Rittman United Methodist Church Points to Ponder - August 2010 Volume 41 - Issue No. 8 Chuck Kaliszewski, Pastor Sheila Stoll, Editor

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1 Rittman United Methodist Church Points to Ponder - August 2010 Volume 41 - Issue No. 8 Chuck Kaliszewski, Pastor Sheila Stoll, Editor Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2 Bearing Good Fruit I struggled a bit with the title of this column. I didn t want it to be too churchy and I didn t want it to be too vague or misleading. My intention was to find a few words that would help me introduce the theme for my August sermons: Five Practices of Fruitful Living based on the book by the same title by United Methodist Bishop Robert Schnase. Now, don t worry, the sermons will still be based on Scripture. The Bible readings each week will carry a common message. Jesus said, I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5, NRSV) The five practices are: Receiving God s Love: The Practice of Radical Hospitality Loving God in Return: The Practice of Passionate Worship Growing in Grace: The Practice of Intentional Faith Development Loving and Serving Others: The Practice of Intentional Faith Development The Grace of Giving: The Practice of Extravagant Generosity On September 12, 2010 we will begin new worship hours as follows: Contemporary Worship Service 9am - 9:45am Sunday School 10am - 10:45am Traditional Morning Worship 11am - 12pm We ll look at one practice each week. The over-all theme is: Changed from the Inside Out. These words are a good definition of Christian transformation. Our involvement in a Christian community such as the Rittman UMC needs to change people or why bother coming. The question is in what ways are we changed? Hopefully the answer is that we are becoming more Christ-like in our journey through life. The East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church has adopted these five practices as the basis of their annual evaluation form used to assess the effectiveness of pastors in each parish. I look forward to our working together to bear more fruit. It s been a hot summer so far and we re just getting into the dog days of summer, so plan on worshiping in the Social Hall this month. And please, tell your friends. I ve heard a few people say the heat has kept them from coming to worship on Sundays. We ll return to the Sanctuary in September. I hope that you will take the time to review the many things happening that are listed inside this issue of the newsletter. I am excited about the new ministries being formed which give us more opportunities to truly connect with one another. I am committed to several basic principles, one of them being a strong Sunday school as well as vital, active small groups that meet throughout the week. Pray with me for the new adult Sunday school classes being formed, as well as for J.O.Y. (Just Older Youth) a monthly activity time for our senior members. Pray, too, for the activities and groups being formed this fall, such as our family movie nights, the women s dinner & a movie nights, the card -making group, a weekly men s breakfast, and the life skills classes starting with home finances. God is good, all the time. Pastor Chuck

2 MONDAY MORNING SEWCIAL Please join a fun group of ladies for wonderful fellowship and sewing and all the prep work. The quilt on the frame will be finished soon. The new quilt will be an American quilt. A memory quilt for a church family member will be started in August. We will be meeting on August 2nd and 16th, 9am-noon. HELPING WHEELS Do you need transportation to appointments? Would you like to transport a family person to an appointment? There are several people who will help out. There is a need for more drivers. Please call the church office at For help or to give help. Reminder! Sunday Morning Worship will be held in the Social Hall during the summer, especially when the temperature climbs! ATTENTION LADIES We are offering two opportunities for fellowship and ministry. Dinner and a movie will be held in the Social Hall on Friday August 13, 2010 at 6:00 pm. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the narthex. Please bring a side dish to share. Meat and drinks will be provided. You may also bring lawn chairs, pillows, blankets, etc. to allow for comfortable viewing. Do you send greeting cards? Did you ever send a card you made, giving it your own personal touch? On Tuesday, August 24 at 7:00 pm, the card ministry will meet in the Fellowship room. We will discuss what type of cards we would like to make, when and where we will meet. All ladies are invited - no experience needed! If you have any questions, please see Linda Kaliszewski. You can also contact her at lmkalis25@aol.com or CHANGE IN DATES: the picnic for the children of Rittman has been moved to August 7th at 11:00-1:00 pm. It will be held here at the church. We are coordinating this function with South Main Street Church of God here in Rittman. This is a wonderful opportunity to spread the love of Jesus. If you are interested in helping with this event, please see Linda Kaliszewski or you can contact her at lmkalis25@aol.com or

