SGUMC MISSIONAL CHURCH CONSULTATION INITIATIVE UPDATE

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1 Page 1 February2019 Volume 28 Issue 2 SGUMC MISSIONAL CHURCH CONSULTATION INITIATIVE UPDATE We are well into the first year of our Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI). A few people have asked me to give an update of where we are in the MCCI process and what we can expect to happen next. We are currently in the process of doing the MCCI congregational self-study. A team has been constituted to complete the self-study. The study includes several topics such as (but not limited to): A brief history and description of Sulphur Grove; A demographic study of the church that includes the 20 year trend of membership and worship attendance, the average age of the congregation, number of baptisms and a gender and racial description of Sulphur Grove, etc.; A study of the community one square mile around the church that includes things like age, race, and population trends; The final area is a description of Sulphur Grove s core values and basic beliefs including theology, key social issues, mission partnerships, and financial commitments (including apportionment payment history and debt). All of this information will be compiled into a comprehensive report that will then be shared with a Self- Study Group. The Self-Study Group as defined by the MCCI process is made up of all paid staff, the church council, and the MCCI implementation team. The self-study group will then reflect on the data of self-assessment report using questions provided. The questions include such things as (but not limited to): What are the three greatest strengths of this congregation? What are the three most significant weaknesses of the church? What are the three biggest changes that the congregation has undergone in the last three years? What three changes would you like to see your church make, listed by priority? The purpose of this process is to stimulate self-reflection within the congregation and the church leadership. After completion the report will be submitted the Conference MCCI team for their information. Soon after the submission of the report to the MCCI staff, they will schedule a time to come to Sulphur Grove to interview the pastors, staff, and the leadership teams of the church. Time will also be made to interview anyone in the congregation who wishes to participate. The completed study will be made available to the congregation. That s a brief update of where we are and what will be happening in the next several months. Remember, the MCCI is a 2-3 year process. Another update will be provided as we enter the next phase that follows the congregational self-study. The SonLight Published Monthly Sulphur Grove UMC 7505 Taylorsville Road Huber Heights, OH Sulphur Grove United Methodist Church Growing Disciples, Living and Sharing God s love

2 Page 2 The Breakthrough Prayer Initiative is one of the most exciting things for me about the Missional Church Consultation Initiative (MCCI). It helps me remember that God still works in miraculous ways today and I hope it reminds you of the same. God enjoys hearing and answering our prayers. What an awesome thing it is that the God of all creation listens to our individual and corporate prayers! I also believe God enjoys answering prayer in such a way that the person offering the prayer has no doubt that it was answered with God s intercession. In our world and culture of advanced science and medicine, people can be lulled into a sense that science and medicine alone accomplish miraculous things. We are blessed by God to be able to do things through science and medicine that people just a generation ago could only dream of doing. I remember as a child the Dick Tracy comics and how cool it would be to have a wrist watch device like Dick s that could be used for communicating with others. That comic strip fantasy is now a reality. Science and medicine can do things today that, only a relatively short time ago, were just fantasy. Yet God has always done things that are fantasy from a human perspective. The good news is that God is still present and active in the world today and God still works in miraculous ways. I have shared with you some of the miraculous ways God has worked for other churches through the Missional Church Consultation Initiative here in the West Ohio Conference. We too can expect God to work in miraculous ways through the MCCI if we are willing to pray Breakthrough Prayers and believe that God will do things for us that only God can do. Let us continue to pray our first Breakthrough Prayer together, God, what is your will for the future of Sulphur Grove? Please be sure to take time to listen for God s response. I hope the January sermon series on the different ways God speaks to people helped you learn how God speaks to you. Use what you learned to listen carefully for God s response. If we pray and listen carefully, God will reveal God s desires for the future of Sulphur Grove. Please continue to pray the breakthrough prayer at least once daily so, we may discover together God s perfect and holy will for the future of our beloved church. Blessings and Peace, LISTEN LIVE! Traveling this winter? Visiting parents, grandparents or grandkids? You can still worship with your friends and neighbors at Sulphur Grove. The Taylorsville campus broadcasts both the 8:45 and 10:30 am worship services live through the internet. Simply click into the Sulphur Grove website ( and click on the Click to Listen button toward the bottom of the screen. You can hear all the music, all the prayers, and even the jokes!

