growing under the sky then &now

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1 September 2015 photo by Steve Hilbun This congregation has been incredibly blessed from the very beginning. It began with outdoor services in 1852 and 1853 and a temporary vacancy in the pulpit of the Congregation Church. The peculiarity of preaching by the substitute, who was the principal of Wilbraham Academy, caught the attention of four unchurched young people in town, who arranged for a Methodist preacher to hold services in the schoolhouse regularly and the rest, as they say, is history... In reviewing the historical documents in preparation for the capital campaign this fall, I ve been struck by the serendipity of our history. The kitchen of the Page family was opened for meetings, and the Taylor lawn hosted an early baptism. George Cooley, who had declined a post on the first Board of Trustees, purchased the lot next to the tavern and then gave it to the congregation for a church building. Members, including youngsters, were responsible for pinning the sides of that building together (dedicated November 22, 1853). growing under the sky then &now Laity members, including the steadfast Oliver Wolcott, were central to the church as it was served by a rotating set of able pastors usually for no more than a year or two or three. History reports that the members were sad to see each go even as they welcomed the next, but they kept on. Through the succession of preachers, someone (a librarian, an 18-year old student, an Englishmen fresh off the boat), or some unappointed preacher in the region, was always ready to step in when needed. At a revival service, when a group of young men tried to disturb the meeting with mischief they were made a special subject of prayer and the next night, the six of them were on their knees joining the church. One went on to be a missionary. The various contributions of young people have been recorded in our history from the beginning. There were women active in those early years as well, with shining faces and Mrs. Taylor took an active part in the meetings whatever that means (I m guess preaching by another name). For years, we sang to the accompaniment of the violin and bass viol; a tuning fork gave the pitch. Logistical issues and traveling distances meant we didn t abide by the schedules of other churches in the area, we combined the morning and evening activities into a middle way with late morning services followed by Sunday School at noon, then lunch (everyone brought one with them), and another service. When the church was greatly in need of repair and the people didn t feel financially able to make the necessary repairs thinking the whole prospect discouraging, they were challenged by the pastor to build staging and raise the money for supplies and the pastor provided the labor. This all-hands on deck generosity led to a revival the donation of a bell and many additions to the church. It s in that tradition and in this spirit that we embark on the latest campaign to improve the building and strengthen our ministries. And now, every August, when ELUMC worships outdoors, we call upon our early history as those who met under the sky and were dedicated to making a stronger impact for righteousness in the community or according our current mission to raise the level of hope for those who cry out for love and justice. And in so doing we join the the long line of faithful Christian men and women who built themselves into the rising walls and forming principles of this society, who sacrificed to support this portion of the Kingdom, some of whom, in passing left of their earthly substance, funds that have encouraged the laborers who followed them, it is these men and women who inspire us to go on for more years and in the spirit of the same Christ to minister, in His Name. (from The History ) May this long line of ministry be supported by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our witness, and our service as we grow today for tomorrow. Shalom, Pastor Kelly (more information on the Capital Campaign on page 9)

2 2 Eleanor G at Wingate Hampden, Marilyn B at LifeCare, Wilbraham, Dottie B (Joan M s mom) at Birch Manor in Chicopee, Shirley P & Joe M at Wingate E.L. and Arnold C at Emeritus in E.L. Special health concerns: Edie B, Ken E (Denise s dad), Barbara K (Carol J s mom), Helen L, Grace M, Phyllis R. It is with sadness that we bring you the news of the passing of Gail McGrath s brother, George. He passed away unexpectedly on June 17, 2015, at his home in Chelsea, MA. Please go to masslive.com for the complete obituary. h p://obits.masslive.com/obituaries/masslive/obituary.aspx?pid= BABY NEWS! T M M Dear Friends in Mission: Thank you for your gi received on 6/22/15 of $345 to the Imagine No Malaria campaign through The Advance, the designated mission giving channel of the United Methodist Church. We are pleased to share that 100 percent of your contribu on will go towards elimina ng one of the world s most deadly diseases. Giving through The Advance enables united Methodists to support one another in mission around the world. Thank you for partnering with us in God s mission. Please visit to learn more about how your support is making an impact with a full range of interven ons to combat malaria. Grace and Peace, Roland Fernandes General Treasurer Congratulations to Steve & Diane Chandler who welcomed their newest grandchild, Owen Alan Chandler. Born July 7th, 6lbs. 12 oz. 19 inches long. Emily Miller Associate General Secretary September 7 Carol & Bill Johnston 10 Amy Baron-Burke & John Burke 17 Cindy & John Arnold Dear Pastor Kelly & ELUMC, My family wants to thank you for the support and personal touch you provided us through the funeral. Your guidance helped us honor my mother s life and feel her presence. We know God has welcomed her and she is in a be er place. The visits from church members were excep onally meaningful to my mother. She appreciated each one and was amazed that Chris Hutchinson spent so much me with her and cared for her in such a loving way. Sco Grabowski actually sat with my mom when she did her physical therapy. Truly, God s work. Thank You! The Reis Family Editor s note: This lovely thank you note arrived with a $100 dona on. Dear members ELUMC, Recovery Interna onal would like to thank you for providing mee ng space for our weekly mee ngs for over 40 years. In late September, 2014, the leader of the Longmeadow Recovery group had to step down because of family circumstances. It was suggested that we combine our mee ngs as the numbers had been dwindling. It was a difficult decision for me a er being in East Longmeadow for so many years. We decided to give it a try and it seems to be working out for the best. Although we have had to leave your church, I hope that if an opportunity to reopen comes up, you will let us use the space again. Our groups provide a valuable service to those in need of help and at no cost other than a dona on if able to give. Again, thank you for the services you provide to the community by allowing groups such as ours to use your space. Sincerely, Ruth, Reynolds, Group Leader

