Dreaming with God Pastor s Column

Transcription

1 G R OW, P LA Y AN D SE R V E W IT H H E A R TS F O R C H IL D R E N A N D HA N D S FO R SE R V ICE! v isitor Glenview United Methodist Church May, 2016 Dreaming with God Pastor s Column As I write this article, our church is preparing to host Walter Crouch, Executive Director of Appalachia Service Project, along with the award-winning duo Alathea. They will join us for the big ASP event Mountains, Mission and Music on Saturday, April 30. And then Walter will preach on Sunday morning, May 1. I hope you ll join us to hear more from this dynamic leader! I feel privileged to have been a part of the ministry of ASP for 30 years now, since I ventured into the hollers of Appalachia with my own high school youth group. Ten years earlier, my mother organized our home church s first ASP trip; by the time I was fifteen, the powerful ASP experience was an annual tradition, and I was thrilled to be a part of it. In college, I spent two summers in Mingo County, WV as an ASP staff member and Center Director. Those summers changed my life I was converted and my life has never been the same. The scales fell from my eyes, and a whole new world was opened up to me a world where hot and sweaty children did not have running water or bathrooms. A world where mothers were desperate to have a leaky roof repaired over their kitchen table. A world where young girls just couldn t believe that I (19 and 20 at the time) didn t already have a few kids in tow. A world where fathers worked hard in coal mines, and grandfathers sat on porches ailing from black lung disease. It was also a world full of simple pleasures -- cornbread and green beans, singing and card games, church and family. And it was a world that left me with lots of questions-- about poverty and government policy and inequity and the role of the church and what it really meant to be a Christian. For me, the ASP experience was just the beginning of a call to attempt to see the world through the eyes of those who are most vulnerable. It was a call to follow Jesus ever more closely and radically that same Jesus who said the last will be first, and the first will be last. There s something about ASP that converts me time after time, breaking my heart open so that I see what is most important. And that what really matters has nothing to do the things we often measure ourselves by (for adults our job, our house, our car, our respectability; for youth grades, social status, college acceptance). And everything to do with justice, and mercy, and repentance, and love. I am so grateful for the support of this congregation for ASP, and for our annual High School Youth Mission Trip. Each year we are able to provide home repair in some of the poorest counties in the U.S., and this year we ll be heading down to Hancock County, Tennessee, leaving July 9 and returning on July 16. Just like I did as a teenager/young adult, our youth will surely have their eyes and hearts opened by this experience so that it causes them to think differently about issues of poverty, and culture, and the disparity in our nation. It is a lifechanging experience. I ask for your continued prayers for our ASP team, that God might break open our hearts and inspire us to live more faithfully in Appalachia and (perhaps even more importantly) back here in Glenview. In Christ, Pastor Wendy G U MC IS A RE C O N C IL IN G C O N G R E G A T IO N

