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MAY 2008 NEWSLETTER
PENTECOST SUNDAY IS MAY 11 You are encouraged to wear your reds, oranges, or bright yellows as we celebrate the “birthday of the church!” Read Acts 2 for inspiration! “Fire, fire, fire! The whole world is on fire!” In a split second, confusion and commotion meld into a singular declaration. Everybody sees flames at the same time and shouts, “Fire!” People run into each other. Words collide. Or is it worlds? Panic prevails. Tongues of fire sweep across the chaos, leap into the air, and dance from person to person. Amazingly, though, this fire from heaven heals rather than harms, builds rather than destroys, and melts chaos into communion as it sears people’s lips, opens their ears, and fills their hearts with passion. Pentecost is a season of fire. The fire is the Holy Spirit. Pentecost arrives like the rush of wind that takes our breath away. Pentecost is a day and a season for personal and church renewal; it’s a time for rededication among individual Christians. It’s a time to seek the unity found in God’s love. LET’S CAMP! Where can you win an award for being the dirtiest? Cook over an open fire? Sing lots of silly songs or put on a musical? Ride a horse, a roller coaster, or a go-kart? Climb a rock wall or go down a zip line? Live in Christian community and learn more about Jesus? At one of your five United Methodist Camps! It’s time to send in your registration to attend camp this summer. Just fill out the registration form in the back of the camp book, and bring it to the church office. Ellen will take care of the rest. Don’t forget that FUMC pays half the cost of any United Methodist camping event, up to $100 for each child/youth who attends church here. KID’S CLUB On May 4, the Kids’ Club children will be sharing a contemporary version of Psalm 47 during both worship services. They’ve been hard at work preparing this reading during their Wednesday evening activities. This will be their last activity for the school year, because Kids’ Club ended in April, but make plans for your kindergarten through fifth grade child to attend Kids’ Club starting next fall. Teacher and Student Recognition We’ll be recognizing our Sunday School teachers, youth group leaders, and other education volunteers on May 18th during the 11:00 worship service. It’s a time to thank all the adults that help make the education programs happen here at FUMC. We’re grateful to the leaders of children, youth, and adult classes for all their hard work! Also during both worship services, we’ll be recognizing all the children who completed their nine mission projects throughout the school year. Each month, they had a specific task to complete--bringing food for MICA, sending a Valentine to an elderly adult, or donating a book to the UMCOR kits. When they participated in the project, they were supposed to color in a petal on their flower sheet. The children will be bringing their colorful flowers to worship that morning, and we’ll have a special treat to thank them for making a difference in the world. LUNCH BUNCH Tuesday, May 13, Lunch Bunch, 11:30-1:00, will feature Kaylee Siebrecht, talking about the various kinds of care facilities, from Assisted Living, to Intermediate Care (Health Centers), to Skilled Care. There will also be information about home health care. We have more options than ever before, and the choices can be confusing. Come, eat (for just $3.50) and learn. Please call the office to make your reservation by noon Monday, May 12. Vacation Bible School We’ll be kicking off our VBS program during Sunday School on May 18th. Children and past leaders are encouraged to wear their previous VBS t-shirts to help get ready for the big event. As you are planning your summer schedule, don’t forget that VBS will be held July 28-August 1. VBS will be held from 9:00 am-12:00 noon for four year olds through rising sixth graders. Invite your grandchildren to spend the week with you! May’s Adult Forum Sunday, May 20, 9:30 am, in the Fireside/Parlor, a representative from the Stork’s Nest will tell about their program. From the church library As we continue our journey through the books of the Bible, we’ll be highlighting the Gospels and the book of Acts during the months of May and June. The Gospels, or the Good News, are the biographies of Jesus—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are followed by the only book of history in the New Testament—Acts of the Apostles. Learn more about the life of Jesus and the early church by checking out a book from the church library this spring. Or you might check out a video on the same topic. To check books out, just write your name on the card inside the book. Then leave the card in the metal filing box (found in the library, near the typewriter) by the first letter of the author’s last name. When you return the book, leave it on the cart in the library. Training Offered for AED With the acquisition of our new Automated External Defibrillator, we are excited to offer CPR/AED training to interested persons. If you are already certified in CPR (with documentation), you may sign up for AED orientation for $20. Otherwise, the CPR/AED training is $32. Barry Groos of Heartlink will provide the training. We’re proposing two opportunities here at the church (you need only come to one of them), Saturday, May 3, 12:00-5:00, and Sunday, May 4, 12:00-5:00. If you need only AED instruction, come around 3:00 pm, either day. Payment is due at the time of the class. Call the church office, 232-2750, to register. Class size may be limited. Questions, talk to Deanna 233-5910. Graduation Recognition On May 18, at the 8:30 am worship, we will be recognizing our 2008 graduates in worship and honoring them during the Fellowship time that will follow. We would really like to have a pictorial display of graduates! Please drop off or mail a picture to the church office before May 4th. Also, be sure the church office is aware that you have a graduate in your home so we can list all names correctly.
