FAIRFAX MESSENGER. Notes from the Pastor AUGUST Fairfax United Methodist Church

Transcription

1 FAIRFAX MESSENGER AUGUST 2011 Fairfax United Methodist Church 305 N. Broadway P.O. Box 318 Fairfax, MO Office Hours: 8:00 am 12:00 pm Mon Thurs Office: Fax: Website: Sunday Worship: Sunday School - 9:30 am Worship - 10:30 am Channel 61 Broadcast - Tues. 4:00 pm Wednesdays: Promise Keepers - 6:00 am Pastor Roger Cary Pastor s Hours: 8:00 am 12:00 pm Tues Fri Study: Cell: fairfaxumc@fairfaxmo.net What an exciting time this first month has been! First I want to thank everyone who has taken time to make us feel welcome here in Fairfax. Julie and I feel especially blessed to be here. This is truly the hospitality Christ spoke of when he gave the commandments to the people- Love God with all your being and the second- Love your neighbor as yourself. We truly feel that in our heart and in our soul. The fact that a change has occurred here in Fairfax; a pastoral change, makes me consider if our lives are not like that. How do we as Christians understand change? Most of us say that we do not like change and yet if it was not for change we would not know the love of Jesus Christ. Is this concept hard to grasp? For many of us we strayed from our roots (if we had any) as Christians and spent time chasing the pleasures of the world around us. One day though, there was this change in pastorates in our life, a change of purpose; and if we truly embody who we say we are, then a change of leadership happened within us. We gave up on trying leading our self and instead let God take over in the form of commitment to Jesus Christ. For the Jewish people at the time of Jesus Christ, they were used to ways and customs that had been with them since the time of Moses. Jesus shows up and begins to show them a new path and direction. These people had been good people, doing their best to adhere to the rules and regulations set out by the religious authorities; they were not bad people. Jesus though, provides a new interpretation; becomes a new pastor with new ideas and ways. The question we may well ask ourselves in the next month is, did they reject or accept this new leadership, and how did it affect their life? It is my prayer that you will find hope, acceptance, challenge, and purpose, here at Fairfax United Methodist Church and in all of the activities we become involved in. May you be blessed and peaceful until we share again. Pastor Roger Notes from the Pastor

2 The United Methodist Women s Evening Edition The UMW E.E. met on Wed, July 13 th at 7:00 p.m. in the church basement. The meeting was opened with prayer. Sandy Burke, Amy Sefrit, Michele Hawkins, Alice Kemerling, Lois Wiley, Charla Graves, and Gale Ball shared in a pot luck meal together. The group discussed the upcoming Beth Moore simulcast which is set for September 10 th. A booth will be set up in the park during the Fairfax Fair to advertise the event. We will share the booth with the Relay for Life Team. Desserts and salads for the Tractor Dave dinner was discussed, and hosting another Just Because Dinner or soup supper with an auction of Theme baskets will be discussed in more detail at our September meeting. More details were given about the 9-11 work day, and reminded members that t-shirts can be ordered by contacting Darla in the church office. $20 was collected for Karen Kirkland s missionary ministry, and prayer concerns for flood victims and what we could do and what was being done in the community were discussed. Amy Sefrit gave an eye opening devotion based on a book entitled Hole in your Gospel by Richard Stearns. A biography of a man. Richard Stearns was a godly husband and father to 5 children and was the President of Lenox China before giving up his Jaguar, large home, and large salary to become the President of World Vision. He went from living the country club lifestyle to sitting in grass huts in Uganda feeding children who are starving. "Don't fail to do something because you can not do everything." God is not just looking at our faith - but our evidence of our faith - and specifically how we helped the poor. No August meeting is scheduled - we all attend the Fairfax Fair and help the UMM with their rides and slide. In Christ, Gale Ball, Secretary UMW Notes: UMW ladies, namely Mary Anne Pennel, Deane Gomel and Barb Jones have represented our unit at several meetings. We attended the Pony Express District UMW meeting at the Wesley United Methodist Church in St. Joseph, MO. Our UMW was awarded the Peace Certificate. We ll keep striving for the 5 Star Certificate. Helen Gomel and Jerry Whittington were remembered in their Memorial Service. We certainly enjoyed their meeting as well as their fried chicken dinner. We were invited to the Rock Port United Methodist Church to a UMW Brunch and Program. Rev. Bruce Jeffries presented a musical program. He played absolutely beautiful music on their Pipe Organ and explained how a Pipe Organ works. What a talent he has and we re so thankful he shared with us. I think God and some angels sang with us that day. We also enjoyed delicious food before the program. Lastly we were guests at the Burlington Junction United Methodist Church to their UMW group. Dee Dorc e, Missionary, who lives in Haiti gave their program. She gave an account of all the work she was doing there which was very interesting. Songs were sung, prayers were given, and wonderful food was shared again. At all of these meetings, we have laughed, loved one another and had great fellowship, which made us proud to be a United Methodist Woman. Smiles and Christian love to each, Barb Jones We need volunteers to tape the Sunday services! This would also include the projection system. Neither one of them is difficult, one person can do both! Charla or Lois would be glad to guide you through it. It would probably take 15 minutes at the most to learn. Please contact Lois Wiley if you can help!

