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May 2-3 - 24 Hour Prayer Vigil June 7 - Strawberry Festival & Talent Night July8-10 - Sports Camp August11-15 - MUSICAL DAY CAMP September12-13 - Women of Faith Conf. October 5 - Love Feast November 2 - Church Council Meeting December24 - Christmas Eve Serv If you do not see your event in the list, be sure to visit www.bvcob.com to see if it is listed on the official church calendar. Be sure to submit all calendar additions and corrections to the church secretary. Forms are available in the secretary's office and in the Member's Area of the church website. *** Back to Top *** |
30 HOUR FAMINE
Youth from the Buffalo Valley Church of the Brethren and the First Evangelical Lutheran Church are participating in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine. The event will be held at the Mifflinburg Intermediate School on April 18th & 19th. By going without food for 30 hours and raising money to help needy children, young people gain a deeper awareness of the needs in our world and realize that they play a vital role in making a difference. More information about the 30 Hour Famine can be found at www.30hourfamine.org. Please consider sponsoring a youth in this outreach effort.
Friday Night is FUN!
We've just completed our 22nd night of programming for the children's Friday Fun Night held during the school year from November until the end of April. During this time, we've had 78 different children attend, with an average of 31 kindergarten through fifth graders, plus a generous helping of preschoolers added to the mix each night. We have had at least five brand new families join our midweek programming, and in some cases our Sunday worship and Bible studies as well. We've had over a dozen friends brought by our regulars. We've covered 6 of the 9 fruit of the Spirit. We've had hay rides, movie night, day time play time, Gingerbread Houses and special Easter lessons.
Those are the stats. They tell you we're busy and that we're having a good time. The numbers, however, don't communicate the whole picture. The stats won't tell you, for instance, about a renewed sense of kindness and responsibility since the Catch You Being Kind initiative started. The numbers don't speak of groups of kids wrestling with exactly how to implement peace when a bully is messing with you. You won't find in the excel file the questions being asked about Jesus, His birth, life, death and resurrection.
More importantly, the stats don't tell you about the relationships. Due to the more informal nature of Friday Fun Night, we have the opportunity to hang out with your kids, to learn better their personalities, their struggles, and their successes. Unless you've worked with kids in ministry, you might not understand the absolute joy we have when a child comes up and says, "Can I ask you a question?"
We've had the privilege of helping kids solve conflicts with their friends. We've helped new kids learn to make friends here and the regulars to welcome and embrace the newcomers. We've met one on one and in small "herds" to help kids understand how to apply these verses and these principles to their everyday lives…at home, at school, in the community and within these very walls.
Children's ministry may seem like a lot of work. It is. But our Friday night programming, as well as our special events and regular Sunday morning programming, has a specific aim. Through our relationships with your children, we want to make Jesus alive, practical, important, and each child's Forever Friend.
Thank you for entrusting your children with us each Friday night. The pleasure is all ours.
Tracy Ericson
Children's Ministry Team & Volunteers
Do You Recognize Your Blessings?
In January 2009 Buffalo Valley will need $60,000 for the final land purchase for future expansion. As of the offerings on March 9, we have received just over 15% of the funds needed. As you are blessed during the year, let it remind you of your commitment to the on going expenses of the church and Building for Ministry.
Don't be anxious or self-conscious about things you can't change about yourself. Let Jesus change the things that need changing and trust Him with the rest! ~ David Jeremiah
From Our Youth Pastor,
The Junior and Senior High Youth are gearing up for some very exciting ministry opportunities this spring. Please note the Sunday time change has taken effect from 6 -8:30 pm.
The 30 Hour Famine is to be held on April 18th to 19th at the Mifflinburg Intermediate School following school Friday until 6 pm on Saturday. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the narthex. Remember to take your support packet and parental consent form. A band, tribal games, service projects and more.
March 30th will be a special game night starting at 6 pm. Bring your friends and engage in a few games of scum, spoons, phase 10, apples to apples, and many other exciting games. Feel free to bring your own favorite game. This is a combined event for Junior and Senior High.
