WHAT DOES EASTER MEAN TO YOU AND FOR YOU?

Transcription

1 Bartlett Chapel News APRIL 2019 WHAT DOES EASTER MEAN TO YOU AND FOR YOU? A woman looked out her kitchen window one morning and saw her German shepherd shaking the life out of her neighbor s pet rabbit. Her relationship with this neighbor was already a bit shaky, and she knew this would only make matters worse. So, she quickly snatched a broom from the closet, ran outside, and then whacked the dog until he finally dropped the rabbit. The little rabbit lay there motionless, covered with dog drool, and extremely, extremely dead. After a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, she maneuvered the rabbit onto the end of her broom, and then she brought the now dead animal into her home. She dumped it in the bathtub, turned on the shower, and rinsed the body until it was clean. She then got out her hairdryer and blew the rabbit dry. She dug out an old brush from the bottom of a drawer and combed the rabbit s fur until it looked pretty normal. When she was sure no one was looking, she climbed back over the fence, snuck around to the back of the neighbor s house, and put the rabbit back in its cage, so she could never be blamed for its death. About an hour later, she heard terrifying screams coming from her neighbor s yard. She rushed outside, pretending that she had no idea what could be going on. The neighbor came running to the fence. All the color had drained from her face. Pretending innocence, the woman asked: What in the world is wrong? Pastor Jeff, Page 2 HOLY WEEK In This Issue Pg Pastor Jeff 1,2 Announcements 2 Calendar 4,5 Thank You s 6 Mission Moment 6 Homebound Members 7 Birthdays 7 Anniversaries 7 Volunteer Schedule 8 Just to Clarify Insert Palm Sunday 9 a.m. Easter Cantata Maundy Thursday Service 7 p.m. Good Friday Service 7 p.m. Easter Egg Hunt Saturday 10 a.m. Easter Sunday - 4/21 7:30 a.m. - Sunrise Service 8:00 a.m. Breakfast 9:00 a.m. - Worship Join the conversation: facebook.com /bartlettchapel

2 Pastor Jeff continued from Page 1 Why are you screaming like this? The neighbor was sobbing and in utter shock. You re not going to believe what has happened! I can t believe it myself! Our rabbit died two days ago, she continued, all out of breath, and struggling to get her words out. We buried him in the backyard and now he s back! And with that, she took off running back toward the house, trembling, and shaking her head in disbelief. I wonder if that does not give us just a glimpse of what that first Easter Sunday must have been like for those women who made their way to the tomb early that morning, and they were met with, well, an incredible surprise that none of them had expected. For they too were frightened out of their wits, and they too fled from that empty tomb, afraid, probably shaking their heads, and wondering what in the world had happened. What does Easter mean to you? What does the Resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to you and for you? How does it change your life, if at all? Does Easter mean something significant to you? Does it mean something more than an opportunity for a new spring outfit, a family dinner, or an excuse to buy the head off of those annoying little yellow and purple and pink marshmallow Peeps? What does Easter mean for you? I don t know what challenge you face in your life in these days. Perhaps there is stress at work. Maybe you are in a marriage or relationship that s falling apart or has already fallen apart. Perhaps there is a son or daughter, someone you love more than life itself, who is struggling with life or estranged from you. Maybe you have financial pressures that are more and more overwhelming your life. Perhaps you have just done the wrong thing, or said the wrong thing, or made a mistake that, to you, feel so big that it could never be made right. We may say that we had made such a mess of our lives that not even the Risen Lord can forgive and heal the damage that we done. But that is NOT true. Even if you don t think he can, Jesus, the resurrected Jesus, will still come in with redeeming grace, and transform your heart and life. You may say that you are so angry and hurt by someone or something