MessengerMessengerMessengerMessenger TheTheTheThe

First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa

M A R C H 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 3

We are a body

of

believers

united in

Christ to

proclaim,

live, and love

according to

God’s Word.

Christians all around the

world are giving things

up for Lent: chocolate,

caffeine, candy, televi-

sion, Facebook, or just

about any other pleasure

in life. The practice of

giving something up for Lent is often met

with suspicion, lament, or even anger.

However, the primary focus of Lent is not

deprivation but of preparation.

Many Christians question the usefulness

of Lent. “It’s Catholic.” or “It’s about

punishment.” are typical responses to

Lent. Christians often ask, “Why observe

Lent? We do not need forty days to

examine our Christian life because we are

just fine.” Some Christians believe that

Lent is outdated. The temptation for

Christians is to ignore Lent. We are

tempted into disbelief that Lent is not

beneficial to contemporary Christians.

Christians for hundreds of years have

made Lent into a spiritual journey.

Yet, we wonder, do we really have to give

something up for Lent?

We are all yearning for ways to authenti-

cally attach ourselves to God. Lent is a

way to discover new opportunities to

connect with God. Erwin McManus in his

book, Soul Cravings, says:

We are all on the same quest. And our

soul craving is to find something we

can believe in. This thing that haunts

you, that never seems satisfied, the

cravings in your soul that you are

unable to satiate through all the

success that the world can bring—this

is your soul screaming for God.

Many give up sweets, soda, or some type

of rich food. While giving something up

for Lent is a simple way to remember

what Lent is all about, is it time we

Christians try something other than

deprivation? As Baptists, we have the

freedom of autonomy to worship and

practice our faith as we see fit, within

historical Christian boundaries of course.

This year I encourage you to think about

adding something for Lent in addition to

or in place of giving something up. Tony

W. Cartledge wrote in Baptists Today, an

encouragement1:

I’ve tended to take a dual approach to

Lent. Aware that Jesus not only gave

up his life, but was constantly giving

himself to others, I may still give up

some favorite food or activity, but I

also combine it with giving something.

MessengerMessengerMessengerMessenger TheTheTheThe

First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa

STOP! Don’t Give Anything Up for Lent!STOP! Don’t Give Anything Up for Lent!STOP! Don’t Give Anything Up for Lent!STOP! Don’t Give Anything Up for Lent! By Rev. Alan Rudnick

continued on next page

INS IDE TH IS

I S SUE :

Birthdays/

Anniversaries 10

Book Bound! 5

Budget & Finance 7

Calendar 11

Capital District

Women’s Conference 5

Children’s Worship 9

Church Mouse 9

Creative Vision

Gathering 3

Daylight Saving 10

Deacons 6

Holy Week

Services 4

InterVarsity Update 8

Lenten Bible Study 2

Lenten Devotional 3

Lenten Lunch 3

Library 10

Missions

Committee 5

Mssion Opportunity 3

Notes from the

Region 7

Pastor’s Column 1

PSRC 6

Preaching Series 2

Summer Camp 8

The 11:11 Service 3

Trustees 7

1“Ashes to Acts” Baptists Today, Tony W. Cartledge. March 7, 2011

P A G E 2

So, this year, I won’t be eating any sweets

between meals (and maybe not even then), but

I’ll also be looking for at least one random act

of kindness to present itself each day,

something I can do or give to make another’s

life a little easier, a little happier.

As an alternative, try adding something during

Lent, such as daily Bible reading, trying a new

ministry in church, times of prayer, or taking a

course of study. Taking on something for Lent

could look like praying the Lord’s prayer at noon

each day, participating in a Bible study, or serving

in a food pantry once a week. Come to our Prayer

and Communion service every Wednesday at

11:11 a.m., or attend our Lenten Bible Study:

Angels, Demons, & Satan, Separating Fact from

Fiction.

Our souls are longing for connection to God. God

can repair our lives and widen our souls through

prayer, service, and acts of mercy. When we add

something to our Lenten journey we are asking

God to enter into our narrow hearts.

In a culture that tells us not to limit ourselves or to

spend money we don’t have with credit cards, we

need limits. Lent is a season of limits. It is a time

for us to slow down, think about what is really

important in life, and to reflect upon our priorities.

