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FROM PASTOR SUNG’S DESK:

The New Year has dawned. At the beginning of every New Year, I come to expect “new things” that God will do in the new year. We don’t find many occasions in the scriptures when the “new year” was theologically important. Yet, I have found exactly two incidents that the first day of a new year has a very significant meaning. First, we find it in Genesis 8: 13. “By the first day of the first month of Noah's six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.” The earth was corrupt by the sins of people, and God cleansed the whole world with the flood except for the Noah’s family and animals in the ark. On the first day of the year when Noah was 601 years old, the flood came to an end. That was the day when Noah and all other living things saw the hope of new beginning. The second incident is from Exodus 40:17. “So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.” Even though the Israelites escaped from the oppression of Egyptian slavery, they did not have centripetal force binding them as independent people. For them setting up the tabernacle, the symbol of God’s own presence among them, is the strongest force that binds them together as God’s own chosen people. It took the Israelites one year to prepare the tabernacle, and on the New Year’s Day of the second year since exodus, the tabernacle was finally completed. I hope that our new year of 2007 will be like the new years that Noah’s family and the Israelites in the wilderness had. I hope that this new year, God will broaden our horizon as He did for the Noah and his family at the end of the flood. There are many fields of ministry both within our church and in the community near and far, which you have not explored. I am praying that God will encourage each and every one in the Bay Road family to step out and explore the broad range of ministries that He commands us to. Moreover, I envision that this New Year will be the time of erecting God’s tabernacle in our lives. Every corner of our church, every corner of our towns and community, every corner of our schools and neighbors, and everywhere of the broad horizon which God is commanding us to, I envision building up our ministerial tabernacle. I foresee the flying banner of our God’s reign wherever we minister in the Lord’s name. Of course, it will take much effort, consistent service and humility along with patience and caring hearts. Most of all, it will take a huge leap of faith. “We are none but a small church with common people,” some of us might say. And you know what? That is true. We might be a small church located out in middle of nowhere. We might not be great heroes in any ways. However, the One who called us is great. He is Almighty and all loving. And in His great faithfulness, God is calling us to step out, explore and proclaim God’s reign over our lives. Such calling might cost our pride. It might demand our time. It might require our money and comfort. But I pray that we will say “So be it. Let Your will be done.”

A Warm Welcome to Our Newest Members...

Kathy O’Day was born in Utica, NY, then lived in Syracuse and Rochester and has resided in Warrensburg for the past 7 years’s family includes her children Laurel Babcock (and her husband Andy Babcock) and Becky Clarke attended Pratt Institute and Syracuse University. She was a teacher at Johnsburg Central School District and Abe Wing School in Glens Falls. Her hobbies include: writing, gardening, painting, and entertaining. Kathy was an elder at her previous church. She has been attending BRC for over 6 months now.

John (Toby) & Janet Murphy reside in Queensbury. John was born in Passaic, New Jersey and Janet in Rochester, New York. They have resided in the Lake George and Queensbury area most of their lives. They have two adult children Kellogg and Shawn and one grandchild on the way. John is employed at Almo Distributing and Janet at Travelers Insurance. Janet’s hobbies include quilting and knitting. John’s hobbies include gardening and golfing. Both were elders and deacons at their previous church and have been attending BRC for a year now.

Harry & Janet Spahn reside in Diamond Point. They have been married 49 years! They have 3 children: Rebecca, Michelle and Harry. Also 3 grandchildren: Jennifer, Elizabeth and Joshua.Harry and Janet are retired.

Wil & Faith Wiesner reside in Queensbury. Wil was born in Neukirchen, Germany and Faith was born in Caldwell, New Jersey. They have resided most of their life in New Jersey and New York. Wil and Faith have been married 25 years and have adult children,12 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Faith has a BA in music from Wheaton College and also graduated from Columbia Teacher’s College. She is a professional musician and her hobbies include theology, bird watching, hiking, reading, music (singing), and gardening. Wil has a MS in Organic Chemistry from Steven’s Institute and is a Director of Scientific Affairs. Faith served as the minister of music at her previous church and Wil session and vestry. They have been coming to BRC for a year now and are very excited to be at BR!

Please include these new members in your church directory:

Kathleen O’Day

20 Fourth Ave

Warrensburg, NY

623-4642

koday16@yahoo.com

John & Janet Murphy

76 Kettles Way

Queensbury, NY 12804

792-5917

janettobymurphy@yahoo.com

Harry & Janet Spahn

795 Diamond Pt. Rd.

Box 46

Diamond Point, NY 12824

668-5095

blusmoke@capital.net

Wil & Faith Wiesner

106 Coolidge Avenue

Queensbury, NY 12804

761-3128

WWIES57672@aol.com

BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES THIS MONTH

JANUARY BIRTHDAYS

1 Lois Stone

2 Delores Lockrow

3 Heidi Miller

4 Sara Bramlage

8 Lydia Knapp

9 Dave Swinton

11 Alan Holding

12 Skip LaRose

17 Bob Lockrow

20 Jim Shannon

22 Maria Osuchowski

26 Ellen Knapp

28 Lou Russell, Sr.

29 Chris Swinton

29 Denise Osuchowski

JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES

10 Ed & Rita Snowball

15 Greg & Sue McDowell

God Bless You on Your Special Day!

