Baptist bulletin Monthly Newsletter of the West Acton Baptist Church 592 Massachusetts Ave., Acton, MA 01720 ~ 978-263-5902

www.westactonbaptistchurch.org

1 Pastor's Word

2 Preaching Schedule

2 Clerk

2 Pastoral Search Comm.

2 Mission Moments

3 Christian Education

4 Holiday Happenings

5 Sunday Stewards

5 Celebrations

5 Christmas Gifts &

Fundraising

5 WAVM Holiday Stroll

6 Moderator's Report

6 Properties Team

7 Poinsettia Orders

8 WABC Women

8 CPR Class

8 School of Ministry

December 2015

Inside this Issue

It’s the season of Advent once again, a season we use to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth as a tiny baby in Bethlehem. The story of our faith begins in a stable in the most obscure corner of the least significant portion of the then known world. Yet, even in Bible times it had reached out on Christ’s name all the way to the capital city, Rome. Truly, the gospel of Christ’s life, death and resurrection is a powerful message that even today changes lives and hearts. As we heard again and again as we looked at Romans on Sunday mornings this last five months: The power of the gospel is salvation to those who hear and respond with faith. “Jesus died and rose again so that we can be reconciled to our Creator.” The mere proclamation of those words carries the salvation of the world because it was and still is God’s plan. With all the turmoil going on around us, in the world, in our own lives and even in our church, the breath-taking good news of God’s love expressed in the cross and the empty tomb is a word of boundless hope and encouragement. One way we observe Advent at WABC is through Bible study. With that in mind, I’d like to invite everyone to a special class after worship the four Sundays of Advent this year. The title is “Before Amen,” and it’s about prayer, the basics of prayer and its power for faithful people. There’s a DVD and questions, like some of the other studies we’ve done. A preview: The simplest prayer we can utter is, “Father, you are good. I need help. They need help. Thanks. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” That’s the jumping off point for the four sessions, simple but so profound. New thought. Actually an old one that bears repeating, about the Pastoral Search Committee. They have really become deeply involved in the interview and follow-up activities of their task, and need our prayers now perhaps more than ever. I ask everyone to pray that God will grant them at least these three things:

- Wisdom in the interviews with important questions and constructive observations

- Open hearts and minds as they hear possible pastors preach at neutral pulpits

- Travel safeties as the visit the churches to hear the preachers Nothing earth shaking, but important as the committee carries on these responsibilities. A merry Christmas and Happy New Year to every member and friend of WABC! Rev. Robert Branch, interim

Pastor's Word - Out of My Mind

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(article cont.)

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Preaching Schedule

December 6 2nd Sunday in Advent Hanging of the Greens

December 13

3rd Sunday in Advent Malachi 3:1-5

The Day of the Lord

December 20 4th Sunday in Advent

Zephaniah 3:14-20 A Song of Joy

December 24 Christmas Eve Isaiah 62:6-12

God's Holy People

December 27 Psalm 148:1-14 Praise the Lord

January 3

John 1:1-18 Making the Word Flesh

Clerk

Church Council Meeting: Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. in the Chapel. This will be the last meeting related to preparation for the Proposed 2016 Budget and Boards and Committees need to have representatives present.

Boards and Committees need to be preparing their reports for the Annual Report and getting them to Nancy Dodge as soon as they can come the first week of January.

Annual Meeting will be January 31, 2016.

We mark with sorrow the passing of member Pastor Emeritus Roswell Cummings on November 22, 2015.

Pastoral Search Comm.

Everyone's prayers are needed as we continue to discern where God is leading. We are in the process of interviewing, requesting references and listening to sermons from the candidates we feel are the best fit for our future at WABC. We review the profiles sent from ABCUSA and discuss each one. The compensation package will need to be based on the amount of money we have available. This amount will be a direct reflection of the dollars each of us pledges. What is the reason you come to West Acton Baptist? This is the reason you give to West Acton Baptist!

Team members: Nancy Emerson Lombardo, Tess Tessier, Nancy Dodge, Phil MacPhee, Linda O'Neil, Ira Smith, Bob Williams, Val Nolen and Ruth Thatcher, chair.

