february 2016 newsletter - Riverton United Methodist Church

Riverton United Methodist Church
“Receiving the Bread of Life to Give the Bread of Life”
Website:www.rivumc.com
1116 W. Park Ave Riverton, WY 82501
e-mail: [email protected]
phone: (307) 856-2544 / fax: (307) 856-7138
February 2016
Volume 11 Issue 1
FROM THE PASTOR
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (MT 28:19,20)
These verses, which appear at the conclusion of Matthew’s gospel, explain, in part, why the mission
statement of the United Methodist Church is “to make disciples for the transformation of the world.”
What we're trying to say in that mission statement, in part, is that we exist for those outside the walls of
our churches; that we long to help them enter into a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.
And I, for one, think that's a wonderfully appropriate way for the Church to state its purpose. I'm just
not sure whether we really mean it.
Because here's the thing. If reaching those outside of our walls with the gospel was really our priority,
then we’d act as if that was the case. It would be reflected in the way we spend our money, in the ministries and programs that we offered, and most of all in a regular pattern of inviting others to join us in
worship. But while we rarely have any hesitation when it comes to inviting friends to dinner, or to a
party, we’re often reluctant to invite others to worship with us, and we can offer all sorts of excuses to
explain ourselves. We may be hesitant to broach the subject of our faith; we may be afraid of offending
others; and sometimes we’ve been Christians for so long that we no longer have any friends who aren’t
a part of a faith community (or so we think)! But as William Burroughs once observed, “Jesus Christ
said 'by their fruits ye shall know them,' not by their disclaimers.”
And so to help us all become more intentional about reaching out to and inviting our neighbors to
church we’ve designated Sunday, February 14th, as “Bring a Friend to Church” Sunday! As the name
implies, we’d like you to think about someone who is NOT active in a local congregation that you
might invite to worship with you that morning. If you’re really struggling to come up with someone
who isn’t active somewhere you might invite a friend from our congregation who has been inactive for
some time to accompany you instead. We’ll be looking at ways to help draw your friends back, including launching or announcing a Lenten Sermon Series that Sunday that we hope will pique their interest.
With that in mind we have a few suggestions on how you might “host” someone on the 14th.
 Offer to pick them up and bring them with you that day. If they prefer to drive themselves promise
to meet them either in the parking lot or at the front door so they do not feel lost or awkward upon
entering. Obviously you will want to share a pew with them, even if they prefer to sit somewhere
other than your “normal” seat!
 If you bring them to the early service you might take them to brunch afterwards if you are not attending an Adult Class. If you are attending ask them to join you.
 Invite them to join us for the carry-in meal that day, but let them know that you will be bringing
enough food and they do not need to provide anything. Again, if they prefer not to attend you might
take them out to lunch or invite them to lunch at your home instead.
Please be prayerful about who God might be leading you to reach out to and invite to worship with you
on February 14th!
In Christ,
Riverton United Methodist Church
Page 2
FEBRUARY LOOSE CHANGE
Riverton Middle School FOOD FOR BREAK
For the past several years, the Parent’s Advisory Committee and the community have joined together to make sure that Riverton Middle School students in need
have food to take home over the long holidays. Of the 540 students at the middle
school, almost half of them qualify for free or reduced lunch. School age children
whose families qualify are able to eat a hot breakfast and lunch at school when school
is in session. But weekends and school holidays can be tough! Assistant Principal,
Brandt Nyberg said that the latest State Department report indicated that the Riverton
schools have the highest poverty levels in the state!
This project is a community effort with several churches, student groups, and individuals donating food and money. At Christmas, 250 bags were put together by middle school student volunteers. The
bags included peanut butter (donated by us!), cereal, fruit packs, pasta, soup and granola bars. Diana Hosking, RMS secretary, says “There is no question about it. We have many students who would go without over
the long breaks if it weren’t for the generosity of our community”. She told of one student who started inquiring in November, if food bags would be available over Christmas. His family includes at least six children,
and he said without that help, they wouldn’t have as much to eat over the holiday. He also wanted to know if
he could take a bag to another family that he knew of that needed help. The students have come to count on
their Food for Break bags and are very appreciative of the help they are receiving at
school.
