March 2014 Issue

An Epistle from Ed
By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor The season of Lent is coming quickly and will take us to Easter - to the celebration and experience of the new life that Jesus won for all of us on the cross! But what does that mean to each of us, where we are today? During the season of Lent we acknowledge our brokenness, our sin, our mistakes and own up to the consequences. We can't blame God or others - just humbly open ourselves up to our God and ask forgiveness. We all know how difficult that can be acknowledging that, despite the image we try to project, we just might actually be responsible for the messes in our lives, relationships and hearts. That accepting of responsibility is the beginning of change; a change toward new life! So, this is where you and your story come in. What brokenness has touched your life? If you're like most of us, you won't have to look too hard to find something - health, family, job, relationships, or even in your personal life. During the season of Lent we work to remember to ask God to strip away the excuses, arrogance, fear and pride - and then ask our God to cover us with forgiveness and healing. I promise your journey will change almost instantly - and it may even get more difficult for a time as you are now bringing out in front of your journey those issues that need attention (instead of ignoring them or blaming others - including God). Remember that an activity or task being difficult is NOT a bad thing it just means that we are dealing with hard things - and that if we dont deal with them, they will deal with us - and that, I can assure you, will NOT be pleasant. Help and support for the hard parts of each of our journeys is here and available every Sunday just stop by and ask! ~ Think about it.

Bradford Woods Community Church

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Mardi Gras Pancake Breakfast

By Jane Siefers, Hospitality Committee This Sunday, March 2nd, Hospitality will be preparing a Mardi Gras breakfast after service. There will be pancakes galore so bring your appetites and your friends. No charge, but we will accept free-will offerings. Its sure to be a lot of fun!

Ash Wednesday
By Caitalyn Kowal, Interim Office Manager Join us Wednesday evening, March 5th, at 7p.m. for Ash Wednesday. Pastor Ed Cadwallader will preside over the service to begin the season of Lent. Lets begin this season of penance and reflection together. All are welcome!

St. Patricks Day Lunch

By Jane Siefers, Hospitality Committee Our next almost-religious holiday is St. Patricks Day on Mar. 17, so Hospitality will celebrate with a St. Patricks lunch after church on Sunday, Mar. 16. Well be having Irish Stew (long on flavor, short on authenticity) and soda bread, plus beverages and desserts. Feel free to wear your green beads and leprechaun hats, and dont forget to invite some friends. No charge, but we will accept free-will offerings.

Church Office Manager Position Update

By Norma Liebenguth, Church Council Chair After the resignation of former Church Office Manager Gloria Gawlas, Pastor Ed, then-Church Council Chair Joe Bayer and I met and revised the church office manager job description. The position was advertised and inquiries have been screened. At this writing, we are conducting interviews and hope to recommend a candidate for Council approval at the regular meeting on March 12th.

Missions Report
By Jennie Griffin, Missions Committee A Souper Bowl lunch was held on February 2nd, thanks to the efforts of the Hospitality Committee and the many people who served, worked in the kitchen, and donated the five soups. The lunch was well-attended and the soups were delicious! A check for $450 has been mailed to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (GPCFB). For every dollar donated to GPCFB, $0.94 goes directly to food and services for Pittsburgh communities. The monthly needs of North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO) food pantry will now be printed in the BWCC newsletter. For March, NHCO is requesting crackers all kinds. NHCO is also requesting donations for Spring Share, which will provide Easter baskets to nearly 600 local families in crisis, hardship and poverty. Of all NHCOs share projects (school supplies, turkey on every table, holiday toy drive, coat drive, etc.), they receive the least community support for this one, so your support of this project will be greatly appreciated. Labeled collection tubs/boxes for both causes have been placed in the library.

Church Council
By Norma Liebenguth, Church Council Chair Church Council is held the second Wednesday of each month and is open to anyone who wishes to attend. During these colder months, we are meeting upstairs in the back chapel area. The meeting generally lasts an hour. Voting members of Council include the council chair and vice chair, all members of Trustees, one member from each of the standing committees and either the treasurer or assistant treasurer. For church business to be conducted, currently a quorum of 7 voting members must be present. For the past several years, not all of our standing committee positions have been filled. So, if theres only one person on a committee and that person is unable to attend the monthly meeting of council, we might not make quorum and official church business cannot be conducted. I appreciate everyone who makes the effort to attend Council. We currently have vacancies in these areas: Outreach, Missions, Ushers, Worship, and Hospitality. Also, Christian Education continues to perform the functions of the Sunday School Superintendent, a position that has gone unfilled for many years. If you would like information about any of these committees, please contact me at (724) 934-0731 or jnlieb@zbzoom.net. In future newsletters, I will feature the various committees and their functions as outlined in our church constitution. Lastly, Id like to publicly thank Joe Bayer for serving as our chair these past two years. Im pleased to announce that he will serve as Council vice chair as well as a member of the Outreach Committee.

Trustees
By Mike Slater, Chairman The Trustees are in need of a volunteer to audit the 2013 books. They should contact Mike Slater or any Trustee.

