Love God Love Others Serve the World

Transcription

1 Love God Love Others Serve the World Dear Friends, No one said that this Special Session of the General Conference was going to be a smooth-sailing. Many were called to do the difficult work to see how the denomination could do church together despite our difference. The outcome of the meeting was not expected by many as the One Church Plan was defeated and then the Traditional Plan was accepted. The defeat of the One Church Plan, constructed by the Council of Bishops, means that our denomination will not approve the marriage of openly practicing homosexuals, nor the ordination of them. This action is a painful blow to the LGBTQIA+ population and my heart is broken and mourns for you. You are still welcome at Asbury as we open our doors to everyone since the only prerequisite of Christ offering salvation to others was if they simply had faith. As of this writing, the Traditional Plan that was narrowly passed is currently under review since several of the petitions in the plan seem to be unconstitutional. This plan assures that the rules within the Book of Discipline are strictly adhered to by all levels of the denomination with procedures for those who do not comply. If this plan is approved, it will go into effect on January 1, I ask you to extend God s grace to all who are impassioned about this work and the passion that they hold for our denomination. This passion caused some bruising, and if one part of the body hurts, all hurt. What does this mean for Asbury? We still open the doors to the patchwork quilt that comes together to make our beautiful congregation, because God is love. We still go out into the world to everyone, sharing the good news of Christ s salvation for all, releasing the captives, healing the sick and bringing God s future kingdom into this world, because God is love. That is the faith I believe in, and that is the church that I believe in, here at Asbury. Grace and peace, Pastor Erika Welcome New Staff to Asbury Please welcome two new staff members to Asbury. Julia Machin will replace Megan Charle as the Administrative Assistant. Megan is leaving to have her third child and we wish her many blessings as her family grows! We greatly appreciate how much Megan has contributed to the organization and administration of Asbury during her short time here. Julia comes from Grace UMC and enjoys curling up with a good book in her spare time and doting shamelessly on her niece and nephew. Ben Cain is our new connections Coordinator and will be overseeing the process of welcoming visitors, following up with them and making sure they are connected to the life of the church through groups, programs and activities. If you meet visitors, be sure to connect them with Ben before or after worship. Ben has lots of ideas and can t wait to start using them! Asbury Staff Lead Pastor Erika Gravely Music Director Kathy Love Administrative Assistant Julia D. Machin Alabaster Coordinator Bob Johnson Children s Ministries Donna Brown Student Ministries Leon Johnson Community Outreach Linda Adams 1500 S Campbell Avenue Springfield, MO Church asburyumc@sbcglobal.net Nursery Coordinator...Susan Lamy Pianist 8: Teresa Kays Pianist 10: Warren Meadows Organist 10: Teresa Kays Pastor s egravely@asburyunitedmethodist.org Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 AM 2:00 PM

2 March Birthdays 1 Cameron Cox 6 Gabbi Hill Elizabeth Leteux Linda Thompson 7 Chuck Ewy Larrie Mann 8 Jordan Fox 10 Rick Perryman 11 Linda Tourville 12 Roxanne Noble Ginger Phillips 13 Cathy Carleton 16 Dan Whitescarver 17 Susan Cox Patti Goforth 18 Becki Gladson 19 Lizzie Collum Peggy Fuge Cal Pike 20 Heather Perryman Ruth Spargo 23 Amy Langston 26 Autymn Hatch Cheryl Walton 27 Ken Robison 28 Bob Cruse Loretta Stevens 31 Lisa Atkinson We Support Asbury with Our Gifts Given in January Budget for January Given Year to Date Budget Year to Date $22,049 $25,542 $22,049 $25,542 Asbury Activities John Bingham, Kay Keltner, Heather Perryman, Brooke Scott, Renee Vestal, Karen Nordstrom, Chuck Ewy, Peggy Brown, Jim Kellett, Larry Presley, Brenda Morris, Rick Perryman, Peggy Fuge, Neal Stehle, Ed Nordstrom, Nicole Johnson, Dixie Wooters, Lauren Appleby, Cleo Huffman, Ray Hartbarger, Marlene Garling, Larry Ballenger, Charles Tinder, Anthony Smith, Warren Meadows, Sharon Coomer, Clark Mikkelson, Ron Spargo, Annette Hosmann, Linda Thompson, Becki Gladson, Alice Stehle, Asbury s 6 Confirmation Students March 2 UMW Meeting March 6 Ash Wednesday Service March 8-9 Confirmation Students KC Trip March 10 Daylight Saving Starts March 17 St. Patrick s Day March 24 UMW Sunday & 150 Birthday Celebration March 27 Confirmation Class March 30 Lion s Pancake Breakfast March 31 Youth Sunday Wrapped In Love March 7, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm First meeting will be Thursday 3/7, 11am12:30 in Room 102 and will meet weekly. All are welcome! Come to learn, share and enjoy! You can bring your own project or learn how to. New crocheters: Bring I or J hook and a skein of worsted WT acrylic yarn. Solid colors are best for beginners. New knitters: Bring a 9 or 10 set (1 pair of needles) of straight knitting needles and a skein of light colored solid color acrylic yarn. Knitting and crochet are good for your health and mind- very relaxing. Hope to see you there! The ministry of the group is making prayer shawls for our members and friends enduring life challenges AND make blankets for the children entering foster care (these will be donated through Ambassadors for Children - a Council of Churches agency). 2

