Winthrop United Methodist Church

Transcription

1 Winthrop United Methodist Church M E S S E N G E R October 2017 Pastor s Renewal Leave October 11, 2017 November 22, 2017 Plans are in place to provide coverage for church activities during Pastor Ned s upcoming renewal leave. With the help of several local clergy and the laity of WUMC, business as usual is expected to continue during Pastor s time of spiritual and physical rest, refreshment, and reflection. The following clergy and laity will serve in specific ways as listed below: Guest Clergy/speakers: Rev. Heidi Chamberland October 15 Anne Carter November 5 Rev. James Mentzer October 22 Randy Schiller November 12 Ken Bryant October 29 Barbara Hamblin November 19 Pastoral Emergency Coverage Rev. Kathleen Decker-Szakas Rev. Joe Chamberland Rev. Myung Eun Park Rev. Kristin White Emergencies Outside Office Hours: Ken Bryant ( or ) Home/Hospital/Nursing Home Visitation Jill Howes Anne Carter Lynda Pratt Ken Bryant Communion Officiant: John Neff Communion Elements: Bobbi Wheelock Children s Message: Jan Leighton Church Building: Trustees Emergency Financial Assistance: Marty Allen and Alden Small Stewardship: Marty Allen Office Coverage During Barbara s Absence: October 19 Jill Howes October 25 Lynda Pratt October 20 Lynda Pratt October 26 Judy Johnston October 24 Judy Johnston October 27 Bobbi Wheelock As is the usual practice, please call the church office with any questions, concerns, or requests. Office staff will be able to either assist you or refer you to someone covering your specific need. All team and committee activities will continue as usual. God s blessings on Pastor Ned as he embarks on this time of renewal and growth!

2 Harvest Supper Our annual Harvest Supper fundraiser will be held on Saturday, October 14th from 5 to 6:30 pm. Sign-up sheets for food donations and kitchen help are in Fellowship Hall so please help with food donations and if you can, help with meal prep, serving our guests and/or clean up on Saturday. We will need help setting up tables and decorating them as well and if we have enough people signed up to help, will probably only need to do it all on Saturday starting at 9 am. Monetary donations are greatly appreciated as the hams and other food items and paper products have all gone up since last year. The less we have to purchase, the more the church benefits! We need food donations of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions, coleslaw, applesauce, apple and pumpkin desserts, ingredients for punch, apple cider and rolls. Town & Country has closed so we will be looking for the same quality hams elsewhere. We also will need donations for 100 "FALLISH" napkins and heavy duty "FALLISH" plastic dinner and dessert plates and/or bowls. Please feel free to contact me, Sue Phillips, at (207) You may need to leave a text or voice message but I will get back to you. Any and all suggestions are always welcome. If you have worked at the Harvest Supper before, you know it is also a FUN raiser and you may even get to sample the ham before-hand! Our Mission and Purpose The mission of the Winthrop United Methodist Church is to be a Christian community that invites all people to participate in God s love. Our purpose is to live out the mission through nurture, outreach and witness. Hello everyone! I recently did some rearranging in your church library to make better use of our space. I decided to put some of our extra books in Fellowship Hall for you to take and keep. So take a look at these books on Sunday and take anything you would like. Also John and Helen Neff recently gave us a generous donation of books by Maine author, Dorothy Clarke Wilson. Wilson lived in Orono, Maine...her husband was a pastor at the Orono Methodist Church. She wrote biographies of such people as Paul Brand, a doctor who worked with folks in India with leprosy, as well as a book about Abraham Lincoln's mother and step mother. You might want to check these out. Remember we have a wide variety of fiction and non fiction books as well as children's books. Happy reading, Jan Leighton

