"Celebrating Stewardship A note from our friend, Beth Buckley: Christmas is Coming!... perfect gift Clarion Newsletter

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1 To belong to our congregation is to be a steward. One character in Jesus parables is the Steward the servant charged by the master to care for the master s property. It is the master, not the steward, who owns the property, but the steward is responsible for it and is accountable to the master. So it is, said Jesus, between God and us. As God s stewards we have three responsibilities of receiving, managing and giving. Central Park Stewardship cards are now available. Please pray about your stewardship in the coming year, and what Central Park means to you & your family. Please consider carefully & prayerfully your pledge for "Celebrating Stewardship is a spiritual act of worship every believer can actively participate in each week. Giving becomes a celebration when the believer discovers the joy of generosity, which grows out of God's grace." - Melvin Amerson, Celebrating Stewardship A note from our friend, Beth Buckley: Christmas is Coming!... What is the perfect gift for your mother/mother in law/ father/father in law/ dear friend etc. who, when you ask What do you want for Christmas? answers Oh, nothing. But you want to give him or her a gift... The perfect gift is a donation to one of Central Park s funds. Flowers for the altar, holiday flowers, Good Samaritan, Young Men and Women of Faith OR the general fund. Each done will receive a personalized letter from Pastor Mary, informing them that A donation to ABC has been made in your honor by Donors, and explaining the uses that will be made of the gift. It is the perfect gift for all occasions, and especially at this blessed time of giving. Please contact Pastor Mary or Beth Buckley, Chair, Finance, if you want further information. & Thank you very much. Central Park Complex/UMC Clarion Newsletter Rev. Mary A. Kelly, Pastor CentralParkComplex.com November 2018

2 All Saints Sunday November 4th Central Park UMC held the All Saints Service of Remembrance, where we remembered Donna Ham, Shirley Spencer, JoAnn Hall, Byron Snell, David Bialy, Dolores Petra Hettrich, Florence Seely, Dr. David Dean, Inis Kraja, Irene Birkmeyer, Gladys Miller and Irving Chudner. Upcoming: Nov. 7 & 14: A.C.E. UMC Principles Class Wednesdays: 6:30pm Tuesday, Nov. 13: Meetings: 7:00pm and Council 8:00pm Sunday, Nov. 18: Celebration of Music Ministry with reception Sunday, Dec. 2, 12:15pm Annual Church Conference Rev. Carlos Rosa-Lageur will hold individual conferences as he begins his ministry as our District Superintendent. All are encouraged to attend. Weds., Dec. 12 Poinsettia/Floral Fundraiser Orders Due Mon., Dec noon Christmas Eve Worship Service followed by Luncheon Mon., Dec pm Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols Worship Service -followed by punch reception Attention: Stewardship & Online Giving Collections: Mitten Tree, Frozen Thanksgiving Turkeys, Toiletries Prayer List: Bob Adams (now residing at Juniper Glen) Michael Agro (knee replacement) Amy B., Shirley and Dennis Byczynski, Isabel Chudner (on the recent passing of husband Irving) Dave M., Mindy P., Anthony, Molly, & Sweet Baby James Parisi, Van & Kwennie Snell (on the recent passing of son Byron) Marilynn & Al Standard, Hector & Gwen Todd, Bob & Marge Waddell Christmas Luncheon This year Pastor Mary will conduct two Christmas Eve services. Monday December 24th is our much-beloved, traditional, musical worship service, beginning at 8 pm, followed by the Buckley-Cashmore family s punch & cookie reception. There is also a 12pm (noon service) earlier on Christmas Eve, to worship the Lord and welcome folks who may not want to travel late. The Buckley Cashmore family will host a luncheon following that special daytime service. There will be no charge for the luncheon but we will have a sign up sheet at the Wesley Ave entrance for those interested so we can best prepare for the day. Do join us or volunteer to help out and thank you. Join Kenmore Shea s Performing Arts Center Vagabonds Trip to CATS the Musical, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, 7:30 pm CATS is the 4 th longest-running Broadway show of all time, a sung-through musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Old Possum s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. We have excellent orchestra seats for this performance! Your reservation includes transportation by Niagara Scenic Tours, leaving KUMC at 6:00 pm for the 7:30 pm show and returning at approximately 10:30 pm. To make your reservation, please detach the form below and return to Sue Meegan: smeegan7@gmail.com - no later than Dec. 9, Retain the top part for your information. There are 40 tickets available. Folks from Central Park UMC may join us! Tickets $ Form & info in Central Park hall.

3 A note from our friend, Beth Buckley: It s TURKEY TIME! Thanksgiving is November 22, Central Park has committed to help Jehovah Jireh (formerly Primera UMC) with the dinner they will serve on Saturday November 17 to between people from the church and the community. Pastor Alberto Lanzot explained that the increase in attendees was due to the influx of people from Puerto Rico who lost their homes during Hurricane Maria in People with nowhere else to go turned to relatives and friends in the US, including Buffalo. With Jehovah Jireh as one of the few churches in Buffalo with services in Spanish as well as English, this church is a natural home for them. Please help as you are able. See Pastor Mary or Beth Buckley if you can donate one or more turkeys. Frozen turkeys are very welcome: however since they will take days to thaw the church must have them by Saturday November 17 at the latest. Thank you!

