The Advent Bible Study has been announced and will begin on Monday, Nov. 26th at 6:30 PM at the church. The remaining weeks of the study will be held on Sunday following Coffee Hour. We’ll use the book titled The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem by Adam Hamilton. Here’s a brief description of the study as found on the Cokesbury website.

“Journey with Adam Hamilton as he travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem in this fascinating look at the birth of Jesus Christ. Hamilton approaches a world-changing event with thoughtfulness. Using historical information, archaeological data, and a personal look at some of the stories surrounding the birth, the most amazing moment in history will become more real and heart-felt as you walk along this road.”

          This summer we welcomed Pastor Trudy and Bob Codd to our faith community.  Pastor Trudy has been serving the Lord for most of her life, but as a pastor since 1992.  She has served a number of churches, beginning at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in her hometown of Staten Island, NY, and most recently at the South Dover Windall Church and Burbank Church in Duchess, NY.  Pastor Trudy is enthusiastic about her ministry here in Pleasant Valley, and is excited about moving forward with the “call to action” initiative which strives to bring life back into churches during these times of declining membership.

Pastor Trudy and Bob, between them, have 6 children and 10 grandchildren, with one more on the way!  They are settling into their home in the church parsonage on Raymond Drive, along with their cat, and are happily getting acquainted with their neighbors, their church family, and their community as a whole.

We would like to invite everyone to attend a Welcome reception for Pastor Trudy and Bob on Sunday, September 9th beginning at 2:00 PM in Fellowship Hall at the church.  Please come to meet your new neighbors and to spend some time getting to know them better.

The Third Annual Float Fest will take place on Sunday, September 2nd beginning at 4 PM at Stanclift Cove, in Barkhamsted.  You’re invited to bring your kayak, canoe, or sailboat (no motors, please) and come and float awhile. We’ll gather together back on the beach at 6 PM to share a meal; each person brings their own food.  Don’t want to ‘float’? Come about 6PM and join the group for the meal and fellowship.

If you don’t have a beach sticker to the Cove, speak with Margo Fenn or John Baum so arrangements for a guest pass can be made. There will be no rain date; if the weather is poor, the event will be cancelled. For more information, contact the church office, or speak with Margo at 860-379-3874 or John at 860-379-9398.

Did you know that every 60 seconds malaria claims the life of someone in Africa? This can be prevented by supporting the Imagine No Malaria initiative. This initiative’s plan is to help in four ways:  Prevention by providing bed nets to families in the villages; Treatment by providing diagnostic access and medicine; Education by reaching out to the communities to teach people how to avoid malaria; and Communication by improving the methods of communication to tell the people about this life saving information. It includes improving radio stations, and providing hand-crank and solar powered radios to villages.

You can help by attending the Ice Cream Social hosted by Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church on Sunday, August 19th from 2-4 PM. This event is free and open to the public. We simply ask for a ‘good will donation’ which will be given to the conference to support the Imagine No Malaria program. Why not plan to come enjoy a nice cold treat, make a generous donation, and save a life.

The first Bean Hole Bean Supper for 2012 will take place on Saturday, May 12th. Seatings are at 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and 7:00 PM. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling Cathy at 860-379-9398. For more information about our suppers and dates for the rest of this year, please see our page tab Bean Hole Suppers at the top of this page.

We’d love to have you come for dinner with us!!

Holy Week is quickly approaching and our church will be a busy place. Here’s a listing of the upcoming events and services.

• April 1st is Palm Sunday with worship at 9:30 AM.
• April 5th will bring a Tenebrae service on Maundy Thursday at 7:00 PM.
• April 6th will be the annual Good Friday Prayer Vigil, beginning at noon and continuing to 3:00 PM. This marks the hours that Christ hung on the cross.
• April 8th will begin the Easter celebration with a Sunrise Service on Beach Rock in Barkhamsted at 6:30 AM. This traditional service will be shared by the pastors of the Barkhamsted Congregational Church, New Hartford Center Congregational Church, and Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church. Following the service atop Beach Rock, a community breakfast will be hosted by the Barkhamsted Congregational Church.
• Easter Worship Service will take place at 9:30 AM at PVUMC.
• Coffee Hour will follow, hosted by volunteers. As an added event, sponsored by the Disciples in Action Committee, there will be an Easter egg hunt around the church grounds for everyone to enjoy…young or old alike.

It’s going to be a busy week around our church and we invite you to all the events as we move toward the celebration of our risen Lord on Easter Sunday.

The men of the church will be hosting their annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on February 21st, 2012 at 6:00 PM in Fellowship Hall. Everyone is welcome to come and share in the feast. A good-will offering will be collected to help with our church missions.

Traditionally Shrove Tuesday, or “Fat Tuesday” (Mardi Gras means ‘Fat Tuesday’), means the last hurrah before the beginning of Lent.

Here’s one explanation as stated on the AmericanCatholic.org website, “What is less known about Mardi Gras is its relation to the Christmas season, through the ordinary-time interlude known in many Catholic cultures as Carnival. (Ordinary time, in the Christian calendar, refers to the normal “ordering” of time outside of the Advent/Christmas or Lent/Easter seasons. Carnival comes from the Latin words carne vale, meaning “farewell to the flesh.” Like many Catholic holidays and seasonal celebrations, it likely has its roots in pre-Christian traditions based on the seasons. Some believe the festival represented the few days added to the lunar calendar to make it coincide with the solar calendar; since these days were outside the calendar, rules and customs were not obeyed. Others see it as a late-winter celebration designed to welcome the coming spring. As early as the middle of the second century, the Romans observed a Fast of 40 Days, which was preceded by a brief season of feasting, costumes and merrymaking.” (AmericanCatholic.org)

In any case, please come join us in our celebration of Shrove Tuesday and then plan to begin your season of Lent the following day, Ash Wednesday, at our worship service at 7PM.