Aldersgate United Methodist Church. Pastor s Ponderings

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1 July 2012 Volume 7, Issue 7 Aldersgate United Methodist Church Our mission is to grow in faith so that we may serve with love July Birthdays & Anniversaries * Denotes Anniversaries 1 Walt Jones 2 Cherry Eckland *Bunti & Rocky Reed 5 Jacob Pahlke 6 Martin Suzuki 8 Doug Eckland 12 Sandi Pahlke *Barb & Charlie Mitchell 24 Mary Sutton 26 Maureen Shivers 28 *Mary & Jim Sutton 29 Don Coffelt Did we miss your Birthday or Anniversary? Let Amy in the Church office know. Upcoming Meetings: Sunday July 1st- 11:00am - SPRC Meeting Sunday July 8th - 11:00am - Finance / Trustee Meeting Sunday July 15th - 11:00am - Serve Team Sunday July 22nd - Noon - Church Picnic Rainbow Connection Pastor s Ponderings It is our one year anniversary that we ve landed in Juneau and began our lives as Alaskans. We have been so very blessed as the Spirit has moved us into this small corner of the world and I thought it appropriate that I make a gratitude list for this first year anniversary. I am grateful for. 1 The wisdom of the cabinet to place me into an appointment that is such a good fit. 2 The hospitality of those who prepared our new home for us and welcomed each of us into the community with kindness and grace. 3 The generosity of those who helped Ken find employment the first weeks we arrived. 4 The sun and fireweed in the months of July and August. 5 The misty clouds lifting out of the forest 6 A school for Magen where the kids seem to be kinder and gentler than the schools she s attended in the past. 7 My walks with the dogs in the forest which has become my Sabbath. 8 A congregation without drama! 9 The plethora of people rising out of the pews to serve the church in ways where their gifts and graces are being offered in God s service. 10 The musicians who share their gifts of expressing God s love through song. 11 The teachers who lead and teach and facilitate spiritual growth from the youngest to the oldest. 12 The committee members who make the business decisions that keep Aldersgate s doors open. 13 A home that KICK S BUTT! 14 Ken who is thriving in a job he adores. 15 Magen s dear church friends who keep her grounded in love. 16 My new friends. 17 My work with NAMI 18 The opportunity to serve the conference in ways that would not be possible in my own conference. 19 All the seriously faithful people in the congregation who strive to have a deepening relationship with Christ and serve as a disciple that glorifies God. 20 Every Sunday when I get to worship with whoever shows up. I am grateful to God for all of the above Blessings and Happy Summertime, Pastor Susan

2 Page 2 Growing in Faith so that we Serve with Love. How We Serve... The Stewardship of our Building We have been so blessed to have this beautiful building where we worship, pray, learn and serve. The flying nun as I ve heard our church referred to, is a sacred place built with love by our fellow southern brothers and sisters in Christ. And what a generous and inspiring gift it has been for all of us. We have truly been blessed through the kindness of others. It is up to us to care for this gift and be good stewards of the blessings we ve received. Several times a year, we come together to clean and care for the building, but this year has been difficult. As much as we ve tried to organize Clean Up Days, the weather and schedules got in the way. Trustees are asking for your help in a new way. Perhaps we can t all come together at once to help with our building, but we can all take a job or two and complete that assignment when it is convenient for us. Please sign up for a chore of two and take responsibility for the chore you have adopted. Try to accomplish your task before August 22. You can sign up for a chore on Sunday morning, or you can call Amy at the church office where she will keep track of the clean up list. Make it a party and sign up with your friends and come in together. Checking off all the chores on the list by August 22 will ensure that we have a spotless, loved and cared for home by Kick Off Sunday. Let s respect the gift that we ve all been given and show our appreciation by being good stewards of our building. After all the cleaning is done then we might spruce up with a clean coat of paint in the Church Office, Pastor s office, Bathrooms, Kitchen, and Rail outside church. List of jobs and sign up sheet can be obtained from Amy Ely or in the Narthex. Pigs on a Mission GLORY HOLE HELP Serving at the Glory Hole is a blessing that many of us have enjoyed. If you have not yet served a meal here, it is a treat. Call Keith, , if you are interested in giving it a go. FOOD PANTRY Food of the month: cereal and boxed milk. This quarter's mission will end on Sunday, August 26 th, we will use the funds raised by our pigs to buy backpacks and school supplies for any child at Glacier Elementary who may be in need. Don't have a pig let us know and we will get you one, we would like every member have one.

