Sunbeam. Please join us for Sunday worship at 8:30 and and 11:00, Sunday school at 9:45. the LUMC. lansingunited.org. See pages 2, 3, and 4

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1 Please join us for Sunday worship at 8:30 and and 11:00, Sunday school at 9:45 the LUMC January 2007 Sunbeam lansingunited.org Don Queen Lansing United Methodist Church Route 34B and Brickyard Road, South Lansing Pastor: Bill Gottschalk-Fielding Program Associate: Marilyn Paradise Youth Coordinator: Kevin Dunn The Road Ahead See pages 2, 3, and 4

2 Crunching the Numbers Last fall I had the pleasure (along with friends Leopold the Camel, Donnelly the Donkey, and She-bah the Sheep) of visiting Peg Stoyell s Pre-K and Kindergarten Sunday School Class. Puppets and pastor sat on the floor with 14 kids to discuss the story of Noah s Ark. Those kids knew the story (much better than Leopold, I might add)! I commend Peg and the other adults who work with her on the learning going on in her room. The room itself, though, left much to be desired. Just crunch the numbers: 14 kids, 5 adults, and 3 puppets sharing about 200 square feet! Talk about crunched! According to some materials provided by our Conference office, we should have at least 25 square feet per child. That would mean a room providing 350 square feet or about 75- percent more space than currently available. It felt cramped at least as cramped as Noah and the animals must ve felt! I guess I shouldn t have been surprised by this experience. We ve known for some time we ve outgrown our facilities. That s one reason why we expanded from one to two Sunday morning worship services. Since doing that last April, our overall worship attendance has grown even more. Our average worship attendance September through the third week of December was 245 per Sunday with only 3 out of 16 Sundays with less than 200 people in worship. I occasionally hear someone wonder if we re not double counting choir members who attend both services. (Usually six or seven choir members sing at both services, including Diane and Sharon). Looking over the numbers I don t see much cause to worry about that, but even if we didn t count the choir in our numbers, we d still be way over 200 in worship most Sundays. Since our sanctuary comfortably seats about 185, its clear to me we did the right thing by expanding to two services. By doing this we re making room for new people to share the blessings God gives us through worship at LUMC. That s the bottom line for me. A church is not like a restaurant with limited seating, because God s guest list is more inclusive than the phone book. Our mission is to make room for all the people God seeks to include and embrace. I read the cramped class rooms and the multiple services as signs of how God is seeking to fulfill that mission through our congregation. No doubt God has even bigger challenges in store for us in It s an exciting time to be a part of this congregation. I look forward to all we ll do for God, each other and the community in this New Year! P.S. Thanks for all the kind words of congratulations on receving the sabbatical grant. Some of you have asked to know more about what I ll be doing with my eight-week leave (June 4 July 29, 2007). I ve put my project proposal on our webpage for you to check out (www. lansingunited.org, click on resources) and also left a few hard copies on the table outside the sanctuary. Look in these pages in the months ahead for more details. Church Council Begins Plans for Expansion In December the church council members discussed the areas where our church most needs to expand our facilities. This discussion covers both areas where we need space immediately and areas where we expect that we will need space in the near future. At the top of the list is meeting room space, particularly for Sunday school. Close behind is adequate storage space, so that we don t have to store things in space that would otherwise be usable. Looking ahead, we will need more worship space and more flexibility in that space. The plan is to begin to meet with architects who will be able to supply us with solutions to our space challenges. Other areas of concern include the kitchen, parking lot, fellowship hall, and food pantry. If we want to serve more people, we will need more facilities. The entire congregation will become involved in this discussion during Glenn Withiam Gift of the Heart Kits for Church World Service When you are out shopping in the next few weeks, remember to pick up an item or two for the Church World Service Baby Kits. Call Peggy MacKenzie with any questions, Four cloth diapers Two shirts Two washcloths (adult size) Two gowns or sleepers (onesies) Two diaper pins One sweater or sweatshirt Two receiving blankets (one may be knitted) Prayer Chain Bishop Violet L. Fisher, 1010 East Ave., Rochester Lisa Mix (Charlotte Wilson s niece) Keith and Kristen Hansen (family of Rich and Kay Moore) Denise Wyszkowski Hilda Wilson (Barb White s mother) Frannie Sampson, Upstate Medical Center Barbara White, Cayuga Medical Center Deforest Heffron, Elcor Health Center, Horseheads Hazel Avery Bill Bishop, 715 Lansing Station Road Robert Denhoff, Waterloo Katrena Hopkins 5074 Erron Hill Rd., Locke, Marian Ostrander, 36 Locke Rd., Locke Tom Payne, 30 East Meadow Dr., Ithaca, Lorraine Reardon, 109 South St., Groton, Helen Stoll Please pray for those serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Sean Banks Matthew Cornell David Ferris Robert Gudbranson Trevor Judd Daniel LaBar Shaun McCray Travis Potter Nick Prabhavat Josh Randles Matthew Ravas Eric Tee Michael Wolfe LUMC Sunbeam LUMC Sunbeam

