Thinking About... words from Pastor John. Volume 12 Issue 5. May 2012 S T. A N D R E W U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

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1 S T. A N D R E W U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H Volume 12 Issue 5 Thinking About... words from Pastor John May 2012 Do you remember what happened back in early March? I took a picture of our church sign to mark the occasion when it reached 91 degrees, a record high for the day. Well, with several false starts scattered throughout this spring I think we are finally on our way! We re now into the beautiful days of May and the graduations, weddings, vacations, family reunions, and other special occasions on the horizon. We are constantly swept up in a forward movement; time continues to march on. Seasons continue to usher us forward into the future where God is already present. Well, it is now upon us--a solid transition into spring and the promise of sunny summer days. What are you hoping for? I m thinking about Vacation Bible School. What a holy privilege it is to welcome children to the church for a spiritual adventure. It s a time when we can share with them the stories of our faith and pour out on them God s love. If you haven t already signed up to help with VBS, contact our Director of Spiritual Formation, Debbie Caudill today. You ll be glad you did. I m thinking about our Mission Trip 2012 to the Navajo Native American Indian Reservation in Ship Rock, New Mexico. What a holy privilege it will be to walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ in that place. It s a time when we can put our faith into action, and pour out on them God s love. If you haven t already signed up to participate in the mission trip, contact our Mission Committee Chairpersons, Justin & Lauren Miller today. You ll be glad you did. I m thinking about our family vacation we have planned to the Outer Banks. As our family continues to grow it becomes more and more difficult to bring everyone together. What a holy privilege it will be to gather with our family for this time of renewal and recreation. God willing, all of our children, their spouses, and the grandchildren are going to be together for a whole week. We are so very thankful for the place where we can gather, and blessed by such a wonderful and loving family. These are but a few of the things that I m looking forward to during the Summer of Together as the body of Christ that we call St. Andrew, there are countless things we await in that wonderful future where God is. I look forward to hearing your stories, about the God moments that you will encounter along the way. It is good to be in ministry with you. Thank you for all that you do. Blessings upon you and your family as you come and go throughout these days. In God s Love Pastor John The people of St. Andrew have been called by God to embrace, equip and encourage persons of all ages to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. e 3

2 Happy Birthday Elda Fitzsimmons 05/02 Chas Newhouse 05/02 Rod Berner 05/03 Marshall Caudill 05/03 Becky Dihrkop 05/03 Donna Kirk 05/04 Vicky Kocara 05/04 Jacqueline Cotellesso 05/05 Emily Fox 05/06 David Marker 05/06 Brandur Bogason 05/07 Emily Lias 05/07 Lauren Miller 05/07 Emily Duncan 05/11 Nik Hendrix 05/11 Alia Powell 05/11 Matthew Drollinger 05/12 Cloe Pippin 05/12 Ryan Blumenschein 05/13 Anaka Cuzick 05/13 Ruby Geist 05/13 Betty Bracken 05/14 Don Hill 05/15 JoAnn Barnett 05/16 Elise Duncan 05/16 Rusty Duncan 05/21 Julie Vann 05/22 Mike Brown 05/23 Myron Sliper 05/23 Ellie Humphrys 05/24 Richard Preibisch 05/24 Flo Craig 05/25 Samantha Hendrix 05/26 Philip Mulford 05/26 Bonnie Neidhart 05/26 Chris Watters 05/26 John Muller 05/27 John Slate 05/29 If your birthday is in May and is not listed here, please let Donna know Sermon Topics and Scriptures Lessons for May 2011 May 6 Communion Sunday 1 John 4:7-21 "We Love - Because God is Love" Rev. John Schlicher May 13 1 John 5:1-6 "The Coaching Voice" Rev. John Schlicher May 20 Luke 24:44-53 "Empowered for Mission" Rev. John Schlicher May 27 Romans 8:22-27 "Hope" Rev. John Schlicher May ~Thursday 3 National Day of Prayer ~Sunday 27 Graduation Sun. ~Sunday 27 Pentecost ~Monday 28 Memorial Day Office Closed June ~Sunday 3 SS Promotion ~25-30 VBS Phone: Fax: standrewumc@ameritech.net Website: Office Hours: 9:00 3:00pm Monday Thursday 9:00 Noon Friday Sunday Worship Times 8:15am, 9:30am & 11:00am 9:30am Sunday School Child Care at Sunday Services St. Andrew UMC is a Safe Sanctuary Congregation Staff of St. Andrew Rev. John Schlicher - Senior Pastor Debbie Caudill - Director of Spiritual Formation John Slate - Director of Music Ministry Shawn Stanley - Music Support Marlene Krueger - Organist Donna Kirk - Administrative Assistant Kristina Enix - Childcare Worker Cloe Pippin - Childcare Worker The Personal Touch - Custodians Congregation - Ministers of St. Andrew Looking Ahead July ~Wednesday 4 Independence Day, Office closed ~Tuesday 17 Serve Lunch at St. Paul UMC ~Friday 27 Mission trip departs Page 2 F OOTPRI NTS

