Crossroads Notes:

Sunday School Request           We are fortunate to have such a creative curriculum for our Sunday School program. Many of our lessons include role playing and skits. Some of the Sunday School teachers have wished they had some costumes to help the kids get into their roles. If you have any old bathrobes, sheets, scarves, or anything else that could be used by our classes as costumes, leave them in the CE closet across from the younger youth classroom. Thank you! Up Coming Special Events From the Membership Committee You are invited to two events coming up:           On February 11, following our church service, we are hosting an International Brunch/Special Coffee Hour. We ask that those attending bring a small plate or tray of “brunchy” type food that may be common in your homeland (nothing that needs a knife to cut). For those of us who haven’t traced our heritage to any particular part of our world, bring something that you especially enjoy. One of our church families will be telling us about their trip to China this past summer.           On March 3, (time to be determined) we are sponsoring “Dinners of Eight”. For this we are asking you to sign the sign-up sheet that is posted on the bulletin board. What is a “Dinners of Eight” you may ask! You will be invited by some one in the congregation to come to their house for dinner; there will be no more than eight for dinner. The hosts/hostesses will prepare the entrée; the guests will provide other foods for the meal. The number that sign-up will determine how many hosts/hostesses we will need. It is a fun time and a chance to get to know each other better. Look for the sign-up sheet. Sunday Morning Rides Needed           There are two people who need rides to and from church. Sign up in Fellowship Hall. J.J. Referral Services A New Resource – J.J Referral Services           If you need help this winter with fuel, please contact Joanne Stephen, Independent Consumer consultant at 781-572-0219 or joanejstp@aol.com.

A Thank You: Christmas Offering For Cabanlutan Village, Philippines           As you read this, picture a Filipino farmer’s family receiving medicine during the typhoon season. Or school children receiving an extra bit of protein in their daily food intake. Over the years, Burlington Presbyterian Church has contributed to this outreach among rural Christians in the village of Cabanlutan. The Christmas offering of $232.00 for Cabanlutan has been gratefully received. Elder Priscilla Kelso of Cambridge Presbyterian Church has a direct link with this project and visits with the recipients, many of whom come from families of subsistence farmers, every time she travels to the Philippines. Stewardship & Mission Living Waters for the World Clean Water U Program Expansion, Franklin, TN           The need for clean water in our world is overwhelming. More than three million people, most of them children, die each year from illnesses related to contaminated water. Living Waters for the World equips congregational mission teams with the skills needed to form partnerships with communities in need of clean water. These teams install the Living Waters for the World water purification systems and equip local community leaders to operate the systems long-term. Systems have been installed in Mexico, Haiti, Brazil, India, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Belize, the Philippines, Ghana and the United States. Each purification system can support up to 300 people with clean drinking and cooking water at an ongoing cost of 60 cents per 300 gallons of purified water.           To continue to save children and communities from the illnesses and complications that come from unclean water, Living Waters for the World seeks to increase the number of available trainers through its newly created training program, Clean Water U. With a grant from the Presbyterian Women’s Birthday Officer, Living Waters will expand the number of annual Clean Water U training sessions, empower more mission tea m leaders to equip their congregations and subsequently install more water systems around the world. A grant also will assist Living Waters in promoting awareness about Clean Water U throughout the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Over a three-year period, additional training session will prepare approximately 147 mission teams to install water purification systems. (Horizons January / February 2007) Come Celebrate Black History Month!           On Saturday, February 17, the Reading Civic Concert Band will share the stage with a 40-person Gospel choir, the Boston Choral Society. Join us as we celebrate the rich and varied contributions that black performers and composers have given to American music. The program will span Jazz, Ragtime, Spirituals, a tribute to Duke Ellington, and selections from The American Scene by William Grant Still. The concert begins at 8:00pm in the new Reading Memorial High School auditorium. Tickets at the door will be $15, $10 for seniors and students, 5 yrs and under are admitted free. Save the date!