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ADVENT/CHRISTMAS 2016
MESSENGER BRYN MAWR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
VOLUME 119 | ISSUE 1
1 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
Letter from the Pastor We revisit the central themes of Advent year after year: watchfulness, anticipation, preparation, promise, fulfillment, and celebration. They never grow old. These interrelated expressions of faith describe our trust in God, carry us through varied seasons in life, and are lifted especially high during Advent and Christmas. We watch for a new day to dawn. We anticipate the coming of God in full glory. We prepare our hearts and homes to receive God’s love for the human family anew. We remember the promises made to God’s people long ago, and we rejoice in their fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. We celebrate how God so loved the world that a baby was born to reveal God’s intimate, gracious, life-giving salvation. This year we will invite the eloquent images of the prophet Isaiah to lead our Advent worship from watchfulness to celebration. Isaiah begins envisioning a time when the mountain of the Lord shall be established and the nations will flow toward it as people seek God’s ways. The law of the Lord shall judge them with fairness and equity. It will be a time when weapons for war are forged into instruments of peace to farm the land. In other words, the people will learn to cultivate mutual respect and understanding for each other because they will be guided by the God in whom everyone trusts. Isaiah paints a marvelous picture in words as the people of God wait for the Messiah. The very first thing the Gospels tell us about the grown-up Jesus’ inaugural message is that he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and read: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. What better way to prepare for the coming of Emmanuel, God with us in Jesus Christ, than to spend the four weeks of Advent remembering and proclaiming the vision of Isaiah which guided all of Jesus’ life and ministry? That’s where the focus of my preaching will be as the season unfolds and until we arrive in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus, to whom Isaiah was pointing centuries before. This Messenger is filled with many opportunities for you to gather in worship, special classes, and service projects so that you may participate in Advent’s watchfulness, anticipation, preparation, promise, fulfillment, and celebration. During a month that can be harried, stressful, excited, rushed and frenzied, these central themes will center our lives on the gift of God in Jesus Christ so that the favor of the Lord may calm our spirits and soothe our souls. Grace and Peace,
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Associate Pastor Nominating Committee Update By Bob Overhiser Jr. The APNC charged with searching for an Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care and Senior Adults and an Associate Pastor for Congregational Life and Stewardship has entered into an exciting next step in our process. Elected last winter, we spent the early months orienting ourselves to the process of calling new pastors and to the position descriptions that Session approved. We met with the Staff Design Team, our pastoral staff to hear about their growing sense of collaboration, and with our liaisons to the Philadelphia Presbytery. These conversations informed the scope and details included in the Ministry Information Form we submitted to the Presbytery for each position. After approval by Session and
the Presbytery, the “MIFs” were posted on the Church Leadership Connection website to help us network these openings across the PC(USA) denomination. We also advertised the position in The Presbyterian Outlook. We then sought referrals from seminary faculty members, former BMPC pastors, other pastors and our associate pastors for candidates in positions similar to the ones we want to fill. Through the summer, we received recommendations from our referral contacts and from the denomination’s computer matching system. While we are still receiving recommendations, we have read several Personal Information Forms (PIFs) from candidates. Our list of those with whom we
would like to pursue conversation is evolving. Telephone interviews are underway, and face-to-face interviews are being considered. This process takes time and involves prayer and thoughtful discernment. As we continue this exciting work on behalf of the congregation, we invite you to pray for us, that we may be guided by the Holy Spirit to discern who God is calling to serve on the pastoral staff of our church. APNC members are: Bob Overhiser, Chair; Paul Bergsteinsson, Tim Bickhart, Susan Dawejko, Ron Gregg, Janney Ryan, Susan Thorkelson and Brian Walsh. Agnes Norfleet serves as staff support. Mary Bassett was a vital member during the early months but has moved to South Carolina.
Growing in Generosity 2017 Signs of life and growth are everywhere at BMPC! From sharing in another harvest season and welcoming the beginning of Advent, to Sunday School classrooms bursting with children, we are witnessing God’s grace. It is not lost on us that we are a blessed community; a blessed congregation. We are grateful for the abundance of spiritual leadership and guidance our families receive here. From the adult, youth, and children’s ministries programs to the outreach and mission we provide, we can only be humbled by the many gifts we give and receive. The connection between the giving and receiving is personal. For some of you, the gift of time or talent may be what you are capable of sharing right now. For others, it may be your treasure, helping to financially support the work we do in and around the church. For many, it is all those pieces.
