Phone: 941- 739-0202

Dates to Remember:

• Rummage Sale – Friday, February 5, 2010

Pastor Caroline's Corner

Dealing with the pips. Here’s an experiment to try:
            1) Cut an orange in half
            2) Take one half and hold it over a bowl
            3) Squeeze it as hard as you can
The result is that the juice will fall into the bowl, but the orange pips will pop out and stay in the mash of fruit pulp attached to the peel.  Most of us are happy to be rid of the orange pips and have a nice glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.  And yet, the pips, which we tend to throw away, contain the essence of future life. -more-

Fellowship

Happy New Year!  May this find everyone healthy and happy.
Last year the Fellowship Committee has managed the kitchen for the potlucks and other events  -- Mother’s Day Tea, 15th Anniversary and Adopt-A-Family.  -more-

Building & Grounds

Our Church was a busy place during the month of December.
Again, I wish to thank all of the men and women who cleaned and shined the floors, windows, changed light bulbs, etc.  Also those who put a fresh coat of paint on the lower inside walls of the Sanctuary – it look great!
Thanks for the white rock around the Cross a d the painting of the Cross at our entrance.  It makes the area show up much better, and has a very clean look. -more-

Worship

Hello Everyone,
Welcome back to those “Snow Birds” who are returning to us.  Our sanctuary is getting fuller as the weeks go by.  We are so happy to welcome Jerry & JoVay Briggs to our family.  They joined our congregation on December 20th.  -more-

Mission

The Mission Team is very grateful for the support the congregation has given us this past year. We’ve sent many barrels of non-perishable food items to Meals on Wheels-Plus food pantry.
You gave generously to many monetary requests:  One Great Hour of Sharing, Souper Bowl, Beth El for summer camp and school supplies, Special appeal Presbytery for Beth El and Cedarkirk Camp.  We made Christmas a little brighter for several families.-more-

Joy Circle

We will have had our first meeting of the New Year on January 11 before you receive the newsletter.  Our study topic was “Can War Be Holy?” and we also reviewed the PC(USA) 1969 statement, “War, Peace and Conscience,” which concludes there are three groups of conscience that can draw equally on the church’s teaching in support of their position.  We were reminded that, as Christians, our “holy war” is against evil.  A review of Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 6:10-20 reinforced how we are to equip ourselves for this war. -more-

Christian/Discipleship Education

E. Stanley Jones, who died in 1973, was an author, evangelist and missionary.  One of his great accomplishments was the establishment of the Ashram, a Hindu word that means “retreat.”  The Ashram is a week-long structured Christian retreat that focuses on solitude and community building.  He had a keen understanding of the spiritual life and the means of spiritual renewal. -more-

Braden River Presbyterian Lady Crafters

Our ladies craft group recently joined hundreds of other women around the country for their 2010 mission project, HAP, handmade afghan project. Our objective is to thank those wounded in service to our country, and bring comfort and warmth to those men and women who are protecting us every day.   We create handmade afghans and send them to military hospitals. -more-

Is God Leading You to Make this Your Church Home? If you would like to explore the possibility of becoming a member of this community of faith, please give your name to the pastor or leave a message at 941-739-0202. You are under no obligation to join Braden River, but we want you to have the opportunity to learn more about us, and about the Presbyterian faith. And if you feel that God is leading you to live out your faith as a member of Braden River Presbyterian Church, we would be honored to have you as a part of our Christian family.

A map is available on the Contact page to help you find Braden River if you have never visited us before

The mission of Braden River Presbyterian Church

• To honor God;
• To extend a welcome to ALL people;
• To share God's love with ALL;
• And to help ALL grow in faith.

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