July 2015 Circuit Write MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE ERLANGER r UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Change I read an article this week about being a pastor in a 5-4 world. It was referring, of course, to the recent Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, which has certainly drawn a lot of attention and even fireworks. There are a lot of people who want me (or any pastor) to come out with a decree on the virtue or vice of this decision and pick my side of the fight. My concern about these issues (and there are many) is much more the fight than the issue. I do not think Christians should back down from issues they feel are important, but I also think they need to be important for more than just reasons of tradition and we ve always felt that way. On most issues, it s important to take a fresh look at the issue and at the world and see how things stack up. We learn a lot about the issue, the world, and actually, about ourselves, too, when we do that. So many people want the world to be the with Pastor Mark se it s always been, and that s just not reality. It has never been reality and never will be reality, and we need to get over it. Change is going to happen whether we like it or not (and it happens by God s design and plan). We can deny it and hold on to the past (which means we die) or we can find ways to be faithful to core values and to the Bible in a changing world. Jesus was INSTITUTING change in most of what he did. He ce specifically to show that the old ways of doing things weren t working and were actually oppressing people, keeping them from God. Change was essential then to bring life, and change is a part of bringing abundant life even today. None of us like to be pushed out of the Mayberry we
all have in our own minds. God just did not ever promise a sweet, kind world where no one had to change or have their feelings hurt or be offended about anything. In fact, Jesus said to be glad when trouble and persecution come your way. You are in good company when it happens. All the saints and prophets of Scripture experienced it. Sometimes change isn t good. Often times it is, but we just don t see it at the time. God designed the world to move forward. God has brought azing changes in the world through the years, and it brings us hope for so many things that otherwise would bring us down. Cures for cancer and many other medical advances are coming fast. Those are good changes. Agricultural technology is enabling us to feed the world. Those are good changes. The computer age does have its frustrations, but look at what we can do with communication because of it. Just on a simple scale, you can have a conversation with people across the world AND ACTUALLY SEE THEM WHILE YOU TALK. It s azing! Every change, and all of us as individuals, have good and bad sides. Don t accept something blindly, or reject something blindly, without thought and discussion and trying to gain a new understanding about it (or them). Don t expect the world to be Mayberry, where it s easy to be a Christian and easy for everybody to love each other. It s NOT easy to be a Christian, and it s NOT easy to love each other, but we must love each other. God is in control. Through every change, we can find ways of being faithful. Through every change, Jesus calls us to follow him. Following Jesus often means breaking tradition and established rules. He ate with tax collectors and sinners (scandalous in his day). He spent time with lepers (again, scandalous they were unclean and it broke religious rules.) He allowed his disciples to glean the fields on the Sabbath because they were hungry, and while it broke rules of the church, it was practicing rules of compassion. Things like the 5-4 decision on gay marriage, I believe, are ways God uses us to make us think through who we are and what we re doing. It makes us really evaluate what Christian faith is all about. It s easy to boil down faith to rules of you must do this or you can t do that. Faith just isn t that simple. What is most important is that we love and practice compassion. That is one thing that will never change. It s not easy being a pastor, or a lay Christian, in a 5-4 world. But that s the world we live in. In fact it has NEVER been easy to be a Christian. The point of faith is not to make life easy. It is to make life worthwhile. Nothing worthwhile is easy. Let s talk about things like this. Let s love each other in spite of differing opinions. Let s listen to each other and grow in understanding AND IN FAITH. This might be the best thing that s ever happened! See you in church! Pastor Mark
Adult Ministries The Adult Ministries are already collecting money for the Pastor s Cake. The Cake will be auctioned off at the Ida Spence Spaghetti Dinner November 7, 2015. Please see Joy Hilton, if you have any questions or would like to donate. Sager Brown Mission Trip July 11 th 18 th, 2015 When we started planning for this trip, it seemed like this day would not come, and now it is here. Saturday, July 11 th we will be sending 10 of our church fily to Baldwin, Louisiana. They will assemble, verify, and pack reliefsupply kits so that they can be sent to the areas where they are needed most. They also help with outreach progrs in the depots local communities. The te will also be taking Relief Kits, these kits help provide care for the most vulnerable people during times of crisis. Kits help sustain everyday life for people who lack ready access to essential supplies. They provide vital support for UMCOR s global develoent work and make a tangible difference in people s lives. Please remember Pastor Mark Shepherd, Bill Slaven, Ronda Brown, Mark Burns, Ralph Doyle, Jacqueline McPeters, Sarah Barron, Marilynn Sanson, Christian Dockery, and Dakota Griffith, in your prayers as they travel on our behalf. Also remember their fily while they are away.