We are grateful for ALL gifts, no matter the size. Without your financial support, we would be unable to add staff members to meet our church’s growing needs; support mission projects near and far; and create and foster programs that deepen members’ connections to one another and our community at BMPC. To continue your personal growth, we encourage you to further engage in the life of our church. Our two goals for this year’s stewardship season are to keep up with this growth by increasing the number of church members who make a financial pledge and to raise the overall financial support of the congregation’s ministry by 3 percent over last year. If you have never pledged, we hope you can make this year your first. If you have financially committed in the past, consider raising your pledge amount for 2017. If you have never been involved in one of our many programs on or off campus, pick one or two and start growing with us. 3 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
Welcome to Our New Members
Bobbi Adair Narberth
Jessica Chadwick Norristown
Margaret Connell Bryn Mawr
Anne Grauer Manayunk
Diana Hallock Bryn Mawr
Kathleen Moyer Haverford
Carla Romano Villanova
If you aren’t a BMPC member, we invite you to join our community of faith. Our next orientation is on Sunday, December 4, and we will receive new members on Sunday, December 11. Contact DonnaBarrickman@bmpc.org, ext. 8821, for more information or to register.
Member Spotlight: BMPC Photographers By Donna Barrickman
We are grateful for these talented volunteers who are willing to bring their camera equipment to church and accept photo assignments. Whether on our website or in the Messenger, eNews or Facebook, their photographs beautifully document the life and vitality of our church. Dianne Heard grew up in this area and since joining BMPC in 2004 with her husband, John, she has sung with our Sanctuary Choir, played the carillon, audio recorded our Sunday services, and served on our Property Committee. She also volunteered with our youth ministry and Camp Kirkwood for six years before her daughter Grace, 21, went to college. Dianne enjoys documenting the activities of both family and friends with her camera and loves an opportunity to use her biggest lens. She has photographed baptisms, Blessings of the Animals, Christmas Eve services and many other church events. Capturing close-ups of our members is one of her heartfelt joys. During the week she works as a systems engineer for Lockheed Martin. Bill Kemmerer has been a member of our church since 1969. A retired teacher from The Haverford School, photography is his passion, and he enjoys traveling around the world to capture nature’s wonders. He and his wife, Caroline, both members of our Sanctuary Choir, have three grown children and five grandchildren who are their delight. Bill served our church as a deacon, participates in our Saturday morning men’s group, and has been involved with our peacemaking efforts. A former pilot who owned his own plane, his photographs of BMPC include an aerial shot of our campus. Andy Sagcal is a chemical engineer by profession, and he works as a business and marketing consultant to the chemical and coating industries. He and his wife, Melanie, and their children, Christian, 23, Collin, 21, and Chloe, 14, moved to the Philadelphia area from North Carolina and joined our church in 2014 (Chloe was confirmed here last year). Having spent many nights and weekends as a secondcareer professional photographer, Andy now enjoys taking photographs as a hobby. He shot last year’s Advent Messenger cover, had several works in our Fine Arts Photography Exhibit last spring, and has beautifully documented some of our services, including panoramic views. 4 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
Fellowship Brunches
Create Meaningful Connections
For the second year in a row, our Youth Ministry Council has hosted fellowship brunches for each of our youth grade levels and their families. Expertly catered by our own Chef Ruth, our meals bespeak members of the early church in the book of Acts who committed themselves to the “breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42). While casual in style, our brunches have enabled more concrete connections between youth and parents. We can share longer conversations that are often cut short during the brief gathering time after worship, and the dining table becomes an extension of the communion table as we share our joys and concerns together. As a community of faith, when we join together in fellowship, we make room for the presence of Christ to dwell among us.
