The Gleam. VBS 2017: August 21 st -23 rd!

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1 P O B o x M e n d o n, N Y The Gleam J u l y / A u g u s t VBS 017: August 1 st -3 rd! I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e : Upcoming Meetings Tuesday Evening Bible Study New Church Addresses Worship Corner 3 Prayer Requests 4 Birthdays & Anniversaries 5 Weekly worship and Christian Education am Imagine a world where curious kids become hands-on inventors who discover they're lovingly crafted by God. Filled with creativity and interactive experiences, this year s VBS program will transform Mendon Church into a fun factory that s buzzing with excitement! When: August 1,, and 3, 9am-1pm To Register: Call Phyllis Shoots at (585) or Natalie DeTraglia at (585) True Rest in Christ A Note from Pastor Hwang I used to tell everyone that fall is my favorite season of the year. However, since I moved to Rochester, my favorite span of seasons has shifted back a bit into summer. Unlike other places I ve lived, like Atlanta and Nashville, where summer vacation begins in early May, seeing happy faces of kids entering their long summer vacation in actual summer makes this season especially enjoyable. A lot of people travel during summer for vacations with families, friends, or by themselves. Statistics show that almost half of Americans travel for their summer vacation every year, making 670 million trips between Memorial and Labor Day. Given the fact that 80% of the domestic travel is for the sole purpose of relaxation, folks seem not to care if they drive 80 miles (the average long-distance trip one way) from home. Many people agree with the phrase, resting is as important as working, but most people in the modern world don t fully enjoy their break precisely because they feel guilty at the thought of taking even a short time doing nothing or being unproductive. Without investing enough time in rest and recuperation, this often results in failing to work to their full abilities at best and losing the goal of their commitment at worst. Jesus said in Matthew 11:8: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Jesus not only acknowledges the necessity of rest in life when we are lost and/or exhausted, but he also make it clear that true rest is only found in him. Why? Because rest is not about making ourselves more available to do the same work in the same (continued on page 3)

2 P a g e Upcoming Meetings Congregational Meeting July 30 There will be a congregational meeting immediately following our worship service on July 30th This meeting is for the purpose of electing members to the Nominating Committee. We hope you will attend. Conversation With Session August 6 Following service on August 6 th, we will have another Conversation with Session where you can provide your input and ideas about our music pro- Tuesday Evening Bible Study On Tuesdays at 7pm, Pastor Hwang is leading a bible study titled, Biblical Characters in Times of Trouble in the Pentateuch. The remaining meeting dates and topics are as follows: Pictured Above: Mendon Church Annual Red Wings Game Outing. Thirty people turned out for our annual Red Wings triple-header of baseball, music (the RPO), and fireworks. It was a perfect evening for all three activities, and the Red Wings won, -0. 8/1 Jacob: Gen. 3:1~3 8/8 - BREAK 8/15 - Joseph: Gen. 39: 1~3 8/ - Moses: Num. 0: 1~9 New Church Addresses We are in the process of updating the church s addresses to make it easier for you to contact us. Please update your address books with the changes below. To reach the church office, use office@mendonchurch.org To contact the Clerk of Session, use clerk@mendonchurch.org To submit a prayer request to the prayer chain, use prayerchain@mendoncnurch.org After many years of being the prayer chain coordinator, the torch is being passed... I have been blessed to be a part of this ministry and know that our prayers have meant so much to many over these years. I look forward to being a recipient of prayer requests as they come in just like all of you. God's blessing to all of you, Nan

3 P a g e 3 Worship Corner Pastor Hodong to Continue as Temporary Pastor Pastor Hodong will renew his contract as temporary pulpit supply on a month to month basis as the DPNC continues its search for a designated pastor. We are very happy that pastor Hodong has agreed to continue with Mendon Church in the short term. Thank you Pastor Hodong! Music Director Search We are actively advertising for the Music Ministry director position in multiple venues. Outdoor Service Follow-up The outdoor service in June was well attended and well received. Thanks to the Technology and sound crew for putting on many hours to make this happen. Thanks also to ed hoerner for guitar accompaniment and pastor Hodong for his flexibly and sense of humor throughout as the wind blew! Sanctuary Design Update A small group is working on plans to redesign the worship space to have better acoustics and visual interest. Leanne Martin, Cindy Westfall, Laima Beck, and Jim Shoots are working hard to make the transition happen sometime in mid -fall. Dear Church Family, Thank you so much for helping us celebrate 67 years of marriage. A special thanks to our wonderful deacon, Ginger Brown and her husband Bill. Blessings to all, Ray & Jane Stenglein Change in August Communion Date As Pastor Hwang will be out of town on the first Sunday of August, our time of communion will be moved to August 13th. Clif Genge will be filling the pulpit during Pastor s absence on the 6th. True Rest in Christ (continued from page 1) manner, but more effectively and diligently. Rest is about how to get ourselves on the right track. Jesus wants us to live our life and do our work in ways in which we are not just consumed or even mechanized, but making sure that we understand why we do what we do and how to do it in a right way before God. In a sense, our work in the world is a spiritual practice no matter what kind of work we do. Jesus Christ has shown his examples for us to copy or creatively adopt in our own situations. How about spending time with our kids by doing volunteer work together to benefit the less fortunate? How about having deep conversations with people whose experiences are so different than my own? How about visiting a church whose ministry inspires the people in the area and having lunch with the pastor? How about going to a place where you can learn about spiritual practices? This is my belief and experience: when we cast serious questions to God, God never ignores it and sincerely responds to us, sometimes by giving us more questions and sometimes by allowing us an unexpected encounter. I may miss different faces each Sunday during summer, but I bless and pray that your time away is well spent to find out true rest in Jesus Christ.

