May 2014 Winds of the Spirit Lindenwald UMC... a Stephen Ministry Church Our Mission Statement: The LUMC exists to make disciples! Easter Greetings! I just returned from a week of vacation in Florida visiting my family. We celebrated my dad s 80 th birthday on Easter Sunday and then again on the following day, Monday, with a big family dinner. One of my dad s dinner requests was my homemade baked beans which I was glad to make for him. I was also able to spend quality time with my youngest son, Nathan, who is currently in full-time academy training through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He will graduate from this five-month program on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 and then seek employment in law enforcement. So, my time away on vacation was all good and filled with good news concerning the milestones and significant events in the life of my family. There s always gospel good news here at our Lindenwald United Methodist Church as we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ in order to transform the world! For instance, we celebrate our missional emphasis through our monthly Community Meals which allows us to serve well over 100 people each time and we also give out an average of over 60 bags of groceries each month. I was blest to serve Holy Communion in March during our Community Meal to thirty-eight people who made their way to the Chapel for prayer and the sacrament. That s gospel good news! Then, each month there s the Prayer Drive-Thru in our Church s front parking lot. I so appreciate those volunteers who work at setting-up & tearing down, who hold signs on Pleasant Ave. and those who pray for the folks who drive into our parking lot with both joys and sorrows. That s gospel good news! I believe God continues to bless us with gospel good news through our Van Ministry as children, youth and adults are provided safe transportation to our Church for worship and ministry programs through servant volunteers who drive the van and then supervise them while on the van. Together this year, we have celebrated one adult baptism at the 11:40am worship service in March as well as four new people joining our Lindenwald Church on Easter Sunday; two joined at the 9:30am service and two joined at the 11:40am service. Their pictures and names are included in this newsletter. That s gospel good news! Please remember the gospel good news we hear at all of our worship services each Sunday and Wednesday. Here s the Sunday worship schedule for May: May 4 is Holy Communion Sunday. May 11 is Mother s Day. May 18 is Heritage Sunday. May 25 is Memorial Day Sunday. (continued on next page)
Pastor s Page continued... Pastor s Sunday School Class to Begin a New Study on May 4 Our children and youth continually learn in our programs here at Lindenwald Church about the gospel message of Jesus Christ and then they are invited to share that message with their family and friends. And they do just that with me each Sunday especially during Children s Time! One final celebration to mention while I m talking about gospel good news which is also mentioned further on in this newsletter. Our Preschool will celebrate its 32 years of education and ministry to the community on Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 2:00pm in our fellowship hall. This is the last year for our Preschool. So, we want to celebrate all of the learning and education that have taken place over the years. All are invited to join the celebration! There s so much more to add to our celebration of the gospel good news here at our Lindenwald Church. I mentioned only a few of those wonderful ministries which provide opportunities for lives to be transformed by Jesus gospel message. So, please remember that during the month of May and beyond we continue the celebration of the Easter good news of a Risen Savior. For we are Easter people! See you in Church! Sharing Her Holy Land Pilgrimage On Sunday, June 1, 2014 at 4:00pm in the Fellowship Hall, Pastor Val will talk about her recent pilgrimage to the Holy Lands in February 2014. There will be a PowerPoint presentation along with the introduction of some of the foods from the Middle East. All are invited and welcomed! Join Pastor Val each Sunday morning in the Parlor immediately following the 9:30am Worship Service for Sunday School. This class usually gets started by 10:45am. A new study will begin May 4 entitled The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus by Adam Hamilton. Rev. Hamilton again travels to the Holy Land to explore the life and ministry of our Savior Jesus Christ. We will visit the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized and the wilderness where he was tempted. We'll go to ancient Capernaum, where Jesus healed the sick and to the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. We'll visit the Sea of Galilee and the last remaining community of the Samaritans in the world. Finally, we journey to Jerusalem where Jesus spent his last days. This will be an exciting study with video segments and Bible Study. All are welcome to attend! When we read and study the scriptures, benefits and blessings of many kinds come to us. This is the most profitable of all study in which we could engage. ~ Howard W. Hunter
