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Window to the World The Newsletter of the Plymouth United Methodist Church July / August 2015

Plymouth United Methodist Church

334 Fairgrounds Road Plymouth NH 03264

Phone: 603-536-1941 www.plymouthumc.wordpress.com

Ashley Bowler, Supply Pastor

Sunday Worship Service 9:30 a.m.

Holy Communion: 1st Sunday of the month Wednesday Bible Study:

10:00 - 12:00

Deadline for September

Newsletter: August 24

Glory Kidger, editor gkidger@msn.com, 536-9620

Photo Credit: “The Rose Window” by Danni Downing Photography

Inside This Issue

News from the Pews..…....page 2 Working Together.............page 3 Financial Update...............page 3 Living into Community…...page 4 We Are Connected............page 5 21st Century Church.........page 7 Just for Fun! .....................page 9

How can a garden share

God’s love? - see page 3

Plymouth UMC Hosts Ecumenical Family Worship When the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit needed a place to hold

their Wednesday evening Family Worship experiences this summer, we

offered to share ours. After gathering for table fellowship around a

potluck supper at 5:00, Rev. Grace Burson of CHS shares bible stories

and provides a related family-friendly activity. The evenings end with a

brief communion service. “We're very grateful to PUMC for the

welcoming space and room to run around outdoors”, exclaims Rev.

Burson. All are invited to these gatherings. Bring your friends and

neighbors! Dates & Topics: July 8 – Creation; July 22 – Adam & Eve;

August 5 – Noah; August 26 – Abraham

Saturday Ham & Bean Dinners July 11 & August 1 ~ 4:30 - 6:30

Ham, Beans, Salads, Sides, Breads,

Dessert Buffet, and Beverage included.

$8 for adults, $4 for children ages 6-12,

children under 6 free. Funds raised

through this dinner support our church’s

ministries and outreach. 10% of the ticket

sales from the July dinner will be donated to the Mayhew Program in

Bristol, the only all-boys program in NH combining a residential

summer experience on Newfound Lake and continued mentoring

throughout the school year; in August the recipient will be The Faith,

Hope, and Love Foundation. FHL helps to bring relief to local children

suffering from homelessness, poverty, and hunger.

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News from the Pews

Ashley Renews Commitment

to the Congregation Quarter-time Supply Pastor, Ashley Bowler has

signed a new contract to serve the Plymouth UMC

through December 31, 2015. She will also begin her

new job as an English teacher at White Mountain

Regional High School in Whitefield this fall.

Plymouth UMC Seeking Music Director The successful candidate will be expected to play

the piano, one Sunday morning service a week,

from 9:30 - 10:45 a.m., each Sunday, Christmas Eve

and other special dates. Salary to be discussed

during interview. Please contact Staff-Parish

Relations Committee Chair Pat Topham at 536-2345

or e-mail at csmunn1919@gmail.com.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

1 Lauren Cassarino

6 Diane Randall

7 Andrew Lenentine

9 Patricia & Richard Topham

9 Todd Allain

10 Richard Delanoy

Birthdays and Anniversaries

2 Henry Vittum

4 Heather & Anthony Cassarino

9 Danielle Downing

12 Barbara Griffin

13 Amy Robison

14 Amy & Scott Robison

16 Cole Robison

19 Melissa & Josh Furbish

20 Pat Topham

Share your special days with your church family!

Send birthday and anniversary information to

the newsletter editor at gkidger@msn.com.

Ewwww... One day, a number

of years ago, my

sister and I were at

our grandmother's

house helping her

with yard work and playing. My grandmother was

absorbed in something she was doing, head bent,

gloves amongst the greenery, when a blood

curdling scream startled her to attention. She stood

up just in time to see little 7 year-old Ashley

running around the house to the front yard,

sobbing and flailing, falling to the ground.

Immediately she said, "What's wrong? What's

going on?" moving toward me and looking at my

sister who gave a gesture conveying her

indifference to the situation. By the time my

grandmother got to me I was rolling on the ground

crying out, "It's in my SHOE!" to which she replied,

"Then take off your shoe!" In a hyperventilating

fury I desperately followed her direction, pulling

my shoe off as fast as I could and crawling to safety

as soon as I was free. I watched in horror, my heart

still pounding in my ears, as she picked up the tiny

sneaker and pulled out a wet.... dead.... leaf. I

thought the parasite in my shoe had been a slug

and the cold slimy texture had put me over the

edge. To this day, my kryptonite is slimy things; I

simply cannot handle any slimy, slug-like texture

without writhing in incapacitating disgust.

