The Gathering PASTOR S PEN. January 2016

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1 The Gathering PASTOR S PEN January 2016 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." John 1:1-3 "January First" is one of those holiday celebrations that seems to be observed around the world by almost all persons. It is the "beginning" of a new adventure and a new promise called We've never been there before and we have no experience with it...it is simply new and unexplored territory. And I personally believe that God has good things in store for us to find or to discover this year...if we choose to "look for the good"...the God Moments! Yes, even in all circumstances. For many persons the New Year is also a time for resolutions...a time to: let go of, release, give up, change, stop, or simply leave old things behind and start all over again...new! Changes made in our lives can be a good thing because all of us have things in our lives (habits, conduct, attitudes, lifestyles, regrets, etc.) that need to be changed, simply because we are not perfect. When John wrote, "In the beginning was the Word", of course he was writing about the events and process of Creation. But let me offer another thought for all of us. January 1, 2016 in a sense is also a "beginning", a beginning to a New Year and also a "new work" that God wants to do in each of us. However, we cannot forget that with any new beginning there must also be the presence of "The Word" ("In the beginning was the Word")...God's Word...God's Truth. If I want God to do something great in me, then I believe I will find the directions, the guidance, and the wisdom for what change God wants to do in me and then how to accomplish those changes through God's Words of Truth and Life. This thought continues through John 1:3 when it says "All things were made through Him...and without Him not anything was made that was made". If a change is to be made in me or a new lifestyle, a new attitude, a new conduct...a new beginning for me...it CANNOT BE MADE (ACCOMPLISHED) WITHOUT GOD! The New Year is ahead of us...what we will find in it and experience during it is undiscovered potential...physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritual. But God's Word tells us to love God with all of our hearts, with all of our minds, with all of our strength, with all of our souls. Therefore, let's start the New Year...let's begin it right...let's take the "Bible Challenge for New Beginnings". Let us begin every day of this New Year and this full of potential New Year in God's Word. Let us let God's presence and God's Word make the changes in us that God wants to do this year (this requires surrender to God's Lordship). And then through God's ability and our availability discover at the end of the year what this new me looks like, acts like, thinks like, and lives our lives like. To end something well (right)...we have to begin it well (right). "With God, all things are possible". Happy and Fruitful New Year! Pastor Ed

2 COMING EVENTS I BELIEVE SESSION I We will be doing Session I of the I Believe series beginning on Sunday, January 10, and going through Sunday, March 13, The I Believe series is a follow-up to The Story and is authored by the same author, Randy Frazee. It is a 30-week course, but we will be doing it in 10-week intervals. Session I is entitled THINK - What Do You Believe? Various Sunday School classes will be doing this series. You are invited to join a class if you are not in one. Classes at the Downtown campus are as follows: Faith Weavers S.S. class - meets on the second floor in the first classroom. Fisherman s S.S. class - meets in Fisherman s classroom off the Garden Room. Koinonia S.S. class - meets in the Conference room off the Garden Room. New Beginning/Young Adult S.S. class - meets on the second floor, at the end of the hall. Roose-Greenwalt S.S. class - meets in the small chapel at the end of the hallway. Twig Benders S.S. class - meets in the Parlor off the Garden Room. At the Life Center, the classes are as follows: Berean S.S. class - meets in the Exercise Room. Women of Healing S.S. class - meets in the first classroom by the Welcome Center. Sunday Night Small Group - meets at the Life Center. PRIMETIMERS On Tuesday, January 19, the Primetimers will meet for lunch at 11:30 a.m. in the Garden Room of the Downtown campus. Lunch will be chicken alfredo provided by Dandino s Restaurant. Cost is $5.00. After lunch, Don Showalter from the Goshen Fire Department, will talk to us about their work in Goshen. The bus will pick up at Waterford Crossing at 10:45 a.m., and at Greencroft at 11:15 a.m. If you have questions, please call Bob Shirk at MEAL On Sunday, January 10th, we will be hosting a fundraising luncheon for Mateo and Rachel Parsons Tenorio along with their children Williston and Maya. Some of you might not realize that Rachel and Mateo have been spreading the gospel in Bolivia for over 10 years now. They will return to their home the end of January and as the body of Christ, we would like to send them back with a love offering so they can continue to share the Good News to the people in Bolivia. Please join us for a "Soup and Salad" luncheon immediately following Sunday School at the downtown campus. I will be sending out more information after Christmas on ways you can sign up to help. Please pray about how you can continue to support this amazing family who shares their faith with a part of the world that might never have an opportunity to hear about Jesus. Thank you for supporting this ministry. -Leslie Weirich

