AUGUST 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 1 2 Chancel choir kick off party 6:00pm -Thompsons. 3 4 10 Youth Sunday Hand bells 2:00 17 Hand Bells 2:00 24 Promotion Sunday Hand bells 2:00 31 Handbells 2:00 Music & Arts Camp 11 18 26 6445 East Lovers Lane Dallas, Texas 75214 5 UMW Prayer Circle - library 12 Movie Night! 6:00-9:30pm 19 UMW Prayer Circle 6 7 13 14 20 Chancel Choir 7:30 26 27 Chancel Choir 7:30 21 28 8 9 Music & Arts Habitat for Camp performance 6:00pm UMM Humanity meeting 8:30am 15 22 29 16 Senior Moments 4:00pm 23 Pins & Needles 10:00 30 BACK TO SCHOOL! Ridgewood Park UMC has a new student for the 2014-2015 school year coming to us from Perkins School of Theology Internship Program! Please give a warm welcome to Jeffrey Hinton, who will be starting his hands on ministerial learning process on Sunday, August 17 th! You will see him in the halls during the week, and on Sundays, where he will be active in both the 9:30 and the 11:30 services. August 2014 Newsletter We share Jeff with our friends at Union Coffee, under the supervision of Rev. Mike Baughman, where he will spend half of his internship hours. Jeff lives close by in The Village, so will have easy commutes to Union as well as Ridgewood Park! Jeff will be a blessing not only to our Pastor, Ann Willet, but all of us who can guide him on his way as he learns more about pastoral life in our church setting. It is an exciting time for us as we can witness firsthand the plans that God has for Jeff within our church family! Susan Wade, SPRC Member 2014-2015 HOW CAN I HELP? The costs for young people looking to enter ministry are high. By sponsoring an intern, we can help defray those costs. Between now and December, Ridgewood Park has committed to contribute $2,000 toward Jeffrey Hinton s internship, with Union Coffee and Perkins School also contributing. This amount is not included in our ministry budget for 2014. We ask that you support this effort as you have done in the past, with prayerful consideration and the knowledge that you will be helping develop the leadership skills necessary for effective ministry. Please note Hinton internship on your check or online donation.
Finance Update To keep you informed about our financial progress throughout the year, an update is included in each monthly newsletter. Jun-14 Jun-13 YTD 2014 YTD 2013 Contribution Income $33,857 $30,259 $202,719 $197,793 Total Expenses $33,505 $32,518 $232,615 $205,378 Excess/(Shortfall) 352 ($2,259) ($29,896) ($7,585) Last month, we asked you not to forget the church as we entered summertime, traditionally our leanest giving months of the year due to vacations and other activities. We are pleased to report that June s giving total was higher than May s and nearly 12% above that of last June. And as you can see, our contributions actually exceeded our expenses, a real rarity at this time of year. Thank you for responding to the church s needs in such a positive way! Let s continue this trend for the remainder of the summer. As a reminder, although our YTD expenses have exceeded our contributions by nearly $30,000, we have paid over $20,000 of our apportionments, or nearly half of our annual share, so far in 2014. In 2013 we paid all of our apportionments at the end of the year. Thank you for your continued stewardship! Together, we are able to spread God s Word in our community and the world through the many ministries here at Ridgewood Park. Mike off Mic (A note from Mike Wade, Administrative Council Chair) THE DETAILS ARE IN THE DEVIL You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. A frustrated parent talking through clenched teeth trying to keep their kid quiet in a restaurant? Probably not what the author of Acts had in mind but kids can make you feel that way sometimes. The Gospel of Matthew tells us Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. So why don t we give the devil his due? Seems like we tip-toe around this subject a lot and I m not sure why. Considering how he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) About as subtle as an Exorcist movie. Speaking of keeping your head on a swivel, Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. (Luke 8:12) How do we help someone come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will? (2 Timothy 2:26) In Ephesians we re told to put on the full armor of God so as not to give the devil a foothold. We need to remember why we re suiting up and against whom. You can t defeat the enemy unless you know them. Then as James writes, if you submit yourself to God and resist the devil, he will flee from you. Announcing a new way your everyday Amazon purchases can help support Ridgewood Park Church! Ridgewood Park United Methodist Church is now participating in AmazonSmile, which is a simple, automatic program for Amazon shoppers that donates 0.5% of your purchase to our church. If you regularly shop on Amazon, we encourage you to take a few easy steps to sign up for this great program. What is AmazonSmile? AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Ridgewood Park Church every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the church. How do I shop at AmazonSmile? To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. Please note that you need to make sure you shop from the smile.amazon.com address and not just amazon.com in order for your purchases to be eligible. You may also want to add a bookmark to AmazonSmile to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile. Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations? Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked Eligible for AmazonSmile donation on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible. Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile? Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same. How do I select Ridgewood Park Church as the charitable organization to support when shopping on AmazonSmile? On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you will need to select Ridgewood Park United Methodist Church (make sure you write it out no abbreviations) as your charity in order for the church to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make on AmazonSmile will result in a donation to the church. How much of my purchase does Amazon donate? The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Ridgewood Park Church. The purchase price is the amount paid for the item minus any rebates and excluding shipping & handling, gift-wrapping fees, taxes, or service charges. Can I receive a tax deduction for amounts donated from my purchases on AmazonSmile? No. Donations are made by the AmazonSmile Foundation and are not tax deductible by you.
