aug 10 2015 - First United Methodist Church
Transcription
aug 10 2015 - First United Methodist Church
August 10, 2015 Volume 42, Issue 10 BEACON Reflections From John A couple of years ago we engaged a Lenten study entitled, SoulShifts. Recently, I spent some time with the author, Steve DeNeff, and discovered he had just completed a new book and related study entitled, FaultLines. We commonly think of faultlines as those places in the earth’s crust where the plates are cracked, much in the manner of a parking lot or sidewalk, and the pressure from the inner core causes the plates to move. Tension faults result in plates moving away from each other, strike-slip faults result in plates rubbing alongside one another, and reverse faults occur when those plates jam into each other. As we can imagine, seismic changes occur when these plates run into one another. Yes, such disruptions can cause great damage. My brother Jim and his family used to live within eyesight of Mt. St. Helens which experienced a volcano triggered by a faultline back in 1980. Fifty-seven people died and over a billion dollars of property damage ensued. But faultlines don’t always destroy. It was a faultline that caused one of the most beautiful places in the world to unfold, known to us as Victoria Falls. We refer to this place as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Ours is a world where spiritual faultlines can cause great damage OR result in something beautiful AND meaningful. Seasons of life are not necessarily chosen by us as they are seasons that choose us. Too often within the church we think of discipleship as a series of lessons to be learned alongside whatever else is happening in life. We unwittingly differentiate between these lessons and our real lives, striving to get our lives to look like the curriculum. Nobody knows more than God that our real lives ARE the curriculum. True discipleship is the on-going process of aligning our lives to the bold and audacious promises of the Bible, and coming to appreciate that, ultimately, this is the ONLY LIFE worth having and the ONLY one that truly works – forever! It is learning to walk this planet in ways that are common sense to all those in Heaven. As life sets the agenda, which happens more often than not, we do well to ask, “God, what are You doing, and how do I join You in the fulfillment of Your desires?” The great boxer and sidewalk theologian, Mike Tyson once observed, “Everyone has a plan … until they get hit in the mouth.” Life will do that to us, and ours is a God who longs to help us get back up and become “more than conquerors.” Nothing in all Creation can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ. Presently, we have grim reminders of how fallen our world is, be it the grisly exposure of illegal and immoral trafficking of baby organs, indications of impending economic crises, and the daily dose of news revealing our lack of reverence for the lives of others. And along comes God saying, “Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you will be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.” (Philippians 2: 14) In this world of seismic spiritual upheaval, there is a sure and solid Rock to stand on. Jesus can and will make a way out of no way, shine light on the darkest of paths, and implores us to follow Him. Though we prefer paved highways with freshly painted lines, He is able and willing to lead us over and through the roughest terrain. The journey may not feel safe, but following Him insures us that it will be good. A fellow pilgrim, John P a g e B E A C O N 2 Music Notes Sunday September 27 Celebration Music @1st Fine Arts Academy News Did you know….we offer private music lessons in most band & orchestra instruments right here in our church? Did you know…. we offer private voice lessons? Did you know….we offer a “Fiddle Camp” for fiddlers of all ages every summer? Celebration of the 25th anniversary of the building of the new sanctuary. John Grenfell Jr. will preach in the Sanctuary service. Slideshow and celebration at fellowship hour. A new CD featuring the Chancel Choir, Festival Bells, pianist Nancy Whitecar and organist Marcia Van Oyen will be available. Did you know…our teachers are all University and/or Conservatory educated? Did you know…we have a scholarship program for students who need financial assistance? Did you know…our Fall Semester begins the week of September 13….Registration is open NOW! New Music Staff Darlene Kuperus will join us as accompanist/ Did you notice our new Poster in the Great associate organist. Darlene is a graduate