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Pastor’s Message ................ Pg. 1-2

Pastor Meet & Greet Times Pg. 2

A Wave of Generosity ............Pg. 3

Join the Worship Team .........Pg. 3

Raritan Update ...........................Pg. 4

Prayer Chain ................................Pg. 4

Youth Ministry .............................Pg. 5

Clinton Kids Camp ...................Pg. 5

Children’s Ministry .................. Pg. 6

Mom’s Group .............................. Pg. 6

Flower Dedications .................Pg. 7

Care Committee ........................Pg. 7

A Note of Thanks ......................Pg. 7

Smith Family Celebration ... Pg. 8

CUMC Photo Gallery ............. Pg. 9

CUMC Staff Directory ..........Pg. 10

July 2019

to the July 2019 issue of the Clinton United Methodist Church newsletter. We are a community sent for others; our hope is for all people to experience God’s love in Jesus Christ.

Dear Clinton UMC Family and Friends,

Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I greet each of you with my warm ALOHA. I am very glad to serve as your new senior pastor as of July 1.

Following a good, faithful, and effective pastor is a blessing. Pastor Michael has done a remarkable and fruitful ministry with passion and innovation at Clinton, and I praise God for him. May God richly bless him and his precious family in their new chapter of life and ministry in the Mountain Sky Annual Conference.

I am looking forward to working with you to grow a vital congregation and life-changing mission in the greater Clinton area and beyond. I am grateful to the SPRC, church staff, transition team and trustees for their diligent work and gracious support. Thank you all.

Welcome . . .

In This Issue:

Our Joyful Noise

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I want to share a bit more about me and my family here. I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Honolulu. My grandma and her younger sister — a national human treasure of Korea for her musical talent — were commissioned as Korean musical/cultural ambassadors and they performed throughout the world, including the White House and Carnegie Hall in New York City. The U.S. government invited her to stay in the states, and so she chose Honolulu as her new home. My dad was her only child, and she invited him, mom, and her five young grandchildren to live near her. So, we moved to Honolulu in 1969.

I have learned to grow as a multicultural person while embracing people of all cultures, backgrounds, and lifestyles. I have also learned from the beautiful rainbows about God the Creator, harmony, and hope. I became active in my local UMC and I dedicated my life to Christ there. I thought of becoming a medical doctor and medical missionary. But God had a different plan and called me to a pastoral ministry. So, I became a “soul doc” instead. I went to seminaries at Claremont and Drew and earned my theological degrees.

Throughout my ministry, I have served as a local church pastor, district superintendent, national executive, ministry mentor/coach, and community developer. My real passion is making disciples of Jesus Christ and growing vital congregations. I love young people and young-at-hearts, families with young people and singles, and active church members and “nones” in the community. I simply love God and love all God’s people.

My wife, Rev. Jennifer, is currently serving as the senior pastor of Bridgewater UMC. She grew up in Queens, New York. Her parents used to run a successful garment business in New York City. She has three siblings and their families living in New Jersey. She used to work at the Samsung Headquarters in New Jersey as human resources executive director. But she felt a strong call to a full-time ministry. She went to Ukraine and Eastern Europe as a lay missionary, and that experience confirmed her call to ministry. She left Samsung and studied at Princeton and Drew Theological Schools, where she earned her Doctorate and Master’s degree. She is a gifted counselor, preacher, teacher, and administrator. She is a good cook and enjoys music. In the midst of our busy life as a clergy couple, we treasure our time together. We enjoy being in nature, traveling, and dining with good friends. By the way, at this year’s GNJAC session, she was elected as a clergy delegate to the 2020 General Conference of the UMC. She’d appreciate your prayers.

Our daughter, Elizabeth, is currently working as the assistant manager at the Balthazar French Bakery “Factory” in Bergen County. She is also an accomplished baker. She loves her two rescue dogs, Mika and Scout.

Our son, Timothy, lives in Los Angeles. When he was a teenager, he earned his second-degree black belt in Taekwondo. He works as the managing nurse at a senior retirement and care facility.

