Inside this Issue. Did you know? The only question is... (Pastor Rick).. 3

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1 Inside this Issue The only question is... (Pastor Rick).. 3 The Journey of a Lifetime? For young adults only.. 3 Spring has Sprung (Pastor Dave)....4 Letting Go (Danny Cooper)....5 Ladies Retreat Financial News Youth Page & Calendar.8 (Summer) Sunday School. 9 For Readers 7 to Dancing & Dining Memories - You ll miss this, Sue Shawls & Prayers In the WUMC Garden(s) 12 Gearing up for V.B.S. June 18-22! Food & Faith & Family A House Built on Faith.16 Missions Out of Africa.17 NEW! MultiCulti Corner 18 Our People 19, Back Cover Did you know? Mother's Day was established by the former Grafton resident Anna Jarvis in memory of her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis. She was inspired to establish the holiday by a speech her Mother made to her Sunday School class in which she said, "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mothers day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it." The first celebration was held at Jarvis's church, Andrews Methodist Episcopal, in Grafton, West Virginia on May 10, 1908 and has since become a national holiday held the second Sunday of each May.

2 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 2 Are you an avid reader? The WUMC Book Discussion Group meets on the 4th Wednesday of every month - 7PM in Room 223. We will discuss The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks on May 23 and The Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman on June 27. We have openings for discussion leaders in July, August, and October. Kim Reed (302)

3 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 3 From the Pastor s Desk As I am writing for this month s newsletter I am at Camp Pecometh for a leadership retreat with several of my clergy colleagues. In preparation we had been asked to read several books about church trends and leadership. Two of these books, Worship Ways by Thomas Bandy and Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek both centered on a very simple question: Why? Why do we do what we do? Why do we as a church exist? Why does this ministry continue? They pushed us to ask the why question because most of us don t ask the why question first. Instead, we rush into action, the what of the equation and only stop to think about why we are doing something later on. Further, we ll spend more time debating the how we do whatever it is we do before we ask why we are doing it in the first place. That is doing life, and doing ministry, backwards. People need to know the why, because it is the why that inspires. The answer to why cannot be just because or it s tradition because those answers don t stir the soul. We need to evaluate the why of everything that we do and have an answer for why we have the hope that we do in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 4:2) Why do we worship: Do we worship because we are supposed to, because we just always have showed up on Sunday, or do we worship because we love Jesus and need to maintain a vital connection to Him and to fellow believers in Christ? Why do we do missions? Do we go into the community to make a name for ourselves, because it is just what churches are supposed to do, or do we do it so that people will see the love of Christ alive and at work, and that lives might be radically transformed by God s grace? Why do we have Sunday school and youth ministry? Do we do it because we just always have, or do we support these ministries because Jesus said to invite even the youngest among us into his arms of love (Matthew 19:14)? Why is a powerful question, and one that unlocks the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our midst. As United Methodists, we are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Let s stay about that business, to God s glory. Calling all Young Adults Take the Journey! Did you know you can be a Global Mission Fellow? If you are between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age, there are opportunities to serve in the mission field for two years. You can answer God s call to change the world through this mission service! During the two years of service, you can experience community living while engaging in justice work and becoming an ambassador for mission. Work alongside partner communities to address critical issues such as human rights, children and youth, health, migration, gender justice, poverty, congregational development, community organizing, advocacy and education. Develop new skills, learn from local experts, and channel your passion to help build just communities. Benefits include: Simple-living stipend, relocation assistance, insurance, housing, and post-service award. Recent international track locations include Colombia, Grenada, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa and South Korea. US-2 track locations have been Detroit, Miami, Nome, Oklahoma City, San Francisco and Washington DC. For more information, go to the website: Don t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 NIV

4 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 4 Pastor Dave s Ministry Minute - May 2018 Spring has Sprung I m finally starting to see the signs of spring in my travels The forsythia bushes and tulips have shown up and shown out The flowering pear trees have given us their annual showing of flowers The dogwood tree in my front yard is just about to bloom, which seems a little late this year but yet the buds are set to open With the time change we now have daylight well into the evening God is Good!! The transition from winter to spring is a wonderful time of year in our neck of the woods The cold weather will soon be behind us and the warm spring days are gaining in numbers When I feel the warm sunshine as I drive from place to place I m often reminded of the warmth of God s love When we share the love of God with others not only do we share that warmth but I believe God continues to provide us with greater feelings of warmth in return We are blessed to be a blessing and when we bless others we receive a blessing in return We cannot out give God God provide us with blessings beyond measure The Bible tells us that God is able to bless us abundantly so that we will have everything we need at all times (2 Corinthians 9:8) As we enter into the wonderful season of spring with the abundance of growth, sunshine and warm days, may we be reminded of all the ways that the Lord continues to bless us and be glad So be it and Amen Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 WE NEED YOU to participate in our soon-tobe-printed 2018 photo directory. If you have not yet stopped before or after church in room 233 for a professional, quick (and painless) individual or family photo time is running out. Dave Kleinot will be waiting for you on May 6th. See the display in the narthex or call Betsy or Kim with any questions.

