The Lamplighter September 2016 - Ward`s Chapel United Methodist

The Lamplighter September 2016
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge
you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” ― Maya Angelou, Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and
Prayer
“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.” ― Meister Eckhart
I have been reflecting on gratitude and what it means in my life. I decided to work at improving my
attitude with gratitude being at the forefront of my mind. This all started when I was waiting at the
dentist’s office, and I started reading a magazine article about how to improve one’s health. The article
suggested that an attitude of gratitude could help one sleep more, exercise more, be more grounded, and
even lose weight! After reading it, I was struck that I would need to be reminded of this, since
experiencing the world with an attitude of gratitude seems so obvious to me as a person of faith.
However, I apparently needed the hint, and I am grateful for the reminder.
Having an attitude of gratitude is an amazing ability. I used to think it was one of those things that
some people are just naturally gifted with and that they automatically experience life and process events
with gratitude -- isn’t it nice that they think that way?
What I have decided is that those folks have developed a healthy habit, an exercise that reaps the gift
of hope and peace; in a sense they are light bearers in this hurting world. I believe that all of us can be
light bearers if we work at it and desire it. Gratitude might come easier to some people than others, and
so we must constantly be mindful to practice gratitude in our thinking, in our prayer life, and in our
actions in order for gratitude to become part of our natural way of handling life and what it throws at us.
It is so easy to jump to a place of frustration and negative thought; it is all too human, and as the people
of God, we are called to rise above negativity and cynicism.
Gratitude is a building block of our faith: we are taught that God is the giver of all gifts, the foundation
for our thankfulness, and God’s grace-filled generosity provides us with the model of how we are to treat
one another.
In the gospel of Matthew 22:34-40, it is written:
34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of
them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the
greatest?” 37 He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind.” 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
In response to the question presented to Jesus by the Pharisee regarding what was the most important
commandment to honor, Jesus responds with the above, one of the most well-known and memorized
scriptures. People with even just a slight understanding of the Christian faith can usually recognize this
teaching of Jesus, and because of this, we, the body of Christ, need to strive to model this behavior. Jesus
directs us to have a heart of gratitude and thankfulness and to exercise and demonstrate this by our
loving actions towards others.
As we are wrapping up the summer, may we desire to be a people of faith with grateful hearts, and
may we see it as our calling to model gratefulness.
In Christ,
Pastor Lisa
Greetings Church Family
and Friends,
A thought-provoking little
piece:
An Open Invitation:
Don’t stay away from the House of God…
…because you are poor. (There is no
admission charge.)
…because you are rich. (The House of God
can help you cure that.)
…because it rains. (You go to work in the
rain.)
…because it is hot. (So is the golf course.)
…because it is cold. (it’s warm and friendly
inside.)
…because you don’t like the preacher. (He or
she is human like you.)
…because there are hypocrites. (You associate
with them daily.)
…because you have company. (They will
admire your loyalty if you bring them alon.)
…because you need a little weekend vacation
occasionally. (If your soul takes a vacation
from God, it is not good.)
…because you have plenty of time ahead of
you to become religious. (Are you sure?)
Peace and Blessings,
The Churchmouse
******************************************
ADMINISTRATIVE MINISTRIES
FINANCE
Please see the full page chart near the end of the
newsletter.
Bill Showman, Chair
TRUSTEES
Although we didn’t meet this summer, the
Trustees hardly took the summer off. There
were some improvements made this summer;
some you’ll notice, some you may not.
If you’ve driven by at night, we hope that
you will have noticed that our new monument
sign is lit. By the time this article comes out, we
also hope to have the path lighting completed
along the sidewalk. A new light has been
installed above the pastor’s emergency exit
door.
The recessed lighting in the sanctuary will
be replaced. Although we continue to have the
insulation moved from around the light
housings in the attic, it seems to migrate back
into place causing the housings to overheat.
This is a potential fire hazard. The new LED
lights have been donated by Philips (Dan
Wetzel). We will also have the attic fans looked
at as well.
