170th Anniversary Worship

            A couple of weeks ago, Mark Morrison handed me a file.  Inside of the file, there was the history of our church written by Mark.  He was in charge of the 170^th anniversary celebration of our church and had been working on our history for several months.  Jean Hill, the longest member of our church as well as our historian, was a great help to Mark.  It is wonderfully written, with fine pictures and maps, through which you are able to see how our church has developed for the last 170 years.  I truly appreciate Mark and Jean’s efforts to put the stories of our church together in such a meaningful way.

             Reading the history of our church, I got a strong impression that our church was built on the generosity of the people.  Among those who showed generosity toward the church were big names like George Seney, but also many other people who did not leave their name on the record, but were passionately diligent in showing their generosity to the church.  Whether they were rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, all of our church ancestors did not hesitate to devote their time, treasure, and talents in order to make our church the one that God wanted it to be.

             After reading the history of our church, I had one serious question:  “We are standing on the generosity of our ancestors and, then, to whom are we showing our generosity, today?”  Our ancestors showed their generosity and grace because they envisioned that the church would grow stronger and be able to show generosity and grace back to those who are in need of it.  Then, today, who are we showing our generosity/grace to?  To whom are we supposed to show our generosity and grace?

              On October 16^th    at 10:30 am, I would like to cordially invite you and your family to join in the worship that celebrates the 170^th anniversary of our church.  Gathering together, we will celebrate its magnificent history.  We will honor the ancestors of our church who were dearly devoted to our church.  We will praise the Lord God who allowed us to have such a great cloud of faithful witness as our ancestors.  Also, we will honor those who served and kept this church over the years.  We are who we are by the generosity and grace of those long-term members of our church.  It is blessing for us to have them among us.

             As one way of celebrating our history, during the worship, Mark Morrison will share his experience of writing of the history of our church.  You will be given a copy of his work as a gift. Jean Hill, our church historian, is also preparing a brief version of our history.  You will enjoy her piece as well.  Following worship, there will be a fellowship hour at Palmer School building.  The fellowship is being organized by Nadine Morrison and Rosalie Baker.  If you want to make a contribution by bringing a covered dish, contact with Rosalie at 908-953-9482.

             On the day of our anniversary, our celebration will continue our thoughtful question, “How can we carry on the legacy of our church to the next generation?”  The story of salvation of Christ Jesus at Bernardsville United Methodist Church should be continued.  The lost soul should keep finding life here and those who weep should be comforted here in our sanctuary.  What can we do to make our church continue its legacy?  What are we supposed to do in order to make our church be the church of our ancestors’ dreams?

 In order to answer this question properly, Bob Baker, Chairperson of the Administrative Council and I would like to invite everyone to  the Administrative Council meeting on October 18^th at 7:30 pm to discuss the direction of the church for the next year.  Please, come to this meeting and share your prayers and ideas about where we should go for the next year in order to carry on the splendid history of our church to the next generation.

             I look forward to seeing you on October 16th as well as on October 18th!

            May God bless you and your family!

            Your friend in Christ,
            Myung