GOSPEL NEWS. The Newsletter for the St. Charles and Dover United Methodist Churches. February 2016

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1 GOSPEL NEWS The Newsletter for the and Dover United Methodist Churches February 2016 Pastor: Heather E. Klason Church Office: 824 Church Avenue,, MN Telephone: (O) (H) Church: Pastor: Website: Worship Times: 8:30 am & 10 am Dover Community Church Shalom We are still in December as I write this for February, but my study is bridging both important seasons in our church year, Advent (waiting and preparing once again for a miracle we already know) and Lent (when we once again accompany Jesus both into the wilderness and to Jerusalem). Since I am gone in January and Debbie in February, I write this now. Many of you grew up as I did with the practice of giving something up for Lent. I can remember candy, and ice cream, and meat on certain days. Then my adult practice began of adding something in Lent actions of kindness and love to those who most need it. Lent began as a time of preparation for the mystery of Easter, a temporary interruption in the regularly scheduled celebration of resurrection. It was a time when those who wished to be confirmed in their new faith spent time in study and preparation. But somewhere along the way Lent stopped being just forty days. Somewhere along the way the church began to obscure the reality of resurrection and become comfortable with darkness. Somewhere along the way, the church became comfortable inside herself. Somewhere along the way, the church stopped displaying the banner of resurrection and began wearing the sackcloth of Lent. It as if we began believing the messages we heard about the church being irrelevant and those voices who told us we are bad at evangelism, and began living as if it was true. We lost our energy and enthusiasm to sing out the message of Jesus. The church turned into herself and became poorer because of it. We ve been in a Lenten season for a long time. It is time for a revived sense of resurrection living!!!!! There are things we need to give up to get there and that is what we will focus on during the true season of Lent giving up control, expectations, superiority, enemies, our view of life, popularity, even death. Each of those relates to what Jesus taught can stand in the way of resurrection living and giving and learning and sharing. It was and is not enough for Jesus for people to just reflect and introspect. Jesus was on the front lines and that is exactly the expectation of where the church should be. Jesus wants Christians to be so energized with our love affair with God that we cannot sit still behind closed, fearful doors, but need to run out and share that joy and that love. Jesus wouldn t let the disciples remain in that room behind closed doors.

2 Praise and worship are not just something we do in church it is a lifestyle, a way of being living with gratitude and thanksgiving. If we want this endless cycle of death and shadow in our world and in our church to end, then we need to become committed to resurrection living. It is why we often get bogged down in petty squabbles within the church and among the many ways people gather to worship who have answered the call of Jesus. It is why we begin to be threatened by others whom God has called to a different belief system that is not Christian. It is why we remain silent to the loud voices of those who pervert the teachings of Jesus with hateful rhetoric. We have a story that needs to be heard. It needs to be shouted. It needs to be lived. I know my own life - all that God has given me, all that God has forgiven, all that God has brought me through, all that I have been able to do that I couldn t have done on my own I cannot help but praise God! How about you? What s your story? This Lent let s relearn what it means to be loved. Let s learn again what it means to be redeemed and empowered and strengthened and cherished, and believe it from the top of our heads to the bottom of our feet, in our minds, into our hearts and come alive in our souls, so it overflows. Love, Pastor Heather Confirmation News Confirmation Classes Meet on Wednesdays, 6:00-7:00 PM February 3 Generations of Faith Meeting time February 10 - March 16, 5:30-6:30 pm February 10 - What is Ash Wednesday? February 10 - Ash Wednesday Service at Dover 7:00 pm Wednesday services for Lent 7:00 pm February 10 - March 16 February 17 - What is Lent? Repentance? Justifying Grace? February 24 - Will be announced at later date

