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CHURCH COMMUNITY NEWSLETTERA Bi-Weekly Publication – Issue Date: March 3rd, 2015
St. Matthew’s United Methodist ChurchThomas Hoffmann, Pastor
Jose Estrada, Associate Pastor
Our Vision Statement: To enable our family of believers to lead our community to Jesus Christ Through love and the sharing of God’s Word and to be an inviting refuge of comfort.
Dear Friends,
Have you noticed our outdoor marquis recently? It is now displaying one of the most amazing things! One of our announcements reads,
INGLES BASICOMARTES6:00 PMGRATIS
Nope, there’s nothing misspelled here! It’s simply Spanish for:
BASIC ENGLISHTUESDAYS
6:00 PMNO COST
Notice that we didn’t advertise, “SE HABLA ESPAÑOL” (“We Speak Spanish”). Instead, we just spoke it! Notice we didn’t advertise our worship services using Spanish; rather, we knew of a need that many first generation Hispanics have—the need to learn basic English—and we are trying to meet that need by offering free classes.
In other words, we’re just trying to be more of the church to more of the neighborhood.Our outdoor sign talks about Boy Scouts. Our outdoor sign talks about community meals. Our outdoor sign talks about meeting people’s needs. And, yes, our outdoor sign even talks about worship. In all of this, our outdoor sign has become a sign from God. A sign from God to us that we are being faithful with what happens inside our walls. A sign from God to our neighbors that there is a group of people called “St. Matthew’s UMC” that loves them and cares for them.
And this is just another reason why, as one of your pastors, I continue to be . . . .Blessed Beyond Belief!
Pastor Thomas
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Average Worship Attendance – 2014 & 2015
Average Mission Outpost - Attendance – 2014-2015
NEWSLETTER DEADLINEThe deadline to submit articles for the
March 17th, 2015, newsletter is Monday March 16th.
Please send articles to the church at [email protected] and be sure to copy [email protected]
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November 87 Feb. 95 May August NovemberDecember 108 March June September DecemberJanuary 99 April July October
November 52 Feb. 42 May August NovemberDecember 57 March June September DecemberJanuary 48 April July October
Good News from the Pantry Our Food Pantry is still in very good shape.There has been a drop in requests and a number of generous donations so ourPantry is very well stocked for the present.
Thank all of you who have been so generous!
Barbara McDowell
IT’S BREAKFAST TIME ON: SUNDAY, MARCH 15TH
Hungry for pancakes? Biscuits & sausage gravy? Cheesy scrambled eggs? French toast? Come on down! The VIM Team will be serving their down-home, freshly-made breakfast on Sunday, March 15th. Your favorites will be hot and ready for you from 7:30-9 a.m. The VIM Team wants to thank you for your support. They’re going on another tornado recovery mission in the OKC area in April. Meet you at the breakfast table!The VIM Team
March Birthdays 6 –Deanna Rocha 22-Kaleb Schneider10- Ann Marie Boyce 22-Barbara Patterson 16-Alon Soderfelt 23-Brona Kimbrel 17-Larry Boyce 30-Noah McCammon 18-Jim Kimbrel 30-Deanna Peterson
If you want your birthday listed in the newsletter, contact Alon at 622-7006
April Birthdays 16th Tracy Duggan
If you want your birthday listed in the newsletter, contact Alon at 622-7006
Ronald McDonald House – March 26th
These ladies will furnish main dishes Alon Soderfelt and Suzanne Pfeifer. Desserts will be furnished by Vicky Hime and Virgie Bachelder. Thank you to these ladies.
If you would like to furnish dishes for Ronald McDonald House, please call Joyce Hargrove. 918-437-0173. I need people to furnish dishes for June
Sarah’s Circle
We are studying the book, The Power of a Positive Woman. We welcome anyone who would like to join us for Bible Study and refreshments Tuesday mornings at 9:30 in the Parlor.
Jeanine Keller
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through October.
