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January/February
2008
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Current Sermon Series:
KEEPING COMPANY WITH GOD

January 20
“Open the Door”
Philippians 4:4-7
As
he ended his letter to the Philippians, Paul described the strength and joy he
found in Christ. As a Roman prisoner,
Paul had plenty to worry about. But in
spite of his hardships, he drew near to God and found indescribable peace.
January 27
“Know Who You’re Talking To”
Psalm 147
Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
February 3
CONFIRMATION SUNDAY
“Are You BOLD?”
Matthew 10:32-39
February 10
“Address the Mess”
Psalm 32
Do
you know what forgiveness feels like?
Have you ever experienced it? Why
not agree with God about your sin? Go
ahead and let him know what you’ve been trying to hide. He has promised to provide a safe place for
you to get it all out in the open – and to get rid of it.
February 17
“Move With God”
Acts 4:23-31
On their release, Peter and
John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and
elders had said to them. When they heard
this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. … After they prayed,
the place where they were meeting was shaken.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God
boldly.
February 24
“Tune In To God”
Ephesians 1:17-21
I pray also that the eyes of
your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he
has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his
incomparably great power for us who believe.
March 2
“Where Did God Go?”
Psalm 28
Hear my cry for mercy as I
call to you for help… Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my
heart trusts in him, and I am helped…
The Lord is the strength of his people.
March 9
“Keeping Company With God”
Matthew 6:9-13 – The
Lord’s Prayer
Have
you ever wondered how to pray? Most of
us have. The “Lord’s Prayer” shows us how to talk to our heavenly Father. Like a loving father, God cares about us and
will listen to what we have to say. As
our heavenly Father, he occupies a
place of great power, which means that he is able to answer our prayers.
THE LIBRARY COMMITTEE SAYS… DON’T “KEEP IT QUIET” –
TELL EVERYBODY ABOUT THE LIGHTNER LIBRARY!
Did
you know that there are over 125 books on prayer in our church library? There are books for adults, books for teens,
and books for children. There are books
about how to pray, when to pray, what to pray for, and what happens when you
pray. During the current Sermon Series
on Prayer, stop by and check out our “features” table display. Here are just some of the books on prayer
that are available in the Lightner Library.
Adventures in Prayer, by Catherine Marshall
All Things Are Possible Through Prayer, by Charles L. Allen
Are You Listening God? I Need You, by Joan Bel Geddes
Daily Prayers for Busy People, by William J. O’Malley
Discovering How to Pray, by Hope MacDonald
Don’t Just Stand There, Pray Something, by Ronald Dunn
The Handbook of Public Prayer, by Roger Geffen
If I Could Pray Again, by David A. Redding
The Joy of Believing Prayer, by Joyce Meyer
Let Prayer Change Your Life, by Becky Tirabassi
Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days, by Kay Arthur
Miracles Happen When You Pray, by Quin Sherrer
On a Wing and a Prayer, by Brian K. Bauknight
A Pocket Prayer Book, by Ralph Spaulding Cushman
The Power of a Praying Woman, by Stormie Omartian
The Power of a Praying Parent, by Stormie Omartian
The Power of a Praying Wife, by Stormie Omartian
The Power of a Praying Husband, by Stormie Omartian
Pray Like Jesus, by John R. Brokhoff
Prayer and Our Bodies, by Flora Solsson Wuellner
A Prayer Book for Soldiers and Sailors, by H. St. George Tucker
Prayer Can Change Your Life, by William R. Parker & Elaine St. Johns
Prayer of Jabez, by Bruce Wilkinson
The Prayer of Jabez
for Teens, by Bruce Wilkinson with David
Kopp
Prayer:
Conversing with God, by
Rosalind Rinker
Prayer Through
the Eyes of Women of the Bible, by Ann
Spangler & Jean E. Syswerda
Prayers for Children, by Eloise Wilkin
Prayers for Children, by Rachel Taft Dixon
Praying Our Goodbyes, by Joyce Rupp
Praying the Scriptures, by Even B. Howard
Prayer with Power and the Healing Choice, by Lloyd John Ogilvie & Ron Lee Davis
The Promise of Answered Prayer, by Jim Cymbala
The Student Prayerbook
Too Busy Not to Pray, by Bill Hybels
What About
God? Now That You Are Off to College, by Helen R. Neinast &
Thomas C. Ettinger
Wild Things Happen When I Pray, by Becky Tirabassi
With God All Things Are Possible!
Children’s Books
Can I Pray With My Eyes Open?, by Susan Taylor Brown
God, I’ve Gotta
Talk to You, by Anne Jennings & Walter
Wangerin, Jr.
I Can Make My Own Prayers, by Lucille E. Hein
I Can Talk With God, by Debby Anderson
Wee Sing Musical Bible, by Pamela Conn Beall &
Susan Hagen Nipp
What Happens When Children Pray, by Evelyn Christenson
What Did Jesus Say About Prayer?, by Helen Haidle
SUNDAY SCHOOL MISSION OFFERING: January/February 2008
This offering will support the Pass
It On Ministry of Bel Air UMC, a ministry to help
those with financial needs in our own community. All Sunday School
offering received during these months will provide assistance to our Harford
County neighbors who need help with their utilities, housing, and other necessities. Give from your heart!
SUNDAY SCHOOL MISSION OFFERING: March/April 2008
The Sunday School
offering during these months will be donated to HEIFER INTERNATIONAL to
support the purchase of a “Flock of Hope.”
Each $60 donation provides one Flock of Hope which includes chicks,
ducklings, and goslings that will grow up to lay precious eggs that mean hope
and increasing health and prosperity for hungry families from the Philippines
to Rwanda. Eggs add vital protein to
malnourished families’ diets, and droppings provide a wonderful natural
fertilizer to improve crop yields. Over
time as the flocks grow, families can sell the surplus eggs and produce at
market and use the extra income to send children to school, build secure
housing, and more. Offering boxes are
available from your child’s Sunday School
teacher. Boxes are to be returned by
Sunday, April 27.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL NEWS
Mark your calendar for June
23-27, 2008, 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, for an exciting week of “Power Lab.” Registration begins on Palm Sunday, March
16. Those who can serve as VBS leaders
should contact Joni Behrendt.
REPORT FROM CHARGE CONFERENCE
The church’s annual Charge Conference was held on December
4, 2007, called to order by Rev. Dr. C. Anthony Hunt, Superintendent of the
Baltimore-Harford District. The meeting
started with a time of singing and prayer, led by Rev. Doug Hollida. Two testimonies were then offered on how
one’s life has been enriched through the church. Bill Smith offered his testimony on the topic
of “What grace has done in my life,” and Barry Miller offered his testimony on
the recent “Sowing Seeds: Serving By Grace” event. A
video presentation was shown depicting some of the volunteer efforts on
Saturday, November 10, 2007.
Dr. Hunt stated that he was proud of the Bel Air UMC
congregation, as it is a model for the Conference and the denomination. He reminded us that there is no way that we
can be together (as heard in the testimonies) without the gift of Christ. Christ is the center of who we are, who we
have been, and who we shall be.
Pastor’s Reports were given by Rev. Carol Pazdersky, Rev.
Peggy Groseclose, and Rev. Barry Hidey.
A report was presented by Bill Benson, Chair of the Administrative
Council, and an update was given on the work of the Compass Task Force and the
Off-Site Ministry Team. Written reports
were provided by Rev. Doug Hollida (Worship & Arts), Joni Behrendt
(Children & Family Ministries), Tom Hodges (Student Ministries), and Cindy
Caldwell (Adult Discipleship). (These reports
are printed below.)
Reports were given by the Board of Trustees, the Finance
Committee, and the Staff-Parish Relations Committee. Pastoral compensation for the clergy was
approved for the coming year. Cindy
Caldwell was affirmed for her continuation as a candidate for ordained
ministry. Reports were presented and
approval was given for our Certified Lay Speakers: Susan Buttimer, Cindy Caldwell, Elaine Crowe,
Sandy Miller, Dan Pazdersky, Bob Phillips, Devonna
Rowe, Leonard Rowe, Bob Sherman, and Beverly Talbot. Don Renner, who now resides in an assisted
living facility, has chosen not to continue his Lay Speaker certification. However, he is still doing lay leading
through worship services at the facility, and it was recommended that he be
given an affirmation as Lay Speaker, Emeritus.
Congratulations,
Don! Thank you for your dedication and
ministry to others.
The annual report on Ministry to Members was reviewed, and
the nominations of church leaders for 2008 were approved. (See the listing of members of the 2008
Administrative Council and the church’s various boards and committees.) A time of fellowship followed the meeting.
Editor’s Note: Please
take the time to review the reports describing the work of the church
accomplished in 2007. We hope you gain a
better understanding of how we go about fulfilling our Mission Statement
through worship, stewardship, Christian education, fellowship, congregational
care, and through our many, many ministries and missions. We also hope you can see the vision for the
future, as the results of the Compass Task Force lead us into becoming a more
welcoming congregation, as we reach more people through innovative worship and
learning opportunities, and as we move out into the community and around the
world in ministry and service.
