Not Good if Detached

Loch Raven United Methodist Church Not Good if Detached By what power or by what name did you do this? Acts 4:7 We human beings are big on getting credit for the things we do in life. When someone achieves something we want to know who did it and what motivated them to do it. We ask the millionaire, To what do you attribute your success? We ask the gifted artist, To what do you attribute your ability? We ask the winning team, To what do you attribute your victory? We ask the cured patient, To what do you attribute your recovery? We want to know why things happened the cause, the secret, the motivation behind the events of life. May 10 Mother s Day May 17 Ascension Sunday May 24 Pentecost (and Aldersgate Day) May 31 Trinity Sunday. After Pentecost the people observing the miracles of the early apostles were just as curious as we are. Following the healing of a crippled man and after the church had grown to about five thousand, the question was asked of Peter and John, By what power or by what name did you do this? Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, immediately responds that the source of the power is Jesus Christ. The healings and the increases in church membership were attributed to the name of Jesus. The temptation is to attribute church growth and ministry successes to personal ability, organization, creativity, or even good fortune. To yield to such temptations is to separate ourselves from the source of the spiritual power. We delude ourselves if we do not recognize that God is behind it all. I am reminded of the familiar line printed on the back of an airline ticket Not good if detached. That s exactly what our accomplishments in life are like. They are not good if detached from the God who is the source behind all good things in life. So the next time something good comes your way, remember that it s God who is behind it all and give credit where credit is due. Happy Pentecost, Cliff Webner, Pastor Our Summer worship schedule begins Sunday, May 24th. We will have one worship service at 10:00 AM. Going His Way Sunday School Class 9 AM Inside This Issue... We Heard You (Congregational Survey Results) Page 2 Missions in Action Page 4 Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference Page 4 Trustees Report Page 7

is published monthly (except July and August) by Loch Raven United Methodist Church, 6622 Loch Raven Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21239. All signed articles, letters, announcements, and other information of interest are welcomed and considered for publication. The deadline for the June issue is Sunday, May 10, at 11:00 a.m. Electronic Submission: You may send articles by e-mail to: njk.williams@yahoo.com or place articles in the Church Office s newsletter box. Editor - Nancy Williams Children s Page and Address Page Editor - Peggy Kelly Pastor - Cliff Webner Church Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone: 410-825-0900 Fax: 410-825-2600 E-mail: Info@LRUMC.org Change of Name/Address - Call, mail or e-mail church office Website: www.lrumc.org We Heard You The results are in. The following is a brief summary of our recent congregational survey. 235 surveys were mailed; 84 returned which represents a response rate of 35.7%. 88.1% of the respondents indicated they regularly attended Sunday worship at Loch Raven UMC, 10.7% did not regularly attend, and one person stated other. We wanted to know what you found most meaningful and/or what we could do to enhance your worship experience. Here are a few of your responses: The young children and youth that are attending worship should be given a little active role in each Sunday worship. I enjoy Loch Raven s worship service and get meaning from the entire experience. It s a sense of family, a church family that truly makes it meaningful. Meaningful: connection to community through announcements and prayer requests. Enhance: one service. I greatly enjoy the summer schedule where more people are present and we worship together as one community. It s powerful to worship in a full church. Almost always hear a helpful message to get me through the coming week. Great music many times have hymns I can sing partially from memory. Worshiping our Lord with fellow members around me, the choir, and the sound of a larger congregation like when there is one service. The Word of God and the opportunity to be in community with other believers is most important part of our worship. I like everything! It would be nice to hear the children s sermon even if there are no children who want to go up. A couple of comments from those who don t attend regularly: I work most Sunday mornings. Evening services would be encouraging. I don t feel welcomed. People are not real. When asked how we can best meet the worship needs of our congregants today, the top three choices (Note: respondents could select more than 1 option) were to have: One unifying service with Sunday school before the service (73.2%) Monthly or quarterly hymn sing and potluck (19.5%) Two services as currently offered (15.8%) May 25 (Continued on page 3) 2

