AWARE April St. James United Methodist Church

Transcription

1 St. James United Methodist Church AWARE April 2019 ~~~~~~~~~~~~PASTOR~~~~~~~~~~~ Dongsu Lee ~~~~~~~LAY LEADERSHIP~~~~~~~ Lay Leader/Lay Member Ann. Conf. Kay Christenson Staff Parish Relation Chairperson Gary Linstad Administrative Board Chairperson Tom Schemm Council Secretary Deb Kraemer Treasurer Chris Bahr Financial Secretary LuAnn Van Handel Finance Chair Deb Kraemer Trustees Chair Bill Kraemer Mission Co-Chairs Kay & Charlie Christenson Member Care Lead Dongsu Lee Worship Committee Sharon Ramsaroop Education Leader Sierra Gyrion Website Bill Kraemer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~STAFF~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Administrative Assistant Deb Kraemer Organist Linda Lee Custodian Kari Sturm Please note: If you are receiving this electronically, all links in this publication are active, indicated as blue and underlined.) You just need to hover over it and click on the link with your mouse. I have been waiting for Easter of 2019 so much, as we had a cold and snowy winter for a long time. Across our vast continent we had a lot of snow and rain with flooding and tornadoes. We seemed to experience different kinds of plagues of Exodus. But the spring has come despite the chilly morning breeze and iceberg in the church parking lot. Robins are appearing in our yards and I welcome their coming along with Lent and Easter: a time of renewal of the whole world by the suffering of Christ on the cross and reflection of human sufferings by disasters and crimes, small and large. We need to consider two things during the Easter season: religious belief of Easter and its daily living and practice. In other words, its theory and its practice. The theory and doctrine means that the crucified Christ was risen from the grave and he is living with us here and now, as well as then and there. And it will lead us to many nouns which begin with re: renewal, recreation, rejuvenation, revision and restart. The best ones who enjoy this resurrection in theory and practice seems to be plants and animals according to the first page of Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy: The sun shone warm, the air was balmy; everywhere, where it did not get scraped away, the grass revived and sprang up between the paving-stones as well as on the narrow strips of lawn on the boulevards. The birches, the poplars, and the wild cherry unfolded their gummy and fragrant leaves, the limes were expanding their opening buds; the crows, sparrows, and pigeons, filled with the joy of spring, were getting their nests ready; the flies were buzzing along the walls, warmed by the sunshine. All were glad, the plants, the birds, the insects and the children. But men, grown-up men and women, did not leave off cheating and tormenting themselves and each other. It was not this spring morning men though sacred and worthy of consideration not the beauty of God s world, given for a joy to all creatures, this beauty which inclines the heart to peace, to harmony, and to love, but only their own devices for enslaving one another. Leo Tolstoy wished even human beings, whether they are in prison or free, to feel and live this life of Easter. Who can set us free their own devices for enslaving one another? Jesus who visits us one by one, and groups of people in the lake and in the house and in their walk and in the cemetery. I wish and pray for all of us to be met by this living and loving Jesus in this Easter season. 1 Pastor Dong Su

2 Scripture Readings April 7 April14 Palm Sunday April 21 Easter April 28 Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126 Philippians 3:4b-14, John 12:1-8 Isaiah 50:4-9, Psalm 31:9-16 Philippians 2:5-11, Mark 14:1-15:47 Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, Corinthians 15:19-26, John 20:1-18 Acts 5:27-32, Psalm 150 Revelation 1:4-8, John 20:19-31 Holy Week and Easter Schedule Palm Sunday April 14-8:45am - St James Maundy Thursday April Zion UMC Jointly with St James Meal provided by Zion UMC begins at 6pm Good Friday April 19 Oneida UMC Easter Sunday April 21-8:45 am - St James Sunday Morning Mission offerings change: from April to June will go to Henderson Settlement Click on the link below to find out more Henderson Settlement SAVE THE DATE For updates: umcsj.org April 4 Foot Care Clinic April 8 Lunch Bunch April 9 Men s Breakfast April 13 Emergency Shelter Meal Serving April 15 Ladies Nite Out See Holy Week Schedule above April 20 Aware Articles Due for April April 25 Men s Walk to Emmaus Weekend begins ONGOING ACTIVITIES Lunch Bunch: 12:00 p.m. on Monday, April 8, at Machine Shed, 220 N. Fox River Dr. Grand Chute. Men s Breakfast: 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 9, at Mary s Family Restaurant, 2312 N. Richmond. Ladies Nite Out: Monday, April 15, at Paninoteca, 2025 N. Richmond St., Appleton Wednesday Bible Study & Support Group: Wednesday s at a new time, 1:30 p.m. Open to everyone. April Celebrations Birthdays 4/4 Jill Featherwolf 4/6 Chad Olson 4/9 Diane Ebert 4/14 Nicole Eggert 4/15 Amber Bahr 4/16 Jayne Lang 4/18 Sherry King 4/20 Mary Schemm 4/22 Deb Kraemer 4/27 Jim King 4/28 Heather Davis 4/28 Luka Cruz 4/29 Jayden Walters 4/30 Mavis Ganzer 4/30 Tyler Lind 4/30 Devon Griesbach Anniversaries 4/5 Jim & Sherry King (33) 4/11 Bob & Mary Thomas (27) 4/22 Rick & Chris Bahr (41) 4/29 Frank & Donna Potter We are in need of people to help serve a meal every even numbered month on the second Saturday from 4-7 p.m. If you can assist, contact Paul and Deb Countney or the church office. The next date that we need help is April 13th. 2

