FIRST UNITED FIRST UNITED

METHODIST CHURCHMETHODIST CHURCH

Ministry TeamMinistry TeamMinistry Team

Ministers

The Worshiping Congregation

Pastor

Chuck Rager

Christian Education Director

Renee Meyer

Administrative Secretary

LaVerne Schimpf

Custodian

Ginny Volberding

Newsletter Editor

Karen Nenstiel

District Superintendent

Cindy Karges

Bishop of Great Plains

Conference

Ruben Saenz, Jr.

Ogallala, Nebraska 69153 www.methodistchurchogallala.com

The MessengerThe Messenger

First United Methodist ChurchFirst United Methodist Church

Pastor’s Page 2

Did You Know….? 3

Meetings This Month 3

United Methodist Women 4

Michael Tully Praise Band 5

An Activity Page 6

Young People’s Activities 7

Newletter Deadline 8

Ministries and Activities 8

Stewards for September 9

IN THIS ISSUE

Sunday School Kick-Off Baked Potatoes with all the Fixin’s

Date: Sunday, September 10, 2017 Where: Fellowship Hall Time: 10:00 am

We will be having one Church Service at 9:00 am so everyone can join us for food and fun at 10:00 am

D ear friends,

A few items for you:

We have one service Sunday, September 10 at 9 A.M. We have a

Potato Bake meal with all the toppings after the service, and you are

invited.

Sunday School classes for all ages start on September 17. When I

say “all ages,” I really mean “all ages.” We have an adult class,

and we will be reading and learning from James Moore’s book “Rich

in the Things that Count the Most.” Sign up in Hess Lounge, or

call the church office to sign up, so we can order enough books for

everyone. We also have a class called “Toddlers and Twos” that will

meet in the nursery. We have classes for Senior High down to pre-

school as well. So, we really do have classes for “all ages.” Please

be a part of our Sunday School opportunities. Give it a try this year!

Plans are being made for 2018, and if you have a desire to serve on

a particular committee, please see me.

Church Conference is scheduled for Sunday, November 12, at 6

P.M.

The Trustees are caring well for our church property. The tenant

house next to the church has been painted and really looks good.

The North stairwell going down to the fellowship hall is going to lose

the radiator that has been leaking, and it will be replaced with a

handrail. Thank You Trustees!

Renee Meyer, Vern Schimpf and Ginny Volberding are great people

and are a great staff to work with. We are so blessed.

See Me Sunday,

Rev. Chuck Rager

Page 2 September, 2017

“Deer”

The deer symbolizes

safety in God's care, as

seen in David’s praise of

God for delivery from

enemies: “[The Lord]

makes my feet like the

feet of a deer; he causes

me to stand on the

heights” (2 Samuel 22:34;

Psalm 18:33, NIV).

The deer also represents

faithfulness and eager

devotion: “As the deer

pants for streams of

water, so my soul pants

for you, my God” (Psalm

42:1, NIV).

Christian

Symbols

Did you know that the Board of

Trustees is the group that has respon-

sibility for church properties? The

church building, the parsonage, the ten-

ant house and all the grounds are the

areas of responsibility of the Board of

Trustees. The Board of Trustees is the

only committee that must, by Book of

Discipline, have a quorum to meet.

Did you know that at least annually

the church parsonage undergoes a

walk-through by a person from the

Board of Trustees and one from the

Staff Pastor Parish Relations Commit-

tee to see that the parsonage is being

properly cared for and maintained?

Page 3 The Messenger

Board of Trustees on Wednes-

day, September 6, 7:00 p.m.

Finance Committee on Thurs-

day, September 7, 5:00 p.m.

Administrative Council on

Wednesday, September 20,

7:00 p.m.

Meetings This Month

Your Church

Office will be

closed on

Monday,

September 4,

in celebration of

the holiday.

The members of the Board of Trus-

tees are:

Phil Armstrong Judi Adkins

Shirlee Knispel Larry Schlem

Chris Snyder Ron Terry

Allen Cerny

Did you know that the Finance

Committee is the group that has the

responsibility of creating a church budg-

et and encouraging the congregation to

give generously to support the work of

the church? Each month, the Finance

Committee meets to go over expendi-

tures and income and to review the Fi-

nance Report. A detailed finance report

is prepared and examined each month

by this committee.