If you have any questions about the Charge Conference or
Administrative Council, please contact Tony Vinciguerra, current Chair of
Administrative Council, or Rev. Barry Hidey.
Report of the
Pastor
Rev. Barry E.
Hidey, Lead Minister
1. Share your vision for the congregation and how it relates to making
and engaging disciples for the transformation of the world?
We, the congregation of Bel Air UMC, are called to make disciples of
Jesus Christ, as we SHOW all people the way to the Father, teach them to KNOW
the Son, Jesus Christ, and prepare them to GROW in faith and ministry,
empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Everything that we seek to do is
about making disciples!
2. What have been your accomplishments in making and engaging disciples?
I think that it is important to
realize that these are not “my” accomplishments, but the fruit of the servant
ministry of all of the members and staff of Bel Air Church. It doesn’t take
long to see the variety of fruit that has been born during the last 12 months.
We have seen it in…
▪ Worship - in the Grace
Series, and the transition of our Chancel Choir Director from Alissa Thomas to
David Smith
▪ Student Ministry – in
the growth of Ignite Worship, TNT, and FUEL, and two mission trips to Baltimore
City and Louisiana
▪ Children and Family Ministries – in VBS where
80% of those attending were not from church families, and exciting family
events and committed Sunday School leaders
▪ Adult Education –
140 adults in mid-week classes, another successful Teleios
Leadership Course, lives being changed through Beginnings and our small group ministry
▪ Mission – by raising
almost $100,000 for the Chabadza Medical Clinic, mission trips to Russia to
work and explore a new church partnership, three VIM trips to Louisiana
▪ Outreach – New Welcome Team
in place; Off-Site Ministry team developed a 5 year plan to reach out to the Abingdon
area and applied for and received $95,000 grant for a pastor to lead this
ministry starting July 1, 2008; Sowing
Seeds: Serving By Grace had 500 adults, youth, and children serving in over
35 locations around Harford County and a Family Affair at the church
▪ Building – The proceeds
from the sale of the parsonage allowed the Trustees to tackle many needed
projects, with the transformation of McComas Hall being the most visible.
▪ Finance – Our giving
in 2007 has been very good, and we expect that a strong December will allow us
to end the year on a positive note.
▪ Compass Task Force – We had many meetings
this summer for the congregation, and the vast majority who
responded through the Review and Response process agreed with both the target
and focus area recommendations with some individuals providing ideas for the
next level of implementation.
3. What have been the roadblocks to discipleship and engaging disciples
in the community, and what steps are you taking to overcome them?
We have realized that our welcoming
ministries were not being as effective as they could be, so a congregational
survey brought out some new ideas and many people stepped forward to implement
some needed changes.
It is still hard for our people to
engage and invite their neighbors and friends in Christian conversation and
invite them to church. The Compass Task Force’s recommendations have helped us
to understand who we need to reach and, next year, we will explore new ways to
reach these people and train our members in new behaviors.
Our worship attendance has not grown
as much as we would have liked, as we ended trueFusion
and worked to raise the level of community at the 11:00 worship service. We need to continue to explore ways to grow
our services.
The 2008 budget looks like it will
be facing major challenges in order to fund our ministries in the most
effective way.
4. By the end of this year, what do you anticipate will be:
The number of
professions and reaffirmations of faith for 2007? 43
The average
worship attendance for 2007? 735
The approximate percentage of
worshipers engaged in congregational and community ministries sponsored by the
congregation? We do not have a way to track this. We did get over 500 people
working in the community on our Sowing
Seeds: Serving By Grace event.
How will you build on this in 2008?
Which of these areas would you like to improve and what steps will you take?
I think that we can continue to find new ways to enable our
people to find ways to serve. Our Compass Implementation Teams will develop
ways to tackle many of our biggest challenges. Our Off-Site Ministry in
Abingdon will also provide a tangible way to reach out to the 25-40 age group.
5. How can your Guide better resource and support you?
I think that our District
Superintendent has provided good insight, counsel, and support throughout the
past year. Dr. Hunt was essential in us exploring the possibility of hiring a
second associate during Rev. Groseclose’s last year
before retirement.
6. What can the Conference do to better support you in your ministry?
It is exciting to see that the Conference
is committed to lowering the apportionment rate each year. In 2008, we will see
the benefit of that, as our 2008 apportionment did not increase. We are also
blessed to leverage the Discipleship Adventure of the Baltimore-Washington
Conference (BWC) into our focus to help people to come to KNOW Jesus Christ, to
GROW in ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit, and then to SHOW all
people the way to the Father!
We would not have been able to move forward to reach a vital
section of our community through the Off-Site Ministry if we did not receive a
grant from the BWC. This grant will enable us to develop a ministry to the many
unchurched people in the Abingdon area who need to be
met where they are, instead of expecting them to show up at our door.
Final Thoughts
2007 brought so many blessings, as we heard so many people
sharing their stories in worship during the Grace series, or just telling about
the way they are serving in the church or community. The strength of this
church is in the people -- people who want to live grace-filled lives and want
to sow seeds of grace and love in a world that is hungry for love and
acceptance.
On the Journey,
Barry
Report of Rev.
Marguerite B. (Peggy) Groseclose, Senior Associate Minister
1. Share your vision
for the congregation and how it relates to making and engaging disciples for
the transformation of the world?
The mission of Bel Air UMC is to make Disciples of Jesus
Christ by Showing
them the way to the Father, Helping them to Know Jesus Christ, and to Grow
through the guiding of the Holy Spirit.
My vision of BAUMC is of a community of Christ that lives out this
mission with joy and gratitude to Christ.
In my charge of Congregational Care, I see the church caring for people
within and outside of the congregation, not only with prayers, but with
presence and service. It is this light
and grace of Christ that is contagious evangelism. In my charge of Associate Pastor,
I see this lived out in a larger way—as our worship and our
ministries heal the broken hearted, lift up those who are discouraged and
empower those who are called by God to serve.
2. What have been your accomplishments in making and engaging disciples?
As I prepare for retirement in a few months, I’ve been able
to look back at all the care ministries I have developed over the years. This past year, we have launched the Stephen
Ministries at Bel Air UMC. I am
gratified to see people living out the call of caring,
and overjoyed as people report back how much they love their Stephen Ministers
and their work.
This past 9 months have been particularly trying as I spent
several weeks in the hospital with triple by-pass and pacemaker surgery. My husband was in the hospital with a
life-threatening illness. The blessing
is that when I came home from the hospital, the congregation cared for me 24/7
until I was able to get Bill home and I could care for him.
This is a picture of the church as it was intended to
be—people in community helping others and giving praise to God. It is my continued prayer that the congregation continue to care for each other with the same
zeal that they cared for me.
3. What have been the
roadblocks to discipleship and engaging disciples in the community, and what
steps are you taking to overcome them?
I believe that fear is a huge roadblock to discipleship and
community. People are afraid to meet the
unknown. Whether it’s
unknown situations or unknown situations, there are always questions about
self: “What will I find? “Where should I go?” “What should I say?” “What will people think of me if I do . . .
.?” The key is to help people learn to
trust God in all these things. Having
someone walk beside me has been the best method I’ve known to help them
overcome their fears. If I can help them
learn to replace their fear for themselves with love for others, then I can
rest comfortably in this accomplishment.
Once I retire, while I will no longer have ministry programs to run, I
still can do this in my personal relationships.
4. How can your Guide better resource and support you?
My guide has been very helpful helping me talk through the
direction I need to take in the upcoming 7 months. We have been colleagues for many years and he
is asking me to help share my experience with the other members of the Discipler group. I
appreciate that affirmation.
5. What can the Conference do to better support you in your ministry?
The Conference can take Associate Pastors more
seriously. If you were to divide the
membership of BAUMC by two (the number of pastors we had last year), that would
mean that each one of us would have the responsibility and care for over 1,000
people! While we can develop programs to
help us do this, that figure is more than the church size of most
congregations. Because I believe that
Congregational Care is so vital a ministry (it should be both inreach and outreach) I would have liked to have seen the
Conference call on me or other Congregational Care ministers to do more
training to pastors and churches. I
would like to have received the same attention as other lead ministers have received
regarding resourcing and planning.
Career Associates have much behind-the-scenes wisdom and tend to remain
at one church for a longer period of time, thus carrying the shared history of
the congregation. So, stop making Associates
an afterthought or of less value than the Lead Pastor.
Report of Rev.
Carol L. Pazdersky, Associate Pastor
What a joy it has been to come home this year! Although I grieve the loss of relationships
at my previous appointment, I rejoice to be at Bel Air United Methodist
Church. This congregation has been
blessed by God and their response has been to become a blessing to the entire
community.
