The Tower News - firstumcbc.org
Transcription
The Tower News - firstumcbc.org
12 The Tower News First United Methodist Church 111 East Michigan Avenue Battle Creek, MI 49014 www.firstumcbc.org First United Methodist Church The City Center Church 111 East Michigan Avenue, Battle Creek, MI 49014 Address Service Requested Volume 4 Issue 3 – June 2014 The vision of First United Methodist Church is to be a Vibrant, Diverse, Christ-Centered People. United Methodist Conversations & Connections Y Your Church Staff Ministers .................................................. All Members Interim Lead Pastor ............................... David Morton Interim Assistant Pastor .................... Marshall Murphy Administrative Assistant ................ Jean Harvey-Clark Music Director .................................... Wendy Wheeler Custodian ...................................................Jeff Stevens Organist .................................................... Kay Ensfield Keyboards ............................................. Naghielly Agy Child Care ................................. Hannah Houghtaling Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 am to 5 pm Closed for Lunch between 12-1 pm Office is Closed on Fridays Phone: 269.963.5567/ Fax: 269.963.6899 www.fumcbc.org The TOWER News is published monthly. Copy deadline is the 20th of the month. Please electronically submit your information to: Editor & Publisher: Jean Harvey-Clark jharveyclark@firstumcbc.org Worship Schedule 9:00 am Worship with Praise Band 11:00 am Traditional Worship with Choir ou are invited and strongly encouraged to attend one of two presentations about the United Methodist Connections on Wednesday, June 18, 2 pm at Christ United Methodist in Urbandale or 7 pm at First United Methodist. The sessions will be same, so attend whichever is more convenient for you. At the May 2014 meeting, support was given to a mission statement and talking points called "The Case for a New Beginning for United Methodists in Greater Battle Creek." The delegates are ready to share this statement and get input from members of all the churches regarding the direction the group is heading. Early meetings talked about where we are, and the document talks about where we want to go. The discussions of how to get there will occur after there is general agreement on the direction for the United Methodist Connections. This group of the seven United Methodist churches within the Battle Creek city limits has been meeting monthly since fall. Outside the city, Sonoma UMC dropped out when they decided to close and Convis Union joined. Each church is represented by two delegates elected by the Church Council and their pastor, which for First UMC is: Jim Davis, Carolyn Harvey and Pastor David Morton. UMC SHARED OPPORTUNITIES: Sojourners, Sunday, June 8, 6:00 pm, Maple UMC, asking the questions-sharing the journey. A group offering support for patients and caregivers traveling the uncharted highway through cancer. Vacation Bible School - Weird Animals Where Jesus Love Is One-of-a Kind June 23-27: 9 am-noon at First UMC July 7-11: 9 am-noon at Chapel Hill See posters for details on both programs. www.fumcbc.org 2 Happy Anniversary! Happy Birthday to You! 06/02 06/04 06/05 06/06 06/07 06/08 06/08 06/09 06/09 06/09 06/09 06/10 Beverly Sink Bob Harvey Linsey Wade Mike Dawson Jerry Mackey Carolyn Harvey John Briggs Clair Peters Denny Hunt Alan Tolliver Neil Tolliver Margaret Brayne 06/11 Doris Phares 06/12 Kay Ensfield 06/14 Barbara Larsen 06/15 Allison Clark 06/15 Earl Wade II 06/21 Lilianna Robinson 06/22 Spencer Hunt 06/24 Julye Paulk 06/26 June Dufour 06/29 Brenda Howard 06/29 Melanie Davis 06/29 Dylan Moore Everyone is invited to attend the 100th Birthday Party for Margaret Brayne on Tuesday, June 10th at 2:00 pm. It will be held on the Sun Porch at the Oaks at NorthPointe Woods, 706 North Avenue. She would appreciate seeing her long time FUMC friends. She has been a member here since November 14, 1926. If you would like to send a card please send it to: Margaret Brayne The Oaks at NorthPointe Woods 706 North Avenue, #210 Battle Creek, Michigan 49017-3231 06/14 06/21 06//22 06/26 Jack & Jo Schils David & Leona Leach Jim & Bettye Mobley Larry& Kathy Rizor Our Albion District Superintendent Tamara Williams will be on Renewal Leave from June 15 - September 2, 2014. The TOWER News is published monthly. Copy deadline is the 20th of the month. Please electronically submit your information to: Editor & Publisher: Jean Harvey-Clark, jharveyclark@firstumcbc.org 11 Steve and Beth Raymond and their family will be flying into Fort Wayne on June 14. They will be driving a rental car to Battle Creek. They are hoping to borrow a car until July 5 to save money. If you have a vehicle that they can borrow for their Battle Creek visit please contact them on Facebook, 269.579.0754 or 269.579.0777, or