Mowing, Weeding, Trimming, Small Repairs Contact Trustees Chair Greg Jencks (254-9477) or

Custodian Chris Topham (960-2215) to volunteer.

Your help will be greatly appreciated!

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Working Together

In a new initiative that we have

dubbed the “Seeds of Hope

Ministry”, a vegetable garden

has been planted to raise

produce for area service

agencies at the home of Charles

and Lois McLoud, 333 Fairgrounds Road, across

the street from the church. The garden has been

blessed by those who have prayed for rain which

has encouraged growth. The good news is the

string beans have grown more than the weeds. The

bad news is a groundhog ate all the tops! Said

organizer Diane Randall, “As a Christian, I cannot

in good faith ask for his death, rather I have prayed

that he at least experienced some indigestion!”

Stop by whenever you have a few minutes and

help our newest community outreach take root;

plant seeds, transplant vegetable seedlings, hoe

and hill as the garden flourishes, harvest produce

as it matures, and/or pray for warm weather and

gentle rains. Many thanks to those who have

helped so far: Charles, Dick, Cole, Rory, Amy,

Scott, Peter, Pastor Ashley and her friends, and

Steve.

Fresh produce will be distributed through

organizations like Got Lunch! Plymouth, Bridge

House Shelter, the Plymouth Area Community

Closet, and Wanakee United Methodist Center. For

updates and information on what is needed,

contact Diane Randall at 731-1186.

Giving Together

Well Done Kids! The Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) collected

$193 through their “Tag” fundraiser for the Got

Lunch! Plymouth program as well as numerous

jars of mayo, peanut butter, and jelly.

January - June 2015

A full Treasurer’s report is available in the Committee

Reports binder in the upstairs kitchen of the church.

Please feel free to pose any questions you may have to

Treasurer Glory Kidger (536-9620) or Finance

Committee Chairperson, Steve Randall (731-6247).

BUDGETTED INCOME & EXPENSES: % of 2015 Budget

CHURCH INCOME Amount Total

Tithes & Offerings 15,036.49 69% 24,000.00

Building Use 2,155.00 10% 4,316.00

Donations for Mission Shares 70.00 0% 0.00

Fundraising - Dinners 2,008.00 9% 6,000.00

Fundraising - Other 498.00 2% 0.00

Investments 2,146.03 10% 4,200.00

Memorial Donations 0.00 0% 0.00

TOTAL $21,913.52 100% $38,516.00

CHURCH EXPENSES

Church Ministries 401.96 2% 2,500.00

Employer's Share of PR Taxes 399.30 2% 800.00

Fundraising 818.06 4% 1,000.00

Kidder Scholarship 0.00 0% 580.00

Maintenance / Trustees 1,903.30 9% 4,044.00

Pastor's Compensation Package 5,220.00 24% 11,990.00

Mission Shares 2,129.00 10% 5,775.00

Missions - From Dinners 181.75 1% 0.00

Missions - United Campus Min. 0.00 0% 100.00

Office & Insurance Expenses 1,904.95 9% 3,652.00

Custodian & Musicians 3,235.00 15% 6,765.00

Utilities 5,180.15 24% 9,850.00

TOTAL $21,373.47 100% $47,056.00

NET CHURCH INCOME $540.05 ($8,540.00)

UNBUDGETTED INCOME & EXPENSES:

Income: Expense:

Church Directory Donations / Printing Expense 261.00 261.00

Advance Special Collections sent to Conference 137.00 137.00

Mission Fundraisers / Given Away 1,750.30 1,750.30

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Photo: PSU

Living into the Community

Campus Corner by Amy Robison, Board Chair

United Campus Ministry @ PSU

Let's not bury the lead: United

Campus Ministry at Plymouth

State University has a new,

hopefully student-friendly name

for its on-campus presence courtesy of PUMC's

very own Craig Kidger. We will now be known to

the PSU community as the Caring Campus

Coalition (C3). After much deliberation by the

board, Craig's entry won out of a pool of almost 90

entries. Solidifying his status as a stand-up guy,

Craig donated his prize money back to us. Thank

you and God bless, Craig Kidger!

