All Saints Day and Veteran s Day Video Recognitions

Transcription

1 October 2016 Volume 20 Issue10 All Saints Day and Veteran s Day Video Recognitions It may seem early to be thinking about it, but we have some very special days coming up. This year to celebrate All Saints Day weekend (November 5/6) and Veterans Day weekend (November 12/13), we ll be doing video tributes during worship services. For All Saints commemorations this year, in addition to the display items we typically bring to honor those who have died, we re inviting family members to bring three photos representing the span of the life of their loved one. Please either high-quality digital images to pastorgrantarmstrong@gmail.com, or bring the photos into the church office to have them scanned. Label the photos with the full name of your loved one. Anyone who provides photos by 10/30 will have them included in the All Saints tribute video. For Veterans Day honors, please provide a photo of your veteran in uniform listing their name, rank, and branch of service. Again, please either high-quality digital images to pastorgrantarmstrong@gmail.com, or bring the photos into the church office to have them scanned. Anyone who provides photos by 11/6 will have them included in the Veterans tribute video. Hard copy photos will be left in the church office for pick-up following their respective observances. Organ & Piano Concert Mark Ross and Judy Busby will be giving and organ and piano concert on Friday October 28th at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary. There will be hymn arrangements for piano/organ as well as solo organ works by Pachelbel, J.S. Bach, and two 20th century compositions (a Toccata in D minor and a Halloween piece entitled a "Diet of Worms.") The concert is free and open to the public. Rushville First United Methodist Church Located on the corner of Congress & Jefferson Pastor Grant Armstrong Teresa Boyd, Administrative Secretary; Mark Ross, Director of Music Ministries Phone , Fax office@rushvillefumc.org Blue Jean Saturday Night Worship 5:00 PM Sunday Worship 8:30 & 10:35 AM Sunday School 9:30 AM

2 DEEPER STILL When I was a little guy starting swimming lessons, my mom had to bribe me with ice cream to convince me to get into the pool. I d love to say that was because I was really good at talking people out of ice cream, but odds are it was because I was scared. I ve fortunately repressed almost all of that experience except for the memory of delicious Laesch Dairy chocolate and vanilla twist cones. What would cause that kind of fear in the four-year-old me? Maybe it was a fear of going too deep. Maybe I feared that I would lose control. I m not sure I had a concept of drowning, but maybe instinctively, I knew that there was danger involved in immersing myself in the water. This October, we re going to spend some time looking at what it means to step deeper into the Living Water of Jesus Christ. Our natural habit may be just dipping our toes into religious waters. We don t mind getting a little Jesus on us, but we re perfectly happy to play in the kiddie pool. It s safer there, and we know we can touch bottom. Jesus calls us out into deeper waters, however. He wants us to hand over control. He wants us to immerse ourselves in His life and mission. We may fear those things, but He knows that living out our trust in Him more fully leads to greater joys than even chocolate and vanilla twist ice cream cones. This month, through some beautiful Psalms, we ll explore God s call on the lives of His people, and hear some wonderful testimony from folks who have stepped out into deeper waters with Jesus. We ll celebrate God s power to change hearts, grow love, and transform the world through disciples who go deeper. October 1/2 Deeper Still: Praising Psalm 150 October 8/9 Deeper Still: Teaching Psalm 78:1-8 October 22/23 Deeper Still: Serving Psalm 84 October 29/30 Deeper Still: Inviting Psalm 66 Please join us each week in October for a season of celebration, and invitation to step deeper into faith. I look forward to worshipping with you! Yours in Christ, Pastor Grant

