A Note from Pastor Gary

Transcription

1 September 208 The Messenger United Methodist Church 220 Sixth Avenue East, Alexandria, MN Gary Taylor Office: Website: Mission: To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world Vision: To Grow and Live in the Spirit of Christ A Note from Pastor Gary Editor: Kali Kaeter Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Grace and Peace of Jesus Christ be with you! And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20b There is a new proverb, or maybe it is old, that says, Everyone loves change as long as it is someone else. For the past 50 years society has seen constant change (one example: telephone communication). For some people, change is good and exciting and they embrace it quickly. For others, it takes time to make the transition. Then there is the small group of people to fight change to the end. Change can be hard for individuals. It can be harder for families and organizations. However, when change is necessary or inevitable, those organizations that don t make the switch find themselves left out and eventually close their doors. Do you remember Polaroid and Kodak when digital photography came along? Which brings up another new proverb: Change or die. Churches, including Alexandria UMC, are not immune from change and the need to change. It is pretty well known that more and more young, and some older, people find church irrelevant. For our church, any church, the question is how do we reach people with the Good News, Gospel, of Jesus Christ and what do we have to do and change to make that happen? Two weeks ago, Cheryl and I (and Metcalf Moving and Storage) left a house that we called home for 30 years. It was and is hard to change to our new home. We still have boxes to empty, things to find a place for, and pictures to hang. Gradually, the parsonage is becoming our home. When all is said and done, all will be good for God is with us. Change will come to Alexandria UMC. Change will be hard for some of the people. Yet, on the other side of change, things will be better. Different yes, but better. And the good new is that God will be there with us. For that is the promise of Jesus. Peace in Christ, Gary

2 Published by Alexandria United Methodist Church Telephone (320) Pastor: Gary Taylor Administrative Assistant: Kali Kaeter Director of Children s Ministries: Kayla Brunkow kayla@alexumc.org Director of Youth Ministries: Brenda Thomson brenda@alexumc.org Custodian: Denise Dropik Nursery: Karen Murphy Worship Attendance Service st 2nd st 2nd July July Aug Aug Aug Nursery is available on Sunday morning during worship services and coffee fellowship time. Nursery is for children 5 and younger. If you have an older child and need a place to go with them during worship time, the Youth Room is available. There is a speaker in the room to listen to the sermon. Toys are available in Cart Two. Reminder that we are following our Building Use Policy the church entrance doors will remain locked unless there are two people present in the building. Please call ahead before you come to church, as there are times when we are not in the building, even though we are working. Also, most days someone is in the office earlier than 9:00 a.m. and later than :00 p.m. Publication Date for the next Messenger: is the last week of September. Articles for the October issue need to be in the office by NOON on Thursday, September 20th. Office Hours Pastor Gary Tue-Friday Kali Mon-Tue-Wed-Thurs-Fri Office is open (9:00-:00) Kayla Tue (8:00-2:00) Wed (:00-5:00), Thurs (9:00-2:00) Brenda Wed (5:30 8:30) Thank You from Margaret Anderson: Thank you to everyone at the United Methodist Church for helping me celebrate my 80th Birthday, this has been definitely the best one yet. Thank you, Margaret Anderson In your prayers, please remember all in positions of leadership, people serving in dangerous and difficult settings, returned and returning service people and their families, all who seek and await peace.

3 Fall Worship Schedule begins Sunday, September 9th 8:00 AM Worship Service 9:00-0:30 AM Coffee 9:5AM Pre-School 5th Grade Sunday School and Adult Discipleship Stuff N Things Middle School & Beyond * Check out the Youth Group Page regarding dates 0:30 AM Worship Service Thank You from Heidi Ryan: Words simply are inadequate in expressing the thanks and gratitude I and my family have for the Alexandria United Methodist Church. We so appreciate the kind words, hugs, meals and reassurances we ve received at Ken s passing. This is truly church family. Thank you. Heidi, Katherine and Colin Ryan. Meals on Wheels Program: The Meals on Wheels Program at the Senior Center is still in need of drivers. Flexible schedules can be arranged. If interested, contact Janet at Adult Sunday School: Sunday school begins on September 9 th. We will meet from 9:5-0:5. This fall we will begin with two six week DVD and book studies. One study will meet in the Hall and one in the Youth Room. The study in the Youth Room is titled Half Truths by Reverend Adam Hamilton. The study in the Hall is titled A Disciple s Path by Reverend James Harnish. Information on both of these studies and copies of the books are posted in the Narthex. Please join us as we learn and grow together in our love for God and our neighbor. Wednesday Evening Activities: For several years we have been offering activities for children and youth on Wednesday evenings. Families of the children and youth as well as others from the congregation have provided a meal for the attendees. This year we are hoping to expand this ministry to involve more families and congregational members. In order to do this, we are reaching out to various groups to provide, serve the meals and clean up afterwards. For this program to be successful and reach more people we need the support of the entire church. As this is an evolving process we are currently exploring budget options and would like to have funds available to reimburse the expenses for the group that provides the meal. Two of our potluck groups have volunteered to provide the meals for the first two evenings. How can I help? you ask. There are many ways you can offer to be part of a group of five to six people that prepare the meal, serve and clean up. You can contribute funds to offset the cost of the meal. You can offer your prayers. Join us in enhancing this experience at Alexandria United Methodist Church. Please direct your questions to Pastor Gary, Kayla or Brenda. Together we can reach many people.

