Vacation Bible School

Transcription

1 Messiah United Methodist Church 408 Dominion Commons Way Chesapeake, VA Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors, the People of the United Methodist Church Vacation Bible School

2 Notes from the Pastor The Virginia Annual Conference was held June 15-17, 2018 in Hampton, Virginia. The theme for Annual Conference is Servant Leaders: Making a Difference. Elsewhere in this newsletter is an article that provides a wrap up of Annual Conference with a link to a more detailed summary of what took place at Annual Conference. I hope you will take the time to review this information. Well it is hard to believe, but this Sunday will mark the beginning of my third year as pastor at Messiah. If you haven t realized it by now, there are two major points of my theological leanings. First, God loves you and there is nothing you can do about it. Some of you may have heard me say that once and awhile. This means that no matter who you are or what you have done, God is still in love with you and only wants the very best for you. That is easy for God to have love that grand, but in reality it is much harder for us to do. Second, is that every member of the congregation should be involved in the missional needs of the church and participate in hands on ministry. If you have listened to me during worship over the past two years, I think that would be quite evident. As Jesus ascended to heaven in both Matthew s Gospel and in Acts, he gives his disciples a commission to spread the faith. In Matthew Jesus says, Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything that I ve commanded you. (28:19-20a) and in Acts he tells them, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. 1:8b You see, we are agents of God s love that must get outside the church walls, outside of our comfort zone and share that love in Chesapeake, in Virginia, in the United States, and other places in the world. To that end, I am going to ask each of you to prayerfully consider to what type of ministry God might be calling you. As an additional sheet included with the newsletter is a survey of various ministry possibilities. I am going to ask that you each print one of these, and after prayerful consideration that you complete the form and return it to the church. I encourage you to search your Bible for appropriate passages that might lead you to a determination of how you might respond. There will be a box in the Narthex for you to place the forms, and yes I am asking for your name. I am thanking you in advance for taking a bold step in your faith journey. I look forward to serving with you in a bold and exciting way. Grace and Peace, Pastor Bob Vacation Bible School SHIPWRECKED July 16-20, am - Noon Cost is $15 per child (max $25 per family). Vacation Bible School is just around the corner!! Please share the registration information with anyone you feel may be interested in coming. You can also register your Pre-K through rising 5th Grade students as well. We would also love for the Youth Volunteers to go to the link as well to let us know they are ready to help that week.

3 Annual Conference Wrap Up The theme for the 2018 Virginia Annual Conference, held June 15-17, 2018 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Va., was Servant Leaders Making a Difference. The conference theme was based on I Peter 4:10, Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God s grace in its various forms. Service was incorporated in the conference theme and lived out in The Great Day of Service, a three-hour period on Saturday, June 16 when the conference session was halted for conference attendees to participate in service. Bishop Lewis reviewed her vision for the Virginia Conference introduced at last year s Annual Conference: Disciples of Jesus Christ who are lifelong learners who influence others to serve. She reminded those gathered that all Virginia United Methodist churches will have a process of intentionally-forming disciples by She clarified that each church will have to individually choose what this will look like for their context. She suggested that each church begin in prayer, have a conversation about their potential mission fields to form disciples and to study three books that she recommended: Attendees of conference contributed almost 9,000 pounds of canned goods and boxed dry foods as part of the "4 Cans 4 Conference" drive. A conference offering of $111,000 was collected. The offering was divided between the following: Cambodia, Brazil, Mozambique, Volunteers in Mission (VIM) teams working with Native Americans, Haiti, Cuba recovery, Puerto Rico recovery and new this year, Moscow Seminary. A more complete summary of the 2018 Virginia Annual Conference can be found on the conference website at ac/2018acwrapup Developing an Intentional Discipleship System: A Guide for Congregations by Junius B. Dotson Engaging Your Community: A Guide to Seeing All the People by Junius B. Dotson From Membership to Discipleship: Grow Maturing Disciples Who Make Disciples by Philip Maynard Annual Conference members brought 44,774 disaster relief kits for United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to Annual Conference. Kits included: 29,409 Hygiene kits; 13,367 School kits; 703 Birthing kits; 334 Layette kits; 840 Cleaning kits; 16 Bedding kits; 102 Sewing kits; and 3 miscellaneous kits. It s Summer During the next two months, July, and August, the last Sunday of each month will be tropical Sunday. Wear a dress, skirt, or shirt with a tropical print just because we can. If you want to wear your flip flops, that is fine as well.