3 From the Pulpit Midweek Lenten Services Theme: Wilderness Time From the Pulpit+ The Sundays of Lent Giving It Up 1 st Sunday of Lent February 14 Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 Matthew 4:1-11 Giving Up Control 2 nd Sunday of Lent February 21 Genesis 12:1-4a John 3:1-17 Giving Up Expectations 3 rd Sunday of Lent February 28 John 4:4-42 Giving Up Superiority 4 th Sunday of Lent March 6 One Great Hour of Sharing Luke 19:37-44 Giving Up Enemies 5 th Sunday of Lent March 13 Girl Scout Sunday Ezekiel 37:1-14 Giving Up Our Lives Meal 6:15 PM, Worship 7:00 PM Wednesday, February 10 Ash Wednesday Dover Community Church Mark 1:12-15 A Time for Learning Wednesday, February 17 St Charles UMC Mark 1:12-15 A Time of Challenge Wednesday, February 24 Berea Moravian Mark 1:12-15, Hebrews 4:14-16 A Time of Dependence Wednesday, March 2 Dover Community Church Mark 1:9-15, 9:24b A Time of Doubt Wednesday, March 9 St Charles UMC Mark 1:9-15; 2 Corinthians 12:7b-16 A Time of Comfort Palm/Passion Sunday March 20 Matthew 21:1-11 Giving Up Popularity Easter Sunday March 27 Acts 10:34-43 John 20:1-18

4 This article represents a portion of a homily that Bishop Bruce R. Ough delivered Dec. 27 at Messiah United Methodist Church in Plymouth, where he shared the platform with Dr. Tamim Saidi, chairperson of the Northwest Islamic Community Center in Plymouth. In light of the mounting anti-muslim rhetoric in many places throughout our country, Bishop Ough and Dr. Saidi were asked to offer their reflections on peace from the Islamic and Christian traditions. I love those Christmases, less frequent now, when my entire family can gather to celebrate together. I remember one such Christmas several years ago when we all gathered at my parents home in Williston, North Dakota. It was one of the rare occasions when my brother and his then-young family from Houston, Texas, were able to join us. Their youngest son, Brad, whose wedding I officiated at this past October, was just two years old and had only seen his grandparents a couple of times. He had no trouble calling my father Grandpa, but he couldn t figure out what to call my mother. On Christmas morning, Brad went running into their bedroom, jumped up on the bed and called out, with great urgency, Wake up, lady! It s Christmas! Wake up, lady! Wake up, man! Wake up, world! Wake up; it s Christmas! Wake up: For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7). Wake up, for a child pierces through the world s darkness and brings us Light. Wake up and behold the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. Wake up, for righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Is peace possible? Is peace possible? It is not only possible; it is imperative! For Christians, the answer is an unequivocal and resounding, Yes! Peace is not only possible, but we believe that in and through the Incarnation the Prince of Peace with us the reign of God s peace has already been initiated. You may be thinking, Wake up, bishop! Wake up and smell the coffee! Are you sleep-walking? Wake up and look around. Where is this reign of peace ushered in by the Incarnation? You say the Prince of Peace is with us. But peace on earth is not winning out. You say the Light has pierced the darkness. But it seems pretty dark to us. Christians are being turned against their Muslim brothers and sisters. ISIS s butchery and terror goes unchecked. The United States spending on armaments and military actions, this year alone, could provide a free education to every child in the world. And today alone, 30,000 children will die from preventable diseases and thousands more languish in refugee camps. Wake up, bishop! You say peace is possible now; but we are not so sure, and our hope is being overrun by fear fear of our neighbors, fear of our police, fear of terrorism, fear that darkness is overcoming the Light. Friends, here is what is missing: Peace is not possible without the second incarnation. The first Incarnation, which we celebrated on Christmas Day, is the coming of God into the world. The second incarnation is the birth of Christ within our hearts through the power and gift of the Holy Spirit. As Meister Eckhart, a medieval Christian mystic and theologian, wrote: What good is it to me if this external birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly but does not take place within myself? And, what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace, if I am not also full of grace? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son, if I do not also give birth to Jesus in my time and my culture? Peace is possible when we, like Mary, surrender fully to God and become pregnant with Jesus giving birth to the Prince of Peace in our time and our cultural context. This is exactly what Pope Francis meant when he, in his Christmas Day message to the world, called on all people of faith to make peace grow. And Jesus made it absolutely clear that the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Gospel or Good News of peace will not be realized on earth as it is in heaven unless we become peacemakers; unless we make peace grow. Remember what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). I love how Eugene Peterson in The Message paraphrases this teaching of Jesus: You re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God s family.

