Pastor Letter ……1-3

Info/Events……...4-7

Children’s Info…....6

Race Registration..7

Birthdays & Anniversaries ….…8

Why Do I Continue to Believe in God?

I normally don’t quote others in a cover letter, but this was too

good not to pass on. In the midst of this letter is a probing question

which I have underlined. Enjoy.

By Nako Kellum - June 18, 2019

I asked myself this question as I was listening to Maybe God, a

podcast in which Rev. Eric Huffman interviewed Mr. Bart Campolo,

the Rev. Tony Campolo’s son. In the interview, Mr. Campolo stated

that he had become a secular humanist, giving up on God,

because his prayers repeatedly went unanswered.

Nako went on to say, “I remembered many prayers that were not

answered the way I had thought they should be – the healing for

my mother’s cancer that did not come, the death of my two-year

old nephew who had heart disease, our church members’ broken

marriages, their financial situations, etc.

I still believe in God, though. I scream. I cry. I pout. I question God

in the midst of it all. Sometimes, it almost makes sense to give up

on God. And yet, the question remains: Why have I not stopped

believing?

Theodicy, or the problem of evil, is one of the reasons people often

give for not believing in God. ‘If God exists,’ they reason, ‘and if

He is good and omnipotent, why does He allow bad things to

happen?’

My mind went back to the first time I encountered God as I

listened to that podcast. “God, if you are real, please help him!”

This was my prayer when I was asked to pray for my friend’s

brother who was in a bicycle accident. I was a senior at Aoyama

Gakuin University in Tokyo, where I had met this friend. Methodist

missionaries founded the university in the 19th century, and my

(continued on page 2)

July 2019 NEWSLETTER

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

La Porte County Fair Week

July 7 thru 13

Plan to eat at our Door Village Church

Food Building

friend was a third generation Christian, who came from a devout Christian family. I, on the

other hand, grew up in a Buddhist family, with a large ancestral worship altar, and a little

Shinto (household shrine). I had no idea if God the Creator existed or not, so when I was

asked by my Christian friend to pray for him, I did not know to whom I would pray. And,

although I and others prayed, my friend’s brother died a few days after the accident.

Prior to the accident, my friend had invited me to go to a Christmas concert that was

sponsored by her campus ministry group. The concert featured a former Japanese pop

singer who had become a Christian singer, and I had agreed to go with my friend. The day

before the concert, she called me to make sure I would go, though she could not. In the

middle of the conversation, I said to her, “I don’t understand. If God is real, why would He let

this accident happen to a good Christian family like yours?” She responded that she did not

know why, but she felt like the ocean during a storm – though the surface was rough, she

had peace deep inside.

The next day I went to the concert, and for the first time in my life, I heard the Gospel. The

preacher spoke from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so

that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” For the first time in

my life, I believed that God exists, God created me and loves me, and He gave me Jesus so

I can go back to Him. The preacher said Jesus is the first Christmas gift for us, and I decided

to receive the gift! I felt like God grabbed me tight with His love. In a strange way, I felt like I

was given “permission” to exist in the world, and at the same time, I felt ashamed that I had

lived my life as if God did not exist. How could I ignore God, when He loves me so much?

God became so real to me that I could not deny Him. I wanted to go back to Him and be

with Him forever!

I never got the answer as to why my friend’s brother passed away. God did not answer my

prayer by healing him, but God answered the first part of my inquiry: “If you are real….”

During the podcast when I asked myself why I still believe, I went back to this first encounter

with God. I had never felt that my ancestors or the gods of the Shinto shrines loved me. But

God was different. He loves me and he wants me. I used to offer food to our ancestors’

worship altar gods to please them or to appease them. I gave money at Shinto shrines so

that gods would answer my prayers. All of this was transactional faith, but my faith in God

now is relational.

The day after the concert, I called my friend, told her what happened, and asked her if she

knew of any church I could attend. As we talked, she shared with me the Philippians

passage her brother had highlighted – “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” I knew

God loved him, and I believe he knew that, too. No, it did not make the death all right or

easy to go through, but I felt like I understood a little bit of the peace my friend was

experiencing in the middle of the storm.

One of the thoughts I had after I became a Christian was, “Why had no one ever shared

such a Good thing with me?” We do not have all the answers to the question of evil and

unanswered prayers. There are times we doubt and question God. However, we do have

the Good News to share with the world, a world that is so accustomed to hearing bad news.

(continued on page 3)

Ten years after that Christmas concert, I met that preacher in person at a conference in

Japan. I shared with him what had happened at the Christmas concert and thanked him.

He smiled big and said, “Thank God! Thank God!” I realized then how many people must

have been praying for the concert — the preacher, my friend, and her campus ministry

group.

God answered their prayers.

