THE BREEZE - Amazon S3 · Caption describing picture or graphic. 56 DISTRICT LEARING DAY ON FEB. 8...

THE BREEZE

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

Planting Deep and

Planting Wide

February Calendar

Weirdly wonderful

District Learning

Day

Youth Ministry

Gathering Together

A Farewell Thank

You for Dinner on

Thursday

Congregational

Care & Food Pantry

A Message from

Bishop Webb

What We

Celebrated

F E B R U A R Y

2 0 2 0

When I was growing up, the cold days of February were always marked by a very

specific sign of the hope of spring: the arrival in the mail of seed catalogs. My

parents are avid gardeners, and they love to pore over those catalogs in the cold

of winter and dream of what vegetables (dad) and flowers (mom) they will plant in

the spring.

That’s a very appropriate thing for Christ-followers to do. Jesus often compared

the Good News to seeds, and compared those who share it to farmers who scatter

the seeds as widely as possible. He talked about our lives being like soil that lets

those Gospel seeds sink in deep and grow, or sit on the surface and get eaten by

the birds.

This winter, we’re planting deep and wide. Through the Immerse Bible reading

plan and small groups, we’re reading through the whole New Testament as a

church. We want to the seeds of God’s Word to get planted in good soil, where

they will grow and produce a harvest. Imagine what God can do when our church

as a whole takes the time to plant his Word deep in our hearts! Hebrews 12 talks

about “a harvest of righteousness and peace.” Like someone dreaming over a

seed catalog, take some time to dream about what that kind of harvest might look

like in our church! I get excited about that!

We’re not only planting deep, we’re also scattering wide. Why? Paul put it like

this Romans: “But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust?

And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be

trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to

tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims,

A sight to take your breath away!

Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God!” (Romans 10:14-

15 The Message)

We’re sharing God’s love in practical ways each week, because it really matters. It

really does! People need to see in us that God’s love is real. What a gift we have

to share as widely as possible. That really is “a sight to take your breath away!”

May God make those seeds grow!

Sowing with You,

Pastor Kristen (for Pastor Bill too)

PLANTING DEEP AND PLANTING WIDE

P A G E 2

1 Saturday

7:30 AM Men’s Bible Study

9:00 AM Sexuality & the Church

2 Sunday Communion

9:30 AM Contemporary Service

10:45 AM Sunday School

11:00 AM Traditional Service

6:00 PM YA Super Bowl Party

3 Monday

6:30 PM Ad Board

4 Tuesday

2:00 PM Immerse Bible Study

6:30 PM SPRC

7:00 PM Al-Anon

5 Wednesday

9:00 AM Women for Missions

6:00 PM Youth Group

6:30 PM Immerse Bible Studies

6:30 PM Healing Journey

6 Thursday

1:oo PM Ladies Bible Study

6:45 PM Prayer Meeting

6:55 PM Choir Practice

8 Saturday

9:00 AM District Learning Day

9 Sunday




10 Monday

7:00 PM Trustees

11 Tuesday


7:00 PM Al-Anon

12 Wednesday


6:00 PM Youth Group


13 Thursday




15 Saturday


16 Sunday




17 Monday

6:30 PM SPRC

18 Tuesday


7:00 PM Al-Anon

19 Wednesday



20 Thursday




22 Saturday

23 Sunday




25 Tuesday


7:00 PM Al-Anon

26 Wednesday


6:00 PM Youth Group


7:00 PM Ash Wednesday Service

27 Thursday




29 Saturday


MARCH

1 Sunday Communion

2 Monday

6:30 PM Ad Board

3 Tuesday


7:00 PM Al-Anon

Calendar listings are

subject to changes. Your

call is always welcome at

the church office for

additional information—

716.386.3401 or e-mail

[email protected].

SAVE THESE DATES & MARK

YOUR CALENDARS!

