St. James United Methodist Church

Transcription

1 St. James United Methodist Church AWARE April 2016 Pastor: Mark Klaisner Lay Leader & Lay Member/Annual Conference: Larry Gyrion Staff Parish Relation Chairperson: Gary Linstad Administrative Board Chairperson: Deb Kraemer Children & Youth Ministries Coordinator: Margie Trueblood Director of Music & Organist: Andy Lambrecht Treasurer: Chris Bahr Finance Chair: Jon Krein Trustees Chair: Lloyd Eggert Missions & Outreach: Kay & Charlie Christenson Membership Care & Hospitality: TBA Worship Committee Team Leader: Cal Christenson Website: Bill Kraemer Custodian: Todd Trueblood Administrative Assistant: Deb Kraemer Please note: If you are receiving this electronically, all links in this publication are active. You just need to hold your control key and click on the link with your mouse. "The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew." Abe Lincoln Dear Friends Greetings and peace to you in the name of our risen Lord! As I reflect on 30 years of ministry, I have come to realize that the tapestry of my life has been knitted with challenges and opportunities, sorrows and joys, as well as doubt and faith. My journey is by no means any different than yours. One of the greatest promises found in the Easter narrative is that our lives don t have to be measured by missed opportunities or failures. The same holds true for the church. Challenges are an ever present reality in our living, but so are opportunities. As the people of St. James Church, God has set before us opportunities that allow us to reach beyond our doors so that each of us can be the eyes, hands, and feet of Christ to our community. What ever the challenge, be it financial, personal, or theological, it is important for us to learn, grow and move beyond it. Sadly, some have defined their relationship with the church with the mindset of scarcity rather than celebrating God s abundance. The Christian life, as lived out in community, is never an easy proposition. It is, however, an essential one if we seek to be all that we can be as a church and as a disciple of Christ. In spite of our challenges, I can not think of a more exciting time to share in the life and ministry of the church. The church isn t about the pastor or a particular core group that does 80% of the work. The church is you! The church is the gathering of wounded healers seeking to be true to our discipleship in spite of our flaws. In Christ we are a new creation. As President Lincoln said we must think anew and act anew. So here are some ways we can move from a mindset of scarcity to abundance, from crisis to opportunity. Financially: We are asking all members and friends of St. James who presently contribute through pledged giving to increase your gifts $1.65 per week in You can also give a special offering from your heart to meet our budget short fall. Worship Attendance: Don t be afraid to invite a friend, family member, neighbor, or even a stranger to church with you. Again, you are the body of Christ! Be excited about your faith and share it. Continued on the next page...

2 Pastor s letter continued. Embrace a Vision: St. James is going through a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis. Share your hopes and dreams about how you can strengthen the church. This is about having a positive vision for the future, and not dwelling on negativity. As one church member said; I feel the SWOT Analysis is important because it will give each member a voice and an opportunity to input their opinions regarding the current condition of St. James." Wishing you all God s richest blessings as we embrace the future with optimism, hope, and passion for the challenges and opportunities God gives us. Shalom, Pastor Mark Klaisner Sermon Series: April 3 Larry Gyrion April 10 April 17 April 24 May 1 Why?: Making Sense of God s Will April 10, to May 1, 2016 Why? It s a simple word, but a deep question everyone wrestles with at some point in their lives. When bad things happen, our prayers seem unanswered, and God seems far away - we cry out, Why? In this series of messages, we will look to the scriptures and the stories of those who have come through horrific tragedies to help us understand how God is at work in our lives and our world. Life in the Mirror Acts 5:27-32, Psalm 118:14-29, Psalm 150, Revelation 1:4-8, John 20:19-31 God and Suffering Genesis 1:27-28 Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered? Psalm 22:2, John 15:7, & Luke 22:42 Why Is God s Will So Elusive? Colossians 1:9-10 & Romans 12:1-2 More Than Conquerors Romans 8:28, 35, ONGOING ACTIVITIES Wednesday Bible Study & Support Group: 1:00 p.m. Wednesdays, at St James. See article for more details. Lunch Bunch: 12:15 p.m. on Mon., April 11, at Perkins, 2975 W. College Ave. Ladies Night Out: 6:00 p.m. on Mon., April 18, Asian Garden, 405 N. Mall Dr. Men s Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, Mary s Place, 2312 N. Richmond St. Confirmation: Wednesday nights. Youth Group: Wednesday nights. APRIL CELEBRATIONS! Birthdays 4/2 Ethan Hughes 4/4 Jill Featherwolf 4/6 Chad Olson 4/9 Diane Ebert 4/15 Amber Bahr 4/15 Bradley Josephs 4/16 Pastor Mark Klaisner 4/16 Jayne Lang 4/18 Sherry King 4/20 Mary Schemm 4/22 Deb Kraemer 4/22 Addie Jo Lambrecht 4/27 Jodi Butler 4/27 Jim King 4/29 Dean Adkins 4/29 Jayden Walters 4/30 Mavis Ganzer 4/30 Tyler Lind Anniversaries 4/5 Jim & Sherry King 4/11 Bob & Mary Thomas 4/22 Rick & Chris Bahr 4/29 Frank & Donna Potter DATES TO REMEMBER: April 1-3 Annual St James Get-Away Men s Walk to Emmaus Women s Walk to Emmaus More at UMCSJ.ORG

