!EACH SUNDAY……….. 8:30 am Breakfast in Gordon Hall9:00 am Bible and Bagels in the Lee Room9:30 - after the service: Nursery Care for infants & toddlers 9:00 - 9:45 am Grades 5 - 12 in Youth Lounge with Jeremy 9:45 am Pre-K and K in Caboose with Courtney Stevens 10:00 am Worship Service ( Church School after Children’s Time with Bill and Nancy ) 11:00 am Coffee and fellowship in Gordon Hall 11:20 am Adult Forum and other activities

A welcoming and

affirming church

community

!Summer Newsletter 2015

!!

The proximity of the Fourth of July in these United States gives opportunity to reflect upon our national heritage. The day itself is commonly named “Independence Day.” At the risk of raising hackles, it is worth reconsidering the term “Independence.” In this twenty-first century, anyone paying the slightest

attention to life in the world must be very much aware just how interdependent we are. A proclamation of independence would seem to have all the credibility of a two-year olds exclamation, “I can do it all by myself!” We are interdependent; and a good thing, too. !While not trying to curry favor with the editor of this publication, it is worth pointing out that when these United States separated from England they continued to be dependent upon numerous traditions inherited from that country. Many of which traditions had been inherited from Roman law and, before that, from Athenian democracy. !As in matters civil, the term ‘Independent’ is unfortunate in religious life. ‘Independent’ is a term frequently, and inappropriately, applied to Baptist churches. Baptist churches are ‘autonomous’. That is, they are self-governing. There is a universe of difference between a fantasy of being independent and the reality of being self-governing. !The right to autonomy in matters religious was to be the surpassing gift of the early Baptist movement, in the formative years of this nation. A small group of Baptists from Danbury CT were in correspondence with Thomas Jefferson articulating a particular case for separation of State from Church. Jefferson was in hearty agreement. There was, however, an unfortunate usage of the term “wall of separation between church and state” in Jefferson’s response. There was not, then or now, any thought that the church would be mute with regard to life in the state. !So, on the Fourth of July we may celebrate the contributions of early Baptists to the liberties, civil and religious, that we enjoy.

May we also celebrate our interdependence. ! Faithfully, Brian

Bible and Bagels Each Sunday at 9 am.    Exactly  what  it  says!  Discuss  the  Word  of  God  as  it  relates  to  our  everyday  life  over  coffee  and  bagels!  (  tea  is  also  available!)  Women’s Prayer Fellowship meets every Wed at 9:30 am.    Come  and  join  them,  or  let  your  prayer  requests  be  known  to  them,  by  completing  a  prayer  card  from  the  pew  racks,  or  putting  a  note  in  the  prayer  boxes  located  in  the  Narthex  and  the  OfGice  lobby.

VOLLEYBALL  Come  join  us  on  Monday  nights  from  7-­‐9  p.m.  in  the  basement  of  Trinity  Lutheran  Church  (opposite  the  Worcester  Art  

Museum  at  the  corner  of  Salisbury  and  Lancaster  Streets).      

Great  fun,  fellowship  and  exercise,  and  we'd  love  to  have  you!      

See  Anne  Goff  or  Landy  Johnson  if  you  wish  more  information.

Note change of usual date…. Women’sBreakfast Please join the merry throng at the Nu Cafe on Chandler Street

on July 11th at 8:30 am Men’s Breakfast

Please join the merry men at the 122 Diner in Holden on July 11th at 8 am

Sundays at FBC July and August July 5th Rev Brian Dixon ( Communion ) July 12th Rev Michael Harvey July 19th Rev John Vaughn July 26th Rev Brian Dixon Aug 2nd Rev Brian Dixon ( Communion ) Aug 9th Service in Gordon Hall Aug 16th Service in Gordon Hall Aug 23th Service in Gordon Hall Aug 30th Service in Gordon Hall

There is no formal calendar for the Summer in this newsletter, but there are plenty of dates for your calendar

throughout this edition!

In August we look forward to welcoming Wesley Hall as our Minister of Music. Wesley is not a

stranger to FBC and was, for a while, an organ pupil of

William’s.There will be a letter in July with many more details about Wesley and

the Music events for the Fall.

Bring your friends and family to FBC this Summer…… ! July 12th 7 pm Concert in Institute Park. Mass Symphony, Disney Concert! bring a picnic! July 19th Movie Night at FBC. 6pm in Gordon Hall. Pizza and popcorn supplied! Mary Poppins! Come dressed as your favorite character! Kids bring blankets and pillows and snuggle up with England’s favorite nanny! August 5th Paint Night 6pm, come and create a masterpiece! Familly fun with Deli food. August 21st Family Games Night 7pm in Gordon Hall. Games with an ice cream social. Fun for all!

