The SPIRE Morristown United Methodist Church 50 South Park Place, Morristown, NJ 07960

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1 The SPIRE Morristown United Methodist Church 50 South Park Place, Morristown, NJ Phone: Vol. 18, No. 4 April 2018 The Cho-sen Words The English language can be confusing! For example... - The bandage was wound around the wound. - The farm was used to produce produce. - The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. - We must polish the Polish furniture. - He could lead if he would get the lead out. - The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. - Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. - A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. - When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. - I did not object to the object. But, there is one clear language that is universally understood. That is the language of God s love. At Easter, God spoke a powerful language of love, and it is called The Resurrection. Through Jesus life, passion, sacrifice and resurrection, we hear God s message of love that will not let us go nor let us down ever. At Christmas we sang, Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born. During this Eastertide and in all times, let us also sing: Go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go, tell in on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is risen and alive. Let us share this great news with our neighbors, friends, and the world. I am looking forward to our Chancel Choir s special presentation of the Resurrection portion of the Messiah by Handel at 7:30 p.m. on April 21 st. See the flyer in the center of the Spire. Please mark your calendar and join us with your good friends and loved ones. See you in Church. Celebrating Life and Love in the Risen Lord, Pastor Brandon

2 April 1, 2018 Easter Sunday Early morning Service at 7:30 a.m. Fellowship Hall Holy Week is the Story of Our Lives Luke 24:1-12 Pastor Charles Perez will proclaim the word, Pastor Brandon will lead and Hayoung Kang will accompany on a keyboard Easter Worship at 10:15 Is There Hope?! Matthew 28:1-7 Pastor Brandon preaching Special music from our Chancel Choir, Jubilation Ringers and Brass Quartet. This year s Post-Easter Six-part Sermon Series is called Modern Family Values. Everyone is in a family and every family struggles to nurture a network of healthy, encouraging relationships. April Second Sunday after Easter Valuing Love 1 Corinthians 13:13 Pastor Brandon preaching April 15, 2018 Third Sunday after Easter Offering Forgiveness Matthew 18:21-22 Pastor Brandon preaching April 22, 2018 Fourth Sunday after Easter Accepting Responsibility Ephesians 5:15 Pastor Brandon preaching April 29, 2018 Fifth Sunday after Easter Clear Communication Proverbs 12:18 Pastor Charles peaching Your Church s Finance committee encourages you to keep up with your 2018 pledge. Through February we are running about $8,000 below our budgeted pledge for This is probably due to the inclement weather which has reduced attendance. The good news is that we are currently running about $10,000 below our budgeted expenses YTD. Again, please try to keep current with your pledge for As, no doubt, you are aware, the recent revisions to the tax laws have some significant impacts on charitable giving. There are now some special programs, such as setting up a Donor Advisor Fund, which allows you to spread out your donations over a period of years and which simultaneously can reduce your taxes. There are also a number of other changes to charity giving regulations. We suggest you check with your financial advisor about these new methods for charitable giving. You can benefit your church and benefit yourself! Also, your Church Finance Committee gently reminds you to prayerfully consider including a bequest for your church in your will. If you haven t recently updated your will you might want to consider a bequest for your church. The Finance Committee is currently chaired by Jack Scharf and its members are John Montagna, Jim Ciprich, Glenn Stubaus, Steve Talbert, Kristi Miller, and Pastor Brando Cho, ex officio. Mike Laba, our Finance Manager, is an advisor to the Committee 2

3 Nueva Esperanza Pastor Charles Perez Puerto Rico Mission Teams Volunteers are needed to help the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico as they recover from the effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Registrations are now being taken for both Early Response Teams (ERTs) and Long-term Recover Mission Teams (LTRs). UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is coordinating ERTs to Puerto Rico in cooperatioin with the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico. UMCOR has established a centralized volunteer coordination mechanism in cooperation with UMVIM (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) for this purpose and requests that on person from each conference serve as the gatekeeper for the identification of teams and initial coordination with the Local Mission coordinator in Puerto Rico. This is a great time to help our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico. We are seeking people who are willing to go to Puerto Rico for one week during the month of August to help rebuild Puerto Rico. We know how this feels as we have gone through Sandy here in New Jersey. This is not new to Morristown United Methodist Church as we do mission work through Appalachian Service Project, Proyecto 11/11, and now Puerto Rico. Please join me and others in restoring hope and God s love to our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters. If you are seriously considering going, please contact me through at charlesprz777@gmail.com. We will also have to take this training that I will take part in myself, for us to be able to participate in this kind of mission work. ERT Training Session April 28, 2018 at Middletown United Methodist Church 3