We Heard You (Continued from page 2) 42.2% of respondents stated our current worship service was effective or very effective in reaching out to members and potential members. 38.6% were neutral on the topic and 14.5% believed we were ineffective. Fine for existing members, but not very attractive to potential members when the sanctuary is empty. When a new person comes to worship, I always make it a point to speak to them and invite them back however not too many come back and I can t blame them. I too would not return to such an empty church. That is a sure sign a church is not doing good. Lastly we asked members to select and rate portions of worship and/or ministry that were most important to them. Here are the top five picks: 1. Joyful and engaging music *Sam does a great job; I like the variety currently provided. 2. Welcome visitors and follow up afterwards 3. Have an active youth program/ministry 4. More creativity/variety in worship 5. Have an active young adult program/ministry The Worship Committee, Grow Worship Team, and Staff Parish Committee have received copies of the full responses and comments and will continue to explore ways to implement your many suggestions some of which conflict with others. We know we can t please everyone and that change is never easy. But with your prayers and God s leading we will grow in our faith and size and continue to be a living witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ by serving as stewards of God s gifts and blessings. We will celebrate our multiculturalism and continue to minister through worship, learning, fellowship, and mission to the community. Thank you to all who shared their very thoughtful opinions with us. Watch the Spire for future updates. Peace With Justice Sunday May 31 What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God? Micah 6:8b, NRSV Peace with Justice Sunday is one of the six special offerings of the United Methodist Church and is traditionally observed on Trinity Sunday (the First Sunday after Pentecost). It attests to our Triune God's call for a faithful, just, and peaceful world. Your Peace with Justice gifts help change lives in places where the joy of knowing Christ is mixed with the tragedy of violence. United Methodists relate to this special Sunday by seeking peaceful solutions, creating and supporting peacerelated ministries in our conference and learning about peaceful, just efforts around the world. When you give generously on Peace with Justice Sunday, you enable the church to have a voice in advocating for peace and justice through a broad spectrum of global programs. The special offering benefits peace with justice ministries in the annual conference and through the General Board of Church and Society. Through your giving, good news is proclaimed to and experienced by the poor. Thanks be to God! For more information on this special giving opportunity, see: (Continued on page 4) 3

Missions In Action: ACTC Reaching out to those in need with God's love and provision Your special offerings in April as well as budget allocations by the Missions Committee help further the mission of ACTC, the Assistance Center of Towson Churches. Our own Marty Marvel serves on the ACTC Board of Directors and is an executive vice president. He has been a volunteer since Loch Raven joined the consortium in the mid-1990 s. Lynn Jean has also volunteered her time for the past five years. The organization delivers help to poor and needy families in our community. The center, located at 120 W. Pennsylvania Avenue in Towson, opened thirty years ago in 1985. Fourteen churches originally joined together to provide emergency assistance, including food, eviction and utility cutoff prevention, payment for prescriptions and lunches for the homeless. Although Loch Raven was not one of the original 14, we have been an active participant for over 20 years. (According to Marty, there were about 25 participating churches when we joined.) Today, 48 churches participate in the outreach effort, and a GBMC nurse practitioner helps with medical matters. The ACTC service area incorporates 21 zip codes in central Baltimore County extending up to the Pennsylvania line and operates with a director, an assistant and a team of 60 trained volunteers. Volunteers interview each applicant to determine their specific needs, stock the food pantry and assist with special projects. In 2014, your faithful giving, along with that of the other 47 churches, helped the center achieve the following statistics: 25,706 people assisted 335,292 pounds of food 22,770 volunteer hours $172,768 financial help 6,749 homeless assisted 2,287 Thanksgiving Baskets for families For more information, see: www.actconline.info Thank you for your continued support. See Marty or Lynn if you would like more information on volunteering at ACTC. Upcoming and Ongoing Mission Opportunities: Manna House Breakfast Club May 16. If you would like to volunteer to help prepare or serve breakfast, contact Myra Wagner: 410-825-0900, 410-485-7607 or mbwagner@lrumc.org. Collection of hotel-size toiletries for Essex UMC. There is a box for the items on the hospitality desk. This is an on-going collection. Sandwich making for Essex UMC 4th Tuesday of every month. http://www.umcgiving.org/ ministry-articles/peace-withjustice-sunday Baltimore- Washington Annual Conference It's time for Annual Conference. This year Annual Conference will be held at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront Hotel and Conference Center in Baltimore City. It begins on Wednesday, May 26, with classes and group sessions and runs through May 30. At this year's sessions we will be electing delegates to represent our Conference at the General Conference which is held every 4 years. Look for a report in the June newsletter. If you would like any information on our Conference you can log on to the Conference website at www.bwcumc.org and click on Annual Conference 2015. Carole Webner Lay Member to Annual Conference Peace With Justice Sunday May 31 (Continued from page 3) Other Special Giving Sundays this year include: World Communion Sunday - October 4 United Methodist Student Day Sunday - November 29 4

