The Glad Tider - Stevensville United Methodist Church · 2019-11-23 · The Wednesday evening study...
Transcript of The Glad Tider - Stevensville United Methodist Church · 2019-11-23 · The Wednesday evening study...
What’s inside:
Announcements & Lectionary ................................................................................. Page 2
Housekeeping ......................................................................................................... Page 3
2013 Thank offering ................................................................................................ Page 4
Stewardship ............................................................................................................ Page 5
Bazaar, Book club & Shepherding .......................................................................... Page 6
UM Men & UMW in Billings ...................................................................................... Page 7
UMW news .............................................................................................................. Page 8
November calendar ................................................................................................. Page 9
The Glad Tider
W hen you think
of November,
what comes
to mind? As I was
sitting in the office
writing this article, it
was still the middle of
October, and the
Christmas decorations
have been in the stores
for weeks. Once upon
a time, in a land close
at hand, November was about the lead-up to
Thanksgiving. Christmas was held at bay until the
weekend after Thanksgiving (and never on
Thanksgiving Day!). So, what are you thinking about
as November begins?
“In early autumn of 1621, the 53 surviving
Pilgrims celebrated their successful harvest,
as was the English custom. During this time
‘many of the Indians coming ... amongst the
rest their great king Massasoit, with some
ninety men.’
“That 1621 celebration is remembered as
the ‘First Thanksgiving’ in Plymouth. ...
“The Pilgrims did not call this harvest
festival a ‘Thanksgiving,’ although they did
give thanks to God. To them, a Day of
Thanksgiving was purely religious. The first
recorded religious Day of Thanksgiving was
held in 1623 in response to a providential
rainfall.
“The religious day of thanksgiving and the
harvest festival evolved into a single event: a
yearly Thanksgiving, proclaimed by
individual governors for a Thursday in
November. The custom of an annual
Thanksgiving celebrating abundance and
family spread across America.
“Some presidents proclaimed
Thanksgivings, others did not. Abraham
Lincoln began the tradition of an annual
national Thanksgiving in 1863. Thanksgiving
is an enduring symbol from which millions of
immigrants have learned ‘Americanism.’
While not all native peoples celebrate the day,
the story of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag
sharing a harvest celebration remains an
inspiration to many.”
- From the website of the Pilgrim Hall
Museum in Plymouth, Mass.
As I consider the coming month, I am thinking
about the lives that will be touched by the ministries of
our congregation. I am thinking about the four months
we’ve shared together since Belinda and I first arrived
in the Bitterroot Valley. I am thinking about the
differences we have, and the common bond we share as
people of God.
I know I can’t do anything about stopping or even
slowing the secular observance of football, shopping
and the like, the things that pass for “important” in our
culture. What I can do is remember that each day is a
gift from God, and every day is a day of Thanksgiving
to our God.
Every blessing, Pastor Charles
November 2013 STEVENSVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
From the pastor’s desk
Page 2
November 1, 2013 [White]
All Saints Day Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Psalm 149 or Psalm 150 (UMH 862)
Ephesians 1:11-23
Luke 6:20-31
November 3, 2013 [White or Red]
24th Sunday after Pentecost
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Psalm 119:137-144 (UMH 840)
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Luke 19:1-10
November 10, 2013 [Green]
25th Sunday after Pentecost Haggai 1:15b–2:9
Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 (UMH 857)
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
Luke 20:27-38
November 17, 2013 [Green]
26th Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 65:17-25
Isaiah 12 or Psalm 118 (UMH 839)
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Luke 21:5-19
November 24, 2013 [White or Gold]
Christ the King
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Luke 1:68-79 (UMH 208)
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43
November 28, 2013 [Green, White or Red]
Thanksgiving Day
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
Psalm 100 (UMH 821)
Philippians 4:4-9
John 6:25-35
LECTIONARY SCRIPTURE
GriefShare for the Holidays
In past years, the holiday season may have been a time of great
anticipation and excitement … but this year, the prospect of
facing the holidays without your loved one may cause anxiety and
dread.
You are not alone. Here you can connect with support,
encouragement and advice to survive the holidays. Whether your
loss is recent or years ago, GriefShare for the Holidays can help.
Join us at the church on Wednesday, November 17 at 7 pm.
Join us again on December 21, the longest night of the year,
for a special Blue Christmas service. In the midst of the busyness
of the season, this service will seek to provide support and lift up
hope to those who are not finding this Christmas season to be
joyous.
