Weekly News from St. Matthew s United Methodist Church. Acton, Massachusetts

Transcription

1 Weekly News from St. Matthew s United Methodist Church Acton, Massachusetts Members of Youth Group Bid a Fond Farewell to Herb & Sarah Taylor (June 8, 2014) Growing in Faith, Walking in Love Called to be a welcoming, joyful, diverse, and vibrant community that creates disciples who put faith into action to transform the world June 10, 2014 CHURCH NOTICES, SERVICES, UPDATES, EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES Summer Schedule Begins June 15 Pastor Steve s sermon at Conference to stream online June 11 Peace with Justice Sunday June 15 Pictorial Directory A Summer Project Open Invitation to Recital June 14 Summer Fellowship Volunteers Needed St. Matthew s Security Task Force Needs Your Input Vacation Bible Camp July MISSION, OUTREACH & ADVOCACY Loaves & Fishes Community Partnership Reception June 16 Asociación ANDES Carol Wipper s Prayer Request It s No Picnic Without Food June Food Drive WEEKLY CALENDAR

2 CHURCH NOTICES, SERVICES, UPDATES, EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES Summer Schedule Begins This Sunday June 15 PLEASE NOTE: Sunday, June 15 th, our Summer schedule begins with one service at 9:30 AM. Please join us! Pastor Steve Preaching at Annual Conference- Broadcast Live Online Wed. 7 p.m. Our Annual Conference sessions (Wednesday noon through Saturday noon) are all streamed live on line. You ll be able to catch Pastor Steve s sermon (as part of his receiving the Ziegler Preaching Award) in the worship service at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 11. A link on the Conference website, will take you to the Conference stream. For that matter, you might want to drop in on other parts of Conference, and see what it s all about. (Other scheduled worship services are Thursday at 1 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 8:30 a.m.) The Conference preacher on Thursday and Saturday is Lillian Daniel, best-selling author of When Being Spiritual but Religious Is not Enough. The Friday preacher is Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar.) This Sunday: Peace with Justice Offering God commands us to seek peace and build it among all peoples. It requires our prayers, and the transformation of our relationships. It also leads us to advocate for social change and to create just and healing social structures around us. The United Methodist Church has always been active in working for justice and peace. On Sunday we will receive a special offering supporting justice and peace ministries locally and across the nation. (Half of the offering stays in the New England Conference; half is spent nationally.) Pictorial Directory- a Summer Project The Welcome, Outreach and Witness Team is going to begin creating a pictorial directory this summer. It is our desire to help strengthen the bond of our faith community. We want long-time members, new members and people in the middle to all get to know one another just a little bit more. In order to create this new directory we need your help. Please send us a picture of your family. If you are a family of one then a picture of yourself. If you are a family of six and you can t get everyone in the same photo, send as many as needed, we will work with it. If you have a favorite pet you want in your picture that is fine too. Also, we are asking everyone to write up a brief narrative about yourself/your family. We want people to learn about each other and find new ways they might connect. Feel free to tell us whatever you would like. Interesting, creative, boring, we ll take it. Just think about what you might like to learn about others in the congregation when you write your short narrative.

3 Please send an before June 25th to with your picture, narrative, phone number(s), addresses and names that you would like included in the directory. If you have contact information you would like to share with the church office but do not want it in a church directory, please the church office with that information. If you don t have a picture and would like one taken, please send an with your narrative and contact information, indicating that you would like your picture taken. If you have any questions, please Susan. If you don t do and have questions you can call Susan at If you would like to use postal mail, send your information to 31 Edsel Road, Littleton, MA The pictorial directory can t happen without your help so please send your information as soon as you are able. The pictorial directory will help us be more welcoming to new people. Thanks for helping us with this ministry. Open Invitation to Recital June 14 We have received an open invitation to a recital at St. Matthew s, 2:00 PM Saturday, June 14, by Jenna and Jamie Lorusso. Both are graduates of ABRHS; Jenna 2010 and Jamie Jenna, a lyric soprano, was a member of the AB Madrigal choir and recently graduated from Westminster Choir College. She will be continuing her music career doing graduate work at the University of Miami. Jamie, an accomplished pianist who also plays saxophone, is heading to Ithaca College to major in music. Jamie s 4 th grade teacher at Gates School was Mrs. Lee. Summer Fellowship Volunteers Needed Bonus - no coffee to set up or clean up! The Fellowship Ministry organizes Fellowship each Sunday morning after the 9:30 (summer) service to allow time and space for the congregation to welcome visitors and visit with each other. Fellowship volunteers provide juice and light snacks and clean-up/wash-up after the service for a week at a time. The following Sundays are available: June 15 th ; July 6 th ; July 13 th ; July 20 th ; July 27 th ; August 3 rd ; August 10 th ; August 17 th ; August 24 th ; August 31st If you can help, please reply to corrina.roman.kreuze@gmail.com. Set up details and instructions are posted in the kitchen or can be ed to you. Many thanks for the time and service you give to SMUMC! On behalf of The Fellowship Ministry Corrina Kreuze corrina.roman.kreuze@gmail.com cell

