Phillips UMC Connection 1 Phillips United Methodist Church Connection A bimonthly newsletter for members and friends /October 2015 Issue #5 Pastor Loretta Waughtal Office: 115 Center Avenue Phillips, WI 54555 Church: 715-339-3120 Parsonage: 715-339-4961 Cell: 608-386-1862 Email: lewaughtal@msn.com Upcoming Events Pastor s Sabbath Every Friday Collection for Food Pantry First Sunday of month 2 Phillips Area Clergy Assoc., 10 am 7 Labor Day 9 Birthday lunch at Harborview, 11:30 a.m. 10 Worship at Pleasant View, 10:15 a.m. and Regency, 11 a.m. 12-13 Pastor on vacation 15 Circuit clergy meet, 1 p.m., Rhinelander 16 Church school & confirmation begin 20 Choir organizational meeting after worship Ad Council meeting after worship 26 Phillips Fall Harvest Festival 27 Church school kick-off & brunch Paint Ball Fun, 1 p.m. October continued on page 5 Continuing the Conversation Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: Love others as well as you love yourself. These two commands are pegs; everything in God s Law and the Prophets hangs from them. Matthew 22:37-39 (The Message) Jesus went right ahead and gave his charge: God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20 (The Message) As I prepare to turn my calendar to I am finding that my days are already filling up quickly not that my summer days stayed empty. There is a definite shift in our activities in that coincides with children going back to school and some of our older youth heading off to college. We can get very busy very fast. At times like this, before we are in full-throttle speeding ahead mode, it is good to take some time to examine our church activities to determine if they are just filling time or if they are helping us to fulfill our purpose and mission as a church. As I sat at the recent Clergy Day, the speaker, Tim Bias, helped my thought process along these lines as he guided us back to the basics of being church by pointing out several paragraphs in our United Methodist Book of Discipline pertaining to the Mission and Ministry of the Church and then asking us to discuss some simple, but thoughtful questions. I will share some of that with you here as we prepare for our annual church conference and planning for our future as a vital congregation. In paragraph 120 in our Book of Discipline we read that the mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. That shouldn t come as a big surprise since we have the opportunity to read those words every week before worship. We are further reminded in this short paragraph, Local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciplemaking occurs. Disciple might be one of those churchy words that we hear and tune out without really thinking about what it means. So, for our purposes here, a disciple is a grace-filled Christ follower who puts faith into action. continued on page 3
Phillips UMC Connection 2 Men s Breakfast Is Back The men s breakfast will resume meeting the first Wednesday of the month beginning Wed. October 7 at 7 a.m. and going through April. If you would like to help with set up, cooking, leading devotion, clean up, or calling let Dave Lind know. Please feel free to invite friends. An offering is taken every month and at the end of the year a donation will be given to support a local need. Last year $100 was given to support Coats for Kids. Church School Update Church school classes will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 3:30-5 p.m. for grades kindergarten through sixth grade. This fall the children will begin their studies with the Five Practices for Children based on the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. They will learn about: Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission and Service, and Extravagant Generosity. Each week there will be relevant Bible lessons and activities to help them discover what it really means to be God s church. We are also excited to use our new puppets and stage throughout the year in worship and in settings outside the church. Please send $20 per family to cover the cost of refreshments. Confirmation Update Confirmation classes begin Wednesday, Sept. 16. There are two continuing students and potentially two who will be moving up from church school. The new student(s) will be looking for mentors from our congregation. We will also be starting off the year examining the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. The entire schedule for the year will be posted on the bulletin board in the church study in the near future. Please encourage these young men and lady as they explore their faith and learn what it means to be a follower of Christ in the United Methodist Church. Church School Kick-off On Sept. 27, the church school and confirmation classes will be participating in the worship service. Following the service we will enjoy a pancake brunch. After brunch you are invited to compete in the Minute to Win It games. This is a fun way to kick-off the new Christian education year, so please plan to attend this special service and brunch. It will be fun for kids of all ages! Worship at Phillips 6 Luke Heidenreich, Greg Potter 13 Jed Miller, Bonnie Japuntich 20 Tyler Potter, Donna Lind 27 Peter Dahlie, Gail Redmond October 4 Jed Miller, Dave Olson 11 Sheryl Barnet, Annette Gernaey 18 Jodie Kadlecek, Amy Miller 25 Julie Olson, Kathy Schilling Altar Committee Amy Miller October open November open December open Greeters & Ushers 6 open 13 Steve & Bonnie Japuntich 20 Barb Mabie & Bette Thorpe 27 church school October, November, and December all open The list of duties for altar committee and greeters and ushers is posted on the sign-up sheets on the entryway bulletin board.
