March 2016 - First United Methodist Church

January 10, 2016
Volume 43 Issue 1
BEACON
Reflections From John
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive
her King; let every heart prepare Him room, and
Heaven and nature sing … He rules the world with
truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness, and wonders of His love.”
So sings the carolers at Christmas; those of us in the
Church understand who these lyrics refer to and we
believe that with His coming things are different. Or
are they?
Listening to the airwaves and scouring the headlines
it appears as though earth has not received her King,
nor has every heart prepared Him room. Dad often
said to me, “The hardest thing you’ll ever do in life is
be honest with yourself.” Dad often said things that
went in one ear and out the other, but time marching
on has witnessed many of those things coming full
circle - back into my conscious understanding AND
appreciation.
So let me get personal. Has Jesus found room in your
heart? Are you deliberate about preparing Him
room? Does He rule your world with truth and grace?
Are you someone familiar with the glories of His
righteousness, and wonders of His love?
When we get honest with ourselves, we’re all familiar
with measures of disappointment that stem from
things not working the way we thought they would if
and when we “got right with God.” Whether it be so
called “Christian” institutions, such as the Church, or
others who call themselves Christians, or yes, the one
staring back from the mirror, we’re all familiar with
disappointment that with the Lord’s coming, it
doesn’t seem like the world is ruled with truth and
grace.
And yet, the story continues. A story that involves a
journey from that manger in Bethlehem to a cross on
Calvary, and yes, an empty tomb as a result of Resurrection. High privilege is ours as the people of God to
be Easter people! The story ought to daunt us, for it
involves the unbelievable. That has a lot to do with so
many rejecting such. The One at the center of the story said rather candidly, “Broad is the way, and the road
is easy that leads to destruction, and many are those
who take it. Narrow is the way, and the road is hard
that leads to life, and there are few who find
it.” (Matthew 7: 13-14)
In spite of the way being narrow, the invitation to walk
in it is all inclusive – extended to all. And as I said
more recently in a sermon, we misunderstand God’s
invitation to receive His gift if we think it’s intended to
get us into Heaven without Heaven, first, getting into
us. The Resurrection of Jesus means, among many
things, the handmaidens of death have been conquered. You and I can be more than conquerors in
contending with the stresses and strains of daily life on
planet earth. We can think like Jesus, we can act like
Jesus, and we can live and die like Jesus. When we
love like Him, forgive like Him, and allow Him to shine
in and through us, the world becomes a different place.
Which is exactly what He had in mind for His story –
history.
Throughout these days leading up to our grand celebration of Easter, let us seize the opportunities posed
each day for us to grow into the person He placed in
His story on purpose with a most personal purpose in
mind for each one of us. If you haven’t already done
so, plug into one of our Faultlines study groups. And
by all means, live in the reality that our Lord continues
to enter our world, full of grace and truth.
In Christ alone,
John
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B E A C O N
Mission Focus
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP WITH THE FLINT WATER CRISIS?
Bishop Kiesey is calling on all United Methodists in the State of Michigan to respond
in the following ways:
Earnestly and fervently pray for the people of Flint and for all our elected officials.
Offer your .me, talents and presence. She encourages all to contact Pete
Plum, Crossroads District emergency Water Crisis Coordinator at
[email protected] to offer your assistance.
Designate a Sunday between now and Easter when your congrega.on will
receive an offering for the people of Flint.
Plymouth First will receive donaons on Palm Sunday, March 20th.
Or dona.ons for the Flint Water Crisis can be sent to:
Detroit Conference Treasurer’s Office
1309 N. Ballenger Hwy., Suite 1, Flint, Mi 48504
Checks made payable to “Detroit Conference”
With “#00918 (Crossroads District Water Response)” in the memo line.
Our work con.nues. May we, Michigan United Methodists, con.nue to be a source
of hope, a voice for jus.ce, and a presence of compassion.
