Romeo United Methodist Church

Transcription

1 The Grapevine February 2018 This Month s Events UMW Sunday February 4 Reverend Trevor Herm, Pastor Romeo United Methodist Church Church Office: Church Fax: Anne Wilber, Church Secretary Cynthia Forsgren, Choir Director Linda Schenburn, Christian Education Kari Reid, Treasurer Ed LaLonde, Praise Band Hannah Engwall, Youth Director Ash Wednesday February 14 Valentine s Day February 14 The GRAPEVINE is published monthly. The intention is to communicate and promote the entire program of the Romeo United Methodist Church to members and friends. Your articles, comments and suggestions are welcome. The editor reserves the right to edit content and space as required. Linda Eastman, Editor Phone: lindakeastman@aol.com Haiti Dress Workshop February 26 Romeo United Methodist Church Page 1

2 Pastor s Paragraphs Well it s February so of course I m going to write about love. I know we think that love will solve all our problems, or at least help us through them, but we each need to be loved. The way we celebrate Valentine s Day captures how short term our view of love is. Love is more than a card or a box of chocolates. We think of love as something we only need one day a year or when we re with someone we really like, but God offers us so much more to consider. God s love lasts forever. And when God talks about love, He combines it with faith and hope, so that faith teaches us to trust others, and hope helps us to look to the future. As we celebrate love this month may we learn to love like God does. May we learn to love everyone, not just our sweetheart, or Valentine. And let s not limit our love to just what we feel, but let s practice a love that embraces the world. God wants us to love with all the gifts and resources He gave us. Thank you again for all the ways you let Carol and I know you were thinking of us this week during her surgery. We love you all and are grateful for the chance to share together in our ministry as a church, as we seek to love each other with a love that truly can change our world. Happy Valentines Day. Pastor Trevor BLUE WATER DISTRICT CELEBRATION As you know, Michigan District boundaries will be changed effective July 1, Join Rev. Elizabeth Hill, Blue Water District Superintendent, The Blue Water District Leadership Team, and our Blue Water District congregations on February 11th at the Lake Huron Retreat Center at 8794 Lakeshore Rd, Burchville, MI from 2 to 4 p.m. for a celebration of our Blue Water District. Our District name will be changed July 1st, and Romeo UMC will remain in our present District. DRESSES AND SHIRTS FOR HAITI In 2017 RUMC contributed over 500 items of clothing to the Northwest Christian Haiti Mission. Part of those donations were dresses and shirts made by the ladies of UMW. There are pictures posted in Fellowship Hall of some of the children wearing the items we donated. UMW plans to continue this mission project in On Monday, February 26 th at 10:00 a.m. we will again be making dresses and shirts to send to Haiti in July. The items will be delivered by Tom and Sharon Snively, the missionaries who spoke at our church on Mission Sunday. If you would like to be a part of this mission project please join us. If you are not a sewer don t fret, there are other tasks that you can help with. Refreshments are always served, we are Methodists after all. Donations of fabric, bias tape, eyelet, buttons, etc. are always welcome. Please drop your donations in the box outside the church office. Romeo United Methodist Church Page 2

3 FEBRUARY VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE FELLOWSHIP TIME \ LITURGIST SCHEDULE 4 th UMW Sunday 11 th Marilyn Bracy, Becky Laseke, Sue Rhoads 18 th Ginny Power, Kathy Loba, Kathy Smith 25 th Jeff and Mary McClay, Elaine Roberson 9:00 A.M. Service GREETERS 4 th Elaine Roberson, Naomi Stasak 11 th Becky Laseke, Marian Hevel 18 th Bob and Lynn Bachholzky 25 th Lou and Anna Bonanni If you are not able to greet at any time scheduled, please make arrangements for a sub. COMMUNION STEWARDS February 4 - Pews 9:00 a.m. Marilyn Bracy Naomi Stasak 11:00 a.m. Marty and Karen Rastigue Pat & Ron Sebastian 9:00 Service 4 th Ned Grant 11 th Ann Heller 18 th Paul Heller 25 th Mary Jo Hosler 11:00 Service 4 th Combined Service 11 th Ellen Dennis 18 th Hannah Engwall 25 th Alex Stork VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS Seasonal Flowers Mary Jo Hosler Baby Blanket Ministry Ilene Lock College Ministry Paula Groomes Fellowship Hour Becky Laseke Greeters Gayle Beitel Nursery Jen Lamb Sound Board Dave Beskin Ushers Craig Engwall Communion Marilyn Bracy SOUND BOARD 4 th Claudia Royal 11 th Laurie Bennett 18 th Mischele Makhlouf 25 th Claudia Royal ALTAR FLOWERS 4 th Open 11 th Open 18 th Ned and Amy Grant 25 th Open **The price to sponsor altar flowers is now $50. NURSERY SCHEDULE 9:00 A.M. Service 4 th McClay Family 11 th Ginny Power 18 th Laura Salsido 25 th Marty & Heather Wagester 11:OO A.M. Service 4 th Louchrisa Smith 11 th Lamb Family 18 th Dale & Jenny Teller 25 th Louchrisa Smith USHERS SCHEDULE Traditional Service 4 th and 11 th Becky Laseke Lead, Linda Eastman (4 th Only), Ginny Power, Pat Sebastian, Ron Sebastian 18 th and 25 th Craig Engwall Lead, Judy Engwall,Hannah Engwall, Ed Buckner Contemporary Service Dory Hill Don Adkin Romeo United Methodist Church Page 3

4 RUMC February 2018 Calendar Sun 4 th UMW Sunday Combined Service 10:00 a.m. Tue 6 th Staff Parish Committee Meeting 7:00 p.m. Thur 8 th Staff Parish Committee Meeting Church Council Meeting Sun 11 th BWD Office Closing Event at Lake Retreat Center Wed 14 th Ash Wednesday Service Valentine s Day 5:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Thur 15 th Trustee Meeting 7:00 p.m. Fri 23 rd Fish Fry #1 4:30 p.m. Mon 26 th Haiti Dress Workshop 10:00 a.m. ANNOUNCEMENT PRESENTERS SCHEDULE 4 th Carol Herm 11 th Tom King 18 th Judy Howard 25 th Judy Engwall ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES Arvid and I would like to thank our church family for your cards, prayers and kind words during the passing of my Mother. Your support meant a lot to us. Lorraine Martin Wednesday, February 14, 7:00pm The season of Lent will soon be upon us!! Mark your calendars, and plan to attend this important service. Weekly Meetings Communion Sunday First Sunday of each month Traditional Service Sunday 9:00 a.m. Sanctuary Fellowship Time Sunday 10:00 a.m. Fellowship Hall Prayers for Church Sunday 10:15 a.m. Prayer Room 106 Contemporary Service Sunday 11:00 a.m. Sanctuary Knitting Class Tuesday 1:00 p.m. Room 110 His Table Community Meal Tuesday 5:30 p.m. Fellowship Hall Men s Fellowship 2 nd & 4 th Tues 6:30 p.m. Room 107 Praise Band Practice Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Sanctuary Santa s Workshop Wednesday 10:00 a.m. Life Skills Room Hand Bell Choir Practice Wednesday 6:45 p.m. Choir Room Choir Practice Wednesday 7:30 p.m. Choir Room Turning Point Office Thursday 9:30 a.m. Room 106 Apportionment Fundraiser! Odyssey children continue to collect returnable cans and bottles. We need yours! Please leave them in the box in the lobby. $ in January! Thank you! February 4 th has been designated as UMW Sunday. The entire morning will be covered by women, greeters, ushers, etc. There will be 2 guest speakers, Tom and Sharon Snively, the Missionaries that go to the orphanage in Haiti and deliver the dresses and shirts we make and the other speaker will be a survivor from Turning Point. Romeo United Methodist Church Page 4