5 Consider this sacred truth a truth in both the Christian and Islamic faiths: We were created by God to be stewards of all creation. We were created to make peace grow, not to destroy or deny or demean life any life. As United Methodist Christians, our witness has always been for peace. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist revival movement, was a peace activist. The pursuit of peace is part of our Methodist DNA. Our historic position has been, and continues to be, that we believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Jesus. We deplore war and urge the peaceful settlement of all disputes among nations. We yearn for, work for and witness for the day when there will be no more war and people will live together in peace and justice (The 2012 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, page 140). A set of core values and spiritual practices form the foundation of our Methodist prophetic witness and our acts of compassion, love, justice, and peacemaking. These core values these core spiritual disciplines are: Do no harm. Do good. And stay in love with God (and our neighbors). This way of living doing no harm, doing all the good we can, and staying in love with God is incompatible with the waging of war, the deplorable bigotry toward our Muslim brothers and sisters being espoused by many of our current presidential candidates, and the inhospitable attitude permeating our current immigration and refugee re-settlement policies. Hospitality is one of the fundamental tenets of the three Abrahamic faiths. Each of our traditions teaches us to practice hospitality as an expression of Allah s, Yahweh s, God s righteousness and reign. Jesus went so far as to teach, when we welcome the sojourner, the stranger, the other, we welcome Jesus himself. When we practice hospitality, we move from us choosing whom to welcome, value, include, or love to embracing the reality that it is God it is Allah who has chosen all to be welcomed, valued, included, loved. Hospitality is the seed bed of peace and justice. It is out of a spirit and commitment to hospitality that we are called to make peace grow and to act justly. Peace, nurtured in the seed bed of hospitality, means we speak out against those who would demonize or persecute Muslims in a post-9/11, -Paris and -San Bernardino world. Howard Thurman, African American theologian, philosopher, and civil rights leader, reminds us that, During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism. Peace, nurtured in the seed bed of hospitality, means we stand with the immigrants, sojourners and refugees fleeing the brutality of terrorists and welcome all as if they were Jesus himself. Standing on this side of Christmas, we are reminded that Jesus and his parents fled to Egypt to escape the violent regime of King Herod. Jesus was a refugee. Peace, nurtured in the seed bed of hospitality, means we oppose discrimination based on a religious or racial litmus test. The U.S. Constitution guarantees our hard-won commitment to religious freedom and liberty and justice for all. Peacemaking means defending these guarantees against any bullying or fear-mongering tactics that would ignore or mock them. Peace, nurtured in the seed bed of hospitality, means we reject war and violence as a way to resolve disputes between nations and peoples. Peace, nurtured in the seed bed of hospitality, means we practice the spiritual disciplines St. Paul advocated: Bless those who persecute you; rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep; live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty; do not repay anyone evil for evil; live peaceably with all; do not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:9-21). Peace, nurtured in the seed bed of hospitality, means we advocate for all governments and religious traditions to uphold the common good of all God s children from every nation, race, language, and faith expression. Bruce R. Ough is resident bishop of the Dakotas-Minnesota Area of the United Methodist Church.

6 Join us Wednesday February 3rd at UMC 5:30 pm Dinner 6:00-7:00 pm Fun, Games and Challenges Dress for action! All ages are welcome! February Focus Items are: Personal Care Items such as: Shampoo Soap Bar/Pump Soap Toothpaste Toothbrush Deodorant Oatmeal Packets Easy Mac & Cheese Remember, if you can t buy the items yourself, money is always a good way to donate! UMC is re-starting the Prayer Chain. If you are interested in being part of this wonderful ministry, please call the church office at and leave your name and number. Prayer is powerful! Please join us - call today!

7 Souper Bowl Sunday Potluck Brunch Tailgating Church-style When: Sunday, February 7, 9:30 AM What: Brunch Potluck bring a dish to share (Sign up sheet at the back of church) Where: St Charles Fellowship Hall Fun & Games Bring cans of soup for the Resource Center Food Shelf We have volunteered to help the Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) process the Box Tops for Education they have collected at the Elementary School. Over $1200 has been earned for the Early Childhood Program at the Elementary School. We are looking for help on the following date in order to process them and have them postmarked by March 1, Tuesday February 9, :00pm 3:00pm If you can join us please bring a pair of scissors. Coffee and treats are provided.

