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Open Hearts . Open Minds. Open Doors
Dear friends, We are safely back in Paw Paw after a beautiful vacation in Scotland, the land of my birth and the place where most of my family live. My parents who live in South Africa joined us there for what was the biggest gathering of our family ever. We reconnected with aunts, uncles and cousins and met others for the first time. It had been 29 years since I saw my cousins before this trip and we parted vowing to never let that happen again. This was the first time that Susan, Natalie and Cameron got to meet my family in Scotland. As they listened to the stories told by my aunt Irene, uncle Graham, my cousins and their kids; they came to learn more of their own stories. They came to know a little more of the stories that have shaped my identity and therefore their own. We are all story shaped people. When we respond to God's prevenient grace working in our lives and become disciples of Jesus Christ, we become part of a larger family whose story is shaped by the Gospel. The prophet Isaiah calls Israel to " Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you"(Isaiah 51:1-2). The genealogies in the Bible remind God's people of their roots in creation and their destiny in the Creator's plan (Matthew 1:1-25). In his book "A Brief History of Christianity" Carter Lindberg, Professor Emeritus of Church History at Boston University, says that "Christian identity is clearly stated in the historical shorthand of the Christian creeds that confess faith in the historical person of Jesus Christ who was born, suffered and died." Christians, in Lindberg's words " put a unique spin on this history when they confess that this his-torical Jesus is also the historic Christ who was raised from the dead and who return to complete history." As Christians then, we are a unique community of believers whose identity is formed by both the historical past and the historical future. Christian identity then is rooted in history. How many times have you heard complaints about "the young people of today"? Are you one who complains about " the young people of today" and their lack of a Christian iden-tity? If I had a dollar for each time I have heard this, even in my short time in Paw Paw..........
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C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A S T O R ’ S P A G E
The only way to shape young people as a community of Christian disciples is to connect with them and
tell them the stories of God's activity in the world and in their lives.
How can we expect children to know their story, to know their place in the history of God's activity in
the world if we, as older adults, won't tell them the stories of Jesus?
Friends since my arrival here you have told me how important children's ministry is to you. We have new
Sunday school materials coming that will enable Sunday school for kindergarten through 6th grade to be
held in one room. Requests have been made for volunteer faith mentors to help lead Sunday school but
unfortunately no one has responded up to the time of my writing these words.
Please, if you claim to take your faith seriously, especially if you are one of those who lament the lack of
a Christian identity or ethic in today's young people, step forward and be one of a team of faith mentors.
You don't have to have teaching experience and our goal is to have enough people so that you will only
have to lead one Sunday per month.
Diane Grimm and I look forward to hearing from you soon, our materials are on the way and our open
house is Sept 8.
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling.
Please answer his call.
Peace be with you.
Pastor Trevor
Hello,
As, you may or may not remember, I took on the project of fundraisers a couple of years ago. I felt at the
time that we needed to find ways to make a little money for our general budget. I think it simply needed
someone who likes to plan and organize¸& I do.
So, for the fall, I need to know if the congregation is willing and ready to begin the community soup &
salad dinners. The plan is to hold them in October & November, skip December & resume them for Janu-
ary, February & March. We held them on the 2nd Saturday of each month as it did not conflict with the
other churches in town.
As always, we already assist the Men’s group at the Swiss Steak Dinner, which this year is scheduled for
September 27th. So keep your calendars open so we can have plenty of help. More hands make the
work easier on all.
Some other areas I have thought about are:
A winter craft show with bake sale.
Shirts that have the Methodist logo on it.
That’s all I can think of for now, but would love any suggestion you may have. So, call me or leave me a
note.
Thanks to all
Betty Shafer
(269) 207-7776
Information Update
Please use the yellow sheets you have been given (or
take one from the foyer table) to update your infor-
mation and provide birth dates! Thank you! ~L
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Hello to all,
Wow, can you believe it, by the time you read this it will be September and we will be headed into what I
have a feeling will be a really busy fall.
I am happy to announce that we have a new custodian, you all know David Wareman. He joined our staff
last week. Please make him feel welcome to this position. If you have a question or concern, you can leave
him or I a note in our mail box.
Spring and summer was real busy for the trustees and many others as we completely cleaned, painted and
made repairs to the parsonage. All was in preparation for Pastor Trevor and his family to join our church. My
thanks to everyone who assisted in this, project as their home is very nice and welcomed them here. Our last
expense, we hope for awhile, is we had to replace the washer, & that was done this week.
Your board has a couple more projects we need to complete before fall sets in too hard. First, we need to
trim bushes and some of the trees. I will be announcing a date for this in the near future and would appreciate
some extra help from the congregation. If you have a chain saw, hedge trimmers or can haul brush, we can use
your help.
