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1 February 23-March 8, 2019 Pages Table of Contents Sections Letter from Karen Truett Letter from Bishop Malone 20/20 Update 6-7 Membership Care 8 Service in Mission 9 Worship Arts Ministry Team Spiritual Formation Ministry Team 14 Calendar Note: If you don t see your Ministry Team/Group it s because you didn t submit anything for THIS Navigator. The Navigator is a bi-weekly -blast. If you need to submit something send to the Comm. Team Communications-Team@faithumchurch.org

2 Mission Small Beginnings Outfitter Reflections by Karen Truett, Exploring Candidate for Ministry Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin. (Zechariah 4:10). I was working in the insurance office that I called home for over 6 years. This was not just a place to insure your car and make payments. This was a place of God, where you could stop and chat a while, find a listening ear, or get an encouraging word. We laughed together, we cried together, and sometimes we prayed together. One day, a longtime customer came in. It was obvious she had been through a traumatic experience. She sat down and poured out the problems she had been dealing with in the last month, but she had a strength about her. Despite the setback, she was not going to let anything out of her control get her down. She told me whenever she felt like she had to start over she was reassured that everything would work out for her. You see, she had a verse from the Bible she held onto in life s challenging moments. She wanted to share it with me because she felt I may need it, too. She wrote in on a small piece of paper for me to keep in my Bible and remember. Do not despise small beginnings for the Lord rejoices to see the work begun. What a gift she gave me that day! It s always reaffirming to see other people follow the Lord, but, in her personal pain, she shared her strength with me. That is what Christians do. We share a piece of ourselves with others family, friends, and strangers. The circle completes itself thanks to the grace of God. In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus was being questioned by a lawyer about eternal life. He was very explicit about what was expected of God s children. Acknowledge God as the one who created us, love Him with all your mind, heart, soul, and strength. Love your neighbor, especially those who are lesser and need it the most. He concluded with the parable of the Good Samaritan, a man who helped a beaten man who was passed over by the very people you would expect to give him help. Love everyone, especially those who are different than you. Simon Peter denied Christ three times before his death and in John 21:15-17 after the resurrection, Jesus tests Peter another time. He asks Peter if he loves him three times. Not the love one would have for the other disciples, but agape love the same unconditional love God has for us. Jesus charged Peter with carrying that love and the word of God out to the world. As his disciples, we are charged with the same task. Everything starts with God, God s love for us. It is contagious. Once we receive his glory, the Holy Spirit gets to work and moves within us. God s love is not to be jealously held inside. It is meant to be spread among the world, whether that love reaches another people in another country or right here at home. And it all starts with a small beginning. A thought, a nudge in your heart, God moving through you, something you hear in your own mind during those quiet moments alone with God. All opportunities to serve start with a small beginning.

3 Over 15 years ago, Cheryl Froelich had a desire to cook for others who needed a nourishing, hot meal. From that small beginning a movement grew. Now help comes from our church, other churches, and other organizations and these people provide a hot meal, groceries, Christian love, and more once a month through Faith Kitchen. Throughout the years other needs have been identified and other missions joined in to provide the help. Backpacks and school supplies, winter hats, scarves, and gloves from Sewing for Missions (Sue Bell s response to a nudge), clothing donations and it all started with a small beginning. We don t do anything by our own will. God does amazing things from just a small start. Faith is full of small beginnings Trudy Jones now collects enough money to help more children in Paraguay than ever before. Lori Turoso, along with a few others, recently used their small beginning to help further develop our Community Assistance program, and there are so many other ways this church serves God s children. The opportunities are limitless. Whether you start a new mission or join in one that is already established, there is no shortage of ways to spread the message of God s love. In 1956, a small group of worshippers had a dream of building a new church in North Canton. They started with a small beginning holding services at the YMCA, raising money to buy land, and finally building a church at 300 9th St NW, the same building we now call our church. Small beginnings and God loves small beginnings.

