HEARTS UNITED Hart United Methodist Church September 2018 Pastor s Pondering s by Steve Young A CHURCH-WIDE STUDY THE CALL: The Life and Message of the Apostle Paul Starting this month of September, after Labor Day week, we will begin a study of St. Paul, both at Sunday worship and in weekly Bible studies (see schedule below). We will be guided by the book and study materials produced by author and United Methodist pastor, Adam Hamilton (see the purchasing information below, but note that it is not necessary to have the book to benefit from the six-week series). The weekly Bible studies will feature DVD presentations in a travelogue sort of way as Hamilton retraces Paul s footsteps in Turkey, Greece, and Italy, visiting many of the archaeological sites where Paul preached, taught, and founded churches. In addition, in his characteristic way, Hamilton will help us modern-day Christians deepen our own faith and answer God s call on our lives as we reflect on the Apostle Paul s life, story, and personal call. Of course, each exploration and chapter in the book will connect with scripture, particularly from the Book of Acts, with many selections being highlighted in the Bible studies. Also, portions of those scriptures will serve as Bible readings and sermon and Sunday School themes on Sundays starting September 9. So, ALL of us will have the opportunity to learn more about Paul, a man whose provocative writings have shaped the lives of at least a third of the world s population and whose witness, for nearly two thousand years, defines what it means to follow Jesus the Christ. Bring your friends and neighbors, because this is an outreach event into our community, too, as well as a learning time for the entire church! THE CALL STUDY SERIES SCHEDULE: Sunday, September 9: Called to Follow Christ (an introduction to Saul/Paul)-Follow-up Bible Study #1: Monday, 9/10 at 7:00 p.m., and Tuesday, 9/11 at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, September 16: Called to Go (a look at the Damascus Road experience)-follow-up Bible Study #2: Monday, 9/17 at 8:00* p.m., and Tuesday, 9/18 at 11:00 a.m. Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 10:00 a.m. 3:30 p.m. Wednesday & Friday: 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. In This Issue Pastor s Ponderings (pages 1-3) News (pages 2-4) Youth Group (page 5) United Methodist Men & Women (page 5) Molly s Poetry Corner (page 5) Upcoming Events (page 6) 1
Pastor s Ponderings, cont. Sunday, September 23: A look at Lydia of Philippi on this UMW award Sunday. Bible Study #3, Called to Suffer : Mon. 9/24: negotiable*, and Tues., 9/25 at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, September 30: Called to Love (focusing on 1 Corinthians 13). Follow-up Bible Study #4: Monday, 10/1 at 7:00 p.m., and Tuesday, 10/2 at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, October 7: Called to Be Faithful (a look at Paul s legacy). Follow-up Bible Study #5: Monday, 10/8 at 7:00 p.m., and Tuesday, 10/9 at 11:00 a.m. (and note that we will be doing Chapter 6 and postponing Chapter 5 until next week) Sunday, October 14: Called to Give (a transition to our Generosity Emphasis). Follow-up Bible Study #6: Monday, 10/15 at 8:00* p.m., and Tuesday, 10/16 at 11:00 a.m. (NOTE: Monday night 8:00 p.m. start-up times on 9/17 and 10/15 are due to the Governance Board meetings beforehand. The 9/24 negotiable is due to the UMW General Meeting at 6:00 p.m.) [REMINDER: You can purchase the book now through the church office for $11 ($13 for the large print edition), and it s also available in the downloadable electronic (ebook, e-pub) edition for $12.79 from Cokesbury.com which you can purchase on your own, if desired, for your electronic device.] September Anniversaries 15 Dick & Ginny Huntington; Harvey & Pat Weaver 21 Nick & Traci Swihart 25 Bill & Brenda Goughler 28 Clair & Mary Sloan Two Special Offering Opportunities this Month: Christian Education and Rural Life Sunday The Christian Education special offering is a three-week collection which started on Sunday, August 26, and will also take place on September 2 and 9. Also, a celebration of Christian education ministries along with a dedication of teachers and leaders will be a part of our worship service on Sunday, September 9, even as children s Sunday School is scheduled to resume that day (and please consider volunteering to help: see related announcements elsewhere). This is a West Michigan Conference offering, but we will keep half of it for our own educational ministries. The other half of our offering will be sent to the Conference to be awarded for support of first-time Christian education projects or trainings in other congregations or districts. See the leaflet in the pew racks on the Sundays above for more information, and please use the generic Special envelope there or your own marked Christian Education to give generously to this important effort for children and adults, supporting a ministry which continues year-round, of course. After this, we will begin our