News & Notes 4/17/08
I hope this note finds all of you well, my Friends,
We had a great weekend ’round these parts last weekend. The Youth Groups and their leaders led a terrific “Death by Chocolate Karaoke!” They had an overflow crowd! Thank you for supporting our kids and the youth ministry of the church. And thanks from all of us for our Youth Director, Brenda, and her happy band of volunteer leaders - they do an incredible job!! And on Sunday, Rabbi Larry did a wonderful concert for our Second Sunday Concert series! He is a skilled songwriter, musician and singer. Our own Barb Johnson pulled this event together for us. Thanks Barb! While I was “under the weather” for both events, I’ve heard a steady stream of affirmations about each one!!
Jinny Scott has written the following note that I share with you in case you weren’t in church this past Sunday:
Hi Everyone…. I talked to our rep from the Red Cross this morning, checking in the week before the drive as usual. There has been a “glitch” or whatever you want to call it. They don’t have us on their schedule. We don’t know if the date got “lost”, “dropped” or what… Bottom line, there will be NO BLOOD DRIVE this Friday. It has never happened before and I’m sure will never happen again. We have no control over this and hopefully, everyone has been notified. I have been assured that our July Blood Drive is a “go”. I apologize and hope no one has been inconvenienced. Love and Peace to you all Jinny Scott
Let me offer one last reminder to the members of the Trustees, Staff/Parish Relations Committee and Walker Heritage Committee - for the Cluster training event that will happen this Saturday, at the Eliot UMC. Gathering for coffee and fellowship will begin at 9 AM - devotions will begin at 9:20 AM - and the classes will run from 9:30 till 11 AM.
The sign up sheets have been posted for our April 26th Public Turkey Supper. With the supper taking place at the end of school vacation week, I’m suspecting that we might be a bit short on workers. If you’re available and able to work, I hope you’ll sign up!!
The Women’s Retreat is fast approaching, too. Even though published date for registrations has past, I’m pretty sure the organizing group would take your registration! It happens May 2-4, at the Notre Dame Retreat Center in Alfred, Maine - and will be lead by Tina Luce. A terrific location - with terrific leadership - for a terrific event! Brochures are available on the window sill outside Sandy’s office. Check it out today.
Every four years our denomination holds “General Conference,” the gathering of representatives from the United Methodist Church all over the world. The next gathering will begin next week, and go for ten days - April 23-May 2,in Fort Worth, Texas. This gathering of folks will “do the business” - i.e. set the course of our great denomination - for years to come. There will be much celebration and affirmation of the ways God is working through our church. And there will even be times of struggle as the representatives disagree on issues. I mention these things to forewarn you that if you hear anything about the gathering from the secular press, it will focus on the latter - it’s just the nature of the beast. But be well assured that God has blessed us - and WILL bless us in the future - with by honoring the ministries that touch and transform lives in the world today.
I don’t remember who wrote this next thing, in anticipation of General Conference, but I thought that it was worth sharing: “Years ago in another city in which we gathered for General Conference, I was asked by a restaurant server, ‘Are you one of those Methodists?’ I replied that I was. The server replied ‘We’re watching.’ . . . ‘We’re watching what you do and what you say.’ The people of the world are paying attention. Is there a message from the people of the UMC that will bring hope and healing to our broken world? Will our actions and decisions speak of the grace and love of God, and will people who have never heard the message of the gospel be compelled by our actions and decisions to enter a life of faith in Jesus, the Christ? My prayer for our gathering is that we will not forget to love one another. I hope that we will be about the business of making disciples of Jesus Christ even as we may have cause to disagree with one another. . . . As we leave the city of Fort Worth, may more people say ‘Look at those UMs. They are people who love God and the people of the world. I think they just might care about me and the issues that confound, confuse, and confront me. It sounds like this Jesus person is someone I should know. I think I’ll find those UMs and talk with them about what they believe and what makes them different from the rest of the people that I know. Maybe, just maybe, they have a message from God for my life that will make all the difference.’”
A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, “You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don’t have to wait as long to get our coffee”. The husband said, “You are in charge of the cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.” Wife replies, “No you should do it, and besides it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee.” Husband replies, “I can’t believe that, show me.” So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and shows him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says: “HEBREWS”
With many in our congregation going away for vacations during school break, I hope - if you’re around town - that you’ll be in church! We need all the voices we can get to sing God’s praises! See you Sunday. Peace, Mark