This Sunday at Binkley
February 24, 2019
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Morning Celebration
9:00 am, Lounge
Sunday School
9:30 am
Worship
11:00 am, Sanctuary
Marcus McFaul
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Youth Group
6:00 pm, Sunroom/Lounge
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Our church has a remarkable opportunity on
March 2-3
to open our space and our lives to the wider community when we host the
Seymour Symposium with Serene Jones.
To host Dr. Jones, a theologian of considerable heft, is a gift worth sharing with friends, colleagues, and family members. We are fortunate that the hard-working committee, which secured Serene's participation, want all of us to not only extend invitations but to offer
hospitable community
when guests come that weekend!
I know that you desire that everyone who comes through our doors (all 35 of them!)
experience extravagant welcome, friendly engagement, shared conversation, and refreshment of spirit (as well as coffee and a cookie!). Our primary task when guests come to us is nurturing an environment that communicates our delight by their presence. We want our gladness to be an authentic reflection of
hospitable community
. We want to indicate in every possible way how happy we are to see new folks among us.
There is no doubt that the program will be a thoughtful and fruitful time of learning about grace in hard and difficult times. Perhaps the first lesson about grace is in making room for others to feel comfortable and at home when they are among us. This isn't a call for superficial niceties that go a half-inch deep but instead is an awareness that for
hospitable community to have depth it must be understood as a practice that re-enacts God's welcome of us all.
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In her book,
Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition
, Christine Pohl says that in the Church, the household of God, hospitality is a fitting, requisite, and meaning-filled practice in meeting human need and forging human relations. "
Though part of simple, everyday life, hospitality is never far removed from its divine connections,
".she writes.
Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us. It is our joy to practice that every single day. So on March 2nd: show up, introduce yourself to someone you've not yet met, be aware of your hospitable posture, share a cup of coffee and muffin over conversation, and if you're looking for a word to describe all of that...just...
CALL IT GRACE
.
I hope to see you this Sunday for worship as we explore compassion through testimony, scripture text, and sermon. Read Genesis chapters 45-50 and the story of Joseph's response to his brothers reappearance in his life. A special treat will be hearing a testimony from a delegation to Hope-Flowers School in Bethlehem.
Here is the bulletin
.
With much affection for you,
Marcus
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Adult Sunday School Classes
9:30 am
Join us on Sunday morning, February 24, 9:30-10:30 for an adult Sunday School class. There are a variety of opportunities to choose from, and each class is open to newcomers!
Mindful
Parenting,
Lounge:
This week, Miles Highsmith will be facilitating the conversation.
Finding Myself on a Journey
, Chapel:
Meredith Bratcher guides this Bible-based experiential learning and life reflection class. This Sunday, the passage to be considered is Luke 6:27-38
.
It’s Not Just One Way
, Room 17:
Each week in this class, an individual or couple shares their spiritual journey with the group.
English as a Second Language and Christianity
, Room 18:
Bo Lloyd leads the class in an engaging study of Christian faith, while also helping participants improve English vocabulary and fluency.
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Bail Bond Justice Project
Tues., Feb. 26, 7 pm, Fellowship Hall
Binkley is hosting a Community Informational Meeting on our new initiative, the Orange County Bail Bond Justice Project. We are inviting interested folks from other congregations, organizations, and community members to come and join us in this effort. The meeting will be 7:00 to 8:30 in the Binkley Fellowship Hall.
We hope you will attend this meeting and help get the word out to other justice-minded friends in the community. For folks who would like more information, they can send an email to
info@ocbailbondjustice.org
.
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Reading with a Queer Eye
The Pilgrimage continues this week with its series on the Bible and LGBTQ identity. While last week was concerned with the Hebrew Scriptures, this week's conversation will be built around the New Testament. All students are invited to meet for discussion on Tuesday at 8PM in the Binkley library.
Also, be sure to read the article that has been published about this series! The Daily Tar Heel interviewed several of us for a piece that was released today. Click
here
.
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Wednesday Night Series
Feb 27, 5:30 pm, Fellowship Hall
One Breath at a Time: A Skeptic’s Guide to Christian Meditation.
For six weeks, starting on Wednesday evening, February 27th, (we’ll take a break on March 6 for Ash Wednesday) we'll dig deeply into
One Breath at a Time: A Skeptic’s Guide to Christian Meditation
, a book that reframes meditation for skeptics, novices, experts, and everyone in between. Using scripture, theology, and examples from the early church to make room for a new experience of ancient practices of meditation: breath meditation,
Lectio Divina
, centering meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and devotional meditation. Our approach will be practical and experiential. The series is led by the book’s author, Binkley’s own
Dana Trent
.
Check ‘Event’ in the Friendship Register or RSVP to the office by Monday, February 25 at noon. Dinner is $7 for adults, $4 for children.
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Last Chance to Register!
2019 Seymour Symposium
March 2-3
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On Monday, February 25, be sure to tune in to
WCHL 97.9 at 3:06 pm
to hear our very own
Paul Lindsay
and
Meredith Bratcher
be interviewed live on air about the symposium. We are grateful to our friends at WCHL and chapelboro.com for helping us share this event with the community.
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Serene Jones said recently, "If you kidnap children, you don't get to say it's "too hard" to reunite them with their parents. And you certainly don't get to cite concerns about their well-being as reasons to prolong their trauma.”
View her two minute video, "The weirdness of being human":
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Volunteers and donations of plastic jugs and cylindrical oatmeal boxes are need for the children's program. Contact
Sheryl Scrimsher
for more information.
