Window Newsletter 11.2.22

Staff Anniversaries
Join us in celebrating the following November staff anniversaries:

Fran Patterson celebrates 26 years on November 13
Dawn Shepard celebrates six years on November 28

Thank you for your valued commitment and service to the ministries and people of Broadway!
 

Families on Mission Event: Christmas at Halloween
This past Wednesday night 25 Broadway families with children and youth gathered for an evening of mission work and Halloween fun.  The group filled 40 stockings for refugee children in the Fort Worth community that will be distribute by our CBF partner Karen Morrow at Christmas. Following their mission project, they then set off trick or treating to several candy stations around the church and enjoyed both scary and friendly haunted houses created by our BBC Youth.   

Many thanks to members of our congregation who donated the stockings and the stocking stuffers!

Gateway to Worship Service
The Gateway to Worship class made up of first and second graders, led their very own worship service for their family and friends this past Sunday, October 30, in the chapel. The class has been preparing for this service for months as they have learned about the different parts of the worship service. Many thanks to their teachers, Jennifer Bearden, Elizabeth Brown, and Lucy San.  

Celebrating our Volunteers
A huge thank you to Jimmie Nell Galbraith and Gladys Jenson for their dedicated commitment to the children’s clothing room. Today we recognize their thirty-five years of labor and love!

Please let them know they are appreciated when you see them.

2023-24 Stewardship: A New Day at Broadway
Last week, Broadway members received a letter in the mail outlining our stewardship emphasis and plans for the 2023-24 budget. Our theme this year, A New Day at Broadway, emphasizes the changes and growth that are happening all around us and the opportunities this creates for Broadway.
 
Included with the letter is an information card that shows how your contributions support the mission and ministries of Broadway. You can see how your gifts make a difference in our church and our community. You can give with confidence to Broadway. We strive to be fully transparent in our finances with our lay leadership and the congregation. And each year our finances are audited by an outside accounting firm. Last year, Broadway again received a clean, unqualified report from our auditors.
 
 
Pledge Sunday is November 13. As part of our worship service that day, Broadway members and friends will be invited to bring their completed pledge cards to the front of the Sanctuary as an offering to God and a commitment to one another. The Finance Committee has set a pledge goal this year of $1.6 million, which represents a $100,000 increase to last year’s pledge goal. This increase is necessary due to rising energy costs as well as the impact of inflation on other budget items.
 
We ask that you prayerfully consider what God is calling you to do in support of our 2023-24 operating budget.
 
If you have any questions about your current or future pledges or did not receive your stewardship packet in the mail, please contact Rachael Moffett, Accounting Associate, or Peter Nelson, Administrator.
 
Thank you for your faithful and generous support.  

Contemplative Study Group 
Tonight at 5:45 p.m. 
Fleming Chapel
Contemplation and Action meets in Fleming Chapel tonight at 5:45 p.m. All are welcome to join this 8-week study which focuses on exploring the relationship between contemplative prayer practices and social justice in action and ministry. Contact Jennifer Davis with questions. 

Wednesday Night Family Ministries 
Starts at 5:45 p.m. 

Children ages 3-Kindergarten
Music & Missions Class
Meet in the downstairs area of the children’s building. 

Grades 1-6                   
Missions in Action and Handbell practice
Meet in the Celebration Room 

Grades 7-12                
Quest meet in the Youth Hall; youth area is open at 4:30 for youth to hang out.

Coffee Fellowship
Sundays at 9:00 a.m. in Room 302
Join us in room 302 starting at 9:00 a.m. for fellowship. Enjoy pastries from Three Danes as well as hot tea and coffee from our local Starbucks. 

Worship Sunday, November 6 at 10:50 a.m.
This Sunday we will commemorate All Saints’ Day during worship. Fran Patterson will lead us in a litany remembering and honoring the fourteen saints Broadway lost this past year. We will also observe communion. The Chancel Handbells will play “Fantasy on Holy, Holy, Holy” and the Chancel Choir will sing “A Parting Blessing.” Ryon Price will preach from Luke 6:20-31.

Broadway’s online Contemplation and Action group is collecting baby gifts for the Rahimi Family, who are expecting a baby girl in December. The Rahimis have relocated from Afghanistan to the Fort Worth area and are one of several refugee families Broadway has reached out to and supported in various ways over the past year. The Rahimis have three other children ages 5, 7, and 9. They do not have the resources to adequately acquire all that is needed for the new baby which presents Broadway with a wonderful opportunity to bless this family. 
 
A baby registry has been set up at Walmart.com in the name of the parents, Aseya and Abdul Rahimi. Any items selected on the website will be delivered to Jennifer Davis. You may also choose to purchase/provide baby items from other retailers. Gently used items are welcome as well. If possible, please wrap your gift and include a card with well wishes for the family.
 
For some of the items listed on the registry that are more expensive, several persons/families may want to share the expense of that item.
 
Gifts will be accepted through Sunday, November 13. Please place them on the table in the library marked with the sign for baby shower gifts. You can contact Jennifer Davis with questions at jdavis@broadwaybc.org.

