Welcome to the Burlington Presbyterian Church Families Blog. Please feel free to browse this site. There are previous posts below; however, this site is inactive. Please visit our other sites for up-to-date information.

Please visit the Burlington Presbyterian Church webiste by clicking here.  (calendar, vision of the church, and contact info., etc.)
(www.burlingtonpres.org)

 You can also visit our WordPress site by clicking here. (sermons, announcements, and newsletters)
(http://burlingtonpres.wordpress.com/)

Also click here for our Facebook page.
(http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=47458349385&ref=ts)

And click here for our Linked in page.
(http://www.linkedin.com/groups?homeNewMember=&gid=1908663)

Thanks for visiting our site.

Peace,
Burlington Presbyterian Church

In the coming weeks this blog will be “going dormant” for all intents and purposes; however, the site will remain up and functional. Check back for resources and archived posts. The blog will most likely not be monitored, so commenting will be disabled. Thank you for your readership. Please continue to use the site as a resource to your family and a way to reach out to your friends and neighbors.

Thanks,
David

Today is our Lenten workshop at BPC. This workshop promotes the season of Lent, including distribution of One Great Hour of Sharing materials and assembling health kits for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

Click on the picture below to see a video of One Great Hour of Sharing from pcusa.org.

Below are some resources for you and your family during this season.

Family Resources:
PCUSA – Lenten Resources: http://www.pcusa.org/lent/
PCUSA – One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) Page: http://www.pcusa.org/oghs/
PCUSA OGHS Resources: http://www.pcusa.org/oghs/newresources.htm
OGHS Video: http://vidego.multicastmedia.com/player.php?v=a58095z9
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: http://www.pcusa.org/pda/

This is a fun week for celebrating world culture with your family. Sunday, Feb. 14 is the Chinese New Year. This holiday lasts for 15 days and culminates with the Lantern Festival on the last day. This week is also the continuation of the Vancouver Olympics, which started on Friday with the opening ceremony. The Olympics will run for about 2 weeks and are a great way to share quality family time as well as education about our world and the peace that unites us.

Ministry Note:
Use this week’s events to increase your family’s awareness of global culture. For Chinese New Year, go to the library and check out some children’s books about China and Chineses culture to read to your kids. On Feb. 28th, you could celebrate the Lantern Festival by having a party with a special dinner. Afterward print out these pictures and color them and put them together (http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/chinese-lantern-coloring-page/). Then go to the darkest place in the house and light the lanterns up with flashlights. Use the time also to also talk about how Jesus is the light: he gives us warmth by showing us how to love others and he uses His light to show us the way. You could even have a scavanger hunt with familiar objects around the house with the lights off, using only the flashlight to find them. You could also use this passage in John 8:12 and this prayer.

12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Prayer:
Lord God, we thank you for your tangible light, the Sun, which is daily reminder of your love. We are thankful for your warmth as we show others your love. Give us light to show us what to do and how to do it.  Let us shine so that we can be a light to others, giving thanks and praise to you. Amen.

Enjoy!

Superbowl XLIV has arrived!  As you prepare your hotwings and meatballs, don’t forget to grab a can of soup out of the pantry and bring it with you to church TODAY. The youth class with be collecting cans of soup for “Souper Bowl Sunday.” You can learn more about this great project by going to this website, http://www.souperbowl.org/.

Ministry Note:
Don’t just plop down in front of the TV this afternoon, make this a fun day for the whole family! Declare it “Crazy Hair Day” or “Backwards Clothes Day,” and make this Superbowl Sunday a day that your kids will remember and look forward to every year. Make sure to take pictures and let us know how it goes! (While you’re at it, think of several “crazy” days and put them on the calendar for the next several months. Use these times to build family memories and have fun!)

Well, it’s a day away from being February 2010. Wow, where has the time gone?!

