Www.ballstonspaumchurch.org



Pastor

Rev. Duane Bartz

Minister of Music

Cathy King

Asst. Minister of Music

Kathy Haege

Office Assistant

Kelly Schmidt

Sexton

Barbara Cope

Lay Leader

Glenn Harrison

Lay Member UNYAC

Linda Sheeran

SPRC Chair

Ilah Sisson Walser

Treasurer

Maria Dickerson

Finance Chair

Trustee Chair

Jeff Blake

Christian Education

Grace Paster

Church Council Chair

Gary Wilson

Church Office

885-6886

Office Hours

Mon., Tues. & Wed.

9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Pastor’s Office Hours

Mon. - Thurs., 9 - 2

(unless out for pastoral calls)

Parsonage Phone

309-3737

Pastor’s Cell Phone

(518) 522-4694

E-Mail

bsumc@albany.

Pastor’s E-Mail

dmb1010@

Web Site



Sunday Worship

10:00 a.m.

September 2013 [pic]

101 Milton Avenue, Ballston Spa, NY 12020

9-1 Worship 10:00 AM

9-1 Voice choir rehearsal after worship

9-2 Labor Day! Office Closed

9-3 Finance (P) 6:30 PM

9-4 Worship Team (P) 6:30 PM

9-5 Prayer Shawl (P) 1:00 PM

9-5 Lay Leadership and Nominations Committee (P) 7:00 PM

9-8 Worship and Sunday School Begins 10:00 AM

9-8 Welcome Back Church Family Picnic after worship

9-9 Bell Choir Rehearsal (S) 6:30 PM

9-10 Church Council (P) 7:00 PM

9-11 Bible Study (P) 7:00 PM

9-12 D-Line Dinner 6:30 PM

9-12 Hospitality Committee (P) 7:30 PM

9-15 Worship and Sunday School 10:00 AM

9-15 Voice Choir/Children’s Voice Choir Rehearsal after worship

9-15 Confirmation 12:00 PM

9-15 Children’s Bell Choir Rehearsal (S) 6:00 PM

9-16 Bell Choir Rehearsal (S) 6:30 PM

9-16 UMW (P) 6:30 PM

9-17 SPRC (P) 7:30 PM

9-18 Bible Study (P) 7:00 PM

9-19 Prayer Shawl (P) 6:30 PM

9-22 Worship/Bishop Webb’s Visit/Confirmation 10:00 AM

9-22 Reception for Confirmation Class and Bishop Webb (FR) after worship

9-22 Children’s Bell Choir Rehearsal (S) 6:00 PM

9-23 Bell Choir Rehearsal (S) 6:30 PM

9-25 Bible Study (P) 7:00 PM

9-28 Free Lunch (FR) 11:30 AM

9-29 Worship and Sunday School 10:00 AM

9-29 Voice Choir/Children’s Voice Choir Rehearsal after worship

9-29 Children’s Bell Choir (S) 6:00 PM

S=Sanctuary, FR=Fellowship Room, P=Parlor, CH=Church House

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Once again we return to September. Everyone returning from summer vacations and the many different summer activities that keep people oh so busy. We return from the hectic activities of summer into the hectic activities of September. The start of the school year, the beginning of many of the kid’s sports seasons and other organized activities. And, the startup of our Sunday school programs, the choir, and all of the committees that may have taken one or more months off for the summer.

Sometimes it can seem to many of us adults as just a case of “here we go again.” Even if we really do appreciate the increased level of activity within our church, it may seem as though we’ve seen it all before. But you know that for our children, the start of every school year brings a fresh newness as they begin a higher grade in school; they begin new activities or advance in the level of any activities they have already been in. In church too, they may advance to a new level in their Sunday school class, or start involvement in some new activity they had not been a part of before. For our children, September really does bring a fresh start to a new year in their lives.

It can be that way for us adults too. The startup of activities in September can be a new beginning for all of us.

For our more seasoned adults we sometimes get an attitude of “been there, done that” in regards to many church activities. For younger adults there may be uncertainty about what else the church has to offer. I like to say that everyone is on a spiritual journey and this journey is never a smooth straight line path. At least in my experience, the only time my spiritual journey seemed to be on a smooth straight line path has been when I’ve been at the bottom of a stagnant rut.

September is a great time to give our spiritual journeys a kick-start. Get involved in something you haven’t done before. Join a bible study or a book discussion group. Get together with someone and start a new group focusing on something that you will discover others have an interest in too. Join the women’s UMW or get a new men’s group started.

