Dear Church Family,
Psalm 51:6-8a “Surely you desire faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness…”
Prayer Requests
Pray for the government leaders of our state and country to have wisdom and discernment.
Boyertown Area Multi-Service upon receipt of a gift of $500 from our Benevolence Fund along with matching Everence funds–“Thank you to the Butter Valley Community Church for the generous gift to Multi-Service. The needs are increasing in the community during this stressful time and this donation will be used with much gratitude to provide assistance.”
Opportunities to Gather
Our plan is to begin an Adult Sunday School Class this Sunday, June 21, at 9 am in the sanctuary. This class will continue Charles Jones’ class on the Spiritual Discipline utilizing Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. We have a few copies available at church, so please ask if you would like a copy, or order one yourself, or simply attend without a copy. They will begin with chapter 7, but reading the chapter is not required to participate. Please use masks to enter and leave the building. Once in your seat at a proper social distance, you may remove your masks for the class.
Our Worship Service begins at 10 am. Please feel free to invite others to our services. Come out and join us in your folding chairs or remain in your vehicle. We continue to stress giving at least six feet of distance between people while talking or sitting. The message this week is from Psalm 51 and is entitled “What Should I Do When I Sin?” The message planned for next week is from Psalm 52.
This Sunday: We have been watching the weather predictions, and plan to gather this Sunday outside. If the predictions are mistaken, and a thunderstorm comes right around service time instead of in the afternoon, then we will need to cancel any in-person meeting for this week. We will communicate that decision through Facebook and on the Website as quickly as possible. If you are uncertain, please check those places or contact Pastor Mark with questions tomorrow morning.
If the weather changes course last minute, we will not be able to switch gears quickly enough to be prepared for an indoor service. Considerations to the Sunday School class already meeting in the sanctuary along with having missed the first service time of 9:00 am by the time a decision would need to be made are all part of what makes it a challenge to pivot at the last minute. The decision to meet indoors or outdoors needs to be made ahead of time as there are many “moving parts” that would need to be adjusted. As tough decisions about gathering in person are made, we are reminded that this is a time when much grace is needed as we navigate through the range of considerations and differences of confidence about meeting indoors.
We continue to offer pre-recorded services of worship and the message. View the services at www.buttervalleycc.org or search YouTube for Butter Valley Community Church.
Thank you for the responses to the survey. We have about 40% of the respondents who selected the 9 am service, and 60% selected the 10:30 am option. It is fairly naturally divided, so we suggest that everyone come at the time they selected on the survey. The seating is roped off or separated for social distancing in the church. A cleaning crew has volunteered to clean between services. On Sundays, when we need to be inside, Adult Sunday School will be cancelled. We plan to continue gathering outside, but if the weather forces our decision, we will switch to indoors starting AFTER this week.
We continue to prepare for when we choose to move services inside or need to move services inside due to bad weather. If you have NOT submitted a response to the survey, here is the link to that survey: Indoor Services Survey Link
Since Fensty’s Flea Market is opening again on the weekends we want to be considerate about our parking near the market. We can park anywhere from the edge of the Fensty’s building (where the broken down white vinyl fence is located) to Main St (Rt 100). You can also park along the BCC/cemetery as before. If we run out of parking there, you can park in the church parking lot.
Our next BVCC Prayer Meeting is on Tuesday, June 23, at 6:30 pm. ** Note this is a new link and a new day of the week. We hope you can join us in this important time of prayer for our church and the needs around us. Please find the information for the zoom in the email that was sent out.
There is a Deacon and Deaconess Meeting on Tuesday, June 23, at 7:00 pm.
Youth Group is planned for Wednesday, June 24, from 6:30-8:30 pm. We plan to gather completely outdoors.
Church Council will meet on Wednesday, June 24, at 7 pm.
The Women’s Ministry would like to invite all the women of the church to a Book Club this summer. We will begin in July and meet twice, one time half way through the book and the second time will be at the end of the book. The meetings will have some discussion of the book and plenty of visiting. It will take place outside and we will have safe individually wrapped snacks. The book we will be reading is “The Masterpiece “ by Francine Rivers. If you are interested in joining us or need help getting the book, please let Kelly Hetrick know.
The book is available in paperback or digital version. Here is a link to the listing on Amazon.com. The listing also shares some information about the book. It may also be available at a local library.
The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers
Planning for the Women’s Retreat is already underway. See attached for the “Save the Date” Flyer.
Announcements
The Vacation Bible School Committee is looking for people interested in volunteering for a MINI VBS on July 13, 14 and 15. It is being planned to be held all outside from 6:30-8:30 pm. We would like to have skits, food, games and small group time. If you are interested in helping with this, please contact Samantha Diehl. ( [email protected] )
Online giving is available on our website at www.buttervalleycc.org under the drop-down menu “Resources.” You can also mail checks to the church office at BVCC, PO Box 97, Bally, PA 19503. Thank you to the church for your faithful giving during this time.
We were collecting the Baby Bottles with Coins or Cash in them for Life’s Choices, the pregnancy center in Kutztown. We would love to pass those funds on to the organization. Please bring in your bottles over the next two weeks. Please call Pastor Mark if you would prefer to drop it off at the office.
You are welcome to tour the progress of the building addition after the service today.
We would like to form some Task Forces to determine plans and priority lists for three different areas of the church affected by the addition. We are seeking those willing to help with:
- Planning for the redesign of the current church building (specifically relating to new entryways)
- Planning the design and function of the children’s ministry wing
- Planning out the furniture/interior design of the church addition
If you are interested in any of these areas, please let Pastor Mark know.
ATV Trail Ride to raise support for The Loft Ministries has a new date of July 11, 2020. Cost is $25 per driver and $10 per passenger. Go to www.theloftministries.com for more information.
The Gospel Coalition is hosting a Prayer of Lament for Racial Justice, a time of focused prayer and song at 7:00 p.m. tonight, Saturday, June 20, 2020. This is much like their Day to Fast and Pray that was hosted at the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/
Pastor Mark