Delta Pews, News & ViewsRev. Inell and Rev. Lamar Claypool 6285 Hawkins Corners Rd., Rome, NY (315) 336-1940 March 2010

Pastoral Minute

Dear Members and Friends of Delta,When I first came to Delta, I shared with you the result of a prayer time with the Lord concerning the direction for the church. I was praying about what our focus should be in order to accomplish God’s will. The Lord gave me three things, Prayer, Evangelism and Worship. If we focused on those three things, we would grow both spiritually and numerically. Now I must admit, I have not been as obedient and compliant as I should. During this season of Lent, I would like to make a new commitment to Prayer and I invite you to join me. On Thursdays at 12 noon and 7:oo pm, I will be in the chapel praying. I will be praying for each one of you by name, for the weekly prayer requests and for what ever the Lord lays on my heart. I also have what I call “The Delta Breakthrough Prayer” which is a spiritual warfare prayer to help us to combat the fiery darts of the enemy. If you are an intercessor, if you feel called to pray or would like to learn more, please join me. Evangelism is our next focus. Statistics prove that more people attend church because of personal invitation of lay people than any other reason. We are being called and challenged to invite people to church and to our church events. We are to invite our Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances and Neighbors to a place where they will experience God’s loving touch through the Delta family and where they will be exposed to the hope and promise of salvation. That brings us to Worship. We are working towards a more passionate meaningful worship experience. We already have an amazing choir, and the Delta Guitars who provide our worship music. We are looking to increase the participation of our children’s choir and to add a youth choir. What we need more is you. Our worship experience is more satisfying, more uplifting when the whole family is together. I have recently read where it says most people attend church only one of the four Sundays a month. This is true of the Mega churches and the small churches. Can you imagine how awesome our worship experience would

be if our church were filled with people who gathered to praise and worship God with their whole heart,

mind, soul and spirit.As you continue in this Lenten season, please not only make a commitment to give something up but make a commitment to add something. Prayer, Evangelism and Worship.See you Sunday,Pastor Inell

Trustees - We would like to welcome two new Trustees, Richard Carlton and Dan Swanscott. We also would like to thank George Laver for accepting the position of Chairperson, James Aust for saying yes to the Vice Chair position. And Ella Alsheimer for serving as Treasurer and Secretary. Please pray for our Trustees as they continue to be faithful in their ministry and service at Delta. If you are interested in serving on the Trustees committee, please contact our office.

Pastors Lamar and Inell will be away March 16-20, for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Board meeting in Nashville TN.

Fruitful CongregationFruitful CongregationSchool of Fruitful Congregations 2010 Schedule

Risk-Taking Mission and Service – March 6, Clinton United Methodist Church 105 Utica Street, Clinton, NY

Extravagant Generosity – May 22

Needs-Based Evangelism – September 18

Evaluation/Assessment/Planning – November 13Locations to be determined

Easter Hunt PieHere's a fun recipe that kids can make with the help of an adult:

1 (6oz.) ready made graham cracker crust 1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

3/4 cup milk1 package (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding and pie

filling1-1/2 cups non dairy whipped topping thawed16 mini chocolate eggs or other Easter Candy.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the condensed milk until smooth. Add the milk and pudding mix; beat on low speed until smooth. Place half of the filling into the graham crust. Place the chocolate eggs evenly over the filling. Top with the remaining filling. Chill 3 hours. Enjoy.

Cell Phone vs. Bible Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we flipped through it several times a day?What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?What if we used it to receive messages from the text?What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it? What if we give it to kids as gifts?What if we used it when we traveled?What if we used it in case of emergency? This is something to make you go...hmm...where is my Bible? Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill. Makes you stop and think "where are my priorities?" And no dropped calls!

Food for thought, huh? Thanks to whomever dropped this off at DMC.

John Parker, editor thanks Kathy Aust and Chuck Rudd for the material in this newsletter. Make future submissions to jparker3531@twcny.rr.com.

The Faces of Sunday SchoolIntroducing Marie Veschusio

How old are you? 15What grade are you in? 9th gradeWhere do you go to school? RFA

What is your favorite subject at school and why? Orchestra or Art. Orchestra - because I love to play my violin. I want to play it well and with feeling. With Art I

can go at my own pace and I can do what I want with it. I can express my feeling through both.

