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A note from Esther’s Desk….
“Mom, get up! Today is your baby shower!” Jojo jumped out of her bed, ran up to me with excitement, and yanked my arm heavily. It was only five o’clock on Sunday morning. “Jojo, it’s only….” I squinted my eyes to see the time and surely it was only five o’clock. The night before, Sung informed Jojo that we would go down to his Air National Guard base the next day for Sunday morning worship service and then we would come to Bay Road Church for worship and baby shower. Obviously, Jojo only heard what she wanted to hear which was THE BABY SHOWER! I dragged myself out of the bed reluctantly. Without much sleep, my body weighted a ton. I managed to get out (Believe me. At the last stage of pregnancy, as simple as getting out of the bed can be challenging!). Jojo flickered the light on. With soft groan, Sung got up to get ready for his Sunday morning drill day. Eyes were still half closed, I stumbled my way through the closet and covered my full blown belly with a blouse and put a green slacks on. Jojo let out her joyful screams, skipping, hopping, and leaping to express her excitement for the baby shower. After the morning service was over at Sung’s base, we slowly drove in to our church parking lot. When we parked finally, Jojo raced all the way to church without looking back. “Is this my party or Jojo’s?” I grinned as I watched her going into the building. “Wow! What is this?” The whole fellowship hall was decorated splendidly. The blue balloons were on the air, tables were dressed with blue cloth, an awesome hand-made diaper cake, a teeny-tiny baby socks bouquet, and numerous gifts and cards on the side of the table. People greeted me with warm smile and blessed me with their hugs and kisses. After the worship service was over, we all came out to the fellowship hall, shared a meal together, exchanged laughter and joy with one another. Finally, the time came for me to open up each gift (I must say that Jojo, Maria, and Alyssa were more excited to open gifts than I^^). With the help of my assistances (Jojo and the gang), I opened each gift and it was certainly a time of “Ooo…” and “Ahhh…” moment. This great baby shower overwhelmed me and I was deeply moved and touched by our church families’ love and I took each gift with much appreciation and gratitude. Overall, I want to express my deepest thanks to all of my church families and I want you to know how much I appreciate your thoughtful gifts, prayers, love, support, care, and genuine friendship. I will always cherish this precious memory of baby shower forever. Thank you all! From Esther Lee
February Session News
Many of you asked for some information on Dr. James M. Blake and his wife Violet. Thanks to Janet Spahn I have a short history about them to share. Dr. Blake and his wife Violet attended Bay Road Presbyterian Church in the summer months during the 1980’s until 1993. Their summer residence was at Plum Point on Lake George with a permanent home in Schenectady. He was a cardiology/internal medical specialist. He started Conifer Park and AA in this area. He was one of first physician to speak about the correlation between smoking cigarettes and cancer at a medical conference in NYC during the early 1950’s. His wife Violet was a nurse. (Some of Violet’s recipes are in our new cookbook) They donated the communion plates and the carpeting for the upstairs while attending Bay Road Presbyterian Church. They held a fondness for Bay Road Presbyterian Church. We are grateful for being able to establish this Endowment Fund with their generous gift of $50,000. The primary purpose of the Endowment Fund is to generate income to provide monies for educational programs for the children of the church. It is understood that the principle of this Fund shall not be invaded. A checking account has been established to deposit the interest which accrues.
SPEAKING OF COFFEE…. During the congregational meeting Elder Debbie Collin reminded us or our declining funds. After the meeting someone looked at the numbers a bit more closely and figured that our shortage could be made up by adding as little as $2.00 to $4.00 per week to our giving. This same person pointed out we all probably spend this in coffee or take out during any given week. Thank you to this very sharp person to look at an overwhelming situation and scale it down to a manageable size. The finance committee will be working in conjunction with session to look for ways to reduce our expenses.
DEACONS CORNER The Board of Deacons met January 8, 2008 at 7p.m. at the home of Janice Kingsley.
Members Present: Audrey Swift, Emily Goddard, Richard Reed, Janice Kingsley Members Absent: Janice Holding Meeting opened with prayer and devotions Review of last month’s minutes Committee Reports Treasurer: Balance on hand as of 1/02/08 was $1,363.95 Communion: Elements were prepared for 1/06/08 Cards: Cards were sent to church members and friends to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, to offer get-well wishes and to give encouragement. Flowers: none sent this month Hospital Visits: none this month Telephone Visits: none this month Meals: none this month Correspondence: one thank-you note from non-member Old Business Deacons will continue to arrange transportation for member to visit her husband in a local nursing home. New Business Request from Family Services for clothing for a 12 yr.old boy. He was referred to Baptist Church or Catholic Charities Deacons will help with transportation and meals for member having surgery. Thank you to three Deacons who are going off the board: Richard Reed, Janice Kingsley, Carrianne Durkin Welcome to three Deacons, who will take office Jan. 27, 2008: Kathy O’Day, Kim Butterfield, Faith Weisner Meeting closed with prayer Next Deacons meeting will be Tuesday, Feb. 12. 2008, 7 p.m. at the church.