3 T M M 3 Please send requests for any all-church WELL IN ADVANCE of when it needs to go out-- days, if not a week in advance. "All-church s" can ONLY be distributed by the church administrator during regular business hours Monday thru Thursday 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. -- no weekend ing is available. Because of spam filter restric ons, we cannot send out more than one a day and we try to group reminders so that people are not inundated with daily s. Carol can add artwork and edit language if you get her the basic informa on and approximate date you would prefer it be distributed realizing that it may have to wait to be grouped with other informa on. The sooner you provide her with the informa on the be er able she is to plan for our weekly communica on. If you have more immediate communica on needs, they can be posted on the ELUMC Facebook page. Therefore, if you want the latest informa on in a mely fashion, it is crucial to follow/ like the church page if you're on Facebook and/or Twi er. And if you have , sign up to receive the Pinch of Salt blog. If you have neither, read the newsle er carefully and pair up with a member who has on-line access so they can call you in case of a death no ce or other me-cri cal church news. They will be glad to be needed and you can make them cookies as a thank you (it's cheaper and easier than ge ng internet access). M M Saturday, September 26, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Phil & Jan Jamieson Trinity UMC / Springfield MA Cost: TBD / covers lunch & materials Registra on 9:00am - 9:30am Lunch at Noon Best prac ces for encouraging generous giving for local church mission and ministry as we navigate the power dynamics of money in our lives and our congrega ons S A V E T H E D A T E S CT/WMA Alleluia Sunday October 18, :00 p.m. WESLEY UMC 741 State Street Springfield, MA Greater Springfield CROP Hunger Walk Sunday, October 18 Trinity UMC 361 Sumner Ave, Springfield, MA Registration: 1:00 PM Start time: 2:00 PM Contact Ruth Owen if you want to walk CRAFTY APPLE FAIR Saturday, November 14 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Contact Scott Grabowski to volunteer. CWM Resource Day with Bill Easum Saturday, November 7, 2015 at Trinity UMC 361 Sumner Ave., Springfield Save the date, details to be announced soon.

4 4 T M M S U M M E RT IM E W O R S H IP A T E LU M C D O Y O U R E M E MB E R? Remember Zainab and her children Amina, Abo and Ahmed, refugees from Somalia, whose reloca on was sponsored by ELUMC and who were tutored here? In August informal evening services took place on the lawn at 6:30 p.m. While Pastor Kelly was away at the Gather at the River Convoca on in San Antonio, Tom McGowan brought members the word and sacrament with elements blessed by District Superintendent, David Calhoun. The following Sunday, ELUMC was blessed by word and music by diaconal minister Cathy MacGovern. NEW USED PLOW TRUCK FOR ELUMC The Trustees wish to thank Carol and Bill Johnston for their extremely generous dona on that was added to the church's contribu on, for the new used plow truck (total cost- $7000) that is replacing Sco 's old truck that had served us well for 13 years. Please offer your thanks to them when you next greet them. At Abo's wedding recep on, Ahmed stands with Colleen & Sco Grabowski. Amina has four children and visited Springfield in August. Abo moved to U ca, NY a er her wedding. Their Mother, Zainab s ll works at NE Uniform, and lives in Springfield. Ahmed a ends STCC, and plays on the soccer team. Photos courtesy of Sco Grabowski For years now, the office has been able to print fast, full-color, high quality images from a color laser printer donated to the church. Gra tude goes to Rick Hutchinson who thought of us when he upgraded his laser printer all those years ago and gave us his old one. It has served us well! Now it's at the end of its life and we say goodbye to that capacity, but we didn't want its passing to go unremarked upon because we've go en so much use out of it and we're grateful for the dona on. If anyone else has a color laser printer who wants an excuse to upgrade your printer, please let us know. Thanks again for the many ways you help the office run -- dona ng stamps, ba eries (9-volt and AA), office supplies and equipment. --The office staff.

