2 the front pew 3 legacy 213 4 5 1 7andrew felch, ruth felch, marty gross, sally grunder, ted lind,...
TRANSCRIPT
The Front Pew April 2017 Volume 7, Issue 4
The Stone Column
Myhopeforthiscongregationborninacabbagepatch-nowinthemidstofcelebrating50yearsofministry-isthatitwillmoveforwardwithrenewedfaithandenergy.Iimaginethatpeople50yearsagowerebothexcitedandabituncertainaboutthefutureofSt.Luke's.Thesamewasprobablytrueforthosepeoplein1968whoformedanewdenomination-theUnitedMethodistChurch.
Thefutureisalwaysuncertain,butit'sbesttofaceithonestlyandhopefully.Ourdenominationisinthemidstof"AWayForward"processitself.TherewillbeaspecialGeneralConferencenextFebruarytodiscernwhichwaywewillmoveforward.Untilthenthebestwecandoisremainfaithfulandcontinuetobethechurch.
OurcongregationwillbeginconversationsthismonthaspartoftheLegacy¶213Process.WhatthisISNOT-aprecursorforclosingthechurch.WhatITIS-openchurchwideconversationswithtrainedfacilitatorsfromtheSaginawBayDistrict.WhatweWILLDO-dream,plan,create,engage,re7lect,andbeginagain!
Thediscussionaboutpotentialaskssomefoundationalquestions:
• Whoareweasacongregation?
• Whoisourneighbor?
• WhatisJesusChristcallingustodointhisseasonofthechurch’slife?
Our7irstmeetingopentothewholecongregationwillbeonMondayApril9,at7:00p.m.ThefacilitatorwillleadusinaconversationabouttheCongregationalLifeCycle.ThegoalofMeetingOneistohelpacongregationassessitscurrentsituationusingacommonlanguagesothatdiscoveriesanddiscernmentcanbeshared.
ThefocusofMeetingTwo(tobeheldabouttwoweekslater)istoidentifytherealityoftheChurch&community,andcomparethemtothecongregation’scapacityandpotential,sothatthegapbetweenrealityandpotentialcanbediscoveredandaddressed.
ThegoalofMeetingThree:MeetingCongregationalTrajectoryandNextStepsistoguidetheLegacy¶213TeaminmakingrecommendationssothatthecongregationcanthenliveintoChrist’scallingforthenextseasonofthechurch’slife.
FourthandFinalGathering:AftertheLegacy¶213TeamcompilesrecommendationsformovingforwardtheDistrictSuperintendentwillmeetwithmetoreview.Thentherecommendationswillbepresentedtothecongregationinonelastconversation.
It'suptouswhatwedowiththeserecommendations,butknowthattheywillbebornoutofourworktogetherandtheywillofferusguidanceonhowwecanbestmoveforwardfor7iftymoreyearsofministryinthisoldcabbagepatch.
peace&blessings,
Eric
Birthdays & Anniversaries 2 Contact Information 2
Trustee Corner 3 Bishop Bard 4
50th Anniversary 3 Legacy 213 5
Stone Column 1 United Methodist Women 7
Spiritual Life Retreat 8 Birthday 7
Christian Education 6 Calendar 8 In t
his
Iss
ue
...
St . Luke ’s United Methodist
Church Mailing Address:
206 Scheurmann St.
Essexville, MI 48732
Telephone:
(989) 893-8031
Fax:
(989) 893-1026
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Office E-mail:
Pastor: Rev. Eric A. Stone
Church Accountant: Donna Gross
Christian Education Worker: Gloria Gonzales
Music Director: Melissa Rookus
Office Staff: Cora McKeon
Organist: Vicki Ahlberg-Ives
Webmaster: Sheila Good
A/V Coordinator: Andrew Felch
Contact Information
April Birthdays April Anniversaries 2 Paula Bruck
3 Andrew Behmlander
Mike Tacey, Sr.
4 Cassondra Green
5 Ted Lind, Jr.
10 Phyllis Parrent
11 Jenna Briggs-Lind
Jenny Cojeen
Phyllis Finn
12 Ron Batzer
13 Leslie Francke
17 Ruth Harvey
18 Stephanie Bruck
21 Owen Lewis
22 James Greshow
Kylie Hanley
Cindy Sinicki
25 Robert Davidson
Amanda VanTol
26 Madison Francke
Emri Lancaster
Barbara Meyer
April 4
Jordan & Marlon Lancaster
April 13
John & Marletta Gross
April 19
Jason & Tammy Sansburn
Finance Report
February Year to Date
Total Income: 38,046.70 Total Expenditures: 34,651.04
Net Income: 3,395.66
50th Anniversary
On Sunday, April 22, at 9:30 a.m. our Bishop Bard will be preaching during our worship service. We are privileged to have him come to our church. Please plan to attend. Our bell choir and chancel choir will be providing special music for that service.
