Jan Feb Newsletter

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Jan. - Feb.

2015

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An Epistle from Ed By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor

Well, we made it – we cleared the holly and mistletoe festooned hurdle that December annually offers

us and have landed ourselves squarely in everyone’s favorite 31 day deep-freeze – that’s right – the

month of January! And our reward for successfully struggling our way through January is February

(that’s like getting extra Brussel’s sprouts for finishing all of your liver at dinner). After completing

some research, I have isolated the best 10 things about the always exciting months of January and

February. Consider these: the shortest day of year is officially behind us, it is still way to early for the

grass to need cutting, your evenings and weekends are your own again, the supermarket aisles have

lost their ‘holiday clog’, national human trafficking awareness day (U.S. only - January 11), you’re so

sick of stores it is no problem ignoring January sales, you can look forward to the return of your

favorite TV shows, national bubble-bath day (January 8), according to the last U.S. census, ‘January’

is the 3,265th most popular girl’s name, and, you no longer run the risk of turning on the radio to hear

Grandma being ‘run over’ by a reindeer!

OK, seriously, I was able to think of one good thing about the early months of the year, despite their

dark, cold, gray appearance. The month of January, in our culture, offers us the opportunity for

‘starting over’ and having a ‘clean slate!’ Now, I’m not referring to the whole ‘New Year’s Resolu-

tion’ hype that usually fizzles before the first snowstorm in January – No, I’m referring to the season

we just celebrated and the light that broke into darkness when our God joined us in this cold dark

world. January is a time when we allow ourselves to believe we can ‘start anew,’ with a ‘clean slate’

and be free of our ‘stains’ from the past. It is almost like our world is encouraging us to “forget what

lies behind and press forward to what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the up-

ward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to act on this advising of

St. Paul and remember that we are a people that are forgiven daily (not just in January) and rely on

this forgiving grace of our God – through February and the balance of the rolling year – not a mere

period of being resolute at the dawn of the new year! Failed resolutions or fool-proof saving grace –

it’s our choice. Welcome to January!

Think about it…….

A Thank You to the Trustees & Congregation By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor How wonderful for any of us to be remembered with a gift during the

holiday season, but doubly so when it is offered in love by an entire

group – a congregation of people! I want to offer my thanks to both the

Board of Trustees and the entire congregation of the church for the very

kind and generous gift that was given to myself and my family, by all of

you, during the recent holiday season. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote; “The only gift is a portion

of thyself.” How true this is to us, here in Bradford Woods, you all have offered us your hearts and

accepted and embraced us, supported and nurtured us, and, most treasured of all, you have chosen to

love us. Thank you again, for this and every gift you have given to my family and me.

Pulled Pork Luncheon on Feb. 1 By Jane Siefers, Hospitality Is anything happening Feb. 1 (besides the finals of the Tostitos homemade

commercial contest)? Why, YES! At BWCC, we are featuring the return of

“Food for the Soul, Food for the Body”. In other words, on the first Sunday of

each month, we will not only take food for the soul by having communion in

the sanctuary; but we will also enjoy food for the body by sharing lunch/

brunch in Kehew Hall. Save your Sunday afternoon energy for the Big Game

and share a delicious hot lunch of pulled pork sandwiches and homemade vegetable soup with your

friends. As usual, no charge, but we will have out a free-will basket to cover expenses. Invite your

friends! With the Steelers tanking, we all need some spiritual support and some comfort food!

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"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

Youth GRAPE News By Vanessa Verbaarschott, Youth GRAPE member

ATTENTION YOUTH OF BWCC: If you are interested in a crazy, fun, food filled, night of

fellowship for the teens and preteens of BWCC then come check out GRAPE. We meet

every Sunday night at the church, and have a ton of fun with a variety of activities! Give

yourself the chance to experience the awesomeness that is YOUTH GRAPE!

