Koinonia focus Erlanger UMC Family, MONTHLY NEWSLETTER ERLANGER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AUGUST 2018 Greetings in the Wonderful and Mighty Name of Jesus Christ! First of all, we want to thank you so much for welcoming us with so much love, compassion, care and support. We really appreciate your kindness and hospitality and we thank you from the depths of our hearts. Secondly, we want to share with you how humbled we are to be appointed to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with You. We truly feel this is a Holy Spirit appointment for the advancement of the Kingdom of God in the city of Erlanger and beyond. The hand and the favor of the Lord is upon the Erlanger United Methodist Church and we are confident that in the years to come we will see a great revival movement of God as we seek the Face of God with humility, obedience, faithfulness and fervent prayers. July 7, 2018 I will mark 18 years of my stay here in the wonderful land of The United States of America. I boarded my first ever plane flight from New Delhi International Airport on July 7, 2000, at the age of 16 with a bass guitar and two suitcases. I was scared and nervous as I passed though the airport entrance doors and stopped to look back at my family saying tearful good byes. God at that moment gave me much strength and assurance to board the flight for the long journey to the United States. For the first two to four weeks I stayed in Modesto, California with close friends who were once members of the Apostles Methodist Church in Delhi, India where my dad had served as their pastor. From California, I went to stay with Rev. Carl and Sandra Ellis in Neodesha, Kansas who were instrumental in bringing me from India to pursue my senior year of High School in Neodesha, High School. They embraced and guided me to pursue the call to ministry. After finishing high school, I attended Independence Community College in Kansas for a year and then went to Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas to pursue my Bachelor s degree in Philosophy and Religion.
After completing my college studies in June 2004, God opened the door for me to attend Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky and also serve as a student pastor at Wesley Meadows United Methodist Church in Hodgenville, Kentucky. It was here I learned Kentucky sayings like, Good Lord willing and the creek don t rise. Also, I learned an appreciation for country cooking cornbread and beans. I served in Hodgenville for seven years and for my last two years there I also was given Level- Woods United Methodist Church in Taylor, County. Both of these rural churches impacted our lives greatly. I just wanted to share a little bit about how Arpita and I met. Ours was an arranged wedding, which is very common in our Indian culture. When I graduated from Asbury Seminary in 2008, my mom asked me if I had found a girl here to marry or not. I said not yet mom and she said that I have one picked out for you. My mom had prayed for 5 years in her heart for the possibility of Arpita and I to marry and God did answer her prayers. On December 30, 2010 at Wesley Meadows UMC in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Arpita and I were married by Rev. Carl Ellis (who had brought me to the United States). I am so glad I listened to my mom and married Arpita. She is a precious servant of Jesus and a wonderful wife and partner in ministry. She is a licensed Family and Marriage Therapist and very gifted in the field of counseling. We hope to share more of our wedding story in the days to come as we visit with you and hear your stories as well. From June 2011- June 2018, I served as an Associate Pastor at Georgetown First UMC in Georgetown, Kentucky. God truly blessed our ministry there. We were able to see a powerful move of God as our church grew spiritually and numerically in answer to prayer. Pastor Greg and Connie, the senior pastor and his wife, greatly impacted and invested in our lives as we served alongside them. This has been my testimony of the faithfulness of God in my life since I arrived in America on July 7, 2000. Never did I imagine that today I would be serving as a Pastor of Erlanger UMC family. I thank God for the faithful ministry of Pastor Mark and Sande Shepherd for the last eight years and will prayerfully continue the work God used them to nurture here at Erlanger. We are excited, expectant and hopeful that God will guide us into the future and bring many souls to know Jesus Christ in the years to come. Please always keep us in Your Prayers as we serve together to make a difference for Christ in our community. Come Holy Spirit Come. Amen Ephesians 3:20-21- Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. All for Jesus Pastor Andrew and Arpita
