​Ballston Spa United Methodist Church
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     Welcome as we worship online and in person.  Share a warm welcome to others.  Coffee hour is held in the Connections Café following the service.  Coloring sheets, offering envelopes, and mission baskets are located near both entrances to the church.  We ask that you maintain social distancing to keep everyone safe. 
 
Church Building Restoration Fund
     The restoration project on the church building is complete and the bill is coming soon.  Please consider donating to help defray the costs of these repairs.  We have not yet met our financial needs.  You can give online by clicking here (use the pull down menu to give to the Restoration Fund) OR give with cash or check through the weekly offering, or mail your contribution to the church at 101 Milton Ave.  Please clearly identify that the money is to be used for the Church Building Restoration Fund.  Thank you for your support.

Our Food Pantry Needs Your Help
     Due to higher food costs, stocking our Food Pantry has become more difficult.  Monthly donations that were received in the past are no longer available.  With about 19 families each week using our services, this is a serious issue.  If you are able to help, donations may be brought to the Food Pantry during office hours or placed in the box in the back of the sanctuary on Sunday morning.  Some suggestions of needed items are peanut butter, cereal, ketchup, macaroni and cheese, vegetable oil, salad dressing, juice, crackers, spaghetti sauce, and elbow macaroni.  Monetary donations are always accepted and may be sent to the church with “Food Pantry” on the subject line of the check.  Your help is greatly appreciated.

Music Ministries
     John Wesley encouraged the early Methodists to "sing lustily and with good courage", an instruction that became a characteristic of Methodism.  If you would like to help enhance and expand our music ministries, here are some ways you can participate:
  • help lead the congregation in singing hymns - we rehearse the hymns at 9:30 am before church, and there is no need to lead every week 
  • sing a solo or duet
  • play a musical instrument, either as a solo or to accompany hymns or other music
  • be part of a handbell quartet
     Interested? Other ideas?  See Cathy King after church or email her at cathys.notes@gmail.com.

Active Missions
     We are collecting empty prescription bottles for reuse.  The labels need to be removed, the bottles washed out and dried, and packed into large zip lock bags.  We are also collecting the pull-tabs from cans for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  There’s a collection container in the Connections Café for each of these.  Thank you for the great response! 

UMCOR Early Response Team
     The best response to a disaster begins long before bad weather hits.  Last year UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) assisted 234,229 survivors of local and global disasters.  From tornadoes in Kentucky, a typhoon in the Philippines, and wildfires in Texas, UMCOR was there to help.  Together let us bring dignity, healing, and recovery to people in need around the world. 
 
BACA Needs Your Help
     A year-to-date finance report for the Ballston Area Community Assistance fund has been received.  The requests for help have been great.  If you can support this worthwhile mission work, please donate by writing BACA on your check and sending it to the church.

Fair Trade
     We still have Breakfast Blend and Hazelnut Coffee, Decaf Coffee, tea and hot cocoa for sale.  If interested, please contact Stan Lockwood (518.885.1552 0r stosh964@gmail.com) .  The dark chocolate bars are gone but will return in the fall. Thank you to those who support this ministry at BSUMC.
 
​Did You Know?
     Our services are posted to Facebook and on our website.  If you Like it on Facebook and share it, it will reach many more people than if it is just on our Facebook page.  You can also direct anyone to the This Week's Service page of this site (https://www.ballstonspaumchurch.org/this-weeks-service.html), which is where the service is posted weekly. This would be spreading the Word of God, as we are told to do in the Bible.  

Virtual Coffee Hour 
We are pausing our virtual Coffee Hour during the summer months.

Thrift Shop and Food Pantry
     The Thrift Shop is open Tuesdays from 9:30 till noon; the Food Pantry is open on Wednesdays, also from 9:30 till noon.
     Thank you to the people who donate their time and effort to make all of these offerings possible.  There are many clients and they appreciate your help.

Prayer Group
     Please consider joining our prayer group.  This is an on-line way of praying for each other’s needs and praising God for what is happening in each other’s lives.  If you would be interested in being involved, please either call or email the office and you can be set up.
This week's prayer concerns:
  • Pat Brewster’s daughter Sherrie died and she’s now in her heavenly home.  Please continue to pray for Pat and her family as they grieve this loss.  They are grateful for our prayers and loving support.   
  • Melody Babcock asks for prayers for her brother’s wife and family.  He passed following his accident.
  • Prayers for people in transition – in their homes, jobs or lives.
  • Prayers for Ann Marie Williams to return to health and continued prayers of healing for her daughter Laurie following her serious car accident.
  • Prayers for Beverly Clark who had a serious heart attack.
  • Bob Mundell died on August 5.  Prayers for his wife Suzanne and son Scott.
  • Ann Marie Williams thanks God for leading her to this church and everyone being so sweet to her. 
  • Diane Solotruck asks for prayers for the Mullin family following the loss of Joan.  She would also like prayers for her North Carolina family.
  • Please continue to keep Bob Elbertson, Bill Haege, Marilynn Peterson, and Pat Jones in your prayers.