In the narthex, Star Fellowship donated the
beautiful bulletin board. It will be maintained
by the church secretary. If you wish to have
something displayed on the board, you must see
Clarice Thresher in the church office.
The air conditioning units for the sanctuary
both needed uncovered repairs this summer.
One had some loose wiring, the other needed a
switch replaced. I know everyone was
indisputably thankful when it was finally
working!
We are looking into internet capability for
the Sunday School office as well as the
Fellowship Hall. We have different options
available and are looking at the alternatives.
What you may not have directly seen is that
we had the drainage system scoped and mapped
for the west side of the building prior to
connecting a new drain to it. Once that was
completed, Cedarbrooke Masonry excavated the
section of ground between the handicapped
ramp and the building wall to eliminate the
water seepage we have had on that wall. New
drainage pipes were installed and a concrete
surface replaced the river rocks and soil.
Finally, the roof on the Fellowship Hall had
some repairs. The corner gutter was repaired.
Hopefully we will not have any leakage and ice
patches this winter. Also, there were several
places around the roof where the flashing
overlapped that were leaking. All the joints
were properly sealed and we hope that this will
eliminate the leakage in the ladies room
especially.
Please feel free to contact me if you know of
something about the building that needs to be
addressed.
Baltimore County Christian Workcamp:
Thanks to Rich Englar, Bill Ellis, Susan
Farnum, and Matthew Younkin (Susan's
grandson) who volunteered with many others
during the week of July 18-22. Ward's Chapel
members worked on teams building ramps for
two handicapped homeowners in Baltimore
County - one on Summerfield Road in Gwynn
Oak and one on Old Court Road in Woodstock.
Monies raised during the spring Mission
Auction help to support these efforts.
Bridget
******************************************
PROGRAM MINISTRIES
MISSIONS
West Virginia Flood Report:
Thanks to everyone who contributed. Two
trips were made to the conference center to
deliver donations from the congregation: 15
cases of water, 4 shovels, 4 packs of diapers, 10
packages of wipes, some baby formula. Since
our original request, the West Virginia UMC
Conference has set up a specific fund Disaster
Response #935. The $100 received in cash will
be sent to this fund. More than 4,000 homes
and businesses were damaged or destroyed and
at least 1,800 West Virginians were left without
homes. Thirteen United Methodist Churches
and two parsonages have been identified as
having sustained some level of damage with
three deemed catastrophic. For more
information or to donate directly, see
http://wvumc.org/Blog/July-2016/FloodDisaster-Report or you may send your check to
WV Conference Treasurer P O Box 2469,
Charleston, WV 25329. Please put #935 flood
relief in memo line on the check. Every dollar
goes directly to flood relief. Remember, the
recovery phase will take a long time; this is a
marathon, not a sprint.
2016 Auction Evaluation:
The Missions team spent some time at our
April meeting reviewing the feedback received
regarding the March auction and sharing our
own thoughts. We appreciate the 21 people that
turned in the evaluation sheets or provided
verbal comments. There were mixed reviews
with many liking the table arrangement for the
live auction but missing the silent tables and/or
white elephant. (We held a Yard Sale in May
that raised $1,000 to add to the $6,600 from the
auction.) The team itself liked the new format
which maximized the use of our time and
brought higher bids for some types of items that
hadn’t sold well in the past so we will be
including an online component next year. It
was clear that we need to do a better job of
explaining the online bidding and how it
interfaces with the live auction. Some decisions
regarding next year’s auction will depend on the
quantity and type of items donated. There will
be a lot more information about 2017 towards
the end of the year. Volunteer(s) are needed to
help visit or write to businesses requesting
donations for next year. We will be starting this
in the late fall so please contact Susan Farnum
or Pauline Reisberg to find out more about it.
Also, feel free to send any additional feedback
about the last auction to me.
