Help Fill the HOC Supply ClosetOctober is our month to bring items for the supply closet at House of Compassion. Currently the greatest needs are for shampoo, baby and toddler diapers, toilet paper and laundry detergent. More clients are using the closet each month, so your generosity will be much appreciated. You can deposit items in the box in the entryway anytime during the month of October.
What Is A Church?A fellowship against loneliness. A hospital for healing souls. A school instructing those who would learn of God. An encouragement to walkers in the Way of Christ. A practice field for patience and compassion. A classroom of truth. A laboratory of life. An internship for minister-members. A hospitable door. A herald of Good News, joyful news, hopeful news, helpful news. A time-out corner. A resting place. A bath for washing guilt away. A reflecting pool. A kneeling bench. A cafeteria - God feeds us there. A garden where God comes looking for us. A rescue mission where God finds us. May it be so with us. -Copied, from the NEWSLETTER Newsletter
ResignationOn September 1, 2004, at September Meeting for Worship for Business, Pastor Keith submitted his resignation as our pastor, effective on or before June 30, 2005. He and Leondra feel strongly the need to return to the Northwest to be near their family and elderly parents. The meeting accepted his resignation with regret. BLFC Ministry and Counsel along with the Monthly Meeting Clerk have begun the process to search for a new pastor.
Thank YouSpecial THANKS to each member of the BLFC Family Camp Committee for all your hard work and planning this past year in holding the family camp meals so that our Family Camp is available at a lower cost for all. We appreciate all your efforts and work in planning the weekend at Camp Quaker Heights. Everyone enjoyed their time at CQH!Bangor Liberty,Thanks so much for the prayers, thoughts and cards over the last six weeks. I have felt so loved and supported during this time. It has helped me keep a positive attitude. I’m recovering nicely and do not require any further treatment. What a blessing! Thanks for your love and caring. -Sue Tuttle Osier
Dear Friends, Thank you all so very much for allowing us to come up to Family Camp this year. It is truly the highlight of our year! We enjoy you all allowing us to be a part of your lives and being part of ours. And of course there was the added benefit of getting to dress up as Elvis this year! Thank you all for a great weekend! Love, T.J. , Mari, Jacob, Bekah, Emma & Zach Stanfield
We extend our sympathy and prayers to the family of Walter Norman, following his death on September 29, 2004. Walter had been unable to worship with us after he had moved into Villa Del Sol in Marshalltown more than a year ago. Pastor Keith conducted graveside services at the Union Cemetery on October 4.
Attitudes By Charles Swindoll The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, a giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company,…a church,…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the past. We cannot change the fact that people will act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you;…we are in charge of our attitudes.
Liberty USFWOn Wednesday, October 13th the ladies of Liberty USFW will meet at Sharon Johnson’s home in Union at 7:00 p.m. The ladies are asked to bring items to send to Morrie Fanto in Iraq. He would appreciate microwavable items (hot chocolate, macaroni & cheese, etc.), cellophane wrapped hard candy and school supplies, such as pencils, colored pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, etc.
BLFC Youth GroupThe youth group met recently with sponsors Will and Jo Macy and Scott and Mary Davis to put together plans for the coming year. To start things off, the youth will meet at the Union School gym for an Open Gym on Sunday, October 17th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. All youth, grades 6-12, are encouraged to attend, bringing $5 for pizza and pop, and a friend!
Bangor USFW Our October meeting will be 1:30 p.m. the 19th at Fern Tuttle’s home in Marshalltown. All ladies are welcome to join us as we hear from Jean Bergen, director of the House of Compassion. Bess will provide refreshments.
Children’s ChurchDuring October we’ll be meeting on the 3rd, 17th and 31st to learn about David from the book of Samuel. Our service projects will include sending encouragement to college students and providing a meal for the Silver Belles. All children age 5 through fifth grade are welcome to participate.
Skating PartyCome have a blast at Skatetown in Marshalltown with Bangor Liberty Friends Church, Sunday, October 24, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to meet at Zeno’s Pizza at 4:30 p.m. to enjoy pizza and fellowship before the skating party. Bring $$ to pay for your own pizza order.
The Library Ledge:During October we’ll put the Spotlight on Women. Thanks to the USFW reading course and other donations, our church library has a large selection of books for and about women. Here’s a sample below. Whether your “office” is the executive suite, the nursery suite or somewhere in-between, Proverbs for Busy Women will fill you with confidence and hope even on the most hectic days. In a day of mobility and good-byes, is it really possible to keep a friend? Dee Brestin will make you cry and laugh as she take a close look at the power and pain in female relationships in The Friendships of Women. Check out the library ledge … you’ll find you’ll ways to stretch and grow there.
