Sept.Oct. 2015 - Faith United Methodist Church

The Faithful Leader
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Sept. / Oct.
2015
Sunday Schedule:
Adult Bible Study
9:00 a.m.
Worship
10:00 a.m.
Child care available
Wow! It’s hot outside (91 degrees outside my office) and it’s almost the
second week of September (I wrote this on Labor Day, Sept. 7th). Lest I
complain too mightily about the heat, I’ll review the pictures on my I-phone
of the “Snow-vember” storm late last fall. That is a good reality check. I’ll
enjoy the heat while I can. And yet I can see hints of autumn in the
Goldenrod along the roads outside the village, some trees actually showing hints of leaves
turning. The amount of day light noticeably decreased as the calendar turned to
September. Autumn is a glorious time of year. (Do you get the feeling I like it)? I do like
the change of colors, the rich reds and golds, the autumn foliage, the cooler, crisper air.
But most of all, I am grateful for the reinvigorated activity here at Faith United Methodist
Church: choir and adult Sunday school and this year, our Sept. 13th outdoor worship service
and Faith Family Reunion Picnic at the Bowmansville Fire Hall Picnic Pavilion. It is here
(Faith UMC) that I experience again and again the voice of God through others. So, I
welcome the reinvigorated activity. There is one poem about autumn that I have quoted
often by Rev. Ted Loder, a United Methodist minister. Here are some more verses from his
poem about autumn, “Waken in Me a Sense of Joy,”
O extravagant God, in this ripening, red tinged autumn,
Waken in me a sense of joy in just being alive,
OPEN MINDS,
OPEN
HEARTS,
OPEN DOORS.
Joy for nothing in general except everything in particular;
Joy in sun and rain mating together with the earth to birth a harvest;
Joy in having what I cannot live without—
Other people to hold and cry and laugh with;
Joy in love, in you; and that all at first and last is grace.
May you each experience grace in the season of autumn! - Pastor Tom
Inside this Issue
Christian Ed...........2
Finance Notes….…3
Prayer……..……...4
Altar Flowers…….5
Around Faith...…..6
Children’s news….7
Prayer Concerns…8
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
ADULT BIBLE CLASS
By: Dick Davidson
Lectionary Readings for
Sept. & Oct.
September
Sept. 6: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23; Psalm 125;
James 2:1-10 (11-13), 14-17; Mark 7:24-37
Sept. 13: Pr over bs 1:20-33; Psalm 19 (UM750);
James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38
Sept. 20: Pr over bs 31:10-31; Psalm 1 (UM738);
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37
Sept. 27: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10;9:20-22; Psalm 124
(UM846); James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50
October
Oct. 4: J ob 1:1; 2:1-10; Psalm 26; Hebrews 1:1-4;
2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16
Oct. 11: J ob 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15
(UM752); Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31
Meetings Resume:
On Sunday, September 20th
Special Eight Lesson Series
I recently read a book titled: “What's The Least I Can Believe
and Still Be A Christian?” written by a Methodist Pastor
named Martin Thielen. The first ten short chapters address
beliefs that some Christians hold that are not Biblical, not
necessary for the Christian faith. The last ten chapters
address the basic ideas that are the Biblical basis of our
Christian Faith. Copies of this book will be available for
class members to read.
I have designed eight lessons which, I believe, identify the
basic information needed for a person to be a true Christian.
The schedule is as follows:
Sept. 20: Introduction, basic Bible reading and understanding
Sept. 27: Description of God, What God has done and will do
Oct. 4: Description of Jesus: His role as the basis of Christianity
Oct. 11: Description of the Holy Spirit, the concept of the Trinity
Oct. 18: Definition of sin, original sin concept, human choice sins
Oct. 25: God's plan for past, present, and future
Nov. 1: Suffering, reasons for hope, the institutional church
Nov. 8: People will list further topics for discussion during these
weeks as they read the book and consider the topics
discussed. These topics will be listed and discussed during
this final session.