5 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 5 Letting Go Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 30:19b-20a Among the many categories of counseling cases I see in my office, whether marital, family, anxiety related, and the list goes on, grief work is easily the most common. And while there are certainly many who are overtly struggling with the loss of a loved one, more it seems are grieving other types of loss, such as a job, friendship, a marriage, or even the loss of one s youth. This steady stream of cases remind me, over and over again, how much loss we must experience as we make our way through this life, leaving the question of why, or more particular, as in all matters of life, what thinly veiled message our God is trying to reveal to us, his children. I had a client not long ago who entered counseling due to the death of her eldest brother. Even though my client was middle aged, it was her brother who was her rock and anchor in life. Having grown up in a dysfunctional home environment, heavy on inconsistency and light on nurturance, my client s brother was that beacon of light she could always rely on; always look to when the darkness of life circumstances crept in. And although a believer for many years, the loss of her brother seemed to shake this nice lady to her very core. After a few months of struggle and hard work, my client came in for regularly scheduled appointment, but appeared quite irregular, if you will. She seemed relaxed for the first time. A calm and rested persona had suddenly emerged. And as she would later describe, this was the first time she arrived to a session without her customary anxiety and dread. So what could have brought about such a dramatic change? That was certainly the question on my mind, and the question I posed to her, as we settled in for our meeting. My client asked me if I was familiar with the movie Titanic, which I was. She said that this past week had been like that pivotal scene of the movie when Rose, the heroine of the story, floating in the freezing water of the North Atlantic, finally let go of her beloved Danny Cooper Daybreak Counseling Services Jack s lifeless hands, and who then cried out for help to the rescue boat floating nearby. This brave lady said, I ve finally let go of my brother this week. I know that God has got me, and that I ll be alright. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 The Word reminds us in Deuteronomy 30:19 to choose life. We may have all been granted this gift we know as life, but we choose life by consistently choosing our connection and reliance on our God, our Creator, over any and all potential holds this transitory life may offer. So if life events can be seen as a two-sided coin, what then is on the opposite side of the coin when we face the loss of someone or something that has been so important or dear to us along our life journey? The other side of that coin, that coin that we must choose to turn in faith and trust, is that necessary renewal of our hope in God; that refuge of peace and security where our lives began and where our lives will ultimately end. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. I Peter 1:3-6 As God has designed us for relationship, both with him and with others, it s humanly impossible to live this life without feeling the sting of grief, the sadness and despair that can grip us as our lives become forever altered by loss. As we know from the Gospel of John 11:35... Jesus wept. Loss indeed touches us all. Our loss is that painful, empty side of the coin; that side that realizes, either suddenly our over time, that life will never be the same again. It is the opposite side of the coin, however, where we are reminded, once more, of the unchanging, everlasting, almighty, and so very much more, that is our God. weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5b To grieve is to live. Yet it is in our grief that we are enabled to renew our hope, our trust, and our reliance on our God, the true Alpha and Omega of all. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

6 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 6 Enjoy going to Camp Pecometh? For the annual ladies' retreat? Each year it gets better and better Sounds like this one can not be beat! Janna brings laughter and music. Tracy's antics--surprising and new. Kim's message, timely, inspiring, Will seem like it's meant just for you. Time alone to be thoughtfully reverent; Time together for games and good chow; Coming soon, and you won't want to miss it. Invite friends and sign up for it now! --original poem written by Bernice Ericson QUESTIONS / INFORMATION... Tracy Fennemore TFennemore@gmail.com. May 20-21, 2018 at the Riverview Retreat Center at Pecometh, Centreville, MD Have you registered for the annual ladies' retreat? There s still room for you and your friends! Please register as soon as possible. This is an opportunity to fellowship in a Christian atmosphere as we sing, pray, eat, laugh, share in a comfortable setting, listen to each other and connect in a special way. We are very excited to hear what Kim Bryan will be sharing with us on "RECEIVING GOD'S BEST". Fill out a registration form at the welcome desk which will explain cost and travel details. Payment deadline is May 6th.

