● ISSUE 156

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

KALAMAZOO

SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

I love it when history comes alive through personal connections. Earlier this summer, I thought I should learn more about the history of Kalamazoo College, and went to the library to check out what had been written about it. I found Fellowship in Learning: Kalamazoo College, 1833-2008 by Marlene Candell Francis. I have known Marlene for years, and felt like every page I read was a personal conversation with her. Also this summer, I was asked to speak at the Past Presidents’ Luncheon of the Ladies’ Library Association. Evyda Jackson, one of the Past Presidents, gave me a copy of Women with a Vision. As I read it, I was fas-cinated by the connections between our church and this historic organization. Just last week, I had another wonderful experience. Pat Hernandez had contacted me to ask if I knew of anyone in the church who might have housing available for an international student coming for the Clinical Pastoral Education program at Bronson Hospital. (Doug Vardell, by the way, is the director of this program and a member of our church.) I told Pat we would help any way we could and last week the student, Sanchita Kisku, arrived to begin her studies. She was accompanied by Chakravartha Zadda and his family. I soon discovered “Chaks” is the As-sociate Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago, an organization I was in-volved with for most of my ministry. Sanchita, Chaks and his family were all interested in our church and asked to see the sanctuary. When he saw a sign for the Clough Room, he asked how it was named. I told him the room was named for missionaries whose pictures are on display along with a plaque. Chaks became quite excited and said these missionaries were critically important to the development of Christianity in India. He said there is no question that he would not be here today were it not for them. He had studied their lives and had written his master’s thesis on the strategic role they played as missionaries in India. Chaks wanted to know the connection of the Cloughs to this church and that set Joyce Standish and me off on a search. I won’t tell you everything we found, but I will share it with you in the next Belfry. And even bet-ter, I have asked Chaks to come back for a visit some Sunday in the next few months and share his story. History, indeed, comes alive when we have a personal connection.

Pastor Dave Nichols 248-990-7444 pastor@fbckazoo.org

Welcome to The Belfry, First Baptist's bi-monthly newsletter.

Contributions to The Belfry can be submitted by calling the church office at (269) 345-2195, filling out a submission form and leaving it in the church office, or emailing to office@fbckazoo.org. Deadlines for The Belfry and the Sunday bulletin: The Sunday bulletin deadline is every Wednesday at 12 pm; it’s printed that afternoon. The Belfry is published the first & third Wednesday of every month. The deadline for submission is 12 pm Wednesday, one week prior to publication.

This Room is Dedicated May 25, 1952

to the Service of Christ and the Memory of

John Everett Clough (1836-1910) and

Harriet Sunderland Clough (1839-1893)

Missionaries to India

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INTERN UPDATE:

Seek Beauty Ministry, Phase I On June 27th, we began the sum-mer pilot that ran each Monday from 1:30 until 3 in the Clough Room. Al- though we registered 71 persons rep-resenting 17 families, participation in-cluded 9 different persons representing 3 separate families. Our volunteers decided that if homeless or otherwise marginalized families wouldn’t come to the church, we’d take the church to them. So, after snacks, games, live music and the beauty photographed by vari-ous volunteers or family members, a group of us would go into the park to offer cold water, vegetables, fruit, nap-kins, plates and flatware to whomever was receptive. It was a delight to see and hear the gratitude of men, women or children as they took the water, blueberries, strawberries, grapes and other assorted fruits and vegetables with no strings attached. We did let them know we were from First Baptist Church and invitations were extended by volunteers from time to time to visit us whenever they chose. On the last day of the summer pilot, Carolyn Nycum, Nina Hamlin, Ruth Wiersma, JP Tallent, Pastor Dave and Marcy Mein all discussed the program with me. It was agreed that the pro-gram was solid. One volunteer re-marked that it would work with any group. What we also considered was the fact that the problem really had more to do with people following through on coming to the church for the program.

After giving thought and prayer to the next step to take, this writer decid-ed to do an adapted version of Phase I in the Clough Room when pantry guests are here. An invitation to enjoy games, use art supplies, cold water, soft music, and projected beauty on our screen will be extended to pantry guests as they wait for their turn to shop. Pantry guests will also be invited to take pictures of their families or have a volunteer do it while they are here. We will email those pictures to guests’ phones and use them with per-mission in future Seek Beauty power point presentations. Phase II of Seek Beauty will be used to build on what we learned as we continue to reach out to marginalized individuals and families in ways we hope will be comfortable and restora-tive for them.

—Catherine Dance

Volunteers L to R: JP Tallent, Pastor Dave,

Nina Hamlin, Ruth Wiersma, Carolyn Nycum

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One-liners for the week:

1. He who angers you, controls you! 2. Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on the front door forever. —Thanks, Norm Lyons, for a summer of fun one-liners!

Choice Cemetery Lots First Baptist holds title to two ceme-tery lots located near the South West-nedge entrance of Mount Ever-Rest in Kalamazoo. These two choice lots are adjacent to the lovely sculpture shown here and are located in Garden M, Sec-tion 43, Lots 1 and 2.

The price if pur-chased from Mt. Everest is $2,260 EACH. A limited-time offer to FBC Friends and Fam-ily is Buy-One-Get-One-Free. The Church will pay for the transfer of ownership docu-ments for both if

purchased together. The lots will soon be offered on Craig's List. A map of Mount Ever-Rest showing the location is available for viewing at the Church Office or at the office of Mount Ever-Rest located on the south border of the cemetery. If you are interested, please contact Joyce Standish at (269) 649-4159 or leave a message at the Church Office (269) 345-2195.

