BPC NEWS BRIEF
Wednesday,
March 2, 2022
mailing address:  Balmoral Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 17309, Memphis, TN 38187
NEWS THIS WEEK

  • WORSHIP, COMMUNION, and SUNDAY STUDIES for SUNDAY, MARCH 6

  • ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE

  • REFLECTIONS on LENT

  • STATED CLERK reacts to Russian invasion of Ukraine

  • CHAIR YOGA moves to CLASSROOM B

  • BOOK CLUB March 8

  • LENTEN PREACHING SERIES at CALVARY EPISCOPAL (& Waffle Shop is OPEN!)

  • BPC Photos
  • Worship, Sunday, February 27
WEEKLY INFORMATION
  • Birthdays
  • Calendar of Events
  • OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
  • CONTACT INFORMATION
  • WORSHIP IN-PERSON POLICIES & PROCEDURES


REMINDERS:
  • LENTEN DEVOTIONALS AVAILABLE

BPC WORSHIP
& COMMUNION

Sunday, March 6, 2022


11:00am IN BPC's SANCTUARY

Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1-11 & Luke 4:1-13
Sermon: Even in the Desert
This Sunday, we will resume our custom of gathering at the front tables for Communion. Details of any procedures will be shared at the beginning of the worship service.
CIRCLE of FAITH WORSHIP at 8:30am
IN BPC's Fellowship Hall

Everyone is invited to join Circle of Faith's worship service!
To enter the building, use Office door to the Fellowship Hall.
Bible Study of Matthew 
led by Clinton Bailey, Stanley Gates and William Warren.
Please read Chapters 17 & 18 for this week.
Meets in Classroom A.
Book Study of "His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis" 
by Jon Meacham; led by Cliff Gurlen.
Meets in the Fellowship area
We will still send an email on FRIDAY with the
Sunday Worship Guide & a link to the LiveStream on YouTube. 

Previous Worship Services at Balmoral are still available on the 
Ash Wednesday
Worship Service
March 2, 6:00pm
Lent begins Wednesday, March 2, 2022, with our
Ash Wednesday Service of Imposition of Ashes.
Join us in the sanctuary at 6:00pm tonight!

Use the images below to access the Worship Guide and
to link to the LiveStream on YouTube
REFLECTIONS on LENT
Friends, this week as we gather for Ash Wednesday, we once again start our journey in for the season of Lent. This is an opportunity for us to lay down the burdens that we have been carrying, and once again commit ourselves to trusting fully and completely in God. This Lenten season, using resources from
A Sanctified Art, we will contemplate what it means to live expansively.

This lectionary year the scriptures for the Lenten season are filled with stories and promises of God's grace, God's abundance, and God's love for us all. It is so easy in our daily lives to allow the knowledge and experience of God’s grace to be limited to our worship experiences, pushed to the side. But when we allow ourselves to be filled with God's love - when we are Filled to the Brim - that love spills out. Like water, it rushes and flows, touching everything in its path.

I invite you to join us on this journey as this Lent we live into the promises of our scriptures. We belong to God. And when we let God fill us to the brim, God's boundless grace and love overflows our hearts and our minds.

Rev. Mary Gale
STATED CLERK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY REACTS TO RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE
J. Herbert Nelson urges the White House to seek diplomatic solutions to crisis
February 25, 2022
We are deeply saddened and shocked by Russia’s military action in Ukraine. Russia’s invasion violates international law and threatens to cause mass casualties and destruction, force millions to flee their homes and potentially trigger a catastrophic nuclear war. Russia has attacked a sovereign country to overthrow a legitimate government — a country that chose not to be a nuclear power. Europe has not seen such a military effort since World War II, a harbinger for a human catastrophe.  

Tragically, the current invasion follows an eight-year civil war in the Donbas region of Ukraine, which has already killed thousands of people and caused millions more to be internally displaced.

As members of the body of Christ, as people of faith, we lift our broken hearts in fervent prayer for peace in Ukraine. We have lived in hope over these weeks that war would not come, but it has. We join our voices with the global community, calling for an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. May the Russian army turn back to their borders and lay down their weapons, the tools of war.

We call on the Biden administration to pursue all diplomatic measures in its power. The world needs to bring both parties to the negotiating table. Security is not founded on weapons and cannot be gained from the tools of war.

Although Russia bears full responsibility for this attack, we acknowledge that the last 30 years have been shaped by a failure of international relations which has not enhanced security on the European continent.

As Christians, we reject the language of the enemy but recognize the brutality of military action. We stand in solidarity with Ukraine and lift up her people, praying for their safety. We fear for them. May they be shielded from the costs of war. May they find shelter from the conflict.

We pray also for our siblings in Russia who are speaking loudly against this war, who demonstrate in the streets despite the risks.

