Mission Statement To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. THE PASTOR S PAGE

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1 February 2017 First United Methodist Church of Wabash, Indiana F I R S T E D I T I O N Mission Statement To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Our Covenant Together: Love. Lead. Teach. Transform. THE PASTOR S PAGE 110 N. Cass Street, Wabash, IN Every year at Lent I take time to prepare and plan how I am going to best encounter God. Worship is a part of my Lenten discipleship plan. Intentional faith formation is part of my Lenten plan. In 2002, I attended a continuing education event by a pastor from Florida who invited everyone present to do something he called a LIFE Journal. He promised everyone who embraced a path of intentional discipleship would find not just our ministry transformed, we would also find our lives transformed. I have been applying myself to that or another intense discipleship plan every year since 1989 when I first accepted Christ as my Lord. I believe we are called to intentionally deepen our faith as followers of Jesus. We are called to go deep. The beginning of March marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is a season when we meditate on the Passion of Christ--his life and death, mission, message, and ministry. This year I am inviting you to join me studying the book of Matthew. I am going to be using NT (Tom) Wright s book Lent for Everyone: Matthew Year A. Please come with me on this journey. We will absorb and walk the whole story of Immanuel-God with Us. We will go from Jesus birth to his baptism and teaching. We will listen in to Jesus conversations with those closest to him. We will walk the way of conflict that leads to crucifixion. Along the way, I will invite you to relinquish trust in other things. If this last election cycle has taught me anything, it has taught me that we who follow Jesus have a fundamental conflict. At times we seemed to have more trust in Wall Street or Capitol Hill rather than the holy hill of Calvary. I invite you to join me as we lay down everything at the feet of Jesus to see what He holds for us. Shalom, Rev. Kurt Senior Pastor Rev. Kurt Freeman Pastor of Visitation Rev. John Cook office.wabfirstumc@cinergymetro.net Phone: (260) FAX: (260)

2 North Indiana Emmaus - is alive and growing! Upcoming Walks in 2017 at Epworth Forest February 16-19, 2017-Men's Walk #241 And February 23-26, 2017-Women s Walk #242 October 5-8, 2017 Men s Walk #243 And October 12-15, 2017 Women s Walk #244 Sign up Today. See Donna Highley, Gary Devore or Alan Palmer CONFIRMATION NEWS We will meet Sunday, February 9 a.m., and Sunday, March 9 a.m. to wind up our classes. April s schedule will be forthcoming. A MESSAGE FROM THE HONEYWELL FOUNDATION Pastor Kurt We are reaching out to churches close by and are excited to offer discounted show tickets to your congregation or small groups for Ryan Stevenson performing The Honeywell Center in Wabash on Friday, February 7:30 PM. If you are not aware of who he is..his newest release is Eye of the Storm. There would be a $5.00 discount on ticket prices, making show tickets $10.00 each for the main floor and balcony. If you are interested in this offer, use the discount code (RYAN10) for online purchases. Also, the newly released movie The Resurrection of Gavin Stone will be playing at the Eagles Theatre in Wabash, Friday, February 3 7:30 pm, Saturday, February 4 2 pm & 7:30 pm, Sunday, February 5 2 pm & 7:30 pm. Tickets may be purchased in advance, or at the theatre, with matinee and kid prices being $3.00 per ticket and $5.00 for adult tickets.

