We had a great time and the kids said they'd love to go again sometime. Who knows. Here are some photos from the evening.
Cal
Monday, October 26, 2009
Youth Group trip to Nomads
On Saturday night our youth group started out for the Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce but we were met by a storm while on the road. So we changed direction and went to a place called Nomads on in South Windsor. The facility offered mini golf, bowling, rock climbing, bumper cars, laser tag and a myriad of arcade games.
We had a great time and the kids said they'd love to go again sometime. Who knows. Here are some photos from the evening.
Cal
We had a great time and the kids said they'd love to go again sometime. Who knows. Here are some photos from the evening.
Cal
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A typical Thursday at FBC
This morning I started the day with a trip to the Post office and a visit to Central Baptist Church. That was followed by an hour of stuffing envelopes with Yolanda Charles. Sandy Stone was out of the office today and Yolanda volunteered to help us get out the first letters in this year's stewardship campaign.
I left just before noon for another clergy meeting in New London. This group meets once a month and talks about ministry in the 21st century. It's a great group. After the meeting I stopped at L & M Hospital to visit Bob Johnson. He was there for tests after an episode two days again. I ran from there to BJ's to get some church supplies and then made my way back to church where I met with Len Goldberg, the administrator of the Pierce Baptist Home.We had some last minute details to go over regarding the Annual Meeting of the Board next year.
I was a good day. As you say your prayers tonight, can you please keep the following people in your thoughts. I forgot to say that I spent the first 20 minutes in prayer at the start of the day and I'm ending it here with more prayers.
Penny Sargent, Monique DuFour, Christian Fitchett, Bob Johnson, Logan, Tina and Curtis Royce, Jean Roscoe, Doris Adams, Judy Milligan, Bob Hall, Lisa Lapointe, Luis Pabon, Lori Lord, Michelle Lord, Central Baptist Church & their pastoral search, our mission Mexico team,, Carl Soderberg and others.
Cal
I left just before noon for another clergy meeting in New London. This group meets once a month and talks about ministry in the 21st century. It's a great group. After the meeting I stopped at L & M Hospital to visit Bob Johnson. He was there for tests after an episode two days again. I ran from there to BJ's to get some church supplies and then made my way back to church where I met with Len Goldberg, the administrator of the Pierce Baptist Home.We had some last minute details to go over regarding the Annual Meeting of the Board next year.
I was a good day. As you say your prayers tonight, can you please keep the following people in your thoughts. I forgot to say that I spent the first 20 minutes in prayer at the start of the day and I'm ending it here with more prayers.
Penny Sargent, Monique DuFour, Christian Fitchett, Bob Johnson, Logan, Tina and Curtis Royce, Jean Roscoe, Doris Adams, Judy Milligan, Bob Hall, Lisa Lapointe, Luis Pabon, Lori Lord, Michelle Lord, Central Baptist Church & their pastoral search, our mission Mexico team,, Carl Soderberg and others.
Cal
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Norwich Clergy meet to talk about the future
Today the Norwich Area Clergy Association met for its monthly meeting. It was a bittersweet time at Central Baptist. It is always good to get together with colleagues but today we acknowledged the fact that this was Michelle Madsen Bibeau's last meeting with us and one of the last meetings for Rev. Sidat Balgobin who will be retiring from Park Congregational Church in December.
Rev. Greg Perry of the Greenville Congregational Church is the new President and he is excited about the group and has all kinds of plans for our monthly gatherings. Rabbi Charles Arian is the Treasurer and Rev. John Lancz of United Congregational Church is the Secretary. We got a picture of those who were present today.
The main topic of today's meeting was the frequency and make up of our meetings going forward. Greg Perry is determined to grow the group and get more of the clergy involved.Good programs and better connections will fuel his efforts. It is exciting to see his enthusiasm.
We also noted that there will be an interfaith Thanksgiving service on November 19th at GRace Episcopal Church in Yantic.
Cal
Gearing up for the Choir Festival
We've started working on our anthem for the choir festival on Tuesday nights. We are going to sing "In Christ Alone." It is a challenging piece that really grows on you. Since we began participating in the Annual Choir Festival back in 1990 we have always tried to pick a piece like this. We want something that is fun but also impressive when it is sung right. We've got the notes down and now Adele is pushing us to try to follow the dynamics.
The choir festival actually began in 1990 as part of Central Baptist's 150th Anniversary celebration. The next year it slipped through the cracks but in 1992 Maggie Schumaker of United Congregational Church resurrected it and made it an annual event. She organizes it each year and United has served as the perennial host. About five it has moved to a different venue as the different congregations have used it as part of anniversary or special church celebrations. We hosted it back in 1999 as part of our 200th Anniversary celebration.