of CalHall entrance? Pick up a brochure for more vin College and the University of Michigan, and information. has recently served at First UMC and First PresContact Academy Coordinator, Barbara Levengood, with questions or to register a student. Phone: 734-453-5280 ext 112 Email: [email protected] Web:www.musicatfirstacademy.org byterian in Northville. Carrick Secorski will be assistant director of the bell choir and orchestra. Carrick teaches voice and percussion in our Fine Arts Academy and sings tenor in the Chancel Choir. He graduated from Madonna University. V o l u m e 4 2 , Is s u e 1 0 P a g e Donate your gently used shoes!! As you get new shoes for back to school, donate your old shoes to benefit people in other countries and the Chancel Choir 2016 ministry trip. We’ve already collected 135 bags of shoes—help us reach our goal of 250 bags!! Drop off shoes in the bin in the great hall. Share your musical gifts in worship! Chancel Choir rehearsals on Wednesdays, 7:30—9:00 pm starting September 2 Sing for Sanctuary worship each Sunday, September—June. Festival Bells rehearsals on Thursdays, 7:30—9:00 pm starting September 17 Ring for Sanctuary worship once a month Orchestra 8th grade—adults rehearsals on alternate Sundays 11:45 am—12:45 pm starting September 20 Play for Sanctuary worship once a month 8th grade—adults For info contact Marcia Van Oyen [email protected] or 734-453-5280 ext 115 Noteworthy Concerts Oct. 25th 3:00 pm Detroit Lutheran Singers Nov. 22nd 4:00 pm Bell Choir Festival Dec. 4th 7:30 pm Plymouth Community Band and 5 more concerts in 2016! Admission is free. A free-will offering will be received to benefit a charitable cause. Hear great music. Reach out to others. 3 P a g e 4 Proverbs 19:20 Listen to advice and ac- cept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. God has blessed me recently with a string of conversations where I got to glimpse his hand at work. Like the chance meeting with Wade in a sports store where he talked about the new hobby he has and how it’s been helping him stay in shape. He mentioned how he thought I’d enjoy it. As he talked I heard God say to me, “Listen. You need to take care of yourself and this is a messenger sent with some advice on how you can do that.” That conversation took place after I had nearly the identical conversation with Mark earlier that morning. Coincidence? I think it was really God knowing that sometimes I need to hear something a few times before I get it, and reinforcing the message for me. Why, for all I know he may have delivered the same message to me several times, but I only caught it the last time. Now that I think back, didn’t Jim say something to me earlier in the week about finding a new way to take care of myself? Hmmm… I’m working at being more open to advice. The PFUMC staff had the privilege of attending the simulcast of the Global Leadership Summit hosted by the Willow Creek Association. The talks were outstanding, and I think each member of the staff came away with some areas to work on. For me, one was the topic of feedback and advice, both giving and receiving. Oh, it’s not that I have a major issue with giving feedback, or advice. In fact if you think about it, I get to give everyone advice and feedback every Sunday morning. And as far as getting it, I welcome it, but like most people I preferred to let it find me, not to seek it out. Or to put it another way, I tend to think, “If someone thinks I need some advice they’ll tell me, otherwise I’m going to assume I’m doing everything perfectly.” Anyone else think like that? Well, I’ve been blessed to have a handful of people here who seek me out and give me great advice, and I’ve grown from it. So if you have some advice or feedback for me, I’d love to hear it. Over coffee would be ideal, but in passing also works. Now here’s the proviso that I reserve for advice. I think of advice and feedback like seeds. Some ideas are pretty and some are prickly, but all have the ability to grow into something wonderful. So I plant these seeds into the soil of my mind, and wait. Some advice springs up quickly and provides fruit right away. Some advice takes longer before they provide understanding, and some feedback just never makes it out of the ground. So I invite you to be a messenger, an angel, and share your words of wisdom with me. I would love to plant those seeds so I can have a full garden of understanding. P a g e Trustee Tidbits – August 7, 2015 Great news! Our elevator should be fixed by mid-September! We can all take a ride to check it out soon! Many people use it to take strollers