I continue to learn about the mission and ministry of
BAUMC. Senior Associate Marguerite
“Peggy” Groseclose has been an invaluable source of education and encouragement
as I learn about Congregational Care and Church and Society (our justice and
mercy ministries work area). Lead
Minister Barry Hidey has given generously of his time to help me navigate my
way as I work with Missions and the Board of Trustees.
In Congregational Care, I have begun working with our laity
and in the Shepherd Ministry, Stephen Ministry, Prayer Chain, and Bereavement
Ministry (Grief Share and Grief Support).
Our excellent leaders in these areas have already begun making plans for
recruiting and equipping others to serve in these ministries.
In Church and Society, I have developed relationships with
both the volunteers and guests at Manna House Soup Kitchen and the FCCAU
Homeless Shelter. I have had the
privilege of praying with the volunteers and guests in their times of personal
struggle. I am working closely with the
leaders of Neighbors in Need to strengthen this ministry to the community’s
needy seniors. My time at the local
assisted living and nursing care facilities has become very precious to me as I
grow to better know some of our church members and others in the
community.
In Missions, I had the opportunity to attend the Russia
Consultation in Kansas City in November.
This event gave me the needed background for my work with the Russia
Outreach Committee. I will continue to
work with this committee to educate the entire congregation about the need for
evangelism in Russia. Our prayer is that
we will soon have a partner church in Russia.
Mt. Carmel Chapel provides a unique worship experience for
those seeking a small church feeling with large church opportunities. I have grown to love my time with this
congregation and will continue to work with Rev. Groseclose and the worshippers
to extend its benefits to others.
In keeping with our understanding of the Board of Trustees
as a ministry area, I worked with the staff and the Board to develop a policy
toward those young persons who use our facility for skateboarding. Rather than confronting these youth, staff
members invite them into the church, share the gospel with them through a book
and DVD specifically done for skaters, and explain the reason for the no
skateboard policy.
Our sermon series on grace and the community outreach which
followed has planted seeds. Some of those who served at the Harford County
Detention Center have begun making plans for an ongoing ministry there. We cared for those coming to visit their
incarcerated loved ones by providing light refreshments, Christian literature, Bibles,
small gifts, and a listening ear. Some
of our members have decided to return to the jail and continue ministering to
these families.
I am becoming acquainted with the community resources
available. Harford County hosted a resource
fair where I learned about the programs and ministries of faith communities and
civic agencies. Upper Chesapeake Medical
Center Pastoral Care Department held a breakfast where I met other clergy from
the area and we all learned about the hospital.
Rev. Groseclose and I are working with other clergy to form an
ecumenical group. This group would be a
source of support for clergy and a voice for the poor of the community.
Over the last few years, my ministry in spiritually
companioning others has increased. In
response to this development, I attended a workshop entitled “On Becoming a
Spiritual Director” in October. I have
continued to read materials in this area and have begun looking at programs for
more formal training in walking with those experiencing deep spiritual hunger.
I look forward to serving with and among the people of Bel
Air United Methodist Church and the Harford County community. God has begun a good work in us. May God bring that work to completion!
Grace and peace,
Carol
Report
of Rev. Doug Hollida, Director of Worship & Arts and Organist
As Director of Worship and Arts, I oversee and
coordinate all things having to do with worship and arts for our
congregation. A big part of this is planning the worship services.
Periodically through the year, we pull in other staff members along with the
pastors, and I lead brain-storming sessions to plan future worship
themes. We talk about what our congregation needs/wants to hear; and what
the over-all goals of the congregation are and how we can support that in the
sermons. We move from planning themes, to picking scriptures, and work
together to plan skits, videos, and other creative pieces.
This year, we started the year off with “Getting Fit—How to
Live Life at Your Best.” This series led us into Lent as we talked about
God's ability and desire to help us gain physical fitness, emotional fitness,
and spiritual fitness, to name a few.
Our Lent through Easter series was “Peter's Journey Is Our
Journey” as we walked with Peter through the Bible stories, relating his
experiences and witness through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.
A new thing we did this year for Good Friday was to have a self-guided
meditation time. People were invited to come anytime between 12:00 noon
and 9:00 PM. Pictures, scriptures, and
questions were provided to guide the meditation. Attendance was good and
people expressed that they were very moved by this time. Joni did a parallel “hands-on” family version
in the Assembly Room.
For the rest of spring and summer, we looked at the early
church as the Book of Acts was the theme.
Also, we opened summer worship with a prayer and song time using the
“ACTS” model. We had 4 songs and 4
prayers plus quiet time in the areas of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving,
and Supplication.
Our fall series led us up to the November stewardship time
and was an 8 week series entitled, “Grace:
The Price Is Right.” Along with
some wonderful skits, we were able to have an extra piece of music during the
offering for this series. We brought
this music together in the “Concert of Grace” held on October 28. This was promoted as an opportunity to share
our church with others, and I did hear of a couple who came with members to
hear the concert and decided to start attending services here. The concert also helped fill people with
grace -- which was the goal.
As we head into Advent we are doing a series gleaning
inspiration from Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” entitled “From Humbug to
Hallelujah.”
Along with the regular worship planning, we had other events
in the worship area this year that deserve mention:
We said goodbye to the Thomas family, after Alissa’s 11 year tenure as our Chancel Choir Director. We had a special service with a “Sermon in
Song” featuring favorite anthems of the choir.
Former members came together to close with “Total Praise.”
A prayerful search for someone to follow Alissa brought us
David Smith. Of the candidates we
interviewed, David was the only one deemed able to fill Alissa’s
shoes in the important areas of spirituality, personality, and musical
ability. We are extremely fortunate to
have had Alissa for so many years and to have someone like David to come.
Also, Amy Adkins, who directed our Cherub Choir and was
involved in many other musical offerings over the years, answered a call for
music ministry at Jarrettsville United Methodist Church. Again, we are thankful to have had Amy’s
talent and service, and happy that Judy Jones
volunteered to step into her place and that Jennifer
Barry stepped up to fill Judy’s former role as accompanist.
To increase the sense of community at our 11:00:00
worship service, we began having refreshments in the Narthex after each
service. Laura Cavanaugh has done a
great job of getting this ministry off the ground, and it is great to see
people visiting and praying together after worship. I know this time has helped me get to know
some more folks.
Chancel monitors were installed this summer so
the choir can see videos without having to move and take up four rows of pews
among the congregation. Thanks to all
those who donated and helped raise money for this project.
And speaking of projects, our organ console is
beginning to deteriorate and many of the pipes need repair (beyond regularly
scheduled tuning). The estimated
replacement cost of the organ is $660,000, so with that type of investment, we
want to keep things in repair. I’ve
talked with the Trustees about setting up an organ fund to cover costs of a new
console and refurbishment of the pipes.
And after a hiatus last year due to new
schedules in the school system, our Advent Concert series is back this year.
So there is a birds-eye view of the highlights
of the past year. I thank all the other
staff and the many, many volunteers who help us all worship the Lord.
In Christ’s Service,
Rev. Doug Hollida,
Director of Worship & Arts and Organist
Report of Joni
Behrendt, Director of Children & Family Ministries
The Education Ministry area of Bel Air United Methodist
Church continues its “Journey” through 2007 by weekly exploring God’s
Word. Each week a committed team of lay
volunteers provide excellent classroom and experiential learning, making
disciples of Jesus Christ. It is a joy
to watch children excited about Christian Learning and beginning to live the
Gospel out in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. On any given Sunday morning you will find
over 275 children in classes with more than 40 adult leaders, 52 weeks a year,
which demonstrates the commitment to building a firm foundation of faith. It could not be done without the many people
who give of themselves week after week studying and preparing for touching
young lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Family Ministry of Bel Air UMC continues to build as we
kicked off 2007 with the Annual All Church Ice Skating Extravaganza at Ice
World in Abingdon on New Year’s Day 2007.
Over 100 people came out to enjoy an afternoon of Christian fellowship
and exercise as together we started off the New Year! This is an opportunity for children to invite
their family, friends and neighbors to join in what has become a great new year tradition for our church family. Young and old look forward each year to this
special event. [Note: Our 2008 Skating Extravaganza was also a huge
success!]
Other Family Ministry activities included a combined Super
Bowl Party with the Student Ministries of Bel Air UMC which included games,
family activities, a chili cook-off and of course, enjoying “the Big Game on the
Big Screen!” Easter was again a time of
gathering as over 75 Easter baskets were assembled and taken to the Baltimore
Mission for distribution. We can only
imagine the joy on the faces of the children Easter morning as they received a
basket filled with treats, toys, and a special Easter book telling the meaning
of the Christian holiday.
The Annual Children’s Poster Contest during Lent again
demonstrated that children understand and are able to interpret the Scriptures
in such a clear and concise way by using their artistic gifts. Ribbons of place and honor were presented at
worship on Palm Sunday.
A special Cinco de Mayo family
party took place on May 5 at which traditional foods and games delighted those
who attended. A Mexican Hat Dance capped
of an exciting evening!
