The Grapevine Clarksbury United Methodist Church 15924 General Puller Highway, Hardyville, Virginia March 2014 www.clarksburyumc.com Our Mission: To receive and share God s love through worship, education, service and outreach. A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PASTOR Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ B y the time you read this article the season of Lent will be right around the corner, and no sooner do we enter this season than things start to get busy at the church with all of our normal activities. The United Methodist Women make their chocolate eggs for mission; we host a series of Lenten lunches for the sake of raising money for mission; the community pastors put their heads together to plan the community Ash Wednesday and Holy Week services and then Easter is right there waiting for us. And if that isn t enough, we always try to figure out what we are going to give up for Lent, many times not knowing the why. The why is for the sake of practicing spiritual disciplines: fasting from something that takes time away from God so that we can draw closer to God (it doesn t always have to be fasting from eating!) I know that not all of you subscribe to the official Conference magazine, the Virginia Advocate, but the editor of the Advocate, Neill Caldwell, wrote something very interesting for the March edition, and I would like to share some of what he wrote: John Wesley thought a lot about these things (spiritual disciplines), which he called means of grace or channels of conveying God s grace to us. They included regular daily prayer, Bible study, fasting, writing in his journal, Christian conferencing and celebrating the Lord s Supper. Wesley did these things through the whole year, not just during Lent, and had a daily rhythm of doing them. These things that Neill listed are in fact found within the United Methodist Book of Discipline under the Third General Rule, which is to attend to the ordinances of God. However, these are not the only ways we experience the grace of God. Other suggestions Neill makes are: spending time in solitude; committing an act of mercy each week; writing thank-you notes; reading a book on spiritual disciplines; performing a service project; praying for a person with whom you have a conflict. And like Neill says, these are just some additional suggestions. You might even come up with a few on your own, and I would encourage you to pursue any of these or your own thought-up spiritual disciplines. And while you do that, I also encourage you to practice these spiritual disciplines throughout the year because the more we do so, the closer we draw to God and God 1
to us. Yes, the season of Lent is but 40 days long but our opportunities to draw closer to God are each day as God gives them to us. Our bishop has once again published a letter to the clergy of the Conference challenging us to practice prayer and other spiritual disciplines for one hour a day, praying specifically for, among other things, renewal and revival in the Conference, its congregations and the United Methodist Church as a whole. One way to add power to prayer is to pray with others, and I would hope that you will consider joining the small prayer group on Sunday mornings at 9:45 in the sanctuary. It s never too early to spend time talking to God, and neither is it inconvenient to God! My prayer is that you will try a spiritual discipline for Lent, adding something to this season instead of taking something away. You never know: you just might keep with it throughout the year and you will be blessed for the effort. Don t take my word for it: trust in the One who is waiting for you. Have a blessed season. Pastor Eric COFFEE HOUR FOR March March 2 Kathy Wright March 9 Diane Faulkner March 16 Val Bradley March 23 Gayle Gilliland March 30 Surprise Counters for March are Diane Faulkner and Warren Wright. Tommy and Jenny Crittenden will serve as ushers. The reader is David Dobson. PLANS FOR THE LENTEN SEASON ARE UNDERWAY By Pastor Eric The Ash Wednesday Service will be hosted by Clarksbury on March 5 at Rev. June Haislip from Philippi Christian Church will be the speaker. There will be Holy Communion with the imposition of ashes. Clarksbury s March Lenten Lunch schedule is as follows: Wednesday, March 12 Dr. John Snow, Zoar Baptist Church Wednesday, March 19 Rev. Dr. Bob Cooper, Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church, Midlothian, Virginia Wednesday, March 26 Rev. June Haislip, Philippi Christian Church 2