3 Please pray for these people who have been in the hospital, ill, or recuperating in the past month or are simply in need of our prayers and support. Care and Prayer Ann Shelton Lora Lehman Julie and Stan Erk Clara Brown Jean Davis Bob & Jane Henry Jean Rodesky Edith Leonard Kate Messmore The St. Andrew prayer chain is always available to pray for you. Contact Jean Watts at Prayer requests can be made at the Atrium prayer box, online at standrewumchurch.net under let us pray for you, or by calling the church office. Every week, a group of people pray for the needs of our members, our church, our community, our country and world. Prayer notes will also be sent to those being prayed for if you provide an address to either Melinda Nutter or the office. remember where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them - Matthew 18:20 Dear Church Family, Thank you for faithfully praying for David during his lengthy stay in intensive care. Thank you also, for your prayers, care, concern, calls, cards, and food. These things have kept us going through these hard times. We appreciate all of your efforts. -Ilene Shultz Hi St. Andrew, Thank you for your support with prayers; your kind wishes in your cards; the visits in the hospital; your visits to my home; the beautiful flowers that brightened my hospital room and then my home. Although I may not be able to repay each and every one of you, I hope to pass it on. Marjorie Craver Dear Friends, I want to thank you for all of the cards, phone calls, soup, and most of all the prayers you lifted up during my recent illness. Being sick makes me realize how blessed I am. I have the most wonderful family and friends anybody could ever want. And, it makes the difference. Being sick also makes me realize that the world is full of caring and loving people truly good people! And isn't it interesting that the best of the best can be found right here in our St. Andrew family? In Christian love, Lora Lehman Dear Friends at St. Andrew, Thank you very much for the support you provided during my recent surgery recovery. I was so uplifted when I received all of the cards and prayers during my recovery. It was difficult to slow down as I healed, however each day I would receive a card or two in the mail to remind me of those who were thinking and praying for me. What a cheering experience! Also a big thank-you to all who provided meals the first week. It was a huge blessing to not plan and make meals. I also must humbly thank all who took time from their day to cover my hours at the church. I rested much easier knowing you were there to take care of my responsibilities as I recovered. So blessed to be a part of this caring church! Donna Kirk V OLU ME 1 2 ISS UE 5 Page 3

4 SEASON YOUR FAITH Spring is in the air and we're inviting all the ladies of St Andrew UMC to join the Esther Circle for the annual UMW Spring Banquet on Thursday, May 10th, at 6:30 pm in Fellowship Hall! The theme for this year's Spring Banquet is "Season Your Faith" -- this will be a wonderful opportunity to join together to share a delicious meal, learn about various herbs, and apply some Scriptural teachings! There will be a sign-up sheet in the narthex beginning on April 22 - please feel welcome to bring a friend! We will be collecting the following items as a donation to the Interfaith Hospitality Network in Xenia. Please bring your donations to the Spring Banquet and place them in the designated box. Esther Circle will ensure the donations are delivered. Needed baby items: Bottles, diapers, formula, wipes, baby soap Needed adult items (for both men and women): deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, bath soap, hand soap We are looking forward to seeing you at the UMW Spring Banquet! If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Moad or Donna Kirk. Six Thousand Miles?? Yes WE Can! As you see, we re more than halfway to our goal! We have 7 more weeks to record our minutes in prayer and miles we ve covered. Each morning is the beginning of a new day, a gift to use for new projects, for what is important, necessary or sometimes to relax and recharge. If you haven t been walking (biking or running) maybe that s a new project you d like to start. May is the perfect time to start no earmuffs, mittens or cold feet if you re outside. However indoor walking and prayer counts equally. If you re praying or walking please, please, drop your little cards in the box (or basket in the Gathering Grounds). They re adding up! We still need lots of steps to reach our goal. The steps and minutes show our commitment in working together. But also important, our prayers for health and healing for those far and near are always heard. They are powerful reminders of our trust in our Father. Let s keep going! Karen Spencer Health Kits The United Methodist Women are collecting health kits to bring to Annual Conference in June. Instructions for the kits are posted on the UMW bulletin board located across from the office. All women and men are invited to help provide items for the kits which will be assembled by the UMW. Please call Chris Watters at for additional information. 6,000 5,500 5,000 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1, Week 10 3,620 Miles Hours In Prayer V OLU ME 1 2 ISS UE 5 Page 4

