The Outreach. Strategic Planning for MUMC. The newsletter of the Milford United Methodist Church. March 2015 Milford, NH. From Callie McMahon

Transcription

1 The Outreach The newsletter of the Milford United Methodist Church March 2015 Milford, NH Strategic Planning for MUMC From Callie McMahon As reported in the bulletins at the beginning of the year, the January meeting of Administrative Council was open to all who wished to participate in strategic planning for Attendees were: Betty Herlihy, Steve Rafter, Jerry Theriault, Jim Lawler, Bruce Houston, Lori Haskell, Rudy Rumohr, Jamie, Ammon, Andy Baver, Wes Palmer, Kim Pfeil, Richard Randlett, Dave Stackpole, John Millhouse, Paul Berkebile, Steve and Kerri-Lynn Kimner, Jason St. Jean, Carol Rowlette, Carol Brooks, Walter Riendeau, and I. I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : A Message from Pastor Wes Meet Our Interim Minister Choral Concert for Good Friday Community Supper 5 Waffle Breakfast Fundraiser Good Friday 7 Bits & Pieces 8 & 9 March Calendar Below is a list of the results of our brainstorming and the committee(s) responsible for looking into running with the ideas. The adult studies task force will investigate the ideas listed under that heading below, and determine which of them can be implemented to improve or enhance our current adult studies programs. The Welcoming Task Force will be put in place as a response from a group of 11 members of the congregation that proposed, in a letter to the council, to use the next many months as a period of discernment to prayerfully explore the many issues facing LGBTQ Christians and the complexity of what it would mean to be in a covenant relationship with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. The letter explained the group was, seeking Administrative Council support in establishing a welcoming task force. Their hope is to become a Welcoming and Reconciling United Methodist congregation. At this writing, the Nominations committee has received agreement from the following people to serve on these task forces. Ad Council will vote to approve the teams on Feb 25 th. Adult Studies: Jim Lawler (Chair), Sue Story, Betty Herlihy, Shannon Gutterson, Kathy Rezcko and Paul Berkebile (Continued on page 4)

2 A Message From Pastor Wes Dear friends, Since my last day acting as your Pastor is Sunday, March 1st, this letter is really a postscript to our time together. I don t know for sure, but I suspect I am one of the shortest tenured pastors that MUMC has had in its history. My time with you is the shortest time that I have spent with any parish I have served. That means that I have not had the opportunity to be a pastor to each of you individually in that short time. It is often those experiences that can define a relationship between a pastor and a parishioner. In my 30 years as a local pastor, I have had the privilege of being with thousands of persons in times of great need and great joy. I have performed hundreds of baptisms, weddings, and memorial services. I have confirmed over 200 young people into church membership. I have made hundreds of hospital calls. I have attended untold committee meetings. I have led 99 Christmas Eve services and just about that many Easter services. I could only guess at the number of sermons I have preached and I have no idea how many of them were understood. that I will do in the name of Jesus. It won t have the same rhythm or expectations as the work in a local church and I will once again truly be a beginner. As you continue your journey in ministry without Lucy and I, we will be holding you in prayer. Be yourselves as you seek to live out your own calling in the love of Jesus. Seek Casey s help and guidance as your pastor after she arrives in July and take advantage of the interim pastor s gifts as you share a brief time with them before July. I will remind you that I will not return to perform any pastoral functions after March 1st. That is a practice that I hold to very strongly and I apply it equally in all parishes where I have served. Thank you again for sharing your lives with us over our brief tenure in Milford. It truly has been a privilege and an honor to learn about Jesus through your eyes and lives. I want to share my special thanks with the committed staff and lay leadership at MUMC. They truly are a gift to all of you and to the world beyond the walls of MUMC. In Christ s love, The work of ministry is one that I was called to back in the summer of Since that time, God has continued to teach me what that calling means. At times, I feel like I know just what to do in many situations, but probably more often I am still a beginner, even as I am about to finish. My new work is still very much a work of ministry and one Outreach Page 2