May Friendship Day 2008, sponsored by Church Women United will meet May 3, at 9 am, here at First in Fellowship Hall. This year’s theme is God’s Wisdom Inspires Hospitality. The underlying scripture is found in the book of Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 35 and 40. Other scriptures on the subject will be examined in discussion groups. The Fellowship of Least Coin offering will be received as well as the opportunity for your Unit to honor a “Valiant Woman” with a pin and certificate conveying the Unit’s gratitude for her efforts. Divorce Support Opportunity
On Monday, June
9, at 6:30-8:30 pm, and following weekly for four weeks, is a
group that will use the book Rebuilding, by Bruce Fisher.
Facilitated by Dr. Ann Kennedy and Deanna Pullen, this group will
learn to come into the next part of their lives with hope rather
than failure. Help Wanted: Medical/lab technicians, paramedics, nurses, respiratory therapists, or Doctors needed to assist with blood pressure checks during Wellness Screening at Annual Conference on Friday, June 6, and Saturday, June 7, 5:30-8:15 am. Contact Kae Tritle, RN at bktritle@msn.com or 515-226-8760. Come and Find the Quiet Center… An Invitation Inward “Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead, Find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed: Clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes that we can see All the things that really matter, be at peace, and simply be.” Sunday, May 18, from 2-6 pm you are invited to journey with fellow folk of FUMC to your “Quiet Center” at Soul of the Prairie near Hubbard. During this retreat we will “clear the clutter” and create space where we can “simply be.” With prayer, music, labyrinth walking, sharing, and guided times of quiet and reflection we will come, together and individually, to our deepest places of relationship with God, ourselves, and each other. With the resources gained from this retreat, our hope is that we can journey on from that “still small space within” with peace and inner joy. After the retreat, you are invited to join friends around the campfire for marshmallows and stories. You may wish to bring a sack supper. The moon will be almost full that evening, so we’ll light up the candles for an awesome moonlit labyrinth walk, too! Cost is $10. To pre-register, please call the church office at 232-2750 by May 11. If you have questions, please contact Jodi Knox at 232-8465 or Mary Dreier at 641-864-3256 or mary@souloftheprairie.com. From Dennis Tevis… I attended the Iowa United Methodist Men’s Annual Meeting in Altoona on Saturday, March 15th. The keynote speaker was Dave Adams, the UMM’s General Secretary. He said some things that I think should be of interest to the whole church. He talked about a shift in emphasis—from Methodist Men’s Ministry being inwardly focused to being outwardly focused. I think that is the direction that we are trying to move as an Iowa Annual Conference through our Ministry Action Teams and other ways of witnessing to our faith in our communities. It is important that we do so because while nearly 60% of the Baby Boomer generation claim some kind of church affiliation, only 4% of Generation Xers do. Where does that leave Christ’s church two generations from now!? Dave Adams emphasized that one strategy for sharing our faith with others is through mentoring—whether that be a formal relationship—through Big Brothers/Big Sisters or through Scouting or whether it simply be through relationships with younger men or women in the workplace or social settings. We have always known that our resurrection faith is best shared in informal settings through one to one relationships. It makes sense to share our faith with those who are younger and who may not already have established patterns of church attendance or non-attendance. We can’t leave the sharing of our faith in Christ to chance. We have to pass it on. We have to care enough about our fellow human beings to want for them the faith that we have come to know. Is there someone who looks up to you as an example or comes to you for advice? If so, share with them your faith in a God whose ability to give new life is stronger even than sin and death. Christ is Risen! Thanks be to God. —Dennis Tevis, District Superintendent WHAT TO DO WITH THIS UNEXPECTED GIFT? I have heard a few church folks recently talk about what to do with our government’s economic stimulus gift that should be arriving in homes after May 1st. A married couple is going to receive $1200 and if there are any children under 17 years of age they will receive $300 for each child. Single persons are to get $600. Perhaps you have already thought of ways to spend this “gift” to help stimulate our economy --- in fact, maybe you have already spent it several times in your minds as you have dreamed about your wishes. I’d like to invite you to prayerfully consider a way to put this stimulus money to work in a way that will make a difference in the lives of others, not only ourselves. After all, it’s money we were