Pastor
Office phone & fax (301)249-6411
Home phone (301)249-5885
Church School 10:00 a.m.
Worship 11:00 a.m.
web page http://www.unitedparishbowie.org
| United Church of Christ | Presbyterian |
|---|---|
|
Carl O. Bickel, Ph.D.
Pastor Office phone & fax (301)249-6411 Home phone (301)249-5885 |
| MITCHELLVILLE AND MT. OAK ROADS
Church School 10:00 a.m. Worship 11:00 a.m. |
email:pastor@unitedparishbowie.org
web page http://www.unitedparishbowie.org |
| If you are new to the Bowie area, we invite you to worship with us at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays. A nursery is provided. Christian education for children, youth and adults is Sunday at 10 a.m. We are affiliated with both the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). and the United Church of Christ. |
Worship services during July and August are Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Church School and regular worship hours will resume in September.
The Youth Director Search Committee has met several times in recent months. We have produced and sent out flyers to all the major Presbyterian and U.C.C. seminaries in the area, and the area Presbyteries and U.C.C. headquarters. Our flyer has been posted on various websites. We have had one response and are hopeful that as the summer approaches we will get responses from others as seminarians and Christian educators finish up their school years.
We are next meeting on Wednesday, June 21. If any one of you has some suggestions or know of someone that would make a good candidate, please let someone on the search committee know. The committee includes: Donna Hanner (Chairperson), Jan Barbato, Gene Barbato, Freida McKay, Chad Bickel, Carl Bickel, and Brian Hunt.
- Donna Hanner
How is it possible to be an atheist and know for certain there is no God? Isn't atheism as much or perhaps even more an act of faith than believing in God? What makes an atheist so sure?
Less puzzling is the agnostic. An agnostic simply claims to be without knowledge about God. Some agnostics are passionately concerned about the God question. They are strugglers, searchers. When agnostics go to church they are looking for answers. Most any church welcomes them and United Parish certainly does.
An atheist or agnostic is without the benefit of an awareness of God's guidance and presence. A prayer used in worship often is "Take not your Holy Spirit from us." It is one thing to be an atheist or an agnostic or a Christian in times when most everything is going swimmingly, but to be without God or without any hope of God during the tough times is horrible. Almost any pain of body, mind or spirit is not as great as the pain of perceiving there is no guidance or presence, now or ever, from God.
So, if you are an atheist or agnostic or a Christian who sometimes doubts, please be assured that should you ever choose to seek it, God's guidance and an awareness of God's presence are available to you. Maybe not immediately, maybe not today or tomorrow, but God will be there. You can count on that; and if you know an awareness of God's presence as a future reality, you are a person of faith. Faith is not only in the having, but in the pursuit, the waiting.
- Carl Bickel, Pastor, United Parish of Bowie
One of my first associations with letters of love trails back to the attic of our big clapboard farmhouse. Perhaps Mother and I were hanging clothes to dry near the chimney in the peak of winter. Mother then found and tenderly reminisced about a bundle of courtship letters she'd received from her boyfriend, my Dad.
Mother, raised on a hog and grain farm in Ohio, was the first of twelve children who insisted on attending high school—perhaps five or six miles away. After graduating she worked during the school year as a maid for a doctor in Detroit. My dad was a farm boy pulled out of school before graduation to help with the farming. Those eight or nine months each year they were apart were long for each of them, and writing was the only way they could communicate. The letters my dad wrote were carefully penned and expressed the hopes and dreams of a young suitor very much in love with the young lady he wanted to marry.
Since my husband and I met in seminary and lived in the same dormitory on different floors, we didn't have any need for long distance correspondence. Instead there were many mornings when my husband received a little poem or note I had written to him as a starter for the day. He was always so pleased that I was motivated to keep writing these little messages of caring and love.
It's very difficult for me to throw away a card of affection which my husband has personalized for me. At work I keep a tattered book with "I love u mom" taped inside the cover. It seems that a letter of love is not easily discarded.
Most of us feel a sense of important communication taking place and affirmation when we receive letters of love from someone we value. Yet I feel we often disregard or give little importance to God's letters to us. Perhaps we take God's love for granted. After all, God promises to be with us always. How large of a vow is that? Our Creator isn't playing games of "I'll love you and be with you if you do just what I expect." Nor is God saying, "Demonstrate your love for me, than I'll decide whether or not to declare my love for you." Nor is our Father communicating, "I'll be with you and love you only if you keep my commandments." However, God does empower us to extend his love to others.
