Winthrop United Methodist Church M E S S E N G E R April 2018 Dear Saints, For a long time now I have preached and shared that our personal relationship with God is the only thing that could bring wholeness and purpose to our lives. Theologians like Augustine and Pascal spoke of a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every person that cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the creator, made known through Jesus. Over the last couple of weeks I have struggled with this theology as I have encountered several people struggling with so much hurt and pain in their lives. Sayings like Trust God, and God has a plan, words we so often hear ring far from true in my mind today. Telling someone God loves them has little or no impact on them if they have never felt loved. When people ask me about the Bible, I tell them to look at the Bible as a love story, not as a book of dos and don ts, rules that have to be followed or else! The message is a simple message God loves us and calls us to love God and one another. Through our baptisms we are initiated into God s holy family as a child of God. As brothers and sisters in Christ we need to have an effective dependency on one another where we provide and receive emotional support and caring from one another. Our ability to provide and receive this emotional support is a sign of strength and wholeness in our lives, not weakness as so many claim in our current culture. John Bowlby in his work around family therapy says that emotional and loving contact is as important as physical nutrition. I honestly believe our culture today is suffering from an emotional starvation of sorts. Telling someone that God loves them means nothing unless we as Christians are willing to provide the loving support they so desperately seek. James House of the University of Michigan declares that emotional isolation is a more dangerous health risk than smoking or high blood pressure. When you tell someone God loves them are you showing them what that means? I pray you are and that we do as the church of Christ.. Blessings, Pastor Ned
Whale of a Sale in 2018? The biannual Whale of a Sale has proven to be a successful fundraiser over the past decade and a half. It is typically held on the third Saturday in August, the same day as the Winthrop Sidewalk Art Show. Several additional community events have sprung up around the Art Show, including our Whale of a Sale. The Whale of a Sale is a giant rummage sale held on the lawn of the church and in Fellowship Hall. Merchandise for the sale is donated by church members (and others) and proceeds support the work of the church. The Whale of a Sale has the potential to be the largest fund-raiser of the year for WUMC, but only if we have it! The church needs a small group of individuals to take on this project. If you are organized, a seasoned yard saler or retailer, or if you just know you can do it and want to help the church, please see Pastor Ned about serving in this way. Sharing Your Information Does your church team or committee have an upcoming event or other information to share with the church family? The best way to do that is by including it in the monthly newsletter, and listing it in the weekly announcements inserted in the bulletin. The best way to learn about upcoming events in the life of the church is to read the monthly newsletter and read the weekly announcements inserted in the bulletin! Church Finances 1st Quarter Report Pledge & Plate Income January - March 18 Budgeted $ 38,848 Actual $ 31,600 Variance ($ 7,220) Jeff Toothaker Church Treasurer Our Mission and Purpose The mission of the Winthrop United Methodist Church is to be a Christian community that invites all people to participate in God s love. Our purpose is to live out the mission through nurture, outreach and witness. Medical Devices Ministry Do you or someone you know have a temporary need for a medical device? Our church has a lending program that might help. We have a supply of donated crutches, canes, walkers, wheelchairs, shower chairs, etc. that people can use when they are recovering at home from an injury, surgery, or other medical issue. Please see Chris O Connell or make your request at the church office. If we have it, we d love to have you borrow it. Sight and Sound Theatre Pennsylvania October 2018 Another bus trip to the Sight and Sound Theatre in Pennsylvania is being planned as you read this!! The play being offered is a new production called Jesus - an action-packed musical stage adventure that takes you on a miraculous journey alongside the most famous person ever to walk the earth and the everyday people whose lives he changed forever. The dates are October 1-4, 2018 so mark your calendar and start to save your $$ now! The cost is undetermined at this time, and depends on the number who sign up to go. Lots of fun will be had! For more information, ask Mark or Judy Johnston or Pastor Ned. Stay tuned for more info!!
