MAY, 2011

Messenger Church 620-492-6850

Parsonage 620-492-2495

F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H 2 0 2 S . N I P P S T . , J O H N S O N , K S 6 7 8 5 5

“ O U R M I S S I O N I S T O B R I N G G O D T O P E O P L E , A N D P E O P L E T O G O D ”

Inside this issue:

From The Pastor; 2

Celebrations; Prayer List; Budget

Report; Church Study; Mother’s

Day

3

Sonshine Kids; EPIC Youth; VBS;

Mighty Methodists; Office Closed

4

Preschool; Preschool Program;

Camping

5

Recipes, Email 6

Insert: May Calendar

Church Website: www.fumcjohnson.com

the

SERMON PLAN for May

May 1—Psalm 1:1-6

“Don’t Be Blown Away”

May 8—Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“Protecting Mom’s Time to Teach The

Faith”

May 15—2 Timothy 3:10-17

“No Christian Left Behind”

May 22—2 Timothy 2:14-26

“Approved by God”

May 29—1 Samuel 7:3-17

“Raised Ebenezers”

Dear friends-I invite you to read these

Scripture texts soon after you receive

this Newsletter. Then I ask you to be

aware of them as you read magazines,

newspapers, emails, or watch TV. If

something you see relates to a sermon

I’m preparing, please email me a link,

or copy an article and mail to me or

bring it by the office. I am always open

to illustration ideas. Also please pray

for me as I seek to understand these

Scriptures and to bring God’s Word to

you. Thank you. ~ Pastor Don

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

7:00 p.m. Stanton County High School Auditorium

GUEST SPEAKER:

Wayne Simien, Jr., former KU Basketball player

and member of the 2006 NBA Championship winning Miami Heat. Mr. Simien is a minister with Called To Greatness, a ministry which aims to reach youth, parents, and coaches through athletics to hear the Christian message and to choose to follow Jesus Christ. He also volunteers as KU Religious Advisor and

Mentor of Student Athlete Development. Sponsored by the Stanton County Ministerial Alliance

The public is invited to attend.

Service

F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

CONSCIOUS OF GOD

Page 2

Rain! Rain!! Rain!!! We got

Rain!!! Praise God, the Almighty,

who has supplied us with Rain!!!!

Psalm 84:1, “How lovely is your

dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, indeed it faints for

the courts of the Lord; my heart

and my flesh sing for joy to the

living God.”

According to John’s gospel, when

Jesus cleansed the temple of

money changers, the religious

leaders asked him, “What sign

can you show us for doing this?”

Jesus answered them, “Destroy

this temple, and in three days I will

raise it up.” (John 2:18-19). The

leaders said, “the temple has

been under construction for forty-

six years, and will you raise it up

in three days?” John tells us that

Jesus “was speaking of the

temple of his body.” (John 2:20-

21).

Paul, correcting the divisions

within the church in Corinth,

speaks to them by letter. “Do you

not know that you are God’s

temple and that God’s Spirit

dwells in you? If anyone destroys

God’s temple, God will destroy

that person. For God’s temple is

holy, and you are that temple.” (1

Corinthians 3:16-17). The Greek

pronoun translated into English as

“you” is plural. In English “you”

does double time both as singular

and plural. The context is that

Paul is addressing the entire

congregation, and telling them

that together they are indwelt by

God’s Spirit. Together they are

God’s temple. Note Paul is not

talking about a building.

Later in 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul

writes, now in the context of

correcting sexual immorality, “Or

do you not know that your body is

a temple of the Holy Spirit within

you, which you have from God,

and that you are not your own?”

Again the Greek pronouns are

plural, Paul is still addressing the

whole congregation, but now the

context is specifically individual,

regarding personal sexual

morality. Paul is telling everyone

in the congregation, that each of

them is individually a temple of the

Holy Spirit.

So where am I going with these

bits of Scriptural information?