7 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 7 FINANCIAL REPORT FOR MARCH 2018 Michael Quarnaccio, Finance Team Leader Income/Expense to Date Budget to Date 2018 Budget Weekly Offerings-Operating $ 138, $ 146, $ 584, Other Offerings $ 8, $ 19, $ 78, Interest Income $ $ $ 2, Total Offerings $ 147, $ 166, $ 665, Finance Team $ $ 1, $ 7, Office $ 4, $ 5, $ 20, Personnel $ 31, $ 35, $ 143, Mortage Interest $ 17, $ 18, $ 75, Properties & Equipment $ 29, $ 25, $ 100, Total Church Council $ 84, $ 86, $ 346, Nursery & Supplies - $ $ Benevolences(Conference) $ 16, $ 13, $ 55, Education & Youth $ 1, $ 2, $ 8, Extended Table Music $ $ $ 2, Worship $ $ $ Total Council on Ministries $ 17, $ 16, $ 65, Pastor Parish Relations $ 31, $ 33, $ 133, Mortgage Principal liabilty $ 27, $ 27, $ 110, (Reduces debt to PNC) Total Expense $ 161, $ 163, $ 655, Net Income(Loss) $ (13,908.99) Balance of Mortgage 1/1/2018 $ 1,497, Interest Paid in 2018 $ 17, Principal Paid in 2018 $ 87, Mortgage Balance end of month $ 1,410, SKT $1,000 College Scholarship For Academic Year Your Sexton Kitchen Team (SKT) is, once again, offering a $1, Academic College Scholarship to a member of the 2018 High School Graduating Class. This Scholarship is open to all youth members of the Wyoming Church Congregation that have been active in the life of the Church. Application are available from Terry Higgins. Completed applications are due no later than Sunday, May 27, 2018 with the announcement of the recipient to be made on Sunday, June 10, Questions can be directed to Terry Higgins tmhiggins59@hotmail.com or (302) (H) or ( (C).

8 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 8 Packing brown bag lunches for our homeless friends in the community WUMC youth in mission on a Sunday night.

9 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 9... to help lead our Pre-K through 3rd graders in worship during our revamped 2018 Summer Sunday School! Please be on the lookout for sign-ups in the narthex during the next few weeks! We are hoping to find 2 adults and 1 youth helper for each week. Summer Sunday School will run from June 24th through August 26th during the 9:45 service. Please feel free to send any questions to Michelle Harris at cnmharris@gmail.com! Sunday School Closing 2015 Our Wyoming Church children had an exciting start to the Spring Semester. They celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with an Easter Egg Hunt. It was organized and set-up by our pre-k teacher Betsy Freidel, K-2 teacher Mindy Anthony and student helper Brock Nelson. Just a few weeks later they enjoyed a special visit from two of our congregation members, Carol Abbott and Sharon Burge, to celebrate National ASL Day. The children really enjoyed learning how to sign the song "Jesus Loves Me" from Carol and Sharon! Thank You to everyone who helped make these 2 events a success. As we near the end of our 2017/2018 school year we have some very important dates for you to mark in your calendar: May 20th: Teacher Appreciation Sunday / Kids Praise / VBS Kickoff! Please take a few moments to thank you child's Sunday School Teachers, they have done another fabulous job this year! June 10th: Sunday School Closing - 9:45 service June 17th: No Sunday School : Please bring and worship as a family during the special service being offered by This is a great opportunity for our elementary students to see the school students in action. June 18-22: Vacation Bible School! June 24th: Start of Summer Sunday School only. your children the older youth! middle and high September 2: No Sunday School.