4 CHILDREN S CHRISTMAS SHOPPE by SENECA STREET UMC Where Kids shop free for their families! THIS year Central Park UMC is collecting a new set of GIFT items for: Fathers, children/siblings, & wrapping/bagging. Donate Items to the office weekdays or Sundays or make a financial contribution to this great ministry & thank you Did you know you don't need your checkbook to give to Central Park & its ministries- but can make an online donation whenever the spirit moves you? This is a great option for enhanced stewardship, memorial gifts, special program needs and fundraiser/purchase payments. Please add 3% PayPal banking fee -Link available on our website :: Central Park Complex.com or

5 Many of you know Dan Cantor who has recently returned to worship at Central Park UMC. Dan is Maksym s grandfather, and this is their story... CLARA S CLOSET Clara s Closet Refugee Services, the No-Cost Shop in the lower level of Central Park Complex, welcomes hundreds of people each Monday & Thursday, offering them household items, clothing and great customer service- Did you know: they have an amazing volunteer team, but they need your help to fill the ranks as this urban outreach ministry continues to grow See CentralParkComplex.com for more. Maksym's Story Maksym s mom will never forget how it seemed like he purposefully studied her face and told her how much he loved her. She recalls, "It was kind of different." After the soccer game had ended, Stephanie, Maksym and their mom began to walk back to their car, when suddenly their entire life would change within an instant. A driver, whom fell asleep at the wheel, veered off the road, into the park, striking all three of them. Although Stephanie pulled through this tragic incident, she was left in critical condition with a long road to recovery. The mother suffered minor injuries but sweet little Maksym did not survive. Most of all, those whom knew Maksym will never forget the innate gift he was born with, which is the gift of kindness that he continuously displayed. Being kind is one of life's most simple gifts; yet it is a gift often taken for granted. For Maksym, it came very naturally. Therefore, the mission of Maksym's Giving Tree is to promote kindness as a guiding principle of humanity. The organization is committed to fostering compassion in children and inspiring life-long contributors to society by raising and donating funds to promote and facilitate acts of kindness within communities. Maksym's Giving Tree aims to raise awareness of kindness through providing information, recognition, and the sharing of resources. Donations and contributions from family, friends, neighbors, foundations, and corporations are what not only keeps Maksym's Giving Tree alive, but allows for us to constantly grow and plant seeds of kindness throughout the community. All capital contributions are tax deductible. If you have any questions, please contact us. - Maksym s Family & Friends Your support is very much appreciated.

6 Dear Friends, It's going to be a long road of recovery and rebuilding following Hurricane Michael, the most powerful hurricane in nearly 50 years to hit the continental U.S. The Florida Panhandle was hit hardest. The flooding caused by heavy rain, the storm surge, and the fierce wind ripped some homes, churches, and businesses off their foundations, left many without a home, and in some cases, resulted in death. Thousands are still without power and it will remain like that for some time. As the Director of Missional Engagement for the Upper New York Conference (UNY), I ask you to do the following: visit UMCOR.ORG for ways to help...and donations can be sent to the Conference Office in a check made out to Upper New York Conference with "Disaster Relief" written on the memo line. Monetary donations can be used to purchase supplies in bulk used to assemble United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) kits. Please keep those affected by Hurricane Michael in your prayers. If you want to be added to a listserv to learn more about volunteer opportunities, including possible mission trips to Florida, Georgia, or the Carolinas, please me at mikeblock@unyumc.org. For questions or more information, feel free to contact me at (315) Grace and Peace, Mike Block Director of Missional Engagement Upper New York Conference, 7481 Henry Clay Blvd., Liverpool, NY Dear Friends, I ll tell you why Central Park means so much to me... Well, this certainly is MY church. And, I have so many memories. My grandmother had her house built nearby so she could walk to church. My mom went to church here her whole life. I was baptized here, and I went through confirmation classes here with Reverend Benton. He told us to say, GAWD not Godd Oh well. I went to Mrs. Dare s nursery school, served at Men s Club, walked as an angel in bare feet serving communion and lighting candles on Christmas eve until I left for college. Church was so full in those days that my brothers and I sat up in the balcony with other kids. We used to sit up there and giggle. The church envelopes were always on our hall table to be grabbed on the way out the door. I think of our past saints: Hal in his red vest greeting on Christmas Eve, Doctor Montgomery teaching lectors to read slowly and clearly, Bonita Martin telling us about her doll collection, Placid Parker saying Amen in church, getting to know Hector at Placid s funeral, Jane Hunt helping me when I cared for my mom, Elsie Gray dancing on our trip to Greece, Even Pastor Jan encouraging me to make a joyful noise at an Easter service. After college I was extremely busy working and staying out late partying at Garvey s. Definitely not attending church except for Christmas and Easter. One night, before I left the house for the evening the phone rang and it was Laura Martin. I m sure I rolled my eyes. Hi Memo, how are you? she asked. Oh, uh, hi Mrs. Martin, I m fine. Memo, we need a new Sunday School teacher and I think you would do a wonderful job with the children. I felt PANIC How do I say no? Ugh! NO way! Uh, sure Mrs. Martin, but I can t teach I don t know ANYTHING! I said desperately. Oh, don t worry about the details, Memo, there will be study guides and lots of help I responded, defeated, Ugh, OK, I guess, ugh, OK. When do I need to start? Oh, this Sunday come in about 9:30 and we will set you up in your classroom. In a very, very small voice I responded, OK. Well, I never left after that, I was here to stay. I found I actually had fun, made friends and found much inner spirituality I started to know Jesus and why He is so important to my world and the whole world. Over the years I ve become more and more attached to Central Park s congregation by serving on several committees and attending classes when I can. Now I serve as a Trustee and I see how much our financial gifts are needed to support the building and congregation. Currently, as a church, we live beyond our means by spending more than we take in each month. This is why our Pastor Mary encourages us all to give sacrificially. So, what does stewardship mean to me? It means we all help to steer the church toward stable finances and sustainability, While living our lives with humility and loving our neighbors, as Christ would. Thank you for reading and God Bless you, Mary {Memo} Oshei