The Messenger. McCabe United Methodist Church. Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Transcription

1 Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World March 2019 Volume 37 Issue 2 McCabe United Methodist Church The Messenger Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Finances and Attendance: Thank you for your faithfulness during the beginning of this year! Worship attendance so far this year, even with the weather, has been slightly above last year. Financially we continue to cash flow and our bills to date are paid in full. (More detailed financial information is in this newsletter). Together every person matters and makes a difference. Small Groups: We have new small groups beginning in the upcoming weeks. 1. Wednesday Evening Option for Parents: Are you a parent? Join in the new group for parents! This is a relaxed (no homework) conversation group meeting each Wednesday night from 6:15-7:00 p.m. Childcare is available in the nursery or school-aged kids can have fun at Awana or Youth Group. This group is starting with a video and conversation series called Nooma. No signup required, just come when you can! If you have questions, contact the group leaders Rob and Carrie Gilkerson at carriegilkerson@yahoo.com or Sunday Adult Small Group: A Sunday Lenten small group will begin March 10 at 10:45 a.m. using our Lenten materials Renovate. 3. Wednesday Evenings during Lent: I m planning to help lead a small group based on our Lenten theme by Jacob Armstrong titled Renovate. 4. Tuesday Afternoons Renovate Group: Seekers, on Tuesday afternoons, will be working through the Renovate study too. 5. Griefshare: On March 7, Pastor Jenny and Nurse Jane will be launching a round of a small group ministry called Griefshare. It hurts to lose someone. Griefshare is a friendly, caring group of people who walk together through the grieving process. Worship Coach: Jason Moore, our worship coach, is one of, if not the premier worship coach in the United Methodist Church. As a mystery worshiper, Jason attended 5 of our worship services during the last weekend of January. Over the course of the weekend Jason Moore was part of a Dakotas Conference Sponsored preaching practices day, and he led the Conference sponsored worship engagement conference (Resonate). On Sunday, he reported on his McCabe mystery worshipper observations and he started working with us with worship design. Then, on Monday, Jason spent time working with us as we begin to think about how we move forward in designing worship that cares for the people here, while also reaching people who aren t here yet. Worship Recommendations: We have so many positive people and ministries happening through McCabe! With this in mind, we have a commitment to continually look at how we best offer worship and ministry experiences that help people connect with God, love their neighbor, and serve the world. Continued on next page..

2 We have recently just started the process of taking a faithful, intentional look at our overall worship structure here at McCabe. The intent is to strengthen our current witness while continuing to position us for the future. a. Purpose: Part of this process will be to take a good look at each service, determine the purpose of the service, and determine the intended demographics for each service we offer. b. Services: Part of this process, too, will likely include some changes to the number of services and times of services we offer. c. Team Forming: We are beginning to form a team of around 16 people to help us determine our future direction. We d like to invite people interested in this process to consider being part of the team. Minimal requirements to be on the team include: I. A commitment to attend the meetings We anticipate 3-5 meetings II. A commitment to pray for the work of the team III. A commitment to not say: I won t change. IV. A commitment to say: How do we best change our structure and schedule to reach people and to be good stewards of what God has given us. We are also in discussion with a few professional facilitators exploring the feasibility and practicality of faithfully working through this process. Contemporary Service Move: As part of this overall evaluation process, the 11:00 a.m. nontraditional service is moving back to the Great Hall on March 3. Celebrate Recovery: Celebrate Recovery is also worshipping in the Great Hall on Saturday evenings. Worship Coach Report: Our worship coach did develop a report about his experience as a mystery worshipper at McCabe. You can get a copy of this report from the McCabe office. feel free to call the church to check. We also try to keep the website updated. We post updates on McCabe s Facebook page, and to the best of our ability we contact people involved in the ministry through , text message, and phone. Even if a ministry is not cancelled, and you re not sure of the weather, we always advise to make the safe decision. General Conference / Pray for the Church: By the time this is sent out, the special General Conference of United Methodist Church will have happened in St. Louis Missouri. The Council of Bishops called a special General Conference of The United Methodist Church for February 23-26, 2019 in St. Louis, MO to receive and act on the report from the Commission on a Way Forward. The Commission on a Way Forward was a 32 member commission of United Methodists from around the world appointed to examine the paragraphs in The Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality and exploring options to strengthen the unity of the church. At the time of this writing, we cannot predict what will be decided at the General Conference. We continue to pray for wisdom and guidance for this General Conference, and for the churches as we strive to keep our eyes and hearts focused on making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. There are so many moving parts to this discussion right now