The. North Shore United Methodist. February Let s Be Fruity

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The. North Shore United Methodist. February Let s Be Fruity"

Leon McBride
5 years ago
Views:

1 The North Shore United Methodist February 2016 Let s Be Fruity It is a story old enough to pre-date what we now know about smoking. But, the tale goes that a young priest went to his superior to ask if he could smoke while he prayed. No, was the answer, prayer should not be sullied by common things. Several days later a different young priest went to the same superior to ask if he could pray while he smoked. Yes, my son, was the reply, pray at all times and in all circumstances. It matters how you ask a question, because the asking influences the answer. It matters how you look at life from a spiritual perspective or a wordly perspective. Reversing a question can reverse the answer. For decades now leaders have been looking for clear solutions and expanding resources. The general form of the question we have been pursuing has been: are we successful? Our experience has made us feel as if we continually come up short both with answers and with resources. How do you measure success from a Kingdom perspective? It s certainly not about numbers or dollars. What if we ask different questions? Like, Where are there already resources in front of us? Or, Where is the solution we seek already operating? Maybe, Where is God already moving that, if we got behind it and pushed, lives and communities would be changed? Can we reverse our questions to follow a different general form How can we engage what God has already provided? A shift occurs when we begin asking the question, How are we fruitful? In his book Bread for the Journey, Henry Nouwen discusses signs for knowing what you are making is fruitful and not simply successful. Here are three tests for determining how authentic your work is: 1) It comes from weakness and vulnerability. We might phrase this as the struggle. Good work is candid, not packaged. It is born in and shaped by the mess. Success must have struggle. 2) It is unique. Everybody s special, yada yada. This isn t a cat poster what this means is related to #1. It comes not just out of your gifts, but your struggles. When it comes to making new things, the mess you own is just as important as the gifts you ve been given. 3) It brings you joy. While the creative process has lows, and isn t necessarily about happiness, it is about a deep contentment in knowing you re doing what you re supposed to be doing. This knowledge is as good as it gets. So be prepared to know that life as a disciple of Christ is hard, it can be a struggle, we have to get rid of obstacles but the joyous irony is that when we stop worrying about success, and just focus on the work of following Christ, we re more likely to bear fruit. February 2nd UMM Breakfast Meeting 7:30 am February 2nd UMW General 10am February 5-7-Youth MidWinter February 10th Ash Wednesday Imposition of Noon & 6:30PM February 11th UMW Creative Carol Bryant s Studio 9:30am February 14th- UMW Green Sunday February 18th UMW Reading 12:30pm February 24th Dave Ramsey Youth Generation 6:30pm March 12th Crop Walk March 12-18th Dominican Republic Mission Trip March 20th Eggstravaganza- Picnic & Easter Egg Hunt After 2nd Service March 24th Maundy Thursday 6:30pm March 25th Good Friday 6:30pm I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. In Mission With You, Pastor Kim February 7th Communion Offering CROP Hunger Walks are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by religious groups, businesses, schools and others to raise funds to end hunger at home and around the world. There are more than 350 CROP Hunger Walks across the United States from Alaska to Florida. After each local walk, 25% of the money raised stays right in the community to help stock local food pantries and soup kitchens. Our local CROP Hunger Walk across Canyon Lake Dam will be on Saturday, March 12th. For more information see

United Methodist Men U MW UNITED METHODIST Our meeting will be Tuesday, February 2nd at 10 AM. We will hear from a Wesley Nurse re: women s health - specifically heart health since it IS February.

Sumerall. The book shows the growth of a leader; a reader does not need to like or even understand basketball to enjoy it.

Members are reminded that current and back issues of Response magazine are available on the bottom shelf of the UMW Bookcase on the east side of the sanctuary.

magazine to the shelf. No check-out is required of the magazines.... Music News Have you ever played a musical instrument or take piano lessons?

Do you have 1 hour a week for 1 evening per week to rehearse? If you answered yes to the above, please consider joining the handbells of North Shore.