Oct. 18: J ob 38:1-7, (34-41); Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
(UM826); Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45
Oct. 25: J ob 42:1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)
(UM769); Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 10:46-52
As we have done in the past, the class will be held at 9 AM
on Sunday with the same lesson repeated on Wednesday at 10
AM. Coffee and cookies are available.
Come share in this important series of basic Christian beliefs.
All are welcome!
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LIFE AROUND FAITH
LIFE AROUND FAITH
NOTES FROM THE
TREASURER’S
DESK
OK CLUB


Breakfast on Thursday, Sept. 17th will be at the
Bob Evans on Transit Rd. at 9:00 a.m.
By: Marilyn English
Breakfast on Thursday, Oct.15th will be at the at
the Olive Tree on Broadway at 9:00 a.m.
Bills, bills, bills, thankfully
we are doing all right for
2015 and I expect we will be
OK until the end of the
year. Since we have used all of our remaining available
funds during 2015, we are entering 2016 with larger
financial issues. Don and I have been meeting with
SPPRC and Pastor Tom to work out a solution for 2016
and beyond. Watch for news of another Congregational
meeting soon.
Please sign up on the Pillar of Faith with the number
attending and an X if you do not plan to come. This
helps us give the restaurant an approximate number of
people to expect.
All are welcome!
FAITHFUL LEADER NEWSLETTER
SPPRC will be presenting a couple of options, and
finance will be available to answer financial
questions. This meeting is tentatively set for September
27th, Please mark your calendar and make every effort
to be there, it is crucial for the future of our church.
Our next edition will be for
November & December news at Faith.
Deadline for submissions is:
Oct. 22nd, 2015
Shalom,
Marilyn
SOCIAL HOUR COORDINATOR
NEEDED
We are need of a volunteer to help us
coordinate the after worship service
Social Hour from September through
June. For the Social Hour, different
groups and/or individuals provide snacks and serve
coffee for our Fellowship time. If you would be willing
to coordinate those who would host the individual
Sundays, please see Pastor Tom.
A big thank you to Loretta Schneller for her service and
stewardship to the church these past many years in this
capacity. She made sure there were snacks and coffee
for all, often did the clean-up, ensured that paper goods
and other needed supplies were always present and made
the job look effortless. Thank you Loretta!
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LIFE AROUND FAITH
LIFE AROUND FAITH
“Wherever You Go”
Prayer for a New Vision
Shared by: Beverly Davies
If a trial comes upon you in the place
God of Shalom,
Grant us hearts that cry like yours
At the sight of dead boys on beaches,
Packed train cars,
And long lines of families on the move.
where you live, do not leave that place
when the trial comes. Wherever you go,
you will find what you are running from is
ahead of you. So stay until the trial is
We confess that we have seen these images for centuries.
Grant us, this time, the wisdom to act in a way that turns
history upside down.
And brings your shalom on earth as it is in heaven.
Grant us arms that welcome the stranger;
Grant us hands that feed the hungry;
Grant us feet that walk with those whose feet search
For a new home, a new job, a new life.
over, so that if you do end up leaving,
no offense will be caused, and you will not
bring distress to others who live in the
same neighborhood.
- Anonymous Wisdom of the Desert Tradition
Help us understand how bad things must have been,
And how much vision these survivors must have had
To make this terrible trek.
CHICKEN BBQ!
Grant us the vision to see what they see:
Your shalom where there is no more violence,
Where life is full and abundant for all,
Where no one is hungry,
And everyone is welcome at the feast.
Mark your calendars for our next
Chiavetta’s Chicken BBQ at Faith!
Sunday, November 1st
Amen.
starting at 11:30 ‘til sold-out.
By Rev. Jack Amick,
Head of International Disaster Response for UMCOR
Tickets remain at $9 pre-event and $10 at the
door. Please see Loretta Schneller for your tickets
or call: 683-3311.
