THE UPDATE Take the journey! This year s VBS at Lawrence Free Methodist will take your kids to uncharted territory where they will begin to understand that obedience to God can lead them beyond the expected. So, toss the map, stick close to your guide, and prepare to listen for God s direction in this journey that is unknown to us, but known by Him. Journey Off the Map VBS will be July 27-31 from 6:00-8:30 PM! Children must be 4 years old by September 1, 2015, and can be no older than 6 th grade this fall 2015. We will have a separate preteen program for 5 th & 6 th graders. The week will be full of fun, games, music, important lessons, and exciting daily surprises! Plus, each child will receive a VBS t-shirt & tote bag. Each family will receive a CD of VBS music. VBS is free this year but space is limited. Register early and invite your friends! Registration forms are available at the children s counter, in the church lobby, and in the church office. You may also register your child online at lfmchurch.org/vbs. Kids will want to be a part of the journey off the map! And whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: This is the way. Walk in it. Isaiah 30:21 1
DU in July Can you imagine what it would be like to be a superhero? You could do things like soar from building to building on webs SHOT FROM YOUR WRIST like Spider- Man, fly through the air like Superman, hang with a team like the Justice League or even create super techno-gadgets like Batman. I mean, who wouldn t want to be part of those stories?! And it s not just the super powers! Superheroes stand up for what was right even when the situation is dangerous or scary. Their conviction drives them to find the courage to stand up to evil, even when no one else seems to care or stands by petrified in fear. No matter what, the superhero comes to the rescue. Children s Ministry Almost all kids want to be superheroes and dream of being cast in the pages of their own comic books. I wonder if that s because most kids don t know that they can already play a part in an amazing story. It doesn t take some super power to stand up and start acting like a superhero. That s why we re taking the months of June and July to discover what it means to Stand Up: Get in the Story as we learn more about conviction. Conviction is standing for what s right, even when others don t. Let s take Jesus for example. Even for Jesus, the Son of God, it wasn t always popular to do the right thing. Sometimes doing the right thing meant hanging out with tax collectors, blessing the little children or even forgiving someone who had done something wrong. No matter what it was that Jesus needed to do, He did it because it was the right thing to do. But doing the right thing often made Jesus stand apart from some of the rich and powerful people of His time. They didn t like what He was doing or saying, but Jesus never let those crowds persuade Him to go against what God, His Father, wanted Him to do. Even when it meant going to the cross to die, Jesus knew that it was the right thing, and He did it. Jesus was able to live with conviction because He knew the will of His Father, and that gave Him strength and courage. In the same way, God has given us the ability to know what is right and the ability to do it. You see, when we are fueled by God s character, we will stand up for the things that matter to God. Week 1: We start the month continuing Daniel s story in Daniel 4. King Nebuchadnezzar has had yet another crazy dream and sends for Daniel to tell him what it 2 Children s Ministry
means. Unfortunately, the news wasn t good for Nebuchadnezzar. It would have been better for him to have listened to Daniel said in the first place. Bottom Line: If you want to stand for what s right, listen to someone who listens to God. We hope kids learn that they can save themselves from a lot of trouble if they listen to the wisdom other people have to offer. Week 2: We ll look at Daniel 5. After several years have passed, there s a new king in town: Belshazzar. He throws a huge party. Then, a hand appears and starts writing on the wall. Daniel comes and interprets the writing. Even though what he said would definitely put a damper on the festivities, he tells the king the truth. Bottom Line: You can stand for what s right, even when it s not popular. God can help you stand for what s right, even when what you need to say might not be the news people want to hear. Week 3: For week three, we finish up our journey through Daniel s life with probably his most famous story. That s right the Lion s Den. In Daniel 6, we discover that even in the face of death, Daniel s habit of praying to God was unbreakable. God came to the rescue and Daniel was saved. Bottom Line: Get in the habit of standing for what s right. Kids will learn that the more they stand up for what s right, the easier it gets. When you have a relationship with God, you realize that He will help you show conviction. Week 4: We ll finish out the Stand Up series back in the New Testament with Peter and John in Acts 4. They get in trouble for sharing the message of Jesus. When they re put on trial and told to stop talking about Jesus, they stand up for what s right and tell everyone that they will keep telling others about Jesus no matter what will happen to them. Bottom Line: We can stand for what s right because Jesus is alive. We hope kids understand that Jesus death and resurrection was a game changer. Our life can have purpose because of what Jesus did. We can show conviction by trusting Him no matter what. Because showing conviction and standing up for what s right isn t always easy, we thought it would be a great idea for the kids to memorize Ephesians 6:10, Finally, let the Lord make you strong. Depend on His mighty power. (NIrV) This is a great reminder for kids that they can trust God to help them stand up for what s right. We re looking forward to finishing out a great summer helping kids discover that God created them in His image to join the story that He s telling in the world. We hope they figure how they can Stand Up and have conviction. Children s Ministry 3
