A Note from Pastor Jeff

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1 June/July Edition F e n t o n U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h Mainspring Join us for worship on Sunday morning as we seek to align our lives with God s purposes. Traditional Worship 9:30 & 11:00 AM Sanctuary Contemporary Worship 11:05 AM Family Life Center Nursery provided at all three worship services. Barrier free facilities. There is a Nigerian proverb that states, It takes a whole village to raise a child. It means that a child does not grow up simply in a home influenced by their parents and siblings. A child grows up in a community surrounded and influenced by their neighbors, teachers, mentors and leaders as well. The village, then, takes responsibility for raising the child to become a responsible and contributing member of the community. This proverb reflects the Nigerian emphasis on their values of family, relationships, community, cooperation and sharing. That proverb has been around a long time. The early Christian church may not have heard of that saying, but they certainly practiced it. The early church placed a high value on community: worshipping together, caring for one another, growing in Christ together, serving one another and serving together. Even before the church was birthed at Pentecost, Jesus modeled this kind of community to His followers. They were always in community, even when Jesus sent them out to preach the gospel and heal the sick. The founder of the Methodist Movement, John Wesley, knew the power of community. Even before he organized the people called Methodist in the late 18 th century, John and his brother, Charles, formed the holy club at Oxford University. They met together with several students to worship, pray and study the Bible together, and then to minister at orphanages, hospitals, prisons and so on. To put it succinctly, the motto of the first disciples, the early church and the early Methodists was, It takes a church to grow a disciple. We need to reclaim that motto. This summer, pastor Michelle and I will be preaching a sermon series called, It Takes a Church. We want to lead this congregation in exploring and committing to the community of Fenton United Methodist Church; to support, encourage, grow and serve together so that Christ may be formed in us. This summer, we will have four opportunities on Sunday to worship and grow together. We will have our usual 9:30 and 11:00 traditional-style services, our 11:05 contemporary-style service. We will be adding a blended-style worship service on Sunday evenings at 6:30 in the Family Life Center. The messages will be the same at all four services. (see related article on page 2 of this edition of The Mainspring.) I am looking forward to how God s Spirit will move in, through and among us as we worship together this summer. And as always, I am proud to be With you on the journey, Jeffrey L. Jaggers A Note from Pastor Jeff

2 Page 2 Mainspring June 17 August 26 Beginning June 17th and running through August, we will add a worship service on Sunday evenings at 6:30 PM in the Family Life Center. This will be a blended worship style and there will be children s ministries available. This service is designed for people who prefer a Sunday evening worship experience, or who have returned from a week-end away. There will be refreshments, singing, prayer, offering, and a message from either Pastor Jeff or Pastor Michelle. If you prefer or need a Sunday evening worship experience, or you will be away on Sunday morning but still want to worship with your church family on Sunday this service is for you! Invite a friend! 2nd Annual KENYA! Concert Friday, June 15 7:00 PM, FUMC Sanctuary Join Bob Milne and his fantastic musician friends Brother 2 Brother singing duo Matt Packer & Richard Kerry Thompson, and renowned blues guitarist Eddie Barney in raising funds for the Maasai orphan s school in Kenya. Bob s wonderful friend from Kenya, Paul Kitesho, who runs the school will be present. Tickets are $15.00 in advance (available at the church office) or $20.00 at the door. Introduction to a Life Changing Opportunity by Bill Kromer, Gideons International How can I change one simple commercial habit and win souls in places my church has not reached before? Winning souls to Jesus in the 35 most persecuted countries of the world or at the county jail or those taking a room at a motel/hotel and other traffic lanes of life? People in 201 countries of the world and right here at home come to know Jesus and lead transformed lives when we use a free greeting card and buy a Bible rather than a commercial card. Introducing the display of Gideon cards Whenever you have a person to honor or recognize, please save a soul by buying a Bible rather than a store card. Birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and promotions, are but a few of the occasions for sending cards. So are the times when we honor a person who has passed on to the Lord. How about a person who needs prayer support or someone who would appreciate an encouraging word. The displays of cards are located in the Narthex of the north campus building and in the lower level of the Family Life Center. The displays are convenient when selecting the most appropriate card for your immediate use. Just select a card, write the desired message, address the envelope and send it off. Use the small self-addressed envelope to send your check. Ask Dave & Marilyn Rutter or Bill & Char Kromer if you should have any questions about the use of these cards.