There’s always room for and a need for more involvement in the youth groups of our church. There are all sorts of individual needs in our church such as taking charge of our new power point projection in our worship service, or helping with the sound system. We have the equipment to record portions of our service and make it available to shut-ins or to anyone through our website if someone could take charge of that. We could always use a new article written for the Tidings.

Becoming involved in a church can start by becoming a member of one of our committees or teams. For our church to really increase how vibrant and relevant we are in our world today, we need people to take on leadership roles, both large and small.

Whether this kind of involvement is new for you, or if you’ve been filling some role for years on end, there are new opportunities waiting for you. The bible is filled with descriptions of the new things that God is doing. We are reminded of the familiar verse from Revelation 21:5 where Jesus says, “See, I am making all things new.”

May each one of us, be open to Jesus making all things new in us. May this September be a new beginning for all of our church family.

Blessings,

Pastor Duane

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Birthdays

9-1 Lily Reid

9-3 Darryl Leggieri

9-4 Vesper McCrindle; Barb Cope; Ruby Francisco

9-6 Brian Bussing; Judi Wainwright; Jaxson Soria

9-7 Ben Winslow; Levi Soria

9-8 Edna Komada; Glen MacMillan

9-9 Tricia Cummings

9-10 Bill Mason

9-11 Patrick McAuliffe

9-12 Jackie Capone

9-13 Melissa Morrison; Carolyn Duquette

9-14 Joan Glossner

9-16 Sheri Litchfield

9-17 Kelly LeRoy; Bill Parlipiano; Matteo Sansone

9-18 Donna Bisbee; Terri McAuliffe; Campbell Simmons

9-21 Ilah Sisson Walser; Ilijah Sutton

9-22 Karen Staulters

9-24 Danielle Coffey

9-25 Joe Adkins

9-26 James Fenton

9-28 David Heffernan

9-29 Brad Heffernan; Breta Sisson

Anniversaries

9-6 Ronald & Diane Solotruck

9-9 Ruth & Gary Persons

9-10 Pastor Duane & Karen Bartz

9-16 Maria & Keith Dickerson

9-17 Debbie & Clifford Miller, Jr.

9-18 Shirley & Paul MacMillin

9-28 Karen & Bill Parlipiano

Please let the Church Office know if there are any additions and/or corrections.

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September 2, 2013

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If you are interested in being a member of our BSUMC email prayer ministry, please contact Peggy Traver at pchurchmouse@ . Anyone may also submit prayer requests in this way, but be certain to get permission from the individual or family concerned.

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Get ready! Mark your calendar! We will have our annual Church Family Picnic on Sunday, September 8th at the Milton Town Park (Burgess-Kimball Memorial

Park). We have Pavilion 3 reserved from 11 AM to 5 PM. Trustees will provide hotdogs, hamburgers, beverages, and chips. Bring a dish or dessert to share. There is a playground and restrooms with space for other games.

Come join the fun!!

Directions to the park: From Church - Head north on Rt. 50. After about 1.5 miles, turn left at the stoplight onto Northline Road (at Stewart’s). Take the first right onto Rowland Street. After about 1.5 miles, turn left onto Geyser Road (intersection with Cumberland Farms, Milton Town offices, Hannaford Plaza). Take the first left onto Wood Thrush Court (sign for Geyser Gate neighborhood). Straight ahead is the parking lot for the pavilion.

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Library Corner

THROUGH MY EYES

By Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow was an outstanding college football player, winning the Heisman Trophy when only a sophomore and was a two time winner of the NCAA

National Football Championship with the University of Florida. He is a remarkable person both on the field and off. He is a committed Christian which affects every area of his life. He has had a great work ethic and has been very influential with his team mates. This book will help you understand how his leadership and character developed. It will make you want to be a better person.

Marilynn Peterson

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Does the office have your

e-mail address?

Contact the office at bsumc@albany., so we can add you to our mailing list. Please let us know if you’d like to receive The Tidings electronically. Also, remember to visit our website (), and find BSUMC on Facebook, so you can keep up-to-date on all of the good things happening at our church!

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Choir Notes

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[pic] The voice choir resumed August 18th after church on Sunday mornings. Please join us by the piano in the sanctuary as we raise our hearts and voices in praise each week. You do not have to read music! New singers are needed and welcome – come enjoy the warm fellowship of this group.

[pic]Praise singers are needed to lead the praise set the last Sunday of each month. Rehearsals are at 9:15 prior to the service – you do not have to be a part of the voice choir to sing with the praise team!

