The Web News. From Pastor Brian. May of West Bloomfield UMC

Transcription

1 The Web News of West Bloomfield UMC May 018 From Pastor Brian As we re preparing to celebrate our church s 50 th Anniversary on May 5 th and, it s a wonderful opportunity to remind ourselves who we are! Every church has unique DNA, the core identity that permeates all we do and all we are. As I ve looked through 50 years of photos and newsletters and meeting minutes and records, several powerful themes quickly became evident to me: West Bloomfield United Methodist Church started as a vision. In the early 1960s, forward-thinking Methodists saw the potential for a church to share the gospel with the growing population of this community. We re still living into that vision today, fulfilling the same purpose they imagined all those years ago sharing the gospel with our community, showing genuine love for all our neighbors, and serving God. This vision is a powerful part of our DNA! It also quickly became evident that missions is now and always has been of utmost importance to our church. During our very first year, we supported One Great Hour of Sharing and a missionary in Peru. In 1974 we went on our first mission trip to the Appalachia Service Project. Since then, we ve sent mission trips to Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Carlton, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Elk Rapids, and Traverse City. And we have engaged in numerous mission opportunities over the years Christmas gifts for the East Side Ministry, supporting a missionary in Pakistan, Thanksgiving baskets for needy families, meals at Cass Community UMC, and Christmas gifts for the Methodist Children s Home. We ve supported the CROP Hunger Walk since 1986, Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes since 1997, sandwiches for the NOAH Project since 1999, hats and scarves for the Baldwin Center since 001, and Relay for Life since 003. And just this January, we took our first-ever international mission trip, as 7 people travelled to Jeremie, Haiti to provide medical care. Missions is a powerful part of our DNA! Throughout our church s 50 years, we have connected strongly with other faith communities. Before we even had a building, we had joint ministries with other United Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational, Lutheran, and Episcopal churches. In August 1968, we offered our very first Vacation Church School in partnership with a Presbyterian church. In 1970, Holy Spirit Lutheran Church joined our VBS, and in 1975, Prince of Peace Catholic Church joined as well. In 1971, we attended a community Thanksgiving Eve celebration that included Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant congregations. Just last November, we hosted this same Thanksgiving service. We ve been part of the Soup and Bread gatherings since 198, the community Good Friday services since 1987, and Memorial Day services at Pine Lake Cemetery since And in 197, Rev. Penzien was chairman of the West Bloomfield Clergy Association, and today, 1 46 years later, I m president of the same group. Connecting with our sisters and brothers in neighboring houses of worship is a powerful part of our DNA! (cont ) Inside this issue: From Pastor 1 Brian & Women s Ministry West Bloomfield United Methodist Church seeks to show the love of God through worship, prayer, discipleship, and commitment. Impact Youth Birthdays & Anniversaries 3 Crop Walk 3 Confirmation 4 Worship Assistants 4-5 Ways to 5 Connect Administrative 5 Meetings Coffee Hour 5 Hosts Calendar 6

2 And we ve always enjoyed eating!! The Tree Trim and potluck has been held every year of our existence. The Harvest Dinner started in 1971, and over the years, we ve enjoyed spaghetti dinners, Easter breakfasts, and delicious raspberry tarts! We ve taken meals to families after a surgery or after a death since And we ve raised money with food using the very successful pie sales and annual Cookie Walk. Food is a powerful part of our DNA! Finally, we ve always tried to truly care for and show genuine love for all people in our community. We ve shown God s love through Bible studies over the years, from the Gospel of Matthew in 1971 to reading through the entire Bible in three years starting in We ve shown God s love when the prayer chain started in 198 and when we started a Covenant Discipleship Group in 1993 and when the men started meeting at Panera in 01 and when the Prayer Team started in 015 and when the women s Bible study began last year. And we ve shown God s love every Sunday we gather for worship 603 Sundays since June 3, 1968! And we re still showing the love of God to our community today, as last November 11 th, we held the Celebrating Who We Are gathering where we identified ourselves as a multi-ethnic congregation. With families in the church from Romania, USA, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Iraq, the U.K., India, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Canada, and Argentina, as well as Japanese-American, European-American, Mexican- American, and African-American, we continue to love all our neighbors in West Bloomfield. Loving our community is a powerful part of our DNA! So, in May 018, we celebrate 50 years of faithful ministry. And we celebrate what Philippians tells us: We are confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. God isn t done with us yet! The God who began a good work in West Bloomfield United Methodist Church will carry it on to completion. Peace in Christ, May 5 th & 6 th May 0 th May 7 th 50 th Anniversary Celebration 9:30 am Sunday School Confirmation Sunday 9:30 am Sunday School Come and join us. We have lots of fun! Monday Night Women s Bible Study The women s evening Bible study group will meet Monday evening, May 7 th at 7:00 pm at Jackie Beach s home. The book for study is Forgiveness: Breaking the Power of the Past by Kay Arthur and David and BJ Lawson. If you enjoy learning about the power and meaning of the scriptures and sharing how they impact your life, please plan to attend. All women are welcome! Contact Jackie for directions. Women of West Bloomfield The women of WBUMC will sponsor a pie sale fund raiser for the Relay for Life on Saturday, from 10:00 am until noon. There will be no meeting in May because of Memorial Day or in June. The meetings will resume on Sunday the 4 th of each month in July. The next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, July nd at Noon. Pastor Brian