MissionsKaimosi Connection: As of Sept. 29th, Patrick Nugent and Mary Kay Rehard (yes, they are husband & wife) along with their two daughters have just returned to Kaimosi after a two month deputation - travel and fundraising in the United States. During this time they traveled over most of the country, sometimes together and sometimes separately. If you remember, Patrick was here at Bangor Liberty on July 26th. His wife and daughters joined him in Marshalltown and they traveled together to Richmond, IN. They enjoyed meeting old Friends/friends and new ones. It was good to meet so many women and their husbands who provided them with strong prayer support and material help. They also had time to spend with families, especially Patrick's parents as they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Upon returning to Friends Theological College in Kenya, they felt like they had returned home, sleeping in their own beds and not a different bed every night while in the U.S. Their daughters, Emma and Eliza, now 12 and 9, are attending St. Andrew's Preparatory School in Turi, near Nakuru, Kenya. Emma is in grade 8, preparing for secondary school entrance exams next June. Eliza is in year 5, joining the big kids' dining hall. Turi is a Christian boarding school on the British curriculum. The girls would like to hear from us here in the US. They are learning the fine art of raising chickens. Eliza is the chicken expert, as she nursed a chicken back to health, by keeping it warm under her shirt for an evening. That chick, called Miracle, has become their most prolific layer, providing them with eggs for a long time. As Mary Kay wrote this at their lunch table, she was holding in her own shirt another chick that needed to be rescued. They have become chicken rights advocates!! While Eliza likes being with the animals around their house, Emma likes to bake cookies for some friends. They have also been baking birthday cakes for friends in the neighborhood. Friends Theological College has begun the new school year with 25 new students, the largest incoming class in many years. They are very eager to begin their classes. About one half of the students will pursue the one-year certificate, and about half will take the newly accredited diploma program. They have faced almost every administrative challenge imaginable since returning in September. Mary Kay spent 2 weeks in orientation and retreat with third year students who are now on internships at the Coast, Samburu and in Nairobi. This crop of soon to graduate students demonstrates extraordinary insight and maturity. “We are heartened to listen to them share about how the new peace (AVP) and HIV/AIDS training has been integral to their development as persons, and as pastoral leaders.” They are now in the wet and cold season, but everything is very green. They visited the girls at Turi last weekend. They had a wonderful time camping in spite of the rain. African, British and Asian children joined with squeals of delight as they roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores and they learned about roasting toffees?? Patrick and Mary Kay have spent some time with Eden and Jim Grace, who will soon join them in Kenya as FUM Field Staff. We will hear more about the Grace's in the next Bell.
House of Compassion ReportAugust 26, we served 49 their choice of tuna fish or grilled cheese sandwiches, potato salad, cold slaw, fruit, variety puddings, cookies and milk. Volunteers: Vi, Betty, Randy and Jodi, Mary S, John, Sharon KJ, and Darlene provided food; Betty, Jodi, Bailey and Ty who prepared and stayed to serve with Mary S and Wayne T; and Joe, Kay, Kelsey, Daniel, Reg and Sherry were on cleanup. In the midst of our evening Keith and Tom came to monitor. However, a board member was already upstairs so Keith and Tom helped a little then headed home. September 30, we served 80 a beef, bean and rice casserole, spinach, green beans, fruit, blueberry dump cake or pumpkin muffins and milk. Volunteers: Darlene, Tom, John and Bess provided food; Fern, Diane and Betty prepared; Jeanette, Bob, Mary S, Betty and Keith served; Vi, Chuck, Sherry and Peggy cleaned and Wayne T stayed at the shelter with 5 men.
IAYM Youth Ministries“Faith & Hope” Leadership Program 6TH GRADERS OVERNIGHT GRINNELL FRIENDS CHURCH OCTOBER 15 & 16, 2004 8:00 P.M.-2:30 P.M. WHAT ARE THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES? Spenser Thury, pastor of Riverside Friends Church as leader
5TH GRADERS OVERNIGHT NOVEMBER 5-6, 2004 8:00 P.M.-2:30 P.M. Leader: Wendy Rains, Buffalo Friends We encourage any 5th & 6th graders to become involved in the “Future & Hope” leadership program. The cost to attend is $20 per person with the church paying this cost. Any youth interested in attending an over-nighter is encouraged to contact Pastor Keith. The IAYM Youth Ministries Board’s goal is to raise our youth to where they understand the process of serving Christ through their daily lives, to see that ministry as a vocation is a possibility, and to encourage them to remain a Friend throughout their lives.
-The truest end of life is to know that life never ends. -William Penn -The happiest miser on earth is the man who saves up every friend he can make. -Robert Emmet Sherwood
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