[pic] Children’s voice choir will begin rehearsing on September 15th in the sanctuary right after church (before the adult choir begins). All children school age and above are welcome!

[pic]ABC (Adult Bell Choir) rehearsals are on Monday evenings at 6:30 in the sanctuary. New members are always welcome.

[pic] CBC (Children’s Bell Choir) will begin rehearsing September 8th on Sunday evenings at 6:00 in the sanctuary. All children second grade and above are welcome! We will teach good ringing technique and some musical basics – choir members do not have to read music to ring.

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Do you have a favorite hymn?

Whether contemporary or traditional, if you have a song that is meaningful to you, please let Cathy King know and she will try to make sure it is used in a service.

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Liturgists for the month of July:

July 7 – Ecumenical Service

July 14 – Christian Morrison

July 21 – Helen Senecal

July 28 - Shirley Andrews

August:

August 4 – Karen Bartz

August 11 – Carol Markley

August 18 – Grace Paster

August 25 – Diane Solotruck

Communion Servers for the month of July:

Ecumenical Service – Pastor Duane and Mary Jane Hale

August:

Karen Bartz

Gary Perkins

Kim Ferguson

Ron and Diane Solotruck

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A new Basic Bible Study of the Gospels is announced. Starting Wednesday, September 11th at 7:00 pm in the parlor. Don VanVranken will lead a basic study of the Gospels. Starting with Matthew, the study will include insights on the daily lives of the people of Palestine, the architecture of the times, the thousands of laws established by the Scribes, and Jesus' family, friends and disciples.

Don has presented this study twice in the past at the Schuylerville UMC. This study has been well received.

Again we will start on Wednesday, September 11 at 7:00pm in the parlor.

Don VanVranken

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Fair Trade Items will be offered for sale following the worship service on Sunday, September 15, 2013.  There will be coffee, tea, hot cocoa, chocolate bars and Geo Bars (granola bars). Thank you to all members for supporting the BSUMC church Fair Trade efforts through the purchase of these fair trade items for your own use, or as gifts, and also through your support of the church coffee hour following our Sunday church services. 

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Upper Room Thrift Shop & Food Pantry

The Thrift Shop has lots of good used clothing of all sizes available for $2.00 a bag, as full as you want to get it. They are open every Tuesday from 9 am to noon. Just come in the front door to the Church House and go up the stairs. They accept all good used clothing in all sizes.

The Food Pantry is open every Wednesday from 9:00 - 11:30 am. You come to the back door of the Church House to receive a good variety of food. You can come and receive the food once a month.

We are very lucky to have such a giving community that helps provide the pantry with all kinds of food. They sometimes give money in memory of someone. We use that to purchase from the Regional Food Bank in Latham at a really good price. We also get a grant once a year from the Food Bank.

We would also like to thank the D-Line Pub for their continued donations to our food pantry.

The items we usually need are cereal, peanut butter, and spaghetti sauce. Donations for the food pantry and thrift shop can be brought in any time that the office is open. Thanks to everyone who has helped in any way to make these projects such a success and also those who work in them.

Helen Senecal

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What’s New in Sunday School

I hope everyone has had a blessed summer, and is enjoying the last few days of vacation! The Sunday School Team is excited to begin a new year with the children and youth! The first day of Sunday School will be September 8th! We’re excited to welcome two new teachers to the team: Holly Flynn and Sarah Vargas. Thank you so much for answering the call to serve by teaching God’s children.

The teachers for the 2013-2014 Sunday School year are:

Pre-School & Kindergarten: Mary Drake & Marcy Wilson

1st & 2nd Grade: Jessica Skillings & Holly Flynn

3rd & 4th Grade: Danielle Coffey & Sarah Vargas

5th & 6th Grade: Patty LeRoy & Melissa Morrison

Middle School (7th & 8th): Sheri Litchfield & Kerri Preston

High School (9th-12th): Andrea Husselbeck & Grace Paster

Looking forward to a wonderful year, sharing the teachings and love of God with our children.

Peace,

Grace Paster, Sunday School Superintendent

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2 Nursery Teachers

to join the Sunday School Team.

It is important to us that we be able to offer nursery care to our youngest children. Consistent

teachers help the children to feel comfortable and happy in the nursery.

Please consider serving God and serving the church in this way.

See Grace Paster with any questions or if interested.

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THANK YOU

to our BSUMC Family for your support

of VBS!!

The volunteers were amazing!

The financial support & donation of items were so generous!

Your prayers were so supportive and appreciated!!!

