mages/The Messenger - Valencia United Methodist Church

The Messenger
Issue 188
• Holy Week Worship
Schedule
• Celebration
Commitment Sunday
• New Member’s Class
• Spiritual Gifts
Discovery
April 1, 2007
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Santa Clarita United Methodist
Church (located on Bouquet Canyon
Road across from the Best Buy) will
be hosting our joint worship on
Maundy Thursday, April 5th at
7:30 pm. Come and experience the
dramatic presentation “The Other
Twelve Disciples” about the twelve
women in Jesus’ life. Our time of
worship will be enriched by the
observance of The Lord’s Supper.
Valencia United Methodist Church
will be the location for our Good Friday
Service on April 6th, along with our
Christian friends from Santa Clarita
UMC and Friendly Valley UMC. Our
time of worship will feature the
Chancel Choir and “Gethsemane's Lost
Prayer”, a drama centered around the
disciple Peter. This will be a memorable service that will lead you toward
the celebration of Easter.
From Unbelievable to Undeniable
Celebrate the True Story of Easter
• Men’s Ministry:
Breakfast &
Fellowship at the
Jethawks
Easter Sunday ~ April 8th
• Easter Carnival
Three worship opportunities:
8:30 am, 9:45 am, and 11:00 am
• Workday at VUMC
A joyous celebration of the resurrected Christ
with music, brass, drama, and worship!
Inside this issue:
Prayer Ministry
2
Volunteer Ministry
2
Pastoral Points
3
Ministry Corner
3
Youth Scoop
4
Kids Korner
4
Church Life
5
Calendar of Events
7
Workday Thank Yous
8
Children’s programs will be featured at 9:45 am and 11:00 am.
Nursery care will be available at all three worship hours.
Celebration/Commitment Sunday on April 1st
Our Celebration/Commitment Sunday
Luncheon will be held on Sunday, April 1st,
and you can still make a reservation. Call
the Church Office at 255-1301. We will
have a scrumptious “Southern Style” meal
served in a tent in our parking lot at the
conclusion of our 10:30 worship hour.
We have a great program planned that will
highlight our 40 Days of Transformation
and our “Mississippi Work Team”.
Children under the age of 10 are invited to
attend a “Science Party” and lunch in the
Fellowship Hall.
Donations to defray some of the
expenses for the seven people who
make up our “Mississippi Work Team”
will be collected at our luncheon. Our
work team will be helping repair/rebuild
homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Don’t miss out on this important time
together. Remember there is no cost
to you for the luncheon but a
reservation is required.
Page
Page2 2
Notes ‘bout folks …
Kelly Burke is a finalist for SCV Woman
of the Year. Congratulations Kelly on
your nomination.
Bob Vincent was featured in the Santa
Clarita Signal on Friday, March 16th,
as a “Principal shaping the future” at
West Ranch High School.
Alex Fine, son of old friends Al & Britt
Shaver, has accepted a position with
Rockwell-Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
upon his graduation in May from The
Rose Holman Institute. He will be
writing programs for navigation systems
on military aircraft.
If you have a “note” about someone that you would like to share, please contact
Vickie in the Church Office so that it can be shared in the May Messenger.
2007 Graduates
Mississippi Work Team:
Martin Borne, Harry Hauge,
Neta Hobson, Pastor James Oliver,
Barry Pontius, Wade Reynolds, and
Katherine Stebbins will be heading to
Waveland, Mississippi on Easter Sunday.
This group will serve for one week,
working to repair/rebuild homes
damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Coffee Fellowship and Flower Sponsors
We would like to recognize all members of our
church family who are graduating from high school
or college this year. If you know of someone,
please let Vickie know in the Church Office at
255-1301. Include the area of study and future
education plans if known.
Friday and Saturday Night Security
We are looking for two volunteers to check
the security of our campus either on Friday
and Saturday nights. You can make a
difference by helping to make sure that
doors are locked, utilities are off, and all is
well for the evening. If you would like to
volunteer or know more about this ministry
opportunity, please call Sherry Klahs in the
Church Office at 284-1866 ext. 103.
There are still opportunities to sponsor Coffee
Fellowship and Chancel Flowers for this year. Help
support this special part of our church life by sharing
your dedication of a special event or person in your
life. Stop by the kiosk to check out the open dates.
Men’s Ministry Fellowship
All men are invited to join in a night of
fun at the Jethawks baseball game on
Saturday, April 21st, 5:00 pm at Clear
Channel Stadium in Lancaster. Sons
are welcome to join their dads.
