the
Lent / Easter | 2019
Cover photo by Dave Tavani
Letter from the Pastor Celebrating Faith as a Journey Many people liken the experience of the Christian faith to a journey. This is true of us as individuals and as the community of the church. As individuals, we grow in faith and have our doubts. Sometimes we wander away from a profound sense of connection to God, and sometimes we enjoy seasons of deepened trust commitment as disciples of Jesus Christ. As a church community, there are times when we are happy with our ministry just the way it is, and then there are seasons when change is afoot and we have to re-envision who God is calling us to be as partners in the gospel. Whether we are content with current rhythms of worship and working together or we are feeling called in new directions, we are always on a journey. We move into the season During Lent and Easter, we are always mindful that we are on the road again! As followers of Jesus, we are walking in the way of discipleship. We begin on Ash Wednesday with the reminder of Jesus’ humanity and ours. We move into the season of Easter grateful for Jesus’ divinity and our share in eternal life through the Risen Christ. It is a journey from hope to glory.
of Easter grateful for Jesus’ divinity and our share in eternal life through the Risen Christ. It is a journey from hope to glory.
As we begin this Lenten walk toward Jerusalem in humility and to Easter’s empty tomb that awaits our full-throttled rejoicing, I am happy to share that our This Time, This Place capital campaign has completed its phase of solicitation of gifts and that we have surpassed our $17.5 million goal by close to $2 million! In the coming months you will be hearing more about the timing of our renovation plans and how the revitalization of our church campus will better equip us on our congregation’s journey forward – both individually and collectively. In this Messenger you will find many of our congregation’s cherished rhythms are pretty much the same as they have been during Lent and Easter in years past, with seasonal opportunities for worship, Christian education, nurture and service. You will also see how these old familiar rhythms are enhanced by new opportunities for engagement. I hope you will read the pages ahead attuned to how your journey of faith might lead to deepened faith by your participation in the church.
2 | MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019
Community Forum:
Anthony Ray Hinton Answers Probing Questions About Injustice “What would you do if they arrested you for a crime you didn’t commit? If you passed a polygraph but no one believed you....” On Monday, April 1 at 7:00 p.m., our Community Forum speaker will be Anthony Ray Hinton, who will focus on these issues. A man wrongly convicted of the 1985 murders of two fast food restaurant managers in Birmingham, Alabama, Hinton was sentenced to death and held on death row for nearly 30 years. One murder had taken place while Hinton was working the night shift at a local warehouse, and therefore had an alibi. Yet the state won a death sentence, based on two bullets it falsely claimed matched a gun found at his mother’s home. In an Equal Justice Initiative appeal in 2015, the prosecution was unable to affirm the forensic evidence of a gun that had been the only evidence in the first trial. Eventually, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned Hinton’s conviction on appeal, and the state dropped all charges against him. In his powerful new memoir, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, Hinton describes how racism and a system stacked against the poor were the driving forces behind his conviction. He also writes about the unique and unexpected bonds that can form while on death row, in particular his relationship with Henry Hays, a former Klansman sentenced to death for a notorious lynching.
JOIN US: Monday, April 1, 7:00 p.m. FREE. No reservations necessary.
Welcome to Our New Members
Frank and Dottie Bowen Drexel Hill
Jeffrey and Shelley Smallwood Wayne
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, March 4 and March 11. 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, March 17, contact JaneWilber@bmpc.org.
MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019 | 3
Your Generous Gifts Help Those in Need The Advent Gift Market Committee thanks everyone who supported the 2018 AGM. We are grateful for the tremendous outpouring of generosity shown by children, youth, adults and senior adults. Heartfelt thanks is also extended to the BMPC volunteers, councils and committees, pastors and staff. As a result of the charitable gift giving made in honor of loved ones and friends, $25,755 has been distributed to the projects listed below. Your donations enable BMPC to continue to aid those in need locally, nationally, and throughout the world.
