The Messenger. First United Methodist Church Wellsville, NY. April Through Worship, Bible Study WELLSVILLE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

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1 WELLSVILLE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH God s Love Grows Here... Through Worship, Bible Study and Service FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 79 MADISON STREET WELLSVILLE, NY (585) LOVEGROWS@WELLSVILLEUMC.ORG CHANGED SERVICE REQUESTED The Messenger April 2013 First United Methodist Church Wellsville, NY God s love grows here... Through Worship, Bible Study, and Service

2 First United Methodist Church of Wellsville Regular Worship Services 8:30 & 11:00 am Sunday School 9:45 am Phone (585) Fax (585) Web Page: Serving Christ and Community Since 1852 Our Staff: Pastor Rev. Stan Scoville Office Manager Mrs. Kim Smith Contemporary Music/Youth Director Ms. Sarah Jackson Children s Director Ms. Patty Peters Traditional Music Director Mr. Evan Farley Organist Ms. Joy Caldwell Church Custodian Mrs. Mary Brown April Morgan Levitt 4 Quincy Costello 20 David Sick 4 June LaForge 20 Christy Dunn 5 Jillian Short 22 Brent Rohrabacher 5 Mike Palmiter 23 Matthew Bittel 5 Chuck Ball 23 Quinn Burke 5 Laura Mattison 23 Ron Haskins 9 Joshua Ost 24 Mark Miles 9 Pat McQueen 25 Sandy Kasprowicz 11 Kimberly Ost 26 Anne Barnes 12 Sarah Bittel 27 Tom Kewley 12 Alexander Brandes 27 Chris Barry 13 Hunter Brandes 27 Kyle Braymiller 13 Mary Rogers 27 Barbara Potter 13 Samuel Schmidt 27 Brenda Szabo 15 Caitlin Bittel 28 Aaron Jackson 17 Anna Bunk 28 Dave Reynolds 17 Brook Boyd 28 Gladys Baker 18 Theresa Brown 29 Jeff Dennis 18 Andrew Smith 29 Zoltan Szabo 18 Mary Tomak 30 Michael Williams 30 Darrin & Elva Cornell 3 Michael & Tracey Horton 4 Chris & Jamie Forness 21 Roland & Cynthia Miles 26 Guy & Brenda Milligan 28 Bob & Tina Lingenfelter 30

3 An Encouraging Note from Dot James Tears of joy filled the Methodist Church at Short tract two years ago when the congregation found out that Janie Sylor had 20/20 vision from the Lord instead of 20/200. Stephanie and Edwin Sylor had brought Janie to the Healing Service. She was to go to Dr. Daniel C. Howells, O.D. of the Nunda Vision Center for making an appointment for surgery in Rochester as she had a large double vision in her eyes. Janie attended Fillmore Central School and was in the nurse s office everyday crying from headaches. She could only see blurs when she looked at her school papers, almost legally blind! Her parents did continue to take Janie to the Specialist in Rochester and there they found out that no surgery was needed. She did, indeed, have a miracle from the Lord! They called me as soon as they got home from the Dr. in Rochester to tell me the good news! A month later, they came to the next healing service and Janie stood up front and read a poem to everyone something she had not been able to do. Not only were her eyes healed, but her headaches are also gone. Janie let everyone know in both towns how Jesus still heals today! I still hear from them. Isaiah 32:3 & 4 In Agape Love, Dot James MAY MESSENGER: Newsletter deadline for articles is April 15th. If you have information you would like to put in the Messenger, please drop it off at the Church Office or to lovegrows@wellsvilleumc.org Early submissions are always welcomed! Thank you! Greetings in Our Savior s Name! On Easter Sunday, we will have our own family celebrations and traditions as we gather together. We also celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fact that He is alive forevermore! We realize that the resurrection is the crux of our Christian faith. We worship a God who is alive today and forever! We have the promise of life with the risen Lord now and the promise of eternal life after our physical bodies die! In the Scripture references of what we call the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John: we see that God surprised everyone when he came back to life and was resurrected from the dead! May our Lord surprise us with his grace, love, and miraculous power! May He give us faith and strength as we live for him each day! The first official day of Spring has come, but we have not had consistent Spring weather yet, have we? We so much look forward to Spring weather with the grass turning green, flowers blooming, and trees budding! We also look forward to the sunshine! This year, especially, I have grown tired of the cold and the snow.i am ready for a change in the seasons! I look forward to being outside with a lightweight jacket on! We give thanks to God for the seasons of the year, and the sort of resurrection that we experience when Winter is transformed into Spring! Wellsville 1 st UMC is in need of God s resurrection and transforming power! Let us keep praying for resurrection and new life! May God s resurrection power of miracles, healing, and grace be outpoured among us! CHRIST IS RISEN! Pastor Stan

