April 2015 - Saint Luke UMC

THE SAINT LUKE SCROLL
APRIL 2015 NEWSLETTER
Volume 1, Edition 29
Saint Luke UMC
Saints=Ordinary people following
The Power of Forgiveness
{includes excerpts of Pastor Billy’s 2015 Lenten sermon, All Tied Up}
How many church services include The Lord’s Prayer? How
many times have we heard The Lord’s Prayer, even prayed it
ourselves but we miss (or misunderstand) the CONDITIONAL
forgiveness of God? Let’s take a closer look:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever,
Amen
MINISTRY STAFF
Billy A. Olsen, Pastor
Priscilla Weir, 8:30 Service Music Director &
Coordinator of Youth Ministries
Maggie McCaskill, Coordinator of Children’s Ministry
Beth and Jon Maisonpierre, 11:00 Service Music Directors
Julia McCall, Administrative Assistant
1501 Turnpike Road,
Laurinburg, North Carolina 28352
Church Phone #: 276-6821; Fax 276-2932
Find us on facebook:
Saint Luke United Methodist, Laurinburg
Christians talk a lot about the unconditional love of God but we miss (or misunderstand) that the
FORGIVENESS of God has a HUGE condition. For us to receive God’s forgiveness for our “trespasses”
a.k.a. our “debts” or “sins”, we have to be willing to forgive those who “trespass against us.”
Before we talk about what forgiveness IS, let’s talk about what forgiveness is NOT. Forgiveness is NOT
looking at the person who has sinned against you and saying, “Its ok,” or “it doesn’t matter.” THAT is
NOT TRUE. Forgiveness is not coming up with excuses for what someone has done to you. IF someone
sins against you, what they have done IS wrong. Forgiveness is when we give up our right to pass
judgment for the wrongs that have been done TO US.
But it isn’t always easy to forgive. We call it “Holding a grudge.” Holding onto our anger and resentment towards someone is our way of getting back at the ones who have wronged us. The issue is
CONTROL. When we hold onto the ropes of sin, we are practicing “Un-forgiveness.” And there is no
more destructive and corrosive thing to a relationship than UNFORGIVENESS.
Not only is unforgiveness poison to our relationships with friends and family, NOTHING will hinder your
relationship with God more than UNFORGIVENESS. Reference again Matthew 6:14-15 and The Lord’s
Prayer. If we will not forgive others when they sin against us, our unforgiveness will prevent us from
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receiving forgiveness from God. WHY? Because when you are unwilling to forgive, you are making
yourself more important than God. When Christians hold onto a grudge, hold onto unforgiveness
you are in effect telling Jesus, “Jesus, you can shed your blood for me, just don’t do it for them.”
“BUT BILLY, YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND what they did to me!” You’re right. I cannot account for all
of the ways you may have suffered. But Jesus can. And Jesus’ response to you suffering was to die
for you. IF someone has hurt you, betrayed you, abused you, lied, cheated, you have every right to
be angry. You just don’t have a right to hold onto that anger.
Remember, forgiving someone is not saying, “what you did to me does not matter” Forgiveness is
giving up your right to judge someone’s immortal soul for their sins and instead, putting that person back in God’s hands. Once you forgive someone, that person will still (ultimately) have to give
account to God for their own sins.
You may never FEEL like forgiving; which is why our emotions are a poor compass for Christian
life.
Forgiveness is a choice, just like love is a choice. When we choose to forgive others (and sometimes we need to forgive ourselves) we can experience the freedom and power of God’s forgiveness in our own lives. The biblical purpose of forgiveness is to be reconciled with God, and
each other. You may not be reconciled with the one who has hurt you, but until you forgive there is
NO CHANCE of reconciliation anyway.
How might things change, if you made a list today of “people I need to forgive?” Whenever you
pray The Lord’s Prayer, you could ask God to help you forgive. Sometimes a good place to start is
just to say, “Lord, I know I should forgive person X, help me to be ‘willing to be willing.’”
Love to all as we celebrate Easter,
~ Pastor Billy
EASTER WORSHIP SERVICES - April 5, 2015
6:30am Sunrise service (breakfast to follow)
8:30am Early Worship
10:00am Sunday School
11:00am Traditional Worship
Easter Egg Hunt—right after 11am service.
Toddlers through 5th grade come join us for a big egg hunt on the church grounds.
No children’s or youth activities that evening
We will again follow our tradition by having a flowering cross in the Sanctuary Easter Sunday. Bring a bunch of cut
flowers to church with you and place your flowers on the cross. After the services, the cross will be moved to the
front lawn for our community to enjoy.