4 P a g e 4 Our condolences to the Batz family as they grieve the loss of Ray. Condolences to the Spillane family as they mourn Debbie s passing. The Stenglein s daughter, Susan Hanvey, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Cheri Carboneau s friend, Stacey Ferguson, as she battles colon cancer Sandy Desassure and Laura Wilson, as they recover from medical procedures Doris Naundorf s friend Walter Prayer Requests Shirley Snyder s sister-in-law Tara Nickel s friend, Chris Lynne Templeton s daughter-in-law Karie who is in remission but struggles with the aftermath of chemo Cindy Westfall s mother & sister Lynn Willard Those who are homebound: Peggy Avery, Susan and Allen Beauregard, Norma Glamack, Doris Naundorf, Shirley Snyder, and Ann Wood Our Missionaries: John and Beaj Reed with SIM; The Shalhoubs with the Navigators; The Robinsons in Haiti; The McKees with SIL/Wycliffe Our College Students: Jonathan Alcorn, Jessica Apthorpe, Alex Baronsky, Brooke Cheyne, McKensie Galusha, Katie Kerekes, Jenny Moore, Meredith Rogers, Kyle Schultze and Julia Smith Those in the Military: Killian Anstee-Sgt. US Army, currently stationed/ft Polk, La.; Nick Hodownes, US Navy on the USS George H.W. Bush; Garrett Koek - 1st Lieutenant US Army, currently stationed/ft Huachuca, AZ; Michael Spillane, US Army Reserve, currently stationed/nc

5 P a g e 5 Birthdays Mpaka Kamara 7/1 John Gahn 7/4 Jacob Trott 7/5 Debbie Bendschneider 7/7 Dick Twardokus 7/7 Chris Jones 7/9 Connie Kellogg 7/9 Jackie Main 7/11 Don Spaulding 7/11 Rennie Bloom 7/14 Rose Marie Linton 7/14 Jamie Miller 7/15 Beverly Benoit 7/19 Marian Stanton 7/ Garrett Koek 7/4 Kylie Gelabert 7/5 Maggie Wagner 7/5 Tracy Main 7/9 Bob Moore 7/30 Ann Wood 7/31 Phyllis Shoots 8/1 Mitchel Rydzynski 8/ Michael Rogers 8/3 Patric Donaghue 8/4 Elizabeth Hodownes 8/5 Jonathan Templeton 8/5 Mary Fulreader 8/7 Chase McVige 8/8 Luanne Alcorn 8/9 Tom Crego 8/10 Owen Hardy 8/10 Marianne Chiafery 8/11 Eric Trott 8/11 Michelle Vandenbout 8/11 Alex Baronsky 8/13 Brandon Moore 8/13 Charlotte Wallace 8/13 Rachel Burnett 8/15 Ben Rogers 8/17 Shirley Carpenter 8/4 Jim McRae 8/5 Carol Moore 8/8 Shirley Snyder 8/8 Faith Desassure 8/30 Allen Beauregard 8/31 Anniversaries Kingsley & Laima Beck 7/4 David & Nancy Middleton 7/5 Beth & Chris Galusha 7/0 John & Sherry Thomassen 7/9 Henry & Judi Baronsky 7/31 Amy & Clif Genge 7/31 Brian & Chrissie Cheyne 8/3 Cris & John Kerekes 8/1 Amy & Kevin Gelabert 8/14 Jackie & Tom Crego 8/15 Bill & Ginger Brown 8/1 Don t see your birthday or anniversary listed here? Let the church office know by phone or !