May you in this season of Lent, reorder your

priorities. Don’t just give something up for Lent

just to give it up. Make Lent mean something.

Add a spiritual discipline or commitment to your

Lenten journey and see how God will work

through your decision!

With all Love and Grace,

Rev. Alan Rudnick

LENTEN BIBLE STUDY

Angels, Demons, & Satan:

Separating Myth from Fact

A Lenten Bible Study with Pastor Alan

So many myths surround angels,

demons, and Satan. Did an

all-loving God really create

Satan and demons? What do

angels do? Who is Satan? Can a

demon really possess a person?

These questions will be

addressed as we trace the development of these

divine beings in scripture. Pastor Alan Rudnick’s

Bible study will start on Wednesday, February 29

@ 6:30 p.m. Childcare available if needed; please

RSVP the church office.

February 29 – Angels: Origin and Identity

March 7 – Angels: What Do They Do?

March 14 – Demons: Origin & Identity

March 21 – Demons: Their Power

March 28 – Satan, The Accuser: Old Testament

April 4 – Satan, The Evil Tempter: New Testament

PREACHING SERIES: “THE TRIALS OF JESUS”

As Jesus faced his last days on

Earth, he endured several

trials. Like a courtroom drama,

a series of witnesses came

forward to give testimony about their experiences

with the accused--Jesus Christ. Through their

accounts we came to know the truth, that Jesus

came to take our place in the defendant's chair.

Each Sunday, Rev. Alan Rudnick will deliver a

dramatic perspective of each character in the trials

of Jesus:

February 26: The Voice of Satan

March 4: Guest Preacher Rev. Dr. Aidsand

Wright Riggins, Rev. Rudnick leading worship

March 11: The Voice of Annas

March 18: The Voice of Caiaphas

March 25: The Voice of Herod

April 1: The Voice of Peter

April 5 (Maundy Thursday): The Voice of Judas

April 8: The Voice of the Empty Tomb

P A G E 3

THE 11:11 SERVICE

WEDNESDAY PRAYER & COMMUNION SERVICE

Each Wednesday at 11:11 a.m. we will gather for

prayer, song, and communion. Each

brief service (about 30 minutes) will

utilize the worship style of Taize,

which enables the worshipper to

experience God through the simplicity

of focused prayer and song. You will

not want to miss this intimate opportunity to grow

through the spiritual discipline of communal

prayer. After the service, we invite everyone to

the Ballston Spa Lenten Lunch at the First

Presbyterian Church.

ECUMENICAL LENTEN LUNCHEON

Join us each Wednesday in Lent, February 29 -

April 4, at 12:10 p.m. for lunch and a devotional

time with local Ballston Spa churches at the First

Presbyterian Church. A brief devotional time will

be led by a different Ballston Spa pastor each

week. On February 29th

Pastor Rudnick will give

the pastoral reflection. The First Baptist Church of

Ballston Spa will provide lunch on March 21st

. We

will need people to provide a soup, dish, or lunch

item. Please speak to Vallee Albert.

LENTEN DEVOTIONAL

These 40 days of devotions for Lent (or

anytime) touch us in our modern-day

world and use Scripture to help us

answer the questions we often have

about how our God meets us in our

21st-century surroundings. Through

these devotions, we discover anew how the cross

of Christ ultimately serves as our compass through

our many mazes of doubt, confusion and fear, and

how our God truly does have the whole world in

his hands. Devotionals are available at the

greeters’ stations and at the church’s Welcome

Center. Devotionals are free.

MISSION OPPORTUNITY

FBC Ballston Spa is planning on

preparing and serving dinner to

the residents at Shelters of

Saratoga on Friday, March 2.

We’ll need a team of 5-7 people each to prepare a

portion of the meal, and if desired, take it to the

shelter and share dinner and fellowship with the

19 residents. We’ve done this in the past and it’s

been a very positive experience for both the team

from FBC and the residents. We’ll meet at 5:15pm

at the church on Friday, March 2 and carpool to

Saratoga. Please prayerfully consider joining this

mission!

