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Volume 10, Issue 7/8 Buckingham-Gram Editors: Pam Russell Kim Price

Office: 410-641-0234 Email: info@buckinghampcusa.org Web: Www.buckinghampcusa.org

July/August 2018

BUCKINGHAM GRAM

SAVE THE SAVE THE SAVE THE SAVE THE

DATE!!! DATE!!! DATE!!! DATE!!!

JULY 16JULY 16JULY 16JULY 16----20 20 20 20

2018 2018 2018 2018

6666----8PM 8PM 8PM 8PM JOIN US FOR A FUN WEEK OF BIBLE LES-

SONS, GAMES, MUSIC AND TASTY TREATS!

Register Today- www.myvbs.org/berlinmdvbs2018

Location::Buckingham Presbyterian Church 20 S. Main Street Berlin, MD 21811 For more information, contact: Ed Welch, VBS Registration Coordinator 443-235-6758, ed.welch@perdue.com

BERLIN ECUMENICAL CHURCHES: Buckingham Presbyterian, St. Paul Episcopal, Solid Rock Outreach Ministries, Sonrise, Stevenson UMC

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Events, Reports, Notices, & Stuff

Christian Education

Report

Summer is here and that means Vacation Bible School is just around the corner! We are excited to be hosting VBS July 16 – July 20 from 6pm to 8:00pm. Our theme this year is Shipwrecked: Rescued by

Jesus! Each night children will participate in lively songs, fun games, and interactive Bible stories as well as watch young children who are making a difference through their faith tell their stories. On Friday evening, families are welcome to join in a closing program which will be followed by a picnic at Stephen Decatur Park. All children from age 3 (and potty trained) through finishing 5th grade are invited to attend. Pre-registration is encouraged. Please note that the preschool will be strictly limited to 25 children so please register early. Registration is open now—

http://www.myvbs.org/berlinmdvbs2018

We are also still looking for volunteers to help during VBS as well as businesses to sponsor the t-shirts which each child will receive. Please contact Ed Welch or Cindi Pruitt if you are interested in helping. And please pray for the children, adult volunteers and this very important ministry.

GRAM FOCUS

Session discussed the Gram submission guidelines and has determined the following policy:

Factual information only, e.g., Buckingham Church history

No fictional submissions, e.g. stories

No memorial tributes unless it pertains directly to a church member

Committee reports

Church related gatherings or events

Church related announcements, e.g. Communions, Lectionary

Birthdays /Anniversaries

Church calendar

If you have a submission that falls outside of these guidelines, the office will gladly forward your request to Session for their approval. Thank you for your cooperation.

Volunteers Needed

Starting the week of July 23rd, Don Lee Margin will begin cleaning the Sanctuary, Kortright Chapel, Kitchen, Taylor Hall, Parlor, Sunday School rooms and hallway to Taylor Hall. Don Lee Margin suggested that if we have the Kitchen, Taylor Hall, and Kortright Chapel clear of tables, chairs and counters. We will be saving the hourly rate for the cleaning crew to do this and to replace items. This is the reason volunteers are needed, men and women, to help move items. Their schedule is starting with the kitchen on Monday July 23rd, then Taylor Hall. The rest of their schedule I have not received yet. They are going to coat the floor in Taylor Hall, so Tuesday till Thursday, Taylor Hall will be closed off. A sign-up sheet will be on the table in Taylor Hall. The Trustees thank you in advance for your help.

Kitchen Volunteers needed for Saturday 7/21.

Taylor Hall Volunteers needed after 9am service on 7/22 or on Monday 7/23.

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MISSION FOCUS—July/August

In July the Mission Committee will be making a donation to the folks in Puerto Rico after last year’s hurricane. We are researching where our funds can help the most.

As you’ve seen on the news, a volcano erupted in Guatemala. We will also reach out to our friends there to see what funds we can send to help.

As August rolls around, it is time to get ready for another school year. Nurse Angie at Buckingham Elementary will need our help to get those young ones set with clean, dry clothes.

MISSIONS REPORT—June—Blessings at Buckingham

Can there be too many Blessings? Not at Buckingham! What an awesome group of volunteers that came together to brainstorm on what to put in a “Blessing Bag,” then price the items, compare prices, and then shop for

300 of 30 items (including the bags themselves). Thanks to the grant of $5,000 that we received from the New Castle Presbytery, we went BOLD in putting together 300 bags, that’s a lot of Blessing Bags!

The night of May 30th came and more Blessings that were Ignited came through the doors of Buckingham. The volunteers, young (pre-K) to old (long finished with K) couldn’t have been more dedicated, helpful, willing, and just plain AWESOME! 300 bags filled in a little over an hour with somewhere between 50—55 church member Blessings. It was not the pizza that brought them to Taylor Hall; it was the love to reach out to the homeless in our community; the love that Pastor Matt encouraged us to share. Many thanks to each and every one who came to help that night and to those who prayed for us. Thank you to our Youth Group, who shopped for and put together 600 bags of trail mix, (two in each bag) and then came to help us fill the Blessing Bags. A special thank you to the Deacons who donated the bottles of water and socks that went into every bag and to Tom and Lynda Truitt who did the sock shopping. And then there is the Blessing Bag Committee, all of whom are a Blessing to Buckingham—Brenda Burbage, Paul Chambers, Debi Cook, Karla Davis, Nance Hall, Sally Kohler, Cindi Pruitt, Carol Rose, and Lynda Truitt.

Two hundred bags have already been delivered, 100 to the Samaritan Shelter and 100 to Diakonia. We could not have been thanked more pro-fusely by either of these very crowded and grateful shelters as they reach out to homeless Worcester County.

