Crossroads Notes:

Is Your Pledge Up-To-Date?           Church members made a wonderful commitment to support the mission of this congregation in 2007. It is important to honor that commitment. Despite bad weather and school vacations, the Church’s expenses continue so we urge you to keep up with your pledges. If there is a problem, please see Jim Brunner. Spring Cleanup           The Board of Trustees is planning a ‘Spring Cleanup’ on May 5 with a rain date on May 12. We invite and encourage everyone from the church to participate in this opportunity to get our church grounds cleaned up form the ‘ravages’ of winter. Raking, sweeping, mulching, planting and maybe even cutting grass will be the order of the day from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We also plan to shore up the shed before it slides into the woods. Please donate four hours of you time on May 5 to make the outside of your church look like you care about it. Pentecost Offering           Each year at this time we begin to think about our Pentecost offering .The offering will be received on May 27. This is one of our denomination’s special offerings. The Pentecost offering is used “to provide nurture and hope to young members of God’s family”. Our congregation will keep 40% for ministries to serve children at risk; the General Assembly uses the remaining 60% for ministries with youth and young adults (25%), for adult volunteer opportunities (25%) and for child advocacy (10%).           We hope that you will consider this offering opportunity and give generously. One Great Hour Of Sharing           Thanks to everyone who contributed to this offering. The total to date is $1,497.52. Your gifts will enable the Presbyterian Disaster Fund, the Committee for Self-Development of People, and the Presbyterian Hunger Program to respond to emergencies and the long-term needs around the world. M.A.T.E. Crew Taking Shape for this Year!           Come join us! So far, Ken Dewar, Bill and Lee Silver, and Rod MacDonald plan to be part of this year’s volunteer crew to work on renovations of homes of the rural elderly and poor in central Maine, through Mission At The Eastward. The week is July 29 – August 3, though you can come for just part of that time. Skilled and unskilled labor welcome. We stay in a dorm of the U. Maine, Farmington. We’ll be joing with a few folks from other churches in Boston Presbytery.           Our crew will also welcome financial contributions, to help with our expenses, and donations of food items (to be specified later). See Rod MacDonald for more information.

Alcohol-Free Weekend, May 4-6           This annual weekend kicks off Friday, May 4, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., on the Burlington Town Common. Families are invited to join the Drug and Alcohol Task Force in celebrating another year of commitment to helping children to make healthy choices.             Free food, soft drinks, buttons, silicone bracelets and musical entertainment will be part of this event. Parents are encouraged to refrain from consuming alcohol for this weekend, and to discuss the risks and realities of underage drinking with their children.           For more info, see Rev. MacDonald who is a clergy representative on the DATF. Mark your calendars and sign-up on the ‘Bulletin Board’ for the following events. Dinners of 8 May 12 Church Picnic July 15 Deacons Corner           The deacons would like to thank everyone for their generous donations to the Maundy Thursday and Easter flower offerings. The total amount collected was $489.00. The money will be sent to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, designated for their work in Indonesia. PDA is providing assistance with shelter, food, water, medical care and trauma counseling, as residents there struggle to recover from the tsunami in July 2006 and the flooding in January 2007.           Tools and Blankets Sundays are coming up. We will be collecting for this event between Mothers Day, May 13 and Fathers Day, June 17. The Tools and Blankets program is a special mission opportunity that supports Church World Service in responding to disasters around the world. Approximately 8,000 congregations and groups across the United States hold Tools and Blankets events, providing more than $3.7 million to help people in 80 nations, including the United States. Dare Family Services Helping kids in your community… for a week, a month, a year…a lifetime           Dare Family Services is a private, nonprofit social services agency that specializes in providing intensive foster care to children/teens that have been abused or neglected. We are looking for homes in all areas for our local foster kids. IF you have a desire to help a child in need of a family, please call Marilyn or Janelle at 617-628-3696. www.darefamily.org Sunday Morning Rides Needed           There are two people who need rides to and from church. Please speak to Amoah Yeboah-Korang. Sign up in Fellowship Hall.