The Dove Tale. EXTRA! Extra! Read all about it! Rally Sunday. Special Edition

Transcription

1 The Dove Tale United Methodist Church of Peace Richfield, Minnesota Volume Nine Fall 2016 Issue 9.1 EXTRA! Extra! Read all about it! Rally Sunday Special Edition

2 Pastor s Column Welcome to our first Rally Sunday Special Edition of the Dove Tale newsletter! In this special edition, you will discover the ministries of United Methodist Church of Peace as written by those intimately involved with each of these activities. This special edition is our way of informing you - our members, regular attendees and first time visitors about the active life of Church of Peace! If you are a Church of Peace member or regular attendee, please prayerfully consider how you might become more involved in our ministries and activities. If you are receiving this Dove Tale Extra as a first or second-time visitor to our church, please note how our focus is both internal and external in nature. Our purpose is to love others with the love of Christ Jesus! I hope you have already experienced this love we have for you! Holy Scripture instructs each of us in the way we are to love others and God. Hebrews 13:1 says it this way: Keep loving each other like family. (Common English Bible) Let mutual love continue. (New Revised Standard Version) Keep loving each other like brothers and sisters. (New Living Translation) Let brotherly love continue. (English Standard Version) Church of Peace believes we are to love persons within our congregation as well as God s children in our community. As you read the Dove Tale Extra, please allow the Holy Spirit to move in your heart, soul and mind as to how Church of Peace and its activities, ministries, and outreaches may bless you now and in the future. In Him who loved us first, Pastor Gerry Our Purpose Our congregation exists to exemplify by word and deed the love of Jesus Christ to all people and specifically, to our community through loving relationships. 2

3 VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People) Emergency Food Bag Pack Project An emergency food bag contains 13 separate food items and is designed to feed one-to-two people for a day or two. These food bags weigh approximately 20 lbs. after packing. The estimated cost of the food items that go into the bag is $15-$20 per bag. These emergency food bags are used by VEAP to provide temporary food support for people who can not immediately access the food pantry. Registration to use the food shelf can sometimes take a week. In the interim, VEAP food bags are issued to a family depending upon the number of people in the family and the period of waiting time for food shelf registration. United Methodist Church of Peace is the sole provider of emergency food bags to VEAP every month. Donations at the United Methodist Church of Peace provide the dollars to purchase the food items. Church of Peace volunteers buy the food items and pack the food items into doubled grocery bags and deliver the individual emergency food bags to the VEAP location in Bloomington Totals Bags: 1,950 Pounds: 39,000 Tons: Totals Bags: 1,915 Pounds: 38,300 Tons: Totals Bags: 310 Pounds: 6,200 Tons: 3.1 All ages gather to pack the emergency food bags. The sessions ends with prayer. Grand Totals Bags: 4,175 Pounds: 83,500 Tons:

4 Senior Social This is a group of men and women from the church, friends, neighbors or anyone in the neighborhood. We gather from 9:30 11:30 Wednesdays during the school year. All are welcome. We play cards & games- Skip-B0, Phase 10, Dominoes and Hand & Foot card games. We will teach anyone to play and are open to new games. About 10:30 a.m. we have treats, which we take turns bringing. We have lots of FUN, with conversation and fellowship. Meals on Wheels Church of Peace became involved with the Meals on Wheels program in 1971 and became a distribution site in about Church of Peace is where the drivers receive the meal bags. After delivering the meals to clients, drivers bring the empty carrying bags to our Church. There are 28 churches that drive routes in Richfield, Edina and Southwest Minneapolis. Each church drives every four weeks, delivering catered meals hot and cold foods to the clients. The routes take minutes to deliver. Remember, Carol Rose, Church of Peace coordinator is always looking for new drivers. Thank you all for volunteering. Contemporary Issues Class The Adult Contemporary Issues Class meets every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. year round, in the South Room. This class reviews a weekly topic provided by the Wired Word. These weekly topics cover many different areas but the intent is to identify a current event during the week and how that event relates to God and the Bible. The Wired Word generates a lesson on the weekly topic and this lesson can be ed to all the class members prior to the Sunday class meeting. During the class session on Sunday, discussion centers upon how the lesson relates to us as people and what impact God's Word has upon this specific lesson. Women s Breakfast Group The women of Church of Peace get together for delicious food, great discussion and good fun and laughs. We gather every second Monday of each month at 9:00 a.m. The restaurant is Original Pancake House on 70th Street between York Ave. and France Ave. Church women and friends, come join our breakfast group-we love it and you will too. 4