3 FOOD PANTRY A big, big tremendous THANK YOU to Niles & Rita Blough for all their leadership and dedication to the ministry for the community through our church. They have been so faithful. Mark & Lynn Turnbow will be stepping up to buy the supplies and inform the church what is needed each month. In July 35 families were served, 6 new families and 69 people. Thanks to the Fellowship Class for the kitchen help: Anne Salyer, Ruthanne Lindenmuth, Dorothy Gillman, Marilyn Hofacre, Wilma Baker, Eileen Williams (cake), Rae Knapic (cake) and Anita Frase (cookies). The meal in August will be served by the Men s Rotary Group. Thanks workers - Sharon Chipps, Pat Seiler, Mary Winkler, Lori Ullman, Betty Winchell, Mark Turnbow, Reah Lunter, Niles Blough, Nancy McMillan, Sheila Stoll, Dick Gillman, Eleanor Winkler, John Lunter, Deb Adkins, Sandy Gasser, Judy Britton, Rita Blough, Bob Frase, Homer Craddock, and Pastor & Linda Kaliszewski. THANK YOU Niles and I would like to sincerely thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers while I was under the weather. We appreciate each kindness. May God bless you. Niles & Rita Blough Recipe Corner Summer Pie - by Delphine Hisem Crust: 3 cups Grapenut flakes, slightly crushed 1/4 cup firm packed brown sugar 1/4 cup melted butter Mix together - press into 9inch pie pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly browned. Cool to really cold. Filling: 1pint softened orange sherbet 1 pint softened vanilla ice cream 2 teaspoon real lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind Put orange sherbet into pie crust. Mix ice cream with juice and rind and put on top of sherbet. Freeze 4 hours or overnight. To Serve: Put sliced strawberries on top.

4 1st 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 15th 17th 18th 23rd 24th 25th 27th 28th August Birthdays Rosemary Lowe Sally Schwab Melissa Love Brandon Barnes Mike Floyd Joseph Tomlinson Virginia Frase Trevor Knapic Joshua Steiner Madison Huff Rachel Hostetler Amanda Breckner Lori Burkhart Danielle Gochnauer Cecil Hawkins Jonathan Metzger Jennie Cain Violet Davis Larry Staley Audrey Winchell Elizabeth Booth Larissa Richards Fran Breece 1st Dave & Tonya Crawford 16th Mickey & Joanna Shankland 17th Barry & Shirley Youmans 21st George & Pauline Rastorfer 26th Ken & Martha Baillis Today is a gift - that is why it is called the present. OTTERBEIN CLASS Outhouse Memories & Antics Bruce and Carol Gradwohl greeted the Otterbein Class on Saturday, July 10th at 6:30pm. Us old folks enjoyed the coolness of the Social Hall once it started cooling. We also enjoyed the refreshing desserts provided by the Gradwohls. Audrey Winchell read No Prayer Goes Unheard by Helen Steiner Rice and Matthew 7:8, Ask...Seek Find Minutes were read and approved. In Old Business, we decided that we would do the Fellowship Hour on August 15th. We discussed our menu and then decided to have a sign-up sheet for Sunday morning in class. We will review those needs at our next social on August 7th at 6:30pm. In New Business, Irene Hopton made a motion that the class give to the Memorial Fund in memory of Twyla Haulk. It was accepted after a second by Joanna Shankland. In review, we will follow through with our memorial gift in memory of Dean Donaldson. Next month, Bob & Irene Hopton will be our hosts on Saturday, August 7th at 6:30pm. Bruce then shared a devotion and the background and history of the hymn, When I Survey The Wondrous Cross by Isaac Watts and Lowell Mason. From there we just visited with each other. Joanna Shankland Secretary P.S. We re an older class, but aren t we all getting older each day??