Our Missions Committee is committed to continuing
to support this effort. The February Loose Change offering
will go towards purchasing cereal for the spring break which
begins on March 25. Whatever funds are left over will be
applied towards the 2016 Christmas break. If you like, you
may also donate by putting cash or a check in an envelope
and designating it for Food for Break and dropping it in the
offering plate. For the past three years, our congregation’s
generous support has made a huge difference for this
project. Thanks so much for helping out our local
school children!
LOOSE CHANGE DONATIONS
Please be aware that when you make a donation to the monthly Loose Change mission, only the coins in the
offering plate are counted toward that mission. If you wish to make a donation of bills or check, please place
them in an envelope from the pew and designate it as “Loose Change Offering”.
The Missions Committee thanks everyone for their generous support!
Riverton United Methodist Church
Page 3
SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER – ALL ARE INVITED!
The Missions Committee is hosting a pancake supper on February 9
at 5:30 p.m. in observance of Shrove Tuesday.
What, you may ask, is Shrove Tuesday? According to ancient Christian
tradition, Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which
is the first day of Lent. Shrove comes from the word, “shrive” which
means to confess. In this tradition observed by many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and Catholics, it is a time of selfexamination, a time to consider what wrongs you might need to repent
and what areas of your life you need to ask for God’s help with.
Shrove Tuesday is a day of celebration, as well as penitence, because
it’s the last day before Lent. For many people, Lent is a time of abstinence and fasting and in the old days there were many foods that observant Christians would not eat during Lent, such as meat and fish, butter, eggs, and milk. So that no food was wasted, families would have a
feast on the shriving Tuesday, and eat up all the foods that would not last the forty days of Lent. Pancakes
were commonly made to use the milk, butter, and eggs. In fact in some countries, Shrove Tuesday is
known as “Pancake Day”.
Help us observe this tradition by joining us for a delicious dinner of pancakes with fruit toppings
and sausage. Again, that will be on February 9 at 5:30 p.m.
Missions is using this as an opportunity to kick off a fundraising campaign for the UMCOR Refugee Relief.
We are asking our congregation to help UMCOR meet their goal of $2.25 million. Refugee tent banks will
be available to take home to drop loose change in. If you are giving something up for Lent, you may want
to put the money that you saved by not indulging in that item into your “tent”. The banks will be collected
on Easter Sunday.
AND… AFTER SUPPER
Come join us for an activity at the Shrove Tuesday event. The Missions Committee, along with UMCOR, is
preparing both Health and School Kits to be sent around the world. The health kits provide basic necessities to people who have been forced to leave their homes because of human conflict or natural disasters.
The school kits are for the many children around the world who have no schoolrooms, for whom classes
are held in inadequate or half-destroyed buildings, tents, or even outdoors. School kits may be these children’s only education resource.
You can participate in two ways – first, after you’ve finished your pancakes, help to actually prepare a
health or school kit. Second, donate supplies to be used in the kits. Bring them along to the dinner so
more kits can be prepared. Needed supplies include the following: rounded tip metal scissors, spiral or top
bound pads of papers, hand held pencil sharpener, 30 cm ruler, unsharpened pencils, 2” or larger
eraser, 24 count box of crayons, hand towels, washcloth, plastic
combs 6” or longer, metal nail file or clipper, bath size soap bar
(no Ivory or Jergens), band aids.
Riverton United Methodist Church
Page 4
FEBRUARY FELLOWSHIP CARRY-IN DINNER
The February Fellowship Carry-in Dinner will be February 14th at
11:30 p.m. The Chancel Choir will be hosting the dinner. They will be
serving lasagna, spaghetti,meatballs, & garlic bread. Please bring a side
dish to go with the dinner and join us for great fellowship.
We are looking forward to fellowship, fun, and great food.
Hope to see you at the dinner!
If you have questions or suggestions for our get-togethers, please call Kathy Brown @ 856-2533.
SOUPER BOWL OF CARING
After a successful collection last year, the Missions Committee is once again collecting food in support of the
Souper Bowl of Caring (https://souperbowl.org). The national effort grew from a simple prayer: "Lord, even
as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of
soup to eat" is inspiring a youth-led movement to help hungry and hurting people around the world.