that we do not have a good sense of what is going to happen at this meeting. Here s one link from the Dakotas Conference that offers a summary from the Dakotas Conference: We anticipate having a Town Hall Meeting after the 11:00 a.m. worship on March 3 to share what we know. Everyone is welcome to come to attend. Snow Removal / Weather Related Cancellations: We lost around a ¼ of our parking from the growing snow piles. This has significant implications for worship, funerals, safety, and all the ministries happening through McCabe. It s a significant undertaking, but we did have the snow piles removed. We have budgeted for this, but it is still a significant expense. For me it is always tough to make the decision to cancel ministries because of weather, yet we also want to support safe decisions for ministry leaders and people participating. If you re not sure if something has been cancelled, please I ve been using Philippians 2 as a guide for my prayer as we approach this special conference. I would invite you to join me in praying for unity, humility, growing in having the same mind as that of Christ Jesus, and keeping our eyes on our Kingdom purpose. Wednesdays in Lent: Ash Wednesday is March 6. As we enter into our 40 day Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday, we are working to develop a family Lenten experience that includes sanctuary worship, children s ministry during worship, and our regularly schedule small group ministries. Continued on next page.

3 Ash Wednesday, March 6 worship will be from 5:55-6:40 p.m. in the sanctuary. Small Groups (including AWANA, confirmation, Youth Group, the new Parent Group, Renovate study, and Celebrate Recovery groups will meet from 6:45-7:30 p.m.) After March 6 through April 10, Wednesday worship in Lent will conclude around 6:25 p.m., then transitioning to small groups beginning at 6:30 p.m.. There will still be a meal beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings. Lent Worship Series - Renovate: Building a Life with God will be the image we are using to frame this year s Lenten worship and study. This is a heart -level, renovating series and study reflecting on the work God can do through us. We anticipate using some of the videos created by United Methodist Dakotas Conference leadership around this theme. I am anticipating helping to lead an adult small group through Lent. Camping: The camping brochures are here and registration is open. Keep in mind that McCabe will pay half of your camping registration up to $100 per person. The registration code to receive your discount is: CA for a 5-day camp and mccabe3day for all other camps. Karen Workman will help with the registration process and Tina Mitchell is a great resource too. Audio / Video / Network: The equipment we need to livestream and improve our sound quality at various output points has been ordered. This process has taken longer than expected as a few additional parts interested into this discussion and we wanted to make sure things are coordinated and will work together. We have also made substantial inroads toward improving our overall network security and backup restoration process. As we prepared the 2019 budget, we developed a capital project component part of the budget and how these projects would be funded as we move forward. This is being funded through some generous individual gifts. A larger memorial gift was given that is part of this project. The Foundation is investing in this project, and there are some budgeted capital expenses. New Members: In February we received 6 new members. Please surround these individuals in prayer as they intentionally commit to being a part of God s mission through McCabe. Another class is anticipated for around Easter. Souper Bowl of Caring/cans of soup: We collected over 400 cans throughout February. In response to God s generosity in our lives we find ways to give back. At McCabe over the month of February, we collected cans of soup as one way of giving back and caring for those who might be without. Dakota Wesleyan University / Nonprofit Leadership Classes: I ve completed half of the new Nonprofit Leadership Academy sponsored by the Dakotas/Minnesota United Methodist Church and Dakota Wesleyan University. My applied projects for the first half of the program were: 1) Identify and engage a top tier worship coach to help us intentionally look at our worship and our worship structure at McCabe. Jason Moore, from Midnight Oil productions, was with us for four days at the end of January as we begin the worship coaching process. Jason is being paid for through Conference level MCCI (Missional Church Consultation Initiative) funds. 2) Begin the process of looking at how we most faithfully serve together to position us for the future. We made progress in both of these areas, and will continue to seek to faithfully work through this. DWU - Round 2: I have been working with the leadership from the Nonprofit Leadership Academy to refine my second round of goals through this program. The second round is underway and will be completed in July. My current applied project starts with developing a team and communicating about some of the worship engagement and worship service structure discussions we are beginning. Digital Advertising Team: We have a small group of dedicated people experimenting with intentionally reaching out with our social media. We would like to invite you to like and share McCabe Facebook postings to help faithfully connect and reach people. There s research that suggests we should be intentional about doing this on Fridays so people see what s coming up on the weekends, and have a chance to plan for being part of things. We have noticed increased traffic and interaction with McCabe s content as part of this effort. Automatic Bathroom Door Openers: The installation of the automatic bathroom door openers for the main floor bathrooms is complete. Continued on next page.