Vacation Bible School in June brought over 280 children
through the doors of Bel Air UMC, 80% of which are non-Bel Air UMC
families. What an outreach into our
community! This might be the only
opportunity any one of those little ones hears the Gospel message, what a
privilege! Over 100 adults and youth
took 5 days out of their summer to provide excellent care and learning to those
children.
“Terrific Thursdays” in August provided a great time of fun,
fellowship and family entertainment as games, activities and a special movie
with a Christian theme were presented.
This short 60 minutes of the week, we pray, provided opportunities for
family and faith growth!
In October a Family Fall Festival brought out over 150 folk
to make scarecrows, enjoy festive games, crafts and of course food.
An Advent Wreath Event was held in December, as together
each family makes an Advent Wreath with live greens, enjoys a pizza and salad
supper, and shares in the service of lighting the first Advent Candle together.
Christmas will bring the annual Family Service at 4:00 PM
which year after year provides a Christmas worship experience designed with
children in mind and with children providing special music, anthems, Scripture
readings, families greeting, and taking on the ushering duties and singing of
traditional carols. A great way to close
another year of Christian Worship, Learning and Fellowship!
As we embark on 2008, it is the prayer of the Children and
Family Ministries Team that momentum will continue to carry us forward with
excitement as plans are made for continued spiritual and personal growth in the
new year. I
want to thank those who provide lay leadership to these endeavors: Susanne Bittle,
Lisa Caudill, Sandy Millner, and Janelle Moffett. It couldn’t be done without you! Thank you for your faithfulness in serving
the children and families of Bel Air UMC!
Respectfully submitted,
Joni J. Behrendt
Director of Children & Family Ministries
Report of Cindy
Caldwell, Director of Adult Discipleship
In 2007, adults at Bel Air UMC continued to take new steps
in the journey with Jesus. From
“first-step” classes like Beginnings
to leadership development in Teleios, we believe
discipleship happens best in community, so we keep on looking for ways to put
people together to learn and live God’s Word.
Here’s how people have been growing this year:
Sunday Morning
Learning
We began 2007 with five year-round adult Sunday morning
classes, including:
John Packard Men’s Bible Study at
7:30 AM
Aldersgate Class at 9:20 AM
Voice of the Shepherd at 11:00 AM
Faith In
Community at 9:20 and 11:00 AM
We also offered “Boundaries,” a short-term class presented
by Safe Harbor Counseling.
The Voice of the Shepherd class at 11:00 AM was discontinued
this fall.
Beginning in January 2008, we will be offering short-term,
Christian life classes, focusing on life issues such as finances, parenting,
and relationships.
We continue to write curriculum for the Faith In Community classes, providing an in-depth Bible study
based on the sermon each week. About 60 adults attend Sunday classes.
Mid-Week Learning
This year we offered the following mid-week classes for
adults:
Beginnings, Spring (Wednesday) and Fall (Monday) classes
Disciple I, Thursday morning and
evening
Disciple III, Thursday morning
Disciple IV, Wednesday evening
Jesus in the Gospels, Tuesday
evening
Experiencing God, Wednesday evening
The Truth Project, Monday evening
Women’s Bible Study, Monday evening
UMW Bible Study, Wednesday morning
Men’s Breakfast Fellowship, Saturday
morning (monthly)
Approximately 150
adults enrolled in mid-week classes this fall.
Home Group Ministry
In 2007, the increase in groups we observed after the 40 Days of Community (40 groups by the
end of 2006) leveled out at 35. Some 40 Day
groups either discontinued or combined with others, and two new groups were
started this year. While the 40 Day
campaign did not significantly increase the number of groups, it did inspire
many groups to increase their commitment to serve. In 2007, home groups took on a number of
continuing projects such as Alpha’s Glory, ARC houses, nursing home visits, Casserole
Ministry, and hygiene kits for the homeless.
While home group participation is in constant flux, I estimate 375 people currently involved in home groups.
Teleios
On December 13, 2007, we will have completed a second
successful year of TELEIOS, our
year-long course for the development of servant leaders. Teleios
participants explored their spiritual gifts, passions, leadership style, and
spiritual pathways. Through reading,
discussion, and practical experience, students were challenged to develop a
personal vision for ministry and to grow in servant leadership. Our Teleios class
attended the 3-day Willow Creek Leadership Summit at the Timonium location in
August. 15 students completed the course
and practiced exemplary leadership in a church-wide service outreach called
“Sowing Seeds: Serving by Grace”. At
this event, approximately 500 church members and friends served in 40 locations
to meet needs throughout Harford County.
Membership
We received 44 new adult members in 2007. As in previous years, the membership process,
engages prospective members in the life of the church in the following ways.
1) The Discovery Luncheon. An
informal luncheon where visitors and inquirers can get acquainted with
our pastors, learn about the mission of Bel Air UMC, and discover ways to get
connected.
2) Connecting with a Group. Prospective members get connected
with a class, a small group, or an ongoing church ministry in order to get a
taste of community at Bel Air UMC prior to joining.
3) Membership Class. A 2-session class where
prospective members learn about our denomination, and are assisted in finding
their unique “fit” at the church. We
offered this class in the Spring and Fall of 2007.
Welcome Evaluation
Team
In Spring 2007, we commissioned a
team to evaluate our welcome ministries, make recommendations, and build
ministry teams to improve our outreach to visitors. Janelle Moffett and Linda Vinciguerra co-led
this effort and have implemented several new welcome ministries, including
hand-written welcome notes, a guest information center, and a “mixer” ministry
to engage newcomers at coffee hour. The
team continues to plan, coordinate, teach, and model what it means to be a
welcoming church.
Off-Site Ministry
This spring I joined the development team for the Off-Site
Ministry to be developed in Abingdon. In
2007 we worked to define our goals, create a ministry timeline, develop a
ministry plan, and apply for Conference funding. We continue to meet as a small
group to plan and pray for this ministry.
Goals for Growth in
2008
Home Group growth and multiplication is the biggest
challenge in Adult Discipleship. People
grow best in community, and we simply do not have enough groups for all the
people we want to reach, connect, and disciple. In 2008, the Home Group
ministry will be evaluated and new strategies developed to ensure the growth
and health of this ministry.
New responsibilities are on the horizon with the Off-Site
Ministry as we begin to build a faith community and make disciples in
Abingdon. As always, I will strive to
teach and lead in ways that reflect Christ and fulfill his desire for our
church and its mission. That means
making disciples who make disciples, and making leaders who make leaders.
Adult Discipleship
Team
My most important goal for the upcoming year is the
replacement of “I” with “we” in the leadership of adult discipleship. December 6 is the first scheduled meeting of
an Adult Discipleship Ministry Team.
This team will coordinate and oversee Adult Discipleship ministries, set
goals for growth, identify and equip leaders for classes and small groups, and
continue to align adult discipleship programs with the mission of BAUMC. The team will work to set standards, equip
leaders, create learning environments, build community, and help people
grow. I look forward to seeing what God
will do as this team applies itself to the spiritual growth of our
congregation.

2007
State of the Youth Report
This has been another exciting year for the Student
Ministry! We have increased attendance
in all areas and, more importantly, have had teens make decisions to follow
Christ with their lives! We continue
working hard to disciple students through the murky waters of our culture with
interesting and enjoying Bible studies and activities. Listed below is a rough month by month layout
of what the Student Ministry has been doing (although the list is not
exhaustive):
January
▪ 60 people attended youth rally (ROCK Retreat) in Ocean City
(sponsored by Delaware-Peninsula Conference)
▪ Confirmation began with 39 students, of which 37
were confirmed in June
February
▪ Super Bowl Party in McComas Hall with the Family Ministry
▪ Confirmation (Ongoing)
▪ Confirmation Retreat at Skycroft
Conference Center in Middletown, MD
▪ Studied unit on Purity – Kids were challenged to commit to
sexual and spiritual purity until marriage
March
▪ Confirmation (Ongoing)
▪ Lock-In – Focus was helping teens understand homelessness
and hunger. Youth built cardboard
shelters outside and slept in them overnight.
April
▪ Confirmation (Ongoing)
▪ Easter Sunrise Service
May
▪ Confirmation Day Apart
▪ First College (Young Adult Ministry) get together
▪ Confirmation Sunday
▪ Graduate Recognition
June
▪ Mission Trip to Louisiana with VIM – 20 teens went and worked
in Lake Charles, LA
▪ 3 teens attended Centrifuge Summer Camp
▪ Summer Intern started.
Focus was on locating over 200 college students, updating contact info
in the data base, and to ascertain their desire to remain connected with our
ministry. This was completed in August.
July
▪ Baltimore Mission Trip
August
▪ BIG WEEK – Activity a day – Introduction / Welcome 8th Graders
into the Sr. High ministry
▪ Whitewater Rafting / Camping
▪ Back to School Kick-Off – Fun activities in parking lot,
followed by concert by Faith Under Fire
and Kingdom Affect (our Confirmation
band) in McComas Hall
▪ New Student Leadership Council appointed. Welcomed new officers and
new positions to assist with leadership.