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Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 6. We'll have two services that day at noon and 7 pm. There are several Lenten Opportunities available to you throughout the 40 days of the season: Marcus' Kerygma class, a study of Richard Rohr's
Breathing Underwater
, a prayer class led by Meredith Bratcher and Stephanie Ford, and a 6-part series on Christian meditation led by Dana Trent.
It's too much to list here, so click
here
to get details on everything!
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Church-in-Conference
Sunday, Mar. 10, Post-worship
The Binkley Church Council has called a Church in Conference for Sunday, March 10, for the purpose of electing the 2019-2020 Church Council. The gathering will be in the sanctuary immediately following the 11:00 worship service.
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A Note from the Road
If you were at our January 6 Epiphany Coffee House, you will remember participating in a service project for
El Refugio
's
hospitality house in Lumpkin, GA. Lumpkin is a rural location where restaurants and lodging are scarce, and the house receives visiting family and friends of detainees at Stewart Immigration Detention Center. Dale Osborne and Ashley Nissler departed yesterday (2/21) to personally deliver the supplies we collected in January. Here's a note from Dale about their experience so far. Check the March Newsletter (coming soon) for a full recounting of their trip.
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Dear Binkley family,
Howdy from lovely Lumpkin. One picture (left) is of the Benitez family from Charlotte. Mother Maria, older daughter Gryzelda and younger daughter Emily left Charlotte at 3 am to get to stewart detention center. They were hoping to receive Uncle Carlos into their waiting arms. Finally, at 8 pm he was released after posting at least a 10,000 dollar bond. The bond allows Carlos to stay with his family until his court date arrives. They were so happy to see him. Gryzelda is a HS junior with medical school in her future. Little Emily would like to be a nun. She was inspired at age 5 when she heard about Mother Teresa at her parish.
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The other picture is of Ashley and our host Patti. Patti works with El Refugio. She is tireless in her efforts to support detainees and their families.
Peace, Dale
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Update from Sign Committee
The Sign Committee (Rob Lewis, chair; Janet O’Neal; Fred Schroeder; Chon Shoaf) appreciates the Binkley congregation taking the time and interest to provide guidance in the form of comments on the Committee’s preliminary proposal for a new sign at our Church. Your
comments have all been reviewed and considered by the Committee, and we have shared a summary with Council. We have listed the comments (with names removed) for your awareness of the rich diversity of opinions shared. We have also grouped the comments into common themes and provided our response to offer you additional information.
Click
HERE
to continue reading and to access the list of comments, response from the committee, list of committee
activities as of January 28,2019, and preliminary sign proposal shared at the display table in January.
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From Outreach
We have received a number of thank you notes from recipients of the 2018 budget year. From El Futuro: "We are so touched and super thankful for your donation! We will put it to good use helping those who so often don’t have anywhere to turn. It’s amazing to look back over the last year to reflect on all we helped and to think of the many children & families we will help here in 2019. It is with your help and for that we are extremely grateful.” From Orange County Living Wage: “Thank you for your very generous donation to Orange County Living Wage. With your support, OCLW looks forward to certifying and promoting ever more living wage employers in 2019. That comes in part through your cash donation, but also through the example you set in the faith community for making living wages a priority. …Your parishioner and our steering committee member, Kimberly Brewer, will help us get there.”From Alamance Orange Prison Ministry:”As budget cuts continue to impact prisons across our state and country, we are so pleased that, because of donations like yours, we are able to continue providing vital chaplain services to the men of Orange Correctional Center.” From Project Impact (PTA Thrift Stores): We are grateful for your support and appreciate your belief in our work!
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February Challenge
Plant a Tree
The Earth Ministries Team is confident that Binkley members and friends lament the great loss of trees and whole forest in the rapidly urbanizing area in which we live. Not only do we appreciate the natural beauty of trees and forest, we are also mindful of their benefits to humans and all other living creatures. As a reminder, here is a list of 10 benefits of trees:
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Click the links below for more information on each event.
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World Day of Prayer
sponsored by Church Women United, Fri., Mar.1, 10am, Binkley Baptist Church. Program written by women in Slovenia:
“Come – Everything Is Ready”
Please join us for this worldwide circle of prayer and action. Especially since Binkley is hosting the event, it would be nice to have more Binkleyites than usually come for Church Women United – men are welcome too!
April 5, 2019, St. Thomas More Catholic Church
Registration now open.
A
day-long interfaith conference in Chapel Hill on April 5, exploring how faith influences our reactions to suicide and what we can do better in our responses. Speakers will address how faith communities can engage, support, and build resiliency around those affected by suicide and suicidality.
Click
here for more information.
Peace in Our Land: Toward a World Without Violence
July 15-20, 2019, Cali, Colombia
We invite you to join us for the 2019 Global Baptist Peace Conference in Cali, Colombia! The conference is open to everyone and anyone interested in peacemaking and will also serve as the 2019 Summer Conference for BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz. During our time together, we will build on the important work of Baptists engaged in peacemaking processes around the globe and equip those engaged in ecumenical and interfaith peacebuilding around the world.
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Link your grocery store loyalty cards to BPS.
Here's how.
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Church Office Hours
Mon.-Thurs.
8:30 am - 4 pm
Friday
8:30 am - 3 pm
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Publication Deadlines
Submissions for the April
Newsletter are due by:
March 18
Submissions for the weekly bulletin and Friday Update are due by:
Wednesday Noon
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The Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church
| 919.942.4964 | office@binkleychurch.org | binkleychurch.org
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