Trustee’s Newsletter January 2008 The snow continues to fall this winter and we have been busy keeping the entrance way and sidewalk clear. More rock salt was purchased and put in the shed. We had our first meeting of the year and are planning our projects for this year. We will keep you all informed as our plans develop. We are anticipating the remodeling of the Chancel will be this year and are working on some drawings, with dimensions, for the Session to use to help finalize their changes. We will be welcoming Toby Murphy to the trustees this year and we are preparing a “do list” for him. The Trustees voted Ed Goddard to be our first Trustee Emeritus to acknowledge his continued contribution to the work of the Trustees. The Trustee Emeritus doesn’t have meetings to attend or reports to write, just brings his tool belt.
Respectfully Submitted, Chip Collin Chairman Trustees
2008 Annual Meeting of the Congregation Following proper announcement on January 6 and 13, 2008, the annual meeting of the congregation was held on Sunday, January 20, 2008 immediately following worship. The meeting was called to receive the 2007 annual reports of the boards and ministries, to present the 2008 church budget as approved by session, to approve the pastor compensation package, and to elect Elders, Deacons and Trustees as well as two Congregation at-Large to the 2008 Nominating Committee. The meeting was opened with prayer at approximately 11:00a.m. by Pastor Sung Hee Lee. A quorum was present. The 2007 annual reports of the boards and ministries of the church had been distributed to the congregation prior to the meeting. The Clerk of Session gave highlights from her report. There being no questions from the floor, a motion was made by Chris Henneke, seconded by Carol Bayle to accept the Clerk’s report. PASSED. Pastor Sung Hee Lee suggested we review the following reports and then accept all them with one motion after each has highlighted their committee or ministry. The Children’s Ministry noted that the October Fall Festival party for children in conjunction with Oneida Church had been omitted from their report. Elder Carol Bayle is the new chairperson of the Greeter’s Ministry. The ministry is always accepting new volunteers. The Board of Deacons gave highlights of their accomplishments in 2007 along with a financial report of their income and expenses. Jan Kenyon emphasized that 2008 may be Elder Share’s last year for this outreach due to the lack of volunteers. This is a unique outreach and one of its kind in our area. Men’s ministry continues to be strong in our church with 12 to 18 men in attendance. Pastor is encouraged by the number of men participating in this ministry. They meet every other Saturday; varying the menu from light breakfast to full. Pastor Sung Hee Lee has noticed that more women are getting involved with the Woman’s Association. The activities offered appear to be drawing more women to participate. Andy Holding suggested that Ed Goddard be given a special title of “Trustee Emeritus”. Ed will be going off as chairperson of the Trustees. The Trustee’s report was reviewed and also included financial report of repairs and maintenance and the building fund checking account. Ushers and Van ministry headed up by Elder Lou Russell were highlighted. Lou indicated the van was not being used to pick up anyone at the present time. Janice Holding was wondering if it could be used for Elder Share. Another suggestion was made by Melissa Bramlage for the church to consider picking up underprivileged children with parent permission to bring to church each Sunday. The session will take in consideration the two suggestions for possible van use. The Worship Committee report was reviewed by Tim Engwer. The congregation appears to be pleased with the changing of when we “pass the peace” during the service. Mission Committee report was reviewed and a correction of a word will be changed and submitted to Heather. A break down of the offerings from the plate was not reported and a request was made from the floor for this to be included in the corrections. Gulf Coast Mission sent a second mission team to the Gulf Coast in March 2007 to help rebuild homes and lives devastated by Hurricane Katrina and Rita. Forty two volunteers went in 2007. It was reported they hope to send sixty volunteers in 2008. Elder Greg McDowell is the new chair person for the Personnel Committee. In November, the Personnel Committee began a quest to fill the pastoral coverage during Pastor Sung Hee Lee’s training period of July14-August 23, 2008. Margaret (Meg) McDowell was chosen to supply the pulpit during the pastor’s absence. Greg McDowell excused himself from the decision making process as they reviewed the possible candidates. Some corrections were noted in the Personnel’s report and will be submitted to the church secretary. A Motion was made by Denise LaRose and seconded by Tim Engwer to accept all of the reports reviewed with corrections. PASSED. Pastor Sung Lee excused himself from the meeting and Debbie Collin, Clerk of session moderated the discussion of the Pastor’s Package. Treasurer, John Meinrenken explained the terms of