sugar creek church - clover...
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Saturday, February 6
8:00 am—1:00 pm
~ALL YOU CAN EAT~
Including pie and drink—$9
12 and under—$4
PANCAKE & SAUSAGE MEAL
Bulk sausage will be available to purchase on Friday, February 5 from 10am—3pm and Saturday, February 6 from 8am—1pm. Tickets are available on Sunday mornings in the church fellowship hall, or during the week through the church office.
Make sure to shop the ladies Bazaar conveniently located
in the Church Foyer.
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE February 10, 2016 at 7:00pm
Please join us for this special service at Sugar Creek Church. Nursery provided. There will not be a meal or classes on that Wednesday.
Men’s Fellowship Monday, February 8
6:00pm
The Men of Sugar Creek will meet at 6pm, at the church. Dinner will be provided. All men of the church are invited
SUGAR CREEK CHURCH
To build a Godly life, let Him be the
architect and the Bible be the blueprint.
Hello, Girlfriends!
Doesn’t a spa-themed getaway sound amazing?
Get away from the busyness of life as you relax with friends, share laughter and stories,
and spend time with God. Join us at our Lavender Springs Spa retreat to experience all
this and more!
Lavender Springs Spa is a relaxing spa-themed retreat the women of our church are
doing together. It includes worship, Bible study, and time for laughter, as well as time
for quiet reflection. We’ll be focusing on the book of Psalms and will be encouraged by
God’s faithfulness and love.
We’ll begin with dinner on the evening of February 26 and will finish by 11:00 on the
morning of February 28. Our retreat will be held at Little Galilee Retreat Center in
Clinton, IL and the cost is only $99 per person! This covers five delicious meals, fun and
refreshing activities, and comfortable lodging. Scholarships are available if needed.
Take time to relax, make new friends, worship, and draw closer to God. We hope you’ll
join us at Lavender Springs Spa.
Warmly,
Shelly Lewis, Susan Lund, Robyn McDonald, Holly Taylor
CONTACT INFORMATION:
[email protected]/483.2270 #3
Robyn McDonald—414.8288
Holly Taylor—622.7794
Shelly Lewis—622.1103
Susan Lund—725.1519
Our love to God is
measured by our everyday
fellowship with others
and the love it displays.
14th Terry & Charlotte House
14th Joe & Diann Gragg
25th Jeff & Marcia Mackay
28th Ed & Cathy Gregory
4th Roberta Johnson
5th Peggy Beam
5th Bonnie McTaggart
5th Pat Freeman
7th Rita Mohs
7th Braelynn Finley
9th John Atchison
9th Shirley Rickman
9th Sheila Wilson (Office)
10th Angie Ramsey
10th Mae McTaggart
13th Galen Johnson
15th Jimmy Ayers
15th Riley Ramsey
16th Abe Stutzman
16th Annette Kaylor
17th Curtis Kessler
18th Jeff Koch
19th Don Henley
22nd Vickie Henley
22nd Scott Pond
22nd Logen King
23rd Danny Clark
23rd Dave Bruun
24th Sandra Franke
28th Ben Pickrell
Don’t see your name on the
Birthday or Anniversary
list? Please contact the
Church Office (483.2270 or
We don’t want to miss your
special day!
2016 ALTAR FLOWERS The Altar Flower list is filling up! If you would like to sign
up for flowers to be placed on the altar to celebrate a
special date or remember a loved one. The cost is $25
and needs to be turned in to the church office
before the date requested. The list is on the table
between the Fellowship Hall doors.
Our Staff Pastor Parish Relations Committee (SPPRC) has started a
Conflict Transformation Team, per the recommendations from the
MAPP process last fall. It included the United Methodist Conflict
Transformation Team coming to the church on two dates in
December and two dates in January to conduct listening sessions
with Sugar Creek Team Members. The Conflict Transformation
Team will finish the listening sessions on Monday, January 25,
2016. After the sessions are completed they will summarize the
results and come up with a plan for us to move forward.
At that time a special SPPRC meeting will be held with the Conflict
Transformation Team to get their recommendations. We will
update the congregation after those recommendations have been
reviewed and our next steps determined.
Struggling with bills? Always seem to have too much month left at the end of your money? Find out how to change that and have peace in your life. Pay your bills on time and have just enough to do ok? Find out how to increase your wealth and change
not only your life, but other lives as well. Have lots of money and never worry about it? Find out how to build a lifetime of security and pass on a financial legacy. All of this and more with Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We are offering another 9 week session starting Saturday, April 2 at Sugar Creek Church. Contact Jay Sexton (ph: 217.622.5749 or email: [email protected]) for more information, and/or to register. Nursery care provided!