2 Page 2 Let us remember the following members in our prayers. Tom Schroeder Dorothy Foote Jay Phillips Bob Ritter Julie Murphy Gus and Pat Carlson Our sincere sympathy to Holly and Ed Porrett and their family on the death of Holly s mother on April 23. Welcome Lillian Marie Wiegel! Lillian, daughter of Kristin Daniels, arrived at 12:36AM on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, and checked in at 7 lbs., 15 oz., and 19 inches long. Lillian, Kristin, and husband Jay are back home in Wheaton, doing well, and enjoying their new lives together. Please join us in extending congratulations to Kristin and Jay and grandparents Scott and Karen Daniels! Congratulations: Pastor Hwa-Young has been named to be the distinguished alum of the year in the Christian Studies department of her Alma Mater, Ewha University, in Seoul, Korea. She is invited to attend the recognition celebration on May 31. Pastor Hwa-Young will be gone in late May including Sunday, May 29. For pastoral emergencies, please contact Pastor Wendy, Parish Nurse Carolla, or the church office. Congratulations: Barbara Boigegrain, our church member and the General Secretary of the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church, has been invited by the Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury in England, to attend a global gathering on sustainability in London. Congratulations! So with you, Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. John 16:22 It is with a joyful heart we thank all for the cards, prayers and kind words with Bill's passing. A special thanks to the cookie bakers and those who set and cared for the coffee table. ~The family of William Labbe Thank you! Many thanks to all those who helped with the double duty of preparing lovely meals for our High School Senior Breakfast and our Newcomer s Brunch, both on April 24. Marianne Brackey headed up our team and was assisted by Don Brackey, Rose Ackerman, Michelle Duncan, and Char Moneyhon. Thanks for sharing your gifts with our community of faith! Thank you from Mary Leigh: Mary Leigh saw the GUMC ad on Craigslist for Free on Sunday Rummage. Hi! I just wanted to extend my thanks to the members of your church. I was there this afternoon, and I got some items for my baby that would otherwise have cost more. Although I did donate monetarily, I still would like to express my gratitude for your generosity and wonderful example of God's love. May God bless you and all your families. Dear Friends, Thank you for your companionship with me these last few years while caring for my mom. In her departing from this life and passing into God's peaceful realm, I knew the compassion and depth of ministry this congregation shares. We are blessed to be among this family of believers. ~With love, Joanne Richter, my sister Lynn Tyk, my brothers Bob and Steve Hansen.

3 GROW Page 3 Film: "An Act of Love" & Dialogue. Tuesday, May 3, :00-9:00 p.m. An Act of Love tells the story of an unwitting advocate in the fight for equal rights within the Methodist Church, Rev. Frank Schaefer, who had his ministerial credentials revoked in December 2013 after officiating his son's samesex wedding. He has since been reinstated, but debate within the church over LGBTQI rights and inclusion is increasing as the third largest denomination in the United States moves toward is quadrennial meeting. How will the Methodist church act this May regarding inclusion? Join us for a free screening of this award winning documentary movie. Discussion and refreshments following the film. PLAY Save the Date: Spaghetti Dinner with Entertainment, Sunday, June 26, 5 pm Please mark your calendar now for this fun event! We will share good food, enjoy our church friends sharing their talents, and join one another in a great time of friendship. Marianne Brackey will help organize the menu and food preparation, and we would like to gather a team to work with her. If you can offer your help in the kitchen, please call the church office. Please look for more information in the upcoming announcements! Looking for these items: Children s Ministry would love to have your empty Gatorade bottles (20 oz. only), bags of rice, red and white peppermints and marbles. Please drop them by Linda Duback s office in the blue bin marked donations. Thank you! Are you graduating this spring? Please let the church office know so we can celebrate your accomplishments! All graduates are encouraged to respond. Please include your name, school, college or trade school, majors, and plans for the future. to office@glenviewumc.org. Please welcome our new Facilities Manager, Michel Agriopoulos, to the GUMC Team. He will be replacing Bob Rowlands and spending the month of May in transition learning the new position. He lives a few blocks from the church in Glenview with his wife. PR AND AED CLASS: 9:30 BASIC FIRST AID: 11:15 Saturday, June 11 Training meets OSHA guidelines for First Aid programs and combines lecture, and hands-on training to teach participants lifesaving skills. Registration is required so please call the church office to reserve your materials. The cost for non-church members is $20 per class. Thank You! On Behalf of the Glenview United Methodist Women we extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you who participated in making this year s Rummage Sale another successful event. We could not do it without you! We thank all the heads of the various areas, the workers who took shifts sorting, selling, guarding, cooking, packing up, moving furniture, etc. A special thank you to Bruce Siewerth for his amazing leadership and organizational skills and to Bob Rowlands for keeping track, keeping safe and keeping organized all the supplies needed for the sale. To paraphrase It takes a church