3 Covenant: Worship Theme for January 2007 Back in September we began a journey in worship called Journeying with God Across the Seven Cs. These seven Cs refer to seven episodes in the story told by the Bible: Creation, Crisis, Covenant, Community, Christ, Church, and Consummation. Last fall we looked at Creation and Crisis; in January we ll look at Covenant. Covenant is the biblical word for the particular kind of relationship God has fashion with us, a relationship built on promises, expectations and forgiveness. January 7 Baptism of the Lord. God made a covenant with Abraham to bless him and make of him a great nation. But the blessing came with heavy expectations: God told Abraham he d have to leave the comfortable and familiar and journey into the unknown in order to become a blessing to others. Our congregation certainly has been blessed, but what risks and possibilities are we being called to embrace? Come this morning and hear Pastor Bill s state of the church sermon and take a bold look forward with him. Note: Holy Communion will be celebrated next Sunday in order to for us to participate in a reaffirmation of baptism this Sunday. Read: Genesis 12: 1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; and Luke 3:15-17, January 14 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany. Last week we looked at God s covenant with Abraham and Sarah; this Sunday we ll look at God s covenant with Moses and the Hebrew people. The Ten Commandments are the baseline commitments we must make to God and each other in order to live in peace. How do we live them out today? We celebrate Holy Communion together this morning. Read: Exodus 20: 1-17; Psalm 36:5-10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; and John 2:1-11. January 21 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany. After listening to Pastor Bill preach last fall on the Cain and Abel story in Genesis, Jim Evans began putting together a sermon on the subject which hears a different message in this story. Come hear the word Jim s been hearing. Read: Genesis 4:1-16. January 28 4th Sunday after the Epiphany. God takes his covenants seriously and expects his covenant partners (that means us) to fulfill our part. This morning we ll look at the story of Jeremiah, an Old Testament prophet sent by God to demand his people return to covenant faithfulness. Read: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and Luke 4: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity January 18 25, 2006 The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was initiated in It has evolved through the years into an ecumenical observance. The theme for 2006 comes from Matthew 18:15-22: Where two or three are gathered in my name... As John 17:20-24 reminds us, we seek Christian unity so that all may be all one as Christ and God are one. Remember: We re all on the same team! One of the joys that comes from being here at church is the added blessing of working with a faith community that is growing spiritually and moving in new directions. At the beginning of a new year I look forward to the studies, gatherings and retreats that bring us together. I look forward to all the new things that God has in store for us. The Sunday School classes for the children and adults begin the new year with a study of the Book of Exodus. The children begin a unit entitled Into The Promised Land. They will hear the story of Moses and how God worked through Moses to guide the people of Israel. They will learn about Moses challenges along the way and how the people of Israel, just as we are today, were called to listen to God. God gave Moses a set of rules called The Ten Commandments. Even as Pastor Bill is exploring the Ten Commandments in worship, the children will hear how this lesson applies to their own lives by understanding that they need to trust God s guidance and obey His command. Students in the adult Sunday School class have expressed an interest in including a bible study during our time together. The class begins its study on January 7, with Bob Cockram and Ed LaVigne alternating weeks. Looking at his plans, Bob writes: Exodus the second book of the Jewish Bible was a part of the five book Pentateuch. For early Christians, Exodus was seen as an early freedom symbol to break away from the bondage of the cultic Judaism of the time. Exodus lays down a theology of salvation. Redemption is seen in the Passover narrative and in the sealing of the Covenant. The foundation of Biblical Ethics and Morality is laid out first in the gracious character of God The Road Ahead revealed in the Exodus itself. God is also revealed in the Ten Commandments and the ordinances of the Book of the Covenant, which taught Israel how to apply in a practical way the principles of the commandments. Please join us. The Women s Bible Study Group resumes the study of the Book of Proverbs on Wednesday, January 17, at 9:30 am with Dianne Southard as one of the leaders. I