in life, and believe that not even God can help you get past this this deep wound in your heart, but you cannot keep him out. Even if you don t think he can, the Risen Jesus, the Lord of Life, will still come into your heart with healing love. You may feel that your life is so hard, so messed up, so lost and off-track, your future may be so confusing, your heart so full of pain and fear, that not even Jesus can see you through this time. Perhaps there is an illness that is looming over you. But because of The Resurrection, because of the overwhelming love and grace God has for you, the Risen Christ will still come into your life with comfort and with 2 peace and with strength. Because you see no matter who we are no matter where we are no matter what we have done or what we have not done no matter how strong or weak or altogether or messed up we may be or think we may be I am here to tell you the good news that Jesus Christ is Risen. He is risen, INDEED! And because he is risen words of Paul ring true: Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture. None of this fazes us, because Jesus loves us. And I am absolutely convinced that NOTHING nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable absolutely nothing can get between us and God s love because of the way that Jesus our Lord has embraced us. So, again, I ask you: What does Easter mean to YOU? Would you pray with me: O Holy God, open my ears to hear your Good News this very day! Open my eyes to see beyond what I can see today and to see your very Presence here with me this very second and your blessings upon my life! Open my heart to know your incredible love, offered to me here and now and with me in all times and places in my life. In the name of Christ the Risen Lord, I pray. AMEN. Pastor Jeff Reed Senior Pastor

3 Announcements SERENDIPITY TLC BIBLE STUDY Serendipity TLC Bible Study will meet in Room 14, on Wednesday, April 3, 10, and 10:00 AM. We are currently studying the Women of Faith Series, Experiencing Contagious Joy, if you would like to join us. Questions...contact Leanna Sherman at or creative -rn@prodigy.net. MARGE SQUAD Marge Squad, who knits and crochets blankets for Project Linus and other local organizations, will meet on Wednesday, April 10 and 2:00 PM in Room 11. Beginners are welcome and encouraged to join us! Questions...contact Leanna Sherman at or creativern@prodigy.net. BARNABAS MINISTRY Please be sure you are remembering your student during the month of April. Most of them will begin finals toward the end of the month and some may even finish in April. You can always check your student's school calendar online for dates of finals. We will have an end of the school year breakfast to reveal who each student s Barnabas has been. That date is yet to be determined. Thank you for your prayer ministry to your student. ~ Linda Reed GRADUATION SUNDAY.SENIORS ON THE GO! Seniors on the Go will meet at noon on Tuesday, April 23rd. The program will be provided by Kairos Prison Ministries. They will be sharing the ministries they have for prisoners inside the prison and their outside ministries for families of prisoners. A sign-up sheet will be outside the office for those planning to attend and those willing to bring a side dish to help with the meal. Graduation Sunday will be May 19th. Parents of Preschool, Kindergarten, 8th grade, and college graduates, we would like to have 1 picture of your graduate. Parents of High School graduates, we would like to have 10 pictures of your graduate. Please them to the church office: cathy@bartlettchapel.com, by Friday, May 10th. Reception for High school seniors BUDDY BAG SCHEDULE 4/8 - Dave & Bev Griffith 4/15 - Freda Creech and Todd & Mitzi Griffith 4/22 - Linda Reed and Joanna Sell 4/29 - Lisa Smith and Kim Price Game night Everyone is invited to bring their favorite card or board game on Friday, April 5 from 7-9 p.m. for a game night! You are welcome to bring a snack to share, if you d like and we will provide drinks The United Methodist Women wish to invite our high school seniors to be the honored guests at a reception on Sunday, May 19, following the 9:00 a.m. worship service. Please mark your calendars and plan to come and allow your church family to celebrate your graduation with you and your family. 3

