Somerset UMC Newsletter - The Messenger Pastor............................... Somerset UMC POB 137-141 East Main Street, Somerset, Ohio 43783 740/743-1029 - church SomersetUnitedMethodistChurch@gmail.com www.somersetumc.org We re on facebook September 2016 Rev Karen K Walters The Unconditional Love of God It's the mother lode of scripture, the Hope Diamond of truth. It's Fort Knox in a book. And God invites us to read it every day: I have loved you with a love that lasts forever, and with unfailing love I've drawn you to myself. (Jeremiah 31:3) It's the story of God's immeasurable heart and incomparable love, offered without strings and paid in full to an undeserving and resistant people. No one could have devised such a plan...no one except God. It's so...like Him! During the early years of his ministry, Dwight L. Moody was visiting churches in England when he met a young and eager preacher named Henry Moorhouse. Moody, in a polite but insincere gesture, invited Moorhouse to visit him: If you should ever get to Chicago, come preach in my church. It was a glib comment. Moody never intended to surrender his pulpit to the Brit. A month after Moody returned home, he got a telegram from Moorhouse: Have just arrived in New York. Will be in Chicago on Sunday. Moody was dumfounded and embarrassed. And, to make matters worse, he was scheduled to be elsewhere that same Sunday. Yet, he had made a promise. Moody explained the situation to his church leaders and instructed them to allow Moorhouse to preach one time. If the people enjoy him, put him on again. A week later Moody returned from his trip. He inquired of his wife how the young Moorhouse had fared. He was wonderful, she replied. He's even better than you are. He told sinners that God loves them! But that's wrong, Moody complained. God does not love sinners! Then you better go tell him yourself b e c a u s e h e ' s convinced God does. -1- -2-
You mean he's still here? asked Moody. Yes, she said, and he's been preaching every night since you left. That evening, Moody went to the meeting and heard Moorhouse preach on The Unconditional Love of God. It was Moorhouse's sixth consecutive night in Moody's pulpit, and all six sermons were based upon the same text: For God so loved the world... Moody was spellbound. For the first time he had been confronted with the enormity of God's grace, and the openness of His love. Moody's life and ministry were never again the same. Fifty years later, songwriter Frederick Lehman was moved by the same truth. After reading and rereading I have loved you with an everlasting love, Lehman wrote: The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell, It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall for evermore endure the saints and angel's song. Oddly, the hymn's 3 rd verse was written by a man the composer never met, Ben Isaac Nahorai. The unknown Nahorai had suffered for years from mental depression and was finally committed to an asylum. While there he too discovered the immense love of God. After Nahorai's death these words were found written on his asylum wall: Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade, To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, Nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho' stretched from sky to sky The story of God's immeasurable love is what we've been charged to tell. It's God's gift to mankind, and our privilege to deliver. With whom can you share that good news this week? Who will you invite to worship? Bible Study School is starting and it s time to get back into Christian Education too. There are several opportunities to deepen your discipleship this fall. Check out the enclosed brochure for details. The studies have workbooks you can purchase the first night of class. In heaven, God will not ask us why we sinned; He will ask us why we didn t repent. Pope Shenouda Kroger Plus Card The Kroger Plus Card you have probably had for years will not only give you discounts on food and gasoline purchases but can also give a cash reward to the Somerset UMC of up to 5% of your purchases and it costs you nothing. All you have to do is register your Kroger Plus card with Somerset UMC. It's simple and takes just a few minutes. Go to Kroger.com and follow directions under Community then Community Rewards. Enter our number: 72634 Evangelism Goal Everyone at SUMC is challenged to pray for at least one unchurched person for at least one minute every day at 1:00 pm. If you cannot possibly pray for one minute at 1:00 pm, you may want to choose another time. The important thing is to pray! -3- -4-
Worship Services Worship Services are offered each Sunday. A traditional service is offered at 8:00am. At 10:05 there s a blended service for families a mix of traditional and more contemporary elements. Child care for those 3 and under is available as well as Jr Church at 10:05. A friend is a person who goes around saying nice things behind your back Prayer Partners Somerset UMC is seeking to have a closer relationship with Somerset Elementary. We are creating a new program of prayer partners. Members of the congregation will volunteer to pray daily for a staff member at Somerset. Cards of encouragement are a good way to encourage and remind the teacher you are praying. Teachers and staff who want prayer will be paired with a pray-er. Please prayerfully consider taking part in this ministry. It can change our school and thereby change the lives of our children and the future of this town. Sunday School Sunday School classes are offered for people of all ages. Our children have just begun a new curriculum called Dig In. It s a curriculum that helps the kids Dig In to the Word. It s a curriculum that meets the learning styles of all kids - there are active and quiet portions of -5- -6-