raymondsfive@yahoo.com. LRP Car Wash The LRP Car Wash at The Haven is open for the Summer on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. The cost remains a very affordable $5.00. FUMC Arts In the City Presents Summer Lovin’ “Around and About Fort Custer” A new exhibit of paintings by artist Jeanne Kruizenga Fitzgerald will be on display in the parlor through the months of May and June. Jeanne explains that, "The paintings in this exhibit have been painted outdoors on location around Battle Creek. I hope that viewing these works will cause the public to become more aware of the beautiful treasure we have in the Fort Custer State Park area. Entering the park is the beginning of a magical experience." www.fumcbc.org Fundraising Cabaret Benefitting Youth Music Ministries Saturday, July 26, 2014 7:00 pm First United Methodist Church www.fumcbc.org 10 3 FUMC Arts In the City Summer Youth Workshop June Happenings at First Church Church and Society information can be found at the bulletin board and the top of the steps. Godspell Junior Performances: August 22, 7pm at FUMC BC August 23, 7pm TBD August 24, 3pm at Christ UMC, Urbandale Who: Youth ages 8 – 18 years When: August 11- 22, 2014 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Where: First UMC BC 111 E. Michigan Ave., Battle Creek For more info contact: Wendy Wheeler, Director of Music wwheeler@firstumcbc.org or 269.963.5567, x102 An opportunity for our own Wendy Wheeler - From June 9-23, Wendy will be in India working with Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP). She will be working with Nick Dalton in a program that uses the arts as a tool to empower young people with creativity, knowledge, and a strong sense of self esteem. While there she will be teaching music for an uplifting new musical written for the children of India to perform nation-wide in November. If you would like to help Wendy with the traveling and personal expenses involved to participate, you may put a check made out to FUMC in the offering plate with Wendy in the memo line or donate to http://www.firstgiving.com/wendywheeler. Thank you for your consideration of this opportunity, Pastor Dave www.fumcbc.org SMALL GROUPS WEEKLY EVENTS Sunday 9:00 am 11:00 am Monday 9:00 am Contemporary Worship Cornerstone Worship June 4 at the Peters’, 6:30 pm Staff Meeting Wednesday 7:00 pm Prayer Time, Chapel Book Group: GIFT Group: Monday, June 2: 6:00 pm, FUMC June 16: 6:00 pm, FUMC Martha Circle: Off until Tuesday, September 9 Men’s Group: Mondays, 6:00 pm COMMITTEE MEETINGS Trustees Finance Comm. Service Team Staff Parish NO Church Council Adventures Group: 06/04 6:30 pm 06/10 7:00 pm 06/11 4:00 pm 06/17 7:00 pm Retreat will be held in July A special thank you to all who helped make our recent "Tea At First United Methodist Church" such a resounding success. We made $425 which is going toward the boiler/heating system and had a wonderful time with friends from across this community. Thanks for baking goodies and for coming to the event and bringing your friends. Carol Barr, Kathy Thornton and Diane Buckley Partners in Prayer: Monday, June 2: 7:00 pm Cindy Leach’s Monday, June 16: 7:00 pm Carolyn Harvey’s Thank you to my church family for all your concern, your prayers, visits, flowers, cards and words of encouragement, during my recovery. It all means more to me than my words can express. Betty Islam www.fumcbc.org Service Team Updates 4 WESLEY WOODS THANK YOU! The Service Team would like to thank everyone who was able to attend the Wesley Woods Cabin Clean-up. We had a great day for the work. With the people from First who attended, we were able to complete the clean-up by noon. Once again we were able to finish in time for the lunch that the camp provided. It was very good as usual, especially the home-made cookies. First Church provided funding for a new door for the Walnut Cabin, a new blind for a window, and a new window pane. When we left Walnut and Nurse’s Cabin both looked like they were in tip top shape and ready to receive this year’s campers. Thanks again to everyone who came. You are sooo appreciated!! Board of Trustees Report 9 The Board of Trustees met On Wednesday, 7 May 2014. Parsonage Prospects - Our new pastors in July will not need to live in the parsonage. We might sell the parsonage and keep the proceeds in escrow. We might rent the parsonage for taxable income. The Trustees heard and received appraisal and rental information about the Parsonage. Much discussion took place. Many questions were asked. A decision will be made at the next meeting. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be Wednesday, 4 June 2014 at 6:30 P.M. Wednesday Willing Workers St. Thomas Breakfast Program Everyone check your calendar. First Church has signed on to help with the St. Thomas Breakfast Program for two weeks in July. We have the weeks of July 7th and July 14th. The sign-up sheets will be at the Service Team table very soon and we are counting on all of you to help out. It really is a lot of fun and you will meet some very nice people who do so appreciated what you are doing. This year will be doing it a little bit different. Each day we will need a minimum of eight people. We will need two of those eight to report at 7:00 am and then the rest at 8:00 am. The two early birds will be getting started on the cooking and the rest will be arriving to do the serving and cleaning up. If you have any questions, stop by the Service Team table or talk to a Service Team member. Just stop by and sign up!!! The prayer bear program is going well however we are in much need of more bears and would welcome any help, be it donate a bear or cash to purchase more bears. If you have any donations please stop by the service team tables. It is great to see a bear leave our church in some ones loving arms knowing it will be comforting a friend or family member. The bears can be a word of encouragement, uplifting and healing. The service team members add the cross and verse to each bear before the bear takes a seat in the sanctuary to be hugged, loved and squeezed during our worship. Thanks for any help in the past, present and future of the prayer bear program. www.fumcbc.org Many have helped with projects that otherwise would not have been accomplished including mowing the grass, cleaning the grounds, correcting electrical problems, and fixing plumbing problems. Thank you to Jack Brown, Ed Henegar, Mary Jackson, Terry Smith, and Ken Wade. Summer Music Opportunities! We are looking for talented musicians - singers and instrumentalists - to share their gifts for God’s glory at Sunday morning worship. Dates are available in July and August for our contemporary or traditional worship services. Please see Wendy Wheeler, Director of Music for more information and sign-up. Looking to try out the choir? Join us for Impromptu Choir this summer. We will meet 45 minutes before traditional service to learn an easy anthem and introit. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Come with an open heart and mouth to share praise with our church family. Mark these dates in your calendar: July 13 August 3 August 24. For more info, contact Wendy Wheeler at wwheeler@firstumcbc.org or 269.963.5567 x102. www.fumcbc.org Vacation Bible School 2014 8 5 June 23 - 27 9:00 am - 12:00 pm noon A big Weird Animals greeting from your friends at First United Methodist Church! This year at Vacation Bible School, kids will discover that Weird Animals is a habitat fill with incredible Bible-learning experiences that kids see, hear, touch, and even taste! Team-building games, Bible adventures, crazy crafts, and tasty treats are just a few of the standout activities that help faith flow into real life. Take a walk with us on the wild side June 23-27 from 9:00am until 12:00pm. We offer a preschool for children who are potty trained through prekindergarten. Children who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade will be in a multi-age crew. Older children and adults are welcome to volunteer to lead a crew or help with the many fun activities offered during VBS. For more information, call the church office at 963-5567 or Anne Stagner at 963-5711. There will also be registration forms available in the Atrium. See you June 23 for a daily celebration of Jesus’ love that you won’t want to miss! In Christ’s love, Your VBS team at First United Methodist Church First United Methodist Church Budget Report Summarized for Jan 1 through Mar 30, 2014 - 1st Quarter 25% of Year ● Deficit Budget of $1,176.00 for 2014 Account Category Income Pledges Amount Budgeted YTD Ahead or Behind Total Annual Budget % of Annual Budget $41,961.00 $41,184.00 $777.00 $164,740.00 25.47% Non-Pledges $9,850.60 $5,001.00 $4,849.60 $20,000.00 49.25% Loose Plate Offerings $1,076.50 $876.00 $200.50 $3,500.00 30.76% $1,701.00 -$1,110.00 $9,095.00 6.50% Other Budgeted $591.00 2013 Carryover (Estimated) Total Income Account Category Expenses Total Salaries $30,000.00 $30,000.00 $0.00 $30,000.00 100.00% $83,479.10 $78,762.00 $4,717.10 $227,335.00 36.72% Actual Expenses YTD Amount Budget YTD Ahead or Behind Total Annual Budget % of Annual Budget $24,929.60 $27,083.00 $2,153.40 $116,039.00 21.48% Total Church Bldg $7,777.30 $13,920.00 $6,142.70 $55,673.00 13.97% Total Parsonage $2,157.46 $1,830.00 -$327.46 $6,555.00 32.91% Total Ministry Shares $7,123.50 $7,125.00 $1.50 $28,494.00 25.00% Total Office $2,182.46 $2,811.00 $628.54 $11,240.00 19.42% $1,623.96 $2,856.00 $1,232.04 $10,510.00 15.45% www.fumcbc.org $45,794.28 $55,625.00 $9,830.72 $228,511.00 20.04% Total - All Other Budgeted www.fumcbc.org Actual Income YTD Total Expenses Pastor Marshall Murphy Jr. 6 Harmony with God! Since the summer season is making its way into our midst, what things activate your senses? Is it the smell of fresh