We call for an end of hostilities, for resumption of diplomatic efforts, and for a peace process that guarantees a new and sustainable European architecture.
Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Map of Ukraine: Courtesy of US Central Intelligence Agency (Public Domain)

CHAIR YOGA
HAS MOVED to CLASSROOM B
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12:30 PM
BOOK CLUB
1:30pm Tuesday, March 8
in Classroom A
A Century of November
by W.D. Wetherell
This month's book selection is about the end of World War I, yet transcends a single event, to the most universal emotions of surviving family. 
Winner of the 2004 Michigan Literary Fiction Award for novel, it is a haunting story of the power of death, the pain of loss, and the possibility of hope.
Ted Pearson will lead the discussion.
Lenten Preaching Series
at Calvary Episcopal
12:05–12:40 P.M.
WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS, AND FRIDAYS
at Calvary, 102 N 2nd Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38103

Calvary Episcopal Church celebrates its 99th annual Lenten Preaching Series and Waffle Shop beginning Thursday, Mar. 3. All are invited to attend in-person to hear this year’s 16 dynamic speakers. All of this year’s preaching series also will be live-streamed at 12:05 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday on

SPEAKERS for this week and next week:
Thursday and Friday, March 3-4
The Rev. Buddy Stallings
Former rector of St. Bartholomew’s, Manhattan

After retiring as rector of St. Bartholomew’s in Manhattan, Buddy Stallings wondered what church for him would look like going forward, even pondering life with very little church involvement. To his delight, no matter how maddening the church sometimes can be, the church—all it is and longs to be—continues to live at the center of his life. As a priest, his path to God has been most vividly illuminated by the experience of God in others: we bear God to one another. His consolation and hope for the world rest in that conclusion. Stallings believes the marriage of an ancient faith and the postmodern world, though tricky business, is the mission of the church, a mission which can be realized only in the gritty reality of love for God, one another, the planet, and ourselves.
Wednesday, March 9 ~ Noon 
The Rev. Canon
Stephanie Spellers
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Canon for Evangelism, Reconciliation, and Creation; New York, NY

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers serves as Canon to Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and spearheads Episcopal efforts concerning evangelism, reconciliation, and creation care. Her newest book, The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline and New Hope for Beloved Community (March 2021), follows her popular titles Radical Welcome: Embracing God, The Other and the Spirit of Transformation and The Episcopal Way. Spellers has served as chaplain to the Episcopal House of Bishops, directed and taught mission and evangelism at General Theological Seminary, and served as a canon in the Diocese of Long Island. Before that, she founded The Crossing, a ground-breaking church within St. Paul’s Cathedral in Boston, and led numerous church-wide renewal and justice efforts. A native of Frankfort, Kentucky, she and her husband Albert deGrasse make their home in New York's Harlem neighborhood.
Thursday & Friday, March 10-11
The Rev. Dr. Serene Jones
President of Union Theological Seminary,
New York

A highly respected scholar and public intellectual, the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones is the sixteenth President of the historic Union Theological Seminary in New York City. The first woman to head the 182-year-old institution, Jones is a past president of the American Academy of Religion, which annually hosts the world’s largest gathering of scholars of religion. Jones came to Union after seventeen years at Yale University. She is the author of several books including Trauma and Grace and, most recently, her memoir Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World. Jones, a popular public speaker, holds deep grounding in theology, politics, women’s studies, economics, race studies, history, and ethics.

NOTE: At this time, the Calvary website indicates the following COVID procedures:
Masks and physical distancing are required for all people over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status, in public worship services, outreach ministries, education offerings, and gatherings at Calvary.
FUTURE WEEK SPEAKERS:
Pádraig Ó Tuama Poet, peacemaker, storyteller, Ireland
Wednesday, March 16 ~ Noon and 6:15 p.m.

The Rev. Rosalyn Nichols Organizing Pastor of Freedom’s Chapel Christian Church and Interfaith Officer at MIFA, Memphis Thursday, March 17

The Rev. Joshua Narcisse Director of Spiritual Care, Church Health, Memphis
Friday, March 18

The Rev. Rufus Smith Senior Pastor of Hope Church, Memphis
Wednesday, March 23

Rabbi Katie Bauman Senior Rabbi, Touro Synagogue, New Orleans
Wednesday, March 23 at 6:15 p.m. and Thursday, March 24 at Noon

The Rev. Lisa Anderson Executive Director, Room in the Inn, Memphis
Friday, March 25

Dr. Ellen F. Davis Theologian and Old Testament Scholar, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC
Wednesday, March 30 ~ Noon and 6:15 p.m.

The Rev. Dan Matthews Former rector of the Church of Trinity Wall Street, New York
Thursday, March 31

The Rev. Dr. Kathryn Kimmel Senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Memphis
Friday, April 1

Rabbi Micah Greenstein and The Rev. Sam Teitel
Senior Rabbi at Temple Israel and Minister at Church of the River, Memphis
Wednesday, April 6 ~ Noon and 6:15 p.m.