May Street Market Challenge Begins Tonight!
Ends Wednesday, November 16

Special Event for our Mini Kids Preschoolers
Friday, November 11, 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. 

Broadway Mini Kids and their families are invited to join us for a fun night in their pajamas with storyteller Mother Goose on Friday, November 11 from 6:00-7:15 pm. At 6:00pm, we will gather in the Mini Kids area for milk and cookies before the show begins at 6:30pm in the library.
 
Your family will not want to miss this Broadway tradition. Register HERE by Wednesday, November 9. Contact Mary Jesse with questions. 

Adult Wednesday Night Invitation: “Pray Away” Movie Screening and Panel Discussion
Wednesday, November 16 at 6:00 p.m., Stage West Theatre 

Join us for the Fort Worth screening of PRAY AWAY, the Netflix documentary that explores the narratives of former leaders and a survivor of the “conversion therapy” movement who speak out about its lasting harm and its devastating persistence.
 
This film presents a vital opportunity to elevate the national conversation on “conversion therapy” and inform the public – and particularly religious communities where the practice is most prevalent. Religious leaders and leading organizations, including the Trevor Project, NCLR’s Born Perfect Campaign, PFLAG, Equality Utah, and GLAAD, have joined together in a campaign led by Multitude Films to do just that. And in the process to shift the ways in which church communities and families respond to and support their LGBTQ+ loved ones. This film is rated PG-13.
 
The screening will be followed with a panel discussion featuring survivors of “conversion therapy”, mental health experts, LGBTQIA+ advocates, and faith leaders who will reflect on the themes of the film. Come learn, connect and get plugged into a movement working to advance liberation for LGBTQIA+ Texans.
 
This event invitation will be offered in lieu of our Wednesday night adult education program and is being hosted by Another Story®, Broadway Baptist Church, The HELP Center for LGBT Health & Wellness, and Multitude Films.
 
Location: Stage West Theatre, 821 W Vickery Blvd., Fort Worth 76104
Doors open at 6pm. Light fare provided.
 
Register to attend this FREE in-person event here.

Email questions to info@broadwaybc.org.

All Church Thanksgiving Luncheon & Youth Sweet Treat Sale
Sunday, November 20, Following Worship in Fellowship Hall 

Update from the Justice Committee
October was a busy month for your Justice Committee.  Here’s an update on our continued advocacy for incarcerated persons at the Tarrant County Jail. Click HERE to read the full article. 

October by the Numbers
October was a wonderful month in our Community Center as we resumed welcoming guests inside the center to shop in our May Street Market as well as our adult and children’s clothing rooms. We continue to see the needs rise among the neighbors in our community for these essential services.
 
Here’s a brief report of services provided in October:

• Sack Lunches: 1,120 lunches distributed
• Groceries: 211 households served (593 persons)
• Agape Meal: 355 meals served  
• Adult Clothing Ministry: 83 people served
• Children’s Clothing: 20 families served (58 children)
• Rental Assistance: $283 in financial assistance provided
• Diaper Bank: 35 families served

Thanks to our wonderful staff and volunteers who make these services possible and those who contribute financially to support the ministries and mission of Broadway. 

Agape Meal
Each Thursday, we serve 85-100 guests at our weekly Agape Meal. It’s a time to share food and fellowship with our neighbors.
 
Last week, we were blessed to have a group of TCU Alumni and families serve at Agape along with many volunteers from Broadway.
 
Volunteers should arrive between 5:00 – 5:30. Dinner is served at 6:00 followed by a worship service at 6:30. With clean-up, volunteers are usually done by 7:15.
 
Contact our Community Ministries Coordinator, Josh Lucas, if you are interested in volunteering or want to know more about our Agape Meal.

Creek Church Volunteers Pack Hygiene Kits
In October, volunteers from The Creek Church packed over 300 hygiene kits for our guests at the Community Center. Hygiene kits provide our neighbors with essential items including soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, razor, and bandages. These bags are a blessing to our neighbors, particularly those experiencing homelessness. Members of The Creek also volunteer once a month at our Agape Meal. We give thanks for these friends and their support of our Community Ministries.  
 

Fall Coat Distribution
Cooler temperatures have arrived in North Central Texas, which means our annual coat distribution is not too far away. Each fall, Broadway distributes new and gently used coats, hats, and gloves to our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness. Working in partnership with First Mission Ministries and the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, we distribute about 250 coats each year in preparation for the winter months. This year, our coat distribution is scheduled for Tuesday, November 8.
 
You can help this ministry by donating new and gently used coats for children and adults. Our biggest need is men’s coats sizes 4XL and 5XL. Please make sure all donations are clean and ready to distribute. You can place your donated items in the blue bin outside the church office in the Centrum or bring them by the Community Center when it is open.
 
If you don’t have items to donate, you can give financially to support the purchase of new winter coats, hats, and gloves. Please designate your contribution for the coat distribution. Thank you.
 

Please pray for the two refugee families from Afghanistan that we are helping.