Aldersgate United Methodist Church October 2010 Issue 72

Transcription

1 Aldersgate United Methodist Church October 2010 Issue 72 Open Hearts, Open Minds and Open Doors Journeys with Judy Leading Causes of Life* What makes for Life in its fullness and wholeness? Last week, I decided to come out a little more with my health challenges. I promise I won t bore you by making this the sole focus of my ministry. But, it is providing some rich spiritual lessons for me. One of the primary lessons is something I ve known a little, but now feel like I m in the doctoral course (pun intended). The book Leading Causes of Life by Gary Gunderson with Larry Pray suggests that for the most abundant and deepest living our lives should be about Life! Saying Yes to God leads us to the Difference between Surviving and Thriving. They write that Life in its wholeness is about Connection, Coherence, Agency, Blessing, and Hope. Life is about Connection with God and all creation. Coherence is the way they name our relentless desire for belonging, our search for an authentic voice in each of our lives, and the discipline its power can be used for life or death, depending on the choices we make. They write about Agency reclaiming it from its institutional use such as government. When they write about agency they recognize it as the capacity to act, the fact of change that happens, happens again, and then keeps on happening in all of our lives. They write about Blessing to encounter its power beyond the gentle tones of God bless you. Blessing is not the end but the beginning of a conversation with life. They write about Hope to release that word form wishful thinking Hope does not escape circumstance, it transcends it. These authors note: We want our lives to be about life. We want to be with people who are working on life and build connections that help us help each other do that year after year until we hand our work over to others. We want to hear songs and Scripture that hold up Continued on page 5 Inside this issue: Summary of upcoming events and news Page 2 ReThink All Hallows Eve Page 3 Around the Connection Page 4 September Calendar Page 8 ALDERSGATE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 9161 Cinema Drive, Juneau, Alaska Judy Shook, Pastor judyshook@aol.com To reach Judy, please call: Parsonage Phone: Day Off Friday Church Office: aumcjuneau@gci.net Phone Fax: P.O. Box Juneau, Alaska Regular Hours MWF Noon-2:00pm Generosity Matters Financial Report By Charlie Mitchell income to date $115, expenses to date $113, apportionments paid to date $14, we are current. Things to look forward to World Communion Sunday is October 3rd. We're celebrating by dressing in the traditional dress of your ethnic heritage or a country you have visited and bringing refreshments from there as well. We'll also have the scripture shared in various languages. See page 2 Visit us on the Check us out on FaceBook: Search - Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Juneau, Alaska

2 Aldersgate News World Communion Sunday is Sunday October 3rd. We're celebrating by dressing in the traditional dress of your ethnic heritage or a country you have visited and bringing refreshments from there as well. We'll also have the scripture shared in various languages. Your generous gifts on World Communion Sunday Supports: World Communion Scholarships, administered by the General Board of Global Ministries with at least 1/2 the annual amount for ministries beyond the US; and Ethnic Scholarship and Ethnic In-Service training programs related to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Weekly Sabbath Hang-time and Supper starts Sunday October 3rd from 5-7pm come enjoy supper and fun fellowship as we share a variety of experiences for all ages including games, worship, prayer, study, crafts, and getting to know each other each Sunday night. This Sunday we will explore together what Sabbath means: rest, play, sharing food, fellowship and more. If you would like to join in the preparation of the meal, or bring something please come at 4pm. For more info on meal prep Oct. 3, contact Shelly ( ) or Kate ( ). The church-made part of the meal this week will be pizza and soup. Sunday School on Green Church continues thru Oct. 17 with breakfast for all ages at 9:30am. Nursery for the pre-school. Both the Kinder-Primary and Secondary classes in back education area. Youth (middle and high school) are in kitchen. Adults class in Pastor Judy's office. Shalom Intergenerational Supper Oct. 6, 6-7:30pm With a light meal, we'll share: Something that makes you feel happy Something that you see your world that gives you peace Somebody you want to thank Gratitude and praise with song and movement This will be in our Education wing. Nurture committee is offering this as one of several ways that we can get to know each other and nurture better. Super Heroes are all around us! All Hallows Eve Supper and Carnival Sunday 5-7pm (4pm preparing the meal together) Halloween falls on Sunday. Let's ReThink Halloween, Re-claim it as a holy day - the eve of All Saint s Day - and invite the community. BTW - I'm even going to invite folks coming to Sunday morning worship to reclaim All Hallows eve and dress up as your favorite saint or hero. Only America makes it so commercial and horrific. (See more in ReThink All Hallows Eve Day article). Come join in: games for all ages kid foods like mac and cheese with maybe whole wheat spaghetti like "worms" in it along with some other fun but meal type foods including some fruits and veggies non-commercial snacks that are not all packaged which kids will have to eat there - even if they just stop by trick-or-treating face-painting and our costumes (mostly Christmas) as loans for use at church van pick up for Breakfast club kids with release forms again Invitations passed out at doors to neighbors in apartments and trailer courts nearby encourage as many of our Aldersgaters to come and pitch in and have fun Two years ago we had such a good time for the grade school kids with a carnival. We took the van and picked up breakfast club kids.

