Its time to order flowers to surround the altar on Easter. Orders and pay-

ment must be received by March 15. Please complete the form below

and return it to the church office with your check made payable to OUMC.

The cost for the flowers is $8.75. Please take the flowers home with you

following the Easter service.

_____ Lilies

_____ Hyacinths

_____ purple _____ white _____ pink

_____ Tulips

______ red _____ yellow _____ pink

Ordered by _________________________________

Phone No. _____________ Amount Paid ________

In Memory of _______________________________

In Honor of _________________________________

You also have the option of donating toward the purchase of Giant

Eagle gift certificates for the local food banks. Donations must be

received by March 15.

Amount donated _________

EASTER FLOWERS

MARCH 2015

Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels

without realizing it! Hebrews 13:2 NLT

This is referring to the examples of Abraham (Genesis 18:2) and Lot (Genesis 19:1). Their example

of hospitality is an example for Christians. It is an example of motive and method of hospitality. The

motive of hospitality is extending the love of Christ to all who enter our doors. The method is remov-

ing personal preference on who is present, treating each one as meriting the love and grace of Christ. Fulton Oursler once told a story about the impact of an act of hospitality.

A room-service waiter at a Marriott hotel learned that the sister of a guest had just died. The

waiter, named Charles, bought a sympathy card, had hotel staff members sign it, and gave it to the

distraught guest with a piece of hot apple pie.

Mr. Marriott, the guest later wrote to the president of Marriott Hotels, I'll never meet you. And I

don't need to meet you. Because I met Charles. I know what you stand for. ... I want to assure you

that as long as I live, I will stay at your hotels. And I will tell my friends to stay at your hotels.

- Roger Dow and Susan Cook, Turned On (New York: Harper Business, 1996).

Fred Craddock, tells a story of a church that lost track of the importance of hospitality. It was a

church he once served, located in the hills of eastern Tennessee.

Years later, Fred returned to that church. He brought his wife, Nettie, along for the ride for she

had never seen it. As the two of them drove to the little town, Fred reminisced about a time of

controversy in that church. The nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory was expanding, and new

families were moving into the area. Fred, the young pastor, urged the people of this church to call

on the newcomers, to invite them to join them. They wouldnt fit in here, was the curt reply.

A week later, there was a congregational meeting. I move, said a longtime member, to be a

member of this church, you must own property in the county. The motion passed, over the pas-

tors objections.

When Fred and Nettie pulled up to the old church building, years later, it looked to be a busy

place, much busier than he remembered. In his words:

The parking lot was full motorcycles and trucks and cars packed in there. And out front, a

great big sign: Barbecue, all you can eat. Its a restaurant, so we went inside. The pews are

against a wall and the organ pushed over into the corner. There were people sitting there eating

barbecued pork and chicken and ribs all kinds of people. I said to Nettie, Its a good thing this

is not still a church, otherwise these people couldnt be in here.

- Fred Craddock, Craddock Stories (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001), 29.

Each of us can use a refresher course on hospitality toward those in our church for the first time and

toward those with whom we worship each week.

Blessings,

Pastor Linda

Open hear t s Open minds

Open door s

Pastoral Change On July 1 there will be a pastoral change at OUMC. Pastor Linda and Ken will retire to

Punxsutawney. The Rev. John Jefferis will be the pastor at OUMC. He and his wife, Elise,

will live in Oakmont.

Preparation for the arrival of Rev. & Mrs. Jefferis

Pray:

1. Pray For Rev. John and Mrs. Elise Jefferis.

2. Pray for the congregation they are leaving as a new pastor is chosen.

3. Pray for the congregation they are leaving during transition.

4. Pray for the Oakmont congregation during transition.

5. Pray for the Chambers family.

Ponder:

1. How can we be welcoming and gracious to the Jefferis?

2. Do we have new things to learn in the way this congregation operates, communicates,

and Interacts with one another and the pastor?

3. How can we introduce our congregation and area to the new pastoral family?

Practice:

1. Listening to God above the clamor of our ideas.

2. As we pray and ponder, put into practice what God is directing.

PRAYER CONCERNS

Please continue to pray for Frances Allison, Carol Broz, Diane Dezzutti, Gillen Geary,

Joann Hildebrand, Jeanne Knox, Joyce Miljanovich, Zola Stahley, Irene Tully, and Dick

Wilson who are recovering from recent hospitalizations or illnesses.

IN SYMPATHY

Our sympathy and prayers go out to the family and friends of Mark Fichte who passed

away on February 7.

GENERAL FUND NUMBERS

FOR JANUARY

Balance 12/31 -2,529.59 Income $14,527.40

Expenses $17,332.92 Balance 1/31 -5,335.11

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

Dont forget to set your clocks ahead 1 hour on

Sunday, March 8, at 2 am.

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE

Please submit articles for the April newsletter by March 15th.

If you would like to receive your newsletter by e-mail,

please send us a message at oakmontumc@verizon.net.

MARCH

1 Diane Dezzutti

Tyler Handyside

Stephen Lenkey

2 Mackenzie Marotta

3 Emma Briggs

6 Cindy Gaughan

Kaitlyn Lacey

7 Dan Chapa

9 Nicolette Casarcia

Nina Crannell

10 Alyssa Crawford

15 Braeden Mechesney

19 Jim Sykes

Dawn Whyte

23 Raymond Rogers

Ian Simmers

25 Ernie Ovamio

27 Elaine Grimes

30 Max Orbin

31 Carol Lacey

We apologize if we inadvertently

missed your birthday. Please call

the church office and let us know

about your very special day!

