Strength for the Day. ~ Keep Reading ~ Honor Those Who Died for You

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1 July 2018 Strength for the Day Editor Ellen Independence Day Indeed: Jesus Christ, the original defender of freedom, died to pay atonement for all of humanity s sins. This truth tells me, Christians around the world should celebrate Independence Day every day. After all, accepting the Grace provided by Christ s Death and Resurrection freed you from the grip sin held over you since your birth. Being freed from sin is the first step toward fulfilling God s Plan for your life, as summarized in Mark 12: In the NRSV, those verses (Christ s Two Commandments) read: 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. 31 The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Regardless of when and where a person was born, where they live, skin color, native language, net worth, IQ, and a host of other variations, each person needs the freedom provided by Jesus Death and Resurrection. That freedom paves the way for each Follower of Christ to fulfill the His Two Commandments by freeing us from the power of sin. Honor Those Who Died for You ~ Keep Reading ~ Editor Ellen Being freed from the power of sin is the key, first step toward fulfilling these Commandments. Here in America, Followers of Christ enjoy the freedom to take additional steps. We owe a debt of gratitude to the countless military veterans who died or sacrificed some degree of personal independence to secure the freedom we enjoy. Clearly, Jesus Christ holds the #1 spot on any Christian s List of People to Thank. If you met Him today, I dare say a quick handshake and thank you for your service wouldn t come close to expressing your gratitude. Recently, I asked a veteran how that phrase strikes him. After acknowledging that it s nice to hear, he quickly pointed out that deployed military personnel deserve to hear it more. How true thousands of men and women, serving in nations around the world, defending America and fighting to share (some of) the freedoms many Americans take for granted with God s Children living in those nations. The chance of you or me getting the opportunity to personally thank these soldiers for their sacrifice is cont page 3 July WUMC Events...2 Contacts & Times...2 Celebrating Our Kindergarteners...2 Trinity Supper Club...2 Praying Our Way Forward...3 Provide Sanctuary Flowers...3 WUMC * VBS Festive July Days...5 Book Talk rd Thursday Lunch Bunch...5 SeaSide Escape Retreat...5 Joyful Noise Openings...5 Thanksgiving Ingathering...6 Stay Connected...8 Contact Info...8

2 Celebrating Our Kindergarteners Going to kindergarten is a big step in a child s life so the Waukee UMC Prayer Shawl Ministry Team will be presenting fleece blankets to these little ones during worship (9:30) on Sunday, Aug. 19. These blankets serve as a reminder that God s love surrounds them just like a soft, cozy blanket even when they re in school. The following are on our records as entering kindergarten this August: Izzie DeHaan Morgan Delaney Sawyer Flack Breydan Mann Noah Provenzale Ella Sparks Owen Sparks Quinn Sparrow Please call the office if you have any changes to this list. Trinity Supper Club Numbers are lower, but there are still many hungry mouths to feed. Please check the clipboards at the Connection Counter to see how you can help. You can sign-up to donate food items, help serve the Trinity Supper meal on Monday, July 9, or both. We ll be serving walking tacos to hungry folks who deeply appreciative our generosity. If you have questions, please contact Lauren Kratz. Contacts & Times If an article says to contact someone for more information, refer to the Contact Info on the last page. Also, times listed in The Vine are p.m., unless noted otherwise. 2