3 GOSHEN 1 ST UMC CHILDREN S MINISTRY TGIW Kid s Club has been a lot of fun and if you haven t been able to be a part of that yet, it s not too late to join us from 6:15-7:30 pm at the downtown campus starting again on January 13th! Kid s Club is a great place where I can go into more depth with the kiddos on important and biblical matters. During the fall of 2015 the children learned about generosity and the importance of being a cheerful giver; and how to pray in all circumstances, which they will undoubtedly face throughout their lives. We had several children recommit their lives to Christ and one beautiful girl who accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior for the first time. We ended with a trip to the Maples and the Courtyard to sing Christmas carols to all of the residents. We had 26 children that participated and I am so thankful for the 16 adults who came and helped with that event! The children also did such a great job singing at the Cantata! I have a feeling there will be more of that sort of thing in the future. Thank you so much to all of the teachers and helpers that have helped throughout the year in the Children s Ministry including events such as the Easter egg hunt and VBS. I couldn t have done this without your help and none of us could have done it without God s grace and guidance. Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Matthew 19:14 -In Christ, Aimee Brinson Elevate Youth Ministry After a wonderful and prosperous year in 2015, it is the time of year to look forward to the new adventures that God has in store for each of us. As I have had the opportunity to pour my heart into the youth ministry, I have asked God to place His will in my heart so that I may serve Him best. I do not know where He will lead, but I want to be prepared! That being said, I would like to present a vision for some future opportunities that I hope to develop during the course of this new year. Missions are an important opportunity for the youth to grow and prosper in their faith each year. We have had past opportunities to do local service projects, out-of-state mission trips (both work and evangelism trips), and senior high summer camp, all of which provide much needed opportunities to put Christ s love into practice in a larger way beyond our church and schools. In the upcoming years, I would like to provide a chance for our high school students who have been on a mission trip in the States to be able to go on an out-of-country trip. This will be a large fundraising venture, and although I do not currently have any details for what that trip will look like, I do know that this will need to be poured over in love and prayers to make it happen God s way. Please pray that God provides the specific details and guides us in a way to make this a bigger way to honor and glorify Him. Also, on a much different note, I would like to provide an opportunity for our congregation and church family to stand up and be a bigger part of youth ministry. I have many kids, boys and girls alike, who are struggling deeply with their home life, school life, anxiety, depression, self-harm, etc. I meet regularly with a large portion of these young adults, but I am not able to be in touch with everyone on a personal basis. This being said, it is extremely important for our church to be involved in this ministry to mentor and love on these kids. Most of these youth are not connected to our church any other time than Wednesday evenings, so if God is calling for you to get involved, you can start by joining us for any Wednesday night youth group at the Life Center at 6:30-8:30pm beginning January 13 and going throughout the year. Our calendar of youth events can always be found at each campus (Downtown Welcome Center and Life Center bulletin boards). Please consider joining this mission to pour much needed life into these youth! Thank you so much for your prayers and support of this ministry. It is so crucial that we find a way to connect with these youth and help them continue to grow, not just during middle and high school, but beyond. Please continue to hold this ministry in your prayers as we grow together in Christ and strive to do things His way. Many blessings to you in this new year! -Bobbi Smith, Youth Pastor

4 First United Methodist Church 214 S. Fifth Street Goshen, IN Phone: Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No.136 Goshen, IN Address Service Requested What a great gift a carnation for my birthday! It was so nice and the visit from Jeanette was lots of enjoyment. I always enjoy seeing someone at my door with a flower. Bless you all. -Frances Sloan This is an address correction for Joseph Hale s address: 600 S. Meridian St., Apt. 120, Portland, IN I want to say thank you so much to all of our church volunteers. Whether you are a bus driver, or a receptionist, or a greeter, or a newsletter collator, or money counter, or help with the TGIW meal, or help with the food pantry, or whatever you do.you are an important part of ministry! We could not do ministry without you!! Thank you so much for your faithfulness to do your volunteer job every week or month. We appreciate your service to the church and your willingness to help us! Thank you!! -Harriet Martin

5 HAPPY JANUARY BIRTHDAYS! January 1 Ben Whirledge Ruth Miller Katie Herschberger Scott Nickerson January 2 Ruth Sorrell January 3 Wayne Mullett Rich Weaver Tony Brinson January 5 Austin Weirich January 6 Kendall Miller January 7 Betty Herschberger Wayne Bigler January 8 Maya Beltran January 9 Fran Jessup Sandy Streit Amy Smith January 10 Ray Lichty Betty Kessler Betty Whitt Alan Taylor January 11 Heather Miller Randy Sorg January 12 Cindy Anderson Bob Morris Cole Jordan Ryan Mehl Ryan Carbone January 14 Rena Humerickhouse January 15 Jeromy Sheets Daniel Sailor Beth Cripe January 16 Hilda Johnson January 17 Wayne Randolph John Vollmer January 18 Angela Jordan January 20 Gary Miller Sharylle Mundy Larry Stark January 22 Morgan Catron January 23 Brent Lehman Glen Miller Joseph Hale January 24 Kimberly Rheinheimer Mark Grotrian January 25 Keith Weirich January 26 Jane Roth LaCounte Kenadi Pierce January 27 Sydney Miller Terri Krug January 28 Gene Nicolai Lauren Fetters Shirley Showalter January 29 Ron Breniser Lance Yoder Alexis Bachman January 30 Linda Moise Henry Stump Annie Cunningham January 31 Spencer Elliott Evan Layne Abram Mehl Eloise Miller THINK ABOUT IT Going to church doesn t make you a Christian, anymore than standing in your garage makes you a car. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. -Martin Luther King Jr. Revenge is a poison meant for others, which we end up swallowing ourselves. Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, Faith looks up!!