4 NAOMI CIRCLE UPDATE Diane Forsberg & Sue Sweeting We would like to thank Sharlet Fuller for the interesting program she presented on the history of the Wellsville Methodist Church. What a truly rich history we have of serving the Lord! We also would like to thank all those who attended and shared some personal stories about our wonderful church. March 23rd we are hosting the Mountain View District United Methodist Women s Communion Breakfast. Our service is all planned and we pray for a good turnout from our church and area women for the service and breakfast. Our March 25th Naomi Circle meeting will feature guest speaker Keith Chase speaking on suicide prevention. It should be informative and of interest to all of us who have children, grandchildren and teens in our lives. The topic is a concern to all of us. Looking ahead, our April 22nd program will be Earth Day and Linda Fanton will be speaking on a topic relevant to the occasion. As always, we welcome all our church women to come and support our women s group. Join with us to develop a creative supportive fellowship for the Lord. UNITED METHODIST MEN Bryan Caldwell & Alan Forsberg So here it is March already. By the time you receive the Messenger, the men will have completed two March projects. We helped out at the community luncheon as well as providing assistance at the District Women s Communion Breakfast. Thanks to all! We are making plans for the annual Mother s Day Brunch. More about this later! The men entertained a discussion about attending both the New Jersey Mission Trip (March 23 to April 6) and the National Gathering of Men at Belmont University (July 12 14). Details are available for these events. Our next breakfast is Sunday, April 21st at 7:30 am. Alan Forsberg and Allen Hunt will be cooking. Upcoming projects will be the dumpster pad at the church and Gil s Hill s Work Day. UMM where all men and boys are welcome. February 2013 FEB. Y-T-D Operating Budget Income $ 14,246 $ 29,612 Expenses: Pastor s Package $ 6,578 $ 13,156 Other Staff $ 6,124 $ 12,155 Maintenance & Supplies $ 1,292 $ 3,592 Teams $ 224 $ 573 Ministry Shares $ 0* $ 0* All Other Expenses $ 1,065 $ 2,310 Total Expenses: $ 15,283 $ 31,786 Income less Expenses $ (1,037) $ (2,174) * Currently through the first quarter of 2013, we will not be paying Ministry Shares.

5 Spring is in the air or at least it should be by now! I look forward to everything thawing out and new growth springing forth from the earth, as it reminds me of our Lord s beautiful gifts of salvation and grace. Spring may only come for a season, but Christ s mercy and grace are ever-present and freely-given to those who earnestly seek. Just as the flowers that died last season are replaced by new growth this season, so too are the sins of our past wiped clean by salvation through Jesus Christ and replaced by a clean slate. Praise be to God for new beginnings! Now that the sun is shining our youth will be venturing out of doors to participate in a myriad of sporting events and service projects. Sarah Stevens and Mattie Brown are both playing softball, for Wellsville and Scio respectively, and Nicholas Brown is part of a new Amateur Athletic Union basketball team. Honestly, the activities in which all of our teens are involved are too numerous to list in this article. I will do my best to locate and post any pertinent sporting schedules so as to invite and encourage our church family to attend and support our teens. Let s showcase that Love Grows Here through our presence Camp Findley s Spring Work Weekend will be Friday, May 17, through Sunday, May 19, The youth ministry would like to see increased participation from our church, teens and adults alike! There is much to be done in preparation for the summer camping season; everyone will be able to find a job that suits his/her unique abilities. I will have more information and a sign-up sheet in the coming weeks. For now, know that this event is FREE to YOUTH MINISTRY NEWS all who come to work. Camp Findley only asks for a $3/meal donation to offset the cost of food. If you have any questions about this event, feel free to me or leave an inquisitive voic message. We are still searching for adult volunteers who are willing to join us on Sunday nights to fulfill the two adults present requirements of our Safe Sanctuary policy. Rest assured, this is a great group of young people and I believe they are all up-to-date on their vaccinations! Consider joining us as we grow in knowledge of and love for Jesus Christ. Sarah.jackson@wellsvilleumc.org Musicians Wanted Blessings, Sarah The Contemporary Praise Band is always looking to add new musicians and vocalists. Do you play an instrument well? Do you sing/harmonize? Most importantly, to you have a heart to serve in music ministry? I would love to talk with you about possibly serving on the Praise Team. Questions? Concerns? Sarah or leave her an inquisitive voic message UPCOMING EVENTS: MEN S BIBLE STUDY All men are invited to attend on Friday mornings at 9 AM in the Rosa room. WOMEN S BIBLE STUDY All women are invited to attend on Tuesday mornings at 9:15 AM in the Rosa room. SPRING RUMMAGE & BAKE SALE Wed., May 8th, Thur., May 9th & Fri., May 10th Now accepting all new & gently used rummage! KID S NIGHT OUT Hay Day! Growing in Friendship Ages 4-11 April 5th & 6th, 5:30 8 PM Meal Included! April 7th, 6 7 PM Finale with Surprises! Families Invited ATTENTION! The Youth Ministry wants YOU to attend CAMP FINDLEY WORK WEEKEND May 17-19, 2013 All teens and adults are encouraged to help this wonderful ministry prepare for the summer camp season! More information to come.