Susan Farnum, chairperson
NURTURE
Summer Refreshments:
Thank you to everyone who brought in
refreshments, served them and cleaned up. I
especially want to thank Barb Charnock for
organizing them and the following people who
provided them this summer: Barb Charnock,
Tricia Ward, Kim Winand, Joy Dryer, Kathy
Dell, Keiler & Mattie Brian, the Thresher family,
the Sundberg family, Gloria Onejeme, the
Palmer family, the Maclary family, the Polikoff
family, Wendy Miller, Florence Miller, Bert
Rushing, Susan Farnum, Betty Ann Feezer,
Carol Wuenschel, Shirley Tucker, Kathy Blank,
Judi Snyder, Beth Sandifer, Diana Balick, Pam
Horn, Pat Ellis, Pauline Reisberg, Joy Dryer,
Brandon & Jill Feezer, Cindy Reisberg, the
Oakley family, Sharon Cowart, Lisa Potochney,
Patrick & Cindy Chambers, the Weller family,
and Cathy & Donald Woodruff.
Church Picnic:
Our next covered dish will be the churchwide picnic following our last single service on
September 11th. This will also give us a chance
to officially welcome Pastor Lisa and give
everyone a chance to informally talk with her.
We will supply the chicken, paper products, and
beverages. Plan to bring your favorite covered
dish to share with everyone. A sign-up sheet will
be in the narthex to help us plan for the
luncheon.
Ladies Night Out:
The Nurture committee would like to
announce that we are forming a book club. The
first meeting will be on Wednesday, October 5
at 7:00pm in the narthex room. Please bring a
book to recommend as a book club choice. We
will provide snacks, feel free to bring something
to share. This will be a planning meeting for
our new book club. Questions? Contact Tricia
Ward.
Ward’s Chapel Family Stories:
Please check out the Ward’s Chapel Family
Stories page towards the back of the newsletter!
Nurture Members: Barb Charnock, Joy Dryer, Tricia
Ward, Jeannine Hale, and Carol Parker
Stephen Ministry Training Class to Begin
October 6:
Stephen Ministry is our congregation’s
one-to-one care giving ministry. God works
through Stephen Ministers to plant a seed of
hope and healing in a person whose life seems
barren and forlorn because of some crisis or
tragedy.
This October, we will offer another training
class for men and women of our congregation
who are willing to become a part of our Stephen
Ministry team. Stephen Ministry training is a
50-hour intensive program in Christian caring
skills. The training will be conducted under the
guidance of Pastor Lisa and our trained Stephen
Leaders, and will include a wide variety of topics
that aid persons to care for the needs of persons
who are experiencing a variety of different crises
and problems in living their lives.
Classes will run from October 6 every
Thursday evening 6:30-9:00pm through
November 17. We will pick up again in January
and February to complete the training. We ask
that you prayerfully consider joining this
ministry. Contact Wayne or Pauline Reisberg
for any questions.
PRESCHOOL
It’s hard to believe that summer’s almost
come to an end and that the children will be
arriving in full swing after Labor Day.
Themes for September include apples and
discovering what it is that makes me, me. In
developing the children’s self-concept, we’ll
explore our feelings, how God made us special,
and our senses. The three-year-olds will attend
a field trip to Carolyn’s Orchard in Finksburg in
September. The Brothers’ family gives us the
occasion to pick apples, see the cider press, the
walk-in cooler and tour the vegetable garden
and store. All classes will make applesauce with
the apples we have gathered. The four-yearolds will be attending a field trip to the Ladew
Topiary Gardens in Monkton. This is a new
field trip for us and the staff is really looking
forward to it.
We are eagerly looking forward to another
exhilarating year at preschool! Please, as
always, let me know if you ever have any
concerns pertaining to the preschool. The door
is always open.
Fondly,
Ms. Bridget
____________________________________
STAR FELLOWSHIP
The Star Fellowship will meet at Bob Evans
at 6pm on Tuesday, September 27 at 6PM.
Please join us!