3 Easter Breakfast SUNDAY, April 21, :00 a.m. Contact Wendy Lind for easy recipes. There is a sign-up sheet at the Connection Center. This will be a fundraiser to raise funds for carpet for the pastor s office in We are looking for donations of Egg Bakes, French Toast Bakes, Breakfast baked goods, Milk and Juice. A few recipes are also available in the office. Holy Saturday What s compelling about Holy Saturday for me is that Jesus disciples surely descended into their own kind of hell one to which anyone who has lost a loved one to death can relate. Death s finality and wrenching silence strike fear in us. The silence of Holy Saturday reminds us powerfully that death isn t something to be circumvented or avoided. The truth is that we need to go through a Saturday of death, recognizing its power, before we can realize the power of a Sunday of resurrection, when death is defeated. Bob Kaylor, Homiletics Did you know? If you miss a Sunday sermon, we post them on our website. Just go to the home page, and click on the square that looks like the one below. There you will find a treasure of recordings from St James. Try it now, clicking below or go to In light of Earth Day being this month, I thought it would be a good idea to review what is NOT recyclable. Many households recently received the Tri-County curbside recycling guidelines. It is very helpful. A few things I deemed from it are NO plastic bags, wraps or film NO Styrofoam NO aluminum pans or foil NO empty paint cans or scrap metal NO window glass, ceramics, china or drinking glasses NO tissue paper or pet food bags When recycling, all items put into the cart should remain loose, not in bags of any kind. For more information and guidelines go to: Look for this symbol 3

4 Henderson Settlement This year s Henderson Settlement mission trip to Frakes, Kentucky is scheduled for October We are once again making plans to go to Henderson. Most of the projects are housing repair, maintenance or improvement. If you are interested in going or wanting to know more, please see Tom Graf or Gary Linstad. We also need funds to finance the repairs we will do at Henderson. To help with this, we will have two brat fry fundraisers at Festival Foods on Northland on May 18th and June 1st. Help is needed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A sign up sheet is available at the Connection Center if you are interested in helping raise the needed funds. If you are unable to help, but would like to donate to this mission outreach project, donations can also be made. Be sure to mark your donation, Henderson. Thursday, April 25 to Sunday, April 28 Thursday, May 2 to Sunday, May 5 Stewardship Message Why Do I Give? The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. (2 Psalm 37:21) People give to the church for a variety of reasons that form a hierarchy of motivations. Where they fall on the hierarchy is related closely to how much, proportionately, they give; how willingly they give; how they respond to being asked to pledge their support to the mission and ministry of the church, and how openly they talk about their giving. What motivates you to give? Some people feel called to give out of their faith. Giving generously feels right and natural. It is a part of their discipleship. In turn, they are grateful for their own blessings including a place in the church where they can contribute. Some people feel fulfilled by giving. They derive joy, energy and good feelings from giving. They value the church in their lives and want to support it so it is there for others. Some people value giving as a duty. It is the right thing to do and creates good in the world. Giving influences the community for good and connects the giver with the community. Some people would feel guilty if they did not give. They feel giving is something they should do, even if they would rather not. Alternatively, that fear they will be shamed if they do not give. Finally, some people feel coerced. They feel their situation compels them to give. Which of these describes why you give? Which do you think would be most pleasing to God? Next month, how to move up the hierarchy At Imago Dei camp in Clintonville foxvalleyemmaus.com Are you looking for a gift for someone who seems to have everything? Consider the gift that keeps on giving, a weekend with God. The Walk to Emmaus is an experience of Christian spiritual renewal and formation. It is an opportunity to meet Jesus Christ in a new way as God s grace and love is revealed to you through other believers. It begins with a 3-day short course in Christianity. Christ will meet you where you are, no matter where you are on your Christian journey. For more information, contact the church office by clinking on the blue link. There will also be a fall walk in September this year. Jim Wells, Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation Visit the Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation at or Facebook/wumf.org 4