Signup sheet is in the fellowship hall. Contact

Colleen Pierre with any questions. or

colleen@saratogamama.com 338-7304

CREATIVE VISION GATHERING

On March 24 9:30 a.m.-

11:30 a.m. the Vision

Community will lead a

church-wide creative

vision gathering. Our home vision gatherings were

very fruitful and the Vision Community has taken

into account comments/ideas from the home

gatherings. During this time, we will share and

creatively examine vision ideas and an adaptive

ministry model. In addition, we will consider vision

statement language. Come with an open mind and

creative ideas. Light breakfast served.

P A G E 4

HOLY WEEK SERVICES

Palm Sunday April 1, 2012

Palm Sunday is the

Sunday before Easter and

is the last Sunday in Lent.

This day commemorates

Jesus’ triumphal entry

into Jerusalem with

waving palms in a procession in which children,

youth, and adults participate in worship. This is a

joyous and festive day and celebrates Christ’s

entry as the King of Kings. Some of the Palm

Sunday palms are kept and used to make the Ash

Wednesday ashes for the next year.

Maundy Thursday April 5, 2012

On April 5th

at 7:00 p.m. we

invite you to remember The Last

Supper through prayer, worship,

song, and reflection. Worshipers

will experience the last days of

Jesus through scripture and

song. Communion will be served

and everyone will be invited to

receive communion “at the

table”, which will provide a deeper and intimate

setting to receive the communion elements.

Good Friday Service April 6, 2012

Ballston Area Clergy Association

will hold a Good Friday service at

Christ Episcopal Church on April

6th

. This simple and powerful

service dramatizes the suffering

and death of Jesus Christ. Both

clergy and lay people will lead

the service. The service begins

at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Episcopal

Church, 15 West High St. Ballston Spa.

Easter Egg Hunt April 7, 2012

We invite all children and

families to come celebrate

the signs of new life

together on Saturday, April

7th

, 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

at the Parsonage (818

Greenwood Drive, Ballston Spa, RSVP 288-3100).

We anticipate the new life of our risen Christ by

children hunting for eggs (a sign of new life), adults

fellowshipping, sharing breakfast fare and

beverages together. Families will hear a word from

Pastor Alan of the new life in Christ’s resurrection.

In the event of inclement weather the event will

be canceled and filled eggs will be passed out to

the children during Easter Sunday worship.

Sunrise Easter Service April 8, 2012

Join us for an informal

sunrise Easter service

and light breakfast at

Don and Barbara

Roll’s home, 6025

Jockey St. Galway, NY.

We will gather at 6:00

a.m. for song and worship. The Roll’s property

provides a wonderful sunrise and Easter morning

experience.

Easter Sunday Worship Service April 8, 2012,

Christ is risen! He has risen

indeed! Christians have

proclaimed these words for

almost 2,000 years. The

celebration of the

resurrection is a day of

proclamation. Our worship service will inspire and

excite all to experience the joy of Jesus’ victory

over death and sin. We encourage you to bring

your friends and family to this special Sunday of

worship!

HELP NEEDED FOR LENTEN LUNCH

Again this year, the First

Presbyterian Church will host a

Lenten Luncheon event with all

local churches taking a turn in

providing lunch for the event. The Luncheons are

open to all and will be on Wednesdays from 12:10

– 12:50 pm, beginning with Wednesday, February

29th

. A brief Lenten devotional will be led by the

different Pastors in Ballston Spa, preceded by a

luncheon. Our Pastor will give the pastoral

reflection on Wednesday, February 29th

, and our

Church will be serving lunch on Wednesday, March

21. This year, we will again serve soup and

sandwiches. If you would like to help please speak

to Vallee Albert. Donations are welcomed for the

luncheons.

MISSIONS COMMITTEE

Engaging Discipleship: Open my Eyes, My Heart,

My Hands (Mark 10:46-52) is the theme for

America For Christ Offering 2012 which we will be

participating in and learning more about during

the month of March.

America for Christ gifts support Christ-centered

ministries that engage discipleship across the

United States and Puerto Rico- through evangelism

training, missional church leadership experiences,

discipleship resources, youth initiatives, volunteer

ministries and disaster response, plus initiatives

that fight poverty and so mush more.

“Engaging Discipleship” denotes putting Jesus first

in all things. In our materialistic and consumer-

minded society, this goes against the grain. But the

word of our Lord encourages us to put off the

self-centeredness for Christ-centeredness instead.