3 Page 3 MISSIONS AND OUTREACH We are a mission church. We believe in reaching out to those in need locally, nationally and globally. MARDI GRAS AT THE GROVE GRUB AT THE GROVE REE COMMUNITY MEAL TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 5-6:30 PM TAYLORSVILLE ACTIVITY CENTER Stop on by and join in on the fun! Betty Merrick has created booklets explaining Mardi Gras and all of the traditions. A few surprises are in store also! Come check it out. A free wintertime meal will be served along with dessert, piping hot beverages, as well as iced tea and lemonade. It is always a treat to gather and enjoy a meal at Grub. The prayer room will be available for anyone needing immediate prayer support. Everyone is welcome. To volunteer contact Judy Holt , jdhsm@aol.com, or sign up in the Taylorsville pew pads. Make plans now and we will see you on the 26 th. If there is inclement weather please check with WHIO/Channel 7 or Sulphur Grove s congregational for cancellations. Many thanks to the Men s Quartet and Ann Snyder for the time they shared with us to provide special Christmas music at our December meal. It really was a joyous evening. Thank you. BAGS OF LOVE Thank you so much for your continued support of our Bags of Love ministry. There are many children in the Huber Heights schools who might not have access to enough food over the weekend. Bags of Love sends home a bag of easy to prepare food to children each Friday. We prepare 30 bags/week. Basic toiletry items are added to the bag once a month. Donations may be left in the Bags of Love bin in the Gathering Area at Taylorsville. At the Y, donations can be left in the food donation bin on a table in the lobby. All items should be individual size, please. **Please note: Due to peanut allergies, the school has requested no peanut butter items** *boxes of cereal *applesauce *pudding cups *microwave mac & cheese *beanie weenie *fruit cups *veggie cups *microwave ravioli *fruit snacks *granola bars *100% juice boxes *cheese crackers *shampoo *deodorant *bar of soap *toothbrush & toothpaste THANK YOU!! CHILD CARE HELP NEEDED There are currently a few spots open for Child Care Providers for evening activities (these are not the volunteer Sunday morning positions). We occasionally need child care for Youth Group, Bible study groups and choir rehearsal. These are paid positions. A background check and Safe Sanctuary training are required. You must be 18 years or older. If you are interested and would like more information, please contact Beth bethw@sulphurgrove.org or call the church office OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE CHRIST After many years of faithfully serving Christ by preparing the elements for Holy Communion, Joe Caplinger is giving up this task. There is a need for a few more individuals to serve Christ and the church in this way. If you are willing to help with this holy privilege of preparing the elements for Communion, please contact Pastor Barry at barryb@sulphurgrove.org or by calling the church the end of January. Training will be provided. P.S.: Please take a moment to thank Joe for his faithful service! NURSERY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT TAYLORSVILLE We are looking for nursery volunteers for the Taylorsville nursery on Sunday mornings. We have openings during both services. Volunteers must pass a background check and participate in Safe Sanctuaries Training. Please contact Beth bethw@sulphurgrove.org or call the church office if you are interested in participating in this vital ministry at Sulphur Grove. NURSERY CARE DURING WORSHIP SERVICES Childcare is provided during worship services at Taylorsville for children under the age of 4 years old. Children 4 years old and older are invited to join their family for the first part of the service and then go to KidZone for age appropriate activities after the Children s Blessing. There are coloring pages and activity sheets on the clipboards outside the doors at the back of the sanctuary for the children. Please contact Beth bethw@sulphurgrove.org or call the church office if you have any questions or concerns.

