Jan Feb 2015 - FUMC Fort Lupton

First United Methodist
Church of Fort Lupton
Circuit Rider
January/ February 2015
Pastor’s Corner
It’s January! Thank God!
Activities in December pile up on many of us. We worry about whether we have bought all
the gifts on our list? Whether we’ve made enough Christmas cookies? Whether we have encouraged our children’s, grandchildren’s, nieces’ and nephews’ sense of wonder through Elf
on the Shelf? Did you find the perfect outfit for your work holiday party? And did you attend all the extra
church events, from the children’s pageant to the choir cantata, to caroling?
Did you decorate your house, inside and out? Was it ready all the month of December for guests? Did you remember to bring all the food to where ever you went for Christmas dinner? Did you send out Christmas cards
with the letter and photo of the family?
For many, Christmas time is full of hustle and bustle, frenzied energy and high expectations. Sometimes that
results in genuine enjoyment, but other times it becomes a layer of stress and anxiety that takes away from
one’s full enjoyment of the season.
And for others, the bright lights and celebrations seem to have happened in other people’s lives. Those who are
single-but-would-rather-not-be, divorced, grieving, suffering from depression or other mental health issues,
estranged from family members, isolated, lonely, or otherwise disconnected from the sources of joy and festivity may have found December to be the most difficult month of the year.
And then, there’s me, the Pastor pushing us all to make time and space for God in prayer; to consider a world
longing for a new revelation of God’s love and salvation.
Yes, Advent holds up the hope of the prophets that someday, God will transform the world to look just as God
wants it to – wolves and lambs, lions and calves, children and snakes all playing peacefully together; swords
turned into plowshares; justice for the poor and oppressed, liberation for those in captivity… And yes, Advent
hints that perhaps God is already beginning to bring this about.
But nowhere does Advent suggest that your family should spend all day smiling and posing for Facebookready photos, or that you should be spending thousands of dollars in gifts for your loved ones, or that your
home should look like a Martha Stewart magazine.
Advent doesn’t even say that your church should be overflowing with families and newcomers who all feel
perfectly inspired by every last detail of the most perfect Christmas Eve service ever.
Advent says, “God, where are you? We keep messing up, and we don’t know how to make things better.”
Advent says, “Parents are weeping for children who have been killed, and people are crying out for justice in a
system that declares some are more worthy than others.”
Advent says, “The world is not as it should be. Help us, God! We need you!”
And Advent says, “Prepare to welcome the one named Emmanuel, God-with-us. For God is with us in the
midst of pain and brokenness. God hears our cries for justice and has compassion on God’s people. God’s love
is being born in the lowest and unlikeliest of places, and is being recognized by those who are far from the centers of power but paying attention to the signs and stirrings around them.”
Because Christmas is not about what we do. It’s about what God does for us.
Getting ready for Christmas does not require spending lots of money or running around like crazy or having
the picture-perfect family celebration. Those things are fine if you enjoy them. But they are not required.
Getting ready for Christmas could be as simple as letting go of the picture in our head of how things are supposed to be, and looking for glimpses of God’s love being born in the messy, chaotic, imperfect, sometimespainful reality we are actually living.
The truth is that Christmas will come even if we are not ready, even if we are still caught up in the fantasies of
perfection or the pain of loss and isolation. God’s love is born in an undecorated stable, to poor parents far
from home, in the midst of social inequality and the threat of state-sponsored violence, and only the outsiders
were invited to the party.
The only thing God asked of anyone was to pay attention, and to participate in the world being made new.
So little. And yet it is everything.
Christmas is coming. God will do what God will do.
Thanks be to God.
WOW! 400 Turkeys
We gave away 400 Thanksgiving boxes to the needy
on November 22nd. There was a great gathering at
Gray Oil’s warehouse. The Fort Lupton First United
Methodist Church gave out 400 Thanksgiving food
boxes with help from the Epworth Foundation. Many
thanks to all of the volunteers, people who donated,
people involved with intake, & Gray Oil. A big thank
you to Tina Powell for the use of their truck, dock, and
time.
We're writing this note to
thank all those who have
helped us out in the past year
ushering on Sundays and
Holidays. All of you have
been a God send to us and to
the Church for volunteering
your time. Sometimes the
simple words say it
best. "Thanks from the bottom of our hearts". - Ron &
Judy
DOORS LOCKED
Please make sure you lock all doors
when exiting the church. Also if
you are in the church working,
please keep the doors locked!
