From the desk of Pastor Steve...

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Dorthy Stafford
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From the desk of Pastor Steve... Andrew Hurlburt preached an encouraging sermon at LWC on the last Sunday of May. I have not been able to get it out of my mind.

1 From the desk of Pastor Steve... Andrew Hurlburt preached an encouraging sermon at LWC on the last Sunday of May. I have not been able to get it out of my mind. My thoughts this month are inspired by that sermon. Should we build altars or wells? Altars are important. Throughout the book of Genesis we find Abraham building altars. When God established an agreement with Abraham to make his offspring into a great nation, Abraham built an altar. When God brought Abraham to Bethel, he built an altar. Altars are places of worship and commemoration. Altars are built to remind us of God s faithfulness in the past. All of us should have altars--things that remind us that God has been faithful to us. Being mindful of God s goodness keeps us close to God. Altars keep us grounded. They encourage us when times are tough. Altars lead us toward worship. Altars are important. Wells on the other hand speak to the future. You dig a well to bring life to an area that is dry. You dig a well believing that it will provide water and life well into the future. Wells are forward thinking. Wells demonstrate faith that God is going to work in the future. Wells are hard work. Wells require action. Wells are dug in new territory. While altars look to the past with gratitude to God, wells look to the future with faith in God. So, should we build altars or wells? Clearly the answer is that we should be building both. We should live with a grateful eye to the past, remembering the Lord s goodness. We should live with an eye to the future, trusting the Lord s continued goodness. A better question might involve asking where I give the most energy? Do I spend more time looking to the past or preparing for the future? Do I spend more time remembering or doing? Do I spend more time looking in the rear-view mirror or looking out the windshield? I think we must deliberately choose to focus on building wells. We must choose to focus on the future and on the new things God is doing. I think our natural tendency is to look back and reminisce. This temptation is even greater when God has done great things in the past, or when we are getting a little older. When we spend too much time looking back, we miss what God is doing now. This truth is easy to see in the life of a church, but let s apply it to ourselves. Are we progressing in our walk with God? Are we growing? Are we taking new steps of faith? Are we doing things today that set the stage for a new tomorrow? As Andrew said in his sermon, digging wells is hard. Digging wells sometimes leads to opposition. But digging wells leads to a brighter future. In our building of altars, let s not forget to dig wells. Pastor Steve

YOUTH FUNDRAISER Back by popular demand Trivia

This fun night is scheduled for Friday, June 15

Trivia Night is a fundraiser for the Unleashed

camp. Form your teams (up to 10 persons) and

2 YOUTH FUNDRAISER Back by popular demand Trivia Night! This fun night is scheduled for Friday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. Trivia Night is a fundraiser for the Unleashed youth group, particularly to help students get to camp. Form your teams (up to 10 persons) and think of fun team themes (there will be prizes). Donations of $10 per person are requested. Bring your own snacks & drinks. Be creative!

SUMMER YOUTH CAMP This summer our youth will be attending camp at Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, OK. The camp is called NTS (Never The Same). Camp will be July 16-20.

3 SUMMER YOUTH CAMP This summer our youth will be attending camp at Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, OK. The camp is called NTS (Never The Same). Camp will be July To find out more about this camp, visit This camp is for students who will enter 7th grade in the Fall thru students who are graduating 12th grade this year. Online registration is now available at bit.ly/ntscamp. You can register and pay fees only thru that site. We will not be handling any part of the registration and payment process through the church. The fee is $352 until July 1. Late registrations between July 2-15 will cost $377. There can be NO registrations after that date. Upon registering, you will need to pay a $150 deposit online. Note: We usually have a little financial assistance available on an as-needed basis. If you know you will need help, contact Pastor Mark at markadams@lamontchurch.com as soon as possible so that he will have time to arrange something. Church family, contributions towards scholarships are always appreciated. Let Mark know if you have work a teen can do to earn scholarship assistance. We think sweat equity is valuable for character building. School Supplies Project It s been almost a year since we handed out over 170 bookbags full of school supplies to Madison area students. We had a pool party and provided a meal. It was an amazing God-sized dream of unconditionally caring for our students. It cost us about $5,000 and a lot of hours worth of work, and it was worth every bit of it! The stories have been amazing. A mom told Pastor Mark how she had recently moved to the area with almost nothing. She wasn't going to be able to afford to get her kids school supplies to get them started. She thanked Mark over and over. But we didn't do it. God did! New families, foster kids, and stories we will never hear! So, we believe God is calling us to do this again. Our goal this year is to raise $8,000 so we can do this for Madison again, and do it in Gridley this year for students who attend school in Gridley. We are making great progress, but still need more. Can you help? Would you prayerfully consider giving $1, $10, $100, or maybe even $1000 for this? You can give online at give in person at the church, or you can mail a financial gift to P.O. Box 593, Lamont KS,