I also need to thank the many fine bakers of PUMC

as well. Food for Finals was an unprecedented

success this May with over 110 dozen cookies and

brownies delivered to every dorm, Centre Lodge,

study rooms for Meteorology and Math students,

lounges in the Silver Center and in the P.E. Center,

the library, and the mailroom. In the recent past

St. Matthew's has supplied the baked goods for this

venture, but with the help of PUMC and Gateway

Alliance, we were able to reach, serve and care for

many more students this time around. I hope we

can count on you again in December at the close of

the Fall Semester.

The UCM@PSU board held its Annual Meeting on

May 14th. Two important things came out of this

last meeting until September: (1) We grudgingly

accepted Margaret Bickford's resignation from the

board. Margaret had served on the board for 17

years and was president for most of that time. We

so appreciate her tireless service, and while we will

certainly miss her leadership, we understand that

new adventures await her! (2) We learned more

about "Homeless & Unaccompanied Youth"

attending PSU from the director of the Financial

Aid Office. Did you know PSU has about 24-30

students who fit into this federally defined

category? About 6-12 of those struggle to afford

food, housing, transportation and other basic

essentials. We brainstormed with Crystal Gaff

about how we might be able to support these

students who, against all odds, are earning a

college education -- many while working multiple

jobs.

Finally, even after graduation, we managed to stay

very busy in June. Thanks to PUMC sponsoring our

table at NEUMC's Annual Conference in

Manchester, the United Campus Ministries of New

Hampshire (Keene, Plymouth & UNH) were on

hand every day of Conference (June 17-20),

reminding friendly Methodists from all over New

England about the important work we do on

college campuses and our need for support --

financial, prayer and participation. We also had an

active role in each of the four June orientations for

this fall's first-year students. You may have heard

that PSU is "welcoming the largest incoming class

in its history!" They seem like a good group, and

we can't wait for them to return to campus in

September!

Blessings to you this summer,

Amy

Blood Drive

Plymouth United Methodist Church

Saturday, August 8th 10:00 - 3:00

If you have some spare time on August 8th, please

consider stopping by to welcome the blood donors,

offer refreshments, or help with reloading the truck at

the end of the event. If you are willing and able,

please also consider donating a pint of your blood to

help save the life of a person in need. Christ gave His

for you! Appointments are recommended. Schedule

online at www.redcrossblood.org or call the Red

Cross at 1-800-733-2767.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides

emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40

percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives;

provides international humanitarian aid; and supports

military members and their families. The Red Cross is a

not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and

the generosity of the American public to perform its

mission.

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A Good Start on Their Futures Serving those with few

positive male role

models at home, the

Mayhew Program is

the only all-boys

program in NH

combining a

residential summer

experience and

continued mentoring

throughout the school year. Only 10 or 11 years old

at enrollment, these boys are already making

choices and exhibiting behaviors that have their

families and school counselors deeply concerned

and searching for ways to help.

During their first two years in the program, boys

live for 25 days on an island in Newfound Lake in

Bristol - focused on working through difficulties,

being helpful, listening, laughing, and reaching for

more - together. Each boy is encouraged (and

expected) to contribute fully to the community,

embodying the four cornerstones of the program:

Responsibility, Respect, Community, and

Challenge. You can follow their progress on

Mayhew’s blog at www.mayhew.org.

Volunteer to write

postcards to a Mayhew boy

during his 25-day summer

experience. Spending a few

minutes to write a note

asking a boy about his

summer, sharing a joke, or sending a comic from

the Sunday paper can brighten bouts of

homesickness and help the boys gain a deeper

appreciation for the community rooting for them

beyond the Island. To sign up to write postcards

from July 23-August 15, please contact Lisa Clark at

603-744-6131 or lisa@mayhew.org. You can also

call to schedule a guided tour of Mayhew Island.

Meet the boys and enjoy one of the best meals on

Newfound Lake! 293 West Shore Road, Bristol

Lunch Tours (10:30– 1:00)

July 1-3, 6-10, 13, 14, 29-31, August 3-7, & 10

Dinner Tours (5:30– 8:00) July 7 & 9, August 4 & 6

We Are Connected

NH District Choir Forming All NH laity and clergy are invited to join together

as one choir in singing praise to God this summer.

Rehearsals will be held Sunday afternoons in

Hillsboro, in an effort to be accessible from many

directions in NH. While attendance at every

rehearsal is not mandatory, we are looking forward

to the joy of practicing together and singing

challenging music. By September 13th, the District

Choir will be ready to share their gifts at Hallelujah

Sunday worship in Gilford! RSVP with questions

or to help organize carpools.

When: Starting Sunday, July 5, 2015, 3-4pm and

then every other week until Hallelujah Sunday.

Where: Hillsboro UMC Sanctuary, 16 Henniker

Street, Hillsboro, NH

Contact: Pastor Lourey Savick,

info@peterboroughumc.org or 603-892-3682.

Wanakee Homecoming Day

Saturday, August 15 from the Wanakee Staff

Please join us for our Wanakee Homecoming Day,

BBQ, and the third annual Wanakee Wilderness 5K

race/walk! We have added a pie contest that will

provide dessert for the BBQ. Last year we had over

70 runners/walkers and raised over $5,000 dollars

for camperships and the Dining Hall expansion.

This year our goal is to raise $10,000 for the re-

siding of the Farmhouse and other needed repairs

to the building. Individual, corporate, and church

sponsors are the major source for the moneys

raised. We are looking for runners, sponsors, and a

good crowd to enjoy the day at Wanakee, the

Beautiful Spiritual Place in the Hills.

Please check out our website

www.wanakeewilderness5k.com for the sponsor

and information pack. Additional materials can be

picked up at Wanakee or email Phil Polhemus at

phil@polhemusweb.com.

Wanakee United Methodist Center

75 Upper New Hampton Road, Meredith

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Nepalese children began returning to school in early June, so the distribution of school kits to 4,000 young people with support from UMCOR and IsraAID will make a big difference. Photo: Education International

UMCOR Provides Relief Aid After

Devastating Earthquake by David Tereshchuk via www.umcor.org

About six weeks after Nepal’s massive earthquake

and subsequent tremors, landslides, and

avalanches killed nearly 9,000 people and

destroyed half a million homes, the country’s

battered communities are determined to remake

their lives. And the United Methodist Committee

on Relief (UMCOR), is supporting those efforts by

providing clean water, food, emergency shelter,

hygiene kits, school kits, and other necessities.

UMCOR is working with a broad range of local and

international partners to accomplish its ongoing

relief and recovery work. Since the earthquake on

April 25, UMCOR has already disbursed about

$625,000 to meet immediate needs.

“Our first funding grant was made within 48 hours

of the initial quake,” said Francesco Paganini,

UMCOR executive secretary for International

Disaster Response. “And as we’ve deepened our

response, the number and types of grants we’ve

made reflect the great range of needs.”

UMCOR’s diverse partners in its Nepal relief work

include Muslim Aid, the international, British-

based Islamic charity; IsraAID, from Israel, whose

work extends across 29 countries in Asia, Africa

and the Americas; and GlobalMedic, the Canada-

based international relief organization.

Gifts to International Disaster Response, Advance

#982450 will enable UMCOR to respond in a timely

way to emergencies like the Nepal earthquake.

Putting Beliefs into Action.

That’s Church.

Written as a lament in response to the killings at

Emanuel A. M. E. Church in Charleston, racism, and

gun violence, we remember God's presence and our call

to be agents of healing to a broken world.......

They Met to Read the Bible by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

They met to read the Bible,

they gathered for a prayer,

They worshiped God and shared with friends

and welcomed strangers there.

They went to church to speak of love,

To celebrate God's grace.

O Lord, we tremble when we hear

What happened in that place.

O God of love and justice,

we thank you for the nine.

They served in their communities

and made the world more kind.

They preached and sang and coached and taught,

And cared for children, too.

They blessed your church and blessed your world

With gifts they used for you.

We grieve a wounded culture

Where fear and terror thrive,

Where some hate others for their race

And guns are glorified.

We grieve for sons and daughters lost,

For grandmas who are gone.

O God, we cry with broken hearts:

This can't continue on!

God, may we keep on sowing

The seeds of justice here,

Till guns are silent, people sing,

And hope replaces fear.

May seeds of understanding grow

And flourish all our days.

May justice, love and mercy be

The banner that we raise.

Hymn Text: Copyright © 2015 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved. Permission is given for free use by local churches and in ecumenical services. Tune: Frederick Charles Maker, 1881 ("Beneath the Cross of Jesus")

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District Resource Days Are Open to All by Diane Randall

Our district superintendent, Rev. David Abbott,

has held some outstanding resource days. I recently

attended one such day in May. Funny thing is the

topic, “Church as a Missional Community of

Faith”, didn't appeal to me at first, but I just up and

decided to go anyway.

Would you believe we heard that young ministerial

students had been sharing their doubts about their

chosen field? They felt they could not serve from

the inside of a building. The speaker, Rev. Elaine

Heath, realizing the students’ concerns should be

addressed, had matched students who had the

same dream. The students then went into a house

in a "poor" neighborhood. They invited anyone

and everyone to come in for fellowship and food.

This program has been running for two years and

has proven to be an effective outreach.

The afternoon session was a challenge. We were

given an allotted time to think about our personal

dreams. No talking was allowed. The next part

was for each of us to share our dream, that which

we had feared telling others before this day. Oh

trust is not to be taken lightly! We all expressed a

dream and most of them take place outside of a

church building. Yes, my dream is to be a hospice

chaplain.

Upcoming Resource Days:

Oct. 17 at Plymouth UMC, Rev. Dr. Safiyah Fosua

will lead an exercise in "theology from below" as

we re-examine the oft-repeated story of the

promised coming of Christ.

Nov. 14 at Lebanon UMC, Dr. Marcia McFee will

share her concepts for making worship more

sensory-rich, more deeply spiritual, more

participatory and anticipatory. Go to our district

web page, www.neumc.org/nhd to learn more.

21st Century Church

A Dream Come True by Diane Randall

I had long wanted to attend a 5-day spiritual retreat

sponsored by The Upper Room. I periodically

visited their website until, lo and behold, there was

the academy I wished to attend: Interfaith -

learning about differences to enable us to

understand and respect different beliefs.

Away I flew to Denver, Colorado. The center was a

typical retreat building; lodging included a single

room, bed, and washbasin. Meals were great.

However it is really important to stay hydrated

because of the elevation!

Each day featured a different speaker: from

Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Judaism faiths.

I was fascinated by the similarities and by the

differences. Our world is changing and we, as

Christians, will and do interact with people with

different beliefs.

Time was provided for daily journaling and

strolling the land in silence. In the evening our

Covenant Group discussed our feelings about the

day's speaker.

This academy was led by the Rocky Mountain

Conference and I met many great Methodists.

They were so willing to tell me about Colorado and

then asked questions about the state of NH.

If I see another retreat of interest, I would go again.

About the Academy

Since 1983, the Academy for Spiritual Formation®

has offered an environment for spiritually hungry

pilgrims, whether lay or clergy, that combines

academic learning with experience in spiritual

disciplines and community. The Academy's

commitment to an authentic spirituality promotes

balance, inner peace and outer peace, holy living

and justice living, God's shalom. Theologically the

focus is Trinitarian, celebrating the Creator's

blessing, delighting in the companionship of Christ

and witnessing to the power of the Holy Spirit to

transform lives, churches and the world. For more

information, visit www.academy.upperroom.org.

Community Outreach To support the ministries of local community

non-profit organizations, there are baskets in the

front foyer of the church, ready to accept the

following donations: non-perishable foods for the

Plymouth Area Community Closet’s Food Pantry

and the Got Lunch! Plymouth program; cleaning

supplies for the Bridge House Homeless Shelter.

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“Most people I approach don’t go to

church.....but I sense that people

would go if they felt like church had

something to offer.”

Simply Church A Rural New England Church

Hosts Thursday Dinner Church

by Jessica Hanewinckel in Outreach Magazine photo by Alethia Williams

Historic churches dot the landscape of the quaint,

picturesque town of Grafton, Mass. A bustling

industrial village during the 18th and 19th

centuries, the town about 30 miles west of Boston is

mostly rural and sleepy now. And, typical of

secular New England,

residents no longer flock to

the many whitesteepled

church buildings on Sundays.

But at the end of mile-long

Potter Hill Road, beyond

farmland and forest and the town square, is a 1960s

house on five acres that abuts a small organic farm.

It is here, of all places, that church is thriving again

every Thursday night. “Church” means gathering

in the home’s basement for a weekly dinner and

worship.

Welcome to Simple Church.

“I think it’s really accessible to people to have

essentially a Thanksgiving dinner every week,

where we sit down and recognize that everything

comes from God,” says Pastor Zach Kerzee, a

young, energetic guy the United Methodist

Church hired right out of seminary to plant a

church in Grafton using seed money and a former

parsonage with acreage left from a church closing.

“We don’t need all the trappings of a normal

church to have church,” he says, “especially in

New England, where many churches are in severe

decline.”

Kerzee planted Simple Church in summer 2013 and

held the launch service a year later. He’s attracted

most of the attendees by knocking on doors within

a few miles. Though he often hears “no,” he’s still

garnered interest. “Most people I approach don’t

go to church,” he says, “but I sense that people

would go if they felt like church had something to

offer.”

Simple Church appeals to Grafton’s secular

population largely through its on-trend less-is-

more approach and its partnership with the

neighboring organic farm. When Kerzee isn’t

clearing brush around the parsonage, he’s trading

labor on the farm for the produce he harvests every

Thursday morning to prepare the meal later that

day. The unusual model for Simple Church is

Kerzee’s answer to the United Methodist Church’s

campaign to “Rethink Church.” He says. “We are

really going to have to think of some creative ways

if we’re going to be relevant in a post-Christian

society.” Simple Church peels

away the layers of “typical”

church services to create what

Kerzee says resembles early

Christians’ worship services

inside believers’ homes, as

described in Acts 2:42-47. Still, they retain a

minimalist liturgy. They begin each service by

observing communion. The group breaks the bread

Kerzee baked that morning and lights candles.

They serve dinner, Kerzee gives a short sermon

and reads Scripture to start conversation, and they

sing worship songs. Finally, they take communion

juice and pray. An hour and a half later, it’s over.

Simple Church’s Thursday night meals have

welcomed people of all ages, and even unbelievers.

“This is such a different model and such a

nonjudgmental environment,” Kerzee says. “I think

people generally feel very comfortable when they

come because of that.”

www.simpleumc.com

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Leadership Transition Planned for the

End of the 2015 Camping Season

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Wanakee Board of Directors has been informed

that after ten years as Director of Wanakee United

Methodist Center, Michael Moore will be stepping

down at the end of the 2015 camping season.

Jean and Mike Moore became co-directors of

Wanakee UMC in November of 2005. As former

campers, staff members and volunteers, they were

passionate about the camping ministry and knew

firsthand how a week at Wanakee can transform

lives. After Jean’s illness and passing in February

2010, Mike has continued as Executive Director.

“These summers have been amazing to be a part

of”, Michael says, “I have been so blessed to be a

part of helping make camp a safe, fun and

inspirational place for so many campers, volunteers

and staff over the years, and I feel that I’ve received

so much more than I’ve given. Wanakee has

provided laughter and merriment, incredible

friendships, regular servings of S’mores,

inspirational worships, so much singing and hugs,

and so many wonderful role models for my

children to grow up around.”

“These memories and the knowledge that

incredible new events are just weeks away, have

made it especially difficult to come to the decision

that this summer will be my last summer as the

Wanakee as the director. This is not a rushed

decision or one without strong emotions. I have

wrestled with the idea of moving in a different

direction for some time, and after lots of prayer and

reflection, decided that this was the year to move

on. For the summer 2015 season, camp will remain

my top priority and I am sure this summer will be

another incredible summer where camp magic

happens!”

In the coming months the Conference and the

Board will provide updates on the search for a new

Executive Director. We invite you to pray for all

those involved in the transition process and

especially for Wanakee UMC—“A Beautiful,

Spiritual Place in the Hills.”

Grace and Peace,

Wanakee Board of Directors

Just for Fun

Awash in Sunlight St. Francis of Assisi — perhaps best remembered

for his love of animals and his belief that God cares

about them in special ways too — was said to have

lived with an exuberant “attitude of gratitude.” He

wrote, “Such love does the sky now pour, that

whenever I stand in a field, I have to wring the

light out when I go home.”

What natural wonders amaze you and make you

grateful: sweet-smelling grass? warm, gentle rain?

blooming flowers everywhere? pristine, blue skies?

Just for fun, write an exclamation like that of St.

Francis, glorifying God for his creation.

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Plymouth United Methodist Church

334 Fairgrounds Road

Plymouth NH 03264

Address Correction Requested

TO:

Here is your July / August 2015

newsletter….. to receive a full-color copy by email, contact the

editor at gkidger@msn.com

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