IN THIS ISSUE: Meet Our New Pastor & Staff PAGES 3-6
4-H Fundraiser PAGE 7
Upcoming Events PAGE 9
Vacation Bible School PAGE 10
A bimonthly publication of Bridgewater United Methodist Church JULY & AUGUST 2018 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2
Letter from the Pastor Happy and blessed summer with you. And I offer you my summer greetings: “May the coolness of Christ be with you.” I love summer. This sunshine season delights our souls and fills us with good and vibrant energy. For our church at BUMC, this season marks a new beginning for Rev. June’s ministry as ordained Deacon in Full Connection, Rev. Mary Kathryn Allen as new associate pastor of Next Generation Ministry, and Michelle Krynicky as Young Family Ministry Coordinator. I truly appreciate your expressions of love and prayer support during this joyful staff transition. This summer is packed with exciting mission events: JYF mission trip to Washington DC on Jun. 24-30, MYF mission trip to Maine on Jul. 8-15, Covenant Free Meal on Mondays in July, 4-H Fair Pizza Stand Fundraiser on Aug. 8-10, and all other local missions continue on. This year’s VBS will be held on Aug. 1-4. Please pass the word around your neighborhood and offer your personal invitation to the children on your streets. During the months of July and August, we will have a “Fire Pit” outdoor service at 7 pm. After worship service, we will enjoy the fellowship with roasted marshmallows. If you are able, just come as you are and join this service. It will be a refreshing and fun experience for everyone.
It is my sincere prayer that each of you will enjoy this summer season. Come and join us for worship as much as you can. And when you travel, I pray for God’s traveling mercies upon you and good health all around. God bless you always. Peace and Grace, Rev. Jennifer Cho
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Pastoral & Church Staff 651 Country Club Road Bridgewater, NJ 08807 908-526-1414 bridgewaterumc.org office@bridgewaterumc.org Vision Statement: Inviting All, Engaging Hearts and Minds, Serving Others with the Love of Christ
Rev. Dr. Jennifer Cho, Senior Pastor Rev. June Tamburro, Associate Pastor of Spiritual Formation Rev. Mary Kathryn Allen, Associate Pastor of Next Generation Ministries Evan Currie, Director of Music/Organist Mary Beth Gruber, Finance Manager/Treasurer Janet Ledbetter, Office Manager Ken Temby, Administrative Assistant Jim Cox, Membership Secretary Michelle Krynicky, Young Family Ministry Coordinator Nick Jankucic, Property Manager Jeanne Alusik, Director of Children’s Corner For questions or comments about this publication, please contact Veronica Sydlowski at veronica.sydlowski@gmail.com
We are a Stephen Ministry congregation and all calls/ emails are confidential. To reach a Stephen Minister, please contact stephenmin@bridgewater umc.org or 908.872.0503
CHILDREN’S CORNER AT BUMC 651 Country Club Road Bridgewater, NJ 08807 908-526-9596 www.theccorner.org childbumc@gmail.com Ages 2-6 Full and Half Day Programs
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Meet the New Associate Pastor of Next Generation Ministries: Rev. Mary Kathryn Allen By: Veronica Sydlowski “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” is a song from Rev. Allen’s favorite church memory. When she and her brothers were in the middle school and high school age range, they would often lean on one another and her parents while they sang the chorus. But this was no small lean – whoever was on the end would have to support the weight of the other four family members. “This is one of my favorite memories,” said Rev. Allen, “because it reminds me that there is a place for fun and laughter in the church and even in worship.” Growing up in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Rev. Allen was the youngest of three kids. Her oldest brother, Jack, is also United Methodist clergy serving in the Alabama3 | | July/August
West Florida Conference along with his wife, Heather, and children, Bruce and Thomas. Her other brother, Brian, is a certified heating and air conditioning technician and works in the Fort Walton Beach-Destin area. Although her parents still live in her childhood home, they do travel all over the East Coast to visit family. She attributes her strong faith to her family, who she said has supported her throughout her life with her faith. “As a child, my family taught me about the faith and how to be involved in the church. As a youth, they supported me in taking up leadership roles in the youth group,” said Rev. Allen. “And as a young adult, they helped me to explore the questions that were arising from challenges in my life and calling into
question parts of my faith.” She began to feel the call to ministry early on. Toward the end of high school she served on her church’s Youth Leadership Council. In college she experienced “incredible joy and fulfillment” in teaching high school small groups and serving within leadership roles in the church. While serving as an adult leader at the youth summer camp, “I heard God calling me to do more than volunteer and assist in ministry, but to serve, teach, and proclaim the Gospel.” Rev. Allen earned her bachelor degree in religion from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama. While at Huntingdon, she worked as a Discipleship Intern and a Pastoral Intern at First UMC Montgomery. Following college, she attended seminary at Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and earned her Master of Divinity with concentrations in Witness and Formation and in Scripture and Interpretation. As a part of her seminary program she worked with Congregational
