OTTERBEIN TIMES To Know Christ better and make Christ better known

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1 February / March 2018 OTTERBEIN TIMES To Know Christ better and make Christ better known Dear Otterbein Family, A NOTE FROM OUR PASTOR Valentine s Day is well known as the day we celebrate love. We celebrate by sending millions of Valentine s Day cards, not including the hundreds of millions exchanged by children. Candy, flowers and any heart shaped item becomes a gift to express our love. This year for the first time since 1945, Valentine s Day is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. What an inconvenient quirk of the calendar since chocolate is often given up for Lent! Yet, this coincidence of the calendar has me pondering the connection between the self-examination and repentance of Lent and love. The spiritual practice of giving something up or fasting for Lent is intended to be a way for us to turn back to God. Denying ourselves sweet treats or an activity we especially like is a way to remind us of God s sacrificial love. Yet, I wonder if fasting from eating chocolate or not drinking caffeine or disengaging from social media for 40 days truly impacts our walk with Jesus. Since Lent is a good time to engage in the spiritual practice of self-denial, let s consider some other actions or inactions that when practiced for 40 days will truly impact our Christian journey. Consider giving up criticalness. Criticalness is defined as finding fault with or judging others. Give up that grudge or bitterness or resentment you have been holding against someone else. The only person you are hurting is yourself. Deny yourself the attitude of indifference. When we are indifferent, we are so concerned with our own issues that we lack compassion or don t feel the need to help others in our world. It s when we fast from these attitudes and others, such as the need to be in control or the need to be right all the time that we can begin to feast on love. The Apostle Paul says, Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, 13). Through his life and death, Jesus showed us the way to this kind of love. As we enter into the self-examination, the repentance, the fasting that is the journey of Lent may we grow deeper in the way of love that is revealed to us on the cross on which Jesus Christ willingly gave his life so that all might have life abundant. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, Joan

2 OTTERBEIN UMW Our UMW Winter break is coming to an end and the following is a review of some of our upcoming programs from Nancy Gettig. Unfortunately, she continues her recovery from facial shingles. Our thoughts are with you, Nancy. On Wednesday, February 14 (Ash Wednesday), we meet at 10:00am with Pastor Joan distributing ashes as we focus on the beginning of lent. Following a short business meeting, we will be making tiny caps for the young babies at Akron Children s Hospital. We need hands to cut and tie. It is not necessary to have knitting skills, so come join us! Our March speaker will be Brigitta Oaks. She has always been a friend of Otterbein and treated us to a tear-filled inspiring story last year. On March 6, we go to Grace UMC to serve supper for adult helpers and children at their mid-week children s program. We will need three willing servants. As we think about spring and living with less stuff, remember our main service project - our Trash and Treasure Sale on May We have pledged a minimum of $1,000 to a new school being built in the River Cess District of Liberia. Reverend Robert Tommy has offered an invitation to all in 2019 when the school is scheduled to open. Lastly, we wish safe travels to Shelby Cameron as she travels to Mexico on a medical mission trip this March. Stay warm and well, Anita Kramer MISSIONS The Champion Pride Council is going to join together to distribute food baskets for Easter. We will distribute nonperishable food items and Sparkle gift certificates. Otterbein UMC will be the coordinator and we will distribute on Saturday, March 24th. Please continue your generous support because our list of families continues to grow. Thank you for your compassion and support of those in need! GIRL SCOUTS Diane Wilson Missions Chair As you may know, it's Girl Scout Cookie Season and soon "cookie booths" will be popping up all over town. As a troop leader for Troop #80082, I can assure you that cookie season is a busy time of year for the troop, and our biggest fundraiser of the year. Talking with Lindsay and thinking about giving back to the community through Girl Scouts and keeping with spreading kindness to others, we thought it would be a good idea to see if we can get enough boxes donated to be able to share one box with every family that receives a Easter Food Basket from Champion Pride Council. Working with Diane Wilson, Lindsay will be sure that the cookies that have been donated will be dropped off to the food pantry before the baskets are packed. We thought it would be a nice Easter surprise for the families to enjoy. Thank you to all who have donated to Lindsay and our Girl Scout Troop. We are so thankful for your support to our troop! Thank you, Lindsay & Cara Lawson

