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MARCH

2016

Volume 40

Issue 3

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Wood River FUMC

PO Box 35

1105 Main Street

Wood River, NE 68883

Office Phone: (308) 583-2716

Office Email:

office@woodriverumc.org

Website:

Office Hours:

Mon – Thurs: 8:00 - 1:00

Alda FUMC

PO Box 11

202 East Pine Street

Alda, NE 68810

Church Phone: (308) 381-7008

Pastor: Philip Sloat

Cell Phone: (308) 383-2512

Home Phone: (308) 583-2552

Email:

psloat@greatplainsumc.org

World Day of Prayer 1

Pastoral Notes, Parish Nurse, Senior Recognition, L3 Groups 2

One Great Hour of Sharing, Midnight Madness, MYF Pancake Feed 3

Alda Community Benefit, UMM, Salad Supper, UMW, Thank You 4

Holy Week Schedule 5

Calendar 6

Birthdays & Anniversaries, Food Pantry Thank You 7

Wheel of Faith, Alda Pancake Feed, Sermon Series, Meet & Eat 8

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 2016 Women, men and children in more than 170 countries and regions will celebrate World Day of Prayer, Friday, March 4, 2016. This year, the women of the WDP Committee of Cuba call us into wor-ship considering the words “Receive children, receive me.” With these words as backdrop, we are invited to learn about Cuba’s history and rich cultural diversity. The women of Cuba share their stories of tradition, intergenerational wisdom and experiences of God’s profound love and acceptance. Through the worship service, we learn of Jesus’ profound teaching of acceptance as he states, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God be-longs” (Mk. 10:14–15). As we listen to the women of Cuba throughout the worship ser-vice, we are invited to wholly receive others, as Jesus calls us, into the kingdom of God.

This year’s service will be held on Friday, March 4, 1:00 PM at First United Methodist Church in Wood River.

Invite your friends, family and communities of faith to join the women of Cuba in prayer and song to support ecumenical efforts toward justice, peace, healing and whole-ness. The annual offering supports to work of World Day of Prayer USA and helps meet the needs of families in Cuba and around the world who are victims of many forms of poverty, violence and injustice. World Day of Prayer is a worldwide ecumenical movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year on the first Friday in March. World Day of Prayer was founded on the idea that prayer and action are inseparable in the service of God’s realm. Services begin at sunrise in the Pacific and follow the sun across the globe on the day of celebration. Each year a differ-ent country’s committee serves as writers of the World Day of Prayer worship service. For more information, contact Susie Powell, 583-2075.

Page 2

PASTORAL NOTES “Then [Jesus] took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘See, we are going

up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the

prophets will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and

he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. After they have flogged him,

they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.’ But they understood

nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was

said.”—Luke 18:31-34

This is the third time that Jesus has told the disciples what is about to happen to him. They do not; in

fact, they cannot comprehend what he is saying. Their expectations of Jesus, their master and teacher, are

quite different. They foresee a grand and glorious future for Jesus and for themselves as his disciples. They do

not understand that the glorification of Jesus will come through his crucifixion and resurrection.

Even though we are familiar with the story, I believe that we also struggle to fully comprehend what

Jesus accomplished and why it was necessary. This is why we need to retell the story every year. During Holy

Week, beginning with Palm/Passion Sunday on March 20 and concluding with Easter on March 27, we re-

member the dramatic events of the final week of Jesus’ life. By going to Gethsemane and Golgotha we bear

witness to the depth of Jesus love for us, that he was willing to lay down his life for us. Then, on the third day,

as the sun rises, we join with all creation as we celebrate the rising of the Son!

Please pull out the schedule of our Holy Week services and be sure to join us for at least one of the spe-

cial services—Maundy Thursday at Alda and/or Good Friday at Wood River. The joy of Easter is even sweet-

er after praying with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and hearing his cry of desolation from the cross on

Friday.

God bless you and yours during this season of Lent.

PARISH NURSE -

Mary Bilslend Getting prepared to

face March and looking at the calendar I found this is both colorec-tal cancer awareness month and also brain injury awareness month. These are both big topics and very pertinent to all of us. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cause of can-cer in the United States and second leading cause of death from cancer. This type cancer affects all racial and ethnical groups and most often found in people 50 years and over. However, 6 out of 10 deaths from this cancer could be prevented with regular screen-ings. For this reason, it is important that we encourage people to be screened. It is also helpful to eat your fruits and vegetables, ex-ercise regularly and stop smoking if you do smoke. More than 2 million Americans suffer from a brain injury every year. Some of those are from sports concussions. But brain injuries do not discriminate. They can happen to anyone at any time, any where. The goal at this time is early and equal access to care for all It is important to be aware that kids with concussions may have a long and emotional recovery process. Parents, teachers and coaches need to be aware of this. Both physical and cognitive rest is needed. With proper acute care, therapeutic rehabilitation, and ade-quate long term supports, many live successful lives facing the challenges of every day life.

