The Trumpet. Coincidences or Warning Signs?

Transcription

1 The Trumpet Mountainside United Methodist Church Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of our Community and the World. Newsletter Issue No. 136 In the first two months of 2014, I preached a short two-part sermon series called, Just as it was in the days of Noah. My goal was to consider how God might be trying to speak to us today through modern prophets similar to how God spoke through Old Testament prophets preparing people of things to come. I included some significant events related to Israel that are unfolding today. I summarized information from Jonathan Cahn s book, The Harbinger, where he parallels events of ancient Israel to the United States following I also highlighted other prophecies that seemed related to God s promise given in Amos 3:7 saying, Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. What is unique about the time we live in today is that there is an unusual convergence of signs, signals, and prophetic warnings taking place now. Some of these signs and warnings even highlight this coming fall and winter of These occurrences of signs are unlike anything I have ever seen or heard of in over 36 years of following prophecy related material. Of course, some of you might be thinking Are you setting dates? Personally, I am not, but I am wanting to do my part to encourage everyone to be informed about things that have already happened Coincidences or Warning Signs? where God might be speaking and trying to prepare us for potentially difficult times ahead. Some of you know there are warnings about the precarious times we live in not only from various Christian authors, but also politicians, economists, broadcasters, scientists and other sources. We live in days that we may occasionally find discouraging, but as I have said numerous times, We were born for the time and season in which we live. The reason I am mentioning this is because on Sunday August 23 my message Coincidences or Signs will be focused on recalling some of this past information as well as providing updates on new signs from this past year. I obviously encourage everyone to be present every Sunday, but I did want to highlight this particular message as I believe it has some timely information related to our immediate future. If some of this information that I am referring to is unfamiliar, I highly recommend reading at least three books on this matter, The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn and Blood Moons by Mark Biltz. These books, as well as others written by Joel Richardson, provide a good foundation for what I will be focusing on for this particular message. See you in worship! In God s Grace, John Missionaries Coming to Mountainside This Sunday - August 2 Our missionaries to the Czech Republic, are coming to Mountainside UMC this Sunday, August 2. They will be speaking briefly at both services and will be giving a full presentation during the Sunday School session from 10:15 a.m.-11:00 a.m. in Wagner Hall for our entire congregation. We are inviting all Adult older children and youth classes to be present for this event. Finally, we do support the McFrederick s through our church budget but we also take up a special offering for their ministry as well. If you would like to make a special offering to their ministries you can do so by writing a check to the church or Bill Pay with your bank account and earmark it for McFrederick. Cash envelopes will also be available. This will be a special Sunday that you won t want to miss!!

2 Welcome New Member On July 26, we received Jennifer Cashman as a member of Mountainside UMC by profession of faith. We also baptized Cody James Cashman and added him to our preparatory membership. Trevor Cashman(Jennifer s husband and Cody s dad) was unable to be present as he works for the railroad, so Cody was outfitted in railroad engineering coveralls for the special event. Children s Church Teacher Needed! A new teacher is needed for one of our Children Church classes on Sunday! A passion for teaching others about our Lord and a love for children is a must! Commitment isn t necessary right away. You can teach for awhile to see if it s the right fit for you. If you feel the calling for this opportunity please contact Callie at or her at cblack1@mountainsidemethodist.org. Pet Blessing Service The Pet Blessing Service will be held on October 25 this year. If you are interested in helping with this project please contact Connie Patterson at KivaKees@gmail.com We need to update our list of participants and can use help with pre event planning, publicity and music as well as day of event work and preparation of participation certificates afterwards. Join us Sunday morning August 16th for our "THE STORY CELEBRATION" in the Wagner Hall. We will join together for a Burrito Breakfast at 10:15 a.m. and then we'll share some of our favorite stories about our 31- week journey through "THE STORY." This will be a great fellowship gathering that we encourage you to join with us as we reflect on this special event in the life of our church. This event will take place during the Sunday school hour from 10:15-11:00 a.m. If you would like to help, call Callie Black at page 2

