Mission Fair September 25

Transcription

1 Wylie United Methodist Church The Witness September 14, 2011 Mission Fair September 25 Sunday, Sept. 25, there will be a Mission Fair in the foyer of the church. You can see how many different ways there are to be involved in God s mission at Wylie United Methodist Church. Browse among the tables and pictures. Talk with people who are involved with missions. Sign up to get mission s. First Day at Learning Academy Preschool More pictures on page 11.

2 Wylie United Methodist 1401 FM 1378 (Country Club Rd.) Wylie Tx Office Phone Fax Number Church Website Church Office Hours Monday ~ Thursday, 8:30am - 5pm Fridays 8:30am - Noon W U M C S t a f f Kathryn Strempke, Senior Pastor kathryn.strempke@wylieumc.org John Taylor, Associate Pastor jetvct@att.net Chuck Church, Director of Youth Ministry chuck.church@wylieumc.org Scott Wilson, Director of Music scott@foyinc.com Linda Nelson, Accompanist Colleen Driggers, Director of Children & Family Ministries colleen.driggers@wylieumc.org Sherry London, Director of Preschool Education sherry.london@wylieumc.org Jan Beamer, Director of Child Care janbeamer@verizon.net Debbie Willis. Church Administrator debbie.willis@wylieumc.org Vickie Jones, Financial Administrator vickie.jones@wylieumc.org Debbie O Neal, Administrative Asst debora.oneal@wylieumc.org Shiela Haynes, Newsletter Editor shiela.haynes@gmail.com Worship Services 9:30 Traditional with Hymns, Organ and Choir 10:45 Contemporary with the Filthy Rags Band Table of Contents 3-4 Kathryn s Kolumn 5 Mission Blitz Pandamania VBS Reunion Spaghetti Drive for CCC 6 Communion Offering Carter Blood Care Program 7 Pumpkin Patch Trunk or Treat Parents Night Out Book Fair 8 Enough! 4-part Study Confirmation News Information Class 9 New Acolyte Training Bell & Children s Choirs 10 New Member Baptism 9/11 Concert Pics Thank You Memorial Donation 11 LAP First Day Pics 12 UMCOR Flood Buckets Prison Ministry 13 Youth Fall Programs Parents Needed 14 Youth Small Groups College Care Packages 15 Prayers for Military To have your group s activities and information placed in the next edition of The Witness, articles to Shiela Haynes at shiela.haynes@gmail.com Articles for Sept. 28 edition are due Monday, Sept. 26 by 10 a.m.

3 Kathryn s Kolumn Page 3 I thank my God always for you, because of God s grace that was given to you in Christ Jesus. That is you were made rich through him in everything: in all your communication and every kind of knowledge, in the same way that the testimony about Christ was confirmed with you. ~ I Corinthians 1:4-6 Many of you Internet users have probably seen this, but it s fun to read again: The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute. The substitute wanted to know what to play. "Here's a copy of the service, he said impatiently. But, you'll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances. During the service, the minister paused and said, Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up. At that moment, the substitute organist played The Star Spangled Banner. And that is how the substitute became the regular organist! Now I m SURE our church organist has NEVER done anything like that to us. But she s a really great organist and accompanist. She practices every week and is here nearly every Sunday of the year. She comes to choir practice every Wednesday and climbs the stairs in order to play the piano with us. She plays at extra, beyond-sunday events like the 9/11 concert and Christmas Eve. How long has it been since you said thank you to Linda Nelson? Our music director builds a stage and sets up lights every year for the Living Last Supper each Lent. He put together the 9/11 concert and recruited readers as well as musicians for it. He s here nearly every Sunday and every Wednesday. How long has it been since you said thank you to Scott Wilson? Our sound booth team wrestles with microphones and screens and computers. They come for weddings and funerals. They MAKE the PowerPoint presentations for our Sunday services each week. For no pay. How long has it been since you said thank you to Ben Brown, Mitch Swan, Tony Driggers, and Dan Smith? Our associate pastor willingly drives all over the Metroplex; he s been in hospitals from the VA in south Dallas to Sherman and can tell you the parking arrangements for most of the major hospitals in Dallas and Plano. He puts together the 8:30 communion service nearly every week, including bringing his own bread! How long has it been since you said thank you to John Taylor? Continued on Page 4

