PASTORS’ PEN

Here it is nearing the end of January and February is about to begin, but praise God….spring is coming! I know

without a shadow of doubt that spring and summer will soon be here, this I am sure of! Even at this moment

while it is 21 degrees and snowing, I have the assurance that warmer weather will come. In this certainty of what

lies ahead, I can rejoice and be glad that the cold and snowy weather will not last and my favorite seasons of the

year will soon be upon us (not quite as quickly as I ould hope, but they will come).

On Wednesday evenings during our TGIW programs, currently one

small discipleship group is studying Philippians. In the first chap-

ter Paul says, “Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.” He says this

from a prison cell. Paul had discovered that “Joy” comes not from

his circumstances nor is it found within himself, but from what he

knows to be true of God and God’s promises to each of us.

Joy is the peace in the midst of the darkness of the night when you

are sure that the dawning of a new day’s light will soon be yours.

Joy is the comfort you have in your heart that you cannot explain,

but you know is there, when the doctor tells you, “there is no

hope”…for you know in Christ there is a hope that shall not disap-

point you nor forsake you. Joy is the conviction you have deep

within your soul, “that in all things God works for the good of

those who love him…and that nothing can separate us from His

love.”

As a child I was afraid of the dark…a lot of scary things can get you in the dark…all of it is “the unknown and

unseen or maybe monsters hiding in the dark.” I always wanted to sleep near the bedroom window so that I

could look out and see the street light that made me feel safe. I don’t fear the dark anymore…for my God is with

me! He is the light of the world and the light of my soul regardless how dark it gets around me. My joy, my

peace, my strength… comes from Him and not from my surrounding. You see faith…faith that we can find our

comfort and rest in, is “the assurance of what we hope for and the conviction of what we do not see”…but know

to be true!

May the Joy of the Lord be yours…in all days, in all places, in all seasons now and forever! For our God, the

Almighty, All-Present, All-Knowing God is with us always! “Yes, we can rejoice in all things!”

God be with you all!

Pastor Ed

February 2012

The Gathering

COMING EVENTS

SUPER BOWL AND

CHILI COOK-OFF Get out your secret chili recipes

and join us for a night of football,

commercials, and chili! This will

take place on Sunday, February 5,

at the Life Center. Doors open at

5:15 p.m. and game kick-off is

around 6:18 p.m.

We will be judging the chili dif-

ferently this year. Jars will be out

for each chili, and everyone gets to

vote! You vote by donating pen-

nies to your favorite chili! Each

penny donated equals one vote.

The chili with the most votes at

half time gets the high coveted tro-

phy. All proceeds will be going to

the church discretionary fund.

So come and cheer for your

team, or just watch the commer-

cials. It has to be bigger on our

screen than your TV!!

PRIMETIMERS The Primetimers will meet on Tuesday, February 14, at 11:00 a.m. at the

church for lunch. Lunch will be breakfast casserole, fruit cup, and muf-

fins from The Electric Brew. The cost is $5.00.

After lunch we will go to Goshen College Sauder Hall to hear the

“Coffee” cantata by J.S. Bach, performed by the Goshen College Cho-

rale.

The bus will pick up at Greencroft at 10:30 a.m. All others will drive to

the church on your own. If you have questions, please call Bob Morris at

534-2791.

UPCOMING TRAINING If you are a good listener, compassionate and kind, and want to help your community, and if you

are looking for the kind of rewards that money just can’t buy, Hospice volunteering may be the

challenge you seek. Goshen Home Care and Hospice is offering training for new hospice volun-

teers beginning on February 28, 2012. The training will include six sessions conducted over suc-

cessive Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The training is free, and all sessions will be held at the

Goshen Hospital campus. Please call Cathi Merryman, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, at 364-

1387 or 800-446-4663 for more information about the upcoming training program.

From The Desk of the YP

2012 Mission Trip—Destination

Cleveland

It’s that time of the year again, time to start thinking about our annual youth group summer mission trip. This

year we are going to do inner city mission work and will be traveling to Cleveland Ohio from June 10—16 for

that trip. While there we will be providing three work groups for the mission, two of which will be doing light

construction and repair projects to the homes of low income families, while the third group will be conducting

Vacation Bible Schools. Yes, that is right, I said schools, as they will be doing a morning VBS for one church

that will be from 9 to 11 and an afternoon VBS for another church that will be from 1 to 3. In addition to that, on

Saturday morning before heading home we will be going into the homeless communities with a mission group

from Cleveland to take food to, and minister with, the homeless communities of the area.