Matthew 18:21-22 “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”
Please continue to pray for healing for those who are once again fighting allergies, flu, virus, colds, and pneumonia, bronchitis, and ear infections. My dear friend Billie’s son in-law had a stroke and really needs our prayers.
Deanna Rocha is asking for prayers for a friend who is having surgery for heart valve replacement. She is also asking prayers for her friend who had foot surgery and is still in lots of pain.
Barbara and Nancy’s cousin in California lost their son in a car accident. Pray for peace and comfort in their time of bereavement.
Continue praying for Joy Barkat.
Jeanine Keller’s sister had her knee surgery and needs prayers for continued recovery.
Alon Soderfelt would appreciate continued prayers for her friend Kraig.
The Hime’s son-in-law Guy could use our continued prayers.
Kaylee Ferrell is suffering from a growth behind her eyes. Please pray for freedom from pain and the preservation of her eye sight.
CONTINUED PRAYERS Elinor Bartleson’s niece and family, Del & Sharon Gatzke, June Vannoy’s cousin, BJ Moore, Deanna Peterson, Richard Bachelder’s friend, Sharon Polliard’s friends, Mary Saville, Nancy Hoffman's mother Helen, Deanna Rocha's friends Peggy Dorsey, Becky Powers and parents, David Wilson, Ann Marie Boyce's brother Eric, Gordon Godfrey, Bud Loveless' daughter Karen, Barbara Patterson and her son, Jarrod, and his family and for the sale of Barbara’s house, and Andrea Laney's mother Vivian Michaels. BEREAVEMENT – Barbara Youngblood, Nancy Wilson and families in the loss of their mother Gladys Robertson. Ann Marie Boyce and family in the loss of her mother, Louise Pridey. Mike Arnold's mother, Sherry Tolbert and family in the loss of Mike's step-father.Family of Faye Miller.
Yours in God’s loveBarbara Roderick
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UMW Calendar All women at St. Matthew's are invited to any UMW events. Most meetings are the 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:30. Child care and rides are available upon request.
Women’s Fellowship March 19 th Join your sisters of faith on Thursday, March 19th at 6:30pm as we enjoy an evening of food, fun & fellowship! Andrea Laney will share with us her hobby of making 3-dimensional greeting cards. They are fabulous – you won’t want to miss her ‘show ‘n tell’. Nancy Hoffmann and Ann Marie Boyce will be the hostesses. If you need a ride or a sitter, please call Jan Colvin 918-252-2919 or Ann Marie Boyce 918-438-1622.
UPCOMING UNITED METHODIST WOMEN EVENTS
Saturday, March 28 Spiritual Day Apart 9:20 - 11:30 a.m. at Christ UMC
Saturday, April 11 Earth Day Event 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. at Centenary UMC
Friday, April 24-26 Spiritual Growth Retreat at Canyon Camp
Saturday, May 2 St. Matthew’s Annual Spring Tea at 11:00 a.m.
Sarah’s Circle
We have a good selection of books to read for the 2015 UMW Reading program. There are 5 categories, and listed after the category is a book or books we have available for you to check out and read.
Education for Mission: Chasing ChaosLeadership Development: Sum it up and Tough CookiesNurturing for Community: January First & Vicious
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Social Action: Kind of KinSpiritual Growth: Finding God in a Bag of Groceries
Jeanine Keller
Youth Schedule
Saturday March 14th Volunteer Food BankBe at church by 8:30am
EAT BEFORE YOU GET TO CHURCH!!WE WILL NOT BREAK TO EAT BEFORE NOON!!
Again, I love you guys, but we go through this every time so again please,EAT SOMETHING BEFORE YOU GET TO CHURCH.
Sunday March 22nd Youth Mission Trip Fund Raiser LunchThis will be our Edible Auction also
This will be right after the 2nd service and will end around 2:00.If you are going on the mission trip, plan to attend.
Saturday April 18th Youth Garage Sale8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
This is a Mission Trip Fund Raiser. Put it on your calendar and arrange to be here at your scheduled work time.
