The Vine. An Expression of Love.

Transcription

1 The Vine An Expression of Love. February is the month that contains Valentine s Day, a day that we associate with love. While it is fun to send cards, give flowers, give candy, whisper sweet nothings, or whatever it is that you do to express love, I want to challenge you to think about expressing love in a different way this month. In I Corinthians 13, Paul talks about love. While romantic love of Valentine s Day has a basis in this kind of love, the love of I Corinthians 13 goes much deeper. The love that Paul describes is a self-giving love, a sacrificial love, agape in Greek, the kind of love that God has for us. It is a love that is undeserved and unearned. It is a love that always puts the other person first. Jesus visibly showed what that means when he sacrificially gave up himself to die for us. We didn t deserve it, but he did it anyway for us. He was explaining this to us when he said in John 15:12-13, This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one s life for one s friends. The challenge is to consider ways in which you can sacrificially give of yourself for someone else. This might be a gift, it might be giving some extra time, it might mean going out of the way to do something for someone. After all, it is what we are commanded to do. Stewardship Update At the end of 2014, after all was said and done, we were able to meet all of our financial obligations. That is the good news. The harder news is that in order to do so, we spent a little over $10, more than we received by way of offerings and income. While we cannot continue to do this, the encouraging news this year is that fuel prices are lower for now which will help us individually as well as collectively as a church. The total budget for this year is $233,697.00, which is only a 6% increase over last year. While $10, sounds like a lot of money, and it is in one chunk, if we break it down, it really isn t that much. It amounts to about $ per week that we were short. Our average attendance is around 180, so that means that if each person gave $1.11 more per week, the difference can be made up. That is a little less than $5.00 per month per person. While we know that we have been asking for more recently because of the Future with Hope, we would like to encourage you to consider helping us to make up the shortfall by giving just a little bit extra each week. Prayerfully and by working together, we can do it. The Finance Team Ash Wednesday Soup Supper and Worship will be held here at 6:00 pm on February 18. We will have a light supper of soup, bread and fruit, then move to the sanctuary at 7:00 pm for the service. If you would like to bring a soup or some bread, please be sure to sign up in McConnell Hall or call the church office.

2 Annual Chili Dinner & Contest February 21 6:30 9:00 pm sponsored by the United Methodist Men of Mantua There will be a wide variety of chili dishes to sample and the evening s winning chili will give it s creator bragging rights for a whole year. Come out and join your brothers for a great evening of fellowship food and fun! Dear Rev. Baitinger, The Spirit has led me o send this letter to you, with heartfelt thanks for your church s recent hospital ministry. What a true BLESSING it was on Sunday, December 21st, when the youth of your congregation visited Inspira Hospital in Woodbury, NJ. My mother who is 85 years old was a patient on the fourth floor at the time of their visit. What an inspirational way to spread the meaning of the Christmas season. Their singing and the stuffed bear were perfect gifts of comfort and joy! Even though my mother wasn t able to smile, due to the fact that she has had a stroke and has been recently diagnosed with inoperable cancer, I know she enjoyed the singing and she loves the bear. In conversation with one of my mother s nurses aides, I was told that all the patients responded positively to receiving the bear. Some patients had named the bears, some of them had cuddled-up and slept with their bears, and others who were lonely would talk to the bears. Sometimes, the smallest of gestures can become someone s greatest or only gift. From my family to you and your compassionate youth heartfelt thanks for your thoughtfulness. The visit was sincerely appreciated. God bless you one and all! Merry Christmas and a blessed 2015! The Keegan Family Inspira Medical Center Elmer is seeking volunteers to become Patient Engagement Liaisons. These liaisons will visit patints, engaging them in conversation and assist with additional tasks. For additional information, please plan to attend volunteer information secession: Tuesday, February 10, nd Floor Community Room 2:00 pm RSVP to or krassows@ihn.org by February 9 before 4:00 pm Acolytes & Confirmation Acolytes we will meet at our regular time 5:30 PM at the church on February 22. Confirmation Saturday February 21, 11:00 am We will meet to go to Barratt s Chapel in Frederica, DE. You will need money for lunch and there is a small shop at the church. Families and anyone who would like to go with us are welcome. Sunday Night Life February 15th at 6:00 pm Check out our new page on the web! Small Group Meetings Small Group meets on Wed at 7:00 pm at The Miller s and on Wed 7:00 pm at Susan Fuchs Come see what it s all about!