especially look forward to the gatherings of Lansing Christian Women. For those of you who are not familiar with this group, it is a group of ecumenical women in the community who come together to study and share time in fellowship. There are no set times or rules and you don t have to join anything. Just come when we offer something that interests you. If you would like to lead a discussion, let us know that, too. Lansing Christian Women will attend the Women of Faith Conference on June 1, 2007, in Rochester. Please begin considering whether you would like to attend this event. The theme this year is Amazing Freedom, based on John 8:36: So if the son makes you free, you will be truly free. We will take 26 women. A deposit of $50 to reserve your seat is due on March 1, We will leave from LUMC on Friday, June 1, at 2:00 pm and return Saturday, June 2, at 8:00 pm. More details to follow. Let me know if you are interested in attending. We have limited scholarships available. The Children s Ministry Committee will host the Annual Family Winter Game Night. This is an event for the entire family. We come together in the Fellowship Hall on a cold winter night, play games, eat pizza and enjoy fellowship. The date will be announced. continued on the next page LUMC Sunbeam LUMC Sunbeam

4 Choir FAQs (frequently asked questions about choir) Who can join? Any singer, from high school age onward, is welcome. Do I have to read music? No, we have members at all ability levels. Some don t read music, some compose and arrange music, few are formally trained in music, but we all love music. How do I start? Come to a choir rehearsal, held most Wednesdays from pm to 8:30 pm in the sanctuary. The first choir rehearsal after the new year is Wednesday, January 3. When is a good time to begin? You can begin any time, but it s particularly good to step in at those times when we are at the beginning of a new season, such as September, January, and after Easter. Must I sing at both services? Choir members choose the service they prefer to sing at. Some members choose to sing at both. There are special occasions when all members who are able are encouraged to sing at both services. Are any voice parts particularly needed? We always need altos, but sopranos, tenors, and basses are welcome. What commitment must I make? You may sing for as short a time as one season (e.g., fall through Christmas or January through Easter or after Easter through June), or you may sign on for the duration. Choir members need to commit to attending regular Wednesday night rehearsals and regular Sunday morning participation. Why would I sing in the choir? Because you love to join other singers in creating music? Because you love to sing? Because you love the fellowship? Because you can make a contribution in providing leadership in the worship service? What other opportunities exist to participate in music-making at church? If you want to provide music for worship but choir isn t the thing for you, talk to Diane Withiam about singing or playing your instrument either solo or with others. How do I get more information? Talk to any choir member or Diane Withiam or Sharon Powell. Children s music news Junior choir season is over for this year. Junior choir will begin again in September 2007, for kids in grades 3d through 8th (and 2d with permission). During the winter, we expect to work on a kids musical. Kids and their parents should join Diane at an informational meeting on Sunday, January 21, at noon in the sanctuary. The road ahead (concluded) Welcome to Kevin Dunn, the new Youth Coordinator. The Youth are blessed with a new leader, and I am confident that many exciting programs are in store for them this coming year. The CCYM Group will host a retreat at Camp Casowasco in February. This is a nice time to get away! See Kathy Sharpless for details and transportation arrangements. As we begin a new year together our travels will take us down familiar roads along with some new paths in our faith. It is our hope that you will find a program, study or gathering that will feed your spiritual appetite and enhance your life in Christian fellowship. God Bless you this new year and always. Marilyn Paradise And set this heart on fire. How many times have you heard this plea to God at Sunday s worship? What does that mean to you? Everyone might have a different description, or it might mean nothing. The God whom I choose to serve allows me one more day to help those less fortunate, to leave a situation better than it was found, to exemplify unconditional love or simply to pray for someone. Almighty God softens this scarred heart. He offers me endless opportunities to love with unlimited amounts because I am the instrument and not the source. This heart is not only on fire, but involved in the Firestorm. Allow me to expand on this. I had a conversation with a young women named Marie, who is battling cancer. She is going through her treatments as bravely as anyone I can remember (this covers over 25 years in pharmacy). She and her partner Shane shared with me some concerns they had for themselves and her fourteen year old son. They were in need of a bed, couch, chair, nightstands, and lamps. They could not furnish their apartment. With the help of Jeff Sandsted,we went collecting and