THE GOOD NEWS from the Stratford United Methodist Church

Transcription

1 THE GOOD NEWS from the Stratford United Methodist Church Good News MAIN STREET STRATFORD, CT SUMC phone: ~ and fax: SUMC secretary@sumcct.org SUMC website: Volume 58 No. 2 October 2016 The Rev. Simeon Law, Pastor The Rev. Dr. Donald Kirkham, Pastor Emeritus Barbara DeBiase, Organist Lanette Kardos, Director of Christian Education Beth Buckmir, Preschool Director Mary Jane S. Fast, Church Secretary

2 Incidents and happenings out of our past INCIDENTS AND HAPPENINGS OUT OF OUR PAST Phoebe Worrall Palmer and the Holiness Movement Phoebe Worrall was born in 1807 in New York City and reared in a strict Methodist home. Her father Henry had had a religious conversion during the Wesleyan Revival in England before immigrating to the United States. She married another Methodist, Walter Palmer, a homeopathic physician. The couple was active in the revivalist movements of the 1830s. Phoebe s sister, Sarah A. Lankford, was holding weekly women s prayer meetings at the Palmer s home. Phoebe experienced entire sanctification and by 1837 was the leader of the group that became known as the Tuesday Meeting for the Promotion of Holiness. The meetings were very popular. When Methodist clergy and other men joined the group the meetings had to be moved to larger rooms. The Holiness movement traces its origins to John Wesley and his call for Christian perfection. After a person is saved there can come a second blessing, entire sanctification, in which the person no longer has a tendency to commit sin. Thus a person can live a holy life of love, entirely without willfully committing sin. The movement had many rules: no alcohol, gambling, dancing, going to theatres, etc. The movement spread rapidly during the Second Great Awakening and the camp meetings it inspired. Phoebe s interpretation was that this holy life could be achieved instantly through belief. 1

3 Believing that holiness needed to translate into social action Phoebe expanded her activities by doing charitable work with the poor and the imprisoned in New York City. In 1850 she led the Methodist Ladies Home Missionary Society in founding the Five Points Mission located in a notorious slum in the city. Phoebe and her husband Walter traveled the country and Canada, visiting camp meetings, preaching and conducting Holiness revivals. They spent time in England from with a similar group, the Higher Life Movement. She wrote articles for the magazine Guide to Holiness, and after Walter purchased the magazine, Phoebe became the editor, a position she held until her death. She wrote several books including The Way of Holiness, published in 1845; The Promise of the Father, 1859, which argued in favor of women in the ministry; and a book on her experiences in England called Four Years in the Old World, She influenced many people including Frances Willard, the temperance leader, and Catherine Booth, the co-founder of the Salvation Army. Phoebe Palmer died in 1874 in New York City. By the end of the 19 th century the Holiness movement caused bitter divisions in the Methodist Church and people broke away to form the Church of the Nazarene Others joined the Wesleyan Methodist Church or the Free Methodists. Pentecostal and charismatic movements also competed for the followers of the Holiness movement. Phoebe Worrall Palmer is one of the UM Luminaries in the New York Area, people of interest and influence chosen to celebrate 250 years of United Methodism in the New York Area. 2

4 GLOBAL MINISTRIES UPDATES UMC GIFTS PROVIDE SOLAR OVENS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Ysabel Medina and Lucy Sanchez, members of Iglesia Evangélica Domincana (IED) in Samaná, Dominican Republic, understand the powerful impact solar cooking can have on families in their communities who struggle to put food on their tables. Cooking with solar ovens is an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to cooking with the traditional charcoal, wood, or propane cooking fuel. There are a lot of low-income people who don t have the resources to buy gas and who wake up and say, How am I going to cook today? explained Medina, a teacher and a young mother of two. Medina and Sanchez were invited by their pastor to attend the first solar cooking demonstrations offered by Solar Oven Partners (SOP) UMC, Advance # We now know the benefits of the solar oven, and we can save money. That is huge, continued Medina. Thanks to donations from 2015 UMC #GivingTuesday to SOP UMC, more than 750 people have benefited from the training and distribution of 151 ovens at a cost of $150 per oven. During SOP s last four international mission trips, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) teams distributed about 240 solar ovens to newly trained cooks in the community, with more to come. [From a story by Connie Smith, newsletter editor for Solar Oven Partners.] 3

