Join us on June 8th at noon for a Down Home Country Picnic. Bring a dessert or a casserole to share. Games and fun for all. June 8th provides us a remarkable snapshot of our congregation at work in the church, the community and the world. A number of displays, booths and presenters will help us to see the array of ministries through which we love and serve Christ. You and your family will have an opportunity to learn ways in which you can participate and support these expression love for Christ and the world he came to save.

The Nichols-Bethel annual CAP blood drive will be held in our social hall on Monday May 12 from 2-8 PM. To schedule your appointment, please call Hillen Grason Sr. at 202-441-0612 or the American Red Cross at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543). Please make a difference. 30 volunteers are needed to donate blood.

Our Nichols-Bethel Pre-School concludes its 2007-08 session on May 21st. As we prepare for next fall we invite you to support this ministry in two ways. Below is a list of needed items and supplies. We invite you to secure and bring to church on Sunday, June 1st (please note some items are brand specific. These have shown to be suitable to the heavy use our pre-schoolers give them). Our communion love offering on June 1 will also be given to support the pre-school. This is a wonderful ministry and by either or both of these means we invite you to join in the adventure of serving the children of our church and community.

4 pkgs. of Crayola colored chalk
4 pkgs. of Crayola white chalk
10 Elmer’s glue sticks
1 gallon of Elmer’s Glue-All (washable)
12 – 4oz bottles of Elmer’s Glue-All (washable)
2- 6 packs Playdoh (primary colors)
2-8 pack Crayola Washable Markers (large)
12 pkgs – 8 pack large Crayola crayons
4 pkgs. – 12 pack Colored Pencils
1 large pkg. of 2” Silver paperclips
2 pkgs. – 12 Bic “Sofet Feel” pens (black ink)
9 Dial soap (white)
3 large cans of Lysol disinfectant spray
4 bottles of anti-bacterial Windex spray
6 bottles of “Clorox Anywhere” spray
8 pkgs. napkins
1 case of 5oz. plastic cloudy cups – can purchase at Wagner’s Store
in Glen Burnie
1 case of Bounty paper towers
8 boxes of Puffs Plus tissues
2 large Purell disinfectant gel pumps
2 Etch-a-Sketch
2 Magna-Doodles
2 Fisher Price cash registers (red, orange & yellow coins)
4-6 Hardwood puzzles

1-2 Volunteers to paint the 2 pre-school rooms and shelves
Paint for painting the 2 pre-school rooms
2 small tables (27”w x 22”l)

We are offering babysitting on the second Friday of April (11th) and May (9th) to raise funds for our summer camps. Children of all ages are welcome from 6 to 10 p.m. for crafts, games, movies and fun.

RSVP to brjcoren@verizon.net. (requested but not required) There is no fixed charge, donations will be accepted.

During the first week of March, Nichols-Bethel ministered successfully to 25 homeless men who were our guests. This successful ministry was made possible by the willingness of so many members of our congregation to step out in faith and extend a hand to these men, by providing transportation, by staying with them in the shelter, by preparing and serving their meals, and many other acts of Christian kindness. More
than 50 Nichols-Bethel members devoted approximately 500 total hours during this week and I believe that we touched their lives in important ways. I want to thank all of you who gave so freely of your time and energy. It was an uplifting week for me and I hope all of you feel similarly blessed.

Jim Roser
Shelter Director

March 30: 5:00pm Begin preparations for Youth Sunday
April 6: 5:00pm Preparations and Rehearsal for Youth Sunday
April 13: YOUTH SUNDAY! ALL 3 SERVICES! Arrive 7:00am
April 19: Prom! Set up 1:00pm and Prom at 7:30pm – 10:30pm
April 20: No UMYF
April 27: 5:00 Meeting
May 4: Talent Show Preparations
May 11: Mother’s Day No Meeting
May 18: Rehearsal for Talent Show
May 25: Talent Show and Dinner

On February 28, 2008, Jack Althouse with the architectural firm of Althouse, Jaffee, Associates, LLC presented the overall Master Plan for Nichols-Bethel United Methodist Church to the Administrative Board, and specifically, reviewed the plans for the new Family Life Center.  The Administrative Board unanimously approved the Building Committee to proceed with the development of architectural building plans for the Base Bid, Alternate One, and Alternate Two.