3 Taffy Apple Salad An old-fashioned recipe, tried and true, and so easy! Serve as a salad or as dessert. 3 cups diced apple, not peeled 1 (15 oz.) can crushed pineapple, not drained 1 cup dry-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped 1 (8oz.) tub Cool Whip, thawed 1 (3 oz.) box instant butterscotch pudding 1 cup mini marshmallows Mix together in a large bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Submitted by Barbara Hamblin Prayer Shawls One of the ministries of our church is a prayer shawl ministry. A number of talented folks connected to the church knit or crochet beautiful shawls. The shawls are knit or crocheted with prayers said as they are being lovingly created. Once they are completed, they are made available to people suffering from illness or injury. The shawls have brought real comfort to many people since this ministry began. If you know someone who would be comforted by receiving a prayer shawl, please speak to Shelley Gearheart or Jan Leighton. Or if you would like to make a prayer shawl to share, you may speak to one of these ladies. ALSO..It s time for. Annual Mitten Challenge! Medical Devices Ministry Do you or someone you know have a temporary need for a medical device? Our church has a lending program that might help. We have a supply of donated crutches, canes, walkers, wheelchairs, shower chairs, etc. that people can use when they are recovering at home from an injury, surgery, or other medical issue. Please see Chris O Connell or make your request at the church office. If we have it, we d love to have you borrow it. WUMC Prayer Chain Our church has an electronic prayer chain which enables instant sending of prayer requests to a large number of prayer warriors made up of members of the WUMC congregation. If you have a request, or if you would like to become a prayer warrior and be added to the prayer chain, please Christina Kennedy at ckenny@roadrunner.com. Hannaford Cards Just a reminder that Hannaford cards are available for purchase every Sunday in Fellowship Hall following worship. There are denominations of $25, $50, and $100. Five per cent of the proceeds from the sale of the cards go to the church, which amounts to approximately $1,200 per year. It s time to get your yarn and needles ready and start knitting mittens and hats for our annual Mitten Challenge! These warm items will be distributed to children through Tabitha s Closet. Let s see how many we can create from now until the first Sunday of December when we turn them in. Anyone with questions, comments, suggestions or a need for materials, can contact Shelley Gearheart at THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!!

4 In Memory of David Rogers David Freeman Rogers died early Sunday morning, Sept. 3, 2017, at his home on Greenwood Avenue, Winthrop. David was born June 26, 1941, the son of Earl R. Rogers and Ruth House Rogers. He attended school in Winthrop and graduated from Winthrop High School in In high school, Dave played football for four years, and was co-captain in his senior year. He also played baseball and basketball, sang in the glee club and Mozart Choir, and played the trumpet in the school band. He attended U.M.O. and graduated in 1964 with a degree in secondary education. He taught high school math, physics and science for 20 years in Maine. In 1983, he went to work for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools, teaching math and science overseas for another 20 years. While overseas, he taught at Kadena High School on Okinawa; Woodbridge High School at RAF Bentwaters in England; W.T. Sampson High School at Guantanomo Bay, Cuba; Zama American High School at Camp Zama, Japan; and at Wurzburg American High School, Germany. He retired in 2003 and returned to Winthrop. After retirement he worked for Enterprise in Augusta, driving cars, which he very much enjoyed. David loved golf: it was his passion and his life, but more than golf he loved his two dogs, Weasel, a rescue from Okinawa; and Tomo, a rescue from Japan. Dave was a very dedicated family man, always thinking of, visiting and looking out for other family members. His jovial and joking manner will be missed. David is survived by his brother, Dana, and his wife Jo- Anne, of Vero Beach, Fla.; niece, Danielle Rogers, her fiance Kevin Perry, and her daughter Jaidyn, of Cooper City, Fla.; nephew, Derek Rogers, his wife Jale, and their two children, of Cyprus; Jill Howes; two stepsons, Charlie King, of Winthrop, and his sons Lucas and Nathan King, of Smethport, Pa.; and Paul King, his daughter Katie King and Katie's mother Kim King, all of Wayne; and his aunt, Johanna Macomber, of Winthrop, her two children Melody and Bradley, and their children and grandchildren. He leaves behind many cousins in the Winthrop area, and friends all over the world. A special thanks to Melody Jenkins for all her help and guidance. Loving thanks to Paul and Charlie King, Dana Rogers, and Jill Howes who were his faithful caregivers for 18 months; and to Mike Diamond and Steve Anderson and Androscoggin Home and Hospice care who were with him daily for the last two weeks of his life. Hats off to the Winthrop High School Class of 1959, who surrounded David with love, visits, food and rides. A memorial service to celebrate Dave's life was held Friday, Sept. 8, 2017, at the Winthrop United Methodist Church, with a reception immediately following at the Alfred W. Maxwell Jr. American Legion Post 40, Bowdoin Street, Winthrop. Burial will be at a later date at Glenside Cemetery, Winthrop. Memories, condolences, photos, and videos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the website at: In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in David's name to the Pastor's Discretionary Fund Winthrop United Methodist Church P.O. Box 136 Winthrop, Maine or to the charity of your choice. Church Budget Update The church budget for the current year is $ 172,400. This pays for the salaries of our pastor, secretary, custodian and the music director; mission shares paid to the New England Conference that support many ministries and missions; nursery care; expenses for program teams and the cost of operating and maintaining our church building. About 90% of the budget to support this budget comes from pledges and non-pledge contributions. This generous pledge and non-pledge income has been allowed us to meet our budgeted expense for the last several years. That is something to celebrate! We are doing okay in the current year but as of the end of August, pledge and non-pledge income is about $ 5,750 below the budgeted amount. August is 2/3 (66%) of the year but the actual amount received is 62.8%. This is a request and reminder to keep your giving up-to-date to the extent this is possible for you. This will allow the church to continue paying our commitments on time and provide assurance that total funds for the year will be available. Thank you very much for your continued stewardship and please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information. Jeff Toothaker, Treasurer Jtoothaker56@gmail.com