were swept up in the Firestorm. This is when the Holy Spirit empowers you to far greater capabilities than were ever imagined.we found a bed, dresser, nightstands, lamps, couch, recliner, Christmas tree with stand, Christmas dinner, Christmas gifts for her son, and a desk (so he The Firestorm could study in his room), along with money to prevent their electricty from being shut off, to hook up their phone and an answering machine (so her different doctors can communicate with her), and for gift certificates for them to buy a blanket (they have only one) or something as simple as socks. This was all done in less than a week. The magnitude of these accomplishments was not our goal, it was, just trying to make the situation better. That s what happens when you let God be in control. You get swept up in the Firestorm. You are the hands that embrace them with God s love. It is your tongue that tells them God s love is unconditional (no strings attached). It is your heart that is given sight to see their pain and embrace it with sincere concern and compassion. God gives us a glimpse every so often what wonderful is like. No fear, no pain no concerns, just contentment, just nice, just wonderful! This ministry is now a part of Outreach. The fulfillment of their needs will be a primary concern of the chair of Outreach, and I invite anyone who is interested to donate what you can to helping them in the coming year. Donations can be made to LUMC, Outreach, Firestorm Ministry. Reach out with God s love and people will feel that love. Thank you for reading this, and God bless you every day. Ed LaVigne LUMC Sunbeam LUMC Sunbeam

5 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Lansing United Methodist Church 1 2 Happy New Year Office Closed Caregivers 10:00 Staff-Parish Youth Ministry January 2007 Epiphany Mens Breakfast every Saturday at Linda s in North Lansing Worship 8:30 Baptism of the Lord Sunday school 9:45 Worship 11:00 Bible Study at Bakers 6:30 Outreach Church Council Women s Bible Study 9:30 Trustees 7:30 Mens Breakfast every Saturday at Linda s in North Lansing 14 Worship 8: Martin Luther King Day Human Relations Day Sunday school 9:45 Worship 11:00 21 Worship 8: Sunday school 9:45 Worship 11:00 Children s Musical Meeting 12:00 Food Pantry Setup Bible Study at Bakers 6:30 Youth Retreat Office Closed Membership Food Pantry 4:00 SUNBEAM DEADLINE 12:00 Midnight MOPS 10: Women s Bible Study 9: Women s Bible Study 9:30 Strategy Task Force Mens Breakfast every Saturday at Linda s in North Lansing Mens Breakfast every Saturday at Linda s in North Lansing 28 Worship 8: Sunday school 9:45 Worship 11:00 Confirmation Orientation 4:00 31 Note: This calendar is current as of December 22. For updates to all LUMC events, visit lansingunited. org and see our virtual church calendar and check the Sunday Bulletin. LUMC Sunbeam LUMC Sunbeam

6 Finance Notes New Tax Break for IRA Owners Through the end of 2007, an IRA owner, age 70 1/2 or over, can directly transfer tax-free, up to $100,000 per year to an eligible charitable organization. Eligible IRA owners can take advantage of this provision, regardless of whether they itemize their deductions. Distributions from employer-sponsored retirement plans, including SIMPLE IRAs and simplified employee pension (SEP) plans are not eligible. To qualify, the funds must be contributed directly by the IRA trustee to the eligible charity. Amounts so transferred are not taxable and no deduction is available for the amount given to the charity. Transferred amounts are counted in determining whether the owner has met the IRA s required minimum distribution rules. Where individuals have made nondeductible contributions to their traditional IRAs, a special rule treats transferred amounts as coming first from taxable funds, instead of proportionately from taxable and nontaxable funds, as would be the case with regular distributions. Contact Kay Moore for more info or kay@mooretrees.com Income Tax Law Changes Regarding Donating Items In general, the value of clothing and household items is less than the taxpayer s basis (cost) in such property with the result that taxpayers generally deduct the fair market value of such contributions. You can only deduct the lower of cost or market value. For example, you buy a shirt for $20, wear it once, and then donate it to the charity. The fair market value (based, say, on the price at the rummage sale) may only be 50 cents, so that is the amount of your contribution. You must maintain reliable written records and the donor must generally maintain a receipt from the donor organization. No deduction is allowed for a charitable contribution of clothing or household items unless the clothing and item is in good used condition or better. The new law cracks down on donations of broken household items and poor or soiled clothing, socks, underwear, and the like. A household item not in good condition may be theoretically deducted, provided the item is worth $500 and the taxpayer includes a qualified appraisal with their return. A friendly warning. For those who will itemize their charitable giving, hold off on filing your federal income tax return until after you receive your contribution summary from the church. Rich and Kay Moore will provide those summaries in timely fashion