What is the mission of American Baptist Home

Mission Societies? ABHMS ministries is the caring

heart, serving hands, going feet and prophetic

voice of Jesus Christ—establishing ministries of

discipleship, community and justice, while

equipping and networking followers of Jesus to

transform persons, congregations, neighborhoods

and cultures throughout the United States and

Puerto Rico.

To help kick-off our America for Christ Offering -

Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III, Executive

Director, American Baptist Home Mission

Societies, CEO of Judson Press will be speaking at

First Baptist on Sunday morning, March 4th

.

Monthly mission events are being planned; look

for postings by the Mission Board in the gathering

area. Some events that are already in the works

are:

♦ Shelters of Saratoga, dinner with the residents

on Friday, March 2. Meet at church 5:15 p.m.

♦ Lunch Bunch after worship service on March 25

to hear about Mark Hopper and Susan

Hennessey’s trip to Guatemala.

♦ Village wide garage sale in June – proceeds

from the sale will help support missions at FBC.

Start thinking about what extra household

items, clothing or other items that you no

longer have a use for but others might. Please

no furniture or computer equipment.

If you have an idea for a monthly mission event,

please speak to any member of the Mission

Committee or Pastor Alan.

For the Mission Committee,

Barb Pennie

It's easy to be a part: Come to the upper room of

the church on the second Monday of each month

from 4-5 p.m. with your fellow congregation

members and maybe some new friends! This

month’s meeting will be on March 12th.

It's easy to join in: Read the book for that month

and come for good discussion, with snack and

beverage provided. Come once this year or come

every month! Childcare provided.

It's easy to follow: Check the Messenger each

month to see which selection of varied literature is

on the schedule.

It's easy to start: Start reading now Animal,

Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara

Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, and Steven L. Hopp

for March's selection! April’s selection is The

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. We know you

are bound to love it! So get BookBound!

Joy Hanchett and Christine Rudnick

BookBound!

THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

OF BALLSTON SPA BOOK CLUB

P A G E 5

CAPITAL DISTRICT WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

Keeping Company with God

March 10, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Loudonville Community Church

This year’s speaker will be Rondy

M. Smith, a warm, engaging

communicator of God’s Word who

invites women to love Jesus with all

their heart. More details and registration forms

are available on the ABW Board.

DEACONS

Your Board of Deacons has been preparing for the

upcoming Lenten Season, assisting the Pastor and

the congregation in making this season one of

reverence and remembrance of our love for our

Lord Jesus Christ.

This year we will be ordering

Easter Lilies to grace our

sanctuary with details and

pricing to follow in the coming

weeks. Lilies can be ordered 'in

memory of' or 'in honor of' a

family member, a friend, or for

our church.

As a Board, we are also anticipating becoming

actively involved in our eventual participation in

our Vision Community and its work on behalf of

our growing church family and our goals for a

thriving and fruitful Church. Each of the Deacons

will be calling the members of their Shepherding

List to let our congregation know we are always

thinking of them and are ready to help if needed.

We participated in our Ash Wednesday service, on

February 22, with the local Presbyterian and

Alliance Churches, bringing the Lenten message

home to First Baptist Church. A general offering

was taken to benefit the Ballston Area Clergy Fund

which enables our local churches to collectively

help the needy in our community.

New drip-less candles and candle holders were

ordered for special services throughout the year

such as our Christmas Eve gatherings. This enables

us to replace old and worn candle holders that we

have been using and will ultimately make our

special services safe and memorable as we light

our sanctuary with our collective love for our Lord.

We will also be facilitating the 11:11 Service of

Wednesday Prayer and Communion at our Church

also beginning on Wednesday, February 29th

at

11:11 am. All are welcome to gather for prayer,

song and communion to experience God through

focused prayer and song. After the service we will

all be able to attend the Lenten Luncheon at the

First Presbyterian Church.

All of these efforts will bring us closer together as

a Church family and as a community as we

celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ collectively. The

Deacons will be assisting in worship for Palm

Sunday, on April 1, Maundy Thursday, April 5, and

Good Friday Services on April 6 which will be held

at Christ Episcopal Church.

Your Board of Deacons consists of Vallee Albert,

Dave Fresn, Mike Hensler, Mark Hopper, Gene

Kenyon, Bob Staulters and Terry van den Heever.

