Newsletter. August We desire to make Disciples of Christ by nurturing ourselves and reaching out to others.

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1 Newsletter August 2018 We desire to make Disciples of Christ by nurturing ourselves and reaching out to others. A Note from our Pastor Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35 Dear Friends in Christ, For someone who loves bread and pastry the teaching of Jesus from John 6:35 has special significance. It seems that my car has a natural GPS for locating bakeries and I have a fondness for cinnamon rolls, danish pastries, almond horns, fruit turnovers and a variety of breads as well. So with the teaching of Jesus that says He is the bread of life there is strong appeal to what is already a part of my appetite. To be clear, the teaching of Jesus is a spiritual teaching. The life giving sustenance that bread is to the body, is the parallel understanding to Jesus being the spiritual sustenance that gives us eternal life. So as we spiritually feed upon the Lord in our hearts by faith we are given a life giving sustenance that sustains us in this life and the next. And to extend the metaphor even further, we may say that Jesus is sweet and savory and satisfying even more than our favorite recipe or bakery. May we learn to have an appetite for Jesus that is more pleasing and life giving than the finest pastry. Jesus is the bread of life! Blessings, Wade Panse, Pastor

2 SEVEN PSALMS IN SUMMER Our Bible study this summer concludes this month as we share together Psalms 103, 121 and 150. You are invited to join with us for these discussions of the Scripture as our Pastor, Wade Panse, leads us each Tuesday evening. We gather at the parsonage at 6:30 and light refreshment is served following our Bible study. Please bring a Bible for your participation and a lawn chair for your comfort. Because each week will be a different Psalm you may attend as many weeks as you are available. Come one week, or come every week. You will be blessed as we consider the Word of God as presented in the book of Psalms. And coming soon.. HEALING SERVICE RESUMES IN SEPTEMBER Each Wednesday morning at 11:00 during the month of September we are invited to gather together for a ministry of healing. Together we receive a teaching from Scripture, share in the Sacrament of Holy Communion and intercede in prayer for the needs of healing that are presented that day. We gather at 11:00 in the prayer room near the church offices. You may attend each week or just the week or two you are available. You are invited and we encourage you to bring a friend or family member. BIBLE STUDY IN OCTOBER Our Bible study this fall will be a five week study of 1 Thessalonians. We will be gathering at the Parsonage on Monday evenings at 6:30 for discussion of Scripture as led by our Pastor, Wade Panse. The study in informal and informative so please come dressed casual and comfortable. Please plan to bring a Bible and a lawn chair as seating is limited. Light refreshment is served after our study and we are dismissed by 8:00. You are invited to bring a friend or family member with you as we continue to grow in our understanding and obedience to God s Word. The dates for our study are Mondays, October 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29.

3 A note from your church secretary: Summer is whizzing along and soon we will be celebrating our 180 th year as a Methodist church in Cassopolis, and the 50 th year since we became the United Methodist Church. Our celebration is planned for the Hearty Fellowship on September 30. I want to personally thank all the members and friends who either provided special music themselves, or recruited music for us. Music makes for a joyful worship experience! We will again be buying mum plants to adorn our altar and front steps during the month of September into early October. Mums may be purchased for $5 each. You are encouraged to take the plants home and plant them in your yard. MARK YOU CALENDAR!! Our Church celebrates its 180 th anniversary this year, and 50 years of being a United Methodist Church. Our official celebration as a congregation will be at the Hearty Fellowship on September 30. Please plan to attend, and invite any former members and friends of the church. It has long been our tradition to have special music in worship during the summer months. If you or someone you know has musical talent, please sign up for a Sunday this summer. We welcome singing or any instrumental music! And Thank you to those who have shared their talent with us.