Sounds from Saint Luke - Tim Altman and Larry Wells, Trumpet Duo
On April 12, at 3:00 PM we will have the opportunity to hear the final concert in our “Sounds from
Saint Luke” series for this year. Timothy Altman and Larry Wells will be playing works for two trumpets with Jonathan Maisonpierre at the organ. All three men are college professors in the area – Tim
and Jon at UNC Pembroke and Larry at Methodist University.
This year our sanctuary has been filled with many “sounds of music” from the Army’s Woodwind
Quintet to UNCP’s Intersection of Broadway and Vocal Jazz, to the many styles of Puddingstone and
now to the royal sounds of trumpet and organ. What a great way to celebrate the Easter season with
our church family and guests from the community. So please invite a friend and come ready to be
inspired and refreshed! A love offering will be received and given to the trumpeters. A reception will
follow in the gathering room. There will be CDs available for purchase.
OUTREACH
Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is June 22. If you are interested in this
rewarding mission work, and are 14 years old or older, please contact Bo
Smith about signing up or for more information. She is taking the first 21
people who sign up. We have SEVEN youth and THREE adults that are
planning to go. We have room for ELEVEN more. Sign up NOW!!! You
need to register online, but in order to register, you need a Group number. The cost is $310.00
for adults and $155.00 for youth. A $50.00 deposit is required As Soon As Possible!
Church Administration Note:
If you would like to have your voice heard OR
listen in as decisions are being made, Finance
and Church Council will meet Sunday, May 17
with Finance at 6:00pm followed by Church
Council at 6:30pm. The ONLY meetings that
are “closed-door meetings” are Staff/Pastor
Parish Committee - any and all other committee meetings are open meetings - whether
you are a church member or not.
United Methodist Women’s
2015 District Mission u
April 18, 2015 9:30am to 2pm
Chestnut Street UMC in Lumberton
Studies are:
How Is It with Your Soul led by Ann Porter
The Church and People with Disabilities led by
Lynn Clewis
The Roma of Europe led by Esther Acker.
Lunch is provided for $3.00 each. All women of
the church are invited. Please contact Becky
Chiles at 276-5502 by April 10 if you would like to
attend.
LADIES BIBLE STUDY
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN
"The
The Susan Lockey Seekers Circle meets the first
Wednesday of every month except during the
summer months of June, July and August. The
April meeting is on Wednesday, April 1st at 10 AM
in the Fellowship Hall. All women are invited.
Members from both the Susan Lockey Seekers
Circle and Mary Harvin Circle meet every Tuesday
for crafts or cooking. We meet in the Junior High
Sunday School classroom at 10 AM. We are usually
finished by 12. Any woman in the church is
welcome at both crafting and circle meetings. The
Palm Crosses on Palm Sunday were made by the
Tuesday crafting group.
ladies of Saint Luke and their friends are
invited every Monday night to a ladies' Bible
Study from 6:30 - 8pm in the Fellowship Hall.
We will finish the Beth Moore study, Living
Beyond Yourself - Exploring the Fruit of the
Spirit on March 30. We will begin a new
study, "Why it's hard to love Jesus" by Joseph
Stowell on April 13. Join us for coffee, tea,
fellowship and study. You'll love it!"
While you are in the process of spring cleaning, be
sure to set aside items for our yard sale in June.
The yard sale and bazaar are our two big fund
raisers for missions.
-
WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS
Also joining but not pictured
are:
John and Margaret Uncapher
Mrs. Dorothy Bolger
Arnita Russell, shown with
husband Kevin
Dawn Strickland
Thursday, April 2—Maundy Thursday Service at 6:30pm
We will gather in the sanctuary to share in the Last Supper that the Lord
Jesus celebrated with the disciples on the night He was betrayed. The service includes songs of worship, a brief message by Pastor Billy, Holy
Communion and concludes with a silent dismissal. Nursery provided.
News from the Trustees:
The Trustees are getting the church and grounds ready for Spring! First, you may have noticed
the new pine straw around the shrubbery and the columbarium area has been cleaned out. If
you have visited the parsonage lately, you will notice it looking nice too, with recent yard work
and dead trees removed. Inside the church, the Fellowship Hall floors are being stripped and
waxed on Monday, March 30th in preparation for our Easter activities. Finally, on March 24th
there will an intercom and auto lock/unlock system installed on the front door of the church
that rings directly into the church office. Visitors during the work day that wish to enter the
church, can use the intercom to let the office know you are there. The office staff can unlock
the door and buzz you through. During church services or other church events, the system can
be turned off. The rear entry of the church will not be affected by this. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact any of your Trustees.