The members of the Finance Com-

mittee are:

Jim Persinger Judi Adkins

Karen Knudsen Jeff Peterson

Jonnie Peterson Roger Rankin

Wayne Spangler Jane Ruppert

Jane Terrel Teresa Davis

Vern Schimpf Claudia Stevenson

Thank you to the persons who

serve on these committees and all other

committees of our church.

Pastor Chuck

Labor Day, September 4, 2017

National Grandparents Day,

September 10, 2017

Patriot Day, September 11,

2017

Hispanic Heritage Month,

Sept. 15–Oct. 15, 2017

First Day of Autumn, Septem-

ber 22, 2017

Special Days This Month

Vern!!) Many times there is a need

to call other members from the con-

gregation to furnish food for din-

ners.

It is a big job getting large din-

ners organized. Thankfully, mem-

bers are willing to serve or furnish

when asked. A BIG thank you to all

organizers, workers and those who

furnish. It is wonderful ministry.

Mona Radcliffe

UMW President

. . . to the following persons who worked and/or furnished food

for the Mildred Zimmerman funeral luncheon on August 15,

2017:

Shirley Rankin Jane Terrell Gwen Johnson

Mary Whittemore Karla Lawler Sue Shull Doris Hickam

Darlene Peterson Judi Adkins Barb Barent Dixie Bassett

Jane Garska Mary Steinwart Shirlee Knispel Joan Speck

Bonnie Taylor Jean Slagle Judy Markussen Rhonda Duba

Claudia Stevenson Jennifer Tophoj Bertie Siders Twila Haney

Thank You . . . .

Page 4 September, 2017

United Methodist

Women September

meetings

UMW General

Thursday, September 14

12:00 noon—Potluck

in Fellowship Hall

Circle 1

Thursday, September 28

9:00 a.m.

Ginny Steinke

Circle 3

Thursday, September 21

2:00 pm

Hess Lounge

Circle 5

Monday, September 18

6:00 pm

Hess Lounge

United Methodist Women in Service and Mission

Our church is very fortunate to

have many willing volunteers to

serve funeral dinners and other spe-

cial events. There are six “Pass-It-

On” committees with eleven or

twelve women on each commit-

tee. There are also some extra

helpers who can be called on (and

there is room for more names) to

help.

Vern in the office keeps track of

which committee is next to be called

on to serve, (Thank you

. . . to the following persons who worked and/or furnished food for the Margaret LeZotte

funeral luncheon on August 19, 2017:

Shirlee Knispel Mary Steinwart Sherri Walker Barb Barent

Shelly Reil Bea Hatch Jonnie Peterson Eloise Childers

Tonya Hansmeier Nancy Drake Karen Powell Leann Ayres

Shirley Bassett Penny Benda Marge Blaase Edna Meyer

Roberta Dunkel Charlotte Ruser Cena Graves Sue Schimonitz

Laura Sexton Sharen Terry Carmen Troxel Ramona Upright

Sharon York Sally Pankonin Karen Nenstiel Kim Peterson

Jane Ruppert Sandy Nye

Our Christian love and sympathy to the families of:

Margaret LeZotte, who died on August 10, 2017

Mildred Zimmerman, who died on August 11, 2017.

The Messenger Page 5

We had a wonderful evening of mu-

sic and worship Sunday night, August

20. Michael Tully and friends from Trin-

ity U.M.C. in Lincoln, Nebraska, led us

in an enjoyable and inspiring evening

together. Thanks to Michael, Dan and

Danny for coming to Ogallala.

I extend a special thanks to the

Planned Giving/ Future Needs Commit-

tee for planning the event, taking care

of promoting the service and hosting

the fellowship time after the service.

They did excellent work! Planned Giv-

ing/Future Needs Committee members

are:

Pete Peterson Sharen Terry

Lisa Albee Ryan Holechek

Terry Johnson L.D. Walker

Pam Abbott Mike Knaub

Thank you very much!

Michael Tully and the Trinity UMC Worship Band

Thanks to the volunteers who

served as ushers for the evening. Your

help is greatly appreciated.