98 Days of Prayer for Malaria Please be reminded if you are participating in 98 Days of Prayer for Malaria... the offering cans should be returned to church on Sunday, May 11. Every coin and every prayer will have an impact, so we thank all of you for your participation in this project. If you have any questions, please see Angela Perpingon. To My Lindenwald UMC Family, I would like to thank everyone for their prayers, cards and well wishes during my recent health crisis. Truly, they have made all the difference. Ray Williams We would like to thank you for allowing us to use the church for fellowship after my mom s funeral. She loved coming to the Community Meal when she was still able. The Family of Pauline Croucher Lindenwald Church Family, After being in the nursing home for four months, I can say there is no place like home! A special thank you to Pastor Val for being with me during my surgery, also for the visits in Triple Creek. A big thank you to the church family for the many prayers, visits to Triple Creek to see me. This all boosted my spirits to see some friendly faces. Blessings, Audrey Cummins Prayer Drive Thru What s a Prayer Drive Thru, you ask? Well, it s kinda like a regular drive thru, except in place of the soft drinks and snack items, we offer prayer. We open our parking lot to our community for drive thru prayer. As you're driving home on that evening, stop in and our prayer team will listen to your request and pray with you. The next Prayer Drive Thru will be on Thursday, May 8, 2014 from 4:30 to 6:00pm. Volunteers are always needed to help with the drive thru. Call Pastor Val (863-8822) if you d like to help. Free Community Meal Feeding the Body & Soul Community Meal offers a free meal to those who may be hungry and have no food. This meal is free and open to the public and will be served on the third Saturday of each month from 5:00pm to 6:30pm. Our food pantry is also open during those same hours and bags of groceries are given to those in attendance. If transportation is an issue and you live within the limits of Butler County, Ohio, we will arrange to have our church van pick you up and take you home.
UMW PURPOSE The organized unit of the United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission throughout participation in the global ministries of the church. LOCAL ACTIVITIES At its core the UMW provides an opportunity for women to have a small group experience with other Christian women. Through our fundraising activities we support our local church in its ministry for women and children. In 2013, with the congregation s support, we were able to contribute to the Food Pantry, Pathway s Emergency Fund, Safe Zone, Brother s Keeper and the dishwasher repair. Regionally we also contributed to the Red Bird Mission and Henderson Settlement in Kentucky, Otterbein Home and the global initiative for Imagine No Malaria were also supported. Here at Lindenwald we have three circles (small groups) that meet monthly. We are always open to new members and we are also available to support any group that would like to start another circle. Circle meetings are as follows: Mizpah Circle meets the second Thursday of each month and 1:00pm in the Church Parlor, although there are no meetings in July or August. Friendly Circle meets the first Wednesday of each month at 11:15am at LaRosa s Restaurant. Genesis Circle meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm, at a variety of locations. MISSION STATEMENT To demonstrate Christian love to those around us, and through philanthropic activities. PURPOSE To demonstrate the centrality of Christ in each man s life. This is expressed as all men engage in daily Bible study, witness to Christ in daily work and relationships, and by intentional Christian service to others. We want men to know Christ so others may know Christ through them. LOCAL ACTIVITIES We provide Christian fellowship through monthly breakfast meetings that include devotions, prayer, and an occasional guest speaker. LUMM provides support for our Church, Boy Scouts and local charitable institutions using money raised from an annual yard sale, pancake breakfast, fish fry, sale of birthday calendars and the Fellowship Hall vending machine. We also support the Upper Room Prayer Line financially and by organizing phone coverage for four hours per month. This is a project of the national organization of the UMM that receives around 36,000 calls per month on a toll-free line from people throughout the nation. ORGANIZATION OFFICERS President ~ Ray Kissinger Vice-President ~ Dean Cline Secretary ~ Jim Heyser Treasurer ~ Russ Moore
Greetings from Teen Guard and Director Tony Brown The teens have been busy the last couple of months. They have served for the Food Pantry at the March and April Community meals and took care of washing dishes at the meal in April. They had a Lock-in on March 28 where there were 17 teens (including 10 new to our church) in attendance. They continue to gather on Wednesdays to share their life experiences and relate them to their relationships with Jesus. They attended a Cincinnati Reds game on April 29 (21 people Teens, parents, grandparents attended). It is so nice to have the teens wanting to have fellowship at our church. It is so nice to have the teens wanting to serve at our church. It is so nice to have the teens wanting to go outside of our walls and reflect Jesus to others. We have 11 teens who regularly attend the Teen Guard Program! The teens are planning to serve in the Amaizing Grace Kettle Corn booth at the Buckeye BBQFest in West Chester on May 16 and 17 They are staffing the entire event to earn funds for their retreat to Lakeside, Ohio