From the Pastoral Search Team… From Galatians 6: 9-10 “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up. So whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those of the family of faith.” From a member of the congregation; "Blessings and prayers to the Pastoral Search Team. This is a hard but rewarding job. Please know your hard work and thoughtful consideration is much appreciated by all of us!" With these words to inspire us, the Pastoral Search Team spent the day together on May 30 at the church discussing the results of the 86 surveys that were returned, as well as the contributions from small group discussions and emails sent to the Team. The comments from all sources were long and detailed, and it is obvious that our congregants have spent a great deal of time and thought to give the PST as much information as possible to work with in finding new leadership for the church.

The PST worked on creating a “pastor profile”, addressing the specific needs, wants and wishes of the church family, recognizing what we as a congregation do well, what we want our

pastor to do, and how our structural reorganization has changed us. We will be meeting again this spring, and then again in the summer to continue our work.

An advertisement for the position of pastor will be circulated in the next few weeks

From picnics to Red Sox Games and everything in between, we are one family at FBC. Come and join us at our Summer family events!

Bring friends and family, Everyone is sure of a warm welcome!

SCROGIN BOOK FORUM SELECTIONS 2015 -2016 Please note that while Scrogin Book Forum has moved to the second Sunday of the month, there are

three instances where it will be held on the first Sunday: October, May and June. !Oct. 4 Leader: Jim Pease The Road to Character by David Brooks Nov. 8 Leader: Frank Puffer Fields of Blood by Karen Armstrong Dec. 13 Leader: Janice Hitzhusen Heretic by Ayaan Hirsi Ali Jan. 10 Leader: Sue Ellen Scrogin Difficult Conversations by Stone, Patton & Heen !Feb. 14 Leader: Lance Schacterle Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (suggested to be congregation-wide to include a luncheon; Black History Month) Mar. 13 Leader: Lynn Eckhert / Lorings Being Mortal by Atul Gawande One Life, Many Deaths by Brownwell Wheeler Apr. 10 Leader: Brian Dixon The Language of God by Francis Collins !May 1 Leader: Anne Goff A Path Appears by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn June 5 Sue Ellen Scrogin Advocating and selecting list for 2016-2017

Future Mission Opportunities !A Baptist Habitat Home will be built at 73575 Rock Street in Lowell, MA. A cluster of ABC churches in the Greater Lowell area has received a One Great Hour of Sharing grant to help with fundraising. The cost for such homes is $50,000. Tradesmen and women are welcome to volunteer their time on Work Days which are soon to be scheduled. Please contact Rev. Hazel Roper to sign up for Work Days 978-459-9598 or haroper@aol.com New Orleans 2 - 8 August 2015 Worship, witness and work together to help survivors, as they rebuild their homes, churches, communities and lives on the 10th anniversary of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Volunteers responsible for round trip transportation costs. Fee of $225 includes housing, food and registration. Contact: Victoria Goff, ABHMS National Coordinator, Volunteer ministries vgoff@abhms.org 1-800-222-3872 x2449 !Two 2015 Summer Mission Opportunities in New Jersey: July 11-18, August 8-15 Hurricane Sandy devastated New Jersey in October 2012. Join in hands-on efforts to rebuild homes, communities and lives, while encouraging and supporting those in need and worshiping with ABCNJ congregations. For more information, contact Victoria Goff, victoria.goff@abhms.org or 1-800-222-3872 x2449.

This last missal is my final time to thank all of the congregation for their continued support of my musical ministry at FBC. The joy of music is really the core of why music exists in worship not only to highlight the

spoken word but to empower each worshipper with the spirit and fullness of God's presence in worship. Music, being the most ephemeral of all the arts-you can't see it, you can't touch it, you can't feel it, you can

only hear it and only for a short time and then it is gone. So with all of worship; we can only experience it as it is only once in its true live form. Investing the churches resources in music as a valued part of worship is truly a remarkable function of this congregation. Popular culture runs completely in the other direction of valuing

the true nature of the beautiful. So to bring beauty, which is a gift of God, into worship is a gift to all who come here. All the singers and instrumentalists, both adult and children, make this a place of wonder and joy

for them and the congregation. Please continue to uphold them as well as their leaders in their pursuit of "wonder, love and praise" of God's eternal love for each of us. !