10 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 10 THE CUL-DE-SAC KIDS Your 7- to 10-year olds will have a ball (and learn to rely on Jesus) reading about the Cul-de-sac Kid's funny exploits! This exciting and lighthearted chapter book series for young readers centers on the often humorous escapades of a group of neighborhood friends. Nicknamed the "Cul-de-Sac Kids," they learn important lessons about friendship, teamwork, and faith through their adventures and mysteries. Collect books 1 through 24 in 4 slipcased sets. Each softcover book is approximately 80 pages. There are 24 books in the complete series. RED ROCK MYSTERIES Bryce and Ashley Timberline are normal 13-year-old twins, except for one thing--they discover action-packed mystery wherever they go. Whether it's searching for a missing writer or fearing for their lives at the bottom of a canyon, Bryce and Ashley never lose their taste for adventure. Wanting to get to the bottom of any mystery, these twins find themselves on a nonstop search for the truth. The eighth grade is supposed to be the best year of middle school, but after their new principal takes away the most fun thing in their lives, things go from bad to worse. Bryce encounters Internet threats, Ashley is stuck with the school bully, and they suddenly find themselves separated. Things can't get worse, or can they? Find out where their search for truth takes them in this exciting mystery! Recommended for ages 8 to 12. The complete book series includes: Red Rock Mysteries #1: Haunted Waters; Red Rock Mysteries #2: Stolen Secrets; Red Rock Mysteries #4: Missing Pieces; Red Rock Mysteries #4: Wild Rescue; Red Rock Mysteries #5: Grave Shadows; Red Rock Mysteries #6: Phantom Writer; Red Rock Mysteries #7: Double Fault; Red Rock Mysteries #8: Canyon Echoes; Red Rock Mysteries #10: Escaping Darkness; Red Rock Mysteries #11: Windy City Danger; Red Rock Mysteries #12: Hollywood Holdup; Red Rock Mysteries # 13: Hidden Riches; Red Rock Mysteries # 15: Dead End. SUGAR CREEK GANG For over 50 years, generations of 9- to 12-year-olds have thrilled to the faith-building adventures of these courageous Christian boys. Now your youngsters can enjoy their legendary escapades in these updated editions---from catching a bank robber and meeting a mysterious hermit to confronting a ferocious bear. Each edge-of-your-seat novel will keep your kids reading from beginning to end! Featuring language and landmark updates from Paul Hutchens' daughter Pauline Hutchens Wilson, allowing for the adventures to be relatable to today's audience. Approx. 140 pages each, 36 softcovers from Moody. There are 36 books in the complete series. Right: ARC Refreshment sponsors for April s dance: the Century Club of Dover. Spring Fling ARC Dance in April. Helpers and Organizers posing one final time around the faithful WUMC liaison Sue Hajec. We ll miss you, Sue!

11 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 11 Knitting to Nurture - tagging more prayer shawls that will be prayed over by People Praying. on a Wednesday night (5PM in the Sanctuary) and then be on the altar rail for you to take to a friend or loved one in need of such a touch-and-feel reminder of God s continued presence through it all! Bittersweet Celebrations at the Progressive Dinner in March.

12 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 12 Grounds - Weeding, Edging, Mulching and now... Mowing! The second day of the Annual Two Day Grounds Spring Spruce-Up Events at our Wyoming Church was held on a balmy Saturday, April 14, from 9 AM to 12 Noon. A gratifying number of hardy souls completed a host of projects including placing new soaker hoses along the entire plantings that line the West wall of the Church, depositing the second layer of wood mulch on all of the individual plantings that are to be found on our 20 acre site, and edging hundreds of feet of sidewalks and curbing. These major undertakings were in addition to removing via shovels a relatively large number of cubic feet of sub soil, reattaching deer guard protective screens, cleaning up the fire pit, shovel cleaning large areas of curbing base as well as push broom sweeping and air blowing the same hundreds of feet of the aforementioned sidewalks and curbing. The good folks who are worthy of a Thank You For A Job Well Done from you are Jeff Connor, Lynn Ditty, Warren Field, Thomas Guardado, Dottie Harper, Rich Harper, Martha Higgins, Terry Higgins, Wesley Padille, Barbara Pettyjohn, Don Quillen, Joshua Turner, Dawn Melson- Williams and Dave Yencer. At the end of the work festivities Linda Booher, Sexton Kitchen Team Chair, and Nikole Moore served one of the Team s signature luncheons to all who volunteered. This year s Green Season call for volunteers to mow and edge resulted in five teams mowing from March 25 to October 27. Thanks to Warren and Judy Field the members of the five teams are organized as follows: Bill McMahan and Ernie Piazza, Rich Harper and Warren Field, Tim Shepperson and Mike McDevitt, Carl Ravilious and Frank Roberts, Stan Leczner and Eddie Eichholz, along with Ed Palmer and Jeff Conner as alternates. These folks will be responsible for mowing and caring for the North, East, and South lawns. Dave Yencer has volunteered to keep the West and Athletic lawns manicured with his own equipment. Should you have any questions or suggestions relative to the Grounds and their care and appearance please see Terry Higgins or Dave Yencer and More Memorial Bricks! The requests for more Memorial Bricks continues unabated. The process to order a Memorial Brick(s) is an open ended, simple and easy procedure. Just pick up an order form for each Memorial Brick that you intend to purchase, fill it out and follow the directions for return that are to be found on the order form itself. The order forms are on the Memorial Garden display table that is located in the Narthex. Your order will be returned to you for confirmation and approval. Once you have confirmed and approved the text that is to be cut into your Memorial Brick, the order will be hand delivered to the Stonecutter. Upon notification from the Stonecutter, your Brick will be rechecked for a final accuracy review. If the accuracy review is correct, your Brick will be hand-delivered to the Narthex display and you will be notified of its arrival. You will then be given the opportunity to decide where you would desire your Brick to be placed in the Memorial Garden. Once your Brick(s) are placed in a permanent location their respective sites will be recorded in a ring file, along with other pertinent, historical information. The ring files will be located in the Church s Memorial Room. The permanent ring files and their respective information about each Memorial Brick, in keeping with the perpetual care theme of the Memorial Garden, will then be available for future generations of your family should they wish to visit the exact location of your respective Memorial Bricks in the Memorial Garden. Prayerfully and hopefully the final finishing touches will be completed for both the Memorial Garden itself and the accompanying Memorial Plantings so that we can celebrate a much anticipated formal dedication later on this Spring. Dave Yencer or Terry Higgins Please know that the presence of our Memorial Garden and the associated Memorial Planting Beds are the result of sacrificial giving by a ever growing group of dedicated Christian brothers and sisters that proudly call our Wyoming Church their Church Home.