3 Meet our Interim Minister, Rev. John Blackadar Rev. John Blackadar is a retired United Methodist Clergyman who pastored NH churches for over 40 years. He has lived in Salem, Groveton, Dover, Keene, Litchfield and Concord (as District Superintendent.) In retirement, he is actively involved at the Bow Mills United Methodist Church. John s passion is mission. He has led the NH District Volunteers in Mission Team since This construction team has built two new church facilities, numerous additions, a food pantry/thrift shop, and many other projects in West Virginia, Maine and New Hampshire. Rev. Blackadar serves on the Board of Directors for the United Methodist Economic Ministry, located in Salem, ME a very depressed, rural area. The UMEM provides essential social support services to that area, filling a void, and making life manageable for countless folks in that region. Lamplighter s News The Lamplighter s took a three week break in February, due to the ice, snow and freezing temperatures. We will reconvene beginning March 4, weather permitting (let s hope the weather won t be such an issue!) All ladies are welcome and invited to share study and fellowship. We meet Wednesday s from 1-3 p.m. We begin with coffee, tea and snacks, followed by prayer concerns and our bible study. The Lamplighter s outreach is donating food needs to SHARE on the 4th Wednesday of each month. For more information please contact Carol Rowlette, or Elaine Driscoll, We hope to see you lots of old friends, and maybe some new ones, in March! Upcoming Services March 1: Pastor Wes Last Sunday March 8: Rev. Morgan March 15: Steve Rafter March 22: Rev. John Blackadar, Interim Minister Please note: When leaving the church building, please make sure all the interior doors are closed (i.e. classroom doors, door from the choir room or kitchen to the sanctuary, etc.) This is a fire safety issue and also helps regulate the heat in the building. Closed doors can stop a fire from spreading and keep heat in the parts of the building that we want to be warm when we are there. Thanks for your attention to this! Outreach Page 3

4 Strategic Planning, cont. (Continued from page 1) Welcoming Task Force: Kara Ammon (Chair), Janet Hromjak, Claire Holston, Callie McMahon, Gerrie Hopkins, Andy Baver, Rudy Rumohr, Kerri-Lynn Kimner, Sally Landis, and Jim Wall, David Stackpole Strategic Planning Responsibility Summary Administrative Council Renew Suppers Advertise to younger parents Advertise outside the church Vehicle for picking up people, mission trips, etc. Advertise our useable space Safe Sanctuary Pastor Dialogue sermon Joys & concerns Continue Disciple process Worship Committee Dialogue sermon Joys & Concerns Nominations Committee Education done differently Adult studies task force Welcoming task force Education Team Education involvement differently Sunday School activity rotation More input and involvement for the congregation Adult/Children Sunday School to bring conversations home Ecumenical Options (other UMC or in area churches) Although these have no responsible committee they might be doable using ecumenical approach. Tie In with a Sister Church Visit Other Churches to See What s Up Afternoon Off Steve /Jim/ Callie Music Festival Jamie Ammon (with help from her friends) Broken Bread Café Form the following through the Nominating Committee: Adult Studies Task Force Welcoming Task Force Working Women s Group Explore becoming a Reconciling Church Young Mother s Group Long Term Ideas: Assistant or Service Minister (BU Field Setting) Strong Men s Bible Study group Luck is believing you re lucky. -Tennessee Williams Outreach Page 4

5 Good Friday Special Invitation From Sally Landis SHARE Community Suppers Return From Wendy Ayotte The Chancel is preparing a very special presentation for Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. and would like to encourage all to come. It is entitled The Final Hours: A Suite for Holy Week, written by Lee and Susan Dengler. According to the composers, in this work "we are led, through music and the spoken word, to reflect upon those six hours that Jesus hung, suffering on the cross". It is a short but powerful work that includes narrators, bells, cello and flute in addition to the choir. We have never done a Good Friday work before and are hoping that this one will add to the meaningfulness of your Holy Week. Please plan to attend and invite your friends and family. To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone. -Reba McEntire MUMC will be hosting it s next SHARE Community Supper on March 17 St. Patrick s Day! - and you are invited to come along and help. After the holidays, SHARE had a pipe burst over the kitchen, doing a significant amount of damage to the kitchen and service area. Because of this, the suppers were suspended and a total renovation of the kitchen and hall are now almost complete. We are very excited to get in to the new and improved facility and make a meal for our guests. The sign-up board is in the narthex, so please take a moment to see how you can help. It takes a lot of people to pull off a successful dinner, and we have been blessed with lots of willing helpers in the past. You can make a sweet treat for our dessert table (can you bake something green for the holiday?), come to the church on Monday afternoon to help chop veggies for the sauce and salads, or sign up to come to SHARE around 4:15 on March 17 to help prepare, serve, eat and clean up after the meal. Any help you are able to give is much appreciated! If you have questions, please call or Wendy in the office or office@milfordumc.org. Thank you! Outreach Page 5