4 THANK YOU On behalf of myself and our family, I want to extend our sincerest thank you for all the prayers and cards on the passing of my brother. Your thoughtfulness brings comfort and warmth to all our hearts, as we go forth without Gary, knowing he is enjoying the comfort and warmth of God s welcome through heaven s gates. Blessings, The Harris/Faulkner Families YOUTH CALENDAR 4/5 from 7-9 p.m. - Game Night 4/7 from 8:15-12:15 - Pancake Breakfast 4/14 from 6-8 p.m. - Youth Group 11 a.m. - Practice for Sunrise Service 7:15 a.m. - Sunrise Service 4/28 from 6-8 p.m. - Youth Group THE C.R.E.W. The 5 TH & 6 TH Grade Youth Group will be meeting on the 2 nd and 4 th Sundays of the month from 6-8 p.m. Invite your friends and come for some fellowship and fun! Youth costa rica mission trip MISSION MOMENT Kairos Prison Ministry Chris Mains will be representing Bartlett Chapel for the Kairos weekend at Plainfield Correctional Facility on the weekend of April 4. He will need our help through prayers, cookies and monetary donations. If you would like to help Chris with cookie baking, please contact Chris at mainscm@comcast.net. If you would like to donate funds to help Chris, please make a check out to Kairos of Indiana with Chris name in the memo line and the church will make sure he gets the money. Chris will have a sign-up sheet at the table outside the office for prayers to be offered 24/7 throughout the weekend. Promise Sunday Go the Extra Mile is the theme for Promise Sunday (Mission Sunday) on April 7. Tom Heaton, a dynamic and passionate United Methodist minister, will give the message. He was the head of Mission Guatemala and is now the Associate Director of Mission and Justice Ministries for the Indiana Conference. The youth will also serve a pancake breakfast between worship services as a fundraiser for their mission to Strong Mission in Costa Rica this summer. The youth will tell us how they served Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia last summer during breakfast. Many representatives from some of the missions we support will be there to answer questions and demonstrate how we can work together to Go the Extra Mile. First Aid Kits for Project Homeless We would like to make First Aid Kits for the homeless. To do this we need the containers you get when you buy multiple packets of flavorings for water or water enhancers, like the picture to the left. It will take about $3.00 to buy some Band aids, Vaseline, Chapstick and other small items to make life for the homeless just a little better. Just put the items in our Drop-off Zone between the East and Center doors of the sanctuary. This Summer there will be 15 youth and young adults headed to Strong Mission in Costa Rica July 2-8. The group will be working with some of the local children, doing Bible stories with them. We will also be helping with the feeding program that Strong Mission helps run in the slums. We also may be helping with construction and painting at the mission and helping with the local food gardens. Please pray for the trip and those who are going: Mallory Arnot, Erica Brinkley, Kelsee Creech, Gabby Cress, Kacey Franklin, Jack Hensley, Adrianna Hershberger, Carissa Macy, Julie Macy, Kevin Macy, Jennise Palmer, Matthew Palmer, Brianna Selch, Jacob Vianco, and Kate Vianco. Thank you for all the support so far, we are excited to experience God s love in Costa Rica. 4

5 APRIL birthdays 4 Mallory Arnot 5 Brian Whitesell 6 Joe Thurmond 7 Ellie Schuler 8 Mary Luhman 11 Joseph Countryman 11 Samuel Countryman 11 Garrett Vandagrifft 12 Wilfred Franklin 12 Jenni Griffith 14 Sharolyn Becker 14 Lisa Smith 15 Todd Griffith 18 Nickolas Knight 18 Doug Orebaugh 19 Lyndon Shields 20 Gabriella Goulet 20 Branden Short 20 Kim Vandagrifft 24 Elizabeth Christie 25 Dennis Dodson 28 Jenny Randolph 29 Susan Kiefer 29 Coleen Leath APRIL Anniversaries 2 Anthony & Ellie Schuler 5 Joe & Connie Dugan 8 Larry & Jamie Burns 9 Bob & Earlene Niemeyer 14 Hal & Susie Truax 16 Nicholas & Kalah Denton 28 Ray & Faith Patterson 29 Paul & Ginny Morton Bartlett Chapel UMC 4396 E Main St. Avon, IN (317) Worship Times Traditional Service 9:00 AM Sunday School for All Ages 10:15 AM Contemporary Service 11:11 AM Jeff Reed, Senior Pastor (317) (office) (317) (parsonage) pastorjeff@bartlettchapel.com Julie Macy, Associate Pastor Children, Youth & Family Ministry Youth Pastor (260) (cell) pastorjulie@bartlettchapel.com Cathy Stenger, Administrative Assistant Cathy@bartlettchapel.com MAY news deadline Sunday, Aril 14th, is the deadline for the May edition of the Bartlett Chapel Newsletter. You may turn items into the office or them to cathy@bartlettchapel.com. HOMEBOUND MEMBERS Rex & Kay McClain Marlene Jones Cumberland Trace Christina s Place 1925 Reeves Road 1435 Christian Blvd Rm 117 Rm 147 Plainfield, IN Franklin, IN Lee Schaeffer Harlan Truax 8618 Turnstone Court Brownsburg Meadows Indianapolis, IN E Tilden Drive Brownsburg, IN Martha Clift Jeff Hershberger The Hearth at Prestwick Danville Regional Rehab 182 S Co Rd 550 E 255 Meadow Lane Avon, IN Danville, IN Dorothy Roberson Rod Sieck Westside Garden Plaza Village of Avon 8616 W 10th Street Cobblestone Assisted Living Apt Forest Pointe Circle Indianapolis, IN Rm 802 Avon, IN Pastor Dennis & Dorothy Dodson 11 Roselawn Avenue 5 Brownsburg, IN 46112

6 JUST TO CLARIFY (In case you heard something else) In the weeks following the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, held at the end of February, there has been some confusion about what was voted on and what was not voted on. The United Methodist Church did NOT vote to say that anyone was unwelcome in any of our churches. For some reason, there have been those who have made statements that indicate that gay people are not welcome in the church. And that is NOT true. There was NOT a vote in any way about who was welcome and who is not welcome. Despite some misinformation, we did not vote on any measure that would throw anyone out of the church! There was also NOT a vote taken to say that ANY person is NOT a deeply loved and valued child of God. In fact, in one vote that was taken, the language in our church official teaching was reinforced that ALL persons are made in the image of God, are of sacred worth, deserving of respect, and the protection of all civil rights. We did NOT vote on ANY proposal to tell anyone who they can love or not love, nor did we vote to say that if you cannot agree with the doctrines of our church, that you had to leave. So, what did we vote or say at the special meeting in St. Louis? Well, allow me to use a paraphrased quote (his words with some of my words and changes) from a clergy colleague named Chap Temple: What United Methodists did say, however, was that after careful consideration of the biblical witness, we cannot affirm that the practice of homosexuality represents God s ultimate will for his children. We said that we will remain in continuity with the teachings of both the church through the ages, and the vast majority of the church worldwide today, rejecting the accommodation to culture that has been made in many quarters of the American church over the past few decades. We also proclaimed that our church is a truly global movement, and the voices from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and other places are equally valid to those of Americans. We rejected the colonialist attitude of some in the West that claim we know best and that those elsewhere need to do what we tell them to do. We are a global body of Christ. The United Methodist Church affirmed that marriage is an institution created by God and that it was intended to be a sacred covenant between one man and one woman. That is not to say that civil unions and domestic partnerships should not be allowed; it is to simply say that in the Wesleyan understanding, the word marriage has a particular meaning that the Bible and church tradition does not allow us to change. And, the General Conference reaffirmed what we have stated for many years, and that is that ordination to the pastoral ministry is not a civil rite, but a holy rite, a bestowal of the church granted to those who are willing to meet all of the educational, personal, and theological requirements that the church believes should be found in any woman or