FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear friends and members of our Balboa Union Church
Modern technology provides us with tools to take pictures of ourselves; »Selfies« are now the most common things. How many of you have seen a “selfie” of Jesus?
As Christians we are celebrating Lent – a moment of fasting. How about focusing on others – no selfies?
I want to share with you an article which speaks about the disease of our Postmodern Era: narcissism
Unselfish Interest – by William MacDonald
The most natural thing in the world is to show kindness to those who can repay us, to cultivate the friendship of those who can help us, to be interested in those whom we can somehow use in our projects.
To correct this selfish tendency, Jesus taught,
“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:12-14).
While this refers primarily to hospitality, it flows over into other aspects of Christian life and service. For instance, it is easy to devote hours to discipling that intelligent, good-looking young convert and never give a passing thought to that wrinkled, toothless saint in the convalescent hospital. It is a temptation to concentrate on those who are potential assets to us in our empire-building schemes and neglect the spiritual waifs and orphans see who seem to be perpetual basket-cases.
Three considerations should bring us up short when we limit our concern to those who can help us or whom we can use.
The first is this! It’s a good thing that the Lord didn’t act like that. He chose us for what He could give us, not for any thought of personal benefit. There was nothing in us to commend us to His love and interest. We would have been shut out if He had treated us as we often treat others.
The second consideration is that the Lord Jesus often comes to us in very unexpected ways. He comes dressed like the least of His brothers. He comes in believers who are outwardly unattractive. He comes sometimes with little promise of the blessing He will be to us if we receive Him.
The third sobering consideration is that when we cultivate friendships on the basis of what they will mean to us, and when those friends reciprocate, we have received our reward, and there won’ t be any more at the resurrection of the righteous. Jesus reminds us that present repayment cuts us off from future reward.
The moral, then, is that our interests, friendships and kindnesses should be unconditional and impartial.
Kind Regards
Rev. Roland
GET INVOLVED AND PARTICIPATE!
We will be asking for Volunteers to help with the following event that we have:
Last year we had the first Annual Picnic to celebrate our 100 year anniversary. It is our intention to redo the event and make it an annual event for the community.
We are looking for volunteers that can help with:
- Organising the Event
- Helping on the day – Saturday the 14th of March.
Please speak with Beth Gray for more information.
THIS SUNDAY AT BALBOA UNION CHURCH
Worship Service at 10 a.m. – ALL ARE WELCOME!
Children’s Sunday School Teacher: Betsy Moran
SPEAKER: Sue Robbins. Her Sermon title is: WELCOME TO OUR HOME
Sue Robbins will take note of Abraham’s covenant with God – the word is “covenant” not “promise” – and how the implication of the word in the Genesis story is somehow deeper and more profound than any mere “promise” could be. As we look to the BUC Council’s 2015 emphasis on growth, it seems to be a good time to look at the various covenants, both written and implied, that we have with one another as members of Christ’s church and how we can extend those — and the innate hospitality that is our church’s character — to new folks who come through our doors.
Scripture emphasis:
Psalm 22:23-31
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
| First TestamentReadings and Psalms | Genesis17:1-7Psalm22:23-31 |
| Epistle Reading | Romans 4:13-25 |
| Gospel Reading | Mark 8:31-38 |
Other News
From Our Council
Committee Night at BUC join us!
Mar 10, 2015 10:00am
The members of our BUC church council – under the leadership of David McIntosh Mahady – have developed a new initiative that we are calling BUC Committee Night. Rather than hold committee meetings throughout the month, in 2015, we will hold ALL committees together on one productive (and interesting!) evening each month. CHILD CARE WILL BE PROVIDED!
When we all joined the Balboa Union Church, we pledged “to uphold it and each other with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service.” An important way we do that is through the work of our committees. ALL MEMBERS AND FRIENDS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONSIDER MAKING COMMITTEE NIGHT A PART OF YOUR 2015 COMMITMENT OF SERVICE TO OUR CHURCH!
The Committee Night schedule will look like this:
- 7 p.m. to 7:15: Gather in the Fellowship Hall for fellowship, snacks and prayer. (This opener is important! We will start on time!)
- 7:15 to 8 p.m.: Committee meetings held throughout the building. (Council officers and staff will cycle through all committees to offer support.)
- 8 p.m. to 8:15: Gather back in the Fellowship Hall for ending activity
Committee Night will be a great chance to see our seven committees at work and figure out where you want to serve!
- WORSHIP & MINISTRY (Joel Guerra) – Planning of Sunday worship services and special worship events
- CHRISTIAN EDUCATION (Roland Schnell) – Organizing our Sunday school, seminars and educational opportunities
- MISSIONS (Betsy Moran) – Our church’s outreach into the community for those in need
- MEMBERSHIP & COMMUNICATIONS (Beth Gray) – Membership development, greeting and advertising
- PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (Kendra Walker) – Refurbishing, maintaining and decorating our buildings and landscape
- YOUTH & ADULT ACTIVITIES (Leslie Escudero) – Our social and hospitality group – PARTIES!
- FINANCE & STEWARDSHIP (Colombino Headley) – Managing our church’s finances and fund-raising
Looking forward to seeing you at 7 p.m. on March 10th for COMMITTEE NIGHT!!!
Practice: Sunday, March 8th, immediately after the service. Meet at the piano!
PERFORMANCE: Sunday, March 15th during our service
Please join us if you like to sing. (At BUC, we make a joyful NOISE!)
From Our Friends at the Theatre Guild
Written by Cole Porter in the 1940’s Panama Hattie is set in none other than Panama City!
Hattie Maloney, a brassy nightclub singer in Panama, tries to fit into the upper-crust world of her fiance, Nick Bullett, an officer in the armed forces, and the divorced father of an 8-year-old child. Hattie insists that he send for the girl before they are married, and spends most of Act I trying to get the child’s endorsement of her as a prospective stepmother. In Act II, she wins over Nick’s boss, Whitney Randolph, by foiling a plot to blow up the canal.
Panama Hattie will be directed by Adam Herzig and will be presented at the Theatre Guild of Ancon.