The Poster is. to assist all youth with their registration fees. So get signed up for the adventure of your choice now!

Transcription

1 FT. DES MOINES UNITED METHODIST CHURCH The Poster J UNE 2014 Vacation Bible School/Day Camp Registration forms for Vacation Bible School (VBS)/Day Camp are available at church or online ( VBS/Day Camp will be held in collaboration with Christ Lutheran Church, 6411 SE 5th St, on June Students entering 1st 6th grades in the fall will meet 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each day. They are to bring a sack lunch. Cost is $20/student with a $40 family limit. (Camperships are available.) Students age 3 years through those in kindergarten in the fall will meet from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. each day. Cost is $10/student with a $20 family limit. (Camperships available.) Students must be picked up at 11:30. Students entering 7th grade in the fall and older (this means adults, too!) are encouraged to sign up to be a helper. Bring your own lunch. No cost involved. Registration forms are due by June 15. They can be mailed to Christ Lutheran Church, P O Box 35756, Des Moines IA You can also register online at clcdesmoinesvbs.weebly.com/ register.html. Questions? Contact Rachael Hanna at clcdes- Moines@gmail.com or It s Time to Think Camp! Early registrations have been good, but you can register all summer long. It takes no time at all to register via phone and you can even do it on-line or through the mail. Wesley Woods Camp and Retreat Center contact is Deke Rider, Wesley Woods.Camp@iaumc.org or Iowa UMC Conference Office contacts are David Hobbs ( ) or Kathy Potter ( ) or use the website: camps. Camperships are available for all youth attending a United Methodist camp this summer thanks to Coralie Cherry. She (and her family) have designated a portion of her memorial donations to assist all youth with their registration fees. So get signed up for the adventure of your choice now! The Word From Wesley Woods 6th Annual Men at the Woods June 14, check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. A Free Day for boys and men of all ages to come together at camp for fellowship. Activity choices will include fishing, wagon rides, archery, swimming, the blob, the ice berg, horse rides, pontoon excursions and more. We finish the day with worship and a hog roasted in the ground! The Poster is published monthly by Fort Des Moines United Methodist Church, 6205 SW 9th St, Des Moines Iowa To contact us, phone , fax , or to ftdsmumc@ qwestoffice.net Check us out on the web: Pastor Kathy s phone is INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Pastor s Ponderings 2 Bustling Bidwell 3 Food Pantry Tidbits 3 Ingathering 3 Christmas in July 4 Calendar pages are inserted Information for The Poster should be in the Church office by the 29th of the month prior to being published. Office Hours 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Monday to Friday Sunday 9:45 a.m. Holy Communion is the first Sunday of the month

2 P AGE 2 About 10 years ago Disney created an online game called Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK), and Ben and Sam started playing it. They created little virtual characters and played games to earn credits so they could buy virtual clothes for them; created rooms and furnished them; visited places in a virtual Disneyland setting; and talked with the other people playing. The boys talked me into playing, too. So I created my little character, named her Kathymouse, and started in. After all, I don t really watch TV much, so I thought it might be a nice diversion. To my surprise, I was soon hooked. Playing the games and building rooms was fun, but what surprised me is how quickly the people playing on the site became people I considered my friends. When the boys had talked about so-and-so being their friend on the game I had kind of dismissed it, saying something like, that s just silly, you can t be friends with someone you don t really know; who s represented by a tiny little virtual person wearing mouse ears. But I soon discovered other moms who were playing and we started talking, and lo and behold, I began to think of them as my friends. They rejoiced with me when Maggie was born, dubbing her Mini Mouse, and sympathized with me with when I was diagnosed with cancer. And then about 6 years ago, Disney announced that they were ending the game. It was interesting to see the reaction. People were truly grieving over it. That might sound silly, after all, it was just a game but what the Disney folks and others who had never played the game didn t realize, is that in the few years it had existed, it had become much more than a game. It had become a community. We were more than just a bunch of little characters in pirate hats or mouse ears, we were friends who were interested in each other s lives, and all of a sudden we were losing our home of sorts; the place where we met and played and laughed together. All of a sudden our VMK family had no place to gather; we would lose track of each other forever. Despite some rather heroic efforts to save it, the game ended, and we grieved. Then, after five years, last fall VMK was revived, recreated. I m not a technologically savvy person, so I do not know how they managed it, but somehow people were able to re-create the game, get it up and running again. It wasn t Disney staff, it was private folks who had loved the game and never let go of the idea of getting it back. They had to have spent countless hours on the project, all without compensation, to bring it. Pastor s Ponderings back. And once the word was out that it was back, people came pouring in again. We signed up, created our little virtual characters again, (usually with the same name and same looks as before so people would be sure and recognize us) and began walking the streets of the Virtual Magic Kingdom once more, looking for old friends, reconnecting, catching up on what had happened in the last five years. What a homecoming! I know it sounds silly, after five years without VMK we should have lost interest, but many of us were drawn right back, not drawn by the credits we could earn or the games we could play, but by the memories of the laughter and feeling of community we had experienced. May has been Dream Month on VMK. The hosts have set specific hours when they would be going about the kingdom, randomly awarding prizes. Of course, they are all virtual prizes, just little pictures, really, but people gather to see if they might be chosen to receive a prize: maybe a room, or a pin, or the much-in-demand blue Mickey Mouse dream ears. On one level, it is just plain ridiculous how some of the players become obsessed with the idea of winning a virtual prize. I NEED ears! people will say. And I stop and remind myself (and sometimes others) that none of us need any of it. We might want it, our little character might look cute wearing the little blue mouse ears but we don t really need it. So much like life; people questing after something they think they need. And then the next thing and the next thing till we have all accumulated much more than anyone could ever need. But still, if I have time, I join the others, waiting to see what I might win. And I have to admit to being a little too excited when I finally won my dream ears and put them on my character s little head. But dream month has done more than allow us to win some prizes, it has allowed us to meet new people, as we have sat together waiting to see if we would be one of the lucky groups to get a visit from a host. We talk while we wait, and pretty soon we are getting to know someone new. So often I am struck by how much alike we are, how we seem to share the same joys and concerns, whether we live in Iowa or New Jersey or Canada or England. The other night I met a woman from Minnesota who, like me, is the mother of an adopted child with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. It is indeed a small world. (continued on page 4)

