the
Post Easter | 2019
Photo by Dave Tavani
Letter from the Pastor I shared the Celtic Prayer on this page with those who joined me on the Discovering our Presbyterian Heritage tour to Scotland in May, and I think it also serves as a wonderful blessing for all of our going and coming during the summer months of travels, vacations, family reunions, mission trips and adventures. This summer at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church we will begin a new adventure, which is the culmination of many years of strategic planning, and is made possible by the incredibly generous support of the congregation during the This Time, This Place capital campaign. The time has come to begin renovations of this place!
“The Path� God bless the path on which you go; God bless the earth beneath your feet; God bless your destination. God be a smooth way before you, A guiding star above you, a keen eye behind you This day, this night, and forever. God be with you whatever you pass; Jesus be with you whatever you climb; Spirit be with you wherever you stay. God be with you at each stop and each sea, At each lying down and each rising up, In the trough of the waves, on the crest of the billows. Each step of the journey you take.
During the summer we will transition the activities that take place in the Education Building to the Ministries Center which will invite all of us to enter a season of flexibility. While the children will occupy many of the usual adult meeting spaces, adults will gather in new places such as Converse House Parlor, Congregational Hall and the Chapel for the various classes and meetings. Thanks to all for adjusting your usual rhythms during this season of renovation and revitalization of our church campus over the coming months. As this prayer suggests, we can trust that God is blessing us every step of the way! I trust that during this season of renovation, God is leading this congregation into a future with a church campus that is better equipped to be a hospitable gathering space where we can be nurtured for service in this community and far beyond.
2 | MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019
BMPC Welcomes New Associate Pastors
Leigh DeVries
Brian Ballard
Leigh DeVries grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, in a family with a long line of Presbyterian pastors. She attended Rhodes College in Memphis, majoring in religious studies with a minor in music. She served as a youth minister in Nashville, beginning her seminary education through the Center for Youth Ministry Training.
Prior to entering Princeton Seminary, Brian spent six years in leadership roles in the non-profit sector. He was the Chief Operating Officer for The Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, an organization founded by Pastor Tony Campolo to establish schools and universities in developing countries. He later became the Director of Development at Haiti Partners, which helps Haitians change Haiti through education. It was during this time that Brian felt a profound sense of call to engage in God’s work.
Two years later, Leigh moved to Princeton, New Jersey, to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. She graduated with a Master of Divinity, a Master of Arts in Christian Education and Formation, and a certificate in Women, Theology and Gender. She currently serves as the Associate Director of an innovative community-based youth ministry in Bend, Oregon. Leigh will move to Bryn Mawr with her wife, Jenni Herold, and their dog, Otis. As a minister of the Gospel, Leigh seeks to cultivate spaces where all persons – especially young people – see themselves and each other as profoundly valued and unique expressions of their Creator. Leigh has an obvious passion for youth ministry and a gift for connecting with youth of all ages and backgrounds. Her experience in youth ministry in a large church has given her a host of ideas and experiences to bring to our youth programs at BMPC. From Leigh’s statement of faith: “I believe in a God who is utterly with us, regardless of social status, nationality, religion or any signifier that separates us... Love is the what, the why, the how of who God is.”
While a chaplain intern at the University Medical Center of Princeton, Brian cared for the souls of senior adults and ministered to patients experiencing psychological crises. He recognized that his passion and talents lay in providing pastoral care and ministering to senior adults. As a church intern at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City, Brian was the first one to be called back for a second year. Brian loves hearing the stories of people both young and old, but describes himself as an “old soul” who has a passion for working with older adults. He brings energy and a vision for intergenerational engagement that will serve well the whole community of BMPC believers. Brian met his wife Amy when she was a student at Eastern University. Amy is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, and she and Brian live in Princeton with their cat, Warrior Princess.
MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019 | 3
New Staff Members
Pete DiRocco to Retire in July The Rev. Dr. Agnes Norfleet has announced that Pete DiRocco, Director of Facilities and Operations, is retiring in late July. In a message to the church staff, she expressed her gratitude for Pete’s many years of faithful service at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. For more than 11 years, Pete has overseen the operations of our campus with great care and deep commitment, and we appreciate the many ways that his work has supported the mission of our congregation. We are grateful not only for Pete’s years of service to this community, but also for his commitment to investing in the work of those on his team, who together make sure that the church is prepared to host our gatherings for worship, programs, concerts and events. I am also happy to announce that Rich Rivera, who has been a lead member of that team, will be taking on the role of Director, Facilities and Operations, following Pete’s retirement.
Cheryl Ju, Assistant, Communications. Cheryl has more than five years of experience working as a graphic designer at various locations. Most recently, Cheryl was a project manager and designer at ElectroMenu, a local digital signage company. She received her bachelor of arts degree in graphic design from Cabrini University, with a minor in communications. Cheryl lives in Delaware County with her husband and two dogs, and she is a member of the Aston Presbyterian Church. Cheryl is extremely happy about this new chapter in her life and is excited to be assisting with communications at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. Elena Phillips, Assistant, Children & Family Programs. Elena most recently worked at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia where she was the education coordinator for nearly two years. She was born in California, lived in Texas during her teenage years, and earned a bachelor’s degree in educational studies from the University of Arkansas. Elena and her husband moved to Philadelphia two years ago. As a former classroom teacher and museum educator, Elena has always viewed teaching as her ministry, but she considers teaching children about Jesus to be the ultimate educator role.
Welcome to Our New Members
Alexander Dawejko Hanley Glisk Gladwyne
Gladwyne
Alice Nacey Wallingford
Tiffany Shaffer Wayne
Anna E. and Marc Terranova Ardmore
Want to know more about BMPC? We invite you to get to know our community better by becoming a part of our Discover BMPC classes on Mondays, June 17 and June 24. Childcare is available for this opportunity to learn about our denomination, our Reformed tradition, and our sense of Christian ministry. For more information, to register, or to inquire about joining our church on our next New Member Sunday, June 30, contact JaneWilber@bmpc.org. 4 | MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019
Campus Renovations Begin This Summer During the 2019-2020 program year, the Education Building will be under construction. Almost 90 years ago, the church created this building as a space to nurture faith and form disciples among our younger members. The changes to the building will help confirm that original mission, assuring that the space is accessible, safe, welcoming and ready to support 21st century learners.
Important Dates June 1: Fullerton Room, Gloucester Room & Witherspoon Parlor are not available as meeting spaces. June 9: Childcare begins in Fullerton Room, & Summer Sunday School takes place in Gloucester Room. Groundbreaking
Nursery Moves
Township Approval Working with our team, complete the township approval process and secure all necessary permits.
In early June, Children’s Ministry will be relocated to the Ministries Center beginning with the Nursery and Summer Sunday School on June 9.
Summer 2019
As construction begins this summer, you will notice a few important changes on our campus in the infographic below. The year ahead will allow our congregation to grow as an intergenerational community when several Sunday morning activities move to the Ministries Center. Updates on the construction process and campus changes will be shared in the worship bulletins, on our website, and in The Messenger.
On Rally Day, the church will celebrate the beginning of construc on with an official groundbreaking.
Ministries Center Prep
Ministries Center rooms will be cleared and prepared for new use in 2019 and 2020.
Fall 2019
Finalize Plans for Ministries Center Over the course of 2019, final plans for Phase II will be formalized and approved.
Ministries Center Construc on Begins
Phase II construc on will begin with some overlap with Phase I.
Summer 2020
Ed Building is Closed Packing and Arranging Temporary Space Iden fy and prepare temporary spaces in the Ministries Center and begin packing and preparing the Educa on Building for construc on.
On August 1, the Educa on Building will be closed to prepare for construc on.
