From the Pews

Welcome Pastor Kevin

posted Nov 4, 2019, 11:19 AM by Bowmansville UMC

BUMC officially welcomed Pastor Kevin on 11/3/19. Kevin's family was present for the church service. Afterwards, a delicious breakfast was served in the upstairs hall.....breakfast casserole, fresh fruit, juices, coffee, and of course.....many coffee cakes and other sweets. Thanks to everyone for giving Kevin a warm welcome.

Altar Flowers

posted Nov 4, 2019, 10:57 AM by Bowmansville UMC

Thank you to Darlene Stoos for bringing some of the beautiful flowers from Cliff Sugg’s Garden into the church and onto our altar every week for the past couple months. We will be using artificial flower arrangements through the winter season.

If you would like to share a fresh bouquet for the altar to celebrate a special occasion, or to remember a friend or loved one, please feel free to bring them in!

November Birthdays and Anniversaries

posted Nov 4, 2019, 10:34 AM by Bowmansville UMC

01 – Nancy Wierbowski

04 – Kayla LaBerta

08 – Brian Stoos and Marybeth May

10 – Sandy May

11 – Bonita Brown

28 – Tom & Penny Stenzel (ANNIV.)

Message from our Messenger Editor, Andrea McCarthy

posted Nov 4, 2019, 10:29 AM by Bowmansville UMC

November is the time of year when people try to focus on the things they are thankful for in their lives; it is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving after all!

How often do you stop and think about the blessings in your life? Do you ever feel like there are days when the blessings fall short and aren’t plentiful, and you have to really search for something to be thankful for?

Did you know that Gratitude…

shields you from negativity, rewires your brain, eliminates stress, heals, boosts self-esteem and performance, and improves relationships?

Two years ago we started Thankful Jars in our house. At night before getting into bed we write down something from the day we were thankful for and put it in our jar. New Years day we empty the jars and are reminded of the many blessings we received throughout the year.

I encourage you to start a jar or get a journal and write down at least one thing every day that you’re thankful for, even on the hard days… especially on the hard days. Show gratitude to others when it made a difference for you. Praise God for his blessings.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!” – Psalm 100:4

Estonia Mission

posted Oct 5, 2019, 6:41 AM by Bowmansville UMC [ updated Oct 5, 2019, 6:41 AM ]

Greetings From Estonia!

Seven year-old Kalev about to run a 5K.

Greetings from Estonia!

This morning, our eleven year old son Karl, currently busy with church, dance, and a fairly new school year, commented that time flies fast. How true these words are especially when you are busy. It has been a little over four months since our last newsletter, however, it seems like just yesterday due to all that has taken place since that time.

Below are listed a few of the ways we have hastily been at work advancing God's kingdom in Estonia.

Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary 25th Anniversary Celebration

On May 24th, Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary celebrated it's 25th anniversary. For a quarter century BMTS has offered undergraduate education to students of the former Soviet Union in Estonian, Russian, and English.

Over 150 people attended to celebrate. The celebration included a trip to the Apteegi street building where the seminary first gathered, official congratulations from the other Christian schools (including the Lutheran and Baptist seminaries), a renewal of a memorium of understanding with Asbury Theological Seminary, a dinner with awards ceremony, and worship.

The school was also blessed with the presence of the founder of the school, Wes Griffin and his wife Joy (pictured above).

GRADUATION 2019

On May 24th the graduation seminary was held at Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary. We greatly enjoyed being a part of their three (plus) year educational journey. We consider them not only former students but friends. May God bless them in their present and future ministries!

SUMMER CONFERENCE

August 1-4 the Estonian Methodist Church held their annual summer conference. There were over 200 in attendance. Doug presented on John Wesley's works of mercy and works of piety. it was the fourth year in a row that Doug was asked to present (as well as the fourth year in a row that Kull was asked to translate for him 😊). We are grateful that God uses us in this important ministry and that the Estonian UMC values our continuing contribution.

ACTS 2

The English-speaking ministry picked up again on August 25 after taking part of the summer off. We had eleven adults and four children at the first meeting representing five countries and four continents. The group is modeled after Acts 2:42 where scripture relates, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Each meeting we follow this model and study scripture, fellowship, share food, and pray. We are personally blessed by this fellowship and feel that continues to be a blessing to those who gather from far and near.

