PASTOR S FORUM. In the spirit of Pentecost, Pastor Rich WORSHIP IN MAY. Saturday, May 2 nd, 4:00pm Alternative Worship in an Informal Setting

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1 PASTOR S FORUM I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord will give to me on that day Second Timothy 4:7,8 Recently one of our special needs adults, Jen Nave, approached me and asked if it might be possible for us to have a Special Olympics Sunday sometime. I told her that I had never thought about doing a special Sunday honoring our Special Olympians but that I would give it some thought and get back to her. As I pondered Jen s request I was brought back to one of my fondest memories of worship- a service that took place on Pentecost Sunday in In the church that I was serving at the time we had decided to fill the sanctuary with bunches of red helium balloons in celebration of the day of Pentecost and the birthday of the church. Quite unexpectedly it was on this day that a local group home decided to bring a van load of special needs adults to worship with us. It was a first-time occurrence and I suspect that many people were wondering how things might work out. I don t know whether anything else in the worship service appealed to these guests but I can tell you that the balloons were a big hit! After the service all of the balloons were passed out to the children who were there and to the special needs adults. Many of them ended up in the rafters of the sanctuary where they remained for days- a constant reminder of the many surprises of this very special Pentecost Sunday. Well, as it turns out the best day for us to have a Special Olympics Sunday proves to be on Pentecost Sunday, May 31 st. On this day we will invite the Special Olympians in our congregation and community to worship with us and be recognized for their efforts in Special Olympics past and future. Since the summer Special Olympics will be in June this year it will be a wonderful opportunity for us to send these Olympians off with God s blessing. I fully expect that this will prove to be a day of the unexpected, but that is just what Pentecost is all about. On that first Pentecost some fifty days after Jesus death and resurrection the first disciples experienced the unexpected when the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in other tongues while praising God and bearing witness to the Risen Christ in their midst. I invite you to join in the festivities on this special day as we celebrate both God s gift of the Holy Spirit to the church and the many accomplishments of these special adults who can say with the rest of us I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Please be sure to invite any special needs adults to join us on this day whether they participate in the Special Olympics or not. This is a day to celebrate the unexpected ways in which God s presence is known among us and in my experience our special needs adults have been the very presence of God in our worship on many, many occasions. WORSHIP IN MAY In the spirit of Pentecost, Pastor Rich Saturday, May 2 nd, 4:00pm

2 Celebration of Holy Communion Sunday, May 3 rd, 10:00am The Fourth Sunday of Easter Confirmation Sunday Celebration of Holy Communion Scripture: Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; First John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18 Theme: A Letter to Our Confirmands Saturday, May 9 th, 4:00pm Sunday, May 10 th, 10:00am The Fifth Sunday of Easter Mother s Day Scripture: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:25-31; First John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 Theme: Fruitful Connections Saturday, May 16 th, 4:00pm Sunday, May 17 th, 10:00am The Sixth Sunday of Easter Scripture: Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; First John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17 Theme: No Longer Servants but Friend Saturday, May 23 rd, 4:00pm Sunday, May 24 th, 10:00am Ascension Sunday

3 Scripture: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53 Theme: Waiting for the Power Saturday, May 30 th, 4:00pm Sunday, May 31 st, 10:00am Pentecost Sunday Special Olympics Sunday Scripture: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34; Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26,27; 16:4b-15 Theme: The Divine Advocate Who Runs Alongside Us MEN S BREAKFAST The next Men s Breakfast will be held on Saturday, May 2 nd at 7:30am here at the UMC of Auburn. All men are welcome and are encouraged to bring a friend! Please be sure to sign up in advance by filling out the sign up sheet that is located on the table in the vestry. Afterwards all men are invited to join in the outdoor clean-up day that is being organized by the Trustees. NATURAL CHURCH DEVELOPMENT UP-DATE On Sunday, March 29 th 61 people participated in the NCD Soup and Survey event filling out the NCD survey that will be used to determine what our lowest minimum factor is in the eight quality Characteristics of Growing Churches. These characteristics are: Empowering Leadership; Gift-Oriented Ministry; Passionate Spirituality; Functional Structures; Inspiring Worship; Holistic Small Groups; Need-Oriented Evangelism; and Loving Relationships. Once our surveys have been evaluated and our greatest area of need has been identified our Church Health Team along with our NCD coach, Pastor Neil Gastonguay, will begin to provide opportunities for us to improve this characteristic in the life of our church. At the present time the members of the Church Health Team are: Joel and Janet Irish, Kay Little, Gladys Chapman, Kary Coffin, Cindy Visbaras, Jean Ness, David Young, Lynda Janelle, Elizabeth Meid, and Jane Thomas along with myself. We are in need of a few more individuals to round out our team so if interested please speak to Pastor Rich TEN YOUTHS TO BE CONFIRMED ON MAY 3 RD We have ten youth confirmands who are prepared to be confirmed: Cameron Bisson, Emma Bragdon, Patrick Buzza, Megan Coddington, Katie Gardner, Joshua Gary, Haley Laflamme, Katie Lyn Laflamme, Erin Morris, and Allyson Petit. Please keep each of these youth in your

4 prayers and be sure to support them with your presence and encouragement on May 3 rd. Many thanks to those who assisted Pastor Rich with the classes: Kary Coffin and Kay Little and the many individuals who were mentors to the confirmands. NEW MEMBERS RECEIVED On Palm Sunday we were pleased to receive five new members into our Church family. Received on Profession of Faith were Deb Danforth and Kim and Jeff Thistlewaite. Received by way of transfer from the Trinity United Methodist Church in CT were Barbara and Steve Jamrog. We extend a warm welcome to each of these individuals. ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS The Adult Sunday School class meets every Sunday morning from 9am-9:45am in the church lounge. We are currently studying the Gospel of John. It is never too late to join the class so why not drop in some time! 2009 YOUTH MISSION TEAM TO STAY IN NEW ENGLAND! After our exciting trip to Denver last year it has been decided that the 2009 Youth Mission

5 Team will stay a little closer to home. The trip will take place from Sunday, July 26 th Sunday, August 2 nd and will be to the Branford/New Haven, Connecticut area. The youth who will be participating this year are: Emily Ranucci, Marie Dufresne-Dixon, Erin Morris, Emma Bragdon, Haley Laflamme, Katie Lyn Laflamme, Patrick Buzza, Lucas Phillips, Megan Cossey, Katie Gardner and Paige Morin. The adults who will be going are Desiree Cossey, Kary Coffin, Rachel Randall and Pastor Rich. We have already set up an account with Florians so that any bottles and cans brought there can be designated for the youth mission trip- just mention the United Methodist Church and they will make sure that your money is set aside. Maple Syrup Sale: Maple Syrup is now available for anyone who ordered it in advance. It can be picked up any Sunday after church or during the week as well. Please plan to pay with exact change or by check made out to the United Methodist Church. Easter Breakfast: Many thanks to Gladys Chapman and crew for putting on the Easter Breakfast as a fundraiser for the mission trip. Thanks also to the many people who came for the breakfast. A total of $ was raised. Easter Pie Sale: Many thanks to everyone who purchased pies in support of the Youth Mission Team. A total of $ was raised through this effort! A Scrapbooking Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, May 23 rd so please save this date. Yard/Tag Sale: On Saturday, May 30 th our youth will be putting on a yard sale in the Fellowship Hall (and outside weather permitting!). Please save your treasures and plan to deliver them to the church the week of May 24 th. LIFE TRANSITIONS IN OUR CHURCH FAMILY Our love, prayers, and sympathy are extended to Billie Wight and family following the death of her sister-in-law, Leslie Wight on March 18 th. Our love, prayers, and sympathy are extended to Candy Gleason and family following the death of her mother, Marian Bower, on March 21 st. Our love, prayers, and sympathy are extended to Jean Hersey and family following the death of Jean s husband Bill on April 14 th. CELEBRATIONS AND APPRECIATIONS Presented for baptism during the month of April was Edward Nilsson Cobb. Edward is the son of Erin and Will Cobb and the grandson of Chris and Del Conant.

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