*****

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE

Wednesday, February 26

7pm in the Sanctuary

~~~

MARCH MADNESS CHILI &

CHOCOLATE COOK-OFF

Sunday, March 8

10:45am

~~~

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE

Friday, April 10

7pm in the Sanctuary

~~~

EASTER SUNDAY SERVICES

Sunday, April 12

7am Sunrise (I-86 Overlook),

9:30 & Contemporary

11am Traditional

~~~

PRAISE ON THE LAKE

Sunday, July 12 9am at the

Floating Stage

~~~

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Monday-Friday, August 3-7

from 9am-12pm

~~~

ROYAL FAMILY KIDS’ CAMP

Sunday—Thursday,

August 9-13

FEBRUARY CALENDAR

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY COMING SOON! “REAL JESUS”

This month at BPUMC has been a busy one! I am always so sur-

prised at how weird it is to get back into the swing of things after the holidays. So much time is spent

doing out of the normal things, that now the regular schedule is weird again. Funny how that works. I

hope that you have been able to get back into the swing of things in the New Year.

This month in Men’s Ministry, we had our Men’s Mini Golf Tourney that is benefitting the UCAN Men’s

Mission. Shameless shout out especially to all of the other guys that helped make this event happen.

It’s fun to have the opportunity to do something like this even in the midst of the winter season!

Contemporary Worship has been great this month the same as all of the others that I have been here

for! I am still excited for so many of us to be together each and every Sunday. It’s been especially fun to

have the single contemporary service thus far. Seeing so many of you all together and ready to worship

gets me jazzed about praising our King every Sunday. I hope it does the same for you.

This last month, I have been thinking a lot about the idea of what it means to be the Church, namely

followers/disciples of Jesus. I have been reading through C.S. Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity, and going

through the Immerse: Messiah curriculum, like so many of you. In conjunction, those resources have

caused me to think further about how amazing and how intense being a follower of Jesus is. Honestly,

Jesus says some pretty radical things. For example, in Matthew 16:24-26 it says “Then Jesus told his dis-

ciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For

whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it

profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his

soul?” With callings like that, Christianity seems a lot harder than we might have originally thought.

However, the coolest part of it all is that Jesus knows that what he is asking for is worth it. John 17:3

says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have

sent.” Jesus knows that taking up our crosses, that loving God so much that in comparison we would

hate everyone else, is a high order; but it is worth it. I hope that encourages you, despite whatever you

may be facing for His Name. As always, I look forward to worshipping with you all every week!

WEIRDLY WONDERFUL Joe Wickes

Director of Contemporary Worship &

Discipleship

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56

DISTRICT LEARING DAY ON FEB. 8 CORNERSTONE DISTRCT LEARNING DAY ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 AT BPUMC A day to worship, learn, and connect with others from the Cornerstone District.

Morning Sessions (9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.)

Five Means of Grace: Experience God’s Love the Wesleyan Way

Rev. Timothy Phelps, Chaplain for Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care; Spiritual Director for the UNY Conference; Endorsed Chaplain by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM).

How to Navigate Through Change (and Help Others Do So, Too)

Rev. Kristen Allen, Co-Lead Pastor, Bemus point United Methodist Church

Staff-Parish Relations Committee Training

Rev. Suzanne Block, District Superintendent, Cornerstone District

Afternoon Sessions (12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.)

Breath Prayer: An Ancient Practice for Anxious Times

Rev. Timothy Phelps, Chaplain for Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care; Spiritual Director for the UNY Conference; Endorsed Chaplain by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM).

A Conversation Around Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation Proposal

Rev. Dr. William Allen, Co-Lead Pastor, Bemus Point United Methodist Church and Reserve Clergy Dele-gate to 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences.

A Primer for Local Church Trustees

Rev. Stephen Crowell, pastor at Alfred, Angelica, Belmont and Scio United Methodist Churches in the Mountain View District and a member of the UNY Conference Trustees.