3 Weekend of Sat 8:15 10:35 Offering Sept $3, Sept $4, Sept $4, Sept. 25 Open Arms Preschool News Worship, Attendance & Giving for September Our preschoolers have had lots of fun getting to know each other during our first few weeks of school. Our themes were School Rules, Apples, God Made Me Special/Making Friends, and Smiles Day. All of the upgrades and additions made to our classroom over the summer are being enjoyed and put to good use by our students. We had our first meeting with Pastor Grant for chapel time on September 14 and the kids loved it! We also celebrated two birthdays during September. Gabe Skiles and Canyon Taylor both turned five this month. Currently, we are reintroducing the dish cloths that we have sold in the past for our fall fundraiser. Please stop by the office or contact a preschool family if you would like to purchase the cloths in support of our program. The cloths are being sold for $3.50 each or $15 for a 6-pack bundle. You save $1.00 per cloth when you purchase the bundle. We do not have the ability to request certain colors when we order to replenish our supply, so the bundles are being sold in assorted colors. If you have a color preference, we will try our best to accommodate requests. The cloths are already in stock and ready for purchase! Once again, we are off to a great start and looking forward to the rest of the year! As a faith community, we graciously continue to return gifts to our generous God. Through His grace and the workings of His Holy Spirit, we are enabled to accomplish the ministry He has set for us in the community and throughout the world. Thank You. October 1 Bob Bottorff 2 Martha Walker Shelley Kveton 3 Alonna Davis, Lyle Sargent Harper McCormick 4 Bobbie Jo Hicks, Frank Billingsley Betty Paisley 6 Beckett Plate Tom & Julie Davis 7 Rose Busby, Lola Trone 8 Barbara Hardy, Loren (Zeeck) Ralston Ciara Isley, Larry Rohn 9 Conner Davidson 10 Jagger Bartlett, Kay Fitzjarrald, Dian Tolles Doris Vincent 11 Garry Johnson, Laura Winner, Tom Eifert 12 Brenda Bottorff, Haylee Mayer Marla Spencer 13 Bryan & Sara Fitzjarrald 14 Scott Prather, Larry Paisley Eric & Melissa Stauffer Drew & Loren (Zeeck) Ralston 15 Betty Johnson 16 Morgan Billingsley 17 Amy Ambrosius 18 Kara Henninger, Nic Cox 19 Doug & Kara Henninger 20 Alyssa Ring Bob & Dian Tolles 21 James Caldwell Scott & Angie Prather 22 Sarah Edmiston, Jennifer Busby Megan Quillen, Shirley Phillips 23 Stacey Briney 24 Michel DeMoss 25 Rita Geisler 26 Eldon Akers, Jeremy Govaert 27 Roberta DeWitt, Melissa Clark Myer Maxwell 28 Cheryl Utter, Kreeden Allen, Norma Atwater Eldon & Rita Akers 29 Jan Anderson, Tom Acker 30 Bob Tolles, Rita Akers, Judy Quillen 31 Gene Baker, Julia Kveton

4 Prayers for our Church Family Please continue to keep these family members and loved ones in your prayers. Please keep Carol Peacock in your prayers as she is getting ready to have a heart cath. Carla Floyd is having some health issues. Sue Kirkham had surgery for a cyst. Shelby Davis had surgery. Betty Roberts has been dealing with back issues. Florence Bottorff fell and fractured her wrist. Matthew & Susan Busby are both having some health issues. Barb Curl is improving after her bike/car accident. Tonya Gaither went to a different doctor and he feels that she has lyme disease instead of MS. Glenna Prather has gotten to return home. Winifred Carmichael, Sheila Yate s mother has cancer and undergoing treatment at the same time Dennis is dealing with cancer. Please keep the families of Larry Trone and Marjorie Aten in your prayers. Lois Henninger received an injection in her hip that is helping the pain. Please keep Mark Tyson, his crew and their families in your prayers as they recover from the accident. Congratulations to Ellie Briney and Keaton Dyche, who got married on Saturday September 3. Ellie is the daughter of Milt & Gnger Briney and Keaton is the son of Mike & Angie Dyche. If you have any updates on the following folks that might result in having their names removed from the list, please contact the church office so that corrections can be made. Please continue to remember these folks in your prayers as well: Cathy Heckel, Mary Ward, Diana Dowacter, John Cessna, Joe Simpson, Dan Swift, Norma Toland, Linda Wilson, Elvis Wilson, Melissa Poling, Dusty Mathis, Donna Manning, Joyce Schafer, Brian Stephens and family, Duane Easley, Kruse Logsdon, Dean Taylor, Barry Scego, Pam McNeely, Beatrice Hall, Sharon Russell Peck, Bonnie Vaughn, Brenda Reynolds, Eloise Baxter, Dorcas Herche, Dick Etter, Doris Young, Warren Dodds, Dale Abbott, Marie Leonard, Mike Dean, Dixie Prather, Helen Donohew, Dessie Zingher, Gale Lee, Denine Cox, Norma Rowland, Amanda Law, Nancy Stauffer, Edith Goldsborough, Kristi Hamilton, Freddie & Sherry Henninger, Mildred Hunter, Florence Bottorff, Wayne Runkle, Frank Billingsley, Virginia Stocker, Larry Lashbrook, Pat Unger, Janet Hayes, Emmett Garriott, Sue Morrell, Eric Peacock, Beth Stambaugh, Georgie Haney, Vera Royce, Jim Stevenson, Linda Shaw, Kraig Kotter, Tonya Gaither, Margaret Street, Jonathan Cox, Tom Eifert, Glenna Prather, Peggy Settles, Luella Hedden, Dennis Yates, Winifred Carmichael, Susan Busby, and David Jones. Each week in worship we will be lifting up a different church or charge and pastoral team from our community in prayer. As we lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ and their work for the Lord, the ministry and message of Christ shall be strengthened. This month we will be praying for the following churches and their pastors: The week of October 2 Littleton First Baptist Church Larry Lindow The week of October 9 Littleton United Methodist Church Rob Kirkham The week of October 16 Rushville United Pentecostal Church Larry DeSha The week of October 23 St. Claire s Episcopal Father Lewis Payne The week of October 30 St. John s Lutheran