5 HOW UMCOR IS STRETCHING OUR DISASTER DOLLARS Your contribution to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is helping disaster survivors across the nation recover from events those that made the headlines and many that we never even knew about. With low-attention disasters there is little financial assistance and volunteer labor for people most in need. It is possible, however, to turn a low-attention disaster into a highly meaningful recovery for survivors through the dedicated efforts of the church in partnership with UMCOR, said Catherine Earl, a disaster response program manager for UMCOR. Across the nation, conference disaster responders help stretch recovery dollars by partnering with other organizations. Partnerships help the United Methodist Church to provide holistic care, extend our reach, and make best use of donor dollars. Volunteers also help UMCOR reach more for less money. Meanwhile, how do disaster responders focus when working in a community that s receiving seemingly little attention? We try to focus on the survivors, and try to serve them as God calls us to do, said Forrest White, a disaster recovery manager in the Virginia Conference. All disaster survivors deserve your help and prayers. [From a story by Susan Kim] To learn more about our mission dollars at work, you can subscribe to the weekly UMCOR HOTLINE at umcor.org. 4

6 SUMC s BENEVOLENCE OFFERINGS IN ACTION Thanks to all who make an offering weekly or monthly to Stratford United Methodist benevolence fund. Our offerings help us to support a large number of missions locally, nationally, and globally. Some of the benevolence donations are used to supplement the donations we make for United Methodist Special Sunday Offerings. The six Special Sunday Offerings each provide extra funding opportunities in a specific area of mission. October 2 will be World Communion Sunday when the United Methodist Church will take communion together with churches from many denominations around the world. It is a powerful reminder of our common faith in Christ. On World Communion Sunday, United Methodists offer gifts toward scholarships around the world. One half of the giving goes toward funding World Communion Scholars and the other half is given to Ethnic Scholarships and In-Service Training Programs. These scholarships give students opportunities for an education that may not have been obtainable otherwise. 5

7 Many of these scholarship recipients have gone on to become doctors, teachers, church leaders and ambassadors. The World Service Scholars program was originally called the Crusaders Scholarship Program. It began after World War II with the hope of educating students from around the world so that they could return to their home countries as leaders in their communities and churches. Many did return as doctors, psychologists, teachers, rural developers and ambassadors. Through the years, the program has been able to support more than 4,000 students from all over the world. Our gifts on World Communion Sunday will help continue to promote the peace and unity of Christ. When we give on World Communion Sunday, we give students around the world opportunities to study and then use that knowledge to serve as leaders in their professions and faith communities. PUMPKINS ARRIVE OCTOBER 8, 2016 The Patch will be open until Oct. 31 st. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR UNLOADING and SALES Please see Daphne and/or Jerry Blackwell (our new pumpkin coordinators) and check weekly bulletins and announcements for further details regarding times, schedules, etc. 6

8 The Church Library is located in the Friendship Room. As a self-service library, it is open whenever the church is open and borrowing a book is very easy. You sign and date the card that is in the back of the book and drop the card into the box next to the card catalogue. You may keep the book for three weeks before returning it to the library. When returning it, leave the book on the card catalogue and it will be shelved. Please do not return the book to the shelf. Each month, two books that might be of interest are placed on the table in the Narthex. After signing the card in the back of the book, you can leave the card in the envelope provided. Return the book to the table after three weeks and the card will be returned to the book. All books available in the Church Library can be found by looking in the card catalogue under the title of the book, the author, or the subject. A number in the upper left hand corner of the card tells you if the library owns the book and where on the shelves you can find it. Gifts of books are appreciated. However, gift books must be reviewed in order to determine the appropriateness and condition of the books. If deemed not appropriate, the books will be donated to a worthy cause. 7