Tickets are $8.00 each. For more
information, contact Scott Norton at 255-2675.
Volunteer Ministry Opportunities
Youth Prison Ministry
Bible Studies Leader Assistant
Spiritual Gifts = Teaching, Wisdom,
Shepherding
Volunteers are needed to assist our
Prison Bible Studies Leaders at
Camps Munz & Mendenhall on one or
more Wednesday evenings or Sunday
afternoons each month. Training,
materials, childcare, and
transportation provided. No
experience necessary. Need only an
open heart and desire to be God’s
vessel in helping to open the hearts,
minds, and souls of some very needy
and appreciate youth. Please contact
Dianna Hill at 251-2191 or Wendy
Langhans at 799-2965 for questions
or to arrange a visit to the Camps.
Usher
Spiritual Gifts = Hospitality, Helps,
Shepherding
Volunteers are needed to serve on the
Usher Team at the 10:30 worship
hour. Duties include welcoming
people as they arrive for worship,
collecting prayer request cards, and
assisting during the offering. Training
is provided. If you are interested in
this service opportunity, contact
Robert Sebel at 263-8688.
Coffee Fellowship
Spiritual Gifts = Hospitality, Helps
Volunteers are needed to help set-up
and serve Coffee Fellowship on Sunday
mornings after the 9:00 & 10:30 worship hours. Time commitment is about
once every two months. If you would
like to know more about this ministry
opportunity, contact Scott Doerr at
263-9278
The Messenger
Published Monthly
Valencia United
Methodist Church
25718 McBean Parkway
Valencia, CA 91355-2008
Page 3
Pastor’s Paragraphs
Earlier this year, I spent three full days in Dallas attending “Minister’s Week” at Perkins School of Theology. The theme
this year was “Faith and Money”, and overall, I think my expectations for this time of continuing education were met.
As I shared a few weeks ago during worship, one of the presenters said that Pastors ought to be ready to respond to
anyone who indicates that he/she wants to give a million dollars to the church. While I have not yet had a conversation
with anyone in my ministry quite like THAT, I do think that I probably should be ready with a response, because how
VUMC would use a million dollars speaks to where we believe God is calling us.
In order to help me formulate how I might respond to a gift of a million dollars, I asked those in worship on the first
Sunday of March to write down on the Bulletin tear-off what they would suggest. The answers were interesting.
It appears that some folks wondered whether I was serious. Take for example these responses: “Is this a trick
question?” … “Could I have that in singles so I can see what it looks like?” … “Is that all?”
Others wondered about the nature of the gift. One person wrote, “First ask where the money came from and then, if the
answer is acceptable, say “thank you.”
That wasn’t the only person who suggested that the donor be thanked. Of the seventy-nine responses that were
received, over forty percent included something about the need to thank the person responsible for the gift. Over ten
percent of the responses had thoughts that were like this one: “Praise the Lord!”
While I was hoping that I would receive more suggestions as to specifically how the million dollar gift could be used,
a number of people did name particular projects/needs. Generally, these comments came in two categories. Those
that were “church based”, and those that were not. I was a little surprised at just how many people indicated that the
million dollars ought to be given away to other organizations, rather than kept at VUMC. For example, about a half
dozen people thought a good use of the money would be to give it to the Homeless Shelter. Other suggestions included
an “African Organization”, or “cancer research”. One person wrote, “ … We graciously accept 10% of your offer asking
that you (give) the remainder (to) nine other churches.”
Of those naming projects/needs at VUMC, the most common response was to use the gift to help persons “less
fortunate”. More than just a couple of people, though, felt a good use of the gift would be to pay off the mortgage
(which then would release us to do a variety of other things).
And what the other “things” could we do? Some other remarks on the survey were to spend money on Youth, mission
trips, evangelism, outreach to local gangs, young adult ministry, after school programs for youth at risk, children’s
ministry, and church repairs.”
While on the one hand, I hope I hear from someone in the near future that they have a million dollars for us. I also
hope that it’s not too soon, because I’m not yet comfortable with where I would suggest that they direct their gift. If
you have any new and/or additional thoughts on this issue, let me know, because the issue is more than just an
“interesting” thought. It touches on the issue of where we hear God calling us.
With God's love,
James F. Oliver
New Members Class in April
Spiritual Gifts Discovery
A new member’s class will begin Sunday, April 15th,
with lunch at the Pastor’s home. The first session will be
a general introduction of our church, our mission, and
an overview of the United Methodist Church as a whole.