4 Kolumn continued Page 4 Kathryn s Kolumn continued Our Administrator argues with city bureaucrats, climbs on ladders to find air conditioning vents, escorts health and fire inspectors, has the alarm people on her speed dial, and leaps buildings in a single bound. She coordinates calendar, meets with the Trustees and Administrative Board, and can remember nearly everyone who s attended the church since she started coming. How long has it been since you said thank you to Debbie Willis? The rest of our staff is equally wonderful: Chuck Church, Colleen Driggers, Debbie O Neal, Sherry London, Jan Beamer, and (volunteering) the Filthy Rags Band and Shiela Haynes (newsletter editor). How long has it been since you said thank you to these people who keep our church on the narrow path of service to Jesus Christ? October is Church Staff Appreciation Month. I d bet Hallmark might even have a card for just the occasion! But why don t you use the opportunity to say a special word of appreciation or give pats on the back or even take a staff member to lunch? They are a marvelous group of people who work very hard to make sure we can do all the missions and ministries God calls us to. Thanks be to God for a wonderful church staff. Let the appreciation begin! The United Methodist Women celebrated WUMC's 155th anniversary by meeting their goal of assembling 155 school kits for the United Methodist Committee on Relief! Love, Kathryn Strempke

5 On the Clock Page 5 Spaghetti Drive for the Christian Care Center! Get a start on the Christmas Spirit ~ Sunday, Sept. 25 ~ Local Ambassador Girl Scout Arlean Dawes will be at WUMC on Sunday, Sept. 25, to collect donations of canned spaghetti sauce and boxed spaghetti for the Wylie Christian Care Center. With only three months until Christmas, not only can you get into the spirit of giving, you can help Arlean reach her goal of 155 cans of spaghetti sauce and 155 packages of spaghetti pasta to commemorate the WUMC 155th anniversary! There will be a box set up during both services and Arlean will be present to collect donations. Thank you, and God Bless! Mission Blitz We re celebrating our 155th anniversary by doing 155 separate acts of mission in just three months, Aug. 28 through Nov. 27. Are you participating yet? Take a mission task from the maroon Mission Blitz board in the foyer. Accomplish your mission, then drop the card in the mission accomplished plastic pocket on the board. As of Sept. 12, 76 missions have been accomplished! Pandamania VBS Reunion Wylie UMC invites you to come and participate in a Pandamania VBS Reunion Sunday, Sept. 18 ~ all morning long! At VBS we had so much fun learning that GOD IS WILD ABOUT US that we want to do it again! Come to Sunday school at 9:30 or 10:45 and visit with Patti Panda, get a Pandamania treat, do a special craft and hear and see all your favorite VBS songs again! Come to worship at 9:30 or 10:45 and see Jonah s WHALE, hear Pastor Kathryn remind us about Jonah s adventure and help the grownups praise God with our VBS songs and movements! Wear your VBS T-shirt and join in the fun! Need more information? Colleen at colleen.driggers@wylieumc.org

6 For information on WUMC ministries and programs, visit our church website at Helping Those in Need Page 6 Communion Offering - October 2nd Any offering left at the communion rail will go to help victims of the wildfires in Texas. In Bastrop County, 25 miles east of Austin, in the Southwest Texas Conference, fires have charred some 45 square miles. The Texas Forest Service indicated that 785 homes were completely destroyed there, bringing the total number of homes ruined to date in this disaster to 1,023. Carter Blood Care Program Did you know WUMC has a Life Plan Credit Program with Carter Blood Care? What is a Life Plan Credit Program? Whenever and wherever you volunteer to donate blood the church can receive credit. This means if someone in the church requires blood transfusions within 12 months of your donation, they can receive financial assistance toward uninsured blood product fees. In order to secure your donations are crediting the WUMC account a sponsorship number is required. Call Debbie Willis in the church office to get the sponsorship number. To request assistance for blood, contact one of the pastors.