6 Thank you, thank you, thank you... Bob & Gloria Hopkins want to say a BIG THANK YOU to our church family and friends for going above and beyond to make our wedding day & honeymoon so very special! God brought us out of darkness into the beautiful light and we are so blessed to have such wonderful people to walk alongside us and encourage us upon this path of life. Friends & members of MUMC a GREAT BIG THANKS!! for all the food, visits, cards and love you sent me. The love God provides us sure shows in the love you have shown me and Marley. Thanks again, Everett Gale Dear parishioners of the Milford United Methodist Church, Thank you so much for your unbelievably generous donation of $1000 to Bridges! It s caring community partners like yourselves that make the work of this wonderful organization possible! Warmest regards, Liz K. Bridges Board Member Waffle Breakfast To raise money for the Youth Mission Trip (eggs, bacon, and sausage too!) Saturday March 21, :00am-11:00am Milford Masonic Temple 30 Mont Vernon Street (right before the Boys/Girls Club) $7.00 all you can eat! Outreach Page 6

7 The Final Hours A Good Friday Suite for Holy Week Presented by the Chancel Friday, April 3 7 p.m. Four Lessons of Good Friday The Rev. James Martin, S.J., author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage (Harper One), writes that Jesus suffering and death almost 2,000 years ago are very relevant to our 21st-century lives. He says Good Friday teaches us that: 1. physical and emotional suffering are part of life; 2. suffering isn t always the result of sin; 3. Jesus was fully human and thus understands our humanity; and 4. suffering isn t the last word. The message of Good Friday is incomplete without Easter, Martin writes. The story of the Passion is not simply of a man being brutally tortured, nailed to a cross and executed by the Romans. It s the story of a man who turns himself fully over to the Father s will, trusts that something new will come out of this offering and receives the astonishing gift of new life. Christian Aftercare Ministry From Margie Frank Thank you MUMC for the unlimited, generous donations you forward to us. CAM is currently accepting donations of winter clothing, jeans, footwear, coats, hats, and gloves. Other needs are: vacuum cleaners, knives, forks & spoons, twin bed box spring and mattress, and bicycles. Donations are enthusiastically received as God's provision. Please put items in the CAM box in the church foyer. NO dishes, bed linens, pots or pans are needed at this time. Receipts available. Call Margie Frank, for further information: Also, CAM is looking for a volunteer who is proficient in searching websites for furniture items. Please call Paul Roussel at Outreach Page 7

8 Bits & Pieces Donate Bread Loaves on Communion Sunday, March 1. Please remember to bring a loaf of bread (plain or wheat, no specialty breads) to be placed in the basket at the altar. The bread loaves will be delivered to SHARE, the local food pantry, on Monday morning. Do You Have a Name Badge? Help Our Youth Mission Team Name badges can be printed up anytime by either signing up on the clipboard at the information booth in the foyer, or by ing your information to Diane at djaquith2@gmail.com. Please write out exactly how you would like your name printed and whether you prefer a pin rather than clip on. When the badge is ready, it will be added to one of the clotheslines located by the windows in the foyer. Clean out those old CDs, DVDs, video games - including Wii, Nintendo, XBox, etc and help the Youth Mission Trip! This does not include VCR tapes. And you need to have the original box that your old CD, DVD, or game came in. Then bring it to the church and put it in the bin under the coat rack. Liane Wright will take care of the rest. Those old dust collectors can bring a lot of money for our Youth Mission Trip. Thanks! Outreach Page 8

9 Bits & Pieces Donation of Altar Flowers Would you like to honor or remember a special person in your life or celebrate a special occasion? Please consider signing up to purchase altar flowers. The flower sign up is posted on a bulletin board in the narthex. Contact and payment instructions are on the flower chart. Standard arrangements are $35. Thanks for helping to beautify the altar and sanctuary for Sunday worship. Have you visited a Home Group? Our Home Groups are a wonderful way to get to know people in our church, share our faith and build connections. You are welcome to join us anytime! Tuesday s at 7 The Lawler s home, call Thursday s at 7 The Rafter s home, call Friday s at 6 p.m.@ The Hopkins home, call A Noise Offering Following each service on the second Sunday of the month we will have a Noise Offering. This donation of your spare change will benefit the Wanakee Scholarship Fund that helps youth to participate in our United Methodist summer camp located in Meredith, NH. If you prefer to write a check, please make it payable to MUMC with the note Wanakee Scholarships in the memo space. Outreach For the month of March we will be collecting canned meats, side dishes (seasoned pasta mix, hamburger helper, etc.), sandwich bread Page 9

