Pastor Dennis Harper - Midway Locust Grove United Methodist Church
Transcription
Pastor Dennis Harper - Midway Locust Grove United Methodist Church
Midway Locust Grove United Methodist I remember Bring > Connect > Serve Making Disciples for Jesus Christ Since 1817 Please join us for worship. Sunday School: 9:15 Worship: 10:30 Communion first Sundays. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Ministries & Missions 2 Pastor-Parish; Don Sanders 3 Library News 4 Birthdays, Kitchen remodel 5 View from a Pew 6 The Grove slip n slide 7 Cemetery Q & A 8 Grow by Faith 9 Food Ministry 10 Calendar 11 The Grove Mission 2015 12 THIS MONTH See Calendar Page 11 Mondays at 7-8 a.m. Wake Up With God All are welcome. Mondays — 6:30 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 68 Volume 27 Number 10 October 2014 Beyond the Pulpit always being involved in some way in church. When I was growing up I went to church with my family. With few exceptions, I recall always wanting to go to church, so I always went. It was important to me and even in the midst of upheaval and struggle, being active in the life of the church changed my life. Jesus Christ continues to change my life through the life of the church. How did you end up as part of this church and how has it changed your life? Pastor Dennis Harper A relationship with Christ and the way the Holy Spirit moves within the gathered community of the church is powerful and life changing. When was the last time you told someone the story of how Jesus Christ changed your life and you ended up in church? I bet there are people in your life that need a nudge to see what a life in Christ is all about. Sunday, October 5, is your opportunity to invite a friend, relative, associate, or neighbor (you can invite as many people as you want) to church for a great time of worship at 10:30 a.m. and then a potluck meal following. Bring whatever type of dish you would like. Pray that you will find the opportunity to share how Christ is alive and working in your life and let’s fill the church up on the 5th. How is Jesus Christ alive in your life? People need to know. Tuesdays — 7 p.m. Women’s Bible Study Wednesdays — 6:59 p.m. Choir rehearsal October 5 — Potluck meal after worship. Noon—2 p.m. Wee Care Open House 2:00 p.m. Midway Historical Society October 9, 16, 23 — 7 p.m. Book Study October 14 — Noon Second Tuesday Lunch The Grove went slippin’ and slidin’ September 14 at the Midway Travel Center hillside, a great way to say farewell to summer. See page 6 for Jana Wirth’s report on the event. 2 Locust Leaves Festival of Sharing collections wrapping up Paper products are the focus of this year’s Festival of Sharing donations. Each kit will have three packages of toilet tissue (four double rolls each), two rolls of good quality paper towels and two large rectangular boxes of facial tissue. Boxes are in the Fellowship Hall for collection, but will be removed soon. Contact Sherri Perry at 445-9996 for information. Donations may be placed in the collection boxes at any time. Kits will be assembled and delivered Saturday, October 18 to the Festival of Sharing activities at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. For Festival of Sharing, we are also collecting size 1 diapers and new or gently used baby blankets through the month of September! These donations will be added to other items for Baby Bundles for Missouri babies in need. Donation container is located by the coat rack in the Fellowship Hall. Goal is 40 blankets. Contact Shari Thomas at [email protected] or 445-7364. Don’t forget to help warm up Columbia Midway Locust Grove is once again participating in Warm Up Columbia, a program offered by Voluntary Action Center to provide winter items for our neighbors in need. We will collect through October. (They have a later pick-up/distribution date this year) And, please tape a note to any item that needs repair (button missing, small tear, etc). Please bring these new or gently used clean items to the designated place in the fellowship hall during August for this important collection: coats jackets blankets hats, gloves and scarves socks If you have questions please contact Lori at the church office [email protected] or Shari Thomas at [email protected] Bring a friend and food For October 5 luncheon Following worship on October 5, we are having a carry-in potluck meal for an opportunity for fellowship and fun together. Rev. Dennis has been reminding us to consider the people in our lives who do not have a church family, to pray for them and pray for an opportunity to invite them to come to church with you for worship and a fellowship meal. Women’s Bible Study joins church’s One Read program The Women’s Bible Study continues meeting each Tuesday night at the church, but has joined the church’s one-read book study, and is reading the book, “Three Simple Questions: Knowing the God of Love, Hope and Purpose,” in conjunction with Rev. Dennis’ Sunday messages. Contact Marjorie McFann at 445-5650 or by email at [email protected]. October 5 Carry-in