Lent Worship Services
Palm Sunday
March 20 @ 10:10 am
Maundy Thursday
March 24 @ 7:30 pm Seder Service
Fellowship Hall
Good Friday
March 25 @ 12 noon Praise Baptist Church
@ 7:30 pm IMPACT
EASTER Sunday
March 27 @ 7:30 am Sonrise Service &
Breakfast by FUSION youth
@ 10:10 am EASTER SERVICE
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Music Notes
Sharing our
faith through
music
NOTEworthy Concerts
February 27 PCEP & EMU Choral
Celebration, 7:30 pm
An Accordion Affair
Sunday, March 13, 2016, 2:00 pm
First United Methodist Church, Plymouth
Peter Soave, accordion
Max Simoncic, composer
Michigan Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Dance of the Tumblers from "The Snow Maiden"
(MPYO side-by-side)
Max Simoncic Accordion Concerto (2011)
Sergei Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100
Tickets available at michiganphil.org or at the door.
Complimentary tickets are available for those unable to afford a ticket.
Thank you so much for all the prayers and support we've received since
Gabe was diagnosed with leukemia. Please continue to lift us up in prayer
and pray specifically for - remission after the first round of chemotherapy,
good recovery from chemo and replenishment of white blood cells, patience
for Gabe and strength for all of us. Gabe is at very high risk from germs
since his white cell count is very low, so we are limiting visitors at this
point. In addition, when Mark or I are at church with you, if you are at all sick, please help us
stay healthy by not sharing your germs. We need to stay well so we can be with Gabe.
For updates on Gabe's health, you can visit carepages.com,
sign up and search for gabrielvanoyen.
Marcia and Mark
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For everything there is a season, a time for every activity
under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1
This idea was shattered when the next great fault
What an exciting time to be alive! The Church is on the
Beliefs for everyone, there were different denominations and ideas everywhere. Christianity went
move! I know what you’re thinking, “What do you mean,
isn’t this the worst of times for the Church?” Well, to
quote Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times; it was
the worst of times.”
line occurred in the history of the Church, the
Reformation. Instead of one identical set of
from being a religion of the nation, to being one
of the individual. Again, the Church survived
turmoil, and was transformed into a new understanding.
The history of Christianity is one of growth spurts that
occur in response to the troubles around it in the world.
It’s a history of God growing His Church in the midst of
fault lines, to use the words of our current study.
Christianity’s first big test was in the sorrow of the loss of
the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. While early Christians,
many who still considered themselves Jewish, mourned
the loss of the temple, it allowed them to build their own
identity. Losing the temple forced the early members of
the church to shift their focus from the idea of a political
Messiah, who came to overthrow Rome for the Jews, to a
justice Messiah who came to bring salvation for everyone.
Then it was during the next centuries, in the period of
persecution by the Roman government, that Christianity
had its next era of growth and transformation. This persecution forced the early Church leaders to wrestle with
what it means to be a Christian, and how to face times of
trial and tribulation. From these days we get our Creeds
and foundational documents, including what books belonged in the Bible, and what didn’t.
Then Rome fell, and the age of the barbarians began.
The church should have perished with the state that had
come to support it, but instead it was recreated as a religion of the community. Clans and tribes adopted Christi-
Today we face the age of the recession of the
Church. Christendom is over, no more are people
required to attend church as a social norm in Europe and North America. Instead, today it’s only
the faithful that continue to believe in the message of Jesus Christ.
And yet, the Church thrives in the world. It’s
growing in Africa, and Central and South America.
The cultures of those areas are reshaping what
the message looks like, and we as Christians benefit from their input.
Throughout its history the Church has lived out
the story of Easter. Given up for dead, mourned
by the people of faith, it has been resurrected in
each era and emerged stronger than ever.
Again I say, what an exciting time to be alive! To
know that we are in the next age of God’s Church
fills me with joy. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
How about you?
Blessings,
anity as their religion, and it was around the idea of a
common religion that people based their sense of kinsmanship. This in turn gave rise to the idea of the Christian nation, where there could only be one identical religion in the land.