ALSO, Basic Safe Sanctuaries Training (begins at 9:45 a.m.; continues at 12:45 p.m.)

Registration deadline is Feb. 4 SEE SUZANNE AT THE WELCOME CENTER TO REGISTER OR EMAIL [email protected]. There is no cost to BPUMC participants as the Lay Ministry Training budget supports this training.

Tom Holland

Director of Youth Ministry YOUTH MINISTRY

We had an amazing Christmas season in Connect Youth. We had par-

ties for both the Sr. High and Jr. High groups. But what is coming up

has us even more excited. Our student leaders have decided to begin

raising money with the purpose of providing groceries to some fami-

lies in need as well as investing time to help those families with

chores around their homes. On February 12th we will be having a

formal “ Valentine’s Day” dinner for our students as an outreach event. In March we will be offer-

ing an opportunity for students to attend a CCYM event in Syracuse. In April we will hold our an-

nual 30 Hour Famine.

Thank you for your prayers and support of our youth ministry!

T H E B R E E Z E

Calli Wickes

Director of Technical Arts &

Co-Director of Discipleship GATHERING TOGETHER

Happy February,

I am excited to have begun the Immerse Bible Reading Experience as a church. Joe and I have

been choosing to listen to the readings and it has been such a great experience to get to listen to

God’s word. It has helped me take a step back and hear the bigger story being told. All too often I

can find myself getting caught up in the details and the extra knowledge behind the stories that I

forget to listen to it like the true story that it is. What a beautiful thing to be in His Word!

I hope you all are finding this reading experience just as meaningful as we are. If you haven’t

started reading yet, but would like to, you can visit the homepage of our church website at

https://bpumc.com/ for some additional information. Or you can even go directly to the source

at https://www.tyndale.com/sites/immersebible/messiah/ to access additional resources or if

you want to continue with any of the other reading plans they offer!

I pray that as you continue to meet in your groups, they become like family. I am passionate

about the unity and accountability that small groups can bring. We had the pleasure of hosting a

small group in our home in Indiana for awhile. On most weeks there were five of us, and it was a

truly awesome experience to get to meet with them every week. Every week we enjoyed a meal

together, sometimes played some games, and then studied the Bible. In that time these mere

acquaintances became family. They were the ones we were able to share our hard faith ques-

tions with. We struggled, we fought, we cried, and we laughed together. When we came togeth-

er, we experienced Church. My prayer is that these groups can bring about the same kind of close

-knit relationships that when hard times, or great times come, you get to share them together.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” - Matthew 18:20

A FAREWELL “THANK YOU” DINNER ON THURSDAY

With heartfelt thanks and a sense of sadness we will discontinue the Dinner on Thursday. For

the past 10 years we have so enjoyed cooking tasty meals for you, sharing time with you, and

allowing you to either come together to share a meal with others or take a meal to share with

those that are homebound. Our hope is that you will continue to reach out to those that rarely

eat with others and that the sweet time you spent with us will carry forward in new places and

with new people.

Thank you and God bless you all in abundant and beautiful ways throughout

this 2020. We look forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday morning!

Bob & Sue Verbosky, their children, and grandchildren

CONGREGATIONAL CARE

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Proverbs 3:5

The food pantry is taking a different approach this year. We will no longer

be offering our open hours on the last Thursday of the month but instead, will

be available in emergency situations. We feel that God is leading us in a

new direction, but be assured we will never let anyone go without food.

Emergency bags will be available during our regular church hours, we will .

continue to collect food donations year-round, and we’ll provide special meals during the

Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holidays.

These changes reflect our desire to provide individuals and families with other helpful

resources that are available in our community and offer specific focus. These support minis-

tries include Love, INC, Community Helping Hands, Chautauqua Opportunities, and Meals on

Wheels.

If you have any questions, concerns, or know of needs, please contact

[email protected].

Thank you for your continued prayer, volunteer, and monetary support of the BPUMC Food

Pantry and Congregational Care ministry.

CONGREGATIONAL CARE Britta Brown

Coordinator of Congregational Care

FOOD PANTRY SHOPPING LIST

BPUMC FOOD PANTRY – SERVING THE COMMUNITY!

The BPUMC Food Pantry serves families & individuals in need of a loving hand

within our Town of Ellery community and those in our church family. The food

pantry is available for emergency needs. If you or someone you know is in need

of items from our pantry, please contact [email protected]

Shopping List:

Cereal Spaghetti Sauce Toothpaste

Peanut butter Pasta Shampoo

Tuna Fish Canned Fruit Toilet Paper

Mac ‘n Cheese Canned Vegetables Laundry Soap

Soup

Oatmeal

FOOD ITEMS MAY BE DROPPED OFF IN THE FOOD PANTRY BOX LOCATED IN THE GALLERY ON SUNDAY OR ANYTIME MON-FRIDAY 8AM-4PM. THANK YOU!

A MESSAGE FROM BISHOP WEBB

Dear Friends, January 7, 2020

Grace and peace to you in the wonderful name of Jesus the Christ!

Over this past weekend, various media were filled with stories about the splitting of the United Methodist

Church. Based on some of these stories, people have been asking, "has the United Methodist Church split? Has

the decision been made?" The simple answer to those questions is no.

On Friday, Jan. 3rd, an independent mediation team, comprised of eight Bishops and eight representatives

from advocacy groups, announced a proposal for the separation of The United Methodist Church that it intends

to introduce to the 2020 General Conference. This "Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation" is

one of several proposals that have been prepared for consideration by the General Conference.

It is vitally important to remember our polity and our process. General Conference is the only body that can

speak for the denomination and make changes to The Book of Discipline. At this point, no decisions have been

made and none will be made until the General Conference meets May 5-15, 2020 in Minneapolis. The Protocol

itself says it was developed in service to the General Conference delegates who will decide on its adoption or

amendment. While there were some Bishops involved in this mediation process, this proposal does not come

from the Council of Bishops but is the work and proposal of the independent mediation team.

I have attempted to be consistent in stating that I believe deeper conversations are necessary regarding the

future of The United Methodist Church, our differences and the ways in which we might find a path that bless-

es one another to be the Church we are called to be. This Protocol, along with many of the other proposals and

legislation already submitted to the 2020 General Conference, invites us to such conversations. I am grateful

for the individuals who have invested in this hard work and the proposals they have shared.

I hope you will continue to look for ways to engage one another in these conversations with love and respect

as we seek a way to faithfully and fruitfully live out God's call upon our lives.

While these important conversations continue and we live amid the uncertainty of The United Methodist

Church, I am reminded that our mission is not uncertain. God continues to call us to "make disciples of Jesus

Christ for the transformation of the world."

In Upper New York, this mission is lived out through the local church in every community. So, don't stop look-

ing for ways to shine the light of Christ in the place you have been called. Continue to make Jesus known in

word and deed. Continue to pray for God's guidance and support. Continue to trust that, whatever the future

holds for The United Methodist Church, your call to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be God's love to your

neighbors in all place remains the same. Please continue to say yes to that!

Pray for the delegates to General Conference from Upper New York, that God will grant them wisdom, courage

and peace amid the work they do and the decisions they will make. Pray for your sisters and brothers in Christ

who seek to follow God's call upon their lives. Pray for the future of The United Methodist Church. Know that

you are in my prayers.

Blessings,

Bishop Mark J. Webb

Bemus Point

United Methodist Church

4954 Bemus-Ellery Rd

Bemus Point, NY 14712

Phone: 716-386-3401

Fax: 716-386-7370

www.bpumc.com

facebook.com/bpumc

E-mail: [email protected]

YAY FOR SNOW

SHOVELLERS

MINI GOLF 2020

YOUTH GROUP SERVING AND

SHARING!

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

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