Fellowship Luncheon October 12 Don and Thelma Randall October 19 October 26 Leslie and Curtis Brown DATES AVAILBLE FOR HOSTING: October 19th November 2nd, 30th December 14th, 21st, 28th Call Kathy Koehler at 875-8772 about being a Fellowship Host A BIG "Thank You" to Lois Douglass for sewing FIFTY tote bags for school kits for Festival of Sharing! Our church will be donating 53 completed school kits, along with some extra supplies! Locust Leaves _____________________________ 3 Don Sanders to be inducted into Boone County Hall of Fame Oct. 9 A posthumous Hall of Fame enshrinement will be awarded to longtime MLGUMC member, Donald Sanders, former Deputy Minority Counsel of the Senate Committee that investigated Watergate. Sanders discovered Nixon's White House tapes leading to the resignation of the President. He also served in the United States Marine Corps, was a Federal Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and Director of Investigations for the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Sanders was also Boone County Commissioner from 1988 through 1990 and former President of the Boone County Historical Society. At Locust Grove Sanders served in many leadership roles. He was chair of the Administrative Council from 1988 to 1990, and was the District Delegate to the Annual Conference in 1997. He and Delores (Henderson), his wife of 47 years, continued her family’s multigenerational service to Locust Grove. He died September 26, 1999 at the age of 69. The Boone County Hall of Fame Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held at 5:30 pm, Thursday, October 9, at the Boone County Museum and Galleries. A reception will begin in the Montminy and the induction ceremony will be conducted in the West History Exhibit Hall. Tickets are $30 for members and went on sale Friday, September 5. The annual Hall of Fame fundraising event benefits both the BCHS Endowment Trust and Society operations. The Boone County Hall of Fame honors individuals and organizations that have contributed to the development, growth and preservation of Boone County, and those who have demonstrated significant personal achievement through their abilities and determination. Former inductees include such historic notables as Daniel Boone, for whom the county is named; educator Luella Wilcox Sinclair; financier and philanthropist RB Price; and local entrepreneurs such as Albert Bishop Chance, Tom Atkins and Bill Wulff. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pastor Parish Relations Wee Care Wee Care started September 2, 2014. We have a new director, new staff and Christian material. We have a new playground that was completed with Brady Wirth’s Eagle Scout project. We need your help to invite your family and friends to consider enrolling their children for our twice a week program . Suzanne will have a booth at the Midway school supper. Informational flyers can be found in the entry way of the church. Kaytlin Gebhardt takes charge of nursery. Kaytlin is a student at Central Methodist. Watch for more about Kaytlin in our next issue. Our church thanks Whitney Greenwell for her great service and care of our children. Foundation Grant We have received a matching/challenge grant for audio visual and lighting needs at the church from the UMC Foundation. We are completing the work needed to complete what equipment to buy and an electrical service bid. Church Needs We need a volunteer to coordinate the Worship Leader and Greeters position. We need a teacher for a new Pre-K Sunday school class. We need a chair for Radical Hospitality. We need members for a prayer group. We encourage more involvement of the laity in our church. Your involvement in small groups We need you to participate and be active in our small groups. What spiritual gifts do you have to apply at church? MLGUMC Charge Conference November 11 If you are interested see Gary Hughes or Rev. Dennis. 4 Locust Leaves By Deshay Rust Why Don’t We Read “Assigned” Books? The above question came up recently at our first Thursday night meeting to discuss the book Three Simple Questions by Rueben P. Job. My copy of this book has been sitting on my night stand for about a month now. I picked it up about 30 minutes before the meeting and read the preface and a few more pages. I would like to point out that this book is about 4” by 7” and is barely ½ inch thick. It has 80 pages if you include notes. 