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Our last single service will be Sunday,
September 11 and it will be followed by our
annual Rally Day Church Picnic! The children
will have an opportunity to check out their
Sunday School room with their teachers during
the service. Come join us for fun, food, and
fellowship. We will provide the chicken and we
ask that you bring a side dish or dessert to make
our meal complete. The following Sunday,
September 18, we will begin our new Sunday
School year between services at 9:45. We have
Sunday School classes for all ages, so if you are
ready to join us and have not done so in the
past, please let me know. We are excited to see
everyone and continue our Faith journey
together.
Julie Weller
UMYF
A reflection on Camp Hope:
This was my second year at Camp Hope, and it
was just as good as the first. Camp Hope is such
a great experience, it helped me to make new
friends, be closer to my friends from my church,
and closer to god. And I loved helping my
homeowner and seeing her smile at the end of
the week.
I love Camp Hope!
Madie R.
Upcoming UMYF info: Join us in a celebration
of a new year on Sunday, September 18th from
6:30-8:15 . We welcome all middle and high
school students entering 6th grade or above.
Come ready for games, fun , food and new
friends. We will be voting on our theme for the
year and talking about some fun changes we
will be making to our room.
Meetings continue throughout the year on the
1st and 3rd Sundays of the month from 7:00pm8:15pm. Hope to see you there!
Worship Schedule
On Sunday, September 18th,
we will resume our
regular worship schedule.
Join us
at 8:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m.
for worship in the sanctuary.
Sunday School for all ages
will be held at 9:45 a.m.
******************************************
MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES
Please pray for those who are not able to
join us for worship, due to health issues. You
are encouraged to send them a note of
encouragement or call to let them know you
are thinking of them and keeping them in
prayer, along with those caring for them.
Jack Balick – at home
Barbara & Carl Hartman – at home
Bill Feezer – Fairhaven
Donna Gregory – at home
Dorothy Miller – Constant Care at Winfield
Hilda Reisberg – at home
Janet Feezer – at home
Judy Slonaker – Lorien Mays Chapel
Lillie Veise – Sun Valley
Margaret Hare – at home
Millie Reisberg – at home
Naomi Sellman – at home
Varina Smith – Sun Valley at the Homestead
******************************************
SEPTEMBER
GREETERS & USHERS
9/4 & 9/11
10:00 a.m.
Greeters:
Ushers:
Mattie Brian
Keiler Brian
Jillian Feezer
Brandon Feezer
9/18 & 9/25
8:30 a.m.
Greeters:
Ushers:
Mattie Brian
Keiler Brian
Jillian Feezer
Brandon Feezer
11:00 a.m.
Greeters:
Ushers:
Carol Parker
Ron Weller
Carolyn Sundberg
Anshelm Sundberg
~ to Greg Stacho for weeding the flower beds.
~to Dwight Gill & Robbie Meadows for installing
the bench on the porch at street level.
~to Bridget Wetzel for her efforts as a Trustee at
keeping the various building systems maintained
and repaired when needed.
~to those who have helped fill in for the last
hymn on various Sundays this summer.
SEPTEMBER
COMMUNITY NEWS:
Thank you: Dear Friends, Today I read
through the many cards and notes that we
received wishing us healing and calming peace.
Our entire family has felt your prayers for us
and that has kept us going. We are so grateful to
belong to such a caring church family. I am
finished my radiation and am doing well. Butch
is still having some ups and downs as
Alzheimer’s is a difficult disease to understand
and to manage. Please continue to keep us in
your prayers. Love to all, Carol Parker
The Upper Room, a daily devotional guide, is
for sale in the Narthex. It’s published every two
months. The large print version is $1 and the
small copy is 60 cents. Purchase your copy
today!
Revised Directory: An updated address
directory has been emailed out. If you did not
receive one and would like to, please call the
church office at 410-922-6556 or email
[email protected]. There will also be
copies available in the narthex.