JULY 2015 Wed. 12:00 1 st Caring Te 5:45 Sunday School 7:00 Choir Practice Thur. 11:00 2 nd Women In Mission Fri. 3 rd Office closed for 4 th of July Sun. 5 th Give me $5.00 Ida Spence 9:00 Communion / Chapel 9:15 Sunday School / Tone Chyme 10:30 Worship 5:30 Youth Mon. 7:00 6 th SPRC Meeting Tue. 6:30 7 th Trustee 7:30 Bible Study Wed. 10:30 8 th Children s Chapel 5:45 The Lydia Project Choir Summer Break Thur. 6:00 9 th Prayer Group Sat. Sager Brown Mission - 18 11 th Trip Sat. 9:00 11 th Methodist Men Meeting Sun. 9:00 12 th Communion / Chapel 9:15 Sunday School / Tone Chyme Wed. 15 th Sun. 19 th Mon. 20 th Tue. 21 st Wed. 22 nd Sat. 25 th Sun. 26 th Tue. 28 th 10:30 4:30 1:00 Worship Devotions Evangelism Te Meeting Choir Summer Break UMM Ice Cre Social 9:00 9:15 10:30 4:30 5:30 Communion / Chapel Sunday School / Tone Chyme Worship Devotions Youth UMM Gold Star Day 6:15 7:00 7:00 10:30 5:00 9:00 9:15 10:30 3:00 4:30 7:00 Finance Meeting Administrative Board Bible Study Children s Chapel Manna Mission Communion / Chapel Sunday School / Tone Chyme Worship Children / Youth Big Bone Trip Devotions Bible Study
On Saturday, June 27 th, 22 Youth Group and 4 adult braved the cold weather to go the Sprit Song at Kings Island. They enjoyed the Rides, Water Park and Concerts all day returning to the church at 1:00. The youth were well behaved and reported to Bill as they were told, and everyone had fun. Youth Trip to Sprit Song at Kings Island
Senior skydives to celebrate 90 th 11:26 a.m. EDT June 13, 2015 Amy Scalf, ascalf@communitypress.com FLORENCE John Gillespie jumped out of an airplane to celebrate his 90th birthday. It was just something to do," he said. "I wanted to swim across the Ohio River, but I'm too old to do that, I think." The paterfilias said it was an auspicious year; he turned 90 in January, his son, also ned John, turned 60, and one of his granddaughters turned 30. At his birthday party, the elder Gillespie asked his fily members to join him for the jump. I definitely wanted to be a part of his 90th birthday request," said Kayla Gillespie, 28, who also jumped. "It's probably the best experience I've ever had. It was awesome." Kayla Gillespie said her grandfather has always been fun. He used to pick us up after school, and he'd usually have a candy bar on the dashboard," she said. "He was always there for us and always wonderful. He hasn't slowed down. He's pretty excellent." "Awesome," was how John Gillespie described his jump from 14,000 feet over Middletown, Ohio, with Start Skydiving. My favorite part was that my son and two granddaughters went with me," he said. "It was all awesome. It was scary, but we knew that before we did it." John Gillespie has four children, 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Before the end of the year, he'll have two more great-grands. His wife of 65 years, Joanne, liked watching him but declined to participate. I don't do jumps. I don't do planes. I don't do trains," she said. "I flew for the birth of one of my grandchildren, and I don't need to do it again." On the contrary, John Gillespie is ready to skydive again soon. "I'll definitely go if I make it to 95," the Florence resident said. "We may go again next year. We all want to do it again real soon." "But I won't," said Joanne Gillespie.
