April 2018 Monthly Newsletter of Watsontown United Methodist Church

Transcription

1 The BEACON April 2018 Monthly Newsletter of Watsontown United Methodist Church A Word from Pastor Ryan... Have you ever heard any of these common myths: bubble gum takes seven years to digest, eating a watermelon seed will cause a watermelon to grow in your stomach, or cracking your knuckles will bring on early arthritis? As a kid I believed each of these sayings. My friends on the playground, who I thoroughly trusted, adamantly shared all of this important knowledge. Plausible though they used to sound, I ve learned as an adult that none of these statements are accurate. Bubble gum and watermelon seeds spend as much time as any other food in the digestive system. Moreover, the cracking of knuckles, while sometimes annoying, is only a popping sound made by air bubbles in the synovial fluid of joints; there is no arthritis danger. Sometimes the statements we believe or the convictions we have are misleading, half-truths, or even false. Even in Christian circles there are many sayings or pieces of advice that, though sounding religious, are less than Biblically accurate. If we as followers of Jesus are to take 2 Timothy 3:16 seriously, that All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, then it is vitally important to be able to filter sound Biblical teachings from ideas that just sound good. Beginning April 8th, 2018, our series of Sunday morning sermons aims to aid this process of sifting through popular religion. The new sermons series will be called Does the Bible Say That? We will look at many popular sayings that even Christians hold dear that are not in the Bible. The topics include six sayings like: cleanliness is next to godliness, God helps those who help themselves, and God works in mysterious ways. I have several concrete hopes for this series. First, I hope this series will encourage you to open your Bible a little more. Many well-known sayings (Continued on page 2) In This Issue Message from Pastor Ryan 1 WUMC Happenings 1 Happy Harbor News 2 Easter Egg Scramble 2 Church Calendar 3 April Ministry Volunteers 3 Children & Youth Ministries 4 Vacation Bible School 4 Around WUMC 5 Your Chance to Serve 5 Shepherd s Kitchen 6 Looking Ahead 6 COMBINED WORSHIP April 29th, 9:30am Mark your calendar for the 5th Sunday, April 29th. We will have one, combined worship service at 9:30am. This worship service will be led, focused on, and inspired by the youth and children in our congregation. Because of the modified schedule, there will be no Sunday School 29th. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet and worship with folks who might regularly attend a different service. WUMC Happenings FELLOWSHIP LUNCHEON April 29th, 11:00am The same day as our combined worship service, we will host a fellowship luncheon. This will be a family-style, potluck affair, so please bring a dish to share with everyone. This is also a good opportunity to invite a friend, neighbor, or coworker to come out to worship and fun at WUMC. Acts 2:42 says that even the earliest followers of Jesus devoted themselves to breaking bread together! MOTHER S DAY TEA May 6th, 3-5pm Sponsored by WUMC and Kingdom Kidz Puppet Ministry. Three-course light refreshments and fellowship! A love offering will be taken for Kingdom Kidz Puppet Ministry. Door prize tickets will also be available. Tickets sales start May 8th. OUR VISION: Connect Grow Serve Go

