Winthrop United Methodist Church M E S S E N G E R January 2018 Dear Saints, As I sit here this morning with a hot cup of tea reflecting on the year to come, I am reminded that as Christians we are called to a life of humility and service as we proclaim the Gospel message of salvation. We read in Matthew 20:28 that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. Likewise, our Christian journeys should be modeled after Jesus. As a community of faith we need to understand that people are searching for a deeper spiritual encounter in their lives. As individuals and as a community of faith we need to communicate and demonstrate an expression of love that draws people to Christ. This expression of faith in many ways leads to evangelicalism. Mother Teresa lived this kind of life, a life of humility and a disposition to serve. She had the ability to suffer with those whose faith was different from her own while she remained faithful to her Christian faith, convictions, values, and standards. The biblical understanding of humanity is expressed in family and relationships. There is no private salvation. Like Jesus; who touched the leper, held the children, and washed the disciple s feet, we too are called to be in relationship with one another. It is in these relationships that we will experience feelings of joy and a sense of peace and harmony. I pray this year brings a year of humility and service to your lives. A year filled with inner peace and harmony. Blessings, Pastor Ned
Our Mission and Purpose Hello All, I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone who baked, volunteered, donated an Item and shopped at the Holiday Fair last Saturday. Your support meant a lot. THANK YOU! I also wanted to give a huge Thank you to Miss Jane, Miss Erika and Miss Jessica. The Holiday Fair was a huge success due to your hard work and passion for this program. On behalf of all parents/ guardians, I want to let you know we all appreciate you and your hard work. Warm regards, Julie Guerette ************ December 26, 2017 (post Christmas blizzard!) Dear Church Family, Thank you very much for including me in your staff gifts this year. It will probably be used for snow removal!! Ginny Baghdoyan, Financial Secretary ************** To My Church Family: Thank you very much for, once again, including me in the Christmas gifts to the Church staff. Since I am not officially part of the staff, the gift always catches me by surprise - and is appreciated all the more! :) Mark Johnston ************** Thank you so very much to my church family at WUMC for your kind and generous Christmas gift. It is a blessing to be a part of this community of faith and a privilege to serve on staff. Best wishes for a wonderful 2018. Barbara Hamblin The mission of the Winthrop United Methodist Church is to be a Christian community that invites all people to participate in God s love. Our purpose is to live out the mission through nurture, outreach and witness. Elevator Reminder We are fortunate to have an elevator to ease access to our second floor sanctuary, but please keep in mind that the elevator will not operate unless both the gates and doors are completely closed. When you exit the elevator, please be sure to close the gate and the door behind you. Only then will the elevator be available to the next person who needs it. And if you see a visitor trying to use the elevator, please stop and assist them to make sure they close the gates! Thank you. The Blessings Team hopes everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a safe and warm New Year s Day. We are planning for a new year of activities. Valentine's Day will be arriving soon! We are looking forward to sending holiday cards to our shut-in members that are unable to attend service with us on Sundays, and our college students that are away from their families. I am asking for your help to be sure our files are up to date. Please notify Olive Andrade at 377-2665 with current addresses. The Blessing s Team has a medical supply closet in the basement of the church. We have walkers, crutches, canes, as well as commodes, tub chairs, and much more. A sign out/in sheet with inventory is located with the devices in the closet. Call or text Chris O Connell at 242-5057, if you need a little help, short-term or long-term is o.k.