4 February 15, 2019 Dear Lay and Clergy of East Ohio, I am calling all clergy and laity to a time of prayer as we prepare for the Special Session of General Conference, which is only one week away. I ask that you join me in praying that the power of the Holy Spirit would guide our delegates as they seek to do their best work that demonstrates God s love, grace, mercy, and justice. I pray that we all fully rely on God to guide all conversations, decisions, and actions as God leads us forward as The United Methodist Church. We pray not only for the work that will be done at the Special Session, but we also pray for the faithful and ongoing work we all are called to do in the days that follow as we continue to: be disciples, make disciples, and mature disciples of Jesus Christ; be Gods agents of transformation in our communities and throughout the world; and reach new people, younger people, and a more diverse people with the love of Jesus. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:16-20 (NIV) The Special Session of General Conference will begin with a Day of Prayer on Saturday, February 23. The purpose of the day is to pray for the 2019 Special Session of General Conference and to find a Way Forward that will maximize the Church s witness and mission in the world. View the Day of Prayer schedule. You can watch the Day of Prayer, and each worship service and plenary session of the Special Session, via live stream on the East Ohio Conference General Conference website, Our journey continues after the Special Session of General Conference as we move forward sharing the love of Christ and making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world! I remind you that during the week of February 25 my office will provide a prayer that I am asking each church to include in its worship service(s) on Sunday, March 3; and I once again call all lay and clergy of East Ohio to attend one of the post-general Conference informational gatherings led by me and members of our East Ohio delegation: Saturday, March 9 10:00 11:30 a.m. Newcomerstown Christ UMC Saturday, March 9 2:00 3:30 p.m. North Canton Faith UMC Sunday, March 10 4:00 5:30 p.m. Strongsville UMC With Love, Bishop Tracy S. Malone Resident Bishop

5 Sanctuary Renovations - Phase 1 - Important Update The 20/20 Vision Team will be reviewing the sanctuary renovations phase 1 proposal on February 28. If they support the proposal, it will go to the Church Board for vote on March 5. The proposal includes a request for reallocating some funds from the Facility Upgrades focus area. Important details are outlined in an that was sent to the congregation on Friday, February 22. You may view that letter by clicking on this link: Debbie Wiley, Worship Space Renovations Team Leader, as well as representatives from the 20/20 Vision Team, will be available for questions in the Gathering Area on Feb. 24 and March 3. C.O.M. Ministry Team Calling for a Friendly Smile! In order to provide welcoming hospitality to anyone new to Faith UMC, we are forming welcoming crews of 2 persons to be available prior to each service. They will greet new people and make connections, answer questions, provide directions, and share pertinent information. Please help us get our Welcome Center started by becoming a member of a crew. You can select the service and Sundays you wish to help with. The next training will be held on Thursday, February 28 at 6:00pm. This new ministry group will fall under the COM (Communications, Outreach, and Marketing) Ministry Team and Judy McLaughlin will be the Welcome Crew coordinator. Please contact the church office if you are willing to help with this effort. You can find the pink cards, in the church office, on the table by the mailboxes.

6 Membership Care Ministry Team Community Assistance Ministry Team: A NEW MINISTRY It was brought to the attention of our church leaders that there is a growing number of individuals in our congregation and community that are struggling with various issues in their lives. Among these struggles are health issues, transportation, food, utility bills, mortgage payments, problems making ends meet, and just paying bills in general. These concerns brought together a group of church members inspired to try and address situations of need on an individual basis. The group graduated into a committee; the committee developed into a ministry of the church. Thankfully, the new ministry has been able to obtain funding for moving forward with the concept of providing interim help for applicants in need. The new ministry has been named, Community Assistance Ministry Team. While we are still developing some of our policies and procedures, the ministry is now available to applicants currently needing assistance. Applications are available in the church office. Once an application is received, two members of the ministry will meet with the applicant privately to determine what help or guidance we can provide. All applications will be held in strictest confidence. The mission statement for the new ministry is: COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE MINISTRY TEAM The purpose of our efforts is to extend God s love to others who are in need within our church and local community. Our mission is to provide opportunities to individuals in need by providing financial assistance, referrals to outside agencies, help to become more self-directed, and to develop individual skills to be self-sufficient. When God s love shines into people s lives, it can help bridge the gap between worry and despair to provide hope. and Jesus will say to them, Truly I tell you, whenever you helped any of my people, you helped me. - Matthew 25:40 Columbarium: Did you know our Faith United Methodist Church courtyard, in addition to serving as a lovely place to sit and reflect, also is a memory garden? It houses our Columbarium for niches for cremains of loved ones. Here are some current facts about our Columbarium: Thirty-five persons currently rest in the Columbarium. Eighty-three of the 134 niches are sold; we supply a signed certificate. Fees are $1000 per individual and $800 for each additional immediate family member. Fees include name inscription on a brass plate on niche and perpetual maintenance of the Memory Garden. Commemorative bricks are $125 each. Sharyl Syler handles most of the arrangements and keeps records (the Columbarium Chair has a back-up set of records). We have a sprinkler system for the garden. Landscaping is handled by the Trustees.