3 ReThink All Hallows Eve Day What do we do when Halloween falls on a Sunday? Well, perhaps it is long past time to ReThink Halloween anyway. Only in America is Halloween so commercial and so horrific. It was originally All Hallows Eve the Day before All Saints. Many viewed this like Dia de los Muertos a Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico to honor and give thanks for those who had died and weren t called saints. At Aldersgate, not being Catholic we define saints loosely as those who let God s light in. Mostly we will honor the dead saints on Nov. 7 with our new tradition of lighting candles for them and sharing a brief celebration of their lives in worship that day. On Sunday, October 31, we can celebrate our Heroes and Saints by dressing up like them and sharing what we value about them. Heroes may be living or even fictional. They might be mythic or modern. I thought about some and decided no tights for me! I thought about the many real heroes who I ve admired. Martin Luther King, Jr. too hard for me to look like a Black man. Some of the Church Mothers how many people will guess I m dressed as Hildegard of Bingen and even know who she is? So, I figured, we can share just a few words about who our person is and what we value about them. While we can have fun with this, it can also be a serious spiritual practice. I admit I have mixed my plans with the ease of costume wearing and making along with meaning. I wished I could find a real Native American buck-skin dress to wear to honor Saint Kateri Tekakwitha an amazing Mohawk-Irooquois woman who helped to stop blood feuds and lead her people to reconciliation by discussion rather than war. She was known for her gentleness, humor, and kindness. A buckskin dress is not easy to come by, so I thought of an Inupiat saint I just learned about a kuspik is easy to wear. That led me to the AHA! I will honor Rev. Della Waghiyi, a Native elder ordained in our own Alaska conference who just died this last year. I have often prayed to be more like Della! On October 10 or 17 at our Sabbath Hang-time (5-7pm), we can talk about Saints and Heroes and get some more ideas about costumes. If you are at a total loss, we can always pull out the Christmas costumes. The old tinsel halos for angels are an easy costume. Here are a few hints. If you are really set on wearing a witch costume, consider how many innocent people were accused of being witches when they were really peasant herbal healers misunderstood. Of course Harry Potter and friends have showed many virtuous values. If you are really set on being a vampire, why not try being like that rather high-valued virtuous one from Twilight the same goes with the werewolf in that series. Strengthening Congregational Nurture Our Nurture team has several ideas to grow in congregational care, get to know each other better, provide Christian education for all ages and to have FUN together. You ll be hearing more about these as they develop, some in this newsletter. You can call on our First Response Team when illness strikes, tragedy happens or a truck runs into your house. This team is ready to hear your needs and meet them with compassion. The blessed souls that make up this team are: Barb Mitchell, Marie Lam, Rachel Gladhart, Judith Maier and Van Waggoner. Supporting Good, Clean, and Fair Food Dehydrating and canning game meats Aldersgate Church Thursday, October 7, 5:30pm Special guest Amy Ely, will present how to dry game with a dehydrator to make jerky, and we will also have presenters about canning venison. Feel free to bring a snack to share at the meeting.

4 AROUND THE CONNECTION Edited and compiled by Jim Sutton NEW ORLEANS (UMNS) For more than a century before Hurricane Katrina, First United Methodist Church and Grace United Methodist Church existed in their own worlds. Geographically they were less than a mile apart. But they were divided by race. The two churches merged after the storm, and attendance has steadily increased from about 47 to more than 200. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) More than 90 Christian clergy and laity have signed a letter calling for church members to speak out against racially motivated attacks against President Obama. The Rev. Gil Caldwell, a retired United Methodist pastor in Asbury Park, N.J., and one of the founders of Black Methodists for Church Renewal, wrote the letter after seeing criticism of Obama he felt went beyond the usual political sniping all presidents face. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (UMNS) Young Latino Methodists are eager to take the church s message into the world and be advocates for change, a youth leader said. Freddy Bermudez Jr., a college student and member of San Pablo United Methodist Church in Waukegan, Ill., was among the young people energized at the annual meeting of MARCHA, or Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) Congregational resources for the Rethink Church advertising and welcoming campaign have moved to a new website address: umcom.org/rethinkchurch. OKLAHOMA CITY (UMNS) At 57, Morgan Green discovered how it feels when the newness wears off of retirement. But he found the sense of purpose he missed from his career by volunteering for mission trips with Chapel Hill United Methodist Church. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) A movie titled I AM, which is scheduled for release this fall, currently is being promoted to churches in North America by its production company, Upper Room Multimedia. The Upper Room, a division of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, released a statement letting churches know that it is in no way affiliated with the California-based production company. WASHINGTON (UMNS) The number of Americans living in poverty has climbed, and The United Methodist Church is looking for ways to help. A report released Sept. 16 by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that 14.3 percent of the population in 2009 lived in poverty, up from 13.2 percent the previous year. OCTOBER is a Busy Month! Columbus Day, Alaska Day, Halloween It is also Fire prevention Month (check to make sure your smoke detector s are working), Breast Cancer Awareness Month (think Pink) and many others. A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could. ~ Unknown At Big Brothers Big Sisters we currently have kids in need of someone to believe in them. You can make a difference in the world you live in by sharing as little as one hour a week. If you want to make a new friend and you like to have fun, call us at Big Brothers Big Sisters; or visit our website for more information. Pigs on a Mission: October Mission ~ The Glory Hole Feed your pigs your loose change and dollars and help the Glory Hole. The Glory Hole provides food, shelter and compassion to achieve physical and spiritual well being to those who are most in need. For the past 28 years, it has been a place to find a hot meal, a warm bed, other necessities, opportunities, an ear, a community of help, and enrichment to the homeless population of Juneau as well as to others in need.