Ministries with Refugees and as a Pastoral Intern at Peachtree Road UMC, in Buckhead, Georgia. Following graduation in May 2017, she accepted an appointment as a full time pastor for Marlow United Methodist Church, located in Summerdale, Alabama.
In her position at BUMC, Rev. Allen will be working with the youth and young adults. She will be responsible for the JYF and MYF programming and the NextGen (ages 1835) ministry. Additionally, she will be coordinating Sunday School, teaching confirmation, engaging in mission work, and leading the marketing team. She will also lead worship, preach, and provide pastoral care. “My hope is to get to know and become a full part of the life of the congregation,” said Rev. Allen. “I am excited to learn how God is already moving through this incredible church and to hear what makes this church home for all its members. My vision for ministry in and through the church is to facilitate connections both within the congregation and with the larger community.” Although Rev. Allen hails from the south she said, “I do not have many of the stereotypical behaviors and language of someone who is from the south.” She is an avid Ohio State Buckeyes fan and looks forward to their upcoming football season. Her dog, Moses, will be making the move up to New Jersey with her.
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Meet Our Newest Staff Members: Michelle Krynicky & Ken Temby Over the past few months, two new staff members positions have been added. These two positions have both been filled by current church members. Included is a short biography from each new staff member about their new job responsibilities as well as a little bit about them. Michelle Krynicky, Young Families Ministry Coordinator In her position, Michelle oversees the events and programs that are geared towards families who have children ranging from infants through fifth grade. Specifically, some of her tasks include coordinating Vacation Bible School, working with Sunday School volunteers to develop the Sunday School curriculum, and leading the 10:30am sermon time activities each week. During this time, children are invited to the narthex for a mini-lesson and activity/craft which typically focuses on one of the scripture readings for the week. In this position, Michelle will also work with volunteers on the Young Families 5 | | July/August
team on community events such as the Trunk or Treat and Community Easter Egg Hunt. Michelle is excited about this position because she has been a member of the Young Families group for a few years now and has found the friendships that her family has made to be invaluable. Michelle said, “It truly does take a village to raise a child, and I have felt incredibly blessed to have the young families of this church be a part of our village. In today's world, it is crucial for young families to have other people who are in the same stage of life that they can be in conversation with to assist them in knowing what to say to our children regarding topics that they will be faced with. I am excited to help other young families to find a place amongst our village so that they too can feel supported in raising their children.� Prior to beginning her position as the Young Family Ministry Coordinator, she was a stay
at home mom. During her four years as a stay at home mom, she kept busy with a number of opportunities within the community. She was the President of the MOMS Club of Bridgewater Central-East for the past two years in addition to being part the Young Families group and bell choirs at BUMC. Prior to being a stay at home mom, she was a teacher for ten years in Readington Township, spending one year teaching fourth grade and nine years teaching first grade. She holds certifications in Elementary Education and Ken Temby, Administrative Assistant As the Administrative Assistant, Ken assists Janet Ledbetter, Office Manager, with the daily tasks of running the church office. Specifically, his duties include: creating, printing and assembling the Sunday bulletins, sending the Wednesday and Friday e-mails, maintaining the calendar of meetings and events at church, updating the announcements on the TV screens, assisting with bulletin boards, and other special tasks that may arise. Before becoming the administrative assistant, Ken
Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, as well as her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Masters of Arts in Teaching. Michelle said, “I am looking forward to seeing the number of Young Families within our church continue to grow. It is my hope that more children will learn about God through our programs and events, and that their parents will feel supported by our group of young families.”