80 pages, people. If I put my mind and energy into it, I could read it in 30 minutes. I probably could have read it in the time it took me to sit down at my computer and open Microsoft Word, stare at the blank page for awhile and start writing this article. But I haven’t read it yet. Why? I’m interested in the subject matter and I read all genre of books so that is not the issue. It made me remember an incident that happened when I was a freshman in college. It was my first semester and the day we were getting the results back from the first test in my American History class. As many of you know, I love American history. I even ended up getting a major in History. When I got my test back, I had made a “B” on the test. I was devastated. I don’t make “B’s” in American History. I had studied so hard. I read every assigned chapter in the book; several times. I thought I knew the information. But I made a “B”. So I made an appointment to talk to the professor. The first thing he asked me was did I read the material? Yes, I said emphatically and proudly. “Well, don’t.” What??? Yes, he told me to ignore the textbook and take good notes in class. Then study those notes. Then he went on to say that if I made “A’s” on the rest of the tests that semester, he would throw this first test result out. I did and he did. That is my reason (from my long ago life as a college student) that I am skeptical of assigned reading. I admired this professor greatly and he became my advisor when I was a senior. I still ask myself “Would Dr. Sharp make me read this?” This incident also taught me to make yourself known to your professors. Be more than just a warm body in a chair and a name on a test paper. If you do that, you can get by with a lot of stuff. But that is a whole other subject…… The only classes where I truly enjoyed the assigned readings were my library science classes. Both my Children’s Literature and Literature for Young Adults classes required the reading of dozens of books. But I loved those. I still love to read a good kid’s book. Here are a few reasons other folks gave for not reading assigned books in high school. This is from a blog on the Goodreads website: “I didn't mind reading whatever was assigned. I loved reading and whenever that was homework, bonus for me! What I didn't enjoy, was the dissection of everything I read. I hated taking apart every sentence to find a different meaning. That took the fun out of reading it for me. I was in high school before I started to love reading. But I must admit I still don't like to be assigned a book to read. I guess that is why I have trouble with book clubs, I want to read what I want to read not what I'm told to read. When we were given the reading assignments in school, I always groaned thinking… “why would I ever want to read that?” But after I finished the books, I really tended to enjoy them. Most were literature classics, so I'm glad I was forced to read them. Now, as an adult, I read literature for enjoyment! I think if a book is presented in the right way even some of the more tedious classics can be enjoyed but not all teachers have that knack unfortunately.” What’s your excuse? Happy Reading. The Will of God never takes you where the Grace of God will not protect you. Locust Leaves Committee looking into long overdue kitchen remodel There aren't many of us who remember when additions and changes were made to the church, but our friend and church matriarch, Dell Cunningham does. She said she thinks the kitchen was last updated back in the 50's. There are some of us and probably most, who feel that an upgrade is in order. Dell’s memory served well, as the church history book, Out of the Wilderness, reports the following: “In 1952 a 30 x 40 addition was built on the west side of the church which included a 12 x 28 kitchen with double sink. Since the completion of this building, both the chicken pie and fried chicken suppers are held inside the building. These suppers replaced the ice cream social held on the front lawn of the church and the food windows held in Columbia as money-makers.” Church member Virgil Koch was the contractor on the construction. Louise Stanley, Beth Luetgen, Nedra Moreau and Kathy Koehler are heading a committee to look into the possibility of redoing the church kitchen. Details are being worked out and no decisions have been made. The church is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2017, and the committee hopes to have a kitchen that looks like it belongs in this century! We promise to keep you posted on the progress and decisions. Kathy Koehler ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mystery gifts a reflection of faith Contributions to our church come in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most unique is the arrival by small envelope in our package drop box outside the west entrance. Each anonymous gift is accompanied by words of faith, including, “He is Lord,” “There is power in the name,” “His Grace is sufficient,” “Faith, love, hope; the greatest of these is love,” We do appreciate the expression of support for our church’s missions and programs, and would certainly welcome the benefactor to join us in worship each Sunday. 