3 Notes of Appreciation The church has received notes of thanks for the Christmas gift bags from Martha Langstaff, Art & Maxine Haist, Martha Baker as well as Terry & Debbie Cusack. Comments were It s wonderful to be part of such a caring and compassionate church. A Christmas gift bag full of goodies, fun and useful items. The bag full of Christmas goodies was a delight. Thanks to those who shopped, put the bags together and made the deliveries. WESLEY ACADEMY NEWS Wesley Academy is an outreach ministry of FUMC, currently serving 46 families. The program has grown each year since opening in the fall of 2013, and we are preparing to accept applications for next school year. Enrollment for the school year at Wesley Academy will begin in January for our current student families, the Kids First daycare children, and for the children in our church family. We will hold an Open House on February 2 at which time enrollment will be available to the public. Preschool class - Children must be 3 years old by August 1, 2017 PreKindergarten class Children must be 4 years old by August 1, 2017 For more information please contact: Susan Vanlandingham, Wesley Academy Director, ext. 4 wesleyacademy.wabfirstumc@cinergymetro.net RADA CUTLERY FUMC has for several years sold Rada Cutlery with all proceeds used for Mission projects. YOUTH NEWS The Youth Group is celebrating new teens visiting and enjoying their youth group experience. Also, new teens are participating in Sunday school and hearing testimonies of how God has worked in their lives. Youth director: Nick Jacobson (765) kjacobson83@gmail.com Ines Gillespie, through her great efforts, has made this a successful fund raiser for the church. She currently has set up her dining room with items available for immediate sale and she does not plan on ordering in the future. Please reach out to Ines if you would like to see what is left as these products, made in the USA, make wonderful gifts. Ines may be reached at (260)

4 LENTEN STUDY WITH PASTOR KURT A Daily Devotional Lent For Everyone : Matthew, Year A Class Dates: Sunday, March 12 through Sunday, April 9 Time: 9 a.m. Lent for Everyone: Matthew, Year A provides readers w ith an inspirational guide through the Lenten season, from Ash Wednesday through the week after Easter. Popular biblical scholar and author N. T. Wright provides his own Scripture translation, brief reflection and a prayer for each day of the season, helping readers ponder how the text is relevant to their own lives. By the end of the book, readers will have been through the entirety of Matthew, along with Psalm readings for each Sunday. A sign-up sheet is at the Welcome Center and the book cost is $16.00 Nurture leaders: Andrea Schuler & Cathy Cook SUNDAY SCHOOL Following Jesus 101: Basics of Faith BOOK emarks 2017 If you have only meandered after Jesus or if you have followed all your life and need a refresher, this class is an opportunity to learn what it means to follow Jesus. After doing confirmation classes and having mentors say I never knew that, I decided it was time to incorporate some of this teaching into a Sunday school format for adults. If you are interested in becoming a member of Wabash 1st UMC, this is a perfect entry point. We will meet every Sunday at 9 a.m. in the MAC, except on February 5th, when everyone gathers together to do GRU s Crew. The class will continue again on February 12th, 19th and wrapping up on the February 26th. Pastor Kurt Below is the remaining schedule for our Book Club for this year. February 21: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers March 21: Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown April 18: The Shoemaker s Wife by Adriana Trigiani May 16: Mr. Penumbra s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan Sept. 19: Morton Oct. 17: The Secret Keeper by Kate Me Before You by Jojo Moyes Nov. 28: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai & Christiana Lamb Due to closing of The Great Wall restaurant, Sondra Harrell is working on a new location. (260)

5 Did you know that the children collect offering during Sunday School? There are colorful children s offering envelopes available. See me if you would like a box. They are not dated, so you can use them as long as you like! We celebrate the children collected $100 in their Sunday school offering in The money was given equally to Wesley Academy and Kids First Scholarship funds. We also celebrate so many babies in our nursery! We are beginning to see 7 or more in the nursery on Sunday mornings during 10:00 worship. This is so exciting! We would like to add a team of on call team members to our already amazing team of nursery caregivers. This team member would be a second adult who would be ready, just in case we have more than 3 babies. You would be able to enjoy worship, and just be ready to come assist the other caregiver if needed. In addition, this would also allow peace of mind to our moms who are so graciously serving in the nursery, so we wouldn t have to have an empty nursery if they (or their children) are ill at the last minute and cannot serve. We must provide a consistent, caring team of nurturing adults to keep our nursery open to all who choose to worship with us. Please consider being one of our on call nurturing caregivers for our nursery ministry. Call Elizabeth Freeman today if you would be willing to serve and nurture our babies in this way. Elizabeth Freeman, Director Children s Ministry SUNDAY WORSHIP SCHEDULE 8:00 a.m. in the Chapel 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Combined service during the months of April, July, October & December, :00 a.m. in the Sanctuary 9:00 a.m. Adult Classes & Preschool through 12th Grade Communion on the first Sunday of each 8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m.