CHILDREN S AND YOUTH UPDATE Forty-five Jr. high students and adults went to Rusk, Texas the last weekend of July for their Jr. High Mission Trip. They repaired a porch and a wheelchair ramp at two separate homes, painted the inside of the Bulah School building, and painted and cleaned at the Good Samaritan Thrift store and Food Pantry. Some other groups worked hard at FUMC in Rusk, clearing sidewalks and trimming trees and bushes. They also cleaned out the playground on the church grounds and added 50 bags of mulch. Special thanks goes to all our adults who took off work and time from their families to chaperone this trip: Mary Carroll, Pam BeMent, Pamela Daniels, Ray Clark, Billy Pettigrew, Tricia Dzina, Derek Young, Paul Campbell, Jim Newman, Adam Schieber, Rachel Graetz, Joe Truitt, Anastasia Walton, Nick LaRocca and Sara Orr. Music & Arts Camp Perfomance August 8 Please don t miss the Music and Arts Camp performance of Adventures in the Wide, Wide West. Friday, August 8, 6:00pm in the Sanctuary. Our Music and Arts kids will spend all week singing, dancing and putting this production together. Please show your support and come to the performance Friday night! Youth Sunday August 10 Come hear about our summer mission trips and our experience at BigStuf, our beach camp, as well as testimonies from students. You won t want to miss hearing how lives were changed this summer through Ridgewood Park Youth Ministries! YOUTH returns to it s regular Sunday night schedule on August 24. PROMOTION SUNDAY AND BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS AUGUST 24 Children will be promoted to their new grade in Sunday School and 3rd graders will receive their bibles in both services. Children are invited to bring their backpacks to church and during the Children s sermon, we will have a special time as we bless them and their backpack as they begin a new school year. Ridgewood Park Parent s Day Out is looking for a teacher for our 2 Year-Old program for the fall. The schedule is MondayThursday from 9:00-2:45. This is the perfect job for a mom who wants a part-time job while the kids are in school. Please contact Jane Ellen Shilling or Maroy Merino at 214-369-9250 if you are interested or would like more information.
Ridgewood Park UMC Opens Our Doors to Refugee Services of Texas for ESL Classes RPUMC Missions Making a difference everyday! RPUMC is registered to help build a house on Saturday, August 9 th from 7:15 to 12:30. The location is 2539 Custer, Dallas. We will be doing ground carpentry work, which could include framing, sheetrock, etc. You do not have to have experience to help; there will be people there to instruct us. You DO NOT need to bring tools, they are provided. Snacks will also be provided. Be sure to wear enclosed shoes. If you have not signed up yet, you are still welcome to join us! Meet at the work site at 7:15a.m. sharp! Beginning August 12 h, Refugees Services will begin teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to refugees that they are helping settle into their new homes in our area. The classes will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:00-7:30pm and be held in classrooms off of the gym. If you are interested in volunteering with this program, please let Sherry Lundswick know. For more information about any of these RPUMC mission opportunities, please contact our Missions Chairman, Sherry Lundswick at slundswick@att.net or 214-534-8062. Pins & Needles This group will resume meeting on Saturday, August 23rd, at 10:00am in the Library. We will continue working on the 60 th anniversary signature quilt and begin working on some charity quilts. Please join us! Even if you haven t sewn in awhile, you can help. We are working on some very basic squares and we are always in need of help to cut the fabric and iron it as we work. Dan D. Rogers Opportunities Student Mentors-Volunteer training for Student Mentors will be held for Ridgewood Park UMC volunteers on Thursday, September 4 th at 4:30PM at the school. Mentors play a big part in the life of a student. Not only will you help them with reading but more importantly, you will become someone that they can learn to trust, confide in and become a friend. Your commitment is one hour a week. You pick the day and the time. Dallas Reads-We will once again be reading with students on the day that DISD designates for a district wide reading day. Watch for the exact date and plan to volunteer. Parent/Teacher Conferences Teachers usually do not leave the building until 8:00pm or later on Conference days, so we are going to supply a lite snack dinner for them. The first date is Thursday, October 16 th. Career Day Please volunteer to come and tell the 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th graders about what you do and why you chose it as your career. OR, if you are retired, come and tell the kids all about what you used to do. It does not have to be a professional presentation! Just come and talk and tell them stories or let them ask you questions.the date is Friday, November 7 th. Rogers Reindeers We are in the process of working on an easier way to help the students in need, with new uniforms. So, watch for future details.