4 Safe and Secure Environment: If you d like to be part of a team looking at things from a Safe and Secure environment perspective in a Christian Church, please let Karlee or myself know. We are at the beginning stages of taking an intentional look at this. Reach!: At the Reach! Conference a few months ago, a number of powerful keynotes were offered. These keynotes can be found on the Dakotas Conference website at: reachumc.org/video-study-guides/ Ministry Opportunities: We always want to help people find ways to use their God-given gifts, and to serve in areas God might be nudging them. A. Have you ever felt nudged to work behind the scenes and help prepare Communion? B. Have you ever wondered if there might be an opportunity to work with numbers and help pull together ongoing statistics for the church? C. Would you like to be the person who picks up the hospitality donuts for the weekend? D. Maybe it s helping serve the lunch at a funeral E. or Getting trained on the sound board We re currently looking for people who might be feeling nudged to explore these, and other, possibilities. We're seeking positive people who are good at following through and who d like find out more about serving in areas like this. If you d like to hear more, contact the office and let s get you the information to help see if this might be a fit for you. It is a joy and a privilege to serve Jesus Christ with you! Pastor Mark Ehrmantraut 1 ONE THING March ONE Thing: United Methodist Camping Scholarships Dakotas United Methodist Camps invite campers to experience Christ, creation, and community through camps and retreat ministries. McCabe will pay half the cost (up to $100/camp) for each camper. Your donations will help cover this cost. Donations can be left in the church office, made on the McCabe s website under the giving tab ( or the collection box in the Great Hall. Camping brochures are available at the church or visit dakcamps.org for more information. If you are willing to go the extra mile, Wesley Acres Camp & Retreat Center is looking for a few things on their Wish List. These can be left at the display in the Great Hall. A few items needed are: First Aid Supplies (Band-Aids, Ace Bandages, other things without an expiration date), 3-4 Buckle Life Jackets, Arrows, Target Tips, Fletching, Decks of Cards, 4-Square Balls, Volleyballs, Basketballs, Inner Tubes, Screw Driver Sets, Motel/Travel Size Toiletries, Perennial Flowers, Microwave, Microphones, Push Brooms. An updated list can be found on their camp website or call or wac@dakcamps.org for more information. Meals on Wheels delivery for the month of April The Bismarck-Mandan Meals on Wheels delivers well balanced hot meals to the homes of those who find it difficult or impossible to cook for themselves. McCabe has the privilege to help this program for the month of April. You can help by signing up to deliver meals in the month of April. A sign up chart is located in the Great Hall gathering space. Thank you for your help!