Children’s Church
Children’s Ministry
Spring has Sprung!
As the kids are beginning to discover God’s amazing creatures coming out of
hibernation (If you can’t tell in the picture, Taylor is holding a tiny tree frog), we
are excited to help them discover the truths and the promises of God that he
reveals to us through his word. Easter is a wonderful time to teach your children
about the power of God’s love for us. This Easter, we would like to encourage
each of you to try what could be a wonderful tradition for you and your family.
The Saturday night before Easter, try making a batch of Resurrection Cookies.
Simply follow the recipe, as you tell the story of Christ’s death and resurrection
(also provided alongside the recipe steps). You will retrieve the cookies from the
oven on Easter Sunday morning to share in the joy of the resurrection with your
family. Have a few cookies with your kids, and bring the rest with you to church
to share! The recipe is posted on our facebook page!
Spring Calendar
April 5th - Easter Sunday
- Bring in your Resurrection cookies
- Kids! bring in your Easter Baskets for an Egg Hunt
immediately following the 11:00 service.
- No Orange (Junior Fellowship) this night
April 12 - Orange (Junior Fellowship) 4:30-6:30
April 19 - Orange (Junior Fellowship) 4:30-6:30
April 26 - Orange (Junior Fellowship) 4:30-6:30
May 3 - Orange (Junior Fellowship) 4:30-6:30
May 10 - Mother’s Day - No Orange
May 17 - Orange (Junior Fellowship) 4:30-6:30
Saint Luke Children’s Ministries
May 24 - Orange (Junior Fellowship) 4:30-6:30
&
May 31 - Last night of Orange for the year 4:30-6:30
Saint Luke United Methodist Church, Laurinburg
Youth News
got discipline?
Wednesday night Bible study for Youth is called Cadence, a 6 week course designed to introduce our youth to
some basic spiritual disciplines and equip them to put those disciplines into practice in order to mature in
their walk with God. We are studying the practices of prayer, Scripture study, fasting, giving, meditation, and
Sabbath. Youth fasting? All we do is eat. I pray that we will all be hungry for God and seek Him will all our
heart through these disciplines. That we will be able to sing with all of our heart:
“It is the cross, my only plea
The blood He shed delivers me
Our Savior’s arms are open wide
A love so great
The cross of Christ”
1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your
father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing
mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire
and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you
forsake him, he will reject you forever.
Coming up:
April 1, 15, 22, 29 Pot Luck meals and Youth Bible Studies
April 12, 19, 26 Youth 4:30—6:30
May 2 Prom Breakfast 9pm
May 1—3 Middle School Beach Retreat
May 23—25 High School Beach Retreat
Jan. 31, 2016 - Saint Luke Celebrates Fifty Years!
Do you have photographs, news clippings,
directories, cookbooks, videos, slides, programs, or
other memorabilia from Saint Luke’s history? Please
consider donating items to the History Room (or lending so we can scan them). Contact Mary McDonald
with ideas or questions.
Online Giving is HERE!
Saint Luke members and
friends now have the option
of making donations to
SLUMC via our website.
Go to www.saintlukemethodist.org and click on
the “Giving” tab. To make a donation, please
indicate the fund you are donating to and click
the “Give Now” button below. You will be directed to our secure donation page. We invite
you to give Online Giving a try.
UNITED METHODIST MEN
During the March meeting, Stephania Smith detailed the single women’s outreach conference she
hosted partially funded by UMM. This is one of the local missions that the UMM sponsors in order
to help reach out to our community for Christ.
The men also hosted a district wide UMM rally on February 28. During the rally, numerous Christreaching ideas between the UMM of surrounding churches were discussed, and good fellowship
was enjoyed by all.
On Easter Sunday, April 5th, the men will cook and serve a pancake breakfast following the Easter
Sunrise Service. Please join us for a delicious breakfast and fellowship.
Our next meeting is Sunday, April 19, 2015, at 7:30 AM. We invite all men of the church (including
youth!) to attend and enjoy a great breakfast and fellowship.
FOOD PANTRY NEWS
With April being "Volunteer Appreciation Month", I want to give thanks for everyone who has made
serving neighbors a priority in both their physical and spiritual lives. As with the coming of Spring,
feel free as you clear out those cupboards of anything that you may have "over estimated" your need
for, to bring any items to the church. Donations may be brought to the church during the weekday
or while there is an event scheduled (Sunday worship, youth, Wednesday evenings, etc.).
Our Food Bank is the second Saturday in the month, and we prepare bags at 12 noon on the Friday
before. Please come and help us to prepare for our Food Bank.