Prayer Shawls ATTENTION: DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO COULD USE SOME COMFORT FROM YOU AND GOD? Here at WUMC we have an abundance of prayer shawls for you to give to those who do. We have shawls for the ladies, lap robes for the gents, and blankets for small children and babies.t hese are all ready to go and kept in the large, brown TV cabinet in the chapel. All items are in gift bags and clearly marked. Please help yourself and be sure to use the notebook marked "OUT". This records the name of the recipient, some way we could pray for the recipient, a description of the item, the date and your name. THE PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY NEEDS YOUR HELP! If you knit or crochet, and would like to participate, we are in need of baby blankets for christening (2.5' x 2.5') made with soft yarn, in white or pale pastel colors (solids please), kid blankets in all colors and patterns (approx 3.5' x 3.5') for kids and babies, men's lap robes (same size as kids blankets but in appropriate colors) and finally we need pocket prayer squares (2" x 2") in a variety of colors. If you sew, child size quilts are always welcome. Don't forget to sign in when you donate, using the notebook marked "IN". We will get it into a gift bag so it will be ready to go. Need more information about our prayer shawl ministry? Please feel free to contact Shelly Gearheart (377.7815) or Jan Leighton (323.4489) Thank you! Hannaford Cards The Hannaford cards are available for purchase every Sunday in Fellowship Hall following worship. There are denominations of $25, $50, and $100. Five percent of the proceeds from the sale of the cards go to the church, which amounts to approximately $1,200 per year. First Sunday Ministries Returnable Cans and Bottles: Graduation time is fast approaching! We have a few high school seniors associated with our church and we would like to continue the tradition of presenting them with a monetary gift from our church. This ministry is totally supported by your donations of returnable cans and bottles. So please bring your Donations to the church and put in the box outside the kitchen, or take them directly to the Redemption Center on Royal Street. Just ask the attendant to credit the Methodist Church account. Food Pantry Donations: On the first Sunday of each month, the congregation is invited to bring non-perishable food items and personal hygiene items to donate to the Winthrop Food Pantry. If the pantry has specific needs, we will pass that information on, however, all donations of nutritious foods are welcome. Kay Riggs currently delivers the donated items to the Food Pantry. WUMC Prayer Chain Our church has an electronic prayer chain which enables instant sending of prayer requests to a large number of prayer warriors made up of members of the WUMC congregation. If you have a request, or if you would like to become a prayer warrior and be added to the prayer chain, please e-mail Christina Kennedy at ckenny@roadrunner.com. For May 2018! Please email your articles to the church office (office@winthropumc.org) by Thursday, April 26, 2018.
Please remember to share information about our Open House April 10 th from 5:00 6:30. Registration for next school year: Children turning three or four by October 15, 2018 are eligible for enrollment. We also accept children who are eligible for Kindergarten who would benefit from the gift of one more year. Come visit the classrooms and meet our teachers. Wonder Awhile children will be busy this month. We will be learning about Spring and flowers. There are visits to the Library and Longfellow s Greenhouse planned. We are hoping the snow is all done and that the playground will dry out soon. Jane is excited to be part of Vacation Bible School this April vacation. She hopes to see many of your children and grandchildren that week. We have some great science and movement activities lined up. They have been planned to support all the other activities the other folks from Church are making and sharing. May 18 th from 2:00 6:00 Wonder Awhile will be hosting a Family Fun Day. The afternoon will provide opportunities for families to visit while their children play. Please come visit and share this information. There will be a Bounce House, parachute, sensory table, hula hoops and bike riding. Water and popcorn will be available. Donations will be accepted. Come join us for a fun filled afternoon! Wonder Awhile Nursery School would like to THANK everyone for their support, especially those of you who donated items and purchased items at our Basket Auction. We are very blessed to have your donations, prayers, and visits! With so many of our Church Friends being sick, Wonder Awhile Nursery School decided to put a list of things to do to get better quicker. We asked our children what makes them feel better. This is the list we created, so please follow the following instructions: Jackson says wear your hat and mittens so you don t get sick. Zoey says have Papa make breakfast every day. Sam Be. says to eat healthy. Declan says to try to poop and then get medicine. Jack says try to throw up. Justus, Liam N., Luke, Avery and Leo say to eat chicken noodle soup. Henry, Eliana, and Grayson say to hug mom and dad. Lauren Ba. says put an ice pack on your forehead. Lilli says eat some lunch. Alex C. says get a hug from Mom and Dad and eat soup. Liam B. says have someone rub your tummy. Tyler says have a doctor check your belly. Elise, Truman, Kinsley and Quintus say try some honey. Alex Ch. says take some orange medicine. Megan says have LOTS of tissues. Maggie says take your temperature and go to the doctors. Harvey says have your mommy give you some medicine. Liam A. says get kisses from mommy. Connor G. says eat blueberry gummies. Natalie says stay at home. Charlotte says get hugs from Papa. Cooper says to snuggle with his monkey. Charlie, Connor A., Liahna and Neika say to take medicine. Quintus says to go to sleep. Kobi and Roy say to lay down. Brooklyn says to snuggle and rest. Jace says to cuddle with a pillow. Benny says drink lots of water and go slow. Izzi says snuggle a bunny. Reed says take a nap. And finally Lauren Bo. Says take a nap on my new couch. We hope these preschool remedies make you feel better. If these don t work, we are going on the premise that laughter is the best medicine! Wonders never cease as long as you never cease to wonder
Nametags Please don t forget to wear your nametag Sunday mornings or during WUMC fellowship events. They really help us get to know one another. If you do not have a nametag, please see Barbara in the church office. We ll get you one! Elevator Reminder We are fortunate to have an elevator to ease access to our second floor sanctuary, but please keep in mind that the elevator will not operate unless both the gates and doors are completely closed. When you exit the elevator, please be sure to close the gate and the door behind you. Only then will the elevator be available to the next person who needs it. And if you see a visitor trying to use the elevator, please stop and assist them to make sure they close the gates! Thank you. Coconut Macaroons These fancy cookies are really very easy to make! 1 14 oz. bag sweetened flaked coconut, such as Baker s Angel Flake (about 5+1/3 cups) 7/8 cup sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated!) *** 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large egg whites ¼ teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set two oven racks near center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (not waxed paper!) In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Set aside. Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Use a large rubber spatula to fold egg whites into coconut mixture. Form heaping tablespoons of the mixture into mounds on prepared baking sheets, placing one inch apart. Bake for 23-25 minutes, rotating pans from top to bottom and back to front until the tops and edges are golden brown. Let cool on the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. To dip in chocolate, melt 4 ounces of good semisweet chocolate in the microwave or on top of a double boiler. Dip bottoms of macaroons in melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Return to lined baking sheets and place in fridge for about 10 minutes so chocolate will set. Will keep in an air tight container for about a week. ***7/8 cup = ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons. DO NOT USE whole can or cookies will be gooey, not chewy!