5 Play that funky music. February Food Pantry Needs: Pancake Mix Saltine Crackers Cereal Coffee Jelly Pasta Noodles Bath Tissue Pasta Sauce Women s Deodorant Beef Stew Shampoo Children s Snacks Diaper s (Size 4-6) We appreciate any non-perishable food items and toiletries that you can donate. THANK YOU! Please bring your donations to Samaritan House, Van Dyke (between 28 & 29 Mile Roads) in Washington Twp. on Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can contact Samaritan House at (586) Financial Snapshot of the Operating Fund as of 12/31/17 Actual Budget Difference Income $386,452 $371,801 $14,651 Expenses 372, , Deficit 14, ,180 Unpaid Apportionments $ 19,668 Your church needs your financial support!! A note from George Bryant: I am back home and feeling better. I would just like to thank all of you for the cards and especially the prayers during my recent illness. I love you all and so appreciate your support. I praise God for all you do. Blessings, George Bryant Funky music is defined as music which moves your body and your soul. I bring this up as a way to introduce RUMC s own purveyor of funky music, Ed LaLonde. Ed was given his first guitar, which he still has by the way, by his grandfather when he was 8 years old. The first song he learned on that guitar was, Home on the Range. Ed also knows how to play bass guitar and some keyboards but his main instrument is the guitar. In the 11 th grade he put his first band together, Prophecy. The band played early 80 s rock and roll. During this time period Ed wanted to have fame and fortune as an entertainer. However, it appears God had other plans for him. After meeting his current wife Ed decided fame and fortune were not the most important things in life. He now believes it was God working on him through his music. Ed began to concentrate more on Christian music which led to him taking a job in a local congregation, first simply as a player in the church band and finally as the praise band leader. This position lasted for approximately 8 years and when it ended God had another plan for him. It was at this point in time Ed met Gary Glanville and eventually ended up playing here and being the praise band leader at RUMC. This is Ed s current position in our church and he hopes to remain here for a long time. His main goal now is to write more songs of inspiration he can teach the congregation. He currently has written about a dozen songs which he will play from time to time along with more contemporary Christian songs. Ed did reveal that his one big dream is to go in a professional recording studio and record the songs he has written. With God looking over him there is a good chance it may happen one day. Romeo United Methodist Church Page 5

6 T Elliott Welch To You Who Bring Small Children to Church There you are sitting in worship or Bible study. Your child, or toddler, is restless. Perhaps they re even a little boisterous. You try to silence them, and nothing. You try to pacify them with food or toys, and nothing. Eventually, you resort to the last thing you wanted to do: you pick them up, and before a watching audience, you make the march out of the auditorium. All the while, you re a little embarrassed. Maybe you re a little frustrated too. You might even think to yourself, There s no point in coming to church. I get nothing out of it because I have to constantly care for my kid. I want you you mothers and/or fathers to know just how encouraging you are to so many. The little elderly woman who often feels alone beams with a smile at the sight of you wrestling with your little one. She s been there before. She knows how hard it can be, but she smiles because to hear that brings back precious memories. To see young parents and their small children brightens her day, and she may have just received bad news this week about her health, but seeing the vitality of young ones removes if but for a moment her fears. The older man who always seems to be grouchy notices you too. He s always talking about how children in this day have no respect or sense of good. But, he sees you a young family in church, and you don t miss any gathering. Like clockwork, he can depend on the sight of you and your young family. You give him hope that maybe the church isn t doomed after all, because there are still young parents who love God enough to bring their restless children to worship. Then there s everybody else. Some people will honestly become frustrated by noisy children in church. They have this warped idea that reverence includes absolute silence. It doesn t. When parents brought their children to Jesus, the disciples rebuked them (Matt ), but Jesus rebuked His disciples. He said, Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. The term translated children in Matthew and Mark is paidon. The root of the word pedagogue is from this word. It defined children of either an infant state, or more particularly, it was with reference to those who were half-grown and could be either males or females. When Luke wrote his account of this narrative, he used the word brephos; which means infants. Luke wasn t contradicting Matthew and Mark s account, because Luke wrote that they brought the infants also (Luke ). They would have squirmed, maybe even cried. This was likely why the disciples rebuked the parents; as well as that they might have thought that the children were too young to understand the blessing Christ pronounced over them. Bring your children to church. If you don t hear crying, the church is dying. As hard as it might be for you as a parent who s half-asleep, keep on doing what you re doing. You are an encouragement, and you re starting off your children s lives as you should. Copied: (Author Unknown) Submitted by Christian Education Romeo United Methodist Church Page 6