This is a great opportunity to be part of a local mission AND to invite your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to experience Christ in action. -Rob Macy
APRIL 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
B = Birthday
A = Anniversaries
5
EASTER SUNDAY
6:30am Sunrise Service
8:30am Early Worship
10am Sunday School
11am Traditional
Worship
6
B - Michael Myers
B - Avery Johnson
19
7:30am United
Methodist Men
26
2
B - Shirley Godfrey
8
9
13
14
No meal this week
10am Bazaar
Workshop
7pm Handbells
20
B - Debbie Ray
B - Danielle Walker
B - Adam Romaine
B - Lindsay Hunter
21
B - Isabella
Whitehead
27
28
10am Bazaar
Workshop
7pm Handbells
10am Bazaar
Workshop
7pm Handbells
15
B - Morgan Fields
B - Allyson Wood
3
B - Steve Hughes
4
7:30pm Granville/
McInnis wedding
6:30pm Maundy
Thursday service
10
B - Elaine Olsen
11
8am Food Bank
12 noon Food Bank
preparation
10am Bazaar
Workshop
3pm Art Therapy
7pm Handbells
No children’s or youth
activities
12
B - Julia McCall
7
B - Catherine Ray
B - Mary Ann Ray
1
10am Susan Lockey Seekers
Circle
5:30pm Potluck Meal
6:15pm Youth Bible Study
6:15pm Mary Harvin
Discovery Circle
6:15pm Youth Confirmation
Class
7:15pm Adult Choir
16
B - Pam Peck
17
18
23
B - Larry Stevens
24
25
5:30pm Potluck meal
6:15pm Youth Bible Study
7:15pm Adult Choir
22
B - Haley McGugan
Confirmation Youth Retreat Weekend at Lake Junaluska
5:30pm Potluck meal
6:15pm Youth Bible Study
6:15pm Youth Confirmation
Class
7:15pm Adult Choir
29
B - Dixie Cox
B - Kyle Peterson
B - Joshua Atchison
5:30pm Potluck meal
6:15pm Youth Bible Study
7:15pm Adult Choir
30
Saint Luke United Methodist Church
1501 Turnpike Road
Laurinburg, NC 28352
Remembering in Prayer
Urgent Needs
Bill Stout (Elizabeth Spry’s father), Elizabeth Taylor, James Spry, Billy Willard, Taylor Rush, Linda Jacobs (sister of June
Brooks), Linda Lamont (Audra McCormick’s mother), Leon Applegate, Serina (step-sister of Marlena Gilmore), Ryan
Buddin, Phyllis Lambert, Julie Fogleman, Sylvia Kirkman, Buddy Caulder, Ty McLaurin, Sherald S. North (Sherry Baker’s
father), Nick Felts, Jan Gillis Douglas, Ronald Cheek, Casey Zammit, Hollyn Gregory, Norma Miller, Cathy Luper and family,
Aaron Austin, John P. Bailey (Jack’s brother), Claude Sanford, Michael Fore (Chris’ brother), Heather Burnette (Bernie and
Patty King’s daughter), Todd McCrimmon (Julia’s nephew)
Ongoing Needs
Nick Collie, Debbie, Taylor & Christian Kennedy, Bertie Hash, Robert McCormick, Mary Lang, Sara Smiley, Dawn, Grayson
& Sawyer Smith, Krystin Yates Barrett, Tom Vergo, Susan Lidot, Dorothy Clark (June Brooks mother), Frank Callahan,
Helen Huggins, Braydon Luke Dilling (Bettie Barrow), Buddy Clark, Colin McArthur, Ned Barringer, Louise Bingham, Jan
Callahan (Mary Lopez), Donald Krout, Patsy Blackwelder , Sarah Barrett (mother of Peggy Alexander), Don Gilliam
(Statha’s brother), Rev. Jim Lee, Ancel Caulk, Jean Barringer
Assisted Living or Skilled Care
Claudia Cooke (Florence, SC), Emma Dunn (Scotia Village), Shirlee Jacobs (Prestwick Village), Annie Louise Jackson
(Scottish Pines), Frank Knight (Scottish Pines), Kelly Muse (Morgan Center), Sandra Nichols (Raleigh, NC), Billie Shelley
(Scotia Village), Purvis Bedenbaugh (Hartsville, SC)
Those in Ministry/Mission Field
Church Community Services, Food Bank of North Carolina, Lindsey Garrison, Jessica & Grayson Stallings (China), Lauren
Maidment (Ethiopia)
Military
Rick Ward (Dennis’ brother), Eliot Tremblay (Ruth’s grandson), Richard Macy (Rob and Carrie’s son), David Blackmon (Katie
Krotz’s fiance)