First United Methodist Church What is the Purpose of “Worship”?

a monthly newsletter from
First United Methodist Church
“Loving God -- Loving People”
Pastor Dale Scritchfield
October 2014
Pastor Craig Luttrell
What is the Purpose of “Worship”?
Pastor Craig Luttrell
In recent weeks a fairly well known American Christian made the following statement: “So, I want
you to know this morning: Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be
happy…When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really.
You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy.”
She was lambasted, of course, by Christians all over the world and bloggers were quick to chime
in with their criticism and witty quips. Her basic point was, I believe, quite off base and ought to
be called into question. Rather than worshipping God because God is worthy of our praise, she
basically contends that worship is not ultimately about honoring God; rather, it is about me—my
happiness, my wellbeing, my experience.
A few days after she made her now infamous statement, a blogger composed what I believe is a
rather sobering yet true article. His main point was this: Yes, what this Christian leader said was
quite ridiculous; however most people in the church approach church the exact same way!
Granted, we probably would not explicitly say that worship is about “me”; but, think about how
we approach a worship service. How many times have you come away from a Sunday morning
service and thought: “That music really didn’t appeal to me” or “That sermon didn’t speak to me”
or “I didn’t get anything out of that worship service.” (Or, “That music really appealed to me”;
That sermon spoke to me”; I got a lot out of that service.)
Now, I understand we all have preferences and such and experiencing God is something we all
long for; however, the primary purpose of a worship service is to worship God—not ourselves.
What if we came away thinking: “That music really lifted up Christ” or “That sermon glorified God”
or “I imagine that worship service was pleasing to God”?
We live in an increasingly consumer culture and it is our responsibility, as followers of Christ, to
make sure our focus remains on pleasing God rather than ourselves. My hope and prayer is that
each and every one of us will keep this focus on the forefront of our hearts and minds.
Trustees Report by Brad Braga
As you probably know, the roof replacement has been completed so we have turned our main focus to
the heating issues in the sanctuary and Wesley addition. The boiler was replaced a few years ago and is in
excellent condition and has many years of use left. However, the rest of the system, which is about sixty
years old, is in need of major attention. We have contracted with a heating consultant to look at all of our
options.
After carefully studying these options, we concluded the best way was to proceed in two phases. The
first phase was previously approved and funded. However, both phases were bid for the purpose of getting
the best possible price.
At this time, phase one has been contracted for and is to be completed by mid-October. This includes
replacing the obsolete valves, which replacement parts are no longer available. The controllers which
operate the valves will be replaced, as well.
Phase two would be to replace all of the old steam piping and condensation lines as well the heat
registers. There are many areas in the church currently without heat because of leaking issues. In the near
future we will hold discussions with the Ad Council and congregation as to what should be done and whether
to proceed with this part of the project.
I would also like to say a big thank-you to all of those men who worked on the stone wall on the east side
of the Church. Tom Taylor headed up this project on Service at Church Sunday September 14th. We had
an estimate of about a thousand dollars to do this work, so it was most appreciated and a savings for the
Church budget.
SPRC by Karen Duden, Chairperson
On behalf of our entire committee, I want to thank all of you for the love and support you have shown to
our pastors. I know both Pastor Dale and Pastor Craig appreciate your prayers and support! I also want to
thank all of you for the financial support you have given Pastor Dale and Marleta. As you may know,
in August Pastor Dale was granted long term disability. This means the insurance company, not the church
is paying his salary. However, when on long-term disability, an individual does not receive his entire salary,
but rather a portion of it. Our church is not allowed to pay the difference between his normal salary and what
he is getting from the insurance company. However, individuals are welcome send Pastor Dale and Marleta
money directly or give it to Karen Duden who will ensure the money gets to the Scritchfields. SPRC will
continue to conduct fundraising activities and we truly appreciate your support. A very special thank you to
Meredith and Mary Miller for selling Gold Canyon candles as a fundraiser!
If you want to know how to help Pastor Craig, please continue to pray for him as he picks up additional
responsibilities. You can also help him by signing up to help cover one of the Zomi worship services on
Sunday afternoons. You do not have set anything up – all you need to do is be there during the service.
Honestly, I can't wait for my turn; I am excited to see to their worship service! The other way to help is to
volunteer one Wednesday evening to help with youth. Your service is truly a blessing!