In looking back at bulletins and programs through my 14 plus years here I have always tried to be present in the moment with my musical and theological choices: not running ahead or lagging behind is tricky business, but something that I hope I have succeeded with for most of the time. We all want to be led where we can be comfortable but also sometimes it is where we think we didn't see ourselves, somewhere different but we end up happy being there. My last and greatest vision for the congregation was to have a fine piano for worship and concerts so to my huge delight this has happened with great generosity! While this may sound simple to some-it has taken time for me to create this concept of a piano in the sanctuary when none existed here for seventy-five years. It's sound will ring true and make again the wonder of tone a blessing of praise. !Doing music in church is not a singular activity. It takes everyone, since everyone is a part of the choir. Whether you like it or not you are expected to sing! I once taught a middle school grades choir and told them that if they didn't open wide and sing something at the end of the year choral concert they would fail. They knew I was serious and who couldn't pass music, so the result was-they sang. No one died or even was sick after the event. So in worship, it isn't me that wants to hear your voice it is the Almighty listening and knowing you in all your vulnerabilities that you express your "wonder, love and praise" to God's name. I am pleased to leave First Baptist as a musical organization ready to continue with renewed vigor with Wesley's help. I am also grateful for the overwhelming "yes" to my ministry as an organist and leader. Everyone has been gracious with my leadership and I thank you for that confirmation. So it is confidence and sadness to leave such a beautiful life experience for me. My prayer is to see all of you on that sea of glass where no number can count the faithful as we experience the "wonder, love and praise" to our Lord Jesus Christ.

I leave you with the poetry of these two hymn stanzas that best express my continued thoughts as we part. Finish, then, Thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation Perfectly restored in Thee; Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee Lost in wonder, love and praise!

 Both texts by Robert Wadsworth Lowry, an American Baptist minister

In wonder, love and praise,   William

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, A fountain ever springing; All things are mine since I am his— How can I keep from singing? No storm can shake my inmost calm While to that refuge clinging; Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, How can I keep from singing?

It doesn’t seem long since I was staring at bare earth and now the garden is in full blooming season.

How could it have changed so amazingly in such a short time? From early May seedlings to the “jungle” we have now, is a yearly marvel.

How is it possible that the bare twigs of the magnolia in Winter are now so green and luxuriant they are endangering passers-by on the sidewalk! !

And then there’s the birds, how did they survive this past winter to now be filling the garden with song and delighting us as they feed their various broods? As I have mentioned many times before this garden is a miracle of change and delight, though the soil remains the same, the plants don’t. Every year they take shape and each one contributes to the floral picture with its own uniqueness. Sometimes, as in this Spring, our shrubs seem a bit battered but they seem to recover in due course. When we planned the garden we had an image of what it might look like, but the garden design is not the end product. The plants, shrubs and trees all grow in their own way at their own rate. Nothing is ever quite the same two days running! It is a constant re-designing process as the year and years go by. And that is the wonder of it all. They say that gardeners are optimists, planting for a future at each season. !

The garden of FBC is changing too. We have Jeremy already doing a great job in the CE Team and Wesley will be joining us in August to lead our music. May these two new

additions to our “garden” feel at home in our church community and let us be enlivened anew by their energy and dedication, so that our church community

continues to grow and evolve in ways we hardly can imagine, just like the garden I can see now from my window. What a great time for promise and hope! !

Lynne

TABCOM is pleased to announce that, at a Business Meeting on Saturday, June 20 2015, the Reverend Mary Day Miller was elected as Executive Minister of the American Baptist

Churches of Massachusetts.   The meeting was held at the First Baptist Church of Worcester.

We welcome Rev. Miller into the TABCOM Family and we request your prayers as she and her family move from Iowa.  I extend the special thanks of the Board of Directors to

every church and individual who participated in this historic occasion.  Information concerning the Service of Installation for the Reverend Miller

will be released in the near future.

This is your Summer Newsletter 2015 from First Baptist Church, Worcester

!Phone  508-­‐755-­‐6143  !Extensions:    Brian  Dixon  222,  Wesley  227,  John  C  224,  Joan  247  !Andrea:              Andreal@Gbc-­‐worc.org  !  website:                www.Gbc-­‐worc.org            email:    info@Gbc-­‐worc.org  !follow  us  on  facebook:                                The  First  Baptist  Church  Worcester                                                                                                                                            The  FBC  Worcester  Youth  Twitter:                      @FBCWorcester  

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