The newsletter of First United Methodist Church of Waynesburg June 2017

Transcription

1 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. Psalm 104:33 The newsletter of First United Methodist Church of Waynesburg June 2017 Dear Church Family, The summer schedule has begun! Schools are closing for the summer, vacations are being planned, the packing has begun, kids want to sleep in and just hang out for a while. We are gifted at making plans and preparations for those events before us. However sometimes life does not go as planned. I read a story online the other day concerning the launching of an 85-foot Luxury Yacht in the state of Washington. The $10 million yacht was placed in the water to begin its journey to its new owner. There was a 6 person crew onboard and her diesel tanks were filled and she was ready to go! There was only one problem.she rolled over in the bay she would not float!!! Reminds me of a song: Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship. (The theme song from Gilligan s Island) The online comments were interesting to say the least: BOAT: Break Out Another Thousand; Luxury yacht for sale. Used only once. Price drastically reduced. Has some water damage. Nope life does not always go as we have things planned. There are turns to the left and right; even some detours. We cannot foresee what the summer months hold for each of us. There will be joys and celebrations, there will be heartbreak. Yet in the midst of it all we have a God who is faithful! Psalm 33:11 says, But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. There may be little setbacks, however we know and understand that God always wants for us those things in life that benefit us for the Kingdom. We read these words in Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Our hope and our future are in the hands, the very palms of Almighty God! Have a great and wonderful start to summer. Peace, Rev. David S. Lake Pastor David Lake s Office Hours: Varied (9-12 a.m. T-F) Church Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30 am-12:30 pm. Please join us for Sunday Services: 8:30 am & 10:45 am F.I.S.H. Club 9:30 am Children plus Adult Ed Classes First United Methodist Church 112 N Richhill St Waynesburg, PA firstumcpa@windstream.net

2 Volunteers Needed: The Cherry Door, an extension of the Washington Health System Greene Auxillary is in need of volunteers. Please call if you are interested in helping. Mission is most impactful when: 1. We know God our Master deeply. 2. We make sacrifices for the sake of others. 3. It is done through a community of people. Prayer Focus The Prayer Focus for June are the children from the Amani Children s Choir and Light Africa Ministries in Uganda. We will be collecting donations throughout these months to raise funds for a school building. Please mark all donations to be for Amani Children s Choir. Prayer Team There will routinely be a prayer team at the overflow area following the 10:45 service. Anyone who would like to be prayed for immediately following the service is encouraged to see one of the members of the prayer team. Operation Christmas Child Kick-Off Sun., June 4th We will start by collecting flip-flops and shoes. A full schedule will be coming soon!

3 GENERAL FUND 2017 MONTH INCOME EXPENSES PROFIT/(LOSS) JANUARY $ 15, $ 21, $ (5,847.12) FEBRUARY $ 13, $ 22, $ (9,167.96) MARCH $ ** (1,669.24) $ 18, $ (20,437.73) APRIL $ 18, $ 23, $ (4,336.53) MAY $ - $ - $ - JUNE $ - $ - $ - JULY $ - $ - $ - AUGUST $ - $ - $ - SEPTEMBER $ - $ - $ - OCTOBER $ - $ - $ - NOVEMBER $ - $ - $ - DECEMBER $ - $ - $ - *NOTE: Figures in parentheses are negative. *NOTE: Figures do not include in-church transfers. ** Correction from January: Actual income for March was $12, $14, was moved from the General Fund to the Designated Fund. This left in the General Fund for March after the correction. Youth Schedule for June June 4 Youth Group with dinner, games, and a lesson. From 5-7 pm. Bring a friend! June 11 Youth Group with dinner, games, and a lesson. From 5-7 pm. Bring a friend! June 16 Nerf Battle at the Nazarene Church from 6:30-8:30 p.m. June 18 Give Dad some love! No Youth Group tonight. June 25 Youth Group with dinner, games, and a lesson. From 5-7 pm. Bring a friend! Ongoing events throughout the summer: Every Monday: Drop-In s at Westsides from 6:30-9 p.m. This is laid back time to hang out, eat food, & hear a great message. Every Tuesday: Ultimate Frisbee from 6-8 p.m. on the North East Street college practice fields. Every Saturday: Basketball at the Nazarene church at 9 a.m. Upcoming Events: August 17 Faith Night at PNC Park. Sign up by July 30. * *All guys are encouraged to come to a Young Men s Bible study held on Thursday s at Alex s house for Bible discussions and food. We will be going through the book of John. *This schedule is subject to change. Please don t hesitate to contact Alex if you have any questions! Cell Phone: (724) Office Phone: (724)

