Trinity United Methodist Church 75 East High Street, Mount Gilead, Ohio 43338

Transcription

1 Trinity United Methodist Church 75 East High Street, Mount Gilead, Ohio The Chimes March 2019 Ash Wednesday Service 3/6 at 7:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday The word Lent means spring. During the season of Lent the Holy Spirit calls us to leave our winter attitudes behind and to awaken to spring. Lent is a time to weed out bad habits and to plant, water, and allow good habits to grow. The meaning of spring urges us to finish our spiritual journey to Easter in a different place spiritually than we were on Ash Wednesday.

2 The following story comes from The Externally Focused Church by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson. There is a Taiwanese fable about a frog who lived in the bottom of a well. When the frog was thirsty, he drank a little bit of water from the well and when he was hungry, he ate some insects that flew into the well. When he was tired, he lay on a little rock at the bottom of the well and looked up at the sky above him. To the little frog, the sky was a small circle of blue. He was very happy and satisfied, for this was the only world he had ever known. One day a bird perched at the edge of the well. The little frog looked up and said, Hello! Why don t you come down here and play with me? It s so pleasant down here. Look, I have cool water to drink and countless insects to eat. Come down! But the bird responded with stories of an endless expanse of beautiful sky. The frog listened in disbelief then argued that the sky was small and round, for he had never been outside the well and seen the entire sky. The bird tried to coax the frog out of the well so he could see the sky, but the frog sat on his rock convinced he was right. Eventually the bird flew away in frustration, and the frog was left alone to continue pondering his little patch of sky. This story has a good ending. Eventually a yellow sparrow swooped into the well, put the frog on its back, and flew out of the dank well into the sunlight. For the first time, the frog saw flowers, trees, animals, mountains and rivers. Finally, the bird placed him on a lotus leaf in a beautiful pond where the frog enjoyed his days never again to return to the well. To a frog at the bottom of a well, the sky may be only a small circle of blue. But to a bird, the sky is vast and wonderful. In some ways they are both right. This fable is about perspective. In a world filled with other frogs, occasionally we need to listen to the birds. Once a church moves outside its four walls its well - and begins to experience the big world of ministry, things will never be quite the same. The well will seem small and provincial, safe but boring. The world of externally focused ministry will seem dangerous but exciting. Each church will have to decide to opt for safety or danger; boredom or adventure. God Bless, Pastor Jeff Needed - Vacation Bible School Coordinator We are in need of someone who would be willing to be the VBS Coordinator for the summer of If you are interested, please contact Jim Brucker. Girl Scout Sunday The Girl Scouts will be participating in our 10:30 worship service on Sunday, 3/10. Ash Wednesday Service will be held on Wednesday, 3/6 at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. What s Your Theme? Disgusted by a tasteless dish, Winston Churchill once summoned a waiter, saying, Take this pudding away. It has no theme! Any good dish, book, movie or sermon needs a good theme. So does a good life! That s why a personal motto or mission statement is helpful. William Carey s was Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God. Joan of Arc s was God must be served first. And St. Paul s was to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2, ESV). Pastor Curtis Nigh says, If the heart does not have a noble or goodly theme, then it develops an antitheme. What noble theme can you live by as you live for Christ?