5 March 26, 2019 To all the beautiful Wisconsin people, Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! Psalm 27:7 You are in my heart and in my prayers. We are so divided over our beliefs about human sexuality and these emotional issues sometimes make us act and behave in harmful and unkind ways. We, intentionally and unintentionally, continue to do great harm to LGBTQI+ persons, and our attitudes and beliefs about the gay community cause great divisions within our fellowship. This is also made clear by all the heartfelt and faithful leaders who signed the statement of Sacred Resistance and Call to Action. What became crystal clear to me at this special 2019 General Conference is how deeply injured we are, and how deeply we stand in need of God s healing grace. I am hearing Bishop, why did you not stand with us? But I am hearing that from the LGBTQ+ community, and from the supporters of the Traditional Plan, and from supporters of the One Church Plan, and plans for exit, and plans for unity I am hearing it from everyone. All I can say is that I am standing for my faith in Jesus Christ, my love for The United Methodist Church, and for all my Beloved siblings in and beyond the Wisconsin Annual Conference. I hear that many of you have had enough, that you are exhausted by the fighting, that you feel the church is no longer your church. This makes me very sad, but I understand you, I affirm you, and I love you. But I must be clear, I will stay and fight. I will stay and fight for the church I believe God wants us to be one body with many members. I do not believe God is finished with us, and I will dedicate myself to a loving, caring, inclusive, and united church. It may look impossible, but what is impossible for weak, broken people is still possible for our God of love. To my LGBTQ+ siblings who stand together shouting, We won t go, I stand with you. To my traditional brothers and sisters calling for accountability, I stand with you. To all the moderate and centrist voices calling us to live up to our standard of open hearts, open minds, open doors, I stand with you. To each and every one of you willing to stay in the struggle to become a better church, I stand with you. I am a bishop for ALL God s people I will take a stand, but I will not take a side. If all means all, it means ALL. I have said before and will say again, we are a wounded church, a broken church, a divided church. But I still have hope, because I do not worship the denomination; I worship God. I do not love the institution, I love the church; I love you, beautiful people. I do not believe our current condition is God s will for The United Methodist Church. I believe we can be better, but not if we give up.

6 Again, to those who have had enough, I am so, so sorry. You may not feel it, but you are loved. You are valued. You are blessed children of God, and I cannot emphasize enough how disappointed I am that you have been made to feel unwelcome. This is wrong. Wisconsin is committed to expand the circle of leadership -- both lay and clergy -- with full inclusion. I have been serving to extend the healthy and radical inclusion with LGBTQ+ individuals and community. I will work continually to eliminate the barriers of discrimination in race, gender, culture, and human sexuality for the healthy leadership of God s people called to ministry. We are challenged not to conform to the status quo, but to be open to transformation. We are called to work together for peace, for unity, for reconciliation and healing. We are called to leave judging to God, which frees us to engage in work that offers light, and life, and hope. We are given permission to forgive ourselves and each other so that we might recognize our place in the body of Christ while celebrating the place every other person occupies as well. Our differences are important, but not nearly as important as our call to be Christ together for the world. And so, I support the church, in beloved community of all people because it allows me to be the bishop God has called me to be. I am bishop of grace. I am bishop of God s love for all people. I am bishop for hope. I am bishop for a redeemed creation that welcomes and receives all. I am bishop to all people in all places at all times. This is an honor and this is a trust. I love my God. I love my church. I love the creation that God so loves that God sends his only Son. I want there to be a future for all of us, where love and joy and peace and grace prevails. Pray for God s will and guidance. Pray for the Holy Spirit s revelation and support. Read and study God s word with the utmost integrity and rigor. Engage in honest and respectful Christian Conference with our siblings, whether we agree with them or not. And open your heart and mind to the millions of people who need the love and forgiveness of God in their lives. Let us plan to be Christ Church together, honoring and glorifying God in all we say and do, for years to come. I will pray for you, and I ask that you continue to pray for me. With Christ s blessing, Hee-Soo Jung, PhD Bishop, Wisconsin Annual Conference HSJ:drd