5 Children & Family M i n i s t r i e s In this fast-paced, tech-saturated culture, a slow meal around a table with people we care about takes off the stress, replenishes the joy, and renews the strength. Join us for a 40-day family dinner challenge beginning March 10. Pick up a guide book at the welcome centers or the education wing and get cookin! You could win up to $100 in restaurant and grocery store gift cards! Well, it s a different month but still so very cold. I said last month I wouldn t live any place else. Now I can t go cause my feet are frozen to the ground! On February 14, we had an executive meeting. Karen Workman was at our meeting and thanked UMW for the donations we made to Solar Ovens and to Youth Camping. Upcoming events: March 14 Executive meeting at 10:00 a.m. March 14 Unit meeting, 12:00p.m. at McCabe. We will have a special speaker on Human Trafficking. Esther Circle will be hostess. March 17 from 8:45-9:30 a.m. UMW members are asked to take part in a prayer vigil celebrating 150 years of formation of UMW. March 21 Circle Meetings April 6, Focus meeting in Sterling. More information to follow. May 13 Spring banquet With this cold weather, don t forget to read books from the library and keep track of books read. I leave you with these words... There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. - Edith Wharton You all mean so very much to me. God bless and keep warm! GerryAnn Small

6 Children & Family M i n i s t r i e s Children s Discipleship Programs What s Happening? In J.A.M., we ll begin March by learning about Jesus and Zacchaeus, then we ll dive into the events leading up to the crucifixion. Prayer bears will begin making their rounds March 10. Each week, kids interact with the Bible lesson in a large group setting followed by related games, experiments, crafts, discussion, etc. Awana We currently have 58 children registered in Awana and over 20 adult volunteers on hand each week to discuss the Bible, memorize scripture, engage in high energy games, and share the love of God. March 13 is Superhero Night and March 27 is Silly Hat / Hair Night. Navigators (6th-8th grades) - Middle schoolers will experience God actively, first-hand in a way that relates to their lifestyle and how they communicate. In March, students will discuss priorities and making time for God. This group meets Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in the youth room. Lent Join us for Lenten worship services in the Sanctuary at 5:55 p.m.! Our theme is Renovate: Building a Life with God. Kids will be engaged with a hands-on building project: building their own Last Supper scene. Come each week to get a new piece for your scene! Looking for some adventure this summer? Check out Dakotas United Methodist Camps! McCabe will pay one-half of the camp fee up to $100 per camp. Use code CA for 5-day camps and code mccabe3day for all other camps. Additionally, an early-bird discount is given to campers who register and pay by April 30. Camping brochures are available now! Visit dakcamps.org for more information, or contact Karen at or Tina at

7 WEDNESDAYS IN LENT: Ash Wednesday is March 6 Every year, the church season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and we enter into our 40-day journey toward Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This year, Ash Wednesday falls on Wednesday, March 6 (Easter Sunday is April 21). There will be more in next month's newsletter about how we are honoring Lent here at McCabe, but keep these special Wednesday schedules in mind: Ash Wednesday, March 6 Meal in Great Hall at 5:00 p.m. Worship in the sanctuary from 5:55-6:40 p.m. Small Groups (including AWANA) will meet from 6:45-7:30 p.m. Lent Wednesdays (March 13-April 10) Meal in Great Hall at 5:00 p.m. Worship in the sanctuary from 5:55-6:25 p.m. Small Groups (including AWANA) will meet from 6:30-7:30 p.m. LENT WORSHIP SERIES Renovate: Building a Life with God This year during Lent, we here at McCabe will be using the Dakotas Conference Lent study as our sermon series for both Wednesday and weekend worship. The series is based on United Methodist pastor Jacob Armstrong's book Renovate: Building a Life with God and, using the biblical book of Nehemiah, it centers around the heart-level, renovating work God can do through us. If you like fixer upper TV shows, you'll love this worship and study series!" Easter Flowers Spring is coming and with it the celebration of Easter. The Sanctuary will be decorated with flowers for Easter Sunday, April 21, If you choose to purchase an Azalea ($10.00) to be shared during Easter Worship, please fill out a flower order sheet, attach your check/cash, and return to the office. We need your order no later than Friday, March 22, Lost and Found Did you know? We have a lost and found box in the coat closet by the South Entrance (hats, gloves, and other commonly lost items) and one in the office (keys, jewelry, etc.). Please take a look or call the church office if you have lost anything.