5 T M M 5 C ON VOY O F H O PE Convoy of Hope 2015 was held on August 15 at Riverfront Park in Springfield. A special thanks to Anita & Kyle Lee who led the ELUMC volunteers at the Portrait Studio booth. Anita commented, I was amazed at just how awesome this team was! Everyone worked so well together to give families this 'luxury' item they may never otherwise own. What a truly awesome day. Julie Dunlop, Scott Grabowski & Emily Dunlop ge ng the frames ready. Anita & Kyle Lee ge ng organized with help from Jazz. Dave Roback of The Republican posted on masslive.com this photo of Steve Hilbun & Rev. Kelly showing photo op ons to one of the many grateful clients. Our Portrait Studio booth took 500 photos of the 5,000 participants. One of the more remarkable experiences of the day was the witness for inclusion. All our rainbow bu ons went fast to workers from various denomina ons and those with no church background who wanted to make it clear we value LGBT families. VALUE ALL FAMILIES the work of an ally-- wear a rainbow bu on to witness to the God of love and your reconciling congregation's open hearts, open minds, open doors. Help end the hysteria over marriage equality assuring those concerned that you are a Bible-believing, God-fearing, Christian AND it's because of those beliefs that you love everyone and support their rights.

6 6 T M M The following groups will begin the year mee ngs as follows: United Methodist Women the 3rd Monday of each month, beginning September 21st, at 10:00 a.m. in the St. Marie Parlor. All girls and women are invited to a end this missions-ac ve group. Needlers and Menders the 2nd Tuesday of each month, beginning September 8th, in the Social Hall, at 10:00 a.m. If anyone has items of clothing that need mending or altering, we are there to help you. There is no charge for this service but you are encouraged to make a dona on to ELUMC's Mission Shares Funds Alloca ons. Singles Ministry the 2nd Tuesday of each month, beginning September 8th, in the Social Hall, at 6:00 p.m. Chancel Choir prac ce will begin Thursday September 10, and Bell Choir the following week on Thursday September 17. As always, we have room for more in both groups! If you like making music with a good group of people in celebraon of God's great goodness, come join us! The Our Place at Loaves and Fishes team meets diligently on the third Wednesday of each month to prepare a hearty meal in our church kitchen, which is then later served at an area soup kitchen. Because so many are in need of this service, the cost of the meal s ingredients is approximately $180/mo. If you are able to donate toward the cost of the meal, please write a check to ELUMC with Our Place on the memo line. Soup's on! The Mission Shares Marketplace will return following the worship service on October 18th. Please see Vance Gagnon if you'd like to make a soup and/ or OUR KIDS NEED YOU! We s ll need a couple of folks willing to be floaters or subs or the 2nd person in the room during our Children's Sunday School program to abide by our Safe Sanctuary Policy. We need at least one more TEACHER so we can develop the most age-appropriate class divisions. We need nursery HELPERS willing to help our professional nursery worker Natalya-- sign up for one Sunday a month and get some baby me. We need USHERS to welcome folks and provide safety and hospitality for our community. We need a light-weight electric standing VACUUM cleaner for the Sunday School rooms for light cleaning by teachers each Sunday. J & W Our United Methodist family is cordially invited to join Jack Redman and William Soto as they stand together in happiness and share their marriage vows to each other on Saturday, October 10, 2015, at four o'clock in the evening at the East Longmeadow United Methodist Church