4 St. Matthew s Security Task Force Needs Your Input The Security Task Force is now active and would like our church family to voice any advice or concerns you might have regarding church safety/security. As time is short, please let Bill Davis ( or wadavisii@gmail.com) know of your thoughts no later than June 15 so the Task Force can make a presentation to the next full Church Council when they meet on July 15 th. Vacation Bible Camp July All kids, ages 3 through 5 th grade, are invited to come have a great week at Workshop of Wonders: Imagine and Build with God Vacation Bible Camp at St. Matthew's UMC. Every morning from 9 to noon, the kids and their youth and adult leaders will grab a hammer, find a paintbrush, and put on their creative thinking caps at WOW, and imagine and build with God. Bible stories, music, crafts, science, food, outdoor fun, Rivet the Ant... who knows what else you'll find when you come? Registration will begin next Sunday at the Sunday School Celebration Breakfast and continue until VBS begins. Early registration is encouraged. Invite all the kids you know to come. Bring your friends! We plan to have a great time! MISSION, OUTREACH & ADVOCACY

5 Asociación ANDES Carol Wipper s Prayer Request Carol s son, Michael Wipper, will be traveling to Cusco, Peru - leaving Thursday, June 5th and returning at the end of July. He has an internship through his school - Connecticut College - to work with ANDES, a non-profit organization in Cusco that (among other programs) supports a communitydriven Potato Park farmed by indigenous groups. He will research the impact of global warming on agriculturally-based communities and will gain a greater understanding of the socioeconomic and political obstacles that confront these subsistence farmers in an increasingly market-oriented world. Michael and his group will establish stronger connections with ANDES and facilitate future internship opportunities for Conn. College students who wish to foster an involvement in global issues and struggles. ANDES = It s No Picnic Without Food June Food Drive Soon it will be June and St. Matthew s Summer food drive will be in action. MOA is asking for contributions of non-perishables to help stock the shelves of our local food pantries, Loaves & Fishes and the Acton Food Pantry. The summer months are typically more challenging times for the pantries, as contributions are down but the large clientele remains the same. During the month of June we will have brown grocery bags available in the foyer for you to pick up and return with desired food items. The bags will be festively prepared by the Primary Fellowship children, and each bag will have an attached list of most needed items. We will be collecting the filled returned bags throughout the month of June. We will then deliver these bags to the food pantries in early July. All donated Items must be in unopened/undamaged packages and undented cans. Please also double-check expiration dates. As always, we thank you for your amazing generosity and for being a part of our Christian outreach in our local communities. REQUESTED ITEMS: Ensure/Instant Breakfast; Peanut Butter; Jelly; Cooking Oil; 100% Juice; Baked Beans/Pork & Beans; Canned Meats/Stews/Hash; Mac & Cheese; Pasta (Ziti, Rotini, Shells, Rigatoni, Spaghetti); Helpers/Pasta Sides; Rice-a-Roni/Boxed Flavored Rice; Beans Garbanzo & Re-fried; Canned Beets/Spinach/Sauerkraut; White Tuna; Canned Fruit; Household Paper Products; Diapers; Depends (Large & X-Large sizes); Poise; Feminine Care Products; Shampoo/Conditioner; Deodorant; Soap Tuesday, June 10 Finance Committee, 7:30 PM in Office WEEKLY CALENDAR

6 Wednesday, June 11 Pastor Steve s Sermon at Annual Conference, 7:00 PM at Gordon College; or connect to Conference stream at Thursday, June 12 Music Ministry Team, 7:15 PM in Downstairs Library Sunday, June 15 FATHER S DAY Worship Service, 9:30 AM - BEGINNING OF SUMMER SCHEDULE Monday, June 16 Spiritual Formation, 7:30 PM in Downstairs Library Tuesday, June 17 Council on Ministries, 7:30 PM in Downstairs Library Ruth Circle, 12:00 PM at home of Priscilla Killian Wednesday, June 18 Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC), 7:30 PM in Downstairs Library