The Friendly Caller - Nampa First United Methodist Church

The Friendly Caller
2717 12th Avenue Road
Pastor’s Pen
Know Christ
Love God
Serve Others
September 2012
Volume 10, Issue 8
What’s Happening
 Labor Day (Office Closed)—
September 3
 Financial Peace University—
September 4, 11, 18,25
 Education Fair—
September 9
 Blood Pressure Screening—
September 9
 Church Meeting Night—
September 10
 UMM Breakfast—
September 11
 Classics Luncheon starts—
September 20
Nampa, Idaho 83686
(208) 467-1151
“Seeing the Forest”
We had 6,855 people in worship. Pretty good, huh! Actually we had a total of
6,855 in the 35 Sundays so far in 2012. But that's not bad either. That's an
average of 196.
You might be interested to know that in the 12 month period from the first
Sunday of September last year to the last Sunday of August this year, our
worship average has been 190. We can compare that with the previous 12
month period (first Sunday of September 2010 to the last Sunday of August
2011). Our average over that span was 185. So I like the trend! Slow, steady
growth.
Sometimes it's good to take a step back from my day-to-day work as pastor of
this church to survey the big picture. Worship attendance is part of that big
picture. It's good to think strategically. Not what this church needs to do this
week to react to what happened last week, but what this church needs to do
this week to prepare for what we need to be doing three years down the road.
I confess, I tend to get consumed by the day-to-day. I'm so aware of the
trees, I can be inclined to forget I'm even in a forest. So let's take a quick helicopter trip over the trees to look at the forest that is our church.
(1) Those huge trees below us took time to grow. We (I) need to be patient.
In fact, slow growth is more likely to be lasting growth than quick growth.
(2) We have a great purpose statement: "Know Christ. Love God. Serve
Others." We need to allow it to guide us.
In this issue:
Pastor’s Pen
1
Kid’s Stuff News 3
Women’s
Retreat
8
Youth Group
8
New Staff
Member
8
(3) Prayer needs to be at the center of everything we do. Without God we
can do nothing. (And what we end up doing might turn out to be worse than
nothing!)
(4) Our identity as United Methodist (open hearts, open minds, open doors)
will serve us well in a community so thoroughly served by the LDS and
Nazarene churches. There are a lot of people out there who won't go to those
churches who might come to ours.
(5) We need to maintain a hopeful environment. We are bearers of good
news So we don't grovel in the "ain't it awfuls" of life. We offer hope. As our
VBS kids are still singing, "The sky's the limit. All things are possible with
God!"
Pastor’s Pen continued
(6) Add 20 years to everyone's age in this church, and there aren't too many of us left. Our
worship attendance goes way down! It is imperative that we take steps now to maintain our
average age and then start moving that average age downward.
(7) Our current evangelism strategy is way too passive. We wait for people to come to us, to
show up in one of our worship services, and then we follow up. We need to develop and
implement strategies to meet people who aren't here yet and give them a reason to come check
us out.
(8) I'm not sure our current committee structure is serving us very well. We need to get our
"machinery" as small as possible in order to make our ministry as large as possible.
(9) We are typical of many churches in that our congregation provides the leadership (de facto, at
least) and our staff is expected to do the ministry. To make our ministry as large as possible, we
need to work on reversing that. In churches our size and up that are growing, the staff provides
the leadership and equips the congregation to do the ministry.
(10) The future of this church lies dormant in the people of this church. That's you! And because
of you and all the others who consider this their church, that future is bright.
One of the great people of this church is also one of the best people I have ever met at both
thinking strategically and at getting things done. Her name is Kathy Huff. Welcome Kathy to our
staff as Director of Church Life!
This Month’s
Sermon Topics
September 2
“Will Work for Food”
II Thessalonians 3:6-13
September 9
“The Best Way to Live”
James 1:12-27
September 16
“No Class”
James 2:1-13
September 23
“Open Wide and Say Ahhh”
James 3:1-12
September 30
“The Center of the You-niverse”
James 4:1-10
The Friendly Caller
Kid’s Stuff News
It’s hard to believe that Kid’s Stuff has been open for 14 years. Lynn and I have definitely seen a lot of
changes take place over this time. There are the obvious changes, like how much we have grown in
size and the resources that we have for our teachers and the children in our classrooms. And thanks
to our Scholastic book club program our library continues to grow. But the one thing that I think we
should feel the strongest about is the fact that every year we just grow stronger as a Christian center
and an outreach to all the different needs in the community as we grow.