early in January. You are at risk for losing a claimed deduction if you do not have a contribution summary from the church. Is Your Gift for 2006 or 2007? The general rule is that a contribution is effective when delivered. This means that a check deposited in the church offering in January 2007 cannot be claimed for 2006, even if you backdate it. A check that is mailed and postmarked in 2006 would be deductible in 2006 even though not received until continued on the next page Stewardship Update As of December 3, 2006, the church had received 118 estimate of giving cards (out of 206 distributed). Thank you to all who pledged. The pledges received as of that date totaled $184,321. We received 15 new member pledges, a record, but the pledge falls short of the amount we need to fund our ministries fully in To those of you who returned cards in December, thank you. To those who have pledged, please consider increasing your pledge. Our church is always trying to do more to make disciples. Please consider how you can help. Bring a Donation for Food Pantry One way to remember to bring donations for Food Pantry is to bring a can or other nonperishable food on Communion Sunday. That s January 14, this month. Another thing you can do is take note of Food Pantry Monday and bring a donation the day before (and even help with setup). Since the next Food Pantry is Monday, January 22, make a note to bring cans and other donations on Sunday, January 21. The Food Pantry would particularly appreciate the following hardto-get items: tuna (packed in water), peanut butter, macaroni and cheese dinners, and spaghetti, macaroni, or other pastas. Also take note of the season and think about an extra donation to cover holiday expenses. In this case, I m thinking of the expenses being paid in January for activities in December. gw Greetings from the New Youth Coordinator Hello to all at LUMC. My name is Kevin Dunn, and I grew up in Cazenovia. After graduating from high school I attended Juniata College, a private college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania (about halfway between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia), which was originally founded by the Church of the Brethren. I graduated from Juniata with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Education. My spiritual journey has been greatly influenced by my attendance at Casowasco, first as a camper, and, in the last seven summers, as a staff member. As is all too typical, in my early teenage years I strayed from God, with Casowasco being the only constant source of light in the midst of darkness. Through the work of some amazing Christians who were my counselors at Casowasco, I realized God s unending love for me and have been walking and growing with Him ever since. I am thrilled to become a part of this church community, and look forward to working with adults and youth alike, developing posititive relationships and serving the Lord together. Kevin Dunn, Coordinator of Youth Ministries LUMC Sunbeam LUMC Sunbeam

7 Haiti Connection, concluded Haiti Connection Thoughts of Auntie Jo in Haiti This past September on my month-long trip to Haiti, I was reminded of Joe Ernstein a number of times. I left on Labor Day, after a send-off on Sunday by the LUMC congregation, with prayers for a fruitful and safe trip. There was also a freewill offering for unforeseen needs, as had been usual in years past when Jo was leaving for her annual trip. This marked my 25th year of working in Haiti. My first trip, in 1981, was planned as one time only for purposes of promoting the mission, taking photographs of Jo s work, and gathering stories. This was at the request of the newly formed Haiti Committee. Not all goes according to plan. I have continued to go to Haiti through these intervening years, originally with Jo, later with Dean Benware, and often alone. In recent years, I have also had the company of Kathy Ellison (Wade), of Waterloo UMC, and Glenn and Janice Downey, of Dryden UMC, who work at the Mitspa School in Verrettes in addition to helping with Ecole La Providence, our original program. This year I traveled alone, as the Downeys departure date was later than mine. Honestly, I did not look forward to a solo journey. I took a page from Jo s book, and ordered a wheelchair assist in the airports, as she did in later years. The airport transfer is an ordeal, as I have not only my carryon but also a heavy briefcase. The wheelchair was a great idea, and I was taken swiftly to my gates, though I had to swallow my pride. As I was whisked through the airport, on elevators not escalators, I thought of Jo and the red carpet treatment she had received. White hair is the ticket! When the Downeys arrived, we went by Methodist van from Port au Prince to Verrettes. This was a difficult, rough journey on bad, bumpy, rutted roads as far as St. Marc and then a better highway to Verrettes. Janice, Glenn, and I used the four hours of the trip to discuss the two weeks of work ahead of us. It is always difficult to plan in detail, but we worked out a general format and then would improvise, adjust our plans, and take things as they came. We stayed at the guest house by Ecole La Providence in Verrettes for two weeks and worked at getting students into the two schools. We enjoyed special