with little ones up to the nursery on Sundays and during the week, so we were hoping that it would be done for our fall kick-off. Thanks be to God! Another wonderful item to share! A group of donors gathered together and have funded the electronic door opener that should be installed as we speak. They were aware that funds have been tight for the Trustees, and with the huge elevator expense, we have been struggling to complete some of the needs. So, they took action! Though they wish to remain anonymous, God knows who you are and of this special giving in His name. Shortly, we will have a new magnetic place to store our nametags in the front lobby. More to come. The new soundboard covering project in Fellowship Hall will begin August 15, thanks to Ruth Dostie and her crew consisting of Pam and Michael Cox, and Jill and John Leeper. The front porch may be painted by the time you receive this. The nursery divider panel has been taken down to allow a more open space with no hiding spots! The main women’s restroom is still on hold with painting and redecorating. Just like home, always something. A candidate was not identified this year to receive the Roe Scholarship funds that the Trustees oversee. These are meant for a person or persons pursuing their higher religious education. So, the monies go into the Christian Education budget. The Maidstone parsonage has had some unexpected expenses this year. Multiple water leaks in the basement have been a large added expense. Hopefully, we have a handle on it with some additional repairs and adjustments to the gutters. Anyone work in the gutter field? The lovely finished basement now has much drywall and carpet removed. If anyone cares to help Bob Mason or Dave Clark, please give us a call! And the Berlangas have really moved in now. I thought it had happened earlier! Busy, busy. All for God. Joy Coyle BE Prayer Experience A special prayer walk for youth with bonfire after Saturday August 29 7-10 pm at PFUMC Questions? Contact Amanda Williams Sign up to Pray “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:7 Maybe you have seen the new sign in the church hallway but didn’t know what to do. Pick a day! Sign-up for one day during the week, take a bookmark for that day, take a monthly calendar and then pray. Pray each week on your chosen day. Pray as God leads you to pray for our family, church, community, nation and world. The calendar will change from month to month and includes events in our church family, community and world. Included on the board are 3X5 cards for you to leave a prayer request, write answers to prayers and give praise reports. From your prayer team; Jeanne Martin, Pam Fair, Jeremy Russell 5 P a g e B E A C O N 6 Sunday Financial Update for July, 2015 Monday 9:00 am Sunday School 10:10 am Worship 11:30 am Fellowship Time 5:30 pm FUSION youth Income = $ 56,764 Expenses = $ 61,488 YTD Income = $ 539,233 YTD Expenses = $ 536,655 Tuesday 7:00 pm AA/Alanon BSF groups BSF Leaders 1 9:00 am—UMC Retirement Foundation 7:30 pm Evangelism 6 Thank You! WE REACHED OUR GOAL OF $10,000 ! 7 LABOR DAY 8 Church office closed 13 Rally Sunday 14 60+ Lunch 15 12:30 pm Beacon Belles Pictures 20 Sunday—9/27 11:15 am Mark your calendar! 21 22 Staff will be out of the office All day @ Dixboro UMC 28 29 Pictures 27 25th Anniv. celebration 3rd Grade Bible Sunday Flu Shots PFUMC COORDINATOR FOR OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD Dear PFUMC Friends, I have acted as the PFUMC coordinator for Operation Christmas Child (shoebox gift collection) for the past several years. It is a mission that is near and dear to my heart. However, I am wondering if there is someone else in our church family who may have more energy and ideas for this project that would grow the effort within our church.. If you feel God calling you to step in and take over as the point person for Operation Christmas Child, please contact me: e-mail [email protected] or telephone: (734) 455-3386. I am happy to explain the program to you and/or answer any questions you may have. Mary Lynn Freeland September 2015 V o l u m e 4 2 , Is s u e Wednesday Thursday 6:00 am Prayer Breakfast 6:00 pm Bible Study P a g e 1 0 Friday Saturday 7:30 pm Bell Choir 6:00 pm Impact Band Practice 7:30 pm Chancel choir 2 6:30 p HEM of His Garment 6:30 pm Summer Fusion 7:30 pm Chancel choir 3 7:00 pm Staff parish 4 5 9 6:00 pm Children’s Choir 10 11 12 6 :00 pm Hog Roast 18 19 25 26 2:00 pm Knit & Crochet 7:30 pm Bell Choir 17 6:00 pm Prayer meeting 16 7:00 pm Church council 7:00 pm Pearls of Great Price 23 24 2:00 pm Knit & Crochet 6:00 pm Finance 30 NEW TO THE LIBRARY!! Check out these DVD’s in the church library. Maybe you will recognize some people. The Carol & Wesleyan Choirs under the direction of Fran Loiselle and Jan McKelvey preformed a variety of musicals in the late 80’s and early 90’s. They have been compiled into a 3 DVD set and are available for you to view. Plays include “David and the Giants,” “Hark the Herold Angel,” “Why?,” and “Oh Jonah!” featuring Bob Nelson as the Whale. 