the Visitor the Visitor Sunday Worship April 2018

Transcription

1 FLUSHING UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 413 E MAIN ST FLUSHING MI the Visitor March 28, 2018 Issue #3 NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID FLUSHING MI PERMIT #38 April 2018 the Visitor a publication of Flushing United Methodist Church Our Vision Statement Preparing servants who make a difference in their community and the world by knowing Christ, sharing Christ and emulating Christ. Church Staff Lead Pastor Debbie Line Yencer Pastor of Family & Education Jeanne Wisenbaugh Office Manager Rose Dessinger Music Coordinator Christie Dover Custodian Marlene Cooper Play Place Director Brooke Booth Play Place Sandy Abueita P.Wisenbaugh For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. -Song of Solomon 2:11-12 Sunday Worship 8:45 am Traditional 11:15 am Contemporary Sunday School 11:15 am Pre-k thru High School 10:00 am Young Adult & Adult Classes Published the last Wednesday of the month (810) Editor: Rose Dessinger 413 E Main St, Flushing MI flumc@sbcglobal.net

2 What a way to start the month of April EASTER! It brings us not only a reminder of weather changing and readying for the colors of May flowers, but it is also the reminder that Christ was defeated by death God s love cannot be contained in a tomb sin no longer needs to reign in our lives Christ is risen risen indeed! Easter is celebrated every year. We are reacquainted with the story and bedrock of our faith. How does the truth of the resurrection integrate into your everyday life? Let s spend some time to ruminate around the impact of Easter. The Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote a poem entitled 'The Wreck of the Deutschland.' In this wreck, Franciscan nuns drowned on the German ship Deutschland. In this poem Gerard writes this, 'Let him easter in us.' Have you ever heard easter as a verb? Think about it for a moment. Easter represents many things in our faith. The first thing is that Easter reverses so much. Good Friday is no longer the stronghold as it was then. God is not dead! Sin has not won. The hopelessness of Friday and Saturday is gone. God s promises are again seen as valid and true! The reversal must be pondered! Let Christ 'easter' in us. The truth of what God did in the resurrection of his Son needs to influence us, the way to live. We then show forth the power of the resurrection to others. Walter Burghardt wrote that Christ easters in us in three ways: (1) By a faith that rises above doubt. (2) By a hope that conquers despair. (3) By a love that does justice. That is a BIG verb! Paul writes a powerful truth in the book of Romans 10: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced. 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. Scripture Readers 8:45am Apr 1 Kris Rundell Apr 8 Laragene Triplett Apr 15 Melissa Whalen Apr 22 Carolyn Malaski Apr 29 Laurel Allyn Greeters 8:45am Apr 1 Jim & Laragene Triplett Apr 8 Melissa & Travis Whalen Apr 15 Paul & Peggy Blanchard Apr 22 Bill Dessinger, Bonnie Farrow Apr 29 Jim & Liz Fonger Coffee Hosts 8:45am Apr 1 Jerry & Carol Dick Apr 8 Larry & Sue Ridge Apr 15 Jim & Liz Fonger Apr 22 Bruce & Sylvia Hathaway Apr 29 Duane & Dawn Hiller Ushers 8:45am Apr 1 Bill & Sue Martin Apr 8 Bonnie Farrow, Carolyn Malaski Apr 15 Lois Griffin, Mel Weeden Apr 22 John & Marcia Henson Apr 29 Gerry & Dorothy Byard Newsletter Helpers Wednesday, April 25 Jim & Laragene Triplett, Ed & Cheryl Nixon Worship Servants Worship Leaders 11:15am Apr 1 Debbie Line Yencer Apr 8 Jeanne Wisenbaugh Apr 15 Kris Supernaw Apr 22 Debbie Line Yencer Apr 29 Christie Dover Greeters 11:15am Apr 1 Barb & Sarah Covert Apr 8 Denise Johnson, Sandy Kitts Apr 15 Tom Lawrence, Denise Sands Apr 22 Lori & Joe Dorman Apr 29 John & Diane Roberts Coffee Hosts 11:15am Apr 1 Tom & Teresa Casteel Apr 8 Kris Burns, Betty Weber Apr 15 Blair & Tracey Booth Apr 22 Warren & Faye Atwell Apr 29 Bob Halbedel & Kris S. Ushers 11:15am Apr 1 Denise Trantham, Betty Weber Apr 8 Jessica Fleury, Kris Supernaw Apr 15 Chris Pritt, Denise Sands Apr 22 Sandy Kitts, Cathy Riley Apr 29 Teresa Casteel, Denise Johnson Articles for May Newsletter: Deadline April 15 Worship Attendance Mar Mar Mar Mar25 232