8 From The Office of the Financial Administrator Financial Results: Year to date through February 22, 2019: Current Fund: Congregational Giving Received $ 96,028 Expenses to Date (97,178) Current Fund Receipts Over (Under) Expenses $ (1,150) (All bills are paid to date and there is one more deposit for February.) Building, Property, and Equipment Fund: Congregational Giving Received $ 29,120 Mortgage Payments (10,955) Giving Over (Under) Mortgage Payments $ 18,165 Ministry Notes: The 2019 camping registration has started and has received donations of $1,288 to date with the majority of this coming as a 2018 year-end gift from the United Methodist Women. All church computers will soon receive updated Microsoft Office software thanks to a grant from Microsoft. The value of this software is $10,584 and the cost to McCabe is $522. The 2018 budget year results for the Current Fund were a positive balance of $91,000. In January, 2019 the Board of Directors designated $20,000 of these funds to the long-term Current Fund Reserve, and the balance of these funds were designated as a reserve for the 2019 budget year. The long-term Current Fund Reserve is now fully funded at $100,000. Funding for the Building, Property and Equipment Reserve has not yet started. The Building Debt fund balance was $55,795 at the end of 2018, and the mortgage balance was just under $500,000. Christmas offerings were donated to Solar Ovens ($3,405), Open Door Community Preschool ($3,185), and Spirit Lake Ministry Center ($3,085). The David Scarff Estate donated $40,000 in December 2018 which was designated for the worship sound production, internet access, and visual message board updates for the Church. For your convenience, the ability to give on-line has been added to the McCabe website and includes the same fund giving choices as the GivePlus Church mobile giving app for McCabe. Additional funds will be added for the seasons and missions as the Church calendar year evolves, allowing you to support the ministries of McCabe electronically. GRIEFSHARE GROUP BEGINNING ON MARCH 7 Whether it is due to a recent loss, or it's been a constant companion for many years, grief is part of so many of our lives. GriefShare is a faith-based, 13-week support group designed help you heal, find joy, and seek purpose in the wake of your loss. Our McCabe GriefShare group will begin on Thursday, March 7. The group will begin at 6:30 p.m. each week and will last approximately 90 minutes; the final session will be on Thursday, May 30. To sign-up or to learn more, contact Jane Morgan, McCabe's Parish Nurse (jmorgan@mccabeumc.com or ).

9 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 7:00 am Men s Breakfast at North Perkins 2 Communion 1:00 pm Ignite Band Practice 5:00 pm Worship 6:00 pm Celebrate Recovery 3 Communion 8:00 am Worship 9:30 am Worship 9:30 am J.A.M. Children's Ministry 10:30 am Adult Bible 11:00 am Worship 12:00 pm Town Hall Meeting 1:00 pm PICCND 4:00 pm Financial Peace University 7:00 pm Narcotics Anon. 10 8:00 am Worship 9:30 am Worship 9:30 am J.A.M. Children's Ministry 10:30 am Adult Bible 10:45 am Lenten 11:00 am Worship 1:00 pm PICCND 4:00 p.m. Financial Peace University 7:00 pm Narcotics Anon. 4 11:00 am -1:00 pm Parish Nurse in Office 3:45 pm Youth Handbells 5:45 pm Adult Handbells 7:30 pm Al-Anon 11 11:00 am -1:00 pm Parish Nurse in Office 3:45 pm Youth Handbells 5:45 pm Adult Handbells 7:30 pm Al-Anon 5 7:00 am Sojourners 9:00 am Tuesday Workshop 12:00 pm Brown Bag Lunch with the Pastors 12:00 pm Al-Anon 1:30 pm The Seekers Bible 6:30 pm CR Band Practice 12 7:00 am Sojourners 9:00 am Tuesday