Visions November 2016
An Attitude of Gratitude
Yes, it’s a catchy title, but it is so much more! An attitude of gratitude is developing an ongoing habit of expressing thankfulness and appreciation in all parts of our lives. It something we can do on a regular basis, for the big things and the small things. If we concentrate on what we have – we’ll always have more. If we concentrate on we don’t have, we’ll never have enough.
Here are just a few ways to stimulate heartfelt gratitude:
· Wake up every day and express to yourself what you are grateful for
· Tell whoever you are with at the end of the day the 3 things you are most grateful for
· Tell whoever you are with right now (significant other, friend, family member, etc.) the 3 things that you are most grateful for in this moment
· Start a gratitude journal - Express gratitude in this journal every night by noting the things that you are grateful for, proud of, and excited about
· Acknowledge yourself for what you have done and accomplished in the last day/week/month/year. Instead of comparing yourself to others, give yourself credit for the big and small things you have been doing!
· Acknowledge other people and thank them for inspiring/helping/supporting you - oftentimes people
· wait their whole lives to be acknowledged (and yet it happens far too infrequently)!
Not only will developing a grateful attitude improve your mood, but some studies have shown it have an impact on your physical well-being. Studies done by professor Paul Mills, from the University of San Diego Medical, looked at the role of gratitude in cardiac health. He found that participants who kept a journal most days of the week, writing about 2-3 things they were grateful for (everything from appreciating their children to travel and good food), had reduced levels of inflammation and improved heart rhythm compared to people who did not write in a journal. And the journal-keepers also showed a decreased risk of heart disease after only 2 months of this new routine!
As we enter the month of November – the month of Thanksgiving – let us encourage one another to work on our gratitude attitudes. How do you think cultivating an attitude of gratitude will impact your life? How will it impact your faith? What would a church full of grateful people look like and how would those people impact their surrounding community?
Seeking a life of gratitude,
Pastor Teresa
Fully Inclusive . . . Community Friendly . . . Mission Based
2016 Budget / Budget Lines / September / Actual YTD / Budget YTDBudgeted Income
112,000.00 / Envelopes / 6,142.76 / 77,836.10 / 84,000.06
10,914.00 / Morning Plate / 173.00 / 2,791.95 / 8,185.50
200.00 / Initial / .00 / 205.00 / 150.03
400.00 / Sunday School / 4.00 / 162.23 / 300.06
5000.00 / Seasonal Gifts / .00 / 789.00 / 3,750.03
1,000.00 / Fund Raising / .00 / 7.00 / 750.06
4,500.00 / Investments / .00 / 4,500.00 / 3,375.00
1,000.00 / Building Use / .00 / 1840.00 / 749.97
8,000.00 / Head Start / .00 / 4,950.00 / 6,000.00
0.00 / Returned checks / .00 / 0.00 / 0.00
143,014.00 / Total Income / 6,319.76 / 93,081.28 / 107,260.74
Budgeted Expenses
1,748.00 / Christian Ed / 121.96 / 2,261.49 / 1311.03
625.00 / Diaconate / .00 / 478.08 / 468.72
48,227.00 / Trustees / 1,553.55 / 23,425.59 / 36,170.28
1,500.00 / Worship/Evangel / .00 / 692.90 / 1,125.00
3,100.00 / Mission Comm. / (21.00) / 1,749.00 / 2,325.06
56,884.00 / Steering / 3,608.44 / 62,040.55 / 42,663.06
159,921.00 / Total / 5,262.95 / 90,647.61 / 84,063.15
Some “Bottom Lines” of our Financial Picture
Jan. 1, 2016 / Cash Accounts / Sept..+/- / YTD + or (-) / Totals(16,146.33) / Operating Acct / 1,056.81 / 2,472.46 / (13,673.87)
4,487.97 / Fellowship Fund / 273.00 / 3,280.50 / 7,768.47
25,659.58 / Bldg Fund / 2,232.00 / (4,631.78) / 21,027.80
8,235.69 / Memorial Funds / .00 / 40.00 / 8,275.69
55,332.14 / Other Funds / 5,236.25 / 155,844.98 / 155,844.98
Total in combined cash accounts / 179,243.07
Boiler Loan
Interest Paid to date = $1,458.76 / 76,993.44
Savings/CD interest / 1,627.86
Christian Education
Chairperson of the Board, Lisa Heffner
Sunday School Superintendent, Susan Heinz
Mission Statement for the Board of Christian Education:
Our mission is to support each other by providing tools and opportunities for continual growth, regardless of who we are and where we are on our journey to know God. (Revised 1/17/2015)
Sunday school.