3 Our Church Family Aware of a concern or joy in our family? Please notify the church, so we can share them with you. Only first names will be published in prayer concerns. Please remember in your hearts and prayers: For the family of Scott Miller who They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. That s how the easter-ing starts in us and lives in and through us. So Happy Easter! Happy Easter-ing of the Lord Jesus Christ in you! Blessings! Lee Ann who is recovering from died last week Jeff Welch s mom recovering from hip surgery For continued healing for Muriel Rayna, healing from brain surgery Ralph, who had a hiatal hernia surgery For friends and families of Lyn and Pat, to find peace during time of grief surgery due to lung cancer For God s guidance for Alyssa as she becomes and adult For Lori and her family For Jane having difficulties due to Parkinsons disease Jeffrey having surgery to remove blind eye and replace with prosthetic. Sympathy To the Stauffacher family and friends on the loss of Lona Stauffacher. To the MacArthur family and friends on the loss of Margaret MacArthur. To Sheila Bisaha on the loss of her father. May these families be uplifted by our prayers Thank you to everyone who took part in our UM Women s shower for Heartbeat ( a children s mission in Flint.) Thank you to all the volunteers and to everyone that donated candy or money for the Egg Hunt. We had 60 children who enjoyed the Egg Hunt, pictures with the Easter Bunny and all the crafts and games! Everyone had such a great time! Thank you for making all possible. Palm Sunday was such a blessed day filled with wonderful music, and food from our Faith in Action Team. The combination of all the musical talents from young to the old made it so special. Thank you everyone for your voices, your musical talents and the great food! We especially thank Christie Dover putting together such a wonderful program. Sermons Living for Faith A Look In God s Mirror Fit for Stacking Standing Stones Laying the Foundation John 20:1-10 Exodus 3:1-2 & Peter 2:2-10 Joshua 4:1-11 Ezra 1:1-7 Easter Celebration We will celebrate the risen Lord on Sunday, April 1st no fooling. Join us and invite others to come to a rejoicing time with communion! He is risen indeed! Finishing Well The resurrection of Christ makes a difference in our lives here on earth and for all eternity after death. Pastor Debbie will lead a book study on April 22 at 1 pm on the book Finishing Well, to the Glory of God. Facing end of life issues can happen anytime. Sometimes it is our parents, our friends, or ourselves. How do we cope in light of being a Christian? It can be in faith and hope. Please join this time together. Then on May 6th at 1:00 pm we will welcome a guest speaker or two to talk about decisions made around death. Books will be available soon, they are also available on Kindle. Sunday, May 20, 2018 Save the date! We will be having Christian Education Sunday as well as celebrating 2 senior graduations this day. It is also Pentecost so make sure you wear red!