5 Grillers on July 23 and July 31. Our circle will be filling a backpack for a student at the elementary school. Audrey Winchell had the program, What Gifts Shall I Bring, with Eleanor Yoss and Anne Salyer taking part. -UMW DATES- August 2 1:00pm Dorcas Circle 7:00pm Hannah Circle August 3 9:00am Beth Circle August 30 7:00pm Hannah Circle Hannah Circle Hannah Circle met on Monday, July 5, 2010 with seven members present and Betty Winchell was a guest. Ruth Baker had devotions. She read Keep On Going, Imperfect Building Blocks, Hebrews 11:1, and Judges 3:7 followed by prayer. She then read the amazing true story of two horses. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Pat Seiler read Psalm 24 and Truth Will Triumph by Max Lucado. We all read the Purpose of United Methodist Women. Anne Salyer read Sexual Exploitation for our Cultural Moment. We received a thank you note from Pastor Chuck and Linda for all the help and support during his ordination. We still need workers for our Buehler Our next meeting will be August 2nd. Eleanor Yoss will be hostess and Elaine Fetter will have the program. Ruth Baker then served delicious refreshments. Elaine Fetter Secretary Jennie Cain s monthly church history article and the minutes from the Dorcas Circle meeting will not appear in this month s Points to Ponder. Jennie has been in the hospital and is now recuperating. We all send Jennie our prayers and best wishes. Book Club You re invited to join us the fourth Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m., as we discuss our book of the month. Come as often you like no attendance taken! August Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall September Walking on Broken Glass by Christa Allan October They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti November Finding Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn CHURCH LIBRARY NEW BOOKS GOOD READING

6 TRUSTEE UPDATE Good News we have paid off the loan from the Scholarship Fund used for the rainspout/ soffit project! With your support and a generous gift from Curly Snell s estate, we paid back $8,240 (includes probated interest) to finish this fundraising project started last fall. Any leftover funds or new money designated to this project will be transferred to our current fundraiser for roofing materials for the west social hall roof. We get leaks in the roof whenever we get heavy wind with rain. Our attempts to find the source of the leaks have been unsuccessful, so the Trustees would like to replace the west roof this fall. We need about $2,000 to cover material costs only as we plan to install it ourselves. 2nd Item we are in the process of replacing all the fluorescent lights in the church with solid state ballasts and hi output bulbs that will provide brighter light while consuming about 1/2 the electricity. This project is being funded by a gift to our church and is being coordinated by Marty Trawicki, a licensed electrician who completer a similar project in the South Euclid-Hillcrest UMC (Pastor Chuck s last appointed church). 3rd Item at our last meeting, the Trustees decided to upgrade the sound system in the social hall supported by memorial funds. We will be replacing the existing equipment and adding new speakers. A link between the sanctuary and social hall systems has already been added that allows the wireless mikes to be used in either location. Thanks to Mark Turnbow for proposing and coordinating this project. Bruce Lindenmuth Trustees Chairman The Lord s goodness surrounds us at every moment. I walk through it almost with difficulty, as through thick grass and flowers. --R.W. Barber This quotation reminded me of Pastor Chuck s familiar statement, God is good all the time, all the time God is good. Recently I heard of the idea of a gratitude journal. Every day write down something for which we are grateful. I thought I would begin to try it. Even in the most trying of circumstances we can find something for which we are grateful to God. I am grateful that our church s transition into the new time changes is going so smoothly. The new schedule will start on September 12th. The new times will be 9am for the Contemporary Service, 10am for Sunday School, and 11am for Traditional Worship. Lately in our Women s Bible Study by Beth Moore about Jesus, we have been learning how we are to be doers of the Word and not merely hearers. The Methodist denomination is now doing a Rethink Church campaign designed to reach spiritual seekers with the good news of Jesus Christ. We have already begun this work as we are now available to younger people on our website. The goal is to engage people who currently have few or no connections to the church and lead them into a meaningful and relevant experience. We have already begun this endeavor to reach younger generations by our contemporary music service. Rethink church bears a dual message strategy for church outsiders and insiders alike. To our unchurched young adult neighbors it says, Think about your spiritual journey and what church may have to offer you. To those already a part of the church it says, Think about what you have that young adults want. To reconcile these messages, and perhaps conflicting expectations, requires effort.