7 Fall Happenings Page 7 Pumpkin Patch Pumpkin Patch benefitting Children s Ministry and the Confirmation Class of will OPEN on Saturday, Oct. 15 and run through Sunday, Oct. 30. Watch for more info about volunteer opportunities associated with this event! Pumpkins will be delivered on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 7 a.m.! Many volunteers are needed to unload the truck. Jan at janbeamer@verizon.net if you are able to help. Trunk or Treat Mark your calendar for Trunk or Treat, Sunday, Oct. 23, from 4 to 6 p.m. Start thinking about how you want to decorate your car and what kind of candy you will pass out to the children! There will be prizes for the Best Youth Car and the Best Overall Car so start planning how your car will be transformed! Along with Trunk or Treat is a Carnival complete with food, games, bounce houses and live music by our very own J Team, PB&J and Filthy Rags. A great family evening NOT to be missed! Parent's Night Out It's that time of year when the summer winds down, school starts up and activities keep you busy throughout the week. Don't forget to take some time for Mom and Dad! Drop off your children (infants thru 5th grade) at 6 p.m. and pick them up at 10 p.m. Bring $12 per child and dinner for the kids and enjoy an evening out! Dates are: Oct. 14 Nov. 11 Dec. 9 Contact Jan Beamer at janbeamer@verizon.net with any questions. Book Fair to support Children's Ministry Children's Ministry will sponsor a Book Fair Sept. 18 through Sept. 25. Please bring in gently used books (all genres). All Book sales will help pay for the Sunday School curriculum for our children! Book donations can be dropped off in the foyer through Sept. 15. We are also accepting used video games and DVDs this year. So clean off your shelves - donate the books you have read and then come on the 18th and fill your shelves with books you have NOT read!

8 Classes on the Schedule Page 8 E N O U G H! a four-part study Our church has a problem. Our country has a problem. We have a problem: most of us struggle in the area of finances, debt, and satisfaction with life. Our Stewardship Team has been searching for ways to help us come to grips with our problem and find life full of the joy and peace that God intends for us. The Stewardship Team would like to invite all our groups ~ Sunday School, Bible study, fellowship, etc. ~ to participate in a study called Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity during the month of October. Student books are $10, and confidential scholarships are available. A leader s guide and DVD are available for the lesson. The study has four chapters, an Introduction and Epilogue, so classes can run 4-6 weeks. Let the front office know how many copies you would like. Confirmation This past Sunday, 13 sixth graders and their families gathered for a special information luncheon. This was the beginning of an important journey for a group of our faith family! These 13 students make up our latest Confirmation Class. They will spend this year with Brian Beamer and Linda Staller learning about many aspects of being a Christian in the Methodist Church. In May they will make the decision to be confirmed and join our church. Please keep this group of young people in your prayers and their teachers too as God makes his presence known in their lives this year. Who needs estate planning? Every adult who is legally competent, who owns anything and cares about who receives it at the time of their disability or death needs estate planning. In addition, estate planning is necessary for anyone who wants to leave a bequest for his or her church. Information Class An Information Class will be taught Oct. 2, 9, 16 at 10:45 a.m. This class is open to members and visitors alike. Session One is taught by Pastor Kathryn Strempke. What if I m another denomination? How do the denominations compare? What must I believe? What happens if I don t believe like United Methodists? Session Two is taught by Pastor John Taylor. What makes United Methodists different? How many sacraments are there? How important is mission work? Why are there different styles of worship? Session Three is taught by the Business Administrator, Debbie Willis. How do I get involved at WUMC? What Sunday School class or other small group is available for me? How do I start a new ministry?

9 Notes and Bells Page 9 Training for New Acolytes Sept. 25 Each Sunday you see the children of our church participate in worship in a very special way. They acolyte. They bring the light of Christ into the service at the beginning and then take His light out into the world at the end of the service. Children s Ministry would like to express a big Thank You to Kristi Paige and Lynnetta Cox who have stepped up to take on this ministry position. The ladies are eager to start and help the kids with this important part of the worship service. As they begin their new reign they are looking for any kids who are interested in becoming an acolyte. This ministry is open to kids from 2nd through 5th grades. If you are interested in becoming an acolyte, there is a training session on Sunday, Sept. 25 immediately after church. It will last approximately 45 minutes. If you feel this is an area of ministry in which your child may be interested, please Colleen at colleen.driggers@wylieumc.org or call the church office at to sign your child up. Make a Joyful Noise to God! The WUMC Children s Choirs resume Sunday, Sept.18 3:30-4:00 pm ~ 3-5 year olds 4:00-4:30 pm ~ Kindergarten thru 2nd graders 4:30 5:00 pm ~ 3rd 6th graders All choirs meet in Room 101 All Choirs use movement, games, and simple instrumental accompaniments to enhance the singing aspect of our music time. All of the JOYful Noise Choirs have praising God as their central goal. Whether the choirs are lifting their voices during class time, church or in the community, they will always be singing praises to our Lord! Questions? Comments? Contact Colleen Driggers at or Bell Choirs at WUMC! There will be THREE Bell choir opportunities starting on Wednesday, Sept th 8th graders meet from 4:30-5:15 pm 9th 12th graders meet from 5:15-6:00 pm Adult Bell Choir meets from 6:15 7:00 pm No previous musical experience is needed for any of these groups! Please contact Colleen Driggers at or colleen.driggers@wylieumc.org to reserve your spot in one of the bell choirs. All bell choirs meet in room 101.

