The Circuit Rider Asbury United Methodist Church Newsletter – Published Monthly February – 2014 90 Church Avenue, Forestville, Connecticut 06010 Volume 21, Issue 2

Pastor Asbury Church Office: 860-584-0529 The Rev. Laura L. Galbraith Office FAX: 860-584-0520 (call first) Secretary & Circuit Rider Editor Dial-A-Prayer: 860-584-0520 Melissa Gray Parsonage: 860-261-4131 Music Director Pastor e-mail: Michael Coderre [email protected] Organist Secretary email: Jana Ros [email protected] Nursery Coordinator Asbury Web Page: Kate Bechert www.asburyumcforestville.com Custodian Bruce Lauzier

Soup, Snow and The Spirit of The Lord Norm Fusaro Tonight was the Disciple class’s turn to man the soup kitchen. Sunday after worship service our Disciple class gathered in Asbury’s kitchen and prepared a delicious meal that was to be served Tuesday night. The plan was to meet at 3:30 to complete the preparation and serve the meal. On Tuesday morning a winter storm started dumping snow on Bristol and the rest of Connecticut. Debbie Bechert called me to let me know that because the schools were closed on account of the snow the soup kitchen would be closed also, however, she said it was my call if we still wanted to open. I told Debbie that I would rather open for one person than not open at all and have twenty; thirty or more people go hungry. There is no way I would be able eat my dinner in my warm home with a clear conscience knowing that people who are hungry would be going without and we have the food prepared to feed them. She agreed and we were on board. Debbie and I arrived early enough to get the food trays into the oven and soon the rest of the crew showed up. Brenda brought her home baked cupcakes and Jen even brought her teens and 'tweens who pitched in. We had plenty of hands on deck. While we were getting things ready a plumber who was already on the scene was trying his best to unblock the kitchen sink drains. He gave it a heroic effort but was not successful so we had to work around this minor speed bump by bringing water from another section of the building. The soup kitchen opened as planned and we served twenty-one grateful folks probably their only meal of the day since the Salvation Army decided to close because of the weather. There was no doubt that we made the right call to open in spite of the winter weather. Many of the people were thanking us for being there to serve dinner. One fellow said he was walking along in the snow and saw the lights on and he was overjoyed to be able to come inside and get a hot meal. Everyone in the hall felt good about what had occurred this evening. Now that we cared for the people at the soup kitchen it was time to take care of my own house. On the way home I was detailing my plan to clear the snow from the driveway, take out the dog and heat up dinner for my wife who would soon be home. As I approached the driveway I was amazed to discover that a Good Samaritan had used a snow blower to clean the snow from our driveway. I am humbled by this random act of kindness. The spirit was moved once more this morning. After receiving Debbie’s phone call this morning I was telling some of my staff about the high quality meal we had prepared and the decision to open the soup kitchen. The message was about treating people with dignity. A few minutes later a woman who works in the office came to me and told me she was deeply moved by the message and wanted to donate some money toward the meal. Today was a very blessed day to be able to live the message of Jesus. Galatians 5:13-14 -- My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love. The whole law is made complete in this one command: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” If you'd like to help out at the Soup Kitchen, see Norm or Amy Majors or Pastor Laura. Asbury United Methodist Church February - 2014 The Circuit Rider Page 2 21 Alexis Scanlan Nancy Deprey 22 Christopher Pinette Rebecca May Worship Leaders Kate Schilling For February FEBRUARY 23 Edith Devino Kyana Anderson 2nd.…...... ….Norm Fusaro 1 Heather Wright 24 Jennifer Perry 9th….....……..Bonnie Maskery Kim Cyr Erika Labadia 16th………..…Heidi Borkowski Kelly Amadio 25 Laurel Schwartz 23rd…....……...….JoAnn Bacon Derrick Kulesa 26 Vickie Keddy 8:30 am service – Carl Aspland Rhys Lafferty Penelope Luis Greeters Levi Martinez Cristion Taylor 2nd.…...Mal & Jean Cummings 2 Gail F. Wojtusik 27 Patricia Sallstrom 9th….....