Pastor Tweedy Rev. Tweedy Sombrero

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1 T R I N I T Y T R A N S F O R M E R A monthly publication of Trinity United Methodist Church Our Mission: To Be Lovingly Obedient To Christ Vol. 5 No. 02 February 2014 Dear Faithful Ones February will end our focus on the membership vows that we make when we join the church. We have covered witness, gifts, presence, prayers and now we will be focusing on SERVICE. What does service mean to us? How do we see ourselves in service in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus disciples were shocked. None of them expected what happened when they gathered in that upper room to celebrate the Passover. Jesus washed their feet (John 13:1-20)! Foot washing was the common practice of hospitality in the dusty, dry Middle Eastern culture where people generally wore sandals. The host would provide water for a servant to wash the weary, dirty feet of the guests or for the guests to wash their own feet. That s what the disciples expected, but when they arrived in the upper room, there was no servant to wash their feet. They were shocked when Jesus their rabbi, leader, and host of the dinner got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, picked up the towel and basin, knelt in front of them, and began washing their feet. The Son of God was doing the work of a servant, washing his disciples feet. No wonder Peter resisted him. Can you sense just how radical Jesus action was? In that act, the incarnate God showed us the nature of servant-hood. John Ortberg writes, God is the Infinite Servant Jesus did not come as a servant in spite of the fact that he is God; he came precisely because of the fact that he is God. What was even more shocking was hearing Jesus say, You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you (John 13:13-15). This month we will explore servant-hood the practice by which the love of God becomes a tangible reality in our lives and through which we become active participants in God s transformation of the world. Through our baptism, we are commissioned to use our gifts to continue the servant ministry of Jesus. Each disciple has a role in the body of Christ. Every disciple is called, gifted, and needed in the ministry of the church. As we go through this month we hope you will explore how God has gifted you, where your heart has been broken, and where you are called to serve. The intent is that this exploration will assist you in finding your ministry to each other and to the world. I don t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know; the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve. Albert Schweitzer Where is God calling you to servant-hood? Blessings on you as you find your place in God s kingdom. Pastor Tweedy Rev. Tweedy Sombrero

2 Our February Birthdays 1... Penny Harvick 3... Nancy Graf 5... Selden Stone 6... Allen Morlock 7... Aelacia Grimes 8... Barbara Lee Isabella Olin Heather Akins Vern Marshall Kathleen Neeb Ethan Akins Becky Cooper Charlie Harris Jan Bailey Andrew Mosqueda Audrey Young Jean Beisner Helen Schilling Linda Schilke Alan Fuchs Jeannie Morago Frank Gosnell Join us on Sunday, February 23 rd for Birthday Cake following the service! The United Methodist Women will meet Tuesday, February 18 th at 1:00 p.m. in the Freeman Library. There will be a special speaker from the office on elections to speak to us about voter registration and other connected issues. All women are invited. Men, also, are welcome to attend the program part of the meeting. Marion Perry, President Constance Stone Circle The Constance Stone Circle will hold its regular monthly meeting in the Muriel Freeman Library at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, February 12, We will review Chapter #10, "Soar into the Eternal Dimension Through "Nevertheless Faith", the final chapter in our study book. All ladies are invited to join us for devotion, study, and fellowship. Refreshments will be served. Carmen Hawk, Circle Coordinator For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in Matthew 25:35 (NIV) The Trinity United Methodist Men will meet on Saturday, February 1 st at 8 AM in Freeman Library. The Men will be hosting their Annual Valentine Dinner on Saturday, February 8 th beginning at 6:30 PM. Tickets are only $10.00 per person and you may see any UMM member to purchase your ticket for a great evening of food, fellowship and fun!. Dick Lueck Food Bank Sunday is the first Sunday of each month! Please bring nonperishable food to support The Yuma Community Food Bank.

