What's the Good Word!!!!! October 2018 October musings from Pastor Teena...

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1 What's the Good Word!!!!! October 2018 October musings from Pastor Teena... The season of harvest is upon us I'm (most happily!) inundated with gifts of produce (tomatoes, kale, lettuce, garlic, 'cukes 'n carrots, zucchini) and each is received with savory joy. The fruits of others' labors are benefitting me (though I did harvest my solitary homegrown cherry tomato today felt like a real north-woods woman!). The whole idea of harvest is on my mind...and heart these days. Loving a metaphor, I imagine what are other harvests in our lives? Of course, a lot of that can be traced to the adage, you reap what you sow. So, what have I sown in my life? Whew...that's a heady question to ponder! And perhaps for another time. But honing in on my self-identity as a person of faith, what spiritual or faith fruits am I harvesting? That question sent me down the road of counting my blessings of which there are many. I cherish the experiences of deep peace, gratitude, wonder and awe all of which I identify as only possible as a result of my faith-life. But (there's that but!), I would offer, another fruit and quite an odd one of the spiritual harvest is...discontent. Wait a minute! Isn't a life of well-lived faith one that creates hope, peace and joy? Well, yes...and no. I would say that the life of faith as a follower of Jesus is indeed filled with the fullness of hope, peace and joy and, an awareness of where in society, culture (life!) there are those for whom hope, peace and joy are fragile or sorely limited commodities. What if following Jesus offered both awareness of the dis-ease of humanity as well as the antidote to the affliction? For those whom ignorance is bliss is an anthem or comforting way of being in the world, I would say, Jesus ain't your guy. For me, Jesus walked that tightrope of celebrating God's Love and the Creation's beauty while calling out the systems and beliefs that oppressed (and fueled discrimination) as well as the ones who kept those systems well-greased and active. Some call it comforting the afflicted, while afflicting the comfortable but I would add, Jesus saw the inner woundedness that created bullies and tyrants and oppressors, and offered them healing as well. Some fodder for contemplation these days as we celebrate the beauty and bounty of the fall season...and brace ourselves for the winter which will pounce upon us soon enough! And always as we are bold enough to engage in this contemplation and act, as persons of faith followers of our Jesus, the Holy Spirit encourages, guides and supports our growth and actions. And to that we say, Hurrah! And thanks be to our God of Love! Blessings in this harvest season, Pastor Teena 1

2 October reflections from our Outreach/Youth Lay Coordinator Michealjohn Reszler... October is the beginning of my three favorite months on the calendar. Not only is the month of my birth, but it is also the celebration of the life of St. Francis of Assisi. For us followers of John Wesley, the Wesleyan Means of Grace, are divided into two categories; Acts of Piety & Acts of Mercy. Francis of Assisi is a good person to look towards when talking about Acts of Mercy. Many people focus on characteristics such as voluntary poverty or care for creation when considering the life and model of Saint Francis of Assisi. I often wish that, just as regularly, they would notice the theme of mercy that frequently appears in his writing. This is a theme that has become even more important as Pope Francis has dedicated much of his teaching and ministry to showing the compassionate and merciful face of God in the world. So important was this theme in Francis s own conversion experience that he recalls the mercy he was able to show lepers as a key turning point for him. He opens his deathbed Testament with that recollection: The Lord gave me, Brother Francis, thus to begin doing penance in this way: for when I was in sin, it seemed too bitter for me to see lepers. And the Lord Himself led me among them and I showed mercy to them. And when I left them, what had seemed bitter to me was turned into sweetness of soul and body. And afterwards I delayed a little and left the world (Testament, 1:1 3). While he previously embraced his social privilege to shun and despise the lepers and poor of his day, Francis came to discover the mercy of God in his own life alongside the showing of mercy to those whom he had earlier considered the least in society. Mercy is one of the most central elements of Christian discipleship because it always begins with God s unconditional love for each of us. In Francis s life, the central place of mercy was not limited to his own conversion. He insisted that those who sought to live consecrated religious profession according to his form of life would also adopt this sense of mercy in relating to one another. It can be especially difficult to remember the importance of mercy in our interactions with one another. This is equally true for those who are called to marriage and family life, as well as those who may live in some other form of intentional community. It may become difficult to step back and see each person apart from the little annoyances and habits that drive us crazy. Additionally, we Christians are conditioned by the broader culture and society as much as anybody else. This logic of the world does not often consider mercy a value, but a weakness. Therefore, so-called blind justice or the mentality of an eye for an eye approach toward others tends to govern our interactions with those who have offended, hurt, or simply annoyed us. But Francis of Assisi calls us to resist that temptation, to see those within and outside our religious communities not according to this logic of the world, but with the eyes of Jesus Christ who has called us to show mercy in the way mercy has been shown to each of us. For Francis, mercy wasn t just an action or disposition, but the last and highest name for God. Written near the end of his life and said to be inspired by the ninety-nine names of God in Islam, Francis s The Praises of God concludes with the line: You are all our sweetness, You are our eternal life: Great and wonderful Lord, Almighty God, Merciful Savior. In other words, the mercy of Saint Francis is more than treating one another well; it is about living in a way more like God. Peace and All Good. Michealjohn 2