5 October 2014 1 Makensie McCarville 2 Marjorie McFann 3 Kylie Jacks 5 Mackenzie Thomas 5 Suzi Bass Moore 7 Megan Atkins 7 Hope Burkart 17 AJ LeBel 23 Dustin Strawn 24 Holly Wegener 29 David McFann When the Julian Calendar bumped October from 8th to10th, numerous attempts were made to rename the month after various notable Romans, but October stuck. The poet Keats said of the month, “Season of mists and mellow fruitfullness,” a month of glowing fall foliage, bright orange pumpkins, and a bittersweet sense of change. If someone’s name does not appear here and they do have a birthday this month, please let Lori know by email and she will update our records. The Grove elects officers Monica Strawn to lead The Grove Monica Strawn has been elected president of The Grove, our youth group, for the coming year. Kaitlyn Atkins and Sarah Brown join Monica as vice presidents of the group. Debi Sanders to speak October 5 At Midway Historical Society While in town for her father’s induction into the Boone County Hall of Fame, Debi Sanders will address the Midway Historical Society about her book on her Aunt Ollie’s Diaries, and likely will discuss her other books on her parents, Don and Delores Sanders. Debi’s presentation will be Sunday, October 5, at 2:00 p.m., following our church carry-in luncheon, The meeting is open to all. Don will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Boone County Historical Society and Museum on Thursday, October 9. 6 Locust Leaves Dell’s Museum of Midway Dell eagerly shared information about her historic collection with Diana, as she had with other guests at her tea the week before. This lantern is one of the oldest pieces in the museum. Joe’s mom used it as a little girl in the late 1880s. Dell’s lunch pail carried to Midway School. Editor’s Note: Although Leslie and Diana Durrant were on the guest list for Tea with Dell Cunningham, the result of bidding at the youth mission trip fundraiser, they were not able to attend on the appointed date. Dell did invite them for a make-up the following weekend, and as expected, the highlight of the visit was looking over the collection of antiques and artifacts in Dell’s personal museum. Leslie thought it would be nice to share some of the moments of the day. Every nook and cranny carries a treasure. Locust Leaves Story and photos By Jana Wirth No one was injured in the making of this photo, thanks to the magic of PhotoShop which turned nine of Jana’s photos into one. Temperatures were a tad bit cool for early September, but that didn't stop the fearless members of The Grove youth group along with some guests, adults, and several Grove alums. It was a long way down, a big splash in the mud pit at the bottom and a long walk back up the hill, but they had a great time for almost two hours! Dishwashing liquid squirted at the top of the slide made for an even faster ride down the slope. Thanks to Midway Truck Stop and Tim Klusmeyer for allowing us to use the Slip 'n Slide they had previously used for their Labor Day Epic Mud Run. 8 Locust Leaves Frequently asked questions about our cemetery By Marjorie McFann Q: Can anyone be buried in the cemetery or just church members? A: Cemetery plots are available to anyone. Q: Are plots assigned or can a family choose the location? A: You may choose your location as long as it is available. There are no plots available in Garden 1. There are plots available in Garden 2 and Garden 3. Q: Is there a limit as to how many plots can be reserved? A: There is not a limit on how many plots can be reserved. It is requested that you only reserve what you will need and if you decide not to use a plot that you cancel the reservation. You may not sell your plot to someone else. It must be given back to the cemetery. Q: How do I reserve a plot? Is there a record of the graves and what plots are still available? A: Contact Dwain Hovis, 445-6079, or the church office, 445-4667, to make your reservation. There is a site map available. There is a record of most of the graves. Q: Are there any additional requirements? A: A headstone or appropriate marker must be erected at the time the plot is used. In Garden 2 markers may be upright or flat. In Garden 3 markers are to be only flat. Q: How much does it cost for a cemetery plot? A: The plots are currently free. There will be a $100 donation requested at the time of reservation for each plot beginning November 1, 2014. Anyone currently holding a reservation is encouraged to make the $100 donation for their plot. Q: How is the money spent? Does the cemetery provide perpetual care or is it the family's responsibility? A: A perpetual care fund was set up years ago in an interest -bearing account. None of the principal is allowed to be used; only the interest and/or dividends. These funds are currently used for the mowing of the cemetery as well as the church property. The cemetery fund has also paid for the paving of the church parking lot and driveway. Several headstones were damaged in the recent storms. Those headstones, as well as others in the cemetery, were repaired. Insurance paid for part of the repairs and the fund paid for the remainder. Plans are being made to add dirt to areas that have settled. Families are not asked for additional funding but donations are always welcome. Q: Are decorations allowed? Holidays only? Any time? How long can decorations be left up? Who is responsible for removal? A: Decorations are allowed. They may be put on the grave at any time. All decorations will be removed two weeks after Christmas