5 Operation Christmas Child Collection Week is November 14-21, 2016 It is about that time when we need to be thinking about getting things ready to be put into our Shoeboxes for this project. You may use shoeboxes, small plastic totes (with lid) or the red and green boxes Christmas Child boxes. Our local Relay Collection Center will again be at the Rushville Free Methodist Church. The hours are listed below. Monday Nov. 14 9AM-11AM & 5PM-7PM Tuesday Nov. 15 5PM-7PM Wed. Nov. 16 5PM-7PM Thur. Nov. 17 5PM-7PM Friday Nov. 18 9AM-11AM & 5PM-7PM Sat. Nov. 19 1PM-3PM Sunday Nov. 20 1PM-3PM Monday Nov. 21 8AM-10AM This is the last year that we will be able to put toothpaste and candy into our boxes. Unlocked Church Hours Reminder The church will be unlocked at 8:00 AM and locked at 5:00 PM Monday through Thursday and at 12:00 on Friday, It is unlocked at 8:00 AM and locked after church services on Saturdays and Sundays. Contact the church office if you need in at other times. United Methodist Women s Prayer Calendar 2016 October 1 Ephesians 1:3-8 October 2 Hebrews 1:1-9 October 3 Hebrews 2:5-8 October 4 Hebrews 3:7-15 October 5 Hebrews 10:19-25 October 6 1 Corinthians 3:10-12 October 7 Matthew 7:7-11 October 8 Matthew 7:19-23 October 9 Matthew 7:24-29; Hebrews 3:1-6 October 10 Ephesians 4:7-13 October 11 1 Timothy 1:12-17 October 12 1 Timothy 1:18-20 October 13 2 Timothy 1:3-14 October 14 2 Timothy 2:1-7 October 15 Matthew 26:36-39 October 16 Hebrews 4:14-5:10 October 17 Psalm 110 October 18 Numbers 18:21-24 October 19 Ephesians 1:11-16 October 20 Ephesians 1:17-23 October 21 Hebrews 9:11-15, October 22 Hebrews 7:15-17 October 23 Hebrews 7:1-3, 19b-28 October 24 Exodus 3:7-10 October 25 Psalm 22:1-5 October 26 Isaiah 53:1-6 October 27 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 October 28 Hebrews 10:35-39 October 29 James 1:12-16 October 30 Hebrews 12:1-13

6 Rushville 1 st United Methodist Church Corner of Congress & Jefferson P.O. Box 208 Rushville, IL NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Rushville, IL PERMIT NO. 47 Change Service Requested Sunday Worship Info for October 8:30 AM 10:35 AM October 2 Acolytes: Macon Kessler Jagger Bartlett Liturgist: Chris Utter Eric Ewing Greeters: Bill & Debbie Worthington Alan, Holly & Katie Acheson October 9 Acolytes: Macon Kessler Adam Wise Liturgist: Sarah Duncan Cheri Baker Greeters: Mike & Lou Winston Jerry & Martha Walker & Donna Young October 16 Acolytes: Macon Kessler Ellie Henninger Liturgist: Sheila Burton Carol Fuller Greeters: Allen & Martha Tippey Jerry & Joan Ewing & Joyce Williams October 23 Acolytes: Macon Kessler Clara Armstrong Liturgist: Amanda Shoemaker Amy Armstrong Greeters: John & Barb Botts Makalee & Tyson Davidson & Jennifer Little October 30 Acolytes: Macon Kessler Bronson Bartlett Liturgist: Cathy Teel Eric Ewing Greeters: Betty Johnson & Lucille Morgan Dan, Niki, Adam, Cora & Gretchen Wise