Phillips UMC Connection 3 Happy Birthday! 1 Andy Lind 7 Lindsey Olson Vicki Lemke 13 Christina Hrad Pat Filipiak 15 Jason Barnet Naomi Nyberg 16 Dennis Lemke 17 Donna Lind Myron Hrad 18 Steve Barnet 19 Jeanne Nyberg Mary Willett 24 Michelle Edwards 28 Aaron Hrad October 2 Lettie Kosmer 7 Rose Tomlinson 9 Keith Trewyn 12 Kirk Bolles Jed Miller 14 Suzi Neilson 18 Zach Lemke 27 Julie Olson Barb Nyberg 29 Dave Olson 31 Gwen Parkinson Fred Balsis Happy Anniversary! 10 Mike & Lette Kosmer 13 Peter & Kathi Dahlie Conversation continued By grace I mean the undeserved favor and love of God that we cannot earn, that is always at work in our lives, and that we receive as a free gift. By grace-filled I mean knowing and accepting the favor and love of God working in our lives and offering it freely to all others. The Book of Discipline then offers a Process for Carrying Out Our Mission (P 122) stating, We make disciples as we: proclaim the gospel, seek, welcome and gather persons into the body of Christ; (Hospitality) lead persons to commit their lives to God through baptism by water and the spirit and profession of faith in Jesus Christ; (Offer Christ) nurture persons in Christian living through worship, the sacraments, spiritual disciplines, and other means of grace, such as Wesley s Christian conferencing; (Purpose) send persons into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the stranger, freeing the oppressed, being and becoming a compassionated, caring presence, and working to develop social structures that are consistent with the gospel; (Engage) and continue the mission of seeking, welcoming and gathering persons into community of the body of Christ. (repeat) If you like acronyms, here s the shorthand for the process we are called to use in carrying out our mission: Hospitality, Offer Christ, Purpose, Engage (see above). So we could say we are called to offer HOPE. A church that fulfills the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by engaging this HOPE process is a good definition of a vital church. As I consider our local church I can say without hesitation that we are a vital congregation. Does that mean we are done? We are good with where we are? NO! Becoming a vital congregation is not a destination that we finally arrive at; it is a journey we are on together in an ever-changing world. We can t decide we are fine just the way we are and expect to remain vital and purposeful. It is extremely important to keep asking things like: Why do we do what we do? How is it helping to shape grace-filled followers of Christ? How might our church partner with other local organizations in our community to show the love of God? What do we need to do in our community that no one else is doing? Who are people who need us to show them the care and love of God through our actions? What will you do as a disciple so you can show others Jesus in your every-day life? I leave you with these questions in hope of starting and continuing conversations that will lead to actions that will keep us a vital church making an positive difference in our community and the world. A copy of our current Ministry Plan is also included in this newsletter for your information and consideration. God bless you as you seek to know and love God fully! Pastor Loretta
Phillips UMC Connection 4 Volunteers in Mission Trip Last month I had the joy of participating in my first mission trip through Volunteers in Mission (VIM), along with Sally Huml, Julie Olson, and Kathy Schilling. It was a step outside my comfort zone as I drove to and around Milwaukee. There was way too much stimuli and traffic for this small town introvert, but I had a fresh understanding of why Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs. I could picture Peter asking Andrew to pull out the map one more time to get them back on track as I counted among my blessings having a navigator in the car who still practices the fine art of map reading. I was so blessed by the VIM experience, including the problem solving involved in our little side adventures. It was refreshing to see so much good happening in a city and neighborhood that we generally only hear bad things about on the news. By actually going to Milwaukee I gained a more realistic perspective as I met people who live and work in the neighborhood around the United Methodist Children s Services and Transitional Living. I also got to try my hand at a variety of tasks from helping to tear down an old retaining wall to building stud walls for an office suite, to helping with landscaping, to painting trim in the child care area. I appreciated meeting the people who plan and organize the VIM trips and seeing their passion for the ministry they do. It was also wonderful seeing the youth from two different churches that worked on this trip. I hope to share the blessing next year by taking some of our high school and confirmation students along with the adults. Pastor Loretta Below are some reflections from Sally, Julie, and Kathy on this VIM trip. Sally Huml This was my first mission trip and I regret that I didn t become involved sooner. The jobs we were assigned kept us busy the five days we were there and gave us all a sense of purpose. What a treat to be with fellow Methodists who follow the John Wesley Rule: 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. Next year let s bring a larger group both young and old to make more improvements in the UMCSTL program. Julie Olson Most of my week at the United Methodist Children s Services and Transitional Living was spent rendering the landscaping more presentable. Pastor Loretta helped me a great deal with weeding and de-littering nearly the entire outside of the building and parking lot. We also replanted the area in front of the building sign. Finally, I painted a little in the child care office. This experience was very powerful because of the people I drove, worked, visited, and worshiped with. God was working through us to serve the Washington Park community. I can't wait to return next year! Kathy Schilling I was encouraged to go on a mission trip by Donna Lind. She said it was very inspiring and she was right. I met so many kind, hardworking, generous people of all different ages and color. It is amazing how much can be accomplished in just five days. Another wonderful thing is the bonding of people of all different ages and color by their stories, devotions, eating together, working together, and playing together. We cried hearing inspiring stories and laughed so hard that we cried playing games in the evening. I feel that I got much more from this mission trip than I gave. My head is full and my heart is full.