Second, we need to restripe the parking lot. Currently it is almost impossible to see where one should
park. This will likely be a Saturday morning in order to get help from those that work during the week. We
have purchased the stripe machine and the cans of paint to make it easier. If we can get several people to help
who have gas blowers, it will speed the process of getting the dirt off the asphalt. Stay tuned for a date.
I struggle when I write these as I am always asking for help for another project in the church or at the par-
sonage. Unfortunately, it is never ending; there is always something that needs to be worked on. If you were
in church on August 18th, you heard an excellent sermon from Rev. Sandra Reynolds. The message I took
home, is this church belongs to all of us. We all need to step up to the plate and pitch in. Do you have a pas-
sion or something you would like to take ownership for, please let me know? It can be as small or as large as
you want it to be.
I will close on that note and hope to hear from you with a new idea or plan for the church. Remember,
you will never be alone in anything you choose to do, unless of course you want to be. Thank you & may God
bless I will close on that note and hope to hear from you with a new idea or plan for the church. Remember,
you will never be alone in anything you choose to do, unless of course you want to be. Thank you & may God
bless you.
Betty Shafer
Trustee Chairperson
Important Tidbits:
*October newsletter items need to be into Lori by Sept. 19
*Please wear your name tag on Sunday morning and if you need one, sign the sheet on
the name tag rack.
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Remember our Shut-ins with a card or visit:
Parker Assisted Living (Mattawan) - Kay Bush
White Oaks Asst. Living: Evelyn Falan
Cass City Medical Facility (Cassopolis): Elsie Fleming
Maple Lake Asst. Living: Bruce & Jean Dahms
Those at home: Donna Hickok, Pat Cutshaw, Miriam Cronk, Norma Stull, Ruth Barrett
Aaron Bloomfield Jonathan Goodrich Tim Reese Willard Wingate
Kyle & Joshua Earl Scott Wayman Shane DeHuff Calvin Bright
Byron Blasky Juston Kuch David Kirby David Paul
Donald Meijer James Weingate Jeff Johnson Jeff Shilts
Rob Willsea Rob Richard Baker Jason & Tasha Shafer
Todd Christensen Keaton Nielsen Michael Gower
Rondy Carpenter Gerry Tapper
Jackie Ploof Kevin Linder Howard Carpenter
Dee Allen Kolby Nelson
Evelyn Falan Ruth Barrett
Charlie & Leah Moses George Mabey (Carol Pearce’s father)
Ginger (Dave Wareham’s Sister) Judy Kolb (Lisa Latterner’s mother)
Dear Paw Paw Methodist Church & Family,
On behalf of the Van Buren County Habitat for Humanity, I would like to thank
you for your generous donation of Swiss Steak dinner for our food booth at the
2013 Van Buren Youth Fair. Our customers really enjoyed this meal. We re-
ceived many compliments.
Fundraises like the fair food booth is one of the ways we achieve our mission’s
goal. We appreciate your support of our mission to provide affordable housing
and in doing so build a better community for all.
Sincerely, Phyllis Allen
Everyone is a Minister
We would like to invite you to minister to our children through working in teams of two
for the children’s Sunday School program starting this fall. If you are willing to help out
on a rotation basis, please call the church office and leave your name with Lori or
Barb.
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9/02 - Mary Hassing
9/02 - Gaye Kelly
9/04 - Rita Brennan
9/06 - Jackie Ploof
9/09 - Beverly Reshman
9/11- Duane Dehuff
9/12 - Phil Gist
9/17 - Arnold Harvey
9/20 - Doug Lombard
9/23 - Jeani Boutell
9/25 - Allison Wilton
9/26 - Courtney Wilton
9/26 - Camille Huss
9/30 - Virginia Snell
9/30 - Casey Van Brussel
September Sermons September 1st~Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Message: “Who Should be at the table?”
Scripture: Jeremiah 2:4-13, Luke 14:1, 7-14 (sermon focus), and
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
September 8th-Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
(Community Worship service at Wine and Harvest Festival)
September 15th-Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Message: “That Lost Feeling”
Scripture: Jeremiah 4:11-12;22-28, Luke 15:1-10 (sermon focus)
September 22nd~Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Message: “Holy Tears”
Scripture: Jeremiah 8:18—9:1 (sermon focus), Luke 16:1-13
September 29th~Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Message: “A Hallelujah Life)
Scripture: Luke 16:19-31, Psalm 146 (Sermon focus)
Dear Paw Paw UMC,
We thank you all for the gifts and food and the openhouse. It was wonderful to experience the warmth and love expressed. We appreciate all of you and
will miss you . In Christ,
Joe & Nona
HarvestFest
Community Worship Service
September 8, 2013
Lake front Pavilion
10:30 a.m.
Pastor Trevor will be
preaching
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Hospitality Liturgy Greeters Ushers/
*Communion
Stewards
Nursery Date
Terri Jones 9/1*
Tricia & Becky Terri Jones 9/15
Terri Jones 9/22
9/29 Terri Jones
Tuesday, October 8th at 6:30 p.m.
