ST BARNABAS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
MAY 2010
B. Byte
Did you know we have a “sister church”? Our sister church is “Greater Faith Empowering Center” and the address is: 5805 Oakland Dr, Portage, MI 49024
Phone: (269) 3234180 http://www.gfeckalamazoo.org/index.html
St. Barnabas is a member of Isaac, which is an interfaith organizing network of congregations and strategic partners working together to build a more just community.
We were paired by a committee chosen during an ISAAC Leadership board retreat. We have had two meetings; one at St. Barnabas and another at Greater Faith; all were invited. We are now asking for members of both churches to join together to conduct a porch patrol in the Portage area.
Members of St. B’s who have been involved so far include Al Dixon, Cush, Frank & Karen Blaise, Wally and Becky Clore, Micki Holder, Marti Haug, Karen Kott, and Coy Sheetz. What we will be doing with our sister church depends on members of St. B’s meeting and talking with the members of Greater Faith Empowerment Center, getting to know each other and making plans together.
The first planned event for the two churches is On Saturday May 22nd. Pairs will gather together to plan and train for the “Porch Patrol” (see page 2 for details about what a porch patrol is).
I wonder if Greater Faith has a church mouse? I also wonder if Mr. Dixon will put me in his pocket so I can go on the Porch Patrol. Just in case, Teddy, Bun Bun and I are practicing going door-to-door at the doll houses to ask the dolls a few questions about their neighborhood.
I am very excited that Father Dennis is starting his work at St. B’s this month, and I can’t wait to hear a sermon!
See you next month!
Barney
Welcome Fr. Dennis Remenschneider
On Wednesday, March 31st, Wardens Ted Vliek and BJ Jeschke signed a covenant with Fr. Dennis Remenschneider (pronounced Ree-men-schneider) to become our interim priest, effective May 1, 2010.
Fr. Dennis is an ELCA pastor who served two congregations as Mission Developer and then pastor from 1980 to 2004. In 2004 he decided his calling was to Interim Ministry, which he has done successfully since. St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Muskegon called him as their Interim priest from 2006 into 2008 and their senior warden at the time praised him highly.
Fr. Remenschneider is married and has two adult children and two grandchildren. His home town is Holland, Michigan where his wife Connie attends the Episcopal Church. Fr. Dennis will be at St. Barnabas Sunday through Wednesday and will work from home on Thursday. In case of emergencies he is just a little over an hour away. Fr. Dennis is excited to begin his work with St, Barnabas and is looking forward to getting to know our parishioners!
Hitting the Streets: Porch Patrol! Close Encounters of the Human Kind
On Saturday June 12th and Sunday June 13th, paired congregations and organizations will go door-to-door in neighborhoods they select. Pairs of members will engage residents in conversations about the issues selected at the Issues Convention to see if they resonate.
For the participants, this is a great way to build communication skills, learn to do some outreach, and see a neighborhood up close and personal.
For the residents, this is an opportunity for them to be engaged as experts on their community. We want to invite them to participate in the issue groups and take leadership. Undoubtedly, we’ll discover folks just waiting to get involved!
May 23rd “Confirmation Celebration”
Everyone is invited to attend a reception for all of the people from St. B’s who will be confirmed and join the church on
Saturday May 22nd @ Grace Church in Grand Rapids.
We will be hosting a combined coffee hour between the services to welcome our newly acquired Episcopalians to their lives at St. Barnabas.
If you’d like the help, please talk to Pam F., Phylis H., Dani L., Colleen U-C. or Carole Stanski.
Second Annual Diocesan Mission Conference
Spring is just around the corner and so is the next Mission Conference. Mark your calendar now for Saturday June 5, 2010. The conference will once again be hosted by St. Andrews in Grand Rapids.
There have been four previous Diocesan missions; two in 2008 and two in 2009. One hundred ten parishioners from twenty-four Diocesan churches have participated.