3 Tractor Dave and his support group left Chillicothe, MO, early Saturday morning, July 16, and arrived at the Bob Sefrit Farm shortly after noon. Tractor Dave was driving a 1937 Coop tractor and pulling an enclosed trailer. Following him were Phyllis and Harry Kuipers in a 1953 International truck pulling a camper. Saturday afternoon the group toured the flood area between Rockport and Craig to get a better understanding of what is taking place along the Missouri River. Sunday morning the Coop Tractor, International truck and other antique tractors were parked along the front, north and south sides of the church. Following the church service the United Methodist Men served a free meal of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, baked beans, potato salad, assorted salads and desserts to the community. Approximately 100 people enjoyed the meal and fellowship. At 12:30 Tractor Dave presented a power point presentation on the purpose of his trip across the United States. He is raising money for 2 organizations- CRWRC-Disaster Response Services and Foods Resource Bank. Those attending the event donated $1045 to these Christian organizations. The money will be divided equally between the two. Tractor Dave and his support team left early Monday morning to continue their mission in Iowa and South Dakota. You can follow Tractor Dave and view pictures of his visit around Fairfax on his facebook page. Look who was washing dishes!!!!! Thank you! The United Methodist Men would like to thank the women for donating the delicious salads and desserts for the community dinner Sunday. The meal would not have been a success without your help! Thank you also to all the men who helped, the men who drove tractors to church on a very hot Sunday morning, and the church family for supporting the event. A special thanks goes to Roger Pennel and Found Country for their help.

4 Worship in the Park Sunday morning, August 21st will be our Community Worship Service in the Park, as part of the Fairfax Fair. The Baptist Church leads the service this year. The Fairfax Fair runs from Friday August 19th through Sunday August 21st. Fairfax UMC is once again hosting the Live Simulcast with Beth Moore! Tickets are $20 (and that includes lunch) Saturday, September 10th 9:30 am 4:15 pm (doors open one hour before) The tickets are available through the church office , or any members of the team: Gale Ball, Charla Graves, Lois Wiley, Michele Hawkins, Brenda McLaughlin or Carla Smith. Last year, more than 100,000 women, representing 8,400 churches, participated in the Living Proof Live simulcast event. This year s event provides the same inspiration, though with a new, unique message. We also need volunteers to help on committees. Please contact Charla Graves or Gale Ball if you would like to help or if you have any questions! New Members On June 26th we welcomed two new members to Fairfax United Methodist Church, Judy Raya and Debra Wyatt We are so blessed to have you both in our church!

