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 shari_thomas@yahoo.com
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 loric@mlgumc.org or Shari Thomas
at shari_thomas@yahoo.com
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
mjmcfann@hotmail.com.
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
Rocheport@aol.com 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: church@mlgumc.org
Email: pastor@mlgumc.org
Office: Lori Concannon,
loric@mlgumc.org
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
Rocheport@aol.com
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.