September
▪ Overtime @ Floodgate Café – Post high school football game
gathering with live music, food, and fellowship
▪ See You At The Pole – Students gathered at flag poles in front
of their school and prayed together
▪ New Confirmation session began with new schedule – September
through February
October
▪ Resumed Saturday School – Maintaining and building
relationships formed at Baltimore Mission Trip
▪ Overtime @ Floodgate Cafe
▪ Alternate Halloween Activity – Lock-In
▪ Stock Investors Dinner
November
▪ Confirmation Retreat @ River Valley Ranch
▪ Revolve Tour in Philadelphia, PA
December
▪ Alternative Christmas Eve Service in the
Floodgate Café called “A Café Christmas” – includes live Christmas music, a
Christmas message, and Christmas karaoke
▪ Baltimore Mission Dinner on Wednesday,
December 12
Ignite Youth
Worship
Ignite Youth Worship is a contemporary style service that is
directly engineered to engage teens and help them worship. We began the year averaging somewhere near 80
youth in attendance, and are now averaging near 115, with a high mark of 138 in
November. Faith Under Fire provides leadership in
music, and our Confirmation Band will begin playing once a month in the Ignite
Service starting in January. Video clips
are routinely used to help illustrate the sermon, as well as drama and dramatic
readings. Our video and audio equipment
needs to be upgraded to make the worship experience more fulfilling, and we’re
working on that outside the budget process.

Confirmation
Retaining youth after they’ve completed Confirmation was a
mandate given to Tom Hodges upon his hiring, and so there were some changes
made for the Confirmation process. We’ve
shifted the cycle from January to June to where it now runs from September to
February. This will prevent completing
Confirmation at the beginning of summer, where kids and families disappear for
vacations and such. Now, since we finish
in February, we’ll have 5 months to work to keep youth connected to the
ministry. In addition, instead of
waiting until August to allow 8th Graders who’ve completed Confirmation to
officially join the sr. high ministry, we’re welcoming them right after
Confirmation is completed.
Small Group
Ministry
We are beginning a 3 year transition into becoming a student
ministry focused on and revolving around the small group style of discipling. At
present, there is one small group for Sr. High girls and another for Sr. High
boys. Next September, we hope to have 5
Sr. High small groups and 2-3 small groups for the Middle School side of the
ministry. The following year, we’d like to double both those numbers.
TNT and FUEL
Mid-Week Bible Studies
We began the year in TNT (Sr. High) averaging around 15 in
weekly attendance and are now hitting 40 high school students each week, with
our high point having been 43! FUEL (Middle School) began the year with an average of 11 youth in
attendance and are now averaging 26, with our high mark having been 34! We continue using this time each week for
in-depth Bible study and trying to help teens figure out how to use their faith
and Bible in everyday life. We have
added two new adult leaders to TNT and two to FUEL. We expect 2008 to continue to be a time of
growth in these Bible study times.
The “Q”
The “Q” stands for “The Question.” This is a weekly gathering on Sunday nights
of Sr. High students to discuss deeper theological and cultural issue questions
from a Biblical perspective. Following
the discussion, we go to Friendly’s Restaurant for a time of fellowship. We began the year with having about 10
students attend this meeting; however, we rapidly grew to around 20-25 each
week.
Floodgate Café
The Floodgate Café is open for students to come and enjoy a
safe place to be after school. It’s use by students fluctuates and so it’s hard to get a
solid picture for numerical success.
However, its presence and accessibility have been of great value to
helping our TNT and FUEL programs grow as well.
Youth can come after school and stay for the Bible study. With the free snacks we offer, they seem to
enjoy it and continually ask that we expand the days it is open.
Student Leadership
Council
A new council has started working this past August to
evaluate all programs and areas of the Student Ministry to see how to improve
it. We have teens working in all areas
evaluating and making suggestions and then creating solutions and seeing them
through. At times, they have made
mistakes and we help them discover what went wrong and then try again. Also, the council is preparing a monthly
youth devotional that we hope will, ultimately, be completely student written,
edited, and published. I am proud of
what they’ve done so fare and their commitment of time to this council.
What About 2008?
While being incredibly pleased with what has been happening
in 2007, we believe 2008 can still be better!
We have given a challenge to our Middle School students to surpass the
55 number in attendance at the weekly FUEL Bible study and expect them to
accomplish that soon. TNT and FUEL
continue growing because youth enjoy the mix of fellowship, discussion, and
engaging topics. Ignite Youth Worship
should continue its growth as we continually cover issues and topics from a
Biblical perspective that engage youth and teach them how to use their faith in
the everyday world. We’ll be adding
drama to the service more frequently and liturgical dance will also be used in
2008. We retained about 79% of the
Confirmation Class of 2007 (which means they still have a strong connection to
our church by attending TNT or Ignite Worship regularly) and expect this year’s
retention rate to be a little higher.
The present state of the EXIT412 Student Ministry of Bel Air
UMC is: Excellent! While still room for improvement and growth
in both spiritual maturity and readiness to face the world beyond high school,
our teens are working hard to take ownership of this ministry and see it become
something they are excited about inviting their friends to so that their
friends can experience Jesus for themselves.
As we tweak existing areas of the ministry, we’ll be working to shift to
the small group focus in 2009. We’ll be
working to develop a mid-week worship service to replace (or augment) TNT and
FUEL in 2009 to continue offering a place in the church mid-week for kids to
get re-fueled. We’ll continue working to
make the Floodgate Café the desired after school hangout spot for teens in this
community and invite them to stay for the Bible study. We’ll continue challenging students with
tough life and faith questions in our Bible studies and the “Q.” We’ll keep helping students discover their
leadership potential by serving on the Leadership Council. We’ll keep pointing students toward Jesus
with everything we do with intentionality and purpose.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Hodges
Director of Student Ministries
REPORT OF THE COMPASS TASK FORCE
Charting
the course for the next leg of the Journey…
Background
During
the Spring of 2005, the Administrative Council
approved an initiative to look at the future direction of our church and formed
the Compass Task Force. The goal given
to the Compass Task Force was to review and compare the makeup and culture of
both our local community and our church and formulate a recommendation(s),
within the boundaries of our Mission Statement and Vision, as to how Bel Air UMC
can make the greatest impact on our local community to help facilitate the
growth of the Kingdom of God. The implementation of the recommendations and the
goals set forth within them will be used to set the direction of our church for
the next 5 to 10 years.
The
first step was to establish a small core group (5-7 people) who would receive
appropriate training for and be charged with developing a plan that identified
the tasks, resources, budget, and schedule necessary for conducting the study.
This group was appointed by the Chair of the Administrative Council (Bill
Benson), Jim Schepers, and Rev. Barry Hidey and presented to the June 20, 2005
Administrative Council Meeting. Ryan Burky, Debbie Englar, Pete Entner,
Beth Lusky, Tony Pitrat and Randy Wentsel all
accepted the invitation to join the core group; Jim Schepers chairs the Task Force.
The
initial effort to create a plan for conducting the study took approximately 7
months to accomplish. This process began
with a summer reading program culminating in several days of training in
September 2005. The planning effort then
began, on a bi-weekly basis, into January 2006, culminating with a 1 and ½ day
workshop presentation of the plan to the Council leaders at the January 2006
Administrative Council Retreat. The study plan was then approved at the
following Administrative Council meeting.
Community Studies
The
Compass Task Force members began the organizing and education part of the plan
in February 2006. During the late Spring of 2006, the series of information gathering
activities were initiated to take place over the Summer, Fall and Winter of
2006. You might remember the
congregational survey during worship last June. Most of the information gathering activities
were completed and those remaining will be completed during 2007.
Included
in these studies were two professionally conducted studies that were performed
in conjunction with the Percept Company to look at the demographics of both our
congregation and a 7.5 mile radius defining our local community. Additional studies included looking at best
practices from other local churches, our facilities usage, finances, our
ministries and missions, local outreach and support organizations within our
community, and current trends within both the secular and religious culture.
Administrative
Council Retreat
The
Task Force reviewed and analyzed the information from the studies and prepared
materials for presentation at the February 2007 Administrative Council Retreat.
This retreat continued to focus on
determining the future direction of our church as they reviewed the findings
from the Compass Task Force studies and began the preliminary steps of
identifying and determining our new direction. During this time, they looked at the cultures
of both our congregation and that of our local community, looked at local
churches best practices, facilities, finances, local outreach and service
organizations, and trends in both the secular and religious cultures.
The
Administrative Council then began the preliminary definition of the profile for
the people we believe we need to reach in order make the greatest impact on our
local community to help facilitate the growth of the Kingdom of God. After
having defined who these people are we then began to determine what adaptations
we might need to make in the areas of Worship, Missions, Ministry, Fellowship,
and Discipleship in order to reach, grow and incorporate these missing people
into the Body of Christ. We saw the need
to both share this information and receive responses from the congregation with
regard to these findings and preliminary recommendations.