3 Our Crosslines servings day was VERY busy. We served 103 families with 8 new families. Food was distributed for 249 individuals. Our Power of Love for March will be focusing on Ozarks Food Harvest and their 5th Annual Community Fish Drive. Our volunteers were: Diane Champ Marilyn Inman Jim Gilmore Ruth Spargo We will be collecting non-perishable foods for Ozarks Food Harvest. The Fish drive focuses on High Protein foods such as canned fish, chicken, and peanut butter, but includes other canned and boxed goods as well. Bonnie Herndon Gene Inman Ron Spargo Deb Stratman New volunteers are needed and always welcome! This is a great way serve others once a month. Our next Crosslines Day is March 20th. Most needed items are: Canned Fish and Chicken Canned Fruits and Vegetables Canned Soups and Stews Boxed Meals, Rice, and Pasta Peanut Butter and Jelly We will have an Ozarks Food Harvest collection barrel as well as the usual collection box. Where these items can be placed. Portland Pride Store March 29th at 8:30 am Join us as we continue to partner with Portland Elementary and their Pride Store. For more information contact Joyce Jacks, Sheryl Hill, or Linda Adams. In lieu of a Spring Serve Day, Mission Springfield is wanting to put together a Rake and Go Day on April 6th, but they need to know two things. One: Are there people in our church who would want someone to come rake their yard? Two: Do we have people who would want to form a team to go, rake and bag leaves, and another team to drive by and pick up the bags and take them to the disposal place? Ozarks District United Methodist Women Meeting March 30th at 9:30 A sign-up sheet will be on the bulletin board to collect names and phone numbers of people to form the teams. This months UMW district meeting will be at Cassidy UMC in Nixa on March 30th. Registration begins at 9:30 am with the program, "In the Beginning", starting at 10:00. Lunch will be served that day for $5.00 a person. Please contact the church office if you are interested in having your yard raked or if you have a neighbor who need their yard raked, we would be willing to serve them as well. Thanks! 3

