"Don't Shrink the Church or the Gospel"

Transcription

1 January/February, 2015 The Observer F i r s t U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h Bishop s Epistle 1 & 2 Winter Family Fun 2 Christine Haraburda Graduation 2 Leadership Training 3 Centennial News 3 Alzheimer's Assn. Recognition Leadership Directory Updated Restroom 8 Baptisms 8 Cropping Workshop Jan/Feb. Calendar Contact Info Regular Events Calendar 8 9 Cover Cover "Don't Shrink the Church or the Gospel" Acts Chapter 20 records that Paul gathered the leaders of the church at Ephesus to say farewell before he left, knowing he would go to Rome and his likely death. In his farewell to them, he reminds them that he gave everything for the Gospel and for the churches. He says he did not shrink from sharing totally with them, he did not "hold back" or "shrink" or "reduce" the Gospel rather, he gave his "all" for the church and the Gospel. He concludes by warning them to hold fast to the Gospel, because he warns that other leaders and other forces may come along like wolves among the sheep, so these leaders must be strong in the faith, after Paul's own example. As I read those words, I think of all those movies, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and its sequels. And I realize that we don't want to say, "Honey, I shrunk the Gospel" or "Honey, I shrunk the church." "Beware of persons who tell you they know God's will especially when God's will seems to confirm their own prejudices." I see, read and hear so many people today who seem to shrink God down to their own cultural and regional and personal likeness. We shrink the Gospel when we preach only our favorite passages, when we use scripture to support our preconceived notions or prejudices, when we avoid the hard demands of the Gospel in favor of keeping people happy, etc. Early in my ministry I was advised to keep track of which scriptures I was using in my preaching, to make sure I was not avoiding other scriptures and just preaching my favorites... or even worse, just preaching the "easy" ones. So I started keeping a card index file of all my

2 sermons, and now that file is on an Excel spreadsheet. I review it regularly to check and see if I am "shrinking" the Gospel in my preaching. It is a good discipline. We shrink the church when we reduce our ministry to simply taking care of those already inside the church, when we become what one writer has called "tenders of the aquarium" rather than fishers of people, and when we remold the church in our image rather than helping the church to be the Body of Christ. Of course we will continue to minister to our current members, but we must also challenge our current members to see themselves in ministry. We should never shrink from that challenge. We also shrink the Gospel and the church when we shrink it all down to our personal opinions. I saw someone recently post on Facebook this quote without attribution but which rings true; "Beware of persons who tell you they know God's will especially when God's will seems to confirm their own prejudices." I see, read and hear so many people today who seem to shrink God down to their own cultural and regional and personal likeness. We also shrink the Gospel when we look for easy answers. One thing I love about our Wesleyan tradition and our United Methodist Church is that we are the church of the both/ and. We believe in law and grace, we believe in justice and mercy, we believe in evangelism and social action. We are the church of the both/and not just wishy-washy or middle of the road but a church which invites people to struggle with the Wesley Quadrilateral of Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience. That is not easy. There is always the desire for a quick, bumper-sticker answer to avoid having to think, pray, wrestle, conference and discern God's will. But we are called not to shrink to those easy answers. Years ago, J.B. Phillips wrote a classic book called Your God is Too Small. His message reverberates today, when we tend to become consumer-oriented, comfortable, avoiding the challenges of the Gospel, and spending our ministry shrinking the Gospel and the church. The Apostle Paul reminds us not to shrink our Gospel, our message or our church down to our human categories and capacities. May God continue to stretch us out of our comfort zones. Beat the Blahs Jan. 18!--Noon-4:00 pm We all need something to look forward to doing in January, right? This is it! Family Fun on Sunday, January 18th in the Fellowship Hall. Enjoy a nice, warm lunch of two kinds of soup, which, along with drinks will be provided. All you need to do is bring a side dish that goes well with soup (desserts can be considered a side, don t you think?) Contact person is Sandee Frey. A New College Graduate! Christine Haraburda received two degrees from Ball State University in December, an AS in Business Administration and Management AND a BS with a concentration in Finance and Psychology of Human Development. Christine is the daughter of Kathy Davis, stepdaughter of Tom Davis and granddaughter of Milt and Mary Ten Have. Congratulations! 2

3 We re 100 years old! Celebrate Centennial on Sept. 27 I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people. Yes, we are the church, but our church building will celebrate 100 years in We are going to celebrate our place of worship. We have set a date of September 27, 2015 for our celebration. John Wesley (Rev. Bert Kite) will be joining us on that date, so mark your calendar, NOW! Sprucing Up!--In 2010 we started a capital campaign for improvements to our buildings. We have had some difficult times with finance, but we have accomplished several 3 things. A new roof was put on the church, windows repaired, fellowship hall painted, coffee hour room painted, remodeled upstairs bathroom, room fixed for Christmas storage ( I know I have forgotten some). But as we all know there is always more to do. We need to spruce up our building. Look around and see if there is an area that you would like to improve, talk to a trustee about it. Yes, we are the church, with all of us working together we can accomplish. And when the people gather, there s singing and there s praying, there s laughing and there s crying sometimes, all of it saying: We are the church. You are the church. We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we re the church together!! Let s have a blessed Lou Ann Andis

4 Recognition from Alzheimer s Association This letter & certificate below were sent to Peggy Strobel to be shared with our church family: December 13, 2014 Dear Peggy, I cannot thank you and the rest of Clinton First United Methodist Church enough for your continued support against the fight to end Alzheimer s. You are all so blessed to have others in your community who are willing to motivate, cheer, and understand your mission. Please accept this Walk to End Alzheimer s certificate of appreciation as token of my thanks for all your hard work this season. The Clinton First United Methodist Church team is such a vital part of our event. With your continued success we can help battle Alzheimer s disease one step at a time. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Lauren Lay, Development Specialist, Alzheimer s Association of Greater Indiana 4

5 Clinton First United Methodist Church Leadership Directory 2015 Board Pastor Chair Vice Chair Trustees Staff Parish Finance Tom Barnett Mitch Marsolf Karen Hartman (lay leader) 2015 Kathy Davis 2016 Chris Downs 2017 Brent Hoover 2015 Hannah Hoover 2016 Brian Hutchinson 2017 Chet Rutan 2015 Susie Pierce (financial sec y) 2016 Carter Crouch (treasurer) 2017 Tom Frey (finance chair) Supporting Positions Lay Leader Lay Member to Conference Finance Chair Treasurers Counters Financial Secretary Capital Campaign Audit Team Membership Secretary Memorial Committee Memorial Fund Records Flower Committee 5 Karen Hartman Larry Carlson Tom Frey Carter Crouch Larry Carlson (data input) Chet Rutan Gary Andis Ruth Hollingsworth Susie Pierce Lou Ann Andis Richard Britton Peggy Strobel Pastor Martha Rutan Phyllis Marsolf /Lou Ann Andis

6 MINISTRY WORK AREAS PASSIONATE WORSHIP Those responsible for helping people connect to God through various responsibilities in the worship setting. Pastor Lay Leader Choir Director Praise Team Coordinator/s Organist Communion Steward Paraments Acolytes Audio Video Special Services Coordinator Radical Hospitality Team Leader Team Members Track Attendance Host/Hostess Coordinators *Funeral Dinner Coordinators (Esther Circle) *Set-up and Take-down Tom Barnett Karen Hartman Karen Hartman Karen Hartman Joni Weeks Ruth Hollingsworth Molly Britton Phyllis Marsolf Chet Rutan Carter Crouch Chris Downs Randy Hogan Eric Weeks (alternate) Sandee Frey *Prayer Chain Coordinator (phone) *Prayer Chain Coordinator ( ) *Not required to attend meetings Sara Nield Lou Ann Andis Molly Britton Margie Lapworth Karen Carlson Sara Nield Team Members Margie Lapworth Tom/Sandee Frey Sara Nield 6 Communications Outdoor Sign Web Page Ministry Distribution Birthday/Anniv. List Facebook Page Bulletin Board Church Newsletter Committee Publicity Cluster Rep. Britton Family Lou Ann Andis Editor: Karen Carlson Names/Addresses: Peggy Strobel Copying/Mailing: Brenda Alabaugh Juanita Crouch Sandee Frey INTENTIONAL FAITH DEVELOPMENT Those responsible for helping organize and plan the education of children &adults, small group ministry, and programming. Coordinator Order Curriculum Youth Ministry Adult Ministry Family Ministry Children s Ministry Nursery Staff Coordinator/s At Large Phyllis Marsolf Kathy Davis Sandee Frey Shelby Marsolf Ashley Downs Hannah Hoover Bill Hartman Brian Hutchinson

7 RISK TAKING MISSION & SERVICE Chair Gary Andis Pastor Team Members Chateau Ministry Tom Barnett Shelby Marsolf Kathy Davis Bruce Starkey Peggy Strobel LAY LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE Chair Pastor Tom Barnett 2015 /Sara Nield 2016 Margie Lapworth 2017 BACKPACK TEAM Team Leader Team Members Shelby Marsolf Phyllis Marsolf Chet Rutan Brenda Alabaugh Peggy Strobel Ruth Hollingsworth Sandee Frey Tom Frey Brian Hutchinson Paula Reardon Chantel Booth Buffy Michalic Various members from area churches SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS Preschool-5 th Grade (one-room Sunday School) Middle/High School Lamplighters Pathfinders Phyllis Marsolf Molly Britton Larry Carlson Carter Crouch Margie Lapworth Brian Hutchinson Mitch Marsolf 7

8 Updating the Church Two New Members! On December 7, Katie Long and Anthony Batchelor were baptized. They are the children of Sheri Long, grandchildren of Molly and Richard Britton and greatgrandchildren of Sara Nield. Welcome! Restroom Renovation--Gary and Lou Ann Andis pause in working on the upstairs restroom. They saw a need and fixed it! The restroom went from dark and dank to light and bright. Cropping Workshop to Benefit Valley Daycare Scrapbooking and Card Making on February 7 This fun day will benefit the Valley Child Development Center, (a non-profit) in revitalizing the playground. Location Eagles Lodge, 100 Water St., Clinton Registration: If you come for the full day from 9:00 am-5:00 pm, supplies will be provided, plus Continental Breakfast, Lunch and afternoon snack. Costs: Early Registration-$20 before Jan. 25. Registration-$25 after January 25 and at the door. If you wish to only make cards, you can drop in and pay at the door or register early for a cost of $10. You will leave with 3 cards! Lunch is not provided. Checks should be made out to Valley Child Development Center. Random drawings and Gift Bags!-Extra tickets for drawings may be purchased Six tickets for $5 Contact Joyce Harvey or Jenny Piker for registration forms and more info. 8

9 2015 CALENDAR JANUARY Mon. Jan. 12 6:00 pm Organizational meeting for Women s Bible Study Thurs. Jan Deadline to register for Leadership Training (p3) Thurs. Jan. 15 7:15pm Administrative Board Meeting Sunday Jan. 15 9:30am Sanctity of Life Sunday Guest speaker from Crisis Pregnancy Center Sunday Jan. 18 Noon-4pm Fight the Blahs --Family Fun for all! (p2) Saturday Jan Last day to register for Cropping Workshop (p9) FEBRUARY Sat. Feb. 7 9:00a-5:00p Cropping for Valley: Ladies Day Out (p9) Tuesday Feb. 17 7:00 pm Esther Circle Meeting at church to make love plates Christmas Party Fun! On Sunday, December 14, 24 merry revelers met at the Rock Run Café and Bakery at Coxville for the annual Christmas party. Larry Carlson wraps up in the much coveted Christmas afghan that Sally Harris made, but he didn t get to keep it! It was traded at least 3 or times Lori and Pastor Tom have the Christmas spirit, at their first Christmas party, especially Pastor Tom. Pastoral dignity goes out the window. 9

10 THE OBSERVER Jan/Feb 2015 A Publication of the First United Methodist Church PO Box 186 Clinton, IN Tom Barnett Phone (765) clintonfirst@gmail.com THE OBSERVER January/February 2015 Clinton First United Methodist Church Weekly Events Sunday 9:30 am Worship service Communion First Sunday of month First Sunday Donations go to Food Pantry, Hillcrest or CAMA 11:00 am Sunday school for all ages Mon 7:00 pm Women s Bible Study? Tues. 7:00 pm Worship at Chateau Weds. 6:00 pm Praise Team Rehearsal Thurs. 2:00pm Pack for Backpack Ministry