Mission of Mercy Volunteer Opportunity at
Reisterstown UMC: Reisterstown United
Methodist Church has been partnering with
Mission of Mercy (MOM) by providing one
volunteer interpreter, space for the mission, and
meals for this ministry. This ministry serves the
medical mission that treats our neighbors who
do not have access to health care, about 50 to 80
people each time they are here, and the ministry
requires numerous volunteers to do all the
normal “doctor’s office” tasks as well as caring
for the guests while they are in the building. All
of the medical staff – doctors, nurses, dentists,
assistants, pharmacy – are volunteers, as are
those who check people in and care for them.
Nurses come from all over.
At this time, there is a need for additional
volunteers:
·
Spanish to English Interpreters Some of our guests do not speak English
and have a difficult time communicating
with the staff and the doctors.
Interpreters need to be adults with
enough skill in Spanish to be able to
describe medical needs.
·
Data Entry Support - This position
requires an adult who has enough
computer skill to take basic information
and enter it into the database. The
volunteers will be trained in the software
used.
Mission of Mercy (MOM) is usually at
Reisterstown UMC twice a month on the second
and fourth Tuesdays, between the hours of
about 8 am and 4 pm. If you feel called to
participate in this ministry, please call or email
Robine Rahley in the church office (410-8335440 or [email protected]), and she
will direct you to the appropriate MOM
coordinator.
Join Calvary in the Community! Calvary
UMC in Finksburg invites everyone to a
different kind of worship experience! The
second Saturday of the month at 6:30 pm, there
will be food, games and a relevant message.
From April-October, this gathering will be held
at Deer Park/Smallwood Park in Westminster
and from November-March, the gathering will
be held at The Mid-Atlantic Gymnastics Center
located at 5320 Enterprise Street #E in
Eldersburg. For more information call or email
at (410) 795-9343 or
[email protected].
Praise Worship Service: Saturday nights this
fall beginning September 17th at 7:30pm, join
Calvary UMC in Finksburg for Live Music –
Professional Praise Band for praise and
fellowship in comfort!
Cold-Cut Sub and Ice-Cream Sundae Sale:
Deer Park UMC (6107 Deer Park Road,
Reisterstown) invites you to participate in their
sub and sundae sale! Subs cost $4.50 and
Sundaes cost $2.50. Phone Dolores at 410-8333535 to place orders. Payment to be made in
advance. Make check payable to “Deer Park
Methodist Women”, mark “Subs/Sundaes” and
mail to Dolores Owings, 13211 Maple Grove Ave,
Reisterstown, MD 21136. Deadline for orders &
payments: September 6. Subs and sundaes are
available for pick-up in the church’s fellowship
hall from 12 Noon to 1:00 pm. You have the
option to eat in or take out. We hope you will
choose to stay and join the group for a time of
relaxation and fellowship. Thanks for your
support!
Ward's Chapel Family Stories
We are hoping to compile a church family story. Each of us is an important member of
the Ward's Chapel family regardless of the length of time we have attended. We will
collect your story during the months of September and October and hope to have our
church family booklet together to give out to share in the month of December. Here are
a few questions that may get you started to tell your story. Please don't be limited by
our starter questions, you may add any information that you would like to share.
Questions? Call Carol Parker 410-833-1703 or ask a Nurture Committee Member
1. When did you begin to attend Ward's Chapel?
2. Do you have relatives who attend? Tell us about your family.
3. Have you participated in any church activities? Have you worked on any
committees?
4. Do you have special memories of any events at Ward's Chapel?
Thank You from Ward’s Chapel VBS
Ward’s Chapel VBS would not be possible without the help of many individuals. Many hours go into all
of the prep work. We depend on the youth of our community to help us create everything from scenery to
stuffing envelopes.
The following people have either worked on prep, given their time during the week or both. We thank
you from the bottom of our hearts for your time.
