FLEMINGTON BAPTIST CHURCH 2. Become more informed about this growing problem with prescription drugs by reading the information provided by One Voice, which will be included in bulletins and announcements during the month of October. 3. Safeguard your medicine keeping prescriptions in a secure place where visitors to your home cannot have access. 4. Participate in cleaning out our medicine cabinets at home and delivering our expired or not-being-used prescription drugs to a Take-Back location in Hunterdon County. The Hunterdon County Justice Center on Park Avenue in Flemington is one of the permanent safe locations where you can dispose of your unused medicines. MESSENGER - OCTOBER, 2013 REED’S RENDERINGS… An Ecumenical Effort Last spring I, along with other church and community leaders, met with the heads of a new initiative called “One Voice.” The conference was arranged through the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office and the Safe Coalition that are greatly concerned about prescription drugs following into the hands of our youth. According to Prosecutor Kearns, “One Voice is a two way communication process that addresses social issues through our faith communities. One Voice is managed through a collaborative steering committee comprised of the prosecutor, diverse faith leaders and the Safe Communities Coalition. The focus of One Voice is to bring together law enforcement and the Safe Communities Coalition with leaders of the faith-based community to have "one voice" when addressing today's difficult challenges like substance abuse, crime and the safety of our community. Social level change can be achieved with all groups working together, delivering the same message.” According to the Prosecutor’s Office, “prescription pain relievers have contributed to more overdose deaths than ‘street drugs’ such as cocaine and heroin…More and more teens are using prescription and over-the-counter drugs to get high.” The startling thing is that the drugs are coming right out of their own, their friends, and their neighbor’s medicine cabinets! Prosecutor Kearns writes: “We have a dangerous trend evolving within Hunterdon County with prescription drug and heroin abuse. People may become addicted to prescription pills after initially taking them for a legitimate medical purpose, or abusing them for illicit purposes at the onset. We know the abuse begins with a false sense of security because the pills are considered to be ‘medicine’. However as the addiction grows, a person typically transitions to heroin because it is considerably less expensive and more readily available, in an extremely pure form, throughout Hunterdon County and New Jersey.” So, we in the faith-communities of Hunterdon are joining forces to work together to make a difference. The first weekend of October will usher in the launch of the One Voice initiative on prescription drugs. Our congregation along with others is asked to: 1. Pray for the success of our One Voice initiatives. I hope that we as a congregation will do our part to make Flemington a safer and healthier community for all, especially our youth. CHURCH NEWS… CURRENT ADULT ED OFFERING Please join us Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM in the parlor as John Stothoff leads "Christianity and World Religions", built around sermons by Adam Hamilton with a thought provoking and very respectful study of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. All are welcome to learn and share your thoughts/insights as we learn about the similarities and differences of each major religion with that of our own faith. This study runs through October. Come one, come all.... November 24th. Start collecting crayons, Slinkys and Hot Wheels now, and remember - leftover Halloween candy makes great filler for your shoebox! Thanks so much for your prayers and your participation! ~The Catechists. FINANCIALLY SPEAKING LOCAL CHURCH BUDGET THROUGH AUGUST 2013 YTD Income from all sources YTD Total Expenses Shortfall WHAT’S COOKING? The Bible from Scratch is the title of Don Griggs’ introductory study of the Bible. This fall, Flemington Baptist Church on the corner of Church and Main Streets, is offering this foundational course to anyone in the Flemington area who would like to have a basic understanding of what the Bible is all about. Everyone is invited, regardless of background. We will begin in October with a 7-week tour through the Old Testament; we will continue on after the Christmas holidays. The schedule for meetings will be arranged once we know who is interested. Perhaps you could get a neighborhood group together…and I would be happy to come to your house to lead the study. This is open to people of all faiths and no faith. The only cost will be the purchase of the book, which is available on Amazon for $7.62. Please let me know if you would like to participate. OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD This year will mark the 20th anniversary of Operation Christmas Child and the tenth year that our church has participated! Help us mark the milestone by packing a shoebox yourself. The Sunday school children will be bringing home information, and as always, shoeboxes, brochures and prayer cards will be available for several Sundays in October