……..…..…..…Scouts 3 Lisa Weed Crystal Agvent 16th...... …The Whillock Family 4 Barbara Alim Kane Spielman 23rd…....………………….TBA 6 Kim Varano Alexis Holcomb Fellowship Hour 7 F. Townsend Downs 28 Barbara Hrywniak Sandra Vaughn 2nd…………The Whillock and Paul Opperman Jennifer Mahaney Fletcher Families 9 Judy Staub 9th….....……………..…Scouts Courtney Taylor 16th...... …The Taylor Family 10 Marilyn Bechert 23rd…....………..….Eula Foster Carol Williams Ushers Zachary Butler Wayne Fuller, Bonnie Emery, Mia Clement Asbury UMC Fundraiser at Dennis Floyd, Don Mazerolle, Jeffrey Wegner Wendy’s of Bristol Dick Peterson, Roy DiYulio 11 Paul Stark 1247 Farmington Ave, Bristol Communion Stewards 12 Tom Esten Tuesday, February 4, 2014 13 Mary Dyer Treaty & Wayne Fuller & Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Michael Emery from 5:00 – 7:00 pm February Altar Guild 14 Brian Hannon Remember: no shopping, Lorna Baxter Lenny Cannon cooking or clean-up. Just come in Jackie Watson to Wendy’s and enjoy the February Birthday Caller Lisa Taylor fellowship. Ask to have your Joyce Cannon 15 Dustin Heinzman receipt put in the Asbury UMC 16 Rebecca Washington basket, and help us pay down the Carol Wazorko mortgage! We receive 20% of all David Woellmer sales made! Cole Lockhart And don’t forget to purchase 17 Gale McIntyre your Wendy’s Scrip Card from The deadline for the Christian Outreach during Fellows March Circuit Rider is 18 Amber Brown hip Hour and support the many Mi Sunday, February 16th. April Savino ssion projects at Asbury! Please leave all articles in the 19 Karna Baumberger You may get take out, and it wi mailbox in the church office or Nicole Hurlburt ll be counted toward the fundrai e-mail them to: Bette Hubbard ser. [email protected]. Madison Whillock 20 Donald Lunn David Majors

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Christmas Pageant! Her parents Asbury’s Membership are Bradley and Jennifer (Fiorillo) Committee raised $350.00 from Cole, and they make their home in our December Soup Sale. Plainville. Proceeds will be used for other DEATHS membership projects and events. We thank everyone for their Park S. Jones, uncle of Debbie patronage and hope you enjoyed Bechert, passed away on your soup. December 26, 2013. A funeral FAMILY PAGE service was held at Asbury on Please keep these people Saturday, January 18, 2014. in your prayers…… The Domondon and Rhodes Families, Liz Shorey, Blanche Galbraith, The Weed Family, We received a thank you letter The Bannister and Parsons from UNICEF for our monetary Families, Dawn Miccuci, donation in December. (If you William Flanigan, Arlene Dear Asbury Friends, would like to read the full letter, it Petras, Diane DeMaris, Joshua Many thanks for the lovely is posted on the bulletin board in Foote, The Maskery Family, cards, warm wishes, gifts for Wesley Hall.) Barbara Emanuelson, Howard Christmas and the beautiful Joan Tilley is looking to Bradley, Bea Trafton, Paul poinsettia. It is very thoughtful Trafton, Arlene Chabot, Elsie purchase a frame that measures and kind of you to make my days 24” long and 18” wide. If you Lyons, Edward Coloske, and brighter. Best wishes to everyone have one that you would like to others who have needs of which for a happy and healthy new year. sell, please contact Joan at 860- we may not be aware. Love and Blessings, 582-6717. Elsie Lyons Congratulations to those members with perfect attendance for the 4th quarter of 2013: JoAnn & Wayne Bacon Jim & Debbie Bechert Thomas Johnson Jan & Bill King If you wish to relate prayer needs t Ann & Lukas Morin o the chain, please call Phyllis Peti And congratulations to the We are looking for some help in t at 860-589-6059 or Mernie Whitc following members that had our nursery. We have a blessing omb at 860-583-5373, or e-mail Pa perfect attendance for all of 2013: that we need your help with! Our stor Laura. Please keep your call br Thomas Johnson nursery is often filled with happy ief, and be aware of the privacy rig Jan & Bill King children on Sunday mornings - hts of the person(s) for whom you Ann & Lukas Morin can we have a "Hallelujah!"