4 The SonLight February 2019 MISSIONS AND OUTREACH Page 4 We are a mission church. We believe in reaching out to those in need locally, nationally and globally. A NOTE OF THANKS & REPORT FROM THE THE HOMEFULL MISSION TEAM For it is said Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. Proverbs 28:27 On Saturday January 5th, 2019, the SGUMC HomeFull Mission Team members prepared and served lunch to 40 women guests and afterwards to 43 family members (mostly children) at the St. Vincent DePaul facility. With your generous donations, we were able to provide the following Dayton organizations whose mission is helping the homeless and those who are in need: St. Vincent DePaul - Several small and large cases of sizes 5 & 6 diapers, 1 large case and several smaller packages of baby wipes, sippy cups, along with women s and children s socks. St. Paul s UMC - A truck full of items including: 50 pounds of rice, a case of gallon Ziploc bags, two cases of canned vegetables, a case of Ramen, a case of Depend underwear, infant formula, soft baby food, sport magazines, men, women and children s clothing (25 bags and 3 boxes), some winter coats, a bag of plastic grocery bags, a box of hygiene products, and a small box of miscellaneous household type items. Mercy Manor- A large screen TV, two boxes of women s clothing, three women s winter coats, a small box of hygiene products, kitchen utensils, and kitchen storge containers. May God bless all who have donated items for the homeless and those in need. Some of the Samaritan Bin. desired donations are: Sippy Cups Money for Bus Passes/Tokens (Place your financial gift in the offering clearly marked HomeFull Bus Passes ) Infant/Children clothing, size 5/6 Diapers, Training Pants Toilet Paper, Cleaning Supplies & Laundry Detergent Men s & Women s Deodorant Feminine Hygiene and Oral Hygiene Products Please continue to keep those who are homeless and in need, especially the children, in your daily thoughts and prayers. For more information regarding volunteering to help cook and serve lunch, please contact Clela Farlee at and information regarding donations, please contact Allan Matts at IT S DIRECTORY TIME AGAIN!! Update Membership Information CHURCH DIRECTORY ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY It is time for us to update our database with any changes, additions, or deletions that may have occurred in your family over the past year. Have you changed your phone number? Have you moved? Are you preparing to move soon? Are all of your children still at home and are they all included in your membership record? Do you want your record published? If you have not already informed the Church Office about changes to your record, please let us know now so that the information in the Guide Book & Directory is correct. We need to have all updated information turned in before Monday, February 11, We know this is short notice, but it has been in the weekly bulletins. If we do not hear from you by the deadline, we will go with what is currently on file. Please send an to the church office with your updated information. Our is: office@sulphurgrove.org. Thank you for your help! We are in the process of updating our annual Guide Book & Directory for the church. This book will contain everything pertinent to our church: the various ministries, organizations, committees, activities, functions and events plus a complete directory of all members. This book is being provided and direct-mailed to each family at no cost to our church, and it is again being subsidized by local businesses that advertise. If you own or manage a business and would like to find out about advertising in our book, please call the Church Office by Monday, February 11, Recent survey results by Guide Book Publishing show that 92.1% of families would rather patronize a Guide Book & Directory advertiser over a non-advertiser. It will pay to advertise in our new Guide Book & Directory. Thank you for your support!

5 Page 5 MISSIONS AND OUTREACH We are a mission church. We believe in reaching out to those in need locally, nationally and globally. WANTED! COLLEGE STUDENT ADDRESSES DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 10th We plan to send our second care packages to our college students. It is extremely important, parents and grandparents, that you submit new information or verify old addresses so that we do not miss anyone. We usually send these packages around Valentine s Day. Please turn the names in ASAP to Nancy Trent at Tonyponcho@aol.com or text or sign up in the pew pads. Providing this information in a timely manner helps with buying supplies and allows those making or supplying goodies to budget accordingly. Thank you. IT S COLLEGE COOKIE TIME! SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH We will be sending our second care package of the year to our college students on Sunday, February 17 th, a little after Valentine s Day. If you would like to bake cookies or send any treats, such as popcorn, pretzels, Chex mix, candy, etc., or anything else you think they might like, please contact Nancy Trent at , send an to Tonyponcho@aol.com, text , or sign up in the pew pads. Plan on 30 boxes. Please bring your items to the kitchen on Sunday, February 17 th before 10:30am and be sure to label them FOR COLLEGE KIDS, so they do not get mixed up with the goodies for hospitality. Our students really appreciate that we are thinking of them while they are at school, so THANK YOU in advance for volunteering to provide goodies for them. Nancy Trent

