the
MESSENGER BRYN MAWR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
JULY | AUGUST 2012
Mini Summer Issue
Greetings from BMP C!
We hope th at no matt er takes you, you’ll keep where the summer in touch a often. Eve nd visit us n if you’re on the roa just a click d, BMPC is away. Stay in contact via: • Our ele ctronic ne w sletter, BM • Our ele PC ctr • Our ne onic version of The M eNews w user-frie essenger ndly webs launch late ite, set to this summ er To be adde d to our ele ctronic ma contact Je il ssicaRupe ll@bmpc.o ing list, rg, ext. 88 24. Blessings to you and yo urs this su mmer!
To Members and Friends of B ryn Mawr Presbyterian Church
[ WELCOME ]
Letter from the Pastor In Witold Rybczynski’s book, Waiting for the Weekend, he documents for us the origin of the end-of-work-week break we know today as the “weekend.” Professor Rybczynski lives in Chestnut Hill and teaches at Wharton. He is an architectural historian and one of my favorite non-fiction writers. His interests range from buildings that reflect Palladio’s influence on proportion and scale to the way we spend time in the buildings in which we work and live. Thus, this book about the origin of our regular time off from work: the weekend. Rybczynski notes that it was not until 1879 that the word “weekend” first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary. It was an entry that was more definition than description: “In Staffordshire, if a person leaves home at the end of his week’s work on the Saturday afternoon to spend the evening of Saturday and the following Sunday with friends at a distance,” the entry goes, “he is said to be spending his week-end at so-and-so.” I have read practically everything this author has published. It amounts to 10-12 books at least, most on ‘why architecture matters.’ He cares about what we build and the way we build, as well as how we use the spaces that we call ours: cottages, houses, offices, concert halls, churches, outdoor pavilions, etc. This is how he moved toward an interest in the weekend, its restorative quality and its frequent presentation of a different place of lodging (tent, cabin, back deck, porch, motel, manor house, whatever you like). He once wrote a book about spending several days in Vicenza, Italy with his wife and another couple in Villa Saraceno, a rather unadorned Palladian villa. They had the whole place to themselves, rented through the Landmark Trust, an English organization that rents restored old buildings such as castles and cottages and barns to people like us who want a different kind of long weekend in the country. He even wrote a book about that visit to Vicenza, including more detail about Palladio’s work than you can absorb in one reading (The Perfect House). All of the above is my round-about way of saying that I hope you celebrate your own time away this summer—wherever that may be. I encourage you to enjoy a true “sabbath time” with friends and family along with a genuine change of pace. As your friend and pastor with special interest in seeing you around the church, I also hope—with equal interest—that you have time away to restore your soul. You may not believe you deserve such a change, but you certainly need it, as anyone does. Long weekends and short or long vacation times are, I believe, part of God’s plan to keep us mentally, physically and spiritually healthy. So, go for it, and then come back to us refreshed and invigorated for addressing, as Garrison Keillor says, “the work that has to be done.” Even if you only spend the weekends on the porch, as Marty and I did this past Memorial Day, it’s the change of pace, the absence of duty, the joy of conversation, and the celebration of time together with those you love that makes all the difference. Of course, we hope that you don’t forget the church and its ongoing programs in the summer. When you are in town, we would love to see you and hope you will take advantage of the worship and activity opportunities that continue through June, July and August. Meanwhile, however, enjoy the weekends and some time off.
James L. Carter Interim Pastor 1 MESSENGER | July/August 2012
at BMPC
[ CONGREGATIONAL LIFE ]
Summertime at BMPC
The Talk of a Lifetime Sunday mornings: July 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, 8:50-9:50 a.m.,Witherspoon Parlor, led by members of the Adult Education Council. Join us as we engage in “TED Talks” (Technology, Entertainment, Design) given by the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers who are challenged to give the “talk of their lives” in 18 minutes or less. Each week will feature one talk that will be delivered and discussed; weekly topics announced in upcoming worship bulletins. For more information, contact CarolSchmidt@bmpc.org, ext. 8819.
June 24-28: Vacation Bible Camp June 28: Summer Carillon Concert with Wylie Crawford (7:00 p.m.) July 1-6: High School Mission Trip, Adirondack Mountains, NY July 5: Summer Carillon Concert with Jeff Davis (7:00 p.m.) July 12: Summer Carillon Concert with Dick van Dijk (7:00 p.m.) July 14: Searching for Still Waters: Bereavement Group, Middleton Center (10:00 a.m.) July 19-22: Middle School Urban Plunge, Philadelphia, PA August 5-11: Camp Kirkwood, Stroudsburg, PA August 11: Searching for Still Waters: Bereavement Group, Middleton Center (10:00 a.m.) August 20-23: iPad Camp for Adults, Gloucester Room (9:3011:30 a.m. each day)
Sundays, 9:00 a.m.: Summer Choir rehearsals (for 10:00 a.m. worship service) Mondays, 9:00 a.m.: Tai Chi, Witherspoon Parlor Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, 9:30 a.m.: DanceFit, Gym (through July) Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m.: Repose Yoga, Gym, $5 per class Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.: Career Counseling, Conference Room Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m.: Walking Group, meet in back parking lot Thursdays, 8:30 a.m.: Thursday Morning Prayer Group, Chapel The Converse House Library and the Book Center are open for self-service on Sundays following services and on weekdays from 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The key for the Book Center is available at the Reception Desk. 2 MESSENGER | July/August 2012
The Messenger Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church 625 Montgomery Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 610-525-2821 USPS #341840 The Messenger is published by the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. Periodical postage paid at Wayne, Pennsylvania and additional entry. Postmaster: Send Address Changes To The Messenger Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church 625 Montgomery Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Save the Date • September 6: Senior Choir Begins • September 9: Homecoming Sunday; Kickoff Event for Youth & Parents (Regular Sunday School Schedule Resumes) • September 9: Confirmation Class Begins • September 11: Preacher’s Brown Bag Bible Study Begins • September 11: First Fall Y-Group Monthly Meeting • September 12: Children and Youth Choirs Begin • September 16: Fall Adult Education Classes Begin • September 19: PW Coffee Cup Bible Study Begins • September 30: BMPC Block Party; Youth Sunday • October 5: Singing for Life Begins • October 7: Dead Sea Scrolls Lecture and Bus Trip • October 13: Congregation-Wide Day of Service • October 21: Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble Concert • October 28: Missionary Visit: The Rev. Dr. Spiwo Xapile Preaching • November 4: Senior Adult Brunch; Recital with Keenan Boswell & Suzanne DuPlantis • November 16: Family Fun Friday celebrating Thanksgiving • November 18: Advent Gift Market • November 22: Thanksgiving Pancake Breakfast • December 2: Advent Workshop • December 9: Christmas Vespers Concert