Saturday, May 5 is the 50th anniversary of St. Luke's consecration. We will celebrate with an all church potluck at 5 p.m. Please come and bring your family. Former church members are also welcome. Please bring a side dish to share. A main dish, drinks, table service and cake will be provided. Following the potluck, a celebration will be held in the sanctuary. There will be music, video greetings from former pastors, and some surprises. You won't want to miss this!
Many thanks to our 50th anniversary planning committee for their ideas and hard work: Barb Bovee, Andrew Felch, Ruth Felch, Marty Gross, Sally Grunder, Ted Lind, Kelli Stojic, and Rev. Stone.
Trustee Corner
Trustees met on March 5th. Maintenance included repair of a leaking boiler circulating pump, replace-
ment of one sump pump and a float switch on the second after pump failure and flooding of the educa-
tion wing maintenance tunnel during the February thaw. Due to hazards, no unauthorized individuals are
to be allowed in the tunnels.
Other maintenance included a boiler restart, replacement of a flickering sanctuary light, less bright lights
in the office, dusting of upper areas in the sanctuary and social hall, anniversary banner put up, and win-
dows cleaned in back of sanctuary and social hall. We are aware and will address heat concerns in the
Pastor’s office and classroom 3.
It has been brought to our attention that food scraps are to be disposed of in the kitchen garbage dis-
posal and are not to be discarded in the trash. A sign has been placed near social room trash barrels as a
reminder.
We are moving ahead with a study to consider sale of one of the parsonages.
Please reserve Saturday April 21st for Spring Cleaning. There is work for everyone! Congregation help is
needed for dusting, washing windows, cleaning pews and chairs, and trimming and weeding landscape
at the Church and the Hart St parsonage. We want to have the Church looking good for your use, wor-
ship, and the upcoming Bishop’s visit.
Respectfully submitted.
Dan Morgan
Bishop David Alan Bard
On Sunday, April 22, 9:30 a.m. our Bishop will be preaching during our worship service. We are privileged to have him come to our church. Please plan to attend. Our bell choir and chancel choir will be providing special music for that service.
Bishop David Alan Bard was elected to the episcopacy in 2016 and assigned to the Michigan Area of The United Methodist Church where he currently serves as our resi-dent bishop. Prior to his election, Bishop Bard was a member of the Minnesota Conference where he served for over thirty years as a pastor and District Superinten-dent. His final appointment in Minnesota was as pastor of First United Methodist Church in Duluth, the communi-ty in which he grew up.
Bishop Bard is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Duluth (B.A. cum laude, philosophy and psychology), United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (M.Div.), and has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies, with a focus on Christian Ethics, from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX).
Bishop Bard married his wife Julie, also from Duluth, in 1982. Julie is a long-time educator currently teaching first grade in the Waverly School District. Bishop Bard and Julie have three children: David L. who works in the public sec-tor and is married to Christina, lives in St. Paul, MN; Elizabeth, an OB/GYN physician in Du-luth who is married to Michael; and Sarah who lives in Andover, MN is a physical thera-pist.
In his first sermon as bishop, Bishop Bard said that he wanted his time here in Michigan to be marked by joy, wisdom, love and hope. He is delighted to be working with Michigan United Methodists to make disciples of Jesus Christ so that the world may be trans-formed. When he is not working, Bishop Bard enjoys walking, reading, movies, music and just spending time with family.
What is a Legacy ¶213 Conversation? Churches today are at a crossroads in how we fruitfully and effectively share the message and love of Jesus Christ to transform lives, communities, and the world. Paragraph 213 of the 2016 United Methodist Book of Discipline describes a foundational process of discovering a congregation’s identity and mission field: “Since every congregation is located in a community in some type of
transition, every local church is encouraged to study their congregation’s potential.
Upon the request of the congregation the district superintendent shall appoint a study
task force to assist in an extensive study of the past, present, and potential ministry of
that local church.”
Why is it called a “Conversation”? Thoughtful conversation among leaders, like on-going prayer, leads us to understand what no one can explain. The conversation with each other and with God must be an ongoing act of congregational discernment, which has been described as “the intersection of God’s will, our passion, and the
community’s need.” The Legacy ¶213 process provides a container for meaningful conversation with the help of trained facilitators.
What are the expectations of the Legacy ¶213 Conversation? Every church and its mission field are unique, so the result of this conversation will be different for every congregation. The expectation is that this set of sacred conversations about potential will lead to a recommendation for the church to a next step. The foundational work discovered during the Crossroads Conversation is vital for any next steps that follow.
