The. Halloween Party. Inside this Issue: Orchard Park United Methodist Church. Saturday, October pm. From Pastor Jay...

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1 Orchard Park United Methodist Church 3700 N. Buffalo Street Orchard Park, NY Website: opumc.com Pastor Jay Roberts Inside this Issue: Worship Information Pg 2 Birthdays Pg 3 Prayer List Pg 3 UMW Pg 4 UMYF Pg 4 OWLS Pg 4 Lay Member Pg 5 Church Contact Information/Staff Pg 6 Calendar Pg 7 Halloween Party Saturday, October pm (more on page 3) The VISTA Newsletter Volume 59 OCTOBER 2017 Number 9 From Pastor Jay... We re all familiar with Luke s story about Jesus and Zaccaheus but not so much with the parable that follows, the parable of the 10 pounds or more accurately, the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11-27). In brief, a person of nobility entrusts each of his ten servants with one mina (about 3 month s wages.) He says, go and do business with this money until I get back. The man acts with trust. He did not set expectations. He gave no minimum standard for return on his investment. He would have been satisfied with even a meager return from a bank deposit. All of the servants returned the money with profit made by the business of trading and were rewarded except for one. Why? Because he said, I was afraid. What are the attributes of the nobleman? Extravagant generosity, trust, and extreme in the rewards he grants. This is what divine love looks like. We are given gifts from God if we use them well we will experience rewards out of proportion to our efforts. The parable presents two world views, two philosophies of life. We can live on God s terms, or we can live on the world s terms. We can live open to the limitless rewards that come from living our lives fully, by using all the gifts we have been given, and by sharing those gifts and treasures, or we can deny God s goodness. We can live with trust in our hearts, or we can live in fear. As the church of Jesus Christ, we refuse to be slaves to fear, we claim our place as the ones who are willing to take risks, to trust God, and to be generous. We live in anticipation and hope for the Kingdom of God. Relative to most people in the world, I have experienced wealth and privilege beginning on the first day of life, and it has only gotten better in the years that followed. I have come to learn subsequently all gifts are from God. To mix metaphors, God baked the whole pie that I now enjoy. It is only right that I share a piece with God. Should God s piece be the measly left-over crumbs after I have served everyone else who wanted a piece? How many have their hands out wanting a piece of your financial pie on a weekly basis for services and goods rendered? Or should God s piece be the first slice of the pie I serve? (continued on Page 3)

2 Sunday, October 1 11 AM Worship Service & Sunday School Greeter & Communion Steward: Marilyn Henning Lay Reader: Stan Spurgeon No AV No Coffee Hour - Chicken BBQ Sunday, October 8 11 AM Worship Service & SS Greeter: Kathy Babcock Lay Reader: Carol Brauer AV: Margot Ip Coffee Host* Sunday, October AM Worship Service & SS Greeter: Lurly Hunsberger Lay Reader: Shannon Liggett AV: Peter Slotman Coffee Hosts: Mike & Julie Waters Sunday, October AM Worship Service & SS Greeter: Bob Laurie Lay Reader: Lurly Hunsberger AV: Margot Ip Coffee Hosts* Sunday, October AM Worship Service & SS Greeters: Merrill & Phyllis Porter Lay Reader: Mary Jane Russell AV: Peter Slotman Coffee Host* *Sign-up sheet for hosting a Coffee Hour is posted on bulletin board outside the kitchen. Page 2 New Sermon Series starts October 1 st! For many years I have heard people ask questions that come from a heart-felt desire to understand the Bible. Among those questions are: Did the ark really exist? Why are there two seemingly contrary images of God such as the loving God revealed in the person and teaching of Jesus as opposed to the violent images of God as depicted in the Hebrew Bible? Must the science of evolution and the creation stories of the Bible contradict or can they coexist? I will be addressing these issues as well as others in my fourpart sermon series Wrestling with the Bible beginning October 1 st. You will not want to miss any of these messages, and I trust that our worship together will be an occasion for blessing and inspiration. Schedule: Oct. 1, "Wrestling With the Bible"; Oct. 8, "The Bible and Science"; Oct. 15, The Bible and Sexuality; Oct. 22, "Solid Rock/Sinking Sand" -Pastor Jay On Sunday, September 10, we welcomed three new members! Meet them KATHY BABCOCK 273 Hammocks Drive, Orchard Park katbob4935@gmail.com Kathy has lived in WNY all her life. She is widowed 8 years and says she was married to the love of my life for 23 years. Kathy is retired & loves to quilt. DIANE SMITH 49 Brinker Rd, Lackawanna dianeleesmith51@yahoo.com Diane is retired. Her late husband, Jon, was a United Methodist minister. Her family includes 3 grown children, their spouses and children. She transferred with daughter Amanda (below) from First UMC of North Tonawanda. AMANDA DONOVAN 3282 Seneca Street, Apt. 8 West Seneca, NY Amanda is married to Tom and has a son, Brandon. She transferred with her mom (see above.) from the First UMC of North Tonawanda.

