The Cornerstone for and by the People of the United Methodist Church 1stumc@centralny.twcbc.com, www.gouverneurumc.org April 2017 315-287-2440 Holy Week Holy Week is my favorite week in the Christian year. When I was in junior high, I had recently fallen in love with the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Our youth group went to see a production at Salt City Playhouse in Syracuse, and I fell in love with the music, the movement, the way the story of Jesus was brought to life on stage. And I started to sync what was happening in the production I loved with what was happening in worship at my church, and suddenly the rituals and liturgies of the Holy Week worship services became more meaningful and powerful to me. On Palm Sunday, I felt like Jesus might actually walk in and join the triumphant procession at any moment. On Maundy Thursday, I felt like I was one of the guests at the supper. On Good Friday, I wept as Jesus was crucified. On Sunday, I heard with new ears the amazing news of Resurrection. I found myself wishing I could have lived in the time that Jesus walked the earth with us, wishing I could have been there, wondering where I would have been in the story. Thursday. Stand at the foot of the cross on Good Friday. Mourn, and weep, and wait. And then join me on Easter morning, as we encounter Jesus again not in the tomb, but in the world, on the move, resurrecting our lives! Find your place in the story. Blessings, Pastor Beth This season, we ve been thinking about how we encounter Jesus. Jesus wants to meet us, face to face. Will we show up? I hope, friends, that you will make a particular effort to engage fully in the story this Holy Week. Engage fully in the passion drama. Come to the parade, as we greet Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Find your place at the table with Jesus on Maundy
Lenten Calendar April Worship Calendar: Weekly Communion Services - During Lent, we are having a weekly 30 minute communion service and 30 minute soup and bread supper. We re learning about the meaning of communion in a short study and celebrating the holy meal together. The service will run through Holy Week. Remaining sessions: Wednesdays, April 5th and 12th. On Friday, April 7th, (7pm) we ll have a movie night and watch The Passion of the Christ together in the chapel, with discussion to follow. This movie is an intense encounter with the crucifixion of Jesus. We ll have alternate activities available for children as well. Palm/Passion Sunday On April 9th, we celebrate Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and hear the passion story in dramatic form, at our regular worship time. Maundy Thursday Cantata (April 13th) Join us for a special Lenten Cantata, Come Walk with Me. We ll have an ecumenical (area-wide) choir leading us in a musical journey through the passion and resurrection of Jesus. 7pm in the Sanctuary. Nursery available. Good Friday Service (April 14th) Our Good Friday service will be a Tenebrae service, or a service of shadows, as we remember the day Jesus was crucified. Come and join us for this very special time of worship. Service at 7pm in the chapel. Easter Sunrise On Sunday, April 16th, we ll meet at 7am on Wally Hurlbut s property (2287 Co Rt 11 )in North Gouverneur to celebrate Resurrection Sunday! Following the service, join us at North Gouverneur UMC for breakfast. Easter Sunday At 11am, join us for a worship celebration with special music, flowers, and praise! Join us in raising our Alleluias in joy and thanksgiving that Jesus conquers death. 4/2 Fifth Sunday in Lent Encounter with Jesus: Jesus and Martha, John 11:1-45, Holy Communion 4/9 Palm/Passion Sunday Encounter with Jesus: Jesus and the Crowd, Matthew 21:1-11, Matthew 26-27, selected verses, Crazy Faith Dancers, Passion Drama, Stripping of the Sanctuary 4/16 Easter Sunday! Encounter with Jesus: Resurrection, scripture TBA, Holy Communion 4/23 Second Sunday of Easter TBA 4/30 Third Sunday of Easter A Celebration of Music Save the Date(s) for these Upcoming Events: Sunday, April 9th Fellowship Feast with guest speakers Meredith Forbes, Mission of Peace, following worship Friday, April 28th Pork Dinner Fundraiser Saturday, May 6th Camp Aldersgate Work Day Sunday, May 7th Camping Sunday and Fellowship Feast Trustee Work Day Friday, May 12th Light Up the Night Run at Fairgrounds (Fundraiser) Saturday, May 20th Camp Aldersgate Work Day Sunday, May 21st Farewell Celebration for Rev. Beckie Sweet, District Superintendent (Rev. Sweet is also preaching during worship at Gouverneur UMC) Sunday, June 4th Fellowship Feast with guest speaker Marthalyn Sweet, presentation on DC Poverty Learning Experience
