Holy Week at BPC:
Passion/Palm Sunday, April 13
Remembering Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem to confront the power of sin and death.
10:30 a.m. Worship
In keeping with tradition, there will be a palm procession, special music, and the dedication of our One Great Hour of Sharing offering. Youth will be confirmed. Children will share in a special activity.
Maundy Thursday, April 17
Remembering the Last Supper
“Maundy Thursday” gets its name from Jesus’ “new commandment” (mandatum in Latin) to love one another as He has loved us.
6:30 p.m.
Family teaching supper about communion. Gathering for all families with conversation about the sacrament.
Then they may remain for:
7:30 p.m.
A brief service with celebration of the Lord’s Supper— on the night we remember Jesus’ last meal with his disciples.
Communion is served around the communion table.
Good Friday, April 18
The Day of Jesus’ Crucifixion
It is “good” Friday because, despite appearances, it is God’s Friday.
7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
A vigil of prayer, readings, and extinguishing of candles in the darkened sanctuary, as we reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ crucifixion, of our lives, and our world.
Easter Sunday, April 20
The Day of Resurrection
9:00 a.m.
With cries of “He is risen!” we greet one another at our annual Easter Breakfast.
Coordinated by Mark and Cheryl Wells.
10:30 a.m. ALLELUIA!
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Worship will celebrate the heart of the Good News, with jubilant music. This is the love that overcomes death!
No Sunday School. Worship will be for the whole family. There will be child care for infants and toddlers only.
Gather with BPC friends as we celebrate Rod’s retirement!
April 26 and 27 is Rod and Cathy’s last weekend with us and the dates give us all some opportunities to be together as a congregation and celebrate their years with us.
First, on Saturday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m., plan to come for an International Dinner (Rod’s request) in Fellowship Hall, followed by participatory entertainment with LOTS of music. Everyone in the church family is welcome to come to the dinner and festivities including children, although there will be no childcare provided. Watch for a signup sheet to be posted in Fellowship Hall on Sunday, March 23 and plan to indicate what you will bring for the dinner, and whether you can help with set up or clean up. Vida Pipim and Jane McIninch are coordinating this event and look forward to having everyone sign up to come and bring something special.
Second, on Sunday, April 27 plan to be in church for a special worship service at 10:30 a.m. followed by a greatly expanded coffee hour for Rod and Cathy’s last Sunday with us. Brenda and Adam Flynn are hosts for this coffee hour and there will be a signup sheet for you to indicate how you can help the Flynns and what goodies you will bring.
A Few Closing Thoughts: Love and Boundaries with a Former Pastor
Our denomination and presbytery have some clear and practical things to say about how things change when a pastor leaves a church. It might be summed up by saying that love remains, but relationships change. Included in this is the understanding that the departing pastor will not be coming back to do weddings, funerals, baptisms, etc. unless there are extenuating circumstances, and ONLY by invitation of the current pastor or session moderator. Members may stay in touch with me as friends, but not to seek pastoral counsel or input about things at the church.
Of course, I still love you! But it is vitally important that the church family understand that I am no longer pastor after April 30, and open your minds and hearts to changes and eventually to a new pastor. BPC is a strong community, and as your liaison from presbytery’s Committee on Ministry, Jill Auger, says, “You’re going to be fine!”
Rod
One Great Hour of Sharing 2014
The theme for this year’s OGHS offering is that Faith Endures. The guiding passage comes from Romans 5:5. Paul is talking to the early church about being justified by faith and notes that we can achieve grace through our Lord, Jesus Christ. He tells the Romans, and us, that “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts.” When we give to One Great Hour of Sharing, we assist in the empowerment of others as they move past physical, emotional and spiritual misfortune. Our gifts and our help give hope.
Last year our congregation gave $2,103 to OGHS. As a challenge for this year, our goal is 5% more, or $2,200.
Every dollar helps. The resources provided though the One Great Hour of Sharing offering bring relief and hope to all corners of the world including here in the United States. Need is increasing. Both within the United States and throughout the world, the gap between those who have enough and those who don’t continues to widen. The pinch many Americans feel is amplified many times over for those around the world who live on the equivalent of $2/day.