Students, faculty, and staff pose for a photograph.

New Students and School Year

There were many applicants this fall. 14 new students were admitted to Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary with a very diverse group:

Study language: 7 Russian, 4 Estonian, 3 English;
Gender: 7 male and 7 female
Country: 5 from Estonia, 3 from Russia, 2 from Ukraine, 2 from Finland, 1 from Belarus, 1 from USA

Opening session was buzzing with excitement. Many talented and interesting people all sensing a call to ministry, many are already active in churches. We look forward to an amazing year.

This semester, Doug is teaching three courses: Church history (Enlightenment to Today), theology of worship, and practice of worship. He is also coordinating the student chapels and prayer times.

Kulli is only teaching systematic theology II because she has had many duties added related to being rector of the school.

Thank You!

Thank you for continuing to support us through your prayers and financial assistance. It helps us in our work to know that there are people like you who support us in our ministry. May God bless you and your church!

Doug and Kulli

HOW TO SUPPORT

If you would like to support Kulli, Doug, or the Seminary, please go to the following links.

Kulli Toniste

Advance #3022133

https://advance.umcmission.org/p-1632-kulli-toniste.aspx

Douglas Robb Childress

Advance #3022134

https://advance.umcmission.org/p-1633-douglas-r-childress.aspx

Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary Scholarships

Advance #15021b

https://advance.umcmission.org/p-275-baltic-methodist-theological-seminary-scholarships.aspx

For the Children and Children at Heart

posted Sep 30, 2019, 11:57 AM by Bowmansville UMC

How many times have you lost something important to you? A stuffed toy, your favorite pair of shoes, a journal, or a keepsake that was given to you by a close friend. How long would you spend looking for that item? A few minutes? A couple hours? Weeks? We likely have other toys, and more shoes, and more journals to write in, but we would probably keep looking for as long as it took to find it. This reminds me of the parable of The Lost Sheep. Jesus leaves the flock of ninety-nine to look for the one that was lost. When he finds it he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and carries it back home. Just like the sheep, sometimes we get lost or stray from our relationship with Jesus. But remember no matter how long we’ve been away and missing Jesus never stops looking for us. He NEVER gives up on us. When he finds us, He always welcomes us back with open arms and rejoices.

by Andrea McCarthy

October Birthdays and Anniversaries

posted Sep 30, 2019, 11:32 AM by Bowmansville UMC

05 – Al May

05 - Sheryl & Dennis Ziolkowski(ANNIV.)

07 – Jeff Creighton

09 – Steve Siekman

11 – Melissa (Stoos) Gilroy

11 - Ted & Carol Janicki (ANNIV.)

13 – Sheryl Ziolkowski

Bonnie Skare

14 – Phoenixx Walters

17 – Chris & Tracy Barnosky (ANNIV.)

20 – Crystal Creighton

26 – Chris Barnosky

Message from Andrea McCarthy, our new Messenger Editor

posted Sep 30, 2019, 11:22 AM by Bowmansville UMC

It’s that time of year again! The kids have already gone back to school. The weather is getting cooler. It’s football season (Go Bills!). The leaves haven’t started to turn their beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red quite yet, but it won’t be long before they do. We are itching to make a big pot of chili, and enjoy apple cider and everything pumpkin spice.

All signs it’s the season of AUTUMN! Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun.”

Whether this fall season you have the chance to take in the wonder, or you are frantically trying to get through each day, or you are living in a time of brokenness and uncertainty, it is God’s desire for you to invite Him into your experience with you. Trust. Have Faith. Give Thanks.

Project Hope

posted Aug 23, 2019, 2:19 PM by Bowmansville UMC

The Hope Project of WNY, Inc was the recipient of the July and August communion offerings. In total, $105 was collected. BUMC Sunday School is adding $195 to bring the total to $300. We will be purchasing and donating school supplies for the upcoming school year. The mission of Hope Project is to provide temporary assistance with clothing, toiletries and household items to families who are struggling to make ends meet due to recent job loss, catastrophic event, in transition from domestic violence, legally disabled or unable to work due to terminal or serious illness, families taking in kids in an emergency situation and all veterans. You can learn more about this organization and what they are doing on their facebook page. Search their name, or use this website: www.facebook.com/thehopeprojectofwny/. You can also visit their website at thehopeprojectofwny.org