9 OCTOBER 2016 BIRTHDAYS 1 Glen Costa 18 Ed Moyher 2 Bryan Clements 19 Tammy Merry 2 Lisa Semancik 20 Amanda DeBiase 2 Michael Troutman 20 Dorothy Jackson 2 Lee Littrell 20 Marlyn Minkowski 3 James DiStefano 20 William Scofield 5 Jill McFarland 20 Eric Tudino 5 Connor Schuessler 21 Patricia Vrabel 8 Earl Cornelius 22 Cole Maseto 8 Kyle Marie Fuller 22 Kevin Vrabel 9 Charlotte Nedball 22 Lee Berrien 9 Bonnie Peloso 23 Lois Desrosiers 10 Helen Eddy 24 Gary Catalano 10 Mike Kranyak 24 Norma Demers 11 Kaitlyn Schuessler 24 Sharon Tudino 12 William Dina 26 Sean Plude 13 William Mattar 27 Matt Pulieri 13 Carol Studdiford 28 Thomas D Agostino 14 Candie Lewonczyk 28 Margaret Schumann 15 Kimberly Burrows 30 Carolyn Pulieri 15 Caroly Gibson 30 Blanchard Diavua 18 Linda D Agostino 30 Barbara Plude 30 Brian Ruskin 8

10 October 2016 Wedding Anniversaries Oct. 1 st Oct. 7 th Oct. 8 th Oct. 8 th Oct. 9 th Oct. 9 th Oct. 11 th Oct. 14 th Oct. 15 th Oct. 16 th Oct. 25 th Oct. 27 th Oct. 29 th Oct. 29 th Oct. 30 th Oct. 30 th Mr. & Mrs. Peruzzi Mr. & Mrs. Pierson Mr. & Mrs. Giammattei Mr. & Mrs. T. Russell Mr. & Mrs. Hermanson Mr. & Mrs. Dina Mr. & Mrs. Pasmeg Mr. & Mrs. Brophy Mr. & Mrs. Wheatcraft Mr. & Mrs. Basque Mr. & Mrs. Olah Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Costa Mr. & Mrs. Graham Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Costa Mr. & Mrs. McCarthy Mr. & Mrs. Listorti 9

11 The SUMC Church School and Childcare/Preschool Program will pair up once again to provide a safe, fun, family friendly alternative to door to door trick-or-treating at our annual To be held on Sunday, October 30 th from 3-5pm. 10

12 Trunks are needed! If you enjoy the excitement of Halloween and seeing little ones dressed up in their Halloween costumes, then please consider hosting a trunk. It s easy and it s fun! The best way to plan your trunk it to pick a theme and run with it. Some ideas include, harvest themes, animal themes, movie themes, decade themes, sports themes, etc. The sky s the limit. The only thing we ask is that you keep in mind this is family event and all decorations should be appropriate for children ages Please avoid overly scary displays and costumes. The main objective is for everyone to have fun. Please provide individually sealed wrapped candies or treats to hand out. We will have extra available if you run out. For the safety of all of our Trunk-or-Treaters and their guests, we ask that vehicles arrive and be parked by 2:30pm. We will rope off the area at 2:45. All vehicles must remain until the conclusion of the event. We cannot have any cars pulling in or out of the area while the kids are walking around. If you cannot host a trunk, please consider donating a bag of candy so we have extra in case any of our trunkers run out. Candy donations may be left in the church office or with Lanette or Beth. Thank You! I will host a trunk. Name I will donate candy. Name 11

13 BE KIND In light of recent events that have taken place within our country, a new initiative is spreading throughout our towns and states. Communities have decided to band together to encourage and instill kindness into their children, in the hopes that they, and future generations, may grow up in a more peaceful, loving world. BE KIND signs began to grace the lawns of homes, police stations, fire departments, public buildings, parks, etc. BE KIND T-shirts, buttons and bumper stickers have also started popping up. Given this message goes hand-in-hand with what we try to teach each Sunday, we have decided to make spreading kindness our focus for the year. One would think such a message, once taught, becomes a given. Unfortunately all we have to do is turn on the evening news to be reminded this isn t always the case. We hope and pray our children are receiving and spreading kindness inside and outside of their homes, classrooms and our church walls, but kindness isn t always guaranteed. It s not an instinct we are born with, but one that has to be taught, modeled and executed over and over again. This year our students will come together to work on spreading kindness through individual and class projects. Please look for their stories in the Good News and on our Facebook page. Help us to encourage them in their efforts. If we plant kindness, we grow love. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 12