5 Wonder Awhile Nursery School off to a great start! We have 49 children attending throughout the week. Sadly, there are no morning openings. However, we have openings in the afternoon for any four or five year olds you may know. Praise God! We hope you have enjoyed the farm animals as you have come in the side door. During September we learned about farm animals and shapes and colors. If you are around on the afternoon of Oct 13, stop by for some Stone Soup and bread. We are having a Family Fun Afternoon for families to meet other families. October is a very busy month! During October we will go apple picking, visit the pumpkin patch, talk with fire fighters about fire safety along with a tour of the fire station, and have a police officer come visit each class to talk about Halloween Safety. We will have a Costume Shop in our Dramatic Play area. Watch for our Halloween Parades through town where we give homemade pumpkin cookies to merchants and people we meet on the street. Wonder Awhile Nursey School is pleased to be hosting a Monday Morning Playgroup from 9:30 11:00 for children under three years old. Please let any families you know about this wonderful new program for young children. This is a great opportunity to welcome new families into our church. THANK YOU to everyone who have donated books, pasta, tape, drop in visits and prayers. Thanks for all your support! We feel very blessed and proud to work for this our Church Wonder Awhile does many fundraisers throughout the year. We are currently in the middle of a Village Candle fundraiser. If anyone is interested in ordering candles, there is a booklet and order form on the counter in the office or you may speak with Jane, Jessica or Erika. Wonder Awhile Nursery School will be hosting a Trunk-or-Treat for the families and friends of the nursery school. This is safe alternative to trick-or-treating on Saturday, October 28 th from 4-6 pm at the Winthrop Middle school teachers parking lot. We will be joined by Winthrop Police, State Police, and Game Warden Services with possible visits from the ambulance and fire services and a few other agencies. If anyone would be willing to donate a bag or two of candy, just leave it in the Nursery School area or give to Jane or Erika directly! Thank you! Elevator Reminder We are fortunate to have an elevator to ease access to our second floor sanctuary, but please keep in mind that the elevator will not operate unless both the gates and doors are completely closed. When you exit the elevator, please be sure to close the gate and the door behind you. Only then will the elevator be available to the next person who needs it. And if you see a visitor trying to use the elevator, please stop and assist them to make sure they close the gates! Thank you.