cut flowers, cut grass, or the aromas of someone grilling food outside? Have you heard children playing outside or maybe a rain shower? Maybe seeing a smile on the face of someone brings a warm glow in your heart. In life we experience a variety of emotional seasons. Sometimes it’s hard to capture a moment of feeling happiness when we are surrounded by a plethora of concerns. The way some people are living every second of each day in this world makes our souls cry out for those enduring so much pain. What does harmony in life mean to you? Sometimes, it’s hard to embrace the words of Scripture to find comfort, peace and sanctuary. The book of Proverbs is acknowledged as wisdom literature. Although, the words in Proverbs are insightful and reflective, where are the guidelines for one’s personal life’s application? Harmony has the characteristics of unity, peace, balance and agreement. Sometimes in life these characteristics are distant from any way shape or form of harmony in certain situations. Proverbs 3 verses 5-6 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. These two verses require actions and a deep willingness to perform several things. Trusting in the Lord, giving 100% of your heart, and shielding yourself from yourself. In other words not letting your personal thoughts alter or filter your lens in seeing what the Lord is doing in various situations. This is a conundrum because people see things based upon many factors. Many people’s thoughts are shaped and formulated from their construction of personal experiences and context. However, these verses are alluding to a pathway for living in harmony with God which is truly a remarkable destination. Trusting in God, living as the children of God, and walking in the Light of Christ is a dynamic reflection of our true identity. It is not an easy task sometimes to “let go and let God” guide us in specific situations. But, faith is a catalyst to help lead us when the vision is not clear. I pray for the people to continue running with a thirst and enthusiasm for engaging a harmonious life in love with God. Life Notes - from Pastor Dave 7 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 Compassionate Emptiness Most days, my life is very full as are many of yours. With such full lives, how can we make room for anything beyond the urgent, pressing demands of the moment? Unfortunately, many things of critical importance will not demand our attention, such as spending quality time, in sufficient quantities, with our children and our spouses. Spirit-building activities like spending time with God in prayer, contemplating scripture, and immersing ourselves in silence, are among the common casualties to a busy life. That which seems urgent will crowd out that which is truly important, unless we are intentional about our priorities. We may not realize what is of greatest value in our lives until we find ourselves in crisis. Even when we make time for others, we are often so distracted that we are never actually present with them. When our minds are occupied by reports to write, phone calls to return, and the image we present to others, we are unable to fully attend to the emotional needs of those most important to us. We may hear the words they say, yet never catch the feelings behind the words. If my cup is already full, how do I make time for others? How do I put myself in a position for God to speak to, or to influence me? To truly listen to another means I am willing to be influenced, willing to allow my mind to be changed. If we cannot sufficiently empty our minds to allow new ideas and insights to enter, we close ourselves off from being influenced, improved, or blessed by others. At the same time, we deprive others of the opportunity to be blessed by us. I first experience the term Compassionate Emptiness while doing some reading on Servant Leadership. The basic premise is that we must empty ourselves of all distractions, worries, and thoughts in order to be fully attentive to, and to understand what is on the mind or heart of another. That type of emptiness is compassionate because others desire and deserve our full attention. In the context of our relationship to God, we must empty ourselves for God’s love and compassion to enter us. Either way, emptiness is a prerequisite for compassion. Come home to church this Sunday. Empty yourself and be filled! Blessings, Pastor Marshall Murphy Jr. P.S. An opportunity for our own Wendy Wheeler - From June 9-23, Wendy will be in India working with Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP). She will be working with Nick Dalton in a program that uses the arts as a tool to empower young people with creativity, knowledge, and a strong sense of self esteem. While there she will be teaching music for an uplifting new musical written for the children of India to perform nation-wide in November. www.fumcbc.org www.fumcbc.org