Mission Committee

Rev. Patti Langevin is the sister of the late Rev. Gene Langevin, founder of The Way Up pastor at the South Baptist Church in South Boston. Gene Langevin who was the founder of “The Way Up” youth ministry died in January 2015. Rev. Patti Langevin and her daughter are continuing this outreach ministry to provide pastoral outreach and support for young juvenile offenders being held in state facilities. At their fall meeting Stillman Association Women invited Rev. Patti to come and speak of the work she and her daughter continue with the young juvenile offenders being held in state facilities in the Quincy area. Their visits to the lock-ups in the inner city is often the first, and only, opportunity for these young people to hear about the love of God and Jesus. We are bringing forward a special opportunity to help Rev. Patti and her family as they had a water break on the second floor of their home which caused significant damage to their heating system, ceiling, and more. The insurance company has yet to respond to their claim, and they are financially challenges to “stay afloat” with winter coming and the need for the heating system to be repaired. Please prayer for them and any gift you can give to help them is greatly appreciated. Make your check payable to West Acton Baptist Church and in the memo section write “The Way Up” Rev. Langevin.

The month of December we will be receiving the special offering for Retired Ministers and Missionaries (RMMO). Please consider a gift in honor of or in memory of a pastor of missionary who you hold close in your spiritual journey. The Grace of Giving is the theme of this year’s offering and is extremely important. Here is one of the stories of how this offering is so important. From Rev. Ming Lee, Youth Pastor, Seattle Chinese Baptist Church, Seattle, Washington. “We give to establish our heavenly investment, show gratitude, and obey God’s command. About 25 years ago we lost our Senior Pastor to a heart attack just before his 44

th birthday. He

left behind a wife and two young children. There was a home mortgage, no life insurance, and no college savings. By God’s grace provisions were made to meet the needs of our Senior Pastor’s family. We honor him by contributing to RMMO and acknowledge that those who have served are sometimes in need of emergency assistance.

Acton Community Supper – Thanks to all who helped with the November 11

th supper that WABC hosted. We have received a

letter of thanks from Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church’s Pastor and Michael Tobia for hosting three suppers. A special thank you to our youth and the youth leaders who helped decorate placemats, which acknowledged that we remembered Bob Peabody and All Veterans. There were many compliments received on the placemats and thanks from the people who enjoyed a Shepherd’s Pie, Green Beans, Tossed Salad, Soup, Bread, Beverage and Cake meal. The Mission Committee reported to the Board of Deacons, who voted the funds from the Jenks Needy Interest for the 3 suppers in 2015 at $250.00 each was such a wonderful opportunity to share in this local outreach. All agreed that WABC should host another supper in the coming winter season. Joan Richards will contact the Coordinator of the Community Supper, Michael Tobia soon to set up a date in 2016. Let Joan Richards or Ruth Thatcher know if you are interested in helping.

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Christian Ed

Nursery Care is available during worship for ages 0-2. The nursery is located in the lower level. The nursery care provider is Stephanie Dodge.

Sunday School – The Board of Christian Education has classes for pre-school-kindergarten and for children in1

st-6

th grade. Children will attend worship

with their parents & will be dismiss to Sunday school after the children’s story.

• Pre-school-Kindergarten - A member of Christian Education will lead the children to the lower level for a Sunday school lesson & playtime. Lori Bruneau will be the teacher for the month of December.

• Grades 1-6 - Classes are taught by Devon Murphy who will lead the children to the DEN for a lesson.

The WAY, Youth Group for grades 7-12 & College students meet the 2nd & 4th Sunday of every month (PLEAE NOTE. Youth Group will only meet on December 20 this month). Ruth Thatcher & Nancy Dodge are the leaders. Nursery Care Needed - We are looking for volunteers to help out in the nursery. Per the “Safe Church Policy” we need at least two people. Contact Lori Bruneau; if you would like to volunteer. You do need to be CORI’d; please contact Nancy Dodge in the church office. Updates on the Den - Two of the doors have been painted, one more to go. Thanks to Bob Ingram for placing locks on all the doors.