The music, readings and meditation will be centered around
the areas of loss and mourning and the hope that Christ offers us.
An opportunity will be provided during the service to remember
by name those who are dearly missed this Christmas season.
Gathering with others who are remembering loved ones
reminds us that we are not alone in this journey. Feel free to
invite a friend or two.
Wednesday Evening Study Group
The Wednesday evening study group will resume on November 20 with a four-week-series using the hymns and carols of the season as our source material. This series will meet at 7 pm on Wednesday November
20, we’ll skip November 27, then meet again December 4, 11 and 18.
Many people want to sing Christmas songs during Advent because everywhere around them, except in the church, the world is observing Christmas with lights, parties, decorations, trees, concerts, school and choir programs, radio and TV, and their own shopping. Everything seems out of sync when the church seeks to preserve the mystery of the
season and the culture wants to race to Christmas Day.
Join us to sing and learn about the hymns and carols that make
Advent a season of joy!
Advent Devotional
Pastor Charles is looking for people from the congregation
willing to write a one-to-three paragraph entry for an Advent
Devotional. A devotional entry might share a favorite hymn or
carol, or offer a special poem or prayer.
Please contact the pastor by November 15 to reserve your
space for what promises to be a unique and valuable devotional
resource. Copies will be available on-line on the blog, on
Facebook and via email. Paper copies will be available the first
Sunday of Advent, December 1st. Visit the October 22 blog entry
for more information.
Page 3
*Designated means the giver has specified that the gift
be used for a certain purpose, such as Loaves & Fishes.
Such money is not used to pay general church expenses,
which are paid out of the General Fund.
CHURCH INFORMATION Worship service 10:15 am
Email Church ........... [email protected] Pastor Charles ....... [email protected]
Website www.steviumc.org
Phones Church .............................. 777-5443 Parsonage ........................ 777-2077 Pastor Charles’ cell .......... 363-8314
Office hours Tuesday - Friday .......... 9 am - 1 pm
YAC Western District Superintendent John Daniels .................... 396-8966 E-mail ................. [email protected]
Stevensville United Methodist Church 216 College Street, Stevensville, MT 59870
Ben Longbottom ··································· Trustees chair Molly Hackett ······················ Administrative Council chair John Fisher ·············································· Lay leader Carole Koval ······································ UMW president Carol Goffe ······························ Administrative assistant Hazel Smith ················································· Organist Julie Ludington ··············································· Pianist Brenda Bolton ········································ Choir director Molly Hackett & Brenda Bolton ········ Chime choir directors Clay Freeman ·························· Brass ensemble director Mary Nelson ··············································· Librarian
The Glad Tider is published monthly by the Stevensville United Methodist Church. Distribution is free to church members & friends. Please submit articles by the 20th of each month.
Housekeeping
Prayer Chain
If you have
requests for the
prayer chain,
please call
Trudy Freeman at
370-9420,
or email Gail Moshier
If you would like to be
a member of either
prayer chain, contact the
church office.
Last month’s attendance & giving November special days
You may find it convenient to donate to the church by direct deposit. If interested, contact the church office.
Date Sept. 29 Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 20 Oct. 27
Attending 82 84 87 88
—
General
fund $1,509.00
$4,327.12 $1,549.01
$1,642.75
—
Designated
giving $137.30 $165.00 $318.13 $125.00
—
BIRTHDAYS
Nov. 1 Vickie Vernon
Nov. 2 Caleb Morton
Nov. 4 Phyllis Daniels
Nov. 13 Betty Shorten
Nov. 18 Cammie Edgar &
Rachel Schweissing
Nov. 21 Jim Ziegler &
Amanda Morton
Nov. 25 Julie Ludington
Nov. 30 Mary Lyon
ANNIVERSARIES
Nov. 24 Belinda &
Charles Alkula
Page 4
Thank offering, Sunday November 24 Our Annual Thank Offering will be held Sunday,
November 24, 2013. Our church started this outreach
program 13 years ago. Before then, we held fairly
frequent special offerings for some of the organizations
listed here, as well as others. Don and Mary Nelson
brought the idea of holding a Thank Offering from their
former church. Since then, we've celebrated the Sunday
before Thanksgiving with an outpouring of thanks to God
for all our blessings by giving to those who are in real
need of help.
The Thank Offering Committee has selected twelve
projects for your consideration. The project list and
descriptions are below. You may designate your gift for
any or all, as you please. On Sunday, November 17
during the coffee hour after church, the Mission
Committee will be available to answer questions about
these projects. If we don't know an answer, we’ll find out.