2 United Methodist Men U MW UNITED METHODIST Our meeting will be Tuesday, February 2nd at 10 AM. We will hear from a Wesley Nurse re: women s health - specifically heart health since it IS February. UMW READING CIRCLE Jan Booth The UMW Reading Circle met on January 22nd to discuss a Leadership Development book, Sum It Up, the autobiography of winning Tennessee girls' basketball coach Pat Sumerall. The book shows the growth of a leader; a reader does not need to like or even understand basketball to enjoy it. In attendance were five members: Joyce Allen, Carmel Andrews, Jan Booth, Susan Harris, and Diane Kunz. Members are reminded that current and back issues of Response magazine are available on the bottom shelf of the UMW Bookcase on the east side of the sanctuary. As a part of the reading program and our Christian growth, members are invited to take home any issue of Response (current or past) each month, read article(s ) of interest, and then return the magazine to the shelf. No check-out is required of the magazines.... Music News Have you ever played a musical instrument or take piano lessons? Can you tell if a note is on a line or between the lines? Are you able to see if a circle is a solid or hollow in the middle? Are you able to lift a 1 pound weight? Are you willing to learn? Do you have 1 hour a week for 1 evening per week to rehearse? If you answered yes to the above, please consider joining the handbells of North Shore. We have a 3 octave set of handbells and we need more ringers. This is low stress and we want everyone to learn and to have an experience that is also enjoyable. Call the church office or stop by an talk to me on a Sunday morning. We'd love to have you join us. New books are being added to the upper shelves which are divided by category: Education for Mission, Leadership Development, Nurturing for Community, Social Action, and Spiritual Growth. One does not have to be a member of the Reading Circle to check out books. Just complete the card inside the front cover of the book and place it in the file box on the shelf. Reverse the process when you return the book. In February we are reading I A m Malala for discussion on Thursday, February 18th, at the regular time of 12:30 in the Youth Room. The book is also available at Tye Preston Library in print and audio forms. It is a true story that reads like a novel. If you have not read the book by the appointed time, come anyway to discover if you would like to read it! CREATIVE HANDS Carol Bryant We will meet at church and will be completing quilts and learning basket weaving. February 11th -9:30 2:00 Please bring a sack lunch. UMW women are the best educated faith based group of women in the world. We must be educated to be able to address the needs of marginalized women, children and youth in the world. So plan on coming to the meetings on the first Tuesday of each month and get to know us and our mission, we are much more than a social club! 2

MEAL MINISTRY We are joyfully preparing and delivering nutritious meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This ministry to the community around us helps in times of need.

Such marvelous stories and memories are created. The cooks laugh and share their talents and lives and sense of oneness in Christ. In 2015 we prepared and served approximately 2500 meals.

3 MEAL MINISTRY We are joyfully preparing and delivering nutritious meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This ministry to the community around us helps in times of need. Perhaps transportation or mobility has become an obstacle, or you are ill or recovering from surgery. Our drivers and those served treasure the fellowship with each visit. Such marvelous stories and memories are created. The cooks laugh and share their talents and lives and sense of oneness in Christ. In 2015 we prepared and served approximately 2500 meals. The need is real as we go in the name of Jesus to care for the diverse people in our neighborhoods. It is the heart of our Lord and the His call to us to serve where ever there is a need. There are 30 active volunteers who serve in this ministry. We have need for more. Please help us as we go out to be the Church to our community. If you can volunteer a few hours a week or a month, your gift will make an impact. Contact Joyce Ross at ross.joyce4@gmail.com. PRAYER MINISTRY Greetings from the Prayer Ministry!!!. We pray all the time, but meet on Sunday mornings at 8:30 AM if anyone would like to join us in the Prayer Chapel in the Education Building. Please stop and say hi to anyone of us. We would be happy to speak to you, take a prayer request or just chat about prayer and how wonderful and privileged we feel it is to be able to take your concerns, joys, praises, etc. before the Lord. When I said, "My foot is slipping, " your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:18-19 BLESSINGS - Annie Perez Katie Mason Pat Cahill Susan Fuqua Diane Kunz Joyce Ross Ash Wednesday Services Imposition of Ashes At Noon and 6:30pm North Shore Youth Happy belated New Year from North Shore Youth! It s crazy to me how fast time seems to fly, but I continue to approach each year with a lot of great memories and a whole lot of excitement for what s to come. North Shore Youth has had some amazing experiences together in 2015! We experienced fun and fellowship at MidWinter, Movie nights, 5 th Quarters, Survivor Day, Youth Week at Schlitterbahn, Main Event, LaserQuest, as well as many more. We traveled across Texas for two U.M.ARMYs and grew closer to our Youth Family at Beach Retreat, Christmas Parties as well as weekly Youth Bible Studies and Youth Group. All in all, our youth ministry has had a fantastic year! Our theme for 2015 was Catalyst, emphasizing our calling to be starters of change in our homes, schools, community, and world. This was done in a variety of different ways throughout the year. Through random acts of kindness, service projects, mission trips, sharing their faith, inviting friends to youth group, writing out their testimonies, and more, our students showed others the love of Christ through their words and actions. This year, North Shore Youth strived to make a conscious effort to show our inward change outwardly and I couldn t be prouder of each of our students! As we enter 2016, our students have voted on the newest theme! We are so excited to see what 2016 will continue to bring and look forward to letting our fire for Christ burn brightly as we serve those around us! This week we head to our Winter Retreat at Camp Eagle (Feb. 5-7) in Rocksprings, TX. Please be in prayer for our kiddos as we travel and encounter the Lord! This month we will continue our Hot Topics Series as well as launch our Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Teen Study and Confirmation As always, if you have any questions or would like to get involved, feel free to contact me! Thank you for praying for, loving on, and supporting our young people as they strive to be more and more like Christ!.... Have. a blessed.. New. Year!..... CRRC needs for February The CRRC is in need of soap; bath soap, dish soap, laundry soap, shampoo and conditioner. As always they can always use toilet paper, tooth brushes, and tooth paste. Next time you are at the grocery store pick up a few items to donate then drop them off in the Narthex in the baskets located under the TV. 3