? We are requesting prayers. Just a reminder: during church have a paid staff person, Kate services we ask that you sign the Bechert, there each Sunday BAPTISMS attendance sheet and pass it to your morning but we need at least one neighbor so they too will have an Charlotte Rose Cole was baptized volunteer to also help out each opportunity to log in their on December 22, 2013 during week that will allow us to be in attendance worship service, and right before compliance with our Safe she played the baby Jesus in the Sanctuaries policy. Ideally, we would like to give the parents of the best helper for a nursery, so we If you might be able to help out, the young children an opportunity are looking for a team of 4 - 5 please speak to Pastor Laura or to worship in the sanctuary while volunteers, age 18 or older, to help Kate Bechert. their children are cared for in the out at least once a month during nursery. A familiar face is always the worship hours in the nursery.

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dependent upon the number of We also made a sizable attendees. Each lane would consist donation to Asbury’s “Shortfall” of a maximum of 6 players. Two (2) drive. lanes will be reserved in advance, so We meet each Thursday please contact Geri Beveridge if (weather permitting) at 10:15 a.m. you'd like to attend and to hold your and we welcome anyone who would spot on the lane. If we have a like to join us. commitment of more than 12 The Trustees are very pleased to bowlers, we will try to reserve an Activities for February report that $18,366.35 was received additional lane. Please feel free to 6th – Tea Cup Auction in 2013 and applied against the join us even if you are not going to 13th – Catered Valentine Luncheon Parsonage’s Mortgage. That figure bowl. This is a great event for fun, 20th – Crafts by Pat includes $500 that arrived on the laughs and fellowship. 21st – Birthday Celebrations, Bingo, last day of 2012 and it was too late Bring a Sandwich to apply it against the mortgage in 2012. In addition, that $18,366.35 includes not only contributions from members but money from Wendy’s for Asbury members dining at Wendy’s on selected Tuesdays The next WIF meeting will be held during 2013. As of 12/31/2013 our on Thursday, February 27th at 6:00 Mortgage balance was $34,877.36. p.m at Asbury. We encourage all women of the church to attend and Just thinking out loud that if Asbury share in our faith, fun and could have two more years of fellowship! getting donations of about $18,000 Christmas Eve Selfie! each year our Mortgage would be paid in full! The UM Army (United Methodist Action Reach-Out Mission by Flash: I received a call from Pastor Youth) 2014 will be heading to Laura advising someone just Barre, VT in July. There are contributed a check for $5,000 to be currently 4 youth signed up this applied toward the Mortgage year, and we're always looking for principal. That steps off January in additional members to join us. The excellent shape! mission of UM ARMY is to provide The Seniors were very busy Christ-centered, quality youth work during the month of January. A camps that serve people in need and snowstorm prevented us from taking promote spiritual growth and a guided tour of the Christmas leadership development in youth. programs at the Hillstead Museum To offset the cost of the trip, our in Farmington. However, at another youth will be holding several fund meeting, Wayne and JoAnn Bacon raisers. The first this year was a gave an interesting talk and slide Super Bowl Sunday grinder sale. AACT (Asbury Adults Connecting show of their trip to China. Another Together) is planning a bowling More opportunities to support our time we made Valentine Crafts for youth will be coming so stay tuned! event on Saturday, 2/15/14 from 6 – our homebound and nursing home 8 pm at Spare Time in Bristol, CT. friends. The cost of this event would be For the year 2013, a total of church that amounts to roughly remove tabs from beverage cans $558.50 was taken in from all of 112,500 tabs. and deposit them in the containers the returnable bottles and cans and Thank you to all who took the in Wesley Hall. turned over to the Trustees of the time to donate their returnables. Thanks again, church. 75 lbs. of tabs were Double thanks to those who took Mike Nestico accumulated and donated to the the time to rinse out their Editor’s Note: A big thank you to Shriner's. For the nit pickers of the containers before donating them, Mike Nestico for his tireless work and to those who took the time to on these projects. Asbury United Methodist Church February - 2014 The Circuit Rider Page 5 make soda bread and brownies. No experience necessary!

