November 2014 Newsletter

Transcription

1 The mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. D e e r f i e l d U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h November 2014 Newsletter A Note From the Pastor Not Equal Gifts, but Equal Sacrifice I like the phrase Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice when thinking of our stewardship campaign based on Treasure," but what does this phrase mean? What does it mean to have equal sacrifice even if the dollar amounts are not equal? The first part of the phrase means that there will be various dollar amounts committed to God by each of us through our stewardship campaign. Some of us will give thousands of dollars, some will give hundreds of dollars, some will give several dollars. This is not United Way where we are all asked to give our fair share. Some of us are asked by God to give way more than others. In Kingdom Work, these unequal gifts make sense. Someone making $100,000 is called by God to give proportionally greater than someone making $10,000. Remember the parable of the talents. (Matthew 25:14-30) But what about sacrifice? Sacrificial giving is the act of making sacred or setting apart our financial resources for God the One who gives us our financial resources in the first place. Sacrificial giving means to dedicate that which is precious to us for that which we value deeply God s work in the world through Deerfield United Methodist Church and the future of this Body of Christ and its ministries. If we don t feel at least a little bit hesitant about our ability to fulfill our commitment, we are not giving sacrificially! If we give only what we are sure we won t miss, we are not leaving any room for God to act! Sacrificial giving requires a trust in God to be able to fulfill our pledge because we are wondering a bit if we truly can fulfill it! As a church, we are called to pray in these crucial weeks of stewardship emphasis. Each of us must seek God s guidance, confident that God will lead us in discerning how we can give sacrificially. The Scriptures make it clear that God measures our gifts not in relationship to others gifts, but in relationship to the degree of individual sacrifice based on how each has been blessed. St. Paul says For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has. (2 Corinthians 8:12). Jesus said, From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required. (Luke 12:48). As you make your commitments to the ministry of God through Deerfield United Methodist Church during our stewardship campaign based on Treasure, give thanks, for, as St. Paul said, You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God! (2 Corinthians 9:11) Seeking to give generously with you, Pastor Linda

2 PAGE 2 November/December Passionate Worship (Sundays, 11:00 a.m.) November 2, The Problem with Two Masters (Daylight Savings Time ends) All Saints Sunday Matthew 6:24 November 9, Giving Your Treasure Back to God (Pastor Linda out of town. Guest preacher John Dean.) Matthew 6:1-6 Veterans recognition November 16, Don t Worry About a Thing Matthew 6:25-35 Consecration Sunday pledge cards turned in November 23, Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart Psalm 118:26-29 November 30, The Waiting Room First Sunday of Advent Mark 13:24-37 December 7, Save the Date Second Sunday of Advent, Holy Communion Mark 1:1-8 December 14, Children s Christmas Pageant Third Sunday of Advent December 21, Call Waiting Fourth Sunday of Advent Luke 1:26-38 December 24, A Light Shines in the Darkness! Christmas Eve John 1:6-9, A service of lessons and carols Treasure: A Four-Week Study on Faith and Money Starting Sunday, October 26, Deerfield UMC has been considering the many kinds of treasure that God provides to us. Matthew 6:21 says that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Whether we realize it or not, we all have treasure. What do you consider to be treasure? Often we think our treasure will follow our heart. But Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, suggests the opposite that our heart will follow our treasure. For four weeks, we will be considering matters of the heart November 2014 Newsletter and treasure, culminating in our Consecration Sunday on November 16, where we have an opportunity and a privilege to make a commitment of giving pledge to God and Deerfield UMC for Jesus taught about our treasure because he cares about our hearts. Plan to join in a small group study of Treasure on Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and use the Daily Readings guide to help answer the question where is my treasure and where is my heart? Jesus words from the Sermon on the Mount still hold life-changing power today! Treasure Consecration Sunday, November 16 Letters will be sent out soon that include a Treasure Commitment Card for members/regular attenders to make a financial commitment to God and Deerfield United Methodist Church for Please pray about your financial commitment to God s work through Deerfield UMC and plan to return your Commitment Card to the church on Sunday, November 16, for our Consecration Sunday as we consecrate our giving to God. The Biblical goal for giving back to God a portion of the many gifts God has given us is the tithe, or 10 percent of our income (Malachi 3:10). If you are not currently tithing, please pray about moving in this direction by increasing your giving at least 1 percent for the upcoming year. We receive so much joy when we give freely and with a cheerful heart! (2 Corinthians 9:7) Some of us are even called to give more than a tithe, for we desire not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice." If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Stan Brown, finance ministry team chair for Deerfield UMC. We seek to be open and transparent regarding the church finances. Charge Conference November 16 On Sunday, November 16, Deerfield UMC will join at 4:30 p.m. with other United Methodist churches in our area for Charge Conference at Loveland United Methodist Church, S Lebanon Rd, Loveland. All are invited to attend; members of Church Council are strongly encouraged to attend. Rev. Brian Brown, our district superintendent, will bring an inspiring message about the mission of the United Methodist Church, and we will worship God and pray for the ministry of one another s churches. Plan to attend this yearly Conference related specifically to Deerfield UMC and surrounding churches in our Ohio River Valley district.

