the NEWSREEL McConnellsburg United Methodist Church, McConnellsburg, PA JUNE 2017 Volume 23, Issue 5 from the pastor s pen... Holy Boldness Get ready... Pentecost is coming! Read these Scriptures below and see what happens when the Holy Spirit empowers Believers to share the good news of Jesus Christ. 1 Scripture Acts 4:5-31 Hebrews 4:16 Ephesians 6:19-20 Ever shake up a bottle of soda and try to open the lid without getting sprayed? It s really hard, isn t it? You just can t seem to contain the reaction working within the confines of the bottle. The carbonation in the soda demands release. The Gospel is like that too. The Holy Spirit is our carbonation. When the Spirit and the Gospel connect... watch out! Power is released! The early Church grew because ordinary people of faith spoke with boldness. In fact, that is what got them in trouble on more than one occasion. Men like Paul were imprisoned because they just could not keep their mouth shut about all they had witnessed and heard. They were compelled to share the good news of Jesus Christ regardless of the audience or the setting. Friends, do you possess this same kind of holy boldness? Is the good news of Jesus bubbling up inside of you, or do you find yourself going flat from time to time? In both cases, prayer can help. Peter, John, and the others prayed for holy boldness. You can too! (continue on page 2) Contact Information Pastor: Robin Baer Parsonage: 717.485.4318 Church Office: 717.485.4815 Email: mcumc@comcast.net Youth Director: Kelli Miller 717.816.3912 Facility Coordinator: Reta Chamberlin 717.485.5515 Alternate: Sue Nesbitt 717.552.0015 Website: www.mcconnellsburgumc.com Sunday Services Worship: 8:30 am & 11:00 am Sunday School: 9:45 am (for all ages)
Church Council Meeting Minutes The May council meeting was canceled so there are no minutes to be shared. The time for the June, July, and August meetings will be 6:00 pm. General Church Council Information The Book of Discipline, the United Methodist governing document, gives us information about the makeup of Church Council (aka Administrative Team) and what it does. The church council is the administrative agency of the church with responsibilities to plan, implement, and annually evaluate the ministry of the congregation. And as for who makes up the council, one of the business items addressed at Church Conference (aka Charge Conference) is to nominate and approve the members of Church Council for the following year. The 2017 council has 16 members and typically meet the third Tuesday of each month at 7 pm. These meetings are open meetings, which means you do not have to be a member of the council to attend. Non-members have what is often referred to as voice, but no vote, only official members may vote. If God is leading you toward administrative service, please seek out someone on the Lay Leadership Team and let them know. This is the group that compiles a list of nominees for various positions that is presented at Church Conference. Their nominations, along with any additional nominations presented from the floor, are voted on thereby forming the church council and other committees serving the church for the following year. [2017 Lay Leadership Team Pastor Robin, Sue Nesbitt, Jeremy Fletcher, Leanne Pollock, Kelli Miller and Kate Mellott] Let s pray... (continued from page 1) O persistent God, deliver me from just going through the motions of faith and wasting everything I have: which is today, a chance, a choice, my creativity, your call. Rekindle in me a sense of urgency so that I might take advantage of every opportunity to release your good news into the world. boldness in the Spirit, I pray. Amen. Give me holy Happy to be in ministry with you, Pastor Robin Finance Team Meeting May - The regular meeting of the Finance Team was held on May 11, 2017 with four people in attendance. Old Business: The audit report discrepancies, reported from the April meeting, were tabled until the June meeting when more members are present to discuss this matter. New Business: The Finance Committee needs to come up with a policy as to an amount of money that can be spent before going to the Finance Committee for approval. The amount of $250.00 from selling prints (painting of the church) is to be moved to the new building fund account for mortgage payments. Check # 7825 to Word Entertainment for $1,500.84 for choir music. Cannot find what category that came out of. If it come out of MOY, Outreach, Worship Category, the $.84 is missing. Need to check with Sheila regarding this. There is a question concerning the gym rental money. Should it be moved to the General fund? 2
As you may know, for several years we have given financial support to missionaries James and Loni Hill as they spread Christ s message in Spain. Earlier this year they returned to the United States and recently we received this letter from them: Hello from Georgia! We wanted to give you a final update on what has been happening since we arrived in the States. We left Spain on February 11 th. The days and weeks leading up to our departure were a whirlwind, both time-wise and emotionally. We spent as much time as we could with our friends as we worked toward selling all our things. Our apartment was a revolving door, always having someone stopping to buy something or to say goodbye. We thought we would have more time, but once our beds, the car, and appliances were sold, it made sense to go ahead and buy our plane tickets. James started his new job almost immediately after arriving in the hopes that we would qualify for health insurance more quickly. Loni also began homeschooling the children shortly after we arrive to give everyone a little more time to adjust (and