next three-week collection for Rural Life Sunday on September 16, 23, and 30. Your Rural Life Sunday Offering is the source for initiatives in rural and small town ministries, administered in our West Michigan Conference through the Town and Country Committee. Some of these ministries are: 1. Scholarships for seminary studies and Course of Study, through which pastors in training for rural ministries can get financial support for their seminary education... Tuesday s Friends Tuesday s Friends enjoyed a potluck at Helen s house on Silver Lake. Afterwards, her neighbors took us on a boat ride around the lake. No plans at this time for our next gathering. All ideas are welcome! Please, RSVP to Bev Wood, if you are interested in attending. Bev Wood: 873-4649. 2
Church Choir Schedule Join us for rehearsals on Thursdays, September 6 and 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, and for the performance on Sunday, September 16 during worship. Also, watch for further announcements about rehearsals and upcoming performance dates. Special Offering Opportunities, cont. 2. Scholarships for rural pastors continuing education; 3. Seed funding for Rural Summer Interns in local town and country churches; 4. Rural Life Sunday worship materials for each church in the conference; 5. Town and Country church ministry orientation materials for each new pastor entering the conference; and 6. Promotion of cooperative ministries throughout the conference. Your Rural Life Sunday gift will enable these programs and future initiatives for the advancement of ministry in rural and small town churches and communities. Thank you for your gift, as you use the generic Special envelope in the pew or your own. ADVANCED NOTICE: Our yearly Church Conference has been scheduled by our new Midwest District Superintendent, Margie Crawford, for Sunday, November 18, 2018 at 3 p.m., preceded by a joint 2 p.m. worship at the Pentwater Centenary UMC facility, with other UMC cluster churches attending: Hesperia/Ferry, Mears/Shelby, Pentwater, Walkerville/Crystal Valley, and White Cloud. Watch for more details to come, but plan now to attend! Bibles to Third Graders: September 30th (or as arranged) Like we ve done in previous years, and in keeping with an old Methodist tradition, Hart UMC will be presenting Bibles to our third graders and any others, as needed. If you know of a third grader, or other elementary-age students, associated with Hart UMC, who would like to receive a new Bible, please contact the Church Office to confirm her/his presence to receive it. The presentations are scheduled to be made on Sunday, September 30, during worship, but other dates can be arranged, if necessary. Hopefully, everyone will be there, too, that Sunday to support our Bible recipients and their families. FALL 2018 Lay Servant Classes The registration deadline for Fall 2018 Lay Servant classes is Saturday, September 15th. These classes will take place on October 2, 9, 16 and 23 from 7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. at the UMC Dunes in Grand Haven. The following classes are being offered: Basic, Advanced: Worship Planning/Design and Advanced: Storytelling. If you are interested in signing up, please contact our Church Office for a registration form. Payment will be accepted at the first class. Midwest District & MI Conference West Open House You're invited to attend an open house to meet the new Midwest District Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Margie Crawford and see the new MI Conference West and Midwest District offices on Sunday, September 23 from 3-5pm. The location is 207 Fulton St. E., Suite 6, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. 3
Sunday School Starts 9/9 During the school year, our Sunday School sessions are offered part-way through the worship service, except on communion Sundays, when we want the children to be there with us for communion. This year, on September 9th, we will begin a new Sunday School year using the same lesson format we started last year, with the goal of tying in the theme of each Sunday s worship scripture focus and sermon. Of course, each lesson will include the Bible story for the day, even as that is highlighted at Young People s Time during worship by Pastor Steve. In addition, Pastor Steve coordinates age-specific activities and a craft, in cooperation with the Sunday School leaders and monthly teachers, to go along with the day s lesson. Print-out sheets of these scripted lesson plans and activities, including worksheets and craft materials, are available well in advance in dated folder packs, which are placed chronologically in the folder rack located on the kitchenette counter, just upstairs from the church offices. PLEASE BE READY TO VOLUNTEER TO LEAD AND TEACH one or more of these typically three-week sessions over the next eight months as an individual or as a team signing up when the recruitment clipboard is passed, or by contacting the Church Office. Thank you! Midwest District Conference October 14th Save the date! You are