What are your hobbies? Art, music, acting, the race track, volleyball, running, cooking/baking (it's so much fun) and I like to be with my family and friends.

Who is your family? My Mom, Dad, Megan (my younger sister), Jessie and Jillian (my older sisters), Jillian’s husband and baby, Jessie’s fiancée, my Grandparents and tons of aunts and uncles.

What is your favorite Bible story or Bible hero and why? There are so many. I like the one where the Marys go to the tomb and find he's (Jesus) not there. I find it amazing how he died and was resurrected and they were shocked and didn't fully understand why he wasn't there.

Who is your favorite hero today and why? My Mom. With everything she does with the church or on her own it's out of the goodness of her heart. It's like Jesus is there and listens to your heart...my mom is like that. She does what she can do to help me without doing everything for me.

What do you want to do when you grow up? There are so many options. It would be amazing to open a restaurant or cake shop, to race with Jessie, be a teacher, do something with my music. As long as I'm not stuck in an office somewhere. There's just so much.

Youth GroupApplebee’s fundraiser

On March 9th, a fundraiser to benefit the Delta Methodist Youth Group will be held at Applebee’s in Rome. Anyone going the Applebee’s any time that day should bring a voucher with them to reference the fundraiser and the youth group will receive 10% of the check (excluding tax and tip). So, plan you lunch or dinner that evening at Applebee’s. Vouchers are available on the back pew of the church. Contact any member of the youth group or Mr. Paul Phister for further information

IMPORTANT NEWS & EVENTS

• Puzzle fellowship continues each Sunday from 6-8PM at the Phisters. .• A meeting of the Church Council will be held at 630PM on March 1st. POC is Norma Gymburch 337-0761.

• The DMC Board of Trustees will meet March 15 th at 7PM. POC Is George Laver.

• A stewardship meeting will be held at 6PM on March 11th.

• A Winter Indoor Yard Sale was held on Feb. 13 th. Sally Roseboom thanks all who helped the congregation make roughly $630.

• A spaghetti dinner fundraiser featuring Joe’s meatballs was held on Feb. 20th. The Veschusios thank all who gave donations or time to this fundraiser.

• The next meeting of the Delta Diners is March 9 th at 6PM to support the DMC Youth Group. On April 11 th , the Diners will meet at Lake Delta Inn at 1230PM.

• DMC is once again collecting the plastic from soda six packs. Molly Pritchard asks all to collect them at home for now.

• Teen MOPS meets March 9nth and 23rd at DMC. They have been very grateful for the support of the congregation to date and are always looking for the donation of baby products.

• The March meeting of UMW is scheduled for March 22nd

at 7PM.

• Pastor Inell invites the congregation to joint her in the chapel on all Thursdays in March at 12 noon and 7PM for Prayer. Prayer targets will be identified and placed in the bulletin.

• A Team Leader Training session will be held March 20 th

from 9AM-3PM at the Tyrone United Methodist Church in Schuyler County. Details were in last month’s Pews and News.

ALL IN THE FAMILYNow my brother and sister don’t show a great resemblance on the outside. But on the INSIDE, Christ in their hearts and Christ in my heart makes us blood brothers and sisters.

Yes, I’m talking about pastors Inell and Lamar. They let Christ in years ago – to guide, direct and empower them. I’m proud to be in their family and they in mine.

There are too many preachers who don’t even KNOW Jesus. My home pastors thought of Jesus as just a great teacher. But his intellect relegated HIM to just being a side show and not the main event. One Easter he didn’t even mention Jesus.

Before the atheists took over, our whole calendar was divided by Before Christ and A.D. – Anno Domini – in the year of our Lord. My whole life has been likewise divided. I needed brothers and sisters in Christ to help me grow, be God’s source of encouragement, and lead me into a deeper relationship with Jesus.

We are most fortunate to have 2 pastors who have been there and are doing that, and can lead us into the depths of Christ’s love and fellowship. I praise the Lord for our brother and sister. I just wish that my health would allow me to grow like them.

My name is Chuck Rudd and I endorse this message – heck, I WROTE IT!