Upward Basketball Program Reaches New Heights
The Upward Basketball program at BMPC scored a major victory this fall when the league nearly doubled in size to 75 special needs athletes participating in the eight-week season. The success of this ministry is made possible by dedicated youth and adult volunteers who commit several hours at weekday practices and Saturday games. It is also an interfaith outreach, as several of our Jewish neighbors participate in the program. At the awards ceremony, we celebrated the completion of our fifth season, and we continue to see the Kingdom of God made visible on the basketball court. At each game, the crowd awaits the announcement: “Each of our Upward athletes have scored a basket!” As this ministry continues to grow each year, we are blessed to see more new families experience the outreach efforts of our great church.
Bring the whole family to our annual
Thanksgiving Breakfast Thursday, November 24, 8:30-11:30 a.m. in Congregational Hall All prep and clean-up of “Pancakes for a Purpose” is done by Youth Ministry volunteers. Proceeds ($5 per person) support our youth mission projects and trips. 5 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
Ivy Beckwith
Nurturing Children’s Faith
Families are facing new challenges and new questions as they raise children in the faith. How can we as a congregation support and equip families and teachers to best serve the children of our congregation and our community? You are invited to join author and leader, Ivy Beckwith, to help answer these questions.
Friday, February 24, 7:00 p.m. Faith at Home Saturday, February 25, 10:00 a.m. Changing Classrooms: Resources for Teaching the Faith Sunday, February 26, 11:15 a.m. Serving the Whole Family
Ivy Beckwith is the author of and Formational Children’s Ministry: Shaping Children using Story, Ritual and Relationship. She currently serves as the head of the United Church of Christ Faith Formation ministry team. Ivy brings a rich background in serving congregations and children across the United States as well as a deep understanding of changing trends facing our families and our children.
Children Share Their Version of the Christmas Story By the Rev. Rachel Pedersen
During Advent last year the first and second grade Sunday school students read Luke chapters 1 and 2 and together they re-wrote the Christmas Story for three year olds. After creating books, the older students went to the threeyear-old class to share the exciting story of Christ’s birth. The following is the text of their interpretation: One day Mary was in a field. Then an angel came to tell her that she would have a baby named Jesus. He would be the Son of God. Mary was very happy. Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth was also expecting a special baby. They were happy to see each other. Elizabeth blessed Mary and Mary sang a song about all the great things God is doing. Mary returned to Nazareth. Far away, Caesar—the great king—required all the people to be registered. Mary and her husband Joseph had to travel far away to Bethlehem. They were about to have the baby. There was no room for them in the Inn, so the baby was born in a stable and placed in a manger. That same night, people were watching their sheep. The angels flew down and scared them. One angel came to tell them important news: A special baby was born in Bethlehem. The shepherds left the field to find the baby. They found Mary with Jesus and everyone was happy. 6 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
Habitat Framing Blitz:
A Day of Witness By the Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick
On October 1, more than 60 BMPC members gathered on our front lawn to build the entire frame of a two-story rowhouse that will become part of Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia’s groundbreaking building project is in North Philadelphia. Folks of all ages and experience levels teamed up to build the exterior and interior walls for a house that will soon be a home for one of the many families who work together with Habitat to build affordable housing in Philadelphia. Currently one in four Philadelphians do not have access to affordable housing. Through Habitat’s low-interest loans and sweat equity program, families who partner with the organization can establish themselves in communities and provide safe and beautiful homes for their families. Through three two-hour shifts, the Habitat house slowly came together as a witness to our larger community and the thousands of people who drove past as it was being built that Saturday, as well as through the week. It became a visible sign to our neighbors that while we are a faith community that is easily recognized by the beauty of our church buildings, we also focus on building communities around Philadelphia. If you are interested in volunteering with Habitat for Humanity or being a part of the next steps that will be taken with the house that we framed, contact CarolSchmidt@bmpc.org and she will help you connect with Habitat staff. Keep an eye out for future opportunities for us to work together as a congregation with Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia.
