Sunday Worship: 8am - 11am - 6pm www.pcumc.info 941-625-4356 ph / 941-625-0144 fax

KNOW GROW GO

May 2013

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF

PORT CHARLOTTE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Getting Comfortable With God (as Holy Spirit)! One of the great blessings of being a part of the body of Christ as a Christian is the gift of a triune God. We worship God in three distinct, yet indivisible persons. We call this idea of God as distinct and indivisible the Trinity. The reality of God in three persons is so important that we are going to spend time in worship during the months of May and June developing a clearer understanding of what this truth means for our spiritual lives. Sometimes people think of the Holy Spirit as more of an “It” than a “Him.” But according to Scripture, the Holy Spirit is not only God, but He is God with a will, a personality, and a spirit that can be offended! Offending the Holy Spirit is called grieving in the New Testament. To grieve means to make sad or sorrowful. It means to cause sorrow, pain, or distress. There are six specific acts that we as believers can do to offend the Holy Spirit. The six that I want us to focus on come from Ephesians 4:29–32. The apostle Paul writes:

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not grieve God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live…Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

So what makes the Holy Spirit sad, offended, or grieved? 1. Foul and abusive language offends the Holy Spirit. Verse 29 says, “Don’t use foul or abusive language.”

The word used in vs. 29 means something that has gone “rotten”… when we are profane with the words we say, or the stories we tell. Then in vs. 31 we have a list of grievances that the Holy Spirit would file against us.

2. Bitterness makes the Holy Spirit sad and sorrowful. The definition of bitterness is “an embittered and resentful spirit that refuses to be reconciled.” Some people just seem to prefer to be mad. The sad thing is that bitter people rarely want to keep it to themselves. I have a better idea. If you want to spread something around, try forgiveness! 3. When we rage we offend the Holy Spirit and make Him sad and sorrowful. “Rage” speaks of the person who

quickly raises their voice—we sell God’s creation short when we only communicate by screaming. 4. “Slander” is speaking evil of others behind their backs. I once heard someone say, “Whispering wasn’t

invented for compliments.” It is said that Augustine had a sign on his wall that read, “He who speaks evil of an absent man or woman is not welcome at this table.” I think about how often I would have to excuse myself from my own table if I lived out the truth of Augustine’s sign.

Perhaps we can all give this acronym a try the next time we are about to say something offensive to the Holy Spirit: *T - Is it the Truth? *H - Will it Help? *I - Will it Inspire? *N - Is it Necessary? *K - Is It Kind?

As we learn more about the Holy Spirit this summer, it might be a great time to work on not offending the one we are learning about. Keep going and never quit! Grace, Pastor Brian

Port Charlotte United Methodist Church May 2013

Women’s Study

Tuesdays 1pm and 7pm

Childcare provided at 1pm

June 11-July 30 (Note: no study the

week of VBS June 25) Cost: $15

Call “D” Fletcher to sign up: 623-0642 by May 24—the study begins June 11

Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer

Interruptions. They're aggravating.

Sometimes infuriating. They make us want to tell people what we think of them. But how we

handle interruptions actually tells us more about ourselves. The prophet Jonah's existence was

interrupted by a call of God that would require a complete change of life. When Jonah was willing to allow God to interrupt his life, the

result was revival in an entire city.

Carol Lee 4/7/2013 Viris Brown 3/29/2013

Burrelle Curtis 4/28/2013

Extravagant Generosity

(as of 3/31/13)

Y-T-D Income $217,200.99 Y-T-D Expenses $240,917.43

Assistance

Other: 2 Utilities: 2 Rent: 2

Youth Ministry Paul Kisner

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, May 1: No UMY

Saturday, May 18: Stone Crabs Game @ 6:30 pm

See Paul by May 8 to purchase tickets

Cost: $10 a ticket

Wednesday, June 5: Messy Game Night @ 6:00 pm

Join us for our annual summer kickoff event!

May Wednesday Night Series

“Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World” May 1: No Youth

May 8: Septic Thoughts

May 15: Germ Warfare

New Series Starts May 22: “Don’t Be a Fool: The Wisdom of Proverbs”

May 22: Planning Your Future May 29: Managing Money

Sunday, May 12, 2013

KNOW Christ. GROW to love Christ. GO to serve Christ. May 2013

Vacation Bible School June 24-28 from 9 am - noon

Registration for children and volunteers will begin

Sunday, May 5th. Children 4 years old thru 5th grade can register on that day. Make sure you sign up!