the lessons. Jr Church will also reinforce the learnings of the day. In September, lessons are from Genesis. We have classes for youth, men, women and mixed adult. Summer Events Thank you so much to everyone who made our Summer Events a success! From the Swim Party in June to SummerFest in July, VBS in August and finally our Open House with 5k. It took all of us together to make it happen so can t possibly list everyone - those who prayed, cooked and grilled hot dogs, bought ice cream, prepared lessons took pictures, helped watch over kids, donated food, plates, napkins, cups, lemonade... Thank you to each and everyone of you. A smile is a light in the window of your face to show your heart is at home Missions News Missions is collecting new or gently used winter wear to pass out in the food pantry throughout the cold weather months. If used, items should be cleaned prior to donating and may include hats, gloves, scarves, coats, boots and blankets. Items may be placed in the Narthex cabinet where noted. In our area, there is a need to provide food to children on the weekend. Families eligible for the free lunch program at school are given the opportunity to receive food through this new ministry as well. We are collecting food items throughout the school year that require minimal preparation as they will be sent home with elementary-aged children and means of cooking may be limited. Please do not include any items with nuts or nut butters. We plan to include items that cover each meal of the day. Examples include: -7- -8-
Cereal Shelf stable milk Oatmeal packets Juice pouches Chef Boyardee Whole fruit Fruit cups Applesauce Tuna Mac and cheese cups Cheese crackers Fruit snacks, etc. A package will be prepared weekly and sent home on Fridays to help provide sustenance over the weekend. Money for the project may also be given to the Somerset Area Food Pantry and noted for the backpack ministry. Items may be placed in the Narthex bin where noted. Zanesville Fund Raiser Lifewell @ 907 W. Main, Zanesville Kid's Program Annual Hog Roast Fundraiser Sunday September 25, 2016 from 11 AM - 2 PM Cost: $8 (children 5 & under free) Menu includes: Pulled Pork with roll, choice of 2 sides: green beans, baked beans, potato salad, mac n cheese, dessert & beverage. Tickets available at the door or you may reserve yours by calling First Hope UMC answering machine: 740-982-4846 What is Charity? It is silence when your words hurt. It s patience when your neighbor s hurt. It s deafness when some scandal flows. It s thoughtfulness for others woes. It s promptness when duty calls. Scripture Run for Missions ~ Motorcycle ride The run will be on Saturday, September 10 at 9:00 AM. We will meet behind Tim Horton's on State Street in Athens in the parking lot of the shopping center. We will proceed from there and should be done by 4:00 PM. The proceeds will be given to the Vietnam Mission for the purchase of motorbikes. Back to Church Sunday National Back to Church Sunday is September 18. This is a day for everyone no matter how long you ve been out to come back to church no questions asked. It s a day for each one attending church to invite someone to join them in worship. Some folks hesitate to invite people back to church. You may be surprised to learn: * The de-churched are not mad at the Church. Many see a departure from the Church as a sign someone s angry, that s generally not the case. Over 60% say their life changed and they stopped coming. 1/3 say they re too busy for church * Young adults return to church out of obedience to God. Half those aged 18-35 cited obedience as the reason for their return. Many view today s young adults are avoiding God but most come for religious reasons. * 80% say they d come to worship if someone would simply invite them Be sure to invite someone and fill the church on September 18! Some people are so afraid to die they never live Bishop Palmer to Visit During the month of October, Bishop Palmer will be visiting each of the 8 districts that make up the West Ohio Conference to talk about Our Life Together: Mission, Ministry, Future. All events will be held in the evening so both laity and clergy may attend. The Foothills District event will be held on Wednesday, October 19 at 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Hocking Hills UM Church, 66 E. Hunter Street, Logan. To register, please go to: http://www.westohioumc.org/conference/event/ -9- -10-
Worship Volunteers for September 10 am Greeters & Ushers ~ Jason Conrad Family Liturgist ~ Randy Painter Worship Assistant ~ Stephanie Smith Media Techs ~ Brandon Lanning & Angel Emmert Jr Church ~ Jennifer Ward 8am Greeters & Ushers ~ Jenny Clark & June Foster Women s Event Women Inspiring Women Saturday October 22, 11-2:30 Cost: $10 ~ see Susan Walser for tickets Speaker is Karen Knight who sings, acts and inspires September 11 On September 11 we are celebrating Patriot Day by holding a special service honoring EMTs, police and firefighters. Please invite anyone who is interested in honoring those who serve us every day. The 10am service will be followed by a potluck luncheon. Meat and drinks provided. We re asking the congregation to supply salads, desserts and sides. There is a sign-up sheet in the sanctuary to indicate what you can bring (or just bring it). We are hoping for a nice balance of food, hence the sign up sheet - to ensure there s a variety. Labor Day September 5, 2016 Labor Day is the first Monday of September. Please enjoy but be safe - especially if traveling. National Grandparents Day September 11, 2016 is Grandparents Day. This is a great day to worship together grandkids and grandparents. Bring your grandkids (or grandparents) to church with you. Give them a hug. If you have grandkids, you are blessed. If you have grandparents, you are blessed. First day of Autumn September 22, 2016 is the first day of autumn. Hard to believe summer is almost over! We may miss summer but we can welcome fall sports, school starting and cooler days. Meetings We are holding as many meetings on Thursday as possible so September meetings are: Sept 1 - Trustees @ 6:30 Sept 8 AdCouncil Sept 16 Lay Ministries (Nominations) @ 6:30 Sept 22 - Staff-Parish @ 6:30 Oct 9 Charge Conference @ 9am -11- -12-