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1 Bradford Woods Community Church June 2015 Issue MONTHLY NEWSLETTER An Epistle from Ed By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor I want to sit at the beach. I mean it. I love to just sit at the beach in a version of paradise and listen to the waves crash and feel the warm breeze. It is my favorite thing to do. Vacation is wonderful and summer vacation is even better. Time spent in rest and relaxation and having fun with family and friends is great. All of these things are blessings from God and they are to be enjoyed, if one can. But, I am reminded that I am not called to live in paradise - not yet. I am called to live on the earth with my feet planted on the ground in the middle of a war. Satan tries to maintain control over the lives of people or gain new ground. Meanwhile, the Gospel of the Kingdom advances and saves souls through the victory of Christ. There is no neutral territory. I love the beach because it seems like rest, and in reality, it does cause me to think of Paradise Lost and Paradise to Come. But it is not reality - not yet, anyway. We are called to watch and pray, stand and resist, proclaim and demonstrate the gospel of Christ. We are called to love sacrificially until we give up our life of ease and lay it down again in service to God and others. I realize that by talking this way, God expects me to do what I say. But, I don’t want to. I want to sit at the beach and rest and relax and have fun in a nice place. Who doesn’t? We must be careful that we do not arrange our spiritual lives to meet our physical desires for pleasure and paradise. God is at work and He calls us to Himself and sends us into the world. There is warfare there and it is frustrating and frightening. But, Jesus is victorious. We should not be surprised by the trial that we will face, but we should look to Jesus who endured all things to finish the work that the Father sent Him to accomplish. He calls us to do follow Him in this. The beach is nice. But, the battlefield is where God has placed us in the day-to-day and it is where He meets us if we have the faith to join Him there. Think about it... Anniversary Announcement By Shelly Muhlenkamp Gary and Betty Shumaker will be celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary on June 12, 2015. Come join the party! It will be held on Sunday, June 14th at 4 p.m. at Jeff and Shelly Muhlenkamp's house, 13 Seldom Seen Road, BW. For questions, please contact Shelly at 724-799-8275 or [email protected]. Bring your square dancing shoes and get ready to have a fun time! Vacation Bible School - July 28-29-30 By Norma Liebenguth, Sunday School Superintendent Superheroes of the Bible will take over BWCC during the last week of July! Please consider lending a hand, signing up to donate some items or giving a monetary contribution to help offset costs. Children 4-11 will be welcome to attend. Watch for sign-up sheets and registration information. Sunday Worship Time Change on June 14 By Cait Kowal, Outreach We will be gathering at 10:00am in the summertime. The change to our worship time begins on June 14th and runs throughout the summer. Please also note that there will not be any Sunday School classes or choir practice during the summer.

June Newsletter 2015

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    An Epistle from Ed By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor

    I want to sit at the beach. I mean it. I love to just sit at the beach in a version of paradise and listen to

    the waves crash and feel the warm breeze. It is my favorite thing to do. Vacation is wonderful and

    summer vacation is even better. Time spent in rest and relaxation and having fun with family and

    friends is great. All of these things are blessings from God and they are to be enjoyed, if one can. But,

    I am reminded that I am not called to live in paradise - not yet. I am called to live on the earth with my

    feet planted on the ground in the middle of a war. Satan tries to maintain control over the lives of

    people or gain new ground. Meanwhile, the Gospel of the Kingdom advances and saves souls through

    the victory of Christ. There is no neutral territory. I love the beach because it seems like rest, and in

    reality, it does cause me to think of Paradise Lost and Paradise to Come. But it is not reality - not yet,

    anyway.

    We are called to watch and pray, stand and resist, proclaim and demonstrate the gospel of Christ. We

    are called to love sacrificially until we give up our life of ease and lay it down again in service to God

    and others. I realize that by talking this way, God expects me to do what I say. But, I dont want to. I

    want to sit at the beach and rest and relax and have fun in a nice place. Who doesnt?

    We must be careful that we do not arrange our spiritual lives to meet our physical desires for pleasure

    and paradise. God is at work and He calls us to Himself and sends us into the world. There is warfare

    there and it is frustrating and frightening. But, Jesus is victorious. We should not be surprised by the

    trial that we will face, but we should look to Jesus who endured all things to finish the work that the

    Father sent Him to accomplish. He calls us to do follow Him in this.