Wednesdays, IGNITE continues to set fire to our passion to worship our Creator. If you have not had the opportunity to attend, I'd encourage you to consider how your worship experience could be taken to a whole new level. This ministry begins at 6:30 pm and lasts until approximately 9 pm. This is a joint ministry with First Evangelical Lutheran church and if you want to meet another fired up youth pastor, come out to meet Brian Connolly.
Cell groups are a time to form deeper relationships with your fellow students and dig further into Biblical studies. Cells are being held at Nate Saylor's on Mondays at 6:30 pm in New Berlin. The leaders are Heather Hunsberger and Jonathan Bastian. Another cell is Wednesday at Matt Well's at 3:30 pm, led by Jamie Keister, and yet another cell on Sunday afternoons at Jay Beiler's home, typically 2 pm, led by Eric Hofmann. If you have wondered what cell groups are all about, check one out. Contact any of the leaders or Pastor Matt for more information.
As always, it is a real honor to serve the youth at Buffalo Valley.
Pastor Matt
BUFFALO GALS
Greetings from the ladies' side of things…just a reminder to sign up for the Women of Faith Conference as soon as you know if you plan on going. The cost is $98 for the Buffalo Valley Church of the Brethren (BVCOB) women and their guests. Your payment goes to Sylvia Beiler as soon as you can get it to her.
Plans for the Mother/Daughter Banquet are being put into motion… save the date…Friday, May 16th at 6:30 pm here at the church. We've got a wonderful speaker named Judy Smitley from the Harrisburg area. You can visit her website at Biblegal.com and take a look at what she's doing in her speaking ministry. As always the men will be cooking, serving and cleaning up, so ladies, take this opportunity to take a night off from the kitchen and enjoy the company of the fab women of BVCOB and their fab moms and/or daughters/granddaughters! Sign-up sheet is in the Narthex.
Our first two "Girls' Night Out" at Applebees were a great success…and the next one is planned for the Thursday after Easter on the 27th at 8 pm. It's a great way to unwind from the busy week and get ready for the weekend! In my next Women's Ministry newsletter I'll set the dates for the next 3 months of outings.
Everyone have a blessed Easter and keep the Lord close to your heart as we remember that He died so we could be saved.
Blessings and grace,
Melanie Yoder,
Women's Ministry Coordinator
COME TO A "HAWAIIAN LUAU"
SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008 -
5-8 PM
This year's Family Theme Night is a Hawaiian Theme with food, games and prizes. Invite your friends and family for a time of fellowship at BVCOB. Join us for a fun night at the beach ... and don't forget to wear your grass skirts and flowery shirts!
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
WHO IS GRADUATING?
Attention: If you or someone you know from our church family has graduated from college since last June ~ OR ~ will graduate from high school or college before the end of June 2008, please notify Fay Richard at frichard@dejazzd.com or 570-966-0182 ASAP (before April 20). I will be writing an article for an upcoming Lamplighter and don't want to miss anyone.
Thank You!
Fay Richard
FLAG FOOTBALL
Flag football is back and better than ever! Bill Foss from the Church of the Nazarene has joined us to make this event possible. There are many new details to this league and we would like to have teams formed by March 31st at which time, captains and referees are asked to meet for a time of understanding at the Nazarene church at 6 pm. Team sign ups are limited to 10, so sign up soon. The fee is $10 an individual, not to exceed $100 per team. Twelve people per team for a 7 on 7 field play option. Watch the narthex for a sign-up sheet.
Pastor Matt
Always respond to every impulse to pray … I would make an absolute law of this - always obey such an impulse. ~ D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
From the Pastor,
It is such joy to sit with family and friends remembering the "good ol' days".
I often remind myself and others that every day we make memories for our family and friends. These memories will live on long after we are dead.
Recently, Carol Manbeck and Amy Beth Bastian were working in our church library and showed me a book titled Christian Heroism in Heathen Lands by Galen B. Royer. It was published in 1918 by the General Mission Board of the Church of the Brethren. Chapter 8 is titled, "Miss Fidelia Fiske: A Life of Faith and Love in Persia".