Friends, God has brought us together to create God’s beloved community and build up God’s church and mission in our area and the world. Let’s enjoy being together and serving together.

My first Sunday will be July 7, 2019. Rev. Jennifer will join us in worship. We certainly look forward to greeting you in person soon and hearing your stories … and your hopes and dreams. God richly bless you and keep you!

With love and joy, Senior Pastor Brandon Cho brandon@sentforothers.org • 908-735-7025 Ext. 1

Meet & Greet Times with Pastor Brandon

Get to know Pastor Brandon in an informal setting. If you are in a sermon-based community group, your group leader has the details on the date and time of your scheduled group get-together. For those who can’t make their group meeting or aren’t in a group, the following additional gatherings will be held at the CUMC church office:

Sunday, August 4, 6:00 pmSunday, August 25, 6:00 pm

Sunday, September 8, 6:00 pm

You can sign up here or contact the church office. Due to limited seating, advance registration is required.

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Join the Worship Team

A Wave of Generosity

You’re invited to share your musical gifts!

The Clinton UMC Worship team is seeking musicians for all positions:

• Vocals • Piano • Guitar (acoustic/electric) • Bass • Drums • Audio & Visual Technicians

The Worship Team is for people who have a strong desire and passion to bring others closer to God through music.

The Worship Team holds monthly meetings that include jam sessions, fellowship, song selection, and more!

If you want to join a ministry that is fun, easy, and rewarding contact Lauren Case, Worship Producer, at lauren@sentforothers.org.

Clinton UMC has received a generous gift of $7,000 from Kingwood UMC — the continuation of a wave of generosity that started with a shepherd’s pie.

Kingwood UMC Pastor Peter Mantell, who presented the check to Clinton in June, explained that his church has been known for its roast beef dinners. But few diners were actually from Kingwood. That discovery set Pastor Peter and his church on a quest to ramp up the church’s outreach into the community. His wife suggested making shepherd’s pies from the first cut of roast beef from the church’s dinners. This meal would be delivered to the homebound.

It had to be the first cut. “We are recipients of God’s best, and we are called to give our best, our first fruits, back to God… not our leftovers, not what’s remaining when everything is said and done. We can’t say to God, ‘We’re going to pay all of our bills first, and then we’ll see what’s left over, and then we’ll see what we can give to you, God.’ And likewise, we couldn’t say that we would wait until the end of the roast beef dinner and see if we had any roast beef left,” Pastor Peter says.

Kingwood UMC gathered a list of names of homebound people. Elsie was the first name — and the one who started the generosity wave. Apparently touched by the church’s actions, she changed her will shortly before she died and left her entire estate to Kingwood United Methodist Church.

Elsie’s generous gift challenged Kingwood UMC to represent Christ even more strongly to the community. The roast beef dinners continued but were used to support the community instead of the church. In a short amount of time, Kingwood UMC has given more than $10,000 in total to their fire department, rescue squad, parks department, and elementary school.

Their church has also given $10,000 gifts to several Methodist organizations, including Ignite youth ministry and the Maker’s Place, a hope center serving impoverished families in the Trenton area. They’ve branched out to sharing with other local churches, including ours.

“I believe with all of my heart that the job of the church must be to look outward. Kingwood United Methodist church took a very small, tenuous step in looking outward, and we created an 8-inch shepherd’s pie that had miraculous results,” Pastor Peter said.

He concluded, “I know God will continue to bless the ministries here at UMC and I encourage you with all my heart to continue to look outward to your community, because that’s where the church belongs.”

The gift will support the ministries of Clinton UMC and our vision of being sent for others.

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Acts 2:42-47 The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.

In June, we celebrated Pentecost, when the church was born through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost paints a powerful picture of God’s presence. The Spirit becomes visible as Peter and the other followers of Jesus astound the crowds by telling Jesus’ story in many languages for everyone to hear. Before this day, the truth about Jesus was still being whispered in hiding. With the outpouring of the Spirit, the church burst forth into the light, and over 3,000 people were baptized and added to the community that day.