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BOOK FAIR SCHEDULEDThe book fair will be held Friday and Saturday June 12th & 13th. I already have the paper grocery bags I will need for Saturday’s sale and also plenty of plastic bags. What I will need are workers to help set up and take down, i.e. put away the books. I plan to start setting up Tuesday, June 9th. Knowing your alphabet will qualify you to help, also strong muscles would be helpful. We are accepting donations any time, but if you can keep your books, CDs, magazines until May that would be helpful. If you need help getting your items to church let me know [email protected] or phone # 918-622-7006. If you have any questions, please contact me. The proceeds of the book fair will be used to replace at least 5 padded, folding chairs for the Fellowship Hall, with the remaining money being divided between Spot 31 and the General Fund. Thanks, Alon
Yarn “markers” removed from chairsAbout a month ago I went through most of the folding chairs in the Fellowship Hall since I knew some needed to be repaired or cleaned. Dr. Mike took some home to repair. I marked them with small pieces of yarn at the bottom rung of the chairs—that way I could identify the ones that needed cleaning at a glance. I noticed last Sunday (2/8) a wad of the yarn was lying on a shelf in the Fellowship hall. Apparently someone, not knowing why the chairs were marked, removed them. So, if you see yarn on the chair rungs, please leave it there. I hopefully will get the upholstery on these chair seats or backs cleaned soon. Thanks. Alon
Sixties Plus
March 21st is our 60+ gathering. Robert Stage, Bud Loveless and Barbara Roderick are hosting this event. It was decided to go out to eat at 12:00 noon at the Osaka restaurant (Chinese food), located at 81st between Garnett and 169 - on the south side of the street. This is the restaurant where they prepare your meal right in front of you - very entertaining and delicious. We can have a private room. The callers will be contacting you to get the count so we can make reservations. Anyone who is 60 and over is welcome. Just contact Barbara McDowell at 918/622-1790 or Barbara Roderick at 918/665-3247. Hope to see you all there.
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Coming Events
March 15th VIM Breakfast 7:30-9:00 a.m.March 21st 60+ LuncheonMarch 28th Work Day at St. Matthew’sMarch 29th Palm SundayMarch 29th Neighborhood Spring Celebration
Work Day at St. Matthew’s Saturday, March 28th is our annual Spring house cleaning! Be watching for more details as we get closer to the date. There’s a task for everyone’s availability.
Spring CelebrationSunday March 29th after the Palm Sunday services, we’ll be inviting the neighborhood to fun, food and fellowship. This will be a great time to welcome our neighboors and then invite them back to our Easter service!
Coffee Bar Snacks
Mar 8 Andrea Laney
Mar 15 Virgie Bachelder
Mar 22 Del Gatzke
If you would like to sign up to bring the snacks, the sign-up list is on the wall in the Adult Sunday School hall. You will need to bring approximately 4 dozen. We appreciate your service.
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Mission Opportunities
VIM Team 15-102, trip to Bolivia on June 13 to 21 is looking for a dentist and ophthalmologist. For more information contact Rochelle Caudill [email protected]
My Heart's Appeal
Ebola Crisis - Fighting Fear and DespairBy Arthur W. Richardson
By now, the news has changed its focus to events other than the continuing Ebola crisis in Liberia. Over 3,000 have died. The US 101st Airborne Division has returned from building up to 17 non-permanent Ebola treatment units (ETUs), and training between 200-300 healthcare workers per week. But the greatest enemy to be faced in Liberia is fear and despair.
Lovetie Major, member of Church of the Servant and CEO of My Heart’s Appeal, led a relief effort to provide sanitizers and foodstuffs to 99 clients and their families, as well as faculty and staff. Local TV stations reported on the 3 dozen volunteers who assembled the donated goods into grocery bags. Each family unit received 13 pounds of sanitizers and a slightly heavier bag of food. Add on the 25 lb. bag of rice and the faucet buckets and the total shipment weighed just over 2.5 tons! While expenditures were kept within budget, scarcity and inflation has raised the price of rice in Liberia leaving a shortfall of $750 for the project.