Prayer Shawls One of the ministries of our church is a prayer shawl ministry. A number of talented folks connected to the church knit or crochet beautiful shawls. The shawls are knit or crocheted with prayers said as they are being lovingly created. Once they are completed, they are made available to people suffering from illness or injury. The shawls have brought real comfort to many people since this ministry began. If you know someone who would be comforted by receiving a prayer shawl, please speak to Shelley Gearheart or Jan Leighton. Or if you would like to make a prayer shawl to share, you may speak to one of these ladies. Medical Devices Ministry Do you or someone you know have a temporary need for a medical device? Our church has a lending program that might help. We have a supply of donated crutches, canes, walkers, wheelchairs, shower chairs, etc. that people can use when they are recovering at home from an injury, surgery, or other medical issue. Please see Chris O Connell or make your request at the church office. If we have it, we d love to have you borrow it. WUMC Prayer Chain Our church has an electronic prayer chain which enables instant sending of prayer requests to a large number of prayer warriors made up of members of the WUMC congregation. If you have a request, or if you would like to become a prayer warrior and be added to the prayer chain, please e-mail Christina Kennedy at ckenny@roadrunner.com. Hannaford Cards For Christmas Gifts The Hannaford cards are available for purchase every Sunday in Fellowship Hall following worship. There are denominations of $25, $50, and $100. Five percent of the proceeds from the sale of the cards go to the church, which amounts to approximately $1,200 per year. First Sunday Ministries For several years church-goers at Winthrop United Methodist Church have participated in two ministries the first Sunday of every month. Senior Gifts: People are invited to bring their returnable bottles and cans to the church on the first Sunday of the month and leave them in the tall box in the hall behind the kitchen. Proceeds from this collection are used to finance the gifts the church presents to graduating seniors each spring. Returnables can also be taken directly to the Redemption Center on Royal Street. Just ask the attendant to credit the Methodist Church account. Food Pantry Donations: On the first Sunday of each month, the congregation is invited to bring non-perishable food items and personal hygiene items to donate to the Winthrop Food Pantry. If the pantry has specific needs, we will pass that information on, however, all donations of nutritious foods are welcome. A volunteer from WUMC will take the donated items to the Food Pantry. For February! Please email your articles to the church office (office@winthropumc.org) by Tuesday, January 24, 2018.
Grateful Thanks to the Winthrop UMC Congregation, After nearly a month unpacking boxes and getting settled in our new home, we pause to send our grateful thanks to the whole UMC congregation for all the blessings showered upon us in the weeks before our move to Wells. We were deeply touched by the Sunday morning recognition and reception that last Sunday. The prayer shawl will be a special blessing and will help us remember all in the church. There were members of the congregation who came to our aid in the waning days of packing. There were heartfelt goodbyes on both sides. There were many cards and acts of kindness rendered over those last weeks. We were especially blessed to be members of the choir during most of those years, and we thank them for all their kind remarks. We thank you one and all. We shall not forget the wonderful friends we have made across nearly 36 years in Winthrop. We are getting settled in and beginning to meet our neighbors, many of whom we already knew through ministry across the years. Today Helen finished setting up her quilt room which, as you well know, will lift her spirits. There are still boxes to unpack but we are down to the less necessary ones so it is not so bad. If any of you are ever traveling down this way we hope you will stop to see us. We are off Rt. 1 just across the Kennebunk-Wells line - not more than 10 minutes or so from the I-95 Kennebunk exit. You are always welcome here. Many God s rich blessings attend each of you as you continue to find ways to serve Christ in Winthrop and across the world. With love and appreciation, John and Helen Neff 20 Charles Wesley Court Wells, ME 04090 1-207-502-7996 wintergreen052@gmail.com and jhneff87@gmail.com
As the end of 2017 slipped away and the sun began tipping back from its nadir, we wish for all to give and to receive both kindness and love. We are also looking forward to find ways to serve the needs of this Church and our friends. Your trustees stepped in and provided important assistance to the ladies of Tabatha's Closet making the past holidays so very meaningful to those who gave as well as those who received. This is truly a full Church effort and the Longstaffs are known as the true shoppers, eyes everywhere for the best. Thank you, L's. With the quiet of our January days we are discussing future projects in terms of helping to finalize the budget. Written commitments help the finance committee and the Church Council plan for the future. (We don't just set up and take down the outside decorations, lights, the Nativity Scene.) We do want to share the history and take the time to thank the Toothakers, the Nicholsons, and assorted others who made and hand painted the wonderful, original Nativity scene we had for so many years. It was a labor of love and faithfulness. We are so very grateful. Adult Christian studied the Advent Devotional that was filled with wonderful stories written by many members of the church. Each week a writer was invited to attend Sunday school and speak on their story. This was a wonderful experience for several who shared their writings Children s Sunday School was very busy practicing for the pageant this year. The pageant was The Holyday Inn. It was a modern day themed pageant that brought the birth of Jesus into this time frame. The pageant was very well done by many children from kindergarten age to youth group age children. Oh, one adult as well, who also did a great job. Thanks Mike! We have a very talented group of young people who always put their love of God into whatever they are asked to do. A birthday cake for Jesus was shared at Coffee Café on Sunday Dec. 24 th. Many shared in the refreshments and enjoyed fellowship time together. A Happy New Year to all! Blessings! Lynda Pratt Budget time is staring us in the face (just like the extra pounds). Paying bills this month can be a grunt time but not to be forgotten is the Lord. Our Church and its people are but an earthly vision of the Lord's work in our hearts. Drafting a 2018 meaningful budget requires formal pledging as you can. We want to be a united Church that can ring the bell(!) soon for faith, progress, and warmth for all.
