Bush Creek Church of the Brethren 4821A Green Valley Road Monrovia, Maryland 21770 Address Service Requested

What’s Happening at Bush Creek

“The Bridge”

Bush Creek Church of the Brethren

4821A Green Valley Road Monrovia, Maryland 21770

301-663-3025

office@bushcreekchurch.org – Church office http://bushcreekchurch.org/ - website

Sunday School – 9:30 – 10:15 am Worship – 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Pastors:

Leo and Melissa Barnes

The Bridge – August Volume 51, Number 8

CENTRAL VISION FOR BUSH CREEK CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

Because of our commitment to Jesus Christ, we are a spiritual family who loves all people.

Ponderings by Pastor Leo

Summer Tomatoes and Birds

Ah, the joys of summer. Fresh tomatoes ripened on the vine. Tomato sandwiches, in salad, as a garnish and once in a while, just a tomato and a shaker of salt. Good summertime blessings. Each year I have the joy of anticipation of home grown, sun ripened tomatoes. But I rarely remember that there are other

critters that enjoy tomatoes as much as I do. I do not think of the birds and insects eating my tomatoes. I might not be so annoyed if the birds would only eat one tomato at a time and let the others ripen, but no, they have to go after every piece of ripening fruit. As Christians we have fruit growing in us, the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Satan tries to destroy the fruit of the spirit and replace it with his bad fruit. This bad fruit comes from hurts, betrayals and disappointments. This bad fruit can grow and overwhelm us. Satan sends his evil spirits like evil birds and insects to pick at his bad fruit until it rots and festers and bursts out to hurt us and others. Some of the toughest bad fruit is un-forgiveness and bitterness. Satan does not want us to think about this because when we learn the truth about forgiveness we can get rid of hurts and pain and become free. Growing into freedom is a process that does not happen overnight. It can be a long journey and we have many evil fruits/wounds in our heart and our spirit from past hurts that grow and fester and rot. As Satan picks at these hurts they can rot and burst out to hurt us and cause us to lash out without knowing why. Or this can cause us to feel confusion and anger and we do not know where it came from or why. Satan works to steal our peace and joy. When the birds in my garden eat part of a tomato it becomes infested by insects and rots on the vine. All I can do it reach in and pluck out that rotten fruit and get rid of it. Forgiveness helps us pluck out the bad fruit in our lives so we can be free of it. Trust in Jesus and pluck out that bad fruit. There is too much good fruit to enjoy in life without letting the bad fruit drag us down. Pastor Leo

*Board meeting, Mon., August 5 @ 7 pm. Music & Worship Comm. will not meet. *Sunday School Teachers Needed – Please consider volunteering and accepting the call of teaching our elementary aged children in Sunday School. If two individuals can volunteer perhaps a team can be established for a rotating schedule. Please see Debbie Brown or Crystal Herbert for further information asap please.

*Roof Fund. Thank you for donations received to assist in paying for new roofing. Your continued donations are greatly appreciated. Donations to date: - $71,745. The current line of

credit balance is $18,000. – Trustee Comm. *Vacations – If you will be traveling this summer on vacation and would like to keep up with what is happening at Bush Creek, there are several ways to do so: weekly bulletins are located in the middle narthex; bulletins/announcement page can be emailed upon request; website @ bushcreekchurch.org. Safe travels to all.

Thank you to Bush Creek Youth for sharing your time to shop for items for the BackPack

Beginnings program that were taken to Annual Conference for children in the Greensboro, NC area. A total of $345 was received by donations of the congregation and the youth. Thank you to our youth, youth leaders, and for all donations.

Thank you to all volunteers that participated in the clean-up day held recently at Bush Creek. –

Trustee Commission

Thank you to a “carpet angel” for taking the time to clean spots on our sanctuary carpet recently.

Thank you to many volunteers that work behind the scenes in keeping our church properties

mowed/trimmed all summer.

Thank you to Nancy Pastor for diligence in attempting to keep rain waters out of lower level rooms

in recent storms.

The National Christian Choir’s 2nd Edition will perform on August 17 @ 6 pm at the Montgomery United Methodist Church located at 28325 Kemptown Rd., Damascus. Doors open at 5 pm. Free Admission. Offering to be received. Auditions for the choir will be held after the concert. Questions – 301-670-6331.

Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC) is a partnership for ministry education between five Church of the Brethren districts: Atlantic Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Middle PA, Southern PA, and Western PA, as well as Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership and Bethany Theological Seminary. SVMC provides Church of the Brethren ministry training: Graduate and certificate-level classes are offered locally – all grounded in the principles and practices of Brethren tradition. This past year, 77 students participated in 18 courses. Most who complete their training apply for ordination and minister within our geographic area. Tuition covers only one-fourth of SVMC’s operating expenses. Individual and congregational support helps SVMC to keep costs affordable for the next generation of Brethren leaders. The Church of the Brethren is sponsoring a special offering during the month of September. If you would like to make a financial contribution to support SVMC, please make your check payable to Bush Creek COB and mark it “SVMC” and place in the offering plate.

Weekend Retreat for Men of God: A Time of Study, Prayer, Reflection, Rest and Renewal. September 6 – 8, 2019. Priest Field Pastoral Center, 4030 Middleway Pike, Kearneysville, WV. Pastor Bill Caputo will be leading the retreat. If interested, please pick up a flyer located on the program table. Cost $212 includes lodging, meals, materials and facility fees.

Baptism / Receiving New Members – September 22nd

In the Church of the Brethren, there are three paths for joining a church. Being baptized, or re-baptized, is very meaningful, but is not the only route. Someone who has previously been baptized may be received into membership through a letter transferring their membership from another congregation. They may also simply reaffirm their faith and renew the vows they made at an earlier time. We have someone who wants to be baptized, so we are planning a service on September 22nd. Perhaps you also have considered joining Bush Creek Church. If so, keep reading! We believe it is important for a person to know something about the church they are joining. So we usually hold four classes during the Sunday School time. We cover a little history of how the Brethren got started, and discuss core values such as peace and service (covering more snippets of history). We also talk about Love Feast, which is a very important time for Brethren, and about what we believe about Baptism. We will hold these classes Aug 18 and 25, and Sept 1 and 15 (in lower level classroom). Perhaps you would like to join Bush Creek Church, or are just curious about the Church of the Brethren. If you would like to participate in these classes, please let Donna Nunn know by August 12th, so she can prepare the materials. (Please email her at office@bushcreekchurch.org or call her at 301.663.3025.) Attending these classes does not mean that you are committing to join Bush Creek Church – you are welcome to come explore! And if you are interested, but this schedule does not work, please let us know and we will plan for a later time. ~ Pastors Leo & Melissa

NEWS FROM MISSIONS & SERVICE COMMISSION

School Supplies Needed for Urbana Food Bank in August: Any and all school supplies will be gladly accepted. Suggestions include: large back packs, 3 and 5 subject spiral notebooks, 1 and 2 inch binders, binder dividers, post-it notes, index cards, compass and protractor, graph paper, USB flash drives, ear bud headphones (from dollar store). You may also go to fcps.org and find school supply lists for any school in our area for specific lists. The Food Bank serves Urbana, Adamstown, Buckeystown, Ijamsville, Monrovia, Green Valley, New Market, and portions of Mt. Airy. Please place school supplies in the large plastic container in the coat room. Please bring donations by August 18 and place in coat room. The list is also located in the coat room for your convenience.

NEWS FROM WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP

Planning ahead for annual Bazaar on November 9 - A bazaar meeting will be held on Wed., August 14th at 10 am. We will gather in the Sunday School room downstairs next to the quilt room. All are welcome to join us as we share ideas and plan for a successful bazaar this fall. Thank you, The Bazaar Committee

The Women’s Fellowship will sponsor apple butter making on Sat., September 7 at the Hipkins farm starting early (time to be determined). Lunch of soups, hot dogs and hot beef will be provided along with drinks. Please plan to come to help stir the apple butter and enjoy the fellowship.

Our dear sister Betty Fleming will celebrate her 90th

birthday on August 28th. Let’s join together to help her celebrate with a card shower.

Please mail to 4925 Lynn Burke Road, Monrovia, Md. 21770. Betty also has a mailbox in the middle narthex.