The blessings of giving have not changed. When we recognize the God-given worth of each person around the globe without regard to race, religion, or nationality, we know we have God’s blessing and approval to help. The monies are distributed pretty much equally between the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Self Development of People. As a result of our gifts and the gifts of other congregation, OGHS will bring hope and faith to the recipients and to us. Through the simple act of sharing, we are blessed and will experience God’s grace in surprising ways.
Envelopes will be in the pews in early April and the official offering will be collected on Palm Sunday. You can send in a gift at any time, however, marked OGHS. Thank you for your longtime support of this gift to others, as together we find that Hope does not disappoint us and Faith Endures.
A Teaching Supper about Communion:
Maundy Thursday, April 17, 6:30
The Christian Education Committee and Rod will again offer this opportunity for families with young children. There will be pizza and salad, and learning activities about the meaning and practice of the Lord’s Supper in our church. This annual event is planned primarily with elementary-age children in mind, but is open to families with children of all ages. All who come are welcome (but not obligated) to stay for the church’s Maundy Thursday communion service – which is typically briefer than most services, and is one of the times when we gather around the communion table for the sacrament.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) Book of Order states “Baptized children who are being nurtured and instructed in the significance of the invitation to the Table and the meaning of their response are invited to receive the Lord’s Supper, recognizing that their understanding of participation will vary according to their maturity.”
There will be a sign-up during coffee hour for interested families or you may call or email the church.
Sunday, May 4 is coming soon!
If you’re wondering why that’s significant, it’s the 46th annual Walk for Hunger.
What is this?
The Walk for Hunger is the major fundraiser for Project Bread,
an organization that is dedicated to eradicating hunger. The walk takes place in Boston, starting and ending at the Boston Common. The entire walk is 20 miles, but many people walk just part of it and take a bus back to the Common.
What’s the connection to BPC?
Project Bread supports our local food pantry and more than 430 other community food programs. For many years now, our church has sent a team of walkers and volunteers and raised thousands of dollars.
How can I get involved?
If you would like to walk with this year’s team, contact Linda Roscoe, the team captain.
All are welcome, young and older, whether you walk 1 mile or all 20.
Volunteers are needed at registration and checkpoints. Make a pledge to one of our walkers or to the whole team. We’ll have a team pledge sheet posted.
How can I get more information?
There will pledge/registration sheets on a table in the narthex.
Much more information is available online at http://www.projectbread.org
Dine for a cause
Saturday April 12 at 6:30pm at the Morrison’s Residence in Bedford at 19 Fox Run Rd
Whether you join us for walking or not, please join us for dinner to raise money to fight hunger in the greater Boston area.
Donations will be accepted for Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger. Please make checks out to Project Bread.
Please RSVP to Sally Morrison at sallymorrison19@gmail.com. Even if you cannot make it to dinner, but still would like to contribute please mail checks to Sally.
Coffee with Rod (one more left!)
As you all know, our pastor is retiring as of April 30. He would like to visit and talk to each one of us individually, but that is not practical. We have devised a plan so that all who wish to will have a chance to have coffee/tea with Rod. You will find sign-up sheets in the usual place in fellowship hall, or you can call the office
Coffee with the Pastor
Thursday, April 3, 1:30-2:30 PM
(Those who would prefer to meet with Rod individually before his departure should also feel welcome to contact him at the church.)
Local Egg-onomics
by Alex Haney
We will have local Pasture-raised meats and eggs in Burlington this year!
I’ve spent the winter looking for egg farms that could bring their eggs to the church on Mondays for delivery with Farmer Dave’s fruits and vegetables, and I’ve learned some very interesting Egg-onomics. Industrial scale farms with chicken houses can afford to sell eggs at the grocery store for $2-$3 a dozen because they cram hundreds of chickens into small spaces and give them conventionally grown feed. The high density of chickens increases possibility of diseases, anti-biotic use, and a crowded life for the chicken, but allows the farms to maximize yield in quantity, but it does sacrifice on the quality of life for the birds, and the quality of the eggs.