Ed Building Move On July 1, material from the Weekday School and Educa on Building will be relocated in the Ministries Center or stored in the Educa on Building.
Summer Adult Education Lessons in Light: Exploring the Stories and Meaning Within the Chapel Windows 11:15 a.m., Catharine Pew Memorial Chapel Join the pastors for four weeks in the BMPC Chapel as we dig into the iconography and themes of its stained glass windows.
Photo By: Joseph Elliott
Over the past four years, these remarkable windows, designed by the Willet Stained Glass Studios, have been restored to their original beauty. The lessons they offer are both charming and impactful. Coffee and refreshments will be served.
Educa on Building Construc on Begins
Educa on Building Reopens!
Educa on Building construc on will begin with a goal of being ready for the 2020 - 2021 program year.
Educa on Building will be open and in use! Including hos ng mee ngs, programs and more during construc on in the Ministries Center.
Sunday, June 16 - Physical and Spiritual Courage The windows at the front of the Chapel highlight Jesus and his 12 disciples as well as the biblical themes of courage in the Old and New Testaments. Sunday, June 23 - The Church in Mission and Service The north-facing windows center on Jesus’ call to love our neighbors and to go out into the world making disciples of all nations, using images that trace the history of mission and service in the American church and around the world. Sunday, June 30 - The Nation, the Church & the Home The south-facing windows explore the ways that our faith is manifested in our communal and private lives, using biblical, political, and domestic images to reflect the life of Christian faith. Sunday, July 7 - Themes in Great Literature The rear windows in the Chapel feature the most eclectic themes, highlighting the stories of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Milton’s Paradise Lost.
MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019 | 5
Summer Preaching Series:
This summer we are delighted to welcome different voices to our pulpit. Our preachers in late July and August will be several who grew up calling BMPC home, and who have gone on to pursue ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We hope you will make a point to join us as these “children of the church” share the Good News in worship.
Paul Watermulder - July 28 The Rev. Dr. Paul Watermulder is a child of this church, having joined (along with his mother) in 1962 when his family, including Peter and Martha, moved from Illinois into the manse, and his father, the Rev. Dr. David Watermulder, became senior pastor at BMPC.
Rebecca, David, Sarah, and Timothy in Woodstown, New Jersey.
BMPC is at the heart of his spiritual formation; so many church leaders were great examples. The stained glass windows brought awe and wonder. Youth groups brought camaraderie and leadership. Church life taught a zeal for mission, especially among the poor. Through it all came an abiding affection for Jesus Christ and high respect for his church. BMPC is “home” in many ways.
Paul served as senior pastor for 31 years at First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame, California, and he is now retired, serving as Chaplain to the Federal Air Marshals, board member of a mission to China, and archivist for the Berkeley Police Department.
While still at Harriton High School, he began working sporadically for five years on oil tankers in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, he married his college sweetheart, Genie Harris, and moved to Berkeley, California, where he became a police officer until 1974 - three riots in three years! Feeling God’s tug on his soul, they headed to Princeton Theological Seminary and raised their four children,
He and his sister Martha edited an anthology of their father’s prayers delivered at BMPC, called Pastoral Prayers for the People of God. He is writing From Law to Gospel: One Man’s Journey of Life. Paul spends most of his “down time” with grandchildren and visiting Hawaii.
M. Courtenay Willcox - August 11 A lifelong member of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, M. Courtenay Willcox is part of four generations of Teaching and Ruling Elders. Her grandfather, Harold T. Smith, was the first associate pastor at BMPC and lived in Converse House in the late 1950s and early 1960s, so for Courtenay, visiting her grandparents was a wonderful melding of family, church and God. She is thankful that her church took seriously the promises made at her baptism and helped shape her Christian faith.