6 Page 6 UPCOMING EVENTS AND MORE... ~~ FROM THE OFFICE ~~ NEW OFFICE HOURS Please note the new office hours are: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 1:30pm ~~ UMW NEWS ~~ CARITAS CIRCLE will meet Wednesday, February 6th at 9 am in the Fellowship Hall, Taylorsville. Hostesses are Clela Farlee and Claudia Frantz. Program TBA. NEW DIMENSIONS CIRCLE will meet Tuesday, February 12th at 7 pm at the home of Evvie Moore. Stephanie Payne will lead the discussion of CHAPTER 11 in the Study Book: "Becoming Women of Faith". Thanks to your generous and prayerful support, in December our congregation contributed $2,292 to the Church World Service Blankets+ program. At $10 each for blankets...that is the equivalent of wrapping 229 people in the love of Christ!!!!! A NOTE FROM THE TRUSTEES Can you please help with the security in the church building? Our church is open and offered for use by church ministries and many outside groups. We need folks who use the building to be responsible for caring for the security of the building. If you unlock the building or turn on lights, please turn them off and lock up as you leave. If you think someone else is still in the building, please confirm that before you leave. Whoever is last should turn off lights and lock up. Please check lights in the restrooms also. Pray for the security of our church and grounds. Thank you!

7 Page 7 IN OTHER NEWS HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF UNITED METHODIST WOMEN: Did you know that the current national organization of UMW is celebrating its 150 th birthday in March 2019? Its humble beginnings started in 1869 in Boston when 2 wives of missionaries from India spoke to a group of ladies in a Methodist Church about the deplorable conditions for women and children in India. After some organizing, raising money etc, this group of ladies formed the Women s Foreign Missionary Society (WFMS). By the end of 1869 funds were raised to send two missionaries, Isabella Thorburn, an educator, and Dr. Clara Swain to India to serve needy women and children. Ms. Thornburg established a small school for young girls which grew to become a college for women. Dr. Swain began medical work for women and children (by custom, they could not be treated or educated by men). She eventually established the first hospital for women in India with great support from the WFMS. Both of these institutions are still functioning and serving the people in India. About the same time period, Lizzie Hoffman was instrumental in forming the Women s Missionary Society of the United Brethern Church, Sulphur Grove s original denomination. After much prayer, she convinced her organization that missionaries should be sent to Sierra Leone, establishing a long relationship of missionaries in Africa. A group of Ohio Methodist women became very concerned about the bad conditions of women and children after the Civil War. Many had no husbands or fathers to help support them due to the war. African American women and children were especially affected and lived in poverty. These Ohio Methodist ladies formed the Women s Home Missionary Society in 1880 to serve the growing needs to women and children left behind by the war. First Lady Lucy Hayes, wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes and a long time Methodist, became the first President of WHMS. She worked with WHMS until her untimely death at 59. These three organizations went through changes until 1972 when it became United Methodist Women. There are now over 800,000 women serving Jesus Christ through UMW supported missions. The goals have always been the same; to provide help through Jesus Christ to women and children in need, local, national, and world-wide. More to follow next month. Submitted by Sue Breisch WHAT S IN A NAME? EVERYTHING! The HIPAA Privacy Act has implications for pastors and other visitors to the hospital of which you need to be aware. Here is an example. My mother s given name was Wilma Arleen Baughman yet throughout her life she went by her middle name of Arleen (she loathed the name Wilma). Many people did not know my mother s first name. So when she was in the hospital after the HIPAA Act, the person at the information desk would say to those asking for Arleen Baughman, We have no one here by that name. Under the HIPAA Act, unless a visitor (including pastors) can identify the person by their name as it is listed on the patient roster, which is normally their legal name, they cannot acknowledge that person as a patient in the hospital. The same goes for florists trying to deliver flowers or other items. As a result of HIPAA, I want to remind you that if you or a family member identifies by a name other than your/their legal name, you need to let the pastoral staff know the correct name so we will not be turned away when we try to make a hospital visit. I have personally been turned away 6 times since the implementation of the HIPAA so it is not as uncommon as you think it might be. Thanks for your help with this matter! Pastor Barry