Miss Fidelia Fiske was born in 1816 in Massachusetts and died in 1864. She grew up on a farm, graduated from Seminary, and was a missionary in Urumia, Persia.
You can only imagine how excited I was to read about this missionary and realize that we probably belonged to the same family tree.
Having her memoirs recorded in a book, published long before I was born, kept her memory alive for me to discover and enjoy.
- How about you?
- What kind of memories are you creating for your family and friends?
- How will you be remembered?
- Will your descendants read about you and thank the Lord for you witness for Him?
My prayer for us is that we will pass on a legacy that will bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ.
Serving you,
Pastor Randy
Angel Food Ministry: Looking Back at the Past Year
"For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts!"
Psalms 92: 4&5
For us February was a very special month and for the devotional on Distribution Day I shared this verse and some information about how we have been doing. Eric asked me to share it with the rest of you.
In February of 2007 Eric wanted to check out this discounted food program called Angel Food Ministries (AFM). He had heard about it from a friend at work who helped out with the distribution at McAlisterville's Trinity Lutheran Church (which just so happens to be where we picked up our food in February). Now I was a little skeptical on what the food was going to be like, but being the good wife I am (don't giggle) I agreed to give it a try. We were both very pleasantly surprised.
Eric felt God calling him to start this program at our church and to make the food available for all the people in our area. We were very excited and as we shared the information with others we saw them getting interested in being involved. This made it very easy for us to build a team that would help to make this ministry a success. After lots of questions and approval from the Ministries Coordinating Team we were ready to begin. We were trained by AFM and were excited to start. Eric's vision for this ministry was for it to be a Community project and so we invited and presented the program to the entire Ministerium. We had our first Distribution in June of 2007 with a total of 108 families taking advantage of this great way to save $.
Now for the rest of the numbers! In the 9 (soon to be 10) months we have had, not counting March, 76 volunteers from our church and at least 4 other churches in our community along with a 4H group, 379 families who have purchased at least one month, 31 families that have received a unit that was donated, and we have no idea how many were bought and given out by others for a family in need.
So back to the Scripture, God's thoughts and works are always greater than we could ever expect. If you hear His still small voice calling you to do something, DO IT! He will wow and amaze you also!
In Christ's Love,
Kristy Heintzelman
Camp Eder!
If you haven't registered yet, there is still time!! If you need a brochure, stop by the table in the narthex. Or check out www.campeder.org on the Internet for all the details! Remember, there are camps for K through 12th graders (grades completed), senior days and family camps too! Don't delay any longer on sending in your forms.
Church funding is available for regular attenders and members as well as for unchurched friends. All campers please see me, Fay Richard, camp representative, to have your registration card signed! If you have questions, please contact me at 570-966-0182 or by email at frichard@dejazzd.com.
If you are interested in counseling or volunteering at camp in any other way, please pray and plan! God can use you in the Camp Eder ministry!
Our very own Youth Pastor Matt Christ will be there Week 7 so that would be a great time to go for Junior, Junior Art, Youth Caving or Music Camp!
Blessings,
Fay Richard
Upcoming Senior Citizens' Days at Camp Eder
April 18, 2008
AM - "Scripture Interpreted In Floral Design"
with Rhoda Oberholtzer
PM - The Kitchen Band
May 30, 2008
AM - World War II "A Flyers Story"
with Steve Runkel
PM - Kristin Orwick - a presentation
on health and wellness
Creation 2008
Looking ahead to the summer, Creation is being held June 25th to June 28th at the Agape Farm in Mt. Union, PA. We are requesting $45 per person which includes your meal cost. This is the 30th anniversary and guaranteed to be an explosive event. Many have signed up already, but have you? The sheet is on the table in the narthex. By May, I would like to have a final count. This could be the highlight of your summer!
Pastor Matt
LARGE PRINT AVAILABLE - If you or someone you know would like to receive The Lamplighter as a large print version, please contact Jeff and Vicki Bastian.