4 Debbie You are invited to celebrate Debbie Line Yencer s Retirement When: June 7, 2018 Where: Flushing UMC 413 E. Main St. Time: 6:30 p.m. RSVP Church Office If you would like to share your appreciation of Debbie s ministry, please send a letter to Nancy Line for a scrap book. nline123@gmail.com or 2599 Columbia Berkley, MI Lindsay Moore, FPGC s director, recently met with Carolyn Malaski, Family Promise Coordinator, and Pastor Debbie for our annual review of our participation as a host church. In 2017 we were hosts for 9 families during 4 weeks. There were a total of 29 guests with children ranging in age from 2 mo. to 18 yrs. We provided 255 safe night s sleep and 28 dinners and breakfasts. Lunch and snack foods were also available. Servants from Flushing UMC, St. Robert s and Flushing Community Church of the Nazarene served a total of 1, hours during the year. Our congregation donated nearly $1,700 to FPGC, which does not include individual donations. Since the beginning of Family Promise in 2014, 32 of the 39 families who participated in and graduated from the program, are successfully maintaining their own homes. More recently, 4 of the 5 families who were with us in December 2017 graduated and are doing well. We are blessed to have so many generous individuals who give of their time, talents and donations to support this ministry. A special thank you to Sue Martin, Denise Johnson, Ruth Brown, Lorena Ham, Nancy Elsner, Denise Trantham and Kris Supernaw who serve as team leaders host weeks are April 1, June 24, September 16 and December 9. For more information on how you can be a part of Family Promise, look for information on the Mission table in Fellowship Hall, talk with a leader or servant or contact Carolyn Malaski. FUMC will have a benefit concert for FPGC again this summer. Watch for details. The FPGC 5 K Walk/Run will be held August 11 th.

5 The Endowment Fund was established in 1990 with a bequest from Stuart and Ellen Ottaway. The Fund continues to accept contributions in honor of and in memory of individuals as well as from others who make a charitable contribution from their investments or retirement accounts. The majority of the funds have been invested with the United Methodist Foundation of Michigan. The Endowment Fund uses only the interest earned. Each year in November using the total value of the investment, the committee determines the amount of funds that are available for awarding grants the following year. Grants are available to support programs or projects that are not included in the regular church budget. To date, the following grants have been awarded: $300 scholarship for PlayPlace staff; $500 start up funds for Family Promise; $1,000 to Stephen Ministry for leader training; $115 for seminar expenses for Associate Pastor; $500 for 175th Anniversary Celebration and most recently, $400 for 2 new rocking chairs for the PlayPlace. Updated Phone Number Fredell, Tom & Jen Werth, Andrew Cell: Removed (Deceased) Stauffacher, Lona Lee MacArthur, Margaret Updated Address Mosey, Caron caronmosey@gmail.com New Attendees: Dewley, Carole Ann 3095 Linden Ln Apt 307 Flint, MI Launstein, John 120 N Beech St. Apt B Po Box 572 Flushing, MI Randall-Aboukarroum, Karen 6102 Flushing Rd, Flushing Add: To Belanger family: Bo Shufelt, Ace Shufelt Yaklin, Dan married Walker, Laurie New Adult Sunday School Classes Beginning April 15 there will be two new adult classes at 10:00 am on Sundays. Jim Thomas will be leading Christianity s Family Tree by Adam Hamilton in room 6, downstairs. This eight week class begins on April 15th. Adam Hamilton presents a welcoming, inspiring vision of eight Christian denominations and faith traditions. Comparing the Christian family to our own extended families, he contends that each denomination has a unique, valuable perspective to offer on the Christian faith. The traditions he examines are Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, Baptists, Pentecostalism, and Methodism. For each group, Hamilton gives a brief history, outlines major beliefs, and describes some things we can learn from that tradition to strengthen our own Christian faith. Pastor Debbie will be leading Goliath Must Fall by Louie Giglio in the Heritage Room. The study looks at us having a threatening giant in your life... an adversary or stronghold that s diminishing your ability to live a full and free life. Frozen in the grip of rejection, fear, anger, comfort, or addiction, you ve lost sight of the promise God has for your life. Demoralized and defeated, you ve settled for far less than his best. God has a better plan for you a plan for you to live in victory. That s why he has silenced your giant once and for all. In looking at David and Goliath, we will learn how the key to living free from our giants is not better slingshot accuracy, but keeping our eyes on the one and only giant-slayer: Jesus. Put your hope in him, and watch Goliath fall. Look for sign up sheets in the entrance way.

