Stonebridge United Methodist Church April 2015 Worship with Us Celebration Service Celebration Hall 9:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. The Bridge Robertson Activity Center 10:30 a.m. 1800 South Stonebridge Drive McKinney, Texas 75070 972-529-5601 www.mysumc.org In this Issue - Pastor John s Message - Sermon Series - Stonebridge UMC is Busy in March! - 20 in the 20th Challenge and Thanks - Volunteer for VBC! - Calendar - Getting to Know Your Church Leaadership
Pastor John s Message Where the Rubber Meets the Road On March 29, our church voted to take the next step in the Healthy Church Initiative. It has been a joy to see the church come together to dream, discuss, and discern where we believe God is leading us and it was exciting to see the church decide to move forward. We have spent 18 months getting to this point, but we are just getting started. We will spend the first two weeks of April putting several teams of people together. There will be a team that will help us clarify our vision. Another team will begin to look at our discipleship process and our ministries for adult, youth, and children s spiritual formation. We will form one team to examine our church s hospitality and another to examine our leadership/communications structure. A fifth team will be formed to evaluate the ways we set goals and keep ourselves accountable to our mission. In all, we expect to involve close to 75 people in these groups. On Sunday, April 19, we will kick off a new worship series called, Where the Rubber Meets the Road with a special service of Prayer and Preparation. We will talk about how we prepare ourselves to move into God s vision for our lives and our church. While 75 people may be asked to serve on one of the HCI teams, our church depends on every member/participant finding a place to be in ministry. This service of Prayer and Preparation will help us understand the nature of being prepared, called, and sent to serve God in our community and our world. The rest of the series will explore some of the practical, hands-on ways that God works in and through us. This is not a time merely to rev up the engine, this is the time for the rubber to meet the road! There will be a visioning workshop for the vision team, leadership council, and staff on Sunday, April 26. There will also be an all-church hospitality workshop led by Dr. Jim Ozier on Sunday, May 17 from 1-3 p.m. Each of our HCI teams will have specific goals and specific dates on which those goals are to be met. We plan to keep the congregation informed all along the way as we work through this next phase of the HCI process. There will be exciting information to share at the end of May and more as our church celebrates our 20th birthday in September. I hope to share a State of the Church report toward the beginning of 2016 that shows how the five prescriptions have worked together to make us a stronger and more vibrant congregation. I ask for your continued prayers for our staff, our leadership, and our whole church as we take these next steps and work this process. God has done, is doing, and will continue to do mighty things through the people of Stonebridge United Methodist Church. May we be receptive and ready to claim God s vision for the future of our great church. With love, and joy, serving as your pastor- John McLarty 2 Pathways April 2015
Staff Rev. John McLarty Senior Pastor john@mysumc.org Rev. Holly Bandel Senior Associate Pastor for Discipleship holly@mysumc.org Rev. Kennon Pickett Associate Pastor of Worship & Arts kennon@mysumc.org Rev. Courtney Schultz Associate Pastor for Missions courtney@mysumc.org Cindy Moreland Executive Director cindy@mysumc.org Chris Andrews Facilities Coordinator chris@mysumc.org Donna Bartholomew Coordinator of Children s Sunday School donna@mysumc.org Marla Basta Assistant Music Director marla@mysumc.org Karen Bennett Coordinator of Nursery Staff and Volunteers karen@mysumc.org Randy Booth Coordinator of Multi-Media and Adult Ministries randy@mysumc.org Sharon Boswell Youth Ministries Assistant sharon@mysumc.org Suzy Cass Coordinator of Adult Ministries suzy@mysumc.org Sandra Douglas Children & Youth Music Assistant sandra@mysumc.org Stonebridge UMC Easter I am Week Schedule the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. ~ John 11:25-26 Maundy Thursday - April 2 6:30 p.m. Communion Service in Celebration Hall* Good Friday - April 3 6:30 p.m. Worship Service in The Bridge* Easter Sunday Worship - April 5 7 a.m. Sunrise Service at Bonnie Wenk Park 9 and 