Workshop 12:00 pm Al-Anon 1:30 pm The Seekers Bible 5:30 pm Board of Directors 6:30 pm CR Band Practice 6 Ash Wednesday 12:00 pm Recovery Meeting 5:00 pm TGIW meal 5:30 pm CoDA Meeting 5:55-6:40 p.m. Ash Wednesday Service 6:45-7:30 pm Small Groups AWANA Confirmation Youth Group Parents Group Lenten Celebrate Recovery 7:30 pm Choir rehearsal 13 12:00 pm Recovery Meeting 5:00 pm TGIW meal 5:30 pm CoDA Meeting 5:55-6:25 Lenten Worship 6:30-7:30 pm Small Groups AWANA Confirmation Youth Group Parents Group Lenten Celebrate Recovery 7:30 pm Choir rehearsal 7 7:30 am Men s Bible 9:00 am Tops Weight Loss Group 10:00 am Precepts Bible 6:30-8 pm GriefShare 14 7:30 am Men s Bible 9:00 am Tops Weight Loss Group 10:00 am Precepts Bible 10:00 am UMW executive Meeting 12:00 pm UMW Unit meeting 6:30-8 pm GriefShare :00 am Men s Breakfast at North Perkins 1:00 pm Ignite Band Practice 5:00 pm Worship 6:00 pm Celebrate Recovery 16 9am-9pm Lewis and Clark Area of Narcotics Anonymous gathering 1:00 pm Ignite Band Practice 5:00 pm Worship 6:00 pm Celebrate Recovery 17 8:00 am Worship 9:30 am Worship 9:30 am J.A.M. Children's Ministry 10:30 am Adult Bible 10:45 am Lenten 11:00 am Worship 1:00 pm PICCND 7:00 pm Narcotics Anon. 24/31 8:00 am Worship 9:30 am Worship 9:30 am J.A.M. Children's Ministry 10:30 am Adult Bible 10:45 am Lenten 11:00 am Worship 1:00 pm PICCND 7:00 pm Narcotics Anon :00 am -1:00 pm Parish Nurse in Office 3:45 pm Youth Handbells 5:45 pm Adult Handbells 7:30 pm Al-Anon 25 No School BPS 11:00 am -1:00 pm Parish Nurse in Office 5:45 pm Adult Handbells 7:30 pm Al-Anon 19 7:00 am Sojourners 9:00 am Tuesday Workshop 12:00 pm Al-Anon 1:30 pm The Seekers Bible 6:30 pm CR Band Practice 26 7:00 am Sojourners 9:00 am Tuesday Workshop 12:00 pm Al-Anon 1:30 pm The Seekers Bible 5:30 pm Children s Ministry Team Meeting 6:30 pm CR Band Practice 20 12:00 pm Recovery Meeting 5:00 pm TGIW meal 5:30 pm CoDA Meeting 5:55-6:25 Lenten Worship 6:30-7:30 pm Small Groups AWANA Confirmation Youth Group Parents Group Lenten Celebrate Recovery 7:30 pm Choir rehearsal 27 12:00 pm Recovery Meeting 5:00 pm TGIW meal 5:30 pm CoDA Meeting 5:55-6:25 Lenten Worship 6:30-7:30 pm Small Groups AWANA Confirmation Youth Group Parents Group Lenten Celebrate Recovery 7:30 pm Choir rehearsal 21 7:30 am Men s Bible 9:00 am Tops Weight Loss Group 10:00 am Precepts Bible 10:00 am UMW Ester Circle 1:30 pm UMW Mary Ruth Circle 6:30 pm UMW Eve Circle 6:30-8 pm GriefShare 28 7:30 am Men s Bible 9:00 am Tops Weight Loss Group 10:00 am Precepts Bible 6:30-8 pm GriefShare :00 pm Ignite Band Practice 5:00 pm Worship 6:00 pm Celebrate Recovery 1:00 pm Ignite Band Practice 5:00 pm Worship 6:00 pm Celebrate Recovery

10 Prayer Corner Lord, put someone in our path who needs Your help. Let us be Your hands, feet and voice in a world that doesn t always see it, feel it or hear it. Amen. --Shared on Face Book by Mike Flowers McCabe United Methodist Church 1030 N. 6th St. Bismarck, ND (701) Pastors: Mark Ehrmantraut Jenny Hallenbeck Orr Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m.. - 4:00 p.m. Worship Saturdays: 5:00 p.m. Sundays: 8:00, 9:30, & 11:00 a.m. Children s Programs J.A.M. (Jesus and Me) Sundays 9:30 a.m. Awana Wednesdays 5:55-7:30 p.m. (September-May) Fax (701) mccabeum@mccabeumc.com Website Facebook pages/mccabe- Church/ NOTICE: Any items for the April 2019 newsletter need to be turned in to the church office no later than Friday, March 15, McCabe United Methodist Church 1030 North Sixth Street Bismarck, ND Postmaster: Change Service Requested Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Bismarck, ND Permit No. 232