6 Christian Ed Committee Sunday School has opened for the year. We now have four classrooms. They are pre-k and K, grades 1-3, grades 4-5, and the youth group. Classes are open to all children and youth who would like to join in the fun and learning about God. We meet in the Sanctuary at 8:45 am for music, and then to classrooms until 9:45 am. The youth group is already learning lines for the Christmas pageant. They will have their own reporter for the Messenger this year, and are planning to raise money for a mission trip to the Heifer Foundation. They are certainly a busy group of youth. For the month of November for Thanksgiving the children are planning to prepare meals for shut-ins and folks who might be alone for the holiday. The Rally Bowling Day was a great deal of fun! All who attended had a great time, and are looking forward to next year. People who would enjoy being a teacher or angel are always welcome. If anyone would like to join the Sunday School team, please contact Lynda Pratt, at Adult studies are having a large attendance this fall which is wonderful. They are studying The God We Can Know. Teachers for adult study rotate from week to week. This class also starts at 8:45 am, with coffee and tea available. There is always coffee in Fellowship Hall for people who are staying while their children attend Sunday School. Feel free to join in. Never look at what you have lost; look at what you have left. Robert Schuller News From the Teen Room! Sunday school has started up again! In the teenage room we started talking about these letters P pej K. Dersgee that represent people/stories in the Bible. This is very interesting! The Christmas pagent will be played by the youth of our church. Get ready to see an amazing pagent this Christmas. The pagent will include plenty of songs, wonderful actors and actresses, and a different view of Jesus birth! Do you remember the fun songs the kids used to sing in the sanctuary before going off to Sunday school? Well, they re back! Many older kids remember singing songs like I am a C and He s Got The Whole World In His Hands, etc. But the little kids never got a chance to learn and sing any of the songs, so we re bringing them back! A few Sundays ago on Rally Sunday, September 10th, many people of our church had fun bowling and watching! We played plenty of games and lots of pictures were taken of us having fun! While we were bowling we had soda and yummy pizza. Thank you Christian Ed team for the wonderful time! Be sure to join us next year for Rally Day! Sincerely, Autumn Gerry Blessings Lynda Pratt Don t forget to bring your empties to church on the 1st Sunday of each month. The money raised will be used to give monetary gifts to graduating seniors in the spring. Or bring them to the Redemption Center on Route 202 beside Barrows. Just ask them to credit the Methodist Church account.

7 October newsletter: Trustees reporting. It's truly fall time...sorry, however, that we don't have any pears to fall for those waiting. Seems the "bicycle brigade" was watching also and managed to clean us out. Just hope that those not hitting the street were eaten by same. Leaves are floating down and green bags of them are welcomed at the 72 Main St. site to "toast up" the posted ell conference room. Our tenants are great sports even as we had to relocate a possum and now probably a skunk or two not yet captured by Jeremy, our man of the hour. He is a live trapper and does a great job as our be-kind-toanimals trapper. Trustees are in a holding pattern for the time being if white lining the parking lot doesn't count. Plans for the future will be group painting of the kitchen and Fellowship Hall ceilings...prior to having the floor coverings replaced. Been by the Church after dark lately? Check it out! The bell tower is beautiful. The light shines much more brightly and more attractively now. The spire is white thanks to your Council Chairman (A.S.) having dreams ahead. Research regarding a sound system is being done and the bell parts are out for repair estimates. If all goes well, we can soon have the rope in place and, yea all kids, we can pull for outside sound again. We're hopeful that all plows and shovelers are in place for winter snow removal, and those other wintry things. Don't forget to help us out if you find a spot or two of ice (oops, I said the word) shy of sand. We'll have the seasonal buckets ready. Enjoy the fall season, the decorations, and our warming up to the holidays. If the FARMER'S ALMANAC is on the right track, we all need to be ready, be kind, be caring as we help each other by reaching out in fellowship and love. GOD is good, all the time, GOD is good. Sue Thomas September has brought in a beautiful fall, with many generous hearts. Volunteers have all been working very hard to conquer this mountain of plastic. A request for extra volunteers was asked in church on September 17 th, to work on Monday September 18 th. This church s members did what they always do; 16 people volunteered on Monday to climb this mountain of plastic. We won! The mountain top has been reached!. THANK YOU to ALL who helped with this project. It took a village and the village was there. We AL- WAYS can use new volunteers though! Tabitha s Closet was open the two regular Saturdays this month. 222 people shopped for 651 family members. There were 43 new people shopping and $37 in the donation jar. So many people take and also give what they can. This is truly God at work. 23 towns were represented this month. Mission teams have gone home for the summer, but Tabitha s is still in their hearts. The Methodist Church in Montgomery Square, North Wales, Pa. sent a package of school supplies and personal products. Praise God. During the month of September we had a family new to Augusta, Maine, who came from Syria as immigrants to Arizona and settling in Augusta. There are 12 members of the family! It was a joy to welcome them to T.C. and help them with bags and bags of clothing, even winter coats, boots, and cleats for the teenaged boys so they can play soccer. It was a day that shows us God s grace! This month 34 prom dresses were sent to the Cinderella Project of Maine. This is a program that is getting started back up. Thanks to all the volunteers, and people who have donated clothing. It takes all of us working together. If we did not have the winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. Anne Bradstreet Blessings Lynda Pratt