4 Our giving to God is to be generous.... he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Cor. 9:6). Applying Bible Principles As we saw recently, our giving is to be done in secret. That kind of giving causes our Heavenly Father, who sees in secret, to reward us openly. If we draw attention to ourselves and to our giving, we will receive the praise of other people, but unfortunately, that praise then becomes all the reward we will receive. But the Apostle Paul describes generous giving in 2 Corinthians 9:6-14 as something that will cause other people to praise God for our generosity. They will thank Him for our obedience that causes us to give in such a manner that the gospel is shared with them. What a difference. On the one hand, if we attract attention to ourselves and our giving, people will praise us, and that s the end of it. On the other, if we give quietly and generously, any attention that action gains will cause people to praise God for us! The Lord Jesus described a situation like that. Mary anointed Him with a costly perfume. Some criticized her because it seemed like a waste. After all, the perfume could have been sold and the money used for the poor. Was Mary crazy or what? One writer summed up her actions this way: Generous giving to the Lord may be labeled fanatical by others. But Jesus labeled it love. In fact, He was so moved by the woman s giving that he vowed wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her. So today, centuries later, just as Jesus said, we still remember Mary s devotion and generous giving. What will people remember you for? Will it be for your accomplishments in life? Will it be for your talents and abilities? Will it be for your work with the poor and needy? Will it be for the ministry you have had for Christ here at First United Methodist Church? Will it be for your efforts to share the gospel with people along life s way? Will it be for your generous giving? Or stated another way, what do you want people to remember you for? You see, your answer to that question to a significant degree becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Do you want to be remembered for your generous giving? Then start now where you are....

5 Mission House Hosts Amani Children s Choir The Mission House was ready for hosting the young people from Uganda on May 18, 2017 with the help of local contractors and members of First United Methodist Church so it could sleep 24 people overnight. You might be wondering about the Mission House and its purpose. Mission: to support neighborhood, community, county and state for the good of all people. Will host small groups whose purpose is positive and beneficial to the statement above. Use is free with prior understanding of usage. Contact Janice Gottschalk, by at janicegotts@gmail.com Further details provided after initial contact. The upstairs bedrooms will be offered as a transitional housing tool for displaced people while the County searches for permanent housing. The Mission House is not currently a 501(c )3 and is owned by Janice Gottschalk. She plans for the church to inherit the property upon her death with hopes the property will be used to benefit all people. Brenda s Brigade Benefit Spaghetti Dinner Sunday, July 2nd 1-6 PM at Waynesburg VFW Post 4793 (445 E. Lincoln St., Waynesburg PA) All proceeds go directly to Brenda Saver and her family in her fight against Large Cell NeuroEndocrine Carcinoma.???? scontact: Heather McVay or Alanna McVay

6 Vacation Bible School June 19-23, 2017, 9 a.m. 12 p.m. For children and youth of all ages through 12th grade. Please let Alex know if you are able to help!. UNITED METHODIST WOMEN Rada cutlery is always available with catalog and order forms in the church office and through Frances Crawford Offering Envelopes If you do not have envelopes and would like some assigned to you, please call the church office at envelopes are in the church office if you haven t picked them up yet. Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation is seeking donations for 4 X 8 bricks to be located near the front entrance of the new EQT REC Center. They are $250 per brick with up to three lines of engraving with 18 characters per line. For information call The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is coming to the Greene County Fairgrounds from Sept. 28 Oct. 2, It will be open to the public 24 hours free. The VFW is asking anyone who would like to become a patron/sponsor to send their donations to VFW/ Vietnam Traveling Wall, 445 E. Lincoln St., Waynesburg, Please make checks payable to: VFW/Vietnam Traveling Wall. There are forms in the back of the church. "Prayer for a Brighter Greene will continue on the third Tuesday of every month at 5 p.m. at the Greene County Fairgrounds (Building #9). Next meeting Tues., June 20, 2017!

