her funeral. She has terminal cancer and was making her final arrangements. We prayed and talked about her life and what we were going to do at her service. She had made her peace with God and was ready. That is what faith can do for you.

It was only 2:00 p.m. when she left and I had already had a full day. I went home for a bit to catch up on my e-mail and before heading out again for more meetings. I am tired tonight but I was blessed today. I can't wait to see what God has planned for tomorrow.

Cal

Gearing up for Sunday School

It's hard to believe that summer is drawing to a close. Tonight we met to talk about Sunday School. Sunday School Superintendent Pam Kane led us through a number of questions that needed to be answered as we look forward to a new year.

Sunday School classes will open on September 12. Lori Lord will be back to lead opening exercises and Mary Brockway noted that she has some gifts to donate for recognizing birthdays. We are also going to continue our practice of giving little gifts for those who arrive on time each week.

Fran Rogers and Sandra Lucien will be teaching the Nursery Class again this year. Janet LaFlamme and Rachelle Weimer will be back with the K - 2 class. Pam Kane and Kelly Bolin will be working with the kids in grades 3-5. I'll be back with the High School kids this year. The only change will be the addition of Mary Brockway to the staff. She'll be teaching grades 6-8 this year.

On September 12 we will welcome everyone back at 9:15 a.m. with registration and refreshments. We will also take our annual photograph. Flyers will be going out in the next week or so to all of our families inviting them back. We will also put an ad in the newspaper.

We set the dates for our special events as well. The Christmas Pageant and Party will be on December 19th at 6 p.m. The snow date will be Thursday, December 23rd. Our Children's Day celebration is scheduled for May 22nd.

We are so excited for the year to begin. We hope that you will join us. Bring the kids. Come and enjoy the adult Bible Study taught by Curt Brockway. They will be studying I & II Peter and Jude this Fall. It's a great study for those who are just jumping into the Bible for the first time as well as for those who have been reading it for a while.

Cal

Sports Recognition Sunday celebration

The Softball season came to its official end yesterday as we celebrated their success in morning worship. Several of the team members were present as we handed out end of the season awards. Sean Wilding was named Most Improved Player. Mark Staron was voted the 11th Player. The Best Defensive Player was Chip Chaffee.

The Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player was Tony Snurkowski. He joins Bill Discordia, Bruce Startz, Andy Miller, and Chip Chafe as the other players to win both awards in their first season on the team. Tony led the team with 23 games played, a team record 50 hits, 7 triples and 45 RBI. He and Eric Larsen combined to put up some pretty nasty numbers on offense. Eric led the team with 21 extra base hits, 40 runs scored, 47 hits and 13 doubles. Both of them also batted over .600 for the season and played great defense.

During the service Steve Contois shared some special music and the message was titled, "Hitting With God on Deck." The point of the sermon was that when we offer God our best he will make it count.

We also inducted two new members into our Sports Ministry Hall of Fame. Amy Brockway Meyer and Fred Stone were invited to come forward as we recognized them for their work in the bowling League and on the softball field, respectively. We also noted that Fred was a two time champion in bowling and a long time coach and past President of the Norwich Little League.

It was a great day.

Cal

Celebrating with the Kane Family

The best part of being an ordained minister is the fact that you get to be there and actually participate in the special moments of peoples lives. On Saturday I had a front row seat for the wedding of Cassie Kane and Brandon Frechette. I watched as Mark Kane walked his daughter down the aisle and gave her away. I witnessed the heartfelt exchange of wedding vows between this young couple and saw tears of joy in his mother's eyes.

The wedding took place on the shore of Ocena Beach Park in New London. Mark Kane had built an a lovely canopy for them to stand under and Brandon's grandmother sewed the cloth covering for it. Brandon's brothers joined Cassie brother, Mark and a few friends as groomsmen on one side and several of Cassie's good friends stood up for her as bride's maids. Julia Rogers, Summer Barber and Rylan Bolin were the flower girls and ring bearer.

Priscilla and Nicole passed out the programs to everyone who came. It was a beautiful setting for a wedding. Several spectators joined the fun and watched the ceremony. One of Cassie's friends sang for us. I integrated a few Native American touches to honor Brandon's Nipmuk heritage. The couple wrote their own vows and shared them with each other.

After the service we all went over to the Port & Starboard Hall for the party. It was so nice to see the family together and enjoying the evening. The Father daughter dance always gets me. Maybe that's because I see myself in every dad. As I said, this is the best part of ministry. It is the blessing of being part of the God's family.

Cal

Preparing to welcome new members to the family.

The Board of Deacons met with Jesley Souvenance, Jamie and Ingrid Todd tonight to share their testimonies and talk about the upcoming service of believer's baptism. All three were approved for baptism and church membership.