5 Get ready to dive into fun at OPERATION OVERBOARD: DARE TO GO DEEP WITH GOD Vacation Bible School. Explore and experience God's underwater universe at St. Andrew June 25-29, from 6:00 until 8:30 pm, each evening. The adventures include regular Deep Sea Voyages into the Bible, fun and creative crafts, hands-on mission work, water science, and great music. The Interfaith Hospitality House of Greene County/ Schneider House of Hope 5K run/walk June 2, :00 am Information: or Registration forms available on Water Cooler bulletin board or in the office. To be a part of all the excitement at OPERATION OVER- BOARD, contact Debbie Caudill at or dsfcaudill@gmail.com St. Andrew Retirees STaRS Wednesday, May 16th at 10:00 am In mid May, STARS will take a stroll through the local Beavercreek Wetlands. Walking is on level ground and much of it on boardwalks. Migrating birds will be back and there will also be many interesting plants to observe. Afterwards lunch will be served in the Henry s sunroom. Georgia Johnson is a co-hostess for this event. Plan to carpool from the church parking lot at 10:00 am. Meet around 9:45 am. Questions? Call Jane at A rain date will be May 17th. Martha's Closet Jerry Sedlacek Our food collection for the Wesley Center has been good for the first four months of the year. The need continues to be great, however, so please continue the be generous with your food donations in May. The red wagon will be placed in the Atrium on May 6, as a reminder of our collection on May 13. Page 5 F OOTPRI NTS

6 9 Things You Need to Know About Your Pastor. By Jason Isaacs 1.1. He s trying his best You may not believe it. You may think he s just throwing things together, but he isn t. The results may not be what you want, but I ve never met a pastor yet who didn t want to succeed. He s preaching the best sermons he can come up with, empowering the best volunteers he can find, and doing whatever he can to try and get you excited about your church. Whatever is bothering you about your church, trust me, he s more frustrated than you are. 2. He works harder than you think he does You may work more hours than he does, but you re not working harder. His mind never shuts off. He s planning sermons, making phone calls, and doing visits. He s always on call, he s counseling, providing care, and being a husband and a dad. And every time he gets ready to finally take a break his phone rings with a call from somebody in the church. The emotional strain of pastoring wears him out. 3. He s rarely 100% confident He works really hard to come across as confident, but most of the time when he is pitching a new idea or casting vision, he s only kind of sure. He hopes it works, he hopes it was God speaking and not his head, but he s learned that waiting to be 100% confident will never come when you are working for God. 4. He has an ego I ve never met a great pastor yet, who doesn t have a little bit of an ego. He has to. When he walks into a church that hasn t grown under the last 5 pastors, there has to be a part of him that believes he can do something the others couldn t. After enough people tell him They aren t getting fed anymore he has to have something inside that believes he is a great speaker. Some pastors can be egotistical maniacs, but every great pastor has to have a little ego in them. 5. He s worried you re going to leave It doesn t matter if you ve been at the church Page 6 for 20 years, pastors feel like you are just one conflict away from trying another church. He probably shouldn t be so defensive, but he has seen too many people walk out the door over small, silly things. The feeling of disappointment when someone leaves his church is impossible to explain to someone who has never experienced it, especially someone who is leaving. 6. He takes things personally Even when you preface your statement with Don t take this personally, but I know in your mind it s just a church, or it s just a service, or it s just a sermon, etc. But to him it s his life, calling, and identity. When you say you don t like the music, or that you re leaving because no one has befriended you, he takes it personally because you re talking about his family. It would be like if someone said to you, I really love you and want to still hang out with you, but I don t want to hang out at your house anymore because your kids are crazy. Don t take that personally because it s your kids not you, but we ll have to hang out somewhere other than your house." That s what it feels like. 7. You get on his nerves sometimes Don t take this personally, but you can be annoying sometimes. You probably don t realize how fickle, or temperamental you are, but when you want to meet to talk about something really important and you tell him that you re frustrated because your daughter didn t get a solo in the Christmas play, it s annoying. Sometimes it can feel like the loudest people are the least involved, and that s even worse. Which leads us to the next thing you need to know 8. Your encouragement matters (especially Monday-Saturday) You will never know how much your encouragement lifts his spirits, especially during F OOTPRI NTS