invited to attend the Midwest District Conference at Grand Rapids First UMC (227 Fulton Street E), on Sunday, October 14th from 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Thank You for the Health and School Kits At the July 25th kit put-together time, we were able to assemble 36 UMCOR School Kits and 36 UMCOR Health Kits to ship to Midwest Mission Distribution Center, an UMCOR Depot near Springfield, Illinois. Even though this was a decrease from previous years, thanks to everyone who did participate! Love INC s Grinnin & Grillin 2018 Love INC s Grinnin & Grillin event will be held on Monday, September 24th at Rothbury Community Church from 6:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. This event will feature the music and comedy of Classic Fun Live. Tickets are $15 per person or $100 for a table of 8, and can be purchased through the Love INC Office, Rothbury Community Church, Hart United Methodist Church, or online at www.loveincoceana.org. Kid s Club Kid s Club will resume on Wednesday, September 12th from 3:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. This group is for kids that are in the 2nd 5th grades (no exceptions). If your child goes to Hart school, they will be picked up and brought back to the church. Kids are normally to the church by 3:30 p.m., if you plan to drop your child off. Please, let Teena Sorensen know if you re interested in your child attending Kid s Club. We will also be needing snack and drink donations for this group. 4
September Birthdays 1 Lee Ann Kenyon 2 Marian DeVries 7 Linda McLouth 10 Donna May; Bryce Stevens 14 Louise Stevens 17 Cynthia Orent 18 Matthew Johnson 19 Abigail Field; Lois Huth 20 Barb Rockwell 22 Gayle Forner; Timothy Goughler 24 Jay Polderman 30 Cheri Michael Youth Group Thank you to everyone that donated items to the annual Youth Yard Sale. The Youth made $937 with more money coming in. A special thank you to Penny Brubaker again who came in and helped, as well as Carole Tompkins, who did some running around for the Youth since they were busy with the sale. Youth Group will resume on Sunday, September 9th from 12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. This group is for the 6th 12th grades. Teena will send out an announcement as to what the kick-off plan will be. United Methodist Women Calendar 2018 September 24: General Meeting (6:00 p.m.)- Discuss Fall Bazaar Nominations of Officers October 15-16: Mission U of the North October 22: General Meeting (6:00 p.m.)- Election of Officers Final Plans for the Fall Luncheon and Bazaar 2019 Budget October 28: Trunk N Treat Following Worship Service November 9: Fall Bazaar and Luncheon/Bake Sale (11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.) November 25: Advent Decorating December 14: Medical Care Facility Birthday (2:00 p.m.) United Methodist Men The UMM are planning to again host several Burger Bashes prior to Hart Pirate home football games. Congregants are encouraged to donate items like sliced hamburger buns, ketchup, mustard, relish, sliced cheese or cash to help with the cost of these outreach events. Free will donations are received from those that attend and the net proceeds are split between the Hart Athletic Department and our Church Youth Camp Scholarship fund. Molly s Poetry Corner You call me to follow You To drop everything And leave it behind I stop in my tracks Afraid Of the unknown You tell me to look to You That I will find peace I will find hope I will find love So I lift my eyes To the One who knows all Trusting His call 5
Hart United Methodist Church 308 S. State St. Hart, MI 49420 PLACE STAMP HERE Upcoming Events at HUMC Mark your calendar! Sunday, Sept. 2: Holy Communion; Worship at OCMCF at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 3: Labor Day Office Closed Tuesday, Sept. 4 Sept. 7: Molly on vacation Sunday, Sept. 9: Sunday Schools begins and Dedication of Educators; Youth Group resumes from 12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Sept.11: Personal Care Pantry from 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12: Kid s Club resumes from 3:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16: Choir and Music Ministry Dedication Monday, Sept. 17: Governance Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25: Personal Care Pantry from 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30: Bibles to Third Graders Sunday, Oct. 7: Holy Communion; Worship at OCMCF at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9: Personal Care Pantry from 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15: Governance Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23: Personal Care Pantry from 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28: Trunk-N-Treat (following the worship service) Contact Us Call the office or check out our website for more information about us! Hart United Methodist 308 S. State St. Hart, MI 49420 (231) 873-3516 hartumc@gmail.com Visit us on the web at hartunitedmethodist.org or like us on Facebook! Digging Deep ~ Reaching Out ~ Looking Up