2. People automate important payments - mortgage payments,

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1 MAY 2015 Carlisle United Methodist Church The Bridge Automate the Important. Things that are important to us we often make automatic we get notices automatically about paying our credit cards, about scheduling dental appointments, and picking up medication refills. Have you ever thought about automating your giving to God? If giving is important to you because you have been blessed and want to bless others, then we encourage you to consider joining the May campaign to Be One of 100! Why Be One of 100 to give online at CUMC? 1. In first Corinthians 8-9 Paul encourages believers to become disciplined and intentional givers. Automated giving helps a person be intentional with their generosity. MOTHER S DAY May 10 Mother s Day Celebration with children singing in worship and baptisms SAVE THE DATE 2. People automate important payments - mortgage payments, car payments, retirement savings. Why not automate your giving to God? Make generosity automatic because it is important. 3. Automated giving protects the church from disasters when worship is canceled or bad weather happens. 4. Automated giving provides churches with increased resources. Increased giving equals increased ministry. At CUMC we accept direct bank withdrawals, e-checks, debit and credit cards. If you give weekly in the offering plate, and that works for you and you are faithfully giving your tithe, we thank you! However for many of us, automating our giving provides an opportunity to give to God first consistently and easily. You can set up payments for monthly, weekly, or one-time giving to the General Fund or to specific areas of ministry within the church. Through the website the system is secure, professional, and allows you to set up an account in less than five minutes. During May CUMC is aiming for 100 people to automate their giving. Are you willing to Be One of the 100? Learn more in worship starting on May 4 as we hear from John Shorb about why he automated his giving to God through CUMC. MAY WORSHIP CONFIRMATION SUNDAY May 17 Confirmation Sunday to welcome the young people committing to CUMC SUNDAY, JUNE 21 Combined Anniversary Worship Celebration, 10 am at CUMC Lunch following at the Fairgrounds How to Enroll 1. Go to Carlisle United Methodist Church s homepage at 2. From the Give menu, select Giving Online 3. Click the Electronic Giving Site for Carlisle UMC link 4. Register for Online Giving by completing profile information 5. Click on Add Transaction, fill out form 6. Click Process PENTECOST SUNDAY May 24 Pentecost Sunday to celebrate the birthday of the Christian church SAVE THE DATE

2 PAGE 2 THE BRIDGE MAY 2015 YOUTH GROWING wall of support Like last year we are asking for the congregation s financial support of the three youth mission trips that are taking place this summer. In the gathering there will be a wall of envelopes that have a number on them. To support us on our trips we would KENTUCKY MISSION TRIP AT A GLANCE This year we will be taking a group of six youths and two adults to work again at the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club in Lexington, KY. We will be working with 75 kids ages We will spend a week with them playing games, teaching team work, creating crafts, going on field trips, and sharing the love of Jesus with each child. Please pray for us as we travel to and from Lexington. Also pray that we will have opportunities to share Jesus and His message of hope with these young children. Currently learning: YOUTH GROUP We are starting a new series called Flipped. During the next four sessions we will be looking at some minor characters in the Bible who, when they encountered Jesus their lives, were flipped upside down. They saw Him and when they left, everything was different. We will be looking at Zacchaeus, the Rich Young Ruler, the Centurion, and the Bleeding Woman. Our hope is that as we encounter Jesus our lives are also flipped. like you to pick a number and fill the envelope with that amount of money and put it in the box below the wall. The wall will be up from May 24 - June 21. Checks can be made out to CUMC with youth mission in the memo. MOVE-UP DAY JUNE 7 School is almost over and that means it s almost time to move up to the next grade. We will celebrate with those who are graduating high school or college and those moving into middle school. During the Sunday School Hour on June 7 everyone moves up! Fifth graders will become sixth graders and will start youth group that night from 5:30-8pm. What an exciting and scary time. Please pray for all those who are going through these big transitions. SUNDAY SCHOOL We are continuing our Grapple series looking at the key verse Romans 13:1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Looking at the fact that God puts people in charge, we must honor authority, honor God above everyone, and how serving leads to leadership. IN FAITH MAY 1 Half-Nighter 5, 6 & 7 graders 6pm-Midnight MAY 3 Youth Group 5:30-8pm MAY 10 Game Night 5:30-8pm MAY 16 Rent-A-Kid 8am-4:30pm MAY 17 GA & VA Mission Trip Parents Mtg. 4:30pm Youth Group 5:30-8pm MAY 24 NO Youth Group MAY 30 Rent-A-Kid 8am-4:30pm MAY 31 Youth Group 5:30-8pm may calendar CONFIRMATION Our confirmation students will be completing the last few classes learning about CUMC Measures of Discipleship: Service, Bridge Builder, and Life-Long Learner. They will be confirmed on May 17. Please welcome them into our church family. Confirmation Class of 2015: Faith Sale, Lisa Sale, Wyatt Morrison, Trevor Greenwood, Lauren Waring, Genae Nickerson, Keyana Green and Najae Nickerson.

