Read - Ridge United Methodist Church

Volume 8, Issue 7
July 2016
Inside this issue:
This Month
2-4
Next Month
5
Youth
6
Children & Families
7
Children & Youth
8
Thank You &
Recently
9 & 10
In Ministry &
Celebrations
11
Michelle Knight,
Senior Pastor
michelle@ridgeumc.org
Paden Gullquist,
Family & Children Pastor
paden@ridgeumc.org
Dan Williams,
Traditional Music Director
dan@ridgeumc.org
Allan Evett,
Solid Ground Music Leader
aevett1@yahoo.com
Michael Brander,
Interim Youth Leader
mrb91@sbcglobal.net
Holly Cummings,
Administrative Assistant
holly@ridgeumc.org
Dave Miller,
Facility Manager
davidmiller1541@comcast.net
Linda Boender, Treasurer
linda@ridgeumc.org
Susan Bryce,
Childcare Worker
sbryce67@yahoo.com
A
year ago this month my family and I
ate our first chocolate donuts from
Munster Donut, took our first bike ride to
Centennial Park, and enjoyed our first ice
cream cones at Dairi-ville in Dyer. My
family has already created wonderful
memories here in Northwest Indiana.
Looking back over the past twelve months
I am fascinated to see the threads of
God’s Spirit weaving through our life
together as a congregation. God’s
presence has been moving through us in
mighty ways. My- what God has
accomplished through us this year! From
welcoming new staff (Dan, Phil M., Paden
and Michael) and new members to brand
new state-of-art sound systems in both
worship spaces; from memorial gifts for
energy-efficient doors, worship banners,
new fellowship hall cross to a new cart for
our grand piano; God’s generosity has
been present in our faith community.
But there is more to what God’s Spirit is
doing than only people and things. God’s
Spirit has been moving through people and
things into new ministries, new potential,
and new excitement and enthusiasm!
A small group from our Operations Team has
interviewed two different capital fund/debt
reduction consultants and will recommend a
firm to help us pay down a large portion of
the principal on our mortgage so that more
monies are freed up to invest in ministries. A
grant will be written to cover half of the
consultant’s fees.
A sub-team from Operations is also
preparing a plan to remodel and make
ADA accessible the bathrooms in the
education wing. Another grant will be
written to help cover a portion of this
remodel cost. When all of Ridge’s
restrooms become handicap accessible,
we can welcome families and individuals
with a variety of handicap needs.
Last month our Administrative Council
affirmed a report from a feasibility group
which investigated what sort of weekday
ministry Ridge could offer for our larger
Munster community's benefit. The team
explored everything from preschool to
senior adult care, etc. The feasibility team
discovered that there is both a need and
interest in ministry with children/youth/
adults with special needs in Munster. Our
Nominating Committee is now developing
a team to explore the next steps of this
new ministry possibility.
Finally, our Ad Hoc worship team has begun
reading and learning, listening and sharing,
praying and discerning. Our discussions are
passionate and vigorous because each
member of this small group believes in the
amazing potential of Ridge to grow in our
worship and discipleship making. You will
hear more from this group soon.
What amazing things God’s Spirit is doing
among us- bringing hope, love and meaning!
I see God’s Spirit? Do you?
Pastor Michelle
THIS MONTH
Page 2
The Connection
Come and join us as we
walk in the Munster
parade on Monday,
July 4th!
We’ll have one
combined service at
10 a.m. in the
fellowship hall
We will meet at church at 1:30
p.m. and walk over to
Community Park to line up.
The parade time is 2 p.m. We
will pass out flyers (and
maybe goodies) to all the
children along the parade
route to invite them to our
“Surf Shack” VBS.
Our amazing-looking floats
have won prizes the past
few years, thanks to our
hard-working volunteers. If
you’d like to help decorate
our float this year, please
contact Beth Ann Smolinski
at 219-513-8224.
AND
Ridge Church will be
serving food at the
July 3rd Celebration
at Centennial Park.
THANK YOU
To all who donated
food items, bottled
water and/or Pepsi
products.
THANK YOU
To all who
volunteered to work
at our booth!
This fundraiser could
not happen without
all of YOU!
Friday, July 8th @ 6:30 p.m.
Come watch “Zootopia!”
Ridge High School Youth are sponsoring this fun,
family event in the fellowship hall. Popcorn will
even be available! All for a free-will donation.
The evening will also include a collection of new or
gently-used duffle bags or luggage, which will be
donated to foster kids living at Campagna Academy.
All proceeds from this event will benefit Campagna
Academy in Schererville.
THIS MONTH
Volume 8, Issue 7
Primetimers: Visit Konnie
Kuiper Auto Museum with
lunch at Toast & Jam
Thursday, July 21st, 9:30 a.m.