As we enter a new school year we are continuing to find ways to grow and improve. I had mentioned
in our last newsletter that our Kid’s Stuff board had given approval to make improvements to our
playground. Well, after much thought, research, and prayer the improvements have been finalized.
We’re hoping that by the end of September our project will be complete with new swings, an expanded
sand box area, and a new commercial play structure to replace our existing leaning wood structure.
These changes will be a great benefit to everyone and I’m very proud to see this day come and that
we’ve had so much support from everyone at church in regards to doing it.
With school starting I do want to remind everyone to please slow down in our parking lot and watch
for our buses and school children in the parking lot. I know we all lead very busy lives, but buses
always have the right-of-way in our world. Please do not back out or pull out in front of them while
they are dropping off children. This week as I was pulling out of Sunny Ridge School in our church van
and I was at the back of the pack behind all the traditional BIG yellow buses, all I could think of was
the story of the little tug boat. Our bus may look out of place and be small, but we’ll still get the job
done.
God Bless, Ms. Carolyn
Beep!
Beep!
KID’S STUFF
EDUCATION
FAIR
The Discipleship Ministry Team will be hosting an Education
Fair between services on Sunday, September 9 in the
Fellowship Hall. This is your chance to take a look at the topics
being offered this fall in both Sunday school and small study
groups and to visit with the teachers.
Emily and Kaden Theuson will be available to register kids for Youth Group and to answer any questions.
The Youth will also be serving refreshments; donations will go toward their Youth fund.
Sunday school for all ages begins September 16.
If you have any questions or suggestions for a study topic, please contact Kathy Huff at 466-5982.
Volume 10, Issue 8
United Methodist Men
THE PURPOSE OF UMM IS TO HELP MEN GROW IN CHRIST
SO OTHERS MAY KNOW CHRIST.
All men in the church are considered members of the UMM and are
encouraged to attend our breakfast meetings on the second Tuesday
of each month for fellowship, mentoring and sharing God’s blessings.
The goal of the breakfast meetings are to encourage discussion on God related topics such as:
What is the purpose of my life? Why do I exist? How do I find meaning? Who am I trying to
please? These are hard questions; we are the masters of our own fate.
Opportunities:
Mentors are needed: Mentoring Network Inc. See Dwayne Evanson
Men’s ministry: Saturday mornings at 9:15 a.m. at the church
Need a handyman or painter call: Mike 695-9559
One of the blessings we had was the generous gift of $300.00 from the Bazaar committee which will
be used for groceries when we purchase, prepare and serve two meals per month at the Nampa
Community Shelter operated by the Salvation Army. This is a wonderful “OUTREACH” for the
church. We are introduced each time by the shelter’s management as members of the First United
Methodist Church and are called on for the blessing. We thank the Bazaar for the gift. The Bazaar
has also given us permission to prepare the Bazaar lunch which is our largest fundraiser. We
welcome suggestions, ideas or complaints from the congregation to make the lunch successful.
A friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.
Dwayne Evanson
School Kit Bags for United Methodist Committee on Relief
In some countries, children don’t have books or school
supplies. Many have no school rooms, classes are held in
inadequate or half-destroyed buildings, tents or the open air.
On July 24, women in our Quilter’s Group cut and stitched
corduroy, denim and cotton twill cloth bags to be used for
school kits. These kits will be transported to UMCOR West
office and depot in Salt Lake City, Utah. These bags are
distributed throughout the United States and other countries
of the world where there are needs for school supplies.
Each bag is filled with a specific set of school supplies. Quilters have a list of the specific supplies
used in the kits. The Quilters have a pattern and instructions for homemade bags. If you have
sturdy fabrics to donate, we will be happy to make more bags. If you are inclined to help in other
ways, the Advance number for school kits is 901440. Each bag is valued at $11. Purchased bags
are also acceptable.
Jean Holland
The Friendly Caller
Administrative Council Corner
Administrative Council met Monday, August 13. Here are some highlights from that meeting:
Kathy Huff has been hired as Director of Church Life, effective September 1. (see article on page 8)
Kid's Stuff will be removing the old "cabin" and other playground equipment and replacing it with
new, state of the art equipment. Kid's Stuff funds will be used.
There will be an education fair between services (10 - 11 am) on Sunday, September 9.
A fund raising appeal to raise $8,000 for new lighting in sanctuary, narthex, and fellowship hall and
for other priority electrical work will be presented to the congregation soon.
Administrative Council will meet next on Monday, September 10 at 7:30 pm.
CLASSICS LUNCHEON TO START BACK UP!