Addison Stacho
Aiden Hale
Anya Polikoff
Ben Thresher
Beth Smith
Brett Maul
Cami Miller
Charlie Ritter AKA “Discovery
Boy”
Chase Maul
Connor Lyons
Beth Houck
Bert Rushing
Carolyn Sundberg
Cathy Gauthier
CJ Winand
Clarice Thresher
Connie Veise AKA “Discovery
Woman”
Youth Volunteers
David Palmer
Delaney Maul
Elliot Stratton
Eve Overton
Hailey Seaton
Jacob Miller
Jenna Winand
Justin Rushing
Kevin Rushing
Liliana Palmer
Logan Jaeger
Adult Volunteers
Florence Miller
Gabriella Palmer
Hannah Miller
John Veise
Judi Snyder
Karen Jaeger
Kim Winand
Lisa Ruff
Madie Reiter
Marissa Coghlan
Morgan Reiter
Munya Mangwende
Noelle Thresher
Olivia Hale
Peyton Jaeger
Rumbi Mangwende
Ryder Jaeger
Tino Mangwende
Zachary Jones
Pauline Reisberg
Rachel Miller
Shirley Tucker
Stephanie Shwartz
Wayne Reisberg
Wendy Miller
Thank you to the preschool for allowing us open usage of materials that we need such as paints, brushes,
paper, overhead projector, toys and outside equipment.
Thank you to our church family for donations and prayers!
SAVE THE DATE!
We hope you will join us next summer
July 10 – 14
for Hero Central!
September 2016
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
PICNIC
5
Labor Day
6
7
First day of
Preschool
1
2
3
8
9
10
Bible Study 10 am
Feed My Sheep
at Wesley Freedom
UMC
4-H 7pm
13
14
Worship 10:00 am
Church Picnic
15
16
Trustees 7 pm
Church Council
7:30 PM
19
20
Worship 8:30 & 11
Sunday School
9:45 AM
Choir Practice
Liberty Goodtimers
11:30 AM
21
22
23
29
30
Bible Study 10 am
12:15pm
UMYF 6:30pm
26
27
28
Bible Study 10 am
Choir Practice
12:15pm
Star Fellowship
6:00 PM
at Bob Evans
17
Fellowship Hall
in use
Bible Study 10 am
Oakland Manor 2 PM
25
Saturday
10am-1pm
12
18
Friday
September 18
Worship 8:30 & 11:00 a.m.
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Canned Food
Collection
Worship 10:00 am
followed by
Fellowship Time
11
Thursday
Fall Worship Schedule begins
Sunday, September 11
following worship
4
Wednesday
Charge Conference
at Pine Grove UMC
in Parkton
24
WCUMC Operating Fund Summary July 2016 YTD
Offerings and Gifts Supporting Operating Fund
19,399
Operating Fund Cash Balance
YTD Gifts Received by Source
Offering
Operating Fund
136,719
Pre
Parsonage School
7,500
Total
3,500 147,719
Operating Fund Actual Receipts/Expenses vs. Budget
Requirements
Category
Actual
2016 Budget Var to Bud
Operating Gifts
147,719
165,478
-11%
Blding/Grounds
39,980
44,595
10%
4,079
4,572
11%
Ed./Ministry
Capital Fund
2,750
2,750
Apportionments
18,818
18,818
0%
Building Fund
9,882
9,882
Pastoral/Staff/Off.
96,479
97,493
1%
Heritage Fund
1,095
1,095
Total Expense
159,356
165,478
4%
Outreach (missions, etc.)
4,269
4,269
Surplus (Deficit)
(11,637)
-
Financial Highlights to Report
•
•
•
•
Operating Fund cash balance remains strong with $19,399 surplus. $11,637 of the 2015 surplus cash has been used this
year towards 2016 expenses. The remaining cash surplus will be required to cover short offering months in 2016 and
several large expenses (approximately $19,000) due later in the year.
The deficit shown for Actual vs. Budget ($11,637) should be eliminated by December when traditionally receipts increase
significantly.
100% of all expenses paid including apportionments and Trustee budget funding.
Overall the financial picture at WCUMC looks good. Thank you for your continued support.
Ward’s Chapel United Methodist Church
11023 Liberty Road
Randallstown, MD 21133
ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC
SEPTEMBER 11
following Worship
Regular Worship Schedule
September 18
8:30 am Worship
9:45 am Sunday School for all ages
11:00 am Worship