ST. ANDREW S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 ST. ANDREW S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER 1004 Rock Road, De Soto, MO PHONE: standrews1004@sbcglobal.net Adult Bible Study, Tuesdays 1:30 PM: Morning Worship: 10:30 AM Children s Church 10:30 AM Web Page: K. Darlene Payne, Pastor Marietta J. Martin, Ministry Assistant Vol. 28, No. 8 August 2015 BAPTISM & CHURCH PICNIC SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 We will be gathering on the Big River Pavilion hosted by the Kingsland Family (map provided at the church) EATING BEGINS AT 1:00 P.M. BAPTISM TO FOLLOW BRING DISHES TO SHARE MEAT AND DRINKS PROVIDED PAPER PLATES, CUPS, UTENSILS PROVIDED Greeting in the Name of Our Lord, Most worthwhile things in life take time: developing a marriage relationship, building a career, raising children, etc. As Christians, and as members of a congregation, however, we can sometimes become frustrated when we don t see things happening as quickly as we would like them to. God s Word has a wonderful promise for us: He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) HE: The emphasis is on God, w ho he is, and what he does. How often do we begin by acting, thinking, or speaking about things as if I am the only one who can do it? An important part of doing what I do as a pastor is to realize that I can t do it by myself. God carefully designed the church so that it wasn t about any one person or personality. I have my strong and weak points, and so do you. Instead of trying to go it alone, we need to learn to rely on each other. Now, if that is true of our relationship with each other, how much more is it true of our relationship with God! WHO BEGAN: Sometimes children argue about who started it who is responsible. But when it comes to our salvation, there can be no dispute: God is the one who started it! This means that our being rescued from sin, death and the devil is due only to the fact that God first loved us enough to send his Son as the only way of salvation. It was an act of completely undeserved love, of which we were altogether unworthy. In spite of that, God now lovingly calls and brings us to faith through the Gospel, the

2 good news of what Jesus has done for us. This gospel invitation is expressed beautifully in Isaiah Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. (55:6-7) The fact that only God can accomplish our salvation means that, even from the beginning, it is a work of grace. A GOOD WORK: W hen you praise a child for something they do, you often say, Good job! How nice it is, even as adults, to hear those words. Even though God needs no flattery, and is not dependent on our compliments for his self-esteem, he still enjoys hearing us thank and praise him for all he is and does. God s constant activity is accurately summed up in the three articles of the Apostles Creed: creation, redemption, and sanctification. By creation, we mean that God not only made us, but that he also keeps us by providing for our daily needs and protecting us from harm. By redemption we mean that God rescued us from death and hell and released us from slavery to sin by providing a ransom: Jesus innocent death in our place. Sanctification means that God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, has brought us to saving faith in Christ. We now enjoy the peace of God s forgiveness and we gladly want to live a new life to the glory of God. In fact, once we stop and consider all God does for us, good work actually seems like a bit of an understatement! IN YOU: Now, sometimes it might seem like God isn t doing anything in your life. Other times, his work might seem to be taking an almost unbearable length of time before it is finished. Yes, his ways are sometimes hard to understand. In a parable Jesus told, the workers in the vineyard who were hired at the beginning of the day couldn t understand why others who were hired at the end of day were paid just as much as they were. Jesus answer was that the owner of the vineyard had the right to do as he pleased with the workers he hired. In Isaiah God tells us, My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (55:7-9) At those times, we need to rely on faith. Just because we can t see him doing anything doesn t mean that he isn t! Remember that some of the most amazing work God does is within us. God works in us through the means of Grace through His Word, through Baptism, and the Lord s Supper. WILL CARRY IT ON TO COMPLETION This is a statement of faith, and yet it is also a statement of certainty. Paul is mentioning it in the context of his prayer: he is praying to God with the absolute confidence that he will do this. What is Paul s prayer? That your love may abound more and more in depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. Paul can be confident in this prayer because his confidence is centered in Christ. By God s grace, we are already beginning to display the Spirit s fruit of love, joy, peace, and so on. Have you ever known a procrastinator? Some people procrastinate because they are really perfectionists. They fiddle and fiddle with something until they get it just right but it never quite gets there. God is not like that. He is actually perfect! His work is also perfect. And in Christ, we are God s work! It says in Ephesians 2:10, For we are God s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. The first Philippian convert was Lydia: The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul s message. (Acts 16:14) Afterwards, she opened her home to the apostles! We don t just do good works. We are a good work God s own good work. If the work depended on us, we would fail. But it doesn t. We are like a beautiful work of art, painstakingly designed and crafted by the Master Craftsman himself. We don t yet see the final result, but God does. So we can trust him when he gives us the promise, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Pastor Darlene All your thoughts and prayers helped with my recovery. Thank you! I appreciated all the calls, cards, and visits. I am especially grateful to Pastor Darlene and Padre for visiting me in the hospital. How wonderful to be part of a loving, caring church family! Merlin Weber

