campaigns : Campaign Archive

Around Beloved…Sunday Christian Formation continues week for adults and children.

FaithQuest, the midweek Christian Formation experience for those who are 3 (potty trained) to 14 years of age, offered at Beloved Garden, is enrolling for the Spring Term, which begins next week. For more specific information, click here. Registration forms will be mailed to your home, if you click here.

This Saturday, February 2, we will offer Beloved’s next Foundation Seminar at 10am. This seminar is simply a meaningful 90-minute Bible Study reflecting on what it means to be a follower of Jesus and a member of a church. It is open to all who have completed Beloved’s Orientation. Would you like to learn more about what it means to follow Jesus in a community of faith? Is God calling you to go deeper? Would you like to do more to help Beloved grow and continue in Charlotte’s South Perimeter? If the answer is “yes,” come to Foundation Seminar. See how God may use this experience to deepen your commitment to Jesus and his Church. Perhaps you might even be led to become a 2008 Servant Member of this congregation…simply meaning that you hear God calling you to make specific prayer, support and service commitments to our faith community during this year. You can register by clicking here.

Who will God choose this Sunday to serve as the next two Beloved Advisory Team (Vestry) Members? Pray for Catherine Atwood, Todd Atwood, Fernando Baquero, Ann Calandro, Janis Conlon, Ben Copeland, Craig Doyon, Betsy Fox, Harris High, Tony Hodgson, Anna Moore, Dick Reif, Toni Reif, and Liz Wilson that God’s wisdom will be revealed. They each have signed a Servant Member Covenant (declaring that service to Beloved will be their primary Christian ministry as well as making specific commitments to our faith community). To learn more specifics about this selection process, click here.

Bring your palms this Sunday from last year’s Palm Sunday celebration to be burned during the beginning of Christian Formation time in preparation for this year’s Ash Wednesday celebration. There will be extra palms present so that everyone who desires to take part can participate. This day we will also participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring. Bring a dollar or more per person in your household to place in our soup pot for the hungry on Super Bowl Sunday.

On Wednesday, February 6^th, we will begin our forty-day preparation for Easter called Lent. Our 7pm Ash Wednesday liturgy will be celebrated at our worship space in Community House Middle School (with a volunteer Angel Army team for set up and teardown…click here to help). Like all Beloved worship, it is designed for all ages in mind. Ash Wednesday is a fast day in the calendar of the Church. Those who are physically able are encouraged to abstain from food. (Remember that children and those with other physical needs can observe a medically appropriate modified fast.) When your stomach rumbles, that is your reminder to pray!

Ash Wednesday is also an appropriate time in the cycle of the Church to participate in the sacrament now known as the Reconciliation of the Penitent (and in older days, Confession). This day, or any day following during the 40-day season of Lent—up to and including Good Friday, is an appropriate time for those who desire it to review the choices and decisions made (or “left undone”), acknowledge their consequences (even if unintended), ask forgiveness of God and be absolved by the priest. To make an appointment with Fr. Derek, click here. To make an appointment with Pastor Sally, click here.

Preparation of pretzels for Sunday Hospitality time during Lent, when as a community we give up the doughnut holes, is a great short-term ministry that serves the Beloved community. Volunteers willing to brush butter and sprinkle salt on a halved soft pretzel, wrap in aluminum foil and place in your warm oven at home on a Saturday night and then bring to Beloved in a cooler or a warming carrier on Sunday morning are very much appreciated. We need at least five and up to ten volunteers so that ideally two people could share the duty for each Sunday in Lent (February 10, 17, 24, March 2 and 9). Click here if you can assist with the Lenten Pretzel Preparation Team.

Beloved eNews publishes each Thursday. News and calendar information should be submitted via email by Monday.

January 27…Attendance: 124; Worship Offering: $2,805. Income needed for ministry each week: $5,500 (fully funded) à $4,400 (requiring other funding sources i.e. fundraising events). The financial goal of Church of the Beloved is to reach self-sufficiency (i.e. pay all expenses without income from outside sources) by 12/31/2008.

31 January 2008

Holy Paradox