10 Member News Page 10 Welcome New Member These are pictures from the 9/11 Concert of Hope and Remembrance and ice cream social at the church. Julie Fendrick was baptized and joined this congregation Sunday Sept. 4, Pictured with parents, Tom and Suzie Fendrick, and Pastor John. Just a note to thank you for the lunches you served at Southfork Park. I did enjoy them and appreciate them. I pray the Lord will continue to bless you. In Christian love, Lois Brabbs Memorial Donations A donation was given in memory of Betty Wattier by the Friday Morning Women s Bible Study.

11 More LAP First Day Page 11

12 Ministry Notes Page 12 UMCOR Needs Flood Buckets! Due to the flooding from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Depression Lee, UMCOR is out of flood buckets. Their shelves are bare and we can help with this problem. There are several ways to help. Individuals, families, Sunday School classes or other small groups can buy all of the contents for a flood bucket, bring separate components of the bucket or make a monetary contribution. There will be an assembly meeting on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. in Room 204. Everyone in the congregation, friends, family and neighbors are invited to attend. If you would like to help, please leave your donations of completed flood buckets or contents to fill a bucket in the wooden collection box in the lobby. Then, come to join in the assembly process. Flood Bucket Kit items (Value: $55 per bucket) include: liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottles only) liquid household cleaner (12-16 oz. liquid cleaner that can be mixed with water, no spray cleaners) dish soap (16-28 oz. bottle, any brand) 1 can air freshener (aerosol or pump) 1 insect repellant spray (6-14 oz. aerosol spray pump with protective cover) 1 scrub brush plastic or wooden handle 18 cleaning wipes, handi-wipes or reusable wipes; no terry cleaning towels (remove from packaging) 7 sponges (remove from wrapper) 5 scouring pads (remove from wrapper) 50 clothespins (remove from packaging) Clothesline (two 50-ft. or one 100-ft., cotton or plastic) 24 roll heavy duty trash bags (remove from the box) 5 dust masks 2 pair disposable kitchen gloves, rubber or latex (remove from packaging) 1 pair work gloves, cotton or leather Important Notes ~ All items must be new except for the actual bucket and lid. ~ All cleaning agents must be liquid and in plastic containers. No powders please. ~ If you cannot find the requested size of a liquid item, use a smaller size. Including larger sizes of any item will prevent the lid from sealing. Questions? Please contact Peggy Wilson at peggy.j.wilson@verizon.net Prison Ministry Volunteers Stay-at-home volunteers are needed to support our expanding prison ministry. Volunteers to grade tests (54) weekly for new women's faith based dorm (FBD) in Dawson; another volunteer to grade tests (24) weekly for men's FBD in Dawson; Need a volunteer to also find new church homes for offenders and another to research job-, health- and educationrelated information on the Internet. For more information, please contact Frank Dirnbauer at fdirn@verizon.net or