Greetings Beloved! I pray your 2016 is off to a fantastic start!

Look for a Family Lenten Calendar to be available at church and online starting Wednesday, February 10 th.

Lent is another sweet season in the church that often gets overlooked. During Lent we remember the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert fasting and being tempted.

Sometimes we give up something to help us walk closer with Jesus like screen time or negative thoughts.

Lent is a time of enhancing the discipline of the whole body for the conversion from sin and death to love and life in Jesus Christ.

4 Greetings Beloved! I pray your 2016 is off to a fantastic start! We are having a blast in CrossFit talking about the 7 Signs in John as we prepare to head into the beautiful and reflective season of Lent. Look for a Family Lenten Calendar to be available at church and online starting Wednesday, February 10 th. And speaking of Ash Wednesday, we hope you and your family will join us for worship and imposition of ashes at 12:00pm or 6:30pm on February 10 th. Lent is another sweet season in the church that often gets overlooked. During Lent we remember the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert fasting and being tempted. It is typically a time that as a church we try new or work on increasing our spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, and service. Sometimes we give up something to help us walk closer with Jesus like screen time or negative thoughts. Or maybe we take something on like praying on the hour ever hour, reading and meditating on scripture everyday, do one thing each day to serve someone else, or exercising. Lent is a time of enhancing the discipline of the whole body for the conversion from sin and death to love and life in Jesus Christ. You will find some family fun ways of meaningfully moving through Lent on your Family Lenten Calendar I hope you will enjoy! We ve enjoyed being emotional at Yacht Club, or talking about our emotions rather. Watching Inside Out was a great way to spring board into talking about big emotions, digging into what the Bible says about them, and realizing how our emotions impact who we are and who we are becoming! Join us in February as we continue to be emotional! I feel like February always points us to LOVE! Jesus seven signs point to God s LOVE for us! The journey of Lent is about learning to LOVE better! Talking about our emotions helps us LOVE ourselves! So why not take some time as a family to share some LOVE! Grab a bag of Valentine conversation hearts (or any multi colored candy) and enjoy a time of sharing! Give each color a specific thing to share like: pink = family tradition, yellow = birthday/christmas gift, white = word to describe/affirm our family/family member, green = one way you know you are loved, etc. Take turns going around and sharing one at a time something that relates to the topic/color. Example: If I pull a yellow conversation heart out of my handful, I might share that one of my favorite birthday gifts was a llama my parents gave me through Heifer International. Close your time of sharing with a prayer thanking God for each family member and the love that you share! Save the Date: Eggstravaganza Sunday, March 20 th 12:00-2:00pm Save the Date: Vacation Bible School June 27 th July 1 st 9:00-12:00 Lunch Egg Hunt Family Fun Come Catch the Wave of God s Love 4

THE NET: A CONNECTING MINISTRY Danny Ross A High, Humble Calling Helping others worship is an ancient form of God-honoring service 1 Chronicles 9: 17-32 Ushers and greeters are a catchall for Sunday

