First United Methodist Church

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1 First Connection November 2012 First United Methodist Church Have you heard of emerald icebergs? I learned about them in a science report on the radio. They are rare, occurring only in the Antarctic, never in the Arctic. All icebergs, because they are made of fresh water, are bluish in color. On rare occasions, a top-heavy iceberg will scrape against a shallow spot on the sea floor and flip over. Frozen seawater containing yellow plankton coats the surface of the upended part of the iceberg. The yellow in the frozen skim of seawater over the blue of the ice creates a bright emerald green. Though emerald icebergs have been sighted occasionally over many years, only in recent years have scientists determined that it is the plankton that gives them their THE PASTOR S POUND An ounce of common sense is worth a pound of clergy. John Adams green color. This is yet another example of the capacity of nature to amaze us with its wonders. We have still so much to learn about the world we live in. It reminds me that life, too, has a tendency to do the unexpected, to flip-flop and show us a side we had never seen before. The new experience may be exhilarating; it may be frightening; it is often both. But it is all life, God s gift, and so we meet it in its many facets and we give thanks to God who gives life and is within life. Plainly, we cannot give thanks for certain things. But we can learn to give thanks in all things. Similarly, we should not hope for this or that but instead should place our hope in God, who knows us and always acts in love for us. Thanksgiving, hope, faith these are qualities larger than the circumstances in which we express them. They are qualities that are, at heart, the way that people of faith meet their circumstances and live within them the way to live all of life, seeing the One who gives life its meaning. Whether your life is right side up or tipped over upside-down right now give thanks to God. For in all our circumstances God is our anchor, and through all our journeys God is our end. Curtis N. Hurley Scripture readings for sermons in November Nov Colossians 1:9-14 Nov Luke 17:11-19 Nov John 6:1-14 Nov John 18:28-38

2 First Connection NOVEMBER, 2012 First United Methodist Church Connersville, Indiana 729 Central Avenue PO Box 262 Connersville, IN Church Phone ( ) PASTOR REV. CURTIS HURLEY Parsonage Phone ( ) Web Address: connersvillefirst.org 1

3 2 Prayer List The monthly newsletter lists all persons currently on the First Church prayer list. The Sunday worship bulletin lists names that were verbally submitted the previous Sunday, those turned in to the church office the ensuing week, and updates when there is new information. Please provide to the church office updated information concerning persons on the list whenever a change occurs in their circumstances. You are encouraged to keep your own personal prayer log of everyone named in the bulletin and newsletter and pray for these persons daily. You are also invited to be a part of the Intercessory Prayer Ministry that meets 1 p.m. every Monday in the lounge. Ed Abbott, intestinal surgery Molly Barbee, thanksgiving that recovery from hip surgery is progressing well Margie Bogner, friend of Hurleys, thanksgiving that she is cancer-free following surgery Bruce Bowden, friend of Gary O Neal, cancer Paul Cooney, Mabel Brockley s son, treastments for cancer William Colvin, Ramona McKinney s brother-inlaw, cancer Vickie Cunningham, Laura Hurley s cousin, cancer Wayne Ekstrom, at home Elena Evans, friend of Brianna Baucom, cancer Stephanie Free, cancer Dan Gingler, Kellee Cobb s father, stroke Charles Heck, heart Ron Hockersmith, Ava Moore s brother, clot in brain Jackie, Lori Klopfenstein s daughter, staph infection Lillian Kehl, Estella Copple s sister, broken hip Joanie King, heart surgery Ken Larmore, thanksgiving for good recovery from foot surgery Jahn Lawson, thanksgiving for good recovery from shoulder surgery Matt Lewis, Jerry Lewis s son Vivian Lindsey, Rhonda Burchett s mother, cancer Charles Locke, chemotherapy David Low, friend of Hurleys, Parkinson s disease Dan Lutz, friend of Gilda Lewis, cancer Paul & Frances McCombs, health problems Brenda McGriff, friend of Ken Larmore, cancer Fran McLaughlin, infection Sandy Morrison, cancer Mark Pickering, cancer Jane Quinn, Shirley McCoy s daughter, with Red Cross in northeastern U.S. Daniel Ramsey, friend of Ashlyn Baucom, cancer Danny Roszell, friend of Sam Harvey, poor health Mike Shipley, health problems Paul Weston, Ava Moore s brother, heart 11-yr old boy, student taught by Corders daughter, in coma from lightning strike Pray for the family of this person who died: Andy Gibbs Thank you Thank you to our church family for the many cards and prayers for my recovery from shoulder surgery. After a month in a sling I hope to begin therapy this week to get this shoulder back in shape so I can consider surgery on the other shoulder. Again your thoughts and prayers were so appreciated. With God s Blessings, Jahn Lawson Our Pastor Our God has sent you to this place To lead us in the way That He would have us work and think And live from day to day. No matter the hour; whatever the need, You go the extra mile Always ready and willing to share A comforting thought and a smile. We re grateful that you re here with us To teach us from His word, And we will try to do our best In service of our Lord. We thank you for your ministry, Your guidance and your care. His greatest blessings for your life Is our most humble prayer.

4 CHURCH NEWS Church news continued: Try to plan an hour or two on December 1 st. We will ring the bell for the Salvation Army from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm at Krogers on that day. I ll put the schedule on the table later. Joyce Peak MISSIONS 2 ND SUNDAY GIVING NOVEMBER 11, 2012 Please bring your donation of Canned Pork & Beans and Boxed Spaghetti to the mission table in the back of the sanctuary for this month s donation to Community Sharing. SALVATION ARMY HELPING HANDS The third Sunday of each month is Serving the Lord s Table from 5:00pm till 6:00pm. Sunday, November 18th, Kellee Cobb and family will be serving the meal. Thank you, for your time and effort for this much needed mission. Prayer Group Being Organized In order to support everyone named on the prayer list, a prayer group is being organized to meet weekly for intercessory prayer. The group likely will meet approximately 1:00 p.m. every Monday, immediately following the Upper Room discussion group For more information or to express your interest in participating, please talk to or call Mabel Brockley IN THE SPIRIT OF GIVING 2012 AVARAGE WEEKLY BUDGET FOR EXPENSES IS $ GENERAL MISC DATE FUND FUND ATTEND Oct 07 $ $ Oct 14 $ $ Oct 21 $ $ Oct 28 $ $ Total $ $ A Memorial Gift was given to First United Methodist Church in memory and honor of Margaret Guard, who died on October 7, 2012 from Judith Kay Selke. THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS BASKETS: In years past, our kids Sunday School class and youth have worked very diligently to make sure some of our needy families within the community had a traditional Thanksgiving feast and Christmas dinner. I would like to continue this mission project and ask if anyone is interested in helping to deliver the baskets. (the Sunday evening prior to Thanksgiving), please contact me or Bonnie. Items needed for the Thanksgiving baskets are: Canned corn and/or green beans Instant mashed potatoes Stove Top Stuffing Monetary donations will help to purchase turkeys, frozen pies, and fresh fruit. A box for your canned/boxed items is located at the back of the Sanctuary. (look for the big turkey!) If you have a monetary donation, please place them in an envelope marked Thanksgiving basket. Once Thanksgiving is over, we will follow the same process for Christmas baskets. Len & Friends Prayerfully Ava 18 th Annual Christmas Concert Free Sunday December 2, at 2:30pm Alquina United Methodist Church 3