The Primetimers will again enjoy a tour
of the Konnie Kuiper Auto Museum. See
numerous antique cars, buggies, a
stagecoach, plus many historical
transportation artifacts. The Museum is
located at 1423 Catlin Drive, Griffith, on
the east side of Griffith and easy to find.
Following the tour we’ll enjoy lunch at Toast and Jam Restaurant,
located just three miles from the Museum. Lunch is slated for 12:15
p.m. and will be off-the-menu. Maps with driving directions to both
the museum and restaurant will be available on the Primetimers
sign-up bulletin board in the church hallway.
Please sign up for this outing by Wednesday noon, July 20th, or you
may email Sue Gray (suzygray@hotmail.com). If you need a ride or
want to car pool from the church, please so note on the sign-up sheet.
Direct questions to Sue or Dennis Gray by email or telephone 838-7039.
(Mark your calendar for the August 18th Primetimers event:
Lunch and fellowship at Jedi’s Garden Restaurant in Griffith .)
Page 3
Book Group:
Monday, July
25th @ 7 p.m.
One single
mom.
One
chaotic
family.
One quirky
stranger.
Suppose your husband has
done a vanishing act, your
teenage stepson is being
bullied and your math whiz
daughter has a once-in-alifetime opportunity that
you can’t afford to pay for.
That’s Jess’s life in a
nutshell—until her boss,
Geeky Ed, the obnoxious
tech millionaire whose
vacation home she
happens to clean, offers to
drive this dysfunctional
family to the Math
Olympiad.
Our mission project this year will be funding as many boxes of roof
shingles as possible for a local Habitat for Humanity home. And the
rest of our Ridge Church family will be trying to fund a whole roof!
Call the Munster Public
Library today to reserve
your copy, or go online to
lcplin.org to place a
request. Then join the
discussion on July 25th!
THIS MONTH
Page 4
The Connection
Help put a roof over
a local family!
This summer, children
in kindergarten through
5th grade will be
working on the summer
musical, The Amazing
Beginning this month and continuing
through July, you can join your Ridge
Missions Team in in meeting the goal of
raising $2,500 to put a roof on a local Habitat for Humanity
home. Our Vacation Bible School kids will also be raising
money during VBS week to fund as many boxes of roofing
shingles as they can! Together with our VBS program, we
can be a blessing to families in need in the Northwest
Indiana area.
Use the special envelopes on the
Welcome table, and please give
generously!
Scripture Memory
Maze, during Sunday
school. Children will
begin their morning by
attending worship with
their families at 9:45
a.m. Then, following a
special children's time,
they will be dismissed to
their class where they
will learn music and
practice their parts.
It’s sure to be lots of
fun! The musical will be
presented on Sunday,
August 21st. See the
next page for more
information!
We Still Need Your Recipes!
Thank you to those who have already
submitted their recipes, but we need
more! You still have time to submit
your favorites for our new Ridge
Church cookbook—our deadline is
Sunday, August 7th. Look for recipe
forms in the black bags on the
Cookbook bulletin boards.
We will also be reprinting some recipes previously submitted
and printed in our older cookbooks.
Publication’s title
The Connection
(Tax ID 35-1076493)
Issue date
June 30, 2016
Statement of frequency
Published monthly
Organization’s authorized
address
Ridge United Methodist Church
8607 Columbia Avenue
Munster, IN 46321
Issue number
Volume 8, Issue 7
Celebrate
Independence
July 4th!
NEXT MONTH
Page 5
Volume 8, Issue 7
It’s back-toschool time,
and the
Ridge Church
Missions
Team is collecting
backpacks and school
supplies for
underprivileged school
children in northwest
Indiana. Since school
supplies are on sale right
now, please pick up a few
items on the following list.
Labeled boxes for donated
items will be inside each
church entrance through
August.
THE LIST:
Backpacks—
new or gently
used, all sizes
Markers—any type
Pens
Loose-leaf paper—wide
ruled
Spiral notebooks
#2 pencils and erasers—
block or cap types
Pocket folders
Scissors—pointed tips
preferred
Highlighters
Plastic pencil boxes
Boxes of facial tissue
Kitchen storage bags (ziplock)—gallon & quart sizes
Boxes of baby wipes
Computer flash drives
(used are OK)
Crayola
Crayons—24
pack or
smaller
Glue sticks and/or Elmer’s
school glue
Cash for other needed
items
Anything else that
looks useful!
Women’s Bible Study Summer Dates
During the summer, Women’s Bible Study
will meet monthly instead of weekly, on
the following Tuesdays:
July 26th, and August 16th.
Weekly meetings will resume on Tuesday, September 6th.