6 | MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019
Courtenay lives out her life's priorities of family, faith, and environment in her activities and involvements. A recent graduate of United Lutheran Seminary in Mt. Airy, she received a Master of Divinity in May. A "cradle" Presbyterian, Courtenay is a former Moderator of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, and served on the Presbytery’s Commission on Ministry. As a Commissioned Ruling Elder, she has preached in more than 30 local congregations. At BMPC, she especially enjoys working with youth and teaching Confirmation classes, moderating the Environmental Justice Committee, and serving on the Eugene C. Bay Fund. Spending time at the Outer Banks with husband Tom, three adult children, a son-in-law and a schnoodle is a gift. There is nothing like a sunrise walk on the beach!
Children of the Church Graham Robinson - August 4
Even though the Rev. Dr. Graham Robinson lived in Philadelphia for just over a decade, the grace of God embodied by Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church has reverberated throughout his life. While studying at Bucknell University, a BMPC pastor came to campus and told Graham what his father said before Graham left for college. Both stated, “You would be a great minister.” Fond of the Jonah story, Graham went to work for Mobil Oil. His fourth move with Mobil brought him to Washington, D.C., where he and his wife by chance bought a house near a church served by who else but a former BMPC minister! Graham’s wife encouraged him to pursue what he loved, and he enrolled in Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) where the influence of BMPC was everywhere. BMPC pastors worked for the seminary, PTS students interned at BMPC, the Rev. Dr. David Watermulder chaired the trustees, and Dave Heaton (a BMPC member) was Graham’s field education supervisor. Receiving the Watermulder Prize for Church Leadership upon graduation constantly reminds Graham of the reach and generosity of BMPC. Between his first call (Southminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh) and his second call (Westminster
Presbyterian Church in Connecticut), he realized he needed retraining to be a senior pastor, and BMPC awarded Graham a scholarship, making it possible for him to complete this training. Along the way, the churches Graham served have built a house with Habitat for Humanity, a Chapel, a recreation center, a mission café and a homework center. (These are the types of things he witnessed BMPC creating to glorify God.) Returning to the area eight years ago, BMPC introduced Graham to the transformative work of the Athena Pre-Med Hospice Volunteer Program, which seeks to create a new generation of health professionals. He now serves as the national director. BMPC has guided Graham and his family into a career, reflecting the love of Christ that has reverberated throughout his life.
Crawford Brubaker - August 18 The Rev. Crawford Brubaker has long been a “PK,” a pastor’s kid. The son of former BMPC associate pastor, the Rev. Pattie Kitchen, he first came to our church as a 10 year old in 1993. Along with his younger siblings, Ben and Elizabeth, he spent the next 12 years immersed in the busy life of our congregation. Crawford and his wife, the Rev. Layne Brubaker, met at Princeton Theological Seminary while receiving their Master’s of Divinity and Master’s of Theology degrees in 2009 and 2010. On April 1, 2012, Crawford was ordained at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. While enjoying his time serving as a chaplain
for hospitals and hospice patients, Crawford and Layne felt called to plant a new worshipping community in a highneed neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana, called the Okra Abbey, as part of the denomination’s 1001 New Worshipping Communities initiative. It was during this project that he and his wife fell in love with church planting. Crawford and Layne recently moved from New Orleans to Tacoma, Washington, where Layne was called to start a new worshipping community in the largest women’s prison in Washington State.
MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019 | 7
2019 Richard Shaull Grant for Mission The Richard Shaull Mission grant was established in 2004 as a celebration of the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Richard Shaull. He lived a life of service to the global church as an educator, theologian, mission worker and author. Shaull had a deep belief in the possibility of radical change on both social and personal levels and spent his life working with others to realizethis dream. This year’s Shaull Award was granted to the Medical Benevolence Foundation (MBF) to create the LifeSavers Clinic Network in Malawi, Africa. Medical Benevolence Foundation is a Christ-centered organization dedicated to transforming lives by building sustainable health care ministries in developing countries. Through long-term partnerships, MBF equips the indigenous church with tools and resources that allow them to meet the health care needs of their community and to share the Gospel. The LifeSavers Clinic Network will create a medical linkage with the potential to vastly improve primary medical care in church-owned clinics in Malawi. By training, equipping, and standardizing local churchowned medical clinics, this MBF project will empower these facilities to significantly improve the quality of medical care received by thousands of underserved patients and promote local community sustainability. The LifeSavers program provides medical as well as administrative
8 | MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019
training for personal in churchowned primary care clinics. The program helps the clinics establish standardized, evidence-based medical treatment practices based on international standards: the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized best practices for maternal, neonatal and child health, HIV/AIDS, malaria, reproductive health and more. Management training includes formal, standardized financial systems for accounting, record keeping, pharmacy, and human resource management. Over the next five years, the strategy for the Malawi Network has five key growth objectives: 1. Significantly improve the quality and financial status of the local primary care clinics owned by the Presbyterian Church and increase their role as a referral network for the health system by establishing the new training and branding program called LifeSavers. 2. Establish an effective referral network ultimately leading to robust surgical services at each hospital, supported by establishing a new surgical residency program for training surgeons. 3. Introduce internal medicine and subspecialty services (oncology, cardiology, gastroenterology and endocrinology) within the network of hospitals by developing a new internal medicine residency training program. 4. Significantly upgrade the clinical quality and patient care at all hospitals
by improving nursing training programs and expanding the role of nursing professionals.
5. Most importantly, strengthen and expand the spiritual ministry of every partner organization. According to the WHO, ill health is the single-most common trigger for the downward poverty slide. By creating a network in rural areas in proximity to an urban core, the LifeSavers Network is filling the gap for that trigger. Investing in this network will help transform the communities they serve not only through providing consistent high quality care, but also by providing enhanced education and employment opportunities. Villagers who are treated at the clinics can attend the hospital’s nursing school and return to the clinic in their village as a professional health care worker to treat their family, friends and neighbors. Presbyterian Connections Malawi has an extensive history of medical care provided by Christian providers. Presbyterian missionaries established some of the very first hospitals there, and Malawi now has six Presbyterian hospitals and three related nursing schools. The MBF goal in Malawi is to continue to help the church build a cooperative network of hospitals with a strategic mix of medical services and specialties to achieve long-term sustainability for the system and provide the highest level of quality patient care in the country.
Pentecost Offering Helps Build a Life of Faith
Feed the Hungry This Summer This summer Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church will again partner with more than 10 other faith communities and Lower Merion School District to address the needs of food-insecure families in our local community. Around 10% of students in Lower Merion School District receive the state’s free or reduced lunch program, and those students are especially vulnerable during the summer months when that resource is not available. This year all the food for the Summer Café program will be provided by Philabundance, a non-profit organization seeking to address the issue of summer gaps in access to food throughout the Philadelphia region. Meals will be distributed out of Ardmore Presbyterian Church, on Montgomery Avenue across from Suburban Square, for six weeks, starting on June 24. Lunches will be served Monday through Thursday, along with some fun youth-friendly entertainment. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Rebecca Kirkpatrick at RebeccaKirkpatrick@bmpc.org, to learn the training dates and time commitment. One of the most rewarding aspects of last year's Summer Café program was giving volunteers the opportunity to connect with people of a variety of faiths from the local community who are committed to caring for families in need in our area.