14 Random Acts of Kindness How about some Random Acts of Kindness for our building. Feel free to stop and help out n your building. If it is a small job such as picking up some litter, sweeping up after your meeting - go for it. If you see a bigger project, talk to Pastor - We Are the Church!! Sunday Morning Challenge: Greet a person you don't know. Lift a name in prayer. Call someone after church to say hello. Take a good look at your offering. Sign up for something. Change your pew and see how it looks from another seat. UMW NEWS Arts and Crafts will meet on Wednesday, October 12 at 2:30. Meeting place and craft to be announced. Please purchase your school kit items while they are "on sale" for the school year. Susana Wesley will meet on Wednesday, October 19 th, to collate and mail the November issue of the Good News. 13

15 Thank you: Thank you to everyone who helped with the Golden Hill UMC Community Supper on Wednesday, August 17. Alex Vanderclock. Thank you: The family of Margaret Wachs would like to thank everyone for their cards, condolences and prayers during this difficult time. The church was so important to her and it is a wonderful tribute to her. - Sincerely, Bonnie. Thank you: My Dear Friends at my Beloved Church: I wish to thank my church and friends for your kindness to me while I was in the hospital. Thank you to Joyce Lewis for your lovely visit at the hospital, and to JoAnn Schif for bringing me the beautiful flower arrangement from the altar. Thanks also for the several cards and calls from my dear friends. Many thanks and God s Blessings. Marge Milne. Many thanks to those who collated the Good News that was mailed on Aug. 17 th : June Evitts, Diane Troutman, Barbara Piper, Howard & Cecilia Jack, and Marianne Card. Thanks also to Marianne Card who faithfully delivers the Good News to the Bridgeport Post office every month. Thank you: for your generosity this year in donating school supplies to the area s needy children. Marianne Card. CONGRATULATIONS!!! Congratulatoins: to Pastor Simeon, Brooke and Elijah on the baptism of Elijah Law. Elijah was baptized by Rev. Ken Keiffer on September 11 th. 14

16 ALTAR FLOWERS are provided by church families each week to honor, or in memory of, loved ones. We have been blessed to have very faithful donors for very many years. At this time, we need some additional help. Circumstances have changed for many of our families. Please call Jo Ann Schif at if you wish to help in this important ministry. CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES are available on the Narthex Table. You are welcome to take a copy. FLOWER DELIVERY MINISTRY We are looking for a Chairperson for our Flower Delivery Ministry which delivers the altar flowers after the 10am service to our shut-ins. Duties include scheduling monthly Sunday delivery ministers. Please speak to Burdette James if you are interested. SUMC MEN s GROUP will hold an Ecumenical Family Day: 11am-3pm on Sat., Oct. 1 st, at the #1 Pavilion at Short Beach in Stratford. Come for free and experience Fellowship - Great Food - Great Local Gospel Music. Sponsored by the Men s Groups of SUMC and the First Baptist Church. SUMC NEIGHBORHOOD BREAKFAST Third Saturday of each month: We are currently serving an average of thirty to forty meals at our neighborhood breakfast. We have a loyal staff preparing, serving, setting up and cleaning up each third Saturday. We welcome new volunteers, or just stop by and enjoy a meal with us. If you wish to volunteer, in any capacity, please contact Ray & Jo-Ann Burrows or raybur14@aol.com. USHERS NEEDED! If you would like to become an usher, please see Michael Kranyak. 15

17 Rev. Simeon Church Secretary Church School ALL ARTICLES FOR THE GOOD NEWS SHOULD BE ED TO OR LEFT IN THE GOOD NEWS BOX IN THE CHURCH OFFICE. THANK YOU! GOOD NEWS SCHEDULE FOR 2016 Good News Issue Articles Due no Good News Mailed later than... January/February December 6th December 16th March February 7th February 17th April March 6th March 16th May April 10th April 20th June May 8th May 18th July/August June 5th June 15th September August 7th August 17th October September 11th September 21st November October 2 nd October 19th December October 31 st November 16th NOTE: The Jan/Feb 2017 Edition will be mailed in January of 2017 There will be no issue mailed in December. In addition to reading The Good News, bulletin supplements, viewing our website ( looking at our Facebook page, or checking out the local newspapers, there is another way to keep up-to-date on upcoming events at S.U.M.C. Call the Church Office ( ) when it isn't staffed (that would be after 2 p.m. weekdays and all weekends). Press 5 to hear a calendar of upcoming events. The recording is updated on a 16