Newsletter dated September 1, 2016

September 2016
Christ Church United Methodist
700 S. Marshall Road, Middletown OH 45044
513-422-7364 (telephone) • 513-422-2161 (fax) • www.christum.com
“State of the Church”
Staff
Norman H. Coleman III, Senior Pastor
Jen Grams, Director of Children’s Ministry/
Interim Director of Youth Ministry
Debbie Alexander, Director of Music Worship
Betsy Balger, Accompanist
Julie Coleman, Office Manager
Sunday Worship Services
8:30 am - Traditional Worship
10:45 am - Children’s Worship,
Christ Cinema (Rm. 22)
11:00 am - Contemporary Worship
Group Study
Sunday Adult Classes
Room 113: Calvary Class
Room 115: Sojourners Class
Room 118: Searchers Class
Library:
ReachOut
Nursery Care
8:30 am - noon, Ages 0-Pre-K, Rm. 27 & 29
Sunday Children’s Classes
11:00 am - Rm. 23
We as a congregation have indeed been blessed and have
certainly seen God at work through this body. And while our
blessings have been abundant, we are not without challenges
but are seeking to trust God as He leads and guides us down the
pathway He would have us journey. Our services on August 28
focused on the “State of the Church” and much was shared about
our challenges and our blessings particularly during this last year,
and our next steps. We pray that as you peruse these highlights,
you too will find reasons to celebrate God’s faithfulness and the
love He is pouring out upon us as a congregation.
Blessed to Be a Blessing
We continue to be the largest private donor in Middletown to the
Salvation Army Food Pantry and currently have 10 people from
our congregation donating their time to the pantry each month.
In addition we also provide Thanksgiving and Christmas meals
to families registered with the Salvation Army as well as provide
Christmas gifts for these families.
We are partnering with and serve as the northern distribution
center for Wesley Community Services who provide meals on
wheels to the elderly.
We will soon be starting our seventh year as a Whiz Kids
tutoring site and are working with students from Creekview
Elementary.
The United Methodist Women have been ministering to the
residents of Kensington Place (a nursing home facility) by
visiting with patients, providing clothing and supplies and
have created a reading library for the residents to enjoy.
Our ReachOut Team is busy planning for Trunk & Treat on
October 31 and our annual Christmas celebration with the
families we adopt through the Salvation Army. ReachOut also
continues to build a relationship with the leadership of Creekview
Elementary and provided Creekview with the school supplies you
donated to hand out to their students as needed.
VBS was another huge success this year and ministered to
a number of children from the community.
We continue to support many local, national and international
missions including Matthew 25 Ministries, Keep Middletown
Beautiful, Red Bird Mission, Jacob’s Fund, Love Packages,
Mayan Families in Guatemala, and the Goshorn Family in Peru.
(continued on page 8)
Cornerstone
Dear Church Family and Friends,
The future. What does it hold? I
believe most people would like to look
into the future to see whether or not
their future has promise, or perhaps
to see from their perspective whether
they even have a future. Let me first
assure you that a future is indeed a
reality for each of us.
And so the question I think we really want answered is
just what kind of future will we have. As human beings
we spend a great deal of time (directly and indirectly)
preparing for the kind of future we would personally like
to enjoy. We save toward retirement and travel. Some
stock pile items in hopes of avoiding a calamity when
disaster strikes. For some our future is limited to just
getting through tomorrow. Whatever your method or
system, each of us seeks in some way to create a
future that is worth looking forward to.
There are, however, some things that are unique to
the future that are worth mentioning. First, the future
cannot be truly predicted. Not one of us can truly know
what tomorrow will bring. While we may try to predict,
forecast, or plan for our future, no one can tell you in
advance what is really going to happen.
Secondly, the future is not something we can control.
None of us has the capacity to properly direct and
guide future events without destroying everyone and
everything around us. If it was possible for us to
control the future, we would most certainly see that
the future worked in our favor and to our advantage
(if we are truly honest).
Thirdly, for our purposes here, let us consider there to
be two futures - a “dark” future and a “bright” future.
So the BIG QUESTION for us individually and as a
local body of Christ is “Who holds our future?” The
choices include yourself, the systems and people in
this world, and God. Humanly devised systems have
inherent problems since they are always subject to
failure. After all, they are created by imperfect
creatures bound up by or continually battling sin in a
fallen world. Such systems along with those who create
them will not live forever. They are not eternal.
There is One, however, in which you can place not only
your future but all of who you are. That One is God in
Christ Jesus.
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“For I know the plans I have for you,”
declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV84)
The God of all creation, our everlasting Father and King
of Kings has plans for each of us so that we may have
a hope and a future. That future is a “bright one.” The
same God who gave His Son to be the atonement for
our sins is the same One who holds our future.