3 MAY 2015 THE BRIDGE PAGE 3 CHILDREN GROWING IN FAITH Do you have the G-Force? That s the question we will be asking our kids the week of June Numerous volunteers have been prepping for another great year of VBS at CUMC. The kids will meet Checkers Cheetah who is ready for an action-packed week of learning about God and Jesus and how we can spread the Good News. This is going to be a fun, fast-paced four days of music, drama, crafts, and games. We will start with a meal at 5:15pm as we did last year, and VBS will begin at 6pm. Registration will start May 1, so strap on your helmets and get ready, because this is one action-packed adventure you don t want to miss. ~ Becca Douglass We ve had a great year for Mini Youth Group. We ve gotten messy, learned about Earth Day, and created our own gingerbread houses. We re going to end the year with a great party, so be sure to join us on May 17 for Fun, Food, and Fellowship! Thank you to everyone who donated food to the Little Lights CANstruction project. On April 15, all the classes for ages 2-5 gathered in the MPR to design and build a structure out of donated food for Work Together Wednesday. This activity was part of Little Lights celebration of the national Week of the Young Child. With the help of some great CUMC volunteers, everyone had a great time. All in all, over 300 items were collected for Project Share. help wanted Upward is in need of an individual to oversee the Flag Football Concession Stand. Registrations for Flag Football will begin on June 1. Contact Jane Keller Rosborough for more information at jrosborough@carlislepaumc.org save the dates MAY 1 5th Grade Move-Up Event MAY 17 Mini Youth Group End of Year Celebration Cokesbury s GOD S Love in Action JUNE 6 Dad & Me Event MINI YOUTH GROUP CELEBRATION JUNE 7 Moving Up Day for Sunday School CANstruction JUNE 22 Thru June 25 Vacation Bible School JULY 18 Mini Youth Group Summer Fun Day

4 PAGE 4 THE BRIDGE SUMMER MAY ADULTS GROWING Are you managing your money in accordance with Biblical principles? Are you being a good trustee of all God has provided to you? We are in a constant struggle between the pull of our culture toward materialism and living in accordance with the mind and heart of God. FREED-UP FINANCIAL LIVING Over the last seven weeks, our class has been working to move toward God and to become diligent earners, generous givers, wise savers, cautious debtors and prudent spenders. By aligning our financial management with God s desires, we will become financially faithful and financially free! A change we have made is not to be as impulsive about spending. If I have a checkbook while I grocery shop... I spend, spend, spend... When I have an envelope for the month, I am picky and not as impulsive - from the past month we cut our grocery bill down by $ I was reminded that everything I have belongs to God. I am his trustee, called to share and to make good use of what he has given. We learned if there are two adults in a household both of them need to help determine finances. You need to be on the same page and have an understanding of the financial picture. It s a team effort. IN FAITH GROWING UP SOCIAL: RAISING RELATIONAL KIDS IN A SCREEN-DRIVEN WORLD A small group met for five weeks during February and March to discuss the book Growing Up Social by Gary Chapman and Arlene Pellicane. The group was very diverse with parents of preschoolers, grade schoolers, teens, adult children, and a grandparent. We discussed topics like: Equipping your child to be relationally rich in a digital world Replacing recreational screen time with meaningful family time Establishing simple rules and boundaries that can make a difference Discovering and sharing what s working for other families How much is too much screen time Active parenting is the key What does scripture say about parenting our children We all agreed that technology in our homes happened without us even noticing. Once upon a time the television set used to be a large piece of furniture planted smack-dab in the middle of the living room. Parents and children watched the same television shows. Then televisions become more compact and affordable and homes had multiple televisions and children and parents watched different shows. After that personal computers entered the homes. Fast forward to today: Technology has given us instant information and entertainment on televisions, personal computers, tablets, and smartphones. We no longer have one television to gather around as a family. The family television