4 JOIN US! Sunday, September 2nd 8:00AM and 9:30AM We want to send our students and educators back to school with our prayers and blessings because we recognize the beginning of a new school year and the importance of learning. All students in preschool through 2th grade are invited to bring their backpacks to worship either worship service on Sunday, September 2nd for a special back-to-school blessing. We want our students and educators to know that God is with them at school and their church cares for and supports them all week long! After the blessing children will receive a special tag to place on their backpack and youth and educators will receive a magnet to remind them their church family will be praying for them throughout the year. Annual Fall Rummage Sale Saturday, September 22, 208 from 7:00 AM 2:00 PM The annual rummage sale will be held on Saturday, September 22nd. Everyone is encouraged to donate clean fall/winter clothing, games/toys, small household and other miscellaneous items. Computers, printers, monitors, TV s are not accepted. Please bring items in small/average size boxes/bags. Clothing may be on hangers. Tables will be set up in Hall on Wednesday night after the children and youth events conclude at 7:30. Items for the sale may be brought to church on Thursday, September 20, from 8:00 AM 8:00 PM and on Friday from 8:00 AM :00 AM. Please try to place your items close to the tables where they will be displayed (signs will be on the tables). If you are unable to bring your items Thursday or Friday, there will be a few tables set up along the back wall starting Monday, September 7th for your drop off convenience. Donations and help from church members are very much appreciated. We especially need volunteers to help pack up after the sale and set up for Sunday morning. Proceeds from the sale support local, national and worldwide missions of United Methodist Women. Contact Sally Vano ( ) or Sue Rishavy ( ) if you have questions or wish to volunteer. Thank you. Pricing for the bag sale will be the same as the new prices initiated at the 208 spring sale. The price for a filled grocery bag from 7:00 :00 will be $7 for the first bag and $5 for each additional bag; from :00 :00 the first bag will be $5 and $4 for each additional bag; from :00 2:00 each bag will be $. Items in the entryway that are individually priced will be reduced at a graduated rate after :00. Any items after 2:00 will be donated to Someplace Safe and Disabled American Vets.

5 Wood Fired Oven History of the Wood Fired Oven: 205 2//205 Keven Jansen presented to the Council that there is a group interested in pursuing the building of an outdoor brick wood burning bread oven. It would be built near the garden beds and the Preschool and would be a great community outreach. Motion was made by Carol Meyer and second by Chuck Holm to authorized the interested group to pursue building the wood fired brick oven with the understanding that it would be without securing funds from the Church or using Church publication for fundraising. Money raised can be ran through the Church office. Motion carried. Dan Perkins, then-church Council Chair, subsequently took out a personal loan to finance the construction of the wood fired oven. Summer 205 Oven was built and Dan s loan was repaid through donations The Alexandria Community Wood Fired Oven was used by private parties and church related functions. During the functions it was recognized that we needed to do something to control the muddy conditions surrounding the oven. After the 207 season, the Wood Fired Team put together a program to run community pizza events every other Wednesday during the Summer of 208 beginning with Wednesday, May 30th. Approval was given by Trustees to install patio pavers around the Wood Fired Oven to control the muddy conditions. Following the practice established in 205, Church members obtained a personal loan to provide funding for this project. The loan will be paid back with funds raised from Wood Fired Oven events. Wednesday Night Events: Our Wednesday Night events in Summer 208 have been put together with the help of several non-profit organizations. These include: Food Shelf Alex Youth Hockey United Way Habitat for Humanity Haitian Initiative Girls Summer Basketball Youth Baseball Alexandria Football As a direct result of the Summer 208 events, the Wood Fired Oven will have given $5,400 to these non-profits and have made a total of approximately,200 pizzas. Vision of the Wood Fired Oven The vision of the Wood Fired Oven Team was to create income for the oven, the Church, and non-profits within our area. The non-profit organizations have expressed gratitude for being asked to be involved and for the funds received by them, and have thanked our Church for providing this outreach that adds to the life of our community.