Summer Activities for Teens We are planning an exciting summer of activities as we prepare for the selection and arrival of a new youth pastor. If you have questions or need more information about these activities, contact Terry Jacobsen at (785) 218-9060 or terry@printing-solutions.com. July 5 Power Play noon-5 p.m. Lunch @ church, drive to Power Play in Shawnee. Return to church by 5:00 p.m. Cost: $20 July 15 Swim Party 6-9 p.m. @ Darren & Jenny Flory s home 615 E 1452 Rd, Baldwin City Cost: Free Missions & Social Justice July 19 Sky Zone noon-5 p.m. Lunch @ church, drive to Sky Zone in Shawnee. Return to church by 5:00 p.m. Cost: $20 August 9 Advanced Lazer Tag noon-5 p.m. Lunch @ church, drive to Advanced Lazer Tag in Olathe. 2015-2016 Upcoming Haiti Missions Trips Over the next 12 months, our church will be sending four teams to Haiti on short-term missions trips. All trips will provide participants with an opportunity to interact with children, teachers and school administrators, learn more about the Kids Alive ministry in Cap Haitian and do some construction work in the Kids Alive Village. There will also be a medical component during the December 5-12 trip. If you are interested in going, please pick up an application in the lobby and turn it in by the due date. Upcoming Trip Dates: Dec. 5-13, 2015 -- Registration and deposit due July 1 Jan. 23-31, 2016 -- Registration and deposit due August 1 Jan. 30-Feb 7, 2016 -- Registration and deposit due August 1 May 28-June 5, 2016 -- Registration and deposit due January 1 Questions? Contact Carolyn at (785) 691-6644 or cheacock@lfmchurch.org. 4 Revolution Student Ministry / Missions & Social Justice
Benefit Concert for 6th Kids Alive Home Wednesday, July 1, 7 p.m. in the Worship Center Alan Tripp is riding his bicycle from the Pacific Ocean in Washington state to the Atlantic Ocean in North Carolina this summer to raise money for Kids Alive in Haiti, and he ll be making a stop at LFMC along the way--to play a piano concert! You re not going to want to miss this remarkable evening! Alan is an accomplished pianist, having played all over the world as a solo artist, and all over the U.S. as part of a piano duo with friend Scott Griffin, called Captivating Keyboards. Scott will be driving the support vehicle for Alan during his coast-to-coast cycling trip in June and July, and he will also be joining Alan for the concert at LFMC. Alan began learning the piano at age 9, and was performing full piano concerts by the age of 14. He holds a bachelor s degree in piano performance from Moody Bible Institute. Alan is skilled in classical, jazz and sacred piano styles, and is also a composer. His concerts combine his piano skills with comedy, improvisation, creativity, and joy, and he is a frequent performer and motivational speaker at Tourette s Syndrome conferences across the U.S. Diagnosed with Tourette s at an early age, Alan has a compassionate heart for those who suffer from this serious neurological condition, and has devoted much of his life to encouraging and reaching out to others who suffer with Tourette s. Alan s compassion extends also to the poor children of Haiti, and his cross-country bicycle trek this summer will benefit Kids Alive Haiti. Alan s concert concert tour is intended to raise funds for a sixth house at the KA compound in Cap Haitien, a house that short-term missionaries from Lawrence will probably help to build. The concert is free, but there will be a freewill offering to help raise the $60,000 needed for the house. Please make plans now to attend this concert, and please tell your friends about it, or better yet, bring them along with you. It will be a great concert for a great cause! You can follow Alan s progress on his blog at www.cyclingpianist.blogspot.com. You can visit the Captivating Keyboards Facebook page at tinyurl.com/k7ytabx. Missions & Social Justice 5
Media Web Site Maintenance Update If all has gone well, you may have noticed that the LFMC Web site (lfmchurch.org) has undergone a few changes. (If you haven t visited the site recently, please do!) Beginning in mid-june, we have been doing significant site updates. The site was in maintenance mode (and thus unavailable) for a few days in mid-june while we did the main conversion, and minor changes, adjustments, and additions will continue for several weeks to come, but by the time you read this, the site should be more or less restored to nearly full functionality. The site can be completely navigated using the pulldown menus at the top of the page. There have been updates in the look and feel of the site, and in the software foundation (the content management system) that the site is built upon. information on how to convert to the new system. The old giving system (BluePay) will remain operational in parallel with the new system until all of our BluePay users have successfully migrated to the new system. With PushPay, you will enter your personal information one time and secure it with a personalized passcode, making subsequent giving simple and quick, either online from a computer, or from a free smartphone app or other mobile device. You will be able to set up one-time or recurring gifts using Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, Discover, or your bank account. Watch for details in the bulletin on Sundays, and in email notices. We will also have detailed instructions on the Web site. We very much appreciate your patience during this time of site maintenance, and trust that it did not cause any significant inconvenience. If you have not been a regular visitor to the site, we invite you to check it out. We encourage you to visit the site often, as the site content is updated at least weekly. You can visit the LFMC Web site at lfmchurch.org. One change that is still to come is the full implementation of our new online giving solution, PushPay, from echurchgiving. On a soon-to-be-designated Sunday in July, we will officially unveil the new solution in our worship services, and provide detailed information on how to use the new system. For Doug Heacock those who are already giving online, there will be Director of Media and Contemporary Worship Master Administrator, CCB/LFMC Online 6 Media