WORLD & NATIONAL
Heifer Project International: A nonprofit that
alleviates hunger, poverty and environmental degradation
by giving live animals to people in need, so they can breed
them and/or use them as food. The Heifer Project is about
helping people help themselves with dignity.
Pastors in Angola: The Yellowstone Conference has
partnered with the East Angola Methodist Church since
2004. There were more than 200 Methodist churches in
East Angola until 27 years of war reduced that number to
just 30. Many of the remaining churches cannot afford to
pay their pastors a salary. Last year, the conference
provided a salary of $40 a month to each of 54 pastors.
Imagine No Malaria: Known before 2004 as Nothing
But Nets, this program was started by the greater UMC,
which now partners with the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation and the United Nations. Its sole purpose is to
eliminate malaria by preventing contact between people
and the mosquitoes that carry the causative bacteria.
Millions of mosquito nets have been distributed. Work to
improve sanitation and remove standing water is being
carried out. The project has generated enough statistics to
say it works! Between 2006 and 2012, the death rate from
malaria in children has decreased from one child every 30
seconds, to one child every 60 seconds. That's impressive,
but there's still so very far to go.
Kiva: This organization helps impoverished people all
over the world who have a chance to pull out of poverty
with a small loan and a lot of determination. Last year,
more than 250,000 borrowers borrowed more than $111
million, lent by more than 500,000 folks like us. As these
microfinance loans are repaid, the funds are lent again to
another person in poverty with an idea and determination.
MONTANA
Blackfeet Parish: The Blackfeet United Methodist
Parish is one of the Yellowstone Conference’s mission
priorities. Three United Methodist churches serve the
people who live on the Blackfeet Reservation east of
Glacier Park. The oldest and largest church – organized in
1883 and built in 1912 – is in Browning, a town of more
than 2000 people and the hub of the reservation. About 40
miles north of Browning is Babb, a very small village,
home of a second Methodist church. The third, Heart
Butte Church, is south of Browning and is the newest.
Intermountain – Restoring Hope for Children: This is
the new name for Intermountain Children’s Home and
Montana Deaconess School. The school, started in 1909,
serves both residential and day students with various
family, social and emotional problems. In the early 1980s,
professional counselors started to work with the children
and adolescents, providing a “rational therapy” for
students suffering from severe emotional problems
including PTSD (often secondary to abuse and other
horrible experiences) as well attachment disorder (often
caused by being unloved and uncared for). The work of
Intermountain extends out of Helena to other Montana
communities, with school-based therapy, psychiatric
clinics, and drug and alcohol treatment. The philosophy is
to promote healing through healthy relationships.
LOCAL
Habitat for Humanity of Ravalli County: The Ravalli
County Habitat for Humanity’s mission is “to build
simple, decent and affordable homes in partnership with
those in need.” During the past 10 years, they have helped
six families build and buy homes of their own in Ravalli
County. They are currently building one home in
Stevensville, and have plans to build another here.
Loaves and Fishes: This is the discretionary fund our
pastor uses for emergency food, medical, housing, heating
and other urgent needs for our neighbors in the
Stevensville area.
(Continued on page 5)
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Clothes Closet: The Stevensville Clothes Closet
collects and distributes clothing and household goods free
of charge to people in the Bitterroot Valley. The Clothes
Closet helps recycle clothes, redistributing from those who
have a surplus to those in need. Every month, at least three
tons of clothing leave the Clothes Closet, bound for more
than 6,000 new owners.
Pantry Partners: The Pantry Partners Food Bank
continues to stay busy with all the hungry people. Pantry
Partners gave out 241 boxes of food in September 2012,
helping about 666 people. Seniors and people with
disabilities use Pantry Partners, along with young married
families, and single moms & dads. Thanks to a federal
grant, the new home for Pantry Partners was built in 2012,
but they need donations to pay for electricity, garbage
disposal and such.
Carpenters for Christ: The Carpenters help elderly and
disabled folks, and others who need help but can’t afford it,
by installing ramps and grab bars, and helping with home
repairs and other needs. In 2013 through September, they
had 13 projects and worked more than 100 hours. Their
ability to take on projects is limited by the funds available
to buy materials. They work for free, but there are more
requests for help than funds to cover costs.
