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The Bangor Liberty Bell |
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| Excerpts from February, 2003 Volume 24, No. 2 | ||
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If we don’t
change we don’t grow. Gail Sheehy Celebrate “Friends” Sunday Come celebrate friendship on Sunday, February 9 at Bangor Liberty Friends Church. Bring a friend with you to Sunday School, Church and Skatetown for an All Church Party! Highlights of the day include: 8:30-9:30 – Donuts,
Coffee, Juice & fellowship time Changes for Blizzard Blast!! Blizzard Blast, Iowa Yearly Meeting’s event for grades 5-8, will be held February 28-March 1, at the Marshalltown YMCA at a cost of $20 per person, and staff to $10 per person. All other plans and activities will remain the same as scheduled. Contact the Jr. Youth sponsors or the church office for a registration form. This is an excellent way for young people across IAYM to get to know one another and rekindle Camp friendships. Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said, “Some men are like the stump the old farmer had in his field – too hard to uproot, too knotty to split, and too wet and soggy to burn.” His neighbors asked him what he did about it. “Well, now, boys,” he answered, “I just plowed around it.” That is a good thing to do with obstacles that we encounter! Missions The Missions Committee is planning to bring you updated missions information once a month. We are in the tenth month of giving our pledge to the Cains in Belize. For the months of April thru December of last year we have given $3167.50, making a monthly average of $352. Thanks to all of you for your generous support for the Cains, and thanks to our treasurer, Scott, for keeping this all straight. The Cains write that starting in January the boys will be able to participate in sports activities. This will be a great help in keeping students interested in coming to school. A student must maintain a passing grade in all subjects and maintain at least 95% attendance to participate in sports. They are now working at soccer practice and the games started in December. Patrick Nugent and Mary Kay Rehard have assumed their work at the Friends Theological College in Kenya starting January 7. Rich and Sandy Davis, who were the previous missionaries at the FTC in Kenya, are now living in Indiana and Rich is in a new position with Friends United Meeting in the Richmond office. The Friends School in Ramallah resumed on January 10th after the Christmas holiday. We will be starting a new monthly pledge in April 2003, and we are working and praying that God will lead us in this decision. Continue to pray for all our mission fields and for our government leaders, that they will work more toward making peace rather than war. BLFC Missions Committee Children’s Church Children in grades K-5th are welcome to participate in Children’s Church during part of our worship service. February dates are the 9th and 16th. We will continue to make gifts of encouragement for the public school teachers. Our Bible lessons will be about the disciples of Jesus, and the rich young ruler. Liberty USFW Liberty USFW will host their annual Sweetheart Potluck Supper at the church on Wednesday, February 12th beginning at 6:30 p.m. All adults in the church are invited to attend this special event. If you plan to attend please sign up by Sunday, February 9 or call Kay Feltz, Darlene Bradley or Lora Bachman. Bangor USFW Our next gathering will be a work day held at the church on Tuesday, February 11th beginning at 9:30 a.m. or any time after. We will be working on baby quilts for Blank Hospital and the Stork’s Nest and lap robes for a nursing home. We’ll also make tray favors for a local nursing home and sort through the closet. Bring your own sack lunch and scissors. Ann will provide the dessert. If you’d like to help purchase fabric, talk with Miriam or Betty. Anyone who is interested in helping with the work is welcome. Our USFW meeting will be held at 3:00 with Bess bringing the devotional lesson. Additional information on the comforters for babies and children at Blank Hospital – If you make them in your home, here are some suggestions: They need a variety of sizes – 30”x30”, 36”x 36”, up to 45” x 45”. For older children they need to be 54”x 60.” These are just suggested sizes. We have been making quilts that have two layers of fabric. Some may need filler between the two layers. We try to have one side flannel. Polar fleece only needs to be one layer. If you don’t sew and want to make a purchase of flannel or cash, we will put it to good use. We received a great box of percale prints, we really need flannel. We can also use worn sheets, worn sheet blankets, light weight used blankets and worn mattress pads for filler. If you have embroidery floss we can use it to tie the comforters. Questions? Call Betty Arterburn or Miriam McDonald. You may bring any completed comforters to the church or call us and we’ll pick them up. House of Compassion January Report 45 people were served a generous meal of pizza