DAVE RAMSEY—FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY New Session Begins Saturday, April 2
2016 GIVING
If you would like to use offering envelopes for your
2016 giving, please stop by the Fellowship Hall and
pick up a bundle of envelopes. To be good steward’s
of God’s money we ordered blank envelopes, which are
less than half the cost of the boxed sets. If you have
any questions, please contact Sheila (217.483.2270 #3/
General Fund January—December 2015 December 2015
Contributions $310,219 $36,533
Expense
Missions & Benevolence $19,752 $3,680
Conference Obligations $26,472 $2,206
Program Expense $42,567 $2,008
Salaries (Pastor & Staff) $195,525 $16,164
Utilities & Cleaning $33,638 $2,763
TOTAL EXPENSE $317,954 $26,821
Net Income (-loss) ( $7,735) $9,712
Building Fund
Contributions $19,821 $1,348
Crop Sales $10,814
Thank you everyone for your contributions in 2015 to do God’s work. Peace and love to all in 2016!
“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
YOUR MONEY
FUNDING GOD’S MINISTRY Through your giving you are a blessing to others!
MEETINGS
Happy New Year!
God has been promising the Leadership Team that this is going to be a good year. A year
of growth and opportunities! If you are like me, you tend to equate that to a year of hard
work. While that may be true, we can rest assured that the rewards for that hard work will
be worth way more than we could ever dream of. God promises us that.
The Leadership Team is going to start our focus this year on communication to the congre-
gation, which we hope and pray will build relationships, insight involvement, and create
bonds like never before, here at Sugar Creek.
For starters:
- We will have an article in this newsletter each month
- We will publish the Leadership Team List (i.e. Who, What ministry they Chair, Email
Address, and Phone Number) on the website to make us more available to you
- We will have all team meeting minutes available on the website for everyone to review
- We are creating a ministry covenant between the Ministry teams and the congregation
- We have created a Stewardship Team
- We have re-instated a Worship Team
- We are in the process of looking at how to create an OutReach / Communication Team
and possibly a Small Groups Team
As we progress through 2016, we will continue to do our best to serve God, as well as serve
His church. We are so privileged to be a part of God's church and all He asks of us is to
serve Him. Once we do that - Everything falls into place or falls away, un-needed. I am
encouraged by God's words in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 "For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on
what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary , but what is unseen is
eternal." I pray that this scripture will encourage you throughout this year, as it is doing
for me.
Your Sister in Christ ~
Crystal Matthiesen
2016 Leadership Chair (217-899-0572)
JANUARY 2016
Finance Team
Thursday, February 4 at 6:30pm
Education Team
Monday, February 8 at 6:00pm
Leadership Team
Tuesday, February 16 at 6:30pm God has great things in store for us, but we have to keep
moving forward to get where He wants us to be.
Maundy Thursday, March 24
Chatham UMC at 7pm
This special service will be held at
Chatham UMC with Pastor Allen
delivering the message.
Palm Sunday, March 20
8:15am—Traditional Service
9:45am—Traditional Service
11:00am—Contemporary Service
9:45am—Sunday School (all ages)
Good Friday, March 25
Sugar Creek Church at 7pm
Sugar Creek Church will host the
Good Friday Service with Rev. Sara
Isbell delivering the message.
Easter Sunrise Service
March 27 at 6:30am
This service will be held at the Mid-
west Mission Distribution Center
(located next door to Sugar Creek).
Saturday, March 19 10:30am
Bring an Easter basket and your camera and join the hunt for more that 2,000 eggs. The event kicks off at 10:30 am with games, prizes, crafts, and Easter Egg Hunt. Don’t miss out on the fun! This event is open to all pre-k through 5th grade students.
We have 2,000 eggs to fill for the Sugar Creek Easter Egg Hunt. Would you be willing to donate? If so, we are in need of individually wrapped candy, small toys, stickers, or any-thing that will fit in 2” plastic Easter eggs.
Look for the donation box in the Church Foyer.
It’s that time again! A time for you to have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. The Junior and Senior High Students will have a Stock Sale table in the Fellowship Hall beginning March 6. Make sure to stop by the table to find out how you can partner with our students and be a part of their mission experience. You don’t have to go on a mission trip to be a part of the mission trip. By supporting our students with prayer, encouragement and financial support you are “making the difference” not only in the lives of our students, but the lives of those they will be serving. The Sugar Creek Student Mission Trips would not be possible without you!
YOUTH STOCK SALES Easter Sunday, March 27
8:15am—Traditional Service
9:45am—Traditional Service
11:00am—Contemporary Service
9:45am—Sunday School (all ages)
Sugar Creek Student Ministry 2016 Mission Trips
Kansas City, Kansas June 12-17
Pump Camp Paducah, Kentucky
July 7—11
Spring Street Veterans Renaissance (2009 Scarritt in Springfield) is a shelter designed to help veterans get
back on their feet after service to their country. The Shelter has 15 beds, 11 single occupancy rooms, 2 double
-occupancy rooms, a kitchen, pantry, computer room, exercise room, laundry room and more. Residents will
be able to live at the shelter for up to two years while they work and save up money. Each veteran is placed
with a case manager to help them deal with the issues they are experiencing. It is estimated that there are
107,000 homeless veterans in the United States and Spring Street Veterans Renaissance has been created to
help reduce that number.
UNITED METHODIST MEN—QUARTERLY PROJECT KICKS OFF THE FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY
The United Methodist Men have chosen Spring Street Veterans Renaissance as
their first quarterly project for 2016. Please help us help our veterans by
donating the following items to this homeless veterans shelter in Springfield.
Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Kleenex, Laundry Detergent,
Safety Razors, and Shaving Cream
Have you had a chance to stop by the new Prayer Room/Parent’s Room in the back of the Sanctuary? We’ve added a fresh coat of paint, and wainscot along with prayer tools. The room will still be available for parents on Sunday mornings, or during special services, but will also be utilized as a Prayer Room during the week, and before services.
We are still in need of a lamp with a dimmer, and a CD player. If you would like to donate any of these items, please contact the Church Office (483.2270 or [email protected]). The Church Office is open Monday—Friday from 9am to 3:30pm if you would like to come in and use the Prayer Room.
Plug into the power of prayer! Prayer changes everything!
I wanted to thank everyone for all of the love and support I received after losing my wife Elfrieda on January 9, which was her 85th birthday. We just celebrated 59 years of marriage on January 4.
This is not an easy time for me, but your calls, cards, and prayers, have helped push me through these difficult days. I am very blessed with a wonderful Church Family.
Elfrieda truly loved this Church, and all of the wonderful friends she made in the twenty years she called Sugar Creek her home. Your continued prayers for me and my family are much appreciated.
Gail Cannedy & Family
PRAYER All of us are called to hold steady, stay focused, and connect with Jesus through our
prayers. We pray. As we pray. We pray in Jesus’ name. As we pray, it’s all about Je-
sus. It’s all about taking the focus off of ourselves and putting it somewhere else – on
Jesus.
We can pray for many different parts of ourselves, including the gut. A prayer from the
gut might sound like this – “Lord, I feel like a bonehead. I’ve really messed up. I’ve
missed out some good things you wanted to pour into me when I sinned. Lord, some-
times I live my life up to my waist or my neck in muck. I’ve done foolish, harmful
things in my life. It’s time for a change. Save me, Lord.” We pray for all sorts of
things. Sometimes, beset by the most pressing challenges of life, we pray for cleansing
and pardon, reminiscent of David’s Prayer in Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me, O God. Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.”
We belong to God. This becomes clear as we pray. Through prayer, we’re invited to acknowledge reality: with that
which we’re currently facing. We’re invited – repeatedly – to talk with God when there’s a mess. We realize that we’re
all works in progress. Particularly as believers in Jesus Christ, we need to take our hurts, our harassments, and out bouts
of helplessness to God. Questions arise: Have I become what God wants me to be? Have we, as a church, become what
God wants us to be? In the midst of the answers that surface, be sincere. Share your heart. Share what’s going on in
your life with God.
As we pray, we ask God to meet us in our need and we give thanks to Him. We are expected to live in a state of contin-
ual dependence on God. We’re called to persist in our prayers – pray without ceasing. Thank God that He never says
“Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night. I can’t help you at this time.” No. If you keep knocking long
enough, if you engage in persistent prayer, God will get up and answer. In prayer we can work out our stuff. We get rid
of any grudges that we have. God can handle us when we’re bound by whatever is present in our lives. It becomes in-
creasingly personal: God always looks at our hearts. “The Lord doesn’t make decisions the way we do! People judge
by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.” (1 Samuel 16:7) The Lord looks at
the heart.
Talk to God – let it come straight from the heart. Keep it real. Cry out for whatever’s needed: mercy, forgiveness, etc.
As we pray, we pray in Jesus’ name. In our prayers, we pray general prayers and we pray specific prayers. To me, our
prayer life is kind of like our thought life: we’re going to dwell a bit on whatever we’re currently thinking about. Along-
side current church ministry and all of you, I also think about some of the new music of Saint Asonia. Our prayers can
be specific or general. A general prayer would be praying for all the people of Africa. A more specific prayer would be
praying for one of our missionaries, Anita Ayers Henderlight in Yei, South Sudan in the heart of Africa.
Prayer can be a struggle. That’s understandable. It may take a while to get there, but as we pray we can join the hymnist
who wrote “Blessed Assurance” declaring – “Perfect submission all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest; Watch-
ing and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.” Prayer is vital in shaping our relationship
with God and Jesus Christ. Have a conversation with God. Connect with Him, to where it’s just you and God. Pray to
God for a clean heart and a right spirit. Ask God if you are righteous – in right-relationship with Him. Prayer changes
things. Prayer changes people. As we pray for each other, we are drawn closer together. We care for each other deeply
and God is in our midst. We experience God. We experience Christ. We experience compassion in the church. Life
can be grand! Our church is strong. We become even stronger as we continue to develop and pray.
Prayer can be an incredible catalyst in our lives. God through Jesus Christ can enter any stuckness, get us unstuck and
moving along. Prayer opens up the possibility of divine appointments. Prayer enables us to spend time with Jesus, focus
on Him. Prayer can open up the door to much-needed experiences like: forgiveness, cleansing, redemption, mending
and healing. Prayer can bring a new start, a new beginning in our lives – we can start to shed whatever has been holding
us back from relationship with God and Jesus.
May our prayers be sincere – and real – and may Jesus Christ always be present. The Holy Spirit has awakened in your
pastor. Contact me – let me know if you would like me to pray with you.
Pastor Allen
PASTOR’S PEN