and two weeks after Memorial Day. You may remove your personal decorations at any time yourself. Flowers left on a grave after a funeral will be removed when the flowers have wilted. Locust Leaves 9 GROW in Faith by your actions Our Church’s four recurring courses : Class 101 Discovering MLGUMC Church This course was developed to orient a new person or member to our church history and beliefs. The course was taught on July 27th at church. Next course is scheduled for November. Class 201 Growing in Christ This course was developed to focus on how to grow in being like Christ in attitude and behavior. The course uses the Five G’s of Grace, Growth, Group, Gifts and Good Stewardship to provide examples of how you can change. This course is scheduled for November 9 at church. Class 301 Spiritual Gifts This course was developed to find your spiritual gifts that you have been given by God. The course is tentatively scheduled for early spring 2015 and taught by Cathy Atkins. This is an excellent course that all can benefit from attending and participating in here. Class 401 Calling in a mission This course was developed to find a mission for your spiritual gifts. This course is scheduled for November 16th at church. Intentional Faith Development (IFD) Small Group develops ministries that will help us grow in faith outside of weekly worship. IFD members have developed four foundational classes that will cover the basics of our Christian faith and our United Methodist beliefs and structure, as well as our program opportunities. After completion of the four classes, members will be promoted to an “Ambassador at Large” for Jesus Christ. Activities A new book called “The Three Simple Questions” book and video study has started. Several small groups have gathered to study the material. Adult Sunday School started a book on story telling named “Dancing with Words” by Ray Buckley and will be finished after completion of “The Three Simple Questions”. A Methodist course was developed by Ray that was taught for Missouri Lay Speakers about two years ago. Ray was raised at Pine Ridge South Dakota. This course will show you how to develop and tell your story. Marriage Group based on an Alpha Marriage course continues and the next meeting will be in October. The meetings are being scheduled by the group. This effort focuses on couples talking and not group discussions. A Guest Sunday for October 5 to invite the community is being planned. Tentative dream schedules are being arranged. These faith development efforts depend on you challenging yourself to help our church CONNECT with others. Intentional Faith Development refers deliberate efforts, purposeful actions, and setting high priorities and urgency. More courses and opportunities will be developed to allow church members to mature and climb their faith mountain in grace, growth, group, gifts and good stewardship. Intentional Faith development (IFD) Small Group (IFD) needs people to support and to develop 2015 IFD Dreams for the church. IFD needs people with a variety of spiritual gifts and talents to teach courses, plan meals, facilitate Alpha and Marriage events, support youth Alpha courses, lead Sunday school classes and many other activities. Contact Gary Hughes In Christ, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wee Care season underway; still needs your support Now that Wee Care’s season has begun, Suzanne Cook has updated her wish list for the ministry. “Most of the children’s riding toys are in rough shape,” she says. “I was able to find two at a yard sale recently, but we could use a few more. They seem to like the three-wheelers a lot, so if anyone has one that is just sitting around and not in use, we would love to have it. “Also, we could use old magazines so we can cut and paste a collage, and old costumes, especially ones with capes for our dress up play. Thank you and God Bless.” Suzanne 10 Locust Leaves By Mary Kaye Baumann Chicken Stock A number of years ago I ran across a recipe that called for “chicken stock.” I had no clue what chicken stock was so I began to search. Finding no exact recipe I decided to wing it. It was a lot easier than I thought but it does take time. One thing I learned recently is the term “Schmaltz” which is derived from the Yiddish term meaning rendered chicken or goose fat. How cool is that!! Anyway, listed below are the items I use in making chicken stock. Large stock pot Water 3 or 4 chicken thighs Large onion cut into 4 pieces Carrots Several stalks of celery Parsley (either fresh or dried) 1 bay leaf Small amount of salt and pepper Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Add water as the stock reduces. After having cooked for at least 3 hours remove chicken. Using a fine mesh strainer pour liquid through the strainer into containers. Allow the stock to cool and then place in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for future use. P.S. Another use for ground black pepper is first aid for cuts. Make a paste of the pepper with water and apply directly to the cut and