We can potentially use volunteers to shoot digital photos; to help organize and catalog our photo archives; to provide images that would be appropriate for the church s social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.); and to document various aspects of our church life for posterity. Occasionally, we may wish to have someone create more creative images for sermon illustrations, for event promotion, etc. Calling all photographers Do you have a digital camera? (Or a smartphone with a good camera built in?) Do you have a good eye for photographic composition? Are you willing to serve the church occasionally by documenting special events and photographing other aspects of the life of our church? If so, you might be the sort of volunteer we re looking for. We need several reliable, reasonably skilled digital photographers who are willing to volunteer some of their talent and time every now and then to help us document the life of the church. We can use photographs from nearly every sort of church event, large or small, in a variety of ways--in our monthly newsletter, The Update; in promotional videos and slides that are projected on Sunday mornings; in printed brochures or other promotional materials for events; and for our church Web presence. Here is a short list of the kinds of events and photographs we are particularly interested in: Baptism services (both the lake baptism/ potluck and baptism days in our worship center) VBS (all aspects, from large group to small group to outdoor activities, etc.) Worship services (discreetly and quietly photographing various aspects of our worship services, musicians, preaching, our congregation at worship, etc.) Special services, such as Easter and Christmas Eve Our church facility, interiors and exteriors Candid photos of people in conversation, in worship, at any of the events mentioned above (for some purposes, we may need to get signed releases, either at the time of the photo or later) If you think perhaps God is nudging you to put your gifts and skills to use in any of these ways, please contact Doug Heacock, Director of Media & Contemporary Worship, at dheacock@lfmchurch.org. Media 7
Doug Heacock s Ordination Misc. May 28 is a day Doug Heacock will not soon forget. That was the day he became an ordained elder, or pastor, in the Free Methodist Church after years of prayer, education, and guidance. Doug, we are proud of you and we are honored and blessed to know you! Congratulations! We look forward to seeing how God will continue using you in this new chapter of your life! Staff Attends Annual Conference Each year regional Free Methodist conferences around the country (and world) gather pastors and voting representatives called delegates from each church to fellowship, ordain new pastors, learn, get refreshed, and attend to conference business. Our conference, the Great Plains Conference, is no different. We gather each May and several from LFMC attend. This year, Pastor Bill, Pastor Allie, Doug Heacock, and Bethany Harvester attended. (Marcy Bump and Carolyn Heacock came along for the ride, too.) Along with the business meetings, the conference was a great time of learning, from Bishop David Kendall s messages to the breakout sessions on prayer. The highlight, though, may have been witnessing our very own Doug Heacock get ordained! All in all, it was a wonderful time of learning, fellowship, and vision for the coming year. If you would like to see a list of Great Plains Conference pastoral appointments, contact the church office. If you would like to hear Bishop Kendall s messages from Annual Conference, go to http://www.macfmc.org/#/resources/sermons and click where it says Click to Launch Media Player. 8 Misc.
Relay For Life The threat of rain didn t dampen the spirits of the LFMC Relay for Life team as they celebrated life, remembered those who lost lives to cancer, and enjoyed time together walking the track at Rock Chalk Park June 12-13. (The overnight event was moved indoors due to rain.) Thanks to all who participated or donated! Media & Misc. 9
Sunday services & programs 9:00 a.m. Blended Worship Nursery for infants and preschoolers 10:35 a.m. Contemporary Worship Nursery for infants through 2-year-olds Programs for preschoolers through 12th graders Bill Bump Senior Pastor bbump@lfmchurch.org Larry Baldridge Pastor of Discipleship lbaldridge@lfmchurch.org Allie Klopenstein Pastor of Children s Ministry aklopenstein@lfmchurch.org Church Office Information Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. & 1-5 p.m. Phone: 785-842-2343 Fax: 785-842-2351 info@lfmchurch.org www.lfmchurch.org Bethany Harvester Administrative Assistant office@lfmchurch.org Doug Heacock Director of Media & Contemporary Worship dheacock@lfmchurch.org Vanessa Thomas Director of Choir & Blended Worship vanessathomasvoicestudio@gmail.com Lawrence Free Methodist Church 3001 Lawrence Avenue Lawrence, KS 66047