From the Erlanger United Methodist Men Hi Folks. Sunday, June 21, 2015 on Father s Day we gave out the annual awards for the UMM Man of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award. When you get the chance, please thank the 2 winners or their filies for their service towards getting the LORD S work done. Thank you. Mark your calendars. The Ice Cre Social will be Sunday, July 19, 2015 after the church service. Tickets are now available. You get the ice cre sundae, BBQ sandwich, cole slaw, chips and drink. All for only $7.00. Thank you. Canned goods update for the United Christian Volunteers. Thru June 15, 2015, 1,921 food items have been delivered. Emphasis in July 2015 is on fruits & vegetables. Our goal for 2015 is 4,000 food items. There are many folks in the local area that can t afford enough food for their filies. Your support has gone a long way in helping this cause. Thank you. Whatever you bring will be greatly appreciated. We would like to invite all men to join the Erlanger United Methodist Men. Our next meeting is July 11, 2015, Saturday, 9:00 at Erlanger UMC in the Asbury Room. Thank you and GOD Bless you all. The mission of the General Commission on United Methodist Men is to assist men to know Jesus Christ, to serve Him, to grow spiritually and seek daily to do His will.
Women In Mission Update IDA SPENCE - The Women in Mission collected 150 (WOW) flipflop s for the Ida Spence Mission!! We have Thank you very much for caring about the souls that will be wearing these shoes this summer. From now until July we will be helping Students going back to school (see list for supplies needed) and from now until October we will collect laundry detergent and bleach. RED BIRD MISSION We will be collecting Labels for Education and Box Top s for Education. See poster in Home Street Vestibule for what the labels look like. If you have any questions see Martha Ashcraft.
DISTRICT NEWS Welcome to the New District!! (Un-ned until District Conference on Aug. 2nd!) We are all in a new district! The Covington District will be dissolved legally in a few weeks and a brand new district will be created with new articles of in-corporation and new officers. The current state that we are in reminds me of the scripture from Isaiah 43: 18-19 where the Lord says: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? As we live into this new thing that is springing up, here are some important dates: Saturday, July 11: 10 to 3 at Alexandria UMC: The New District Transition Te will meet to make some important recommendations. I have asked at least one person from each county in the new district to serve on this transition te. Sunday, July 12: 3 at Carrollton UMC, Get Acquainted Session for the Pastors, SPR/PPR Chairs, and Lay Leaders in Owen, Carroll, and Trimble Counties. Since I the new DS for these counties, I desire to get to know you and for you to get acquainted with me. Sunday, July 19: 2 at Flemingsburg First UMC, Get Acquainted Session for the Pastors, SPR/PPR Chairs, and Lay Leaders in Fleming and Nicholas Counties. Se reason as stated in B. Sunday, August 2: 3 to 5 at Alexandria UMC, the Organizing District Conference. We will be approving the ne, articles of incorporation, new officers and tes, and other business issues. We will also worship together with Rev. Paul Brunstetter, Director of New Church Develoent, sharing the message and celebrating communion. We will have representatives from our district ministries, missionaries, and Cokesbury present. We will also be taking pictures of Clergy and Spouses in the Fellowship Hall to start a pictorial directory for the new district. Well, we have our work cut out for us as we boldly march into the future that God has in mind for us. I reminded of this hymn, This is a Day of New Beginnings : This is the day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that s gone. For by the life and death of Jesus, God s mighty Spirit, now as then, can make for us a world of difference, as faith and hope are born again. Then let us, with the Spirit s daring, step from the past and leave behind our disappointment, guilt and grieving, seeking new paths and sure to find. (UMH 383, Wren and Young) Once again, to all of you let me say, Welcome to the New District! Blessings, Rev. Owen Dolin, DS