The Base Bid includes the main Family Life Center, kitchen, restrooms, some storage, a classroom/meeting room, and a second floor unfinished.  The total area of the finished space is 9,274 square feet, and 2,408 square feet of unfinished space as a second floor.  The estimated construction cost of the Base Bid ranges from $1,729,208 to $1,938,748.

Alternate One includes the Lobby Connector to the existing Educational Wing of the Church consisting of 2,255 square feet of finished space, second floor unfinished portion of lobby connector consisting of 2,255 square feet, and minimal renovations to connect to the existing building. The estimated construction cost of Alternate One ranges from $639,460 to $719,610.

Alternate Two includes finishing the second floor of the unfinished space of the Family Life Center in the Base Bid, finishing the second floor of the Lobby Connector, and installing an elevator. The estimated construction cost of Alternate Two ranges from $834,200 to $926,200.

The members of the Building Committee are:  Addie Baldwin, David Baldwin, Charles Billings, Jim Gourley, Hillary Evert, Diane Jones, Steffanie Felder, Verna Munn, Barry Oren and Jane Lewis.

Ex Officio:   The Pastor, The Minister of Education & Evangelism, Youth Director, and the Chair of the Trustees, the Chair of the Finance Committee, and the Chair of the Administrative Board.

The estimated total cost (construction and other costs) of the new Family Life Center (Base Bid) is over 2.5 million dollars. The Building Committee will continue to work in concert with the Finance Committee to develop alternative sources of funding including grants, if available, bond programs, and financing options to present to the Administrative Board.

Should you have any questions or comments about the new Family Life Center or the Master Plan, please contact Charles Billings at (410) 987-5359.

Lots of pictures from Camp Hope 2007 have been posted in the picture gallery. Take some time to see fellowship, service, and worship of the Nichols-Bethel MYF. (Pictures can also be viewed full-screen using the slideshow applet)

About Camp Hope:

Camp Hope celebrated its 30th year anniversary in 2007. It is based out of Frostburg United Methodist Church and the campers are housed in the dormitories of Frostburg State University. It is a predominantly United Methodist based camp. The name of the camp is actually an acronym standing for Christian Appalachian Mission Project Helping Other People Enthusiastically. The homes that are worked on are in the Allegheny and Garrett County regions of Western Maryland. The camp runs for 4 weeks. Each week a different group of churches and campers attend. The average number of people attending a week is around 110. This summer, we will work on over 50 homes. That means that over 1,000 homes have been touched by this program throughout its history. Many home owners are ill or infirmed, widowed, handicapped, or are in some other way not economically able to make some of the repairs necessary on their homes. Each work team is divided within the church itself. So, we will be working with our own youth and adults. The day begins at 6:30 with morning devotions and breakfast, and concludes around 4:00. We travel to a variety of churches or community service organizations like the Lions Club for dinner each night. There, each church attending Camp Hope is assigned a night to lead vespers services. There is a spiritual life director who designs the spiritual theme for the week. This year’s theme is Extreme Home Makeover Camp Hope Edition! Thursday is a half day of work and a half day spent at Rocky Gap State Park and concludes with the talent/variety show.

Related links:

Youth Group Schedule of Events
Work Camp 2008 Update
Work Camp 2007 Recap

Oh my gosh! What an amazing weekend! I am still rocking out to “We Lift Our Hands In The Sanctuary” in my head! I am so grateful and thankful for all of you who participated in this fantastic weekend. We are all especially thankful for the adult chaperones who helped us this weekend. Steffanie Felder, Christine Blair, Kevin Blair, Denise McHarg, Mike McHarg, Wes Baker, Mrs. Patterson, and Christie McMullen, and Meghan Humbert. They gave up an entire weekend to be with us and we could not have participated had it not been for them.