SENIOR

RECOGNITION Senior recognition will be held on Sunday, April 24. We would like to have 10 pictures of your graduate ranging from birth to present, includ-ing a senior picture. These pictures must be re-ceived by April 8th. You can email them to the office or they can be dropped off at the church during office hours.

L3 Groups Both Alda and Wood River have begun the L3 process. We believe that the efforts of these groups will bear fruit that will help our congregations grow more vital and faithful in discipleship. Please pray for the members of the L3 groups. Alda will gath-er again on Tuesday, March 1 at 6:30 PM. Wood River's next L3 group meets

on Sunday, March 13 at 3:00 PM.

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MIDNIGHT MADNESS! -

Prairie Rivers District

Lock-In Begins: Friday, April 1, @ 10:00 PM

Concludes: Sat., April 2, @ 6:00 AM

Location: Hastings YMCA, 1220 W. 18 St., Hastings, NE

For all Youth from 6th

thru 12th

Grades

Cost is $10.00

Deadline to Register—March 28!

Activities Include:

Dodge Ball Drum Circle Pizza PizzaDodge Ball Drum Circle Pizza Pizza

GaGa Ball Tournament Water SlidesGaGa Ball Tournament Water Slides

Climbing Wall Trampoline BasketballClimbing Wall Trampoline Basketball

Exciting Worship Adventure Challenge PlaymazeExciting Worship Adventure Challenge Playmaze

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING - March 6 When disaster strikes around the globe—Haiti’s 2010 earthquake or Typhoon Haiyan in 2013—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. Because you give, the United Methodist Church’s compassionate response to human suffering continues today:

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 Helping Will 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: “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.

MYF PANCAKE FEED The MYF will be hold-ing their Annual Pancake Feed on Sunday, March 6 fol-

lowing the church service. MYF families are asked to help that day and be at the church by 9 am. The following items are needed for the feed: 20 pounds of buttermilk com-plete pancake mix, pancake syrup, Tropi-cana orange juice, Farmland pork sausages, butter, paper plates, and cups. A volunteer sheet will be emailed for everyone to sign up or contact Christy Burnett at 308-391-1378.

UMW PRAIRIE

RIVERS DISTRICT The spring meeting will be April 2 at the First United Methodist Church, 309 E 7th, York. Coffee, Rolls, & Check-In will be from 8:30-9:00. The meeting will run from 9-2. Guest Speaker is Gordon Fillman, Registration deadline is March 13th and is $8 per person. Directions to the church: From Grant Ave or Lin-coln Ave, go East on 7th to the church.

COMMUNITY BENEFIT There will be an Alda Community Benefit on Saturday, March 12 from 11:00 AM to 2:00

PM at the Alda United Methodist Church (located at the corner of Pine and Elm Streets in Alda). This benefit is be-ing sponsored by the Alda UMC and the Alda Fire Depart-ment. Join us for your choice of chili or chicken noodle soup along with desserts. There will also be an old-fashioned "covered basket" auction. Entertainment will be provided by Jim Thompson and friends. All the proceeds of this event will be divided evenly between three families. First, Kay Butler and her family. Secondly, Chad and Kim Richardson, who had triplet boys born very premature. They are currently in the NICU at Methodist Hospital in Omaha. Finally, Casey and Amanda Arndt whose son Kyle was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Kyle is receiving treatment at Children's Hospital in Omaha.

PRAIRIE RIVERS

DISTRICT -

Men’s Annual Dinner

Meeting & Program Monday, March 14, 6:30pm

Aurora UM Church 1104 A Street (in Aurora)

DRIVING: from Highway 14 (16th St), turn west on A Street, go 4 blocks Please call for reservations by

Tuesday, March 8 to Bob Dudley at 402-694-3096

$8.00 per person, pay on arrival (note PASTORS FREE)

WHY COME? Don Russell, Sutton UMMen, VIM,

Scouter, and retired previous owner/editor of the Clay County News will share his VIM stories with us

Music and singing – A GOOD TIME. Great food – chicken and ham, cheesy

potatoes vegetables, and dessert Fellowship with old friends and make

some new friends Brief business meeting to share your

ideas for ministry in our District Hear about: Recent Boy Scout Leader Honor Ban-

quet and Aurora UMC merger 40 years ago

2016 Nebraska UM Cowboy Trail Bike Ride or Walk for UMMen Missions

Please invite other men

& see you there!

