South Milwaukee United Methodist church 1327 Marshall Ave, South Milwaukee, WI 53172 The Chimes April 2017 Just Be a Good Person, that s Enough! You don t need to go to church on Sundays, or read bible regularly, pray or be involved in church activities; just be a good person that is enough to take you into heaven! Did you find this anywhere in the bible? No! This is what you hear over and over again from this culture and it sounds very pleasant to the ears and attractive to the mind since that is what many would like to do anyway! Unfortunately, people don t see the craftiness of devil behind spreading such belief. The same trick the Devil played in the Garden of Eden while he said to Eve: Do you really need to obey what God said to you? No, you just do whatever pleasing to your eyes and desiring to your heart; you should be okay! Sadly, both Adam and Eve had to be thrown out of God s presence. It is amazing how so many people actually believe they are good enough to get into heaven. Perhaps it is because we read so much bad news in the papers about others that we are quick to conclude that by comparison we are superior and so deserving of heaven. They think: isn t it unfair of God to say that you can t get into heaven unless you believe in him and follow his ways, no matter how good you are? How can he demand us to follow what he says in the bible? Remember a rich young man went to Jesus and said: I have followed all these good rules; what else is lacking? Jesus was not impressed with his goodness; instead said: Sell all that you have and give them to the poor and you come and follow me (Mk.10:20). That seems outrageous to many! That is not what they want; they want God to approve their lifestyle & their goodness. But God thinks differently; he says, there is no one as good or can become good in his sight. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags (Isaiah 64:6 Message bible) and ALL have sinned and fallen short of God s glory. (Rom 3:23). That means we are not saved because of our goodness, but only because of God s goodness. God offers us good news: his Son Jesus, the only hope of the world, who went through the cross to pay for our sins. We are saved only by God s grace and not by our goodness. Paul says: For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and it is not your own doing; it is the gift of God not the result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8). So, faith in Christ is much more than just knowing Jesus; it requires complete reliance and trust in him. So it is not about being good, but being godly. We are the children of God because we embrace the Easter event with faith - Jesus is risen from the dead for you and for me. Henceforth, we will be people who are "eastered" through life. In the Risen Jesus, God comes into our lives. He shapes our destiny. He cares for us, loves us, heals us, strengthens us, walks with us on our life s journey. Wishing you all a happy Easter, Harsha
EDUCATION WORK AREA With the start of a new second service, the need for Sunday school teachers has now increased. Please consider volunteering to teach a class. This is not a weekly commitment. If you have availability in your schedule, please consult the teaching calendar for available dates when teacher help is needed. The youth will perform in church on 4/30/2017, 5/21/2017. Please bring in your old aluminum cans for recycling. Proceeds from your donations benefit our youth. There will be an Easter Egg hunt on Easter Sunday, April 16 th for all youth. Game Night a big success with 23 people attending. Ice skating was changed to the Petit Center. Red Arrow Park had to close due to unseasonable warm weather. 8 youth and 4 parents attended. Friday April 28 th Rollaero skating outing from 6:30 9:00 PM. See Tammie Smith for details. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ PRAYER CHAIN REQUESTS If anyone has prayers chain requests please contact. Lucille Gentil 414-762-8991 Or Cathy Andrew 414-762-8638 Or Church Office 414-762-6030 Home 414-449-5544 RECIPE FOR THE MONTH Cherry Salad Boil pie filing, water 1 can cherry pie filling and sugar. Add 1 cup water Jello and Coca-Cola 1/4/cup sugar Mix until well- 2-3oz. pkgs cherry Jello blended. 8 0z. Coca-Cola Refrigerate until set Submitted by Sue Patnode MISSION WORK AREA Milwaukee Rescue Mission In March we received 7 packages of disposable razors, 7 deodorants, 14 tubes of toothpaste, and 19 packages of tooth brushes. Many Thanks! For the month of April they are in need of mens underwear sizes lrg, x lrg and xx lrg. Either new or gently used. Urgent Children Needs Children s Scissors-round tip for School Kits Rulers 12 - long with metric for School Kits Baby Gowns or sleepers for Layette Kits ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wisconsin Conference Kits Kid s Kits: 1 tooth brush, 24 count pack of Crayola crayons 1 tooth paste 1 comb 1 washcloth 1 flavored lip balm 6 pencils 1 travel-size tissue packet 1 kid shampoo 1 pack of party-favor-sized Play- Doh 1 board book 6 kids adhesive plastic bandages 1 coloring book 1 pack of hairclips/pony tail holder All items placed in a gallon plastic zipper bag The pennies from the penny jar will be taken to Annual Conference, all items due on June 4 th. * * * * * * * Pancake Breakfast Our January Pancake Breakfast was such a success, we decided to have another on April 2 nd. It will be the usual all-you-can-eat pancakes, (made by Jay Christianson), sausage(cooked by Jeff Christianson) applesauce, and beverages for the low price of $6 ADULTS, $4 FOR KIDS 6-11, AND UNDER 5 FREE. Breakfast will be served before and after the 9:00 AM Worship Service. Thanks to all who helped in the kitchen and cleaned up. We appreciate your help!