some extra practice in English). As of now, we have purchased the necessities and will work slowly toward adding the non-essentials (extra sheets, towels, kitchen utensils, cookware, etc.) as we are able. Loni was using a laundromat for the first 2 months, so she was most excited about the arrival of the washer and dryer! Emma and Luke were anxious to make some new friends, so we enrolled them at the local elementary school at the end of March. They handled the transition like rock stars and have been having a wonderful time. The early mornings have been an adjustment for them since school starts much earlier here. Titus stays home with mommy and get to be the man of the house while everyone else is away. He has been talking a lot lately about how much he misses his friends in Spain, and how he s sad that he doesn t get to play with them. We try to Skype with them regularly and he sends them text messages with mommy s help. We want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you that have prayed with us and for us, and to those of you who have given financially. We want to especially thank those of you who supported us financially through the end of March. Starting over as a family, with only 10 suitcases to your name was (and is) much more difficult than we anticipated. Your continued giving helped more than you know! As of March 31, all automatic gifts were cancelled. Please continue to pray for our transition. Since being back in the States, we have been going nonstop, and we have not yet allowed ourselves (or had the opportunity) to stop and process much of what has happened. There have been both tears and smiles as we talk about our time in Spain and about the people that God allowed us to meet and live life with. Having moved so many times over the last 5 years, It s difficult to feel settled, or at home. Still, we trust in God s faithfulness, and His ability to heal and soothe our hearts. We are grateful for how you have given of yourselves to see Spaniards come to know Jesus. We appreciate and love you! -James, Loni, Emma, Luke & Titus 3
This & That BLESSING CARDS Several years ago, we began asking God to open our eyes to see people, needs, and situations the way He did. We wanted to bring honor to God in the way we interacted with people inside the church and out and in everyday situations. In order to bring the most glory to God and not to individuals, we instituted the use of Blessing Cards. These cards allowed us to give to or do for someone anonymously while helping people connect with God through our church. Please consider taking a few from the basket in the Narthex and carrying them with you so you are prepared when God opens your eyes to an opportunity. To God be the glory! Example.... This blessing was given to you to honor the name of Jesus McConnellsburg United Methodist Church 121 N. Second Street McConnellsburg, PA 17233 717-485-4815 www.mcconnellsburgumc.com Great job guys! Thanks so much for the DELICIOUS Mother s Day breakfast! ATTENTION PIE BAKERS WE NEED YOU! Can you please help the Hands and Feet of Hope mission project by baking a pie or two? Last year many of you donated homemade pies that were served as dessert at a special evening meal for all the youth workers, leaders, and the residents of the homes where the work was done. The pies were a HUGE hit everyone loved them! We plan to do this again this year so watch for the sign-up sheet or contact Nancy Cordell. One of the crafts planned for Vacation Bible School uses a nut can or a small Crisco shortening can. We need about 40 of these by August 1 so if you can please start saving these we d appreciate it! See Sue Nesbitt for details. REMEMBER to submit dates of birthdays and anniversaries so they can be included in the Newsreel. Just drop them in the Newsreel suggestion box at the back of the sanctuary or email them to the church office (address on page 1). United Methodist Now is a biweekly e-newsletter published by the United Methodist Church to highlight examples of Christian living, share inspirational messages, and focus on what it means to be part of our connection. Link to subscribe and/or to see past issues at: http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/united-methodistnow-inspiration-for-daily-living 4
We are counting down the days to Hands and Feet of Hope! Please join me in praying for this project and all those who will be touched by it! God does mighty works during this week and I can t wait to share them with you! Hands and Feet of Hope will be June 11-17 so we will be around the church facility all week! Want to know what we are up to? Stop by, we d love to see you! & The choirs will be on summer break but we ll look forward to hearing them again when they return in September. Thanks to all you choir members, both adults and kids, that share your gift of music with us! And a reminder to anyone who can provide special music during the summer months there are plenty of dates still open. Check out the sign-up sheet on the memorial case. OLD TESTAMENT QUIZ 1. What is the third book in the Old Testament? 2. How many books are there in the Old Testament? 3. Which book has 50 chapters? 4. What are the first 5 books of the Old Testament called? 5. Who wrote the first 5 books of the Old Testament? 6. Which book is the last in the Old Testament? 7. In what language was the Old Testament written? 8. What is the shortest book in the Old Testament? 9. What is the longest book in the Old Testament? 5 Answers on Page 7