5 First United Methodist Women Faith Hope Love in Action The regular unit meeting Fall Fling Saturday November 17 th, 10:00am in Fellowship Hall. For both circles and all women of the church. GUEST SPEAKER: LT. AMANDA HELSTROM of the Salvation Army. Please make reservations to Sylvia Gibson or the office by November 12 th. 49 th Annual Tasty Luncheon Is Here!! See you there on Thursday November 1. Those making dishes, please have them in on Wednesday evening if possible 5-8pm or Thursday morning 7-8am Thanks to everyone for their help! SEE YOU THERE! Library Some Women Pushing Pens Some recent additions to the library include the writings of the following women: Jan Karon is the New York Times best selling author of Home to Holly Springs, the first of her Father Tim novels. We have recently received, In the Company of Others, the second in this series. Karon says, Of all the novels I ve written this is my personal favorite, my dark-haired child. She is also the author of the popular Mitford Series, several of which are in our library. Nov 03 Nov 04 Nov 07 Nov 07 Nov 08 Nov 08 Nov 15 Nov 18 Nov 24 Nov 29 Nov 06 Nov 14 Nov 24 Nov 28 4 Birthday Greetings November Rachel Mudd Peggy Hollingsworth Molly Barbee Dallas Mudd Myrna Galbraith Carol Clawson Courtney Coon Ed Abbott Bette Thielking Ryan Hockersmith November Gary & Karen Corder Rodrick & Beth Fuller Jerry & Linda Jones Richard & Phyllis Smith Joyce Meyer is a down-to-earth, practical-thinking, nononsense television preacher. Her Straight Talk, Overcoming Emotional Battles with the Power of God s Word, gives support to persons suffering from depression, discouragement, fear, insecurity, loneliness, stress and worry. Sounds like all of us. Marie Henry s biography, Hannah Whitall Smith, is the story of a woman who, in spite of great personal pain and tragedy, goes on to write, The Christian s Secret of a Happy Life, a Christian classic. Hannah Whitall Smith s classic is also available in our library (section 248). These books will be on the shelf under the library bulletin board during November. After November Karon s book can be found in section F, Meyer s and Smith s in 248 and Henry s in B. HUMOR FOR THE SOUL A kindergarten teacher gave her class a show & tell assignment. Each student was instructed to bring an object that represented their religion to share with the class. The first student got up in front of the class and said My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is a Star of David. The second student got up in front of the class and said, My name is Mary. I m a Catholic and this is a Rosary. The third student got up in front of the class and said, My name is Tommy. I am Methodist, and this is a casserole.

6 Indiana Wesleyan University Redeemed, a men s vocal group, from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, will share in the service at First United Methodist Church on Sunday, December 2, at 10:am Members of Redeemed are: Brandon Lee (Team Leader), Hilliard, Ohio; Anthony Fetterhoff, Cherryville, Pennsylvania; Luke Garfield, Crystal Lake, Illinois; Brice Joyner, Summitville, Indiana; and Zachary Koch, (sound Technician), Parchment, Michigan. Indiana Wesleyan University is an evangelical Christian comprehensive university that was founded in 1920 and is committed to liberal arts and professional education. The University is sponsored by the Wesleyan Church, which has its world headquarters in Indianapolis. Indiana Wesleyan offers over 70 majors. There are 2,999 students on IWU s main campus in Marion, while more than 8,104 students are enrolled in Adult and Professional Studies programs throughout Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Graduate students total 4,477. Thank you Thank you for letting us use your parking lot for our car wash last month. This fund raiser was a huge success Thanks, Hope Pregnancy care Center Thank you First United Methodist Church On behalf of The STORM Task force, we want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!! I would like to take this time also to thank you for sponsoring our STORM students in the amount of $200. Your support contributed greatly for these young people as well as helped develop their community morale. Your contribution enabled over 1500 students to participate in over 10 inflatable s, to receive 500lbs of free pizza, 150 free t-shirts, and to watch the REAL ENCOUNTER TEAM (Extreme BMX and MOTOCROSS) soar through Spartan Bowl. These events will broaden their community prospective and personal character, which is invaluable to their future endeavors. As you can imagine, there are many expenses P.S. STORM 2013 is planned for April 12 th and we would love to have you partner with us again as we endeavor to create a mentality of positivity, and celebrate our youth. Respectfully, Rick Wright Jr. STORM Director Thank you to my church family for all the prayers, cards and concern for Joe. The prayers we know helped, the cards made Joe smile, and the tender concern melted my heart. Blessings, Bonnie 5

7 November, 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat TH ANNUAL TASTY LUNCHEON CRAFTS 8 2PM LUNCH 11 1PM SET CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR 4 SERVICE BEGINS 10:AM ALL SAINTS DAY ALTRUSA 12:00 OFFICE CLOSED TRUSTEE MEETING 6:30PM 8 CLINIC 6:0M WORSHIP COMM MEETING 6:30PM OFFICE OPEN STAFF PARISH RELATIONS COMM. 6:30PM 15 OFFICE CLOSED EAST DISTRICT CONFERENCE 10AM NEWCASTLE UMW FALL FLING 10:AM 18 COMMITMENT SUNDAY 19 AD COUNCIL MEETING 6:30PM 20 SUSANNA CIRCLE 1:30PM LOUNGE BAPTIST COMM THANKSGIVING SERVICE 7:PM 21 OFFICE CLOSED 22 THANKSGIVING OFFICE CLOSED COMMUNION SUNDAY CHARGE CONFERENCE 6:30PM FUMC LOUNGE IN USE 6:30PM