Pastor Nick
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Trustee Tidbits – February, 2016
We had our first meeting of the year, officially chaired by Pastor John. We greeted our new members and
chose positions within the group, trying to match each to our personal God-given strengths. So, here we
are:
Chairperson – Joy Coyle
Vice-Chairperson and Secretary – Joe Ferrill
Electrical/Mechanical - Steve Edwards
Exterior - Bill Pickering
Finance - Sue Hoy
Insurance and Room Usage - Sandy Hackett
Interior - Holly Good
Special Projects - Ron Picard
Parsonages - Dave Clark
Please feel free at any time to contact any of us about an issue. We want to know about your feelings and
ideas for the future of our church building. That is what we do, care for God’s house and parsonages. And
that care needs to fit with how we use them. So much happens within and without to our community. We
are here to help. Our minutes, after approval, are available to you in the library in a binder as well as
online.
Our discussion included the financial situation for 2016, how we are going to tie our insurance together
with future use and how we could help with an emergency situation in our community. We want to be proactive with aiding our membership and being prepared. We are continuing to look at new ways to assist
people with disabilities. The Palmer parsonage will have the furnace inspected and water filters replaced.
The Maidstone parsonage has new carpet in the lower level to complete the water damage repairs.
As we begin a new year, we are blessed by God to have this privilege. Thank you for your support and we
welcome discussion at any time. Our next meeting is March 10, so please call or email if you have a sugges-
BENEFIT CONCERT
SATURDAY, APRIL 9th, 7:00 pm
CANTON FRIENDSHIP CHURCH
1240 N. Beck Rd., Canton
TWO PRAISE BANDS: “You Shine Through” (PFUMC)
“Kingdom Come Alive” (Friendship)
Friendship Church is hosting a great evening of Praise music for Pearls of Great Price
Coalition fighting human trafficking. A love offering will help this faith-based coalition
raise funds to adopt a room at Clair’s Home: clean, paint, furnish and decorate a bedroom for a teen/woman rescued from being trafficked. Clair’s Home anticipates opening a 27 bed safe house in Detroit in the spring of 2016.
YOU ARE INVITED to attend this concert to support both this effort and these
wonderful musicians who offer their time and talent to God’s glory.
If you have questions about this project, or about Pearls of Great Price Coalition, please
see or call Carrie Wood (734-718-9872).
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MARCH 2016
6
Financial Update for
January 2016
Income = $ 84,461
Expenses = $ 75,881
YTD Income = $ 84,461
YTD Expenses = $ 75,881
Sunday
9:00 am Sunday School
10:10 am Worship
11:30 am Fellowship
Time
5:30 pm FUSION youth
B E A C O N
Monday
Tuesday
7:00 pm AA/Alanon
BSF groups
BSF Leaders
9 am Monday Morning
Women Bible Study
1
Lent dinner 6pm & program
6:45 —8 pm
7:00 pm SPRC
Tuesday night Lent series
6
Boys Chrysalis Flight
FUSION—Noon
7
8
60+ Lunch 11:30 am
Disciple I 5:30 pm
Disciple III 7:00 pm
Lent dinner 6pm & program
6:45 - 8 pm
7 pm Evangelism
13 Daylight Savings
14
Dinner and a movie
Dinner : 6:00 pm
Movie for youth and adults
6:45pm—8PM
NOTEWorthy
Concert 2pm
“The Gospel of John”
AREA 56 5:30 pm
Disciple I 5:30 pm
FUSION 5:30 pm
Disciple III 7:00 pm
20 Palm Sunday
21
1:30 pm Fine Arts Recital
Disciple I 5:30 pm
FUSION 5:30 pm
Disciple III 7:00 pm
15
12:30 pm Beacon Belles
Lent dinner 6 pm & program
6:45—8:00 pm program
22
Children will discuss
What is Lent?
