June/July 2018 Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church

It is hard to believe that over

150 years ago, Methodist on

the Dover Road area had a

dream that they should build

a church for them to be able

to worship God and to give

thanks for the blessings that

God had bestowed upon them.

These people had the vision

and the ministry that this sa-

cred place of worship would

become a beacon of God’s

light to the neighboring com-

munity. And it happened.

The Civil War, which had torn

the nation apart had just fin-

ished and the lingering fears

and mistrust still were still

smoldering. Yet the Methodist

Episcopal church was built and

it continues with 150 years of

uninterrupted worship.

Think back over what has

happened during these years.

Multiple wars, recessions and

depressions have come and

gone. Yet the people remained

faithful to God messages to

share the good news of Jesus

Christ to the community and

the world.

So here we are in 2018, the

benefactors of multiple gener-

ations of faithful dedication of

time, talent and financial re-

sources to the glory of God.

We are so fortunate to be

beneficiaries of God’s grace as

shown to the countless mem-

bers of Pleasant Grove UMC.

It is our responsibility to be

certain that future generations

also have the benefit to wor-

ship at Pleasant Grove UMC.

We must persevere in this

dedication to the future.

For I know the plans I have

for you declares the Lord,

plans to prosper you, plans to

giver you hope and a future.

Then you will call on me and

come and pray to me and I

will listen to you. Jeremiah

29:11-12.

The key word here is PRAY.

So, I ask you PRAY for your

church and the future direc-

tion and let us continue to be

in a listening mode. God will

speak to us!

Dick

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Celebrating .........................1

Mark Your Calender ...........2

VBS .....................................3

UMW ...................................3

The Miller Family ...............4

Disability Express Group ...5

The Grove Gazette

CELEBRATING

150TH ANNIVERSARY

June 10— 10:30am

Guest Pastor—

Rev. Ernie Thayil

June 24— 10:30am

Memorial Brick

Garden dedica-

tion & worship

service

July 1— 10:30am

Independence

Sunday

July 15— 10:30am

Guest Pastor—

Rev. Mary Ka

Kanahan

July 22— 10:30am

Sunday Morning

worship at Emory

Grove

October 14—10:30am

Homecoming

worship & lunch-

eon

November 11—10:30am

Reburial of time

capsule

2

June 24, 2018 Memorial Brick Dedication

This is the day that we celebrate and remember members and

friends of PGUMC who have died. After worship at 10:30 AM,

we will dedicate special bricks that have been engraved with

the person’s name. When the dedication is over, we will return

to the Tracey Building for a light lunch and a chance to recon-

nect with our friends.

July 22, 2018 Worship at Emory Grove.

Worship at 10AM, Picnic at 11:30AM

Pleasant Grove UMC has been invited to join Reisterstown

UMC for worship and picnic at Emory Grove in Glyndon. Emory

Grove has provided its summer residents with spiritual inspi-

ration and respite from Baltimore City’s summer heat for over

145 years. Originally founded in 1868 as a Methodist camp

meeting site during the religious reawakening that swept the

nation in the aftermath of the Civil War, the Grove now wel-

comes worshipers of any denomination. The picnic will be held

in the Emory Grove Hotel, built in 1887, is a stately Victorian

structure on the National Register of Historic Places. At the

center of the Grove is an open-air tabernacle that is the heart

of the community. Religious services are held weekly.

August 26, 2018 Bluegrass Sunday 10:30AM

The Sounds of Victory will return this Sunday for their inspira-

tional bluegrass Gospel music. Last year they visited us, and

we found that their music was an excellent combination of old

time religion music and contemporary bluegrass. The event

will be held in the Social Hall and afterwards we will have

grilled hamburgers and hotdogs along with a simple lunch.

October 14, 2018 Homecoming Service 10:30AM

This will be the cumulation of the celebration of the 150th An-

niversary. We will invite all the past members and their

friends to come to the service and luncheon.

November 11, 2018

After worship, we will rebury the time capsule to be reopened

in 2068.

December 23, 2018 Christmas Eve Eve 7PM

Once again the Puppeteers of Grannies of Carroll Vista will be

with us with their Christmas puppet show. This has been a

very successful family worship service.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

JUNE 27 –29—9:00AM-NOON

This year’s VBS theme will be “Fill the Ark!” We will be part-

nering with Heifer International to work as a group to fill an

entire Ark! For 4 weeks we will be working on collecting

funds. Everyone in the congregation will be receiving a bank

and a giving calendar. Each day, in this journey, you will be

provided a different emphasis and lesson. I encourage every-

one to set aside a time to read each day’s lesson.

During VBS our students will learn about Jesus, participate in

games, make crafts, have snacks (of course) and even get a

little first hand look at some of the same type of animals we

will be purchasing for the “Ark”. Students will also be intro-

duced to other cultures and how these animals impact the

lives of many people. Anyone who is interested in helping,

either during the program or behind the scenes, is encouraged

to let Jennifer know.

BIRTHDAYS!

June:

2—Pat Lambert

4—Robbie Kirkland

15—Jennifer Taylor

18—Richard Cutler

26—Marsha Schuster

27—Denise Merryman

28—Courtney Garfield

July:

13—Lula Morrow

25—Ann Harden

August:

3—Linda Morrow

8—Cynthia Karanikolis

10—Phyllis Osborn

14—Joyce Brown

19—Tim Harvey

25—Cecilia Palmiotto

26—Sean Fortney

28—Linda Schaefer

3

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

June 5th —Evening out at J&P’s in Hampstead

6pm

July 3rd —Day meeting at noon.