3 Page 3 Growing in Faith so that we Serve with Love. How We Learn... SUNDAY SCHOOL Announcement Sunday School is on Summer Break, we will resume after Labor Day. Nursery for infants and toddlers, available all summer from 9:30am-noon. Seminary Internship Prior to coming to Northern Light, Rev. Phil Campbell served on a seminary faculty where one of his main responsibilities was directing the field education and internship program. As a part of their preparation for ministry, seminary students do an internship in a local church or other ministry setting. Juneau provides a wonderful environment for learning about the joys and challenges of ministry and Pastor Phil has been working with Aldersgate and Douglas United Methodist Churches to establish a full-time Juneau internship for a seminary student. Under the proposal, the student will work with all three congregations in various aspects of ministry; a primary responsibility will be the development and direction of a shared youth ministry. The student will lead weekly Sunday evening youth gatherings that will rotate locations the three churches and other sites throughout the community, as well as run children and youth programming at Northern Light on Wednesday evenings. The student will also work with other ministries in the congregations and community, will assist in worship and preach occasionally, spending approximately 1/3 of the Sunday mornings at each of the churches. This spring, we interviewed excellent candidates for the internship and we are excited to announce that we have selected a terrific student to serve as our first intern! Allyn Steele, a second year student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, will arrive August 21 and be with us for one year. Prior to beginning his seminary studies, Allyn taught history to high school students at the Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina, and served on the staff of Wofford College where he coordinated the school s ecological sustainability efforts and developed a program to enhance student involvement in effective community service. He has a passion for helping young people explore the spiritual, ethical and moral dimensions of their lives. His references all speak to his ability to relate well to a wide range of people, his good organizational skills, and his capacity to see a project through from the beginning to completion. He serves on the board of the Highlander Research and Education Center and his interests include soccer, creative writing, singing, and fiddle and guitar playing. Allyn s first Sunday morning at Aldersgate will be our Kick Off Sunday on August 26 th. The first combined youth group meeting will be a cookout at Sandy Beach, 4:30 on September 9. We look forward to Allyn s presence with us. ~ Phil Campbell How We Pray... Prayers Appreciated A team of 20 people took on the challenge to read the Bible from beginning to end in 90 days. That may not seem like such a difficult task, but when you go through page after page of genealogies with names that are impossible to pronounce, listings of places that don t exist anymore, and page after page or wars and battles and sacrifice, it becomes a serious chore. Our team is 1/3 of the way through the Bible and we are pluggin along, but we ask for your help. Please lift up each and every name below and pray that they have the vigor to persevere and will experience a kind of transformation that is unique to reading the entire Bible. Beth Buswell Carol May Charlie Mitchell Barbara Mitchell David Means Hannah Sutcliff Kate Hudson Keith Pahlke Sandi Pahlke Lauree Morton Lyall Hadsel Alice Hadsel Marie Lam Martin Suzuki Jo McDowell Rachel Gladhart Shelly Smith Stephany Day Susan Boegli Mary Reeves

4 Page 4 Growing in Faith so that we Serve with Love. How We Worship... June Attendance: The Average June attendance was 42 of which 13 were youth. Meaning youth averaged 31% of our June attendance. THE HUNGER OF THE WORLD thing that is done for no other reason than because that s what we ve always done. Often, the ritual itself can feel like an empty waste of time extending worship beyond its sacred sixty (minutes that is). The concept of eating Jesus body and drinking blood can be grotesque. There are times when I myself wonder how relative the ritual of communion is in the context that we live. But I m left remembering that this is a central sacrament telling THE central story of our faith. The lectionary is leading us into 5 Sundays of scripture that reference our hunger and Jesus as the bread of heaven. So I wonder how I might help make communion a meaningful experience that takes on the essence that this is indeed the cornerstone of our faith. My prayer is that over the next few weeks, as we explore the meaning and message of communion, the mystery of the event will inflate before us and we will all find a way to come to the table with a bit more humility and sense of awe. May our own hungers and the hungers of the world be satiated. Fellowship and Fun In place of our monthly potluck join us at Auke Rec for a Church Picnic at Noon on Sunday July 22nd. Main dish (hotdogs, hamburgers and chicken) will be provided you bring the sides, salads and desserts. A Gaters on the Field Lately I ve been reflecting on the concept and practice of communion. For many, this ritual we do once a month is a theatrical script; some- Ken Boegli is putting together a team to play softball for the short season. We begin mid July through mid August. Two games a week (usually week nights) with some practice. Call Ken ( ) if you re interested in being part of the team, even if you know you ll miss a game or two. Cost is $25 per person. The registration fee has already been paid by a generous fan.

