The Bangor Liberty Bell

Sharing the News and Views of

Bangor Liberty Friends Church

 

April 2005   Volume 26, No. 4

Keith Haisch, Pastor

   

 

Our greatest need cannot exceed our greatest resource - GOD

  

 

You and Your Family

Are Invited to

A Special Day for Youth & Families

Sunday, April 17th

Bangor Liberty Friends Church

 

9:30 - Camp Quaker Heights Presentation

10:30 - Morning Worship with Ric & Linda Garrison

Music by Chip Daleske

11:45 a.m. Youth Lunch for 5th - 12th graders

12:15 - 3:30 p.m. - Games & Fun for 5th - 12th graders

3:30 p.m. - Youth Games & Fun for Pre-K - 4th graders

5:00 p.m. - All Church Potluck - come and

share in the food and fellowship

6:00 p.m. - Evening Service with “Press On”

 

  

Remove Your Shoes

            When God called for Moses to remove his shoes at the burning bush, the issue wasn’t bare feet but the removal of one’s own self-fashioned support. In other words, God…desires of us a will to put nothing of our creation between ourselves and Him. And standing barefoot in the rocky terrain of a desert, as Moses did, will cause a man to walk more cautiously before God.

                                    -Jack Hayford

 

 

-A pessimist is a person who feels bad when he feels good for fear he will feel worse when he feels better.

 

-Learn from the mistakes of others - you can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.

 

 

The World is a Better Place because….

…Michelangelo didn’t say, “I don’t do ceilings.”

…A German monk named Luther didn’t say, “I don’t do doors.”

…Moses didn’t say, “I don’t do rivers.”

…Noah didn’t say, “I don’t do arks.”

…Mary Magdalene didn’t say, “I don’t do feet.”

…Paul didn’t say, “I don’t do letters.”

…Jesus didn’t say, “I don’t do crosses.”

                                                            -copied

 

 

Children’s Church

Our April lessons will be to learn about Joshua and about the Quaker Peace Testimony. Our service project will be to thank workers at Marshalltown Community Hospital. Children age 5 through grade 5 are welcome to join us on April 3rd and 24th.

 

 

Liberty USFW

            Ladies of Liberty USFW will meet at the church on Wednesday evening, April 13th for a work night. (Please note change in location and time!) Ladies are invited to come at 6:00 p.m. to share in a soup supper provided by Rosalee and Diane. The evening will be spent finishing up projects for the year  --  tying baby quilts, finishing fleece blankets, cutting and counting soup labels, etc. Please bring scissors and a medium sized crochet hook, soup labels, box tops for education and used stamps.

 

 

Bangor USFW

The Bangor USFW will meet at the church at 9:30, Tuesday, April 12 to make baby blankets. (Note this is a week earlier than usual.)  Remember your scissors and thimbles. Lunch will be provided by Bess and Fern. Our business meeting will begin after lunch with Donna bringing the lesson. We welcome anyone interested in helping with the blankets to come lend a hand. You certainly do not need to be a USFW member to participate.

 

 

Volunteers Needed

            Camp Quaker Heights need caring, fun-loving folks to spend time at camp this summer. Counselors, nurses, kitchen help, canoe runners, groundskeepers, anyone willing to serve regardless of the task are needed. ALL volunteers will need to attend a training session. Training sessions began April 2. Check with the church office for locations of the training sessions.

            Also for activities at camp this summer CQH needs 150-175 coffee cans. The plastic or metal are both fine, either small or large ones.

 

 

Camp Registrations

            The church has received registration forms for summer camp at Quaker Heights. If your youth have not received a form, please see Mary Davis, Christian Ed. chairman, or contact the church office. All youth planning to attend summer camp need to let our treasurer, Scott Davis, know soon so scholarships funds can be distributed to all. Registrations with a $50 deposit are due at the Camp by May 25, 2005.

 

Camp Dates are:

Fry (3-4)                       June 10-12

High School                  June 17-21

HS Weekender             June 17-19

Fox (5-6)                      June 23-26

Jr. High (7-8)                July 5-9

            For more information call 641-939-5977 or 641-751-4400, or email campqhi@adiis.net.

 

 

News From Missions Committee

For the past year (April 2004-March 2005 ) we have been supporting Steve and Marlene Pedigo at the Chicago Fellowship of Friends. Starting this April thru March 2006, we will be supporting another mission field. There are so many needs, that it was hard to decide on one, but the Missions committee has decided to support Joyce Ajlouny, who is the director for the Friends Schools in Ramallah.

Joyce is a Palestinian Christian, which puts her among 5% of the population of Israel/Palestine. She is a Palestinian Christian Quaker of which there are very few. She speaks Arabic and English fluently and has a deep love for the Palestinian people and her hometown of Ramallah. Her admiration for the Friends School, as an alumna, previous teacher and present parent, is apparent as she has a lifelong commitment to quality education as the main means for the sustainable development of societies and in her confidence in making a positive difference in children's lives. She is married and has 3 high school age boys,

School Life: 

+  Boys School has a non-violence course.

+  Both schools are preparing for Open Day in April. This includes a variety of activities for parents and teachers alike.

+  A large greenhouse is now complete in Swift House Garden.

+  Multi-purpose hall is complete and the official opening is April 19th.

+  New Head of Music, Martin Lentz,    starts in April, and is preparing for a summer camp, the first of its kind in Palestine.

+  Friends Girls School admitted 2 additional new students with special needs this year. 

+  Friends Girls School students were engaged with many awareness-building activities.

+  Friends Boys School is preparing for ‘Value Week,’ a week filled with activities around school values.

+  Nearly 12 teachers have completed 45 hours of a course on ‘Ethics in Education.’ 

+  They have a picture-loaded parent newsletter, and see this as an important vehicle to enhance engagement with parents.

These are just some of the recent achievements at the Ramallah Friends School

Please prayerfully consider this opportunity to be a part of the Mission work in Ramallah.                         -BL Mission Committee     

 

 

House of Compassion

On March 31, we served 59 people their choice of liver and onions or sloppy Joes, cheesy scalloped potatoes, green beans and bacon, applesauce, cake with berries and whipped topping, milk and coffee. Our great volunteers were Bess, Fern, Betty, John, James and Sharon, Bill and Rosalee and Chuck and Ann who provided the food; Fern, Betty, and Deb G who prepared; Leo, Melidy, Shirley, Don and Nathan who served; and Vi, Mary S, Sherry, Wayne T and Neil who were on clean up.

Ann and Keith were monitors in the shelter for 4 men and 1 woman. It was an eventful night. For details about "Plan B", Woodbury children, and unexpected uniformed guests, see the complete report on the bulletin board. Our next responsibility will be Thursday, April 28. Be sure to volunteer early so you don't miss out on all the fun!

 

 

The Library Ledge:
Inspiring Devotionals

            One of our Quaker Queries asks, “Do you endeavor to advance your spiritual growth by prayerful study of the Bible and devotional literature?” Our church library has many books and audios to encourage growth in your devotional life. 

            The audio When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lacado reminds us that only God can move us along in our journey with power from beyond.

             Janette Oke shares a collection of devotionals in The Father Who Calls. An index in the back, lists each subject addressed.

            In the audio Seven Promises for a Promise Keeper leading authors reveal how men can cultivate deep, life changing relationships with their wives, children, friends and their Lord.

            These and more are available for you to check out on the library ledge.

 

 

 

Spring Body of Representatives

April 29 - May 1, 2005

 

Light of the Lakes Friends Church located at Arnolds Park, Iowa

 

Registrations for motel rooms and the bus ride are due into the IAYM Office

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Contact the church office if you need a registration form.

 

 

 

Grab A Hard Hat and Join Us

at

CONSTRUCTION ZONE

Vacation Bible School

June 5-10, 2005

At CONSTRUCTION ZONE we’re not building with bricks and stone, we’re Building Character Like Jesus.

            This construction project will take place each evening, June 5-10, right here at Bangor Liberty Friends Church. At Construction HQ, our Construction Crew will explore the life of Jesus, seeing in Him character qualities that honor God. Building Character Like Jesus will challenge kids to be HUMBLE, OBEDIENT, FAITHFUL, CARING, and FORGIVING.

In every story, kids will see Jesus is the model of perfection -- his plans for us are divine. Through hands-on activities, including Hard Hat Area (games), Brown Bag Bistro (snacks), Do-It-Yourself Crafts and more, kids will be encouraged to build their lives according to code, learn God’s Word, and hammer it home. Through great On the Job Praises, such as “Just Like Jesus” and “You Made the Heavens,” kids will discover “God’s Working in Me.”  Your kids, ages 4 through 6th grade, won’t want to miss a minute of the action. Secure their positions on the Construction Crew today by calling the church office at 641-486-5434 before noon or one of the co-directors, Shelley at 641-752-8836 or Diane at 641-486-5304. Many adult and teen volunteers will be needed as we help children in Building Character Like Jesus!

 

 

O Magnify the Lord

            “What does it mean to magnify the Lord?” the father asked.

            His teenage daughter said, “It means to honor him in sincere worship.”

            “That’s right. Any other ideas?”

            Finally his 5-year-old son yelled out with childish enthusiasm, “To magnify the Lord means to make him bigger in your life.”

            What a great insight this young boy had into the true meaning of magnifying the Lord.                                           -Copied

 

 

God Gave Only 10

            A state representative returned home from a recent session of the legislature and began to strut and brag about their successes. While caught up in the spirit of accomplishment, he met grandpa (the preacher) on the street and stated, “We’ve just passed 79 laws in three months; how many have you passed at the church?”

            In his forceful, subdued manner, the parson responded, “Well, lawyer, you’re doing better than God; he gave only 10!”

                                                            -copied

 

 

Child

            A Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the bible, Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse.

            Little Bobby was excited about the task. But, he just couldn’t remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Bobby was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, “The Lord is my shepherd and that’s all I need to know.”

 

 

Tending God’s Garden

          There are some, who say our entire earth, and all the remarkable systems of created order, which sustain it, are slowly but surely experiencing more and more fatigue, and could be terminally ill. This is to be likened to the fatigue of a young, virile athlete who, if healthy regeneration does not

soon take place, could senselessly and tragically be carried from the floor of play, dead.

            Some argue these scientists are alarmists. But the voices are growing in number; their credentials don’t resemble those of Chicken Little; and the evidence of dispassionate science points with quiet, grim persistence to acid rain, polluted streams, land, and air, to holes in the ozone layer above the earth and other evidence that Mother Earth is beginning to resemble a very tired athlete in the final quarter of a desperately fought game.

            One of the blind spots for some Christians, actually a heresy, is the belief that God, by the very nature of being God, is so totally benevolent.…that we don’t need to be concerned over the consequences of our actions. How contrary to Scripture and to all human experience! We rather easily embrace the idea that everything is this vast scheme of Creation was made by God. But we are prone to hide from the radical theology that we are co-creators with God, the ones who tend the Garden, the stewards, the wise and caring managers of all that has been entrusted to us.        

                                                            -Copied

 

What If….?

What merit has a kind heart if kept to oneself;

What use are good intentions if not acted upon;

What good does talent serve if left unfulfilled;

What worth have possessions if so many are poor;

What comfort is faith if constantly questioned?

                                                -copied

 

 

Encouraging One Another

From the Women of Faith Study Guide Series:

How are you? Are you pining for the fellowship that surpasses all others? Get yourself to the nearest Christian and connect. Spend time with fellow believers rejoicing over what you have in Jesus. Sing some songs. Laugh together. Pray for one another. Hug each other. Celebrate the blessed tie that binds you to one another in Christian love.      Written by Marilyn Meberg

 

 

A Holiday for Atheists

            An atheist complained to a friend because Christians had their special holidays, such as Christmas and Easter; and Jews celebrated their national holidays such as Passover and Yom Kippur. “Bet we atheists,” he said, “have no recognized national holidays. It’s unfair discrimination.”

            His friend replied, “Why don’t you celebrate April first?”             -Clergy Talk