Messenger of Christ SEPTEMBER 2017

Transcription

1 Messenger of Christ SEPTEMBER 2017 Christ United Methodist Church TN: South 48th Street FAX: Greenfield, WI Rev. Mao Her, Pastor Website: http: //greenfieldchristumc.org/ I have decided to follow Jesus! Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. Matthew 8:19b (NRSV) What does it mean to follow Jesus? And have you ever made the decision to truly follow him? As I am working on the sermon series Once Upon a Time that is coming in September, I am reminded of the old hymn I have decided to follow Jesus. For me this wonderful hymn reminds me of my own commitment to follow Jesus not just with my life but with my whole being. It also evokes wonderful memories of seeing people committing themselves to Christ through acts of baptism and/or simply by walking up to the altar and asking Jesus to come into their heart. I often wonder what this hymn means to Christians when they sing it. What does it mean to you when you sing the hymn? Is it just a nice hymn that we utter with empty lips? Or do we take to heart what we professed with our lips? In the song, if we were to sing it, beginning with verse 1, we profess to follow Jesus and there is no turning back. In verse 2, we profess that though none go with me, I still will follow no turning back. Continue onto verse 3, we profess that we will carry our cross until we see Jesus and no turning back. Finally in verse 4, we renounced the world The world behind me, the cross before me no turning back, no turning back. I often wonder what that would look like if we truly put what we professed into practice. In Matthew 8:19-20 (NRSV), we read of a time when a scribe said to Jesus, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. We are not told whether or not the scribe decided to follow Jesus after such a response. But we do understand from what Jesus said that following him would not be an easy thing to do. Jesus was recorded saying in Mark 8:34 (NRSV), If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. We all know it is not always easy to be a Christian. Following Jesus means that we put him first in everything that we do. This means he comes first before our family, our work, and yes even before our play. Today we live such busy lives that often times Jesus (our walk with him) ends up at the bottom of our very long to do list. That does not say much about putting him first in our lives! In the month of September, as we explore stories of people whose lives were transformed as a result of their decision to follow Jesus, let s consider how we too can follow him in a way that will result in a true transformation of our lives. If you still question whether or not you truly are committed to following Jesus I would like to extend a special invitation to you. Come and worship with us! It is my prayer that you will find comfort and hope in knowing that Jesus is all that you need and more. He truly is the only person who can fulfill all your needs and desires. I look forward to seeing you soon! Pastor Mao Her

2 LECTIONARY READINGS FOR SEPTEMBER 3 rd Exodus 3:1-15 Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c (UMH 828) Romans 12:9-21 Matthew 16: th Exodus 12:1-14 Psalm 149 or Psalm 148 (UMH 861) Romans 13:8-14 Matthew 18: th Exodus 14:19-31 Exodus 15:1b-11, (UMH 135) Romans 14:1-12 Matthew 18: th Exodus 16:2-15 Psalm 105:1-6, or Psalm 78 (UMH 799) Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 Birthdays This Month Opal Huettner Melina LaGrossa Amy McCullough Jayla Allen Pat Koch Mary Pulizos John Chadderdon Richard Seri Gregg Lester Ardy Straub Nancy Wolski Pat Nefstead Pam Seri Janice Morris Please wish them a HAPPY BIRTHDAY when you see them! VOLUNTEERS FOR SEPTEMBER COMMUNION SERVERS 3 rd Don & Judy Larson COUNTERS 3 rd Mary Pulizos & Dorothy Pike 10 th Nancy Wolski & Mylee Vang 17 th Sally Krenke & Janet Brown 24 th Carrie Montgomery & Melissa Spaeth GREETER(S) 3 rd Beth Schramm 10 th Jean Chadderdon 17 th Paul Tulppo 24 th Nancy Wolski LAY LITURGIST 3 rd Connie Ziegler 10 th Ron Stinson 17 th Carrie Montgomery 24 th Jean Chadderdon MINI COFFEE HOUR 3 rd Mao Her 10 th Marilyn Bender 17 th Carol Olson 24 th USHERS 3 rd Marilyn Bender, Carol Olson, Mary Pulizos and Judy Riedy 10 th Denise Edlund, Gary Edlund, Flo & Larry Graham 17 th Diane Steeno, Mylee Vang, Melissa Spaeth and Sally Krenke 24 th Don & Judy Larson, Pat Nefstead and Beth Schramm If you are not able to be in church on your designated Sunday, please try to switch with someone else, and contact Jo in the church office. Thanks! God certainly sent many blessings my way lately. One of them is that I have so many great friends including those here at church. Thank all of for your good wishes in celebrating t my special birthday! I also appreciate the birthday song at the end of service and the wonderful solo or Memories. You're Wonderful! Jean Chadderdon