At this time, the Diocese is planning to increase the number of disaster relief destinations to three this year. Knowledgeable speakers who have been volunteers at the three camps selected will be presenters. Speakers will provide a comprehensive overview of each mission and give details as to what to expect from a mission experience.
Lunch, snacks and beverage will be provided. To register, contact Terry Dorcy at tjdorcy@aol.com
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The Safest Place
[How to stay safe in the world today]
1. Avoid riding in automobiles - because they are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents.
2. Do not stay home -- because 17% of all accidents occur in the home.
3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks -- because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.
4. Avoid traveling by air, rail, or water -- because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.
5. Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in hospitals -- So, above all else, avoid hospitals.
But you will be pleased to learn that only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders.
Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is at church!
And ... Bible study is safe, too.
The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even lesS
Therefore, attend church and read your Bible --
THEY COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!
Frisky Foxes are still selling St. B note cards to continue to buy stamps for their card ministry—every member of St. B’s receives a birthday card from the Frisky Foxes. Please help support this ministry and buy some note cards!
MAY
Anniversaries
Larry & Heather Morand 5/3
Dave & Jan Hageman 5/4
Bud Tyler & Carolyn Beene 5/6
Jim & Jan Goes 5/7
Bill & Carol Kloosterman 5/20
Steve & Fi Spalvieri-Kruse 5/23
Dan & Rachel Roth 5/27
The beginning of June
William & Beth Dietzel 6/7
MAY
BIRTHDAYS
MAY
Bill Veenstra 5/1
David Arnold 5/4
Carl Tanzer 5/10
Laura MacNiel 5/10
Val Clore 5/12
Bill Aina 5/13
William Dietzel 5/21
Caitlinn Cochran 5/21
Leslie Nowaczyk 5/23
Otto Byers 5/25
Teddy Nowaczyk 5/31
The beginning of JUNE
Kari Chirhart 6/2
David Hageman 6/1
Mary Ann Burton 6/6
2nd & 4th Mondays
Anti-Racism Movie @ 6:30 pm
Popcorn provided!
HOSTS are still needed to host a coffee hour after each service.
Sign up sheet is on the bulletin board
Bible Study Group sponsors a child from Brazil for the past twelve years
In 1998, the Frisky Foxes, the Thursday Morning Bible Study members and Mother Kathleen Kingslight decided to sponsor a child through Christian Children’s Fund. A four year old girl named Thaynara was chosen to be their sponsored child. Thaynara and her family lived in a slum outside Belo Horizonte, in a self built cement shack. Thaynara lived with her mother, four aunts, an uncle, Grandma and Grandpa. The money sent to her helped pay for her schooling, clothing and meals at the school. Extra money at Christmas and birthdays bought furniture and food for the entire family. Grandma turned 94 in 2000, but passed away in July 2001. A younger brother came along in 2007. Thaynara is a good student and likes school very much.
Thaynara will age out of the project within a year. Please pray for her and her family. This has been a long-term commitment and a very rewarding one. The Bible Study Group is happy that members of St. Barnabas were able to make a difference in a young girl’s life.
For pictures of Thaynara, please see the photo album! 
FUNNIES
Top Eight Signs you may not be Reading your Bible enough
8) You open to the Gospel of Luke and a WWII Savings Bond falls out.
7) Your favorite Old Testament Patriarch is Hercules.
6) You think Abraham, Isaac & Jacob may have had a few hit songs during the 60's.
5) You become frustrated because Charlton Heston isn't listed in either the Concordance or the Table of Contents.
4) You think the Minor Prophets worked in the quarries
3) Catching the kids reading the Song of Solomon, you demand: "Who gave you this stuff?"
2) You keep falling for it every time when Pastor tells you to turn to First Condominiums.
And the number one sign you may not be reading your Bible enough:
1) The kids keep asking too many questions about your usual bedtime story:
"Jonah the Shepherd Boy and His Ark of Many Colors."
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church
929 East Centre Ave,
Portage MI, 49002 - stbarnabasportage@tds.net | Call the church: 269 327 7878 |
2008© St. Barnabas Episcopal Church |