Don t Know Much About... Tabitha s Closet is a free clothing ministry of the Winthrop United Methodist Church. Its primary mission is to provide, free-of-charge, clean, gently-used apparel to children and adults in the greater Winthrop community and beyond. The Closet is open the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, from 9 AM noon. Every Saturday The Closet is open, well over 100 people are served. In addition, Tabitha s Closet holds a school supplies giveaway on the second Saturday in August, and a Christmas toy giveaway the second Saturday in December. In 2017, between 150-200 children and youth were served at each of these special events. Tabitha is a woman in the Bible who appears briefly in the Book of Acts. She resided in the city of Joppa, was a devout member of the early church, and was well-loved in her community for her kindness and generosity. Tabitha was a seamstress, and she used her skills to sew garments for the poor and needy in her town. When she died, Peter restored her to life. He remained in Joppa where he converted many to the new faith. Tabitha s Closet was named in honor of the life of Tabitha and her miraculous return from death. Tabitha s Closet was conceived during the economic downturn of 2008, when the church s program coordinator (Barbara Hamblin) recognized the hardship back-to-school preparations can be for many families. After researching persons of the Bible, it became clear that the new ministry should bear Tabitha s name, and Tabitha s Closet was born. That first endeavor included gently-used children s clothes and a small inventory of new school supplies. It was so successful that mission-minded people in the church followed up in December with the first Christmas giveaway. For the first few years, Tabitha s Closet opened only twice a year, and was held in the church s Fellowship Hall. In 2013, the church dedicated space at its 72 Main Street property, and Tabitha s Closet had a permanent home. This enabled The Closet to operate on a fixed, regular schedule throughout the year. In addition to the Saturday schedule, Tabitha s Closet also responds immediately to emergency needs resulting from fires, domestic violence incidents, floods, etc. Tabitha s Closet is totally supported by donations and is operated solely by volunteers. Shifts of volunteers work three days per week sorting clothes; folks also volunteer Saturdays when The Closet is open. Other volunteers pick up donations that are not dropped off, collect banana boxes for storage purposes, and provide maintenance and repair to the Tabitha s Closet space. Participating volunteers include community members as well as church members, and new volunteers are always welcome. Since gaining a permanent home, Tabitha s Closet has grown, both in offerings and in its impact on the community. Soft goods such as bedding and towels are now offered, as are personal hygiene products ( Tabitha s Cupboard. ) The Closet has connections to the Winthrop Health Center, Winthrop Middle School, Maranacook HS, and more. It is listed on the statewide 211 Referral System, and is known to and accessed by many social service agencies in this part of the state. If you would like more information about Tabitha s Closet, please contact the church office at 377-8620. Perpetual Need! Do you have any slightly imperfect bath towels, hand towels, wash cloths, kitchen towels, sheets, blankets, curtains, bedspreads that you no longer use? These types of items are in huge demand at Tabitha s Closet. You can donate by dropping off your unwanted items in the donations shed behind Tabitha s Closet at 72 Main Street. Thank you!
Winthrop United Methodist Church P.O. Box 136 Winthrop, ME 04364 2018 Church Office Hours: Tuesday Friday 9 a.m 2 p.m (207) 377-8620 P.O. Box 136 58 Main Street Winthrop, ME 04364 Ned S. Crockett - Pastor Ron Leighton - Lay Leader Barbara Hamblin - Administrative Assistant Email: office@winthropumc.org Pastor Ned: pastor@winthropumc.org Sunday Worship service 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 8:45 a.m. www.winthropumc.org www.wonderawhile.org The mission of the Winthrop United Methodist Church is to be a Christian community that invites all people to participate in God s love. Our purpose is to live out the mission through nurture, outreach and witness.