The Poster is. Blackwood Legacy Quartet. Christmas in July. We Welcome Our Bhutanese Nepali Brothers and Sisters in Christ

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1 FT. DES MOINES UNITED METHODIST CHURCH The Poster Christmas in July It is time for Christmas in July!! The Christmas tree is up and decorated with ornaments and gift tags! Please take a tag and purchase that item for the church. Then bring your purchase and place it under the tree. If you don t want to shop but want to help, please make an additional cash donation to the church in July and note that it is for Christmas in July. The following list is some of the items we are looking for. If you have questions, please see Debbie McCloney. Bathroom Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Bowl Cleaner Air Fresheners (for restroom; self-contained; no plug-ins; mild fragrance) Wastebasket size trash bags HP printer cartridges #932, #933 Office Paper (20#, white, 90+ brightness) Paper Towels Napkins Facial Tissues Toilet Paper Liquid hand soap for restrooms Sponges (cleaning sinks, etc.) We Welcome Our Bhutanese Nepali Brothers and Sisters in Christ VOLUME 11 ISSUE 7 J ULY 2014 The Poster is published monthly by Fort Des Moines United Methodist Church, 6205 SW 9th St, Des Moines Iowa To contact us, phone , fax , or to ftdsmumc@ qwestoffice.net Check us out on the web: Pastor Kathy s phone is INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Pastor s Ponderings 2 From Pastor Josh 3 Food Pantry Tidbits 3 Blackwood Legacy Quartet Tuesday, September 16 th at Ft Des Moines United Methodist Church Put it on your calendar now and plan to be with us when the Blackwood Legacy Quartet returns of Fort Des Moines UMC on Tuesday, September 16 th. If you have had the chance to hear them during one of their two previous times with us, then you know how good they are. If you missed them, you do not want to miss them again! We are hoping to fill the sanctuary, so please invite, family, friends and neighbors to join us for an evening of great singing. The Bhutanese Nepali Truth Church of Iowa has begun to share space with us here at Fort Des Moines UMC. Members of their congregation approached us last fall about the possibility of using our building for their worship and other activities. Following several months of conversation and meetings, an agreement was reached and the Bhutanese Nepali congregation began using the building in June. Pastor Josh White, pastor of the congregation, has been invited to write an article for our newsletter with more information about the congregation, but in short, they are a congregation of Bhutanese (continued on page 3) Calendar pages are inserted Information for The Poster should be in the Church office by the 29th of the month prior to being published. Office s 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Monday to Friday Sunday 9:45 a.m. Holy Communion is the first Sunday of the month

2 P AGE 2 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 7 One of my favorite passages of scripture is Romans 8: In the New Revised Standard Version it reads: What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul was writing these words to followers of Christ when it was dangerous to be a follower of Christ; when it might result in imprisonment or even death. He was writing to encourage them, to let them know that even in the midst of suffering or persecution, God was with them. He tells them that regardless of what they are facing, there is nothing, nothing, that could ever separate them from God s love. We don t live with the kind of threat or danger as those to whom Paul was originally writing. But who among us doesn t need to hear those words of assurance from time to time? Whether we are facing major problems or heartaches, or we are just weighed down with everyday worries and challenges, we need to hear and know the truth of those promises: that God is on our side, that God s love for us is so deep that there is nothing that can separate us from that love. Max Lucado is one of my favorite writers, because I think he has such a wonderful way of expressing things, especially God s love for us. In his book In The Grip of Grace he has a chapter, What We Really Want to Know, where he talks about what it means to know that God is on our side. He looks at verse 31 of the passage I quoted, If God is for us, who is against us? Or in another version, If God is for us, who can Pastor s Ponderings be against us? He asks us to think about what that phrase God is for us really means. In fact, he suggests that we read the phrase four times, emphasizing a different word each time, and thinking about the meaning: He writes: Your parents may have forgotten you, your teachers may have neglected you, your siblings may be ashamed of you; but within reach of your prayers is the maker of the oceans. God! Not may be,: not has been, not was, not would be, but God is! He is for you. Today. At this hour. At this minute. As you read this sentence. No need to wait in line or come back tomorrow. He is with you! He could not be closer than he is at this second. His loyalty won t increase if you are better nor lessen if you are worse. He is for you. Turn to the sidelines; that s God cheering your run. Look past the finish line; that s God applauding your steps. Listen for him in the bleachers, shouting your name. Too tired to continue? He ll carry you. Too discouraged to fight? He s picking you up. Had he a calendar, your birthday would be circled. If he drove a car, your name would be on his bumper. If there s a tree in heaven, he s carved your name in the bark. We know he has a tattoo, and we know what it says. I have written your name on my hand. he declares (Isaiah 49:16) I love those thoughts! How important it is to remember how much we are loved, and that God is on our side, is for us in the midst of all of life, good and bad. I pray that you and I might remember that, might truly know that. Today, and in each new tomorrow! Pastor Kathy