6 CHILDREN S MINISTRY NEWS a Alexandria UMC BIBLE PRESENTATION On Sunday, September 9th, the Children s Ministry Team will present all 3-year-olds with a Deep Blue Storybook Bible and UMW will present all students in 3rd grade with a children s Bible. Presentations will take place at both the 8:00AM and 0:30AM worship services. SUNDAY SCHOOL WEDNESDAY NIGHTS Sunday School for children age 3 through 5th Grade begins Sunday, September 9th. We will continue our Deep Blue adventure using the curriculum Deep Blue Connects: At Home With God. We will meet weekly from 9:5AM-0:5AM to explore families in the Bible, learn how today s faith families care for us as we grow, build loving relationships and find out what it means to be part of God s family. Each week we will begin with a large group assembly time where we will sing, hear the Bible story, and collect our offering. Children will then head to their age appropriate classrooms where adults and youth will lead them in games, crafts, and other activities to reinforce the Bible story. We are always interested in having extra classroom help! Please contact Kayla Brunkow, Director of Children s Ministries if you are interested in leading or assisting in one of our classrooms. ACOLYTE TRAINING All students in 3rd - 8th grade will serve as acolytes during the upcoming school year. Training is for EVERYONE. It will be a refresher for those who have served before and a time for those new to the role to learn what is expected. Parents, please bring a list of dates your child(ren) are unavailable. A schedule will be mailed out following the training. Regular Wednesday night activities for students in 3rd-5th grade will begin on September 2th. The evening will begin at 5:30PM with a meal, followed by a short time of worship and small group activities that wrap up at 7:30PM. This year we are inviting the WHOLE family to join us for supper and worship! We will start our small group time with our Learning to use My Bible class. This class encourages children to take an interest in the Bible by using a hands on approach to teach basic Bible skills. It not only introduces them to the Bible, but builds on what they have learned before. Schedule: Wednesday, Sept. 2th: The Bible - A Special Library Wednesday, Sept. 9th: Five Books of Law Wednesday, Sept. 2th: Twelve Old Testament History Books & Five Poetry Books SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER ORIENTATION Orientation for all teachers and classroom assistants will be in conjunction with acolyte training on Wednesday, September 5th at 6:30PM. We will go over our classroom schedules, distribute curriculum, and review our Safe Sanctuaries Policy.

7 September 208 Youth Ministry Newsletter On July 3-August, ten youth and two adults went to the Twin Cities for our Mission Trip. We participated in a poverty simulation thru Urban Immersion, volunteered at Ascension Place by sorting donations, served a meal at the Simpson Shelter and went to Valley Fair. Thank you to the entire congregation for their support of this and future Mission Trips and Projects. A special thank you to Bryan Balcome for all of his help on the Mission Trip. 208 Mission Trip to the Twin Cities Recap Pictured (left to right-back row): Nicolas Witt, Jacob Balcome, Logan Tung, Allea Balcome, Rachel Wallerich, Caris Pass, Olivia Bartell, Grace Evink, Kaitlyn Gimbel, Brenda Thomson, Brooke Stender, Bryan Balcome Sept. 9 th is the first meeting of Stuff N Things Middle School & Beyond in the Lounge (across the hall from the Youth Room). We will meet from 9:5-0:5 with snacks available at each meeting. Future dates will be Oct. 7, Nov. 4, & Dec. 2. So, in other words, if you want something to do on the Sunday mornings listed, stop by and see what s going on. We would love to have more people following our adventures!! If you have liked the page, great! Suggest it to you friends!! The Spring Bake Sale is September 22nd in conjunction with the UMW Rummage Sale. Watch for sign up sheets!!

