WEEKLY COMIC: Virtual Church

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Illuminated German Church

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Belgian Altar Screen

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Funny Parking Sign

ANNOUNCEMENT: Church Facebook Page!

Did you know our church has a new Facebook page?  Any schedule changes (including practice or quiz meet cancellations due to weather) will be reported there first!  Check it out:  www.facebook.com/beaconhillmonroe.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: Mrs. & Mrs. Bible Quizzer

This past Saturday, two former Bible Quizzers married in Trumbull.  Congratulations to Special J and Pinky on their blessed union!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Revolutionary War-Era Church

A photo from Christ Church in Philadelphia, PA where many important Revolution War figures like George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Ben Franklin are known to have worshipped.  Old doesn't mean plain, when it comes to churches!

WEEKLY COMIC: Location, location, location!

WEEKLY COMIC: Well, that's one way to do it!

WEEKLY COMIC: Cordially Invited...

DISTRICTS: Fellowship Church

We've talked about Dallas, PA, and Camp Orchard Hill, so now let's talk a bit about our hosting church - Fellowship Evangelical Free Church.

The Fellowship Quiz Team meets weekly to read, study, and memorize scripture to prepare for several local and regional competitions from September through May.  Friendly camaraderie, competition, and fellowship make for a wonderful experience.

HUMOR: Watch those corrections!

Not mine.  From here.

A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon.

"How do you know what to say?" he asked.

"Why, God tells me."

"Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?"

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Sistine Chapel

This is from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Houghton Chapel Mural

Some of you know Coach Matt and Coach Mark are alumni of Houghton College. This is a photo from a mural at the college campus, showing the progression of Church history.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: St. Peter's Basilica

The interior of Saint Peters Basilica in Vatican City.

BIBLE NEWS: Church is Good for You

It is no surprise that pastors teach that church is good for us - that's where they work!  But now science is getting into the act to explain why the Bible teaches "not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:25.

Social support is no doubt part of the story. At the evangelical churches I’ve studied as an anthropologist, people really did seem to look out for one another. They showed up with dinner when friends were sick and sat to talk with them when they were unhappy. The help was sometimes surprisingly concrete. Perhaps a third of the church members belonged to small groups that met weekly to talk about the Bible and their lives...A study conducted in North Carolina found that frequent churchgoers had larger social networks, with more contact with, more affection for, and more kinds of social support from those people than their unchurched counterparts. And we know that social support is directly tied to better health.

PHOTOS: Greek Orthodox Church

Our church comes from the Reformed tradition of Christianity. This branch of the faith has largely abandoned religion art in the sanctuary in favor of a much more spare and sparse experience. But some other Christian traditions are very different in this. We visited the St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church this past weekend for their Odyssey Greek Festival, and took the chance to see the amazing art on display there. We thought you might enjoy seeing some of the photos. Click on the image below for the whole set.

What other churches are involved in Bible Quizzing?

We've discussed that the Bible Quiz Team will be traveling to local churches on a monthly basis for Quiz Meets. That logically raises the question, "Where will be traveling to?" There are several local churches involved in Bible Quizzing - and we quiz with the Eastern District of the EFCA.

• Trumbull, CT  (Calvary Evangelical Free Church or check out the team blog)
• Cresskill, NJ  (Northern Valley Evangelical Free Church)
• Sparta, NJ (Sparta Evangelical Free Church)
• Dallas, PA (Fellowship Evangelical Free Church)
• Lititz, PA (Lancaster Evangelical Free Church)
• Hershey, PA (Evangelical Free Church of Hershey)

Most local meets will be with Trumbull, Cresskill, and Sparta since they are much closer to us.

Come meet the Coaches on May 20th

On Sunday, May 20, the Coaches of the Monroe Bible Quiz Team will be at Beacon Hill Church's Ministry Fair to present our program to interested teens and parents. Come on out at 9:45 AM (after the first service)! We'll be there until 11 AM, and be ready to answer any and all questions you may have. Coach Mark and Coach Matt are looking forward to meeting you!