    The beach is nice. But, the battlefield is where God has placed us in the day-to-day and it is where He

    meets us if we have the faith to join Him there. Think about it...

    Anniversary Announcement By Shelly Muhlenkamp Gary and Betty Shumaker will be celebrating their 55th wedding

    anniversary on June 12, 2015. Come join the party! It will be held on

    Sunday, June 14th at 4 p.m. at Jeff and Shelly Muhlenkamp's house,

    13 Seldom Seen Road, BW. For questions, please contact Shelly at

    724-799-8275 or [email protected].

    Bring your square dancing shoes and get ready to have a fun time!

    Vacation Bible School - July 28-29-30 By Norma Liebenguth, Sunday School Superintendent

    Superheroes of the Bible will take over BWCC during the last week

    of July! Please consider lending a hand, signing up to donate some

    items or giving a monetary contribution to help offset costs.

    Children 4-11 will be welcome to attend. Watch for sign-up sheets

    and registration information.

    Sunday Worship Time Change on June 14 By Cait Kowal, Outreach

    We will be gathering at 10:00am in the summertime. The change to our worship

    time begins on June 14th and runs throughout the summer. Please also note that

    there will not be any Sunday School classes or choir practice during the summer.

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    Treasurer's Report as of 5/31/15 By Pam Hendrickson, Treasurer

    Recognition Sunday and Potluck Picnic, Sunday, June 7 By Norma Liebenguth, Sunday School Superintendent

    Please plan to attend morning worship on June 7th to honor our graduates and Sunday School teachers.

    Congratulations to our graduates:

    Graduate Level, College:

    Ben Dague

    Masters, Performance; Concentration: Classical Guitar

    Youngstown State University

    Ben is currently substitute teaching and working weekends at Aviva. He recently accepted a part-time position as a gui-

    tar professor with Hiram Universitys evening program while he searches for a full-time teaching position.

    Ben resides in Bellevue.

    Carla Porterfield

    Masters, Environmental Science and Management

    Duquesne University

    Carla consults in the areas of environmental science and sustainability. She and husband Matt live in McCandless Twp.

    Undergraduate, College:

    Halley Bayer

    B.S. in Psychology, Minor in Cognitive Neuroscience

    Carnegie Mellon University

    Haley graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was recognized for College Honors, University Honors, Outstanding Student

    Leadership and Athletic Letters for Cross Country and Track & Field. She plans to perform research in consumer

    psychology and then enter a doctorate program.

    David DiFuccia

    Bachelor of Architecture

    Virginia Tech

    While not technically a member of our church, Cindy Snyders nephew David has enhanced many of our worship ser-

    vices with his percussion talents. He also attended several of our Youth Group summer trips. David is currently inter-

    viewing for a position in his field.

    High School:

    Curtis McIntyre Coltharp (Mac)

    North Allegheny

    Mac plans to study biology/pre-med at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

    A potluck picnic follows worship. Please bring a side dish or salad to share. The Hospitality and Christian Education

    Committees will do the rest!

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    Missions By Jennie Griffin and Jean Hipwell, Missions

    The Missions Committee would like to thank everyone who so

    generously contributed to the Nepal Earthquake disaster. A whopping total of

    $825 went to Brothers Brother to support earthquake relief efforts.

    Brothers Brother also sent a thank you letter for our generous donation to let

    us know that our gift was greatly appreciated.

    Thank you as well for the many books you all donated for the

    Anchorpoint Counseling Ministry's annual book sale, to be held in June. We

    delivered a massive load of book to them for this sale. Every book you donated

    makes a difference for those in need of affordable counseling, tutoring and

    parent education.

    North Hills Community Outreach also appreciates your continued

    donations. The food pantry items requested for the month of June are canned

    pasta (ravioli, lasagna, etc.). NHCO is also now collecting donations for its

    annual Back-to-School Supply Drive. Every summer, they collect new

    backpacks and school supplies and share them hundreds of local children in

    need in August. Donations are needed for all ages from preschool through

    college. Gift cards for school clothing also are appreciated in June and

    July. They especially need: backpacks, book covers, colored pencils,

    crayons, erasers, glue sticks, highlighters, loose-leaf paper, markers,

    notebooks, pens, pencils, pencil boxes and sharpeners, pocket folders, rulers,

    scissors and school lunch items such as PB&J and juice boxes. We will have

    boxes set up in the church library to collect these items. As always, thank you

    for your continued support and generosity!