Adult SS Class curriculum features “Journeys”, and is meeting in the adult Sunday school room at 9:30 am.
Children's and Youth SS Classes
Youth Sunday school will meet upstairs in their newly renovated classroom, their curriculum is “Grapples”. The children’s Sunday school will meet in the Nursery/Children’s classroom. It is in the hallway next to the adult Sunday school room. Their curriculum is “One Room School House”.
Coming Events:
There will be a Family Movie Night on Friday, November 18 at 7 PM.
Extra Information:
Cards
If you know someone who needs cheering up, the children love making cards to be sent to the shut-ins and long distant friends. Let Nancy, Lisa, Sue, Maricarmen, or Lauren know.
Children's Church and Children's Message
Please let Nancy know if the Lord is tugging at your heart to try something you haven't ever done or haven't done for a while. We need some dedicated people to help out.
Next Christian Education Board Meeting
The next CE Meeting will be held Nov. 13th immediately after the Worship Service.
Redner’s Save-A-Tape Receipts
Thank you for your continued support of Christian Education. We receive 1% of the total receipts which helps us purchase supplies for Sunday School. Please continue to use you Redners Rewards Card whenever you shop.
The Secret Place
Is available on the table in Echo Hall for your personal devotions. Please consider a contribution to help defray the cost of making this material available. Feel free to pick one up for a friend.
Cluster Notes
Thank you for your donations! Especially needed: Low-Fat, Low-Sugar, or Low-Salt items; canned or boxed food such as soup, meat, stew, pasta, vegetables, fruit, cereal, oatmeal, crackers, peanut butter, jelly, baby food, real juice, laundry and cleaning supplies and equipment, toilet paper, paper towels, personal hygiene items, diapers (size 3,4,5), wipes, sheets and blankets (all sizes) Egg cartons are now being accepted. Plastic and paper grocery-size bags are needed. Thank you!
Cluster Fundraisers: Professional Pharmacy register tapes (includes prescriptions). Place in Ruth Chonka’s mailbox.
The Cluster Outreach Center Dry Goods Department is now accepting Clothing. The clothing should beCLEAN,gently used or new, any style; men's, women's, and children sizes 24-months and up (no infant). No shoes or men's suits. Take the clothing throughthe back door of the Cluster Outreach Center between 9:00 a.m. and noon, Monday through Friday. Ashley Fillman is the contact person for questions (610-970-5995 )
NOTE:Infant clothing can be taken to, Birthright, 327 King St.
Volunteers Needed: Volunteers are urgently needed in a variety of ways. Some tasks do not require lifting, such as sorting clothing, sorting food, helping with mailings.
Bi-lingual Persons Needed: The Cluster is seeking persons who can help Spanish-speaking clients who shop at the Cluster. Please contact Victoria Bumstead (610-970-5995) or .
W/E Board Gayle Hall Chairperson
Natalie Corliss reporting
The W/E Board is assisting the Tower Committee with fundraising efforts (concerts). Theme basket donations will be collected until Nov. 20th for the Concert on the 27th.. (See list on last pages.)
We are looking forward to planning Advent worship services with our new pastor as soon as possible.
Trustees Tom Corliss, Chairperson
Corinne Griffiths, Reporting
By the time you read this, the fences should be gone from around our church and the traffic flow should have returned to normal. I hope you'll take the time to look at our tower without the spires. I think it looks good, and now people and vehicles are safe from falling rocks. And the best part is that with the help of neighboring churches and friends, we were able to pay for it. Thank you to all who contributed to this expensive but necessary change.