5 Church of Peace Chancel Choir Calling All Singers! Have you every thought of singing in a choir? Do you enjoy making music? If you do, then the UMCOP Choir is the place for you! So what are you waiting for? Come on down! Join us for rehearsal on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. We are going to have a great time this year making music to the glory of God! The choir gathers each Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. before our 10:30 a.m. worship service to rehearse. Call Music Director Chris Jackson at (952) for more information. Worship Committee Our desire is to bring worshippers closer to the glory of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through meaningful worship. Our intent is to enhance your worship experience of the one true God through Christcentered love. Additionally, we work with the ushers, communion stewards, PowerPoint and sound systems, altar paraments, altar flowers and decorating the sanctuary for special services. Newcomers are always welcome! Sheridan Hills Outreach Project Church of Peace is in its fourth year of partnering with Sheridan Hills Elementary School. The Sheridan Hills Outreach Program is known as SHOP. Now is the perfect time to sign on as a volunteer for an exciting year with our children at Sheridan Hills. Volunteers tutor students in math and other subjects, listen to students practicing reading, and assist in the media center, art classes and the lunchroom. They provide new books and needed donations for supplying food bags. Please see Pastor Gerry if you are interested in volunteering. Your SHOP donations help feed kids who otherwise go hungry on weekends. Your only qualification: A willingness to be with the kids! 5

6 United Methodist Women/Lydia Circle The Lydia Circle was formed at the beginning of 2016 by joining together the Ruth and Esther Circles. We are a group of women who monthly or sometimes more often go out on fun outings and do service projects for our church or other organizations. Some of our service projects this past year were to host and prepare the annual meatloaf dinner served at church, collect items and assemble birthday bags for children whose families use the services of VEAP, help with the annual salad luncheon, make sandwiches for the Simpson Shelter, help coordinate the winter clothing drive for Simpson Shelter, and one afternoon work at Value Village. Our ladies outings have included the Minneapolis Institute of Art, attending community plays, a trip to Stillwater to learn about the old mansions, and other fun activities. We are a fun loving and caring group and we welcome any ladies who attend Church of Peace to join our Circle. Men s Breakfast Group The men of Church of Peace meet for breakfast the last Saturday of each month at the VFW Restaurant at 6715 Lakeshore Drive in Richfield. We meet at 8:00 a.m. for fellowship and good food. It isn't limited to just the men of Church of Peace. All men are invited! If you haven't laughed or heard a good joke before you arrived, be prepared for a great time and to share your stories. We have had as few as eight and as many as sixteen. It doesn't matter how many attend it's always quality versus quantity. We always eat anyway because the food is good and reasonably priced. 6

7 Feed My Starving Children Feed My Starving Children is a Christian nonprofit hunger relief organization which was founded in Twice a year a group of approximately 25 people go out to the Chanhassen location from Church of Peace and spend 2 hours of their time measuring ingredients, packing food, making labels for the food bags, and preparing the boxes for shipment. This life saving food is sent to starving children in nearly 70 countries. Church of Peace also helps with financial donations to FMSC to help in the purchasing of the ingredients of the food we help to pack. We have a fun time and work together to see how many boxes of food we can pack in those 2 hours. All ages can help with packing the food. If standing is a problem for you, there is a sitting job available. It is a very worthwhile project and it gives one a great feeling to be helping out in this way. So when you see the sign up sheet posted for our next outing, please join us and sign up. You won't regret it! Memorials Committee The Memorial Committee is made up of church members who manage money given in loving memory of loved ones who have passed away. The committee collects the money and it is put in a separate account and it is used for items approved by the committee that the church needs. Just a few of the items that have been purchased with this money are the sanctuary air conditioning units, the two new benches in the narthex, hearing aid equipment, new signs for the exterior of the church, four office arm chairs for the South Room, to name just a few. When something is purchased, who it is in memory of, and given by whom, are recorded in the Memorial Book which is located in the small narthex in the glass covered stand. All memorial gifts are appreciated and thoughtfully considered before purchases are made. Prayer Shawl Ministry This is a group of 5-10 women in our church that knit or crochet prayer shawls. There is one particular yarn and a pattern, which are used. The yarn is donated by various people and is soft and washable. The shawls are given to members of the church who are ill, have had surgery, have disabilities or chronic conditions. They are also given to any church member who has a friend or neighbor whom they think would enjoy one. We have given prayer shawls to the Edina Care Center, the VA Home and various area charities. 7