Hallelujah and praise be to God our Father!!!
I will leave you with these two questions with all
sincerity and love. In whom have you placed your
future and hope? Will you surrender yourself to God
in Christ Jesus our Lord for a bright future that will last
into eternity?
I pray you will choose to join the family of God whose
future is bright, and is one filled with hope, love, joy,
and righteousness.
In Jesus,
Pastor Norm
Mission Highlight
As many of you may
know, Christ Church
received a gift from an
anonymous donor in the
amount of $20,000 in
August. While these
monies are designated to
benefit children in need in
Middletown, $10,000 was earmarked specifically for the
Salvation Army and on August 8, adult helpers from Christ
Church and children identified by the Salvation Army
came together for a fun-filled few hours of back-to-school
shopping at the Meijer Store on Towne Blvd. to purchase
needed clothing, shoes, and backpacks
for 29 children.
What a blessing it was for those who were able to share
in this outreach and to personally witness the joy and
excitement of these
children. Not only do
we rejoice in God’s glory
and faithfulness but to
the anonymous donor
who made this possible,
we thank you for your
generosity and loving
heart.
Cornerstone
Attention All Youth!
CTM (grades 4-6)
180 Student Ministries (grades 7-12)
resumes
Sunday, September 11
CTM will meet from 2:30 - 4:30 pm
180 Student Ministries will meet from
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Transportation is available upon request by
contacting Jen Grams at (513) 594-0313
3
Children’s Ministry
(Sunday Morning Schedule)
8:30 am Kids in worship with families
10:00 - 10:25 am Kids in youth game room
for fellowship (Adult chaperones needed)
10:25 - 10:45 am Breakfast, Christ Café
10:45 - 11:00 am Kids Worship, Christ Cinema
11:00 am Children’s Sunday School
(grades K through 6th)
We also have a fully staffed nursery available
from 8:20 am through the end of the second
service for children, infant through pre-school
age.
Volunteers are needed as drivers
and chaperones. If you would like to
volunteer, please contact Jen Grams.
5th
QUARTER
For all Tweens and Youth . . . Be sure to
save the following dates for a night of fun
and fellowship after the Middies home
games . . .
September 9
September 23
October 7
October 14
October 28
The fun will take place at Christ Church
under the stars
on the far side of the large parking lot
Thank you! From the bottom of my heart, I wish
to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who
donated to or volunteered with our summer VBS
program. A lot of time and effort goes into our
VBS program, and I sincerely could NOT pull it
off without the support of the entire congregation.
Monetary and supply donations from our church
and others made it a huge success this year which
resulted in our best VBS program ever! I cannot
wait to see you all next year for Maker Fun Factory
VBS!
Jen Grams
Director of Children’s Ministries
Cornerstone
4
Pastor’s Bible Study
begins
Wednesday, October 5
10:00 am - 11:00 am
New 7 week Bible Study beginning
Tuesday, September 27, at 7:00 pm
(Books cost $12.99 plus tax)
Deadline for signing-up for this study is
Tuesday, September 13.
Contact: Joan Peterson at
[email protected] or call
the church office at (513) 422-7364
Pastor Norm will be starting with a five– to sixweek study on how to share your faith with others
followed by a study on the Book of Daniel.
This promises to be an exciting and meaningful
time of study and fellowship which will all begin
with breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in
Middletown on Wednesday, September 28,
at 9:15 am.
All are welcome!
Bible Study
beginning
Wednesday,
September 21
6:30 - 8:00 pm
(in the library)
This six-week study entitled “Pursuing More
of Jesus” by Anne Graham Lotz is based on
the Book of John
Contact: Beth Radabaugh at
[email protected]
Fall Festival
Saturday, November 12
Mark your calendars!
The Fall Festival provides a great opportunity
for us to contribute to our church finances, but
this does not happen without your help.
One of the ways that we are able to generate
income from the festival is by renting booth
space to crafters and home businesses.
If you or someone you know is
interested in renting booth space, please
contact: Pam Cole at 422-2989.
Thanking you in advance for your time and
talents to help make this year’s Fall Festival
a great success!
Dear Members of Christ United Methodist,
I cannot thank you enough for the cards, calls,
and especially the prayers. You all have been
with me through the long haul which resulted
in a cancer free diagnosis in August.
Love,
Kathy Stitsinger
Cornerstone
5
The United
Methodist Women
invite you to join
them
Thursday, September 15
10:00 am in Room 113
Kensington Place Library
The United Methodist Women and Kensington
Place are very appreciative for the library that
you have helped create for their residents with
your generous donations of reading material.