8 SEPTEMBER VOLUNTEERS Liturgists: 8:00 Sept. 2, 9 Heidi Ryan Sept. 6, 23, 30 Judy Rose 9:30/0:30 Sept. 2, 9 Kim Tryggeseth Sept. 6, 23, 30 Shawn Reilly Ushers: 8:00 Sept 2, 9 Ron & Colleen Schutte; Carol Meyer Sept. 6, 23, 30 Chuck Bollen; Scott & Vicki Johnston 9:30/0:30 Sept. 2, 9 Bruce Jordan; Chris Springman; Chuck Holm; Helen Glade Sept. 6, 23, 30 Jim & Kathy Bridenstine; Otto & Phyllis Freier Greeters: Sept. 2 8:00 Aaron & Brenda Thomson 9:30 Bruce Jordan Sept. 9 8:00 Scott & Vicki Johnston 0:30 Jim & Marge Jensen Sept. 6 8:00 Bev Vikander 0:30 Dennis & Arlyn Cin Sept. 23 8:00 Ron & Kathy Reiber 0:30 Connie Springman Sept. 30 8:00 Roy & Connie Good 0:30 Curt & Betty Sax Coffee Servers: Organists/Pianists: Sept. 2 Rolly & Kay Kortlever Sept. 2 Gale Maxwell Sept. 9 Dean Pass & Lisa Bowen; Glen & Wendy Haburn Sept. 9 Kirk Landman Sept. 6 Ron & Collen Schutte; Roger & Doris Thompson Sept. 6 TBD Sept. 23 Mike & Jean Bristow; Steve & Marsha Haugen Sept. 23 Lonnie Kriel Sept. 30 Duane & Kari Erlandson; Matt & Abigail Bray Sept. 30 TBD Nursery Workers: Sept. 9, 23 Karen Murphy Sept. 2, 6, 30 To Be Determined Vivian Mohawk 2 Ivadelle Carlson Gaye Mounsdon 3 Luverne Adams Joey VanRoekel 4 Warren Stefanski 5 Nancy Christensen Marjorie Vogt 6 Mike Bartell Barb Larson 8 Carolyn Carlson 0 Mark Gerdes William Schroeder 2 Richard Carlson 4 Bill Malvin 5 Evan Gettel Sharon Holm Barb Malvin 6 Dan Foster 8 Sue Helgeson Alice Seiler Pat Vickerman 9 Bryan Balcome Jeanne Miller 20 Jim Gratias 2 Nathan Pring 22 Tom Roos Aidan Staples 23 Phillip Golde Julie Schmidt 25 Anthony Reed Darlene Lunemann 26 Tess Evink Sue Merten Chad Stender Owen Oehlert 27 Allen VanRoekel 28 Justin Cummins Justin Koehn Steve O Brien 29 Lucie Battey 30 Tara DeWitt

9 September 208 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 2 8:00 Worship 9:00 Coffee 9:30 Worship Blessing of the Backpacks during worship 3 Labor Day Office Closed 4 9:30 Brush & Pallette :30 Staff 2:00 Prayer Group 4:30 Book Study 5 5:30 Acolyte Training & Sunday School Teacher Orientation 5:30 Supper 6:00 Youth Activities 7:30 Youth Ministry Team 6 :00 CARE Team 4:30 Adult Discipleship Team 7 8 4:00 Wood Fired Oven Event Thank You Party 9 8:00 Worship 9:00 Coffee 9:5 Youth Gathering 9:5 Preschool 5th Grade Sunday School & Adult Discipleship 0:30 Worship 3 yo & 3rd Grade Bible Presentation during worship 6 8:00 Worship 9:00 Coffee 9:5 Preschool 5th Grade Sunday School & Adult Discipleship 0:30 Worship with Baptism 23 8:00 Worship 9:00 Coffee 9:5 Preschool 5th Grade Sunday School & Adult Discipleship 0:30 Worship 30 8:00 Worship 9:00 Coffee 9:5 Preschool 5th Grade Sunday School & Adult Discipleship 0:30 Worship New Member Sunday 0 9:30 Brush & Pallette 9:30 Coffee Group :30 Staff 2:00 Prayer Group 3:00 Bible Study 4:30 Book Study 5:30 Missions Team 7 8 9:30 Brush & Pallette :30 Staff 2:00 Prayer Group 3:00 Bible Study 4:30 Book Study 24 6:30 Bishop on Conversations on Way Forward 25 9:30 Brush & Pallette :30 Staff 2:00 Prayer Group 3:00 Bible Study 4:30 Book Study 2 5:30 Trustees 5:30 Supper & Praise 6:20 3rd-5th Grade Activities 6:20 Parent 6:20 Youth Activities 9 5:30 Supper & Praise 6:20 3rd-5th Grade Activities 6:20 Parent 6:20 Youth Activities 26 5:30 Supper & Praise 6:20 3rd-5th Grade Activities 6:20 Parent 6:20 Youth Activities 3 6:30 Church Council 6:30 Children s Ministry Team 20 9:30 Joy Circle 4 2:00 Lori Mingus Burial at Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis :00 Fall Rummage Sale/ Bake Sale

10 The Messenger United Methodist Church 220 Sixth Ave E Alexandria, MN Return Service Requested