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!

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FOR THE ABUSED by Kathy O’Day

Here is a command of love:

You are permitted to love yourself.

If you do not, you will despise

your neighbor as yourself.

If you have been told you are worthless, You shall not believe it.

Your name is written on God's hands;

before you were named, He called you to Himself.

In the wide, blue earth and all upon it, there is not one thing He cares for more than you.

If you have been told you are ugly,

you shall not believe it.

As an artist knows his best creation,

God knows you are a masterpiece.

You are the off-center blossom that draws the eye, the contrasting thread that brightens the weaving.

You are the work of His hands and His work is beautiful.

If you have been told you are stupid,

you shall not believe it.

You have learned hard lessons and that God knows.

You have learned the great wisdom of

surviving what seems unendurable.

Deep inside you there is something indominable, and you are smart enough to claim it.

If you are told your trials show God does not care, you shall not believe it.

The name on His lips as He died was yours, your pain as real to Him as His own.

When you are alone, He is there; when you weep, He is weeping.

When you bleed, He is bleeding,

has bled and died for you.

As if you were His only child, He loves you.

Before His eyes, you are beautiful.

Before His eyes, you are His bright, clever child.

In His eyes, you are beloved;

in His eyes, you are precious.

God delights in you!

If God loves you so much,

you are allowed to love yourself.

If you are told you may not,

you shall not believe it.

I wrote this poem when I was serving on the religious advisory committee at the women's shelter in Rochester, NY. The self esteem issue was huge for me- as I discovered it was for all the abused women and children I encountered. This is perhaps the most insidious and evil aspect of abuse. As bad as the physical violence is, it is the attempt to destroy the soul of the abused that is most satanic. I am not very defensive of my poetry. It comes from a place I'm not totally in control of and serves a purpose of deep healing that comes, I believe, as a gift from God. Much of it I don't share for that reason. This poem, however, came from hearing my story from many strangers. The identical progress and techniques used by the abusers seems to me to point to one author working on many warped souls. If this is in any way offensive or heretical, please don't use it. As I said, I will not be offended. Perhaps, however, it will do some good for those to whom these things have been said.

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CHUCKLE CORNER

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody

"This is a story about four people in a church named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done."

Late Christmas Laughter

What do you say when you get a gift you *Really Don't Like*?...

10. "Well, well, well, now, there's a gift!"

9. "No, with all the hostile takeovers this year, I missed the big Ronco/K-Tel/Ginsu merger. Would you just look at that! What will they think of next?!"

8. "Hey, as long as I don't have to feed it, or clean up after it, or put batteries in it, I'm happy!"

7. "No, really, I didn't know that there was a Chia Pet tie! Oh, wow! It's a clip-on too!"

6. "You know, I always wanted one of these! Jog my memory -- what's it called again?"

5. "You know what? -- I'm going to find a special place to put this!"

4. "Boy, you don't see craftsmanship like that every day!"

3. "And it's such an interesting color too!"

2. "You say that was the last one? Am I ever glad that you snapped that baby up!"

And the number one thing to say about the Christmas gifts you didn't like is: "You shouldn't have! I

mean it -- you really shouldn't have!"

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A Note From Our Church Secretary

Thank you all for the lovely Christmas centerpiece and also for the money gift. I appreciate the kindness that you all have shared. It is such a joy to be here at Bay Road on this journey with you all! Happy New Year! God bless, Robin

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News of the Session

The Sacrament of Holy Communion was observed on December 3, 2006. Bill and Florence Seibert (Carolynn Raven’s parents) received communion in their home at 26 Pinion Pine; Queensbury, Frankie Waite received communion at the Orchard Nursing Home in Granville; Ruth and Bruce Smith in their home at Lake George and Pat Engwer at her home; all served by Pastor Sung Lee and Elder Debbie Collin. Pastor Sung Lee served communion to Deb & Chip Collin in their home also.

The retreat planned for the session members and their spouses will be on January 26-27, 2007 at Camp Hebron. Please pray for session to be renewed in their spirits and for the Lord to guide them as they enter the New Year.

On January 7, 2007, the session hosted a welcome dinner for all those who joined our church in 2006. This was a great way for new members and the session to get more closely acquainted. We are grateful to have them as part of the BRPC family.

All Annual reports are due to Robin by January 11, 2007. This includes the Pastor, Treasurer, Trustees, Deacons, Session, Sunday School Superintendent, Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Greeter’s, Missions, Worship, Van Ministry, Personnel Committee, Woman’s Association, Men’s ministry, and Nominating Committee. Thank you for all your time and effort extended to complete these reports.

The congregational meeting will be on January 21, 2007, and installation of officers will be on January 28, 2007. Please mark your calendars for these two dates. We will be discussing some changes and we value your input.

“To see God’s hand in everything makes life a great adventure!”

From Our Daily Bread

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God of Our Life

God of our life, through all the circling years, we trust in thee;

In the past, through all our hopes and fears, Thy hand we see.