We will also need volunteers to provide cakes, and
assist with set-up, serving and more. Please signup
on the posted sheets in the atrium. Join Us!
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LIFE AROUND FAITH
LIFE AROUND FAITH
Altar Flowers
Retirement Wishes for Elaine
A CHANGE TO PROCEDURE
By: Kay Andres
Elaine Fairhead Bialecki has been a part of our church
since early childhood with many cherished memories.
After nearly 35 years in the floral business, (Elaine’s
Flower Shoppe in Depew), Elaine is entering a well
deserved retirement.
We are all aware of the lovely flowers donated by
Elaine which have graced our altar every Sunday
brought to church each Saturday as she made her way
home from the shop.
Not only are we grateful for the weekly altar flowers,
but flowers for every church occasion—luncheons,
funeral breakfasts, private parties, and holidays. We
always knew whom to contact when flowers would
make an event more special. It only took a phone call
to Elaine.
Most recently, she was selected as one of the top 15
florists from across the country to be a finalist for the
“Floral Retailer of the Year Award.” This Teleflora
Award will be presented at the Society of American
Florists annual meeting in September. It is a fitting
honor for her years of dedication to the floral industry,
the community at large, and to us, her church.
By: Kay Andres
Since Elaine has sold her florist business, she will no
longer be able to provide weekly flower arrangements for
the church. Going forward, we ask that if you desire fresh
flowers that you please order them from a florist of your
choice (or Elaine’s Flower Shoppe under its new
ownership). Flowers will be at your own expense. Florists
also charge a delivery fee. With the church not open on
Fridays and Saturdays, florist delivery is hard to
coordinate. It may make sense to personally place flowers
on the altar Sunday morning prior to service.
As a memorial tribute to Carol Lewis by her family, Elaine
will be creating several silk arrangements that may be used
on the altar when fresh flowers are not present. Anyone
who wishes, may use one of these silk arrangements to
honor or memorialize loved ones. If choosing to use a silk
arrangement, your sentiment will be noted in the bulletin
and we ask that you make a donation to the church.
The 2016 Altar Flower Calendar will allow you to express
your wishes. Any questions, please contact Kay Andres at
(716) 684-4364.
Altar flowers
for September and October
are Given:
We congratulate Elaine and thank her for her years of
generosity. May her retirement be a time to enjoy
family and her home, which is surrounded by her many
flower gardens.
Sept. 20:
open
Sept. 27:
in loving memory of George Keller by
his wife, Pat and in loving memory of
their sons, Greg, Curtis, & Randy.
Oct. 4:
in loving memory of our parents by
Ken & Betty Dunbar.
open
in loving memory of Carol Lewis by
her family.
Oct. 11
Oct. 18:
Oct. 25:
5
in loving memory of Carl Kreiger by
his wife, Evon.
LIFE AROUND FAITH
LIFE AROUND FAITH
UMW NEWS
AD COUNCIL NEWS
SEPTEMBER
All women of the church are invited to
join us for a pot luck supper on September
15th at 6:00 PM. Please bring your table
setting and a dish to pass. Hostesses are
Mollie Bleistein and Shirley Zurbrick.
Your Administrative Council has been busy. We
meet every 4th Thursday of the month. All are
welcome. We have planned our reunion family
picnic. We have approved your SPPRC
co-chairpersons June Knoerzer and Clara Johncox.
We have approved Don Tubbs as Financial
chairman. By the time you read this, I will
hopefully have seen all of you at our picnic.
District Annual Meeting will be held on September 19th
at 9:30 AM—2:30 PM at Medina United Methodist
Church. Chet Frey, “The Bread Man” will share a
message on “Random Acts of Kindness.”
I know your new chairpersons have been busy at
work. The end of September will see a class for all
new members as well as those planning on joining
Faith Lancaster. We hope to have an open class on
a new book “What Is the Least I Need to Believe to
Be a Christian" We would like this to take place in
January or February and have it open to the public.