Van Orman House Presentation by Barb Matya
Emma Macy from the Van Orman House spoke to Missions and Hand in Hand about the purpose of this
home and their needs. This is a transitional home for women 18 and older, not a treatment facility. Women
may have children under the age of 12. The average stay ranges from 4 to 9 months. The goal is to take
women from the survival mode to a successful life. They are part of Quakerdale and receive no government
or insurance funding.
They have Bible studies, counseling sessions, classes on relationships, parenting, meal planning, nutrition and finances. They would like volunteers who have expertise in these areas to help with the classes.
Ways to help:
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Spend time at the Van Orman House helping the women with various tasks.
Drive the women to appointments
Be a mentor
Help with occasional deep cleaning
 Furnish supplies like toilet paper, soap, shampoo, cleaning products
 Toys for older children
If you would like to help or have questions, please contact Barb Matya or Gina Ruddock.
UMW by Bev Sloppy
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UMW Board Meeting – October 2 at 9:30 am in the Lower Tower Room
CWU – October 3 at 9:15 am. Contact Janice Springer for details.
Cards are still available in the office for $6.00 for a box of twelve. Stop in and Jo will help you.
Central District Annual Meeting – September 13 at West Des Moines UMC 8:30 am - 2:30pm. Register
by calling Bev Sloppy or Edie Hodges by September 5.
Circles:
Naomi and Wesleyan meet on the third Thursday of the month.
Charity meets on the fourth Monday of the month.
November 1 - Ingathering in Cedar Rapids. Please return your kits prior to this date.
Beverly Edie, Mary Cowdrey, and Val Clark stepped up to chair the Holiday Stroll Soup Supper/
Cookie Walk on Saturday, November 22, 2014. I am sure they would welcome anyone else who
would love to team up with them for this great event. They will need other sub-chairs to help with the
different parts of the event, plus helpers and food donations. Be thinking how you might help and/or
donate food for this event. This is one of our money making events for our mission giving. We need
everyone’s support.
UMW is always looking for leaders to chair an event. Contact Bev Sloppy or Edie Hodges, if
interested.
Consecration Sunday
We are quickly approaching November 2nd, which is Consecration Sunday. “Consecration” means
“dedicated to a sacred purpose”. Our sacred purpose as First United Methodist Church is to love God with
all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Likewise, the second sacred purpose of First United Methodist
Church is to love others as we love ourselves.
A significant aspect of loving God and loving others is doing so with our finances. Although Jesus talked
about money and wealth a great deal, the contemporary church seems rather remiss to do so. Make no
mistake, however: loving God with all that we are includes putting our money where our heart is. Jesus
said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I am asking all of us, as followers of Jesus, to take him at his word. I am asking each one of us to place
our treasure where our hearts are supposed to be—that is, into the Kingdom of God. Instead of doing a several week sermon series on giving this year, I am praying and trusting that each and every one of us will use
the coming weeks to seriously and prayerfully consider what Christ asks of us financially in the coming year.
What unnecessary luxury are you willing to give up this year in order to demonstrate your dedication to your
God given sacred purpose? I pray each of us will give and give generously out of the abundance God has
blessed us with.
Local & Global Missions by Barb Matya
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Thank you to Ruth Jackson, Shirlee Rohrs, Sandy Patterson, Laura Aukes, Jo Lynch and the
Hand in Hand group for helping with the 2 September soup kitchens. Welcome Laura and Jo to
the crew. If you or your group would like to help with this ministry, please contact me. October
23 is the next one.
Thanks to everyone who brought dish soap for the Supply Closet in September.
We are collecting OTC cold medicines & Tylenol for the October Supply Closet.
Ingathering Kit information will be in the narthex October 5 and 12. Kits need to be returned by
October 19.
Missions next meeting is Tuesday, October 21 at 4:00 pm.
Music News! by Janet Collison
Rehearsals are in full swing as we move into October. The Alleluia Ringers have already started
their Christmas anthem and the Sanctuary Singers will soon start the upcoming Cantata.
I’m especially pleased to invite you to sing in our cantata entitled “What a Glorious Night.” We
will have 8 rehearsals (the first one is October 22 at 7:15 pm) before our presentation on December
14 - that is surely enough time to learn your parts well. Even if you do not normally sing in the choir,
I invite you to jump in for this exciting cantata which is a mix of contemporary and traditional.
Singing at Christmastime makes the season fresh and come alive.