June 2015 Tithes and Offering Tithes Sunday School Loose Plate GECDC Interest/Dividends Upper Room $12,915.59 $70.00 $192.88 $9,152.16 $8.37 $2.00 GENERAL FUND TOTAL Children's Ministry Emmaus Emergency Emmaus Various Proj. Emmaus Zimmerman Good Saritan Fund Laws Manna Mission Methodist Men Memorials Miscellaneous Mission Reimbursements UCV Women in Mission Zimmerman's Building Fund SPECIAL GIFTS TOTAL GRAND TOTAL $22,341.00 $10.00 $52.00 $59.00 $54.00 $64.00 $20.00 $138.25 $200.00 $290.00 $78.00 $629.00 $190.00 $10.00 $450.00 $20.00 $1,016.90 $3,281.15 $25,622.15
July 4 th Facts! Variously known as the Fourth of July and Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83). In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual fily gatherings and barbecues. THE BIRTH OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE When the initial battles in the Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, few colonists desired complete independence from Great Britain, and those who did were considered radical. By the middle of the following year, however, many more colonists had come to favor independence, thanks to growing hostility against Britain and the spread of revolutionary sentiments such as those expressed in Thomas Paine s bestselling pphlet Common Sense, published in early 1776. On June 7, when the Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, the Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion calling for the colonies independence. Amid heated debate, Congress postponed the vote on Lee s resolution, but appointed a five-man committee including Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Ads of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York to draft a formal statement justifying the break with Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of Lee s resolution for independence in a near-unanimous vote (the New York delegation abstained, but later voted affirmatively). On that day, John Ads wrote to his wife Abigail that July 2 will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival and that the celebration should include Pomp and Parade Ges, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other. On July 4th, the Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, which had been written largely by Jefferson. Though the vote for actual independence took place on July 2nd, from then on the 4th bece the day that was celebrated as the birth of American independence. EARLY FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS In the pre-revolutionary years, colonists had held annual celebrations of the king s birthday, which traditionally included the ringing of bells, bonfires, processions and speechmaking. By contrast, during the summer of 1776 some colonists celebrated the birth of independence by holding mock funerals for King George III, as a way of symbolizing the end of the monarchy s hold on America and the triumph of liberty. Festivities including concerts, bonfires, parades and the firing of cannons and muskets usually accompanied the first public readings of the Declaration of Independence, beginning immediately after its adoption. Philadelphia held the first annual commemoration of independence on July 4, 1777, while Congress was still occupied with the ongoing war. George Washington issued double rations of rum to all his soldiers to mark the anniversary of independence in 1778, and in 1781, several months before the key American victory at Yorktown, Massachusetts bece the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday. After the Revolutionary War, Americans continued to commemorate Independence Day every year, in celebrations that allowed the new nation s emerging political leaders to address citizens and create a feeling of unity. By the last decade of the 18th century, the two major political parties Federalists and Democratic- Republicans that had arisen began holding separate Independence Day celebrations in many large cities. JULY 4TH BECOMES A NATIONAL HOLIDAY The tradition of patriotic celebration bece even more widespread after the War of 1812, in which the United States again faced Great Britain. In 1870, the U.S. Congress made July 4th a federal holiday; in 1941, the provision was expanded to grant a paid holiday to all federal employees. Over the years, the political importance of the holiday would decline, but Independence Day remained an important national holiday and a symbol of patriotism. Falling in mid-summer, the Fourth of July has since the late 19th century become a major focus of leisure activities and a common occasion for fily gettogethers, often involving fireworks and outdoor barbecues. The most common symbol of the holiday is the American flag, and a common musical accompaniment is The Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States.