3 RE-GENERATION Because of Regen and the community that I feel is my family now, I have never felt more comfortably uncomfortable following Christ. I am forever grateful for my family at Regen. This quote from a Regen member is why we are excited and looking forward to what God has for us in In 2018, we are anticipating the expansion of our children s ministry as we add a Kids Summer Camp, and as we welcome Children s Ministry Intern Kat Drescher. A highpoint for Regeneration in 2017 was our Christmas Candlelight Service on December 17 as we had 117 people attend. It was a exciting night of worship and fellowship! In December, we also got to celebrate Christmas with the students from Summit Academy. Thank you for the presents you gave, so each student could receive a gift! They were blown away by the generosity they experienced. As our goal at Regeneration is to make more disciples, we are always looking for ways to build into others, so we will be hosting two upcoming conferences. The IF:Gathering for women is on February 9-10 at Otterbein. Friday evening and Saturday morning, you are invited to attend this time of Bible teaching and worship together with women of all ages. Our marriage conference Better Together will take place on April As a community, we continue to be thankful for how God continues to show up and allows us to reach more people for his glory, and we could not be doing all of this without your partnership and support. Thank you for your willingness to partner with Regen to reach the next person for Christ. Stephanie Tennant

4 Total interest and dividend received in 2017 from our accounts at United Methodist Financial Credit Union totaled $ Our savings account with East Ohio United Methodist Foundation account earned Gross Income of $ and Appreciated in value of $ There were offsetting Management Fees of $46.33 for a net gain in the calendar year of $ Our mortgage balance on the parsonage, held at the UMF Credit Union, is $78,320. UMCOR (formerly One Great Hour of Sharing) Sunday is March 11, 2018 Your financial gift will benefit children, families and communities who have experienced devastation in the wake of disaster. Look for your special giving envelope in the bulletin that day or make a note on your normal monthly/weekly giving envelope. Ensure the United Methodist Church Can Keep Helping. Please give generously. Above is the report of account balances at calendar year-end Reflecting on last year s accomplishments, we can celebrate: Paying 100% of our Shared (or apportioned) amounts. Contributing to Shared Ministry puts us in mission across the U.S. and in 165 countries around the world. Supporting 2 youth locally attending church camp. Supporting Shelby Cameron with Mission trips to Mexico and Ecuador. Being part of the Warren Ministry Team making Regeneration not only possible but successful in bringing new people into worship and into the fold of God s grace and love. Spending $1,874 in Memorial Funds for banners, folding chairs, the piano cover and safety equipment for the beatification of the sanctuary and the safety of those who enter. Additional outreach with phenomenal giving towards special relief and mission projects. Not bad for a small community of Methodists! As you reflect on our finances, remain faithful to the Lord we serve. Invite others into His flock so that they, too, know the peace that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. Let s use all our resources for living out our mission in the mission field. All financial reports are available for your review. Jill Sakonyi Finance Chairperson Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! ~Psalms 100:2

5 Dear Otterbein Friends and Family... Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 118:1 We all need reminders sometime. God often uses His word to give us some much needed reminders. And one good reminder is: "Give thanks to the Lord." After Jesus healed the ten men who had cried out for healing from leprosy (Read It: Luke 17:11-19 ), only one of them came back to thank Him. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" Just like those nine ungrateful lepers, we are all prone to forget to give thanks to God. God is so good to provide for our every need. He meets our physical needs through things like food, clothing and shelter. He gives us a sense of belonging through our family and friends. He heals broken bodies and wrecked relationships. But in Psalm 118, King David adds an even greater dimension to why God deserves our thanks: His love endures forever. Enduring love does not change but remains strong and unyielding, even in the face of misfortune. Enduring love holds on through hardship and refuses to give in. That's the magnificent kind of love God has for us. He is worthy of our praise and He deserves our thanks! Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support for my Mexico mission trip. It really means a lot, and every bit helps! I can t wait to return and see what God has in store. Thank you! Shelby Cameron I would like to thank both the choir and the congregation for the generous Christmas gift. Also, I would like to thank the choir for their continued support and for working so hard learning such difficult music for the Christmas program and throughout the year. Many thanks to Marie Vine and Nancy Gettig for their talents and support as well as the faithful servants who participate in our choir. I am deeply grateful for your friendships and the fellowship we share every Thursday practice. God bless you in this coming year! Pam Plesea