3 MAY 3 Ilene Herdman 4 Tim McCabe 5 Jennifer Joseph 5 Fritz McMullen 8 Sarah Borns Mancini 10 Alison Croft 11 Mya Wayne 14 Nicholas Joseph 14 Allan Herdman 15 Fred Maki 15 Lea Grace Voss 17 Doris Jefferies 0 Patricia Langner Dorinda McMullen 4 Pam Melton 7 Marcia Bopp 8 Angela Hernandez 30 Brandon Wayne 31 Justin Kammerzell 018 CROP HUNGER WALK The church s 50 th anniversary is being held the same day as the Hunger Walk this year. We will not be actually walking in the Walk but we are still participating with our donations to this much needed mission. Please make your donations either in cash or a check made out to CWS/CROP and hand it in to one of the people who have picked up an envelope, place it in the offering plates or just give it to either Fritz or Dorinda by the second Sunday of May.the 13 th. You can also go online at to donate that way. Our team is West Bloomfield UMC. We hope you will join us in supporting the 018 CROP Hunger Walk. Thank you. Fritz and Dorinda McMullen MAY 9 Howard & Patricia Herbst ll 11 Glenn & Jennifer Joseph 18 Gerry & Debbie Cochran 6 Fred & Bettye Maki 3

4 On Sunday, May 0 th, we'll celebrate Confirmation Sunday! Three youth will be asked the question, Do you choose the Christian faith for your life and your hope? Those who affirm their faith will be celebrated as Christians who have chosen Christ for themselves and will be received as full members of the church. It's the biggest decision these young people have been asked to make in their lives, and it's a decision we take very seriously as a church. We recognize their decision isn't made in a vacuum. They've been nurtured and taught by the church's Christian education program. They've been mentored by parents and adults at the church. They've been part of the worship and fellowship and prayer and missions of the church. And their parents have demonstrated the Christian faith in action as role models. Confirmation doesn't introduce something new to their lives. Rather, it asks them to confirm the Christian faith that they've been taught since they were very young. But it certainly is their decision. When I speak with each student, I emphasize that it's their choice to make. I'm not asking what their parents think or what the youth directors or the pastor or the Sunday school teachers believe. I'm asking for them to express their genuine beliefs. And I'm careful not to water things down simply because they're young. If we believe they have the maturity to respond to such important questions, we need to ask the real questions of faith. This means they take the exact same vows as any adult does and the exact same vows anybody joining the church membership takes. They are asked to recognize the reality of evil and suffering in our world. They are asked if they reject those forces in the world and repent of them in their own lives. They are asked if they embrace Christ as their hope for salvation and trust in his grace. They are asked if they are willing to join the membership of the church, taking on the same responsibilities and receiving the same privileges as any other church member. Those who choose to will answer each question affirmatively! It's an important decision for our youth to make. We know God has already said yes to them, and it's truly a great celebration when they choose to say yes to God!! Come on May 0 th to celebrate! Liturgists May 0 th May 7 th Greeters May 0 th May 7 th Trustee on Duty May 0 th May 7 th Counters May 0 th May 7 th 50 th Celebration Pam Melton Marty Bopp Margaret Cantrell 50 th Celebration Doris & Jerry Jefferies Melodie & Dan Langford Margaret Cantrell Dan Ducu Mark Borns Ann Sutschek Bill Beach Mark Borns Ralph Worley Joe Sutschek Sulaiman Kamara Tim McCabe Gary Langner Vicki Hernandez Dan Langford 4