REMEMBER THE BLUE BOXES WHEN

SPRING CLEANING!

You may have noticed a large blue box at each end of

the churchs parking lot. These boxes have been put in

place by Mission Partners. This program collects

gently used clothing, shoes, purses, belts and hats.

Oakmont UMC receives 50% of any revenue gener-

ated by the items collected. We have received $867.40

so far! By helping to fill the boxes each person re-

duces waste and helps generate revenue.

Mission Partners was created to help local non-

profits raise money and fulfill their missions in the

simplest and most profitable way possible.

COFFEE CANS ARE NEEDED

by the Caring Ministry for transporting

the altar flowers. Cans (approximately

one pound) can be dropped off in the

chapel.

The Trustees and Endowment Committees are asking once again that you to keep them in mind when having your taxes done this year or taking a distribution from your IRA. The Trustees are asking members of the church to donate towards the major maintenance fund to fortify future maintenance funding needs. The Trustees graciously ask that members who receive tax refunds consider donating a por-tion directly to the major maintenance fund via the offering envelopes provided in pews and in the church office. These funds will enable the Trustees to con-tinue to maintain the church and upgrade specific portions of the building that need attention. The Trustees are grateful for any and all donations that they will receive. TaxAct: IRA-to-Charity Exclusion (2014 Tax Law) The IRA qualified charitable distribution (QCD) provision has been extended. If you are age 70 1/2 or older, this exclusion allows you to make direct distribu-tions from your traditional IRA to a charity without recognizing the distribution as income. (You cannot, however, take a charitable deduction on your income tax.) Ordinarily one would have to pay taxes as though this distribution were income. This means that if you are required to take a distribution for 2014 and do not need the funds, you can donate all or a portion of the distribution to the church. Here are some areas into which you can direct your funds: 1. The Endowment Fund Investment Account. 2. To the various funds overseen by Trustees: MMRF (Major Maintenance Re-pair Fund); the Organ Fund; the Memorial Fund; the Memorial Investment Fund - Edward Jones; Memorial Music Fund. 3. You could choose a line item in the General Fund Budget which is near and dear to your heart and direct the funds there . Please see Jim Anderson (Trustees) or Donna Deturck (Endowment Commit-tee) with any questions you may have.

ITS TAX

TIME!

FRIENDS TOGETHER

Friends Together will meet for lunch at Panera in Oakmont following the 11:00 a.m. ser-

vice on Sunday, March 8th. All are invited to this fellowship meal. Please meet in the

chapel area during Refreshment Time. Rides will be arranged for those who need trans-

portation. We will be planning some outings for the spring, including a trip to the Jimmy

Stewart Museum in Indiana PA.

Hope Circle will meet on Monday, March 9th,

at 7:00 P.M. in the parlor to discuss The

Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.

Tom Sherbourne has returned home to Aus-

tralian from the Great War. To heal his men-

tal scars, he accepts a position as keeper of

the lighthouse on isolated, offshore Janus

Rock. A young wife joins him, but miscar-

riages and a stillbirth are their fate until a

boat washes up on shore carrying a dead

man and a living baby. Isabel convinces

Tom that they should keep the child as their

own, as a gift from God. Years later, they

discover that their joy was a profound loss

for others. Please consider joining the group

for an hour of discussion and fellowship.

HOPE CIRCLE

UMW NEWS

Many thanks are extended to all who helped us during the Mystery Dinner Theater. We

cant say enough about the volunteers that make those dinners possible!

We are pleased to announce that the UMW contributed over $14,000 to missions in

2014. Additionally, we spent over $3000 for kitchen supplies and maintenance. Thank

you for all of the support our church members give to the ladies in their fund raising

endeavors.

We will be having our annual Spring Luncheon on March 28. Beth Mellor, Director of

Oakmont Library, will be the guest speaker. The topic will be Preserving the Past/

Prepared for the Future. It is always are great event with lots of good food, entertain-

ment and fellowship. The event is free and we encourage you to bring guests. Please

RSVP to the church office by Wednesday, March 25th, if you plan on attending.

We are planning our Spring Yard Sale for May 2. Linda Turner has agreed to coordinate

the event and we are sure you know how much work it takes....volunteers are welcome

and encouraged. So be thinking about us as you begin your spring cleaning. Proceeds

from this year's Yard Sale will go to the Church General Fund.

Julie Trenn

UMW President

Confirmation Class trip to Conference Center

The theme this year- #unselfie will be looking at how we can see beyond ourselves

in a culture that continues to uphold the selfie as the ultimate prize and outlook on

life. The theme is based on Mark 8.

Each participant is asked to bring a new pack of adult socks with them for the visit.

You will be hearing more about how these socks will be used to focus attention

away from ourselves.

OUMC Confirmation class will visit the Conference Center on Saturday, March

28. Saturday was chosen as we have various school districts represented in this

years confirmation class. The visit includes meeting Bishop Thomas Bickerton and

having the opportunity to ask him questions.