13 Youth Notes Page 13 The fall semester is in full swing with Friday night lights, kiddos stressing over homework, and parents excited to have the house back! It can get pretty crazy with everyone back at school so hopefully this newsletter will catch you up on what is going on in the youth ministry! Youth in September ~ Wednesdays ~ Sept. 21 & 28 Small groups ~ Sundays ~ Sept. 18 ~ Youth Night Adventure Landing 5:30-8:30 pm ~ Cost $15 Meet at church to carpool Come join us for fun at Adventure Landing. Youth will have choice of any 3 single attractions: Miniature Golf, Go-Karts, or Laser Tag plus two slices of pizza and a drink. Parents as always we need drivers and chaperones. If you can help out go to SIGNUPGENIUS! Sept. 25 ~ Youth Worship, 6-8pm P a r e n t s If you missed the Fall parents meeting, you also missed the opportunity to sign up for two of our BIGGEST needs during the fall. Sunday nights in the youth group would not be successful with out the help of our wonderful parents. The two BIG- GEST needs from our parents is for Snack-Supper and Team Member Volunteers. Fall Snack-Supper Sign Up This is one of the biggest ministries parents can participate in to support our students. Without snack-supper we would be missing a huge fellowship portion of our Sunday night program. Snacksuppers are not difficult and do not require a whole lot of planning. Please go to Sign Up genius to learn more about Snack-Supper and to sign up! Sunday Night Adult Team Members Needed: Youth Group Adult Team: The youth group would not happen if it weren't for Wylie UMC's dedicated adult volunteers. These are young adult and adult volunteers that have a desire to love and witness in the lives of teens. They team up to help plan and attend youth group Sunday nights. If you have a love for your Christian faith and would love to share it with teens please consider joining us on Sunday nights. Pray about it! Also we can train you! Duties include: Arriving 15 minutes early before the evening s event; Interacting with students and participating in activities when physically able to do so; Assisting the youth director, as directed in the evening s program; Promoting a proper Christian lifestyle with your words, actions, and thoughts

14 More on Youth Programs Page 14 Small Groups Wednesdays ~ 7-8:30pm Small groups are already underway, but it s not too late to join in. Small groups very important to our students here at Wylie. We have them at 7 p.m. for two important reasons: Many of our students have after-school activities which make it impossible for them to eat dinner and make it to small group at an earlier time. This time is at the same time as many of our adult Bible studies, making it easier for mom and dad to be at something at the same time. This Fall we are offering a great variety of small groups to help grow our students: For High School Only: Generation Change, Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace for Students! Generation Change is prepared to help you make a difference. Taught on video by personal money-management expert Dave Ramsey, Generation Change is a 9-week Bible study that will teach your students about money from a biblical perspective. Ramsey's down-to-earth, casual teaching style connects with teenagers. Being United Methodist in the Bible Belt Presented in a humorous, accessible style, Being United Methodist in the Bible Belt is an easy-to-understand guide to the kinds of theological questions that many United Methodist youth and others ask. This concise study is engaging and insightful for any United Methodist youth, seeking to better understand their unique brand of Christianity in light of the understandings of those from the evangelical tradition. Collecting Again for College Care Packages! Wylie UMC's college kids are back at school. We would love to send them something extra special as they study hard. We invite you to continue to help our college students stay connected to Wylie UMC by being involved in our College Care Ministry. We will be sending letters and care packages during the fall and spring semesters. Here are some examples for a care package: Fill a shoe box of individual items like cookies, crackers, chips, pretzels, Little Debbie snacks, candy bars (snack size, fun size or full size), hard or chewy candy, trail mix, Rice Krispie treats, raisins, granola bars, trail bars, gum, mints, microwave popcorn, Slim Jim meat snacks, hot drink mixes, note pads, Post-It Notes, pencils/pens with motivating phrases or words, stress balls. If this is somewhere you would like to help, please contact Chuck or Michelle michelleswt@sbcglobal.net or Junior High Only: BOYS ONLY: Dangerous Devotion for Guys Attention-grabbing devotions provide stepby-step instructions for making stuff explode... prompting pumpkins to puke... and navigating the minefields of rat traps - blindfolded. The danger makes these devotions fun, but it's the debriefing and close Bible connections that make them lifechanging. GIRLS ONLY: Designed to Shine! Just for girls, ages 8 to 88! Designed to Shine is a 6-week interactive journaling small group that motivates girls to make wise choices in relationships.

15 Wylie United Methodist Church 1401 FM 1378 Wylie, Texas Address Service Requested Prayers for Military Page 15 Pray for our church friends & neighbors serving in the military Army Brett Carver Jerad Christy Chris Cutliff Kyle R. Daniel Jonathan Mix Lauren Shackelford Steven Solaja Jason Vollmering Navy Sean O Connor Air Force Scott Albers Colin McGarity Leah Morabito Matt Schoomaker Coast Guard Chris Hunt Marines Michael Delpey Zane Dickerson Josh Ewing Landel Sutton If you know of someone who needs to be added to this list, please notify the church office.