Bradford Woods Community Church

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

December
2015
Issue

An Epistle from Ed
By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor
Quite recently I viewed a discussion on Facebook regarding when it is appropriate to put up Christmas
decorations. Personally I love Christmas but my mother could push it. One year she began listening
to Christmas music at the end of October and it was torture. Why? Because by the time Christmas
actually rolled around I was so sick of hearing those same songs over and over that it actually took
some of the joy out of the holiday. I am not however scarred by that event and when I think on it, it is
actually a happy memory.
Still it is amazing to me how often I let little things take my joy. It can be a long wait at a restaurant,
or a person in front of me in line at the gas station buying lottery tickets when I am in a hurry. Stupid
little things take my joy and I let them. Why? Why would I let something so petty steal my joy when I
know that my God has both created a planet perfect for my existence and given me the opportunity to
live forever with Him.
As Christians it seems that we, in struggling with sin, allow the little things to creep in and steal bits of
our joy. As Christians we should be the most joyous people in the neighborhood. We cant let little
things sneak in and distract us from the fact that we are heirs to the Kingdom of God. We are Gods
children. He chose us.
In this season of Holidays it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of parties, fellowship with
friends, family obligations, and remembering to be thankful for the blessings we have been given.
Lets not fall prey to societys pull to take our joy with stress and distractions like lower prices or the
newest outdoor lighting decorations that flash, in time to Jingle Bells, and spelling out Happy
Sparkle Season in Morse code.
Lets remember and focus on our joy instead! Lets remember that we can know we have eternal life!
Lets remember that God loves us more than anything else! Because of these things there should not
be any time, any event, any person that can steal our joy. But we also have to remember that as
Christians our joy began at the beginning, when our God said; Let us make them in Our own image,
in the book of Genesis! Our joy is in Christ, who was there from the beginning, who chose to enter our
world as the innocent baby we anticipate this Advent season, who chose the cross, defeated death and
who will come again to take us home with Him. Home - to bask in the eternal joy of our God!
Think about it

I Have Good News and Bad News

By Ed Cadwallader, Pastor
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the benefit of another can seem like a loss
to others? Recently, our Church Office Manager, Cait, was offered a full time
position with Animal Friends, where she has obviously wowed them during the
time she was a part time member of the staff! Cait is moving on to be with Animal Friends, full time,
and, as a result, has resigned her position as our Church Office Manager. We all wish her only the best
and great success in her new position, but feel a tug at our hearts in losing such a wonderful member
of the BWCC Staff. Good luck Cait - Well certainly miss you in the office!

Thank You
By Jane Siefers, Assistant Treasurer
Thanks to all the volunteers who contributed time, goods and cash to our recent fundraisers!
We collected $2426.43 for the rummage sale, $936.50 for the election day bake sale and $1407 for our
chili & rib dinner!
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Mens Advent Pancake Breakfast Dec. 6

By Jane Siefers, Hospitality

Please come to the annual pancake breakfast on December 6. All men are welcome to assist with the
preparations! Please contact our breakfast coordinator, Bob Doak if you are willing to flip & fry.
Come celebrate baby JRs baptism at church this day; the Liebenguth family is hosting the pancake
breakfast, so there will be no charge and no free-will basket.

Live Nativity
By Cait Kowal, Office Manager
Please join us on Sunday, Dec. 13 for our annual Live Nativity.
Continuous programs run from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Stop by the
front lawn for five minutes, or the entire two hours! Cookies and hot
chocolate will be served, free of charge, in between the shows.
Please contact John Liebenguth if you can participate.

Order Christmas Poinsettias Now

By Cait Kowal, Office Manager
Make Christmas beautiful by ordering your poinsettias now! Festive 6 to 6.5 foil wrapped pots
from Bauerle Greenhouse are available for only $8 each. Pick from: red, white, pink or new
marble nostalgia (pink streaked) colors. Order forms are in the church library or you may
order online by clicking HERE. You may also dedicate your poinsettias in honor or memory of
someone special or for a special occasion. Deadline for orders will be Dec. 13th. For more
information please contact the church office at bwcc@consolidated.net.

Worship News
By Sue Bayer, Worship
There will be two beautiful candlelight services will be offered on Christmas Eve,
December 24th. The first candlelight worship service with the full choir will be at
7:30 p.m. The second candlelight worship service is at 11:00 p.m. You are warmly
invited to attend either or both!
Communion will be offered at the December 6th service.

HEARTH Needs Your Help!

By Jennie Griffin, Missions
As you probably know, BWCC has done a great deal over the years to support HEARTH, a local
organization that provides housing and support services for single women and their children.
Over 90% of HEARTH's clients are coming out of domestic abuse situations. HEARTH receives
a great deal of funding ($500k annually) from HUD, through Allegheny County, and the county
has told HEARTH that they need to make their housing and services equally available to all
people in order to continue to receive this funding. Given the situations that their current clients are trying to escape,
bringing men into the shelter is not a good option for HEARTH, so they are hoping that they might find a way to stay
financially afloat without the county-appropriated funds. Soooo...mark your calendars for December 8th! Get your
donation to HEARTH matched, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 8, 2015! Help HEARTH raise some of the
$500,000 that Allegheny County Department of Human Services is withholding, with a donation to Pittsburgh Gives.
Visit www.pittsburghgives.org, search for HEARTH (North Hills Affordable Housing), follow the instructions and your
donation of $25 or more will be matched dollar-for-dollar! The Pittsburgh Foundation is hosting Pittsburgh's Day of
Giving, with the focus being, "Critical Needs Homelessness Alert". This includes 26 agencies vying for dollars in the
$200,000 matching pool. We encourage you to donate at the very beginning of the morning since the match-pool was
exhausted in the first 45 minutes last year. Thank you so much for helping homeless families with children, who are
survivors of Domestic Violence, have a safe place to heal and become self-sufficient.
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Help Wanted: Church Office Manager

Twelve hours per week. For more information, contact Jennie Griffin at
(864) 723-1937 or jennifertgriffin@gmail.com.
If interested, please respond by January 15th.