5 Daily Readings From: Practicing Extravagant Generosity Daily Readings on the Grace of Giving By Robert Schnase FROM STEWARDSHIP TO GENEROSITY Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. - Luke 6:38, The Message A few years ago, I had the privilege of speaking at a training seminar at a large United Methodist Church. My host was on staff at the church, and he described how he had recently changed his title after reflecting upon the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. Formerly the Executive Director of Stewardship, he was not the Executive Director of Generosity. He, the other staff, and the congregational leaders decided generosity comes closer than stewardship to describing his purpose and role. This made me think. What s the difference between stewardship and generosity? What comes to mind when you hear those words? For what distinctive purposes are they best suited? How do people respond to those terms? We are stewards of the earth. We are stewards of those things entrusted to us, inherited by us, and earned by us. We are stewards of our wealth and possessions and physical bodies. Stewards are people in ancient times who were trustees, who had responsibilities, who cared for things owned by someone else. Today you don t hear much about stewards and stewardship outside the church; it s a language derived from our biblical roots and our church heritage. It risks becoming insider language, not easily accessible or immediately understandable by those new to the church. There is something slightly weighty, dutiful, and legal sounding about the word. I grew up hearing about stewardship, stewardship campaigns, and committees on stewardship. The language focused our attention on supporting the church financially. Generosity is an aspect of character. It is an attractive quality which I aspire to and desire to see cultivated in my children. The opposite of generosity is selfishness, self-centeredness, greed, and self-absorption. No stories from Scripture tell of people living the God-related spiritual life while fostering a greedy attitude. Generosity extends beyond merely the use of Continued on back

6 money, although it most definitely includes that. There are generous spirits; generous souls; people who are generous with their time, with their teaching, with their love. Generosity finds many biblical sources, and is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It sounds more organic, more generative, less legalistic, less formal than stewardship means. They know generosity when they see it. I admire and respect people who are generous, and I want to become like the. Generosity is not a spiritual attribute someone acquires apart from the actual practice of giving. It becomes discernable through action. We never describe people as generous who keep everything for themselves and only serve themselves. Generosity focuses on the spiritual qualities of the giver, derived from the generosity of God, rather than on the church s need for money. One of these terms in not superior to the other. Perhaps there are shades of differences in how they are perceived by young and old, those new to the faith from those long-established in our churches. Using both wisely helps us reach people at different places on the journey of faith. What has been your experience with the term stewardship? With generosity? What s the difference between them? Which most helpfully inspires your giving as you seek to grow in the image of God and in service to Christ?

7 Thank You Choir Practice We will start on Wednesday, August 3rd at 7:00 pm. Please Join Us!!! To the Helping Hands of Friendship Group Thanks so much for all the yard work, gutter cleaning, etc. you did for me on such a very hot and humid day! I certainly appreciate your help and it was a joy to visit with you. Office Closed Monday, July 25th - August 5th (please contact Pastor Roger during those two weeks) August Birthdays Deanie Ray 08/01 Janice Ray 08/03 Shannon Bruns 08/05 Julie Michaelsen 08/06 Kent Ray 08/07 Spencer Barnes 08/08 Jase Barnes 08/17 Jean Schooler 08/17 Aleesha Ball 08/18 Jake Beck 08/22 Carol Ball 08/24 Florine Hall 08/24 Becky Pickard 08/25 Pam Monk 08/26 Betty Sly 08/26 Sandra Nicks 08/28 Robert Sefrit 08/28 Ralph Ball 08/29 Bill Van Gundy 08/29 Richard Oswald 08/30 Albert Jones 08/31 August Anniversaries Gary & Jan Taylor 08/11 Melvin & Karen Rogers 08/12 Mike & Joann Whittington 08/20 Kent & Janice Ray 08/22 John & Sandy Burke 08/24 Jeffery & Shannon Bruns 08/24 If you or your loved ones are not on the list, contact the church office: umc@fairfaxmo.net or with your info and we will get our records updated. We would like to say thank you to our church family for your concern, calls, cards, and prayers since Mel s bypass procedure. HOTLINES: Bless you! Marie We feel blessed to have such a caring and supportive community. Mel is doing well and will start rehab this week! With Christian Love, Mel and Karen Fairfax Methodist Church & Arnold Family, Thank you for choosing me as one of the recipients for your Scholarship. I will be attending Northwest next year and hope to be a History teacher. The scholarship will be very helpful. Thank you so much, Dyllan Mattly Child Abuse and Neglect Elderly Abuse and Neglect Gambling Addiction BETSOFF ( ) Mental Health Crisis Line Missouri School Violence Poison Control Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Suicide Prevention Lifeline TALK ( )

8 August 2011 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Basement reserved by: Pam Davis 21 Fairfax Fair Worship in the Park Office Closed - Darla s vacation Admin Council Meeting 7:00 pm Deadline for September Newsletter Promise Keepers: 6:00am Choir Practice: 7:00pm Promise Keepers: 6:00am Promise Keepers: 6:00am 24 Fairfax United Methodist Church PO Box 318, 305 N. Broadway, Fairfax, MO umc@fairfaxmo.net Promise Keepers: 6:00am UMM: 6:00pm Office Angels will be needed in the afternoon Pastor Roger Cary PO Box 308, Fairfax, MO Cell: fairfaxumc@fairfaxmo.net Promise Keepers: 6:00am Fairfax Fair Pastor s Hours 8:00 am 12:00 pm Tues Fri (cell) fairfaxumc@fairfaxmo.net Worship Schedule Sunday School: 9:30am Worship: 10:30am Channel 61: 4:00pm Tues 20 Fairfax Fair Office Hours 8:00 am 12:00 pm Mon Thurs umc@fairfaxmo.net

9 Helping Hands of Friendship One of the teachers of the law...asked Jesus. Which of the commands is most important? Jesus answered, The most important command is this: Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second command is this: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. There are no commands more important than these. Mark 12:28-31 NCV The Ministry Team has been very blessed to be busy lately. We are thankful for those in our congregation that have been able to join together and enjoy the blessings of serving Christ as we reach out to help others. If you haven t been able to join us yet, we look forward to working and fellowshipping with you in the future! Everyone is welcome and encouraged to anticipate. Everyone can do something. If you would like to serve and you re not sure how you might be able to help, talk with Pastor Roger, Bob Sefrit, or Jan Taylor. I m sure we can help you discover your gifts. We are all members of God s Ministry Team! 14 people met at the home of Marie Emrick on Monday, July 11th to trim bushes and hedges, clean gutters and cut up and haul away fallen tree branches. 18 people met again on Monday, July 18th at Barb Tubb s home in Tarkio. We tore off and hauled away a porch (to be reconstructed later), trimmed some bushes, painted a fence and pulled a few weeds. We are grateful to Marie and Barb for allowing us to gather at their homes for fellowship as we work together for His Glory! Barb Tubb s home Marie Emrick s home If you are in need of some help with a small project that you cannot, or should not, do yourself, please call the church office ( ) and someone will call you back to discuss details and let you know if it s a project that our team can successfully handle.

10 FAIRFAX MESSENGER AUGUST 2011 Fairfax United Methodist Church 305 N. Broadway P.O. Box 318 Fairfax, MO Address Service Requested Fairfax, MO U.S. Postage Paid Non-Profit Org. Permit #10 Native American Ministries According to the 2000 census, Native Americans remain the poorest minority group in the United States. South Dakota, our neighbors to the north, has six of the top ten poorest counties in the nation all homes to Indian reservations. Nearly one-third of Native American children continue to live below the poverty line. Homes are often overcrowded and substandard, lacking water, electricity, insulation, and a sewer system. Unrelenting poverty fuels the problems of hunger, gang activity, and alcohol and drug abuse. Young American Indians between 15 and 24 years of age are committing suicide at a rate more than 3 times the national average. Native Americans need the hope of Jesus Christ and the Good News he has to offer. When you give to Native American Ministries Sunday you support programs that nurture mission with Native Americans across the United States and provide scholarships for United Methodist Native American seminary students. Please consider giving to this important ministry opportunity. Native American Ministries Sunday July 31 st at FUMC.