Congregational Review and Response
Sessions
The
first step in this process was to review the recommendations and supporting
information with the members of the various governing bodies of our church
(such as Finance, Trustees, Staff-Parish Relations, etc.); this took place
during the month of May.
The
second step was to present this same information and solicit input from a
larger representative group of members from our congregation (approximately
200-300 people) during the months of June, July, August and September. Although
any member of the congregation could participate in this process, written
invitations were made to about 400 specific members to try to insure a balanced
representation of the entire congregation. The meeting invitation was also
communicated to the entire congregation by the pastors during Sunday services
as well as through the SPIRE and e-Spire.
Those
who participated in the congregational input process were requested to attend a
Review meeting and a Response meeting, which were several weeks apart. During the Review meeting, participants
received the materials to be reviewed and instructions on how we wanted to
receive their responses; this took about 20 to 25 minutes.
During
the Response meeting, the forum was open for general discussion and
participants were asked to turn in their written responses; they spent about 1
to 1-1/4 hours during the Response meetings.
132
individuals attended the Review meetings, 67 individuals attended the Response
meetings, with 44 individuals submitting written responses to the questions
associated with the recommendations. The
vast majority who responded through the Review and Response process agreed with
both the target and focus area recommendations with some individuals providing
ideas for the next level of implementation.
Conclusion
The
results from the Review and Response sessions were reported to the Administrative
Council during the September meeting, with the suggestion that a new oversight
group be created to carry forward the recommendations and a motion be made that
the Compass Task Force be disbanded, having met its objectives. During the October Administrative Council
meeting, the motions were made and passed to disband the Compass Task Force and
to begin the process of forming a new task force to oversee the implementation
of the recommendations.
ADDENDUM
Missing Persons Target
Recommendation
The mission of Jesus Christ
and our church calls us to reach out into the community to grow Christ’s
Kingdom. A Bel Air UMC Task Force
collected survey data on the demographics of our community and church. An Administrative Council Retreat was held
last February where we discussed the Task Force findings in relation to our
core church activities: worship, mission, ministry, discipleship, and
fellowship.
The survey data indicated the
church is underrepresented in the 25-45 age group
consisting of singles and young married families.
As a suburban church, the
retreat members believe we need to be in a position to attract:
-
Young suburban
families
-
Married/single
with children
Based on the results of the
survey data it was determined that the primary concerns of the proposed target
group are:
1. Family Problems
2. Local Community Problems
3. Hopes and Dreams
After meeting and spending
time in prayer, these became the proposed areas on which to focus, as
determined by the Administrative Council Retreat in order to both reach and
keep the target group for the Body of Christ.
1. Become a
more welcoming church (reaching out
to focus on new attendees, always seeking new attendees).
i.
[SHORT TERM] Train greeters, and expand this group. Then, offer training to all in our
congregation to improve our welcome focus.
ii.
[SHORT TERM] Improve the “ASK ME” program.
iii.
[SHORT TERM] Improve the Narthex, and make it more
personable.
iv.
[SHORT TERM] Establish a gopher program (people to show
newcomers where things are).
v.
Create welcome
cards (business card size) that can be used in day-to-day life to extend
invitations to our entire community.
2. Develop the
resources to establish a worship service focused on meeting the needs of our
target:
a.
[SHORT TERM] Continue to revamp 11:00 service and make it
a more friendly, community building service.
b.
[SHORT TERM] Provide a contemporary alternative earlier in
the morning – 9:20 contemporary service.
c.
[LONG TERM] Capital Campaign Drive to develop space for
contemporary worship.
3. Commit
Resources toward creation of a great, vibrant family-centered church.
a.
[LONG TERM] Create a family life center.
b.
[SHORT TERM] Establish great children’s programs; building
on the strength of VBS, Tiny Tots, and CCC.
Open CCC more to the community, and seek accreditation for both TTS and
CCC.
c.
[SHORT TERM] Offer family-focused and family life-centric
classes to fill the needs of our target:
parenting, tutoring, fitness, financial, nutrition, stress
management. Establish a parenting
mentoring program. Establish
parent-centered activities such as Parents Nights Out and family movie nights.
d.
[SHORT AND LONG
TERM] Increase the resources in family
life ministries, including personnel and budget.
2008
ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL
*indicates Staff
Chairperson – Tony Vinciguerra (410-893-9828)
Secretary – Jen Evans
Committee Chairs
President, Board of Trustees
Rick Schulte (410-692-0563)
Chair, Finance Committee
Tony
Ciampaglio (410-879-5123)
Chair, Staff-Parish Relations Committee
Jane
Russell (410-838-1336)
Administrative Representatives
Treasurer - Sandy Conway (410-838-4151)
Lay Leader - Beverly Talbot
Lay Members to Annual Conference
Art & Gloria Benson
Cindy Caldwell
Elaine Crowe
Robert Phillips
President, United Methodist Women
Amy Adkins
Church & Society – Bob Vestal
Missions – Beth Lusky
Members At Large
Class of 2008 Class of 2010
Libby Maenner Phyllis
Cooper
Doug Pratt Kevin
Hoy
Jay Wohnlich Mike
Schmidt
Class of 2009
Daryl Shank
Linda Vinciguerra
TINY TOTS SCHOOL BOARD
Chair – Vicki Seitzinger (410-569-4821)
Vice Chair –
Treasurer – Amy Pratt
Secretary – Meredith Coy
Member At Large –
Director, Christian Education - Joni Behrendt*
Director, Tiny Tots School - Joan Elloff*
Chair – Andrea Richie (410-638-6421)
Vice Chair – Debbie Parker
Treasurer – Bill Groseclose
Secretary – Carol Benson
Member At Large – John Cavanaugh
Director, Christian Education - Joni Behrendt*
Director, CCC - Anjanette Jacobs*
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
President – Rick Schulte
Class of 2008 Class of 2010
Sue Evans Gail
Candey
Don Mahan Barry
Miller
Rick Schulte Jeff
Roberts
Class of 2009
Wilson Gorrell
Diane Sengstacke
Nolan Shaver
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Chair – Tony Ciampaglio
Class of 2008 Stewardship
Rick McGhee Debbie
Englar
Randy Wentsel Chair,
Ad Council
Class of 2009 Tony Vinciguerra
Donna Becker Trustees
Representative
Don Millner Rick
Schulte
Class of 2010 Staff-Parish
Representative
Tony Ciampaglio Jane
Russell
Christine Hoffman Lay
Member to Conference
Treasurer Gloria Benson
Sandy Conway
Lay Leader
Beverly Talbot
STAFF-PARISH RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Chair – Jane Russell
Class of 2008 Class of 2010
Sandy Hainley David
Heath
Leonard Rowe Jane
Russell
Beverly Talbot Tami
Swearingen
Class of 2009 Lay
Member to Conference
Les Grimm Gloria
Benson
Chas Hagan
Carol Sherman
LAY LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE
Chair – Rev. Barry Hidey
Secretary – Dina Willard
Class of 2008 Class of 2010
Gloria Benson John
Happick
Devonna
Rowe Dave Walker
Mark Ward
Class of 2009 Lay
Leader
Darlene Alban Beverly
Talbot
Dave Candey
Dina Willard
Ministry and Mission - 2007
In 2007, the Pass It On
Ministry was extremely busy, helping 629 families with funds for eviction
prevention, security deposits, fuel bills, prescriptions, and other
emergencies. We gave out $31,610
(compared to $13,000 in 2006). In addition
to the funds given, we furnished families with 558 food bags, 33 shoe vouchers,
and several food vouchers. We are indeed
fortunate to have such a caring congregation, and we do greatly appreciate your
generosity. Thank you so much and may
God bless all of you.
Anne Brown, Alice Humphrey, Bobbie Whitlock
► During 2007, Manna House served 3,752 meals
and provided 2,991 bags of food to our guests.
Thank you to those members who have supported this ministry by
volunteering their time and by donating food and money.
► Thanks to everyone who helped with Adopt-A-Child
2007. A total of 124 children from
32 families received food, gifts, and toys.
The families were very appreciative.
► From Jennifer
Redding, District Director… I want to express my sincerest thanks to you
for including Family and Children’s Services in the Toy Workshop this
year! The toys and gift baskets that
were obtained helped a number of our needy families who tend to “fall between
the cracks” of other community resources.
We were also able to add some toys to our Play Therapy room, which is
used in the treatment of children who are victims of sexual abuse. The Toy Workshop that Bel Air UMC provides in
an incredible program. Thank you from
the bottom of my heart.
