Weekly Word

This week, BPC’s own Larry Cowen was wearing at least two hats: Hat 1) planning for tonight’s sold-out show of the Wolff Sisters in BPC’s Fellowship Hall and, Hat 2) asking anyone and everyone involved with our Neighborhood Support Team to write a letter of support for Malalai Safi as she prepares for her Immigration Hearing in the coming weeks.
For my part, I had the privilege of helping with both – both unboxing and putting up the curtains in the Fellowship Hall that will get some good use over the years, schlepping some panels for the stage, and setting up some lights for the concert, as well as sitting down to write a letter on behalf of Malalai.
Setting up for the concert was exciting because I love live music and very few things build community like in-person live music. Writing the letter for Malalai was emotional because the outcome could be life-changing for her and her family….

This past week, the Session voted to make two different investments in the future of Bedford Presbyterian Church. One investment is physical and the other investment is in the size of our church staff.

The Session voted to replace three sets of steps on the outside of the church – at the Fellowship Hall, the Food Pantry, and on Church Road, next to our mailbox. Each set of steps needs to be replaced for the safety of the people who use our building. It was gratifying to be able to pull the $50,000 in funds for this project from our Capital Reserve Fund (a savings account set up for the purpose of capital expenses like this) as well as our operating budget for the year. Work will begin on the steps in the next few weeks and will be complete before winter sets in. The work might impact some of the traffic flow around the Fellowship Hall steps but we will make sure that you will be able to enter the building via the ramp up to the Fellowship Hall portico and/or another entrance….

This week, as I write to you, there are people who are either going above-and-beyond or are getting ready to do so.

This week, a small team of people from Bedford Presbyterian Church are up in Farmington, Maine, doing some much-needed winterizing of several homes, making them livable before cold temperatures arise.

This week, members of our congregation are delivering food from the Bedford Community Food Pantry to local schools so that hungry young people will have food to eat over the upcoming weekend. Also, preparations are being made to celebrate two of the Food Pantry’s key volunteers – Jason and Kat Piracini – at this year’s Good Samaritan Awards.

This week, results are being collected for our ongoing “Good Futures” initiative – studying who we are, as a congregation, and preparing us for the good future that God has prepared for us…..

Back in 2012, Bedford Presbyterian Church was in a time of transition and discernment. The Senior Pastor had left to go to another congregation and the idea of the Co-Pastor model had been approved, in theory. But, in addition to all of the conversations that took place around the type of leadership model the church would have, there was also a long season of asking questions like,

Who are we, as a congregation? What are our priorities? What are our gifts?
What are the things about us that are unique? When have we been at our best?
And, based on the answers to all-of-the-above, What is God calling us to do?

Years ago, there was a comedian named Bill Hicks who told a story about a time that he was sitting in a restaurant, reading a book at the counter.  When the waitress came up to take his order, she asked, “What are you reading for?”  Not, “what are you reading?” but “what are you reading for,” as if he needed to justify why he was reading in the first place.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve noticed something rather alarming happening when I sit down to read….

Last week, I wrote about the speed at which the years seem to pass when it comes to raising children and serving in the church. It does seem just like yesterday when we took our now-4th-Grader to daycare for the first time. And, it seems like yesterday when I began my first official “church job” on August 22, 2001….

On the day that I am writing this, our family is marking a bit of a milestone: we now have a Fourth Grader living in our house. In truth this Fourth Grader has been living in our house for the past nine years, but he’s never been a Fourth Grader before. Last night – the night before the first day of Fourth Grade – my wife asked, “How is it that we now have a Fourth Grader?” “I don’t know,” I said. “I guess it’s true what they say (whoever “they” are) that “The days are long and the years are short.”…

The Sawyers have undertaken two different do-it-ourselves painting projects this summer.

Project One: Amy is currently hard at work, painting the cabinets in our kitchen, which have thirteen years of wear and tear (and grit and grime) on them. It’s going to look awesome!

And, Project Two: Back in late May, I took my trusty Fender Stratocaster guitar apart and set about repainting and refinishing it….