OCTOBER
On October 20th at 7:00 PM, we will make a craft for
Beechwood under the direction of Kay Andres. Marilyn
English is the hostess for the evening.
A District Retreat will be held at Camp Asbury October
9th and 10th. Speaker is Carmen Vianese. The cost is
$85 with an additional $7 for linens unless you take your
own. If you are interested in attending, please contact
Karen Wehn by emailing her at: [email protected] (NOTE:
make sure your computer does not autocorrect Karen’s
last name to “when” or she will not receive your email).
We are also looking for folks to form a NOW
committee (Nurture, Outreach, Witness). If
interested talk to Mollie. It's very humid today, so
I'll sign off for now.
Gods Blessings,
Mollie Bleistein (Ad Council Chair)
SUNSHINE COMMITTEE
Under the loving guidance of Hosia
Sharp, we will be delivering a little
‘Autumn Sunshine’ to our housebound
congregation members during the month
of September (or early October).
ANNUAL
CHARGE CONFERENCE
Please mark your calendars:
Thank you all for your continued support of Hosia’s
‘Coke Bottle Collection’. It is amazing how quickly
spare change and single dollars add up, allowing us to
make this loving gesture to our members who can’t be
with us on a regular basis. We will again be asking the
congregation to assist with the delivery of our gifts.
Please watch the weekly bulletins.
Faith’s Annual Charge Conference
will be held Saturday, Nov. 7th
at 9:00 AM—11:00 AM
(at Faith)
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LIFE AROUND FAITH
LIFE AROUND FAITH
MEMBERSHIP
DIRECTORY
If you haven’t already picked up your
copy of the most recent Membership
Directory, you may contact Suzette in
the church office to arrange to obtain one.
As is typical with this type of publication, upon printing,
we already had some changes to note. Going forward,
we will try to provide amendments to our directory via
email announcements so folks can update their individual
directories and stay current with everyone’s latest contact
information.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
By: Charlotte Kline
A great big “thank you” to all who helped in many
different ways to make this year’s VBS a huge success.
Don’t have email? We’ll also provide stickers here at
church with updated addresses whenever we can. Of
course, you can always call Suzette in the church office if
you are unsure that you’ve got the latest information for
someone you are trying to reach.
We had sixteen kids who enjoyed activities such as
crafts, a scavenger hunt, snacks, games, music and
most popular of all, Mr. “D” the science guy who held
a class each night using the theme of “light” and
relating it to the Book of Genesis in which God created
light.
If you move or have changes to your own contact info,
please remember to let Suzette know. Sometimes the
‘grapevine’ doesn’t get the information exactly right.
Each evening we had Bible study with a theme and a
new Bible verse to learn. The last night was a family
picnic with a closing program. For the first time, the
children presented a skit, illustrating the story of Jesus
healing the paralyzed man.
Our mission was the Trinity Food Pantry and we
collected a grocery cart overflowing with gifts of food.
Thank you again for your prayers, support and help.
We couldn’t do it without you!!!
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Faith United Methodist Church
5505 Broadway
Lancaster, NY 14086
Postage
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
JOYS AND CONCERNS
PRAYER NOTICES: Becky Birdsong, Helen Bowman, Suzie Coleman, Bruce Dickman,
Ken Dunbar, Gloria Jean Flicker, Ken Goodman, Judy Gruber, Phyllis Hamric, Maryann & Russel
Juengel, David Klock, Jill Knoerzer, Nelson Koch, Evon Krieger, John Marrone, Roseanna
McFarland , Stanley Puffer Sr., June & Kent Repka, Edith Ressler, Gene Schneller (son),
Stacy Walker.
All military and civilians serving the U.S.
Prayer notices will remain on the list for one month. Contact the church office to renew.
Rev. Thomas A. LeBeau, Pastor
Suzette Phillips, Office Admin.
Church Phone: 716-683-5293
Email: [email protected]
www.faithlancaster.org