6 LIBRARY NEWS by Sue Browning Books donated this month: God Gave Us Love, by Lisa Tawn Bergren Given by Children's Ministry God Dave Us Two, by Lisa Tawn Bergren Given by Children's Ministry The Journals of Jim Elliot, A Biography On loan by Eila Shea for the month of March. Green Leaf Drought, by Isobel Kuhn Given by Eila, Aileen & Alton Shea Behind The Ranges, by Mrs. Howard Taylor Given by Eila, Aileen & Alton Shea In The Company of Others A Father Tim Novel, by Jan Karon Book #2, Given by Linda & Nyle Austin Please Note: All books in the Library are donated. We appreciate all these gifts that are given for everyone to share. New books are added as new series come out or are requested. Again, a Thank You to all those who brought in books this month. New Books added this month: Rare Earth, by Davis Bunn Lethal Legacy, by Irene Hannon Guardians of Justice Series Book #3 The Messenger, by Siri Micthell A Heartbeat Away, by Harry Kraus, M.D. Successful Christian Parenting, by John MacArthur Twice A Bride, by Mona Hodgson The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series Book #4 How To Live According To Jesus, by Dr. David Jeremiah Janaron Today's Encouraging Word, by Karl Eastlack 44 Ways To Revitalize The Women's Organization, by Lyle Schaller Straight Talk To Men & Their Wives, By Dr. James C. Dobson God Gave Us Love, by Lisa Tawn Bergren God Gave Us Two, by Lisa Tawn Bergren Green Leaf in Drought, by Isobel Kuhn Behind The Ranges, by Mrs. Howard Taylor In The Company of Others, by Jan Karon A Father Tim Novel Book #2 When checking out a book: Remember to sign and list the month on the card from the back of the book and place it into the blue plastic box on the desk. When returning a book, you may leave it on the desk. Any comments about the books are welcome. Parents: CHILDREN S MINISTRY Get ready for acres of fun on April 5, 6, and 7 which are the dates for our VBS Kids Night Out. At Hay Day VBS, kids grow in friendship with Jesus. This VBS is filled with incredible Bible-learning experiences that kids see, hear and touch. Team building activities, cool Bible songs and multi-sensory Bible adventures are just a few of the activities that help faith flow into real life. Since everything is handson, kids might get a little messy. Be sure to send them in play clothes and safe shoes. OUTREACH TEAM Your Outreach/Mission Team met on March 11, 2013 to consider how to better reach out to our local community and how to better spread the love of Jesus through local and distant mission efforts. We are continuing to support the effort of the Christian Temple Church to provide a Saturday lunch to some less fortunate members of our local community. This is a very worthwhile ministry fully enjoyed by all that participate. If you would like to help, please keep June 22 in mind. We gather at 10 in the morning and serve the meal at noon. Following clean up, we normally leave the Christian Temple at approximately 1:30 pm. If you can help, please contact Bryan Caldwell for more details. You might be interested to know that on March 16 th our cooks and servers fed 52 people with meals either eaten on site or taken home. We are preparing an Easter outreach to our shut-in members in the form of a gift of a fauxstone animal containing an inscription of a I want to thank each and every person who has helped in any way to make this VBS a success. I especially appreciate all of the help that I have received from Connie Brandes with the organization and decorating. We have worked closely in putting things together in a timely manner, as well as looking at ways to reach children. Please pray for this venture as a way for evangelism to become real and worthwhile in our community. In Christ s love, Patty religious phrase. These gifts should bring comfort to the recipients and will look perfect on a fireplace mantle or windowsill. If you know of a shut-in who would like such a gift, please contact Bryan Caldwell or Drina Vigh. Our semi-annual effort to gather and deliver donations for our veterans at the Bath VA Center will be taking place in May. Its not too early to think about putting aside some toiletry items for donation. More information will be provided in the April Messenger with a detailed listing of desirable items for donation. Your generosity has been awesome during past VA donation drives, and we look forward to watching you surpass yourselves this May. As always, the Outreach/Mission team solicits your ideas and support concerning ways in which to improve our ministry. Please stay in touch with members of the team and in prayer for our efforts to spread the word and love of Jesus to this needy world. ~Bryan Caldwell