3 2013 was a year of challenges. The year started with the budget set at $249, with a proposed income of $192, This was based on pledges, plate offering, Sunday School offering and facility usage. The expenses in January and February exceeded income and we were operating with a deficit. March thru June income exceeded expenses and the deficit was erased. July thru October expenses exceeded income and, again, we were operating with a deficit. January thru August, 10% of the General Fund Income was paid towards apportionments. Because of income concerns nothing was paid towards apportionments in September, October and November. November income was greater than expenses and again the deficit was erased. Due to a very generous, one time gift, received in December we were able to pay the entire balance of the 2013 apportionments and ended the year with $21, in the General Fund. This balance was transferred to designated account #550, which is the emergency fund. The current balance in this account is $49, If we had not received this gift, 2013 would have ended with a sizable deficit. On January 19 th the All Church Conference approved the 2014 Budget totaling $248, Based on pledges, plate offering, Sunday School offering and facility usage the estimated income, to support this budget, is $179, This leaves a $68, gap between income and expenses. If the entire amount in the Emergency Fund was used to support the General Fund there would still be an $18, short fall, and this would leave nothing for emergencies. The mortgage on the Narthex was paid off in December, We currently have $14, remaining in the Building Fund pledges to the Building Fund totaled $17, If all of the pledges are received the balance will be $32, There are currently no major projects taking place, Money contributed to the Building Fund cannot be used in other areas without the consent of the person who gave the money. If you have made a pledge to the Building Fund, please give prayerful consideration to moving all or part of your gift to the General Fund. If you have questions or concerns about our finances, now or any time during the year, please let me know and I will get you an answer. Finance Chair Ron Caffee ( ) Handbell Notes February will be an interesting month for the Handbells. Karen is having surgery and we will probably miss a couple of practices (I may hobble in). We also have a concert at Gila Mountain United Methodist Church on Sunday, February 23 rd (We Hope!). Everyone is invited to the concert. It will be an eclectic assortment of songs: Patriotic, Sacred, Musicals, and even a Christmas piece. The Handbells don t usually have concerts in February, but since Gila Mountain is where we picked up 3 octaves of bells, we feel that we can share the joy of the bells with them. The bells will be sharing the following music with the church on Feb. 9, Eternal Father, Strong to Save or as some of you may know this piece as The Navy Hymn. It is a beautiful piece using chimes and bells and the choir is very excited about performing it. The concert at Gila Mountain will be on Sunday, February 23 rd at 3:00 PM. Please come join us for this fun concert. For bells are the voice of the church; they have tones that touch and search the hearts of young and old. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Karen Conde, Director Cindy Klein Memorial Handbell Choir Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Psalm 98: 4(NRSV)

4 As the new head of the hymn committee, I feel the need to explain, one more time, about how the hymns are chosen. Trinity follows what is called the Lectionary. The Lectionary runs on a three-year cycle with scripture and follows the liturgical year. Keeping this in mind, that is what we base the hymn choices upon. We meet every two months, and we take the scripture and the synopsis of Reverend Sombrero s sermons and choose hymns. We spend about two hours going through the scripture and the sermons, and match hymns to each Sunday s theme. We sing through the songs, read the words of the hymns, read the scripture, and discuss how it all fits together. We do not do this lightly; we work very hard to bring a cohesive feel to the services. The membership of the committee includes the following folks: Pam Young-Walker, Deltrina Grimes, Allen Morlock, Bill Ellenberger, Rev. Tweedy Sombrero, and Karen Conde. We on the committee have our favorite hymns, but we know we can t sing those hymns every Sunday. We look at the big picture and make our choices according to the themes. We invite you to come to our hymn committee meetings and watch the process. Please feel free to talk to any of us about the hymns and the services. Thank you, Karen bellchoir@trinityyuma.org Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. Psalm 33:3 Cursillo Retreats: February and February 27-March 2 Later this month we will welcome the participants in the Cursillo Spiritual Retreat who are using our facility for two weekends. Some of our regular activities will move to accommodate the retreat participants. Please extend a warm welcome to those you meet. Relay for Life Team Trinity We are getting close to the annual Relay for Life Event. It will be at the Ray Kroc Stadium on Saturday, April 26, 2014 beginning at 5pm. The theme for this year is World of Hope. Each team picks a country to build their campsite around and Team Trinity picked Zimbabwe, as that is the location of United Methodist sponsored Africa University and is one of the countries that Imagine No Malaria is aiding. On Sunday, February 16 th, Team Trinity will have tables set up with crafts and woodworking. But we will also be having a Pizza and Soda Sunday. Come in and get some pizza and soda and donate to our Team. We will also start selling the Luminaries in February. The luminaries are to honor or to give in memory of a friend or loved one. The bags are placed around the track at the Relay Event. At 9pm the luminaries are lit and the stadium lights are turned off and the track where everyone is walking is a beacon of hope. It is an amazing presentation for all. If you have never attended, you should come out and watch. The bags are $5 each, and Marilyn Young will be in charge of this portion of the event. The bags will need to be decorated and names placed on them. So in order for the Team to do this, there will be a deadline of April 6 for purchasing luminaries. We also need to know if you are a cancer survivor. The local committee is honoring survivors at a dinner and if you are a survivor, you will be invited. So please get your name to Karen, as soon as possible. I know there is more than two of us out there, so please let me know. All survivors are automatically members of Team Trinity! We want to know who you are. Thanks, Karen bellchoir@trinityyuma.org Life changes on a dime and cancer will affect your life sometime. In some way. It WILL. Alan Blassberg