YOUTH
Page 6
The Connection
Middle School Mission Week saw as
many as 11 youth participate in local
missions around NW Indiana. Over
the course of the week they worked
with the Food Bank of NW Indiana
(above left), Children of Abraham
(right), and Hartsfield Care Center
(left). The youth also distributed
grocery bags around the Ridge
Church neighborhood for a food
drive and collected around 50 bags
(below) to help local residents who are in need of food. The
work they accomplished this week was truly inspiring and
will go a long way in helping people right here in Munster
but also around the world.
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
Page 7
Volume 8, Issue 7
Hello! from Paden
Hello, Ridge Church people!
Thank you for your warm and
gracious welcome! I have felt
very much at home so far and
I’ve only been here a few weeks!
I’m very excited to be a part of
the Ridge family and the
ministries. In my short time here
I’ve attended all sorts of
committee meetings, and met
with several people in one-onone or small-group settings. I can
say that I am incredibly
encouraged by the passion that
people at Ridge have for their
church. It is inspiring and hopeful
that people care so much! I hope
to build on that passion and
journey with you into a deeper
faith that we can share with our
community and our world.
For now, I’m in the informationgathering stage—but be on
the lookout for some changes
and for some new ministries to
pop up here and there (or at
least for some new ideas to
float around). Ridge has so
much potential that isn’t quite
being tapped into yet, and I
want to guide us in turning that
potential into active ministry!
It’s still too early to tell what any
changes to the children’s,
youth, or education programs
might look like. But I’m praying
for guidance for me, Pastor
Michelle, and for the rest of our
leadership here (that includes
you), that we can all see the
paths God has for us as a
church community, and that
we may all have the faith,
courage, and strength to follow
those paths.
If you need to get in contact
with me, feel free to send me
an email at
paden@ridgeumc.org, or give
me a call at the church any
time Monday through
Thursday. I know God has big
plans for this church and I can’t
wait to journey with you as they
begin to unfold.
Be blessed,
Paden
Did you know that you
can raise money for Ridge
Church’s Education
Ministries while you shop?
You can when you
purchase—and use—
scrip cards!
On the second Sunday of
the month, you can
purchase scrip cards for
most of the stores you visit
for everyday needs—
groceries, prescriptions,
gas, clothes, and more. All
the stores participating in
the Great Lakes Scrip
program rebate a
percentage of what you
spend back to the church.
It’s that simple!
Congratulations 2016 Graduates!
On Sunday,
June 5th, we
celebrated the
graduation of
(from left)
Daniel Cappo,
Brody
Claesgens,
Chloe Zatorski
and Claire
Svoboda.
Our next Scrip Card
Sunday will be July 10th.
Please consider putting
your shopping dollars to
work for Ridge Church!
CHILDREN & YOUTH
Page 8
SUMMER
MUSICAL
Sunday,
August 21st
The Connection
TransforMission 2016
High School
Mission Trip
Monday, July 10th
to
Friday, July 15th
Michael Brandner is taking a group of high school youth to
Indianapolis for a week-long mission through
TransforMission. Sponsored by the Indiana Conference,
TransforMission is designed to help youth connect with God
and each other while serving alongside some of the best
mission organizations in Indianapolis. This life-changing
mission experience will include: home repair, building wheel
chair ramps, Vacation Bible School, parks beautification,
urban gardening, and serving children and the elderly at
hospitals, day camps and nursing homes.
Please keep Michael and the youth in your prayers.
The Amazing Scripture
Memory Maze is a lively
children's musical that is
designed to help kids
memorize scripture. It
also brings action to the
stage, where three teams,
Faith, Hope and Joy
compete in 5 exciting
games. Many surprises
and great songs will have
the audience rocking in
their seats!
Come support the
children of Ridge Church
as they bring this actionpacked musical to
the Fellowship Hall on
Sunday, August 21st.
NEW NURSERY
POLICY
Beginning Sunday, August
21st, supervised Nursery care
will be available every Sunday morning for infants
through kindergarten-age students.
All other children are welcome in worship (children's
bulletins and new “Busy Bags” are available for both
sanctuary and fellowship hall services).
Also beginning Sunday August 21st (if not sooner),
weekly children's messages will be offered in all
worship services.
THANK YOU & RECENTLY
Page 9
Volume 8, Issue 7
"Don't Let Hatred Win"
In the aftermath of
another mass
shooting, we grieve
with the people of
Florida who have lost
loved ones, and we
pray for healing and
hope in the midst of this tragedy.
We are always tempted to look for answers or for blame, and this
shooting may turn out to be domestic terrorism, violence aimed
against gay and lesbians, or just the mindless act of a person filled
with hatred. Finding the cause or the blame is important, but it is
even more important that we don't let hatred win.
If we respond to hatred and violence with our own hatred and
violence, then we have lost. If we allow this terrible event to lead
us toward more prejudice and more profiling of any religious
group or ethnic group, then hatred has won.