Finance Committee report The devotion for the March Finance Committee meeting focused on Joy in Generosity. Joyful generosity can draw us closer to Jesus. It s a trust issue. Can God be trusted to provide for us what we provided for others? Money is not always a friend of faith, but it can be. Cash is meant to be an icon of provision that grows our devotion to Jesus, not an idol of dependence that competes with our devotion to God. Humble surrender to Christ and giving of ourselves to others in selfless service is foundational to His will. Joyful generosity grows in a soul submitted to God. http://www.wisdomhunters.com/joy-ingenerosity/ It is easy to see how generous the people of First UMC are: time spent preparing for and teaching Sunday school, dance group leadership, committee membership with regularly scheduled meetings, making meals to share and deliver, a kind word of encouragement, cleanup following coffee fellowship. That is just the tip of the iceberg! We are grateful for all the ways that you are generous to the church family and community. The Finance Committee task is to oversee the funds pledged/given to the church and the disbursement of those funds in a timely fashion. Your support of the fall pledge campaign was outstanding! That said, the first 2 ½ months of this year have been challenging as the Treasurer has addressed the task of paying the monthly bills, juggling which utility bill to pay this week along with having sufficient funds on hand to meet payroll obligations. A recent report from the Treasurer indicates that only slightly more than 70% of the income pledged to date has been received, which has resulted in the shortfall. This is a difficult message to share we are all aware of the sacrificial giving/generosity of our church family in so many ways, and that giving is much appreciated. The committee feels it is best to be up front and truthful about where we stand, this is an appeal to please check the status of your pledged giving (quarterly statements will go out in April, but a report is always available from the Treasurer), and, if you are able, to bring that pledge up to date. Currently 8 households are using Vanco, our online giving program. It is easy to set this program up to work for you, a link is found on the church website (http://gouverneurumc.org/online-giving/); you choose the frequency (weekly, monthly, etc.) based on what is best for your budget. If you aren t computer friendly, that is not a worry, contact the church office or Treasurer and someone can assist to set up an account. The benefit to you is that you don t have to remember your cash or check each week, the benefit to the church is a consistent pattern of giving a win-win situation. If at any point you have a question concerning the church finances please do contact a member of the Finance Committee, we will do our best to respond in a timely fashion. Thank you each for your time and your commitment to spreading Jesus love in our community and beyond. We are grateful for your ongoing support and prayers for the task at hand, Mary Benware, Heather Bowman, Laura Conklin (Treasurer), Mandi Dake, Jeanne Garner (Memorial Committee), Helen Harrington (Board of Trustees linking person), Birney Kellogg (Council of Stewards chair & Lay Member to Annual Conference), Don Schuessler (Lay Leader), Glenda Schuessler (Interim Chair) Joy generated by generosity is the fruit of our love for Jesus.
HOW ABOUT A MOVIE? The Passion of the Christ - movie night When: Fri, April 7, 6:30pm 8:30pm Where: First United Methodist Church, 34 Grove Street Description: This movie is an intense encounter with the crucifixion of Jesus. Alternate activities will be available for children. For more information please call the church office, 315-287- 2440. POVERTY SIMULATION SAVE THE DATE & HELPERS NEEDED A Poverty Simulation will be held on Saturday, April 1st at 2pm-4:30pm in the Fellowship Hall of First UMC. The Poverty Simulation is a unique tool used to help people learn about the day to day realities of life with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress. How the simulation works: Participants are assigned the role of a low-income family for four 15-minute weeks. Other volunteers play the roles of community agencies and businesses. Families must provide food, shelter and other basic necessities during the simulation while interacting with various community resources. Although it uses play money and fictional scenarios, a Poverty Simulation is a role-play not a game. It is a powerful experience that takes only a few hours, but makes a lasting impact. Pastor Beth is looking for a dozen helpers for this event. Helpers need to be available at 1pm on April 1st. Easter Offering Each year, we give 100% of our Easter Offering to support mission causes - one local, one national/regional, and one global ministry. This year, the Council of Stewards has decided that our Easter offering will go to: * The Neighborhood Center, our partners in ministry right here in Gouverneur. The Neighborhood Center is an excellent agency, working to combat poverty in our area. * Fonda/Fultonville and Milford United Methodist Church - two churches in our Upper New York Annual Conference that burned down in March. Fonda/Fultonville is in the Albany District, Milford is in the Oneonta District. Our funds will help them as they rebuild. * Fresh Water for Central Congo - Building on a project of our Sunday School children, our global offering will support the building of wells in Central Congo, so people can have clean, fresh drinking water. We appreciate your generous support of these ministries with your Easter Offering. You will receive a letter with a special offering envelope later this month. Returnable cans and bottles Do you have bottles and cans to return? It is easy to drop off your cans/bottles at the Bottle Redemption Center, 470 East Main Street, Gouverneur. Please tell them you would like the First UMC Gouverneur to receive the proceeds of your donation. In 2016 almost $200 was received by the church from your donations. Thank you!