3 PRAYER NEEDS* *Updated Health Issues Bart Barnard, Bill and Lorraine Bay, Ann Blum, Tonda Breeze, Jane Broadwater, Geno Broeckling, Bill Brooking, Steve & Carol Brown, Joe Bryant, Kent & LeAnn Buchheit, Dorothy Burgess, Phyllis Butler, Dan Buttrey, Chaplain Jim & Margaret Carter, Janie Case, Amy Clark, Beverly Clark, Tommy Clark, Jim Coffman, Marge Cope, Douglas Crocker, Bob & Paula Cunningham, Frank Davis, Larry Deaton, Matt DeClue, Renee Evans, Mike Farris, Brian Fauth, Merrill Garland, Rachel Gibbs, Betty Greenlee, Mary Greenstreet, Barbara Hanna, Zachary Handy, Jerry Hart, Richard Haas Family, Rich Hessler, Gavin Hoelzel family, Norma Hoelzel, Pete Hoelzel, Sarah House, Doris & Herbert Hubbard, Marvin & Judy Hunter, Linda Hurd, Tom Jeffries, Mary Jinkerson, Geraldine Johnson, Rebecca McKinstry, Mike Klaus, Dixie Klein, Richard Konert, Cindy Korkhamer, Claudia Lawrenz, Mark LaBrecque, Curly Lane, Bob LaRouche, Earl Lintner, Tom McDonald, Macunhe UMC, Brittany Martin, Gene Martin, Ruth Martin, Joan Mason, Keith Mason, Tiny Medcalf, Patty Melton, Melvin Meinz, Rev. Linda Murry, Bob Miller, Beth Marmon, Thomas Estus Nicholas, Jason Owen, Matt Owens, Brian Parmeley, Stacia Parmeley, Todd Parrish, Margaret Pillen, Amy Pressey, Cole Propst, Tom Pruitte, Zach Rasse, Betty Ray, Dennis Reynolds, Claudine Reynolds, Marie Rhodes, Brad Rhoers, Shelley Robinson, Tommy Scharfenberger, Michelle Schott, Matthew Scott, Jim Smith, Lawrence Smith, Lucas Smith, Ronald Speidel, Jonathan Stroud, Dennis Sullivan, Mari Anne Sutton, Frank Talbert, Martin Thomas, Eric Thuer, Nancy Stichling Thuer, Vinney Timmerman, Maureen Touchstone, Butch Turek, Mary Ann Turek, Linda Twomey, Joann Underwood, Audrey Vreeland, Donna Walker, Margie Walker, Diane Ward family, Jim Watson, Kirk Weber, Merlin Weber, Natalie Weiss, Barbara Weston, Megan Wheeler, Mary Lou Whittemore, Addie Wiggins, Norma Wiley, Leonard Williams family, Boytt & Marian Willis, June Wilson, Mary Wilson, Chuck Wintermute, Rosemary Wischmeier, Chuck Zimmermann, Mary Zimmermann, unspoken requests. Our service personnel: Paul Case, Caleb Huskey, Nick Mahn, Michael & Sherri Monroe, JP Parkin & family, Keith Wakeland, Chris Weaton CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY Bob Padre and Pastor Darlene on the death of their uncle, Paul Windsor on August 3, Services and burial were held on August 6 at Mt. Horeb Church in Montgomery County, MO. Sara Maness and Family on the death of her father, Leonard Williams, on August 3. His memorial service was August 6. SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES SERVING GOD Liturgists: August 16 Marsha Greenstreet August 23 Confirmation Class August 30 Edgar Huffman September 6 Karleigh Faust September 13 Marietta Martin SERVING OTHERS Fellowship Hosts/Hostesses: August 16 August 23 Baptism and Picnic August 30 Phyllis & Bobby Fisher September 6 Youth Class September 13 Faust Family Communion Stewards: September 6 Youth Class with the Souders September 27 as mentors Our count to the Food Pantry amounted to 388 items. We had $325 for De Soto Ministerial Alliance. Food pantry can use hamburger helper, canned fruit (no glass), and canned pasta (no meat). Fountain City Grill is now open Monday-Thursday 11am-8pm Friday-Saturday 11am-9pm Closed Sunday 3 OUR STEWARDSHIP Weekly Offerings and Worship Attendance July 19 General Fund Designated July 26 General Fund Designated Aug 2 General Fund Designated Building Fund Aug 9 General Fund Designated