10:30 a.m. Celebration Service* 10:30 a.m. The Bridge* *Childcare available for Kindergarten and younger. There will be no Sunday School classes. If rain occurs, the Sunrise Service will gather in The RAC. To show our hospitality to the community, please try to attend the 9 a.m. service to make room for our Easter guests attending the 10:30 a.m. services. www.mysumc.org Welcome Our Newest Members! Gary Cupp and Lynn Seal-Cupp Jackson Heuvel Bob and Sheila Johnson Justin and Channa Jones, with Emerson and Truett Eric and Juli Krepps Emily Ludtka Nate and Natalie McCalla, with Matilda and Fieldon Blake McGraw Christine Wiesner 1800 S. Stonebridge Dr. McKinney, TX 75070 972.529.5601 3 Pathways April 2015
Staff, continued Wendy Dugall Financial Advisor wendy@mysumc.org Kathy Egan Coordinator of Welcoming Ministries kathy@mysumc.org Candy Kapischke Director of Bridge Kid s Children s Ministries candy@mysumc.org Tracy Lastrapes Director of Children & Youth Music Ministries tracy@mysumc.org Buddy Mattei Director of Music Ministries buddy@mysumc.org Carly Reign The Bridge Worship Leader carly@mysumc.org Wendy Shelley Coordinator of Communications wendys@mysumc.org Jana Showman Coordinator of Middle School Ministries jana@mysumc.org Amy Stewardson Director of Sunshine Kids Preschool amy@mysumc.org Julia Verbeten Office Manager julia@mysumc.org Ed Whipple Director of Student Ministries ed@sumc.org Stonebridge UMC had a busy March! Men s Breakfast Event All Church Conference Healthy Church Initiative Town Hall Meetings If:Gathering McKinney Relay for Life Survivor Dinner Easter Egg Hunt Mission Possible Kids 4 Pathways April 2015
Stonebridge UMC - Showing We Care for Our Community! 560 pairs of socks donated to Malvern Elementary School! 755 jars of peanut butter collected for the McKinney Community Food Pantry! Personal hygiene and pampering items collected for the women of Hope s Door! The Pathfinders Sunday School Class collects 100 cans of green beans every month for the Community Lifeline Center! 5 Pathways April 2015
Vacation Bible Camp holds such a special place in my heart. I have been involved with the program since 2009 and have been a Director/Co-Director for 4 out of the last 5 years. Last year, I took the year off to be our oldest daughter s crew leader. I have seen VBC from all angles, and I can tell you, without a doubt, it is a life-changing week for the over 600 children and 250 volunteers! We have children from all over the area attend our camp, many of whom never step foot into a church except for that week. What an amazing opportunity that is!!! We get to share the love and truths of Christ with these children who may not ever hear if it weren t for VBC. The planning is hard. It starts in January, and takes so many dedicated volunteers to make this a great week for the children, but when you see all those kids shouting and singing praises to our God, all of the hard work is so worth it! Without our volunteers, VBC is simply not possible. I am so grateful for each and every person who joins us in putting on such an amazing program. This is truly an instance where you get back far more than you give. Sharing the love of Christ with a child is the greatest gift. Join us this year and I promise you won t be disappointed! Lori Nabors, VBC Co-Director Why volunteer with Vacation Bible Camp? Click on the pictures to find out... Amanda Regas Pastor Kennon Jordin Shelley Nora Regas Wyatt Shelley Evie Regas Ella Guinn 6 Pathways April 2015
20 IN THE 20th CHALLENGE April Challenge- Make an effort to pray for 20 people by name this month. You might have a list of 20 people you pray for daily, or you might pray individually until you reach 20 different names. Thank You for making Stonebridge UMC the Best Place to Worship 7 Pathways April 2015
Mark Your Calendar for April 10 Parents Night Out 6-10 p.m. 11 Men s Breakfast 7:30 a.m. 11 Choir Fundraiser Flower Pick Up 16-19 Proyecto Abrigo Trip 12 Youth Paintball Day 12 Children s Muscial 12 Membership Open House 26 Visioning Workshop 24 Relay for Life 8 Pathways April 2015