10 Committee & Group Contacts If you are interested in becoming involved with, or learning more about, a committee or group on the calendar, here s who to talk to. Birthdays: Keith Taylor March 6 Pat Rafter March 14 Bronwyn Tyler-Wall March 14 Nicole Masters March 15 Kevin Cyr March 17 Janet Johnson March 23 Rick Westergren March 26 Robyn Metcalf March 28 Anniversaries Kevin & Susan Drew March 26 If you would like to be included in the birthday and anniversary list, please Wendy in the office at office@milfordumc.org. Thanks! Bell : Mary Tyler-Wall Chancel : Sally Landis Church Council: Callie McMahon Home Groups: Pastor Wes Lamplighters: Elaine Driscoll and Carol Rowlette Outreach: Pat Rafter & Paul Berkebile Praise Band: Michele Bossie Staff Parish Relations: Bruce Houston Stephen Ministry: Callie McMahon Sunday School: Kim Pfiel Trustees: Steve Rafter White Tops: Everett Gale Worship: John Millhouse Vacation Bible School: Shelly Frost Youth Group: Tom Knapp, Kerri-Lynn Kimner Any questions? Please call our office during office hours, listed below. Church Pastor Wesley Palmer: pastor@milfordumc.org Wendy Ayotte, Office Manager: office@milfordumc.org Office Hours Monday through Friday 9 a.m. 1 p.m. Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri 2 p.m.-6 p.m. At times, our hours may vary slightly. If you need to be sure someone is here, please call ahead. Outreach Page 10

11 2015 Sunday Services: 8:30-Spirit Celebration 10:45-Traditional Worship Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat 1 Communion Sunday *No Sunday School 5 Youth Group, Senior Visits White Tops 1 Lamplighter s 7 Worship Committee 5 6 Handbell 7 Chancel 6 7:30 Praise Band 7 8 Daylight Savings Time Begins 5 Youth Group, Bowling 9 7 Outreach Committee 7 Trustee s Committee White Tops 1 Lamplighter s 7 Stephen Ministry supervision 12 6 Handbell 7 Chancel 13 7:30 Praise Band Youth Group, Leader s Choice 16 7 Finance Committee 17 St. Patrick s Day 4:30-7:30 Community Supper at SHARE 18 8 White Tops 1 Lamplighter s 7 Ad Council Meeting 19 6 Handbell 7 Chancel 20 7:30 Praise Band Youth Mission Trip Waffle Breakfast at the Masonic Temple Youth Group, Soup Kitchen 8 White Tops 1 Lamplighter s 7 Stephen Ministry supervision 6 Handbell 7 Chancel 7:30 Praise Band 10 Chancel rehearsal Palm Sunday 5 Youth Group, Game Night Outreach Page 11 Denotes that the Handbell is scheduled to play

12 Milford United Methodist Church 327 No. River Rd PO Box 476 Milford, NH (603) Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Milford, NH Permit No. 17 March, 2015 Sunday Worship Times: 8:30 Contemporary Worship* 9:30 Sunday School 10:45 Traditional Worship* *Free childcare Change Service Requested Our Vision: Milford United Methodist Church Our Mission: The Milford United Methodist Church exists to help people discover the joy of knowing and serving Jesus Christ. We will help people discover the joy of knowing and serving Jesus Christ by: Providing joyful and meaningful worship experiences. Establishing and encouraging small groups for study, support, prayer, fellowship and service. Empowering people to discover, develop, and deploy their gifts for ministry. Reaching out beyond our congregation in Christian love and service. Discover the Joy! Our Values: We commit ourselves to: Know scripture and live it. Act with integrity. Be faithful to Jesus Christ, our families, and our church family. Strive for excellence in all we do for the Lord. Celebrate the ministry of all Christians, lay and ordained. Treat all people with respect and sensitivity. Encourage people to grow in Christ. Care for the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of all people.