Winter and Spring Movie Schedule
in the Memorial Hall Theater
Friday Nights at 6:30 p.m.
(Most capsulized description provided by IMDb [The Internet Movie Database])
February 22 (Washington's Birthday): THE PATRIOT, starring Mel Gibson and a youthful Heath Ledger in his debut role. This is a stirring drama about a member of the Continental Congress who is torn between his desire to avoid war and the colonies-wide drive toward independence in Revolutionary War-era America. Rated R for violence - not for kids! 165 min.
March 21 (Good Friday), 3 p.m.: THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. This is the unforgettable dramatization of Jesus' trial, scourging and crucifixion on the last earthly day of his life. Starring Jim Caviezel and directed by Mel Gibson. Rated R for violence - not for kids!
March 28: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. In C.S. Lewis' classic Christian allegory about four children who travel through a wardrobe to the land of Narnia and learn of their destiny to free it with the guidance of a mystical lion. Rated PG for the entire family. 143 Min.
April 4: 1408. In this surprisingly effective and theologically sound "horror" film, a man (John Cusack in an acting tour de force) who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled Room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel, and soon after confronts genuine terror. Rated PG 13. Not for young children, OK for most teens.
April 18: HAPPY FEET. Unpreviewed, but widely praised, this animated comedy tells the tale of Emperor Penguins who find their soul mates through song. One penguin, however, is born who cannot sing - but he can dance something fierce! Rated PG for the entire family.
May 2: SEABISCUIT. This is the true story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it, but those of the nation as well. 141 Min. A mild PG 13 rating.
May 23 (Memorial Day Weekend): SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Based on a true World War II story, U.S. soldiers try to save their comrade stationed behind enemy lines, whose four brothers have already been killed in battle. A Stephen Spielberg masterpiece. Rated R for strong battlefield violence. 170 Min.
Blawenburg Day
Fund Raiser for Preservation Fund
If you are interested in serving on a Committee to plan Blawenburg Day
for the Spring, please contact the Church Office (609-466-3108)
or Lisa Hunt (609-466-8841). Blawenburg Day is a community
event with craft tables, inflatables, pony rides and bbq.
Prayer/Discussion Group
Interested? If interested in reading and discussing “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World” by Joanna Weaver please call Bernice Van Nostrand at 908-359-6579 or VNS206@aol.com. Times are flexible, we get together and decide on a best time. (I could meet 7 AM on Saturday.)
Congratulations to Sarah Johnson on her graduation from Bucknell University
BVS Annual Silent Auction
Save the Date for “BVS In Bloom” on Saturday, April 12th at the
Princeton Italian-American Sportsman Club.
New Members
New Members will be received during worship on March 2nd. Anyone interested
in becoming a member of Blawenburg Church should talk with Pastor Rich.
Just a reminder about the Pot Luck on March
2nd.
The Reconnection Process Continues
In our earlier units, the Sunday school stories showed God’s wonderful creations, how the man and the woman decided to go against the command of the Lord, and how the Lord began the process of reconnecting his people to himself.
In the winter units, the children are learning how God saved the baby Moses to rescue his people from Pharaoh. Although Moses was reluctant, God called him and promised to help him rescue the Israelites. The Egyptians didn’t like God’s help because they had to suffer the plagues before Pharaoh would let the Israelites go. To celebrate their deliverance, the Israelites worshiped God with songs. In Sunday school, the children made a celebration gadget, a Shimmy Shaker, and sang songs to worship God. Why not have a family celebration using the shaker! Also, be sure to read the Guess What! magazine with your child. Many of the stories relate to the lessons.
The pictures below show the lesson of The Great Escape and the plagues. Connections are made to Biblical stories and today’s life.
Mrs. Stevens asking Caroline what she
will take on her trip (her exodus).
Linnéa draws a picture of how “God Cares for Me”
Christopher checks out the Guess What!
magazine and the stories that relate to the lesson.