West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,620.00 Sponsored by Adult Education Council United Community Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $780.00 Sponsored by Board of Deacons Middleton Counseling Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $540.00 Sponsored by Board of Deacons National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,432.00 Sponsored by Children & Family Ministries Council Philadelphia Orchard Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,437.00 Sponsored by Environmental Justice Committee Broad Street Ministries Garden Initiative. . . . . . . $1,095.00 Sponsored by Environmental Justice Committee BMPC Hunger Ministries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,010.00 Sponsored by Hunger Committee Singing City Children’s Choir. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $930.00 Sponsored by Music and Fine Arts The Timothy School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $840.00 Sponsored by Music and Fine Arts
4 | MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019
Total: $25,755 BMPC Tutoring Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,005.00 Sponsored by Outreach Committee The Welcome Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $360.00 Sponsored by Outreach Committee Books Through Bars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $716.00 Sponsored by Peacemaking Committee Bright Stars of Bethlehem-Diyar Academy. . . . . . . $875.00 Sponsored by Peacemaking Committee theVillage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,041.00 Sponsored by Presbyterian Women Refugee Support Ministries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,090.00 Sponsored by Refugee Support Project Main Line Adult Day Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,284.00 Sponsored by Senior Adult Council Rise Malawi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,620.00 Sponsored by Worldwide Ministries Committee Urban Mosaic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $750.00 Sponsored by Worldwide Ministries Committee BMPC Youth Ministries and Farm Church . . . . . $1,330.00
A Conversation with Derek Felton, Founder of Fresh Start The BMPC Hunger Committee has supported Fresh Start and its dynamic founder, Derek Felton, for over 10 years. For Derek, working with and supporting those with food insecurity is not only his profession (he works for the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger), but more importantly, his passion for the work he does through Fresh Start. Derek is approaching 50 years in the hospitality industry, with the last 30 working in non-profits, including Fresh Start. What does Fresh Start do? You could say FS does two basic things to support food insecurity in West Philadelphia - run a food pantry and host a monthly hot lunch. But the actual work we’re doing is in building relationships and trust in our community that allows us to better serve those in need. Tell me about the food pantry. Relationships are key to my success. I pick partners very carefully to be part of the food pantry. I know when God gives me a task, I need to figure out how to do it. We’re one of the only independent programs in the city, and we don’t get anything from Share or Philabundance. I use my connections to get produce
and non-perishables. The food pantry is a network of committed volunteers who work with me to sort, pack and distribute food each month. Last year we distributed over 250,000 pounds of food. What about the lunch? We host a monthly lunch for those in the community; mostly seniors attend. Once everyone gets their food, I do a “Thought for the Day.” I share something from my life, for example, “Let go and let God in.” I tell them you need to open your hands up to the Lord. If you need to hold onto things you know you don’t need, you don’t get new things…. you need to let go to get more. I also feel sharing my story helps me to heal and move forward in my life. I also make community announcements and invite social services to come and give talks. We host about 100 people for lunch each month.
Help BMPC support the ministry of Fresh Start and other hunger organizations in our community. White Hunger Fund envelopes are available in the pews, and baskets for collecting non-perishable food items are in the Narthex every Sunday.
Rise Against Hunger
Saturday, April 6, 8:30 a.m., Gymnasium During this family-friendly event, sponsored by our Hunger Committee and Outreach Council, we pack over 20,000 nutritious meals for people in need. Activities will be completed by noon. To sign up, visit www.bmpc.org > Calendar > Open Registrations or in person after the 10:00 a.m. worship services in March. CarolSchmidt@bmpc.org MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019 | 5
Youth Ministry: On Solid Footing The Rev. David B. Smith
It is hard to believe we are coming up on the two-year mark of our youth ministry “renovation project.” I think I speak for the Youth Ministry Council, key volunteers and the youth themselves when I say that it has been a long road - full of joy and marked by challenging decisions. Through the grace of God and the hard work of our members, we have nearly completed a comprehensive restructuring of our program. The mission statement and list of core values we created early in the process continue to function as rules by which we judge our fidelity to God’s dreams for BMPC's youth ministry. A clear sense of what we want youth to know, feel and do because of their experience here now permeates all of our education and formation goals. New weekly programs, like our Sunday Evening Fellowship, provide avenues through which we equip youth to discover and live out the gospel of Jesus Christ. In past decades, a youth ministry’s success was often judged by the busyness of its special event calendar. In recent years, programs like ours have found it nearly impossible to maintain event-based models of youth work. The young people under our care are staggeringly busy. Their daily lives are packed with everything from school and sports to college preparation and weekend jobs. The shifting realities facing youth in our culture forced us to ask a bold question early in the visioning process: What aspects of our program need to be eliminated so that new possibilities for growth might emerge? Much to our surprise, many of the events that had crowded our calendar readily presented themselves for elimination. By the time May of last year arrived, we had emerged with a leaner schedule and more opportunities to try new things. Our ministry area experienced remarkable growth during the 2018-2019 program year. This growth is evident in the number of youth we are seeing in Sunday Morning Youth Gatherings, and increased engagement among our core team of youth and families. We continue to think creatively about how we are called to adapt to this growth while maintaining our commitment to relational ministry. Over the next few months, we will complete our “renovation project” and conclude our formal partnership with Ministry Architects, the consulting firm with whom we have been working. The work of reformation is never complete; we are forever being formed and reformed, according to the will of God. Nevertheless, BMPC’s Youth Ministry is poised to enter its next season on solid footing.
6 | MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019
An Invitation to a Holy Lent The word “Lent” comes from the old English word lencten, which means spring. It describes the journey from darkness into light as the days lengthen. Which works if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. But it’s also about the lengthy and discerning journey to Jerusalem. Forty days. The same amount of time the rains flooded the earth in Genesis and Jesus was tested in the wilderness. It points to the preparation of something new that God is doing among us. Lent may also be a season of coming to faith for the first time, as the early church would use this time to prepare new believers for baptism at Easter. It is about a renewing of faith. It’s a time for devotion and study that helps us articulate what we affirm as Christians. Lent is a time to encounter Jesus in his ministry and to reflect not just on our need for God’s grace, but on the abundance of grace that has been offered to us through Christ’s sacrifice. On Ash Wednesday we gather as a community to initiate ourselves for the season and these words are spoken: We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance, and for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes. This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life, and marks the penitence of this community. We are invited therefore, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.
We hope that through the classes, devotional, worship and prayers offered at BMPC this season that we might together observe the mystery, joy, struggle, and hope of this season.
2019 Lenten Devotional In the Gospel of Matthew, we read of Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem as he continues the last weeks of his ministry that will inevitably lead to his final week in that city, his last meal with friends, his betrayal and arrest, his trial and death. We, too, as Christians set our faces toward Jerusalem each Lent preparing ourselves through examination and prayer, the study of scripture and self-discipline. Often that means studying the stories of teachings of Jesus Christ in our Lenten disciplines. This year, through our Lenten Devotional written
by members of our community, we have added an additional voice to our season of examination and discipleship - Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In this devotional, we will have the chance as individuals to contemplate his remarkable questions regarding what the meaning and the cost of discipleship is for the modern Christian. You are invited to pick up your 2019 Lenten Devotional in late February, as we walk this Lenten Journey with Christ, with one another and with Bonhoeffer.
MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019 | 7
BMPC Presents Bonhoeffer Concert By Jeffrey Brillhart On Sunday, March 17 at 4:00 p.m., the men of the Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers and soloists Elizabeth Weigle, Corinn Altomare and Misoon Ghim will present Thomas Lloyd’s Bonhoeffer, one of the most groundbreaking choral works composed in recent years. Upon its premiere, Bonhoeffer was lauded by David Patrick Stearns in The Philadelphia Inquirer (March 13, 2013): Sometimes you just don’t see a significant piece coming…. Harmonically, the piece didn’t play by the usual major key/minor key rules but explored a more emotionally neutral world (like Machaut’s 14th century Mass of Notre Dame) that kept the dramatic content safe from cinematic sentimentality. Yet even when Bonhoeffer was chatty and cerebral, Lloyd pumped up his words with vigor and exterior conviction. Herein lies the piece’s hallmark: While it effectively airs many philosophical questions that keep your mind busy long after the performance, it is never weighed down by them, and is rich in musical substance.” The movements alternate between eight reflective meditations, several of which are based on Bonhoeffer’s poetry, and seven dramatic scenes highlighting emblematic incidents in the theologian’s life. Bonhoeffer
himself is not represented by a particular singer, but by various combinations of solos, duets, trios, or the whole men’s contingent. They also represent Bonhoeffer’s community of underground seminarians. In contrast to the male-dominated culture in which Bonhoeffer primarily lived and struggled, three female soloists represent the centrality of several important women in the development of his spiritual life. They sing primarily the words of his fiancé Maria, but they also represent the probable feminine influence on his spiritual life by Bonhoeffer’s mother (his only connection to Christian tradition as a child), his twin sister Sabine (who married a Jewish lawyer), his grandmother Julie (who proudly defied the Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses), and his fiancé’s mother Ruth-Alice von Bismark (an important supporter of the Finkenwalde seminary). Rehearsing this work since the beginning of January, the performers have been privileged to live alongside this great theologian, martyr and inspiration. We invite you to fall under the spell of Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Sunday, March 17. Tickets are available online at www.bmpc.org and at the door: $20 for adults; $5 for students with ID.
Lenten Labyrinth Walks On Tuesday, March 5, the eve of Ash Wednesday, the large labyrinth will be open to walk from 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Congregational Hall. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the small labyrinth will be open in the Chapel, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Sundays after worship. Other opportunities to walk the large labyrinth include Tuesday, April 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Congregational Hall and during Holy Week, Thursday, April 18 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 pm. and Friday, April 19 from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The Holy Week walks will be offered in the gym with the option to walk the Stations of the Cross. Printed prayers and meditations will be available at each walk.
Lenten Evening Prayers Wednesdays, March 13 to April 10
Gather in the Chapel at 7:00 p.m. for a simple service with music, prayers, scripture and silence. Led by the pastors. 8 | MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019
One Great Hour of Sharing Received during the season of Lent, Presbyterians worldwide join in sharing God’s love with our neighbors in need around the world by providing relief from natural disasters, food for the hungry, and support for the poor and oppressed. This Lenten season, please give generously to One Great Hour of Sharing. Envelopes will be in the pew racks in worship on Palm Sunday and Easter. PRESBYTERIAN DISASTER ASSISTANCE Restorers of Streets to Live In Works alongside communities as they recover and find hope after the devastation of natural or humancaused disasters.
PRESBYTERIAN HUNGER PROGRAM Share your Bread with the Hungry Takes action to alleviate hunger and the systemic causes of poverty so all may be fed.
SELF-DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE Loose the Bonds of Injustice Invests in communities responding to their experiences of racism, oppression, poverty and injustice and educates Presbyterians about the impact of these societal ills.
The Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the Season of Lent Sunday, March 3, 11:15 a.m., Witherspoon Parlor BONHOEFFER DOCUMENTARY
Sunday, March 17, 11:15 a.m., Witherspoon Parlor THE THEOLOGICAL LEGACY OF BONHOEFFER
We kick off four weeks of focus on German theologian and activist Dietrich Bonhoeffer by viewing this acclaimed documentary. Extraordinary archival footage is interwoven with interviews with friends and family members, his students, and leading historians and theologians.
While we especially remember Bonhoeffer for his legacy in resisting Hitler and his regime, he also left behind a remarkable theological legacy that shapes our understanding of grace and Christian discipleship. Come hear more about the theology of Bonhoeffer with Dr. Katie Day, Professor of Church and Society at United Lutheran Seminary.
Sunday March 10, 11:15 a.m., Congregational Hall ONE BOOK ONE CHURCH
After Ten Years: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Our Times
Sunday, March 24, 11:15 a.m., Witherspoon Parlor BONHOEFFER: AN ECUMENICAL YOUTH PASTOR
We welcome Dr. Victoria Barnett to lead us in a conversation on her recently published companion essay to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s After Ten Years. Dr. Barnett is director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust, as well as one of the general editors of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, the English translation of his complete works published in 2014. Copies of After Ten Years are available in the Book Center for $5.00.
Bonhoeffer’s extensive service as a youth pastor and ability to form ecumenical partnerships were central to his identity and critical to his influence on the church of his day. Though rarely emphasized, a parallel commitment to youth ministry and ecumenism are two of the most consistent themes that emerge from the German theologian’s life story. The Rev. David B. Smith will explore these formative elements of Bonhoeffer’s witness and consider their relevance for the church today.
MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019 | 9
Russian Song, Ne Bela Zaryr (The White Dawn). Quilt by Eliza Hardy Jones
Visual Arts Exhibits During Lent by Jean Wolf and Bonnie Atwood
During the Lenten season, Visual Arts will display the artistic creativity and spirit of the soul through two exhibits: children’s therapeutic art from theVillage and women’s craft arts created or contributed by BMPC members and friends of the congregation. Therapeutic Arts Program (TAP) from theVillage, a BMPC mission partner, runs through March 10. Colorful examples of pottery, art on paper, painted ceiling tiles, and other works will come from the youth residency program in Rosemont and from the Out-of-School-Time (OST) children in West Philadelphia. Their artistic ventures will represent how art therapy helps children heal from trauma and regain self-worth and confidence.
10 | MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019
Women’s Craft Art Show opens on Sunday, March 17 with a reception for artists and performers after the Bonhoeffer concert at 4:00 p.m. The crafts will include the artistry of hand work by women using different tools or materials to create a functional or, perhaps now, a purely artistic object of the same form. Art from needles, cloth, looms, fiber, leather, paper, writing tools, clay, wood, metal, glass and plastic will be on display through Sunday, May 5. Presbyterian Women and Visual Arts are co-sponsoring a craft lecture on “Song Quilts” on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Witherspoon Parlor. Talented musician and quilter Eliza Hardy Jones will talk about textile and song traditions of the United states and the Russian Arctic.
Good Friday Concert: J.S. Bach’s St. Mark Passion By Jeffrey Brillhart On Good Friday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m., the Sanctuary Choir, Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers, and The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia will present Bach’s oratorio, St. Mark Passion. A free-will offering will be received. Although his obituary tells us Bach wrote five Passions, only two of them - St. Matthew and St. John - have survived complete. It’s thought the first performance of the St. Mark Passion took place on March 23 in 1731. The autographed manuscript of the St. Mark Passion, which in 1764 was in the possession of the Leipzig publisher J.G. Britkopf, has been lost, though a copy of the score made by the Bach collector Franz Hauser
(1794-1870) survived until as recently as 1945 when it was burned in the bombing of Dresden, Germany. No other copies of the work are known.
works from Bach’s cantatas, modified to accommodate Picander’s libretto. Bach would have used sung narration to tell the story, in the form of “recitatives.” In our performance, choir members will recite the narration in order to move the listener through St. Mark's account of the Passion story.
Tantalizingly, all that remained was the libretto, written by Picander (Bach’s librettist for St. Matthew Passion). From that libretto, numerous attempts have been made to reconstruct Bach’s work.
While we know that no reconstruction of a lost Bach work can equal what the composer actually wrote, our intention is to make Bach’s third setting of the Passion story a powerful and stylistically coherent work, through presenting some of Bach’s greatest music.
We will present a 2001 version crafted by Johannes Koch, with all 16 of the original Bach chorales preserved. Following Bach’s pattern of using previously written music to craft “new works,” the remaining two choruses and six arias utilize
BMPC Welcomes Organist Daryl Robinson Join us on Sunday, March 31 at 2:00 p.m. as we welcome guest organist Daryl Robinson for a recital in our Sanctuary. Robinson has earned critical acclaim as a solo and collaborative artist, described by London-based Choir and Organ Magazine as a performer with “…a driving muscular poetry underpinned by nimble technique and nuanced sense of style….” Winner of both First Prize and Audience Prize in the 2012 American Guild of Organists National Competition in Organ Performance, Robinson maintains an active career as a teacher, collaborative artist, church musician, and recitalist under the auspices of Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. Tickets for his recital are $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID.
MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019 | 11
The Rev. Dr. Agnes Norfleet to Take Sabbatical From May to August 2019 In accordance with BMPC’s personnel policies, I will be taking a sabbatical leave in this seventh year as Pastor and Head of Staff. Having given up two sabbatical opportunities by accepting calls to new churches, including moving to Bryn Mawr, it has been over 20 years since I have had this kind of extended season of rest, study and renewal. I am also deeply grateful to have received a Clergy Renewal grant made available by the Lilly Endowment which affirms, “Pastors play an important role in nourishing the spiritual lives of individuals and in guiding the work of the Christian congregations they serve. Through these grants we seek to honor pastors for their extraordinary service and enable them to engage in a brief period of rest and renewal. We have learned that such experiences invigorate the leadership of pastors and bring new vitality to their congregations as well.” The funds from this grant will be used for travel, creative engagement in the arts, and a variety of opportunities to be a participant in worship rather than a leader of
Pastor’s Book Group Educated, by Tara Westover
Wednesday, May 1, 6:30 p.m. Witherspoon Parlor
Join the Rev. Rachel Pedersen, Associate Pastor for Children and Family Ministry, as she leads us in a discussion of the recent bestselling memoir, Educated. Books are $17 and available for purchase from the BMPC Book Center.
12 | MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019
worship. During my four months away, I will spend time at the ocean and in the mountains, enjoy visits with our sons, take a special trip with Larry, and stay in residence at Westminster College in Cambridge, England, which houses the university’s Reformed Theology faculty and the Woolf Interfaith Institute. I give thanks for serving a church that recognizes the importance of offering sabbaticals to its pastors and senior staff, and I am grateful for my good colleagues who will pick up extra responsibilities in my absence. I look forward to returning in September with renewed energy for the good work that lies ahead.
TARA WESTOVER Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
INTERGENERATIONAL MISSION TRIP July 14-20 FARM CHURCH, DURHAM, NC This summer, youth and adults will join together in an intergenerational mission trip in partnership with Farm Church in Durham, North Carolina. This is a unique opportunity to serve side by side with one of our most exciting and creative mission partners fighting food insecurity through urban farming.
Working together with them can help instill in our youth this shared value to work against hunger and give us new and exciting ways to think about how we can reinvigorate our BMPC Hunger Ministries.
What is an Intergenerational Trip? This year’s trip will include middle school students accompanied by their parents, high school students, and missionminded adults from our congregation. A trip like this allows our students to be mentored and encouraged by leaders in our church and energizes all of our adults to be engaged in hands-on service.
Housing: We will be staying at Avila Retreat Center.
Why Farm Church and Urban Gardening? BMPC has been working against hunger for 45 years in our local community and around the world. It is essential to our mission and values as a congregation. Farm Church has decided that focusing on hunger is the most important part of who they are as a church.
Cost: $900 per participant; includes transportation, meals, housing and programming expenses. Full and partial scholarships are available based on need. Registration: Youth and families will be given first priority in registering, and after March 1, the trip will be opened up to the whole congregation. The group is limited to 25 people. Contact AmyBauer@bmpc.org for registration information. Questions? Youth and families with questions should reach out to DavidSmith@bmpc.org, and adults not connected to the youth programs who are interested in participating or learning more should contact RebeccaKirkpatrick@bmpc.org.
MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019 | 13
Going Into the Wilderness During Vacation Bible Camp
For 40 years, the Israelites lived in the desert. Worshipping in the tabernacle, feasting on manna, and following God through the wilderness, they were formed as the people of God. Starting on Monday, June 17, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church will welcome children from our congregation and community to a week of Vacation Bible Camp where we will retrace the Israelites’ steps. We will make a tabernacle, care for one another, search for manna, sing songs of praise, and most importantly, like the Israelites, we will learn to walk in God’s way and see God at work in our lives. Register online at www.bmpc.org. Learning to pause and search for God in a busy world is a difficult skill to master. VBC is a time and space where students are given an opportunity to hone that skill. Some children will learn new songs that help them praise God; others will connect through acts of service or through the games and activities, but for many, it is the love and leadership of our dedicated volunteers where students see faith modeled and lived out. Over the next few months, volunteers will commit, children will register, supplies will be ordered, and schedules finalized. We hope you will help us in that preparation by including Vacation Bible Camp in your prayers. Dear God, just as you cared for the Israelites in the desert, tend to the children of our community. Help us prepare a for a week of Vacation Bible Camp that will help them grow in your love and walk in your way. Be with our volunteers as they prepare to lead. Be with our congregation as we prepare to welcome. Be with each child and each family as they finish the school year. Help us all to walk in your way and share your love. Amen.
Campus Renovation Updates 14 | MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019
Over the summer, BMPC will be getting ready for the start of construction. During that time the Education Building will be closed, and many of its functions will be moved to the Ministries Center. Information about these changes will be available in the bulletin, on our website www.bmpc.org, and in our weekly eNews.
MESSENGER | Lent/Easter 2019 | 15
The Messenger Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church 625 Montgomery Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 610-525-2821
The Messenger (USPS #341840) Volume #121, Issue #2, 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
Holy Week Worship Schedule
Palm Sunday, April 14
■■
Good Friday, April 19
■■
■■
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon. Labyrinth Walk, Gymnasium.
■■
12:00 noon. Service led by BMPC Youth, Sanctuary.
■■
■■
8:00 a.m. Worship with Communion, Chapel. 10:00 a.m. Worship and Children’s Palm Procession, Sanctuary.
Maundy Thursday, April 18 ■■
■■ ■■
■■
■■
11:00 a.m. Churchwide Brunch, Congregational Hall; Egg Hunt, Playground. 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Labyrinth Walk, Gymnasium. 5:30 p.m. Family Service with Communion, Chapel. 6:00 p.m. Simple Supper, Congregational Hall. Free-will offering. 7:30 p.m. Worship with Communion, Sanctuary.
7:30 p.m. In observance of Good Friday, the Sanctuary Choir, Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers, and The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia will present Bach’s oratorio, St. Mark Passion, in the Sanctuary.
Easter Sunday, April 21 ■■
6:30 a.m. Sunrise Service, Front Lawn.
■■
7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast, Ed. Bldg. Lobby.
■■
8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 a.m. Worship with Choir and Easter Brass in the Sanctuary. The Rev. Dr. Agnes W. Norfleet will preach.
Wednesday Night Dinners All ages are invited to come enjoy fellowship and fresh, homemade meals by Chef Ruth Johnson every Wednesday night from 5:30-6:45 p.m. in Congregational Hall through mid-June. Cost is $8 for adults and $5 for students and children. Take-out is also available. View upcoming menus under the "This Week" section on our website homepage, www.bmpc.org.
facebook.com/BrynMawrPres
@BrynMawrPres
@BrynMawrPres