S.A.F.E. or Supporters of Abuse Free Environment:
S.A.F.E. promotes ending family violence in Ravalli
County by providing an emergency safe house, and
transitional housing that meets the fundamental needs of
the survivors of domestic and sexual violence, be they
adults or children. It offers a secure, safe, affordable place
to live, and counseling to the abused party (as well as the
children) while the parent is working toward self-
sufficiency. A program for kids is offered through the
schools. S.A.F.E. started as a grass-roots program about 25
years ago, and was adopted by the Hamilton Soroptimists
in 1987. Over the years, S.A.F.E. has become an
independent organization in need of funds from the
community to help with the good they do.
Ellyn Jones for Missions
A sincere ‘thanks!’ to the congregation
Preliminary stewardship campaign results
The Celebration Sunday church service was truly inspirational, with a variety of musical numbers and a meaningful message from Pastor Charles. After the service, 75 people attended a ham and potluck dinner with live music provided by the Bittergrass String Band. Everyone enjoyed the music—special thanks to Cleo Guenther, Marti Olson, Sue Pearson, and Jim & Sue McCauley. And thanks to all the volunteers who helped set up, served and cleaned up afterward. It’s a blessing to be able to ask people to help, and to have people volunteer to help on the spot. This demonstrates the generosity of the members of this church
family.
We received 47 commitment cards on October 20, totaling $96,196. This is a preliminary total. We hope to receive more cards from people who weren’t able to come. If you’d like to fill out a commitment card for 2014, please contact the church office and they’ll be glad to send you a card. You can mail it in or just place it in the offering plate
on another Sunday.
Please remember that any amount you enter on your commitment card is only an estimate of what you wish to commit to the Lord’s work through the church during 2014. If your financial situation changes, of course you can change
your commitment.
It’s truly a privilege to be a member of a Church where the members are so dedicated to supporting the Lord’s work.
Don Nelson for Stewardship-Finance
(Continued from page 4)
Stewardship & Thanksgiving
In this season of thanksgiving, a sincere ‘thank you’ is in order to everyone who supports our congregation throughout the year with
their attendance, service and regular financial contributions.
For those of you who are interested, the church offers electronic giving options for making donations on a scheduled, automated basis. It’s convenient for you and provides much-needed financial consistency for the church. You can pick up an authorization form
Page 6
October book club We had a lovely time at Hazel's on
Sunday, October 20. Ten of us enjoyed a
wide-ranging conversation that started
with midwives and babies, sparked by
Jennifer Worth’s book, Call the Midwife.
We all want to read the other two books in
the series
(Shadows of
the
Workhouse
and Farewell
to the East
End) as well
as see the
DVD of this
PBS series.
Our next
book club
meeting will
be at Janet
Lonski's on
Sunday,
November 10. The Orphan Master's Son
by Adam Johnson is our book of the
month. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this
novel is set is North Korea. It's 443 pages
long, so you'd better start reading now!!
Mary Nelson for Book Club
Shepherding The October meeting of the
Shepherding Committee was held at Ginny Mellgren’s home.
We addressed many concerns, and will be giving follow up care to those in need. Members gave reports about the cards they sent out, receptions they served, meals taken, Helping Hands projects
undertaken, and other ways in which they took care of our church family.
Shepherding Committee members include Carole Koval, Ginny Mellgren, Carol Varien, Nilda Bishop, Janet Lonski, Gail Moshier, Sandy Kenyon and Cleo Guenther.
Shepherding meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month at 6 pm.
Cleo Guenther for Shepherding
Page 7
On October 12, ten men attended the men’s
breakfast meeting. The meeting opened with prayer.
The breakfast was prepared by Mary and Don Nelson
and Clay Freeman. The breakfast casserole, fruit
bowl, doughnut holes, orange juice and coffee were
well received. For the devotion, Pastor Charles
showed a DVD about the history of the Methodist
movement and led a short discussion.
A sign-up sheet was available for anyone who
wants to sign up to help sponsor Renatho Oscar, our
World Vision boy in Haiti. It costs $420 a year to
sponsor him; any amount is welcome. We sent
Renatho a birthday card for his 6th birthday, which
will be November 19th.
We talked about holding a Valentine dinner in
2014. John Fisher, Don Henry, Clay Freeman and
Pastor Charles agreed to be on a committee about
this, and will report back at the November meeting.
We also talked about holding a bake sale in
January as a fundraising project so we can sponsor
another child, possibly another in Haiti?
Clay and Don Nelson will look into what kind of
help we might be able to provide to Missoula’s Union
Gospel Mission (the former 3:16 Rescue Mission)
and report back.