We are really looking forward to this trip as this will be the last mission trip that I will be taking with the group,

and it is our hopes that it will be the first one that the new youth pastor will be taking. We ask that you, the

church body, start to pray for this trip as we start planning and raising funds for it. By the way … the pink enve-

lope, which is a special offering toward a different ministry each month, is going to youth missions in the month

of February. Please prayerfully consider giving to this trip in that way.

In Christ, Jeff Karnes, Youth Pastor

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This year I have been given a most wonderful opportunity to serve and explore my faith in pilgrimage.

Through the University of Indianapolis, I was selected, along with nine other students, for a spring term trip in

May 2012 to Sierra Leone, Africa. This three-week trip will take place from May 6 through May 21, and involve

service to the community of Taiama. We will be working alongside Operation Classroom, a United Methodist

organization many of you may be familiar with in our connection with the school in Ganta. With the help of

Operation Classroom, we will be rebuilding a girls’ dormitory for the Methodist school there, which had been

destroyed in the rebel wars. In addition to serving the community, we look forward to experiencing African

culture, building relationships, and cultivating a life-long compassion for God’s children.

Of course, any kind of pilgrimage first requires a means of getting there. I am humbly asking for your finan-

cial support as I prepare to take this step in my journey of faith. The amount I would like to raise to help cover

expenses such as travel, lodging, and vaccinations estimates around $2,100. If you would like to support me

financially, checks can be made out to Goshen First UMC with the memo Elise: Sierra Leone. I also sincerely

ask for your prayers as I ready my heart for all that God has in store for me in this experience!

God has called us to be his hands, his feet, his heart, whether it’s giving or going. I pray that I might be the

hands and feet of Christ, and I pray that God will use you to bless my life and many others!

God Bless, Elise Campagna

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No.136

Goshen, IN

First United Methodist Church

214 S. Fifth Street

Goshen, IN 46528

Phone: 533-9518

www.goshenfirstumc.org

www.goshenlifecenter.org

Address Service Requested

“Thank you to everyone who helped with our food pantry this past year. People helped in a number of ways:

drivers to South Bend to get food, people who packed food boxes and stocked the shelves, and many people who

gave food or finances for the food pantry. One S.S. class brought in food for the pantry once every month during

the year. We served 380 families in 2011, with December being the highest month where we served 79 families

that month. Thanks again for your generosity.” -Harriet Martin

“Thank you for your gift to Goshen Interfaith Hospitality Network. We also appreciate your wonderful gift of

hospitality to GIHN families. Your support is essential and we thank you.” -Lois Bare, GIHN Board

“We want to say a big THANK YOU to Garry Anglemyer, Dick Hinckley, and Bob Rock for the great job they

did replacing the old back doors of the downtown church building!”

February 1

Shirley Myers

Zaiden Hoffman

February 2

Mike Anderson

Barbara Lewallen

Amanda Eckelbarger

February 3

Hannah Sorrell

Mike Taylor

February 4

Olivia Salisbury

Lenette Burckhart

February 5

Jason Miller

Marian Honick

A.J. Brinson

Steven Kinel

Tia Rice

Evan Sailor

February 6

Tyler Riegsecker

February 7

Mitch Day

Shanon Layne

February 8

Emily Good

Tony Beltran

February 9

Jacob Haimes

Bob Rock

Larry Solyom

Margie Weaver

Ron Howard

Jack Moser

February 10

Ramona Reynolds

Brandi Griffee

Robert Zawacki

February 11

Kendall Griffee

February 12

Josh Fredrick

February 13

Dave Brinkruff

February 14

Dennis Martin

Dick Myers

February 15

Paul Shidler

February 16

Gordon DeWilde

February 17

Jackie Hinckley

Karen Weaver

February 19

Charlie Payne

Mary Jo Cotherman

Mel Eash

Morgan Howar

February 20

Peggy Paflas

Rev. Ed Fritz

Kim Gunden

February 21

Colten Meier

Yvonne Paff

Lela Gailey

February 22

Florence Guengerich

Kayleigh Crowder

Sydney Sheeley

February 23

Payton Crume

Peg Herring

HAPPY FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS!

February 24

Shirley Hansen

Emily Hodges

Andy Peters

Barbara Leedy

Doug Hansen

Mackenzie Miller

February 25

Nora Jones

February 26

Larry Juday

February 27

Norman Simmons

February 28

Cathy Webb

Darrell Eggers

Jamison Karnes

Jennifer Howar

Vienna Griffith

February 29

Kimberly Hart