Even if you can’t attend the New Member’s class, you are
invited to learn about how God has uniquely gifted you.
This 3 session workshop is open to any adult interested in
finding out more about their Spiritual Gifts. Sessions will
be held Sundays from 5:30 to 7:00 pm beginning
April 22nd. Childcare is available if requested.
The remaining three sessions will focus on spiritual gifts,
ministry, and expectations of membership. These
sessions will be held on Sundays at 5:30 to 7:00 pm,
April 22nd, April 29th, and May 6th. Childcare is available
if requested. Please contact Pastor Oliver if you wish to
be added to the class.
Please call the Church Office at 255-1301 to reserve
your spot.
Page 4
As I’m writing this, we are gearing up to
take 24 Junior High youth to our OVER
THE EDGE WINTER RETREAT 2007 at
Lake Arrowhead this weekend! This is
our first Junior High retreat getaway,
and our EDGE staff is real excited
about this opportunity. John Joseph
(my cousin) is a Youth Pastor from
Lakeside Presbyterian Church in
San Diego, and will be our retreat
speaker. He was our retreat speaker
for our Senior High group last year, and
the youth really liked what he had to
say. Our theme for the weekend is
WHAT’S YOUR STORY? and the faith of
the youth will be strengthened and
refined through the passage of
Hebrews 11:1 through talks, Small
Groups, and seminars. We will be
staying at a large cabin formerly owned
by Dick Clark which overlooks lake!
As we are going through these
40 days of Transformed Living, I
want to report to you that we have
10 youth involved in our Senior
High Small Group Bible Study led
by Lori Wilson and Bonnie Joseph,
and we have 13 youth committed
to our Junior High Small Group
Bible Study led by Deb Jelen and
Henry Morales. It’s wonderful to
see our youth take part in a church
wide study.
I would also ask you as a church
family to do me a favor, and keep
these particular youth in your
prayers: Sam Bashor, Megan Dal
Soglio, Eric Ensing, Danielle Ewart, Geoff Moore, Michael Park,
Andrew Somers, Carina Suarez,
Michele Todd, Pamela Watters,
and Ryan Williams. They are on a
particular faith journey, and will be
confirmed on May 20th, and will
become a part of our church on that
day. Pray that God will continue to
mold them into the kind of people
He wants them to be.
We want to remind you to keep June
30th open on your calendar. Our
Mystery Dinner Theater will be held
on Saturday June 30th at 6:00 pm.
Please stay tuned for more details to
come. This helps us raise substantial money for our retreats. Also, we
want you to go to our Mexico Service
Project. Have you signed up yet?
Our trip is shorter so maybe now you
can go. We will be going from Sunday night July 29th through Thursday
August 2nd. We’ll stay a night in San
Diego, and spend a fun day (Friday)
in San Diego!!! So see Peter for
details quickly. Event dates and pictures are on www.vumctheshack.org
In Christ,
Peter
Danielle, Kimmie,
& Kylen
Awesome Youth
Praise Band!
Kids Korner
Special children’s activities have been
planned for Easter Sunday during the
9:45 and 11:00 Worship hours. If you
would like to help with a group of kids at
either of those hours, please contact
Michelle Andrews to sign up as soon as
possible. Materials, supplies and support
will be available.
Registration information District Summer
Elementary Camps is coming soon!
June 24 – 27 ~ Younger Elementary
(Going into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades in the
Fall of 2007)
June 24 – 30 ~ Older Elementary
(Going into 4th, 5th, and 6th grades in the
Fall of 2007)
Vacation Bible School Update
Planning meetings for both Vacation
Bible School weeks have been
scheduled:
•
•
Galilee-by-the Sea (Family VBS)
Saturday, April 21st at 10:00am in
the Choir Room
Avalanche Ranch
Saturday, April 28th at 10:00am in
the Choir Room
We would love to have your input,
ideas and suggestions for either or
both weeks, so please plan to join us
as we begin our planning. Leaders
and helpers will be needed for a large
variety of activities … there is a
perfect spot just for you! Please
RSVP for either meeting (including
childcare requests) to Michelle
Andrews in the church office by
April 16th.
A special thank you goes to all of
the adults and youth who so
faithfully support our Sunday
morning children’s classes. The
time, energy, and love that they
each put into teaching and helping
is truly a blessing to all of us!
