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United Parish of Bowie Home Page| United Church of Christ | Presbyterian |
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| 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. We are affiliated with both the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). and the United Church of Christ. |
Donna Hanner is graduating from the University of Maryland Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in modern language and linguistics/Spanish. She will be teaching Spanish at Queen Anne School in Upper Marlboro.
Nathaniel Hathaway graduated from Gonzaga High School. He is a member of the National Honor Society and has been on the varsity wrestling team. In July he will begin his studies at the Naval Academy in Maryland.
Alissa Barbato is graduating Cum Laude from Queen Anne School where she received the Art Purchase award and the instrumental music award. She will be attending Hamilton College in New York next fall where she will be studying biology and Spanish and continuing music.
Jill Trafton graduated May 30 from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in chemistry Summa Cum Laude with University honors. She is a National Science Foundation Fellow, Phi Beta Kappa, Dupont and Allison Scholar. She will attend the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill to study for a Ph.D. in Analytic Chemistry.
Allyn Swanson graduated from DeMatha High School. He was the top trumpeter in the highest of DeMatha's three bands. Allyn has won numerous awards, including the Marine Musician Award at DeMatha. He will be beginning his studies at Arizona State University in Phoenix in the Fall.
Becky Trafton, of our church, will marry Christopher Gould on July 11, 1998 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Becky is a faithful "product" of the United Parish. Chris is a European travel specialist and Becky is a manager at Hudson Belk, a department store in Raleigh. We join in wishing God's blessing on her and Christopher.
The Sunday worship time will be at 10:00 a.m. in July and August. In July the children will leave for Christian Education after attending the beginning of the worship service. No Christian Education classes will be held in August.
The article
can be found on the Sermon Page.
Dear Friends,
As many of you know last year I had the tremendous opportunity to travel to Ukraine and Moldova, parts of the former Soviet Union. The amount of support that was provided by our church overwhelmed me. This trip was organized by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a college student ministry. The focus of our trip was to help lay the foundations for a Christian fellowship group for the students of Moldova State University. The trip was very successful. Strong relationships were built between the Moldovans and Americans and many opportunities were presented for us to share our faith.
It was amazing how easily these discussions occurred. We weren't trying to shove our faith down their throats or maneuver them into performing empty religious rituals. We just tried to be open to God's leading each day and allow our faith to be evident. Many of the spiritual discussions surfaced on the initiative of a Moldovan. I remember Andrew, a Moldovan, came into my room and saw me reading the Bible and he said, "You are reading the same book as my roommate." I also remember discussions stemming from why we "pray" before our meals and my roommate, Sergiu, asking me if he could pray for our roommate Julian.
I have been presented the wonderful opportunity this summer to help lead a team of 10 Americans back to Moldova and help continue laying the foundation of a Christian student group. This decision was actually hard to make, and I said "no" several times. But when I thought about the main elements of this trip -- helping Moldovans and Americans grow in their faith and growing in my own faith -- I couldn't find any good reason not to go.
I would like our church to please pray for this trip. Pray:
Thank you for your support in this journey.
Sincerely, Chad Bickel
| . . . Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and
restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of
a meaningless and empty life. It strikes us when we feel that our
separation is deeper than usual, because we have violated another
life, a life which we loved, or from which we were estranged. It
strikes us when our disgust for our own being, our indifference, our
weakness, our hostility, and our lack of direction and composure
have become intolerable to us. It strikes us when, year after year,
the longed-for perfection of life does not appear, when the old
compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair
destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment a wave of
light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were
saying: "You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which
is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know. Do not
ask for the name now; perhaps you will find it later. Do not try to
do anything now; perhaps later you will do much. Do not seek for
anything; do not perform anything; do not intend anything. Simply
accept the fact that you are accepted!" If that happens to us, we
experience grace. After such an experience we may not be better
than before, and we may not believe more than before. But
everything is transformed. In that moment, grace conquers sin, and
reconciliation bridges the gulf of estrangement. And nothing is
demanded of this experience, no religious or moral or intellectual
presupposition, nothing but acceptance.
Paul Tillich in You are Accepted |
Play Day pre-school is now accepting registration for 3 and 4 year old children for the school year 1998-99. 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 children.
For more information, please call Blanche Nash at Play Day, 301-249-7337.
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BUMPER STICKER
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