Bradford Woods Community Church

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Jan. - Feb.
2015
Issue

An Epistle from Ed
By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor
Well, we made it we cleared the holly and mistletoe festooned hurdle that December annually offers
us and have landed ourselves squarely in everyones favorite 31 day deep-freeze thats right the
month of January! And our reward for successfully struggling our way through January is February
(thats like getting extra Brussels sprouts for finishing all of your liver at dinner). After completing
some research, I have isolated the best 10 things about the always exciting months of January and
February. Consider these: the shortest day of year is officially behind us, it is still way to early for the
grass to need cutting, your evenings and weekends are your own again, the supermarket aisles have
lost their holiday clog, national human trafficking awareness day (U.S. only - January 11), youre so
sick of stores it is no problem ignoring January sales, you can look forward to the return of your
favorite TV shows, national bubble-bath day (January 8), according to the last U.S. census, January
is the 3,265th most popular girls name, and, you no longer run the risk of turning on the radio to hear
Grandma being run over by a reindeer!
OK, seriously, I was able to think of one good thing about the early months of the year, despite their
dark, cold, gray appearance. The month of January, in our culture, offers us the opportunity for
starting over and having a clean slate! Now, Im not referring to the whole New Years Resolution hype that usually fizzles before the first snowstorm in January No, Im referring to the season
we just celebrated and the light that broke into darkness when our God joined us in this cold dark
world. January is a time when we allow ourselves to believe we can start anew, with a clean slate
and be free of our stains from the past. It is almost like our world is encouraging us to forget what
lies behind and press forward to what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Lets take advantage of this opportunity to act on this advising of
St. Paul and remember that we are a people that are forgiven daily (not just in January) and rely on
this forgiving grace of our God through February and the balance of the rolling year not a mere
period of being resolute at the dawn of the new year! Failed resolutions or fool-proof saving grace
its our choice. Welcome to January!
Think about it.

A Thank You to the Trustees & Congregation

By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor
How wonderful for any of us to be remembered with a gift during the
holiday season, but doubly so when it is offered in love by an entire
group a congregation of people! I want to offer my thanks to both the
Board of Trustees and the entire congregation of the church for the very
kind and generous gift that was given to myself and my family, by all of
you, during the recent holiday season. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote; The only gift is a portion
of thyself. How true this is to us, here in Bradford Woods, you all have offered us your hearts and
accepted and embraced us, supported and nurtured us, and, most treasured of all, you have chosen to
love us. Thank you again, for this and every gift you have given to my family and me.

Pulled Pork Luncheon on Feb. 1

By Jane Siefers, Hospitality
Is anything happening Feb. 1 (besides the finals of the Tostitos homemade
commercial contest)? Why, YES! At BWCC, we are featuring the return of
Food for the Soul, Food for the Body. In other words, on the first Sunday of
each month, we will not only take food for the soul by having communion in
the sanctuary; but we will also enjoy food for the body by sharing lunch/
brunch in Kehew Hall. Save your Sunday afternoon energy for the Big Game
and share a delicious hot lunch of pulled pork sandwiches and homemade vegetable soup with your
friends. As usual, no charge, but we will have out a free-will basket to cover expenses. Invite your
friends! With the Steelers tanking, we all need some spiritual support and some comfort food!
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Valentines Progressive Dinner on Sat. Feb. 14

By Jane Siefers, Hospitality
We had so much fun at last years Valentine progressive dinner that were planning to do it
again. This year February 14 falls on a Saturday, so you can enjoy a gourmet dinner in the
company of your best friends right on the holiday (try to find another spot with plenty of free
parking, elegant [maybe] surroundings, and a reasonable price on Valentines Day)! Of
course, the first order of business for a festive evening like this is securing host homes. We currently have four host
homes as of today so please consider signing up. We could use a couple more hosts who can manage a sit-down group of
six to ten guests. The cost of enjoying the progressive dinner is only $12.50 per person. Hospitality will provide prepared
entrees which require a minimum of last-minute preparation, so hosts can enjoy the evening without slaving over a hot
stove. And mark your calendars!