Let’s hope she will receive 90 cards! Happy Birhday Betty!

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Fri., 08/02 – Wed. Bible Study Picnic 6 pm – Hipkins farm Sun., 08/04 – Wheat Gatherers meet after worship Mon., 08/05 - Board meeting 7 pm Wed., 08/14 – Bazaar Planning Meeting @ 10 am lower level Sun., 08/18 - Membership Classes – Lower level classroom Thurs., 08/22 – Ministry Comm. & Christian Ed. Comm. meeting @ 7 pm Sat., 08/24 – SCLMT meeting 9 am – Pastors office Sat., 08/24 – Fellowship hall reserved all day Sun., 08/25 – Membership Classes – Lower level classroom

Bible Study @ Hipkins home -Tues. Sept. thru June 6:00 pm (will resume in fall) Bible Study every Tuesday 10 am at church – sanctuary (will resume in fall) Bible Study @ 10 every Wed. September thru April (will resume in fall) Quilting every Wed. @ 8:30 pm Bible Study every Thursday 6 pm @ Fullmer home (will resume in fall) BSA meetings every Wed. August – June @ 6:30 pm Choir Rehearsal schedule to be announced Wheat Gatherers Youth ministry – Schedule TBD

Preparing for Worship Sunday School: 9:30 am. – 10:15 am

Morning Worship: 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Date

Message and

Scripture

Preaching

Other Notes

Greeters

4

Wheat Gatherers

after worship

Easier Said Than Done

Matthew 6:9-13

Message: Pastor Leo

Worship Assistant:

Randy Toms

Nursery: Jean & Elwood Hipkins

Special Music: Taylor Lowe

Scripture Reader:

Jess Dixon

Wanda Embrey

11 Keep Us Strong

Matthew 6:9-13

Message: Pastor Melissa

Worship Assistant:

Art Frank

Nursery: Scott & Jenifer Hipkins

Scripture Reader:

Devin Clark

Devin Clark, Gabe &

Abigail Stitley

18 Membership Class during

Sunday School

God’s Sanctuary

Exodus 25:1-8

Message: Pastor Leo

Worship Assistant:

Jean Hipkins

Nursery: Diana Frank

Scripture Reader:

Emily Ray

Mike & Kathie Tucker

25 Membership Class during

Sunday School

What Do You

Believe

Multiple Scriptures

Message:

Pastor Melissa

Worship Assistant:

Anna Mae Poole

Nursery: Jess Dixon

Scripture Readers:

Multiple from congregation

David & Dixie

Brunner

Our Vacation Bible School, (July 8 – 12) ROAR Life is wild * God is good, was a huge success with 43 children attending! All week long the children learned about God’s goodness when life is unfair, when life is scary, when life changes, when life is sad, and when life is good! The best night of the week for me, and has been for 17 years, is Thursday when the program focuses on Jesus: His life, His death, His resurrection and just what all that means to us. There is nothing better and more fulfilling than leading the children to Jesus. It makes all my endless hours of preparation worth it. And, the children get it. They really understand. It is beautiful to see and be a part of. This year we added the Preschool side of our VBS program. Crystal Herbert was the Little Paws Preschool Director and she did an absolutely amazing job. She and her two assistants led a group of ten, three and four year olds, each evening. It brought such joy to my heart to have these little ones with us this year. A kid friendly dinner was served beforehand every night by one of our Commissions. I believe that these dinners have been the key to increasing our attendance. A big thank you to Nancy Pastor for organizing the dinners and to all the Commissions for providing a meal.

The children did two missions projects this year. They collected food for the Urbana Food Bank to help those children who receive free breakfast and lunch during the school year. Many of these 154 children would go without meals during the summer if we do not lend our support. The children also collected money for pregnant moms in Zambia (Operation Kid to Kid) to help give them good prenatal care affording their babies a better chance of survival when they are born.

It takes so many volunteers to bring a huge VBS program like ours to the community. I want to thank each and every one of my volunteers for their time and commitment to serving the Lord. You have no idea how much I appreciate you. I hope you know what you have done for our VBS children. You have helped to give them the most important gift they will ever receive: A relationship with God through His son Jesus. Well done good and faithful servants! Beth Green, VBS Director