4 BRANDON & JACK S This is our last in a series of Blogs on the topic of Methodist Connectionalism, the glue that holds our denomination together. In our last blog we indicated that nearly 14% of our budget, or $73,000 annually, goes to support or denomination s Annual and General Conferences. These funds are used to support the overall administrative costs for our denomination, for ministerial education, world service, clergy support, and for our black and African colleges and universities. The question naturally arises what is the value of these expenditures? What do these ministry shares (expenditures) allow our connected Methodist denomination to achieve together? The World Service Fund This is the heart of our denomination-wide presence, underwriting Christian mission and ministry around the world: Undergirds a network of missionaries around the world Supports ministries with children, youth, singles, students, persons who are mentally and physically challenged, adults and older persons Provides leadership and coordination of youth ministry Continues nearly 200 years of commitment to college and graduate education Certifies Christian educators, communicators and musicians Works to encourage a more ethical, just and humane world Helps us dialogue with other Christians and people of other faiths Provides communications technologies and mass media presence Expresses our commitment to God s reign through ministries of peace and justice, and efforts to build a church and a society truly inclusive of all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or handicapping condition The Ministerial Education Fund This fund helps thousands of men and women become pastoral leaders in The United Methodist Church through: Annual Conference scholarships Support for our 13 United Methodist seminaries Programs that encourage people to explore and respond to the call of full time ministry Continuing education opportunities for pastors Course of study for local pastor Africa University Fund Since 1992, Africa University has helped educate hundreds of men and women from 10 countries. Offerings provided by United Methodists built the University and supports its ongoing operations, including building maintenance, utilities, classroom equipment and supplies, faculty and staff salaries, and other operational expenses. Black College Fund The Black College Fund supports the programs and ministries of 11 historically Black colleges and universities. This apportioned fund supports departmental research, libraries, operations and physical plant maintenance. It also supports capital expenditures such as new building, major remodeling projects and endowments. These 11 historically Black colleges and universities provide opportunities for many students of promise who otherwise might be excluded from the educational process. 4

5 Episcopal Fund The Episcopal Fund provides economic support for our bishops and their ministries by helping to pay for: Salaries Office expenses Episcopal residences Pension, health benefit, and disability coverage for Episcopal families Travel Moving expense support General Administration Fund The General Administration Fund apportionment supports general church administrative activities: Maintains a system of management oversight and fiscal accountability Underwrites the legislative work of General Conference, the arena in which United Methodists come together to work through their differences and to discover the important things that unite them Supports the work of the Judicial Council to adjudicate questions of church law Maintains official documents and historical artifacts of The United Methodist Church and predecessor denominations Designates historical church shrines, landmarks and sites Together as a connected Methodist denomination we could not do any of these things without our local church s Ministry Share. Our 14% is value indeed! A NEW SMALL GROUP LAUNCHES SUNDAY, APRIL 29 TH Our church s newest small group, Jesus in Life, will start on Sunday, April 29 th with an informal picnic on the Morristown Green immediately after our worship service. The goal of this small group is to look at how Jesus is present throughout our everyday lives. The group will explore new experiences together as we explore our faith journey. Families and singles of all ages are encouraged to join. Additional meetings are also scheduled: June 3 Jesus in Sport - Somerset Patriots Game at 1:05 pm Fall Jesus in Nature Joint hike with the Hiking Small Group. Date to be announced. Winter Jesus in Art Montclair Art Museum. More details to come. This new small group is being jointly led by Jaqueline and Matt Zeller. For more information and to sign up please to mattzeller20@gmail.com. There is also be a sign-up sheet in the church Narthex. 5

6 Handel s Messiah: Parts 2 & 3 Marisa Curcio, soprano Megan Coiley, mezzo-soprano Kyle Blackburn, tenor Vinroy D. Brown, Jr., bass-baritone The Morristown United Methodist Church Festival Choir The Elmwood Concert Singers and The MUMC Festival Orchestra Sarah A Michal, conductor Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 7:30 pm Join us for a Meet-the-Artists reception following the concert! Abendmusik Music@MUMC Morristown United Methodist Church, 50 S. Park Place (on the Green), Morristown, NJ Suggested donation: $20 adults/$15 seniors $17/$12 in advance by calling All Students with ID Free Funding has been made possible in part by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. 6