“Journey to Bethlehem” on Saturday, December 5, 5:00pm All are invited!! We will depart from WABC at 4:30pm presented by the Faith Evangelical Free Church 54 Hosmer Street Acton, MA. It is a hour presentation to experience the journey that Mary & Joseph took to Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. The presentation takes place both inside and outside so dress accordingly. For More Information visit Faith Evangelical Free Church’s website www.faithevfree.org “West Acton Village Holiday Stroll” on Saturday December 12 Youth group will have “Reindeer Games” from 1pm-4pm On December 20, All Sunday School Children(Ages 3-11) are invited to join us during Sunday School for a Christmas Party. Come and celebrate Jesus’ Birthday. We will have snacks, games, and crafts. Christmas at Grotonwood on December 20, 2:00pm All are invited to attend. We will leave church parking lot at 1:30pm, Carpooling is available

Hi families! Fall has been so kind to us with our weather, it doesn't seem that winter is so quickly approaching! We are gearing up for our holiday activities with the youth here at WABC. In November we decorated placemats for the veterans. Together we were able to create over 80 placemats! These mats were placed under each dinner plate at the community supper honoring the veterans who have fought for our freedom. The Sunday school continues to collect batteries both new and used so that we may send them off so that they can be used for less fortunate children in other countries. If you have any questions please feel free to see our own Zach Taylor. May you have a blessed holiday season with your families!! Devon

Advent Bible Study will begin on Sunday, November 29th

following worship in the DEN. All are invited to attend. We will meet every Sunday during Advent; Dec. 6, 13 & 20.

Journey to Bethlehem Saturday, December 5

th at the Faith

Free Evangelical Church Meet at church at 4:30, program is at 5pm, families encouraged to attend, free but donations

accepted. This is outside, DRESS WARMLY.

Women's Christmas Party - Saturday, December 5th at 6pm, at the home of Connie Ingram. We will reveal

Secret/Prayer Pals, pick new ones & have a Yankee swap. Please bring a dish to share, ALL women & girls invited.

RSVP Church office by December 3rd.

"Hanging of the Greens" on Sunday, December 6th

worship, 10:30am

West Acton Village Holiday Stroll Sat., December 12th

(all of W. Acton merchants will participate 10am-4:30pm)

The WAY will have “Reindeer Games” as a fundraiser 1-4pm

"Christmas at Grotonwood" Sunday, December 20th

We will meet about 1:30pm and go to Grotonwood. Festival of

Lights, Cookie Decorating, Campfires, Petting Zoo, Live Performances, Photo Booth, Crafts & more!

This is outside, DRESS WARMLY

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Thursday, December 24

th at 6pm

Salvation Army Bell Ringing – Nov 23 - Dec 23 Sign-up

online at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e49aca628abf94-stop

WABC Holiday Happenings

Christmas Gifts/Fundraising Coffee - We place an order for coffee the first Monday of every month. You may fill out an order form from the back of the sanctuary or fill out the form on our website. The cost is $10/lb for Regular – Whole/Ground/Medium/Dark and $11/lb for Decaf Whole/Ground/Medium/Dark. The coffee is Fair Trade & Organic and is roasted & shipped within 24 hours. Our church gets $3/lb for every pound we sell. COFFEE makes a great GIFT! Once you taste this coffee you’ll never want anything else. NEXT orders going in at 9am on Monday, November 30th.

Amazon - Don't forget to click on the Amazon.com link on our website so that we earn 4-6% of everything you purchase during that visit. Please spread the word to your friends and family by telling your them to click on the Amazon.com clipart on our website!

Celebrations December Birthdays Lorna Harris December 2 Mary-Lou Chapski December 3 Ira Smith December 8 Doug Taylor December 9 Mary Beth Williams December 11 Akhiel Willis December 12 Bill MacPhee December 14 Tom Howes December 16 Brigitte Wallace December 17 Lucy Howes December 22 Tori Taylor December 28 December Anniversaries Ty and Genetriz Lamb December 22

Sunday Stewards

December 6 December 13 December 20 December 27 Scripture Reader Hanging of the Greens Ruth Thatcher Linda O'Neil Carol Peabody Greeter OPEN OPEN OPEN OPEN

Coffee Fellowship: Set-up Zelda Williams Zelda Williams Zelda Williams Zelda Williams Clean-up Zelda Williams Connie Ingram Zelda Williams Connie Ingram Veggies OPEN Ruth Thatcher OPEN OPEN Fruit Tori Taylor OPEN OPEN Carol Peabody Cheese/Crackers Zelda Williams Connie Ingram Linda O'Neil Connie Ingram Beverages OPEN OPEN OPEN OPEN

*Please let the church office know if you would like to fill any of the OPEN slots, Thank you!