3 P AGE 3 Bustling Bidwell Bidwell Riverside has undergone some exciting changes in the past month. The distribution center which houses the clothing closet and food pantry was completely emptied, cleaned and reconfigured. The switch to a choice pantry was made. This allows clients to select the foods that they would most like and use. DMARC guidelines for numbers are still followed, but this allows clients to do some meal planning as they shop. Because of these changes there are new volunteer opportunities (and a few old ones too). Grocery Guides: This position educates the families on what foods they may select and walk them through the process. Direct interaction with the clients can be extremely rewarding. The busiest time and highest need for volunteers is 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday or 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday. Grocery Stocking: Grocery shelves are stocked every Wednesday afternoon and/or evening. This requires some physical labor. Volunteers unload the straight truck, sort the food and place it on shelves. This is a great opportunity for small groups. The shift is generally from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Bread Pickup: Volunteers pick up bread at two Hy-Vee locations and transport it to Bidwell on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Child Development Helper: Volunteers would come on a consistent basis (either weekly or every other week) to be in the classroom for a couple hours to provide an extra set of hands. Contact Kate Pauly (kpauly@bidwellriverside.org or ) if you are interested in any of these opportunities. How Does Church Growth Occur? 6% just walk in and join on their own 10% join because the church has a good program for children, youth and adults. 6% join because the church has a good pastor 3% join because of some special and unique need 2% join because of the general visitation by the pastor 7% join because of a good church school 1% join because of a special crusade, such as a revival 65% join because they are invited by friends, relatives or other church members! (Newsletter Newsletter) Food Pantry Tidbits **Since January 2014, the number of families using the DMARC Food Pantry Network has grown by 15%. Currently, emergency food assistance is provided for 4300 families each month! **DMARC s Capital Campaign has collected $830,000 toward it s goal of $1.3 million. These funds will help to provide more meals, assist more people, and serve in more places (plans call for 3 new sites to be added). **During every Iowa Cubs Sunday home game this summer, DMARC/Move the Food will be accepting three food items as a donation in exchange for one general admission ticket. Games dates include: June 8 & 22; July 13 & 27; August 17 & 31. If you would like to volunteer to help collect food items during Iowa Cubs games, contact Daniel Beck at dbeck@dmreligious.org. or **Volunteer opportunities are also available this summer with DMARC s stand at the Des Moines Art Festival. The annual festival of arts and culture will be held June To volunteer, contact John Robinson at or jrobinson@dmreligious.org. **DMARC will be hosting special events at the Des Moines Downtown Farmer s Market this summer on the 3rd Saturday of each month at the Meals from the Market stand at 2nd and Court Ave. The Meaning of Pentecost The winner is Pentecost and by a landslide at that. The early church picked it as one of the big three celebrations of the year, alongside Christmas and Easter. A major reason is its special importance. There was, of course, no shortage of events the early church could have chosen to single out as very special occasions. Consider, for example, Jesus ascending to God (Ascension Sunday), or the calling of the disciples (Disciples Sunday), or Jesus curing people s infirmities (Healing Sunday). Pentecost won out, I think because it celebrates the outcome of Christmas and Easter. Jesus came to suffer, die and rise from the dead so that we might have life through him. The gift of God s presence with us, the gift of the Holy Spirit, is the beginning of that life. It means being included and accepted into God s family and is the foretaste of all things wonderful from the God who loves us deeply. No wonder Pentecost is one of the big three events the early church chose to celebrate with special joy and recognition. ( Newsletter Newsletter)