7 P a g e B E A C O N 8 Fusion Cedar Point Trip July 2015 What a fun day we had together! Looking to make a difference in these trying times? The Plymouth/Canton CROP Hunger Walk hopes to raise funds to help stop hunger and poverty here in our community and around the world, through self-help initiatives. This year Plymouth/Canton and some 2,000 cities and towns nationwide are joining together in interfaith community CROP Hunger Walks around the theme “Ending hunger one step at a time.” Many of the CROP Walkers will be wearing T-shirts, proclaiming their solidarity with the millions of neighbors around the world who have to walk to live—as well as with the millions served by local food pantries, food banks, and meal sites here in the U.S. These local ministries share in the funds raised by CROP Hunger Walks. Join our youth in raising funds to help those in need at the 2015 Crop Walk! Registration begins at 1:30 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church. The Walk begins at 2:00 pm and is 2 or 4 miles. Confirmation class of 2015 will begin on Sunday, September 13th. Meet in Room L08 in the Core from 9 to 10 am. Confirmation is for all youth 7th grade and older who have not been through confirmation. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Pastor Nick Berlanga at [email protected]. V o l u m e 4 2 , Is s u e 1 0 P a g e 9 CHRISTIAN ED NEWS—- - - As I write this article, I have officially been Director of Christian Education for 6 whole days. I had a great first Sunday, full of wonderful volunteers serving in our Sunday school classes. I had my first staff meeting and full day in the office. Today, I attended day one of the Global Leadership Summit (if you are unfamiliar with it, the Global Leadership Summit is a world-class experience designed to help you grow and embrace your grander vision—the reason God called you to lead). It has been an action packed first few days. I am excited to be getting started. Christian education is, in and of itself, exciting. It is a ministry for the whole church (infants through our most seasoned members), and it takes the whole to church to have a thriving Christian education ministry. I believe that each and every person at Plymouth First is valuable and each person’s faith development is important. You, yes you, matter to God, and you matter to me. It is my hope and prayer that every adult is plugged into a Sunday school class or small group Bible study (whether in person or by trying out one of our online options this fall). It is my hope and prayer that children and youth continue to get quality, age appropriate Christian education that will help them grow in to unashamed followers of Christ. It is my hope and prayer that we strengthen family units through special events during the year. It is my hope and prayer that we can create opportunities among adults to have fun together and grow in community with one another. It is my hope and prayer that we keep looking outward, helping others, while we work on stuff within our church. Christian education is YOUR ministry, it is for YOU. The question you need to answer is where do I see myself plugging into the Christian education ministry? Will you commit to joining a small group? Will you commit to bringing your children to Sunday school as often as you can? Will you join a Sunday school class? Will you volunteer to serve in our children’s or youth Sunday school classes? Will you help out with one-time only special events like VBS or a Family Fun Night? The opportunities for you to be a part of the exciting Christian education ministry at Plymouth First are endless…are you ready to jump in? Our summer Sunday school program needs you! We have 4 open slots left. If you are feeling a tug on your heart to help out, contact Sarah Sutphin ([email protected]) or sign up in the Great Hall. Sarah P a g e 1 0 B E A C O N 60+ NEWS 60+ Returns The Day After Labor Day ...... when we will usher in the new season with a most distinguished guest, Mr. Gene Overholt. As many of you know from our March program, 2015 is the 100th anniversary of Kiwanis, the international service