RUMMAGE SALE Help! Help! Help! I hope we aren t being too subtle. The die is cast! We have decided to proceed with a spring rummage sale to be held on April 29 th, but in order for this event to suceed, we ll need help and lots of it. Obviously, we ll need your donations, but we also will need help displaying, pricing and selling those items and then we need to put away the items that don t sell. We need you to commit some time during the days before the sale and especially if you have never volunteered before. So in the vernacular of the old commercial Try it you ll like it. If you have any questions or would like to offer your service to help make this sale a success, contact Jim Gentil at 744-3689. HOLY WEEK EVENTS Easter Cantata On Palm Sunday, April 9th 9 a.m. Crown Him Lord Last Supper: Maundy Thursday April 13th 7 pm. This will be a time of commemorating Jesus Last Supper with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. Monologue: Forgiven Thief. Good Friday: April 14th 7 pm. worship will be a Tenebrae service remembering Jesus last moments. Easter Sunday Sunday, April 16 th, service at 9:00 AM. 2 nd service is 10:20 A.M. Dates to Remember April 9, Palm Sunday April 13, Maundy Thursday April 14 Good Friday April 16 Easter Sunday Scripture Readings for April, 2017 April 2 Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 John 11:1-45 April 9 Matthew 21:1-11 Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 31:9-16 Philippians 2:5-11 Matthew 26:14-27:66 April 13 Exodus 12:1-4, 11-14 Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-17, 31b-35 April 14 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Psalm 22 Hebrews 10:16-25 John 18:1-1-19:42 April 16 Acts 1:34-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-18 April 23 Acts 2:14a,22-32 Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 1 Peter 1:17-23 Luke 24:13-35 Easter Lifts the Fog A friend stood one day where he could view the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. At first it was completely shrouded in early morning fog. But as the sun rose, the fog lifted between the upright piers of the bridge, leaving the land anchors still unseen. Is it not so with life? We see only what is between the great piers called birth and death. But Easter lifts the fog from both. Easter is the time when we see more completely the anchorages that sustain life. -George Mecklenberg
WILLS & ESTATES COMMITTEE APRIL 15th IS A DATE THAT WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH. IT S THE DEADLINE TO FILE STATE AND FEDERAL INCOME TAX FORMS. IT CAN BE A DAUNTING PROJECT TO COMPLETE THE TAX FORMS; BUT IN TODAY S ELECTRONIC AGE, THE IRS HAS A WEBSITE THAT CAN BE VERY HELPFUL. TYPE IN IRS ON A WEBSEARCH AND YOU LL FIND ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS AND TAX FORMS NEEDED THAT ARE AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE IRS FOR FREE. THE WEBSITE CAN BE A LITTLE CONFUSING AT FIRST; BUT ONCE YOU GET USED TO THE WEBSITE FORMAT, YOU LL BE GLAD IT S THERE FOR YOU TO USE. WHEN YOU COMPLETE YOUR TAX FORMS, PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ON SCHEDULE A (ITEMIZED DEDUCTIONS), YOU CAN LIST GIFTS TO CHARITY THAT YOU HAVE MADE. I CAN T THINK OF A BETTER WAY TO LOWER THE TAXES YOU MAY OWE THAN TO SUPPORT OUR CHURCH BY CONTRIBUTING TO OUR CHURCH AS BEST YOU CAN! FINALLY, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THE ARRANGEMENTS TO SUPPORT OUR CHURCH THROUGH A GIFT FROM YOUR ESTATE, THE WISCONSIN UNITED METHODIST FOUNDATION IS THE BEST PLACE TO SEEK THE ADVICE AND HELP NEEDED TO DO JUST THAT. JUST AS THERE ARE TAX ADVANTAGES IN DOING THAT WHILE YOU ARE ALIVE, THERE ARE MANY ADVANTAGES IN DOING THAT THROUGH YOUR ESTATE. THE STAFF AT THE FOUNDATION HAS THE KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES YOU NEED TO ARRANGE A GIFT TO OUR CHURCH BOTH NOW OR FOLLOWING YOUR DEATH. THE FOUNDATION IS LOCATED IN SUN PRAIRIE, WISCONSIN. PLEASE CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE AT 762-6030 OR THE FOUNDATION AT (TOLL FREE) 1-888-903-9863 FOR MORE INFORMATION. THANK YOU. MIKE JANKOWSKI WILLS & ESTATES COMMITTEE PS: DO SOMETHING TODAY THAT YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL THANK YOU FOR.