Habitat for Humanity needs volunteers to work on
the Mission Street build project here in Stevensville,
and UMW needs volunteers to help with the bazaar
on November 2, as well as people to attend.
Don Nelson read thank-you notes from Genesis
House, one for food in February and another for food
in June.
Our next meeting will be Saturday, November 9.
Lynn Moshier and Ed Sperry will provide breakfast,
with the coffee on at 8 am and breakfast served at
8:30 am. Don Nelson will bring a financial report.
Don Nelson for UM Men
UM Men in October
On October 11 and 12, Carol Gragg and Belinda Alkula represented the United Methodist Women of the Stevensville United Methodist Church at the annual Yellowstone Annual Conference's UMW Gathering in Billings. More than 60 women were present to worship, celebrate and extend fellowship to one another. This year's focus was how to extend a "radical welcome" to all.
▪ There was a lovely memorial service for UMW members who died during 2013.
▪ There was a mission project assembling soup mixes for the local food pantry.
▪ There was an introduction to a domestic violence awareness program that could be given at the local UMW organizational level
▪ There were presentations about the Free Store programs and Imagine No Malaria campaigns within the conference.
We all had a great time. Belinda and Carol both appreciate that our church’s UMW provided them with scholarships to help to off-set some of the expenses associated with their first-time attendance at a conference UMW event. They encourage all women of the church to prayerfully consider going to next year’s gathering!
Belinda Alkula for UMW
Stevi UMW in Billings
Page 8
With 29 ladies and Pastor Charles attending, we
welcomed two guests, Kathy Buhler and Linda
Kauffman, both of whom became members of our
UMW. Our hostesses Carole Koval, Helen Lowry,
and Sara Malo served a delicious apple dessert, a la
mode, of course. The tables were beautifully
decorated for fall.
Hazel Smith presented our devotions,
emphasizing the importance of staying centered in
God even in the midst of chaos in our world. She
read several scriptures on overcoming fear and
stress, including the 23rd Psalm.
Bonita Ziegler provided our program, a film from
the “Women of Faith” series, presented by Patsy
Clairmont, a very funny lady who gets her point
across while keeping the ladies laughing.
We missed Carol Gragg and Belinda Alkula
because they were attending Yellowstone
Conference. I’m sure they were here in spirit and
will give us a full report of their activities in
November.
Speaking of November, it’s going to be a full
month for UMW. Our annual bazaar will be on
Saturday, November 2, from 9 am to 2 pm. We
expect to see you there!!! If you have any items you
would like to donate to raise money for our mission
work, we will be accepting
them at noon on Friday,
November 1. (Watch the
church bulletins for
more information.)
We welcome all
donations — you
don’t have to be a member of UMW. Carol Varien
will be glad to accept things for her “Treasures”
room. Betty Lowell will take your baked goods (can
use some pies), Hazel Smith will accept your books/
videos/CD’s, Claire Kelly would love to have your
hand-made crafts of all kinds, Gail Moshier would
like your crocheted or knitted items, and Fran
Jackson will take “special” items for the silent
auction. Of course our soup, roll and pie lunch will
be served, and we’ll have sweet rolls for the early
comers. The more we sell, the more mission work
we can do. I’m sure there will be leftovers available
for sale on Sunday, both sale items and food.
Our next meeting will be Friday, November 8; we
welcome all ladies as our guests. We will be taking
our annual “Thank Offering” at that time. This
offering goes to District for mission work. We will
also be having election of officers for 2014.
On Thursday, November 14, we will be traveling
to Hamilton at the invitation of the United
Methodist/American Baptist Church UMW to join
them for lunch. They joined us for our summer
picnic and they are inviting us to join them now. We
look forward to that.
Each month our Spiritual Growth chair, Trudy
Freeman, sends a birthday card to a missionary
somewhere in the world. This month it went to
Diane Abbot who is a missionary in Spain. It was
signed by the UMW members with special greetings.
Our December meeting will be our annual
Christmas party. I haven’t heard what the program
or entertainment will be but it’s usually GREAT.
We all look forward to it. Guests are welcome to
that, too, but we’d appreciate knowing if you’re
coming so we have enough food.
Tell any UMW member and they
will pass it on to the hostesses.
Better yet, tell Carole Koval, our
President, and she’ll tell them.
Fran Jackson, Secretary
October at UMW
5 pm
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“It’s Halloween — eat, drink and be scary!” Unknown
“Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It’s a way to live.” Jacqueline Winspear
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” W.T. Purkiser