5 4 x 4 Fellowship Group We have groups of 6 to 8 members who are formed in to a group and they gather on a monhtly basis for fellowship often around food (after all we are good United Methodists!). If you are interested in joining a group, please call the Church Office at and let us know. We will see about getting you in a group! Director of Music Update Trinity is actively seeking someone to fill the open position of Director of Music for our congregation. We are most grateful to Karen Conde who is filling in during our search. Her talents in the area of music are wonderful, and she is wonderful to step in to lead the choir between now and May or until we find a full-time choir director, whichever comes first. Karen will be recuperating from surgery in February. If an interim director is not found between now and her surgery, we will sing hymns that will be led by the choir during her recuperation. If you know anyone who might be interested in applying for this position, please have them go to our website to get information. The website address is: Nancy Blitz, Chair SPRC Thanks to members of the Administrative Council who hosted our Coffee Hour during January. The Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development will host our Coffee Fellowship time during February. There is a sign-up sheet for providing cookies posted on the white board in Morris Hall near the kitchen window. Please sign-up to provide treats for Sunday morning. To Morgan and Thomas Rugg on the birth of their new baby girl. Camille Ann arrived at 5:35 AM on January 16 th! She weighed 9 lbs 5 oz and measured 21 1/2 inches long. Open Chapel Tuesday and Friday at 6 AM Thursday 4:00 5:30 PM February 6 th April 10 th Facilitated by AnnaMarie Sollars This is a very basic course. If you have little to no knowledge about Judaism and the history of the Jews as a people and how Judaism impacts Christianity, this is a good foundation. More than once as I listened to the CDs I said Hum? I did not know that. We will be listening to a 30 minute Great Courses CD presentation by Dr. Isaiah M. Gafni who is the Sol Rosenbloom Professor of Jewish History at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, taking notes of hum moments and then discussing the information. Please call the Church Office to register. I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.

6 N urture otes News notes from members who have recently moved from Yuma: Madge Jones misses her friends at Trinity! She is having difficulty adjusting to a different church and the COLD weather in Maryland where she is living with her daughter and husband. Her mailing address is 705 Burning Tree Circle, Salisbury Maryland Phone Edna Hartman is now living with her nephew and wife in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. Their home in northern WV was not affected by the chemical contamination in the southern part of the state. She stays indoors to keep warm while reading and working on caps and scarves for homeless like she did in Prescott and Yuma. She attends church with her relatives. She would enjoy cards and notes from Yuma, also. Betty Wallick sends an occasional note to the office from her home in York, Pennsylvania. She enjoys "Trinity Transformer" with news of Yuma. Members who move away are encouraged to find a new church home and friends to pray with while they continue to pray for friends at Trinity. Winter guests may remain on the "Trinity Transformer" bulk mailing list when they return home during the warmer months. Please tell the church office when to swap your address by jotting a note on the Sunday attendance card or sending an to the office TrintyOffice@roadrunner.com. Prayer Chain Note: if you wish to receive Trinity prayer requests from Sunday morning and during the week please jot a note on the attendance card. Names are not put on the mail list without permission. In the past month over 100 individual contacts were made through telephone calls, cards sent, personal visits to homes etc. Thanks to our Nurture committee and UMW and Circle members who pray for and send cards and call members who are ill or are unable to attend church or who have birthdays or special occasions. Please notify the church office of members in the hospital so they can be prayed for and the Pastor can visit. Do you know of family members attending college or who are in the service or working away from home? Please give their names and addresses to the church office so they can be included in our church Card, Care & Concern list. Through your generosity during our Alternative Gift Market, the following special love gifts have been sent: Heifer International - $1, Habitat for Humanity - $1, United Methodist Committee on Relief - $2, In addition to your generosity during the gift market, many members support mission projects throughout the year. In 2013, we forwarded the following gifts: Yuma Community Food Bank - $1, Pennies for Africa - $ Pastor s Discretionary Fund - $3, Amberly s Place - $ Church World Service - $2, (designated for Philippines Relief) Naomi House - $ Crossroads Mission - $85.00 Imagine No Malaria - $5, Yuma Free Clinic - $1, Plans are underway for Trinity to join Bob and Randa Ray in building another Casita de Cristo house in San Luis, Sonora, Mexico. Members of Trinity provided labor and lunch for participants in the Frameathon for Habitat for Humanity Yuma's newest house being built in the Habitat Village. The building will be ongoing on Saturdays until completion. Participating in building the house is exciting and fulfilling as volunteers and receiving families work together to make the house a home. All are welcome to come out (27th St. and 18th Dr.) to build or furnish lunch. Trinity Outreach Team