and November, with an absolute final collection date of MISSION BUDGET THROUGH AUGUST 2013 YTD Mission $ received from all sources YTD Mission $ paid out $163,965 -165,800 ($1,835) $42,661 $42,661 Pledge giving has fallen behind somewhat in August. Please try to catch up. Quarterly statements will be mailed at the end of September. CEDARS OF LEBANON We all hold Baptist Camp Lebanon dear in our hearts. Many of us, including your pastor, have spent summer vacations there not only enjoying the beauty of the grounds and the fellowship of other campers, but experiencing the presence of God in a special way. The American Baptist Churches of NJ own the camp and in recent years have found it a challenge to keep costs down for the campers while maintaining the quality of the camp. It has been decided by the ABCNJ Council that it would be to everyone’s benefit to try and endow the camp so that its future can be ensured. To do that we are being asked as American Baptist Churches of New Jersey and as individuals to pledge to the “Cedars of Lebanon” campaign. Each congregation is challenged to adopt a goal of at least $10,000 by 2020. In addition, individuals are asked to consider donating cash, gift stock, create an annuity, or to add Camp Lebanon as a beneficiary to your will. All funds received for this campaign will be deposited in a designated investment account with the American Baptist Foundation to create an endowment. Income from the investment will be used to support the ABCNJ camping ministry. Our Cabinet will be considering how to address this need as a congregation. But if you, as an individual, would like to donate, please write your check to ABCNJ, designated to “Cedars of Lebanon 2020” and mail it to the region office at: “3752 Nottingham Way, Suite 101, Trenton, NJ 08690. Thank you. WHAT’S HAPPENING… GAME NIGHT – OCTOBER 4 All Sr. Highers and adults are invited to join us for Game Night on Friday, October 4 at 7 PM in the parlor. Please RSVP to ddubs15@gmail.com or (908) 399-1982 for a head count. Bring your friends! SENIOR LUNCH – OCTOBER 19 All seniors are invited to join us for lunch at FBC on Saturday, October 19 from 12 – 2 PM. This is a covered dish event so bring a dish to share. Come and invite your senior neighbors or friends to join us for this time of fellowship! CAN THE DEAD LIVE AGAIN? FILM/DISCUSSION – OCTOBER 25 One of the fundamentals of the Christian faith answers, “Yes!” People of all churches and no churches are invited to join us for an evening of exploration through word, music, and film held in the Cemetery behind the Flemington Baptist Church, on the corner of Church and Main, on Friday, October 25th at 8 p.m. Lots of parking is available. Bring a lawn chair! HAPPY ENDINGS – OCTOBER 27 Join us on Sunday, October 27 for our monthly Happy Endings Luncheon. Please go directly to the dining room following worship. The Cabinet will host the meal. IN THE CHURCH FAMILY… Al Wermuth had a pacemaker inserted in early September. He and Muriel are hoping this will improve his quality of his life. Jean Hunt had an endoscopy to try and diagnose some medical issues she has been having and is now on medication for stomach ulcers. The Kerrs are having continuing medical concerns. Barbara appears to have recurring shingles. Sal slipped and fractured his femur, which required surgery. He will probably go to rehab. school with a serious medical issue for whom we've been praying, will need to have further surgery at the end of the month. You can find updated information at CaringBridge. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dakotathornton. Gina Bass's stepmom's son died in a car accident. Her name is Charlotte Hudson. Her son, Jimmy, and a friend were both killed when their car went off the road, crashed and burned. Please keep the family in your prayers as they deal not only with Jimmy's death but other family problems as well. Fran Miller's daughter's restaurant was among many who sustained damage from the floodwaters of Colorado. Continued prayers for those affected by the Colorado floods, the fires at Seaside, NJ, and the Washington Navy Yard shootings. We also pray for the world's struggles in Pakistan, Syria, the Middle East, and Kenya. Cheri Roth's dad is beginning a new chemo treatment. Cheri’s niece, Anna, is still having good results from her treatment. Ernest Reid will need to have some more surgery to correct a dialysis issue and a circulation issue in his leg. Connor Healy's cousin, Mike, is struggling with brain cancer. Anita Bush requests prayers for her mother, Ethel Emmons, as she deals with macular degeneration issues. She has had an injection in her retina and they are praying that her vision doesn't get worse. She is a feisty 91 year old who still goes bowling!! Rosetta Bacon's mom is having trouble using her legs and is now in hospice. Suzanne Harper's cousin had a new heart stent inserted and is doing better. Suzanne’s co-worker, Barbara, has recently learned she has breast cancer. George Martin's aunt passed away. Jan Martin's young cousin who was hit by a truck while biking is making progress. Lois Stewart's aunt has aspirational pneumonia and is not faring well. Mary Norma Roth is recovering from carpel tunnel surgery. Pastor Pam’s neighbor, Tony, is now at