Our theme for the weekend was “Jesus Christ – More than a Rock Star!” Salvadore was our musical band for the weekend and they were AWESOME! It was so much fun watching all of our youth and adults dance and sing and lift their hands in praise. The scripture lesson for the weekend focused on the Matthew scripture where Jesus asks his disciples “Who do YOU say that I am?” We were challenged by that question all weekend. We examined the idea of being “someone” for “somebody” after reading the scripture where “some people” bring a blind man to Jesus to be healed. We communed together under the Bishop’s direction with 5,500 other people. This was truly an amazing weekend. We did have some fun though – the Playland at the Boardwalk will never be the same! There were many challenging games of Ski Ball enjoyed by all. Not to mention the fact that we discovered the joys and wonders of Thrashers French Fries, Dumsers ice cream at 11:30 p.m., and the Candy Kitchen! We would especially like to thank the United Methodist Men for buying each participant a ROCK T-Shirt. They were worn on Saturday night and adorned by glow necklaces. The kids looked great.  Come see the bulletin board outside of the youth room for pictures.

NBUMC again achieved designation as a Global Mission Partner in 2007. This included contributing 100% of our apportionment in support of the UM missions; continuing our commitment to our covenant relationship with Unalaska, Alaska to the level recommended by the UMC; and continuing support to a GBGM sponsored Health Educator of Mother and Child Care in Afghanistan under the Partners in Mission program.

Altar flowers can be ordered to celebrate a joy or honor a loved one. Arrangements are $25, $30, or $35. The cost for a dozen roses is $50. They will be placed in a glass vase after the 11 AM service to be taken home.  To place an order, contact Peggy Williams at 410-672-5190 or email emptywilliams@hotmail.com. If you do not receive a reply within a day, please place your order through the church office.

The United Methodist Men, in coordination with our Volunteers-In-Mission program, is exploring a partnership with Partners In Care, an area community service organization, to identify community service projects that the church could support.  If you are interested in participating in such an effort, or you know of someone in our church family or community who could be served through our VIM program, contact our church mission coordinator, Doug Wallace (phone 410-969-8640 and email dougwall1@comcast.net).

Looking for a different–or additional–way to recognize a person or event, or to give glory to God?  Bulletins for one Sunday worship service can be sponsored for $25.  Your dedication will appear in the bulletin.  If you are interested in sponsoring a bulletin, contact the church office.

If you knit, crochet, quilt, sew or do any other form of crafting, this is the group for you!  We are going to use our talents to provide items to persons in need everywhere — within our church, surrounding communities, and the world.  Think of what we can accomplish, in service to others, if we join together in this endeavor.

God will bless any effort done in His name.  Join us and we will plan together this form of caring ministry.  Contact the church office if you are interested in this new group.

The architectural firm of Althouse, Jaffe and Associates, LLC and Jack Althouse as the Principal Architect has began the design phase for the new Family Life Center. Architectural drawings should be prepared during this summer.

As we embark on defining the actual design and functions of the new Family Life Center, the Building Committee will be asking for your input. This is the time to make your comments, suggestions and opinions known. This will be an exciting time. It is our turn to build for the next generation. We must be bold and go out on faith. And with your prayers, personal help and financial support, we will build this facility. We recently gathered together on June 23rd with the architect and members of the congregation to begin designing this structure in an Architectural Workshop. Updates to this session’s accomplishments will be available on the church website.

Although the estimated cost of the new Family Life Center is over 2.5 million dollars, a more refined cost will be available as the architectural drawing and the project proceeds. The Building Committee will continue to work in concert with the Finance Committee to develop alternative sources of funding including grants, if available, bond programs, and financing options to present to the Administrative Board this year.

The Greater Odenton area is a growing community and is expected to grow even faster with the announcement of the expansion of job opportunities at Fort Meade and NSA. With the new facility, Nichols-Bethel UMC will be able to offer a broader array of ministries to the Community and for our members.