God is at work, seeking those who are away from Him. In Genesis, after the fall, when the

man and his wife were hiding from God, God called to them, saying, “Where are you?”

Jesus said in in the Gospel of Luke, “For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the

lost.” God wants people to come back to Him, and He took the initiative in beginning a

relationship with us, by sending Jesus. He works in us and changes us to be more like Him,

so that we can participate in His work with Him.

Pray for people who have no idea if God is real or not, or who might actually be praying,

“God, if you are real…” Continue to invite people to places they can meet God, and

share the Good News. The Gospel has power. In the middle of a tragedy, the Gospel

had the power to bring me, even me, to God.

Note from pastor Bob:

Did you notice the probing question above? “Why had no one ever shared such a Good

thing with me?” I almost teared up reading this because I wonder how many people

could say this about me? Let’s do our best to tell everyone. If there is an event at the

church, invite everyone you know. They may not come, but they can’t ask this question.

Amen.

Eat with us or work with us. we’ll have fun

together at this year’s

July 7-13

DVUMC is excited to be a part of the Rock the Block event again this year

on August 7 at the Civic. This is a community-wide back-to-school

event where everyone will get a backpack and a lot of other freebies.

We are looking for volunteers to help fill the bags and volunteer at the

event. For more information, visit www.rocktheblocklaporte.com.

MEN’S BREAKFAST & FELLOWSHIP will meet on

July 13 at 8 am

in Fellowship Hall

July 2

Electronic Giving For your convenience, offerings can be made from a mobile device or computer through a secure site by visiting our church website, doorvillagechurch.org, and clicking the electronic offering button:

Door Village

UMW Summer Break

UMW is on its

yearly summer

break during

July and August.

Meetings will resume in September.

Summer Sundays

Worship & Children’s Church 10 am

Communion Service First Sunday

Tuesday, July 2

Senior Breakfast 8 am

at Christos’

Thursday, July 4

Independence Day Holiday

Office Closed

Sunday-Saturday, July 7-13

La Porte County Fair

Saturday, June 8

Men’s Breakfast 8 am

July 7 – Communion Service

Greeter: Mike Martin

Liturgist: Mike Martin

Ushers: Nancy Weaver

Nursery: Donna Denney & youth

July 14 – Traditional Service

Greeters: Bill & Carol Applegarth

Liturgist: Mike Martin

Ushers: Nancy Weaver

Nursery: Cheryl Killingbeck & youth

July 21 – Traditional Service

Greeters: Jeff & Jane Hubner

Liturgist: Mike Martin

Ushers: Nancy Weaver

Nursery: Kathy Hindsley & youth

July 28 – Traditional Service

Greeters: Dennis & Cindy Fischer

Liturgist: Mike Martin

Ushers: Nancy Weaver

Nursery: Mary Becker & youth

Mon thru Thurs

7 am – 12 noon

219. 362. 3812

JULY COUNTING TEAM Kathy Hindsley, Cheryl Killingbeck,

Brad & Chris Kiser

JULY CHILDREN’S CHURCH (FOLLOWING CHILDREN’S CHAT)

July Leader: Lindsay Koselke

July 7 - Josiah

July 14 - Elijah

July 21 - Elisha

July 28 - Jonah

La Porte County Fair

KID DAYS at our Door Village Fair Building

will be Tuesday and Thursday,

July 9 and 11. Children receive a

free hot dog or grilled cheese

plus a side dish and

lemonade or tea with

paid adult.

7/01 Jessica Noll 7/11 Trevor Eggert 7/20 Jill Baker 7/09 Evan & Michelle Lancaster

7/02 Cheryl Good 7/13 Sharon Barnes 7/20 Mike Spurr 7/09 Ben & Gabby Pointon

7/02 Mike Kessler 7/13 Wesley Kaiser 7/21 George Morley 7/10 John & Jean Coulter

7/02 Elsie Spurr 7/13 Julie Sinclair 7/25 Lana Fenstermaker 7/12 Andrew & Hui Chong Curtis

7/04 Grace Lantz 7/15 Marcia Spitzmesser 7/27 Sally Danielson 7/17 Ed & Flora Ahlgrim

7/04 Sue Kaiser 7/16 Nick Hindsley 7/28 Erica Plotner 7/27 Matt & Shelly Fischer

7/05 Ron Butcher 7/17 Owen Bennett 7/29 Steve Clougher 7/28 Blake & Mandy Hindsley

7/06 Mike Martin 7/19 David Applegarth 7/29 Ava Sinclair 7/31 Jacob & Molly Pointon

7/10 Dan Bernacchi 7/19 Madeline Martin

How to contact Pastor Bob:

Email:

Robert.denney@inumc.org

Mobile: 260-251-1529

Office: 219-362-3812

Find him on Facebook!

July July Birthdays Anniversaries