WAVM Holiday Stroll We are participating again in the West Acton Village Holiday Stroll this year, Saturday Dec 12th 11 am to 4:30 pm.

There will be a petting zoo, food and drink around the village, a strolling Santa, a scavenger hunt, and much more! The businesses are donating baskets for a raffle. The baskets will be displayed in our fellowship hall with all the proceeds going towards putting holiday dinners and gifts under trees for needy families in Acton. If you can, please donate any amount towards our basket which will have a breakfast theme. This gets our name out into the community. Please see Ruth Thatcher or Nancy Dodge to make a monetary donation towards the goodies that will go into our basket. The tree at Middlesex Bank will be lite around 4:30, at which time our church bell will be rung! From 1 pm to 4 pm WABC will run "children's reindeer games" in Fellowship Hall. The proceeds will go towards our youth group. Volunteers are needed during the Stroll. Please join in as we do community outreach! Speak to Ruth Thatcher or Nancy Dodge to let us know how you can participate.

Moderator’s Report We have a stewardship obligation to our church: get an independent audit of all our finances. Only one individual has committed to serving on the Audit Committee that we have to form in order to get the audit done. No financial officer or member of the Finance Committee is eligible, because an audit requires an objective examination by an outside expert, and those handling our finances can’t help audit their own work. You don’t have to be a financial expert: diligence and responsibility are what’s needed. It’s not a huge, prolonged task. Our Audit Committee will meet with the auditor they select, assemble the documents needed for the examination and review, then meet with the auditor again to go over the results. This is an appeal for at least two, preferably three others to step up. We’ve had an offer since the spring from a qualified CPA, experienced with church finances, to audit our books - at no charge. We actually had an Audit Committee, briefly, before the summer, until two of the three members had personal circumstances change and felt they had to withdraw. If we don’t act quickly, the auditor who has volunteered will be into the tax season and no longer available. Looking at the bigger picture, all of us are dealing with our church’s prolonged uncertainties - finding a new settled pastor, and selling property. There are still too many variables and contingencies that we can’t nail down. They’re like airplanes circling an airport waiting to land. We just want to be sure of where we will be, and the stress of not knowing is sometimes pretty hard to tolerate. Here is where faith is our greatest help. We continue to pray for our church, do the legwork to move possibilities forward, and trust that all will be become clear and the right solutions will materialize - in God’s own time, not ours. We can trust and rely on God in spite of our own impatience and anxiety.

Respectfully submitted, Nancy Hoover, Moderator

Properties Team Report At the November Church Council meeting, I announced that someone had expressed interest in buying both the parsonage and the annex. No offer has materialized, but this is a good time for church members to revisit selling the annex. It is currently uninhabitable, so if we want to keep it, we have to develop realistic answers to four questions:

1. What will it cost to rehabilitate the annex, basement to roof?

2. How will we use the rehabbed annex? 3. How much revenue will it generate for us, or

what costs it will save us? 4. How much will it cost to maintain it, and where

will the funds come from? Without viable answers to these questions, the Properties Team is likely to recommend to the members, for their vote at a special called business meeting, that we do sell the annex if there is a suitable offer. As a reminder, the Properties Team has the authority to negotiate, with the aid of our real estate agent and our attorney, to get the best offer and the best deal that we can. All discussions and details, including a potential buyer’s name or any sale prices mentioned, remain confidential until the Purchase and Sale Agreement (PSA) has been negotiated and agreed to and signed by the buyer. At that point, the WABC members can review the price and all other terms, conditions, and contingencies for the sale, and will have the opportunity to vote to approve or reject the Properties Team’s recommendation to sell. This confidentiality is standard procedure in real estate sales, and violating it could very well terminate a solid sale opportunity.

Respectfully submitted, Nancy Hoover, Chair

Properties Team

Properties Team Update "We did receive an offer Saturday morning, Nov. 21st, communicated with each other by email, met Sunday after worship, and came to a unanimous agreement about the terms we would be willing to recommend to the membership. Today (Monday) our real estate agent and attorney are putting those terms into our counter-offer. There will probably be another round of responses and negotiations to finish establishing definitive terms for the Purchase and Sale Agreement, which we hope to have ready by this coming Friday, Dec. 4th.

