(OctobeR) (2014) [on-line edi on]

Transcription

1 (OctobeR) (2014) C hurches are o en accused of being isolated islands of faith. But that s not our history. We ve shared services with the Congrega onal church from our founding even considering federa ng the two congrega ons in We ve hosted joint services with all the other East Longmeadow congrega ons, worked together with others on mission projects and social jus ce concerns. For many years, we ve worked alongside those of other faiths to provide free healthcare on Wednesdays at the Pioneer Valley Free Health Service. We ve shared and borrowed tables for fairs, loaned out VBS decor, coached other congrega ons in their reconciling process, and our youth group has enjoyed a variety of ac vi es with other United Methodists. We ve done worship planning with other congrega ons, benefi ng from their video resources and travels, and even shared our sermon series with those inspired by our work. All this, in addi on to the way our Mission Share monies connect us with ministries around the world. This last year, we ve begun collabora ng on urban ministries in the region through the New Hope Urban Ministry Board. But this Fall we saw an unprecedented level of coopera on across congrega ons and denomina ons, when thousands of congrega ons began using the Narra ve Lec onary (a four-year cycle of readings designed to connect the Bible story to our own). The Way Out of No Way series allowed ELUMC to collaborate with the online Darkwood Brew broadcast Wednesday nights and with the experts at the Worship Design Studio. On the Narra ve Lec onary Facebook group 2,300 folks began sharing media resources, biblical humor and worship ideas. On the Sunday focusing on the Noah s Ark story, lots of congrega ons sang Arky, Arky with anywhere from 7- [on-line edi on] 10 verses sung to Rise and Shine and give God the glory, glory : The Lord told Noah there s gonna be a floody floody The Lord told Noah there s gonna be a floody floody Get those animals out of the muddy, muddy, children of the Lord. The Lord told Noah to build him an arky, arky, The Lord told Noah to build him an arky, arky, build it out of gopher barky, barky, children of the Lord. Go ahead, sing it now discover the joy of a song known to be an earworm. Congrega ons shared their home devo ons, their audio commuter services, their sanctuary designs. One congrega on shared the anima on they create each week showing a contemporary retelling of the Bible story... so Rueben sits with a psychologist trying to process his guilt for selling his brother Joseph into slavery. A UCC church in Illinois acted out the escape out of Egypt. Another composed a Stand Firm musical refrain to emphasize a reading and several used the children s book Alexander and his terrible, horrible, no good, A congrega on in Colorado created a Signs of the Promise rainbow visual really bad day to illustrate Joseph s story. Several others used Andrew Lloyd Weber s photos by Kelly Turney con nued on page 3

2 2 T M M Fran T & Edie B at East Village; Helen W at Jewish Nursing Home; Eleanor G at Wingate Hampden. Special health concerns: Marilyn B, Arnold C, Joyce H, Barbara K (Carol J s mom), Grace M, Phyllis R and Helen L & Don W. October Anniversaries 4 Linda & Ken McGrady 20 Jean & Joe Merton Filling students' needs New Life Church, First Bap st, Cornerstone and ELUMC provided 65 filled book bags and 5 boxes of teachers supplies to the five local schools! The principals and staff appreciated this combined effort to provide students with financial need with supplies and fill teachers' classrooms. Thanks to those who helped donate supplies. Editor s Note: Gordon C. Smith, Superintendent Of Schools for East Longmeadow sent a special thank you: We are incredibly grateful for all of this support for our students. The opening of school is always exci ng. This year it has been excep onal with the incredible community support received from all of you. Thank you very much. BABY NEWS! Congratula ons to KC and Ma Leveille on the birth of their daughter, Reese Irene. Born September 4, 7lbs.3 oz. 19 inches long Reese means having great enthusiasm and Irene a er Dad s mom meaning peaceful woman. Thank you for your support of the United Methodist Commi ee on Relief (UMCOR). Through your gi, you are helping to provide assistance for survivors of human trafficking, funding for health and development projects that alleviate hunger and poverty, holis c community-based health programs, and access to clean water and sanita on. Through The Advance, the designated giving channel of the United Methodist Church, 100 percent of your contribu on will go to Disaster Response, Interna onal, Advance # Your gi received on 08/05/14 of $ is quick response to meet emergency needs around the world. Giving through The Advance enables United Methodists to partner with one another in mission and ministry around the world. Thank you for joining with us to Be Hope to those who desperately need it. Ronald Fernandes General Treasurer Shawn Bakker Deputy General Secretary To my ELUMC friends, Thanks so much for the birthday cards, kind thoughts, and warm wishes I received from you in August. I miss you all and think of you o en. Love 'n Hugs, Phyllis Open Pantry Community Services, Inc. Thank you for your generous contribu on to Open Pantry Community Services, Inc. of $200. In our con nuing struggle to maintain our services, your concern and support for those who are less fortunate is most welcome and much appreciated. Sincerely, Allison Maynard, Director

3 T M M 3 con nued from page 1 A congrega on in Oshkosh re-created the crossing of the Red Sea down their center aisle. music from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I ve been humming that song, Close every door to me for weeks. A Presbyterian church in Fort Worth Texas recommended a Where is Ma? video for serving communion (we ll be using it on World Communion Sunday) because they said when they used it: The Eucharis c feast looked something like the joyful feast of the people of God as opposed to a somber funeral for Jesus. Pastor Ryan Baer says we hope your congrega on enjoys it as much as we did. The Ministerium in East Longmeadow also began again it s collabora ve work this month with a new par cipant, the Rev. Wayne Biernat, the new priest from St Michael s. Our common work embodies Psalm 133: How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters get along, how beau ful and wonderful when they live and work together in peace! It s like costly anoin ng oil, like the dew on the mountain flowing down the slopes of Zion. That s where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life. So there s a place of blessing, Mount Hermon, but there s also a condi on of blessing coopera on with others. I m feeling blessed by our collabora ve efforts, hope you are also. October 2, 7:00 PM at the Parsonage For those who would like to explore membership in ELUMC. We ll review our Methodist heritage, examine the structure and ministry opportuni es in this congrega on, share our faith journeys, and explore what membership means. Please call the office to register for the class and to get direc ons to the parsonage. CT/WMA Alleluia Sunday/ Installa on of DS Rev. David Calhoun October 19 3:00-6:00 p.m. Wesley UMC, 98 North Maple St., Hadley, MA On November 2nd we are remembering our loved ones who have died this last year. Send the office the names of the loved ones you would like listed in the bulle n and please include their rela onship to you and date of death. Shalom, Kelly ALL CHURCH CONFERENCE NOVEMBER 3, 2014 with District Superintendent

4 4 T M M T H E W O R D S E E N A S W E L L A S H E A R D B ack in 2006 we took a Lenten Roadtrip to the Heart of God and we asked you to share your favorite roadtrip photos. And you did! They were so great, we thought, wouldn't it be great if we could project them in worship for all to see? And Rick Hutchison made it possible by loaning us his projector and screen that he had purchased and used for the youth group movie nights. It wasn't designed for the sanctuary space and the screen wasn't big enough and it wasn't very a rac ve but we thought, oh well, it will do temporarily. Later, several of the older members wondered if it was possible to project lyrics onto the screen to make it easier for them since the print in the hymnal is small. For our stewardship Safari Adventure exploring the wildness of God's kingdom, we saw clips of an actual safari the Church of the Resurrec on took. For the Fresh Out of the Box series, clips from the film "Toy Story" helped us imagine how belonging to God makes us feel cleaned up & loved. In Lessons from the Farm, we heard from our own farmer, Neil Pomeroy, standing in his fields. For Advent and the Carrington Scholarships, we had original produc ons by Chris na Dunlop who has since gone on to awardwinning film-making but her work premiered here first (on the small screen). Our media guru, Denise Evans, takes pride in her visual efforts to deepen the Biblical theme in our worship--so that the Word of God is seen and experienced as well as heard. By projec ng children's book illustra ons, everyone is included in children's me. We've also shared photos from church missions, and been able to give everyone a taste of our adult educa on programs. Not to men on that now, the rota ng slides of upcoming programs helps us get the word out about ministries while reducing announcement me. For years now that borrowed projector and screen has enhanced our worship but we've also seen it's limits. When the sun streaks in and washes out the picture, it's obvious that the projector isn't strong enough to be seen (it wasn't designed for that use). Also, we never made it possible for the choir to see what the rest of us see, although we've talked about it a lot and we know how it can be done. The small screen, si ng on a table, heightened by old speaker boxes with a donated door on top covered up by pieces of black cloth held up by duct tape, is hardly ideal. We ve made do for quite a while. Now we have an opportunity to do be er. We applied for and received a grant from the New England Conference to upgrade our system. It will cover 60% of our costs. Another $1,000 dona on from Lois and Jim Harris leads our efforts. We need approximately $3,500 more. There are a couple of people, dedicated to reaching emergent or younger popula ons, who have, said over the years, when you get ready to upgrade the projector, we'll help. This is YOUR OPPORTUNITY! This is second-mile giving when ELUMC is focused on raising funds to support worldwide missions before the end of the year. There's always a last-minute push in congregaons to support Mission Shares, this year without the Montessori income, this work will be intensified. Since the media upgrades won't be complete un l early 2015, you may pledge your support NOW and pay up later. AND don't forget to thank Rick for the "temporary" equipment loan that's made so much possible.