8 Children s Sunday School Two groups of school-aged children meet on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. Nancy Best and Nancy Yodsing share leadership of the younger group that meets in the Sanctuary Narthex study area. Helen Eslinger leads the group of Middle & High School youth that meets in the Church Library. Both rooms are on the church s main floor. Hospitality Volunteers Group Coffee & Fellowship Serving Schedule Please note the month assigned to your committee for overseeing the sign-up list for coffee and fellowship serving. Treats do not have to be homemade. The sign-up bulletin board in the Narthex includes a sheet containing treat suggestions and instructions. Occasionally, the church family is called upon to set up, serve, clean up, and otherwise prepare for various coffee times, meals, neighborhood hospitality events, funerals, and so forth. If you are interested in being part of the volunteer pool and call list in support of hospitality at Church of Peace, please contact Rose Brier at (612) or Mary Lou Motz at (612) September Trustees October Worship Committee November Finance Committee December Lydia Circle January SPRC February Women s Breakfast Group March Lydia Circle April Adult Sunday School Class May Memorials Committee June, July, and August Volunteers 8 Sundays at Church of Peace 9:00 a.m. Adult Contemporary Issues Class 9:15 a.m. Children s & Youth Classes 10:00 a.m. Fellowship & Coffee 10:30 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary

9 Peace in the Neighborhood Free Flu Vaccination Clinic An important aspect of Church of Peace is our Purpose Statement (see page 2), which says we will reach out to our community with the love of Jesus Christ. This is the fifth year we have hosted Peace in the Neighborhood Free Flu Vaccination Clinic. The 2016 Flu Vaccination clinic is Saturday, October 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. The vaccines are administered by nurses from the Bloomington Public Health Clinic. There is no charge for anyone to receive one of the various types of flu vaccines that are available. Approximately 100 vaccine doses have been administered each year. Your opportunity to serve is that we need approximately people to help at the clinic. Duties include helping with greeting our neighbors, registration, snacks, setting up, and cleaning up. Times are flexible! If you have time to help, please contact Nancy Yodsing at Dear Church of Peace Attendees, We are hosting a Christmas Boutique/Bake/and Antique Sale on Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Items needed include nice, gently used Christmas decorations, pins, Christmas sweaters, etc., as well as a few antiques (could be related to Christmas or not). Vern and I will pick up anything you want us to, the week before the sale. If items require some TLC, let s talk early. To help make this event a success, here are areas in which you may wish to assist: Experienced and new helpers to sort, clean, and price the donated items. We ll begin on Wednesday, December 7, through Thursday, December 8, from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Bakers and cookers of holiday treats (cookies, cupcakes, candy, nuts and bolts) Advertising, marketing and artsy people who like to write and promote Set-up and take-down help for all the tables, etc. If you are looking forward to finding new homes for your unused Christmas items, become part of our new Christmas tradition here at Church of Peace! Please also give of your time in helping with the sale. We will be scheduling helpers, bakers and sales people for the sale and preparation for the first week of December. Please leave a note for me in my mailbox at church. And if you have any scathingly brilliant ideas, let s talk before! You can also contact me at or at gmlund02@gmail.com. Gail Lund Church of Peace Member 9

10 Church and Parsonage: Land & Buildings Church/parsonage, financing, insurance coverage for liability and catastrophic coverage Maintain tax exempt status Gas, electric, water, heat and air conditioning Maintain boiler and roof top heating and air conditioning Air conditioners and heating has been programmed by Wayne so we are generally at the right temperature Maintain elevator Lawn maintenance & landscaping Parking lot maintenance and snow removal Inside church housekeeping both daily and weekly Arnold Ramler is our custodian working Wednesday & Saturday Equipment including office computers and all furnishing throughout church including chairs, tables, and P.A. system Parsonage maintenance both building and all appliances Maintaining rental agreement/income with Great Northern Choir, Sweet Adelines, Edina Care Center parking, Ostomy Support Group, Meals on Wheels, and our newest addition Zoe Child Care and Academy Zoe Child Care required a lot of coordination, planning and set up; now everything seems to be running very smoothly with few hiccups Maintain current key list for church Meet when something has to be discussed; all trustees help when needed on a daily or weekly basis 10