Each year on Pentecost Sunday we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birthday of the church. The Holy Spirit remains with us always, connecting us with the church of the past, continuing to inspire the church of today, and pointing us to “the church of the future.” This celebration is marked by receiving the Pentecost Offering that nurtures the faith of those who are “the church to come” — children, youth and young adults. Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church Tutoring Program Forty percent of the Pentecost Offering remains with our congregation to support the work of our weekly Tutoring Program. Every Tuesday evening youth and adult volunteers work with children from the William Dick Elementary School in North Philadelphia on their reading and other study skills. Donations to the Pentecost Offering and the Tutoring Program help support the costs of transportation and dinner for the students who participate in this program. Serving Communities (Young Adult Volunteers) Twenty-five percent of the Pentecost Offering goes to the Young Adult Volunteers (YAV) program that supports young adults engaging in mission at more than 20 sites in the United States and around the world. Guiding Youth (Youth Ministries) Twenty-five percent of the Pentecost Offering supports U.S. based wide ministries with youth (ages 12-18) and those called to accompany them, as well as the development of free congregational resources for those who work locally with youth and their families. Child Advocacy Ten percent of the Offering supports the “Educate a Child, Transform the World” national initiative which was affirmed at the 221st General Assembly (2014). This initiative's goal is to inspire Presbyterians to improve the lives of 1 million children by 2020. The Pentecost Offering envelopes may be found in the pew racks on Sundays, June 2 and June 9. Donations also may be made directly at http://specialofferings.pcusa.org/pentecost.html. You will be given the opportunity to indicate BMPC as the recipient of 40 percent of your gift.
MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019 | 9
Exciting Updates About the Bryn Mawr Tour to the Middle East By Jeffrey Brillhart
The 2020 Choir Tour now includes a benefit concert with the renowned Mosaica Singers (winner of the 2019 Choir of the Year in the 2019 Choir Fest Middle East) in Jordan.
Last spring, I wrote about plans for a Sanctuary Choir tour to the Middle East in summer 2020. I’m writing now to report good news about how this tour is evolving. We are at 50% of the target number of 60 travelers at nine months out from the final deadline, encouraging for all who are pondering whether to join us on this remarkable adventure. Here are just a few highlights: ■■
■■
■■
The tour is now slightly longer than originally planned. We leave Sunday, June 28, 2020 and return Saturday, July 11. This schedule gives us more time in Jerusalem and in Petra. The tour also now includes a benefit concert with the renowned Mosaica Singers (winner of the 2019 Choir of the Year in the 2019 Choir Fest Middle East) in Jordan. A benefit concert for the Ahilyyah School for Girls (https://www.asgbsa.edu.jo). The Ahliyyah School for Girls was established in 1926 by the Christian Missionary Society based in England. It opened its doors with 25 students and a small number of teachers dedicated to the educational process of empowering young women of Jordan. The school soon developed into an academic and cultural landmark reflecting the highest standards in Jordanian society. In 1957, the Arab Episcopal Church in Jerusalem took over the administrative responsibilities of the school, furthering its raison d’etre: to empower Jordanian women with knowledge, and therefore, choice.
10 | MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019
■■
■■
A joint concert in Bethlehem with the Amwaj Youth Choir of Palestine. (See them in concert: https:// mondoweiss.net/2018/10/remarkable-childrenspalestine/) Hotels are confirmed and include two nights in the amazing Petra Guest House (http://www.guesthousepetra.com).
We are at the point in the planning where repertoire decisions are being made — your Sanctuary Choir will be learning how to sing in Arabic! — and educational events for the congregation discussed. Two major musical events are planned for next season that will inform this tour. (Stay tuned for more information in the next issue of The Messenger). Mark Twain famously said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…” This is particularly true of regions like the Middle East. We have discovered on our many choir tours that the more we observe that others are not very different from us, the more open minded and tolerant we become. We pray that this perspective can influence the world for the better. You and your friends in the church and community are invited to join us in this discovery. An updated itinerary may be found online: https://www. bmpc.org/ministries/music-and-fine-arts/choir-tour. You also may contact JeffreyBrillhart@bmpc.org or our tour coordinator Brenda Oliphant, boliphant@stjohnholdings.com.
Summer Experiences in Youth Ministry The Rev. David B. Smith Have you ever wondered what the youth ministry at BMPC does over the summer? From serving others on mission trips to celebrating life and building relationships at Camp Kirkwood, our summer experiences provide youth and families with opportunities to step out of their comfort zones and “dive deep” into their faith. Here is a brief introduction to our mission trip and camp experience this summer. Intergenerational Mission Trip to Durham, NC, July 14-20: Participants in this year’s mission trip will work with Farm Church, one of our congregation’s mission partners. Farm Church meets on a farm and leverages the resources of that farm to address food insecurity. Youth in grades 6-8 are welcome to join the mission team along with a parent or guardian; high schoolers (grades 9-12) may sign up as trip participants on their own. Full and partial scholarships are available for all youth.