8 United Methodist Women January 7,.2016 The UMW met January 7, 2016 with 6 ladies present. Joan Hoff lead devotions. After cares and concerns, Gail Keller lead with prayer. President Gail called the meeting to order. The minutes of the November 12, 2015 were read and approved. The Treasurer s report was given. OLD BUSINESS: Our November balance is $3, Tables for the Fellowship Hall were $1, Present balance is $2, The Christmas party was wonderful. Thanks to Marion, Marcie, Kendra, Rory, and their families for being hosts. Tablecloths for the new tables were discussed. Gail will keep looking for cloths of the correct size. Carol Mueske has begun a prayer chain list. The list was passed to Dianna to continue. Gail will ask Debbie to ask for others who may want to be a part of the prayer chain via the newsletter before it is finished. NEW BUSINESS: Who will be in charge of serving for funerals? Gail will ask Alice Dabelstein to continue to be chairperson. Sue Stefanich requested that the UMW purchase and donate mittens and snowpants for Headstart students who need them. Jan Behrens motioned that the UMW donate $100 to purchase mittens and snowpants for Headstart students. Motion passed. Gail purchased plates, tableware, etc. for serving meals at the church. Sue motioned that the UMW reimburse Gail $50.50 for meal supplies. Motion passed. SCUMC will be hosts for Lenten meals on February 17, March 9, and Maundy Thursday, March 24. Sue and Dianna will chair the February 17 meal. Hopefully the Ad Council will be in charge of the March 9 meal. The UMW (hopefully, with Alice in charge) will host the Maundy Thursday meal. Sue reported that she and Dianna, with a donation from Teri Arnold made goody bags for he Headstart students for Christmas. January 12 and Feb. 9 from1:00-3:00 will be coffee and cutting labels for education. Over $1200 has already been earned for the early childhood program at the elementary school. Please come to join us. Our next meting will be Feb. 4. Joan will be hostess. Gail will do devotions. The meeting was adjourned with the Lord's Prayer. Respectfully submitted, Dianna Pulley

9 River Valley District to welcome new superintendent in 2016 December 21, 2015 By: Christa Meland Rev. Cynthia Williams has been appointed the next River Valley District superintendent a role she will begin on July 1, Williams will succeed Rev. Clay Oglesbee, who will have then completed eight years as a district superintendent. Williams, who grew up Baptist in Tennessee, was ordained as an elder in 2015 and since 2010 has served in a dual appointment as associate pastor at Park Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis and director of congregational life at Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Paul. Prior to that, she was director of operations for Park Avenue UMC. Wlliams longstanding passions are coaching and teaching and she s always been focused on aligning all functions and activities around a common purpose, vision, and strategy. Those gifts have played a key role in her ministry, and she s excited to be able to bring them to her new position. I look forward to helping churches in the district to reclaim their identity as God s people called to make disciples of Jesus Christ, she said. I ve been praying for revival not just for the United Methodist Church. Our nation needs a revival. Part of this call, this new appointment, is I ve been called to respond in a deeper way to the very prayer I ve been praying. Williams said she s eager to walk alongside congregations and help them create alignment in all they do. I am excited about helping hearts to come alive again, helping people throughout our district be on fire for God and have so much passion that it spreads, said Williams. My vision is that we will be a district of faithful, strategic, and courageous leaders, both lay and clergy, who would dare to believe that God has called us to raise up this next generation for Christ. Williams spent two decades in the financial services industry prior to attending seminary and lived in major cities across the United States including Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Chicago. She left the corporate world in 2001 after a spiritual awakening led her to spend time exploring how to live a life of purpose. I realized I had been in church for most of my life and was doing church but I really did not understand what it was to have a relationship with God, said Williams, who also spent several years as a life coach. I knew God loved you. I didn t know God loved me. When I finally got it deep in my heart that that s what it was about, everything changed.