in June. The retreat is a three-day stay in Lakeside where the teens will attend the East Ohio Youth Conference. There are 14 teens and 3 adults going on this retreat. With food, travel, housing, and registration the retreat will cost about $1,200 and we are trying to make this a free retreat for our teens. If you feel moved to help out with the cost please let Tony Brown know. Director Office Hours: Monday thru Wednesday 4pm-9pm / both services on Sunday Lindenwald UMC Food Pantry Needs United Methodist Women May Circle Meetings Friendly Circle May 7 ~ 11:15am ~ LaRosa s Canned meat: tuna, salmon, beef stew, chili, chicken, Spam 16 oz. canned fruits/vegetables Boxed rice/potatoes/pasta Hot cereal/chocolate Personal Care and Baby Items Brown paper grocery bags Mizpah Circle May 8 ~ 1:00pm ~ Parlor Genesis Circle May 13 ~ 6:30pm ~ Place TBD The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Music Notes The Sanctuary Choir has been stellar in their commitment to provide music to enhance the weekly worship services and additional services throughout the year. The Sanctuary Choir is tentatively scheduled to sing through Sunday, May 25, 2014. The members will then recess for summer vacation. Special Music is needed throughout the year, especially June, July and August when the Sanctuary Choir is on summer vacation. This is an opportunity for individuals of all ages to share God s word through solo and/or small group presentations. Please give prayerful consideration to this request to present Special Music at the Sunday morning worship service(s). Interested individuals should contact Charlene Elam by email at charleneelam@yahoo.com to schedule a date for his/her presentation. Hopefully, we will be blessed with the participation of the many talented individuals who attend LUMC. The Hand Bell Choir rang on Sunday, April 13, 2014. Thank you to the following ringers for a job well done: Anita Belanger, Maureen Brabbs, Dottie Morris, Barb Piper, Sherry Pyrak, Sis Rimer, Nancy Risner, Linda Stephens and Carrie Titus. The Hand Bells are currently experiencing mechanical difficulties. Parts for repairs have been ordered. The repair and polishing of the Hand Bells will take time. Rehearsal will NOT begin until these maintenance issues are completed. Watch the bulletin and newsletter for information regarding the Hand Bell Choir rehearsals. Remember, two-octave music requires 8 ringers and three-octave music requires 12 ringers. Have you seen the Chapel recently? Thanks to Dale Titus, the Chapel has been cleaned and given a facelift. This room is used for various activities of the church. It now looks and feels like an area created for individuals/groups to reflect and have Just A Little Talk With Jesus. Thank you, Dale your commitment to this project is greatly appreciated. Thank you to Greg Albright for presenting his original composition, He Wouldn t Let Me Save Him on April 6 at the worship services. His presentation was enhanced through an Interpretive Modern Dance by Demetrius Kline and his dance partner, Ashley Marcum, with instrumental accompaniment by Jason Albright, Nick Brown and Mark Walker. Thank you to John Belanger for presenting the beautiful song Via Dolorosa at both the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services during Holy Week. We applaud all of these individuals who presented Special Music for a job well done. Thank you to Lynne Dyer for her continued service as Song Leader at the 9:30am worship service. Nancy McCormick continues to work with the children who attend the Pathways Program on Wednesday evenings and Sunday School on Sunday mornings. The Pathways children sang at the Last Supper for Families on April 16. Hello LUMC Church Family, You might not remember me, but this is Chester the Church Mouse dropping by with a little tidbit of information. I just wanted you all to know that Dottie Morris has been a member of the LUMC Sanctuary Choir for 50 years. WOW that is one heck of an accomplishment! Dottie, you are my idol. May God continue to bless and keep you! In God s Grace, Chester
Easter Candy Thanks The Outreach Committee would like to thank everyone who donated candy for the children s Easter baskets. We could never do as much without your generosity. United Methodist Men s Saturday Breakfast The next Saturday UM Men s Breakfast will on May 10, 2014 at 9:00am at the Perkins Restaurant in Fairfield. All men are welcome to attend and bring a friend! Preschool Celebration Set for Sunday, May 18, 2014 Please join us on Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 2:00pm in the fellowship hall to celebrate the ministry of our Lindenwald Preschool. After 32 years of operation, our Lindenwald Preschool will conclude their ministry of education and learning to the community at the end of this school year in May. So, we want to celebrate with them! All are invited to join the celebration! "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain Graduate Recognition Sunday ~ June 22, 2014 For those who have graduates at any level of education, please submit a baby picture and a graduation picture to our Church Office as soon as possible for Graduate Recognition Sunday. Please let us know of your graduate s future plans. We will enjoy a PowerPoint presentation of our graduates during both services at 9:30am and 11:40am. After the presentation, we will present a special gift to each graduate. Please let us know if your graduate will be present on this special day.
