May The WORD. Let s Dance!

Transcription

1 The WORD May 2017 Nekoosa United Church of Christ (the church by the bridge) Rev. Timothy Miller, Pastor 205 Market street Nekoosa, WI Sunday Worship: 9:30 am Fellowship follows Worship Office Hours: Mon Fri 9:00 am 2:00 pm Pastor s Hours: Mon 12:00 noon 6:00 pm Tues Thur 9:00 am 2:00 pm office@nekoosaucc.com pastor@nekoosaucc.com Let s Dance! It is spring! It hit seventy degrees today and the lawn is green and getting tall, birds and squirrels are playing tag outside my place and at the church. The dark days of Lent are over and a brightness and lightness has overcome the shadows of sadness from our savior dying upon the cross. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; God has made everything suitable for its time. The time to mourn is never fun; Cynthia Bourgeault wrote, mourning is indeed a brutal form of emptiness. But in this emptiness, if we can remain open, we discover that a mysterious something does indeed reach back to comfort us; the tendrils of our grief trailing out into the unknown become intertwined in a greater love that holds all things together ; the love of God and all of creation. I read this thought of our tendrils of grief reaching out blindly desperately trying to grab onto something solid, something comforting and something they can put their trust and hope into once again. As the scripture from Ecclesiastes declares, there is a time to mourn and a time to dance. Hopefully we went through our time of grief and mourning through lent and now we have reconnected to the love of God ready to dance this glorious dance called life once again. I hope you come away from this darkness of lent not just to live our lives as usual again, just muddling through life. This year let s do something more than just living. Let s do a new thing, instead of weeping lets laugh! Instead of mourning let s not just get by, let s Dance! Live this life with kindness, compassion, action, and walk humbly with the God of love! Together let s make a positive difference and bring light to those still weeping in the darkness of an ugly and cruel world. It is a time for all of us to dance! Peace and Love, Pastor Tim Web Site:

2 May Emma McKeel 3 - Lisa Schenk 4 - Melody Moody-Zuege 5 - Ruth Bennett 5 - Vicki Nehring 7 - Danise Wegner 8 - Mary Schultz 13 - Loren Elkin 13 - Rosanne Coon 15 - Olivia Sage Wegner 18 - Heather Michels 22 - Andrew Beadell 24 - Marilyn Elkin 25 - Joyce Murray 26 - Laney Sorenson 27 - Ken Marcoux Wisconsin Conference UCC Annual Meeting June 8, 9, 10 & 11 in Green Lake, Wisconsin Speakers Friday Keynote: Rev. John Dorhauer, President and General Minister of the United Church of Christ Saturday Keynote: Rev. Everett Mitchell, pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Worship: Gary Rand, Director of Worship Activities and Adjunct Professor in Worship at McCormick Theological Seminary Other exciting highlights Share Fair Gain inspiration from what congregations around the Conference are doing Thursday Workshop Sparking Creativity and Expanding Vision, with Paul Nixon, author of Weird Church Workshops 14 workshops to choose from Friday Evening Social Gathering 7 - Charles and Joy Schauer 8 - Loren and Marilyn Elkin 11 - Bill and Shelley Eichhorn 15 - Roger & Pat Kester 26 - Chuck and Shelby Sorrell If you are interested in going, contact our church office for more information. It is a very rewarding experience.

3 A Silent Talk with God Do you have someone or something you especially want to pray for or just need some time for quiet reflection. Our sanctuary is open every Thursday from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Please come in!! Dates to Remember May 2 Women United Mother/Daughter Night Out May 4 Youth Group Meeting 5:00-6:30pm May 7 Pork-ilicious Lunch May 8-12 SWEPS Sit and Stitch May 13 (9:00am to 4:00pm) May 2 5:30pm Mother/Daughter Night Out May 17-9:00am Business Meeting All Ladies of the church are members of the Women United so come to our meetings and see what we are about. May 11 WEG to Two Lakes May 21 Confirmation Sunday May 25 Neighborhood Table May 29 - Memorial Day (office closed) Committee Meeting Dates Diaconate May 15 7:15 pm Christian Education May 7 10:30am Mission & Outreach May 17 6:00pm Trustees May 17 6:00pm Church Council May 7:00pm (meetings are open to congregation) It is through the anonymous generosity of many people in our church that our Wish List needs have been and continue to be met. We are always in need of: TOILET PAPER and PAPER TOWELING Thank you to the many wonderful individuals in our church family who continue to provide when the need is there. Your kindness is greatly appreciated.