2 are going to be on the chopping block, maybe even an idea that you staunchly believe. I ll encourage us each week to dig into the Bible to see if the quote is accurate or not. Second, I want to encourage us to prioritize hearing from God on a personal basis. It can be easy to take the words of a pastor or spiritual mentor for granted, even if the advice is poor. Part of becoming a mature follower of Christ is the desire to search the Scriptures ourselves and grow through what we read there. Finally, I want to offer some Biblically sound alternatives to some of our unchristian ideas. Isn t it much more encouraging, for example, to know that God never leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5) rather than expecting God ll only help us if we help ourselves?! So dust off that shelf-sitting Bible and join me on Sundays at Watsontown UMC for an adventure into the question Does the Bible Say That? Easter Egg Scramble An Egg-citing Way to Share God s Love WUMC is so blessed to have a church family who cares about the children in our church and community. In February, we began asking for plastic eggs and fillings in order to host an egg hunt. With all of the generous donations, eggs were scattered on the church property. Your support did not end there. Prize baskets containing a Bible, Easter storybook, and goodies were donated for each age group. Approximately 200 children and adults were welcomed inside the church to watch an Easter movie and learn the reason behind our joy and celebration. Following the movie, the children scrambled to collect as many eggs as their baskets could hold. Children were also invited to put their handprints on a cross as a sign that Jesus died for them. That cross is now displayed in the sanctuary as a symbol for us all. For some, the crucifixion and resurrection story is merely a reminder of the indescribable love God has for all of His children, but for others this event was a first-time introduction to a Heavenly Father. At a time of the year when children are overexposed to Easter bunnies and chocolates, God used our church to praise and glorify Him. Amen. May we always remember to make God the center of all that we do. A huge thank you goes out to all who assisted in planning, donating, and serving the day of the event. Happy Harbor Preschool March was a time of new life..not only did we discuss this through the story of Easter, but with the spring flowers blooming. We had a great time at our Easter party. The students each made Easter s mores in a jar.yummy! Other highlights included crafts, games, snacks, and of course an egg hunt and candy scramble. The Senior Class looked at many different things they could do when they grow up. They checked out their five senses and tried their best at setting a trap to catch a Leprechaun, but were unsuccessful. The Junior Class spent the month getting blown away making kites and pinwheels, and going a little animal crazy (animals unit). Happy Harbor Preschool signs are popping up around the area. If you live in a high traffic area and would be willing to post a sign, please let us know. The deadline for May 2018 Newsletter Submissions is: Tuesday, April 24th Please submissions to our office at: office@watsontownumc.org Please note that submissions may need to be altered, edited, or omitted for relevance, grammar, timeliness, space constraints, or other reasons at the discretion of the editors. Information contained in this newsletter is provided by many sources; our apologies for anything missed or incorrectly reported. Please make us aware of concerns so that corrections may be made as necessary. *** HHP Board Meeting*** Monday, April 23 God Bless the Children, Camy Brungard Preschool Coordinator Find our page on Facebook Happy Harbor Preschool Like and Share with your friends!

3 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 5:30 9pm Daisies, Brownies, Scouts, Jr. Scouts 6pm Trustees Mtg APRIL pm Small Group 6:30pm Troop pm Sportsman (and Women) Bible Study :30pm Youth Conference 9 6-9pm Brownies, Scouts, Jr. Scouts 10 6:30pm Blueberry Festival Mtg :30am Pancakes with the Pastor 15 NHN Special Offering 6pm Sr. Youth Group 16 5:30 9pm Daisies, Brownies, Scouts, Jr. Scouts 6pm Family Group Study 6pm WRFH Mtg 17 6:30pm Troop pm Admin Team Mtg 20 7pm Special Needs Dance :30 Sr Youth Group (Newsboys Concert) 23 6pm Family Group Study 6-9pm Brownies, Scouts, Jr. Scouts am Shepherd s Kitchen 29 9:30am Combined Worship 11am Fellowship Luncheon 2:30 Wat. Rehab Worship 30 6pm Family Group Study 6-9pm Brownies, Scouts, Jr. Scouts **DID YOU KNOW?** The WUMC Church Calendar is on the web! Visit our website (WatsontownUMC.org), highlight Greeters: 8:00 AM Service April 1: Betty Carvell April 8: Kristen Moyer April 15: Gene & Mary Farley April 22: Tara Smith April 29: Youth (Combined Service, 9:30) April Ministry Volunteers Ushers 10:30 Service: Jackie Sheatler & Judy Marshall Sound Technicians 8:00 Service: Tim Benfer 10:30am Service: Patrick Maynard Children s Word: 10:30 Service April 1: Pastor Ryan April 8: Ruth Ann Mowery April 15: Lynn Maynard April 22: Veronica Irvine April 29: Linda Smith (Combined Serv.) Greeters: 10:30 AM Service April 1: Miriam Deibler April 8: Gloria King April 15: Mike & Val Hontz Family April 22: Eric & Tracy Hudson Family April 29: Youth (Combined Service, 9:30) Worship Leaders: 10:30 Service April 1: Linda Smith April 8: Luther Metzger April 15: Dale Chomas April 22: Ed Byers April 29: Youth (Combined Service) Children s Church Assistants April 1: Help Wanted April 8: Help Wanted April 15: Help Wanted April 22: Help Wanted April 29: Help Wanted