4 United Methodist Women Missions without Money = If you were walking down the street and saw a dime on the ground would you stoop down and pick it up? I don't know about you, but I would. If you would be interested in attending a Norfolk Tides baseball game as a group from church, we would like to get a group to go. Tentative dates include, Friday, July 27 or Saturday, July 28 when the Tides host Toledo. Another possibility would be on Friday, August 10, when the Tides host Columbus. Games begin at 7:05 p.m. and the Saturday night game has fireworks following the game. If you are interested in attending, please Pastor Bob at bobrobinson@vaumc.org and let him know how many tickets you would need and the date you prefer. We would need a group of at least 12 to receive group rates. Tickets would be between $12 for box seats if we get a group of at least twenty. Well a dime, ten cents, is exactly what each of the Box Tops for Education is worth to schools. Twice a year schools submit the Box Tops and then receive a check for the total number of box tops submitted multiplied by $0.10. The schools can then use that money as they see fit. We have been collecting Box Tops for Georgetown Primary School in the past and will continue to do so. But this year let's set a goal of collecting one hundred or more Box Tops each month so that we can give the Georgetown the equivalent of $120 this year. We will begin counting and totaling our Box Tops submission in August. Don't throw them away, clip them and bring them to church and place them in the drawer in the cabinet in the narthex. Postage Stamps for UMCOR (United Methodist Council on Relief) Save your canceled postage stamps. The stamps are sold to a stamp collector and the proceeds are distributed through UMCOR. Stamps should be trimmed to a border no closer than ¼ inch around the outside edge. Do not peel the stamps from the envelope. Place them in the collection box in the narthex.

5 THANK YOU thanks to the ladies who made cookies for Father s Day our Praise Team for playing at Norview UMC our Adopt-A-Lot Team and their dedication to our homeless folks thanks to Marjorie Markham for taking the school kits to Annual Conference special thanks to all who keep the grass mowed, bushes trimmed and weeds sprayed Serving for the month of July Greeters Scripture Readers 7/1 Shell Riddle 7/1 Tom Rew 7/8 Nan Tarbell 7/8 Les Matthews 7/15 Gionis Family 7/15 Beth Reitz 7/22 Howell Family 7/22 Melinda Shuler 7/29 Dan Tarbell 7/29 Tracie Chesworth Need volunteers to assist in nursery on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Please contact Annette Kellum at netdink@gmail.com if you are interested in assisting or would like more information. We are collecting food items to fill shopping bags which are given out to the families who come to the church seeking food gift cards. This food will be given out in lieu of cards during those times the stock of gift cards is depleted. Below is a list of food to bring: (2 lb) Bags of rice Vienna Sausages (4.5 oz cans) (16 oz) Box of saltine crackers Applesauce (24 oz jar) Green beans (small or large) Cans Spaghetti or Pasta (2 lb box) Spaghetti sauce (24 oz can or plastic jar) Chunk chicken (12.5 oz) Peanut Butter (18 oz plastic jar) Counters Communion Servers 7/1 Bill Lewter/Danny Reitz 7/1 Lewter Family 7/8 TBD 7/15 TBD 7/22 TBD 7/29 TBD Children s Activities (9:50-10:50) 7/1 Phyllis Abeshaheen 7/8 Annette Kellum 7/15 Katlyn Gates 7/22 Ed West 7/29 Lynn Stallcop K-2 Teacher(s) / 3rd 5 th 7/1 Phyllis Abeshaheen/Linda Forbes 7/8 Kerry Gionis/Dawn Pontz 7/15 Shell Riddle/Steve Centric 7/22 Jan Lawrence/Susan Stout 7/29 Nan Tarbell/ Bev Parrish

6 Tuesday Morning Bible Study NO Tuesday Morning Bible Study in July. We will be starting a new book later this summer. Watch for details! 7/6 Joshua Bender 7/31 Lauren Esprit Need volunteers to assist in nursery on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 7/7 Liam Gardner 7/31 Sydney Rew 7/14 Tracie Chesworth Please contact Annette Kellum at netdink@gmail.com if you are interested in assisting or would like more information. MESSIAH YOUTH NEWS M.Y. Meets every Sunday, 5:00-7:00 at Messiah. A light meal is always provided. Activities vary but may include a Bible study, a faith-building lesson, a group-building activity, a service-related project, planning, fun & fellowship with great friends. M.Y. Life, M.Y. Zone Contact info: Karla Waltner, Youth Advisor: karandkids@cox.net. Call or text M.Y. Zone on Facebook (request to be added) Messiah Church office: WISHING YOU A HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 7/7 Dawn & Scott Pontz 7/21 Pat & Eddie Wright 7/20 Tracie & Doug Chesworth 7/31 Susan & Mark Guzzo