7 First let me thank Bob for his article last month as he tried to help us, the Trinity family, make some sense of Apportionments. And a thank you to Pastor Tweedy for her month long sermon series on Giving. But the biggest thanks goes to you the Trinity Family for making it possible to once again give 100% of Trinity s assessed apportionments. I have certainly struggled over the last several years to explain why I feel it is important that Trinity pay 100% of our apportionments. I have stumbled, fumbled, and tripped over trying to explain my understanding of apportionments. I, like many others, tried to equate apportionments with tithing 10% - It s all God s anyway and all He asks is for first fruit the first 10%. But the more I researched, the more I tried to talk around it, the more I begin to, in my mind, understand that it is the price we pay to be United Methodists. We CHOOSE to be Methodists no one makes us. And part of being a Methodist is being part of a global church. There is a formula established by the annual conference someone much smarter than me will have to explain but it, as I understand it, is based on our membership and how much we spend on ourselves. In the United States there are over 7 million lay members in the United Methodist Church with over 45,000 clergy members. HOWEVER, we are ONE body!!! We are organized in local churches, districts, annual conferences, etc.; but we are ONE body!!! There are over 3 million lay members worldwide and more than 10,000 clergy; but we are ONE body!!!! This ONE body sends out missionaries as well as ourselves to be servants to others. This ONE body ministers to 109 United Methodists schools, colleges, and universities. This ONE body supports 13 theological schools to educate pastors. By this connectedness as ONE body we do more than any single individual, church, district, or annual conference could ever do by itself. We are ONE body! John Wesley believed we should, as Methodists, earn all we can, save all we can, and give all we can. He encouraged Methodists to work with diligence and discipline, making wise use of the gifts and resources entrusted to us by God. Wesley recognized that classes or groups could do far more than individuals. Connectional giving was understood as a corporate responsibility which allowed EVERY member of whatever level of financial means to participate as part of the collective or class. If you would like more information regarding apportionments Bob has a copy of Why We Apportion he would love to give you. Please stop by the Church Office for your very own copy. Over the next several Newsletters I will try and address each of the seven areas our apportionments are used to fund. Web addresses are included for your further review and usually indicate the material contained is taken directly, most usually verbatim, from that source. Other articles I sign, Your Sister in Christ are usually from my heart and, as in other forums, do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of the administration, editor, or church as a whole. Your Sister in Christ, AnnaMarie The World Service Fund truly demonstrates the Mission of the United Methodist Church by supporting specific local church work with children, youth, and students, persons who are mentally and physically challenged, adults and older persons as well as providing leadership and coordination for denominational ministry with youth. It is the heart of our denominational presence, expressing in the Four Areas of Focus the vision and yearnings of the people of The United Methodist Church. During this quadrennium, the church seeks to focus the work of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world around these areas of ministry: Developing Principled Christian Leaders for the Church and the World Creating New Places for New People and Renewing Existing Congregations Engaging in Ministry with the Poor Stamping out Killer Diseases of Poverty by improving Health Globally

8 The World Service Fund supports evangelistic efforts; stimulate Bible study and spiritual commitment; and support local church efforts with children, youth, singles, students, persons who are disabled and adults of all ages. The World Service Fund provides basic administrative support for most of the general agencies of The United Methodist Church, in addition to ministry. The World Service Fund is about ministry to a global community. That ministry is the heart of our denomination and the drive that keeps us going. Without the World Service Fund, anti-hunger projects, global advocacy for women and children, and so much more could not be possible. In 2012, $71,591,017 was remitted. In 2011, $71,851,659 was remitted and in 2010, $73,508,136 was remitted. Lunch and a Movie Hello Church Family! The Education Committee will be hosting another lunch and movie on Saturday, April 19 th from 11:30 to 2:30ish. For lunch we will be serving hot dogs, chips and dessert. The movie we will be showing is Mr. Magorium s Wonder Emporium. ALL family and friends are invited to join us with the fun. Molly Mahoney is the awkward and insecure manager of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, the strangest, most fantastic, most wonderful toy store in the world. But when Mr. Magorium, the 243 year-old eccentric who owns the store, bequeaths the store to her, a dark and ominous change begins to take over the once remarkable Emporium. Fresh from the Farm Saturday, March 22 nd 1:00 p.m. in Morris Hall. Tickets will be on sale soon. Cost $3.00. Fifth Sunday Special Music We are truly blessed to have members of Legacy Strings provide special music each month there is a fifth Sunday. Here is some brief information about those who share their talent with us: Stephen Ball plays violin or viola, is 18, plays with the Yuma Civic Orchestra, and is an AWC student. Kaitlyn Ball plays violin, is 14, plays with the Yuma Civic Orchestra, and is home schooled. Ashlynn Ball plays violin, is 11, plays with the Young String Ambassadors, and is home schooled. Amy Younker Ball plays the double bass in the Yuma Civic Orchestra. Kathy Younker plays the cello in the Yuma Civic Orchestra, teaches private violin, viola, and cello lessons and is the director of the AWC Orchestra Workshops, Pre-Twinklers, Twinklers, and Young String Ambassadors. If you are interested in providing special music during a Sunday service, please contact the church office and we will get you placed on the schedule. We would love to have others share their musical talents.