5 Ushers May 0 th May 7 th Ralph Worley & Mark Borns Melodie Langford & Joe Sutschek Brent Webster & John Hoover Barbara & Vance Shoger Darwin & Dora Wayne Butch Johnson & Gary Langner Vicki Hernandez & Marty Bopp Fritz & dorinda McMullen Administrative Meetings May 8 th Coffee Hour Hosts May 0 th May 7 th 7:00 pm Church Council Meeting Kay Reese Mirella & Dan Ducu Margaret Cantrell Joanne Herbst Pam Kimura Jo Anna Risk Kara & Rob Mulligan Ralph Worley Ways to Connect Office hours: Tuesday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Wednesday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Friday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Pastor s office hours: Tuesday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Wednesday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Or call any time with emergencies or to schedule an appointment. Church contact info: Telephone: church@westbloomfieldumc.org Website: westbloomfieldumc.org Newsletter submissions: newsletter@westbloomfieldumc.org Pastor Brian contact info: Home Telephone: Cell Phone: pastor@westbloomfieldumc.org Staff: Rev. Brian William, Pastor Jo Anna Risk, Administrative Secretary Cheri Whalen, Music Director Warren Johnson, Youth Director David Carlson, Custodian Broader Church Connections: Bishop David Alan Bard, Michigan Area Rev. Charles Boayue, Detroit Renaissance District Superintendent 5

6 West Bloomfield UMC May 018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :30 am Youth Sunday School 1:00 pm AA Meeting 10:30 am Worship- 5th Sunday Offering 10:40 am G3 Kids & Sprout classes 1:00 pm Bell Choir Practice 1 1:00 pm AA Meeting 1:00 pm AA Meeting 3 1:00 pm AA Meeting 4 5 9:00 am Office 4:00 pm 50th Anniversary 1:00 pm AA Meeting Ice Cream Social 6:00 pm "Here for You" Rehearsal 6 50th Anniversary Celebration 10:30 am Worship - 50th Anniversary Celebration 1:30 pm 50th Anniversary Program 13 Mother s Day 10:30 am Worship 10:40 am G3 Kids & Sprout classes 1:00 pm Choir Practice 7 8 1:00 pm AA Meeting :00 pm Bingo at West 1:00 pm AA Meeting Bloomfield Nursing & 7:00 pm Church Council Convalescent Center 7:00 pm Women's Bible Study 14 1:00 pm AA Meeting 15 1:00 pm AA Meeting 6:00 pm Missions Committee Meeting 9 1:00 pm AA Meeting 16 1:00 pm AA Meeting 10 1:00 pm AA Meeting 17 1:00 pm AA Meeting :00 am Office 1:00 pm AA Meeting 7:00 pm Bridge :00 am Office 1:00 pm AA Meeting 0 Confirmation Sunday 10:30 am Worship Confirmation 10:40 am G3 Kids & Sprout classes 1:00 pm Bell Choir Practice 1 1:00 pm AA Meeting 1:00 pm AA Meeting 3 1:00 pm AA Meeting 4 1:00 pm AA Meeting 5 6 9:00 am Office 10:00 am Pie Sale 1:00 pm AA Meeting 7 10:30 am Worship 10:40 am G3 Kids & Sprout classes 1:00 pm Choir Practice 8 Memorial Day 11:00 am Memorial Day Pine Hill Cemetery 1:00 pm AA Meeting 9 1:00 pm AA Meeting 30 1:00 pm AA Meeting Pastor Brian at Annual 31 1:00 pm AA Meeting Pastor Brian at Annual 1 9:00 am Office Pastor Brian at Annual 1:00 pm AA Meeting Pastor Brian at Annual

7 West Bloomfield United Methodist Church 4100 Walnut Lake Road (just west of Orchard Lake Road) West Bloomfield, MI Web: westbloomfieldumc.org 6