Getting to Know the Stonebridge UMC Lay Leadership This month, we asked some of the Lay Leaders of our church about their leadership role with Stonebridge UMC and why they feel it is important to volunteer their time and use their gifts to serve our church and congregation? David Omholt- I am the Chair of the Church Council. I volunteer because I believe we are all called to serve. And, since the Church operates under a Lay Driven/Staff Guided/Council Governed leadership model, I feel it is critical that all parts of that 3 legged stool are doing their part. I want to be part of that solution. I am passionate about helping assure that Stonebridge UMC unleashes its full potential. It s exciting to see what the clergy, staff and laity will achieve together the next 20 years of the Church s life. This is a unique place with a unique mission. Melissa Zaccarello - I am co-chair on the Children s Team and Usher Coordinator for the 10:30 Bridge Service. I feel it is important to share my time and gifts with the church, simply because it s the right thing to do. I feel called to these ministries and truly enjoy the interaction with the members of the church. I enjoy giving my time in many different areas within the church so I am able to meet new people and also challenge myself to be a better Christian. I believe volunteering your time and gifts is something God has asked all people to do, and I think to be a well-rounded Christian you should do these things to grow in your life and also encourage others to strive to be better. Alicia Schraeder - I am a co chair for the Children s Team with my sister-in-law and best friend. I feel this is a very special team providing all of God s children with learning the love of Christ. I think it s important for children to have a part in the church whether it s for their spiritual growth or others. I feel it s important for my own children to see me active in the Church and community. Karen Redding - My leadership role for Stonebridge UMC is co-leader of Care Team. The Stonebridge UMC Care Team supports the needs of our church family through compassionate response to their needs. We provide meals for those who have health issues, new babies, funerals. We honor our staff with birthday gifts and lunches. We encourage our college kids with notes and goodies. We welcome new members of Stonebridge UMC with a memento of remembrance. I feel a connectedness to the presence of God through community service to the people of Stonebridge UMC that warms my heart and blesses me with HIS love constantly! 9 Pathways April 2015
Getting to Know the Stonebridge UMC Lay Leadership continued... Todd and Kerry Adkins - Todd and I are honored to serve as Lay Leaders for Stonebridge UMC. As with all new memberships into our church, we made a commitment to give of our service when we joined. We love this church and want to see it grow. By volunteering our time and serving as Lay Leaders we know we are doing what is expected of us by our church and most importantly our God! Jay Prudhomme - I serve Stonebridge as the Chair of our Staff Parish Relations Team. As a member of Stonebridge United Methodist Church, we all made a commitment to support our Church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness. By being on one of the leadership teams, this service helps me be true to the commitment of membership to our Church. But even more importantly, participating on the SPRT allows me to work along side a very talented and dedicated staff, as well as build lasting relationships with other members of our congregation. Alex Carter - I am the current Stonebridge UMC Finance chair. I feel it is important to volunteer my time to our Church in order for others to have the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. This Church has strengthened my family s relationship with Christ and has also brought about our closest friends.ones who are real friends and hold us accountable in the Love of Christ. Anne Cain - I was asked to become church historian a few years ago and jumped at the chance. At the time, I d seen it as a great opportunity to keep doing what I enjoyed. Rather quickly it became a perfectly beautiful way to meet new people at our church too, especially people I might not otherwise know. Making time for Stonebridge UMC beyond the weekly worship experience has become vital to my journey. I volunteer because I want to serve the church I love. Tom Pearce - I am honored to chair the Missions Team. Our goal as a team is to find passionate champions who are willing to expand their mission with a joyful heart. This enables us to build a sense of entrepreneurial missions within our congregation. We have leaders joyfully expanding over 20 missions ranging from Soup Mobile to Proyecto Abrigo to the Samaratin Inn within our church. Our focus in the coming months is going to be on Serving Children for Christ. If you have an idea for a New Mission, we have plenty of room to consider that as well. 10 Pathways April 2015