Working in God's Service,

Vallee Albert

P A G E 6

THE PASTORAL-STAFF RELATIONS COMMITTEE –

THE WHAT, WHY AND WHO

The Pastoral-Staff Relations

Committee (PSRC) is comprised of

five members of the congregation:

Sarah Watkins, Wes

Terrell, Carol Gerbing,

David Stacey, Paul

Pelliccia and the pastor. Members

serve 3 year terms.

We are responsible for overseeing the church

staff. This includes maintaining the church staff

job descriptions, performing annual performance

reviews of church staff, and making budget

recommendations for staff salary, benefits and

cost of living increases. The PSRC also oversees

the pastor’s health insurance contract and its

annual renewal. The PSRC advertises vacant

positions, interviews applicants and recommends

suitable candidates to the Advisory Committee.

We work to facilitate communication between

employees, pastor and the congregation. If you

have a comment or question pertaining to church

staff, please contact someone on the committee.

In May I will be ending my term on the PSRC. It

has been a pleasure serving on this committee and

as the chairperson for the past several years.

Please continue to support this group and our

church staff. Your open, honest communication

and your feedback are appreciated. If you are

interested in serving on this committee, please let

the nominating committee and/or Pastor Alan

know.

Respectfully submitted,

Sarah Watkins

P A G E 7

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Board will be moving forward with

our Flooring Task Force. Praise God that

we have been given such a generous

gift!

The Board will also be working closely with the

folks involved with our Summer Lunch Program to

make sure they have the equipment they need

and the space to continue to provide such a loving

mission to our community children.

The Board welcomed back Kevin Krogh. Kevin has

been missed greatly. What a blessing that he felt

the need to join us! Welcome back Kevin. We are

so thankful for your selfless giving!

Serving Him Together,

Laura Marino Chair Board of Trustees

NOTES FROM THE REGION

January 27, 2012

Incredible things are happening in the world of

Baptist Camping in New York State. With

transitions also come rumors, misconceptions, and

anxiety.

Camping has become its own corporation. Or, in

better terms, Camp Vick and Pathfinder Lodge

have become their own ABC missions

organization. In reality, we have always been, but

now it is formal.

Outdoor Ministries is now Vick and Pathfinder

Camp and Conference Ministries (VP Ministries for

short). We are

strong partners

with the Region and

are the Baptist

Camping Ministry

for ABC/NYS. None

of this has changed

who we are.

In the meantime,

we are building

missions support to

be able to do an

ever increasing level

of quality ministry to children, youth, and adults.

We are currently hiring the summer staff for 2012,

writing curriculum, and putting final touches on

the brochure.

We would ask you to pray for us. Also pray about

being involved, either by volunteering, donating,

or recruiting staff and campers. We have people

ready and willing to come and do presentations to

churches, groups, or one on one. In March and

April we will be doing several face-to-face

meetings across New York to let people enter into

the dialogue of what is going on in your camping

ministry. Please look for the event in your area (or

ask to host one) and plan on attending. We also

invite dialogue. Call us at our offices (which also

have not changed) 315-469-4236 ext. 11.

Rev. John Buskey

Vick & Pathfinder Camp & Conference Ministries

BUDGET AND FINANCE

As spring approaches, we count our

blessings and are thankful for the mild

winter that has lifted our spirits and

brought lower heating bills.

Our treasurer, Paul Pelliccia, has become very

proficient at projecting our estimated income. For

the month of January he was right on target.

January’s income was $21,170.50. Our expenses

for the month were $22,996.43. Although we

transferred $4,000 of endowment interest to

current expense to balance the 2011 budget, we

are a minus $1,712 through the month of January.

We do, however, have our restricted gifts of

$4,180 for the Summer Lunch Program, $1,958 for

Christ’s Cupboard, and $1,800 for stoves in

Guatemala.

This may look like a dreary picture, however God

always provides. With the passing of our dear

friend, Jim Whelden, came a gift for $25,000. This

should allow us to not only balance the books for

2012 but also enable us to do needed repairs on

our beautiful church building.

As always, please feel free to give any suggestions

or ask any questions regarding the church finances

to the Budget and Finance Committee.