2015 Church Council By Norma Liebenguth It is with great pleasure that I announce that Jennie Griffin will be serving as our 2015 Church Council Chair! Jennie has

been serving as a member of the Missions Committee and will continue in that capacity. Diana Greenberg will serve as

Vice Chair. Diana continues with her service as a Trustee. Thank you both!

Valentine’s Progressive Dinner on Sat. Feb. 14 By Jane Siefers, Hospitality We had so much fun at last year’s Valentine progressive dinner that we’re planning to do it

again. This year February 14 falls on a Saturday, so you can enjoy a gourmet dinner in the

company of your best friends right on the holiday (try to find another spot with plenty of free

parking, elegant [maybe] surroundings, and a reasonable price on Valentine’s Day)! Of

course, the first order of business for a festive evening like this is securing host homes. We currently have four host

homes as of today so please consider signing up. We could use a couple more hosts who can manage a sit-down group of

six to ten guests. The cost of enjoying the progressive dinner is only $12.50 per person. Hospitality will provide prepared

entrees which require a minimum of last-minute preparation, so hosts can enjoy the evening without slaving over a hot

stove. And mark your calendars!

Thank You! By Jane Siefers, Hospitality Thanks to all the cookie bakers and others who helped with the Live Nativity refreshments, we

couldn’t have done it without you!

Missions By Jennie Griffin, Missions Many thanks to all who supported North Country Meals on Wheels by contributing to the

collection at the BWCC Christmas Eve service, which brought in $595. North Country Meals-on-

Wheels provides one hot and one cold meal each day to home bound elderly and people with

disabilities. This allows older adults to remain independent longer, improves their health and

nutrition, and provides them with daily social contact. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Thank you to everyone who continues to donate food for North Hills Community Outreach. They

always receive an influx of food over the holidays, but their pantry inventory drops dramatically during the winter

months. Their “item of the month" is soup for January, and for February, it is canned tuna, Meal-in-a-Box and Tuna/

Hamburger Helper. However, they are also extremely low on cereal and in need of toiletry items as well, especially

toilet paper and toothpaste. Feel free to leave items in the designated box in the church library. Thank you!

Ash Wednesday By Caitalyn Kowal, Outreach Ash Wednesday falls on February 18th this year. Join us for an evening service at 7 p.m.

to begin the season of Lent. Let’s begin this season of penance and reflection together.

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Offering Envelopes and Financial Statements By Jane Siefers, Assistant Treasurer 2015 offering envelopes have been placed in the church mailboxes, so please check your box for your

envelopes. You do not have to make a pledge, contribute frequently or even be a member to be issued

envelopes. If you did not receive a box of envelopes and would like to have one, please let assistant

treasurer, Jane Siefers, know. And if you do not have a church mailbox, please let office manager,

Cait Kowal, know so that one can be created for you.

End-of-year financial statements for 2014 will be placed in your mailbox shortly after the end of the year. Most

identified contributors will receive a statement, so if you contributed and did not get one, please let Jane know. As long

as your contributions are identified by using your assigned offering envelope, writing a check or putting your name on a

blank pew envelope, your contribution will be recorded. If you notice any discrepancies on your statement, please notify

Jane. Please note that any contributions received after December 31 will be recorded as contributions for 2015.

2015 Pledges By Jane Siefers, Assistant Treasurer Thank you to everyone who responded to the trustees’ call for pledges for 2015. We have received

pledges from 22 members totaling $63,400. Our members are to be commended for a long standing

record of meeting their pledge obligations, so this will certainly start the church off in good fiscal

shape for 2015!

Treasurer's Report as of 12/31/14

By Pam Hendrickson, Treasurer

Treasurer's Report as of 1/31/15

By Pam Hendrickson, Treasurer

Welcome New Members! By Caitalyn Kowal, Outreach We are happy to announce the welcoming of our newest members who joined our church family

on Dec. 21. We welcome: Bill & Jennie Ice, & Thoma Family: Jeff & Suzanne with Daniel,

Dillon, Caden, Eva & Dairian. We look forward to celebrating much with our new members in

years to come.