Mr. Geoff Calkins Columnist, The Daily Memphian
Thursday, April 7

Mr. Justin Pearson
Community activist and co-founder, Memphis Community Against the Pipeline
Friday, April 8

For more information about the Lenten Series, visit their website at
Calvary's
Waffle Shop
MARCH 3-APRIL 8, 2022
WEDNESDAYS, THURSDAYS, AND FRIDAYS 
11 a.m.-1:30- p.m.

It’s been 93 years since plates were piled up with waffles, chicken hash, and fish pudding at Calvary’s first Waffle Shop in Lent of 1928. For all that’s changed in our world since then, Memphians still stream to Calvary each year for these three dishes, as well as more “recent” additions such as shrimp mousse, tomato aspic, and Tennessee bourbon pie. Why some of these might not have been on the menu even as long as you’ve been alive! But Waffle Shop has become the ultimate annual comfort food for many, so we are pleased to let you know that it will be up and running again in 2022!
Dining will be offered in-person in the Mural Room on a first-come, first-served basis. Groups of 10+ can make reservations in advance by calling 901-525-6602. To-Go meals will be offered.

For more information and menus, go to their website at https://calvarymemphis.org/learn/lenten-preaching-series/waffle-shop/
LENTEN DEVOTIONS for 2022
BIRTHDAYS
Robin Ashworth (4), Bill Hooker (13),
Robin Van Nortwick (20), John Gilmer (27)
 
Every Monday
2:00pm Writer's Group CLASSROOM A and/or on Zoom

EVERY TUESDAY & THURSDAY
12:30pm CHAIR YOGA in CLASSROOM B

1st Wednesday of the Month
BIBLE STUDY 10:30am in Classroom A

1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month
Ellis Small Group 10:15 am

2nd Tuesday of the Month
1:30pm BOOK CLUB in Classroom A

2nd Thursday Evening of the Month
7:00 pm Trouble I've Seen Small Group
in Classroom A

1st & 3rd Thursday of the Month
COLONIAL PARK FOOD DRIVE
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Ash Wednesday Service of Imposition of Ashes and Communion
6:00m in the sanctuary

Sunday, March 6, 2022
8:30 AM Circle of Faith Worship in the Fellowship Hall
9:30 AM SUNDAY STUDIES: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
  • Bible Study meets in Classroom A
  • "His Truth is Marching On" meets in the Fellowship area
11:00 AM BPC Worship & Communion in the Sanctuary
& on LiveStream

Tuesday, March 8, 2022
BOOK CLUB in Classroom A

Sunday, March 13, 2022
8:30 AM Circle of Faith Worship in the Fellowship Hall
9:30 AM SUNDAY STUDIES: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
  • Bible Study meets in Classroom A
  • "His Truth is Marching On" meets in the Fellowship area
11:00 AM BPC Worship in the Sanctuary
& on LiveStream
PLEASE NOTE: The Church Office will NOT be staffed. Please continue to use your contact lists to reach us!
REMINDERS: We must help to keep the SEED children safe!
Please do not enter the SEED area of the building without authorization and be sure to wear masks around the children.

Small Group Meetings in Classrooms A & B must be scheduled with Barry Dotson, barry.dotson@yahoo.com or signed text/cell: 901. 277.1596
BPC PHOTOS
WORSHIP SERVICE
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Prelude by Bells of Balmoral
Directed by Lynn Ward
Musical Offering
“I’m Goin’ Up a Yonder"
OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE
Exodus 34:29-35
Eli Gurlen
NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE
Luke 9:28-36
The Rev. Mary Newberg Gale
COLONIAL PARK FOOD DRIVE
IF ANYONE IS CALLED TO SERVE....
We work every 1st and 3rd Thursday. 
Colonial Park UMC
5330 Park Ave
CONTACT SCOTT DAWSON for more INFORMATION

CLOTHES DRIVE
for
JOHNSON AUXILIARY
Men’s Clothing:
  • Men’s Casual Shoes (athletic-type shoes) /Slippers (with backs) (All sizes needed)
  • Men’s Jackets and Hoodies (all sizes) & gloves
  • Men’s Casual Pants—Waist Sizes (All sizes needed, but particularly need sizes 30-36 waist and sizes 44 and up waist)
  • Men’s Casual Pants—Sweatpants (All sizes)
  • Men’s Casual Shirts—long sleeve (All sizes needed, but particularly need sizes XL and up particularly big and tall sizes); button down the front and pullover
  • Men’s underwear and socks (Must be new)—(All sizes)

Women’s Clothing:
  • Women’s sweatpants—all sizes needed
  • Women’s underwear and socks (must be new); all sizes needed
  • Women’s hoodies/casual outerwear (all sizes needed, particularly plus sizes); gloves
  • Women’s casual shoes (athletic-type) /slippers (with backs)—Sizes 9 and up

Other Clothing Related Needs:
  • Umbrellas
  • Rainwear such as ponchos (unisex, preferred)

If items have been previously worn, they must be clean, odor-free, stain-free and not in need of repair.
Your contributions really help and are greatly appreciated! 
(Place items near the Food Cart in the narthex hallway.)
VOLUNTEERS are also needed!
Contact Beverley Hooker for more information!