Angelo and Christopher pass out paper and
pencils to classmates
With animation, Mrs. Hume tells the story
of the plagues
Sara responds to the story
Properties Committee Update
The painting of our Church…Painting Contractors
Specifications for painting the exterior of our Church are now ready. The Sealed Bids should be returned to the church office by Friday, February 22nd. If you know of any painting contractors that may be interested in this job contact Nancy at the Church office. We are especially looking for those contractors with whom our members are satisfied with their work.
Septic
We are looking into costs for replacing our toilet fixtures with new, water saving and efficient models. These items would appear in next years budget (July 1st.) if it seems reasonable to make such changes. The two septic tanks will also be pumped and re-inspected in the very near future, in order to evaluate our immediate choices & decisions.
Other
Except for unexpected emergencies, only the expenses approved in the current budget are being spent. Over the next few months we will be looking at items/jobs & projects that will be put into next years budget. Suggestions from our members are appreciated; especially those that can help us save dollars and be responsible stewards.
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Changing the World Two by Two!
Allelulia! We built an Ark!
Once again your Missions Team is sincerely and humbly grateful for your great generosity! We raised $5,500 to donate an ‘Ark’ for our Christmas mission. Our Heifer Giving Tree became covered with animal ornaments representing your gifts. The simple effectiveness of this mission shone through and you all responded to the covenant promises evoked by it and by the giving spirit of Christmas. Initial feedback is that the recipients of the honor gift cards appreciated their gifts with as much glee and sincerity as the future recipients of the animals and training will. We heard creative gift-giving stories associated with Heifer: One member bought a stuffed animal and a story book to match the Heifer animal for a niece. The girl’s mother is looking forward to teaching her daughter about Heifer and the good work it does. Another member bought Heifer animals for all her grandchildren for the second year, as it had meant so much to them before. Another gave a Heifer gift to her grandson at Cornell who, to her delight, knew of Heifer’s reputation and was so proud of his grandmother for valuing it also! Your gifts WILL make a difference! In the words of Heifer, Int’l.: |
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The Heifer Gift
Ark offers hope worldwide to families who are poor and hungry. Your
generous gift goes right to work supporting Heifer's entire mission.
You'll be sending farm animals on a voyage wherever they are most
needed.
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Easter Dinner
Everyone is invited to attend Easter Dinner in Cook Hall
March 23rd at 1:00 PM
Please RSVP to the Church Office
609-466-3108 or brc2001@msn.com
February
Eco-tips 
NPR recently aired a program about ecology and environmentalism on “Speaking of Faith.” The host, Krista Tippett, interviewed Cal DeWitt, an evangelical Christian who is a professor at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, and Majora Carter, executive director of Sustainable South Bronx, two people who are concerned about the environment but have different approaches, one theological and the other focused on the quality of life (you want where you live to be healthy and a place of beauty). They agree that, in order for a change of attitude and commitment to the environment to occur, it is critical to make environmental issues relevant to people’s daily lives. They both dreamed big dreams, put in a good deal of time and effort, and have seen encouraging results, with DeWitt preserving wetlands in Dunn, Wisconsin, and Carter transforming an industrial dumpsite into a green park on the Bronx River, among other successes. They are excellent examples of the difference that one person’s vision and passion can make in our world.
In conjunction with this program, Ms. Tippett has recommended reading that we would like to share with you. She recommends the book, The Good in Nature and Humanity: Connecting Science, Religion, and Spirituality with the Natural World, which she calls “a marvelous resource of creative and moral thinking about the intersection of theology, environmental sciences and human life.” It includes essays by Cal DeWitt, Wendell Berry, noted Christian author and essayist, Terry Tempest Williams, a poet and naturalist, and essayist and author Barry Lopez, as well as other religious thinkers and scientists.
If you would like to hear the program, go to http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/discoveringwherewelive/soundseen.shtml.