2014 Memorial Fund Report By Jane Siefers, Assistant Treasurer Balance as of 12/31/13: $15827.83

Donations: $0.00

Interest: $9.21

Expenses: ($2794.99)

Balance as of 12/31/14: $13042.05

Expenses: Electronic organ $2794.99

In 2014, no donations were made to the memorial

fund. The only expenditure of the fund was pur-

chase of the new electric organ for the church

sanctuary in October.

Good Luck To Jared Riley By Caitalyn Kowal, Outreach One of our congregation has been called to lead and serve his country. We held a special commissioning service for

Jared Riley on Jan. 11. He has valiantly joined the army and we gathered to bless him, pray for him and wish him well

on his journey. Afterwards, we celebrated with lots of laughter and cake. Thank you Jared for your service to us as your

church family and to your country.

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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.

Feb. 1 Chuck Brehm, Mac Coltharp, acolyte

Feb. 8 Melanie Verbaarschott, Beth Muhlenkamp, acolyte

Feb. 15 Jenn Hudak, Chloe Coltharp, acolyte

Feb. 22 John Liebenguth, Vanessa Verbaarschott, acolyte

A special thank you to newsletter

photographer Doug Atkinson!

Christmas cookies for all!

On Dec. 21 our youth put on a hilarious Christmas pageant!

January Birthdays

8 Luke Hudak;

9 Nancy Johnson;

10 John Ashbaugh;

11 Sherye Trickett-Lammers;

22 Leslie Kanter, Carrie Ptak;

24 Melanie Verbaarschott;

27 Katie Kasson, Amanda Johns Lowden

On Dec. 21, we welcomed: Bill & Jennie Ice, & Thoma Family: Jeff &

Suzanne with Daniel, Dillon, Caden, Eva & Dairian to our church family.

December and January Happenings

Our Live Nativity was a huge hit!

On Jan. 11, we held a commissioning

service for Jared Riley.

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Events for the Month of February:

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

Joel Bonzer, Joseph Bossman,

The Family of Becky Burdick, Cathy Carter,

The Davenport Family, Jody Dentici,

Diane Dilanni, Margie Douttiel, Christine Feagin,

Martha Finley, Kevin Frederick,

Katherine Gardner, Laurie & Joe Gillespie,

The Family of Jack Howard, Doug Ice, Ron Liguori,

Denise Massaro, Carol O’Brien, Jeff Prady,

Gary Price, Jennifer Rihtarchick, Myleigh Smith,

Doris Stokes, John Valley, and The Waldron Family

February Birthdays

6 Jean Oppedal; 13 Don Lammers;

17 Doug Atkinson and Cindy Dague;

18 Madge Ashbaugh; 19 Joe Bayer and Eddie Grieser;

23 Joyce Lewis; 24 Caitalyn Kowal; 26 Molly Williams;

29 Luanne Grimm

Coffee Hour

Please sign up to handle the duties of

coffee hour any Sunday. Preparing coffee,

a cold drink and an (optional) refreshment

is all that’s needed. And, it’s appreciated!

February 1 Communion Sunday, 11:00 a.m.

1 Pulled Pork Luncheon, 12:00 p.m.

7 Becky Burdick Memorial Service, 11:00 a.m.

10 Trustee’s Meeting, 6:00 p.m.

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

14 Valentine’s Progressive Dinner, 7:00 p.m.

18 Ash Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.

Ongoing:

Adult Sunday School: Every Sunday, 10 a.m.

Morning Worship Service: Every Sunday, 11 a.m.

Youth GRAPE: Every Sunday, 7 p.m.

Choir Practice: Every Monday, 7 p.m.

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

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.

Ushers Needed

Please volunteer to handle the duties of ushering any Sunday.

Greeting new guests, handing out bulletins, and collecting

contributions during service is all that’s needed.