As Martin Luther King, Jr said, "Darkness cannot cast out
darkness, only light can." So let us seek the Light of Christ and his
love, and let us make sure that hatred does not win.
~Bishop Michael J. Coyner
Dear Church Friends,
Many thanks for all the cards, prayers and kind
thoughts during my recent illness. Your concern meant a
lot toward my recovery.
Phyllis Washington
RECENTLY
Page 10
Would you be willing
to offer some special
music during the
summer season at
any—or all—the
worship services? I am
willing to accompany
you or your group and
assist you in preparing
a meaningful musical
offering to enhance
our summer worship
schedule.
The Connection
Youth Year-end Lock-in, June 3 & 4
All ages, instruments
and voices are needed
and welcome to fill our
summer schedule.
Please let me know
what dates in June,
July and/or August
you would be
available.
You can email me at
church at
dan@ridgeumc.org or
call me at the church
music office, (219)8384770, extension 11.
Blessing Paden on his first
Sunday at RUMC, June 5th
Thank you for offering
your gifts and talents
to your congregation.
Dan Williams
Traditional Music
Director
Primetimers at the Griffith/Merrillville Airport, June 9th
IN MINISTRY & CELEBRATIONS
Volume 8, Issue 7
Page 11
8:30
Gale Osgerby
Larry Giannini
1
2
3
7
8
9
10
12
14
15
16
18
Barbara Fieldhouse
Brenda Hendry
Chuck Matthews
Michael Brandner
Katie Gajewski
Isaac Smolinski
Tracey Wilson
Enrique Cook
Darlene Lang
Tom Marinier
Cheryl Lowery
Bill Yost
Arthur Black
Chyan Rangel
Diane Rangel
Emilie Riggs
David Dobrinich
Sue Gray
Nick Burmester
Stanley Jones
Tom Schreuder
Lindsey Sopetti
Michelle Sopetti
19
20
21
22
24
26
27
29
30
31
Steve & Marion Ray
Dennis & Sue Gray
Adam & Kasie Tenbarge
Larry & Phyllis Washington
Chuck & Carol Lair
Bill & Diane Payne
Scott & Beth Ann Smolinski
Arthur & Elaine Black
David & Laura Elkins
Tom & Ellie Marinier
Deb Birgel
Ashlynn Trombetta
Frank Dal Santo
Sarah Lasbury
Dick McClaughry
Jaxson Bandstra
Gar Guerrini
Anne Zatorski
Mandy Barbee
Kris Loos
Eric Svoboda
Richard Kitchell
Bernice Nance
Ava Tillman
Danielle McKinley
Sam Smolinski
Michael Kitchell
July 4
July 5
July 5
July 8
July 11
July 11
July 16
July 18
July 24
July 24
9:45
Dave Miller
11:00
8:30
7/3
7/10
7/17
7/24
7/31
Chuck & Carol Lair
Dave & Laura Elkins
Tom & Ellie Marinier
Tom & Ellie Marinier
Peter Canalia & Carol Lair
9:45
7/3
7/10
7/17
7/24
7/31
11:00
7/3
7/10
7/17
7/24
7/31
Stan & Judy Jones
Larry & Gail Bazarko
Tom & Cindy Regnier
Lew & LaVern Grasty
John & Cheryl Wagner
8:30
7/3
7/10
7/17
7/24
7/31
One service
Mandy Barbee
Rina Horgan
Wes Lukoshus
Chuck Lair
9:45
7/3
7/10
7/17
7/24
7/31
11:00
7/3
7/10
7/17
7/24
7/31
9:45
7/3
7/10
7/17
7/24
7/31
Lorrayne Schmock
Cheryl Lowery
One service
Cindy Regnier
Dennis Gray
Jean Stricklin
Simon & Dayanna Frey
Charlene & Tracey Wilson
Danny & Lisa Percak
Danny & Lisa Percak
Wayne Cable
Shirley Franks
Dorothy Seefurth
Dave Walters
Ridge United
Methodist Church
8607 Columbia Avenue
Munster, IN 46321
219.838.4770
ridge@ridgeumc.org
www.ridgeumc.org
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. Postage PAID
Hammond, IN 46320
Permit No. 1503
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Worship with us
Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45,
or 11:00
Do you have news to
share? The deadline
UPCOMING sermons
for
is July 15th.
July 3
One Service @ 10 a.m.
“Rules for the Road”
Psalm 30; Luke 10:1-11, 1-20
July 10
“Legal Experts & Mercy”
Psalm 82; Luke 10:25-37
July 17
“Old School Song”
Psalm 52; Colossians 1:15-28
July 24
“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”
Luke 11:1-13
July 31
Healing Service
“Think Up!”
Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Colossians 3:1-11