Calendar Notes The following ministries are on hiatus for the summer: Unleashed Youth Group

17 Guys 18 or older, join us at church on Sunday, June 17. We ll have a sweet treat for you!

Sunday morning children s ministries, which include Nursery, Pre-K Sunday School, Grades 1-4

The people who have been doing these ministries have been very faithful, but it s time for

4 Calendar Notes The following ministries are on hiatus for the summer: Unleashed Youth Group Thursday women s Bible study group Lunch On Us Monthly Men s Breakfast Deadline Sunday June 17 Guys 18 or older, join us at church on Sunday, June 17. We ll have a sweet treat for you! CHILDREN S MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES We are in need of teachers and helpers for all of our Sunday morning children s ministries, which include Nursery, Pre-K Sunday School, Grades 1-4 Sunday School, Wiggle Worms, and God Followers. The people who have been doing these ministries have been very faithful, but it s time for others to have the chance to serve. If you are able to meet any of these needs, please contact Pastor Mark or Pastor Steve as soon as possible.

Monday, July 9 thru Friday, July 13 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

NOW OPEN FOR VBS VOLUNTEERS & PARTICIPANTS Visit https://vbspro.

Contact our VBS Director Jessy Sloan at sloan8710@yahoo.

If you are thinking of volunteering for VBS, and you are 18 years

If you did not have one last year, contact Dale Free in the church

A limited number of VBS Sing & Play CDs are now available for sale

It s a great way to help your kids start getting excited about VBS

5 Monday, July 9 thru Friday, July 13 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. For kids starting preschool thru 5th grade next Fall REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR VBS VOLUNTEERS & PARTICIPANTS Visit to register. Contact our VBS Director Jessy Sloan at sloan8710@yahoo.com or if you need help. If you are thinking of volunteering for VBS, and you are 18 years or older, you will need a current background check. If you did not have one last year, contact Dale Free in the church office. It costs you nothing and only takes a few moments. A limited number of VBS Sing & Play CDs are now available for sale at the church for $8.00 each. It s a great way to help your kids start getting excited about VBS and hit the ground running at worship time! We are also now collecting donations to pay for t-shirts for everyone at VBS and for other supplies. A sign-up sheet for food donations is available at the church.

6 June 1-9 Happenings at LWC June 2018 June Friday 6/1: Saturday 6/2: Sunday 6/3: 9:30a Sunday School 11:00a Worship Service -Communion 12:15p Annual Church Meeting Monday 6/4: Tuesday 6/5: Thursday 6/7: Friday 6/8: Saturday 6/9: 1:00p Box Turtle Races-Madison Sunday 6/10: 9:30a Sunday School 11:00a Worship Service Monday 6/11: Tuesday 6/12: Wednesday 6/13: 6:30p Women s Bible Study-Sue Lingenfelter s home Friday 6/15: 6:30p Trivia Night youth fundraiser at LWC Saturday 6/16: Wednesday 6/6: 6:30p Women s Bible Study-Sue Lingenfelter s home Thursday 6/14: 12:00p Women s Fellowship lunch at El Lorito-Emporia June June Sunday 6/17: Happy Father s Day 9:30a Sunday School 11:00a Worship Service 5:00p Newsletter deadline Monday 6/18: 7:00p Church Board Meeting Tuesday 6/19: Thursday 6/21: Friday 6/22: Saturday 6/23: Sunday 6/24: 9:30a Sunday School 11:00a Worship Service Monday 6/25: Tuesday 6/26: 6:00p Madison Community Meal --Sauder Center Wednesday 6/27: 6:30p Women s Bible Study-Sue Lingenfelter s home Saturday 6/30: Wednesday 6/20: 6:30p Women s Bible Study-Sue Lingenfelter s home Thursday 6/28: Friday 6/29: July July 9-13 VBS: Shipwrecked July NTS Youth Camp July 30-August 2 Kids Camp

June Birthdays 6/2 Keegan Kingery 6/4 Dale Free 6/4 Rob McDonald 6/4 Jessica Kingery 6/5 Randall Freeman 6/5 Molly Buster 6/6 Phillip Unruh 6/7 Brett Sloan 6/9 Dale Wolgram 6/9 Olivia Adams 6/11 Liam