7 COME ONE COME ALL TO THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH Okay, the greatest show on the Green! VARIETY SHOW & COFFEE HOUSE To Benefit our A.S.P. Mission Trip Friday, April 13,2018 7:00 PM Light Sweets & Treats will be Served during the Show BRING YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS Morristown United Methodist Church 50 S. Park Place Morristown, NJ ADMISSION: (includes light refreshments) $10 per adult $5.00 per child (6-12yrs. old) 5 and under FREE. or $25 per FAMILY 7

8 CELEBRATING THE 175 TH ANNIVERSARY OF BATHEL AME CHURCH, MORRISTOWN 2018 marks the 175 th anniversary of Bethel AME Church in Morristown. Pastor Sidney Williams is its current senior pastor. Our church played a vital role in supporting the birth of this congregation in its beginning, and MUMC and Bethel AME Church have been vital mission partners for many years. We have been sponsoring Vacation Bible School together each year. There are a number of special community gatherings and events to celebrate their 175 th anniversary. Please see the following three major events and join us. PRAYER WALK at Morristown United Methodist Church with Bethel AME Church 11:45 a.m. at Morristown UMC April 21, 2018 We will hold a special joint prayer walk at our church. We will remember our leaders of the past, such as George and Mary Ann Cobb, sing hymns, and pray together. We cordially invite you to this special prayer time with and for Bethel AME brothers and sisters. JOURNEY TO THE BELOVED COMMUNITY: A Discussion on Race Saturday, June 9, :00 pm 4:30 pm Morristown United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall Join community members to talk about race relations past, present, and future. Discussion leaders help us work towards an understanding and appreciation of diverse perspectives. Share your ideas of how to live together peacefully as we journey together towards a community of hope, love, and mutual respect. Free childcare for children of adults attending this event provided at Morristown United Methodist Church. Teachers attending eligible for Professional Development Credits through the Amistad Commission. JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION Saturday, June 9, :00 p.m. 3 p.m. on the Morristown Green, Morristown NJ (Indoors at the Morristown United Methodist Church if rain) Celebrate Juneteenth when enslaved African Americans in the South finally gained freedom after the Civil War in 1865 on the Morristown Green and at the Church of the Redeemer, South Street, Morristown. See costumed interpreters from Union Troops and Colored Troops Get creative with Emancipation Day art activities Listen to stories and songs of freedom from noted performers Kim and Reggie Harris Learn more about how and why African Americans celebrated this holiday Free shuttle to Speedwell Village, Morris Plains Civil War Encampment from 1pm 4pm Event continues 5pm 10pm at Church of the Redeemer, Morristown with more activities and an outdoor movie. 8

9 Mona s Musings On March 17 Clive Coutts, Sr. was brought home to Morristown for burial at Evergreen Cemetery with Pastor Brandon officiating. He was given a Firemen s honorary procession past the firehouses that he served before moving to Vermont. A really nice memorial reception was hosted here at MUMC by his loving family. It was attended by approximately 200 people, including local firemen, Rotary Club members, old friends from Morristown, MUMC members, and of course, many Coutts family members. He will always be remembered here in the church that he loved so much. Our beloved Torres family recently moved into their beautiful new home on Martin Luther King Drive. The whole office staff visited last week and Pastors Brandon and Charles blessed each room. Then we enjoyed delicious empanadas and conversation before returning to work. Although it seems a little strange to no longer have them here in the castle, as Isabella loves to call the church, we re so happy for them in their new place. Lots of love and good wishes went with them and of course Cesar is still our hard-working Property Manager, Elizabeth is a loving presence at Children on the Green and Isabella is dropped off by the school bus each day she is still our princess they re still very much a part of our family. A really happy and long-awaited event occurred on March 11. Sue Puma and Kevin Vance were married here at MUMC by Pastor Brandon. Sue s son Austin escorted her, and Kevin s twin sister Karen made the trip from Boston to celebrate with her brother. A reception, attended by many friends, was held in Fellowship Hall. There was a DJ with lots of dancing; and a delicious buffet including an ice cream bar was served. I was lucky enough to be included in that crowd and it was wonderful to see how happy and in love they are. You are both wished many wonderful years together no one deserves it more than the two of you. Wonderful news from the Kraft family!! Penelope Lynn (Penny), who turns two-years-old in July, is a big sister!!!! Her baby sister, Lucy Marie, was born on March 21, 2018 at 3:18 p.m. during Morristown s fourth Nor easter of the month. Her parents are, of course, Greg and Amanda Kraft. Her proud grandma, Brenda Leary, is thrilled to have another granddaughter this makes four, including Karen s twins, Olivia and Charlotte, who live in California. Welcome to the world, Lucy you ve just become a member of a really great family. Happy Easter! Mona 9