UMW ANNUAL

SALAD SUPPER Mark your calendars for

Wednesday evening, April 27th.

at 6:30p.m. in Babels Barn. Our

theme this year is "Forward Through the Ages"

This is a great way to support our church and visit

with friends and family.

We still have some tables needing a hostess so, give

us a call to reserve yours. The round tables seat 7 guests

and the long tables seat 8 guests. If you have any questions

call Linda Thompson at 381-0588 or Mary Bilslend at 583-

2373 or to reserve your table.

THANK YOU Thank you to my Church family for the prayers, food, visits,

cards and calls. It isn't fun being broken but God surely makes Himself known through the love and concern of humans. If you have nev-er felt the love of God then all you need to do is look around at the caring folks who do His work in our congregation. We are all his dis-ciples and what an honor that is. Thank you everyone! ~Mary Ann Apfel.

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HOLY WEEK

SCHEDULE

Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday Sunday, March 20th

9:30 a.m. Wood River

11:00 a.m. Alda

Worship service will begin with joyous songs wel-

coming Jesus as we remember his triumphal entry into

Jerusalem. We will then look ahead at the tragic

events that followed. A group of readers will share

the Passion Narrative as recorded in Matthew.

Good Friday Friday, March 25th

7:00 p.m. Wood River

Our worship is a "tenebrae" service in which we hear

the story of Christ's passion and sing solemn hymns

inspired by Christ's death on the cross. Gradually we

will extinguish all the candles and the lights, until the

room is completely dark. This is one of the most pow-

erful and meaningful worship services of the entire

year.

Maundy Thursday Thursday, March 24th

7:00 p.m. Alda

We remember the Last Supper as Jesus gathered with

his disciples in the Upper Room and shared with them

a Passover meal. We will also have a special "hand-

washing" as we prepare to receive Holy Communion.

Finally we will gather around the table to break the

bread of life and share the cup of salvation.

Easter Sunrise Service Sunday, March 27th

6:45 a.m. at the

Al & Rhonda Roth Farm

17350 W Old Potash Hwy Drive 6 miles north of Wood River. Turn west (left) on

Old Potash. Drive approximately 3.5 miles.

The farm is located on the north side of the road.

The ground is uneven in spots, so bring sturdy shoes.

We will gather before dawn and begin our worship

just at the break of dawn. Pastor Phil Sloat will be

leading the worship service. Afterward, everyone is

invited to join in breakfast at the First United Method-

ist Church in Wood River. This service is sponsored

by the Wood River Ministerial Association.

Easter Sunday Sunday, March 27th

9:30 a.m. Wood River

11:00 a.m. Alda

Our celebration of Christ’s resurrection continues with

joyous worship, including Holy Communion.

Page 5

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

6:30 Alda L3 Group

2

9:00 Bible Study 3:45 WR Confirma-tion Class

3

1:30 Rachel Circle 7:00 Alda Solutions Group

4

Office Closed 10:00 Alda Tops Meeting 1:00 World Day of Prayer

5

6

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING

9:30 WR Worship/Pancake Feed

10:30 WR SS 11:00 Alda Worship 3:00 Alda Trustee Meeting 7-Noon Alda Fire Pancake Feed

7

6:30-7:30 Girl

Scouts

6:30-8:00 Cub

Scouts

7:30 Ruth Circle

8 9

9:00 Bible Study

10

12:00 WR Meet & Eat 7:00 Alda Solutions Group

11

Office Closed

10:00 Alda Tops Meeting

12

11:00-2:00 Alda Community Fund-raiser

13

9:30 WR Worship 10:30 WR SS 11:00 Alda Worship

3:00 WR L3 Group

14

6:30 UMM Men’s

Annual Dinner

7:00 Boy Scouts

15

12:00 Alda Meet & Eat 7:30 SPRC Meeting

16

9:00 Bible Study 3:45 Confirmation Class 6:30 WR MYF Meet-ing 6:00 Alda Ad Coun-cil

17

9:00 WR Sewing Circle 7:00 Alda Solutions Group

18

Office Closed 10:00 Alda Tops Meeting

19

10:00-2:00 Boy Scout Troup #133 Fundraiser

20

PALM SUNDAY

9:30 WR Worship 10:30 WR SS 11:00 Alda Worship 2:00 Community Choir Easter Canta-ta, WRHS