MISSION
DINNERS
Six years since that first dinner
in Spring 2001, there have been 44 “Wednesday Night
Mission Dinners” which have raised over $40,550 for various missions
and ministries of the church. This is
our report for last year:
2007
March 14 Chicken Dinner for Youth Missions Profit $1,000
April 11 Spaghetti Dinner for Boy Scout Troop 777 Profit $1,360
May 9 Turkey Dinner for Russian Outreach Ministry Profit $1,880
June 13 Roast Pork Dinner for Youth Missions Profit $775
September 5 Chicken Dinner for Volunteers In
Mission Profit $1,100
October 10 Roast Beef Dinner for Lightner Library Profit $1,300
November 14 Turkey Dinner for Zimbabwe Mission Profit $2,450
December 12 Beef & Pork Dinner for Youth Missions Profit $700
Thank You! to Candy
Ellenberger and her kitchen (cooking and dishwashing) crew, those who have
helped to serve and prepare food, and especially those who come to enjoy the
food and fellowship. Mark your calendars
for these upcoming Mission Dinners:
Wednesday, March 12 ▪ 5:00-7:00 PM
Spaghetti Dinner to benefit Youth Missions
Wednesday, March 26 ▪ 5:00-7:00 PM
Chicken Dinner to benefit Youth Missions
Wednesday, April 16 ▪ 5:00-7:00 PM
Spaghetti Dinner to benefit Boy Scout Troop 777
From Robert Meza, Site Manager, Welcome One
Fellowship Center…
Dear
Pastor and Members of the Bel Air United Methodist Church,
On behalf of the Welcome One Fellowship Center –
FCCAU (Faith Communities and Civic Agencies United, Inc.), thank you for your
generous donation of $2,000.00. The clients at the center represent many
various populations including the homeless, those needing mental and medical
assistance, the jobless, senior citizens, single moms, and those that need
Jesus Christ. The center provides
unconditional love and is a safe haven for many. Besides meals, clothing, hygiene items, and
bus vouchers, other services include job lab, case management, Christian based
teachings, counseling and mentoring.
This is God’s ministry and He directs many faithful and loving individuals
like you to help us in so many ways. I
personally want to thank you for your dedication to this ministry. You are truly a blessing to the fellowship
center, the clients, and FCCAU.
FCCAU
continues to operate both the Welcome One Emergency Shelter in Riverside and
the Welcome One Fellowship Center at New Hope in Edgewood because there is a
need in our community. That need is met
through many concerned, loving, and wonderful individuals who assist us each
day. This commitment in helping us carry
out this mission is truly an answer to our prayers and is part of God’s vision.

Theater
lovers, don’t despair!
The (new) curtains will open for the next performance by The Bel Air Players in Spring 2009. This
production will have a part for everyone.
Entire families can be on stage together with a minimal time
investment. Keep your eyes open for
audition announcements and opportunities to be part of the fun, on and off
stage! Plan ahead to save room in your schedules for an unforgettable experience!
HELP WANTED:
Handbell Choir Director Needed – If you are interested or
have questions about this ministry, please contact Rev. Doug Hollida at
410-838-5181, ext. 35 or e-mail hollidad@baumc.com.
Counters Needed – We need team members to
help count Sunday offerings and contributions.
The commitment is on Sunday, once every 8 weeks for approximately 2-1/2
hours (10:30 AM-1:00 PM). No experience
handling money is necessary. If
interested, please call Bev Jenkins at 410-879-6850 or e-mail beverly.jenkins@ey.com.
Chabadza – Healing Hands Across Zimbabwe
Beverly and I would like to wish each and every one of
you a "Happy, Happy New Year" in 2008.
Looking back on 2007, we were so blessed by the
Lord to accomplish all of our objectives other than the signing of the
"Memorandum of Understanding." This document, although completed and
agreed to by all parties, was not signed due to the fact that we are in
the midst of pursuing a 501(c) 3 Corporation Status and our "Memorandum of
Understanding" could have had some negative U.S. tax status consequences. So, I deferred the signing of the agreement
until we clarify the situation in 2008.
In the meantime, we are moving full speed ahead with
"Phase 1" of the overall project. We will build a temporary medical
clinic while we await government approvals for permits and surveys for the
overall hospital complex. The temporary clinic will be the renovation of an
existing building, and it will then be converted to nursing quarters at a later
date once "Phase 1" of the hospital is complete as explained in
our "Memorandum of Understanding." We will also begin to develop a
comprehensive Health Education Outreach Program for the Schools, Teachers and
Community of the Munyari Region. This will involve
partnerships with many groups, including educators, professional health
providers and researcher both here in the United States, Zimbabwe, and abroad.
We were so blessed at year-end November and
December 2007 to see some significant fundraising at Bel Air UMC. We raised roughly $3,000 at the November
Turkey Dinner and then followed that up with the "Give Something
Concrete" campaign, where we raised $2,950. That’s 730 bags of cement
given as gifts to Chabadza - Healing
Hands Across Zimbabwe this Christmas season. On
top of this, we have received many generous donations at the end of the year
from unspecified people in our congregation. We are also continuing to receive funds from
other church groups that we have made presentations to over the past 9-months.
During 2006 and 2007 we have raised in
excess of $100,000 for the Chabadza Mission!
We begin this new year with God leading us in
our “Vision.” We will be establishing
new goals for 2008 and will attempt to put in place a more effective
mission committee structure of volunteers and working groups
both from within the church and beyond as we forge ahead with this challenging
task. For additional information, please
visit our website www.chabadza.org.
May the Lord Our God bless each one of you, your
friends, and your families as we work together doing His work.
The children and people of Zimbabwe are asking for God's help and He has
commanded us to be His desciples for Christ. Thank you so much for answering God's call.
Sincerely, Chabadza is a Shona word which means
Dave Talbot working
together to help our neighbors in need.
TINY
TOTS SCHOOL NEWS from Joan Elloff, Director
During
the month of January, the 3 year olds will be learning about the color blue,
rectangles, and the number five. Our
community helper is the mailman. We will
continue to talk about the season of winter.
The 4 year olds will begin the New Year learning the alphabet. We will begin our Alphabet Book with the
letters A through G. We will be studying
the country of India and learning about jazz in music appreciation. Our religious theme will be about “faith and
trust” using the story of Noah as our example.
We are also working on the Pledge of Allegiance and learning our full
name, address, and phone number.
February
at Tiny Tots School is all about “Love.”
In our religious study, we will learn about Jesus’ love for
children. In social studies, we’ll
travel to Japan. We’ll continue learning
our alphabet, sign language, and practicing our address and phone numbers. Our community will be a dentist. Musicals will take the stage in music
appreciation, and we’ll practice being loving and kind to our friends with
“Billy the Bee” in self-esteem.
Tiny
Tots School is accepting names for our waiting lists for September 2008 and
future years. Please call the school
office at 410-838-6399 for information.
WHAT ARE “SAFE
SANCTUARIES?”
For many
years, the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church has
been at the forefront of the “Safe Sanctuaries” movement. This movement is to ensure that the children
and youth entrusted to the care of the church are safe from abuse. To that end, it has required all workers with
children and youth, both employed and volunteer,
complete a questionnaire about any accusations that they have experienced or
any arrests regarding abuse. This has
often been met with raised eyebrows, but our congregation has cooperated
completely with this request. Unfortunately,
as we watch the news each day, or read the newspaper, abuse is rampant in our
society. We can never be 100% sure of
our pro-active policies, nor can we do too much to provide a safe place in
which all children can gather in fellowship and learning without the fear of harm.
Because the
Conference is committed to ensuring that all children and youth involved in the
local church or Conference ministries may participate in an environment of
safety and security, congregations are required to go beyond the questionnaire
and put into place policies and procedures that will provide our congregation
further assurance in this matter – that we are doing our very best to provide a
“Safe Sanctuary” for all our children and youth.
In the
coming months, you will be hearing more about the process, and how you can
support the measures that are adopted.
Once the policies are adopted, we will need to put into place a team
that will monitor that these procedures are in place and working smoothly. All policies and procedures will be presented
to the Administrative Council for adoption and will be supported by the Staff-Parish
Relations Committee.
If you are
interested in knowing more about this process or in partnering with us, contact
Rev. Peggy Groseclose, groseclosep@baumc.com, or Joni Behrendt, behrendtj@baumc.com,
or call 410-838-5181 and ask to speak to one of them.

Greetings, Friends!
We hope your Christmas season was a joyous
one and that your New Year will be filled with many blessings! I want to thank you on behalf of the Unalaska
UMC for your gift and the on-going prayer and support which you offer. Thanks for being part of the mission!
Rev.
Dan Wilcox, Pastor
Unalaska
United Methodist Church
Dear Members of Bel Air UMC,
Thank you for the many coats given to the
Harford County Detention Center in December.
You have been a blessing to many.
Also, thank you for the clothing for one of the inmates who was released recently.
She was delighted and very appreciative.
The shoes fit perfectly.
Shalom,
Chaplain
Nancy Randers-Pehrson
Chaplain
Richard Roberts
Three Steps to Membership
At Bel Air United Methodist
Church, our commitment to you begins on the day of your first visit. We aspire to help you grow in discipleship,
and to be there for you in the joys and sorrows of life. Membership is about your commitment. It is where
you confirm your faith in Christ, and your partnership in the mission and
ministry of our church. If you would
like to become a member, the steps to membership are easy and can be completed
in any order. We’ve outlined them below
so you can decide what your next step will be.
or by contacting Lisa Wong Wolf.