10 1 Gail Ginnett 2 Denise Schmidt 3 Kaylyn Davis 5 Sarah A Michal 6 Chris Scharf 8 Sonya Burroughs Chip Miller 10 Erika Davis 12 Eric Frantz April Kuryluk 13 Nicole Perri 18 Judy Rivera 19 Les Sutton 20 Andres Torres Celia Zeller 21 Carol Ferraro 22 Jacqueline Quinn 24 Hannah Foster Matt Hansen 26 Tracey Coutts 28 Hailey Arakelian 29 Clive Coutts, Jr. 30 Pearl Park April Jack Scharf 2018 Lay Ministry Recognition Award Recipient Congratulations to our own Jack Scharf for being chosen by the GNJ Annual Conference as a recipient of the Lay Ministry Recognition Award. He is chosen for his many years of dedicated servant-leadership, ministry and mission in our church and community. The letter from the GNJ Laity Board noted: Thank you for being a primary agent of God s mission in today s world. We are the laity of the United Methodist Church, you and me. The ministry of the laity flows from a commitment of Christ s outreaching love. A few years ago, the Cattano Family received this award for their exemplary ministry and servant-leadership. Jack is receiving it as the second recipient from our church. This award will be presented to Jack at 2:30 p.m. on April 28 th at the Mission and Resource Center of Greater New Jersey. If you can come and join us on this joyous occasion, please contact the church office, Jack Scharf or Pastor Brandon. Jackie s Stained Glass The next time you re in the church office, please check out the beautiful quilt that Jackie Laba made to hang in Mike s office. It s absolutely beautiful and really adds something very special to the office ambiance. Thanks from all of us, Jackie! Palmer James Schmidt Son of Kacie and Michael Schmidt March 11,

11 Nueva Esperanza Worship and Ministry Stephen Ministry Church Leaders and Ministry Teams Our Sunday School and Youth Ministry Our Church Family and Friends Emily Bellush Heggenstaller, pregnancy issues Joy Bellush, in Hospice care Terry M., strength and healing Lisa, healing Nina, healing Lou Cattano, undergoing treatment for kidney issues Jeff, cancer Erico family, mother of four battling terminal cancer John Leding, strength and healing William E. Hettrick, prostate cancer Rob W., to find peace and God s direction Agnes, living with cancer, healing Gary, loss of job Tim Byrne, successful treatment of cancer John Hyland, contined strength and healing Kelly Buzalski, fighting cancer Joan, in hospice care Janice Harris, colon cancer Stephanie, leukemia Carolyn, successful cancer treatment Debbie s mom, successful treatment of cancer Lea O Shea, Nancy Ruggerio s daughter, recovery Adam, successful treatment of colon cancer James, recovery from stage 4 cancer Jenny s father, treatment for prostate cancer Serving Our Country Pfc. Abigail Crisp, NJ Army National Guard Jordan Dale, U.S. Marines Sgt. Randall Ferrara, NJ Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Steve Lantz, Army Reserves, Middle East Lt. Karen Kraft McAllister, U.S. Navy, San Diego On-going Prayer Sonya Burroughs Bob Kennaday Shannon Bain Barbara MacHale Beth & Bruce Courter Micah Erika Davis Rick Radis Neil Eriksen Ms. So Nancy Gardner Arden & Les Sutton Jack & Johnna Emma Wyman Ken Zippler Happy Birthday Mary Ann Scharf celebrated her 70 th birthday at this month s Dinner Club hosted by the John & Judy Bellush. In mid-may Mary Ann will be retiring after 46 years teaching at Seton Hall s College of Nursing. She has the longest tenure of any Nursing Professor at Seton Hall. In August, Mary Ann and Jack will be celebrating by taking a steam wheeler cruise down the length of the Mississippi. From Left to Right: Lee Schubert, Jack Scharf, Bea Sullivan, Mike Laba, Jane Rehmke, John Bellush, Mary Ann Scharf, Judy Bellush, Nancy Nutt, Jackie Laba, and Norm Nutt. ANNUAL STUDENT MERIT AWARDS The United Methodist Women are pleased to announce that they will be awarding one or more Student Merit Awards to a deserving student(s) on Youth Sunday, June 17, All 2018 high school graduates and young adults who are church-oriented and plan to either attend college, trade, vocational school, or graduate school and those with at least one year left in their program are eligible to apply. Applications will be available in the church office starting Sunday April 9 and need to be returned to the church office by May 31, All information provided through the application process is held in the strictest of confidence. If you have any further questions please contact Student Merit Award Co-Chairpersons, Jan Buck at or Kris Hansen at