10 There are, however, a number of lessons Williams took away from the corporate world that have informed her leadership approach. For example, while at Prudential life insurance company, she learned firsthand about the importance of engaging every person within an organization when it comes to understanding its mission and what it s seeking to accomplish. You have to give them enough freedom to imagine themselves in it and name how they will contribute to it, she said. Our work as leaders is to encourage everyone to get on board. Every person needs to know that their contributions matter. Williams earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Tennessee and a master of divinity from Luther Seminary in She was commissioned as a provisional deacon in 2010 before discerning that she was instead called to serve as an elder. Bishop Bruce R. Ough said Williams is well suited for the role of district superintendent. I have come to know Cynthia as a bold pastoral leader with a vibrant spirituality and exceptional proclamation and administrative skills, he said. In her current appointment and as a business professional prior to entering credentialed ministry, Cynthia has demonstrated experience in financial and human resources management, change implementation, and strategic planning. I look forward to the energy, creativity, and breadth of experience she will bring to the River Valley District and the Minnesota Cabinet. Ough also acknowledged the significant role that Oglesbee has played during his eight years as a district superintendent (watch for an article with Oglesbee s reflections in the spring). Oglesbee has served with distinction, providing sensitive pastoral care, thoughtful spiritual leadership, and resourceful creativity, Ough said. His passion for the transformative power of the gospel, collaborative leadership style, and heart for the Wesleyan Way will be missed at the Cabinet table and across the River Valley District. Here are some fun facts about incoming River Valley District Superintendent Cynthia Williams: City of residence: St. Louis Park Family: Single and lives with her wiener dog, Samson; brother lives in Houston and the rest of her family lives in Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee Favorite scripture: Psalm 143:8 Gifts cited by colleagues: Coach, teacher, connector, joyful Favorite book: Has many, but Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer is one and was particularly helpful as she was discerning her call to vocational ministry Hobbies: Gardening, watercolor, spending time with friends, reading, being outdoors, walking, exploring new places, and cooking (mostly traditional Southern food; her signature dishes are peach cobbler and cornbread dressing) Someone she admires: Maya Angelou Something many people don t know: She was itinerant long before she knew what it meant; she s lived in seven cities and moved more than 14 times Christa Meland is director of communications for the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

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12 Birthdays and Anniversaries February 1 Jubal & Stacey Snitker 2 Reid Pulley Cheryl Hinckley 4 Tyler Sexton 6 Jay Button Dover Lynnlee Boelter Dover 7 Helen Tollefson Robert Ihrke Jr. Dover 8 Ryan Pulley Gordon Ferguson 9 Earl Voss Dennis Sabatke Orven Dahl Dover Paul & Marion Evenson 10 Leon Sackreiter Eva Rose Butson Nicholas Butson David & Lois Bishop 11 Liane Hammel Dover 13 Marion Evenson 14 Roger & Barb Traxler 15 Denise Strain 17 Joe Boelter Dover 19 Steve Pearson Melissa Zamzow 20 Tyler Ferson Dover Malissa McKee 21 Mickey Badker Dover April Kvam Jeremy Marshall 24 Paul Marshall 25 Charles & Norma Stephans 26 Justin Johnson Alyssa Schafer 27 Rick Dabelstein Allan Fagan 28 Patti Zingler Brent Fagan Kay Phelps Please Remember these People in Your Prayers Vicki Marquart Evelyn Biers Evan Wegman Elmer Papenfus If you know of anyone in the hospital or in need of prayers, visits, or who would like communion brought to them, please contact the church office. Collecting Bicycles for the Midwest Distribution Center The MWDC is in need of bicycles to send overseas. Bikes of all sizes and in any condition are all accepted. David and Trudi Myers of Stewartville UMC have volunteered to collect them at their place for pickup. Please spread the word. This project will be ongoing through spring. Any questions can be directed to David and Trudi Myers at dtscal@aol.com.

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14 X Address Mailing X X Permit No. 22, MN U.S. Postage Paid Non-Profit Organization Presorted Special Address Service Requested, MN Church Ave. & Dover United Methodist Church X