6 REMEMBER F.I.S.H. THE FIRST SUNDAY of each month is Collection Sunday for F.I.S.H. Please bring dry and/or canned items you would like to contribute to the Friends In Service Here food pantry, to church, on February 1. All contributions w ill be delivered to F.I.S.H. during the week. Suggested Items: Canned fruit & vegetables, cereal, pasta, tuna, canned meat, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce. Your donations are greatly appreciated. SAVE THE DATE! It s time to plant the seed for VBS! Look at your calendar because the dates have been set for June This year s theme is by the Group called Maker Fun Factory, Created by God, and Built for a Purpose. This will be a great adventure for the kids. They will learn some awesome science experiments and learn how God has given us all a purpose! Ann Deardorff and Andrea Bakehorn are also looking for co-directors so we can begin training for VBS 2018 and 2019! There will be more information soon. You may contact Ann Deardorff or Andrea Bakehorn if you have any questions. Blessings, Ann and Andrea KIDS FIRST NEWS CORNER February Donation Requests In lieu of requests for grocery items, for the month of February, Kids First is asking for new or gently-used high chairs. Also, monetary donations for nap cots is also being requested. These cots are $20 each and 24 have been replaced. Thank you. FUND RAISER-FISH FRY Kids First is having a Dan s Fish Fry fundraiser on Friday, March 17, in the MAC. The proceeds will benefit the Children s Outreach Ministries. More details and pre-ticket sales will be available soon. Missie Edwards, Kids First Director NEWSLETTER DEADLINE FOR MARCH NEWS IS FEBRUARY 15

7 UPDATED FRUITFUL CONGREGATION MEETING OUTLINE-2017 The FCJ groups will be continuing to work through the issues of Community Connection and Discipleship Pathway. We deeply need your prayers. We especially need your listening ears and inquisitive minds seeking to understand what we are working through. As the team continues to dig deep, the whole congregation becomes more and more vital a partner with that team. Meeting Topic Lesson 3: Worship Read Chapter 3 Shift: From Preference to Purpose Driven WHOLE GROUP GATHERING SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 11 am In the Chapel Lesson 4: Community Connection Read Chapter 4 Shift: Attractional to Invitational Lesson 5: Intentional Faith Development Read Chapter 5 Shift: From Consumer to Servant Lesson 6: Leadership Development, Simplified Read Chapter 7 & 9 Correction Shift: From Tradition to Transformative WHOLE GROUP GATHERING SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 11 am In the Chapel Lesson 7: Strategic Ministry Planning Read Chapter 8 Shift: From Preference to Strategic Lesson 8: Staff Evaluation and Alignment Read: Chapter 10 Shift: From Volunteer to Staff Highleys-Once A Month Group Dates Sunday, January 8, 11:30 am Sunday, January 29, 11:30 am Sunday, February 19, 11:30 am Sunday, March 5, 11:30 am Joint Mtg: Sunday, March 19, 11 church chapel Sunday, March 26,11:30 am Sunday, April 23, 11:30 am Pastor Cook- Bi-monthly Group Dates Sunday, January 8, 5:30 pm & Sunday, January 15, 5:30 pm January 22, 11 church chapel & January 29, 5pm- 7:30pm February 12, 5pm- 7:30pm February 26, 5pm- 7:30pm Joint Mtg: Sunday, March 19, 11 church chapel March 12, 5pm- 7:30pm & March 26, 5pm- 7:30pm Stauffer & Palmer- Weekly Group Dates Wednesday, January 4, 6 pm Wednesday, January 11, 6 pm Wednesday, January 18, 6 pm Wednesday, January 25, 6 pm Wednesday, February 1, 6 pm Wednesday, February 8, 6 pm Wednesday, February 15, 6 pm Wednesday, February 22, 6 pm Wednesday, March 1, 6 pm Wednesday, March 8, 6 pm Wednesday, March 15, 6 pm Wednesday, March 22, 6 pm Joint Mtg: Sunday, March 19, 11 church chapel Wednesday, March 29, 6 pm Wednesday, April 12, 6 pm Wednesday, April 19, 6 pm Wednesday, April 26, 6 pm