Ash Wednesday
By Caitalyn Kowal, Outreach
Ash Wednesday falls on February 18th this year. Join us for an evening service at 7 p.m.
to begin the season of Lent. Lets begin this season of penance and reflection together.

Youth GRAPE News

By Vanessa Verbaarschott, Youth GRAPE member
ATTENTION YOUTH OF BWCC: If you are interested in a crazy, fun, food filled, night of
fellowship for the teens and preteens of BWCC then come check out GRAPE. We meet
every Sunday night at the church, and have a ton of fun with a variety of activities! Give
yourself the chance to experience the awesomeness that is YOUTH GRAPE!

2015 Church Council

By Norma Liebenguth
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Jennie Griffin will be serving as our 2015 Church Council Chair! Jennie has
been serving as a member of the Missions Committee and will continue in that capacity. Diana Greenberg will serve as
Vice Chair. Diana continues with her service as a Trustee. Thank you both!

Missions
By Jennie Griffin, Missions
Many thanks to all who supported North Country Meals on Wheels by contributing to the
collection at the BWCC Christmas Eve service, which brought in $595. North Country Meals-onWheels provides one hot and one cold meal each day to home bound elderly and people with
disabilities. This allows older adults to remain independent longer, improves their health and
nutrition, and provides them with daily social contact. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Thank you to everyone who continues to donate food for North Hills Community Outreach. They
always receive an influx of food over the holidays, but their pantry inventory drops dramatically during the winter
months. Their item of the month" is soup for January, and for February, it is canned tuna, Meal-in-a-Box and Tuna/
Hamburger Helper. However, they are also extremely low on cereal and in need of toiletry items as well, especially
toilet paper and toothpaste. Feel free to leave items in the designated box in the church library. Thank you!

Thank You!
By Jane Siefers, Hospitality
Thanks to all the cookie bakers and others who helped with the Live Nativity refreshments, we
couldnt have done it without you!
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.~ 1 Corinthians 13:13
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Welcome New Members!

By Caitalyn Kowal, Outreach
We are happy to announce the welcoming of our newest members who joined our church family
on Dec. 21. We welcome: Bill & Jennie Ice, & Thoma Family: Jeff & Suzanne with Daniel,
Dillon, Caden, Eva & Dairian. We look forward to celebrating much with our new members in
years to come.

Good Luck To Jared Riley

By Caitalyn Kowal, Outreach
One of our congregation has been called to lead and serve his country. We held a special commissioning service for
Jared Riley on Jan. 11. He has valiantly joined the army and we gathered to bless him, pray for him and wish him well
on his journey. Afterwards, we celebrated with lots of laughter and cake. Thank you Jared for your service to us as your
church family and to your country.

2015 Pledges
By Jane Siefers, Assistant Treasurer
Thank you to everyone who responded to the trustees call for pledges for 2015. We have received
pledges from 22 members totaling $63,400. Our members are to be commended for a long standing
record of meeting their pledge obligations, so this will certainly start the church off in good fiscal
shape for 2015!

Offering Envelopes and Financial Statements

By Jane Siefers, Assistant Treasurer
2015 offering envelopes have been placed in the church mailboxes, so please check your box for your
envelopes. You do not have to make a pledge, contribute frequently or even be a member to be issued
envelopes. If you did not receive a box of envelopes and would like to have one, please let assistant
treasurer, Jane Siefers, know. And if you do not have a church mailbox, please let office manager,
Cait Kowal, know so that one can be created for you.
End-of-year financial statements for 2014 will be placed in your mailbox shortly after the end of the year. Most
identified contributors will receive a statement, so if you contributed and did not get one, please let Jane know. As long
as your contributions are identified by using your assigned offering envelope, writing a check or putting your name on a
blank pew envelope, your contribution will be recorded. If you notice any discrepancies on your statement, please notify
Jane. Please note that any contributions received after December 31 will be recorded as contributions for 2015.

Treasurer's Report as of 1/31/15

2014 Memorial Fund Report

By Pam Hendrickson, Treasurer

By Jane Siefers, Assistant Treasurer

Balance as of 12/31/13: $15827.83
Donations: $0.00
Interest: $9.21
Expenses: ($2794.99)
Balance as of 12/31/14: $13042.05
Expenses: Electronic organ $2794.99
In 2014, no donations were made to the memorial
fund. The only expenditure of the fund was purchase of the new electric organ for the church
sanctuary in October.