UMW AUGUST UPDATE UMW Reading Program-August 3rd is the last day to check out Children and Youth Reading Program books. UMW members reading lists are due to Jeannine Verinder by Sunday, August 10th. Thanks go to Elementary 1-2 Sunday school classes and to UMW members for making sand cross tray favors for Methodist Dallas Medical Center. If you have new infant clothing, toys, books, diapers, lotions, shampoo for MDMC Golden Cross Mommy Bucks, please bring items to the UMW bulletin board by Sunday, August 31st. For more UMW information, please visit the UMW Bulletin Board located in the Classroom hallway. Ladies Get-Away Weekend Ladies! A get-away weekend retreat is being planned for the last weekend in February at the Prothro Retreat Center at Lake Texoma. It is for all ladies of Ridgewood Park UMC. The cost will be $160 per person and will include meals, games, lots of fun and reflection time and a chance for everyone to get to know each other. We will have a speaker join us too. If you would like to attend, we will need to know as soon as possible and a deposit of $50 will be due by the end of September. If you would like to help plan this event, call Sherry Lundswick at 214-534-8062 or slundswick@att.net. UMW Missions Beyond Our Own Backyard By Roz Swan At a UMW District meeting earlier this year we were challenged to find out about one of the 97 Missions that was NOT in our own backyard. Not only find one, but to make a poster board explaining what the mission does and bring it to any District meetings being held this year. As I was looking through the list, the Navajo United Methodist Center NUMC (in Farmington, NM) jumped out at me. Farmington is where I graduated from high school in 1961. The ladies of Ridgewood Park UMW were able to accumulate over 110 items plus 3 Walmart cards and 2 checks for my husband Don, grandson Gabe and myself to personally take to Farmington, on our way to Durango, CO. One of my high school face book friends (Alice Fenton) belongs to First UMC UMW in Farmington, and with her help and guidance I was able to get a hold of the New Director of NUMC, Rena Bibo. We made arrangements for a tour of their facility on Saturday, June 14, 2014. In the picture to the left we have: (front row) Elaine LaVan (US-2); Rene Bibo, Director: (back row) Toni (Advocate); Alice Fenton UMW First UMC Farmington; myself (Roz Swan); Angie Bekis (Program Manager); and Genova Ellison (Advocate). Elaine s 2 year service is up at the end of June and she has decided to stay on and work fulltime at NUMC. NUMC is a halfway house, established in 1993, for battered women and their children. Domestic violence occurs in San Juan County, New Mexico, at three times the national average. Native American women in New Mexico are more than twice as likely to be killed in a domestic violence incident as Caucasian women or Hispanic women. There are several homes on the property that can house up to 3 families each. They have their own bedrooms, and they share the kitchen and living areas. The women have a schedule for cleaning and cooking. The Center helps the women prepare for job hunting and get themselves ready to be out on their own. They can stay at the Center for up to one year. WNL resumes Wednesday, September 3. Watch for more information coming soon! Senior Moments Saturday, August 16, 4:00 p.m. New Life Classroom Join us for fun, fellowship and B-I-N-G-O! There is a garden on the property that, with the help of several church groups, they are trying to get up and running. One of the big setbacks is the Prairie Dog village that thinks the garden is theirs. One of the money makers at NUMC is New Beginnings Navajo Tea. The ladies at the facility actually go around town and gather the herbs from people s private property and process and package the tea themselves. All the money which is made goes back into NUMC. If you would like to find out more about the Navajo Tea Project please visit them on line at: numcnewbeginnings.org. After our tour, we all went back to the main office to their conference room. They had fruit and donuts set out and also a chance to have a cup of their tea (I give it a 2 thumbs up). We were able to talk to each of their workers to find out what they did and where they were from. Alice, Don and I had a wonderful visit. Even our 12 year old grandson enjoyed all the information and the tour.