At Copper Grill Restaurant.
Winter Collection for CIS Kids
Bring socks, slippers, hats, and mittens for
CIS kids.
It’s time to start thinking about fall! September marks the beginning of the school
year and a return to regular worship. It’s time to start thinking about how you
want to be involved in the life of our church. Perhaps you would like to help with
Sunday school. Maybe you’d like to be a liturgist and help lead the service.
Do you like to be creative? One of the ways you can express creativity is by creating the power points
for Sunday worship or navigating them. There are lots of opportunities to get involved! We need YOU!
Think about how you would like to help and keep an eye out in the newsletter and bulletins for upcom-
ing volunteer opportunities. Prayerfully consider giving your time to Christian Education, being on a
committee or being a worship leader. Don’t hold back and wait to be asked, step up and take the lead!
We are a family. I grew up in this very church. We’ve shared many things over the years and I learned
so much from you. Now it is my honor to give back and serve you as your music director. You’ve heard it
takes a village to raise a child; well, it takes a congregation to run a church and grow disciples.
In Christian Love,
Chris Mortimer
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It’s hard to believe school is starting again for our students! We are truly ex-
cited about the new families that are joining our “family” here at PPUMCC!
Please keep our center staff and families in your prayers as we transition to a new
school year. We wish our school-age students much success with their new year
also.
The center is hosting a “family fun” event on Sunday, September 8 on the front
lawn of the church. A free hot dog lunch will be served starting at 12:00 noon.
We will also have a bounce castle available for the children to play in. Bring your
family and lawn chairs and join us for a great spot to view the parade at 1:00. We
will have the bounce castle open after the parade for the children to enjoy. If you
would like to provide cookies for the lunch, please drop them off at the church of-
fice sometime the week of September 1-7th.
We welcome volunteers at the center. Please contact me if you are interested in
this ministry with our little ones!
Diane Grimm, Director
Childcare wish list…
Glue sticks
Washable markers-primary & bold colors
5” Fiskars kid scissors
Small bottles of school glue (1.25 oz. & 4 oz. sizes)
Large crayons (preschool size)
Play-doh-primary colors
Masking tape
Goldfish crackers and veggie straws
100% juice
Select-a-size paper towels
Disinfecting wipes
Baby wipes
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United Methodist Men
Swiss Steak Dinner
Friday, Sept. 27th
Smart911 Smart911 is a free service that allows citizens across the
U.S. to create a Safety Profile for their household that includes
any information they want 9-1-1 to have in the event of an
emergency. Then, when anyone in that household dials 9-1-1
from a phone associated with their Safety Profile, their profile is
immediately displayed to the 9-1-1 call taker providing addi-
tional information that can be used to facilitate the proper re-
sponse to the proper location.
At a time when you may be panicked, or unable to communi-
cate, or it could be unsafe to communicate, Smart911 ensures
that the details you would need to tell 9-1-1 are immediately
available in the event you cannot verbally provide them.
Go to Smart911.com to sign up.
Choir & Bell Rehearsals begin:
Wednesday, September 4th
JuBELLation will meet from 6-
7:15 p.m.
(anyone interested in ringing hand-bells is welcome to join)
Chancel choir will meet from 7:30—8:30 p.m.
Come join in the fun and fellowship!
**Do you want to ring but don’t know how or don’t know music?
That’s o.k. We’ll teach you!
Give it a try!
Paw Paw Community Chorus Begins
Rehearsals…
The Paw Paw Community Chorus, spon-
sored by the Paw Paw High School
Choirs, will be accepting new members
for the 14th Annual Christmas Concert
Through September 30ths. The chorus
meets at 7 p.m. on Monday nights
starting September 9th at the First Pres-
byterian Church in Paw Paw. If you have
any questions, please contact:
Bill Buhl (269.716-0318)
Gretchen Hudeck (269.668-2059)
Or
Theresa Vaughn (269.668-4631)
4:30 —7:00 p.m.
Tickets: Adults: $9
Ages 3-12: $3
Ages under 3 and over
90 —Free.
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Paw Paw United Methodist Church
420 W. Michigan Ave.
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Paw Paw United Methodist Church
420 W. Michigan Avenue
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Phone: (269) 657-7727 Fax: (269) 657-7728
E-mail: [email protected]
Or
Website: www.pawpawumc.com
Pastor: Trevor McDermont
Childcare: Terri Jones
Organist/Pianist: Kim Hatfield
Chancel & Bell Choir Director: Chris Mortimer
Monthly Committee Meetings-
United Methodist Men– Sept. 8th @ American Legion
Ad Council—Sept. 12th at 7:00 p.m.
Trustees– Sept. 10 th at 7:00 p.m.
UM Childcare Ministry– Sept. 3, 6:30 p.m.
Please Join us on Sunday:
Fall Schedule begins Sept. 15
9:30 Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Fall Worship