3 PAGE 3 Advent Season Quickly Approaching Time is quickly approaching for one of the great seasons in our faith. The word Advent derives from the Latin word meaning coming. The Lord is coming. This year the first Sunday of Advent is November 30. To prepare our church, Hanging of the Greens will occur on Sunday, November 23, immediately following DUMC s service. Between Saint Mary Magdalene Episcopal and Deerfield United Methodist we have a vast amount of decorations. Help from both congregations is needed. It takes about two hours to fully decorate our wonderful church. A covered dish luncheon will start the decorating party. Please bring your dish to share; after SMM s service, they will set-up for the luncheon. After DUMC s service both congregations will eat and fellowship together. Then the decorating will begin. After the decorating, we will sing some Christmas carols, and the Deerfield congregation will clean up from luncheon. Much help is needed to set up the large sanctuary tree, the mitten/hat tree, and the giving tree. There are banners, wreaths, altar cloths, and manger scenes to take out of storage and prepare for the church. If you and your family are new to SMM or DUMC you are invited to bring an ornament to hang on the tree. Many families have added the date that they started to worship with us. This event is a wonderful way to get to know each other and feel a part of this wonderful community we share. All are welcome. Please join us in the celebration. A note for your planning as well: We will have a repeat of the luncheon on January 4 to Unhang the Greens, so mark your calendar to help both times in anticipation of the birth of our Christ. Pumpkin Patch & Great Pumpkin Craft Fair Are a Great Success! Our Pumpkin Patch and the Great Pumpkin Craft Fair were very successful events this year. They both exceeded our already high expectations. We "sold out" of vendor space and the vendors spoke of being happy with the fair ("happy" translates into good sales for them). Many commented on the neat music and expressed an interest in coming back next year. And we were on FoxTV! Thank you, Boy Scouts, for building the trebuchet (not a catapult) and providing a flawless execution on TV. Our third year in the Patch generated sales close to 25% higher than our previous record setting year. Overall this was a great fundraiser for us, and it opened up our church to the community in a new way. Our thanks to everyone who helped; and that's a lot of people. Thank you to the many people who worked the Patch all seven days of the week. But before that the pumpkins had to be unloaded. And before that the pallets had to be arranged. And before that the pallets had to be picked up. And before that the Fair vendors had to be found. And before that were the planning sessions. Much goes on behind the scenes. If you haven't found a way to get involved and support our biggest fundraiser of the year, please consider volunteering next year. It's a great way to get to know people! Let Us Pray! Prayer Group Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Everyone is welcome! For information, contact Margie Burke. E-Prayer Group Wanting to help in the power of prayer? Join the Prayer Team! If you are interested, contact Karen Long ( , Karen.long@scripps.com). You'll receive s sent from the weekly prayer requests submitted at Sunday service, as well as helping when a member of DUMC is in need. Prayer Concerns Dick Barbian Vikki Blount Jake & Karen Coleman Judy Dooley Laura Gordon Rebecca Hershey Jacob Ray Miller Carol Renner Russell Family Joyce Stines Renee Walker David Bloom Emily Cates Charles & Mary Lou Combs Elaine Goodman Judy Hallman Todd Hershey Debbie Losey Marie Bowman Ramey Ken Runyan Ashley Stephens Walker Family (Please add names to the Prayer Board. Names will remain on the board until the beginning of the next month. Those mentioned are still close to our hearts, but we want to ensure that the Prayer board is current.)

4 PAGE 4 Intentional Faith Development Adult Bible Study This class meets on Sundays, 9:30 10:30 a.m. in Room 101. They are studying the Book of Acts. Come join in! New Adult Small Group Pastor Linda is leading a study on Monday evenings from 7 8:30 PM through November 17. This group will study Treasure and then The Waiting Room. Childcare provided. See Pastor Linda for a book or to request childcare. Children s Sunday School (Age 4 years - Grade 2) November 2, attend worship with parents. November 9, 16 & 23, attend Sunday School. Children will start in the worship service and leave for their class after the time Especially for Children. They can be picked up immediately following worship. Children s Bible Study (Grades 3 6) November 2 & 16, attend worship with parents. November 9 & 23, attend Bible Study. Children will start out in the worship service and leave for their class after the time Especially for Children. They can be picked up immediately following worship. Jr./Sr. High Sunday School (Grades 7 12) November 2 & 16, attend worship with parents. November 9 & 23, attend Sunday School. November 30, tbd Fun Sunday (Age 4 grade 6) November 30, children will gather together for a 5th Sunday Fun morning. Children will start out in the worship service and leave for their class after the time Especially for Children. They can be picked up immediately following worship. Risk-Taking Mission & Service Turkeys Needed The food pantry is in the process of signing up people in need for Thanksgiving dinners. Many of the components can be taken right from pantry shelves but some need to be purchased specially and that includes turkeys. So far a number of you have donated gift cards to help purchase some of the 50 turkeys needed. Thank you to those who have already donated $120 worth of gift cards/money to November 2014 Newsletter this cause. There is still a need for more. Cash or gift cards to Kroger s, Walmart, Meijer s or any other store carrying turkeys, would be much appreciated. - Gail Prather and Barb Dixon Thanksgiving Community Dinner Our November Community Dinner will have, of course, a Thanksgiving theme. So dust off the cookbooks and recipe files and pick out your favorite Thanksgiving dish to make and bring. November 9 is the big day. If you have any questions, contact Barb Dixon ( ) or Shem Lofland ( ). Bernie s Place Our next visit to Bernie's Place will be Saturday, November 22, at 5:15 p.m. More on what to bring later-- check the Sunday church bulletins and also, a sign-up sheet will be passed around in a few weeks. Those who are making or have made hats, mittens and scarves for Bernie's residents can give them to Barb Dixon who will deliver them to Bernie s the week of November 16. Pet Food Drive a Huge Success! The pet food drive to bring in food for Food Pantry clients and their pets was a big success. One hundred items were taken to the pantry! So take a "bow" (wow!) and I'm not "kitten!" All the pets and their owners say "Thank you!" Operation Christmas Child Pack a shoebox (or several!) and bring joy to a child while sharing the gospel of Jesus. Samaritan s Purse sponsors this shoebox ministry to children around the world. Pack shoeboxes with toys and personal care items and return the boxes to church by Nov. 16. More information is available on a table in the lobby. You may also bring items to pack in boxes for the packing party on Nov. 15, 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Place items in the box in the lobby. Trustees Update We would like to thank Luke Copley and Jay Bloom for swapping the torn chair backs with the less torn backs in the education wing. We will have a future project to fabricate new backs, so we will need sewers. We are still looking at pencil holder options for the sanctuary chairs. If you have any ideas, let Dale Wik know. Luke also figured out how to reduce the water at the drinking fountain. Thanks Luke. We need your eyes and ears to keep a look out for things that need repaired at the church. You can write repairs needed on the Communication Card on Sunday morning.

5 PAGE 5 November Calendar Sunday, November 2 Fellowship time: 10:30 am, Narthex service: 11:00 am-noon, Cub Scout Leader Meeting; 6:30-8:00 pm, Rm. 101 Monday, November 3 Boy Scouts: 6:30-8:00 pm, Rm , 105 Treasure Study: 7:00-8:30 pm, Room 106 Tuesday, November 4 (Election Day) pm, Wednesday, November 5 Cub Scouts: 6:15-8:15 pm, Rm , 105, 108 & sanctuary Thursday, November 6 Trustees Meeting: 7:00-8:00 pm, Rm. 104 Band Practice: 8:00-10:30 pm, Sunday, November 9 Adult Bible Study: 9:30- Fellowship time: 10:30-11 am, Narthex service: 11:00-noon, Children s Sunday School (age 4-grade 2): 11:10 am-noon, Rm Deerfield events, Boy Scouts events and St. Mary Magdalene worship services are listed here. For all other events check the website at Children s Bible Study (grades 3-6): 11:10 - noon; Rm. 105 Jr./Sr. High Sunday School (grades 7-12): 11:10 am, Rm. 101 Community Dinner, 6:00-7:30 pm, Monday, November 10 Boy Scouts: 6:30-8:00 pm, Rms , 105 Treasure Study: 7:00-8:30 pm, Room 106 Tuesday, November 11 (Veterans Day) pm, Wednesday, November 12 Cub Scouts: 6:15-8:00 pm, Rms , 105, 108 Thursday, November 13 SPRC Meeting: 7:00-8:00 pm, Rm. 101 Band Practice: 8:00-10:30 pm, Sunday, November 16 (Consecration Sunday) Fellowship time: 10:30-11:00 am, Narthex service: 11:00-noon, Children s Sunday School (age 4-grade 2): 11:10 am-noon, Rm. 106, 107 Jr./Sr. High Sunday School (grades 7-12): 11:10 am, Rm. 101 Administrative Council Meeting: 12:30 1:30 pm, Rm. 101 Troop 21 Committee Mtg.: 3-5pm, Rm. 105 Charge Conference: 4:30 5:30 pm, Loveland UMC, Monday, November 17 Boy Scouts: 6:30-8:00 pm, Rms , 105 Treasure Study: 7:00-8:30 pm, Rm. 106 Tuesday, November 18 pm, Wednesday, November 19 Cub Scouts: 6:15-8:15 pm, Rm , 105 &108 Thursday, November 20 Band Practice: 8:00-10:00 pm, Saturday, November 22 Serving Meal at Bernie s Place, 5:15 pm Sunday, November 23 Fellowship time: 10:30 am, Narthex service: 11:00 am noon, Children s Sunday School (age 4-grade 2): 11:10 am-noon, Rm. 106, 107 Children s Bible Study (grades 3-6): 11:10 - noon; Rm. 105 Jr./Sr. High Sunday School: 11:00 pm, Rm. 101 Hanging of the Greens & Brunch: 12:00-2:00 pm, entire bldg. Monday, November 24 Boy Scouts: 6:15-8:15 pm, Rms , 105 Tuesday, November 25 Eagle Scout Court of Honor: 6:30-8:30 pm, sanctuary, Rms pm, Rm. 104 Wednesday, November 26 Cub Scouts: 6:15-8:15 pm, Rm Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Day) Sunday, November 30 Fellowship time: 10:30 am, Narthex service: 11:00 am noon, Children s Fun Sunday School (age 4-grade 6): 11:10 am-noon, Rms Check out the calendar so you don t miss an important date

