From pastor’s desk: New year’s prayer

For my first article of this year’s newsletter, (instead of making a grand theological declaration) I want to share St. Patrick’s Prayer (with a small modification), hoping that it would be our prayer of this New Year. 

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me                                                                                      

From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.
 

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
 

Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
 

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

- St. Patrick of Ireland, 5th century A.D.

       January Session News 2008 

The Sacrament of Holy Communion was observed on December 2, 2007 at BRPC.  Elder Greg McDowell

and his wife Sue (a past Elder) brought communion to Ruth Smith at her home in Lake George and

Frankie Waite at the Stanton Nursing Home.  It was also served on December 20, 2007, at the

Women’s Christmas church service delivered by the Reverend Esther Lee.

In 2007 we had   five new members join our church. They are Paula Bossert, Richard Bossert,

Katherine Prevost, Greg and Marcia Olson.

Starting January 2008, the session would like past Elders (once an Elder always an Elder) to sign

up to give the prayer of illumination. Many of you have asked if you could participate in this

wonderful ministry. If you would like to do this, please sign up in the office.  The clipboard is on

top of the mailboxes. The more the merrier.

Mark the date: Our Annual Congregational meeting will be held on January 20, 2008,

with January 27, 2008 being the alternative date in case of in climate weather. This is a time of

celebration for our church as we come together to start the New Year and review what has been

done and what lies ahead. You do not need to be a member to attend only to vote. It is a very

informative meeting and we hope to see you there.

You may also notice we have a change in our security lock up procedure as of January 2008.

The Trustees will be taking this responsibility over from the session members. We thank them

 for taking on this new responsibility.

   From the Clerk’s Heart:

 On Sunday December 30, 2007, I had the privilege to give the prayer of illumination. As I stood up there praying, I caught a

 glimpse of the pew where Bobbi Allen often sat and my heart began to mourn the loss.  I then briefly looked at  rest of the

congregation and the Holy Spirit showed me the incredible love each one of you has by the very power of Christ. This feeling

 is very overwhelming and brings me to tears every time I experience it. 

We are so blessed to be part of a family of God.  For me God’s love is so different than the love we know from our families of

 origin. It is so pure. We have a God who loves us just as we are. When I read the words “walk along beside”; it was evident

 how often we have done this as a family of the Lord. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you. Each one of you has touched

 my life and walked beside me.

DEACONS CORNER

The Board of Deacons did not meet in December, due to bad weather. The following is what transpired

 during late November and all of December.

Committee Reports

             Treasurer: Balance on hand as of 12/05/07 was $1,079.77

                 Balance on hand as of 12/26/07 was $1,159.69

Communion elements were prepared for 12/02/07 worship

Cards were sent to members and friends to celebrate birthdays,

anniversaries, get-well, encouragement and sympathy.

Flowers were sent to a member in the hospital

Hospital visit was made to a member by a Deacon

Telephone Ministry – no report

Meals – none provided this past month

Correspondence – 2 thank-you notes were received

Old Business

Angel tree gifts were received at church and delivered to Catholic

Charities in Glens Falls. Church members provided two gifts

each for 15 children.

27 Poinsettias were ordered from Garden Time, paid for by church

members, and delivered to the church on Dec. 21, 2007 to

decorate the sanctuary for Christmas.

Deacons have arranged for church members to provide transportation

for church member to visit her husband at a local nursing

home.  Daughter of church member has written the Deacons

to thank them and also sent a donation to the church.

New Business

Request from non-member for financial help while doing construction

work in Plattsburgh. Deacons could not help at this time, but a

Deacon personally did help him.

Love gift of $100 food voucher from Price Chopper for family in need

Love gift of $50 gas card for non-member.

Next Deacon’s meeting will be January 8, 2007 at 7 p.m. at Janice Kingsley’s home. 

Trustee’s Newsletter   January 2008 

      December brought several snow storms to keep the plow busy and put some wear and tear on our snow shovels.  Salt and sand were also used to make our driveway and parking lot usable.  Sand had to be replenished in the sand barrels by the driveway.     A new faucet was installed in the Ladies bathroom, treatment was added to the septic system and the mouse patrol was ever vigilant.  The Trustees are looking into water penetration through the roofing over the side portico.  Ice Damming is suspected and the possibility of faulty insulation is suspected.  Some paneling over the portico may have to be removed to find the location of the problem. 

-Save The Date-

A Baby Shower Party For Esther And Pastor Sung!

Please Join Us As We Celebrate Together To Welcome New Baby Lee

Date:  Sunday, January 13, 2008

Time:  Following service 11:30am - 12:30 pm

Place:  Anderson Hall, Bay Road Church

Light Lunch And Refreshments!       

  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Thank you to all who submitted recipes!  We are now in the process of pre-sales of the cookbook. 

The cost is $10.00  Please see Denise LaRose in the fellowship hall after church to purchase your

 cookbook.  Please make checks payable to "Bay Road Church Women's Association".  Make sure

you get your copies today!

_____________________________________________________________________

The Cookbook Dinner has been rescheduled to Saturday, February 9th in place of the Pasta Dinner. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

A Note From the Church Secretary. . .

Thank you all for the money gift.  I appreciate the thoughtfulness and kindness that you all have shared.  Happy New Year!

A Word of Thanks. . . .

Our family would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Sung and Esther for their many visits

to the hospital and our home during our mother/wife's last two months.  It was an extremely

 hard time for us and Sung and Esther were so very kind and supportive. We found so much

comfort from them with their prayers, kindness, hugs and presence in our trying times.  As I am

sure many of you have experienced knowing them.