3 Praying Our Way Forward This UMC prayer movement is a response to the Council of Bishops initiative called Praying Our Way Forward. We invite all across the denomination to pray for God s guidance as we approach the special-called session of General Conference to be held Feb , 2019 in St. Louis. You ve asked to: Join the movement at Pause and Pray for four minutes each day, from 2:23 until 2:26, either a.m. or p.m.; Participate in a weekly Wesleyan fast from Thursday after dinner through Friday afternoon; and Use the online prayer schedule ( to pray for delegates and bishops by name. Additional information about Praying Our Way Forward, including ways to get involved, is available at Provide Sanctuary Flowers It s summer. It s hot and filled with anniversaries and birthdays. If you want to celebrate those special days with our church family, it s time to sign-up at the C.C. The July, August, and September schedule is now available for those who ve been waiting for their special day. Please give your $15 to Deanne for the flowers. Any questions? Contact Deanne. 3 from page 1 almost as remote as thanking Jesus Christ in-person. However, there are ways you can express your gratitude You could start by making the most of the freedoms you have in Christ. The Grace He provides frees you to forgive, pray for our leaders, heal, love, and give. As Followers of Christ living in the USA, we have many additional freedoms, courtesy of those serving in our military. Freedom of Speech is an excellent example. An American can say or publish almost anything without fear of government intervention. The Freedom of Religion we enjoy doesn t exist in many nations. We have the opportunity to worship and to share the Good News with others. Many Christians around the world must meet in secrecy, have limited/no access to the Holy Bible, and live in fear of being tortured or killed for proclaiming their faith. And what about having the right to vote for our countries leaders? We get to help choose who runs our country. Life is very different for our brothers and sisters in Christ living under non-democratic governments. Many of us grouse and grumble about the leaders we helped elect. Many others didn t even take the time or interest in exercising this right. Most Americans also have access to healthy food, clean water, healthcare, and other wellness options. These opportunities are unheard of in countries less secure than our own. If you d like to go beyond saying, Thank you for your service, there are ways to show your appreciation more directly. You could start by visiting the USO s (United Service Organization) website at Operation Gratitude ( also provides many options for giving back to folks in our armed services.

4 WUMC * VBS 2018 *** SHiPWRECKED *** Venture onto an uncharted island where kids survive and thrive! Anchor kids in the truth that Jesus carries them through life s storms. VBS 2018 Dates July 8 ~ 12 (Sun. ~ Thurs.) 6:00-8:15 p.m. Supply Needs Take a gander at the notes on Pastor Jamie's office window to see how you can help provide some items needed for VBS. 4 Registration Info Any child entering pre-k ~ 6 th grade, ( school year) is welcome to attend. $10/child Please register your child(ren) at waukeechurch.org/children or contact LuCinda.

5 Festive July Days 1 ~ Don & Gretchen Bailey 1 ~ Ruth Green 2 ~ Deb Morrison 2 ~ Jim Gearhart 2 ~ Sara Stevens 3 ~ Mallory Arnold 3 ~ Parker Larsen 3 ~ Chuck Lewis 4 ~ Tim Berger 5 ~ Joyce Bridger 5 ~ Tyler DeHaan 5 ~ Judy Dunn 5 ~ Tyler Evans 7 ~ Haylee Stevens 7 ~ Jessica Stevens 8 ~ Marj Ahrenholtz 9 ~ Pat Coffey 10 ~ Rich & Claire Petersen 10 ~ Jan Shaffer 11 ~ Xander Freeze 11 ~ Aaron Suhr 12 ~ Collin Beltman 12 ~ Diane Dunahoo 13 ~ Rachel Allen 14 ~ Dan Jensen 16 ~ Sophie Wempen 17 ~ Mike & Berta Swain 17 ~ Brent Bender 17 ~ Andrew Senne 18 ~ Ben Corrigan 19 ~ Beverly Downard 19 ~ Asher Havenhill 19 ~ Flora Wise 21 ~ Brent & Rhonda Bender 21 ~ Cyndi Craigmile 22 ~ Scott Gaulter 22 ~ Mike Swain 23 ~ Josh & Debra Straw 23 ~ Cindy Baker 24 ~ Joe & Amy Havenhill 24 ~ Duane & Kim Magee 24 ~ Josh Straw 25 ~ Geneva Timmerman 26 ~ Michal Bylund 26 ~ Kara Soughan 28 ~ Dar & Char Beichley 28 ~ Donna Eason 28 ~ Sue Kyser 30 ~ Zoey Cooley 30 ~ Julie Stewart 31 ~ Brad & Alissa Mills 31 ~ Maureen Briles 31 ~ Amy Havenhill 3 rd Thursday Lunch Bunch The Third Thursday Lunch Bunch will meet and eat at the Pizza Ranch at 11:30 on July 19. Get out of the summer heat for a bit and enjoy a meal and conversation with members of our church family. We ll have a chair waiting for you. Joyful Noise Openings Do you know a 3 5-year-old who d benefit from attending Joyful Noise? If so, contact our director, Sydney Henderson, soon. Only three fulltime openings remain for this fall. Flexible, part time options are also available. Members of WUMC receive a 10% discount on tuition. Book Talk Our next Book Talk will be about A Man Called Ove, a novel by Fredrik Backman. This international bestseller will have you laughing as well as dabbing at tears-a perfect summer read. After that discussion, we ll take time for attenders to review/recommend a book they ve recently read to add to everyone s reading to-do list. We ll meet at Ann and Greg Ruble s home Monday, Aug. 20, at 7:00. 5 SeaSide Escape Retreat, Sept. 29 Longing for time to slow down, wiggle your toes in the sand, and bask in the warmth of God s presence? Join us at SeaSide Escape. This beach-themed retreat provides time for you to experience meaningful Bible study and worship, connect with other women, quietly reflect and, laugh with others. Reserve Saturday, Sept. 29 (8:45-4:45) on your calendar now. Registration ($20/person) begins on Sunday, Aug. 19. If you have any questions, contact Deanne or LuCinda. Registration is limited so reserve your spot soon. If you have a female friend(s) you d like to invite, be sure to register them, too. This retreat was originally scheduled for March and needed to be postponed. If you weren t free in March, we hope you are in September.