11 Missions Our Covenant Relationship with missionary, the Rev. Daniel Yang, begins in Yang was commissioned as a Global Ministries Missionary at the 2016 General Conference. He is a Minnesota Elder from Laos in Southwest Asia and served seven years at Hamline UMC, 15 years at Wheelock UMC (St. Paul), with the past three years serving Christway UMC (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Yang feels called to return to Laos in Southwest Asia to start new churches and to train and equip leaders to share the gospel. There are currently 66 house churches now in Laos, which he hopes to grow to 120 by Rev. Daniel Yang Ground was broken on July 12, 2016, for the Homeless Shelter for teens ages at 66 West in Edina (the former TCF building). Construction should start soon. We will be looking for ways we may assist in this endeavor either by volunteering, mentoring, financially or where needed. Church of Peace dedicated its 2015 and 2016 Easter Special Offerings to fund packing of 5oo health kits for the United Methodist Committee on Relief to send world-wide during times of natural disasters (see photo below). Many UMCOR heath kits and cleaning buckets were sent to Louisiana in August to assist residents in clean-up operations after heavy summer rains and flooding. Bible Studies Pastor Don Eslinger (retired) leads frequent Bible studies on Monday evenings 7:00-8:30 p.m. focusing on various books of the Bible as well as related topics. Currently, for Fall 2016, a group is forming in order to study each of Jesus disciples. The Twelve Disciples of Jesus is a companion study book needed for the class and can be obtained in the church office. Other studies, such as Beth Moore DVR Bible studies, have been held in the past. Planning is underway for a winter 2017 women s midweek Bible Study, as well as a Bible study on Grace, to be led by Pastor Gerry Vuchetich. 11

12 Our Roots An Abbreviated History of Church of Peace The 1954 Annual Session of Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren Church appointed Richfield Mission as a new church plant in the new and growing suburb of Richfield. It soon became Church of Peace. Here is the page from the book, Centennial, 100 years in Minnesota, , Evangelical United Brethren Church, describing the creation of Richfield Mission. Highlights in the life of United Methodist Church of Peace can be found in the next column Church of Peace began as a mission project of the Minnesota Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB). October 9, 1955 Church of Peace held its first service with its first pastor, the Rev. Lowell Reinking, at Sheridan Hills Elementary School January 19, 1956 Church of Peace dedicated at Oakland EUB Church January 22, 1956 Thirty members signed the Charter Member Roll for Church of Peace 1956 The first baptismal service was held May 5, Groundbreaking Service was held October 20, 1957 Laying of the Cornerstone Christmas Eve 1957 The congregation gathered for the first time in the church for a fellowship period January 12, 1958 First worship service held in the new building 1959 The first Confirmation Class 1959 The first Christmas Eve Candlelight service 1968 The Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Methodist Church merge 1969 Sunday School Rooms added 1974 Purchased parsonage on Parnell Avenue 1988 The Family Life Center, larger Narthex (lobby) and offices added July 1, 2012 Retired the mortgage on the 1988 addition, becoming debt free! Recruiting Garage Sale Leaders for April 27-29, 2017 After nine years as chairs of Church of Peace s Garage Sale, Louise and Wayne Hershey retired this past spring. They are willing to mentor new leaders with their wealth of information. Please contact them at if interested. C h u r c h o f Pe a ce C o n t a c t I n f o r m a t i o n Pastor: Gerry Vuchetich gerry.vuchetich@umcop.com Administrative Assistant: Betsy Shank betsy.shank@umcop.com Financial Assistant: Joanne Larsen joanne.larsen@umcop,com Music Director: Chris Jackson jackson6770@yahoo.com Church Office Phone: (612) Pastor s Private Phone: (612) churchoffi ce@ umcop.com Website: Facebook: Address: 6345 Xerxes Avenue South, Richfield, MN