3 January 2015 Insert February Mantua Methodist Vine By William M. Crowley, Educational Research Director 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV), Study to show thyself approved unto GOD This exciting, unending series researches the KJV Bible with other sources. JEWISH NEW YEARS CALENDAR FORMATION The Hebrew Calendar is mostly used for religious purposes. It basis is the rotation around the Sun, Lunar observances and the rotation of the Earth on its axis. The astrology reflects the Babylonian influence in the zodiac signs. This complex history makes it perfect for religious observances. We only briefly discuss the sections marked New Year in the approximate twelve-month period. It is not perfectly keyed to our calendar. NISSAN Nissan, the first month of the Jewish Year, is considered the equivalent of the months of March and April. This is the Fast of the Firstborn. It is also the Celebration of the Passover to remember the time when GOD saved the Jews during the Egyptian crises. The counting of the reigns of the ancient kings starts from this period. ELUL It corresponds to the months of August and September. During this time the Jews visit the graves of relatives and loved ones to commemorate their past. Letters are written at this time carrying new year wishes and blessings; a time of remembrance not shown in many cultures. TISHRI Is the equivalent of September and October; an autumn celebration. The fall and its beauty are experienced during this thirty-day month. At least someone takes the time to appreciate nature s beauty. Rosh Hashanah, aka the Jewish New Year, is considered the anniversary of the creation of the world. Sukkot, a Biblical pilgrimage festival is an important Tishri day. It was from this date that the taxes were calculated. SHEVAT A winter month of thirty days falls in the months of January and February. Tu B Shvat is considered the new year of trees. Torah states fruits from trees less than three years old are forbidden to be consumed. This festival, unlike some others, is still observed as a minor Jewish holiday. AND SO THE ROTATION GOES WITH BABYLONIAN NAMES, OLD TRADITIONS, BIBLICAL REFERENCES INTERTWINED INTO A DOCUMENT REGULATING LIFE CYCLES.

4 1 Brayden Green Betty Jameson Joyce Wescott 2 Amy Durand Jody Miller Linda Rudisill 4 Brenda Anderson Nick Colamarino 6 Larissa Tumminia 7 Bill Lisle Richard Lynch 8 Morgan Gallagher Robert Hoskins 9 Adam Eubanks 12 Patricia Nolte Joe Vincent 13 Charlie Armstrong Danielle Davis Erin Munch Marc Nagtegaal 14 Pam Baitinger Ryan Borgersen Happy February Birthday 16 Chelsea Guarrera 17 Barbara Davis Nancy Fink Marilyn Heston Kai Kraft Karisa Wescott 18 Chris Seabo 19 Anthony Dorisio 20 Judy Bufala 21 Shannon String 22 Kristin Baitinger Thomas Booth Marcie Daniels Jeffrey Fuchs 25 Monica Dilio Donald Rumbol Lynn Varner 26 Jimmy Heise 27 Terry Grabert 29 Tim Shockley Happy February Anniversary 2 Dan & Terri Smith 6 Doug & Pam Baitinger 11 Pardam & Theresa Skalit 14 Bill & Debbie Wolf 22 Harry & Lorraine Litle 27 Jan & Janet Fuhrer

5 MTV Painless Fundraiser Buy Shop Rite ($20) Cards. The Church receives 5% You receive gift cards dollar for dollar. It costs you nothing! Where does the money go? It pays for some of the equipment needs of MTV. In addition, contributions have been made to UMC Mission Trips and The Waterproofing Fund. Goal: We have a goal of $1,000 per week. This is easily achievable! If we only had 50 families that shop at Shop Rite and each family bought one card per week, that would be $1,000. The church would earn $2,600 per year. When we meet this goal, MTV would not only be mostly self-supporting, we would also be able to make larger contributions for other church needs. Action: LET S DO IT! Exchange your cash or check for Shop Rite gift cards and go food shopping for your family or donate cards to The Corinthian Cupboard or Family Promise! It costs nothing but reaps great rewards! 1st Quarter $ Average Weekly Gift Card Purchases 2nd Quarter $427 3rd Quarter $357 4th Quarter $488 Keep up the Good Work! THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! Bruce Reyher, MTV Treasurer

6 Are You Willing to Share Your Gift? As some of you may have heard, we are unexpectedly in the position of needing to add new members to our praise band for the 11 o clock service. We would like to invite anyone who would like to share their gift of music to join Maria, Curt, and Pam. Specifically, we are looking for a guitarist, bass guitarist, and keyboard player. There is also the possibility of adding some vocalists and other musicians as well. What is required? A willingness to learn and grow, commitment for rehearsal and Sunday morning, and most importantly, a love for the Lord and desire to serve. If you would like more information or are interested, please see Pastor Doug, Maria Kreh, Curt Bobzin, or Pam Runyan. Lenten Soup and Study Once again the ministerium will be holding our annual Wednesday noon get-together for soup and study. It usually lasts about an hour. The schedule is as follows: Feb 25 Wenonah UMC Mar 4 Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Wenonah Mar 11 Mt. Zion Wesley in Deptford March 18 at Barnsboro UMC March 25 at The UMC of Mantua Join our ecumenical brothers and sisters as we share together. I know that all of us have experienced the love of God, some in big ways and some in small ways, but always the experience strengthens you. I believe if we share our stories, it will help us keep God in our daily lives. Last month Pastor Doug shared one of his experiences and I am hoping you will be encouraged to share your experiences too. You can be anonymous if you re shy or be known. All you have to do is write it down and give it to or it to Becky Langer (office@mantuaumc.org).

7 The United Methodist Church of Mantua 201 Mantua Boulevard Mantua, NJ Phone: Parsonage: Fax: Website: MantuaUMC.org Are you an Online Shopper? Become a Member of UMC Market! 1. Signup at UMCMarket.org 2. Enter the name of your UMC church or organization (search for Mantua) 3. Browse through all our categories and choose to shop from our hundreds of stores. Every time you shop the stores will donate a portion of your purchase back to your selected UMC church or organization. Make sure to log in before going to the stores and to have an empty shopping cart before you start to shop. Also, you need to complete your purchase within 24 hours to be eligible for a donation.