3 June/July Edition Page 3 June Theme The Way Wednesday s last day is the 13 th of June! Come celebrate and enjoy. **SUMMER FUN AHEAD** beginning June 17th Children s Summer Ministry starts the evening of June 17 th. Come join in on the fun, learning more about crea ng with God and making new friends in the sun. Want to know how to become more involved? Please Kate at fumc.kate@gmail.com. Vaca on Bible School July 9th 13th 8:45 AM 12:00 PM Family Life Center

4 Page 4 Mainspring Wednesdays Reaching Outward to those in Our Community Our Youth recently partnered with Christmas in Action to help serve an elderly couple in our community. They did a great job reaching outward in their community being the hands and feet of Jesus. The Way Sunday & Wednesday As the school year is coming to a close, so will our youth programming for Sundays and Wednesdays. The last day of Sunday School will be June 3, and the last day for The Way Wednesday will be June 6. Please be looking for more information coming soon about Youth events throughout the summer! The Youth Room would greatly appreciate donations of healthy snacks for Sunday Mornings (fruit, granola bars, etc) and little sweet treats for Wednesday evenings. Graduation/Youth Sunday June 10th We will be having a breakfast for Graduates and their families at 8:00 AM. The rest of the Youth will be providing cinnamon rolls during all three services for a donation toward their Mission Trip to Iowa, as well as, participating in various part of the service. Youth Mackinac Adventure Trip: June Our Youth will be venturing to Mackinac for a time of community and worship. They are in need of a trailer and truck to carry their bikes and camping equipment. Please contact Ashley Bach (fumc.ashley@gmail.com), Brian Simmerman (momatoz@charter.net) or Sandy McPherson (mcphersons4@comcast.net) if you are able to help.

5 June/July Edition Page 5 Caring Ministry by Susan Allen, Caring Ministry Our Caring Ministry team of volunteers has been able to provide needed care for various members of our church in the last couple of months and it feels SO good to care for our church family! Thank you to each volunteer for the food dishes you provided and for the transportation assistance so that important medical care could be obtained. This ministry exists because you acted on God s command to love one another and I can t thank you enough for your love. I want to invite others to be part of our Caring Team. You ll like it! It s a feel good ministry when you can provide help for someone in need. Sign up forms are in the Narthex and Family Life Center or you can call Susan Allen ( ). We NEED more volunteers so more needs can be met without having to repeatedly call on the same team members for assistance. Thanking you in advance God s Blessings! 20 Years and still... GOING STRONG Stephen Ministry has been serving Fenton United Methodist Church for many years. Twenty Years to be exact! And, on August 12th Fenton United Methodist Church will celebrate those twenty years and all the individuals who have served in that time. On April 22nd the number of active Stephen Ministers increased by five when they were commissioned. At this time, we have eight Stephen Ministers, along with five Stephen Minister/ Leaders. More information will be coming as plans are made for this 20th anniversary celebration!