Thank you also to so many of you who prayed for us, visited us, sent beautiful cards, food,

flowers, and were so gracious to come to the calling hours.  We may have thanked you in

 person but we really CAN NOT express it enough to let you know how much you comforted

 us and warmed our hearts when we needed it the most. We have been so blessed to have been

directed by God to find the Bay Road Church family.  I thank the good Lord all the time for

the blessing he has bestowed on me and my family by being a member of God's family here at BRPC.

May God bless you all in the New Year!

Carolynn Raven & family

                                                     Cajun Dinner and Silent Auction

Wednesday, January 9, beginning at 9 a.m, and going most of the day,

 we will be cooking/baking food for the Cajun Dinner at the church.

  We would love to have your help!  This is a great opportunity to

 support the people along the Gulf Coast--with raising money for building materials.

Thursday, January 10, 7 p.m., at 1st Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls,

 corner of Glen and West Notre Dame Sts., set up for the Silent Auction. 

 If you would like to help display the auction items, and the bidding sheets,

please come.  We are having the Cajun Dinner/Silent Auction at 1st Pres. for

several reasons: to get their congregation excited about this mission; the

facilities are larger; the church is more central; we hope to have a larger

 turn out with their congregation working with us.

Friday, January 11, 1-4 p.m., at 1st Presbyterian, decorating for the Cajun Dinner.

  We will be trying to create a Cajun cafe atmosphere in dining area.  Please come

 and help string Christmas lights, set tables, get the DVD of last year's trip and

 Cajun music CD's ready to go.  

Friday, January 11, 5-8 p.m. at 1st Presbyterian Church.  Come and bring guests

 to enjoy the Cajun Dinner and Silent Auction!  If you would also like to work

 for a couple of hours we need: servers, bus boys and girls, a clean up crew,

cashiers, etc.

God Bless Y'All!

Come and Support the

Gulf Coast Mission Trip

Working with Victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to help rebuild their homes and their lives

Cajun Dinner & Silent Auction

Friday, January 11^th, 5-8 pm

First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls

^{Corner of Glen & W. Notre Dame Street in Glens Falls}

Gumbo, Jambalaya, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw,

Bread Pudding, Pecan Pie

Silent Auction & Cajun Music!

$10 per adult, $5 per child, 3 and under eat FREE.

Takeout Available!

Come to Enjoy... and Come to Help!

“Out of Chaos, Hope.”

                                              Presbyterian Disaster Assistance  and Bay Road to the Bayou³

CHUCKLE CORNER

TOP TEN SIGNS YOU MAY NOT BE READING YOUR BIBLE ENOUGH:

10) The Preacher announces the sermon is from Galatians ... and you check the table of contents.
9) You think Abraham, Isaac & Jacob may have had a few hit songs during the 60's.
8) You open to the Gospel of Luke and a WWII Savings Bond falls out.
7) Your favorite Old Testament Patriarch is Hercules.
6) A small family of woodchucks has taken up residence in the Psalms of your Bible.
5) You become frustrated because Charlton Heston isn't listed in either the Concordance or the Table of Contents.
4) Catching the kids reading the Song of Solomon, you demand: "Who gave you this stuff?"
3) You think the Minor Prophets worked in the quarries.
2) You keep falling for it every time when Pastor tells you to turn to First Condominiums.
And the number one sign you may not be reading your Bible enough:
1) The kids keep asking too many questions about your usual bedtime story: "Jonah the Shepherd Boy and His Ark of Many Colors."

The Hikers
One day, Joe, Bob and Dave were hiking in a wilderness area when they came upon a large, raging, violent river. They needed to get to the other side, but had no idea of how to do so.
Joe prayed to God, saying, "Please God, give me the strength to cross this river."
Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs, and he was able to swim across the river in about two hours, although he almost drowned a couple of times.
Seeing this, Dave prayed to God, saying, "Please God, give me the strength and the tools to cross this river."
Poof! God gave him a rowboat and he was able to row across the river in about an hour, after almost capsizing the boat a couple of times.
Bob had seen how this worked out for the other two, so he also prayed to God saying, "Please God, give me the strength and the tools, and the intelligence, to cross this river."
Poof! God turned him into a woman. She looked at the map, hiked upstream a couple of hundred yards, then walked across the bridge.
 

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/ January  2008

Greeters

6      John Murphy

13    Katherine Prevost

20    Carol Bayle

27  Kathy O’Day

Ushers

6     Rodger & Chris, Andy H.

13     Andy H., Lou

20     Lou & Colleen, Ed & Emily

27    Ed & Emily, Doug K.

Coffee Hour                                                           Tithe Counters

6      Janet Murphy & Jean Jones            6     Lou Russell, Wil Wiesner

13    Baby Shower                                  13    Linda Auffredou, Diana Berrigan

20    Chris Henneke & Emily Goddard   20    Chip Collin, Pat Hart

27    Volunteers needed                         27    Janice Holding, LouAnn Holt

OPEN DOOR MINISTRY   (Wed.,   January 9th 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:

                              Wil & Faith Wiesner

God Bless You on Your Special Day...  

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 LaRose

JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES

10 Ed & Rita Snowball

15 Greg & Sue McDowell

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. 

    Deadline for the

February issue of the “Highlights” newsletter is

 Sunday,

January 27th.

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!