I’m also very excited to announce that I will be conducting The Messiah this year. Truly, I am
very honored that the Central Iowa Choral Society invited me to conduct the 62nd Messiah. It will
return to our church where it has been for years and years. There will be 5 rehearsals starting
November 9th (2:00-4:00 pm) before our presentation the evening of December 7th. If you would
like to join this choir, I would be mighty pleased to see our church members singing this magnificent
piece of music. Do come and sing!
PB&J Free Lunch by Ann Berg
Our first PB&J day was a success. Providing 45 children lunch was made possible by the help of many! HyVee and Fareway donated the bread. Bob Atha of Appleberry Farm supplied us with the apples. Our wonderful church members provided the peanut butter, jelly, cookies, paper products and, most of all, their time
and helping hands. Thank you to each and every one of you. I anticipate this happening again. Doing
God’s work is fun.
CTI Visit by Barb Matya
Thank you to everyone who helped with our CTI weekend. Pam Vinson arranged housing for the group.
Dale & Pat Batcheler, Tom & Gina Ruddock and Pam provided homes for them to stay in Saturday night
and breakfast. Jon Muller and Tom Taylor prepared meals with help from Ruth Jackson, Ed Matya, Niki &
Brooklynn Casey, Gretchen Taylor, Janet Collison and myself. The meals were excellent. Janet Collison
was our welcoming emcee for both programs.
Thank you to all who attended and donated to CTI. They are a wonderful group of young people who are
excited about our Lord and are telling others about Him.
Children’s Lending Library by Gina Ruddock
Check It Out!
We have two new titles at the Children’s Lending Library, located near the Welcome Center.
Just in Case You Ever Wonder, by Max Lucado, “shows your children just how special they
are to God and to you and helps you express unconditional love for them - simply, powerfully,
forever.”
You Are Special by Max Lucado, “holds a vital message for children everywhere: that
regardless of how the world evaluates them, God cherishes each of them, just as they are.”
New books will continue to be added to the cart and children may check out a book to enjoy
at home.
Prayer Shawl Ministry from Kathy Braga
Fall is officially here now, and it sure feels like it with a little chill in the air. We have made already close to 80
shawls this year. We are in pretty good shape as far as our supply of shawls. People seem to be quite grateful
to get them. My worry is that someone may want or need one and is not getting it. So, please know that you
only have to tell us or stop by church and pick one up at the church office. There is not a charge, it is a gift. Our
prayer is for the person receiving the shawl to feel the love and comfort of God when wearing it. Many prayers
are said over the shawls while they are being made and after. Feel free to help us make these shawls and bring
blessings to others.
Finance Committee Report by Kevin Miller, Chairperson
Hebrews 6:10 says “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you
have helped his people and continue to help them.” We need to remember this in our daily lives and know that
God is watching us and sees our actions, good or bad. We need to be doing his work. We should be spreading his word to everyone. We should be helping his people, all of his people, which include everyone on this
planet. I know that is hard to do and I have to keep reminding myself that all people are God’s people and I
need to be willing to help all of them. Luke 6:38 should help give us incentive to help others as it tells us “Give,
and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured
into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke is telling us that for what we do,
it will be returned to us.
In September we did show that we are willing to serve in many different ways. First we had our first Service
Sunday with opportunities to serve at the Church and throughout the community. It was great to see so many
people participating in this, with so many choices. I chose to help at the Animal Rescue League which concerned my wife; she made me promise not to come home with any of the many cute residents. I did honor her
request but informed her of several very lovable options, this is still under discussion. We also had our Packaging event in September which is always well staffed with helpers and a very generous congregation supporting
this event every year.
We will be celebrating Consecration Sunday on November 2nd this year. There will be a potluck in Fellowship Hall following our service. We ask you to bring a side dish or dessert and the Church will supply ham. I
look forward to seeing all of you there.
Thank You again in all you do. You make this a great place to worship.
Hand in Hand Ministry by Gina Ruddock
Hand in Hand Ministry is in full swing this month with several activities. We are making progress
on approximately 15 hats being made for the cancer center at McFarland Clinis. Thanks to our fearless leader
on this project, Reva Roland, we may just become skilled labor. Please continue to keep the patients in your
prayers.
Thanks to all who chose our tag-making workshop at the Service Day on September 14. This cheerful group
of volunteers made tags for the treats we send to the cancer center. We will soon be supplying a basket to Iowa
River Hospice as well.
As I write this we are ready to help with PB&J Day. It will be good to help our church serve as a resource for
hungry children on a day off from school. We will also be serving at House of Compassion later this month. And
we learned more about the work at The Van Orman House in conjunction with the Missions Committee. What a
wonderful Christian outreach they provide to women in difficult life transitions.
