Meadowcreek United Methodist Church Newsletter April 2017 Pastor: Rev. Brian K. Mangan Administrative Council Chair: Steve Leslie Lay Leader: Dolly Kirk Trustee Chairperson: Ray Roberts Office Hours: Monday thru Thursday 8:30 am - 2:30 pm Church Office Closed Friday Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this? John 11:25-26 (NIV) at Meadowcreek United Methodist Church Saturday, April 15, 2017 2:00 4:00 pm 14205 E. 146th Street North, Collinsville 918-371-3250 www.meadowcreekumc.org There will be LOTS of eggs to gather for all ages! Come join us for the fun! It is Easter again!!! Time to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! Each year, the City of Collinsville looks forward to our Easter Egg Hunt This is a great opportunity for our always loving and generous congregation to share the love of Jesus Christ with the families in our community. So, we want to invite all the children in our area to a great Easter Egg Hunt at our church the day before Easter on Saturday, April, 15 th from 2 to 4 pm. There will be LOTS of eggs to gather for all ages! Come join us for the fun! To make this event EGG-STRORDINARY, we will need help stuffing all those eggs at our egg-stuffing party on Wednesday, April 12 th at 6:30 pm. If you can donate small individually wrapped candy, and small stickers we would appreciate it! We can also use your help to set-up on the day of the Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday, April 15 th at 12:30 pm. Thank you for supporting this fun, family event! 14205 East 146th St. North Collinsville, OK 74021 (918) 371-3250 For more information, contact Darren at 918-695-7290 or Darren.johnson.253@gmail.com Please mark your calendars Egg-stuffing party Wednesday, April 12 th at 6:30 p.m. Community Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 15 th at 2:00 pm. (set-up at 12:30)
March 21, 2017 Dear Meadowcreek Family, Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. And in the life of a pastor, there comes a time to accept a new appointment. It is not easy for me to tell you that I have accepted the appointment to be the pastor at a new church effective June 1, 2017. I want to thank all of you for the many ways you allowed me to be your pastor. As the years go by I will look back fondly on our time together; I trust the same will be true for you. In the eight years I have been your pastor, I ve watched children grow up. I have officiated baptisms, weddings, and too many funerals. I have made hospital visits and visited shut-ins. We have laughed together. We have prayed together. We have cried together. And together we have realized a few dreams, struggled through some trials and persevered. Please know that Gail, Janae, and I will always hold a special place in our hearts for you. We thank you for the love, prayers, and support you have shared with us. And we thank you for your graciousness in allowing us to be a part of your lives. In many ways, this will be like leaving family for us, and we will miss you. But there is also a part of you going to this new appointment with us. I recognize that the experiences and knowledge that I have gained here as your pastor for the last eight years has prepared me to be in ministry with the people of God in a new place. One of the things that Meadowcreek truly does well is show genuine hospitality. Every church claims to be a friendly church. But Meadowcreek is one of those rare churches where a new person can make a new friend. So I know that you will extend the same warm welcome and friendship that you offered to Gail and I when we first arrived, to the new pastor that shall follow me. I know that Bishop Nunn and the District Superintendents have been in fervent prayer in deciding who that person should be. And I ask you now to join with them, as I have, in praying for the Lord to bring the right person as the Pastor to Meadowcreek in order to assist you in continuing to advance the Kingdom of God here in Collinsville. In His Grace Pastor Brian 2
Kidz at the Creek, our group for 3 rd thru 5 th graders, will be meeting on Saturday, April 22 nd at 9:45 am to go to Oxley Nature Center at Mohawk Park for a tour and picnic! Bring a sack lunch and we will enjoy a meal and play in the park! Come join the fun! Contact Darren for more details at 918-695-7290 or email at darren.johnson.253@gmail.com. Kidz at the Creek Pray, with Jesus (by Darren Johnson) Meadowcreek The youth are busy starting this month at Young Christians Weekend on March 31 st thru April 2 nd at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. The youth that went last year really loved all the Christian speakers, bands and, of course, the rides! On April 9 th, from 4 to 6 pm, we are inviting youth doin s from all over to come play capture the flag at our (by Darren Johnson) church! This is a special event to bring more youth into our church youth group, so please invite someone you know! We will have fun and food! And be ready to get tired and dirty! We will not be meeting on Easter Sunday, but the following Sunday, April 23 rd, we will be attending the Council Oak District Rally at Keystone Lake from 3 to 5. We will need to leave the church at 2 pm and you might want to bring a swimsuit, towel and blanket or chair to sit in. Food will be provided. Something else to put on your calendar is the end-of-the-year party (also welcome to the sixth graders) at SkyZone on Sunday, June 4 th from 4 to 7 pm. The cost is $21 per person and your parent will need to fill out a waiver at www.skyzone.com/tulsa. Also, summer is getting closer and our youth will be attending YouthForce at Grove UMC on July 23 rd thru 28 th. This is unlike any other camp experience because it is a weeklong mission project with activities and worship. It will be a great experience for all involved. Please consider donating to help a youth attend camp this summer. More info is available from Darren by email at darren.johnson.253@gmail.com by texting or calling 918-695-7290. Summer Camps are coming... Children and youth from 1 st grade thru graduated seniors are invited to come experience God in our beautiful camps through our Oklahoma Conference United Methodist camps! There are many opportunities for the children throughout the summer, but we, as a church are looking at attending the following specific camps this summer: 1 st and 2 nd graders, there is Sonshine Camp at Egan on June 17 th and 18 th, deaned by our own Cindy Johnson. 