A special thanks to Jeff Meyer,

Renee Meyer, Marge Blaase, and Rob-

erta Rager for preparing and hosting

the meal for Michael, Danny and Dan.

The guys REALLY liked the meal. A

great big extra thanks to Jeff Meyer and

Renee Meyer for helping the group set

up and for doing the sound and video.

Pastor Chuck Rager

PLEASE HELP: The UMW members in charge of pantry and kitchen

supply have requested your help in collecting plastic containers (like cot-

tage cheese, butter, whipped topping, deli meats, etc.) to be

used for distributing leftovers after funeral/special occasion

dinners. They need clean containers with lids, please.

Just leave them on the table in the kitchen. Thanks

Page 6

Everyone! Please

Join Us for the

Baked Potato Bar

on Sunday,

September 10,

following 9:00

Worship Service!

September, 2017 Answer: D (See Revelation 3:16.)

A Bible Quiz

A. too hot

B. too cold

C. tasteless

D. lukewarm

In memorable language in Revelation, God tells the church in Laodicea, “I am

about to spit you out of my mouth,” because it is metaphorically ______ (fill in the

blank).

An Activity Page for Younger People

The Messenger

Pastor Chuck’s Adult Class

meets in Fellowship Hall (the

basement) and will be study-

ing James Moore’s book, Rich

in the Things that Count the

Most. Pre-registration is re-

quested so that we can order

plenty of books for everyone.

There are opportunities for every-

one — all ages — so please plan to join

in on Sunday morning!

Sunday School classes

will begin meeting again on

Sunday. September 17. Sun-

day School meets at 10:15

a.m., following the first worship

service on each Sunday morn-

ing

A new addition this fall will be the

“Toddlers and Twos” Class, meeting in

the nursery. Classes are also available

for all children and youth, from pre-

school through High School.

SonShine Singers will have their first rehearsal of the season on Friday, September 8, from 4:00 to 4:30 P.M.

All students in Kindergarten and above are welcome to participate.

If a singer is unable to come to the practice on Friday, there will be a second rehearsal on Sunday, September 10, at 8:30 A.M.

The Singers will perform Special Music during the 9:00 A.M. worship service.

P a g e 7

S und a y S choo l C l a s s e s R e s u m e fo r F a l l

All young people from 6th through 12th Grades are invited to join us every Wednesday night from 7:00 to 8:30 P.M.

beginning on September 13.

Bring your friends, too!

Page 8 September, 2017

When you have a sense of

calling — whether it’s to be

a musician, soloist, artist, in

one of the technical fields

or a plumber — there is

something deep and en-

riching when you realize it

isn’t just a casual choice;

it’s a divine calling. [That’s]

not limited to vocational

Christian service, by any

means. ~~Charles R. Swindoll

October is almost here! During this

month we all begin to think about fall

activities and plan ahead for special

holiday events. Let’s share those plans

with our church family.

If you have ideas, pictures or arti-

cles to submit for the October, 2017,

issue of The Messenger, please have

them turned in no later than Wednes-

day, September 20, 2017. Earlier sub-

missions would definitely be accepted

and appreciated!

Submissions may be made to the

Church Office, or you may e-mail them

directly to the NEW newsletter e-mail at:

ogallalaumcnews@gmail.com.

Minist r ies and Act iv i t ies coming Up

Confirmation Class for 8th graders

and above begins on Wednesday, Sep-

tember 6. If you are interested in being

a part of this class, please notify Pastor

Chuck.

Camp Norwesca’s Annual BBQ is

Saturday, September 16, from 11:00

until 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 for

adults and $7 for children ages 4 to 14.

Tickets are available in the Church Of-

fice.

Are you interested in becoming a

member of Ogallala United Methodist

Church? We are receiving new mem-

bers on Sunday, September 24, at our

9:00 a.m. service. Visit with Pastor

Chuck if you would like to join the

church family.

Tuesday morning Bible Study

classes will begin again on September

19,from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. The class

meets in Fellowship Hall (the church

basement). This year’s study will cover

Paul’s Pastoral Epistles of 1 Timothy, 2

Timothy, and Titus.

Pastor Chuck leads the classes and

all adults are invited to participate. Feel

free to bring your coffee cup or water

bottle when you come!

Sacred Sounds Handbell Choir will

begin Fall rehearsals on Wednesday,

September 6, at 5:00 p.m., in the

church Sanctuary. We need more ring-

ers—experienced or inexperienced— to

help us “ring praises.” Please come

give it a try!

A 6-year-old and his grandma went for a walk one autumn day. “Look at the gorgeous leaves!” Grandma exclaimed. “Just think, God painted each one of them just for us!”

“Yep,” said her grandson, “and he did it left-handed.” Perplexed, Grandma asked, “Why do you think God used his left hand to cre-

ate all this beauty?” “Because,” said the boy matter-of-factly, “we learned in Sunday school that

Jesus sits on God’s right one.”

God’s Lef t Hand

Thank You

We would like to thank eve-

ryone for the lovely card and

gift that you presented to us

via the S.P.P.R.C. last month.

Your kindness and generosity

touched our hearts and we

had a great week in Minneso-

ta and South Dakota on va-

cation.

Thank You very much!

Pastor Chuck and Roberta

Newsletter Deadline

Sept. 3 Greeters Dennis & Teresa Davis, Brian & Claudia Stevenson Fellowship Mick Nichols & Phyllis Reed Nursery ? ? ? ? Acolyte Kallie Eisenzimmer Children’s Moment Penny Benda Ushers Group 4: Roger Rankin, Pete Peterson, Phil Armstrong, Ken Meyer Sept. 10 Greeters Cena Graves, Judy Cross Fellowship SUNDAY SCHOOL KICKOFF Nursery ? ? ? ? Acolyte Kaden Walker Children’s Moment Ginny Steinke Ushers Group 5: Jim Glenn, Mike Samuelson, Gerold Radcliffe, Todd Benda, Shawn Haney Sept. 17 Greeters Ted & Jean Slagle, Don & Shirley Bassett Fellowship Roger & Judi Adkins Nursery ? ? ? ? Acolyte Jamie Biel Children’s Moment Carmen Troxel Ushers Group 6: Larry & Shirley Schlem, Lyle & Barbara Nootz, Chuck & Nancy Graff, Larry & Doris Keller, John & Shelia Turner Sept. 24 Greeters Doug & Linda Fuller, L.D. & Sherri Walker Fellowship Roger & Shirley Rankin Nursery ? ? ? ? Acolyte Elliott Pickering Children’s Moment Carmen Troxel Ushers Group 7: Jim & LeAnn Ayres, Allen & Janice Cerny, Herb & Karen Knudsen, Casey & Emily Mack Oct. 1 Greeters Bev Johnson, Jim & LeAnn Ayres Fellowship Pam Abbott Nursery ? ? ? ? Acolyte Jasmine Biel Children’s Moment Jonnie Peterson Ushers Group 8: Lloyd Johnson, Pete Knudsen, Bud Haney, L.D. Walker, Ted Slagle, Jim Hixon Oct. 8 Greeters Ken Hagge, Ken & Edna Meyer`` Fellowship Lyle & Barbara Nootz Nursery ? ? ? ? Acolyte ? ? ? ? Children’s Moment Penny Benda Ushers Group 9: Buck Markussen, Eric Troxel, Parker Reil, Hunter Reil, Ryan Holechek

If you would like to have your name added to the rosters for any of the service opportunities listed above,

please contact the church office.

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Our Vision: “To be a dynamic church, sharing and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ”

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T h e M e s s e n g e r

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

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R e t u r n S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d

TAKE TIME TO REMEMBER On December 18, 2001, Congress approved a joint resolution

designating September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day.” It’s a day to

remember the more than 3,000 innocent lives lost on that September

morning in 2001.

The resolution requests that each year the President issue a

proclamation calling on the American people and state and local

governments to observe the day with appropriate programs and activities.

Those activities include remembrance services, candlelight vigils, moments

of silence, and flying the American flag at half-

staff.

In his 2003 proclamation President Bush

said, “On that day, and in its aftermath, we saw

the greatness of America in the bravery of

victims; in the heroism of first responders who

laid down their lives to save others; in the

compassion of people who stepped forward to

help those they had never met; and in the

generosity of millions of Americans who

enriched our country with acts of service and

kindness.”

Keep them all in your prayers this

Patriot Day.

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September 11