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Advent Gift Market:
Helping Children in Need By Marian Chitester The Advent Season is fast approaching, and with it comes the Advent Gift Market, which offers us the opportunity to do our Christmas shopping in a very special way. An Advent tradition at BMPC, the AGM is a creative giving program that helps those in need and serves as a gift to those you honor at this time of year. BMPC Councils and Committees chose projects representing local, national, and global concerns. Several of this year’s projects focus on the work that many of our current Mission Partners are doing on behalf of children. Gifts range from $1 to $50, with many price points in between. Brief descriptions of each project are included in our new AGM catalog, which will be available in the Ministries Center in midNovember, as well as on the BMPC website. For added convenience, shopping may be done online at www. bmpc.org, where credit card payment is accepted. With your donation, you will receive an insert card informing the recipient that a gift has been given in his/her honor, along with a description of the project you have chosen. The insert can be included in your own greeting card, or you may purchase cards produced especially for this year’s AGM. We are grateful for the efforts of members of the Visual Arts Committee of the Music and Fine Arts Council for producing two wonderful cards again this year. The cards will feature Walter Baum’s painting “Winter Sleigh Ride” and Maritza Morgan’s painting “All God’s Children.”
Winter Sleigh Ride by Walter Baum
You may purchase gifts by coming to the Market Festival in Congregational Hall in the Ministries Center on Sunday, November 20 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., when representatives from our councils and committees will be available to answer questions about the mission projects. On opening day only, some councils will be selling tangible items to benefit their chosen charities. Come prepared to browse and shop for items you can take home! Advance orders for AGM gift projects may be placed and picked up at the Market Festival on Nov. 20 or in the Court of the Ministries Center after the 10:00 a.m. service each Sunday through Dec. 18. In addition, order forms may be mailed to the church or dropped off at the Reception Desk in the Ministries Center during the week for pick up the following Sunday. AGM committee members hope you will consider these alternative gift offerings for your holiday giving. Little things can change our world for the better, and each project you support will help our neighbors in need around the corner and across the globe. Let us celebrate God’s gift of His Son to us through these gifts of hope and new life. For information, contact Marian Chitester, 610-6497735, mmcthistle@verizon.net.
All God’s Children by Maritza Morgan 8 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
The Weekday School “Lights the Night” With Book Donations
Learning the joy of giving is an important lesson at Christmas time. While children are full of anticipation about what Santa will bring them, BMPC's Weekday School students have an opportunity to experience the joy of giving each Christmas at the annual “Light the Night” event sponsored by the Weekday School Home and School Association. Weekday School families gather for an evening of drinking hot chocolate, singing Christmas carols, and lighting a Christmas tree. Each child brings a book to donate to an organization that has been selected to receive the donations. Past recipients have included Arch Street Preschool, Reach Out and Read, and the Timothy School. The children deliver their books to brightly wrapped boxes knowing that they have helped make someone else happy. The smiles on their faces make it clear that their “joy of giving” lesson has been well-learned.
Be Someone's Christmas Angel
Over the years, many children and families served by theVillage have received a bountiful Christmas in part through the generosity of BMPC members. Last year, church members helped many children and families including these: • • • • •
A 4-year-old girl who recently lost her father to cancer A 15-year-old boy whose mother is now "clean" and is trying to be a positive role model for her children An 11-year-old girl whose family became homeless due to a large rent increase A 14-year-old boy who suffered depression and suicidal thoughts following the sudden death of his father A young mother who said, “Thank you for adopting us. It means a lot to have people like you who care for families like ours and bring the spirit of the holidays into our home.”
TheVillage programs are growing! Share the spirit of Christmas by adopting a family or sponsoring a child (five to eight gifts per child). Contact Betty Wu before December 11 at 610-449-8059, via e-mail, efwu01@gmail. com, stop by the Angel Trees in the Ministries Center and Education Building, or sign up online at http://bit. ly/XmasAngels2016.
Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Sundays, so BMPC will only have one worship service at 10:00 a.m. on both holidays. 9 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
Sweet Sounds of Christmas By Jeffrey Brillhart To usher in the Christmas season, the Sanctuary Choir, Youth Chorale, Children’s Choir, handbell choir, Bryn Mawr Chant Society, Singing for Life and The Philadelphia Brass will offer a Christmas concert on Sunday, December 11 at 4:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. This concert, titled Sweet Sounds of Christmas, will offer a brilliant array of carols, anthems and hymns, including several beloved carols for congregation, choir, organ and brass. Three premieres – by composers Andrew Senn, Bruce Neswick, and Michael Stairs – will enrich the season’s repertoire. At the center of the concert is Daniel Pinkham’s iconic Christmas Cantata, performed by choir, brass, and organ. Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata is a 20th-century homage to the Baroque and is inspired by the brilliance of the Gabrieli school of chorus-and-brass music.
The Cantata consists of three contrasting movements and is scored for chorus, brass and organ. The first movement, “Quem vidistis” (“What have you seen, shepherds?”) relates how the shepherds learned of the newborn Christ Child. The second movement, “O magnum mysterium” (“Oh great mystery”), tells how the animals in the stable observed Christ’s birth, further marveling at the mystery of the virgin birth. The final movement, “Gloria in excelsis Deo” (“Glory to God in the highest”), a hymn of praise the angels sing, is derived in part from a passage in the Gospel of Luke. Pinkham’s setting is particularly joyous in its alternation of energetic brass sections with a cappella choral passages. Carillonneur Lisa Lonie will begin a festive carillon prelude at 3:30 p.m. A reception honoring the performers and artists Mary French and Maria Schneider will follow. A free-will offering will be collected to help defray program expenses.
Jeffrey Brillhart Receives Award for Choral Excellence
Jeffrey Brillhart, Director of Music and Fine Arts at BMPC, has been selected as the 2016 recipient of the Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence. The award, given by the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), is presented to an individual for outstanding lifelong work in the choral arts. Started in 1998, this award is named in honor of Elaine Brown, the founder/director of Singing City in Philadelphia. Criteria for the award includes demonstrating outstanding, lifelong achievements in the choral art; a minimum of 15 years experience as a choral musician; musical/choral leadership in the state of Pennsylvania; high, consistent musical standards; and active participation in ACDA. Past recipients include some of the biggest names in choral music. “I’m thrilled to receive this award, but for me this is not about any one person’s contributions to the choral world,” Jeff said. “This is a validation of the power of choral music to bring a diverse group of human beings - with all their differing perspectives, life experiences, strengths, and vulnerabilities - and, through the simple act of inhaling together and creating music, experience the kind of unity that the world desperately needs. That I’ve been the fortunate person to be the facilitator for hundreds of singers finding such unity, has been my life’s greatest joy.” 10 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
Holiday Art Exhibit Features Two BMPC Artists By Bonnie Atwood and Jean K. Wolf The Visual Arts Committee of our Music and Fine Arts Council presents a colorful art exhibit with works that may be purchased for the holiday season starting Sunday, November 20, through January 1, 2017. The solo shows by two BMPC artists, Mary French and Maria R. Schneider, will be celebrated at a reception for the artists and musicians after our December 11 concert. Mary French, an art history major from Vassar College who spent a summer at the American Academy in Rome, has painted for most of her life. After retiring as chair of the art department at Episcopal Academy, she took up painting on big canvases for the enjoyment of “big brushes and lots of paint.” She is “happy to be showing paintings at BMPC once again” and presents a variety of works plus a focus on parks in Philadelphia and Paris where beautiful
Feeling of the Seasons by Maria R. Schneider
landscapes, vibrant activity, people, dogs, sculpture, movement, and sunlight inspired her. Maria R. Schneider is a native of Madrid, Spain, and studied at the Art Students League of New York and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She is “drawn to big conceptual ideas and the iconography of the 21st century.” Her works “connect concepts and images to create a different reality based on a personal perception of the outside world.” She lets her artworks happen, marrying art and technology. The use of drawing, digitally manipulated photographs, oil paint, cloth, and thread, for example, build layers on the flat surface. She defines her art as characterized by “graphic simplicity and conceptual undertones.”
Luxembourg Gardens by Mary French
Both artists have exhibited their art in numerous locations, and Maria’s works also hang in European collections.
Advent Adult Education
Handel’s Messiah
Wednesdays, November 30, December 7 and 14 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary Led by the Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick, Jeffrey Brillhart, Director of Music and Fine Arts, and Edward Landin, Assistant Director of Music Together we will study the texts that Handel used to create his most iconic work. Through careful reading of the scripture and a reflection on Handel’s musical interpretation of the text, we will prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ this Advent season. Our gathering in the Sanctuary will also include performances by our Sanctuary Choir staff singers, accompanied by the Robert Hauptfuhrer Memorial Harpsichord. 11 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
Christmas Joy Offering Supports Leaders in the Church Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow As a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA), BMPC participates in all four Special Offerings that support the work the church does within and beyond our community, including the annual Christmas Joy Offering which will be collected on Sundays, December 11 and 18.