of the past is now multiplied and in most family member s purses, pockets, and backpacks. The presence of screens in the home is so widely accepted that many people don t even consider them a threat to strong family relationships and values. Technology is here to stay, and it can be used in many positive ways. Children today are exposed to , text, smartphones, TV, gaming devices, IPODs, IPADs etc. as they grow into an adult. These are amazing days when you can Skype with family in a different time zone or country in real time and share pictures, s, and messages ~ Stacey Harbst in seconds. We want our adult children to have all the skills necessary to succeed in relationships. The training necessary for growing up social isn t found on a phone or tablet. There s no app or video game that can replace human interactions with other human beings. Social skills must be practiced in real life, beginning for a child in the home. We need to set boundaries and rules when using technology. Here are some thoughts of those that attended: Lisa Myers said, Great class for people with children of all ages. It really helped our family to examine how much screen time was affecting our family time. Another attendee said, Very useful and practical class both from tips in the book; and also tips from parents with older children. ~ Kathy Charette and Michele Smyers A.D. THE REVOLUTION Sundays, 9:45am, Room 4 and 11am, Library/Rm 10 The show, A.D. began Easter Sunday at 9pm on NBC and continues every Sunday through June 21. Watch the TV Show in your home, then come Sunday at 9:45 or 11am to learn about the Bible verses behind the story. Teachers will be using A.D. The Revolution That Changed the World by Dr. David Jeremiah.

5 MAY 2015 THE BRIDGE PAGE 5 TITHING OUR BLESSING CUMC was blessed with a large unexpected gift from the John Griffith Estate. After tithing from our first blessing from this estate, Leadership Council decided to tithe from this gift as well. $122,000 has already been given to local, national, and international groups that better their communities. $72,000 of this was donated locally and $50,000 was donated to national and international projects. CUMC has been blessed and now we are blessing others. Praise God! LOCAL TITHE RECIPIENTS Parent Works (Pressley Ridge) Summer Program for Youth (SPY) Habitat for Humanity His Hands Ministry Salvation Army Carlisle Area Family Life Center Letort School Bosler Library Young Life Goodwill Fire Co. Center for Spiritual Development Carlisle Parks and Rec United Way Stevens Center Little Lights CUMC Youth Group Carlisle Police NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL TITHE RECIPIENTS Haiti Mission Project Mission Central Capital Campaign Sierra Leone Mission Project Red Cross Bishop s Partners in Mission Campaign UMCOR (UM Committee On Relief) CUMC is poised to send a small Serve team to Sierra Leone in March of 2016! The purpose will be twofold. One purpose is to establish/strengthen relationships with our partner church through the Susquehanna Conference s Sierra Leone Initiative, which is located in the village of Makorewa. We will need to learn what life looks like there in a post-ebola world and assess needs and priorities for future Serve projects. The second purpose will be to further our cultural understanding of how things get done most effectively by examining the Did you ever have a problem that was a good problem, but still a problem? Project SHARE experienced this when it realized that its first ever Farm Stand was too small to serve the needs and people of Carlisle. I remember helping with the first Farm Stand, it was hoped that when built on the corner of North Pitt and Lincoln streets on a donated property that people in need from the community would come here to get fresh fruits and vegetables. But no one really knew if they would come to an off-site location. Or if there was a desire for fresh food regularly. They found YES PLEASE!! The Farm Stand ministry of Project SHARE grew so much until it became evident that the current building was not able to meet the demands of produce available and clients interested. In November framing of a new Farm Stand began, one that is almost twice the size and will serve SERVE TEAM TO TRAVEL TO SIERRA LEONE work already done over the past 10 years by a Harrisburg area church over the course of their long standing partnership with their sister church in Mebohle, Sierra Leone. Our initial team will include Ken Mengle, of Crosspoint church, a veteran of 10 mission