6 Dates to Remember AARP Tax Preparations Begin February 5th-April 9, 2018 Every Monday from 9am-12pm UMW Meeting February 14, 2018 at 10am Ash Wednesday Service AME) February 14, 2018 at 7pm Grace AME 1137 Main Ave S.W. Warren, OH The Call Book Study February 15-March 22, 2018 Every Thursday at 10am IF: Gathering February 9, 2018 at 6pm February 10, 2018 at 9am Daylight Savings Time Begins March 11, 2018 UMCOR Sunday March 11, 2018 Maundy Thursday Service UMC) March 29, 2018 at 7pm Good Friday (Service TBD) Friday, March 30, 2018 Easter Services April 1, 2018 at 9:30am (Otterbein UMC) April 1, 2018 at 11:00am (Braceville UMC) You are invited to begin your Lenten journey by worshipping with other United Methodist churches in the area for worship on Ash Wednesday, February 14 at Grace AME located at 1137 Main Ave SW, Warren. The Maundy Thursday worship will be March 29 at Braceville UMC. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide offers free tax preparation help at Otterbein beginning Mondays February 5th - April 9th, 9:00am to noon. We understand that retirement or other life changes may mean your taxes are a little more complicated now. With the help of our team of IRS-certified volunteers we make it easy for you! In the quiet that descended on our house after all of our family had returned home following Christmas, I came upon an advertisement for a movie to be released March 28th. The movie is Paul: Apostle of Christ with James Faulkner as Paul and Jim Caviezel as Luke. This is all I know about this movie, but it prompted me to think about the Apostle Paul, his call to ministry, his missionary journeys and his message as recorded in the New Testament. As we journey through Lent, you are invited to immerse yourself in the journeys of Paul through the 6 week study The Call by Adam Hamilton. This study will begin Thursday, February 15th and meet every Thursday morning at 10 am through March Otterbein UMC. A book for this study is not necessary, but if you would like one, ebooks and paperback books are available online at Amazon or Cokesbury or a group paperback order can be placed through the church. The cost of the paperback book is $ Please indicate to Adreanne by February 4 th if you would like a copy of The Call. Even if you cannot commit to the entire 6 weeks, you are encouraged to join us for this study of Paul. It will take us to the early church sites of what is now modern-day Greece and Turkey as we immerse ourselves in the life of Christ s greatest teacher and missionary. The Call will help us deepen our own understanding of Christ through the words of Paul and also give us a solid foundation for the authenticity of the movie Paul: Apostle of Christ. Joan

7 FINANCE MINUTE I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me. (Mt. 25:35-36, CEB) SPECIAL OFFERINGS Thank you so much for your generosity in your special offering giving. There had been so much devastation with the 3 hurricanes (Harvey, Irma, Maria) and your responsive giving was phenomenal!! Below lists totals for each as well as our other special collections between September and year end: Special Hurricane Harvey $916 Special Hurricane Irma $470 Special Hurricane Maria $570 (includes Thanksgiving $120 + specific to Maria $450) Advent to Beatitude House $170 Christmas/Christmas Eve to Someplace Safe $290 Staff Gifts $870 This totals $3,286 just during this time period. What a celebration to the Glory of God. God Bless your kindness and compassion towards those in need and our hard working staff!

8 Otterbein United Methodist Church 1128 State Road W Warren, Ohio INSIDE This issue: Opportunities to deepen your faith and understanding of Easter with various Lent, Maundy Thursday and Easter Services!