By supporting the Board of Pensions of the PC(USA), the Christmas Joy Offering honors the faithfulness of current and retired church workers in their time of need by providing financial assistance to support them through life’s challenging circumstances. These generous actions bear witness to our faithful response to God’s charge to love one another as Christ commanded. Additionally, the PC(USA), with its historic commitment to higher learning, has long promoted education and leadership development by establishing and supporting racial ethnic schools and colleges.
“We’ve always supported the Christmas Joy Offering because it contributes to the well-being of those who have made a life decision to serve the church. It helps them to have to not choose between housing and food.” — Dr. Jim Irwin, Othello, WA, First Presbyterian Church.
Our future racial ethnic church leaders can receive much-needed assistance while they discover and pursue their professional goals at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges. Your gifts allow these ministries to continue, sustaining a tradition that Presbyterians have carried out for decades. The Christmas Joy Offering supports the Menaul High School in Albuquerque, NM, the Presbyterian Pan American School in Kingsville, TX, and Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL. Christmas Joy Offering envelopes will be available in the pews in December or you can text JOY to 20222 to give a donation of $10.
For singles and couples over the age of 50
Prime Time Advent Party Sunday, December 4, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the home of Barbara Hauptfuhrer
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and caroling. Bring an unwrapped gift for an infant - 18 year old to benefit the Brighter Holidays Project of Turning Points for Children. Register by Nov. 28 with check ($15 per person) payable to BMPC attn: Amy Bauer. 12 MESSENGER | Advent/Christmas 2016
Local Organizations Receive Grants From Eugene Bay Fund This year, BMPC celebrates 10 years of awarding grants through the Eugene C. Bay Fund for Urban Ministry. This fund supports local organizations interested in enhancing the physical, spiritual, educational and emotional lives of children in Philadelphia. Here is a brief introduction to the 2016 grant recipients and the groundbreaking work they are doing: Arch Street Preschool, located in Center City Philadelphia, is expanding its early intervention programs in order to serve more students with social-emotional health issues. The grant will allow the school to bring in consultants to work alongside teachers and provide additional professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. The school will also be able to equip classrooms with materials such as furniture and adaptive equipment to promote the social-emotional health of students. The Build It Bus, a ministry of Ardmore Presbyterian Church, will use the Bay grant to work creatively and collaboratively with the Center for Creative Works (CCW) in Wynnewood. CCW is a creative art space for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Together they will create mobile woodworking classes that CCW participants can teach children. This ministry is a new model for teaching as an employment opportunity for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. theVillage in Rosemont will use a Bay grant to increase the use of Parent Child Interaction Therapy. PCIT, developed to treat children with behavior problems and their families, allows a therapist to observe a parent and child together, and through an earpiece, to guide the parent in effective behavior management. The treatment is designed to help parents build a warm and responsive relationship with their child and to manage their child’s behavior more effectively. West Kensington Ministry, a longtime partner of BMPC, has begun an After School Program to provide academic support for elementary and middle school children in the neighborhood in addition to offering leadership development for high school students and professional mentorship. The Rev. Adan Mairena as well as students from local colleges/universities and adults from local congregations will coordinate this program.
Building Interfaith Relationships The Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick
In addition to the interfaith educational opportunities the BMPC Adult Education Council has organized this year, a few BMPC members have begun creating a relationship with the Islamic Society of Greater Valley Forge (ISGVF). In February that congregation invited a small group of BMPC members to visit with them for dinner, prayers and conversation. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Muslims in our communities as well as form personal relationships with one another. This November, a group from ISGVF visited our campus to learn more about our community and faith traditions. As this relationship grows, there will be more opportunities for our entire congregation to get involved with this interfaith outreach. If you would like to be a part of this work, contact RebeccaKirkpatrick@bmpc.org.