Camp Kirkwood, August 4-10: Our annual week-long summer camp is a sleep-away experience in the Poconos. Our vibrant camp tradition is spearheaded by a caring team of BMPC staff and volunteer leaders. Camp provides a wonderful opportunity for youth at all levels of church involvement to build lifelong relationships, experience the joy of the outdoors and ask bold questions about life and faith in a safe and supportive environment. This year’s worship theme, “I.D.R.E.A.M.,” will reflect on the camp experience through the lens of our new list of core values: Inclusion, Discipleship, Responsibility, Engagement, Affirmation and Mission. If you or someone you know is interested in taking part as a youth participant or as an adult leader, contact AmyBauer@bmpc.org.
Lend Your Support at Vacation Bible Camp The Rev. Rachel Pedersen Have you ever tasted manna? Praised God beside a parted sea? Watched water flow from a rock? Walked beside the Holy of Holies? Raised a tabernacle? Listened for God in the crackling sound of a burning bush? On Monday, June 17, you can join God’s people in the wilderness following the Living God. Volunteers and campers will work together to relive the epic story of Exodus. If you are interested in supporting camp this summer, here are eight ways you can help: 1. Pray! Pray for organizers, campers and volunteers as they prepare for camp and during the week of camp. 2. Create! In late May and June you can help “prep for camp,” creating decorations, prepping supplies, and more. We especially need helpers on June 13 and 14 as we set up and decorate.
5. Lead! Help guide a small group through the week of camp. Get to know six to 10 students and be a part of their camp experience. 6. Mentor! Would you be willing to mentor a middle or high school student as he or she facilitates a station or a project?
7. Invite! Whom can you invite to be a part 3. Welcome! Come help welcome families of camp? Do you know a potential camper? and children on Sunday, June 16 during the A potential volunteer (youth or adult)? Tell kickoff or on weekday mornings as families them about camp. arrive. It’s a one- to two-hour commitment 8. Close! On Friday, June 21, you can help us that helps prepare each day for success! "reset the church." We need people to put 4. Feed! Make manna! Every day we need a small crew of people to prepare and serve our daily snack to hungry campers from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m.
camp materials away for next year. Please contact Mary Richards if you are interested in helping: MaryRichards@bmpc.org or 610-525-2821.
MESSENGER | Post Easter 2019 | 11
The Messenger Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church 625 Montgomery Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 610-525-2821
The Messenger (USPS #341840) Volume #121, Issue #3, is published quarterly by the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. Periodical postage paid at Southeastern, Pennsylvania and additional offices. Postmaster: Send Address Changes To The Messenger Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church 625 Montgomery Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Summer Sunday Schedule Worship at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.
Childcare for infants – age 3, 7:45-11:15 a.m. Sunday School – rising PreK to Grade 3, 10:15 a.m. Begins June 9 following Children’s Moment in worship. Grades 4-12 worship with their families.
Adult Education Classes: “Lessons in Light: Exploring the Stories and Meaning Within the Chapel Windows,” June 16 - July 7, 11:15 a.m., Chapel
Singers Invited for Summer Choir Summer Choir is an opportunity for members of the congregation to come to the choir loft at 9:00 a.m. on any summer Sunday from June 16 through Labor Day for a short rehearsal, and then to sing for the 10:00 a.m. service. Summer Choir is simple (one anthem and hymns), and informal (no robes). Come when you are able; no long-term commitment required. Questions? StephanieSpeakman@bmpc.org, 610-525-2821.
facebook.com/BrynMawrPres
@BrynMawrPres
@BrynMawrPres