4 $$HARDING S REWARDS$$ Thank you to everyone to uses their Harding s rewards when grocery shopping. We recently received another check, this one in the amount of $ KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! Every little bit helps with our mission. FOR OUR SAFETY.Once again we want to remind you that our downstairs back door will be locked on Sunday mornings at 10:05 AM. If you are running late, as happens with all of us, just follow the path around to the front door and join in the worship. We have found it necessary to do this for the protection of our youth who gather downstairs, and our upstairs congregation. Thank you for your cooperation Our Helping Hands shopping cart in in need of personal care items shaving supplies, soap, shampoo, lotion, feminine hygiene products etc. (All nonperishable food items are always welcome) If you have comments or concerns about the church, you may contact the Staff/Pastor/Parish Relations Committee. Chairperson, Char Hiemstra, ; Gretchen Kelley, ; or Nancy Smith,

5 Anne Felton Anne Felton was raised in Bethlehem, PA, but was actually born in the neighboring town, Easton, since that is where the hospital was located. She says she is sorry she cannot say she was born in Bethlehem! She attended college for two years in Maryville, TN, and then received her BS in Education from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. It is at Bucknell that she met her husband, Charles. They were married in August of 1954 in Bethlehem. Charles had been recently discharged from the army, and the couple lived in GI housing at Bucknell while he got his degree. During this time Anne taught in a recently consolidated school, with all teachers and students coming in from one-room schools. When her husband entered law school, Anne taught for one year in Carlisle, PA. Upon the death of Charles father, the couple moved to Titusville, PA to care for his mother, and he put law school behind him. They operated an auto dealership there. The three Felton children, Barry, Duane and Eric were born in Titusville, and Anne became a full-time mother. Eventually, Charles got a job at Bethlehem Steel in Portage, IN, so the family moved to Michigan City. They lived there for 25 years, and all three boys graduated from Michigan City High School. While living close to Lake Michigan they owned a 16 ft. cabin cruiser named the Naughty 5. The Feltons ended up in Michigan because Charles was a Snipe sailor, and he spoke often with local resident George Maddox about sailing. When George mentioned that his home on Diamond Lake was for sale, the Feltons purchased it. Anne would stay most of the summer with the kids, and Charles would come up on weekends. Charles passed away in In 1976 Anne and Charles purchased another place on Diamond Lake through local real estate salesperson Jim Ackerman. When they retired they moved here full-time, becoming neighbors with Jim & Millie Kollar. Anne also became friends with Bertie Wood, and came here to our church for line-dancing and exercising. She has been here ever since! Anne is a Lutheran, but when she could not take communion at the local Missouri Synod church, she began attending church here. Anne s mother loved being a Methodist and said the hymns are beautiful. Anne agrees, and says this church is a good fit for her. (continued )

6 The Feltons own a condo in Naples, FL where Anne spends her winters. While in Florida she attends the local Lutheran church. She enjoys golfing, singing, dancing, knitting, crocheting, and being with her seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. We enjoy having Anne as a member of our church family! Thank you so much for the use of the fellowship hall for my 9oth birthday celebration. We had an enjoyable time visiting with friends, neighbors, church family, relatives, and eating too much rich food. Even the cleaning up was fun! Love, Laura Maddox Sermon Schedule for August August 5 Rules of Life Doing Good Psalm 51:1-12 Ephesians: 4:1-16 August 12 Rules of Life Ordinances of God Psalm 130 Ephesians 4:25-5:2 August 19 Righteousness Be Careful How You Live Psalm 111 Ephesians 5:15-20 August 26 Spiritual Strength The Full Armor of God Psalm 84 Ephesians 6:10-20

7 Our monthly calendar lists church events, and also the birthdays and anniversaries or our members and friends. If your birthday or anniversary does not appear on the calendar, please let the office know. Or better still, please jot your name, birthday and other important date on a paper and place it in the offering. This is especially important for our newer attendees. Thank you. AUGUST 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Kennedy Westrate Adam Dahlgren 5 SPPRC meets 9:15 Roger Bruegel 6 Christopher Nickel 7 Seven Psalms in Summer 6:30 (Psalm 103) Phyllis Clark 12 Trustees meet after worship Seven Psalms in Summer 6:30 (Psalm 121) Kenny May-Fox CLC meets (rescheduled) 19 Noisy offering- Helping Hands Youth Ministry meeting 6:30 Kaye Weller 27 Anysia Heath Jim & June Blue 21 Seven Psalms in Summer 6:30 (Psalm 150) Lutheran Church Food Pantry 11:30 1:00 Bob Sumption 30 31