Treasurer's Report as of 12/31/14

By Pam Hendrickson, Treasurer

Worship Leaders and Acolytes

January Birthdays

If you would like to volunteer to be a worship leader, please contact

Pastor Ed. Thank you for your service.
Feb. 1
Feb. 8
Feb. 15
Feb. 22

Chuck Brehm, Mac Coltharp, acolyte

Melanie Verbaarschott, Beth Muhlenkamp, acolyte
Jenn Hudak, Chloe Coltharp, acolyte
John Liebenguth, Vanessa Verbaarschott, acolyte

8 Luke Hudak;
9 Nancy Johnson;
10 John Ashbaugh;
11 Sherye Trickett-Lammers;
22 Leslie Kanter, Carrie Ptak;
24 Melanie Verbaarschott;
27 Katie Kasson, Amanda Johns Lowden

December and January Happenings

On Dec. 21, we welcomed: Bill & Jennie Ice, & Thoma Family: Jeff &
Suzanne with Daniel, Dillon, Caden, Eva & Dairian to our church family.

On Jan. 11, we held a commissioning

service for Jared Riley.

Christmas cookies for all!

Our Live Nativity was a huge hit!

On Dec. 21 our youth put on a hilarious Christmas pageant!

A special thank you to newsletter

photographer Doug Atkinson!

4836 Wexford Run Road | P.O. Box 421

Bradford Woods, PA 15015
(724) 935-3135

Serving Bradford Woods and surrounding North Hills communities.

Visit our website: www.bradfordwoodschurch.org | Contact us: bwcc@consolidated.net

ICCC Mission Statement

Bradford Woods Community Church is a member of the ICCC (International Council of Community Churches) whose
mission statement is: As people devoted to following Christ we are committed to community, to treasuring diversity, to
living our faith in service and love.

Events for the Month of February:

February Birthdays

February

6 Jean Oppedal; 13 Don Lammers;

17 Doug Atkinson and Cindy Dague;
18 Madge Ashbaugh; 19 Joe Bayer and Eddie Grieser;
23 Joyce Lewis; 24 Caitalyn Kowal; 26 Molly Williams;
29 Luanne Grimm

Prayer Concerns and Praise

Joel Bonzer, Joseph Bossman,
The Family of Becky Burdick, Cathy Carter,
The Davenport Family, Jody Dentici,
Diane Dilanni, Margie Douttiel, Christine Feagin,
Martha Finley, Kevin Frederick,
Katherine Gardner, Laurie & Joe Gillespie,
The Family of Jack Howard, Doug Ice, Ron Liguori,
Denise Massaro, Carol OBrien, Jeff Prady,
Gary Price, Jennifer Rihtarchick, Myleigh Smith,
Doris Stokes, John Valley, and The Waldron Family
Ushers Needed
Please volunteer to handle the duties of ushering any Sunday.
Greeting new guests, handing out bulletins, and collecting
contributions during service is all thats needed.

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Communion Sunday, 11:00 a.m.

Pulled Pork Luncheon, 12:00 p.m.
Becky Burdick Memorial Service, 11:00 a.m.
Trustees Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
Church Council Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
Valentines Progressive Dinner, 7:00 p.m.
Ash Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.

Ongoing:
Adult Sunday School: Every Sunday, 10 a.m.
Morning Worship Service: Every Sunday, 11 a.m.
Youth GRAPE: Every Sunday, 7 p.m.
Choir Practice: Every Monday, 7 p.m.
AA/NA: Every Thursday, 7:00 p.m.

Coffee Hour
Please sign up to handle the duties of
coffee hour any Sunday. Preparing coffee,
a cold drink and an (optional) refreshment
is all thats needed. And, its appreciated!

If you are new to our congregation, please pass your information to Caitalyn Kowal in the church office, regarding your
address, phone number, email address, etc. so we can keep our records up to date and keep you up to date. Thank you.
Please help us with our mailing list costs. If you could view this newsletter via email or online, please
contact us at 724.935.3135 or bwcc@consolidated.net.
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