Volume 16 Issue 3 March 2016 ST. ANDREW UNITED METHODIST CHURCH The people of St. Andrew have been called by God to embrace, equip and encourage persons of all ages to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. e 3 words from Pastor John A Cottage Meeting - This Is Your Invitation What: A Cottage Meeting When: During March Where: A Home Who: The Members and Friends of St. Andrew It’s the first of March, and there is a sense of anticipation in the air. The countdown is on: the first day of spring is in 20 days; Easter Sunday is in 27 days; the last day of school is in 95 days; then, Vacation Bible School in 105 days, and summer vacation… We have so much to look forward to, each day filled with new opportunities and possibilities. We as a church are also entering into a unique season, a season of focused discernment, visioning, and dreaming together for the future work and ministry of St. Andrew. It is a process that will begin in March and will be completed in May. An integral part of our visioning process this year is found in our Cottage Meetings. Our hope and prayer is that nearly everyone here at St. Andrew will find a way to be involved in this important work. There will be 10 Cottage Meetings held at various locations throughout Beavercreek. Most will be in individual homes. Our confirmed hosts include Elvin & Lynn Moad, Bill & Donna Shoup, Chris Watters, Ernie & Karen Muller, Marc & Debbie Caudill and Jerry & Marge Sedlacek. A complete listing of Cottage Meeting locations and times will be available at our sign-up table at church on Sunday, March 6. The hosts will be scheduling a specific date and time for their event, so there should be a variety of options throughout the month. Our hope is that each meeting will have between 6 to 12 people in attendance. The meeting is designed to last 90 minutes and allow for each person to share their experiences of St. Andrew, as well as their hopes and dreams for the future of the church. There will be some “curious questions” provided which should serve as a roadmap for the Cottage Meeting. The hosts will guide the conversations. At the conclusion of each of the meetings, there will be a summary report which will be taken back to the Administrative Council for integration into the visioning and goal setting process. Your involvement may or may not end with the Cottage Meeting. The invitation is further extended to everyone to participate in the work that follows, beginning with the Administrative Council gathering on April 5th. We are excited about the opportunities to work together in this way. Without question, this is Holy Work that we are called to. Thank you in advance for your participation and your prayers for the work and ministry of St. Andrew. In Ministry With You, Pastor John (continued on page 3)
8
Embed
A Cottage Meeting - This Is Your Invitation · school is in 95 days; then, Vacation Bible School in 105 days, and summer vacation… We have so much to look forward to, each day filled
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Volume 16 Issue 3
March 2016
ST
.
AN
DR
EW
U
NI
TE
D
ME
TH
OD
IS
T
CH
UR
CH
The people of St. Andrew have been called by God to embrace, equip and encourage persons
of all ages to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. e3
words from Pastor John
A Cottage Meeting - This Is Your Invitation
What: A Cottage Meeting
When: During March
Where: A Home
Who: The Members and
Friends of St. Andrew
It’s the first of March, and there is a sense
of anticipation in the air. The countdown is
on: the first day of spring is in 20 days;
Easter Sunday is in 27 days; the last day of
school is in 95 days; then, Vacation Bible
School in 105 days, and summer vacation…
We have so much to look forward to, each
day filled with new opportunities and
possibilities.
We as a church are also entering into a
unique season, a season of focused
discernment, visioning, and dreaming
together for the future work and ministry
of St. Andrew. It is a process that will begin
in March and will be completed in May. An
integral part of our visioning process this
year is found in our Cottage Meetings. Our
hope and prayer is that nearly everyone
here at St. Andrew will find a way to be
involved in this important work. There will
be 10 Cottage Meetings held at various
locations throughout Beavercreek. Most
will be in individual homes. Our confirmed
hosts include Elvin & Lynn Moad, Bill &
Donna Shoup, Chris Watters, Ernie & Karen
Muller, Marc & Debbie Caudill and Jerry &
Marge Sedlacek.
A complete listing of Cottage Meeting
locations and times will be available at our
sign-up table at church on Sunday,
March 6.
The hosts will be scheduling a specific date
and time for their event, so there should be
a variety of options throughout the month.
Our hope is that each meeting will have
between 6 to 12 people in attendance. The
meeting is designed to last 90 minutes and
allow for each person to share their
experiences of St. Andrew, as well as their
hopes and dreams for the future of the
church. There will be some “curious
questions” provided which should serve as
a roadmap for the Cottage Meeting. The
hosts will guide the conversations. At the
conclusion of each of the meetings, there
will be a summary report which will be
taken back to the Administrative Council
for integration into the visioning and goal
setting process.
Your involvement may or may not end
with the Cottage Meeting. The invitation is
further extended to everyone to participate
in the work that follows, beginning with
the Administrative Council gathering on
April 5th. We are excited about the
opportunities to work together in this way.
Without question, this is Holy Work that
we are called to. Thank you in advance for
your participation and your prayers for the
work and ministry of St. Andrew.
In Ministry With You,
Pastor John
(continued on page 3)
MARCH ~Saturday 5 Bistro Dinner ~Sunday 6 One Great Hour of Sharing ~ Wednesday, 16 Meals From the Heart Holy Week: 20—27 ~Sunday 20 Palm Sunday ~Thursday 24 Maundy Thursday Service ~Friday 25 Good Friday Service ~Saturday 26 Easter Egg Hunt ~Sunday 27 Easter Sunday
APRIL ~ Saturday, 2 Lions Club Chili Cook-off ~Sunday, 10 Native American Sunday MAY ~Sunday, 8 Mother’s Day ~Saturday, 14 Trustee Clean Up Day ~Sunday, 15 Pentecost Sunday ~Sunday, 29 Combined Service ~ Monday, 30 Memorial Day Office Closed
Please pray for these people who have been in the hospital, ill, or recuperating in the past month or are simply in need of our prayers and support.