7 T M M 7 Gree ngs ELUMC friends! I hope your summer has been as enjoyable and res ul as mine has. Lots going on for music this fall! Moonlight and Morningstar will help us kick it off gospel-style at Regathering Sunday on Sept. 13. With the worship team and planning retreat, looking forward to powerful integrated music and worship. The new Christmas cantata, The Memory of Angels, is coming along steadily. In my work, the angels are the uni ng force both as narrators and in terms of the many roles they played in the story of the birth of Jesus. As always, I hope you will consider joining our Cantata Choir around the end of October through December 13 when we will present the work in worship. I have been a part of the ELUMC community since February of 2010, and every fall I make the same appeal for new members for both choirs. Sadly, my invita on seems mostly to fall on deaf ears, but the invita on stands. Being in a musical ensemble helps you build physical and mental skills, strengthens concentra on and memory, deepens faith commitment, provides an outlet for personal expression, and is just plain fun. Yes there s work involved, but it is work toward a deeply profound goal: the goal of enriching the worship experience for the en re congrega on through music. Won t you come join us? Peace, blessings, and harmony JT Native American Flute Welcome to the easiest-to-play instrument there is. In September, a flute circle (think drum circle where you just come and play with no experience necessary--but with a flute) is star ng on September 17th and will con n- ue on the Third Thursday of each month, September through May, from 7:00 to 8:30 p. m. in the Social Hall. Friends of the Na ve American Flute will offer instruc on and flutes to borrow and play for this unique spiritual prac ce. For more informa on, contact: Jim Harris (413) OR... string21604@yahoo.com Thank you for your par cipa on in the UMCmarket program. Since the launch of UMCmarket in 2012, over 40,000 supporters have signed up, benefi ng over 4,000 UMC ministries. We are excited to announce the launch of a new and upgraded version of the UMCmarket program, which s ll contributes a percentage of each online purchase you make at our par cipa ng stores to your designated ministry, but also includes the following features and enhancements: Over 3,000 par cipa ng stores organized by category, name, and user-designated favorites Redesigned UMCmarket website with improved user experience Hundreds of con nually updated savings offers for you from retailers like... Please visit h ps:// to create your new account, confirm your account se ngs and explore the new UMCmarket....and thank you for your con nued support of UMC Ministries! Do people s ll hear that jingle as you walk by? Oh My! That sound means pocket change is not going in the jar. I wonder how much ELUMC has changed the world thus far. By working together we can fulfill the need. Yes, yes indeed!! Submi ed by Theda Cornbower Labels for jars are available on the table by the side sanctuary door.

8 East Longmeadow United Methodist Church 215 Somers Road, STE 2 East Longmeadow, MA a reconciling congrega on Address Service Requested T SAFE SANCTUARIES. THE SUNDAY EXPERIENCE 8:30 a.m. Bible Study for Jr./Sr. High & Adults 10:00 a.m. Worship & Church School (pre-schoolers through Grade 5) Professional child care is provided for Cribs & Creepers / Toddlers & Twos. 11:15 a.m. Fellowship Time For the on-line church calendar follow this link: The Methodist Messenger is a journal of the ministry of The East Longmeadow United Methodist Church. Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors. It s that time of year! Join us for a delicious French Toast Breakfast and register you children for Sunday School Hope to see you all there!! Sunday School starts September 20 SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED FOR FALL We re creating age appropriate classes now and we need Sunday School teachers and substitutes for all age groups.

9 Home Gatherings are being held the first two weeks of September to discuss the scope of the campaign. If you would like to attend one of these gatherings and receive more information about the Capital Campaign, please call the office at to register to attend. Why are we undertaking this capital fund drive now? Along with the joy and gratitude for this church s 162 years of ministry, 45 years of which have been at the corner of Chestnut and Somers roads, we find ourselves with a building in need of major repair and updating to enable the future we envision. We want our members and the many visitors we ve been receiving to find a welcome environment here. Like any 45-year-old home, our building requires updating to make it safe and sustainable. In addition, we must plan for the future needs of our growing ministries. We hope you will prayerfully consider how your financial resources can help this faith community follow God's call and raise the level of hope for those who cry out for love and justice. What is in scope for this ambitious project? There are many vital needs that will be supported by your generosity: Exterior siding and replacement windows. Handicapped accessibility at the rear entrance of the church, including the entranceway, walkway, and marked parking spaces. Renovation of our education wing. Renovation of our sanctuary worship space. Solar and other green energy initiatives. Parsonage garage commitment. Giving back in the form of a tithe for community outreach. Through this capital campaign, we re hoping to raise $225,000. Some members will want to offer their gift up front, and others will elect to spread their gift over a three-year period as a supplemental pledge in addition to their normal annual stewardship pledge. Don t miss these upcoming Guest Preachers: Sept 27, Thomas Gallen, Emeritus Executive Director Preachers Aid Society October 25, Celebration Sunday, David Calhoun, District Superintendent.