(Note from Barbara Mathis…) “Thanks so much for the recent newslet-ter from First Baptist Church. The church is full of activities once again!” God Bless, Barbara Mathis

New address:

Barbara Mathis Elk Creek Senior Living Community

301 Elk Drive, Apt. # 128 Burleson, TX 76028

Mary Circle Meeting The Mary Circle will resume its fall meetings on Friday, Sep-tember 16 at 2 pm in the Clough Room. The program will be: Metamorphosis of a Cancer Survivor, presented by Linda Schmitigal.

Praying for Sydney Hernandez before he leaves to work for six months with Syrian refugees in a Hungarian refugee camp.

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It was a wonderfully warm morning for a worship service (August 28) surrounded by the

beauty of Markin Glen Park. Without a raindrop in sight, we enjoyed a glorious time of chil-

dren’s curiosity, the men’s ensemble, Pastor Dave’s inspiring message, and a bountiful display

of food afterward.

“For the beauty of the earth, For the beauty of the skies, For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies,”……..

Top left and top center: Robert Jordan on keyboards, with the men’s ensemble: Cal Mastin, Norm Lyons, and John Crouch. Middle left and bottom left: Pastor Dave with the kids and with the Interns. Directly below: Abbi Van Dis in prayer during the children’s moment. Far bottom right: Happy Birthday, Emma Woudstra!

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September

1 Marilyn Willis 8 Sue Kemper 9 Finn Webster 12 Kay Weakley 18 David Kohrman 29 Ellen VanderMyde 30 Amy (Kohrman) Hertz Kelly Bower

September

12 – Norm & Julie Lyons 17 – Richard & Helen Like 20 – David & Evyda Jackson 22 – Alan & Tracy Whitaker 25 – Tim & Somporn James

Thanks for sharing your musical talent (Sept. 4),

Megan and Kristina Standish.

The Sunday after Labor Day, September 11, a "Dutch Auction" will be held following Worship.

These silver-plated items will be dis-played for your bids. If you are

interested, you need to outbid the person listed on that item's bid

sheet. Bids by mail or email must arrive by September 7.

Cost of shipping not included.

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Joan Reames Park Village Pines #123

2920 Crystal Lane Kalamazoo, MI 49009

Margaret Shinar 4549 Malvern Rd.

Durham, NC 27707

Marilyn Grady 7749 Currier Dr. #101

Portage, MI 49002

Lilia Chen 1400 N. Drake Rd.

Kalamazoo, MI 49006

Madeline Williams 1400 N. Drake Rd.

Kalamazoo, MI 49006

Health Concerns -Helen Like, back issues -Minnie Wilcox, recovering from a fall -Catheryn Sirk, recovering from a fall and the other broken hip -Candy (Wilcox) Gejji, recovery from heart

surgery -Liz, friend of Michelle Jackson-Long,

Lyme disease -Josie Howard-Wyne, shoulder injury -Clanita Rucker-Christian, continued heal-

ing/therapy for her foot Cancer -Dan Crouch -Mark Anders, hospice, (& the Anders family), friends of Joe & Richelle Bower

-Richard Like -Carolyn Mackenhimer, Dan White’s sister -Faren Whitaker Crump -Lynn, Tom and Kate Webster's sister-in-

law -Reagan, 5-yr.old, Traci Foley’s friend -Sunshine Dolph, Robert’s friend (student’s

parent) -Baby Madelyn (friend of Susie Benston’s), neuroblastoma Joys -Both Erius Bower and Abby Bower doing

well. -Sarah Sherman, friend of Richelle Bower,

in remission!

—TONIGHT (Wed.) -- This is the last concert in the series “ Cool Concerts” in the Sanctu-ary, 8 pm. Suggested donation $10. This week: Elden Kelly (guitar, vocals) and Carolyn Koebel (percussion, guitar, vocals). Thank you Betsy Start for arranging these wonderful musical oppor-tunities! —SEPTEMBER 11 (Sun.) -- The choir will be back in full swing with both rehearsal and performance on Sunday. —SEPTEMBER 11 (Sun.) -- Rev. Dr. Mike Williams, ABC-MI, preaching. —SEPTEMBER 11 (Sun.) -- Dutch Auction following worship in the Clough Room. —SEPTEMBER 11 (Sun.) -- Vegan Potluck in the Clough Room, 6 pm. Please being your favorite vegan dish and do some sampling! —SEPTEMBER 13 (Tues.) -- Soup Kitchen, 8 am. —SEPTEMBER 14 (Wed.) -- Bible study in the Founder’s Room, 11 am. Join with Pastor Dave as he discusses the upcoming Sunday scriptures each week. —SEPTEMBER 14 (Wed.) -- Diaconate meeting, 4:30 pm. —FALL USHERING-- Please use the sign-up sheets on the Clough Room bulletin board to indicate your desire to usher this Fall. —LOAVES AND FISHES -- Thank you for the outpouring of canned fruit. We continue to be in 100% need of canned pineapple and fruit cocktail, as well as hot dogs, kid-friendly cereal and plastic bags. As always, thank you. —MISSION STATEMENT: “To pledge our lives to Christ and covenant with each other to demonstrate as disciples: His spirit through worship, witness, and ministry to the needs of the people of this church and the community. We invite and welcome all to be included within our fellowship.”