Coming Home It s a Choice!

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1 October 2015 Tidings Friedens of Peace United Church of Christ Tidings of Peace In This Issue Pastor s Paragraph Page 2 October Worship Page 2 Text Office News Flu Clinic News Page 3 Environmental Page 3 Ministry Update Fellowship News Page 3 Youth, Children, and Adult Education News Connecting at Friedens Community Groups at Friedens Page 4 Page 5 Page 5 Volunteer Spotlight Page 6 Equipping News Page 6 Personnel News Page 6 Bread for the World News November Dates to Remember Global Ministries Update Religion, Race, & Culture Public Seminars Page 6 Page 6 Page 7 Page 7 Thanks you Donna Maschmeyer would like to thank the congregation for the cards, prayers and especially the kind visit from Karen and Dale Nay during her recovery. The Outreach Ministry Team invites your generous support of this special offering. Sunday, October 4, will begin our annual opportunity to fund a wide array of justice initiatives and advocacy on matters such as federal budget, voting rights, immigration, health care, hate crimes, and environmental concerns. Neighbors in Need offerings also support projects of the UCC Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM). Our denominational forbearers established works among Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arickara and Hocak peoples in the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Today in the UCC there are 20 congregations on reservations providing resources for more than 1000 individuals from dozens of Indian tribes and nations. Neighbors in Need is a ministry of compassion and justice. You will receive a special insert September 27 that shares more about this offering. Offering envelopes will be in the orders of worship October 4. Join other Friedens members and friend in the effort to make another world possible. Coming Home It s a Choice! Could there be any better time of the year than fall? The fall season brings such wonderful smells and colors; there is nothing else quite like it. Isn t it interesting that as the leaves change color and the air gets crisp and cool, God reminds us just how beautiful change can be! Change beautiful? When have we ever thought of change as being something beautiful? After all, we are pretty much creatures of habit and we get used to doing certain things a certain way. That s just how we want things to be. Ah, but that isn t the world we were born into; nor is it God s world. From the very beginning, God knew that His world would be a world filled with change because He understood that change would require us to grow. Currently, we are going through some changes at Friedens and because of that change, each of us has the opportunity to grow. But we need to be reminded that as much as things change, one thing is and will always be the same God s grace. God loves each and every one of us and He is a forgiving and loving God. Continue page 3 1 P a g e

2 Pastor s Paragraph Friedens United Church of Christ The Friedens Church Council has recommended the following as a statement of focused mission: Friedens Mission: To share the love of Christ. With Focus: In our second century of church life we will prayerfully commit to: 1. STAYING FOCUSED on our mission through welcoming, inspiring and meaningful WORSHIP. 2. GOING DEEPER in DISCIPLESHIP as the means of spiritual transformation to become the people Christ calls us to be. 3. REACHING WIDER with Christ s love into the COMMUNITY through service in our LOCAL SCHOOLS. So, why is this statement being offered for the congregation s consideration and input? Over the last year the church council and ministry teams and others have shared in a variety of conversations regarding renewal of Friedens vitality in a new century. One of the lessons we have learned is that congregations with the best chance for vitality are those that stay focused on their mission. Why are these three topics highlighted in this statement of focused mission? The members and friends of the church who have shared in these discussions believe that these three topics represent essential activities: worship, discipleship and service. In other words, if we fail to practice these activities we cease to be a church of Jesus Christ. Over the next three months, I will write about each of the three topics. This month I m pleased to share some ideas about staying focused on our mission through welcoming, inspiring and meaningful worship. The church cannot exist apart from worship. Worship is the place we come together as a community of faith to: praise God, reconnect with the living Spirit of Christ, learn from our ancient scriptures, deepen our relationship with one another and with the Divine through prayer, celebrate the rites and sacraments that give our lives sacred meaning, express the awe and wonder of the Holy One through music and the arts, and find inspiration to recommit to living Christ s way of compassion, acceptance and integrity. Worship is essential to our Christian faith. Furthermore, the statement directs us to emphasize welcome, inspiration and meaningfulness in our services at Friedens. We want to knock down barriers that would make participants in worship feel unwelcome. We are dedicated to planning services that allow plenty of room for the Spirit to inspire and transform. We are committed to the idea that God desires to engage the whole of our lives in worship heart, head, body and soul, a meaningful integration. Some have described this statement of focused mission like a stool with three legs. If one of the legs is missing the stool falls. This statement insures that worship will continue to be strong at Friedens UCC, helping the church stand strong. So, what are your thoughts about this statement of focused mission, especially the first topic of worship? Do you need further clarification? Would you like to add or subtract an idea or two? I d like to know what you are thinking. I d like to invite your prayerful consideration of this statement. Your partner in sharing the love of Christ, Pastor Marc. October Worship Text 10/4/2015 Mark 10:2-16 World Communion Sunday 10/11/2015 Mark 10: /18/2015 Mark 10: /25/2015 Mark 10: P a g e