7 7 14 Palm Sunday 18 Maundy Zion UMC 19 Good Oneida UMC 21 Easter Sunday 28 TBA TBA GREETER Volunteer TBA Volunteer TBA needed. needed. Meal At At Oneida TBA UMC Jill Featherwolf Volunteer TBA needed. SOUND & PROJECTION Ed Ramsaroop Bill Kraemer provided This Ed Ramsaroop Bill Kraemer USHER CAPTAIN Nancy Von Der Osten Bonnie Budreau & Carol Carlson by Service Mike Shepard Wayne DeGrand FELLOWSHIP HOSPITALITY N/A Tom & Mary Schemm Zion Begins Jill Featherwolf TBA Volunteers needed. LITURGIST Kay Christenson Sharon Ramsaroop Worship at at Gary Linstad Nancy Von Der Osten COUNTERS Rich Stewart & Chris Bahr Tom Schemm & Rich Stewart 7:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Mike Shepard & Deb Kraemer Rich Stewart & Gary Linstad COMMUNION SERVERS This is now organize by Ed & Sharon Ramsaroop. Servers will be decided the week of Communion Please contact the church office if you can fill in any TBA spots. See UMCSJ.org for updates, sermons and select music. Also Like Us on Facebook 7

8 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :30 p.m. Jr Girl Scouts Worship Comm. 2 Disciple Group Praise Team 3 4 9:30 a.m. 11:30 p.m. VNA Foot Care Clinic 5 Office Closed p.m. GCC Music practice 7 Communion 8:10 a.m. Praise Practice 8:45 a.m. Worship 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Coffee Time 10:15 a.m. GCC Worship 8 12:15 p.m. Lunch Bunch, Machine Shed, 220 N. Fox River Dr. Grand Chute 4:30 p.m. Daisy Girl Scouts 6:30 p.m. Education Com. 9 8:00 a.m. Men s Breakfast Disciple Group Praise Team 10 1:30 p.m. Bible Study 11 6:30 p.m. Wolf Den Meeting 12 Office Closed p.m. Emergency Shelter Meal serving 4-5 p.m. GCC Music practice 14 Palm Sunday 8:10 a.m. Praise Practice 8:45 a.m. Worship 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Coffee Time 10:15 a.m. GCC Worship 15 4:30 p.m. Jr Girl Scouts Ladies Nite Out, Paninoteca, 2025 N. Richmond Street, Appleton 16 Disciple Group Praise Team 17 1:30 p.m. Bible Study Embroiderer s Guild Finance 18 at Zion UMC - Zion is providing the shared meal. 7:00 p.m. at Zion UMC 6 p.m. GCC bible study 19 Office Closed 6:30 p.m. at Oneida UMC 20 AWARE ARTILES DUE Please be respectful of deadlines. Thank you. 4-5 p.m. GCC Music practice 21 Easter Sunday 8:00 a.m. Easter Breakfast 8:30 a.m. Praise Practice 8:45 a.m. Worship 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Coffee Time 10:15 a.m. GCC Worship 22 4:30 p.m. Daisy Girl Scouts 23 Disciple Group Praise Team 24 1:30 p.m. Bible Study 25 6 p.m. GCC bible study 26 Office Closed p.m. GCC Music practice 28 8:10 a.m. Praise Practice 8:45 a.m. Worship 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Coffee Time 10:15 a.m. GCC Worship 29 4:30 p.m. Jr Girl Scouts 30 Disciple Group Praise Team 1 1:30 p.m. Bible Study 2 6 p.m. GCC bible study 3 Office Closed 10-pm-12am GCC Prayer vigil p.m. GCC Music practice 8

9 For The Kids Bible Quiz Who told the women at the tomb that Jesus had risen? A. Two men in shining garments B. A young man in a white robe C. An angel D. All of the above, depending on which gospel you read Answer: D (See Matthew 28:5-6; Mark 16:5-6; Luke 24:4-6.) 9

10 St. James United Methodist Church 100 W. Capitol Drive Appleton, WI Return Service Requested Affix Postage Here Mailing Label To receive this newsletter through and to receive weekly e-news from St. James UMC, please send your address to St. James United Methodist Church Pastor Dong Su Lee Home: Cell: Deb Kraemer Administrative Assistant Office phone number: Office Hours 9 a.m. 1 p.m., Monday Thursday Bulletin Information & Announcements Due Monday of each week Newsletter Submissions Due 20th of each month For more information, go to umcsj.org Aware is published monthly by St. James UMC, 100 W. Capitol Drive, Appleton, WI