not planning on earning and having and we haven’t spent it yet. Giving this gift for the sake of others fits in with the Biblical principles of giving out of thankfulness and it multiplies blessings upon blessings! Using it in a charitable way is tax-deductible which will help out during next year’s taxes. Giving this money in a charitable way will still find its way into businesses to offer a stimulus and it will do even more good on its way! Let’s say, for instance, for the simple purpose of “what if”, here at First Church we had 500 individual persons receiving $600 and each one wanted to give the whole gift to the church—that would amount to $300,000. Or, if each of those 500 persons wanted to give just “a tithe or 10%” of it to the church that would still bring in $30,000….25% of the gift would yield $75,000….you can do the math. Just imagine what this kind of giving could do for the ministries of the church! This kind of giving could strengthen our youth programming for all teens and their families as they reach out in mission for others; it could be a wonderful beginning of a projected new building addition with a full size elevator and accessibility that opens up our building to welcoming more people; it could help our church support various mission agencies locally and globally; it could help to enliven and enhance our music and worship life as we lift our prayers for others to God; it could help with new ways to reach out to people seeking a church home; and, there’s plenty more that we could envision together ways to help others. So...what will you do? An Associate’s Note... Well, we made it through tax season. All of the paperwork is in, and our obligation is paid. But there is still talk of a recession, unstable housing markets, rising gas prices. How will we make that paycheck stretch? Do we have enough left to cover this month’s bills? Will there be enough next month? Or next year? All of these questions come to mind every time we turn on the news or open the mail. It seems that there is never enough, or that comfort and security are just out of reach. Maybe if we just had a little more, another $1000 this month, maybe just another $500, then we wouldn’t have to worry. Then we’d be set. This is a common mindset in our community. This feeling of financial insecurity, or shortage. This feeling of not having quite enough. But as I write, I realize: I have had enough. I have had enough of television commercials that offer happiness for a low monthly payment. I have had enough of the idea that life is not complete without a car, or a tropical vacation, or dinner at a restaurant. I have had enough of the message that I deserve convenient transportation or one-stop shopping. I have had enough of financial institutions telling me that security is possible anywhere besides the knowledge of the love and grace of God. And yes, I am writing from privilege. I have also had enough – for my whole life – to make the bills and have some left over. I have had more than enough to meet my needs. But as I read the news about riots in Haiti because people can no longer afford not to starve, I suspect that my readers have had enough as well. It is time, friends, for a reality check. Around the world, shortage is a reality. While we complain of rising fuel prices, others walk miles for questionably clean water. As we worry about the state of health insurance, millions die of preventable diseases. While we decry the rising tuition of our public universities, over 15% of the adults in the world cannot read and write. The truth of the matter is, despite the common perception or the stories that we tell ourselves, we have enough. I recognize that we have need in our communities, we have homeless families, people who lack the basics of food, health care, and education. But we can meet those needs. For example: in our nation of 300 million people, the United Methodist Church claims 9 million members. If each of our members gave 10% of their income, we would have enough money to house all of the homeless in the nation (with some left over for food and utilities). While money is not the answer in itself, we have the knowledge and creativity to undertake this kind of project, and the compassion and values to succeed.
There is real need in our
world. But it is not the need for a new car, for a night out, or
for cable television. It is the need for basic food and shelter,
for simple care and respect, for peace and forgiveness. And we,
as the Church, can and must work together to meet those needs.
After all, who will do this work if not those who call themselves
Christians, of whom Jesus said, “You will do even greater things
than what I have done”?
MAKING ROOM FOR PRAYER Will you make room in your life for prayer? There is room here in our church for prayer. Jesus said, “My house will be called a house of prayer.” Our chapel, located just off of the sanctuary, makes a terrific Prayer Room. This is a peaceful place to pray, to read from the scriptures, and reflect on other devotional materials.