8 Approved Budget 2016 FINANCIAL REPORT December Monthly Amount Year-to-Date Percentage $424, $35, $424, % December Year-to-Date Income $29, % $423, % Expenses $39, % $420, % Difference ($10,232.35) $3, GENERAL BUDGET OVERVIEW Beg Balance Income Expense Ending Balance $40, $423, $420, $43, EXPENSES Actual YTD Actual YTD Percentage Anticipated YTD Annual Budget Percentage of Budget Missions & Tithe $ 67, % $ 66, $ 66, % Staff Parish $192, % $189, $ 189, % Ministries $ 24, % $ 31, $ 31, % Trustees $137, % $136, $ 136, % TOTAL $420, % $424, $ 424, % NON-BUDGET MISSIONS INCOME December Year-to-Date UMCOR - US Disaster Relief $ $ 2, Kids First Day Care $ $ 1, Bishop's Christmas Offering $ $ Bishop's Christmas - Kids First $ $ Bishop's Christmas - Wesley $ $ Children's Sunday School Offering $ $ Christmas Gifts to Families $ 1, $ 1, Other Missions This Year Access $ One Great Hour $ INUMC - Mission Kits $ New Beginnings $ Nomands $ UMCOR - Mathew $ UMCOR - Louisiana $ Mel Rennaker, Treasurer

9 FEBRUARY 2017 BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 B-Brenda Coble B-Pastor John 3 B-Liam Atwood B-Ines Gillespie 4 5 B-Andrea Bakehorn 6 B-Terry Stewart 7 B-Carrie Leach 8 9 B-Grant Abell B-Taylor Vanlandingham B-Alex Hentgen 16 B-Pastor Kurt B-Mary Jane Toepfer 17 A-Jeff & Whitney Myers 18 B-Kari Halderman B-Daniel Martin B-Sierra Monroe 19 B-Joel Leach B-Maxine Haist B-Tina Palmer A-Dave & Andrea VanCamp B-John Bower B-Steve Downs 28 B-Tobias Flack

10 FEBRUARY 2017 EVENTS & MEETING SCHEDULE Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 FUMC 7:15pm-Choir practice 2 4:30pm-6:30pm- Wesley Academy Open House 5:30pm-Trustees am & 10am- Communion Sunday 9am-Gru s Crew mtg No bible study 9am-Confirmation Remember FISH & Kids First 5:30pm-7:30pm- LaFontaine 6 Wesley Academy Closed 12 noon-prayer time (prayer room) 6pm-Cub Scouts Pack mtg 7pm-Boy Scouts 7 6pm-Ad Council Board 6:30pm-Wesley Academy Board 8 FUMC 7:15pm-Choir practice am-10:30am-Free Will Donation breakfast-boy Scouts Troop #429 2pm-MAC in use for a birthday party 12 9am-Bible study w/pastor Kurt 11:30am-1pm-Club 345 Community service project 4pm-Stauffer small lanes 5pm-7:30pm-FCJ group (Cook) 5:30pm-7:30pm- FUMC noon-prayer time (prayer room) 4pm Memorial fund FUMC 6pm-Finance Board 7pm-Boy Scouts 7pm-9pm-Emmaus Board 14 6pm-Cub Scouts Den mtg 15 FUMC 6:15pm-Kids First Board 7:15pm-Choir practice pm-7pm-Cub Scouts #3430 banquet set-up (MAC) 18 5pm-8pm-Cub Scouts #3430 Blue & Gold banquet (MAC) 19 9am-Bible study w/ Pastor Kurt 11:30am-FCJ group FUMC 5:30pm-7:30pm- LaFontaine 20 Wesley Academy closed 9am-Worship team 12 noon-prayer time (prayer room) 7pm-Boy Scouts 7:30pm-Outreach Board 21 11am-5pm-Red Cross Blood drive (MAC) 12:30pm-Christian Book Club-Place to be announced 21 FUMC 7:15pm-Choir practice am-Final Bible study w/pastor Kurt 4pm-Stauffer small FUMC 5pm-7:30pm-FCJ group (Cook) 5:30pm-7:30pm- Youth Community mission noon-prayer time (prayer room) 7pm-Boy Scouts 7:30pm-Staff Parish Board 28 6pm-Cub Scouts Den mtg