3 P AGE 3 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 7 From Pastor Josh Hello, my name is Josh White. My wife, Martha White, and I are set pastors and founders of the Bhutanese Nepali Truth Church of Iowa. We started our church 4 years ago and have had great joy in seeing what The Lord has done in our lives and the lives of many others by the power of his mighty GOSPEL. The congregation consists of all Bhutanese people and they speak the Nepalese language. (90% of our services are interpreted, and all worship is in the Nepali language. We also have Nepali preachers as well.) All members of the congregation have come to America in the last 5 years and are still coming. Many were believers on their arrival in the United States and many have come to Christ in our church gatherings. What a great life! Christ said if I be lifted up I will draw all men to me!!! We thank Ft. Des Moines United Methodist Church for opening their arms to us. We feel God s love. Pastor Kathy and the staff are wonderful people. We feel like home in this church. It is a privilege and honor to be in this facility worshipping God. We Welcome Our Bhutanese Nepali Brothers and Sisters in Christ Continued Nepali people who have been resettled in Des Moines from refugee camps in Nepal. Some have lived in refugee camps for as long as twenty years, waiting for the chance for someplace to call home. The current arrangement is that their congregation will pay a set amount each month for use of the building at times when our congregation is not using it. Their plans are to use the sanctuary for worship on Sunday beginning at 11:30, and possibly on Tuesday evenings for choir practice. In addition, they will be using the youth room on Friday evenings. One of the rooms upstairs that has been unused for a number of years has been offered to Pastor Josh for office space. Any other use of the building will be scheduled through the church office in the same way that other groups or individuals would do. Please make these fellow Christians welcome, and if you have any questions about these arrangements feel free to visit with Pastor Kathy or a member of the Trustees. Food Pantry Tidbits Thanks to generous cash donations, we can purchase 2-6 more times the food than what retail prices afford because we buy at wholesale and in bulk. However, donations of non-perishable food items (no glass containers, please) are always welcome. The most needed items are: 100% juice (tomato, orange, or vegetable) Fruit (canned in water or 100% juice) Vegetables (tomatoes, green beans, mixed vegetables, or sweet potatoes; with no salt added) Beans (dry or canned in water) Meat (tuna or chicken canned in water) Brown rice (regular or instant) Spaghetti sauce Peanut butter Whole-grain dry pasta or egg noodles Vegetable soup (low-sodium) Cereal (instant or regular oatmeal with no sugar added, whole grain Cheerios, Wheat Chex, Wheaties, Granola or Shredded Wheat) Shelf-stable low-fat UHT milk (in aseptic packaging, NO CANNED MILK) Infant/baby formula Diapers (larger sizes) and Baby wipes Personal products (shampoo, soap, feminine hygiene, toothpaste, or deodorant) Fresh fruits and vegetables (potatoes/sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, carrots, grapes, oranges, tomatoes, melons, broccoli, or bell peppers) Please donate far before prime ripeness. Fresh whole grain bread items (with generous expiration dates) Brown paper grocery bags Food Pantry Sunday will be July 20 here at Ft. Des Moines. All donations can be delivered here, dropped at your neighborhood grocery store s Red Barrel (Hy-Vee, Dahl s and Fareway) or at 1435 Mulberry St.

4 July 2014 Monthly Planner Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :30 PM NA Office Closed 5:00 PM Bhutanese NA :00 AM Coffee :30 PM 4-H in Food Pantry :00 AM Coffee in in 6:30 PM Finance Comm. in Trustees SPPRC Jane on vacation Council 7:30 PM NA NA NA 10:00 AM SHARE Iowa NA Printed by Instant Calendar on 7/2/2014

5 August 2014 Monthly Planner Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :30 PM 4-H Food Pantry Pastor Kathy o in in in 6:30 PM Finance Comm. in Trustees Pastor Kathy on vacation Pastor Kathy on vacation 5:00 PM Bhutanese SPPRC Council NA NA NA 10:00 AM SHARE Iowa 1:00 PM Fellowship Hall in use NA NA Printed by Instant Calendar on 7/2/2014

6 Address Service Requested Ft. Des Moines United Methodist Church 6205 SW 9th St Des Moines IA Phone: Fax: We give thanks for: YOU! The Fort Des Moines United Methodist Church: a community of faith in worship and action, open to all in the Spirit and Love of God. Christian Education Classes will be held thru May 18, :00-11:45 a.m. Staff Rev. Kathy Sides Pastor Laurie Jenkins, Church Musician Pamela Schisel Choir Director Jane White, Administrative Assistant Earl Sides Custodian Lesson Texts These are the lesson texts for the coming weeks, should you want to read ahead: 6th Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, Psalm 45:10-17 Romans 7:15-25a Matthew 11:16-19, th Genesis 25:19-34 Psalm 119: Romans 8:1-11 Matthew 13:1-9, th Genesis 28:10-19a Psalm 139: 1-12, Romans 8:12-25 Matthew 13: th Genesis 29:15-28 Psalm 105:1-11, 45b Romans 8:26-39 Matthew 13:31-33, rd Genesis 32:22-31 Psalm 17:1-7, 15 Romans 9:1-5 Matthew 14: th Genesis 37:1-4, Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b Romans 10:5-15 Matthew 14:22-33 July/August 2014 Events: 4th Offices closed due to holiday Special Offerings: Food Pantry Sunday will be July 20. Items that are kid-friendly are welcomed during the summer months because many children prepare their own lunches. Rural Life Sunday will be August 3. This offering is used by each district to provide some financial resources to people who through a crisis in their lives have very special needs.