Souper Sundays How many times have we heard the saying, it is better to give than receive? This never proved more meaningful than at this year s Toy Give Away at Tabitha s Closet. Work began on a Wednesday and continued till Saturday morning to arrange all the toys in the categories that they belonged. The sight was overwhelming! There were tables and racks of gently used toys arranged all over Fellowship Hall, some so full that bigger toys were displayed on the floor. New toys were set up in the Chapel by age groups. Saturday arrived and we were ready for many people but we were amazed at the exact number of guests! The doors opened and 9 am to a line of people that had been waiting outside - some since 7:30 am! Because it was so cold, we allowed our guests to wait in the sanctuary. People were given numbers according to the order they came in - it worked great! Toys went quickly and by 12 noon there were practically no toys left. New toys had run out by 10:30am. The new toys are given out one to a child. All the remaining used sporting equipment was passed on to Shandra at Everything Kids and the remaining new mittens and hats were given to the Winthrop school nurse to distribute to kids in need of warm hands and heads! We had 25 volunteers help that day and many more helping hands earlier in the week to move the toys, set up the tables and organize the rooms. Much to our amazement this year s Toy Give Away had given toys out for 427 children that had come from 29 different towns in Maine. What a sharing and caring event with tons of thank yous and smiles! God s work spreads even more each year and at the same time needed toys are given by the goodness of peoples hearts. Praise God and Thank You All who helped to make this year s event so very successful. Tabitha s Closet has received another $1500 in grant money from Mid-State Machine in Winslow. Blessings! Lynda Pratt and Sue Phillips The Fellowship Team will be hosting Souper Sundays starting January 14 and running through February 25. Each Sunday following worship there will be a soup, a side, dessert and beverages for those who attend, shortly following Coffee Café. Meals will be prepared each Saturday by volunteers who will come together to prep, cook, bake and fellowship. If you are interested in volunteering once, or for each week, please join us for a brief planning meeting following worship January 7 in the Chapel. We will ask for RSVP s for the luncheons to help with our planning. Please sign up! Menus: 1/14 - Corn Chowder - Egg Salad Finger Rolls 1/21 - Chicken Soup - Dumplings/Biscuits 1/28 - Broccoli Cheddar Soup - Bread Bar 2/4 - Chili - Corn bread 2/11 - Tomato Soup - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches 2/18 - Fish Chowder - Crackers 2/25 - Vegetable Soup - Bread Bar Coffee Café and the luncheons are a mission of the Fellowship Team. We are thankful to all who provide financial support to the WUMC and our mission. These luncheons are open to all who attend the Winthrop United Methodist Church. Come enjoy great food and great company! Linda Allen and Brenda Crocker, Fellowship Team Wonder Awhile would like to thank everyone for their continued support and wish you all a very Happy New Year!
Winthrop United Methodist Church P.O. Box 136 Winthrop, ME 04364 2018 Church Office Hours: Tuesday Friday 9 a.m 2 p.m (207) 377-8620 P.O. Box 136 58 Main Street Winthrop, ME 04364 Ned S. Crockett - Pastor Ron Leighton - Lay Leader Barbara Hamblin - Administrative Assistant Email: office@winthropumc.org Pastor Ned: pastor@winthropumc.org Sunday Worship service 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 8:45 a.m. www.winthropumc.org www.wonderawhile.org The mission of the Winthrop United Methodist Church is to be a Christian community that invites all people to participate in God s love. Our purpose is to live out the mission through nurture, outreach and witness.