6 National Day of Prayer Service On Thursday, May 3 we will gather as a Flushing community to pray for our nation. This year we will have a service at 7:00 pm at the Flushing Community Nazarene Church. We will have music and prayer together. There will also be a community choir. Save the date! Now is the time for us to clearly agree to pray in this manner for America: 1. Pray for unity of thought and strategy among our nation s leadership over these critical issues in America today. Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly and it will be given to him. James 1:5 2. Pray that we agree clearly, unite visibly, and pray extraordinarily for the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America. They all were continually united in prayer. Acts 1:14 3. Pray for God to intervene supernaturally across America as we call upon all Americans to pray for our nation on the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 3, Making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3 TROUP 115 Genesee County Jail Friday, May 4, Arrive at 6:00 pm, Leave by 8:30 pm If you can join me or would like more information about this ministry, please call Teresa Casteel The requested Food Pantry donation for the month of April is: Canned Fruit

7 Hidden Treasures Something for everyone Bring your gently used treasures to the back of Fellowship Hall NOT BEFORE Sunday, April 1, 2018 No exercise equipment, computers or encyclopedias, please. All proceeds raised go to missions! COME ONE COME ALL! THE UNDERGROUND CAFÉ! WED., APRIL 25, :30-8:30PM ENTERTAINMENT, BEVERAGES & DESSERTS! COME, BRING A FRIEND, OR JUST COME JOIN US! TICKETS - $8, DEADLINE APRIL 22 (OR $10 AT THE DOOR) CONTACT: Lynne Whitmire (810) (or Church Office (810) ) Golden Cross Sunday is coming up on May 6 Golden Cross Sunday provides an offering opportunity to share God s light by supporting: older adults who have outlived their savings; residential care, foster care, and adoption programs for children and families; and camperships for children from all walks of life. Organizations represented are United Methodist Retirement Communities (UMRC) Foundation, Methodist Children s Home Society, and United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries. United Methodist Retirement Communities (UMRC) celebrates 112 years of caring for older adults and their families, offering Michigan s most diverse housing options and services to seniors of all income levels. The number of older adults is expected to double by 2030 and triple for those 85 and older. UMRC serves over 2,000 older adults and their families each year from 8 locations across twelve Michigan counties. UMRC s full continuum of care ensure our residents always have a home where they are loved and treasured. Since 1917, Methodist Children s Home Society (MCHS) has been providing life-changing programs and services to some of Michigan s most fragile children. MCHS provides individualized treatment, care, advocacy, and permanency to children and families who have been impacted by childhood trauma. Children who have survived abuse and neglect find a safe and comfortable place to call home through MCHS foster care, adoption, residential care, and transitional living services. With expert staff and life-changing programs, MCHS provides Michigan children and families the opportunity to heal from the past, heal, learn, and prosper, giving them a reason to hope and believe again and reclaim their future. The mission of Michigan Area United Methodist Camping is to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ. Through the programs offered at our nine camps, campgrounds, and retreat centers, we reach campers of all ages. The Golden Cross Sunday offering will be designated for camperships for any camper who needs extra help to get to camp. Our goal is to make sure no child is denied the life-changing experience of summer camp for financial reasons and for the Gospel message to continue to be spread.

8 Sunday Worship Traditional: 8:45 am Contemporary: 11:15 am 5pm Jesus in the Gospels Committee/Ministry Meetings At A Glance April 2: 7:00 pm Trustee Meeting meet in the Heritage Room April 3: 7:00 pm Audit Committee April 11: Stephen Ministry meets in the Heritage Room April 16: Staff Parish/Pastor Relations meet in the Heritage Room Youth Meetings April 15 & 22: 12:30 2:00 pm in the Undercroft