Year end giving statements are com FEBRUARY 2014 plete and BIBLE READING GUIDE available for you to pick up in the N arthex. God’s Word: Embracing Us In Boy Scout Troop 29 meets at Love Asbury on Thursday nights. They 1 Acts 13.13-35 are in need of new tents. Over the 2 Acts 13.36-52 past two years, the troop has grown 3 Acts 14.1-28 and they need to replace some older, 4 Acts 15.1-21 worn-out tents. Their goal is to 5 Acts 15.22-41 purchase approximately 16 new 6 Acts 16.1-15 tents by June 2014. 7 Acts 16.16-40 To help with that goal, they are 8 John 2.1-25 Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner holding a pasta dinner fundraiser on 9 John 3.1-21 st Saturday, February 22, 2014 Saturday, March 1 , with continual 10 John 3.22-36 at 5:30 pm seating from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. (The 11 John 4.1-26 Menu includes: Corned Beef and last sitting will begin at 6:15 p.m. 12 John 4.27-42 Cabbage, Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, The menu will include: spaghetti 13 John 4.43-54 Irish Soda Bread, Dessert and meatballs/sausage, salad, bread 14 1 Corinthians 13.1-13 Juice and Coffee and butter, dessert and beverage. 15 John 10.1-21 Adults $12 Under 12 $5.00 Ticket prices are $10 for adults, 16 John 10.22-42 3 & under Free $5.00 for children 6 through 12 17 Matthew 18.1-14 Proceeds to benefit years old and five and under are 18 Matthew 19.13-30 Current Expenses free. We have tickets in the office 19 Matthew 22.15-40 Only 100 tickets will be sold so for you to purchase, so call 860- 20 Leviticus 19.1-18 get yours as soon as they go on sale 584-0529 if you are interested. You 21 Deuteronomy 6.1-25 on February 2nd. See Heidi may also contact Lori Rosborg for 22 1 John 1.1-2.6 Borkowski for more information or tickets or more information about 23 1 John 2.7-29 to purchase tickets. the dinner. 24 1 John 3.1-24 We are looking for donations of 25 1 John 4.1-21 flour, yellow raisins, sugar and eggs 26 1 John 5.1-21 for the dinner. You may also make 27 2 John a monetary donation to offset the 28 3 John cost. Please see Heidi Borkowski or Scott and Donna Pehmoeller with any questions. We also need volunteers on Friday, February 21st at 9:00 am to Just a reminder to all committee Looking ahead: March 5th is meetings, we will share our treasurers to bring your 2013 Ash Wednesday. Join us for experience of developing and records and checking and savings services at noon and 7:00 pm. growing in our prayers. There passbooks to the church office for are plans to offer the class at a auditing. Look for more info to come few different times each week to about an exciting Lent class that accommodate all who might be we will offer titled, "Listen: interested in participating. Praying In A Noisy World." Through daily readings for each day in Lent and weekly class

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