Please turn off lights before you
leave!!!
The Fort Lupton Interfaith Coalition for the Homeless, a grassroots organization, would like to thank everyone who has had faith in the project; Hope @ Miracle House, a cold weather shelter for two families in
Fort Lupton. We want to thank all of the funding organizations who have granted us startup money: The
Fort Lupton Community Foundation, (an affiliation fund of
the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld
County), American Baptist Association, Crossroads Church,
7th Day Adventist Church, First United Methodist Church,
Bank of Colorado, Hunter Douglas, Hands On Physical Therapy, Many Blessings Child Care, and United Power. United
Power donated part of the round up monies to us; that
money is from all of you, people who participate in the
round up program. We would also like to thank: all of the
people who have donated individually, groups like Forlurado,
PEO, who showered us with many needed items, and people
who have donated clothing, dishes, tables, beds, & paper
products. The list is great. We thank you so much. God has
blessed us and we are planning on opening the emergency cold weather shelter for two families the first
part of January, 2015. We will be having an open house on December 28 from 1-4 pm. The address for
Hope @ Miracle House is 236 Park Ave., Fort Lupton, CO. The board of Hope @ Miracle House wants to
again thank all who have faith in this endeavor. Continued thanks for your prayers and your donations.
The UMW Christmas tea had 47 people attend. The entertainment of
Nearly There was really good. The 2 men that made up the group played guitars and sang
John Denver songs. We raised through donations $194.00 for Hope @ Miracle House. We
have added to our budget $100.00 to go to Hope @ Miracle House, $100.00 to go to Adventures in Christian Living, & $100.00 to go to Nation to Nation to donate to each year. We had
7 people finish the reading program for plan 1 & will receive a gold + for the mission today
criteria for district. Mary Circle had their Christmas party on Monday the 15th of December.
We met at Sue Hubert’s house and she provided a wonderful vegetable soup supper. We did
our annual ornament exchange and fun was had by all. We take a silver offering at each meeting, throughout the year, and were able to use the $100.00 to give to the Optimist Club for the
Angel Tree Project. In the past we have donated money to Samaritans Purse or Heifer Project
but decided this year to keep it local. Submitted by Laurie McCartney
Change for Woyatan!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Our church raised $705.16 to send to the children of the
Woyatan Lutheran Church for Christmas presents this
year!
WAY TO GO
If any one has a military person that they want us to put on the board and pray for let Sue Hubert
know.
During Lent, in 2015, we will do an all-church study from the book called
"Purpose Driven Life" or "What On Earth Am I Here For?"
Our entire church will meet in small groups, in homes, at the church, on Sunday mornings, and on Wednesday evenings, and we will all study this book,
chapter by chapter. My sermons will be based on this.
Lent is about self examination - so examining what on earth are we here for completely corresponds to our Lenten life as Christians.
More about this will be coming later in January. Please invite your friends to
this study - after all, do all of them know exactly what they are here for?
The cost of the materials we will use have been underwritten by half by the
United Methodist Foundation.
Please prayerfully consider how you will participate. Although you may have
read this book in the past, reading it again and in a group will be meaningful
again for you.
Lenten Events:
Sunday, February 15
Wed., February 18
Sunday, February 22
Sunday, March 1
Sunday, March 8
Sunday, March 15
Sunday, March 22
“What On Earth Am I Here For?”
Ash Wednesday
“You Were Formed for God’s Pleasure”
“You Were Formed for God’s Family”
“You Were Created to Become Like Christ”
“You Were Shaped to Serve God”
“You Were Made for a Mission”
MISSION 2014
Blessings in a Bag, Back
Pack Program
This school year 20142015 began with a core
group of volunteers meeting every Tuesday to pack
the weekend bags for the
hungry children in Fort
Lupton Elementary schools. These children are
recommended by their teachers, counselors and
school nurse to receive additional food for the
weekend due to living in food insecure homes.
We have 8 great volunteers who faithfully show
up to help pack the bags.
The total bags so far this school year is 679 bags
given to Butler and Twombly Elementary
schools. These bags are delivered by the Fort
Lupton Fire Department.