27 Easter
Sonrise service
28
Disciple III 7:00 pm
Disciple I 5:30 pm
DON’T FORGET TO CHANGE YOUR CLOCKS
MARCH 13TH— DAY LIGHT SAVINGS TIME RETURNS
SPRING FORWARD
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Wednesday
6:00 am Prayer
Breakfast
6:00 pm Bible Study
6:00 pm Impact Band Practice
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Thursday
Friday
Saturday
5
1:30 pm NEW Bible
Study
7:30 pm Bell Choir
7:30 pm Chancel choir
2
YMCA Silver Sneakers
6:30 pm Learn to Knit
3
4
Boys Chrysalis Flight
7:00 pm Christian Ed
Boys Chrysalis Flight
9
10
9:30 am –Faith Fellowship
6:30 pm Men’s Bible Study
16
11
2:00 pm Knit & Crochet
7:00 pm Trustees
17
Boys Chrysalis Flight
12
Chrysalis 4th Day 2 pm
18
1:oo pm PFUMC Quilting
19
10:30 am EASTER EGG Hunt
7 pm Pearls of Great Price
4:30 pm Wedding
7:00 pm Church Council
6:00 pm Prayer meeting
23
5:30 pm Poppy Circle
6:00 pm Finance
6:30 pm Men’s Bible Study
30
24
2:00 pm Knit & Crochet
7:30 pm Maunday
Thursday serv.
Seder service—Impact
25 Good Friday
Church office closed at
Noon
Noon service Praise
Baptist Church
7pm—service PFUMC
26
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UMC Retirement CF
WILLIAM & JOSEPHINE ROE SCHOLARSHIP
The Board of Trustees is currently accepting applications for the William & Josephine
Roe Scholarship through April 30th. The Roe scholarship was established in 1983 to
support full time students who are pursuing a degree in Christian Education or Ministry. Applicants should be members of PFUMC or actively participating in the church.
The scholarship is for the 2016/17 academic year. Applications are available in the
church office and must be returned by April 15th to be eligible. Please contact Joy Coyle
or Sue Hoy for additional information.
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B E A C O N
Becoming one with Christ
All 7th-12th graders are invited to Fusion
each Sunday in the Core! We start with
fellowship and a meal, followed by games,
worship, and some time to get to know
Jesus better. Please see the calendar for
specific times and email Amanda Williams
with questions.
February 19-21: Girl’s Chrysalis Flight at PFUMC
February 21: Fusion at 5:30 pm (led by the Accelerators)
March 4-6: Boy’s Chrysalis Flight at PFUMC
Adults: Interested in chaperoning an event or hosting Fusion?
Email [email protected] to learn more and sign-up!
Follow along with our “Lent is Love” series on social media!
Lent is a time of year when we focus on simple living, prayer, and
fasting in order to grow closer to God. Beginning on Ash
Wednesday, the Fusion youth will be challenged daily, through
social media, to sacrifice for those who are without. The goal is to
not only serve others through our sacrifices, but to learn how to
love others in the same way that Jesus Christ has loved us. You are
invited to follow along and participate with the youth throughout
this Lenten season! Connect through any of the following social
media sites:
www.facebook.com/fusionpfumc/
@fusion_pfumc
www.tumblr.com/blog/fusionpfumc
@fusion_pfumc
The 2016 SpringHill winter retreat was
AWESOME!!
Best Broomball cheerleaders
around!
Horseback riding!
The weather was great for tubing!
Hanging out with friends!
The Boy’s Chrysalis Flight is coming soon to PFUMC—
PFUMC—It’s not too late to sign up!
Any boys in grades 10-12 are eligible to attend. The Boy’s Flight is March 4-6, 2016.
Youth: if you are looking to strengthen your spiritual life, have questions about your faith, or just want to work on dedicating
dedicating
your everyday life to God, these three days would be an awesome opportunity for you to do so. A Chrysalis Flight is very
similar to an Emmaus Walk, so if you have questions or want to know more, please talk with Amanda Williams or either of
our pastors and we can share more information with you about the experience. The number of spaces on each Flight is
limited, so don’t wait too long!