3 ST. JAMES UMC FINANCE MOMENT HELP BALANCE THE BUDGET On March 6, 2016, the Administration Council voted to approve a revised budget for St. James church. The revised budget reduced our Conference Apportionments from $26,232 to $2,000. This reduction in Apportionments still resulted in an anticipated deficit of ($6,723) for 2016 at the end of February. We are asking all members and friends of St. James who presently contribute either through pledged or non-pledged giving to increase your gifts by $1.65 per week in This increased giving would balance our budget! If those members and friends of St. James who have not yet pledged or contributed would give $1.00 per week in 2016, we could start addressing building maintenance needs identified by Trustees. Our next goal would be to start increasing our Apportionment giving. Please prayerfully consider supporting St. James. Thank you. The Finance Committee (If you would like a copy of the meeting minutes from the March 6th Ad Council meeting, you can find them on the table at the Connection Center.) Could you give up one cup of coffee or soda per week to help balance the church budget? Trustee Report An internet cable was installed between the office and the sound board. The interior walls in the library were repaired and painted. The ceiling tile was repaired in the hallway. The new Operating Permit for the boilers was received and posted. A survey was conducted to determine who has keys for the front door. An estimate was received to repair the deteriorated eaves on the southeast corner of the sanctuary. We will be purchasing (2) Listen Neckloop Receivers for use by members that have hearing aids. This will enable them to have a direct link to the sound system by pressing a button on their hearing aids. We are planning a cleaning/purging of the storage areas on April 30th. The code for the key access box will be changed on April 1st. A STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE FOR YOUR CHURCH #15-4 Give Willingly Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar - and to God what belongs to God. (Matt. 22:21) Did you know? The average tax refund is in Wisconsin is $2330! How will we spend our tax refunds? We know that some taxpayers do not receive a refund. But, of those who do, how do they spend it? The most popular answers are: 1) Pay off Debt; 2) Have fun do something special or buy something special and 3) Save it. On most lists of ideas the thought of 4)Giving it Away to a favorite charity is either last on the list or never makes the list! If we re going to give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God, what are we called to give away? As people of faith we may wish to consider giving a tithe (10%) or some portion of our tax return to the church to say thank you to God for the jobs we have and the earnings we receive. Consider tithing. If the average refund is $2,330 and 10 people tithe at $233 each, the total giving to your church would increase $2,330. That might pay most of the heating bill for the winter or help you do something new and creative for Vacation Bible School. What is God calling you to give? Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation 750 Windsor Street, Suite 305 Sun Prairie, WI or wumf@wumf.org

4 Attention Garden Growers: Springtime is upon us and thoughts of fresh tomatoes, carrots or beans on your mind? Maybe you d like to try your hand at planting a Row for St Joe s and donate the produce to the food pantry? If you would like to have a spot reserved in the church garden plot, call Chris Bahr or her at chrisbahr2@gmail.com by April 30th. Support Group & Bible Study Beginning on Wednesday, April 6 th, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. We will begin by using the Upper Room Devotional, and as a group, decide where to go from there. There are copies of this book available in the church office for $ In April, the leaders of this group will be Kay Christenson and Deb Kraemer. Come join us as we get to know one another and study God s word together. Contact the church office if interested at or office@umcsj.org or just show up, we d love to see you! SPRING CANTATA The choir will share a short musical cantata during the worship service on Sunday, May 22, to celebrate the end of the choir year. We'll be practicing on three Tuesday evenings in May, starting on May 3, at More singers are always welcome! If you'd like to join us, stop and see Andy on Sunday, or come to our first May practice. United Methodist Camps Camp catalogs are here for United Methodist summer camps. Scholarships are available at the camp website listed below. WIUMCamps.org Or go to the link on our website UMCSJ.org Oktoberfest September 26th Hi everyone! Sign up for a booth at Oktoberfest is sometime in April. We are looking for someone to chair this fundraising event for St James. If you are interested, please contact the church office at office@umcsj.org or For more information go to octoberfestonline.org Right Now Media Check it out by going the St James website UMCSJ.org or directly to the website listed above! It is free to all members of St James. It s like the Christian Netflix.