I love to hear the story of Pentecost. I am constantly amazed by the power of God. That God would take such an unlikely group of people to receive

this gift and carry out the most important mission of all always blows me away. I am struck with wonder at how God uses all of us. The Holy Spirit is a gift for everyone: you, me, and every person we will ever meet. God extends the gift and power of his presence to each one of us, and when we experience him, we are never the same.

We began praying together for Raritan a little over a year ago. In those first updates, I encouraged us to pray that “God would distinguish us by his presence and that all the work we do and the community that we create will honor and reflect Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” I believe with all my heart that God has done just that, and most important, that he has done it through all of us.

Raritan may have begun as the dream of only a few people, but this vision has grown to include many. Our team has been filled with the Holy Spirit and prepared to share the work of building God’s church. As my family begins our new journey, I believe it is this community that will carry the mission forward. Through your prayers and your service, each of you are the church, the Spirit-filled body of Christ that will reach the world with the love of God. The most beautiful part of Pentecost is that the work of a few became the work of many. May that spirit live on in all our hearts, as we continue to share the Spirit of God and the mission of God with every person we meet.

Over the next few months, Raritan Church will finally get a physical home and services will begin. The church will have an opportunity to reflect the presence of God in new ways throughout Raritan Township. Thank you for being a part of this mission and this team. I hope that you will join them at a service, an event, and in prayer as we continue the mission to be sent for others. ~ Melissa Nyoni

Raritan Update

We would love to add you to our prayer chain to receive the prayers of our people each week. We appreciate every prayer that is lifted for healing and comfort for those who are in a time of trial. You may also join us in the sanctuary each Thursday at noon to pray for our friends and loved ones. Prayers may be sent to the church office through our app or email.

Prayer is a treasure that is never exhausted.

Prayer Chain

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Youth Ministry

June was a relaxed month at Journey Youth Ministry. We had several nights of worship and fellowship as the school has been winding down. We are very excited for summer and can’t wait for July when we will start prepping for Kids’ Camp and our Reach 908 local mission.

We are very proud to report that many students from our program have been taking on roles within our congregation. We have students, in both middle school and high school, who serve with our children’s Sunday school, worship ministry, and technology team. It has been an exciting year for our students and for our church as students get more involved and invested in our community!

~ Mecan Payne, Director of Youth Ministriesmecan@sentforothers.org 908-735-7025

July Events

Sunday, 7/7 Youth Group Reach 908 Prep.Sunday, 7/14 Youth Group Reach 908 Prep.Sunday, 7/21 Youth Sunday Reach 908 Prep.Sunday, 7/28 Youth Group Reach 908 Prep.

Clinton Kids Camp 2019

August 5-9 9 am to noon each day

Registration is now open for our summer kids’ camp! Kids ages 3 to 11 can join us on an African adventure! Kids will explore God’s goodness and celebrate a ferocious faith that powers them through this wild life. With crafts, games, music, and daily surprises, Kids Camp will take children on an incredible journey to experience all the fun that camp has to offer. Register and learn more at:

https://www.sentforothers.org/events

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Children’s Ministry

During the month of June, we kicked off our summer series by “Powering Up” with the Holy Spirit. The kids learned that God works in their lives through the fruits of the Spirit to change the world around them. Together we looked at love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness and learned how each of these things can help us in how we live sent for others! Throughout the month of July, we will continue to learn about the fruits of the Spirit. Our weekly themes will be goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Sadly, June was also the month we said goodbye to Melissa Nyoni, our Family Ministry Director. Words can’t adequately convey our thanks for the love and dedication she shared so generously with us. We’ll miss her but we’re excited to see what the future holds for her.

Looking ahead, Clinton Kids’ Camp is almost here! It’s not too late to register for our summer kids’ camp! Kids ages 3 to 11 can join us for a “Roaring” adventure on August 5 - 9. Register and learn more at https://www.sentforothers.org/events. Don’t miss this awesome week of fun and adventure!

