Bath United Methodist
Church Newsletter
340 Oak Grove Avenue
Bath, Maine 04530
June 2016
A Message from Our Pastor
A Message from Our Pastor
The remarkable story of the coming of the
Holy Spirit, which we read on Pentecost
Sunday, tells us more than what the Spirit is
up to; it speaks to what the Spirit wants from
us for a response to that coming.
Bishop Pete Weaver spoke to us some time
ago about the need for “passionate Pentecost
people.” If the folks in that upper room had
just breathed a sigh of relief after the event
of the wind and the fire, and told each other
that they weren't going to get all worked up
like that, there very likely wouldn’t be any
church here today. But they got so excited,
they acted so giddy with joy, that people
thought they were drunk. They had found
their passion, passion for “the marvelous
works of God”, and they weren’t about to
keep quiet about it. Those first Pentecost
people were truly passionate, and they made
a huge difference in the world around them.
We need to recapture that passion today, a
passion for Jesus, a passion to share what
Jesus means to us, a passion to help others
find the peace and joy that Jesus brings. It’s
not enough to feel good about our faith, we
need to have a faith that burns inside of us
trying to break out.
But what does it mean to be a passionate
“Pentecost” people? The Pentecost event
when the Holy Spirit broke in with wind and
fire became the moment when everything
changed for the people in the room. People
who gathered together with the idea that
God was going to do something found that
God did indeed do something, gave them
God’s own spirit, caused them to understand
what Jesus was all about, and ignited their
passion to share that story with others.
Pentecost became the turning point, the
moment when they gave up trying to control
what God was doing, and opened their lives
to receive what God was doing. To be a
Pentecost people is to find our purpose, our
excitement, and our life path in the good
news of Jesus Christ, and the opportunity to
spread that good news. Spread it through
what we do to relieve the suffering of others
in this suffering world, and spread it in what
BUMC Newsletter – June 2016
we say of the power of God’s spirit in our
lives. A passionate Pentecost people are all
that God needs to get things rolling.
Whenever we gather, whether at church or
any other place, God seeks to do something
to move and change us. Let’s let God do
just that.
Outreach/Witness
We would like thank everyone for your
Lenten Offerings, because of your
generosity we were able to donate over $800
to this wonderful mission.
Ladles of Love is continuing through
September offering sandwiches and bottled
water. If you would like to volunteer please
speak to Cathy. This is a very rewarding way
to serve our neighbors.
July 4th we will be giving away water to
parade participants. This year in August we
are planning on participating in Acts of
Kindness Day by offering prayers, hugs and
a token.
2
as “filler” work between other jobs. Also
that we would do the rough carpentry work
needed to allow them to run the new wires.
As part of the scope, all new interconnected
smoke detectors will be installed. The plan
is to divide the work into two phases. The
first part will be to replace all of the
dangerous wiring on the second floor. The
second part will be the remainder of the
work. Due to the age of the building we
expect to discover surprises as we go along.
For that reason we asked that the bidders
give us a low and high dollar amount for the
work.
After reviewing the bids, we awarded the
contract to P&D electrical.
They are
licensed and insured and have very good
references.
All of the other bidders
estimated the cost to be $10,000 to $15,000
which we felt was reasonable. The winning
bid was for $6,800 - $8,800. Work will
begin in early July so we will need to raise
the rest of the money while the work is
being done.
Cathy Leonard
When the work is finished, we will have an
electrically safe building which will make
the DS happy since they had a major loss on
another parsonage to due to an electrical fire
a couple of years ago.
Board of Trustees
For all of your support: THANKS!
At a special Congregational Meeting, you
folks approved using the money left from
our new parsonage roofing project for other
repairs to that building. With that money
plus donations, we now have $5,317 we can
use to replace the dangerous electrical
wiring in the building. So we asked for bids
from 4 licensed contractors and let them
know that the parsonage would be empty
after June and that they could use the project
Bob Wayman
As always thank you for your support and if
you have any ideas for this committee please
let us know.