3 Monica Restorff 10/3 Peter Van Scozza 10/3 Zach Restorff 10/5 Rich Spinelli 10/6 Bob Laurie 10/7 Jim Harp 10/13 Bill Russell 10/25 Nathan Roberts & Family Terry Shultz (Robyn Pugh s father) Bob Schultz (Robyn Pugh s grandfather) Nancy Kamm (Beth Stuart s mom) Katherine & Daniel Montanez (US Beth Stuart s daughter & son-in-law) Those affected by natural disasters Senior Care: Millie Lohiser John Henning Phil Paglia Prudy Pugh (Scott s mother) The Prayer Group will meet Monday afternoon on October 9, 1 PM, at the home of Ruth Scanlon. For more information or to ask for prayer, please call Deanna Laurie ( ) or Pastor Jay ( ). Halloween Party Saturday, October 21, 2-5pm Costume Contest * Baloonarama Games * Tricks & Treats * Bobbing for Apples Pizza, Doughnuts & Cider (4:30 pm) and the All Ages both old & young Come join the fun! BRAIN CHILLING, SPINE TINGLING, SOUL NUMBING Bats In the Belfry Mystery Game From Pastor Jay (continued from Page 1) On November 5, Consecration Sunday, you will have an opportunity to present your pledge card. Your pledge of financial support to this church is a prayer of thanksgiving for the gifts you have received from God. It is a declaration of love for this community and its mission of justice and peace in the world. Your pledge is a profound statement of hope and trust in God, love for the Body of Christ, and commitment to the ministry and mission of Christ s church. Page 3

4 On October 12, we are hosting a Family Promise information night. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30 PM with the volunteer manager at OP Presbyterian Church, Donna Morrow, and others involved with Family Promise. We are a support church for this ministry (along with others in the community). The next week that OPP hosts a family is October 13-20, so dinners have to be provided and overnight volunteers are needed. Come learn more about how YOU can help. See you there!! The Faith Fellowship group invites everyone to the kick-off of a new DVDbased series, Countering Pharaoh s Production-Consumption Society Today. Join facilitators Bill & Mary Jane Russell and Hosts Tom & Carolyn Wrinn on Thursday, October 26, 7-9 PM, 3rd floor classroom. Please let one of the above know if you plan to attend. For more information, flyers are on the bulletin boards. It s coffee time! Ordering soon!! You may know that the coffee we serve at coffee hour and dinners is Fair Trade coffee from Equal Exchange. Packaged ground coffee is available to Fair Trade Cof- purchase for your home. Regular is $7 and Decaf is $8. Please see Carolyn Wrinn or Vivian Slocum to purchase. Other items at Equal Exchange that can be ordered are: whole bean or ground coffee, single serve cups, dark and milk chocolate bars, olive oil, nuts, hot chocolate, and chocolate chips. We will place an order on October 23. Look at the catalog at coffee time on Sundays. UMYF UMYF has started! We meet usually the first and third Sunday of each month from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. UMYF is open to all youth from seventh grade to twelfth grade. Come join us and bring a friend! Calling all OWLS! All Older Wiser Livelier Seniors are invited to the monthly luncheons that take place on the last Tuesday of the month at a local restaurant. The next gathering is October 31, 12 noon, at The Byrd House. Contact Corley Gordon ( ) or Carolyn Wrinn ( ) if you are interested in going. Desiderio s You are invited to a Dinner & Theatre Outing on Saturday, November 18. After dinner, we will see Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling. We will carpool to the theatre from church at 5:30pm; dinner 6:00; show 7:30pm. Theatre tickets (including dinner) will be $45/pp. RSVP by November 12 th to Vivian Slocum ( ). Page 4 More activities listed on Page 6.