In the meantime, My Heart’s Appeal has also submitted its application for status in The Advance of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. If MHA qualifies, they will be able to receive funds from United Methodists all over the USA. The announcement should come in January, 2015.
VIM Team
Hope this letter finds you well and growing in the power and promise of God’s love. Chuck Rettig (pastor VIM Team Leader at Holdenville) and I will be leading a Volunteer in Mission team to Bethlehem, Israel / Palestine and Mar Elias Educational Institutions in the Galilee June 8-21, 2015 and need your help. We are recruiting a combination team with a focus on doing a medical mission possibly in Zibabdeh. Depending on whom God sends our way, there are a number of things we can do. We can help with needs at a nearby refugee camp. We can also help with maintenance, light construction and administrative needs at the Bethlehem Bible College and Mar Elias Educational Institutions in the Galilee. There are children’s ministries through the Library and Christian ministries close by that need volunteers to show the love of Christ to persons with various handicapping conditions. If God leads you to go, there is a place where you can serve and make a Christian difference. If you are interested in learning more, go to http://www.okumcministries.org/vim/VIMNEW/Files/Israel_Pal_TeamLetter15.pdf.
VIM Team Leader Training
2015 Team Training OKVIM Team Leader Training is coming up. If you are planning a spring or summer mission now is the time to attend! February 21, Owasso UMC, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. To register go to
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http://www.okumcministries.org/vim/Team_Training.htm.
TOGETHER, WE REACH CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED DEVASTATION IN THE WAKE OF DISASTER.
When disaster strikes around the globe—Haiti’s 2010 earthquake or Hurricane Sandy of 2012—so many watching the drama unfold on our living room televisions feel entirely helpless. How could any one person make a difference in the wake of such widespread devastation? As responders around the globe scramble to help survivors, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, UMCOR, is prepared to act.
So don’t be fooled by the word committee. Since 1940, when UMCOR’s forerunner was established to meet the needs of those suffering overseas at the onset of World War II, we’ve continued to respond to those in desperate need—today throughout more than eighty countries around the world. The response of UMCOR isn’t something “they” do; it’s something “we” do.
When You Give You Equip Christ’s Body to Serve in His Name
That’s because your generous giving to One Great Hour of Sharing is what allows UMCOR to act as the arms and legs of Christ’s church, moving toward the most vulnerable in their darkest days. Convinced that all people have God-given worth and dignity—without regard to race, religion or gender—together we are assisting those impacted by crisis or chronic need.
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Because you give, the United Methodist Church’s compassionate response to human suffering continues today:
One Great Hour of Sharing Sunday is March 15, 2015 – continued
When tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma, we responded When children in Zimbabwe lost parents to AIDS, we responded When a massive tsunami devastated lives in Japan, we responded And when the next mass crisis occurs, we will be prepared to respond
UMCOR will be able to offer aid in Jesus’ name to those who suffer because United Methodists give through One Great Hour of Sharing. In fact, it’s your generous giving that allows us to respond when disaster strikes. Not “they.” We.
Ensure the United Methodist Church Can Keep HelpingWill you continue to give to One Great Hour of Sharing? Will you continue to meet the needs of the children, families and communities who’ve experienced devastation in the wake of disaster? When we meet the needs of those who suffer we actually minister to Jesus, who said:
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“I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.” (Mt. 25:35-36, CEB)As we respond, we recognize Jesus in those who are reeling in the wake of disaster. Please prayerfully consider giving on March 15. –Deanna Rocha, Mission Chair
St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church12424 E. 31st StreetTulsa, OK 74146-2202 (918-622-8703)E-mail address: [email protected] Website: stmatts.us
INSIDE THIS ISSUEMission Outpost 2 Prayers 4Birthdays 3 Events 7-8Breakfast 3 Ronald
McDonald3
Church Rolls 2 *Sarah Circle 3Food Pantry 3 *UMW 5Pastor Message 1 Youth 6
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