Phillips UMC Connection 5 The Heart of Christian Ministry is Christ s ministry of outreaching love. Christian ministry is the expression of the mind and mission of Christ by a community of Christians that demonstrates a common life of gratitude and devotion, witness and service, celebration and discipleship. All Christians are called through their baptism to this ministry of servanthood in the world to the glory of God and for human fulfillment. 2012 Book of Discipline, from paragraph 126 The Ministry of the Laity flows from a commitment to Christ s outreaching love Every layperson is called to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20); every layperson is called to be missional. The witness of the laity, their Christ-like examples of everyday living as well as the sharing of their own faith experiences of the gospel, is the primary evangelistic ministry through which all people will come to know Christ and the United Methodist Church will fulfill its mission. 2012 Book of Discipline, from paragraph 127 Volunteers in Mission making a difference. and making friends at the United Methodist Children s Services and Transitional Living Center.
Phillips UMC Connection 6 October events Stewardship News 5 A Disciple s Heart study, 6 p.m. 7 Men s breakfast, 7 a.m. The amount you give should be in proportion to what you receive. Phillips Area Clergy Assoc., 10 am Teach your children right from wrong and when they are grown they WOW, simple supper, 5:15 will still do right. Proverbs 22:6 Worship, 5:45 12 A Disciple s Heart study, 6 p.m. 14 WOW, simple supper, 5:15 Worship, 5:45 19 A Disciple s Heart study, 6 p.m. 20 Circuit clergy meeting, 1 p.m. 21 WOW, simple supper, 5:15 Worship, 5:45 26 A Disciple s Heart study, 6 p.m. 28 WOW, simple supper, 5:15 Worship, 5:45 Remember to pick up your Upper Room devotional. There is a donation box next to the devotionals to help cover the cost. Requested donation is $.50 for regular and $1 for large print edition to help cover the cost of the subscription. Newsletter Deadline Our next newsletter will come out the first part of November. Please submit your committee reports and other news to Pastor L by Oct. 18. You can leave your news items in the church office newsletter mail slot, mail it to 141 Center Ave., Phillips, WI 54555, or email lewaughtal@msn.com. Your participation is needed for the newsletter to be really useful. With school starting again, children everywhere are learning the wonders of addition and subtraction. These are lessons that begin in the earliest grades and carry us through the rest of our lives. They are also lessons we use as we live our faith through our financial giving. Do you teach the children around you about how to say thank you to God by giving a portion of everything you have back to God? Consider: Do you manage your finances or do your finances manage you? One of the keys to becoming a good steward is learning to manage your money. Call it a budget or whatever you must plan how you spend, or you will continue to be a victim of marketing, commercials, and impulse purchasing. Good stewards start by setting aside God s Share, then the necessities of life, and finally discretionary items. Poor stewards do it in the exact opposite order. Good stewardship brings peace and contentment. Poor stewardship leads to chaos and crises. Listen and pray. Try to find out what God is calling you to do and model for the children around you! A story is told about the great composer Rossini. When on tour, he would go from town to town, incorporating the local talents into his concerts. In one town, there was only one singer, and the only note she could sing was B flat. People were sure that at last, Rossini s great genius had met its match. The time for the concert came at last, and nearly everyone in town was there to see what he could do with this pitiful one-note woman. When the curtain rose, the woman sang her one note, pure and strong. Then Rossini s music floated in, intertwining and swelling, surrounding her one note with beauty and perfection, enveloping it in a glorious symphony! This is what God does with us. We need to offer the gifts we have been given, no matter how small. God will do the rest, turning it into the very music of the spheres. Mark 14:8 She has done what she could. by Betsy Schwarzentraub Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation 750 Windsor Street, Suite 305 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 1-888-903-9863 or wumf@wumf.org For an update on our church finances see the report on the bulletin board in the church study, or better yet, come to the monthly ad council meetings.