9 Prayers ٠ Presence ٠ Gifts ٠ Service ٠ Witness A Five Month Focus On Our Commitment SERVICE It s the promise we make and renew every time someone joins the congregation. It s a vow unique to the United Methodist Church as we stand with those who join with us in our mission and ministry. In that moment we also remember the promise and vow we made when we first joined the church. It s a powerful statement about who we are: our commitment to one another, our dedication to serve others, and our promise to God. The world is held together by the promises we make, the commitments we keep, and the vows we hold sacred. February - Service 217. When persons unite as professing members with a local United Methodist church, they profess To faithfully participate in its ministries by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, THEIR SERVICE, and their witness The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church Service Noun / 1. the action of helping or doing work for someone (synonyms favor, kindness, good turn, helping hand); 2. A system supplying a public need such as transport communications, or utilities (synonyms amenity, facility, resource, utility); verb / 1. perform routine maintenance or repair work (synonyms turn-up, maintenance check, servicing, overhaul). In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. Romans 12:6-7 (NLT) When I took the Spiritual Gifts class last year during our first session I was bemoaning and you know how good I can be at that anyway, I was whining that I had been a Martha (Luke 10:38-42) that Sunday, bustling around opening doors, finding pencils or envelops for folks, locking doors, etc. and thus had missed the message! Now I wrestled with this for the rest of the day and well into the night. The next morning, as is my habit I was sitting in my Daddy s recliner doing my morning devotionals and journals. I opened up my Guidepost for the day and the top Bible reference was if you are called to serve then serve. I stared at it a moment then burst out laughing I laughed so hard that it brought tears to my eyes. I was laughing so hard my son Christian came out and asked if everything was OK. Talk about 2 x 4s! There are hundreds of references in the Bible about serving hundreds. I am sure you can find one that has meaning for you because the message is pretty clear. Christ came, God s Blessed Son, he came and served. He washed feet, healed the sick, communed with sinners. He visited the down and out. He gave hope to the hopeless. Can we really do anything less? Here are just a few more for your reading pleasure - 1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV); Mark 9:35 (ESV); Matthew 25:35-40 (ESV); Matthew 5:16 (ESV) Your Sister in Christ, AnnaMarie Sollars

10 Trinity United Methodist Church 3030 South 8 th Avenue Yuma, Arizona Phone: 928/ Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit #149 Office Hours Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM 12:00 Noon 1:00 PM 5:00 PM Rev. Tweedy Sombrero, Pastor TrinityPastor@roadrunner.com Bob Klein, Church Administrator TrinityOffice@roadrunner.com Return Service Requested Church School for all ages Sunday at 9:00 AM Worship Sunday at 10:00 AM Take Note.... Board of Trustees will meet on Monday, February 3 rd at 6:00 PM. Hymn Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 5 th at 4:00 PM Worship Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 12 th at 4:30 PM. Seder Planning will meet on Friday, February 14 th at 2:00 PM. Nurture Committee will meet on Monday, February 17 th at 1:00 PM. Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 18 th at 4:30 PM. Christian Education Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 19 th at 5:30 PM. Staff Meeting on Monday, February 24 th at 5:00 PM. Administrative Council will meet on Monday, February 24 th at 6:00 PM. Transformation Team will meet on Tuesday, February 25 th at 4:30 PM. Outreach Team will meet on Wednesday, February 26 th at 5:30 PM. Deadline for the March 2014 Trinity Transformer Newsletter is Wednesday, February 19 th! Please your information to TrinityOffice@roadrunner.com. Lincoln and Washington They are remembered on President s Day. Two men in history who gave us liberty. Honor their memories on this great day. The Church Office will be CLOSED on Monday, February 17 th in observance of President s Day.