4 Gary is Back!! SHOUT OUT to Gary Fischer for all you do (when you are here). He gets back on Saturday and has things waiting for him on Sunday. Pork-ilicious Lunch SHOUT OUT to Jim Anderson. was busy getting boilers running like they are suppose too and keeping the city water department happy. SHOUT OUT to Tom Kirst. Tom you did a great job when Gary was gone and Jim was laid up. SHOUT OUT to Christian Education Committee for the Scavenger Hunt. Everyone had a great time and the lunch was delicious. SHOUT OUT to Christian Ed, Rita Freeman and Youth Group (and Travis for biscuits & gravy). Easter Breakfast was out of this world. SHOUT OUT to Bonnie Wheeler and the choir. The music during holy week was heavenly! SHOUT OUT SHOUT OUT to all of you who provide the treats for fellowship after worship. The Nekoosa United Church of Christ At 205 Market Street (by the bridge) Sunday, May 7 th, :30 AM to 12:30 PM Adults & Youth (13+).$9.00 Children (12 & under)..$5.00 {Carry-outs Available} On site Menu Includes: Roast Pork, Sauerkraut, Potato salad, Baked beans, Potato chips, Rolls, Dessert and Beverage

5 Volunteers needed for Camp Awesum at Moon Beach Camp Awesum is a great event that provides a camp experience to children on the autism spectrum and their parents. Our participation in this fun volunteer camp will be to provide respite for parents daily between breakfast and lunch and one evening. Our church has been asked to provide volunteers for the week of Sunday, June 18th to Saturday the 24th. If you are interested in attending, you must be willing to work with the Camp AweSum staff when needed and must be available to attend the full week. Training will be provided by an Autism Specialist. This is a donation based camp. Prayerfully consider attending this exciting a very rewarding opportunity. Call Lynette Hilgers A sign-up sheet is in the narthex. Pork-ilicious Lunch- Also See the attachment (Poster) A Pork Lunch will be served from 10:30-12:30 on Sunday, May 7 th. The Diaconate is looking for some help preparing the food, serving and cleaning up afterwards. Food donation requests are also needed. There are sign-up sheets in the Narthex as we look for volunteers to help us with this event. We changed the name of the event, but want to continue the tradition of raising funds to help our church with projects and needs. The previous Pig Roast event had helped with providing funds for the church by purchasing cakes and gifts for graduation and for new members, Heritage Sunday, etc. and provides special programming for worship and anything needed to do with worship. Questions can be directed to Melody Moody-Zuege or Lynette Hilgers. ************************************ Master Gardener Sunday, May 7 th - 12:00 Noon United Methodist Church of Port Edwards 411 Wisconsin River Dr. Port Edwards Fellowship Hall Neighborhood Table Our church will be sponsoring a meal for The Neighborhood Table on Thursday, May 25th. We will be serving ham, pasta salad, fruit and desserts. You may volunteer to help prepare the meal, or help with the many other jobs throughout the day, such as a plate scrapper, dishwasher, a greeter, kitchen server and more. We are also asking for volunteers to provide desserts. Cookies or bars are a better choice than cake, as they pack better in take-out orders. Cake is ok though for serving in the dining room. The Neighborhood Table serves meals out of United Methodist Church 441 Garfield Street in Wisconsin Rapids. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex or let Lynette know your availability. Thank you!. The Port Edwards United Methodist Church is pleased to invite you to attend the Gathering on May 7th. A gardening program will be presented by congregation members Ellen Mazurek, Judy Miller and Chris Landowski. All are certified Wisconsin Master Gardeners ready to share their gardening knowledge and experience. They will have many handouts. Join us and learn proper tree and shrub pruning techniques. The benefits of making compost with yard waste and kitchen scraps and how our community can save money. Refresher on amending lawn and garden soils with your own compost. Question and Answer time: Ask the Gardner? Perennial Plant Exchange: Is this the year you need to divide your overgrown garden plants? Well. divide them up, put them in small pots to share with friends and neighbors and bring them along to trade or share with the folks at the Gathering.