12 MOTHER S DAY FLOWERS On Saturday, April 21st, the Men s Breakfast will sponsor a talk on Remembering Billy Graham by Howard Leach who attended three of his Crusades in this area. Breakfast is served at 8:00 A.M. followed by a short business meeting with the talk at 9:00 am. Everyone is welcome to attend both. However, if you plan to attend the breakfast, please notify Howard so we can plan for the number of breakfasts required. While a member of this church, Howard attended two crusades in 1991: the first at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ, and the second at Central Park, NYC. Then in 2005 he attended the last of the 417 crusades on Long Island which Billy Graham later called missions. According to Wikipedia, Billy Graham's 417 evangelistic mission campaigns were conducted between 1947 and 2005 in 185 countries and territories on six continents. It has been estimated that he reached more than 210 million face to face and by tele-communications. The talk will be informal with the opportunity to share your own experiences and any of his handout programs and literature you may have. The first crusade, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1947 was attended by 6,000. Later he had up to 5,000 singing in a choir. In 1992, in Moscow, about a quarter of the 155,000 attendees went forward to accept Jesus as Savior. The longest lasted 16 weeks. The largest, in Seoul, South Korea, in 1973 was with 1.1 million. For further information and breakfast reservations contact Howard Leach at hhleach@aol.com or , or Lou VanderSande at louvande@verizon.net or We are once again celebrating Mother s Day with carnations. We invite you to order a flower (white in memory or red in honor) to remember a loved one or special person in your life. They will be part of the flower arrangement on the Lord s Table for Mother s Day, Sunday May 13. Please fill out the dedication requests below and return it to the church office by May 7. Their names will appear in the bulletin on Mother s Day. If you would like to make a donation toward the cost of flowers, you may attach it to this sheet. Optional: I would like to make a donation toward flowers $ (Flowers cost approximately $1.00 per stem) Name hone Envelope No. Name of person(s): (In honor of) (In honor of) (In honor of) (In memory of) (In memory of) (In memory of) 12

13 Sun April 2018 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 7:30am Early Morning Service 10:15am Worship Service 2 3 4: 7:00pm Jubilation Ringers 5 6:30pm Wesleyan Choir Chancel Choir 6 7 8:30am Emmaus Reunion 8 9:00am Breakfast Club Sunday School Bible Studies 10:15am Worship Service 3:30pm Nueva Esperanza 9 A.A. 10 6:15pm Trustees 11 7:00pm Jubilation Ringers 12 6:30pm Wesleyan Choir Chancel Choir :30am Emmaus Reunion 15 9:00am Breakfast Club Sunday School Bible Study 10:15am Worship Service 11:35am Asbury Choir 3:30pm Nueva Esperanza 16 A.A :00pm Jubilation Ringers 19 Chancel Choir :00am Men s Breakfast 8:30am Emmaus Reunion Abendmusik Concert Chancel Choir Messiah 22 9:00am Breakfast Club Sunday School Bible Study 10:15am Worship Service 11:35am Asbury Choir 3:30pm Nueva Esperanza 23 A.A. 24 7:00pm Administrative Board 25 7:00pm Jubilation Ringers 26 6:30pm Wesleyan Choir Chancel Choir :30am Emmaus Reunion 29 9:00am Breakfast Club Sunday School Bible Study 10:15am Worship Service 11:35am Asbury Choir 3:30pm Nueva Esperanza 30 A.A. 13

14 Rev. Dr. Brandon Cho, Senior Pastor Pastor Charles Perez, Associate Pastor Mike Laba, Financial Manager Jack Scharf, Administrative Director Sarah A Michal, Director of Music Ministries Maria & Vince Cattano, Youth Ministry Coordinators Jennifer Yang, Organist Mona Lindemann, Administrative Assistant/Spire Editor Cesar Torres, Property Manager Kevin Vance, Webmaster Morristown United Methodist Church on-the-green 50 South Park Place Morristown, New Jersey Change Service Requested The Spire