We were able to share an exciting week with about 60 children.

We couldn’t have done it without ALL of you!

THANK YOU!!!

Also, a special thank you to Grace Paster for being the coordinator and bringing everyone and everything together.

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Our confirmation class has worked hard through the past year, learning about God and Jesus and understanding their faith. They’ve learned about United Methodism and what it means to support and be a part of our church. We are excited that Bishop Webb will be confirming them during our worship service on September 22.

Our confirmation youth include: Julia Blake, Nathaniel Coffey, Brennan Coffey, Kesandra Husselbeck, Keenan Leggieri, Jeremy Litchfield , Emily Litchfield, Jenna Litchfield, Meghan Liuzzo, Lily Reid, Brandon Reid, and AJ Schmidt. They have been and continue to be important members of our church and we look forward to welcoming them as confirmed Christians and members of our church family.

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We anticipate celebrating four baptisms in this month of September. Two members of our confirmation class, Lily Reid and Brandon Reid, will be baptized by Bishop Webb on September 22. Lily and Brandon are the daughter and son of Marcos and Sarah Vargas.

The following week on September 29, we will have two infant baptisms. Mason George Caswell is the son of Troy and Ruth Caswell. Ava Barr is the daughter of Bonnie Barr.

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We are looking forward to September 22, when Bishop Mark Webb, the resident bishop of our Upper New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, will be delivering the sermon in our worship service. Bishop Webb will also be leading the service of baptism and confirmation. We are honored to have the bishop coming to our church.

We will have a reception both for Bishop Webb as well as for our confirmation youth following our worship service on September 22. The reception will be downstairs in our Fellowship room. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us.

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Upcoming Small Group Studies

Watch for some small group opportunities that will be planned for discussion of the book being used during our stewardship campaign and viewing an accompanying video during October.

Also coming soon will be a program called “Financial Peace University” by Dave Ramsey. This has been an extremely useful program that has been presented in our church before by Kurt Husselbeck.

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I often hear compliments on what a welcoming church

we are.  This is a wonderful reflection on our whole church

as well as a few people who specifically do certain

tasks related to hospitality and welcoming. There

are at times a few things that fall through the cracks

and we should always be reviewing ourselves to see how

we are doing and what we might improve upon.

I would like to form a hospitality team that will oversee

our efforts at welcoming new visitors as well as being welcoming to our whole church family. Our next meeting

will be Thursday, September 12th at 7:30 pm in the parlor, all are welcome who are interested.

I especially want to encourage newer people in our church family to come and be a part of this team.  You have the freshest outlook on what we are doing well and where we could use some improvement.

Blessings,

Pastor Duane

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Have you ever had that moment when you are sitting in church and you just think to yourself, “What can I do to help better the church?” Well the answer is easy, there is so much you can do for the church and believe it or not it’s

very easy to do. The church has a number of programs

and committees that can use your assistance. Please speak to the Pastor or a member of the Lay Leadership and Nominations Committee (see the member list in the Tidings on page 7) today about how you can help. You will be surprised how easy and effective your help can be.

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SKYE FARM

There are several United Methodists Camps in New York, the closet of which is Skye Farm. Three children from our church attended Skye Farm this summer and below they shared their experience. Emily’s mother, Sherry also shared her thoughts on how she feels about Skye Farm from a parent’s perspective.

Skye Farm Camp has so many great activities!! It is a wonderful place for kids of all ages. At Skye Farm you can make new friends, learn, and try new things. This summer I went to “Rocks, Ropes and Rivers”, where we got to go hiking, canoeing and we went to the Adirondack Extreme Challenge Course on a field trip. That was a lot of fun! I go to Skye Farm every year and each year is better than the last!

Written by Emily Grentzer, 7th grade

Thanks to the BSUMC for a great camp experience at Skye Farm Camp! My favorite thing was swimming in the lake and being able to swim in the deep end. We had ice cream and waffles for breakfast! My camp counselor was really cool and I

liked making new friends. We stayed up late and sang a lot of songs. I can't wait to go again next year.

Peace, Parker Caswell

I had a wonderful week at Skye Farm Summer Camp. The people in my cabin were very nice. My counselor was very funny

and very smart. I enjoyed my time at Skye Farm and hope to go again next summer and see my friends from this year, and hopefully my counselor too. We swam in the lake about every day, painted a mural and had worship. The worship was fun, we got to sing and talked. We also played games in the field, like capture the flag. I was a great experience and I’m glad I got to go. Thank you to BSUMC for their help toward the cost of camp.