21

6:30-7:30 Girl

Scouts

6:30-8:00 Cub

Scouts

22 23

9:00 Bible Study

24

MAUNDY THURSDAY

7:00 Worship Ser-vice in Alda 7:00 UMW Meeting

NEWSLETTER

DEADLINE

25

GOOD FRIDAY Office Closed 10:00 Alda Tops Meeting 7:00 Worship Ser-vice in WR

26

27

EASTER

6:45 Sunrise Ser-vice 9:30 WR Worship 10:30 WR SS 11:00 Alda Worship

28

7:00 Boy Scouts

29 30

9:00 Bible Study

31

7:00 Alda Solutions Group

March 2016

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Page 7

1 Ashley Gewecke 8584 W Hwy 30

2 Renae Graham PO Box 268

3 Hannah Paulk 1202 West St

Kiernan Paulk 1202 West St

Carson Schultz 102 W 13th

4 LeRoy Miller 412 E 12th

Spencer Rohrich 15025 W Old Military

5 Steve Powell 5112 W Wildwood Dr

Grand Island 68803

6 Brandon James West Park Plaza,

222 N Lane, GI, 68803

9 Sophia Valdez PO Box 242

Alda 68810

10 Tony & Maylin Ammon 9 Venus

(2007) Alda 68810

13 Sara Arnett PO Box 569

Bruce Howe PO Box 427

Kensley Schofield 9 Venus

Alda 68810

14 Chanda Miles 15 Venus

Alda 68810

Don & Inez Rohrich PO Box 88

(1958)

15 Brooke Wescoatt 11971 W Platte River

16 Doug & Karen Codner 1315 Lilley

(1968)

Bailey Landanger PO Box 2

17 Jackie Riley 4033 Palace Dr

Grand Island 68803

Jimmey & Jackie Riley 4033 Palace Dr

Grand Island 68803

19 Taylor Willoughby 15499 W Cedarview

20 Chan Komarek 2523 Mill River Rd

Grand Island 68801

Cody Brandt 110 W 11th

Matt & Lisa DeVore 9675 W Hwy 30

(1993)

Dave & Julie Odgen 15802 W Old Military

(1993)

21 Brad Earnest 10200 W Cedarview

Deb Rohrich 15025 W Old Millitary

22 John Hock 1840 W 94th

Kenesaw 68956

23 Jerry Shears 111 Mercury

Alda 68810

24 Cassandra Watts 8313 S Cameron Rd

Maxine Rathman 11555 W Guenther Rd

25 Charles & Judy Mead 1110 Marshall

(1962)

Larry Powers PO Box 93

Alda 68810

Virginia Wiese 2807 W Faidley #124

Grand Island 68803

26 Craig Anderson 9713 S 140th

Lisa DeVore 9675 W Hwy 30

28 Sean Smith PO Box 23

Shane Smith PO Box 23

29 Marilyn Webster 3307 Schroeder Ave

Grand Island 68803

30 Matthew Duval 1411 Lilley St

31 Kaye & Cathy Doane PO Box 73

(1972)

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES Address is Wood River unless otherwise noted

PRAYERS HEALING: Richardson triplets, Kyle

Arndt, Melissa Hall, Marvin Kubert,

Iona Millette, Jo Saner, Terry Saner,

Elnora Weinrich

FOOD PANTRY Thank you to Sara Arnett and her crew of willing workers who filled 120 backpacks for the food pan-try on Feb 21st. The saying "many hands make little work" is so true. There are so many things that our congregation does for others and don't get thanked for but this project is so appreciated. Look around and see how God is using you and others to accom-plish His work. Blessings to all of you...The Food Pantry Committee and the children who receive these backpacks.

Wood River First United Methodist Church

1105 Main Street / PO Box 35

Wood River, NE 68883

Church (308) 583-2716

Parsonage (308) 583-2552

Pastor Phil’s Cell (308) 383-2512

Church Email: office@woodriverumc.org

Pastor Phil’s Email: psloat@greatplainsumc.org

Pastor: Rev. Phil Sloat

Church Secretary: Veronica Kaufman

Custodian: Cindy Howe

ANNUAL

PANCAKE FEED -

Alda Volunteer Fire

Department March 6 7 am to Noon At Alda Community Center Free Will Donation We will be serving pancakes, eggs and sausage.

We will also have juice, milk and coffee. Thank you for your support!

WHEEL OF FAITH

CONCERT Everyone is invited to the

Wheel of Faith concert at the church on Feb 28th at 7 pm. Bring a friend and come enjoy their uplift-

ing songs of faith! A good will of-fering will be taken and all proceeds

will benefit the community backpack program!

SERMON SERIES Fourth Sunday in Lent—March 6

Lenten Tree: Chalice

Discipline: Worship

Scripture(s): Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Fifth Sunday in Lent—March 13

Lenten Tree: Bible

Discipline: Study

Scripture(s): Luke 10:38-42

Palm/Passion Sunday—March 20

Lenten Tree: The Money Bags

Scripture(s): Luke 22:14-23:56

MEET & EAT DATES Wood River will hold

theirs on March 10th, Alda will

have theirs on March 15th. Join us at noon for the

meal! A $3 donation is asked. All are welcome!