7 June Birthdays 6/2 Keegan Kingery 6/4 Dale Free 6/4 Rob McDonald 6/4 Jessica Kingery 6/5 Randall Freeman 6/5 Molly Buster 6/6 Phillip Unruh 6/7 Brett Sloan 6/9 Dale Wolgram 6/9 Olivia Adams 6/11 Liam Dickinson 6/12 Dan Busby 6/12 Rosalea Crespino 6/14 Skyler Greening 6/14 Syrus Kingery 6/15 Kinsey Harlan 6/15 Ayden Hadden 6/16 Brandon Casey 6/18 Kenneth Wernli 6/21 Xaiden Sloan 6/22 Virgil Stair 6/25 Andrea Dietel 6/26 Frank Stutesman 6/28 Alan Brown 6/29 Maggie Hurlburt 6/30 Clara Hieb June Anniversaries 6/1 E.L & Norma Williams 6/1 David & Nancy Jesse 6/3 Rob & Lora McDonald 6/3 Jeff & Kaitlynn Smith 6/5 Les & Deb Harlan 6/9 Steve & Marilyn Owens 6/11 Dan & Claudette Busby 6/15 Jeff & Diane Williams 6/16 Troy & Lisa Botkin 6/20 Zach & Jessica Kingery 6/21 Tom & Lydia Hines 6/21 Darrell & Peggy Marlar 6/21 Michael & Cassie Dieker 6/24 Mark & Sarah Adams 6/27 Dale & Janiece Isch 6/27 Paul & Nancy Kesler 6/27 Dale & Janiece Isch 6/27 Paul & Nancy Kesler

8 Our new Nursery Director Chelsea Williams is seeking one more adult volunteer for the Nursery on the 2nd Sundays of each month. If you would like to be part of the Nursery Team, contact Chelsea at or at Forms available at the church now. Church family, we usually have a few kids who need financial help for camp. You are welcome to donate for this purpose.

There are a group of ladies who like to meet for lunch in Emporia once a month.

You can contact Gena Ott at 620-437-2458 if you would like her to save a seat for you.

Trip registration is closed, but we have a few team members who could use some financial help.

9 There are a group of ladies who like to meet for lunch in Emporia once a month. If you would like to join them, meet them at noon on Thursday, June 14 at El Lorito. You can contact Gena Ott at if you would like her to save a seat for you. Or just show up; there is always room for one more! Trip registration is closed, but we have a few team members who could use some financial help. Also, the team is collecting new women s underwear to give to women in Haiti along with feminine hygiene kits. Questions about what the team will be doing? Contact Jola Casey at evanandjola@gmail.com. YOUR INPUT IS REQUESTED If you could hear a sermon on any topic from the pulpit on a Sunday morning, what would you want to hear about? Visit to let us know.

10 Youth Group Snacks The youth group is on summer hiatus. Watch for ways to serve them again in the Fall. 1st Sunday: Julie McKenzie & Makenna Engle 2nd Sunday: Chelsea Williams & Skylar Greening 3rd Sunday: Rachel Buster, Alexis Berndt & Diana Ramirez 4th Sunday: Deb Harlan, Les Harlan & MaeLee Harlan Ushers Gary Edwards, Alan Brown, Craig Schreiner & C.E. Murphy Greeters Mark & Marjorie Haas

11 From the desk of Pastor Steve VBS Plans Information on camps Trivia Night fundraiser JUNE 2018 The Lamont Wesleyan Church newsletter, Inside LWC, is published each month as a communications aid for our church family and friends. We hope you find this newsletter informative and useful. Important: We use a bulk mail permit for mailing our newsletter, which means we do not receive address changes from the post office. This means that it s very important that our records be accurate. If you receive this newsletter via an address that is not a complete mailing address, please let us know as soon as possible. If you have moved, please let us know your new address if you would like to continue to receive this newsletter. Also, please check the calendar each month and notify us as soon as possible if we have missed your birthday or anniversary. It is our sincere desire to recognizes those important dates in the lives of our LWC church family. If you have any information to submit, please contact Dale Free by at office@lamontchurch.com or by phone at Submissions for Inside LWC need to be given to Dale by 5:00 p.m. on the 2nd to last Sunday of each month. P.O. Box 593 Lamont, KS th St. in Lamont Sunday Service 11:00 a.m.

From the desk of Pastor Steve...

From the desk of Pastor Steve... I have been the pastor of LWC for almost 18 years. In that time, we have seen God do some amazing things. We have been stretched by Him in many ways and have seen miracle