Courtenay Wilcox explains the different liturgical features of the Sanctuary and how they connect to our beliefs.
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Hunger Committee
Serving Christ While Helping Those in Need Our Hunger Committee’s activities provide more than 50,000 meals a year primarily to the hungry in Philadelphia’s poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Just as important, the committee is one of the avenues for our congregation to "Grow in Generosity" in service to Christ and to make a real difference.
Think of the immediate impact to local food shelters when we deliver hundreds of sandwiches our grade school children have made. Imagine a kitchen full of seven year olds assembling the sandwiches while learning about charity and service to others. What impact will those seven year olds have on the world in the future, and how much more positive will that impact be because of what they learned in our kitchen? Our committee is well known for organizing casserole blitzes. Our casseroles provide more than 16,000 meals a year to local food cupboards and shelters. But isn’t it just as important that many new members first got involved with our church by attending a blitz? How many new friendships have been made at the blitzes between people who share a passion for service to others? How many parents and children have bonded because they worked hard together at a Saturday morning blitz? Our committee financially supports more than 20 local food cupboards, agencies, shelters, and an urban farm. We volunteer serving meals at shelters. We collect canned goods that you put in the baskets in the narthex and distribute them locally. To find out more about what you can do to help the hungry, contact Dave Hastings at dhast99@ yahoo.com.
BMPC Action Committee Seeks Assistance for Refugee Family By Judy Sherry
In response to the devastating worldwide crisis of more than 21 million refugees (over half are children under age 18), BMPC is partnering with Bethany Christian Services to help resettle a family on the Main Line. This family will be extensively vetted by several organizations, including U.S. security agencies. Our goal is to develop a systematic, sustainable, and successful process to promote a family’s self-sufficiency during the first four to six months after they arrive. This is a very important responsibility that requires a thoughtful approach to develop a comprehensive program of support. To provide adequate support for the family, we are also seeking partnerships with nearby educational institutions and other religious organizations. Volunteers are needed for the following teams: housing, furnishings, food, medical, transportation, employment, education, finance, clothing, and friendship. Your ideas and contributions, big or small, are welcome, and will make a difference to this family’s adjustment and well-being. The initial response of church members and others has been remarkable. Please consider joining this worthy effort. You can make a meal, donate furnishings or clothing, provide employment or transportation, etc. and help a displaced family navigate in a strange new world. Contact Judy Sherry at judysherry1@gmail.com.
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Longest Night Service Join us on Wednesday, December 21, at 7:00 p.m. for the Longest Night Service of Christmas carols, comforting and hopeful scripture readings, a brief meditation, and an extended time of prayer to lift to God our yearnings for healing and wholeness for ourselves and our world. Come if you simply want more time singing carols in our beautiful sanctuary. Come if you are traveling for Christmas and would enjoy an evening worship with your church family before you leave town. Come alone, come together, come with friends, family, or neighbors for whom this Longest Night Service might be a welcomed worship opportunity of grace and peace.
Christmas Prayer Guide us on the way to Bethlehem. May we listen to your prophets to know the promises you make. Give us courage like Mary and Joseph to welcome the Christ Child. Hear our songs as we sing your praise with the shepherds and the angels. Give us space to bow down with the kings to worship the one who saves. Guide us as we make our way to Bethlehem and hope of this season. Amen.
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The Messenger Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church 625 Montgomery Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 610-525-2821 The Messenger (USPS #341840) Volume #119, Issue #1 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
Inclement Weather Policy If the church closes due to inclement weather and unsafe travel conditions, notice will be provided on our website, www.bmpc.org, and with a recorded message at the main church phone number, 610-525-2821. Decisions to cancel scheduled BMPC programs will be made by the person in charge of the ministry area. These decisions are distinct from decisions to close the BMPC offices. For information, contact the respective person in charge.
Christmas Eve Schedule 4:30 p.m. Family Service with Nativity Tableau 8:30 p.m. Candlelight Service with Communion and Meditation 11:00 p.m. Candlelight Service of Lessons & Carols with Meditation The Annual Youth Alumni Reunion will be held at 9:30 p.m. in Witherspoon Parlor.
Joy to the world. The Lord is Come!
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