5 And the winners of the 2016 Chili Cook-off are... Best over-all Hottest Most Unique Yum. So many choices. Great display Pastor Mark! Now that s talent! Food, Fun, & Fellowship!

6 Easter Egg Hunt on Palm Sunday Congratulations to Mike Hert, Deb Kraemer and Larry Gyrion (not pictured) on the accomplishment of becoming Certified Lay Speakers. Maundy Thursday worship was a re-enactment of the Last Supper with narrative from each of the disciples. From left to right Lloyd Eggert, Larry Gyrion, Tom Schemm, Pastor Mark, Charlie Christenson, Rick Davis, Bill Kraemer, Jon Krein, Mike Hert, Gary Linstad, Tom Graf, Mike Shepard, and Cal Christenson.

7 Mission Page Volunteers are needed to help prepare and serve lunch from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on two Sundays, for Salvation Army. April 17, 2016, contact Rich and Bev Stewart at and on April 24th, contact Tom and LouAnn Graf at or Bishop Hee-Soo Jung invites you to join with him on an Interfaith Bus Tour of religious centers in the Madison vicinity, followed by an Interfaith Retreat. During the tour on Saturday, Aug. 13, we will listen to a presentation by the teacher of the Deer Park Buddhist Monastery, visit Temple Beth El to learn about Jewish worship, pray and enter into discussion at the Islamic Community of Madison, visit the American Hindu Association Shiva Vishnu Temple, and join in discussion and evening prayer at the Gurudwara Sahib Sikh Temple in Middleton. On Sunday, Aug. 14, we will hold an Interfaith Retreat at Holy Wisdom Monastery. We will listen to and dialog with three leaders (Jewish, Islamic, and Buddhist) about our religious responses to violence, and conclude with an interfaith service of spiritual meditation and prayer. Click here to learn more and to register. Missions Offering April to June Henderson Settlement To learn more about Henderson Settlement hold your control button and click on the link with your mouse. hendersonsettlement.com/ Hi Everyone; Well, the winter trips are over and all 3 have been really good trips, each in their own way. Perhaps smaller numbers than we hoped but the VIM teams always achieve a lot during their time at the sites. With the devastation of storms and the huge amount of poverty in the country VIM has more opportunity to serve than they can handle. But we can all do that one thing or maybe more. That being the case I would urge you to be aware of the upcoming work camps that are scheduled. One, the April trip from April 24-30, 2016 is the closest time frame. The registrations are low at present and the needs are great at the Solomon Community Temple United Methodist Church in Milwaukee. This church family serves community meals regularly and will be greatly relieved to get some assistance with their buildings. There is much poverty and homeless need in the area and they are a beacon of hope for those folks. Give this time some thought and sign on soon if you can come and join us. Two, our usual VIM work camp to the Pine Lake UM Camp is in May from the 15 th 20 th and is always blessed with many workers for the week. This is near Westfield, Wisconsin. This year the registrations are active and if you are planning on coming or thinking about it please register soon as the camp may fill and we want to be able to facilitate everyone by planning the work and sites. As always the registrations are on a first come first served basis so do not delay if you want to be included in this trip. It is a good time supporting our church camps and this will help them get into the spring routine and preparing for the summer camps. Three, there are still a few openings for the advanced chainsaw training on May 21, 2016 at the Pine Lake UM Camp near Westfield, Wisconsin. This is always a good training and the advanced course promises to be well worth the time. All of these trips are described in detail and registration forms are located on the web site so check in and sign on for the opportunity to be in the world doing Jesus stuff with other likeminded folks. The Mission Committee