7 1 st Martin Rastigue 2 nd Scott Jones 3 rd Steve Trenchemontagne 4 th Paula Groomes Cindie Wade 7 th Derek Beaumont Paton Zimmerman Audrey Salsido Jenna Hodgin 9 th Peggy Moore Julianne Nicol 11 th Rachel Young 12 th Shirley Engwall Grason Dixon 13 th David Faris Chantelle Adkins 15 th Donald Corah 16 th Betty Walton Kathy Smith 17 th Judy Baker 20 th Esta Corbin 22 nd Deborah Obrecht 23 rd Joy Stevenson Mary Jane Johnson 24 th Leonard Royal 28 th Dona Back Easter Distribution Needs Samaritan House needs the following items for its Easter Food Drive. Please deliver the following items to Samaritan House by March 1, Thank You!! Please join us from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018 at Greystone Golf Club and Banquet Center for our 8 th Annual Pasta and Chicken Dinner. The benefit dinner is for a great cause, our goal is $12,000, which enables Samaritan House to provide emergency assistance to more than 500 people each month. Tickets are $25 each, with children 12 and under, $10. Advance ticket sales only. Buy your tickets early, last year we sold out! Samaritan House is seeking sponsors. For more information, or to become a sponsor, contact (586) or shevents@att.net. Box potatoes Canned applesauce or cranberry Mandarin oranges or other fruit Green beans or carrots Mayonnaise Frosting Cake mix Brown sugar (box or bag) Jelly beans Jell-O A note from Nancy Harrar: Thanks to everyone for their prayers and expression of concern for my dad, Frank Brown. I am happy to report he is back to health and his usual activities. Praise the Lord! A Time Mostly for Children will now be offered at second service! Romeo United Methodist Church Page 7

8 Hello my name is church, On Sunday, January 7th, the children of Odyssey had the opportunity to learn about the visitors from the East. As they entered the room, scented candles of frankincense and myrrh were burning. An atomizer was sending the essential oils of frankincense into the air. Samples of the dried crystals were available for touching and studying. We learned that they were the dried resins from trees in the Middle East. They had been very valuable and were precious indeed. There were many uses for these products back in Biblical times. We watched a short video clip illustrating the Wiseman s journey and their dilemma with King Herod. Then we read and acted out a story based on Matthew 2:1-12. After discussing the story, we made small luminaries out of plastic cups to remind us of the star that lit up the night sky. We punched designs and various holes into the cups, inserted small LED tealights and then went into a dark room to view our finished product. It was very awe-inspiring and a good reminder to keep beside our beds at night. Dr. Arnold Hentschl, a family friend and regular Sunday morning attendee of RUMC, thought the children should have real gold, or something that symbolized that special gift. He collected enough gold coins for each one of our children to take home as a keepsake. There were golden Presidential dollar coins and golden Sacagawea dollar coins. Every child was able to choose their favorite one as they went out the door that day clutching their story papers and their luminaries. All in all, it was an enjoyable morning and we all learned a lot. We have enough coins left over so that if your child was not able to attend that day and would like to learn more about that lesson, we can accommodate them. See Mrs. Schenburn or myself. Respectfully submitted, Mary Jo Hosler I m sure you ve heard a lot about me. I have no shortage of critics. Perhaps you have heard that I am... - Boring - Shallow - Cheap - A waste of time You ve heard that I am full of: - Hypocrites - Clowns - Greedy people - The self-righteous Maybe you have visited me before and discovered: - Horrible music - Passionless singing - Dry preaching - Rude congregants Maybe you needed me and I was: - Too busy - Too righteous - Too broke - Too blind Maybe you joined me and found I was: - Distant - Demanding - Dull - Preoccupied Maybe you tried to serve in me but were caught off guard by: - Business meetings - Committees - Teams - Bureaucracy Maybe you left and were surprised that nobody: - Called - Cared - Noticed - Invited you back Romeo United Methodist Church Page 8

9 Hello my name is church, (continued) Perhaps your experience has driven you to: - Speak negatively of me - Swear to never come back to me - Proclaim that no one needs me - Believe you re better off without me If this is true, I have something to say to you: - I m sorry - I was wrong - I blew it - I made a huge mistake But remember, I never said my name was: - Perfect - Flawless - Complete - Arrived My name is church. I welcome the: - Hypocrite - Dry - Self-righteous - Shallow I welcome the - Sincere - Passionate - Forgiving - Selfless I cannot shut my doors to the people who make you: - Angry - Uncomfortable - Impatient - Self-conscious But I would remind you that we couldn t always worship in the same room. In the Old Testament there was a division between the: - Gentile - Jew - Man - Woman In order for us to all worship in the same room Christ was: - Shamed - Beaten - Killed - Resurrected Which is far worse than being: - Bored - Uncomfortable - Embarrassed - Ignored So why not come back to church and let all of these messed up people: - Challenge you - Sharpen you - Strengthen you - Humble you I can t promise you that the people will be great. This is church. It s not: - Heaven - Paradise - Beulah Land - The Celestial city Come back. - God wants you here. - The body needs you here. - The world needs your witness here. - You belong here. Hello, my name is church. - I miss you. - I love you. - I m sorry. Can t wait to see you. Romeo United Methodist Church Page 9