SHROVE TUESDAY IS MARCH 4, 2014 Pastor Eric and Peggy invite you to a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper in our Social Hall at 5:00 p.m. to share in an oldfashioned tradition, the Fat Tuesday emptying out of the house of fat meats, butter, etc. so that the home was ready to begin Lent. Come for fellowship and fun, and you might learn a little something about Shrove Tuesday traditions. This is our gift to our congregation, no charge. Hope to see you there! EDNA YANKOVICH CIRCLE TO MAKE EASTER EGGS By Helen White E ven though it seems we just celebrated Christmas, the Edna Yankovich Circle is already making plans to offer their delicious homemade candy Easter eggs. We will be making them on Saturday, April 5, and dipping and decorating on Saturday, April 12. We will be offering a new flavor this year: Mint! (Tastes like a peppermint patty)! This will be in addition to the four flavors offered in the past: peanut butter, coconut, chocolate, and cream. The cost is $7 for a six-ounce egg or for six one-ounce eggs. Be sure to order some for your children, grandchildren, or for yourself. See any member of the EY Circle or call Helen White (776-6638) to place your order. MARCH BIRTHDAYS 4 Effie Ward 7 Betty Haislop 12 Alison Crittenden 14 Peggy Vaudt 15 Jim Tinney 16 Ronnie Teagle 17 Annette Johnston 20 Corey Buchanan 24 Don Van Benschoten 26 Mark White 28 April Mauney 29 Linda Davis 3
CLARKSBURY HYMNOLOGY 101 March 2014 By Peggy Vaudt Blessed Assurance, No. 369 Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) was probably the most prolific hymnist in history. She was blinded while being treated for an eye infection at six weeks of age. Her father died that same year, and she was raised by her mother s family in New York, and later moved to Connecticut. By an early age, she was writing poetry and thanking God for her blindness because that way, she was not distracted by the beautiful things around her, and could concentrate on her faith. She wanted the face of Jesus in heaven to be the very first thing she ever saw. She was educated at the New York Institute for the Blind, and then lobbied for the blind in Washington. She was actually the first woman to speak before the U.S. Senate in 1843 to champion the blind. Among her closest friends was President Grover Cleveland. Unlike many handicapped people of the 19 th century, she did marry in 1858 to a fellow blind student, Alexander Van Alstyne, Jr., who she called Van. Their only child died shortly after birth. Her early religious upbringing was New England Puritanism, but she attended a Methodist church for years. In her life time, Fanny Crosby was one of the best known women in the United States and wrote nearly 9000 poem/hymns. To this day, the vast majority of American hymnals contain her work. Blessed Assurance, which summed up her faith mission, is Hymn 369: Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. Refrain: This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long; this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. Perfect submission, perfect delight, visions of rapture now burst on my sight; angels descending bring from above echoes of mercy, whispers of love. Perfect submission, all is at rest! I in my Savior am happy and blest, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love. 4
EXPLORE THE MYSTERIES March 2014 By Peggy Vaudt T his morning in Sunday school, while studying in I Corinthians and reading the communion liturgy given to us there, we began discussing Paul s further teaching about the subject of communion, which includes our attitude toward same. A comment was made that our clergy normally does not preach sermons about these further teachings from the pulpit. As I then contemplated about what topic to address in this month s newsletter, the thought of Paul Harvey and his reporting on The Rest of the Story came to mind. Yup, news anchormen would report their 60-second spots about the newsworthy events of the day, and then you had Paul Harvey to do some deeper investigation and give you the rest of the story. This is how we, as Christians, must use our Bibles today. If you DO NOT OPEN your Bible, and use it only to keep the dust off the coffee table, you may never know the rest of the story. There are NO PASTORS, not even Pastor Eric, who can fill in every detail as he prepares his sermons. The rest of the chapter from I Corinthians regarding communion WILL NEVER be a part of the liturgy. We are so blessed in this country to have Bibles available in an instant from those hard copies kept in our homes to the electronic versions available by computer, I-pad and smart phone not to mention that 99.9999% of Americans read, write and comprehend English today we have absolutely NO EXCUSE for not knowing the rest of the story. The majority of people throughout the Christian era, up until the past couple hundred years knew only scripture read to them by literate pastors, and much of that was in Latin only. What you knew of God was only what was told to you, not what you read and investigated on your own. If we have SUCH A TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE to most Christians through the ages, is not much going to be expected of us when we reach those pearly gates? I encourage each of you to take advantage of your literacy