Take The Journey of Lent

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Lucas Ball
5 years ago
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1 T h e S p i r e MARCH 2017 Take The Journey of Lent Everyone believes our world needs to change. On the extreme end, there is violent crime, people preying upon others, systematic oppression, and incurable diseases. Sometimes, you watch the news and wonder how could anyone do some of these despicable acts. But that is not all. Broken families, lost jobs, uncontrollable kids, uncontrollable parents, workplace or economic stress, and spats between neighbors can also disrupt life, creating desire for change. Deep within us all, we struggle with greed, power, security, pride, unworthiness, control, violence, fear, and even love. How do we battle that within? How do we align ourselves to enable life for us, but not at the expense of others? Even our good intentions fall short in instilling a better world. Most people I know are good and desire the best, but our wisdom in incomplete. Despite all the technological advances of our age or the increase of knowledge of how the world works, our world still struggles with the same core issues of Jesus day. Where is our hope? The Lenten journey is our hope. Jesus is our hope! Ash Wednesday forces us to focus on the human predicament: our mortality, struggle with sin, limited wisdom, and our inability to create a better world. However, Lent is the story of God in Jesus taking on the same flesh, entering into the same predicament as all of humanity. The dust that our bodies are made from is the same dust that Jesus took on when he was born. The death he faced is no different than the death before us all. However, his life defied this predicament in every way, and his death opened up a new possibility, a new age and kingdom. Wisdom begins in Jesus. To see his life is to see the true wisdom of living and thus our simple instructions are to follow. The gift of grace, forgiveness and the Holy Spirit can bring renewal to the struggle within us all. Remember Jesus conquered sin. He is our salvation! It s ironic that the journey of salvation begins with a genuine examination of our lives. It is not until we truly realize our need that we will fully turn to Jesus! Thus, I invite you to take the journey of Lent. Examine yourselves. Where do you struggle? Where do you need to repent? Where do you need Jesus? Come to the Lord of Grace. He loves you. Look to Jesus. He is our life! His ways are holy! How can you follow him more? Where do you need to grow? Travel with him all the way to the cross. Where can you offer your life to God s work in the broken world as Jesus has offered his life? This journey is an intentional journey. We must choose to take it every day. But never forget get its destination. In Jesus resurrection we find new life and salvation for you, me and for the entire world. There is no journey more important. Intentionally take the journey of Lent with Jesus. Pastor Danny Walker C e n t e n a r y U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h E s t a b l i s h e d

Easter is approaching quickly (April 16) and we can t be more eggcited to host our annual Easter Egg hunt on Saturday, April 15th at 10AM.

Our youngest kids (1-3) will start their hunt at 10:15; the 4-6 year olds will start their hunt at 10:30; our 7-9 year old kids will start at 10:45; our biggest bunny hunters (10-12) will hunt at 11.

We hope you hop on over and join us for a morning of fun, fellowship and egg hunting, all in the name of our Risen King!

death and resurrection teaches us. The Gospel of Luke presents a unique picture of this part of the Jesus story.

2 Easter is approaching quickly (April 16) and we can t be more eggcited to host our annual Easter Egg hunt on Saturday, April 15th at 10AM. We will be staggering the start times to allow parents to hop from one egg hunting location to another. Our youngest kids (1-3) will start their hunt at 10:15; the 4-6 year olds will start their hunt at 10:30; our 7-9 year old kids will start at 10:45; our biggest bunny hunters (10-12) will hunt at 11. We will have two craft stations where your kiddos can make jellybean necklaces and magnetic photo frames. Hot chocolate and donuts will also be available. We hope you hop on over and join us for a morning of fun, fellowship and egg hunting, all in the name of our Risen King! Nicole Jackson Children s Ministry Coordinator LENT / EASTER STUDY Jesus Passion, Death and Resurrection in Luke Lent is a time to look again at the way Jesus lived and died and see what his life, death and resurrection teaches us. The Gospel of Luke presents a unique picture of this part of the Jesus story. To reflect on that story, join a 6-week study of Luke on Monday evenings, 6:30-7:30. Rev. Joe Easley will lead this study, starting March 6 with the palm processional and cleansing of the Temple (Luke 19:28-20:8). The study continues weekly through April 17, except for March 27. Charles Dickens summed up March very well, I think! It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations Thank you to our wonderful Centenary Family for the food, cards, visits, and the many kind expressions of sympathy during the recent passing of my mother, Imogene Wade. Your support and love were so appreciated. Sharon and Max Hollon SCRIP ~~ SCRIP ~~ Please keep our Scrip program in mind as Spring shopping approaches. If you were to buy a $25 Old Navy card, Centenary would receive a $3.50 "give back." Here is a list of some of our cards that offer a higher return to the church: $10 and $25 Bath and Body Works (13%), $25 Children's Place (12%), $25 Crazy 8 (13%), $10 Family Video (12%), $25 Gap (14%), $10 GD Ritzy's (15%), $25 Gymboree (13%), $25 O'Charley's (13%), $25 Old Navy (14%), $20 Payless Shoes (13%), and $25 Under Armour (11%). We have cards for all of your restaurant, retail, and gas station purchases. See us after church in the coffee room! Fast from fear; Feast on Faith Fast from despair; Feed on hope. Fast from depressing news; Feed on prayer. Fast from discontent; Feast on gratitude. Fast from anger and worry; Feed on patience. Fast from negative thinking; Feast on positive thinking. Fast from bitterness; Feed on love and forgiveness. Fast from words that wound; Feast on words that heal. Fast from gravity; Feast on joy and humor. (adapted from A Lenten Prayer by William Arthur Ward)