3 Tidings of Peace Coming Home Continued from page 1 This fall, we have chosen a theme of Coming Home as our Stewardship theme. For each of us, Friedens United Church of Christ represents a special place in our life, our church home. As each of us thinks back to our spiritual roots and maybe the home we grew up in, it may conjure up visions of simpler times; a time when everything seemed to be a bit slower, more purposeful, and yes, a time when daily prayer and our faith didn t get crowded out by our hectic lifestyles. This fall, as we worship together, I encourage each of you to make the choice to Come Home once again, to give thanks every day for our loving God and the many blessings He has bestowed upon each of us. We are so blessed to have the wonderful church home we have here at Friedens. This fall, let s make it more special than ever by Coming Home once again. Oh, it s great to be on the journey, but there s nothing quite like Coming Home. Take hold of the life that really is life Be Generous. (1 Timothy 6:18-19) We are One in Christ Bud Boughton Environmental Ministry Update October Task of the Month: Insulate your water heater; set water heater thermostat to 120 degrees. Although water heaters are insulated, they can lose heat and waste energy if located in an unheated space, or designed with minimal insulation. If your water heater feels warm to the touch, you will save money and have more hot water by adding more insulation. Water heater blanket kits are available for gas or electric water heaters which are non-allergenic (no fiberglass), and provide up to 97% radiant heat loss. Go to cheapheat.htm and choose the Energy Efficiency tab for information on how to insulate your water heater. Advanced: to save more energy on water heating, consider solar water heaters, tank-less, and geothermal pre-heating options. Note that some people limit their hot water use to certain hours of the day and turn it off completely for the rest of the day and night. What else you can do: Cut back on hot water use by limiting showers to 5 minutes, washing laundry in cold or warm water, and washing dishes efficiently. Most water heaters are factory pre-set at 140 degrees. Experiment within the degree range to find the lowest setting which supplies you with enough hot water. Fellowship News 3 P a g e

4 Friedens United Church of Christ Revive: Friedens Youth Ministry News Revive Youth Ministry Discipleship Day: Revive Youth Ministry has gotten off to a fantastic start with more than 30 tweens, teens and mentors meeting each Sunday morning in the CLWC at 9:30. All 6th-12th graders are welcome, so please extend an invitation to your friend, neighbor or family member. We meet in the CLWC for breakfast, activities and discussion, and then we head over to the Sanctuary to worship together at the 10:30 AM Unified Service. Revive Youth Discipleship Day is October 10 th from 10AM to 3PM All middle school and high school youth are invited to join their mentors and Pastors Trish and Marc for a Discipleship Day, when we put our faith into action! When: Saturday, October 10 th, meet at church at 10AM and be picked up from church at 3PM. What: We will be walking on Jared Grondin s team for the Buddy Walk 2015 at White River State Park, to support awareness and programs regarding Down s Syndrome. Lunch is included at the conclusion of the walk. How: To participate contact Pastor Marc (pastormarc@friedensucc.org ) or Pastor Trish (trisha.gilbertson@gmail.com) by Sunday, October 4 th. Donate: If you cannot walk but would like to donate to this worthy cause a table will be set-up in the narthex after both services of worship on October 4 th, youth and mentors will be present to answer questions and take donations. Thank you in advance for making our first Discipleship Day a great success! Children s Education Opportunities Treasure Seeker Text for October: October Memory Verse: 10/4/2015 Mark 10:2-16 World Communion Sunday O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 10/11/2015 Mark 10:17-31 Psalm 8:9 10/18/2015 Mark 10: /25/2015 Mark 10:46-52 Pastor Sarah s Notes: Treasure Seekers will be in need of peanut butter jar labels this fall. If you have any labels that are free of peanut-butter, we d appreciate them. Please put them in the peanut butter label box on the table in the associate pastor s office (the office next to the main office). On Sunday, October 4 th the children will join in the celebration of World Communion. During our feast we will share in foods from other countries and explore with a few people who have the experience of worshipping in churches in other countries. We look forward to this fun celebration. You are invited to visit a new blog called Peaceful Families, Peaceful World. You can find the link to this blog on the website Peaceful Families, Peaceful World will offer questions the invite you to wonder with others as we grow as disciples of Jesus. It will also provide suggestions about simple activities you can do together to enjoy God s world and to spend time having fun together. Opportunities for Children to Serve All 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th graders are invited to consider being a children s message reader. This worship leadership role is a blessing to all of us as we hear the reading of the Bible. If you are interested in being a children s message reader, you will be assigned a Sunday. We value your participation in worship. We look forward to hearing if you would like to be a children s message reader. If you would like to try it once, it does not mean that you have to do it again. Please contact Pastor Sarah at pastorsarah@friedensucc.org if you are interested or would like more information. To all 2 nd to 5 th graders: If you would like to serve as an acolyte please be in touch with Heidi Richmond at richmos5@yahoo.com Wednesday Noon Discussion Group Everyone is invited to join the Wednesday Noon Discussion Group. It will continue to meet through October, discussing the Animate video series, covering contemporary Christian issues. We will be moving into reading and discussion of The Return of the Prodigal Son, A Story of Homecoming by Henri Nouwen. The goals of the group are to go deeper in the dimensions of the Christian faith, thought, and practice. If you have any questions please feel free to contact: Pam Taylor, pamtaylor@me.com; or Sharon Hedegard, hedegard@msn.com 4 P a g e Adult Sunday School Led by Rev. Dick Bailey and meets in the Adult Classroom at 9:30 AM All are welcome to attend!