4 SERVE Page 4 Loose Coins and Singles for May: Bethany Methodist Good Samaritan Program. This program serves homeless, neglected and abused elderly persons who are impoverished and cannot afford needed care. The program delivers high-quality medical, residential emotional and spiritual services for these vulnerable seniors in a loving, secure environment. Loaves and Fishes: April 24. Meet in the kitchen to cook for the less fortunate. Cooks of all ages are welcome. Annual Diaper Drive for 1 more week! Show your dedication to children and families! Please participate in our annual diaper drive to benefit the women and children who are victims of domestic violence at Mary Lou s Place in Evanston. A variety of sizes are needed. Any brand is acceptable. These should be for children only. No adult diapers will be collected. Place them in the collection bins outside the office or social hall. Now until Mother s Day, May 8. ASP Fundraising Update! Thanks to all who ve responded to our calls for prayer support and financial support of our annual youth mission trip with Appalachia Service Project this congregation is so generous! There s still time to support our youth through our Scrip gift card sales May 1, 8, 15 after worship. Also coming up: Sundays May 1, 8 and 15 we ll have several ASP Benches out for a Silent Auction. These benches were made by our youth in their construction workshop, and would make a great addition to a porch or backyard. Adult Mission Trip: Adults 19 and older are invited to team up with Kingswood UMC and the NW Interfaith Council to go to Cass Community Social Services in Detroit to help with new home construction. Volunteers with all kinds of skills are welcome. Contact Ethel Doyle or the church office for more details. Midwest Mission Distribution Center, Chatam, IL, an UMCOR facility, has special request and needs. MMDC provides disaster relief, education and medical supplies to those in need both locally, nationally and internationally. For those receiving the supplies, we are bringing hope that someone somewhere loves them. Special Request: - Various UMC Districts of the Northern IL Conference are providing items to outfit Student School Bags that go to developing countries. Chicago Northwest Dist., which includes GUMC, has been asked to provide: NEW round tip scissors (no plastic scissors.) Put in the collection bins Need: - When Disasters hit -Cleaning Buckets are in great demand: All items must be new and not washed - bring one or several items and put in the collection bins. Or make donation checks to GUMC/note MMDC. Kit Contains: 5 gal. bucket with re-sealable lid (Buckets can be reused if cleaned except those that have stored chemicals i.e. paint or pool supplies) liquid laundry detergent (one 50 oz. bottle or two 25 oz. bottles) 1 liquid household cleaner, 12 to 16 oz. bottle- that can be mixed in water (no spray bottles) dish soap, 16 to 28 oz. bottle 1 can air freshener-aerosol or pump 1 insect repellent spray 6 to 14 oz. can 1 scrub brush-plastic or wooden handle18 cleaning towels- handi wipes or reusable wipes (no terry cleaning towels) 7 sponges (no cellulose sponges due to mold issues) 5 scouring pads (not stainless steel, Brillo pads, or SOS pads-nothing with soap built in) 50 clothes pins clothes line, cotton or plastic (one 100' or two 50' lines 24-bag roll of heavy duty trash bags, gallon sizes 5 dust masks 2 pair kitchen dishwashing gloves-should be durable for multiple uses 1 pair work gloves-cotton with leather palm or all leather.