5 THE NET: A CONNECTING MINISTRY Danny Ross A High, Humble Calling Helping others worship is an ancient form of God-honoring service 1 Chronicles 9: Ushers and greeters are a catchall for Sunday morning needs. They serve on the front line: welcoming the congregation, orienting them to the church facility and the specifics of the worship service, and responding to any unexpected needs that arise during a service. Often, their work is rather humble passing out bulletins, seating latecomers, picking up loose papers, and pointing the way to the washroom but that is not the full extent of their service. Worship Leaders in the Temple Biblically speaking, the function of an usher parallels the work of a group the Old Testament refers to as doorkeepers. From the tribe of Levi and the family of Korah, doorkeepers were responsible for guarding the thresholds of the Tent (1 Chron. 9:19). They helped lead the people of Israel in worship by ensuring the purity of the people coming to worship. Before the temple was built, they stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, where sacrifices and purification took place. According to 2 Kings 22, doorkeepers had a hand in collecting money from the people and then turning it over to the priests. They are considered in the same lists as the singers and scribes who were essential to Hebrew worship. These doorkeepers sons of Korah knew the beauty of Israel s worship from firsthand experience. They authored some of the most memorable words in the Bible: As the dear pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God (Ps. 42:1); God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Ps. 46:1); and of course, Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked (Ps. 84:10). Worship Leaders in the Church A lot has changed since the Old Testament world of these psalms and the people who first spoke them. Today, we cannot walk through a door and into the dwelling place of God; the Holy Spirit dwells within each Christian (1 Cor. 6:19). When we come together to worship, we can t inspect people for purity in the church foyer. We can, however, take the roles we play in worship seriously, and ushers and greeters can learn something from their ancient counterparts. First, standing at the door when people meet to worship is more than a job, it s a calling. In Israel, generation after generation of Korahites stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting (and later the temple). They saw themselves as worship leaders, together with their cousins other Levites the priests, singers, and scribes. Ushers and greeters serve God today by standing at their doors, directing visitors, helping take up the offering, lending a hand to pastors, and stepping in when urgent needs arise. They are joining with centuries of people who have loved God and have valued the event that takes place when his people gather together in worship. CHRIS BLUMHOFER is a freelance writer and a doctoral student in New Testament at Duke University 2007, updated 2012 Christianity Today/BuildingChurchLeaders.com. 5

News from the Treasurer - Les Robertson FINANCE UPDATE December 2015 OPERATIONS Pledges & other offering December Budget $41,360 December Actual $68,556 All receipts Year to date Budget $460,000 Year

BUILDING LOAN BALANCE Year 2015 Start Balance $402,522 December Balance $381,565 Endowment Fund Month End Balance $32,882 CHURCH COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS 49 attended the January 24th meeting Reports were

6 News from the Treasurer - Les Robertson FINANCE UPDATE December 2015 OPERATIONS Pledges & other offering December Budget $41,360 December Actual $68,556 All receipts Year to date Budget $460,000 Year to date Actual $489,435 Expenditures December Budget $32,219 December Actual $32,440 All Expenditures Year to date Budget $460,000 Year to date Actual $412,323 SPECIAL GIFTS Month End Balance $66,821 BUILDING LOAN BALANCE Year 2015 Start Balance $402,522 December Balance $381,565 Endowment Fund Month End Balance $32,882 CHURCH COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS 49 attended the January 24th meeting Reports were presented by: Finance Committee, Board of Trustees, Staff Parish Relations Committee, Youth Ministry, Children s / Family Ministries, Music, United Methodist Men, Hospitality / Events team, New Facilities Planning Team and the Senior Pastor Minutes and reports can be read in Church Council Binder in the Narthex 2016 Budget with $484,000 for receipts and expenses was approved Motion to transfer $15,000 to Texas Methodist Foundation to reduce loan indebtedness was approved Motion to provide for a Day Care program in any proposed new facility was approved Motion to spend up to $10,000 to proceed with the consolidation of plans and drawings for a proposed new church facility was approved. Approval to build and to enter into an Architect contract would be done at a later called Church Conference Motion to build a canopy over the air handling system to hopefully stop water leaks in the kitchen was approved Deron LeStourgeon and Lee Blackman were thanked for their service to North Shore Mary Alice Bethancourt was introduced as the new Church Treasurer Dear Church Family, Our hearts are filled to overflowing with thanks to all of you for your prayer, cards, hugs and sympathy on the passing of our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Jean MacGregor. It is so special to be a part of this caring congregation. Thanks to Pastor Kim for a beautiful, heartfelt, spiritual service and thanks to the Josephson's, Roz Rainbolt and Phyllis Bigby for the family breakfast and reception. Blessings and love to you. Barbara and Max El Tawil and Family Sunday, February 7th The Dominican Republic Mission Team will be selling bowls of Chili or Baked Potato Soup To-Go Cost - $5.00 Soup will be available after both services. Les Robertson, Church Council Chair 6

The. North Shore United Methodist. March Don t Underestimate the Size of a Mustard Seed

The. North Shore United Methodist. March Don t Underestimate the Size of a Mustard Seed The North Shore United Methodist March 2016 Don t Underestimate the Size of a Mustard Seed Many of our new members have been asking me about our mission and vision statement as a church. Two years ago