call. The total package including the mandatory benefit increases from Albany Presbytery is $65,833.00. The pastor’s package was accepted unanimously by the congregation. Pastor Sung Lee returned to the meeting as moderator. Treasurer, John Meinrenken reviewed the session approved 2008 budget. He began by explaining the accepted offer from the estate of Dr. James M. Blake of establishing an Endowment Fund with the primary purpose of the Endowment Fund to generate income to provide monies for educational programs for the children of the church. It is understood that the principle of this Fund shall not be invaded. The amount granted to our church was $50,000.00. A checking account has been established to deposit the interest which accrued. A request was made to have a brief biography of the Blake’s to be included in the February newsletter. A brief explanation as to why the change in the offering envelopes was given by the John Meinrenken. Questions were taken from the floor and answered satisfactorily by John as they occurred. A request for quick breakdown of the miscellaneous gifts and why the line item went over budget. John explained that $4500.00 of the $7815.00 was given to support out two seminary students. Meg McDowell received $3000 and Laura Mitchell received $1500.00. Our last $1000 pledge to Camp Hebron (the Presbytery camp) was also paid from this account. Elder Debbie Collin addressed the continual decline of our funds (reference pages 26 & 27 of the annual report packet) since accepting the financial responsibilities of a full time pastor. She gently reminded the congregation of their promise to increase their giving to support a fulltime pastor. The congregation agreed to this during the Pastor Nominating Committee’s search for a pastor back in 2002. Pastor Sung Hee Lee began his ministry in August of 2004. There has been an estimated of $10,000 a year decline since. At this rate, we will be facing some very tough times within 3 years. We began at $65,179in August 2004 and are currently at $30,162. A Motion was made by Doug Kenyon and seconded by Lou Ann Holt to accept the Treasurer’s report and the 2008 budget. PASSED. The Nominating Committee report was presented by Chris Henneke. There being no nominations from the floor, a motion was made to close the ballot by Denise La Rose and seconded Pat Engwer. The following were nominated and elected unanimously: Elders- Pat Engwer, Wil Wiesner and Lou Russell( class of 2008) Elders- Carol Bayle, Chris Henneke, Greg McDowell ( class of 2009) Elders- Debbie Collin, Jan Kenyon, Janet Murphy (class of 2010) Deacons- Emily Goddard, Audrey Swift ( class of 2008) Deacons- none for class of 2009 Deacons- Janice Holding, Kathy O’Day, Faith Wiesner, Kim Butterfield ( class of 2010) Trustees- Chip Collin, Rodger Henneke ( class of 2008) Trustees- Tim Graves and Philip Mitchell (class of 2009). Trustees- Andy Holding, Toby Murphy ( class of 2010) The Nominating Committee for 2008 will be: Elders - Carol Bayle, Chairperson and Pat Engwer Deacon- Kathy O’Day Trustee- Rodger Henneke Missions- Suzanne Graves Youth- Beau Knapp Congregation at Large- Melissa Bramlage and George Knapp
Pastor Sung Hee Lee gave a review of his report emphasizing the need for more volunteers with the youth, our mission committee and Elder Share. A Motion was made by Rodger Henneke and seconded by Carol Bayle to accept the pastor’s report. PASSED.
There being no further business, a motion was made by Cathy Reed and seconded by Chris Henneke to close the meeting. The meeting ended with prayer at approximately 12:30 p.m.
Rev. Sung Hee Lee, Moderator Debbie Collin, Clerk of Session
Annual Report Addendum from Mission and Outreach Committee The Mission and Outreach Committee would like to add the figure $4075 as a Plate Offering. This figure was originally omitted from the bottom figure for 2007 Total Support. Church Library News Work progresses on the organizing of the church library. There are some wonderful books that need to be read to nourish our souls. Please have a look at the small display of books about love and marriage. All your suggestions on ways to make our library “user friendly” are welcome! Faith Wiesner 685-5170
Women Association Events
Sat. 2/9/08 Cookbook Dinner
Thurs. 3/27/08 Stamp a Stack of Note Cards
Fri/Sat. 4/25-26/08 Women’s Spring Retreat
Sat. 5/10/08 Daughter Dinner
Sun. 6/15/08 Dads and Grads Breakfast
Tues. 6/24/08 Women’s Picnic
Communion Sunday with our Children We are in need of volunteers for the first Sunday of every month, starting on March 2nd, to come and spend time with the children during Communion. Please sign up in Anderson Hall to help out.
The Cookbooks Are Here! The BRC Women’s Association cookbooks have arrived! If you have not purchased a copy of one and would like to, you can buy them at Explore, the Lighthouse Bookstore, or here at Bay Road Presbyterian Church on Sunday mornings. They are $10 each. Checks should be made payable to Bay Road Presbyterian Church Women’s Association. The Women’s Association would like to thank all of you that continue to support our church’s cookbook.
CHUCKLE CORNER Here is the LOST CHAPTER IN GENESIS....