There are hundreds of local farms that are raising their own hens in a better way for eggs, just ask Barbara and Steve Karanja. Most of these farms raise only a handful of chickens and could not supply enough to Farmer Dave’s members. Most local egg farms also raise their hens in open pasture which allows them to have the option of eating insects and whatever they can find in the grass with the option of feed. This lowers the yield and makes the local eggs more expensive. It also adds variety to the diet which makes more variation in the egg color. Local farms are more likely to have rarer hen breeds as well, also adding variety to egg color and taste. If the local farm wants to have organic eggs they must pay twice as much for the organic feed also adding to the egg price. The cheapest local eggs are $4 a dozen using houses similar to the large scale industrial model, pasture raised and organic can put the price up to $6 or $7, easily and the farmers usually cut down their profit margin, and sometimes sell it barely above cost because nobody wants to pay $7 a dozen.
The best thing about local eggs is that they can be purchased directly from the farm so all the money goes to the farmer. In the grocery store, the store, the truck driver, and everyone along the chain gets only a share of the profit. So even less goes to the farmer to make improvements in the growing practices. It’s an egg-onomic model focused on cheaper eggs for more sales. The dollar takes priority over the quality and external inputs to the product.
Farmer Dave’s doesn’t sell eggs because they haven’t found an egg-onomical way to raise chickens without an industrial style chicken house model and after purchasing them from another farm and then re-selling them they become too egg-spensive. The egg CSA really can’t pay for itself, so most farms just sell to their neighbors, or sell at the market, but some farms offer it as an addition to their fruit and vegetables share or their meat share CSA members. Both of these rely on the profitability of the other food to essentially pay for the eggs.
Along with Farmer Dave’s CSA, this summer we’re hoping to offer an Egg share from Clark Farm in Carlisle and a Meat and Egg Share from Lilac Hedge Farm. Both will deliver to the church in Burlington if enough people sign up. We need 24 egg shares and 5 meat shares for this to work so help us out and buy your local food today!
Clark Farm in Carlisle offers egg shares to their existing CSA members for farm pick up, but with enough interest, they will deliver their egg shares to Burlington! You don’t have to be their CSA member, or a Farmer Dave’s member to buy the eggs! Purchase up front and get a WEEKLY delivery of eggs by the 6-pack or by the dozen for 24 weeks. ($78 for weekly 6-pack $144 for weekly dozen). They will only deliver to the church on Mondays if they can sell 48 six pack shares (or 24 full dozen shares). They will only deliver if we get enough members so see brochures in the back of the church or contact Alex alex@bostonfaithjustice.org to sign up today! More info on Clark Farm at http://www.clarkfarmcarlisle.com/.
Lilac Hedge Farm offers a 6 month meat CSA share. MONTHLY deliveries include your choice size of a variety of pasture-raised, antibiotic-free beef, pork, lamb and poultry cuts. The amount of each cut will depend on what was processed during that month. They try their best to include your typical everyday cuts as well as higher end cuts. They offer lamb and pork free shares. Local Pasture-raised Eggs are $5.00 per dozen with purchase of meat share. The monthly meat options are
10lbs-‐$528.00($8.80/lb.)
15lbs-‐$768.00($8.53/lb.)
20lbs-‐$990.00($8.25/lb.)
25lbs-‐$1225.00($8.16/lb.)
Sign up at http://www.lilachedgefarm.com and select Burlington in the location choice on the form. They will only deliver here if we get 5 people to sign up, so sign up today.
Also don’t forget to sign up for Farmer Dave’s vegetable share and/or fruit share this summer. See pamphlets in the back of the church, visit http://www.farmerdaves.net or contact Alex with questions.
A Plea to all Sunday School Teachers and Assistants Past & Present
If you have any Sunday school curriculum that you will no longer use, please bring it to the office by April 27. Bart and Priscilla Kelso will be here on that day. They are collecting whatever educational type items they can to ship to the Philippines.
Thank you!!!!
Presbyterian Church in Burlington 