We celebrate the growing number of those who worship with us online and in person. Be sure to offer a warm welcome to our newer visitors! Weekly coffee hour will be held in the Connections Café. Coloring sheets for children, offering envelopes, and mission collection baskets are located near both entrances to the church. We ask that you maintain social distancing to keep everyone safe. Masking when entering or exiting is encouraged. Covid rates have risen lately.
To the Congregation
Pastor Kelly was on Spiritual Renewal Leave for the month of June and returned to the pulpit on July 3. Many thanks to those who blessed us with their worship leadership during her absence:
Church Building Restoration Fund
The restoration project on the church building is almost completed and the bill is coming soon. Please consider donating to help defray the costs of these repairs; we still need about $30,000. 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.
Music Ministries
We would like to enhance and expand our music ministries. Even though Covid social distancing requirements are still in effect, we are able to have singers lead hymns and individuals can present a variety of special music offerings. We can also have a handbell quartet (no previous experience in ringing is required). If you feel called to help, here are some ways you can participate:
New Church Directory
We are creating a new church directory using our own photographer. All church members, their families, and friends of our church who would like to be included in the directory are welcome to participate. You may either send in your own recent picture to the church office, or if unable to come to the church due to physical limitations, you may request an individual time and date for the photographer to come to your home to take the picture.
Pictures will be used for the directory only and are not for sale to individuals. Having your picture taken will indicate your permission for the picture to be used in the church directory. To make an appointment call 518-885-1636 (Dolores & George Wilson) and leave your name and phone number for a return call if not answered initially. When making an appointment we will be asking for your contact information to be included in the directory (address, home and/or cell phone number, and email addresses).
Church Rummage Sale
We will be holding our church rummage sale from 8 am to 3 pm on July 16 in the Fellowship Room. Donations may be brought to the church on July 15. There will be housewares, linens, books, small furniture, toys, games, puzzles, sporting goods, clothing, but no electronics. Come see what bargains you can find!
Pill Bottle Collection
We are collecting empty prescription bottles for reuse through the ministry called Matthew 25 in Ohio. The labels need to be removed, the bottles washed out and dried, and packed into large zip lock bags. There will be a box for the collection in the Connections Café. We celebrate that it was already filled to overflowing once!
Pop Your Top for Ronald McDonald
Don’t forget to save the pull-tabs from cans for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. RMHC serves millions of families each year through Ronald McDonald House programs for families who travel far from home for care, Family Room Projects providing comfort while in the hospital and Mobile Programs bringing health care resources to underserved communities where they’re needed most. It’s a no-cost mission. There is a container in the Connections Café for the tabs.
Summer Lunch Program
During the months of July and August the First Baptist Church will sponsor a Summer Lunch Program for children living in and around the village of Ballston Spa. Nutritious lunches will be made fresh daily and distributed in seven locations. Volunteers are needed to assemble and distribute the lunches. Anyone who is interested in volunteering in some way may contact the church at 518-885-8361 or can access the online volunteer sign-up page. We have over 120 children signed up already. These children need you!!
- Karen Jones, FBC Summer Lunch Program Committee
Fruits, Veggies, and Ice Cream!
On Sunday, June 19, an energetic group of 8 volunteered at the Regional Food Bank in Latham. For 2 hours we sorted fresh fruits and veggies, with many boxes of good quality produce being saved in their refrigerator section, and two large bins of past-their-prime produce going to local farmers to feed their pigs. Then it was on to Guptill's for ice cream cones and sundaes, and good fellowship!
Thank you, Dorothy Collins, Conrad Dorau, Mary Drake, Cherrie Sanders, Bill Santmire, John and Linda Sheeran, and Claire Williams. We will plan another trip in the fall!
Fair Trade
We still have some Panama Extra Dark, Orange and Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt chocolate bars on hand but they are going fast! We also 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) . 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.
School is Out and It’s Time for Skye Farm Summer Camp
Register now for Summer Camp - fun activities for kids ages 3 - 18 are awaiting! Traditional activities like water fun, arts & crafts, games, and hiking as well as ice cream for breakfast, star gazing, and slime! Check out all the possibilities at skyefarmcamp.org. There is a 40% sibling discount, plus BSUMC camperships are available for our members. You do not have to attend a Methodist church in order to go to camp, so tell your friends. Questions? Contact Linda Sheeran at 518-885-1729 or lsheeran6@gmail.com.