With each new day, when morning lifts the veil,

We own Thy mercies, Lord, which never fail.

God of past, our times are in Thy hand; with us abide.

Lead us by faith to hope’s true promised land; be Thou our guide.

With Thee to bless, the darkness shines as light,

And faith’s fair vision changes into sight.

God of the coming years, through paths unknown we follow Thee;

When we are strong, Lord, leave us not alone; our refuge be.

Be Thou for us in life our daily bread.

Our heart’s true home when all our years have sped.

Words by Hugh Thomson Kerr, 1916.

Thank you to Faith Wiesner for submitting the words of this hymn which are so appropriate for the New Year.

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DEACONS CORNER

The Board of Deacons met Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at Janice Kingsley’s home.

Treasurer reported a balance of $3,564.50, as of Nov. 20, 2006.

Communion elements were prepared for Sunday, Dec. 3^rd, 2006.

Cards were sent to church members and friends to celebrate birthdays,

anniversaries, to give encouragement and to give get-well wishes.

Seven corsages were purchased and given to our new members and a sheet

cake was purchased for a reception after worship.

Telephone calls were made to one church family.

Meals were brought to a church member.

Verbal thanks were given to Deacons as they delivered Thanksgiving food boxes.

Deacons sent a love gift to the Homeless Youth Coalition.

Deacons sent a love gift to the Open Arms Pregnancy Center of South Glens Falls

The next Deacons meeting will be Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 7 p.m. at Janice Kingsley’s home.

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ELDER SHARE NEWS

The ladies of Elder Share continue to meet every Wednesday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd, in Glens Falls. The volunteers provide a Bible study, a craft, a video, a slide show or a guest speaker in the morning, followed by a hot lunch. Each participant pays $4 towards the cost of the meal. Presently, we have 9 ladies attending regularly, two-thirds of whom need transportation from the volunteers. We will meet every Wednesday until the end of May.

CURRENT VOLUNTEERS: Audrey Swift, Emily Goddard, Jan Kenyon, Tom Grant

VOLUNTEERS WHO WENT SOUTH FOR THE WINTER: Elsa Paszek, Barb Bayerbach,

Caroline La Rose

WE NEED A FEW VOLUNTEERS FOR THE WINTER – We need drivers to

pick up one or two ladies and take them home. No need to stay for the whole program.

We could also use a few ladies to cook an entree, make a salad, or bake a dessert.

PLEASE CALL JAN KENYON at 793-7156 to offer your help.

Trustee’s Report by Edward Goddard

1. Driveway shoulder was trenched and backfilled with stone to promote proper drainage.

2. A live-trap was placed in the bell tower to catch the squirrel wintering in the ceiling over the sanctuary.

3. The events sign was painted white.

4. Outdoor Christmas display was set up by the front of the church.

5. Replaced the South light socket for the Bay Road lighted sign.

6. Sand barrels were filled and placed along the driveway.

7. Replaced thermostats in Anderson Hall and second floor with programmable thermostats to conserve heat.

The next Trustees meeting will be Monday, February 5th at 7 PM.

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SUNDAY MORNING MINISTRIES/ January 2007

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).

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“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

God gave me this verse at the start of my trip. The verse describes that God does not always move through the sensational, but sometimes through the humble, quiet whisper. This summer I was blessed to experience God moving through the orphans, the homeless, and the broken- myself included.

This summer I spent seven weeks living and serving in Namibia, a country located in southwest Africa. I traveled through the organization Africa Inland Mission (AIM) from June 12- August 6. I lived in the capital city Windhoek, where I was immersed in the life and culture of Namibia. Namibia is a newly independent country in the world, having achieved its independence from South Africa in 1990. Due to its former control, apartheid still pervades much of the country’s culture. Namibia is a highly westernized nation, yet it also has the third highest AIDS rate in Africa: around 25 percent of the nation is living with HIV/AIDS.

During my time there I worked at an orphanage that housed children suffering from HIV, malnutrition, and almost every type of abuse. There I and another teammate spent time with the kids living there, who spend most of their lives neglected and oppressed. I also took classes on the language and culture of the Herero people group in Namibia. I worked with an after school program, tutoring and playing with 50-100 underprivileged kids from the black ghetto of Windhoek. For some time I was also able to teach English, Home Ecology, and Religion at a primary school in Windhoek.

While this description sounds task-oriented, a majority of our time was spent forming relationships and experiencing life with the people of Namibia. This, above all else, is where I saw God breaking down the walls of apartheid, racism, oppression, and hatred. Allowing the Spirit to work through us we were shown and helped show Christ’s peace, hope, service, and love.

Becky is one of our young women working and volunteering in the mission field and can be reached at rc1216@messiah.edu.

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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.

birthday parties, ball coaster, story times, arts & crafts, toddler area, pirate ship, castle...and more!

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If you have a personal story as to how God has touched you in your life please consider having it printed in the monthly newsletter. All submissions are welcome. We will do our best to accommodate any and all stories and/or original poetry you wish to share that exemplify the love of God in your life.