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FROM CHRISTIAN ED
If you read last month’s Beacon, you know that I am on this quest during 2016 to become fearless. It is a challenge. I was recently watching a sermon on YouTube by a pastor name Craig
Groeschel (he is the pastor of Life Church, a church with 25 campuses in 7 states), which confirmed that not only do I need to be on this quest, but I have a long way to go.
The sermon was the first of a three part series called Dangerous Prayers. The dangerous prayer
that he talked about in week one was “Search Me.” He used Psalm 139: 23-24 as the dangerous
prayer, check out what these verses say:
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is
any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
This prayer is not only asking God to search me, it is asking God to look at my anxious thoughts.
Do you know what anxious thoughts are? It is a nice way of saying “God, know what I am afraid
of, and we are not talking about the spiders I don’t like. We are talking about the real deep
things that are at the root of this beast called fear that I am trying to slay.
So I started thinking about what I am most afraid of, and yes, I am going to get vulnerable here.
Maybe you will be able to relate to some of these. I am afraid that something will happen to Garrett, Nolan, and Eden. I am afraid that I am making mistakes parenting that will hurt my kids
emotionally. I am afraid to lose more people I love. I am afraid that I will make mistakes at my
job. I am afraid that I will fail. I am afraid people won’t like me. That is just the tip of the iceberg, known as Sarah’s fears. Can you see why God wants to deal with me on this issue?
As I listened to the sermon, this pastor, Craig Groeschel, said something that didn’t just hit me
hard, but it is something that will forever change how I look at my fear. It might even become
one of the greatest tools I will use on this quest that I am on. He said “What we fear the most
reveals where we trust God the least,”…Ouch. When I let fear win, when it controls me, when it
stops me from doing things, it is a direct reflection of areas in my life where I need to trust God
more.
I can see now that this year isn’t just about being fearless or even fearing less. It is about trusting God more. I have to trust God completely in every area of my life; in my marriage, with my
kids/parenting, with the people I love, with my job, with everything. I want to challenge you to
join me in this dangerous prayer. Let God really search you and chip away at the things that are
preventing you from being all you are designed to be. It might not be easy, but something tells
me it will be worth it.
Sarah
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B E A C O N
60+ NEWS
What A Difference A Year Makes
Do you recall our winter wonderland of 2015 when 60+
was cancelled in February? Mother Nature must feel
sorry about it, and has given us this nice, mild winter
to make up for those last two. Even with a few snow
flurries, it was still a lovely day ~ especially in Fellowship Hall. After a hardy lunch of Chef Cheryl’s beef
stew and biscuits followed by cherry pie ala mode, we
again welcomed our popular February guest, the Honorable Ron Lowe, Judge of the 35th District Court. As
always, Ron presented to us another great program,
this year about the man of stars and stripes, Uncle
Sam. The history of Uncle Sam as a symbol of America
dates all the way back to the American Revolution with
a character who was tall and skinny, with long white
hair and whiskers, wearing striped trousers which was
created by the blending of two other folklore characters, Yankee Doodle and Brother Jonathan. By the mid
1800’s cartoonists had a variety of figures, but the popular political cartoonist Thomas Nast depicted an Uncle Sam that, although had a tubby tummy, later
evolved into James Montgomery Flagg’s powerful looking figure on his familiar World War I “I Want You”
recruitment poster which is now the one and only Uncle Sam.
The name “Uncle Sam” is popularly attributed to
Samuel Wilson a meatpacker from New York who
supplied the troops with meat during the War of
1812. On the crates were stamped the letters US,
indicating government property, but the soldiers affectionately used them to refer to the founder of the
feast, “Uncle Sam”. Congress made it official with
the passing of a resolution in 1967 recognizing Wilson as the namesake of our national symbol.