6 The Holy Week Scavenger hunt was a huge success. About 35 kids and adults participated. And from what we heard everyone had a great time. Afterward Donna served her delicious barbecues. Our next Youth Group meeting is on Thursday, May 4 at 5:00pm. Dinner will be served. We are going with a weekday evening because all of the Sundays are taken. Next month we will go back to a Sunday morning. We are trying to plan an outing and want everyone s input. Remember to save the dates for Vacation Bible School. Mark your calendars July 31 thru August 3. On August 6 we will have an outdoor service where the kids will demonstrate what they learned during the week. Another date to remember is June 4. That will be Children s Sunday. The kids will receive recognition for their participation in Sunday School. That is also the Sunday we will recognize our high school seniors. {Christian Ed had a very busy month Scavenger Hunt, Easter Breakfast, Earth Day PickUp. I would personally like to thank everyone who helped. You are awesome!!! } A very special thank you to Chuck Sorrell who works for a company that donated coffee cups for Pumpkin Fest. ********************* Thank you so much for the beautiful Easter Lilly. A special thank you to all who sent cards or called me and expressed get well wishes since by knee surgery. God Bless you all. Valieta Gifffin **************************** ****************************** SWEPS Needs Your Help You, the members of Nekoosa United Church of Christ, are incredibly generous. Because of you, the South Wood Emergency Pantry is able to supply food to those who cannot do it for themselves for one reason or another. This is your community and I hope you are as proud of all the good things that happen here in South Wood County. Our week to work the pantry is May Barbara probably has that taken care of but please call her at and let her know you are available to help.

7 Red Poppies In 1915, inspired by the poem In Flanders Fields, Moina Michael replied with her own poem: Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is clear Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land, he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn t the anniversary of any particular battle. On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). We cherish too, the Poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies. She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms. Michael. When she returned to France she made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children s League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their Buddy Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms. Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it. National Moment of Remembrance The National Moment of Remembrance resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps. It is now observed in almost every state on the last Monday in May with Congressional passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L ). This helped ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays, though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19th in Texas; April 26th in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10th in South Carolina; and June 3rd (Jefferson Davis birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

8 CHANGE OF ADDRESS? SCRIPTURE READERS FOR May May 7 Kaitlyn Kouba May 14 Nita Kirst May 21 Kaitlyn Kouba May 28 Rita Layton If you are moving, have a change of address or, planning a temporary address change, please contact the Church Office. Did you know returned mail is an additional expense to our church? Call ************************************* ************************************* HOSPITALIZATION Please remember to contact the Church Office when there is an illness, concern, hospitalization or, you would like a call from Pastor Tim. The hospital will not inform us without your permission! BULLETINS & NEWSLETTERS Would you like an Announcement made in a Sunday Bulletin? Please contact the Church Office NO LATER than 10:00 AM, THURSDAY S. ************************************* ************************************* Articles for the the Word must be submitted by NO LATER than 10:00 AM the 3 rd Friday of every month. The Church Office can t guarantee late articles will be put in the newsletter due to time and space constraints.

9 Nekoosa United Church of Christ 205 Market Street Nekoosa, WI Church Office ucc.com Pastor Web Page Sunday 9:30am Worshipw/ communion 10:30am Porkilicious Lunch 10:30am Christian Ed Mtg 14 9:30am Worship 10:30am Coffee & Fellowship 11:00am Scavenger Hunt 7 Monday SWEPS 11:45am-4pm Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 5:30 pm WU Mother/Daughter Night out 8 6:30pm Prayer Shawl SWEPS 4:00-7:00pm 9 SWEPS 11:45am-4pm 6pm Confirmation :00am Women United 6:00pm Board Mtgs 7:00pm Council Mtg :00-6:30pm Youth Group 7:00-8:00pm Silent Talk w/god 11 SWEPS 11:45am- 4pm 5:30 WEG to Two Lakes 7:00-8:00pm Silent Talk w/god 18 7:00-8:00pm Silent Talk w/god 12 SWEPS 11:45am-4pm Sit nstitch 9am-4pm :30am Worship with /Communion Confirmation Pocket Change Sunday 9:30am Worship 10:30am Coffee & Fellowship Office Closed 6:00pm PrayerServ/ Pot Luck Neighborhood Table 25 7:00-8:00pm Silent Talk w/god 26 27