This year we have a couple of new members joining us. Adele's friend and co-worker, Jackie is singing with us. She has also brought her son, David with her. It should be a great time. This year's festival will be on Sunday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. at United Congregational Church.
Cal
The choir festival actually began in 1990 as part of Central Baptist's 150th Anniversary celebration. The next year it slipped through the cracks but in 1992 Maggie Schumaker of United Congregational Church resurrected it and made it an annual event. She organizes it each year and United has served as the perennial host. About five it has moved to a different venue as the different congregations have used it as part of anniversary or special church celebrations. We hosted it back in 1999 as part of our 200th Anniversary celebration.
This year we have a couple of new members joining us. Adele's friend and co-worker, Jackie is singing with us. She has also brought her son, David with her. It should be a great time. This year's festival will be on Sunday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. at United Congregational Church.
Cal
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Mission oriented Sunday at FBC
We had a great weekend at church. It started on a low note though. We postponed our youth outing to the Haunted Graveyard on Friday night because the weather forecast was awful. They were predicting rain/snow and temperatures in the 30's. After the snow showers on Thursday I began bracing for the worst. I woke up on Friday to a cold rain and decided to make the move. We rescheduled the outing for next weekend.
The rationale was simple. I wanted to make the call early enough so everyone could make other plans and not wonder all day if we were going to be crazy enough to go despite the weather. Well guess what! The day turned out to be pretty good. The rain stopped. The sun came out and the temperature rose. I had egg on my face. Oh well. The good news is that the weather held up for Saturday.
On Saturday morning we met at church for our coat giveaway. Cynthia Strouse, Sue Ferguson, Judy Dupont, Amanda Duntz, Kelly Bolin and Cheryl Dimmock loaded up their cars and headed across the street and up the road to Jenkins Park. They set up tables and laid out the coats and sweaters. It wasn't long before people started coming by. By the end of the day we had about forty people pick out more than sixty coats and sweaters. Things went so well that we decided we are going to continue collecting coats and sweaters and give more away at our January event at the Martin Luther King Center.
On Sunday we got to church to discover that the heat in the sanctuary was not working. We called in the service man and got it up and running in time for worship. We had to scramble a little bit for Sunday School. We moved Cliff Vanase's class out of the sanctuary into the chapel. It was a little busy but it was the best we could do.
The service was good and it included a children's talk by Muriel Roderick that focused on the story of Jonah and the whale, a talk by Lou Palshaw of the Gideon's ministry and my message on living with integrity. The service went a little long but most people took it with a grain of salt.
Immediately following worship a group of us went down the street to American Ambulance. We had quite an assortment of goodies. We went over to show how much we appreciate what the men and women of the ambulance service do. It was our way of saying "We care" and thank you.
At the same time a few of our folks stopped in to say good-bye to Pastor Michelle Madsen-Bibeau. It was her last Sunday at Central Baptist and they had a farewell reception for her. We got there late but had the opportunity to wish her well.
Our day concluded with our monthly ministry at the Interfaith Luncheon. Lee and Hilary McFalls did the cooking. They made up some barbecued chicken for the folks. We had lots of help. Oliver Bray, Muriel Roderick, Amanda Duntz, Zelda Earle, Lee's mom and her friend Dwayne, Michelle Chaffee and her daughters Taylor and Elsie all came to help out. It was great. We served about 55 people and all of the food went.
Amanda brought down several boxes of clothing to share with the folks and you'd think it was bargain days at Kohl's by the way the people rummaged through things. It was great.
All in all it was a long day but the perfect end to a good weekend at First Baptist Church.
Cal
The rationale was simple. I wanted to make the call early enough so everyone could make other plans and not wonder all day if we were going to be crazy enough to go despite the weather. Well guess what! The day turned out to be pretty good. The rain stopped. The sun came out and the temperature rose. I had egg on my face. Oh well. The good news is that the weather held up for Saturday.
On Saturday morning we met at church for our coat giveaway. Cynthia Strouse, Sue Ferguson, Judy Dupont, Amanda Duntz, Kelly Bolin and Cheryl Dimmock loaded up their cars and headed across the street and up the road to Jenkins Park. They set up tables and laid out the coats and sweaters. It wasn't long before people started coming by. By the end of the day we had about forty people pick out more than sixty coats and sweaters. Things went so well that we decided we are going to continue collecting coats and sweaters and give more away at our January event at the Martin Luther King Center.
On Sunday we got to church to discover that the heat in the sanctuary was not working. We called in the service man and got it up and running in time for worship. We had to scramble a little bit for Sunday School. We moved Cliff Vanase's class out of the sanctuary into the chapel. It was a little busy but it was the best we could do.
The service was good and it included a children's talk by Muriel Roderick that focused on the story of Jonah and the whale, a talk by Lou Palshaw of the Gideon's ministry and my message on living with integrity. The service went a little long but most people took it with a grain of salt.
