Connection E-News

May 14th, 2024

(Fire in the Sky and Water - Lake Chautauqua NY, Photo by Jim White)

WHEN GRACE COMES DISGUISED AS LIFE

Grace comes disguised as life

using everything

there are no Dead Ends

no wasted energy

every failure recycles as wisdom.

Richard Rohr says it well:

God is never found as an

abusive father or tyrannical mother

always as a lover

never as the account manager

most people seem to worship.

Make space to wait for inner stillness

and live courageously with ambiguity

for your life is God's hiding place.

Be present, Be aware, Be alert

stop to welcome home your fears,

your grief, your loss, your joy and laughter

they are Grace disguised as life.

Deep Peace of the Quiet Earth!

Rev. Jim White

Former Senior Pastor of BUMC

Worship With Us

In-Person / Live stream

Children's Sunday

May 19th at 10:00 a.m.

This Sunday is a Children’s Day worship service. The entire worship service will be led by children. Veronica Sydlowski, our Sunday School Director, will share her sermon. This week's scripture reading will be from Matthew 18:1-5.

The music will be provided the Festive Ringers with "I Know the Lord's Laid His Hand on Me," the Cherub Choir singing "Great Big God," the Lyric Choir presenting "Your Grace is Enough," and the Sanctuary Choir performing "Through the Eyes of a Child." Additionally, our Foundation Praise Team will lead us in song.

Calendar of Events over the this week

Monday, May 13th

● Friendship Circle at 10 a.m. (Offsite)

● Finance Committee Meeting at 7 p.m. (Zoom)

● Trustees Meeting at 7:45 p.m. (Zoom)

Tuesday, May 14th

● Tuesday Drop in Bible Study at 10 a.m. (Room 25 and Zoom)

● Cherub and Lyric Choirs at 5:30 p.m. (Fellowship Hall and Choir Room)

● Last Practice of Festive Ringers at 6 p.m. (Sanctuary)

Wednesday, May 15th

● BUMC Youth meeting at 6:30 p.m. (Youth Lounge)

● Mercy and Justice Meeting at 7:30 p.m. (Zoom)

Thursday, May 16th

● Thursday 30-minute Prayer at 10 a.m. (Zoom)

● Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal at 7 p.m. (Sanctuary)

● Foundation Rehearsal at 8 p.m. (Sanctuary)

Sunday, May 19th

● Last day of Sunday School at 9 a.m. (for all grades PreK-12)

● Adult Sunday Class at 9 a.m. (Room 25)

● Sunday Worship Service at 10 a.m. (Live-Stream available)

● Adult Adventure Group at 1 p.m. (Pine Creek Mini Golf)

Collection for veterans at Lyons Hospital

until May 19th

Linda Rubinfeld and her 4H youth group will be collecting items for veterans. Items needed include: toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, deodorant, floss, socks, puzzle books, and pencils. Donations can be dropped off in the labelled box by the Mission Closet. Please contact Linda or the church office if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your help!

Adult Adventure Group

on Sunday May 19th

Pine Creek Mini Golf (394 NJ-31 West Amwell, NJ)

Join us on a fun adventure on May 19th! We will meet at the church at 1p.m. to carpool. The cost is between $12 and $20, depending on how many times or courses we play. The signup sheet is on the bulletin board. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Janci or the church office.

TERRIFIC TUESDAY END OF YEAR PARTY

on Tuesday May 21st from 5-7pm

Come join us for our Terrific Tuesday End of the Year Party on Tuesday May 21st from 5-7pm. We will have pizza and make ice cream sundaes to celebrate a year of singing and making music together.

United Women in Faith Garage sale

on Saturday, June 1st

The United Women in Faith is pleased to host a Garage sale on June 1st. Details will be shared soon.

Youth Summer Mission Trip

This year, the youth group will be heading to Washington D.C. with City Service Mission (CSM). More information can be found below. Sign ups were due by April 21st! If you would like to attend, or have any last minute questions, please reach out to Andi or Greg Sydlowski!

Find out more

Vacation Bible School

Everyone has a song to sing and a gift to bring! This is especially true in our community garden. Each member of the Garden Group is unique and we need each of their gifts to make our garden thrive. Just like the characters in the Bible Stories we learn each day, our gardeners know that the things that make them different are also the things that make them special!

Come join in the fun and discover that community works best when "you're just like you, and I'm just like me!"

Theme: "Just Like Me- Digging in and Growing Deep"

When: August 5th - August 9th from 9am-12pm

Where: BUMC

Who: Children age 3 (potty trained) through entering 5th grade

Cost: $30 per child or $55 per family

How: Register online (registration will open the first week of June)

*We are also in need of adult volunteers for VBS. For more information or to sign up to volunteer contact Deena at youngfamilyministry@bridgewaterumc.org

Coffee Fellowship Volunteers

If you would like to sign up to be a host,

please sign-up on the bulletin board, or you can email Lisa Kautz at lmkautz@verizon.net.

Used Clothing Drop-Off

Please donate the following items and drop them off at a clothing bin located in our parking lot.

All clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, purses, blankets, drapes, pillowcases, and stuffed animals.

(Please NO rags, fabric scraps, pillows, toys, books, or household goods.)

Thank you for your help.

For Those In Need of Support

If you have found yourself struggling, or going through a particularly stressful life change, we invite you to meet with one of our Stephen Ministers. In meeting with a Stephen Minister, you will receive one-to-one, confidential, Christ-centered care.

To be connected with a Stephen Minister, please contact Mary Beth Gruber .

Prayer Requests

Prayers for Jackie & Judy (Friends of Honda Bielefeldt)
Prayers for Laurie Fontenello
Prayers for Pete Chetwynd (Friend of Jim and Linda DeLukey)
Prayers for Georgeann Crowell (friend of Arline Cox)
Prayers for Andrew Loesser (friend of Glenn Buono)
Prayers for Lorraine Rubinstein (cousin of Glenn Buono)

Click here to submit a prayer request

Helping Others

Food Drive Donations

Thank you for donating food to our neighbors. Please bring your non-perishable/non-expired items to the church, and place them in our “Food Bank” containers.

If you would prefer, you can bring your items to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County located at 7E Easy St, Bound Brook, NJ 08805. Thank you very much.

Sharing Gifts

Sharing your gifts with Bridgewater United Methodist Church is extremely important. Without these gifts, BUMC would not be able to provide its programs and ministries for members and friends.

Thank you for your support of BUMC!

You can use this QR code or click here for sharing gifts.