Thank you again for your support of our children’s ministry. As we move into a season of leadership transition for our family ministry, we thank you for your prayers and support. We are blessed by many amazing teachers and leaders within our Sunday School program, but there is always room for more. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer for this important ministry, please contact Jane Treece at msjane1946@comcast.net.

Our Moms’ Group meets one Saturday a month from 9:00 am - 11:00 am.

Moms’ Group

Next Gathering:Saturday, July 20

Babysitting is available but must be reserved in advance. All moms are welcome!

Want to learn more? Contact Jill Puleo at 908-455-0706 or jillpuleo@comcast.net.

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Show You Care: Share Coffee!

7/7/19 Eleanor Irons, In memory of her mother, Edna Parker

7/14/19 Available

7/21/19 Available

7/28/19 Available

Flower Dedications

Sign-up for altar flower dedications is located in the hallway. Feel free to write your dedication in the spaces provided for the week of your choice. The cost of the flowers each week is $35, which you can place in the offering plate with a note designating altar flowers.

Dear CUMC family, As the first half of 2019 comes to an end, I would like thank the following for hosting coffee time: Wisty Hall & Eleanor Irons, Mary Fitzpatrick & Dakota Hunt, Ben & Tara Seager’s Community Group, Pat Tillisch’s CG,

Blanche Milheim and Priscilla Cartwright, the Youth Ministry, CARE Ministry, Children & Families Ministry, Sandi Graham’s CG, the Case Family, Lisa Maul’s CG, Stacey Condatore & Mary Fitzpatrick, Elaine Peete’s Friday Bible Study, Moms’ Group, Council on Ministries, Mary Jane Carlin’s CG, Mary Fitzpatrick’s Bible Study, SPRC, Rose Ranauro & Bonnie Dorsey. A special thanks to Rosie Ranauro & Kathy Kushner for setting up the coffee table by 8 am.

We will need hosts for Coffee Time from July 14 through the end of the year. Sign-ups are on the bulletin board in the social hall or contact me at nsbestemor@embarqmail.com, or 908-735-7276. I am encouraging all of our Community Groups to consider volunteering for this vital ministry.

Thank you! Nancy E. Smith, Chairman CARE MINISTRY

A Note of Thanks

Dear Friends,

On behalf of my family, I would like to thank you all for your love and support in these weeks following the passing of my dad. We appreciate the prayers, cards, words of sympathy, food, and the work behind the beautiful memorial service and luncheon. What a blessing to have you as our Christian brothers and sisters.

Love & Peace, Sandi Graham

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Smith Family Celebration

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CUMC Photo Gallery

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IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT CHURCH CORRESPONDENCE!

The church does not receive mail at 12 Halstead Street (the church) or 10 Halstead Street (the church office).

Ensure your mail is not lost: Send mail to the church’s Post Office Box in Clinton: P.O. Box 5331, Clinton, NJ 08809

Send packages to 10 Halstead Street, Clinton, NJ 08809.

CUMC StaffRev. Dr. Brandon Cho

Senior Pastor 908-735-7025 Ext. 1 Cell 973-525-2888

brandon@sentforothers.org

Sandi Graham Administrative Assistant

908-735-7025 Ext. 0 office@sentforothers.org

Beth Crawford Executive Director, Pastoral Ministries

908-442-3934beth@sentforothers.org

Mecan Payne Director of Youth Ministries

484-798-5339mecan@sentforothers.org

Rose Leonard Accountant/Bookkeeper

908-735-7025 Ext. 4 rose@sentforothers.org

Corbin Payne Digital Ministry Lead

908-735-7025 corbin@sentforothers.org

Karl DietelAccompanist908-735-7025

Heather SchweitzerChoir Director908-735-7025

Lauren CaseWorship Producer

lauren@sentforothers.org

Danielle BanesManager

North Hunterdon Thrift Shopdanielle@sentforothers.org