4 Special Needs Dance WUMC hosts a dance party for special needs individuals from 7-8:30PM one Friday each month. This month s dance is March 16th. Volunteers are needed to join the fun and dance. Also, set-up and tear-down help is needed any time from 6PM to 9PM in the multipurpose room. Simple donations of refreshments are appreciated. For questions about the dance, call the church office ( // Ext. 15) to leave a message or contact Valerie Hontz ( ) or Patrick Maynard ( ) Next Dance: April 20th Future Dances: May 18th September 21st Outreach Opportunities: Shepherd S Kitchen JoSeph S closet Are you looking for ways to GROW in Christ by being like Christ through service to others? Shepherd s Kitchen is a free meal provided by WUMC for the residents of Watsontown and nearby communities. Joseph s Closet is in the process of relocating. Stay tuned. A donation box is located in the lobby for new socks and underwear only. At this time we are no longer accepting other clothing donations Each month, many passionate, caring, generous donors and volunteers serve in these vital ministries. We invite you to join us! Call the office ( ) and leave a message for Shepherd s Kitchen (Ext. 6) or Joseph s Closet (Ext. 7) to find out how you can help! Signup board is available at back of multipurpose room. Shepherd s Kitchen: 04/28, 11AM-1PM Joseph s Closet: Stay tuned! Backpack Program for the Turbotville Elementary School happens each week when bundles of food go home with students in need. We will be packing food bundles following the worship service on April 22nd. Please plan to help. For more information, contact Russ McClintock at High School Youth (grades 9th-12th) will be changing times. Join us Sunday, April 15th from 6 to 7:30pm at WUMC. Children's Sunday School ROTATION STATIONS will be starting on April 22nd at 9:15am. There will be four stations: 1) CELEBRATION STATION (songs, videos, etc.), 2) NARRATION STATION (Bible story), 3) MEMORIZATION STATION (memory verses, games, etc.), 4) IMAGINATION STATION (crafts, experiments, etc.). Children will rotate with their Sunday School classes to the different stations. If you are interested in leading a station, signup on the bulletin board and/or contact Jaron or Becca Parker. Can't commit to every Sunday? No problem. Signup for whatever Sundays best fit your schedule. High School Youth (grades 9th-12th) are invited to see Newsboys in concert on April 22nd at 6pm at the Bryce Jordan Center. We will leave the church at3:30pm. Concert tickets will be provided, but youth will be responsible for their own dinner. Consent forms are available on the bulletin board. RSVP by April 15th. Children and Youth Sunday will be held on April 29th. A meeting will be held following the service to discuss ideas and upcoming events. Anyone who is interested is welcomed to attend. Questions and/or comments may be directed to Jaron and Becca Parker ( ). Vacation Bible School PRAISE With the Go Fish Guys July 8-12 MARK YOU CALENDARS SO YOU DON T MISS IT! Our next planning meeting will be on April 15th from 1-3pm Last year we served 126 children and we should expect to have even more this year. It took 47 adult volunteers throughout the week, more hands are always needed and appreciated. If you are interested in volunteering in any way for this year s VBS, please speak with Camy Brungard. Keep an eye on the back easel for a donation list to be posted soon. We will once again be looking for sponsors to give each family a copy of the worship music we will be singing that week. Camy Brungard, VBS Director camy@windstream.net