5 Tidings of Peace Connecting at Friedens Are you looking for a way to be more involved at Friedens but don t know where to start? Dad s Group Meets the 3 rd Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM Most month the gathering is at Shallo s just north of County Line Rd October 15 Monthly Men s Breakfast Meets the 3 rd Saturday each month at 8:00 AM in the Community Life and Worship Center October 17 Book Group Do you like to read and discuss books? Contact Sharon Hedegard to be put on the book club list and find out what their next book will be, sharonhedegard@gmail.com or October Book: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande October Discussion Date: contact Sharon for location or to be included in the monthly Friedens Folk A monthly gathering of our retired folk. Bring a dish to share at the pitch-in lunch and come enjoy fellowship. October 29 at 11:00 AM in the narthex Ladies Night Out To better serve our ladies we have moved this gathering to the Second Wednesday of EVEN months. Still meeting at 7:00 PM at various locations around the south side and Greenwood. October 14 at Little Mexico, southwest corner County Line Rd and Emerson Ave. in the strip mall next to Goodwill Women s Guild Meets the 2 nd Thursday of each month at 10:00 AM in the Adult Classroom to make bears for local hospitals. Bring a sack lunch and enjoy great conversation! October 8 Walk the Walk Saturdays, 9:00 AM- A 1.5 mile walk each week around the church building or in the neighborhood Community Groups at Friedens Mondays Yoga- 6:00-7:15 PM, Contact Mo Barkely for more information: mobarkley@sbcglobal.net Boy Scout Troop 183-7:30-9:00 PM, contact Scoutmaster Scott Kroger at skroger6977@gmail.com to for information Tuesdays Champion Force Athletics (Cheerleading)- 5:30-8:00 PM, contact Vickie Sutton at vsutton@ycoami.com for more information Wednesdays Cub Scout Pack 183-6:30-8:00 PM, contact Erica Shoop at scoutmom183@gmail.com for more information Tuesdays and Wednesdays Kindermusik- various times, contact Jody Treadwell at jtmusik@comcast.net for more information Thursdays Yoga- 7:00-8:00 PM, Every Thursday in May. Contact Whitney Hayden at whitneymhayden@gmail.com for more information on dates. Meeting in the Kendall Center and is $8.00 per class or $35 for a 5 class pass. Fridays and Saturday Women s AA Group- Fridays at 6:30 PM in the Adult Classroom AA Group- Saturdays at 6:00 PM Like us on Facebook at Don t forget to check out our website 5 P a g e