This prayer, delivered by Brad Smith, then a seminary intern serving at Spring Valley Presbyterian
Church in Columbia, SC, gave birth to an idea. Why not use Super Bowl weekend, a time when people
come together for football and fun, to also unify the nation for a higher good: collecting dollars and
canned food for the needy?
Canned goods (preferably pop-open cans that do not require a can opener) are being collected in the
blue and green bins by the Riverton Methodist Church coat closet through February 7, Super Bowl
Sunday. We hope to collect more than 400 cans to top
last year's 395 items collected. Monetary donations are
also most welcome. Everything donated will go directly
to the Christian Food Storehouse in Riverton.
The recent economic downturn is likely to increase the
level of food insecurity in our community, which is already the most-impoverished school district in Wyoming.
In 2013, Feeding America estimated there were 5,770
food insecure residents in Fremont County. Thank you
for your generosity! For more information, contact Cory
Daly 332-9107.
January Loose Change Offering
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Budget income to date :
Actual income to date:
Budgeted expenses to date:
Actual expenses to date:
$192,500.00
$210,795.90
$194.259.38
$166,674.78
The January 2016 Loose Change Offering Project
was the Eagles Hope Transitions. The total offering
received in January in support of this mission to date
is $399.07. Thanks to everyone who so generously
contributed to this month’s project.
Page 5
Riverton United Methodist Church
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH COMMITTEES 2016
FINANCE
Bob Schlichting**
Tracy Blumenshine (Treas.)
Gary Campbell
Darla Paskett (Fin. Sec.)
Craig Blumenshine
Kathy Schilling
Fred Nicol
Greg Anderson
Dolly Logry
Craig Cooper
Pastor Mark Rader
TRUSTEES
Jack Schmidt (Sec.)2018
Rowena Bland 2018
Lee Schlichting** 2016
Bill Schaub 2016
Kathy Schilling 2017
Leonard Concilio 2017
Pastor Mark Rader
STAFF-PARISH RELATIONS
Craig Cooper** 2017
Gary Campbell/Fred Nicol
Ralph Mesa 2016
Twila Ballard 2016
Cindy Browall 2017
Lori Ridgeway 2018
Linda Woodward 2018
Pastor Mark Rader
LAY LEADERSHIP AND
DEVELOPMENT
Gary Campbell/Fred Nicol
Rita Larson 2016
Lisa LaVoie 2016
Beverley Higgs 2017
Robyn Beers 2017
Scott Morrow 2018
Pastor Mark Rader
FELLOWSHIP
Lynne Hawk**
Kathy
ADMINISTRATIVE CHURCH
COUNCIL
Craig Blumenshine**
Lee Schlichting
Tracy Blumenshine
Lori Morrow (Sec.)
Gary Campbell/Fred Nicol
Jay Frank
Alice Nicol
Roger Hicks
Bob Schlichting
Darla Paskett
Lynne Hawk
Nancy Anderson
Carol Cooper
Craig Cooper
Helen Warpness
Pastor Mark Rader
WORSHIP COMMITTEE
Jay Frank **
Leda Lester
Carolyn Hunter
Twila Ballard
Frances Newkirk
Beverley Higgs
Billie Jo Santee
Janet Nyberg
Jean Concilio
Pastor Mark Rader
MISSIONS COMMITTEE
Alice Nicol**
Cory Daly
Rebecca Mesa
Chesie Lee
Susan Rader
Carol Cooper
Lisa Lavoie
Lynne Hawk
Ginny Radtke
Pastor Mark Rader
MEMBERSHIP
Nancy Anderson (Sec.)
MEMORIAL COMMITTEE
Roger Hicks**
Blanche Kellogg
Kathy Schilling
Jay Frank
Carol Cooper
Kathy Brown
RUMCOR
Carol Cooper**
Jack Schmidt
Cindy Browall
Gary and Mary Campbell
Beverley Higgs
Joy Ryan
Bob and Lee Schlichting
Craig Cooper
Bill & Diana Schaub
Pastor Mark Rader
JAMES BROS
Craig Cooper**
MARTHARUTH
Lee Schlichting**
JOANNA’S CIRCLE
Deanna Wilson/Carol Cooper/
Linda Woodward/
Beverley Higgs
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN
Helen Warpness**
Lee Schlichting (Treas.)