boats, green beans, mixed fruit-canned and fresh, cupcakes and cookies, and milk. All was well received and many second servings were given. There were more small children than usual. Our great crew included: Tom G, Sharon K.J, Bess H, Lora B and Mary D who provided food; Diane, Fern & Wayne, and Betty who did the preparation; Kenny & Bess, Phil & Deb, Lora B, Rachel B, Rebecca D, and Michael D who served; Mary S, Chuck N, Keith & Leondra who worked on cleanup. The cleanup crew was glad that all of the cans were cleaned and smashed before they arrived. Thanks, Wayne! Bess and Kenny helped prepare the pizza boasts, Michael manned the ovens, Lora and Rachel poured drinks, Rebecca took orders at the window, Phil and Deb served the plates aided by Kenny and Bess. Everyone did well in his or her job. The cleanup went swiftly as each had their hands in water at one time or another. The floors and counters nearly glowed when all was finished. Joe and Kay reported having a very quiet night with just one man at the shelter. He was around 19 years old and from Sudan. He seemed interested in the football game on TV so when it went into double overtime they pushed back the normal bedtime and continued to watch. Kay said he washed clothes in the new, larger machines which were given anonymously. Thanks to each one and to those who remembered us in prayer. If you’d like to get on the volunteer list for future meals, please contact Margaret Good. BLFC Historical Item The following article is from the Aug. 5, 1961 edition of the Marshalltown Times-Republican Newspaper. Liberty Friends Feast Brings Back Memories Thinking back to the old threshing dinners, the nostalgic appetite can find a substitute at the Liberty Friends oat harvest feast. The Liberty Community holds the “Friends Feast” in the church basement in the Bevins Grove area north of Clemons. It’s the typical thresher’s menu: buns, fried chicken, potatoes and gravy, peas, beans, pickles, cole slaw, choice of appropriate drinks…and what will you have for dessert? Pie? Cake? And with homemade ice cream? The charm is intangible. This gray stucco church with ivy green vinery sits serenely among stately elms. Surely there’s a sensing of end-of-day tiredness at the oat harvest supper…tired harvesters gathered round the board…women who have been perspiring in the kitchen all day…business people from neighboring towns seeking the cool country flavor. Yet somehow a freshness pervades the old, old topics of conversation: “Sure been a hot one today!” “Pass the slaw…and send that chicken platter this way, please.” This is a busy, sharing church. Members of the Young People’s Sunday School class are sponsors of the meal. They do the serving. Orville Norman is their teacher. Women of the Missionary Society prepare the food. Another summer activity of the Liberty Community Friends Church is its “Concert Under the Stars.” On a Sunday evening about mid-July the setting is the wooded lawn under strings of Japanese lanterns. Add a temporary stage, a large wooden cross, and two flags flapping in the breeze. A musical program is heard from cars much like a summer band concert, but this is all vocal, all sacred. A distinctive country touch concludes the evening…refreshments after the concert. This year, on a recent Sunday evening Orville Norman directed the 36 voice choir. Evelyn Sparks was the pianist. A guest men’s quartette from the Zearing Christian Church was included and the former Jones sisters sang. (Veva Cook, Zearing, Helen Settle and Audrey Norman, Liberty community). Soloists were Claude Smith, Glen Moreland, Robert Jefferson and Kathleen Hall. Rural Iowa at a concert under the stars gives the assurance of security and progress. There are no gray mares to match the church, not even a Model A. Among the cars are the shadows of darting children who feel little need for sustenance of the soul. A few infants cry protests from parked cars. There is an occasional car horn peeped out of place, by some future Liberty Friend perhaps, in spite of the choric rhythm of “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,” Then the night…and small ones fall asleep. Quietness…only the light of the cross, the stars overhead, an occasional threat of lightning. From the white waisted singers comes the choric assurance: “He’s only a prayer away…” and somehow you believe that’s true. Sr. Youth News Sr. Youth continues to meet the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. We just started a new study called “Alien Youth Encounter: Five Essentials of the Alien Youth.” It was written by the Christian rock band “Skillet” with the purpose to help promote a radical Christian lifestyle in youth. (I’m even challenged by it.) The five essentials are: The Birth of a New Nature, A Holy Spirit Lifestyle, Worship, Transforming Your Mind, and Implementing the Alien Lifestyle. Please keep us in your prayers as we work through this study. The enemy does not want to see us achieve the level of commitment this study calls for. We are also grateful for the money received from the Thank Offering. Keep the faith! |