So, you are encouraged to engage in a conversation: dream, plan, create, engage, reflect, and begin again! What is discussed in a Legacy ¶213 Conversation? The discussion about potential asks some foundational ques-tions:
Who are we as a congregation?
Who is our neighbor?
What is Jesus Christ calling us to do in this season of the church’s life?
Groundwork Meeting: Legacy ¶213 Facilitators meet with the Pastor, the goal of the Groundwork Meeting is to outline the pro-cess, define the parameters of a Legacy ¶213 Conversation, and make assignments, so that both the Legacy ¶213 Facilitators and
larger congregation will be prepared for the conversations. Congregational Life Cycle: The goal of Meeting One is to help a congregation assess its current
situation using a common language so that discov-eries & discernment can be shared.
Church & community: Meeting Two is to identify the reality of the Church & community, and com-pare them to the congregation’s capacity and po-tential, so that the gap between reality and poten-
tial can be discovered and addressed.
Congregational Trajectory and Next Steps: The goal of Meeting Three is to guide the Legacy ¶213
Team in making recommendations so that the con-gregation can then live into Christ’s calling for the
Date: 4/9/2018
7 p.m.
Time and Date: TBD
Time and Date: TBD
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION PAGE
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen! What an awesome time. In this month of April as we celebrate the Easter season of joy and rebirth all around us. Hopefully, the weather is getting warmer and the earliest flowers are beginning to show their vibrant colors. All around us, we can see signs of the rebirth we celebrate in Easter. Other signs of the changing of the season are all the outdoor activities that are starting up again now that the weather is more cooperative with outdoor ac-tivities. Our church school continues with classes on Sunday morning beginning at 11 a.m. As we enter this time of spring ball practices and track events, let us not forget to take some time to worship the wonder around us.
Coming up in June, we will again be hosting Vacation Bible School. Our theme this year will be Rome – Paul and the Underground
Church, where we will learn what it was like to be one of the very first Christians. We will begin our exploration on Monday, June 18 and continue through Thursday, June 21. Please watch for more information about this exciting adventure.
Have you ever thought about going to camp close to home? The Michigan Area United Method-ist Camps have some possibilities. Lake Huron Retreat Center offers camping experiences for adults. There is a choir retreat weekend in September and God’s Treasure Camp for adults with mental and physical challenges in July and a Lakeshore Interlude for Seniors in August. For more information about these camping opportunities check out campgroundregistra‐
There is also family camping available at Myers Lake which has swim-ming, fishing, canoes, paddle and row boats, bikes, horseshoes, volley-ball, basketball, billiards, table tennis and video games. The campground has hook up RV’s and tents as well as family cabins. The campground is located 24 miles SW of Flint. Another location for fami-ly camping is the Lakeview Family Campground also has RV & tent hook up as well as family cabins. They have a half-mile of private Lake Michigan beach as well as a disc golf course and a prayer garden. Schol-arships are available for campers. If you are interested in applying, please see Gloria Gonzales for the forms.
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN NEWS
Our next scheduled meeting will be on April 11 at 6:30 p.m.
The April meeting of the United Methodist Women will be a fun event. We are planning a Mexican Pot-luck and game night. This is open to everyone in the church. Please join us for a fun night with good food and fun games.
The Spiritual Life Retreat will be on Friday and Saturday, April 27 and 28 at The Springs in Gladwin. There is a signup sheet on the United Methodist Women bulletin board or see Gloria Gonzales. The keynote speaker is Rev. Julie Yoder Elmore who has served in the Alaska Confer-ence and is currently serving in the West Michigan Conference.
On May 9 th the United Methodis t Women wi l l be host ing a Mother/Chi ldren dessert pot luck beginning at 7 p .m. Th is event i s open to every woman in the church . Program cha ir for th is event wi l l be Brenda Scraml in . P lease watch the bul le t in for addit ional infor-
mat ion .
Happy Birthday!!!
Shirley Beckrow will turn 94 on May 1st! If you would like to help 'shower' her with birth-day wishes, please send cards in care of:
Bay Medical Care Facility
564 W. Hampton Rd.
Essexville, MI 48732
*note-no room number necessary
Saginaw Bay District United Methodist Women
Spiritual Life Retreat Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29, 2017
“The Springs” in Gladwin, Mich.
Overnight: $85 per person
Registra�on opens at 4:00 p.m. Friday with free �me un�l dinner at 6 pm.
The retreat ends at 3:00 p.m. Saturday.
Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, and lunch are included in the registra�on fee.
“God Changes Everything ”
Speaker: Kelly Hull
A mother of four, Kelly has served in Praise and Worship leadership
for the past 15 years. She received her pastoral license through the
Assemblies of God. She currently serves as worship leader for the
"Yahdah" praise service at Good Shepherd UMC, Roscommon Michigan.