The offer looks so promising that we are scheduling an information and question-and-answer session about the sale terms and conditions with the Properties Team for this coming Sunday, Dec.6th, followed by a special called business meeting for you to vote on it after worship on Dec.13th."

Valerie Nolen In memory of the Thomas family

In honor of the West Acton Baptist Church - Leadership & Congregation!

Nancy Emerson Lombardo

In honor of the Flower Committee, Thanks for all you do

Wendy Maxfield, Tom, Max and Lucy Howes

In honor of Alice Howes In memory of Harry Howes

In memory of Marjory Maxfield In memory of Nancy Girvan

In memory of James and Dorothy Girvan

Kathi Gellar In memory of Peter and Jane Gellar, my

grandparents In memory of Bryn Rose Gellar, my niece

In honor of Steve and Ruthanne Gellar, my parents

In honor of Mildred Holman, my grandmother In honor of the WABC Bell Choir

In honor of the WABC Chancel Choir In honor of Ingrid Eppelsheimer

The Dodge family

In memory of Melissa White, mother & grandmother

Precious Isibor

In honor of my sons, Adio Ashafa and Andre Tongo

Ruth Thatcher

In honor of Nancy Dodge

Carol Peabody In memory of Bob Peabody

In memory of Megan Peabody

Bev Thatcher In honor of my last living sister Virginia Dawson

In memory of all who have gone before me

Elizabeth Babbitt

Linda and Dick O'Neil

In honor of our family, Mark, Melissa, Mic, Lilly, Rick, Lauren, Owen, Todd & Kim

In memory of Ethel and Warren Davis In memory of Gertrude and Richard O'Neil Sr.

Joan and Jim Richards

In honor of our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews

In memory of Loved Ones

Lori and Olivia Bruneau In honor of Adam Cochrane's 1st Birthday

In memory of Emelda Ouellette

Nancy Hoover In honor of My children and grandchildren

In memory of My parents

Bob and Connie Ingram In honor of Our WABC family and the WABC

Women In memory of Loved Ones

Bob and Zelda Williams

In honor of Christmas and family

These people have made donations to decorate our sanctuary this Christmas

THANK YOU!!

CPR Class On Tuesday, January 5th at 6pm a CPR class will be offered. This is the Family & Friends course offerd by the American Heart Association. Cost is $40/pp (which is a discounted price). Please contact the church office if you would like to participate.

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Updates from

The School of Ministry Val Nolen

Event Dates from FBC Littleton: Women's Ministries - Sat January 9 -1pm Epiphany Tea, Yankee Swap & Secret Pals Their Men's Group meets on the 4th Saturday of the month. They meet at FBC Littleton at 7:30am for breakfast, devotions/discussion and then they will do a work project at church. Those interested in participating could contact Dick, Huebner; Please let Dick know the week before if you plan on attending. Bean Suppers Mar 5 & Apr 2 at 5:30pm Winter Retreat at Pilgrim Pines in Swanzey NH, January 29-31, Cost is $150 per adult & $75 per child. PLEASE NOTE: All of the WABC congregation is encouraged to attend these activities, as is FBC Littleton encouraged to attend ours.

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WABC Women ALL Women & Girls are invited to attend any of our meetings/functions. Our Christmas Party is on Saturday, December 5th at the home of Connie Ingram at 6pm. Bring a dish to share. Secret/Prayer Pals will be revealed & new ones will be chosen. If you would like to participate in the Yankee Swap, please bring a wrapped gift worth $10. Please RSVP by December 3rd. The Annual Women's Meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 8th at 11am. Soup & dessert will be provided, feel free to bring a sandwich. We will map out our 2016 calendar and celebrate our birthdays; a special offering will be collected for the WABC Women's group. We voted to send rolled bandages and 4"x4" cotton squares - which we will do at a workshop in the spring of 2016. Women & Girls Fellowship Dinner - Our next gathering is on Tuesday, January 19th at 6pm. Bring a dish to share & invite a friend. FBC Littleton & Central Baptist Church are also invited. We had 9 WABC women & girls attend our gathering in November along with 8 for First Baptist Church of Littleton.