open hearts race united m ethodist church …. francis of asissi ... prayer tree we now have...
TRANSCRIPT
GRAC E UNITE D
METH ODI ST CH URCH
Trustees
Gerald Ennis
Kevin Christen
Bob Hoenisch
Eric Hagen
Taylor Christen
Nate Blum
Lay Leadership
Edwin Vargas
Jodi Bubenzer
Annette Stanley
Pam Medenwald
Sam Christen
Church Historian
Jeanine Mabis
Committees Pastor/Parish Relations
Teri Christen
John Medenwald
Judy Moe
Brian Bubenzer
Missions
Gary Bubenzer
Kathy Blum
Memorials
Ernie & Jeanine Mabis
Money Counters
Ernie & Jeanine Mabis
Welcoming Coordinator
Hope Ennis
Church Life
Jeanine Mabis
Judy Hoenisch
Judy Hoe
Education
Pam Medenwald
Lisa Bowers
Belinda Vargas
Jodi Bubenzer
Adult Education
TBD
Sandy Bubenzer
Organists
Nancy Haden Meyer
Judy Moe
Beth Myers
Susan Harris
Choir Director
Judy Moe
Volume 1, Issue 9
July, August, September
2013
Leadership Directory
Pastor
Edwin Vargas
Council Chair
Jim Slagle
Lay Leader
Jodi Bubenzer
Finance Chair
Karen Zimmerman
Treasurer
Pat Myers
Finance Secretary
Bob Hoenisch
Administrative Secretary
Betsy Blum
Pastor Parish Chair
Teri Christen
Trustee Chair
Jerry Ennis
Education Coordinator
Pam Medenwald
Youth Coordinator
tbd
Membership Secretary
JoAnne Cate
Membership and Evangelism
TBD
open hearts
open minds
open doors
August 11th Annual Ecumenical Service at St. Francis of Asissi—10:00 am September 11th Choir Practice Resumes 7:00 pm September 15th Family Fest Day September 22nd Sunday School Resumes
LOOKIING AHEAD
Pastor Edwin
Contact Information
Address: 235 W. Pearl St . Belleville, WI 53508 Home Phone: 608-424-3859 Cell Phone: 608-217-5852 E-Mail: graceumc belleville@ gmail.com Web Site: www.graceumc belleville.org
OUR MISSION
IS TO
CONNECT WITH OUR
NEIGHBOR IN THE LOVE OF
CHRIST THROUGH
LIFE
CHANGING
WORSHIP,
SERVICE AND
FELLOWSHIP
Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 9
From the Pastor’s Desk...
In this newsletter’s article I share with you, not my own thoughts, but a portion of our Bishop’s thoughts in his State
of the Church Address to the Wisconsin Annual Conference
of 2013. The portion of the letter provided states some of the
work that our Bishop wants us to emphasize as a church
over the next four years. The letter in its entirety can be
found on the Wisconsin Annual Conference website: http://www.wisconsinumc.org. Please pray for the favor of God
and success in our shared work. Also pray for God to reveal
to you how he would have you bear fruit for his kingdom.
Blessings,
Pastor Edwin
Since returning to Wisconsin, God has placed before
me a vision for Imagining Wisconsin Anew. In this
vision:
God challenges me to remember the past but not to
dwell there.
God calls me to recognize the reality of our current
situation, but not to get stuck there.
God requires that I look to the future possibilities for
our Wisconsin Conference for amazing ministry.
I am totally convinced: No matter how popular our United
Methodist Church might or might not be, our approach to ministry in the name of Jesus Christ is more
desperately needed than ever! We have gifts that the
world around us desperately needs!
(continued on next page)
Join us the first
Sunday of each
month for
Family Worship
Service
and Holy
Communion.
Grace Uni te d M eth odist Chur ch Page 3
OPPORTUNITY
FOR
SERVICE
Are you searching for a small way to serve in our church
worship service?
Why not be a Lay Worship Leader and read our scripture
lesson on a Sunday!
Look for the ‘sign up sheet’ or let Pastor Edwin know of your
interest!
DON’T FORGET…
Be sure to check out the sign up sheet located on the news bulletin board to donate the cost of a bulletin for Worship Services. For a minimal cost of $4.00, you can donate a bulletin for one Sunday or $8.00 for a special event Sunday. Sign-up
next time you’re in church.
(continued)
I am called to boldly claim the promise that, with God’s power and grace, we will Live the Fruit of the Spirit in
ways that will attract others to a life of faith and faithful
practices. The future is God’s. We are grateful disciples
and willing followers of Jesus.
Fruit of the Spirit. Through this lens, I see people passionate
about inviting new people into a relationship with Jesus
Christ through our existing congregations and by forming
new faith communities. I see United Methodists in
Wisconsin growing as a wonderfully diverse people, seeking to live faithfully and witness to the love of God in
Jesus Christ to the lost, the least, and the last.
Over the next few years, I invite the United Methodists of
Wisconsin to commit ourselves to exploring together what
God is calling us to do: seeking to follow the mandate of
Scripture to "bear good fruit."