The Classics (for persons over 65 years old) will be starting
again on Thursday, September 20, 2012. It is on the 3rd
Thursday of each month from September through May. So
mark your calendars! We will have entertainment or other
information to share after each lunch.
Donations are accepted at the door. Call Diane Morris at 4674297 if you need a ride.
The Nurture Team invites you to
use the following system to help
keep the “cookie jar” full for
fellowship time on Sundays.
If your last name begins with
one of the following letters,
please bring 3-4 dozen store
bought or homemade cookies on
your designated date.
A, B
C
D, E, F
G, H
J, K
September
September
September
September
September
Volume 10, Issue 8
2
9
16
23
30
For those of you who would like to help or have helped before,
there will be a sign-up sheet in the church office for the
months that need help. You can sign-up to bring a main dish,
vegetable, dessert or bread. Or even to be a server or help in
the kitchen.
About 40 people on average attend the luncheon. See you
there!
The “Classics” Committee
Women’s Retreat
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such
there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23
We will be carpooling from the church to the beautiful
Conifer Lodge in McCall. We leave early Friday evening,
October 5 and return to the church around 3:00 p.m. on
Sunday, October 7. Cost for the entire weekend is $55.
Full or partial scholarships are available.
The retreat schedule includes small discussion groups, quite time for reflection, singing, worship,
fellowship and free time. Join us for a wonderful weekend of fun and spiritual renewal.
Kathy Huff and Lisa Wink
Our Newest Staff Member:Kathy Huff
Upon recommendation of our Staff-Parish Relations Committee, our
Administrative Council has invited Kathy Huff to serve our church as
Director of Church Life beginning September 1.
Kathy has been a key leader in our church for a number of years. She
has had a lot to do with the revitalizing of our Sunday school, the
amazing growth of our Vacation Bible School, and the development of
a number of new ministries (classics luncheon, women's retreat, mug
ministry, valet parking, small groups, to name a few).
In this new position Kathy will be working closely with our pastor and
other staff members to keep our church on track with our purpose
statement: Know Christ, Love God, Serve Others. Her job description is open-ended, to capitalize
on Kathy's creativity. It is anticipated that she will work on leadership development, nurturing new
attendees, drawing new people to our church, nominations, strategic planning, and envisioning and
implementing new ideas for ministry.
Welcome Kathy! Thank you for all you have done and will do for our church.
The Youth Group will begin meeting again starting on
Sunday, September 2nd
at 11:00 a.m.
in the G.P.S. Building.
Afterwards the Youth Group is invited to have lunch
with the pastor from 12:15—1:00 p.m.
The Friendly Caller
Bazaar News
Annual
Christmas Bazaar
Our all-church Bazaar is getting closer and we
are still counting on the congregation for donated
items. Anything handmade is welcome and
appreciated. Jams and Jellies are especially
needed, as well as any baked goods.
If you’d like to join us, we meet the 1st and 3rd
Friday of the month from 9:00 a.m. until noon.
Also, a reminder that there are several stacks of
dish towels to be embroidered. Dish towels AND
embroidery patterns can be picked up at the
church office.
AND, if you have any 1/2 pint canning jars sitting
around collecting dust … drop those off at the
church office and we will fill them up with homemade goodness to sell at the Bazaar!
If you have any questions, please call:
Melva Dinius at 466-3734,
Cheryl Yearous at 461-2054 or
Leona Romilly at 442-1521.
LIGHT THE
CHURCH
We are working on an $8000 goal to replace and improve the lighting in the sanctuary, narthex,
and fellowship hall.
While electricians are here, we also have some high priority electrical projects for them in the
offices, kitchen, and sanctuary.
Please mark your checks, LIGHT THE CHURCH. Thank you.
This 9-week class, featuring Dave Ramsey, begins Tuesday, September 4. From 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in
the G.P.S. Building.
Even if you aren’t registered, feel free to drop in on one free session to check it out. The cost of the
class is $95 per family.