3 rd thru 5 th graders, there is Growin in Grace Camp on June 26 th thru 28 th, deaned by Darren Johnson. 6 th graders will enjoy 6 th grade camp, again deaned by Cindy, on June 26 th thru 30 th. 7 th thru graduated seniors, will go to Camp United on June 12 th thru 16 th. These camps bring children and youth closer to God and give them an experience they will remember their entire lives. All camps have wonderful, trained volunteers who are dedicated to the safety and care of your children. Registration is done by the family online at http://www.okumcministries.org/camps/# The costs and more info are available there. Early Bird registration discounts are available until April 30 th. For help, contact Darren. If you are interested in being a volunteer, speak with Pastor Brian or Darren. For any camp questions, contact Darren at email at darren.johnson.253@gmail.com or by texting or calling him at 918-695-7290. 3
Vacation Bible School It is time to prepare for VBS! Vacation Bible School 2017 will be July 9 th thru 13 th here at Meadowcreek. The theme this year is Hero Central, so get out your superhero capes and get ready for a great time experiencing God thru our children! We would love for you to volunteer to help this summer. An informational meeting will be on April 11th at 6:30 pm, so mark your calendars. Contact Darren for more details at 918-695-7290 or email at darren.johnson.253@gmail.com. Charlie Roberts Reading the Bible Scripture on Wyatt Brewer Reading the Bible Scripture on The Frazier Casserole Ministry... Ministry: to serve; as service to God and to other people in His name Jesus is our perfect example of ministry... He came, not to receive service, but to give it. As Christians we can and should minister by meeting people's needs whether those people are believers or unbelievers. Ministry should be impartial and unconditional, reaching out in love and humility on Christ 's behalf. The Frazier Casserole Ministry of United Methodist Church opens up that opportunity for You "to serve". We are in need to replenish our freezer with soups, stews, small and large casseroles. Thank you for your help. If you have questions you can contact Barbara Page, 580-491-2728. Baking pans are available in the Fellowship Hall. Thank you for your generous spirits. "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12 4
Meadowcreek UMC will be hosting a Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma MOBILE FOOD PANTRY on Tuesday, April 25 th from 11:00 am - noon here at Meadowcreek Volunteers are needed for set-up at 9:30 am through 1:00 pm for clean-up Our volunteers are much needed and appreciated! We hope you will consider giving some of your time to help our neighbors. If you know of someone who is food insecure please come to the church office to get a ticket for the mobile food pantry. The mission of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma is to feed the hungry of eastern Oklahoma through a network of Partner Programs and to engage our communities in ending hunger. Our vision is food security, with dignity, for all eastern Oklahomans. We are the largest private hunger-relief organization in eastern Oklahoma. 1 in 4 children in Oklahoma is at risk of going to bed hungry 1 in 6 seniors struggle with hunger in Oklahoma 5
April 9 Palm Sunday Worship Services at 8:30 am and 10:50 am with Sunday School at 9:45 am April 11 6:30 pm VBS kick-off meeting April 13 7:00 pm Maundy Thursday Service with Tenebrae & Communion April 12 6:30 pm Easter Egg Stuffing Party April 15 2:00 4:00 pm Easter Egg Hunt (set-up at 12:30 pm) April 16 EASTER Worship Services at 8:30 am and 10:50 am with Sunday School at 9:45 am *NO Youth Group Meeting on 4/16 April 20 7:15 pm Finance meeting April 22 9:45 am Kidz at the Creek gathering at Oxley Nature Center at Mohawk Park for a tour and picnic April 23 2:00 pm Youth Council Oaks Rally at Keystone Lake April 25 11:00 am Noon Mobile Food Pantry here (volunteers arrive at 9:30 am) April 30 Noon Fish Fry Fellowship Meal Each Tuesday (4/4-5/23) - 6:00 pm Grief Workshop with Rev. Judy Conner Each Wednesday 9:30 am Prayer Group meeting 6:30 pm Choir practice 6:30 pm Youth Bible Study Each Thursday Each Sunday 9:30 am Adult Bible Study 7:00 pm Praise Band Practice (no practice on April 13th due to Maundy Thursday Service) 8:30 am Traditional Worship Service 9:45 am Sunday School 10:50 am Contemporary Worship Service 4:00 pm Youth Group meeting Meadowcreek UMC If you would like to use the church van, please contact the church office at 918-371-3250 to schedule April May Troy Mathews April 1 Teri Rush April 3 Linda Wilson April 3 Ed Kirk April 4 Annabelle Bumgardner April 6 Payne Houts April 12 Tate Stumpff April 12 Jim Igarta April 13 DeEtta Bumgardner April 17 Darren Johnson April 17 Mike Page April 18 Landree Williams April 21 Carol Mitchell April 24 Lairmee Williams April 29 Wilson Rubottom May 01 Cheynne Brewer May 02 Rebecca Hodge May 06 Ron Pontiff May 06 Ann Phillips May 11 David Hayes May 12 Mike Sanford May 13 Ron Hall May 16 Peggy Henshall May 21 Linda Blunt May 25 Raine Igarta May 25 Gary Chappell May 27 Kim McVicker May 28 Dolly Kirk May 30 If your birthday does not appear on this list of church members, please contact the church office, and we ll be sure to add you to the list for next year! 6