WILLISTOWN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

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1 September 2016 WILLISTOWN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 6051 West Chester Pike Newtown Square, PA Willistownumc.org Rev. James Wilkin, Pastor HILLTOP HERALD LETTER FROM THE PASTOR Diane and I just finished a supper that included fresh, red tomatoes picked from the vines we planted at the parsonage, and local sweet corn that she purchased at Gentile s. What delicious foods! There s nothing like late summer for enjoying the taste of fresh, local produce. And to think that just a few months ago those tomatoes and that corn didn t exist, except as a germ buried deep in the seeds that weren t yet planted in the soil. We seldom stop and think of the miracle that s contained in the food we eat. God blesses us with the richness of the ripe tomato, the sweetness of the corn, the wide variety of fruits, vegetables and grains of the field all to nourish us, to strengthen us to go do God s work in God s world. Seeds are so small, yet they hold such hope and promise for the future. The same is true of God s kingdom. So often we have no idea what will grow from the seeds that we plant when we share a story about our faith with someone we meet; or when we help a brother or sister child who is in trouble; or when we invite someone to come to church with us. Or when we ring the Salvation Army bell at Christmas and raise money for people in need. There are so many opportunities that we have to plant the seeds of hope in the message of God s love and grace. But if Diane and I hadn t planted the plants by the parsonage, we would have had no tomatoes to pick this evening. And if the farmer hadn t planted the corn last spring, we wouldn t have enjoyed its sweet flavor tonight. Likewise, if you and I don t plant the seeds of the kingdom of God in the world in which we live, nothing will be growing here in this place at this time. We are called to be the presence of Jesus in this broken world. We answer that call through how we live each day what we say to those we meet, how we treat our brothers and sisters, how we care for the world in which we live. Every word and every action is a seed that we plant. May each of us plant the seeds of the sweet, rich, nourishing fruit that God desires to see flourish in this world. Inside this issue Letter from the Pastor Blood Drive Choir Corner Adult Vacation Bible School....4 Hilltoppers...5 In Service..6 Birthdays and Anniversaries....6 Methodist Breakfast & Endowment Fund..7 AVBS Pictures September 2016 Page 1

2 BLOOD DRIVE Please plan to be part of our next blood drive. Be a RED CROSS BLOOD DONOR IN November! See Gil Fell to volunteer and to sign up to give blood! July 8th Blood Drive On July 8 th, 2016 we held our semiannual RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE. We collected 28 units, the best results we have had since 2011! We extend many thank you's to all donors including many members and friends of our church: Fred Bachman, Carol and Bill Bowers, Glenn Clark, Barbara Fell, Amy and Jeff Gorham, Jane Jeffrey, Jim McNamara, Jane Van Zandt, Diane and Jim Wilkin, Curt Wise, & Dick Wright. Also special kudos to those who served as greeters: Barbara Seidel, Jane Van Zandt, Barbara Gorham, Marge McKee, Sara Beam and Carol Bowers. It's great to have our "Home team" serving with enthusiasm while representing our church. Gil Fell We Share God s Love The Brickman The Brickman would like to thank the congregation and friends of our church for their support of our Brickyard. It has been a labor of love since Alan Clark asked me to head this project. And it is finally filled! Please stop by and enjoy our beautiful dedications to loved ones! May God bless you and your families The Brickman, Bill Rice. Don t forget food for the Salvation Army Food Bank! Please continue to bring your non-perishables either on the first Sunday of the Month or any time! We are helping so many families by our donation. 2 September 2016 Page 2

3 The Benefits of Singing We all know that singing in the church choir is certainly a service to the church. By leading the congregation in worship through music, we are enhancing our praises to God. Just check out Psalm 150 if you have any doubts! But, did you ever stop to think about the benefits to you when you commit to singing in the choir? More and more research is being published about the health benefits of music. Music forces you to think. Even if you don't read music, you still have to focus on the notes and various markings in order to follow what is going on. You really can't let your mind wander too far or you will be totally lost. That's a good thing! You are always learning new things, especially new patterns. You are helping those brain cells to turn on in different ways. Breathing is one of the things we focus on in choir rehearsal. We often start with breathing exercises. If you have a breathing problem, singing exercises will help you. If you don't, they may help avoid a breathing problem. Singing is relaxing in spite of all the mental activity and the need to focus. There have been many times when I was very tired and thought I might not make it through a rehearsal. I went anyway and, guess what? I felt refreshed by the rehearsal when I left - better than when I arrived after a day in the classroom. A Welcoming Church Greeters: Please be in place by 10:00 A.M. Wear your greeter tag and if we have a visitor, please give them the little identification lapel sticker to identify themselves as visitors. Also, please have them sign the guest register. Ushers: Please be in place by 10:05. Give out the bulletins and ask if anyone has a special need. (hearing or seeing) Take up the offering when called upon by the Pastor. Anytime we spend singing God's praises is a great time. Choir is a set time to do that. Talk to any choir member and they will tell you that they couldn't stop singing in their head an anthem that we worked on or sang on Sunday. Please join us on Wednesdays at 1 pm to enjoy all the benefits of singing praises to God! Rehearsals begin on September 7th and last until 2:30 pm. Our first Sunday is the 11th. No audition is required. Call Sarah Cass at if you have questions. Choir needs you and you need choir!! September 2016 Page 3

