Beyond the Green Doors – October 2018
Beyond the Green Doors
The newsletter of the Peterborough United Methodist Church
43 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH
October 2018
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Weekly
Sun Worship Service 10a
Sun Adult Bible Study 11:30a
Mon Confidential Meeting 6-8p
Wed Office Hours 9-12
Wed Choir Rehearsal 11a
Wed Covenant Discipleship Group 6:30p
Thu Office Hours 9-12
October
2 UMW Meeting 11:30a
8 Holiday Stroll Workshop 10a
12 Church Conference
14 Free Community Breakfast 8a
28 Free Community Breakfast 8a
19 Open Mic Night 7p
23 Missions Meeting 6:30p
24 Prayer Shawl Group 1p
27 Men’s Monthly Breakfast
30 Newsletter submissions due
CHURCH FAMILY CELEBRATIONS
Birthdays:
Gladys Bugler Oct 1
Sue Norton-Poplin Oct 25
Membership Anniversaries:
James Poplin, 6 years
Don’t see your birthday? Email info@peterboroughumc.org or just leave a note in the church office!
CHURCH CLOSING NOTICES IN THE EVENT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER
It is getting to be that time of year again, time to remind everyone about our church closing procedures in the event of inclement weather. Rev Card, in conjunction with our Lay Leader, Jim Poplin, will decide whether church services will close due to inclement weather. In the event they decide to cancel church services a notice will be posted on WMUR TV. While an effort will be made to hold church services when possible, the congregation should use their best judgment on attending church during inclement weather events.
PEAK INTO PETERBOROUGH
The Peak Into Peterborough event will be held in downtown Peterborough on Saturday, October 13 from 10 am – 4 pm. This event is sponsored by the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce and is free to all. As in past years Peterborough United Methodist Church is planning to participate and we hope to secure our usual site near the pavilion in Railroad Square. This is a great community outreach event for our church as we provided games and activities for children giving us a chance to engage with members of the community.
We can always use more help doing setup, cleanup, or manning the booth. Come for an hour or two, or stay for the entire day. Even if you don’t have time to help, consider coming to the event anyway and support your local community and businesses. See any member of the missions team if you want more information (Laura Constantine, Linda or Andy Wallenstein, Hiel or Susan Lindquist, Christine Robidoux).
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN
The United Methodist Women will meet Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at 11:30 AM at the church. Please note the CHANGE in TIME. Karen Keenan will be presenting the program titled ” A Common Secret”. Phyllis Porter will lead the devotions. Bring your bag lunch for the fellowship meal. Dessert and beverage will be provided.
Also mark your calendars for the craft workshop on Monday October 8th at 10 AM at the church.
I am looking for a volunteer to host in her home the December 4th meeting to be held at 2 PM. This is our annual Christmas meeting with a delicious cookie exchange.
My term as president ends this year. Please prayerfully think about becoming the UMW president. Contact Susan Lindquist, Karen Keenan, or me with any questions.
Carol Owen
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER STUDY
Here is a preview of the class on Dietrich Bonhoeffer from the Study Guide. We will start on October 3, 2018. We will meet for 4 weeks, on Wednesdays. There will be two opportunities to participate in the class. You can attend either the 9:30-11:00 am session or the 6:00-7:30 pm session. The pastor will facilitate. The dates are the following:
October 03, 2018, Class 1
October 10, 2018, Class 2
October 17, 2018, Class 3
October 24, 2018, Class 4
I have ordered 10 Study guides, and the suggested donation toward the cost is $8. Please let me know if you need a book so I know if we need to order more books. There is a video and I purchased a second video to lend to anyone who misses a class and wants to view the video.
Class 1
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pastor and a theologian. He had a passion for truth and a commitment to justice on behalf of those who face implacable evil.
Bonhoeffer was a member of the Igel (pronounced “eagle”) fraternity at Tübingen University in 1923. Igel is the German word for hedgehog.
Karl Bonhoeffer, Dietrich’s dad, wanted his children to think clearly—to follow rigorous logic to a conclusion and not be sidetracked by emotions. This was part of the Bonhoeffer family culture.
At eighteen, Bonhoeffer decided he wanted to spend a semester studying in Rome. There, he encountered a larger vision of the church: The universality of the church was illustrated in a marvelously effective manner. White, black, yellow members of religious orders—everyone was in clerical robes united under the church. It truly seems ideal.
At twenty-one, Bonhoeffer completed his doctorate on the topic, “What is the church?”
At twenty-two, he spent a year in Barcelona, Spain, as the assistant vicar at a German-speaking church.
At twenty-four, he studied at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Bonhoeffer’s cosmopolitan upbringing and the rigorous tradition of thinking clearly led him to think beyond national lines when it comes to the church.
Bonhoeffer’s characteristics:
• He was not afraid to question things.
• He was always considering both sides of an issue.
• He was willing to think things through rigorously and never rejected anything out of hand.
• He was committed to a pure search for the truth.
This meant asking, “What is God’s idea of Germany?” Ultimately, this led him to reject Hitler and the political doctrine of the Nazi party called National Socialism.
What does this mean for us today?
1. We have to consider Bonhoeffer’s idea of a pure search for truth.
• We have to ask, “Am I just accepting tradition?”
• What did the first-century church do? What did Jesus do? What are we to do?
• We must have the confidence to be willing to question things.
2. We need to take seriously the question, “What is the church?”
• Do we think along the lines of, “My church is the only real church”?
• What does God say about the church? What are the non-negotiables for God?
• You may have theological differences with someone, but does that put them outside God’s church?
I hope this has aroused your interest in attending this class or participating online. Please RSVP if you want to join. Let me know 1. your contact information, 2. if you need a study guide, and how you like to receive information. To add the United Methodist context, we will use the Wesleyan Quadrilateral occasionally to help us give context to what we are examining.
God bless you.
BEYOND THE GREEN DOORS
Everyone is invited to contribute to the newsletter! Send in your thank yous, birthdays, photos, events, testimonials, prayer submissions…
Please submit all materials for the next newsletter (November) to our editors by the last TUESDAY of the month, October 30. This is the newsletter that will be released November 4 and cover until Sunday December 2. Send to Melissa French at 924-4294 or email info@PeterboroughUMC.org, with the subject “Newsletter submission.” Thanks!
PETERBOROUGH UMC COMMUNICATIONS
In addition to “Beyond the Green Doors,” Peterborough UMC offers the following ways you can keep in touch.
We are at the church. Come visit us, Sunday at 10 am!
We are on the web: http://www.PeterboroughUMC.org
We are on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/peterboroughunitedmethodist/
This newsletter was compiled by Melissa French. Any concerns with content can be addressed with Reverend Card.