7 April Sound Board & Computer Room Volunteers MINISTRY SHARES 101 Apr 7 8:30 Debbie & Denny Jackson 11:00 Gary Brown 14 David Miller & Jerry Levitt Allen Hunt 21 Debbie & Denny Jackson John Lewis 28 David Miller & Jerry Levitt Pat Barry April Children s Church Volunteers Apr 7 8:30 Mary Zimmerman 11:00 Pam Rohrabacher 14 Nancy Levitt Kendra Hennessy 21 Patty Peters Cathy Lewis 28 Nancy Levitt Lillian Fox April Greeters Roy & Polly Lucas April Counters Lillian Fox & Cathy Lewis Altar Flowers April 7th, In Loving Memory of Dorothy Stoll, given by Rita Borne April 14th, In Loving Memory of Herb Christian, given by Deb Christian April 21st & April 28th are still available for anyone wishing to purchase an altar arrangement. Food Pantry Please bring in your nonperishable grocery donations for the Salvation Army food pantry on the first Sunday of each month. Thank you! Also, Giant register tapes and Campbell Soup labels are collected in the Library/Welcome Room. It may just be my imagination, but there seems to be quite a bit of confusion in our church regarding the subject of ministry shares (apportionments). Through this and several succeeding articles, I hope to clear away some of the confusion and give everyone a better understanding of the vital role played by ministry shares in the life of the United Methodist Church. The main way the United Methodist Church supports the ministries of the church is through the collection of ministry shares, a method of giving that proportionally allocates the churchwide budget to conferences and local churches. Together, through our connected congregations, we accomplish what no single church, district or annual conference ever could hope to do alone. Simply stated, no one local church is responsible for establishing a university in Africa, supporting all of the work of our denomination s boards and agencies, providing all of the support to historically black colleges or providing all the financial support for the education of ordained ministers. But every local church does contribute to all of these ministries and many others when they pay their ministry shares. Through the device of ministry shares, each individual, each family, each congregation gives a fair share in support of the church s work. The Upper New York Conference budget is currently divided into two primary categories. They are: General Connectional Ministry, and Conference Connectional Ministry. Conference Connectional Ministry is further divided into: Conference Benevolences, Ministerial Support, and Conference Administration Ministry. General Connectional Ministry is further divided into: World Service, Ministerial Education, Black College, Africa University, Episcopal, General Administration, and Interdenominational Cooperation. It may be helpful to look at the Conference Connectional Ministry as dealing with subjects and areas of importance within the Upper New York Conference. The General Connectional Ministry can then be viewed as the part of the budget dealing, for the most part, with matters and ministries outside of the Conference. I am sure many of you have by now covered your eyes and shouted, Enough already! With that in mind, that s probably enough about ministry shares for this edition of the Messenger. In future editions, I will provide further details about the components of the Upper New York Conference budget with particular emphasis on the General Connectional Ministries and how those ministries provide critical help to God s children around the world. When I have finished, I pray we will all better understand why it is important to pay our ministry shares in full. Moreover, I pray that this additional information will encourage some of us to make sure that happens in 2013 by putting a little bit extra in the collection plate each week. ~Bryan Caldwell