CONTACT INFORMATION
Pastoral Care this week will be supplied by Pastoral Care Intern Rev. Elizabeth Dick 314.330.0506
       or email elizabethdick2@gmail.com
You may also reach out to our Transitional Pastor
Rev. Mary Newberg Gale at 913.481.7427
       or email mngale@balmoralpc.com
    
Session members are your primary contact for ongoing communication. Here's the current contact list:
Lori Blackwelder .... (901) 262-8282 ............... LORIEB1165@yahoo.com
Leiza Collins ........... (901) 246-5031 ..................... leiza1016@gmail.com 
Becky DeLoach ...... (901) 489-3369 ............. BeckyMD2905@gmail.com
Barry Dotson .......... (901) 277-1596 ............... barry.dotson@yahoo.com
Janice Hill ............... (901) 826-9747 ................... janicehill81@gmail.com
Beverly Hooker.........(901) 496-1241 ......................... bev.h@earthlink.net
Ted Pearson home: (901) 754-9796 ...................  pearsonteda@aol.com 
...........................cell: (901) 486-6117
Erich Shultz .............(901) 268-4951 ...................emshultz@bellsouth.net
John Van Nortwick (901) 605-2907 ............ jvnortwick@cornerstone-
systems.com

(NOTE: Many of these Session members work during the day, so you may want to text them or email them.)

Keep in mind that ANY Balmoral member who is healthy will most likely be happy to help you in case of need as well!

To contact other members, the most-current contact information is available by requesting a copy of the BPC PHONE DIRECTORY from Kathy Singleton by email ksingle2@bellsouth.net or by phone or text to (901) 734-7193. 
CURRENT WORSHIP PROCEDURES
  • Masks will be worn in the building at all times
  • Social Distancing of 6 feet will be observed at all times; please avoid close contact with others, such as hugging or shaking hands. Greet each other with elbow bumps instead!
  • Pastor will be masked at all times except at the pulpit when she is preaching and leading worship
  • Choral leaders will be masked at all times except when they sing or lead liturgy
  • Musicians will be masked at all times, except those who play brass or wind instruments
  • The Congregation invites all vaccinated, masked worshippers to join their voices!
NOTE: Since the church office is NOT currently manned and the outside doors remain locked, those needing access to the church office will need a key or be with someone who has a key. Please continue to stay vigilant about keeping the SEED children safe by avoiding going into their area. Thank you!
PLEASE, FOR THE SAFETY OF YOURSELF and ALL THOSE YOU LOVE AND CARE FOR:
Anyone who is experiencing symptoms of illness (EG: sinus infection; flu like symptoms; sore throat; fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; diarrhea) should consider contacting your Healthcare Provider and let them know you may have been exposed to a breakthrough case of COVID-19 to a fully vaccinated person.
PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE CHURCH
IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS
Thank you for continuing to observe the ever-changing policies as we navigate the pandemic together.
To contact the Chair of the BPC COVID-19 Task Force:
Scott Hill - signed text: 901.277.9794
email: sphill1946@gmail.com (NOTE his new email!)
IF YOU ARE EXPOSED TO OR HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH COVID    
Contact: The Reverend Elizabeth Dick 314.330.0506 or elizabethdick2@gmail.com
Let Elizabeth know when you were last in church; Give permission for notification to the congregation; Get Tested, if you have not already been; Contact any person or persons you have been with and follow with your doctor's advice.
  • Newsletter Articles & Photos should be emailed to Kathy Singleton at ksingle2@bellsouth.net no later than Monday at noon for the week you want the article in the news.
  • Bulletin Information should be emailed to Rev. Mary Gale, with a copy to Kathy Singleton, no later than Monday noon the week before the Sunday you want the information to appear.
  • Prayer Concerns should be submitted via email to Rev. Elizabeth Dick (elizabethdick2@gmail.com) with a copy to Kathy Singleton at ksingle2@bellsouth.net.
MARCH 2022
online church calendar
The calendar will take a few seconds to load and, once it opens, you will see the month that we are currently in. To see the next month's calendar, click on the arrow pointing down - it is just to the right of the name of the month. Once you click on that arrow, an icon will appear with all the months of the year listed. Click on the month that you want to see. To see a specific date, click on the number of the day you would like to see. The entire 2021-2022 calendar is available to you.