7 8. Your encouragement matters (especially Monday-Saturday) You will never know how much your encouragement lifts his spirits, especially during the week. While your encouragement of his sermon on Sunday is nice, sometimes it can seem less genuine, but when he get s encouragement during the week he feels like you really care, and during your busy day you were thinking good things about him. 9. He would take a bullet for you He would take a bullet for you, even if you wouldn t take one for him. He has a burden for you because God gave it to him. He prays for you, he cares about you, and he would do anything he could to make sure that you know God. There are times when you feel like maybe your pastor doesn t care about you, but it s not true; he does. He may not get to speak to you or he may miss a visit sometimes, but if he didn t care about you he wouldn t be your pastor. It doesn t matter if you ve been at the church for 20 years, pastors feel like you are just one conflict away from trying another church. He probably shouldn t be so defensive, but he has seen too many people walk out the door over small, silly things. The feeling of disappointment when someone leaves his church is impossible to explain to someone who has never experienced it, especially someone who is leaving. Debt Freedom is Within Our Reach Debt Freedom Campaign 2012 It's time to become debt free. With our building fund note completing its three year maturity this June, we need to make a final push to pay off the remaining building debt. As of March 31, the loan balance, minus segregated cash available to pay off the loan, is $232,775. We'd like to be debt free in five years with a little cash left for upkeep. To accomplish this goal we ask everyone to pray and consider increasing their current building loan pledge by 10%. Within the next few weeks, you will receive a special Debt Freedom pledge card. Since our existing pledge campaign ends June 30, 2012 we need pledge renewals by that date. This is the time to celebrate as we have a light at the end of the tunnel. You have done a magnificent job of paying the building addition off in record time. Well done, faithful servant! Please give as you can and remember that stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate can be given without capital gain tax. Also, any gift given ahead of schedule will allow us to pay down the debt even faster! Yours in Christ, The Finance Committee "My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19 Page 7 F OOTPRI NTS

8 A Time for Rest: The Sabbath and Energy The Bible dictates that the Sabbath is to be a day of rest not only for people but for the land as well. The land is to have a Sabbath every seven years. In ancient Israel, this was a very real agricultural practice, although the Israelites did not always keep the Sabbath year. Allowing the soil to replenish its nutrients after growing crops and providing food remains essential for the health of the land. But today, rather than allowing time for the soil to rest and rejuvenate as God intended, we are doing everything we can to get as much production out of the land as quickly as possible. It is not only our production of food that we have sped up; our demand for cheap and reliable electricity has led to developing inexpensive but damaging ways to produce energy. We are trying to extract as many sources of energy as we can with little regard for safety and public health. But that is not what God intended. God created for six days and rested on the seventh. Keeping the Sabbath is difficult because it requires trust in God s providence. (Lev 25:20-21 Should you ask, What shall we eat in the seventh year if we may not sow or gather in our crop? I will order my blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will yield a crop for three years. ) Trusting that there will be enough food is not easy. This is not just true of food but is also true of energy production. The idea of a Sabbath year of rest, or even a slowdown, from energy production can be frightening. But the Bible is equally clear on what happens if the land is not granted a Sabbath: the land will take it by force (Lev 26:34-35, 43-44, 2 Chronicles 36:20-21). Admittedly, taking a year off of production would be impractical and wouldn t resolve the underlying issues of our energy economy. However, learning to work with God s Creation by allowing both the land, and ourselves, a chance for rest and renewal is an important and still relevant implication of the Sabbath. Our current energy policy is not sustainable; we are using some energy sources more quickly than they can be replenished. Making a radical change in our energy policy requires clear-thinking and good solid planning. But it also requires trust. It requires us to trust that God really did provide us with enough to slow down and not constantly take as much as the land and Creation will give. It requires trusting that other ways of life are possible. The Sabbath was and continues to be both an ecological and a religious practice. From The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program For more information about the Program, to make a donation, or for fact sheets on the topic covered in this energy ethics resource, visit or info@nccecojustice.org. Page 8 F OOTPRI NTS