4 P AGE 4 So what does my virtual experience have to do with anything? Well, on the surface, not that much, but I do see a connection to the Church, or at least a need the Church ought to be meeting. There are a lot of people out there looking for a place to belong; a place to find a sense of community. Yes, the online game I play is a fun diversion, but I suspect that most of those that play the game are looking for a friend or a place to belong more than they are looking for recreation. Our world has changed so much that there are many people who feel isolated and are looking for people to be with. Pastor s Ponderings Continued someone to welcome and care for them. But, we need to find more ways of reaching out to those who are seeking. There are probably a lot of folks who want what we have, but need some help getting through the door. The world has changed, and the time when churches could just wait for people to come to them is probably in the past. We need to find new ways of connecting with people; of letting them know that we have a place where they could find that community, that place to belong, that they are seeking. Online games and social media like Facebook or Twitter help people connect or stay connected, and I think that is great, but it is not a substitute for face-to-face relationships and being a part of a real, live community. As the Church we need to find a way to reach out and offer the kind of community and place of belonging that people are longing for. I think Fort Des Moines UMC does a great job of being a community; of caring for one another. We have a lot to offer those people that desperately long for That is what Jesus did. He met people where they were, loved them as they were, and invited them to see themselves as persons of value, beloved of God. I don t have all the answers as to how we do that, but I m convinced that we need to try. (I would welcome any suggestions or ideas.) We need to try, not just for the sake of the future of our church, but far more importantly, for the sake of all those who long to be loved with the love of Christ, and be a part of a community that cares. Pastor Kathy Christmas in July After our cold and dreary winter we are all so ready for sunshine, warmth and fun! With this in mind, Wyline Gardner approached me with a suggestion over the winter to try something new and different and a great way to help the church with Christmas in July!!! Not all of the details have been worked out yet but want to give everyone a chance to start thinking and planning. As you all know at Christmastime we love to help our neighbors and friends at Bidwell with our money tree, hats, mittens and supporting a family. We thought it would be fun to support Ft. Des Moines United Methodist Church with cleaning and office supplies and paper products that we use on a regular basis. We will be collecting items from July The following is a partial list of things we know are used regularly so thought you might like to start shopping! As you all know our church budget is very limited so anything we can do to help stretch our funds is appreciated. We are asking you to give to Christmas in July in addition to your normal giving. If you have questions, please see Debbie McCloney. Bathroom Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Bowl Cleaner Napkins Facial Tissues Air Fresheners (for the restroom, self-contained; no plug-ins, mild fragrance) Sponges Wastebasket size liners Office paper (20#, white, 90+ brightness) Printer Cartridges (#932 & #933) Liquid hand soap for the restrooms Toilet Paper Paper Towels (rolls)

5 June 2014 Monthly Planner Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :30 PM 4-H Food Pantry :30 PM Finance Comm. Trustees Primary Elections 7:30 PM NA 7:00 AM BDADD Yard Sale 10:00 AM Girl NA 10:00 AM 7:30 PM NA 10:00 AM Girl Women's Fellowship meets NA SPPRC 7:30 PM NA 10:00 AM Girl 4:00 PM Game Night NA Jane on vacation Council 7:30 PM NA 10:00 AM Girl 10:00 AM SHARE Iowa NA 9:00 AM VBS/Day Camp at Christ Lutheran Church Printed by Instant Calendar on 5/27/2014

6 July 2014 Monthly Planner Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :30 PM NA Office Closed 10:00 AM Girl NA :30 PM NA 10:00 AM Girl NA :30 PM 4-H Food Pantry SPPRC 7:30 PM NA 10:00 AM Girl 4:00 PM Game Night NA :30 PM Finance Comm. Trustees Jane on vacation Council 7:30 PM NA 7:30 PM NA 10:00 AM Girl 10:00 AM SHARE Iowa NA Printed by Instant Calendar on 5/27/2014

7 Address Service Requested Ft. Des Moines United Methodist Church 6205 SW 9th St Des Moines IA Phone: Fax: We give thanks for: YOU! The Fort Des Moines United Methodist Church: a community of faith in worship and action, open to all in the Spirit and Love of God. Christian Education Classes will be held thru May 18, :00-11:45 a.m. Staff Rev. Kathy Sides Pastor Laurie Jenkins, Church Musician Pamela Schisel Choir Director Jane White, Administrative Assistant Earl Sides Custodian Lesson Texts These are the lesson texts for the coming weeks, should you want to read ahead: 8th Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104: Corinthians 12:3b-13 John 7: th Genesis 1:1-2:4a Psalm 8 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Matthew 28: nd Genesis 21:8-21 Psalm 86:1-10, Romans 6:1b-11 Matthew 10: th Genesis 22:1-14 Psalm 13 Romans 6:12-23 Matthew th Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, Psalm 45:10-17 Romans 7:15-25a Matthew 11:1619, June/July 2014 Events: June 6-9 Annual Conference Special Offerings: Peace With Justice Sunday will be June 15. This offering is used to help people learn of alternatives to violence, foster global justice and help restore peace. Fifty percent is retained in Iowa for conference programs. Food Pantry Sunday will be June 15. Items that are kid-friendly are welcomed during the summer months because many children have to prepare their own lunches.