Immediately following worship a group of us went down the street to American Ambulance. We had quite an assortment of goodies. We went over to show how much we appreciate what the men and women of the ambulance service do. It was our way of saying "We care" and thank you.
At the same time a few of our folks stopped in to say good-bye to Pastor Michelle Madsen-Bibeau. It was her last Sunday at Central Baptist and they had a farewell reception for her. We got there late but had the opportunity to wish her well.Our day concluded with our monthly ministry at the Interfaith Luncheon. Lee and Hilary McFalls did the cooking. They made up some barbecued chicken for the folks. We had lots of help. Oliver Bray, Muriel Roderick, Amanda Duntz, Zelda Earle, Lee's mom and her friend Dwayne, Michelle Chaffee and her daughters Taylor and Elsie all came to help out. It was great. We served about 55 people and all of the food went.
Amanda brought down several boxes of clothing to share with the folks and you'd think it was bargain days at Kohl's by the way the people rummaged through things. It was great.
All in all it was a long day but the perfect end to a good weekend at First Baptist Church.
Cal
Sunday, October 18, 2009
A busy day of funerals and meetings
On Thursday I presided over two funerals. Randy Milligan and Mona Lindstrom both died before their time. I usually don't do two funerals on the same day but I felt called to do them. The Lindstrom funeral was at 11:30 a.m. at the Labenski funeral home. The Milligan funeral was at 4:00 p.m. at the church. Both were very emotional.
When I agree to do a funeral I try to paint a picture of the person with my eulogy and the scriptures and readings I use. I think back to the service that they had for my mother. I don't remember a thing about it except for the fact that it was very impersonal. It left its mark on me though. From the very first funeral I did, which happened to be for my friend Mike Slomianyj's grandfather, I have always refused to pull a service out of the book. I use many of the same elements but the heart and soul of the service is personalized for that man or woman. I think it is the least we can do for them. I like to say that the funeral service is a benediction on a life well lived.
As it turned out it was a good thing we brought the heat up in the sanctuary. The furnace that heats the rest of the building was down. The repairman was waiting on a part and it was cold. The Hispanic church usually meets for worship in Fellowship Hall so we moved them upstairs into the heated sanctuary.
The Deacons were scheduled to meet on Thursday night so I put the space heater in the parlor. It was a little chilly but it worked. On Friday the heating man came in and got us back up and running. So it all worked out.
Cal
When I agree to do a funeral I try to paint a picture of the person with my eulogy and the scriptures and readings I use. I think back to the service that they had for my mother. I don't remember a thing about it except for the fact that it was very impersonal. It left its mark on me though. From the very first funeral I did, which happened to be for my friend Mike Slomianyj's grandfather, I have always refused to pull a service out of the book. I use many of the same elements but the heart and soul of the service is personalized for that man or woman. I think it is the least we can do for them. I like to say that the funeral service is a benediction on a life well lived.
As it turned out it was a good thing we brought the heat up in the sanctuary. The furnace that heats the rest of the building was down. The repairman was waiting on a part and it was cold. The Hispanic church usually meets for worship in Fellowship Hall so we moved them upstairs into the heated sanctuary.
The Deacons were scheduled to meet on Thursday night so I put the space heater in the parlor. It was a little chilly but it worked. On Friday the heating man came in and got us back up and running. So it all worked out.
Cal
Worshipful Wednesdays
On Wednesday night we met for worship again. The Praise team led us in singing and then I continued with my next message in my series on the Lord's Prayer. This week the focus was on the hallowed nature of God's name. Sometimes we forget just how Holy God is. We take him for granted. I called on us to remember to keep God's name Holy.
The funny thing with this series of sermons is that you don't need to go every week in order to understand what I'm talking about. They are stand alone messages. We've averaged 18 people each week and it has been a meaningful time of worship. Some of the folks work on Sunday and can't get to church every week and they've made this their worship time. We've also put out the offering plate and people have been making contributions.
We close each week with a time of prayer. That's been nice. I think it is the best part of our worship time. We take turns praying after everyone has shared their praise and prayers. If you haven't joined us yet, why not drop in this week. We meet each week at 7:00 p.m.
Cal
The funny thing with this series of sermons is that you don't need to go every week in order to understand what I'm talking about. They are stand alone messages. We've averaged 18 people each week and it has been a meaningful time of worship. Some of the folks work on Sunday and can't get to church every week and they've made this their worship time. We've also put out the offering plate and people have been making contributions.
We close each week with a time of prayer. That's been nice. I think it is the best part of our worship time. We take turns praying after everyone has shared their praise and prayers. If you haven't joined us yet, why not drop in this week. We meet each week at 7:00 p.m.
Cal
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