** denotes chairperson
Riverton United Methodist Church
Page 6
LENTEN BIBLE STUDY
Lent begins earlier than usual this year, with Ash Wednesday falling on
February 10th. Because our Wednesday Night Live Christian Education
program now occupies the time and space that we held our Lenten
studies on the last few years, this year’s Lenten Bible Study will be held
on Sunday mornings @ 9:15 in the Adult Bible Study Room. The study
will begin on Sunday, February 14th, and will be led by Bob Schlichting.
The title of our study is The God We Can Know: Exploring the “I Am”
Sayings of Jesus.
During this 7-week study we will explore the “I Am” sayings of Jesus
found in the Gospel of John. A book costing $8.20 accompanies the
study. All of the books that we have ordered, have already been spoken for, so if you’d like to join this study, you will need to order your
own copy. We hope you will join us.
THANKS SO MUCH to all the ladies who so kindly volunteer to
assist with assembling the monthly newsletter. The January
newsletter was assembled by Nancy Stone, Beverley Higgs,
and Kathy Brown.
Beep! Beep!
SHUTTLE SERVICE
The Missions Committee Shuttle Service continues to provide
transportation to & from Sunday Worship. If you are in need of a ride
or wish to help by serving as a volunteer driver, please call 307-349-3344.
Riverton United Methodist Church
Page 7
FEBRUARY EVENTS
FEB. 2, TUESDAY: MISSIONS COMMITTEE, 7:00 P.M.
FEB. 3, WEDNESDAY: RUMCOR, 9:30 A.M.
FEB. 3, WEDNESDAY: WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE, 5:30 P.M.
FEB. 4, THURSDAY: UMW, 1:30 P.M.
FEB. 7, SUNDAY: CWC “THE TABLE” STUDENT DINNER, 6:00 P.M.
FEB. 9, TUESDAY: SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER, 5:30 - 6:30 P.M.
FEB. 10, WEDNESDAY: WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE, 5:30 P.M.
FEB. 14, SUNDAY: FELLOWSHIP CARRY-IN DINNER, 11:30 A.M.
FEB. 15, MONDAY: JOANNA CIRCLE, 6:00 P.M.
FEB. 16, TUESDAY: TRUSTEES MEETING, 7:00 P.M.
FEB. 17, WEDNESDAY: WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE, 5:30 P.M.
FEB. 18, THURSDAY: MARTHARUTH CIRCLE, 1:30 P.M.
FEB. 18, THURSDAY: FINANCE COMMITTEE, 7:00 P.M.
FEB. 21, SUNDAY: CWC “THE TABLE” STUDENT DINNER, 6:00 P.M.
FEB. 24, WEDNESDAY: WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE, 5:30 P.M.
FEB. 25, THURSDAY: FIBER ARTS MINISTRY, 9:30 A.M.
FEB. 28, SUNDAY: CWC “THE TABLE” STUDENT DINNER, 6:00 P.M.
RECURRING EVENTS
SUNDAYS AT 8:00 AND 10:30 A.M. - WORSHIP SERVICE
SUNDAYS AT 9:15 A.M. - ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL & BOOK STUDY GROUP
SUNDAYS AT 6:00 P.M. - CWC “THE TABLE’ DINNER (when CWC classes are in session)
TUESDAYS AT 10:00 A.M. - PASTOR’S BIBLE STUDY - EVERYONE WELCOME!
WEDNESDAYS AT 6:30 A.M. - JAMES BROTHERS BREAKFAST AT TRAILHEAD RESTAURANT
WEDNESDAYS AT 4:00 P.M. - BIBLE STUDY AT HOMESTEAD ASSISTED LIVING
WEDNESDAYS AT 5:30 P.M. - WEDNESDAY NIGHIT LIVE !
THURSDAYS AT 7:00 P.M. - CHOIR PRACTICE
RIVERTON UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
1116 W. Park Ave.
Riverton, WY 82501
OPEN HEARTS,
OPEN MINDS,
OPEN DOORS!
Riverton United Methodist Church
1116 W Park Ave
Riverton, WY 82501