Ann Shelton Julie and Stan Erk Diane Hutton Edith Leonard Betty Bracken Jack Darst Kara Sandberg Nancy Schlicher Margaret Griffin Mary Lou Fox Vera Kercher Don Hill Harriet Brown Chuck Lauersdorf Marilyn Hackett Alex Reed, grandson of Art & Kathy Bauer
The St. Andrew prayer chain is always available to pray for you. Contact Jan Garrett 426-0320. Prayer requests can be made at the Atrium prayer box, or by contacting the church office. Every week, a group of people pray for the needs of our members, our church, our community, our country and world.
—remember “where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” - Matthew 18:20
Care and Prayer
A Cottage Meeting - Continued...
Some thoughts about visioning
Vision is the bridge between the present and the future.
Foresight, Insight & Oversight
Godly vision consists of foresight, insight and oversight that come from His sight. Foresight is like looking at
life through a telescope. This outlook allows us to know what is ahead as it connects us to our future.
Foresight is the element of vision that helps life make sense and gives us motivation.
Insight is like viewing life through a microscope. This perception gives us an understanding of why things
happen in life. It also helps determine the underlying motivations of the heart.
Oversight puts life into context. It is like flying over our house in a helicopter. There is a perspective that
we can only receive from this vista that helps us understand where we are with respect to where everything
else is.
The first part of accomplishing any vision is to take it from the unseen world and bring it into the natural
realm. This can be accomplished by simply writing down the vision. Articulating the vision on paper pulls
the dream that is in your spirit (that no one can see but you) into the visible world so that others can
capture it in their own hearts.
“Then the Lord answered me and said, ‘Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads
it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:2-3
Accomplishing the Mission
The Bible says: “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed; that
plans of the heart belong to man, but the answers of the tongue is from the Lord” Proverbs 15:22 & 16:1
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” - Albert Einstein
Sensible Shoes By: Sharon Garlough Brown Reviewed by: Pat Reynolds
This is a book about four women, but not necessarily for only women to read. Brown introduces us to four very dif-ferent characters in very dissimilar phases of life. Hannah is a pastor who doesn’t realize how burned out her passion and flame have become. Meg is a widow/empty-nester whose confidence has been shattered. Mara is in a thank-less marriage with teenagers who treat her the way they observe their father treating their mother. And Charissa is a classic type A personality who cannot accept anything less than perfection from herself. As we embark on this journey where the four women meet at a retreat center, we find that the author has woven in ways for the reader to look for understanding some key spiritual practices, and she also offers support for a deeper relationship with God. By navigating our own spiritual wilderness, we can reflect on ways to travel our own journey with the help of a study guide and practical resources included in the book. I liked that the author used her characters to make one an-other stronger in their faith walk, in their personal revelation, and in their everyday real lives. This was a book to read slowly and absorb completely.
V OLU ME 1 5 ISS U E 2 Page 4
Martha's Closet Jerry Sedlacek
It's been a hard winter for everyone but particularly so for those struggling to put food on their table. We will continue our food collection for the Wesley Center in March. The red wagon will be placed in the Atrium on Sunday, 3/6, as a reminder of our collection on Sunday, 3/13. Please support our St. Andrew outreach program by bringing food items that you can spare. Used clothing in good repair is also needed. Place it by the red wagon or put it in the closet by the restrooms near the sanctuary.
STaRS St. Andrew Retirees
The March 16th STaRS outing will take us to Otterbein Retirement Community’s Lebanon campus. We will leave the St. Andrew parking lot at 9:00 AM. Our visit will include a walking tour of the Campus Center, lunch, and a coach tour of the campus, during which we will learn about housing and activities on and off campus. Also we will hear about volunteer opportunities, admission procedures and cost options. Please sign up today on the STaRS sign-up sheet.
War Room Our STaRS group viewed and enjoyed the movie, “War Room,” in February. The video is now available to borrow from the office.
Easter Flowers
Forms are now available if you would like to order flowers to
decorate our church for Easter. The forms are in the registration pads,
in the church office, and in the Gathering Grounds.
United Methodist Women's Agape Meal
On Thursday, March 17, we will gather in the Fellowship Hall
at 6:30 PM for our Agape Meal. Following this simple meal,
Rosetta Schaffner, Vice-President of the Miami Valley UMW, has been
invited by Lydia Circle to speak to us about our annual Call to Prayer and
Self-Denial.
During this season of Lent, when we contemplate our personal spiritual journeys, we
encourage all women of the church to come and join with us as part of the larger
organization of the UMW, which actively meets the needs of people across the world.
Please be prepared to contribute to an offering that will further the work of the UMW.
Saturday, March 26 1:00 PM
All children, ages 2 through 5th grade, are invited!
Donations of wrapped candies, stickers, coins, and small toys will be gratefully
accepted through March 25th.
We will also need cookies for the day of the event.
Bring your family, friends and neighbors! Please contact Debbie Caudill for further
This meal is open to everyone! We encourage you to invite friends and neighbors. Reservations are requested but not required. If you are disabled and unable to come to church, you can make a reservation as well, and a plate of hot, delicious food will be delivered to you! If you do not drive at night, we will have volunteers to drive you to and from church. In addition to food and fellowship, there are opportunities to grow in Christlikeness by offering to help serve, clean up, provide rides, or take meals to those who cannot participate. You can register by calling or emailing the church office or signing up on the sheet provided in the Atrium.