Preservation Fund
Pancake Breakfast Fund Raiser
Saturday, March 8th
Save the Date and
Watch for more details
Volunteer Responsibilities
February 17 Greeters: Grace Terhune
Mark & Sharon Fritzinger
Fellowship: Dave & Evelyn Cochran
February 24 Greeters: Kristen & Eric Haaijer
Pat & Ed Harris
Fellowship: Vickie DeLaCruz
March 2 Greeters: Scott & Christina Magliochetti
Bill & Wendy Herbert
Fellowship: Ginny Doremus
Popular Pot Luck Luncheon
March 9 Greeters: Laraine Parsell
Elmi Hill
Fellowship: Pat & Ed Harris
March 16 Greeters: Sarah & Anthony Romagnole
Nan Hutchinson & Marc Helberg
Fellowship: Wendy & Bill Herbert
March 23 Easter
Greeters: Sharon Stevens
Tom & Lisa Hunt
Fellowship: Gracie & Jotham Johnson
Hospitality Committee
March 30 Greeters: Bob & Barbara Bradsell
Emmett & Sally Hume
Fellowship: Tom & Lisa Hunt
Croatia Update - Finals week pressures faculty, students alike
By Nancy Titus
It’s crunch time in Osijek.
Students have returned from the Christmas holidays, and are beginning to eye finals week, which at the time I write this is two weeks away.
Schools in Croatia run on a slightly different schedule than we are used to in the States. In fact, it is pretty much the opposite.
In the States, elementary and secondary schools generally get seven to ten days off at Christmas and have semesters that end in February with no time off between the semesters. Colleges, though, are much more likely to complete the first semester’s courses before Christmas, and have a long Christmas holiday before a new semester with all new classes begins.
Here in Croatia, our children in elementary school finished their first semester of classes before Christmas and enjoyed three weeks off from school. (They have an unbalanced school year, in that the first semester is quite a bit shorter than the second.) Our seminary students, however, only got two weeks off for Christmas and will compete their semester on Feb. 8. They will have no break between finals week and the beginning of the second semester.
You may be used to the idea of finals week being the week when students have final exams in all their classes. That’s obvious, right? Well, as with just about everything else, things are a little more complicated here. Because of the nature of our modular courses, in which students start a new intensive class about every three weeks, students have potentially already taken several finals before they get to finals week.
In Croatia, education law grants students rights that are normal here but seem downright bizarre to Americans. Eric and I are still getting used to some of them. For example, students are allowed to defer or retake finals if they wish – up to three times. Unlike American colleges, in which all course work must be done by the final and then the course grade is tabulated, Croatians can choose not to even take the exam if they do not feel prepared for it. They are allowed to carry over two such unfinished courses into the next school year though many carry more.
If students in the United States could do this, think of the chaos that would naturally ensue as students who felt under pressure would opt for this easy out. As I remember it, students are supposed to feel pressure during finals week, but I also remember the best thing about it was no matter what, it would all be over in a week.
But what if it wasn’t?
Now that you have that picture in mind, you have a better understanding of our situation here. Because they can, students do defer their exams and often for poor reasons. We try to tell them that they will never be more prepared for the exam than immediately after taking the course, but the siren song of another day calls to many of them. They often don’t think ahead to the problem they will encounter the next semester when they have a full load of new courses plus the leftovers from the last one.
In addition, this places a huge admini-strative burden on us as faculty members, both in having to arrange for finals for courses that are not even on our schedule but also as mentors trying to keep track of our students’ progress and encourage them to clean up this unfinished business. Once these courses are stale, they naturally don’t want to jump back into the material and prepare to take a final. Some even have research papers outstanding, months after the due date! We understand it is a Croatian thing, so we try not to make judgments about the relative benefit of this law and just try to get our students through their finals, but you can see the dilemma.
So, pray for us as we prepare to give finals and for our students as they decide whether or not to take them. Pray that students will want to do the work now and that they will do it well the first time around, freeing them for the work ahead.