13 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 13 Vacation Bible School "Rolling River Rampage!" June 18-22, 8:30 AM to 12:15 PM. Thank you to all of you who have already come aboard we just need a few more positions filled: If YOU could help out with that, please contact Janna Whitenight at bjwhitey@comcast.net. Kate Kleinot and Janna will be co-directing, and Janna is your contact person. Supplies have started to come in, as well, we especially need (for crafts & science): 2-Liter Bottles Newspapers Cans (size of canned vegetables) Colorful duck tape Do you have any of the following items to lend to our VBS set?? Items we're looking for include the following: Artificial Christmas trees of all sizes (with or without lights) Inflatable rafts six feet long or smaller Raft paddles Small camping stools You will have these items returned when the week is over! And finally, we need Instant crystal Lemonade for snack-time (see Page 14)! Collection Tubs/Boxes are in the narthex. Thank you! Janna and Kate Attention seamstresses! The VBS Bible Story team is in need of a few new costumes for our actors. Simple patterns and fabric will be provided. If you feel led to help in this effort, please contact Kathy Deckard ASAG(odly)P. (302) KathleenDeckard@gmail.com

14 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 14 The May ALL MEN ARE WELCOME Prayer Breakfast will convene in the Backroom at Hall s Restaurant on Saturday, May 26, beginning at 7:30 AM and closing at 8:30 AM. Service to God will be the theme for the Mini Message. We will order from the menu and enjoy good food, a good message and great table fellowship in a relaxed, informal setting. First Timers are warmly welcomed Try It, You ll Like It. You will probably know most of the guys you ll see around the table Information/Questions --- Josh Turner Lemonade, Lemonade, And More Lemonade For Kids! June 18 to 22 will see our growing Wyoming Church hosting this year s VBS s Rolling River Rampage. Your Sexton Kitchen Team will be the host for the mid-morning refreshments that each of the expected 200 plus child attendees as well as an estimated 100 plus Leaders, Teachers, Support Staff, Chefs, Youth Helpers and Volunteer Workers. Lemonade and water are the choice of hydration fluids that are served. Thus, we anticipate a large demand for crystalline/powdered lemonade. The use of lemonade will enable the Chefs of the SKT to avoid using other beverage types that may contain potentially harmful or unsettling artificial coloring agents. If you feelsso led, please consider donating one or more large containers of water-ready lemonade and placing them in the floor tub at the SKT Kiosk in the Narthex. Your generosity will be much appreciated by all involved. Shelby Truitt Betsy Freidel and her fabulous team of youth - from 9 to 93 - for organizing this hugely popular as greatly delicious and highly successful fundraiser for many, many years! In her own words at this year s event, supporting the WUMC youth mission trip 2018: "Thank you so much to everyone who came to dine, youth who served and parents and adults who helped in the kitchen/dining room/clean up. We served over 180 plates of spaghetti and raised over $1500 toward the youth summer mission trip! Special thanks to Gary, Melissa, Hannah, and Brock Nelson who assisted me from start time of 12:30 pm till 8:15 pm clean up!! Also to my mom Dot at the young age of 93 who was there the whole day too!" Our prayer was that many would come out and enjoy some great spaghetti......looks like you did - THANKS!!