times with our secondary students after making arrangements for school. It was a busy time and our days were full. There was a constant flow of people coming to the house to ask for help for school, food, or doctors and medicine. We needed to hear them out, even if we could not give much or any help. An ear to listen, a hand to reach out and touch, understanding, compassion. This seemed so little to give, but that is what Jesus gave when he was approached by the multitudes (in addition to healing). We must learn from that and give what we can of ourselves, always in the name of Jesus. So we tried and did what we could. This left almost no personal time. Again I thought of Jo and the years that we stayed at that same house when there were missionaires in residence, first the Roger See family and later David Muchmore and family. We were sheltered, and the visitors were cut off at the continued on the next page pass in those days. They were discouraged from coming to the house and many people who did come were turned away. While we met many of those people during the day, at the house we were insulated. When the Downeys left for home, I went to Deschappelles to stay with Esnel Cene, his wife, and niece. This meant that I had to travel the three miles back and forth to Verrettes each day. Erick, a secondary student who lives in Deschappelles accompanied me on those daily trips. We walked together down the streets to find a taptap (a pickup truck fitted out with benches, so named for the sound of its motor). On several occasions, someone would call out to Erick, Is that Madame Ernstein? Jo walked those same streets many years ago, because Ecole La Providence began in Deschappelles before it moved to Verrettes. Like me, she was a white woman with white hair, so the connection was understandable. Even though Jo s last trip to Haiti was nearly 15 years ago, in 1992, she is still remembered. Erick would call back, No, this Madame Barbara, she came after Mme. Ernstein. I thought then and since: After I have stopped going to Haiti, will there be someone else walking the streets in Deschappelles and Verrettes? In that future day, might someone call out, Is that Madame Barbara? What will the answer be? And will there be a student walking alongside to answer? Hello, anybody listening? Barbara Meal Denhoff Please pray for the mission team currently in Haiti: Dianne and Mahima Walter, Sarah Sandsted, Ashley Dean, and Trudy and Chelsie Radcliffe. Travel to England with Bishop Fisher Bishop Violet Fisher will lead a trip to England in July, 2007 to explore our Methodist heritage and celebrate the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley s birth. The itinerary includes a visit to the remote village of Epworth where John and Charles grew up, and historic St. Paul s Cathedral in London, Wesley s home church. The group will sing Charles Wesley s hymns and visit his home where many of them were composed. They ll visit Oxford, walk in the fields of Bristol where John preached, and worship in historic Wesley s Chapel in London. There is an optional extension trip to Ireland; and if there is enough interest, an optional day trip to Wales. For a descriptive brochure and application form contact the Rev. Chuck Excell, project coordinator at or ; or him at revcve@verizon.net. You ll also find a pdf of the brochure on the NCNY Conference website ( LUMC Sunbeam LUMC Sunbeam

8 Mission Spotlight: John K. Yambasu Rev. John K. Yambasu is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church serving as a Regional Missionary with Women, Children, and Youth with the Africa Youth Network in Accra, Ghana. Rev. Yambasu s focus is working in a wholistic ministry with young people and young adults who have been affected by war. His ministry includes conflict resolution, social and restorative justice, drug and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS/sex education, global, social and economic issues, leadership, and empowerment. John received his Bachelor of Science degree in his home country of Sierra Leone at the University of Sierra Leone in the field of Agricultural Education. Rev. Yambasu attended Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, GA from and was conferred with a Master of Theology degree. He also studied at the Haggai Institute in Singapore and received certification in the area of leadership. John has worked in Sierra Leone as a senior teacher and department head with the Hartford School for girls. He also was at Sierra Leone Theological College as a lecturer in Developmental Psychology, as well as working with the UMC of the Sierra Leone Annual Conference as Director of Youth/ Young Adult Ministries, Director of Christian Education, and Regional Coordinator of the West Africa Central Conference Youth Committee. Rev. Yambasu was ordained in 1990 in the Sierra Leone Annual Conference, and was founder of the Child Rescue Centre in Sierra Leone as well as serving as executive director of the center from 1999 to John gives full credit to his elder brother, who thought it wise to send me to school. I received all my primary and secondary education in UMC mission schools and was strongly influenced by missionary teachers. He was very active in the church while attending school and continued that participation