Children, teenagers, lovers and married people write many messages of love to those whom they love. Apart from such cherished letters, is there something we can read which conveys how much we are loved? If we search the Bible, we'll discover that God is unrelenting in communicating love to us. How can we comprehend the depth of God's love when Paul wrote, "But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8).
Before my mother died I used to anticipate her weekly letters. When our son was in Moldova for part of two summers, we were so expectant for e-mails or letters from him. Since letters reveal much about the quality of one's relationship, I ask myself, "How anxious am I to read and absorb the nuances of God's letters of love?"
- Shirley Klotz Bickel, c. 2000
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PLAY DAY PRE-SCHOOL |
Play Day pre-school is now accepting registration for 3 and 4 year old children for the school year 2000-2001. Play Day is a part of the United Parish of Bowie. It is designed to meet the pre-school needs of children through love and socialization in a pressure-free environment.
Our Play Day curriculum teaches readiness skills in art, science, social studies, math, music, reading, and writing. There is a special emphasis on human values, socialization and practical skills. We have a fenced-in play yard with equipment for large muscle development, and field trips for the 4 year olds. Parent observation is always welcome. We care, we love and we play with the children.
For more information, please call Blanche Nash at Play Day, 301-249-7337.
Sunday School Year Ends
Sunday, June 11, marked the close of the 1999-2000 Sunday School year. This past year 88% of our children enrolled in our Christian Education Program and attended at least 50% of the Sunday School Sessions. Chris Cianelli had the best attendance record closely followed by Kelley Hutchinson, Ashley Blaker, and Scott Paradise. A special note of thanks to the parents who were so diligent in getting their children to Sunday School.
Thank you, Sunday School Teachers
There are not enough words to express our thanks and gratitude to our Sunday School teachers. Teaching Sunday School requires commitment, dedication, and a love of the Word. To truly understand what our teachers gave us over the last year, consider the following.
To Our Sunday School Teachers
| Toddlers: Becky DeMeo, Brie Cianelli, and Judy Farrel | |
| Ages 4- 1st grade: Barbara Lazur | |
| Grades 2 and 3: Nan Hathaway and Janice Sheppard | |
| Grades 4 and 5: Frieda McKay | |
| Junior High: Brian Hunt | |
| Senior High: Dick Freudig |
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- Linda Hutchinson, Christian Education Director
We want to recognize the nine people who taught our well-attended series of adult education classes this year. Our teachers were: Gene Barbato, Carl Bickel, Brenda Clyde, Fran Coombs, Merrill Hathaway, Mike Mehl, Karen Riley, Herb Sheppard and Penny Simpson. Thanks to them, United Parish was able to offer a wide array of classes that suited nearly everyone's taste.
Now the adult education committee must begin planning for next year. If you have an idea for a possible course, please contact Karen Riley.
Volunteers are needed for the Toddler Class this summer. If you can help one or more Sundays, please contact Linda Hutchinson.
Vacation Bible School will be held July 24-28 at Bowie Alliance Church in cooperation with Village Baptist Church. Volunteers are needed including teen volunteers. For more information call Marva Connolly or look in the church bulletin.
Carl Bickel plans to have a confirmation class for sixth graders and up, beginning in the fall. Please speak to Carl if you would like to participate. There is also a sign-up in the narthex.
The Women's Bible Study ended its year by holding a fellowship dinner at the home of Barbara Trafton. They will resume meetings in September.
Next year, the group will study the Gospel of John. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month. Study guides are available for $4.00.
If you are interested in joining the Women's Bible Study, please contact Becky DeMeo.
The Men's Group meets the first and third Wednesday of each month for breakfast at 7:30 at the Dough Roller on Rt. 301 in Crofton. This group is for informal conversation and fellowship. All men are invited.
Are you interested in joining a summer bible study with others from United Parish Bowie? Meetings are Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. We plan to study many of the parables of Jesus. This will be a great opportunity to grow spiritually and enjoy the fellowship of others in our church. If you are interested in joining the group or have any questions, please contact Chad Bickel.
The Youth Group plans to continue meeting during the summer. A schedule has not been set. Additional information will be available at church.
If you have a banner square at home, please return it by July 9th. If you would like to do a banner square, please contact Linda Hutchinson.
The Adult Choir will resume rehearsals on Wednesday, August 23, 2000 at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. We will be singing a variety of music. New singers are invited. If you are interested, but would like more information, please contact Diane Eades.
Last year the Parish Board asked the Congregation to consider the future needs of the United Parish. As you'll recall, we then had a series of meetings which resulted in a set of "Recommendations for Growth." One of the recommendations was for an addition to the church, which would include, costs permitting, a Fellowship Hall, more classroom space, a larger kitchen, a bigger library, and a much needed storage room. As a result of a vote at the Congregational Meeting last winter, the Parish Board formed a Building Committee to recommend an architect who would plan the new addition, subject to approval by the Board and the Congregation.