3 Our United Methodist Denomination Faces the Challenge of Determining a Path Concerning Human Sexuality...an update from Pastor Teena As many of you know, our United Methodist denomination has wrestled with, struggled with and debated how to respond from our heritage of scripture, experience, tradition and reason concerning human sexuality and the unity of our denomination. How do we as United Methodist sisters and brothers of faith address this issue and also maintain our unity as a denomination. To this hope and end, a commission was established at the 2016 General Conference to specifically discuss, study, dialogue, discern and recommend a plan or plans to address this issue. This international and broadly represented Commission on A Way Forward (as it has been named) has been meeting since 2016 and this past March submitted its recommendations of plans to the Council of Bishops. The Commission offered three models: The Traditionalist; The One Church; and the Connectional Conferences plans. The Council has been meeting and is recommending The One Church plan. 1Saturday, October 20, 10:00 am, Kaukauna Peace UMC, 2300 E. Wisconsin Avenue. Tuesday, October 23, 7:00 pm, Waukesha First UMC, 121 Wisconsin Avenue. Thursday, October 25, 7:00 pm, Sun Prairie UMC, 702 North Street. Saturday, October 27, 10:00 am, Janesville Cargill UMC, 2000 Wesley Avenue. Saturday, November 3, 10:00 am, Dodgeville UMC, 327 N. Iowa Street. In addition, invitations have been extended to Conference boards, agencies and other groups to provide their feedback to Delegation members. The purpose of all this information gathering is for the Delegation to hear from the diversity of membership which makes up Wisconsin United Methodism. The desire is to better understand thinking and feeling within our annual conference about our denomination s future. The Wisconsin Conference Delegation to the 2019 General Conference consists of six voting delegates, along with reserves. Clergy are Dan Dick, Sam Royappa, Steve Zekoff and first reserve Amanda Stein. Lay delegates are Lisa King, Barbara Dick, Gail Burgess and first reserve Katie Crise. There are additional reserves who would serve should any of these eight be unable to attend. In order elected, they are clergy Jorge Mayorga, Dan Schwerin, Jeremy Deaner, George Kafer and Jenny Arneson; laity Tom Popp, Judy Vasby, John Lawson and Julie Schubring. All remain engaged in the Delegation s preparations for the upcoming General Conference. 3

4 2018, October Newsletter by Donalee Brevak, Spiritual Care Coordinator Take Your Time The phrase Take Your Time has been on my mind lately as I often view it on a plaque that is attached to the back of a bench on my deck. It s a memorial plaque for my brother, Frank Faulkner, who died three years ago on October 11, I tried to golf with him weekly. Due to his unusual job schedule, I rarely knew when he was going to stop by, so I often was in the middle of something and found it difficult to find time to golf. Even when I went golfing, I was never relaxed and rarely entirely enjoyed myself because I always had in the back of my mind what I should be doing instead! Whenever we went, he would tell me take your time. I m not in any hurry. I ll take you back when you need to go back. I regret that I was often not in the game. I regret that I didn t take the time with him. In looking back, I regret not taking the time with other important people in my life. If any of you read the book we used in our book study, Five Secrets to Discover Before You Die, one of the secrets is Have no Regrets. Now this is not about regrets but taking time, so we have no regrets. How many times in a day, do we fail to take the time: take the time to finish what we started; to talk when someone calls or make a call to someone God reminds us of; take the time to send a card of sympathy, get well, or even a birthday card. We could list a multitude of things but what about taking the time with our best friend, Jesus. Depending on whether you are an early riser or night owl or have a work schedule, find a time to spend with Jesus. Of course, as in 1 Thess. 5: 17, Paul says pray unceasingly so we can always be connected to our heavenly Father. But to set time aside, taking the time to be mindful of being in His presence is what He wants and what we need. 1 Samuel 1:19 says that Hannah and Elkanah, parents of the prophet, Samuel, Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. 2 Chronicles 29:20-21 Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of the LORD. Job 1:5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. And Jesus in Mark 1:35-36And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, (Jesus) he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Sounds like mornings are special for many. I m not a morning person but I most often arise praising God for the rest and the new mercies every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23: Because of the Lord s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They 4

