News & Notes 2/19/09
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I need to begin this issue of “News & Notes” with an announcement that a Special Church Conference (a meeting for ALL the members of the church) has been called for Monday, March 2nd, at 7 PM, in Hartford Hall. The single agenda item is to act on receiving a bequest from the estate of our brother in Christ, Russell Newell. It is necessary for us to act on the details on the breakdown of the bequest by March 5th because of a deadline with tax implications for the beneficiaries. The details of the bequest are that the church receive approximately $10,000 cash, plus several parcels of land (from Dover to Alton) with an estimated value of about $130,000 - for a total bequest estimated at $140,000. All the members of the church are urged to attend and participate in the discussion and voting. Friends of St. John’s are very welcome as well. They can participate in the discussions but would not be afforded the privilege of a vote.
For those who have been involved in the Interfaith community in Dover, I just wanted to let you know that there will be a reception at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church Parish Hall this Sunday February 22 at 1:00 PM to say “good-bye” to Father Fritz Cerullo. If you have worked with him during his time in Dover, you may wish to go extend your thanks and good wishes to him.
Gloria Perrine asked me to share this with you: the American Cancer Society Daffodils may be ordered this Sunday, in Hartford Hall, during Coffee Fellowship - or you can call Gloria (at 749-4725) by Wednesday, February 25th. Bouquets are $10; Bear & a Bunch are $25; Potted bulbs are $15; and Gifts of Hope are $25. The daffodils will be delivered to the church for pick-up on March 22nd.
I will begin a new series of Membership/Inquirer’s Classes this Sunday evening, at 7 PM. If you’re not a member of St. John’s Church, but would like to be - or would consider the notion, but have questions - these classes are just for you. I also invite folks who are members of the church to attend. You might find lot of things that you’ve never known - or perhaps forgotten about Methodism. The second and third classes will take place on Wednesday, March 11th, at 7 PM, and Sunday, March 29th, at 5 PM (note the different starting time). Those who choose to join the church will be received on Palm/Passion Sunday, April 5th (though there are a couple people I know of already who will be joining on a different day - due to their unavailability on 4/5).
We begin the season of Lent next Wednesday with an Ash Wednesday service, at 7 PM. This is a quiet, reflective service which focuses on our need always to return to God, the source of our lives, our salvation and our hope. I hope you’ll be able to join us for this service.
Speaking of Lent, the schedule for Adult Lenten classes has been posted on one of the rolling bulletin boards in Hartford Hall, and will be included in the bulletin this Sunday. There is literally something for everyone! I hope you’ll take advantage of one or more of the classes. Two weeks ago I shamefully “plugged” the class that I’ll be teaching (”The Will of God” by Leslie Weatherhead). There is a workbook that you’ll need for that class, and it would be best if you had prepared ahead of time for the first class. The books will be available this Sunday. My classes will take place on Sunday evenings at 7 PM.
Our next Public Supper (Corned Beef and Cabbage) will take place on Saturday, February 28th! The sign-up sheets are on the rolling bulletin boards. Check them out this Sunday.
Last evening the Hospitality Committee met, and talked about the need for another electric knife for the Church Kitchen. Do you happen to have one of those around you house - one that hasn’t been used since Adam cut up the first cow? (Actually Adam was probably a vegetarian, wasn’t he?) If you do - and would be willing to donate it to the Church, please speak to Ann Kippley. She’d love to hear from you.
The Outreach Committee met last evening, too. They’re going to be organizing the Spring Rummage Sale (May 1 & 2). They decided that this sale will include just clothing items (no white elephant/yard sale items). So as you contemplate Spring cleaning (yes, we promise that spring will eventually come - right before July 4th!), please remember that the church would love to have your good, clean, saleable clothing, shoes, handbags, belts, scarves, etc. Due to lack of storage space, the Committee asks you to hold your donations at home until Sunday, April 26th and the days after. Thanks!!