organization that was birthed in downtown Detroit. As you may or may not know, Gene was the 1988-89 international president of Kiwanis. As president, Gene and his lovely wife Jane traveled the globe visiting clubs from South America to Africa, from Asia to Europe. There is not one in Antarctica, however ….. at least not yet. We hope you will join us to learn about their adventures and travel to interesting and sometimes exotic places. So mark your calendars ~ Tuesday, September 8, 2015 ~ 11:30 am ~ Fellowship Hall ~ $6. Look for the sign-up sheet located across from Fellowship Hall to make your reservation, or call Mary (734-927-7551) or Sandy (734-4595471). We are always pleased to welcome newcomers, so invite a friend! SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY ‘S SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1Ben Phillips Dean Scrimger Jenn Spicer 2 Olivia Johnson Larry Ragan 3 4 Allyssa Hollo Danny Stiver Kelly Montgomery 5 Kristopher Jovan Austin Strobridge 8Ginger Krueger Ardelle Pickering Jim Porter Suzanne Wyckoff 9 10Sandy Hackett Emily Scrimger Alexa Slotau 11Kyle Smola Kathleen Berliner Sam Hickling Marilyn Quinn Mason Schmitt Merci Schmitt 12 Betty Barber Zane Berlanga Charles Lowe 6 Mary Lynn Freeland Betsy Montgomery Jeremy Russell 7 13 14Maddie Battishill Ben Henderson Scott Waidmann 15 Jean Gould 16 Nick Battishill Andrew Brown David Cusumano Ellen Thompson Suzanne Trinka 17 Glen Coker Marilyn Carl Brayden Bishop Liam Penney Ella Savalox 18 David Daly Ryan Groat George Gyde Laura Jameson 19 21Bob Ankrapp John Marshall Linda Maxwell Jan Rolston 23 22 Scottie Cracraft Kelley Kummer Linda Hanson Katherine Jeannie Wilbur Robertson Jessica Schroeder 24 25Ruth Ann Cook William Patterson Alice Smith Reece Tarhanich 26 Gerry Hetherington Julie Holland Paul Slatin 28 Leina KeskiHynnila 29 Beverly Bazzell Nathan King Julie Lewis Julia Slatin Dannette Murphy 20 Brian Kidston 27 Vickie Krause Jan Seamonds Ray Wells Gene Best Sandra Kosky Ron Loiselle Dorothy Davenport Brent Howlett 30 Sandra Bishop Richard Morin Nancy Whitecar John Cook Abby Dalton Erica Freeland V o l u m e 4 2 , Is s u e 1 0 P a g e 1 1 Prayer concerns Lisa Berlanga Ashley Boebinger Andrew Brown Glen Coker Scottie Cracraft Janice Groat Kathy Hoyles Don Iler Gary Krueger Alex Magee Vince Maiorana Mary Pauline Dennis Piggott Nancy Remick Esther Richards Earl Rickard Kathleen Salla Jean Scheppele Bob Smith Lisa Thomas Meredith VanValkenburgh Justin Atkinson Kevin Clafton (Strobridge) Linda Erickson Danielle Gomrick Nathan King Austin McCall (Triebwasser) Andrew D. Piggott Evan Ray (Ramsay) Dan & Ashley Schmitt Marshall Gartner (Henderson) Ian Gartner Sanford Burr Pat Carne Calvin Gress Joann Gress Carol Meszaros Joan McNally Jean Miller Helen Sorensen Ned Stirton Carol Thomas Paul Worley Annie Roby—Ted Roby’s granddaughter Chris Turk, friend of Jenny Boebinger Gene Still, father of Vanessa Lawhon Jane Spears, Sarah Sutphin’s mother Kim Golich, friend of Jill Leeper Mike Petri & family, friend of Dale Good Nelson, Marcia Van Oyen’s brother in law Phyllis Deichert, Muriel Gyde’s sister Ricky Gyde, son of George and Muriel Gyde Sarah VanderWerp, Elsie Mae Trinka ‘s granddaughter Shirley Naccarapo, Rev. Roy Forsyth’s sister Kris & Sarah Kappler Johannesburg, South Africa Partner churches Russia & Poland bâÜ fçÅÑtà{ç àÉ à{x ytÅ|Äç Éy c{tÜÉÄw [t|áà ã{É Ñtááxw tãtç JBEI bâÜ fçÅÑtà{ç àÉ à{x ytÅ|Äç Éy TÇà{ÉÇç gÉÅx| ã{É Ñtááxw tãtç JBEJA Thank you, Thank you … All of my good friends, and you know who you are. You sent such beautiful cards, called me and visited me in my new place. This all because of my knee surgery, which is healing as it should. Thanks also to pastor John and Carrie for their prayers and visits. I am proud to be a member of such a loving family church. God is good ! Mary Pauline REPAIRS HAVE BEGUN ON CHURCH ELEVATOR . Congratulations to Megan & Chris Helinski on the birth of their son We expect to have the elevator back in service within the next two weeks. Thank you for your understanding. Joshua Howard. Born 8/7 @ 6:31 am— 8 lbs 10 oz. Pictures will be taken aer worship on Sunday, August 30, September 13 and 20. WE’RE ON THE WEB! WWW.PFUMC.ORG Beacon & Calendar deadlines: Plymouth First United Methodist Church 45201 N. Territorial Rd Plymouth, MI 48170-6528 (734) 453-5280 Fax: (734) 453-0375 E-mail articles by 5 pm on the 10th of the month to [email protected] or [email protected] Dated Material—Please do not delay. Periodical postage paid. Postmaster please send address corrections. USPS 34-050 Mailed: Once Monthly PERIODICALS