apply pressure . My experience was amazing; the bleeding stopped quickly and the cut healed in record time. It’s well known that Methodists are among the best cooks anywhere. If you have a favorite recipe you would like to share, we’d be pleased to publish it here. Send it to me at [email protected] or bring me a copy any Sunday at worship. What’s An Ebenezer? By Dr. Gregory S. Neal One of the questions that I’ve been asked several times in the past – and which has caused me to dig into the Bible and really learn something new – was the meaning of the term "Ebenezer." "What is an Ebenezer, anyway?" That’s a good question! I always chuckle at the visual images which still come into my mind when we sing hymn No. 400: "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing." The words are wonderful, but when we come to verse 2, and the words: "Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come..." I cannot shake the mental image of someone holding up Ebenezer Scrooge. While a humorous image, an Ebenezer is not a grizzled old miser who keeps his office way too cold and doesn’t pay Bob Cratchet enough. The term comes from Scripture, so let’s see what Scripture has to say. “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us.’ So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel; the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.” The word "Ebenezer" comes from Hebrew and is actually two words pronounced together: Even Haazer. It is usually transliterated as a proper name by dropping the definite article (Ha) from the Hebrew word for "help" (Ezer) and putting it together with the Hebrew word for "stone" (Even) to create: "Ebenezer." The etymological roots of the word, thus defined, should demonstrate that an "Ebenezer" is, literally, a "Stone of Help." In 1 Samuel 4:1-11 and 5:1, the Ebenezer is strangely identified with a particular site, about four miles south of Gilgal, where the Israelites were twice defeated by the Philistines and the Ark of the Covenant was stolen. The site wasn’t named Ebenezer until after the Israelites finally defeated the Philistines, and took back the Ark of the Covenant. To commemorate the victorious battle, Samuel set up a marker-stone, named it "Stone of Help," and thereby the site became identified with the stone and with the place where God’s miraculous help aided them in their victory over the Philistines. The stone, standing up-right, was called "Ebenezer," and the site naturally took on that name as well. Literally speaking, an Ebenezer is a "stone of help," or a reminder of God’s Real, Holy Presence and Divine aid. Spiritually and theologically speaking, an Ebenezer can be nearly anything that reminds us of God’s presence and help: the Bible, the Sacramental Elements, a cross, a picture, a fellow believer, a hymn – those things which serve as reminders of God’s love, God’s Real Presence, and God’s assistance are "Ebenezers." Dr. Gregory S. Neal is the Senior Pastor of Northgate United Methodist Church in Irving, Texas, and an Ordained Elder in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. His article has been shortened to fit this space. Locust Leaves 11 Please re-confirm dates and times of listed events. Check Worship bulletins for events not posted on this calendar. Give us your events for our November calendar 6:59 pm CHOIR 6:59 pm CHOIR Noon — 2 PM Wee Care Open House 6:59 pm CHOIR 6:59 pm CHOIR 6:59 pm CHOIR Midway Locust Grove United Methodist Church 2600 N. Locust Grove Church Rd. Columbia, MO 65202 Pastor: Rev. Dennis Harper Church phone: 573-445-4667 Parsonage phone: 573-446-9264 Pastor’s cell phone: 816-769-3705 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Office: Lori Concannon, [email protected] Our Mission Making Disciples of Jesus Christ Bring people to Jesus Christ By embracing our community with God’s love and grace. Connect people to Jesus Christ By encouraging people to grow in faith through prayer, fellowship, study, and worship. Serve people in the name of Jesus Christ By empowering ministries of compassion and outreach. Find the hidden cross in this issue. Visit our Web Site: www.midwaylocustgrove.com Volume 27 Issue 10 October 2014 Christian Humor Humor Church The pastor had just finished one of his most fervent and eloquent sermons on the evil of alcohol. “We should take all that beer, wine and hard liquor and dump it in the river,” he exhorted. He closed his remarks with, “And now, our choir will sing our closing hymn, ‘Shall We Gather at the River.’” Locust Leaves Editor: Gene Baumann [email protected] 445-1998 The Grove: Mission Nicaragua 2015 Nestled between Honduras and Costa Rica in Central America, lies the nation of Nicaragua, the destination of The Grove youth group’s 2015 Mission Trip. The rumor of something big for next year has been floating around the church for several weeks, and the announcement came during worship September 21. The goal is there, now it is up to the youth and a supporting congregation to make it happen. Watch for opportunities to help in the months ahead.