5 continued from page 1 powerful meanings against the silly and distracted clutter of our public discourse. We want to talk plain language about the life among us, so that we can laugh, cry, and pray at the right time That s what life wants us to do. Indeed, it causes us to want those things. The very desire for life is testimony that it is already in us and among us saying yes. None of us knows how long we will live. The Leading Causes of Life should help us know what to do with our lives so that we live at least as long as we are physically alive. A lot of people don t do that. They stare at death from decades away and let all their years be defined by the work of resisting its eventual grip. So it holds them long before it claims them The Causes might or might not help you extend your life, but they should certainly help you deepen it and feel more useful to those you love. In the picture on the book cover there is a (beautiful) dying leaf in water. Are we focused on the dying of the leaf and its disconnection to its source? Or do we notice that it is carried along by water teeming with life signs of renewal? As the leaves begin to fall, can we see this not as a sign of death but of preparation for the regeneration of life? The transforming love shown to us and modeled for us by Jesus leads to abundant living. The Finance committee decided to adopt it for our Stewardship campaign theme from Oct. 3 Nov. 7. It will also be our worship theme during those times. Generosity Matters: Leading Causes of Life* When you offer your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness to Aldersgate you live out God s love and lives change the hungry eat, the sick receive comforted, children learn, and spirits soar. This fall you will have a chance to consider the future of Aldersgate and how we can continue to serve our church family, our community, and the world. Worship themes: Oct. 3 - World Communion (see article on page ) Oct Hope Oct. 17- Connection children, youth and adults sharing from Green Church Sunday School study Oct. 24 Coherence /Purpose & Meaning Oct. 31 Blessing Nov. 7 All Saints, Communion, Commitment Sunday -Agency - we choose who we'll be and what we'll do (FREE Lunch provided by Finance Committee) Celebration Sunday on Nov.7. This Sunday will be a time for each of us to commit to God what we can give to the ministries of Aldersgate. The finance committee will provide a free lunch. If you are not able to attend, please return your pledge to the church office or offering plate before that day. A pledge card is really a pledge between you and God. Only two counters of our finance team will see your financial commitment. God understands that sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances we cannot always continue to give the money and/or service we pledge. When you cannot follow through on your pledge of money and/or service it helps us to know that. Telling the pastor, Treasurer or Financial Secretary helps us to plan finances and ministry accordingly. The total amount of money pledged helps us to set our church s budget. The pledge of your service, gifts and skills on the rest of the form will be taken seriously by Pastor Judy and the Committee on Lay Leadership as we match people to our ministries.. To Life Abundant! Pastor Judy * Based on a book by that title, authors Gary Gunderson with Larry Lots of great news about United Methodist Ministries around Alaska: go to:

6 What s New in Aldersgate UMC Community Happy Retirement to Keith Palke~ he retired from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Sport Fish Division on Thursday September 30th, He started work with Fish & Game in 1978 and is leaving State service after 28 1/2 years. Keith as you go into your retirement may you have many days of laughter and happiness and may you have a lifetime of love and dreams achieved. Thank you everyone who fed the Pigs, walked in the rain, and filled our wagon!!!!! Our Pigs on a Mission collected $156.74, The Walk for the Poor collected $540, and the Red Wagon was overflowing with specified breakfast foods! The Breakfast Club Total Offering $ Our Red Wagon gathers food for our Valley Food Bank, unless otherwise specified. This little wagon will be making an appearance every Sunday. Please bring in any nonperishable items to help us fill the wagon! October s Glory Hole Servers will be Mary Reeves & Lyall Hadsel. They will be at the Glory Hole on October16th. We know that they would love help, so contact them if you would like to help or contact Keith Palke. I would like to start a Birthday Section in this newsletter so if I can wish you a Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary or other special occasion please me at aumcjuneau@gci.net, your information and I will include it in the newsletter. The Church Council is continuing to study What Does a Progressive Christian believe. We just discussed who is Jesus to us now? it set the tone for our meeting if you would like pastor Judy s study notes they are with the copies of the book in the sanctuary or can be ed upon request. We are the Church Together Hospitality Volunteers still needed: You can make a difference in our church one Sunday at a time! We need Ushers, Greeters, chair and book setup and refreshments. The usher would stand at the door and pass out bulletins, collect the offering and such. The Greeter actively engages those who enter our house of worship, helping them to feel at home and providing them with information regarding our congregation and services. The refreshments are also an important part of hospitality. Far more than giving us some nourishment after an hour of worship the food communicates our caring for all who come; guests and members. The food also facilitates some longer visiting. Several of us have worked to make our entryway a little more conducive to visiting. Each week some yummy treats add to the appearance of welcome as people arrive for and leave worship. Ever wonder how the songbooks and Bibles get to where we need them each Sunday. You could help make that miracle happen as well, sign up for chair and book setup. Please sign up with the clipboards or with the church office! Volunteers Needed Juneau s Meals on Wheels Program is currently seeking dependable, trustworthy people to serve as meal delivery volunteers. A volunteer with a regular route (one day a week) would arrive at the Juneau Senior Center at 12th & Eagan between 11:20am and Noon to pick up the meals and then deliver them to about 8 homes in a common location. Volunteers are needed to deliver a regular delivery route one day a week or serve as substitutes on an occasional basis. Training is provided. For further information, call Susanne Elder at

7 Vote for Hospitality! And what better way to Vote than cookies? OK, maybe fruit...? We are looking for volunteers to PLEASE bake some cookies as an act of hospitality for those who use our church home as their polling place. This Tuesday October 5th is the City Elections and then on November 2nd is State Elections. You can bring them Sunday to church, bake with the crew preparing the Sabbath meal at 4pm, bring them Monday during Amy Ely's office hours (noon - 2pm), or drop them off piping fresh during polling hours any time Tuesday. We could use volunteers to come make coffee, resupply the cookies, and freshen up. Blessings are ON THE WAY!!! IN THE MAIL??? No, No, No. Not THAT kind of blessing! Yeah, that PFD that will be in the mail or in your bank on October 7 th. Alaskans are fortunate with the resources that God has bestowed on us. Please consider sharing your gift with Aldersgate so that it may be used for missions and local support. Many families base their weekly or monthly financial contribution on their family income. This is also part of the family income. Please pray about this decision, and contribute what you believe God is asking you to share with the larger community for the common good. Let s all give prayerful consideration to giving at least 10% of our PFDs to Aldersgate (even one per family would be very helpful). The money would be used to help buy projection equipment to use during worship, pay for a new sign out at the road (current one is disintegrating), support college and young adult ministries, pay utility bills (tis the season of larger bills) and to support those less fortunate. We would like to welcome Amy Ely our new Office Manager, she started with Aldersgate UMC on August 16th. She is settling into her position well and loves being here. She supports the pastor and the congregation by producing and distributing publications, overseeing the use of church facilities, answering phone calls and s messages, and completing office work. Amy has lived in Juneau off and on for 29 years. Her family originally from Oregon moved here in She graduated from Hoonah High School. She met her Husband, Richard in 1995 in Hoonah. Together they have lived in Hoonah, Haines, Bethel, and King Salmon. Richard has been in Law Enforcement since before they met and is now working for the Troopers in the Judicial Services Bureau. They have been married for 11 years and have 2 children together, Kristofer is 7 and Gabrielle (Gabby) is 3 1/2. Before taking the position here at the Church Amy was a stay-at-home Mom, prior to that she was an administrative clerk for the Dept. of Fish & Game. She has also worked for the Courts and Alaska Airlines. She and her family are involved with the Juneau Archery Club and Cub Scouts. She loves to craft, sew and travel, her favorite place to visit is Walt Disney World.

8 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Remember we would like volunteers to make cookies and bring them in for the City Elections on Oct. 5th and the State Elections on Nov. 2nd World Communion Day 4 5 City Elections 6 Choir Practice 7pm 7 5:30 Slow Foods Meet 7pm Dancers for Universal Peace Columbus Day Choir Practice 7pm SPRC Meeting 18 Alaska Day Church Council Meeting Choir Practice 7pm Potluck Choir Practice 7pm