FIND TIME Ask yourself: Do you ever find time for the work of God? Be a good steward and make the exciting discovery of time for yourself. No matter how busy you think you are, you can find time if you try! There is a wide choice of things which you can do for God and neighbor, in and through your church community—if you have the good will. With good will you also will find the necessary time for such projects, even though you may have to cut and pare in other directions. BE HAPPIER AT WORK It’s Monday, and the last thing you want to do is go to work. For some folks work denotes burden and drudgery. Yet for others, work energizes, motivates, and serves as a mission or life calling. Here are tips from Victor Parachin of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a freelance writer and editor with the Interpreter magazine: *See your work as ministry and as a part of something larger. *Clarify your job perception. *Pray for wisdom and guidance. *Look for the good. *Learn how to get along with difficult co-workers. *Take control and be willing to change. Subscribe to the Interpreter for active United Methodists at www.interpretermagazine.org or by calling 615-742-5107. PLAN FOR SUMMER MUSIC You are invited to help Myrna Cakerice recruit special music for our summer worship services. If you or a family member or a friend would like to share in a “musical moment of ministry”, please work with Myrna to coordinate a date. AMOS Celebrates Health Victories and much more… The AMOS Health Care research team is on a roll. AMOS approached the Mary Greeley Medical Center Board of Trustees in February of 2007 and requested improvements to the financial assistance policy, to make it easier for uninsured and low income persons to apply and qualify, and to raise the income caps for qualification. The MGMC Board unanimously approved a revised financial assistance policy in November 2007. AMOS leaders asked McFarland Clinic to consider options to serve people who need medical care outside of normal business hours but not extreme emergency care. On February 27, McFarland Clinic announced a new Urgent Care Service which will be available at 1018 Duff Avenue until 9 pm on weekdays and from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. An important consultation with health care providers to find a solution that will provide prenatal care for uninsured pregnant women took place late last month. AMOS has an active lobby effort for the Iowa Legislative session. AMOS leaders met with Gov. Culver early in the session to share goals. Leaders in all the research teams monitor bills in committees and as they move to the floor of the Iowa Assembly. Action Alerts via email rally AMOS leaders to respond to committee hearings, caucus activities and possible votes on payday loans, bottle bill, immigration and environmental issues and many more related issues. All of these activities have grown out of the house meeting conversations held in the fall of 2006. This is how we build a “community where all can succeed.” SAVE the DATES: May 9 and May 10 for a Spring Leaders Retreat at Bethesda Lutheran Church. Who is an AMOS Leader? The title of LEADER is given to any and all persons who participate in AMOS activities. Each of us becomes a LEADER when we listen to our neighbor’s story and then choose to respond to that story with others to build a better community. This is an ongoing effort. It requires that we continuously reach out to persons, expand our understanding of neighbor, and create opportunities to hear more stories. So, please consider attending the Spring Leaders Retreat and watch for more information about it. Enlighten Discipleship—School for Lay Ministry In the fall of 2005, as we met for the first time, we were all asking ourselves...why? Why are we here? What did we hope to gain? Where are we heading? Through our journey we have learned more about our rich history from where our roots as Methodists began and continues through to these post-modern times. John Wesley’s tradition of using lay leaders to evangelize, for church leadership, care and outreach, and to preach the word of the Lord was all part of our educational experience. This has equipped us with tools and increased our knowledge so we are able to fulfill the missions that the Lord has set before us. Not only did we learn about our Wesleyan Traditions, we also explored other denominations in the Sioux City area including: a Jewish Synagogue, a Greek Orthodox Church, and a Carmelite Convent. We were also introduced to the area’s Hispanic Missions. This expanded our knowledge of theological views that differ from ours. The exploration gave us more insight into our denomination’s history and equipped us with ways to work with our brothers and sisters of other denominations to transform the world. Thanks to the Connectional System of the UM Church, we were supplied with top-of-the-line professors and instructors. Not to mention our wonderful Dean, Sue Mullins! Our course of study ranged from Theology, Church History, Preaching, Worship, Social Concerns, Mission and Evangelism, Doctrine and Polity, and Christian Education to Leadership and Administration. Our three year experience has fed us spiritually and intellectually which has given us the strength needed so that we may go out and transform the world of Christ. So, why did we end up at the School for Lay Ministry? We answered God’s call in our lives to be more effective disciples within our churches, districts, conferences and the world. What did we gain? We gained the ability and strength to begin fulfilling our call. And where are we heading? Wherever God leads us, we are offering ourselves for His service. We hope this brings a clearer understanding as to how a Lay Person can find and use their spiritual gifts in God’s service; and we encourage everyone that feels God’s gentle tug to pursue avenues in which you may grow and sow in His Amazing Love.