Ballston Area Clergy Association
BACA, an ecumenical ministry of the local churches thanks you for your recent gift of $400 to the Community Assistance Fund. This serves as an ecumenical witness of God’s love and compassion to people in times of financial crisis. Thank you for your part in making this a vital ministry to our community.
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:
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.
UMCOR Thanks You
United Methodist Committee on Relief thanks you for your recent gifts for the UMCOR International Disaster Response and Recovery and the UMCOR US Disaster Response and Recovery. This will help the people of Ukraine as well as the people right here in the United States.
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.
Upcoming Events
July 12 - Church Council, 7 pm (via Zoom)
July 15 - Donation drop-off for rummage sale
July 16 - Church Rummage Sale
Celebrations!
If you have a birthday, anniversary, or graduation to celebrate, please send it to the office. We love to celebrate!
We're celebrating these birthdays this week:
We have one anniversary this week. Ruthanne & Paul Kilburn will be celebrating their anniversary on July 7. Happy anniversary!
Next week in worship:
Sound George Wilson
Projection Ruth Persons
Liturgist Dolores Wilson
Ushers Conrad Dorau & Melody Babcock
Music Cathy King
Coffee Hour Ann Marie Williams & Linda Sheeran
If you would like to volunteer to help with Sunday services, please contact Ruth Persons after church.
Community Bulletin Board
Sight & Sound Theater trip
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is sponsoring a trip to Lancaster, PA to see “David” live on stage July 27-28. For more information, please check out the flyer on the bulletin board in the hall.
Food donations needed
The Shelters of Saratoga is asking for your help. Their food supplies are critically low. They are looking for pop-top canned food, readymade meals, protein-rich snacks, shelf-stable milk, and bottled water. Donations can be made at any time at 14 Walworth Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
Have a blessed week
To the Congregation
Pastor Kelly was on Spiritual Renewal Leave for the month of June and returned to the pulpit on July 3. Many thanks to those who blessed us with their worship leadership during her absence:
- May 29: Ruth Persons
- June 5: Rev. Bob Long
- June 12: Barbara Hurley
- June 19: Arlene Schmidt
- June 26: Ilah Sisson Walser
Church Building Restoration Fund
The restoration project on the church building is almost completed and the bill is coming soon. Please consider donating to help defray the costs of these repairs; we still need about $30,000. 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.
Music Ministries
We would like to enhance and expand our music ministries. Even though Covid social distancing requirements are still in effect, we are able to have singers lead hymns and individuals can present a variety of special music offerings. We can also have a handbell quartet (no previous experience in ringing is required). If you feel called to help, 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
New Church Directory
We are creating a new church directory using our own photographer. All church members, their families, and friends of our church who would like to be included in the directory are welcome to participate. You may either send in your own recent picture to the church office, or if unable to come to the church due to physical limitations, you may request an individual time and date for the photographer to come to your home to take the picture.
Pictures will be used for the directory only and are not for sale to individuals. Having your picture taken will indicate your permission for the picture to be used in the church directory. To make an appointment call 518-885-1636 (Dolores & George Wilson) and leave your name and phone number for a return call if not answered initially. When making an appointment we will be asking for your contact information to be included in the directory (address, home and/or cell phone number, and email addresses).
Church Rummage Sale
We will be holding our church rummage sale from 8 am to 3 pm on July 16 in the Fellowship Room. Donations may be brought to the church on July 15. There will be housewares, linens, books, small furniture, toys, games, puzzles, sporting goods, clothing, but no electronics. Come see what bargains you can find!
Pill Bottle Collection
We are collecting empty prescription bottles for reuse through the ministry called Matthew 25 in Ohio. The labels need to be removed, the bottles washed out and dried, and packed into large zip lock bags. There will be a box for the collection in the Connections Café. We celebrate that it was already filled to overflowing once!
Pop Your Top for Ronald McDonald
Don’t forget to save the pull-tabs from cans for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. RMHC serves millions of families each year through Ronald McDonald House programs for families who travel far from home for care, Family Room Projects providing comfort while in the hospital and Mobile Programs bringing health care resources to underserved communities where they’re needed most. It’s a no-cost mission. There is a container in the Connections Café for the tabs.
Summer Lunch Program
During the months of July and August the First Baptist Church will sponsor a Summer Lunch Program for children living in and around the village of Ballston Spa. Nutritious lunches will be made fresh daily and distributed in seven locations. Volunteers are needed to assemble and distribute the lunches. Anyone who is interested in volunteering in some way may contact the church at 518-885-8361 or can access the online volunteer sign-up page. We have over 120 children signed up already. These children need you!!