Thank you for all your help in supporting camping, a major opportunity for us to see our children and families develop a deeper relationship with God. Camp gives children a solid foundation that lasts a lifetime; giving them gifts of confidence, faith in Camping Scholarship Envelope enclosed Our church is offering scholarship support for those children and families attending a summer camp program at one of the Upper New York Conference camps. $75 and go does it get any better? You pay the $75 deposit and the scholarship funds will pick up the remainder. Shari Mudge, Aldersgate Camp and Retreat Center Director, will be present with us on Sunday, May 7 to share information about camping ministries program. If you would like a camping brochure prior to that time, please obtain one from the church office. Aldersgate is the United Methodist camp closest to Gouverneur, a lovely drive of a little more than an hour away (just under 60 miles away). Visit the Aldersgate website at http://aldersgateny.org/camp-and-retreat-center to view the summer camp brochure online. There are camps for kids ages 7 18 scheduled for June 25 30, lots of different program offerings (depending on the age of the child), a Beginnings camp for ages 6 9 scheduled for July 2 5, and Family Life Weekend July 7 9 will feature our own Pastor Beth as the speaker. Please consider helping in our efforts to offer scholarship aid to campers by using the donation envelope included with this newsletter. A week at camp can be a life-changing event for a child or family! We have a good head start as the Stewart s Shops awarded our camping program an $800 grant! This came through their Holiday Match program which provides grants to worthwhile programs in the community. We are so grateful for their generosity and the generosity of the customers who make this possible. Scholarship application forms are available in the church office. Please pick one up or call the office (315-287-2440) if you would like a form mailed or emailed to you. Then, simply return it to the church office. God, and a healthy self-esteem. An essential part of the camp experience is spiritual growth. We encourage youth to grow in their relationship with God, to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to be God s love with their neighbors in all places. Summer camp brochure, 2017. NEWSLETTER DEADLINE FOR THE APRIL EDITION IS THURSDAY, APRIL 23rd. Vacation Bible School 2017 SAVE THE DATES! July 17 21. Please mark your calendar now! For more information please call the church office, 315-287-2440.
The Milford UMC, which caught on fire Sunday March 12, begins moving forward. In a letter to her congregation, Millford UMC pastor, the Rev. Sylvia Barrett, explained the logistical and administrative procedures that have taken place since the fire. She said, We are working on an inventory of the church, on plans for the Food Pantry to be relocated, and on all the arrangements needed to begin our worship on Sunday mornings, at the Cultural Center, which has generously offered us a temporary home until our church is rebuilt. And yes, our church will be rebuilt, and from the blackness of Sunday night, there will come a day when we all stand in the sunlight and look at a new building with happiness and peace in all our hearts. I have received over 100 emails from other ministers, other congregations, other denominations, total strangers, people who worshipped at Milford in the past, and concerned friends and family members. I am sure we all can recall kind words spoken, sympathetic hugs, and offers to help. The fire at the Fonda-Fultonville UMC took place on Tuesday March 14, amidst Storm Stella, that swept the Northeast. We will release future plans for the Fonda-Fultonville UMC as soon as we are made aware. In the meantime, Albany District Superintendent, Rich Weihing, said, The church building is considered a total loss. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Vital ministries of worship, service, and outreach have used this structure as a home and a headquarters. This is a tremendous loss to the church and the community. Times like this remind us of a powerful truth that we sing, The church is not a building... the church is the people. Powerful worship, Christ-like service, and life-changing outreach will certainly continue through Fonda-Fultonville UMC. At this point, though, let us put our faith into action by upholding, supporting, praying for, and loving our brothers and sisters of the Fonda-Fultonville UMC and community. As we continue to pray for these two churches and their congregations, let s also offer up prayers of praise for fire and rescue personnel. *** From Pastor Beth: As mentioned in our article about our Easter Offering in this issue of the newsletter, 1/3 of our Easter offering will be sent to assist with the rebuilding of these church buildings.
Mission Exposure An overnight Mission Exposure trip will take place Thursday afternoon (3PM) through Friday afternoon (3PM) April 20 21. We will travel to Syracuse, assist with packing lunches for Friday distribution, work at a mission site Friday morning, hand out lunches in a downtown Syracuse park at noon. Overnight accommodations will be at an area church. For more information please contact Don Schuessler or Amber Ormesan via the church office, 315-287-2440.