8 Current WUMC Mission Projects United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) U.S. Disaster Response # on-going need for assistance Donate on-line at umcor.org or check payable to Winthrop UMC with memo line disaster response School Aid for children of our sister church El Buen Pastor In Sabana Grande, Nicaragua More info at the back of the church Check payable to Winthrop UMC with memo line Nica. School aid Mission of Peace Cuba Dec 28 Jan 12, 2018 Northeast Jurisdictional Council on Youth Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Clara Szakas from our congregation has been selected to be part of this mission. To help support the cost of her trip make check payable to Winthrop UMC with memo line Mission of Peace For cash donations, please include a note indicating which project you are donating towards. Hello! I'm Clara Szakas. I'm a junior at Winthrop High School and a member here at the Winthrop United Methodist Church. Recently, I was accepted as a participant in the Mission of Peace trip to Cuba! This is a program that is run through the Northeast jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. This trip will consist of 11 days, during which I will do things like visiting communities and churches in Cuba, seeing mission sites there, and worshiping in new places! The trip is taking place this December to early January. Between now and November, I need to raise enough money so I can go. I have raised about $2,500 and I still need around $2,000. So far, I have gotten support from the New England Annual Methodist Conference, some other churches in our district, my parents, and pitched in with money from my summer job. I hope that some of you will be willing to contribute to help make this mission possible for me. The Winthrop UMC has set up a treasury account for me, and any donations would be happily accepted and put into the church account. You can reach me for more information at 19cszakas@winthropschools.org. Thank you for supporting me and this ministry! Peace be with you!

9 Be not afraid; for BEHOLD, I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10 RSV) Women s Advent Retreat Saturday, December 2 Winthrop United Methodist Church (58 Main Street) 9:30 AM 2:30 PM Retreat Leader: Rev. Heidi Chamberland When you hear the word BEHOLD what does it mean to you? For me it is a word that brings me to prayer; to an awareness of God s holy Presence. It is a word that calls me to pay attention, to stand in awe of, to be aware that I m about to see, feel, touch, experience something of tremendous spiritual strength that can only draw me deeper in the mystery of Emmanuel God with us. I invite all women to consider giving yourself this one day apart as we begun the busy Advent Season, which if we allow it can become just one crazy day after another getting ready for Christmas. BEHOLD! What is the good news of great joy the angels are proclaiming to you? Let s cultivate attentiveness together so we don t miss one holy invitation to BEHOLD on our own journey to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. TO REGISTER, or call Rev. Heidi Chamberland heidichamberland@gmail.com Cost? $20 (Due upon arrival at retreat) WUMC 2017 Advent Devotional Book The Worship Committee invites all who worship at WUMC to contribute to the 2017 edition of the WUMC Advent Devotional Book. Please prayerfully consider writing a short (300 words or less) narrative about a Christmas memory, tradition, or reflection that has touched your life. Select a Scripture passage that relates to your devotional. (The Worship Team can help with this.) Give your devotional a title, and end with a short prayer. This format follows that of The Upper Room Devotions; we also have copies of previous Advent Books in the office that can serve as a guide. The books will be distributed on the first Sunday of Advent, December 3 rd. The deadline for submission of devotions is November 10 th. Thanks to all who contribute to this special project.

10 Winthrop United Methodist Church P.O. Box 136 Winthrop, ME Church Office Hours: Tuesday Friday 9 a.m 2 p.m (207) P.O. Box Main Street Winthrop, ME Ned S. Crockett - Pastor Jill Howes - Lay Leader Barbara Hamblin - Administrative Ass t office@winthropumc.org Pastor Ned: pastor@winthropumc.org Sunday Worship service 10:00 a.m. Sunday School Begins September 10th! The mission of the Winthrop United Methodist Church is to be a Christian community that invites all people to participate in God s love. Our purpose is to live out the mission through nurture, outreach and witness.