6 Radical Hospitality Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7) Radical hospitality in the United Methodist Church is defined as Christian hospitality that demonstrates "the active desire to invite, welcome, receive, and care for those who are strangers so they find a spiritual home and discover for themselves the unending richness of life in Christ. (Schnase, Abingdon Press, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, 2007, p. 11) Jesus said I was a stranger and you welcomed me.just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:35, 40) Hospitality to the stranger is a hallmark of our Christian faith! With the holidays coming, more guests will likely be attending Deerfield UMC. Christmas is one of the three major times people are searching for a church home. (The other two are Easter and Back to School.) How we offer radical hospitality to our guests will be crucial in helping them feel welcome. Greeters are asked to limit talking to friends entering the church and to focus on the stranger, offering a sincere welcome. Ushers are asked to be in place 15 minutes before the worship service in order to hand out bulletins, show people to seats, and introduce new folks to someone else sitting in the sanctuary. All of us have a role to play in noticing someone who is new and engaging them in conversation. Welcome the stranger, just as you would like to be welcomed! * * * Deadline for the next newsletter is: Wednesday, November 20, to deerfieldumc@deerfieldumc.org 2757 West U.S. 22-3, Maineville, OH (513) 683-PRAY (7729) Fax: (513) :00 a.m. Worship Rev. Linda Troy College Ministry Dear Church Family, There is a new ministry starting at DUMC that falls under the Hospitality Committee. It is to reach out to our college students letting them know how much we care about them. College life can be a big adventure for our students. Leaving home for the first time, meeting lots of new people, and at times missing the home fires are all experiences they may have. Let s show them how much they are missed, prayed for and thought of. If you have a child/grandchild that you would like to include on our list, please give their addresses to Penny Cesco. We will be sending cards, care packages, etc., to let them know that even though they are away at school, we still keep them close in our prayers, thoughts, and love. November Birthdays 1 - Dedra Delaney 2 - Kurt Carpenter Vicki Young 5 - Reagan Lofland 6 - Regina Meeker 9 - Stan Brown Sarah Miker 14 - Deb Thomen 18 - Jennifer Carpenter November Anniversaries 12 - Lee & Michelle Prather 14 - Sheldon & Mei Carpenter Roy & Barb Dixon 20 - Mary Royer 21 - Barb Dixon Jade Humble 22 - Joey Copley 24 - Paul Vernon 28 - Bob Liedhegner 30 - Luke Copley Noah Prather If your birthday or anniversary was not listed, please either call the church office or send an to dumc@deerfieldumc.org. Our Mission Connecting to God, Serving Others Our Vision To be a healthy congregation who shares God's love, grace and power through: Radical Hospitality - that is attractive, welcoming, and invitational, Passionate Worship - where we offer inspirational community praise, Intentional Faith Development - where we foster growth and transform into caring, active disciples, and Risk Taking Mission and Service - through which we interact with others by modeling Christ-like examples of compassion and service, and Extravagant Generosity giving generously to the mission and kingdom work of our extravagant God.