The Building Committee has spent the last several months interviewing and evaluating architects for our proposed addition. In the process, we have learned much about architectural design. We have also learned more than we cared to know about building costs, architect's fees, Master Plans, Computer Aided Design, and zoning regulations.
We are now in the final stages of our search. In the next two weeks members of the committee will be taking "field trips" to see several of the buildings designed by the architects in which we are interested. After much discussion (and more prayer) we hope to make a recommendation to the Parish Board within the next month. If we can then hire an architect, we should have sketches for our new addition by early Fall!
- Mike Mehl, Building Committee Chairman
Last month, Carl Bickel and I attended the annual meeting of the Potomac Association. Carl received a certificate recognizing his work on the Local Church Development Committee. United Parish was awarded a certificate thanking us for our contributions to "Our Church's Wider Mission" (OCWM). I am starting a three-year term on the Social Action and Missions Committee.
A resolution urging a moratorium on the death penalty was passed and is being brought before the Central Atlantic Conference's Annual Meeting this month.
I recently attended a conference on "Racial Justice 2000: Chaos or Community," sponsored by the Commission for Racial Justice. The Commission, established in 1963, is being absorbed within a new structure of "Witness" units.
- Doug Snyder
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CONGRATULATIONS! GRADUATES |
Richard Huffman graduated from Bowie High School on June 6th at Cole Field House. He will attend Anne Arundel Community College, studying business in the Fall. He is the son of JoAnn Huffman. He graduated with a certificate of merit and was a member of the school's hockey team.
Alexander Barbato recently received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science Information Systems from Frostburg State University during its 116th commencement ceremonies on May 27, 2000. While at Frostburg, Alex enjoyed many of his classes such as Digital Logic, Database Systems, and Information Systems. Besides academics, Alex participated in many extracurricular activities, such as intramural indoor soccer, volleyball, and softball. Alex is currently living at home seeking a career in the computer technology field.
Kevin Eades graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Chemical Engineering on Thursday, May 25, 2000. Kevin also completed his career as a starting pitcher on the nationally ranked JHU baseball team in May. He hopes to get a job soon in the Chemical Engineering field and eventually work into a sales position related to Chemical Engineering. He is currently working as a counselor at a summer camp for kids on the John Hopkins campus while looking for "a real job".
Nick Hathaway graduated from St. Mary's College with a B.A. in History. This summer he will be an assistant teacher at a summer school in Massachusetts. Following this he plans to teach in this area. He's very thankful for God's great providence throughout college and trusts that the Lord will provide a job next year. (But, if you have an opening, please contact Nick.)
The Prism Brass Quintet will be in residence at the United Parish of Bowie beginning in the Fall. The Quintet will accompany worship services once a month. Members of the group are Steve Haase, trumpet; Sam Buccigrossi, bass; Aaron Moats, trombone; Eric Kofed, french horn; and Eric Bickel, trumpet.
Prism has given two recitals at the United Parish in past years. They have won national recognition. They are beginning the Master's program in the Department of Music at the University of Maryland. They will be representing the University of Maryland in many appearances in the East Coast including an expected performance at the Kennedy Center. They are graduates of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., where they were employed last year to represent the school in many performances.
I was walking down life's highway a long time ago.
One day I
saw a sign that read Heaven's Grocery Store.
As I got a little
closer, the door came open wide.
And when I came to myself, I
was standing inside.
I saw a hose of angels; they were standing
everywhere.
And one angel said, "My child, shop with care."
Everything a Christian needed was in that grocery store.
And all
you couldn't carry, you could come back the next day for more.
First, I got some patience; love was in the same row.
Further
down was understanding, you need that everywhere you go.
I got a
box or two of wisdom, a bag or two of faith.
I just couldn't
miss the Holy Ghost for it was all over the place.
I stopped to
get some strength and courage to help me run the race.
By then
my basket was getting full, but I remembered I needed some
grace.
Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill.
For I thought I had everything to do my Master's will.
As I went
up the aisle, I saw prayer and just had to put that in.
For I
knew when I stepped outside, I would run right into sin.
Peace
and joy were plentiful; they were on the last shelf.
Songs and
praises were hanging near so I just helped myself.
Then I said,
"Now how much do I owe?"
He just smiled and said, "Just take
them everywhere you go."
"How much do I really owe?"
He
smiled and said, "My child, Jesus paid your bill a long time
ago."
- Lorine Woody (submitted by Elise Blaker)
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