15 published THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 15 Thanks to the great creativity of Renate Purdy, our Church s ever resourceful Office Manager, the Sexton Kitchen Team s (SKT) Kiosk, located in the Narthex, has a new look. The on-going, ever-present schedule of SKT events and activities requires a kiosk type presence in the Narthex most of each calendar year. Thus the improvement in the appearance of the Kiosk is very much appreciated and will prove to be most helpful in the future. Your Sexton Kitchen Team (SKT), in response to our growing Congregation, has undergone a major reorganization so as to position ourselves to be even more responsive to the increasing opportunities to serve our Christian Brothers and Sisters and the greater mid-peninsula area that this current and future growth will bring. Linda Booher continues to offer her guidance as Team Chair as well as Team Leader for the five month Soup Day Program (October, November, January, February and March). All of the SKT events find Nancy Sammons and Nikole Moore serving as Co-Chairs. Nancy Roberts and Tina Klecan share leadership roles for all Bereavement Events. Terry Higgins, Carol Abbott, Nancy Roberts and Tina Klecan continue to look at ways that the Team can effectively and logically respond to future acts of nature/civic emergencies. Susan Gant, along with several other good folks, provides very effective leadership with the Soup Days Bake Table. Linda Booher and George Pettyjohn continue to provide effective and accurate advice on the four different budgets for which the Team has responsibilities. Frank Roberts graciously continues to monitor the Team s Expenses/Income reporting. Carol Abbott, in addition to all of her other great and effective volunteer efforts, serves as the Team s Recording Secretary. This new reorganization alignment has already begun to exhibit good, positive results. Specifically, in the form of such mid-april events as a buffet dinner prepared by the Team in the Chef s Kitchen and served in the Family Life Center to the All In Fellowship as well as another event that featured a Pampered Chef s Party. The Team s existing policies on providing catered food services are structured so as to be able to effectively and competitively serve both Wyoming Church groups as well as community groups. Your SKT continues to plan for a variety of forthcoming Summer Events including the daily food services and Volunteer Picnic for a potentially record-breaking June 18 to 22 Vacation Bible School. Should you be interested in having the Team host a family or organization event any of the aforementioned folks would be pleased to discuss your ideas with you. As the Team grows we will always be in need of great volunteers who love to serve and who love great fellowship. Linda Booher, Team Chair, would be pleased to talk with you! (302) Nurses Christian Fellowship celebrates Nurses Week 2018 with a Luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 19th. This year s theme is "Nurses inspire, innovate, and influence". We will be awarding a Nursing Scholarship, guest speaker Paul Inge, MSN, FNP-BC, blessing of hands ceremony, and fellowship. Please join us! Wyoming United Methodist Church published a total of 5 cookbooks over the past 65 years. Every month, we will present a recipe that has been a cherished part of the great Methodist tradition of food & fellowship!

16 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 16 A House Built on Faith Wyoming UMC will once again be participating in Central Delaware s Habitat for Humanity s Faith Build. This will be the fourth house we have been involved with over the years. Previously referred to as Apostle Build, the Faith Build house will provide a reasonably priced home for a family. They will have a mortgage and will have to provide a number of hours of sweat equity during the construction. As of this writing, we do not know who the homeowner will be but you will all have an opportunity to meet that person or persons during a church service in late May or early June. Our responsibilities for sponsoring the Faith Build will be to provide a day of labor and also to make a financial commitment. We will be pledging $3,000 toward the construction costs. To date, there are 18 churches participating. Our contributions plus grants, etc. will be able to cover the cost of the construction. Watch for our lighted house display.as we reach another level, another light will come on! Our f irst workday will be July 11. There will be a sign-up sheet for workers, envelopes for donations and a sign-up sheet to help with lunch on our day to work! So, there are plenty of ways to get involved in this