Annual Reports
By Norma Liebenguth, Church Council Chair If you chaired a committee in 2013, your annual report is now due. Please submit to the church office. If you have any questions on this, please contact Norma Liebenguth at (724) 934-0731 or jnlieb@zbzoom.net. Treasurers Report as of 2/23/14 YTD Actual $ 7,303 $ 3,349 $10,652 YTD Budget $ 8,333 $ 3,333 $11,666 $70,000

Pledge Plate TOTAL: Total Year Budget

Worship Leaders and Acolytes

If you would like to volunteer to be a worship leader, please contact Pastor Ed. Thank you for your service! March 2 March 9 March 16 March 23 March 30 Paul Swann, Amber Swann, acolyte Joe Bayer, Mac Coltharp, acolyte Chuck Brehm, Beth Muhlenkamp, acolyte Melanie Verbaarschott, Chloe Coltharp, acolyte Jen Hudak, Vanessa Verbaarschott, acolyte

For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold . ~ Proverbs 3:14

Softball Sign-ups!
By Bob Doak The softball team is putting together a roster for 2014! If there are any softball-talented or gifted church members who would like to join the team, they are more than welcome. We have a pre-season charity tournament scheduled the weekend of April 5th & 6th , if they would like to see first hand what they are getting themselves into, before committing. The softball is competitive and theres nothing soft about these softballs we use. You can definitely get hurt, and some of us do, even if youre skilled at playing softball. But it is a lot of FUN and we have a great time playing and especially winning. I manage the BWCC/SJP (Bradford Woods Community Church/Sts. John & Paul) merged team. My contact info if youre interested in trying out: cell # (724) 799-9922 | email: robertw.doak@gmail.com. There is a cost to join the team. We pay all of our own expenses. $75.00/person goes toward league fees, umpire fees, and refreshments after the games. We play hard and when we are through, we stick around afterwards to enjoy some cold beverages and snacks while watching the other teams play, sharing some team camaraderie. Opening Day for the ICC Softball season will be Sunday April 13th. We only play on Sundays unless its a weekend tournament before or after the season. There will be NO games on Easter Sunday or Mothers Day.

A Big Thank You

By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor Pennie, Benjamin & I, and especially Jay, would like to offer our thanks to all of you for the outpouring of love, kindness and support that you gave to us, without reservation, in the period of time following Jays recent accident. All of your prayers for Jays healing, and our peace of mind, have been answered and the unconditional support that all of you offered became an example to me of how both ministry and pastoral care should be done. We have been blessed with cards, meals, calls and offers to help with anything needed that could only be possible within the living, active, warm and caring heart of the Body of Christ. We thank you all so much for all that you have done and are honored to worship our God among such a collection of Saints!

Valentines Progressive Dinner

By Jane Siefers, Hospitality Committee Twenty-eight people enjoyed great food and fellowship at our Valentines Progressive Dinner on Feb. 15. A special thanks to Shelly Muhlenkamp, Diana Greenberg, Jean Oppedal, the Liebenguths and the Griffins, who opened their homes on a snowy evening to our jovial crowd. What a winner a reasonably priced Valentines dinner with gourmet food and great company, and $150 proceeds to the churchs general fund! Thanks to all who made this evening so wonderful.

February Happenings

Bradford Woods Community Church

4836 Wexford Run Road | P. O. Box 421 Bradford Woods, PA 15015 (724) 935-3135
Fax: same as above

Visit our website: www.bradfordwoodschurch.org Contact us: bwcc@consolidated.net

Serving Bradford Woods and surrounding North Hills communities.

ICCC Mission Statement

Bradford Woods Community Church is a member of the ICCC (International Council of Community Churches) whose mission statement is: As people devoted to following Christ we are committed to community, to treasuring diversity, to living our faith i n service and love.

Events for the Month of March:

March
2 Communion Sunday 2 Mardi Gras Pancake Breakfast 5 Ash Wednesday Service, 7:00 p.m. 12 Council Meeting, 7:00 p.m. 16 St. Patricks Day Lunch Ongoing: AA/NA: Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. Adult Sunday School, every Sunday, 10:00 a.m. Choir Practice, every Monday, 7:00 p.m.

March Birthdays
3 Michael Ashbaugh; 5 Jay Cadwallader and Rob King; 9 Jeff Kowal; 10 Roger McIntyre and Pam Riley; 15 Halley Bayer; 16 Ron Ashbaugh and Benny Dague; 19 Thom Thornblade; 21 Chris Bacquet, Ryan Tessmer and Jeff Muhlenkamp; 28 Allison Ptak

Prayer Concerns and Praise

Joseph Bossman, Jay Cadwallader, Cathy Carter, Diane Dilanni, The Davenport Family, Christine Feagin, Joe Gillespie, Tyler Hallsey, Alexa Harding, Ron Liguori, Jace James Lippert, The Jess Morrman Family, Kelly Oakes & Family, Clay OConnor, Pat Rowe, Myleigh Smith, Linda Tessmer, and The Waldron Family
Please help us with our mailing list costs. If you could view this newsletter via email, please contact us at 724.935.3135 or bwcc@consolidated.net.

Coffee Hour
Please sign up to handle the duties of coffee hour some Sunday. While weve certainly enjoyed some elaborate, delicious offerings, this need not be a full meal! Preparing coffee, a cold drink and an (optional) refreshment is all thats needed. And, its appreciated!
If you are new to our congregation, please pass your information to Caitalyn Kowal in the church office, regarding your address, phone number, email address, etc. so we can keep our records up to date and keep you up to date. Thank you.