8 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2016 See UMCSJ.org for updates & additional info... 1 Office Closed 2 Pastor s Day Off Pastor Mark is on vacation this week 3 Communion Sunday Food Pantry Collection 8:00 a.m. Choir Practice 8:20 a.m. Praise Team 9:00 a.m. Worship 9:15 a.m. Sunday School 10:10 a.m. Fellowship Time, 4 Boy Scouts 5 5:45 p.m. Accountability Group Choir Staff Meeting No praise team practice 6 1:00 p.m. Bible Study & Support Group Christian Edu. & Confirmation Class Youth Group 7 8 Office Closed Pastor s Day Off 9 Fellowship Hall in use 10 Native American Ministries Sunday 8:00 a.m. Choir Practice 8:20 a.m. Praise Team 9:00 a.m. Worship 9:15 a.m. Sunday School 10:10 a.m. Fellowship Time 10:30 a.m. Administrative Council meeting :15 p.m. Lunch Bunch Perkins, 2975 W. College Ave. 5:30 p.m. Girl Scouts 12 7:00 a.m. Men s Breakfast 5:45 p.m. Accountability Group Choir Praise Team 13 1:00 p.m. Bible Study & Support Group Confirmation Class Youth Group Office Closed Pastor s Day Off Floor cleaning all day :00 a.m. Choir Practice 8:20 a.m. Praise Team 9:00 a.m. Worship 9:15 a.m. Sunday School 10:10 a. m. Fellowship Time 10:30 a.m. Finance meeting 10:00 a.m. Salvation Army 18 6:00 p.m. Ladies Night Out Asian Garden, 405 N Mall Dr. 19 5:45 p.m. Accountability Group Choir Praise Team 20 1:00 p.m. Bible Study & Support Group Confirmation Class Youth Group Office Closed Pastor s Day Off 23 Aware Deadline 24 8:00 a.m. Breakfast 8:00 a.m. Choir Practice 8:20 a.m. Praise Team 9:00 a.m. Worship 9:15 a.m. Sunday School 10:10 a. m. Fellowship Time 10:00 a.m. Salvation Army 25 5:30 p.m. Girl Scouts 26 5:45 p.m. Accountability Group Choir Praise Team 27 1:00 p.m. Bible Study & Support Group Confirmation Class Youth Group 28 5:30 p.m. Tiger Cubs Boy Scouts 29 Office Closed Pastor s Day Off Family Fun Night continues. 30

9 April GREETER Julie Remmel Rose Ann Luce Kim Robinson Mike Hert SOUND Sierra Gyrion Bill Kraemer Connie Klaisner Bill Kraemer USHER CAPTAIN Connie Klaisner Bonnie Budreau Carol Carlson Mike Shepard Wayne DeGrand HOSPITALITY Nancy Adkins Diane Linstad Jon & Kathy Krein Tom & Mary Schemm The Gyrion Family Ethel Duhm Diane DeGrand ACOLYTE Lilli Gyrion Avery Lang Kirsten Runyon Hunter Price LITURGIST Sherri Gyrion Sydney Klaisner Sharon Ramsaroop Larry Gyrion CHILDREN S TIME Pastor Mark Margie Trueblood Pastor Mark Mary Schemm NURSERY Carrie Walters Maria Genke Stacy Olson Melissa Van Linn COUNTERS Julie Remmel & Andy Lambrecht Julie Remmel & Chris Bahr Julie Remmel & Andy Lambrecht Chris Bahr & Deb Ebben KWIK TRIP CARDS Margie Trueblood LuAnn Van Handel Chris Bahr Rich Stewart COMMUNION SERVERS Mary Thomas & Mike Hert, TBA See UMCSJ.org for N/A N/A N/A additional info...

10 St. James United Methodist Church 100 W. Capitol Drive Appleton, WI Return Service Requested Affix Postage Here Mailing Label To receive this newsletter through and to receive weekly e-news from St. James UMC, please send your address to St. James United Methodist Church Pastor Mark Klaisner Margie Trueblood Children & Youth Ministries Coordinator Andy Lambrecht Music Director, Organist Office Hours 9 a.m. 1 p.m., Monday Thursday Bulletin Information & Announcements Due Monday of each week Newsletter Submissions Due 20th of each month For more information, go to umcsj.org Deb Kraemer Administrative Assistant office@umcsj.org Office phone number: Aware is published monthly by St. James UMC, 100 W. Capitol Drive, Appleton, WI.