Phillips UMC Connection 7 Wisconsin Conference Zeroes In On Four Focus Areas by Dan Dick The four focus areas of The United Methodist Church narrow our vision for ministry in the world to offer the greatest impact and effectiveness. Wise stewardship of our resources of time, money, people, materials and equipment is imperative for a high quality, lasting witness. The four areas are engaging in ministry with the poor, improving global health, developing principled Christian leaders, and creating new and renewed congregations. Here is a snapshot scorecard for some of the ways the Wisconsin Conference is engaging in our four focus areas: Ministry With the Poor The Wisconsin Conference is committed to working with and for the poor in a wide variety of ways. Soul Food our feeding ministry supports community gardening, food pantries, feeding centers, nutritional cooking courses, and other food-based ministries. Advocacy and community organizing work is supported in our metro-regions, especially in the Milwaukee area. Health and Welfare Ministries such as United Methodist Children s Services, Harbor House Crisis Shelters, and Northcott Neighborhood House specialize in family, youth, and women s ministries with the poor. Improving Global Health In a little over a year, the Wisconsin Conference raised almost three-quarters of a million dollars for Imagine No Malaria. Our International Volunteer in Mission projects strive to heal lives as well as rebuild devastated buildings. Health and wellness Ministries, parish nurse associations, and congregational education programs raise awareness and teach about global health. Developing Principled Christian Leaders A renewed commitment to congregational excellence and clergy effectiveness led us to offer multiple training/learning opportunities focusing on new faith for new people in new places, the turnaround-church movement, congregations as discipleship systems, community engagement and partnerships, the Institute for Congregational Development, the Learning Leader Academy, and workshops on evangelism, worship, missional outreach, spiritual formation, covenant building, stewardship, and laity leader development. Creating New and Renewed Congregations Our Institute for Congregational Development equips and prepares leadership for launching new and innovative ministries, while our Discipleship Leadership Council uses the Learning Leader Academy to train and equip clergy & laity leadership teams for congregational renewal and vitality. Our aim is to establish every congregation as a center for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. By focusing on these four areas, we are Imagining Wisconsin Anew. We extend the reach of the four focus areas through a Conference-wide commitment to peace, mercy and justice ministries, and a highly-developed intercultural competency that enables us to be in ministry where we ve seldom reached before. Fall Study Opportunity Beginning Monday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. Pastor is planning to offer a 7-week study opportunity titled, A Disciple s Heart: Growing in Love and Grace. Each session will last one hour and have a different Scripture focus. Discipleship in the Methodist tradition affirms that there is always more work for God to do in the human heart. A Disciple's Heart attempts to reclaim and, in a sense, reinterpret for today John Wesley s understanding of this transformation of the heart, which he called Christian perfection, with the goal of equipping participants to continue to grow into the likeness of God s love in Christ. The required workbook and optional companion reader can be purchased at Amazon.com or Cokesbury.com. Let Pastor L know if you have any questions or would like to look over the materials before you purchase anything. Sing for Joy! An organizational meeting to start a choir will be held on Sunday, Sept. 20 after worship. Sherry Barnet has agreed to direct the choir and Julie Olson will accompany. At this time the plan is to have the choir sing about once a month during worship. Sherry plans to keep things simple as we start up so that no one who loves to sing will feel intimidated with learning songs. If you love to sing plan to attend this meeting Phillips and join United us in Methodist singing. Church 115 Center Avenue Phillips, WI 54555
Phillips UMC Connection 8 Phillips Fall Festival The Phillips UMC will once again have a Cranberry Creations booth at the Fall Harvest Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26. Signup sheets will be at church soon. Sign up at the church to bring your favorite cranberry creation or to work a shift in the booth (or both). This is a great opportunity to be the face of our church in the community and to raise funds to help our church. Contact Julie Olson at 339-3998 for more information. Worship On Wednesday (WOW) Beginning Wednesday, October 7 WOW will return with a simple supper at 5:15 p.m. and worship at 5:45 p.m. This year our WOW services will follow the church school schedule, so when there is no church school there will not be a WOW service. If you can help with any aspect of organizing these services (like making sure there is someone signed up each week to provide supper and doing some calling if need calling if need be, or helping run the slides during worship, or anything else you would like to help with) let Pastor L know. She would be very happy to have the help in keeping these services going. If you are going to be out of town or have to work on the weekend WOW provides an opportunity to still worship with your church family. WOW is more casual and contemporary than the Sunday service; invite your friends that do not have a church family who might enjoy this format.