7 The Rethink Church campaign is posing the question, What if church were a verb? This campaign is designed to redefine church as an experience beyond Sunday mornings or the building itself. People seeking a church community can become involved at various levels - many of them non-traditional - such as volunteering with groups outside the church building and even through making online connections. Bishop Sally Dyck who used to be our District Superintendent says that this message goes from just receiving the gospel in kind of a passive way to living that gospel out in the world. It s a challenge to not only believe but to act and to live. The effort is doing as Jesus did, not just as He said. Matthew Henry has said that Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must become your slave. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:26-28) Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that it was their duty to humbly and effectively build one another up through serving. That means being ready and willing to stoop down and do the lowliest duties, and it means doing that out of love for one another. It means that each disciple of Christ must be willing to submit to others and regard others as better than himself or herself. The New Testament tells us that we should submit to one another (I Peter 5:5, Ephesians 5:21), build one another up (Romans 14:19), and please one another so that they can be built up in their faith (Romans 15:2). The Apostle Paul himself stated that he had made himself everyone s servant (I Corinthians 9:19). It is a privilege for Jesus followers to faithfully do the duty of serving others. When they do that, they must do so just as Jesus Himself did: For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served, but to serve others, and to give My life as a ransom for many (verse 28). For the Christian, the way to be considered great and a leader is to serve humbly. Those who do that are to be the most highly thought of and respected in the church. These are the ones who honor God most, and they are the one God Himself will honor. Jesus Himself told us to say our prayers in our closet. He will hear. We do not need to show off as the Pharisees. To close I will offer a prayer of John Wesley: Jesus, poor, unknown, and despised, have mercy on us, and let us not be ashamed to follow You. Jesus, accused, and wrongfully condemned, teach us to bear insults patiently, and let us not seek our own glory. Jesus, crowned with thorns and hailed in derision; buffeted, overwhelmed with injuries, griefs and humiliations; Jesus, hanging on the accursed tree, bowing the head, giving up the ghost, have mercy on us, and conform our whole lives to Your Spirit. Amen. Amen, indeed! Mary Winkler Contributing Editor

8 Thanks to Dave Berg for filling in for Pastor Chuck on Sunday, July 11th. Dave s sermon title was Go And Do The Same. Several things said were: Love God, Love Yourself, Love Your Neighbor. Who is my neighbor? There was a need to be met and it was done. We loved you so much that we shared with others our love for Jesus. Pastor Chuck s July 18th sermon special words : How to cure spiritual illness? Simple answer - Jesus Christ, turning myself over to Him. Good news of Jesus is meant for everyone. It is our job to continue the work of the disciples, telling the world about Jesus Christ. Are we like the farmer who did not plant his crops because insects could destroy the crop or it may not rain enough, etc., etc. He wanted to play it safe, so he did nothing. Pastor Chuck told a story about Willy that happened many years ago: Willy s father had some extra money so he bought the family a mirror because they never had one. Willy looked in the mirror and saw his face for the first time. He had a deformity of the face which he never knew about. Willy asked his mother how could she love him looking like that? Mother said, I love you the way you are because you are mine. God loves us the way we are because we belong to Him, no matter the scars or deformities. God love you and so does this church family. (Editor s Note: These sermons can be heard online at From Cashiers United Methodist Church - November 6, 2005 IT IS NO WONDER THAT WE AREN T ABLE TO CHANGE OURSELVES. We don t even understand what we re suppose to change or why. Only God can open our eyes to see these things. That s why we have to pray the Change me, Lord Prayer. I know it s one of the most frightening and difficult prayers to pray. We d so much rather pray, Change him, Lord or Change her, Lord. Plus if we give the Lord carte-blanche to do whatever He wants in us, God only know what He might do. But there is a way we can pray that will change us, and it s not frightening. That is to pray, Make me more like Christ. Who doesn t want to exhibit the character of Jesus? Who doesn t want to be more like Him in every way? Lord, I want to be changed, and I pray those changes will begin today. I know I can t change myself in any way that is significant or lasting, but by the transforming power of Your Holy Spirit all things are possible. Grant me, according to the riches of Your Glory, to be strengthened with might through Your Spirit in my inner being. Transform me into Your likeness. I know that You will supply all that I need according to Your riches in Christ. God s Promise: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20