7 Prison Ministry Update The 40 Days of Purpose session has come to an end and concluded with a lovely graduation ceremony on Sunday evening. Members of the choir attended and offered their sweet voices and beautiful spirits. The men enjoy the music so much, especially the higher voices since all they ever hear are men s voices. This 40 Days of Purpose session was our smallest to date with only six men graduating. We re not sure why there were so few men but it turned out to be an excellent session and provided the opportunity for some in depth study and good fellowship. As always the facilitators were blessed as much as the men.if not more. In the 40 Days of Purpose study, Rick Warren presents 5 purposes for our life. Each man spoke on a different purpose and what it meant to him. He talked about growing in his faith and used it as an opportunity to serve as a Disciple and encourage other men to sign up for the next session and to work on growing strong in their faith. After the speech the choir members sang a musical selection that tied in nicely with the particular purpose that was presented. It was actually quite amazing how well some of the songs fit the purpose, however, knowing what an awesome God we serve..it s really no surprise at all. The next session will begin in September and will be a reunion type session where all the past graduates of the 40 Days of Purpose study are invited to attend. We will use the same book and dig in deeper and spend more time looking at how it applies to our life. This session is so valuable because it gives the past graduates something to look forward to and an opportunity to share what God is doing in their life. Please continue to pray for the prison ministry and the prison volunteers as we serve the Lord at SCI Greene. Connie Hart, Shirley Baily and Rex Gardner

8 Café Faces Challenges Operating the café entails more than providing food. We must provide functioning restrooms, and space to eat. We have faced challenges before when the Social Hall floor was replaced we just shut down for the week of New Years. Sometimes we provide meals in bag out of the Parish house and the Patrons take them home or somewhere else to eat. We are expecting bathroom renovations in the near future but not soon enough for us. Our 114-year-old plumbing is just not cutting it anymore. We can t afford for the Ladies Room to be shut down due to feces backing up out of the drain like it did when the Amani Children s choir visited. So, we will serve meals that can be bagged for a while after this week. We have used up the Greene County Hospital Foundation Grant money as of Mid-May. Miraculously, other money is in the account, probably from Faith Promise Giving and donations that have built up over time. We need to make it to December before seeking another grant. I was just given an application to look into other funding sources. God will provide and we will be smart. We are approaching our 5 th anniversary which we will celebrate July 31. Save that date! We celebrate on a Café night, Café style with special food and events. Stay tuned! Janice Gottschalk, Coordinator PS: Keep those food donations and baked goods coming. They really help stretch the dollar. Coming Sunday June 11, 2017

9 No Choir Practice till Fall! Greene County Hymn Sing June Birthdays 1 7 p.m., Sun. June 11 at Fordyce UMC Ellen Doney Next Month: Ajay Mankey July 9, here at First UMC 3 Jack Schultz 5 Brad Hartman 8 Jennifer Olczak Ashley Olczak 9 Joey Hegyi 11 Mary Zollars 14 George Smith 17 Luke Patton 18 Kathryn Waddel 21 James Waddel 23 Kristin McCall 30 Helyn Dambach Carl Duffield Did we miss anyone s birthday? Call the church office or send an to get your special day in the newsletter Call or firstumcpa@windstream.net Pray always ~ without ceasing! Please call prayer requests to: the church office at If you would rather , send them to Wayne Hart at: wahart@windstream.net (Subject: Prayer Ministry) Through Antioch Connection, Care & Share is a group of people willing to help those in need. Whether it is meals, a ride, or support or anyone. If you or a family member are in the hospital or having surgery or home recuperating or just need a helping hand, or if you know of someone that needs our help, let us know by calling Janet Cree ( ) or Jeanette Lindsay ( ) or even the church office ( ) This is a church- wide effort.... Announcement List June 4....Youth June KC Waddel June Rich Waddel June Wayne Hart

10 June 2017 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Pentecost 5-7 PM Youth PM Kid s Café Peace with Justice Sunday 5-7 PM Youth 7 PM Greene County Hymn Sing PM Kid s Café Youth 6-:30 8:30 PM Nerf Battle at Nazarene Church Happy Father s Day PM Kid s Café July/Aug. Newsletter Deadline 24 Vacation Bible School June AM 12 PM PM Youth PM Kid s Café 30 NEWSLETTER ARTICLES ARE DUE TO THE CHURCH OFFICE BY Friday, June 23rd or earlier.