Hosted by Margarete

YOUR PRAYERS ARE NEEDED!

Ann Harden,

Seth Koch,

Wendell Harvey,

Lisa Hohman,

Robert Lesiter,

Linda Walter-Martin,

Judy Wilhem,

Judy Nethen,

Alan MacEven

4

“Lord my God, I

called to you for

help, and you

healed me.”

Psalm 30: 2

For two years now, Alyssa and I have been serving with the YouthHOPE team, learning more about global youth ministry and how we can have a significant impact on the lives of young people around the world. Many of you have been along for this journey, and we are overjoyed to share this exciting news with you! For quite some time, we have been praying about where God may be calling us to serve, whether it would be here in the states or overseas. A few months ago, I (Luke) had an opportunity to visit Prosperous Youth Foundation, a m inistry located in Chiang Mai, Thailand that works alongside a large network of youth homes providing discipleship, training, and care. As we learned more about the ministry Alyssa and I couldn’t help but think that this ministry would be a great fit for both of us for several reasons: 1. We love working with youth and

continue to feel called to youth ministry.

2. We want to work in a country that is highly unreached, and in need of the Gospel.

3. We desire to minister together, without one of us needing to travel throughout the year.

4. We want to take our previous work and experience, as well as our time with YouthHOPE and apply it to direct, hands-on youth ministry.

After much prayer and thought, Alyssa and I have decided to transition from the YouthHOPE team to pursue a full time field placement. W e w ill continue our affiliation w ith New Mission Systems International, and work directly under the interna-tional operations department. Alyssa and I will be taking a vision trip to Chiang Mai, Thai-land May 21-31 of this year. W e are excited to m eet w ith the Prosperous Youth Foundation team, spend time ministering to youth, and experience Thailand together. We are praying that this trip will confirm our call to serve in Thailand. Please continue to lift us up in your prayers. We are excited about this transition, but transition isn’t always easy. We are so thankful for your love and support during this time. We are looking forward to meeting with you soon to share more about what God is doing in our lives. Grace and Peace, Luke, Alyssa, Psalm, Shepherd

THE MILLER FAMILY

WE ARE PURSUING GOD’S CALL OVERSEAS!

5

THE DISABILITY EXPRESS GROUP

The Disability Express

Group is a group for teens

and young adults from 12

years old and up with any

disability who want to have

fun in the community

through various social and

recreational activities. The

Disability Express Group

provides a welcoming envi-

ronment for individuals with

disabilities and encourages

participation in social activi-

ties, developing friendships

and giving back to the com-

munity with service pro-

jects.

Five years ago Brian No-

bles realized there was a

need for a network for

teens and young adults

with disabilities to feel

welcome and accepted.

With this thought in mind

Brian, his twin brother,

Bob Nobles, III, Sarah

Schriefer, and Tim Harvey

met to start The Disability

Express Group. Since that

time the Group has gone

from four members to well

over seventy members,

providing social activities,

community service, and

promoting anti-bullying

education in Carroll Coun-

ty Public Schools.

As our Group has

grown, it has become

increasingly difficult to

find appropriate meet-

ing locations. We are

so thankful to Pleas-

ant Grove United

Methodist Church for

offering their facilities

for meetings and so-

cial events in the fu-

ture. This will allow

The Disability Express

Group to continue to

grow and reach out to

people with disabilities

by providing a home

base. We will be able

to help more families

and individuals that

would otherwise re-

main isolated. The

Disability Express

Group will be able to

continue with monthly

activities such as

dances, movie nights,

Friendsgiving, game

nights, craft days, ice

cream socials and

many more activities.

The Disability Express

Group looks forward to

its partnership with

Pleasant Grove United

Methodist Church in

working together to

make sure all people

feel included and wel-

come.

Members of the Trustees remain committed to maintaining the buildings and grounds of Pleasant Grove UMC. We meet each month to discuss any issues which may arise and also to pursue any major projects that will need to be bid out.

The steeple bell is once again ringing each Sunday morning prior to and after each service.

A spring workday was held in March to clean off the cemetery grounds, as well as picking up sticks and removing leaves. There is another workday scheduled for June 9, 2018.

Current projects scheduled are: The repair and replacement of cemetery stones which is scheduled for June 2018; the painting of the black trim on the Tracey Building; and, also in the area of the Tracey Building is the painting and refinishing of the wooden playground equipment and picnic tables. This work project has begun. New mulch will also be placed in the playground area.

Trustees meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Tracey Educational Building. All meetings are open and all are welcome to attend.

Margarete Arnold

Committee Chairperson

BIBLE STORIES WE DON’T TELL OUR CHILDREN

TRUSTEES REPORT

6

June 3—Sodom and Gomorrah

June 17—The Assassination of King Eglon

July 8—Elisha and the Bears

SERMON SERIES

SEASHORE STORIES FOR SUMMER

July 29—Life is Better at the Beach

REACH OUT AND SHARE GOD’S LOVE

WITH A NOTE OR PHONE CALL

Georgianna Harvey Homewood at Plum Creek 425 Old Westminster Pike

Room 388 Hanover, PA 17331

Pat Collins

Carroll Lutheran Village 205 St. Mark Way #219 Westminster, MD 21158

410-848-1704

Lula Morrow PO Box 39

Boring, MD 21020 410-429-5099

Jane Benson

Carroll Lutheran Village Diven House

300 St. Luke Circle Westminster, MD 21158

Ralph Walter

4240 Piney Grove Road Reisterstown, MD 21136

Emmalie Bolte 4618 Piney Grove Rd

Reisterstown, MD 21136 410-429-8960