17 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 17 Hello Church Family, I am thrilled to announce that I have been accepted to travel to South Africa this summer! I will be there for a month, working at a Rhino Orphanage through an organization called Intern Africa. While there I will be working with baby Rhinos that have been brought to us because their mothers have been killed by poachers. The last White Rhino in the world recently passed away, and if we don't make efforts to conserve these animals, other Rhino species will follow in the same path. This is why I am traveling to South Africa, in efforts to rehabilitate these Rhinos with hopes of releasing them back into a reserve near by. This is an amazing opportunity for me, but I will not be paid to work there. I will have to pay my way there and this is why I need your help! I will be fundraising to help cover the cost of travel, work and other expenses. Any donation, no matter how small, will help and be much appreciated. The Rhinos and I thank you! Here is the link to meet the orphans that I will be working with! Care For Wild is the biggest orphan rhino sanctuary in the world. Looking after baby rhino s is a challenge, but we love every one of our orphans, and we re dedicated to the goal of rescuing and rehabilitating them, before being able to release them again in safe places as viable breeding populations. Here is a link to my gofundme page or you can go to gofundme.com and search my name. route=category&term=taylor%20klecan Our Missionaries in Mutare, Zimbabwe (From their recent newsletter) (Larry)- I have been extra busy with more classes than ever, as well as guiding five final-year students doing senior research projects. One is named Rising, who wants to be a plant breeder, and is screening cowpea varieties to find the ones that do best here. Thanks to those who, through gifts to the scholarship fund, have helped Rising and many others to be here learning. Africa University Farm News We know that all of the developments at the AU Farm will be useless if we don t have competent, motivated people to do the work. A key part of attracting and retaining such staff is providing good housing on campus for many of them. Kudos to a team from Illinois (Great Rivers Conference) who funded and in February arrived in time to help us get started on construction of a threeroomed house. Thanks to all who have helped the Farm continue to develop. We are excited about soon planting our first wheat crop under the new center pivot irrigation system. Among new projects on the drawing board are a walk-in freezer and better slaughter facilities for assisting in marketing our broilers; continued development of the dairy (including more heifers); a new Jane & Larry house for raising day-old pullets (female chicks) to become laying hens; and continuing to improve housing for our farm workers. Please pray Ø in Thanks for the continuing stability after the change in presidents in Zimbabwe, and for calm, peace and fairness during the elections to be held later this year. Ø In thanks for Africa University as it continues to prepare young people for an everchanging world Ø For wisdom and generosity when confronted with situations outside our comfort zones As always, thank you for your support, love, cards, prayers, thoughts, and s! Yours and His, Larry and Jane Kies Africa University Box 1320, Mutare Zimbabwe - LKies@Africau.edu Larry Kies (center) Thank you in advance for your support!! Taylor Klecan The WUMC Outreach Team just approved a renewed covenant relationship with Larry and Jane Kies for $1,000 each for one year from May 1, 2018 to May 1, Both are affiliated with Africa University Larry in agriculture and Jane teaching English. We have supported them for several years.

18 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 18 How Can I Help? The multi-cultural activities at Wyoming Church are growing by leaps and bounds You may have noticed greater levels of diversity at Wyoming Church These increases are largely due to our partnership with Casa de Esperanza, a Hispanic/Latino congregation Casa de Esperanza is experiencing new levels of growth and welcome you to join them for worship on Sunday afternoons at 1:00 They will provide a quality Spanish to English translation at any time Wyoming Church and Casa de Esperanza have partnered in ministry to the farm hands at a nearby farm camp and we hope to be in ministry at a second camp this summer With that possibility it would be a wonderful ministry opportunity for anyone and everyone I was able to go into the camp last year and was blessed to see the farm hands in a relaxed setting enjoying some lively music and a good Gospel message With the positive growth we ve seen in these ministries there will be increased opportunities for Christian service If you are interested in helping in any way or if you have any suggestions as to how we can grow these ministries please feel free to reach out to me I trust that God will continue to direct our steps as we seek his face together When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Leviticus 19:34 Church Yard Sale on Saturday, August 5 - indoors! The FUNdraising Team will take your donations (clean/gently used - NO furniture, NO clothing, NO books please) starting after VBS (June 22) throughout July. If you have any questions or if you d like to help out, please call Margaret ALL DONATIONS TAX DEDUCTIBLE. Registration forms for tables will be online soon!