7 Jesus In My Place One day a man went to visit a local church. He arrived early, parked his car and got out. A regular at the church pulled up very close to the guest and said, I always park there! You took my place! The gentleman went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady approached him and coolly stated, That s my seat. You took my place. The visitor appeared somewhat distressed by this greeting, but said nothing. After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and took a seat. A member walked up to him and impatiently instructed, That s where I always sit! You took my place! the visitor, obviously hurt by this treatment, still said nothing. During the service, as the congregation was praying for Christ to be present in their worship, the unknown guest stood up and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, What happened to you? As he began to shine brilliantly in their presence, the visitor lovingly replied, I took your place. Lawn Mowing Sign-up Sheets are in the Sanctuary Please Sign Up! We are needing lawn mowers or people to pay for the fall months for the church yard. Please make sure you contact the church office with any changes in your address or phone numbers! United Methodist Women We are women who participate in the global ministries of the church. Our emblem reminds us of our heritage of women who pioneered in service for the church at home and in other countries. We are a group of Christian women with many gifts who are unified by one Spirit and participate in God s mission in all areas of life. We invite you to join the membership of Rushville UMW in LaMoine River District in Illinois Great Rivers Conference. All women of Rushville United Methodist Church are invited to join one of the following UMW circles for Bible study, mission lessons, and fellowship: UMW Circle Information Serendipity: 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Esther Daystar: 1st Tuesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at Deb & Di s New Beginnings: 3rd Wednesday Evening after Youth Group at 6:30 p.m.

8 On the Road Again On Saturday, September 10, a carload of UMW members from Rushville and Camden were at the Vermont Street UMC in Quincy for the LaMoine River District fall meeting. In spite of the overcast weather, about fifty-five women were present for the business meeting and hymn sing. Then at 10:30 each woman had a choice of attending an informational meeting for Habitat for Humanity, Madonna House (a sanctuary stay for battered women), the Forgotten Initiative (foster care), Well House (prison ministry), or Prayer Shawls. After lunch and fellowship, the attendees were back in the sanctuary where they heard Bernice Dallas deliver an update on Cunningham Children s Home which cared for 371 children in The second afternoon speaker was Vera Jones who spoke of the financial improvements for Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House. They now can afford to take meals daily to 200 senior citizens, provide adult daycare, and provide a Food Basket program weekly. One of the highpoints of the day was a tour of the new school at Chaddock where the Reverend Jeff Rasche gave an inspiring explanation of the school s work with traumatized children. The next District UMW event you don t want to miss is on October 18 at the Pleasant Grove UMC which is west of Liberty. Two topics to be discussed are How Can I Be Present for Someone Who Is Grieving? and Maternal Health. Plan to join a group for that time of educational fellowship. College Students Addresses Please let us know the new college addresses of your students by snail mailing the form below to 1 st UMC, P. O. Box 208, calling the church office at , putting this form in the collection plate during worship, or ing the information to us at office@rushvillefumc.org. We try to keep the addresses current, but need your help to do so. Have a great year at school!! Thanks a bunch! Name: Address: Address: City: State: ZIP Phone Number: address: College attending: Educational focus: Military News It is fall already and Christmas is just around the corner. I'm asking for your help in updating our Church Military Family addresses. Please let me or Teresa know if there are any changes or if what I have on the military board is correct. I will be sending Christmas Cards out the first part of December.

9 Fellowship Hall Construction Update As many of you are aware, our new Fellowship Hall was the site of a construction accident on Monday, September 19. In the course of installing trusses, a number of them fell, destabilizing scaffolds supporting the workers. General contractor Mark Tyson was hospitalized having suffered broken bones, a laceration to one finger, and had a chest tube put in to deal with some injury to one of his lungs. He is in pain, but did not suffer any head, brain or neck trauma. He is being treated with great hopes for recovery. We know that two of his employees also suffered injuries related to this accident, and remain in significant pain. For the purposes of good communication and prayers, I m sharing portions of a note that I first offered on Facebook on Wednesday, September 21 describing ways in which I have personally labored to respond in the face of this event. 1. Pray From the start of this project, prayer has been our guide. When crisis came on Monday, seeking God in prayer is our default. Even when bad things happen, God has been, is, and will be faithful. 2. Love and care for people in a God honoring way We won't always get this perfect, but it is our priority. Some good people were doing good things in service to this church, and they got hurt. We're going to do what we can to honor God by loving and caring for them. 3. Ensure safety People stepped up to stabilize the work site as best they could in the immediate aftermath of the accident. Insurance companies still need to come in and document the site, and so our best protection is staying clear of the site, and cautioning others to do so as well. Once given clearance from our insurance, our building committee has a plan for further securing the site. 4. Seek God's wisdom in moving ahead This will happen in God's time. We need some time to let injured people heal. We need some time to learn what we must learn from these events. We need to spend time reflecting on how God would have us advance. I am confident things will move forward, but it is too early at this point to know exactly when. 5. Try to offer clear and helpful communication I refuse to share speculation or assumption about the accident, as that is unhelpful in every way. I've been in conversation with the building committee, and we are blessed with thoughtful and wise folks who are trying to embody God's grace through this. I've also been in conversation with Mark Tyson and his injured employees (I don't have explicit permission from these men to name them, and I don't want to overstep lines of courtesy). They are recovering, but these are hard working men who are facing great difficulty right now. Please continue to lift them in prayer before our healing Savior, asking for their recovery, their comfort, their peace, and God's provision. If you have a chance, please find an opportunity to bless them. continued

