A book review of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson, will be Wednesday, April 8, at 1:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall.  Myrtie Cope will be the facilitator and Mary Chance the hostess.  Bring your lunch; dessert and beverages will be furnished.

 

Please note that there will be no Yoga Tuesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 9, 2009. 

 April 5, 2009: Palm Sunday
11:00 AM, Worship
 
April 9, 2009: Maundy Thursday
6:00 PM, Supper (Chick-fil-a)

6:45 PM, A Service of Tenebrae

 
April 10, 2009: Good Friday
"Noon Until Three"
The seven last words of Christ.
Homilies presented by NDBC members.
Kristofer Schleicher
12:05 PM, "Father forgive them..."
Laura Butts
12:30 PM, "Today, thou shalt be with me..."
Ruth Kramedjian
12:55 PM, "Woman, behold thy son!"
Karen Massey
1:20 PM, "My God, my God why...?"
Mike Gregg
1:45 PM, "...I am thirsty."
Laura Wheeler
2:10 PM, "It is finished."
Walter Grant
2:35 PM, "Into thy hands..."
  
April 12, 2009: Easter Sunday
11:00 AM, Worship
12:15 PM, Easter Egg Hunt

 

 

 

Northside Drive Baptist Church
Sunday, April 19, 2009
7:00 PM in the Sanctuary

Pastoral Reflections
By James Lamkin
"Born Hungry"
 
     Food and faith are forever joined.  Perhaps God had that in mind from the beginning.
     Regardless of which Faith or which Religion you are talking about-you won't have to look far to find food.  Matzo balls point you in one direction; hot cross buns will send you home another way.
     Ever heard the Middle Eastern saying, "I saw them eating and I knew who they were?"  There is some truth to that.  Nothing is as telling as how we share food.
     Drive by a white clapboard steepled building surrounded by folding chairs on the lawn and heavy-laden tables loaded with white and brown crusted meringue pies, 40 wt. sweet tea, bowls of black-eyed peas, scalloped plates filled with deviled eggs, and industrial strength platters of fried drumsticks.  No need to guess what you are seeing.  It is clear!
     If heaven's not a lot like Dinner-on-the-Grounds...then I don't want to go.
     I have heard that Ludwig Feuerbach, a nineteenth-century philosopher, was the first to claim that, "You are what you eat."  He meant it pejoratively.  He meant, "You are only what you eat."  In other words, we are simply matter; we are not spirit.  The equation necessarily rules-out the transcendent.  It makes no space for the spiritual pieces of life.
     However, food is all over the Bible.  Remember the "fall" story in Genesis?  The reason-food!  "Eat of any tree-except this tree."  And guess which one they just had to take a bite from?
     Every fall we ordain deacons.  Every fall we read from the Bible about the situation that created the first deacons.  It was a food fight.  One ethnic group in the church complained that they weren't getting as much as another ethnic group (Hellenists vs. Hebrews).  The clergy (the Apostles) gave the problem back to the church-and the church created deacons to help oversee the groceries.
     Here's what I'm thinking:  we are born hungry.  This appetite of ours keeps us alive.  This appetite of ours gets us in trouble.  And the deepest appetite we have is for God.
     Maundy Thursday is near.  In the middle of the service is a meal.  The food, the cup, the bread, will help us remember to remember Jesus.  The food will help us recall that our truest sustenance is the Spirit of God nourishing us every step of the way.
     We are born hungry-hungry for God; and Easter always comes just in time.

 
"For what has been, thank you.  For what will be, YES!"  Many of us find this concept helpful, challenging, even holy in our lives.  Hold this thought as we suggest some changes at NDBC.

Women of the Church at NDBC has a long and proud history.  It grew out of the Women's Missionary Union of the Baptist church and proudly led our church in local, national and international missions for years.  Its contribution both to our congregational life and to the world at large is hard to overstate.  We have loved it; it has nurtured us.  Still, times change and life evolves.  At this time, the backbone of our WOC membership is aging; attendance is shrinking, members are less able to commit to bring food each month, and officer positions are difficult to fill.  Younger women are working in greater numbers and are unable to join us.

Many important things have not changed:  there is still great enthusiasm for educational/missions programs and for the delightful fellowship we enjoy in monthly meetings.  AND Northside Drive continues to have a strong commitment to engage in missions in our community and in the world.

But things are evolving...WOC already shares a few meetings with PIA's each year, enjoying food, learning, and fellowship with both men and women in our church.  AND, there are other groups within the church that have developed the ability to cover some of the traditional WOC tasks.  For example, the Missions Committee is an excellent leader/facilitator in many of our mission efforts.
 
THEREFORE...
We recommend combining WOC and PIA into TRIPLE E, a new group to engage, enrich, and enjoy.  This idea allows us to combine the best of PIA and WOC at this point in the life of our church.  The idea has been developed over the last 2-3 years with the input of many who have loved both organizations.  We could be ready to start it up in September 2009.

Come hear more about this proposal at the WOC/PIA meeting at 10:30 am April 7 or at Church-in-onference May 20.  Bylaw changes will be required but are simple.  All important work will continue uninterrupted, and we believe that TRIPLE E will bring new life and new joy into what we offer our congregation and the community.  If you have questions, talk to any of the folks listed below.  We ask for your thoughtful consideration and prayers.
 
FOR WHAT HAS BEEN, THANK YOU.  FOR WHAT WILL BE, YES!!
 
Amy Taylor, President WOC

Patti Clark, Program Chair WOC
Nancy and Ken Davis, Co-Presidents of PIA

Susan Dew, Food Co-Chair WOC
Barbara Atchley, Program Chair PIA

Jane Jerden, Food Co-Chair WOC