Please reach out to people who are alone during this time.  A card or phone call will let them know they are not alone or forgotten.

Supporting the humanitarian response in Ukraine
     The General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church is deeply troubled by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the ominous implications it has for escalating tensions between Russia and Western nations.  They join many Christian leaders and organizations worldwide in deploring the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, and they ardently pray for a redirection of military action toward diplomatic measures to resolve grievances.
     The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the humanitarian relief arm of Global Ministries, is in communication with partners in the region and actively exploring the coordination of humanitarian response in Ukraine.  You can support UMCOR’s international disaster response efforts by writing a check with either Advance#982450/Ukraine or UMCOR/Ukraine written in the memo line, or by visiting UMCOR's disaster response webpage.
 
Other giving opportunities in response to the war in Ukraine
     Individuals can give directly to the Ukrainian people through local church offerings by writing a check with Advance #14053A in the memo line of the checks.  These checks can be placed in an offering plate.  The Ukraine UMC has created a crisis committee that will oversee all the global support that is coming in through UMCOR’s Advance #14053A “Eurasia In Mission Together - Ukraine and Moldova.”  The money channeled through this Advance fund will go to the Ukraine UMC church account and decisions on how this will be used will be considered by the crisis committee, which includes pastors as well as lay leaders. 
     UMCOR also offers other opportunities for more specific giving to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.  You can designate giving by stating it is for "Ukrainian Refugee support" to the following Advance numbers.
  • Hungary In Mission Together (Advance # 00175A)
  • Poland In Mission Together (Advance # 00408A) 
  • Romania In Mission Together (Advance #00211A)
  • Slovakia In Mission Together (Advance # 00236A)
Click on the links above to give at the UMCOR webpage.
​
Purchase Hoffman Car Wash Tickets to Help Ukraine
     The Helping Hands/Hoffman car wash site is active if you would like to purchase car wash tickets!  BSUMC + Hoffman Car Wash + UMCOR Ukraine.  Buy car wash tickets and our church receives 50% of the sale!!  100% of the money BSUMC receives will go to UMCOR Ukraine.  WIN - WIN!!!  Clean Car and money to help the people of Ukraine.  These car wash tickets never expire!!  Purchase for teachers, babysitters, newspaper deliverers, gifts, etc.  
    Click here to purchase on-line and print out your car wash coupons immediately. Make sure the UPC code is showing BEFORE printing.
  • Exterior only:  $13 - Your vehicle enters a modern car wash bay where it receives a soft-cloth wash followed by touch-free air drying.
  • Full Service Car wash:  $43 - Your vehicle first receives an Exterior Car Wash.  Car care attendants then vacuum the carpets, seats and ashtrays and wipe the interior windows, dashboard and doorjambs.  Finally, they add an air freshener of your choice, and the exterior of your vehicle is hand dried. 
Full service tickets cannot be used at the exit 15 location but may be used at:
  • 1672 Route 9, Clifton Park
  • 1757 Central Avenue, Colonie
  • 753 New Loudon Road, Latham 
Any Questions?  Call/email Lynne Blake at 518-885-9821 or BSUMCTreasurer@gmail.com.  

Upcoming Events
​
August 17 - Trustee meeting, 6:30 pm 
August 19-25 - Pastor Kelly on vacation

Celebrations!
     If you have a birthday, anniversary, or graduation to celebrate, please send it to the office.  We love to celebrate!
Only one birthday this week: Jacob Thomas (8/17). Happy birthday to you!
​
     And a happy anniversary to Beverly and George Thompson (8/15)!

Next week in worship:
Sound                          
Riley Schmidt
Projection                 Ruth Persons
Liturgist                    Ann Marie Williams
Ushers                        Conrad Dorau & Melody Babcock
Music                          Cathy King
Coffee Hour             Jan & George Mallette

If you would like to volunteer to help with Sunday services or Coffee Hour, please contact Ruth Persons after church. 

Community Bulletin Board
Takeout dinner​
     The First Presbyterian Church at 22 West High Street will be holding a Brooks barbecue on August 16 from 4-7 pm.  It will be a half chicken, coleslaw, roll, baked potato and dessert for $14.  And your dinner decision just got easy!

​​​Have a blessed week

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