as a teacher. Describing a time when he knew God was apparent in the ministry to which he is now called, Rev. Yambasu shares that the climax of the ten year war in Sierra Leone came while he was studying at Candler, and his family had remained in their homeland. At one point he had no contact with his family and his studies were interrupted as his concern grew. One night, I knelt by my bed and pleaded with God that if He could only save my family, I would devote the rest of my life serving Him as a missionary to reach out and minister to those children whose parents were killed during the war and who had no one to care for them. Discovering his family was safe; John returned to West Africa after his tenure at Candler and began his ministry to war-affected children. Rev. Yambasu refers to The Gospel of John 10:10 as he shares his belief that his work with young people is touching their lives not only with the spiritual gospel but with the social gospel as well. John and his wife Millicent are the parents of five children: Rebecca, Adima, John, Emmanuel, and Elizabeth. jkyamba@africaonline.com.gh Katrina Aid Today Doubles Assistance to Families By Jennifer Burcham Case managers for Katrina Aid Today assisted nearly 28,800 families - roughly 75,000 people - by the end of October and continue to open about 1,000 new cases each week. According to a recent fourth quarter report from Katrina Aid Today, affiliates working on long-term recovery with survivors of Hurricane Katrina virtually doubled the number of families helped since its last report in July. Since issuing the report, our new total is 30,112 families. That s nearly 80,000 individuals, said Warren Harrity, executive director of Katrina Aid Today. That means we have served more people than the entire population of the pre-katrina Lake Charles, La. Lake Charles had 70,555 residents before the 2005 hurricanes. Katrina Aid Today is funded through a $66 million grant to the United Methodist Committee on Relief and monitored by Federal Emergency Management Agency. The consortium consists of 25 agencies with years of disaster recovery case management experience serving either as national partners or as local service providers under the Katrina Aid Today umbrella. Although it has been more than a year since Hurricane Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, the figures confirm that many people across the nation are desperate for aid. The consortium plans to assist about 70,000 more Katrina-affected families over the next 11 months. Housing, job training, employment assistance and utility payments and supplies are the most pressing needs for these families, according to the report. Health concerns were also on the minds of Katrina survivors as they sought services from Katrina Aid Today partners. Sharon Truly, 48, is a Katrina Aid Today client. Though a Louisiana native, she had never evacuated for a hurricane. When Hurricane Katrina came barreling through New Orleans, she thought it was just another storm and decided to ride it out at a motel with her husband, her son and her 21 exotic birds. In one day, everything you have in your whole life is wiped out. That fast, Truly said, with a snap of her fingers, as she looked through photographs of the things she lost. Truly, who suffers with seizures, migraine headaches, a chronic respiratory disease and ruptured disks in her back, is unable to work. She must have oxygen to sleep at night. Her oxygen concentrator was flooded and she also had trouble getting her prescriptions filled. She eventually relocated to Memphis, Tenn. That s when she heard about the Memphis and Shelby County Community Services Agency, a member of Katrina Aid Today. Truly s case manager helped her find an apartment and furnish it, and get her prescription medications refilled. The case manager also is helping her map out a plan for her recovery, and assisted her in applying for an educational grant. Today, Truly is working toward her bachelor s degree online and plans to start a home-based business selling vitamins and nutritional shakes. The consortium has more than 1,400 fulltime and volunteer trained disaster recovery case managers working in 32 states. They help survivors define the things that are holding them back from rebuilding their lives and then assist them in mapping out an action plan for recovery. More information can be found at www. katrinaaidtoday.org, the consortium s Web site. Jennifer Burcham is a staff writer for Katrina Aid Today. LUMC Sunbeam LUMC Sunbeam

9 Lansing United Methodist Church The Sunbeam January 2007 Inside: Crunching the Numbers, page 2 The Road Ahead, page 4 Who Will Walk Haiti s Highways?, page 12 LANSING UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 32 BRICKYARD ROAD LANSING NY Lansing United Methodist Church 33 Brickyard Road, Lansing, NY one mile north of the stoplight on Route 34B in South Lansing. Church office: lumcoffice@twcny.rr.com Office manager: Mindy Dahl To reach the pastor at home: pastor@lansingunited.org (in confidence) The Sunbeam is published each month by Lansing United Methodist Church. Please send your news to Glenn Withiam, editor, at grw4@cornell.edu, or use the Sunbeam folder near the church office. Please sign your contributions! Deadline for the next issue is January 22, 2007.