trips to Sierra Leone; Pastor Mira, Marnie Project share farm stand include large storage spaces for fresh produce, a teaching kitchen, an office for staff, and a community bathroom. Throughout the winter community groups have moved this project along with whatever expertise they could contribute. CUMC will be getting involved through our Serve Project SHARE team to paint and stain the outside and inside of the new Farm Stand. They will meet every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month from 9am-Noon. The building is already serving people daily while under construction! Project SHARE is having the grand opening on May 16. If you can help with last minute projects, or projects as they move fully into and use the space, contact Vicki Morley who coordinates this team. Serving beside Project SHARE we can help feed those who are hungry in Carlisle! ~ Mira Hewlett Associate Pastor Anderson, and Brad Weiser. It is our hope to send more teams in the future. How can you help? Pray for the people of Sierra Leone and the health care providers who still sacrifice so much in an effort to stamp out dwindling cases of Ebola. Pray for our team and that God will guide us in our efforts to form useful and supportive partnerships with UMC churches in Sierra Leone. Participate in sewing little dresses or shorts for the children of Makorewa village. Watch for future opportunities to make donations of materials or funds to support this Serve effort. ~ Marnie Anderson ATTENTION: GUITAR PLAYERS Play Bass or Guitar and wanna be part of something incredible? I m looking for instrumentalists with a passion to serve on the Contemporary team. Let me know if you re interested. Charlie clartz@carlislepaumc.org or

6 PAGE 6 THE BRIDGE MAY 2015 connect shepherds gather to share caring experiences Our Shepherds CONNECT through Caring for our LAMs (Limited Activity Members). Recently our shepherds got together to become better acquainted and to share ideas about caring for their LAMs. Folks told how they talk, sing hymns, laugh, pour over CUMC publications, share home communion, pray, and sometimes shed tears over memories of the days when the LAMs were able to participate fully with the church family they hold dear to their hearts. As one shepherd said, What a privilege! to share Christ s love with his LAM. Have you stopped by the LAMs bulletin board (second floor hallway outside the Gathering)? Each of these 63 faces CHAT N CHEw Join us Wednesday, May 27, Noon-1:30pm in the Gathering. Woodworker Ken Kurtz presents Rough to Refined: a Parable. Ken will talk about the spiritual side of woodworking. Bring a bag lunch. Desserts and drinks provided. All are welcome. is a dear soul who would love to be with us in church, but can no longer get out for worship. A LAM s spouse was recently observed tenderly touching his wife s picture as he passed by. Our LAMs know they are loved. When shepherds visit their LAMs, they are bearing powerful witness to those around them the nursing home staff, other residents, family and friends. We serve and share a loving Savior. We are His hands and His feet. If you would like to become a shepherd, to CONNECT and share Christ s love with a LAM, please contact Joanne Reynolds at or joanne. reynolds@comcast.net. ~ Joanne Reynolds UMW CIRCLES will be meeting to organize, select their leaders, choose their name, set their meeting times and choose their goals on May 12 at 7pm, May 13at 2pm and May 14 at 10am. Let Carolyn Roller know either by , jhcjro@comcast.net or by placing a note in her church mailbox if you are unable to make any of the meetings. SHOE DONATIONS NEEDED Carlisle UMW will be supporting the Susquehanna Conference Shoe Collection for 2015 Annual Conference. During the month of May we ask you to donate used or new shoes to help to raise funds for Mission Central s operating budget. Based on the number of pairs of shoes collected, Funds- 2Orgs will purchase all shoes donated. Those dollars benefit Mission Central. YOU can help by donating your gently worn, used shoes, from children s through adult sizes. New shoes are welcomed too! All donations will then be redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs network of microenterprise partners in developing nations such as Haiti, Honduras and other nations in Central America and Africa. Proceeds from shoe sales will help feed, clothe and house their families. By donating your used shoes to Mission Central, your shoes will be given a second chance and make a difference in many people s lives. Please do not donate shoes with holes or shoes that are tread-worn. The UMW will place a container in The Gathering for drop offs during the month of May and will transport the shoes to Mission Central. SALAD SMORGASBORD The annual Salad Smorgasbord Luncheon sponsored by the UMW will be held on May 21, 11:30am-1pm in the Multipurpose Room (MPR). Our famous baked chicken salad will be served, along with dozens of varieties of donated salad delights to include pastas, vegetables, fruit and desserts. Tickets will be available in May in The Gathering or near the MPR. They will be available at the door on the day of the luncheon as well. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Have a special salad or a family favorite you d like to donate? Please share it with us! Donate as many as you would like. Salad donations can be dropped off to the MPR kitchen on May 20 or the morning of the luncheon. We will also need volunteers to help with preparation the day before and to serve as waitresses. Sign-up sheets will be located at Info Central. This is a major fundraiser for our UMW group, with all proceeds going to both local and national missions. ALL ARE WELCOME!

7 MAY 2015 THE BRIDGE PAGE 7 MNET is tasked with: (1) collecting and analyzing data; (2) preparing materials for congregational review; (3) arranging informal opportunities for the congregation to ask questions and provide MNET with info; and (4) supporting Leadership Council (LC) in its preparation for a formal vote on a permanent church location. Since LC s formation of MNET in Jan. 2015, our team has met three times Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 17. Our next meeting is May 26. Our fifteen member team, plus additional volunteers we have contacted, is gathering specific Reaching out MISSION NEEDS EVALUATION TEAM (MNET) info about our church s mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ and build bridges to our community. We all understand what this mission means in general, but how we accomplish it requires an in-depth analysis of three areas: the scope of our current activities; a review of services and programs we would like to expand due to growing demand or newly-defined needs; and the location and physical spaces needed to support our mission. You ve been receiving information from LC, led by Jeff Barnes, about alternative sites for our church location, and this activity is also a part of the MNET process. However, in order to make a prudent and faith-based location decision, we must first understand our mission. So far we ve gathered information about GROW s Children, Youth and Adult programs, SERVE s programs, and our Family programs. If you have any questions for MNET to consider, contact Kerm Leitner at kermleitner@comcast.net or leave a note in his church mailbox. We re also conducting a thorough assessment of the current church facility to understand building maintenance issues and any renovations to accommodate ongoing and future activities. In June we will offer the congregation two opportunities to meet with the MNET team in small group sessions to receive comments on CUMC s mission and how to accomplish it. This feedback is important, and we encourage your participation. In July and Aug. we will compile this information for formal presentations to the congregation in Sept. and Oct. in small and larger group settings. Our goal is to convene a church conference in Nov. to review and vote on the recommendation of LC and MNET on a permanent church location. You will recall that our unification vote included a promise that we would achieve this goal prior to July 1, so we are on track with that commitment. As chair of this team, I welcome your thoughts for the future of our church in the Carlisle community. You may contact me at jlayman226@ gmail.com or at ~ Jay Layman VIM Team Serving in NYC with sandy recovery march 2015 SENIORS PROM Come Fly with Me June 5, 7:30-9:30pm Enjoy a night of live Big Band music in the MPR. A snack bar will be provided. Tickets on sale at Info Central volunteer spotlight DARRELL CLEPPER You will find Darrell Clepper in our sanctuary every week, when it s empty and quiet, checking the brochures, envelopes, pencils, prayer request and welcome cards in each pew. He keeps track of supplies that are running low, restocks them when needed, and notifies us when more are required. By caring for this behindthe-scenes task, Darrell faithfully helps us be prepared every Sunday morning. Thank you for your servant heart, Darrell Clepper!