A Prosperity
Wheel -For the New Year 2008
Source:
“Understanding Financial Stewardship” by Charles Stanley
The
New Year 2008 offers a fresh start and new opportunity to grow spiritually and
in stewardship. As you open up yourself to God’s plan, why
not do something that is very practical and visual: make a Wheel
of Prosperity for the whole family and perhaps each individual.
Get
a large piece of paper and draw a large circle on it. Inside the circle, at the center, draw a
smaller circle. Label the smaller circle
“God.” Draw four even quadrants over
both circles to divide the circles into “Family Life,” “Social/Recreational
Life,” “Business Life,” and “Spiritual Life.”
Identify goals for each area of your life, using pictures (clip from
magazines). Example: More Bible study =
picture of a Bible. If you can’t find
suitable pictures, draw one as best you can. Then, mount your Prosperity Wheel
in a visible place, such as inside a closet door, or keep it personal if that
is what you desire. Each child can make
one, and substitute business life for “School Life.” Pray together as a family about which goals
are most important.
Benefits:
First, the wheel will remind you
continually to keep God at the center of your desires, also to ask God often to
direct your goal setting and to help in achieving goals that are God-ordained,
authorized or approved. Next, the wheel is likely to compel you
to adjust priorities in your life. An
abundance of goals in one area, but little to nothing in another should cause
you to adjust the lopsided wheel. If the
wheel is unbalanced, it might break. Always begin to view the wheel from the
word “God,” spending a few moments dwelling on the goodness of God and his many
benefits to you. Seek the Lord’s wisdom
about the other areas of your life. Third,
the wheel allows you to view your total life at a glance, helping you see if
you are living a balanced life.
Let
the wheel help you with Visualization, Expectation, Motivation, Meditation and
Realization. It is not enough to believe
in or visualize prosperity, eventually one must do the things the Lord calls us
to do, living out His plan. We must obey
God’s plan and principles as set forth in His Word. In the area of financial stewardship,
obedience includes a desire and willingness to work, a desire and plan of
action for getting out of debt, and your tithes and offerings delivered into
God’s storehouse on a consistent basis.
Prosperity is rooted and established in your having a relationship with
God. God longs for you to understand and
engage in sound financial stewardship.
Even more so, He longs for you to experience wholeness (a complete
circle) and He longs for you to know Him.
BAUMC
Stewardship wishes you blessings for a Prosperous, Healthy 2008.
Bel Air United Methodist Church
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES
8:00 AM (Communion), 9:20 &
11:00 AM in Linwood Sanctuary
9:20 AM Ignite Youth Worship in McComas Hall
7:00 PM Evening Worship at Mt. Carmel Chapel
MORNING FELLOWSHIP in McComas Hall – 9:00-9:20 AM and
10:30-11:15 AM
|
CHURCH
OFFICE Phones
410-838-5181 or 410-879-2797 Fax 410-893-8363, E-mail info@baumc.com Who You Should Call: To
schedule a meeting or use building Alice
Archer To
use The Homestead Cheryl
Firth To
schedule a wedding Cheryl
Firth To
schedule a baptism / Baptism Class Judy
Jones About
membership / Membership Classes Lisa
Wong Wolf About
Christian Learning (Sunday School, VBS) Joni
Behrendt About
adult learning opportunities Cindy
Caldwell About
small group fellowship Cindy
Caldwell About
the bulletin (Deadline: Wednesday, 12
Noon) Judy Jones About
the e-Spire (Deadline: Thursday, 12
Noon) Judy Jones About
the SPIRE (newsletter) Alice
Archer About
programs and ministries Cheryl
Firth About
finances - envelopes, invoices, etc. Bill
Groseclose About
Child Care Joni
Behrendt About
Children’s Christian Center Anjanette Jacobs, Director (410-420-8304) About
Tiny Tots School Joan Elloff, Director (410-838-6399) Please Call the Church
Office: If your address or phone number has
changed. If there’s been a birth or
death in your family. If you are ill or
hospitalized. The federal regulation
called HIPAA, the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act,
applies to how the church will minister to you, through clergy visits
and the Prayer Chain, while you are hospitalized. For the Prayer Chain: Call Andrea Whitcomb, 410-803-8520
(please leave a message if there’s no
answer) or send an e-mail to Jean Wood, jsjwood2@comcast.net. |
SPIRE SCHEDULE:
Deadline
March 2008 Sunday,
February 24
April 2008 Sunday,
March 30
May 2008 Sunday,
April 27
June 2008 Sunday,
June 1
SPIRE Editor - Alice
Archer
SPIRE Mailing - Sandy
and Palmer Paules
SPIRE Circulation -
Bruce Allen, Margaret Browning, Audrey Tolston Coale,
Shirley Cooney,
Elaine Crowe, Lloyd and Kathleen Fry, Sue and Bob Gillette,
Nellie Graybeal, Betty
Hartsock, Jean Henderson, Garner Jones, Elsie Kaste,
LeRoy Knepper, Jane Knode,
Auleen and Ed Leister, Irene Littleton,
Shirley MacLean,
Wayne and Jane Mason, Jean Moore, Dorothy Panowitz,
Nancy Paris, Shirley
and John Renshaw, Doris Scholl, Ruth Smithson,
Carole Vangrin,
Marguerite Ward
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BAUMC ON-LINE... The SPIRE is posted on our webpage at www.baumc.com.
The e-Spire, a weekly
update of information, devotions, upcoming events and activities, and a
printout of the previous week’s sermon, is distributed via e-mail (usually on
Fridays). If you would like to receive
the e-Spire, please send your e-mail address to info@baumc.com. If you do not have e-mail and would like to
read the e-Spire, copies are available at the Welcome Center.
Here are the e-mail
addresses for the church staff. Please
use these addresses for information, announcements, prayer concerns, etc. Use e-mail for any questions you have or to
sign up for any church activities.
Archer, Alice archera@baumc.com
Behrendt, Joni behrendtj@baumc.com
Caldwell, Cindy caldwellc@baumc.com
Firth, Cheryl firthc@baumc.com
Groseclose, Bill grosecloseb@baumc.com
Groseclose, Rev.
Peggy groseclosep@baumc.com
Hidey, Rev. Barry hideyb@baumc.com
Hodges, Tom hodgest@baumc.com
Hollida, Rev. Doug hollidad@baumc.com
Jones, Judy jonesj@baumc.com
Pazdersky, Rev. Carol pazderskyc@baumc.com
Schepers, Jim schepersj@baumc.com
Wolf, Lisa Wong wolfl@baumc.com
Children’s Christian
Center ccc@baumc.com
Tiny Tots School tinytots@baumc.com
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Bishop – Rev. Dr.
John R. Schol
District
Superintendent - Rev. Dr. C. Anthony Hunt
Lead Minister - Rev.
Barry Hidey
Senior Associate Minister
- Rev. Peggy Groseclose
Associate Minister –
Rev. Carol Pazdersky
Director of Worship
& Arts – Rev. Doug Hollida
Director of Children
& Family Ministries - Joni Behrendt
Director of Adult Discipleship
- Cindy Caldwell
Director of Student
Ministries – Tom Hodges
Church Administrator
- Jim Schepers
Bookkeeper – Bill
Groseclose
Pastoral Administrative
Assistant – Judy Jones
Office/Facility
Coordinator - Alice Archer
Congregational Care
Coordinator - Cheryl Firth
Membership/Data Base
Coordinator – Lisa Wong Wolf
Building
Superintendent/Custodial Supervisor –
Don Sandefur
Custodians – Stephen
Kenly, Thureen Drake,
Jeff Shimek
Chair, Administrative
Council – Tony Vinciguerra
Secretary, Administrative
Council – Jen Evans
President, Board of
Trustees – Rick Schulte
Chair, Finance
Committee – Tony Ciampaglio
Chair, Staff-Parish Relations
– Jane Russell
Secretary, Lay
Leadership Committee – Dina Willard
Lay Leader – Beverly
Talbot
FAMILY RODEO ROUND-UP
Sunday,
February 24
(Snow Date: Sunday, March 2)
5:00-6:30
PM
in McComas Hall
Strap on the Chaps, Don the Cowboy Hat, Tie
on a Bandana,
Rustle up your Family, and Enjoy Games,
Crafts, Square Dancing,
and an Old-Fashioned Cowboy Bar-B-Q!
WAHOO! IT’S FREE!

Inclement Weather Policy
The church will follow Harford County Public School
closing procedures. If – due to inclement
weather – schools are closed for the day or close early, or if evening school
activities are cancelled, then all meetings/activities at the church are also
canceled.
So, even if you don’t have kids in school, please pay
attention to weather-related school closing information to find out whether
your meeting, class, rehearsal, or other activity is being held.