He said, "This person will gather food for you, cook for you, and when you discover clothing she'll wash it for you. She will always agree with every decision you make. She will bear your children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them. She will not nag you and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you've had a disagreement. She will never have a headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever you need it.”
Adam asked God,
"What will a woman like this cost?"
Locked Car Door A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her daughter was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication. She got back to her car and found that she had locked her keys in the car. She didn't know what to do, so she called home and told the baby sitter what had happened. The baby sitter told her that her the fever was getting worse. She said, "You might find a coat hanger and use that to open the door." The woman looked around and found an old rusty coat hanger that had been thrown down on the ground, possibly by someone else who at some time or other had locked their keys in their car. Then she looked at the hanger and said, "I don't know how to use this." So she bowed her head and asked God to send her some help. Within five minutes an old rusty car pulled up, with a dirty, greasy, bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head. The woman thought, "This is what you sent to help me?" But, she was desperate, so she was also very thankful. The man got out of his car and asked her if he could help. She said, "Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication and I locked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?" He said, "Sure". He walked over to the car, and in less than a minute the car was opened. She hugged the man and through her tears she said, "Thank You So Much! You are a very nice man." The man replied, "Lady, I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft and have only been out for about an hour." The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried out loud, "Oh, Thank you God! You even sent me a Professional!"
Church Member Professions Page Welcome to our Church Member Professions Page! This page is available to church members who would like to share their business/store/profession information. This is a great resource for utilizing our church members’ professions. Everyone is welcome to participate, send your information, business cards, etc. to the church office by email at bayroadchurch@adelphia.net or drop off in the church office. If you have any questions please call the church office, 793-8541.
Melissa Bramlage SaraBear ™Company Keeping Them Within Reach™ diaper caddies . baby gift solutions www.SaraBearBaskets.com
George S. Knapp, DO McGregor Medical 520 Maple Ave., Saratoga Springs (Rt. 9 Town of Wilton, 1 m. North of Saratoga Springs) 583-4268
Janice Holding Explore! Learn * Play * Discover Touch tank w/sea creatures, four-story climbing loft, 16 ft. water table, birthday parties, ball coaster, story times, arts & crafts, toddler area, pirate ship, castle...and more! 103 Warren St., Glens Falls ExploreInGlensFalls.com Open M-F 9-5 Sat 10-5 (starting this month—Sun 12-5)
John & Sharon Meinrenken New Horizon’s Rubber Stamp Co. 15 Thomas Street Queensbury, NY 12804 E-Mail: johnmein@verizon.net Our Company is a manufacturing company, we actually produce the stamp, not just buy and resell it with a markup. We make all kinds of stamps, such self inking, regular, notary, signature, and of course Daters. Please pass this information onto the person that orders office supplies for your company, and if they are interested in buying locally at very competitive prices, hopefully they will contact me.
SUNDAY MORNING MINISTRIES/ February 2008
Greeters 3 Kathy O’Day 10 Denise LaRose 17 Denise LaRose 24 Carol Bayle
Ushers 3 Lou & Colleen, Rodger & Chris 10 Rodger & Chris, Ed & Emily 17 Ed & Emily, Doug K. 24 Doug & LouAnn, Lou & Colleen
Coffee Hour Tithe Counters 3 Part Hart & Veronica Russell 3 Sharon Meinrenken, John Murphy 10 Colleen Russell & Pat Harris 10 Denise LaRose, Cathy Reed 17 Carol Bayle 17 Lou Russell, Wil Wiesner 24 Volunteers needed 24 Linda Auffredou, Diana Berrigan
OPEN DOOR MINISTRY (Wed., February 13th at 4:30 pm) The Open Door Ministry is located on South Street in Glens Falls. BRC serves the 2nd Wednesday of each month. The sign up sheet is posted in Anderson Hall on the bulletin board if you are interested in serving. Remember to bring 3 gallons of milk (one each). Thank you to those who volunteered last month: Jamie, Janelle, Meghan & Suzanne Graves
God Bless You on Your Special Day... FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS 1 Chip Collin 1 Noreen Szmul 4 Christine Henneke 8 Greg McDowell 9 Wil Wiesner 15 Lauren Carr 16 Blayne Knapp 24 Emily Goddard 24 Mary Wilsey 28 Leo Heroux
FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES 21 Harry & Janet Spahn (50th in 2007!)
BIRTHDAY & ANNIVERSARY LIST If you have a birthday or anniversary to add to our list please call the church office or leave a note in the newsletter editor’s mailbox in the church office. Thank you!
Deadline for the March issue of the “Highlights” newsletter is Sunday, February 24th.
For our church events go to page 1 of our website and click on Calendar of Events, then Church Calendar.
Thank you for viewing the Bay Road Church website today!
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