� Mee�ng in Retreat Center Chapel.
� Par�cipants are encouraged to dress comfortably.
� Bring a Bible, notebook and pen.
� Come enjoy fellowship, faith, fun, and food.
� Plan to sing, listen, talk, reflect, worship.
Su
n
Mo
n
Tu
e
We
d
Th
u
Fr
i S
at
1 Easter
9:30 a.m. W
orship
10:30 a.m. Fellow
ship
11:00 a.m. Sunday School
2 Do-All Cleaning day
12:00 p.m. Golden Friends-Turkey
Roost
7:30 p.m. Bell Choir
3 10:00 a.m. S&
S
5:00 p.m. Open Prayer
7:00 p.m. Taizé
F.A.
4
6:00 p.m. Church Council M
eeting
5
7:00 p.m. Choir Practice
N.A.
6 7 9:00
a.m.
U.M.M
. Breakfast
@
Krzysiak’s
7:00 p.m. N
.A.
8 9:30 a.m. W
orship
10:30 a.m. Fellow
ship
11:00 a.m. Sunday School
9 Do-All Cleaning day
7:30 p.m. Bell Choir –
tentative
10
10:00 a.m. S&
S
11:00 a.m. Staff M
eeting
5:00 p.m. Open Prayer
7:00 p.m. F.A.
11
6:30 p.m. U.M
.W. M
eeting
12
7:00 p.m. Choir Practice
N.A.
13 14 Keep M
aking Peace
7:00 p.m. N
.A.
15
9:30 a.m. W
orship
10:30 a.m. Fellow
ship
11:00 a.m. Sunday School
Coffee with the Pastor
16 Tax Day
Do-All Cleaning day
7:30 p.m. Bell Choir
17
10:00 a.m. S&
S
4:00 p.m. V
alley Scribes
5:00 p.m. Open Prayer
7:00 p.m. F.A.
18 New
sletter Deadline 19
7:00 p.m. Choir Practice
N.A.
20 21 District Conference
Spring Cleaning day
9:00 a.m
. U.M
.M.
Breakfast @
Krzysiak’s
10:00 a.m. Breakfast Book Club
7:00 p.m. N
.A.
22
9:30 a.m. W
orship-Bishop Bard
10:30 a.m. Fellow
ship
11:00 a.m. Sunday School
23 Do-All Cleaning day
7:30 p.m. Bell Choir
24
10:00 a.m. S&
S
11:00 a.m. Staff M
eeting
5:00 p.m. Open Prayer
7:00 p.m. F.A.
25 Administrative Professional Day
26
7:00 p.m. Choir Practice
N.A.
27 28
7:00 p.m. N
.A.
29
9:30 a.m. W
orship
10:30 a.m. Fellow
ship
11:00 a.m. Sunday School
30 Do-All Cleaning day
7:30 p.m. Bell Choir
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church 206 Scheurmann Essexville, MI 48732
Return Service Requested
T U V W X Y T W Z [ Z \ . ] ^ _
Phone: (989) 893-8031
Fax: (989) 893-1026
E-mail: [email protected]
Our Vision – Nurturing the world with God’s love.
Our Mission – Called by God to reach out and welcome all.
Open
Prayer
Tuesdays
between 5 & 7 p.m.
Keep Making Peace
The16thAnnualKeepMakingPeaceisSaturday,April14,2018,9:00am-4:00p.m.at
UniversityUnitedMethodistChurch,1120SouthHarrison
Road,EastLansing.Thethemeis“SharingGod’sGraceinPeri-
lousTimes.”Keynotersforthedayareinternationallyre-
nownedBibleteacher,theRev.GraceImathiuofCommunity
UMC,Naperville,IllinoisandDr.MiguelA.DeLaTorre,Profes-
sorofSocialEthicsandLatinxStudiesatIliffSchoolofTheolo-
gy.ProfessorDeLaTorrewilladdressthequestion,“CanPeace-
makersOverturntheTemple’sTables?”Workshopleadersare
Dr.CharlesBallard,MichiganStateUniversity,(“OvercomingIn-
comeandWealthInequality”)andtheRev.BillWylie-Kellerman,UnitedMethodistpastor
andnon-violentcommunityactivist(“ThePoorPeople’sCampaigninMichigan”).
“BlessedarethePeacemakers”isahighcalling.HowdoChristianpeacemakerspractice
theGoodNewsofJesusChristincongregationspolarizedbypartisanpolitics?Howcan
localleadersandpastorsgetthegospelheard,believed,andlived?Registrationwillbe
$35perpersonor$90percarload,studentsarefree.Forarideormoreinformationcon-
tactRev.Stone.