3 UMW CORNER Martha Fellowship We will be meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 20 6:45 PM in Fellowship hall. Hostess for the evening is Carol Olson. Bring ideas for Christmas ornaments for the kids and this will be a planning time for programs for the remainder of the year. All women are invited to join us--new ideas and projects are always welcome! The UMW Caring Circle The next meeting is on Thursday, September 14 th at 10:00 AM. Stewardship Corner A Special thanks to everyone that helped with this year s VBS, Passport to Peru. There were about 10 children each day, and they enjoyed the stories, crafts, games, food, songs and all of the decorations! It is because of you that they had a positive experience! ALSO for $5.00 in Peru, a child can have clean water for a year. We collected $225.00, which means you collected enough money for 45 kids to have clean water for an entire year. WOW! THANKS! Thank you Thanks to all who have volunteered to make coffee and set up the coffee bar with goodies during July and August! Beth Schramm, Judy Larson, Janet Brown, Marge Freitag, Denise Edlund, Mylee Vang and Judy Riedy--you are so appreciated!! The signup sheet to volunteer for September and October is on a clipboard in the narthex! The Hospitality team thanks you!!! This is an postcard informing you of the South East District churches and clergy that we will pray for in the summer. We are asked to remember to pray for each church or charge during their special week. Aug. 28-Sep. 3: Elm Grove, their pastor John Wesley Wells, and their 681 members, Elm Grove is located at Watertown Plank Rd. Elm Grove, WI Sep. 4-Sep10: Evansville, their pastor Norman Bude, and their 203 members, Evansville is located at 21 S. Madison St. (PO Box 91) Evansville, WI Sep : Fort Atkinson: First and Fort Atkinson: Hispanic Min., their pastor Paul Johnsen (starts this July), and their 242 members, Fort Atkinson: First and Fort Atkinson: Hispanic Min. are located at 320 S. Main St. Fort Atkinson, WI Sep : Greenfield: Christ, their pastor Mao Vang Her, and their 87 members, Greenfield: Christ is located at 5200 S 48 th St., Greenfield WI Sep. 25-Oct. 1: Greenfield: So Beautiful Korean and their 40 members, Greenfield So Beautiful Korean is located at 4275 S 112 th St., Greenfield, WI Heidi J. Careaga S.E. District Office Manager Office: Fax: Hall Street Watertown, WI 53094

4 DISCIPLE STUDY ANYONE? DISCIPLE is a program of disciplined Bible study aimed at developing strong Christian leaders. The study gives the Old and New Testaments equal time emphasizing the wholeness of the Bible as a revelation of God. DISCIPLE draws upon the work of scholars, the personal Bible reading and study of the participant, and dynamic group discussion to aid understanding of the Bible. The first study in the program is DISCIPLE: Becoming Disciples through Bible Study. It serves as the basis for all other studies in the DISCIPLE family that follow. Over the course of 34 weeks, the study covers the entire Bible (Old and New Testaments) following the biblical story from Creation to the New Jerusalem. We are contemplating if there is enough interest across the congregation to plan for a class in It takes commitment Bible reading homework every day (Sunday not excluded!). Attendance 34 weeks (split 12 weeks, off two weeks, or whatever the group decides). Facilitators people to guide students through the lessons to completion. Please let Denise Edlund know if you are interested. A Note from the Finance Committee Your caring generosity has come to $3,917 to date. Here is a list of invoices that we could use help to pay. If you would like to make a donation, mark it for "adopt a bill" and put it in the collection plate. VENDOR AMOUNT AT&T U-Verse (Internet) $ Office Copying $ AT&T Landline $ AILCO Copier Lease $ Quarterly Costs Amount John s Disposal $ Milw Water Works/Sewer $ City of Greenfield / Water $ SERMON SERIES coming in SEPTEMBER!!! ONCE UPON A TIME: Stories of Redemption SEPTEMBER 3 RD I once was BLIND from Luke 18:35-43 Jesus heals the blind. He lights our darken world.. SEPTEMBER 10 TH I once was NAKED from Mark 5:1-20 Jesus clothes the naked. He covers our shame. SEPTEMBER 17 TH I once was THIRSTY from John 4:7-15 Jesus quenches our thirst. He satisfies our longing. SEPTEMBER 24 TH I once was DEAD from John 11:38-44 Jesus raises the dead. He gives us a new life. Please join us for worship in September as we hear testimonies, and stories of redemption from the Bible. This is a series you do not want to miss! We ll see you in worship! Adult Sunday School With Ron Stinson & Jerome Trewyn September: 10 th : The book of Ruth 17 th : The Book of Esther (Chapters 1-4) 24 th : The Book of Esther (Chapters 5-9) October: 1 st : Religion in Gothic Middle Ages & Greek Contributions 8 th : Martin Luther 500 th Anniversary (Part One) 15 th : Martin Luther Conclusion 22 nd : Religion through the Renaissance 29 th : The Protestant Movement / The Council of Trent