Stay tuned to find out where the remaining 100 Blessing Bags end up.

A Berlin Police Officer came to the church asking if he could take one of the Blessing Bags to the Station because there was someone who in need. The recipient was so grateful. The Officer said that he felt that Pastor Matt was guiding the moment. Blessed Blessing Bags!

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FAMILY NIGHT

There will be NO Family Night in July and August.

Join us September 9th @11:00am for a Combined Worship Service and the Blessing of the Backpacks at The Pavilion in Stephen Decatur Park

COMMUNION will be held on

the following date:

Mid-Summer—August 12

Upon request, Communion will be offered to house-bound members of our congregation. Please advise a member of Session, or the

Church Office, if this service is desired.

Women’s Lunch Bunch

Meets Wednesday July 11, 11:30am @ Crush N Crab Restaurant

Berlin, MD

August 8, 11:30am @ Taylor’s Neighborhood

Restaurant in Ocean Pines

For further information, contact Evelyn Warren at 410-641-2109 Worship Committee Report

We will be continuing with pulpit supply pastors for the rest of the summer. The goal of the Interim Search Committee is to have an Interim Pastor here by September.

We will be having a combined service on July 1 at 10am with a Congregational Meeting to follow for the purpose of voting on the nominations for the Pastor Nominating Committee. In August we will be having Mid-Summer Communion on the 12th.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call or send me an email or text message: 443-359-7645.

Respectfully submitted, Sally Kohler

Cemetery News Last month I asked everyone to make sure there are corner markers on their plots which I hope you have done. I want to add another request and that is not to put any glass containers at the cemetery or glass ornaments. Glass breaks and then becomes a hazard for those who need to clean it up. Thanks for helping to make our cemetery a lovely place for eternal rest. Please report to me anything that appears out of place so I can then address the problem.

Respectfully submitted, Sally Kohler

MEN’S BREAKFAST

Meets Tuesdays July3rd & August 7th

8:00am @ DeNovo’s Trattoria in Ocean Pines

Join us Invite a friend!

BERLIN PEACH FESTIVAL

Saturday, August 4, 2018 from 11am—4pm Rain date: Sunday, August 5th

Visit our Deacons’ booth in front of the Taylor House Museum. Whole Pies $15; Slices $3 You can buy pies baked or frozen. If you want to reserve a pie ahead of time, let one of our Deacons know. See you there—Rain or Shine!

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7/2— SUSAN Cropper

7/4— Gary Baer

7/7— KANDIS Kulyk

KATHLEEN Pruitt

7/8— RALPH Bunting, III

7/10—KATHLEEN Eschenburg

Kim Price

7/17— CAROL Neal

7/19— BRENDA Burbage

7/21— ROSEALEE Campion

7/25— VIOLA Keesling

7/26— JOHN Fisher

7/29—PEGGY Jones

PATRICIA Rouch

7/10— Gary & Susan Baer

7/22— WILLIAM & ROSEALEE Campion

7/24— Jeremy & LINDSAY Ashton

8/2— DAVID & PATRICIA Rouch

8/23— Fred & CAROL Neal

8/3— ACHSAH Jarman

8/5— GRAYSON David

8/10—David Kohler

8/13—DOROTHY Warren

8/15—DOUGLAS Fisher

Saylor Amos

8/17— NINA Downs

8/18— PATRICIA Arthur

8/27—KARLA Davis

DANA Tull

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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Combined Worship Service 10:00am followed by Congregational Meeting

2 Adult Caregivers 6:30pm

3 Men’s Breakfast @ DeNovo's 8am

4 INDE-PENDENCE DAY! CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED.

5 Choir 6:30pm

AA 8pm

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8 9 Adult Caregivers 6:30pm

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11 Women’s Lunch Bunch 11:30am @ Crush N Crab

VBS Volunteer Training 6pm @ Buckingham

12 Choir 6:30pm

AA 8pm

13 14 Decorating for VBS 9:00am @ Buckingham

15 16 Adult Caregivers 6:30pm

VBS 6-8pm

17 VBS 6-8pm

18 VBS 6-8pm

19 Choir 6:30pm AA 8pm

VBS 6-8pm

20 VBS 6-8pm

21 Volunteers Prepare Kitchen for Spring Cleaning

22 Volunteers Prepare Taylor Hall for Spring Cleaning after 9am worship service

23 Adult Caregivers 6:30pm

CHURCH CLEANING

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CHURCH CLEANING

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CHURCH CLEANING

26 Choir 6:30pm

AA 8pm CHURCH CLEANING

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CHURCH CLEANING

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29 30 Adult Caregivers 6:30pm

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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Spiritual Formation 6pm

2 Choir 6:30pm

AA 8pm

3 4 Berlin Peach Festival 11am to 4pm

5 6 7 Men’s Break-fast @ DeNovo's 8:00am

Session 7:00pm

8 Women’s Lunch Bunch @ Taylor’s O.P. 11:30an

Spiritual Formation 6pm

9 Choir 6:30pm

AA 8pm

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12 MID-SUMMER COMMUNION

13 Deacon Mtg. 6:00pm

14 15 Spiritual Formation 6pm

16 Choir 6:30pm

AA 8pm

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19 20 21 22 Spiritual Formation 6pm

23 Choir 6:30pm

AA 8pm

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26 27 28 29 Spiritual Formation 6pm

30 Choir 6:30pm

AA 8pm

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VISION STATEMENT

We are a community of disciples,

Who honor all people,

Care for those in need,

Share the hope we receive from Jesus Christ.

BUCKINGHAM GRAM