Welcome
Each week one of our pastors or staff members writes a column observing what is going on in our congregation, the Church and the world, and offering reflections on the Christian life and faith. Through this series of columns, we hope to connect your and our story to the enduring story of Christ; to offer pastoral reflections on our ongoing congregational life and mission; to report on news of the Presbyterian Church and Church universal; and to invite further reflection and deeper discipleship. We welcome your comments and suggestions. In other words, our words here are an invitation to continue the conversation.
From what I have seen and heard in the news, flying anywhere this summer is a little crazy! There seem to be a lot of rules to help make trips (be they for work or pleasure) a success. Here are just a few examples…
Last week BMPC welcomed 80 children and over 60 volunteers to a week of learning, serving, and fun at our annual Vacation Bible Camp. If you just drove past on Montgomery Avenue you might have noticed the green fencing marking our games area or maybe an exuberant group of children playing on the front lawn. For me the beauty of camp is found in the details:
After two postponements, 45 BMPC members and friends in the community will finally depart for the Middle East this Sunday afternoon. In several Messenger articles and pastors columns, and in two public forums, I have written and spoken about this pilgrimage. Today, I simply want to provide you with a prayer calendar, a daily scripture reading, and several travelers’ names, so that you might include them in your daily prayers. I also encourage you to explore the tour itinerary which is available online. I also have included links to websites for our choir sponsors and venues within this calendar.
On Saturday, June 25 the BMPC Youth Ministry will take a group of middle schoolers to Johnsonburg Camp and Retreat Center. We'll have a day of fun, fellowship and play while giving our younger Youth members a taste of BMPC Youth Camp. This summer, BMPC Youth Camp is happening from July 31 to August 5, and we can't wait to take our middle schoolers and high schoolers to Johnsonburg again!
“Life happens when you are busy making other plans,” is a saying often attributed to the musician John Lennon, but he likely picked it up along the way because it also can be found in a Reader’s Digest list of Quotable Quotes from the 1950s. The quote has been circling around in my brain because I had a plan for a three-week sermon series in June that got upended by the happenings of life. Preaching plans change when the world dishes up issues that yearn for a faithful response.
This Sunday we will be celebrating! We will be celebrating the joy of inviting fifth graders into our Youth Ministry program. We will be celebrating our high school seniors as they graduate. We will be celebrating the mystery and the wonder of Pentecost. We will be celebrating the birth and the continual rebirth of the church. Mixed in with that celebration will be a few tears. After all, beginning something new means that things are changing and that we are changing. There is a moment of mourning as we say goodbye to what was to embrace what is next.
At the end of Jacob’s life, the old patriarch blesses the two sons of his own long lost son, Joseph, saying, “The God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all harm, bless the boys.” (Gen. 48:15-16)
