Many people in this hemisphere tell time by the seasons of nature. Summer is a warm time of vacations, reunions, relaxing, and playing outside. The church year has a different way of telling time. In the liturgical calendar, time is measured by important events in the life of Jesus (like Christmas and Easter) or the church (like Pentecost). Coincidentally, the time after Pentecost up to Advent is known as “Ordinary Time.” There is also a short period of Ordinary Time after the Baptism of Our Lord in January until Ash Wednesday. In this way, the rhythm of the liturgical seasons reflects the rhythm of life —brief anniversary celebrations and periods of intensity intermingled with longer seasons of quiet growth and maturing.
Ordinary Time is counted and ordered by the numbers of Sundays that follow Pentecost (for example, you’ll soon notice Sunday bulletins bear titles like “The 2nd Sunday after Pentecost.” In winter we count the number of Sundays after Epiphany. During Ordinary Time the church is usually decorated in green, the color of hope and growth. Think plants and trees, gardens and parks, all showing signs of maturity and fullness of life at this time. The lessons we will hear read in worship will invite us to go deep, to reach our roots down into the groundwater of our baptisms. The focus is on the life and ministry of Jesus and the church. We take this time to descend from the great mountain peaks of Easter and Christmas in order to “pasture” in the verdant meadows of tempus per annum—Ordinary Time.
How will you grow during this summer? I hope you will take some time to drink deeply of God’s good creation, whether in far off places or in your own back yard. Additionally, although Holy Moly, Bridge and Confirmation Classes take a hiatus for the summer, you are invited to nurture your faith at BLC in a variety of ways. Two guest preachers will be coming to BLC, each with a unique viewpoint about God’s work in our world and how we can grow our faith. On July 16th, retired pastor Chris Lee-Thompson will preach on mindfulness meditation. Chris has studied and done a lot of work and ministry in the field of meditation and has led many groups through this way of praying. Chris has even brought this ministry to the jails in the area helping those there learn about meditating and focusing on the movements of their bodies. I listened to Chris at one of his presentations and thought our church family could benefit from hearing him! On Sunday, August 6th, Pastor Jack Finney will be present with us to preach on praying and spiritual practices. Jack focuses his ministry full time now on teaching people how to pray and grow in prayer. Please make sure to be present at these special worship opportunities during this season of growing!
If you are looking for something fun and social to do, we will be offering our 1st ever BLC Progressive Dinner on Saturday, July 22nd. At 5:00pm we will gather at church for drinks and appetizers and then head off to different “host” homes for dinner and conversation. The end of the evening will be capped off by making S’mores at the Bowe House. This event is intended for all BLC adults- single and couples- and only costs $10.00. The theme of the night is wearing your favorite sports team shirt (anything goes from Barneveld colors to the Chiefs)! Come out and have some fun. Sign up is in the gathering space at church.
BLC participates in a number of community events throughout the summer—we will host the community VBS/Day Camp the week of July 10th-13th. This is a fun faith filled week for our little ones and young kids to come and learn about Jesus by singing, playing games and enjoying the theme of God’s gift of water!
The “Movie in the Park” night will be on Thursday, July 13th at the blue park. A family friendly movie will be shown along with concessions being available. All proceeds will go to Relay for Life. What a fun event right here in town for all families!
Speaking of community events, the “Over 55” Group will be a sponsoring a large sale for the benefit of the Food Pantry on Saturday, July 29th from 8am-3pm. Plan on stopping by for great buys on good stuff which will help support our Community Food Pantry.
Our health team sponsors a walking group each Tuesday at 8:30am. We start in the church parking lot and walk the bike trail for as long as people can. Please come out and walk with us…if that time doesn’t work for you, go out and walk when it fits your schedule! Do something to care for your body this summer!
So many opportunities for us to grow this summer at BLC! What will you choose? Pick something and grow yourself.
~PJ