There’s alot going on at BPC! This weekend is the midweek potluck supper (see the News and Info tab). Plan to come and bring your family for a great time to share as a big family at BPC. Also, think of a friend, family member, or a neighbor that you could reach out to and invite to the supper. No seriously, take a second right now and think of someone you could invite!

The season of lent is around the corner (hard to believe!) with Ash Wednesday in just a few weeks. Mark your calendars for the Lent workshop on Feb. 28th after church (see the post below for more details). Sign up in the fellowship hall so we can make sure we have enough supplies and food.

Also, for our hygiene kits, we have gotten a huge response already! Items that we still need include wide tooth combs and nail clippers especially, among the other materials listed in the last blog. Take a family shopping trip this week!

We have a special opportunity to help the people of Haiti in at BPC. There are two things you can do.

 

1. For the next several weeks, we will be collecting supplies for health kits for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (http://www.pcusa.org/pda/help/goh.htm). You can bring these supplies to BPC with you starting this Sunday! Make it a family shopping trip this weekend.

 

Needed supplies:

— hand towel (approximately 16″ x 28″, no fingertip or bath towels) 
— washcloth
— wide-tooth comb
— nail clipper (no metal files or emery boards) 
— bar of soap (bath size in wrapper)
— toothbrush (in original packaging) (no toothpaste)
— Band-Aids® or other adhesive bandage strips
— one gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure

 

You can bring as many of these items as you like, but you don’t need to bring all of them. If every family brings one or two of these items, we will be able to supply Presbyterian Disaster Relief with many health kits.

 

2. We will be assembling these kits at a family-centered Lenten Workshop on Sun., February 28. after church. This workshop will be much like the very successful advent workshop. This workshop is for everyone and will be a great time to get together, teach your children about helping others, and learn about the season of Lent. Don’t forget to invite a neighbor or friend!

 

This workshop will include:

 - putting together our health kits

 - distribution of the “One Great Hour of Sharing” fish boxes

 - an explanation of what lent is and helpful materials for you to use with your family

 - and food!

 

If know you will be coming to this Lenten Workshop, please call the office or email David. Also, if you are available to help provide lunch for this event, please let us know.

 

Today we celebrate the life of one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century in America, not only because of his history-changing work with civil rights, but also his discourse on brotherhood, human dignity, war and peace, non-violence, and love. Celebrate the life of Martin Luther King this week by not only making a conscious effort to interact with people who are different from you, but by taking a look at your community, your future, and your neighborhood to think about what you can do to bring real social change to your world. Click here to listen and read MLK’s “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech (the speech he gave the night before his death on April 4, 1968).

Also, this past week the country of Haiti suffered an incredible tragedy. To respond to people of Haiti you can check the pcusa website for worldwide ministries by clicking here. You can read about the PCUSA’s response to the earthquake and learn how you can help help.

Check back to the blog this week for some more opportunities to help our brothers and sisters of Haiti at BPC this coming Sunday.

Epiphany: Hungering for God’s Unfolding Story

How do Presbyterians follow the “star” today?

Journeying through the liturgical year and reading the weekly lectionary text unites God’s people around the world. The climax of the Christmas season comes on Epiphany as the star leads the Magi to journey from the east to worship the Christ child.

The Magi remind us of the persistent hunger in all of us to be part of… (click here for the whole article at pcusa.org by Billie Healy)

Check the updated News and Info page for upcoming events.

Today marks the third day of Christmas in the liturgical calendar. We are in the midst of the twelve days of Christmas this week and next. The 12 days start on December 25 and goes to January 5 (the day before Epiphany). Just like we are quick to pass advent by, we are also quick to pass up Christmas. We unwrap the presents, get home from the in-laws, take a deep breath, and gladly put away the decorations for another year. Make this Christmas a little different. Choose to celebrate Christmas for all 12 days this year. Check out these devotions: 12 Days of Christmas Meditations. 

Enjoy your holiday and your French hens. Merry Christmas!