and open your Bible at least one time during the week other than Sunday to read the Rest of the Story for yourself. Pastor Eric can help you get started with a reading program if you have trouble finding something that works for you on your own. Get into the Word, and the Word will get into you!!! UMM NEWS By Warren Wright, UMM President W e will have our regular monthly business meeting on Monday, March 24, at Our winter/spring Bible study, God Is Closer than You Think, has started and will continue on each meeting night through July. At this meeting we ll be planning our spring work projects. We will also be planning our Wednesday Lenten Lunch schedule. Remember that there are no membership or dues requirements to be a part of the United Methodist Men of Clarksbury, just a willingness to serve Jesus Christ within your church and community. Mission-To Help Men Grow In Christ, So Others May Know Christ. 5
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR LAY LEADER By Warren Wright E ach administrative council committee chairperson of Clarksbury UMC receives the United Methodist Church s guidelines for their committee. These guidelines are to assist committees in performing their church related jobs to the best of their abilities according to the United Methodist Book of Discipline. Although we may think we know these responsibilities by heart, it s always good to review them. Who knows you may learn a new thing or two. I take my responsibilities as your lay leader very seriously and spent some time reading all 32 pages. This month I would like to share some of these responsibilities with you. The lay leader has a role and responsibility that touches the entire breadth of the congregation s life. The lay leader will: advocate model responsible and faithful discipleship build awareness within the congregation recognize and celebrate the ministry of the laity meet with the pastor serve on various committees continue to study assist the church council inform the laity of educational opportunities The lay leader serves as primary advocate for and representative of the laity in the congregation and must be a professing member of the congregation. A prior part of this advocacy work includes the recognition that the lay leader should be a person of faith and integrity. As an extension of the congregation in the community, the lay leader also will need to be aware of the reputation the church has in the community and work either to enhance it or improve it. The lay leader is also an advocate for the needs of the community; to inspire the congregation to care for those beyond the walls and windows of the church. Now that you know what my responsibilities and missions are as your lay leader, I want you to know what your responsibilities and missions are as members of the United Methodist Church and the work of our Lord. THE MISSION OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH The United Methodist Church is a connectional church, which means in part that every local church is interrelated through the structure and organization of districts, conferences, jurisdictions, and central conferences in the larger family of the denomination. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church describes, among other things, the ministry of all United Methodist Christians, the essence of servant ministry and leadership, how to organize and accomplish that ministry, and how our connectional structure works (see especially 125 138). Our Church is more than a structure; it is a living organism. The Discipline describes our mission to proclaim the gospel and to welcome people into the body of Christ, to lead people to a commitment to God through Jesus Christ, to nurture them in Christian living by various means of grace, and to send persons into the world as agents of Jesus Christ ( 122). Thus, through you and many other Christians this very relational mission continues. all Christians are called to minister wherever Christ would have them serve and witness in deeds and words that heal and free. 6
Our Vision: To be a spirit-filled and nurturing church family that reaches out and embraces the entire community. The Grapevine March 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 9- Food Pantry Distribution 2 Communion 9 Daylight Savings Time Begins 16 23 30 3 Soup Ministry 4 10 11 17 Soup Ministry 24 UMM Meeting and Bible Study 31 5 p.m. Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper Trustees EY Circle Church 18 Finance and Church Council 5 Ash Wednesday Service Clarksbury 12 12 Noon Lenten Lunch 19 12 Noon Lenten Lunch 25 26 12 Noon Lenten Lunch 6:30-8 p.m. Reaching Out 6 13 20 27 7 8 10 a.m.-12 noon EY Circle Flower Workshop 5 p.m. 14 15 21 22 28 29 Easter Egg Orders Due The deadline for the April 2014 Grapevine will be Tuesday, March 25. Send items to vanben@va.metrocast.net; place them in the office mailbox; or call 804-776-0569. 7