Serving Him together,

Mary Ann Becker, Chair

P A G E 8

INTERVARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

A SUPPORTED MINISTRY OF FBC

February 2, 2012

Campus is often like the Pool of Bethesda (John 5)-

a gathering place for a great number of broken

people. Students come in spiritually blind, hobbled

by the sin of others, in the paralysis of their own

sin, shame, and fear. They have often been like this

"for a long time", so long in fact that they have lost

hope in even hoping . . . it is there that Jesus goes,

in His people. Our friend at Union College is here,

in this condition. I have asked her directly, on a

number of occasions, "Do you want to get well?"

Her response has been varied, from "I'm not sure",

to "How is this even possible!?" But God, in the

mercy of a Savior, has moved her past the "I have

no one to help me" to "I realized that my friend

loved me in a way I couldn't explain except that it

was from God, so I decided to trust her." Then do

you know what happened?!! Her friend (Danielle

Bailey, IVCF Area Director) helped her pray "Holy

Spirit, come and help me trust God". Oh merciful

Savior, how we thank you for your untiring work,

faithful in her life!

It is a joy to see students come to Christ! Rejoice

with us, and keep praying . . .

Thank God with me for:

• Students Transformed: Student's path to Christ

has been instrumental to teach many of us more

about faithfulness,

about love in the long

haul, about not

taking offense and

remembering that sin is against God, about how

we each have needed to grow.

• Faculty Transformed: Some significant

movement in the lives of several faculty at

Skidmore, new conviction, repentance, growth,

openness, prayer. May God be praised!

• Campuses Renewed: For 2 semesters at

Skidmore we have seen a growing interest--by

administrators--about the work that IVCF is doing.

From "can we provide food for your events" to

"how can other students on campus get involved

in NYCUP?" At Union there has been an offer of a

significant amount of campus funding to help

students attend NYCUP. God is using serving

students in IVCF to help lead both campuses.

• World Changers Developed: Two Skidmore

alum will be speaking on Forgiveness this term,

one in relation to her future path in justice issues

and combating sex trafficking, the other on the

ways that Forgiveness works in community.

Please pray for:

• Outreach efforts on both campuses-especially

small groups exploring Jesus-and-justice issues, for

seekers.

• Fatigue and Balance - I have been sick with

consecutive colds for about 4 weeks. Rest is not an

easy place for me (sin).

• Urbana 12 - we are beginning to recruit

students to attend. Pray for me as next week I'll be

in Dallas, having been invited to come for training

as a Manuscript leader at Urbana.

• Funding - I remain $9,800 short of my full

budget. Ask God to raise up new partners for this

work.

His mercies are new each morning, great is His

Faithfulness.--Lamentations 3:23

In Christ Jesus,

Caleb LaRue, Campus Staff Member

Skidmore College and Union College

SUMMER CAMP

There are many Christian Summer Camp

opportunities for our youth, and the board of

Christian Education offer Scholarships. Please see

Judy Lister for an application.

Think Fun

Think Summer

Think CAMP

CHURCH MOUSE NURSERY SCHOOL

February was a busy month

full of fun activities. The

children made lots of

Valentines and enjoyed a

visit with a Dental Hygienist.

They made predictions

about whether or not the

groundhog would see his

shadow, and they learned

more about God’s amazing

love for us. During Chapel

Time, Pastor Alan told the

children the story

about Jonah and

also about how

Jesus welcomes all

the children.

Open House was a

success. We had

many new families

visit our school.

Teachers and assistants were on hand to meet

new families, explain our program, and play with

the children. The morning classes of 4-year-olds

and Pre-K are almost full. There are still openings

in the afternoon for 4-year-olds and morning 3-

year-olds.

In like a lion, out like a lamb…Pink will turn to

green as we enter the month of March. Lions and

lambs will cover our bulletin boards, as we observe

the unpredictable weather that March brings.

Some of the fun activities this month will be

learning about dinosaurs, having a game day, and

wearing pajamas to school for PJ parties. Classes

will be celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday. There may

even be some green eggs and ham!

Student evaluations will

be completed and Parent/

Teacher conferences will

be held on Thursday

afternoon, March 15th

and

all day Friday, March 16th

.

We enjoy this time to be

able to sit down with our

parents and discuss their child’s progress.