New ideas continue to come in and we will prayerfully consider any outreach idea. Anyone is welcome to
join in with an idea or a helping hand. Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 28 at 5:30 pm in the Staff Room.
“…because faith and good works go hand in hand.”
- Pastor Dale Scritchfield
Monthly Meetings:
Marvin & Marjorie Braga in the death
of Marjorie’s sister, Margaret James.
Trustees: Thursday, October 2 at 5:00 pm
The family of Truth Neill
Finance: Tuesday, October 14 at 5:00 pm
Dennis & Heidi Drager in the death of
Dennis’ mother, Betty.
SPRC: Tuesday, TBD at 5:45 pm
Missions: Tuesday, October 21 at 4:00 pm
Ad Council: November 18 at 5:00 pm
Lyle & Janice Springer in the death of
Janice’s nephew, Kevin Kroener.
Charge Conference: Saturday, October 18 at
10:00 am at Hope UMC
THANK YOU
To
Everyone who participated in our
Service Sunday.
Your efforts are appreciated and
you made a difference.
Keep track of Pastor Dale’s progress at
this website.
Insurance Requirement
Please do not sit in the front
row of the balconies.
You are invited
50th Anniversary Celebration
Open House
For Dean & Ivadeen Proffitt
Saturday, October 4
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Fellowship Hall
HOC Supply Closet
October Collection
OTC Cold Medicine or
Tylenol
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Meets
Thursdays at 10:00 am in the
Oasis.
Anyone is welcome to join in.
September Worship Styles
October 5 - Traditional, communion, Alleluia Ringers
October 12 - Contemporary, 3rd Grade Bibles presented
October 19 - Marketplace
October 26 - Blended, Sanctuary Singers, Alleluia Ringers
Exercise Class
Officially Resumes October 2
8:15 - 9:00 am
Fellowship Hall
All you need is an
exercise ball & mat.
Aaron, Grant & Liz Fitz,
Todd Eipperle, Scott Vial
Derek Johnson,
Dalton VanZwol
This Month’s Usher / Greeter Teams
Meredith Miller
Al Brennecke
Jane Markey
Dick & Sue Cope
Keith Noack
Chuck Wood
Friday, October 31
5:30 - 7:00 pm
Bring your trunk & treats
Donations of candy or cash appreciated.
Jon & Dawn Muller - Co-chairs
Dear First United Methodist Church,
On behalf of all the wonderful children at the Y Summer Camp, we would like to say thank you for donating
the books to us. The books have happy homes now, as well as a nice reading lounge where the kids can
read away! Than you for thinking of us.
Sincerely, David Waterhouse, Day Camp/Fit Kids Coordinator
(This is one of the Hand in Hand projects)
“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD,
is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
Isaiah 12:2
Rides to Church
Would you be willing to pick someone up on your way to church this winter? Paige Legg and David
Santana would like to start a ministry that would enable people to come to church when the weather isn’t
ideal for them to be driving. Watch for a signup sheet later this month at the Welcome Center
or contact Paige or David.
If you’d like to receive the newsletter online,
please call the church office or e-mail
bmatt@thewebunwired.com.
October
Change for Change
Trunk or Treat
You Can Now Hear Our
Weekly Sermons at
http://http://fumcmarshalltown.sermoncampus.info/main/
or
there is a link on our web page.
Communion
October 5
NONPROFIT ORG.
First United Methodist Church
202 West Main Street
Marshalltown, IA 50158-5893
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MARSHALLTOWN, IA
Phone (641) 752-3668
PERMIT #30
Return Service Requested
Worship Schedule
8:45 am—Sunday School*
9:30 am— Fellowship Time
10:00 am—Worship*
2:00 pm — Zomi Christian Fellowship
*Nursery available.
www.fumc-mtown.org
fumc@thewebunwired.com
Church Office Hours
Tuesday - Friday
9:00 am - Noon
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
FUMC Staff
Senior Pastor: Dale Scritchfield x1002
Associate Pastor: Craig Luttrell x1003
Worship Leader: Janet Collison x1016
Organist/Bell Director: Jan Randall
Youth & Children:
Receptionist: Jo Ruff x1000
Admin Assistant: Barb Matya x1008
Finance Secretary: Dawn Muller x1007
Custodians: Steve Cherveny x1001
Ruth Jacobson
Please turn in articles for the November newsletter to Barb Matya by October
20th at bmatt@thewebunwired.com