Brad Heffernan

Emily has been going to Skye Farm every summer for a week since she was about 5. She looks forward to it all year long and it is usually the highlight of her summer. It is a terrific learning experience for all the kids. As a parent, I will say each summer when she has returned from camp, I can truly see that she has grown a little bit in responsibility, independence and caring for others. The staff is extremely friendly and well trained and they do take excellent care of the kids. Hope to see you at Skye Farm next year!!!

Sherry Grentzer

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Committees

The Trustees, SPRC (Staff/Parish Relations Committee), Lay Leadership and Nominations and Finance are 4 of the main committees in our church. If you have any concerns or are just interested in learning what they do

below you will find their members.

Trustees SPRC Lay Leadership/Nominations Finance

Jeff Blake (Chair) Ilah Sisson Walser (Chair) Andrea Husselbeck Kurt Husselbeck

Mary Jane Hale Marcy Wilson Ilah Sisson Walser Ruth Persons

Helen Senecal Pat Brewster Pat Brewster Frank Townley

Ray Liuzzo Frank Townley Sheri Litchfield Kelly Schmidt

George Mallette Dick Traver Kerri Preston Mary Jane Hale

Danielle Coffey Mary Jane Hale George Mallette Gary Wilson

Kerri Preston Wendy De La Cruz Heather Leggieri

Jan Clark Troy Caswell Gary Perkins

Darryl Leggieri Albert Schmidt Maria Dickerson

Glenn Harrison Glenn Harrison

Congregational Family Profile

Dear Congregation:

It has been suggested that we re-introduce ourselves to our church family. The church has many new families and long-time families that don’t know each other.

Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) created the idea that we profile church members in the Tidings each month.

Families are being randomly selected, including new and longtime members. A short questionnaire is being provided to the families to answer. Each family can choose to answer all or as few of the questions and can offer as much or as few details as so desired.

Glenn Harrison, Lay Leader

The Babcock Family

Family Members: Richard and Melody and their 3 cats Tags, Percy and Katrina.

Children (Grandchildren): Four children and 2 grandchildren; Pam who lives in Lyons, NY, Rich, his wife Miriam and their 2 children Julie and Nicholas who live in Germany, daughter Allison and her husband Brian Gibney reside in Round Lake, NY and daughter Kate is in Utah. They also have several grandpups and grandcats.

How long have you been in the area and at BSUMC? They moved from Oneida, NY to Hebron because of Richard’s job with Agway in 2000, they moved to Ballston Spa the end of September 2012. Much of their time is spent settling into their new area which is closer to their daughter Allison. We have been attending BSUMC since November 2012.

Occupation: Both of us are retired. Richard from the lumbar company, RK Miles in Manchester, VT and Melody from Saratoga Hospital as a nurse. Melody did nursing in the operating room.

Something you want us to know about you (Interests, hobbies, pets):

Richard enjoys biking and collecting old fishing tackle. Melody enjoys flower gardening and going to garage sales.

Heart-Warming Memory at BSUMC: Pastor Duane made a point of calling us after we had been to church. We felt that was a very welcoming gesture and that is how we chose BSUMC as our place of worship. We want to thank everyone for making us feel at home at BSUMC.

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The Finance Committee is preparing for our church’s annual stewardship campaign. This year we will be using a program titled “First: putting God first in living and giving” by Mike Slaughter. Our campaign will run through the four weeks of October. There are two small books that we would like everyone in our church family to have and to read.

One book is titled “shiny gods: finding freedom from things that distract us” by Mike Slaughter. This book has 4 short chapters that will correspond with each worship service in October. We would like people to read the 1st chapter before the 1st Sunday of October.

The 2nd book is titled “first - Devotional: putting God first in living and giving.” This book contains short daily devotions for use during the 4 weeks of our stewardship campaign.

A few copies of each of these books will be available to borrow from our church library in the Parlor, either to preview or to use during the month.

If you are able to order the books they are priced at $8.25 and $5.40 or for both books $13.65. To order, just contact the pastor or a signup sheet will be available during September.

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|Newsletter Deadline: |

| |

|The deadline date for the October issue of The Tidings newsletter is September 18th. You may e-mail your article to bsumc@albany., drop it off, or mail it to the |

|office. Anyone may submit an article for the newsletter. |

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|Sunday Worship 10 AM - Nursery Care Available |

|Sunday School 10 AM (except the 1st Sunday of the month) |

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101 Milton Avenue

Ballston Spa, NY 12020

September Tidings

“Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors”

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