Plans are in the works for a Preschool Fair to be

held at the Christ Episcopal Church in Ballston Spa

on Saturday, April 21st

from 10 a.m. -12 noon. If

you hear of anyone

who is searching for a

great preschool for

their child, please tell

them about our

Preschool Fair…or

have them give us a

call so we can give

them a tour of our

school.

Please keep our

school, staff, parents, and children in your prayers.

We are so thankful for God’s faithfulness, protec-

tion, and opportunities for growth.

Serving Christ Together,

Cheryl Dunkelbarger

P A G E 9

Cover your sneeze please!

CHILDREN’S WORSHIP

The children at FBC have been

playing follow-the-leader and

getting rainbow-colored chicken pox

this winter. Thanks to our

enthusiastic and hardworking

volunteers, every Sunday during the sermon

children ages 4 to third grade can go downstairs to

hear about Jesus in a fun and hands-on way.

Through activities and crafts, the children have

learned about following Jesus, following His rules,

and praying. And those multi-colored chicken pox?

They’ve learned that we can turn to Jesus when

things seem hopeless.

During Lent, we will be exploring the parables.

Jesus told some great stories about caring and

forgiveness, using our talents, and hearing and

heeding His Word. During Children’s Worship,

we’ll explore the stories and ideas, with more

crafts and activities, of course!

Volunteers are always welcome! If you would like

to lead Children’s Worship, talk to me! We have a

rotating schedule, and it would be easy to add

your name to the list!

Joy Hanchett

587-0674, corlibri@yahoo.com

LIBRARY CORNER

Children’s Books:

1. Prayers for a Fragile World by

Carol Watson

2. The Story of The Lord’s Prayer

by Patricia A. Pingry

3. The Lord’s Prayer by Richard Jesse Watson

All of the above deal with prayer.

4. Jack and the Leprechaun by Ivan Robertson

5. St. Patrick’s Day by Gail Gibbons

To celebrate March 17.

6. God Made Spring! ∼ A Really Woolly & Friends

book

7. Wake up, Sleepy Bear by Christine Morton-

Shaw and Greg Shaw

All about spring!

8. Easter by Gail Gibbons

9. The Story of Easter by Patricia A. Pingry

10. Easter Bunny Are You for Real? by Harold Myra

Children’s DVD:

1. Wake Up, It’s Spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst

2. The Luckiest Leprechaun by Justine Korman

3. Looking for Easter by Dori Chaconas

Adult Books:

March 2, 2012 is Women’s World Day of Prayer

Every month really does focus on

prayer, so listed are just a few

choice words on the subject, all of

which can be found in the Library.

1. Pray With Your Eyes Open by Richard L. Pratt,

Jr. ∼ looking at God, ourselves, and our

prayers.

2. Bible Prayers for All Your Needs by Clift &

Kathleen Richards ∼ God’s answers for every

need.

3. Praying the Bible for Your Children by David &

Heather Kopp ∼ as a parent you want your

prayer to have an impact on the lives of your

children.

4. Prayer Does it Make any Difference? by Philip

Yancey ∼ probing the very heartbeat of our

relationship with God.

5. Don’t just Stand there, Pray Something by

Ronald Dunn ∼ the incredible power of

intercessory prayer.

The library is one of the ministries of the church

that receives donations at Easter time. We

welcome your support. Please use the envelope

provided in the pews.

Enjoy!

Mary Morelock

P A G E 1 0

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS

Sunday, March 11, 2012 Turn your clocks one hour forward,

or be late for church!

If we missed your birthday or anniversary,

please let the church office know!

March Birthdays

7th

Raymond Marshall

10th

George Ball

13th

Agnes Downing

15th

Hillary Jones

16th

Deborah Hodgkins

16th

Terry van den Heever

18th

David France

20th

Christine Rudnick

21st

Roman Audette

21st

Erin Fresn

24th

Amanda Hodgkins

24th

Jacqueline Pelliccia

25th

William Hinckley, Jr.

25th

Olivia Pritchard

26th

Bev Hier

28th

Sherry Hoffman

28th

Andrea Fresn

29th

Velma Scanlon

31st

Colby Krogh

March Anniversaries

15th

Paul and Brenda Pelliccia

15th

Thomas and Tammy Townson

22nd

Michael and Cheryl Hensler

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P A G E 1 1