4 Asbury s 2019 Mission Vision Leadership Team Mission Vision Chair: Teresa Kays Staff Parish Relations Chairperson: Karla Gregg Finance Chairperson: Bill Love Trustees Chairperson: Chuck Ewy Education: Glenda Hefty/ Tara Johnson Mission Springfield: Sheryl Hill Hospitality: Ruth Spargo Gifts That Count: Becki Gladson UMW: Ruth Spargo UMM: Tom Hosmann Lay Leader: Threasa Ballenger History of the Corsage for Mission The Corsage for Mission giving of ribbons is an outgrowth of the tradition of giving a floral corsage to speakers and to honorees. Many felt that money could better be spent on missions supported by the women s group (Ladies Aid Society, Women s Society of Christian Service and United Methodist Women). There are corsage ribbons available in a variety of colors with different sentiments and for varying amounts ranging from 25 cents to $2.00. The purchase of a ribbon is a great way to say thank you to someone who has been important in your life and in the life of the church. The corsages will be on sale March 24th at both services. Please join us in honoring our church members. Wednesday Night Meal March 6th and 27th at 5:30 pm Wednesday, March 6th One Heart dinner will be a Soup Supper before our Ash Wednesday service. We are still raising funds to adopt a night at Safe to Sleep. There will NOT be a Wednesday night dinner during Spring Break (March 13). Wednesday night dinner on March 27th will be Chicken Tetrazzini, Green Beans, Salad and Dessert. Proceed will go to the kitchen and hospitality committees. We re having a Birthday party. 150 years!!!! In 1869, the women of the Methodist Church organized the Ladies Aid Society. They realized a need for supporting the education and concerns of women and children throughout the world. The United Methodist Women of Asbury are celebrating 150 years of continued service to women and children throughout the world on March 24th. Join us for services that will celebrate our accomplishments, past and present. Asbury is privileged to have Rev. Max Marble as our speaker for our UMW Birthday Celebration. He was born and raised in India where his parents served as missionaries for 36 years. He has served churches and campus ministry positions in Missouri and for 4 years headed the South Central Jurisdiction Volunteers in Mission program. He is retired after serving 17 years as Director of the United Methodist Office of Creative Ministries. As with any birthday celebration, refreshments will be served following the 8:00 and 10:30 services. Please join us in celebrating 150 years of mission to women and children worldwide. The Over 55 group will be meeting at Cedar s Restaurant on South Campbell on Monday, March 18 at 5:30 P.M. Come join us for a night of fellowship and a good program. Jim Wilson, President 4 Lunch Bunch will meet on March 12th at 11:30 am at Relics Antique Mall 2015 Battlefield Road. Carpool will meet at 11:00 am.

5 Check It Out! Even though you may not have been a part of the Wednesday night Bible Study (led by Amy Langston), you have the opportunity to study that topic on your own. The library has been given the Volume 1, Genesis, of the Gospel Foundations Series. This book, The God Who Creates, is divided into seven sessions, beginning with creation and going through man's sin, Abraham, a dysfunctional family, and God's redeeming Joseph's adversity. It includes personal studies, leader's helps and a session by session leader's guide. These accounts show that God's grace has been at work since the earliest times. Church Opening: Mark Gideon Church Closing: Chuck Ewy Transportation: Doug Clements A/V: 3: Steve Collum; 10: Betty Salmon & Susan Conover; 17: Kenney Hill; 24: Tom Hosmann; 31: Betty Salmon, Susan Conover & Ethan Gravely Hospitality Hosts: 3: Lisa Atkinson; 10: John & Judy Fox; 17: Bonnie Herndon; 24: Sheryl Hill; 31: Lance Cathey, AJ Baier, Nolan Scotidis Ushers: 8:00: Neil Folkerts, Carol Elmore 10:30: Gene Day, Patti Blanton, Doug Clements, Angel Cathey, Ella Hostetler, Linsey Bardwell, Sara Love, Kiera Gravely Springfield Host Lions Pancake Breakfast March 30th at 8:00 am Come for a great pancake breakfast on Saturday, March 30th, put on by the Springfield Host Lions, serving from 8:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. The cost is $6.00. Children 6 years and under are free. All proceeds from this go back into the community. Tickets can be obtained from Jim Wilson, Larry Oliver, or Tom Hosmann. Welcome, New Members! Renee Vestal and Clark Mikkelson officially joined the family of Asbury on February 2. Renee has two grown children, works at St. John s Episcopal Church and comes from Blue Springs Christian Church and is active with Camino. Clark has two grown children, works at Menard s West and comes from the Lutheran church. Renee and Clark both live in Springfield. We are glad to have you in our community! Asbury United Methodist Youth The Youth are planning a mission trip to Houston, Texas July 28-August 3 to help with flood relief. This will be a large expense for the group and they are asking for your support. They will begin a soda can change collection on Youth Sunday, March 31. Join us for worship that Sunday to learn more about the trip and how you can help. 5