What is my aim? To raise our

awareness of what it means to be

in the presence of God. The

Psalmist expresses a deep

longing to be in the presence of

God. God is the living God, and

the psalmist had learned to

worship and become aware of

God’s presence when in the

temple in Jerusalem. Jesus,

speaking in the temple,

enigmatically reveals that He

himself is the presence of God--

the temple. And he gives to the

leaders the sign of his own death

and resurrection as the proof of

His authority to correct their

abuses of the worship space of

Israel--the temple building. Paul

makes us aware, now that Christ

has risen, and the Holy Spirit has

been poured out on the church

and upon believers, that the

presence of God is in us. The

Holy Spirit is present in the body

collective as we gather to

worship. (Jesus promised that

when two or more gathered in

His name, He would be present,

Matthew 18:20.) And Paul also

makes us aware that individually

we are each God’s temple. The

Holy Spirit is resident in each

believer in Jesus Christ.

These realities call for us to be

conscious of God’s presence.

Every day, all day, God is with

you. What you do, what you

say, what you think, you are in

the presence of the most Holy

God. As a Christian, all of life is

worship. And worship begins as

you become conscious of God’s

presence with you and how you

respond. Time with God in the

Scriptures and in conscious

prayer are for the purpose of

deepening your daily walk with

God. And when we come

together as a congregation,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are

present among our gathering.

This takes on a magnified

power because we are together.

Worship in this context has

multiplied potential. Again my

aim is to expand our awareness

of God’s presence among us.

I invite you to be intentional

about your worship. Spend time

daily with God praying and

reading the Scriptures. Learn to

talk with God throughout your

day. Come on Sunday’s to

worship with an expectancy to

meet Him as you gather with

other Christians. -Don Hasty

T H E M E S S E N G E R

May 1 John & Martha Nicholas

May 8 Marcile Nicholas

May 15 Wendell & Nancy Nicholas

May 22 Bill & Mary Jane Nicholas

May 29 Bonnie O’Donnell

May Birthdays: 1 Dandi Amerin, Pat Graham 4 Barbara Summers, Greg Edmisson 8 Diane Floyd, Melvin Winger 10 Krista Nairn 11 Marla Floyd 13 Cassie Teeter 14 Quentin Morris 15 Monty Teeter, Ruth Olivas 16 Bob Edmisson, Vance Whittington

CHURCH FAMILY

PRAYER LIST

Capital Campaign: (including 2008-2009-2010):

Received: Expensed: Needed:

$220,078 $199,098 $ (78.00)

2011 Offerings Report:

Received to Date: YTD Goal:

$ 88,881.68 $101,235.00

Note: $5,955.00 needed weekly to

meet offering goal

AS OF 4/28/11

18 Grace Brown, Cyle Peterson 19 Karin Kullot 21 Elizabeth Wright 22 Chris Floyd 23 Aimee Kenyon 24 Addison Shirk, Margaret Winger 25 J. Scott 26 Harold Crawford 27 Tom Tucker 28 Velta Teeter 29 Leah Thompson 31 Margaret Josserand May Anniversaries: 16 Melvin & Mona Winger; Rob & Terri Fields 20 Don & Phyllis Hasty 22 Doug & Diana Daniels 24 Dalyn & Michele Figgins 26 Matt & Michelle Canny; Lacey & Seresa Parton 28 Arby & Linda Rector 30 Joel & Linda Nicholas 31 Steve & Amanda Sierra; Jim & Charlene Garrison

Sunday, May 8 Special recognition for

mother’s during morning

worship. We’ll also recognize

the newest mother and the

mother with the most children

(not grandchildren) in church

with a special gift.

VBS Coming

June 10-11-12

Page 3

Page 4 F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

May 4 “David & Goliath”

May 11 “Paul’s Travels”

May 18 Last Meeting—Games

Sonshine Kids will start back up this

fall—watch for the date!

May 1—Regular Meeting followed

by Sponsor Meeting

May 8—Regular Meeting

May 15—Regular Meeting

May 22—Birthday Party. Bring a

friend, snack & $10 gift to

exchange

May 29—No Meeting

EPIC Youth Group meets Sunday’s 5:00—6:30 p.m. at the

church.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact Pastor Will at

620-492-6850 or 620-493-3757; epic.youth@ymail.com or cell

785-222-6891.

M i g h t y M e t h o d i s t

SPRING TRAINING SUNDAY, May 22nd

2:00 p.m. @ Ballfield Sign up now to play for our co-ed rec.

softball team. Players must have

completed their freshman year in HS

and older. Players, fans, and MM

munchies providers needed—sign up

sheets in the church foyer. We’ll play

two nights a week in July.