9 May 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 8:00 Men s Breakfast OS 9:30 Sow & Sew 121 6:00 Oak Tree Corner FH, Edu 7:00 Boy Scouts :00 Fellowship Meal FH 6:30 Art Club 121 6:30 Men s Study 102 6:30 Young Adult Study 116 7:00 Choir Practice 7:00 GS SU CR 3 National Day Prayer 6:00 GS FH 7:00 UM Women s Exec Com 4 8:00 NA FH 5 9:00 Mission Team Mtg CR 6 8:15, 9:30, 11:00 Worship 9:30 Sunday School 7 6:00-8:00 Marriage Works CR 7:00 Praise Team 7:00 Boy Scouts FH 8 8:00 Joy Breakfast OS 9:30 Sow & Sew 121 6:30 MOPS CR 7:00 SPRC :00 Worship Committee CR 1:30 Staff Meeting CR 6:00 Fellowship Meal FH 6:30 Art Club 121 6:30 Men s Study 102 6:30 Young Adult Study 116 7:00 Choir Practice 10 6:00 GS FH 6:30 Spring Banquet FH 11 8:00 NA FH 12 Spring Clean-Up 13 Mother s Day 8:15, 9:30, 11:00 Worship 9:30 Sunday School 14 6:00-8:00 Marriage Works CR 7:00 Praise Team 7:00 Boy Scouts FH, :00 Men s Breakfast OS 9:30 Sow & Sew 121 6:00 Oak Tree Corner FH, Edu 7:00 Missions Committee CR 16 STARS 6:00 Fellowship Meal FH 6:30 Art Club 121 6:30 Men s Study 102 6:30 Young Adult Study 116 7:00 Choir Practice 17 6:00 GS FH 7:00 Mary & Martha OS 18 8:00 NA FH 19 9:00 Esther Circle CR 20 8:15, 9:30, 11:00 Worship 9:30 Sunday School 4:00 Soul Center FH 21 6:00-8:00 Marriage Works CR 7:00 Praise Team 7:00 Boy Scouts FH 7:00 Finance Committee :00 Joy Breakfast OS 9:30 Sow & Sew 121 6:30 Teen MOPS CR 7:00 Naomi Circle OS 23 10:00 Koinonia Circle 105 6:00 Fellowship Meal FH 6:30 Art Club 121 6:30 Men s Study 102 6:30 Young Adult Study 116 7:00 Choir Practice 24 6:00 GS FH 7:00 Lydia Circle :00 NA FH Pentecost Graduation Recognition Day 8:15, 9:30, 11:00 Worship 9:30 Sunday School 28 Memorial Day Office closed 7:00 Praise Team No Beavercreek School today 29 8:00 Men s Breakfast OS 9:30 Sow & Sew :00 Fellowship Meal FH 6:30 Art Club 121 6:30 Men s Study 102 6:30 Young Adult Study 116 7:00 Choir Practice 31 6:00 GS FH V OLU ME 1 2 ISS UE 5 Page 9

10 S T. ANDREW UNITED ME THODIST CH URCH 350 N Fairfield Rd Beavercreek, OH catch a breath of fresh air St Andrew United Methodist Church Beavercreek non profit organization us postage paid Xenia Ohio permit #13 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED 1 pastorjohnschlicher@yahoo.com standrewumchurch.net Get Connected Intentional Prayer Bible Study Mission Worship Worship Log walking miles while supporting a great cause: The Interfaith Hospitality House of Greene County/Schneider House of Hope 5K run/walk June 2, :00 am Information: or Registration forms also available on Water Cooler bulletin board or in the office.