4 Adult Vacation Bible School 2016 August 15th, 2016 marked the first night of Willistown United Methodist Church s Adult Vacation Bible School. This unique event ran from Monday through Thursday. Pastor Jim Wilkin noted that the attendance and reaction of our students far exceeded his expectations. He said, In addition to WUMC congregation members, many guests from the community and neighboring churches came out each evening. Everyone enjoyed being active and embracing the opportunity to grow in faith and learn new things with friends. The overall theme was Faith as a Child. Jesus said, The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children. I tell you the truth. You must accept the kingdom of God as a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it. - Mark 10:14b-15 (International Children s Bible). Each of the four evenings focused on one characteristic of children that we, as adults, can seek to emulate: Curiosity, Trust, Openness, and Innocence. Scripture drove the music, stories, crafts, games, and even the snacks. For example, Trust Night included a Trust Walk with blindfolds, and homemade cookies fashioned like life preservers! Craft projects included making prayer beads, paper-making, mindful doodling, and homemade goofy-goo (silly putty). One of the guests, a young 83, said she loved the fun and fellowship of creating unique art pieces. The old-time songs from childhood bible camp brought back many fond memories. There were so many people to thank for planning, preparing, decorating and working each night. Bill Keating, Don Stapleton, Emma Southern, Grace Southern, Ana Southern, Beth Southern, Jane Jeffrey, Kim Pierce, Ann Clark, Grace Miller, Elise Polini, Jane VanZandt, Sara Beam, Diane Wilkin, Bill Snyder, Sarah Cass, and of course, Pastor Jim Wilkin. Let me know if I left you out!! And many thanks to all who attended and supported this wonderful event! Please contact the Pastor if you have ideas and suggestions for other activities and for next year s Vacation Bible School. Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm, the UMC Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Southeast District Superintendent, stopped in to see this wonderful outreach activity. She was very excited about the endeavor and saw an opportunity in the future for crossgenerational fellowship by inviting all ages to attend. The students reactions were so overwhelmingly positive that WUMC s One-Day Workshops are planned to be held during the year no waiting for next summer! Look for a workshop on Making Paper Christmas Ornaments in November or December. Stay tuned for details! September 2016 Page 4

5 Hilltoppers The Hilltoppers Within our congregation, Willistown United Methodist Church has a social/service organization called the Hilltoppers. We meet several times a year at the Church and we go as a group to shows, musicals and other areas of interest in and around Chester County. Our service to the Church involves bake sales at election time, providing cakes for the annual Spaghetti Dinner and decorating the Church at Christmas time. Profits are given back to the Church and local charities. The Hilltoppers is a wonderful group of people who share trips and speaker events and an annual Bake sale to raise money for the church. They meet monthly in nice weather seasons (Spring and Fall). Open to Everyone! Be sure to bring your ideas and your friends to the next meeting. We need your input to plan future exciting trips or speakers. As soon as we know how many are coming, we will ask for food contributions. Thanks for your support! Our next meeting is Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 11:00 at the Church. We will follow our usual format of a business meeting, luncheon and guest speaker. Our speaker will be Bruce Mowday who will give a talk about Phillies legend and Hall of Famer, Richie Ashburn. Please let us know by Friday, September 2, 2016 if you can make this date. You do not have to be a member of the congregation to be with us. Thanks and do hope to see you. Dick and Nancy Wright September 2016 Page 5

6 September Birthdays 2 Russ Fell 3 Randy Southern 17 Diane Wilkin 21 Mary Lou Amen September Anniversaries 18 Jim & Ruth McNamara 20 Bill & Carol Keating 24 Gene & Pat Roelofs We Welcome All People SEPTEMBER USHERS Date Name 4 Bill Keating and Don Stapleton 11 Jane and Jim Van Zandt 18 Leonard Eads and Elise Polini 25 Nancy and Richard Wright SEPTEMBER GREETERS Date Name 4 Fred Eufrasio and Dave Michael 11 Barbara Fell and Nancy Barr * 18 Sara Beam and Betty Byar 25 June DiRomualdo and Kim Pierce SEPTEMBER LITURGISTS 4 Curt Wise 11 Gil Fell 18 Bonnie Boyer* 25 Sara Beam * addition/change September 2016 Page 6

7 LET S LAUGH Six-year-old Angie and her fouryear-old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers." (unknown) Endowment Fund This year our fund's income payment to the general fund $ The fund has thus far contributed a total of $3, to our general fund. JOIN US FOR September Methodist Breakfast ur next METHODIST BREAK- FAST is Sunday, September 11th, which happens to be "Grandparents Day". Music by Pastor Jim will lead off. Then, after some thoughts from the bible and what it says about grandparents, we will share some memories of our grandparents. Couple that with an outstanding breakfast, it promises to be a special program! Gil Fell, Prez September 2016 Page 7

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14 Pastor: Rev. James H. Wilkin Pastor s pastorjimwikin@gmail.com Pastor s Cell Phone: Office Phone: Office willistownumc@comcast.net Lay Leader: Grace Miller Lay Leader s Phone: Lay Leader s gracewmiller@yahoo.com Newsletter Editor: Sara Beam Phone: address: sarabeamart1@verizon.net WUMC web page: September Events Date Methodist Breakfast 11 Choir Starts 11 Sunday School Starts 11 Hilltoppers 13 UM Women Retreat 14 Church Council 18 Don t forget to see our biweekly E-Newsletter, Heard on the Hill for ongoing activities and news! Click Here: Harvest Time Genesis 8: 22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease." Matthew 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 2 Corinthians 9:10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; Leviticus 26:5 'Indeed, your threshing will last for you until grape gathering, and grape gathering will last until sowing time You will thus eat your food to the full and live securely in your land. "Heard on the Hill" September 2016 Page 14