Thank you for all you do, and for
helping to transform the lives of
our kids!
Page 5
UMC Remains Third Largest Denomination in Annual Report
The UMC ranked third in membership in the 75th edition of the Year
book of American and Canadian
Churches, published this month
by the National Council of
Churches and Abingdon Press. The
2007 edition reports on a record
224 national church bodies and
ranks the 25 largest churches by
membership. With membership
listed at almost 8.1 million people,
the UMC follows the Roman
Catholic Church and Southern
Baptist Convention.
Other mainline Protestant
churches in the top ten include
the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ranked seventh with
4.85 million members) and the
Presbyterian Church, USA,
(ranked ninth with 3.1 million).
The statistics were collected
from the church bodies in 2005,
and almost 166 million people
are included.
Record keeping for Giving
Beginning January 1, 2007, the
Internal Revenue Service has begun
to require that all contributions
(cash, check, or other monetary gift)
must also have either a bank record
(e.g. cancelled check) or a written
acknowledgment of the gift in order
for the donation to be tax deductible.
This means, then, that the IRS is no
longer allowing donors to include
“loose” cash that is placed in the
offering plate on Sunday mornings
to be considered as a charitable
contribution. All donations
received by Valencia United
Methodist Church in offering
envelopes are recorded on
United Methodists Giving
United Methodists give nearly $4.9
billion annually for clergy support
and benevolences, local church
building and debt retirement and
operating expenses.
United Methodists give nearly $313
million yearly for district, annual
statements which are recognized
by the IRS.
Persons who would like to begin
to receive offering envelopes on
a monthly basis are welcome to
call the Church Office at
661-255-1301.
conference and jurisdictional
benevolences; and United
Methodist Women funds.
including $88 million for World
Service, the basic program and
benevolence fund.
In 2004, United Methodists
contributed more than $166
million for general benevolences, connectional clergy
support and administration,
Local congregations gave a total
of $4.54 billion for all purposes
in 2004 (the latest information
currently available).
Men’s Ministry Fellowship Breakfast
Hey men — don’t miss out on a
great breakfast and time of fellowship on Saturday, April 14th at
8:00 am in the Fellowship Hall.
Kevin Malone will be our special
guest speaker. Kevin is best known
as the former General Manager of
the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He is also a local Santa Clarita
resident, co-owner of the new
Mercedes-Benz dealership, and a
very strong Christian, doing God's
work locally, nationally,
and abroad.
There is no need to sign-up.
Come when you can and as
you are!
Easter Carnival
Pioneer Clubs will be sponsoring the
6th annual Easter "carnival" on the
church grounds. Mark your calendar for
Wednesday, April 4th, 6:30 — 7:30 pm.
This event is for children 4 years
old through the 6th grade.
Volunteers are always needed.
If you would like to help or
have more information on
this event, contact
Ellen Fagan at
255-3839.
Page 6
Thanks to our sponsors
Family Law
661-287-1511
Business Litigation
Donald R. Klahs
Laine Hedwall
Mission Statement:
Our church exists to invite people,
nurture them with Christ’s love,
and send them out to serve others.
Leadership Team
Lay Leader........................................................................................... Deb Jelen
Annual Conference Delegate............................................................. Deb Jelen
Finance.......................................................................... Deb Baur & Ron Vanek
Staff-Parish Relations ............Terry Comp, Gary Davidson, Stuart Thompson
.................................................................................Chris Norton & Randy Sain
Trustees..................................Bob Bouknight, Kathy Perez & Wade Reynolds
Staff and Clergy ............................................. Michelle Andrews, Peter Joseph
..................................................................... Sherry Klahs & Dr. James F. Oliver
Church Staff
Senior Pastor ................................. James F. Oliver ..........................255-1301
Children’s Ministries..................Michelle Andrews .......... 284-1866 ext. 106
Adult Ministries.................................. Sherry Klahs .......... 284-1866 ext. 103
Youth Ministries.................................Peter Joseph .......... 284-1866 ext. 102
Music Ministries ........................Steven Applegate .......... 284-1866 ext. 101
Pianist.................................................... Ann Moore ..........................255-1301
Praise Band Leader........................ Paul Anderson ..........................255-1301
Office Administrator ................................Deb Baur .......... 255-1301 ext. 100
Secretary ..............................................Vickie Good .......... 255-1301 ext. 110
Office Assistant.............................. Joann Fetterolf .......... 255-1301 ext. 111
$500 will be donated
to VUMC from each
sale to the ministry of
the client’s choice.