Welcome Pastor Singh and Arpita
Farewell Pastor Mark and Sande Dear Members and Friends of EUMC, We wish we could express to you so many thanks for so many things that you have done for us, over the course of 8 years and certainly in the past year as we have had to make these difficult decisions surrounding my health. Mere words are not enough. You will never know how much we appreciate your kindness, your prayers, your constant encouragement and your love. You have truly been for us what the church is supposed to be for everybody, and we will never forget it. Please know that you are in our prayers every day as you start your new chapter with your new pastor. We know God will lead you in wonderful ways and in amazing directions of ministry. You are truly servants of God and that shows in everything you do. It was an honor and a privilege to be your pastor and parsonage family. Our love to each of you, and our prayers as well. We will never forget your great kindness to us, and we will always be confident of God using to better the lives of others as well. Mark and Sande
August 2018 Events are subject change, any changes made Will be comminuted by bulletin. Wed 1 st 12:00 pm Caring Team 7:00 pm Manna Mission Meeting Thur 2 nd 10:30 am Women In Mission 7:00 pm Welcome Home Wilson Sat 4 th 8:15 am UMM Devotional 9:00 am UMM Meeting Sun 5 th 9:00 am Communion / Chapel Mon 6 th 7:00 pm SPRC Tue 7 th 7:00 pm Welcome Home C&A Love Wed 8 th 7:00 pm Choir Practice Thur 9 th 6:00 pm Prayer Group Sun 12 th 9:00 am Communion / Chapel Mon 13 th 7:00 pm Council On Ministries Tue 14 th 1:00 pm GECDC Meeting Wed 15 th 7:00 pm Choir Practice Thur 16 th 7:00 pm Welcome Home Singh Sun 19 th 9:00 am Communion / Chapel Mon 20 th City Barbeque Mission 6:30 pm Trustee Tue 21 st 1:00 pm GECDC Wed 22 nd 7:00 pm Choir Practice Sat 25 th Car Show UMM 5:00 pm Manna Mission Meal Sun 26 th 9:00 am Communion / Chapel Children Bowling Trip Wed 29 th 7:00 pm Choir Practice Looking Ahead to September Sat 1 st 8:15 am UMM Devotional 9:00 am UMM Meeting Sum 2 nd 9:00 am Communion / Chapel Mon 3 rd Labor Day Church office will be closed Wed 5 th 12:00 pm Caring Team 7:00 pm Choir Practice Thur 6 th 11:00 am WIM Sun 9 th 9:00 am Communion / Chapel Mon 10 th 6:15 pm Finance Committee 7:00 pm Administrative Board Wed 12 th 7:00 pm Choir Practice Thur 13 th 6:00 pm Prayer Group Sun 16th Sat 22nd Family Promise Week Sun 16 th 9:00 am Communion / Chapel Wed 19 th 7:00 pm Choir Practice Sat 22 nd 5:00 pm Manna Mission Meal
Mission Trip 2018 Sager Brown
Women In Mission We met Friday, July 20 th to fill backpacks for the children of Ida Spence. Gina has Vacation Bible School July 27-29 th and plans to hand out the backpacks to the children who attend. This year we are asking for monetary donations for the school supplies, and we will take the money and buy the needed supplies. Thank you for all your help! Our August 2 nd WIM meeting will be starting early, at 10:30 am in the parlor. We have invited Pastor Andrew and Arpita to join us. We will have a brunch and get better acquainted. The meeting will follow this time of welcome.
August Birthday & Anniversaries Carrie Herrmann 08/01 Wanda Cole 08/10 Chris Herrmann 08/11 Kelly Lusk 08/12 Kristi Stricker 08/12 Brenda Cain 08/14 Tom Houston 08/15 Barry Wurtz 08/16 Monica Smith 08/24 Michael Nolan 08/25 Toni Rhodes 08/25 Mark Burns 08/29 Gene & Pat Barbour 08/05 Mike & Emily Markey 08/06 Mike & Karen Fletcher 08/08 Jim & Bev Muegel 08/11 Charles & Carol Kiefer 08/12 Paul & Mary Swanson 08/19 John & Sue Lambert 08/23 Charlie & Wanda Hill 08/31 OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD 2018, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse. Time to buy school supplies for shoeboxes! Many stores are having back to school sales. It's an ideal time to purchase crayons, pencils and erasers, scissors, paper and other items for OCC boxes. Some tips for this month: Please do not include toothpaste with hygiene items. We will provide a toothbrush with each box. Do add things such as washcloth and soap, hairbrush/comb. No candy or other food items. If it tastes good, it's not allowed Each box will have a tic tac toe game made by two of my grandchildren. Shipping is $9 per box. Look for ideas and tips in upcoming newsletters and bulletins. If you have any questions check out samaritanspurse.org or contact me, Emily Markey at emilysmarkey@yahoo.com or 859 918-5877.