Guest Speaker: Ron Spaulding from
Wilson, Schramm, Spaulding Funeral Home
will be discussing pre-arranging a funeral
Following the meeting, you are invited
to continue in fellowship at Bob Evans
for lunch
Thank you to all the CCUM and Girl Scout
volunteers who helped remove litter from Jacot
Park and along the Grand and Roosevelt area.
A combined donation of 30 hours was added
to Keep Middletown Beautiful. With clean-up
finished, the rain arrived
at exactly 7:00 pm. God
is good!
6” Lunchmeat
Sub Sandwiches
$5 each or
5 for $20
Please support ReachOut by
ordering a delicious sub sandwich
anytime between
September 18 through October 2
Sub orders will be ready for pick-up
Upcoming
Events
on Saturday,
October
15, from
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm or
Sunday, October 16, during church
hours
Additional reading materials are needed including Bibles as well as appropriate fiction and nonfiction books. There is a collection box in the
library where you can leave your donations.
Thank you.
TRASH PICK-UP
As a cost-saving measure, the dumpster outside the
kitchen is emptied by Waste Management on Fridays
during the first and third weeks of each month only.
This has resulted in a savings of approximately $2,500
to $3,000 per year.
This year, and particularly this summer, our trash
dumpster has seen an increase in trash including yard
waste, old carpeting from downstairs, debris from
building projects/repairs and excess trash from events
that have taken place at the church.
Your help is needed to make sure that ONLY trash is
being placed in the dumpster outside the kitchen. ALL
CARDBOARD BOXES should
be broken down and taken to the
recycling dumpster located in the
parking lot on the west side of the
building rather than being placed
in the trash dumpster. It would
also be helpful when throwing
trash into the dumpster to fill the
back of the dumpster first. Thank you.
Cornerstone
6
Basic Watercolor Painting and
Pen Ink Drawing Classes
(For beginners and intermediate level
students)
These classes are for anyone wanting to learn basic
watercolor painting and ink drawing. The unique
teaching methods allow students to learn and
develop techniques that will help them create
paintings and drawings of their own subjects
based on in-class instruction and practice.
Conducted by David Beck, classes will meet on
Saturdays from 9:30 am until 12:00 pm for seven
(7) non-consecutive weeks beginning September 10
and ending on November 5. Class size is limited to
eight (8) persons, ages 18 or older. Sign-ups are
on a first come-first served basis and must be
received by September 1 for any student needing
instructor-supplied materials (see flyer in the
church lobby); others may apply later.
Two fee levels apply:
(1) $155 includes all instructions and materials
listed in the flyer
(2) $85 for students who provide their own
materials
Classes will be held at Christ Church in Room 113
A & B and are intended to be informal and fun.
These art forms can be learned by anyone who can
follow easy instructions and perform assigned
tasks on their own.
You are invited to an “expresso” video
presentation of . . .
Friday, October 7
6:29 pm - 10:00 pm
(Pizza and salad will be served at
6:00 pm)
Saturday, October 8
8:59 am - 12:00 pm
(Breakfast will be served
at 8:30 am)
A New Beginning Church
200 S. Marshall Rd., Middletown
$15 per couple
Contact: Pastor Kyle Worley at (317) 682-8195
New Church Directory Update
Universal Church Directories has once again
been selected to do our new church directory.
Representatives from Universal will be here on
Tuesday, September 27, and Wednesday,
September 28, to take pictures. Our
scheduling process has already begun, and
we would like to see 100% participation!
Scheduling an appointment is easy and can
be done in one of three ways: (1) on Sunday
mornings following services; (2) by calling the
church office at 422-7364; or (3) on-line by going
to www.ucdir.com, clicking on the yellow
sunburst icon, entering Oh1860 in the Church
Code field and entering CCUM1 in the Church
Password field.
Each person/family photographed will receive
a complimentary 8 x 10 portrait which will be
sent to your home postage free as well as a
complimentary directory. For those of you
who are unable to have your picture taken while
representatives from Universal Directories are
here in September, you can submit a picture
for inclusion in the directory and also receive
a complimentary copy of our new directory.
Our reason for doing a new directory now is that
faces have changed since our last directory and
this will help us to connect and get to know one
another. The new directory will also be a gift
that we can give to new families as they become
involved at Christ Church to help them get to
know us more quickly.
Again, we cannot emphasize enough the
importance of your participation, and encourage
each of you to please schedule an appointment
for your picture if you have not already done
so. If you have any questions, please feel free
to call the church office and/or speak with Julie
Coleman.