8 PAGE 8 THE BRIDGE MAY 2015 POTENTIAL BUILDING SITES UPDATE: SMITH FARM As discussed in previous articles, our Leadership Council has reviewed permanent location alternatives to renovating and expanding our current CUMC location or purchasing and building upon one of two sites - Smith Farm (23 acres) or Carlisle Events (9 acres). We re presently negotiating a non-binding Letter of Intent with each site owner to solidify our interest along with refundable deposits. Through our Mission Needs Evaluation Team (MNET), we ll have much detailed information plus projected cost estimates to present on each of these three options in the months to come as we complete our Due Diligence analyses. This month s update will pertain to the Smith Farm site. HOW DID CUMC DO IN 2014? In 2014 CUMC used a new approach to encourage financial support for planned ministry. The Leadership Council approved a budget to fund CUMC s Four Pillars of ministry. To support that budget and fund ministry, CUMC developed an Annual Funding Plan (AFP) along with a Funding Plan Financial Strategy. The AFP included three specific financial goals for To increase giving by 10%. CUMC realized a 5.9% increase in giving in While we fell short of the goal, the 5.9% increase was healthy and several underlying accomplishments are encouraging. We ended 2014 with 556 giving units, a 9.5% increase over the number that existed at the beginning of the year. Additionally, 2014 saw the number of digital givers increase by 59%. Digital givers contribute steadily throughout the year and averaged a 50% higher level of giving than non-digital givers in To ensure that 10% of the annual budget for all tithes and offerings be used for Serve (mission and service) projects. For the year, CUMC returned 5.8% of all tithes and offerings to Serve projects. While additional tithe and offering payments went to support serve and mission projects external to CUMC, the 10% goal was for Serve projects internal to CUMC. Similarly, the tithe of $100,000 to service organizations from the $1M gift bequeathed to CUMC was not part of this calculation. 3. To build a 60-day operating reserve fund (approx. $200,000) for use in addressing unbudgeted or emergency expenses. This goal was intended to wean us off the past practice of using trust funds to pay for unplanned expenses, such as building repairs. CUMC ended 2014 with an operating reserve fund of $241, was a very healthy one financially for CUMC. Healthy financial support allowed CUMC to accomplish strong ministry results. Thank you for your time, energy and continued financial support of CUMC s ministries. ~ John Shorb Chair, Stewardship Team The sketch plan below provides an overview of this site. The overall farm is close to 100 acres, with most of it zoned Industrial. We are interested in the 23+ acres that are zoned Village within South Middleton Township, thus allowing for church development. A small portion of the property falls within the Borough of Carlisle. It is comprised of open fields and wooded areas, though visibility of a church to the surrounding streets and neighborhoods would be minimal at best. Public water, sewer and natural gas service are available. As depicted below, this parcel has no frontage on any public road which will require a variance from the township. The price for this land is anticipated to be $45,000/acre. Access to this property is one of the issues that confronts us. As shown above there is one access point into the parcel off of South Spring Garden Street Because a second access would be highly desirable, we are exploring options for an additional driveway entrance either along Seven Gables Park (which would be a land swap) or off of the Carlisle Marketplace access driveway closest to Giant. There are significant obstacles to both of these possibilities. A schematic development plan for this tract is shown below to help you visualize just one of many possibilities for this site. As we continue to evaluate our permanent location alternatives, MNET continues to assess our ministry needs as we seek God s will for the most viable location that will enable us to fulfill our mission as CUMC. 8:15am - Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary Worship with traditional hymns, a full choir, and traditional UMC liturgy. 9:45am - Contemporary Worship in the MPR Worship led by our Praise Band using contemporary music. 11am - Celebration Worship in the Sanctuary Worship includes a variety of traditional hymns, songs from The Faith We Sing, and choruses of praise S. West St., Carlisle, PA Newsletter info due by the 13th of each month. Send information to: rdyson@carlislepaumc.org