Studio City
Office 818.432.0220 ext. 501
Fax 818.763.7573
Cell 818.425.3002
[email protected]
Shafer Broadman & Associates
12001 Ventura Place, Suite 202
Studio City, California 91704
www.windermere.com
Page 7
Schedule of Events
•
Sunday, April 1st
Celebration/Commitment
Sunday
•
Thursday, April 5th
Maundy Thursday at SCUM
7:30 pm
•
April 2007
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Friday April 6th
Good Friday at VUMC 7:30 pm
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
•
Easter Sunday Celebration
April 8th
8:30 am, 9:45 am & 11:00 am
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
•
Saturday, April 14th
Men’s Ministry Breakfast
8:00 am Fellowship Hall
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
•
Sunday, April 15th
Habit Sunday
29
30
•
Saturday, April 21st
Men’s Ministry Fellowship
Jethawks 5:00 pm
Habit Sunday (a change for April)
Sunday April 15th at the Habit (located in the
Granary Square) ~ present your Sunday Bulletin
to the cashier and a portion of your total bill will
return in support of our Pioneer Clubs Program.
Body & Soul
Meets every other
Wednesday 9:00 am in
Room 1. Contact Suzanne
Bowman 513-0683
Chancel Bells
Tuesday 7:30 pm in the
Choir Room.
Contact Barb Hauge
259-2899
Chancel Choir
Thursday 7:30 pm in
the Sanctuary. Contact
Steven Applegate
284-1866 ext. 101
Contemporary Praise Band
Rehearses every
Tuesday night at
7:30 pm in the Sanctuary.
Contact Paul Anderson
259-7224
F.I.S.H.
Every Thursday
6:30 pm in the Kitchen
Men’s Bible Study
Every Thursday
6:30 am in Room 1
Hearts & Hands
Not meeting in April.
See you in May on the 1st
Monday of the month at
7:00 pm in the Choir Room.
Contact Vickie Good
255-1301
Men’s Ministry Breakfast
Meets the 2nd Saturday
at 8:00 am in the
Fellowship Hall Contact
Pete Brosnan 263-8991
Knit Wits
Meets on the 3rd Monday of
each month at 7:00 pm in
the Youth Room.
Contact Marian Oliver
254-3019
Leadership Team Meeting
Meets the 3rd Tuesday of
each month at 7:30 pm in
Room 1. Contact Deb Baur
255-1301
MOPS
Mothers of Preschoolers
meets the 2nd and 4th
Tuesday of each month at
9:00 am in the Fellowship
Hall. Contact Kari Dahlquist
263-0973
Prayer and Share
Women’s Prayer Group
Thursday Mornings
9:30 am in Room 1.
Contact Carol Williams
424-0289
Senior Service Ministry
Meets the 1st Monday
of each month at 6:30 pm
in Room 1 . Contact
Ron Kari at 259-4622
Single Parents in Prayer
Every Other Tuesday
7:00 pm in Room 3.
Contact Kelly Crawford
253-1572
Women’s Hike
Not meeting. Watch the
Bulletin for more details.
Women’s Lit
Not meeting. Watch the
Bulletin for more details.
Youth Prison Ministry
Every Wednesday.
Held at youth prison
— training materials, and
childcare provided. Carpool
departs from church at 5:30.
Contact Dianna Hill
251-2196
Forwarding Service Requested
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Santa Clarita,
CA
Permit #67
Valencia United Methodist Church
25718 McBean Parkway
Valencia CA 91355-2008
Phone: 661-255-1301
Fax: 661-255-0119
Email: [email protected]
Believing is Only the Beginning
We’re on the web!
www.umcv.org
All Church Workday — March 10th
Thanks to all who served!
Amber Alexander
Aubrie Alexander
Gracie Bauer
Martin Borne
Paul Bonnette
Bob Bouknight
Pete Brosnan
Ed Clemena
Kelly Crawford
Mackenzie Crawford
Mary Dougherty
Mike Dougherty
Bill Fagan
Brandon Fagan
Ellen Fagan
Ryan Fagan
Peter Joseph
Barry Pontius
Brad Potts
Fritz Quirin
Wade Reynolds
Steve Stebbins
David Stradling
Jennifer Stradling
Kimmie Stradling
Cassie Taylor
Rick Taylor
Haley Thompson
Stuart Thompson
John Veal
Rhonda Wood