    Softball Update By Bob Doak, Coach

    Our results are not so good so far in 2015. We won our first game last Sunday and completed the

    first half of the season 1-5 with one rainout we'll be making up on Sunday May 31st, playing a

    doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. and game 2 at 2:30 p.m. We lost our pitcher for the year in

    the second inning of our first game with a torn shoulder ligament due to a hard fall on his

    shoulder trying to make a play in the field. My rotator cuff is partially torn so I'm unable to

    participate fully. We have had lots of new players playing in new positions all over the field to

    fill voids from our regulars missing.

    We'll try and turn things around in the second half and get ready for the tournament in late July. Keeping the team

    together with bubble gum and shoelaces!

    Sign-Up for the Centennial Committee By Jane Siefers, Hospitality The church will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of Bradford Woods on Sat. Sept.12. We will

    need a committee to organize and staff the morning greeting for centennial parade participants.

    There is a sign-up sheet posted in the library; or feel free to contact the office too, if you like.

    As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

    ~Psalm 103:13

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    Help Needed for Fall Events: By Jane Siefers, Hospitality

    As by now almost everyone knows, the borough of Bradford Woods is celebrating its 100th year of incorporation, and

    this will be capped off by a big celebration on Saturday, September 12, in the Woodlands. This will be

    started by a parade forming at the church. At their last meeting, the church council voted to provide

    refreshments to the parade participants as they arrive to form up the parade in our church parking lot.

    The current concept is to provide coffee, cold drinks and donated muffins either from the deck or

    even better from our big tent on the ball field. We will need a committee of church members to plan

    and implement this community welcome, so please sign up in the library or let the church office know

    if you are willing help out (Jeff Kowal and Jennifer Griffin are already planning to put together a

    multimedia show highlighting church history).

    And we also plan a special church service to welcome the community back to the church grounds on

    Sunday, September 13. We are moving up the Blessing of the Animals to that date! We know it is

    traditional to bless animals on the feast day of St. Francis, but last year we and our pets were shivering

    under the tent in October. So, at the suggestion of Sister Elizabeth (pastor Eds beloved furry

    daughter), we are following our protestant reformation roots and moving up the date to what we

    hope will be warmer weather!

    Rally Day, normally the first Sunday after Labor Day, will be the following week, on September 20.

    Sister Elizabeth

    Financial notes from the In lady By Jane Siefers, Assistant Treasurer

    Donation envelopes: numbered donation envelopes are provided to anyone who would like to

    use them. You do not need to be a member or a frequent donor to receive a box! Pew envelopes

    are also provided for those who would like to use them. Ask Jane if you would like to have

    envelopes, but dont currently have a box.

    Recorded donations: any donation which can be traced to its original donor is recorded by the

    assistant treasurer. This means that if you use a numbered envelope, write a check, or write your

    name on a blank envelope, your donation will be recorded.

    The In lady: the assistant treasurer (currently Jane Siefers) receives all money coming into the general treasury,

    records the donors contribution (if name is known) and deposits the funds into the church bank account. She also issues

    quarterly reports to the donors showing their personal contributions. All donations are confidential to the assistant

    treasurer. Other church members with fiscal responsibilities (treasurer, trustees, etc.) are given summary figures, not the

    donation amounts of any individual.

    The Out lady: the treasurer (currently Pam Hendrickson) disburses all money coming out of the church general fund.

    She also issues monthly financial reports to the trustees and church council detailing income and expenditures for the

    previous month. These are available to anyone who is interested.

    Uncle Sams donation policy: per the IRS, to be considered a charitable donation, your funds must be given without

    expectation of personal benefit (the IRS has apparently not heard of Life Everlasting, although technically, you cant buy

    your way into Heaven). Thats why your free will donation for lunches, for example, is not recorded on your statement.

    Also, the church council decided some time ago not to accept directed donations which would provide a charitable

    donation deduction to someone who would otherwise not qualify (some non-members wanted to donate to a non-exempt

    organization through the church).

    Please feel free to contact Jane or Pam with any questions you might have about the church fiscal policies and situations.

    And please keep coming (and giving) throughout the summer!

    Another Record Set in Adult Class By Norma Liebenguth, Sunday School Superintendent Its a record-breaker! Pastor Eds popular Adult Sunday School class hit another record Sunday with 23 in attendance!

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    Worship Leaders and Acolytes If you would like to volunteer to be a worship leader, please contact Pastor Ed. Thank you for your service.

    June 7 Ann Brehm, Mac Coltharp, acolyte

    June 14 Melanie Verbaarschott, Beth Muhlenkamp, acolyte

    June 21 Jenn Hudak, Chloe Coltharp, acolyte

    June 28 John Liebenguth, Vanessa Verbaarschott, acolyte

    May Happenings

    Jareds New Address By Cait Kowal, Outreach Jared Riley has a new address. He could use all the support and encouragement he can get while at training. Feel free to write to Jared as he is looking forward to hearing from his church family! Write to him at: PV2 Riley, Jared; 232 MED BN, D Co. Class 45-15; 3820 Williams Way JBSA; Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234.

    Warm weather means more time on the deck!

    Rich Faust and sons Stark and Eisen check out the treats.

    Our famous chef Amy Atkinson serving her signature

    Apple Pie in a Cone

    Serving up smiles!

    Record breaking Sunday school class

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    Events for the Month of June:

    4836 Wexford Run Road | P.O. Box 421

    Bradford Woods, PA 15015

    (724) 935-3135

    Serving Bradford Woods and surrounding North Hills communities. Visit our website: www.bradfordwoodschurch.org | Contact us: [email protected]

    ICCC Mission Statement Bradford Woods Community Church is a member of the ICCC (International Council of Community Churches) whose mission statement is: As people devoted to following Christ we are committed to community, to treasuring diversity, to living our faith in service and love.

    Please help us with our mailing list costs. If you could view this newsletter via email or online, please

    contact us at 724.935.3135 or [email protected].

    Prayer Concerns and Praise

    Baltimore riot victims, Joel Bonzer,

    Joseph Bossman, Cathy Carter,

    Kevin Croney and Family,

    The Davenport Family, Jody Dentici, Diane Dilanni,

    Christine Feagin, Martha Finley, Kevin Frederick,

    Katherine Gardner, Laurie & Joe Gillespie,

    Doug Ice, Karen Kimberly, Ron Liguori,

    Denise Massaro, Nepal earthquake victims,

    Carol OBrien, Jeff Prady, Jennifer Rihtarchick,

    Jared Riley, Myleigh Smith, Doris Stokes,

    John Valley, and The Waldron Family

    June Birthdays

    1 Braeden Swann; 6 Hannah Ptak; 9 Marisa Ashbaugh, Molly Coltharp and Jared Riley; 12 Dave Tessmer; 13 Charlie Kurz; 15 Tanna Lammers and Derrick Schmidt; 16 Jean Arndt and Betsy Wehner; 18 Carla Porterfield and Terri Sobotka;19 Kathy Grieser; 23 Samantha Hendrickson; 25 Suzanne Thoma; 26 Amy Muhlenkamp; 27 Greg Hipwell, 29 John Liebenguth

    June 7 Recognition Sunday/Communion, 11:00 a.m. 7 Potluck/Picnic Lunch, 12:00 p.m. 10 Trustees Meeting, 6:00 p.m.

    10 Church Council Meeting, 7:00 p.m.

    Ongoing through the 7th:

    Adult Sunday School: Sunday, 10 a.m.

    Morning Worship Service: Sunday, 11 a.m. Youth GRAPE: Sunday, 7 p.m.

    Choir Practice: Monday, 7 p.m. AA/NA: Every Thursday, 7:00 p.m.

    Ongoing after the 7th:

    Morning Worship Service: Every Sunday, 10 a.m. Youth GRAPE: Every Sunday, 7 p.m.

    AA/NA: Every Thursday, 7:00 p.m. (Note: there will not be Adult Sunday School, or Choir Practice after the 7th)

    If you are new to our congregation, please pass your information to Caitalyn Kowal in the church office, regarding your address, phone number, email address, etc. so we can keep our records up to date and keep you up to date. Thank you.

    Coffee Hour and Ushers Please help with preparing coffee, a cold drink and an (optional) refreshment is all thats needed. Ushers greet new guests, hand out bulletins, and collect contributions in the collection plates during service.