Thank You

By Cait Kowal, Office Manager

I just wanted to let everyone know how happy I have been with working here at Bradford Woods Community Church. It
was a very tough decision but I have decided to take an exciting opportunity at Animal Friends. I will always look back
with fond memories of my time here. Thank you to everyone who made this job feel like home, its more than I could
have asked for.

Cookies!
By Jane Siefers, Hospitality
We need plenty of festive Christmas cookies for our appreciative audience at the Live Nativity on December
13. You can drop off your cookies in Kehew Hall at church Sunday morning, or leave them in the church fridge earlier
in the week. We will follow our tradition of free cookies and cocoa after each performance of the Live Nativity!

Pledges
By Jane Siefers, Assistant Treasurer
Thanks to all our financial supporters who make the commitment to pledge to the church. Please
remember that your pledge is confidential between you and the assistant treasurer; the trustees are only
advised of total number of pledges and total amount pledged for the entire congregation. You can drop
off your pledge slip in the collection plate, in the box in the narthex, or mail it in to the church office
addressed Attn: Assistant Treasurer. Please return your pledge before the end of 2015 so the new years records do not
have to be adjusted. If you are concerned about possibly not being financially able to meet your promise, be aware that
no one will be calling you or sending out dunning letters if you fall behind! Your pledge is a promise you make to your
church and a goal you set for yourself, not a legal obligation.
Third Quarter statements have already been put in church mailboxes. If you did not receive yours or if you just want to
know where you stand with regard to your current 2015 pledge, please call or email assistant treasurer, Jane Siefers,
(724-935-4028), djsiefers@consolidated.net) for an update.

Visit From I.C.C.C.

By Norma Liebenguth,
Sunday School Superintendent
How nice it was to have a surprise visit from Don Ashmall, Council Minister, International Council of Community
Churches (ICCC), the overarching body of which BWCC is a member. Don was in Ohio, visiting another church, and
decided to drive on over to worship with us, and stay for lunch, on Sunday, November 1st.

Treasurer's Report as of 11/22/15

By Pam Hendrickson, Treasurer

Worship Leaders
If you would like to volunteer to be a worship leader,
please contact Pastor Ed. Thank you for your service.
Dec.
Dec.
Dec.
Dec.

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13
20
27

Chuck Brehm
Melanie Verbaarschott
Jenn Hudak
John Liebenguth

For God so loved the world, that

he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should
not perish but have eternal life.
~ John 3:16

November Happenings

The Griffin Boys: Connor, Will, Drew with

cousin Cain Terrill; along with Linda Philpott in
the kitchen

Chuck Brehm gets some help calling

BINGO numbers from Sophia Beaven at the
BBQ & BINGO night

Gary, the one man band at

BINGO & BBQ night

BBQ puts a smile on

everyones face!

BINGO & BBQ Night

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ~ 1 John 5:11
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4836 Wexford Run Road | P.O. Box 421

Bradford Woods, PA 15015
(724) 935-3135
Rev. Ed Cadwallader, Pastor
412-527-1863(cell) | 412-366-9056(home)
edcadwallader@comcast.net
Serving Bradford Woods and surrounding North Hills communities.
Visit our website: www.bradfordwoodschurch.org | Contact us: bwcc@consolidated.net

ICCC Mission Statement

Bradford Woods Community Church is a member of the ICCC (International Council of Community Churches) whose
mission statement is: As people devoted to following Christ we are committed to community, to treasuring diversity, to
living our faith in service and love.

Events for the month of December:

December Birthdays

December

7 Greg Hendrickson; 10 Linda Tessmer;

12 Dirk Verbaarschott; 18 Brody Astarb;
22 John Astarb; 27 Don Siefers

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Prayer Concerns and Praise

Paris Isis victims, Joel Bonzer,
Joseph Bossman, Cathy Carter,
Kevin Croney and Family,
The Davenport Family, Jody Dentici,
Diane Dilanni, The Family of Marge Doak,
Christine Feagin, Martha Finley, Kevin Frederick,
Laurie & Joe Gillespie, Alice Henderson,
Karen Kimberly, Ron Liguori, Denise Massaro,
Jeff Prady,, Jennifer Rihtarchick, Jared Riley,
Doug Siefers, Myleigh Smith, Doris Stokes,
Tim Stokes, Linda Tessmer, John Valley,
and The Waldron Family

Communion, 11 a.m.
Mens Advent Pancake Breakfast, 12p.m.
Trustees Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Church Council Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
Live Nativity. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Childrens Christmas Pageant, 11:00 a.m.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, 7:30 p.m.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, 11:00 p.m.

Ongoing:
Adult Sunday School: Every Sunday, 10 a.m.
Morning Worship: Every Sunday, 11 a.m.
Choir Practice: Every Monday, 7 p.m.

Coffee Hour and Ushers

Please help with preparing coffee, a
cold drink and an (optional)
refreshment is all thats needed. Feel
free to sign-up online.
Ushers greet new guests, hand out
bulletins, and collect contributions in the collection
plates during service is all thats needed. And, its
appreciated!

If you are new to our congregation, please pass your information to Caitalyn Kowal in the church office, regarding your
address, phone number, email address, etc. so we can keep our records up to date and keep you up to date. Thank you.
Please help us with our mailing list costs. If you could view this newsletter via email or online, please
contact us at 724.935.3135 or bwcc@consolidated.net.
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