This is a great way to enjoy a week of fun. We need adult helpers for snacks, crafts and much,

much more. It’s easy, and an experience you will love. Contact Barbara Hald at the church to serve with VBS. Open registration is Monday May 6th 9-10 in the lobby.

Children’s Ministry Barbara Hald

The “Acts of Faith” team went to Sterling House with Ms. “D” for worship. They performed with flags and puppets. This was a true blessing for everyone. The children were received with open arms and I believe the children learned the true meaning of serving.

Kindergarten Readiness Camp

June 17-21, July 1-5, July 8-12 Monday - Friday from 9am - 12pm

Cost: $150 Kindergarten is a big step.

We want to help your child step into kindergarten with confidence.

Space is limited to 20 students. Registration is due by May 3rd!

Family Dinner Family Dinner Family Dinner Family Dinner & a Movie& a Movie& a Movie& a Movie

Friday, May 17

6-8pm in Fellowship Hall Featuring:

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” Menu:

Pizza, Hot Dogs & Ice Cream

Children’s Clothes & Toy Swap! May 17, 6-8pm During Family Movie Night

Bring what you don’t need - take what you do!

A Ministry of Port Charlotte United Methodist Church

Director: Ericka Brown 625-4356 phone / email: preschool@pcumc.info

We will be starting our summer schedule for May, June and July. Please ask me for a calendar - there are many changes to our schedule in the summer months. Have a great time serving the Lord! In His Love, Barbara

CWM Graduation

Wednesday, May 22

6pm in the Sanctuary

* * * *

Come join us!

Port Charlotte United Methodist Church May 2013

Frequently Heard Questions Jonathan Carlsen email: theexhorter_fla@yahoo.com

Question: When Pastor Jim Kuse preached here in March, he said the Scripture would be on page 15 of the New Testament section of the pew Bible. But in my pew Bible, it was on page 16. How could he make such a simple mistake?

Answer: We had a saying in the Army: There’s always 10% who don’t get the word. Pastor Jim didn’t know that all our pew Bibles look alike on the outside, but they’re not all paged the same. We got them from Cokesbury, the book-selling arm of the United Methodist Publishing House. If you check the title and copyright pages, you’ll find that most were printed by Thomas Nelson, but others came from Zondervan, a branch of HarperCollins. Pastor Jim read the Scripture from a Zondervan Bible, but yours came from Thomas Nelson. When we first got our pew Bibles, they were Nelson Bibles. But several of them disappeared. Some went into the Sunday School rooms. Others simply vanished. But when we ordered more to make up for the shortage, the new Bibles (from Zondervan), we soon learned, were paged differently. To minimize confusion, we stopped printing the Scripture page numbers in the bulletin and the liturgists stopped announcing the page numbers. Instead, we’ve relied on the Scripture texts projected on the screens “to keep us all on the same page.”

Question: For years, all the red stacking chairs were kept in the New Room. But lately some have been taken into the Fellowship Hall. I keep taking them back to the New Room, but they keep reappearing in the Fellowship Hall. What’s going on?

Answer: Again, there’s always 10% who don’t get the word. The policy of keeping all the red chairs in the New Room was quietly abandoned shortly after January 30, 2011. On that Sunday, at the end of Sunday School, one of the folding chairs collapsed under my dad, Pastor Fred Carlsen, and he spent three days in the hospital. From then on, in the interest of safety and handicapped accessibility, four red chairs with arms are kept in the Fellowship Hall for Pastor Fred and other handicapped persons.

Question: Where in the Bible does it teach that we should be concerned about handicapped accessibility?

Answer: If the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12) and “Love your neighbor” (Lev. 19:18) isn’t enough, look at Mark 2:1-4. Here four men made a hole in the roof of a building to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. According to the fourth century church historian Eusebius, toward the end of the Apostle John’s earthly life, believers used to carry him into worship on a stretcher or a couch, so he could preach from the horizontal position. Can we do less?

May 2, 2013

KNOW Christ. GROW to love Christ. GO to serve Christ. May 2013

UPDATE FROM MISSIONARY CONNIE DI LEO

Port Charlotte United Methodist Church May 2013

UPDATE FROM MISSIONARY CONNIE DI LEO

KNOW Christ. GROW to love Christ. GO to serve Christ. May 2013

May Birthdays

May Anniversaries

Have you been joining us on Wednesday nights? It is a great time to come enjoy dinner, fellowship and

stay for one of our Bible studies or activities. There is something for everyone!