3 PRAYER CONCERNS Trinity members and friends who have been in our prayers the past month.. New Prayer Concerns: Allen & Alberta Stojkovic, Chip Irons, Bill, Darcy, Bob Snyder, Carol George, Elisa Mowery, Garrett Lamb-Hart, Jerry Hand, Joe Clark, Kyle, Marcia Cooper, Marilyn Rhodebeck, Mike Lancaster, Sarah Roberts, Steve Dabney, Tom Geyer, Government, General Conference Ongoing Prayer: Barb Detwiler, Rev. Beth Mansperger, Bill Brucker, Carlotta Blair, Charlotte Geyer, Deb Dupilka, Doug Stossel, Gale Fragan, Jeff Taylor, Julie Vargo, Marty Reuss, Neva Turner, Pat Tolbert, Phyllis Bell, Ruth Ann George, Sarah Roberts, Shelly Hastings-Toms, Sherry Seckel, Steve Dabney, Tammy Ghent, Tom Geyer, Unspoken Request. Civilians serving overseas. Military: Curt Belohlavek, Emily Garry, Eric Mann, Kelly Mann-Sorgenfrei, Jon Tschudi, & all other military personnel around the world Nursing Home Residents & Shut-Ins: Alice Foley, Aretha Richardson, Bill Maggs, Nettie Lyon, Marjorie West, Mary Dianne George, Rebecca Patterson Missionaries: Gordon & Ardell Graner [Dominican Republic], Matthew Laferty [Austria] Our Trinity Family wishes to extend prayers to the following families in the loss of a loved one this past month: Ashtan Russell DATE TRINITY ATTENDANCE SUNDAY SCHOOL 8:30 AM 10:30 AM TOTAL 02/03/ /10/ /17/ /24/ Blue Apron Boxes The Sewing Group is looking for Blue Apron boxes. They are the perfect size and work really well for packing up sewing projects for Mid-West. If you have any Blue Apron boxes, you can drop them off at the church office. MARCH COMMITTEE MEETINGS Trustees: Tuesday, 3/5, 7:00 pm Finance: Tuesday, 3/12, 7:00 pm Ad Council: Tuesday, 3/19, 7:00 pm Education: Tuesday, 3/26, 7:00 pm TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY AT SAMES & COOK 3:00-4:00 pm The Sames and Cook Bible Study will be reading the book by Liz Curtis Higgs The Bad Girls of the Bible. The author offers a clear-sighted, life-changing approach to understanding those other women in Scripture such as Delilah, Jezebel, Rahab, Lot s wife and others. Liz combines a contemporary retelling of their stories with a solid, verse-by-verse study of their lives and the lessons we can learn from them. Whether they were Bad to the Bone, Bad for a Moment, or Bad for a Season but Not Forever, these infamous sisters show us how not to handle the challenges of life. March 5: Introduction: Turn Signal March 12: No Bible Study March 19: Eve: The First Bad Girl (Proverbs 30:5-6; Mark 4:15; Luke 11:28) March 26: Potiphar s Wife: Bad to the Bone (Isaiah 40:26; Isaiah 43:1; Exodus 33:17) COMMUNITY DINNER Wednesday, March 20 th 5:00-6:45 pm Chicken Casserole. Meals Include: vegetable, choice of salad, roll, dessert and drink. Dinners are $8.00 per person. Children 10 & under free. Carry out available. Thank you everyone for your help and support! Easter Egg Hunt This year we will be holding an Easter Egg hunt for the children during the Sunday School hour and also during Children s Church on Easter Sunday (4/21). Donations of candy and other items to fill the plastic eggs would be greatly appreciated. You can drop off your donations at the church office.

4 Youth Group March Youth Schedule Sunday, 3/3 7:00 p.m. Youth Group at church Sunday, 3/10 7:00 p.m. Youth Group at church Sunday, 3/17 7:00 p.m. Youth Group at church Sunday, 3/24 7:00 p.m. Youth Group at church Sunday, 3/31 7:00 p.m. Youth Group at church American Red Cross Bloodmobile The next Bloodmobile will be at Trinity on March 11 th from noon to 6:00 p.m. Heartbeat of Morrow County Kim Harvey will be sharing a Mission s Moment in the 8:30 and 10:30 worship services on 3/31. Pastor Jeff on Emmaus Walk Pastor Jeff will be going on an Emmaus Walk 3/14-3/17. If you have an emergency, please contact the church office. To God you shall return The traditional Ash Wednesday words Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return might seem depressing. But in our often death-denying culture, some might find it refreshing to hear the frank statement that we can do nothing to save ourselves, physically or spiritually that, no matter how we try to avoid sin, we can t untangle ourselves from self-interest. How liberating, then, to know we don t have to! God loves us as we are and sent Jesus to break sin s power over us. A pastor described Ash Wednesday as the point you can pinch in the middle of a long piece of ribbon, such that when you lift it high, the two ends one symbolizing our baptism and the other, our funeral meet and touch. We come from dust and will return to dust, but we also come from God and will return to God. Ash Wednesday reminds us that we re always safe in God s love. UNITED METHODIST WOMEN NEWS There will be no business meeting in March. However, there are other important events coming up. Officer Appreciation Brunch and Training on Saturday, 3/6 at Shelby Trinity UMC East Main Street; Shelby, OH Registration is at 9:30 a.m. Brunch and the program begin at 10:00 a.m. RSVP (to help with planning) to Barb Brewer and she will RSVP for all of us. There is no fee. We will meet at Trinity at 9:00 a.m. and car pool. Birthday party!! We will celebrate the 150 years of UMW and its predecessor organization. We need to bring something to share about our local unit (past, present or future). Could be a story, a scrapbook, an article, a picture or something else to share. We will be going to ALL GOD S CHILDREN in Mansfield on Tuesday, 3/26 to provide a meal. Meet at Trinity at 4:30 p.m. to help pack the cars (unless you have been asked to help cook the meal). This is a special heartwarming mission and we usually go to supper afterwards. Looking ahead the Annual Spring District Meeting is Saturday, 4/13. Save the date! Continue to bring in your pill bottles, stamps, and coupons. We will turn in pill bottles and stamps at the Spring meeting and we send coupons to our troops on a monthly basis. We just sent in over $1,000 value in coupons last month. Have you seen our display board in Trinity Hall celebrating 150 years of UMW? We have photos of UMW members from the Past, Present and Future. If you would like your photo added please see Marilyn Turner or Susan Keightley. You don t have to attend meetings to be a member. If you have questions about anything regarding UMW please do not hesitate to ask. Love and Blessings! Marilyn Turner