7 B.I.G. IDEA Children s Church Lessons for JULY 2018 July s B.I.G. Idea: We believe that stories of faithful friends help us know how to be a faithful friend. July s Bible Verse: A friend is always a friend, and relatives are born to share our troubles. Proverbs 17:17 July 1 June 8 LIVE BIG in July: Children s Church July s B.I.G. Theme: Stories of Friends Lesson 1: Ruth and Naomi Children will hear the Bible story of Ruth and Naomi, who were good friends. Activities: Family Pictures Bible story Picture Puzzles Heart Frames Lesson 2: David and Jonathan Children will hear the Bible story of the friendship between David and Jonathan. Sending Paul to tell others about Jesus. Activities: Friends Make a Difference, pg 93 Bible story: The Five Friends What s In a Friend? Make a Portrait July22 Lesson 4: Priscilla and Aquila Bible Story: Acts 18:1-4, Children will hear the Bible story of Paul and his friends Priscilla and Aquila. Activities: Dot-To-Dot Priscilla and Aquila Bible Story Review word search Friendship necklaces and key chains July22 Lesson 5: Friendship Review Children will review 4 Bible stories of friends from the month of July. Activities: Review 4 Bible stories, Pgs 68, 80, 92, 104 Sewing Fun, pg 99 At the Station, DVD Friendship Mural Activities: Find the Friends Read and discuss Bible story Follow the Bible verse, pg 82 Make friendship book marks June 15 Lesson 3: The Five Friends Children will hear the Bible story of four men who worked together to help their friend get to Jesus.

8 At the church council meeting on March 20 th, Pastor Bob shared a brief video on a way of doing church called Messy Church. Messy Church is a non-traditional way of doing church that: The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on June 1, 2018 and continues until November 30, Are you prepared? Do you have emergency supplies? You can access a Red Cross preparedness checklist at 0_Hurricane.pdf If a major hurricane were to impact our area, do you know your evacuation zone? If a storm threatens, emergency managers in coastal Virginia will determine which zones are at risk and let residents in impacted zones know what they need to do to stay safe. Please take a few minutes to find out your zone and plan what you would do if a storm put you at risk. If your zone is ordered to evacuate, consider going to the home of a family member or friend who is not in a zone that is evacuating. You ll be off the road when the storm hits and close by when it s time to return home. Take time now to find those options. There s more information and a link to the evacuation zone map here. is a way of being church for families involving fun is a church, not a craft club, that helps people encounter Jesus as Lord and Saviour is found across the world values are about being Christ-centered, for all ages, based on creativity, hospitality and celebration is part of The Bible Reading Fellowship which believes, with the historic churches, in one God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Messy Church usually meets on one weeknight a month and is multigenerational. The time together is normally about one hour 45 minutes to two hours in length. It includes a time of celebration including a scripture based story and songs, a craft/activity, and a meal. The concept is that Messy Church is not simply an activity for members of the congregation, but also a way to reach out to families in the community. There are resources for Messy Church and Pastor Bob has a few or you can find out more information about Messy Church at the link below. If you would be interested in working on bringing Messy Church to Messiah UMC, please let Pastor Bob know.

9 July 2018 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Office Closed 5 6 Office Closed 7 Group Therapy Rehearsal 12:00 Adopt a Lot to 3:00 1 9:45 Sunday School 10:00 Youth Bible 11:00 Worship 5:00 MYouth 8 9:45 Sunday School 10:00 Youth Bible 11:00 Worship 5:00 MYouth MMO 9:00-12:00 Praise Team 6: Office Closed :45 Sunday School 10:00 Youth Bible 11:00 Worship 5:00 MYouth VBS SHIPWRECKED 9AM -12PM, July 16 July 20 Food Trucks 5pm Praise Team 6: Office Closed 21 Adopt a Lot 22 9:45 Sunday School 10:00 Youth Bible 11:00 Worship 5:00 MYouth MMO 9:00-12:00 Praise Team 6: Office Closed :45 Sunday School 10:00 Youth Bible 11:00 Worship 5:00 MYouth 30 UMW 31 Preschool Enrichment Camp 7/31 8/2

10 What would God have me to do? After searching the scriptures and prayerful consideration, I have discerned that God would have me live out the commission he gave to his disciples through participation in the following. It is fine to include more than one. If you would prefer to be a good steward of God s creation, you can Pastor Bob at bobrobinson@vaumc.org Participation in a ministry to mentor students in a Title 1 School Tutoring high school students Participation in a short term regional mission Participation in a short term international mission Participation in a local ministry to repair and rehab homes Participation in a local food pantry Serving the homeless through participation in CAST/NEST Providing dinner once a month to a local long-term care facility Gathering to knit/crochet prayer shawls for distribution Participation in the ministry of visitation for out shut-ins Participation in a ministry to care for God s creation Involvement in a jail/prison ministry Working with the Society of St. Andrew to glean food Volunteering CHKD or another local hospital Working to create an alternative worship such as Messy Church Other, not listed above Name I would be willing to serve as a lead in the ministry I listed. Yes_ No_