Along with this change was the loss of our Echo Organ, which was chambered in the tower, but had been destroyed by water and weather over the years. It had not been usable for some time, but along with the pipes went the chimes which were also greatly deteriorated for the same reasons.
Please remember that the second Saturday of the month is our work day here, and for November, we'd like to do a special cleaning in preparation for Advent and Christmas. Remember, many hands make light work. Your special effort on November 12 at 9 AM would be greatly appreciated.
Tower Report Dennis Gallino
THE LEANING TOWER IS GONE! TOWER DEMOLITION HAS BEEN COMPLETED!
After much planning and the continuation of fundraising, FBC’s Demolition Subcontractor completed the tower demolition work on Wednesday, 10/12/16, on-budget and on-schedule in about 5-weeks from the start of demolition which began on Tuesday, 9/6/16. King Street closure and traffic detour signage required for the demolition also was removed. FBC’s Structural Engineer inspected the results of the demolition on Friday, 10/14/16, and was found to be acceptable for reroofing and the eventual safe re-opening of Charlotte Street.
FBC’s General Contractor then made preparations for and installed a roof structure for a simple rubber roof over what remained of the tower’s base after the tower was demolished. Roof structure installation began on Monday, 10/17/16 and the overlying rubber roof was completed on Thursday, 10/27/16, following some weather delays. The Borough of Pottstown was periodically notified and kept updated about the tower completion schedule, so that the Borough could make arrangements with PennDOT for the re-opening of Charlotte Street (State Route 663) at their earliest convenience.
An Architect, Strosser Architecture & Conservation, Inc. has submitted a proposal for the potential design of a new simple steeple over the existing tower base for the Trustees’ and FBC’s potential consideration, including the preparation of some initial design options for FBC’s review.
The repairs to the damaged front church steps will begin on or about Wednesday, 11/2/2016.
Stones removed from the tower are still available for sale in Echo Hall. However, the entire pile of stones from the tower also are available if anyone might be interested in utilizing some of them for another purpose; they are available for pickup near Harleysville, PA, until about early November or so, when they will be disposed of by the Demolition Contractor.
Addendum: The Borough will be paving Charlotte Street. The fence will stay in place for about another 2 weeks.
Diaconate Laura Alden, chairperson
Judy Miller, reporting
Communion Offering Reminder
The Communion envelope found in your box on for the first Sunday of the month is used for the Fellowship Fund. The Fellowship Fund is to help our members in financial need.
First Monday Cluster Meal
We would like to give special thank you to Tom and Diane Simmoneau for taking charge of the meal while John Forrest is recuperating. Thank you to all who help.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
The group to make prayer shawls no longer meets. We are hoping people will continue to make prayer shawls. If you are interested in continuing to make the shawls, please contact Judy Miller. If you knit or crochet and would like to try to make a shawl, contact Judy Miller. We have directions and yarn. We are hoping to continue this important ministry.
Missions Jane Gruen
Missions Committee Jane Gruen Reporting Thank you once again for your amazing support! As a congregation we raised $430.00 to help support International Ministries of American Baptist Churches. Our White Cross gifts this year will go to the RaceTrack Ministry in Bensalem. We have also sent a White Cross gift designated for aid in Haiti. We are sending a special Christmas gift to the Lowery's, our missionaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo and also a special gift to support Rachel Chonka (granddaughter of our own Ruth Chonka) and her work with TransWorld Radio. The CropWalk also received a gift from our church. Because of your support we are able to help support all these wonderful ministries. We are once again going to be sponsoring the Gravy Train for the Cluster Holiday Food Drive. Our goal is 200 cans of turkey gravy. No glass jars please. We must receive the cans by December 11. More information will be coming soon regarding our toy collection for the children supported by the Cluster.
Concert, Silent Auction and Basket Raffle
The Concert will be held at Pottstown High School Auditorium on November 27 at 3 pm. The doors will be open by 2 pm and will close by 5:30 pm. A free will offering will be taken.
Donations for the baskets will be taken until November 20th.
Nov. 27th Basket Raffle