3 Dance, Dance, Dance! Our Back to School Dance is making a reappearance at MUMC on Friday, August 28 from 7-9 PM. Ages 10 to 15 are welcome! We will have some awesome music, a fun raffle, and yummy snacks. The cost of the dance is free! However, a food donation to the East Mountain Food Pantry is encouraged! If you would like to help, a sign up list will be posted on the bulletin board in the Narthex. We need chaperones, decoration volunteers, and snacks! Youth Mission On Saturday, August 22nd, our youth will be joining with Route 66 Community Gardens, a nonprofit based out of Tijeras, to serve in a garden at a local elementary school. Learn about gardening, plant life cycles, knowing when to pick, and engage in an activity in preparation for the big Tomato Fiesta. All youth are encouraged to sign up with Tifani now for your chance to serve in the community garden with us. DANCE Back to School Friday, Aug 28th 7-9pm Mountainside United Methodist Church mountainsidemethodist.org Ages only Free Admission! Non-Perishable food item to donate to the East Mountain Food Pantry appreciated. The Youth Room was warmed up with our fellowship as we cametogether over 10 fun games, challenging bible trivia, yummy food, fun prizes, and of course, each other. Six determined youth competed in the Foosball Competition and after a very close final game between Philip Krout Game Day, Saturday, July 18 and our newest youth participant, Nathaniel LeMoine, we cheered Philip on as our winner. Thank you to all the parents that joined us for dinner afterward, and special appreciation goes to Karen Adams and Adan Perez for volunteering to have some fun with us. Ignite Thank you to all the youth that have been attending our youth fellowship night regularly. We have had some great discussions, challenges, and demonstrations about keeping our relationship with God going strong through our busy lives, and all of the distractions that tend to call our attention away. Join us and ignite your passion in Christ. Held every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, from 5pm to7pm, Ignite includes dinner, devotionals, games, and activities that your 6th through 12th graders are sure to enjoy! page 3

4 Mountainside Holy Yoga Expanding Mountainside Holy Yoga expands, so spread the word and plan to join us. Starting Aug. 17, at 6:15 pm we have a new Holy Yoga Class. Our Holy Yoga classes are a free ministry of the Church. Each Monday class will be either gentle, restorative or occasionally slow flow. It is an ongoing class that meets in the church gym/wagner Hall. We recommend that you bring your own mat. Occasionally props will be used, consisting of blocks, straps, blankets and eye pillows. Investing in and bringing your own gear is encouraged. We have a limited number available to people who want to try the class before buying their own props. This class is only open to those 18 years or older, because the instructor is not specialty certified in yoga for kids. The Chair Holy Yoga classes continue on an ongoing basis. They meet on Tuesdays 9:30 am and Wednesdays 5:45 pm. These classes are in the gym/wagner Hall except for the second Tuesday of the month, when we will either be in the sanctuary or the round room. These are also only open to those 18 years or older. Wear comfortable clothing that does not constrict movement. No special gear or equipment is needed. These classes are suitable for those who cannot or do not want to be on the floor, or to bear weight on hands and knees. If you have any questions or would like additional information contact Connie Patterson, certified Holy Yoga instructor with specialty certification in Chair/Senior or KivaKees@gmail.com. You can also visit where you can find information on Holy Yoga, the Mountainside classes and our schedule. Connie Martin Patterson KivaKees Keeshonden Isotopes Game Night with fireworks! MUMC is once again going to an Isotopes Baseball Game, Sunday, August 9th. Game time is 6:05 p.m. with fireworks to follow (weather permitting). Tickets are $9.50 each and there is a signup sheet in the narthex. Please Contact Dave Berst with questions at or , dwberst@ comcast.net TODAY! Church Dialogue on Same-Sex Marriage Pastor John Rech, Adm. Council chair Martha Luhrs and our Lay Leader Bob VanAllen will be hosting a dialogue for church members and regular attendees on the matter of same-sex marriage. This is a pressing issue especially following the U.S. Supreme Court decision on the redefinition of marriage. This meeting will be August 17 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. If you plan on attending please Joyce Furry at office@mountainsidemethodist.org. We will possibly adjust the meeting location based on attendance, so the notice of your attendance can help us in this matter. Calling all Children and Youth!! Please come join us on August 16th at the 9 a.m. or the 11:10 a.m. service. We will be recognizing all those children and youth who started and finished The Story with us. An award of completion and their Sunday School Story Book will be given out. A huge thank you to all our teachers who, without them, we wouldn t be able to provide such wonderful spiritual education to our children. page 4