6 Friedens United Church of Christ Personnel Ministry News The Personnel Ministry team has recommended to council and received approval to form a small, short-term team to define the desired structure for Friedens music ministry. The team and structure agreed upon (hopefully by the end of October) will inform the hiring team, already in place, about what type of music role will best serve Friedens and the type of person to fill that role. The Personnel Ministry Team looks forward to continuing to update the congregation as we move through this process of defining a structure for Friedens Music Ministry as well as the hiring of someone to fill the roles that are set forth by the structure. Volunteer Spotlight The Membership Committee members of Mike and Marty Uberta and chairperson, Ellen Huddleston, worked together to create our new Friedens Flock wall displaying members and friends from Friedens. It's not too late to submit your photo! Forms are available at the Welcome Center. Reaching Wider Buddy Walk presented by Down Syndrome Indiana Jared Grondin and Family would like to invite you to join them at the 18th Annual Buddy Walk presented by Down Syndrome Indiana. The walk is on Saturday, October 10 at White River State Park. Registration and activities start at 9:00 AM and the walk at 12 Noon. If you are interested please contact Mark Grondin at majaja2@att.net for more information about joining our team (The Fun Bunch). Equipping Minitry News The Equipping Ministry would like to thank all who generously donated to the Glenns Valley Wander Indiana 5 th grade trip. Over $1700 was donated! November Events to Mark on Your Calendars! November 1- Memorial Sunday November 8- Commitment Sunday November 15- Congregational Meeting: Join us at 9:30 AM in the CLWC to review the proposed budget and here more about what the council has been up to this year November 22- Thanksgiving and Pastor Appreciation Sunday November 29- Begins the Advent Season Save the Date! Bread for the World Offering of Letter November 22 after each service in the Narthex More information to come in November newsletter 6 P a g e

7 Tidings of Peace Global Ministries Update Touching the Heart of the Dragon By Anne Gregory on August 07, 2015 He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace! Be Still! And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39 The second day of our church-wide retreat, we went on a sightseeing trip around the city of Trang. First was what looked like a peaceful boat ride in small rowboats. We entered a cave which quickly got smaller and tighter, and the boatman told us that we were going through the belly of the dragon. We needed to take off our shoes and lie flat on our backs for at least 20 minutes. The boat hit the sides of the dragon s belly countless times, the boatmen were lying down, too, pulling us through by grabbing the rock above us or on either side of us. Then the dragon bit some of us in the stomach, including me that is, we had to kind of scrape our bellies past the rock overhead. Just as the cave began to widen again, the boatman told us to touch a big round rock hanging down on the right side of the boat, the dragon s heart, he said. Not long after that we started to feel a breeze and see a little more light, and then we glided out of the dragon s mouth. I have begun to see similarities in our Christian faith. We ve got to put all of our trust in Christ even lying flat on our back. We are really not in charge of this life, we ve got to let go of and let Jesus pilot us. Sometimes we will even get bitten. When Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat and there was a storm, his disciples began to panic. He brought peace, and they were able to get to their destination without injury. When we put our trust in Christ, the way we passengers had to lie down and ride through the dragon s belly, then that part of us God treasures, teaches, pilots and guides will come forth like gold. Anne Gregory serves with the Church of Christ in Thailand. Her appointment is made possible by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund, Our Churches Wider Mission, and your special gifts. Butler University Center for Faith and Vocation Seminar on Religion and World Civilization and Desmond Tutu Center for Peace, Reconciliation, and Global Justice present Religion, Race, & Culture Four Public Seminars October 27, January 26, and February 23 Each seminar meets from 7:00-9:00 PM Admission is free and there is no need to secure tickets in advance. This is a joint project between Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary September 29- Religion and Race in African-American Experience, Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts,Butler University October 27- Religion and race in Interfaith Culture, Shelton Auditorium, Christian Theological Seminary January 26- Global Intersections of Religion, Race, and Culture, Shelton Auditorium, Christian Theological Seminary February 23- Religion, Race, and Justice, Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, Butler University 7 P a g e

8 Friedens United Church of Christ 8300 S. Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN Non-Profit Org. Friedens United Church of Christ US POSTAGE PAID Indianapolis, IN Permit No ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED (317) Find us on the web at Office News The church office will be closed Monday, October 12 through Thursday, October 15 and reopen with normal hours beginning Monday, October 19. All s and phone calls will be returned beginning October 19. If you need immediate assistance while the office is closed, be sure to contact Pastor Marc at his home office, Friedens United Church of Christ is a caring and growing church family with a proud heritage and a promising future! Worship Services: Sundays at 8:30 AM Liturgical Service Sundays at 10:30 AM Sanctuary Service Sundays at 10:30 AM Shalom Service Third Sunday of the Month at 6:00 PM Sabbath Service 8 P a g e Marc Hayden, Senior Minister - pastormarc@friedensucc.org Sarah Haas, Associate Minister of Children and Youth Ministries pastorsarah@friedensucc.org Erica Bair, Youth Ministry Directorericabair410@gmail.com Trish Gilbertson Student Pastor