Dinner begins at 5, with a program from 6-6:30. Small groups and activities follow dinner.

Come join us! MAY WNO MENU: May 1: Baked Ziti, Garlic Bread, Corn, Soup by Frank May 8: Beef Stroganoff, Egg Noodles, Carrots, Soup by Frank May 15: Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Seasoned Green Beans, Soup (No WNO on May 22nd – VPK Graduation) May 29: Chicken Cordeon Bleu, Rice Pilaf, Cauliflower, Soup ……………………………………………………………

CHILDREN Kindergarten – 5th Grade PBnJ’s (Port Believers in Jesus)

6-7:30pm at the Port PB& J’s includes a scripture lesson, small groups,

crafts and games

YOUTH 6th – 12th Graders 6-8:15pm in the Youth Room

CHOIR

Choir Rehearsal 6:30pm in the Choir Room

ADULT STUDY OPPORTUNITIES Pastor’s Study

6:30pm, New Room

Parents’ Study Group 6:30pm, Conference Room

“Direction and Hope” Bible Study

7:15, Education Office

Nursery care is available during all small groups.

01 Irwin Schinkel

01 Lisa Dixon

02 Renee Coccaro

03 Annette Emerich

03 Suzanne Dowling

03 Alexis Hald

04 June Butler

04 Cole Mandrick

05 Jennie Poteat

05 Blake Royer

07 Muriel Marshall

08 Loren Allen

09 Vicki Timper

09 Dorothy Bagley

10 Ruth Mullen

10 Janet Vargo

10 Jim Marshall

12 Bill Wyld

12 Rex White

12 Joey Petro

12 Adrianna Radil

13 Dorothy Lonneville

13 Dorothy Bayuk

14 Ron Royer

14 Bradley Baker

15 Bea Bower

15 Linda Anderson

16 Lynda Freas

18 Jean Elekes

18 Barbara Hald

19 Mae Herzstock

21 Roger Anderson

02 Pete and Beth Coccaro

08 Glenn and Sue Edmiston

27 Emory Oleson and Ann Van Hoose-Oleson

28 Calvin and Joann Gress

29 Joe and Brenda Ryan

30 Merle and Eudoris McDonald

21 Evelyn Welsh

21 Eudoris McDonald

21 Elizabeth Hone

21 Terry Hixson

21 Scott Mathias

24 Vivian Bennett

24 Sidney White

24 Pete Coccaro

25 Pat Thompson

25 Jan Brotherton

25 Misty Royer

25 Corry Cox

26 Sara Richter

28 Tyler Setser

30 Odie Coker

30 Karen Wenck

31 Herbert Schwartz

31 Carolyn Sanders

31 Janet LaFond

31 Dwaine Yanni

Port Charlotte United Methodist Church May 2013

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CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Port Charlotte United Methodist Church 21075 Quesada Avenue Port Charlotte, FL 33952-2546 Phone: (941) 625-4356 E-mail: info@pcumc.info Website: www.pcumc.info Facebook: facebook.com/portcharlotteumc

Join us on Wednesday Nights! WNO Dinner 5-6:30pm Fellowship Hall Followed by Children/Youth at the Port & Adult Bible Studies

Thursday, May 16 Lunch and Learn 11:30am -1pm Friday, May 17 6-8pm Family Dinner & a Movie/Clothes SWAP

Wednesday, May 22 CWM Graduation 6pm (No WNO Dinner)

Saturday, May 25 Seafood Fest, 4pm

Monday, May 27 Memorial Day Church offices closed / No school Wed., May 29 Bloodmobile, 4-7pm

Friday, May 31 Caregivers Support Group 1-3pm

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

Pastor Francis Chan offers a compelling invitation to understand,

embrace, and follow the Holy Spirit's direction in our lives. Join us in the conference room for discussion and refection.

Sunday Morning Study Group May DVD study

Sundays at 9:30am

All proceeds of the Seafood Fest will go to “Feed the Children” a ministry of Port Charlotte United Methodist Church.

SEAFOOD FEST! Saturday, May 25, 2013

Beginning at 4pm

Tickets are available in the church office!

Adults $12.50

Children under 12 FREE Over 90 FREE

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