We have received donations from individuals,
Country Circle Club, consignments from the Fort
Lupton thrift store. We have received grants from
the Car and Bike show through the Fort Lupton
Community Foundation for $3568.00, a donation
of $2500.00 from the Bank of Colorado and a
grant from Group Publishing for $1000. The cost
of the program depends on food available and
cost of food; usually we spend $9,000 to $12,000
a school year.
Big thank you to our wonderful supporters and
volunteers for your belief in the Blessing in a Bag
Program. God is blessing this program with each
one of you who believe in the future of America
is with our children. Your support makes it possible for the children in Fort Lupton to receive
proper nutrition in order to be able to learn and
retain what they are being taught. Thank you and
Merry Christmas and Happy 2015.
Putting our faith into action is at the heart of our Christian calling through missions. Everyone has the opportunity to serve.
As we near the end of 2014, I would like to recap the
missions you have been a part of:
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Fort Lupton Food and Clothing Bank
Paden’s, hometown missionaries in Argentina
Ministerial Alliance
Adventures in Christian Living
Hope @ Miracle House
Robyn Taylor, Great Commission Ministries
United Methodist Native American Ministries
No More Malaria
World Communion
Sunday
Blessings in a Bag
Clean H20 for Africa
village
World Vision
Human Relations Day
Epworth Daddy Randolph Thanksgiving turkey dinner give away
 Operation Christmas Child
 Mission Trip to South Dakota
 Christmas donation for Woyatan children
 Personal bags for the poor
 Donations for Noah’s medical expense
 KIVA
 Methodist Student Fund
Know that your donations are important as are your
prayers. I might have missed one or two,. If so, please
forgive me and let me know.
Total giving so far this year is $9825.95. That amount is
through the 3rd quarter . We are not done yet. So just
think what we will have done for the whole year.
THANK YOU! Praise God that His blessing is upon
us.
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We collected 88 shoe
boxes for Operation
Christmas Child. Thanks
to all who made a child
smile on Christmas!
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JANUARY
February
irth
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ebru
y/F
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a
u
n
Ja
Bonnie Shaw
01/03
Donna Howard
01/06
Finnian Matthew Bueker
01/08
Clementine Fitch
01/09
Anthony Garrett
01/09
Jean Bangert
01/10
Gene Hagans
01/10
Lucile Dahlberg
01/12
Teri Kopfman
01/12
Lee Amato
01/13
Jacob Tijerina
01/15
Heather Rentz
01/17
Clete Larson
01/18
Polly Cummins
01/19
Victoria McCrumb
01/21
Jon M Frazier
01/21
Mariann Johnston
01/21
Mark Saar
01/22
Kristel Acre
01/25
Lisa Standeford
01/25
Don Cummins
01/27
Kay Marsh
01/28
Babe Breickler
01/29
Brian Thompson
01/30
days
Sandy Amato
02/01
Carol McDermott
02/03
Dorene Tadehara
02/03
Phil Tiffany
02/03
Mindy Bucher
02/03
Donald Tomoi
02/04
Colton McCutchan
02/05
Sean Brown
02/06
Marilyn Bangert
02/09
Blane Gross
02/10
Joseph Kopfman
02/11
Lloyd Thiesen
02/12
Glenn Gaul
02/12
Alyssa Johnston
02/12
Alexander Anders
02/12
Mary Edens
02/13
Joe Hubert
02/15
Jaxon Ceretto
02/17
Cody LeBlanc
02/17
Andy Anders
02/18
Amber Irsik
02/18
Kathleen Frazier
02/18
Robin Taylor
02/19
Jason Kokoszka
02/19
Loree Unrein
02/20
Gene Tadehara
02/20
Kobe Roedel
02/21
Ashley Button
02/21
Joyce Acre
02/22
Robin Anders
02/22
Normita Irsik
02/23
Skye Kopfman
02/24
Olsen Irsik
02/24
Mary Ellen LeBlanc
02/26
Brian Shaw
02/26
Margaret Walter
02/27
Ron Thiesen
02/27
Mica Button
02/27
Mike & Gwen Ceretto
01/21
Scott & Kathleen Frazier
01/23
David & Barb Irsik
01/26
Lloyd & Iva Thiesen
01/28
Randall & Tina Powell
02/02
Jim & Mary Edens
02/19