worked as a computer programmer, most recently at Chubb Insurance, and retired in January 2017. Ken said, “I’m honored to be part of a wonderful group of Christ-centered, spirit filled folks. I look forward to growing in my faith and assisting all our staff as we strive to be helping hands and caring hearts to our congregation and community.” When he is not working, he can be found being active in other ministries at BUMC.
Mental Health First Aid Training Saturday, September 8 & 15 || 8am-noon There is a $20 registration fee. Contact Rev. June Tamburro at jtamburro@bridgewaterumc.org to register or for more information. Open to all! July/August | | 6
Wednesday through Friday August 8—10, 2018 North Branch Park The Somerset County 4-H Fair will be held at North Branch Park Wednesday, August 8 through Friday, August 10. Every year Bridgewater United Methodist Church (BUMC) runs a pizza concession stand and last year we raised $5,000 after expenses to go towards various ministries. At the BUMC booth, only pizza, soda, water, and iced tea is sold. At the fair, the various organizations all sell unique food products and BUMC is the only booth selling pizza! The congregation is needed to help out in a variety of ways to make the booth a success:
DONATE ITEMS • 12 oz. cans of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, Orange Soda, Grade Soda, Mountain Dew or Pepsi
• Cases of 16.9 oz. bottle of water • Cases of 18.5 oz. bottle of Pure Leaf Unsweetened Iced Tea
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MONETARY DONATIONS • Cash donations to help purchase whatever beverages are needed • Donations to cover the annual fixed cost of $500 for the pizza warming oven rental
VOLUNTEER • Help with a truck or trailer to bring the concession stand flooring pallets, tables, and drinks to the fair for set up and then back to church at the end of the fair • Volunteering for a shift (or two) to warm pizza or serve customers. Shift times are: ◊ 8:30-10:30am ◊ 10:30am-1:30pm ◊ 1:30-4:30pm ◊ 4:30-7:30pm ◊ 7:30-10:00pm • Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up online at: http://signup.com/go/VnCrsWU. Alternatively, volunteers are welcome to contact Lynn to sign up.
COME TO THE FAIR • Attend the fair with friends and family and have them patronize the booth!
For more information or to sign up, please contact: Lynn Khesghi 908-500-9613 or khesghi4@yahoo.com A co-chair is still needed! If interested, please reach out to Lynn ASAP. July/August | | 8
July & August Highlights To see more events and details, please visit our online calendar at bridgewaterumc.org. All events take place at church unless otherwise noted.
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Young Families Ministry Playdate (infant-5th grade) Kid Street Park, Bridgewater, NJ
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Wednesdays at the Fire Pit Begins Service at Fire Pit by Lower Parking Lot
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Young Families Ministry Pool Party (infant-5th grade) Suozzo Home; contact church for address
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Vacation Bible School 9am-12pm & 9am-3pm & 10am
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4-H Fair & Fundraiser
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North Branch Park, Bridgewater, NJ
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Young Families Ministry Lake Day (infant-5th grade) Round Valley Recreation Area, Lebanon, NJ
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AUGUST 2018
Vacation Bible School August 1-3 from 9am-12pm and August 4 from 9am-3pm August 5th—song and celebration at 10am
Register online at www.myvbs.org/BUMCNJ
For more information, please email: bumcnjvbs@gmail.com
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Wednesdays at
the Fire Pit 7-7:30 • July 11—August 29
Join us for music, prayer,
scripture, conversation, and roasted marshmallows
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