Library
As time goes on the library is looking
forward to having the finishing touches put
on it. Trim and painting is yet to be done,
but the room is still very desirable for
meeting and reading. A group of us, Letty
Race, Gay Wing, Pat Skinner and Deanna
BUMC Newsletter – June 2016
3
Wayman have being diligently going
through the archive materials and trying to
make some sense of all the items and putting
them into some order. This is a big job and
a big responsibility so we have been going
slowly and this will take some time. We feel
there is no hurry as we don’t want to lose
anything important. In the end we hope you
can research whatever you want and be able
to find what you are looking for. Right now
that is impossible as it is a big mix! We had
an archivist come in and look at an old Bible
that we would like to preserve that is in very
sorry shape. Her suggestion was to put it in
an acid free box for protection and save it
that way. We have ordered that box so
further deterioration can be limited. She is
also investigating on mending the pulpit
Bible as its binding is broken and getting
hard to use.
progress in welcoming our new Pastor, Elder
Gwyneth Arrison.
You are welcome in the library anytime the
Church doors are open. Instructions are
posted for taking out a book. This is your
library, USE IT! We are putting some good
fiction books for you to look at so we have a
variety of faith books, fiction, biography etc.
to choose from. There is also a shelf of
study books for groups that you may sign
out. From time to time there will be a
display of books for you to peruse in the
Narthex to perk your interest. This is not a
“dusty”, dank place, the library is a vibrant
and lively room that is an important part of
our Church.
Wendy Morton reported on the Cottage
business of making chocolate and caramel
sauces for sale. The sauces have been well
received but it will take a commitment of 8
to 10 people to make and jar the sauces. A
license will be $100 and we would need to
find an efficient way to market them. A subcommittee of the Finance Committee will
look into it.
Thank you, your book loving friend
Deanna Wayman
Administrative Council
The Admin Council met April 21. Our
Pastor reported he is very pleased with our
The Trustees reported 2 property issues. We
lost the lights in the driveway and they have
been replaced with LED lights at a cost of
$55 per pole. Other lights will be replaced
as needed.
Efficiency Maine may
reimburse us for the upgrade. The
Parsonage roof is now replaced and very
sound and came in under budget. The
congregation approved using the extra funds
to get the rewiring done.
Rian Lewis reported he has signed the
church up for the KLINK program with
Hannaford grocery store in Brunswick.
There are special bags in the entry which,
when returned full of bottles, will be
automatically counted and deposited in our
church account.
Wendy reported that the Building
Committee is working on existing projects
to finish the rooms upstairs and is getting
estimates to finish the rest rooms. Future
projects include finishing a worship space
upstairs. Rian expanded on that with a
drawing of possible space use. Nat Hicks
consulted the architect and the Bath Codes
Officer, Scott Davis, was consulted. We
also must decide what to do with the organ.
Rian moved to support the idea of a Second
floor Sanctuary giving the Building
BUMC Newsletter – June 2016
4
Committee directions to bring it to the
congregation and the new Pastor. The
motion carried unanimously.
about our caring for others and cherishing
the gift of creation that grows through all
human relationships of life.
Shirley Lewis
Jarryl Larson, Edgecomb
Fourth Commandment – The Law of
Caring
Our New Pastor
Easter was always a special day in our
house. Mom and Dad were married on
Easter Sunday and celebrated the day with
new clothes made by Mom and family
photos, which are a history of our growing
up years. Every year as Easter approaches
images of those photos dance in my head.
The fourth Commandment was easy in our
family – honor your father and your mother.
At least I thought so until reading Joan
Chittister’s “The Ten Commandments |
Laws of the Heart. Suddenly the floor of
understanding opened wide and the depths
of the fourth commandment became the law
of caring. I had always wondered and
sometimes worried how did this apply if
parents could not love, or if there were no
children in the home or even when the
children were adopted.
Sister Joan opens the breadth of meaning by
using Gustav Vigeland’s Wheel of life - a
symbol of eternity executed as a garland of
women, children and men holding on to
each other. When we remember those who
were part of our own creation, we are
reminded of our own debt to generations to
come. We do not honor our parents because
they were loving, but because they accepted
our mistakes, understanding that was how
we came to respect all who played a role in
our development.
Perhaps every Easter we are called to
remember that the fourth commandment is
Our new pastor, Elder Gwyneth Arrison,
visited on Pentecost. She will be starting in
September.
BUMC’s Newest Celebrity
BUMC Newsletter – June 2016
Clara Merkord is shown in her role as
Rosalind Wellington in the BASIC Players
presentation of You’re the Jury: “The case of
the Steele Deal” offered at the Bath Senior
Center on Friday 5/13 through Sunday 5/15.
Here you see her inner Flower Child. Man
of all trades, Herman Merkord, ran the
lightboard. “And a good time was had by
all”.
Reception for Bethany Hunter
O’Connell
5
Photos by Ralph Lewis