10 News News from the the Pews Pews 6. Express appreciation This has been hard on many people, and lots of folks have gone above and beyond in response to this accident. For all who have done anything to help through this situation: Thank you. Your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Yours in Christ, Pastor Grant Dear Family in Christ, Consecration Sunday We are entering a season of stewardship at First United Methodist. As we recognize God s blessings, we respond by offering ourselves back to God in many ways. One way we respond to God is through the use of our money. We know full well that God doesn t need our money. When we give, it s not because the Creator of the universe is in any ways lacking. We give out of gratitude, trust, and hope. We give because God has been a faithful provider, we know He will care for our needs, we believe in His mission, we see evidence of His work in this world, and we desire for our hearts to be more directly tied to the church that Jesus so loves. This church exists for the sole purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. It's our vision to make a difference for Christ in the local and global community. We do all this by Waking to Christ, Worshiping Christ, Walking with Christ, Working for Christ, and Witnessing for Christ. You make a difference in all the ways you participate in this mission and vision. As we continue to seek what God has in store for us in 2017, we are planning ministry in ways that allow us to be faithful stewards of the calling Christ has placed before us and the resources entrusted to our care. Throughout this month, our services will celebrate God s work in people who, by God s grace, are making a difference through Waking, Worshiping, Walking, Working and Witnessing for Christ. Over the course of this series, you will also be asked to participate in God s work through your giving. I invite you to join me in three practices as we prepare: 1) Be in worship each week to be a part of the conversation. 2) Pray about how God is inviting you and your family to support Christ s work through First UMC. 3) Offer your 2017 Estimate of Giving card in worship on October 29th/30th. If you have any question about how your gifts are used in service to Christ s kingdom, I welcome your conversation. You can give me a call at the office at or me directly at pastorgrantarmstrong@gmail.com Thank you for the ways you give yourself to discipleship that makes a difference. You are the body of Christ, and it is a joy to serve alongside you. Yours in Christ, Pastor Grant Armstrong Seeking Seeking to to Make Make a Difference Difference for for Christ Christ in in the the Community Community

11 B O O K N O O K B Y S H E I L A Rewilding Our Hearts By Marc Bekoff In wildlife conservation, rewilding refers to restoring habitats and creating corridors between preserved lands to allow declining populations to rebound. Marc Bekoff, one of the world s leading animal experts and activists, applies to human attitudes. This book invites reader s to do the essential work of becoming reconnected to nature and themselves. He argues that we should treat animals with kindness and compassion and in doing so, we will increase our own well-being and happiness. Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado and a former Guggenheim Fellow. He has published about 1,000 scientific and popular essays and twenty-six books. Rewilding Our Hearts is in the 2016 United Methodist Women Reading Program in the category of social action and can be found in the church library. I enjoyed reading this book. Sheila Yates Thank You Thank you to Bob Walker, for taking a day to repaired the ceiling in the kitchen. Old ceiling had broke loose and fell on top of the suspended ceiling and tore a good sized hole in the ceiling tile. Bob cleaned the pieces out as much as was possible and then replaced the bad tile with a new one. The ceiling will need more work, but this will get us through until after Smiles Day. Each year since my oldest daughter started attending preschool to mornings a week, I have had to grow to trust God on a deeper level while I hand Him my illusion of control. I can not always be with my children and even when I am, I can not protect them from seeing, hearing, or experiencing things that may harm them. The knowledge of this drives me to call out to God on their behalf, as well as the behalf of those influencing them. Moms in Prayer is an international organization with a vision to have moms praying for every school in the world. We have started a group locally to pray for all four Rushville schools. We meet every Tuesday afternoon from 1:45-2:45 to pray for our schools, teachers, staff, and students. This group is open to any woman in the community who desires to cover our schools in prayer. Come every week or come when you can. We meet in my home at 220 W. Jefferson St. For more information, please contact me, Amy Armstrong, at or amy.armstrong@hotmail.com. You may also find out more about Moms in Prayer International by visiting their website at