5 NURSERY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Because of our Child Protection Policy we need 2 people in the nursery during the Sunday school hour and during the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Please contact the church office if you are able to help during either of these times at trinityumc@redbird.net or There are also sign-up sheets in the nursery. Thanks to all those who volunteered in the nursery: Gary Begeman, Kristi Bulkowski, Tom Cotton, Alberta Stojkovic, Pat & Dick Miller, Joyce Overmoyer, Vince Brown, Kimberly Neal and Sue Williamson. LOW IMPACT/STEP AEROBICS CLASS Exercise to Energize - Classes meet on Mondays & Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. We exercise with music and mix in light weights and floor exercises. We would love to have you join us! If you have any questions ask Allen or Alberta Stojkovic REIMBURSEMENT VOUCHERS If you make any authorized purchases for the church, please return the original receipt and a completed Voucher to the church office within one month of the purchase. This will insure that you receive your reimbursement on time and it also helps the church keep its accounts up to date and accurate. Blank Vouchers are available in the church office Altar Flowers The Altar flower sign-up sheet is located in the hall next to the workroom. Make sure you write who is purchasing the flowers and who they are In Memory of or In Honor of. The cost of the flowers is $30. Please mark Altar Flowers in memo line of your check made out to Trinity UMC. The church office orders flowers for anyone who has signed up the week before the Sunday they are for. If you decide to get them yourself at another florist, please let the church office know in advance. Thank you! SPECIAL EVENTS AND USE OF FACILITIES We are fortunate to have a facility that is busy through the year. If you plan to hold a special event, work session or other function in the church, please make sure to check availability of date and time with the church office as far in advance as possible. A Building Use form may need to be completed and returned for approval and signature by the Trustee Committee. The forms are available in the church office or may be ed by the office at your request. Your cooperation in this process helps everyone coordinate use of the facility. Thank you! KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM Trinity is part of the Kroger Community Rewards program. Just by using your Kroger plus card when you shop at Kroger, they will make a donation to our church. Our most recent check was $ To sign up go online at and register your Kroger Plus Card. Kroger recently updated its Community Rewards system. Trinity has been assigned a new number. You will need to enter Trinity s number #RH570 and your address. Thank you for supporting this program and Trinity UMC! KROGER S ROUND UP PROGRAM: Kroger s Round Up program has resulted in generous donations to the Mid Ohio Foodbank to help feed the hungry. These contributions have been passed on to local Food Pantries and Kitchens, including the one here at Trinity! Recently, our Food Pantry & End of Month Meal ministry received a total of $160.87! Your pennies really do make a difference! Thank you so much for rounding up at Krogers! ~Food Pantry & End of Month Meal Team

6 GOD S SERVANTS March 2019 March :30 am Greeters 8:30 am Call to Worship Readers 8:30 am Scripture Readers 3 Gary & Carol Begeman Gary Begeman Pat Tolbert 10 Bill & Loretta Curts Loretta Curts Alan Torppa 17 Cal & Donna Shirk Deb Knechtly Pam Clinger 24 Mike & Marlene Lancaster Marlene Lancaster Gary Begeman 31 Dick & Pat Miller Pat Miller Loretta Curts March :30 am Greeters 10:30 am Call to Worship Readers 10:30 am Scripture Readers 3 Allen & Alberta Stojkovic Noni Wheeler Robin Brucker 10 Ruth Logan & Evelyn Shoults Girl Scouts Girl Scouts 17 Juanita Piercy & Suzy Piercy Jim Patterson Joel Seckel 24 Jim & Joyce Overmoyer Floyd Sterritt Cheryl Young 31 Juanita Piercy & Suzy Piercy Merrill Brucker Anne Cotton March :30 am Music 10:30 am Children s Altar Flowers ($30.00) Church 3 Cheryl Young Jeff & Denise Canankamp 10 Kristi Bulkowski Dave & Deb Knechtly 17 Kelly Hand Jim & Robin Brucker 24 Jim Brucker 31 Jim Brucker March :30 am Nursery Volunteers 10:30 am Nursery 10:30 am Acolytes Volunteers 3 Dick & Pat Miller Dick & Pat Miller The Rocks Family 10 Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed The Hand Family 17 Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed The Bulkowski Family 24 Gary Begeman Gary Begeman The Rocks Family 31 Tom Cotton Tom Cotton The Hand Family 10:30 am Ushers: Olen Jackson, Merrill Brucker, Floyd Sterritt, Glenn Hayes Trinity United Methodist Church: Office Hours: 8:00 am 3:30 pm [Lunch 12:00-12:30 pm] Phone: Fax: Website: Address: trinityumc@redbird.net Pastor Jeff s Address: jcanankamp82@gmail.com The Chimes is a monthly publication of Trinity United Methodist Church. Copy deadline is the third Wednesday of each month by 4 pm. Trinity United Methodist Church Staff: Rev. Jeff Canankamp, Pastor - Parsonage Phone: Sabina Anderson, Music Director Susan James, Pianist Tina Schaeufele, Treasurer Denise Canankamp, Secretary Sara Ness, Custodian Barb Brewer, Kitchen Coordinator Diana Kemp, Nursery Care Giver