Cornerstone
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3
4
7
9
10
12
13
15
16
17
18
19
21
24
26
28
29
7
Rick Heismann
Sue Myers
Greg Siewny
Julie Coleman
Kevin Johnson
Melissa Campbell
Lynda Banks
Ted McMonigle
Irene Molnar
Fred Retnschler
Dinah Stork
Marlena Blunt
Joyce Burnett
Janet Matusak
Dorothy Back
Scott Davis
Les Greider
Wendy Kissel
Brenda Mann
Bob Baber
Ron Cox
Linda Frechette
Wendy Minor
Kelly Spurlock
Mary Hummel
Bobby McDonough
Scott Leonard
6
15
17
18
21
23
26
30
Les and Vicki Greider
Jim and Helen Murry
Tom and Sherrie Robertson
Jeff and Jane Berns
Marty and Kim Flesher
Steve and Pam Johnson
Denny and Beth Greider
Kevin and Barb Strait
Gregg and Michelle McDonough
Mike and Marge Forrester and Tom and
Jane Tipton and Families upon the death
of Mike’s sister, Jan Hizer, on August 8
Beulah Gibbs and Family upon the death
of Beulah’s grandson, Jason Michael Flory,
on August 19
Congratulations
Dear Christ Church Family,
Thank you for the cards, prayers and visits. They
are a comfort in this season of our life. May God
bless all of you and this church.
Love,
Ray and Lucille Bailey
David and Janet Sauter upon
the birth of their grandson,
Caiden Michael, on August 30.
Parents are
Michael and Brandi Sauter.
Cornerstone
Blessed to Be a Blessing (continued from page 1)
After much prayer in seeking God’s direction as to how we
can impact our community for His glory, it was felt He was
asking us to turn our attention to children’s ministry. As a
result much work needed to be done downstairs especially
in the children’s wing. Volunteers have worked many hours
downstairs repairing walls damaged by water which has
resulted in an estimated savings of at least $10,000.
New carpet has been laid in the downstairs hallways and the
stairwells and all made possible through our weekly giving.
And although Rainbow Carpets did not get the bid to re-carpet
the hallways downstairs, Susan Jackson graciously offered
to carpet four of the children’s Sunday School rooms at no
cost to us. This work was completed in the spring but in
recent weeks Susan called to say she would like to carpet
another two rooms free of charge!
Through a matching gift campaign and your generous giving,
a beautiful church van was purchased and is being put to
good use. AND the van has been paid in full!
Our utility bills through the month of July have been $8,000
less than they were a year ago for this same time period.
Our envelope giving has been EXCEPTIONAL in 2016 and
is $13,000 high than at this time last year.
Our apportionments, or connectional giving to the greater
United Methodist Church, will be paid 100% again this year
for the third consecutive year.
We have never missed a payment on the remaining building
mortgage and fully expect to make all payments again this
year. All other remaining bills are currently PAID IN FULL!
The Pokemon Go craze which hit the nation this summer included Christ Church as a Pokestop. Using this as a chance
to meet our neighbors when they stopped in our parking lot,
Jen Grams organized a few “meet ups.” The first night Jen
and others met 20 different people, spent time talking with
them and offered them snacks all for the purpose of getting
to know them. Jen also decorated a “Poke Box” and placed
it out by our church sign so that people could leave prayer
requests and/or pick up a small booklet entitled “Life in 6
Words” which helps explain the gospel and invites the reader
to put their complete trust in Jesus. To date, 10-15 books
have been taken and two prayer requests have been
received.
An anonymous donor recently gave $10,000 to Christ Church
and another $10,000 to us for the Salvation Army for the
benefit of needy children in Middletown. (Please see the
“Mission Highlight” on page 2 for more details.)
It was announced during services on August 28 that an
additional gift of $10,000 has been received by Christ Church
and is undesignated.
Several new families are now getting involved in the
ministries of Christ Church and working alongside those
8
that have been carrying the load for many years. We are
indeed excited and grateful!
Our Challenges
We need to find new ways to encourage friends, family
and, yes, even the stranger to come and see, to discover
who God is, what God is doing in and through us, and to
walk along side us in ministry.
Leadership is critical and identifying those who are willing
to step into leadership positions has been difficult. We
need leaders so that the work of the church and our
ministry can continue.
Our building is aging and significant repairs are going to
need to be done. The heating and air conditioning systems in the sanctuary and New Life Center are basically
inaccessible to replace them and the system in the New
Life Center is shot.
The elevator has been out of commission for more than a
year and to permanently shut it down following state mandates is about 50% of the cost to fix it. The Admin Team
is currently working with Otis Elevator to find a viable
solution for getting it up and running.