8 Page 8 TAYLORSVILLE Worship 8:45 & 10:30 am YMCA Worship 9:30 am February 3 You Talkin to Me? Hearing God s Voice: Contempatives, Intellectuals Psalm 8:1-4; Psalm 19:1-4a February 3 You Talkin to Me? Hearing God s Voice: Contempatives, Intellectuals Psalm 8:1-4; Psalm 19: 1-4a February 10 Scout Sunday Combined service at 10:30am February 10 You Talkin to Me? Hearing God s Voice: He Spoke, What s Next? Matthew 22:38-40 February 17 The Art of Invitation: Open Doors & Firm Standards Matthew 22:8-14 February 17 The Art of Invitation: Open Doors & Firm Standards Matthew 22:8-14 February 24 The Art of Invitation: We Must Give Ministry Away Exodus 18:13-27 February 24 The Art of Invitation: We Must Give Ministry Away Exodus 18:13-27 Also: Monday, February 11: URS Service at 1:00pm Saturday, February 16: Landings of Huber Heights Service at 10:30am and Stillwater at 4:00pm Thursday, February 28: URS Service at 1:00pm and Stillwater at 6:00pm

9 Page 9 SULPHUR GROVE GIVING OF OUR TITHES & OFFERINGS YEAR TO DATE AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2018 Total General Fund Giving $681, Transfers to Budget $34, Total General Fund Income $715, Total General Fund Expenses $716, Loan Balance $625, Payment to Loan Principal $1,034, On-line giving available on our website at Monthly detailed finance reports are available through the church office. Please contact Ray Fosnot at treasurer@sulphurgrove.org or if you would like to receive a report or have questions. MARCH 2019 NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: Friday, February 8, 2018 Please submit articles to Traci at tracis@sulphurgrove.org or drop off at the church office. Lengthy articles may be subject to editing. Questions? Please call the church office at Sulphur Grove United Methodist Church Ministers The People of Sulphur Grove United Methodist Church including: Barry Baughman... Lead Pastor Marty McMichael... Pastor Y Campus Latoya Warren... Pastor Brandt Campus Latoya Warren... Pastor of Congregational Care Zach Holler... Pastor of Community Engagement Katie Greene... Director of Youth Ministries Beth Wenzel... Director of Children s Ministries Samantha Seeberg... Taylorsville Choir Director Eric Munson... YMCA Worship Leader Gary Carmack... Brandt Worship Leader Ray Fosnot... Treasurer Jacque McAdams... Administrative Assistant Traci Schaaf... Administrative Assistant TAYLORSVILLE 7505 Taylorsville Road Huber Heights OH (937) Worship ~ 8:45 & 10:30 am Kiawanda Language Worship 2:30pm -5:00pm in Holden Chapel YMCA 7251 Shull Road Huber Heights OH (937) Worship ~ 9:30 am BRANDT 6805 East US 40 Tipp City, OH (937) Worship ~ 11:00 am Taylorsville Office Hours: Mon - Fri: 9:00am-1:30 pm office@sulphurgrove.org