In Touch Ministry Special Prayer Requests Please refer to insert in Sunday bulletins for up-to-date information. Stay in Touch with some of our members who are not able to regularly attend church. Contact the church office for up-to-date information. May Birthdays 2 Tammy Caleb 3 Olive Githinji Njuguna 6 Beverly Lambe 11 Samantha Shelton 12 Steve Webster 13 Sara Priebe Justin Thompson 15 Adrian Palazzi 17 Linda Jones Cathy Miles 21 Patti Ferguson 22 David Cole 25 Gayle Webb 26 Harriet Cole 27 Melvin Alaeze 30 Margaret (Peggy) Hood Address Changes: Brian and Christine Dorsey 3 Barnwell Court, Apt. 104 Baltimore, MD 21234 410-870-1062 Nicole Eklund 1728 Forrest Ave. Parkville, MD 21234 410-365-0231 Timothy and Jaclyn Shelton 1101 Blue Ridge Ave., Apt. 3 Atlanta. GA 30306 443-629-5648 Seth Thomas 300 Brook Road Towson, MD 21286 443-617-1829 Will Shock 834 Staffordshire Road Cockeysville MD 21030 Name Change: Amy Hoover (formerly Amy Munden) 3912 Pinedale Drive Baltimore, MD 21236 Membership Updates United Methodist Women Annual Flea Market Address Unknown: If you know the current address for the following members, please contact the church office. Joseph & Tammy Caleb Jermaine Carter John Daniels Mary Foster Frances Fraling Grace Hilton Paul Hively Jessica Lautenschlager Susan Morgan Kingsley & Linda Ngameduru C. Rowland Nworgu Charles Per Dieu Karla Stewart Beatrice Welsh Scott Welsh Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can. John Wesley Saturday, June 6 8 am 1 pm To reserve a space for $20 contact: Nancy Gillotti 410-823-5187 or Nancy Harvill 410-828-8271 5

Musical Notes By: Sam Chin, Music Director This year we were able to prepare for Easter with the moving and dramatic rendition of a cantata titled Once Upon A Tree by Pepper Choplin. Dramatizing the last chapters of Jesus Christ's life from the Gospel of Luke our goal was to capture the essence of Holy Week through our performance. As we have witnessed the dramatic events of Christ's triumphant entrance to Jerusalem, to His betrayal, death, and ultimately His resurrection, I hope we are reminded that this story nor our performance does not end here. As the cantata ended with the narrator asking what we will now do with what we've just witnessed, I hope we, as members of Loch Raven United Methodist Church, can find strength knowing that we are the continuation of these miraculous events. I encourage you during this Easter Season to read the Acts of the Apostles, the second half of Luke's Gospel, and take steps as a church (and as individuals) to become the church Christ truly intended for us to be. I hope and pray that LRUMC will be the resounding voice that declares HE LIVES! This is just a little note to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who donated candy and plastic eggs to help make our Sunday School Easter Egg Hunt a success. The children hunted eggs, made hand bunnies, listened to an Easter story and enjoyed a snack. A good time was had by all! Thank you for your continued support. Carole Webner and the Youth Sunday School Class United Methodist Women May Schedule Women in Christ Circle Monday, May 4 7:30 p.m. Room 202 Study: Moments That Take Your Breath Away Lesson 11 Study Leader Karen Devotions Karen Hostess Karen Phyllis Downes Circle Tuesday, May 5 10 am Parlor Study Leader Joyce Dixon Devotions Isabel Burrell Hostess Margaret Tracey No General Meeting 6

Trustees Report Greetings, fellow members of Loch Raven United Methodist Church; At the most recent meeting of the LRUMC Board of Trustees, a number of issues that are of importance to the Church were discussed. We have approved a new lawn care summer package at the same budget level as last year, and we are in the process of renewing the current leases with very modest increases, less than industry norms. We agreed to move forward with an attempt to repair and overhaul the double doors at the front of the building, as they are becoming more difficult to open, and once open, very hard to close. Jim Harvill and Jim Wagner will be collaborating in this effort. It was reported by the Chair that the hot water circulating line that was leaking into the Chapel ceiling was repaired and the ceiling patched. A great job was done there. Only the water-stained wall needs to be painted. The Board was given a slide show presentation of the conditions in the Sanctuary attic, specifically the area above the Balcony. This was a result of pictures taken over the Easter break of the current state of the methods that have been implemented over the years in a gallant effort by our members to attempt to resolve the issue of water infiltration and its subsequent effects. Again, Jim Harvill served as a reservoir of historical information regarding these efforts. We have decided to do some selective demolition of areas of the steeple and also where the brick base meets the roof to try and determine what materials, which were initially installed, continue to deteriorate allowing more water intrusion. This we will do over the next few months, as we do an all out press to get our arms around this nagging problem, with God's help. We will keep you informed, and if anyone knows contractors that you think have the skills to work on these types of roofs and slate in particular, please pass their names to any of your Board members, and we will be happy to discuss our scope with them. Thanks, Respectfully submitted by: Phillip Scott, Chair 7