man before they stand before others to proclaim and teach God s Word. In short, what the United Methodists said in St. Louis, was that we will continue to try to be the positive force for God in this world that in the past three centuries we have been. By feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, digging wells for water in some places, building Habitat homes in others, visiting those in prison, working for social justice, teaching both young and old, and offering God s grace and redeeming love to ALL people. We said that we will continue to struggle with how to be both faithful to our calling to live up to the Scriptures and be open to God s Spirit. No matter how difficult that task may be. I share this with you for, as one stated, perhaps you may have heard someone else say that we said something that we did not say. Not everyone within the United Methodist Church agreed with those decisions, and there is no law that says they have to. Although, in our ordination vows, as clergy (including bishops), we agree to honor and live up to the covenant we made to honor our polity and practices, even if and when we disagree. If you have any questions, my door is always open. I m not interested in arguing or debating, but in listening and in praying together. Everyone is welcome in the United Methodist Church, including this one. No one is saying who is and who is not welcome or loved or does not belong to God. For me, this issue is about our clergy covenant that we make in our ordination to uphold (not reinvent or change to our personal taste) the doctrines and polity of our church and the biblical witness. And, if you have heard anything else, well, sadly, you have been misinformed. Pastor Jeff 6

7 Nursery 9:00 Judy Kikendall Lisa Smith Erin Murray Kim Price Nursery 10:15 Susie Kiefer Connie Sparks Sarah Altman Tammy Orebaugh Nursery 11: Debbie Campbell Kids Own Worship 9:00 Kim Vandagrifft Kathy Rembold Kris Kilburn Preschool Wil Vandagrifft Nathaniel Burkhart Nick Kilburn Elementary Christeen Wilson Evan Altman :11 a.m Inside Greeters 9:00 Jerry & Jeani Weakly Elliot & Barb Kolsto Don & Peggy Mills Brent & Lea Brinkley Inside Greeters 11: Susie Kiefer Family Sidewalk Servants 9:00 Jerry & Margaret Welcome Center 9:00 Ginny Morton Patti & Larry Stuffle Joanna Sell Mark Price Welcome Center 10:15 Gil & Susie Welcome Center 11: Jim & Joanna Sell Visitation Todd Griffith Gil Thibodeaux Jim Murray Lyle & Kay Clark Sound/Video 9:00 Brian Short Brian Short Brian Short Brian Short Sound/Video 11: Andrea Speas Refreshments Pancake Breakfast Nancy Thompson Easter Breakfast JoAnn & Jim Murray Valet Parking Carlos Santiago Mike Creech Larry Burns Keith Knight Children's Message 9:00 a.m. Children s Message 11:11 a.m. Sidewalk Servants 11:11 April Volunteers - Bartlett Chapel UMC April 7 April 14 April 21 April 28 Morgan Griffith Kathy Rembold Ellen Hibschman Judy Kikendall Tiffany Kiefer Freda Creech Earlene Niemeyer Brenda Short Linda Reed Erica Brinkley Addison Altman Dave Griffith No children s message Pastor Julie No children s message Altman Family Doug Orebaugh Jill Williams Dave & Bev Griffith Mains Family Tim & Viki Tillotson Joe & Connie Dugan Duke & Sandy Merrion Brooks David Griffith Kris & Franklin Alex Griffith Dave Bostic Kilburn Lisa Smith Thibodeaux Bob Curry Faith & Ray Patterson Barb Owens Lisa Smith Tim Tillotson Brenda Short Brenda Short Tim Tillotson Chris Mains Pancake Breakfast Gloria & John Hill Easter Breakfast Faith & Ray Patterson Pancake Breakfast Andrea & Dave Speas Easter Breakfast Brenda Wyant Tiffany Garcia Brian Whitis Elliot Kolsto Rob Franklin Volunteer Ministry: If you are willing to volunteer in any of these important ministries, please call the coordinator Nursery: Pastor Julie ( ); Inside Greeters: Cathy Stenger ( ); Outside Sidewalk Servants: Lyle & Kay Clark ( ) Welcome Center & Refreshments: Joanna Sell ( ); Children's Message: Freda Creech ( ); BLAST: Pastor Julie Sound Technician: Chris Mains ( ); Kids Own Worship: Ruth Franklin ( ); Visitation: Dave Griffith ( ); Valet Parking: Todd Griffith ( ) If you cannot serve when scheduled, please try to trade with someone and notify Cathy Stenger. ( ) 7