Several years ago we established a process for meeting candidates for baptism and/or church membership. The Board Deacons would take the opportunity to introduce themselves and share a bit of their story. They also encourage the candidates to do the same if they so desired. It has become a very meaningful time for all involved. Tonight Jamie and Ingrid shared how the death of Jamie's sister started them on a journey of discovery as they began reading the Gospels. A miracle followed as Ingrid found out that she was pregnant and carrying a baby that doctors told them they would never have. The story brought tears to our eyes as we marveled at what God can do.

On August 29th we will glorify God with a very special service as we rejoice with the Todds as they bring their son, Gormon, forward in a service of family dedication. After the ceremony Pastor Lord will deliver a message titled, "Who is on Jesus' Guest List?" The service will then be suspended and moved to Billings Lake at Camp Wightman where Jamie, Ingrid and Jesley Souvenance will be baptized. There will be hymns and prayers as we give thanks to God for new life and bright beginnings.

Come and join us at 9:30 a.m. and renew your own baptismal vows.

FBC Softball team hits bump at end of season

Our FBC Softball season came to an end last night with a weird series of events. With the FBC team leading 13 -10 in the top of the sixth inning, members of Calvary Chapel protested the game and declared that our team was using an ineligible player. Play ended there with a win awarded to Calvary Chapel giving them their second victory in the best of three series.

The protest was strange in the sense that the opposing manager knew about the player and said he didn't have a problem with it when he was notified that Mark Ferguson was going to be in the starting line-up by Pastor Lord before the game. Two days earlier Calvary's manager and Pastor Lord talked about it and agreed that although Mark was added to the roster as an injury replacement one day after the deadline, he was definitely not a ringer. Mark is a member of the church and had played in ten of the team's final games. Calvary's manager told him that the other play-off team managers may question the validity and that Pastor Lord needed to be prepared for it. When Calvary protested it was as if the two managers had never talked.

There was a heated exchange between the teams as the events unfolded but in a display of good sportsmanship, the FBC team slapped hands with the Calvary team and left the field. It was hard for many of them to walk away with a victory to even the series within their grasp. Many wondered why the protest had not come earlier when Mark came to the plate to bat in the first inning. We will never know that.

When one of the more vocal players from Calvary who was calling for the protest heard that the two managers had talked, he wondered aloud how come he and other team members weren't told about the talks prior to the game. He went on to say that when the Calvary manager began telling players about the ineligible player that he didn't let on that he had discussed it with Pastor Lord at all. The player said he wouldn't have made a fuss if he had known who the player was and that it had been discussed in advance.

As is often the case, miscommunication leads problems. In hindsight Pastor Lord should have addressed the players on the Calvary ball club directly instead of assuming the opposing manager was going to do so.

Prior to the game the FBC team voted to have Mark play even though it could have, and eventually did, lead to a disappointing end. It was a great display of team unity and reflected our philosophy of team first even over victory. We would have loved to win the series and had a chance to compete for the championship but a rule made to stop teams from bringing in ringers forced our team to decide whether we were about victory at all costs or building friendship and fellowship. In the end, even though we lost, we won.

The FBC team finished the year with a record of 15-9 and took fourth place in the division. Members of the team included;

Daryl Alves, Chip Chaffee, Dan Dutrumble, Mark Ferguson, Ken Kreger, Eric Larsen, Cal Lord, Steve Moon, Paul Pont, Eric Poore, Tony Snurkowski, Mark Staron, Mike Staron, Fred Stone, Chris Vaillancourt, Sean Wilding and Mike Young.

On Sunday we will celebrate a great season during our time of worship. Join us at 9:30 a.m. to meet the team and their families.

FBC Softball team finishes strong

Eric Larsen hit two home runs and Sean Wilding hit a grand slam to lead the FBC team to a 27 - 8 victory against St. Marks tonight. Dan Dutrumble, Mark Staron and Tony Snurkowski all added three hits to the attack.

Paul Pont pitched very well and the defense held St. Marks to two runs until the fourth inning when the opponents put together a rally of their own. FBC responded by putting up a ten spot.

The team finished up with a 15 - 9 record, matching the highest win total ever for a First Baptist team. Last year's squad also had 15 wins as did the Championship team in 1993.

The team is on a roll going into the play-offs. They won their last five games and saved their best for the final two, winning both of them by 20 and 19 runs respectively. It is a good thing too because they will face Calvary Chapel in the first round of the play-offs. Calvary finished the season 21 -3. The good news is that until this week we were only the team to beat them. We split the season series with them. They won the first two by scores of 12 - 9 and 13 - 7. The second game was a nail biter that they broke open in the seventh inning. We won the third game convincingly and they forfeited our lost match up.

If FBC can keep up the hot hitting they stand a good chance of coming away with an upset. It is all in their hands now.

Cal