19 THE WYOMING MESSENGER May 2018 Page 19 ~ Our People ~ ~ May Birthdays ~ 05/01 Trish Rodriguez, Dave Salmon, Karen Tiedgen, Patsy Schweppe, Tiffany Long, Karly Sigurd 05/02 Juliet Klecan 05/03 Norma Lee French 05/04 Eric Jones, Judi Leczner 05/05 Janet Meyer, Emily DeJesus, Sherry Kijowski 05/06 Pat Sholtes 05/08 Frank Sutton, Michelle Sell 05/09 Korbin Tinsley 05/10 Jeff Jones, Collin Ditty 05/12 Spencer Failing 05/13 Evelyn Greenwood 05/14 Mary Wilt, Aaron DeJesus 05/15 Doris Wilt, Kade Seip 05/17 Anna Simpson 05/18 Pat Sweeney 05/20 Andrea Pierce 05/21 Kevin Lighter, Dan Rigby, Hunter Pearson 05/22 Debbie Killen 05/23 Melanie DeJesus, Lillian Petro 05/24 Lynne Singleton, Everly Thompson 05/25 Katana Edwards-Coope 05/26 Wini Walton, April Bergeron, Matt Gordineer 05/27 Karen Sammons, Abby Robinson 05/29 Cheryl Kapes, Nancy Sammons, Vicky Quirk 05/30 Hannah McGriffin 05/31 Loretta Walls 06/01 Dan Schoettinger, Jack Luke, Amy Bonner, Okemah Strickland 06/02 Lee Ann Jackson 06/03 Zack Papen, Isabel Marlow 06/04 Donna Lee Sheppard 06/05 Peggy Ciminera, Richard Papen, Madelynn Harris, Michael Sell, Amy Spampinato, Tamryn Coleman 06/06 Lois Klinger ~ Baptism ~ Michaela Rey Malone, the daughter of Danielle & Cody Malone, on April 15, Cody & Danielle Malone holding Michaela, big sister Chloe and Michaela s Godparents, Heather Shipley (far right) and Matthew Francica (far left). Meet the latest addition to our staff - Bill Davis! Before he joined our WUMC janitorial crew, Bill worked in a similar capacity for Delaware State University for almost 30 years. Bill is scheduled to work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings - be sure to stop and say hi and give him a warm welcome!

20 216 Wyoming Mill Road, Dover, DE Phone: Fax: To: You! ~ Dear Friends we lost in April ~ Irvin Rothenberg passed away peacefully on April 5, 2018 in Philadelphia, PA. He was 63. Helen McKee on April 20, Helen had been a member of Wyoming UMC since Irv was born September 26, 1954 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, son of the late Mary and William Rothenberg. He graduated from Emmaus High School in 1972 and West Chester State College in 1976 with a degree in Music Education. He began teaching elementary music in the Smyrna (DE) School District in 1976 where he served for 31 years. Countless students grew up crediting Mr. Rothenberg for instilling a lifelong love for music. Irv retired in In the community sector, Irv performed in and was the Music Director for several local musicals for the Community Singers of Dover and the Smyrna Opera House. He was also the Director of Music at Asbury United Methodist Church for thirty years and at Wyoming Methodist Church (directing the Children s Choir and Chapel Choir at the 9:45AM worship service) for several years. Irv had several original choral music compositions published that have been performed internationally, and several can still be seen on youtube. His best known song is "Down, Down the Chimney," but all of his songs are sung by church choirs, school choruses, and community groups to this day. Irv s greatest love was for his son Matthew. Matt is a 4th generation of gifted Rothenberg musicians and has worked in various professional theater companies in West Virginia, Maryland, and Florida, including at Walt Disney World Orlando. Irv is also survived by a sister Sara in Tombstone, AZ and a brother Michael in New Bern, NC. Irv's musical gifts and outstanding creative talents brought him into the lives of many people, but it was his kind, sincere heart that they ll remember. He will be dearly missed. Hands United in Peace By Irv Rothenberg ( April 5, 2018) We re a world of many colours We re a world of many hues We re a world of many faces Sharing many different views If we learn to work with others And take a common stand We can learn to love each other So come on and take my hand Each today and each tomorrow Can be better if we try To reach out to friends and neighbours And begin to unify For together we have power To build a better land We must learn to take each hour And hold it in our hand Hands united in peace Hands united in hope Look at these hands now joined together Suddenly love begins to grow A human rainbow never ending From sea to shining sea Hands united in freedom Hands united in peace.