5 are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. As an evening reader, I like to take the time to read and do my private devotions. I claim Psalms 4:8, In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. As I have mentioned in other articles, a good devotional is a great start. Now if you are tech savvy, there are many apps for your phone, ipads, and computers. I personally like to hold my reading material. I can highlight, underline and circle important points and dog-ear pages. Sometimes we don t know where to start and a devotional is a good starting point (and a great thing to continue). Often the scripture is so captivating, that it leads us to Bible reading. That is step two. I have found a chronological Bible is especially interesting because it makes sense it s for my logical mind! There are so many scriptures where He asks us to spend time with Him. One scripture that comes to me is Matthew 11:28-30 New International Version (NIV) 28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. A beautiful invitation to help start the day (or pray in the evening). We are reminded that scripture equips us to serve our Lord and become more like Him in 2 Timothy 3:16-1: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. The best and only way to get to know someone intimately in to take the time with them. How we yearn to have time with our mates, our children, family members even our pets! I just finished reading Her Daughter s Dream by Francine Rivers, (of course). An underlining theme is take time with me, be with me I love you, but I need to be with you. The failure of this throughout several generations caused heartache, misunderstanding and much sadness. The healing came when time was taken to share and express loving forgiveness. Take the Time to spend with the lover of your soul, your living Savior, your friend who stays closer than a brother. Hopefully, He will give you His desires in your heart through reading and meditating on His words, so you will find the relevance in your life. God s word is powerful and will give us the peace that passes all understanding. Blessings, Donalee Brevak 5

6 Spiritual Care Coordinator for CBCM ################################################################ Safe in Our Prayers: Grace Charlie Wroblewski's 5 year old granddaughter recovering from surgery; Marcia Trelstad recovering from surgery. Pastor Teena and Kim; Hunter- Donalee Brevak's grandson; Maddie, - Lou Ann Foss' granddaughter in the National Guard is doing well; Joe and Lois Johnson; Lindley Mattson; Cyndi May's new grandniece, Madison, born prematurely; Shelly Spague, Marve Helgesen; for young people dealing with deaths; celebrating Kadence's new family name; Travel: Larry & Ellen Nelson; Chip Meirhofer and Kay Jelinek; Sandy Pierce. ############################################################## CHEQUAMEGON BAY COLLABORATIVE MINISTRY (CBCM) This year's CBCM Church Conference will be held on Tuesday, October 9, at 6pm at Sanborn UMC. North West District Superintendent, Rev. Kate Croskery-Jones will preside. BREAD OF LIFE WOMEN S FALL TEA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24 6:30 8:00 P.M. SANBORN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH COUNTY HWY. E ASHLAND, WI Join us for tips and lessons on baking bread, presented by Judy Bennington and Pam Dryer. Learn a little about bread s history and its symbolism in the Bible. Then eat bread made by local bakers. You can bring food to share that will 6

7 go with bread (cheese, meats, pickles, jams, etc.). Or just bring yourself. Bring your favorite bread recipe to share on a half-page or less. Washburn Happenings: The Book of John Bible Study, Tuesdays at 6:30, at Gilbert's house is suspended for July and will resume in August. Contact Gilberts for details. 715/ November 11 Veterans Appreciation Worship Service and Meal Ashland Happenings: Women's Bible Study at Hugo's Pizza on Tuesdays 11:30. We are studying the book of Acts. Eleanor Smith is the contact person for more info at Sanborn Happenings: Pasty Dinner, Saturday October 20 from 5:00 to 7:00. Pasty, coleslaw and homemade desserts. Donation accepted. First Wednesday, Open Church, Sept. 5, 4:30 pm 6:00 pm: All are welcome to come inside for any amount of time for quiet reflection and prayer at Washburn and Ashland. Two baskets will be available for written prayer requests: one for prayers that will be prayed for by a prayer group; and another basket for private requests that will be placed in a sealed envelope and blessed but not read. The hope is to make this an ongoing and growing ministry to the Chequamegon Bay Area - and even expand to become a weekly opportunity. Please feel free to make a contact for more information or to inquire about ways to help with this new prayer ministry. Prayerfully, Karla Raade (keraade@gmail.com) and Donalee Brevak (ddbrevak@centurytel.net) Please consider participating in this meaningful new prayer opportunity Prayer can be defined as communication with God. Conversations can be silent in our minds, spoken alone or in a gathering, or just a sense of being in the presence of our Creator. An opportunity to experience prayer in a new or familiar way, will become available in Ashland UMC and in Washburn UMC on a monthly basis. Open Church time will be from 4:30-6:00 pm on the first Wednesday of each month. ########################################################################## 7

8 PASTOR & CHURCH CONTACT INFORMATION Parsonage: 715/ Pastor Teena's Cell: 303/ Pastor Teena's WUMC Website: Facebook: Note from the Author: Feel free to contact me with any items for the Newsletter. The key is to get information out about what is happening in Washburn and Grand View to everyone in our congregations. Please me or call with any information that you want included in future newsletters. The deadline to get information to me is the 4th Tuesday of each month. I plan to have the newsletters out on the first of each month. My is: jstauffer56@yahoo.com. I know there is a lot of activity in the churches so let s communicate! ~Jan Stauffer 715/