6 Page 6 Mainspring Fenton Freedom Festival July 4th Planning is underway! Watch for volunteer opportunities soon for the annual activities on our lawn before the parade Easter Egg Hunt was a success! FUMC Outreach Team: Nicole Baxter, Kim Forsberg, Denise Simmerman & Michele Windsor There are not enough words to thank you for the love and support given to our family during our recent loss. Special thanks to Jeff for his gift of comfort and for his ability to hear stories from many friends and family members, and weave them together to create such a wonderful homily. For the prayers, cards, flowers, food and all of the special acts of kindness done to help us through this painful time by such wonderfully caring people, we love you and thank God for you. The Florida Family Thank you does not begin to tell you how much we appreciate what was done for us. The wonderful food that arrived was so appreciated, the men that gave up their time for trips to Ann Arbor, and all the prayers that were lifted for us. Thank you all for your caring love. Duke & Judy Thank you everyone for all your prayers, food, visits, phone calls and support while Denny was in the hospital. No family could be more blessed than we are with our Pastors Jeff & Michelle, and all of you in our loving church family. God Bless You Denny & Mary Lynn Colwell & Family As I finish my second year of divinity school, I remain so grateful for the spiritual, emotional and financial support from Fenton. I am continuing in my call to ordained ministry in the UMC. I have learned so much at my time in seminary and have enjoyed my field experience tremendously. I am energized and hopeful about the United Methodist Church and I cannot wait to be a full-time pastor. Thank You! Taylor Pryde It was another success all because of YOU who donated raffle prizes +/or your time for the event! In attendance were around 100 kids, ages 1-12, that hunted for eggs, and around 170 total attendees who were fed lunch. Only positive feedback was heard! Gratefulness from attendees was the vibe for the day. Laughter was heard and tears of appreciation were seen. It was fantastic to see all the moms/dads/ grands on the floor with their kids sharing the joy while they opened all of the eggs. We all know it s hard to really focus on our kids when that cellphone is constantly within reach, and there are so many tasks we think just can t wait 5 more minutes. Yes the Family Life Center continues to be a vital asset our Church and community! The Volunteer Community Outreach Team is still in awe of all the support we received for the event! p.s. Please be sure to support our local businesses that also donated raffle prizes: Fenton s Open Book, Crust, A Time for You Salon, and Uncle Ray s.

7 June/July Edition Page 7 God s In Charge Recently I have been contemplating how incredibly privileged I am. I'm blessed with more than adequate shelter, more than enough clothes and shoes. My body is replenished with clean water, and nourishing foods. I am privileged to receive a generous wage to provide for my family. I live a very comfortable life, and so forth. Some that live an affluent lifestyle may not agree with my opinion. However, ask any woman living in a developing nation, and I guarantee she would agree with my viewpoint. Women and children are not regarded as precious in other countries. Matter of fact, they are not always valued in the United States. The weak and the helpless are victims of a deceitful society. Because they are powerless, the poor and needy are vulnerable. Unfortunately, the needy are pillaged and plundered of their human dignity. Society takes advantage of the underprivileged by selling cheap products made by cheap labor or by selling commercial sex to vile, disgusting soulless people who see a human as a commodity. In other words, society benefits from exploiting the disadvantaged by selling their souls to modern day slavery. To quote one of my most favorite films, Romero (The life and work of Archbishop Oscar Romero) we do things that make God want to vomit. In spite that we live in a deceitful society, God is still in charge. The poor find hope and help in God s promises; Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says the Lord. I will protect them from those who malign them. Psalm 12:5. God sees and hears the hearts of those being trampled and abused in this world, and God takes action. God calls us to take action too. We are called to be the eyes and ears, the hands and feet of Christ Jesus. God is calling us to be advocates of the human injustices of the world. So, as Christians let us pray for the victims, raise awareness, and use your gifts to stop modern day slavery. And my brothers, I beg you to be passionate about ending this industry. We need you to stand up for the welfare of women and children. The grace of Jesus Christ be with you, Michelle

8 Fenton United Methodist Church 119 S. Leroy Street Fenton, MI ( ) New issues of the Mainspring are released every other month. Submissions are due by the 15th of the month prior to a new issue. If you would like to include an article into our newsletter, please send your request to Kathy at fumc.kathy@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook! Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Reaching upward to God Reaching inward to each other Reaching outward to our neighbors So that all can find wholeness in Jesus Christ. Our pastors want to reach out to the members of our congregation who are sick, in the hospital or whose lives are otherwise in upset. Most of the time, hospitals and family members let us know about illness or surgery, but not always. If you know of a member who needs pastoral care, please call the church office. It is better to hear about a need from twenty people than from no one. Fenton United Methodist Church Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Fenton, MI 48430