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First Church Connection

Thursday, 02 September 2010 09:29 Kathie Van Orsdol
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First Church Connection
DATE: 09/15/10
DINNER: 5:30pm
WHERE: Fellowship Hall
Bring your special dish to pass that shares a story or a great recipe!
 Meets Weekly thereafter.
Classes forming now!
 
First Church Connection is a time to enjoy fellowship with the Church and the Community. Dinner is provided by leaders or committees of the church. This first gathering is a “Family Tradition Pot-Luck”. All are invited to bring a special dish to pass that tells a story about your family tradition and be prepared to share it! It should be a blessed time for all to get to know one another better. Hope to see you Wednesday night, Sept 15th!
Each Wednesday from Sept. 22-Dec. 1, except for the week of Thanksgiving, the church will have dinner prepared and classes immediately following. Dec. 8 will be a “Celebration Wednesday” dinner, to wrap up the Fall 2010 First Church Connection Season. First time guests, eat free!
 
 

Just in Case

Monday, 09 August 2010 14:47 Kathie Van Orsdol
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Just in Case You’ve Been Wondering…..
     Just in case you’ve been wondering, our church has had to cut the salary of every staff member including the pastor. With such reductions have come cuts in hours as well. Despite difficult decisions with our budget, we have a strong staff who cares deeply about this congregation and our mission. We are a family who works together on this faith journey. Praise be to God!
     In an effort to become closer as a family, your Staff-Parish Relations Committee will be highlighting a staff member in our newsletter each month. This is our hope and we will make every attempt to fulfill this goal. 
 
Just in Case You’ve Been Wondering about Kathie………
     
This is the second article in our series designed to help us get to know our staff. Our hope is that each interview will bring us closer as a family. Due to a number of concerns from the congregation, your Staff-Parish team voted to combine the jobs of Financial Manager and Administrative Assistant. We have also had to cut the hours of the position. We welcome Kathie Van Orsdol who is working from nine to five, Monday through Friday, with an hour off for lunch. This is a big job for anyone, and Kathie says she is feeling more comfortable each day. We appreciate you, Kathie!
Just in case you’ve been wondering, Kathie has always been around people in her employment history. She spent a number of years as a paraprofessional for Portage Public Schools. She worked with a diversity of autistic children. She truly put her heart and soul into this job. That’s easy to do that when you are working with special children! Kathie has been using those secretarial skills for Kalamazoo Public Schools and Kalamazoo First United Methodist Church. Whether it’s a church or school setting, it must be difficult to find a balance in a busy office. Never a dull moment….
Kathie grew up in Center Line, Michigan, and she spent summers on Little Island Lake, near Tawas. She describes herself as a water baby, and she fondly remembers fishing for blue gill with bread dough balls. She had three brothers and three sisters to share her blissful summer memories. They didn’t need many friends at the lake, because they had each other.  Kathie enjoys her mountain bike as makes use of her Kal/Haven Pass during the summer. In case you’re wondering, this is a trail from Kalamazoo to South Haven. She also loves gardening and her two dogs, Jack and Claire – both English Springer Spaniels. 
Kathie’s favorite part of her job is the interaction with members. She takes pleasure in chatting with people and answering questions when she can. Her challenge comes in balancing all the responsibilities. At times, it can be hard to focus so that a task can be finished. There’s always a phone ringing, a guest at the door, or a bill to be paid. Sounds like my house!   Kathie could really use a few regular volunteers to help her cover lunch, answer questions about the life of our church, and assist with daily tasks. She would like volunteers to be comfortable and enjoy working in the office. What is your distinctive flair? Helping with phones? Coordinating the calendar? Scheduling volunteers for the staff? Getting those letters into the mail? Bringing a smile into the office? Editing written copy? Let Kathie know if you’d be willing to share your talent. We need you!  
Thanks for reading, and keep guessing who will be highlighted in next month’s installment of “Just in case you’ve been wondering….”
 
Faithfully yours,    
Your Staff-Parish Relations Team
 
 
Last Updated on Thursday, 02 September 2010 09:39
 

Sunday School kicks off on Sunday, September 12th!

 

Annual Church Conference

Monday, 09 August 2010 14:26 Kathie Van Orsdol
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ANNUAL CHURCH
CONFERENCE
September 12, 2010
The Albion District Superintendent, Rev. Tamara Williams, has announced the annual Church Conference for Battle Creek First United Methodist Church to be on Sunday, September 12, 2010. The Staff Parish Relations Committee will meet with Reverend Williams at 3:00 pm. The Church Conference will begin at 4:00 p.m. All members, church leaders, committees, small groups, and Pastor Billie will come together in the Sanctuary for the Church Conference. Everyone is encouraged to attend this annual meeting of our Church.
All Committee Chairs are expected to have their annual reports to the church office no later than
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 in order to collate all materials before submission to the Church Conference.
Please take this opportunity to tell the story of the life of our congregation.
 
Last Updated on Monday, 09 August 2010 14:27
 

Scriptures & Homilies

Thursday, 29 April 2010 00:00 Kathie Van Orsdol
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September 5, 2010          “Giving Up/Becoming Disciples”   15th Sunday After Pentecost
Jeremiah 18:1-11            Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18                        Luke 14:25-33
Becoming disciples is a never ending process.   We never quite arrive because there is always a portion of our lives uncommitted. The committed portion includes the desire to witness to others in our community a constancy of interaction with those who are marginalized. Welcome the least into the Spirit’s loop.
 
September 12, 2010       “Counting to One                 16th Sunday After Pentecost Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28    Psalm 14:1-7       1 Timothy 1:12-17         Luke 15:1-10
We can make the understanding of discipleship so complex that we overlook the simple. “Haiku” is a form of poetry making the most complex vision quite understandable.
 
September 19 2010            “Being Very Little is Huge”    17th Sunday After Pentecost
Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 Psalm 79:1-9 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13
Jesus is the balm of Gilead. Any question? Any answers? Transformation can happen instantly or can become a lengthy process of engaging others while looking ahead for growth in size and in spirituality. It may be that we are transforming into being spiritually marginal on the East side of downtown Battle Creek.
 
September 26, 2010    “Transform While Reconstructing” 18th Sunday After Pentecost
Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15 Psalm 91 (On Eagles Wings) Luke 16:19-31
Maintenance of a historical structure has virtue. Transforming the center city into a new people has virtue. Can the hears of the disciples show the courage to preserve relevant history while writing a new chapter. We can do it. We will. God has made his transformation holy.
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
Last Updated on Thursday, 02 September 2010 09:13
 
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