4 De Soto Farmers Market Schedule for July and August August 22 DFM is sponsoring a Blood Drive. Please sign up early with DFM or call the church office. August 29 Celebrate Your Heritage. Come join us at the market for demonstrations of crafts, Bob and Bryanna Alexander. September 19 Fall Festival September 26 Autumn Fest LOTS OF GREAT PRODUCE IN SEASON PLENTY OF BEEF, LAMB AND PORK BREADS, COOKIES, PIES AND CRAFTS WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT OUR STUDENTS WHO WENT TO CAMP ALL ENJOYED THEIR TIME, THEY HAVE THANKED THE CHURCH FOR HELPING THEM TO BE ABLE TO GO AND EXPERIENCE THE FUN OF BEING WITH OTHERS IN THIS CAMPING EXPERIENCE. Bible Study meets at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. We are ready for Acts 21. Please consider a donation to the scholarship camp funds. We have received $330. You may include this In your offering envelope. ARE YOU WANTING TO VOLUNTEER FOR A CHURCH PROJECT? There are several interested in forming a garden club to take care of the landscaping for our church and the parsonage.. An hour or so a week would probably be sufficient to keep the lawns around the church and parsonage attractive. Please contact the church office or tell Pastor Darlene. ARE THERE PEOPLE ON OUR PRAYER LIST THAT HAVE RECOVERED FROM THEIR ILL- NESSES OR THOSE THAT SHOULD BE ADD- ED? PLEASE CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE, As you know our parking lot is in desperate need of repair. The estimated cost of these repairs will be $4800 to $5000. Our Parking Lot Fund has $800. Please label donations parking lot so that the funds will be directed properly. Edgar Huffman, Trustee Chairperson SUGAR MOON Featured at Coyol August 13, 5:30-8:30 p.m. September 17, 5:30-8:30 p.m. La Pachanga Herculaneum August 21, 5-8 p.m. September 25, 5-8 p.m. Fountain City Grill August 15, 6-9 p.m. October 1 Mel Bay Jazz Festival 4

5 September 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Bring a covered dish and a chair to the Pig Roast at the Frank Talbert Farm Sept. 6, 12 noon Jimmy Stichling (b 8 2 Choir 7 pm Lydia Mayberry (b Dave & Vonna Burnett (a) 9 3 Mary Courtois (b KC Cope (b) Holy Communion Beau Weber (b) 13 Marsha Greenstreet (b) Dani Jones (b) 14 John White (b) Edward Henry (b) 15 Greg & Tara Schellert (a) 16 Hardee s Bible Study 7:30 a Kim Kingsland (b) Bill Dunnegan (b) Joe & Linda Bean (a) 19 Shawn /Becky Mayberry (a) 20 Admin Board 6:30 p Sarra Faust (b) 21 Sean Mahoney (b) 22 Christian Nuckols (b) Bill/Marcia Dunnegan (a) Colton Parkin (b) 25 UMM Breakfast 7:30 10:30 am Brooke Agers (b) 26 Fellowship Dinner Steve/Debbie Richardson (a) Tim Wright/ Meaghan Doyle Drew/Julianne Christopher (a) Phyllis Fisher (b) Hardee s Bible Study 7:30 a Catherine Howard (b) Kevin/Amy Smith (a) Karleigh Faust (b) Holy Communion Sharon Vance (b) Linda Bean (b) Hunter Maness (b) Sarah McAlpine (b) Evelyn Lewis (b) Tammie Riddle (b) Terri Deaton (b)

6 St. Andrew s United Methodist Church 1004 Rock Road De Soto, MO Third Graders receive their BIBLES AUGUST 16 BLESSING OF BACKPACKS Students and teachers bring backpacks and other materials to be placed on the altar. ST. ANDREW S UNITED METHODIST MEN S BREAKFAST SATURDAY AUGUST 15 7:30 TO 10:30 AM ST. ANDREW S FELLOWSHIP HALL Join us for a full meal, pancakes, or just a breakfast sandwich.