- Karen Jones, FBC Summer Lunch Program Committee
Fruits, Veggies, and Ice Cream!
On Sunday, June 19, an energetic group of 8 volunteered at the Regional Food Bank in Latham. For 2 hours we sorted fresh fruits and veggies, with many boxes of good quality produce being saved in their refrigerator section, and two large bins of past-their-prime produce going to local farmers to feed their pigs. Then it was on to Guptill's for ice cream cones and sundaes, and good fellowship!
Thank you, Dorothy Collins, Conrad Dorau, Mary Drake, Cherrie Sanders, Bill Santmire, John and Linda Sheeran, and Claire Williams. We will plan another trip in the fall!
Fair Trade
We still have some Panama Extra Dark, Orange and Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt chocolate bars on hand but they are going fast! We also 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) . 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.
School is Out and It’s Time for Skye Farm Summer Camp
Register now for Summer Camp - fun activities for kids ages 3 - 18 are awaiting! Traditional activities like water fun, arts & crafts, games, and hiking as well as ice cream for breakfast, star gazing, and slime! Check out all the possibilities at skyefarmcamp.org. There is a 40% sibling discount, plus BSUMC camperships are available for our members. You do not have to attend a Methodist church in order to go to camp, so tell your friends. Questions? Contact Linda Sheeran at 518-885-1729 or lsheeran6@gmail.com.
Ballston Area Clergy Association
BACA, an ecumenical ministry of the local churches thanks you for your recent gift of $400 to the Community Assistance Fund. This serves as an ecumenical witness of God’s love and compassion to people in times of financial crisis. Thank you for your part in making this a vital ministry to our community.
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:
- Prayer friends, thank you for praying for Linda over the past year. She received word from her doctor at Sloan-Kettering that her scans were good and don't show any disease right now. She will have to continue to be monitored for some time, but we are thankful for the news today. She said it was a year ago she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. She is praising and sending thanks. - Ilah
- Katie Warner tested positive for COVID. Please pray for her; she has several symptoms right now.
- Pat Jones would like prayers of healing for her sister, Doris Diamond, and for Jean Keehan.
- Diane Solotruck asks for prayers for any family going through difficult and changing times and for people facing medical issues.
- Jonathan Warner would like prayers for one of his staff who lost their grandmother.
- Linda Sheeran asks for prayers for Kathy, a friend who’s on daily dialysis that lost her husband a year ago and her daughter last week.
- Linda Sheeran and Ilah Sisson Walser are thankful for the volunteers – Cherrie, Bill, Claire, Mary, Conrad, Dorothy, John and Linda - who worked at the Regional Food Pantry recently.
- 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)
UMCOR Thanks You
United Methodist Committee on Relief thanks you for your recent gifts for the UMCOR International Disaster Response and Recovery and the UMCOR US Disaster Response and Recovery. This will help the people of Ukraine as well as the people right here in the United States.
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.
- 1672 Route 9, Clifton Park
- 1757 Central Avenue, Colonie
- 753 New Loudon Road, Latham
Upcoming Events
July 12 - Church Council, 7 pm (via Zoom)
July 15 - Donation drop-off for rummage sale
July 16 - Church Rummage Sale
Celebrations!
If you have a birthday, anniversary, or graduation to celebrate, please send it to the office. We love to celebrate!
We're celebrating these birthdays this week:
- Heather Forster (July 4)
- Jenna & Emily Litchfield (July 7)
- Brooke Behnke (July 7)
- Aiden O’Connor (July 7)
We have one anniversary this week. Ruthanne & Paul Kilburn will be celebrating their anniversary on July 7. Happy anniversary!
Next week in worship:
Sound George Wilson
Projection Ruth Persons
Liturgist Dolores Wilson
Ushers Conrad Dorau & Melody Babcock
Music Cathy King
Coffee Hour Ann Marie Williams & Linda Sheeran
If you would like to volunteer to help with Sunday services, please contact Ruth Persons after church.
Community Bulletin Board
Sight & Sound Theater trip
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is sponsoring a trip to Lancaster, PA to see “David” live on stage July 27-28. For more information, please check out the flyer on the bulletin board in the hall.
Food donations needed
The Shelters of Saratoga is asking for your help. Their food supplies are critically low. They are looking for pop-top canned food, readymade meals, protein-rich snacks, shelf-stable milk, and bottled water. Donations can be made at any time at 14 Walworth Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
Have a blessed week