March brings breezes loud and shrill Stirs the dancing daffodils! ANNUAL RUMMAGE SALE It will soon be here so start gathering your treasures to donate. The date is April 29 th from 7 am until 1 pm.

We will begin accepting donations in the Family Life Center after worship on Easter Sunday and continue through April 27 th. We have generated just over $5,000 the last few years from this sale.

5 March brings breezes loud and shrill Stirs the dancing daffodils! ANNUAL RUMMAGE SALE It will soon be here so start gathering your treasures to donate. The date is April 29 th from 7 am until 1 pm. Most items will be half price beginning at noon. We will again have a bake sale and plant sale. We will begin accepting donations in the Family Life Center after worship on Easter Sunday and continue through April 27 th. We have generated just over $5,000 the last few years from this sale. It takes a small army of volunteers and two weeks of preparation to pull it off. As a result, we need your help. If you can volunteer the day of the sale to cashier, bag, clean up or help any of the days prior to the sale sorting and pricing, please let me know. We also still need section chairs for the following: Home Décor Tools/Garden/Electronics Toys Furniture Baby/infant/Childrens Clothing Clean Up Advertising/ Putting out Signs We would like any plants or seedlings that you would like to donate. You will need to provide your own containers for them. At this time, we will not be accepting adult clothing. It is time consuming to price and we just don t have the space. If you have some specialty clothing you would like to price yourself and bring, we will consider. We will not accept TVs or large appliances. If you have any large furniture or other items, please let us know if you need assistance getting them to the FLC. Please remember that if something doesn t work or doesn t have all the parts or is badly stained/odors, we can t accept these things. Gayla Kempf LOOKING AHEAD..For those of you who would like to be a part of our Summer 2017 Mission Trip, we will be traveling to Osceola, IN, which is in the northern part of the state, in the Mishawaka-Elkhart area. We will be working with Osceola United Methodist Church parishioners on homes in the area. The date of our trip is the week of June 25 - July 1. Mark your calendars and start making plans to join us for a week of faith, fun, and fellowship! In addition to our trip to Osceola, we will be hosting a missions team from Florence, KY, arriving on June 17th. We will post our needs for this group and hope that you will consider helping us!

MARCH Birthdays 1 - Sarah Mitchell 2 - Eric Marchand 4 - Joe Gish 5 - Brian Fleming 7 - Kevin Foster 8 - Shawn Riley 11 - Wayne Aldridge 13 - Steve Graves 13 Mia Harris 13 - Geneva Huebner MARCH