Mighty Methodist T-shirts, Hats &

Visors available for purchase.

Vacation Bible School— June 10-11-12 5-8 p.m.

An exciting cookbook full of recipes for living out God’s word! By celebrating biblical festivals, the children will: *Be ready for God; *Give hap-pily to God; *Believe fully in Jesus; *Remember Jesus often; *Celebrate God Forever! Contact Mandy Shirk or Jamie McMillan (co-directors) if you want to help!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Office will be closed in observance of

those who have served our great country.

Page 5 T H E M E S S E N G E R

Preschool is going so quickly! We have been very busy. Springtime is

a great time for growing plants. We have planted flowers and beans to

watch them grow. We are watching the roots and the leaves grow!

We have learned every letter of the alphabet and have been through

the shapes and numbers. The morning students are getting great at

writing their names and using their fine motor skills, while the

afternoon students are getting great at reading their site words,

spelling, and math facts!

We had a fun time celebrating Easter by learning about Jesus and by

dyeing and hunting Easter eggs. The students had a blast mixing the

colors of the dye and creating their very own colors!

The Spring Program is Friday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m. Please join us as

we end our wonderful year. The last day of school is Thursday, May

19. The end-of-the year picnic is Friday, May 20 at 12:00 p.m. at

Battin Park. Let’s hope for good weather! †

Exploring the Mysteries: Jaclyn Black, Peyton Peterson, Paige

Werkmeister, Jenny Amerin, Carly Kullot.

Sports Camp: Jenna Black, Ruby Martinez, Haley Floyd,

Kennedy Smith, Ira Kullot, Myles Shirk, Jayden Rios.

There’s still time to register online @

www.camplakeside.net; or contact the church office for a

form. The church pays 1/2 or up to $100. There are

many other camps that may interest you! Check it

out!

KIDS SIGNED UP FOR CHURCH CAMP:

CHURCH OFFICE USING E-MAIL In an effort to cut office costs, we are sending meeting notifications by

e-mail. This will not only lessen the cost of postage, but also the cost

of the card, copier toner and the per-copy charges.

Please know that your email address that the church has on file will

only be used for church purposes.

For those of you who do not have email, we will continue to send a postcard.

DO YOU HAVE A

RECIPE TO SHARE IN

THE NEWSLETTER?

Please email it to:

jumc@pld.com or drop it in

the mail to: First UMC,

Box 179, Johnson, KS

67855

202 S. Nipp St.

P.O. Box 179

Johnson, KS 67855

F I R S T U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

UMW

CENTENNIAL

COOKBOOKS are still

available to purchase!

$15.00 each; or $20.00 (if

mailed-includes postage.

Contact the church office,

620-492-6850. †

First UMC Staff: Pastor: Don Hasty

Associate Pastor: Will Kenyon

Secretary: Shari Wiens

Treasurer: Mandy Shirk

Custodian: Victoria Garcia

Music Coordinator: Jenna Boswell

Nursery:

Preschool Teacher: Cheryl Berens

Youth Coordinator: Will Kenyon

Community Developer: Jose` Olivas

RECIPES FROM

THE KITCHEN

Need to contact the church? Phone: 620-492-6850;

email: jumc@pld.com; website: www.fumcjohnson.com

Strawberry Coffee Cake 1 c. all-purpose flour 1 1/2 c. sliced fresh strawberries 1/2 c. sugar TOPPING: 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 c. sugar 1 egg 1/4 c. cold butter 1/2 c. milk 1/4 c. chopped pecans 2 TB butter, melted In large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into greased 8 inch square baking dish. Top with strawberries. For topping combine flour and sugar in bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans, if desired; sprinkle over strawberries. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares; serve warm. Summer Fruit Salad

3 large peaches, peeled & cubed 3 tsp. lemon juice 1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries ORANGE YOGURT SAUCE: 1 1/2 c. slice fresh strawberries 1 c. vanilla yogurt (reg or low-fat) 2 bananas, sliced 2 TB frozen orange juice concentrate Combine fruit & lemon juice in large glass bowl. In small bowl, mix yogurt & concentrate; drizzle over fruit and serve. †