Did you ever know.......... a Methodist church in Fairmont, West Virginia holds the distinction of holding the nation s first event explicitly in honor of fathers, which came to be known as Father s Day? On July 5, 1908, a worship service was held at the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South honoring fathers. The year before there had been devastating explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in nearby Monongah killing 360-plus men, most of whom were fathers. The service was said to have been prompted by this great loss and the desire to honor these hardworking men, but some speculate it may have been influenced somewhat by the recent observance of Mother s Day. There is also record of a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd that is sometimes called the Mother of Father s Day. Although she did lobby for many years to have Father s Day recognized as a national holiday, it was June, 1910 when she convinced a Young Men s Christian Association (YMCA) in Spokane, WA to hold a celebration honoring fathers. It was actually many decades later, in 1972, that President Richard Nixon made Father s Day a permanent national holiday to be observed annually the third Sunday of June..... and now you know. Pray for Your Husband from Head to Toe His Head that he will look to You as Lord of his life. (1 Corinthians 11:13) His Mind that he will have the mind of Christ and think as the Holy Spirit would lead him and not the flesh. (1 Corinthians 2:16) His Eyes that you will keep his eyes from temptation and that he will turn his eyes from sin. (Matthew 6:13, Mark 9:47) His Ears that he will hear Your still small voice instruction him. (1 Kings 19:12, Psalms 32:8) His Mouth that his words will be pleasing to You. (Proverbs 19:14) His Neck - that he will humble himself before You and be strong, courageous, and careful to do everything written in Your Word so that he will be prosperous and successful. (James 4:10, Joshua 1:8-9) His Heart that he will love and trust You with his whole heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5, Proverbs 3:5) His Arms that You will be his strength. (Psalms 73:26) His Hands that he will enjoy the work of his hands and see it as a gift from You. (Ecclesiastes 3:13, 5:19) His Ring Finger that he will be true to our marriage vows and that our love will never wane. (Proverbs 3:3, Malachi 2:16) His Legs that he will stand firm in his faith and not waver. (Psalms 62:6) His Feet that You will order his steps and that he will walk in Your truth. (Proverbs 4:25, Psalms 26:3) Three boys on the playground were bragging about their dads. One said. My dad scribbles down a few words, calls it a song and he gets paid $50. Oh, yeah, well my dad scribbles down a few words, calls it a poem and he gets paid $100. Huh, that s nothing, said the third kid. My dad scribbles down a few words, calls it a sermon and it takes six people to collect all the money in the room! 6
STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD 2 cups pretzels, crushed 1 6 oz. box strawberry Jell-O ¾ cup margarine, melted 2 cups boiling water 3 T sugar 20 oz. unsweetened 8 oz. cream cheese strawberries 8 oz. Cool Whip Mix together pretzels, margarine and sugar. Press into 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool. Combine cream cheese, Cool Whip and sugar. Mix well. Spread over cooled pretzels. Mix Jell-O, water and berries. Stir until berries soften and Jell-O starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Pour on top of cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate. McConnellsburg United Methodist Church Cookbook Teressa Carter BARBEQUED CHICKEN ½ cup ketchup 1 tsp. salt ½ cup onion, chopped ½ tsp. pepper ¼ cup water 1 tsp. celery seed 2 T oil 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 T vinegar 1 tsp. dry mustard 2 T brown sugar 3 lbs. chicken Combine all ingredients, except chicken, and mix well. Pour over chicken and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. McConnellsburg United Methodist Church Cookbook Sylvia Peck GRAPE-NUT DESSERT 2 small or one large pkg. 1 cup grape-nut cereal Instant vanilla pudding 1 large Cool Whip Make pudding as directed. Fold in cereal and Cool Whip. Mixer makes the dessert smoother. Skim milk makes the pudding yellow. Place in dessert dish and refrigerate overnight. McConnellsburg United Methodist Church Cookbook Leanne Pollock Answers to Quiz (page 5) 1. Leviticus 5. Moses 2. 39 6. Malachi 3. Genesis 7. Hebrew 4. Pentateuch 8. Obadiah 9. Psalms 7
2017 June SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 Lay Leadership Team Mtg-6p First Friday Lunch 11a-1p Love's Closet 9a-11a 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 PENTECOST Gratuate Recognizion HFOH Mtg-7p Bible Study-10a Finance Mtg - 6:30p 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 HFOH HFOH HFOH HFOH Bible Study-10a HFOH HFOH HFOH 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Father s Day Council Mtg-6p Bible Study-10 a 25 26 27 28 29 30 01 VBS Mtg-6;30p Trustee Mtg-7pm Bible Study-10a Youth Group-6p 02 03 Notes: HFOH - Hands and Feet of Hope Wednesday Studies - "Facing the Giants in Our LIves", held in the Friendship Class Sunday School room Weekly Sunday Services at 8:30 am and 11:00 am, Sunday School 9:45 am June Bible Reading Plan - - Never Alone 1. Genesis 28:13-19 2. Matthew 28:16-20 3. Isaiah 41:1-10 4. Joshua 1:1-9 5. Psalm 23:1-6 6. Jeremiah 23:23-30 7. Matthew 18:15-20 8. Deuteronomy 31:1-8 9. Matthew 1:20-25 10. Exodus 33:11-23 11. 1 Chronicles 17:1-8 12. Psalm 73:21-28 13. Deuteronomy 2:1-7 14. Judges 6:6-16 15. Psalm 139:1-12 16. Psalm 139:13-24 17. Jeremiah 1:1-8 18. Jeremiah 1:9-19 19. Deuteronomy 20:1-4 20. Psalm 36:1-12 21. Isaiah 43:1-7 22. 2 Kings 6:8-18 23. Psalm 46:1-11 24. 2 Chronicles 32:1-8 25. Deuteronomy 4:29-40 26. 1 Kings 8:54-61 27. Psalm 16:1-11 28. Zephaniah 3:14-20 29. 1 John 3:18-24 30. Psalm 72:12-20 8