5 New Upcoming Movie Series September 2017 to June 2018 First Tuesday of each month!! September 5, 2017 Bye Bye Birdie (1963) October 3, Miss Potter (2007) November 7, My Fair Lady (1964) December 5, From Here to Eternity (1953) January 2, 2018 The Birdcage (1996) February 6, Hidden Figures (2016) March 6, 2018 Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) April 3, A Fish Called Wanda (1988) May 1, 2018 The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) June 5, 2018 North by Northwest (1959) All movies will be shown in the sanctuary of Christ United Methodist Church On the FIRST Tuesday of the month At 6:30 PM MISSING We are missing the majority of our teaspoons They keep disappearing on us If you borrowed them, please bring them back.

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7 SEPTEMBER 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Mao s Family Reunion Jo Out of the Office 3 9:45 AM Fellowship Time 10:15 AM Worship Service Sacrament of Holy Communion Nursery Sunday School Kick-Off 4 5 7:00 AM Men s George Webb s Restaurant 6:30 PM Movie Bye Bye Birdie 6 6:00 PM Circuit Clergy Meeting South Milwaukee UMC 7 7:00 PM Choir Practice 8 9 Pastor Pine Lake W / Archive Retreat 10 9:45 AM Fellowship Time 10:15 AM Worship Service Nursery Adult Sunday School Starts The Book of Ruth 11 7:00 PM Leadership Development Meeting Pastor Clergy Green Lake 14 10:00 AM Caring UMW 7:00 PM Choir Practice Pastor Clergy Green Lake Leadership Meeting to go over Preaching Calendar for :45 AM Fellowship Time 10:15 AM Worship Nursery Adult Sunday School Chapters 1-4 of The Book of Esther 18 1:00 PM Circuit Clergy West Allis 7:00 PM Finance Committee Meeting 19 7:00 AM Men s The Pantheon Restaurant 20 5:30 PM Praying with Pastor Mao 6:30 PM UMW Martha Fellowship 21 11:00 AM Bingo with Goodwill COC South 11:00 AM 1:00 PM Pastor Hmong Clergy Meeting NEWSLETTER DEADLINE 24 9:45 AM Fellowship Time 10:15 AM Worship Service Nursery 25 7:00 PM Leadership Development Meeting :30 PM Praying with Pastor Mao 28 7:00 PM Choir Practice 7:00 PM Choir Practice Pastor Mao in Wesleyan Covenant Meeting Adult Sunday School Chapters 5-9 of The Book of Esther Pastor Church Leader Coaching

8 The NEWSLETTER DEADLINE FOR October is: September 24 th CHRIST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 5200 South 48 th Street Greenfield, Wisconsin Worship :15 AM Holy Communion is Served on the First Sunday of each Month Rev. Mao Her......Pastor Church Office Office Fax Website... Rev. Dr. Hee-Soo Jung..Resident Bishop Rev. Deborah Thompson District Superintendant CHRIST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 5200 South 48 th Street Greenfield, WI