5 Around Watsontown UMC Blueberry Festival Meeting Tuesday, April 10th, 6:30 7:30PM For more information, contact Faith Hoover ( ) Pancakes With Pastor Saturday, April 14th, 8:30 10AM Leadership Bible study lead by Pastor Ryan. For additional information, contact Harry Hefty ( ). Vacation Bible School Meeting Sunday, April 15th, 1-3PM For more information, contact Camy Brungard ( ) Family Group Study Every Monday, 6-7PM (April 16th June 11th) Designed for families so children can attend. Discussion will be based on the book Unoffendable by Brant Hansen. For more information, contact Lauren Marziale ( ). Weekly Kids Sunday School At WUMC, we want kids to grow in faith and love Jesus. Here are groups your kids can join at 9:15 Sunday morning. Infant & Toddlers Room 5 in the preschool hallway (Rebecca Parker) Pre-K & 1st Grade Room 6 in the preschool hallway (Tina Emery) 2nd & 3rd Grade Room 7 in the preschool hallway (Ruth Ann Mowery) 4th 6th Grade Room 8 in the preschool hallway PLEASE NOTE: Sunday school will be changing to a Rotation Station format on April 22nd. More information will be available on our website and in the May newsletter. The Nursery Room (#5) is available for young children and their parents during worship for your convenience. Worship service audio is available in room #5 as well. Pastor Ryan leads a topic study on Sunday evenings (6PM) in Classroom 1. Our current topic is varied. Sue Hefty s leads a Wednesday evening topic study in Classroom 1. The current study focus is on women of the Old Testament. Contact Sue at for additional information. Donna Cerrone leads a study during Sunday School based on the Upper Room Magazine (Room 1). Linda Smith leads a topic study during Sunday School using various books and video series (Room 2). Charlotte McClintock leads a study during Sunday School using the Disciple Bible Series that studies the entire Bible (Room 11). The Middle small group Bible study for grades 4-8 meets at the WUMC on Sunday evenings from 6 7:30PM. For more information, call Mindy Lewis at or Tracy Lewis at Your chance to serve Kingdom Kidz Saturday, April 15th, 12:30pm - Puppet Dinner Theater and Puppet Program following at 1:15pm at the Watsontown Alliance Church Activity Center, 1165 Eighth St Dr. Saturday, April 28th, 8:45am Benefit Auction and Silent Auction with guest appearance at 8:45am. Food will be for sale. Location is at the Watsontown Alliance Church Activity Center, 1165 Eighth St Dr. Kingdom Kidz is looking for volunteers who are willing to assist with the sound, lighting and media aspects of our programs. We will train. Clearances are a requirement. Kingdom Kidz is a non-profit puppet ministry located at 11 E Third Street, Watsontown. We are grateful to Kingdom Kidz for their partnership with us in ministry. Please include the Kingdom Kidz ministry in your prayers and consider supporting their ministry in other ways as they continue to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Kingdom Kidz Kids Café serves free meals to children each weekday during the summer. How you can help: serve on our prep- park- or clean-up crew, volunteer to spread the word, be the Wrangler, sponsor a special day, play checkers. Questions, contact Linda Smith at or bellmom@ptd.net Shepherd s Kitchen features free home-cooked meals for the residents of Watsontown and nearby communities on the last Saturday of each month, no questions asked. How you can help: donate groceries or money, tell others about this, cook with friends. Questions, contact Linda Smith at or bellmom@ptd.net The Back Pack Program sends a bag of shelf stable food home in the backpacks of children from homes with insecure food supply to help with hunger over the weekends. How you can help: bring in Box Tops for Education (each is worth 10 ), help pack the bags after worship service once a month. Questions, contact Linda Smith at or bellmom@ptd.net

6 Watsontown United Methodist Church th Street Drive Watsontown, PA Address Service Requested Join us on Sunday Mornings! Praise and Worship 8:00 AM Small 9:00 AM Traditional Worship 10:30 AM Sunday 9:15 AM Visit us online: WatsontownUMC.org Love your church? Share it with your friends! facebook.com/watsontownumc If you wish to stop receiving this newsletter in paper form, please let us know! Watsontown United Methodist Church 1319 Eighth Street Drive Watsontown, PA office@watsontownumc.org Phone: (570) This newsletter is also available for download in electronic form via , social media, and our website! WatsontownUMC.org/media/newsletter facebook.com/watsontownumc Shepherd s Kitchen Is Celebrating Eight Years of Ministry To celebrate eight years of ministry this month, Shepherds Kitchen will have a special treat for our guests with a dessert bar. Donations of desserts are needed for Saturday, April 28th. A sign-up poster will be available in the foyer. Questions can be directed to Linda Smith ( ). Looking Ahead Sunday, May 6... Mother s Day Tea, 3PM Monday, May 7...Trustees Mtg, 6PM Saturday, May Leadership Breakfast, 8:30AM Thursday, May Admin. Team Mtg, 7PM Friday, May Special Needs Dance, 7PM Sunday, May NHN Special Offering Saturday, May Shepherd s Kitchen, 11AM