6 Support UMC s Annual Thanksgiving Ingathering For the past 39 years, United Methodists in Iowa have helped thousands of people around the state -- and world --by collecting items for hygiene and school supply kits. In July and August, our Missions Team will focus on collecting items for school kits. They ll shift their efforts to items needed for hygiene kits in September and October. If you prefer, you could donate all of the items needed to complete an entire kit(s). As an alternative, you could provide some of the specific items needed for each kit. Our Missions Team will then assemble the items you donated into kits. Start watching for sales and loading your shopping cart with the items listed below. All the kits will be delivered to Greenfield United Methodist Church on Saturday, Nov. 3. Each School Kit contains three spiral notebooks (approximately 8½ x 11 with sheets of paper) one eraser, 2 or longer one blunt-end scissors with metal blades one 30-cm metric ruler one pencil sharpener (1 minimum) one box of 24 crayons (64-count boxes are neat, but won t be accepted by UMCOR) six unsharpened pencils with erasers Needed for both kits: gallon and 2-gallon resealable, plastic zip bags. 6 Each Hygiene Kit contains: one new hand towel (15 x25 up to 17 x27 ) one new washcloth one bath-sized bar of soap in wrapper (3 oz. or larger) NOT Ivory or Jergens brand one large, sturdy comb (longer than 6 inches) one new, adult-sized toothbrush individually wrapped in sealed plastic NOT child-sized NOT a package of six UMCOR will purchase toothpaste one metal nail file or fingernail clipper NOT emery boards or toenail clippers six band aids 3/4 1

7 July 4th Parade Worship in the Park 7

8 Stay Connected Info about WUMC events is also available here: Facebook be sure to like Waukee United Methodist Church while you re on Facebook. Weekly church bulletin Waukee Wire: to subscribe, send an to Twitter: search WUMC website: Contact Info Church office: Rev. Jamie Cutler: ext. 202 Pastor Jeff Rodman: LuCinda Beltman: ext. 204 or Deanne Caudle: ext. 203 Sydney or church office Debi Rodman: ext. 201 Jennifer Prayer Request: Sonia Arnold: Maureen Briles: Cyndi Craigmile: Ann Ruble: Melissa Stimple:(director, WACS) or Lauren Kratz: or Waukee United Methodist Church 650 Ashworth Dr., Box 26 Waukee, IA 50263