—Kristin Boysen, Roxanne Boverhuis,
Kimberly Cooper, David Decker, Kim Dewey, If you would like to find out more information on the Iowa UMC School for Lay Ministry, please visit with your pastor and read more about it at www.iaumc.org.
From the Lewis Desk
Today I am thinking about my Great-Grandmother Mueller, my Grandmother Lewis and Grandmother Mueller, and my mom. I never really got to know my Grandmother Lewis, except I know I have some vague memories of her when I look at old pictures. I can imagine her from the stories my father tells. But, I was fortunate to grow-up with my Great-Grandmother, Lillian Mueller, living just a few doors away from my home and my Grandma, Wilmuth Mueller, living across town. Wilmuth’s mother, my Great-Grandmother Ireland, had died before I was born but I heard the stories of her from my mom. One of the phrases my Grandma would say, with kind of a twinkle in her eye, was “we come from sturdy stock.” I’ve seen that “kind of sturdiness” in my own mother and in my sister and brother. With each passing year I seem to understand the sentiment and try to pass that on to my son and my nieces and their families. As I arrive at this year’s Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about “the sturdy women.” Just think of our ancestors who survived rugged and risky crossings across the Atlantic, started lives in barren colonies, went westward to a wilderness and savaged land, who worked alongside their husbands, and raised children to be strong. When I think of mothers, I surely don’t think of any ‘weaker sex’ or as junior partners walking meekly behind their husbands. I think of sturdy women who married sturdy men and together made their home on the prairie, during wartimes, during changing times, during difficult and dangerous times. I think of Mary, mother of Jesus, whom Michalangelo wisely, and with great inspiration, depicted wearing sturdy boots as she cradles her lifeless son in his great art masterpiece. She is seen in it, not as the marble icon that the early church depicted as it forced women to the sidelines, nor as a fragile woman often seen in some paintings, but rather the Mary who was a sturdy woman---mother of our Savior---who was a key leader in the community bearing her son’s name. I think of the other women whom Jesus brought closely into his inner circle at a time when women were excluded from power and seen as less than human. Jesus wasn’t being simply tolerant. I think he needed their sturdiness. Without them, the circle was not complete. There would not have been the wholeness. I’m thankful that we are today finally allowing ourselves to imagine that without Mary Magdalene perhaps Jesus’ own life was not complete. Mother’s Day has gotten so caught up in the nostalgia of some imagined by-gone era. What I am remembering this year is “sturdiness”. Women who work hard every day, women who join with their partners in the difficult work of establishing careers, homes and adult lives, women who give from their very soul without applause, women who pray when only God is listening, women who love extravagantly, and then, who smiling bravely, send their children out into the world. I think of women who are sturdy in their own right and, who can, therefore, nurture sturdiness in others. Thanks be to God! —Pastor Fred
IN HONOR OF PENTECOST… We are planning to have a limited number of red geraniums available for you to purchase to give to your mother in honor of Mother’s Day and Pentecost! We will use them to decorate the sanctuary on May 10/11 and then you may take yours to your mother. Please send $10 to the church office with your check marked ‘for geraniums’ by May 1 to reserve yours.
Honor and Remember Your Mother with a CWS Blanket
Wrap the world in love this Mother’s Day as you celebrate the love and joy of your Mom! For $5 a Church World Service (CWS) blanket can be given in honor or memory of your mother. Remember how grateful you have been for the love that your mom has given to you and then think about sharing this love…by blanketing the world! Please turn in blanket orders to the office by May 2nd, or put your order in the offering plate by Sunday, May 4th, with your check clearly marked in the memo ‘Mother’s Day Blankets’.
Yes, I would like to order ______ blanket(s) at the cost of $5 each. Deadline is May 4th.
In honor of: _____________________________________________
In memory of: ___________________________________________
From: _________________________________________________
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