5 Help MUMC Connect and Grow Our Greeters, Connectors, and Ushers ministry team would like to have you as a part of our team. Please join us Monday August 10 at 6:30 p.m. for our fall team meeting. Please contact Jane Ann Lunn, or Kathy Freas, for details. Budget Report As of 07/26/2015 Budget Needs 07/26/2015 $230,100 Received for General Budget: $257,580 Difference: $ 27,480 Total Budget for 2015: $398,848 Thank you for your faithful support for the ministries of Mountainside UMC. Food Handler Training Bernalillo County Department of Environmental Health, Inspection, and Compliance has offered us a free class for Food Handlers the week of August The class is 2 hours long and will be taught at MUMC. A team of trained Food Handlers, plus several trained and certified Food Managers (several staff will participate in this more extensive training) will help us safely use our commercial kitchen facilities to better implement our MUMC Mission and Vision. Please sign up for training on the sheet in the Narthex or at the Welcome Center and indicate your preferred date and 2 hour window for training. Call Kathy Freas if you have any questions, MUMC Commercial Kitchen Use Update MUMC s well-equipped commercial kitchen provides us many opportunities to support our MUMC Mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of our community and the world. Our certified commercial kitchen is fundamental to some of most important outreach ministries including Upward Sports, Vacation Bible School, Project Share, Asbury Pie Café, and Kairos Prison Ministry and more; as well as a growing number of events that enhance our internal connections; and use by community events that are consistent with our faith. Our wonderful kitchen comes not only with opportunities for service to the congregation and the community, but also with requirements set by Bernalillo County Department of Health, Inspection, and Compliance. For several months, we have been working the County Inspector to fully comply with their training requirements for commercial kitchen use and maintenance so that we can keep our Bernco Commercial Kitchen A-rated Certification. Kitchen certification requires that we have a team of professionally trained and certified Food Managers, as well as Food Handler training for others who can work with the Food Managers to ensure that we pass Bernco kitchen inspections, which can be conducted without notice. In August, Tifani Vincent and Kathy Freas will participate in an 8 hour course and exam offered by the New Mexico Restaurant Association to be certified as Food Managers. Additionally, Bernco is offering MUMC a free, 2 hour (no exam!), Food Manager training program at our Church for others in the congregation who use the kitchen for various events. Currently, we expect this training to be the13th or 14th of August at a time to be determined through information you provide on the signup sheets that have been available in the Narthex and at the Welcome Center, in coordination with the County. (The sheets continue to be available, so please sign up if you would like to participate in this important training.) As we proceed through our training and certification, we will be developing a relationship with our new County Inspector, who will start full-time in September. We will work with her to understand her perspectives and guidance for the use and continued certification of our commercial kitchen. As we develop this relationship and more fully understand the requirements of Bernalillo County for maintaining our certified commercial kitchen, I will offer updates on progress and process in the Trumpet, and occasionally in the Sunday Bulletin. If you have questions or desire clarification, please contact Kathy Freas at , or kfreas@ch2m.com. page 5

6 MUMC Ice Cream Social MUMC s Ice Cream Social was a smashing success! Almost forty adults and practically a neighborhood of children and youth came out to enjoy fabulous ice cream while the adults participated in a game based on scripture and fundamental Bible facts. I was so thrilled to see the great fellowship and all the families participate. Thank you! Project Share The next date to participate in the outreach to the Albuquerque Homeless Community will be Sunday, August 16. A sign-up sheet will be in the Narthex along with the serving containers. Volunteers should meet at the church at 3:15 p.m. and carpool together. Please contact Julia Beach at or jbeach50@comcast.net with questions. Victory Quilt Ministry Dedication Join us Sunday August 9 in either worship service as we dedicate and commission a new set of quilts for ministry East Mountain Food Pantry During June we made up and gave out 181 food boxes for 384 adults and and 171 children. 14 of those families were new. page 6

7 Upwards Sports Basketball Camp Summer 2015 page 7

8 Mountainside United Methodist Church 4 Penny Lane Cedar Crest, NM office@mountainsidemethodist.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED August In this issue: John s Gospel 1 Missionaries Visit 1 Welcome New Member 2 The Story Celebration 2 Youth News 3 Isotopes Night 4 Kitchen Training 5 Project Share 6 Ice Cream Social 6 Summer B-Ball Camp 7 Newsletter Submission Guidelines The submission deadline is the 20th of each month. submission to office@mountainsidemethodist.org or leave detailed information in the office Natalie Arvizu 8-1 Patty Jones 8-4 Dee Short 8-5 Laina Balestri 8-6 Nestor Lugo 8-6 Kathy Freas 8-7 Bryce Bierwirth 8-8 Ruth Luhrs 8-8 Ana Marie Mowrer 8-11 Lindsay Schwebke 8-12 Linda Trepanier 8-13 Trevan Burke 8-14 Lindy Rech 8-14 Fern Morse 8-15 Chuck Burch 8-16 Lacie Burkdoll 8-16 Dana Roberson 8-16 Bill Chambers 8-18 Cheri Lyon 8-18 August Birthdays Tom Moody 8-18 Will Blackmore 8-21 Nikki Pobar 8-22 Jim Turner 8-22 Cynthia Collette 8-23 Daniel Wacker 8-23 Acacia McDonald 8-24 Bob VanAllen 8-25 Leon Wugofski 8-25 Josh Douglas 8-26 Janet Helmick 8-26 Pat Willan 8-27 Sheryl Arpin 8-31 Barbara Manzanares 8-31