Lighting in the back parking lot has been out for quite
some time, and the Administrative Team is working with
a company who will install new LED lights.
The sidewalks leading up to the doors on the far side of
the New Life Center are sinking and has created a real
tripping hazard at those doors which need to be fixed.
Fixing the “non-people” issues will not be inexpensive.
The Admin Team is working diligently to determine how
to best address these issues and will update us as
solutions are found and progress is made.
NEXT STEPS
With the blessings we have been experiencing, it is clear
that God is calling us to something greater! We need to
find ways to share about our blessings with people outside
our present congregation with the expectation that they will
want to come in and see what God is doing through us.
So how do we best go about sharing with our neighbors
and the community? As God reveals to you His ways and
means for us to share with others, you are encouraged to
share what God has revealed to you with members of the
Admin Team. A small group is now being assembled and
include those who have indicated an interest in exploring
and discerning how best to reach out to our community.
If you are feeling led to be a part of this small group,
please contact either Pastor Norm or David Martin.
There is no doubt God is asking us to do more. Please
commit to praying without ceasing for His direction in the
life of Christ Church. Clearly, this is all about HIM and
where He is taking us. It is about HIS will. It is about us
following HIS direction and HIS lead with HIS guidance
all to HIS praise and glory!
Cornerstone
9
September
9/1
7:15 am Emmaus Share Group, Library
4:15 pm Yoga, NLC
9/5
LABOR DAY - OFFICE CLOSED
12:00 pm Yoga, 24
9/6
7:00 pm Emmaus Board, 113
9/7
5:00 pm
5:00 pm
5:30 pm
6:00 pm
7:30 pm
Men’s Choir, Sanctuary
Girl Scouts, NLC, 22, 23, 25
Yoga, 24
Chancel Choir, Sanctuary
Praise Team, Sanctuary
9/8
7:15 am Emmaus Share Group, Library
9/9
5:30 pm Emmaus Gathering, NLC
10:00 pm Fifth Quarter (Youth)
9/10
9:00 am Women’s Emmaus Team, NLC
9:30 am Watercolor Class, 113
9/11
2:30 pm Tweens Ministry
5:30 pm 180 Student Ministries
9/12
12:00 pm Yoga, 24
9/14
5:00 pm
5:00 pm
5:30 pm
6:00 pm
6:30 pm
7:30 pm
Women’s Choir, Sanctuary
Girl Scouts, NLC, 22, 23, 25
Yoga, 24
Chancel Choir, Sanctuary
Bible Study, Library
Praise Team, Sanctuary
9/15
7:15 am Emmaus Share Group, Library
10:00 am UMW, 113
4:15 pm Yoga, NLC
9/17
9:00 am Women’s Emmaus Team, NLC
9:30 am Watercolor Class, 113
9/18
CORNERSTONE DEADLINE
2:30 pm Tweens Ministry
5:30 pm 180 Student Ministries
9/19
12:00 pm Yoga, NLC
6:30 pm Congregational Care, Library
9/21
5:00 pm Men’s Choir, Sanctuary
5:00 pm
5:30 pm
6:00 pm
6:30 pm
7:30 pm
Girl Scouts, NLC, 22, 23, 25
Yoga, 24
Chancel Choir, Sanctuary
Bible Study, Library
Praise Team, Sanctuary
9/22
7:15 am Emmaus Share Group, Library
9/23
10:00 pm Fifth Quarter (Youth)
9/24
9:30 am Watercolor Class, 113
9/26
12:00 pm Yoga, 24
9/27
12:00 pm Church Directory Pictures,
113, 115, 118
6:00 pm Admin/Program Ministry
Teams, NLC
7:00 pm Bible Study, 118
9/28
2:00 pm Church Directory Pictures,
113, 115, 118
5:00 pm Women’s Choir, Sanctuary
5:00 pm Girl Scouts, NLC, 22, 23, 25
5:30 pm Yoga, 24
6:00 pm Chancel Choir, Sanctuary
6:30 pm Bible Study, Library
7:30 pm Praise Team, Sanctuary
9/29
7:15 am Emmaus Share Group, Library
10
Cornerstone
Christ Church United Methodist
700 South Marshall Road
Middletown, OH 45044
First Annual MAC 5K - Jump Start the Arts Run/Walk
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Race Begins at 9:00 am
You can register online at www.middletownartscenter.com. Pre-registration is $25 before
9/25 and $30 after 9/25. Race day registration will also be available and can be done at 7:30
am in the Arts Center lobby. For more detailed information about this 5K run/walk, please
visit the Middletown Arts Center website noted above. For questions, you may call the Arts
Center at (513) 424-2417.