In-carnation Popular Momisms... The official flower of Mother's Day is the carnation, the fa- Money does not grow on trees. vorite flower of the mom of the holiday's founder, Anna Jarvis. Over time, the custom arose of wearing a white carnation on Mother's Day if your mother has died and a red one if she's living. Don't make that face or it'll freeze in that position. If I talked to my mother like you talk to me... Always change your In fact, many carnation colors underwear; you never know when you'll have an accident. have special meanings. Pink carries the richest Christian symbolism. According to legend, Be careful or you'll carnations first appeared on put your eye out. earth as Mary wept while watching Jesus carry his cross. Where What if everyone her tears fell, there appeared jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too? pink carnations, symbolizing a mother s undying love. You have enough dirt behind those ears to grow potatoes! According to one theory, the English word for carnation comes from carnis, Latin for flesh. From the same root comes incarnation, God s coming to earth in flesh. Thus, carnations remind us of our loving mothers as well as our loving Savior. Close that door! Were you born in a barn? If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Don't put that in your mouth; you don't know where it's been! Mothers write on the hearts of their children what the world s rough hand cannot erase. ~ Author unknown Be careful what you wish for, it might come true. Don't eat those, they will stunt your growth. It doesn't matter what you accomplish, I'll always be proud of you. And Grandma's too... While we honor all our mothers with words of love and praise. While we tell about their goodness and their kind and loving ways. We should also think of Grandma, she's a mother too, you see... I hope that when you grow up, you have kids "Just Like you"! (Also known as the "Mother's Curse") Because I'm your mother that's why. This is why we can't have nice things. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. For she mothered my dear mother as my mother mothers me. ~ Author Unknown MOM YOU RE AWESOME!!
Welcome to Our New Members On Sunday, April 20, 2014 we welcomed four people into our Lindenwald United Methodist Church Family. During the 9:30am service, Theophilus Bosomtwi-Ayensu and Mabel Biritwum became members. Theo and Mabel moved here from Ghana in 2011 and now reside in our neighborhood. They have a beautiful two-year old daughter named Immanuella Aba. Theo, who works at Valeo, enjoys music and sports in his spare time. Mabel, who enjoys cooking and singing, will continue in the School of Nursing at Cincinnati State next semester. John and Tonya Webster During the 11:40am service, John and Tonya Webster became members. John and Tonya were married here in our Lindenwald Church in November of 2013 and have been attending since that time. Theophilus Bosomtwi- Ayensu and Mabel Biritwum with daughter Aba John s area of expertise is in sales and Tonya works at Cashland. They both have children as well as grandchildren and when they are not working and spending time with their family, John loves sports and Tonya enjoys spending time surfing the web. Next time you see Theo, Mabel, Aba, John and Tonya, be sure to greet them with a warm Welcome to Our Lindenwald United Methodist Church Family!
What has Girl Scout Troop #44039 been doing for the year 2013-2014! Let s take a look! The Vet Tour Zumba Stay Safe/Bullies Food Pyramid by Lauren Farmer Thinking Day-Hungary, France and Chile Bake Sale/Children s Hospital Singing a the Nursing Home The Nutcracker Ballet at the FFCAC Having Fun With Balloons
Lindenwald United Methodist 3501 Pleasant Avenue Hamilton, Ohio 45015 Return Service Requested LUMC Staff Senior Pastor... Valerie Waibel Student Ministries Director... Tony Brown Children s Director... Mary Boaz McGuire Music Director... Charlene Elam Organist... Nancy McCormick Adm. Secretary/Office Manager... Linda Rouse Preschool Director... Jane Dickey Custodian... Glen Chastain Treasurers... Nancy Albright, Sue McPeek Contact Information Phone: 513-863-8822 Email: lumc@lindenwaldumc.org Website: www.lindenwaldumc.org We re on Facebook! Church Office Hours Monday through Friday 8:00am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 5:00pm Newsletter Deadline: Fifteenth day of month Bulletin Deadline: Wednesdays 5:00pm Financial Secretaries... Jerry Smith, Carrie Titus