6 MARCH Birthdays 1 - Sarah Mitchell 2 - Eric Marchand 4 - Joe Gish 5 - Brian Fleming 7 - Kevin Foster 8 - Shawn Riley 11 - Wayne Aldridge 13 - Steve Graves 13 Mia Harris 13 - Geneva Huebner MARCH Anniversaries 7 - Kenny & Carolyn Horton 8 - Chris & Missy Feller 14 - Chris & Becky Stone 20 - Warren & Beverly Render 21 Brian & Kelly Harris 22 - Joe & Cyndi Gish 26 - Jeff and Morgan Carnahan 14 - Jim Fleming 14 - Jacob Graves 14 - Evan Marchand 18 - Bev Render 19 - Ryan Huebner 19- Roger Latham 25 - Ben Jackson 29 - Bruce Knight 29 - Norma McNary 2 - Ruth Keller 6 - Gene Griffin 7 - Sharion Rankin 8 - Phoebe Carnahan 8 - Mary Edmondson 8 - Marchelle Green 9 - Jesse Graves 10 - Debbie Wilson 12 - Paul Walters 13 - Jason Brack 14- Cecilia Riley 15 - Walter Fanok 16 - Lauren Stone 17 - Rosie Ritchie 18 - Franco Bowden APRIL Birthdays APRIL Anniversaries 6 - Dion & Kim Wingerter 7 - Roger & Debbie Latham 10 Zach & Melissa Latham 20 - Sharon Hollon 21 - Molly Harris 21 - Adam Stocker 21 - Chris Stone 22 - Jerry Foster 24 - Brandon Jackson 24- Zeke Feller 24 - Bob Kraft 25 - Laura Unfried 25 - Sam Frederick 25 - Morgan Carnahan 26 - Danny Walker 27 - Briley Wingerter 30 - Angi Beasley YOUR HELP IS NEEDED! If you find any discrepancies in our Birthday/Anniversary listings, please call the office or us. This would include names that are missing or misspelled, as well as wrong dates. A Record of Our Faithful n ess Date Attendance General Fund Offering 2/5 160 $ MEN S LENTEN BREAKFAST SCHEDULE March 11 March 18 March 25 April 1 April 8 Aldersgate UMC Centenary UMC Central UMC Fairlawn UMC Old North UMC All Breakfasts begin at 7:15AM. For further info, see Darrell Resler. 2/ $ / $ Prayer Concerns ~~ Don Robinson, Rachel Bailey, Rose Borman, Lee Crow, Rosie Ritchie, T.C. Gossett, Walter Fanok, Eloise Overdorf, Joyce Smith, Rose Borman, Mabel Blythe, Tim Blythe, George Taylor

7 MARCH 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :00AM Walking 6:30PM Ash Wednesday Service 12:00PM Good 6:30PM Ad Council Mtg 7:15AM Men s Lenten Breakfast St. James UMC :30AM Safe Harbor 9:30AM Worship 10:45AM Sun.School 10:45AM Cantata 11:00AM Youth 3:00PM Sewing Class 9:00 AM Walking Club 11:30AM Georgia s Girls/We Care 6:30PM Bible Study 9:00AM Walking Club 6:00PM Bell Choir 7:00PM Choir Cantata 9:00AM 12:00PM Exercise Good 7:15AM Men s Lenten Breakfast Aldersgate :30AM Safe Harbor 9:30AM Worship 10:45AM Sun.School 10:45AM Cantata 3:00PM Sewing Class 3:45PM Youth Svc. Project 9:00AM Walking Club 6:30PM Bible Study 9:00AM Walking Club 6:00PM Bell Choir 7:00PM Choir Cantata 9:00AM 12:00PM Exercise Good 7:15AM Men s Lenten Breakfast Centenary :30AM Safe Harbor 9:30AM Worship 10:45AM Sunday School 11:00AM Youth 3:00PM Sewing Class 9:00 AM Walking Club 11:30AM Georgia s Girls/We Care 6:30PM Bible Study 7:00PM PPR Mtg 9:00AM Walking Club 4:00PM 150th Mtg 6:00PM Bell Choir 7:00PM Choir Cantata 9:00AM 12:00PM Exercise Good 7:15AM Men s Lenten Breakfast Central UMC :30AM Safe Harbor 9:30AM Worship 10:45AM Sun.School 10:45AM Cantata 3:00PM Sewing Class 9:00 AM Walking Club 9:00AM Walking Club 6:00PM Bell Choir 7:00PM Choir Cantata 9:00AM 12:00PM Exercise Good

T h e S p i r e P o i n t i n g L i f e i n t h e R i g h t D i r e c t i o n Centenary United Methodist Church 14340 Old State Road Evansville IN 47725 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Church Office:

8 T h e S p i r e P o i n t i n g L i f e i n t h e R i g h t D i r e c t i o n Centenary United Methodist Church Old State Road Evansville IN RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Church Office: Fax: Office centenary@mw.twcbc.com Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 6 Inglefield, IN CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away, see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5: 17 Seeking God and God s Kingdom First Seeking to Live as Disciples Seeking to Be the Body of Christ, the Church Seeking to Discover the Joy of God

FEBRUARY Come and Follow. If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me, Luke 9:23

FEBRUARY Come and Follow. If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me, Luke 9:23 T h e S p i r e FEBRUARY 2017 Come and Follow If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me, Luke 9:23 If you have ever been on a mission trip