Volume 10, Issue 8
Bits and Bites
September Anniversaries
September Birthdays
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
2
2
3
3
8
10
10
10
11
11
12
12
14
20
21
22
23
23
23
24
24
24
24
27
29
30
30
30
Bob Reed
Helen Reed
Pam Kemp
Megan House
Pat Winch
Evelyn Bowman
Rex Burmester
Austin Wink
Amy Dinius
Kim Calhoun
Rosemary Scale
Phyllis McLellan
Polly Hayward
Tanner Calhoun
Rochelle Killett
Lois Herr
Areesa Franklin
Larie Ratcliff
Glen Hogin
David Watson
Wilma Askey
Terry Lynott
Kaetlyn Healea
Jean Hogin
Jean Holland
Robert Vaughn
Lisa Lujan
Margie Frasier
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
Sep
7
8
14
14
18
19
19
23
23
Bob & Helen Reed
Dale & Pat Winch
Jon & Glenda Eubanks
Bob & Bonney Welker
Jerry & Darlene Cornilles
Bo & Lisa Wink
Clarke & Cheryl Yearous
Brian & Melinda Butkus
Buck & Rene Johnson
E-MAIL
COMMUNICATIONS
As the “Friendly Caller”
continues to be sent in
the mail, more and more
Please let the office manager, Carol Ogren,
know if we’ve missed your birthday or
anniversary OR if a deletion or correction
needs to occur.
church communications
are done electronically. If
you are not currently receiving Rev. Watts’
“Monday Musings” or the
“E-News” that goes out
later in the week, please
let us know. We will be
happy to add you to our
list.
RACHEL
CIRCLE
If you would like to
submit an article for the
OCTOBER
FRIENDLY CALLER,
please e-mail or drop-off
your articles
to the church office
no later than
Monday, September 17
THANK YOU
Rachel Circle will start back up
on
Thursday, September 13
at 1:30 p.m.
at the home of
Peggy Guidinger
1727 Sunny Ridge Road, #77
Nampa 83686
Lil Willis will be presenting the
program.
Any questions, please call
Betty Ziegler at 468-7960.
The Friendly Caller
NUMBERS THAT MATTER
Worship Attendance:
TO
ES
T
NO ARE
SH
Dear United Methodist Church Thank you so much for the opportunity
to present our latest information to your
congregation and for your generous
collection/donation to our building fund.
We are so excited to be building our
16th Habitat home and soon to break
ground on home #17 in Nampa!
We really appreciate your generosity!
- Our regards,
Marcia Davis &
Canyon County Habitat for Humanity
First United Methodist Church Thank you so much for the gift card!
Hastings is such a fun place, I appreciate it
so much. You have been good to me!
Thanks again!
- Sydney Briggs (Nursery)
August
5
12
19
26
9 am
89
92
76
87
11 am
94
86
78
60
6 pm
17
10
11
14
Total
197
188
165
161
2012 Average: 196
2012 Goal: 200
Giving:
August Revenue:
$16,379
August Expenses:
$18,282
Year-to-date Revenue:
$132,066
Year-to-date Expenses:
$136,739
Percentage of Apportionments Paid:
27%
Percentage of Year Gone:
67%
2012 Mission Goal:
$11,000
Mission Total to Date:
$5,455
MINISTRY
OPPORTUNITY!
Projection help is needed,
especially for the
11:00 a.m. service.
Please contact Lisa Lujan
@ 371-6423
if you are interested.
Volume 10, Issue 8
Deaths
Rich Foreman, 8-12-12
(Darlene Foreman’s Father-in-Law)
Jim Thielges, 8-13-12
Jeannine Hogge, 8-17-12
Eugene Heimgartner, 8-20-12
(Janel Pickens’ Step-father)
Nampa First United
Methodist Church
The Friendly Caller
(USPS #574-080)
Published monthly by the
First United Methodist Church
2717 12th Avenue Road
Nampa, ID 83686-6382
Periodical postage paid at:
Nampa, ID
Please address changes to:
THE FRIENDLY CALLER
2717 12th Avenue Road
Nampa, ID 83686
208-467-1151
Email: [email protected]
KID’S STUFF EARLY LEARNING
PRESCHOOL AND CHILD CARE CENTER
208-467-2178
Address Service Requested
SUNDAY WORSHIP HOURS
Childcare in the nursery is provided during morning services.
NFUMC STAFF
Our building is
accessible to all!
9:00 a.m. – Wesley Service: Traditional worship
10:00 a.m. – Sunday School & Shared Fellowship Time
11:00 a.m.—Youth Group
11:00 a.m. – Celebration Service: Contemporary worship
6:00 p.m. – Simply Worship: For the disabled and their friends
Pastor:
Office Manager:
Kid’s Stuff Director:
Treasurer:
Organist:
Choir Director:
Lead Musician:
Custodian:
Lay Leader:
Bishop:
District Superintendent:
John Watts
Carol Ogren
Carolyn Curtis
Traci Alonzo
Nancy Parks
Jeanne Kusterer
Tim Swanson
Carolyn Curtis
Leatha Thayer
Grant Hagiya
Kim Fields
We’re on
the web!
www.nampaumc.org
Office Hours
Monday through Friday
9 a.m.—3 p.m.