A sister in Christ, and member of St. John’s Church, Helen Sullivan, went on to glory this past Monday. The funeral and celebration of her life will take place tomorrow, Friday, at 11 AM, at Wiggin-Purdy-McCooey-Dion Funeral Home. There aren’t many folks active in the life of our congregation who remember Helen. She was 92 years old, and hasn’t been able to be active in the life of the church for quite some time. Please keep her daughters, Linda Stewart and Nancy Kennedy (and their families) in your prayers.
On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. ‘One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me,’ said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence. Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, ‘One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.’ He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off. Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along. ‘Come here quick,’ said the boy, ‘you won’t believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls.’ The man said, ‘Beat it kid, can’t you see it’s hard for me to walk.’ When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery. Standing by the fence they heard, ‘One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me.’ The old man whispered, ‘Boy, you’ve been tellin’ me the truth. Let’s see if we can see the Lord.’ Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord. At last they heard, ‘One for you, one for me. That’s all. Now let’s go get those nuts by the fence and we’ll be done.’ They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the kid on the bike.
That’s all the news for today. I’ve included a bit of information at the end here. It will tell you some of the important emphases that our denomination has set for the next four years. See you in church! Peace, Mark
UMs Seek to ‘Turn Worlds Upside Down’
More than 1,200 leaders gathered for the “Living the United Methodist Way: Turning Worlds Upside Down” quadrennial training event for annual conference leaders
January 29-February 1 in Jacksonville, where the Four Areas of Focus adopted
by the 2008 General Conference were rolled out in earnest. Susan Ruach, chairperson
of the design team and staff member at the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD),
said the event’s goal was to give participants “the big picture” of the Four
Areas of Focus, which are the centerpiece of the denomination’s ministry for
the next four to eight years.
Leadership Development. Jay Williams, a 27-year-old seminarian, offered his thoughts on developing church leaders from the perspective of one who is in the process
of being developed himself. Williams stated three theses on living the UM Way.
“First,” he said, “it’s time to let deadly practices die. . . . Second, our primary
task is to be a Christian, not UM. . . . Too many of us know the Book of Discipline
. . . but not the Bible.” And third, he said, is that in order to lead, one must
follow. The church needs to develop a culture of apprentices and followers of
leaders.
New Places for New People. The Rev. Thomas Butcher, executive officer of New
Church Starts and coordinator of Path1 at GBOD, said that his mission is to lead
a movement that starts new churches-re-evangelizing the United States. “From
1870 to 1920,” he said, “the Methodist Church started one new church every day.
Starting new churches is the most effective evangelism tool we have. We want
to get to the point in the future where we are starting one new church every
day.” That’s the vision of the Path1 team, the group charged with recruiting,
training and providing resources for 1,000 new church planters to start 650 churches
in the next four years.
Elimination of Poverty. The Rev. Ed Paup, top executive of the General Board
of Global Ministries (GBGM), told participants that “it cannot be business as
usual if we intend to make ministry to and with the poor a priority.” He reminded
listeners that “more than 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.” The
church can do three things, he said: listen to the poor themselves, not just
to the statistics; accept the poor, which implies acknowledging that they exist;
and serve the poor, responding to spiritual and physical needs. To make a difference,
UMs must collaborate in new and sometimes strange ways. “If we do this in a way
that I believe God calls us, we will see a renewal in the UMC and a new sense
of relevancy in the world,” Paup said.
Global Health. From the beginning of the Methodist movement, John Wesley recognized the correlation between poverty and health, said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top executive of UM Communications. “Wesley’s holistic theology led him to engage with individuals and systems that dealt with health care systems,” he said, noting that one of
Wesley’s first ministries was a health clinic for the poor. The Rev. Gary Henderson,
executive director of the Global Health Initiative for the UMC, challenged the
participants to provide a “healing ointment” to the world. “We hope that the clear ministry areas of focus would ignite a passion in you . . . a resurrection
faith,” he said. -Jeanette Pinkston and Erik Alsgaard (UMNS) from “Newscope” Vol. 37, Issue 7 / February 18, 2009