7 Membership Care Ministry Team March Birthdays: Erma Chorian will be 89 on March 24. Lillian Smith will be 95 on March 26. Jackie Reed will be 90 on March 28. Ruth Anstine will be 87 on March 30. We express our deepest sympathies to: The family of John Smith who passed away February 9, John Smith s Memorial Service was Saturday, February 16. Thank you notes received from: (notes may be found on bulletin board) Evelyn Hewett Second Wind: Your smoke alarm goes off in the middle of the night--quick! do you call the fire department first or do you get out of the house? Capt. Gary Coen of the North Canton Fire Department joins us in March for a program on fire safety. Bring your questions! Program: Capt. Gary Coen, NCFD, Fire Safety When: Tuesday, March 12 Desserts and coffee at 1:00 Cost: $1/per person for refreshments Church bus pickups: Danbury at 12:35, Waterford 12:45 Contact: Betsy Douce by Sunday, March 10 with your reservation at or BetsyDouce@yahoo.com For your calendars: On April 9, we ll be joined again by Bill Winkler, sharing an amazing (and true) story from WWII. Stephen Minister Training The Stephen Minister program at Faith Church is a group of Christian men and women trained to provide one-to-one care to people experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, relocation or separation due to military deployment. Do you think you want to be one of these ministers and offer your Christian care to someone in need? A new class is being organized to train ministers. If you are interested please contact Ron Luikart at or Pam Honnold at Attention Faith UMC Golfers: There will be an organizational meeting for the 2019 season on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 7:00pm in Room 8. Please try to attend this meeting to go over changes for the coming golf season. Questions call Dale Miller at / or Tim Bracken at

8 Service in Mission Ministry Team Urgent Need met for TSA workers and their families. Faith UMC collected 2 carloads of food which was delivered to the Akron/Canton airport on Tuesday, January 29. Thank you to all of the Faith UMC families that donated food. And a special thank you to Lori and Don Turoso who made several trips to the airport to deliver the food. Faith families really come through when an urgent need is presented.

9 Jazz with Jack Schantz and Friends at Sunday March 3, :00 pm Freewill offering Free parking Refreshments 300 Ninth Street NW North Canton, Ohio faithumchurch.org

10 Ash Wednesday Services Faith UMC offers Ash Wednesday Services at 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm. The 7:00 service will be an intergenerational service for all ages led by the children of Faith UMC s Wednesday Night Faith Connections ministry and Faith UMC s Chancel Choir. Dinner is served at 6:00 pm in Robinson Hall. Please RSVP to the church office at Labyrinth & Prayer Stations Faith UMC s 36ft Indoor Prayer Labyrinth will be available to the congregation and community for prayer and reflection in our Family Life Center from 9:30 am 8:30 pm. To learn more about Faith s Labyrinth visit our website at

11 Spiritual Formation Ministry Team Messy Church Sunday, March 10 at 4:00 pm Messy Church is an innovative worship experience where people of all ages engage with the day's Bible story through a variety of hands-on art and creative activities followed by a time of learning and worship and then end our time together with dinner. March Theme: What is Lent? How can we draw close to God with all our heart? Want to get involved? Come experience this month s Messy Church to learn more. Wednesday Night Faith Connections: Join us for fun, food, faith, and fellowship. Dinner at 6:00 pm followed by program and activities for all children, youth, and adults. Contact Kathy Schmucker, Bethany Sedziol, or John Hartzell to learn more. Children s Sunday School 9:45 and 11:00 am on Sunday Mornings Deep Blue at Home with God Weekly Family Devotions available at the Children s Welcome Station Try this Family Devotion with your family! Read: Family Proverbs (Proverbs 10:1; 17:17) Bible Story Focus: God helps us make wise choices. Wonder Together: What is Wisdom? Memory Verse: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5) Pray Together: Share joys and concerns, and then pray, Dear God, thank you for families that love and teach us. Amen. Emmaus Retreat: Opportunity for spiritual growth and renewal. Men s: March 28-31, 2019 Women s: April 4-7, 2019 Learn more about this experience of Christian spiritual renewal and growth by visiting the Emmaus page of our website. Emmaus retreat weekends fill up quickly. Contact: Kathy Schmucker, Pam Wig, or Laura Luikart as soon as possible to register for the Spring Emmaus weekends Visit:

12 Safe Sanctuary Orientation Sunday, February 24 at 12:15 pm If you want to get involved in ministries with children, youth, and vulnerable adults join us this Sunday to learn more about Faith UMC s Safe Sanctuary practices. If you are currently serving in ministry and need to attend a yearly orientation, come! For more information contact Kathy Schmucker, Pastor Steve or Dave McDaniel. Library and Media Center News Discipleship Resources What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? How do we live in the way Jesus teaches? Check out the Discipleship Survey and Discipleship Resources. Books and resources can be found on the Discipleship Resource shelf in the adult section of Faith UMC s Library. Learn more about discipleship at Faith UMC at Special Needs Across the Ages: Becoming an Accessible, Inclusive Congregation Where All Belong Thursday, March 14 at Faith UMC 9:00 am 2:30 pm Go quickly to the city s streets, the busy ones and the side streets, and bring the poor, crippled, blind, and lame. Go to the highways and back alleys and urge people to come in so that my house will be filled. Luke 14: 21b, 23 Who is missing from your congregation? Recent studies indicate that families with children with autism are almost twice as likely to never attend church or other religious services. And children and adults with other disabilities such as physical, developmental delays, attention deficit disorder, sensory challenges, anxiety, etc. are often missing as well. Join us for this day of vital conversation and learning to empower our churches to do all we can to become churches where persons of all abilities belong. The event will include key note address, workshops, Q&A session, resources and lunch. Workshops: Disability Awareness 101: Introduction to Disability and Disability Ministry with hands-on experiences. Awareness to Action: Supporting Individuals With Special Needs in All Environments Invisible Disabilities: Not Seeing and Believing Mental Health Issues in the Local Church Autism Basics: Communicating and Building Success Sponsored by East Ohio CEF: Christians Engaged in Faith Formation and The Spiritual Formation and Christian Education Committee of the East Ohio Conference. Cost: $20 includes resources and lunch. Register online at Questions? Contact Kathy Schmucker at kschmucker@faithumchurch.org.

13 Bible Study with Pastor Steve, Reflecting on scriptures from our February worship series Love Songs. Meeting every Thursday in February 10:30-11:30 am in Room 5 Scripture in the Wesleyan Tradition, Sunday mornings at 9:45 am in Room 16. Facilitators: Janice Golden and Kim Reynolds. Coffee Talk: Navigating the Messiness of Faith and Life, Tuesday, February 26 at 9:30 am at Cultured Coffee & Waffles on Portage St. Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted, Tuesday Women s Group, begins Tuesday, February 26 at 6:30 pm in the West Parlor. Facilitators: Laura Luikart and Sue Bell. Faith and the Environment, Wednesdays at 6:45 pm in the West Parlor. Facilitator: Dick Pickles. DivorceCare, Wednesdays at 6:45 pm in Room 16. Facilitator: Christy Kraemer. The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus Wednesday Morning Women s Group begins Wednesday, February 27 at 9:00 am in the West Parlor. Facilitator: Linda Reynolds. The Art of Living, Monday Night Meditation Group, begins Monday, March 4 at 7:00 pm in the Conference Room. Facilitators Tom and Lynn Strauch. To learn more about other opportunities for adults happening, visit Contact Kathy Schmucker at kschmucker@faithumchurch.org or call ext 107 or Wonder Wednesdays Kids Grades K-5: Wednesdays following Wednesday Night Faith Connections Dinner. Elementary-age children explore science, art, service and mission projects as they learn and grow in faith. February 27: Kids prepare to lead Ash Wednesday Service on March 6. March 6: Ash Wednesday Service. Little Wonders childcare and activities for young children in the nursery. Contact Kathy Schmucker, Spiritual Formation Director, Bethany Sedziol, or Kristin Krach for more information about children s ministries at Faith UMC.

14 Calendar Snapshot to view Online visit: