GOOD NEWS FROM THE PASTOR

Transcription

1 GOOD NEWS Congregational United Church of Christ January 2017 FROM THE PASTOR I spent the Christmas break, in part, moving a collection of The Interpreters Bible from a store room to vacant bookshelves in my office. I figured it makes me appear more scholarly. I doubt that anyone will care because the set of reference books was hidden behind an easel and no one could get to them anyway. But here s what struck me about the books: I have seen this set of books in almost every church I have served. They are located in what was once the church library. As an interim pastor, I have served a lot of churches and they each have something in common. What they have in common are rooms that once served a purpose and no longer serve that purpose. One is the library. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, adult education was lifted up (mostly by people in my profession) as the source of revitalization of the church. We all had libraries filled with Bibles and with copies of whatever theologian s writings were popular at the time. Inside this issue: In Our Prayers Annual Meeting From the Pastor continued Adult Class Thank You Concerned and Caring Group By the 1980s and1990s each church assigned a youth room to its teenagers. These rooms featured a couple of ragged sofas, a Foolsball table and some crazy art. They were and are generally located in some obscure room (ours is up the sanctuary staircase in a storage room). What most of us were growing up, our churches didn t have youth rooms. That s because when we were growing up, our churches had youths. When you look at a youth room, it generally holds about 10. That wouldn t even have been a good Confirmation Class when you and I were young. Now, they re all abandoned. Continued on page 3 Thank you 6 Invitation 7 Souper Bowl, Thank You Birthday & Anniversary 8 9

2 Page 2 IN OUR PRAYERS Jerry Beckwith Jo Grove, who is moving to St. Louis. Bud Cufaude as he celebrates his 95th birthday. The Search Committee. Volunteers needed for Meals On Wheels delivery in February. Please contact Beryl Gribbon Fago: January 29 after worship If you would like a hard copy of the Annual Report please let the church office know.

3 Page 3 FROM THE PASTOR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 So, these libraries and youth rooms and other sacred places in our churches now serve more as museums than as places of revitalization. And that s fine. God is always working in new ways to proclaim the Good News and our job is to rejoice in where God is going, not just lament where God has been. So where do I think God is going today? And where do I think a congregation like ours fits in? First, I must warn you that I am a 74 year old white male who brings with him all the blind spots of his age. God didn t come to me in a dream and tell me his plans. I m just guessing but I think I m right. We need to be a place where people can find acceptance and comfort in a world changing faster than most of us can comprehend. I spent most of my clergy career preaching to a small congregation of alcoholics, drug addicts and mentally ill people. My job was to assure these people men and women considered big-time losers by the dominant society that God loved them and had a place for them. Well, few of us here are addicted or severely mentally ill, but we do live in a world that worships youth, worships success, worships power. But our congregations are becoming smaller, our people are getting older, our young people are moving away. Does God still have a place for us in that world? Of course God still has a place for us in that world. But, increasingly, it may be a place that welcomes those society deems losers. We have a banner next to our church sign that reads God Accepts Everyone and So Do We. It originated with our decision to become an Open and Affirming congregation that accepts gays and lesbians. And we do. But we also need to be a congregation that welcomes widows and widowers, poor families, those who question traditional explanations of faith and those who are becoming marginalized in society. And we must be a cheerful congregation. We must accept our limitations as a congregation just as we accept our limitations of health and mobility as we age. The image we project must be one of gratitude to God for what God has done, not an image of sorrow for what we have lost. Because we do have a message to proclaim and that message is not that we are great but that God is good. If we do that, we ll be fine. In the meantime, if you want to study the Interpreters Bible, just stop in my office and grab a copy. You own it. Pastor Bill

4 Page 4 ADULT SUNDAY CLASS SPEAKING CHRISTIAN Many of us who grew up in the church have heard words such as: sin, righteousness and mercy our entire lives. But what do they really mean? What did they mean to the writers of the Bible. How are those words relevant to our lives today? Join us as we explore our faith through Christian language in all of its richness and wisdom. Each week we will examine a word or collection of words that have been heard, sung and prayed in worship, devotion, teaching and community throughout Christianity's history. Attend as many or a few session as you wish. We begin our exploration with the word Salvation on Sunday January 22 at 9:30 in the Inspiration Den. Thank You! TOYS FOR EVANSVILLE Our deepest thank you to the community for your donations of toys, clothing, money, gift cards, food, hats/mittens and more to the 2016 Toys for Evansville program. Christmas morning was simply amazing for 190 children because of your generosity and kindness! AWARE Evansville Evansville School District

5 Page 5 Concerned & Caring: Am I really a caregiver?. Is your loved one showing signs of forge ulness, less engaged in rou ne ac vi es at home and community, increased health issues? Is it causing stress in your rela onship?. Do you fear telling your family and friends?. Am I really a caregiver?. Are you having trouble with finding balance?. Do you have a plan for if something changes?. Are there specific topics you would like to learn more about? Respite, Managing Stress, Housing, Driving Issues, Assis ve Devices, Social Isola on, In-Home Services, Transporta on, Legal & Financial Assistance, Feeling Guilty. Is there interest in a separate grief support group?. Is there a be er me to a end future mee ngs? Mornings A ernoons Evenings You are not alone. Please a end this confiden al group for a safe place to take a break, and to talk through your challenges with others. A trained facilitator will lead the monthly discussion with topics you would like to talk about. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1:00 to 2:00 PM Congrega onal United Church of Christ Ques ons: Contact Sue Hawrylo at or shawrylo2@gmail.com A partnership through the Congrega onal United Church of Christ of Evansville and Alzheimer's Associa on

6 Page 6 Thank you to those who provided treats for Coffee Hour in December: Sue Deininger, Elvina Patterson, Beryl Gribbon- Fago, and Cheryl Mani. Thank you to those who helped beautifully decorate the church for Christmas: Roger and Jolene Schnabel, Larry and Bonnie Luchsinger, Jerry Beckwith, Zeke Deininger, Margaret Brigham, and Emmy Hurtley. Thank you to Kendall and Debbie for having the piano tuned for Christmas.

7 Page 7 Come Celebrate! Bud Howard Cufaude s 95 th Birthday! When: Saturday, January 14 th, 1 3 p.m. Where: The Heights, 201 N. 4 th Street Evansville Wi Your presence is all Bud desires for his birthday, please no gifts. Hosted by his children: Janeen & Kent Stephens, Nancee Bue, Mike & Joal Cufaude, Tammy & John Meredith

8 Page 8 SOUPER BOWL We have a tradition in this church (and in many churches) of observing America s great national holiday, the Super Bowl, by following the instructions of our Savior and reaching out to the poor and the hungry by contributing soup to local food pantries. We call it the Souper Bowl, of course. The Super Bowl this year is scheduled for February 5. February 5 is also the first Sunday of the month, the Sunday when we take up a special food collection for the Evansville Care Pantry. So, on February 5 please plan on bringing a can of soup to church. In fact, if you can, please bring two cans of soup, since we aren t doing anything extra on January 1 because of the holiday. The First Sunday food gathering has done well. We collected 109 cans of tuna in November and 78 jars of peanut butter in December. The Missions Committee has recommended we make these gatherings an ongoing program of my church (meaning they will remain after I am gone). And, of course, we continue to collect various food stuffs for the pantry on other Sundays. There is a basket at the rear of the church. The First Sunday offering is an extra way of thanking God for all God does in our lives. Pastor Bill I would like to thank the following people for helping with Marianne Beckwith s funeral luncheon: Steve, Matt, and Ardis Zwicky, Andrew and Denise Jones, Norma Bjugstad, Amy Tessman, Zeke and Sue Deininger, Gene and Ruth Sperry, Linda and Neesha Miller, Beth Ammerman, Chris Maxwell, and Kendall Schneider. All your help was greatly appreciated. Debbie Schneider, Coordinator for Marianne s funeral luncheon

9 January 1 Kim Wunschel January 6 Daniel Shields January 10 Dan Weaver January 16 Eddy Strommen Jr. January 18 Howard Cufaude January 21 Larry Luchsinger January 26 Andrew Bocher January 28 Presley Leverenz January 29 Bonnie Luchsinger Elizabeth Narveson January 30 Brandon Eckhoff Tammy Knapp JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES Robert and Delores Schumacher Keith & Terri Bowman 2 nd 6 th