Page 4 V ol ume 1 , I ssu e 9
ATTENTION …..
ALL COOKIE DECORATORS
Our “Master Cookie Baker”, Betsy Blum, is offering several opportunities to share
in the fun of cookie decorating! Sugar cookies will be prepared on:
August 21 Senior Citizens Day Frost Cookies on August 16th
September 2 Labor Day Frost Cookies on August 30th
September 8 National Grandparents Frost Cookies on September 6th
Day
September 11 Patriot Day Frost Cookies on September 6th
.
Please contact Betsy (424-1828) if you’d like to join in the fun.
Donations for Advertising
We are reaching out to the community by advertising Grace United
Methodist Church in the newspaper.
An ad is being placed in our local newspapers at a cost of $40.00 per
month.
If you would like to participate in this effort, your donations will be
greatly appreciated.
There are envelopes available in the church hall near our Fellowship
Hall, or you may donate by mail.
As always, thank you for your support of our church!
Grace Uni te d M eth odist Chur ch Page 5
Young Children’s Programs and Schedules
Education Committee Meeting-
A meeting of the education committee will be held on Sunday, August 18th at 6:30 p.m. (during confirmation class). We will be discussing the Christmas Program, upcoming curriculum, opportunities, goals and
scheduling for fall. Anyone is welcome to attend who may have interest in these topics!
Young Children’s Programs and Schedules
VBS-
Due to schedules and the repairs needing to be done in the children’s area from the flooding; there will not
be a VBS program this summer.
Children’s Worship-
We will resume Children’s Worship in the fall starting September 22nd (the week after the Family Fest). We continue to offer Children’s Worship during the worship service (after the Time for Children) on the 2nd Sunday-4th Sunday of the month during the school year. The 1st Sunday of the month is reserved as a “Family” Sunday and Communion; there isn’t Children’s Worship on Family Sundays but the nursery is open
for those that may wish to use it.
Volunteer Schedules-
Schedules for volunteers to teach our Children’s Worship will be developed soon for the fall. If anyone is interested in helping with Children’s Worship and/or the nursery, or Children’s Time during the service;
please let us know! We would welcome your participation!
Children’s Christmas Program-
Seems far away, but it will come quickly! This will be Sunday, December 15th during the worship service.
Submitted by Pam Medenwald on behalf of the Education Committee
Little Creations Preschool 2013-2014 School Year
Little Creations Preschool will be operating this fall in the lower level of GUMC. The program will serve children 3-4 years old during the school year with a Monday and Thursday afternoon preschool classroom. The program is state licensed and offers a low teacher/child ratio and small
group sizes.
The school and staff will focus on healthy and eco-friendly choices in addition to social and
prekindergarten readiness skills through planned curriculum and some religious offerings.
If you have any questions about Little Creations, or if you’d like more information, please contact
Pam Medenwald at 608-575-7258.
Page 6 Vol ume 1 , Iss ue 9
NEXT
NEWSLETTER
DEADLINE
September 23rd
To include news
for
October, November
& December
(If news is not received by this date, publication
may not be
possible.)
Tank-A-Week Fund
A few years ago we established a Tank-A-Week Fund to assist the
travel expenses of our pastor as he traveled to Seminary and back.
If you would like to contribute to this fund, please place your gift in
the offering plate and mark it Tank-A-Week.
Thank you for your support!
Trustee’s Committee
As you may already know, there was water damage in the basement from the same storm that flooded the roads last month. A clean up company came in and extracted the water, removed the carpeting, and removed some drywall. We are still waiting for the Insurance Company to give us numbers as
to how much they will cover. Then we will work on repairs.
We are also looking for someone to do lawn mowing and snow removal, as our current person is going off to college. Anyone interested or
with any other concerns please call Jerry at 217-4072
Sincerely, Jerry Ennis and the Trustees
Melodies of Compassion
July
Cuban Pastors Support
August
Southern Phlippines Methodist College
Scholarships
September
Crop
Grace United Methodist Church Page 7
Prayer Tree
We now have reformed the Prayer Tree. If you have a prayer request or would
like to be added to the Prayer Tree
e-mail list, please contact Jodi Bubenzer at
Prayer Requests
*Alice Hollis at Heart Song Home
*Remember Alice Waelti at the New Glarus Home
*Kathi Blum as she is at home with her husband and caregiver, Darold.
*Eric Tyree as he recovers from a stroke, at home.
*Bev Gill as she struggles with illness.
*Betty Gill as she cares for her daughter.
*Our Congregation and its leaders and teachers.
*Bishop Hee Soo Jung, newly appointed Wisconsin United Methodist Church Bishop.
Choir News
We are excited to begin another season and resume rehearsals!
Our first rehearsal will be on Wednesday, September 11th with a performance during
church service on Sunday, September 15th.
As always, we encourage anyone with a love of music to come and join our choir.
We meet each Wednesday at 7:00 pm in the church sancturary.
Judy Moe, Director
Weekly/Monthly
Ministry and
Fellowship
Opportunities:
*Choir Practice each
Wednesday eve at
7:00 pm.
*Youth Sunday School the 1st Sunday of the
month during worship.
*Women’s Fellowship the 3rd Sunday of the month
at 8:45 am.
*Adult Bible Study on
Sundays at 9 am.
*Alcoholics
Anonymous
Thursdays at 7:00 pm.
DON’T FORGET...
Food Pantry
Donations
Food,
Personal Care
Products,
Toiletries
Page 8 Volume 1, Issue 9
GREETERS SCHEDULE
Fellowship Hostess
July August
September
7 Kathy Blum 4 Annette Stanley 1 Ellen Tyre
14 Sandy Bubenzer 11 Community PIcnic 8 Pat Myers
21 Mary Fritz 18 Ruth McNair 15 Jo Cate
28 Betsy Blum 25 Karen Zimmerman 22 Erica Koeppel 29 Jodi Bubenzer If you are unable to meet this obligation, please contact another hostess
Membership Books
Due to the extraordinary efforts of Betsy
Blum, and her daughter, the new Membership Booklets are
now available. Thank you, Betsy!
You may pick up your copy in the Fellowship Room following
Worship Service, or we will be happy to send one to you at
your request.
July
7 Bob & Judy Hoenisch
14 Chistens/ Betty & Bev Gill
21 Brian Bubenzer Family
28 LeRoy & Jo Freitag
August
4 Lisa Bower Family
11 Gary & Sandy Bubenzer
18 Medenwald Family
25 Ernie & Jeanine Mabis
September
1 TBD—Labor Day
8 Bob & Judy Hoenisch
15 Brian Bubenzer Family
22 K. Zimmerman/Bety Gill
29 Nate & Betsy Blum
Grace United Methodist Church Page 9
.
Finance
Burreson's Receipts
We would like to encourage everyone to deposit your Burreson's receipts into the shoebox in the fellowship hall. Burreson's will write us a check for 1% of the total receipts. Last month we had $4,849 in receipts and we were able to deposit $48 into the paint fund. We will continue to put the money toward the paint fund until their goal is reached and then we will chose a new cause to support. Finance Report
The finance committee would like to thank our members and friends for their continued support of our church and programs that we offer. As of June 30th we are right on track with our budget. However, we know that summers can be a busy time with vacations etc., so please remember to stay current with your offering. In the month of August we are due to pay the church insurance which is approximately $4000. Our job as the finance committee is a lot easier when we have sufficient funds to pay the bills. THANK YOU! United Methodist Foundation
Back in April of this year the finance committee and administrative council met with William Helwig from the United Methodist Foundation to discuss what the Foundation had to offer churches in the form of investments. We currently had money in CD's at the local bank receiving less than 1% return. After much discussion we opened 4 accounts at the Foundation.
GUMC Emergency Fund - $11,518 in a 50/50 Equity/Fixed Account GUMC Memorial Fund 1 - $20,000 in a 50/50 Equity / Fixed Account GUMC Memorial Fund 2 - $20,000 in a 60/40 Equity / Fixed Account Gary & Mary Fritz Youth Mission Fund - $18,393 in a 50/50 Equity /Fixed Account
These funds are professionally managed, charge a minimal service fee of .70 of 1%, and have had an annual net return over the last 35 years of 8.59%. We feel that this is a great opportunity for our church to continue to grow our money. If you have any questions please contact Karen Zimmerman at 608-513-9034. Submitted by Karen Zimmerman
Page 10 V ol ume 1 , I ss ue 9
Grace United Methodist Church Page 11
Youth Lock In Enjoyed by Many
The youth group gathered on a Friday night late in March to participate in a lock-in. Those participating included Jacob Bowers, Joe and Will Bubenzer, Taylor Christen, Riley and Owen Medenwald, Aline Vargas, and adults Betsy Blum, Chris Santos-Lange, Annette
Stanley, and Pastor Vargas.
The event began with helping to decorate cookies and having dinner together. All youth members brought a musical instrument and joined together to learn a song whereby all talents were utilized. We were blessed to have the great leadership of Chris Santos-Lange to bring the
group together through instruments and voice.
Both Betsy Blum and Pastor Vargas facilitated discussion sessions that lead us through a faith journey and the biblical references to Satan. Their words and
scripture readings were enlightening and very much appreciated.
Nearing the midnight hour, the sanctuary took on the look of a movie theatre and everyone claimed their pew for the movie selection of the evening. As the movie ended, everyone retreated to the basement to get a few hours of sleep before having breakfast and
concluding the lock-in event.
A very special thank you to Chris, Betsy and Pastor Vargas for making the event enjoyable and meaningful.
Page 12 Vol u me 1 , Is sue 9
Grace United Methodist Church
235 W. Pearl Street
Belleville, WI 53508
Phone 608-424-3859
Pastor Edwin Vargas
608-217-5852
Grace United Methodist Church
235 W. Pearl Street
Belleville, WI 53508