Dear Church Family,
Is it possible to have a holy math problem? (Holy math problem, Batman!) Yes, actually. Have you ever
wondered about the “forty days of Lent” which last for six weeks? I mean, 6 weeks of Lent times Seven
days a week equals forty? Do Christians somehow suffer from poor math? Is it something we can just
gloss over like– well, it’s roughly forty days. Maybe? But not really.
The days of fasting and prayer during Lent are six days a week (excluding Sundays) for six weeks,
plus the four days between from Ash Wednesday to the first Sunday in Lent. 6X6= 36 + 4
(extra days)=40. There. So why does it matter?
Sundays are excluded because during Lent they are observed as days for celebrating Jesus’ resurrection.
This means that every Sunday in Lent is Easter! That’s a little easier for me to wrap my heart around
than being reminded of how we are broken week after week. Self-examination is a part of the season,
but it is not the last word. So, we have many opportunities to celebrate God’s resurrection Spirit in our
lives leading up to our final Easter celebration of the season on April 12. (Coincidentally, Easter is on
my birthday this year.) So, it is not to early to wish you a happy Easter while inviting you to celebrate
every Sunday in March.
During the week, folks in our church have been invited to participate in a book study on Wednesday
nights at 6:30. You can find information about the study elsewhere in this month’s newsletter.
Lent is also a season of repentance and this is not limited to who we are as individuals.
At various times in history, the church has had to repent from who it has been in the world.
I believe this is one of these times.
The Good News for us as individuals and as church family, is God’s final word for us is grace.
We can live more deeply into God’s grace when we repent (turn away from) the harm we create
in the world. In our Easter Celebrations in March, may we also experience renewed hope for our world.
As you are blessed, may you be a source of God’s blessing. Pastor Rob
Bemidji Methodist Women
The Bemidji Methodist Women (BMW) invite you to join us on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.
We meet in the church lounge at 9:15am for brunch, a speaker, devotions and a short business meeting.
Below is the list of programs for the rest of this year. We invite you to join us as we learn more about our church
and community.
2020 Programs
April 15, 2020 – “Human Trafficking” Eva Lorrenz
May 20, 2020 – “Raising Alpaca’s and Spinning the Fiber” Sara Kavarko
September 16, 2020 – “Farmer’s Market Then and Now” Jeff Molnar
October 21, 2020 – “The Beltrami Connection to Our Italian Sister City” Gary Rozman
November 18, 2020 – “Egypt in Words and Pictures” Deanna and Ken Nichols
December 16, 2020 – Christmas Brunch, Bemidji Town and Country Club, 9:30am
For questions, call Pat Rice, BMW President at (218) 751-0137
Happy March Anniversary
March 9th- Nick and Kristin Thompson
March 25th- Robert and Carol Rieke
March 29th- Ben and Cheyenne Stowe
March Birthdays
O1- Jim Tibbetts
04- Ruth Ann Howe
09- Tessa Richardson
13- Jack Israelson
15- Dorothy Naramore
15- Dennis Noska
15- Cynthia White
18- Tom Gray
18- Tricia Jessen
18- Kody McKenna
19- Laure Hays
19- Austin McClellan
20- Holly Simmerman
22- Richard Morehouse
23- Carla Nicholson
27- Kaia Hess
28- Michael Stowe
29- Michael Jessen
30- Darlene Wilson
30- Jonathan Leet
Tired of Netflix? Come try Game Night at BUMC. In it’s 5th year, it’s usually held the 2nd Saturday of each month from 5:30 – 8pm. It is important to be on time as the doors are locked after the pizza is delivered.
Age 14 and above may participate and a minimum of 8 people is needed for it to be held.
To participate, make sure you get on the email list. Sue Young will send out a reminder email
usually the Sunday before. You will have until the following Friday to respond. This can be
done by return email, or by phone. Sue’s number is (218) 368-7409. If you don’t have an email,
just provide Sue with the best phone number to reach you at.
All the fun takes place in the Church Lounge. Games are provided. We prefer games for at
Least 4 people or more. The favorites right now are Farkle (a dice game) and Mexican Train
(a Domino game.) There are more games available to play.
Please bring your own beverage and you want to have pizza, cost is $5.00 a person. Most bring a dish to share that can be almost anything BUT pizza. If you don’t want pizza, you can just share in the pot luck meal.
At the end of the evening, everyone helps clean up and get the room back in order for Sunday
morning.
Many people meet new friends and enjoy greeting old friends. Sometimes it is a noisy, crazy
evening, but everyone seems to enjoy being there!
FUN FACT……..1. It’s Not Daylight Savings Time
Although there are some misconceptions about daylight saving time, the most common one is the name itself. Many people in the U.S., Canada, and Australia refer to it as “daylight savings time,” which is incorrect, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Officially, the name for turning the clock forward an hour in March is daylight saving time, using the singular version of the word “saving.” European countries refer to it as “summer time.”
Upcoming Important Dates
March 04 – Ash Wednesday book study will start at 6:00pm
March 08 – Day Light Saving Time begins
April 05 – Palm Sunday
April 12 – Easter Sunday
Deborah Davis has purchased a few extra books for the
Wednesday night Lenten bible study starting March 4th.
The book cost is $15. Contact Deborah or Karen
in the church office if you didn’t get a chance to pre-order!
UN CLOBBER reexamines what the Bible says
(and does not say) about homosexuality.
This bible study will take approximately 5-6 Wednesday nights
starting at 6:30-7:30pm.
You may pay for your book the first night of class. See you there!