5 FROM YOUR LAY MEMBER Human Sexuality Task Force I thought my service on the Human Sexuality Task Force was finished after the 2016 Annual Conference. I was wrong! At the last General Conference, earlier in 2016, the Council of Bishops agreed to form a A Commission on a Way Forward in an attempt to break the stalemate regarding homosexuality which has consumed the time and energy of General Conferences for decades ever since the Incompatibility Clause was inserted into The Discipline in The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching. The Commission has been meeting and working diligently, but felt the need for some feedback from the boots on the ground. Each Annual Conference has been invited and encouraged to bring together a committee for the purpose of gathering the ideas and thoughts from UM clergy and laity regarding the current state of the church and possible ways to move beyond the current impasse to a more positive and more viable future. As a result, Bishop Webb contacted those who had served on the Human Sexuality Task Force to assist in collecting the thoughts of the people in the Upper New York Conference. I could not say No! We are a smaller group than in the past, but have been working to understand the questions posed by the Commission and to learn skills and techniques for gathering and reporting the information that the Commission is seeking. The result is that the District Days this year will be given exclusively to this task. Both Clergy and Laity/Clergy sessions will focus on a set of questions provided by the Commission on a Way Forward. A small group format has been designed to provide every attendee an opportunity to respond in a prayerful and respectful way, as well as a vehicle for capturing their thoughts. Our subgroup had its first experience with the process on September 7 in Avoca, NY (Mountain View District). By and large, the process appeared to do what it was designed to do: gather thoughts and ideas from the people in the pulpits and the pews. I will be participating in two more full-day events and one half-day event before we are done. I have no idea what we will learn from this exercise. There may be some profound thoughts some new thoughts some creative thoughts that emerge. It is too soon to tell. I pray that it will yield some useful and constructive ideas that will help the Commission find A Way Forward. Unfortunately, I will NOT be able to attend the Niagara Frontier District Day on Tuesday, October 3 because of a prior commitment. The Laity Session is 6:30-8:30pm at Harris Hill UMC. If you re interested in representing the laity of our congregation at that meeting, please contact Pastor Jay. Mary Jane Russell Lay Member Page 5

6 Continuing through the month of October, we re collecting new and gently used warm winter coats, mittens, hats, and scarves for children, teens, and adults for Clara s Closet. The last Sunday of each month is called "Food Pantry Sunday." You can place your food items on the floor at the end of your pew. Other days, put your donation in one of the baskets in the Narthex. If you would like to honor or memorialize someone with flowers and a dedication in the bulletin, check out the sign-up poster in the Narthex. There are instructions listed next to it. CHURCH STAFF Pastor: Rev. Jay Roberts ; jay_r_14120@yahoo.com Office Hrs: Tues. 9:00 AM-12:30 PM; Thurs. 12 Noon-2:30 PM; Fri. 9:00 AM-12 Noon Music Director: Peter Van Scozza ; pvspsq@gmail.com Living in Christ s love, serving God and neighbor. Administrative Assistant: Michelle Kemp ; Tues. 9:00 AM-3:00 PM, Thurs. 12:30-3:30 PM, and Fri. 9:00 AM -12:00 noon Sunday Morning Childcare: Sue Stachewicz Phone: Custodian: Maria Galley (Tom s daughter) ; maria.galley@yahoo.com Mark Your Calendar Annual Christmas Cookie Sale Saturday, Dec. 2 St. Pauly s Clothing Shed Volunteers Week of: 10/1 Mike Waters 10/8 Linda Carroll 10/15 Ed Nuse 10/22 Bob Laurie 10/29 George Slocum Please be sure to arrange a replacement when you are unable to work your week. Page 6 Deadline for November VISTA Friday, October 20, 2017 Like us on Facebook! Pastor Jay posts on the OPUMC Wall. Check it out and pass it on!

7 October Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 CHICKEN BBQ UMYF 6:30pm 2 Brownie Troop 6:15-7:30pm 3 District Day with Bishop Webb Laity Session 6:30-8:30pm (Harris Hill UMC) Daisy Troop 4 UMDF 1-4pm Choir Rehearsal 8pm 5 3-9pm 6 9am-2pm Sewing Circle 9:30am-1:00pm Prayer Group 1:00pm (Ruth Scanlon s) Choir Rehearsal 8pm pm Family Promise Info. Night (hosted by UMW) 6:30pm 13 9am-2pm Central City Café outreach 9:15am UMYF 6:30pm 16 Church Council 7:00pm 17 Park Parsons Daisy Troop 4:30-6:00pm 18 Choir Rehearsal 8pm pm 20 VISTA deadline 9am-2pm 21 Halloween Party 1-4pm Sewing Circle 9:30am-1:00pm Girl Scout Troop 5:30-7:00pm Brownie Troop 6:15-7:30pm Choir Rehearsal 8pm 3-9pm Faith Fellowship Adult Study 7-9pm Exemplary Needle Guild 9:30am-3:30pm 4-10pm Food Drive Sunday Sewing Circle 9:30am-4:00pm Girl Scout Troop 5:30-7:00pm OWLS Lunch 12 noon (Byrd House)

8 Orchard Park United Methodist Church 3700 North Buffalo Road Orchard Park, NY Newsletter of OPUMC Orchard Park United Methodist Church 3700 North Buffalo Road, Orchard Park, NY ~