Kessler coming back from major cardiac issues. Continue to pray for: Al Wermuth; Edna Austin’s sister in CA and neighbor, Mary; Linda Krukovsky’s mom; Rwagasore family; Mary Norma's friend, Maggie; Lois Stewart’s aunt. Congratulations to Bill Stoklosa, who passed his ordination council with flying colors. He has also officially received a call from First Baptist Church of Ava, Illinois. We are planning his ordination here in Flemington on October 20, time to be announced. More good news: he and his long-time girlfriend, Jessica, now engaged to be married, are planning a June wedding! We were happy to hear that Gianna Bass had a wonderful time in Leadership Training at Camp Lebanon this summer. Rob Schenck has graduated at the top of his class in Marine training and is moving on to a new assignment. Joe Williamson, Sarah's son, had a bad infection on his shin that needed emergency medical treatment. Shannon Ubel is moving to Iowa in February to work with Americorp. Vicki, Tommie Lou Judson's friend, is reaching a critical point in dealing with her medical issues. Also 10-year-old Dakota Thornton, a student at Tommie Lou’s Thanks to John Reid who has now finished painting the Church Street side windows, and also for cleaning out the gutters. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Name Keith & Sandy Bakos Edward & Nancy Britton Rob & Jessica Sikorsky Stephen & Cheryl Roth Dennis & Ruth Compton Joe & Phyllis Abel Darrell & Emily White Anniversary Date October 2, 1999 October 5, 1957 October 7, 2000 October 12, 1985 October 21, 1967 October 23, 1955 October 23, 2010 Years 14 56 13 28 46 58 3 November 1 3 6 15 21 22 24 25 27 30 John Woznicki Scott Hyland Joan Cornick Joan Douglas Kristy Metz Rob Sikorsky Calvin Levering Connor McQuilken Jean Slattery Kevin McQuilken IN MISSION… WORLD MISSION OFFERING 2013 HAPPY BIRTHDAY! October 5 8 11 12 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 Robert Hollmann Stephen Roth Janice Kelly Rachel Slovak John Anaya Judith Britton William Taylor Emily White Sarah Williamson Sandra Ramos Shirley Hoffman Tony Ramos Eric Harper Alex Bakos Dave Aro Jennifer Ubel Sam Lonero Teddy Ramos Abigail Kuster Jacob Kuster Edna Austin Dear FBC Family, Part of what it means to be a follower of Christ is to share the good news of Jesus not only in your neighborhood but also around the world. Each year, the World Mission Offering (WMO) provides an opportunity to understand what is happening worldwide through International Ministries (IM) and to support those important mission efforts. During the month of October we will gain information about WMO, using the theme Embrace the Cause. You and your children and grandchildren will remember how God promised Abram that all the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him. Genesis 12:3a reminds us of how we are called to be a blessing to others. We can bless others by being active in mission and embracing the cause of Christ in our community and globally. We will celebrate how our WMO gifts make possible the ministries of 109 longterm IM missionaries and more than 1,800 short-term missionaries and volunteers. They, along with more than 200 partner organizations, work in more than 70 countries in: Evangelism Health and Healing Anti-Human Trafficking Theological Education Economic Development Education Peace and Refuge I believe that when we Embrace the Cause, God will lead us to provide increased support for our worldwide mission. The goal for our World Mission Offering 2013 is $1200.00. Please take some time and prayerfully consider you gift. Join me in October as we gain a deeper understanding of International Ministries and are blessed through our giving to World Mission Offering. Your Servant for Christ, Missy Nemec TRENTON PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL CHRISTMAS WISH/SUGGESTION LIST The Auxiliary volunteers of Trenton Psychiatric Hospital are collecting Christmas gifts and bingo prizes for the hundreds of residents at the hospital. For many these gifts are the only ones they will receive. Here’s a wish list: ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN Teddy bears/stuffed animals Hair bows/ribbons/barrettes Sweat suits/sweat shirts Sweaters/blouses Gloves/knit hats/caps Cologne/perfume (plastic bottles) Cosmetics: lipstick/eye shadow/nail polish/lips balm/foundation Cosmetic bags ESPECIALLY FOR MEN Stretch socks Aftershave lotion/cologne (plastic bottles) Pocket tees/flannel shirts/long-sleeve sports shirts (L, XL, XXL sizes) FOR RECREATIONAL THERAPY Jigsaw Puzzles (200-500 pcs.) Large print books/magazines Model cars/trucks/planes Christmas/Hanukkah cards Playing cards Puzzle books/word games Stationary Videos/DVD’s/Tapes Group games: Monopoly, dominos, scrabble, checkers/chess GOOD GROOMING PRODUCTS Shampoos/conditioner Hand and body lotion Combs/brushes Bath and talcum powder Toothbrushes/toothpaste Deodorant Pocket tissues 2014 calendars Current magazines Wallets/coin purses Umbrellas/rain hats ALSO REQUESTED Watches/costume jewelry Diet snacks Candy/cookies/snacks Slippers/slipper socks DO NOT WRAP GIFTS. Please leave items in the collection box outside the sanctuary. We’ll collect gifts through Sunday, November 17 at which time Lois Stewart will deliver gifts to the Hospital.