For our March program we will welcome Mr. Thad
Sturdevant, Director of Wayne County’s Homeland
Security & Emergency Management, which is responsible for the protection and prevention of terrorist activities and the response and recovery in the
event of natural disasters in partnership with Federal, State and local agencies. We hope you plan to
join us. Monday, March 7, 2016, Fellowship Hall,
11:30 am an d only $6. The sign-up sheet is in the
Great Hall or you can call Mary (734-927-7551) or
Sandy (734-459-5471) to make your reservation. See
you next month!
M A RCH B i r t h d ays
3/1 Judy Badour
Zoe Hetzel
Janet Wilson
3/5 Carole Brooks
Mark Viergutz
John Whitecar
3/6 Kayla Davis
Anna Fowler
Tom Gomrick
Deborah Kay
3/7 Tom Benjamin
David Smith
3/8 John Grenfell III
Brad Soash
3/9
Mary O’Shaghnessey
3/10 Melvin Bobcean
Katherine Whitecar
3/11
Jan Kavulich
Amy Montgomery
Richard Pushies
3/12 John Thomason
3/13 Liz Ramsay
3/14 Beth Barrett
Joan McNally
Jeremy Muse
Julia Rodriguez
Leah Stevens
Shawn Swales
Janet Tercala
3/16 Bill Brooks
Jennifer Hetzel
Madie Kummer
Richard Moore
3/17 Keith Erickson
John Migyanka
Jacob Underwood
3/19 Silas Buster
Margie Olson
3/20 Jenny
Boebinger
Harvey Rumpel
3/21 Jodi Johnson
3/22 Kylie Satterfield
Owen Weber
3/25 John Leeper
Florence Turner
3/26 Bev Forsyth
John Glasser
Kathleen Salla
Wayne Wheelock
3/27 Jeri Bullock
Dave Clark
3/28 Joy Coyle
Barbara Kraft
Jessica Murray
Geof Satterfield
3/29 Carol Massey
Janet Robertson
3/30 Chris Cook
Linda Hubbard
Charles Migyanka
Paul Worley
3/31 Bonnie Iler
Darlene Little
Brenda Rice
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Prayer concerns
Ashley Boebinger
Andrew Brown
Ethel Culver
Janice Groat
Anna Fowler
Don Iler
Sheila Johnson
Alex Magee
Vince Maiorana
Sharon Minning
Virginia O’Neill
Nancy Remick
Carol Renner
Esther Richards
Earl Rickard
Kathleen Salla
Jean Scheppele
Caryn Schmitt
Lucy Shaw
Jerry Sweet
Tammie Todd
Karen Truan
Gabe Van Oyen
Meredith VanValkenburgh
Justin Atkinson
Kevin Clafton
(Strobridge)
Linda Erickson
Danielle Gomrick
Suzanne Gyde-Hall
Nathan King
Austin McCall
(Triebwasser)
Andrew D. Piggott
Evan Ray (Ramsay)
Dan & Ashley Schmitt
Marshall Gartner
(Henderson)
Ian Gartner
Pat Carne
Calvin Gress
Joann Gress
Doris Kuhns
Carol Meszaros
Joan McNally
Jean Miller
Ted Roby
Ruth Ruhl
Geo Schmidt
Ned Stirton
Carol Thomas
Paul Worley
Kris & Sarah Kappler
Johannesburg, South Africa
Partner churches Russia & Poland
We extend Sympathy to the family of :
Marjorie Stollenwerk who passed away 2/1.
(Kathlyn Juras’ mother. )
We also extend our sympathy to the
family of Sanford Burr who passed
away 2/11/16.
Looking back during the days of my heart procedure that
took place at U-M Mott Children's Hospital on January 11th,
I'd like to extend my warmest and most sincere thanks and
appreciation to my PFUMC family and church staff (including
Revelation Sunday School members) who made this challenge easier to bear and my recovery go a little faster. The
visit from Pastor Nick (my Disciple I Bible Study leader) was
much appreciated and uplifting during the most difficult recovery stage immediately following the procedure. The array
of inspiring and hope-filled cards that arrived from so many
in our congregation, including the wonderful Men's and
Women's Wednesday Prayer Breakfast groups, meant a great
deal. Consistent prayers, emails, text messages, as well as
phone calls prior to and after the procedure date from fellow
church members and staff, including Pastor John and Pastor
Carrie, touched my heart. Thank you all again. The love of
God shines through all of you and has been my light. You are
a blessing to me.