5 Page 5 Growing in Faith so that we Serve with Love. How Our Church Works ~ Generosity Matters A Burden on the Budget In 10 years, health insurance costs for pastors have almost doubled. This has been a huge burden on the budget of the local churches, including Aldersgate. In 2001, Aldersgate paid $9,810 for your pastor s health insurance. In 2011, health insurance for your pastor cost Aldersgate $18,070. Bruce Galvin, the benefits administrator for the PNW and Alaska conference sent out a memo after the Supreme Court ruling on June 28th. In that memo he wrote: The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits has been working with Mercer, a consulting firm in the healthcare field, since the legislation was passed so we have a pretty good idea how healthcare reform will impact each annual conference and its participants. I think it will have a major impact. Let us hope and pray that the costs for insuring your pastors (including me) will return to a more manageable amount so that our finances can be redirected to serving others January to June Income and expenses Outstanding Bills: Apportionment ~ $ Health Insurance ~ $ C&C Custodial April & May ~ $ Ike s Fuel ~ $ Juneau Empire $21.00 Church Mutual Property Insurance ~ $ Xerox ~ $ AEL&P $ AEL&P $192.58

6 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 SPRC Meeting 11:00am :00am Finance/ Trustee Meeting Serve Team meeting 11:00am 6:00p 22 Church Picnic Auke Rec 29 NO Potluck AUMC Cooks and serves at the Glory Hole Things to Look Forward to: All Church Retreat August 17th. Kick-off Sunday August 26th Worship at 11:00am.

7 Aldersgate United Methodist Church Po Box Cinema Juneau, AK 9801 We re on the Web! And on Facebook Search: Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Juneau, AK Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors. Susan Boegli, Pastor To reach Susan, please call: Pastor Pastor Susan s Susan s Office Office Hours: Hours: Mondays Mondays are are her her day day off Tuesdays Noon - 3:00pm off Wednesdays Noon - 3:00pm Tuesdays 1:00pm-3:00pm and Thursdays Noon - 3:00pm Wednesdays 3:00pm-5:00pm Fridays for Pastoral Emergencies and Thursdays 11:00am-1:00pm Church Office: Fridays for Pastoral Emergencies Amy Ely, Office Manager Church Office: aumcjuneau@gci.net Amy Phone Ely, Office Manager aumcjuneau@gci.net Fax: Regular Hours Tues / Wed / Phone Fri 12:15pm-2:15pm Mon & Thu Fax: by appointment Regular Hours Tues / Wed / Fri 12:15pm-2:15pm The Alaska United Methodist Conference would like for all United Methodists to receive the e~aurora. Please consider signing up for this weekly newsletter at: For lots of great news about United Methodist Ministries around Alaska: go to: AROUND THE CONFERENCE edited and compiled by Jim Sutton Anchorage, AK - Alaska United Methodist Conference Superintendent Dave Becket is taking some renewal leave from June 15-July 31. Dave and his wife will travel for 5 weeks throughout the west attending PNW conference, family vacation, brother time, hospital visit for his hand tremor, reading and writing, and jurisdictional conference. Rev. Bob Smith of Turnagain UMC and former DS will handle any superintendent emergencies. Prayers for safe travel and spiritual renewal are requested. The Alaska United Methodist Women has a Facebook page! It is just being started now, please feel free to go to Clarice Moore won the the Harry Denman Award for Evangelism at Annual Conference. Clarice works at First UMC, Fairbanks and Donna Singleton won the Alaska Lay Person of the Year award at Annual Conference. Donna attends Christ First UMC in Wasilla. Free GBOD Webinars: July 24, 6:30-7:30 PM (CDT) What Happens When the Rules Don't Work? Critical Thinking and Adult Faith Participants in this webinar will examine the role of mental models as they pertain to faith and explore how critical thinking comes to the rescue when mental models don't seem to work anymore.