5 Ways for Kids to GROW WORDS FROM WENDY! 1 NO GUMY in the evening, music rehearsal during worship, Scrip Sales after worship 8 Confirmation/GUMY, 5:30-7:30, Scrip Sales after morning worship 15 Children/Youth Musical in morning worship, Scrip Sales after worship Page 5 GUMY SERVS: Meet at Chestnut Square Retirement Home at 2:45 to lead worship, then out to eat at Noodles and Company!) 21 Confirmation Banquet for 2nd year confirmands and families 22 Confirmation Sunday, NO GUMY that evening 29 NO GUMY Memorial Day Weekend Children s Christian Education News! Moms and Coffee: Since the warm weather is upon us, let s change things up. On May 19 at 9:15 I ll be at Jackman Park across from the library (and near the Dairy Bar!). In case of bad weather, we will meet in the toddler room at the church. I ll have some games and videos available in addition to what is already there. Hope to see you then! Confirmation Sunday: Please lift the following youth in prayer as they prepare for Confirmation Sunday, May 22: Wyatt Cummings, Luke Ferri, Lucy Hermann, Ben Keenan, John Potter and Michael Potter. The congregation has a part to play that day as well as we remember our baptism so be sure to mark your calendars. Spring Musical: Join the children and youth as they share The Tale of the Three Trees May 15 during worship. Using the story of Christ s life, this tale teaches us something important about dreams. Be sure to join us May 15. Saturday Spring Music Rehearsal: Rehearsal will be May 14, 9:30 11:30 for preschool high school. This will be an important run through so please mark your calendars. Summer Theater Bible Camp registration is open! GUMC will be collaborating with North Shore Theater and Dance to provide a one week camp June 20 24, 9 a.m. 3 p.m. Students will sing, act and dance a version of the Joseph story as well as explore the Bible story in more detail. Camp is for kindergarten 8th grade with grades 6 8 having the option of being actors or production assistants. More information and registration is online at Also, you can ask Linda Duback for more information.

6 Page 6 From the Parish Nurse: After many prayerful hours and an assessment of my present capabilities, I need to inform the congregation of my plans to retire from Parish Nursing this July. This is a milestone year for me as I will turn 8 years old on July 16, and will have been YOUR Parish Nurse for 25 years. It has been a wonderful experience for me to fulfill my objective of being a Channel of God s Love to members of this congregation. My own spiritual growth has been fostered by the physical, emotional and spiritual interactions with so many of you over the years. It has truly been a privilege to be so intimately involved in your lives and be able to share times of deep spiritual connection with you. My early years were involved with many programs on holistic health and well-being. I provided Health Fairs, Blood Drives and CPR classes. We had many opportunities for great fellowship with many outings to plays and special programs and to share God s love together. My retirement date will be on Sunday, July 10 right after my 80th birthday. We will be staying with the church so that I will still be able to join my small groups of HOPE, BE WELL and the Prayer Shawl Knitting Group. I leave this position knowing that I am retirements my white nurse jacket but that I will still be with you in body, mind and spirit. Thank you for my many years in ministry with our wonderful pastors and staff. Respectfully submitted, Carolla Schmid, RN, BSN, MS, YOUR Parish Nurse Spring Scrip sale: We will be taking orders on through May 15. Don t use cash or credit to pay for your regular household purchases, use scrip gift cards. Scrip fundraising gift cards are the same gift cards you would normally purchase from a retailer in your local retail stores, and they work the same way. You ll find cards you can use at grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, movie theaters, home improvement stores, and almost any business that accepts gift cards. There is no extra cost to you. The face value is what you pay. The merchants donate a percentage of their earning to GUMYouth to send them on their ASP Mission Trip. Order form is included in this Visitor.

7 Page 7 We invite all members to attend a Planned Giving Forum. Please join us after church on May 22 right after coffee hour for lunch and to hear from our guest speaker Rev. John Peterson. He is President of the Foundation for the Northern Illinois Conference. This will be informative to all, even if you have no present plans to make such a gift. It is helpful to focus on your own need to draft or revise your will. If you have any questions please contact Dick Hoffman or Pastor Hwa-Young Chong. Please view a summary of GUMC Pattern of Giving for Check to see which step you are on. Can you grow one step this year? Our church survives on the generosity of our members. ( Unit is a person or family that has pledged).

8 727 Harlem Avenue Glenview, IL Phone 847/ ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Glenview, Illinois Permit No. 30 GUMC is a Reconciling Congregation Following the loving example of Jesus Christ, we affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person as a beloved child of God. We welcome into the life and ministry of Glenview United Methodist Church all persons of every age, ability, race, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation, family configuration, or socioeconomic or employment status. Get Your Weekly Visitor online at: