Pastor's E-Note January 18, 2022

Pastor's e-Note

January 18, 2022

Dear BUMC family,

In the midst of a very cold weather this week, I greet you with this: “May the warmth of Christ be with you!”

Anyone who has gone through a hard time in life knows what the psalmist is describing in Psalm 40. In the midst of many challenges, some people feel like being dropped in a dirty desolate pit with steep walls and no perspective of a horizon. You know that the more you struggle, the more bound you become.

At times, we suffer from cancer, depression, unemployment, death, and a global Pandemic, and these challenges seem to overpower our predictable lives. The “pit” and the “bog” are horrible places for us to encounter. Even worse is knowing that most of the time we are there not because of something we have done to deserve it but simply because we are just human and human beings often suffer.

The psalmist begins by telling his experience of God’s grace while crying in the pit, but then the Lord recounts a marvelous happing, “I waited patiently… and the Lord heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, and out of the miry bog, and set my feet up on the rock, making my steps secure!” (Psalm 40:1-3)

What a great feeling – yanked from the muck, pulled from the very hand of God! Two of the great truths this Psalm tells us of our relationship with God are that God hears our cries, and we need to wait patiently.

The third truth is that God will “put a new song in our mouths, and it will be a song of praise to God.” (Psalm 40:4-5) As we sing, other will see and respect also and put their trust in God’s saving grace and trustworthiness.

Please stay warm, safe, and healthy.

In Love and Grace,

Rev. Jennifer

Worship With Us

In-Person and Live Stream Worship

January 23 at 10:00 AM

Join us for worship, as we enjoy the fourth message of our sermon series focusing on the book of Genesis. Rev. Jennifer Cho will share her message, "In the Beginning: The Language of Disobedience." Our scripture reading will be Genesis 11:1-9. Our Sanctuary Choir and Foundation Praise Team will share their musical offerings.

We invite you to read Genesis 6:4-10:32 in preparation for Sunday's service.

January Sermon Series

Focusing on the Book of Genesis

The bible begins with a vision of what life with God, and in God, and for God is intended to be. Just as God brought forth creation out of chaos, there is an alternative to the life of chaos, isolation, fear and divisiveness that surrounds us now. As we find ourselves at the start of a new year, perhaps it’s time for us to return to our beginnings.

We encourage you to read your bible along with our preaching schedule. We have included the full schedule below, so that you may revisit the readings from previous weeks and catch up on any that you may have missed. Follow this suggested reading guide, and you will have read the first 11 chapters of Genesis by the end of January:

Week 1 (Jan 2): Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Week 2 (Jan 9): Genesis 2:4b-3:24

Week 3 (Jan 16): Genesis 4:1-6:4

Week 4 (Jan 23): Genesis 6:4-10:32

Week 5 (Jan 30): Genesis 11:1-12:3

Prayer Requests

Please join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need of prayers.

Our dear friend, George Hunter, has gone on to God's eternal rest. We invite you to share prayers of comfort for his wife, Linda; daughter, Amy Shorter; and their family.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Bridgewater United Methodist Church on January 22 at 11 AM, with a repast to follow at Raritan Valley Country Club.

Click here to submit a prayer request.

Coming Soon

Northern Region Foundational Leadership Training via Zoom

January 22, 9 AM to 12:30 PM

The Metro-Highlands Foundational Leadership Training on Jan. 22, 2022 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. is designed for church officers, committee and team leaders, and people engaged in various church ministries to provide foundational understanding and leadership skills.

Two workshop sessions will give participants the opportunity to choose different options to learn about their area of ministry and other more general leadership skills. This training is open to both clergy and laity. More details can be found here.

All workshops will take place via Zoom. Please note that not all workshops are offered in both sessions. Registration is now open and required to attend. Upon registering, you will receive a confirmation email. A separate email, however, will be sent to you the week of Jan. 17, which will include the Zoom information of the workshops for which you are registered.

Registration is now being facilitated through the Arena system. A login is not required to register, and you will still be able to register on behalf of others in your church as well as for yourself.

Please register here. Registrations must be received by Wednesday, Jan. 19.

Helping Our Community

Food Drive Donations

Thank you for donating food to our neighbors. Please bring your non-perishable/non-expired items to the church, and place them in our “Food Bank” containers.

If you would prefer, you can bring your items to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County located at 7E Easy St, Bound Brook, NJ 08805. Thank you very much.

Tech Tip

Did you know that when watching the livestream of our weekly services there are two ways to adjust the volume? You can alter the volume on your computer, or through You Tube. See the image below for guidance.