5 T M M 5 For our September get together, the Singles Ministry group visited Quabbin Reservoir, some for the first me. We walked the Winsor Dam route, and Kelly and Denise followed the Heart Healthy Trail. A er a picnic lunch, we visited the Tower, the Enfield Lookout, and the Cemetery. Ruth and Louise were well versed in the Quabbin Reservoir's history, so it was like having our own tour guides. Fun was had by all. The next mee ng will be on October 8th at 6:00 p.m. at the church. Submi ed by Kelly Greene Dear Friends, Our church year together is off to a wonderful start! Both choirs have resumed rehearsals, and are looking forward to sharing their joy through music in worship with you. We had a wonderful Regathering Sunday with old friends Moon and Star and our new friend Sheryl Stanton stay tuned! Sheryl will be back Christmas Eve with violist Susan Kirchhausen, whom you may remember from last year. Rev Kelly s fall series Way Ou a No Way has afforded me the opportunity to introduce you to some marvelous new hymns in our Worship and Song hymnal. I have completed my third Christmas cantata, Follow a Star, which we will present in worship on December 14. All in all, lots of good music happening! Photo by Denise Evans Ruth Owen, Denise Evans, Eileen Brogan, Louise House and Vance Gagnon enjoy a day at Quabbin Reservoir. Photo by Denise Evans Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't me, and to see takes me - like to have a friend takes me. Georgia O Keefe Speaking of the cantata, I am VERY excited this year to be bringing in some wonderful guests, and to have expanded my composi onal pale e to include flute, viola and string bass! Our ensemble, in addi on to our dedicated and gi ed choir, will include mezzo soprano and baritone soloist-sec on leaders from the UMass voice department, Moonlight and Morningstar, flute, viola, string bass, and me on piano and organ. The movements feature rich harmonies and diverse styles such as medita ve, contemporary Chris an, calypso and even blues! This is an opportunity for those of you who like to sing but can t be with us weekly to join us for a special event. Here is our rehearsal schedule: Thursdays Oct. 30, Nov. 13 & 20, Dec. 4 & 11 at 7:00 pm. Special rehearsals Sunday a er church, Oct. 26 and Nov. 23; and the final dress rehearsal Sunday Dec. 7, 11:30 am-1:30 pm, with all guests. Please consider joining us for this special event! I assure you it will be a profoundly enjoyable experience. As J.S. Bach wrote at the end of every manuscript he created, soli Deo gloria to God alone be the glory. May it be so in our music and our living. Peace, JT

6 6 T M M In addi on to sending in your pledges here are a few more sugges ons to help our ministries. Roll of stamps Ba eries for the sanctuary microphones (9 volt & AA) Donate non-perishable food for the E.L. senior center Name-brand corkscrew pasta for Our Place meals Deposit cans and bo les for youth (side porch) Pet food for animal shelter Use your imagina on to come up with even more ideas. Thanks for your con nued support! SOUP S ON The marketplace for October will be set up in the social hall following the service on Sunday, the 12th. Feel free to stop by, pick up some delicious soup and bread to go, and help support the church's global missions. Want a custom decorated cake for an anniversary, birthday, or other special occasion? Various sizes and flavors are available (including some gluten free and vegan op ons); cupcakes too. This month's featured flavor is pumpkin. Best of all, sales benefit mission shares. Please see Vance Gagnon for more details. Thanks. T C L Scrape and paint a sec on of siding by nursery. Scrape and paint the sec on of siding on the back of building by the office door. Paint yellow curbing. Playground a en on weeding. Chainsaw up the broken down picnic table behind the garage. Paint a second coat of stain on parsonage decks. Weed control on parking lot. Cut down declining trees (the maple by picnic table to start with). Clean out reachable gu ers. Research how to replace kitchen dishwasher. Volunteers can sign up for any task they would be interested in and complete it on their own me. For informa on about the projects contact Joan Clark. : R Gree ng visitors at church is such an important part of the hospitality ministry of the church. Church Greeters form part of the first impression that a visitor receives. Make your fellow worshipers feel welcome with a warm handshake or a friendly smile. Please consider becoming a Greeter. To learn more see the Pastor or call the church office. Due to financial constraints we have had to cut the Cleaning Crew s hours for cleaning the building. We ask that everyone pitch in and recognize that we will all need to help keep our building looking presentable. Please remember to dy up a er mee ngs or gatherings. Thanks for your coopera on.

7 T M M 7 This Fall begins the 113th Season of the Tuesday Morning Music Club Concerts star ng October 7, The TMMC provides a showcase for classical musicians and vocalists. Many of whom are faculty members at colleges such as Mt. Holyoke, Smith and Amherst. Please take advantage of a free cket to experience the performances and determine if you would wish to join our club as a member. It would be worth your efforts. For a complete list of concert dates please see the bullen board or visit their website at: For more informa on please contact Fred Gagnon. a piece of Tanglewood in our own back yard. ELUMC will be hos ng a Life Line Screening event on Friday, Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Register for a Wellness Package which includes 4 vascular tests and osteoporosis screening from $149 ($139 with our member discount). All five screenings take minutes to complete. In order to register for this event and to receive a $10 discount off any package priced above $129, please call or visit 19 th Annual M M C Sunday, November 9, 2014 Start me: 12:00 Noon Main St. Monson, MA Cer fied Half Marathon Cer fied 5K 2-Mile Fun Walk CROP Hunger Walk Nov. 2 Star ng loca on Trinity United Methodist, Sumner Ave. 1:00 p.m. Registra on 2:00 p.m. Walk Registra on forms available from Ruth Owen Proceeds to benefit: The Melanoma Educa on founda on and Griffin s Friends Do you want to form a team of United Methodists? Please see the bulle n board for more informa on and registra on form or register online at Please remember to bring your own reusable water bo le to church to enjoy filtered water from our new bubbler or your own coffee container if you prefer hot beverages to reduce the cups we have to use and wash at church. P S.

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: calendar.aspx?ci=l6k5k5g1k5h2n8n8h2 The Methodist Messenger is a journal of the ministry of The East Longmeadow United Methodist Church. Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors. Drop Off Schedule: Saturday November 8 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Congrega on Bake Sale Dona ons Friday, November 7, 6:15 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Saturday, November 8, 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. (Please leave dona ons in the church kitchen) Items needed include: breads, brownies, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, fudge, muffins, pies, etc.

9 O U M Y E October 4 th, 2:30 pm Youth 2015 Go On Tour Worcester October 12 th, a er church Gleaning Event for Rachel s Table (BYO Lunch) October 17 th The Gathering Youth Event, East Har ord Time TBD October 26 th, 6:00-8:00 pm Regular UMY Mee ng