Rebekah Person
Rob Akers, Jimmy Porter nephew
Janie Alysworth, Janet Robertsons’ sister
James Barry, nephew of James Porter
Ella Fry, Faye Fry’s mother
Kelly Heidt, Dolly Porter
Troy Glatfelter, brother in law of Chris & Julie
Holland
Patricia Hammonds, Jimmy Porter ‘s sister
Connie Griffore, friend of Joy Coyle
Linda Ignagni, teacher with Fine Arts Acdmy.
Kimberly Johnson, Carol Meszaros ‘co worker
Melia Lorenz, granddaughter of Tina Powell
Scott Knode, brother-in-law of Sharon Minning
Bill Nelson, Bonnie Iler
Nelson, Marcia Van Oyen’s brother-in-law
Mike Petri & family, friend of Dale Good
Vance Porter, Jimmy Porter ‘s brother
George Ramsay, brother in law of Liz Ramsay
Mary Talarek, friend of Brenda Rice
Karen Wilkin, friend of Kathy Aznavorian
You have wrapped me in prayer—
showered me with cards and shared warm
hugs to help me get thru this last year, but
especially during the unexpected death of
my mother. Your constant show of faith
& love continues to support and strengthen me. Thank you! Pat Fleming
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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.
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Mailed: Once Monthly
PERIODICALS
The Intersection: Here to Worship; Here to Serve
Hi! I’m Ken Fader and I’ve been
the worship leader for Impact for
about 90 days now. You might
think being worship leader would
be all about the music but I’ve
known since before I accepted
the job that I was being called to
do much more at Plymouth than
just sing some songs on Sunday
mornings.
Plymouth First UMC has something really special and really attractive that people are seeking
everyday and not finding —Our
Wonderful Community. My
calling is to help us grow in our
ability to show and share that
community in a way that benefits
everyone—People, Church &
Plymouth.
To do that, I believe we need to
be structured in the way we think
about the process of attracting
people to our community. So we
have focused in on three words—
Invest, Invite, Involve
Invest:
At the turn of the last century,
churches knew when someone
new came into the community
and they reached out. Today’s
churches have become masters of
mailers , signs, and advertisement but have lost much of their
desire to first invest in the lives of
the people they were looking to
add to their congregation. At
Plymouth we are going to recapture that desire to go out and invest in the lives of our friends
and neighbors, and we are going
to focus on three ways. The first is
activities inside and outside the
church, things like random acts of
kindness, VBS, and our hog roast.
The second is developing local
hands-on mission work, like helping our seniors and the lessfortunate in our community. The
third will be equipping our people
to build purposeful relationships
with an eye on Christ—make a
friend, be a friend, bring a friend to
Christ.
Invite:
While we want to invest, we still
need to do the things around inviting. Invitations come in three flavors—cold, warm, and hot. Cold
invites are what we normally do
today—and we need to keep doing
them! They build our name recognition and they help warm and hot
invites happen. Warm invites are
either when someone looks for us
or we deliver information hand to
hand without really knowing the
individual… think about things like
our website, and when Nick is at
the coffeehouse on a regular basis,
or we hand out a card or flier. Hot
invites are when friends invite
friends to church saying something
like “I’ve found this place that has
made a huge difference in my life…
Involve:
So we’ve invested and invited, Now
what is it like for them on that first
visit? The fifth visit? The 100th?
What are we doing to allow someone
to walk in anonymously but leave
having made a connection? What do
people see? How do they navigate
us? Are we as welcoming as we believe? What activities or groups help
them to connect?
So over the next months I will be
focusing on what we can do to truly
offer this —The worship you’ll love
and the community you seek.